Things Past – Io
by Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran
Post Details
[ON]
Captain T’Zir stood up from her captain’s chair and walked to the front of the bridge. Her eyes fixated on the dazzling display on her ship’s viewscreen. “Ensign Sirran, analysis?”
Sirran studied the sensor readouts on the ops console. “It’s some type of gravimetric distortion, Captain. It seems to be located at the center of the star.” He looked up at the viewscreen himself. “Level twelve intensity.” His antennae curved forward in fascination.
The USS Io was passing half a light-year away from the main sequence star Tyrrus. Not any different from other stars, except that it had in its center a massive, dark spot that made it look like it was imploding in on itself. The unusual phenomenon had caught the attention of the ship’s sensors.
The erudite Vulcan Captain returned to her chair. “I’m compelled to study it further. Helm, can we spare some time here and still make it to our rendezvous at Sector 461?”
The Helmsman checked her displays. “Yes, ma’am, about ten minutes. The gravimetric field is having a negative effect on some of my navigation readouts, though. I wouldn’t recommend getting too close.”
“Understood,” the Captain said. Take us in slowly. One-quarter impulse.” She turned to her Andorian Ops officer. “Mister Sirran, prepare a solar probe for deployment.”
“Aye, Captain,” Sirran replied. He tapped some commands into his console. “Ready.”
“Launch,” the Captain said.
The probe erupted from the Io’s forward torpedo launcher, a streak of brilliant blue light trailing behind it. Seconds later it disappeared into the distortion at the center of the star.
The ship’s First Officer walked over and stood behind Sirran. “Are we getting any telemetry back, Ensign?”
Sirran frowned at his readouts. “Only intermittently, sir. It doesn’t amount to much. The strong gravimetric field is degrading the subspace transmission. I’m only getting bits and pieces.”
“Perhaps we could close the distance a bit more,” the Tactical Officer said. “It might improve the transmission’s strength.”
Captain T’Zir arched her Vulcan eyebrow. “Helm?”
The young lady at the helm sighed and nodded. “We can do it, Captain. But for a distortion that strong I don’t recommend anything closer than twenty-million kilometers.”
“Very well, you may proceed,” the Captain said. “Mister Sirran, let us know if there’s any improvement in that telemetry.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The Io moved closer to Tyrrus, slowly and steadily. Every few seconds the ship would shudder mildly from the gravitiational effects of the distortion. The bridge crew kept a careful eye on their readouts, trying not to appear nervous. Captain T’Zir, being typically Vulcan, appeared calm and collected as ever. Finally the ship came to a halt.
“Answering all stop,” the Helmsman said. “Holding station at twenty-million kilometers, Captain.”
“Very well. Mister Sirran?”
Sirran shook his head as he hunched over his console. “Not getting anything at all, Captain. It’s possible the probe was destroyed. It couldn’t last long inside an event of that intensity.”
“Send another probe?” the First Officer asked.
“Yes,” the Captain replied. “Let’s make every effort to collect data before we have to back off. See to it, Mister Sirran.”
“Yes, Captain,” Sirran said. A few seconds later he said, “Probe away.”
The whole bridge crew waited quietly while the second probe made its journey. Suddenly the Ops console came alive as data was transmitted back.
“I’m getting it, Captain. It works!” Sirran said.
The Captain left her chair again to stand behind Sirran. She, along with her First Officer, hovered over the Andorian as he worked. “Intriguing,” she said.
Suddenly a high-intensity flash lit up the bridge, like a flashbulb from a camera. The star on the viewscreen had given off some kind of pulse. It caught everyone’s attention. A second later the ship was shaken violently. Many on the bridge, including the Captain and First Officer, were knocked off their feet. Sirran grabbed the sides of his console to steady himself. Several instruments around the bridge buzzed and chirped their warnings. Then everything was still again.
“Report!” T’Zir said as the First Officer helped her to her feet. No sooner had she said it than another pulse came from the star, followed by another hard rattle. The Io heeled over and began drifting towards the star.
Sirran straightened up in his chair and began scanning with the ship’s sensor arrays. What he saw made his antennae stand straight on end. “Gravitational eddy! It’s pulling us in!”
Another brilliant pulse, followed by another rattle. Lights and computer displays flickered.
Captain T’Zir grabbed a nearby handrail. “Helm, come about! Get us away from it!”
TBC
[OFF]
by Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran
Post Details
| Title | Io | |
| Mission | Things Past | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran | |
| Posted | Thu Feb 28, 2013 @ 9:45pm | |
| Location | USS Io, Bridge | |
| Timeline | One Year Ago |
Captain T’Zir stood up from her captain’s chair and walked to the front of the bridge. Her eyes fixated on the dazzling display on her ship’s viewscreen. “Ensign Sirran, analysis?”
Sirran studied the sensor readouts on the ops console. “It’s some type of gravimetric distortion, Captain. It seems to be located at the center of the star.” He looked up at the viewscreen himself. “Level twelve intensity.” His antennae curved forward in fascination.
The USS Io was passing half a light-year away from the main sequence star Tyrrus. Not any different from other stars, except that it had in its center a massive, dark spot that made it look like it was imploding in on itself. The unusual phenomenon had caught the attention of the ship’s sensors.
The erudite Vulcan Captain returned to her chair. “I’m compelled to study it further. Helm, can we spare some time here and still make it to our rendezvous at Sector 461?”
The Helmsman checked her displays. “Yes, ma’am, about ten minutes. The gravimetric field is having a negative effect on some of my navigation readouts, though. I wouldn’t recommend getting too close.”
“Understood,” the Captain said. Take us in slowly. One-quarter impulse.” She turned to her Andorian Ops officer. “Mister Sirran, prepare a solar probe for deployment.”
“Aye, Captain,” Sirran replied. He tapped some commands into his console. “Ready.”
“Launch,” the Captain said.
The probe erupted from the Io’s forward torpedo launcher, a streak of brilliant blue light trailing behind it. Seconds later it disappeared into the distortion at the center of the star.
The ship’s First Officer walked over and stood behind Sirran. “Are we getting any telemetry back, Ensign?”
Sirran frowned at his readouts. “Only intermittently, sir. It doesn’t amount to much. The strong gravimetric field is degrading the subspace transmission. I’m only getting bits and pieces.”
“Perhaps we could close the distance a bit more,” the Tactical Officer said. “It might improve the transmission’s strength.”
Captain T’Zir arched her Vulcan eyebrow. “Helm?”
The young lady at the helm sighed and nodded. “We can do it, Captain. But for a distortion that strong I don’t recommend anything closer than twenty-million kilometers.”
“Very well, you may proceed,” the Captain said. “Mister Sirran, let us know if there’s any improvement in that telemetry.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The Io moved closer to Tyrrus, slowly and steadily. Every few seconds the ship would shudder mildly from the gravitiational effects of the distortion. The bridge crew kept a careful eye on their readouts, trying not to appear nervous. Captain T’Zir, being typically Vulcan, appeared calm and collected as ever. Finally the ship came to a halt.
“Answering all stop,” the Helmsman said. “Holding station at twenty-million kilometers, Captain.”
“Very well. Mister Sirran?”
Sirran shook his head as he hunched over his console. “Not getting anything at all, Captain. It’s possible the probe was destroyed. It couldn’t last long inside an event of that intensity.”
“Send another probe?” the First Officer asked.
“Yes,” the Captain replied. “Let’s make every effort to collect data before we have to back off. See to it, Mister Sirran.”
“Yes, Captain,” Sirran said. A few seconds later he said, “Probe away.”
The whole bridge crew waited quietly while the second probe made its journey. Suddenly the Ops console came alive as data was transmitted back.
“I’m getting it, Captain. It works!” Sirran said.
The Captain left her chair again to stand behind Sirran. She, along with her First Officer, hovered over the Andorian as he worked. “Intriguing,” she said.
Suddenly a high-intensity flash lit up the bridge, like a flashbulb from a camera. The star on the viewscreen had given off some kind of pulse. It caught everyone’s attention. A second later the ship was shaken violently. Many on the bridge, including the Captain and First Officer, were knocked off their feet. Sirran grabbed the sides of his console to steady himself. Several instruments around the bridge buzzed and chirped their warnings. Then everything was still again.
“Report!” T’Zir said as the First Officer helped her to her feet. No sooner had she said it than another pulse came from the star, followed by another hard rattle. The Io heeled over and began drifting towards the star.
Sirran straightened up in his chair and began scanning with the ship’s sensor arrays. What he saw made his antennae stand straight on end. “Gravitational eddy! It’s pulling us in!”
Another brilliant pulse, followed by another rattle. Lights and computer displays flickered.
Captain T’Zir grabbed a nearby handrail. “Helm, come about! Get us away from it!”
TBC
[OFF]