Disoriented

Posted on Sat Jan 11th, 2020 @ 9:22pm by Captain Aviram Drell & Lieutenant Daisuke Hafan, 3rd Tribe of Bon-Hwa & Commander Temperance Zachary & Ensign Naloh

Mission: Episode 02: "Samaritan"
Location: Main Bridge, USS Vesta
Timeline: Mission Day 01, 0845 Hours

ON: [[Main Bridge, USS Vesta, Mission Day 01, 0845 Hours]]

Shockwaves rippled outward and slammed into the Vesta. A deep, metallic groan reverberated around them as the entire ship pitched forward...

Lockwood managed to keep himself from being unseated, though just barely. The same could not have been said for those around him. Alarms and indicators flashed across the surface of his workstation as ship's systems attempted (and failed) to compensate. Inertial dampeners were approaching maximum tolerance. Structural integrity was being pushed to the limit. Impulse engines were of no use.

Bracing against the edge of his console, Lockwood reached over with one hand and activated the thruster controls. One burst. Then another. Then another. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the ship began to react. Another series of bursts and he was able bring the Vesta to stable position.

"Damage report," Drell called out.

Hafan scrambled his legs slightly to get himself off of his side. He checked his console from side to side before piping up, "Shields 33%, Structural Integrity at 85%, department reports not compiled yet. Nothing major yet," Hafan replied. "Update will be reported with department reports."

Temperance had started to rise from the console she had been occupying when the ship rocked violently. Gripping onto the edge of the solid surfaces to keep her balance, Temp grimaced, glancing around at the unexpected movement subsided. "What was that?" she asked, turning her attention toward Hafan.

Hafan turned his head to meet the XO's eyes. "Data at the moment indicates a warp core failure, ma'am." He responded without hesitation.

The Dromedar's response caused Naloh to pause. Ordinarily, she was pretty good about staying focused on the task at hand. She'd always been attentive to details and her instructors had even commended her ability to "maintain cool under pressure", whatever that meant. But this was different for some reason. The warp core explosion they'd narrowly avoided being incinerated by hadn't been just another holographic simulation. It was real...and it left Naloh feeling a little curious as to what would happen next.

Temperance looked between Hafan and Drell. "I'll notify sickbay of potential incoming injuries," she said quietly, resuming her seat at the console, her hands flying with practiced ease over the smooth surface in front of her. "Reports are starting to come in now Captain."

Although incomplete, Drell was reasonably confident based on the reports he'd heard thus far that the immediate danger had passed. The ship was safe and he saw no need for them to continue at heightened readiness. "Stand down from red alert," he said, rising steadily to his feet, "and secure all stations."

The El-Aurian lingered momentarily in front of his chair. As his gaze moved slowly around the room, he could see members of the bridge crew carrying out his orders and assessing the ship's status. He turned, crossed over to one side of the bridge, and approached the mission ops station. Pausing next to one of the support frames, Drell glanced over his first officer's shoulder at the readouts scrolling across her display. "Not exactly what we were hoping for," he told her in a low voice.

"I was really looking forward to seeing Amargosa," Temperance replied with an exaggerated pout, though her voice equally quiet. "I'll start reviewing the sensor readings and see if there's anything else on there we should be concerned about, unless you want me to go check in on our guest first?" She looked up at Drell, pausing expectantly.

"You'll get your chance," Drell assured her. This wasn't the first time an unexpected encounter had forced them to alter plans and it wouldn't be the last. Although their timeline for studying the remnant had been delayed, he was fairly certain they'd be able to carry on as intended once the matter was settled. "It'll likely be awhile before our 'guest' is ready for visitors," he continued, "Stay here and review the data for now. As soon as it's safe, have engineering start collecting debris for analysis."

"Aye Sir," she tapped the console quickly, watching data flashing across the screen. "Cargo bay two is at the moment empty. We can have debris collected there and put a containment field around the entire cargo bay just as a precaution until we know more about what we're dealing with."

"Very good."

"Craft's point of origin is the 2nd planet of the current system," Hafan pipped up after a moment of silence.

Drell exchanged a look with Zachary. Slowly, he straightened up and turned his attention toward the tactical officer. "What is your analysis, Meh-zzz Hafan," he asked.

"Sensors not working optimally yet," Hafan stated as he worked his control panel. "Minimal space activity around the planet, nothing outside that. Obvious artificial power systems on the planet. We will need to be closer or sensors recalibrated for further detail. No apparent threats." He looked up from his console, waiting for further orders.

"I would suggest, Captain, that we hold our position for the moment and continue scanning the region, at least until we have sensors working at optimum capacity. It would be foolhardy to go to much closer until we have a better idea of what we're dealing with," Temperance spoke up, glancing between both the Commanding Officer and the Tactical Officer.

The El-Aurian nodded in agreement. An alien vessel had just been destroyed under mysterious circumstances and its pilot was currently undergoing surgery in sickbay. With no idea of what to expect going forward, it was prudent for them to take some time to assess the situation. They needed to tread carefully, not only to figure out what happened, but also to make sure contact with this new species was not threatened by the events that were unfolding. "Maintain position here," he told her, "and let's see if we can't shed some light on the situation before we proceed..."

OFF

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Captain Aviram Drell
Commanding Officer
USS Vesta (NX-94200)

Commander Temperance Zachary
Executive Officer
USS Vesta (NX-94200)

Lieutenant Daisuke Hafan, 3rd Tribe of Bon-Hwa
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Vesta (NX-94200)

Lieutenant JG Sebastian Lockwood
Division Officer, Flight Control
USS Vesta (NX-94200)

Ensign Naloh
Communications Officer
USS Vesta (NX-94200)