Posted by Cadet Vaarek (Medical Officer) in Side Sim: Runabout Rescue

Posted by Lieutenant Hegush Falz (Chief Operations Officer) in Side Sim: Runabout Rescue

Posted by Lieutenant Izak Waryn (Chief Engineer) in Side Sim: Runabout Rescue
=/\=”This is Flight Control, you are clear of the Ark Angel. Good luck on the mission… we’ll see you back the starbase.”

A few moments later the ship went to warp and left the Fulcrum-class Runabout on its own.

A distress call had come in while the Ark Angel was returning to the starbase. A freighter was stranded and in need of repairs. The crew indicated they were in no immediate danger, so it was determined a runabout could be dispatched rather than rerouting the ship.

The only concerning part was the fact that the distress call cut out. That’s one of the reasons Security was part of the mission crew.

The Fulcrum-class runabout was in its Engineering Lab/Repair shop configuration and was loaded with as many tools, repair parts, and medical supplies as it could hold.

Even though Starfleet answered hundreds of distress calls a year, there was no such thing as a routine mission. The runabout’s crew needed to be ready for anything.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Izak stood in the cockpit of the Runabout and watched the Ark Angel go to warp through the the windows.

He was a little nervous to leave his department unattended, but he knew the Crewmen were skilled. It had taken time and effort, but he’d also developed some solid Shift Leaders over the last few months. And getting an infusion of experience from personnel transfers doesn’t hurt either.

He was about to head back to Engineering but turned to Lt Hegush first. “Sir, I crunched the numbers before we left. The freighter is .86 light-years away. If we push Warp 6 for a full 12 hours and then maintain Warp 5 afterward, we can reach her in 25 hours.”

It was never easy on a ship to run at maximum velocity, but Lt Waryn figured the Chief Operations Officer would want to get to the freighter quickly. Izak was confident he could handle the system realignments and minor repairs the stress would put on the runabout.

Lt Izak Waryn - Chief Engineer - U.S.S. Ark Angel

The corner of Hegush’s mouth twitched in amusement, “We could Lieutenant Waryn, but I know as well as you do that that would be pushing the limits. I personally would like to make it home. The call didn’t indicate any sign of danger before it cut out. There could be a lot of reasons as to why it did. Moreover, if there is danger, I’d prefer to have the ability to run away, not limp.”

“I suggest Warp 6 for 8 hours instead of 12. We’ll keep trying to hail the freighter and get back into contact with them again if we can. Any sign of anything amiss then at least we won’t have a runabout trying to fall to pieces around our ears.”

Lt. Hegush, COO

Vaarek considered himself honoured to have been invited on this away mission. He was not quite sure why – had he served on a fully Vulcan ship, he would likely not have been chosen. Perhaps there were perks, after all, working under non-humans. But what had their purpose been? There were more qualified physicians – and Vaarek was only a cadet. Perhaps all the other physicians had declined.

Then again, was it important to know? He had been chosen. He needed to prove himself worthy.

Looking out of the porthole, seeing the Ark Angel warp out, Vaarek was confronted with the experience of being in a small cramped space in the middle of nowhere. He noted an emotion from his gut – fear mixed with loneliness – and suppressed it, the good Vulcan he was. Yes, he was nervous.

He paced to the medical console, double-checking again that everything was in order. Like the last time, he checked, it was.

Cadet Vaarek, Medical

Wyatt listened to them quietly as he carefully checked over the phasers one more time, making sure every setting and power cell was functioning correctly. His fingers moved across the controls with practiced precision, running diagnostics he had already completed twice before. Most people would have probably called it overkill, but Wyatt had learned a long time ago that preparation kept people alive. You planned for the worst and hoped for the best. That was how you survived in Security.

They weren’t expecting trouble on this mission. Officially, this was supposed to be simple—investigate the sudden loss of communication, Repair the ship, and return home. Easy. Routine. The kind of assignment officers joked about while drinking coffee afterward.

And that was exactly what bothered him.

Wyatt frowned slightly as he checked the readout again. Everything looked fine. The phasers were fully charged, safeties operational, targeting systems calibrated perfectly. Still, the uneasy feeling twisting in his stomach refused to go away.

He leaned back slightly, glancing around at the others as they prepared. Some looked calm, others mildly annoyed at having to suit up for what was probably nothing more than a damaged relay or ion storm interference. He wished he could believe that was all it was.

There were dozens of harmless explanations for a transmission cutting out so suddenly. Damaged communications arrays. Electrical failures. Plasma interference. Solar radiation. Even simple human error.

But there were worse possibilities too.

Far worse.

Wyatt swallowed quietly and pushed the thought aside before it could settle too deeply in his mind. He had spent enough time in Security training to know that instincts mattered. Ignoring a bad feeling usually ended badly. Still, instincts weren’t evidence, and he didn’t want to be the nervous rookie jumping at shadows.

He secured the phaser back into its holster before checking the second one just to be safe. His movements were calm, controlled, though the slight tapping of his fingers against the weapon betrayed his nerves.

“I’m probably overthinking it,” he muttered quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

But even as he said it, he didn’t fully believe it.

Something about this mission felt wrong.

And Wyatt was really hoping he was wrong about that feeling.

Ensign Wyatt Blackford

Security Junior Officer

U.S.S. Ark Angel