Cry for help

Posted on Fri Jun 24th, 2016 @ 5:00am by Lieutenant Mickey McClane & Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Cor Cordale & Commander Bertrand Cuprum & Roger Stevens

Mission: Do Not Follow
Location: DS9

DS9.

An Iconic sight around the federation even after so many of the Cardassian facilities had been re purposed and repopulated there was something about DS9 that stood out in people's minds. In the distance you could see the Bajoran System, and close at hand the occasional spectacle of the Wormhole permitting traffic once again.

The Victory had parked at an upper pylon to allow the crew a last taste of the Alpha Quadrant before embarking through the Wormhole to the relatively new expanses of the Gama Quadrant. Department Heads made sure they rotated all of there staff for some leave time.

The stay was all to brief, and soon the command crew were back on the bridge making ready to depart.

"Pretty uneventful down at the station bertrand. The only thing i did I was there was buy maps to the Alpha Quadrant, Specifically the Mutara System. But after that I put the map's away to finish with the repairs and help the Engineer." Mickey said as he returned to his station.

Aladdin than joined in at his station. "Welcome, to the big world now Aladdin. Now, instead of watching over me like a hawk. you get to actually do this. Mickey laugh as Aladdin stuck out his tong at Mickey

"Maps are nice. Hang 'em on the wall and spruce up the place." Cordale said as the Turbolift doors closed behind him, "But other than that, not much real need for them. Unless you're the one making the maps." he chuckled. "Personally, I made out like a bandit this trip out. A whole kilogram of cinnamon sticks, six whole kilos of coffee beans, a bucket of redundant parts for the Arctile, a meter of fiber optic cable. Source, the list goes on." it sounds like someone found the swap market while he was on station.

"Sounds like someone found the swap market." came the voice of the resident Science officer, Valeria, as she entered the bridge proper. "I managed to restock my personal tea supply with, well, adequate stocks of tea. Truly nothing like the tea from home, but we must make due when abroad." the rabbitess said with a soft smirk. "I managed to find some gardening supplies to keep my Tattle Tail alive and well."

"You know were Mickey is going Cor. That is if and when we return back to the alpha quadrant." The Labrador noted to the engineer.

"Aladdin, I could probably tell you the route he'll take to get there at this point." Cordale said with a chuckle, all in good fun.

"If we ever end up in uncharted space you will realise just how important a good astro-navigation chart is," Bertrand interjected. "Especially with Satele and Kilbane on extended exercises elsewhere."

"I believe the Sutherland have recently been doing some deep recon in the Mutara Nebula... or was it the Tolstoy? Either way, Valeria can probably get some of the data for you when they release it from analysis."

"Commander, The Mutara Nebula was formatted into the Genesis Planet there would be nothing left of it as space debris. From what i am guessing sir." Mickey spoke his opinion

"The nebula may be gone but that sector is still a treasure trove of undiscovered answers. It's worth noting that the device in question seemingly also created a primary sequence star at the appropriate distance for human habitation." Valeria pointed out. "And while the planet itself is little more than a molten spheroid at this point, that star has yet to suffer any of the instabilities that plagued the planet." a pause from the rabbitess, "Though, Mister McClane if you wish, I could put in a request for the sensor logs and scanner results from the region. I believe Mister Bertrand is correct in that it was the Tolstoy that recently completed a run through that region."

"As for a good astrochart, they're worth their supposed weight in gold, as the saying goes." Valeria said with a smirk.

"Val, i maybe a dog. But, from the discussions of You and Lieutenant McClane. You know what he's thinking. It maybe something that he's losing but. I won't go there with you on that. You are a rabbitess, i am a dog. Besides, you are more logical then this pig-head of a human" Aladdin looked at Mickey. "No matter what, we are still pals. No offense though" Aladdin said to Mickey and he nodded. "The logical choice of action for Mr. McClane is to bide his time and wait and enjoy the here and now" The labrador looked on nicely to the rabbitess

Valeria gave the Labrador a soft smile, and knelt to be on his level. "When I was a little girl, I looked up to the stars. I saw the wonders they held, and wondered at the secrets they held. My people were no strangers to star travel, so we knew exactly what the stars were: Cohesive spheres of incandescent plasma held together by gravity. There was no mystery, no fairy tails of magic points of light in a black tarp drawn over our worlds. Sometimes, we must see the truth of our dreams. It is harsh, yes, but it allows us to move on to new dreams, to new experiences. To awaken something within us that, until stirred by newer experiences, sleeps."

She rose back to her full height, "I'm more analytic than Mister McClane. That's what sets me apart from him. That, and the ears." she said with a giggle, as one of her ears twitched. "But, if humanity can be summed up in a single word, that word is ambitious. Only a human would strap an experimental warp drive onto an intercontinental missile and pilot it himself. For no other reason than simply because."

Cor chuckled as Valeria summarized two hundred years of human history into two sentences.

"I believe that Mister McClane..." she turned now to address Mickey, "... will get his chance to explore the region of his dreams, to chase the phantoms of his ambitions. I believe he will do this with or without my help. I'd rather help him, knowing that whatever aid I give him is accurate and precise. Or, as one of our great philosophers said... and forgive me, there will be something lost in translation, but... I can only show you the door, Mister McClane. It is your decision to step through it."

"Val, even if my phantom turned out to be real, which it would be bam! As cor would put it, it would be an engineer's nightmare. The Age and the damage of her. Plus, how to safely get her back to federation space without her disintegrating at warp. At impulse it would take years. But, you wouldn't believe the journey even if i told you." Mickey turned around to the officer and nodded to Cor.

Valeria actually gave a soft smile, "Yes. Because the journey of a relic is unbelievable to a farmer's daughter, middle mouth of nine." she giggled.

"Cor, for the record i know your going to be honest. You wouldn't want to get your hands on fixing the Enterprise would you?" Mickey asked his friend who was indeed logical. "As you said it would be an engineer's nightmare. that ship is over one hundred years old

Cor gave a good gafaw of a belly laugh, "Mickey, let me tell you... Museum Pieces come to visit me at night to ask questions about my prosthetic. It's easily a thirty year old design, forty even. Though, you're right. It'd be a nightmare. I wouldn't dare say 'Fix', but if you find it... IF... you find it, I'll figure something out to help transport it. Sure, it'd take years, but sometimes we spend our whole lives searching for something we hope to find." Cor said, his body posture slumping for a moment, like a wilting flower.

"Just don't do anything stupid like throw away a certainty on a hunch." Cor said, perking up as he gave Mickey's shoulder a gentle faux punch with his living hand.

"Have i Mutinied yet, have i stolen a Federation Starship yet? I don't think so. Aladdin's right, i should enjoy the here and now. If we do get back. The first moment we Enter Alpha Quadrant space. That will be the day." Mickey's evil grin but sillyness evil grin came in play as he drank some blue fruit punch. "Don't worry i didn't get just maps, i got more food in my sack." Mickey gave bertrand a sarcastic look. "If, the chief of security wants to come and see if any contraband is in my groceries he's more than welcome too

Bertrand was watching Cor carefully, but answered Mickey, "No, that's fine. I spent some time with the Acting Chief of Security on the station; an old colleague of mine. The keep a tight reign on what comes in. So provided you didn't buy supplies through the Ferrengi bar, you're fine."

"Either way, coming back to my berth here is finally starting to feel like home. How 'bout you, Cordale? You feeling settled?"

"Heh, Ferrengi Bar... Well, he didn't come asking me to translate, so I don't think we have to worry about that." Cordale said with a ghost of a smile. "Any ship I'm in is home, so just gotta kick my feets up and I'm pretty much settled in. You know how it is, the life of an explorer." and at that, he gave a more honest smile, the specters of lost friends and family drifting away like old cobwebs.

"I tell you i am ready for the next adventure, bring it were it is. But if we go to the Alpha Quadrant. That will the day" Mickey said as he prepared for leave from the old station of Captain Benjamin Sisko

Spirits were high as the last of the crew reported in.

"Captain on the Bridge," Bertrand announced as Elijah stepped out of the Turbo lift.

Elijah nodded. "Thank you Commander." He said as he looked around the Bridge before taking his seat. "Get us us underway if you wouldn't mind Bertrand?"

"Stand by to leave port," Bertrand ordered moving to Tactical. "Disengage umbilical, thrusters at station keeping. Set course for the Wormhole; one quarter impulse."

The silver ship spun slowly away from the upper pylon of the station, and moved away towards the gate to the Gamma Quadrant.

Before entering the wormhole, Mickey had received a message alpha one communication. "Captain Michaels, you have an alpha one priority from Starfleet Command coming in, marked personal," Mickey told the info to the captain

Elijah nodded. "Thank you patch it through to my Ready Room." He said towards Mickey. "XO you have the Bridge, Bertrand check all decks are ready for the expedition, Cor check our inventory."

"Aye, starting inventory verification and random lot inspection." and Cordale called down to the Engineering Bay. One of his crewhands picked up the comm, where he was told by his chief that there was to be a random inspection of various inventories, and that a full mechanical count was pending. The crewhand didn't look thrilled at the prospect of an Inventory... but then again, no one looked forward to them.

Bertrand simply nodded in acceptance and put a call out to department heads to confirm readiness.

"Are all departments ready?" Michelle asked, turning to Bert.

"Aye, Ma'am," Bertrand confirmed. "Ready and eager to come to grips with the unknown."

IN the Captain's ready room the desk monitor showed the rotating image of the UFP emblem. When Elijah took his seat and keyed his access this was replaced with the face of the the current head of Starfleet in in this Sector.

"Captain Michaels, I am sorry to do this," the admiral launched in without preamble, "but I am postponing your deployment to the Gamma Quadrant."

Elijah looked towards the Admiral. "May I ask to why Sir?" He had prepared for the journey and resupplied so it was little unexpected.

"We have picked up a distress beacon from the USS Seattle at one of our listening posts on the edge of the Gollum expanse. The Seattle had been on a deep space recon of the expanse when it went missing six months ago. All other craft in the area are already committed. I am glad I managed to catch you when I did. We need the Victory to go and investigate and lend what support and aid it can."

"You can rely on us Sir." Elijah commented to his superior on the monitor.

"Be careful, Captain," the admiral warned. "The expanse is completely uncharted, so we don't know what you'll find."

"I will brief my Staff and then set a Course at best possible speed, Victory will keep you updated on our progress." Elijah commented to his Superior. "Victory out."

Bertrand caught the Captain's mood even before he had left the ready room. He glanced at the doors at they opened and ordered, "Helm, all stop. Hold position."

He then looked back at the Captain, "Something wrong, Sir?"

"Ensign Zarsa, set a course for the Gollum Expanse at Warp 8." Elijah said to the Helm with Satele away. "All Senior Officers report to the Conference Room for a briefing." He said before exiting to another door at the side.