Shuttle Bay 1 Part 2

Posted on Sat Jan 21st, 2023 @ 6:18am by Avalon [ADMIN NPC] & Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Victor Barclay de Tolly & Captain Samuel Woolheater & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Legate Imik S'Niohun [Lia Taylor] & Lieutenant JG Louis Bordeaux ( Magnus )

Mission: Season 6 : Episode 1: Circinus
Location: Shuttle Bay 1
Timeline: Current
2638 words - 5.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Malakai looked at the faces of the small group of officers in the shuttle bay. "Our family, friends and fellow crew members along with this ship we call home are in bad shape. It is up to us to do what we can to help them and the ship. Now we need to come through for them. Legate Imik is going to take her fighter out to check for damages along with two shuttles to assist in checking the damage. The rest of us will be replicating communicators so we can get in contact with the others and bring Avalon online to also check on damage to the ship, its systems and her programming. Questions?"

Walking up after sending Busty on her way to the Battle Bridge, Sean walked up and said, “Aye, Commander! I’ll star’ repl’catin’.”

Ensign Kyler, shook his head. "I'll take Phlegathon out for s first pass. Petty Officer? Could you load the science pack on to Styx in case we need better sensors."

Aye sir," Hath said.

As the doors opened, Imik's fighter edged forwards. =/\="Coco to Starr, am I clear to launch?"=/\=

=^= Starr to Imik. You are clear to launch. Be safe. Make a full sweep of the ship and report all damage you see. We need to know what we're dealing with.=^= Malakai replied.

Shooting out of the bay, Imik's fighter banked and rolled over the Elysium. The sight of the damaged ship surprised and shocked her, =/\="Coco to Starr, it would appear the vessel is more damaged than we first thought. We have lost crew to this catastrophe, probably a large number."=-/\=

Malakai steeled himself not to react to Imik's report. He forced himself to keep his voice even. "Understood Coco. Damage is extensive to ship. Please continue with your examination of the ship.=^+

Imik flew on over the ship, damaged area's appeared flotsam and jetsam floated close to the hull. =/\="Starr, the bridge is in complete darkness. But my sensors show that there are survivors on it. But the saucer has taken much damage in the forward area, we might be able to access the bridge from the rear saucer shuttlebay."=/\=

O’Keefe began replicating communicators while listening to the ongoing communications. The number of communicators needed was a great number. One thing in their favor was that they only needed to provide a group huddled together with one communicator.

As the number of communicators grew, Malakai kept his hopes grow that they would larger number of crew alive rather than a few handfuls here and there. He worried about Kara and the baby. He hadn't heard anything from them since this whole thing started. Hopefully they were in their cabin and alright.

CPO Hath offered him a padd. "O'Keefe's replicators, Derani took a couple to the battlebridge. I've got sensor readings on large clustersof survivors, Bridge, Medical, Engineering, Marine Country. I'll need you to prioritse the other groups after those ones. I've got thirty clusters of 10 or more people, mostly gathered around evac muster points, Deck fouteen, several on decks fifteen through eighteen, several on twenty and twenty one." The main living quarters for non-marines. "The Academy, twenty seven. Where do we send them first sir?"

O’Keefe wasn’t an officer. Most times, he chose to let go there di the planning, and he would follow orders. Sometimes, he was given the authority from those above him in command. It was what his current position involved. But even then, O’Keefe was mostly following orders.

Still, he wasn’t one to keep his opinion to himself. “Seems ta me,” the Chief interjected, “firs’, we shoul’ get communic’tors ta those ‘elpin’. M’rines, Sick Bay, Eng’neerin’. Those folks shoul’ be able ta commun’cate wit the others.”

Malakai didn't reply to O'Keeffe. he wasn't being rude; he was thinking of how to disperse the communicators they had already replicated. He listened to Hath. Finally, he spoke, "Those areas are a given Chief O'Keefe it the areas after those were talking of sending communicators to." He turned to Hath, "Send some to the Academy. Then depending on the number left send to the area with the highest concentration of survivors at the evac points. Then work down the list."

O’Keefe shook his head, “Aye Commander!”

Sean continued his labors at replication. He was steady when it came to work and duty. Sean realized that they would need much more communicators to make them available to all the groups aboard.

Hath stepped over to him as the pile grew. "I'll take over on the replicator. You beam them out, and start paging people. You know what officers are like. At times like these they'll be happier to hear from security people than the deck crew."

“Good plan,” O’Keefe agreed. He gathered three communicators and beamed them to Sick Bay. Three more, he sent to Marine Country. Three more to Engineering.

“Let’s give ‘em a tes’!” O’Keefe declared. “May the lu’ o’ the Irish be wit’ us!”

Testing the communicators sent, O’Keefe tapped one, =^=Chief O’Keefe to Si’ Bay, Marine Coun’ry, an’ Eng’neerin’! Do ye ‘ear me?”

Victor replied in Engineering. “Barely. We are Almost there.”


DECK THIRTY-TWO - MARINE COUNTRY

2nd Lieutenant Bryce was helping move "stable" patients from marine medical to the large, open assembly area that wasn't so open any longer. All the while, the marine comm badges and armor had a steady stream of marine only communications. This was called the 'back channel'. And, like everything there were some good points and there were some not-so-good points. One of the good points, by far, is that it was working. The badges were coded to a marine only frequency on the sub-space spectrum. The frequency wasn't locked, but it was in a band that was not used anywhere else on the ship. One of the bad points is that without the main computer to manage all of the traffic, it was little more than an open mic night. People were stepping on each others sentences and speaking out of turn. It was messy and it could be better but, for the most part, this was much better than two cans and a piece of string. As the chatter grew, someone had to step in and moderate the conversations. That person ended up being 2nd Lieutenant Bryce.

Suddenly, very clear, very distinct the comm badge crackled to life and a new voice was heard, =^=Chief O’Keefe to Si’ Bay, Marine Coun’ry, an’ Eng’neerin’! Do ye ‘ear me? =^=

Bryce had trouble with the thick accent and looked at another marine and asked, "What the hell?" The other marines heard it too. "That sounded like Fed Standard, I think?" He set the patient down, gently, in a spot just for them and stepped away with another two marines and said, "UT must be down...?" He tapped his suit's comm system, =A= This is second Lieutenant Bryce. Deck thirty-two, marine country. We can hear you Chief. And we are very glad to hear you. I hope you can understand me....our universal translator is off-line. Is there anyone with you that speaks Standard? Where are you? What is your status? =A=


SHUTTLE BAY 1


=^=Tha’ be Fed Stan’ard ye eejit!=^= O’Keefe responded, laughing, glad to hear their work was not for naught. =^=We be delira an’ excira ta ‘ear ye! Ye shoul’ be able ta conta’t Si’ Bay, Eng’neerin’ an us in Shut’le Bay 1. We ‘ave comms runnin’ through th’ shut’les. Si’ Bay an Eng’neerin’? Do ye read? =^=

Bryce was quiet a moment, trying to understand and failing. He covered the microphone on his armor and asked, "What the hell?" Another marine stepped up and 'translated' for Bryce, "The Chief says...they are glad to hear from us. Communications are being managed by running them through shuttlecraft to Sickbay and Engineering and Bay One. He wants to know if we read him?"

"Tell him that we read him loud and clear and that we understand the COMMS are back in those areas" Bryce said.

"Lieutenant? He can understand you just fine sir" the marine replied. Bryve removed his hand from the armor's microphone and repeated his statement adding at the end, "We will contact sickbay. Does anyone have a comm to the mainbridge or the battle bridge? What is the status of the ship please?"

“Aye!” O’Keefe affirmed. “Bu…Ensign Der’ni ma’ sure o’ it!”

=^= Thissss issss Sssssthilg down in ssssickbay. I need any crew with medicle training down here ASSSSAP." Sthilg voice blurted out in a hiss of static.

=^= ‘ello Doc! Good ta ‘ear ye! =^= Chief O’Keefe sounded, =^= Ye’ll nee’ all the preso’nel on a’count w’en we fin’ injured, we will be beamin’ ‘em yer way. Eng’neerin’? ‘Ow ‘bout ye? =^=

“Bordeaux,” Victor replied in Engineering responded, “Do we have enough power for beaming?”

“Five minutes,” Louis replied.

O’Keefe kept replicating and transporting the new communicators to the coordinates he received from Imik and the others, who were picking up the life signs with their sensors. They were in high demand. Sean wondered if the replicators would have enough of the core materials to keep the replicating going.

Victor messaged back they had enough power for beaming four minutes later.

Imik's fighter had been circling the ship when she spotted people on the hull, a closer look showed them to be Marines returning inside the ship. =/\="Imik to Starr, I have just seen some Marines walking on the ventral hull. They have re-entered the vessel, my scans show other lifeforms around them."=/\=

=^= Starr to Imik. The Marines were doing an inspection of the hull. Other lifeforms? Might be survivors they encountered while doing inspection.=^= Malakai replied and continued.=^= How extensive is the damage to the hull Imik?=^=

=/\="Imik to Starr. Our vessel has suffered several severe cracks in the main hull, structural integrity has been compromised greatly. I would surmise that we have suffered many losses in crew members Sha-Rathshu, but I have also observed Marines on the ventral hull and scans show possible survivors."=/\= Imik continued to survey the ship, noting more damage and floating debris and bodies.

Malakai listened to Imik's report in silence as she spoke of the damage to the ship and the loss of crew. =^=Starr to Imik. Received your report on damage to ship and loss of crew. Please continue with your inspection.=^= Malakai finished. They needed to get as complete a picture as the could on the damage to the Elysium.

=^=Ye ta’e care out dare, Legg..ate,” Sean insisted. “Keep yer shiel’s up. I be up ta ninety repl’catin’ commun’cators. Ye shoul’ ha’e comms now wit Marines, Eng’neerin’, Si’ Bay, an the Ba’tle Bridge.”

=/\="Imik to Starr, understood. But there is a derelict vessel off our starboard bow, it would appear we are not the first to suffer such damage. There are no lifesigns eminating from it."=/\= Imik then heard O'Keefe, =/\="Taking care is standard Chief, but I thank you for your concern."=/\=

=^= Another vessel? Would love to investigate it. However for now, the pressing need is the Elysium and crew. Otherwise we may end up like the ship you discovered Imik.=^=

The response was expected, =/\="Imik to Starr, the thought of spare parts or other needs come to mind. But I can agree with your choice not to investigate."=/\=

=^= Starr to Imik. We can investigate later. We aren't even sure any parts they may have that we could use would be compatible with our systems. We can have that discussion later.=^=

The comm system crackled and there were distant voices, followed by light, airy tones, not quite musical in nature. It was a distinct sound, one that many had heard at least a few times in their careers. The sound of the communications system networking with an adjacent system. In this case, the Marine band and part of the spectrum just added to the overall comm system. Captain Woolheater's voice could be heard and then the Colonel's and then Captain Tonelly's voice. As people joined the "new" communications network, the communications suite on the flight deck started to manage the comm traffic an the signals got better and clearer and organized. Not knowing if Shuttle Bay 1 heard any of what was going on, 2nd Lieutenant Bryce called and said,

=A= This is Bryce again to the Chief and anyone else on the shuttle bay. The EVA team found survivors on decks thirty-seven and deck thirty-six and deck thirty-four. Fourteen crew so far...that brings the total up to about thirty. So far, no reports of any injuries that are life threatening. EVA team is doing a search now and they found that the flight control center has a secondary communications suite and brought it online. I listened to Legate Imik's report and can confirm that the damage is extensive and that was our EVA team. =A=

Suddenly Gary's voice could be heard in the shuttle bay. "This is Captain Taylor to all pilots, asking for all available pilots to man their fighters and search for a place we can evac at least some of the crew to temporarily while we work on repairing the ship."

Eric had been helping pinpoint people to beam out to more accesible muster points "All available pilots to their fighters?" He muttered to himself "What are the rest of us? Chopped liver?" The flight control officer glanced over to the astrometric display on the Phlegatjon and reached for his commbadge "Kyler to bridge. Uh, sir, I have good and bad news. We're actually on the edge of a system. A binary system with two G-Sequance stars. But the most tolerable planet there is a class P right on the edge of the Goldilocks zone." He reached over to run the long range scans. "Its going to be cold, but its atmosphere is good. 22% oxygen, 76% Nitrogen."

Gary accepted Kyler's news in silence before he answered, "Beggars can't be choosers Mr. Kyler and right now we're the beggars. We'll have to take that. At least the atmosphere is in our favor. When the pilots get there have them scout the planet and find a suitable spot for us to evac the crew to."

A few moments later, Miraj's voice came over the comm. "Sir, without warp and with the fusion power offline we're looking at anywhere between six hours and three days to arrival, depending on how much we want to drain the emergency batteries. Six hours will burn us down to less than 10%." They'd make it, just. But there wouldn't be much left for little things like lifesupport.

Gary said a silent oath as Miraj added her little bit of news to the conversation/ *When it rains, it pours.* He thought silently before addressing Miraj. "Understood Miraj. can we use the batteries part of the way and then let out momentum take us to the planet?"

"Already factored in, sir. Its just a case of how much battery power you want to use? ETA of twelve hours will cut us down to seventy five percent, 24 hours to fifty percent."

"I see. I should have known you would have considered that. "Let's go with twelve hours. It will give us time to get a better assessment of the ship as well as treating and getting all our people accounted for. Also get any shuttle pilots you can and into shuttles out to assist the fighters in scouting a suitable area for us to evac to."

"Aye sir, setting course now. ETA to unknown planet is 12 hours and 15 minutes." Miraj cut the line.


~ OFF~