Stardate: 2365.03.28
USS George Washington Carver, Gym – 2140

Crewman Sari Uhnari was near the 5^th kilometer of her run on the treadmill as she thought about her first few days aboard this new vessel. She was still trying to acclimate herself to her first assignment aboard a Star Fleet vessel. So far, she knew very few people aboard the ship; she had made friends with all of her roommates: Crewman Aisha Abbo, Crewman Sarah Appelman, & Crewman Elena Sarasoto. She got along with everyone pretty well thus far; of course since coming aboard she hardly spent any time in her quarters when she was not sleeping. Sari was a bit of an introvert, and she knew it, and didn't do much socializing. She preferred to concentrate on her job and her studies; though so far she hadn't been assigned much to do in her lab. That was to be expected since they were just starting off on their first scientific mission since she came aboard.

Sari knew that a lot of new personnel had come aboard the ship at the Starbase, and that this was a new research vessel, so the coming days should be quite exciting. At least she hoped it would be exciting; but then not too exciting. She smiled at her own thoughts and doubts; she was hoping to have a major project soon that would give her some lab work to do.

Sari glanced down at the display on her treadmill and saw that she had passed her 5k mark without realizing it; she had been lost deeply in thought. She hit a button and slowed her pace to allow herself to cool down for a few minutes. After leaving the lab for the day, she had grabbed a bite to eat in the mess, then spent some time in studying lab techniques, before changing into her workout clothes and hitting the gym. This was pretty much her normal daily routine; she believed in keeping a sharp mind and a fit body. It was the way of the Haliian people really, and being one of only a couple which had joined Star Fleet, she intended to represent her people well.

After 5 minutes of cooling down, Sari stopped the treadmill, stepped off and grabbed a towel from the rack. She wiped the perspiration from her face and neck first, as she controlled her breathing. She wrapped the towel around her neck as she left the gym headed for her quarters, where she planned to take a quick ultrasonic shower before getting into her comfy clothes and study a little more before turning in for the night. Tomorrow would be a new day, and she wondered what excitement it might bringin to her life.

((OOC: Just a little post as I wait for something to happen, like an away mission perhaps. ))

...

"Sir," McGinty pipes up, "I'm as anxious as anyone to get boots on the ground, but I'm also very excited about the meteor project I spoke to you of last night."  I would recommend you take Ens. Tiaghen, her experience in exogeology will be invaluable.  You'll also need a lab tech to collect samples, Crewman Uhnari is the best one I've got.  Don't worry, I'll be done with this project before you know it and join you for a future away mission."

"All right, Mr. McGinty," Cole raises his eyebrows. That must've been some discovery to keep someone from an away mission. Maybe I missed something in her explanation last night? "Please make sure that Ens. Tiaghen is briefed and reports to me by eleven hundred to go over what new details we've been able to ascertain from the scans."

...

"One problem, Commander." Jenna says. "The Waverider has a total complement of six, three of which are supposed to be flight crew. I can do it with two, or singly if I have to. Since you have set up five for your away team, that leaves me as the sole pilot. While I feel I am up to the challenge, this first time you might prefer to have two flight crew members, in case of sudden issues within the atmosphere." She cleared her throat.

"Fair enough," Scanning the officers in the room, Max states, "I believe that Mr. Stark has some shuttle experience."

"And Ens. Tiaghen can fill in should the need arise," Lt. McGinty adds.

"Thank you," Max responds with a soft smile. "There we have it, Mr. Falcone. Two capable hands to assist should the mission require the Waverider."

"It's your call, Sir. I just wanted to inform you of the details for the Waverider." She stands at ease, counting down the timeline from the Captain in her head.

...

...

"One problem, Commander." Jenna says. "The Waverider has a total complement of six, three of which are supposed to be flight crew. I can do it with two, or singly if I have to. Since you have set up five for your away team, that leaves me as the sole pilot. While I feel I am up to the challenge, this first time you might prefer to have two flight crew members, in case of sudden issues within the atmosphere." She cleared her throat.

"Fair enough," Scanning the officers in the room, Max states, "I believe that Mr. Stark has some shuttle experience."

"And Ens. Tiaghen can fill in should the need arise," Lt. McGinty adds.

"Thank you," Max responds with a soft smile. "There we have it, Mr. Falcone. Two capable hands to assist should the mission require the Waverider."

"It's your call, Sir. I just wanted to inform you of the details for the Waverider." She stands at ease, counting down the timeline from the Captain in her head.

Jenna smiled slightly. "Thank you, Sir. That should work out very well with what you've assigned. With your permission, I'll get to work on those tests for the Captain.

((OOC: Assuming Response))

Jenna left the conference room, striding toward the lift and brushing a stray lock of white hair out of her face. She tapped her Comm badge.

"Falcone to Malek."

=/\= Malek here. =/\=

"Grab your PADD and meet me at the WaveRider. We've got some work to do."

=/\= Aye, Sir. On my way. =/\=

Jenna stepped into the turbolift, looking at her own PADD and brushing that lock of hair away again. "Deck Four." she said.

See what she can do? Yes Sir! she thought with a smile, pulling up schematics on her PADD.

Stardate: 2365.03.29
USS George Washington Carver, Deck 1, Conference Room - 0752

Looking at the technical report and retest results of the failed Warp Field Compensator on his PADD, Kurt wandered into the conference room. Well, it was more as a stumble as he accidentally stepped on Bruno's paw, causing the pooch to yelp and dart away. Adjusting his thick glasses back up on his nose, he returned his attention to the PADD. He was oblivious to the spread of snacks and the other officers in the room as he sat down at the table.

He was in the process of signing the reports and approving them for routing up to the XO when the Captain began the meeting.

"Good morning," Captain Rouhani began. "I hope everyone is well rested. Before we get started, a quick announcement: Captain Kerawa says the Ada Lovelace is going to be late. They had an issue on Deck 3 they couldn't resolve without taking the warp core offline. Due to complications, it's going to take them three days to put it all back together. They are planning on arriving on Thursday. Many thanks to you and your team, Lieutenant Wilhelm." 

Kurt blinked and bobbed his head in return to the thanks and nods he received.

"As all of you know, our primary mission is to explore Rho Puppis, a previously uninhabitable system rich in dilithium. A terraforming crew is on its way to transform these planets and make them habitable for the colonists who will eventually mine and refine the rich dilithium deposits in the system. This is part of a longer-range plan. Admiral Hanson of Starbase 324 says the terraforming craft is on its way. Traveling at Warp Two, it'll take them six months to get here and we need to have a landing site mapped out for them by the time they arrive. We'll begin by exploring Rho Puppis I and figuring out why we've been unable to pick much of anything up with our scans.

McGinty replied, "Off the top of my head, a high-density low orbit satellite, or the planet has been struck by an asteroid, or a large object has passed within the vicinity pulling the planet very slightly off its axis.  Looking at these readings, it's not a very severe wobble at all, it's equivalent of what Earth experiences with her moon.  As for affecting lunar conditions, it'll make high tides higher and low tides lower assuming there's an ocean." 

Stardate: 2365.03.29
USS George Washington Carver, Deck 1, Conference Room - 0740

"You're here early," Cmdr. Cole comments once he's inside the conference room and spots Captain Rouhani peering out the viewscreen. "Is there anything in particular you want me to cover this morning once the meeting is underway?"

“Good Morning Commander,” Rouhani smiles at her first officer. “Please feel free to interject as you see fit, you’ll be working very closely with these officers and their staff, I want everyone to be comfortable with you in command.”  The captain turns back to the view screen and leaves her commander to his own thoughts.

Offering a frown of acceptance accompanied by a slow nod, the XO turns and places his padd on the table where he'll be sitting. Looking back over his shoulder at his commanding officer, he wonders whether she prefers silence before a meeting or conversation. I prefer silence, so I'm going to assume she does too. I am, after all, quite the model to base assumptions on. Chuckling quietly at his mental humor, Max moves back to the door where he can greet all of the senior officers as they enter.

The remains of coffee and coffee cake scatter the conference table, greetings had been said by all parties, and the atmosphere was relaxed.  All eyes pointed forward to where Captain Rouhani stood at the head of the table, her smile welcoming, behind her a viewscreen showing a model of a solar system with three planets.  Along the wall behind Commander Cole, Lieutenant Siric, Lieutenant Stark, and Lieutenant Wilhelm the viewports curving up to match the contour of the ceiling, show stars streaking by.  The opposite wall, behind Lieutenant McGinty, Lieutenant Falcone, and Lieutenant Draci have a large relief in gold of the man for whom the ship takes her name.  

"Good morning," Captain Rouhani starts once the pleasantries and snacks have been dug through. "I hope everyone is well rested. Before we get started, a quick announcement: Captain Kerawa says the Ada Lovelace is going to be late. They had an issue on Deck 3 they couldn't resolve without taking the warp core offline. Due to complications, it's going to take them three days to put it all back together. They are planning on arriving on Thursday. Many thanks to you and your team, Lieutenant Wilhelm." Rouhani nods to the end of the table and Cole follows suit. 

Kurt blinked and bobbed his head in return to the thanks and nods he received.

"As all of you know, our primary mission is to explore Rho Puppis, a previously uninhabitable system rich in dilithium. A terraforming crew is on its way to transform these planets and make them habitable for the colonists who will eventually mine and refine the rich dilithium deposits in the system. This is part of a longer-range plan. Admiral Hanson of Starbase 324 says the terraforming craft is on its way. Traveling at Warp Two, it'll take them six months to get here and we need to have a landing site mapped out for them by the time they arrive. We'll begin by exploring Rho Puppis I and figuring out why we've been unable to pick much of anything up with our scans.

"Lieutenant Siric, what do we know about Rho Puppis I?"

The Vulcan COO sitting between the XO and the CTO states in a flat tone, "Captain, long range sensors indicate that Rho Puppis I is 1.12 Earth's size, .98 Earth's mass, .87 Earth's solar rotation, and gravity is comparable. Sensors are only picking up the planet's gravitational pull, and cannot scan the planet itself. The Paulson Nebula is only 2.27 trillion kilometers away from the solar system, it is 82% dilithium hydroxyls, magnesium, and chromium, also making scanning, as well as warp penetration, nearly impossible. One oddity is that Rho Puppis I has a lunar wobble as if a satellite would affect the planet's tides. But there is no lunar satellite."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Rouhani turns to her left to address the CSO. "Lieutenant McGinty, what else could cause a lunar wobble if not for a lunar satellite? What's the severity of the wobble? How could that affect conditions on the planet's surface?"

McGinty replied, "Off the top of my head, a high-density low orbit satellite, or the planet has been struck my an asteroid, or a large object has passed within the vicinity pulling the planet very slightly off its axis.  Looking at these readings, it's not a very severe wobble at all, it's equivalent of what Earth experiences with her moon.  As for affecting lunar conditions, it'll make high tides higher and low tides lower assuming there's an ocean." 

"Very interesting, thank you, Lieutenant."  Standing straighter and addressing the next individuals in turn, the captain continues. "Lieutenant Siric, once we arrive I want you to perform some short-range scans to determine atmospheric conditions and weather patterns on the surface and gather data about them. Let's see what conditions an away team might have to contend with."

"Of course, Captain."

"How long before we arrive Lieutenant?"

"We will arrive at Rho Puppis I in 3 hours, 17 minutes, 27 seconds." The Vulcan states.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Turning to Maximus, she continues. "Commander Cole, can you start preparing an away team to gather more information about the surface once we get a handle on conditions down there? Lieutenant Siric, keep Commander Cole informed about what his people will be up against." Max follows her conversation with his eyes.

"Lieutenant Wilhelm, once we arrive you'll be able to fully investigate the hiccups we've been experiencing. When the Ada Lovelace arrives, contact their Engineering officer to compare notes about these problems. Let's learn from each other. Get me a report of your findings as soon as you know what happened."

"Lieutenant Stark, rumors on board tell me that drills have become too routine. Now's the time to shake things up. Come up with some new drills that stir things up a bit. We don't know what we'll encounter on the surface and we need to be prepared for anything.

Stark responded affirmatively.  "Aye, sir.  I have some ideas; I'll put together some proposals for you."  

"Lieutenant Falcone, I want a full inspection report of the Waverider. This is a brand-new atmospheric shuttle and we should know what it's capable of. I want to see a plan for short-range testing soon after we arrive. Let's see what she's capable of, shall we?"

"Aye, sir." Jenna replies. "It'll be ready."

"Doctor Draci, you'll be ready for anything once our away team has left the ship. Also, please recirculate that Councilor Young is available to all crew, we're going to be out here a long time, I don't need my men getting cabin fever while they're trying to do their jobs.  

"Keep up the good work and welcome to Rho Puppis. What questions does anyone have?"

"Just one, Sir. What is your plan for the approach? Just so I can determine when to release the Waverider?" Jenna asked. "She'll be ready regardless, Sir." Jenna was already running schematics through her head.

"That will depend on the short-range scans, Lieutenant Falcone," Cmdr. Cole answers for Captain Rouhani. "Provided that the scans work, they'll show us where we can set down and what kind of atmosphere we're to expect on the surface. From that data, we'll be able to extrapolate the correct entry angle and plot a trajectory for the Waverider to the landing site.”

"I hope to coordinate with Lieutenant Siric as soon as he has that data, Sir." Jenna answered.

"I'll be putting the team together over the next three and a half hours, or so," Max continues. "I expect I'll need you, Lieutenant McGinty, you too Lieutenant Draci, and Lieutenant Stark as well. Lieutenant Falcone, of course, will pilot the Waverider. Mister Stark, if you feel it proper, you can bring along another from your department. Lieutenant Wilhelm, please work with Lieutenant McGinty and put together teams for proper surface scans. We may need to set up multiple sites for science relays in order to get a detailed report and with as mysterious as Rho Puppis I has been thus far, I don't imagine we're going to find it much more welcoming on the surface, so we'll want to make our initial stay as short as possible.”

Tom nodded.  "Of course, sir," he responded evenly.  "One of the suggestions I have included in the report you asked for will be to have no less than two Security personnel attached to all science, survey, and engineering teams if at all possible.  I think that it would be prudent to ensure that all of the AWAY team members are armed, as well - just in case."

"I know it's not a contest, but it sure would be nice to have a leg up on our end of things that push the Ada Lovelace. There's absolutely no reason why we can't have a really solid lead after three days."

"It vill be done, sir." Kurt nodded and turned his attention to the red-haired McGinty. "I vill hafe to look at tse roster and see who I can spare. Tsere are still many different operations tsat I need personnel for, but I am sure tsat tsere are a few. I vill hafe some names for you vithin tse hour. How many do you predict you vill need?"

"Sir," McGinty pipes up, "I'm as anxious as anyone to get boots on the ground, but I'm also very excited about the meteor project I spoke to you of last night.  I would recommend you take Ens. Tiaghen, her experience in exogeology will be invaluable.  You'll also need a lab tech to collect samples, Crewman Uhnari is the best one I've got.  Don't worry, I'll be done with this project before you know it and join you for a future away mission."

"All right, Mr. McGinty," Cole raises his eyebrows. "Please make sure that Ens. Tiaghen is briefed and reports to me by eleven hundred to go over what new details we've been able to ascertain from the scans."

"One problem, Commander. " Jenna said. "The Waverider has a total complement of six, three of which are supposed to be flight crew. I can do it with two, or singly if I have to. Since you have set up five for your away team, that leaves me as the sole pilot. While I feel I am up to the challenge, this first time you might prefer to have two flight crew members, in case of sudden issues within the atmosphere." She cleared her throat.

"Fair enough," Scanning the officers in the room, Max states, "I believe that Mr. Stark has some shuttle experience."

"And Ens. Tiaghen can fill in should the need arise," Lt. McGinty adds.

"Thank you," Max responds with a soft smile. "There we have it, Mr. Falcone. Two capable hands to assist should the mission require the Waverider."

"It's your call, Sir. I just wanted to inform you of the details for the Waverider." She stands at ease, counting down the timeline from the Captain in her head.

Jenna smiled slightly. "Thank you, Sir. That should work out very well with what you've assigned. With your permission, I'll get to work on those tests for the Captain.”

“Looks like you’ve got most of your team assembled already, Number One.” Rouhani nods to Cole. “As for the rest of you, we’ve got a big job and three hours to do it in.  Seems like our own Lieutenant Siric here is going to be in high demand, please make yourself available Lieutenant.”

“I will be in my office.” Siric states flatly.

“The rest of you are dismissed, I’ll be on the bridge, I expect all of you to join me as we make our final approach, wouldn’t want to miss it.”

As the officers get up from their seats, Dr. Draci makes his way to Cole.  “I’ll grab a med kit in case we need anything, I’m a little surprised you need me there, but I’m not going to let you down.  I guess we can always beam down more security if we need them.”  The doctor gathers his things and heads to sickbay. 

Catching Wilhelm on the way out, McGinty chimes her com badge, =/\= McGinty to Tiaghen…((OOC: McGinty talks to Tiaghen and Uhnari and lets them know they will be going on the away mission and to coordinate with the correct people)) =/\=

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42269.4)
USS George Washington Carver, Bridge, Deck 1 - 0740 Alpha Shift

…

As the officers rise from their seats, Dr. Draci makes his way to Cole. “I’ll grab a med kit in case we need anything, I’m a little surprised you need me there, but I’m not going to let you down. I guess we can always beam down more security if we need them.”

“Doc,” Cole smiles, “my experience with away missions has usually been better when a ship doctor is present. Especially if there is transporter interference. Better to be safe than sorry, right? Tell you what; if we don’t need the Waverunner, you can stay aboard as we’ll be able to beam anyone with injuries direct to Sick Bay. We’ll see you on the Bridge in a bit.”

The doctor gathers his things and heads to sickbay. Max watches the man make his exit and then shakes his head. It’s as though I’m surrounded by agoraphobics.

With the meeting no longer in session, Cmdr. Cole also makes his exit, stopping to say his good-bye to Bruno on his way out the door. The captain is right, he has his away team already, now he just needs to get to know them a little better. Time for some light reading.

As he was having his morning coffee, Max had looked over the new shift assignments that the captain had sent out and learned that he was now on Alpha with the captain, so he makes his way to his chair and plants himself in it. Using the console computer to the right he pulls up the dossiers on those officers he just met with as well as Ensign Nizrri Tiaghen, the scientist that Lt. McGinty has deferred to.

First on the list is Lieutenant (junior grade) Thomas Stark. If he wasn’t enlisted at one point, I’ll eat my hat. Cole has sensed more than a bit of vinegar in the man ever since his first interaction and though he has yet to put much thought into how to address the issue, Max has never been one to let behavior such as this go for long. A mining family, huh? Hard life.

The XO of the George Washington Carver continues his perusal of his officers allowing for the usual activity of the Bridge to interrupt whenever necessary. The dossiers are easy reading and he quickly finds his way through them.

“ETA, Mr. Falcone?”

(OOC: Receiving his answer… )

“Thank you. Lt Siric, please report on your latest scans.”

"I am still unable to penetrate the upper atmosphere of the planet, sir," Siric responds. "Lt McGinty's theory may be close to accurate, however, as I am detecting mineral debris in close orbit."

"Cole to Lt Wilhelm," Max says after tapping his comm badge.

(OOC: Wilhelm's answer... )

"Is there anything that you can do to boost the short-range scans strength?"

(OOC: Wilhelm's answer... )

Stardate: 2365.03.29
USS George Washington Carver, Crew Quarters – 0748

Crewman Sari Uhnari was a bit nervous; Lt McGinty had just commed her and told her that she would be accompanying an away team in a few hours when they arrived at their destination. She was sitting in her quarters on her bunk and breathing heavily. She had been about to leave for the Lab and was stopped dead in her tracks by the news. Now she was trying to calm herself physically and mentally.

My first away mission. She had never done anything like this before since joining Star Fleet and this was her first assignment. I hope I don't screw up.

Rising from her bunk, Sari took one more deep breath and then left to head to the lab. She had to gather some things; sampling kits, her tricorder, etc. I hope they don't want me to carry a Phaser. She had qualified as was required, and then just barely. She abhorred violence, all of her people did. Oh, she would defend herself, but she could never see seriously harming anyone, especially not killing anyone. She put those thoughts out of her mind as she concentrated on a list and inputting on her PADD as she walked to the turbolift and then the lab.

((OOC: Ok, I'm not sure who she is to report to and when exactly the time will be to gather for the mission. Maybe someone could clarify? ))

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42269.4)
USS George Washington Carver, Bridge, Deck 1 - 0855 Alpha Shift

The XO of the George Washington Carver continues his perusal of his officers allowing for the usual activity of the Bridge to interrupt whenever necessary. The dossiers are easy reading and he quickly finds his way through them.

“ETA, Mr. Falcone?”

=/\= "ETA 2 hours and 25 minutes, Sir. Just preparing some sims as well as running her through her paces. She'll be ready when the time comes, Sir."=/\=

Jenna looked at Talia Malek. "Well, Chief? Ready to get this underway?"

"Yes Sir." she replied. Preparing level One diagnostic now."

"Excellent. When that's done, we'll get in and run personal system checks. If I'm going to fly her, I want to know she won't let me down." The WaveRider was a relatively new atmospheric shuttlecraft, ideal for cloose quarters examination of planetary bodiesby science personnel aboard the ship. They were going to get their information directly from the WaveRider...Interesting.

"How long does a Level One take, Mister Malek?"

"About an hour and fifty-seven minutes, give or take, Sir." Talia replied, with her businesslike demeanor.

Jenna nodded. A little over two hours. Plenty of time. she thought. We'll have that report ready ahead of time.

Stardate: 2365.03.29
USS George Washington Carver, Crew Quarters - 0948

Crewman Uhnari sat nervously in her quarters waiting for the time to gather for the away mission; when she was nervous, she often sang to relieve some tension.  Singing always calmed her as she had to concentrate on her voice’s tone and pitch and the words were often soothing as well.    She thought for a few seconds and, because no one else was in the room at this time, she decided to sing a song.

“Computer,” Sari spoke aloud, “play slow harmony no. 7, medium volume.”

A soft lilting tune began to fill the room as Sari slowed her breathing and at the right point in the song, she began to sing softly.

“What has come over me
What madness taken hold of my heart
To run away, the only answer
Pulling me away
To fall upon the night
The source of my recovery
Sweet shadow taking hold of the light
Another day has been devoured
Calling me away, begging a question
Why

For saving me from all they've taken
Letting my armor fall again
Giving me the strength to face them
Feeling it taking over now
On a path to take it all away
There can be no better way of knowing

In a world beyond controlling
Are you going to deny the savior
In front of your eyes
Stare into the night
Power beyond containing
Are you going to remain a slave for
The rest of your life
Give in to the night

This self-discovery
Redemption taking hold of my mind
A serenade of haunting voices
Calling me away
To feast upon the night
The source of my Felicity
Dark maiden taking hold of my hand
Lead me away from hibernation
Strong and unafraid
Never a question why

For saving me from all they've taken
Letting my armor fall again
Giving me the strength to face them
Feeling it taking over now
I'm about to take it all away
There can be no better way of knowing

In a world beyond controlling
Are you going to deny the savior
In front of your eyes
Stare into the night
Power beyond containing
Are you going to remain a slave for
The rest of your life
Give in to the night”

As her voice faded the music did as well.  She sighed softly, that song always seemed to calm her nerves and let her feel like she had nothing to fear.  It banished all of the thoughts that threatened to intrude upon her well-being.  She now felt ready to do her job; she just wished the time for the away mission was here now.  She hated waiting.

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42269.4)
USS George Washington Carver, Bridge, Deck 1 - 1050 Alpha Shift

One hour and fifty-five minutes later, and the final part of the sims had been run, all systems read in the green. Level One and Level Two Diagnostics run. The WaveRider was in tip-top shape, and was ready for her maiden voyage.

"Excellent job, Mister Malek. We've finished this job ahead of my expectations."

"Thank you, Sir. She's an excellent little craft. You'll have to tell me how she flies."

"That I will, Mister Malek. Remind me to by you a drink." Jenna said. "Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir." Talia said with a half-smile.Shee saluted, and went on her way.

I'm surprised she accepted the offer.  Jenna thought.  Deltans are usually almost Vulcan-like in their approach to things.

=/\= "Falcone to Commander Cole. =/\=

(OOC: Response...)

=/\= "Just fnished all the tests, Sir. The WaveRider is ready to go." =/\=  And in plenty of time, too. she thought, with just a touch of pride.

(OOC: Response...)

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42031.4)
USS George Washington Carver, Bridge, Deck 1 - 1050 Alpha Shift

…

=/\= Falcone to Commander Cole. =/\=

“Cole here. Go ahead.”

=/\= Just finished all the tests, Sir. The WaveRider is ready to go. =/\=

“Well done, Mr. Falcone. Please join us on the bridge. We’re coming up on Rho Puppis I and I think you’ll enjoy getting a first look along with the rest of us.”

Switching off the comm, Max glances at the console to his right that sits between his and Captain Rouhani’s chair. Everything is on schedule, he acknowledges as he peruses the information streaming across the screen.

“Report, Mr. Stark,” Cmdr. Cole orders of the Chief Security Officer. The information that the man has access to concerning their destination is constantly being updated by various scans his team are monitoring and protocol is to keep all security questions answered before they become a potential problem. With less than ten minutes to go before the George Washington Carver enters orbit, the time to wrap everything up is now.

(OOC: Stark’s report… I’ll type out any response Max needs to make if necessary. )

“Mr. McGinty?” Max continues his rounds.

“Sir,” Lt. McGinty frowns into her screen. “I’m reading quite an array of various minerals surrounding the planet. A number of them are unknown.”

“Elaborate, please.”

“Well, sir, we have elements that register within Federation databases but there are chemical combinations—and unknown minerals—that have never been cataloged.” Excitement is building in the woman’s voice.

Well, this is why we’re here, right? Max nods and pushes himself up from his chair. Tugging down on his shirt front he steps towards the helm station. “Section off the viewscreen, Ops, and bring up a side-by-side.”

“Aye, sir,” Siric complies.

Analyzing the readings, Max frowns and scratches his beard. There are too many unknowns. It’s like going to a Thanksgiving Dinner with relatives that you’ve never met. Lt. McGinty speaks up from her station.

“Sir, short-range scans have met with a layer of impenetrable substance at least fifty kilometers thick outside of the planet’s exosphere.”

“Boost that scan, Mr. Wilhelm,” Cole orders, narrowing his eyes at the screen’s image of the planet. The orb looks to be completely covered by a silvery-blue cloud that swirls and twists like tumultuous waters.

(OOC: Wilhelm’s response… )

“It’s no good, sir,” McGinty reports after a moment. “The scans aren’t able to penetrate.”

“Mr. Wilhelm?” Max turns to the engineer and raises his eyebrows.

(OOC: Wilhelm’s answer… )

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42031.4)
USS George Washington Carver, Bridge, Deck 1 - 1050 Alpha Shift

…

=/\= Falcone to Commander Cole. =/\=

“Cole here. Go ahead.”

=/\= Just finished all the tests, Sir. The WaveRider is ready to go. =/\=

“Well done, Mr. Falcone. Please join us on the bridge. We’re coming up on Rho Puppis I and I think you’ll enjoy getting a first look along with the rest of us.”

=/\= Aye, Sir. On my way. =/\=  Jenna made her way to the turbolift, checking her PADD as she went. She glanced up every now and then, so as not to run into anyone.

The lift doors slid open, and she stepped inside. "Bridge," she said. There are unknowns, there always are. She thought. I'll have to correlate Mr. Siric's data with my own, and Mr. McGinty's, to eliminate as many as possible.

((5 minutes later...))

The lift doors swooshed open again, and Jenna walked through. She walked up to the Helm and tapped Mari on the shoulder. "You're relieved, Mr. Solberg." Mari slid out of the chair and stepped aside to let Jenna in.  This is it.  Jenna thought with excitement.  This is what I signed on for.  Mari saluted and made her way to the lift doors.

“Mr. McGinty?” Max continues his rounds.

“Sir,” Lt. McGinty frowns into her screen. “I’m reading quite an array of various minerals surrounding the planet. A number of them are unknown.”

“Elaborate, please.”

“Well, sir, we have elements that register within Federation databases but there are chemical combinations—and unknown minerals—that have never been cataloged.” Excitement is building in the woman’s voice.

Max nods and pushes himself up from his chair. Tugging down on his shirt front he steps towards the helm station. “Section off the viewscreen, Ops, and bring up a side-by-side.”

“Aye, sir,” Siric complies.

Analyzing the readings, Max frowns and scratches his beard.  Lt. McGinty speaks up from her station.

“Sir, short-range scans have met with a layer of impenetrable substance at least fifty kilometers thick outside of the planet’s exosphere.”

“Boost that scan, Mr. Wilhelm,” Cole orders, narrowing his eyes at the screen’s image of the planet. The orb looks to be completely covered by a silvery-blue cloud that swirls and twists like tumultuous waters.

(OOC: Wilhelm’s response... )

“It’s no good, sir,” McGinty reports after a moment. “The scans aren’t able to penetrate.”

“Mr. Wilhelm?” Max turns to the engineer and raises his eyebrows.

Jenna mentally added those notes in her head to the WaveRider's capability information. "Four minutes to orbit, Sir," Jenna said over her shoulder. "Ready on your command."

(OOC: Cmdr. Cole's response )

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42031.4)

USS George Washington Carver, Bridge, Deck 1 - 1051 Alpha Shift

…

“Mister McGinty,” Captain Rouhani rises from her chair and steps forward placing herself next to her XO. “Continue to work on those scans. Mr. Wilhelm, assign someone to work on augmenting the scans to gain better penetration. Mr. Cole, please get the WaveRider underway.”

“Aye, sir,” Max nods and turns to the turbo lift. “Let’s go, folks.”

Confident that the preassigned away team will follow, Cmdr. Cole strides to the lift and turns to await his team. The walk to the ventral side is filled with conversational conjecture. Without knowing what is deflecting the scans, how can we prepare the WaveRider for the worst? Is there anything that we should bring with us that we haven’t considered? What proposals can we put on the table for our approach? Do we have any probes aboard the WaveRider?

This conversation continues into the specialized shuttlecraft. Stepping aside to allow Lt. Falcone to move into the pilot seat. Siric takes his place flight ops station, Sari Uhnari takes science station 1, Lt. Draci stands at science station 2, Lt. Wilhelm at flight engineering, Stark takes a seat at the sensor station with Crewman Bragan standing nearby, which leaves the auxiliary station to Cole.

“Mr. Falcone,” Max calls forward, “Take us out. Bring us within a few kilometers of the outer atmosphere. Mr. Uhnari and Lt. Wilhelm, please prepare a probe. We need to see into that atmosphere or we’ll never be able to land this bird.”

Stardate: 2365.03.29 (Sunday - 42269.8 )
WaveRider Shuttle - Rho Puppis I Uppermost Atmosphere - 1116 Alpha Shift

Confident that the preassigned away team will follow, Cmdr. Cole strides to the lift and turns to await his team. The walk to the ventral side is filled with conversational conjecture. Without knowing what is deflecting the scans, how can we prepare the WaveRider for the worst? Is there anything that we should bring with us that we haven’t considered? What proposals can we put on the table for our approach? Do we have any probes aboard the WaveRider?

"She has one Class 3 Atmospheric Probe, Sir," Jenna replies. "She's designed to be a probe, in and of herself, Sir. Built for atmospheric penetration and planetary scans. My suggestion would be to launch the Class 3 and extrapolate readings from there. If necessary, I can take her a minimum distance into the cloud for more direct study."

Max nods appreciatively to the tall, white-haired woman. Too young to be white-haired, he muses quickly. Maybe a little mix of some other race in her blood? Interesting. Completely irrelevant but still interesting.

“We’ll keep our deflector shields at a maximum at least until we’ve figured out why our sensors can’t penetrate the atmosphere,” Stark adds.

“Dis ship,” Wilhelm inserts. “It is already loaded with all of ze scientific and survey equipment dat ist suggested by Starfleet.”

This conversation continues into the specialized shuttlecraft. Stepping aside to allow Lt. Falcone to move into the pilot seat. Siric takes his place flight ops station, Sari Uhnari takes science station 1, Lt. Draci stands at science station 2, Lt. Wilhelm at flight engineering, Stark takes a seat at the sensor station with Crewman Bragan standing nearby, which leaves the auxiliary station to Cole.

“Mr. Falcone,” Max calls forward, “Take us out. Bring us within a few kilometers of the outer atmosphere. Mr. Uhnari and Lt. Wilhelm, please prepare a probe. We need to see into that atmosphere or we’ll never be able to land this bird.”

"Aye, Sir," Jenna replies. "Launch in 3...2...1." With a gentle touch, she disengages from the GWC, and moves the specialized shuttle forward, guiding it toward Rao Puppis I. THIS is what she signed on for. She'd never flown this craft before, but it feels good under her hands.

"Let's get to know each other, shall we?" she says softly, maneuvering toward the atmospheric band surrounding the planet.

“The WaveRider is not outfitted with an AI interface, Lieutenant Falcone,” Siric comments dryly, having been the only one to pick up on her delicate words.

"Closing distance to five thousand kilometers, Commander," Jenna says to Commander Cole. "Ready to launch the probe at your command.”

Someone likely knew more about the probe's capabilities than she did, she thought. Right now her job was to hold the WaveRider steady for the others to do their work.

“Thank you, Mr. Falcone,” Cole replies. “Mr. Unhari and Mr. Wilhem, are you two satisfied with the probes settings?”

“Just von tweak to ze dampening field…” Kurt comments distractedly. “Ah, yes. Ze probe ist ready, Commander.”

“Aye, sir,” the young science officer replies.

“Good, then you have my permission to launch, Lieutenant Siric,” Max brings up the data on the launch with a couple of swift taps on his console.

The WaveRider shudders just enough to notice as the probe is released. The trajectory of the device is recorded by blue lines across the gridded screen. Data immediately begins to be downloaded to the WaveRider and in turn, uploaded to the George Washington Carver for additional analysis. After a few minutes, Cole’s screen lights up with alerts.

“What’s going on?” he asks, brow furrowing.

“Something is slowly eating away at the probe’s shields,” Stark worriedly reports. “I show absolutely no reason for this but it is a slow and steady decline.”

“Der ist a great deal of strain on ze probe’s energy matrix, Commander,” Wilhelm remarks with such rush that his accent nearly makes it impossible for Max to grasp what he’s saying.

“Find out what’s causing that drain people,” Max taps the reading and brings it into prominent view.

“The probe is a mere two hundred meters into the uppermost atmosphere, Commander,” Siric informs him. “The drain appears to have begun at one hundred and two meters, five centimeters inside the—”

“What’s your point, Mr. Siric?” Cole interrupts. He can see the data being cited right in front of him.

“Perhaps, with only two hundred meters—of which one hundred might not be… infected with whatever it is that’s jamming our sensors—we could transport the probe into the shuttle’s cargo bay along with a small volume of the atmosphere surrounding it.”

“A level six containment field should be sufficient for security purposes if we were to, Commander,” Lt. Stark adds.

“Can we stabilize those shields?” Max looks to Kurt. “I’d rather not claim defeat so readily.”

(OOC: Kurt’s answer… )

(OOC: Other players, feel free to offer insights, feedback, ideas… make things happen. )