First looks can be deceiving..

Posted on Mon Jan 12, 2015 @ 10:58pm by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Commander Miguel Torres & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant AJ Taggart & Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant AJ Taggart

2,233 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: All this has happened before...
Location: USS Bethesda
Timeline: 63296.257 {Sat, 07 Sep 2385 15:14:55 GMT}

[Bridge, USS Victory]

"Bridge to Transporter Room. We have received the telemetry from the atmospheric probe sent to the Bethesda. No evidence of any airborne pathogen which is recognized by our computers. No toxins noted. There's also no sounds being detected which are not related to the ship's internal functions. We're hearing the environmental systems, power systems.. and that's it. No movement. No voices." the Captain reported, her gaze on the report displayed on her screen still streaming over from the silent ship.

Miguel stepped onto the bridge just in time to hear the Captain give the away team the okay for the mission. He moved towards the command deck with an eye on the screen looking over the data on it so that he could get up to speed on the situation. He felt a bit helpless on this mission after all what they were dealing with was a medical issue and not engineering one. So like most of the crew he'd have to wait and hope for the best.

Cassandra followed Miguel onto the bridge and turned towards the XO's station, sitting down and pulling an old-style communications earpiece out of her handbag. She placed it in her ear and listened carefully, then turned towards the Captain. "Still no signals from the Bethesda. Probe is still transmitting."

[Transporter room, USS Victory]

Tom looked up as the doors parted and the first members of the Away Team filed into the Transporter Room. "Acknowledged," he reported. "I'm going to keep all containment protocols in effect, regardless of the circumstances. All we need is for some random ghost to board our ship and give the Bethesda something to drift into."

Alec came into the transporter room, hearing some of the conversation between the bridge and Barnes. "How we looking Chief? We ready to beam over and see what's going on? He finished as he stepped onto one of the transporter pads.

"All looks well," Tom honestly replied, making eye contact with the Executive Officer. I'll be beaming you directly outside their primary transporter room. It might be against orders, but if there's something that came aboard from the transporter, not stepping on or even using their pads will minimize some of the risks."

"Very good Chief. A sound idea." He said approvingly.

Aidan walked in next, his uniform was crisp and the creases razor straight. It was fairly obvious that he had replicated it only moments before his arrival. He really wasn't expecting trouble, but he had learned to always be prepared just in case, so he had a phaser at his left hip and sword of some sort on his back in a blue scabbard. The hilt was also blue but it was hard to distinguish the type of material it was made of, but it didn't look like anything modern.

At his his was Meiyo, her head on a swivel taking in her new surroundings, she stood close to Alpha, but not overly close. She was protecting him, not trying to hide beside him.

Chris Evans entered the transporter room carrying an engineering kit, tricorder, wrist light, and hand phaser. He noticed many of the team where already there and suiting up in bio hazard suits. He joined them and waited for further orders saying, "hello," to everyone in the room.

Nicole walked in, arms folded as best she could in her suit, and a scowl on her face. "I checked the ship's life support systems," she said, walking towards Hunter. "We should be able to beam over free...of...what the...?" she said, looking down at the animal sniffing at her.

"Is there a bio-hazard suit for the dog?" Aidan asked.

"He's serious," Nicole said, not quite a question, looking at Hunter.

Chris reached down and gave Meiyo a good pet. He really wanted her to like him, he looked over at Aidan. "I bet we can quickly design one and replicate one."

"Yes. I know he is." Alec replied, "Mr. Mejia, let's leave your dog here for now. We can always beam her over later." He turned his attention back to the CMO. "You were saying, Doctor, something about us being free to beam over?"

"I was saying, the environmental systems don't show any foreign pathogens and the air is breathable," she said. "Suits may not be--" She stopped as AJ walked in, completely encased in his biohazard suit. "Nevermind," she said, stifling a chuckle.

AJ checked over every cuff, seal, and meter on his biohazard suit. There was nothing worse or more insidious than a biological containment failure. If the transporters missed it, you could have a quarantine situation that would spread like wildfire, crippling a ship within a few short and agonizing minutes. With that done, he turned to the group. "Alright, everyone. The dog aside, I need you all to check the seals on your suit. The material on these suits is self sealing but that's more to keep whatever gets in inside the suit rather than to protect the rest of us. If you have so much as a small rip on these suits, you are to transport back for decontamination and quarantine." Looking over to gauge the group's attention, he continued. "Our sole mission on the Bethesda is to investigate and set up a download of their databases to determine what happened to their crew. Anything you find is to be reported, understood?"

As Nicole snapped off a semi-smart salute, it occurred to her she hadn't seen AJ in a command position yet. He'd always been working in other areas when she was in Sickbay. Seeing him now though, she couldn't stop herself thinking, *oh, by Providence, he's adorable.*

Yarin ran through the doors and up to the transporter pad. "Apologies Commander, I had to get my bio-hazard suit refitted to fit my physiology. I am fully briefed on our current mission and am ready to go."

Meiyo looked up at the Alpha that had ordered her to stay. She didn't really understand the words, but she recognized her name and the tone. She stopped and became almost rigid. Her tail which had been wagging when Chris petted her was now stopped. Her Alpha liked Chris. It was obvious to her, his odor was all over her Alpha. So if her Alpha liked him, he had to be okay. But this Alpha she didn't like. She growled low in her throat and let it build. But before it could be heard, her Alpha jerked on her collar and in a stage whisper he said, "NO!" No was one word she understood. She didn't always heed it, but she knew it.

Aidan kept his eyes on AJ. "Yes sir," he replied, his voice far calmer and accepting than his dog's. Then he turned to Meiyo. "Sit," he commanded, "stay!" He would have liked to have argued that the Captain had more or less given approval for her to make the trip and that she would be useful, but it wasn't an important enough issue for him to get in a tug of war with a superior.

He then went and got himself a bio-hazard suit. He slipped into it and went over to Chris, "I'll check yours out if you'll check mine out," he said in an innocent tone.

Chris helped Aidan into his bio hazard suite and then turned around to be sealed up "Thanks" he said with a wink.

Blackburn had donned her bio suit and entered the transporter room. She was going to access the Bethesda's computers to see if she could find out what happened. Holstered on her left hip was her Type 2 phaser. "Are we ready to go?"

"Glad to have you Mr. Yarin." Alec replied as Blackburn entered as well. "Almost. just finishing up with the suits." He finished as the dog growled at him. He didn't care, It wasn't personal and if the dog didn't like him then so be it.

Yarin looked down at the dog. She gave her a curious head tilt. He had been hearing faint wisps of thought from the room for the past few moments but he could not place them. Was she the cause? He would have to study this after he returned to the ship.

Alec looked around the room. "Where's Naroot?" He asked no one in particular. "I thought she was coming on this little field trip as well?"

As he said it, the doors opened and Penny skidded in, suited and ready. "Sorry! Had a little difference of opinion with my suit," she said.

"Can we go now?" Nicole said, moving awkwardly in her suit to the transporter pad, carrying her black bag awkwardly in her gloved hand.

Meiyo, looked again at the XO, but had at least stopped growing. She sat there unmoving, willing to wait until her Alpha came back no matter how short or long a time that might be.

Aidan had gotten his suit on and moved to the padd, waiting for the others to make their way up.

Chris stepped up to the pad and awaited the beam out order.

Behind the controls, Tom referenced his schematic of the Bethesda and began to plot different locations for each member of the Away Team. Glancing up, he took a quick count of all who were going to make sure he could spread them comfortably in the corridor in one transport. As each member of the team took a spot on the pad, Tom linked their position to an appropriate destination, giving point positions to the higher ranking members of the team.

Alec finished with his suit, making sure all the connections were sealed shut. He gave a glance at the CMO, "Yes Doctor we can go now." Stepping onto the padd as he did. "Hunter to bridge. We're ready to beam over to the Bethesda and see what the situation is."

While waiting for the Captain's reply, Alec spoke to Chief Barnes, "Chief, will go in two teams of four. The first team consisting of myself, Lts. Naroot, Blackburn and Mejia will beam to the bridge. The second team of Lt. Taggert, Yarin, Evans and the Doc will beam into Engineering and work their way up and into Sickbay."

"Yes, sir," Tom acknowledged, looking up from the controls for a brief moment. With a few taps on the panel, Tom manipulated his calculations. It did not take long to complete the establishment of eight tranport points and enable a lock that matched the drift of the Bethesda.

"Good luck Hinek," Penny said, waving to Nicole as she hopped onto the pad.

"Same to you Tik-Tok," Nicole said, smiling a bit and leaning against the bulkhead, waiting her turn.

Penny grinned at Nicole, then looked across to Thomas and gave a wink and a wave goodbye.

Tom smiled at Penny as he awaited the order from the bridge. He was just as ready as the Away Team to begin the process.

Alec stepped onto the padd next to Penny, "Lt. Blackburn, Lt. Mejia, if you'd be so kind to join us."

Blackburn took her spot on the transporter. She looked at Yarin, wanting to say something but thought it best against it, as she recalled he was a telepath. Be careful, she thought, hoping he could hear her.

Yarin stared at Blackburn Do not worry, we will be together again soon.

From the Bridge, the Captain's answer came through the ship's internal comm system. "Acknowledged Commander," she replied smoothly. "Maintain communications at all times .. you are clear for transport."

"Understood Captain. Keep the light on." Alec replied then turned to Tom "Chief beam the first team to the bridge, the second into engineering. Maintain transporter locks on all of us."

"Aye, sir," Tom replied, checking the locks he had on the Bethseda one more time and entering a final calculation. "Energizing." With a light tap he moved the three sliders into an upward position. In front of him, columns of blue iridescent light engulfed Hunter, Blackburn, Mejia and Penny as the transporter began to take apart their bodies, breaking each one down into a pattern for reassembly. The blue glow in the room, and the persons they contained, faded quickly thanks to the efficiency of the transporter pad.

Once the four patterns were safely in the transporter buffer, Tom turned to the forward transporter emitters, added some additional gain to the annular confinement beam, and began to transmit those patterns towards the Bethesda. His eyes and hands remained focused on the console as the patterns were reassembled some distance away, all from the Victory's tiny emitters.

"Transport complete," he announced to the room as he looked up at Dr. Anderson. "You may now take the pad."

"You're too gracious," she said, nodding to AJ for permission before stepping up onto her spot.

While Tom awaited for Lieutenant Taggert's acknowledgment, he tied his transport to Transporter Room Two. While one pad could easily accommodate up to twelve persons, it could only handle six with full biohazard and decontamination filters. To recover eight people in a moment's notice, he'd need more than one unit. Thankfully, he knew Petty Officer LaSalle in Transporter Room Two would be up to the task.

AJ stepped onto the pad and motioned for his team to follow. "Chief, let's rock and roll." he said in a cavalier fashion.

 

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