The Experimental Shuttle: Part 1 - A few kinks in the armor
Posted on Sunday 2 June 2024 @ 04:01 by Commander Seklar & Ensign Charlie Cooper
Mission:
The Search
Location: Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD2 1000
993 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure
OCC: Hey so we're starting to look at the experimental shuttle here. Please feel free to include any others who want to be on the project.
ON:
18 Months Ago
After the incident yesterday, Charlie had been cleared by sickbay but put on light duty for a week so she had decided to go see how much progress had been made on the experimental shuttle which as it turned out, was not a lot. Most of the engineering staff had been focused on the quantum slipstream drive and repairing the systems damaged in the aforementioned incident.
There was a holodeck program set up a bit like a drafting room and there was a full-size representation of what the finished version of the shuttle would look like sitting in the middle of the room. The sleek design was impressive but Charlie knew looks alone were not going to be worth anything if this new engine didn't perform as promised.
Charlie was reading the notes sent over from Utopia Planetia shipyards. Everything looked good, subspace filed geometry, warp filed stability and yet... for some reason on the first simulation, the shuttle tore itself apart, which was not good.
She was so focused on the reading that she did not hear the doors of the holodeck open.
Needing a break from the repairs, Seklar walked onto the holodeck. Tinkering on the shuttle had become much of a hobby these days and as frustrating as the project was, it was also a means for him to unwind. "Found anything new?" He asked as he approached, taking a moment to study her. "Are you well?"
Not taking her eyes off the text, Charlie responded. "I'm feeling better Commander. Sickbay has me on light duties for the rest of the week and the Doc recommended a few days of hyronalin treatment to counter the radiation."
She eventually looked up, a bit awkwardly and added "Thanks for getting me out of there." She quickly continued "As for finding anything new, I'm not sure. I've worked out at what point the structural failure occurred on the first flight but what's causing it... Not yet. It looks like the breakup started in the port nacelle, as if it was just ripped straight off the shuttle."
“Sounds like you might need to reinforce the nacelle pylons” Jack said from the door before walking in to join the others. He’d heard about this little project through the grape vine and decided to come down and take a look, “so, we’re designing another shuttle? Maybe we could go with something a little less traditional this time, like the Delta Flyer”
Charlie was studying the design intently. "If we could alter the angle of the nacelle pylons so they're more swept back and made them thicker, it might work." She stated inputting commands into the panel and the design of the shuttle altered to reflect the changes she had made and ran a quick computer simulation. Everything looked to be going.... Suddenly, as before the left nacelle was ripped off and the simulation ended abruptly.
"Damn!" Charlie exclaimed.
"What if we reinforce the nacelles?" Seklar suggested quietly, "and the pylons? Warp does cause stress on them, are they being pulled apart, or vibrated apart?"
Charlie studied the data. “It’s not a vibrational force, more like a speed differential. The nacelle was ripped from its house it, almost like it was travelling faster than the rest of the shuttle.” She continued to enter information into the shuttle simulation. “We should try a simulated flight with this new design. The reinforcement might work.” She suggested but didn’t sound entirely confident....
Present day
Charlie now stood in front of the completed holographic shuttlecraft. She had been right about what was causing the shuttle to break up from the new notes that had been provided by Starfleet. At the new higher speeds, the hull of the ship was depolarizing causing a speed differential between the ship and the nacelles. The nacelles were being ripped from the shuttle. A depolarization matrix had now been set and she was just fine-tuning the parameters.
Seklar watched his protégée from a slight distance, musing on how far she'd come. Their work relationship was rocky at best, but he did admit that she was a great addition to the engineering team. "How are the upgrades coming along?" He asked as he pushed himself away from the shadows.
Charlie moved to the diagnostic console in front of the shuttle. "Everything looks good Commander. If we can conduct some successful simulated flights with this design, we should be able to start construction of the actual shuttle. We need to bring the shuttle to Warp 5 before engaging the enhanced drive. According to Starfleets, estimates, the shuttle will create a Quantum tunnel, similar to our slipstream drive capable of speed at leave 40 times faster than our maximum warp. We'll need to monitor for any unexpected side effects such as radiation and physiological impact. I'll monitor from here, would you like the honour of the first simulated test flight commander?"
The Vulcan nodded slowly as he regarded the holographic representation of their hard work. "You should submit a paper to Starfleet Corps of Engineering regarding our data," he suggested, deciding that her commitment and change in attitude deserved to be rewarded. He didn't wait for her answer as he boarded the shuttle. "Ideally, there are two people aboard when we take the actual shuttle out," he added as he started the pre-flight checks. "Ready when you are..."
This came as a surprise to Charlie. "Aye, Sir. I've been keeping notes on the changes that have been made. We'll still need someone to monitor the flight 'from the ground' so to speak..."
She tapped her Commbadge "Ensign Carlile, can you join us in holodeck 1?"
"I'm on my way." came the response.
OFF:
Ensign Charlie Cooper
npc Jones
Commander Seklar
Chief Engineer
