Game session: 3/26/18
A few seconds after Aaron reclaims the center seat from Shil'vala, the beta shift officers spill out of the turbolift. This triggers an automated process on the bridge, as the science station suddenly sinks down to maybe half a meter from the deck. Confused, Kelly steps away and then the deck-plate slides apart and a gray panel that looks like a carpet pops up into place. Then, a Horta with blue coloration shimmies over and settles on the panel! The science station lights up and recalibrates to a preset configuration. Aaron and the others spot a Starfleet combadge affixed to the Horta's rocky exterior, and the combadge spots two full pips indicating the Horta is a lieutenant.
Kelly greets the Horta with genuine pleasure, and it responds in a synthesized voice, which has lilting female overtones. She introduces herself as Lieutenant Korais Belchokk Kuraht and Kelly responds in kind. He watches as she wriggles her cilia on the carpet to control the science station. The pair approaching flight control and ops then catches Aaron's attention; a male Boslic with purple hair claims the conn, while a human male with lime-green hair heads for ops. Both men are lieutenants, and the human gives Ten a friendly high-five and asks what's new. Both Bynars reply in unison, "The captain," and Aaron smirks as he realizes both men made a beeline for their stations without noticing him.
A female Bajoran steps out of the turbolift and heads for the tactical alcove; she's short but well-muscled, with dark hair, the traditional Bajoran earring, and a faint spider web of scars along the right side of her face. Kimball, Kelly, and Aaron all recognize the scars as a near-miss from the disruptor blast as she introduces herself as Lieutenant (junior grade) Anjohl Meru. Kimball introduces himself and steps away from the tactical station. Finally, a male Vulcan steps out of the turbolift and heads for the command chair; he introduces himself as Lieutenant Commander Sutok. Aaron greets him warmly and gives him a brief synopsis of the rescue mission until Sutok raises his hand, and says, "One of the benefits of having a pair of Bynars aboard is a regular series of updates to all bridge officers." Aaron notices the unspoken implication of, "Whether you like it or not," and nods.
Sutok turns to Dr. Ghatorii and asks, "Doctor, are you available to stand gamma shift? Commander Zeft is… occupied." Hel-Torin smirks and counters, "Family problems?" and Sutok nods. Hel-Torin agrees to stand gamma shift and heads to the turbolift. Aaron frowns, but Sutok says, "The doctor is meticulous in maintaining his command certifications. He stands regular watches. As for Commander Zeft, have you ever served with a Denobulan?" Aaron admits he has not, although he's dimly familiar with the complicated family structures Denobulans practice. Sutok nods and says, "Each man has three wives, and each wife has two other husbands. It gets… complicated, indeed."
Sutok then asks if the duty shifts need to be rearranged so alpha shift will be on hand when they reach the probe tomorrow. Aaron agrees and suggests extending gamma shift, but Sutok states beta shift can handle the additional hour. The other officers readily agree, although Lieutenant Kuraht adds, "As long as I have a snack. We don't want a repeat of last time." Sutok nods graciously and Aaron looks confused. Sutok says quietly, "Hortas salivate when hungry just like we do. However, their saliva is acidic and eats through deck plates." Aaron grunts and nods his understanding.
Sutok then introduces Lieutenant Riora Kelbine at conn and Lieutenant Cory Gilmore at ops; both men give simultaneous thumbs-up gestures without looking up from their boards. Sutok adds, "At one point, Lieutenant Gilmore made a friendly wager with Lieutenant Kelbine and dyed his hair an outrageous color. As time passed, this became an institution." Sutok explains that apparently, both men compete regularly for the most outrageous color and style, but Aaron shrugs and says, "To each their own. As long as it doesn't interfere with their duties." Sutok nods and Aaron thanks him for the introductions to his crew. Sutok deadpans, "Your predecessor called it 'my circus,'" and Aaron smirks.
Aaron notes that Commander T'kora is already gone, and Dr. Ghatorii has also left. He motions for Kimball, Kelly, Shil'vala, and M'Belaa to head to the turbolift so beta shift can operate in peace. As they head for the turbolift, the science station lets out an electronic squawk and Lieutenant Kuraht slams the panel with her body. The lateral sensor array goes back online, and the Horta gives a happy rumble. Aaron shakes his head and contemplates replacing the entire station, but Kimball reminds him the problem goes much deeper than that.
Once inside the turbolift, the five new officers decide to share dinner together in the officer's mess on deck three. Kimball asks Aaron about Anjohl Meru's religious earring, as it's up to the captain's discretion regarding religious iconography. Aaron shrugs and says it doesn't bother him and jokes she could always use it as a weapon in a pinch. Kimball is less sanguine, but Shil'vala pats her ushaan and says, "Yup."
The five officers get to the mess and Shil'vala eyes the replicators with distaste. Aaron jokes that it's motivation to get her garden growing, and how he looks forward to the fruits of her labor. The officers replicate their meals and settle in at an empty table. Shil'vala replicated something particularly astringent, and she sweetly offers samples to the others. Counselor M'Belaa demurs, stating she's a vegetarian. Aaron sticks to his chicken salad sandwich, but Kelly agrees. He learns its Andorian ice worm, and she passes him a piece on a silver pick. He finds it as astringent as it smells, but with a surprisingly smooth texture.
As they eat, Counselor M'Belaa muses, "We are the outsiders here." Aaron argues that both sides will have to adapt, and he plans to work with everyone according to their strength and weaknesses. M'Belaa nods but says she's noticed a bit of uncertainty from the existing crew regarding the new arrivals, but that's not unexpected. Aaron decides they need to break the ice, and tasks M'Belaa with generating ideas for a social activity. She starts jotting ideas down on her padd as they eat.
Kimball brings up the possibility of reconfiguring the shields to allow a ten-second delay in the aft section to allow the launching of shuttles and runabouts. Aaron is amenable to something, but Shil'vala points out, "I'd be surprised if something like that didn't already exist, considering the Miranda-class was originally a shuttle carrier."1) Kimball agrees, and decides the next step is to speak with Commander T'kora. The officers finish their meals and return to The Ring. Kelly unpacks his belongings – all of which fit into three duffel bags – and settles in to read. Kimball unpacks as well, but he has more stuff, including a ship in a bottle and a crucifix. He checks the computer and finds that Catholic services are held in the chapel, which is essentially sanctified "universal" space.
Aaron drops his stuff off but sets out to explore his ship a bit more. He heads to deck five to check out the gymnasium and rec room. He finds both in use, and they both have a bit of a lived-in feel. He ends up talking with a male Andorian named Shras,2) who is a gamma shift engineer. Shras explains that the crew of the Boston holds a bit of a bias against the holodecks, and typically prefers entertainments that are more traditional, such the rec room or the gym. He adds that many crewmembers who are assigned to the Boston stay for a lot longer than they initially expected. Aaron nods and says, "I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon." He asks if the crew holds tournaments and the like; Shras nods but clarifies, "We used to. No one's done anything like that since the incident."
Sensing an opportunity, Aaron asks about his predecessor. Shras is honest and says Captain Shen was a compassionate woman who knew her crew, allowed them their individuality, and was beloved by the people under her command. Her abrupt removal, alongside Piela and Rogan, has deeply unsettled everyone. Shras says, "They went on an away mission, and were immediately quarantined upon their return. No one knows what happened. Well, one person knows more, but getting information out of her is a near-impossible task." Aaron correctly guesses the person in question is Commander T'kora; Shras nods.
Shras offers to spar Aaron and is surprised when Aaron readily agrees. They go into the gym with practice staffs and begin. Aaron holds his own, and spots Shras grinning as he realizes he doesn't have to hold back against the new captain. They attract a crowd, and Aaron grins when he realizes people are chanting for him! They finish the match at a dead tie, and Aaron thanks Shras for the session. Although his shoulders and back burn with fatigue, Aaron heads to his quarters quite happy to have made a positive impression with some of his new crew. As he settles in to sleep, he notes the omnipresent hum of the warp engines and the faint shuddering throughout the spaceframe as the Boston continues her journey at warp eight.
Aaron blearily wakes up to hear the boson's whistle and then Dr. Ghatorii calls out, "Bridge to Captain Englyss." Aaron calls out, "I'm awake – mostly," and he can hear Hel-Torin's smile as the Efrosian states, "Captain, we've just picked up an automated distress call, looks like a beacon. It's about three hours away at our current speed." Aaron replies, "Maintain current course and speed, I'm on my way up." He dons a uniform and heads up to the bridge, arriving about five minutes after Hel-Torin's initial hail. He walks on to the bridge and suppresses the flash of surprise at seeing his CMO in the captain's chair.
Hel-Torin quickly introduces the officers of gamma shift. At tactical is Lieutenant (junior grade) Alandra, a female Bolian who looks up and gives Aaron a warm smile. Aaron takes note of her ample assets as Hel-Torin gestures to the science station – back its traditional configuration – and introduces Lieutenant Ghand jav Slaal, a female Tellarite. She is focused on her board and deigns to greet Aaron with a grunt. Hel-Torin smirks and introduces Ensign Asha Okumbo at conn and Ensign Anton Imrich at ops. Okumbo is a statuesque female human of African descent, and Imrich is a light-skinned male human of Czech descent.
Hel-Torin turns to Lieutenant Slaal, who snarls she has a radiation bloom, which might indicate the vessel undergoing a warp core shutdown. At their current distance, she can't get much more from the sensors. Hel-Torin tells Aaron, "At maximum warp, we can be there in under an hour." Aaron debates internally for a second, and then says, "Time to see what the Boston can do. Helm, alter course to intercept and go to maximum warp. Science, I want continuous readings and as much detail when you get it. Keep an eye out for other ships as well." Slaal nods solemnly, but Okumbo smiles widely as she adjusts course and increases speed.
The Boston leaps ahead at warp nine-point-six and the effects are immediate; the omnipresent hum becomes a growl, and the vibrations get a lot more noticeable. Both Kelly and Kimball are awake, and they quickly shower, grab a bite to eat, and head to the bridge. The senior officers filter into the bridge over the next ten minutes but leave their gamma shift counterparts to do their jobs. Slaal continues scanning and finds no other ships.
At 0630 hours, the Boston is close enough to the distress call that Slaal can penetrate the radiation bloom and get actual readings. She calls out, "One vessel undergoing a core shutdown. It's… standby." She runs the scans a few more times before announcing, "The vessel appears to be what happens when an Orion freighter has intercourse with a Klingon Bird of Prey." She transfers her readings to the main viewscreen, and they all see the vessel. It has the core body of an Orion freighter, but a Klingon neck and forward prow, and four Bird of Prey wings jutting out in an X-pattern. Several officers groan as they realize the truth: it's a hybridized Pakled ship.
Alandra calls out cheerfully, "They're armed with photonic-tipped missiles and laser cannons, captain. Best guess is that we'd likely die of old age before they penetrated our shields." Aaron nods as he eyes the hybrid-ship, and then Slaal announces, "We are being hailed." Aaron gestures for her to patch it through, and then the image of three male Pakleds appears on the screen, one clearly covered in grease and soot. The lead Pakled says, "We cannot go." Aaron identifies himself and his ship, but the Pakled doesn't reciprocate; he only states, "You are smart. You can make us go."
Kelly has an idea and claims part of the science station. Slaal looks on with interest as Kelly successfully hacks the Pakleds' internal sensor grid and discovers several relevant pieces of information. The first – and most aggravating – is that the internal sensor array is linked to the hybrid ship's waste extraction system and is primarily focused on the captain's shiny rock collection. Second, there are maybe two dozen Pakleds aboard. Third, the warp core shutdown is due to a misaligned junction. A halfway competent engineer can fix the junction and restart the warp core easily enough.
Kelly gestures to get Aaron's attention, and then mutes the channel with the Pakled ship. He outlines his findings and Shil'vala reluctantly volunteers to lead an away team. T'kora eyes Kelly's readings and estimates she'll need three engineers with her to make repairs in the most efficient manner possible. Aaron stipulates that a security team will accompany them. He gets an idea and says, "You'll have to take a shuttle over anyway, so go in full hazmat suits and let's have the Pakleds go to someplace safe from the radiation. Like their brig. Tell them the radiation will only increase until it's fixed." Kimball agrees and volunteers to lead the security detail personally. Aaron approves, and tells Kelly to keep a sharp eye on the sensors.
They reestablish the channel with the Pakleds, and Kelly tries to explain the radiation, but it's clear it isn't connecting. The Pakled captain refers to radiation as "sick stuff" but Kelly starts calling it "bad air." That seems to register, so Kelly explains the need for his crew to shelter in safety while Starfleet sends a repair party. The Pakled captain taps his chest and rumbles, "Slorrod. I have suit. I will show them." He gestures to Aaron, who repeats his full name and rank. Slorrod simply replies, "A-ron," and Aaron sighs, realizing this is all he's going to get.