POST INDEX
| Post # | Character | Title |
| 001 | Valentine | Shakedown |
| 002 | Mitshiba | Scientific Perpective |
| 003 | Iverson | Musing of a Captain |
| 004 | Mitshiba | One Big Rock |
| 005 | Valentine | By The Numbers |
| 006 | Mitshiba | Not Best Showing Ever |
| 007 | Iverson | Fast and Furious |
| 008 | Mitshiba | Get The Ruler Out |
| 009 | Valentine | First Day Review |
| 010 | Mitshiba | Early Start |
| 011 | Iverson | Change of Plan |
| 012 | Lopez | Reality Check |
| 013 | Mitshiba | Halfway There |
| 014 | Lopez | Beneath it All |
| 015 | Valentine | Cautiously |
| 016 | Iverson | Strange Happening |
| 017 | Lopez | Not Alone |
| 018 | Mitshiba | Stranger Readings |
| 019 | Iverson | One Step at a Time |
| 020 | Mitshiba | Quiet Caution |
| 021 | Lopez | Reality Shock |
| 022 | Valentine | Small Smiley Ship |
| 023 | Lopez | Finding Someone |
| 024 | Mitshiba | Questions And Answers |
"Questions And Answers"
Previous post: "Finding Someone"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Main Engineering
Stardate: 30152.0930
Aki had been rather pleased to find that there had not been any invasion force waiting for them in the ship's engineering section, but the lack of anyone there had not entirely eased her fears. Something had happened to the crew of the KROGEN and so far the only clue they had discovered had been the dark ooze that seemed to be everywhere.
"Found one," the Asian Science Officer said as her eyes fell on a humanoid form. "She seems injured," Aki added having noticed the woman's leg.
"No one else here?" Commander Valentine asked to no one in particular as if hoping that someone else would step forward and at the very least double their discovery.
"Not as far as I can see," Mitshiba said as she moved closer to the confused looking woman, a state that could be easily attributed to the fact that two Starfleet officers had just appeared out of seemingly nowhere wearing EVA suits.
"You are not from the KROGEN are you?" Lopez asked not having recognized the features of the asian woman behind the visor of the protective garment.
"No we are not," Sarena answered, not ready or willing at this point to reveal the specifics of their ship or even the reasons for them being here. "Are you alone?"
"No," Adriana answered quickly before pausing. Had her sister truly been here with her or had she imagined it as she had done so many times before. This would not have been the first time that her sister would have manifested herself in a time of need, but this time things had been different. Hallucinations could not physically help someone or fetch a medical kit as Amanda had done. "There is someone else on the ship, she helped me get here." The answer given even managed to surprise the injured woman who had not revealed the identity of her helper.
"Looks like we have at least two survivors on board Captain," Commander Valentine announced with a sigh. "The first is suffering for a leg injury, the other has yet to be located. Do you want us to treat on site or will you be sending someone from medical?"
"There is no need," Adriana quickly pointed out. "I am the Assistant Chief Medical Officer of the KROGEN and am more than capable of treating my own injury.
"Are you feeling light headed in the slightest way?" Misaki asked having checked the quality of the ambient air to find that the oxygen content had been at the absolute bare minimum.
Adriana had been ready to challenge the idea but just as she had been ready to do so, a wave of dizziness claimed her senses forcing Mitshiba to get the portable air mask from the emergency medical kit and placing it over the mouth and nose of the injured woman.
"This will help," Mitshiba said before looking back over her shoulder to Sarena who had been keeping a close eye on the situation and their surroundings hoping that the second survivor might make herself known. "Her injury is not life-threatening but it would be safer to have her beamed back."
Valentine simply shook her head. There had simply been too many unanswered questions at this time to justify returning anyone to he BASTET. The situation on board the KROGEN had been strange to say the least and the discovery of a single survivor had not helped to ease the woman's concerns.
"Let's locate the second survivor first," the Commander said, using that as her excuse to justify why they would be staying on board the KROGEN and trying to understand what had happened and what role the black ooze played in this mystery.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
-=-=-
"Finding Someone"
[Previous post: "Small Smiley Ship"]
-=-=-
Setting: USS KROGEN, Main Engineering
Stardate: 30152.0920
With the help of her sister, the rest of the trip to Main Engineering had proven to be a simple one. More than once Adrianna had smiled thinking that this had been exactly the way they things would have been had they grown up together. As twins, the two sisters shared a unique link, as if the two had somehow been in each other's head.
"Stay here," Amanda told her sister as she helped her sit down against the wall near the access point they had both just crawled out of.
Feeling her leg throbbing, the aCMO had been more than happy to comply with her sister's order, not that it had come across as such but rather as the concerned words of a sister whom she had not seen in far too long. Adrianna found herself smiling once again as she watched her sister fetch the med kit from beneath one of the engineering station.
"How did you know that's where the med kit was?" the aCMO asked having noticed the lack of hesitation on the part of her sister. Unless someone had been part of either the engineering or medical staff, the knowledge of where that emergency medical kit was had not been wide spread.
"Did you hit your head?" the twin sister asked, tilting her head to one side and smiling playfully. "You told me back in the jefferies tube where I find the med kit. Maybe you should stay put and rest here after you have taken care of your leg."
As hard as she tried to remember, Adriana was unable to recall having said what her sister had claimed, but how else could she have known where the med kit could be found?
"Take care of that leg," Amanda said as she began to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going around to see if I can find anyone else," the sister replied as if this had been something that the two of them had discussed and agreed upon beforehand. "That is what you wanted to do, what is not?"
Reluctantly Adriana nodded her agreement. Maybe her sister had been correct in her idea that the aCMO had suffered some sort of head trauma, that would have at least explained the increasingly troubling holes in her memories.
Strange noises drew the aCMO's attention to somewhere behind the warp core where seconds later two forms appeared. At first glance Adriana had not been certain of who or what she had been looking at, but after a few more seconds, she recognized the two EVA suits as being Starfleet.
"Found one," a female voice stated. "She seems injured."
"No one else here?"
"Not as far as I can see."
-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi
Ensign Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS KROGEN
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Small Smiley Ship"
[previous post (Reality Shock)]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Setting: USS BASTET, Jefferies Tube
Stardate: 30152.0915
Although she had been safe inside the EVA suit, Sarena had done her absolute best to avoid getting anywhere close to the black ooze that seemed to have actually grown more present throughout the ship. The fact that Lt. Mitshiba had said that the substance was biological in nature had not made the trek through the narrow corridors any easier as the First Officer who was in the lea position kept expecting the dark goo to suddenly move or even jump up at her.
"What could have caused the crew to be liquified in such a way?" Misaki said, obviously thinking out loud as she tried to figure out one possible explanation for what they had encountered.
"This ooze may have nothing to do with the missing crew," Sarena pointed out with great speed and insistence. It was true that the explanation given by the Chief Science Officer had been a good one, but for he time being the First Officer had been content with holding on the the hope of finding the crew somewhere alive and in its entirety. Truth be knownst the idea of being surrounded by the liquefied remains of the crew had been a less than pleasant idea.
Thanks to the smaller size of the KROGEN, the two officers had managed to complete a full sweep of the upper decks in no time, and so far their findings had been meek to say the least.
"Commander, maybe we are going about this all wrong. In case of an extreme emergency the crew is tasked with going to either the bridge, main engineering or the escape pods. Since none of the pods are missing and we know that the bridge was empty, shouldn't we be heading down to main engineering?" Misaki said after their latest survey of a room revealed no signs of the crew or gave any hints as to a possible explanation as to what had happened.
"Captain?" Sarena asked, knowing that their Commanding Officer had been listening in.
=/\= Your call Commander, =/\= came the reply. =/\= We are blind out here. =/\=
With a motion of her hand Sarena instructed her fellow shipmate to move out. The idea of going straight to main engineering had been a good one, but Commander Valentine had still not been ready to trust what might be encountered on the ship. As far as they had been aware, someone might have been listening in on their communications and would now expect them to be at a specific location.
With this in mind, the Commander decided to use the maintenance shafts to make their way down to the KROGEN's main engineering, a path that would hopefully keep them from being detected and would allow the away team to arrive at their final destination out of sight from whoever or whatever might be there waiting for them.
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Karen Price
Commander Sarena Valentine [Access Character BIO for Sarena Valentine]
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
-=-=-
"Reality Shock"
[Previous post: "Quiet Caution"]
-=-=-
Setting: USS KROGEN, Jefferies Tube
Stardate: 30152.0900
Adrianna sat with her back against the wall, her injured legs extended straight forward to minimize the discomfort. Directly across her sister Amanda had mirrored the position allowing the two women to face one another as they spoke in the confinement of the Jefferies tube.
It had been nearly a full half hour since the hand of the aCMO had impacted against the jaw of what she had believed to be nothing more than an illusion, one that had haunted her thoughts for years. Now faced with the imaginary figure being physically real, Lopez fought against her own emotions and feelings, trying to make sense of what had taken place.
As a Starfleet Officer, Adrianna had been taught to process the facts and keep an open mind as to the possibilities this universe could offer. As a sister who had her twin so very long ago, her emotions and desires to see this be what it appeared to be had made thinking straight nearly impossible.
Every word spoken by Amanda had come across exactly as the other sister had expected them to sound. Even her appearance and general demeanor had been spot on as far as what Adrianna had thought they should be. Logic dictated that this was a mathematical improbability given that the twins had been separated for 17 years, neither one of them having any sort of contact with the other... or had they?
As a Medial officer Lopez knew the power thoughts could have. How, according to several reports and studies, brain waves could be made to travel the emptiness of space and time. Could the vision of her sister have been that, a sort of psychic connection between the two of them? As fantastic as it might have sounded, that idea at the very least would explain why Amanda had appeared and sounded exactly as she had always been since the first time the sister had appeared to her twin.
"You've gotten quiet suddenly," Amanda said, a gentle smile touching her lips.
"Sorry," Adrianna blushed ever so slightly. "I was just thinking about you. You have still not explained to me who you came to being here."
"I will," the twin sister deflected with a grin that only a sister could fully understand and appreciate, "but right now we need to get you somewhere where you can take care of that wound."
"There is a medical kit in Main Engineering," the aCMO stated, finding comfort in the simple fact that she had no longer been alone.
"It's settled than," Amanda said as she extended a hand towards her sister. "We get you to Main Engineering get you all fixed up and I will do my best to explain and answer all of your questions."
For a brief moment Adrianna cared nothing for the promised answers or explanations. Her sister had been found and the two of them had been for some reason or another reunited in this time of need.
-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi
Ensign Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS KROGEN
"Quiet Caution"
Previous post: "One Step at a Time"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Jefferies Tube
Stardate: 30152.0855
There was something truly eerie about the ship. The flickering lights only made things worse, but it was the odd black ooze that seemed to be everywhere that particularly intrigued the Asian Scientist.
At first Misaka had thought that the dark ooze had been some byproduct created from a malfunction in the ship's environmental systems. Although she had never heard of such an occurrence, it had been the simplest and safest solution that Misaki could come up with. Eventually though her curiosity got the better of her and Aki decided to scan the dark colored substance with her tricorder.
"Oh, this cannot be good," Misaki exclaimed as she confirmed her readings.
"Stepped in that black ooze?" Commander Valentine chuckled dryly, the woman having herself done everyone in her power to stay clear of the substance whenever she came across it.
"Worst than that," the Chief Science Officer sighed. "This ooze registers as being some sort of biomatter."
=/\= BASTET to away team. Explain. =/\= the Captain ordered. Listening in on the open com channel had made it possible for Selene to keep up with the two women investigating the KROGEN but it had left her blind to a great many things. The dark colored ooze for one.
"There seems to be some sort of black ooze throughout the ship," Sarena explained as she glanced around for the nearest sample of said substance. "Not a lot of it in any single location, but there does appear to be some of it pretty much everywhere. My guess is that both Misaki and I thought the same thing, that it was some sort of residual effect from the minimal life support system, but after a closer look it seems that this matter possesses some sort of biological properties."
=/\= Could it be the liquefied remains of the crew? =/\= Captain Iverson offered as a possible explanation, the woman never having been one to sugar coat the reality and risks of life in Starfleet.
"No way to tell with a simple tricorder," Misaki explained. "All I can tell is that the black ooze is biological is origin. We would need to bring back a sample to the BASTET for a more in-depth analysis.
"I would hold on that idea for the moment," the First Officer jumped in with quickly. "We have yet to determine if this ooze is a cause or an effect and until we have more information I believe it to be overly risky to beam anything from the KROGEN back to the BASTET."
=/\= Agreed, =/\= the Captain agreed although reluctantly by the sound of things. =/\= Continue with the deck-by-deck search and don't be shy to voice out loud what you find.
"No worries Captain," Misaki said with a nod of her head, not that their Captain could see the gesture. "We'll give you a step-by-step report from now on."
Sarena turned and looked at the Asian woman, her glare all too visible even through the distortion of the face covering of the EVA suit. With a few gestures of her hands, the First Officer made it clear without speaking that there might be others listening in, so caution and silence were, at the very least, far more to their advantage until they could positively confirm what had happened to the KROGEN and its crew.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
---
"One Step at a Time"
(Previous Post: "Stranger Readings")
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30152.0845
The darkened silhouette of the USS KROGEN filled the main view screen leaving Captain Iverson anxious to hear from the away team that had just beamed over.
=/\= Beam over was successful, =/\= Commander Valentine reported which allowed the Commanding Officer to release the breath that she had been unconsciously holding. =/\= The bridge is completely vacant. =/\= Sarena added.
=/\= Internal systems are working at bare minimum, =/\= the Chief Science Officer continued, likely having made her way to one of the consoles on the bridge. =/\= Life support is working and I am reading a breathable atmosphere throughout the ship. =/\=
"What are the internal sensors showing as far as life forms?" Captain Iverson inquired, wondering if the one and only life sign would also be recorded by the internal sensors.
=/\= Internal sensors are nonoperational, =/\= Misaki reported with some level of hesitation. =/\= That or there are thousands of interlinked life forms throughout the ship. Maybe some sort of high energy discharge created a repetitive echo in the sensors showing the one life form we originally picked up to be everywhere at once. =/\=
As plausible as the technical explanation had been, Commander Valentine had not been ready to so easily dismiss the readings as having been caused by some sort of sensor malfunction. =/\= We could be dealing with some sort of living energy organism which has taken over the KROGEN and is camouflaging the life signs of the crew, that is going on the assumption that the crew is still alive somewhere on the ship. =/\=
"Since sensors are not going to give us any useful information at this point, you two will have to do a complete survey of the ship," Selene stated with a sigh. The Captain knew that the task had not been a small one and would likely require several hours for the two members of the away team to complete, that is if they did not encounter anything along the way.
=/\= Turbolifts are inoperational, =/\= the Chief Science Officer added after having verified their status. =/\= This is going to make it a lot harder for us to cover the entirety of the KROGEN. =/\=
"One deck and one room at a time," Selene confirmed. As tedious as the job would be, it had been required to confirm the state of the ship and hopefully discover what had happened to the crew.
=/\= On our way, =/\= Sarena acknowledged. =/\= Keep this channel open as well as a transporter lock on us. Just in case. =/\=
"Good hunting," Captain Iverson offered as she silently wished that she could have been there with them or at the very least had been able to see something more than the darkened silhouette of the KROGEN floating against the backdrop of the stars on the main view screen.
---
Jessica Solarik
&
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
"Stranger Readings"
Previous post: "Not Alone"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30152.0835
With the exception of the tactical sensors, everything had been set to target the USS KROGEN. That a single slife sign had been detected had been strange enough, but that it had appeared as if the ship as a whole had been that life form had raise a lot of questions that demanded to be answered with the greatest of urgency.
"I have narrowed the targeting parameters of the sensors in the hopes of getting some answers," Misaki said, her voice betraying the results of her work. "The moment the sensors touch the ship's utter hull, it registers the life sign and it doesn't matter what section of the ship is scanned. I get *one* life sign and nothing else although I am able to see the internal layout."
"Are we in any sort of danger?" Commander Valentine asked, her duties and priorities being to the safety of the BASTET.
"Getting only minimal power readings from the KROGEN," the Asian scientist reported once again. "Barely enough to maintain life support."
"I don't like this," Sarena said with disapproval. "Minimum life support could indicate that the crew is either already dead or that they have somehow been transported off the ship. The sensor reading we are getting could be some sort of camouflage to prevent anyone from realizing this."
"Unfortunately there is no way for us to know for sure," Mitshiba confirmed her latest attempts to get something more from the sensors having failed. All that the KROGEN had been willing to give was that there was a single form form, and that as far as the BASTET's sensors had been concerned, that life form had been the ship itself.
"There is one way Commander," the Captain said as she turned to look at her First Officer in a most serious way.
"I was afraid you'd say that," Sarena sighed before turning to look at the Chief Science Officer. "Lieutenant Mitshiba, looks like you and I are going on an away mission. Gather all of the equipment you may need, we will be using exo-suits just to be on the safe side. We'll be beaming over in 10 minutes."
The idea of beaming over to the KROGEN had been met with mixed feelings by the Asian scientist. To go and investigate the ship as well as the possible source of the strange readings had been an interesting and exciting prospect, but the continued failure to get more information from the sensors had left Aki with a bad feeling about the whole situation. Responding to the distress signal had been part of their duties as members of Starfleet, and likewise had been their responsibility to insure that there had not been any survivors on board.
What truly worried Misaki had been the possibility that both Commander Valentine and herself might fall prey to whatever had already claimed the KROGEN and its crew, a prospect that had not at all been all that exciting.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
-=-=-
"Not Alone"
[Previous post: "Strange Happenings"]
-=-=-
Setting: USS KROGEN, Jefferies Tube
Stardate: 30152.0830
It had taken nearly an hour for Adrianna to free herself from the rain of debris that had pinned her down, the entire time working under the sarcastic grin of her sister who had not actually been there.
"See, told you that you could do it," Amanda said, the hallucination of the missing sister having taken on a casual posture against one of the nearby support beams. "That said, you might want to take care of that wound or you'll be dripping blood all over the ship."
"You know, it would be a lot more helpful if you just stopped talking," Adriana almost yelled at the person whom she only could see and hear. Luckily for the aCMO of the KROGEN there had not been anyone else in to hear the Ensign having an argument with an hallucination.
"Remember," Amanda continued in a very serious manner, "I am nothing more than a figment of your imagination, an idea given form inside your head. What you hear is not my voice but an auditory hallucination. The only way that you can have me stop talking is for you to make yourself do it. I am not the one having a psychological break, I am just here because some part of you needs me to be here."
"I said be quiet!" Lopez screamed at the top of her lungs as she closed her eyes, no longer able to keep her composure given the situation that she had found herself in. When Adriana reopened her eyes she saw no trace of her sister which soon led the woman to start laughing out loud. "There is not a single Counselor who is going to be able to help me. The moment I start talking about this they are going to lock me up and permanently seal the access."
After having used part of her uniform as bandage to dress the wound on her leg, Adriana continued on her way to Main Engineering, the trip being made that much more difficult thanks to the limping and pain in her leg. As strange as it might have seemed though, the Ensign had actually begun to wonder if the illusion of her sister had been only temporarily dismissed or if this had been done deal. As much as she might have hated the idea of going mad, the truth had been that she had actually become used to seeing her sister who acted as a reminder as to why she had joined Starfleet.
"What the..." Adriana said, her voice trailing into a confused silence as her hand peeled away from a black gooey substance. Although she had not had a tricorder handy, the aCMO had been able to guess that the substance had been biological in some sense, but the specific color and texture had not given any clues as to what it was.
Ignoring the pain in her leg, Ensign Lopez scanned with her eyes the wall on which the substance had been unexpectedly found. From what she could see, it had appeared as if the black ooze had come from a section above her current position, having seeped through the panels to flow between various conduits. As she looked up, a sizable blob of this same ooze dripped onto her face covering it whole. For a reason beyond her understanding Adriana felt no pain or panic and instead allowed the substance to simply flow off her skin and onto the floor.
A feeling of dizziness claimed her senses forcing Adriana to reach for the nearest wall in search of support to avoid her falling to the ground. It had taken several moments before the feel subsided enough for the aCMO to regain enough of her senses to once again look around her. To the Ensign's surprise the ooze had completely vanished leaving Lopez to wonder if she had imagined the entire thing, like she had been able to imagine her sister.
"Are you alright?" Amanda asked causing Adriana's shoulders to suddenly fall.
"I thought I had gotten rid of you?" Lopez snapped at her sister as she turned to face the image that she had seen so many times before. "Can you just leave me alone!" Adriana added with overflowing frustration as she waved her arm towards what she knew to be an hallucination. To her great surprise, instead of flying through empty air, her hand impacted against the side of her sister's jaw.
"You're real!?!" Ensign Lopez exclaimed, bewildered.
"Haven't I always been?" the sister replied as she rang the back of her hand across her lips and jaw to wipe off the small trickle of blood that had been created.
-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi
Ensign Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS KROGEN
---
"Strange Happenings"
(Previous Post: "Cautiously")
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30152.0830
The final decision as to the safest possible distance to arrive from their target at had been made. Given all of the available information Captain Iverson had thought it best to put some space between the USS KROGEN and USS BASTET to give their Chief Science Officer the chance to do a thorough sensor sweep of the area.
"We will be coming out of Slipstream in fifteen seconds, and if my calculations are accurate we will be within one thousand meters of our target," Mitshiba stated with as much confidence as she could manage. As the Chief Science Officer she had been well placed to know that the smallest error in the Slipstream calculations could bring the USS BASTET several dozen kilometers from where they had wanted to be upon their arrival.
"Stand by for Slipstream exit," Commander Valentine announced having kept a mental count as per the earlier statement made by Aki.
"Dropping out of Slipstream in 4... 3... 2... 1... NOW!" Mitshiba announced as she pressed the corresponding controls to take the ship out of Slipstream and to immediately begin a sensor sweep of the area. Part of the reason had been to detect other ships in case they had landed in some sort of a trap, the other reason had been to confirm their exact location. "USS KROGEN is 993 meters directly ahead of us," Aki relayed with audible pride. "Sensors are not picking up any other ships in the vicinity. No spacial anomalies or disruptions have also been located."
"So the only thing here is a ship in distress with no apparent cause or reason," Sarena said obviously concerned. "This is strange and I am not a huge fan of strange."
"Really?" Selene chuckled dryly thinking that 'strange' had been a normal part of every day working under the shadow of the banner of Starfleet Intelligence.
"Sensors are only picking up minimal power from the KROGEN," Aki reported before pausing for several seconds as she rechecked the readings, an expression of confusion gradually engraving itself onto her features.. "We are picking up a single life form."
"Only one?" Valentine inquired out of disbelief.
"No, that is not the strange part," the Chief Science Officer continued, "there is no specific reading. It is as if the ship itself registered as being *that* one life form."
"Was the KROGEN equipped with anything that might account for such a strange sensor reading?" Captain Iverson inquired as she glanced back tot he Chief Science Officer.
"No according to our records," Commander Valentine reported as she scrutinized the file on the ship in question. "According to Starfleet Operations, the USS KROGEN is nothing more than a deep space exploration vessel with limited armament meant for self defence. The shields are basic and there is no account for any bio-regenerative hull, not that such equipment would actually registered as having been a life form."
"Well this is getting stranger and stranger, " the Captain said as she shot a rapid grin towards her First Officer.
"Don't rub it in," Commander Valentine huffed as she shook her head. "Let's get a complete sensor scan of the KROGEN before we get any closer and try hailing them, maybe someone on board can explain what is happening."
---
Jessica Solarik
&
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Cautiously"
[previous post (Beneath it All)]
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Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30152.0820
"Long-range sensors show only one ship in the general vicinity of the distress signal's origin," Sarena said as she looked at the latest senor readings. "Picking up next to no power readings though. Whatever caused the KROGEN to call for help is either gone or cloaked and left the ship on emergency power."
"If the KROGEN was attacked by some sort of cloaked ship, why go so far from normal travel routes just to cripple a Federation deepspace research vessel?" Mitshiba asked, showing her colors in her logical instead of tactical thinking.
"A trap," both the Captain and First Officer said in unison. Had the prospect of rushing head first into a trap not been on their minds, the fact that they had said the same thing at the same thing might have proven to be comical.
"Still, she is right," Commander Valentine continued. "Makes no sense for the Romulans to set a trap like that here. Had it not been for us and our Slipstream Drive, the nearest ship would have been several days out. I am no fan of the Romulans, but even I have t agree that they are not *that* incapable."
"Alright," Captain Iverson said with a sigh. "Let's say that the whatever this situation is, we are not dealing with some sort of trap. I still believe that a certain level of caution is called for."
"I concur," Sarena nodded with a smile before changing her posture to sit squarely into her seat. "Helm, stand by to take us out of Slipstream within a thousand meters of the KROGEN. This should give us enough maneuvering room to see what we are dealing with without giving anyone else the chance to get the jump on us. Ensign Mitshiba, please make sure that we have a complete sensor sweep of the area before we arrive as well as immediately after we drop out of Slipstream. If there is any sort of anomaly in the area I want to know before whoever or whatever is out there realizes that we showed up."
"Be sure to run a complete scan of the KROGEN as well," Captain Iverson added, a hint of suspicion having laced her words. "Trap or no trap, we may be dealing with an outside cause for the ship's current situation and I would not want for us to ignore the obvious."
"That the ship itself is both the bate and trap," Misaki half grinned having followed the line of thinking of her Commanding Officer. Tactical planning might not have been her forte but the Chief Science Officer had been a quick study and it had not taken her long to understand the potential problems they faced as the BASTET grew increasingly closer to the source of the distress signal.
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Karen Price
Commander Sarena Valentine [Access Character BIO for Sarena Valentine]
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
-=-=-
"Beneath it All"
[Previous post: "Halfway There"]
-=-=-
Setting: USS KROGEN, Jefferies Tube
Stardate: 30152.0740
Starfleet emergency protocol stated that in the case of a ship wide catastrophe all members of the crew had to report, either verbally or in person, to one of the ship's primary areas; the Bridge, Sickbay or Main Engineering. Since no one had come to Sickbay and that communications were out, Ensign Lopez decided to make her way down to the KROGEN's Main Engineering.
The Bridge would have likely been a better option but Adriana had decided that climbing down had been a more desirable course of action, plus the odds of actually finding someone there had been better based on the facts that the lights that had been partially restored only a few minutes ago.
Like the parts of the ship she had seen while the aCMO had searched for survivors, the Jefferies Tubes had been in a dismal state, filled with debris or blocked by emergency bulkheads. As a Counseling / Medical trained Officer, Ensign Lopez had been ill prepared to deal with some of the areas she had crawled into, loose wiring and shattered panels having been best left to Engineers. Still Adriana had managed to make her way deeper into the KROGEN than before; forcing her way through collapsed tunnels and avoiding dangerous looking wires.
The aCMO had lost count of how many decks she had traveled, and her knees had begun to show signs of wear, her pants displayed crimson stains from her own life's blood. Fatigued, Ensign Lopez reached for a power conduit overhead to help her exit the last Jefferies Tube she had been in. The moment pressure had been applied to the small pipe it broke free from the wall and sent Adriana crashing onto the floor. The fall itself had been nothing major, and the burns on her hand would require nothing more than a few minutes under a dermal regenerator, but the debris that followed had been an entirely different story.
The avalanche that followed lasted only a few seconds, but it had been enough to cover the majority of the Ensign's body as it laid on the floor. Adriana let out a scream of pain that echoed down the crawl ways, and would have been sufficient to summon help had it been under normal circumstances. Unfortunately nothing about this situation had been normal and the aCMO found herself alone and pinned beneath numerous heavy plates and pipes.
It took several minutes but the Ensign eventually found her inner strength and began to dig her way out of the debris, one piece at a time. Pinned as she had been though the task had proven very difficult and even more tiring, and in time Ensign Lopez found the weight of the remaining debris too much for her to continue.
"You can't stay here forever," a familiar voice said.
Ensign Lopez blinked several times to bring her sight back into focus in order to see the hallucination of her sister looking down at her.
"You know," Adriana grimaced through the pain, "This is borderline insanity."
"Some people talk to themselves, others pray to some unseen power in the universe that may or may not exist," Amanda said with a chuckle. "You, you get a pep talk from the sister you haven't seen in years, I think you're ahead of most."
"So am I to gather that I can count on seeing you hovering over me like that until I get myself out?"
"Call it incentive," Amanda replied in a very serious tone. "You are stuck in-between decks on a ship where power is at minimal; don't expect anyone to find you on the internal scanners. If you are to survive, you need to get yourself out."
Adriana took a deep breath and tackled the job of moving the last pieces of debris off of her including several larger ones.
"Oh yeah," the aCMO winced as another pipe was rolled away. "I'm definitively going to need *several* sessions with a Counselor if I ever get out of this mess alive."
-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi
Ensign Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS KROGEN
"Halfway There"
Previous post: "Reality Check"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30152.0730
As fast as the BASTET had been responding to the distress signal received from the KROGEN, the ship had still been a full hour away. Silence ruled the command deck as each person wondered what had happened and what they would discover upon their arrival.
The distress signal had been vague to say the least, only stating that the ship had suffered from a critical system's failure. Without any indications as to the cause of this catastrophic failure there had been little that the crew could do to prepare. From the science station, Aki could see Commander Valentine going through various combat preparations, the First Officer having wanted to be ready should the KROGEN had been attacked by some unknown hostile force. On her end, Lt. Mitshiba had been working on identifying possible natural means for the ship's current condition.
"Captain," the Chief Science Officer began, "if the KROGEN's system failure was caused by some sort of uncharted quantum filament or subspace anomaly, our arriving too close to the ship could have us suffer the same fate."
"Valid point," Commander Valentine offered back. "On the other hand though, if the ship was attacked, our arriving too far from them will warn whoever is responsible as to our presence allowing them to either flee or ready themselves to ambush us as we get closer."
"Damned either way," Captain Iverson sighed. "We still have an hour before we arrive. I want a review of all available data for that sector. How likely are we to run into some hostile force and have there been any reports of strange spacial anomalies? I know that there is no clear way to know for sure, so lets get a hold of what we can and figure out what we are the most likely to encounter once we drop out of Slipstream."
"Things would be a lot easier if we could raise the KROGEN on the comm channel," the First Officer said, disappointed that their continued efforts had yet to break through the static that they had been getting from the start.
"As far as we can tell," Misaki said as she confirmed once again with her instruments, "the signal is being received but there is no return signal being transmitted, not even the standard automatic acknowledgement from the computer. Whatever caused the problem, we are more than likely going to arrive to find the KROGEN dead in space."
"The question remains," Selene began as she turned to look at the Chief Science Officer, "Are we going to arrive to find a cold dead ship with its crew intact or will we discover an intact ship with a cold dead crew?"
"Only one way for us to know for sure," Sarena sighed as she nodded her agreement with the statement made by their CO.
"We have to get there," the Captain added in a matter-of-fact manner, echoing everyone's frustration in the fact that all of their questions would only be answered upon their arrival to the KROGEN's last known coordinates.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
-=-=-
"Reality Check"
[Previous post: "Change of Plans"]
-=-=-
Setting: USS KROGEN, Sickbay
Stardate: 30152.0650
Images of her parents filled Adriana's thoughts and reflected off the near perfect darkness around her. She had joined Starfleet to travel the universe and search for clues as to her past, to search for hints as to her sister's present, but never had she expected to be made to face the final chapter of her own future so quickly.
The inexperienced Ensign had done everything that her training had prepared her for, but it had been much too little to be of any significant help to the members of her crew. The attack had been too quick, too vicious to truly give the KROGEN any real hope of survival, and now the Assistant Chief Medical Officer struggled to remain calm and not give into her fears.
Adriana forced her eyes closed in a futile attempt to ignore the countless white sheets that had been draped over those who had not been as fortunate as she, not that the Ensign currently considered herself lucky. So far her efforts to find another living soul had been met with no success, the aCMO having taken upon herself the unpleasant task to bring all of her fallen comrades back to a more suitable and final resting place.
"You have to keep your wits about you," the Ensign told herself in an effort to remain calm and ward off her growing fears. After graduation she had listed her choices for duties as having been in the medical field despite her training which had been in Counseling, this because Adriana had wanted to make her parents proud, especially her mother. There would have been ample opportunities after her first mission to request a transfer to the Counseling staff, but for her maiden adventure Ensign Lopez had wanted to be a little closer to the action. A desire, a wish that she now could not help but thoroughly regret.
Maybe if she had selected Counseling as her preferred field right from the start she would not have been selected by to be part of the KROGEN's crew. Maybe if she had not so desperately wished to make her mother happy the Ensign would have been in another section of the ship, instead of here in Sickbay. Maybe if she had done all of these things, the aCMO would have been beneath one of these white sheets instead of sitting on a bed, her knees held tightly against her chest, and her mind filled with unanswerable questions.
"Snap out of it," Adriana scolded herself. "What would father say if he saw you like this?"
"He'd probably think that you're a disgrace to the family name."
Adriana's head snapped up to see an unclear image of someone she had not seen in so very long, something that she had missed for what had felt to be even longer, someone who could not have been there in front of her.
"Amanda? That's impossible, you can't be here."
"I'm not," the vision replied in an amused way. "You're the one trained as a Counselor, figure it out."
Ensign Lopez stepped off the bed and moved closer to the hallucination of her sister. "My mind," Adriana said, "My subconscious, it's trying to have me focus on something else, something important to me."
"Because if you give up on yourself, you also give up on me, and that's just not the way you are."
The Ensign stood in front of the sister that only she could see and hear, wishing with all of her heart that the two of them could lose themselves in the type of hug they used to share when one was in pain. Many times they had felt this connection between them, something that went beyond biology, something that allowed one to know that the other had been in need.
"I won't give up," Lopez said before she turned around and picked up the medical kits she had used in her earlier searches of the ship. When the Ensign turned back her sister had vanished, not that she had ever been there in the first place. "I promise, I won't give up, but I'm going to need to see a Counselor once this is all done and over with."
-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi
Ensign Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS KROGEN
---
"Change of Plan"
(Previous Post: "Early Start")
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Holodeck
Stardate: 30152.0620
Keeping track of the members of her senior staff had been second nature to Captain Iverson. As the CO it had been expected for her to know where her officers had been at all times, but being in charge of an Intel ship had made this even more of a need. In Starfleet situations could arise in mere moments, and for those working in the shadows of the Intel world, the lives of an entire civilization could hang in the balance of the seconds that followed.
In this particular case it had been the lives of those on board another ship that would be at play.
"Computer, end program," Selene ordered causing the holodeck to revert seconds later to its basic layout from the enchanting woodland scenery that had been there upon her arrival.
"Guessing something important happened," Commander Valentine said as she approached the stern looking Commanding Officer.
"We received a distress signal from a Deep Space Federation research vessel," Captain Iverson explained. "NEW ALEXANDRIA has confirmed that we are the only vessel within response range. I need the BASTET ready to go in the next 60 seconds."
"It takes the Slipstream Drive at least 12 hours to recharge," Lieutenant Mitshiba stated, the Asian woman having joined the other two women following the dismissal of her training program. "There should not be any problems."
"Good," Selene nodded, the woman continuing to appear beyond serious. "I want the ship under way as soon as you are on the Bridge. I will be on Deck 4 in the Astrometrics lab compiling all available information. Apparently the message contained some sort of data stream which we need to review before we arrive. It might tell us what it is that we will be rushing into."
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30152.0625
The heading had already been set by the Helmsman making it only a matter of seconds before the BASTET jumped into Slipstream following the arrival of Commander Valentine and Lieutenant Mitshiba to the Bridge.
"What do we know?" Sarena asked as she took control of the centre chair in the absence of their Commanding Officer.
"Distress signal was received just under 8 minutes ago and was sent by the USS KROGEN, a Deep Space research vessel that was on an extended six-month tour of the N-58113 nebula. The tour actually ended four days ago and the ship was on its way back to the SOL sector," Aki reported from the Science station. "Based on the reports sent from the Captain, nothing out of the ordinary happened, so either they picked up something from the nebula just as they were leaving or they came across something else on their way back. Unfortunately the distress signal does not give any specifics, only that the ship suffered a critical system's failure."
"How long before we reach the KROGEN's last known location?" Commander Valentine asked, curious to see just how effective the Slipstream Drive was.
"If we were trying to do this at normal maximum warp speed, it would take us several days to each the vessel's last reported coordinates," Mitshiba said with a grin. "With the Slipstream though, we will be there in just under two hours."
"A lot can happen in two hours," Captain Iverson said as she stepped onto the bridge having heard the last bit of the conversation between the First Officer and Chief Science Officer.
"We are doing the best we can," Sarena pointed out as she stood from the command chair so that Selene could take the place that had rightfully been hers.
"I know," the Captain sighed. No matter how fast ships went, it always seemed to never be fast enough for their immediate needs.
---
Jessica Solarik
&
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
"Early Start"
Previous post: "First Day Review"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Quarters
Stardate: 30152.0600
The night had been peaceful if not overly comfortable for Aki who had managed to fall asleep on the couch instead of in her bed. As the Chief Science Officer of the BASTET it had been her responsibility to review the sensor performance reports so that modifications could be suggested to the Captain and Executive Officer a to how to improve the system.
Given the mission profile of the ship, sensors played a very important role, giving the ship and its crew the advantage they would need to stay one step ahead of whatever force they would end up going against. The accuracy of the sensors would heavily come into play when trying to come out of Slipstream speed directly on top of a target giving them no time to react.
The more Mitshiba had studied the numbers, the more she had come to agree with he tactic, one that required the sensors to be beyond accurate. The slightest delay or error could, in theory, cause the BASTET to arrive several kilometers ahead of its intended target given an opponent ample time to react, or worst have the ship completely overshoot the target. This could possibly prove to be a disastrous turn of event as the ship and crew should find themselves facing the wrong way seconds before a conflict would be triggered.
The moment she had returned to her quarters, Aki had been running various computer simulations to see if certain modifications to the sensor array would improve their ability to land on top of a target. After several hours, the Chief Science Officer had found it impossible to keep her eyes open, so she fell asleep on her couch, her PADD still in her hands.
With the night having come and gone, Mitshiba had wanted to resume her work, but before doing so she had thought that a shower had been well in order. After the shower would be a quick and light breakfast giving her ample time to spend some time working out in the holodeck before returning to her sensor modification research.
A healthy mind in a healthy body had been her mantra since long before the Academy, and had dictated her way of living ever since. Being the Chief Science Officer of the BASTET had not changed this, in fact it had only made it even more crucial that she continued as she had.
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Holodeck
Stardate: 30152.0630
The woodland scenery stretched out for as far as the eyes could see. The trees had been majestic in their imposing size and the distant canopy overhead allowed just enough sunlight to make the obstacle course in front of Aki seemed almost inviting.
The program had been one that she had copied from one of her classmates back at the Academy, the enchanting natural scenery having been only a small part to play in her decision. The challenges of the course had proven to be the true enjoyment, providing the Asian woman with an ever changing set of obstacles to reach and conquer.
Aki had been just about ready to start when the doors to the holodeck parted open behind her. The Chief Science Officer turned to see the First Officer, Commander Valentine, standing in the open doorway, an amused grin on her lips.
"So this is what you do first thing in the morning," Sarena said, nodding her head with approval. "I will admit that this is a very nice way to start a day. I could have used something like this a few moons ago."
"Was the holodeck reserved?" the Asian woman asked in horror, certain that she had interfered with the First Officer's morning routine.
"Not at all," Sarena smiled. "I saw you coming into the holodeck and I just could not help myself. I wanted to see what you were doing this early in the morning. I was guessing some sort of holographic simulation concerning the ship and its sensors or some sort of personal training exercise. I will admit that I am happy to see that you are actually taking time for yourself and not losing yourself in the work.
Aki looked back at the First officer with an air of surprise, the single raised eyebrow reminiscent of certain Vulcans.
"I have read your file," Sarena chuckled as he eyes drifted onto the enchanting forest set obstacle course. "Is this program designed for a single user or can others join in?"
"I would be honored to have you join me Commander," the Chief Science Officer quickly admitted. "I just have to warn you that the program is adaptive and seems to enjoy trying its best to knock you down."
"Sounds like an interesting challenge," the First Officer grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Where do we start?"
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"First Day Review"
[previous post (Get The Ruler Out)]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Setting: USS BASTET, Personal Quarters
Stardate: 30151.1930
The day had been a very good one and other than the issues encountered during the first test objective, everything had gone better than expected. All in all the USS BASTET and its crew had shown to their Captain that they had been more than ready for action, or at least that had been the opinion of the First Officer.
Sitting on the couch with a PADD in one hand and a cooled glass of white wine in the other, Sarena reviewed the departmental reports. As the Executive Officer it had been her duty to compress all of these into a single and short report to be handed to Captain Iverson first thing in the morning. From that report recommendations and changes would be made to improve the way the ship and crew operate.
The issues encountered with the sensors earlier that same day had featured on top of Commander Valentine's 'to do' list. Likely a complete review and overhaul of the sensors and their system would not only solve the problem they had come across but would also increase their ability to detect sneakingly hiding beacons in the future. Beyond that, there had been little on the First Officer's report with the exception of a few loose panels that needed to be put back after the ship had done its combat simulation.
The only thing that had been left to test had been the truly unique feature of the USS BASTET, that of dividing into separate ships allowing them to strike at a single target from three angels. The concept of a starship seperating had not been new, the idea having been introduced with the GALAXY-Class vessels, but in this case all three parts would be able to travel at warp speed increasing their effective range.
As Sarena placed the PADD down on the table and leaned back into the couch sipping some wine, the First Officer began to imagine what it would be like to have the BASTET rush into a situation at Quantum Slipstream speed to arrive and separate, striking at three different targets from three different angels within mere seconds. The element of surprise would be an amazing one and would leave many to fear Federation involvement in the future.
As interesting as the scene Sarena had imaged could be, the First Officer knew that such a situation would only take place in the most extreme of circumstances. The BASTET and other ships operating from the NEW ALEXANDRIA base had been task with stopping situations from escalating to the point of open conflict. So it had been far more likely that the ship would use its unique separation ability to evade and confuse an adversary allowing them the time to end a situation before it could actually start.
With her wine glass now empty, Commander Valentine glanced out to the stars beyond the window of her room, glad as to how well the first day had gone and looking forward to what the rest of their shakedown cruise would bring. With Captain Selene Iverson in command, things were certain to get interesting, the woman possessing an intensity about her that could barely be measured. With Lieutenant Mitshiba manning the science station, Sarena knew that the ship and crew were in good hands, the Asian woman having proven more than once that she had more than earned the right to be where she was.
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Karen Price
Commander Sarena Valentine [Access Character BIO for Sarena Valentine]
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"Get The Ruler Out"
Previous post: "Fast and Furious"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.1415
Thanks to the Quantum Slipstream Drive days had been turned into hours allowing the ship and its crew to reach its second training objective in record time. Unfortunately this speed record had not been enough to satisfy their Commanding officer, Captain Selene Iverson, who had wanted to set the record straight from the get-go. The USS BASTET would be the best in its class as a rapid intervention ship able to land on top of an enemy vessel before they even knew anyone had been on their way.
"How are we doing Lieutenant?" the Captain asked obviously wanting an update on the process that would see the BASTET drop out of Slipstream speed and come to a complete stop as close as possible to Beacon J-161.
"I have linked the slipstream drive to our navigational computer and sensors," Misaki reported never looking up. "If the calculations are correct, we should drop out of Slipstream speed within less than a kilometer from he target."
"Tsk tsk tsk." The sounds had come from Commander Valentine who had been shaking her head from side to side.
"Closer?" The Chief Science Officer asked nervously.
"Yes, closer," the Captain confirmed to Mitshiba's dismay.
"Not too close though," Sarena said in a half chuckle. "I would not want to scuff the new paint job on the ship."
"Of course not," Misaki said in mock agreement as she modified the formula that had been entered in the computer to calculate the exact time when the Slipstream Drive would be taken offline. Doing what had been expected while traveling at warp speed would not have been such a simple task, but at the speed given by the Slipstream Drive, the calculations had to be beyond perfect to chive their goal. "Beacon J-161 is 30 seconds out. syncing all systems for optimal precision."
"Just out of curiosity," Sarena asked of their Captain, "what would be your ideal distance for us from the beacon?"
"Beacon 25 seconds out," Misaki reported, half listening to Captain Iverson and the answer she had been about to give.
"Within 100 meters would be great," the Commanding Officer said in all seriousness which caused the Chief Science Officer to swallow, hard."
Coming out of Warp speed within 100 kilometers of a target required a fair deal of calculations and some luck, do do so within 10 kilometers had been something that relied more on luck than anything else. Coming out of Slipstream speed and aiming to stop within 100 *meters* of a target bordered on the physically impossible although the math did say that it was doable.
Frantically Misaki reviewed and updated the formula used to make the super precise calculation as to when exactly the Slipstream Drive was going to be taken offline. At this speed, an error of a fraction of a second could easily translate in several thousand meters being between the BASTET and their target, Beacon J-161.
"Beacon is 15 seconds out, transferring all auxiliary power to inertial dampeners," the Chief of Security reported.
"Bridge to all personnel," the First Officer quickly added. "Stand-by to extreme deceleration."
Silence filled the command deck before Misaki began a verbal countdown, reading the numbers as they appeared on her station. "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... NOW..."
The lights on the bridge dimmed ever so slightly as the ship left Slipstream to return to normal space. Everyone felt the momentum pushing them forward as the ship rapidly came to a complete stop. All eyes immediately went onto the main viewscreen to see if the beacon would be visible, which to everyone's delight it was.
"Sensors are showing the beacon is 52 meters directly ahead of us," Misaki reported with no shortage of glee and pride.
"Not bad," the Captain said with an approving nod of her head. "Not bad at all. There is still room for improvement, but that will do very nicely for a first time attempt. Send the report back to NEW ALEXANDRIA and make sure to copy the ANUBIS. Wouldn't want Captain Morningstar to feel left out would we?"
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
---
"Fast and Furious"
(Previous Post: "Not the Best Showing Ever")
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.1400
The sight of the streaking stars on the main viewer had been hypnotic. The USS BASTET had effortlessly made the transition from Warp speed to Quantum Slipstream leaving Captain Selene Fiona Iverson feeling somewhat thankful. After all that had gotten in the way of the ship actually becoming an active unit of the NEW ALEXANDRIA complexe, the Commanding Officer had expected those problems to continue.
As frustrating as the first exercise set around Asteroid A-22-5-41 may have proven to be, the ship and crew had still performed to meet the highest possible expectations, and that had been something that Selene could not ignore. Whatever misgivings she might have had needed to be properly balanced against the performance and abilities of the ship and its crew.
"At our current Slipstream velocity Beacon J-161 is just under 10 minutes away," Lieutenant Mitshiba reported from the Science station. At normal Warp speeds, the beacon in question would have been several days away at best, but thanks to the Quantum Slipstream drive, or QSD, the journey would take mere minutes.
"The ANUBIS might have held the record for finding those hidden beacons on that asteroid," Commander Valentine began as she glanced over to the Captain, offering a large smile, "but I am ready to bet that they the speed record will be ours for quite some time to come."
"Well," Misaki grinned from her station. "The Quantum Slit-Stream Drive does give us an unfair advantage."
Selene huffed ever so slightly before speaking. "There is no such thing as an 'unfair' advantage in the world of Intel. Whoever has the advantage has control of the situation and it is our responsibility to find ways to gain and maintain such an advantage to insure that we can stay one step ahead of those who would threaten the safety of the Federation, its allies and citizens."
Both Sarena and Misake looked at their Captain with wide opened eyes in response to the statement that she had just made. Although heavy handed in some ways, the words spoken by Captain Iverson had perfectly explained the needs for the USS BASTET, and other units like it, to be the best at what they did.
"Beacon J-161 is now five minutes out and all system are reading well within expected parameters," the Chief Science Officer reported, having gained a new perspective on the unique abilities of the ship she now served on.
"Ship wide," Selene stated, informing both the computer and the rest of the Bridge staff that her next words would be relayed to the entire crew. "We are approaching Beacon J-161 and plan to exit Slipstream and come to a complete stop as close to the beacon as possible. All stations stand by for transition back to normal space and an immediate change in velocity. Inertial dampeners may not be able to fully compensate for this, so be ready. Report any issues to he bridge."
"Nothing like slamming on the breaks," Sarena chuckled as she understood the need for restraints on the chairs, restraints that she made a point to use at this point in time. "Reports from all stations and all decks," the First Officer continued, "everyone reports ready status."
"Let's see just how close we can make this," Selene said, a devious grin having appeared on her lips. This would be a test that the Captain had every intent and hope to set a record that no one else would ever be able to break.
---
Jessica Solarik
&
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
"Not The Best Showing Ever"
Previous post: "By The Numbers"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.1315
It had taken a bit for work for Aki to reconfigure the sensors to measure the variations in radiation intensity, but when the map started taking form, the results had bee well worth the effort.
"Using the location of the beacons we already have found, we can see that there is a definite pattern," Aki said not at all trying to hide her delight and relief. This plan would certainly allow them to complete the test and move on to the next, whatever that one may be.
"Should have thought of that in the first place," Commander Valentine noted with a grin, making a point to keep this search method handy for future possible needs.
"It looks like one of the missing beacons is located deep inside one of the caves," Mitshiba reported. "The entire area is showing as having no radiation emission. My guess is that it was carved out to create the hiding spot."
"Use a narrow beam sensor scan on that location," the Captain ordered, sounding very anxious to see their count of missing beacons be reduced by one.
"Found it," Misaki said in a sing-song voice. "Only three more to go and with this radiation variance map, it should not take too much longer."
Over the next hour or so, the majority of Asteroid A-22-5-41 was mapped using the variation in radiation intensity allowing for the BASTET to locate all but one of the beacons. With only a small percentage of the asteroid left to cover, morale had been high that this part of the test would soon be behind them.
"I think we have found the last one," Aki said in a truly hopeful tone. "Looks like it was set between two very narrow ledges hiding it from our initial sensor sweep. My guess is that we are going to have to be in a very specific orbital angle to lock in onto the beacon."
"Helm, alter orbital coordinates to coincide with Ensign Mitshiba's findings," Captain Iverson ordered, the light at the end of the tunnel having been more than in sight.
"Got it!" the Chief Science Officer announced as she slapped her hands together in a show of victory. "I will admit this, they certainly didn't make this test to be an easy one."
"There is never anything easy in the world of Inel Ensign," Commander Valentine noted as she glanced in Aki's direction. "If it was, we wouldn't need to train and prepare as hard as we do."
"Helm, set course for sub-space beacon J-161," the CO ordered not wanting to spend another second in orbit of the asteroid that they had seen far too much of. "Engage at warp 5 and stand by to go to trans-warp speed on my command."
"Better fasten our seatbelts," Sarena chuckled. "Looks like we are going to put the engines to the test in a big way."
Captain Iverson only momentarily glanced at her First Officer before returning her attention to the main view screen as the slow moving stars soon gave way to the streaking effect of faster-than-light speed.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
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"By The Numbers"
[previous post (One Big Rock)]
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Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.1300
Beating the record of the ANUBIS had never been an option. The BASTET had been designed to be a rapid intervention vessel, not an Intel hound dog. Still, after over four hours of intense search, only eight of the twelve beacons had been located.
Asteroid A-22-5-41 with all of its caverns, crevices and deep canyons had proven to be a far greater challenge than anyone could have anticipated. It size alone had been an obstacle to the completion of this first test, but the uneven shape of the surface combined with the presence of Radium throughout the asteroid had made the task to a be a most frustrating one.
"Are we sure that the sensors are functioning as they should?" Captain Iverson asked, her frustration having boiled over beyond her ability to contain it. Coming in with the knowledge that the benchmark set by the lead unit had been out of reach was one thing to accept, but to be so far off the mark had been an entirely different matter. This had become a question of pride, and the bruises were getting bigger with each passing minute.
"Maybe you and I could take a shuttle to the surface and look for the missing beacons by sight," Sarena said with distinct humor in her voice, a humor that was stopped dead by the icy shields that had been raised around the ship's Captain. Had Selene been able to, her narrowed gaze would have fired phasers set on full power towards her First Officer burning her to a crisp in mere seconds. Looking for a way to undo what she had done, the Executive Officer quickly turned her attention towards Ensign Mitshiba. "Misaki, maybe we are going about this the wrong way. Can you think of another method that we could use to scan for those beacons? Something that may not be part of normal procedures."
"We have already gone through everything including searching for the metallic compound of which they are built from, faint sub-space transmissions that the beacons emit and even light reflection off the frames," the Chief Science Officer explained frustrated. "I can't think of anything else we could be looking for."
"What if we searched for the absence instead of the presence of something?"
"What?" Both Misaki and Selene said at the same time, looking at the First Officer as if she had suddenly grown a third eye in the middle of her forehead.
"Let me explain my idea," Sarena said as she went to join Misaki at the science station. "What if we scanned for fluctuations in the Radium radiation? Those beacons may be small on the surface, but they were embedded into the asteroid to make sure they would not just float away. This means that there should be a fair sized whole that was drilled to enchor them."
"I get it," the Chief Science Officer said with a smile. "If we can create a map of the asteroid showing variations in radiation intensity, we could then focus the sensors on those parts that display the weakest emissions. This should in theory reduce our search target area by more than half."
"Given the size of that rock out there, half would go a long way to helping us get this part of the test over and done with," Commander Valentine said as she glanced to Captain Iverson who still seemed unpleased by the entire situation but appeared willing to see if this would bring their beacon count to a full dozen.
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Karen Price
Commander Sarena Valentine [Access Character BIO for Sarena Valentine]
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"One Big Rock"
Previous post: "Musing of a Captain"
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Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.0845
"Asteroid A-22-5-41 now in visual range." The announcement of the Chief Science Officer seemed to stir everyone into a heightened sense of excitement. The journey from their home base to here had taken just over 30 minutes, but at full impulse time had seemed to drag on.
"On main viewer," Captain Iverson ordered causing a large floating rock against the starry background of space to appear for all of the bridge officers to see.
"That is one big rock," Commander Valentine laughed, the asteroid filling the entire frame of the view screen.
"Reducing magnification to 50%," Aki said as she punched in the command into her console. Not only had the Asian woman expected either the CO or ExO to make this request, but she had herself wanted to see the entire asteroid to get a better idea of its shape. "Sensors are showing the object to be over 500 kilometers in length, almost 400 kilometers in width with a polar axis of 450 kilometers. In some areas, that thing would have been referred to as an odd shaped planetoid."
"It is the odd shape of that asteroid that will be of us use to us," Captain Iverson explained. "Our first exercise is to find all twelve beacons which are scattered on the surface. The odd shape and rotation will create blind spots for our sensors, so we will have to be inventive to cover the entire surface as quickly as possible."
"The asteroid appears to have a high content of Radium, a radioactive metal that will interfere with our sensors," Misaki reported having noted this particular detail on her console.
"You didn't expect that this would be a single egg hunt, did you?" Commander Valentine chuckled, the First Officer not at all surprised by the discovery made by the Chief Science Officer.
"The record, which is held by the USS ANUBIS for this little exercise stand at 3 hours, 22 minutes and 12 seconds," the Captain announced. "I know that the sensors on board a Scarab-Class cruiser are far more powerful than our own, but it would be nice to come at least close to those numbers."
"Great," Misaki sighed at the daunting task ahead. "When does the timer start?"
"It started seconds ago," Captain Iverson said in a calm and almost evil voice as if the woman had taken some level of pleasure in making the task more difficult at every turn.
Without delay the Chief Science Officer jumped to work, doing her best to calibrate the sensors to address both the odd shape of the asteroid as well as the presence of a radioactive metal that would put into question whatever sensor readings they would actually get.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
---
"Musing of a Captain"
(Previous Post: "Scientific Perspective")
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Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.0830
The USS BASTET was her ship, a vessel that she had helped bring to life with her own two hands. It was not common place for a Commanding Officer to be involved in the construction or refit of a ship, but Selene had been knee-deep in bringing that particular vessel to active duty from the very start.
As the Captain sat in her chair, she wondered if the depth of her involvement had not been the reason to explain how she felt. All of the joy and excitement that should have accompanied her at this time had been heavily laced with concerns and misgivings. This particular PROMETHEUS-Class ship had been a remarkable piece of technology, one that countless would have betrayed friends and family to command, yet Selene felt a hint of hesitation growing within her. Had this truly been where she had wanted to be?
"We will reach asteroid A-22-5-41 in just over 15 minutes," Commander Valentine reported, the excitement in the woman's voice offering a sharp contrast to the feelings of the Captain who sat right next to her. "Aside from that little sensor glitch earlier, everything is working as it should. Looks like we won't to push the ship back to the docks after all."
The Captain shot a quick narrowed eye glare at the First Officer, knowing all too well what the Commander had tried to do. As much as she might not have approved of the manner in which Sarena had tried to cheer her up, Selene had to admit that the words that had been spoken had managed to bring her to the verge of a full bloomed smile.
The two sets of grey eyes met for several seconds before Selene broke away to return her gaze onto the main view screen. "Commander, please set up some tactical drills for both the crew and ship. Since the ship has managed to stay in one piece for far, we will need to test what it can actually do."
At first the Commander believed the tone of the Captain to have been genuine in its coldness, but the twitching of the corner of the woman's lips hinted to something more, something better. It might not have been a 'done deal' but it seemed that Selene had actually allowed herself to be optimistic about the BASTET and its capabilities.
"It will be my pleasure Captain," Sarena nodded with a smile before shooting a grin to their Chief Science Officer who like it or not would be dragged into this little test of theirs.
With Commander Valentine and Ensign Mitshiba plotting the upcoming training scenario, Captain Iverson was left to gaze at the moving starscape visible through the main view screen, her thoughts of the BASTET having actually been good ones, something that she had to admit felt very nice indeed.
---
Jessica Solarik
&
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
"Scientific Perspective"
Previous post: "Shakedown"
///^\\\
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.0815
Knowing how long Captain Iverson had been dealing with the numerous issues that had plagued the launch of her ship, it was easy to understand the woman's pessimism at his stage. Each time something had been fixed, two or more systems would go down. At the very beginning these problems had been somewhat amusing but in no time they had grown to become excessively annoying to the point where some of the members of the crew had believed the ship to have been cursed.
Not being a superstitious person, Misaki had not subscribed to that idea, regardless of how bad things had gotten. To the Chief Science Officer, the malfunctions and related problems had all been explained through various issues which had included component overload, unexpected high-power fluctuations and system calibration errors. The problem with a state of the art ship had been that many of the components had never been tested against one another, and that had created unique and unexpected problems.
Still, all of these issues had been addressed and eventually dealt with allowing the USS BASTET to finally be released from its docking clamps and set free into the open emptiness of space.
"Sensors are detecting an increase in pressure in the port-side power exhaust vent ," Commander Vallentine reported to the great dismay of Captain Iverson. The hope that maybe, just maybe her ship had left all of its problems behind had come crashing down like so many system before.
"Internal sensors are not picking up any increase in pressure anywhere within the ship." the Asian Ensign reported after having verified a few things on her console. "Let me see if maybe the external sensor is getting false readings."
The entire bridge went silent for a while as all eyes turned onto the Chief Science Officer. The tension could have been cut with a spoon, Captain Iverson having been as much on edge as could be about the status of her ship.
"I am definitely getting some strange readings from the port-side external hull sensor," Misaki said with a nod. "My guess is that some sort of particle got lodged in the sensor as we left NEW ALEXANDRIA. Should not take more than a few minutes to fix once we get back, or we could have Engineering send someone out on a walk after we reach our destination. In the meantime I will take the sensor offline so that we don't get more erroneous readings."
"A simple glitch, one that is just as easily fixed," Commander Valentine grinned as she looked at their Captain, the First Officer trying her best to have Captain Iverson break some sort of smile.
"Alright then," the Captain said as she leaned back into her chair. "stay on course for Asteroid A-22-5-41 and inform Engineering to have someone ready to go out and fix that sensor once we arrive. I will want a complete system's check and report done before we move on to test the ship's offensive and defensive systems."
Aki nodded her acknowledgement of the order and smiled to herself. The first problem they had come across had been a simple one and hopefully this would set the pattern for any other problem that would follow.
///^\\\
Dawn Bohr
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Misaki Mitshiba [Access Character BIO for Misaki Mitshiba]
Chief Science Officer
USS BASTET - NCC 74977
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"Shakedown"
[previous post (NONE - First Post)]
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Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 30151.0800
Taking a ship out for the first time had always been something that officers in Starfleet dreamt of being a part of. Participating in a ship's inaugural launch insured that the names of the crew members, even in a very small way, would be engraved into history and associated with that ship for years to come.
"Ahead quarter impulse," Captain Iverson commanded dryly, the doors separating the inside of the secret base and the endless starry expense having been opened to their fullest for the BASTET's maiden voyage.
"We will clear the space doors in three... two... one... now! Congratulations Captain, we are officially out of the nest," Sarena said in a cheerful voice, meeting the very serious and cold gaze of her CO.
"This is where the real problems start," the Captain said, a lot more seriously than the First Officer had expected to hear. After all this had been a joyful event, or at least that had been what the First Officer had believed. "Helm, set a course for our first target and engage at full impulse as soon as we have cleared the asteroid field."
"Full impulse? Are we not going to test the warp drive?" Sarena asked, surprised by the Captain's order.
"I share your willingness to see what this ship can do Commander, but I would like to make sure that the bulkheads don't go flying off the ship first," Captain Iverson explained, indicating in a rather opened manner her reservations about the USS BASTET, a ship that had been under her command for several months as it was being worked on and made ready for today.
Unlike the Captain, Sarena had been only recently assigned to the ship, a simple fact that had provided her with a much more optimistic view of the ship. Commander Vallentine had heard from several crew members that the USS BASTET had gone through a great deal of problems to finally be ready for launch, and the First Officer hoped that this had been the only reason to explain why their Commanding Officer had been so cold and cautious.
"All sensors are operating at or above set parameters," Ensign Mitshiba, the BASTET's Chief Science Officer reported from her station. "The response rate seems actually fast, not that I am complaining. I am actually tracking the shifts in the nearby asteroids as we go by them."
"Good to hear," the Captain noted, still not ready to believe that all would go according to plan. "What is our ETA to our first target and test area?"
"At our current speed, we will reach Asteroid A-22-5-41 in 46 minutes," Mitshiba reported after having checked her instruments.
Sarena had been ready to suggest that they increased speed, but as she turned to look at their CO, the expression on Captain Iverson's face made it perfectly clear that this first leg of their journey would take 46 minutes and not a second less. It appeared that each of those minutes would pass with the very serious concern that something would happen to bring the BASTET to end its maiden voyage a lot faster than it was expected to by everyone else.
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Karen Price
Commander Sarena Valentine [Access Character BIO for Sarena Valentine]
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501