The Genesis Directive (Part 3 of 6)

Posted on 30 Apr 2019 @ 6:12pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin & Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant & Lieutenant JG Matthew Plumeri & Ensign Mimi & Ensign Callin Mastrel & Lieutenant JG Sofie Ullswater & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Azra Ghoc & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark & Petra Varelli Ph.D.
Edited on on 30 Apr 2019 @ 6:19pm

2,398 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Conference Room, Main Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD 01, 0425 hrs

Previously, on The Genesis Directive (Part 2 of 6)...

Now projecting a rare stoic face, Saalm looked again to all of those assembled. "I need two volunteers to lead a shuttle mission down to the surface," she requested. "The mission is to fly down to the signal source site and investigate the origin of the Genesis signatures, then return and report back. All within a 120 minute-window, alive and safe." It was perhaps the most perilous mission she could ever concoct in her dreams let alone her waking fantasies.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Matthew paused as an image of a baseball game appeared in his head. He was at bat and the umpire yelled, "Batter UP!" Matt said, "Captain? I'll go. I mean...you'll need someone who knows how to use a scientific tricorder. And who can see matter even if it's protomatter in a hybrid or dynamic state of formation. It's not altogether different then from the conditions inside a star. And probably just as hot." He added, "After these long months on the ship; I could really work on my tan too" he added lightheartedly.

Allyndra would have liked to go but she knew she would be needed here. She had a patient that needed to be attended and just in case something else happened she was the next senior most officer. Thus she only made a small negative shake of the head. The captain would already probably guess her reasons. Lirha was sharp minded and even if she had raised her hand or said anything it would most likely be to remind her for the same reasons she had already thought about. She was beginning to wonder if she was starting to get the gist of command.

Following Plumeri's declaration of bravado and need for sunlight with an all too noticeable giggle Ullswater rapidly plunged her head back towards her cup of tea in a concerted effort to not make eye contact with the captain. The last thing she wanted now was to be on the surface of this particular planet.

Mimi looked across at the other officers and thought who else would volunteer, it made sense for Allyndra or Lake to not go, the others she wasn't so sure about but to her it made sense for either herself or Ryan to go to back up Matthew. "I will do it Captain." She eventually said.

Matt nodded towards Mimi and then looked at Captain Saalm, "Taa-daa!" he said softly as if to emphasize that her search for volunteers was now over.

The security officer inwardly thanked Mimi for volunteering. Not that she was against going herself, but this seemed closer to a science mission and one that security, while important to the Away Team, would just get in the way of the people needing to find answers quickly.

"Hmm," Lake remarked wryly; "I don't suppose terraforming radiation has a self-saboteur or ego-reflection to overcome." Regardless of his expertise as a pilot and a medic, Lake supposed his primary training in mental health wasn't going to be immediately required.

"If there's a chance there's protomatter down there," Callin spoke up, and looked over at Captain Saalm, "then I would recommend the away team take some anti-rad treatments, maybe wear protective gear, Captain." He cleared his throat, obviously a bit unsure of his input, but then went on quickly, "I remember, from class, the reason why the Federation stopped using protomatter was that it is too unstable. Exposure to it is deadly to just about any form of life."

"Protective gear as in full EV suits uncomfortable as they are," Allyndra added on. "Even the residual will be hazardous. I can give you each a dose to help counter but you are going to have to be extremely aware of the conditions and from a medical perspective once the monitors say time is up, time is up understood?"

Matthew nodded in acknowledgement, "Agreed."

Mimi instantly regretted her decision to volunteer after Allyndra mentioned Ev suits, she hated them mostly as she couldn't fit the standard suit because of her tail, for her lithe form they were even more bulky and impeding than they would feel for a normal humanoid even the ones roughly designed for a species with a tail. She pondered for a few seconds thinking if she still had the file for an Ev suit her foster mother made specifically for her.

Lirha watched her senior crew with both pride and caution. She could see a few were eager and welcomed adventure even in the face of danger. Maybe it was the end product of six months of non-stop travel and there was no way she could fault them, but they needed to be of sound mind and fortitude to succeed. She looked to Plumeri and gave him a hard, icy stare. "Then it will be you to lead this mission, and this is no time for levity. You and your team must stay focused and disciplined. Do you understand?" she asked, first posing the question only to the junior lieutenant then looking to everyone else in the room. The same went for everyone on the ship, for this mission was of the utmost importance and severity.

"Aye Captain", Matthew responded with assured confidence. "We will get it done." It was the kind of answer that was thoughtful, knowledgeable and reassuring. Matt knew the stakes at hand and he knew that the information that was needed determined the success of the mission. If there was an idea to describe his answer it would be, 'four-o-clock in the morning courage'. That ability to be unphased, to see clearly the objective and to see it through. "We'll find the signal and we're all coming back."

Allyndra took a second to send a message down to sickbay to expect personnel for inoculations for broad spectrum radiation before turning her attention back to what more was going to go on.

The Orion captain proceeded to add an additional personnel order to the departing shuttle team. "I want you to take Chief Ghoc from Ops, Petty Officer Stark from Security, and Miss Varelli from Planetary Science with you. Varelli's an accomplished anthropologist and Ghoc and Stark can serve as security. They will assist your team greatly," she ordered. A small shuttle team was ideal for the swift task at hand. "Get your inoculations then report to the main shuttlebay in ten minutes for your sortie."

"Aye Sir." Mimi said, taking that as their cue to leave she stood and headed for the exit thinking what equipment they would need for the away team.

"Yes Captain. I know of their qualifications and they will be a tremendous help." He glanced at the rest and then back to Captain Saalm, "Well, better get going then" Matt said and pushed back from the table. Leaving the conference room he made straight for sickbay.

As Matt stood up Sofie felt a sudden urge to reach out and grab his arm, tell him to be safe, or something else equally stupid. But this was a serious meeting of the ships officers in a time of crisis so she stopped herself and tried to maintain a air of professionalism. She watched him go with a heavy heart as her mind turned to all those who had been victims of this catastrophe so far. She dearly hoped that the next few hours would not see that total rise.


Deck 4 - Main Shuttlebay

=A= PO1 Gabriel Stark, CPO3 Azra Ghoc and Doctor Petra Varelli, please report to the medical bay immediately for an away mission. When you are done in Medical, please promptly report to main shuttlebay. Please do it now; we leave in ten minutes. The doctors will fill you in and your kit is being prepped now. Plumeri out. =A=

Matthew felt like he had just been asked to eat a tube of toothpaste. Sure, his mouth tingled with the refreshing taste of copper. But he felt bloated from the inoculations. It didn't matter. It was better than getting dead without them.

Coming through the double doors Mimi pushed a grav cart of gear towards the Virginia, type II phasers, tricorders, standard EVA suits for the rest of the team and a more personalised suit for herself.

The Virginia was being prepped for immediate deployment by the shuttles support crew. There was no time to outfit the shuttle with the optional phaser. A decision that Matthew didn't like but he had to make a choice and time was a factor. "Ensign Mimi, thank you for getting all the gear together." He looked it over, checking the things she brought and asked, "We need sample containers. For the protomatter, those magnetic constrictor like things?" he hunted for the model, "Type III - Field Sample Containers. Can I get one please? Also need a....ah there it is. Thank you. Locater beacon for the signal source so we can tag it get out. Transport enhancers...good. Thank you. I'm missing the additional hyronolin hyposprays? Can I get that too?" He asked standing up and reviewing the PaDD. Matt stepped into the Virginia and checked the sensor suite had been updated with the latest telemetry from Galileo sensors. Satisfied, he reappeared on the flight deck.

Petra walked on to the Virginia and nodded to the others. She barely had time to grab some equipment she might need, but not knowing the details, she had to guess.

Matt acknowledged the doctor's arrival, "Varelli. Sorry for the surprise. I'll explain in a moment."

"So who's organising the betting book on what type of creature is going to attack us and who is going to get bitten by it first?" Stark asked lightly as he made his way over to them, adjusting his jacket slightly. Gabriel was no stranger to dark humour, in fact, it was one of the things he pretty much functioned on.

"Stark, check out the arms locker will you? Mimi brought along some firepower, you think we need all this?" Matthew asked Gabriel for his professional Security opinion.

Azra entered the shuttlebay only a couple minutes after the call. She had no idea what was going on aboard, and for the most part, she knew that she'd sleep easier not knowing some of the secrets a Starfleet captain was privy to. The part that wasn't easier was walking into a complete unknown.

The shuttlecraft were already prepped and pre-flight had been performed a couple of hours ago. They'd been under the watchful eye of a crewman ever since. Azra checked in with him and nodded when all was reported well. "We're ready for departure at any time."

"Excellent work. Thank you. Team? A quick brief and then we're off." Matthew said and waited until they were closer and listening. "Please board the Virginia and take a seat." When everyone was onboard, Matt closed the door and said, "Captain Saalm has an urgent mission for the four of us. We are to take the Virginia down to the surface of the planet and see if we can discover what exactly is going on down there. Possibly even find the cause of the 'event' and neutralize it. We have a window of opportunity that is now...just one-hundred minutes. Captain Saalm assigned me to lead the away team, Doctor Varelli, your experience and expertise will be most valuable in getting a read on what is happening both geologically and with any of the people we might meet. However, this is not a rescue mission. We need to locate, observe and verify what has caused this. Varelli's anthropology will also be helpful if we find that there are survivors...and in what state they are in. We need to be as specific as we can and locate the cause. Two volcanic eruptions on two different worlds is not a coincidence. There is a cause and we will find it. Ensign Mimi has got the supplies we need and she can assist with any technical or operational aspects of the away mission. Chief Ghoc, we'll need your Engineering and Damage Control experience when we find the source of the anomaly as well as your security and situational training. Stark will be in charge of Security and watching our backs. I have...some...more information about what might have caused the event. For now, this will have to do. I'm sorry about the short notice. We depart immediately. Please take your seats and prepare for departure. I could use a co-pilot too." Matthew walked into the front of the shuttle and took the pilot's seat and started the engines up."

Neutralize? An odd word, Petra thought. Survivors, but not a rescue team. It must have something to do with that symbol on the computers. She took a seat and buckled in. There would be plenty of answers later, even if she had to find them herself. She hoped that together the team could find what they needed--without having to do anything drastic. She had enough of that on Kreanus.

Gabriel's jaw was tight as he strapped himself in, shaking his head lightly. He hated the cloak and dagger stuff. How could he ensure security if he didn't know the whole deal? He frowned to himself, settling back to get ready for the flight.

Azra took the co-pilot's seat. She wasn't a fan of going in blind, but she would do what she had to. She allowed the safety harness to secure itself automatically. Her seat slid forward so that her arms were within easy reach of all of the relevant controls.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Matthew Plumeri
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

ENS Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

Petra Varelli
Anthropologist
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Sandoval]

Azra Ghoc
Boatswain
USS Galileo-A

ENS Sofie Ullswater
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

LT Lake ir-Llantrisant
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

ENS Callin Mastrel
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

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