A Rock to Call Home

Posted on 17 Aug 2015 @ 11:09pm by Commander Andreus Kohl & Trisant Myrddin & Lieutenant Jared Nicholas & Lieutenant JG Logan Miles M.D. & Lieutenant JG Cyrin Xanth & Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D. & Ensign Jaana Voutilainen & Alethea Coleman Ph.D & Seleya Qellar Ph.D. & Nevedno Loz
Edited on on 17 Aug 2015 @ 11:14pm

3,894 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 09 - Empires
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 7, Astrometrics Lab
Timeline: MD 03 - 1515 hours

[ON]

To a casual outsider looking in, it appeared as if Andreus Kohl had organized an understated social gathering in the Astrometrics lab. The chairs had been removed and the work-stations were scattered with savoury scones and a few thermos-units of coffee and tea. The companels around the room were displaying different asteroids, and a holographic representation of the entire Nimbus asteroid belt was being projected from a portable projector, because the viewscreen was still burned out. The overhead lighting was dimmer than usual, too, since many of the light panels were missing.

With the exception of a couple of personnel serving critical duty stations, the entire science department had been gathered in Astrometrics. They had been encouraged to roam freely and mingle, until it was time for the science department briefing to begin. Forward-thinking researchers in the field of organizational behaviour had suggested this format of meeting --without the sedentary nature of chairs and the hierarchical iconography of different table shapes---would promote greater communication and collaboration. Intrigued by such articles, Kohl fully intended to share the feedback from this experiment with Starfleet's leading researchers in organizational behaviour. But even more than that, he thought the team could use a touch of levity and recognition after surviving everything they'd survived.

"Thank you all for joining me here. I do understand what an ask it is to pull you all from your respective laboratories and research," said Andreus Kohl. He came to stand at the central console, which had been rigged up with a subtle voice-amplification system through the communications grid. Kohl explained, "As you know, Galileo has taken severe damage from the discharge produced by our secondary deflector array. The command staff would like to set down on an asteroid to conduct repairs with as many systems wound down as we can manage. We have been tasked with selecting the most appropriate asteroid to call home for a night. That is where we need your expertise to identify the most suitable candidates within the asteroid belt we're approaching."

Kohl took a sip from his iced tea, and then he remarked, "Since our science department has undergone drastic change during the NIMBUS exercises, I'd like to ask you all to take a moment to introduce yourselves, and to tell us all something we may not know about you. For myself, I'm called Andreus Kohl, and I have newly been appointed to serve as your Chief Science Officer. You probably don't know... that I have some training in how to roller-skate down flights of stairs. I can zip down a stretch of stairs, a landing and even a banister, but I haven't mastered Jefferies tubes yet."

Jared looked around him and seeing no one jumping to volunteer and go first he said, "Well my name is Jared Nicholas, most of you of course know that, I've been here awhile. and you also know, I'm sure, that I am married to Min. What most of you don't know is that I am going to be a father. Min is pregnant."

Treading across the carpet in Jared's direction, Kohl clapped his hands together, and said, "Jared, that's thrilling. Congratulations, truly." --He laughed every so briefly-- "I was at your wedding, maybe I'll be at the birth too!"

Off to the side of the main group but still close enough to clearly be seen by everyone, Oren sat crosslegged on a chair. With Allyndra putting him on light work duty and the episode he'd experienced earlier, he didn't want to take any chances.

"I'm Oren Idris, and I've recently been assigned as the Galileo's new Chief Research Officer," the El Aurian explained, looking from one crewman to the next as he spoke. "As for things you might not know...uh...Oh! I failed Physics at University three times before I finally passed." Barely.

Logan stood up after Lucero sat down as it was his turn.

"Hello everyone, I am Logan Miles. I'm new on board as the ship's resident Virologist. Infectious diseases, bacteria, viruses, and how to properly diagnose them and cure them has been my passion for years. Something you may not know is that I am currently in the process of writing an academic book titled, "The Historical Evolution of Infectious Diseases" I've been writing it for a few months now and hope to have it circulated at places of education one day."

Logan nodded and sat down as he scratched his chest. Residual pain and soreness from yesterday's accident in the lab started to bother him. He turned to Cyrin next to him.

Cyrin caught Commander Kohl's sapphire eyes looking at him directly. He felt pinned by that gaze, squirmed. The Argelian's stare was intense, and Cyrin knew he wasn't going to be able to stay silent from where he stood near the back. "I uh...I'm Cyrin Xanth," he said softly. "Astrophysicist. Umm..." His eyes shifted nervously as he looked at his colleagues. "I played for Trill in the F-F-Fed-Federation C-Cup in uh, 2384. F-F-Football." By now his voice had gotten really quiet. "Or uh, soccer, I guess." He hated public speaking! The tall young man hunched his shoulders and pressed his lips together tightly, obviously done speaking.

"I'm called," said Trisant, "Petty Officer Trisant Myrddin." The Bajoran man raised a hand to wave at the assembled scientists. He was still clutching a fluted glass in that hand, and he was careful not to slosh away any of its contents. "You wouldn't know that I wrote a lyric poem about our mission to Lyshan Three," he said. “But I’m more than prepared to give private readings in the Callisto, if any of you should desire.”

Nevedno was next to speak up. He had hoped the meeting would not be too long. Things got awkward when he was with people for extended periods, especially this many. "I'm Nevedno Loz, and I have problems with remembering." There was nothing more to say, though despite his seriousness he had to fight wholeheartedly to stifle the grin that almost crossed his lips. His problem was certainly in a different way than most people would expect.

Seleya felt eyes on her and glanced up. Being an official function, she was dressed in the most hideous gray uniform she'd ever seen in her life; it was so aesthetically displeasing, in fact, that she felt like it might have actually been making her break out in hives. And the feeling was quite evident on her face. "I'm Dr. Seleya Qellar, and I am an agricultural biotechnologist. You probably don't know that I entered the Federation in an illegal and undignified manner - buried in a grain shipment from Ralatak - before requesting asylum."

Coleman, who had been standing next to Seleya, gave her a raised eyebrow in response. Since she was standing next to her, she assumed it was her turn to speak up. An exercise that she both liked and dreaded at the same time. She looked about as impressed as Seleya, though Coleman always looked like that -- even when she was impressed. She cleared her throat. "I'm Coleman. Doctor Alethea Coleman, I suppose. I'm an ecologist and...you most certainly don't know this about me, but I enjoy recreational activities on nudist beaches."

From across the room, Kohl called out, "You really must visit the Jumeirah Sands on Argelius. There's nothing else like it in the Federation."

Seeing that she was the only one left to introduce herself she started reluctantly. "I'm Jaana Voutilainen, the ship's stellar cartographer. As for the thing people don't know about me..." She paused a second to determine what she wanted others to know. There were more then enough things people didn't know about her, but which one did she wanted to share. She took a deep breath. "I have trouble with reading and writing." She said hoping it was the kind of answer the Commander hoped for.

Kohl made his way from out of the crowd and he returned to the podium. "Thank you for sharing something of yourselves with us," Kohl said. He shared a private smile with Jaana, before he added, "Thank you all. Now it's time for each of you to tell us about the asteroids you've been investigating. Convince us why your asteroid is Galileo's best chance for a safe spot to recuperate and repair." Kohl swept a hand through the air like a game show host, gesturing to the holographic asteroid field projected above him.

For a moment, Kohl moved as if he were going to step away from the podium, but he rocked on the spot instead. "Oh," he muttered with sudden remembrance. "And remember: the winner whose asteroid is selected by the command staff will be awarded with an entire week of duty shifts to pursue nothing but your own research. You'll even have a dedicated Scientist's Mate at your disposal the entire time. No duty logs. No meetings. Just your own research." And at that, Kohl stepped away from the podium and lost himself in the crowd.

Coleman stepped forward to address the room. She didn't use the podium, opting to use her own voice. As monotone as it was, she could enunciate and project her voice just fine. "Well, as you know I'm an ecologist. I don't know much about asteroids apart from how they're used in pre-terraforming activities. I can spot mineral rich deposits, and fiddle with asteroid mass spectrometry equipment, but that's about it. A few crewman were kind enough to help sort out a few candidates with me, and then I let the computer do the rest of the work. She gave me a few options, but in the end I took creative licence and chose, Charlie 671. It meets the criteria for landing, but more interestingly approaching it at the right vector, the potential landing site has an amusing likeness to former Federation President Jaresh-Inyo. It would make my day to park our ass--" Coleman paused to find Kohl in the crowd of people. "Butts." She corrected herself. "It would be funny to land there I mean." Coleman broke eye contact with Kohl and sighed before she looked around the room. "That's what I got.." She said as she moved back to her space beside Seleya.

Miles got up and spoke.

"Well, like Coleman, I am not a Speleologist. I am not someone who studies asteroids or planetary bodies. Hell, I passed geology and cartography both with C's back at the Academy. Both of which I am not proud of." Miles said so with his head held high. "However, I came across a particular asteroid that had the size of which to hold the ship. The right amount of resources that we need and It's relatively close, 5000 yards off our stern. That asteroid turned out to be the same as Coleman's choice, Charlie 671."

Logan sat down and folded his hands. This was not his area of expertise and bowed to those who were much more educated in the matter.

Cyrin had kept an eye on Kohl as his superior made his way into the assembled department members, even as he patiently watched the others make their proposals. That man intimidated him so much at times, made him worry if his work was good enough. The young Trill had been working hard to decipher the mystery of the singularity they'd gone through during his shifts and even spent extra hours in the lab long after his shift was over, and as usual worked alone. This manic behaviour he'd been going through the last few days had helped. With Cyrin's racing thoughts he'd accomplished much, with hardly sleeping he'd had more time to work, and the huge amount of energy he'd displayed had driven him all the way to this point. The Trill trembled with anticipation, dread, and from the mania. It was time for him to share his results.

He stepped forward from the crowd and walked to the control panel for the main display in Astrometrics on shaking legs. Cyrin's face was bright red, his spots stood out strongly, and his eyes were focused only on his goal. From a pocket, Cyrin pulled out an isolinear chip and inserted it into the board. Then, after tapping a few icons to load the program, he surprisingly retreated back to his spot behind everyone else with his eyes pointed directly at the deck, wondering if he had gone too far with this.

A holographic scene appeared of a rotating asteroid above them, with a scrolling box of figures and data to the right hand side. Cyrin's voice came from the internal speakers, steady, calm, even sure of himself, and not at all like how he spoke in public, and proceeded to give them way too much information. He must have recorded this in his quarters while Lucero was away. As the young man's voice went on, the hologram would shift to display the various facts he was reporting, highlighting interesting areas, creating new graphics of chemical compounds of the rocks and metals he mentioned, slowly swooped across the crater towards the end as if recorded by a shuttle on close approach, and the scrolling display of data would show far more technical information about the asteroid that was related to his speech but more complex than what was said.

"Presentation for Asteroid Hotel 511, in regards to candidate asteroids for the landing of the USS Galileo. This asteroid is an X-Group, M-Type asteroid, the third most common type of asteroid we have encountered in the galaxy. It has a diameter of forty-two kilometers at it's widest point, and nineteen at it's narrowest. It also has reasons to make it a likely candidate to land on. Part of the metallic core of a differentiated asteroid that was fragmented by impacts, it has a composition high in nickel-iron and a notable amount of metamorphic rock. Given the denseness of the body and the solid surface, we would not need to worry about fracturing the stone with Galileo's mass and would have a highly stable place to land. Hotel 511 shows signs that it used to be in a denser concentration of fragmentary pieces of the destroyed planet Nimbus. However, an impact with a large body has ejected it from this area and it has settled into an orbit on the very outskirts of the field. This impact has made Hotel 511 a logical choice for us for two more reasons. The first is that given it's relative isolation from the rest of the field, the chances of a collision while we effect repairs are approximately one in thirteen-billion, four-hundred-sixty-five million, nine-hundred-twelve-thousand, eight-hundred-thirty-one. The second is that the impact initially pushed it into it's current position has created a crater of extremely homogenous stone - smooth and similar to all the other stone around it. With this large, flat surface that has a radius of fifteen kilometers, it is naturally a perfect landing site for us. As a final note, Hotel 511 is nearby some of the unidentified duranium signatures that have been picked up in the Nimbus Belt. This could allow us an opportunity to examine them further and discover what is causing those readings. Thank you."

The hologram disappeared, Cyrin's head was hung as low as it could go, his face so very red, and his shoulders shaking.

Seleya shifted on her feet as all eyes fell on her once again; she felt absolutely naked in this dreadful excuse for a civilian uniform, particularly without her hat, so having so many people look at her gave her an extreme sense of discomfort that she addressed by amping up her already acerbic attitude.

"Well, I regret to inform you that I do not have a holographic presentation nor a ten minute 'Ode to the Virtues of Hotel 511,'" the Romulan woman said, leveling a pointed look in Cyrin's direction, "namely because, as I stated, I am an agricultural biotechnologist and couldn't care one whit about asteroids. And, perhaps more to the point, I fail to see the need to land the ship on anything to conduct repairs. If anything it seems to needlessly complicate matters, though in all fairness it was an order for command, so perhaps that goes without saying."

Sensing her time on the soap box might be drawing to a close, she held up a slender finger to ask for patience. "However, being the dutiful scientist that I am, I investigated asteroid Lima-047. I find it to be wholly lacking in virtually every aspect; additionally, I couldn't find anything to warrant setting down on any of the other asteroids so my recommendation is to repair the ship precisely where we are rather than waste resources attaching and remaining attached to a non-stationary object."

"I suggest Bravo 312," said Jaana in a slightly meek voice as she pressed a button to bring up a holo-image of the irregularly shaped asteroid. While examining the geology of stellar bodies wasn't exactly her strong suit, she had a bit of training in the area as a stellar cartographer. "It's one of the largest asteroids in the field, and as such it has enough gravity for us to make a safe landing without having to use tractor beams to anchor ourselves to the surface. And it has a number of possible landing sites."

Cyrin had withered under Seleya's look at him, his cheeks flamed, and his shoulders hunched forward and in. Had it really taken ten minutes? The Trill hoped not. Maybe he had taken things too far, but this was his speciality and he wanted to get the right information out. His mind started racing on how else he could have handled it, started to second guess himself, wondered if Seleya hated him now, wondered if the others thought he was a joke. And so on.

Nevedno's inner monologue had been battling with itself for the better part of most of the presentations. Make an impression. I can't. What about on him? It won't work. The argument was most futile. He was most certain whatever he did wouldn't matter. Then, with a bit of a smirk, his mischievous side got the better of him. Have fun. I will.

Sensing that the presentations where almost over and Trisant's turn was no doubt about to come up, Nevedno decided that it was his turn instead. He took to his feet once more and glanced about the room, his eyes stopping briefly at Trisant before turning to Kohl and making his presentation. "It is of my professional opinion that we land on Zero-Six-Zero Prophet. The asteroid is of sufficient size and with little to no topographical features, allowing for easy landing. What it lacks in raw material it makes up for in safety. Its projected path through the system is considerably less erratic than most of the other asteroids and is of least probability to collide with any others." It wasn't obvious, but the whole time he was talking he was also watching Trisant in the corner of his eye.

Trisant, meanwhile, was staring right at Nevedno in plain bafflement. He couldn't understand why Nevedno was saying what he was saying; he couldn't even remember who Nevedno was, nor when he’d joined the crew. Trisant's grey eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, as if they may launch out of his skull like projectile weapons. "Whuh? Hey, that's my asteroid!" Trysant declared. "That's... that's... my presentation even. What's happening?

Spoilsport. This was Nevedno's time to shine and his partner had once again jumped to take credit for their discovery. For sure it was mostly Trisant's doing, but it would have been nice for Nevedno to share in the limelight every once in a while. Unfortunately even the most spectacular of presentations would not have lasted long enough to help where it his presentation alone. He stopped himself, realizing that their discovery could actually mean having a way home. Why would he ever risk the idea being lost to everyone just so he could have a few moments of fun? With a sigh he ceded victory over his counterpart, a sudden feeling of self-loathing abducting himself from all around him as he realized only Trisant could speak their part and have it heard by those who remembered.

“I'm sorry, Trisant,” Nevedno replied with his head hung low. “Please reiterate the discovery you have made.” He did not want to diminish what he thought to be a chance for them to return home. For him to return to his newfound family.

"Weeeell..." Trisant expressed with an elongated vowel. He tilted his head from side to side and then he shrugged at Nevedno. He couldn't remember the whys, but Lieutenant Commander Kohl had warned Trisant that something like this might happen from time to time. Kohl hadn’t mentioned Nevedno by name, but, come to think of it, Trisant couldn’t remember who Kohl had cautioned Trisant about. "No, you've summed it up well," Trisant said. "You've done the asteroid justice."

"I insist," Nevedno spoke in a stern tone as his facial features turned very serious. Perhaps when the asteroids where being reviewed they would still take their asteroid into account as all the data would be on the computer, but he did not want to risk the asteroid being forgotten simply because he wanted to have a little fun. "Please, make your presentation." It almost sounded more like an order than a request.

Oren sat off to the side still, not saying anything on the subject. He'd spent the majority of his day in Sickbay or on leave to recuperate from his mystery illness so hadn't managed to look over any asteroid options. Kohl knew this. Instead, he listened intently to the others, taking notes. If he had had the time, Oren still knew he wouldn't have had much to contribute in the way of ideas. His own knowledge was a lot smaller scale, after all.

Flushed with embarrassment, Trisant slowly trudged to the podium in the centre of the room. His boots squeaked as he walked. He was embarrassed at his own outburst, and embarrassed further by Nevedno’s insistence that Trisant repeat the presentation he had —they had?— he had prepared. Oddly, it didn't feel as if Trisant had prepared this presentation on his own, but he couldn't remember there being anyone working with him... Trisant cleared his throat, raised his chin, and he said, “I would recommend asteroid designated Zero-Six-Zero Prophet. The asteroid is of sufficient size and with little to no topographical features, allowing for easy landing. What it lacks in raw material it makes up for in safety. Its projected path through the system is considerably less erratic than most of the other asteroids…”



[OFF]


Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Chief Science Officer & Second Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Jared Nicholas
Language Specialist
USS Galileo

Seleya Qellar, Ph.D.
Biotechnologist
USS Galileo
[ PNPC - Mott ]

Ensign Jaana Voutilainen
Stellar Cartographer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Oren Idris
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

and the rest of the science gang

with a special thanks to an assist from Lieutenant JG Tuula Voutilainen

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