Commodore Taybrim - With a Whimper

[Nestira Aristren]

Ops has dealt with Terra Prime for more than one and a half years, and it's incredibly satisfying to see that storyline brought to a conclusion. I loved seeing Sal in this capacity and I absolutely adore the very fitting end for Naystrim. This was a great mission and I am excited to see what's next!

 

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((USS Narendra, Stardrive section, Battle Bridge))

With the last fighter’s violent end to a pair of Starfleet torpedoes, the Farussi was venting plasma and their power levels were failing.  Naystrim would have to make the decision to stop charging her doomsday weapon, or completely change her tactics.

But while she made that decision there were still teeth on the board.

Taybrim: Keep an eye on that Scuttor…

Teeth, but smaller and smaller teeth.  The stardrive section of the Narendra was the biggest dog in the fight right now, doubly so if Naystrim’s superweapon was disabled.

Tito: On target Sir.

The Scuttor limped back towards its mothership and Naystrim made her move.

She retreated.

Sal blinked and considered that.  It was a rational move if she was carrying all of the people of the movement she wanted to live and carry on with her on her ship.

Nayavi: They are getting away.

Taybrim: They’re buying time.

Tito: They are going into the cloud. They're too damaged for that.  We have to get them before their warp core breaches and we have a massive explosion.

Sal felt his jaw clench.  Tito was right.

Sure Venetta Naystrim knew about the Jenatris Cloud.  She knew that it would obscure sensors, and throw off her instruments.  That going too far in could get one lost forever.  

But all of this was common knowledge based on common flight paths and common situations.

Warp core breaches were not common sitiations.  Overcharging doomsday weapons were not common situations.

On the other hand Sal Taybrim and his crew sat upon literal decades of Starfleet research into the Jenatris cloud.  Sal Taybrim himself was a Starfleet science officer.

And right here, right now, was the point where those scrawny, nerdy little science officers became the biggest piece on the playing field through the power of knowledge alone.

Her energy signature would trigger an ion storm.  And ion storm would trigger a warp core breach.  Her retreat would start a chain reaction into a horrific explosion that would consume her entirely.

Taybrim: She’s on a slow overload.  It will take minutes, maybe even half an hour before her systems reach critical and the ion storm starts.

Meaning that if they wanted to just let her go… she would get deep enough into the Jenatris cloud to contain the explosion.  Yeah, the shockwave and some nasty, nasty ion storms would still hit Miranda VII, but overall she would quietly go kill herself.

That was a solution.

But it was a solution that didn’t sit well with Sal.

Was it a deserved end?  Probably. 

But here he stood, now with an upper hand and safety mostly ensured, bolstered by the armor of scientific knowledge (of all things) – Sal realized that he was no longer fighting for his life.  Now he was making long reaching command decisions.  Decisions that defined who he was as a person and as the sector command officer.

Nayavi: We will deal with the Scuttor. ::she looked at the more experienced officer for confirmation::

Tito: Commodore, we could try and catch the Farussi with our tractor beam before it goes too deep into the cloud. 

He gave a nod, his mind still churning on the final answer.  Exhaustion was creeping into his brain.  He reminded himself that he was still on a recovery timer – and thus far he was extremely proud of how well he had managed his energy, and bolstered himself with vitamins and adrenaline.

But now the fatigue nipped at his thoughts and nibbled away at his decision making process.  He was coming to the end of his energy.

Which meant it was even more important to make the right decision.

So he chose a proactive option that gave him a bit more time to deliberate.

Taybrim: Follow them.  Keep us in range, fire with opportunity at the Scuttor.

Take the shots that presented themselves, without going out of the way to get any further shots.  It was a standard containment maneuver.

Tito: Scuttor and one of the Drussi targeted. We need to get closer to the Farussi.

Nayavi: ?

He gauged the distance and then gave one affirmative nod.

Taybrim: Take the shots.

The Scuttor was not retreating very carefully and as it took a few pot shots towards the looming Narendra, Tito returned fire and caught the Scuttor in the aft where the shields were weak, and it tore apart in a rolling plasma explosion, which caught the last DRussi-class fighter and sent it spiraling out of control.

Tito: Dammit, I can’t catch them. The Farussi is too far away.

He frowned and made his decision.

Taybrim: Hail them.

Nayavi/Tito: ?

Taybrim: =/\= Farussi, this is Commodore Taybrim of the USS Narendra.  You are venting plasma and if you retreat into the Jenatris Cloud you will start a chain reaction that will destroy your ship. =/\=

He could explain it technically, but there wasn’t time – so he got down to the barest facts to push forward.

There was a pause and the Venetta Naystrim’s hot voice came through, pointed at him.

Naystrim: =/\= Lies.  You just want to earn and easy win. =/\=

Nayavi/Tito: ?

Sal considered how he could parse down the science to try to convince her.  But the failing Drussi class vessel that had spun off course did it for him.

The little fighter, venting plasma from the damage had moved far past the Farussi and directly in to the Jenatris cloud, and the start of an ion storm began to brew.  Lightning bolts of charges energy danced between the cloud, fed off the draining power from the Drussi-class fighter until everything reached a unstable climax and the fighter tore apart in a shower of superheated debris, plasma and ion discharge.

The storm did not calm.  It started to roll and grow.  

Taybrim: =/\= Not lies, you just saw for yourself what happens when that level of uncontained energy enters the cloud.=/\=

The Farussi was silent for a good long time, perhaps internally arguing.  The ship continued to retreat, but it had slowed.

Naystrim: =/\=I will not surrender to you.=/\=

Sal frowned, trying to parse whether the emphasis on that was that she would not surrender, or that she would not surrender to him.  A Betazoid.  Her personal nemesis, despite the fact that Sal had done nothing but be that species.

Nayavi/Tito: ?

Taybrim: =/\= If you continue on your course you and everyone on your ship will die. =/\=

At this point he held a hand up for the helm to stop.  The Farussi was far enough into the Jenatris cloud that he no longer felt safe following her.

She really only had three options.  The safest and best would be to power down right now and surrender.  The tricky one would be to absolutely forgo the superweapon, put all power to engines are trying to get to warp.  The Narendra star drive could easily follow.  And the worst option in Sal’s opinion would be to continue to retreat.  With the storms in the Jenatris cloud, he was convinced that there was no chance that the Farussi would survive.

The question was: was Venetta Naystrim convinced?

Naystrim: =/\= We will survive. =/\=

Apparently not.

Nayavi/Tito: ?

He checked the distances.  With the Farussi’s trajectory, it was already at a distance where Miranda VII could weather the storm.  It would be bad, but not horrible.  If she went any faster, the impact would be even less.  All she was doing was hurting herself.

Sal sighed.

He had tried.

But you could not argue with someone who firmly believed a false reality.

Taybrim: =/\= Then go. =/\=

The Narendra just sat there, allowing the Farussi to leave.  He issued the command to watch for a potential warp jump.

Nayavi/Tito: ?

Silence.

More silence.

And then, over the commline came a muffled woman’s voice – not Naystrim’s.

Farussi: =/\= Venetta, I’m sorry… =/\=

And then the unmistakable sound of disruptor fire cut through the commlines.

There was no scream.  It was unceremonious and calm.  A body dropped.

The Farussi completely powered down.

Farussi: =/\= Narendra, this is Farussi.  We surrender. =/\=

Was that a trick?  

It didn’t feel like a trick or sound like a trick.

Now the voices at the other end sounded… defeated rather than defiant.  

The ship drifted, powered down.

The storm started to settle.

Sal Taybrim took in a long slow breath.

Taybrim: =/\= Your surrender is accepted, Farussi.  We will tow you out of danger, prepare to be boarded. =/\=

Nayavi/Tito: ?

And the Farussi complied.  Maybe that was the most surprising thing of all.

Letting his breath out, Sal finally let himself sit back down into the command chair, spent.  Heavy exhaustion washed over him as he considered what all had happened and decided that the outcome was good, all things considered.

~*~
~fin~
~*~

Commodore Sal Taybrim
Commanding Officer
StarBase 118 Ops