[Act 1] Ensign Saavei - Circling the Subspace Drain

[Tara W]

((Scout Ship Miombo - Edge of Trenvonn Space))

Saavei: Commander, the Daintree is moving to the prospective origin point of the debris. ::She did a quick scan of the first three containers on the Miombo:: Sir, the inorganic debris is certainly from a vessel. I am also detecting faint antiproton signatures; it could be indicative of disruptor fire near or on the material in question.

oO Which ruled against the environmental damage hypothesis she'd considered... it appeared there had been some shooting before that distress signal went out... Oo

Orrey: It still begs the question of how easy this will be when we get there.

Taelon: Disruptor fire?

Orrey: This smells of combat. ::waving a hand at the debris:: If they didn’t close the rift they use, is it still open? Is that what we are picking up in those waves?

Jansen started to scan over the organic matter inside the canister. Luckily it was a closed container so no one would have to see the gathered mass.

Saavei: It could be related to combat. Given the small amount of residual antiprotons, small arms fire is more likely than ship-based weaponry, if so. 

As for the waves, Saavei thought Taelon seemed more knowledgeable about that aspect.

Taelon: I - that’s a safe assumption, I think. Maybe they tried to flee out of Underspace during a fight, and the forces destroyed the ship…? There’s not much left on this side, it seems…

Orrey: I will say this. Given the what Saavei said about the ship composite, and what the tricorder says now. ::indicating the container:: This used to be Vaadwaur. We should let the others know. And to be careful in case the door is still cracked open at the origin point.

Saavei: There could be additional Vaadwaur in the area or enroute to it. If we received a Starfleet distress signal, it is possible the Vaadwaur also sent one if a ship is damaged or disabled.

She saw Taelon run a hand over his head.

Taelon: Ensign, let’s scan the area to be sure we’re alone.

Saavei did another scan of their immediate surroundings. Nothing but the Daintree popped on her sensors but if the Vaadwaur were in underspace, or cloaked, she'd be unlikely to detect them.

Saavei: No sign of additional Vaadwaur on sensors, sirs.

Taelon: Well, that’s good…

Orrey: Take the blessings They are giving us while we can.

The Vulcan looked to her two companions.

Saavei: If we have found an opening into underspace, perhaps either the Miombo or Daintree could get a probe inside? If there is more debris or a Vaadwaur threat, it may allow us to detect them.

Taelon: Good idea. I’ll, um, call the Daintree and let them know what we have so far.

Saavei: Out of curiosity, doctor, given the small sample size... does the Vaadwaur tissue we recovered show any signs of artificial damage as opposed to vacuum exposure?

The Vulcan realized it as a, as humans said, 'long shot' but perhaps they could learn just a bit more. The idea of an entrance to underspace nearby fascinated her.

Orrey: ::shaking his head:: If it wasn’t for trace elements I wouldn’t even be able to tell you it was Vaadwaur and not a garden snake. There isn’t a lot here.

Taelon: =/\= Miombo to Daintree. We’ve retrieved wreckage we believe originated from the breach. Ensign Saavei and Doctor Orrey confirm it’s of, um, Vaadwuar origin. As are the - ::He paused, considering his words.:: As are the physical remains found amid the debris. They’ve also found some indication of on-board disruptor fire. =/\=

Hopper: =/\= Disruptor fire?  ::A pause::  Well, we’re really racking up a list – or, um, a catalogue of risks over here. We’ve found a spatial rift that may be a semi-collapsed entrance to an underspace corridor near our present location. That’d be consistent with your findings, Miombo. =/\=

Taelon: =/\= Aye, we’ll join you at the disturbance shortly. Be careful. Miombo out. =/\=

The line closed with a click.

Taelon: Let’s join the Daintree.

Pilot: Aye-aye, sir, laying in a course.

Taelon got to his feet, head ducked down to step out of the cockpit area and into the back where the containers sat. He squatted down next to them, tricorder in hand.

Taelon: Any luck?

Orrey: Nothing definitive unfortunately.

Saavei: We could attempt more in-depth scans for additional debris but I am unsure how much more we will find.

Taelon: Signs of on-board conflict worry me most, I’ll, um, admit…we haven’t really had any run-ins with the Vaadwuar recently, have we?

He looked at the other two curiously. 

Orrey: One of the few Delta species we haven’t had an encounter with yet.

Saavei: I am recently assigned to the Delta Quadrant. I have not encountered any. According to the ship library, there was a prior incident with Vaadwaur in the alpha quadrant using the underspace tunnels. They also have a colony on Devinon V but it is primarily agricultural. There are some reports stating concerns that the Vaadwaur may take advantage of the Borg being weakened to make new moves but nothing conclusive. Until today, perhaps, depending on the purpose of this Vaadwaur vessel being so near the Outpost.

Taelon: How about the disruptor type, or…wounds? Is it anything we can track?

Orrey: We could narrow down the pattern to a more specific model but a lot of the radiation we would use dissipates in the void.

Saavei: We would be able to verify if the energy patterns were from a specific weapon, as the Doctor states, but it is unlikely we could do more than that. The antiprotons were sparse.

Berapli: =/\= Unknown vessel, this the Turei Scout Ship Starshell. Explain your presence. =/\=

Orrey: Well, there is your first wrinkle.

Taelon hurried back to his seat.

Taelon: =/\= Ahm - this is Lieutenant Commander Taelon of the SS Miombo, from the United Federation of Planets. We’re here on a, um, a scientific fact-finding mission. =/\=

Saavei: =/\= Our intentions are not hostile, Scout Ship Starshell =/\=

Berapli: =/\= This is unstable space; the Turei claim watch over all such edges. =/\=

Taelon: =/\= Well, we’re - we’re here to study the subspace disturbances. The purpose of our mission is scientific… =/\=

Saavei: =/\= Given their proximity to Amity Outpost, they provoked curiosity =/\=

Berapli: =/\= And who are all of you to make any claims here? =/\=

Taelon: =/\= As I said, we represent the Federation, and our duties include scientific inquiry… =/\=

Saavei was unsure what more she could add to the conversation at the moment and so held her peace.

Orrey: =/\= More importantly. Can you tell us how you knew to come to this spot? =/\=

Saavei observed the doctor taking the lead in the discussion, which appeared to be much to Taelon's relief. Meanwhile, she had read how zealously the Turei guarded underspace, or had when Voyager encountered them. She didn't like not knowing where a potential hostile was.

Saavei: ::quietly, off comm:: I am attempting to triangulate the Turei signal to locate their position.

Berapli: =/\= Response? =/\=

Orrey: =/\= We have reason to believe the breach in this region is an issue we all need to focus ourselves with resolving. If you would follow us to meet the other ships we have in the area we can work together to solve a problem none of us want. =/\=

Jansen pressed a button on the panel to mute the line looking at the ensign.

Orrey: Send a silent message to Robin so she knows what is happening in case we need backup.

Saavei: Yes sir. ::Then opening a new panel on her LCARS, sent said message to the Daintree:: =/\= Miombo to Daintree, silent message. Contacted by Turei scout ship. Dialogue ongoing. =/\=

The doctor reopened the channel looking to Taelon.

Taelon: =/\= We have - we have reason to believe one of our own was involved in an incident in Underspace, and exited near this area. We’ve discovered wreckage from a Vaadwuar ship that may have been involved. We mean no harm - simply to understand what happened and retrieve our colleagues if they are in distress. =/\=

Saavei: =/\= Are you able to assist us in this, Scout Ship Starshell? =/\=

Berapli/Orrey: =/\= Response? =/\=

Taelon: =/\= We have other ships in the area, as the Doctor said. If you allow us to reconvene with them, and assist us with your own knowledge, we can be done swiftly and withdraw…=/\=

Saavei thought it was going as well as it could, all things considered. She was having difficulty pinpointing the Turei ship location with underspace.

Saavei: ::quietly:: I can narrow down the general area of the Turei ship but not a precise location, sirs.

Orrey/Berapli: =/\= Response =/\=

Taelon: =/\= A-again, no harm or aggression is meant. We would greatly appreciate your assistance…? =/\=

He trailed off into a hopeful question, glancing at the other two.

Varati: =/\= OPs to Daintree, Miombo and Independence-B: Whoever receives it first: the scouts must get away from the vicinity of the subspace rift! Immediately! Part of the rift is on the verge of collapse! Get out of there! =/\=

Saavei: Sirs, priority message from Amity Ops. The subspace rift is on the verge of collapse, they recommend immediate withdrawal. ::On comms again:: =/\= Turei vessel, we have received information the rift may collapse any moment, be advised of navigational hazard =/\=

The last thing Saavei thought they needed was a diplomatic incident with the Turei on top of all of this.

Taelon/Orrey/Berapli: Response 

Saavei: =/\= Saavei to Daintree, Ops indicating the rift on verge of collapse, they recommend we withdraw immediately =/\=

Saavei was relatively sure they would have received the same message but better safe than sorry.

Taelon/Orrey/Berapli: Response

The Miombo rocked as subspace turbulence abruptly increased, buffeting them violently. An alert klaxon sounded as the computer automatically raised shields to protect the vessel. Saavei looked to her panel then over to the two other officers. The scout ship jerked violently a second time, its momentum fighting against the direction it was moving, as the inertial dampeners compensated.

Saavei: The collapse is beginning. We are caught in a gravitational eddy. It is pulling us toward the rift; if we do not escape, the Miombo could be destroyed or pulled into the other side of said rift, potentially underspace.

Taelon/Orrey/Berapli: Response

TBC/TAGS

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Ensign Saavei

Engineering Team

Amity Outpost

A240208S13