Chapter 5 - Sudden Stop pt 2
Featuring ...
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:17 PM
::nods:: Let’s work on that. The more info we have the better I’ll feel.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:18 PM
And maybe find any other technologies that could tell us who did this.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:18 PM
::Nods::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:18 PM
::stands:: Alright folks, let’s get it done.
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:19 PM
::stands::: I’m going to see if there’s anything in recent reports that gives any hints.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:19 PM
::stands as well, watching folks departing to their assignments::
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:20 PM
::chuckles:: Too bad that Moro kid isn’t here to help take the thing apart. She’d have it figured out before the rest of us could sneeze.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:20 PM
::Stands and heads for the helm, with a couple of options available to work on for paths through the mess ahead of them… and ways to get them out if needs be.::
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:22 PM
::heads down to Engineering to set up deactivation::
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:22 PM
::stops K’Naut before he leaves the room:: Rule 125. You can’t make a deal if you’re dead. ::gives his hand a squeeze:: Be careful.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:22 PM
::stays back with Henry:: you don’t think this could be 31, do you?
::quietly::
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:23 PM
::nods with a smile:: my word, Z.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:23 PM
::at her console, she taps her fingers softly along the edge of the screen in front of her::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:23 PM
::He gave a small shrug.::: I mean, its always possible. But why would they want to sabotage this area?
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:25 PM
::settles in at a secondary tactical station on the Bridge, and starts to work on finding the contacts for the now-defunct station::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:25 PM
I dunno, but that hasn’t meant squat before. ::slight grin::
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:25 PM
:::takes an auxiliary station, reviewing boring reports:::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:26 PM
::on a small window on her console, starts to run a search to see if anyone else has reported these mines.::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:26 PM
Not to mention 31 never uses ragtag devices. Their black budget has the best of the best.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:26 PM
::still, if he didn’t smell them on this, she’d accept that.::
::nods:: true. Not saying I want it to be them…just the mention brings back memories. Not fun ones.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:28 PM
::Sighs:: Nobody else has reported this. Which either means that nobody has come through this region of space in a while, or this is very new.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:28 PM
If I start to feel otherwise you’ll be the first to know.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:28 PM
::begins moving back towards the bridge, satisfied with that conclusion::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:28 PM
::follows her::
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:29 PM
Same here. Even cursory reports have nothing out of the ordinary. The last Federation ship through this area was the Ballisk and their worst problem was a faulty conduit in the holodeck.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:30 PM
When did they come through last?
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:30 PM
::arrives in Engineering. Begins setting up deactivation sequence::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:30 PM
::takes her seat on the Bridge, tuning into the chatter::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:31 PM
::starts to pick at another thought in her head:: Whoever put this lot here had to be on a ship big enough.
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:31 PM
Three weeks.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:31 PM
So we know these devices are new.
::looks to Nuhl:: That is true.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:33 PM
Can we.. I dunno… track the engine trail after this much time? It’s not likely they went to warp, but.. there might be something?
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:33 PM
::looks to Science::
Sci> By now it’s degraded.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:34 PM
I knew it was too easy.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:34 PM
::brow furrows, then she chuckles:: Prophets, I forgot what a hunk of junk that place was. ::looks up:: I’m into the old reports.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:34 PM
Keep the ideas coming, sooner or later one will connect.
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:34 PM
Bridge, the device has been deactivated. Please tractor it into the shuttle bay.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:35 PM
Science> On it. :::brings it into the SB:::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:37 PM
Time for some answers.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:37 PM
So, when the Chief and I were stationed on DS10, it had already been through Cardassian, Breen, and Ferengi hands. It was the sector’s most patchwork piecemeal hunk of junk, and it was a wonder so many of us lived through all of the problems it had.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:38 PM
I think most questions will be unanswerable until we see whose technology is in there
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:38 PM
OPS> Captain, we’re getting a message from the conference, asking for our ETA.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:38 PM
One of the booby traps we encountered, once it was triggered, rendered almost every sentient species in range essentially catatonic.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:39 PM
Tell them we’re delayed for navigational issues. We expect it to be repaired within a few hours.
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:39 PM
::head to the shuttle bay::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:39 PM
That’ll buy us a little time.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:39 PM
Any reason we don’t want them to know about the minefield?
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:40 PM
We don’t know if they did it themselves.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:40 PM
Good point.
I just.. ::Waves a hand at the screen:: worry that if they don’t know about it, and try to send us some help…
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:41 PM
Let’s keep long range sensors going then.
Sci> ::nod:: Will do Sir.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:41 PM
We spent the better part of those four years trying to cut out all the piecemeal technology, vent the Breen atmosphere to make the place functional, and then would find those little nuggets of excitement hidden in the weirdest of places.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:43 PM
::blinks at Statzia:: that’s not encouraging…
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:43 PM
+K’Naut+ Liski to Chief K’Naut–I’ve got access to our old reports. Any particular booby trap that you want the details on?
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:43 PM
::begins dismantling mine, muttering to himself:: So, Ferengi sensor array and thrusters…Romulan grav generator…Klingon power source…outer shell seems to be a Cardassian alloy…
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:43 PM
What if that thing is a trojan horse? Are we sure that it’s not hiding something worse?
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:43 PM
Thanks for that thought.
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:44 PM
: shrug:::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:44 PM
::sighs::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:45 PM
Oh fun thought. Fun, fun thought.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:46 PM
Sci> Captain, two more detonations showing on long range scans.
What triggered them?
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:46 PM
Nothing comes to mind, Z. Well…maybe the one that inverted the gravity field on the Promenade…
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:46 PM
::Looks up at the screen, like it would see that far.::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:46 PM
Sci> Unknown, there are no ships on scans. Could be random debris tripping the device.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:47 PM
::audibly groans:: +K+ It looks like that thing?
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:48 PM
::eyes the viewscreen, not liking her train of thought:: well, keep the updates coming if you see more. ::to Sci::
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:48 PM
What happens if enough gravity disturbances happen so close to one another?
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:49 PM
::lets out a breath, tapping on the screen rapidly:: +K+ What I wouldn’t give for a Bynar right about now. Sending that data down to you.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:49 PM
::looks to his daughter in law::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:49 PM
Say goodbye to travel in this area for a long time to come?
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:50 PM
::to Sci:: where were those two detonations with respect to the ship?
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:50 PM
::continues poking around in the mine:: Tholian self-destruct device? Where’d they get that? Aha! The control module is Federation. A CM-422. ::removes the module::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:50 PM
Sci> Yes, it would throw off sensors and navigation. Worst case it could effect the stability of time and space…theoretically.
Sci> 300,000 and 450,000 KMs man, starboard side.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:51 PM
So it would destroy the chance of anyone leaving the planet the other side of the field.
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:51 PM
+Bridge+ I’ve found the control unit. It shouldn’t take me long to work out the control codes.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:52 PM
+Knaut+ Great news.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:52 PM
::to Sci, again:: the closer one blew first?
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:52 PM
Or from keeping anyone from getting to it.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:52 PM
Sci> yes maam.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:53 PM
::nods:: very good
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:54 PM
::connects the control to a diagnostic tricorder::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:55 PM
::fidgets, reviewing the clearest route again::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:55 PM
::looks to Henry, a thought coming to mind:: how many other delegations and representatives were supposed to be attending this shindig?
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:56 PM
Just us and the Vorathians.
Of course, there may be someone who doesn’t want us to make peace
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 9:57 PM
Who benefits if you keep fighting? Or they blame each other for this?
::Not looking back, and looking at the screen::
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 9:58 PM
+Bridge+ I think we can put the entire minefield into diagnostic mode. I’m working on the programming for it now.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 9:58 PM
Really? Wouldn’t both sides wantto celebrate a momentous occasion like this? I thought these events had all kinds of dignitaries and such…
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 9:58 PM
If they were better armed, the Vorathians would be a problem in this area of the quadrant. The Ambassador himself told me we were lucky they were willing to sit down before they reached that point.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 9:59 PM
Are we forgetting what happened the last time we went on some diplomatic mission to create peace?
Patricia Crow
APP
— 04/30/2024 10:00 PM
And the time before that….
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 10:00 PM
…does seem to be a pattern there, doesn’t it?
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:01 PM
Someone has to benefit by this.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:01 PM
Such is our job.
Once the Chief gives us a view of this field we’ll have a better idea of what’s happening.
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 10:02 PM
::brings her mug up to her lips with both hands, waiting for the visual::
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 10:03 PM
Once he’s gotten that thing taken apart, I may be able to use some of my contacts to try and trace where they might have been sourcing materials.
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 10:05 PM
+Bridge+I’m done setting up to put the field into diagnostic mode. I’m ready to test it when you’re ready.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:05 PM
+Fire it up.
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 10:06 PM
Aye, sir.::sends command::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:06 PM
Sci> Oh my.
Sci> ::puts it on screen:::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
::raises a brow::good oh my, or bad oh my?
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
::monitoring the effect::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
::::THE DIAGNOSTIC SHOWS THE MINE FIELD, STRETCHING FOR SECTORS:::
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
Well?
::Blinks::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
How many devices?
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
::Blinks again::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
::looks to the screen::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:07 PM
Sci> Nearly a thousand.
Lt. Cmdr. Statzia Liski
APP
— 04/30/2024 10:08 PM
Prophets…
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:08 PM
In three weeks?
Lt. K’Naut, Chief Engineer — 04/30/2024 10:08 PM
::muttering to self::busy beavers
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:08 PM
Helm, plot a safe course so we can drop off the Ambassador.
We’ll thinking about this on the way.
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:08 PM
Aye sir. ::Does so::
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:09 PM
We’ll think*
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:09 PM
Course laid in.
Cpt H Crow — 04/30/2024 10:09 PM
::looks to Edra:::Remember when I said I’d let you know?
Lt Kerwen Nuhl-Helm — 04/30/2024 10:09 PM
::Glad that she’d been working on this for a while::
Cdr Edra Crow — 04/30/2024 10:09 PM
::sighs:: crap…