Malfunction! (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 02 May 2012 @ 11:22am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Commander Chauncey Remington III (KIA) & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil & Tarishiana Barel & Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman & Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Captain (HoD) K'nara of the House of Torath (KIA)
Edited on on 02 May 2012 @ 11:24am

1,965 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Bridge
Timeline: MD 04 - 1345 hrs

Previously, on Malfunction (Part 1)...

=^=Quinn to Bridge. The Warp Core is offline Commander. It'll be about eight, nine hours, at least..=^=

"Nine hours?! You've got to do better than that, Chief, we're in the middle of Klingon territory and we need warp drive now!" the captain angrily replied with a final tap on her commbadge, cursing under her breath in her native Orion tongue. Looking back at her XO, she issued hasty orders to him. "Get down to Engineering and see what you can do to help. I want a full damage report as soon as you get down there" she said. Lirha had no idea what had caused the malfunction, but they were lucky to have exited warp safely after such a major failure.

Nodding to his CO, John turned leapt from his chair and headed towards the turbo lift, leaping over the barricade that ran behind the command chair that would have otherwise impeded his exit. His engineering skill may not have been up to the same level as Quinn and his team of seasoned professionals, but he could easily handle himself in an engine room regardless of the problem.

"I'll be back before you know it" he called out to Lirha before the doors closed in front of him.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Turning towards the viewscreen, Lirha ran her hand through her dark hair in frustration. With Galileo now at full stop, the slow process of diagnosing and repairing the warp core problems could now begin, but they were losing valuable time. She had no idea whether the malfunction was related to the previous engineering hiccup during departure from Starbase 234, but she couldn't rule it out without more information. A eight-hour delay was something she didn't think they could afford, but for now, there didn't be much she could do about it. "What's our current position?" she asked the helmsman.

Dea focused her attention on Lirha, "We're approximately 20 light years from Federation Space." She continued to monitor information from the rest of her department on her console.

Lirha considered her options as she mulled over pieces of classified information which had been presented to her in the recent intelligence briefing at Starbase 234. Despite the covert nature of their assignment, there was an asset which was available to her that she fully intended to use. "What's the position of the USS Memphis?" she asked, curious as to how far away the large cruiser was from Galileo. If she was close, their crew might be able to lend a hand with repairs and get her ship underway sooner.

Pulling up Memphis' location on the sensor grid. "ETA of the USS Memphis is currently six hours away from our current location," Dea reported. The fact that they were having issues with their warp drive left an unmistakable knot in the pit of her stomach. Either way all she could do is try to remain calm and do her job.

The captain scratched her chin in thought as she contemplated the situation. With the Memphis at her current position, Galileo would be close to finishing repairs by the time the other starship arrived. It wouldn't make much sense to request assistance and divert the cruiser from its current assignment, searching for the USS Petersham. "Contact the Memphis, let them know we are hav--" she was suddenly cut off by the voice of her tactical officer.

"Captain, the Na'vi is decloaking and coming around toward-" Orexil's gaze snapped to the energy readouts on her console, "They're charging disruptor cannons, Captain. Our shields won't hold long at current power levels."

Will frowned at the many beeping panels on the ops station. "We're being hailed," he announced as the frequency came through.

"Put it on screen." the Orion captain quickly called out, her heart beating quickly as she prepared to issue orders and defend her ship. The viewscreen blinked and the familiar face of Captain K'Nara materialized larger than life before them. She did not look happy.

"We detected that you are experiencing some problems," she stated the obvious. "Explain.."

"We had a malfunction in the starboard nacelle and we had to shut down our warp core." she began with a huff and an exasperated look on her face. "Power down your weapons!" she added angrily, not at all happy with the lack of hospitality being shown by the supposed allied captain. The Federation-Empire alliance was indeed in trouble if this was how Starfleet captains were being treated by their Klingon counterparts. "We are starting repairs but my chief engineer tell me it's going to be eight, possibly nine hours before we can get underway again." the Orion captain said.

K'nara wavd her hand to the tactical officer. "My apologies Captain," K'nara said sarcastically. "There was a slight misunderstanding from my over eager tactical officer.." she said, clearly only indulging the Starfleet captain. The fake smile disappeared. "Whatever it is, sort it out, you are wasting my time," she said with a clear warning.

Lirha breathed a sigh of relief as the Klingon captain seemed at least willing to give them some time to conduct repairs. "I understand, Captain. We would prefer not to waste anyone's time but unfortunately we're stuck at the moment." she said, then paused to consider her options. Her thoughts traveled back to the intel briefing at Starbase 234, and then to her conversation with Evelyn in her ready room. And then she remembered the bloodwine. Clearing her throat, Lirha quickly formulated her plan then continued speaking. "Perhaps...I could compensate you and your crew for your time?" she proposed with a raised eyebrow. A gesture of good will might ensure us a safe trip out of the Neutral Zone, and even a return ticket, she thought.

~Ah... this is good....~ K'nara thought, but revelead nothing of her thoughts. She realized that the Captain would have hidden motives, but so would she. "Bloodwine it is then...." she said. "We will be transporting over in five minutes," she said and cut the channel.

She turned to her Intelligence chief. "This is exactly what we have been waiting for.....You will go with me and K'mer as a body guard, use the scanner L'uH modified. Use the time well...." She said and nodded to her XO to follow her.

As the channel closed, the viewscreen blinked and reverted back to the starfield. Lirha sighed and leaned back in her chair, finally running a hand through her hair as she mentally kicked herself. Though she had managed to qualm the angry temper of the Klingon captain for the time being, there was more to K'nara than she had first realized. Something about the Klingon woman's cold and calculating demeanor was worrisome to Lirha.

"Na'vi disruptor cannons are powering down, Captain," Orexil reported. "Remaining uncloaked, but weapons are offline."

"I guess they should stock all Starfleet vessels with bloodwine, just in case." Lirha said with an exasperated sigh, running her green hand through her dark hair. With the Klingon captain no doubt on her way over soon, preparations needed to be made to transfer the goods. Lirha also wanted to use the opportunity to enact some diplomacy. Perhaps if she could show enough good will towards K'nara, it would improve the mission's chance of success.

"The Na'vi is launching a shuttle," Will said, looking up from his console to the captain. "I'm transmitting flight vectors to them now. The shuttle bay is on standby to receive them."

"Send someone from Operations to Cargo Bay One to retrieve the cases and have them meet me in the shuttlebay." Lirha said as she rose from her chair and prepared to leave the bridge. She looked over towards her intelligence chief and nodded to her. "Lieutenant Coleman, you're with me. We have guests to greet." she said then turned back to the gold-collared lieutenant commander. "Mister Remington, you have the bridge. Keep an eye on our repairs and coordinate your efforts with Engineering. Keep me updated on our situation." she ordered, then rose from her chair and moved towards the turbolift.

"Aye, captain," Will said with a nod. His fingers ran over the ops console as he contacted the cargo bay.

Captain, with all due respect, you need a show of strength to match theirs, Kestra touched Captain Saalm's mind with her request. I'd like to join you, with two of my team.

Lirha felt the strange sensation of someone else's voice in her head, and quickly identified it as belonging to Kestra. Perhaps she was right. Though security wasn't her biggest concern at the moment, it would serve well to have someone with her who could provide...mental insight. She nodded in approval at the security chief, and watched as she rose from her seat and followed the captain.

Coleman didn't say a word. She merely nodded and rose up from her seat and proceeded to follow the Captain to the turbolift, a faint smile on her lips.

As Coleman followed the captain out, the ops chief left his console, nodded to Mor'an as he walked by. "Send Ensign Korban to Cargo Bay One," Mor'an said into the comm, "Meet the captain in the shuttle bay for transfer."

Will sat down in the command chair with the posture of someone who was familiar with it but careful not to be comfortable. His eyes scanned the viewscreen before he spoke. "Ensign Cho, keep an eye out for any indication of Klingon activity."

Kiri was already on it but replied with a half focused, "Aye Sir," Most of her attention on the screen in front of her. Being overtly aggressive was still out but since they were out of warp she had more power to use on the formidable sensor array. Picking several easy to see trace gases in the local area she started to track them. Without making it obvious she was looking for them the best way to find cloaked ships wasn't looking for them, but looking for their effects. Looking for tiny changes that could add up to a wake was all that was on her mind right now. Everything else was entrusted to the other members of the crew, it would be fine.

"Cadet, how many Klingons are we taking aboard?"

"I am receiving three Klingon lifesigns aboard the shuttle," Mor'an said in reply to Will's question.

"Well, now we wait," Will said to himself, settling back in the command chair. duties. As Will gazed upon the Na'vi floating on the viewscreen, the silence which had descended when the crew returned to their duties, cushioned by the soft beeping of the consoles, made him think of a calm before the storm. His skin prickled and his rubbed his arm gently before growing still once more.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

LCDR Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

LCDR Chauncey (Will) Remington III
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Dea Mialin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Kestra Orexil
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Tarishiana Barel
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Pola Ni Dhuinn, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Evelyn Coleman
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

ENS Kiri Cho
Science Officer
USS Galileo

CWO Markum Quinn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

MWO Lilou Peers
Asst. Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

CDT(SR) Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Cadet
USS Galileo

CAPT K'nara of the House of Torath
Commanding Officer
IKS Na'vi

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