As long as
we're here we might as well read the documents. Mostly genetic notes
and plans for a hospital. All the genetic material looks valuable so
they hide those under a rock. The Klingons blast their way in. "Blah
blah blah (beam them up!)." Clancy brings down the roof as he and Gonar
are beamed up to the Klingon ship, where they're disarmed and placed in
a cell.
The Discovery arrives just as the Klingon ship is leaving. Chase scene.
The Discovery sort of keeps up, Jon and Venor coaxing the engines the
whole way. The Scout ship is heading to a Federation world near the
border. Meanwhile Clancy and Gonar break out of their cell not once,
but twice. Each time one of them gets to the communications room and
beams out a message.
The Tellarite Admiral orders Krystal to return to Starbase 14, accusing
her of making up the Klingons as an excuse to cover up her drunken
excesses. She refuses, and so a warrant is placed for her arrest and
ships are dispatched to bring back Krystal and her outlaw crew.
The Discovery chases the Klingon scout to the Federation world, where
another drama is unfolding. The USS Excelsior (under the command of
Admiral Demora Sulu) and another ship are trying to protect the
Federation world from a Kzinti battle fleet. Cat-Who-Yawns leads a
squadron of four ships, each larger than any Kzinti ship seen before.
Arriving at the same time as the Discovery are three Federation
starships, here to arrest Krystal. Meanwhile two Klingon warships lay
cloaked, ready to support their brethren. A couple of Kzinti Suicide
Squadrons completes the order of battle. (At this point Venor is in
command, having relieved Krystal as per the Tellarite Admiral's orders).
|
The fight is
furious (and long, taking like 6 hours). The Federation has good ships
with good crews. The Klingons have equivalent ships. The Kzintis have
lots of small ships and inferior capital ships with poor crews. The
fighting quickly proves that Federation ships are hard to kill as the
Kzinti and Klingon ships go up in flame. The Klingon Scout ship is hit
hard, and Clancy and Gonar use the distraction to escape in a shuttle.
One Suicide Squadron ends up next to the Discovery and proceeds to
blast her into her component atoms. But we forgot about the ship's
basic resistance, so the Discovery still has a few hit points left.
Venor uses everybody's remaining Courage to make sure he goes first and
runs away. The Excelsior is badly damaged and also has to retreat. One
other Federation starship is heavily damaged, with the remaining three
taking light damage.
For the belligerants, two Klingon ships are floating wrecks (though the
Klingon nemesis gets away in the scout ship). Three of the four Kzinti
capital ships are destroyed, taking Cat-Who-Yawns with them.
Cat-Who-Sleeps gets away, vowing revenge. Half of the Suicide gunboats
are also debris. It's a decisive victory for the Federation, but only
the first battle in the Federation-Kzinti War.
The charges against Krystal are dropped. The Professor is dead (guess
they shouldn't have brought him), as are a good deal of the Discovery's
crew. Clancy and Gonar are back safe and sound. The Discovery will be
spending the rest of the year in drydock being repaired.
|