S2 M2: "Pursuit of Yesterday"

[Jada]

Bridge

The Ensign walked through the turbo-lift doors and entered the Bridge, flanked by two Security Crewman.

He gave a slight look to the men behind him, before he continued forward to stand behind and slightly to the right of his fellow Sec/Tac colleague at the Tactical consoles.

Turning, Jada waved away the Security crewmen, feeling their presence was unnecessary, even one likely to make a situation worse. No one liked being made to feel like a threat or problem. Mikaelson, a newly arrived and minted ensign, may have jumped the gun after hearing "insubordination" on the automated security alerts. But Jada felt there were many occasions when Security was best used when not applied at all.

Wait. Why had they arrived before K'lizh's reprimand? That might just be bad timing.

"Chief." He acknowledged her quietly, a little unsure as to the protocol of addressing a person of superior position, but not rank, in his own Department. Ignoring this for the time being, he leaned forward, his eyes easily seeing over her smaller frame to the read out in front, before moving up to the central view screen. "Uncharted space," He said after a moment, more toward the Crewmen behind him, but also including the Petty Officer in his musings, "If there was such a thing as a tactical nightmare; that's it, right there."

Coming from a tribal background, she rather liked being called "Chief", and it applied to both her rank and her position. 'Indeed. No idea what to expect.' she agreed quietly. She waited for the situation to quieten before discussing anything.

[Julia Rellek]

Bridge

Jada shook her leg out, easing the stiffness and not liking the standing arrangement for the Tactical station. She wondered if she could have Facilities Management install a chair up here... She could do that now, she recalled with surprise. Being elevated to Chief of Security/Tactical still came as a shock to her, since she hadn't been in the fleet very long, and she was still young, even for an Orion. Fortunately, Starfleet seemed to have counted her time served as a teen soldier with Teish Security in the corporate war. Still, she wondered if she was quite ready. She'd decided against enrolling in the Academy with s'Metra in favour of getting to work faster, and here she was, Sec/Tac Chief on a Galaxy-class starship before her. When they were finally back on the other side of the Wormhole and Senior Chief Petty Officer Jada, Chief of Security/Tactical, could send a message to her family, Cadet s'Metra was going to be so jealous.

In any case, her position was technically one of indefinite Acting Chief of Security/Tactical after Lieutenant Kehrav Th'taraq had to leave urgently on a family matter.

Still, Jada was eager to impress and not be seen to fail. As they dropped out of warp, she quickly initiated tactical scans of the system. 'Sensors show no vessels in range, no recent ion trails, or marker buoys. Looks like an uncharted system, captain.' she reported her findings, an edge of tension in her voice. Each new and unknown finding in the Gamma Quadrant raised her Orion dread of the Outer Dark, but she couldn't exactly tell the humans her conception of outer space was like their old weird-horror pulp fictions. 'The tachyon pulse occurred on the spinward side, near the third or fifth planet.'

[Bridge]

"Acknowledged." Julia looked down the bridge. "Set a course and engage, Lieutenant. Let's have a look." Julia ordered. She was aware of what was happening between the operations officers and was standing to engage pair when the Klaxons began engage and red lights covered the bridge.

Three Jem'Hadar fighters appeared from the other side of the fifth planet. Red alert was automatically triggered when they obtained a target lock and charged their weapons. "What the hell." Julia said as she took a step towards the viewscreen. Looking to Commander K'Lizh. "Commander, can this discussion wait for later. I need both of you to take your stations."

"Chief Jada, report?" Julia asked. "I didnt think those ships were still in service?" Perplexed, Julia wasn't sure what to make of this situation.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge]

"Acknowledged." Julia looked down the bridge. "Set a course and engage, Lieutenant. Let's have a look." Julia ordered. She was aware of what was happening between the operations officers and was standing to engage pair when the Klaxons began engage and red lights covered the bridge.

Three Jem'Hadar fighters appeared from the other side of the fifth planet. Red alert was automatically triggered when they obtained a target lock and charged their weapons. "What the hell." Julia said as she took a step towards the viewscreen. Looking to Commander K'Lizh. "Commander, can this discussion wait for later. I need both of you to take your stations."

"Chief Jada, report?" Julia asked. "I didnt think those ships were still in service?" Perplexed, Julia wasn't sure what to make of this situation.

[Bridge]

Ian was about to reply to the Captain's order to proceed when the red alert sounded.

"Bloody hell!"

He exclaimed as his hands flew across his console in preparation of hard maneuvering.

"Ma'am, I saw a report that a few weeks ago, near the Dosi system, the USS Challenger had an encounter with Dominion fighters. Twas a braw dust up at that too."

[Kintiss]

[Sickbay]

As soon as the red alert klaxons had gone off, Kintiss had recycled what remained of his cooked rat and returned to Sickbay. The Chief Medical Officer was, after all, required to be on active duty whenever a red alert sounded. What the red alert was actually for, he wasn't certain, until he activated Sickbay's comlink to the bridge and got a good look at the viewscreen.

Jem'Hadar fighters.

Simply looking at them made Kintiss mad. The moment when a dozen of ships exactly like these had opened fire on the U.S.S. Meclanti and caused it to crash was still very much fresh in his mind. To be fair, he had expected the Tempest to come across them sooner or later, given their regular forays into the Gamma Quadrant. Still, seeing Jem'Hadar ships was rarely a good sign. Kintiss had a feeling that something was about to go down.

[Solluk]

[Main Shuttlebay]

When the alert came, Solluk was just wrapping up the daily flight checks on the Tigris.  He had spent so much time with the runabout lately that he felt the Tigris was his own personal vehicle.  It had taken him to Psi Epsilon, it had brought him back, and he'd even used it as a private study facility when he'd felt the need to escape his noisy roommate at the Academy.  It was illogical to become attached to a vehicle, of course.

But Solluk was gradually growing accustomed to the idea that life did not need to be logical all of the time.

As the ship's alert was echoed within the cockpit of the Tigris, he sent a brief query to the bridge, where Galloway held the flight console.

He hadn't had time to sit down with Lieutenant Galloway and thank him for the opportunity he'd been given.  There had been a few times while taking his courses that he'd been tempted to give up.  Security wasn't bad, but the Engineering was brutal, with mathematics being required that rivaled his astrogation finals.  But whenever he considered surrendering to the pressure, Galloway's enthusiastic encouragement had given him the sense of obligation he'd needed to push through.

In the end, Solluk had graduated near the bottom of his Engineering class.

But he'd graduated.  He had his extension certification, which could open doors in the future within Engineering (or Security, if he ever decided to go that route.)  His department head and his Captain had shown faith in him, and he hadn't let them down.  Though Solluk's parents had seemed unimpressed with the news of his certification and his subsequent promotion, he had learned that his fellow officers and crew could fill in for the validation that emotional beings usually gained from family.

Emotional validation that his own family was not equipped or inclined to give him.

Now, some unknown threat had placed the ship on alert, and he stood by, ready to launch should the need arise.  It might be months or even a year before he got the chance to take a role in Engineering and expand his career into new realms.  In the mean time, he intended to be the best pilot he could be.  For him.  For them.  For the fleet.

[Ian Galloway]

[Main Shuttlebay]

When the alert came, Solluk was just wrapping up the daily flight checks on the Tigris.  He had spent so much time with the runabout lately that he felt the Tigris was his own personal vehicle.  It had taken him to Psi Epsilon, it had brought him back, and he'd even used it as a private study facility when he'd felt the need to escape his noisy roommate at the Academy.  It was illogical to become attached to a vehicle, of course.

But Solluk was gradually growing accustomed to the idea that life did not need to be logical all of the time.

As the ship's alert was echoed within the cockpit of the Tigris, he sent a brief query to the bridge, where Galloway held the flight console.

He hadn't had time to sit down with Lieutenant Galloway and thank him for the opportunity he'd been given.  There had been a few times while taking his courses that he'd been tempted to give up.  Security wasn't bad, but the Engineering was brutal, with mathematics being required that rivaled his astrogation finals.  But whenever he considered surrendering to the pressure, Galloway's enthusiastic encouragement had given him the sense of obligation he'd needed to push through.

In the end, Solluk had graduated near the bottom of his Engineering class.

But he'd graduated.  He had his extension certification, which could open doors in the future within Engineering (or Security, if he ever decided to go that route.)  His department head and his Captain had shown faith in him, and he hadn't let them down.  Though Solluk's parents had seemed unimpressed with the news of his certification and his subsequent promotion, he had learned that his fellow officers and crew could fill in for the validation that emotional beings usually gained from family.

Emotional validation that his own family was not equipped or inclined to give him.

Now, some unknown threat had placed the ship on alert, and he stood by, ready to launch should the need arise.  It might be months or even a year before he got the chance to take a role in Engineering and expand his career into new realms.  In the mean time, he intended to be the best pilot he could be.  For him.  For them.  For the fleet.

[Bridge]

Ian saw the text query from Solluk and smiled, even though things were busy on the bridge at that moment, he sent a quick reply.

"Dominion fighters. Unknown intent. More to follow. Galloway."

[Klizh]

[Bridge]

"Acknowledged." Julia looked down the bridge. "Set a course and engage, Lieutenant. Let's have a look." Julia ordered. She was aware of what was happening between the operations officers and was standing to engage pair when the Klaxons began engage and red lights covered the bridge.

Three Jem'Hadar fighters appeared from the other side of the fifth planet. Red alert was automatically triggered when they obtained a target lock and charged their weapons. "What the hell." Julia said as she took a step towards the viewscreen. Looking to Commander K'Lizh. "Commander, can this discussion wait for later. I need both of you to take your stations."

"Chief Jada, report?" Julia asked. "I didnt think those ships were still in service?" Perplexed, Julia wasn't sure what to make of this situation.

Damn it to the nine hells! K'lizh snarled as he slid into the Ops chair. He didn't care where Masters went from there. He could jump out an airlock for all K'lizh cared. But the captain had ordered them to stations, and K'lizh didn't trust the irresponsible ensign to manage Ops in combat.

"What is a 'braw dust up'?" K'lizh asked Galloway, directing a calmer tone to him. K'lizh was a gifted linguist, but some of the more esoteric human colloquialisms still eluded him. He had a notion of its meaning from the context, but the optimist in him hoped he was misinterpreting it.

[Jada]

Bridge

Three Jem'Hadar fighters appeared from the other side of the fifth planet. Red alert was automatically triggered when they obtained a target lock and charged their weapons. "What the hell." Julia said as she took a step towards the viewscreen. Looking to Commander K'Lizh. "Commander, can this discussion wait for later. I need both of you to take your stations."

As the Jem'Hadar fighters swooped out of hiding (just as she was looking), Jada hissed a Kolari curse. 'Three Jem'Hadar fighters! They're charging weapons! I'm raising shields and readying phasers.' She left a heartbeat only for Captain Rellek to belay the action, should she wish. 'Mikaelson, you can take torpedos and watch our aft.' Jada suggested, shifting over and giving the ensign space. Since they had two Tactical officers on the Bridge, they could share duties.

"Chief Jada, report?" Julia asked. "I didnt think those ships were still in service?" Perplexed, Julia wasn't sure what to make of this situation.

'Unknown. Before my time.' the young Orion muttered, focused on the tactical situation. What was going on here? She didn't even know they were at war.

[Zed Masters]

[Bridge]

Zed tilted his head slightly and offered a quick point. "What chair? I've been standing this whole time. Primary station is over there, this is a secondary. Now, if I heard the captain right, she wants me to stay. So I'm going to turn around and get back to work now." Masters said before finally spinning back around to look at his console. He knew what it was like for emotion to cloud other senses, but that wasn't really his problem now. For a moment his mind drifted home to Betazed. His future was uncertain, and that made him uncomfortable.

[Ian Galloway]

Damn it to the nine hells! "Get out of that chair," K'lizh snarled, since it was still within his rights and duty to assume the primary station in an emergency situation. He didn't care where Masters went from there. He could jump out an airlock for all K'lizh cared. But the captain had ordered them to stations, and K'lizh didn't trust the irresponsible ensign to manage Ops in combat.

"What is a 'braw dust up'?" K'lizh asked Galloway, directing a calmer tone to him. K'lizh was a gifted linguist, but some of the more esoteric human colloquialisms still eluded him. He had a notion of its meaning from the context, but the optimist in him hoped he was misinterpreting it.

[Bridge]

Ian blinked in amazement as the ensign defied K'lizh and risked taking the time to glance back at Jada. He arched an eyebrow and nodded toward Masters silently, then turned back to face the viewscreen.

"Lad, regardless of yer situation, you have taken things too far. You have been relieved. The ship is at red alert. It's time ta go."

He said softly to the troubled young ensign.

[Zed Masters]

[Bridge]

Zed groaned. "The Captain told me to stay. So I'm staying. Now let's all get back to work and just focus on our mission please?" Normandy was much more on edge than normal, and if one more person jumped in on the conversation he was liable to sabotage the warp core and kill everyone on board.

[Klizh]

[Bridge]

Ian blinked in amazement as the ensign defied K'lizh and risked taking the time to glance back at Jada. He arched an eyebrow and nodded toward Masters silently, then turned back to face the viewscreen.

"Lad, regardless of yer situation, you have taken things too far. You have been relieved. The ship is at red alert. It's time ta go."

He said softly to the troubled young ensign.

"The Captain asked us to shelf this discussion for later," K'lizh said hastily, though he appreciated the support of a fellow Senior Officer rather than resented his involvement. "One the current crisis is resolved, then I'll deal with him." That should end it for now.

He began channeling the ship's reserves of power into their shields. The first Galaxy class to be destroyed had been at the hands of a Jem'hadar kamikaze. K'lizh did not want history to repeat itself.

[Ian Galloway]

"The Captain asked us to shelf this discussion for later," K'lizh said hastily, though he appreciated the support of a fellow Senior Officer rather than resented his involvement. "One the current crisis is resolved, then I'll deal with him." That should end it for now.

He began channeling the ship's reserves of power into their shields. The first Galaxy class to be destroyed had been at the hands of a Jem'hadar kamikaze. K'lizh did not want history to repeat itself.

[Bridge]

Ian shrugged as if to say 'it's your department' and returned his attention to the viewscreen. He then took a deep breath and spoke to Masters.

"I have no idea what you could possibly be thinkin', but you have said exactly one correct thing today. This is your last mission. After yer little display, you will never be on the bridge of the Tempest again, and if'n it were up ta me, you'd spend the rest of your time on board in the brig."

[Jada]

Bridge

Grimacing at the overheard exchange, Jada wondered if every battle they went into would be accompanied by as much as conflict on the Bridge. Maybe it was the stress and fear of battle that set them on edge. Maybe it was in the nature of the Tempest for the atmosphere to be so stormy. But it was never what they needed in combat. (Fortunately the Jem'Hadar had pounced prematurely; they had some time.)

If Masters had been in her own department, her reaction would not be nearly as patient as K'lizh's. If he had been in her own gang back home, she probably would have beat the green out of him. She'd butted heads with Masters during the Mirror Universe attack, and felt him to be stubborn (a common complain among humans). She wasn't aware of his other issues, and assumed he was human. But she knew enough about people to recognise tunnel vision, obsession with the one problem before you when stress clouded all else. Her Starfleet mentor had told her worse horror stories, and she'd survived a court martial. It was better to keep options open.

The two Security crewmen were on standby for a senior officer to give the word to haul him off, but it was Jada who offered a life-line. 'We need someone to monitor weapons power flow.' she announced pointedly, putting the opportunity out there, hoping it would be picked up.

[Michael Deus]

[Bridge]

As soon as the Chief had offered up the vacant console next to her, he stepped forward and brought up the needed display screens. Not knowing most of the people in the area, he remained silent on the matters playing out before him until he, or someone with more authority, deemed it necessary for him to step in. Still keeping an eye on the events happening on the Bridge, he let out a soft sigh as his eyes flickered to the Captain, and then to the central view-screen.

"Torpedo tubes two and three are loaded at maximum. Tube one is down due to a reoccurring malfunction. No further details given."