Fortunate Ones

Posted on 13 Oct 2021 @ 7:03pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Commander Marisa Wyatt & Lieutenant JG Tris Shizn & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Ensign Mimi & Lieutenant Commander Ryan Alexander & Lieutenant JG Sofie Ullswater & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Edited on on 29 Oct 2021 @ 6:42pm

4,458 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: Latari System, USS Galileo-A
Timeline: MD 07, 0830 hrs

[ON]

Allyndra had spent a couple of near sleepless days. She had done exactly what she said she would do and fly a shuttle. It seemed to her anyone that had grown up on a pair of wings did not develop the right spatial field. Then it was triaging and taking care of the wounded. Now other than their own complement that were not too severely injured the rest had been put on the other ships so the Galileo could resume its course to the Regula base. To say that she had been drinking various legal stimulants would be an understatement. Thus while she normally would never drink anything at a briefing/debriefing meeting this was the exception. She noted she was the first in which was unusual but it indicated that everyone was tired.

Thus, she took her usual spot at the end of the table opposite where the captain would sit. The chief medical officer was always the counter to the captain. To his right would be the first officer and to her right normally would be the second officer but she was still occupying that position. The counselor would be to the captain's left and the next most senior officer to her left or that was the tradition. They somewhat stayed to that but the Orion was not overly picky on that exact arrangement. So, Allyndra just sipped at her rather strong tea and waited.

Vansen let out a breath as he entered, looking around. He was tired. But he was healthy again, the hypos having helped after being awake for so long, for flying, for trying his best. He gave a small smile, moving to pour some water and sitting down...gulping it down. He glanced around, looking at the Chief Medical Officer, giving her a respectful nod. He wondered if he was the only enlisted who would attend...and if so, that was both brilliant and frightening. He never got to go these places and...well, there was the comfy fair. Very comfy chairs that cradled his body.

Blake already had her hands curled around a hot cup of coffee as she moved in and headed for her usual seat. Her tiredness didn't show in her expression, but maybe her skin was just a slightly whiter shade of pale. And maybe her eyes had just a touch of red to them. She didn't resent it though. In all...the outcome of the mission had been a miracle compared to how she saw things going when she'd been down on that planet, running for her life. Or stuck in a shuttle, playing cat and mouse with seemingly no way out. Thinking she'd never see her daughter again. All in all, it was an overwhelmingly successful outcome to an impossible situation. And if she had to pay by being a bit tired, she was more than happy with that.

Entering just behind the first officer but in stark contrast to Blake's stoicism Ullswater was a picture of nerves and exhaustion. Having just arrived back from Kali there was nothing Sofie wanted more than to curl up in bed and try to forget about the events of the past few days with dreams of more pleasant times. Unfortunately reality required her in this room. She tried to give some perfunctory smiles and nods of greeting to the others who had arrived first but even those most practised motions couldn't hide Sofie's intense weariness as she crumpled into the seat next to Vansen's.

Ryan rubbed his eyes as he watched the others trickle in. He wasn't the first that had arrived, he had been hot on the heels of Allyndra, and he hadn't really been in the frame of mind for the typical pleasantries. He couldn't help but replay all that he had heard and seen over the last while and it felt almost overwhelming. As he studied the faces gathering around the table he couldn't help but notice that many of the others seemed to have a weariness about them. No rest for the wary. He thought to himself.

Marisa walked in quietly and took a seat at the back. After all the effort she'd gone to to preserve the data from the planet and the Proto-Tholian, she'd been relegated to the Kali with a CO who refused to listen to anything she or the other scientists had to say, or even consider the plight of the colonists still alive. If it hadn't been for Saalm, all 1500 would be dead. Marisa had been helpless to do anything. She wasn't even allowed to help with the rescue or talk to any of the colonists she'd met. It made her question, for the first time, her career in Starfleet. She'd even had to steal back her samples and tricorder before returning to the Galileo. They were now safely preserved on the ship for any future study. Or just to lock up somewhere. It was fortunate that, being half-Vulcan, that she didn't need much sleep. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd managed more than three or four hours a day. It didn't matter, though. She had time to work through her feelings before their next stop.

For a species that needed to sleep and eat regular and often; neither of which Mimi had done properly over the last few days Mimi was fairly lethargic as she entered the briefing room. She had spent almost all of the last few days helping John and the other engineers with the vast amount of repairs the ship needed after its battering from the Tholians and the proto-tholian. Ordering a tea and a protein suppliment from the replicator she took a seat offereing a small smile to Allyndra and the others.

Shizn entered the briefing room, nodding to a few officers that looked his way as he walked to the replicator. Sitting down, he placed the mug of warm tea before him. He felt a bit out if place with these officers. Because of his injury, he had not been able to participate towards the completion of this mission. He had read the mission briefs available to him, but he knew that this was only the surface of all that had taken place.

The door to the conference room hissed open then shut. Inside the small briefing room now stood Captain Saalm, in all of her mundane emerald glory. The Orion cradled a large stack of PADDs in between her elbow and hip which she was eager to disperse. Time had seemed to move slowly following the rescue and sanitation of Latari B III, but not slowly enough to cull the most recent status reports, planetary sensor scans, and colonist medical evaluations which needed tending to. At some point soon, Lirha would have to find her yeoman and put her to work, but for now her attention was focused on debriefing the senior officers and preparing for the final leg of their voyage to space station Regula I.

Lirha regarded those already present in the room with her distinctive sharp green eyes. She'd spent little time with them over the past several mission days, and her conflict with Wyatt which forced her off the starship now felt distant. The sense of familiarity with Galileo she once took for granted was now something she was actively working to regain. Even looking at the familiar faces of the officers and enlisted in the room felt foreign in some strange, undefinable way. She stepped forward to the head of the oval-shaped table, set her PADDs down on its surface, then slinked into the chair.

"My targ needs a sitter for the next week. Any volunteers?" she quipped, suppressing a wry grin.

The captain's attempt at a joke was met with silence. Maybe levity wasn't what the senior crew needed at the moment. Instead, she shifted her focus to the prudent matters at hand. Her facial features solidified as she took the first PADD from the stack and began to read through it.

"Our latest communiques to Starfleet Command have been received and responded to," she started on a positive note. "They are aware of our recent actions here and express regret at the loss of life - and the loss of our colonies in this system. They commend our crews for our vigilance in dealing with both the Tholian and proto-Tholian threat, and adhering to Genesis protocol. Our new orders are to resume course with the remainder of our task group towards Regula I. At best possible speed. A survey team will be dispatched to re-evaluate the system and should arrive in three months." Saalm set the PADD down and looked back up the assembled group.

"The Tholians have left the system and our final rounds of planetary scans show no remaining traces of proto-matter or Genesis particles. It appears we've accomplished our mission. But at a high cost." Too high. Lirha's eyes softened a bit. "I know this has been a hard time for all of us. We had to make...terrible choices. Choices we will have to live with, forever." There was a lengthy moment of silence before she spoke again. "And I take responsibility for them, and involving all of you."

Allyndra watched carefully the Orion captain. She had been in that spot herself and knew that things weighed upon one. It was not easy, and she too now technically had the responsibility of guiding her House, partially her whole world and yet here she was far away but she hoped she had seen far enough ahead. Well, she thought to herself, to dwell on the past was a fool's mistake, learn yes, dwell no. She spoke up finally, "What is done is done, and nothing that can be done about that captain. We have a saying: 'ʻAʻole hiki i kekahi ke hana i kahi wā e hiki mai ana ma ka noho ʻana i kahi manawa i hala ʻole'. It means One cannot create a future by living in a time that no longer exists. So rather than dwell on the past what is our new future that perhaps we can shape?"

Listening to the Akkadian doctor's proverb was a slight reassurance to the captain. There was no doubt Starfleet's orders had been extremely questionable during the recent incident. Especially those which came from both her and Captain Rasmussen. But, she justified to herself, they had chosen the lesser of two demons and in hindsight she felt the operation had been executed surprisingly well, all things considered. Especially on the diplomatic front involving the Tholians.

"Words of insight, doctor," Saalm agreed. "We can't become suck on what has been. However, we can learn from the past by re-evaluating our actions and studying our discoveries." She glanced to the two science officers who'd been responsible for overseeing the majority of the mission's data collection. "Lieutenant Sandoval and our away teams retrieved invaluable samples from the surface which will need to be studied, preserved, and catalogued immediately for future analysis." She sifted through the stack of PADDs on the table until she found the designated Science department orders.

Looking at the half-Vulcan, Lirha summarized the contents of the orders she'd received. "Starfleet Command expects a full, detailed report of our surface findings along with biological analysis of the proto-Tholian. As well as the infected colonist we initially recovered. Please work with Commander Warraquim and her medical team, and pursue any additional findings you deem necessary. The surviving colonists are now settled on board Lagrange and I recommend interviewing as many of them as possible to compile a complete analysis while their memories are still fresh."

Marisa nodded. It was fortunate she'd been so...stubborn...about keeping her data, even from those who didn't see its value. Still, she wondered how factual she could be. She knew a lot more about what happened than most would be comfortable with because she hadn't been idle on the Kali. She was also grateful she'd have the chance to interview the colonists--even if it meant running into Rasmussen again.

Ullswater tried her best not to look too unconvinced by the platitudes of her captain and doctor. She couldn't shake the memory of the suspicion that had been directed at Saalm from the crew of Kali during the last week and she couldn't help but think it had been somewhat justified. But right now was not the time for blame so she tried to turn her mind to more productive matters. After giving a glance to her superiors she raised a first question to the assignment "What is the policy here with Genesis? There must be a lot of the details here that we can't discuss and that is surely going to interfere with a full factual report on what happened here."

"Some of the data from Genesis has been used in modern terraforming, but some of it is still classified," Sandoval replied. "It's best to keep information on Genesis and the Proto-Tholians--along with most of what happened here--to ourselves. Captain Saalm would be the one to determine what information can and can't be divulged in any reports." Although she would personally study all she could on the Proto-Tholians and their impact on the galaxy.

"The lieutenant is correct," Saalm agreed. "The Genesis protocol and our discoveries here still remain classified. Only reveal what is necessary and consider this a need-to-know situation. Contact myself or Commander Blake if there is any doubt," she answered Ullswater.

"Captain, the proto-Tholians represent a gap in the understanding of our galaxy's history. A possible missing link in the story of non-carbon based life and a discovery of massive importance. Do we not have a duty as scientists to report this truth? Not to mention the threat they could pose if another such incident were to occur." Ullswater tried her best to sound convincing but she could see the writing on the wall and it showed, she looked around the rest of the gathering but could find little sympathy among the assembled tired faces. "People died here, their stories deserve to be told." She concluded meekly before sinking a little into her chair.

"They will not be forgotten," Marisa assured Ullswater. "Nor will the information on the Proto-Tholians disappear." She glanced at Saalm. "But it cannot be made public. There are good reasons to keep what we learned classified. At least for now."

Ullswater's concerns were well founded. And privately, the captain agreed with her. The knowledge still remaining in her own head pertaining to Tholian evolution could potentially change all of modern science. Ancient histories of planetary bodies throughout entire quadrants might have to be rewritten, and hundreds of years of research and deduction revisited. Silicon life once dominated the known galaxy at one point in time well before carbon life began to flourish -- that much was now certain. But what could the ramifications of this discovery lead to?

"If it were up to me," the captain spoke to the ensign, "I would contact the head of Planetary Sciences at once and transmit all of our findings on a secured channel. Perhaps send them to Memory Alpha as well." Saalm turned her eyes away from Ullswater then lightly shook her head. "But that decision belongs to Starfleet Command. They've been clear in their recent communications to me that, for now, the data and information we've discovered is too important to disseminate to the greater population. It will be up to the admirals back in San Fransisco to decide when - or if - our discoveries are made public."

Vansen listened, watching the others for a moment before he looked down, hesitating before he spoke. "If those are our orders...then we will have to obey," he said, looking at the Captain and giving a weak, quick smile that faded so quickly it was as if it had never been there.

"I am sure we all have feelings over the data, the most likely fate of it which will not be made public for some time. We must put away the past and look forward to the future. Again, captain, I am asking other than the continued journey there must be something other than report to the next station or am I wrong?" Allyndra postulated.

"I'm afraid not, doctor," answered the captain. "A survey team will be dispatched to these systems for further analysis but our mission in Latari is complete." Lirha felt a sense of regret, not only for herself but the rest of her crew who'd worked so hard to uncover the mysteries contained within the star system. Everyone she'd known in the Academy had joined Starfleet to become explorers. To reveal the secrets of the known universe. Herself included, despite being an Orion from a traditional Rigel background. What the Galileo and her task group had unearthed here in the local planets was nothing short of revolutionary in nature. And she, as much as anyone, wanted to lay claim to their discoveries.

"Our original mission was to transit to Regula One and receive new orders in the sector," she continued. "Our detour to the Latari system was unexpected, but nevertheless we must continue to our new station. I'm sure Starfleet will want to debrief all of us once we arrive, and after our recent combat operations, many of our stores have been depleted. We must resupply then regroup."

Blake listened silently, taking it all in. She was less of an explorer and more of a soldier, that wouldn't be a surprise to anyone. If their orders were to keep it quiet, then she trusted it was for a good reason. For her, it was enough that her team had gotten back safely after a chill inducingly close call. "Do we have an update on our casualties?" she asked quietly, looking across to Allyndra.

"Yes," Allyndra replied. "Currently we have eight crew still wounded and recovering. Two colonists critical and awaiting further surgery. As there was enough for the rest of the fleet to handle we will have to transport them to the base and then transfer them to base care. While critical, we can do some emergency surgery and keep them stable enough to receive higher standards of care on the base."

Blake nodded slowly, looking to her hands on the glossy table. It could have been a lot worse. So much worse. And on all sides of the fractured prism that had made up recent events. She still felt a flicker of anger when she thought about just how out of control it had all gotten. She pushed it aside quickly, focussing on practical matters of the present that they could do something about. "And the ship?"

"Slightly better condition than a couple of days ago, several small breaches mostly on the ventral hull, nothing critical." Mimi started, having worked with the engineers on sections nearer the hull she had the best idea of that area. "Both forward torpedo launchers are still offline." She then added.

Ryan nodded along with Mimi. “Replicators are also offline. And much of secondary power distribution system is damaged as well.” He said before looking down at the PADD. “One final piece, the sensor array on bearings 050-085, isn’t picking up anything.” Ryan finished, looking over to Mimi and nodding appreciatively.

The doors opened and Lt. Aria Rice grimaced, catching her breath as she carried a PADD in her hand. "Apologies," she said, for interrupting the room, moving to an empty seat and taking it. She had been down going over the repairs and trying to juggle the various reports...that she assumed they were now briefing the Captain about. With everything going on she had found herself slotting in as a bit of a coordinator, seeing as there wasn't much for her to guard at the moment.

"I was wondering if you got lost in the torpedo tubes, Lieutenant Rice," the captain lightly remarked upon seeing the tardy yellow-collared arrival. Better late than absent, she mused to herself. "We were just going over ship status updates. What is the latest from your department?"

Aria let out a breath before she lifted her PADD slightly. "Just finished going through the numbers," she said and looked at everyone before she bit her lip. "So we've almost deleted out torpedoes. We got two quantums left and four photons. The port-ventral phaser arrays is offline..."

Vansen nodded and looked at her, his eyes gentle. "We're working on getting it back, but even if we manage it might not hold for long. But we're working on it, with a bit of luck and hard work we might be able to get to a stage where we at least know what it can take."

Aria nodded as she took in the information, but it was clear she was thinking ahead. "Okay, so plus side is that our shields are back at 80%, if we end up having to engage we can be smart and try and conserve..." she placed her PADD down and looked over at Lirha. "Unfortunately, Captain, the reality is that we can't hold up in a fight. We just don't have the firepower."

The tactical update was sobering but also to be expected. Galileo had seen more combat action in the last several days than the entire previous year combined. The small Nova-class survey vessel simply wasn't designed to deliberately operate in offensive operations. Now, the ship was low on armaments and would have to avoid any further confrontations until resupply. At least the shields and hull plating had held.

The captain then turned her attention to Sandoval and her assistant. "Lieutenant, what's the status of your samples? How much data have you been able to process so far?"

"All data on Latari A & B has been processed, including scans of the proto-Tholian and geographic and biological samples. Said samples have been preserved in case we need to examine them in the future," Marisa said. "We also have a few damaged sensor pallets that are being processed. Teams are working on restoring as much of the data as possible. These may take a few more days."

"We've coordinated with the science teams on Kali and Lagrange as well and we'll be looking over the data they collected centrally from Galileo." In honesty the main amount of work Ullswater had been doing in her role as coordinator with the other ships had been running round helping Kali's crew with emergency repairs. There hadn't been much actual work to the job, which was undoubtedly why Kohl had shunted her off there in the first place. "We've got the better staff and facilities for processing all the gathered data here but I'll keep in contact with the other science teams in case they've seen something we missed."

Saalm nodded in understanding. "Excellent. Make sure the proto-matter samples remain isolated in quarantine fields. Data Access Level 5 only." Though she trusted her crew, the sensitive and dangerous nature of the recovered molecules needed to be protected for the safety of the ship.

"Already done. It's in a stasis field as well to keep it inert," the science officer replied.

Most of the department updates were complete but there was a final - and perhaps most important - one missing. "Commander," the captain continued, addressing her XO, "how is the warp core? Can we expect it to sustain another three months at cruise speed?" Running the matter/anti-matter reactor for such prolonged periods of time wasn't ideal, but still well within the engineering capabilities of the core's design. Starfleet technology was proven and efficient provided regular maintenance was conducted and damage was quickly repaired.

A small smile came back to Blake at the question; it was nice to be able to give good news. "I have been assured that the warp core will serve our needs. The Engineering crew are still making some minor repairs throughout the ship, but the warp core will hold up."

The captain felt a small weight lift from her shoulders. Galileo was in relatively good condition and she wouldn't have to badger Rasmussen for any further delays. He'd already tried to chew her out for extending their departure from the system for a triple-check of any remaining proto-matter particles. Finally, they were now ready to return to their original tasking and resume the ferry trip to Regula I. "Very good. I will hold you to your word, XO."

Blake nodded, amusement in her eyes as she clasped her hands together and rested them on the table. "More than fair," she conceded with a tilt of the head before casting her gaze around the table. They'd done a good job at getting the ship back on her feet, so to speak. The crew had proven themselves, despite the volatile turn of events while she'd been off the ship. "I suppose that takes us to 'any other business'..."

Allyndra said nothing more but she wondered how all this would shake out in the long term. There might be longer term problems at least mentally from all stress. She made a note to check with section and she herself had done counseling in the past.

Mimi tried not to yawn during what looked like the last few minutes of the briefing, there was nothing else for it she'd have to get some proper sleep and soon.

With no more queries or comments from her senior staff, Captain Saalm gave a final update on their imminent departure from the Latari system. "One final remark," she started. "USS Trial is unsalvageable and we cannot tow the hull all the way to Regula I. Engineers from Lagrange have rigged her warp core to self-destruct at approximately 1820 this evening. Solaris will be rejoining our formation and we're scheduled to depart at 1900. I expect to see you all on the bridge at that time. Dismissed."

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Scarlet Blake
Executive Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Allyndra Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

LT Marisa Sandoval
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Tris Shizn
Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo-A

ENS Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

ENS Ryan Alexander
Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

ENS Sofie Ullswater
Deputy Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO3 Constantin Vansen
Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Aria Rice
Deputy Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Vansen]

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