Lt. Robin Hopper: Bumps and Scrapes
Robin Hopper
((OOC - Sorry it's kind of a long one, but I had a couple time jumps and new content from Ukinix to work into the scene!))
((Bridge, USS Independence-B, Terminal A – Amity Outpost))
Robin sat back in her chair, arms crossed – a pose which reflected her feelings. The entire situation stunk. As a scientist, she lived in a world of facts and investigation, not hope and supposition. When answers didn’t present themselves, it was her prerogative – her responsibility – to find them. Yet it felt like they had none, and were no closer to finding any either.
The Targhee was unaccounted for, but where had it gone? There were strangers posing as friends on the station, but why were they there? The odds seemed high that they’d somehow crossed the boundaries between their universe and another, but how? Sure, they had guesses – but operating on hunches and speculation were a great way to make a bad situation worse.
Carter: Our job is to prepare the best we can, with or without word from the Daintree. Commander Ukinix expects this ship and crew ready to fly, with our department heads ready with strategies and solutions. As of now, we've heard nothing, correct?
Reade: I have not heard of anything from the reports on Amity.
Carter: Allright. Then we continue to plan as though we will not hear from them.
Ultimately, it was a problem of time. John and Scotty were definitely right about one thing… they were short on time, which meant operating on hunches and speculation were going to be necessary.
Robin sighed, releasing her arms from their crossed position. This was the difference between being a Science Officer and the Chief Science Officer, she supposed. Occasionally, you had to just follow your gut.
Hopper: Fine. I don’t like it, but we can’t ignore where the limited evidence is pointing us. The timing of the quantum singularity’s stabilization aligns well with the last communications from the Targhee – and the arrival of our new friends.
She stood from her seat, walking across the bridge to Scotty’s terminal, and indicating her concerns as she spoke.
Hopper: The Indy-B’s weakpoints in high gravitational environments has already been assessed, fortunately, as a bit of a bright side to the time you all got caught in that gravity well. ::A look to both men:: Hopefully not a sensitive subject… ::Back to the terminal:: The benefit of that is we know its weakpoints and can try to provide additional shielding in those areas. The forces exerted on the hull will be similar to those you experienced passing through the event horizon of that anomaly…
She made a quick mock adjustment to shield configurations on the terminal to demonstrate what her recommendation was. The terminal indicated with a flashing orange light that the configuration exceeded current available power.
Hopper: And there’s the problem. A smaller craft, like the Targhee, could pass through relatively unharmed. But the Indy has more surface area and, thus, more weaknesses.
Reade: Hmm,:: looking to Robin:: I will need more power for the SIF generators if we are going to bolster the shields to that power level you specified.
Robin nodded as Scotty looked at her, then at Carter.
Hopper: And that’s where we have to put our lives in your capable hands, Scotty. ::A concerned smile:: If you can make it happen, we might stand a chance.
Carter: Give her what she needs. We've got power to spare.
Reade: Understood, I guess I can take additional power from the other systems since there are only 3 of us onboard.
Carter: Make it happen, Robin...
She held up a finger of clarification.
Hopper: As a test of the ship’s capabilities. Yes. ::To Scotty:: Ideally we’ll get some time to refine our configurations before the others come aboard. We’ll at least need to maintain systems on the Bridge and… hmm… wherever Commander Ukinix plans to put our ‘guests’ once they catch them.
With that, the group broke. John remained on the Bridge, running diagnostics on the sensor arrays to ensure that whatever trail of breadcrumbs the Targhee had left behind, they’d be able to pick it up, while Scotty made his way to Engineering to begin working on a solution to allow them to shunt power way from other systems and into shields.
Robin, meanwhile, made her way to the Deflector Control systems. A recent venture into the benamite fields aboard the Arbutus had nearly ended in disaster when a similar – but much much smaller – anomaly had formed near their shuttle. The bombardment of radiation from even such a small subspace fissure had been sufficient to knock out many of the shuttle’s systems, and tossed Robin around like a ragdoll…
((Flashback – 240004.13, Type 6A Shuttle Arbutus, Barossa Nebula))
Flint: Quantum fissure? I don’t particularly like the sound of that.
Robin turned back to the viewscreen.
Hopper: I believe Mr. Flint has seen the effects of uncontrolled quantum subspace distortion in an active benamite field up-close and personal.
Flint: ::Grumbling:: Bloody hell… I knew I didn’t like this.
The entire shuttle was shaking violently. Flint reached for the controls, trying to move them away, but the helm console flickered, sparked, and went dark. A moment later, the lights in the cabin followed suit, plunging them into darkness, and the shuttle listed to the side. Hopper, the only one on her feet, reached for something to hold onto in the darkness, but the inertial dampers were out, and she felt herself thrown against the side wall of the shuttle with an audible bang.
She heard voices shouting around her as her vision grew dark and fuzzy. She stared past the faces of the others and out into the cosmos beyond, trying to work out how she’d wound up in this funny little predicament. A small smile ebbed at the corners of her lips before her eyes rolled back and shut, and she slipped off into a troubled unconscious sleep.
((End Flashback))
The last thing she wanted was for the same thing to happen to the Independent. To that end, she was exploring an idea that had been initially proposed and, sort-of field tested, by Ensign Veers during their War Games with the Hirogen. It was a risky idea, but it involved converting excess energy from the ship’s ramscoops into divertable kinetic energy that could be redirected via the deflector.
Veers and Rahman had used it as a weapon – to dramatic effect, Robin recalled…
((Flashback – 240003.24, USS Jemison))
There was another shake, causing alerts to sound from several terminals, including Hopper’s.
Ukinix: Report!
Robin looked at her terminal, confused… By the looks of it, the Kitty Hawk had somehow fired on them. Yet the ship still appeared to be disabled, save for its maneuvering thrusters.
Hopper: I… Don’t know how to explain it, but I think Rahman just fired on us. ::Eyebrows raised:: I don’t even know if it was intentional, let alone how they did that… ::Looking up:: Damage report?
((End Flashback))
And that had been managed with the Kitty Hawk in a ‘disabled’ state. With the Indy’s systems functional, they may be able to redirect that same kinetic energy back into a more defensive system, rather than simply ‘bouncing’ it off the deflector… Maybe into the matter/antimatter reactor? Maybe into the impulse engine – if they could handle it.
((Deflector Control Systems, USS Independence-B))
While she worked away at trying to recreate the deflector shield adjustments necessary, she heard her combadge chirp.
Reade: =/\= I am running the simulation now, I will advise once it's completed. =/\=
Carter:=/\= Copy that. Keep me advised.=/\=
Hopper: =/\= And I will let you boys know how my deflector modifications go… =/\=
Reade: =/\= Understood. =/\=
Accessing the deflector control terminal, she began digging into the configuration files – her Department Head clearances allowing her access to modify them directly.
Hopper: ::To the Indy:: Come on baby… Let’s see what you can do.
((A While Later))
A bead of sweat had formed directly between Robin’s eyebrows, but she was too focused – and her hands were too busy – to do anything about it. She was currently laying on the floor, the top half of her body plunged into the deflector assembly, her hair back in a tight ponytail, with a flashlight stuck in her teeth, doing her best to make the isolinear chip adjustments necessary after completing the (far less physically-demanding) reprogramming.
oO I’ll bet this is way easier on a Galaxy Class ship… Oo she lamented. oO Who did they design the Defiants for, anyways? Roylans? Oo
Her combadge chirping again startled her, and she bumped her head, dropping the flashlight out of her teeth as a yelp of pain escaped her lips.
Hopper: Ahh!!
Reade: =/\= I got the results; they look bad. But I may have an idea. Can you two come down to engineering? =/\=
There was a moment’s pause as Robin looked down into the deflector array depths beneath her, her flashlight definitely now out of arm’s reach.
oO Well $#&%... Oo
Carter: =/\= On my way down.=/\=
There was just enough light coming up from below for her to complete the last few adjustments. She’d just have to leave the flashlight for one of Scotty’s crew to fish out of there later.
oO That’s what you get for keeping this operation a secret, Starfleet… You get Science Officers leaving trash in your deflectors. Oo
She tapped her own badge.
Hopper: =/\= I’ll be there in… A few minutes. =/\=
((Shortly After, Main Engineering, USS Independence-B))
Robin entered Main Engineering an indeterminate amount of time after John had arrived. Not long, she hoped, but she couldn’t be sure. After completing her work adjusting the deflector array, she’d high-tailed it as quickly as she could, wiping the sweat out of her eyes. As she entered the room, a strand of chestnut hair escaped her ponytail and fell over her eye. She instinctually ‘poofed’ it out of her face with a little gust of air before nabbing it and tucking it behind her ear to be dealt with later… It was then she noticed the smudged eyeliner on her fingertips with an annoyed grunt.
Fortunately, nobody else seemed to notice (or care) that she looked like she’d just come from a workout.
Carter: Allright, what have we got?
((OOC – I spoke with Sunny, Scotty’s writer, about what his plan was before writing this bit so I had a loose idea of what Scotty was going to propose…))
Reade: Response
Hopper: Extra power, huh? ::Chuckling deviously:: Well, Scotty… Do I have a fun surprise for you!
Carter/Reade: Response
Hopper: Guess who just finished reconfiguring the deflector array to snag extra power from the Hawking radiation being emitted by the singularity and redirect wherever we want? ::Smirk:: I’ll give you three gue–
Before she could finish gloating about her foresight, however, an urgent communication came in from Commander Ukinix, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Ukinix: =/\= Ukinix to Commander Carter. Priority one, launch the Indy and begin pursuit of the Miombo. I repeat, begin pursuit of the Miombo which has just left the shuttlebay with… ::choosing words carefully:: Ambassador Vataix as a potential hostage. =/\=
Robin’s eyes went wide. oO Did he say hostage? Oo
Carter: =/\= Response =/\=
Reade: Response?
She shot a quick glance to Scotty.
Hopper: Well, I was going to ask you to check my work – but I guess we’re short on time. We can work out the kinks on the Bridge.
As they all began clambering towards the ship’s command deck, Robin whispered to Scotty.
Hopper: How much damage can a loose flashlight do inside the deflector assembly anyways? Just curious…
Reade: Response?
((Bridge, USS Independence-B – Barossa Nebula, in pursuit of the Miombo))
As John took the center seat, and Scotty sat at the helm controls, Robin made her way to the science terminal, already knowing they’d each be wearing a few different hats. The Independence was a very large ship to be staffed by only three officers. Thank God they’d each just undergone what felt like advance training for such a scenario during the Hirogen Wargames, serving aboard even larger vessels with similarly skeletal crews.
Hopper: I’ve got the Miombo on sensors, Commander… They’re making a run for it at full impulse without clearing Amity’s controlled space. ::Eyes narrowed:: And they’re headed for the quantum singularity. ::Snort:: I guess that answers that question.
Carter/Reade: Response?
The Indy detached from its berth and moved quickly out into the purple nebula beyond in pursuit of the runaway shuttle and its alternate universe crew.
Ukinix: =/\= Yosemite to Independence. Report! =/\=
Carter/Reade: =/\= Response =/\=
Hopper: =/\= The Miombo might survive a trip through the singularity, Commander – but I can’t be sure. They’re taking a huge gamble heading there now. If we don’t catch up to them… Well, there might be nobody left to catch up to. =/\=
Robin watched on her sensor readout as the small craft continued into the nebula, bee-lining for the anomaly. If they’d come from it initially, it would make sense they’d head back that way now… And if they’d passed through and survived, then the odds were decent that the Targhee could have survived as well… Still, the odds were slim, especially without any modifications made to the Miombo’s structural integrity or shields…
oO Better we just catch them before they get there… Oo she told herself.
Iovianus/Wong/T’Pel: =/\= Response =/\=
Ukinix: =/\= Our whole fleet of auxiliary craft are going after them. Let’s try and corral them. Ukinix out. =/\=
Carter/Reade: Response
Hopper: No response to attempted hails… Commander – we’re closing on them. They’ll be within phaser range in about twenty seconds. ::Shrugging:: Just in case you want options.
Carter/Reade: Response
