Determinations
Posted on Fri Feb 22nd, 2013 @ 1:56pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell & Captain T'mpest Michaels & Lieutenant Cedric Shepherd & Lieutenant Jimmy Cooper & Lieutenant Commander Dylan Blake & Captain Alexsa Kendrick
1,605 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Sowing the Seeds
Location: Astrometrics Lab
Timeline: Mission Day 5, 0900 hours
ON:
The log was badly degraded, either from the destruction or the encryption, though it was still legible what Captain Jenner was saying in the privacy of his ready room. "We picked up some odd readings on the third planet, an M-class world, medial vegetation with some insect life. Some sort of ionisation of the subspace field matrix made the northern continent extremely hard to scan, the readings just got scattered. Mister Rinn was less than concerned but I know he's been distracted with other things of late--secret meetings and well... his team seem to share his thoughts that it was nothing but a local phenomenon but I'm not so sure. Command sympathises but their orders for quicker completion stand--part of the reason for Ranger's inclusion."
Lieutenant Rinn's log was next, exhibiting the same degradation, "I told the Captain it was nothing to worry about and visual scans and investigation would be enough but he seemed unconvinced, I would almost think that he wanted to set up camp or a time-share in the place than move on to the next sector to get home as quickly as possible. In either case, the third planet holds no significant findings."
"Personal log, Science Chief Rinn, recorded under security lockout Omega three-one. What I've just said in my official log is not entirely accurate. I believe there is something on the third planet of that system, but I just cannot fathom what, readings were just too sporadic to be natural, and there were extremely feint energy readings approaching the second quadrant. However, these dissipated almost immediately. I'm trying to convince S'Von we need to get back there to continue investigations, but this will be a tall order if the Captain is to not be aware of the excursion."
T'mpest listened and read through the bits of logs and copied them into a separate file for Sammi to go over. There were a half-dozen other references to the third planet and the 'Forbidden Sector'. This only made T'mpest more curious and more interested in what may or may not be here. "Sammi, look for references to the 'Forbidden Sector' both in the recovered logs and in any other records on this area of space."
Sammi grunted and sat in front of a console, scrolling through databases and files. Slowly, a list of references began to accumulate.
T'mpest tapped her combadge. "Michaels to Cooper."
Jimmy, just coming out of the Sonic Shower, was just about to put on his pants as the comm call came through. "Dangit, can't I have just half an hour for myself?!" He then pressed the comm badge, which was still on his sink, and replied "Yes, commander?"
"I found something. When you have time, I would like your opinion."
"Give me a minute, commander, on my way."
Now fully dressed, Jimmy entered the Astrometrics lab. "What have you found?"
T'mpest pulled up the individual logs. "Have a look. I'd like your opinion on this." She knew what it meant, but it was important that Jimmy come to the same conclusion on his own.
After studying the logs, as well as the other data presented to him, Jimmy commented "Whatever is in this 'forbidden zone'... it's not 'insignificant'. Why weren't we told about this?"
"Probably because it was classified as just that," Kendrick said catching the last part of the conversation before crossing over the threshold into Astrometrics, "forbidden. By whom and why I couldn't tell you, but I'd have to agree that it doesn't sound coincidental, and it certainly doesn't seem insignificant. Is there anything new?" Alex continued to ask to no-one in particular.
"Why is the area forbidden?" T'mpest asked Kendrick. "All evidence points to this area as being key to whatever is going on here."
"To be fair commander, I wasn't the one to classify it as 'forbidden'," Kendrick started with a defensive tone as she arrived at the central computer terminals and placed her gloved hands atop one of them, "and I share your sentiments regarding the area. This section gives me similar reverberations as Sector K, and since it's likely we're not heading there for answers, I was hoping to get some insight from the logs regarding this so-called forbidden sector before the off chance of visiting it. I think it's obvious somebody didn't want anyone else in the area."
"Would our captain know about this?" Jimmy added, "And if so, why didn't she do anything?"
Kendrick considered Cooper for a second before saying, "I guess you can ask her that yourself, lieutenant. She's due here any minute."
And as if directed on stage, the door to the Astrometrics lab parted and Elsie walked in, catching just the end of the conversation. "Ask me what?" she said, striding up to the huddle of officers standing in the middle.
"The logs have unearthed a forbidden zone; and I was wondering whether you had any prior information about this." Jimmy answered the captain challengingly.
Elsie's eyes widened as Cooper relayed the findings and suspicions to her and her gaze then flicked to main screen. Not saying anything at first, she sidled through the group to access one of the terminals herself; a sense of urgency bleeding through her actions. Accessing the logs, she read quickly.
"None," she replied vacantly, her eyes still scanning the texts. "So Jenner was hiding something from us with regards to this survey... Sector K, this forbidden zone?" she asked rhetorically. She silenced her thoughts and stared off into the middle distance to further assess the situation in her mind, and, more importantly, to decide how to proceed. "If we take Ranger to where the Dubai theoretically fell foul of something, what's to stop us from befalling the same fate? But we must find out what happened. And what's there."
"A number of crew were hiding things," T'mpest said. "The logs are too fragmented to determine what or why."
The mere mention of Sector K once again sent a chill up Kendrick's spine for no apparent reasons. This area was different however. "For what it's worth," Kendrick said glancing pointedly at Halliwell--even though it was 50/50 and their working relationship had improved over time, Kendrick still bore the memory of the conversation in the briefing room, "I don't think we can start second guessing ourselves. As much as it might sound cold and heartless, what happened to the Dubai was tragic, but the ship has been lost with all hands--well except one, that cart-wheeling Ferengi--we can determine the crew were hiding something, I just don't think we're going to find answers sitting here sifting through logs. We have to keep going."
Elsie knew that Kendrick was right, and if she was completely honest with herself, was grateful that she had sided and supported her. But there was no denying the fact that Elsie would be ordering Ranger into the depths of the unknown and perhaps, if fortune decided to play her cards wrongly, to the same fate as the Dubai. She nodded silently at Kendrick and then whipped her gaze around to her Vulcan first officer. She looked at the stern and calculating face of T'mpest and inhaled, releasing the animosity that had subtly been building between the two.
"Commander, ready the ship to depart from the wreckage-site and I'll join you on the bridge in thirty minutes."
"Captain, Commander," Jimmy interjected, "We still don't know what caused the destruction of the Dubai; Our leaving may just trigger the same event!"
Kendrick almost let a comment slip but Halliwell beat her to the punch.
Elsie shot him a look and tilted her head a little. "With communications down, I'd rather not stay here like a sitting duck, Lieutenant. Our options are few."
"I agree with the Captain," T'mpest said. "Whatever is going on here; whatever events led to the destruction of the Dubai seem to be related to the third planet in the forbidden sector. We can continue sifting through the data en route. We need to find out what is going on before we, too, suffer a similar fate."
She glanced at Kendrick before turning to Halliwell. "I'll ready the crew for departure."
Alex caught the look that T'mpest had given her before turning the Halliwell. It was odd, and even that wasn't a sufficient adjective. It wasn't malice, contempt, distrustfulness, it wan't a glare, appraising, respectful, disrespectful, just odd.
"I'm not about to die in a warp core explosion!" And with that, Jimmy ran off before anyone could stop him.
The sheer brashness of Cooper's comment took Kendrick by surprise, and even more disturbing parallels formed between the Dubai and the Ranger. Was this the beginning of the Galaxy-class' downfall, now happening on this ship? "Why not tell us what you're really thinking, lieutenant?" she asked rhetorically to the vacant space which Cooper left. Taking a secondary glance at Halliwell and Michaels, she continued "I presume the meeting's adjourned?"
Elsie remained silent for a moment and almost still before breaking out of her shocked stance to look at Kendrick. "You're free to go," she said somewhat meekly, and Kendrick turned on her heel and left.
"Captain, I think the sooner we get to the bottom of the problem, the better," T'mpest said, looking at the closed door. An obvious statement, she knew, but Jimmy's behavior was disturbing. Whatever was going on, they needed to get to the bottom of it quickly.
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