Mission 5: Let This Line Be Drawn Between Us!

Leela Kaz wrote:

[Corridor]

Wilson had left Engineering in such a rush Leela barely had time to grab her tools. She grabbed the box that sat on top of a console and made a dash out the engineering doors behind the hurried ensign. She was quickly able to catch up to Wilson. "Oh my goodness. That was quick. I wasn't certain I would catch up. We need to have security pull a type 5 Photon so that we can access its systems and reconfigure it for the..." Leela paused she wasn't quite familiar with the research they were basing this system off of. "...What did Rellek call it? A Helium... Well Helium something or another. She tapped her comm badge to open a channel to tactical and security;

=/\=Kaz to Security. Can you please pull a type five photon from storage and have it waiting in the torpedoe bay. And you may want to be present to assist us.=/\=

Leela turned back to her partner as they made their way through the corridors. "I'm so sorry I just realized we haven't really had a chance to introduce ourselves with everything going on. Welcome aboard. We are really glad to have you. Starfleet left us a little short-handed in Engineering. Are you settling in okay?"

[Torepedo Bay]

There were some arguably interesting parts of being a tactical officer. Inspecting torpedo tubes was not one of them. It was, at least, a quiet sort of job. Safefta enjoyed the silence, even if it was accompanied by the tedious task of ensuring every torpedo tube was up to standards.

The silence was broken when she heard the voices of multiple people entering the bay. They weren't familiar ones. The Romulan's brow furrowed, and she put down her tricorder in anticipation of going out to determine just what these people where doing in the torpedo bay.

Before she moved, however, her combadge chirped with something close to an answer. So, they wanted a torpedo. What for? she wondered skeptically. No matter. She did as requested and prepped one of the shiny black torpedoes for whatever tinkering there was to be done with it.

She paused when she saw the uniforms of the present officers. Science officers and engineers. Elements, if they blow this ship up with some random experiment...

"I have the torpedo ready as requested. What do you intend to do with it?" to some, she might have come across as rude, but she truthfully was just concerned with the idea of people meddling in an area out of their specific level of expertise.

Safefta Pardek wrote:

[Torepedo Bay]

There were some arguably interesting parts of being a tactical officer. Inspecting torpedo tubes was not one of them. It was, at least, a quiet sort of job. Safefta enjoyed the silence, even if it was accompanied by the tedious task of ensuring every torpedo tube was up to standards.

The silence was broken when she heard the voices of multiple people entering the bay. They weren't familiar ones. The Romulan's brow furrowed, and she put down her tricorder in anticipation of going out to determine just what these people where doing in the torpedo bay.

Before she moved, however, her combadge chirped with something close to an answer. So, they wanted a torpedo. What for? she wondered skeptically. No matter. She did as requested and prepped one of the shiny black torpedoes for whatever tinkering there was to be done with it.

She paused when she saw the uniforms of the present officers. Science officers and engineers. Elements, if they blow this ship up with some random experiment...

"I have the torpedo ready as requested. What do you intend to do with it?" to some, she might have come across as rude, but she truthfully was just concerned with the idea of people meddling in an area out of their specific level of expertise.

[Torpedoe Bay]

Julia turned to Ensign Pardek. "Ah Ensign. I need your expertise. We are turning this torpedoes into a helium delivery system to save a dying star. In order to make room for the new payload I need you to remove and deactivate the explosive components." Julia knew it was an extremely delicate job and one she did not posses the knowledge to even begin. She was glad to have a seasoned tactical officer on hand to complete the work.

NPC wrote:

Salek found himself in one of those rare occasions where he was lost to find words. "Understood captain. I have made you aware of my opinions. I will refrain from adding further. Captain, would you like me to join you on the bridge?" Salek knew that her emotions around that incident many years ago were still strong for Captain T'Koris. However, if she chose to avoid those feelings Salek was content to let the issue go.

[Conference Room]

While you could say that a captain didn't have to explain herself to any member of her crew, Archangel knew as soon as he left the room that she owed it to Andrew to apologise for snapping at him earlier. It certainly hadn't been his fault, he had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Looking to Salek with as neutral an expression as she could get, she gave the Vulcan a curt nod before heading out of the conference room and back onto the bridge. This was her place, this was where she needed to be during this experiment. She stood in front of the captain's chair, arms folded behind her back as she looked at the main viewscreen and the dying star displayed on it. She could only hope that their experiment was successful and, if it wasn't, she prayed that the Phoenix's engines were fast enough to get her out of harm's way.

Captain Salek gave a return nod to Captain T'Koris. He made his way to the bridge. "Captain T'Koris; given the current readings emitting from that star I am going to order the April to a safer distance. No need to place both crews in harms way." Salem tapped a few buttons and opened a channel to the April.

=/\="Captain Salek to the April. Please take the vessel out of this system. If you detect an explosion from that star please jump to warp immediately. If anything happens hopefully the Phoenix will engage warp as well."=/\=

Julia Rellek wrote:

[Torpedoe Bay]

Julia turned to Ensign Pardek. "Ah Ensign. I need your expertise. We are turning this torpedoes into a helium delivery system to save a dying star. In order to make room for the new payload I need you to remove and deactivate the explosive components." Julia knew it was an extremely delicate job and one she did not posses the knowledge to even begin. She was glad to have a seasoned tactical officer on hand to complete the work.

[Torpedo Bay]

Safefta's green eyes flickered from the torpedo to the science lieutenant in front of her. She'd heard about this procedure before... not of it being particularly successful- but then again, she supposed at this point there were few options. I do not like meddling with explosive components... but it is better if I do it instead of an inexperienced science officer.

"Of course, Lieutenant. I must warn you that this will take more than a moment," the Romulan cautioned. While it wasn't exactly the most difficult procedure in the world, Safefta didn't want to blow the ship up by rushing.

"I will begin immediately, if that suits your processes."

Safefta Pardek wrote:

[Torpedo Bay]

Safefta's green eyes flickered from the torpedo to the science lieutenant in front of her. She'd heard about this procedure before... not of it being particularly successful- but then again, she supposed at this point there were few options. I do not like meddling with explosive components... but it is better if I do it instead of an inexperienced science officer.

"Of course, Lieutenant. I must warn you that this will take more than a moment," the Romulan cautioned. While it wasn't exactly the most difficult procedure in the world, Safefta didn't want to blow the ship up by rushing.

"I will begin immediately, if that suits your processes."

"Yes ensign. You can begin the removal of all explosive components at once. I also need you to install this casing configuration to protect the guidance system from extreme heats." She passed a PADD to the Tactical officer. "This schematic came from the original experiment."

Julia turned her attention to Commander Xarna. "Commander. Can you calculate the exact amount of helium need and the appropriate dispersal rate?"

The she noticed the young engineering officers. "Can you two find a way to reinforce our shields further. I'm afraid our current configuration won't withstand the extreme temperatures."

She wanted to apprise the Captain of the situation in the torpedoe bay so the bridge could prepare to execute. She tapped her comm badge and opened a channel;

=/\=Rellek to Captain T'Koris. We are proceeding with the mission as planned. We should be ready to launch the photon torpedoe in approximately two hours.=/\=

NPC wrote:

Captain Salek gave a return nod to Captain T'Koris. He made his way to the bridge. "Captain T'Koris; given the current readings emitting from that star I am going to order the April to a safer distance. No need to place both crews in harms way." Salem tapped a few buttons and opened a channel to the April.

=/\="Captain Salek to the April. Please take the vessel out of this system. If you detect an explosion from that star please jump to warp immediately. If anything happens hopefully the Phoenix will engage warp as well."=/\=

[Bridge]

Archangel didn't bother to turn around to answer the other captain's words, but she did at least dignify them with a response as she continued to observe the dying star on the viewscreen.

"Of course, Captain."

Julia Rellek wrote:

=/\=Rellek to Captain T'Koris. We are proceeding with the mission as planned. We should be ready to launch the photon torpedoe in approximately two hours.=/\=

Hearing the communication come through from the torpedo bay allowed Archangel to relax a fraction. At least if they had an estimated time of completion, they weren't saying that modifying a torpedo was impossible.

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Keep me posted on your progress."

Bridge

Hearing the report come from Julia down in the torpedo bay made Andrew frown slightly. Two hours didn't seem long enough from what he was reading of the star.

=/\= Lieutenant, you are going to be cutting it close if what I am reading is correct. At best you have just over one-point-six hours left. The star's energy has accelerated to the point of where you no longer have two hours. Whatever you need to do...Time is no longer on your side, =/\= Andrew explained from his Ops station as he monitored the star's condition...like viewing the reading of a patient that was dying.

His fingers danced over the console to prep the torpedo launch tube in the hopes of saving the team some time. Once they loaded the device; it would be ready to launch immediately thereafter. It would not buy them, however, much time. There had to be some way he could cut down on their work...something he could do to aid them. His sense of Time kicked in...he could feel the seconds slipping away tick by tick. Knowing the device needed to be shielded from the forces of the sun's might; Andrew sent to the team in the torpedo bay the schematic for the metaphasic shield program used by the ENTERPRISE-D in 2370 against a Borg vessel of unusual design. The program was designed to allow a starship or other object to resist the severe temperatures of the sun. He could only giving the Julia's team down in the torpedo bay the schematic would save them some more time.

=/\= I have sent you the metaphasic shield program in the hopes of speeding up the process, Lieutenant, =/\= he informed her a few moments afterwards.

Tick...

...tock....

Andrew Sheridan wrote:

Bridge

Hearing the report come from Julia down in the torpedo bay made Andrew frown slightly.  Two hours didn't seem long enough from what he was reading of the star.

=/\= Lieutenant, you are going to be cutting it close if what I am reading is correct.  At best you have just over one-point-six hours left.  The star's energy has accelerated to the point of where you no longer have two hours.  Whatever you need to do...Time is no longer on your side, =/\= Andrew explained from his Ops station as he monitored the star's condition...like viewing the reading of a patient that was dying.

His fingers danced over the console to prep the torpedo launch tube in the hopes of saving the team some time.  Once they loaded the device; it would be ready to launch immediately thereafter.  It would not buy them, however, much time.  There had to be some way he could cut down on their work...something he could do to aid them.  His sense of Time kicked in...he could feel the seconds slipping away tick by tick.  Knowing the device needed to be shielded from the forces of the sun's might; Andrew sent to the team in the torpedo bay the schematic for the metaphasic shield program used by the ENTERPRISE-D in 2370 against a Borg vessel of unusual design.  The program was designed to allow a starship or other object to resist the severe temperatures of the sun.  He could only giving the Julia's team down in the torpedo bay the schematic would save them some more time.

=/\= I have sent you the metaphasic shield program in the hopes of speeding up the process, Lieutenant, =/\= he informed her a few moments afterwards.

Tick...

...tock....

=/\=Understood Commander. An hour and a half it is then. We'll be ready sir.=/\=

Julia tapped her communicator to close the transmission and turned to her team in the torpedo bay. "Alright team, you heard the commander. An hour and a half." At that moment the shield configurations lit up on her PADD. Julia looked to ensigns Kaz and Wilson. "Here is the metaphasic shields that Commander Sheridan wants installed."

She replicated the device and turned to Commander Xarna. "Commander I have the casing ready. All we have to do is load compounds into this container. Then we can install it into the compartment where the warhead once was. Are your calculations complete?"

Julia felt that she should be panicked but she couldn't shake a sense of calmness that seemed to exist Ina bubble in that torpedo bay. Every member of the team doing their part towards a singular goal. Julia knew there was a possibility of failure but it would not be because this team failed. If the mission failed she knew it would be because the research was either flawed or in need of additional testing. This was, after all, an almost unproven hypothesis but it was the best they had to work from.

Julia Rellek wrote:

=/\=Understood Commander. An hour and a half it is then. We'll be ready sir.=/\=

Julia tapped her communicator to close the transmission and turned to her team in the torpedo bay. "Alright team, you heard the commander. An hour and a half." At that moment the shield configurations lit up on her PADD. Julia looked to ensigns Kaz and Wilson. "Here is the metaphasic shields that Commander Sheridan wants installed."

Leela took the PADD form Lieutenant Rellek's hand. "Understood sir. We'll get on in right away." She reviewed the shield configurations that had come from the bridge and realized she was in luck. There was no need to tear apart the entire shield grid and rebuild. She knew if that was the case she would miss the deadline by several days. She accessed the shield systems and began to make the computational adjustments. She quickly realized that several secondary systems would be effected by the large quantities of power needed to make the requested changes.

=/\="Kaz to Power Distribution. I'm sending several re-allocations through to your terminal now. Please address these immediately. Kaz out."=/\=

In keeping with standard procedure she tapped her communicator again to alert operations.

=/\=Ensign Kaz to operations. Please note; in order to bring the metaphasic shields online we will have to compromise several secondary systems. All holodecks, most replicators and the communication relays on beck 14 will be offline. Also, in order to bring the shields online we will have to bypass several sequences in the command sub processor. Apparently these adjustments are not recommended.=/\= Leela let out a light laughter. She had made multiple engineering careers across several lifetimes by doing things that were not recommended.

Julia Rellek wrote:

=/\=Understood Commander. An hour and a half it is then. We'll be ready sir.=/\=

Julia tapped her communicator to close the transmission and turned to her team in the torpedo bay. "Alright team, you heard the commander. An hour and a half." At that moment the shield configurations lit up on her PADD. Julia looked to ensigns Kaz and Wilson. "Here is the metaphasic shields that Commander Sheridan wants installed."

She replicated the device and turned to Commander Xarna. "Commander I have the casing ready. All we have to do is load compounds into this container. Then we can install it into the compartment where the warhead once was. Are your calculations complete?"

[Torpedo Bay]

Xarna looked up at the human from the PADD she had had her nose stuck in as she ploughed through the calculations necessary to even hope for this to be a successful venture. She had already put in a priority requisition for the precise quantity of hydrogen that she needed and a return message had specified that it was already on its way to the torpedo bay.

"My calculations are complete, and the necessary hydrogen is en route," she replied to Julia. Her expression turned serious. "We do not have a very high chance of success, I hope you realise that."

NPC wrote:

Lt. Commander Xarna

[Torpedo Bay]

Xarna looked up at the human from the PADD she had had her nose stuck in as she ploughed through the calculations necessary to even hope for this to be a successful venture.  She had already put in a priority requisition for the precise quantity of hydrogen that she needed and a return message had specified that it was already on its way to the torpedo bay.

"My calculations are complete, and the necessary hydrogen is en route," she replied to Julia.  Her expression turned serious.  "We do not have a very high chance of success, I hope you realise that."

[Torpedo Bay]

Julia looked to Xarna. "I am more then well aware of the likelihood of our success in this endeavor." She pointed out. Julia took the PADD from Xarna containing the calculations, She programmed everything and a device materialized on a nearby replicator. Julia walked over, picked up the device and head to the torpedo where Ensign Pardek was working. "Ensign Pardek, here is the device. I have it programmed to explode at the appropriate altitude above the star. Approximately 217 meters above the gaseous surface. Let get this in there Ensign." Julia set the device next to Ensign Pardek.

[Later - Captain's Ready Room]

Captain's Log

Despite the best efforts of my science, engineering and tactical teams, the experiment we conducted on preventing the collapse of a star in an attempt to save a pre-warp civilisation failed. The planet was destroyed in its entirety. At least it would have been quick for them.

My Chief Science Officer has been taken on board the USS April for, um, medical treatment. Their medical officers have a lot more experience with Vulcans than my own do, so I know she's in safe hands.

I would like to place official commendations in the files of Lieutenant Junior Grade Julia Rellek, who took over the science department with admirable grace, and Lieutenant Andrew Sheridan, who performed with excellently as my second in command when Commander Arthur took ill. I will be putting both of these officers up for promotion in the next crew evaluations.

End log.