Combat Drills, Part 1

Posted on Thu Jul 31st, 2025 @ 1:46pm by Captain T’Kal & Lieutenant Commander David Erickson & Lieutenant Commander Valerie Novis & Lieutenant Commander Clay McEntyre & Lieutenant Karane Inda & Lieutenant CASTIEL 'Cas' Johnson MD & Lieutenant JG Renata Novotná
Edited on on Thu Oct 9th, 2025 @ 7:50pm

1,007 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X02: Simulated Pressure
Location: Deep Space
Timeline: Stardate 8957.3 (28 July 2290, 19:00)

Captain's Log, Stardate 8957.3. The full crew of USS Ark Royal has been assembled. We are on course for Monitoring Station Delta Four. As previously requested, Lieutenant Novotná and Commander Novis identified a suitable location for a weapons test: an asteroid field located in deep space.

The senior staff was at their posts, except Lieutenant Gehente who was working on a more important project. T'Kal surveyed her command bridge and saw them all working diligently, preparing for this test of their capabilities.

The security chief had been assigned a coordinator role for this drill, as he was the bridge officer with the least to do during the exercise.

"Mr. McEntyre, begin the drill."

“Aye, Sir!” Clay nods turning to type on his console to begin the drill. Something he’d developed in war college, based on old records with a few twists of his own. The sensor consoles and proximity alarms soon began to trill as the simulation began and three massive K’tinga Class Battleships appeared on sensor scopes.

"Sensors picking up a group of enemy ships approaching." Renata announced, looking up from her console. She had participated in many similar drills in those two years when she was serving near the border. Just act as if it were the real thing. "They're closing on us."

"Red alert," T'Kal said calmly. "All crew, battlestations." Klaxons began to sound across the ship while the bridge stations were suffused in red light.

Valerie perked up as she kept her eyes on the sensors for information, a spot of adrenaline surging through her system even though she knew this was a drill. "Resolving data points and power signatures. Helm, bring the ship to four-eight mark sixteen. Science, bring all sensors to bear. Power signature data indicate Klingons, three ships, let's see if we can find out what they are."

David's eyes scanned the viewscreen quickly, then raked over every readout on his board, took a quick peek over at Sung's station then at the scanners. He began planning attack vectors, watching the blips come closer and plotting their most likely positions once they arrived. He also mapped a few possible escape routes...just in case.

Jin-Woo checked all his readouts, cross-referencing David's station to ensure that the Ark Royal would respond exactly as commanded to. Looking up at the viewscreen, Jin-Woo began to plan evasive maneuvers that would give weapons optimal firing arcs.

Filling in for Meg at Communications, Jin-Ah was monitoring nearby comms traffic when it was suddenly replaced by static:

"The enemy is jamming our short and long range communications:" Jin-Ah reported.

Running a quick check on the weapons systems, Valerie cursed to herself when a particular phaser array still showed a glitch. Engineering had cleared it at least twice, with the Starbase also clearing it as good for operations. "The Charlie phaser array is still not syncing. Putting it into manual control. All other weapons are in the green."

"Enemy is closing on us." Renata reported, looking up from the sensor readings. Everything was going the way it did in every other combat drills she had participated it in the past.

David adjusted his equations and sent Jin new vector options given their vulnerable phaser bank and watched the blips on his sensors. "They'll try to flank us in a moment," he warned.

“Target ships at your discretion, Ms. Novis,” T’Kal said calmly. “Prioritize their weapons systems.” Three K’t’Inga class battlecruisers should be too much for them, but good tactics could sway the battle in their favour. “Ms. Inda, get to phaser array Charlie immediately.”

"Aye Captain." Inda's voice replied simply.

"Helm, use Vector Three, down angle seven degrees." Valerie had also reviewed the vector options from David and picked one that would optimize her firepower, "Prepare to adjust course as we take fire." Her targeting sensors had locked onto one of the K'Tingas and while she'd been directed to focus on weapons systems, a ship that couldn't fly couldn't fight effectively and she targeted the right wing nacelle. The Klingon vessels were heavily armed and armored, but dangly bits like the nacelles were vulnerable.

"Vector Three, down angle seven degrees, aye." Jin-Woo acknowledged as he prepared to make the ordered inputs.

The ship moved gracefully among the asteroids, nimbly dodging simulated shots on the computer. Phaser fire lanced from some — but not all — of the phaser banks, pulverizing rocks into dust.

The Klingons moved into a wedge formation, several torpedos lashed out from the cruisers.

The impacts on the 'K'tinga' were having their effect on the simulated Klingon battle cruiser and in the imagery on her sensor board, the starboard nacelle apparently broke off in a flash of incandescence, forcing that ship to skew wildly towards Ark Royal. "Alter heading forty degrees to starboard, level out ." Valerie gave herself a small smile, "Commander Erickson, after they shoot next, drop shields to eighty percent, hold there for two volleys, then drop to forty-five percent."

"Aye, Commander," David said, his hands dancing over his controls as his eyes darted back and forth between his readouts and the viewscreen.

Valerie felt eyes on her from all across the bridge, "On my mark, Lieutenant Sung, roll ship one-twenty degrees and angle relative down forty degrees. At that point, bring shields back to full." She began to set up a barrage pattern for single button activation even as she maintained her fire on the crippled cruiser.

One Klingon down, two more to go, but sensors were already trilling once more with the tones of incoming torpedoes, multiple this time. 3, 4 heading for the Ark Royal. Another sensor contact, heavier than a K’Tinga. A Klingon Command Cruiser.

Communication also would pick up a distress signal.

"Something's coming through the static..." Jin-Ah reported. "It's a distress signal of some kind..."

T’Kal cocked an eyebrow. Was this part of the simulation? She looked to her security chief and saw something in his eyes. This was part of it. “On main speaker.”


To be continued...

 

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