NOVELLA: USS MCINNIS: Various ("Communication")

From: Sarah Albertini-Bond (serendipity77_at_gmail.com)
Date: Mon Feb 18 2008 - 03:22:22 PST


"Communication"

<continued from Joy's "Life Signs">

=/\=

Location: USS MCINNIS

Scene: Bridge


 Ensign Safree Orla watched the CO of the ship came out of her office, from
presumably contacting Commodore Svenson and then Captain Spankryz. What
those discussions yielded in terms of the mission, Safree did not know, nor
did she think as an Ensign would she ever learn unless Bonviva wanted to
tell her. She watched the CO circle around the bridge, stopping before the
large viewscreen which was focused on the HOLLAND. The azure woman stood and
watched, almost as if by staring at the viewscreen she could see what was
going on with the Away Teams.


 "Ma'am," Ens. Orla announced. The CO didn't completely turn around but the
SOO knew she had her attention. "I have an update about the scrambling the
signals."


 The CO left her wait at the viewscreen and walked around to Orla's station.
"And...?" the Bolian/Terran asked.


 "It's coming from the ship itself," Safree explained. "Near the Main
Engineering section. But I can't tell you what it is, only they could."


 Safree watched the CO sigh and for the first time really show some emotion.
"I'll tell them."


 =/\=

Location: Saucer Section, USS HOLLAND
Scene: Deck 2

The corridors were dark and eerie, reminiscent of ghost ships depicted in
22nd-century horror movies. Environmental systems were offline, and the red
emergency lights flickered erratically, casting stark, jagged shadows as
Kat's away team made their way through the saucer section. Even the damaged
sections seemed lifeless, with nothing but a thin layer of dust to indicate
the passage of time.

[[ Wen to Gorman, ]] came Zachary's voice over the comlink.

"Go ahead, Counselor," Kat replied.

[[ We've reached sickbay, but it's empty. Backup systems are all offline...
and it looks like the last person here raided the place. Tricorders,
medkits, everything's gone. ]]

"An evacuation?"

[[ Maybe. Commander, the primary computer core is located on this deck. If
we can get it back online there should be some clues as to what happened. ]]

"Good, keep me informed. Gorman out."

She cut the comlink.

"How much further to the bridge?"

"Twenty meters ahead," the security officer beside her replied. "There
should be a Jeffries tube that goes up."

"Life signs?"

The Klingon doctor checked his tricorder. "Very faint. It may not even be a
person."

Kat nodded and turned to face the empty corridor, the lights on her
helmet beaming into the darkness.

"Let's proceed."

=/\=
Scene: Main Engineering

"The ship's been decapitated," Lucas said gloomily.

"Is it necessary to be that dramatic?" Talev asked.

"It's not dramatic," Lucas said. "Look."

Indeed, the systems display on the pool table showed lines going toward the
saucer section and ending, rather than forming a closed circuit. Talev
frowned and tapped the console, bringing up the last-run series of command
sequences. Saucer separation was not on the list.

"Damn."

"Hold on a sec," Lucas said. He tapped a few more commands and the list
expanded to include automated subroutines. "Interesting. Everything ends at
stardate two point seven zero six two eight. That must be when the ship was
ripped in half."

"So it's been drifting in Federation space for six months? That doesn't make
sense. It would have been found by now."

 =/\=

Scene: Saucer Section- Corridor


 Kat sighed in her EVA suit. She hated wearing this thing but with the ship
split in two and pressure unstable, it was a necessity. So what if she felt
slightly claustrophobic in it?


 Currently she was hanging back with Zach and Lt. Cmdr. Quin while Eilean
did her thing with some of AJ's ASTROs. It was going to be a pissing match
soon, Kat thought to herself. And she was going to have to restrain her
natural inclination to jump in and instead act like the adult.


 Being in charge was nothing more than restraining your own tendencies in
order to act like a supposed adult. Where the hell was the fun in that?


 Quin, in his own suit, watched the XO. "Do you think we should be here?"


 The Englishwoman looked over at the CMO. "We have a responsibility to
search this ship. This is the Federation's property and it shouldn't have
just been left here. Plus if someone is here then we most definitely owe
them our best efforts to get them out."


 The Klingon nodded at that. "You think this is a trap, don't you?"


 Kat gave a grim smile at that. "I think everything is a trap." As she
watched the crew open up the hatch to the Jeffries Tube they were to
investigate she muttered, "This feels like a trap."


 Eilean had gone first up the hatch and stopped in her tracks. "There is
someone here," she called out.


 =/\=

Scene: Stardrive Section – Main Engineering


 "Understood Commander," Mendar replied after he listened to Bonviva.
"Mendar out." Turning to the CEO he said, "Bonviva is telling the others now
but she contacted us first, whatever is scrambling the signals is coming
from around here."


 The CEO meanwhile was still trying to get a read on everything in
engineering from the computers which were not responding as they should have
been. "That explains alot," he muttered.


 As Luke was typing something into the computer, reworking every command he
could think of to get it back to working he barely heard within his suit,
[[I wouldn't do that if I were you, Doc.]]


 It took the CEO a moment to place the voice – it was the voice of the
otherwise mysterious ILO. "Why?" he responded.


 =/\=

Scene: Stardrive Section – Jeffries Tube


 Of all the things that AJ O'Malley missed about ship life – this was most
definitely *not* on the list. Lying on your back in a Jeffries Tube was as
far from exciting as you could get. He had started out his career like this
– wearing mustard and hanging out in Jeffries Tubes. He never had any desire
to stay in mustard and hanging around like this reinforced that belief.


 Still it was a useful set of skills now to have as he worked the panel.


 [[Why?]] came Serafini's voice again.


 "Because," O'Malley responded. He could have said more, probably should
have and yet he didn't. He had to focus on what he was doing.


 There was a homing beacon here for a Dominion ship; he doubted that the
Professor would know what to do with that.


 It was a trap, AJ thought as he looked up at the panel.


 =/\=

Location: ANNIHILATION

Scene: Bridge


 The bridge was dark, save for the illumination coming from the helmets, and
silent but for the tersely given commands and answers.


 This ship was small, comparatively to other ships in the fleet, but it was
tough. More than capable of taking on one Federation ship nosing about in
the Alpha Quadrant in the Dominion's business.


 Then again the Dominion were odd, the CO thought to himself. They had left
a calling card in the Alpha Quadrant hoping to provoke the Federation. And
then had nearly thrown a temper tantrum when no one saw it. Well now someone
had and that had to be dealt with but the Dominion wouldn't be leaving their
spot after their latest scuffles with the Federation in the Gamma Quadrant.
So they had sent word – deal with this Federation ship. After all it's in
your neck of the woods.


 "Take the ship to the HOLLAND," the Breen CO ordered.


 =/\=

Location: USS MCINNIS

Scene: Bridge


 Xana felt something within her soul crack while she sat on the Bridge. It
was the only way to describe it, it was as if she was awaking from a
terrible nightmare only to find out it wasn't all a dream. She was truly
doing this, no amount of stoicism or restraint was going to make things
better.


 Nothing was going to bring Gene back, she conceded silently. His body lay
cold in a grave, his soul (she hoped) was with his beloved (and occasionally
cursed) Prophets. Nothing she could do now could hurt him – he was beyond
knowing that she was risking lives in an insanity quest to avenge him and
hurt him all at the same time. And even if he did know it's not like he had
shown up to stop her. Even in death he allowed her to make her own stupid
mistakes.


 That would have been bad enough. But oh no, she had to involve her crew.
That was just bordering on fracking idiocy, to quote one of Peyton's
favorite expressions.


 "Safree," Xana called out.


 "Ma'am," the SOO replied from her station.


 "I want you to coordinate with -- " Xana began as she stood up.


 What the CO would have said then was lost forever as the computer
interrupted her. [[Potter-Gorman to the MCINNIS,]] came one beeping from the
computer as another rode over it, [[O'Malley to the MCINNIS.]]


 =/\=

NRPG: I know we're all busy (myself definitely included) but occasional
posting still goes on so hopefully you found this interesting. If you need
information about the Breen go to http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Breen .
Any other questions/comments/suggestions, you know where to toss 'em :)


 Many thanks to Justin who wrote part of this.


 =/\=

Sarah Albertini-Bond

Commander Xana Bonviva

Commanding Officer

USS MCINNIS


 And


 Justin Chow

Lieutenant J.G. Zachary Chow

CNS

USS MCINNIS


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