Cascade – Young Minds, Fresh Ideas
by Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
Sirran entered the hangar bay and beheld the so-called mystery ship for the first time. It didn't look intimidating as he expected. In fact, it reminded him of a large, metallic egg, albeit with some curious damage to the hull. The Andorian had heard enough, however, to know not to judge it by its innocuous appearance.
The armed security guards standing by the door nodded to him, allowing him to approach. He had obtained clearance before coming down. His head turned this way and that as he walked. There seemed to be no one else around, and yet he felt as though he were being observed. It made his antennae twitch. Ensign Cori-Anne DeRoot, he saw, was on one knee underneath the vessel, examining the hull with a tricorder. She noticed his approach and stood.
"Ensign DeRoot," Sirran said with a nod, "a privilege to meet you." He looked up at the hull. "Have you discovered anything new?"
Cori-Anne shuddered, the stench of what had happenned to Dr Werbner still hung in her nose, as did the memory. She had registerered her refusal to re-enter the vessel with Commander Villiers, but she was doing as much as she could, and hoping to return to a co-ordinating role.
She wiped her hands on her thighs before offering the right to the Andorian, "Pleased to have you aboard Sir, and I hope you haven't found things too much in disorder." Cori-Anne had never expected to have to look after the small Strategic ps functiion even for a short while and for many reasons she was glad to have a superior to take over.
Sirran took the offered hand. "All is well. You have done a commendable job. But this morning's staff meeting gave me the feeling that you could use help. So if you'll get me up to speed here I'll do what I can to relieve the pressure on you. By the way, are you alright?"
"You haven't seen it yet," Cori-Anne said, "all the material was suppoesd to have been taken to forensics, but they missed some and ... and ..." DeRoot sighed and stepped away from the hull even though it could have given her some support. "Doctor Werbner, our anthropologist is now in intensive care, he may never regain ... well, anything. I've asked Commander Villiers to come down here too. She was with the original team who brought the ship in," she explained. "Thank you, sir," she added.
Sirran eyed her with concern. "Commander Villiers should be along shortly. Why don't we..." He looked around. There were some metallic crates neatly stacked against one of the bulkheads. Someone, probably a maintenance person, had left a stool next to them. He put his hand gently on her elbow and nodded towards them. "Let's have a seat over there and you can give me a quick briefing." He feared that the young lady might be pushing herself to continue working while suffering from post-traumatic stress. Relieving her of duty might perhaps be unnecessary, but he did feel it necessary to get her away from the derelict ship.
Cori-Anne nodded and allowed herself to be led away. She sat and wrapped her fingers around her knees. "i knew today was going to be bad," she began, "I didn't think anyone else was coming back so soon, so I was going to continue goring through the decks - we only got part of Deck one done yesterday. The dogsbodys from forensics were meant to be in to collect all the ... the ... matter. But they'd missed some on Deck 1, probably more elsewhere.
"I was so relived that Doctor Werbner came back, and that Lieutenant Wyman was there too, when we went in this mornign I mean. Then Werbner ... he opened a locker and he lost it. He started yelling and ... well, then Wyman came and, and ... I ran out."
She couldn't recall beyond that. From the state of her uniform and her face she'd been sick and taken refuge in her quarters, then when she'd had a pot of tea, showered and changed she'd come back.
"I can't go back in there," she said, "not after that."
"I don't blame you," Sirran said, looking back at the ship. "No one is going back in there without wearing full hazmat gear. Perhaps body armor and sidearms as well."
Cori-Anne turned her head and her honey toned eyes stared into the black one's of the Andorian, "It won 't make any difference," she said her gaze unwavering, "Werbner wasn't attacked, not by a person anyway. You can't see it."
Sirran's antennae stood on end at that statement. He turned and looked back at the derelict, his mind conjuring up images of malevolent spectres before higher functions reasserted themselves and told him he didn't believe in such things. He turned back to DeRoot and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Whatever it is, there's an explanation for it. We'll figure out how to scan it and then..." His expression darkened. "We'll neutralize it...mercilessly."
"Doctor Werbner would appreciate that," Cori-Anne replied with a wan shrug. "I'm not supposed to be here really. Commander Villiers put the bay off limits as well as the ship, but I still have her access code. I wouldn't normally use it, not when the bay's off limits, but I owed it to Doctor Werbner to come back. I haven't been inside, but I guess I'm in trouble anyway," she said, not sure how the Andorian would take such a breach. Not that there was any point in hiding it.
"You're not in any trouble," Sirran assured her. He continued to look at the ship, arms crossed, deep in thought, while DeRoot sat alone with her thoughts. As an Andorian he detested the idea of shying away from danger, but he knew it was best to heed her warning that hazmat suits and sidearms were not going to be sufficient. Finally a light went off in his head and he asked, "What about an interface probe?"
Cori-Anne raised her head, "it could give us a view of the parts of the ship we haven't explored yet," she sighed, "and if we do it from a lab we might be safer," she added.
"Much safer," Sirran nodded. He tapped his commbadge. "Lieutenant Sirran to Auxiliary Sensors Chief."
=^= Chief Aradu here. How can I help you, sir? =^=
"Do you have any interface probes in storage?"
=^= Two of them, sir. Why? =^=
"How long would it take you to get them up to the hangar deck?"
=^= Depends on how you want them configured, sir. =^=
"Full sensor suite and a phaser drill."
=^= Give us about fifteen minutes to unpack and assemble them, sir. =^=
"Very well. Bring the probes up to the quarantined hangar and the control units to the lab. Sirran out." He looked at DeRoot. "We'll send one in and keep the other on standby. Now we just need to find someone who's interface qualified. Any suggestions?"
[OFF]
by Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
| Title | Young Minds, Fresh Ideas | |
| Mission | Cascade | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran & Commander Karen Villiers | |
| Posted | Thu Feb 28, 2013 @ 3:42pm | |
| Location | Quarantined Hangar Bay | |
| Timeline | SD71. 13:00 |
The armed security guards standing by the door nodded to him, allowing him to approach. He had obtained clearance before coming down. His head turned this way and that as he walked. There seemed to be no one else around, and yet he felt as though he were being observed. It made his antennae twitch. Ensign Cori-Anne DeRoot, he saw, was on one knee underneath the vessel, examining the hull with a tricorder. She noticed his approach and stood.
"Ensign DeRoot," Sirran said with a nod, "a privilege to meet you." He looked up at the hull. "Have you discovered anything new?"
Cori-Anne shuddered, the stench of what had happenned to Dr Werbner still hung in her nose, as did the memory. She had registerered her refusal to re-enter the vessel with Commander Villiers, but she was doing as much as she could, and hoping to return to a co-ordinating role.
She wiped her hands on her thighs before offering the right to the Andorian, "Pleased to have you aboard Sir, and I hope you haven't found things too much in disorder." Cori-Anne had never expected to have to look after the small Strategic ps functiion even for a short while and for many reasons she was glad to have a superior to take over.
Sirran took the offered hand. "All is well. You have done a commendable job. But this morning's staff meeting gave me the feeling that you could use help. So if you'll get me up to speed here I'll do what I can to relieve the pressure on you. By the way, are you alright?"
"You haven't seen it yet," Cori-Anne said, "all the material was suppoesd to have been taken to forensics, but they missed some and ... and ..." DeRoot sighed and stepped away from the hull even though it could have given her some support. "Doctor Werbner, our anthropologist is now in intensive care, he may never regain ... well, anything. I've asked Commander Villiers to come down here too. She was with the original team who brought the ship in," she explained. "Thank you, sir," she added.
Sirran eyed her with concern. "Commander Villiers should be along shortly. Why don't we..." He looked around. There were some metallic crates neatly stacked against one of the bulkheads. Someone, probably a maintenance person, had left a stool next to them. He put his hand gently on her elbow and nodded towards them. "Let's have a seat over there and you can give me a quick briefing." He feared that the young lady might be pushing herself to continue working while suffering from post-traumatic stress. Relieving her of duty might perhaps be unnecessary, but he did feel it necessary to get her away from the derelict ship.
Cori-Anne nodded and allowed herself to be led away. She sat and wrapped her fingers around her knees. "i knew today was going to be bad," she began, "I didn't think anyone else was coming back so soon, so I was going to continue goring through the decks - we only got part of Deck one done yesterday. The dogsbodys from forensics were meant to be in to collect all the ... the ... matter. But they'd missed some on Deck 1, probably more elsewhere.
"I was so relived that Doctor Werbner came back, and that Lieutenant Wyman was there too, when we went in this mornign I mean. Then Werbner ... he opened a locker and he lost it. He started yelling and ... well, then Wyman came and, and ... I ran out."
She couldn't recall beyond that. From the state of her uniform and her face she'd been sick and taken refuge in her quarters, then when she'd had a pot of tea, showered and changed she'd come back.
"I can't go back in there," she said, "not after that."
"I don't blame you," Sirran said, looking back at the ship. "No one is going back in there without wearing full hazmat gear. Perhaps body armor and sidearms as well."
Cori-Anne turned her head and her honey toned eyes stared into the black one's of the Andorian, "It won 't make any difference," she said her gaze unwavering, "Werbner wasn't attacked, not by a person anyway. You can't see it."
Sirran's antennae stood on end at that statement. He turned and looked back at the derelict, his mind conjuring up images of malevolent spectres before higher functions reasserted themselves and told him he didn't believe in such things. He turned back to DeRoot and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Whatever it is, there's an explanation for it. We'll figure out how to scan it and then..." His expression darkened. "We'll neutralize it...mercilessly."
"Doctor Werbner would appreciate that," Cori-Anne replied with a wan shrug. "I'm not supposed to be here really. Commander Villiers put the bay off limits as well as the ship, but I still have her access code. I wouldn't normally use it, not when the bay's off limits, but I owed it to Doctor Werbner to come back. I haven't been inside, but I guess I'm in trouble anyway," she said, not sure how the Andorian would take such a breach. Not that there was any point in hiding it.
"You're not in any trouble," Sirran assured her. He continued to look at the ship, arms crossed, deep in thought, while DeRoot sat alone with her thoughts. As an Andorian he detested the idea of shying away from danger, but he knew it was best to heed her warning that hazmat suits and sidearms were not going to be sufficient. Finally a light went off in his head and he asked, "What about an interface probe?"
Cori-Anne raised her head, "it could give us a view of the parts of the ship we haven't explored yet," she sighed, "and if we do it from a lab we might be safer," she added.
"Much safer," Sirran nodded. He tapped his commbadge. "Lieutenant Sirran to Auxiliary Sensors Chief."
=^= Chief Aradu here. How can I help you, sir? =^=
"Do you have any interface probes in storage?"
=^= Two of them, sir. Why? =^=
"How long would it take you to get them up to the hangar deck?"
=^= Depends on how you want them configured, sir. =^=
"Full sensor suite and a phaser drill."
=^= Give us about fifteen minutes to unpack and assemble them, sir. =^=
"Very well. Bring the probes up to the quarantined hangar and the control units to the lab. Sirran out." He looked at DeRoot. "We'll send one in and keep the other on standby. Now we just need to find someone who's interface qualified. Any suggestions?"
[OFF]