Getting Back on the Road (part 1)

Posted on Fri Jan 26th, 2018 @ 9:11am by Lieutenant Commander Amber Quinn & Captain Daniel Westphalen & Lieutenant Azusa Nakano & Lieutenant Trei Jansum & Lieutenant Xander Oroyo DSci & Lieutenant JG Djeneba Nastari

1,746 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Cloud Surfing

ON

It had been twenty-four hours. For Amber, it had been a long period of stress and frustration as Engineering worked on getting the ship back on course and every other department made sure they wouldn't be the next area to fail catastrophically. She herself had run level one diagnostics on the science computers on the bridge, on the science database in the science department, and she'd had her team check every lab to make sure they were working properly.

When it was twenty-four hours on the dot, she tapped her combadge. "Bridge to Engineering. Are we ready?"

"More or less" Azusa's voice replied, her voice clearly showing signs of tiredness. It was obvious that she had been working hard and non-stop to get the ship back up and running. "We're just, finalising the startup sequence"

"How long will that take?" Amber asked.

"Erm..." Azusa thought about it for a few seconds. "Give us a few minutes Commander. We need to do this right" she explained.

"All right," Amber said. "A few minutes it is." She turned to the other bridge crew. "You heard the lady. Ready on her mark."

"Aye, Commander," came Trei's deep voice from behind Amber. "Tactical systems working properly, ma'am, and Petty Officer Jackson is testing the security systems with Hernandes, but so far they're working properly."

Amber nodded. "Very good. Thank you."

While the report was being issued, the captain had slipped onto the bridge from the aft port entry. He watched Amber in the command chair, clearly having a handle on the situation, and a small part of him was cheered by that. But then the realization that he'd sort of forced her into it stole the mirth from his expression, and he instead frowned. He didn't want to steal authority from her during this situation and make her or the crew question her fitness. But he knew she didn't want this. Not really.

Instead, he stepped to the science II station, currently unmanned, and pulled up the sensor readout. Empty space, as per expectation. They weren't anywhere near their mission area, so the sensors didn't have anything really to report, but he still studied them. Something told him it might be relevant.

At the word from Engineering, Amber turned to Helm, "Get us back on course."

Trei, at his console, informed the XO, "Just finished the diagnostic for the tactical systems, and all things are working properly. Hernandes is still running diagnostics on the forcefields and video recording devices in the brig and throughout the ship."

"Thank you," Amber replied.

Over at Science II, Daniel frowned at a sudden spike in tetryon emissions. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, speaking over the reports and actually announcing his presence on the bridge. "But it would appear that there's a significant amount of tetryonic radiation forming directly starboard. It appears to be a subspace rupture of some sort."

Amber hadn't noticed Daniel come onto the bridge. "I'll be happy to take science if you want your chair, sir," she said. "We need to start scanning the anomaly."

Daniel stepped back from the console, nodding assent to Amber's suggestion. "Better that you handle the actual analysis. I'm quite out of practice."

"Happy to oblige," she replied with a grin. She was more comfortable at science and was eager to see what that anomaly was.

The captain strode forward, putting a hand on the command chair. "Helm, let's push a little ways port. The more distance we get from that rupture, the happier I will be."

"Aye sir," the conn officer punched in a few commands, using the RCS system to push them port, letting inertia keep them slowly drifting. In short order though, the ship stopped moving, even though no commands had been issued to prompt it to stop.

Amber logged in to the science station and began to run several analyses of the emissions and the rupture.

Lieutenant Xander Oroyo walked onto the bridge and strode over to the sciene station and said, "I think I can handle the science station, Commander. Captain. Sorry for not dropping by earlier but I had some other things to take care of first."

Amber looked at Daniel with a raised eyebrow. She checked to make sure the various scans were running and then stepped away. "All yours, lieutenant."

"Xander," Daniel said, nodding in greeting, returning his eyes to the expansion of the anomaly on the viewscreen with some trepidation.

Djeneba sat unnoticed as she continued her scans at one of the science station. She glanced up briefly when the Captain entered but said nothing as she continued to view the data before her.

Trei straightened and looked hard at the newcomer. Sending out a telepathic message to Amber, he said, Do you know who this guy is, Commander?

"I believe he is the new Chief Science Officer," Amber replied on a tight telepathic band. "I hadn't been informed of his arrival, though."

"I am Lieutenant Xander Oroyo of Ornara and I am your new Chief Science Officer. I apologize for my abrupt appearance on your bridge but it couldn't be helped," Xander announced to the bridge crew hoping to allay some of their misgivings about him being there.

"Welcome aboard Lieutenant Oroyo." Djeneba stated quietly as she stood and looked up at the newcomer. The new officer towered over her by about a foot in height. "You can have my station."

Amber took her seat beside Daniel and checked her screen's data.

"Lieutenant? I'm sorry I haven't yet had the time to familiarize myself with the ship's roster.. ."

"Nastari" Djeneba replied and started towards the turbolift and one of her duty station's in the science department but called out over her shoulder. "Don't fret over it Lieutenant as I'm sure you'll be brought up to speed in no time." The turbolift door opened in front of her and Nastari stepped in and said softly. "Deck Four," Djeneba turned and thought about the data that she would review on the nebula in astrometrics as the doors slid shut before her.

"Well, where do we begin?" Xander asked.

"Our first priority is to get as much information as we can on the anomaly. Full-spectrum scans are being done including chemical, visual, and particle analyses. Our second is to avoid getting too close to it, but that is up to helm. If you're not in the ship's computers yet, you should be able to monitor the data from the science station. Any help you can give us will be welcome."

"Then my apologies for being late. I will monitor the data until I am input in the computers," Oroyo said.

Daniel let out a breath. "Helm, we don't appear to be moving..."

"Sir, I'm trying, but the gravitational pull is too strong. We're not moving with thrusters anymore, only staving off falling closer to it."

The captain looked to Amber. "Is our ship falling apart or something? This is the second time in as many weeks we've had issues with helm control." The question was clearly rhetorical, but he stood and moved to the helm, looking over the conn officer's shoulder while frowning.

"Engineering said everything was working, sir," Amber replied. "I don't know what's going on now."

Djeneba stepped off the lift at the appropriate deck and walked into astrometrics and spotted on the screen what Ensign Wuukii reviewed. Spectrum analysis of various elements from gas emissions ranged from coronium, nickel, iron to others she could not identify from the doorway. Nastari stepped closer. "Any thing to be concerned about?" she asked as her large dark eyes flickered over the data.

"Not at the moment." Wuukii replied while the two looked at data oblivious to what issues the helm continued to have.

[Bridge]

"Captain, Commander. I believe I have an answer to our current dilemma; the tetryon radiation coupled with the unusually high gravimetric pull of the anomaly are causing many of our systems to run hot. That is why the helm and propulsion systems don't appear to be working properly," Xander said more calmly than he should have right now. "So as you see, it isn't a ship issue. Anymore than that will have to wait until I've been added into the computer."

"Thank you," Amber said. "Can we counter the effects of the anomaly enough to pull away?"

"I doubt it, Commander. Our engines are simply not strong enough. Might I suggest another course of action?" Oroyo asked and them waited for an answer before speaking.

"OF course." Right now, any suggestion was welcome.

"I suggest we fly into the anomaly, Captain. It might ease some of the stress on the ship." Once he had said it, he realized how incredibly stupid it sounded even if it would actually work.

Daniel glanced back at Xander. Two minutes on the bridge and he was already suggesting things that sounded crazy - but at the moment, crazy was as welcome as anything else. "What are our odds of surviving travel through the anomaly?"

"I'd say we could survive the anomaly with fair chance of living through it."

Daniel offered Xander a withering look. "I need more than that before I bet 78 lives on it, Lieutenant."

The ship started to shudder. The conn officer piped up, nerves evident in his voice. "Gravitational stress is getting stronger than our thrust, captain."

"Sir, if we can't head straight for the anomaly and veer off, we'll have to go through. According to the data, we have a 72% chance of survival if we go through and a 96% chance of being pulled apart if we do nothing."

"I do like 72% versus 4%..." Daniel glanced back to Amber. "Just once, I'd like our ship to work properly."

The lamentation was cut off as the whole ship lurched to one side.

"Stress is now more than our thrust, sir! We'll be inside the anomaly in less than thirty seconds!"

Daniel righted himself and said, "Fine then. Helm. Turn us into the anomaly, and give us a burst from the impulse engines. Once we're moving towards it, I want all power to shields and structural integrity. Let's hope you're right, Lieutenant Oroyo."

As do I, Captain. As do I, said Xander to himself.

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Commander Amber Quinn
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Azusa Nakano
Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Trei Jansum
Chief Security Officer

Captain Daniel Westphalen
Commanding Officer

Ensign Djeneba Nastari
Science Officer

Lieutenant Xander Oroyo
Chief Science Officer

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