The Search

Posted on Thu Mar 16th, 2023 @ 4:15am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Ensign Jayzen Drako & Ensign Syrik

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: USS Botany Bay

Captain Morselles looked up from the comma d chair as the turbolift doors opened to reveal Ensign Syrik, looking much fresher than he had been last time she had seen him.

"Feeling better Ensign" she quipped, motioning for him to head towards the helm.

"Yes Captain" The much more decent Ensign answered as he stepped out of the turbolift and headed towards the helm as the Captain indicated. "Greetings Ensign Kilpatrick, I am Ensign Syrik. I am your relief; however, I would appreciate it if you could give me a rundown of the intricacies of the Bay's helm."

" Of course" Kilpatrick shimmied over so Syrik could get a decent view of the control panel. "It's in a standard configuration at the moment, you can personalise it if you want to. Heading is here, warp control here, thrusters are here and here but watch out for number 2 on the port side - it gets a little finicky. You'll need a slightly longer warp charge time, she needs a re-tune but hey, what's one more lap around the block between overhauls" The Helmsman prattled, finally releasing the seat to the newcomer. "Oh, and she's a little sluggish on the starboard nacelle, our search pattern is locked until the Captain want's it changed."

"Understood" Syrik responded. "Slightly increased warp charge time, Starboard nacelle is sluggish and port side number 2 thruster is 'finicky'. By finicky do you mean it likes to 'spit and sputter' sometimes creating too much thrust and sometimes not enough?" Syrik asked as he sat down at the helm and logged in to the console. "I ask, not to imply fault of you or the engineering crew, but if it is as I described, then standard diagnostics will not detect the problem. My roommate at the Academy minored in Engineering and one of the problems on his final was related to the issue. The older J-type thruster assemblies have a seal in the chamber back flow suppression valve that wears out and leaks after a few thousand work hours. The newest L-type seals last much longer."

"We were going in for overhaul and upgrade when we got the call to search for the Sunfire. Our warp core I swear is held together with fencing wire and gaffa tape, as are half the consoles around here" The Captain retorted from the centre chair on the bridge "We'll get there for our overhaul, if they don't decommission her all together and gut her for parts" She sounded almost sad at the prospect of losing her ship to spare parts.

"I see; unfortunately I don't know enough about engineering, it was my roommate that was the Engineering minor, I minored in Survival training and Tactical." Syrik said. Syrik turned his full attention back to his console and studied the search patterns and the course the ship was actually flying and noticed a very slight drift that would magnify over time. Adjusting a few controls and corrected the drift, knowing it was nothing that needed reporting unless the problem repeated or got worse.

"She's all yours then" Kilpatrick beat a hasty retreat, obviously eager to have some downtime.

"You'll have to give us a little grace there Ensign, it's on the back of a long mission and we were so close to home." The Captain advised with a rueful nod. "However, if the Sunfire is out there, we'll find her. Can you run a scan for any unusual energy signatures or transmissions from the planets in this system?"

"Starting scans now." Syrik answered as he started the scans with a few deft keystrokes on his console. After the readings started coming back he spoke up again. "No unusual readings and nothing on standard communication frequencies. I am picking up life signs on the 3rd planetoid orbiting the gas giant. The planetoid is barely Class M; 82% water and most of the land is swampland all mildly acidic. I am also picking up a faint signal in the lowest frequency bandwidth; running it through analysis now. The computer is having a difficult time determining what it is; possibly music, but a much of it is outside what is considered standard humanoid auditory range."

"Music? Or could it be a distorted distress call?" The Captain replied with a glimmer of hope in her voice. "Move us in closer, but keep monitoring for anything that could suggest modern technology. " Although it didn't match the brief exactly, she had no idea that a similar signal in the very next system, would lead them to their target.

"Moving in." Syrik responded. "Still no sign of modern technology; just some light almost primitive industrial technology." Syrik adjusted a few controls; compensating for atmospheric density and pressure. "Definitely music Captain." Syrik said playing a snippet that had been adjusted for auditory and atmospheric density. "Not my style and a little grating on the nerves".

"Pipe it through, I want to hear it before we discount it" The Captain replied, regretting her decision an instant later when the 'music' echoed through the bridge causing just about everyone to wince. "Ok, point taken, shut it off and move to the next system" She rubbed her eyes as though it could banish the noise from her brain.

"Aye, Captain". Syrik said with a sly smile as he turned off the noise. "Like i said, not my style. I don't think I've heard anything that bad since i started to learn to play the clarinet when I was six. Moving on to the next system; eta four hours at standard warp. I play most woodwind instruments pretty well now; but my favorite is still the Orion gourd flute. Anyone else play any instruments?" Syrik asked glancing around at the other Bridge Officers.

"Not me" The Captain replied "although I have been accused of trying" she laughed as the turbolift opened and another officer appeared on her bridge. "Ahh Ensign..." She seemed to be searching for the name in her mind as the Bajoran security officer entered the bridge.

“Captain,” he replied professionally with a curt nod and glancing at the other Ensign she’d clearly been speaking to and giving him a nod as well. “Ensign Drako, reporting to the Bridge as ordered,” he stated as he came to stand at attention.”

" Ensign Syrik, increase to warp 8, I have a gut feeling we're gonna find them in this next system. Either that or I owe Commander Risso here a bottle of Andorian brandy."

A curious eyebrow raised for a brief moment, but he forced himself not to break protocol by doing anything other than standing there until being told-, or given permission to do something else. Having missed the beginning of the conversation, he could see that a certain comfort and familiarity existed among those serving here.

"Ensign Drako, another wayward soul hitching a ride to a post that may not exist anymore" The Captain lamented "At ease young man. What's your specialty? Engineering? Tactical? I can't keep up with all the transfers these days" The Botany Bay's main viewer changed perspective as the ship entered high warp to the next system.

"Aye, Captain; increasing speed to warp 8." Syrik responded. He adjusted his controls to increase speed. There was a slight shudder as the ship increased speed, but Syrik adjusted for the finicky left warp nacelle and soon the ship smoothed out. "Warp 8: new eta 1 hour 49 minutes." He said as he listened to the conversation between the Captain and the Ensign.

"Ensign Jayzen, sir," the young Bajoran politely amended.

"One hour and 49 minutes, Commander Risso is not going to win this particular wager." The Captain laughed as the took off towards the next system. She was impressed by how Syrik handled the 'fincky' nacelle and wondered perhaps she should offer him a position on board. Meanwhile she turned her attention to Jayzen. "Ensign? What's your specialty? I need to know where to assign you until.. if....when...whatever we find the Sunfire"

"Security Officer, sir," Drako replied formally, "I minored in Operations, though--I'd be honored to serve wherever I'm needed." And truly he meant it. While he'd joined the Academy with aspirations of stopping those who'd harm others he learned that he had a technical aptitude and organizational mindset that proved beneficial in Tactical and Operations.

"Well until we find the tub you're supposed to be serving on you'll give Operations a hand. We don't really have a need for security on such a small ship" the Captain waved her hand as though to encompass the Botany Bay as a whole. "Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time we needed security" she shrugged. "Lt Huff, give the young hot shot a handover then take the rest of your shift off."

“Aye, sir,” Jayzen replied, waiting awkwardly for a moment before realizing that he’d already been dismissed. Glad he could finally tone down the act, he ran a hand over the strip of short hair that ran from his forehead to his neck—a hairstyle his friends at the Academy recommended, but he’d taken a liking to called a ‘mohawk’—and took a seat at the unfamiliar console.

Lt Huff looked at Jayzen but said nothing to start off with, keeping his opinions to himself. " Right, this is a standard Ops 101 series board. You have communications here, transporters here, sensors here, here and here, auxiliary systems here, life support here, and and don't touch that big red button over there" Huff could almost smell the officers lounge now that he had 5 hours more time that he had previously planned.

"Really!?" Jayzen gasped, bringing a hand to his mouth as if it might catch his breath. The sigh he released reeked of sarcasm. "Please, sir, can you teach me how to use the big scary compwute--"

"ACCESS GRANTED" the ship

Syrik couldn't help but snicker at the newly arrived Ensign's sarcasm as he was talking with the Ops officer. The Ensign is personality, from what limited time he had observed the Ensign, reminded him of one of his friends from the Academy.

"Huff, go, you're off duty. I'm sure the Ensign can handle things." The Captain retorted sharply, sending Huff scurrying from the bridge and peace to return to all.

TBC