Lt.Commander Maz Rodan - The "Midnight" Planet
David H
((USS Arrow - Deck 1; Bridge))
Maz couldn't help but smile as he breathed in a lungful of recycled air on the bridge as they began their newest mission. Another survey, it seemed, but Maz was delighted. Exploration! The scientific unknown. This was what he missed about wearing the Blue Uniform. His recent admin and command schedule had started to make him moody, and for the first time in some months he understood the eerily stony countenance of Captain Shayne.
As the Arrow cruised along at a stable warp, Maz congregated around Science I with Commander Collins and Ensign Jacin. Not to interfere with their work, of course, but to close on hand in case they needed him. A stellar survey was exactly his cup of tea. Any astrophysicist worth his salt would be chomping at the bit to get to that star and begin earnest work in Astrometrics.
Waters: Response
Shayne: Take us out of warp, Lieutenant. Bring us to full impulse, and move us to within 100,000 kilometers of the star.
Waters: Response
The ship slipped into its usual rhythmic hum as it dropped to sub-light. Maz turned to the viewscreen and the sight of the star they would be studying grew closer and closer as they approached. A beautiful yellow star which seemed to dazzle him as the viewer screened out the harmful rays and radiation.
Shayne: Commander Collins- brief history and characteristics of this star system, if you please.
Collins: Response
Shayne: Mr. Jacin, what do your readings show now? Any significant change from Commander Collins’ description?
Jacin: Bursts of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum Captain. It looks like an increasing amount of solar flare activity.
Rodan: Fascinating...
Collins/Shayne/Anyone: Response
Rodan: The Class M planet there, practically shaded from the solar flares. ::He narrowed in a scan.:: Pretty much eighty-five percent jungle. Natural looking caves. Present but limited water sources. And look at the orbital axis...
Collins/Shayne/Anyone: Response
Rodan: ::Running the calculations.:: One Earth "night" on this planet would last 3.1 weeks. ::He turned to the viewscreen again.:: "A Planet of Perpetual Midnight..."
The rest of the readings checked out for the star. He almost wondered why Starfleet would send them this far out for nothing, but here they were. It was still the Unknown, even as they were learning all they could by the moment.
Shayne: Commanders MacKenna and Serinus; tactical analysis. Anything to be concerned about, either strategically or on the surface?
MacKenna/Serinus: Response
Shayne: Alright, then; helm, move us to 80,000 kilometers. Astrometrics, standby for close range readings.
Waters' swift movements made the ship almost swim through space towards their target. Maz chewed his lip thoughtfully and considered leaving the bridge for Astrometrics. Deep down there was still a big part of him - the "Science Guy" part - that wanted to be as hands on with this survey as he could. He was still the only qualified astrophysicist on board, but he didn't want to step on Collins' toes. He was a grand and capable scientist and Maz had to remember that the needs of the ship and crew came before his own scientific curiosity now.
Alvarez: Captain! Showing power loss in deflectors. Compensating, but... :: beat. :: Correction, showing power loss across all systems.
Shayne considered for a moment, then hit the comm button.
Shayne: =/\=Shayne to Engineering. Are you reading a generalized power decrease? =/\=
Hope-Sheppard: =/\= Response =/\=
Maz returned his gaze to the console he was at and ran a select few scans to confirm the readings. Something was happening in the star...
Shayne: Yellow alert. Helm, start moving us back to…
Waters: Response
The shields raising made him feel more secure somehow, but the unusual readings from the star were perplexing him. For all his flexing of being a profound astrophysicist, this had him stumped. As if on cue, the Arrow shook slightly as a solar electromagnetic wave rattled the little Sabre class.
Collins/Jacin: Response
Jacin: Actually what Lieutenant Alvarez is describing is more like explosive diarrhea.
Ayemet looked around the Bridge, feeling the eyes of the crew on her. Maz raised an eyebrow over at the young Bajoran ensign and then remembered the urgency of the situation.
Any Bridge: Response
Jacin: You know when things build up inside, until eventually they…