DunvasianCaptain
Joined: 17 Jun 2011 Posts: 10
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re: The Death of Marko Ramius / Teaches Promotion
by Dunvasian on 2012/10/07 5:24:42 pm
I was only an ensign on my first tactical post aboard the USS Stark when the Borg invaded Federation space at Vega in 2409. The Stark was merely a research vessel, and not properly equipped for combat, so we were tasked to search and rescue duty on the perimeter while the heavies went head to head with the enemy. Federation ships were exploding faster than our sensors could track them. Our helmsman, Lt. Firkins, was so distraught by what was on the view screen that she never saw what was left of the saucer section from the shattered USS Intrepid drifting toward us. The Stark shuddered on impact, nearly severing the port nacelle clean off.
The Captain ordered me to engineering to assess the damage. Due to my experience space walking at the academy, I soon found myself outside the ship, hurriedly trying to spot weld some structural supports in place to keep the gaping hole in the port side of Deck 19 from buckling. I was so focused on what I was doing that I never saw the Borg sphere warp in on the starboard side, nor did I see them launch the plasma torpedo that struck us amidships.
Had I seen it coming, I might have secured myself to the hull. Instead, the resulting explosion knocked me clear of the ship before the rapidly expanding plasma fire engulfed what what remained of the Stark and my crew mates. As I watched my friends burn, I tried to stabilize my spin with badly damaged navigational thrusters before they finally went offline. I knew my fate would soon be that of my friends, as I then realized that I was leaking oxygen. Slowly, but not slowly enough. I had merely 23 minutes left before I passed out. A few more before I was dead. Despite little hope, I activated my emergency beacon.
Debris drifted all around me. The body of a headless Andorian Starfleet officer brushed past my leg. As I tried to identify his rank, I saw a wounded USS Red October desperately engaging a Borg cube and sphere simultaneously. Prior to the explosion aboard the Stark, we witnessed the October destroy half a dozen Borg vessels before starting to succumb to their overwhelming numbers. While other search and rescue teams maintained radio silence for fear of attracting the Borg's attention, the Red October hailed my comm.
"This is Captain Marco Ramius of the USS Red October. Fire your tether rope at the large piece of deflector drifting at your 5 o'clock. We're gonna tractor you into the shuttle bay."
The Borg opened fire again and started ripping the October from bow to stern. Instead of redirecting power to shields, Captain Ramius used his remaining auxiliary to power the tractor beam. The Red October then returned fire with a full spread of quantums. When the cube exploded, the October was caught by the blast of the warp core of the destroyed Borg vessel. The October's engines went down and she was listing. As the remaining sphere closed in on the helpless Red October, a shuttlecraft appeared and went to full impulse while immediately firing both phasers and a torpedo salvo at the sphere. The weapons fire opened a small rift in the hull of the sphere, but it was the impact of the shuttle at full speed that disabled the sphere and ultimately saved the October. And me.
Moments later, a small figure in a EV suit thrusted into view. It was Captain Ramius. He had beamed himself into space 1 click out seconds after setting the shuttle's autopilot for a collision course for the sphere. By the time we made it back to the Red October, they had main power back online and we were able to warp out of the system unlike so many of our valorous brethren.
Captain Ramius was promoted soon after. I know for a fact that his bravery and tactical innovation saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives that day, including mine. He put his life and the lives of his crew in harms way to save the life of one man. And that one man, now the Captain of the USS Lannister, will never forget him. Godspeed Admiral Ramius.
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