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RotV Mission 2.4 – Battle of the Kobyashie Maru:

Pt 1- Ambushed

“_People only see what they are prepared to see..."

• Ralph Waldo Emerson_

'Don't ignore it...'

Surly it was a hallucination. There was no way she had heard his voice. But yet, even though it was barely a whisper and over a year since she has heard it. There was no way it could be him. But yet there was apart of her that hoped that if she looked she'd see him standing there.

Lynnette shook her head and blinked before looking around the bridge for the source of the voice. “Reg???"

“Did you just say something cadet?"

Lynnette blinked her slight daze of hope away to see that Captain Davis was looking at her expectantly. She cleared her throat.

“I'm sorry sir. No."

The human leered at her for a moment. “Then I'd suggest that you get your head out of where ever it is and focus on your duties. I expect you to do your job, not let your mind wander. Now, Get To IT Cadet!"

“Yes sir." She was going to leave it at that when she felt a mental nudge and found herself blurting out. “But sir. I must inform you that before the simulation started my station picked up an unknown signal. Possibly a new contact that had just came into range."

The captain turn to Marus that sat on the other side of the bridge “Did you see any new signal, Cadet Marus?" The wolf glanced at Lynnette before answering no. Captain Davis then turned his chair around to take in the rest of the crew. “Anyone else seen this... Mystery signal?" Everyone else either answered no or shook their heads. The human gave a half snort. “It was probably just a glitch in the system as the data was uploaded."

“But sir..."

“But nothing. It was probably just an error. So forget it and return to your duties."

“Yes sir..." Lynnette sighed dejectedly and a quick look to Rayne showed that the vixen was giving her a sympathetic look before the human cleared his throat and she had to return her focus to the station. With another sigh, Lynnette return her focus back to the to her station. Her ears pinned back as she thought to herself. Was it just a fluke? A computer glitch? Or... Just simply something that she imagine then?

'Don't ignore it...'

Lynnette froze. That voice had come back. Was she hearing the dead now? No doubt if she said anything she'd be relieved of duty until a psych evaluation was done on her and would probably end up in some psych ward for the rest of her life. She sighed and closed her eyes trying to focus on the here and now.

'Reset the computer.'

There was no doubt in her mind who was speaking to her. 'Reg?' She thought to herself.

'Do it...'

'But...'

'You need to do it. Lives are depending on you..'

She took a deep breath and reached under her console, looking for the means to disconnect her station and switch off her computer. She pulled the plug and her monitors went dark. Mentally, she counted down a minute as everyone else was busy focusing on the simulation.

“Cadet Wilkes." The captain's sharp voice snapped the Caushae back to what was going on around her. “What are B.C.A.* (Battle Capabilities Analysis.) and the range of the simulated ships?"

“It's..." Lynnette's mind race before she cleared her throat and fully addressed the captain. “My computer glitched and had to reset my station, it will be a few more seconds before I'll be up and running."

Captain Davis gave her a hard stare before turning to the black Lykain Marus. “Until her station reboots, you are taking over her duties. Understood?"

“Yes sir." The wolf said with a bit of venom in his tone before he turn to his station and focus on his new assigned task with a low grumble.

Lynnette turned back and quickly calculated how long it's been. Reaching back under her station, she found the controls and reactivated her computer. She watched in silence as the screens came to life and the load status bar appeared on the mane screen. It was about three quarters along, when the status changed and internal commands began to pop up on screen

[Unknown Foreign Software Detected]

[Identifying]

[!ALERT!]

[Unknown Virus And Malware Installed]

[Purging]

A new bar appeared below the main one and quickly flashed across her screen from red to green when it finished.

[Foreign Software Purged]

Soon the main bar continued to fill and her station monitors came to life normally. The first thing she noticed was that her station wasn't running the simulation. “What the?" She said to herself in a low voice.

“Cadet, are you back online?"

Lynette bit her lip. “Almost sir." She quickly had the computer bring up the Linus* (nick named for LIDDIS – Light Image Detection of Direction and Distance) image of local space. The Mimosa, Sartine, Pandora, and even the Kobyashie Maru was where they were supposed to be. 'What the hell is going on?' She thought as she noticed that mysterious signal from before at the edge of the screen.

[UNKNOWN SIGNAL]

Lynnette rapidly keyed her console.

-Identify, Friend or Foe Signal.-

[STAND-BY... IDENTIFYING]

Lynnette's knee started to bounce nervously as the computer sent it's automated challenge and confirmed it against its databanks. Her heart dropped when the unknown icon went from white to a blood red with a tag of CCF replacing the unknown above it.

[CCF VINDICTIVE - HUMAN COLONIAL CONFEDERATION ATTACK CRUISER]

Lynnette read the displayed B.C.A. on the ship. A human attack cruiser was bearing down on them at a leisurely pace. Perhaps one of the several that had “disappeared" when TAFT was formed from the Sol Federation and had absorbed the CCF military fleet. Really, it was more than a hundred year old relic of an age long past. Older than the Mimosa and the Sartine in all reality. If it indeed was one of those old CCF ships, then they had probably resorted to piracy and by the imager's readout it looked like it still used the standard ballistic weapons that humans were phasing out by that time. Certainly nothing that their current convoy couldn't... handle...

Lynnette's eyes grew wide as realization started to sink in.

The simulation was nothing more than a decoy. Downloaded into the training ships so the cadets would be too focused on something else when the Vindictive hit them at its own leasure.

Two minutes had passed since the simulation had started. Two minutes that the enemy had a head start on them. Looking around she seen that everyone was busy with the simulation, not realizing the danger that was approaching.

“Cadet Anoixi, load forward torpedoes and prepare to launch on my mark." Captain Davis said with a cool even voice. He waited as the rabbit carried out his commands. “Ready, FI..."

“BELAY THOSE ORDERS!" Lynnette interrupted and shouted making the bridge crew jump in shock of her voice. “Hostile Contact! CCF Cruiser baring down from the port side aft!"

Captain Davis swiveled his seat around to face the Caushae. “What the hell are you talking about, Cadet?" The rest of the crew all turn to watch the display that was going on before them. “There should only be four raider corvettes showing in the simulation and nothing at our rear!"

“Sir, the simulation is a sham! Its not a real simulation."

The captain gave her a hard stare. “Then how did it have the proper codes to be downloaded into our computers?"

“I... I don't know. I don't have all of the answers. If I was to guess, it was program to distract us while they picked us off at their leisure."

“And what proof do you have? Cadet!" Captain Davis leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “A malfunctioning station? One that you probably screwed up to begin with?"

Marus shook his head as the feline tried to argue her case to the captain. In the time that he had known the human, he was what others would call a 'Stick in the mud' and very much set in his ways. He highly doubted that the human would relent to the cadet and would soon throw her in the brig for insubordination. He sighed. This incident would no doubt end her career.

When Cadet Wilkes made the comment about the simulation being a sham, his proverbial vision caught the motions of the pilot, the white vixen Rayne, swiveling back to her console. He turned and watched in silence as he watcher try and input some commands only for her to reached under her station. After some fidgeting, her station went dark. 'What is she doing?' He thought as he looked between the vixen and the argument. It hit him.

She was resetting her station.

Marus turned back to his station that was still running the simulation on his monitors. He keyed the command to revert back to normal operations only to discover that his station refused to even acknowledge the command. 'Not good.' He thought as he reached under and found the means to force a hard reboot. He counted out the time in his head, but instead of waiting a full minute like Lynnette had done and the vixen was doing, he counted out twenty seconds and reactivated his computer. He watched the status bar appear, then the prompts about a virus and the automatic purge of said virus from his terminal. Soon, his station was back up and running.

First thing he tried was to bring up the simulation that they were running only to find no trace of it on his computer, and any attempt to recall it from the mainframe was unsuccessful as the data packet was nowhere to be found. His eyes went wide in at the realization.

Had they all been seriously been duped that bad?

Bringing up the Linus display he instantly seen the same thing that Lynnette had seen. The four ship convoy holding formation... With an old human cruiser approaching their position from the rear.

Oh Shit...

Marus's attention turned back to hear the captain's orders. “... for failure to follow proper procedure and for disobeying a superior officer!"

“But Sir!" Lynnette tried to protest.

“But Nothing!" He practically screamed red faced as he pressed a button on his armchair. “Security, remove Miss Wilkes from the bridge and escort her to the Brig."

“Hostile contact detected!" Marus called out, breaking everyone's train of thought. “CCF Medium Cruiser class vessel approaching from port side aft."

Captain Davis swiveled to face the Lykain cadet. “Cadet Marus, explain yourself..."

“Navigation Computers confirm," Rayne said as she cut off the captain in mid sentience. “Cruiser baring Negative 130 by 38, Range, 550 thousand klicks and closing!"

The captain looked dumbfounded and stunned as the rest of the cadets turn back to their stations and started to panic when they tried to turn off the simulation. “I can't turn it off! How do I clear this?" “The simulation has my station locked." “I have no control over anything!" were some of the things they began to shouted at one another.

Marus keyed the internal com-line. “Bridge to Engineering, respond." Static was the only thing that answered him. “Shit!"

A sharp whistle quieted the chaos on the bridge. Everyone turn towards the source to spot the Caushae with a look of determination on her face. “Panicking is going to get us nowhere! You got to perform a hard reboot in order to purge the simulation virus from your station." She turned to one of the operators in back. “You, Get to engineering and tell them that they need to pull the plug on the main computer and preform a systems wipe of everything that has transpired since we've folded into the system."

The cadet looked from the Caushae to the captain who was still stunned and currently useless by the situation. He turned to Marus looking for direction. Giving the feline a quick glance, the Lykain faced the young cadet. “You heard the order, and you know the drill. Get your ass moving before we're all dead!" The cadet looked back at the captain and Lynnette before bolting off the bridge.

A warning flashed from the Lykain's console drawing everyone's attention. Marus turned to find out what the warning was. “They've entered into weapons range, detecting energy spikes." His ears caught the feline curse as she sat back down at her station. “Anoixi," Marus called to the rabbit. “Are you back yet?"

“N-not yet," Anoixi said a bit hassled. “Don't make me loose count..."

“Restart Now."

“But..."

“The computer manuals might suggest a full minute to do a restart, but you can do it after a count of twenty."

“Rayne," Lynnette called out from her station. “Do you have any navigational controls?"

The vixen fidgeted with the controls at her station. “I got some say with maneuvering thrusters, but nothing else."

“Tactical back online." Anoixi called out when a warning flashed across her screen. “Torpedo guidance lasers. Shit! They're locking onto the fleet!"

“Power up the Shields!"

Anoixi typed the command, then tried again before hitting the console with her fist. “I can't get the shields online."

“Probably because of that virus..." Marus muttered as he tried to think of a solution.

“Anoixi," A voice said from across the bridge. “Do you have access to the Angel Wings chafe?"

The rabbit quickly typed commands into her console. “I have no access to any defensive systems."

“What about weapon systems? Namely torpedo control?"

Anoixi spun her chair around confused. “Torpedo control? Why torpedoes?"

Lynnette gave her a deadpan look. “If we can't use the Angel Wings, we're going to use torpedoes"

“How?"

“As depth charges." Marus injected with a nod from Lynnette, letting him know that they were thinking the same thing. “We set our torpedoes to proximity trigger and when the others arrive hopefully the blast will take them out too and save everyone."

Warning sirens went off on some of the bridge station and the cadets turned to see what it was this time.

“Torpedoes fired!" Lynnette called out first making some of the cadets whimper. “Hundred seconds till impact and counting!"

“Anoixi!" Marus shouted as the rabbit got into gear and configured the parameters for the torpedoes.

“Eighty seconds till impact!"

“Ready!"

“Fire!"

“BELAY THOSE ORDERS!" The shout made all the cadets jump in their seat, they all turn to see the human standing up from his chair. “CADET! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!" Captain Davis shouted, seemingly having finally come out of his stupor. “You can't go around firing torpedoes, let alone give orders! You've been dismissed!" He slammed his fist on his armrest control board. “SECURITY!"

“Internal and external communications are still down sir."

Captain Davis growled. “Cadet Wilkes, Remove Yourself From the BRIDGE!"

“With all do respect Sir!" She said with a hard stare at the human. “But, you are no longer thinking rationally during a combat situation. I would strongly suggest that you remove yourself to the medical facility or I'd have you escorted if we could spare the manpower if the communications weren't down."

The captain growled as he stormed over and grabbed the Caushae and tried to pull her off her seat despite the feline still being bucked in by the seat's crash webbing. “This is MY Bridge and I'm going to make you get off of it even if I have to force you!"

“Thirty seconds till impact!"

Marus turned towards the confused rabbit. “Anoixi, FIRE!"

“Rayne!" Lynnette shouted as she struggled with the captain that was trying to forcibly pull her out of her chair and harness. “Crazy Ivan NOW!"

Anoixi hit the button as the white vixen slammed the ship's control yoke hard over. The frigate shuttered as it began it's turn as six torpedoes streaked from the forward tubes. Arching around, the projectiles quickly lined up with the deadly incoming ordnance and detonated as soon as they were in proximity with each other. The resulting explosion caused a massive light show as multiple warheads were detonated in close proximity of each other, bathing the area in a brilliant supernova. However, with their late departure from the Mimosa meant that the torpedoes detonated within seconds of impact hiding the fact a few stragglers made it through and the LCS Sartine and the TAFT Pandora where both hit by two of the five surviving torpedoes while the bridge crew watch in horror as the other three made a beeline strait for them.

“BRACE...!" Was the only thing Marus could get out before the remaining three torpedoes impacted against their forward hull and bathed the small training frigate in their destructive embrace...

The acidic smell of burnt electronics and the popping of expose wires and circuits discharging electricity greeted his senses as he started to become aware of his surroundings once again. Opening his eyes proved to not be much benefit as the room he found himself in was just as dark as when he had them closed. Lifting his hand up to where he felt his fur matted on his head, he winced in pain as he quickly drew his hand away from the wet spot. Without warning the room soon was bathed in red emergency lights and he could see why he had been knocked out. Different panels that used to be part of the bulkheads on the bridge had been blown free as well as several areas of the ceiling had collapsed and spewed more metal bits and parts that were now free floating in a zero-G environment.

They had taken a heavy hit from that CCF Cruiser and barely survived. Who knows what it was doing now.

“Everyone not dead sound off."

Several groans could be heard around him as more people were shaking off the daze of impact against the equipment and bulkheads in the room. He heard a loud cry of pain and his focus went across the bridge to see the Caushae holding her leg as a metal pipe stuck out of the top of where her hands were. Unbuckling his seat's harness, he pushed off his seat and grabbed a med kit that was floating near by as he made his way to the impaled feline. As he floated to the other side of the bridge, he couldn't help but think that it could probably of been the same object that had nailed him on the side of the head.

He could see as he approached that any movement caused the snow leopard to hiss in pain, specially when she tried and failed to pull the small circumference pipe out of her leg. Grabbing the back of her chair he quickly open the kit and fetched an injection of pain medication. “Here," Marus said as he went and moved her hands that was holding her leg just above the pipe sticking out of her. “This should help." Sticking the needle into her leg, he squeezed the injection and slowly he could see the pain leave her face.

Marus winced as he took a closer look at the pipe conduit that had impaled itself in the feline's leg, he could see that there was more than two feet of pipping with close to a foot was sticking above her leg and another six inches was jutting out of the seat at the bottom. “I'm going to try and see if I can free you." He said as he reached for the pipe. Lynnette nodded and prepared herself as best as she could while Marus grabbed the pipe and tried to pull it out. She let out a sharp hiss of pain as he pulled on the metal tube, aggravating the wound in her leg as he pulled to no avail. He tried to push it down through her leg and chair, however, the metal refused to budge no matter how much strength the Lykain tried to use. He stopped with a sigh, and relief washed across the Caushae's face.

“Afraid you're going to have to get cut out of the chair."

Lynnette nodded again, trying to keep her focus away from her aggravated leg. “Wha... What about the captain?" She asked between gasping breaths.

“The... Captain?..." Realization dawned on the wolf that the wolf that he hasn't seen the human yet despite him standing in the same spot. “Captain?" He said as he turned his head towards the rest of the bridge. “Where's Captain Davis?" His head darted around the chaos of the bridge. “Captain!"

“Over here." Some one called out from a corner. Marus quickly grabbed the med kit again and pushed off the nearby console and made his way over to the cadet that had called out. He could see the white vixen looking at him with a grim expression as he approached the two.

“Great Maker..." Marus said to himself as he caught himself on the Con station and seen the battered form of the human captain. It was clear to Marus even in the dim red glow that the human; having been the only one not secure in a chair harness, had been thrown around like a rag doll when the torpedoes hit and the gravity had gone out with the main power. Not only did his body looked bruised and battered from being thrown around, but there was several severe burns, cuts and shrapnel all over his body. He batted away the floating blood as he moved next to the vixen, quickly grabbing another injection from the med kit for the captain.

“Hold on captain. This should help."

A hand quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him in mid motion. “N...no..." Captain Davis said very weakly. “I already know..." He was interrupted when he had to cough and several droplets of blood came out from his mouth before he continued. “I'm already too far gone..."

“No," Marus argued. “You're not. Let me inject you and then we can move you to medical."

“Its nothing more than pain medication." Davis wheezed. “I'll never make it to medical in my condition."

“We at least have to try."

Davis shook his head. “No... I know... Its my time." He said before entering another coughing fit and expelling more of his blood, both Marus and the vixen helmsman lifted Davis into a sitting position. He gave a sign after he'd stopped coughing. “I know... that you're not going... to like what I'm... going to do next Marus..."

The black wolf looked at the injured human with a confused look. “What do you mean?"

Davis just turned to look towards the bridge before he spoke louder. “Cadet Wilkes."

“Yes Captain?" The feline spoke up from her station , doing her best to look over her station. She would of gone to the human's side if she wasn't still pinned to where she was.

“As of... Right now... I am... naming you... Acting Captain."

Most of the bridge crew that was listening in did a double take as the feline and black wolf could only look on in shock. “Sir?" The two collectively echoed , surprise and shocked by the announcement.

“Cadet Wilkes, As of right now, you are the acting captain of the LCS Mimosa... Get your crew home..."

Both Marus and Lynnette was left dumb struck. “I..." She stumbled, trying to find her voice before finally answering “Yes sir..."

While Lynnette was seem to of accepted the order, Marus was still left confused.

“But.. Captain," He asked in a low voice. “Why promote Wilkes? Its not just because you were about ready to throw her off the bridge not even ten minutes ago, but, I thought I was your XO on this training cruise. Why her and not me?"

Davis looked up at the confused wolf and grasped his hand. “And you did a fine job of being my XO, more that I would normally care to admit. One day, I do believe you will get your own command. But, you're not ready for it. Not yet anyway... There's more. Things that you still need to learn, things that... " The human started coughing as more of his blood was expelled from his mouth. “Things that she already knows and I was too blinded by my own feeling towards her." He stopped for a moment as he wheezed in air to catch his breath again, before he tried to continue. “I didn't want to believe him but the bastard told me I would have a moment of clarity before the end."

“Who? Who told you?" Either the captain didn't hear Marus, or he just ignored the wolf.

“He told me that she would be a good officer, despite the things that has happened to her. That I should help guide her into becoming a good commanding officer and not let my own personal feelings towards her kind interfere with teaching her... He also said that I wouldn't see it till the end... A moment of clarity that I will have. I didn't know what he meant then, now I wish to hell that I didn't know now." He went into another coughing fit and it was all Marus could do to make the human comfortable before he continued. “She's going to need a good XO to help her. Someone..." He looked at Marus. “Like you. Promise me that you will do all you can to help her."

“I..." Marus was dumbstruck with the captain's words. He didn't know what to think with what was said. “I... I promise."

Captain Davis smiled at the Lycain. “Good..." He said. Marus watched in silent horror as the human's facial expression slacken and all of the human's muscles slummed in his arms.

“Captain?" The wolf said as he shook the body in his arms. “Captain!"

A gray paw entered his field of vision and felt around the human's neck. After a few seconds of pressing and looking for a pulse, the vixen's hand pulled away. “I'm sorry." Rayne said as her ears flatten against her head. Marus' ears mimicked hers as he closed the human's eyes for the last time.

There was a sudden hum as various electronics that were silent started to come to life with the different computer screens that wasn't blown out due to surges and objects flying around began to flicker and glow. The main over head lights that weren't damaged started to flicker on and those that were not still in their seats found themselves suddenly dropped unceremoniously to the floor in a clatter with the other metallic debris that was floating in the air as the gravity came back on.

Marus winced as he landed hard on his knees and the body of his former captain landed in his arms. He laid the captain down with as much respect as he could before he stood up. There were several chard burn marks along different parts of the bulkheads where conduits overloaded and exploded, exposing the still sparking circuitry and components. While there was several bridge sub stations that no longer had working monitors and displays, most of the main duty stations hadn't been seriously damaged. The cadets on the bridge all looked just as rough as their equipment, with each one sporting bruises and open cuts that their blood was seeping out of the wound.

The sound of crackling made several of the cadets jump in place before a recognizable voice was heard. “Engineering to bridge, What the Hell just happen!?!" Soon the intercom was becoming flooded by overlapping requests, demands, and outright panic voices; leaving the cadet in charge of the Communication station complete confusion on what to do.

The sharp whistle of a ship wide announcement sounded through out the speakers making everyone stop what they were doing, quieting the flood of questions and panic voices over the comms.

“This..." Lynnette's voice spoke as loud and clear as she could, echoing through out the hull of the ship.. “This is the Acting Captain." Even though she was trying to keep her voice steady, there was still a slight waver in her voice as she spoke. “We have been hit by an unprovoked attacked by an enemy cruiser. No doubt the situation has lead us to a very confused state as well as the fact there has been many casualties in this attack, however, we must remember why we are here and on board this ship."

Lynnette took a deep breath before she continued.

“The captain's last order was to get the crew of the LCS Mimosa back home. However, there are three other crews out there. Each one in an unknown status with an enemy ship baring down on us." She let her words sink in to the crew, looking around at everyone on the bridge. Her speech, if anything had drawn everyone's attention to her, wondering what the Caushae was planing, or if she even had any idea on what to do. “We might not think we are truly ready for this situation, but I believe that we each can and must rise to the occasion and show those interlopers that their actions will have consequences." There were more than a few uncertain looks that some of the cadets gave her, but others nodded in agreement, second guessing what was going to be happening next. “As of right now, the LCS Mimosa is going to full Combat Alert! This is not a drill. All departments are to make a full damage report and announce their combat readiness. Acting Captain out."

She let out a breath and slumped back into her seat. Events were starting to take their toll on her but she still needed to hold things together for a little while longer. She gave the bridge crew a glance and noticed that most were still standing around looking at her. No doubt debating to follow her or not.

It took a loud clap of hands to return the cadets to the present as Marus spoke up.

“Alright people you heard the captain, Action Stations! Lets go!"

One of the things that was good to come out of the fake drill was that most of the ship's crew was already at where they were supposed to be. So there wasn't much in the way of cadets pushing each other out of the way to get to their assign duties. Marus however, instead of returning to his assigned station, went over to the feline as she started to bring information back up on her console. He came up behind her as she looked at the LINUS displaying the current location of the ships in space relevant to the LCS Mimosa.

“So," Marus asked as he bent down to look at her screen. “What's the plan?"

“The plan..." Lynnette said as she started to calculate things in her head and on the computer. “Is to go on the offensive and show that CCF cruiser that they messed with the wrong group of cadets."