Unofficial Literary Challenge 12 - Misplaced
+++
Thel entered the Captain’s ready-room with a PADD in hand. The Andorian’s dour mood was obvious to Kathryn. She pushed her office chair back to stand for the report her Chief Engineer was prepared to make.
He looked to the PADD before speaking. “Captain, three days ago you mentioned to Lieutenant Taneki you had lost something from your quarters?”
Surprised by the question, Kathryn recalled the conversation with her Bajoran friend. “Well, yes. It was just a side comment though. I’m sure it will turn up eventually.”
“I understand, sir. What was it exactly?” He lifted his other hand to the PADD as if to capture Kathryn’s response for record.
“It was my favorite hair pin.”
Thel tapped on the display. “Please describe it.”
Kathryn raised an eyebrow. Thel was a very serious officer with his duties, yet she started to feel under some interrogation. “It … was long, about twelve centimeters, and metallic. Hand-crafted by an Risian and was a gift from a very good friend from our last lay-over.”
"Metal, I see.” More tapping.
“Commander, what’s going on?” She walked from behind her desk.
Thel looked to Kathryn. “May I use your wall console?”
Kathryn nodded and the Engineer activated the panel from his PADD. Listed on the screen were several items attached to crewmember names. The list scrolled slowly and Kathryn recognized the items immediately. “These are personal items. Wait, some are from the ship itself?”
Nodding, Thel replied, “exactly. All of these have gone missing over the past week. At first I overheard mumblings from the team. It wasn’t until my Guard service pin disappeared that I started to pay attention and ask questions. Scuttlebutt turned to coincidence … and then a pattern.”
At his command, several items on the list were highlighted. “Captain, I believe these items can be manipulated into crafting some … tool or device.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure, but the dimensions, materials, and other properties suggest they are useful to that end. I’m concerned we have a thief or a spy within the crew.”
Kathryn looked skeptical. “Thel, I need something more convincing.”
Thel raised a hand to his chin and thought for several seconds. “Our last crew exchange happened over two months ago in the Paradan system. Our last stop was one week ago at the Markia III colony. If we have a spy, then they have been biding their time until now. If it’s just a thief, then they are breaking several regulations in a short amount of time. Unless –“
Kathryn interrupted Thel with eyes widened. “Computer, how many crew are scheduled on board USS Solaris at the current stardate?”
The soft female voice responded, seven hundred forty seven.
“How many lifeforms are currently present on board Solaris?”
A few seconds passed before a small chirp sounded. “Seven hundred forty eight.[/i]
+++
Kathryn activated the wall console while gripping her phaser pistol tighter. The display revealed a tactical schematic of Deck Fourteen. Imposed were several blue dots representing the crew; some dots moved while others were stationary. A cluster of five dots huddled at the security gate between stellar cartography and the enlisted personnel living quarters. Kathryn knew that was her location and could see the security team looking up and down the corridor from the reflection on the console. A lone yellow dot was added and was in the Jefferies Tube between sections three and four, not moving.
“Okay, if we can corral the intruder along this ventral section, then he’ll either be trapped in the Tube or he’ll be trapped in Cargo Bay One. Either way we’ll have it cornered.” She looked to each of the security officers assembled with her. “Bosk move from port-side, Trenu from starboard and Cremeans from stern. Bur’ar and I will head to CB1. Set phasers to stun and shoot if provoked. Good luck.”
The team adjusted their weapons, then split up.
+++
Inside Cargo Bay One, Kathryn and Bur’ar stood near the Jefferies Tube hatch with raised phaser pistols. The locks hissed and the door swung open. A large ball of brown fur fell and clanked as it contacted the floor. Not expecting that, the Starfleet officers took a step back but did not lower their weapons.
Kathryn whispered to Bur’ar, “a Markian.”
Unraveling itself, the humanoid creature pushed the Tube door closed, wiped at its fur, and then sighed. Turning into the cavernous cargo bay, it stopped at the sight of Kathryn and her Klingon Security Chief then raised its hands to surrender.
“Oh. <Ch> Hello.”
Kathryn was reminded of an Earth prairie dog with large ears. It stood just over one meter tall, whose fur flowed grw from head to feet. Wearing a shirt and shirts with a large work belt and bandolier, both straps had numerous pouches that looked full. Based on the bulges on its chest, Kathryn surmised the Markian was female.
Lowering her pistol, Kathryn took a step forward. “Greetings. You are on board the Federation starship Solaris. I am Captain Kathryn Beringer. What’s your name?”
The large ears twitched a little. “<Ch>Tarkap.”
“Okay. What are you doing aboard my ship?”
“<Ch>Would you believe sight-seeing?”
Kathryn shook her head.
“<Ch>Me neither.”
“I see. Well, you are a stowaway on my ship and very far from home. Why?”
Tarkap‘s short muzzle trembled before she spoke. “<Ch> It is a long story.”
Kathryn crossed her arms. “Humor me.”
The Markian placed her arms behind her back and walked a few paces thoughtfully along the wall. “<Ch>Over the septirs, my kind have traveled the stars on other ships. We forage to find parts that will allow us to make a talker. <Ch>It is test of our cleverness. Sending message home proves our skill. Finding way back home is another test.” Tarkap looked back the Kathryn. “<Ch>You see, rite of passage?”
Nodding, Kathryn looked to Bur’ar quickly. After a week of items went missing, it seemed silly to stop Tarkap’s progress. At the same time, she couldn’t allow the Markian to continue. “Are you close to finishing?”
Tarkap smiled wide. She opened a pouch and pulled out a piece of jewelry that looked like a Bolian broach. “<Ch>This color stone may be what I need. Want to see?”
“Yes, please.”
Bur’ar contacted the security team in the Tubes to stand down. The three walked over to a corner in the Cargo Bay. Tarkap pulled on a wall panel and lowered the plate. Reaching into the wall, she retrieved a motley device that looked more like a pile of trash that anything useful. She fixed the broach into the machine and it seemed to fit perfectly. Flipping a switch, it activated and static could be heard from within its core.
Not expecting it would work, Kathryn kneeled down to inspect the contraption as Tarkep spoke to it.
“<Ch>Hello?”
KKKKkkkkZZZZzzzz-llo-zzzzZZZZkkkkKKKK
Tarkap’s ears perked up. “<Ch>Hello?”
KKKkkkZZZzzz-ho is talk-zzzZZZkkkKKK
“<Ch>Tarkap. It is Tarkap!”
KKkkZZzz-ood job-zk-ome back hom-zzZZkkKK
Kathryn found herself smiling when Tarkap looked up from the device. “Looks like you did it.”
+++
Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Thel Ythysi - Kevin Sorbo
Bur'ar - David Ramsey
Tarkap - Ariel Winters
Bosk - male sidewalk extra 1
Trenu - male sidewalk extra 2
Cremeans - male sidewalk extra 3
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Perplexing Complexities
LC 19 - Perplexing Complexities
---
Kathryn gripped her chair’s armrest as Solaris suddenly decelerated from warp. Inertial dampeners strained as the ship came to a full stop.
The alarm claxon was silenced, yet the red warning lights still flashed.
“Whomever did that thank you for reading my mind.”
First officer Anthi Ythysi did not look up from her console and replied while tapping at various screens. “You’re welcome, sir.”
Looking around, Kathryn could see everyone frantically reviewing data at their stations. “Status report.”
Per standard procedure for an unknown event, Helmsman Ian McKinnon responded first. “Involuntary full stop from warp, engines offline.”
From the Tactical station, Anthi spoke next, frustration easily heard in her voice. “Weapons systems are functional but offline. Shields are also offline.”
Chief Science Officer Omazei quickly turned to Kathyrn to report, her short brown hair rested to the sides of her face as she calmly responded. “Short-range sensors do not detect any ships or stellar phenomena nearby. Log-range sensors are offline.”
Kathryn nodded then spoke into the air. “Engineering, what’s going on?”
Thel Ythysi, Solaris’ Chief Engineer spoke through quick breaths. “Port outboard impulse engine - has sustained massive - structural damage. Port nacelle structural - integrity down ten percent. Warp core – stable but – offline. Batteries operating – at one-hundred percent.”
What happened, Kathryn whispered. She looked around the bridge again and the crew was calming down as the emergency settled into the new phase of recovery. Sitting in her command chair, she activated an armrest console and started reviewing high-clearance reports about the current situation and followed-up on information shared between stations. She noticed everyone was silent as they worked through their duties to assess Solaris’ status.
The Vulcan Chief of Operations, S’Rel broke the relative silence, her calm voice further reducing the excitement. “Captain, repair crews have been routed to the affected areas, we have a visual of the damage from Work Bee Three.”
Kathryn almost dreaded to see the damage, yet it was necessary. “On screen.” The screen flickered to an image of the ship’s primary hull. The Work Bee pilot was still maneuvering into position from the launch bay in the secondary hull, yet the damage seen caused Kathryn to gasp.
A cylindrical trench was dug from the exhaust into the impulse engine housing. It was clean-cut and reminded Kathryn of how a Borg cutting beam could slice through any structure with ease and minimal peripheral damage.
The Work Bee then turned on its x-axis to review the port-side nacelle. Along its length, it looks as if a large ball rolled down the structure, warping metal inward. Electric discharge flashed from random points along the photonic spill-port while green-colored gas vented from various plate joints around the lower half of the subspace field coil system.
Three other Work Bees arrived and started repairs on the nacelle. Kathryn waved a hand to her neck in a chopping motion and turned to Anthi.
“Senior staff meeting in one hour.”
Anthi nodded, “aye, Captain.”
+++
The Chief Engineer was the last to enter the room. His uniform was dotted with dark smoke or stains as he arrived directly from Main Engineering with no time to clean-up. The Andorian wore a stern look on his face, more than normal. “Pardon me.”
Kathryn nodded with understanding. She looked to her staff one-at-a-time before speaking. “So, something happened out there. We’ve all seen the result, now let’s find a cause. First, what can Solaris do … S’Rel?”
The female Vulcan laced her fingers together. “In the time we have had to assess the situation, it is clear the ship is debilitated. Every primary system is offline, yet the batteries are keeping the ship functional. Unless we can get the Warp Core online, then the batteries have thirty-hours to sustain us. Naturally, reducing to minimal service levels will extend their capacity.”
Thel tapped fingers on the table and then added, “about the Warp Core; I can’t explain it, but it and the primary capacitors were fully drained of power. The Dilithium crystals are intact and we are still working to rebalance the matter/anti-matter matrix. The Core was cold-started and when I left Engineering, it was estimated full functionality will be restored within ten hours.”
“What about engines,” Kathryn queried.
“The damaged impulse engine is utterly inoperable. We will need dry-dock to replace it. The port nacelle can be repaired, but I wouldn’t go past warp two.”
Omazei grabbed a PADD on the table and started calculating.
Kathryn waited for a few seconds before turning to her First officer. “Anthi, are we vulnerable sitting out here?”
The Andorian sat straighter in her chair. “Sensor logs put us in the middle of nowhere. Without main shields, it’s the surface defense grid is keeping us safe from any micro-projectiles and radiation. Once the Warp Core power levels reach the minimum threshold, then shields and weapons will be available.”
“Annika, any casualties?”
The Chief Medical Officer brushed a lock of dark blonde hair from her face. “Only a few bruises from the sudden change in speed have been reported.”
The Science Chief had finished her calculations and looked up to join the conversation. “The nearest dry-dock is at Arcturus. Travelling at warp two will get us there in three weeks.”
Everyone in the room seemed to sit into their chairs deeper at the idea of a relatively long journey.
Kathryn let it sink in for a few heartbeats longer before attempting to lighten the mood. “We’ve been in worse situations, so that doesn’t sound so bad. Now that we have an idea where we are, let’s get to what happened. Analysis?”
Ian stood and pressed a key on the table. The wall monitor activated showing a rear-view video from the bridge tower. The scene was motionless and showed all four impulse engines in the fore-ground, with the nacelles pointing to the dark horizon. “Wait ‘till you see this.” Pressing another key the scene showed the stars whizzing past the ship; typical when travelling at warp speed.
Suddenly, the outer port impulse engine and nacelle was damaged. Green gas started leaking from the nacelle, the ship clearly slowed down to stop.
Ian looked from the monitor with a grin. “Catch that?”
Everyone looked to each other and Kathryn spoke for the rest of the officers, “catch what? I didn’t see anything to cause the destruction of the engines.”
“Exactly. There is nothing. I’ve poured over the records and what you saw was unaltered, unfiltered video of the incident. In one microsecond, the ship is fully operational, the next microsecond, [/]boom[/i].” To make his point, Ian looped the video in two second intervals: one second before, then after the event and slowed the playback to take ten seconds total. He stopped the video just before the transition from ‘normal’.
A stream of light in the background was circled. “This is a passing star. THR-KD08 to be exact.” The video moved forward one frame and the damage appeared to the ship, while the streak continued its path. “As you can see, that star, along with the other stars we passed, moved as expected.”
Kathryn was incredulous. “Ian, are you saying the event was instantaneous?”
Ian nodded, “based on the evidence available, yes.”
Omazei added, “Sensor logs do not find a trace of a power source or intervening object along our path.”
Thel continued, “Repair teams did not detect any residual signatures at the contact surface along the nacelles or in the impulse engine.
Kathryn looked at the officers with skepticism. “So … this just … happened?”
Everyone else in the room looked at each other, and then nodded silently.
+++
Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Anthi Ythysi - Katheryn Winnick
Thel Ythysi - Kevin Sorbo
Ian McKinnon - Ben Browder
Omazei - Gemma Arterton
S'Rel - Morena Baccarin
Annika Kramer - Abbie Cornish
---
Kathryn gripped her chair’s armrest as Solaris suddenly decelerated from warp. Inertial dampeners strained as the ship came to a full stop.
The alarm claxon was silenced, yet the red warning lights still flashed.
“Whomever did that thank you for reading my mind.”
First officer Anthi Ythysi did not look up from her console and replied while tapping at various screens. “You’re welcome, sir.”
Looking around, Kathryn could see everyone frantically reviewing data at their stations. “Status report.”
Per standard procedure for an unknown event, Helmsman Ian McKinnon responded first. “Involuntary full stop from warp, engines offline.”
From the Tactical station, Anthi spoke next, frustration easily heard in her voice. “Weapons systems are functional but offline. Shields are also offline.”
Chief Science Officer Omazei quickly turned to Kathyrn to report, her short brown hair rested to the sides of her face as she calmly responded. “Short-range sensors do not detect any ships or stellar phenomena nearby. Log-range sensors are offline.”
Kathryn nodded then spoke into the air. “Engineering, what’s going on?”
Thel Ythysi, Solaris’ Chief Engineer spoke through quick breaths. “Port outboard impulse engine - has sustained massive - structural damage. Port nacelle structural - integrity down ten percent. Warp core – stable but – offline. Batteries operating – at one-hundred percent.”
What happened, Kathryn whispered. She looked around the bridge again and the crew was calming down as the emergency settled into the new phase of recovery. Sitting in her command chair, she activated an armrest console and started reviewing high-clearance reports about the current situation and followed-up on information shared between stations. She noticed everyone was silent as they worked through their duties to assess Solaris’ status.
The Vulcan Chief of Operations, S’Rel broke the relative silence, her calm voice further reducing the excitement. “Captain, repair crews have been routed to the affected areas, we have a visual of the damage from Work Bee Three.”
Kathryn almost dreaded to see the damage, yet it was necessary. “On screen.” The screen flickered to an image of the ship’s primary hull. The Work Bee pilot was still maneuvering into position from the launch bay in the secondary hull, yet the damage seen caused Kathryn to gasp.
A cylindrical trench was dug from the exhaust into the impulse engine housing. It was clean-cut and reminded Kathryn of how a Borg cutting beam could slice through any structure with ease and minimal peripheral damage.
The Work Bee then turned on its x-axis to review the port-side nacelle. Along its length, it looks as if a large ball rolled down the structure, warping metal inward. Electric discharge flashed from random points along the photonic spill-port while green-colored gas vented from various plate joints around the lower half of the subspace field coil system.
Three other Work Bees arrived and started repairs on the nacelle. Kathryn waved a hand to her neck in a chopping motion and turned to Anthi.
“Senior staff meeting in one hour.”
Anthi nodded, “aye, Captain.”
+++
The Chief Engineer was the last to enter the room. His uniform was dotted with dark smoke or stains as he arrived directly from Main Engineering with no time to clean-up. The Andorian wore a stern look on his face, more than normal. “Pardon me.”
Kathryn nodded with understanding. She looked to her staff one-at-a-time before speaking. “So, something happened out there. We’ve all seen the result, now let’s find a cause. First, what can Solaris do … S’Rel?”
The female Vulcan laced her fingers together. “In the time we have had to assess the situation, it is clear the ship is debilitated. Every primary system is offline, yet the batteries are keeping the ship functional. Unless we can get the Warp Core online, then the batteries have thirty-hours to sustain us. Naturally, reducing to minimal service levels will extend their capacity.”
Thel tapped fingers on the table and then added, “about the Warp Core; I can’t explain it, but it and the primary capacitors were fully drained of power. The Dilithium crystals are intact and we are still working to rebalance the matter/anti-matter matrix. The Core was cold-started and when I left Engineering, it was estimated full functionality will be restored within ten hours.”
“What about engines,” Kathryn queried.
“The damaged impulse engine is utterly inoperable. We will need dry-dock to replace it. The port nacelle can be repaired, but I wouldn’t go past warp two.”
Omazei grabbed a PADD on the table and started calculating.
Kathryn waited for a few seconds before turning to her First officer. “Anthi, are we vulnerable sitting out here?”
The Andorian sat straighter in her chair. “Sensor logs put us in the middle of nowhere. Without main shields, it’s the surface defense grid is keeping us safe from any micro-projectiles and radiation. Once the Warp Core power levels reach the minimum threshold, then shields and weapons will be available.”
“Annika, any casualties?”
The Chief Medical Officer brushed a lock of dark blonde hair from her face. “Only a few bruises from the sudden change in speed have been reported.”
The Science Chief had finished her calculations and looked up to join the conversation. “The nearest dry-dock is at Arcturus. Travelling at warp two will get us there in three weeks.”
Everyone in the room seemed to sit into their chairs deeper at the idea of a relatively long journey.
Kathryn let it sink in for a few heartbeats longer before attempting to lighten the mood. “We’ve been in worse situations, so that doesn’t sound so bad. Now that we have an idea where we are, let’s get to what happened. Analysis?”
Ian stood and pressed a key on the table. The wall monitor activated showing a rear-view video from the bridge tower. The scene was motionless and showed all four impulse engines in the fore-ground, with the nacelles pointing to the dark horizon. “Wait ‘till you see this.” Pressing another key the scene showed the stars whizzing past the ship; typical when travelling at warp speed.
Suddenly, the outer port impulse engine and nacelle was damaged. Green gas started leaking from the nacelle, the ship clearly slowed down to stop.
Ian looked from the monitor with a grin. “Catch that?”
Everyone looked to each other and Kathryn spoke for the rest of the officers, “catch what? I didn’t see anything to cause the destruction of the engines.”
“Exactly. There is nothing. I’ve poured over the records and what you saw was unaltered, unfiltered video of the incident. In one microsecond, the ship is fully operational, the next microsecond, [/]boom[/i].” To make his point, Ian looped the video in two second intervals: one second before, then after the event and slowed the playback to take ten seconds total. He stopped the video just before the transition from ‘normal’.
A stream of light in the background was circled. “This is a passing star. THR-KD08 to be exact.” The video moved forward one frame and the damage appeared to the ship, while the streak continued its path. “As you can see, that star, along with the other stars we passed, moved as expected.”
Kathryn was incredulous. “Ian, are you saying the event was instantaneous?”
Ian nodded, “based on the evidence available, yes.”
Omazei added, “Sensor logs do not find a trace of a power source or intervening object along our path.”
Thel continued, “Repair teams did not detect any residual signatures at the contact surface along the nacelles or in the impulse engine.
Kathryn looked at the officers with skepticism. “So … this just … happened?”
Everyone else in the room looked at each other, and then nodded silently.
+++
Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Anthi Ythysi - Katheryn Winnick
Thel Ythysi - Kevin Sorbo
Ian McKinnon - Ben Browder
Omazei - Gemma Arterton
S'Rel - Morena Baccarin
Annika Kramer - Abbie Cornish
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)