Between Shipmasters

Posted on Wed Dec 23rd, 2020 @ 3:16pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail

Mission: Enforced Intermission
Location: ICS Tantamount

The whole of the Astraea's crew found themselves in one of the cargo bays, converted into a makeshift medical yard. Blankets, cots, and in some extreme cases full beds had been set up to receive the crew. Doctors and nurse staff from the Ts'usugi crew were roaming, providing medical assistance where needed and comfort and security when necessary.

The one everpresent factor, though, was the lack of an everpresent factor: There was no engine hum. The soundtrack of any Federation vessel was the omnipresent hum of the engines. Be it in the form of an actual noise, or just the gentle rumble in the hull, there was always a sign that the ship was active, that the ship was... for lack of a truer term, alright.

That sound was gone. Missing. Vacant. Just the murmur of the crowd here in the cargo bay to break the silence. In the space next to Abigail, always at her side, was her second officer Ichiko, wrapped in a blanket sitting up and enjoying a bowl of soup. She seemed about to speak, when her ears perked and her attention was drawn to the side.

Also relatively quiet, were the cargo bay doors opening up. Through them walked a singular figure, grey fur, sharp uniform, with a security guard at his side. Serve in Starfleet enough, and you recognize security no matter the species. Though once the figure had entered, he gave his escort a nod, and they stayed at the door, relaxed. This lone grey Son of Ts'usu made his way through the rows and rows of the Astraea's crew. He welcomed them, he put them at ease. Here, they were safe.

Finally, he made it to Abigail's slice of paradise. "Shipmaster Laurens?" he asked, a thick accent to his words. "I'm Laoi Chong, Shipmaster of the Tantamount. I welcome you aboard. You and your crew are my guests. As long as I live, they are safe and under my care." there was ceremony behind that statement.

Abigail tucked her hair back behind her ear as she turned to face him, offering a slight nod. "I'm Captain Laurens, Commanding Officer of the... the..." the words caught in her throat slightly and she bit down on her bottom lip. There it was again. She might be a Captain in rank, but she was no longer a commanding officer. Her charge was now little more than a record in a computer and a smattering of ions in space.

"Thank you," she said genuinely. "My crew and I are in your debt. I don't know what we would have done without your presence."

"Walk with me. Being a guest may put your soul at east. I will show you the ship that safeguards you and your crew, and when we reach the Bridge, I would ask where we may take you." he offered her a hand up. Ichiko would stand with her as she did, and that earned a nod from Laoi. "Your Ship Second, I presume? She may accompany if she and you so wish."

"If my shipmaster allows it." Ichiko replied.

Taking the offered hand, Abigail rose gracefully to her feet before offering a warm smile toward Ichiko, resting her free hand on her friend's forearm for a brief moment. "Of course," she said with a nod. "Commander Gail is a very valued member of my crew, I value her guidance and wisdom at all times."

A nod, and the grey furred shipmaster lead the pair out the cargo bay doors. The hallways were a soft green, as opposed to the cream color most of the Federation ships were sporting this season. The illumination was soft, the air held a fresh crispness to it. Not cold, just refreshing. The flooring had a soft carpet of some form over it, sectioned off for access to whatever lay beneath. Crewmembers would nod to the trio as they passed, a courteous greeting to the guests as they traveled, but never something to consume their time.

"We received a pulse code distress signal. No doubt the handiwork of your ship second. When we also picked up a distress call on standard Federation channels, we diverted course. Even if our people were at each other's throats, to refuse a call for honest aid is unthinkable."

"Our ship suffered some kind of cascade failure, systemic malfunctions increasingly worse. We tried to shut down the primary core to reboot all systems and ended up suffering a catastrophic matter/anti matter reaction. There was nothing we could do except abandon ship and watch her explode." There was a swift intake of breath. "Do you know how many craft and crew you were able to recover? I..." she paused momentarily. "I haven't looked into casualties yet."

Laoi gave the conversation his attention, those large ears perked. "You saved the lives of your crew with your decision. A starship can be rebuilt a hundred times, but in the end, a shipmaster must put their crew first." he said, to encourage Abigail, perhaps help convince her that she made the better choice. "As to the number, my quartermaster will have that exact figure. We dispatch some recon shuttles to survey the region and ensure this wasn't a Koldaran ambush. Once we have the final tally, and assurances that all hands are accounted for, we can depart."

Their walk eventually brought them to a door slightly larger than the others. Heavier, more defended. A hiss from the internal locks, and the bridge of the craft was revealed to them. Someone next to the door on the inside straightened up as the three approached, and gave a quick report in the native tongue of the Ts'usugi. A nod was the shipmaster's reply.

"The last of the escape pods is coming into transmat range now, we'll have all hands that escaped aboard in a matter of minutes."

The bridge of the Tantamount was laid out like a slope. At the base were the helm controls, in seats that were more like inset recliners than actual chairs. then moving up the slope was presumably tactical and science stations, then security and engineering, followed by two larger chairs that seemed more general in station. At the top of the slope was the Shipmaster's chair, a station from which they could oversee all.

"Welcome to the bridge."

"It is, indeed, very impressive," Abigail responded with a nod. "I'm afraid that the last encounter we had with a Ts'usugi vessel I wasn't able to see inside. Your ships are indeed every bit as impressive as Commander Gail has intimated." She paused, unsure where to look first. Everything seemed so alien, and yet so incredibly unique. "May I?" she asked, motioning toward the consoles in front of her. She knew the Ts'usugi valued their privacy and the last thing she wanted was to offend those who rendered aid to her crew by stepping out of line.

"Of course." Laoi motioned within. "To use familiar terms, tactical combat stations... sensor and fighter coordination... security and offensive controls... engineering and logistics..." he motioned to each station in time. "Up at the front are helm control, navigation, and our dive officer." he motioned to the two recessed chairs in the front. "So, I'm expecting a report on the status of the rescue shortly. What's our course?"

Abigail glanced toward Ichiko, almost as if she were drawing strength from her friend. "May as well face the powers that be," she said quietly before turning back to Laoi. "If it isn't too much trouble, could you return us to Earth?"

"Earth, in the Sol system yes? That's a ways away, but it can be arranged. Comm." Laoi called to one of the stations, "Contact the Wayfinder station, queue us in for Pathstone." and the Ts'usugi at the station went to work. It was then that there was a chime from above. "Shipmaster Laoi, this is Quartermaster Jegan. Our final sweep of the rescue effort is complete."

There was something of an exchange, and the shipmaster was handed a PaDD of sorts by his own Ship Second. He turned to Abigail and Ichiko and gave a final number of rescued crew. It wasn't a complete rescue, but it was everyone that made it off the Astraea. After a moment to reflect on the difference, the comm officer spoke up.

"Sirs, Pathstone reports us queued." he commented. Then, came a comment from the officer at the Navigation station. "We can make it in a few full units at maximum depth."

Each station reported readiness. The final station was sensors and fighter coordination, who eventually also reported full readiness. All recon shuttles and personnel accounted for. At this, Laoi chuckled. "Well then I suppose all that's left is to give the word." a pause, and then he turned to Abigail, "Would you wish to give the word, Shipmaster Laurens?"

Ichiko turned to council Abigail briefly, "No shame either way. A simple phrase or command to execute is all. Simply a formality." she spoke in a hush.

Abigail paused, still dwelling on the rescue numbers. Finally, after a long moment of silence, she glanced between Laoi and Ichiko before nodding slightly. "Earth, please, if you will."

The next voice to speak, was the Tantamount's ship's second.

"Helm, set course one seven three, sub three. Dive officer, bring us to depth eight. All stations, sound condition violet." and the coloration of the bridge shifted. Much like how red alert brought on the red hue of warning, the entire bridge was bathed in a soft violet light. The viewscreen, proudly displaying the outside of the ship, sealed shut, and was replaced with a black display that only showed sensor echoes, vague ideas and guesses as to the locations of various objects around. Then, the ship began to move.

Gentle, calm, but direct motive force was being exerted. The compensators on the craft did a marvelous job of keeping the actual momentum concealed, but then a new and curious feeling started... like a pit in the stomach slowly moving up. Or was it the ship actually moving down?

"Hold onto the wall if you need to. He wasn't kidding when he said Dive officer." Ichiko advised.

Abigail grabbed the back of the nearest seat with both hands, gripping tightly as she found herself feeling decidedly disorientated at the movements.

"Shipmaster, we are at full condition violet." the ship second confirmed. The viewscreen showed nothing, just dark blackness, forever. Simulated, but consuming. The dive officer spoke next, counting up. Depth two, depth three, depth four. It was a rather quick count, but finally they seemed to reach where they wanted to be.

Depth eight.

"Subspace navigational deflector at full power. Hull integrity assured. Power systems stable at one to one. Dark Reactor at optimal, Dark Drive at optimal. We are on course." the engineering station officer remarked. The helm updated the bridge with an estimate of arrival. Five units six marks, thirty ticks.

"Five hours, six minutes." Ichiko translated.

Shipmaster Laoi seemed pleased. "Comms, raise a buoy, inform Pathstone we're on our way." and then he turned to Abigail and Ichiko, "I trust you're alright? First time can be interesting, if I remember."

"If I can survive bouncing around an asteroid field in a busted up shuttle without inertial dampeners, I can survive this," Abigail replied stoically, trying not to let the disorientation get to her as she just focused on breathing, and a single static light on a console somewhere in front of her.

Once they reached their expected 'depth', the ride got much smoother. No hum, no sound, just the trust that the ship now was indeed moving. "We're on our way, Shipmaster Laurens. I can set a reminder for you when we're fifteen minutes out. Would you like to return to your crew? Or perhaps something to eat?" a pause, "We've had our Fabricator refit, I'm certain Miss Gail can explain how much of a benefit that is."

Ichiko just gave a nod.

"A tea will be fine," Abigail replied with a grateful nod. "If it isn't too much trouble, would it be possible to arrange access to your communications? I need to contact Command and inform them of events."

"Of course." Shipmaster Laoi gave a nod, then turned to his comms officer. "Escort Shipmaster Laurens to the mess, and consider her cleared for comm access." and with that, the comm officer gave a nod. As he left his station, another officer off to the edge of the bridge took their place. "Follow me, please." he offered, and took his leave of the bridge with the two officers in tow.

The path to the mess was straightforward, but down a deck or six. Once the doors opened, the mess was revealed to them. It easily occupied two decks, though rather than two floors it was very open. Adequate seating, comfortable lighting, easy placement of replicators along the wall, though the odd sight was along the back.

Situated along the back wall there was a small tree. Maybe ten feet in height, surrounded by about thirty feet of grass. The flowers were in bloom, which made the tree look very lovely. The scent of the blossoms was subtle, but carried well in the mess' air. A fresh scent, a crisp scent. The scent of home.

"A tanjero tree." Ichiko recognized the fauna. The comms officer that came with them gave a nod, "You can help yourself to the fabricators, then we'll get you patched through to your Command. We have a few comms offices that should allow adequate privacy if you feel the need."

"That would be appreciated," Abigail responded with a polite nod. "Commander Gail will remain with me while I make the communications if it helps..." her voice trailed off again before she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Turning to Ichiko, her expression appeared blankly confused. "Did the Shipmaster say we'd be at Earth in five hours?"

The comms tech gave a nod, "Of course, she'd be familiar with the systems if she's served aboard anything of a Class Four or higher." and Ichiko gave a nod, "I have. Though if we require assistance we will know who to contact." and with that exchange, the comm officer took the opportunity to get a cup of tea.

At Abigail's question, Ichiko shook her head, "Heavens no. In five hours, we'll reach the Pathstone Station." a pause, "Pathstone is ... something of a secret project, a joint venture between the Ts'usugi and the Dalacari. A means to traverse the distance to the far side of this galaxy, connecting what you call the Alpha Quadrant to the Delta Quadrant. I've read up on the specifications, and they're revolutionary. The Dalacari Chamber of Emerging Sciences, working together with the Emperor's own Imaginary Sciences Division, have built something revolutionary. I've only seen blurry images of it, but once we reach Pathstone if everything they say is true..." she paused to gather her thoughts.

"The trip to the Alpha Quadrant will take one hour."

"Right." Abigial sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Tea... then we can contact command. I guess that's the best place to start."

Ichiko gave a nod, and lead Abigail to the fabricator stations on the wall. Simple, elegant, and aesthetically pleasing. They worked very much like the replicator units in the Federation, except that Ichiko had to order for Abigail on account of the language barrier... and she had to teach the fabricator what a Chai was. That, took a bit.

Though, ultimately it paid off. Alien space craft, with a small tree brought along for the comforts of home. One or two of the officers here were enjoying a relaxing moment beneath the thin branches, while one was simply content to lay on the small stone pebblebed that surrounded the tree. Thoughts of home, perhaps.

"I hope it's to your liking." Ichiko commented as she handed Abilgail's drink to her. A glance over to the Comms officer let them know that it was time. The trio went off to a side room of sorts. Smallish, but not crowded. There, they could make their comm call in relative privacy. "I'm tethering you to the buoy network now." he explained. "You'll have a comm line out in a few moments."

Another moment, and then the comm officer gave a nod, "When that screen turns blue, you have a solid connection. You can then request to be connected to your central offices, central command station, really anywhere." he paused, "Just, preface the request with 'system' instead of 'computer'." a final explanation before they departed. True to their work, in a few moments after they departed, the black screen of the comm relay switched to a soft blue.

Abigail took a sip of the chai, savouring the taste, almost using it to strenghen her resolve before she drew in a deep breath. "System, please connect me to Starfleet Command, San Francisco, Earth."