Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek-Skyfire: What Have I Done? Pt. 1
Lael Rosek-Skyfire
(( Deck 10, Sickbay Complex, USS Chin’toka ))
Sickbay was absolutely the last place Lael wanted to be right now. It wasn’t because she didn’t like the Sickbay staff and any other day, she would have at least grudgingly put up with being scanned, poked, and prodded. However, she found herself more fidgety than usual and more than a touch impatient. Though they all had to be checked over, she wished the doctors and nurses would have started with her first so she could be dismissed first.
She had a lot to think about and some very intensive research to do. There wasn’t a lot of time and she was going to need more information if she was going to help her father and the other Exiles.
Dermont: Doc, any chance ye'll just sign mah sick note and let get back ta school?
She scoffed. If only it worked that way. Then she would be long gone.
Avae: We haven’t finished with the tests yet to determine if there’s any long term damage due to the radiation exposure. Besides, you’re a bit old for school. ::She smirked::
Snow: Sorry, Mr. Dermont. You’re stuck here with the rest of us until told otherwise.
Dermont: Bah.
A wry grimace twisted her lips. Knowing that she wouldn’t escape the needed battery of tests didn’t make her dislike it any less. Her gaze flickered around Sickbay. They had half a dozen doctors and nurses currently on shift. Surely whatever was ailing the other patients wasn’t more important than getting the runabout team cleared. A selfish thought that she instantly regretted.
Rosek-Skyfire: oO Cool your heels. They’ll get to you when they get to you. Oo
Dermont: ::speaking into the room without opening his eyes.:: So when do we get the rundown on the "Bring yer parents ta work day?"
She shot Valin a withering glance at the comment, but his eyes weren’t open to see it. If she were still Chief Engineer, he’d be enjoying cold showers for a few days courtesy of his lack of tact. It was a sore point and was no joking matter. Her father’s life was in very real danger.
The sudden parting of the Sickbay doors interrupted the sour remark that was on the tip of her tongue, one she quickly swallowed when she saw the Captain step through.
Mei’konda: Apologiies for the rough riide out there, ladies and gentlemen. The Al-Leyans out here decided they found somethiing they wanted to take some pot shots at.
Her gaze flickered to Toryn and she noted the sudden change in his posture. It seemed neither one of them were particularly pleased at the shots coming their way. All of this brought to mind the old adage, “the children suffer for the sins of the parents”. Their parents were at odds and she and Toryn were caught in the middle.
Mei’konda: Were you aable to intercept our communications to the lead Al-Leyan Council vessel?
Dermont: Tight beam, almost miniscule data packets...text only. Kudos on McKnight bein' able ta send through all that soup out there…
She got the feeling Mei wasn’t talking about encrypted messages. She’d been more than a bit busy and had clearly missed quite a showdown. She’d known the man a long time and he was a force to be reckoned with when someone pushed the wrong button.
Rosek-Skyfire: oO What did you do, Mei? Oo
Peters: Worst case scenario, EARS implants have been known to function as a receiver.
Raga: We were and McKnight’s message got through to us.
Mei’konda: Mmh. So you know that it was apparently commanded by a Captain Ket Raga. Small universe. I’m sorry if that complicaates this mission for you, Commander.
Raga: To be honest I am still processing it.
She nodded. Not that she could fault him. She was in a similar boat. Both her and Toryn had skin in this game. It was so much more than just another mission. They each had a personal investment in the outcome.
Mei’konda: I’m glad you’re all goiing to be all right, in either case. What can you tell me about what happened out there? Make it fast, if you could. I… may have deliberately tried to provoke a response from the Al-Leyans before I came down here to debrief you all.
A smirk played on her lips as she fought to suppress a chuckle, shaking her head.
Rosek-Skyfire: oO Of course you did. Oo
And a response he’d gotten if those ships heading into the nebula as they were leaving was any indication.
Levinson: ::Raising an eyebrow, resisting the urge to ask if he really did just provoke them or how:: We did find another ship, sir. Also Al-Leyan.
Raga: ::He looked at the Captain:: And the other ship was captained by Lael’s father. Aldek Desai.
Snow: I get the feeling that they’re what the Al-Leyan fleet is searching for, but I’m not the one that can answer that for certain.
She sombered, reminded again of the imminent danger that her father was in. Her fidgetting began anew and she wished they would just get the scans and necessities over with.
Dermont: Capt'n, are we goin' back in? Find out what game they're playin' at in there?
Mei’konda: Well, Commander Raga, Commander Rosek, it feels to me like therre are too many things in common here to be pure coiincidence. I know that the Al-Leyan race is not as populous as, say, Humans are. But both of you with parents in command of starships, on opposite sides of a conflict? I feel liike we may have to head into that nebula at some point, Mr. Dermont. Or else we may not be able to put a stop to what’s happening here.
Dermont: Did we ascertain what the debris was, fer certain? A ship?
Levinson: The initial scans I took do seem to correspond to the composition of a ship, but I did not have much time to go over it. ::To Mei’konda:: Am I correct in assuming you had more time to process that information than we did?
Mei’konda: Consideriing the hostile action takiing place out there, I find it likely.
Raga: I can’t believe my father would fire on another Al-Leyan ship. ::He scowled:: At least not to destroy it. Maybe disable or board it? Tow it back?
Rosek-Skyfire: ::pauses:: Despite my personal feelings toward Ket right now, I agree with Toryn. It’s reckless and very not Al-Leyan. It’s not something he would deliberately do. He would at least attempt a subtler solution first.
Mei’konda: Nevertheless, the vessels under his command were firing into the nebula, and one of them destroyed the probe we sent aheaad of you. You must also haave felt the turbulence from severaal minutes ago. Something large exploded in there. Ensign Ral was not able to ascertaain what it was, Lieutenant Levinson, but perhaps you can join him on the Bridge and assist, once Doctor Snow releaases you.
Levinson: Well, the database will be able to see if the composition and pattern of dispersal matches anything on record, yes?
Peters: While I’m not exactly an expert in ship metal compositions, really, Dr. Alentonis might be of help there?
Raga: Won’t the dispersal patterns be altered by the eddies and gravitational forces in the nebula? You’ll have to compensate for those.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods:: We should be able to use Noa’s scans of the nebula to at least get a rough idea of how the properties of the nebula would mess with them. ::sombers:: It’s likely one of the Exile ships. Ket would be going warmonger if it was an Al-Leyan fleet ship. ::to Toryn:: ~No offense.~
Mei’konda: All thiings I would appreciaate your assistance in analyzing once you are baack on the Bridge, Commander Peters. Feel free to make use of Mr. Alentonis.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Noa pulling something up on a PADD and it got her curious.
Levinson: There is also another thing Lieutenant Dermont has noticed and I looked into briefly. There seems to be some sort of large-scale gravitational disturbance that caused the eddies we have found to also provide an amount of gravitational pull in a certain direction - one we were able to utilize to make our return trip faster. It may not be much, but it is… odd. It could be simply an unusual property of the nebula, but it could also be something else. We should at least keep that in mind if we were to fly the ship into the nebula.
Was Noa thinking that the ships themselves may not have been the Colony? She paused at that thought. Though she believed there could be habitable worlds deeper into the nebula, why would the Exiles so carelessly leave their ships out in the open relying on cloaking devices when a ship or a few could be spread across the region as a patrol?
No. Either they were heading toward one of those worlds or they had no idea they existed.
Peters: The shuttle’s sensors may’ve been scrambled by some of the interference caused by the weapons fire, but I would also like to check if the reskari alloy did its job.
Raga: It’s likely it did. My father might not have mentioned it to not show his hand, but before he made his presence known I imagine the other ships in there would have reacted if they’d spotted us beforehand.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods sagely:: The other benefit of that Reskari where we placed it. It can distort ion trails. Kind of like the design of the Nebula-class starships. They’re great for steathier missions. I’d hoped that the Reskari would be enough to keep us out of too much trouble.
Mei’konda: Mm, well, these sorts of eddies are not all thaat uncommon in nebulas, though this nebula in paarticular is composed of more different elements than any I’ve personaally seen before. That, plus the strength and speed of them, makes it relatiively unique. It’s also a very large nebula. There are liikely objects of high mass located within that we haaven’t been able to chart due to the radiation’s interference. Perhaaps even stars or planets.
Dermont: Response
Peters: Wherever you need me, sir.
Raga: Same, I’d like to get to work on trying to narrow down just how many ships are out there.
Snow: Actually, I’d like to keep Commander Raga longer, Sir.
Mei’konda: Why is that, Doctor?
Snow: Response
Rosek-Skyfire: ::smirks:: Looks like teacher wants you to stay after class. Not everyday you experience a three-way telepathic connection with two T4s.
Mei’konda: Mmh. Telepathy. It’s not the first tiime I’m glad that I haaven’t that particular sense. Very well, Doctor. Fiinish with him as soon as you can, please.
Raga: Response
Dermont / Levinson: Response
Peters: Do we know how many ships, approximately? The disturbances I saw could indicate more than three, presumably all cloaked.
Raga: More than that. ::He looked at Cadfael:: Before my dad decloaked I had noted at least a half dozen or more. Between wakes, and other disturbances in the gasses. ::He shrugged:: How many of those are my father’s and how many he’s hunting I have no idea.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::shakes her head:: He must have caught the other ships at a weak moment.
Snow: Well, you all will be happy to know that you all are free to go with a clean bill of health.
She’d have laughed at Toryn trying to sneak off despite Liz’s request if Wyla hadn’t intervened. His reaction to the lithe Antosian woman made holding it back damn near impossible and she found herself struggling not to dissolve into a fit.
Avae: And just where do you think you’re going, Commander? ::She smiled:: We haven’t finished our scan comparison to see if that telepathic contact scrambled your noodle.
Raga: ::His brow raised slightly:: I don’t have a noodle. Last thing I ate was L’ata stew. It doesn’t have noodles.
Now even Toryn wasn’t that dense. Was he?
Snow: ::smiles:: That’s not what she means, Commander.
Peters: Response
Dermont / Levinson: Response
Avae: ::giggles:: I mean your head, your brain silly. Uh…Commander.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Had he really thought he was going to get out of a more in-depth check so easily? If she was stuck here, certainly he was. Of the two of them, she was the one most experienced in this. The fact that Liz had concerns about her, it followed that the Doc would have similar ones about Toryn.
Mei’konda: Commander Raga, the sooner you sit down and hold stiill, the sooner you can get back to your station and help us fiigure out this puzzle. Before they get to work on you, is there anythiing more you can tell me?
Raga: I sensed the minds of Al-Leyans close by while we were out there. So, Commander Rosek-Skyfire and I linked minds in order to communicate with them covertly. Turns out the Captain of their ship was her father. ::He paused:: It was strenuous.
A wry grimace crossed her lips. That was an understatement. She massaged her temples. Now that the adrenaline was fading, a bit of a headache was beginning to manifest itself. It was only natural given the stress her brain had been under. Normally, she would have just retired to her quarters to rest. However, Liz seemed intent on a very thorough examination.
Snow: To say the least. I’ll keep you posted on his recovery, Sir.
Mei’konda: I appreciaate it. All of you that the Doctor has released, return to your staations. We’re at red alert, so maintain battle readiiness. Doctor Snow, may I have a brief word with Commanders Rosek and Raga while you work?
Snow: Response
Mei’konda: Thaank you, Doctor, I appreciaate it. I will see the rest of you soon.
Raga / Snow / Avae: Responses
Peters / Dermont / Levinson: Responses
TBC…