Flight of the Intruders (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 16 Jun 2022 @ 3:33pm by Commander Marisa Wyatt & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant JG Tris Shizn & Lieutenant JG Karras & Lieutenant JG Sofie Ullswater & Ensign Amanda Turell & Petty Officer 2nd Class Donald Andrews & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Edited on on 23 Aug 2022 @ 5:50pm

3,197 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Alcyone Sector, USS Galileo-A
Timeline: MD 10, 0627 hrs

Previously, on Flight of the Intruders (Part 1)...

Darius released several breaths of tension through his nostrils. They'd finally escaped the obstacle course and the computer ceased its warning klaxons. He looked back down at his instruments. "We're still alive and the asteroid field density is decreasing. But I don't have Virginia on sensors anymore..."

Marisa's heart began to pound, but she wasn't ready to give up on the other shuttle. They'd run into too many anomalies to make assumptions. "There's every chance the asteroid field is interfering with sensors. Keep on course for the station. Virginia may still be ahead of us."

He chewed the side of his cheek then grit his teeth with frustration. Lamar wasn't one to blame himself for mistakes, but maintaining visual sight and situational awareness of Virginia had been his duty. He'd failed that task and now shook his head with exasperation. They had no idea if their sister shuttle was still intact or not, which added to his apprehension. "Heading to the station," he confirmed to Sandoval.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Shuttle Virginia

Meanwhile on Livia's sister ship the passengers were breathing a sigh of relief after Lieutenant Shizn's maneuver through the asteroids. Ullswater, who was at the time had been keeping a close eye on the sensors and marveling at the field they passed through, turned her attention to the following shuttle. "Commander," she said with a not insignificant amount of hesitancy, addressing Blake as well as the others aboard the shuttle "I can't see Livia on any of our sensors. It could be just interference from the graviton disturbances of the cluster we just passed through but it could also mean..." she cut herself off, not wanting to suggest anything dire before she had proof.

Tris was very pleased by the completion of their recent maneuver through the cluster, but was a touch unsettled when he heard the comment about the Livia. Shizn glanced at the sensor display and it appeared as a jumble of uncertain data. It was definitely not going to help at the moment, for whatever reason. He knew the other shuttle was supposed to be close, hopefully within visual range. The Andorian thought quickly and blurted out, “Commander, fire phasers forward at low yield.” He quickly thought of an explanation, “They will disintegrate any cometary dust and provide the Livia with a beacon.”

Allyndra knew Tris was good, but she still had to hang onto her seat. There was nothing like being an inherent flyer. However, when he suggested firing phasers she had to say something. "Commander, I would suggest we do not do that. I understand about providing a signal to the Livia, but we are not sure if something has not been tailing us. I would suggest that if Livia is alright, they will find their way to the station as well as us. Let us not add a beacon to anyone with unknown intentions."

Tris grimaced in frustration, for he know the Commander was right and he too should have realized those consequences. He remained silent, focusing on the planned flight to the next waypoint. He hoped and trusted Lamar to bring them through.

Blake gave a slight nod to Warraquim's concern, sparing Tris a glance before looking back to her controls. "In any other situation, it would be a good call, Shizn. But we need to try and keep a low profile. We continue to the base, Livia will find its way there," she added, certainty in her voice.

Tris was feeling a touch frustrated. He would rather know where the Livia was located, but understood the tactical situation. The Andorian took in a breath and focused once more. He knew the right thing was to stick with the mission profile and proceed toward the Station, yet he planned to keep a close eye and antenna out for the other shuttle.

A small clearing appeared near the heart of the asteroid field. The density of nickel, magnesium and silicon-composed obstacles decreased until there was only one large solid body remaining -- presumably the location of Cold Station 31. The asteroid's rotation was nominal compared to its nearby brethren, and within one of the deep craters on its surface, were several man-made objects. A small communications post protruded through the mantle accompanied by a discreet command and control observation structure. At the center of the depression was a circular entrance hatch which apparently led to some sort of shuttlebay designed to accommodate support craft.

At first glance, the visible portion of the facility appeared intact. There were no obvious hull breaches or atmospheric leaks and the state of its superstructures indicated no lack of maintenance or long-term dereliction. But where there should have been navigation lights marking the surface structures, there were none. The inside of the command post appeared dark, its windows blackened by a lack of interior lighting. Something was amiss.

Blake watched with ever so slightly narrowed eyes. If she was alone, she would have shaken her head, but she made do with a slight tilt of the head instead. The hackles went up on the back of her neck and her senses sharpened. She started a scan, but the results didn't help settle her instinct. "I'm not picking anything up..." she glanced back to see if the others were having better luck.

"No signs of any onboard power." Ensign Ullswater corroborated the commanders scans. There were no signs of much at all coming from the facility. Privately Ullswater wondered if that was just how the secretive station operated but she could understand the cause for concern. She put in another scan through the terminal, "Still no sign of Livia either."

"Any life signs?" Allyndra asked as she peered past the two toward the station.

"No life signs I can detect," Ullswater answered the doctor, shaking her head "But don't take that as meaning there aren't any, at this range and through the materials of that this asteroid is comprised of there could be something under the surface that our sensors can't pick up." She pondered for a moment before offering the speculation "Given the secretive nature of the facility maybe that's intentional."

Allyndra indicated she understood. "Ah, my first impulse. You are probably correct, distance and most likely some shielding to protect the place along with the asteroid field."

Shizn knew the others were dealing with other issues, but he needed them to understand, “Commander, ETA is 4 minutes at current velocity.”

"Lieutenant Shizn please slow and start scans for life signs and power." Allyndra shifted out of her seat and moved so she could peer out the window. Sensors were good and much better, but there was nothing like using ones own senses as well.

“Yes Ma’am,” had been Shizn’s quick reply before initiating a deceleration of the shuttle, nothing too abrupt of course. He then began a sensor sweep of the large asteroid ahead of them.

"Anything?" Allyndra inquired after a few moments. "To me it looks like the place has been shut down. Any sign of the Livia?

“I’m not picking anything up. No life signs, nor power output expected a few his range,” a touch of frustration in Tris’ voice. “She could be . . “ He stopped mid sentence and double checked the sensor readings once more and calmly said, “There she is Commander.”


Shuttle Livia

Shuttlecraft Livia suddenly emerged from the blind side of an orbiting asteroid. Chatter within the cockpit had been brief ever since they'd lost contact with Virginia, but Sandoval's order to continue the mission had been the correct one. The conn officer finished maneuvering the small Type 6 along their unorthodox approach to the cold station and now looked up from his console to observe a small open pocket of space within the otherwise-dense field of hazardous floating rocks. A single large asteroid was located near the center which looked familiar to those who'd paid attention to their navigation charts during the mission briefing.

"I think this is it...we're here," Lamar deduced.

"Search the asteroid," Sandoval said. "I'll run scans, but I want a visual search--especially for the Virginia. I want as much information as we can get from here." She knew they wouldn't get as much as she wanted, but anything could help at this point. Especially if they spotted the other shuttle. "Take us in slowly so we can get a good look." As she'd already set up a sensor sweep, she activated it and hoped for the best.

Karras stood and moved closer to the viewscreen. He knew he would be able to speak to any technical scans but he could at least see if he could observe anything that might help. Unfortunately, nothing was catching his attention.

"It just looks like a big rock," he whispered, half hoping he'd notice something of value as he spoke. He didn't.

"...A big rock with a big crater. Look at that part of it." The chief warrant officer pointed toward a large depression now coming into view. The rest of the asteroid field shaded its surface from most light sources but the lip of the basin stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't clear to Darius if it was a naturally-occurring cavity or man-made. He tapped at his console and set a new course directly at the object of interest.

"Slowing to thrusters," he confirmed. The shuttle's computer started to chirp at him in a distinctive tone. He observed the new readings on his navigation terminal then subtly nodded to himself. "Virginia's transponder is transmitting and I've got a range and bearing on her position. They're holding just off the starboard side of that large crater."

Vansen smiled as he looked out, letting out a low whistle. "I mean, if I was hiding somewhere, I'd hide in a crater..." he looked over at Sandoval, knowing she was doing the more serious scans, but wanting to help out he made a point of looking at what was incoming.

She turned to Vansen. "I'd like you to look for life signs on the asteroid. Also check to see if the atmosphere is breathable. I'm still getting data on the space around it, but so far they're showing no power signatures from the asteroid."

Finally, she turned to Karras. "I'll need you once we look for survivors. I have no idea what we'll find, but you'll likely be needed as both a doctor and counselor."

On the lieutenant commander's order, Darius interpreted the sensor readings being returned from shuttle Virginia. "Their hull's intact; power signatures are within standard operating procedures. Reading five life-signs. No indications of distress that I can see. They're probably observing that crater just like we are." Most importantly to him, both teams had made it through the asteroid field alive and in one piece. That was a small victory he was happy to take any day.

Vansen frowned as he checked the incoming data, letting out a breath. "Breathable atmosphere," he confirmed before he shook his head. "Life-signs inconclusive, there's a lot of interference," he added, glancing over at the Lieutenant Commander before back at what he was seeing. "I can try and clean it up." But his tone said it was unlikely to happen.

Marisa nodded her thanks. "The energy dampening field is offline, likely due to the lack of power." Nothing she'd heard so far boded well for the people working on the station. "Are there other entrances to the facility?" She wanted to find out if there was another entrance from the one the Virginia looked to be heading for.

Lamar shook his head, his fingers manipulating his LCARS sensor display. "Negative." He looked up through the cockpit and toward what seemed to be a small, yellow-striped support craft hatch. "That looks like the only way in and out." His eyes drifted back down to his console. "No indication of any other access ports - personnel or otherwise."


Shuttle Virginia

Livia, unseen by the crew of Virginia for the last few minutes, had finally moved back into the vision of its sister shuttle's sensors. "I have Livia on sensors again." Ullswater piped up "Nothing unusual, looks like they are probably fine."

Aboard the Virginia, Shizn made another scan of the approaching shuttle, Shizn reported, “Commander, the Livia is slowing, and they are also scanning the asteroid.”

Allyndra knew they should not communicate normally. An idea struck her. "Flash landing lights. Do you know old Earth Morse?"

Tris glanced uncertainly over his shoulder at the Commander for a second, but then smiled, “Yes Ma’am.” He set in a program on the lights. “Activating running light sequence and the word ‘follow’’.” Lights on the exterior of the ship began to flash in a sequence running from the aft of the shuttle to the bow, followed by the sequence of short and long flashes (..-. --- .-.. .-.. --- .--). The sequence was slow, taking a full four seconds to complete before repeating. This continued for 5 periods and then stopped.

"Very good. From what I am seeing and your scans it appears we have a dead station. This looks like it might be a land and investigate." Warraquim was pretty sure they could keep tight communications. "Guess it appears that a manual opening of the shuttle bay is in order. See where that is so we can gain access to the interior and find out what has happened."

Shizn brought the Virginia to a relative halt before the docking-bay. With no power levels coming from the station, Tris wasn’t sure how to proceed. With forward illumination he did notice to the side an operation panel and what appeared might be a manual control, yet from within the Shuttle that was going to be difficult, but not impossible.

With an idea, Shizn turned to the Commander and commented, “No automatic recognition of our presence. Do you know of any operational code or access signal for this situation?”

"We try override first Mister Shizn. Try 224003." Allyndra did not relish having to blow open the doors and she did not want anyone taking an EV walk either.

Ullswater checked over all the frequencies of that the station should be transmitting from but all was silent. Without any indications or handshake signals from the station they would have to be more broad in their transmission "I'm sending the codes over all the channels normally used by Federation stations. Hopefully this cold station still follows up to date override channel procedures."

The invisible communications transmission from Virginia to the cold station produced no initial results. Seconds ticked by which felt like minutes, but then a return acknowledgement was received inside the Type 6. In space, the asteroid station's shuttlebay doors slowly started to retract and revealed the away team's new temporary berthing. The two hatches parted until they were completely open and invited both the shuttles to enter its domain.

Allyndra observed the doors slowly open. "Alright take us in Mister Shizn." She didn't like that there were not the usual signs of activity.


Shuttle Livia

"Commander," Darius spoke to get the science chief's attention. He'd noticed a series of blinking white strobes in his periphery emanating from their sister shuttle but had no clue what it meant. "I think something's wrong with Virginia... Their running lights are online and they're signalling for something."

"Run it through the computer," Marisa said. "It looks like Morse Code." She knew the code, but she was a bit rusty. The computer should decode it quickly. Right now, her mind was focusing on what they would do once they landed.

Vansen frowned as he watched the lights, frowning. He was still watching his own station, so he hoped Karras or Andrews were inputting it into the computer. It tugged at his own memory and he kept watching.

"Morse code.." Donald looked up in time to catch the last sequence of flashing running lights, he checked the computer, he knew Morse code but was a little rusty too. The computer quickly churned out the translation. "They want us to follow them."

A new sensor reading alerted Darius to a development at the asteroid's small outpost which he started to verify with his Mark I eyeball. "That docking hatch...it's opening." He scanned his sensor display once more then looked back up toward their sister shuttle's position. "Looks like Virginia's going in," he reported.

"Give her a couple of minutes, in case there are problems inside, then follow as directed," Marisa replied.

Lamar almost did a double-take but instead just shifted his eyes from Sandoval back to his console. There was logic to the commander's order but he couldn't help feel like they were using Virginia as bait. The former-Marine in him wanted to push forward with the other shuttle to give them immediate support if anything went wrong. "Holding position," he reluctantly acknowledged.

Shuttlecraft Virginia disappeared from visual view as it maneuvered above the open hatch then descended into the cold station's shuttlebay. Darius counted down two painstakingly-long minutes. "They've been in there for 130 seconds," he finally announced on his console's chronometer. "I'm taking us in." The chief warrant officer tapped on his console's navigational controls and accelerated their shuttle to a position just above the landing pad. "Preparing for descent."

In space, Livia delicately maneuvered into an optimal landing position then fired her dorsal and lateral maneuvering thrusters. Slowly and with precision, the Type 6 shuttle entered the facility's small support craft housing and adjusted its position to hover just to the side of the other landed shuttle. It was a tight fit for Galileo's two shuttles, but doable.

"Ten seconds," announced Darius from the helm. He kept a close eye on his proximity sensors while slowly dropping down into the vacant parking spot. "3...2....1..." A soft jolt reverberated through their shuttle when it touched down alongside the other away team. "Positive hard dock. We're inside the cold station, commander."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CWO3 Lamar Darius
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

Ensign Amanda Turell
Sec/Tac Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

PO2 Donald Andrews
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

Ensign Sofie Ullswater
Science Officer
USS Galilleo-A

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

Cmdr. Allyndra illm Warraquim
Second and Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO3 Constantin Vansen
Operations Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

Lieutenant Commander Marisa Sandoval
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Karras
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Tris Shizn
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A

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