It Came Without Warning

Posted on Wed Oct 30th, 2019 @ 9:45pm by Captain Winfield Hood & Michael Taggart & Zulg & Lieutenant Commander Dara Jax & Lieutenant Commander Dartaw K'gunn & Lieutenant Lwaxana Myles & Lieutenant Teneca Quinn & Lieutenant Rachele Lamberti & Warrant Officer Bashful O'Neil & Master Chief Petty Officer Stanislav Boothroyd & Helena Moreno & Titania (Nee' Jarot) O'Rourke MD PhD & Camille Petrovich & Lieutenant Angela Abernathy & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Quaid & Castus & Glinn Kalim & Gil Paret
Edited on on Wed Oct 30th, 2019 @ 11:01pm

3,926 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: The Drumhead (Empok Nor Premier)
Location: Various - Empok Nor
Timeline: MD020 1400 hrs

Command Center Central Core Deck 1
Captain Winfield Hood sat at his desk in his office. Ever since his conversation with Malbrooke he had felt uneasy like something was going to drop in his lap. He had Lamberti, Quaid and Sobel had his people all looking for the missing Cardassian fleet. He took a sip of his coffee and when he set the cup down he felt the change. Empok Nor constantly hummed and that humm could be felt in the deck plating. However, now there was a different humm and his mug rattled again the saucer. I'm too late... he thought. Hood ran out and into Ops just as the chaos ensued. "Report!"
Promenade Central Core Deck 6
Nassie was starting to wrap up her assignment, in the promenade. she had been working with the other operations personal. It was a challenge Nassie thought. To be so young, and already in charge of a unit. She wondered how her parents back home, managed to lead nations, and how her sister managed to lead a security force.

She was not use to everyone on her team looking to her for all the answers. She honestly expected them to be self sufficient. But that did not seem to be the case, which was a little frustrating for her. Nassie was was talking to a crewman, when she heard a loud boom sound, an a shock wave hit them. The wave startled her footing. She was able to anticipate the impact before falling down. She wondered, what that was?
Materials Lab Central Core Deck 15
Lieutenant Teneca Quinn was in the materials lab testing a new material that was extremely light weight but had a tensile strength higher than duranium. The current tests were to see if it could be used as body Armour for Security and Marine personnel. She was checking her results when the violent shaking threw her from her feet.

She was able to lessen the damage to her body due to her judo training. Bringing herself into a sitting position on the deck, she was about to tap her comm. badge to contact Ops, but figured it best to leave Comms open for those her were in real trouble.

Pulling herself to her feet, she went to check on her team.
Zulg's Holosuites Central Core Deck 5
Lieutenant Commander Dartaw K'gunn brought the bat'leth down on insectoid alien, cleaving its head in twain and showering the former Special forces officer in thick yellow blood. The Klingon roared in victory, just before a sudden shake to the deck, attempted to knock him off his feet.

"Computer, end program." He said.

The planetscape and bodies disappeared, replaced with grid pattern of a holodeck and the entrance arch.

Walking through the arch, K'gunn tapped his comm. badge. "Ops, what the hell is going on?" He asked.

Elloma had been down in the brig, doing inventory, after she felt the impact, she went to check in with her CO. And to report into her assigned, battle station. She looked over to Commander K'gunn. "Where do you need me Commander?" Elloma asked. She was eager, to prove her worth to her new CO. The Commander, was not like Myles, her former CO. She appreciated the klingon nature, and how to get things done.

Dartaw hadn't bothered to change and had arrive at the battle station dressed in his training gear with his bat'leth on his back.

"Well, Lieutenant, it seems the comm channels are overloaded, but without data I can't form a plan of action. I'm going to need you to double time it to Ops and bring me back a sitrep, then we'll go from there.

"I' can do that." Elloma said, as she started to walk out of the room. She doubled timed it operations. She was very curious, what was going on as well.
Quarters of Lei'hallah Ve'hassi Habitat Ring Deck 11
Lei'hallah had been locked away in her quarters, specifically her bedroom. She had recently been to security for an update but since the murder of her sister and the abduction of Abigail she had been beside herself with grief. Right now she was furious with Richard. She blamed him for the whole thing, had to have someone to pin the guilt on and with his revealing the Azzian board of Healths secret DNA tests the ambassador was sure it was in retaliation.

Her round bed shook and the woman tried to sit up with her eyes wide open and any thought of trying to sleep away her woes obliterated.

"What was that!" Lei'hallah climbed out of her bed puzzled having never experienced such a thing in her long life.
Undisclosed Location Empok Nor
Bash had been following the human for a better part of the morning. There had been a murder on the station and investigator took that personally. The human wasn't necessarily part of the murder, but he was known to have ears everywhere and he might know something. Bash just had to pick his moment.

Then the station rocked as he was in mid step and he stumbled into the wall. Pushing himself straight, he looked down the corridor and the human was gone. He picked up his pace and then stopped abruptly as a low beeping in his ear brought him up short. Reaching up, he squeezed the edges of the amulet he wore and then pressed the skin just forward of the tragus of his right ear.

Immediately the station's computer sounded in his ear, "General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, this is a Red Alert."

"Buwisit," he muttered under his breath and turned and headed back to the last junction he'd passed.
Sensor Bed Epsilon Lower Docking Pylon Level 69
Dara had been working on one of the lower pylons when it was hit. She had been in a maintenance tube fixing an old coupling that had been causing feedback across the docking system. An easy fix on a rather dull day to be sure.

Her mind fixed on the work she felt a slight vibration in her legs on the floor panelling of the conduit she was in. As she looked up she saw the landscape twist and contort as an impact nearby rippled through areas.

The force of said ripple blew the console she was working on, as it was opened up, and it burned through her uniform on her left shoulder causing some burns on her skin. This was soon followed by a quick throw up and down like a ragdoll.

Once she regained her faculties she made her way gingerly out of the maintenance tube and started to make way to Ops. She would be needed there to help coordinate her teams, try to keep the station together through whatever was going on. She had attempted to call Ops but her comm. badge has been damaged during the console eruption.
Lower Promenade Central Core Deck 6
Nassie heard the call for all hands to go to general quarters, she started to grab her gear and start walking to her assigned area. She knew, she needed to hurry up and check in. Always during battles, engineers and operation personal were expected to work like miracle workers. It was a little burdensome of a task, but this was what she signed up to do. It did not take Nassie long to meet up with Commander Jax.

"Where do you need me Commander?" Nassie asked, as she felt a couple of impacts, on the stations hull. They were not in her immediate area. Luckily for her. But she had no doubt, she would be in harms way soon enough.

Dara was fighting through the chaos that had erupted across the promenade. She was just trying to find a turbolift that could take her to Ops when she ran into one of her newest arrivals. The words baptism by fire were ringing in her ears.

"I'll need you to coordinate teams down here. We have a lot of storage items on the station that will need tied down, some of which are combustible. If anything comes through that needs immediate attention I'll let you know, but for now I need to find out what's going on myself." Dara explained.

"You can count on me, Commander." Nassie said. Deep in her thoughts, she wondered who was attacking them and why were they doing it. She had just arrived on the station, and it was already being attacked. She knew this was the wild frontier, but she did not expect conflict, to happen this soon after completing the academy.

"I know I can Ensign. Now off you go!" she said above a rumbling around them.
Command Center Central Core Deck 1
Kalim stood smugly at the command table in Ops. It was another day at Empok Nor. He had seen to it that Hood was in his office. Kalim had plans, plans that would bring in a murderer, save a little girl, and make him a hero. It would prove once and for all that the Cardassians did not need the Federation. He turned toward the pit and the whole station rocked twice in succession. He knew that feeling Empok Nor was under attack. But from whom, for the moment Kalim showed that even Cardassians could blanch pale. He punched the comm channel for station wide communications. "Attention... This is the XO! Sound General Quarters, Red Alert. All hands to stations. Senior staff report to Ops. This is the XO."

As soon as he killed the channel Hood came running from his office "Report!" The man shouted over the sirens. Kalim turned toward the Captain. "We are under attack. Two direct hits to the lower pylons. We are getting the scans in now as to what attacked us." Kalim reported and turned back to the console. "Get me Malbrooke on the Pioneer. Tell him to get his butt back here on the double..." Hood was interrupted as the Ops officer of the watch shouted back. "Sir all communications are being jammed."

Kalim and Hood exchanged a look. The look spoke volumes in one instant. This is what they were afraid of, they both hoped that it was not too late. "Get Sobel up here pronto..." Hood ordered.

Dara appeared as a lift arrived in Ops, her disheveled appearance making people give her a second look. "What is going on?" she asked taking her station. The officer being relieving telling her of the communications jamming. Dara nodded and awaited reply from the XO.

Kalim stepped down to the Ops console. "Can you not see? We are under attack. Now how about you put those Starfleet sensors to use and tell us what is firing at us..." He was shouting a bit as he pointed to the viewscreen. His sentence was interrupted by another volley which sent another shudder through the station.

Hood clapped his XO on the back. "Kalim we are working on it now if you can assist K'Gunn's men and get the weapons online and firing." Hood smiled in the direction of Dara. "My dear old friend I need you to get those communications online or we are dead."

Dara had always thought Kalim to be a bit of an ass at times. She could stand his smugness however as she had lifetimes of experiences with people like him. Luckily the CO came out and put her at ease, if that was possible, and she took up her Ops station. "I'll begin looking into it now Captain. Nothing like a deadline of impending death and destruction to make an engineer work faster." she mused as her head stung a little.
Communications Hub Docking Ring Deck 15
Calvin Quaid checked his watch as he stepped onto the lift. He was rushed for time and he had to get the message out. He made his way to the Docking Ring Deck 15 where the communications hub for the station was. He walked in as a man on a mission. "Chief you are relieved." He ordered the Comms Officer and when the man left he sat at his station.

Calvin Quaid used his command override to seal the fate of Empok Nor and a number of people on the station. He transmitted the shield modulation just as he had done for Pioneer. This time the codes were for the station. He had already made sure that Sobel's lackeys would be away from the station. Once the task was done his instructions sent him to the lower docking pylons. He had to open the door when they arrived.
Main Engineering Central Core Deck 23
Gil Paret had enjoyed the downtime the past week or so. It allowed her and her staff to get caught up. She hated these old Cardassian stations, but loved them as well. There was something sentimental about them to her. She froze in her steps, something was wrong. She knew every bolt, every bulkhead of this station and something was off. The humm was not right. She snapped her head to her right, toward the station of Lieutenant Lwaxana Myles.

"Lieutenant..." Paret shouted as she dove and knocked the woman from the chair. Seconds later Myles' console erupted in a sheet of sparks and plasma as the station weathered it's attack. "Skrăgh..."

"Wow! I've been killed! I owe you one." Lax said.

"Thank me later Lieutenant. Right now we have to keep our home together." Paret replied.

"Agreed." She said, grabbing herself a kit. Wonder if Larims having this much fun? She thought to herself.

The youngest Ballston sat on the cold floor holding her legs. Abigail shivered not only from the cold and dampness. The small room had one light source high above her that gave her a limited view of the handleless door directly in front of her.
Undisclosed Loacation Empok Nor
Her blue slacks were durty seeing she had not had a change since her abduction from the school and one meal per day, contained a protein block, a dehydrated seaweed block and a bottle of water nowhere near the amount she should be ingesting. The long-sleeved top she had on featured a large sunflower with a smile on just as dirty as the slacks. Dark lines from her tears stained her cheeks and her hair had become matted from trying to sleep either leaning against the wall or curled up in a fetal position on the floor.

Abigail had seen only one woman, a tall thin humanoid dressed in black pants and tunic with her face covered including her eyes. She had said nothing to the girl in spite of her frequent questions and demands.

As the room shook she stood with a look of shere terror on her face and she screamed at the top of her lungs though no one could hear her outside the room she was confined in.
Infirmary Central Core Deck 6
Angela walked in to sickbay with a mug in one hand and padd in the other. She had her children in daycare and school, as she had to run a double shift today as she was a bit short handed these days. But such was the life of a department head.

She sat down behind her desk as she was taking a sip from her coffee. She put her Padd down and turned on her computer and continued the research she was working on these days. She just scrolled through her work.
Storage Central Core Deck 24
Stacey was checking inventory in the stores, and was just finishing up putting boxes of isolinear rods when the first shot hit, knocking him and the shelving down, scattering everything everywhere.

Checking nothing has spilled out of the liquid containers, he starting pushing the shelving unit back up, muttering about how they should be attached to the wall, when a second shake took him down again.

Crawling over the stores console, he pulled the leather folder down that was sitting on there and closed it up. Stacey clicked open his case, and placed the folder inside. Making sure the light was lit on the handle, he called over the exocomp, Igor, and chained the case to it "Now keep this safe" he told Igor, who floated over to a cupboard next to a bulkhead and cowered there, as Stacey stood up and head for the door, opening a crate there containing med packs to hand out to those who needed them.
Command Center Central Core Deck 1
Elloma walked onto the deck of operations. She immediately went to look for Captain Hood. "Captain, security has lost all communications. Commander K'gunn has sent me up here for sitrep, and new orders." Elloma said to the Captain. She could see from the area, there was a lot of commotion.

Hood turned toward the new arrival after glancing up from the desk. He and Kalim had been watching the incoming fighters. "Lieutenant I want you and Commander K'Gunn to secure the station. Prepare to repel boarders. Empok Nor is under attack."

"Aye Captain, has the station's population, entered the emergency shelters?" Elloma asked, as she got ready to leave the operations center of Empok Nor. this was her first time up on the operations center.

"Not as of yet, but good call Lieutenant get it done. Have Taggart and Zulg help. They fancy themselves men of the people." Hood said as he glance at the viewscreen that had just come back online.

"Yes Captain." Elloma said, as went to find Taggart and Zulg, and told them to report to Security office.
Security Office Central Core Deck 6
Elloma had returned to the security office, she noticed Taggart, Zulg, K'gunn and the other security officers, were all in the office. "I spoke to the Captain, he wants us to secure the station, and he wants myself, Taggart and Zulg, to make sure the civilian's and non essential personal, are in the emergency shelters." Elloma started to say.

The Ferengi and the Scotsman looked at each other in astonishment. However, the astonishment was for different reasons. "Right, so what da yae need me ta do." Taggart spoke to Elloma his usual genial face turning all business. Zulg on the other had was not so forthcoming. "There is no profit in what you propose, and as a citizen I do have to follow the good Captain's orders. So I think I will simply take my leave and return to my bar." The stout Ferengi turned to leave the Security Office.

"Zulg, I have not given you permission to leave." K'gunn said. "It is true you are a civilian, but this is a military station and as Security Chief you are under my protection, it would be a pity if that protection were to go away. Wouldn't you say?"

"Yes indeed it would be a pity. It would also be a pity if I were to report that this station's Chief of Security was threatening it's citizenry. Commander am I under arrest? Because if I am not then I will take my leave and return to my bar." Zulg's smile seemed to stretch ear to ear and for a Ferengi that was some feat.

"It would not be wise, for you to ignore an order from Captain Ford, think about the repercussions." Elloma said, trying to be the voice of reason. She wanted Zulg to see, if he left that the Captain may revoke his right to have a bar on his station.

Taggart turned toward the Ferengi. "Listen ere Zulg. You and I have had our differences since I arrived. But ya cannae argue with the following. There is no profit to be had if the station and it's people are gone. So how about ya just help if fer no other reason then ta line yer own pockets."

A slight silence hung in the room as the Fernegi though he turned to Elloma. "Very well out of my own magnanimity what do you need?"
To Be Continued...

A Joint Post By

Captain Winfield Hood
Commanding Officer, Empok Nor