Incoming Communication
Posted on Thu May 30th, 2024 @ 8:32pm by Captain Rylan Gray & Captain Tauren Zelar & Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Stormy Knight & Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox & Lieutenant JG Shizuru Chikura
2,186 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
The Quasinon Gambit
Location: Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Thunderbird
Timeline: MD003 - 1015
A three-day push had brought them to the Quasinon system where they were to meet a Cardassian vessel, the CDS Ocett. As the ship made its approach Rylan was summoned to the Bridge from his Ready Room. "Bring us within hailing range of the Ocett," Rylan said. "Scan the vessel."
Shizuru's fingers tapped on the helm console. "Approaching hailing range," she reported simply.
Emerging from the turbolift, Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox began to approach his seat. This interaction with Cardassians would be the first of many to come. How it went would set the trajectory going forward.
Daegan carefully scanned the Cardassian ship. He didn't trust the Cardassians in the slightest. Nor did he like the idea or having to round up Bajorans that the Cardassians had probably brought here in the first place. However he kept his thought to himself and reminded himself to avoid assumptions and thet he didn't have all the information yet. "Sir the Ocett has her shields up, weapon system are online but not targeted. Seems like they are expecting trouble."
"They are Cardassians," quipped Knox. "They are always expecting trouble. I can't blame them for that. These are tense times" noted Knox as he settled into the First Officer's seat. Granted occupying a planet for several decades and placing them under a strict regime of poverty and torment will cause that thought Possum.
Tyler sat at his station on the Bridge. At the moment he thought that the tension was so thick you could cut it with knife. Although that could also have been that the crew was just getting to know each other. He made sure to prepare the power reserves to be allocated should the Thunderbird get in a fight. Tyler wanted to make sure that the systems that were needed would remain functioning regardless of the ship's status.
Stormy keept one eye on the science data and one eye on the viewscreen. She wanted to get all the information she could about the system when the sensors weren't being used by security. At the same time, she was curious to learn more about the Cardassians.
"Hail the Ocett," Rylan said as he rose from his seat. He was not, truth be told, an imposing individual. He stood six feet tall and was fit, owing to a dedicated workout routine and as much rowing as he could squeeze into his life, with wavy brown-blonde hair and that never managed to look as tidy as people would want, thick eyebrows that drew attention away from a sharp, perceptive intelligence lurking in the depths of his dark gray eyes. He stood now and waited for Malbrooke to make the connection.
A few quick taps of the console and Tyler had the Ocett. "Channel open, the Ocett is responding to the hail." Tyler said with a glance over his shoulder at the command pit.
The tension on the bridge prompted Ayren to make her way to the bridge. She chose a spot to the side so she could observe the interaction and be there should she be needed.
The view screen cleared and Gul Zelar came into view. Tall and broad-shouldered, whatever distaste he felt at dealing with aliens was masked behind a chill exterior. "I am Gul Zelar," he said. His voice was deep, a purring rumble through his chest, and soft. This was not a man who needed to resort to shouting. "Commander of the Ocett."
"Captain Rylan Gray, commanding the USS Thunderbird," Rylan answered at once. Although Rylan's voice was more of a tenor and carried with it a polished British accent, it was equally quiet since its owner preferred to let the technology do the work. Like Zelar, Rylan was not one for shouting. "We are here in response to your request for assistance."
"You are here," Gul Zelar corrected, "because of the Bajorans on Quasinon III. Our mining facility is scheduled for demolition in forty-eight hours and the Bajoran workers have refused to leave. It's fully automated and there's nothing I or anyone on my ship can do to change that."
"I see," Rylan said. "And you were aware the Bajorans were still there when you started the countdown?"
"The countdown started when the last Cardassian left Quasinon III. They were engineers and scientists and wounded, I might add, by those Bajorans. Nevertheless, we were able to delay the countdown for three days," GUl Zelar said, with a bit of a glint in his eyes, "but the Bajorans have destroyed the communications systems. I am forwarding to you the data we have on Quasinon and the facility. According to the terms of our agreement, the rest is up to you."
"We'll need the schematics for the explosive devices as well," Rylan said though he knew, just from the look on Zelar's face, that there wouldn't be any.
"I have neither the schematics nor a map of their placement," Zelar said. "I was only told that they are inaccessible, buried far beneath the surface and outside the dome." He waved one hand negligently. "What you do with the next forty-eight hours is up to you, Captain. I am only here to verify destruction of the installation in forty-eight hours time. And now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Zelar issued a command in Cardassian and the connection between the ships shut down.
"Lieutenant Knight," what can you tell me about the conditions down there?"
"Not as much as I'd like," Stormy replied. "We know it's a K class planet, and the ion storms are creating some interference, But the feronite is adding a magnetic resonance that's making it difficult to get readings from the planet surface. I'm trying to adjust for it."
"Guess we're going in blind," Rylan said, "as much as I don't like it. Commander." He turned toward his Executive Officer and friend. "I don't like this but our orders in this were clear. We need to get down there and get the Bajorans out before the clock runs out. With the ion storms, it might be safer for you to go down by shuttle. And while you're getting ready, Science and Operations can work together, see if they can do anything about the interference."
Knox was unsure what was the better option potentially facing death, shuttle crash because of the ion storms or transporter accidents because of the ion storms. Either way, Captain Gray made that decision for him, and that was alright with ol Possum. "Understood, Captain. We'll ride our way through it down to the surface."
"Lieutenant Chikura, prep a shuttle of your choice, and be prepared for some rough flying."
Shizuru nodded. "Yes sir." She quickly jumped out of the chair and headed to the turbolift. Thoughts ran through her mind of what type of shuttle to take, the Type Six was always a good all round choice, but the upgraded Type Eights seemed far more exciting.
Knox looked at Gray. "I figure Lieutenant Sechs makes sense, and if shes up to it Counselor Kelan? I'll want one of Baas' people along for security. "
"Agreed," Rylan said. "I think its safe to say that we should expect problems." He glanced at the view screen, as though he could still see Gul Zekar there, and shook his head. "Take someone along who's familiar with their technology as well. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky."
"Understood, Captain. We'll be ready for our date" Knox replied.
Tyler had heard what the Captain had said and already began to work the problem. He also had an idea for the evacuation. However, before he could bring it to the Captain and XO he had to make sure the transporter would work. Which of course brought him back to the interference problem. He turned toward Lieutenant Knight and attempted to conceal the attraction he had for the woman. "Lieutenant if we polarize the sensors at the same resonance frequency as the feronite we may be able to get a higher resolution to the imaging."
"Yes. That will help with the feronite, but we still have the storm..." That reminded the science officer of something she'd read in a science journal recently about ion storms. "There may be a way to lessen the magnetic field as well." She ran some calculations and nodded. "I think I found a combination that will help with both."
She flashed Tyler a warm smile before turning to the captain. "Sir, thanks to Lieutenant Malbrooke, I think we've found a way to increase sensor clarity." A minute later, the sensor image improved. It was still a little hazy, but it was enough for what they needed.
"Good work," Rylan said. "Can you get a read on the installation itself?"
"I can get a reading on the outside, but only flashes from the interior," Stormy replied. "The harmonic resonance keeps fluctuating. But it should be enough to get a shuttle down to the surface. There's a chance the readings will improve once the shuttle enters the atmosphere."
"We can piggy back..." Tyler began with a boyish smile. "...Patch the shuttle's sensors into our own. We can get live readings from the shuttle. Essentially the shuttle will function as a shuttle and a probe at the same time." Tyler turned his chair to face the command pit. The excitement was evident on his face, Tyler Malbrooke was the kind of person who loved it when a plan came together.
"Great idea," Stormy said softly enough for only Tyler to hear. She knew the command team would think so without her saying anything.
"It's worth a try," Rylan said. "Might give us a brief look before the shuttle gets too far away. I want to know as much about this facility as possible." He turned toward his science officer, head cocked slightly to one side. "What are they mining down there?"
"Feronite is the primary mineral." Stormy checked her console. "They're also mining gallicite and kelbonite."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Rylan said. "Odd that they need to destroy the installation. Is this a Cardassian thing, I wonder?"
Tyler's hands danced over the Operations console as he began to set up the link between the shuttle and the Thunderbird. It was not a hard thing to accomplish, just something that took some time to set up. Most of Starfleet computer systems was plug and play. All you had to do was connect them and they should communicate with each other without issue.
"Captain, I don't know if the mines are no longer producing viable minerals, or if they're leaving for another reason, but I do wonder why the Bajorans chose to stay behind," Stormy said. "And why the Cardassians feel the mines and the facility need to be destroyed."
"Now see," Rylan said, nodding, "that's exactly what I was wondering. They left DS9 intact, why destroy this facility? Why not just shut everything down and move on?"
Stormy nodded. "Yes. It all makes me wonder what they're trying to cover up. I even wonder if they expect us to fail so when the Bajorans die, they can blame Starfleet."
"Judging by what is know of how Cardassians operate the Lieutenant may be correct. It is possible that they are setting us up for failure. Beyond that it is possible that they learned their lesson with Deep Space Nine. They are not leaving anything intact so it cannot be turned against them." Tyler spoke up as he worked at the console.
Years of mixed marital arts training, a necessity for someone who had been on his own for as long as Cayde had, gifted him with a near silent tread. Intending to or not, he moved quietly and there had been more than one higher-ranking officer who had threatened to make him wear a bell around his neck. And so, unnoticed, he had slipped onto the bridge and caught the tail-end of the discussion. "Other than what's being mined there, the planet itself has little value," Cayde offered. "And the ion storms in the upper atmosphere make it a poor choice for a listening post or staging area. It could very well be as..." Cayde look at the officer manning the Operations console and, thanks to his eidetic memory, had a name and such information as could be gleaned from his personnel record (the generic part at any rate). "...Lieutenant Malbrooke suggests. Cleaning up their mess. Then too, they could also be forcing the Bajorans to leave rather than take it over and in doing so, profit from what the Cardassians left behind."
"Makes sense," Rylan answered. "Keep that in mind while you're down there. For now, the mission is yours. Find the Bajorans and get them out of there."
Captain Rylan Gray
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox
Executive Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Daegan Baas
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke
Chief Operations Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Chief Science Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant JG Shizuru Chikura
Helm Officer
USS Thunderbird
With Special Appearance By
Gul Taurean Zelar
Commanding Officer
CDS Ocett
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