U.S.S. SELEYA : FRAIL BLOOD
- Thread starter Mistral
- Start date
Correct, Bigguy. According to Memory Alpha, Friendship One was the first in a series of probes launched by UESPA, the Earth exploration branch of Starfleet, in the 2160s. And I think you're right, CeJay, there was too much exposition. Its difficult to walk sometimes when you want to run, especially when the goal is in sight. I really just want to finish this episode because #3 is already bouncing around in the gruel and dust bunnies I use in place of a brain. Its actually been there since The Fracture but I knew Seleya had to go do SOMETHING to add a little depth. I rushed that last sequence and may end up revising it at a future date. It didn't help that I was writing without my copy of the preceding portions of the story-I accidently left it on a different computer(don't ask) and didn't have it to refer to for the"flavor" of the story. I'll try to do better on the next part.
Very good segment. Thanks for the "Voyager" reference, Bigguy. I was confused by the "Friendship 6" reference initially. Now it makes perfect sense.
Keep up the good work, Mistral!
Keep up the good work, Mistral!
Nicely done. A very plausible scenario with Dresga in many ways being the big megacorp along the lines of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the Alien series of movies. In this instance, exposition worked. Exposition isn't a dirty word and you do need to do that from time to time. You did a good job with it here.
And again, the security comedy duo was fun--even though they only had a bit part this go round...
And again, the security comedy duo was fun--even though they only had a bit part this go round...
Thanks all. Had surgery and haven't been able to concentrate on story but am trying-maybe get part 7 up on Friday.It isn't easy-
I built myself a crooked house,
With narrow halls and leaning walls,
And now I have to fix it-
That's kind of how this tale is evolving. It only looks simple-I'm jumping thru hoops working out the details> Next post is next part-promise.
I built myself a crooked house,
With narrow halls and leaning walls,
And now I have to fix it-
That's kind of how this tale is evolving. It only looks simple-I'm jumping thru hoops working out the details> Next post is next part-promise.
PART 7- FINDING THE NEEDLE
After cutting the connection with Acting First Councilor Bela, Sanjay focused on Ensign Perling.
“Mr. Perling, how do you suggest we go about finding our missing crewmembers?” Louis gathered a bit of wool before replying.
“I think,” he said, “We can assume that they aren’t on the surface. At least, if they are the search areas are very limited. Most of the surface is deadly even with a radiation suit.” As he spoke his fingers were flying over his Science station. “I can have the remaining safe spots scanned in a few minutes. If we don’t find them that way I have another idea which may work.” He hesitated a moment. Sanjay lifted an eyebrow at him, Vulcan-style. Louis continued, “What I’m proposing is a negative search. Any caves or subterranean enclosures would have to be heavily shielded to resist the radiation. I can get an idea of the scan permeability of the planets crust and use that to detect anomalies.”
Sanjay stared at him for a moment. “Ok, Mr. Perling, let’s see if I understand you. You’re going to figure out to what average depth our sensors will penetrate the crust and then identify spots that don’t fit within the “normal” parameters. Did I get that right?”
“Yes, sir, you did. I will have to eliminate certain geological and mineralogical factors to narrow the search even further but I think with help from some of the scientists we have on board it should be possible. Not easy, but possible.” His board beeped at him. “They are not on the surface. Not in any of the habitable areas, anyway. With your permission, Captain, I’ll get down to Deck 18 and begin the sub-surface scans.”
“By all means, Ensign. Do keep me posted.” Louis nodded at Sanjay as he headed for the turbolift. Sanjay turned towards Sergeant Mitchell. “Sergeant, I’d like you to assemble a strike team in case we have to extract our people from these ‘rebels’.” His eyes narrowed when he saw the d’k tahg strapped to Mitchell’s waist. “I see we’re on the same frequency here.”
“Yes, Captain. I’ll have a team ready to go in twenty minutes.” He also headed for the turbolift.
“Very good, Sergeant.” Sanjay turned his attention back to the viewscreen and stared at the decimated planet displayed there. He stroked his beard in a brooding manner and waited.
*********
Mitchell strode purposefully into the main Security office. A number of his people were present. His second in command, Lieutenant Jossef Stepanovich, was going over reports at the desk. Dolph, the big Bolian, had the armory open and was cleaning phaser rifles with the help of Margie Stratton. Hanauer Kem, the Bajoran who’d transferred in as a replacement after the losses from their last mission, sat on a bench in the corner sharpening a wrist-knife on a whetstone. The two Tellarite explosive experts, Mahv and C’mell were in a corner on the floor, arguing good-naturedly while re-assembling what looked like a multi-tiered detonator.
“Ok, people, if you weren’t already aware, our Away team was snatched a little while ago. We believe they are being held in a shielded, underground facility.” All eyes were on Michell as he outlined the situation. “The planet is bathed in radiation so we’ll have to follow full bio-suit protocols if we go in to extract them.” There were a few groans at this. “Jossef, once we leave you are in charge. Be aware, there is a very large fleet of potentially hostile ships hiding behind one of the outer planets. Individually, they don’t have the punch to hurt us. I want you to keep in mind, though, that there are enough to theoretically beat down our shields in a combined effort. If that happens you’ll want to be ready in case of a boarding attempt.” Jossef, never a man of many words, merely nodded. “Hanauer, Dolph and Margie will make up the fire team. C’mell, you get to be our door opener.” The pig-faced woman smiled in anticipation. C’mell and Mahv both enjoyed their jobs a little too much in Mitchell’s opinion but were very good at what they did.
As Mitchell began assembling his gear he watched his people with satisfaction. Not a move was wasted as they put away whatever they’d been working on and got ready for action. First came the “flak” jackets and helmets. Then reinforced bio-hazard suits. Finally, Dolph, the armory chief, began handing out weapons. Lots and lots of weapons. Mitchell was a firm believer in overwhelming firepower and his people had learned their lessons well. The three members of the fire team each carried a phaser rifle along with a Type II pistol-grip phaser on their hip. Dolph strapped a Bolian azat, something like an Earth scimitar, to his other hip and slid a trench knife into a boot sheath. Little Margie Stratton was slipping shuriken into the custom pockets on her bio suit. Mitchell could see a line of Orion tessames, throwing spikes, rounding her right hip. Strapped low on her left leg was a Romulan stunner she’d gotten her hands on somewhere. Hanauer had an antique Mark I hand phaser in his breast pocket. A microwire garrote hung from a clip on his belt. With knives strapped to both boots, a shock baton at his waist and a bandolier of stun and flash grenades across his chest he was literally festooned with weapons. Hanauer had grown up under the Occupation and was an expert with anything that killed, maimed or incapacitated. C’mell had passed on the phaser rifle, although she had taken a Type II. In place of the rifle she carried a Klingon k’vort, a type of grenade launcher capable of carrying a mixed load of ordinance. To the front she had custom-welded a bayonet. Various waist pouches hung from her belt to hold the tools of her trade. She also had an over-the-shoulder sling bag for some of the less fragile “door opening” components. Satisfied that they were ready, Mitchell checked in with Captain Sanjay. Then, like soldiers since time immemorial had done whenever there wasn’t an immediate need to fight, they sat down and waited.
It took Louis several hours to narrow down the list of possible locations to a manageable few. When he was satisfied that he wasn’t going to refine the results any further he notified Sanjay.
“Very good, Ensign. Put your results on a padd and take it the hangar bay. Chief Jerix is down there now doing upgrades to the Asimov’s shielding. He can upload your information to the navigation computer.”
“Aye, Captain. Perling out.”
“Bridge to Security.”
“Stepanovich here, Keptain.”
“Tell Mitchell and his team to take the Asimov and go find our people.”
“Da, Keptain. Security out.”
The extraction team arrived at the hangar bay on Louis’s heels. He was just handing the padd to Chief Jerix. They stood and waited a few moments for Jerix to upload the information they needed.
“I was able to identify three locations as likely targets.” Louis said to Mitchell and his team. “Two are on the major land mass in the north and one is on a large island in one of the southern seas. All three locations had trace readings of artificial materials but with all of the damage to Mii’s atmosphere I couldn’t get much else. I’m, ah, sorry, Sergeant.”
“That’s alright, Ensign. I’d rather search three specific locations than the whole planet. You did good, kid,” Mitchell replied. Louis blushed in embarrassment at being referred to as “kid” but didn’t say anything. Jerix popped his head out of the Asimov’s hatch.
“You’re good to go, Sergeant,” he said with a smile.
Mitchell grinned back at him. “Thanks, Chief.” Turning to his team he said, “Ok, everybody saddle up! C’mell, you’re flying today. Everybody else, strap down. It’s liable to be a bumpy ride.” They boarded the Delta Flyer-class shuttle and began pre-flight operations. As the hatch began closing Louis blurted out a hasty, “Good luck!” before he retreated from the flight deck. Margie waved at him through the port window. Louis and Jerix waited by the turbolift entrance, watching, and after a few moments the Asimov’s engines fired. The shuttle leaped off of the deck, shot through the air shield, and was quickly gone from sight. The two officers entered the turbolift completely and the doors closed shut.
After cutting the connection with Acting First Councilor Bela, Sanjay focused on Ensign Perling.
“Mr. Perling, how do you suggest we go about finding our missing crewmembers?” Louis gathered a bit of wool before replying.
“I think,” he said, “We can assume that they aren’t on the surface. At least, if they are the search areas are very limited. Most of the surface is deadly even with a radiation suit.” As he spoke his fingers were flying over his Science station. “I can have the remaining safe spots scanned in a few minutes. If we don’t find them that way I have another idea which may work.” He hesitated a moment. Sanjay lifted an eyebrow at him, Vulcan-style. Louis continued, “What I’m proposing is a negative search. Any caves or subterranean enclosures would have to be heavily shielded to resist the radiation. I can get an idea of the scan permeability of the planets crust and use that to detect anomalies.”
Sanjay stared at him for a moment. “Ok, Mr. Perling, let’s see if I understand you. You’re going to figure out to what average depth our sensors will penetrate the crust and then identify spots that don’t fit within the “normal” parameters. Did I get that right?”
“Yes, sir, you did. I will have to eliminate certain geological and mineralogical factors to narrow the search even further but I think with help from some of the scientists we have on board it should be possible. Not easy, but possible.” His board beeped at him. “They are not on the surface. Not in any of the habitable areas, anyway. With your permission, Captain, I’ll get down to Deck 18 and begin the sub-surface scans.”
“By all means, Ensign. Do keep me posted.” Louis nodded at Sanjay as he headed for the turbolift. Sanjay turned towards Sergeant Mitchell. “Sergeant, I’d like you to assemble a strike team in case we have to extract our people from these ‘rebels’.” His eyes narrowed when he saw the d’k tahg strapped to Mitchell’s waist. “I see we’re on the same frequency here.”
“Yes, Captain. I’ll have a team ready to go in twenty minutes.” He also headed for the turbolift.
“Very good, Sergeant.” Sanjay turned his attention back to the viewscreen and stared at the decimated planet displayed there. He stroked his beard in a brooding manner and waited.
*********
Mitchell strode purposefully into the main Security office. A number of his people were present. His second in command, Lieutenant Jossef Stepanovich, was going over reports at the desk. Dolph, the big Bolian, had the armory open and was cleaning phaser rifles with the help of Margie Stratton. Hanauer Kem, the Bajoran who’d transferred in as a replacement after the losses from their last mission, sat on a bench in the corner sharpening a wrist-knife on a whetstone. The two Tellarite explosive experts, Mahv and C’mell were in a corner on the floor, arguing good-naturedly while re-assembling what looked like a multi-tiered detonator.
“Ok, people, if you weren’t already aware, our Away team was snatched a little while ago. We believe they are being held in a shielded, underground facility.” All eyes were on Michell as he outlined the situation. “The planet is bathed in radiation so we’ll have to follow full bio-suit protocols if we go in to extract them.” There were a few groans at this. “Jossef, once we leave you are in charge. Be aware, there is a very large fleet of potentially hostile ships hiding behind one of the outer planets. Individually, they don’t have the punch to hurt us. I want you to keep in mind, though, that there are enough to theoretically beat down our shields in a combined effort. If that happens you’ll want to be ready in case of a boarding attempt.” Jossef, never a man of many words, merely nodded. “Hanauer, Dolph and Margie will make up the fire team. C’mell, you get to be our door opener.” The pig-faced woman smiled in anticipation. C’mell and Mahv both enjoyed their jobs a little too much in Mitchell’s opinion but were very good at what they did.
As Mitchell began assembling his gear he watched his people with satisfaction. Not a move was wasted as they put away whatever they’d been working on and got ready for action. First came the “flak” jackets and helmets. Then reinforced bio-hazard suits. Finally, Dolph, the armory chief, began handing out weapons. Lots and lots of weapons. Mitchell was a firm believer in overwhelming firepower and his people had learned their lessons well. The three members of the fire team each carried a phaser rifle along with a Type II pistol-grip phaser on their hip. Dolph strapped a Bolian azat, something like an Earth scimitar, to his other hip and slid a trench knife into a boot sheath. Little Margie Stratton was slipping shuriken into the custom pockets on her bio suit. Mitchell could see a line of Orion tessames, throwing spikes, rounding her right hip. Strapped low on her left leg was a Romulan stunner she’d gotten her hands on somewhere. Hanauer had an antique Mark I hand phaser in his breast pocket. A microwire garrote hung from a clip on his belt. With knives strapped to both boots, a shock baton at his waist and a bandolier of stun and flash grenades across his chest he was literally festooned with weapons. Hanauer had grown up under the Occupation and was an expert with anything that killed, maimed or incapacitated. C’mell had passed on the phaser rifle, although she had taken a Type II. In place of the rifle she carried a Klingon k’vort, a type of grenade launcher capable of carrying a mixed load of ordinance. To the front she had custom-welded a bayonet. Various waist pouches hung from her belt to hold the tools of her trade. She also had an over-the-shoulder sling bag for some of the less fragile “door opening” components. Satisfied that they were ready, Mitchell checked in with Captain Sanjay. Then, like soldiers since time immemorial had done whenever there wasn’t an immediate need to fight, they sat down and waited.
It took Louis several hours to narrow down the list of possible locations to a manageable few. When he was satisfied that he wasn’t going to refine the results any further he notified Sanjay.
“Very good, Ensign. Put your results on a padd and take it the hangar bay. Chief Jerix is down there now doing upgrades to the Asimov’s shielding. He can upload your information to the navigation computer.”
“Aye, Captain. Perling out.”
“Bridge to Security.”
“Stepanovich here, Keptain.”
“Tell Mitchell and his team to take the Asimov and go find our people.”
“Da, Keptain. Security out.”
The extraction team arrived at the hangar bay on Louis’s heels. He was just handing the padd to Chief Jerix. They stood and waited a few moments for Jerix to upload the information they needed.
“I was able to identify three locations as likely targets.” Louis said to Mitchell and his team. “Two are on the major land mass in the north and one is on a large island in one of the southern seas. All three locations had trace readings of artificial materials but with all of the damage to Mii’s atmosphere I couldn’t get much else. I’m, ah, sorry, Sergeant.”
“That’s alright, Ensign. I’d rather search three specific locations than the whole planet. You did good, kid,” Mitchell replied. Louis blushed in embarrassment at being referred to as “kid” but didn’t say anything. Jerix popped his head out of the Asimov’s hatch.
“You’re good to go, Sergeant,” he said with a smile.
Mitchell grinned back at him. “Thanks, Chief.” Turning to his team he said, “Ok, everybody saddle up! C’mell, you’re flying today. Everybody else, strap down. It’s liable to be a bumpy ride.” They boarded the Delta Flyer-class shuttle and began pre-flight operations. As the hatch began closing Louis blurted out a hasty, “Good luck!” before he retreated from the flight deck. Margie waved at him through the port window. Louis and Jerix waited by the turbolift entrance, watching, and after a few moments the Asimov’s engines fired. The shuttle leaped off of the deck, shot through the air shield, and was quickly gone from sight. The two officers entered the turbolift completely and the doors closed shut.
I liked how the security team customized their individual weapons load-out per their preferences. It shows that Mitchell recognizes that each member of the team has certain "gifts" with their choice of ordinance. I'd hate to be anyone that went up against them in a fire fight! 
Echoing Redshirt, definitely a professional security team. Problem is they're going into a situation essentially cold and with limited intel--always dangerous--but then, that's what they're being paid for!
Ow! My eyes! MY EYES!!!
Isn't the new software fun?
Seriously, that is strange. Did you cut and paste? I've seen that on a couple of other posts.
Isn't the new software fun?
Seriously, that is strange. Did you cut and paste? I've seen that on a couple of other posts.
That's my suspicion, at least. For some reason font changes beyond straight bold and italics seem to bring Word's coding with them.
ETA: I'm still testing. I'll let everyone know when I have a copy-and-paste for Word to the new system that seems to work consistently.
ETA: I'm still testing. I'll let everyone know when I have a copy-and-paste for Word to the new system that seems to work consistently.
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