Flashes of Fire - Lethal Shadow

Posted on Tue Mar 10th, 2020 @ 3:44am by Captain Bolvar "Highlord" Fordragon & Captain Fernando Lopez & Commander Bart "Gargoyle" Mancuso & Commander Grace Trueheart & Commander Sophia Byron & Commander Melissa Bateman & Lieutenant Commander Katrina Davis & Commander Erin Hunt & Major Kelsey "Monk" Lange & Lieutenant Commander Tom "Bandit" Waldron & Lieutenant Commander Sofia "Lupa" Garibaldi & Command Master Chief Petty Officer Sam Swifthoof & Commander Kareem Garibaldi

Mission: Mission 79: Sound Trumpets! Let Our bloody Colors Wave
Location: Various Locations - Zol'Maz System
Timeline: 1800Hrs - April 15th, 2392

Captain Bolvar Fordragon sighed softly as he was seated in his command chair, he turned his head. "Time to our destination?" he inquired in a soft tone of voice.

"We're now entering the Zol'Maz System... I'm reading a hundred and twenty Klingon ships in the system, all attacking the moons of the seventh planet..." the Conn officer explained.

"Slow to impulse," Fordragon said evenly. "Open a channel to all Federation ships... I wish to say a few words to my people."

Commander Fernando Lopez nodded his head. "Yessir." as he tapped his display, at his right side as he carried out his skipper's request.

Lopez turned back. "Channel open sir."

Fordragon paused and then he started. "By now you've all seen that we outnumbered three to their one. But we are only here to lead the advance... Not to get into slug matches with large Klingon fleets, the Gorn had requested our help in fighting off these invaders and that is something that Starfleet has consented to do. However.. I know I am about to ask a great many things of-of every last man and woman under my command in the coming battle ahead.." Fordragon paused.

"The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are; but it is the one most consistent with our character and courage as a nation and our commitments around the Galaxy. "

Fordragon directly quoted another well-known leader from Earth. "The cost of freedom is always high, but we have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission." Fordragon paused a moment to breathe.

"Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right; not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom and in this battle we shall break the enemy and bring salvation to our people, tried in the furnace of persecution, thirsting only for freedom, for righteousness, and for justice. Thank you all... good luck.." Fordragon turned to Lopez as he nodded.

Lopez closed the channel. "Inspirational sir."

"Brought a tear to my eye." Grace Trueheart commented from her position at tactical. "We're ready to burn the enemy to ash.," she added a moment later.

The USS Lethal Shadow and her large battlegroup of some forty-six Federation ships moved into the area around the system's seventh planet, a massive class J gas giant world with over forty moons of various sizes, in addition, there was a ring network of some six sets of rings. the world itself was dappled with shades of blue, from bright cyan all the way to navy blue in stripes, swirls, and eddies. It looked for a majestic sight.

Fordragon sighed softly. "The second you see any Klingons in your sights, Grace, open up on them, don't wait for my order."

"Aye skipper." responded the handsome looking human female, wearing a smile on her face.

Fordragon rose to his feet before he moved towards the back of the bridge, he smiled as he admired the master system display at the back of the bridge, it highlighted the Lethal Shadow, her structure, and her strength.

Meanwhile at Tactical. Commander Grace Trueheart smiled as she regarded the locations of the various Klingon ships mixed in with the Gorn ships, it looked like a major fight was brewing. "Okay... I got friendlies mixed with bad guys." she paused. "I won't be able to throw everything we have at them, skipper."

"That's fine," Fordring responded in a gentle tone. "Helm, time to arrival?"

"One-minute skipper." the Conn officer responded in a light and easy tone since the entire ship was on alert, all posts were manned and ready for anything that was coming their way.

"Status of our Battlegroup?" Bolvar inquired.

"All ships are in formation flight and they are ready for anything skipper." Commander Fernando Lopez turned his head as he explained to his skipper.

As Fordragon settled in to wait, he noticed weapons fire leaving his own ship as well as the surrounding escorting starships, which clearly took the Klingon ships by surprise. "Keep at 'em, don't give them an inch to regroup," Fordragon ordered.

Trueheart smiled as she carried out her orders. She tapped the display once, telling all allied vessels to do the same. The Klingons reacted quickly as they broke off from fighting the Gorn and some of them came at the Federation force, however, the effect was exactly what Fordragon had wanted as the Federation force shattered the Klingon phalanx with precise weapons strikes.

The Klingon forces now had three major targets to destroy in this area, the shipyards contained within the system, the Gorn fleet which was mobilized and alert along with the Federation relief force that was likewise in the same system and it didn't take long for the Klingon force to realize that defeat was inevitable so after roughly ten minutes of fighting, the Klingons began to disengage.

The Gorn and the Federation force didn't let them go so easily and so the Klingons ended up fighting to the last man, despite the fact that they could not hurt their opposition. Fordragon kept his larger units up close with the smaller ships carrying out supporting fire from a small distance.

One round from a forward torpedo launcher off of one of the battleships neatly bisected a Bird of Prey in half with one of those halves spraying its atmosphere out into space with the other half crashing into another Klingon warship, this had the effect of collapsing its shields while another two dozen warheads smashed into the warship, turning it into a fireball a few moments later.

All things were inevitable and this fight ending was one of those as the Federation fleet and the Gorn forces here were able to hold the Zol'Maz system. On his bridge after the battle ended. Fordragon watched as the Gorn forces present made their way into the slipways for repairs. "Contact the fleet. Tell them that we need a relief force large enough to hold these shipyards and system here right now."

Lopez nodded. "Right away sir." and with that, he turned to his display at his right hand while he began typing out his message for the fleet.