Volcano puns are puns of great magma-tude Pt 1

Posted on Tue Dec 20th, 2022 @ 5:02am by Lieutenant JG Elijah Carmichael

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Vinda 9MY9 - Outer Colony
Timeline: Pre-Elysium, USS Togo Assignment
1419 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure

USS Togo - Mission Files - Vinda 9MY9 Volcano Eruption 2396

"We'll be setting up an evacuation site in the school, its sports fields are large enough to set up an emergency triage location and shuttle landing points." Briefed the executive officer of the USS Togo, Commander Richards. He continued to point at points on the map, "There are three main ingress points and one egress point shuttle pilots are to keep open channels when approaching the site to avoid any collisions, the Volcano has already started pumping ash into the atmosphere which is messing with scanners, communications and transporters."

The screen flicked to a zoomed-in image of the town, "This is the school just north of the central plaza and government buildings, these are the ingress and egress routes" The commander waves his finger around and arrows appeared on the map as he drew them. "We'll be deploying twenty search and rescue teams consisting of teams of five, with a command post of thirty combined departmental staff. This is a large-scale evacuation of around 5000 People."

Changing the screen again the town was now split up into five coloured sections. "We've segmented the town into five sectors. In the centre, we have Iron, which is a three-mile circle around the school. To the North is Nikle, East is Tin, South is Copper and west is Bronze. In each sector there will be five teams, it will be up to your sector leader how you clear your sectors. So I expect preps before we arrive tomorrow."

"Teams will consist of two Security officers, two medical and an engineer. So department heads get names on the duty roster, we'll be splitting the day into three shifts and working through the dark hours. The ship will be held In orbit and ready to take on the evacuees." The commander turned away from the screen. "The full mission is outlined in the brief notes you've all been sent feel free to distribute them to the teams as needed. If you have any questions please sent them in the post-interview communication approach. I don't need to stress the importance of time management on this one, we're dealing with a literal ticking bomb. Dismissed."

There was a rush of chatter and bashing of folding chairs as the large holographic briefing auditorium began to empty. Elijah along with the other hundred or so evacuation members slowly filed out into the corridor quickly heading this way and discussing the upcoming mission. Keeping mostly to himself it wasn't until he reached the turbo lift did he bump into Amelia.

"I've been assigned to Team three, Tin Sector. you?" She asked standing next to him and facing towards the sliding shut turbo lift door. Amelia was a security officer, with mousy brown hair and brown eyes. She was a modest young girl with a fiery soul. She had come into sickbay with a broken hand and since then they'd hit ti off and had a brotherly sister-like friendship.

"Team six, Copper" Elijah explained, "Lieutenant Dudson is leading our sector so it should be relatively simple, though our sector is the largest and more sparsely populated, could be slow going with the ash. I've been told to bring extra provisions in case we can't make it back in one shift."

"Sounds like they're not taking any risks on this one everyone is involved in one way to another and I hear the USS Louisana is on standby as if we couldn't handle it." She jostled him.

Elijah steadied himself from the bump trying not to create a domino effect around the lift. "Well the more the merrier, I hear the Volcano will make half the planet inhospitable, I feel sorry for the colonists then again who lives so close to a volcano?"

"I know right!" Amelia exclaimed, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought about it like that! Talk about living life dangerously!" She turned back around as the turbo lift door opened, "We're having a get-together at twenty-hundred hours if you're game?" She asked walking out backwards.

He nodded, "Count me in!" Elijah shouted as the door shut and began moving again. Since coming on board he had developed a good network of friends, as someone who had a responsibility to help everyone else on the ship it was common for the medical professional on board to foster healthy relationships and Elijah was no different. The last in the turbo lift he stepped out into the corridor, luckily for him, his quarters weren't too far to go.

Walking through the corridors of the Oberth class starship Elijah never walked with any sense of urgency, he liked taking in the sounds, sights and feels of his surroundings. It always amazed him how well-maintained starships were despite there being hundreds if not thousands of people travelling through them each day. Though it's not as if they are going outside and getting their shoes muddy. As he passed doors to different quarters, mostly of people he had yet met he wondered what secrets lay beyond them. Not everyone in Starfleet was perfect, there were simply too many people for that to even be nearly true. Were there messy people, angry people, anxious, depressed or lonely? A starship could be an amazing place to be but it could also be the worse.

His thoughts stayed with him until he reached his own door, his own peace of privacy. They opened on command and Elijah stepped through, the dimly lit room's lighting system activating at his arrival and the preset music playlist started up. He stopped and listened like he did every time trying to recognise the song. After a few notes he smiled, it was warp speed Wednesdays by the Vuldorian, a Vulcan Andorian pop group.

His quarters were small, with everything but the washroom contained with an open space. His queen-sized bed lay centre of the room, a small desk area off to its right and a two-person sofa and coffee table near the replicator tucked away in the left-hand corner. The door to the washroom was flush against the right-hand wall and beyond that was his sonic shower and sink. Next to the coffee table was really the only not standard-issued piece of equipment, his painting easel.

Elijah stripped off his tunic and placed it over the back of the sofa and ordered himself a coffee from the replicator. They had 48 hours until they arrived at Vinda 9MY9 and until then he had been taken off the sickbay duty list to prepare and return before what was going to be a gruelling week. A week because that's how long they had to clear the colonists out before the Volcano became too unstable to operate near.

Sitting down Elijah leaned back into the chair, sighing gently as he sipped his coffee. He'd have to remember to do up a flask when they went planetside, from what he had researched ash winters caused by volcanos could be very cold. Prior to the brief, he had already replicated some extra clothing items and some water. The last thing he needed was to be stranded without the provisions to await rescue.

With coffee still in hand Elijah used the moment to consider what may go well, and go wrong on his first official away team mission, while he would be in the safe hands of the away team leaders it was always good to consider anything that may happen, having that deeper understanding meant he could better prepare himself. After a few hours of sitting, his coffee mug, unfinished had been replaced with a sketch pad and Elijah was drawing. First, he started by drawing his coffee mug, stains included but as his imagination grew the pencil sketch now depicted a mug half buried in the sand as archaeologists were dusting it. There were two moons in the sky and a bird circling overhead. He studied the image for a moment and flipped the pad closed content with his work, he'd had some colour to it another time.

Eli made his way over to the sink, through the only other door attached to his quarters and readied himself for bed, brushing his teeth and combing his peacock-coloured hair. There was no real reason behind the dyed hair, no rebellious nature or significant meaning besides Eli liking the colour. Having finished cleaning himself he pulled himself into bed, adjusted his position and turned down the lights.

Ensign Elijah Carmichael
Science Officer
USS Togo