Holodeck – Deck 6
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“Virtual Reality?”
Leon flexed his glove covered hands ensuring a proper fit before pulling on his helmet. Once in place he quickly went about activating the controls of the simulated Valkyrie fighter he was now sitting within. His hands moved with practiced ease over the various controls. Despite being relegated to shuttle work and the occasional scouting mission, Athalla had not let his combat skills deteriorate. He maintained a rigorous practice schedule in order to retain his combat certifications. In fact, he had also taken the required requisites to pilot the Charon and a few other starship classes if only to keep his attention focused on flying in the long periods when neither shuttles nor pilots were needed aboard the Charon.
Strapped in and ready, Leon felt a few simulated missions were what he needed to take his mind of his problems and relax in an environment that was almost second nature to him.
Gripping the flight stick, Leon felt it for stiffness and response. It felt perfect the computer replicating his exact control specifications each and every time. Pleased with his cockpit controls, Leon leaned back to consider the sort of mission he wanted to fly.
“Computer, what scenario did I complete last time?”
“Program Athalla 12.”, came the reply.
“Hmm..no good. I made that one too easy. Let’s see. What are they giving the pilots at the Academy these days? Computer, give me a list of all the advanced simulations currently offered at the Academy for combat flight instruction.”
A list of courses appeared on his HUD. “Hmm… this one looks interesting.” The mission was a ground based attack of a heavily defended outpost based upon a scenario encountered during the last war with the Dominion. The difficulty factor was considered advanced which was just what Leon was looking for.
“Computer, load Academy Simulation FSIM-7119A. Engage when ready.”
“Program complete. Beginning simulation in five seconds.”
Leon gripped his flight stick as the sim went live around him. A sea of bright stars appeared beyond his canopy and with them a large blue planet that resembled Earth. Around him appeared a simulated wing of fighters in formation and ready for action. The familiar rush of combat filed him as he looked forward to the simulated attack.
“Listen up pilots”, the simulated squadron commander said over the communications channel. “We have a dominion outpost on the planet surface. The base has a strong anti-air defense perimeter and powerful shielding. It is up to us to crack that shell. A company of marines will be deployed soon to secure the base and it is up to us to destroy the outer defenses, knock out the shielding, and provide air cover as requested. Target coordinates are in your flight computers. Are there any questions?”
Getting no response the commander continued. “Move fast, fly smart, hit hard, and let’s destroy that outpost pilots. Form up and prepare for atmospheric entry interface. We will maintain radio silence until we engage the target. Good luck.”
Leon maneuvered his fighter into position as the wing lined up to enter the atmosphere. The entry would occur on the far side of the planet in order to obtain the maximum amount of surprise. If they were lucky it might be possible to catch the Dominion flatfooted and deliver disproportionate damage to the target objectives before a defense could be mounted.
Receiving the signal to proceed, Leon nudged his throttle forward and followed the fighters down into the blue atmosphere of the planet.
[ Minutes Later ]
Emerging from the intense heat of atmospheric entry, Athalla eased back on his throttle as the final red and orange tendrils of superheated gasses flowed past his cockpit canopy. A quick check of his systems indicated no damage or trouble. Reaching forward he lifted the red cover for the analog toggle switch which enabled the voice activated arming of his fighter’s weapon systems.
“Computer, arm primary and secondary weapons. Load torpedo launchers. Engage defensive systems and calibrate for ground based attack.”
“Weapons systems online. Shields online. Shield configuration set for ground based attack.”
Leon visualized the upcoming attack as he and the wing of fighters dove through the atmosphere to the deck. Each fighter now skimmed the surface of the planet at only a few hundred feet to avoid early detection. Flying this fast over rough terrain left little time to contemplate the impending action, however, Athalla found a few fleeting moments to quickly plan his own attack pattern.
“Computer, ETA to target?”
“Four minutes present speed.”
“Deploy and charge tetryon cannon.”
“The requested action will disable phaser capability.”
“Confirmed. Activate cannon”, Leon answered. The Valkyrie fighter was a nimble, yet versatile craft with a good balance of speed, protection, and firepower. In addition to its micro quantum torpedo launchers and pulse cannon phasers, the Valkyrie class fighter had a Tetryon cannon embedded into the airframe’s underbelly. The cannon was seldom used in dogfights or close quarter combat due to its limited range, long charge times, and its thirst for power. Charging the weapon required nearly two minutes and in the process disabled the fighter’s main phasers due to the power drain. However, the cannon’s usefulness was unparalleled in specific situations. While its range was severely limited the cannon’s incredible power was perfect for cutting through the shields of large capital ships or ground based installations if one could maneuver close enough.
Leon heeded the squadron commander’s words deciding to hit hard and fast. The cannon would do just that ; hit hard. He just had to get close enough to the target to use it without getting shot down. With his phasers offline using the cannon was a risky venture. He knew, as did the other pilots, the first few minutes of the fight would be crucial. If they couldn’t penetrate the facility’s tough shielding quickly in order to score hits on its defenses its formidable anti-air defenses would inflict a harsh toll on the squadron. If that occurred the infantry and marines would be unable to overrun the base and it would be very likely a great number of men and machines would perish as a result.
“Approaching target coordinates. ETA in 60 seconds. Tetryon cannon ready.”
Leon glanced at his sensor display then up at the horizon. Before him loomed a giant domed structure in the distance. He could see the defense towers and anti-air weaponry deployed in a ring around the facility. As they approached at tree top level the sky was suddenly filled with dozens of green beams.
“Shit”, someone yelled over the comm. Breaking radio silence, “looks like they know we’re here!”
“All fighters break and attack. Fire at will. Fire at will. Take down those shields!”
Taking a deep breath, Athalla slammed his throttle forward rapidly increasing his speed as his fighter bolted forward into a hailstorm of green fire. His eyes focused on his target as did his mind and body. Getting to the target alive was his only objective. His senses dulled to other stimuli. A nearby fighter in close formation was hit head on by one of the powerful defense beams. The craft disappeared from view in a cloud of green dust as the fighter exploded behind him.
“The damn thing won’t crack”, a pilot yelled out over the comm as the first wave of fighters raked the structure with weapons fire. Athalla watched as fighter after fighter fired salvos of weapons into the massive shield protecting the outpost. All of the fire was instantly absorbed.
A loud jolt suddenly rocked his fighter as instruments flashed red and alarms rang inside his helmet. His fighter spiraled out of control as it fought to enter a spin. Gripping his stick, Athalla pulled mercilessly against gravity and inertia to correct for the hit he had just received.
“Warning, forward shields have failed. Danger, external hull stresses approaching maximum tolerance.”
The bright red EJECT light suddenly lit up on his HUD. Under normal circumstances, Athalla would have pulled the ejection handle at his knees, but a simulated fight strengthened his resolve to fight despite the impending danger. Ignoring the warnings, Athalla fought the craft. After a few additional moments he was able to regain control; his fighter’s engines blowing up a massive cloud of dust from the ground which had come only feet away from destroying the fighter.
His HUD displayed the distance to the Dominion structure. The giant dome loomed before him like a huge balloon waiting to be popped. Alarms blaring his proximity indicator flashed indicating he was finally in range as dozens of green beams sliced through the air around him all with lethal intent.
His thumb and forefinger closed around his stick and squeezed the trigger of his charged tetryon cannon. There was a momentary pause as the weapon’s massive coil prepared the release the energy it had stored, but finally after what seemed like an eternity a powerful beam shot from beneath his fighter and slammed without mercy into the Dominion outpost’s shields sending a pulse of energy rippling across the electronic barrier. Other fighters, witnessing Leon’s attack run, quickly regrouped and joined in on the assault concentrating their fire on beleaguered shield. Phasers and torpedoes rained down on the outpost.
The beam’s energy finally faded its power exhausted as Leon quickly switched the cannon off and secured it. Reactivating his phasers, he pulled up and away from the outpost as more fighters continued to attack where he had led the charge. As he banked his craft and setup for another attack run several cries echoed over the radio with triumphant news. The powerful Dominion shield had been cracked.
“All fighters, move in and attack grid 117 at once. The shielding in that area has fallen. Take down those anti-air defenses!”
Athalla looked on as a section of the giant shield barrier fluctuated and failed under the concentrated and relentless attack by the dogged fighter squadrons. Within moments fighters were landing punishing hits against the outpost’s outer structure and more importantly were slowly destroying the powerful and deadly anti-air defense network which ringed the central dome.
As the minutes passed, fewer and fewer of the Dominion air defenses were operational. Nearly sixty percent of the outpost’s shields had failed. Torpedoes and phasers were carving the outer structure of the building up like a dressed turkey before a great feast. Explosions and fires engulfed the dome. Athalla made another pass pressing home his own attacks as dozens of his fellow pilots did the same.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light which for a moment blocked out everything before it subsided.
“Scratch one power generator”, someone yelled out triumphantly over the comm..
“Their shields are going down! Good work pilots!”
“Hey, here come the Marines!”
Athalla looked as a swarm of marines, like a colony of ants, swarmed over a nearby ridge and attacked the now burning dome.
“Check your fire pilots. We have friendlies on the ground. Provide air cover as requested.”
Athalla pulled up on his stick and pulled around to make a pass over the target when an image suddenly flashed into his head blotting out his vision. He shook his head attempting to clear the blurry vision as a second image appeared. Another flashed before his eyes and then another. Dozens of images, all indistinct, fuzzy, but somehow real, obscured his vision. Like a wave then intruded upon his consciousness pushing everything in their wake aside. He seemed to be powerless to stop them as he made out a battlefield and smoke. He could hear a voice speaking somewhere in the distance. He saw several bodies before him. A uniform. Starfleet. Wait. No, Dominion?
An unimaginable scene of destruction spread out before him enveloping his consciousness in its grasp. As soon as it focused it disappeared replaced by another hazy memory which felt like a dream yet oddly Athalla felt something familiar about everything he was witnessing.
“Acceptable”, echoed in his ears. “Collateral damage….the mission….for the Federation.”
He couldn’t make out the voices or where they were coming from. Something was drowning them out. Athalla struggled to listen through the growing noise, but the voices grew increasingly faint and finally disappeared. In an instant reality came rushing back.
His eyes focused slowly on his HUD. The entire screen was a dull red. A single message flashed repeatedly before him. “Misson Failed”.
Looking outside, gone was the dome, the fighters, the marines, everything. Only the dark black and yellow grid of the holodeck was visible as the simulation had automatically terminated.
Pulling off his helmet, Athalla dropped it into his lap pushing a shaky hand through his sweat soaked hair.
What the hell was happening, he thought to himself as he buried his head in his hands. Was he cracking up? Was this the past come back to haunt him? He’d never had any post traumatic stress and seldom even thought about his past missions. So why now? Why was what seemed to be the past now thrusting itself like a knife into the present? He had no recollection of the images he had just witnessed. Only a nagging feeling that there was something more to them – something hidden.
He stood from the fighter and terminated the remainder of the program stepping back into the cool air of the corridor of ERIS deck. Rubbing the bridge of his nose he quickly headed back to his quarters to change out of his flight suit and grab a shower. Perhaps that would help him clear his mind and relax.
Piloting hadn’t cleared his mind as he had hoped and now he had doubts about his health. Perhaps something had occurred to him on Lyrillia. Perhaps he really had passed out like the doctors had said. Nothing made sense anymore and everything seemed confusing and disjoined. Was he losing touch with reality?
Swallowing the rising anxiety within him, Athalla stepped into a lift and made his way home. Perhaps a shower and some rest would help make more sense of recent events. He hoped some rest was all he needed, but something deep down worried him that this recent episode was only a foretaste of things to come.
[ To Be Continued ]
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Lt. Leon Athalla
Pilot, USS Charon
(apb Tav)
