Chapter IIa: Absolute Disaster

Cass hopes she's not blushing. She's tried to keep her worries related to Darcy hidden, but of course Moira would pick up on it. The older officer is just too savvy, and she knows Cass better than most.

Straightening her posture, Cass says, "You're right. It's one person in a crew of 75. I just have to do my job to the best of my ability, and trust everyone else to do the same." She smiles. "Thanks for the pep talk, Moira. You're a good friend."

She leans back, sitting on the edge of the desk. "Let me ask you something about these booby traps - how likely is it that we can deploy them without knocking out half the crew? Do we have to be wearing the respirator devices before they deploy to avoid getting dosed?"

The preparations have been made and you are ready to put your plan into action. The Antarctica leads you into a star system that they determine should be suitable for this mission: No inhabited planets that could be in danger, located within a common travel route so it makes sense for a Consortium ship to pass through here.
As the Antarctica gets into position, Lt. Mezron speaks up: "Commander, hail from the Antarctica"

The screen lights up, showing Captain Tulak sitting in the captain's chair. You notice that the Antarctica is on red alert.
"We are in position and ready to engage the plan." She pauses and seems to hesitate for a few seconds. "This is one of the hardest orders I have had to give. Commander, lock your phasers onto the Antarctica's saucer section, subsection 11-B, and open fire. One burst, 75% power."

The man at the station follows your command quickly, but slower than you would expect in an actual fight. Tulak cut of visual communication so you can see on screen, how the phaser beam hits the Antarctica, burning a large hole into the ship's hull and sending the ship into a slow spiral.
You watch as all lights on the ship, including the engines, turn off one after the other, leaving the ship to look drifting and helpless. With the hole in the hull, even you would almost believe that it's out of order.

The captain's voice sounds one more time from the intercom: "Get into position, Commander. We're going to start sending the distress signal in one minute."