Delta distress

Posted on Tue Jul 16th, 2024 @ 5:08pm by Captain Tyler Driskill & Lieutenant Commander Joseph Sledge & Lieutenant Nixie Wilde & Lieutenant Chaika & Lieutenant Kaelyn Carter & Lieutenant JG T'Lar & Lieutenant JG Rhee Xiviu & Ensign Skye Vos

1,594 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 2 - Death is Only the Beginning
Location: Deck 1 | USS Concord

(Captains Ready Room)

The USS Concord had been traveling at it's current maximum warp velocity for six days, eighteen hours, forty five minuets and five seconds. The computer would even break it down even further if the crew ask it to. However the ship was back on course toward Voyagers last known location and that was something Captain Driskill was looking forward to. The faster they could find Voyager and repair their drive the faster it was likely they could get back to the Alpha Quadrant and closer to home.

There hadn't been much on sensors over the last six days, no ships, no significant planets or scientific phenomenon. The crew continued repairs on the Concord and carried on with their day to day lives. Tyler checked his console more often then he should, checking the distance between their current location and the last known location of the Intrepid-class star ship that had been Starfleet's whole reason for sending the Concord to the Delta Quadrant in the first place.

Captain Driskill took pride in how well the crew had held it together in their time of crisis. He shrugged as he took a sip of his coffee and figured it was all just a testament to the extensive training Starfleet officers go through. Gazing out the view port of his ready room with his mug in his hand, Tyler watched as the stars zipped by like little diamond's that turn to streaks of rainbows.

(Bridge)


While the ship travelled, it was learning. A suite of state of the art sensors mapping out the surrounding space, even if so far nothing particularly interesting had caught their attention. Certainly nothing worthy of abandoning their current course. Studying the data and using that analysis to help them determine safe routes towards the last known position of Voyager had become Lieutenant Carter’s life when she wasn’t sleeping.

Today was no different, having been at her station for most of the day. As she returned to the Bridge after a light lunch, she relieved the ensign who had been covering for her and resumed her work. She was deep in thought, trying to clear up some data from the lateral array when an alert from another station sounded, all heads seeming to turn towards the noise in unison.

T'lar stood at the Tactical console and ran several diagnostics. As she waited for the results of the torpedo launcher diagnostic, her console chirped indicating an incoming hail.her brow raised. "Commander, we are receiving an incoming hail. It appears to be a broad band distress call."

Joseph had been seated in the XO’s seat and was using a PADD to look over reports, work on crew assignments, as well as setting up a replicator ration system when he heard T’lar speak. Looking up he spoke “on screen Lieutenant.” Before he called out “Captain, to the bridge!” As he sat up straighter. He set the PADD on the seat between his leg and the arm rest.

It only took Captain Driskill a second to exit from his ready room. He glanced toward Joseph “commander” the Captain was curious why he had been requested on the bridge as he made his way over toward the center of the bridge.

T'lar accepted the Hail and routed it to the main screen.

The face of a female alien appeared on the view screen. Humanoid with grayish skin and no hair on her head "This is the Kobali vessel... "there was quite a bit of static on the view screen and it was making it extremely difficult to understand. "Requesting assistanc..." there was more static "friendly vessel" the message started cutting out and the static was getting worse and the view screen flickered and the image froze.

Taking a few steps toward the front of the bridge, more precisely the operations station, the Captain spoke with a note of concern "Lieutenant Xiviu can you clear that up" before the Lieutenant could answer he shot off another question "have we lost the signal?"

“That’s the best I can give you, sir” the voice at the operations station reported.

They had lost contact with the alien vessel but they knew the ship was still there or at least it's distress beacon was still in-tact and transmitting a signal. Captain Driskill stood behind the operations station, looking at the view screen that had now changed back to that of stars zipping by at warp speed. "Ensign Voss" Tyler looked to the woman sitting to the left of him "adjust course and get me an ETA" he turned and went toward his chair.

Skye winced as she started to run the numbers, shaking her head as she tried to find the most efficient course through. "Depends how fast we can push her," she replied as she looked back to him, meeting his eyes. "If I can go to warp 8, we're looking at 28 minutes."

"Bridge to engineering" Captain Driskill paused for two seconds "I'm gonna need as much speed as you can give me, Lieutenant" he requested of his Chief Engineer and waited for her response.

"You need more speed?" Chaika's voice asked through the comm. "How much more?"

They were currently at a cruising speed of around warp five and the Captain hadn’t tried to push more than that but now someone was in need of their help “what can you give me?”

"Seven? Maybe seven point three?" Chaika replied.

“I’ll take it” taking his seat “helm adjust speed” he added quickly. “Lieutenant Wilde keep an eye out for potential hostile alien vessels.”

"On it..." Skye swung her seat back round to face the console, initiating the best course she'd settled on. The constant thrum on the engines shifted as the ship picked up speed...to the 7.3 that Chaika had offered up. Every little extra could help. "35 minutes, Captain."

"Recommend raising shields on approach, Captain," Wilde added with a steady tone as she folded her arms. It was standard protocol to treat an unclear distress signal as suspicious until proven otherwise.

“I agree. Take us to yellow alert and raise shields” the yellow alert would let the crew to be prepared for potential danger.

"Despite our lack of clear Intel on this region of space. I would propose that if we can detect the stricken ship and if there are hostile ships in the vicinity; they may have been able to detect Concord as well. It is possible they may seek to diminish our ability to gain a lock on their vessels until we are within their weapons range. It is also possible that any hostiles may be cloaked in some way." T'lar added. It was true she was basing her theory largely on Alpha quadrant knowledge; however it was sound tactically to seek to limit ones enemies from gathering workable Intel on oneself while seeking an advantage.

Nixie nodded as she triggered the yellow alert and raised shields...because the truth was, T'lar was right, with such little intel, who knew what was out there waiting for them...including the possibility of threats and technology they'd never even heard of before. They were the kind of odds that gave her a knot in her stomach...but it also steeled her. "We'll have to be ready for anything. Literally *anything*."

“Riding into the unknown” Captain Driskill said adjusting in his chair. The indicators for the yellow alert could be seen throughout the bridge of the Nebula-class starship.

Rhee looked at the Captain at the words, but kept her mouth shut. Into the unknown. The unknown could be pleasant and exciting, like the explorers of old. Or result in firey death. There was always that option.

Knowing there was safety in facing away from the others, the slightest of smiles pulled at the corner of Skye's lips. She couldn't deny it, not to herself, that she found the great unknown ever so slightly thrilling.

Joseph had been looking at his little console on the first officers chair, looking over what data they were getting from the distress call. He was comparing it to what information they had from Voyager’s transmissions but was coming up with a giant goose egg. He let out a soft sigh, having expected such.

The travel time it took to reach the ship in distress went by like a flash. The Captain was going over the sensor read outs of the ship and it was badly damaged. There were several life signs on the small ship, some of them appeared to be weak. “Commander if you would take a team” he looked over at his First Officer.

Joseph stood up and nodded “Aye sir.” Before he tapped his comm badge “Lieutenant Gaeta, have someone from your department meet me in transporter room 2.” Before he turned to Nixie “want to join the away team?” He spoke with a grin as he headed to the turbolift.

"You couldn't keep me away..." Nixie murmured to him with a chuckle as she caught up to dash into the lift beside him before she lost the chance.

Over the comms, Gaeta's voice was clear. "I'll see you in transporter room 2," he said, making it clear he was going himself. If nothing else, it meant stepping foot off the ship for a little bit.

The Captain observed as several of his senior staff made their exit. He knew the team would do Eve thing they could to help their new potential allies.

 

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