Where is the Cassiopeia?

Posted on Thu Sep 26th, 2013 @ 4:45pm by Commander Aztala Germond & Captain Jacob Lambert & Lieutenant JG Joycelyn Westbridge & Lieutenant Walter Roebuck & Ensign George Ward & Lieutenant Jawhn Benson

1,225 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 2 - Whispers in the Clouds
Location: USS Unification Bridge
Timeline: Day 2 - 1400

Looking up from her PADD and her 24th ship's status check through it, LtCom Germond stifles a sigh. Though she can clearly see the sensor readings from the command chair, she reminds herself that it's not her job to be reading them and she's supposed to get interactive responses from the crew on such things. Something she still isn't used to, it seems.

Turning to the Science station with an unfamiliar vulcan ensign manning it, Aztala gets up and steps over behind her. "Any sign of the Cassiopeia yet?"

Punching a few buttons, the Ensign runs through several scans before reporting. "Nothing ma'am. Not even any response from the ship's transponder."

Aztala frowns a little, realizing that they may have been delayed, but they were supposed to have been waiting for them for several hours. "Any response to hails?"

Punching a few more buttons, She replies. "Negative, ma'am." Suddenly the Ensign turns to her and motions for her to get closer, sniffing the air lightly. She whispers, "Ma'am, I don't want to bring it up, but your pheromones are starting to give be a bit of a headache. May I be excused momentarily?"

Straightening up, Aztala looks a little worried, wondering about the possible lingering effects of that brandy she shared with the news liaison yesterday. While pulling out her hypospray and injecting herself, she apologizes. "Sorry about that. I forgot how sensitive Vulcans can be to such things. Please do as you need. By the way, what's your name?"

Nodding and standing, the ensign motions to go. "Ensign T'Vel, ma'am. There's a medkit in the storage lockers behind the bridge so I will be back momentarily."

Stepping back to the command chair, she presses a button on it. "Germond to Captain Lambert. We're about 2 hours from the rendezvous point and we're not seeing any signs of the Cassiopeia on sensors. Neither are they responding to hails."

"Thank you Commander. I will join you on the bridge shortly. Send a message to Gamma Command and let them know we havnt made contact. May seem like overkill, but I am not prepared to take chances right now. Lambert out." This was going to turn out interesting. He finished the last mouthful of his coffee, picked up the cup and placed it back on the desk replicator. He stood up and headed for the door of his ready room.

Muttering under her breath, "With the shape this ship is still in..." Stepping over to an open console at the back of the bridge, Aztala punches up her pre-prepared report template, fills in the details, and fires it off to Gamma Command, the whole action taking less than a minute.

Lieutenant Jawhn Benson made his way to the bridge. He'd had his hands full with system checks most of the morning. Once the doors had slid open and he stepped onto the bridge, the Bolian engineer slipped into his station seat, shooing away the ensign that had been sitting there. "Systems at maximum," he announced.

Jawhn rubbed one hand over his head and turned his chair to look at the viewscreen. Since he was on standby, he stayed focused on the screen for awhile longer before going back and doing more sensor sweeps, which was probably what everyone else in the room was doing as well.

His hands making practiced sweeps around the consoles, Ensign Ward, "Detecting a ship ship on long range sensors. 3.5 hours out. I can't get much beyond that from my console." Stating the obvious, he added, "Interception course, Ma'am?" He added the course corrections to the console in a delayed action in case she changed her mind.

Roebuck looked over his sensor readings of the ship that had just come into range. One thing jumped out at him, quickly. “Picking up low energy output on that ship, engines are powered down completely, but I’m not picking up any residual traces of weapons fire...at least not from this range.”

Aztala steps back to the center chair, placing a hand on it. "It sounds like they might be in trouble, whomever they may be and they might be the Cassiopeia. Ensign Ward, change course to intercept."

Jocelyn reviewed all of the sensor data the others had gathered for anything they had missed, which was nothing. Her nerves were on edge because she had yet to receive the transmission with the information she had requested. She double checked the navigational sensor logs for an embedded transmission, and found it, received minutes before. Quickly she decrypted the message and reviewed it, separating out what she believed the Captain wouldn't need to know. She then re-encrypted it requiring the Commander and her access codes. "Commander, I have received a message from one of my contacts, I need the Captains authorization to release it."

Looking over at Jocelyn, Aztala pauses for a second wondering what was keeping the Captain. He said he would be here shortly but the seconds seemed to drag on. "If you think it might be sensitive, I would discuss it with him in his ready room."

Jacob walked onto the bridge, PADD in hand. He looked around the bridge to see who was at what station. He walked towards the centre of the bridge. "Report Commander." he ordered. "Has there been any further developments." He hoped there had been at least a little good news, though he doubted there would be.

Aztala nods and reports calmly, a professional tone to her voice. "There's no response from the Cassiopeia, Lt Westbridge has a message that requires your access code, and we've altered course to head towards an as of yet unidentified ship in the same area that is almost completely powered down and whether they're the Cassiopeia or not, they may need help."

"Lieutenant Westbridge, transfer the message to my PADD." Waiting for the conformation he held eye contact for a moment. He turned back to the Orion first officer. "ETA to the unidentified ship Commander?"

Aztala replies calmly, realizing she had forgotten that bit of information. "Approximately three and a half hours."

"Ok. Put sickbay on alert. Im going to my ready room and see what this message says." he replied holding up his PADD. Inform me if anything changes. See if you can get all you can out of the engines and get us there quicker." He turned and walked towards the door to the ready room.

Sitting back down in the command chair, Aztala punches a button on the arm controls. "Germond to Sickbay, we may have injured for you before long." Receiving an acknowledgement, she punches another button. "Germond to engineering, please do all you can to give us as much speed as possible." When she got an acknowledgement, she turns the comm off and addresses the bridge crew. "We'll need a new time estimate."

"Tactical systems on hot stand-by." Roebuck commented from Tactical. Of course everyone was hoping the ship wasn't headed into battle, but better safe than sorry.

"Systems are ready fer max warp, Commander." Benson reported, once he'd gotten the all-clear from the engine room. The Bolian ran a hand over his bald scalp, in a rapidly becoming a familiar way, and took a deep breath, turning once again to face the viewscreen.

Smiling widely, Aztala per forms an obviously well rehearsed 'Picard hand movement' and says "Engage."

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