Chapter IIa: Absolute Disaster

The most senior officer left in the strike team is Lt. Hortam. He's a recent transfer to the Potential after he got heavily injured during an away mission on the USS Hong Kong, which is assigned to explore uncharted, hostile planets. He has recovered from his injuries by now, has combat experience from his previous assignment and you are not aware that he ever had any problems with insubordination.

When Moira hands him the rifle, he eyes her curiously. "If I may ask, ma'am, what happened to the Lieutenant Commander?"

Just before Kendall can pass on her information about the Star Flare and its captain, Cass asks the bridge security officer to confirm with sickbay when Darcy arrives and to keep her updated on her condition.

Cass returns her gaze to Kendall. "Sorry for the interruption. Lots going on. Please, continue."

Darcy gives Marbo a death stare but doesn't reply. She pushes past him and he gets the distinct feeling that she does not appreciate the evaluation he gave to Cass.

Thinking about it, Cass asks, "What's your sense about this captain. Is he more likely to be a pirate or a pirate victim?"

"Understood"
You don't know whether he buys your answer or not but he does not pry further.

Cass, after your comm to sickbay you get a response. You don't recognize the voice as Dr. Zlam is not there and someone else has taken over for him.
"Sickbay to Commander Cassano. Confirmed; we will inform you when she arrives. What is the problem?"

Kendall, you navigate the ship towards a gas giant farther away from the system's star and then turn around. You fire a quick Warp boost that barely moves you forward but makes it appear as if you just dropped out of Warp here. Your sensors indicate that the pirate ship's scanners have picked you up. You are certain that they do not realize you already were in the system before.

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Cass, you get a confirmation from sickbay. On the viewscreen, you can watch Kendall's maneuver. The pirate's haven't reacted yet but you are pretty sure they must have already picked her ship up with their sensors.

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Marbo, Moira, you can observe that the strike teams are starting to get a bit impatient. While the scientists and engineers appear pretty focused, among the security officers, there's a lot of talking and whispering, especially in what used to be Darcy's team.

Laser Feeling: Some of these people have worked under Darcy Jr for a long time now. They're concerned, partly worrying about whether she is okay and partly wondering whether there's else something going on, but they won't make trouble. The morale was a bit better when she was still there but they trust Lt. Hortam as well and they are professionals, so it shouldn't affect their performance.