Rescue Mission

Posted on Wednesday 6 September 2023 @ 15:56 by Admiral David Jackson & Lieutenant Commander Ras th'Zaanaq

Mission: The Search
Location: Starbase 185
Timeline: MD1 0700
888 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

The Admiral was sitting in his office going over the latest duty roster when the comm channel beeped. "Sir we're receiving a distress signal on the Starfleet emergency channel. It's very weak. It could be from the Merlin."

"Pipe it through down here and have Commander th'Zaanaq report to my office immediately!"

"Ayr Sir"

His monitor sprang to life displaying all the information on the incoming signal, studying it closely.

Ras was unsure as to why he'd been summoned to Admiral Jackson's office but proceeded hastily. He pressed the door chime and waited for permission to enter.

He called out "Come in Commander!" He did not stand or look up from his monitor. "Have a seat, we don't have time to waste."

No time for pleasantries, straight down to business.

Ras nodded and did as he was told and took a seat in front of the Admiral's desk, curious as to what was going on.

"What I'm about to tell you is classified, Commander. Three weeks ago we lost all contact with the USS Merlin. No sign, not a trace of her. We've just picked up a distress call I need you to take a team and find out what happened."

He turned his monitor which showed the scrolling information on the distress call. "I'll give you full access to this." He stood and started to pace the room. "I.... I know Captain Jones.... She's a personal friend. I need to know she's ok."

He straightened up and turned to face him. "We're rushing repairs on all the ships we have docked at the moment but the earliest repair estimates are 3 hours so you've got time to study and put a team together. Any questions?"

The Andorian studied the console screen intently before he shook his head. "I understand my orders, What ship can I take? Do I have the disposal of the entire station crew to choose from?"

The Admiral sat back down at his desk and straightened his uniform top. "Assemble your team as you see fit commander, pull whatever personnel you need. There are one or two on the station who have previously served on the Merlin, I'd suggest you might take one or two of them with you. They could prove useful."

He took a sip of the coffee on his desk which had gone cold at this point. He pulled a sour face and set the cup back down. "As for which ship you take, I suppose that comes down to which ship is ready first but then... We had 4 ships docked here, all for repairs. The USS Freeman Dyson is looking like it will be ready first but she's a Nova class science vessel with a top speed of warp 6. Then there's the Nebula class USS Leeds that put in for repairs to their navigational and targeting sensors, The Galaxy class USS Robinson is having a new warp core and structural integrity field installed and finally the USS Sovereign is having part of the outer hull replaced and repairs to their main computer core. As I said, whichever is ready first is at your disposal."

Ras nodded his understanding, "I'll have a look through the personnel files and see which of the crew has served on the Merlin and which would be most useful in a Search and Rescue mission." The Andorian paused for a moment, "What type of mission was the Merlin on? Just so I can prepare the mission properly."

The admiral handed over a PADD. "Here are all the details. The Merlin had just gone through a major systems refit and Deep Space 21. Upgrades to all primary systems plus the installation of a new quantum slipstream drive. Her primary mission was a shakedown of all new systems including the slipstream drive and general exploration of some uncharted space however Captain Jones had sent some rather worrying reports detailing a number of unexplained systems failures indicating that there might be a saboteur onboard."

The Admiral shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

The Andorian frowned as he took the PADD from the Admiral, which in turn caused his antenna to straighten with surprise. "Sabotage? Did they have any leads as to who or why?"


"These reports of sabotage.... are not isolated to the Merlin." The admiral admitted, lowering his voice as if they might be overheard. "Starfleet security is investigating but so far nothing. Keep your eyes and ears open Commander and make sure to liaise with Captain Jones when you find her. This could be a symptom of a much larger problem."

The Admiral cleared his throat. "The priority right now is finding the Merlin and finding out what happened. I've made all the relevant information available to you including former crew members that are currently serving here on the Starbase. As soon as a ship is available, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Admiral." The Andorian as he stood up and tugged at his uniform jacket to straighten it out. "I'll begin making preparations right away. If there's nothing else, sir?" He said basically asking for permission to be dismissed.

The admiral shook his head. "Dismissed."


OFF:

[●●●●] Admiral David Jackson
Starfleet Command
Starbase 185


○●● Lieutenant Commander Ras th'Zaanaq
Starbase 185