S:5 E:11 - He Who Dies Pays All Debts

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian entered the bridge and flopped into the command chair. His hair was still damp from his time visiting the Cetacean Lab and the dolphins Sarah, Miriam and Ruth. He'd had to cut his time with them short when he received a message from Starfleet Command. Once he'd settled in, he spoke to Lieutenant Espada at the helm.

"Hector, make your course for Ferenginar at warp eight."

"Aye Sir."

As Ian felt the ship 'shimmy' as she went to warp, he opened his log.

"Captain's Log. Stardate 78059.8. The Challenger has been ordered ta Ferenginar because Starfleet Intelligence received a coded message from the Grand Nagus' Office that they had 'an opportunity' of high value ta the Federation. Not much is known about what the Nagus is on about, but we're ta head ta the Ferengi capital at best speed ta find out more. The Nagus is bein' especially opaque about this opportunity, but the implication is that the Tal Shiar is involved. Not much ta go on ta have us sent across the bloody quadrant, but one can never dismiss anything involvin' the Tal Shiar. Time will soon tell opportunity is worth the trip and how much it is goin' ta cost. End log."

Ian sat back and rubbed his eyes as he ran through possibilities. He hadn't had much interactions with Ferengi, except when he was a cadet at the Academy and had a chance to listen to a presentation by Captain Nog, the first Ferengi in Starfleet. Whatever was up, it was certain to be interesting.

[Nira Said]

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira was still going over the PADD about Nirreen when Captain Galloway entered. She was still inwardly kicking herself that they weren't able to get the device off when they were able to.

The message from Admiral Gillespie stated that less than a day after the Challenger had departed the starbase, power went off on a small section of the starbase....including around the cell Nirreen was in. It even knocked out the station's shields over that section, and it was more than enough for Nirreen to get out. Now she was on the loose again, and that worried Nira. Even though the message was long sent, she kept going over it, even if she wouldn't forget it. It was a reminder that in the future, she must not be intimidated by Nirreen.

She looked up at Captain Galloway entering the bridge, undoubtedly wet. She obviously knew where he had been.

"How were the girls?" she asked him, seeing his wetness first. She had tried to make friends with the dolphins, but her busy schedule meant that she never had the time. Galloway's being wet made Nira wonder if being around the dolphins meant having to swim with them...

But she saw from his expression that the answer had to wait; they undoubtedly got new orders. She was especially surprised that the ship was being diverted to Ferenginar, and especially from his log. When he finished, she asked, "Tecnhically, the Ferengi border isn't far from Federation space, but Ferenginar would definitely be a long way...but I figure...four-sixth the way across the quadrant," she added with a smile and a shrug.

Inside, the investigator side of her trembled in anticipation. If they were heading to Ferenginar, something's going to be up, and there could be an investigation...and chances were, the Grand Nagus was asking for help. But on the subject of the Grand Nagus, she wondered what this opportunity was.

[Buehler]

[Sickbay]

Evan sat at one of the medical workstations, slowly working through all the relevant files regarding the recent misadventure with the scientists. He rubbed his temples as his eyes scanned the lines of text, though his brain had stopped processing half an hour ago and he wound up reading the same few sentences over and over again.

'You need a break, Lieutenant,' a warm voice said inside his head. Evan looked over his shoulder to find the betazoid ensign walking up. He would have been startled if he weren't so tired. It wasn't so much an intrusion as it was unexpected. They had discussed whether such telepathic communication was agreeable weeks ago, and given that his wife was herself Vulcan, Evan didn't mind one bit. "œYou've been sitting there for hours, sir," Ensign Rashar said aloud.

"œI have a tendency to hyperfocus," Evan replied. "œAnd my wife likes to joke that I would forget my head if it weren't attached."

The other man laughed. "œI can see that. But perhaps you should go grab a bite to eat. Or maybe a raktajino."

Evan doubted the caffeine would do anything for him, but a chance to stretch his legs wouldn't do any harm. "œAye, maybe you're right. In any case, these files will keep." He slowly eased himself out of the chair, stiff from sitting so long. "œA raktajino sounds delightful."

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

"Captain's Log. Supplemental. Our assignment ta Ferenginar was based on our rather extensive experience with Romulans and our recent encounters with the Tal Shiar. While this does make sense, Starbase 153 is 95 lightyears from the Ferengi capital. Given our top cruisin' speed of warp 8.2, that is a 34 day journey. I have ordered we exercise a 'Sprint/Drift technique ta cut our travel time ta 24 days.

"The Sprint/Drift method consists of runnin' at our maximum speed of warp 9.88 for the twelve hours our engines are rated ta handle that speed. At that point, we slow back ta cruise speed for 24-hours ta allow the engines ta recover before sprintin' again at maximum warp.

"This method is hard on the engines, but I have full confidence in the crew ta maintain this speed for the rest of the journey. All I can hope is whatever the Ferengi have that got assigned ta this task is worth all this trouble. End log."

Ian closed the log and said.

"Commander T'Kel, you have the bridge. I will be on Holodeck Two."

Ian then took the turbolift to his quarters to change into his Flying Tigers uniform. Knowing how long they would be at warp, he'd restarted the program to hone is piloting skills which he felt had started to stagnate from lack of use.

In his mind, aside from spending time with the dolphins, sitting in the cockpit of the archaic aircraft was his favorite way to unwind and be at his best for the crew.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Recreation Deck/Zero-G Gymnasium | Deck Sixteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Ensign Mrekrerhas' digitigrade feet gently touched the wall, letting him know that he would require to find impulse once more. Taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, he pushed himself with force. Spinning backwards in the air, Zhuk stabilized by extending his arms and legs forward, floating perfectly in no gravity, slowly being taken backwards onto the opposite wall. Though at first he had found himself at a loss at the Zero-G Gymnasium, he had quickly taken a liking to it. Most didn't come here, and so he was mostly left alone with his thoughts.

It was like coursing through water, but without the hassle of the liquid molecules pushing against him. Or having to surface to inhale fresh oxygen. Be as it may, he felt at peace. Oddly calm. Allowing him to focus, and gather himself in a way that he had not experienced before. It was peculiar, for certain.

He still thought about his recent encounters with the Tal Shiar, and the Romulans at large. He felt as if he had done a better job with defusing the situation and doing his duties as a Security officer, and it made him proud. But there were some things that still didn't fully sit well with him. His investigative capabilities weren't that spectacular, and the infatuation he had acquired towards Nireen was certainly something that worried him.

This time, he couldn't really blame strange dreams of a beautiful horned lady to be the cause behind it, so what was it? His time as a Romulan slave? Unsure, his previous owner wasn't nearly as charming (or handsome). He was pretty sure. Something in his upbringing within the Orion circle. Maybe. But Nireen was no Orion, nor acted like one. Or perhaps... that domineering attitude.

Ugh. Not good.

He worried about meeting Nireen again, and being unsure how to react. He supposed that he could talk with Chloe or Lahr about it, whom he considered his closest friends within the ship. Maybe that could help to clear his mind. Maybe he would get some more perspectives into that situation.

Shaking his head, he stopped himself with his hands and feet just before he could properly bump against the other wall. He gained impulse once more, as he thought about what to do in these 24 days of travel. He certainly knew he had to train at least a bit, to keep himself from getting rusty. But maybe, there were some more activities to partake in. Hang out with Chloe and Lahr. Separately, of course. Meet new people. Maybe head into the Cetacean Lab. He was curious to meet the cetaceans living there.

Ask the Captain if he could join him on the Holodeck. Maybe read some more plays. In fact, he wondered if the crew would be up for a theater play...

[Nira Said]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

"Captain's Log. Supplemental. Our assignment ta Ferenginar was based on our rather extensive experience with Romulans and our recent encounters with the Tal Shiar. While this does make sense, Starbase 153 is 95 lightyears from the Ferengi capital. Given our top cruisin' speed of warp 8.2, that is a 34 day journey. I have ordered we exercise a 'Sprint/Drift technique ta cut our travel time ta 24 days.

"The Sprint/Drift method consists of runnin' at our maximum speed of warp 9.88 for the twelve hours our engines are rated ta handle that speed. At that point, we slow back ta cruise speed for 24-hours ta allow the engines ta recover before sprintin' again at maximum warp.

"This method is hard on the engines, but I have full confidence in the crew ta maintain this speed for the rest of the journey. All I can hope is whatever the Ferengi have that got assigned ta this task is worth all this trouble. End log."

Ian closed the log and said.

"Commander T'Kel, you have the bridge. I will be on Holodeck Two."

Ian then took the turbolift to his quarters to change into his Flying Tigers uniform. Knowing how long they would be at warp, he'd restarted the program to hone is piloting skills which he felt had started to stagnate from lack of use.

In his mind, aside from spending time with the dolphins, sitting in the cockpit of the archaic aircraft was his favorite way to unwind and be at his best for the crew.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira had noticed the charts and was certainly surprised to find how long it would take. She nodded in understanding at Captain Galloway, with his mentioning of the means of shortening the distance...

A month to get from Romulan space to Ferenginar, she thought. We have a lot ahead of us.

And it also meant plenty of time for Nira to do some evaluations of the crew. She stood and went to get a PADD from her ready room and had gotten back to see the Captain leave. She stood to wait for the turbolift and added to T'Kel, "Well...since I'm on my way out, it's your bridge anyway, Commander."

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Cetacean Labs | Deck Eight | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Naturally, the first place she went was the Cetacean Labs. She had been frequenting here as of late, and it was mostly in part of the dolphins. Being raised in a coastal city, Nira was familiar with marine life, and she had often seen dolphins. She always regarded dolphins as her favorite marine mammal. But these three were especially unique. They contributed to the crew in many ways.

"Hello, girls," said Nira to Sarah, Miriam and Ruth. As usual, every time she came, before she made eye contact with the dolphins, she'd often look into the tank, looking for their workstations and where they conducted their duties contributing to the Flight Department.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 12 - Upper Engineering]

If Lahr thought his participation in finding the torpedo launcher and working with McNair to detach the Romulan planted device from the ship's hull might make him a bit of a celebrity in Engineering, he was sorely mistaken - if anything, the others were annoyed by Lahr's repeating the story.

'Bah, what did that they ever do that was noteworthy or exciting?' His thoughts grumbled, as he sat his station in the hidden corner of the Upper Engineering deck.

It seemed like it was going to be another quiet tour of the Romulan Free State border.  No ever called it the Neutral Zone anymore.

But then out of the blue, the Captain called for a course change and an increase in speed to warp 8.

It didn't take long for rumor and gossip to spread that they were headed to Ferenginar.   This caught at Lahr's attention and the Andorian wondered what had prompted the request from the Grand Nagus himself.

Things got even more interesting, when the Captain to save on time, ordered a 'Sprint and Drift' maneuver.  There were groans throughout the Engineering department at the order.   Such maneuvers were hard on the engines.   The Engineering Department were going to be working LONG hours for the next four weeks.    System checks that at a normal operational pace were done once a day now had to be scheduled 2- 3 times a day to be certain all was working smoothly.

Yes, the next few weeks were going to be hell.

[T’prith]

[USS Challenger-bridge]

T'prith entered the bridge and went towards the operations station. She made sure that everything was working and running smoothly. Since it so far it looked like it was going to be quiet non chaotic tour of the Romulan free state border it gave her plenty of time to make sure things were going smoothly and prepared in case things got eventful. She wouldn't have minded if her fellow operations officer Ensign McNair wanted to tell the story. She probably would have been annoyed if he told it too many times to where it got on her nerves and she was sick of hearing about it.

[Buck McNair]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Buck had accounted for everything after the eventful happenings of the crew's collective past with Commander Said's doppelgÁ¤nger and the destruction of the scientific vessel. It had been such a fun venture out onto the deck to find that that they did find what they were looking for, torpedo launcher and all.

And such he had repeated the story to those willing to listen.

Things were settling down and he had seen T'Prith turn into the doors which led to the bridge; and Buck jogged lightly and only stopped when at the bridge doors, watching them open and made his way over to where T'Prith was standing. "Hey T'Prith, need a hand with anything here?"

[Nira Said]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 12 - Upper Engineering]

If Lahr thought his participation in finding the torpedo launcher and working with McNair to detach the Romulan planted device from the ship's hull might make him a bit of a celebrity in Engineering, he was sorely mistaken - if anything, the others were annoyed by Lahr's repeating the story.

'Bah, what did that they ever do that was noteworthy or exciting?' His thoughts grumbled, as he sat his station in the hidden corner of the Upper Engineering deck.

It seemed like it was going to be another quiet tour of the Romulan Free State border.  No ever called it the Neutral Zone anymore.

But then out of the blue, the Captain called for a course change and an increase in speed to warp 8.

It didn't take long for rumor and gossip to spread that they were headed to Ferenginar.   This caught at Lahr's attention and the Andorian wondered what had prompted the request from the Grand Nagus himself.

Things got even more interesting, when the Captain to save on time, ordered a 'Sprint and Drift' maneuver.  There were groans throughout the Engineering department at the order.   Such maneuvers were hard on the engines.   The Engineering Department were going to be working LONG hours for the next four weeks.    System checks that at a normal operational pace were done once a day now had to be scheduled 2- 3 times a day to be certain all was working smoothly.

Yes, the next few weeks were going to be hell.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Main Engineering | Deck Thirteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

After chatting with the dolphins for a moment - well, that slightly exceeded half an hour - Nira next went to Main Engineering. She was certainly surprised the moment she walked in; the moment she did, she immediately thought, Good Allah, this feels more like a furnace...somewhere between a volcano and Dubai at its hottest...what the hell happened to the environmental controls...?

But then, she saw the grumpy expressions on the Engineers and she realized that the "furnace" she was feeling was actually the overall negative expressions on the whole of Engineering. She remembered Captain Galloway's orders for a "Sprint and Drift," a means of boosting the engines for speed in a manner to get things faster, and it dawned on Nira that a constant "Sprint and Drift," even for less than a month, could be taxing to the engines somehow...Nira wouldn't know, she didn't know much about Engineering and in any case, rarely ever went down to Engineering.

Then again, now that Nira thought on that, it began occurring to her, too, that there was some sort of creaking, like that of a wooden ship...was it her imagination or was there a definite indication of a bit of strain...?

Perfectly aware that it won't be a good idea to talk with the Engineers like this, Nira backed out of Engineering, deciding to talk to members of the Engineering department when they would be off their shifts and potentially in a better mood.

***

"First Officer's Log, Stardate 78138.11. After less than a month, give or take a few days, we are drawing closer to Ferenginar. It's estimated that we have a matter of days before arrival. I feel that the crew is going to be so relieved that we'll have reached our destination after so much time.

"I had made some comparisons between the engine systems of the Challenger and that of Discovery and I could see another reason why Captain Galloway won't permit the engines to be upgraded with a slipstream drive: The Challenger's own systems aren't compatible to make use of a slipstream drive. In fact, the way the engines are...I'm concerned that they'll be the ship's undoing as they continue to age.

"As we approach the end of our journey, I can see how people are so bored after almost a month of 'Sprint and Drifts.' The whole Engineering department is not happy, that much is obvious.

"Hopefully, once we get to Ferenginar, we can allow the engine systems to have a big rest. In any case, for today, there's a good way to brighten things up."

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | The Lounge | Deck Eight | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"Mister Ch'verret, Ensign Mrekrerhas, report to the Lounge, please, and have your formal dress wear on."

That was going to be formal enough to warrant the two to come to the Lounge as far as Nira figured. It was certainly going to be something of a surprise for the two men of the hour. Plenty of people in dress whites, but certainly not as many people as the two meeting delegations for the last time they had a party at the Lounge.

There was a good reason why Nira spent half her time in the last twenty-two...or was it twenty-three...? ...conducting crew evaluations. Besides, Zhuk and Lahr had impressed her many times in the past two months and they totally deserved what was coming to them, the two men of the hour.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian entered the bridge and nodded to Nira as he took over the command chair. He had a huge smile on his face as he quickly scanned the ship's system display built into the arm of the chair. The engine room showed it was holding up fine to the stresses imposed by the 'Spint/Drift' and that only made his smile broader.

The reason he was so happy was he'd gotten in two hours in the cockpit of his P-40B Tomahawk. He knew there were better atmospheric aircraft from the era, but it was more of a challenge to wring the most out of a lessor plane and in the face of superior numbers only served to test his skills even more.

The long trip at warp had allowed him to spend more time in the tank with the Cetaceans and more importantly, he'd gotten to spend more time with Jess. All in all, life was good and it was pretty amazing to be him at that moment in time.

[Buehler]

[Sickbay]

One would expect that with the length of time that it was going to take to reach their next port of call that there would be fewer injuries and illnesses for sickbay to deal with. Most departments were reduced to busy work, but as far as engineering was concerned, it might as well have been a 3 hour tour. Evan found himself treating a handful of engineers for burnout, which mostly consisted of reminding them to take occasional breaks and relax. They couldn't take care of the ship if they didn't take care of themselves.

As for the other departments, Evan had forgotten all the stupid things got up to once they got tired of twiddling their thumbs. There were the usual sports injuries from crew spending extra time in the holodecks. And then there were those who thought tossing padds like Frisbees would be a great idea. Great way to get a black eye, Evan mused.

[T’prith]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Buck had accounted for everything after the eventful happenings of the crew's collective past with Commander Said's doppelgÁ¤nger and the destruction of the scientific vessel. It had been such a fun venture out onto the deck to find that that they did find what they were looking for, torpedo launcher and all.

And such he had repeated the story to those willing to listen.

Things were settling down and he had seen T'Prith turn into the doors which led to the bridge; and Buck jogged lightly and only stopped when at the bridge doors, watching them open and made his way over to where T'Prith was standing. "Hey T'Prith, need a hand with anything here?"

[USS Challenger-bridge]

"œHey Ensign McNair I got everything under control here. This might be a weird question but do you mind asking if you could tell that story it's okay if you don't want to." It was a usual check on the systems and so far she hasn't found anything unusual or something to make note of. If she needed help then she wouldn't have hesitated to ask the ensign for help. It wouldn't hurt to do a double check of everything. For now she turned her attention to the ensign so she could listen to what he had to say.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 12 - Jeffries tubes]

[Sickbay]

One would expect that with the length of time that it was going to take to reach their next port of call that there would be fewer injuries and illnesses for sickbay to deal with. Most departments were reduced to busy work, but as far as engineering was concerned, it might as well have been a 3 hour tour. Evan found himself treating a handful of engineers for burnout, which mostly consisted of reminding them to take occasional breaks and relax. They couldn't take care of the ship if they didn't take care of themselves.

As for the other departments, Evan had forgotten all the stupid things got up to once they got tired of twiddling their thumbs. There were the usual sports injuries from crew spending extra time in the holodecks. And then there were those who thought tossing padds like Frisbees would be a great idea. Great way to get a black eye, Evan mused.

For Lahr, it was more than just a simple case of burnout - he was almost literally dead-tired. The Andorian, who because of his constant joking and DJing while on shift to keep himself and others entertained, had been assigned extra maintenance work in the bowels of the ship by the Chief who found Lahr's antics beyond annoying.

Lahr had been given the choice of extra duty in the bowels or more time spent on the hull; and unfortunately after his last free float, Lahr didn't want to risk being topside and having him trip on maybe a second hidden launcher. (Them Romulans were sneaky who was to say they hadn't planted more than one launcher on the hull?  Maybe it was waiting even now for a command signal to launch...)

So it was that Lahr had been working 18 hrs days for the past two weeks and it was showing in his washed out coloring.  His normal sky blue complexion had dulled to a baby blue and his hair had yellowed from pure white to a platinum blond.  It was to the point that others were beginning to comment that maybe he needed to heed the Chief's lesson and 'quit with the DJing act' but Lahr could see that the morale among his fellow engineers was at an all-time low and he'd be damned if he didn't try and do something about it.

Lahr stifled a yawn and shook his head to wake himself up as he struggled to keep his eyes focused on the relay he was supposed to be switching out.  He'd just gotten on shift after a 6-hr break during which he'd eaten, showered and slept like the dead for 5 hrs.  But the sleep only seemed to make him even more tired - if such a thing was possible.

"Lahr! How's it going in there? You almost done?" the Caitian, Maranxx-ii, called through the jeffries tube as she stood ready to return power to the section once it was switched.  The power to that section had been diverted to give time for the switch out but a task that should only take a minute or two had seemed to drag out for over 5 minutes now... the other lines were already at capacity and the pair of enlisted engineers had been messaged by the Ensign in charge of their team to pick up the pace.

Lahr slapped his face between his two hands to snap him out of his daze and answered back with another yawn.  "Yeah! Almost."

He removed the relay chips woodenly, his mind on auto-mode.  And put them back in just as lifelessly.  He inserted the last one and called back along toward Maranxx-ii.  "Am done! Light her up!"

Lahr began to shut the box when his tired eyes, noticed one of the relay chips wasn't sitting right.  The Andorian frowned, grumbling at his own tiredness for missing that earlier.  "Hold a sec." he tiredly called back in a mumble to the Caitian thinking to just pop in the chip proper.

But not only was the chip not sitting right, it was cracked, and when Lahr tried to push it in, the crystal snapped cutting into the pad of his thumb which had been pushing on it... at the same time Maranxx-ii, who hadn't heard his request to 'hold' because she'd moved to the console, redirected the power into the relay.

There was an abrupt cry of pain from within the jeffries tube and the relay went dark.  Having been caught by Lahr with a similar prank, Maranxx-ii wasn't impressed.   "Come on Lahr, we don't have time for your pranks!"

But there was silence, not the usual sound of amused laughter from the Andorian.

"Lahr!?"  The Caitian grabbed a flashlight from her belt and shone it down the tube towards where the form of the Andorian lay sprawled on the ground.  "Dammit!" she began crawling towards her partner.

Pausing briefly, she tapped her comm badge. "Crewman Maranxx-ii to Sickbay.  Petty Officer ch'Verret has collapsed... possibly electrocuted while working on a relay box.  Please advise."

She assessed the scene as she approached not wanting to get caught by whatever it was that taken down Lahr.  The area seemed safe enough and moved in closer to check to see if the Andorian was alive.

[Buck McNair]

[USS Challenger-bridge]

"œHey Ensign McNair I got everything under control here. This might be a weird question but do you mind asking if you could tell that story it's okay if you don't want to." It was a usual check on the systems and so far she hasn't found anything unusual or something to make note of. If she needed help then she wouldn't have hesitated to ask the ensign for help. It wouldn't hurt to do a double check of everything. For now she turned her attention to the ensign so she could listen to what he had to say.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Buck gave a thumbs up, knowing that it was better not to step on any toes and allow T'Prith to do her job. For they were all on the same vessel. "Well, that's good to hear. I'll be here if you're in need for anything." Buck scratched the back of his neck. "That old chestnut, eh? Hah. Thought you would have gotten sick of the story, I'm sure the crewmen are---"

He took a moment to glance around, "I guess I could tell you as to pass the time on route. Moreso that myself, Lahr and Commander Said had been tasked with finding whatever it was that fired the torpedo. No word of a lie, having space walked on the Hull was pretty darn cool--"

Though before he could react, there was a beeping on the screen which cut him off, pointing it out to T'Prith. "Deck 12. Jeffries Tube. Power outage."

Ensign McNair to Deck 12. Just receiving that a power outage has occurred, everything all good down there?