"We Should Have Known"
[Previous post: "Complicated History", written by the talented Dawn Borh]
=-=
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Cafeteria
The ANUBIS had been back for several weeks now, and all was quiet. That
should have been the first warning sign.
"Did you hear?" Susan asked her friend as the Cns dropped on the chair
next to the CMO. "Admiral Koneki has given Commodore Simmons our new
orders. I can't wait to see what they are. It is nice to be back at NEW
ALEXANDRIA but I prefer being on the ANUBIS. Of course we could have
spent all of our time on the ship, but it wouldn't be the same. A ship,
like the boats of old, is meant to be sailing its ocean, not stuck at
port."
"Hmmm, Susan?" Lea asked as the CMO tilted her head to one side. "Did
you just finish a counselling session with Maya?"
"Yes," the Cns said, blinking several times. "How did you know?"
Lea chuckled while she rubbed her forehead, "Just a wild guess."
=/\= ANUBIS senior staff, report to the observation deck, =/\= the
voice of Commodore Simmons had shot through the base like thunder. Yet the
base's Chief of Ops had sounded almost pleased to order the crew to
report for a briefing. Lea and Susan took this as a good sign in regards
to their next mission.
That should have been the second warning sign.
=-=
Lea and Susan were surprised to find that they had been the last ones
to arrive. Everyone else had been there and waiting, including Commodore
Simmons and the two new Ensigns. The father of two had been introduced
earlier to the crew as their new Ops officer. While the Asian woman had
been introduced as the new Assistant to the CSciO and CMO. Ensign
Thomas and Ensign Mitshiba both appeared nervous but it had been
understandable. Over the last few weeks the two of them had heard a great many
tales of adventure and danger. It was clear to see that the ANUBIS had a
way of coming up against the worst the universe had to offer.
That should have been the third and final sign.
"Glad you could join us," James said to the Cns and CMO in a teasing
fashion. All with the exception of Enaii had seemed happy to see the two
women. Lea quickly looked away and wished that she could transform into
a mouse and vanish into any nearby hole. Maya likely did not realize
the advantage that had been hers thanks to her genes.
"After a lengthy discussion with Admiral Koneki, the ANUBIS has been
slated for its next mission," James said.
"Finally, I have had as much rest as I care for," Pravat sighed happily. The Marine had been restless and had been looking forward to getting back into action. As challenging as the holodeck training exercises had been, they were not what the MCO had wanted to do. Marines enjoyed to get their hands dirty, and holodeck training was just not as good as the real thing.
"Some of us were busy with other projects," the FCO added. "Projects that I might add are not completed. I would need at least a couple more days."
Sabrina just watched from next to James, her eyes narrowed to slits. That had been all that Derek had needed to shut him up for the rest of the meeting.
"Before we move on to the mission specifics," James said as he thumbed
through the PADD in his hand. "There are a few things that need to be
done. First, for those who have not met your new Ops officer, please
allow me to introduce Ensign Ellito Thomas. He has been spending the last
few weeks getting acquainted with the systems onboard the ANUBIS. Also
please welcome Ensign Mitshiba. She will be onboard the ANUBIS as the
new aCSciO and aCMO. A double position that I am sure will keep her more
than occupied. All that they have left to do is to get acquainted with
the ANUBIS' most important component. Its crew. So if you have not
already done so, please make a point to getting in touch with them both."
"Hi everyone," Elliot said while he waved at the general gathering. He
had met some of the crew unofficially and was looking forward to
meeting the others.
"It is a pleasure," Akira added with a bow. The gesture made Lea smile.
She had grown accustomed to the big Oltharian doing that, but Akira
always seemed to surprise the CMO when the aCMO did it.
"I am Lt. Fairborn, Robotics Engineering Officer of this base. I am
also attached to the engineering department of the ANUBIS. It is a
pleasure to have you both with us Ensign. If there is anything that I can do
to assist, please let me know," the Oltharian said as he bowed his head.
Elan had a way to make the most nervous person feel right at home, that
had been one of the reasons why Lea liked having him around. That he
literally worshiped the CMO had only made that easier.
"We'll try to go easy on you," Uxtar said jokingly as one Ensign to another. The smile the Hirogen shot to Elliot and Akira though had not seemed to ease the new officers. Having a Hirogen Sec/Tac officer had made the Ops officer wonder what kind of mission the ANUBIS normally dealt with.
"Don't listen to him," Susan quickly followed up with. "He's a big
kidder. We're all glad to have you two with us and we will all help in
anyway that we can."
The words of the Cns had apparently been enough to make Elliot and
Akira smile, even if just a little.
"Next there are issues Cpt. Rikar needs to address with you," James
said before moving to one side. With a look of absolute seriousness
Sabrina stepped forward. The CO looked like she had the weight of the
universe on her shoulders. That look alone had been enough to make everyone
hold their breath in anticipation.
[The next part graciously provided by Sabrina]
The young woman stood in front of the gathered officers... the members
of her crew... of her extended family. They had all gone through so
much... conquered so many obstacles that it had made what she had needed
to say that much more difficult.
"It is hard for me to say what I have to report... so I will just come
out and say it... Lt. Dawson and Lt. Cmdr. Serenna have been
transferred to the Infirmary for an indefinite period of time due to medical
complications. Therefore, and until further notice, Lt. Cmdr. Enaii will
be acting ExO in addition to being the ANUBIS' ILO... Ens. Norheim will
assume the responsibilities of CEO but will have Lt. Fairborn present
on the crew in case assistance is required," the redheaded woman
announced, her voice heavy with sadness at the thought that the ANUBIS had
lost two of its primary officers.
Mattias smiled and nodded his acknowledgement before he turned to Elan
and thanked him for having accepted to remain on the ANUBIS. The CEO
had no doubts that he would be able to fulfil the role of his new
position, but knowing that the Oltharian had been there as a backup had made
the transition that much easier.
"Next... would the following officers please step forward as I call out
your name... Ens. Stormwind... Ens. Uxtar... Ens. Mei... and Lt. Junior
Grade Summers," the CO ordered in a way that had made the four officers
in question look at each other with concern. Each one could imagine
one or more reasons for being dragged out in the open to be disciplined,
but yet that had not seemed to be the redheaded woman's style. Had
they been called into the Captain's Ready Room one at a time, they would
have been certain that a severe talking to would have been waiting for
them... but here in the observation lounge in front of the other members
of the Senior Staff, the four officers could only guess as to what
would happen next.
"Ens. Stormwind... Ens. Uxtar... Ens. Mei... it is with great pleasure
that I present you with the promotion to Lt. JG for your continued
dedication to the ANUBIS and its crew," the young woman announced causing
everyone to break out into cheers as Rikar added the hollow pip next to
the solid pip which had already been on each of their collars.
As the CO turned to face Doctor Summers, the ILO leaned in over to Sabrina and whispered something in the young woman's ear. The CMO immediately felt her knees grow weak as she figured that the ILO, in her new role as ExO, had decided to officially state some fact that had previously remained unmentioned. When Lea saw the expression on her CO's face turn to complete astonishment, the CMO immediately envisioned her career as over.
Slowly Enaii approached the nervous looking CMO, the rest of the Senior
Staff looking on with trepidation... unsure as to what would happen next.
Lea almost fainted when she saw the hands of the ILO move towards her
neck, figuring that in a matter of seconds the CMO would hear the
snapping of her own neck, but when she reopened her eyes Lea found herself
still alive and standing... barely.
"Congratulations... *Lieutenant*," Enaii announced as she opened her
hand to show what had been sitting inside of her palm... the hollow pip
that had identified the CMO as a Lt. JG. Lea quickly reached for her
collar and felt that there had still been two pips on her collar...
meaning that she had been promoted. The rest of the crew quickly erupted in
cheers once again as the ILO casually returned to where she had been
standing before having approached the CO.
[Now we return to *my* mess]
"If I may have your attention once more," James said. It looked like
everyone had been ready to celebrate the recent promotions. The problem
was that the ANUBIS and its crew had a mission to tackle. When all eyes
turned onto the Chief of Ops, James continued. "The ANUBIS is slated to
leave for the CABRY system at 1000. The mission will be a simple
investigation of some strange energy reading. The probe we sent in that
region stopped transmitting when it reached the orbit of the third planet. I
doubt that you will find anything major, but it will give you all the
chance to do something other than stay here. Dismiss and good luck."
"All hands report back to the ANUBIS," Sabrina jumped in with. "There
will be a senior staff meeting as soon as we on our way."
Everyone seemed more than happy to have something to sink their
collective teeth into. That it was a simple investigation had made it that
much sweeter for many of the crew. Many could not recall the last time
they had dealt with something *easy*.
If only they could have known.
=-=
Lea smiled at Maya and Akira as the two scientists walked into the room. The new aCSciO seemed to be fitting quite well in the science department. Hopefully Akira would feel just as comfortable with the CMO as Lea's assistant.
Everyone took their seats around the large table, leaving only one
unoccupied chair. Enaii walked in last and glared at some as the ILO made
her way to the chair reserved for the ExO.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin," Sabrina stated.
Maya responded by tapping a few controls and calling a holographic
image of the CABRY system. "Located 17 parsecs away, the CABRY system is
comprised of 11 planets. The only planet worth mentioning is CABRY III,
an O-Class world."
"Perfect," Mattias chuckled. "Once this mission is over we can swoop by
and go for a swim."
"We will see about that, Ensign," Sabrina replied in a low voice. The
Ensign quickly lowered his head and cursed under his breath for what he
had let out. Mattias had still been flying high from his appointment as
the ANUBIS' CEO.
Maya turned to face Akira who continued with the briefing. "All sensor
information on the CABRY system shows it to be as peaceful as can be.
Located well out of the way of merchant routes and borders, no one seems
interested in it."
"Are there any signs that one of those planets is inhabited?" Uxtar
asked. As the ANUBIS' Sec/Tac officer it was his responsibility to see to
the safety of the ship and crew. Of course, as a Hirogen, looking ahead
to a little action had also been something worth doing.
"Sensor sweeps of the system are sketchy at best within the orbit of
the third planet," Maya replied.
"That is why the Federation Science Council had sent a probe to that
system. They had hoped to gather more information on the reason for this
anomaly," Akira added.
"So why not send a research vessel instead of us?" Susan asked. So far
the idea of sending the ANUBIS to investigate the system had seemed to
be overkill.
"If I may, I can answer this one," Elliot stated. After having received
an approving nod from the CO, the Ops officer proceeded. "According to
reports provided by NEW ALEXANDRIA, Admiral Koneki used his influence
to divert the dossier to him. It is hoped that this natural distortion
field may prove useful to us if nothing else is found. Because the
SCARAB-Class Cruisers are equipped with state of the art sensors, it was
thought best to send one of them in."
"Quite logical indeed," Derek stated, the FCO having embraced his
Vulcan side for the duration of the meeting.
"I am sure that us being armed to the teeth had also something to do
with the final decision," Pravat chuckled dryly.
"I agree," Uxtar stated. "We are being sent to make sure all is clear.
If we do find something we will have to deal with it. If on the other
hand we find nothing, then this will be a simple research trip."
"Don't sound so disappointed Uxtar," Mattias said with a smile. "I am
sure that Pravat, Derek and you will find something to keep you
entertained while the ladies do their research."
"This seems straight forward enough," the CO cut in with. "Unless
someone else has something to offer, everyone is dismissed."
=-=
It had taken the ANUBIS also two full days to reach the outer limits of the CABRY system. By then everyone had been looking forward to seeing what all the fuss had been about. Maya had been unable to stand still for more than a few seconds at a time. Uxtar on the other hand seemed frozen in time, as if expecting the entire Imperian army to swoop down on them.
"Lt. Stormwind," the CO said from the edge of her seat. "Take us in at
half impulse."
"Half impulse, aye," the Vulcan hybrid replied. Everyone on the bridge had noticed that Derek had seemed to be more Vulcan than usual. At least while on the bridge. Some, including Sabrina, had seemed pleased with this change.
"Long-range sensors are picking up nothing out of the ordinary," Maya
stated from the science station. If someone had looked up the word
'disappointment' in the latest edition of the Webster’s dictionary, Maya's
café would have been right there.
"Tactical shows no other ships in the vicinity," Uxtar said sounding as
disappointed as the CSciO.
"All ship systems are operating within normal parameters," Elliot added
from Ops. At least Elliot had not seemed disappointed by his own
report. Actually the Ensign had sounded rather relived.
"Nice an easy Mr. Stormwind," Sabrina added. The CO had not sounded overly reassured by the reports from the senior staff. There had been more then enough time to think about the *logic* of having sent the ANUBIS on this mission. If the Admiral had truly expected there to be nothing, he could have sent the NILE or EGYPT. The Hirogen had been right when Uxtar had pointed out that the ANUBIS had been ready should something pop up. Something that would likely be big and nasty in ever sense of the words.
Slowly the ship made its way deeper into the CABRY system. Everything
had gone well leaving the CO to wonder if Koneki had maybe been a little
paranoid about the whole thing. After all the Admiral had gained a
reputation of being overly cautious in certain of his dealings, although he
had been right to do so each and every time.
"I am picking up a power drain in the secondary systems," Mattias
stated from the Engineering station. The CEO had not sounded overly worried
about his discovery. "Diverting back-up power to compensate."
As the Ops officer of the ANUBIS, Elliot checked in on the problem and solution. What he discovered proved to be less than expected. "Captain, I am noticing a drop in energy readings throughout the ship. It's not much, in the range of less than one percent, but it is a drop none the less."
"The ANUBIS is still responding to navigational commands," the FCO
stated. "Logic dictates that we reverse course until this matter can be
further analysed."
Everyone could see on Sabrina's face that she had wanted to agree.
There had been no reason to take any risks. That was when Enaii stepped in
from the ILO's station. "Mission first."
The CO sighed. Sabrina knew that Enaii had been correct and that the Admiral would not appreciate any delays. It had taken them long enough to get here that stopping so close would have been unacceptable. "Ops," the CO said, "keep a close eye on that power drain. Helm take us in but at reduced speed."
"Moving ahead at one quarter impulse," Derek stated in his pure Vulcan
tone. There was no hint of emotion in the FCO's voice. The same could
not have been said about the rest of the officers on the bridge.
Uncertainty seemed to reign supreme.
The absolute silence that swept over the bridge had been interrupted
only by the odd sounds of the computer. It had been as if everyone had
simultaneously stopped breathing. The senior staff expected there to be
something else, but none knew what this *thing* would be.
"All secondary systems have failed," the Ops officer stated in somewhat
of a panic. This not only shattered the silence on the bridge but sent
everyone scrambling at their stations.
"Helm, hard about!" Sabrina ordered. Enaii might have wanted them to go on with the mission, but it was apparent that something had happened. The FCO had been correct in his logic and Sabrina hoped that it had not been to late.
"Unable to comply," Derek stated in pure Vulcan dryness. The ANUBIS had
refused to respond to his commands.
"The warp core is failing!" Mattias added from the back of the bridge.
"We are looking at a full shut-down in less than 10 seconds."
"We have also lost all tactical systems," Uxtar said sounding not at
all impressed.
"Something is draining all of our systems simultaneously," Maya said fearful of what this would mean for the ship. The situation had deteriorated at an alarming rate leaving everyone with very little to do in response.
=-=
Akira and Lea were sorting through the medical equipment. The CMO and aCMO had wanted to check everything one last time before they began their new mission. That was when the lights flickered on and off several times.
"Are they supposed to do that?" Akira asked with a hint of concern.
"No," the CMO replied dryly. "And neither are these tricorders not
suppose to be dead. It is like something has drained all of the energy from
them. The power cells seem to be completely empty. What gets me is that
I know that they were fully charged an hour ago."
The lights flickered again. This time though they remained off after a
few seconds and plunged Sickbay into complete darkness.
"What's going on?" Susan asked as she rushed into the main area of
Sickbay. "I was compiling my crew evaluations when the computer and lights
went down. Are we under attack?"
"Sickbay to bridge," Lea said as she tapped her combadge. The CMO had
wanted some explanations herself. After a few moments the CMO gathered
that no answer would come. The communication system, like everything
else around her, had gone dead.
"This can't be good," Susan said with a gulp as she bumped into her friend.
"We should ready ourselves as best we can," Akira added. "We have no
idea what has happened or what will come up from this. If this power
outage is ship wide, we may have to deal with some casualties."
"Agreed," Lea nodded glad to see her assistant was so up on things.
"Everyone, grab an emergency medical kit and head out into the ship. Until
communications are restored through, do try to stay together."
=-=
"That's it," Elliot said with a sigh. "Both primary and secondary
systems are now dead. We have absolutely no power. All efforts to reinstate
core power have failed."
"Well this is turning out to be another one of those missions," the CO
said with a unhappy growl. "Divert whatever you can to the navigational
systems. We need to find a way to get out of this mess or at least
somewhere safe were we can put the ANUBIS."
Elliot and Mattias worked hard and fast and soon were able to get the
main view screen back online. The image had been sketchy but still
recognizable. CABRY III filled the large screen in all of its magnificent
and natural beauty.
"Looks like we are caught in the gravitational pull of the planet, Maya
stated. "Without power there is no way for us to escape."
"Recommend that we engage the ablative armour," Uxtar stated. At least
with the ANUBIS' armour engaged they would have a better chance or
making it through the atmosphere.
"There is not enough power to engage the armour," Mattias said. "We will be lucky if we have enough power to get us to the planet surface in one piece."
"Mr. Stormwind," Sabrina said without wasting a moment. "I hope that
you are up for another of your expert flying miracles. Because if not
we're all dead."
"Using thrusters I may be able to direct the ship towards one of those large bodies of water. Hopefully there will be enough power left to slow our descent and raise the ANUBIS' nose. If not this will be a very rough landing."
Everyone reached for something to hold on to as the ANUBIS began its
descent through the atmosphere. The ride had been less than easy and
anyone not sitting soon found themselves face down on the deck plates.
=-=
The sky overhead was as blue as the ocean. The clouds seemed to be made of cotton and hung amidst the azure heaven with peaceful grace. The peacefulness of this scenery was interrupted by something large that broken through the clouds. Whatever that thing had been it had no respect for the natural beauty it had passed through. Like a ball of fire the large object hurled split the blue skies until it collided with the watery horizon. The impact was such that the cloud of mist could be seen for miles around.
Had the gods fallen from their heavenly domain? Had one of the moons
fell from the sky? No one knew what had happened. They could only fear
what they could not understand. For those who possessed the means to
investigate, the solution had been simple, and they set forth to see what
had happened.
=-=
"Are you all right captain?" Uxtar asked as he helped Sabrina back to
her feet. The Sec/Tac had been lucky to find the CO in the complete
darkness that filled the bridge. The force of the crash had sent the CO,
and everyone else flying across the bridge.
"What about the ship?" Sabrina replied. She cared far more about the
well being of her ship and crew than of herself.
"Internal sensors are inoperative," Elliot stated as he pulled himself
back up to his station. At least the Ensign believed that it had been
his station. Without light there had been no way to know. The console,
like everything else on the bridge, seemed to be completely dead.
"Organize a search and rescue team," the CO ordered. "Then we'll need
to somehow figure out where we are."
As they stumbled through the darkness and searched for the others, a
strange noise was heard overhead. Everyone stopped and listened.
"Sounds like someone is knocking," Uxtar said not sure as to how that
could have been possible. The senior staff remained silent and listened
some more and again the noise was heard.
"There is someone on the outer hull," Derek stated with a hint of
logic. That had been the only way to explain the origin of the noise they
had all heard.
"Open the emergency hatch," the CO stated. Faced with the situation
that they were in, it had been the only logical course of action.
=-=
The emergency hatch fell on the outer hull with a loud thud. Without any power Uxtar, Derek and Mattias had used all of their strength to get it open. The light of a bright sun shinning overhead greeted the three of them. The aroma of the ocean they had crashed into filled the air.
Uxtar was the first to step out onto the outer hull. He had wanted to insure that whatever had been knocking had been safe for the others. It took no time for the Sec/Tac to locate the source of the noise they had all heard.
"Captain!" A Caitian man dressed in old torn clothes called out to a sail ship not far off to the side.
"And what do we have here?" A female Caitian replied. The woman had been dressed in similar clothes, but hers had not been torn. Uxtar quickly realised that she was the one in charge of the wooden ship. The question that remained had been what had they wanted with the ANUBIS?
"He looks like a Troll," the male Caitian stated as he pulled his sword out. "De he want me to run hem through? We can then continue to investigate this strange island."
The Caitian sailor had been ready to lunge at Uxtar when Sabrina emerged from the emergency hatch. Her flowing red hair and more pleasant appearance stopped the Caitian in his tracks.
"We mean you no harm," the CO stated. "We are just trying to figure out what happened to our ship."
"Well looks like we are not thee first on this here island," the female Caitian stated with regret. "Bring the Lady and her troll onboard so we can see what we can do to help."
"Captain, I do not trust them," Uxtar quickly stated as he pointed to a
black flag floating on the highest mast. Whoever or whatever these Caitian had been, they were clearly pirates.
"Tell the others to continue search and rescue," the CO ordered. "In the meantime you and I will see what sort of world we have crashed into. We should have known that this would not be as easy as we had hoped it would be."
=-=
Lt. Lea Summers 2006 post #244
Satrdate: 61034.0800
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Observation Deck
Satrdate: 61034.0830
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Conference Lounge
Satrdate: 61034.1115
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Satrdate: 61036.0845
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Satrdate: 61036.0855
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Satrdate: 61036.0910
Setting: CABRY III
Satrdate: 61036.0925
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Satrdate: 61036.0945
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Outer Hull
Satrdate: 61036.0955
Tiffany Rose {lady_tiffany_rose@mail.com}
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS
