S2 M4: Effigy

[Ian Galloway]

"How in the hell does a science vessel with minimal armaments survive a Dominion encounter. And this was before we had any intel on the Dominion... they would have been flying blind." Julia looked behind her. "Chief is there any indication, i dont care how small, that this is some sort of trap?" She asked.

"I agree, none of this makes sense. Take us in closer, nice and slow Commander."

"Commander K'Lizh, hail them." Julia ordered.

[Bridge]

Ian used thrusters only to nudge the Tempest to a mere one-quarter KPS of velocity to approach the stricken Starfleet vessel. Ian mused that even this minimal speed equated to 900 KPH which was once considered to be high speed, .71 on the old mach scale, which was 1.6 times faster than his Flying Tiger P-40B Tomahawk could manage flat out when brand new.

"Aye Ma'am. Slow and steady as she goes."

"Aye." He was almost afraid to. Imagine if his cousin was alive after all this time. Or, and he knew this was completely irrational, imagine speaking to the voice of someone long dead. But he was a professional, and he swallowed back his nerves and transmitted the standard hails.

"Nothing, Captain," he said after a while, then turned in his seat to face the rest of the bridge crew. "Is it possible they're trapped in some sort of temporal anomaly? Perhaps twenty years for us has only been a few days or even minutes for them. Naga, scan for chroniton signatures."

Ian cringed at the thought of yet another temporal anomaly.

"If this is a bloody temporal event, not even the bloody Enterprise-D ran into as many as we seem ta manage doin'. Nae sure which is worse. Temporal mechanics or the wankers from the Department of Temporal Investigations."

[Jada]

[Bridge]

"How in the hell does a science vessel with minimal armaments survive a Dominion encounter. And this was before we had any intel on the Dominion... they would have been flying blind." Julia looked behind her. "Chief is there any indication, i dont care how small, that this is some sort of trap?" She asked.

'Anything can be trap, captain.' Jada conceded, grimly remembering the traps she'd set and survived in the jungle during the war, tactics of guerrilla warfare Starfleet wouldn't want to know about now. 'But if it had been wrecked, they'd just wire up the wreck and leave it for us to salvage. Why go to the trouble and cost of repairing and renovating it? Why hide it in this nebula?' She'd studied DaiMon Bok's ruse with the USS Stargazer Á¢â,¬"œ background to the required reading of the Picard Manoeuvre, but the Orion had found the profit and revenge tale behind it more interesting Á¢â,¬"œ and knew Bok hadn't gone to the expense of fixing the wrecked ship to entrap Picard, and so doubted the Dominion or another power would here.

'Apart from the temporal distortion, there doesn't seem to be anything "off" about the ship I can see. The Nebula class is a tough and adaptable design, captain, they were pressed into service as cruisers during the Dominion War.' Jada summarised the specifications and history she brought up on her screen. 'And the Darwin still had a reinforced, heat-resistant superstructure and hull after its previous Horta crew... I think she could have done it.' she concluded, impressed by the little ship's resilience and survival.

Nevertheless, as Galloway edged the Tempest closer to the ship that could be the Darwin, Jada kept a close eye on its armaments and defensive posture, lest it did turn on them...

[Julia Rellek]

[Bridge]

'Anything can be trap, captain.' Jada conceded, grimly remembering the traps she'd set and survived in the jungle during the war, tactics of guerrilla warfare Starfleet wouldn't want to know about now. 'But if it had been wrecked, they'd just wire up the wreck and leave it for us to salvage. Why go to the trouble and cost of repairing and renovating it? Why hide it in this nebula?' She'd studied DaiMon Bok's ruse with the USS Stargazer Á¢â,¬"œ background to the required reading of the Picard Manoeuvre, but the Orion had found the profit and revenge tale behind it more interesting Á¢â,¬"œ and knew Bok hadn't gone to the expense of fixing the wrecked ship to entrap Picard, and so doubted the Dominion or another power would here.

'Apart from the temporal distortion, there doesn't seem to be anything "off" about the ship I can see. The Nebula class is a tough and adaptable design, captain, they were pressed into service as cruisers during the Dominion War.' Jada summarised the specifications and history she brought up on her screen. 'And the Darwin still had a reinforced, heat-resistant superstructure and hull after its previous Horta crew... I think she could have done it.' she concluded, impressed by the little ship's resilience and survival.

Nevertheless, as Galloway edged the Tempest closer to the ship that could be the Darwin, Jada kept a close eye on its armaments and defensive posture, lest it did turn on them...

[Bridge]

Julia thought for a moment before making a deicsion on their next move. "Okay Chief, we're going to go find out. Hawk, K'Lizh and Jada report to transporter room one with a security detail. I want you to go take a look." She carefully balanced the risk vs the rewards, with Jada's assessment Julia felt good that this was not a dominion trap. "We'll keep open communications and send the Doctor along as well, for good measure. And why dont you take Solluk, he may be helpful in assessing the ships systems. I want to ge tto the bottom of this." She said looking to James.

Bridge to Sickbay. Dr. Kintiss, please report to transporter room one to join an away team."

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge]

Julia thought for a moment before making a deicsion on their next move. "Okay Chief, we're going to go find out. Hawk, K'Lizh and Jada report to transporter room one with a security detail. I want you to go take a look." She carefully balanced the risk vs the rewards, with Jada's assessment Julia felt good that this was not a dominion trap. "We'll keep open communications and send the Doctor along as well, for good measure. And why dont you take Solluk, he may be helpful in assessing the ships systems. I want to ge tto the bottom of this." She said looking to James.

Bridge to Sickbay. Dr. Kintiss, please report to transporter room one to join an away team."

[Bridge]

Ian brought the Tempest to a halt again, but kept the thrusters a full power should something change and the ship needed to maneuver quickly.

"Helm is answering all stop at 15,000 kilometers from the Darwin Ma'am."

[Jada]

[Bridge]

'Aye, captain.' Jada summoned two Security crewmen for the detail, then stepped away from the Tactical station, waving for Bex to resume her post. Jada was confident about finding the Darwin intact, she'd seen it on her sensors, but wasn't so sure about the state of the crew. If they were alive, why wait so long? Perhaps they were in hibernation or stasis, or, more likely but harder to admit, dead. Regardless, all the talk of a trap made her wary. 'Captain, I don't like the temporal distortion. It might be safe to beam over now, but later...?' She shrugged, avoiding a whole universe of grim possibilities. 'Perhaps we should take a shuttle over, if we can remote access the bay doors?' She preferred having a solid getaway plan behind her.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge]

'Aye, captain.' Jada summoned two Security crewmen for the detail, then stepped away from the Tactical station, waving for Bex to resume her post. Jada was confident about finding the Darwin intact, she'd seen it on her sensors, but wasn't so sure about the state of the crew. If they were alive, why wait so long? Perhaps they were in hibernation or stasis, or, more likely but harder to admit, dead. Regardless, all the talk of a trap made her wary. 'Captain, I don't like the temporal distortion. It might be safe to beam over now, but later...?' She shrugged, avoiding a whole universe of grim possibilities. 'Perhaps we should take a shuttle over, if we can remote access the bay doors?' She preferred having a solid getaway plan behind her.

[Bridge]

Ian listened to Jada and agreed that when there was a temporal element, it was always best to use as low tech a solution as would get the job done and transporters were anything but low tech.

"If'n are takin' a shuttle. Ye will be needin' a pilot."

Ian offered with the lopsided smile that both seemed universal to all pilots and could only be properly executed by one.

[James H. Hawk]

[Bridge]

"Aye ma'am!" James said as he rose from his seat. "I agree with the Chief. A shuttle may be a safer option, and its always better safe than sorry."

[Kintiss]

[Sickbay]

When the sensor data had come through, Kintiss had set about examining it thoroughly. It looked like there were a few unusual elements in that nebula, but in negligible quantities. If the situation came took a turn for the worse, say, if the Darwin's warp core was leaking, he'd developed a simple anti-radiation inoculation, and given the instruction to his medical staff that they were to administer it to everyone on board. They'd probably need it.

Bridge to Sickbay. Dr. Kintiss, please report to transporter room one to join an away team."

"Yessss, Captain. I'm on my way," Kintiss replied as he pulled a field medical kit together, making sure to include a large number of the inoculations with the compounds he normally took on missions. He was taking no chances with this one. Starfleet ships generally didn't vanish for years then magically reappear.

[Klizh]

[Bridge]

Julia thought for a moment before making a deicsion on their next move. "Okay Chief, we're going to go find out. Hawk, K'Lizh and Jada report to transporter room one with a security detail. I want you to go take a look." She carefully balanced the risk vs the rewards, with Jada's assessment Julia felt good that this was not a dominion trap. "We'll keep open communications and send the Doctor along as well, for good measure. And why dont you take Solluk, he may be helpful in assessing the ships systems. I want to ge tto the bottom of this." She said looking to James.

Bridge to Sickbay. Dr. Kintiss, please report to transporter room one to join an away team."

[Bridge]

'Aye, captain.' Jada summoned two Security crewmen for the detail, then stepped away from the Tactical station, waving for Bex to resume her post. Jada was confident about finding the Darwin intact, she'd seen it on her sensors, but wasn't so sure about the state of the crew. If they were alive, why wait so long? Perhaps they were in hibernation or stasis, or, more likely but harder to admit, dead. Regardless, all the talk of a trap made her wary. 'Captain, I don't like the temporal distortion. It might be safe to beam over now, but later...?' She shrugged, avoiding a whole universe of grim possibilities. 'Perhaps we should take a shuttle over, if we can remote access the bay doors?' She preferred having a solid getaway plan behind her.

K'lizh sprang up out of his seat, thankful to be included.But then Jada spoke up, and made a very good point. Something was not right here, and having a second exit strategy was likely for the best. "Solluk can serve as our pilot. The fewer people come along on this away team, the better. We have no idea what we'll be flying in to."

He tapped his commbadge.  K'lizh to Solluk. Please bring an engineer's kit and report to the shuttlebay for an away mission.

[Julia Rellek]

[Bridge]

"Aye ma'am!" James said as he rose from his seat. "I agree with the Chief. A shuttle may be a safer option, and its always better safe than sorry."

[Bridge]

"That's fine, go ahead and take a shuttle." Julia agreed.

Bridge to Kintiss, change in plans. Please report to the shuttlebay and meet Commander Hawk.

"Stay safe over there." Julia said with one last minute reminder.

[Kintiss]

"That's fine, go ahead and take a shuttle." Julia agreed.

Bridge to Kintiss, change in plans. Please report to the shuttlebay and meet Commander Hawk.

"Stay safe over there." Julia said with one last minute reminder.

[Hallways, Deck 12]

By the time the communication came through, Kintiss was halfway between the turbolift and somewhere else on the deck. The layout of the Tempest got him sometimes. It was simply much bigger than any other ship he'd served on, and it took him a bit longer to get back to his quarters at the end of the day. It was getting embarrassing. He was chief med, for the gods' various sakes, and ought to know his way around the ship by now.

"Undersssstood,"=/\= he replied as he finally reached the turbolift. Hopefully it would be smooth sailing from here to the shuttle bay. Still, in a way, it was good things were going wrong for him on the ship. It meant he might be alright over on the Darwin.

[Jada]

[Bridge]

They listened to her, they really listened to her! 'Thanks, captain.' At her station, Jada informed her security detail of the change in plans, ordering them to assemble in the shuttle bay instead. Then another idea occurred, as she wondered how she'd feel if she'd been marooned in the Gamma Quadrant, trapped behind enemy lines, out of contact with home for twenty years... Okay, so now how would humans feel? Shock, grief, PTSD, maybe. 'Ah, captain, one more thing: if there is a surviving crew over there, we might need a counsellor to advise on contact and recovery.'

Then she led the way to the turbolift down to the shuttle bay.

[Shuttle Bay]

In the shuttle bay, Jada met the two chosen members of her security detail, Park and th'Rasdar. The grizzled Andorian was a veteran of the Dominion War, and old enough to have served on ships from the Darwin's era, so he had a good chance of knowing its security protocols and systems, maybe even a crewmember. Park, meanwhile, was there for a friendly face. Jada briefly conferred with them, issuing orders on escort and rules of engagement. 'Now, it might be no more than a shepherding milk-run, maybe some rescue, but we should stay alert out there. A lot could've changed...'

'They're still Starfleet, Chief.' th'Rasdar confirmed with a confidence Jada was too cynical to feel herself. th'Rasdar was an old hand, but he'd no desire for command, while Jada fallen into it without really even trying. Nevertheless, he'd shared with her a lot of advice and guidance since she'd come on-board, not just lessons in the ushaan-tor; of anyone in the Federation, an Andorian was perhaps closest to a Thiratin in culture and spirit, even if they were as alike as, well, the freezing ice and sweltering jungle they'd both battled against. Jada could let herself trust his assessment. 'They'd've held the course.'

Although the lost ship was mysterious and inexplicable, she had no reason to expect a hostile reception Á¢â,¬"œ as far as she could tell, it was still a Starfleet vessel Á¢â,¬"œ and knew going in heavily armed would only create said hostile reception. So, Jada and the Security crewmen would only be equipped with type-2 phasers only, and as many knives and shivs as Jada happened to have on her today (she was dressed light).

[Solluk]

Main Engineering

Acknowledged.

Solluk turned to Ensign Martell, "You have Engineering until my return, Ensign.

To s'Metra and Garlande, he added, "Go ahead and run the simulation through a dozen times, then give it to Ensign Martell for implementation if the simulations turn out well.  Should the Tempest be required to leave or maneuver in haste, I want this algorithm ready to go.  Be sure to test it at combat velocities.  Whatever tremors we experience at reasonable speeds, they will be intensified at high-warp.  If the ship does need to make a high-speed escape, I do not want it to be shaken to destruction by gravimetric shear.  If more detailed gravimetric data comes from Stellar Cartography, be sure to plug it in."

With that, he made his way to Cargo Bay 2.

...Twenty minutes later, in the Shuttlebay

Solluk came into the shuttlebay, followed by two crewmen pushing two grav-sleds.  They might have beamed in with the gear, but Solluk was intent on preserving the ship's vast energy reserves... just in case trouble should find them.  The sleds were piled with commonly required spare parts and unusual tools, ensconced within various 1 meter crates.  In addition to this, Solluk was carrying his usual toolkit, which fit in a briefcase-sized box with handle.  He also had a diminutive type 1 hand-phaser clipped to his waist.

"Gentlemen, if you would load up the cargo, I'd be obliged," he said, and the two crewmen got to work loading crates into the cargo sections of a runabout.  Fortunately, the rear area of the runabout was quite capable of containing the cargo crates while the forward sections would provide comfortable seating for the away-team.

To Jada, he offered a smile.  "I hope you don't mind.  The Nebula class and the Galaxy share a 90% component similarity.  I decided to bring a few things that might be expected to break down over the course of a decade or two, in case their native spare-parts stores are compromised or inaccessible.  Although our latest readings show that the vessel is functional, there can be a long road from 'functional' to 'functioning well.'   I'd prefer to retrieve the ship rather than scuttle it, if at all possible."

He gestured to one of the crates.

"Some spare suits in there, too, in case the trouble is biological, or we have to perform an EVA for repair purposes."

More quietly, he added, "It will be good to work with you again, Jada."

[Jada]

[Shuttle Bay]

Jada spied the cargo being loaded aboard, remarking mischievously with Orion humour 'Oh? And here I thought you might be robbing the joint.' Nevertheless, she detailed Park and th'Rasdar to assist. Ultimately, they were all Operations yellowshirts.

She flashed a smile to her friend. 'Aye, same here. So, how have you been? You're Chief Engineer now, is that right?' Of course, she knew that, it was just a conversation starter. She wasn't sure how to reconnect.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge]

Ian suppressed a sigh when Solluk was chosen to be the shuttle pilot. He pursed his lips briefly and returned to watching the viewscreen centered on the Darwin, thinking.

"Well, here's a bloody shock, a mission with Mister Nozama that doesn't include me. Not like that is ever likely ta bloody change. However, puttin' lipstick on this particular pig is it makes sense fer the best pilot on the ship ta be at the conn station in a potentially dangerous situation."

Ian continued to stare at the derelict starship and wondered again.

"Why are ya still here Lass? What happen ta yer crew that could have either killed them all or kept them from tryin' ta get home?"