Galileo

[Kaziarl]

STAR TREK
Galileo

Chapter 1
(Preparations and Aspirations)

[Stardate 54992.97]

Several shuttles sped overhead, leaving a trail of fireworks behind. The blues and greens lit up the Golden gate bridge as Voyager swooped down over it. The ship's reflection shimmered on the water as Voyager followed it out. Shouts of joy blared from every rooftop in the area. The crowd watched as the ship flew off into the distance. The afternoon sun's glare shined on the computer screen. Christopher stared at the screen, not blinking. Zander stopped mid stride as he walked by, seeing Christopher glued to the computer again.
"You humans are fascinating. Voyager has only been home a week and you are already getting nostalgic." Zander stated.
"Don't Trills get nostalgic?" Christopher questioned.
"Yeah... but it isn't usually immediately following the event. We typically wait a few hundred years, then we get mushy about the past." Zander smiled. "I agree, the first four or five times we watched it, it was intriguing, but now it is just absurd." Christopher frowned.
"I thought it was intriguing." Christopher mumbled.
"Yes.... but you might focus on the task at hand. You are going to be the Ops officer of the new Akira Prime class. It might be good to focus on that." Christopher commented.
"It never hurts to have recreational thinking." Christopher replied.
"And that is why it will be good to get out of this dorm and into my own quarters. Now you should get into uniform. They just announced a meeting scheduled for 22:00." Zander turned and walked back down the dorm hall.

The low chatter stopped immediately as the admiral walked in. He was a heavy set man, but had more experience then most of the officers in the room put together. The admiral stepped to the podium and cleared his throat.
"I have a busy schedule so I apologize for the lack of formality. By order of Starfleet, due in large part to the return of the U.S.S. Voyager, The U.S.S. Galileo's mission will be postponed. Virtually all of our technicians and scientists are refitting Voyager and dealing with the data. Admiral Janeway was quite adamant in her wishes. This postponement however will give you the time you need to complete your ship with all of what it was intended for. Training of the Junior officers will continue as planned, but under strict supervision of Captain Shano Anara. On the bright side all of you can look foreword to more leave while the finishing touches on your ship. You are all excused with the exception of lieutenants Nao and Rasca, and ensign Oray." After a moment of hesitation the room quickly emptied. Christopher and Zander stared at each other for a moment. Another officer stood in the corner looking nervous. The admiral just stood at the podium, seeming to be reading his notes.
"What is this all about?" Christopher questioned.
"You didn't go with the cadets that planned to cover all the toilets with a poly-sealer did you?" Zander asked. Christopher turned his head to one side curiously. "You didn't.... did you?" Christopher grinned. Zander gave a quick glare.
"Thank you for your patience." The admiral looked up. "You are all in the Advanced Junior Officer program are you not?"
"Yes sir..." Christopher answered.
"Well congratulations. You start work today. Report to the transporter room. They will be standing by to beam you to the umbilical port." The admiral read through his notes.
"Pardon me sir, but why can't we beam directly to Galileo?" Zander questioned.
"All internal transporter systems are offline and the armor is up." The admiral answered.
"A shuttle?" Zander added.
"The shuttle bay is offline as well." The admiral looked up.
"What is working?" Michael asked.
"The armor." The admiral smiled with a devilish grin.

The umbilical tube's doors slid open. Zander glanced down the corridor to the ship on the other side. He started across with Christopher just behind. Both stopped, realizing Michael wasn't following. He looked at them a little pale in the face.
"What is it Oray?" Zander questioned.
"I can handle a shuttle in an uncontrolled decent through an atmosphere... but I hate these umbilical tubes. Do you have any idea how often they came detached?" Michael said.
"If memory serves me right... that was in the 23rd century... before all the safety measures were in place." Christopher stated
"Come on... or I'll have to stun you." Zander grinned.

"Charge the impulse generators on my mark." Andrea ordered. "Mark." The lights flickered back on. The engineering doors began to open and close repeatedly. An ensign hesitated stepping through and ended up jumping to make it.
[Re-re-re-red alert..... red alererererert] The computer rambled. Andrea pressed a button cutting power to the impulse reactor. She sighed.
"Jonas, check the gel packs on the upper level." Andrea stated. The ensign climbed the ladder quickly. Andrea turned the corner. She stopped in her tracks. The gel pack terminal was already open. "Who are you and what are you doing to my ship?" Andrea questioned harshly. Zander slid out.
"Hello to you too. It looks like you had a box of faulty gel packs..." Zander pulled out a pocketknife and cut into one of the gel packs. He slid his hand into the blue goo. Zander felt around for a moment and found the problem. He pulled his hand out of the pack, and began disconnecting it.
"What are you doing?" Andrea asked again. Zander pulled the gel pack from the wall. There was a trail of goo on the back wall.
"This gel pack had a leak. It acted like a short circuit in the system." Zander handed the leaking gel pack to Andrea and slid out of the Jeffries tube. "Pleased to meet you Ma’am, I am Lieutenant Zander Nao."
"I'd appreciate if you'd tell me what you are doing next time you want to mess with my engines. You are one of those new junior officers aren't you?" Andrea stared.
"Yes, but I have enough experience to put you to shame." Zander answered.
"You have a symbiote don't you?" Andrea asked, dropping her harsh attitude in study of the marks down Zander's neck. Zander nodded and walked back over to her console. He pressed a few buttons and the lights came back on. Andrea looked at Zander with a slight look of amazement. "Computer, status?"
[Impulse generator nominal. Computer core active. Warp core offline. Primary, secondary, and auxilary systems 27% online and increasing. Life support and enviromental systems online.] The computer answered. Andrea smiled.

The bridge doors slid open methodically. Christopher stepped in and glanced around. Only the emergency lights were on, and the federation insignia was displayed on every terminal. He walked over towards his station. Christopher pressed it gently and the buttons appeared. He typed a few codes in. All the screens came on, including the view screen. Christopher smiled seeing the image of the inside of the space dock, the same view that had greeted ships since the time of Enterprise Alpha.
"Making yourself at home?" The captain asked. Christopher snapped to attention. "Are you going to answer my question Lieutenant?"
"Sorry sir... Ma’am.... um Captain... Shano." Christopher rambled.
"Ma'am will do, and please relax. I don't want any of my officers having a heart attack before we have a chance to leave." The captain smiled. Christopher faked a smile in return to hide his nervousness.
"Yes Ma'am..." He answered meekly. She walked by and gave him a pat on the shoulder. The doors slid open and Michael walked down the length of the bridge down to the helm. The captain smiled and walked back into her ready room. Christopher sighed with relief.

Zander peered into his quarters. He stepped in and glanced around some more. Zander threw his duffel bag onto his bed.
"Computer... are the replicators online?" Zander asked.
[Affirmative.] The calm voice answered.
"Give me one extra large 20th century, Oregon strawberry milkshake." Zander smiled. The drink appeared in the slot across the room. Zander quickly walked over and picked it up. He looked specutivly at the replicator. "And one spoon?" The computer responded by having the spoon appear. Zander plunged it into his shake. It slid down slowly. "Computer, amend replicator recipe 'Oregon strawberry milkshake' and include one large spoon." The computer beeped in response. Zander took a gulp of his drink.
[Lieutenant Nao report to sick bay.] The voice came through the combadge. Zander groaned and tapped it in response.
"On my way." He said sadly. He set his milkshake back in the replicator.

Zander walked into sick bay and stopped. His gaze stopped on the physician. The medical hologram smiled awkwardly, pulling out his medical tricorder.
"I was hoping to see you..." The EMH said as he began to scan Zander.
"You were?" Zander asked.
"Although the chief physician will soon be assigned, it would do well to have a base line scan of you considering your anatomy differs from the norm." The doctor said blatantly.
"Right." Zander replied plainly. The EMH scanned Zander's stomach for a moment.
"Interesting..." He whispered. "You seem perfectly healthy. Thank you." The EMH set the tricorder down and turned himself off. Zander lifted his eyebrow.

"Starfleet wants to know our schedule." Jonas said as he walked swiftly by Andrea.
"How nice. They hand us three kinds of new technology in the last week and expect it all to be operational, not to mention that Galileo is twice the size of normal Akira class ships, and the transphasic weaponry is useless." Andrea complained.
"Ah but who needs it when we have tricobalt launchers?" Jonas asked.
"At least the ablative armor systems work." Andrea said softly. "Well, at least getting it open worked."
"The armor doesn't just appear... the armor generators are like a replicator transporter hybrid, storing the armor" Jonas was stopped by the glare Andrea was sending his way.
"I don't need a lesson thank you. Let's see if we can get it to close again. Are the umbilicals still open?" Andrea asked. Jonas nodded. "Well disconnect them. The fact they are still connected could be causing the malfunction." Andrea ordered. Jonas walked to a near bye terminal, typing in a command sequence.
"Umbilicals detached. The armor has completely coated the ship." Jonas stated. Andrea pressed the sequencer. Outside the ship, the armor plates began to glow a bright teal. The quickly disappeared, revealing the contours of the ship.
"It works.... but according to these read outs, in the event of armor failure it will take seven point five minutes to recharge." Jonas stated.
"Well the armor combined with shields should work well enough... Tell Starfleet the new tech will be online in two days. Now we just have to worry about contemporary tech." Andrea smiled and shut off armor controls.
"Aye Ma'am." Jonas turned and walked back towards the door.

Two green flashes opened in space, a cylindrical Starfleet probe coming out of each. The slowed in front of a teal strewn planet. The probes slowly drifted into a low orbit, preparing to scan. A green sphere of energy pierced through the first drone, the probe exploding on contact. A beam of green energy caught the second probe, pulling it downward towards the planet.

[Attention, end Alpha shift, Beta shift will now commence.] The computer announced. Christopher gave a quiet chuckle and turned back towards Zander.
"Certainly is organized." Christopher remarked.
"We could have used that at the academy." Zander joked. "I have a great idea..."
"Uh oh..." Christopher blurted jokingly.
"No not that kind of good idea... I'm not going to prank the captain. Why don't we go break in the holodeck?" Zander questioned.
"Your rations or mine?" Christopher asked.
"Won't you lend to a friend in need?" Zander said sullenly.
"I suppose so." Christopher answered hesitantly. Both walked over and entered the turbolift.
"Deck seven." Zander ordered. The turbolift started on it's way.
"I saw readouts of you in sick bay. I think the doctor likes you, on a purly medical level." Christopher grinned.
"Yes, the most exotic specimen he's met." Zander said sounding unpleased. Christopher laughed.

The bridge flashed in crimson light. Under red alert the bridge functioned silently and efficiently. The captain pressed the button next to his chair.
"Captains log, U.S.S. Hudson... stardate 51408.7. Outpost at Delah IV stopped transmitting two days ago. We sent our new transwarp probes ahead of us to investigate but we have lost contact with them as well. Long-range sensors cannot pick up any telemetry from the planet. We are going to drop out of warp to investigate, let's hope that does something good." The captain tapped his terminal, the log ending.

"Computer Freeze program." Zander exclaimed. The Klingon stopped mid-swing with his Bat'leth.
"What?" Rasca turned around.
"I thought you wanted this to be Realistic fiction." Zander stated.
"Yeah? And?" Christopher set his weapon down.
"Sure Klingons are unpredictable but we didn’t even say anything!" Zander noted.
"Did we need to? Remember because of Korath's deception he thinks we are the dishonorable ones that stole the sword of Kahles." Zander gave a blatant look to Christopher's remarks
"Still... no insults?" Zander smiled.
[Lieutenants Nao and Rasca report to engineering.] Andrea's voice came through the com.
"That means us right?" Christopher questioned.
"Computer save and end program." Zander walked towards the door as the damp forest of Khitomer disappeared to the bleak holodeck grid.

A streak of light flashed as the old Starfleet vessel dropped out of Warp. The ribbed bands down the length of the thrusters slowly faded to their default black. The ship moved into an orbit, scanning the surface. Two tractor beams lanced out from the surface of the planet, striking the Hudson's shields. A number of Torpedoes rippled through the atmosphere, weakening the shields. After a few moments the tractor beams cut out. The ship drifted motionless in a steady orbit.

 

[Kaziarl]

The doors hissed open as Shano walked in. The captain bowed her head slightly. The ensign traced his fingers slowly along two yellow rectangles on the console in front of him. One of the five circles in the platform ahead of him lit, a blue column of light appeared, small white and blue orbs of light spreading vertically within the column. The form of a young woman slowly appeared, the light fading around her. She adjusted her bag slung over her shoulder and stepped down starkly.
"Major Jessica Arroway reporting for duty Sir." The young woman stated.
"At ease doctor, and it's Ma'am if you'd be so kind. The EMH has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Why don't I guide you to sick bay." Shano smiled.
"Much appreciated Ma'am." Jessica smiled. Shano's communicator chirped. She tapped it.
"This is Anara," The captain voiced.
[Priority one message for you from Starfleet Ma'am.] Michael reported.

The last of the staff sat down at the last minute meeting. Anara sat quietly down into her chair. She adjusted her pips for a moment.
"About an hour ago Starfleet lost contact with the Miranda class U.S.S. Hudson. The last contact simply explained they were about to enter orbit of the Delah IV outpost. Shano pressed the button next to her arm. The display screen showed the Captains file. Zander's eyes widened.
"He was Tovan?" Zander asked out loud.
"We studied with a Tovan at the academy..." Andrea stated. "Their species is small because of their cultural life... among extreme environmentalist ways they also believe in absolute consensus before actions."
"Tovan are very rare captains because they usually have to get consensus among their crew. Is there any telemetry from the sensors that might say what happened?" Zander questioned. Shano stared at the rest of the crew. The light caught her earring, causing it to shimmer slightly.
"Before someone launched the computer core records, the outpost opened fire on them." Shano noted, pausing. "We've been ordered to investigate, despite our unfinished condition. I know this seems too daunting of a task, and for an average crew you may be right... but you were selected because you are the best of the best. We may not know each other yet, and our ship may not be waterproof... but we will learn on the move. All crew have been recalled and we need to be ready to launch in one day. I am counting on you all, and I believe you can do it. This ship is going to be our home for a while, and we are going to be family. I know this sounds presumptuous but I took good time in reading your files, and more then just your status files. I read recommendations and notes and scribbles all the way back from your high school teachers... which reminds me, Mister Rasca... no funny business." Christopher had a nervous smile as he stared down at the table, trying to hide his embarrassment. "As I was saying, I can't think of better people to be my family. Now let's get to work." Anara stood up. The crew quickly filed out of the room.

The Hudson's bridge doors hissed open, the chief engineer striding in.
"Captain, every time I try to get the engines back online they simply shut down. Whatever it was that hit us knocked out all command protocols." The engineer warned.
"We've been in a degrading orbit for four hours. The core would have transmitted itself by now. Get the crew's feelings on whether we should sit tight or try and..." The captain paused. A gas was slowly pouring from vents in the ceiling. The engineer turned. Another jet of gas sprayed from below the view screen, striking the helmsman. He stood up, scratching at his skin. He screamed starkly, writhing where he stood. His skin paled slowly just before a black cylinder pierced through his skin. The device unfolded it's spidery legs, anchoring itself in the man's arm. Similar devices were appearing on the crew members across the ship. The lights flickered, as did the main view screen. Green code sprawled across the screen as the back up core was being re-written.

[Nao to Bridge. Starfleet has just transmitted Voyager's database. I request a meeting in stellar cartography.] Zander's voice emanated from the Com.
"Very well then." Anara pressed her combadge. "Senior staff report to stellar cartography."

Christopher walked briskly down the hall, only pausing for the shout calling his name. He looked over his shoulder to see Michael running up haphazardly behind him. Christopher let off a quiet sigh.
"Hello Ensign." Christopher said.
"Hi." He paused. "Why are we going to stellar cartography instead of the briefing room?" Michael asked.
"I would assume it is because of the new design of the lab. The room is spherical, with a platform extending to the middle. The spherical design allows for everything from standard stellar cartography to astrometry to holographic display, and it is the one part of the ship that doesn't have gravimetric plating. You can turn the gravity off for once." Christopher smiled. He turned the hallway and the doors slid open. A number of images were sprawled across the spherical walls, and Zander was standing at the terminal at the middle. Christopher and Michael stood on opposite sides of the Terminal to allow the captain her best view. Andrea leaned against the platforms railing and Jessica held her hands behind her back.
"By all means Lieutenant, begin." Shano stated.
"Computer, full viewing area." Zander ordered. The door disappeared behind a holographic continuation to the screen. "Ok. Computer, activate advanced stations." A slot in the wall appeared and another platform slid out towards the primary platform. The guard rails snapped down before the two platforms connected. Another computer terminal sat against the wall at the end of the other platform. Zander tapped a button on his terminal. The many windows disappeared, replaced by a star field. The many constellations whizzed by, zooming up to the view of a solar system. Five planets rotated around a red dwarf sun. There were no moons in orbit of any of the planets. A low-tech representation of the Hudson flashed in orbit of the fourth planet. Zander again tapped the button. The view zoomed in, showing just the fourth planet.
"This is Delah IV. It was established as a watching post in the beta quadrant as an early warning system in case of Romulan invasion. There are seven primary transmitters as well as five redundant systems that should transmit in the event no one is able to. They are strategically placed so no enemy force could possibly hit all at once, so there would always be a message transmitted." Zander stated.
"But no such message was sent." Jessica noted, stepping closer to Zander. "It was my first instinct to suspect that there was some sort of outbreak on the planet, but that wouldn't explain the loss of contact from the Hudson."
"Commander, how ready are we for standard tactical duty?" Shano questioned.
"About eighty percent captain, but all our weapons and shields are fully online. The tri-cobalt launchers have been loaded." Andrea replied.
"All right. Let's prepare to head out. Activate the ablative armor when we're clear of space dock. Ensign Cortez, please prepare to depart." Anara ordered.
"Yes Ma'am." Michael replied, turning briskly out of the room. A gap in the hologram disappeared as he passed through the doors.

"Denoros tea, warm." Anara ordered. A small thermos appeared. Anara took the thermos and set in on her desk. She set a small tea cup next to the thermos and poured herself a cup. The doors opened and shut after Christopher had entered. "Would you like a cup?" Anara asked.
"No thank you Ma'am, I came to inform you we are going to be ready to leave in twenty three minutes..." Christopher paused. "You already unpacked your tea cup?" Chris questioned.
"I don't know what you have in mind but Galileo is our home now, and for the next few years. I am not going to live out of a suitcase until this mission is over. I intend to make myself at home, and the best way to start is with my favorite tea in my favorite tea cup." Anara retorted.
"I didn't figure you as the tea sort." Christopher remarked.
"You have seen me with this cup before... what did you think I had in it? A Tribble? Actually, I was checking the loading logs and it seems more then I have made this a home already. Space dock logged many interesting things." Anara lifted her padd. "Among the more interesting items... a Trill mind sphere, five Bajoran incents, a hand full of mood crystals, seven teddy bears, One... blinky according to security, A dabbo table.... and even a Klingon Bat'leth. I find that quite interesting considering we don't have a Klingon on board." The captain finished her tea and set her cup down.
"I have been known to be one to... skip the details. I tend to like things less crowded." Christopher shrugged.
"Be careful how simple you go. I don't want to have to order you to get some personal possessions." Shano smiled.
"I suppose I could replicate the rings of Betazed..." Christopher remarked.
"Aren't those for royal family?" Anara asked. Chris smiled.

 

[Mistral]

Although you have some typos( 'shined' instead of 'shone') a very good beginning. However, the character definition is a little blurry except for Christopher and Zander. Don't really have a suggestion to clear that up-just had a bit of difficulty grasping who was who. I assume it will become obvious as the story goes on.