Arrival to Romulan Neutral Zone

Posted on Tue Mar 30th, 2021 @ 10:10am by Captain Kelly O'Connor & Lieutenant JG T'Pruk & Lieutenant Aurora Rogers & Lieutenant Glenn Radars & Lieutenant Dacia Stallworth & Lieutenant JG Cara Ross & Lieutenant JG John Adams

1,466 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 8 - A Blast from the Past
Location: Bridge, USS America
Timeline: 2296/03/12 0700

O'Connor sighed in her Captain's chair. This was going to be the most boring assignment ever. Nothing interesting ever happened in this sector. There were no warp capable species. She did not even think there were any interesting stars out here. Perhaps an anomaly would come upon them but somehow she doubted it. She was truly in hell.

She looked at her crew and asked, "Anything out there?"

Aurora didn't want to be the first to speak first in case it was either a trick question or a rhetorical one. The silence went on a little bit, so she finally offered news of her department, "just a few lost bouys and some personal transmissions. Mainly static though, captain."

Archie looked at his screen and shook his head, "Nothing. It's...dead, Captain."

"Lovely. Just lovely," the Captain replied sarcastically.

Adams watched the viewscreen for a second, then turned his attention back to the security station.

Watching the datafeed, Lt. (jg) Ross scratched at her chin, and tried to ignore the way her foot bobbed up and down with energy looking for an outlet. While she had not personally been in this sector of space before, and therefore was newly experiencing everything before her for the first time - at the same time, it was rather dull. She was almost mad that the Captain was right.

At least, it was dull; until her console started to beep. She blinked, looking surprised, as leaned over.

"Huh." A helpful noise. She felt a few eyes turn but ignored them, pulling up a sensor scope and leaning down to observe the specifics, the blue glow lighting her face. "Uh...Captain..."

"What is it, Ross?"

"Well. Long range sensors just got a blip." Also not helpful. "Hard to determine. Its coming from one of the worlds near - or in - the zone, at extreme range."

"A blip? Describe your blip," O'Connor asked.

"Like a ship that appeared out of the blue," Rogers reported.

"If we could adjust course?" She looked up, sweeping her hair back and biting at her lip as she did some math. "Come to..021.7? Don't want to skirt the border but....its a subspace reading. Pretty sure."

O'Connor ordered navigation and Gates, "You heard her. Don't cross the border, but adjust to find that thing."

The Commander nodded as his danced danced over his console. "Course correction implemented, Ma'am."

Cara's eyes narrowed a bit. "As sure as I can be at extreme range, its subspace, and possibly artificial. Hence the need for a course correction, sir, ma'am."

"That cannot be possible," O'Connor replied interestedly. "There's not supposed to be anything out here. Speed, warp factor 4. Find me this blip."

"Increasing speed to warp 4, Captain." Gates said as he increased speed. "Could it be Romulan?" He asked, not taking his eyes from his own screen.

"I think that would be more than a 'blip.' That should be a recognizable warp signature, is that not right, Ross?"

"A defective cloaking device could cause a blip, Captain. We should prepare for the worst case scenario." Gates added.

O'Connor nodded. "Very well, let's go to yellow alert. Shields up and get me every bit of data you can, people."

Gates nodded his approval of going to yellow alert. Being so close to the Romulan Neutral Zone was always going to paint a target on America's hull of the Romulan's wanted to pick a fight.

At that point Ross's eyes were glued to the sensor hood. She didn't even bother to look up as she spoke up, "Cannae rule out a cloaked ship at this distance. Though if that's what I was picking up, that's a right shit---er, crummy cloak Captain."

O'Connor successfully failed to laugh. "Keep your eyes on it. Anyone else have any thoughts on it? Suggestions?"

"Perhaps an older Romulan ship? Transport or Freighter?" Gates offered.

Tag Any

Standing up, Cara stretched, popping her back and started to pace back and forth, pausing as they ate up distance to check and triple check. Then she skidded to a halt as an alarm triggered on her board.

"That's a subspace spike...Something just broke the warp barrier ahead! Definitely not a recognized warp signature."

"What?!" O'Connor exclaimed in an uncharacteristic fashion. "I know that Federation briefings can stink but to be this off?" She looked over at Cara and asked, "Check the sensors. Are they truly operating correctly?"

"Confirmed, Captain." Gates said from the helm. "Object is traveling at Warp 1.007. Looks like a very small ship. Test ship?" Archie queried looking in Cara's direction.

"I think we have a duty to investigate," O'Connor announced. "Any weapons on it? Any communications? I don't want that ship lost. Track it."

"Test ship is as good a guess as any at this range, Commander" Cara fired off. Her eyes were blued back in that sensor hood once again, the blue glow lighting her face.

Adams stood up from his station. "Not reading any weapon signatures, captain."

"No incoming communications, but their systems are functional, so we could send," Rogers replied.

"This could like the time the Vulcans landed on Earth after Cochran tested his warp ship." Adams said.

The petite redhead scooched herself forward on her chair. A crooked smile appeared on her face, even if her feet still did not hit the floor. "Send them a greeting in whatever languages you can, Rogers."

"Yes ma'am," Aurora acknowledged before getting to work. Her mind worked overtime getting messages translated, but it was a good mental workout.

O'Connor then turned to science and said, "Get me everything you can on that ship. I want to know everything that it is capable of and if you can figure out a trajectory on it. Track it. If this is a first flight, we caught, then it is bound to be heading home. Also, tell me if you can get any life sign readings."

"Aye Captain," still not looking up, Ross reached out, hands flying in different directions. It would be outright comical if she wasn't so dead set serious. Her leg was bouncing a mile a minute with barely repressed excitement. "Transferring plot to the astrogator display. I...huh, yup. Life signs. Unknown origin." The excitement was bleeding into her voice now. "Initial scans are still a little too fragmented at this range. I'm having trouble locking down the power source."

She then turned back to the helm and instructed, "Gates, get us to that ship. Don't make it look like we're trying to be aggressive. I just want to be there, especially if they need assistance of any kind."

"Understood, Captain. Adjusting our heading to come along side the vessel. We should be in visual range in a few minutes." Gates reported.

"Thank you, Gates," O'Connor replied with a firm nod.

=^= Doctor, =^= O'Connor started. =^= We may have a first contact situation on our hands. I may need your assistance, especially if there are injuries. Come up to the bridge, please. =^=

While preparing the Sick Bay for the unknown that often comes with a mission, Stallworth was checking the calibration of a biobed when the call came from the bridge.

=^= Stallworth here. Ah will grab my bag and be on the bridge directly Cap-tain, =^= she replied in her Southern drawl.

Turning to her head Nurse. "Lacy child, you'all hold down the fort while the Captain needs me on the bridge." She winked.

"Yes Doctor." The Blonde Nurse replied.

Stallworth grabbed her kit as she went out of Sick Bay.

Reluctantly, O'Connor hit the comm for Engineering, =^= Radars, make sure that America is in tip top shape. We may be heading for trouble. =^=

"I'll try my best Cap'tn. But remember this isn't exactly a new ship ya know." Came Radars response.

O'Connor thought, You don't have to remind me. I wish I had an Excelsior.

Adams looked at his security console. "So much for Starfleet saying this area showed no indication of advanced cultures."

"If this is their first warp flight, then technically there weren't any advanced cultures out here until, well, now," Cara helpfully chimed in.

"Which means that this is a First Contact situation," O'Connor replied. "We need to be careful."

"At least it won't be boring, that's for sure." While Ross had been too nervous about her first real mission as Science Chief to really been bored, she knew that wasn't the case for the captain.

"No, it won't be boring. I don't like the smell of this at all," O'Connor told everyone. "Navigator see what course you can plot to trace their flight and worst case, plot a course to intercept."

Jason Frankley, navigator nodded, "not a problem, ma'am." He started tapping at his console looking for both a safe course of action and the most efficient.

 

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