Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds - One Step Closer to the Abyss (Part I)
Quinn Reynolds
((Bridge, USS Gorkon))
On the main screen, two lifeless ships performed a tired ballet among a field of debris. An umbilical snaked between, drifting in slow motion, tethering the two ships together. No doubt an attempt to pour power into the Sasu Gol and bring it back to life. It’s what she would have done.
It hadn’t worked. Neither ship had power. There had been no answer to the Gorkon’s hails. There was nothing to prove anyone was still alive.
And yet there Quinn was, clinging to a tiny, desperate hope.
Almost invisible among the signal noise, lifesigns flickered in and out aboard the two ships. Not nearly enough to account for two crews. Barely enough to invest any hope in.
But it was all they had. The closer the Gorkon approached, the worse the sensors performed, and the more intense the drain on their power. So there they were, hovering at the far edge of transporter range, not daring to move nearer for fear of losing more power and their ability to get a lock.
Quinn took a breath. Walter over there. Her children here. Ninety-one souls needing rescue. A crew of six hundred to care for. She hated the cold pressure crushing her insides, choking her breath and sending her pulse drumming through her ears. It felt like she was drowning, sucked below a frigid sea, struggling for air.
Reynolds: You have the bridge, Commander Nkai. ::She paused, and then added more quietly,:: Keep them safe.
((Main Engineering, USS Gorkon))
The warp core thrummed like a beating heart in the centre of main engineering, pushing power through the arteries of the ship. It was fighting a losing battle, generated energy syphoned off to an unknown somewhere by an unknown something. Despite having fuel reserves that would last them months, it wouldn’t be long before the stately starship was dead in the water.
A puzzle. Quinn usually liked puzzles. She enjoyed the challenge of identifying a problem and finding the solution. Not so much when it put the lives of the people most dear to her in peril.
She turned toward the assembled small team. The ship’s chief engineer was an obvious choice for this task, as was the operations chief. A scientist to complete the trio. Three fine minds, ready to tackle the impossible. Three fine minds who held the lives of everyone aboard the ship in their hands.
Reynolds: We’re taking some teams over to the Sasu Gol and the Triumphant, to find any survivors. What I need from you is a way out and a ship that’s still working when we get back.
ch’Ranni/Tahna/Lephi: Response
Reynolds: I know it’s a big ask. But we have several problems and not enough time to work on them in series. If we delay the rescue to put more hands on this, we may lose any hope of finding our missing people. Not to mention exploring the ships that have been here longer might give us vital information.
ch’Ranni/Tahna/Lephi: Response
She nodded. Despite their best efforts, they had only uncovered part of the picture. There were still so many unknowns, data which prompted more questions instead of giving answers. At least the trio weren’t starting from scratch, and had a prepared canvas to layer their process upon.
Reynolds: We know that subspace is superimposing over normal space in this region. It seems that instability is what’s causing all the interference with our sensors and comms, and preventing us from forming a stable warp bubble. But it doesn’t account for the energy drain. ::She shook her head, a frown burrowing into her brow.:: Something else is responsible.
ch’Ranni/Tahna/Lephi: Response
Reynolds: We’ll do our best to keep you updated with anything we find. ::She paused. No need to say “we’re all counting on you”—that was painfully obvious.:: Nkai is in command on the bridge; if you need anything, contact him.
ch’Ranni/Tahna/Lephi: Response
((Transporter Room One, USS Gorkon))
After leaving main engineering behind, Quinn made her way down the transporter room to greet the first of the away teams. The shuttle team had done a fine job of locating the missing ships, and their report had left her with the impression they had been reluctant to turn around and leave the job unfinished. Now they had the chance to finish what they started... although in their shoes she might not be sure if she had been handed a reward or a punishment.
Reynolds: I know you haven’t had much time to recover from your trip back, but I need to send you to the Sasu Gol. Your primary goal is to see if you can find any survivors, but we’re also looking for any information which might help get us out of here. It’s the ship that’s been trapped the longest, so there may be valuable information there.
Alieth/O. Marshall/Stoyer: Response
There wasn’t much to say about the ship itself. Until its recent need for rescue, it was just another freighter, moving supplies and resources about the Federation. Nothing unusual or spectacular in its specifications, routes or cargo. Of course, sometimes the mundane and routine was used as a cover for things illicit or scandalous, but they had no grounds to suspect as much.
Reynolds: The ship primarily hauls cargo. Vulcan-built, as you might have guessed from the name and the annular warp drive, but the manifest indicates it’s a mixed Merchant Marine crew. Forty-seven crew, four passengers—including the human artist Vry, whose blood was found in the escape pod we recovered. Sensors show all the escape pods have been launched, but we don’t know the circumstances or how many people, if any, were in them.
Alieth/O. Marshall/Stoyer: Response
Reynolds: We’ve determined the Triumphant’s shuttlecraft, the Essington, is docked in the Sasu Gol’s bay. My guess is that the ensign we rescued was part of an away team that took it aboard—if it’s still there, then it’s likely so is the rest of his team. See if you can find them.
Alieth/O. Marshall/Stoyer: Response
Reynolds: Do what you can. We have a team working on getting us out of here, so report back anything you find as quickly as possible.
She paused, and breathed out a sigh. She didn’t particularly want to send any of them into the belly of the best, and Marshall least of all. As much as he irritated her down to helical strands of her DNA, she hated the thought of him coming to harm. He was Jo’s brother, and though the siblings had a contentious relationship, Quinn couldn’t welcome her friend back with the news she’d got him killed while she was away.
Reynolds: That’s all. Use your best judgement—::she gestured to the case of pattern enhancers which should help them escape in an emergency::—and take care of each other over there.
Alieth/O. Marshall/Stoyer: Response
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
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