Collecting the Scientists

Posted on Wed Jun 9th, 2021 @ 4:41pm by Captain Yasmine Carrington & Lieutenant Samaire MacBride-Reece [Lalor] & Captain Garrett Lovejoy [ Taylor] & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Captain Gary Taylor & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Lieutenant JG Gallia Norris & Lieutenant Baeryn Whavi-Tonelly & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & James Green

Mission: Season 5: Episode 2: Operation Save Humanity
Location: USS Elysium - bridge
Timeline: MD5- 10h00
2438 words - 4.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Science research station 35 gleamed in the darkness of space. It orbited a massive gas giant and the light from it illuminated the station very well. The Elysium dropped out of warp.

Carrington, seated in the centre chair spoke. "Station keeping orbit Ensign" She said to the chief of helm.

"Aye,aye, captain. " Miraj brushed the helm, and the Elysium settled into the holding ring indicated by the stations traffic controller. "Maintaining position at
twenty thousand kilometers."

"Comms, open communication to the station."

Ensign McBride from Ops nodded from the Comms station. "Aye. Communications Open."

"Science Station 35, this is the USS Elysium."

The viewer changed and a denobulan appeared. "Elysium, this is Station 35. I am Doctor Klor."

"Doctor Klor, we are here to collect the group of scientists." Carrington said.

"Of Course, they are ready for beam up."

Carrington looked towards the chief of Science. "Commander An Vantar, Please meet our guests in Transporter room 3."

Arrianna left for the transporter room. She waited in the room and folded her arms.

A moment later figures began to materialise in front of her until half a dozen people, mostly human stood on the padd. At the front was a man in his early sixties, in a tweedy suit with bright orange elbow patches, and long thin iron coloured hair hanging round his shoulders. "Harry Wells-Smith, Chair of 12st century studies at the Brookings Institute." He held his hand out. "Pleased to meet you...?"

"This way." Arrianna noted. "I have facilities prepared for you." She lead the way and then spoke to the head researcher. "May we speak in private?" By this time, Arrianna had become cold. Almost as cold as Carrington. It's what she had to do to survive her until her command would implode.

Wells - Smith looked confused and put his hands away, not expecting the cold reception. "Of course, if you insist."

*CSO's Office*

Arrianna entered her office with the head researcher. "Let's establish an understanding. I don't want you here, but my Captain has requested it, and therefore you will have my cooperation. I believe there is nothing we can learn from ignorant xenophobes with backwards philosophies." Arrianna explained. "However, Understand. I am in command of this department. Not you."

Wells-Smith looked at her stunned. "Commander, I do not know what I've done to personally merit your hostility, and I have no idea why you might think we'd be taking over your department. We're here to help advise you and your crew through an unconventional situation and evaluate if reform and integration of this lost colony are even possible. That's all."

"It is not." Arrianna mentioned. "The only way they will ever integrate with the rest of the galaxy is to abandon Green's rhetoric forever."

The Historian looked at Arrianna in confusion. "Commander, can I see your briefing for this expedition? You seem to be think we're going to round them up and bring them back to Earth."

"Then let me give you some advise." Arrianna noted. "The Captain here is not a nice woman. She is a deluded perfectionist who demands perfection from the people barely capable of measuring up to her ego, and her solution to crewmembers that earn her disfavor is demotion and reassignment." Arri noted. "Whatever she tells you to to. Do it. Do not react to her demeanor in any way. She hates the former Captain's crew, and will do anything to replace them. Do not let this woman destroy your career." Arri mentioned. "Perform your research, then transfer off this ship as soon as you can." She turned towards a console. "You don't want to be here when the excrement hits the fan." Arri said as calmly as ever. But inside, coldness. She hated what she had to be in order to go unnoticed by Carrington.

The tweedy professor's eyebrows raised behind her back. It hadn't been the professional welcome he'd assumed he'd get. "Well, thank you for the advice, commander. I shall act with caution. Now if you'll excuse me." He said, and left the science officer to her thoughts.

== bridge==

Monitoring from her station, Lia could see Arri wasn't happy. She was about to say something when she remembered it wasn't Phoenix in the big chair, *Keep yer gob shut girl, that bitch is just waiting for you to react* she thought.

Comms called out. "All are aboard and their belongings secured."

Carrington nodded "Thankyou Ensign. And thank you Doctor Klor. we will bring your people home safe."

The Doctor nodded and the connection was cut.

"Ensign Derani, New course, take us to the co-ordinates of the signal. QSD please. Drop us out in the outer edge of the system."

"Course laid, arrival in 16 minutes." Miraj warned. By davy jones' straggly beard the thing was fast., They were just past Tellar, and the target was still seventy four light years out. "Going to QSD in three, two, one." The view of the screen, moved from streaking stars to a the cyan field of the quantum tunnel, its vertices flickering with streaks of white and blue. The tunnel itself was tight, squeezed by the close proximity of the star, and then after a second it opened up slightly and she held Elysium dead centre all the way.

Destination reached, she cut the drive and the tunnel collapsed, revealing a small M-class planet, a serene emerald pearl streaked with fluffy white clouds.

"Scanners at full. I want to make sure of our footing before we make contact."
Carrington ordered.

Checking her long range scanners, Lia found nothing untoward. "Nothing on long range as yet", she kept it short as the scans were ongoing.

The turbo lift doors hissed open, revealing Dr Wells-Smith. "Permission to join you, captain?" He asked, though his eyes were entranced by the images on the view screen.

From her seat at Ops Baeryn turned her head to see who had addressed the Captain, the voice was new, as was the face. Her attention shifted toward Carrington momentarily before focusing back on the ships systems.

A small response made Lia double check her sensors, "Captain, further to my earlier report. Our destination is showing pre-warp technology, from what I can single out we have satellites in orbit of all sorts". She continued her deep scans, "One slight problem has shown up, the four moons around the planet are armed. They appear to be fully automated and quite able to handle any threat against them, we also have intersystem spacecraft flying about. Some of it is also armed, with weapons that could damage the Elysium". She waited for Carrington to respond, things might get down and dirty if they simply rushed the planet.

"Shields to full. Take us in slowly Ensign, Kind of hard not to look too threatening in this ship, but slowly and carefully please." Carrington ordered.

"Captain, beggin' yer pardon but might I suggest launchin' fighters?" gallia suggested, "Just a wing a two fer now, but enough to show we don't intend te be caught with our pants down."

"And risk their lives?" Carrington asked her tone cold. "I am not about to waste peoples lives Lieutenant. Comms broadcast a friendly greeting please."

"Aye Captain. Broadcasting."

That bitch didn't know what she was doing, that much was obvious, but she certainly wasn't going to tell her that, she wouldn't listen and would just have her arrested. So Gallia kept quiet.

The one thing Yasmine kept quiet was that she was half Betazoid. So she felt the disgruntlement from the Lieutenant clearly. She was tempted to call her on it but chose to be the better person.

She smiled to Lia and asked to see her scans, while this woman clearly cared more about the lives of a couple officers than she did the lives of the entire crew, merely looking over the scans and saying nothing.

Static fell upon the image that showed on the viewscreen. The small grey specs were the result of two different technologies shaking hands, though the computer began clearing up the distortions within seconds. As the image crystallized, so did the audio.

A light-skinned human male could be seen. His short raven black hair was combed back all the way to the nape. A neatly trimmed pencil mustache crowned his lips, which he pressed together tightly as he noticed the transmission was working. His light grey eyes narrowed with focus.

“Yoo Ess Ess Eleezium,” He pronounced the unfamiliar term slowly before continuing, “This is Vice Marshal Loen Reigh. Do you now hear me?”

"That's as good as it's going to get Captain, perhaps you'd better answer him and lets find out if they can see and hear us". Lia kept her scans running just in case, but things were looking complicated.

"I am Captain Yasmine Carrington of the USS Elysium, From Earth." Yasmine announced. "We received your broadcast and have come to make contact with you."

There was a pause as the Marshal tilted his head. "That is... most excellent news." He returned to his neutral stance with a slight exhale, "I must apologize for our leader. President Green is personally overseeing the preparations for your arrival."

Tweaking her controls, Lia continued to ensure the connection to Green's colony stayed in the green. *They even sound normal*, she thought. "Long range sensors still showing a reasonably clear field, but those automated defense systems are trying to gain a lock on us Captain".

Gary had come onto the bridge unnoticed and stood at the back as contact had been made. His eyes met Garrett's who nodded at him but said nothing to give away his presence. His blood chilled when the name President Green was mentioned and his eyes flicked to Carrington to see what sort of reaction it invoked in her.

The captain's smile was polite. "We look forward to meeting your President at the earliest opportunity. May we bring our vessel into orbit above your world?"

A look off-screen was followed by a nod as Marshal Reigh took a clipboard, began reading it, then confirmed aloud, "Your approved approach vectors and available landing zones are being transmitted as we speak. Please do not deviate from them."

"Oh," He looked back up and added, "and welcome, Captain Carrington... to New Canaan." The transmission cut off.

"Ensign, follow the path laid out please." She ordered and looked as the viewscreen showed their trajectory. "New Canaan huh."

"Aye ma'am," Miraj said, waiting for the helm to pick up on the co-ordinates, and when she did, it raised a metaphorical eyebrow, even if she couldn't do it literally. "They want us to fly right past all their defenses. In between them." If they twitched wrong they'd get minced.

Dr Wells-Smith took a step further forward. "Incredible. They've done a lot, technologically, considering their numbers must be so small."

"So did the Nazi's of the early 20th century, and we all know what happened to them." Lia spoke out loud to no one in particular, but from what she could see Green and his merry crew where no different from Adolf Hitler and his bunch.

"Yes, but there was 7 million of them," the historian pointed out. "Phillip Green's followers numbered at most 150 we can be sure of. With a skew to the male as well. I don't think they've put on nearly six million people in 300 years somehow."

"Which is even more of a reason to tread carefully and to keep our guard up when interacting with them." Gary spoke from the rear of the bridge.

"Indeed." Carrington replied. "Mr Taylor, You, Dr Wells-Smith, Commander Lovejoy, are with me, once Ensign Derani parks us, we will take a shuttle down. Ask Our Marine Chief to join us with two of her Marines."

"I will contact the Colonel and inform her of her inclusion on the away team and to also include to of her Marines." Garrett replied briskly.

Lia looked over at Carrington, "May I ask who will be in Command while you conduct your away mission Captain? Just in case we need to react quickly, you understand". She couldn't help herself and added the last part to let Carrington
know she wasn't best pleased at the foolishness of the action, Lia considered Carrington was trying to prove something but this wasn't the way.

"I thought that was rather self explanatory Commander. Lieutenant Whavi is second officer. Thus, she will be in charge."

"Understood, I just wanted to be sure. I have no wish to face a courts marshal should something go wrong, Star Fleet Command tend to look at senior Officers should things go south". Lia continued to check her scans and run deep probes as she spoke, she had made her point. Should this all go wrong, she would not be taking any of the blame.

Gary wiped the smile off his face as Lia and Carrington had their conversation. One thing about Lia, she never backed away from a confrontation which he sometimes wished she would do. "Excuse me Captain. Do you wish the away team in dress uniforms? As we are meeting a head of state."

"Yes, except the Marines. I want them dressed in combat gear." Yasmine replied. She sent Aurelia a cool look. "We are going to be careful about this but I am not going to be stupid. This ship has had enough of that. Lieutenant Whavi, you are in charge." So saying she left the bridge.

"Understood." Gary replied calmly as Carrington left the bridge. He turned to Garrett, "Better let Colonel Azhul know that she and her marines need to be in combat gear."

Garrett nodded and replied with a simple "Right." As he contacted the Colonel and informed her of being suited up in combat gear.

Shifting her gaze lazily, Lia now looked at Lieutenant Whavi. "Any orders Lieutenant?" The question was simply procedure, but the tone was unmistakable. This was Lia's way of shifting the full weight of Command straight on to Whavi, with probably little backup from Lia herself.

"Lia." Gary said softly not as a warning but as a gentle reminder Baeryn wasn't the enemy.

"Message received, and stored for later use", Lia whispered back. She wasn't attacking Baeryn, simply letting Carrington know how she felt.

Gary smiled at his wife and gave her a wink while whispering back. "Excellent."

Once Carrington left Baeryn rose from her seat and made her way toward the center of the bridge. She schooled her expression as to not allow the commanders bite to have any effect on her as she briefly made eye contact with the woman. “None other then stay alert Commander Taylor.”

Tbc