The Hardaways' Hardware (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on 22 Jun 2012 @ 9:50am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Commander Chauncey Remington III (KIA) & Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Anthony Hardaway Ph.D. & Eric Anderson

4,354 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: Starbase 152 - Decks 100-102, Science Labs
Timeline: MD 07 - 1455 hrs

Previously...

Turning in her chair to look back to her team of personnel, Lirha made sure everyone understood their roles in the upcoming transfer. "Is everyone aware of their responsibilities once we arrive at One-Five-Two?" she asked the group, hoping that they were prepared to jump into action the minute they landed.

Lilou nodded in answer as she held on to her seat. "Yes, sir," she asserted, though her voice was a little reedy.

Remington echoed Peers' words. "Am I to have command of the away team, captain?" he asked.

"Yes," Lirha replied simply with a nod, "You will be in charge of the team until I rejoin you." she said. Though she had never openly admitted it to anyone, even her XO, the gold-collared lieutenant commander was one of her most dependable senior officers, the reason why he had been chosen to become Galileo's second officer.

Markum made sure the crafts functions were set for standby, then turned in his chair next to Lirha, "I'm ready to get my greasy paws dirty Skipper. Just give the word."

"There will be plenty of time for that, Chief, I promise." she replied to him with a small smile. She quite liked his colorful use of language, and she thought back to their first shuttle ride together while they inspected Galileo's hull in the San Francisco Fleet Yards dry dock. It had been an enjoyable experience, and she had been happy to have had his company in their small shuttlepod.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Lirha delicately piloted the shuttlecraft on approach to Starbase 152 before the station's shuttlebay tractor beams engaged and took over automatic control of the landing. Their craft slowly entered the large yet surprisingly empty bay, then touched down softly on the landing pad with a slight jolt to the craft as it made contact with the ground. Moving as quickly as possible with a sense of urgency, the captain quickly powered down the shuttlecraft and deployed the aft ramp for everyone to exit from.

The first one out of his seat was the operations officer. Remington turned his attention to Peers, checking to see how she had fared on the ride and offering her a hand in support if need be.

The second the shuttle touched down, Lilou began breathing easier again. The hand sliding into her vision brought her gaze up and she smiled a little weakly, taking Will's hand and squeezing it once as she got to her feet. Her feet hurt, cramped from toes that had been nervously curled for the short flight over, but she was elated to be getting off the shuttle for a little while. Tiny ships were evil, that was all there was to it. As she disembarked, she looked around the shuttlebay of the station expectantly, but there didn't appear to be anyone particularly interested in them.

Lirha was the last one out of the craft and she quickly joined the rest of her team as they walked towards the shuttlebay exit. With a swish of the large double-doors, they stepped out into one of the main corridors inside the station, and began to make their way to the main operations center where they would be able to locate the required personnel and equipment vital to the mission.

It was a relatively short walk to the nearest turbolift, after which they all stepped out and into the large and spacious Ops center. Immediately, Lirha took note of the many personnel moving about, mostly blue-collared science and gold-collared operations personnel. Turning back to her senior-most officer, she motioned with her hand to the CO's office off to the left. "I must speak with the base commander, after which I will rejoin you and assist with the hardware transfer." she said to Commander Remington.

"We'll begin by finding Doctor Hardaway, captain," was the reply Will gave in response.

"Very good." she replied with a nod, then turned on her heels and headed across the operations center and towards the gray door which lead to the starbase CO's office. She had much to discuss with the admiral, and hoped that she wouldn't be delayed too long.

As the captain left, Remington turned to the rest of his team. "All right," he said, "because of the project's sensitivity, the station won't reveal Doctor Hardaway's location. But he should be in the science labs his project is assigned to. We'll head there first."

Lilou lifted her brows slightly, looking between Remington and Quinn. They wouldn't reveal his location? Not even to the people who were supposed to talk to him? What kind of a catch-22 security protocol was that?

Quinn looked around the area and nodded. "I agree. After you Commander." replied the old salty sailor.

Will led the away team to the turbolift, reviewing his PADD that contained all the notes he'd made for the mission. Once the doors opened and everyone piled inside, the commander said, "Science labs," and sent them off. "We'll start with the most vital equipment first," he told the others, "just in case we need to make an early departure. Mr. Quinn, if there's anything volatile or what-have-you that needs removing or disconnecting or powering down, I'll leave that to your capable hands." He smiled, "Last thing we need is me blowing something up."

Quinn laughed and shook his head, "Don't worry Commander, if anything goes boom, I'll be sure to tell the Skipper that I warned you not to touch the big red button."

"In all fairness, Chief," Peers said so dryly that it was almost unclear that she was joking, "on a project like this, I doubt there is a big red button. That would be rather the opposite of 'secret', wouldn't it?" She looked around the turbolift, "Sir, do we know how large this apparatus is? If the transporters don't work between the ship and the station, do they work within the station? Because this is a small lift."

"We may have to disassemble parts of the equipment," Will replied, "but most of it should fit. The station has cargo lifts as well."

The turbolift doors opened and the commander led the team through the corridors of the station. Several security personnel guarded the area and Remington approached one of them.

"Ensign," he said, "I'm Commander Remington from the Galileo. We need to find Doctor Hardaway immediately."

The ensign gave a nod of his head. "Right this way, sir." Turning, he led them down several corridors. The area was like a metal labyrinth, but eventually they stopped outside a set of heavy doors. The officer put his thumb on the panel beside the door and it slid open. He stepped aside to let the crew from the Galileo pass.

Inside was a hubbub of activity, centered around a man standing behind a control console at the center of the room. A bright glow came from one end of the room where windows opened into another area from which the light came. Remington made his way to the man, recognizing him from his profile.

Will reached the console and cleared his throat. "Doctor Hardaway?"

The doctor looked annoyed when his work was interrupted by the three who looked to him like they should be somewhere else other than his lab. Didn't they realize how important his work was? "I am not supposed to be disturbed." He told them without even looking up from his work.

"I'm afraid there's no preventing that now, doctor."

Anthony frowned as he looked the commander over, reaching for a large pocket in his lab coat, where he kept a small phaser. "Oh, really?" he asked, prepared to shoot or tap his comm badge and call for help. The presence of these three made him uncomfortable.

"If we don't, the Klingons will. We're here to transport you and Project Sienna back to Starbase One. We have little time."

"Let me see your orders." He took the PADD Will handed to him and looked it over. His eyes skimmed quickly, taking in the details at a glance. It was legitimate, he saw. "It has to wait," he said, handing the PADD back. "We're busy."

Remington frowned. "Doctor... this has to happen now. My orders are to-"

"That manifold is conducting plasma at high frequencies," Dr. Hardaway said, pointing to the windows at the end of the room as he interrupted, "I can't just shut it down because you want to take it away."

Lilou's eyes widened in an effort to absorb as much information as possible. She wanted to go to the windows and get a good look at just what was going on. The more she understood, the easier it would be to start deconstructing it in her mind. But she stayed where she was, just behind Quinn's shoulder, and waited to be told what to do. What was the purpose of the plasma conduction? she wondered. What sort of tests was he running on it? How long into the process was he and how long was it supposed to take? Those were questions for her superiors to ask. For herself, she scanned the lab, trying to pick up as much information as she could from where she stood.

Quinn took a step forward and examined the conducting manifold. He then looked back to Doctor Hardaway, "Doctor Hardaway, if you were to introduce a phase difference progressive wave as a first input signal and a second input signal, that would allow a quick and not only effective shutdown, but a safe one free from possible volatility....if my math in physics is correct."

The head scientist gave Quinn a look that rather resembled a man peering down his nose at someone, though Hardaway didn't actually have his nose turned up. "The complexities of Project Sienna are beyond the bounds of anything you learned at a Federation Academy, I'm sure. We are dealing with levels of quantum physics that have not been discovered yet. I will shut the manifold down when the test is complete."

Remington decided to interject before things could turn into an argument. his voice was still pleasant, but firm. "If you want that thing taken with us, you have twenty minutes to finish whatever tests you need to run otherwise it gets left behind."

"Commander, I don't think you-"

"Understand the complexities of Project Sienna?" Will finished with a slight smile. "No, I don't. I understand my duty. Twenty minutes, doctor."

Doctor Hardaway felt a sting of annoyance that showed on his face. "Very well," he said simply.

Will gave a nod. "Thank you, doctor. I promise we'll do everything we can to make sure your work is uninterrupted." He continued on despite the dubious look Hardaway gave him. "Give us a list of things you want taken aboard by priority and we'll get started."

Slamming the door of the office open, Eric marched in with a thunderous look on his face, slamming a PADD down on the table in front of Anthony, ignoring the other people gathered in the office and quite frankly not giving a damn. "What the hell is going on... why have we all just been communicated orders to pack up and ship out?!? This damn project is at a critical point and I haven't worked my ass off for you for it to all fall apart now."

"Contain yourself, Anderson," Doctor Hardaway said calmly. Though he was not happy either, he didn't appreciate being addressed so forwardly by one of his scientists in front of these people. "It seems we have no choice. But nothing will be falling apart. Isn't that right, Commander?"

"I hope so," Remington replied.

"Anderson," Hardaway said, "why don't you... accommodate our visitors while I go make up a list. And monitor test three alpha. Apparently it has to be complete in twenty minutes." He turned without waiting for an answer and headed towards the back of the room, leaving Eric alone with the others.

Narrowing his eye's at the Doctor's retreating back, Eric felt he wasn't going to leave it there. Raising his voice, he addressed the retreating back, "This conversation isn't over, Hardaway. All of us have worked as equally hard on this then to see the blundering idiots in Starfleet mess it all up." Watching at the retreating back went rigid but didn't turn around, Eric turned on his heel to try find someone else to take his anger out on.

Seeing three people, two who were in yellow uniforms and one in red, he decided to narrow in on the petit female in yellow. Leaning back against the table, he zeroed his focus in on her, a smirk crossing his lips, "And what pray-tell, is a dainty girl such as you going to do when we refuse to help you dismantle this vital project? You don't look like you could pick up a spanner, never-mind dismantle a manifold."

Quinn took a step forward and looked at the disgruntled scientist. With a tilt of his head and a devilish grin, "I'd be careful with that one sonny, she has a bite."

I do? Lilou wondered. Her ears had already begun to redden under the demeaning focus of the stranger, panic and survival modes both beginning the process of submission and silence for self-preservation, but Quinn's words and the knowing smile he wore as he said them straightened her spine and imbued her with a strange sense of determination. She didn't know this 'Anderson', didn't know what he was capable of or willing to do, but she did know Quinn. And she sure as spit wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize his faith in her. She couldn't think of anything clever to say, her throat still felt tight; instead, she snapped her teeth decisively, then let her expression melt into an innocent smile.

Will took up a spot on the other side of the trill girl and put a firm hand on her shoulder. "I assure you, doctor, she's one of the most capable engineers I've ever met, and I know quite a few." His voice turned stern, for while being pleasant worked sometimes, he felt only firmness would accomplish anything with this man. "If you're not willing to help us with dismantling your 'vital project,' it will be dismantled without you by us blundering idiots who don't know the first thing about it. We are here to help you, doctor, and trust you'll do the same."

She nearly sighed with relief at the pressure of his hand in her shoulder, but continued to hold herself together. Each passing cycle of breaths focused on a newly tensed muscle and returning it to normal. Breathe and work, she thought, subtly rolling her shoulder back into Will's palm. That's all I have to do. Just breathe and work. She felt confident that, between Quinn and Will and herself, they could figure out how to dismantle and reassemble anything. The question was one of time, though. That would take research, careful trial and error, specs and at least a day. At least. She could only hope that the scientists would see the reason in expediting the process, for all their sakes.

Sneering, Eric pushed himself away from the table, rechecking the woman from head to toe and back before his eyes focused in on hers, "Well look at this, the pretty boy Starfleet officers standing up for their own. If she can't even find her own voice to stand up for herself that doesn't say much. You should keep to what women are good for little girl, warming a man's bed. Judging by the hand on your arm, you've already got one who has just that on his mind. Of course, if you're fed up of a man in uniform I'll be quite happy to show you some real equipment to play with."

Holding the woman's gaze for another beat, Eric sauntering out of the office, ensuring to purposely hit against the shoulder of the man who stood closest to the door, not even bothering to apologize. Reaching the area outside, he put two fingers into his mouth and let out an ear shrilling whistle. "Right guys. Our favourite people from Starfleet are here to pack us and the equipment up and ship it and us out. Anyone fancy helping as I know I don't."

Lilou kept her small, false smile in place until he'd left the room, then swallowed hard, pressing her back teeth together in a sharp exhale. She knew looks like Anderson's; knew his tone and who he was. He wasn't as big as the marines on the Algonquin, but he had their energy inside of him. She felt a deep personal need to stay completely out of his line of sight until she was in the relative safety of the Galileo, where she knew all the escape routes. She thought for a moment about inquiring as to whether Anderson needed to come with the equipment to the ship at all or whether they could just leave him out here, but that would have been a petty question and it would have been putting her personal wishes ahead of the mission. Unacceptable. She ducked her head and crossed to the abandoned console to study the test as it ran.

Remington regarded Anderson as he walked away with a stare that would have made Doctor Hardaway proud. But then he blinked and it was gone. "Ignore him, Peers," he told her as if he'd simply asked her to check the core temperature. Leaving her with Quinn, he went to meet Doctor Hardaway, who was returning with a PADD in hand.

The two of them discussed the contents between themselves, Hardaway looking cool and expressionless, his calculating eyes moving constantly from the PADD to the glowing manifold through the windows at the end of the lab. It drove him half mad to be away from his tests, but he had no choice at the moment. Will was calmer, his movements deliberate as he gestured and spoke to the doctor.

Hardaway was returning to his office when Will returned to join Anderson, Quinn, and Peers. He gave the scientist a pleasant smile. "Anderson, I'm to have the pleasure of working with you while Doctor Hardaway completes the manifold test and helps Quinn and Peers disassemble it."

Leaning against a wall, with his arm across his chest, Eric looked at the officer down his nose, saying nothing for a few heartbeats before pushing away. Being the same height, when he came to a stop he was able to look the officer right in the eye before waiting a few heartbeats more before smiling crookedly, "The pleasure is all mine I assure you."

It probably would be, Will mused, seeing as the man was so unpleasant. "Well, we'd better get started." He turned to look at Quinn and Peers. "Doctor Hardaway will join be back shortly. We'll join you to oversee the shutdown of the manifolds." He eyed Anderson, "That's your job, I believe? Best get us familiar with it now, the doctor assures me it is the most vital component."

Leaning back against a LARS screen, Eric took note of where the woman had her back turned to him, "My job is to enjoy the view, and quite a good view it is too. If you lot know what you are doing, then surely you know how to twist a few screws, press a few buttons and load some equipment onto an anti-grav lift... of course you may want to be careful of the order in which you carry all of that out."

Remington fixed Eric in an icy stare. "Mister Anderson," he said, keeping his voice even, "you will help us and you will respect my team, or I'll see to it you are removed to someplace where you are more useful. Then you can be the one to explain to Doctor Hardaway why his manifold is ruined."

Slowly, Eric turned his attention to Will, fixed the man with a long, hard, cold stare. Waiting a moment or two, his set mouth started to form a smirk, "Well than Boss, we all had better do what you say so, God forbid we would upset the God Almighty, Doctor Hardaways." Turning on his heel, he headed for the corridor, not even bothering to check if the officer was following him.

Will found that interesting. Apparently the Hardaways were not as popular as they might be, it seemed. "Quinn, Peers, take a look at that manifold until Hardaway is back to help you dismantle it." Then he too hurried off, intent on catching up with the Eric.

Lilou kept her head down and eyes on the console as Anderson's voice crept slimily into her ears again. The sound of him made her feel physically ill, as did the memory of his appraising stare and the impulse behind it. She curled her fingers into a fist, pressing her nearly non-existent nails into her palm hard; the pain helped to keep the panic at bay. As the testing came to a close as indicated on the screen, she moved to the next console and began the process of pulling up data fields in search of a plan or breakdown procedure. If no one was going to help them, she was sure as hell not going to sit around here and wait. She hit a wall of encrypted files and crossed to Quinn, speaking quietly. "The specs are protected. They had to be. We're not going to get anywhere with this unless someone tells us what to do." She cleared her throat and dropped her voice even lower, "I'm not half bad at data hacking. We could try going in through the ODN lines directly, bypassing the console security, and taking the protective programming apart with the tricorder, but it would take some time."

Markum grinned at Peers and started entering various commands onto the console, then let out a Huff. He stomped over to the manifold. "Peers, give me a goddam pulse drill with a two centimeter quantum drill bit. If this damn kid is only going to stand around and pout instead of being useful, then I'll take this hunk of junk apart my way." He stopped next to the manifold and extended a hand, waiting for his requested tool from his assistant.

"Are you sure we can do that without the specs?" Lilou asked quietly, already pulling the drill from her thigh holster and tucking it under her arm as she searched through a little case from her belt for the right drill bits. A glance at the console revealed the specs there plain as day. Oh, she needed him to teach her that trick. "Never mind. Sorry I doubted you, Chief." She attached the drill bit and brought it over to him, before skittering back to the console to load the specs to her PADD. As the images loaded over through the ODN cable, she scanned them, memorizing the plans and plasma routes. It was elegant; truly, inspirationally elegant. And quite a lot of it used tech she was entirely unfamiliar with, but she guessed by Quinn's confidence that he'd probably had experience with at least some of it before. She doubted he'd run head first into something this delicate without a working knowledge of its parts. "Tests are finished. I'm powering down the system now, Chief." She turned two knobs on the console and then crossed to the manifold and touched a few buttons on the system itself. "And we're clear," she reported, running her tricorder over it to make sure the energy signatures had dropped off. Was he actually going to go ahead or was it an act to force the cooperation of Anderson, she wondered. If they could do this without him, she really wished he would just go away.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Doctor's Hardaway's voice cut through the soft hum of the scientists and their equipment, cold and sharp as tritanium. He strode up to Peers and Quinn. "Did Commander Remington not tell you to wait for me?" he demanded of them. But no, the man for all his playing at politeness was as inept as the rest of them. "You will do this under my direction and you will do nothing without consulting me." He frowned and nudged Peers aside to read the manifold's console. "You might have ruined the test that's been running for the past three hours."Ignoring them after that, he began to fuss over the manifold controls, checking seemingly insignificant readouts.

Quinn smiled at his assistant and whispered loud enough for only Peers to hear him. "That, my dear. Is how you get a disgruntled scientist to expedite things in a more... Starfleet-like timely manner." Quinn turned and looked at Hardaway. "So Doc, let's get this show on the road. How about you show me the proper way to disassemble this girl, so I don't have to guess. If we miss the deadline, you may have to deal with a horde of clumsy Klingon's. I don't want to fight with you, and I really am smarter than I look. Just because I don't have a Ph.D. after my name yet, does not make me an idiot. So let's work together and get you, your team and the propulsion drive onto the Galileo safely. What'd ya say? We can duke it out on the Holodeck later."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Eric Anderson
Sierra Scientist
NPC'ed by Polaa N Dhuinn

Anthony Hardaway, Ph.D.
Project Sienna
played by Chauncey William Remington III

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Cmdr. Chauncey William Remington III
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Chief Warrant Officer Markum Quinn
Chief Engineer
USS Galileo

MWO Lilou Peers
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

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