S4:E12 - Trapped in Amber

[Vasilisa Belmont]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ruth worried at the 'antennae semaphore' and mouthed 'I'm fine!' at him then wondered if he was worried that, with the influx of counselling staff they'd acquired lately that somehow Judy Eastman was still keeping tabs on him despite the fact she'd retired!

"Sounds like Huxley... go to where there is the most potential for maximum treats!  Smart cat... Smart Alec cat too as I recall!"  she said with a chuckle. "I seem to remember that before he was chipped and we restricted his movements he thought that the Captain's chair was the perfect place to sit down and have a 3 hour nap!  I got royally glared at for telling him otherwise!"

"Why do you have all the fun?!" Ruth said with a pet lip pout that a 5 year old would be proud of, before breaking off into ta delighted chuckle.  "At some point I'll have to drag you to the farm in Trondheim, Captain.  You can play with my baby... don't worry, this particular baby is a DeHavilland DC-2 Beaver, currently fitted with 'Dunlops dangling' undercarriage, but I have the waterski undercarriage too, which, when 'home' is a land full of Fjords whether you're referring to Norway or Iceland, is kinda useful!  As for seeing the counsellor... yeah, I'll be back being the mad, in the right ways, Viking you know and love sooner rather than later, but don't worry, axes firmly back on the wall!"

She said the know looking at Ian, and the love at Lahr.  But beaming between the two of them then mouthed 'Told you the Captain didn't hate you!' at the surprised Andorian.

Mildly surprised that the Phylosian medic was even at the Science station, Ruth stopped mid way to the Turbolift and started to double back.  Ion storms were not to be messed with, however, so she was glad that someone had seen it.

"Captain I can stay..."

"It's fine... you're covered!" she said giving a smile to Jettis as she stepped into the Turbolift he'd just vacated and went down to the Sickbay.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger

"Ah Mr. Rodwell... I trust you are well... I believe I heard you're called for the away team, good luck."  she smiled at the Engineer who had been helping her with some extra engineering practice, a weak area in her knowledge of the ship.

"Lisa,.." she said once Derek departed.  "Is Counsellor Seph, or Hanir ... I'm not sure how she likes to be addressed yet, in office??  Actually, I need to see you too if you're not busy, maybe two birds, one stone or I can come back to see you.  Ian's given me an hour... and if we're heading for an ion storm I think given that our current XO is going to be out on the Mjolnir, I think he'd welcome having a senior 'boffin' on the Bridge but... he gave me an hour, I'm taking it!"

She smiled at her friend, she hadn't seen her for conversational periods since the Julbukking on Katra at Yuletide.  Remembering that she asked about Kyle.

"Have you heard from Kyle?  Least he has Hrafn over there as an established friend, and her brood to keep him on his toes.  'Uncle Kyle' will be busy!!  So.. .anyhow... counsellor...you want to sit in with us if she's available Lisa, or should I come back to see you?"

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

"Uh, sure?"

Hanir had exited her little office, somehow as always managing to gravitate into Sickbay unintentionally. Her lips twitched slightly at the coincidence, having spent a fair bit of the last mission in Sickbay. She smiled a little shyly at Lisa (though the tips of her ears burned slightly). The redheaded XO was looking straight at her, causing Hanir to gape. "Um... XO, I'm sorry, I- You caught me by surprise a little. Is there something they teach you in Command School, how you can just sling your problems over your shoulder and get back to work?" She blurted before she could stop herself.

"You can address me any way you wish. I answer to all of the above, plus Honey Sip." She blinked slightly, still awkwardly standing there at a distance, her body language telegraphing discomfort. She realized that they were treating her as an equal, but she was also very painfully aware that both were much higher in rank and the food chain than she was.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Just a soon as she Derek left and she had her monitor set up, Ruth was entering and requesting her attention. She didn't have to answer her first question, as the counselor was already there. Funny, she hadn't seen her come in. But she had been distracted, and her new friend always seemed to be where she was needed. Her body language revealed her shyness, and the seasoned doctor suddenly felt a maternal instinct to comfort her. Instead, Lisa waited to see what Ruth needed her for and listened patiently as she and Hanir were acquainted.

When they were finished, she smiled with fondness at the mention of Kyle. Ruth was one of the only people who would bring up the subject of her and Kyle's relationship. The only other person could be Lahr, but that would likely be in a less formal setting if it ever happened. But Ruth, Kyle, and her were all good friends. Ruth would listen to her, and understand better than anyone. If they ever found enough time in their schedules to talk off-duty, that is.

"I've heard from him sometimes, though they've been few and far between. I know he's probably fine, but at least we both have friends to help us out on the hard days," her face went dark for just a moment, but then she focused on what Ruth had to say next. She was grateful that the XO knew not to dwell on the sad thoughts, and that she always had plenty to say to distract from them. At mention of a meeting, she perked up again.

"Unless Gemma had something for her, she's free in my book," she stated, giving Hanir a questioning look.

[Jettis Jyur]

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[NCC Mjolnir]

Koroz listened, the size of his teeth making his resting facial expression an open-mouthed, angularly-fanged affair. The Klingon was familiar with the use of worn items to signify betrothal. He made a note to reply on this later, and was quickly thrown into a state of surprise as the Lieutenant spoke to him in Koroz' native tongue, tlhIngan Hol. Koroz hadn't spoken to another in his language in some time, and hearing it now brought strange emotions to the forefront of his heart. He spoke anyway in response to the Lieutenant, recognizing his own feelings and bearing them without fear.

"I was betrothed when I was eight." he revealed. "Another noble house sought alliance with my own, and their second daughter was only two years older than I at the time." He looked away for a moment, realizing that in this second in time, he could not remember the name of her House. How strange, the passage of time, that something that was once so crucial could escape his memory in this new life he led. "We were to be married upon my passage of the Age of Ascension." Koroz shook his head. He did not say whether the marriage took place, and instead abruptly moved on to another topic.

"For my people, as you may know, a binding of betrothal is often declared with a bite mark." He looked to T'Roth, the Vulcan, first. "I approve of what I have heard of Vulcan binding rituals. The males battle, do they not?"

Nearby, Lagar silently internalized the revelation that Jettis Jyur had an El-Aurian background. In his brief treatment of Jettis, he had not needed to review the man's full medical background, as he was primarily Lieutenant Belmont's patient. Lagar had scant knowledge of the El-Aurian people, and decided to research them further at a later date. As the conversation turned to mating rituals, the Phylosian watched, a silent member of the discussion group up to this point. He would see whether the topic of his own culture's relationships would be questioned, or whether the humanoids would assume that such a concept was nonexistent among his botanical species.

[Mjolnir]

T'Roth turned in the pilot's seat at Koroz's question with a classically arched Vulcan eyebrow and replied in a carefully schooled neutral tone.

"We do not speak of such things with outsiders."

She then turned back to look forward without another word.

As the hours passed, one thing became abundantly clear, the Chatham was a well run ship. Based on how well the freighter kept the Mjolnir informed of updates on the storm, simple sensor malfunction seemed highly unlikely. By the time they reached the freighter, the away team knew the storm was roughly a half lightyear in diameter and had increased to Category Four. The increase in storm intensity meant that piloting, transporter operation, and communications would be impaired, not critically, but enough to complicate any of those tasks.

Nearing the Chatham, there was a definite "haze" in the area, like a light fog with tendrils of blue energy playing about the Mjolnir's shields and hull. An intensive scan revealed no visible sign of the Planitia Diriedi, but did detect a massive subspace anomaly some 120 thousand kilometers in diameter inside the storm. In addition, with the sensor gain boosted to maximum, Jettis could just barely detect the collier, her engines seemingly still running full at throttle although she wasn't moving, some 48,000 km inside the edge of the storm.

Although reading anything precisely within the hash of the ion storm was difficult, it appeared as if the anomaly was some sort of subspace pocket extending into our universe. The anomaly appeared to be shrinking, and was likely to disappear withing the next three to five hours. It was likely that the collapse of the anomaly would release a great deal of energy and would undoubtedly result in a pronounced effect on the severity of the surrounding ion storm.

This last bit of information made for two complications. First, the away team now had an indeterminate time limit. Second, it appeared the anomaly's boundaries were not static and any vessel approaching too close risked being caught up in the event.

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours prior]

Jettis let out a sigh he hadn't known he was holding, as his pronunciation didn't fail him. Thankfully, Koroz seemed to take no offense to the question either, and Jettis tilted his head, nodding along as he answered. From what he knew of Klingon culture, that wasn't necessarily uncommon. And as such, he didn't want to cast a judging gloom on it - even though El-Aurians took far longer to mature and even consider marriage. It only made sense, as their lifespan far outnumbered that of Humans, or even Klingons.

When Koroz turned the conversation over to T'Roth though, it came to a screeching, but elegant halt. Another smirk played at his lips, as he discreetly glanced over at Derek. Refraining from laughter, he quickly turned the conversation around again - this time shining the spotlight on Lagar.

"And you, Lieutenant? Even in all my travels before my time at Starfleet, I must say I've never met a Phylosian, let alone know much about their culture. If I may ask so candidly, that is."

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours later...]

Jettis sat, pouring over the information for the third and final time. All the scans had come back with unusual readings, and that knot that had settled in his stomach remained. It seemed there was something large within the ion storm, possibly generating a gravitational pull - one the Collier couldn't escape.

There was no way to be sure though, as entering the storm risked the crew being lost as well. It was a dilemma, and Jettis turned, turned, to first address his crew with the information, trying to keep them up to date as they went. "The storm is still worsening, and I've found some sort of disturbance here -"

He jabbed a finger at the console, for anyone who felt like engaging with it. "In the eye of the storm, there's this... anomaly. There's a lot of subspace interference. It seems like some sort of pocket, or behaves like a black hole. And here,"

Another swift jab at the screen highlighted the faint signal of the Planitia, "Here is the ship we're looking for. From what I can get out of the scanners, it seems like it's at full operation, maximum speed, but it's just holding still. It looks like it's caught in some sort of artificial event horizon."

"It appears to be shrinking, and it's shrinking very quickly. Which, based on how it behaves, could result in some sort of explosion, and all three of our ships would be lost. I estimate we only have around 4 hours to retrieve the collier, and fly out of the ion storm."

Blowing out an exasperated breath, he turned back to look out the front viewport. "We're going to have to get close enough to get a better scan, but we can't risk getting caught in it as well. I'll need to run some more scans, but until their done, we should check on the crew aboard the Chatham. They may have some more useful information, don't be afraid to engage them in conversation."

Turning, he moved swiftly to communicate with the Chatham. Hailing the Freighter, they were very quick to answer, evidently anticipating their arrival.

"Lieutenant Jyur to Captain Rybeck. We've arrived and are requesting access to beam aboard the Chatham."

"Permission granted, Lieutenant. Give us the word when you're ready."

Closing the channel, the Away team made sure they had everything necessary, and were beamed aboard the Natalie Chatham. Stepping forward, he scanned to room to check whether the Captain had come to greet him, or whether someone else would take his place.

[Silverback]

Bridge - USS Challenger

Realizing he is late for duty, he hurries to put on his uniform which just barely fit him.  He grumbled as he looked like he was in a mans one piece professional swim suit, and still wishing he could run around with no clothes on or at least something more comfortable anyways.  He sighed as he looked into the mirror a far off gaze in his eyes of by gone days of his time on Neural all seeming like a life time ago.  He made sure his uncomfortable uniform was set and left his room, heading for the bridge where he entered.

Heading down in front of the Captains chair and saluted.  "Ensign Silverback reporting, sir." Silver called out in a gruff voice.

[Ian Galloway]

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours prior]

Jettis let out a sigh he hadn't known he was holding, as his pronunciation didn't fail him. Thankfully, Koroz seemed to take no offense to the question either, and Jettis tilted his head, nodding along as he answered. From what he knew of Klingon culture, that wasn't necessarily uncommon. And as such, he didn't want to cast a judging gloom on it - even though El-Aurians took far longer to mature and even consider marriage. It only made sense, as their lifespan far outnumbered that of Humans, or even Klingons.

When Koroz turned the conversation over to T'Roth though, it came to a screeching, but elegant halt. Another smirk played at his lips, as he discreetly glanced over at Derek. Refraining from laughter, he quickly turned the conversation around again - this time shining the spotlight on Lagar.

"And you, Lieutenant? Even in all my travels before my time at Starfleet, I must say I've never met a Phylosian, let alone know much about their culture. If I may ask so candidly, that is."

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours later...]

Jettis sat, pouring over the information for the third and final time. All the scans had come back with unusual readings, and that knot that had settled in his stomach remained. It seemed there was something large within the ion storm, possibly generating a gravitational pull - one the Collier couldn't escape.

There was no way to be sure though, as entering the storm risked the crew being lost as well. It was a dilemma, and Jettis turned, turned, to first address his crew with the information, trying to keep them up to date as they went. "The storm is still worsening, and I've found some sort of disturbance here -"

He jabbed a finger at the console, for anyone who felt like engaging with it. "In the eye of the storm, there's this... anomaly. There's a lot of subspace interference. It seems like some sort of pocket, or behaves like a black hole. And here,"

Another swift jab at the screen highlighted the faint signal of the Planitia, "Here is the ship we're looking for. From what I can get out of the scanners, it seems like it's at full operation, maximum speed, but it's just holding still. It looks like it's caught in some sort of artificial event horizon."

"It appears to be shrinking, and it's shrinking very quickly. Which, based on how it behaves, could result in some sort of explosion, and all three of our ships would be lost. I estimate we only have around 4 hours to retrieve the collier, and fly out of the ion storm."

Blowing out an exasperated breath, he turned back to look out the front viewport. "We're going to have to get close enough to get a better scan, but we can't risk getting caught in it as well. I'll need to run some more scans, but until their done, we should check on the crew aboard the Chatham. They may have some more useful information, don't be afraid to engage them in conversation."

Turning, he moved swiftly to communicate with the Chatham. Hailing the Freighter, they were very quick to answer, evidently anticipating their arrival.

"Lieutenant Jyur to Captain Rybeck. We've arrived and are requesting access to beam aboard the Chatham."

"Permission granted, Lieutenant. Give us the word when you're ready."

Closing the channel, the Away team made sure they had everything necessary, and were beamed aboard the Natalie Chatham. Stepping forward, he scanned to room to check whether the Captain had come to greet him, or whether someone else would take his place.

[Transporter Room --> Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

As Jettis stepped off the transporter platform he found two people waiting for him, not counting the transporter operator. There was a human man in his late 50s with blonde hair shot through with gray, who was accompanied by a Tellerite female. The man stepped forward to shake Jettis' hand.

"Greetings Lieutenant Jyur, I'm Daniel Rybeck, Captain of the Chatham. This is Navar Glagh, my chief engineer. I've been in space a long time Lieutenant and I've never seen anything like what we got going on with the Diriedi. I'm so glad you were available to help."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bridge - USS Challenger

Realizing he is late for duty, he hurries to put on his uniform which just barely fit him.  He grumbled as he looked like he was in a mans one piece professional swim suit, and still wishing he could run around with no clothes on or at least something more comfortable anyways.  He sighed as he looked into the mirror a far off gaze in his eyes of by gone days of his time on Neural all seeming like a life time ago.  He made sure his uncomfortable uniform was set and left his room, heading for the bridge where he entered.

Heading down in front of the Captains chair and saluted.  "Ensign Silverback reporting, sir." Silver called out in a gruff voice.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

T'Kel looked up from her PADD and eyed Silverback closely. As the ensign was part of her division, she took in his uniform and demeanor in a long pause before speaking in the cultured even tones common to all Vulcans.

"Welcome to Challenger Ensign. As the ship is currently has minimal security needs at the moment. Now would be an excellent time for some training. Please take the auxiliary security station and mirror your display to that of Chief Petty Officer Blackfeather. Remember, you are here to learn bridge operations, do not take any actions without notifying the Chief first."

[Lagar]

[Mjolnir]

T'Roth turned in the pilot's seat at Koroz's question with a classically arched Vulcan eyebrow and replied in a carefully schooled neutral tone.

"We do not speak of such things with outsiders."

She then turned back to look forward without another word.

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[NCC Mjolnir]

The Klingon huffed at the Vulcan's response. Impenetrable walls, unbreakable, unscalable, with no means for Koroz to attack and break through them. Even conversations could be combat, but Vulcans were adept at eroding even the possibility of an offense. Koroz knew there was an element to battle to Vulcan romance, even if T'Roth declined to confirm it.

Lagar wondered whether Koroz would pursue the matter further, charging forward in this social hunt for answers, but observed his Klingon colleague sit back in his chair instead, accepting the response.

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours prior]

Jettis let out a sigh he hadn't known he was holding, as his pronunciation didn't fail him. Thankfully, Koroz seemed to take no offense to the question either, and Jettis tilted his head, nodding along as he answered. From what he knew of Klingon culture, that wasn't necessarily uncommon. And as such, he didn't want to cast a judging gloom on it - even though El-Aurians took far longer to mature and even consider marriage. It only made sense, as their lifespan far outnumbered that of Humans, or even Klingons.

When Koroz turned the conversation over to T'Roth though, it came to a screeching, but elegant halt. Another smirk played at his lips, as he discreetly glanced over at Derek. Refraining from laughter, he quickly turned the conversation around again - this time shining the spotlight on Lagar.

"And you, Lieutenant? Even in all my travels before my time at Starfleet, I must say I've never met a Phylosian, let alone know much about their culture. If I may ask so candidly, that is."

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[NCC Mjolnir]

"Certainly, Lieutenant. Phylosians reproduce through the release of spore cells, which are distributed aerially and carried on the wind." A tendril arced up to indicate the hexagonal segmentation lines on Lagar's head. "These segments you see here open up and bloom, and a floral structure releases the spores."

He looked to each of his comrades in turn, the almost cactus-like oval of a head seeking each of them in the cabin of the starship. "Our dispersed method of reproduction means we might breed with many hundres of our fellows across thousands of kilometers, and even across time, as a single healthy can remain active for decades until it encounters others and the growth process begins. Despite this, some Phylosians do tend toward having a preferred partner for short or long periods of time; in those instances, they simply conduct their spore-releases in enclosed spaces designed for such interactions."

Recognizing that his own people had no discernable traits that distinguished gender among Phylosians, he felt it would be prudent to clarify for his audience. "Though many plants are hermaphrodites, we Phylosians do have males and females of our species. I am a male. And as for the more personal aspect of the topic at hand, I am not currently bound to anyone, though I did date frequently while I attended Starfleet Medical Academy."

At this last revelation, Koroz' jaw dropped for a moment. Did that mean that there were other Phylosians at the Academy while Lagar attended, or...?

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours later...]

Closing the channel, the Away team made sure they had everything necessary, and were beamed aboard the Natalie Chatham. Stepping forward, he scanned to room to check whether the Captain had come to greet him, or whether someone else would take his place.

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours later...]
Koroz and Lagar readied themselves swiftly, and remained silent as they were beamed aboard the freighter, prepared to follow the orders of the away team commander. Koroz observed the Tellarite through skeptical half-lidded eyes; his first three encounters with Tellarites at the onset of his Starfleet career had ended in brief brawls that he himself had found quite enjoyable, but that had led to disciplinary marks on his earliest personnel records. He would make sure that the third would remain the last.

[Silverback]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

T'Kel looked up from her PADD and eyed Silverback closely. As the ensign was part of her division, she took in his uniform and demeanor in a long pause before speaking in the cultured even tones common to all Vulcans.

"Welcome to Challenger Ensign. As the ship is currently has minimal security needs at the moment. Now would be an excellent time for some training. Please take the auxiliary security station and mirror your display to that of Chief Petty Officer Blackfeather. Remember, you are here to learn bridge operations, do not take any actions without notifying the Chief first."

"Alright." Silver said looking a bit confused, as he was wondering if this vulcan realized he had been to the academy or not or perhaps it was because he was a giant ape with horns and a spiked spinal column.  But he did know how to use a ships tactical systems responsibly.  But he was just glad the vulcan wasnt telepathic to pick up on these thoughts as he moved to the auxiliary security station and hoped he wouldnt have to guard violent prisoners again or at least for awhile anyways.

[Hanir Seph]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Just a soon as she Derek left and she had her monitor set up, Ruth was entering and requesting her attention. She didn't have to answer her first question, as the counselor was already there. Funny, she hadn't seen her come in. But she had been distracted, and her new friend always seemed to be where she was needed. Her body language revealed her shyness, and the seasoned doctor suddenly felt a maternal instinct to comfort her. Instead, Lisa waited to see what Ruth needed her for and listened patiently as she and Hanir were acquainted.

When they were finished, she smiled with fondness at the mention of Kyle. Ruth was one of the only people who would bring up the subject of her and Kyle's relationship. The only other person could be Lahr, but that would likely be in a less formal setting if it ever happened. But Ruth, Kyle, and her were all good friends. Ruth would listen to her, and understand better than anyone. If they ever found enough time in their schedules to talk off-duty, that is.

"I've heard from him sometimes, though they've been few and far between. I know he's probably fine, but at least we both have friends to help us out on the hard days," her face went dark for just a moment, but then she focused on what Ruth had to say next. She was grateful that the XO knew not to dwell on the sad thoughts, and that she always had plenty to say to distract from them. At mention of a meeting, she perked up again.

"Unless Gemma had something for her, she's free in my book," she stated, giving Hanir a questioning look.

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

"My shift is still ongoing, but I have no visitors. They prefer not to think of themselves as patients." Hanir replied with a look at Lisa, her lips twitching. The two of them were forming a good dynamic, though Hanir still couldn't quite get her head around the fact Lisa treated her as an equal. "I was doing some studying, but please, my mind is full right now. I'm all... Whoever needs me can have me." She bowed theatrically at the two professionals.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Transporter Room --> Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

As Jettis stepped off the transporter platform he found two people waiting for him, not counting the transporter operator. There was a human man in his late 50s with blonde hair shot through with gray, who was accompanied by a Tellerite female. The man stepped forward to shake Jettis' hand.

"Greetings Lieutenant Jyur, I'm Daniel Rybeck, Captain of the Chatham. This is Navar Glagh, my chief engineer. I've been in space a long time Lieutenant and I've never seen anything like what we got going on with the Diriedi. I'm so glad you were available to help."

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[NCC Mjolnir]

"Certainly, Lieutenant. Phylosians reproduce through the release of spore cells, which are distributed aerially and carried on the wind." A tendril arced up to indicate the hexagonal segmentation lines on Lagar's head. "These segments you see here open up and bloom, and a floral structure releases the spores."

He looked to each of his comrades in turn, the almost cactus-like oval of a head seeking each of them in the cabin of the starship. "Our dispersed method of reproduction means we might breed with many hundres of our fellows across thousands of kilometers, and even across time, as a single healthy can remain active for decades until it encounters others and the growth process begins. Despite this, some Phylosians do tend toward having a preferred partner for short or long periods of time; in those instances, they simply conduct their spore-releases in enclosed spaces designed for such interactions."

Recognizing that his own people had no discernable traits that distinguished gender among Phylosians, he felt it would be prudent to clarify for his audience. "Though many plants are hermaphrodites, we Phylosians do have males and females of our species. I am a male. And as for the more personal aspect of the topic at hand, I am not currently bound to anyone, though I did date frequently while I attended Starfleet Medical Academy."

At this last revelation, Koroz' jaw dropped for a moment. Did that mean that there were other Phylosians at the Academy while Lagar attended, or...?

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours later...]
Koroz and Lagar readied themselves swiftly, and remained silent as they were beamed aboard the freighter, prepared to follow the orders of the away team commander. Koroz observed the Tellarite through skeptical half-lidded eyes; his first three encounters with Tellarites at the onset of his Starfleet career had ended in brief brawls that he himself had found quite enjoyable, but that had led to disciplinary marks on his earliest personnel records. He would make sure that the third would remain the last.

[Aboard the Natalie Chatham]

Jettis accepted the man's handshake readily, with a firm grip. Smiling, he nodded slightly, trying to get a feel for the current mood.
"Of course, anything we can do is at your disposal." Rotating slightly, he looked over his shoulder, to motion towards his crew. He kept a quick eye out, trying to gauge the crew's reaction to Lagar, as Jettis stepped aside to allow them to step forward.

"These are my officers, Koroz, T'roth, Rodwell, and Lagar.  Petty Officer T'roth, and Lieutenant Rodwell are our Engineers." He paused, allowing them to make any introductions, statements, or queries they deemed necessary. Perhaps they would step aside and chat with Navar, or ask about the ship. In any case, he was confident in their judgement, before turning to Lagar as well.

"And Lieutenant Lagar, is a Medical officer. If any of your crew has sustained any injuries, or those on the Planitia Deridi, Lagar can assist any crew you have with a medical background."

With the formalities out of the way now,  Jettis brought the conversation back to something the Captain had said, a curious twinkle in his eye. "You said you'd never seen anything like what was happening to the Deriedi, how do you mean?" He paused, before offering an exchange of information of sorts, in a bid to build rapport right off the bat. "Our scanners, though very difficult to cut through all the radiation and interference, did locate your collier. As if now it does appear to be in good working order. Have you uncovered anything else that might help us?"

[Ian Galloway]

NPC Petty Officer Koroz

[NCC Mjolnir - 11 hours later...]
Koroz and Lagar readied themselves swiftly, and remained silent as they were beamed aboard the freighter, prepared to follow the orders of the away team commander. Koroz observed the Tellarite through skeptical half-lidded eyes; his first three encounters with Tellarites at the onset of his Starfleet career had ended in brief brawls that he himself had found quite enjoyable, but that had led to disciplinary marks on his earliest personnel records. He would make sure that the third would remain the last.

[Aboard the Natalie Chatham]

Jettis accepted the man's handshake readily, with a firm grip. Smiling, he nodded slightly, trying to get a feel for the current mood.
"Of course, anything we can do is at your disposal." Rotating slightly, he looked over his shoulder, to motion towards his crew. He kept a quick eye out, trying to gauge the crew's reaction to Lagar, as Jettis stepped aside to allow them to step forward.

"These are my officers, Koroz, T'roth, Rodwell, and Lagar.  Petty Officer T'roth, and Lieutenant Rodwell are our Engineers." He paused, allowing them to make any introductions, statements, or queries they deemed necessary. Perhaps they would step aside and chat with Navar, or ask about the ship. In any case, he was confident in their judgement, before turning to Lagar as well.

"And Lieutenant Lagar, is a Medical officer. If any of your crew has sustained any injuries, or those on the Planitia Deridi, Lagar can assist any crew you have with a medical background."

With the formalities out of the way now,  Jettis brought the conversation back to something the Captain had said, a curious twinkle in his eye. "You said you'd never seen anything like what was happening to the Deriedi, how do you mean?" He paused, before offering an exchange of information of sorts, in a bid to build rapport right off the bat. "Our scanners, though very difficult to cut through all the radiation and interference, did locate your collier. As if now it does appear to be in good working order. Have you uncovered anything else that might help us?"

[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

The Liberty-Class was an old design that most Starfleet officers, except for a few of the longest serving, had never seen, so the large bridge was a surprise to the away team. Usually, the bridge on a freighter was a small, cramped thing as most civilian ships put every ton of design possible into payload, the crew's comfort was rarely a consideration. The Chatham's bridge was large enough that it wasn't cramped at all and was very reminiscent of one of the early classes of Starfleet ships.

Captain Rybeck was a friendly sort speaking highly of his time aboard the ship and how the disappearance of the Planitia Deriedi was so unusual. When informed of Jettis' findings that the collier was visible inside the ion storm, but somehow trapped, he was even more intrigued.

"Engines running a full speed, but unable to move? Almost sounds like an insect trapped in amber. Clearly we won't be able to enter the storm or we risk getting stuck ourselves. The owners won't like the delay in transit, but they'd like us getting trapped or losing their cargo even less, so we wait this thing out. My question to you Lieutenant is, if you only have four hours, what are you going to do to get them out. I have the luxury of waiting, you don't."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As is typical in deep space, everything was fine, until it wasn't. One minute the Heidi Schwebach was cruising along side her escort as she was supposed to do, the next, she sheered off course sharply and emitted an inverse graviton burst through her main deflector. The Challenger staggered as the graviton burst disrupted her warp field and dropped out of warp. Fortunately, although strained to their maximum capacity, the inertia dampeners prevented serious casualties at the ship lurched back into Einsteinian space.

Throughout the Challenger, alarms sounded on the bridge, but especially in engineering. Lieutenant Tharn was one of those thrown to the deck by the sudden deceleration and was spewing invectives like only a Tellerite could as she lurched to her feet barking orders.

Ian burst out of his ready room and growled.

"Report!"

[Silverback]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As is typical in deep space, everything was fine, until it wasn't. One minute the Heidi Schwebach was cruising along side her escort as she was supposed to do, the next, she sheered off course sharply and emitted an inverse graviton burst through her main deflector. The Challenger staggered as the graviton burst disrupted her warp field and dropped out of warp. Fortunately, although strained to their maximum capacity, the inertia dampeners prevented serious casualties at the ship lurched back into Einsteinian space.

Throughout the Challenger, alarms sounded on the bridge, but especially in engineering. Lieutenant Tharn was one of those thrown to the deck by the sudden deceleration and was spewing invectives like only a Tellerite could as she lurched to her feet barking orders.

Ian burst out of his ready room and growled.

"Report!"

Challenger - Bridge

Silver ran checks on the security system of the ship ensuring the sudden jolt out of the warp field wasnt caused on his end as he recovered from the sudden deceleration.  He was just thankful his size, endurance, and strength lessened the whip lash that others might be feeling and prevention of being through if he were any smaller.  He checked every system he had access to, as he knew from training and his earlier life that being trapped out in the middle of no where, unable to move and fend for himself was a death sentence.

"Nothing coming up on security checks, not even a possible saboteur.  Wish me to increase security threat level just incase?" Silver called out waiting for someone to answer to tell him what to do.

[Lagar]

[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

The Liberty-Class was an old design that most Starfleet officers, except for a few of the longest serving, had never seen, so the large bridge was a surprise to the away team. Usually, the bridge on a freighter was a small, cramped thing as most civilian ships put every ton of design possible into payload, the crew's comfort was rarely a consideration. The Chatham's bridge was large enough that it wasn't cramped at all and was very reminiscent of one of the early classes of Starfleet ships.

Captain Rybeck was a friendly sort speaking highly of his time aboard the ship and how the disappearance of the Planitia Deriedi was so unusual. When informed of Jettis' findings that the collier was visible inside the ion storm, but somehow trapped, he was even more intrigued.

"Engines running a full speed, but unable to move? Almost sounds like an insect trapped in amber. Clearly we won't be able to enter the storm or we risk getting stuck ourselves. The owners won't like the delay in transit, but they'd like us getting trapped or losing their cargo even less, so we wait this thing out. My question to you Lieutenant is, if you only have four hours, what are you going to do to get them out. I have the luxury of waiting, you don't."

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Lagar heard no gasps of alarm as he was observed by the crew. Briefly, an undesired sense of disappointment passed through a deeper root of his subconscious; if he was what he was meant to be, as the ancient Phylosians were, there would be more than gasps erupting from the lung-sacs of these goo-covered skeletal things before him. Outwardly, his yellow eyespots blinked slowly and deliberately, returning those thoughts to their designated compartments in his mind. He was thankful, yet again, that no Betazoids were present, though he had no clue how deeply the admitted empathic powers of Lieutenant Jyur could probe. Everyone surely had unwanted thoughts from time to time, and this was just yet another example of such a thought.

The Phylosian turned his attention to the... remarkably spacious bridge. This was little like what he expected of a vessel with such a particular purpose. The Varr, an Andorian construction vessel Lagar had lived on for several weeks while clearing mines, was a truly cramped thing, affording no luxuries in terms of space. Freighters, salvage vessels and other ships Lagar had visited had also tended toward frugality when it came to unused room, but there were surely exceptions, and this ship was one of them.

The medical officer listened as Captain Rybeck shared the metaphor about an insect trapped in amber. Phylos had no insect life, thankfully; in fact, Phylos had no native non-botanical life whatsoever. Lagar's first interactions with arthropods occurred during his service aboard the Peacekeeper. The Phylosian vessel answered the distress call of a Tellarite freighter near the edge of Andorian space; oddly, the Andorians of a nearby colony were a little slow to answer the call of their fellow Federation members. The Tellarite freighter had been rendered into a state of biological chaos caused by a stoaway insect species which had been able to breed in remarkable numbers by feeding on the genetically engineered rice carried by the freighter. The insects were equally pleased to feed on Phylosian botanical matter, Lagar had learned quite personally, so he and his crewmates had to work in Phylosian EV suits for the entirety of the grueling mission. It was also notable that the Tellarite freighter was one of the ships that had a rather large bridge. For just a moment, Lagar's reminiscing made him glance at the shadows on the bridge, as if one of those horrible bugs would come fluttering out toward him to take a bite out of his exterior...

Returning his thoughts to Captain Rybeck's metaphor, despite his early unfamiliarity with insect life, Lagar had studied many forms of life in his exobiological studies and knew that tree resin could capture and gradually harden around insects, forming amber. This left the invading athropod petrified inside a golden-orange organic gemstone prison, trapped for eternity... unable to swarm over and consume any innocent botanical species trying to do their best to bring peace to this chaotic galaxy.

Lagar wondered why the Captain believed that Lieutenant Jyur did not have the luxury of time in these matters. He felt it would be helpful if he made the following suggestion to reduce worries about this matter. It also gave him the opportunity to practice pronouncing the name of their ship aloud, as he had just recently studied how to do so. Lagar's digitized voice emitted from the voder at his neck, decently audible to those present on the spacious bridge. "Our Mee Ole Near is capable of Warp 6, and a little more when necessary. It would not be unfeasible for us to coordinate a rendezvous with our mothership, should they have to pass us by to continue their primary mission."

With no medical needs announced, Lagar felt it would be prudent to access the ship's crew manifest for the Natalie Chatham and the Planitia Deriedi. In their mission briefing back aboard the Challenger, Lieutenant Jyur had inferred that the Deriedi was a client vessel of the Chatham, and Lagar presumed that the host ship had crew data about those on board the collier. It was best to access such information now, in Lagar's mind, while there was a moment available and he could directly access the Chatham's computer.

"With permission, gentlemen..." he said, addressing both Lieutenant Jyur and Captain Rybeck, "I'll download the ship's crew manifests to my PADD. Downloading this information now is standard procedure; it's far preferable to have it ready, rather than not have it and have to demand it in a rush while trying to treat a patient." If he weren't overridden or given countermanding orders, Lagar would move to a computer station and do just this.

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Unbeknownst to each other, Koroz felt a similar sense of disappointment to Lagar when no one gasped at the Klingon's appearance. A younger Koroz would have set about bumping shoulders to make sure these freight-haulers knew he was about, but this was a Koroz serving in Starfleet, and he would behave accordingly. As Lagar made his own efforts to begin his duties, Koroz moved to do the same.

"And I, with permission, will create a link between your ship's communications and our Mjolnir so that we can more easily communicate with the Challenger." he announced. Security officers were often those tasked with maintaining constant and relevant communications with headquarters, and Koroz was decently capable when it came to operating communications technology. It was he who had been trusted to maintain comms as best he could on the surface of Edoran, on that rather ill-fated away mission...

Koroz, too, would begin this work unless there was a countermanding order from the away team leader.

[Ian Galloway]

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Lagar heard no gasps of alarm as he was observed by the crew. Briefly, an undesired sense of disappointment passed through a deeper root of his subconscious; if he was what he was meant to be, as the ancient Phylosians were, there would be more than gasps erupting from the lung-sacs of these goo-covered skeletal things before him. Outwardly, his yellow eyespots blinked slowly and deliberately, returning those thoughts to their designated compartments in his mind. He was thankful, yet again, that no Betazoids were present, though he had no clue how deeply the admitted empathic powers of Lieutenant Jyur could probe. Everyone surely had unwanted thoughts from time to time, and this was just yet another example of such a thought.

The Phylosian turned his attention to the... remarkably spacious bridge. This was little like what he expected of a vessel with such a particular purpose. The Varr, an Andorian construction vessel Lagar had lived on for several weeks while clearing mines, was a truly cramped thing, affording no luxuries in terms of space. Freighters, salvage vessels and other ships Lagar had visited had also tended toward frugality when it came to unused room, but there were surely exceptions, and this ship was one of them.

The medical officer listened as Captain Rybeck shared the metaphor about an insect trapped in amber. Phylos had no insect life, thankfully; in fact, Phylos had no native non-botanical life whatsoever. Lagar's first interactions with arthropods occurred during his service aboard the Peacekeeper. The Phylosian vessel answered the distress call of a Tellarite freighter near the edge of Andorian space; oddly, the Andorians of a nearby colony were a little slow to answer the call of their fellow Federation members. The Tellarite freighter had been rendered into a state of biological chaos caused by a stoaway insect species which had been able to breed in remarkable numbers by feeding on the genetically engineered rice carried by the freighter. The insects were equally pleased to feed on Phylosian botanical matter, Lagar had learned quite personally, so he and his crewmates had to work in Phylosian EV suits for the entirety of the grueling mission. It was also notable that the Tellarite freighter was one of the ships that had a rather large bridge. For just a moment, Lagar's reminiscing made him glance at the shadows on the bridge, as if one of those horrible bugs would come fluttering out toward him to take a bite out of his exterior...

Returning his thoughts to Captain Rybeck's metaphor, despite his early unfamiliarity with insect life, Lagar had studied many forms of life in his exobiological studies and knew that tree resin could capture and gradually harden around insects, forming amber. This left the invading athropod petrified inside a golden-orange organic gemstone prison, trapped for eternity... unable to swarm over and consume any innocent botanical species trying to do their best to bring peace to this chaotic galaxy.

Lagar wondered why the Captain believed that Lieutenant Jyur did not have the luxury of time in these matters. He felt it would be helpful if he made the following suggestion to reduce worries about this matter. It also gave him the opportunity to practice pronouncing the name of their ship aloud, as he had just recently studied how to do so. Lagar's digitized voice emitted from the voder at his neck, decently audible to those present on the spacious bridge. "Our Mee Ole Near is capable of Warp 6, and a little more when necessary. It would not be unfeasible for us to coordinate a rendezvous with our mothership, should they have to pass us by to continue their primary mission."

With no medical needs announced, Lagar felt it would be prudent to access the ship's crew manifest for the Natalie Chatham and the Planitia Deriedi. In their mission briefing back aboard the Challenger, Lieutenant Jyur had inferred that the Deriedi was a client vessel of the Chatham, and Lagar presumed that the host ship had crew data about those on board the collier. It was best to access such information now, in Lagar's mind, while there was a moment available and he could directly access the Chatham's computer.

"With permission, gentlemen..." he said, addressing both Lieutenant Jyur and Captain Rybeck, "I'll download the ship's crew manifests to my PADD. Downloading this information now is standard procedure; it's far preferable to have it ready, rather than not have it and have to demand it in a rush while trying to treat a patient." If he weren't overridden or given countermanding orders, Lagar would move to a computer station and do just this.

[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Rybeck, blinked in surprise at Lagar's synthesized voice and stared mouth open for a moment, but closing his mouth and licking his lips. With his head canted to the right, he replied slowly as if uncertain of himself.

"I... uh... I can't say as I have ever heard of whatever you are... uh..." He paused and noted Lagar's rank. "Uh... Lieutenant, but I don't have the manifest for the Deriedi. We're just two ships moving on roughly the same course for protection, of sorts. One ship can get ambushed fairly easily, but it's much harder to do the same to two. I gives both of us a better chance of getting out a distress call than if we travel alone. I can get you our manifest if you still want it, but we don't have any injured."

Lieutenant jg Lagar
NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Unbeknownst to each other, Koroz felt a similar sense of disappointment to Lagar when no one gasped at the Klingon's appearance. A younger Koroz would have set about bumping shoulders to make sure these freight-haulers knew he was about, but this was a Koroz serving in Starfleet, and he would behave accordingly. As Lagar made his own efforts to begin his duties, Koroz moved to do the same.

"And I, with permission, will create a link between your ship's communications and our Mjolnir so that we can more easily communicate with the Challenger." he announced. Security officers were often those tasked with maintaining constant and relevant communications with headquarters, and Koroz was decently capable when it came to operating communications technology. It was he who had been trusted to maintain comms as best he could on the surface of Edoran, on that rather ill-fated away mission...

Koroz, too, would begin this work unless there was a countermanding order from the away team leader.

[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Turning to face Koroz, it was clear Rybeck was more comfortable with Klingons than trees that could talk. He waved to get the attention of one of his crew.

"Certainly. Phillips here will help you establish the link. It's a bit tricky getting duotronics to talk to isolinear systems."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Challenger - Bridge

Silver ran checks on the security system of the ship ensuring the sudden jolt out of the warp field wasnt caused on his end as he recovered from the sudden deceleration.  He was just thankful his size, endurance, and strength lessened the whip lash that others might be feeling and prevention of being through if he were any smaller.  He checked every system he had access to, as he knew from training and his earlier life that being trapped out in the middle of no where, unable to move and fend for himself was a death sentence.

"Nothing coming up on security checks, not even a possible saboteur.  Wish me to increase security threat level just incase?" Silver called out waiting for someone to answer to tell him what to do.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian's head whipped toward the first voice that had spoken and frowned. An ensign, he hadn't met before, but based on the fact the voice belonged to a Mugato, it could only be Ensign Silverback. Normally, he would have said something, but, knowing T'Kel as well as he did, he knew he didn't have to say anything. She would handle an exuberant ensign speaking out of turn. As Ian was working through those thoughts, T'Kel rose from the command chair to move to tactical, which in turn had Chief Blackfeather shift to the console Silverback was manning with an unspoken look that said it was time for the ensign to yield the station to the NCO. As this was going on, T'Kel spoke in her usual measured tone.

"Captain, we've been attacked by the Heidi Schwebach-"

"We were attacked by a freighter?" Ian interrupted, which didn't throw T'Kel off in the slightest, she simply continuing from where she left off."

"-with an inverse graviton burst. This action did not result in damage, but it did destabilize our warp field and drop us to sublight. Lieutenant Tharn in is the process of recalibrating the engines and says it will be another one minute and seventeen point six seconds before we can go to warp."

Ian processed this as he moved to the command seat.

"What the hell is going on over there? Even with a head start, that freighter has no hope of outrunnin' the Challenger. Are they answerin' hails?"

"No response Sir. They are moving at their emergency speed on a course of 147 mark 29. Only thing on sensors in that direction is a small asteroid field, not even large enough to conceal a ship of that size."

"Very well Lieutenant. Bring us to yellow alert have the transporter room ready to beam over a security team and prepare the tractors."

Ian turned back to face the viewscreen showing the rapidly shrinking freighter.

"Helm, make your course 147 mark 29 and take us to warp eight as soon as engineering says you can."

Ian only half listened to the 'Aye Sir' responses as he stared at the retreating Schwebach.

"What in the bloody hell is goin' on over there?"

He murmured and continued to stare.

T'Kel turned at her station to face Silverback, and while no emotions showed on her face, which was no surprise for a Vulcan. Going by how firmly her lips were pressed together, it was clear she was not pleased.

"Ensign. Report to the armory on deck nine."

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

While the ship's inertia dampeners had done an amazing job of preventing serious injuries, it hadn't prevented all injuries. Shortly after the sudden deceleration, nearly a dozen crew entered sickbay. Mostly cuts and bruises, but there were also a few sprains and at least three broken bones. Nothing the medical staff couldn't handle, but it was work that needed immediate attention.

[Silverback]

Bridge

T'Kel turned at her station to face Silverback, and while no emotions showed on her face, which was no surprise for a Vulcan. Going by how firmly her lips were pressed together, it was clear she was not pleased.

"Ensign. Report to the armory on deck nine."

Bridge - Armory Deck Nine

Looking at the Vulcan thinking this was punishment when he was just following orders of a immediately superior officer in this case the Captain.  He nodded quietly to the T'Kel, and left the bridge heading for deck nine.

"All available security teams report to the Armory on Deck 9.  We are increasing security." Silver said into comms as he rounded the bend a few minutes later and saw there were a few teams already present.

"Alright, break out the rifles." Silver said as the Master at Arms nodded as he pressed his codes into the armory's storage containers.  Each container revealing 8 Rifles and 8 hand held phasers per container.  "Listen up.  Until this situation is resolved, I want increased security at all entrances to the vital sections of the ship and increased security on the bridge and in Engineering.  If we are boarded, these are the points the invaders will head too.  Remember to keep your partner with you and keep yourselves alert until further notice." Silver said as he helped to hand out phaser rifles to each security team member.

"Do we know the threat we face, sir?" one of the security officers asked.

"No we do not.  We need to prepare for anything and anyone.  So send four teams to the bridge.  Cover every angle on that bridge so your covering each other's backs.  Same thing for Engineering.  If either of these places fall then we lost the ship.  You know your orders get to it." Silver said as they all received there extra weapons, then they each nodded and split off on there guard details.

"The rest of you, I want you all on roving patrols on every deck.  So you can back each other up if there's a fire fight in the corridors or you can respond to help from engineering or the bridge quicker." Silver said to the remaining teams.  "Contact me or the Master at Arms here if you need anything else." Silver said as he broke off.

"Teams are set up, Ma'am.  I am sending teams to the bridge for added security if we are boarded." Silver said into his comms for T'Kel to inform her of the situation and hoping she does not get infuriated with the way he set up the teams.

[Hanir Seph]

[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Rybeck, blinked in surprise at Lagar's synthesized voice and stared mouth open for a moment, but closing his mouth and licking his lips. With his head canted to the right, he replied slowly as if uncertain of himself.

"I... uh... I can't say as I have ever heard of whatever you are... uh..." He paused and noted Lagar's rank. "Uh... Lieutenant, but I don't have the manifest for the Deriedi. We're just two ships moving on roughly the same course for protection, of sorts. One ship can get ambushed fairly easily, but it's much harder to do the same to two. I gives both of us a better chance of getting out a distress call than if we travel alone. I can get you our manifest if you still want it, but we don't have any injured."

[Bridge - SS Natalie Chatham]

Turning to face Koroz, it was clear Rybeck was more comfortable with Klingons than trees that could talk. He waved to get the attention of one of his crew.

"Certainly. Phillips here will help you establish the link. It's a bit tricky getting duotronics to talk to isolinear systems."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian's head whipped toward the first voice that had spoken and frowned. An ensign, he hadn't met before, but based on the fact the voice belonged to a Mugato, it could only be Ensign Silverback. Normally, he would have said something, but, knowing T'Kel as well as he did, he knew he didn't have to say anything. She would handle an exuberant ensign speaking out of turn. As Ian was working through those thoughts, T'Kel rose from the command chair to move to tactical, which in turn had Chief Blackfeather shift to the console Silverback was manning with an unspoken look that said it was time for the ensign to yield the station to the NCO. As this was going on, T'Kel spoke in her usual measured tone.

"Captain, we've been attacked by the Heidi Schwebach-"

"We were attacked by a freighter?" Ian interrupted, which didn't throw T'Kel off in the slightest, she simply continuing from where she left off."

"-with an inverse graviton burst. This action did not result in damage, but it did destabilize our warp field and drop us to sublight. Lieutenant Tharn in is the process of recalibrating the engines and says it will be another one minute and seventeen point six seconds before we can go to warp."

Ian processed this as he moved to the command seat.

"What the hell is going on over there? Even with a head start, that freighter has no hope of outrunnin' the Challenger. Are they answerin' hails?"

"No response Sir. They are moving at their emergency speed on a course of 147 mark 29. Only thing on sensors in that direction is a small asteroid field, not even large enough to conceal a ship of that size."

"Very well Lieutenant. Bring us to yellow alert have the transporter room ready to beam over a security team and prepare the tractors."

Ian turned back to face the viewscreen showing the rapidly shrinking freighter.

"Helm, make your course 147 mark 29 and take us to warp eight as soon as engineering says you can."

Ian only half listened to the 'Aye Sir' responses as he stared at the retreating Schwebach.

"What in the bloody hell is goin' on over there?"

He murmured and continued to stare.

T'Kel turned at her station to face Silverback, and while no emotions showed on her face, which was no surprise for a Vulcan. Going by how firmly her lips were pressed together, it was clear she was not pleased.

"Ensign. Report to the armory on deck nine."

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

While the ship's inertia dampeners had done an amazing job of preventing serious injuries, it hadn't prevented all injuries. Shortly after the sudden deceleration, nearly a dozen crew entered sickbay. Mostly cuts and bruises, but there were also a few sprains and at least three broken bones. Nothing the medical staff couldn't handle, but it was work that needed immediate attention.

Bridge - Armory Deck Nine

Looking at the Vulcan thinking this was punishment when he was just following orders of a immediately superior officer in this case the Captain.  He nodded quietly to the T'Kel, and left the bridge heading for deck nine.

"All available security teams report to the Armory on Deck 9.  We are increasing security." Silver said into comms as he rounded the bend a few minutes later and saw there were a few teams already present.

"Alright, break out the rifles." Silver said as the Master at Arms nodded as he pressed his codes into the armory's storage containers.  Each container revealing 8 Rifles and 8 hand held phasers per container.  "Listen up.  Until this situation is resolved, I want increased security at all entrances to the vital sections of the ship and increased security on the bridge and in Engineering.  If we are boarded, these are the points the invaders will head too.  Remember to keep your partner with you and keep yourselves alert until further notice." Silver said as he helped to hand out phaser rifles to each security team member.

"Do we know the threat we face, sir?" one of the security officers asked.

"No we do not.  We need to prepare for anything and anyone.  So send four teams to the bridge.  Cover every angle on that bridge so your covering each other's backs.  Same thing for Engineering.  If either of these places fall then we lost the ship.  You know your orders get to it." Silver said as they all received there extra weapons, then they each nodded and split off on there guard details.

"The rest of you, I want you all on roving patrols on every deck.  So you can back each other up if there's a fire fight in the corridors or you can respond to help from engineering or the bridge quicker." Silver said to the remaining teams.  "Contact me or the Master at Arms here if you need anything else." Silver said as he broke off.

"Teams are set up, Ma'am.  I am sending teams to the bridge for added security if we are boarded." Silver said into his comms for T'Kel to inform her of the situation and hoping she does not get infuriated with the way he set up the teams.

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

"Not again?!"

Hanir found herself sprawled against an empty biobed when the impact occurred. The bruise on her sternum had just healed and she felt a twinge of deja vu. Fortunately, Ruth and Lisa, both being a bit more experienced appeared to be a little shaken. The crew that reported in were all walking wounded, none of them serious. Hanir squeezed Lisa's shoulder. "I'll get out of your way. Keep your chin up." To the XO, she bowed a little formally. "I think duty calls, you're more than welcome to return when it's a bit quieter, Commander."

Retreating quietly to her small office, which was her duty station in an alert situation. There, to her surprise was the security callup. The wording from T'Kel hadn't been specific and was a general callup, asking for all security trained personnel to be made available...

[USS Challenger-A | Armory]

"Here goes nothing."

Hanir stood at the doorway to the ship's armory on Deck Nine. To her mild surprise, the doors slid open to reveal security personnel in gold everywhere. With a determined set of her jaw, she entered her biometrics and picked up a phaser rifle, plus a tricorder into a holster.

Aware that attention was on her, she strode forward. Though her Betazoid empathic senses were off (more correctly speaking she kept her mental defenses on maximum and blocking everything out), she could read the skepticism in their faces and body language. Strolling up to Ensign Silverback, she was acutely aware she could walk under his outstretched arm with a few inches of clearance to spare.

"Ensign, Petty Officer Seph reporting. There's been a callup to augment security." Standing ramrod straight, rifle at port arms, a look a grim determination on her face and it took all her willpower to stop her hands from shaking in nervousmess.

[Silverback]

[USS Challenger-A | Armory]

"Here goes nothing."

Hanir stood at the doorway to the ship's armory on Deck Nine. To her mild surprise, the doors slid open to reveal security personnel in gold everywhere. With a determined set of her jaw, she entered her biometrics and picked up a phaser rifle, plus a tricorder into a holster.

Aware that attention was on her, she strode forward. Though her Betazoid empathic senses were off (more correctly speaking she kept her mental defenses on maximum and blocking everything out), she could read the skepticism in their faces and body language. Strolling up to Ensign Silverback, she was acutely aware she could walk under his outstretched arm with a few inches of clearance to spare.

"Ensign, Petty Officer Seph reporting. There's been a callup to augment security." Standing ramrod straight, rifle at port arms, a look a grim determination on her face and it took all her willpower to stop her hands from shaking in nervousness.

Noticing a teal uniformed woman enter and just 'Take' a rifle seemed off putting.  "Give me that rifle." Silver said taking the rifle from her.  "You are not supposed to be here.  Security teams not medical.  You want to help out grab a med kit and follow one of the other teams incase they need attention.  I'll even assign you a team to protect you.  But unless your wearing the correct uniform you are in the wrong section of the ship, Petty Officer." Silver said as he turned to the woman who just inserted herself without even being polite enough to tell him who she was and what she wanted, let alone why she was there.