The Investigation Begins
Posted on Tue Apr 30th, 2019 @ 3:58am by Lieutenant MacKenzie Jordan & Warrant Officer Holland Stark & Petty Officer 1st Class Giancarlo D'Agostino & Petty Officer 2nd Class Tonsen & Lieutenant JG Danica ("Dani") Tyr & Lieutenant JG Haxin Mariwat & Staff Warrant Officer Victor Ward & Senior Chief Petty Officer Simin Ahmadi
Mission:
Array of Sun
Location: Subspace Relay Array 116-98
Timeline: Mission Day 5 at 2315
"We're almost there," MacKenzie said to the other people in the cockpit. "Dropping out of warp now." He touched a control and the starfield stopped streaking by, converting into fixed points instead. He looked at the sensors and saw that the Eclipse and Wind had also returned to impulse speeds.
"Wilson?" MacKenzie called over his shoulder to the crewman sitting at one of the ancillary stations. "Can you go make sure everyone is awake."
"On it, Lieutenant," the short blond-haired engineer said before he stood up and headed to the rear compartments.
The three craft continued their approach to the array. Sending a message to the other two runabouts, MacKenzie instructed them to head for a the series of docking ports at the top of the array's central structure.
He slowed the Flare down as they got closer to the docking port and he eased off on the thrusters as the docking mechanisms engaged. He checked the atmosphere of the array and, seeing it was showing normal, opened the Flare's door. "Everybody out. We're going to meet up at the first horizontal junction, one level down."
Hax, who had been sitting next to Lieutenant Jordan in the cockpit, tapped a couple of controls to secure his station before rising to head back for the rear cabin. A couple STAT team members had already started to gather toolkits and diagnostic units. Hax immediately did the same, grabbing the kit he'd personally assembled before departing the Polaris, and followed the team out of the runabout and towards the simple turbolift to take them a level below.
Victor brought the Solar Eclipse alongside the docking area to the port immediately adjacent to the Flare. It didn't take long to align their hatch with airlock and achieve a seal. "Looks like we're good to disembark," he remarked to Dani and to the rest of the gathered STAT personnel. "It will be a tight squeeze in the lift that will bring us to the assembly area, but we should all fit.
"Let's go then," she said as she shut down her station and moved to the rear to pick up her gear and ready herself for departure.
*****
Once everyone had arrived, MacKenzie moved to the middle of the assembled team. "I know it's late, and I apologize for that. I'm hoping that we can make quick work of this. Given the nature of this mission, diagnosing and repairing this array, Warrant Officer Ward and Lieutenant Tyr are going to be heading up our efforts. What do you think, two teams: one for the communications systems and one for the computer?"
Victor looked over to Dani. "That makes sense to me. What do you think? I do comms, you do the computer?"
Dani nodded. "Works for me," she said. She studied the diagram already open on her PADD and determined the shortest route to the main computer. "Who's with me," she asked.
"Who do you want? It's your team," Jordan answered.
"I'll take Stark with me," she said after a moment. "I'll need to assess the situation before I can say who or what I'll need specifically. Permission to get started?"
MacKenzie looked at the lead operational specialist. "Eighteen people on the team and you only want to take one of them with you? Are you sure about that, Lieutenant?"
Simin's left eyebrow arched almost imperceptibly at MacKenzie's question to his Operational Lead, but made no other visible reaction. Instead, she went about double-checking the supplies she had brought with her. An unnecessary action, as she already knew what she had on hand. But she did it anyway. Ten years ago, when she was a medic attached to the Marines, Gunnery Sergeant Th'chaasroth had instilled the maxim "Assess before you assume" in to an almost molecular level of her being.
"Sufficient, Sir, at this point," Dani replied almost at once. "I would recommend that individuals be sent to check out main power and to visually inspect power junctions but for my part, I need to have a look first. See what's needed. Respectfully, I don't need nine people to do that."
"That may be," Jordan said, "but I want you to take Senior Chief Ahmadi with you. Ensign Adar will join you too. Everyone else is at your disposal, Mister Ward."
“Thank you, sir,” Victor said. “D’Agostino, T’Mir, Jari, Dunsworth, and Larose. I know we’ll need numbers. I may ask for more once we know the extent of the problem.”
"Sounds good," MacKenzie replied. He looked from Ward to Tyr. "Report in regularly. Let me know if you need any support."
“Yes, sir,” Victor said with a short nod. “Come on team.”
Hax stood still, still holding his toolkit. He was no technician, but he was certainly more than capable to help out with anything that was needed. If anything, he could sort through the sensor logs to see what the relay had picked up around it.
Simin readjusted her bag in preparation of falling in behind Lieutenant Tyr.
MacKenzie watched the two teams split off and head in their separate directions. This mission seemed very straight forward and he was worried that he'd unnecessarily brought the entire team. But he'd wanted everyone to start getting used to working together so, even if the mission was a cake walk, he thought the benefits outweighed any cons.
Time would tell though.