Task Force: Gamma

Marek · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:27 pm Post subject:

Derelict Vessel
Xavier Croft

Croft slowly made his way to the bridge, finding dust, the occasional terrible smell from an unknown source, and empty rooms. With a heave he slid the door open to the bridge, his tricorder having determined that nothing alive was on the other side. He found his first surprise here, several dried out corpses could be seen, one at the helm, one in the command chair, and one at the engineering station. They appeared to have been dead for a very long time. Their clothing was so deteriorated that at the slightest touch they turned to dust, and any identifying marks or colors had long since faded. Croft motioned for Tay to move off towards the left, while Croft made for the helm controls. A quick glance showed a reasonably standard layout labeled in English. And I was hoping for a challenge A few taps and the ship began to decelerate. He tapped his combadge, "Croft to Commander Qech, bridge secured. The impulse engines have been shut down. I'm going to see if I can get anything out of the main computer."
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Captain David Brennon · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:52 pm Post subject:

Location: Beam in point, Derelict Vessel

As Koester scanned the area using the exographic targeting sensor attached to his rifle, he comes across a section of the ship that appears to be shielded, his scanner unable to penetrate the bulkhead.

Location: Derelict Bridge

Security Officer Tay took up a guard post near the entrance to the Bridge, scanning over the room with both eyes and tricorder, saying nothing to the pilot as he went about his duties.

Minutes passed as Lieutenant Croft looked over the ship's main computer. The ship's database was practically open for all to see with negligible security systems in place. The ship -- apparently known as the Apollo -- had only been out of port for six weeks, far too short a time for the bodies of the crew to have been reduced to such a state. At last report, the vessel had set course for their home planet, Olympia, and was operating normally. Nothing seemed readily apparent that could have caused any disaster.

Location: Engineering Section, Freighter Apollo

Beck and Calodan stepped into the engine room and were suprised to find a fairly modern looking warp drive system in place. Naturally, the ship didn't use the standard Starfleet LCARS interface and was in fact closely related to the old Duotronic systems of the 23rd century. The Security Guard chuckled as he saw it, running a hand over a bulky switch control.

"I haven't seen something like this outside of a holovid. I tell you, Lieutenant, I almost became an Engineer because of this kind of stuff..."

The Warp Core hummed in the center of the room, dully pulsing a blue light across the room. With a quick scan with a tricorder, Calodan was able to learn the system went into an automated shutdown, with the impulse drive kicking in to take the ship the rest of the way home... no matter the fact that the trip would take decades at impulse.

Location: Corridors, Freighter Apollo

Lieutenant zh'Rel and Commander Qech strode down the dark corridors of the abandoned ship. Thus far, the only bodies reported had been on the bridge, even the engineering section was devoid of signs of life. The pair neared the section of bulkhead cut off from Koester's Rifle Sensor and indeed by the scanning abilities of the tricorder. Zh'Rel's antennae twitched slightly as she walked, two paces in front of the Commander and phaser at the ready.

"I'm not sure how much I like this, Commander. the tricorder goes dead beyond this bulkhead and I'm not sure how much I..."

The Andorian was cut off by the loud clanking sound of metal on metal coming from the other side of the bulkhead in front of them. The sound echoed down the corridor, ringing in their ears for several moments before fading away.
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ArjimCalodan · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:00 am Post subject:

"I haven't seen something like this outside of a holovid. I tell you, Lieutenant, I almost became an Engineer because of this kind of stuff..."

"I definitely agree with you on that Crewman. It was because of the same holovids and holodeck simulations that I decided to become an Engineer. Since you have some experience, why don't you work with that console and see if you can pull up the Chief Engineer's logs." He gestured to a console that was secluded off in a bit of an office that he assumed to be the home of this ship's late Chief Engineer.

He tapped his commbadge. "Calodan to Commander Qech. Crewman Beck and I found Engineering and are starting on accessing the logs. A quick tricorder check of the warp core shows it went into an automated shutdown sequence and the impulse reactors have kicked in to keep the ship moving on its course. If these dials and gauges are correct, there enough deuterium stored on board to keep the impulse reactors going for a decade or more. I don't think even a Sovereign class is rated to do that. No signs of life down here though."
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KarlKoester · Guest

Derelict Ship
Karl Koester

"Koester to away team." Koester said as he tapped his commbadge: "If you enter the bridge section of the ship you'll lose sniper cover. There seems to be interference with my exographic targeting scanner."

Davynn Qech · Graphics Chief Joined: 16 Jun 2009 Posts: 809

Qech responded to each of the incoming messages from the rest of the away team as they came over her comm, acknowledging their actions. She and Ensign Zh'rel were just about to turn around and scan the next deck when the readings on her tricorder suddenly came up short.

"That's odd..." she said, putting her hand against the bulkhead.

"I'm not sure how much I like this, Commander. the tricorder goes dead beyond this bulkhead and I'm not sure how much I..."

Qech stepped away from the wall as a strange noise rattled behind it, leading back down the hallway and eventually fading away. She stood gazing down the hallway for a brief moment before looking to Zh'rel. "Well, we came here in search of something peculiar, and that definitely fits the bill."

Just then she received a message from Koester:

"Koester to away team. If you enter the bridge section of the ship you'll lose sniper cover. There seems to be interference with my exographic targeting scanner."

Qech tapped her combadge. "We're scanning that bulkhead now, Crewman, and we're getting the same interference, along with some strange noises. Meet us on deck 3. We're going to look for a door, and might need some extra backup."

The Trill looked to Ensign Zh'rel and nodded toward the far end of the hallway. The security officer looked nervous, but hardly rattled, and she head her phaser rifle instinctively at the ready. With a return nod from the Andorian, Qech set off down the hall.

((OOC: The Bulkhead in question wasn't in the bridge section. Just to clear up any confusion.))
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Marek · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 6:28 pm Post subject:

Croft sat at the console, becoming more confused the more he read. He finally began skimming through the sensor logs, hoping to see something unusual that might explain the circumstances the freighter was now in.
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uvek · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:30 pm Post subject:

"We're scanning that bulkhead now, Crewman, and we're getting the same interference, along with some strange noises. Meet us on deck 3. We're going to look for a door, and might need some extra backup."

Uvek, scanning the communications and sensor logs, opened a channel. "Commander, should I have additional security teams moved to the transporter? They can be available with Mr. Smith in under 5 minutes."

To the captain, he said. "Captain, this information could indicate the use, and possible presence of the wormhole we discussed a short time ago. Despite being at yellow alert, I would advise strengthening our scientific scans."
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Live a life of action...not reaction.

Davynn Qech · Graphics Chief Joined: 16 Jun 2009 Posts: 809

"Commander, should I have additional security teams moved to the transporter? They can be available with Mr. Smith in under 5 minutes."

Qech tapped her combadge. "Better safe than sorry, Lieutenant. Go ahead and send them over. This could be anything from a three-headed monster to a lost chihuahua with its own dampening field."
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uvek · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:05 pm Post subject:

"Better safe than sorry, Lieutenant. Go ahead and send them over. This could be anything from a three-headed monster to a lost chihuahua with its own dampening field."

Uvek cocked his head slightly. Chihuahua? He opened his mouth to ask, but thought better of it. "Yes, Ma'am." he replied simply. He tapped his commbadge. "Uvek to Smith. Report to transporter room one immediately. Have a security detail with you and beam to Commander Qech's location. Inform me when you are there. Uvek out."

He checked his boards and nodded in satisfaction. Looking to Phell, he indicated a flashing light. Phell turned and attended to the minor issue.

"Team enroute, Commander." he reported.
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Live a life of action...not reaction.

ArjimCalodan · Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:09 pm Post subject:

In Engineering, Calodan was growing increasingly frustrated with the old duotronic systems.

"Having any luck Beck?" he called out across Engineering after running into a "Processing" dialog for the fifth time in as many minutes. Old systems like this really made him appreciate LCARS and triple redundant computer cores.

After a quick report from Beck informing him that her progress was as slow as his, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his neck. "None of the information I've seen so far makes any sense." He was talking mainly to himself but he still managed to get Beck's attention. At her quizzical look, he turned to her, "It is strange that the core is shutdown. All the info I've found shows it should be up and running without any problems. I could probably run it through a cold start routine and have this ship moving at warp 7 in less than an hour." The console beeped and he pushed a few buttons and started another retrieval. "And aside from that, the power generation this ship is putting out is on par with what I would expect to see on Hartington or a Galaxy-class ship..not a Daedalus from the 21st century. Lt. Ghan could learn a thing or two from these impulse reactors and this warp core is virtually the same as the one in Hartington's engine room. I came aboard expecting a museum piece..and aside from the main computer we could be on a modern, if slightly aged starship in Starfleet's reserve fleet."

His console beeped at him and displayed the few lines of data he had been able to retrieve in his entire narration. Calodan got impatient. "There has to be another way to get at this," he said to the air. After a few more minutes of tinkering, he reached down and ripped the front cover off of the console and proceeded to stick his head and shoulders inside of it. Muffled curses and epitaphs made Beck look over her console in concern. "Do you need a hand sir?" she asked but he just waved at her and kept working inside the console.

After a few more minutes (and several ancient Klingon curses), he emerged. His uniform was covered in black streaks where he had it inside the panel and his hair was full of dust, but a triumphant grin told a story. In his hand, he held a thin cable. "Toss me your tricorder Crewman." A quick catch and the cable was inserted into one of the interface ports.

"That ought to do it. I interfaced the tricorder into the computer core directly through this console's data feed. The tricorder is just copying the contents of the main computer directly to its memory banks and mirroring the data over to Hartington." He tapped his commbadge to pass on the good news. "Calodan to Commander Qech and Captain Brennon. I've managed to tap into the derelict's main computer core. The logs are copying now, but it'll be about 10 minutes before I can get all the data out. I'm uploading the data to Hartington's protected computer storage as I get it."

"Never could have done that with a modern console, without bypassing a bunch of ODN taps and relays" he thought to himself, "and probably not without singeing my eyebrows in the process. Maybe there is something to these old computers afterall."
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Cory Drake · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:28 am Post subject:

LT. JG Cory Drake
USS Hartington
Bridge - Science station

Drake overheard Uvek mention the possibility of a wormhole and immediately began pressing at the console in front of him to begin scientific scans of the region around the Hartington for any signs of a wormhole -- big or small.

Drake grabbed a small cup of coffee next to him on the edge of the console with his holographic arm -- holoarm -- and took a sip.

This should keep me a little more awake, Drake thought to himself and he checked over the sensor readings already slowly making their way in.

He glanced over at the Vulcan science officer still at her post working. It must have been a long day for her as well, having been on the bridge well before he was.

"Lieutenant," Drake spoke to the Vulcan science officer. "If you need a break, we can get Petty Officer Vek Brin up here to relieve you. You've been here quite a while."

Drake, while waiting for an answer, also pressed another sequence on his console, moving onto the next area of space in the sector. No signs of anything yet.
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IAmTedSmith · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:29 pm Post subject:

PO3 T. Smith
USS Hartington
En Route to Transporter Room 3

Smith got the call from Uvek and hopped into action.

"Petty Officer Smith to Echo Team, meet me in Transporter Room 3 for Away Mission to the Apollo."

As he walked into the Transporter room, Lt. Ghan stood behind the controls, waiting for the rest of Security Team 5 to come in.

"El Tee, if you're here, we must have some important stuff going on aboard the Apollo." Smith was interrupted by a Comm chirp:

"Crewman Hawkins to Petty Officer Smith, myself and Specialist Robinson are on our way to you."

"Standing by in Transporter Room 3 Hawkins. Put some hustle in it."
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The only thing neccecary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

KarlKoester · Guest

"Roger ma'am. Moving." Koester replied as he moved through the derelict spacecraft to join Qech and the others. Koester ran over to them with his rifle in hand and prepared to engage any threats as they appeared...

Captain David Brennon · Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:46 pm Post subject:

Location: Engineering Section, Freighter Apollo

As Lieutenant Calodan's download neared completion, Crewmen Beck strolled around the section, looking over the antique-yet-not controls. He smiled as he looked over one of the status displays, flicking his tricorder open to get a better look at the device. As his tricorder came to life, so too did the proximity alert on it. His brow furrowing, Beck looked over the data streaming into his tricorder.

"Lieutenant, I'm picking up life signs approaching Engineering. Human. I thought our people wer -- ARGH!"

The man's voice was cut off as he collapsed, tricorder falling to his side. The security specialist went into convulsions, foam soon started to seep out of the corners of his mouth. He needed help, and fast.

***

Location: Bridge, Freighter Apollo

The silence on the Bridge was deafening as the two men went about their business. Croft spent his time working at one of the consoles, searching the ship's log for something, anything to explain what happened. As luck may have it, he found it, albeit by accident. As he was preparing to log off the computer the main view screen lit up, most likely activated by an errant command issued by the pilot's tricorder. The screen showed a human man sitting in the center seat on the very bridge they stood upon. The audio came and went, and the video was intermittent with static, but the basics of the man's plight was clear.

"Capta... iam... hano... e hav... tracted some kind of... ease. We thi... k it came abo...d... n... the last... nsport. We've sent a me... ge... k... to... lympia but I can't be su... it got throu... I ordered Engine... son to cut power to the... rp Drive, but he hasn't respo... ink it took him too. I've... ed myself in the Bridge, laun... essage buoy. If you receive this, take us home... ut don... et the... ip... nd. Pl... se... ell my wife, I love her... ery... uch."

Across the display reads a set of coordinates, another set of numbers that could be a date and then repeats the message.

***

Location: Corridors, Freighter Apollo

Qech and zh'Rel rounded a corner and came face to face with a malfunctioning door. At the moment, it was trying to close but a large metal shelving unit jammed it open. The Andorian knelt down looking over the piece of furniture with her tricorder open. She looked up, antennae angled forward and down in confusion.

"I thought that we didn't detect any life signs aboard the ship..."

She handed the tricorder over to her superior officer, the mask of confusion still across her face.

"Not only has someone touched this, very recently, I think they're still on this deck, possibly in that room. But the scanner won't function past that bulkhead."

***

ACTION

The whole of the freighter shakes to starboard and the engines hum to life once more. In Engineering, the warp core begins the thump, thump, thump indicating power being generated on a larger scale. On the Bridge, a display shows the ship's shields going up.

***

Location: Main Bridge, USS Hartington

Lieutenant Solana's brow rose at Drake as he suggested she stand down. While it was true she had been on duty for some time, the thought had not occurred to her to stand down. After briefly entertaining the idea, she shook her head.

"I am capable of working for some time more, Lieutenant, but rest assured that I will take my leave when I need to." She motioned to the screen Drake has been looking over, pointing out the changes in the freighter.

"That does not seem like typical behavior."

***

Location: Transporter Room, USS Hartington

Lieutenant Ghan eyes each of the security officers as they stepped into the room, snorting a little as the last stragglers hustled in. Transporter duty, while once the specific realm of the Chief Engineer in the early days of the technology, was not a job that Ghan was used to. He was qualified of course -- one could say over qualified even -- but he would take mucking around the Engine Room over the Transporter Room any day.

As the men took their places on the pad, the Chief Engineer went through the pre-transport checklist, stopping short very near the top. He tapped his combadge and called up the bridge.

"Transporter Room to Bridge, I've lost lock on the away team and cannot establish beam-in coordinates for the security detail. All indications show that the derelict has it's shields up... I thought you said it was dead!"

***

Location: Main Bridge, USS Hartington

The Captain looked up at the Engineer's report, over to Science and then to Tactical. He needed answers, and he needed them quickly. He called down to the Transporter Room, alerting his Chief Engineer to stand by and then nodded to the Science and Tactical Officers, giving them the chance to speak.

"Report."
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Davynn Qech · Graphics Chief Joined: 16 Jun 2009 Posts: 809

Qech looked at the door, which was still trying to close itself, in confusion. Their tricorders couldn't all be malfunctioning.

"Not only has someone touched this, very recently, I think they're still on this deck, possibly in that room. But the scanner won't function past that bulkhead."

In the light of this new mystery, the door was starting to look almost ominous and Qech was developing a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about all the loose ends they were encountering.

"Just to be on the safe side, I'd like to wait until the rest of the security team arri-" as she spoke, PO Koester rounded the corner at a near run, his rifle at the ready. She nodded to him and was about to inform him that there was more backup en route when the ship lurched, almost catching her off balance. She could hear machinery humming to life around her, machinery that they had assumed dead.

She tapped her combadge. "Away team, report."
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