Lt JG Tess Evinrude - Frozen Peas

[Tess Evinrude]

((Flight Deck, Runabout Shinano - Passing by Gas Giant in Kappa-214 System))

((OOC: Splicing O'Connor's last sim into Tucker's, with permission.))

Evinrude: =/\= It could be latched onto a rotating planetoid? If mineral deposits are interfering with our scans, the energy signature would disappear when it rotates away from us. =/\=

Marty turned towards Tess.

Tucker: =/\= Set the sensors to filter out that kind of noise, with this sensor package, you peel alway the layers. That’s why it was to be used on solar anomalies. =/\=

O'Connor:  =/\= For now I’m going to arc around that asteroid. Let me know if anything pops up.=/\=

Evinrude: ::To Marty, he replied:: =/\= I'll try that sir. =/\= ::Then, quietly, to himself,:: Like an onion...or a parfait...

Evinrude sifted through the LCARS until he found what he was looking for. Truth be told, this was his first time performing this type of layered geosurvey with a sensor array.

oO Maybe I need to spend more time in stellar cartography. Oo

Tucker: =/\= I’m beginning a sweep looking for Starfleet escape pods, since no one is using their beacons, I’ll be searching for the things that make up a life pod. Not to mention any lifesigns we can pick up as well, most of the crew got off the ship, but what shape were they in when they left? =/\=

Singh: =/\= Chief Tucker, if it is one of the Roses's escape pods the best case scenario is that those people are...incapacitated.  Unless you want to abandon our primary mission and tractor it back to the Rose all we can do for them is leave a marker buoy so they can be...recovered on our way back.  =/\=

O’Connor: =/\= We need to stop Rose’s shuttle. However, my gut tells me the shuttle is gonna  lead us right to the freighter. =/\= 

The operations lieutenant theorized while he worked at the sensor console.

oO If they had the thought to abandon ship, instead of stay and sabotage it, maybe their symptoms of paranoia hadn't kicked in yet? Could be a different strain...or, maybe they managed to avoid contamination? Oo

Evinrude: ::Suddenly:: Oh! Commander Tucker, can you confirm what I'm seeing here?

Tess sent some data over to the chief engineer's console; it appeared to be life signs.

Tucker: =/\= Major, Commander. I’ve picked up life signs about ten clicks ahead, it’s coming from an asteroid. I’m reading three different bio signs. Vulcan, Tellerite and Andorian. Should we mark their position for pick up? =/\=

Singh:  =/\= That would be my recommendation but Lt. Cmdr. O'Connor is in command of this mission.  It is his call, Chief. =/\=

O’Connor: =/\= Absolutely, Chief. Tess, can you parse out any additional data on their conditions to relay back?=/\=

Tucker: =/\= I’ve marked their location and transmitted the data back to the Ronin so they can start some recovery efforts via runabout. =/\=

Ian gave Tuck a quick thumbs up.

Singh:  =/\= Copy that Chief.  Mr. O'Connor, this next part of our course takes us through a section of the rings giving off a strong radiogenic signature.  We may lose comms contact....recommend we close up formation and try to get through it as quickly as possible.  Chief Tucker, Lt. Evinrude...I hope you're strapped in. =/\=

O’Connor: =/\= Acknowledged. Moving in tighter and we’ll Morse code out running lights if necessary. Major’s right guys, hold on things may get a little choppy=/\=

Tess was starting to feel more confident with the sensors, and finished up as detailed of a layered scan as he could manage.

Evinrude: =/\= Performed another scan and forwarded the data to Commander Beck in sickbay. I'm temporarily shutting off our sensor pod, don't want to risk contaminating the emitters, and sensors will be as useless as comms while we're passing near the rings.

Tucker: =/\=Aye. aye Major, buckling in.=/\=

Ian throttled back to fall into formation directly behind Major Singh's fighter.

Singh:  =/\= Any closer, Mr. O'Connor, and I'll expect you to take me out for dinner when we get back.  We're lined up and in the pipe....ten seconds to max impulse. =/\=

Evinrude snickered at that comment as a waypoint was pushed to their flightpath from Ishani's Valkyrie.

Singh: =/\= If we get separated that's our rally point, Commander.  Good luck.  Five seconds.  =/\=

O’Connor: =/\= Acknowledged Major. As to dinner, let’s stick to our usual winner buys on our next agility course race… And since it’s my turn to pick the type of vessel we’re flying, well let’s just say, I’m pretty sure you’ll be buying. =/\=

Tucker: ::turning his head towards the pilot's seat:: Hey Ian? Let's not do anything rash, alright? I don’t want my mother to be informed that her son was a grease spot on an asteroid in the middle of nowhere.

Their lead Valkyrie firewalled the throttle, screaming towards the radioactive asteroid belt with O'Connor in close pursuit. Within seconds the Shinano's short range proximity sensors sounded an alarm, but were quickly silenced by their pilot.

Tess watched out the front viewscreen, expression only slightly incredulous.

Evinrude: ::Dryly.:: I can only assume that our velocity increase is to limit our time in the radioactive belt?

O’Connor: =/\= So far so go… =/\= ::comms cut out:: Damn, comms are down. We’re still on her tail though.

A few dull thuds resounded off the exterior bulkheads. The micrometeoroids they were impacting were likely a fraction of the size of a combadge, but the runabout's velocity made them sound much larger.

O’Connor: Sorry, I’m not going to be able to avoid all the small stuff.

Evinrude: I try not to sweat the small stuff, Commander.

The ops lieutenant sounded calm, but he realized he was gripping his console tightly.

Tucker: I’ve tried to drop some waypoints of wayward life pods, but at this speed it’s hard to keep up.

Singh: Response

Suddenly, their flight leader banked left and down. Ian banked the Shinano the opposite direction while a large chunk of something tumbled past the front windows.

Tess' eyes narrowed. Something was off about what O'Connor deftly dodged - it was too angular to be an asteroid.

O’Connor: Man, that was ::comms kick back in:: =/\= close. What the heck was all that?=/\=

Evinrude: =/\= That looked like duranium...I'm bringing sensors back online. =/\=

Singh: Response

Tess swept their sensor array around through its full scanning arc, locating the debris and beginning an analysis.

O’Connor:  =/\= If it was the wreckage of another escape pod then what the heck blew it up? =/\=

Their sensors were just starting to solve the mystery of what they dodged when an IFF alarm started blaring.

Tucker: =/\= Major, let me draw your attention to long-range scans. We’ve got three bogies inbound, they’re about fifteen klicks at bearing zero nine zero mark 234 and closing. =/\=

Singh: Response

Their was nothing Tess could do about the mystery contacts, so he focused on analyzing the debris. It was indeed duranium, with no lifesigns. While the runabout adjusted course, he did his best to keep the sensor lock and scan for any traces of other materials that would indicate an escape pod.

O'Connor/Tucker/Singh: =/\= Response =/\=

Evinrude: =/\= I've got traces of weapons fire on the debris we passed...but...it wasn't an escape pod. =/\=

oO No traces of life support equipment in the wreckage. Oo

He kept his explanation short, not wanting to crowd the channel with useless chatter. Major Singh was hunting, and focus was critical. Peeling away another layer - metaphorically, of course - revealed something odd in the debris: an abundance of organic matter, specifically vegetation, drifting through the frigid darkness.

O'Connor/Tucker/Singh: =/\= Response =/\=

His efforts paid off, as Tess came to a realization. The debris' particular alloy, coupled with the vegetable matter now drifting through space, marked it as cargo.

Evinrude: =/\= Wait, it's a cargo pod. Probably broke away from a modular bulker. =/\=

The unknown craft were still closing in. Engage, communicate, or flee, they had to make a call...but it wasn't Evinrude's to make. He continued busying himself with their original mission, sweeping sensors along the bogeys' original trajectory.

Sure enough, something was out there. He detected an energy signature, but no impulse wake.

oO If that's the freighter, they've been drifting for a while. Oo

Evinrude: =/\= New contact! Bearing two-seven-zero, mark zero-seven-three. Faint energy signature and a lot of metal alloy. =/\=

O'Connor/Tucker/Singh: =/\= Response =/\=

[Tags/TBC]

--

Lieutenant J.G. Tess Evinrude

[he/him]

Operations Officer

USS Ronin

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