48 Hours

Posted on 04 May 2024 @ 12:39pm by Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Morgan Tarin

2,188 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 19 - Tomorrow's Galileo
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 2, Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD 04, 1430 hrs

[ON]

"Tarin to Blake, report to my ready room," curtly instructed Galileo-A's captain to her first officer over the commbadge network.

Less than two hours had passed since Commander Morgan Tarin had been released from sickbay following a dangerous concussion suffered on the bridge and despite the recommendations to avoid physical and mental activities for the next 24 hours, it was simply not possible. The captain's starship was both out of its time and running out of time, meaning there were no practical means to avoid the sense of urgency which permeated their current goals.

Tarin had briefly returned to her quarters then showered and procured a new uniform. Any form of ordered rest or relaxation would be negligent and simply wasn't possible, so after taking a half-hour to recompose herself then refresh her appearance, she'd quickly returned to her ready room to prepare after-action reports regarding the recent engagement with Romulan forces. Now, she waited for her first officer to arrive, to begin the first of them. To judge and evaluate, as she always did.

Blake chimed the door, moving in briskly when she heard the call to enter. When she saw Tarin was sitting at her desk, freshly dressed and very much ready to work, she wasn't surprised. She could have objected, reminded her of medical's order, but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. And frankly, with the situation they found themselves in, she'd have done exactly the same if their positions were reversed. "I hope the reports are to your satisfaction?"

The captain looked up from her desk's small LCARS screen when the woman arrived then gestured for the fellow red-collared commander to sit in one of the two chairs opposite her table. "Hardly," she replied to Blake before leaning back in her chair and pushing her fingers through her dark brown hair. "We barely survived that engagement - against Romulan scout vessels." She could only imagine how much more formidable their ships of line had become over the past 17 years, let alone those belonging to the Klingon Empire.

Tarin sighed then closed her eyes for a short moment to reflect on past events, specifically those pertaining to Blake. "That was good work you and Ensign Turell did down in the torpedo room," she complimented in a softer tone.

Blake blinked with surprise for a moment before chuckling softly as she settled back in her seat. "Luckily, there's a tutorial for everything if you look hard enough. The shot and escape were far more impressive," she replied lightly, giving something close to a half shrug as she let out a long breath. "I know the reports don't make for pretty reading, but honestly, it's a miracle that we survived at all with how outmatched we are here."

"A miracle?" Tarin subtly raised her eyebrows before curtly shaking her head from side to side a single time. "I'm not one who believes in divine fate, Blake. We're still here because of what you did. And Ensign Turell. And the rest of the crew who executed their duties to perfection." She leaned her head back against her chair then momentarily closed her eyes, not quite sure why she'd felt compelled to clarify her lack of faith in the unknown. Morgan was a very pragmatic woman who'd been cut from the same cloth as her career Starfleet officer parents. She didn't hold disdain for those who embraced a high power, but instead focused on what she could control as opposed to the theoretical and philosophical.

"I apologize. I know what you meant," Tarin added after a short pause. She was feeling tired, frustrated and stressed, but procured a PADD from her desk which had been specially set aside away from the larger stack then slid it across the table to the first officer. "Not all of us survived. Hollenday was killed in action aboard the Galileo-B attempting to seal a major hull breach in engineering..." Her hazel eyes rose to focus on the ready room's unremarkable gray ceiling bulkheads, "...in front of his daughter from this future."

Blake fell silent as she looked down to the padd, reaching slowly to pick it up and cast her eye over it. But she was already nodding faintly; news of his death had already reached her. And he'd been as far from home as he could possibly be. "Does she and Mimi have the support they need?" she asked quietly, setting the padd down limply.

Tarin didn't possess the answer and nuance to that question. All she could do was relay the reports sent to her by Saalm and use due diligence to interpret them. "I'm uncertain. The admiral's amended brief within her combat logs contained a notation that she'd assigned our new counselor, Carlisle, to check on both of them shortly following the incident. I haven't received a status report from Ensign Mimi, her daughter, or the counselor since. Perhaps this is a job for you to follow up on, as a former counselor yourself?" she proposed. "We need every single crew member operating to the best of their abilities and without distractions. Ensign Mimi needs to be able to control her emotions - as devastating as they may be - and focus on her duty of getting us home."

Blake just watched Tarin for a moment. Because truth was, there was also the possibility that Mimi wouldn't be able to work at all. Mental trauma was no different than physical trauma when it came to being fit for work - some injuries were just too severe. But it was an argument she'd have if she needed to cross that bridge. "I'll talk to Carlisle," she agreed, keen to follow up either way.

"Good." The captain then diverted her attention to the next tasks she and the first officer needed to administrate. Tarin sifted through the stack of silver PADDs on her table before finding the one she needed then handed it over to Blake. "The latest systems report from Engineering and Operations," she curtly explained its contents for the woman to browse. "All things considered, we came out of that battle relatively unscathed. A few microfractures are present along the outer hull of our aft quarter but nothing which compromises our structural integrity. We expended five of our eight quantum torpedoes but we still have a full battery of photon torpedoes remaining." Sixteen wasn't much, but it was certainly better than having none. "And our shield grids should be recharged back to full capacity within the next two hours."

Then Tarin folded her arms across her chest to address the elephant in the room. "Of course, we lost our warp core, and along with it, almost 70-percent of our primary power generation. We're not going anywhere and our immediate concern right now needs to be to conserve what available power we can produce. That means shutting down all non-essential systems. The holodecks, replicators, all recreational areas and labs we're not using..." she started to think of the most pertinent manner to cut their power consumption as quickly as possible.

"Agreed," Blake replied easily, nodding at the conclusion. Needs must...and besides, the crew's focus was very much elsewhere. Or at least, it should be. "We have enough real food in stock to keep us going. We can revert to using the cargo bay as the overspill for Sickbay. But will this effect B being able to send us back?" she asked bluntly, not having been across the technology behind their abduction from their own time.

"Not from what Admiral Saalm has told me," answered Tarin. "Galileo-B is equipped with an experimental time travel-generation device capable of creating temporal rifts. This is why she and I prioritized their deflector array repairs, to ensure it remains operational. That's our primary objective, at this point. It's our only way home, Number One. We might not have warp drive capability but if the 'B' can create a new temporal rift for us to travel through, we can enter it at impulse."

Blake nodded with understanding...and perhaps just a touch of relief. Right now, getting the ship back home was the single most thought in her mind. Rightly or wrongly. "Do we know how far off we are from that? Whether it was skill or miracle that saved us this round, we're not likely to last another."

"48 hours? Maybe a few more or less?" was Tarin's best guess for the new repair timeline their sister ship was pursing. "The -B's engineering section was hit during the attack and they need time to restore their primary systems to full operational capacity. Apparently, artificially generating a temporal rift requires every last drop of power from their warp and impulse reactors. Without both of them fully functioning, we can't go anywhere."

Blake nodded, managing to resist the urge to sigh as she glanced to the viewport. Too much could happen in 48 hours. "And we're reaching the limit of our resources that we can commit." There was going to be no 'I want it done in half the time' demand from command granted this time.

The first officer was as sharp as ever and quickly spoke the new conundrum they faced out-loud. "Admiral Saalm's starship will have to conduct their own repairs. All of our engineers and Operations personnel are needed here for the foreseeable future, to manage our power reserves and auxiliary systems shutdowns." Tarin tugged at the bottom of her uniform's jacket to pull it smooth across her torso then held Blake's blue eyes.

"Time might not be on our side right now but it does give us an opportunity," she then reveal with slightly raised eyebrows. "Our computer collected a plethora of practical data from the engagement which we otherwise wouldn't have access to. Once you finish consulting with Ensign M'Lyr'Zor, perform a full tactical review using the information gathered from the combat logs. Find a way to give us an edge - to get through their jamming fields and adjust our weapons systems for maximum effect. Study their maneuvering tactics, tendencies and weapons deployment preferences. Whatever resources you need, including anyone from Security, make it so."

Blake nodded gently, the most she could muster under the circumstances. Normally, her natural inclination towards sarcasm would have roused the thought 'is there anyone left in security?' but she didn't even have the energy left for that much. "If there's something to find, we'll find it," she assured.

Leaning back in her chair then looking out through the window into the starry expanse beyond, one final thought rose to the surface which she couldn't help but be constantly reminded of. "We certainly could have used Lieutenant Rice's presence over the past 24 hours. And Praxis' as well." Her hazel eyes snapped to Blake's and she lightly tilted her head to the side. "There's a good chance Hollenday would still be alive if they both hadn't abandoned us."

Blake's eyes narrowed slightly with confusion, because that was a pretty big assumption to make. "Or they could have ended up dead too," she pointed out quietly, to convey that trying to second guess fate was an impossible and ultimately pointless exercise when they were where they were.

"Blake, let's not beat around the bush with anymore causality hypotheticals," replied Tarin with annoyance bubbling into her New York City's accent. "A third Klingon warship on our side with the size and firepower of Praxis would have turned an even two-versus-two engagement into a rout." She let out a frustrated breath then shook her head and returned her eyes to the window and the stars beyond. "I doesn't matter now. That much you're right about. But we need them back here...it's been three days since they departed and we've already lost one man. You're close with Rice; did she give you any way to contact her or locate their position? Or are we still left to fend for ourselves and without our security chief who deserted her position?"

"If I knew, I would tell you," Blake replied, shortly, but honestly. As much as she'd resolved that Rice had to do what she felt was right and follow her conscience, it didn't mean she wasn't worried about her. Very worried. She'd be stalking her across the galaxy as they spoke if she could. "I suppose it's too much to hope that the B might have the capability to find an out-of-time ship?"

"No. Praxis is too far out of long-range sensor detection for either Galileo to locate by now. They're also most likely cloaked," Tarin dismissed the idea. "I have already tried but to no avail." Rice was quickly turning from a native into a traitor the longer time passed, in the captain's view. "I suppose that's all I have for you at the moment. If you need me for anything, you know where to find me. Dismissed."

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

RSS Feed