Season 2: Mission 1: The Voyage Home

Kintiss wrote:

[Sickbay]

Kintiss watched anxiously as Arthur got to work on Sickbay's power source. With any luck, he'd have his Raktajinos again, and the facilities would be running at optimal efficiency. The latter was probably more important than the former.

"They're sssstill a little low," he said as he read from a tricorder, a short distance away from Arthur. If he knew anything about engineers, it was that they didn't like working with someone breathing down their neck.

[Sickbay]

A few more of his Engineering staff had filtered down into Sickbay, including Kyano, the department's new transfer. The large being was a Rigellian Chelon, with his bulky semi-carapace covered by a stressed-looking gold Engineering uniform. Gabriel was always surprised that the turtle-like being's hands were as deft and agile as they were.

"Try now, sir," Kyano called out, his gravelly voice followed by a few low cliks...and then a blast of ozonated smoke. "Err...try now." Looking chagrined was rather difficult for the Chelon, but he managed to pull it off. Gabriel shot the man a grin, and then made a few more connections. "Good work, Lieutenant," he said, noting a few more panel lights were showing green.

Gabriel straightened, feeling his lower back pop a little. "Ok, Kintiss. Power flows are a bit more regular right now. I'm opening the valves fully, as it were. See what you've got."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Engineering]

Fused plasma injectors.  Finally a project she was more familiar with dealing.  There were so many things she had to deal with as a Captain that Archangel would much rather just ignore and sweep under the carpet.  The paperwork involved with Jiseth's return, as much as she wanted the pilot back, the yeoman Starfleet Command had sent her and she had yet to sit down with for a formal meet and greet, and of course, the irritating Ensign at Operations.  Despite only being with the ship a short while, he was already proving to be a thorn in her side.  His disapproval and borderline insubordination permated the bridge with a foul atmosphere.  If it wasn't for her Romulan dedication to her duty, she would likely hide out somewhere just to get away from the accursed man.

She quite happily pushed those thoughts to one side, concentrating on one that she was pretty sure that she could fix.  A fused plasma injector was nothing compared to the problems awaiting her on the bridge.

"I'll need to get a look at it first, but we may be able to salvage them," she said, a hint of enthusiasm creeping into her voice.  "Warp power would be nice to get us back through the conduit, but it's not an absolute necessity."

Leela's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. That was the closest thing to a smile T'Koris had ever given her. She knew that the Captain wouldn't be thrilled to be working alongside the Trill, so she concluded that the Captain must simply be excited to be in the engine room.

"Well, Captain, as nearly as I can tell the injectors were almost completely clogged when the EPS system began wide spread overloads and shunted too much power through the injectors far quicker than they could ever process. But that's just a well educated theory. All of the diagnostic systems down here are either offline or not functioning well enough to be useful. We may need to manually rip them out to diagnose and repair the problem, or we spend days repairing the diagnostics systems before we can began meaningful repairs. I was going to talk to Gabe when he got back and let him make that call."

Julia Rellek wrote:

"Bottom line cadet? Can we fix it from the inside or will we need to get someone out there?" Julia was a hell of a scientist, she could postulate the origins of the universe at 0300 but her engineering skills left a lot to be desired. She hadn't made a career by taking things apart and putting them back together. Julia relied heavily on the feedback from these qualified officers.

"The dish is too heavy to manipulate on the surface and the longer we stay down here the more stress will be put on the remaining locks. We can make repairs to the other components here, but integration tests will have to take place in orbit. There's another time limit. We've found that distortions in the aperture have been reducing in intensity as the binary pair move away toward the perigee with the primary in the system. Our chances for a less bumpy ride back are most favorable when they're furthest away from us. 8 days until then."

[Bridge]

Quote :

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his mop of auburn hair, his expression turning a little more serious. "Alright...formalize a work order as best you can so we can get the Captain's approval. Julia basically gave me the Science department for this, so I can call up as many techs as we need."

Buris nodded, changing files on his PADD to bring together what they'd need for the work order. He didn't see a need for a large team here, by any means. Instead, what he needed was simply people who understood what the heck they'd be doing - which was essentially replacing the lateral sensor array with a handful of probes and their spare palette. Still, it was a quick make-do and would get them home. He had the work order and project plan lined up in minutes and showed it to van Gelder. "Good. If we can get your top programmer and sensor hardware tech on this after we're ready, it'll speed matters up."

He waited for the man's response and indicated that he was going to hand over the report to Commander Rellek, when he heard Reyaen talking about the sensor readings they'd taken. So they'd have to wait - would they consider this sensor project low-priority then, or want it done sooner rather than later?

Still, he waited for Vorta to finish, and cleared his throat to announce his presence near them behind the Ops station. "Commander. Lieutenant van Gelder and I have a project plan ready for the approval of you and the Captain. We'll need between six and ten people at most, and we should have the lateral sensor kit functional by the end of the day - tomorrow at the latest."

He offered her the PADD to look over. He was certain she'd balk at how far he was going from SCE spec. Then again if she looked over their repair supplies, she'd see that they only had one spare general palette, not an entire array. Plus, they had an abundance of probes that covered the array's previous functions. It was the most functional solution they had available, that he was aware of. Then again, he'd admitted to van Gelder, he wasn't a 'sensors guy'. He was more comfortable in Engineering, or running EPS conduit and ODN mains along a Starship's hull with spanner in hand. Something that wasn't so finicky.

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

Gabriel straightened, feeling his lower back pop a little.  "Ok, Kintiss.  Power flows are a bit more regular right now.  I'm opening the valves fully, as it were.  See what you've got."

[Sickbay]

The power levels were increasing steadily. Whatever the engineering crew had done seemed to be working. Kintiss could barely contain his joy as he gripped the tricorder, seeing the power raised to a better level.

"That'sss done the trick," he said as he closed the tricorder. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. We ssshould be operating much better now." Then, maybe, some of the biobeds would free up, since they'd be better equipped to treat the crew. The replicators were probably still a no-go, though. A shame, since he could really go for a Raktajino.

Rayaen 3 wrote:

"The dish is too heavy to manipulate on the surface and the longer we stay down here the more stress will be put on the remaining locks. We can make repairs to the other components here, but integration tests will have to take place in orbit. There's another time limit. We've found that distortions in the aperture have been reducing in intensity as the binary pair move away toward the perigee with the primary in the system. Our chances for a less bumpy ride back are most favorable when they're furthest away from us. 8 days until then."

"Thank you cadet." Julia picked up one of thee many PADDs sprawled around her work area. "Contact Commander Arthur. Lets re-assign repair team gamma. Also, please contact the captain. Let her know about your findings. We've got a lot of work to do and not enough time. We're going to have to go to mandatory double shifts."

Kejal Buris wrote:

Buris nodded, changing files on his PADD to bring together what they'd need for the work order. He didn't see a need for a large team here, by any means. Instead, what he needed was simply people who understood what the heck they'd be doing - which was essentially replacing the lateral sensor array with a handful of probes and their spare palette. Still, it was a quick make-do and would get them home. He had the work order and project plan lined up in minutes and showed it to van Gelder. "Good. If we can get your top programmer and sensor hardware tech on this after we're ready, it'll speed matters up."

He waited for the man's response and indicated that he was going to hand over the report to Commander Rellek, when he heard Reyaen talking about the sensor readings they'd taken. So they'd have to wait - would they consider this sensor project low-priority then, or want it done sooner rather than later?

Still, he waited for Vorta to finish, and cleared his throat to announce his presence near them behind the Ops station. "Commander. Lieutenant van Gelder and I have a project plan ready for the approval of you and the Captain. We'll need between six and ten people at most, and we should have the lateral sensor kit functional by the end of the day - tomorrow at the latest."

He offered her the PADD to look over. He was certain she'd balk at how far he was going from SCE spec. Then again if she looked over their repair supplies, she'd see that they only had one spare general palette, not an entire array. Plus, they had an abundance of probes that covered the array's previous functions. It was the most functional solution they had available, that he was aware of. Then again, he'd admitted to van Gelder, he wasn't a 'sensors guy'. He was more comfortable in Engineering, or running EPS conduit and ODN mains along a Starship's hull with spanner in hand. Something that wasn't so finicky.

Julia then turned her attention to Kejal's work order. "Looks good." She looked up to Gavin at the science station. "Lieutenant, contact the captain. She is in engineering. I want to make sure this won't compromise anything that she is working on."

Conor Terell wrote:

[Bridge]

With the captain having slipped off to...well, wherever she was going to, Conor found himself unceremoniously left on the bridge.  He assumed that she had gone back to Engineering to help with repair, and that was alright with him.  It seemed as if T'Koris tended to be in a better mood after spending time down there.  

He moved over toward one of the tactical consoles, approaching someone that he'd met only in passing a few times before - Ensign Lavigne.  Conor's first meeting with the woman had been...well, rocky, to say the least.  He was generally an affable person, and didn't like not getting along with anyone.  

"Hello, there," Conor said, sidling up to her console.  "You probably don't remember me, but we met during the Vidiian thing.  I...uh," he shrugged, running his hand over his short hair.  "I wasn't exactly the nicest."

Chloé watched as Conor approached the console she was at and she glanced over then eventually cocked her head around. "Hello mr Terell, I know exactly who you are." She said showing a slight smile then continuing. "I like to know who I'm working with; I'd like to think that I know as much about every person in the department as needed, their names and role in the department. Your yeoman job seemed to catch my interest."

Chloé Lavigne wrote:

Chloé watched as Conor approached the console she was at and she glanced over then eventually cocked her head around. "Hello mr Terell, I know exactly who you are." She said showing a slight smile then continuing. "I like to know who I'm working with; I'd like to think that I know as much about every person in the department as needed, their names and role in the department. Your yeoman job seemed to catch my interest."

[Bridge]

"Really, huh?" Conor replied, cocking an eyebrow as he brought up the currently active scan. Pardek had been quiet as the grave lately, so he assumed nothing horrible had gone down in the few minutes that had passed since he'd left for the briefing. Still, it was always good to check. "I've always wanted there to be a huge dossier on me, somewhere." He spared a puckish grin to the woman. "Congratulations on fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine."

Things had been thankfully quiet, so Conor turned his full attention to Lavigne. "What's got your interest piqued about the yeoman spot? Gunning for my job?"

Kintiss wrote:

[Sickbay]

The power levels were increasing steadily. Whatever the engineering crew had done seemed to be working. Kintiss could barely contain his joy as he gripped the tricorder, seeing the power raised to a better level.

"That'sss done the trick," he said as he closed the tricorder. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. We ssshould be operating much better now." Then, maybe, some of the biobeds would free up, since they'd be better equipped to treat the crew. The replicators were probably still a no-go, though. A shame, since he could really go for a Raktajino.

[Sickbay]

Gabe rubbed his elbow, having banged it during the repair process. Still, he was glad that things had gone relatively smoothly. As vital as these systems were, the warp core was like a third child to him. It would be good to get back in Engineering and, maybe, work alongside Archangel.

"Alright, then...give me a call if anything else breaks." He stuffed his 'spanner into the front pocket of his black engineering vest, giving the Selay a somewhat-conspiratorial smirk. "And...I know it ain't Klingon stuff, but...if you dig into some of the e-rations, there are usually some instant coffee cubes that can be added to boiling water." Gabe shrugged. "Worth a shot, right?"

Julia Rellek wrote:

Julia then turned her attention to Kejal's work order. "Looks good." She looked up to Gavin at the science station. "Lieutenant, contact the captain. She is in engineering. I want to make sure this won't compromise anything that she is working on."

[Bridge]

"Gotcha," Gavin replied, glad for the more-relaxed relationship he had with Commander Rellek. Of course he knew that there was always a time and a place for it, but...it made him happy to know that he didn't have to constantly snap at attention. He wouldn't have minded going to hide in Engineering himself. He'd set up camp on the surface of this moon if it meant he could stay as far away as possible from Jiseth.

=^="Van Gelder to Captain T'Koris...I'm sending down a full report on a possible avenue to take on getting the laterals back online. Anything in it that'll get us keelhauled?"=^=

Leela Kaz wrote:

Leela's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. That was the closest thing to a smile T'Koris had ever given her. She knew that the Captain wouldn't be thrilled to be working alongside the Trill, so she concluded that the Captain must simply be excited to be in the engine room.

"Well, Captain, as nearly as I can tell the injectors were almost completely clogged when the EPS system began wide spread overloads and shunted too much power through the injectors far quicker than they could ever process. But that's just a well educated theory. All of the diagnostic systems down here are either offline or not functioning well enough to be useful. We may need to manually rip them out to diagnose and repair the problem, or we spend days repairing the diagnostics systems before we can began meaningful repairs. I was going to talk to Gabe when he got back and let him make that call."

[Engineering]

After listening to the Trill's views and opinions of the plasma injectors, Archangel tapped a finger on the glass surface of the master systems display as she pondered a solution.  "Either way, we're going to have to get in there and strip it down, I think," she replied.  "Chances are that if and when we get the diagnostics back online, they'll tell us that that's what's needed.  Might as well just run a diagnostic the old fashioned way.  With our eyes.  And possibly a tricorder."

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

=^="Van Gelder to Captain T'Koris...I'm sending down a full report on a possible avenue to take on getting the laterals back online. Anything in it that'll get us keelhauled?"=^=

Before she could make any moves on her propsed plan of going and getting their hands on the injectors, Archangel was stayed by a communication coming down from the bridge.  She tapped a few keys on the master systems display, bringing up the report in question and skimming through it.

=^= "T'Koris to Van Gelder,  reading your report now.  It's not regulation and the SCE will want your head for it, but it looks like it'll work.  You have my permission to throw the manual out of the airlock if that's what it takes to get the lateral sensor grid back online." =^=

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Engineering]

After listening to the Trill's views and opinions of the plasma injectors, Archangel tapped a finger on the glass surface of the master systems display as she pondered a solution.  "Either way, we're going to have to get in there and strip it down, I think," she replied.  "Chances are that if and when we get the diagnostics back online, they'll tell us that that's what's needed.  Might as well just run a diagnostic the old fashioned way.  With our eyes.  And possibly a tricorder."

[Engineering]

"Very well, sir." Leela was thrown to see captain T'Koris so friendly. She could almost be described as jovial. As Leela pondered doing things the 'old fashioned' way she found herself lost in some old memories. Jereda, in particular, building warp engines with nothing put pencil, paper, his bare hands and a few tools that were like chisels and hammers by current standards. "I have some experience with old fashioned ma'am." Her mind came back into the present. "Remind me to tell you about the time Jereda lost his favorite hammer inside a primitive nacelle... the lengths he went through to get it back were down right comical."

Buris had walked away from Rellek, leaving the Cadet and her alone. But after the Captain's comment, looked at van Gelder and, for the first time on this ship, actually had an amused look on his face. "Lieutenant, I'd be willing to bet that if you did throw the manual out the airlock, she'd send me out the same one to go get it. Prime Directive cleanup and all that. Of course, how I'd get back onboard is another question."

He actually couldn't help himself from making a joke. He wasn't a comedian by any means; he'd survived through a gut full of grit and a solid right hook; and a good dose of engineering savvy. Of course his design was solid, if not to spec. The number of things that could be done with a Federation probe were amazing - the antimatter core in a Type IX probe could actually power most small starfaring vessels. Realizing that they were treated so callously was probably one of the first real 'awakenings' he'd had to the reality of the Federation while aboard the Wellington.

But just a moment later and the serious expression was back. "We should check out that spare palette before we get started. After all, it's the keystone to this whole thing. If our Quartermaster got swindled, I don't know what we're going to do."

Conor Terell wrote:

[Bridge]

"Really, huh?" Conor replied, cocking an eyebrow as he brought up the currently active scan.  Pardek had been quiet as the grave lately, so he assumed nothing horrible had gone down in the few minutes that had passed since he'd left for the briefing.  Still, it was always good to check.  "I've always wanted there to be a huge dossier on me, somewhere."  He spared a puckish grin to the woman.  "Congratulations on fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine."

Things had been thankfully quiet, so Conor turned his full attention to Lavigne.  "What's got your interest piqued about the yeoman spot?  Gunning for my job?"

"I wouldn't take it even if I wanted it. It doesn't interest mr and besides you have the spot and you'd benefit from the experience." She smiled at him. "I'm glad I fulfilled one of your dreams. If I'm going to work with you it would be nice to get to know you better."

Chloé Lavigne wrote:

"I wouldn't take it even if I wanted it. It doesn't interest mr and besides you have the spot and you'd benefit from the experience." She smiled at him. "I'm glad I fulfilled one of your dreams. If I'm going to work with you it would be nice to get to know you better."

[Bridge]

I'm not sure I want my job, either, Conor thought. The fact that T'Koris kept him at arm's length in every aspect certainly didn't make it any easier. Still, he got to work on the bridge, and there were fewer places he'd rather be on a starship. This was where things were most alive...with all due respect to engineers. This was where the decisions that mattered were made.

"Experience, yeah," he replied. "Everyone keeps telling me what a valuable time I'm having." Conor quriked his mouth into a smile, no doubt ready to deliver another wonderful bon mot, when his sensor panel began to register...something.

Conor checked and re-checked the readings. He wanted to be absolutely sure before bringing it to Rellek's attention. The captain already didn't like him...he sure as hell didn't need the XO breathing down his neck, too.

"Uh...Commander Rellek? This may be nothing, but I swear that I'm sensing movement outside of the ship."

Kejal Buris wrote:

Buris had walked away from Rellek, leaving the Cadet and her alone.  But after the Captain's comment, looked at van Gelder and, for the first time on this ship, actually had an amused look on his face. "Lieutenant, I'd be willing to bet that if you did throw the manual out the airlock, she'd send me out the same one to go get it.  Prime Directive cleanup and all that.  Of course, how I'd get back onboard is another question."

He actually couldn't help himself from making a joke.  He wasn't a comedian by any means; he'd survived through a gut full of grit and a solid right hook; and a good dose of engineering savvy.  Of course his design was solid, if not to spec.  The number of things that could be done with a Federation probe were amazing - the antimatter core in a Type IX probe could actually power most small starfaring vessels.   Realizing that they were treated so callously was probably one of the first real 'awakenings' he'd had to the reality of the Federation while aboard the Wellington.

But just a moment later and the serious expression was back. "We should check out that spare palette before we get started.  After all, it's the keystone to this whole thing.  If our Quartermaster got swindled, I don't know what we're going to do."

[Bridge]

Had Ensign Kejal just made a joke? Gavin felt like he had to check the bridge and make sure the bulkheads weren't frosting over, because he was certain that hell already had. "Sounds like a plan," he replied, offering the Bajoran a smile. It was no secret that the man's...uh, assimilation (for lack of a better word) into the crew had been anything but smooth. He was a good mind, though, and that was something Gavin could appreciate. Hopefully he didn't end up in the brig at some point.

Conor Terell wrote:

"Uh...Commander Rellek? This may be nothing, but I swear that I'm sensing movement outside of the ship."

Well, thankfully the short-range motion detection was still working, but it took a half a second for the captain's yeoman's report to fully sink in. Gavin scrunched his face in bemusement, turning to Julia. "Uh? There isn't any life on this planetoid. At least, there shouldn't be."

Leela Kaz wrote:

"Very well, sir." Leela was thrown to see captain T'Koris so friendly. She could almost be described as jovial. As Leela pondered doing things the 'old fashioned' way she found herself lost in some old memories. Jereda, in particular, building warp engines with nothing put pencil, paper, his bare hands and a few tools that were like chisels and hammers by current standards. "I have some experience with old fashioned ma'am." Her mind came back into the present. "Remind me to tell you about the time Jereda lost his favorite hammer inside a primitive nacelle... the lengths he went through to get it back were down right comical."

[Engineering]

"My promotion to Chief Engineer of the Discovery came after I got the ship back into operating condition without the assistance of any power beyond what was in my tricorder, a palm beacon and a single power cell," Archangel replied with a grin. It had been quite the adventure, when a computer virus had completely crippled the ship, leaving only enough power for minimal life support.

Grabbing her toolbelt from a storage locker and wrapping it around her waist, she turned back to Leela, trying to keep at least part of her enthusiasm out of her demeanour. "Shall we get going? Standing around here isn't going to get those plasma injectors unfused!"

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Engineering]

"My promotion to Chief Engineer of the Discovery came after I got the ship back into operating condition without the assistance of any power beyond what was in my tricorder, a palm beacon and a single power cell," Archangel replied with a grin.  It had been quite the adventure, when a computer virus had completely crippled the ship, leaving only enough power for minimal life support.

Grabbing her toolbelt from a storage locker and wrapping it around her waist, she turned back to Leela, trying to keep at least part of her enthusiasm out of her demeanour.  "Shall we get going?  Standing around here isn't going to get those plasma injectors unfused!"

Leela flashed the Captain a smile. Perhaps the two of them could get along yet. She grabbed her tool kit. "No, we won't get anywhere standing around and talking. Lead the way, sir." She gestured towards the other side of the room. "A single power cell, Eh? That must of been an interesting experience. We'll have to swap stories sometime."

Leela Kaz wrote:

Leela flashed the Captain a smile. Perhaps the two of them could get along yet. She grabbed her tool kit. "No, we won't get anywhere standing around and talking. Lead the way, sir." She gestured towards the other side of the room. "A single power cell, Eh? That must of been an interesting experience. We'll have to swap stories sometime."

[Engineering]

"Interesting? Perhaps. Certainly a little hair-raising."

With Leela following on her heels, Archangel headed for the jefferies tubes that would take them deeper into the warp systems, pulling off the hatch and setting it aside. With most of the power systems still on emergency only, she then pulled out a palm beacon, turning it on and heading inside. "Hopefully if we get this thing unfused, we might be able to coax a little more power from the core. Getting back through that conduit's going to be hard enough as it is."

[Bridge]

Ensign Kejal was about to head for the Turbolift, when he heard Security and Science talking about movement outside the ship.  That would be a problem - if there was alien life out there that they hadn't surveyed for.  He glanced at van Gelder, saying nothing, as he started heading back towards the Ops station.  He looked at the XO, then at the Cadet he'd assigned - after all, what could be simpler than Bridge duty when they were sitting on a planet, doing repairs?  All she'd end up doing was spit back reports, right?  Well... maybe not.  He didn't like unknown planets, never had.  The only way they were survivable was with a crew of people you'd trust with your life - and this sure as anything wasn't a group he felt that way about.

But for the moment, at least, he could try and trust the others to at least save their own hides.  It was the same way he'd come to think of the Captain - whatever her idea of the Federation was, it was obvious that she wasn't going to sacrifice her life or her family's lives.  But they had more pressing issues right now - or at least, a possibility.  Errant readings were not just possible, they were likely right now.  All it would take would be a small fluctuation in the sensor's power and the device would mis-read.  Easing back his panic with that, Buris spoke.  His voice was quiet as he looked over the Vorta's shoulder. "Cadet, do you confirm those readings?"

The question of what they'd do would wait; because what they'd do now was follow procedure and confirm from at least one other station.  If there was a sudden issue, he'd probably have to take over here, and trust Rayaen to get the repair equipment in place.  Because if there was movement out there, the repairs would suddenly be even more critical.

Reyaen looked among the bridge personnel quickly. A tinge of uncertainty mixed with a dash of confusion. The sensors were detecting movement, but they were also detecting a nebula outside the ship. A nebula that was in fact the planet's atmosphere. If the Phoenix were a person, she could have sworn the thing had spent an evening with that Raynor, Klingon fellow.

With a quiet, but quick few presses of her console she switched the main viewscreen to an external camera mounted on the underside of the arrowhead module. There just beyond the shadow of the slumbering metal giant stand a tree waving in the wind. She switched to around the various views on different points of the ship to show some foliage and patches of grass among the dirt and rocks.

"There does seem to be life, sir... They seem to have us surrounded. Should we ready phasers?"

Blessed be the Founders for they bestowed up their servants, the Vorta, the ability to make jokes.

Thank you to everyone for your participation.

After repairs were completed, the Phoenix managed to return through the conduit although they did sustain more damage. However, they collected valuable data for any future vessels planning on heading through.