Who Says Nothing Interesting Happens on Gamma Shift? - Part III

Posted on 09 Aug 2012 @ 1:06pm by Amril & Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & EMH Mark X-C "Shirley" & Crewman Aurangzeb Ameen & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oliver Sylver & Chief Petty Officer Lucalin Mrina Ph.D.

4,148 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo: Shuttlebay, Deck 4
Timeline: MD 09 - 0200

[ON]

For a hologram, traversing four decks was less than a blink of a humanoid eye, in fact, it only took as long as the computer needed to transfer which holoemitters it was using at the time,which by modern standards, wasn't very long at all. Having already retrieved a medkit from one of the storage lockers before heading to the shuttlebay doors, the EMH simply had to wait for Miss Peers and the others to arrive.

Lilou stepped off the turbo lift and nodded to the EMH as she headed into the shuttlebay. The ship would be arriving soon and she wanted to be there to watch it land, get a good view of the ships undercarriage as it came to rest in the bay. She dropped to the ground, laying flat on her back as the shuttlebay doors opened, the thin containment field the only protection against the empty freezing nothingness outside.

Aria frowned as she walked to the shuttle bay. She was exhausted and it showed. Her uniform wasn't as smart as usual, her hair was just tied loosely back and her makeup was slightly smugged. Gamma. Bloody gamma shift. She felt like she hadn't slept since she had set foot on the USS Galileo.

Aurangzeb stepped over the threshold of the large bay doors leading into the Galileo's shuttlebay; prior to his arrival, he'd been on deck five, completing an assessement of the aft, portside cabins to ascertain and compile a comprehensive damage report due to the sensors on that deck being rendered inoperable after the attack involving the Klingons. The gold pair of tech coveralls he adorned remained neatly kept, yet slightly disheveled due to the repair work he'd completed during the remainder of Alpha Shift and the entirety of Beta Shift. He'd planned to retire for a short while this evening after completing the damage assessement, yet after being summoned to the shuttlebay for reasons still unknown, his work would be placed on hold and so would any rest he'd hoped for.

Over the open comm link to the bridge, Pola's voice could be heard over the sound of the fighter coming to rest on the decking in the shuttle bay. As the plating activated the magnetic locking mechanisim, the fighter was secured in place and the tractor beam disengaged. "She's all yours now guys. We are maintaining an open comm channel to yourselves so if anything goes wrong, backup will be on hand. Good luck everyone."

"Well then... organics and ladies first!" The EMH chirped up as he heard the OK being given from the Bridge. After all, if there was a medical emergency in the craft in question, he would be at a loss as to how to open the vessel in order to treat or even examine anyone inside. That was the job of the engineers, something he most certainly was not.

The doors of the shuttle bay opened and as they entered, there stood the craft. It was with almost no hard lines, only flowing, angular curves. Its dimensions made it seem thin, like a razor made for cutting through subspace. Despite the damage to its hull and inactive engine, it was an elegant vessel.

Aurangzeb took several long strides toward the uniquely shaped craft; its size compacted, the design of the ship uncharacteristic of any other he'd seen before. His head cocked to the side, eyes squinting in unflinching intrigue, he reached out a tentative hand to touch its metal surface; it was incredibly cold to the touch, which wasn't surprising after having been tractored in from the deep void of space. He pressed his hand flat against its surface, allowing for his palm to follow the curve of the craft's sleek, angular line. Extraordinarily smooth. He slowly walked the parameter prior to coming to stand at the craft's nose. Glancing over a shoulder, his hazel-colored eyes honed in on Peers before he spoke. "I'm not seeing any indication of an actual hatch. Maybe up there?" He ventured a guess, gesturing with a nod of his head towards a smooth outcropping towards the craft's forward dorsal quarter, its very presence an uncharacteristic design imperfection that appeared somewhat out of place.

The ship was certainly nothing that the EMH had seen before, not that he had seen many apart from the inside of the one to which he had been installed in, but his ability to access the Federation database confirmed that it didn't look like anything they had seen before, although there were a few signals that hinted at possible designers, but nothing concrete.

Opening up his medkit, the EMH pulled out his medical tricorder and flipped it open, aiming the device at the ship to see if there was anything detectable, not that he held out much hope, afterall, this thing had managed to dumbfound the sensors of a starship, what chance did a little tricorder have?

"The ship is leaking radiation from a damaged engine assembly... the levels are not harmful at present although prolonged exposure is not advised... unless you're me of course... radiation is the least of my concerns.... ionised plasma on the other hand... well no hologram likes that."

Lilou smoothed her hands over the underside of the vessel, crawling out the opposite side. The material was undisturbed, and unfamiliar. Non-metallic, but hard. Tough enough to withstand the pressures of space, but sending distress signals, and still showing no signs of wear. Internal breakdown? And what was it? No visual access points in the hull. She ran her hands over the side of the ship and then pulled herself up onto it, checking it out in detail as she climbed. "Chief, it's... Definitely not something I've seen before," she reported. "I don't even know what it's made of, seems like some kind of stealth material, but not one I'm familiar with. Not seeing any access..." she trailed off, running her fingers along the edge of a bump. There wasn't a visual crease, but she could feel a difference, a small difference, but one nonetheless. "Might have something." She looked down the side of the ship and nodded to Ameen, "Can you grab me a cutting beam?" She bit her lip, "What happens when we open this thing?"

Aurangzeb nodded before turning away to retrieve the technician's tool kit that had accompanied. Opening the case unveiled a vast array of different tool options; selecting the correct device, Aurangzeb removed the cutting beam and hastily returned to the alien craft. Handing the device to Peers, he patiently waited to see if her efforts would result in success or prove in vain. In truth, he couldn't deny feeling more than a little excited at the mystery of it all... the unknown variables involved; this, in turn, produced an enigmatic smile that immediately brightened the handsome characteristics of his face.

Lilou accepted the cutting beam with a quick nod, "Come up here with me. We're going to feel our way around this bulge. If you feel anything remotely like a rotator or a winch, let me know. I don't want to do any more damage to this thing than we have to."

He didn't waste another moment or await further invitation before excitedly scurrying up the angled nose of the crafts forward section to join Peers at the dorsal bump. Although the craft was small, there was more than enough room to accommodate them both. Using either hand, Aurangzeb played a flirtive touch against the cold metal of the vessel's hull, feeling for any variations that would mirror what the Chief had requested. As he conducted the intimate tactile inspection, eyes scrutinized its reflective hull, visually consuming every inch of its sleek beauty.

"Wait." Now distracted from his visual undressing, fingers passed over an inconsistency in the hulls composition. To confirm what he thought he felt, he used either hand to pass over the same section. "Yes..." He noted, "right here, there's a divet of some kind that feels a bit more pliable than the surrounding areas." He reported, trying his best to accurately describe the indented soft spot located ventrally to the bump.

[Bridge]

Sitting in her chair, Pola found herself nervous as she listened to the chatter from the shuttlebay. She had to admit that she would have preferred to be down there, she wasn't used to just sitting by while others did the work, as both a Doctor and temporary second in command, she felt this way. She was very grateful for the running commentation Lilou had going, it helped those stuck on the bridge visualise what was going on. The young ACOE even helped her smile when she kept using the word to refer to Pola herself back on the bridge.

Standing at the security station, Ensign Rhodes found his hand gripping the console in anticipation. He had the greatest urge to leave his post and back up Ensign Rice there in the shuttle bay. But, this was all he could do at this moment for them.

Sylver frowned as he glanced around, taking a deeper breath as he eant forward. The words he muttered were quiet, and not meant for anyone. "Okay, baby...I promise, if you stay with me and treat us right, I'll buy a drink and drink it for you. I'll drink several. Just don't blow up on me, okay? Want to stay alive..."

Mor'an closed her eyes and listened to the chatter over the comm. She always concentrated better with her eyes closed -- it calmed her. Her breathing remained steady as she settled back in her chair.

Lucalin's ears flexed and twitched as he listened attentively to the sounds coming through the comm.

[Shuttlebay]

Lilou dragged on her goggles, flicking through to the magnification setting, and leaning in to get a closer view of the divet Ameen had located. "Right," she said decisively, drawing her microdrill. "We need to leak the seal before we can open it. Here, here, here, and here," she indicated the four diagonal compass points of the bulge using the divet as north. "Opposite sides, in sync," she added, moving across from him. "We don't want her to get to excited and throw this shell up at us. Inhale, five count, exhale and drill five count." She rest her goggles to a less magnified state and met Ameen's gaze. "Now."

Like his Chief, Aurangzeb produced a microdrill and followed her instructions implicitly, mirroring her actions with near exactness. Their movements were in fluidic unison, like a well choreographed dance.

As they finished the second pair of holes, the wheezing air release from the seal grew and then simmered to a very quiet whistle. "All right, beautiful," Lilou murmured, stowing her drill and gently patting the side of the dorsal bump. "You're doing very well. This might hurt just a little, but I promise I won't leave any scars," she added, resetting the magnification on her goggles and setting the cutting beam against the first of the microdrill holes. "You're going to be just fine," she whispered and then turned on the beam, widening the tiny holes they'd drilled.

With the hiss of stale atmosphere escaping a secondary hermetic seal, the convex of the hull lifted up to reveal the cockpit inside. All around the sides were control panels, definitely not Federation layout, some only half lit. A soft beep warned of various system failures. The space where the pilot sat was recesses back in a reclining position, dominated by the stasis unit in question. The controls on the stasis chamber showed the status of the unit and the person inside. Suddenly, several warnings began to sound, and the large status screen in the center displaying the vessel indicated power being diverted to the engines and building at an alarming rate. The stasis pod powered down and its door slid aside. In the pilot's chair, still unconscious and hooked up to several fluid tubes, some seemingly pumping blood back into his system, others a bright blue fluid, was a vorta.

Lilou's throat felt suddenly raw, "Dominion- Dominion ship. Vorta. That's definitely- I mean, I haven't seen one in person before, but from the vids and books- Ship's heating up. Engine's running. Orders, Chief? We're running short on time." She looked to Ameen, "Get me anything you can on Vorta specs. We need to shut down that transmitter yesterday."

Aurangzeb had never before seen a Vorta; yes, he'd learned about the species after studying the Dominion War in depth during his primary education, the material extensive, but exceptionally captivating. For a long moment, he seemed almost hypnotized at the sight of a species the Federation hadn't encountered in nearly three decades. However, when he heard the urgency in Peers' voice, he immediately snapped back to reality. Turning, he slid down the curved nose of the craft until both boots audibly clapped against the metal deck below. Going towards the nearest freestanding console, Aurangzeb's fingers danced upon the smooth glossy surface of the biometric interface, recalling any data pertaining to known crafts composed by the Vorta and expanded the search to include Dominion, Cardassian and Breen technologies in relation to the sensor readings pertaining to the craft in the shuttlebay. It took a bit longer for the correct information to stream due to the vast similarities shared between the Vorta and Dominion technology, no doubt due to the fact that one of them was a derivative of the other.

[Bridge]

When Pola heard the words Vorta spoken, it took all she had to not jump out of her seat. How did someone from the Dominion end up in this nebula. Worst of all, how did he end up in a ship of federation origan. Stepping up from her seat, she started to pace back and forward as she tried to figure this out. "EMH, if we transport the Vorta to a secure holding cell, can you carry out any treatment you need to there?"

Ensign Rhodes activated the comm link. =/\= Bridge to Brig. Prepare for transport of possible hostile individual. Medical personnel are on their way as well.=/\=

Sylver's jaw tightened as he heard the Vorta. He hated them. He truly did. For a moment his hands tensed before he exhaled to relax his hands. He needed to be relaxed to fly her well.

A chill ran down Mor'an's spine as the word "Vorta" touched her ears. This was wrong. A Vorta should not be on board. She suddenly felt afraid for the safety of her ship and crew mates. Uncannily enough, she felt to fear for herself.

Lucalin's hand paused on the active matrix screen of his PADD, each individual tendon growing taut at the word. He knew the single purpose and drive of the Vorta. He could still remember their voices being piped into Bireikara and the scent of them and the Jem'Hadar that had remained, mixed with the scent of spilled blood, in the tunnels. He wasn't scared; he had survived before. But the idea that the Vorta had returned to this sector was not a pleasant one and his first impulse was to send warning home. He would do, as soon as they relieved him of duty.

[Shuttlebay]

Pola's voice echoed around the Shuttlebay, "EMH, if we transport the Vorta to a secure holding cell, can you carry out any treatment you need to there?"

"I believe so....although I wouldn't recommend it unless absolutely necessary - I have no idea what this stasis device is doing other than keeping our friend here unconscious...although from these readings his lifesigns appear...mostly stable."

The hologram replied whilst passing his medical tricorder in the direction of the now-exposed Vorta. With the outside of the ship penetrated, he was having no problems getting readings on his lifesigns which were a little erratic, but definitely there.

"Chief," Aurangzeb began, locating and then isolating one of the more important shared similarities. "The transmitter should be located aft of the primary cockpit compartment, dorsal to the warp coil; it's a construct that both Vorta and Dominion technologies share in their ship design and configuration."

Lilou nodded, "Somebody cover me. I'd rather not die at the hands of the Dominion today." She took a deep breath, steeled her will, grabbed the cutting beam, and climbed down over the vorta's body following Ameen's instructions to the dorsal aft of the compartment. Ten seconds later, she'd cut through the panel and tossed a small square of it up and out of the cockpit. "Green blinking light, blue blinking light, red and blue blinking light, or white?" she called back. Her gaze flicked to the miniaturized warp coil. There wasn't time to think, the control mechanisms between the matter and antimatter were being systematically decimated before her eyes. She might not have spoken or read Dominion, but she knew what a warp coil in self-destruct looked like. She heard herself yell "CLEAR" before she even thought to warn anyone about the impending explosion. Her heart was racing at a hundred miles a minute, but she felt calm. Calmer than she had in hours. In days. Months. She drew a small laser welder from her tool belt and sealed the reactant injectors on the warp propulsion system, dropping the tool as soon as that was finished, and reaching for her gravitic caliper to route the plasma away from the warp field coils. She needed to valve them off, but for now just holding the plasma at bay would do. If the field coils couldn't fire and the reactants were unavailable, the engine should just shut down. She hoped. And not for the first time wished Quinn were here. Well. Not here, she didn't want him blown to smithereens. But somewhere where he could tell her what the hell she was supposed to do. "Can...ah... can someone get two warp field valve suppressors? Without moving the ship? Or me?" she whispered, focusing on keeping her caliper carefully held between the main field coil ducts.

Aurangzeb nodded to no one in particular, leaving the freestanding console for the tool kit that lay open on the cargobay floor. Aside from tools, the case also contained certain pieces of equipment pertaining to one's concentrated specialty. Because his had nothing to do with anything 'warp' related, Aurangzeb retrieved the Chief's and opened it. Sure enough, there were four warp field valve suppressors recessed into the lid of the case. Retrieving two of the devices, Aurangzeb tucked both into a pocket before removing both boot and sock from either foot. Although magnetically locked into place, Aurangzeb could appreciate the delicacy of the Chief's work and position. Not wanting to disrupt the stability of the craft in any way, he made concessions to ensure his ascent would cause as little disruption as possible.

In an agile gesture, Aurangzeb mounted the craft; moving with surprising lightness and grace. His barefeet added a tactile traction that his boots might lack, causing a slip that could be the catalyst of a horrendous outcome.

Posturing himself nearest the opening and stifling a giggle at the undignified manner in which Peers was positioned in the cockpit over the male Vorta, he gently drummed light fingers against the backside of her thigh.

"Two warp field valve suppressors, as ordered ma'am." He remained crouched at the cockpit, knee's bent so extreme that they were level with shoulders.

As Aurangzeb handed Peers the equipment she'd requested, a peculiar image drew his attention; there was a portion of the cockpit's forward console station's GUI that appeared to change at one second intervals; at first, he couldn't be certain, but then he mentally started counting and confirmed the one second intervals. Although he couldn't read Dominionese, Aurangzeb was very familiar with how a countdown clock looked and that seemed to be exactly what the image was doing... counting down. A sickening realization overwhelmed him all at once as eyes grew wide with implicit understanding.

"Oh my Goddess!" His hands found the Chief's hips, fingers digging into the clothed flesh as he tried to pull her free from within the cockpit's rear compartment. "We have to go, we have to go now! That power buildup... it's intentional, this thing's going to blow up and that countdown thing looks as if it's not going to give us much time." He struggled to pull a vehemently protesting Peers free so they could make a hasty retreat, yet as a damage control specialist, he had intimate knowledge that, should the craft explode here and now, more than half the ship would be lost... if not more. "Bridge?! Help!" He called out, hoping they'd understand the dire circumstances and the devastating outcome.

[Bridge]

Suddenly going white, Pola spun on her heel, "Mor'an transport everyone the hell out of there now! I don't care where to, just get them out!"

Mor'an's eyes shot open at the same time her fingers began to fly across the buttons of the console in front of her. Her mind clear and focused, she racked her brain for the best place to transport the others. Despite the dire situation, Mor'an was calm -- no sense in getting worried as it only led to catastrophic mistakes. "They are safe!" she called. "They are in the brig."

Trying to think how to contain the blast in 10 seconds, Pola turned around again. "Rhodes. The second everyone is clear, get a shield around that fighter! I don't care what system you need to lean on to get the energy that you need, just do it! When the fighter explodes I want the damage self contained within the shield or we'll lose half of our ship!"

Not responding instantly, Rhodes hesitated only a second at the tactical console, realizing that he could not access the proper power interlinks for an internal force field. He dashed to the Engineering Console. As he took those few steps he was already thinking through the proceedures to initiating a massive forcefield inside the ship, as well as, how many safeguards he would have to overide to make it happen.

"Sir!" Rhodes exclaimed. "I can create a shield within the ship, but it will not hold the explosion!" He looked desparately toward the conn, but then looked down at the engineering console tried to think of another solution.

"Damn it to hell!" Knowing she had to think of something else, she turned back to Mor'an, "Get a transporter lock on that fighter, I don't care what it takes I want it out in space now! Rhodes! Divert everything we have to the aft shield."

Theron's mind was spinning with so many possibilities to think through. He was not an Engineer. The personal transporters were not set for the overall size of the shuttle, but then he remembered the cargo transporters. He took an extra second and linked two of their cargo transporters. He transferred all power to the rear shields to 105% and brought them online as soon as the transport was completed.

"Aye, ma'am." Mor'an's gentle voice was drowned out by the goings-on around her. Once again setting to work, she locked onto the fighter. For a frightening moment, she thought she would fail in her task and be the death of everyone. To her relief, she finally locked onto the fighter and was able to transport it out. "It is done."

"Sylver, get us the hell out of here now! I want you to get the aft of our ship facing that fighter, if worse comes to worse, we'll use the shockwave to gain a further distance." Pola moved into her seat, holding tight to the arm of her chair so as not to fall out.

"Yes ma'am!" Sykver took a breath, his mind calculating as his fingers worked. "Come on, baby...take us away..." he said softly, punching the controls. Sluggish, yes...but the ship moved. Like a horse bolting, so it would not be a smooth ride.

The shimmer of the transporter lit the swirling gasses of the nebula and the fighter floated amidst them for only a moment before several explosions went off simultaneously in the silence of space. Then, the warp drive of the ship was breached the nebula lit up. Even though the gasses caught much of the blast, it was still a violent shockwave of reacting gasses that hit the Galileo's hull.

[TBC]

[OFF]

EMH Mk-X
Emergency Medical Hologram
USS Galileo

&

Warrant Officer Oliver Sylver
Flight Control
USS Galileo

&

Crewman Aurangzeb Ameen
Damage Control Specialist
USS Galileo

&

Lieutenant Pola Ni Dhuinn
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

&

Ens. Theron Rhodes
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

&

Ens. Aria Rice
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

&

Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

&

PO Lucalin Mrina
Bioengineer
USS Galileo

&

MWO Lilou Peers
Assistant Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed