Lt. Cmdr. Ian O'Connor- "Time" for a Safe Distance
rob mahardy
((Bridge, Deck 3, USS Ronin))
Ian was the senior officer on the bridge after Tuck went down to the shuttle bay and Kel stepped briefly into the ready room for a log entry. He didn’t sit in “the big chair” but rotated around the various stations trying to puzzle things out. Obviously the explosion haunted him but with chonitons in play there might still be a chance that things might be avoided, changed, altered , etc. to come out differently. That message needed to be cleaned up and the wreckage sorted through but others were on that so Ian focused on the here and now and what he could affect. Still, Ian had honed in on some of the phases and words from the CO and XO’s last message.
oO The repeated 580. What the heck could 580 mean? Need context. Oo
He’d just stepped up behind Ensign Wren when Kel reentered the bridge with a slightly furrowed brow. Ian glanced up at him trying to look reassuring before heading back to his own station at the front of the bridge.
Kel: Jack, are we alone in this system?
Kessler: Aye skipper, your sky is clear as far I can see, but we are on limited range being that we are on short range sensors.
V'Len nodded. (OOC: took out the look to Tuck as he’s already off the bridge))
Kel: Ok. Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Kessler keep scanning. We need to know every particle floating around out there. Anything that could give us a clue as to what's going on. ::Turning:: Ensign Wren see what you can do to boost our sensor strength.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Wren: ::quietly:: Aye sir.
O'Connor: Working it from multiple angles now.
He meant that both literally as well as figuratively. He began overlapping several scan modes at his console.
Kel: You can pull power from the auxiliary systems if you need to but don't take down any major systems without checking first.
Wren: I’m releasing sensor probes. In about three minutes I’ll be able to give you a report on anything out of the ordinary.
Kessler: ::eyes fixed on his console:: I'm bringing the tactical sensor array and optical systems online as a backup.
O'Connor: Good idea, there’s no one else around that we know of so far but who knows, the tactical sweeps may catch something we might otherwise miss.
Ian heard V’Len shift further back and glanced over his shoulder to see him next to Dr. Shortith who was at one of the rear auxiliary stations.
Kel: Shortith, look here on Karrod's neck and Toryn's shoulder. There's some kind of injury, but it seems partially healed. Are those burns? Dermal irritation of some kind?
Shortith: Response
Kel: We need information in order to formulate a plan so I'm willing to look at any minute details for a hint as to what to do.
Wren: ::Clearing her throat, uncomfortable at having interrupted him:: Sir? The probes are almost finished scanning the area. There are Chronitons, like we thought, but they seem to be moving in a sort of orbit around the area where the detonation occurred. None of them have been beamed aboard with the rest of the wreckage.
Ian sensed something was puzzling their newest arrival from her tone.
Kessler: ::puzzled:: Those chronitons are showing some form of echo or displacement wave unlike anything I have seen or the Ronin's computer has seen.
Obviously Jack picked up on it as well. Ian leaned in closer then turned facing the rest of the bridge.
O’Connor: Scientifically speaking… ::he raised one eyebrow and deadpanned:: Fascinating.
Shortith: Response
Kel: We have one goal. Get Niac and Raga back and potentially save the Federation.
Ian smiled at V’Len making a Vee sign.
O’Connor: ::mouthing toward Kel:: technically that’s 2 goals. ::then outloud:: Potentially saving the Federation is what we do skipper. We’ll figure this out… although it’ll be Ronin style.
Wren: ::tapping at her screen::..... buddy , what are you doing? …
Ian turned thinking at first that she was addressing him. Then seeing she was talking to her screen turned back around smiling to himself.
Wren: Um…. One of the probes doesn’t seem to be responding to the recall. I’ve tried the standard code, but it’s not responding.
Kessler: :: glancing over to Wren:: Try sending an Emergency Recall with the security code Alpha-Sierra - 0 - 1 - Alpha.
Ian glanced back at his screen.
O’Connor: Jack, maybe get a tractor beam ready?
Kel/Shortith: Response
Wren nodded, re-typing the command as carefully as she could, before pressing her lips together into a frown as the probe still didn’t respond.
Wren: Sir, the probe appears to have vanished. I’m no longer getting a reading on it, and the ship can’t pick it up either. We have the completed scan from the two that were recovered, but that third one is completely gone.
Kessler: Confirmed, the probe has vanished from sensors and optical view.
Ian looked back at V’Len, Wren and Kessler sighing and nodding his agreement with what Wren had seen, or rather not seen. It was gone off his sensors as well.
Kel/Shortith: Response
Wren: Sir, do you mind if I go to engineering to check on the probes that did come back? If something happened to the third one, it might be happening to the other two.
It was a sound idea. Ian pulled up the duty shifts seeing who was the back up engineering bridge officer in case he needed to summon them. Lt. T’Alia was on the rotation next.
Kel: Response
Wren: Aye, sir.
Kessler: ::looking back to Kel:: Commander, until we know more about this phenomenon I recommend we maintain a safer distance.
Ian looked toward Kel with an "it’s your call" glance but as the next senior on the bridge felt he needed to remind him of the options.
O'Connor: Catch 22, boss. Sensors may not be as sharp if we pull back. I agree it probably would be safer from chroniton exposure back off but then again, who knows.
Kel/Shortith: Response
Kessler: ::turning back to his console:: I think I can adjust for that. Give me one moment.
Ian glanced back quickly toward Kessler to see him diligently working his console. He laid in a fallback position but held off to see if Jack was able to make the modifications.
O'Connor: I’ve got a nice drop back position set If the mods work we…in theory anyway… be safe enough from any timey-wimey shenanigans…maybe.
Kel/Shortith: Response
Jack entered the last of the commands into his console and looked up.
Kessler: Adjustments made sir.
Still watching his panel, he thumbs-upped Jack.
O'Connor: Nice, I don’t think we’ll have any resolution drop off when pulling back now. Orders, Cap?
His hands held above the console. He turned his head and wondered if V’Len had come up with his “phrase” yet?
((OOC: Pressures on…What will be your “Engage, Let’s Fly, Hit It or Punch it Chewie” ???)))
Kel/Shortith/Kessler: Response
Ian smiled, turning back to his console.
O’Connor: Aye, sir.
Kel/Shortith/Kessler: Response
((OOC: I left Wren tags out near the end as I'm not sure if she’ll still be on the bridge at that point. If V’Len denies ya leaving bridge for now, just jump in))
TBC/Tags
--------------------------------
Lieutenant Commander Ian O’Connor
HCO
USS Ronin NCC-34523
R240009IO4