Where are we?!

Posted on Thu Jun 20th, 2024 @ 8:02am by Lieutenant Kaelyn Carter & Lieutenant JG Tyler Rehman & Ensign Skye Vos

1,032 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 1 - Project Concord
Location: Stellar Cartography

Skye gripped a padd between both hands as she strode into Stellar Cartography, her step holding the usual bounce of energy. She looked around with curiosity, tucking her dark hair behind a pointed ear. This wasn't somewhere she had visited yet, but it had seemed the best place to begin the task that the Captain had given them.

The Stellar Cartography suite onboard the ship was undeniably one of Lieutenant Carter’s favourite places. With repairs complete and the databases reloaded, it was currently displaying a perfect recreation of the Sol system. In part a test, to ensure said repairs were up to scratch, but there was something comforting about being able to see home. Even if it was just a holographic image.

Hearing the doors open, she tapped the console which served as an interface and the response was instantaneous- the holographic dissolved as the computer centred the view based on the Concord. The blackness of space in stark contrast to the vibrant colours of the nebula. From where she stood on the slightly raised platform she offered a wave to the newcomer.

“Perfect timing,” Kaelyn declared, “we were just testing out the system in case we had any lingering issues. But all looks good.”

Stepping back from the console she glanced at Rehman, “this is your field of expertise more than mine, care to take the lead?”

Skye looked across to Rehman, accepting the declaration from Kaelyn easily. She settled back on her heels, clasping her padd behind her back, her fingertips drumming rhythmically against it. She still held mixed feelings about the turn of events, the logical voice in her head trying to spell out the seriousness of the situation...and the thirst for adventure in her finding it all far too exciting than was healthy, she was sure of that much.

Tyler Rehman nodded when given the cue to begin. He turned to his console and tapped in a command. The large holographic screen that faced forward had come to life. With all the sensor readings he had taken, he was able to come up with an approximation on where the Concord was. He tapped in another command and brought to life the trajectory in which the ship had taken. He sighed and then turned back to the two women. He crossed his arms over his chest and began his report.

"With the sensors not working properly in the nebula, we weren't able to really gage how big it is. We couldn't get any readings on where we were or how far we were from our point of origin. However, when we finally were able to navigate out of the nebula, we were able to be able to do a full sensor sweep..." he paused and took a breath and allowed his arms to drop to his sides. "We are approximately forty thousand light years in the Delta Quadrant now, which means we are forty thousand light years from where we were supposed to be."

“News which isn’t going to boost crew morale,” Kaelyn commented quietly as he explained his findings. “So, we keep this to just us, the Captain and the XO. They can share as they see fit. But the math doesn’t lie.”

Tyler shook his head. "In my experience, it does not."

Skye just about managed to stop the swear word that nearly blurted out as she looked at the projection to take in the difference in context. "Have we cross referenced our position with the intel Voyager sent yet?"

"Yes," Tyler stated. He turned back to his console and his fingers touched the board as he input another command, cross referencing where the computer had placed the ship compared to the USS Voyager's intel package. "There isn't really anything of use."

“At least,” Carter told them, trying to find any glimmer of hope, “right now nobody seems to be aware of our arrival. Or if they are, they are keeping a distance. I doubt that will last long. Until we know more, we should proceed with caution.”

"And with Voyager's intel package, we will have their information at our disposal. However, it is limited to just their first few years," Tyler said. Still, what he had read about the various species that were encountered, especially the Vidiians made his stomach do flips. He certainly didn't want to become an organ donor.

“Assuming they passed through this area,” Kaelyn reminded him. Stepping forward she called up a new display. “So, the blue dot is us… the red is the position of Voyager when we had contact. We have a lot of ground to cover, figuratively speaking.

And this,” Kaelyn shifted the display, “is what we can map out for you so far. A direct path to Voyager - at least as far as we can tell - is going to pass through several star systems. While our readings aren’t exact, we can detect energy signatures suggesting the first system at least is inhabited.

A direct path all the way is also not recommended as we can already detect a gravitational anomaly indicative of a black hole, we can provide exact position so we stay out of reach. We can also set up a direct link from here to navigation so you can see anything like this well in advance.”

Skye shook her head as she motioned to the projection with her padd. "Even if we cut a straight path at a constant speed of warp 8, it would take us almost 40 years to catch up to her. Worrying about detours around black holes is neither here nor there, if we can't get transwarp back up and running, then our mission to rendezvous with Voyager is done."

“I’m sure engineering have that as a top priority, but in the meantime all we can do is make a start on the journey,” Kaelyn pointed out. “Alright, we know where we are, even if it isn’t the best news. Let’s get this information to the captain…”

OFF

Lieutenant JG Tyler Rehman
Science Officer/Stellar Cartographer

Lieutenant Kaelyn Carter
Chief Science Officer

Ensign Skye Vos
Flight Control Officer

 

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