Mission 1.2: High Times on Epsilon Indi

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

Executive Officer's Personnel Log

After collating and analyzing data on the mysterious wormhole and its even more enigmatic, radiation based life form, the USS Athena is enroute to Epsilon Indi. Communications with the old colony world have ceased, along with all trade and traffic. Needless to say, Starfleet is concerned with these developments and an investigating is called for.

[Bridge - USS Athena]

Stafford had been pacing across the deck for more minutes than he cared to count, ever since he had come on duty a few hours ago. He had tried to resist the urge for a few minutes, but his natural restlessness had taken hold and he was off to the races.

Despite his actions, he was pleased to see that his mood was not catching on with the rest of the bridge crew. He was not nervous, just eager to be underway. There could be any number of reasons why the colonists on Epsilon Indi had stopped all communications. It could be an equipment malfunction, a spatial anomaly. Still, it could also be an attack. The memory of the last one, of the way the Klingon pirate had manhandled him, was fresh in his memory. He felt the power and heard the hum of the Intrepid class vessel all around him, and was immediately reassured.

"Helm, what is our ETA to the Epsilon Indi system?" The commander asked, breaking the silence on the bridge.

[James H. Hawk]

[Bridge - Tactical Station]

James quietly sat at his station trying not to fall asleep. Of course it could get very interseting when they got to the colony. He hoped it wasn't going to be another lot of pirates, he was still angry at the murder of several crewmen in the last mission.

[Jamie McConnell]

[Sickbay]

Jamie Shen stood before the Breen with her hands at her sides.  It took everything she had not to cross her arms defensively or put them on her hips.  A doctor was not suppose to appear threatening and kept their cool at all times.  Still, she yearned to know what was under that helmet of his.

"Crewman Ezac,"  She began for the hundredth time, "If you want me to treat you, I need to know how."  After the man saved her and the other medical staff from raging Klingons she grew a soft spot for him.  Still, that old Romulan saying, Á¢â,¬ËœNever turn your back on a Breen', made her shiver slightly.  Jamie liked danger though, she had grown up with it and life tended to get boring without it.

She looked around and leaned in to whisper, although she knew he could hear her whisper just fine where she was standing before, "If you'd like we can get some privacy?"  Jamie shrugged her shoulders and her lips, "Just get that helmet off and let me check, please?"  She fought the urge to knock on the side of the helmet and demand to be let in.  It was a losing battle, she knew, but that didn't mean she would stop trying.

[William Waring]

[Bridge - Ops]

Will was stood at this station reading PADDs with various content in them. Some of them were his own ideas on how to improve the ship's systems while others were just reports from his staff. His sipped his coffee quietly while he typed up a response on one of the PADDs. At least there isn't any Klingons here he though to himself as he clicked send on the PADD.

[Susan Venator]

Main Engineering - Primary warp control board

Suzie was brand new on board and she felt it. It was also her first time being on an Intrepid Class vessel and she was still marveling at the compact design of Main Engineering. It was her duty shift and things were going suspiciously well. The ship was moving at normal cruising speed so the Core was operating well within normal limits. She had met her fellow Engineering Officer Dylan Torngate but had been told the Chief Engineer was on indefinite leave. She assumed that Dylan would at least be named Acting Chief Engineer as the department needed someone to be in overall charge.  She looked up as the duty Chief, Senior Chief Kossura, approached her.

"What's up Chief?" She asked, giving him a smile.

"Just the shift maintenance schedule Ma'am." He replied, handing over a PADD.

Suzie took it and activated it.

"Anything interesting?" She asked as she scanned the report.

"I'm afraid not. We're a new ship and most of the equipment is either brand new or as good as. There are a few things that need looking at, but I've already assigned crewmen to that as it is all low level stuff." He replied, smiling at the Ensign's eagerness to get her hands dirty. From what he's heard, she was a tinkerer who grew up fixing things. He liked that.

"Well we can't have fun all the time. Thanks for the update Chief." She replied, authorizing the schedule before returning it back to him. "I'll be here if you need me." She added.

"Yes Ma'am." She replied as he turned and walked back to his own duty station at injector control.

Suzie smiled. I need to get an engineering project going. Something interesting and unusual. She thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the board.

[Dylan Torngate]

Main Engineering - Primary warp control board

Suzie was brand new on board and she felt it. It was also her first time being on an Intrepid Class vessel and she was still marveling at the compact design of Main Engineering. It was her duty shift and things were going suspiciously well. The ship was moving at normal cruising speed so the Core was operating well within normal limits. She had met her fellow Engineering Officer Dylan Torngate but had been told the Chief Engineer was on indefinite leave. She assumed that Dylan would at least be named Acting Chief Engineer as the department needed someone to be in overall charge.  She looked up as the duty Chief, Senior Chief Kossura, approached her.

"What's up Chief?" She asked, giving him a smile.

"Just the shift maintenance schedule Ma'am." He replied, handing over a PADD.

Suzie took it and activated it.

"Anything interesting?" She asked as she scanned the report.

"I'm afraid not. We're a new ship and most of the equipment is either brand new or as good as. There are a few things that need looking at, but I've already assigned crewmen to that as it is all low level stuff." He replied, smiling at the Ensign's eagerness to get her hands dirty. From what he's heard, she was a tinkerer who grew up fixing things. He liked that.

"Well we can't have fun all the time. Thanks for the update Chief." She replied, authorizing the schedule before returning it back to him. "I'll be here if you need me." She added.

"Yes Ma'am." She replied as he turned and walked back to his own duty station at injector control.

Suzie smiled. I need to get an engineering project going. Something interesting and unusual. She thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the board.

[Main Engineering]

Dylan exited the turbolift, walking into the bay. He was sore, but was otherwise fixed from his encounter last mission. Last mission he'd made the dumb mistake of tackling a Klingon warrior. He'd survived... but had been stabbed. He walked over solemnly to the place where he'd been stabbed. The blood was gone, and all stains were lifted away... bit the place felt just different. He could remember every scream, every blast and flash of light. Engineering had been hit hard, they weren't ready. He looked up, and looked around. Replacing the now-deceased Ensign Sarah Triber, if he recalled the roster correctly was Susan Venator. He walked over, seeing the two senior chiefs, SCPO Mulchano and SCPO Kossura. They were the only two Senior Chiefs on the ship, at least in Engineering.

As he walked over he shot a glance at the Chief Engineers office, paperwork piling up but otherwise unchanged in the room. Dylan may have been acting chief but he still didn't have the authority to do that paperwork. He crossed the bay and stood behind the ensign a bit off, waiting for her conversation to stop. When she turned around again he spoke.

"Ensign Venator?"

[Raynor Hughes]

[USS Athena - Sickbay]

Raynor didn't have any particular destination or goal in mind when he entered Sickbay.  There was precious little for him to do in Sciences, and all of the plants had been taken care of.  There was one, in particular, that he was watching closely - a night-bloomer from Maxia Zeta that was set to bloom but once and die.  Raynor had been somewhat surprised that the delicate species had survived all the radiation madness.  He was more than a little surprised that he'd survived it, as well.  The Klingon knew that he was due for a checkup to mark the effects (or non-effects) of the former experiments, but that was on his own recognizance.  He was feeling generous, today, however...and thought that sometimes making Sickbay's life easier was a wise choice.

Plus...even though he didn't care for the opinions of others, it was hard not to notice the sidelong looks that some of the crew gave him, now.  Even though the situation with those Klingons was explainable (in the most Starfleet-esqe manner, naturally), the sight of a stalking warrior gave some pause.  Even if he was wearing a scholar's teal.  However, Raynor chose not to concern himself with all that.  Anything he might have felt, he knew Ilana would have suffered tenfold, coming up in Starfleet at the time she did.  As a Klingon, he knew firsthand how long old grudges and bad blood could be held on to, cultivated like a garden of revenge, sown with the blood of enemies.  If she could take it, he knew damn well he could.

Turning a corner, Raynor stepped through the wide doors of Sickbay.  His eyebrows shot up at one of the occupants.  Word had said that there was a Breen on board, but...to actually see one was quite surprising.  A Klingon, a Cardassian, and a Breen walk into Sickbay, he mused, wondering where the punchline was.  Perhaps there'd be a Borg working the commissary.

[Klizh]

Deck 3

It had been a long and grueling week and a half since the fight with the Klingons, or at least that's how long K'lizh thought it had been. When not burying himself in work, he was eating or sleeping. Anything to get his mind off... things. The only time he allowed himself to think about it was in therapy sessions with the ship's counselor. K'lizh hadn't needed to be ordered to go see them; he had not only volunteered, but had even scheduled more than the minimum required sessions. The battle had unpeeled a new aspect of K'lizh. One that he did not like.

Still, the therapist had said the way to deal with it was not to fight it, or suppress it. His Hunter's Instinct had always been there whether he'd known about it or not, and now that it was awakened, it could not be denied. He had to accept it and learn to channel it in a constructive manner. That would not be easy. The shame he felt was too deeply ingrained by his society. Not for being a hunter, no; that he had let it control him, rather than controlling it, was where the embarrassment lay. There would be growing pains.

He stalked through the corridors, choosing a roundabout path to the bridge rather than jumping on the nearest turbolift. Ever since his... "awakening," for lack of a better word, the starship's corridors had seemed smaller. It wasn't quite claustrophobia, but he found himself actually missing the open plains of his ancestors. Perhaps some time in the holodeck would be in order after his shift, now that they were working again. He tapped his communicator and claimed a reservation slot from the computer at the soonest convenient time.

[Ser Conley]

Executive Officer's Personnel Log

After collating and analyzing data on the mysterious wormhole and its even more enigmatic, radiation based life form, the USS Athena is enroute to Epsilon Indi. Communications with the old colony world have ceased, along with all trade and traffic. Needless to say, Starfleet is concerned with these developments and an investigating is called for.

[Bridge - USS Athena]

Stafford had been pacing across the deck for more minutes than he cared to count, ever since he had come on duty a few hours ago. He had tried to resist the urge for a few minutes, but his natural restlessness had taken hold and he was off to the races.

Despite his actions, he was pleased to see that his mood was not catching on with the rest of the bridge crew. He was not nervous, just eager to be underway. There could be any number of reasons why the colonists on Epsilon Indi had stopped all communications. It could be an equipment malfunction, a spatial anomaly. Still, it could also be an attack. The memory of the last one, of the way the Klingon pirate had manhandled him, was fresh in his memory. He felt the power and heard the hum of the Intrepid class vessel all around him, and was immediately reassured.

"Helm, what is our ETA to the Epsilon Indi system?" The commander asked, breaking the silence on the bridge.

"At our current speed, one hour twenty three minutes. Commander." Ser replied.  "We could try to squeeze a little more out of the engine.  It would take twenty minutes off the trip."

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

"At our current speed, one hour twenty three minutes. Commander." Ser replied.  "We could try to squeeze a little more out of the engine.  It would take twenty minutes off the trip."

[Bridge - USS Athena]

"You damn near tore her apart the last trip, Conley." Stafford said with a teasing tone. "But we had to, that wormhole would have crushed us like an egg. Let's open her up a bit, see what the Athena can do when she's cruising."

The man's question helped calm Stafford a little. Ser was an old friend, back from the Gibson. Perhaps the other officer had noticed his mood and offered up the suggestion to help him out.

And it made sense, too. Epsilon Indi very likely wasn't under attack. An old and distinguished world, it was near to earth and the Federation had few enemies this close to home. But it wouldn't hurt.

"Torngate is likely to pitch a fit that we're going to break his new engines, but let's see what we can do, Lieutenant. Go ahead."

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

Sciences

Ruth finished writing up her report on the wormhole and the Curians, as Captain Lafayette had dubbed them, and submitted it to the Captain's PADD for her perusal.  It had been easier to write that down here than try to concentrate on it up on the bridge. But that was where she was headed now.

She made a mental note to ask Raynor if he would teach her how to use a Bat'leth properly.  She'd wielded one, obviously not in battle, but she wanted to learn how to use one properly.  She had a feeling she and her 'guinea targ'... she smiled at the thought, that Klingon botanist of hers had a habit of making her smile which was a good thing.  She could totally overlook the rather gruff attitude he had for the talent and the ability to make her smile and even laugh when the going got tough.  It seemed fitting that he was dating their beautiful but frail gentle CMO.  They were perfect for each other and she was so glad she had someone so protective.

Having reached the turbolift she ordered it to the Bridge.

Bridge

[Bridge - USS Athena]

Stafford had been pacing across the deck for more minutes than he cared to count, ever since he had come on duty a few hours ago. He had tried to resist the urge for a few minutes, but his natural restlessness had taken hold and he was off to the races.

[Bridge - Tactical Station]

James quietly sat at his station trying not to fall asleep. Of course it could get very interseting when they got to the colony. He hoped it wasn't going to be another lot of pirates, he was still angry at the murder of several crewmen in the last mission.

[Bridge - Ops]

Will was stood at this station reading PADDs with various content in them. Some of them were his own ideas on how to improve the ship's systems while others were just reports from his staff. His sipped his coffee quietly while he typed up a response on one of the PADDs. At least there isn't any Klingons here he though to himself as he clicked send on the PADD.

As the doors swished open to admit her to the Bridge she took in in the scene and smiled.  The tactical officer almost asleep at his post, she knew just how boring that could be having served in Security and Tactical.  A lot of the time it was an all or nothing job, and when it was the 'all' part it really was full on! Will, her partner with his ever-present cup of coffee, and everyone else just minding their own business.

Her smile dropped when she observed the XO and his pacing.  She knew him not to be a nervous man so she wondered why the restlessness.  Eager to be up and doing?!

"Are you OK, Sir?  I've sent the report on the last mission, the wormhole and the Curians, from the Science Department's point of view, to the Captain's PADD, did you want a copy for perusal?" she asked.

"At our current speed, one hour twenty three minutes. Commander." Ser replied.  "We could try to squeeze a little more out of the engine.  It would take twenty minutes off the trip."

'An hour and a half or so until we find out what all this means or at least start getting clues...' she said to herself.

"Ensign, pull up the environmental charts for Epsilon Indi, please and start monitoring the area ahead of us for anomalies on the off chance that is all this is throwing off communications from them.  Heck we've seen what radiation and wormholes can do, best check there's nothing that shouldn't be out there!"

'Yes, Ma'am!' snapped off the Ensign quickly. His hands darting over the console in front of him to comply with the order.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

Bridge
As the doors swished open to admit her to the Bridge she took in in the scene and smiled.  The tactical officer almost asleep at his post, she knew just how boring that could be having served in Security and Tactical.  A lot of the time it was an all or nothing job, and when it was the 'all' part it really was full on! Will, her partner with his ever-present cup of coffee, and everyone else just minding their own business.

Her smile dropped when she observed the XO and his pacing.  She knew him not to be a nervous man so she wondered why the restlessness.  Eager to be up and doing?!

"Are you OK, Sir?  I've sent the report on the last mission, the wormhole and the Curians, from the Science Department's point of view, to the Captain's PADD, did you want a copy for perusal?" she asked.

'An hour and a half or so until we find out what all this means or at least start getting clues...' she said to herself.

"Ensign, pull up the environmental charts for Epsilon Indi, please and start monitoring the area ahead of us for anomalies on the off chance that is all this is throwing off communications from them.  Heck we've seen what radiation and wormholes can do, best check there's nothing that shouldn't be out there!"

'Yes, Ma'am!' snapped off the Ensign quickly. His hands darting over the console in front of him to comply with the order.

[Bridge - USS Athena]

"Good day, Lieutenant." Stafford said, perhaps a bit embarrassed. The crew had caught on to his mood. Accordingly, he lowered himself into a chair and tried to appear relaxed. He was mostly successful.

"I'll look over the report later, but thank you." The commander said. "I am liking the initiative, Lieutenants Conley and Siggurdsdottir."

Stafford was no stranger to foreign tongues, and the Viking name came easily to him. Despite the Universal Translator, it was still possible to mangle a name when trying to pronounce it.

[William Waring]

Sciences

Ruth finished writing up her report on the wormhole and the Curians, as Captain Lafayette had dubbed them, and submitted it to the Captain's PADD for her perusal.  It had been easier to write that down here than try to concentrate on it up on the bridge. But that was where she was headed now.

She made a mental note to ask Raynor if he would teach her how to use a Bat'leth properly.  She'd wielded one, obviously not in battle, but she wanted to learn how to use one properly.  She had a feeling she and her 'guinea targ'... she smiled at the thought, that Klingon botanist of hers had a habit of making her smile which was a good thing.  She could totally overlook the rather gruff attitude he had for the talent and the ability to make her smile and even laugh when the going got tough.  It seemed fitting that he was dating their beautiful but frail gentle CMO.  They were perfect for each other and she was so glad she had someone so protective.

Having reached the turbolift she ordered it to the Bridge.

Bridge
As the doors swished open to admit her to the Bridge she took in in the scene and smiled.  The tactical officer almost asleep at his post, she knew just how boring that could be having served in Security and Tactical.  A lot of the time it was an all or nothing job, and when it was the 'all' part it really was full on! Will, her partner with his ever-present cup of coffee, and everyone else just minding their own business.

Her smile dropped when she observed the XO and his pacing.  She knew him not to be a nervous man so she wondered why the restlessness.  Eager to be up and doing?!

"Are you OK, Sir?  I've sent the report on the last mission, the wormhole and the Curians, from the Science Department's point of view, to the Captain's PADD, did you want a copy for perusal?" she asked.

'An hour and a half or so until we find out what all this means or at least start getting clues...' she said to herself.

"Ensign, pull up the environmental charts for Epsilon Indi, please and start monitoring the area ahead of us for anomalies on the off chance that is all this is throwing off communications from them.  Heck we've seen what radiation and wormholes can do, best check there's nothing that shouldn't be out there!"

'Yes, Ma'am!' snapped off the Ensign quickly. His hands darting over the console in front of him to comply with the order.

[Bridge]

Will acknowledged Ruth's presence on the Bridge with a simple nod but couldn't help but notice that the Officer at Tactical seemed to almost he asleep at his station. "Ensign Hawk, might I suggest a Raktajino to give you a boost?" He lifted his eyebrow in his best Vulcan impression and looked towards the Ensign. Will saw no harm in busting the man about the lack of action for Tactical. I would be doing the same he though as he waited for a reply.

[Ser Conley]

[Bridge - USS Athena]

"You damn near tore her apart the last trip, Conley." Stafford said with a teasing tone. "But we had to, that wormhole would have crushed us like an egg. Let's open her up a bit, see what the Athena can do when she's cruising."

The man's question helped calm Stafford a little. Ser was an old friend, back from the Gibson. Perhaps the other officer had noticed his mood and offered up the suggestion to help him out.

And it made sense, too. Epsilon Indi very likely wasn't under attack. An old and distinguished world, it was near to earth and the Federation had few enemies this close to home. But it wouldn't hurt.

"Torngate is likely to pitch a fit that we're going to break his new engines, but let's see what we can do, Lieutenant. Go ahead."

Ser smirked a little bit at the commander's jab.

"Aye Commander, increasing speed.  And I'll remind you of the old adage, 'Almost, only counts in horse shoes and plasmas grenades.'"

he tapped the comm o his console.

"Helm to Engineering,  we're increasing speed to max warp for one an hour."=/\=

[Susan Venator]

[Main Engineering]

Dylan exited the turbolift, walking into the bay. He was sore, but was otherwise fixed from his encounter last mission. Last mission he'd made the dumb mistake of tackling a Klingon warrior. He'd survived... but had been stabbed. He walked over solemnly to the place where he'd been stabbed. The blood was gone, and all stains were lifted away... bit the place felt just different. He could remember every scream, every blast and flash of light. Engineering had been hit hard, they weren't ready. He looked up, and looked around. Replacing the now-deceased Ensign Sarah Triber, if he recalled the roster correctly was Susan Venator. He walked over, seeing the two senior chiefs, SCPO Mulchano and SCPO Kossura. They were the only two Senior Chiefs on the ship, at least in Engineering.

As he walked over he shot a glance at the Chief Engineers office, paperwork piling up but otherwise unchanged in the room. Dylan may have been acting chief but he still didn't have the authority to do that paperwork. He crossed the bay and stood behind the ensign a bit off, waiting for her conversation to stop. When she turned around again he spoke.

"Ensign Venator?"

Main Engineering

Suzie turned at the sound of her name and looked straight at her fellow Engineer.

"That's me." She replied, noticing that his emotions were off and stress was washing off him in waves. She held out her hand, knowing that Humans did not like more physical contact. "What can I do for you?" She asked. Before anything else could happen a call came in from the bridge.

Ser smirked a little bit at the commander's jab.

"Aye Commander, increasing speed.  And I'll remind you of the old adage, 'Almost, only counts in horse shoes and plasmas grenades.'"

he tapped the comm o his console.

"Helm to Engineering,  we're increasing speed to max warp for one an hour."=/\=

Suzie tapped her Com-badge.

=/\=Helm, this is Engineering. Received and understood. Increasing output.

As she replied, Suzie moved her hands over the controls increasing the ferocity of the matter/anti-matter reaction so they could reach top speed.