Hostile Water

[Saylek 0]

They still had no dependable way to isolate their attacker.

 

They had just crossed the border into Imperial space when a cloaked ship of unspecified class – Klingon, by its weapon signature – opened up on the starship Challenger with a sudden volley, then turned its barrage against Columbia, as well. Over the course of the next hour, it had moved with impunity among the convoy, alternating its attack between the two Excelsior-class ships and their supporting craft.

 

Captain Saylek considered it an interesting test of his tactical logic. Similar to the prototype above Camp Khitomer, the aggressor's vessel had proven capable of remaining cloaked while firing. Unlike that prototype, it did not seem to be particularly susceptible to plasma ion tracking. Despite this challenge, the two sister ships had managed to coordinate their responses, combining their defenses against the unseen threat. Still, the Vulcan commander found himself wishing that his friend and former science officer Jansen was there – few officers studied evolving cloak strategies and countermeasures with such tenacity or such success.

 

Except for a localized fire near the aft shield generator, Columbia had not been bloodied too badly. Indeed, because he had anticipated a repeat attack in that section, Saylek had directed a shotgun approach – Kal'don's phaser sweep of probable incoming trajectories had scored a blind hit. Although the destructive power had been disbursed by the wide arc and short dwell time, the resulting plasma imbalance from the unshielded hit had briefly given them a target to lock onto.

 

It was an advantage that had evaporated too quickly. Regretably, Challenger's homing torpedo had gone wide, detonating harmlessly away from the target. Columbia had been unable to hold its phaser lock. During the lull, Saylek had been authorized to attempt communication with their attacker and try to stand down the battle. Open taunting had been the response, which was wasted effort. Insults were ineffective where emotion was mastered, the axiom repeated in his mind.

 

Now they were embarking on Captain Seiben's latest gambit. As directed, Saylek had ordered motification to their torpedo payloads. Although naval analogies were largely anachronistic in his own culture, he nevertheless understood the parallel. Both ships were about to drop their depth charges on this particular submarine. The Klingon ship might survive to withdraw, but if it tried to press its attack, the space around this vital convoy was about to become hostile water indeed.

Edited June 15, 2008 by Saylek