Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Areiana “Areia” Blackford (Chief Medical Officer) in Main Sim - CIC

Posted by Ensign Skye Shepherd (Scientist) in Main Sim - CIC

Posted by Lieutenant Sapeth (Chief Engineer) in Main Sim - CIC
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>

Finn nodded at the counselor and turned his attention back to Captain Y’lar. “Hello there Captain, I’m Lieutenant Commander Grady, the XO of the Chimera. Captain Andreassen is elsewhere at the moment. Apologies for the interruption to your vaccination efforts but we’ve been dispatched on a pretty serious mission as well.”

He paused for a moment, considering how to navigate the situation. It was sometimes hard to tell if a Vulcan was actually irritated (or their version of that) versus asking a serious question in the most direct way possible.

“I assumed you would have been briefed on the situation in the Scallax system? Sounds like its quite the pressure cooker brewing there. I would guess potential for casualties could be high if it blows.”

“Negative, I have been told nothing. I received emergency recall orders by an encrypted tight beam communique from Star-Fleet Medical with orders to report at all possible speed to a rendezvous in the dead of night. This is most illogical, unorthodox and I want to know why.”

Lieutenant Commander Grady - XO

Hammond just stood his hands behind his back, it was clear that there were two different missions in play, he was going to have to play this carefull. He did not want to lie to the captain but he was under orders.

Colonel Jaxon ‘Hawk’ Hammond
Commander 7th Marine Expeditionary Unit “Iron Valkyries” (CAG)

Ensign Shau was manning the tactical station in CIC, doing his best to prepare for this mission in the Scallax System.

One of the most obvious concerns was the capabilities of these insurgents. He pulled up the available data for any ships they had on file for Scallax. He focused on combat craft… but also any ships that could potentially be modified with weapons or heavier shields. Even weak or unconventional weapons could be deadly if they caught the Chimera unprepared.

MJ sighed, realizing that he’d been avoiding something. Slowly, but purposefully, he forced himself to pull up the specifications for the Cinzano.

The last thing he wanted to do was fight other Starfleet personnel, but the Risian knew he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t help prepare the ship for that eventuality.

OOC: Trying to get specifics on the Cinzano and any other ships/classes we might expect to find in Scallax.

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

The read out spat out the following information

USS Cinzano NCC-358910
Long Range Battlecruiser
Memorial Class

OOC:(Memorial Class)

– GM Amadeus
USS Chimera

OOC: This is either before or after the conversation with the medical ship’s captain.

The GM previously said:
The only thing left was to determine where in Scallax the ship wanted to drop out of warp.

I’m taking that as he needs some guidance from the players to set up the next part of the sim.

IC:
Well… that certainly complicates things. MJ thought as he leaned back at his console, staring at the Cinzano’s specs.

The Memorial-class was smaller than the Mjolnir-class… but somehow it was more powerful. It was like the design philosophy of the Defiant-class was somehow upscaled into a full-sized Battlecruiser.

And its sensor range was greater than the Chimera’s too.

Ensign Shau’s original plan was to recommend the ship drop in from warp at the edge of its sensor range, and take advantage of the fact that Starfleet systems generally outstripped those of most civillian craft. That was no longer viable.

“Sir… given the presence of the Cinzano in system, its sensors will likely pick up our arrival if we drop out warp within its high resolution range. Instead, I recommend we drop in from warp well outside of her range to get the lay of the land and proceed at impusle.”

It wasn’t ideal, but Ensign Shau wanted to make sure the XO had the best information available. “Commander, I suppose we could also try masking our presence with an astronomical anamoly of some sort… but we’d probabaly need to loop in the science department to see if there is anything suitable nearby.”

Finn nodded, “Great, get someone from science up here to help and let me know what you find.”

Warping directly into orbit above Scallax Prime seemed inadvisable… or anywhere in system for that matter. There were just too many unknowns in MJ’s mind… they needed to clear away some of the fog of war before they attempted direct contact.

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

---

Ensign Shepherd could have been considered one of the Chimera’s newest lower deckers, most of her time had been spent researching within those biology labs. Sometimes accompanied by Nytha’rae or on her own. This would mark the beginning as to work on a bridge console, targeting sensors to the unknown. The hybrid lowered that Petri dish which she had so desperately worked on for a few days, leaving it on the counter as her communication badge came online.

“Ensign Shepherd, over.”

Her voice was careful as to not be disrespectful to a head of department or even an officer in a higher rank. Being the daughter to an ambassador and Starfleet officer, she had been taught to value Federation citizenship. Everyone could come from different planets, but that didn’t change their value as individuals, necessary to keep the ship up and running.

Letting recycled air fill her lungs, Skye immediately began walking backwards until her spine met the cold bulwark. This seemed to ground her in the moment instead of just focusing in biological samples which the Vaelari had asked for. This had been one of the first few shifts spent on her own, waiting for Zephram to be boarding as soon as the U.S.S. New Jersey could spare a shuttle of their own for transport. She was no stellar cartographer to understand the many questions which the universe had offered for them to discover, but at least the 23 year old Ensign was willing to try.

Ensign Skye Shepherd
Science Officer
U.S.S. Chimera - 98730 (Mjolnir Class)

=/\=”Shepard, this is Shau at the Tactical station. We could use some scientific expertise up in CIC. It’s time sensitive, and the roster implied you were off shift and not doing anything.” MJ winced as he implied off duty activities weren’t important… but didn’t address it verbally over the comlink.

Ensign Shau was already pulling up likely celestial bodies in the Scallax system and surrounding areas, but he knew there was a lot of work to be done. More hands… and expertise… could be useful.

He tapped his comlink again. =/\=”Shau to Shaw… we need your help looking for a weakness or blind spot in the sensor suite of a Memorial-class starship. If you think you’re up for it, can you come to CIC?”

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

---

The Petri dish hit that granite counter with much more force than the ensign had intended. It had been audible through her comm-badge, which almost made Skye flinch. While this was part of her spare time, being interrupted from research to something much more dire. Abandoning the lab, heading towards the Combat Information Center might’ve been worth gaining experience.

=/\= I’m on my way. =/\= She answered, hurriedly walking past two engineering officers before running towards the nearest turbolift. Her heart racing towards the Risian’s urgency. It wasn’t a red alert. At least, not yet from what had been said.

With those doors closed, Shepherd leaned against one of the walls and took a breath. This would be her first time in action after two years on extended leave. Part of a mission. Something much greater than herself. For a second, there was a glance down at the tricorder strapped around her leg. If they were looking for answers, she would provide them with answers.

Ensign Skye Shepherd
Science Officer
U.S.S. Chimera - 98730 (Mjolnir Class)

Ensign Snowden stepped closer to Shau’s station, looking over the projected system map and highlighted celestial bodies.
He studied it quietly for a few moments before speaking.
“If we’re trying to avoid broadcasting our arrival, we may not need to beat their sensors outright.”
He pointed toward the outer portions of the system display.
“We just need to make them sort through noise.”
A finger traced between several larger bodies and anomaly markers.
“Gas giants, ionized rings, plasma activity, dense asteroid fields… anything that naturally interferes with sensors.”
He glanced toward Shau.
“If the Cinzano has the sensor advantage, then maybe we stop thinking about hiding from it and start thinking about forcing it to work harder.”
A slight pause.
“Even if they eventually find us, delayed detection still gives Command more time to get a clearer picture.”
He looked up toward the science stations.
“Ensign Shepherd might be able to help us identify anything in-system that creates enough interference to use as cover.”
Snowden leaned back slightly.
“Right now we’re walking into a room blind. I’d rather crack the door before we walk through it.” Snowden said with a quiet smile.
Ensign Derek Snowden
Security Officer
USS Chimera NCC-98730

MJ nodded as Derek explained his perspective. “Kind of a hybrid approach, then?” It seemed like that might be their best option. “Finding a celestial body to both muffle the Chimera’s arrival a bit… while also giving the Cinzano’s sensors too much to deal with in the hope they miss our arrival? I like it.”

Ensign Shau glanced back over at the turbolift as he heard the doors open and saw Ensign Shepherd arrive. He waved her over.
“Thanks for jumping on this so fast. I know you were off shift, and hope I didn’t interrupt anything too important. Derek came up with a pretty good improvement to the original idea.”

MJ went on to briefly explain what he considered the new hybrid approach while leaving room for Ensign Snowden to jump in and clarify his intentions. “Do you two think you can come up with a viable plan for the XO?”

---

As soon as the turbolift doors flew open, she scanned the room with every monitor flashing different streams of data. Though one hand had caught her attention. Shepherd slowly walked through those consoles before reaching the Risian that had initially called. “It’s not a problem, MJ. What seems to be the problem?”

Just when those words left her lips, that’s when the hybrid took notice about what had been happening. Eyes landing on sensor data by the console that happened to be nearby. This happened to be a stellar cartography chart, similar to those her father worked with. Celestial bodies were carefully tagged, following the pace on another ship. Apparently commanded by a Vulcan woman.

Skye’s jaw tightened ever so slightly. Using sensors to blind another ship seemed like an interesting move, difficult even. She pulled one hand to the necklace hanging over her collarbone. Then nodding in sudden understanding to the words unspoken by her crewmates.

---

Ensign Shau recapped the situation. “The Scallax System just declared their independence from the Federation and we are going in to help rescue any starfleet citizens and personnel that we can. Unfortunately, a Federation Memorial-class starship named the Cinzano defected and sided with Scallax.”

MJ tapped the console and zoomed out in the star chart to show the Scallax System and surrounding space. “We want to get the lay of the land before doing anything drastic, but the Cinzano has better sensors than we do. They’ll likely pick us up the moment we jump in.”

“My original thoughts were to find a celestial body that could hide us completely, or to find and exploit a flaw in the Cinzano’s sensors.” The Risian gestured to his fellow Security Officer, Ensign Snowden. “Derek though a hybrid approach might be more viable. Finding an area in the system that could mask our presence somewhat, while also throwing an overload of information at the ,Cinzano’s sensors. The goal is to try to get lost in the chaff. While it won’t work forever, it should give us a window to get some real time data from the system and come up with a plan.”

“Think you can help with that, Skye?”

---

Skye’s eyes kept track about what the security officer had shown on screen. 10 different sized planets orbiting what appeared to be a massive star. Hearing that a Federation vessel had deflected by choice made the ensign’s muscles tense. That meant several citizens would be trapped on the surface.

This would be a walk in the park for the daughter of a man mostly known to spend his time studying the path home through different star charts. Their sensor numbers were limited compared to the Memorial Class vessel, meaning they would become sitting ducks if there wasn’t a way to cloak the entirety of their vessel. She listened carefully to every word that was mentioned. Most crewmembers had been debriefed prior to the mission taking place. But the hybrid had made her choice by remaining inside that biology lab analyzing some sort of virus on a Petri dish.

“Palaria should make due as a gas giant to confuse their sensors.” The scientist gestured towards the screen at the second planet orbiting that star. Large enough to hide the entirety of Chimera without leaving any traceable tracks behind. Shepherd offered a firm nod towards both security officers before getting to work at the nearest science console she could find.

---

Finn kept a smile firmly planted on his face as he stared at the Vulcan commanding officer across the viewscreen. He wasn’t sure if this was the best way to go about letting them know what the mission was but time was of the essence.

“Captain, I hate to be the bearer of bad news… there has been a separatist event in the Scallax system. The colony appears to be under separatist control and we’ve lost contact with a starship there. We are going in to see if we can keep bad from going to worse. Obviously, the hope is diplomacy but there’s also a lot of Federation technology in that system that needs to be accounted for. You’re coming along in case there’s some medical assistance to be offered… or in case the bad to worse thing happens.”

Lieutenant Commander Grady - XO

“I see. Send me what details you have, who is in command and where is our rendezvous point, population details etcetera.” At this the Captain turned and said “XO, Cancel the supplemental away missions. Inform Gerad’s team that they are to sit tight and to continue to co-ordinate local efforts until our return. Issue emergency recall orders for the other teams to take effect in 15 minutes.”

The Captain turned back and said. “We will be underway in less then 30 minutes. Favereau out.”

– GM Amadeus
USS Chimera

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

Ensign Skye Shepherd
Science Officer
U.S.S. Chimera - 98730 (Mjolnir Class)

OOC: I introduced a ‘split timeline’ here. Our conversation about Sensors is happening before or after the thing with the Favereau.

Ensign MJ Shau - Security Officer - USS Chimera

Ensign Skye Shepherd
Science Officer
U.S.S. Chimera - 98730 (Mjolnir Class)

OOC: Ok, I think the split timeline thing is confusing, at least for me. Can we pull that out into another thread perhaps. I’m reposting the Lt. Reid’s dialogue here since it seems to have gotten split off.

IC:
Reid waited patiently for Grady to finish his conversation with the Farveau’s CO.

Once finished, he stepped forward and spoke up.

“Cmdr. Grady, I just wanted to update you on Security’s progress regarding the reception of the Scrallax refugees. A plan has been developed by my team to make the >process run as smooth as possible. They have been running simulations in the holodeck taking into account a number of different variables.”

“Do we have a number yet or a general idea of how many people will be coming aboard?”

Lt. Conner Reid
Chief of Security-USS Chimera

Finn nodded, “Good work Lieutenant. Honestly, I have no idea how many people are going to be coming aboard. I feel like this might be a plan for the worst and hope for the best type of situation. I’d love to see a couple examples of your plans, though I’m sure you’ve got everything under control.” He paused and grinned, “Sometimes I miss my old security chief days so I’m gonna have to live vicariously through you a bit.”

“The simulations have been programmed to implement numerous variables into the mix. I’ll ley you know when the next simulation occurs. Both you and the captain are welcome to come and observe, of course,” Conner relayed.

Lt. Conner Reid
Chief of Security-USS Chimera

He turned briefly to the officer sitting at comms, “Let’s send the mission briefing over to the Favereau along with any information we have on Scallax.”

Lieutenant Commander Grady - XO

Areiana tapped at her PADD as she spoke, the glow from the screen reflecting faintly against her face. She brushed a loose strand of red hair behind her ear before glancing up at him, her expression calm despite the tension that seemed to hang over the entire ship lately.

“As far as the medical side goes, we have forty-seven beds available in main sickbay and another fifty prepared in Beta Bay,” she explained, scrolling through casualty projections and supply inventories. “Both wards are fully stocked and we’ve converted two auxiliary treatment rooms into overflow triage areas just in case things get worse than expected.”

She paused for a moment, tapping another note into the PADD. “I’ve also been coordinating with Favereau about personnel transfers and patient distribution.” Her tone stayed professional, though there was the faint exhaustion of someone who had been awake far too long trying to prepare for every possible outcome. “We’re trying to determine which ships are best equipped to handle long-term critical care versus emergency stabilization. No point overcrowding one medical deck while another ship still has capacity.”

Areiana leaned back slightly against the console behind her, folding the PADD against her chest for a second. “We’ve reassigned additional nurses to surgical recovery, stocked extra blood products, and updated emergency response rotations.” A small sigh escaped her before she gave a faint, tired smile. “At this point, medically speaking, I think we’re about as ready as we can be.”

The words sounded confident enough, but there was still uncertainty underneath them — the kind every doctor carried before a crisis. Preparation only went so far once people actually started coming through the doors.

Her eyes flicked back to the screen in her hand. “Hopefully we won’t need half of what we prepared for,” she admitted quietly. “But I’d rather have empty beds than not enough.”

Areiana Blackford

Lieutenant Junior Grade Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera

---

Hands halted for a moment before the blonde turned her head to the main viewer located at the front of the room. Snowden and Shau seemed busy enough with their own conversation for the hybrid to explain her concerns. Instead, Skye chose to bite her tongue and calculate the trajectory helm would be leading.

Shepherd wanted so desperately to propose the ship in which she had grown. The U.S.S. New Jersey wasn’t a large cruiser, but if there was something its crew had to offer, it was definitely experience. One hand reached up to the side of her neck, where a jagged scar apparently close to 10 cm in length happened to be located. Her first shuttle accident as a cadet just a few years back, when training at the academy.

Comparing whatever data she had recorded in that old tricorder with the fleet’s current database were somewhat confusing. Misleading, even. There happened to be a personal note left behind within that log. From one of “Those Old Scientists” which would’ve probably meant around Captain Kirk’s era. Sure that finding a historical note seemed exciting, for those who had paved the way to where all of them currently stood.

Her mouth opened to mention it out loud, but seeing the rest focused on several different tasks made the 23 year old remain silent instead. A mental note that could be mentioned once they were out of danger. Chimera remained a long distance from the planet, and hiding their presence would not be an easy task, especially with a slightly older make from sophisticated sensors.

“That’s it.” The ensign’s eyes lit up for a moment, her left palm pressing against the console’s edge “A cloaking mechanism.”

Ensign Skye Shepherd
Science Officer
U.S.S. Chimera - 98730 (Mjolnir Class)

Jaxon had been listening for some time, the backand forth banter was a bit entertaining, the idea’s were good, just disjoined. “Commander” he said to Flynn, “One of the main complaints is against the scientist in the research facility I would like to have engineering dirty up a runabout, I’ll send Quade and his team in to secure the facility and hopefully escourt them out quiently. ” He noted. “Maybe a supply ship? or Medical transport?” he said

Colonel Jaxon ‘Hawk’ Hammond
Commander 7th Marine Expeditionary Unit “Iron Valkyries” (CAG)

Finn nodded to the colonel, “I like that idea a lot actually. The runabout might easier to ignore when Chimera comes barreling into the system. I like a quiet extraction if we can pull it off. At the very least it might improve our chances of diplomacy if we have their mad scientist. Let engineering know what you want and I’ll sign off on it.”

He turned his attention back to Lt. Reid, “If I can make it down there I would love to see it. In the meantime, keep up the good work.”

Looking around the CIC, he paused for a moment to take in everything that was happening. The crew was coming together seamlessly to get their jobs done. It still wasn’t quite clear what they were going to be warping into but he felt sure their chances of success were high with this crew a part of the mission.

Lieutenant Commander Grady - XO

“We could probably alter the sensor profile of a runabout to make it appear like a freighter. But visually might be harder. A couple holo projectors might work, but I’m not sure how entering the atmosphere will effect them…” Ensign Tinker said speaking up from where he sat at the engineering station.

Ensign Tinker - Eng

---

Skye had remained silent throughout most of that conversation. But trying to mask their transducer as a fr lighter once the ship made it through the system. For now her job was to calculate distances between planets before reaching their destination to remain undetected.

But sending out a shuttle would become a lot sky mission for those who chose sacrificing their lives for the many instead of the few. The hybrid’s head lifted from her console as soon as the words abandoned Colonel Hammond’s mouth. Glancing sideways with concern before her eyes were glued to the holographic display once more.

There was a minute where the shuttle was brought onto her display. She was attempting the same tactic as before, with if there was a way to cloak that small vessel, he challenge for their adversaries would become much greater. Granting them time to provide humanitarian aid without having people who had lost their minds on their tail. Thus far the ensign had remained silent regarding their current situation. That is until sensors had started providing erratic data on the scientific display. Numbers she didn’t quite recognize, almost as though someone was attempting to scramble their feed.

Ensign Skye Shepherd
Science Officer
U.S.S. Chimera - 98730 (Mjolnir Class)

OOC: Please don’t post about what the systems are doing. That’s my job to give you information and control the ship. I try and keep a light hand to enable creativity but I am going to have to void your post. If you want the info, please repost inputting your request into the computer.

– Matt

Areiana sat quietly, listening to the back and forth around her without adding anything of her own. From where she stood near the edge of the room, it felt less like a discussion and more like watching a shuttle bounce through turbulence. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, a concern, or a solution ready to fire off at a moment’s notice. Honestly, she didn’t really have any input on this one. Not yet anyway.

Instead, her attention drifted down to the PADD resting in her hand when it suddenly gave a soft beep. A message from one of her nurses flashed across the screen, asking a quick question about a patient dosage schedule. Areiana sighed softly through her nose and typed back a fast response with practiced ease before locking the screen again.

The moment she lowered the PADD, she brought two fingers up to rub the bridge of her nose. A dull headache had started to settle behind her eyes, faint at first but growing more noticeable by the minute. Usually that only happened for two reasons: either she’d skipped too much sleep again…or her brother was somewhere causing absolute chaos.

Knowing him, the second option was far more likely.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared off at nothing for a moment, trying to ignore the nagging feeling twisting in the back of her mind. She hated when these instincts kicked in because more often than not they ended up being right. Growing up with him had practically trained her to recognize when trouble was brewing before the first explosion even happened.

The voices around her faded into background noise as the conversation continued. Officers argued points, tossed ideas back and forth, and debated plans she honestly couldn’t do much about right now anyway. So instead of wasting energy standing there worrying, she unlocked the PADD again and pulled up her brother’s contact.

You alive?

She paused for a second before adding another line.

And before you lie to me, remember I know you.

A small smirk tugged briefly at the corner of her mouth despite the headache. She hit send and lowered the device again, exhaling slowly. There wasn’t much she could do from here except wait for a response and hope the pounding behind her eyes was just stress and not another sign that her idiot brother had managed to throw himself headfirst into danger again.

Areiana Blackford

Lieutenant Junior Grade Chief Medical Officer USS Chimera

– GM Amadeus
USS Chimera