S1E3 - New Horizons

[Kinley Garrison]

[Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Commanding Officer's Ready Room | Deck One | Outpost Solaere]

Gillespie could easily tell how angry Kinley looked. He couldn't blame her. He was just about as angry with the brass of Starfleet; he could be just as angry as Kinley would be if he was in her shoes.

"I dinnae blame yeh, lass," he said. "It's one reason we have this many ships out here, and why we're expecting ships from the Corps of Engineers. We're also due for officers from the Exchange Program. Add all that to twelve Starfleet vessels, not counting the Horizon, will be able to accelerate not just the repairs, refits and retrofitting.

"The pattern, lass," he continued, "I expect will be that pirates aren't just targeting ships boond for Oaish'le, but timed it in expectation. My inkling is that somebody on the station is leaking the convoy schedules to the pirates. Commander Mail and I have a good idea how, given old reports about Outpost Seven; we're nae gonna interview the crew, we've done enough interviewing, given a gobsmacking situation Challenger encoontered, not to mention we could give ourselves away to this whistleblower; he, she, or it may not even be one of the officers here.

"We will give a definite answer in our briefing on the Horizon tomorrow," Gillespie added. "And with the new Federation convoy coming with the Corps of Engineer ships, we have time before their arrival in two days. Our twelve ships and the Corps of Engineers will be able to lift burdens off all yehr shoulders."

[Ready room]

Kinley was somewhat taken aback at the Admiral's response of the upcoming support they were receiving. The past couple months had been... exhausting to say the least, and given the fact she had been entangled in red tape to even feel like she was heard, any hope of immediate aid seemed as far away as the edge of the Milky Way.

"Thank you. The support is greatly appreciated." she said, much more relieved than before. She hadn't noticed it before, but a tension released in her after she had heard that.  She had her own thoughts about some of the Admiralty, especially after Frontier Day. It was nice to know that at least this one had the interests of the Station at hand.

At the mention of a potential mole or informant, her sense of relief dissipated. If that was the case, then no wonder it felt like the pirates were always one step ahead in ambushing trade shipments.

"So there may be a spy... Lovely..." she sighed, a resigned edge of sarcasm in her voice. "I agree. We'll keep this quiet for now. The sooner we can root them out, the better. Will you need my help in any more of this?"

[Lindsey]

[Spatial grid ref 77 | Outpost Solaere | Borrowed Shuttle 3B | Lindsey Pilot | Chuna V'Tal Npc Salvager borrowed from Cloten ]

Lindsey danced her hands across the borrowed shuttles controls as it yawed its way through the debris field. Her own shuttle lay damaged back at the outpost and not able to fly. Beside her sat Chuna V'Tal, a seasoned salvage expert - or at least that's what she'd been told.

"We need to prioritise components to get the station back up, and if we should find anything for my shuttle...  then we might find a space for them as well," Lindsey remarked, adjusting the sensors to filter out interference from various magnetic items. "There's a cluster of wreckage about fifty kilometres off our port bow. Looks promising."

Chuna leaned over, her antennae twitching with excitement. "Perfect. Let's see what we can find."

Approaching, the outline of a freighter became visible through the murky glow. Its hull was battered and scarred, but some of the cargo holds seemed intact. The tip of her tounge visible between her teeth, she maneuverered the shuttlecraft closer - the drifting wreckage forcing her to to be on high alert.  The range finder slowly clicked down and she resorted to manuvering thrusters until barely drifting relative to the pod - Chuna was able to deploy the grappling arms.

"Steady, steady," Chuna muttered, guiding the mechanical arms with precision. "Got it. Bringing it in now."

With a faint clank, the container was secured and pulled into the shuttle's hold. Chuna quickly accessed the container's manifest. "We've got some duranium plating here. Should be useful for repairing some of the station's hull."

Lindsey smiled, adjusting the shuttle's position along the z axis to face another container. "Good start. Let's see what else we can find."

They continued working for several hours, pulling in container after container. Some held valuable materials, while others contained mundane supplies. Each find was carefully catalogued by Chuna, who had an uncanny ability to discern the valuable from the worthless.

One container revealed a trove of electrical components. Chuna held up a bundle of conduits and relays. "These might work as substitutes in the station's power grid."
"If they can't use them - I might, but they get first dibs, it's their shuttle after all"

Another container yielded a stack of engineering tools. Lindsey picked up a plasma welder, its handle worn but still functional. "Yoink!  I need that."

As they continued to sift through the wreckage, Chuna found a small, sealed crate. She pried it open to reveal rows of cylindrical vials, each filled with a luminescent liquid. "Coolant fluid?" she said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "I'm not 100% sure.  Smells slightly odd"
"Stash it and tags it, I'm sure someone will be able to identify whatever it is"

A derelict escape pod, its hull covered in scorch marks was next. A quick check for life signs provided no hits so Chuna deployed the grappling arms to retrieve it. Inside, they found a small, portable generator. Lindsey examined it, noting the intact power cells. "What sort of idiot keeps a Jenni in the escape pod?"
"Someone who's desperate for hot Tea in the afterlife?"

The hours passed as they methodically worked through the wreckage. Each recovery was meticulously documented and secured. Despite the eerie silence of the derelict ships and the ever-present threat of radiation, the sense of purpose kept them focused.

Finally, with the shuttle's cargo hold filled with an eclectic mix of valuable and crucial items, Lindsey plotted a course back to Outpost Solaere.

"Shuttle to Ops"
"We have a selection of useful stuff for the engineering teams, and um, we also have 6 body bags with whole or part occupants"

Even the best of endeavours could end on a down when going through ship graveyards

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Meanwhile]

[As Ardyn Jaeger]

[Promenade]

There wasn't a lot of time for shore leave here. But it was more than enough to say hi to a certain someone. It actually took a bit to track down the tiny holoraptor. Last she had seen Steve, she had entrusted him to the care of Commander Garrison when she left for Earth to raise Maddy. At the time, they didn't really have the holoprojectors or computer bandwidth to fully take care of him at home, and he would have missed being around all the people that being in Starfleet provided anyways. It unfortunately was necessary to rehome him, but Ardyn trusted Garrison to know what she was doing.

Anyhow, Maddy had certainly missed her little dino. Ardy did too.

Ardy gave Alex a grin as they passed through the Promenade. Maddy was busy, skipping ahead, holding onto her dad's hand.  Garrison said she'd be in some meetings, but She did mention that Steve was usually spotted on the Promenade, probably trying to meet people. That was his favorite thing to do, besides begging for food.

[Nira Said]

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian wasn't sure how to answer Nira's question, some of what he saw during the tour was impressive, some appalled him. However, he knew Nira well enough to be honest with her, so he paused for a moment and said.

"I think you've done miracles with next ta nothing Lass. This station was in worse shape than Deep Space Nine was when the Cardassians pulled out. While the Cardassians looted that station, it hadn't been abandoned like this one. Add in the pirates making it their home and it's amazin' it's functional at all given the time you've had ta work on it.

"Clearly your weapons array is a mess. Those systems were valuable so those were the first looted or outright stolen. It wouldn't surprise me if'n some of the weapons fired at you durin' that pirate raid were your own weapons come back ta haunt you. If'n I were in charge, now that you got the basics operational, I'd put all my efforts on the weapons. Double shifts by Ops and Engineerin' until you had solid coverage from all aspects. Unless you get some shipments of phaser emitters and such, you will nae be as powerful as the station once was, but you'll be able ta give the pirates enough of a bloody nose that they will pick a different topic.

"The merchant sector seems to be fairly active, but until you can get a handle on this pirate issue, you will nae have a thrivin' commercial operation. Business people want ta make money, they need a place that's safe ta do that, so fix the weapons, fix the business opportunities.

"As for the animals, you can never go wrong with a dog. Never seen the other critters, but they seem friendly enough. I never really took you as the animal sort, but it's good ta see you've gotten settled in here."

Ian smiled when Nira asked about what adventures they'd had since she left and he opened up about their previous mission.

"We met with a people, the Landsers that had actually perfected a fold space drive. Thing that made no sense was, the civilization was other was only at a mid-21st Century level of development. So, they dinna meet the classic 'warp capable' threshold for first contact, but they were star farin' with a technology beyond our own. Problem was, their fold space created temporal pulses that were damagin' the fabric of space. And, for the love of all that's ever been holy, the impact of one of those pulses disabled every system on the Challenger and knocked out everyone board.

"We were spotted by telescopes because our shields went down and we could no longer evade their radio frequency level sensors. Caught with our knickers around our knees, as soon as we could get a shuttle operational, I went down ta the planet ta talk their leadership. So, that turned into an unplanned first contact. They did agree ta stop usin' their fold space when we showed them our sensor data and then we said goodbye and limped back ta Starbase 185.

"Starfleet was all in an uproar about first contact with a non-warp capable species and I was brought before a court martial for that. Fortunately, the Landsers dropped in for a visit with their prototype fold space ship durin' the trial and proved beyond doubt that they were indeed star farin' and I was found not guilty. Then we were ordered ta launch ta come help you out and get ta Starbase 153 for some such, and here we are. You know, a typical Tuesday in Starfleet."

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

Nira scoffed in response, "Oh, pirates, criminals, the fact that the weapons array was designed to pack as much punch as Deep Space Nine, all while utilizing a torpedo complement of a station of this size...there's a crapload of secrets about this outpost that we're uncovering, and I'm sure we haven't found them all. Plus, Deep Space Nine had cooperation from the Bajoran Privisional Government. New Jericho's government cooperates in the exact opposite way. They hated having the Romulans pour in, and they interpret our humanitarian efforts to the refugees as our betraying the Federation.

"Of course our weapons array is a mess," Nira continued. "Of course it was the first to be taken down. Parts stolen, systems outdated, limits set in that specifically require the command codes of the previous command staff! I'm not kidding when I said the weapons array was designed to pack as much punch as Deep Space Nine; this outpost, we are discovering, had been upgrading its weapons and defenses designed in a way to fight, confront and resist the Borg. Where it took Deep Space Nine around a year to upgrade itself into a fortress of power, Outpost Seven had been working and reworking on its weapons array and designs from first contact with the Borg, in light of the reports of its power, right up until the outbreak of the Dominion War, when the project was abandoned along with the rest of the station..."

Nira paused a moment. She reflected on it...yes, now that Ian mentioned it, some of the torpedoes that the pirates sent against Solaere was its own. Thirty years old, and yet still packed a punch.

"I was assured phaser emitters will be coming with the next convoy, included with ships from the Corps of Engineers," Nira said. "And I imagine we will give a bloody nose. I think that the Horizon came at a good time; it will be able to give those pirates the bloody nose the station wouldn't be able to; it will cover the station while Ops and Engineering do their work. And with help from the elements from the Seventeenth Fleet around, we'll be able to get a faster job done.

"But I agree, first priority will go to the weapons," Nira said. "I won't be surprised if our Sec/Tac Chief is doing that; you'd like Ol' Stryker, Captain," Nira said, about Stryker. "My first department head and mentor after graduation. And he used to be an engineer, so he will know his stuff. Plus, since a major obstacle had been the command codes of the previous command staff, we're going to wipe them from memory, and they're gone already from the weapons; I mean, we don't know where they are, anyway."

Upon Ian's mentioning the animals, Nira smiled, glad for a change of subject. "Well, I never had been an animal person since the original Ahkbar died. I had the holo-version created when I learned about Commander Garrison's own holo-pet, Steve the raptor. Nahida, on the other hand...she's a handy pet, since she can often behave as a plant. She just consumes soil nutrients and requires sun and water...she uses water to swim in and so she can absorb it..."

Then she listened to Ian about the Landsers and was taken aback. "Holy Allah...a non-warp people capable of interstellar traversal? They certainly bring the Iconians to mind. And I guess that explained why Admiral Gillespie traveled all this way alongside you. I wouldn't be surprised if he took part in that court-martial."

She kept her peace while Ian spoke next; she didn't mean to rant, but the past weeks had made her feel surlier; it had that affect, even on Commander Garrison, who was normally a person who radiated positivity.

[Don Damien Addams]

[Lt. Don Addams - Outpost]
As the head of the Helm department, he was eager to inspect the legendary Horizon, but that could wait. His old friend was here, and he wanted to be present not only as a friend but also as a department head, ensuring he was up-to-date with any new developments.

"Yes, Discovery," Don smiled. Somehow, he had missed Ian's snide remark about Martha. That was unusual.

Don's thoughts drifted to his wife, where his mind often wandered. Was it a mistake to leave on his journey of self-discovery? It had a purpose, but the persistent worries lingered, particularly about the pirates.

He and his wife busied themselves with preparations for dinner. Although he was available if needed, he had no plans to visit the Horizon. He trusted the situation but felt it wasn't urgent.

[Ian Galloway]

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

Nira scoffed in response, "Oh, pirates, criminals, the fact that the weapons array was designed to pack as much punch as Deep Space Nine, all while utilizing a torpedo complement of a station of this size...there's a crapload of secrets about this outpost that we're uncovering, and I'm sure we haven't found them all. Plus, Deep Space Nine had cooperation from the Bajoran Privisional Government. New Jericho's government cooperates in the exact opposite way. They hated having the Romulans pour in, and they interpret our humanitarian efforts to the refugees as our betraying the Federation.

"Of course our weapons array is a mess," Nira continued. "Of course it was the first to be taken down. Parts stolen, systems outdated, limits set in that specifically require the command codes of the previous command staff! I'm not kidding when I said the weapons array was designed to pack as much punch as Deep Space Nine; this outpost, we are discovering, had been upgrading its weapons and defenses designed in a way to fight, confront and resist the Borg. Where it took Deep Space Nine around a year to upgrade itself into a fortress of power, Outpost Seven had been working and reworking on its weapons array and designs from first contact with the Borg, in light of the reports of its power, right up until the outbreak of the Dominion War, when the project was abandoned along with the rest of the station..."

Nira paused a moment. She reflected on it...yes, now that Ian mentioned it, some of the torpedoes that the pirates sent against Solaere was its own. Thirty years old, and yet still packed a punch.

"I was assured phaser emitters will be coming with the next convoy, included with ships from the Corps of Engineers," Nira said. "And I imagine we will give a bloody nose. I think that the Horizon came at a good time; it will be able to give those pirates the bloody nose the station wouldn't be able to; it will cover the station while Ops and Engineering do their work. And with help from the elements from the Seventeenth Fleet around, we'll be able to get a faster job done.

"But I agree, first priority will go to the weapons," Nira said. "I won't be surprised if our Sec/Tac Chief is doing that; you'd like Ol' Stryker, Captain," Nira said, about Stryker. "My first department head and mentor after graduation. And he used to be an engineer, so he will know his stuff. Plus, since a major obstacle had been the command codes of the previous command staff, we're going to wipe them from memory, and they're gone already from the weapons; I mean, we don't know where they are, anyway."

Upon Ian's mentioning the animals, Nira smiled, glad for a change of subject. "Well, I never had been an animal person since the original Ahkbar died. I had the holo-version created when I learned about Commander Garrison's own holo-pet, Steve the raptor. Nahida, on the other hand...she's a handy pet, since she can often behave as a plant. She just consumes soil nutrients and requires sun and water...she uses water to swim in and so she can absorb it..."

Then she listened to Ian about the Landsers and was taken aback. "Holy Allah...a non-warp people capable of interstellar traversal? They certainly bring the Iconians to mind. And I guess that explained why Admiral Gillespie traveled all this way alongside you. I wouldn't be surprised if he took part in that court-martial."

She kept her peace while Ian spoke next; she didn't mean to rant, but the past weeks had made her feel surlier; it had that affect, even on Commander Garrison, who was normally a person who radiated positivity.

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian listened while Nira vented. He could only imagine the challenges she faced attempting to bring a long abandoned space outpost back online beset by pirates that didn't like being evicted from their base of operations and an uncooperative local government; it had to be a nightmare.

"Sur'n you've been as busy as a one armed paper hanger as my Gammer used ta say. I can't imagine how many hidey holes and secrets are hidden here, but I'm certain you'll get it sorted. Starfleet has made you a priority or you would nae be receivin' so much support, so the critical factor, as with most things, is time. So what are we havin' for dinner?"

[Nira Said]

[Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Phaser Array/Torpedo Bay Two | Upper Tower Weapons Array | Deck Four | Outpost Solaere]

WHILE NIRA IS HAVING DINNER...

While Admiral Gillespie and Commander Mail were conducting their inspection, they had summoned Lieutenant Aune, and once he arrived, Gillespie brought a PADD over.

"Lieutenant? I've been looking over this section of the Weapons Array," he said. "I had heard tell that the weapons systems were being reset in their factory settings. I noticed this section hadn't been got to yet. We were wondering if we can take a look at them, and their logs and all, before yeh get to erasing their memory."

He looked around, and made an additional comment: "Hard to believe, Lieutenant. Despite the weapons complement, it had been made initially to confront the Borg. Yeh had noticed its algorithms were programmed in a way to set at rotating modulations; adjusting and readjusting firepower to keep the Borg from analyzing and adapting. And in most of the warheads that hadn't been looted, they were certainly designed to add some oomph. But yeh probably noo aboot how powerful the weapons array was intended to be. Dinnae worry, we'll be able to lend expertise in helping yeh; my aide and I used to be Security/Tactical officers ourselves."

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian listened while Nira vented. He could only imagine the challenges she faced attempting to bring a long abandoned space outpost back online beset by pirates that didn't like being evicted from their base of operations and an uncooperative local government; it had to be a nightmare.

"Sur'n you've been as busy as a one armed paper hanger as my Gammer used ta say. I can't imagine how many hidey holes and secrets are hidden here, but I'm certain you'll get it sorted. Starfleet has made you a priority or you would nae be receivin' so much support, so the critical factor, as with most things, is time. So what are we havin' for dinner?"

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

"Well, I've been getting some meals warmed and prepared," Nira said, and she got some dishes out. Replicated, but nonetheless kept warm, and definitely cooked when they came from the replicator.

"It's generally more the kind of food that's my speciality: Shawarma, or kebabs. I have some prepared, either in stick or doner form," she added with a smile, showing the different kinds of shawarma; shredded meat in some bread, or chunks of meat on a stick, all cooked in halal specifications. "Oh, and a salad special for Torra, when she comes," Nira added. "So I got plenty when the Addamses get here, even greens for the missus. Let's dig in."

And they continued to chat as they ate, Nira recalling Ian's previous comment. "We'll certainly get to them," Nira commented. "There's surprisingly much to find as much as there is for a planet to explore; this station is two hundred and two years old, after all; built directly at the turn toward the twenty-third century. And it is definitely good to know Starfleet is giving us priority; a trading hub with trade routes to the Romulan Free State, and at a time when we're trying to build good relations with the Free State...well, something like this would be critical enough to put in priority."

[Kela Nelois]

[Mara Nelois - Zexala Nelois - Kela Nelois - Promenade - Outpost Solaere]

"Now now, Zexala dear. How many times to I have to tell you to sit up when you are eating your food." Mara Nelois sighed in the direction of her daughter.

Zexala for her part, was finding no joy in eating her dinner, fish and chips was absolutely not what she wanted. She gave a small "humpf!" as she sunk deeper in her seat.

"Zexala Nelois! When your father arrives he will agree with me and then there will be punishments. If you wish to get something else we must use our words and communicate, we must not throw fits like this."

Zexala continued to be a problem as the door to the restaurant opened and Mara saw Kela enter, adjust his uniform and take a look around.

"This way Imzadi." she spoke telepathically and gave a threatening side-eye to Zexala

Kela noticed them and walked over, his small smile was gone though once he saw his the situation his own daughter was in. Simply taking a seat he grabbed her plate and set it further away.
"Zexala. Let's not do this now. Let us wait until we get back home."

His tone gave no room for negotiation. As her father who was busy with work when he gave an order even teh child Zexala didn't have it in her to continue the fight. After a moment of thinking it over she chose to sit up and after Kela had himself ready with a meal he handed it back to Zexala who began to eat with them all.

"How was work today dear? I heard there's been some exitement over a few ships arriving today."
"It was busy, many systems needed repairing but yes. We have a new duty ship to help patrol the sector. A newer design too."

"Hopefully that will finally help put an end to this pirate buisness!" Mara responded as she took a sip of her drink
Kela gave a small nod but shook his head, "Unfortunately it may not be that simple. But the Commander's are competent. They probably have something lined up for us to deal with them."

Mara let out a small snort and smile "Of course they're competent Imzadi, one of them is family and the other is one of her most trusted friends. I'd expect nothing but the best from those two." Always the optimist Kela always had to appreciate her unwavering faith in people, even if that faith also applied to some of the less...amicable members of her family.
"Of course Mara, I was just saying. Hopefully in a few months we can fully get rid of this threat to the station."

Mara smiled and paused her eating to gaze at her husband. Despite their empathetic abilities he seemed oblivious to her gaze but she couldn't help it. She always had to appreciate his determination, even if it got a bit out of hand at times. He was a rock that she could always lean on. She had to admit that the pirate attacks had her worried a little bit for her and Zexala but recieving updates from Kela and his hard work with the rest of the crew to keep the station safe and stop the pirates kept her fears at bay. With her husband around she couldn't imagine anything ever happening to this station, or her.

She gave a small sigh and went back to her food, time to change the subject, "Well if it's any consolation to you, I'm sure you'd rather be here chasing pirates then back on Betazed. I recently got a communication from our family that Cousin Deiran..."

[Charlotte Fawkes]

Gears shifted again, with a fair number of the outpost crew eager to enjoy a tour of the Horizon. Charlotte forewent the privilege and remained at her station in Ops. She found the Ciden system fascinating. Fifteen years after the Romulan supernova struck the system, debris occasionally entered Ciden's orbit. Usually, small meteoroids whittled down from heat, and bombardment flew by without notice. Peering into the scanner, Fawkes collected data on a sizable hunk of rock that would enter the system in about 12 hours.

"Silicon, iron, ice. Interesting," Fawkes said as she recorded her findings. "The object could be debris from a broken planet, though more likely an asteroid outside the system. Diameter is 370 meters." Her next task was to determine the asteroid's course. "So, where are you going, little fellow?" Running a few trajectories, Fawkes determined that the object would pass safely through the Ciden system. However, Fawkes determined the asteroid warranted a warning and notified Commander Said.

"Commander. My apologies for interrupting your evening, but an asteroid measuring 370 meters in diameter will enter the system in a few hours. There is no danger of impact, but we should monitor its position."

[Stryker]

[Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Phaser Array/Torpedo Bay Two | Upper Tower Weapons Array | Deck Four | Outpost Solaere]

While Admiral Gillespie and Commander Mail were conducting their inspection, they had summoned Lieutenant Aune, and once he arrived, Gillespie brought a PADD over.

"Lieutenant? I've been looking over this section of the Weapons Array," he said. "I had heard tell that the weapons systems were being reset in their factory settings. I noticed this section hadn't been got to yet. We were wondering if we can take a look at them, and their logs and all, before yeh get to erasing their memory."

He looked around, and made an additional comment: "Hard to believe, Lieutenant. Despite the weapons complement, it had been made initially to confront the Borg. Yeh had noticed its algorithms were programmed in a way to set at rotating modulations; adjusting and readjusting firepower to keep the Borg from analyzing and adapting. And in most of the warheads that hadn't been looted, they were certainly designed to add some oomph. But yeh probably noo aboot how powerful the weapons array was intended to be. Dinnae worry, we'll be able to lend expertise in helping yeh; my aide and I used to be Security/Tactical officers ourselves."

lt. Sven Aune | phaser array 2|

Sven folded his arms.  His muscular triceps formed a thick horseshoe shape under the tight uniform, they looked as if they were going to burst through the fabric.

Was this guy for real?  How could an Admiral be so out of touch with reality.  He may have been in tactical at one point in his career, but it was obviously clear he had no idea about engineering.

Sven waited for the windbag to finish before giving him a piece of his mind.

"'Resetin''something back to its 'factory default' that has been retrofitted and refit t'the point that it's no longer resembles the initial product is a joke.  No, when somethin' is less than 20% of what it originally was, due to Borg retrofitting and defense, and what originally was, is now ov'ah 40 years old, and half those 40 year old components aren't even manufactured anymore, there is no such thing as a "reset to factory default."

"The best we can hope for now is stripping out the whole assemblies and replacing them with new arrays an' launchers."

And why was the admiral only interested in offense?  A station was essentially a non-mobile platform.  Its primarily function was defense. It's why the stupid thing was supposed to have an auxiliary craft in the first place.

"Did you not even see my report on the wanton defensive capabilities of this station? It's a bloody death trap right now.  We shouldn't be focusing on its offensive capabilities until its defensive are addressed, bolstered, and shorn up."

What a fucking idiot... he thought savagely.

Somewhere, in the bowls of the station, Martinez was weaving a tapestry of Spanish profanities while she tried to repair antiquated, retrofitted, Frankensteined shield emitters.

Sven was irritated, but not at all surprised. Upper management, brass, whatever, were usually deaf to what was actually needed. They only focused on what they thought would make them look the best in the eyes of their idiotic peers.

[Ian Galloway]

[Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Phaser Array/Torpedo Bay Two | Upper Tower Weapons Array | Deck Four | Outpost Solaere]

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

"Well, I've been getting some meals warmed and prepared," Nira said, and she got some dishes out. Replicated, but nonetheless kept warm, and definitely cooked when they came from the replicator.

"It's generally more the kind of food that's my speciality: Shawarma, or kebabs. I have some prepared, either in stick or doner form," she added with a smile, showing the different kinds of shawarma; shredded meat in some bread, or chunks of meat on a stick, all cooked in halal specifications. "Oh, and a salad special for Torra, when she comes," Nira added. "So I got plenty when the Addamses get here, even greens for the missus. Let's dig in."

And they continued to chat as they ate, Nira recalling Ian's previous comment. "We'll certainly get to them," Nira commented. "There's surprisingly much to find as much as there is for a planet to explore; this station is two hundred and two years old, after all; built directly at the turn toward the twenty-third century. And it is definitely good to know Starfleet is giving us priority; a trading hub with trade routes to the Romulan Free State, and at a time when we're trying to build good relations with the Free State...well, something like this would be critical enough to put in priority."

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian sniffed the food Nira identified as Shawarma and after a cautious nibble, he smiled at the spicy flavorful meat and nodded his approval.

"This is quite good Commander. I'm goin' ta have ta see if'n the Challenger's replicator has the pattern for it."

There was a period of silence as Ian enjoyed the meal before he brought up his earlier conversation.

"Makin' sense of the hash that's been made of the station is goin' ta be a long road. It's one thing ta fix a broken thing back ta the way it was before it was broken, but you've got several generations of bodged up, make shift, Franken-patches on top of modifications here. What needs doin' is a full rebuild, but even though you've been given some priority, you haven't been given top priority. Your Engineers and Ops people are in for a challenge I'm glad I don't have ta face. I guess all you can do is celebrate the small successes as they happen and keep chuggin' away until you have it sorted."

[Lindsey]

[ approaching the station | shuttlecraft ]

The cargo hold was filled with items, valuable or not was yet to be determined.  Might be completely worthless,  might make someone's day. She'd find out soon she hoped.

Following a simple course back to the station she was starting to relax again when the shuttle's proximity alarms blared, jolting both women to attention.

"What's that?" Chuna asked, her voice edged with concern.

Lindsey's fingers flew over the console, bringing up the sensors. "We've got a drifting object directly ahead. It's... Oh no, it's a torpedo. A live one."

The torpedo floated ominously in their path, its sleek, deadly form clearly visible against the backdrop of space. Lindsey immediately cut the shuttle's speed, bringing it to a halt a safe distance away.

"Can we go around it?" Chuna suggested, eyes wide with worry.

Lindsey shook her head. "It's too close to the outpost. If it detonates, it could cause serious damage."

Chuna bit her lip, thinking quickly. "We need to disarm it. Do we have any equipment on board that can help?"

Lindsey scanned their cargo hold. "We've got some tools from the salvage. Maybe we can use them to deactivate the warhead?"

As they floated closer to the torpedo, the scale of the weapon became even more apparent. Its targeting sensors were inactive, but the warhead glowed faintly, a stark reminder of the danger it posed.

"Chuna, do you know how to disarm this thing?"

Chuna hesitated, her antennae twitching nervously. "I've handled a lot of tech, but military-grade torpedoes? This is beyond my expertise."

The realization hung heavy between them. They were alone, floating in the void, with an armed torpedo capable of catastrophic destruction. Lindsey's heart pounded as she considered their options.

"Any movement might trigger it, and the station didn't see it, so the only way they can find it - is if we stay here"

Chuna swore, it seemed the appropriate thing to do

With a sigh, Lindsey picked up the com again

"mayday mayday mayday.  This is shuttle 7 close by the station in section 4.  We have a drifting torpedo with what appears to be a live warhead.  We are ill equipped to move it, disarm it or survive it.  Please advise.  Mayday"

[Nira Said]

lt. Sven Aune | phaser array 2|

Sven folded his arms.  His muscular triceps formed a thick horseshoe shape under the tight uniform, they looked as if they were going to burst through the fabric.

Was this guy for real?  How could an Admiral be so out of touch with reality.  He may have been in tactical at one point in his career, but it was obviously clear he had no idea about engineering.

Sven waited for the windbag to finish before giving him a piece of his mind.

"'Resetin''something back to its 'factory default' that has been retrofitted and refit t'the point that it's no longer resembles the initial product is a joke.  No, when somethin' is less than 20% of what it originally was, due to Borg retrofitting and defense, and what originally was, is now ov'ah 40 years old, and half those 40 year old components aren't even manufactured anymore, there is no such thing as a "reset to factory default."

"The best we can hope for now is stripping out the whole assemblies and replacing them with new arrays an' launchers."

And why was the admiral only interested in offense?  A station was essentially a non-mobile platform.  Its primarily function was defense. It's why the stupid thing was supposed to have an auxiliary craft in the first place.

"Did you not even see my report on the wanton defensive capabilities of this station? It's a bloody death trap right now.  We shouldn't be focusing on its offensive capabilities until its defensive are addressed, bolstered, and shorn up."

What a fucking idiot... he thought savagely.

Somewhere, in the bowls of the station, Martinez was weaving a tapestry of Spanish profanities while she tried to repair antiquated, retrofitted, Frankensteined shield emitters.

Sven was irritated, but not at all surprised. Upper management, brass, whatever, were usually deaf to what was actually needed. They only focused on what they thought would make them look the best in the eyes of their idiotic peers.

[Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Phaser Array/Torpedo Bay Two | Upper Tower Weapons Array | Deck Four | Outpost Solaere]

Gillespie and Ruzal, at the same time, virtually recoiled in shock and surprise by Stryker's news. "Good God!" Gillespie said in shock. "I had noo idea! But...ah, bullocks, it's to be expected when making a shakedown cruise, yeh dinnae get well-connected. And yeh have to excuse my focus for offense; member of Starfleet Security, after all...stripping oot the assemblies...well, consider the new materials on top of the list for the lads at the Corps of Engineering," he added with confidence. "Dinnae worry, yeh will all have the help provided, I think some spare crew are due tomorrow from the Melbourne, the Tolstoy and the Megistus..."

"Admiral," Ruzal called out, looking at the array logs. Gillespie looked them over and was gobsmacked.

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian sniffed the food Nira identified as Shawarma and after a cautious nibble, he smiled at the spicy flavorful meat and nodded his approval.

"This is quite good Commander. I'm goin' ta have ta see if'n the Challenger's replicator has the pattern for it."

There was a period of silence as Ian enjoyed the meal before he brought up his earlier conversation.

"Makin' sense of the hash that's been made of the station is goin' ta be a long road. It's one thing ta fix a broken thing back ta the way it was before it was broken, but you've got several generations of bodged up, make shift, Franken-patches on top of modifications here. What needs doin' is a full rebuild, but even though you've been given some priority, you haven't been given top priority. Your Engineers and Ops people are in for a challenge I'm glad I don't have ta face. I guess all you can do is celebrate the small successes as they happen and keep chuggin' away until you have it sorted."

Gears shifted again, with a fair number of the outpost crew eager to enjoy a tour of the Horizon. Charlotte forewent the privilege and remained at her station in Ops. She found the Ciden system fascinating. Fifteen years after the Romulan supernova struck the system, debris occasionally entered Ciden's orbit. Usually, small meteoroids whittled down from heat, and bombardment flew by without notice. Peering into the scanner, Fawkes collected data on a sizable hunk of rock that would enter the system in about 12 hours.

"Silicon, iron, ice. Interesting," Fawkes said as she recorded her findings. "The object could be debris from a broken planet, though more likely an asteroid outside the system. Diameter is 370 meters." Her next task was to determine the asteroid's course. "So, where are you going, little fellow?" Running a few trajectories, Fawkes determined that the object would pass safely through the Ciden system. However, Fawkes determined the asteroid warranted a warning and notified Commander Said.

"Commander. My apologies for interrupting your evening, but an asteroid measuring 370 meters in diameter will enter the system in a few hours. There is no danger of impact, but we should monitor its position."

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

Nira looked up from her meal when Ensign Fawkes called in. "Indeed?" she said. "Well, it's good and prudent, Ensign. See if you can calculate and estimate its course; we'll see if any incoming ships will come into proximity to this asteroid in the next few hours. Thank you for the heads-up. Said out."

As they ate, Ian's words made Nira look up in surprise. "Rebuilding? That makes sense, my Chief of Security...who used to be my own Chief of Security...he did mention the weapons array isn't just going to need to be reset, but made from scratch. I approved of that work, but it will still leave Solaere vulnerable...

"I don't think fully rebuilding could be in order," Nira said, and then she chuckled. "...it's ironic, I used to think the same thing about the Challenger, but that was before I got used to it; even if the Challenger would've been more of an Excelsior-class ship, it just has new innards that make it more effective, produce more of a punch. In fact, look at Deep Space Nine: It was an old station, despite being fifty years old when Starfleet and Bajoran authorities took over, and yet it was converted into one of the most powerful fortresses in the quadrant.

"And it seems to me that Outpost Seven, before becoming Outpost Solaere, had gone through similar stages in varying points in its history, fixing itself up, modernizing itself," Nira continued analytically. "Before the Borg emerged and the project came about to upgrade itself to counter the Borg, the only time it ever had such a huge armament phase was when outposts like this one were attacked by that Romulan Bird of Prey Kirk chased down...

"The challenge I see is more in regards to how the station had been abandoned, looted, and used as a cache and base for pirates and criminals...that and manpower. Hopefully, we'll see what Admiral Gillespie has in store for us - and the Horizon - tomorrow."

[Nira Said]

First Officer's Log, Stardate 78373.94. The Challenger has departed from Outpost Solaere. But not before, however, I was able to give Challenger and her crew, especially all those I had gotten to know in my time on the Challenger, a proper goodbye. Especially to Zhuk, Kyan, Lahr, Tora and Captain Galloway. It was a pity to know that Neva was gone, she was a good engineer. And to the dolphins, too. I never made a proper when I was assigned to the Revenant, but on the other hand, to Starfleet, a crew that survived the 250th Frontier Day was a godsend.

While the Challenger has made a departure, six more ships have joined the task force around Solaere, led by the Endurant, the Okinawa and the Quagmire, the latter two ships having risked quantum slipstream to make it while the Varka has taken some of the bigger ships on patrol. Fortunately, the bigger ships have supplied us with enough personnel, materials and equipment to get our repairs and refit rolling again, and once contributions are made, plus from ships due from the Corps of Engineering, we expect that, for once, the refit of Outpost Solaere will happen ahead of schedule. That's the estimate Commander Garrison and I had been given.

With so much relieving the Atlas-level burdens off our backs, we are now confident that we are ready to come up with plans to confront the pirates, especially with Horizon to be used to investigate, and to act as Solaere's teeth while the weapons array is being worked on.

Admiral Gillespie and his aide have now finished their...check-ups, and we have been summoned to a briefing...not just we the senior officers, but also the deputies as well, including Ensigns Fawkes and Nelois. Given the amount of temporary personnel loaned to us from the fleets, were it not for them, we wouldn't bring them along. But this seemed to be something for senior officers and deputies to be summoned.

Torra is to remain aboard Ops to take temporary command, but I know it's because of how she felt of the Revenant, and how the Horizon is a sister ship. Stryker is also remaining aboard, as his technical skill with the weapons array is especially needed. And, thank Allah, the CSO has been discharged and able to relieve Ensign Fawkes.

[Commander Nira Said | Mess Hall | Deck Three | USS Horizon NCC-75668-B]

Nira was relieved to know that Savar had been discharged, although it pained her to see his limp and his scar. Still, he was fit for duty after being administered to by the EMH. Therefore, Fawkes was able to be spared, and so too was Kela. Her excitement for the Horizon gradually overrode her concerns for Savar and her already missing the Challenger and her friends aboard.

It was logical for the Mess Hall to be selected for the briefing; it was the biggest possible space to accommodate so many people on the Horizon. It was much like the mess hall on the Revenant, except for a small memorial behind a wall panel, a memorial to Admiral Shelby, the more notable commanding officer of the Enterprise-F, of which the yacht also came from. Nira reflected it was definitely a good idea for Torra to remain behind; it took little imagination for Nira to picture Torra's reaction if she saw the Shelby memorial.

"Afternoon, lads, lassies," Admiral Gillespie called once everybody was assembled, the EMH being transmitted to Mess Hall. "Welcome aboard the Horizon. Today marks the beginning for a new life for a last remnant of a chapter of legacy in a fine line of the name Enterprise. Today marks the new life of Shelby's old yacht. May the memory carry her and last here in Outpost Solaere."

[Nira Said]

[Continuation of Post #88]

"Noo, onto business," the Admiral stated, then proceeded. "I have called as many department heads and department deputies here today to describe assignments regarding the Horizon: First and foremost, that the Horizon is strictly limited to the Ciden System and the outlying Tarod Sector, and nae further past anywhere unless specified by assignment from Starfleet Command.

"Second, given the situation of the command staff consisting of two Commanders, for the moment, we will look at it like the situation of when the Enterprise-A had her command staff of two Captains, Kirk and Spock respectively, Kirk having captaincy after being demoted from the rank of admiral, and etcetera. Therefore, as main Commanding Officer, Commander Garrison will be remaining command of Outpost Solaere and aboard, unless she needs to command the Horizon. Horizon's command, meantime, goes to Commander Said, who will operate the vessel for inter-sector affairs, patrols, escorts, transportation needs and exploration parties, again etcetera.

"Bear in mind, not all the senior officers can be available to man the Horizon; Commander Said need only take one or two additional senior officers to help her command the Horizon, but the assignments to the Horizon will strictly be for junior officers, and for attachment ship senior staff to be assigned to the department deputies. Civilian volunteers will also be of use aboard the Horizon, especially since the task force sent from the Seventeenth Fleet won't be here forever, at least until the situation with the pirates is resolved.

"And noo, on the subject of the pirates," Gillespie said, changing the subject. "Garrison, Said, yeh each have a mission in regards to them. Garrison, you're to handle the internal matter; this is why we're meeting aboard the Horizon. Commander Mail here and I have been investigating the idea of somebody who is leaking the convoy schedules to the pirates, hence all the trouble yeh have had the past two months. Our investigations into the guts of the outpost have revealed several stations that are used by parties unknown, but are being used to eavesdrop on internal ship comms, even accessing computer systems.

"Additionally, our reviews of the system logs indicate evidences of a sort of hacking involved; access has been gained through use of the command codes of the outpost's previous command staff. I appreciate your wiping those codes from the system," he added, nodding in approval, "but I find it disturbing that somebody is using the codes of Pablo and Nunia Javiera, especially since...since Pablo had been killed in the battle of the Tyra system, and there nae had been a trace of Nunia since the Dominion War ended."

He paused a moment, and Nira wondered about the mention of those names. Did Gillespie know them? And from the way Gillespie spoke of Nunia Javiera, she wondered what was wrong with her.

"In summary," Gillespie finished, "Garrison's mission is to search for the leaker, capture him, her or it, and find oot what their connection is to the pirates. Said, you're to take the Horizon to deal with any further pirate raids. Your first assignment in that regard is to help protect the incoming Federation convoy with the Corps of Engineer ships. I will be remaining around Solaere to assist yeh and to point oot to yeh where to go; yeh will receive details for the convoy escort when yeh meet them, once they arrive at the Tarod Sector in the next few hours."

"I look forward to it, Admiral," Nira said. Then she looked around at those in attendance. "Lieutenant Addams?" she asked of Don. "Counselor Drylo, Ensigns Fawkes, Nelois, V'Larinn, Doctor," she added to the EMH, "I hereby choose you for my senior staff on the Horizon, Addams as acting First Officer. I may have some additional civilians in mind, too, Lindsey Aubrey for helm, when her salvage run of the day is finished, and Therem Estrevan to assist Ensign Feeka at Engineering."