Epiphany

Posted on Tue Dec 10th, 2024 @ 5:29pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Ensign Emilynn Dove

3,005 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Interlude 1 Gamma Quadrant
Location: USS Firebird Holodeck
Timeline: Present

[ON]

‘An entire day!’

Emilynn had an entire day off. She had asked to work but her request had been denied. She was told it was necessary she take the day off. She loathed trying to fill the void on her off days. It was proving more challenging each time. It was a small ship and one could only do so much by themselves.

‘Necessary. What does that even mean? Why does it matter? I’ve worked the last 13 days. It’s fine. I’m fine. I’ve made no glaring errors in my work and caused no problems for anyone. There is so much I could be doing right now.’ She grumbled.

She had typically managed to make herself available to assist someone on her off days, either officially or unofficially, however this time she had been given strict orders she was to take the entire day off.

She sighed heavily in defeat looking at the large print “DENIED” on her work schedule.

She hadn’t allowed herself to get close to anyone on the ship and therefore had no idea what anyone else was doing today. She would likely not attend any group gatherings anyway. They made her feel awkward and she never knew what to say or how to act. Sadly it just wasn’t in her nature.

Sitting alone in her cabin she looked down at the PADD in her hand. No personal messages to return. There was nothing new to write her parents about. She wished she knew where her brother Cal was. She hadn’t heard from him in over 3 months now.

“How could you just abandon me like this? Where are you?” She whispered.

They had always been close and she couldn’t understand him disappearing like this. She knew his relationship with her father was strained but he had never isolated himself from her and had always managed to touch base with her mom. But neither had heard from him. Emi’s mood was turning from anger to worry with each passing day.

“Computer. Check Starfleet records for any new information or whereabouts of Calvin Levi Dove.”

=^= Calvin Levi Dove, born... =^=

Emilynn listened intently to the report but found herself disappointed again when nothing new turned up.

With a heavy heart, she made her way out of the cabin to wander the halls. She soon found herself in front of one of the holodecks. She stood staring at the console. She tilted her head and smiled as a new plan emerged. ‘What a brilliant idea Emilynn, you’re a genius!’

“Computer display all holodeck programs located in San Francisco.” Emilynn thought seeing her home town would brighten her mood.

The monitor displayed a long list of programs, one of which piqued her interest immediately.

Starfleet Command - San Francisco - Headquarters Training Simulations. There were so many subcategories.

Emilynn grinned. Her plan to see home had quickly developed into something more unauthorized. ‘No work’ Well this wasn’t work, this was holodeck time. Enjoyment, leisure. Right?’ She thought mischievously.

“Computer are any of the Training simulations in the operations department?”

=^= Affirmative =^=

“Computer narrow list to display only those for Operations.”

The new list poured out before her eyes. There were so many. She wouldn’t have to worry about filling any of her off time now with this vast library.

“Computer begin program 3273”

=^= Program Complete. Enter when ready. =^=

Satisfied now that this day, this entire day, would be a great day Emilynn entered the holodeck and stepped onto the bridge of what appeared to be a galaxy class starship.

“Ensign, take your station at Ops.”

“Yes, Commander.” She replied happily.

Every station on the bridge was manned now that she had arrived. The captain and 1st officer sat in the center of the circular room talking quietly. Everyone else was going about their duties in perfect harmony.

Tapping the console in front of her, Emilynn checked the status of all the ship's systems. Nothing of any concern was noted. However, it was obvious this ship was not using the latest system updates. She also thought about how she could boost the efficiency of the sensors but all was working within normal parameters so she went about her work coordinating power usage throughout the ship and enjoying the collaborative work with her peers on the bridge.

“Captain, main engineering is requesting we drop to impulse power while they conduct maintenance on the warp nacelles.”

“Very well, ensign. Let engineering know they have no more than 3 hours to complete their work. We have a schedule to keep.”

“Yes, captain.”

“Mr Alden, drop to impulse and maintain heading.”

“Aye captain. Dropping to impulse.”

The captain stood and turned to Emilynn. “Ensign, we might as well make good use of this time. There were reports from Starfleet of intermittent subspace anomalies in this sector a while back. No one ever found anything. Let’s see what we might dig up. Start a detailed scan of the area.”

“Acknowledged captain. Initiating scans now.”

Emilynn studied the sensor readings trying to make sense of them.

“Captain, I don’t know exactly what the sensors are picking up. These readings are not definitive. There is definitely anomalies readings approximately 4 million kilometers off our starboard bow.”

“Ensign launch a class V probe and see if we can’t pick up anything more.”

“Yes sir. Probe launched.”

Moments passed and Emilynn studied the data. The probe was transmitting data at lighting speed but the data made absolutely no sense to her. It was nothing but a bunch of symbols, numbers, and letters all combined. As quickly as the data appeared it stopped.

“Captain, the probe…” her voice trailed off as she worked to locate it.

Captain Stark turned his attention directly at Emilynn “I need more information than that ensign.” He retorted.

“I don’t know captain, it’s gone. The probes no longer transmitting data and my scans cannot locate it. Either it has malfunctioned or it was destroyed.”

“T'Koth are you picking up any weapons fire or hostile vessels in the area?”

“No captain. The only vessels in our vicinity are a Starfleet freighter, a Ferengi shuttlecraft, and a Vulcan science vessel. None pose a threat to us. They are all out of range of the probe's last known location.”

“Captain, I’m attempting to clear up the telemetry on the data we obtained from the probe. I’m running it through the universal translator but so far nothing useful has been presented. It’s nothing but a long string of letters, symbols, and numbers. None of which make any sense.”

“Okay, ensign...”

Without warning the ship rocked violently.

“Shields up! Red Alert. Report”

“We’ve been hit on the starboard side by some sort of energy shockwave. It’s disappeared from the sensors.” Emilynn responded.

“Shields are at 82%. Weapons at the ready.” T'Koth added calmly from tactical.

“Injury reports are coming in from all decks. No casualties were reported. The power is out on decks 6 and 7 starboard side. Sensors are fully operational.” Emilynn searched to figure out why she had not been notified about the incoming assault.

=^= Stark to Engineering, what's your status? =^=

=^= Captain, minor damage down here. We have a few injuries, but we are managing. =^=

=^= Very good Lieutenant, I need those engines back online. =^=

=^= I’m going to need at least 6 minutes to get them up and running again Captain. =^=

=^= Very well, get it done Logan, we need this ship operational. I don't know what I’m dealing with here. We can’t be cau…. =^=

Before he could finish his sentence another wave hit the ship on the starboard side. The impact was far more violent than the last sending everyone to the ground. Smoke began to fill the bridge.

“Shields down to 63% captain,” T'Koth called out.

Emilynn read the reports coming into her station. “Damage reports coming in. There are haul breaches on decks 7, 9, and 10. Force fields in place and repair crew in route…” Before she could continue her report another wave assaulted the ship.

“Shields at 44%.”

=^= Lieutenant Jeffries, were are my engines? =^=

=^= 2 more minutes captain, I’m almost there. =^=

The shockwaves assaulting the ship were coming faster and more violent.

“I need answers, Ensign. What are you seeing on sensors?” He demanded.

“Captain, I can’t locate where the energy field is originating. It appears and leaves before our sensors even detect it.”

“Mr. Alden change heading 40 degrees to port. Once the engines are back online get us out of here warp 6.”

“Aye, sir.”

The ship was hit again.

Shields to 26%, another hit captain and we…”

The captain interjected. “Divert emergency power from all non-essential systems to the shields. I need options people.”

“Marginal improvement in shield output. Now holding at 38%.

The shockwaves continued their assault without reprieve.

“We are at 19% captain,” T’Koth reported.

=^= Logan I need those engines now. =^=

There was no response.

=^= Engineering where are my engines? =^=

=^= Captain, this is ensign Murphy, Lieutenant Jeffries is dead. =^=

=^= Ensign, get the engines online. Now! =^=

=^= Sir, I’m afraid that last hit caused massive damage to the navigational deflector, we won't be able to sustain more than thrusters until it's fixed.” =^=

With that another shockwave rocked the ship and the computer's voice activated.

=^= Assigned task failure, program terminated. =^=

Emilynn found herself standing alone on the empty hologrid. Shocked by what she had just experienced. The word “failure” echoed in her mind. Failure was not an option for her, or anyone in her family. Emilynn was more determined than ever to solve the problem.

“Computer restart program 3273”

=^= Acknowledged. =^=

“Ensign, take your station at Ops.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Everything was playing out on the bridge as it had the first time. Emilynn thought this time she would make adjustments to the responses she had made last time to see if she could avoid the fatal outcome.

Tapping the console in front of her, she made quick work of updating the ship's systems and boosted the sensors as much as she could. She then returned to her normal duties of coordinating ship-wide power output. She tried to stay alert and watch the spacial sensors for anything abnormal. Soon enough, just as she anticipated, the call came in from engineering.

“Captain, main engineering is requesting we drop to impulse power while they conduct maintenance on the warp nacelles.”

“Very well, ensign. Let engineering know they have no more than 3 hours to complete their work. We have a schedule to keep.”

“Yes sir.”

“Mr Alden, drop to impulse and maintain heading.”

“Aye captain. Dropping to impulse.”

Just as before the captain stood and turned to her. “Ensign, we might as well make good use of this time. There were reports from Starfleet of intermittent subspace anomalies in this sector a while back. No one ever found anything. Let’s see what we might dig up. Start a detailed scan of the area.”

“Scans initiated.”

Emilynn studied the sensor readings trying to look for anything similar to what she had witnessed before.

“Captain, there are some anomalous readings approximately 4 million kilometers off our starboard bow.”

“Ensign launch a class V probe and see if we can’t pick up anything more.”

“Yes sir. Probe launched.”

Emilynn waited for the probe's data to come in. Again the same string of symbols, numbers, and letters displayed on her monitor and the probe suddenly disappeared just as before.

“Captain, the probe has vanished. I’m no longer picking it up on sensors. Telemetry has ceased”

“T'Koth are you picking up any weapons fire or hostile vessels in the area?”

“No captain. The only vessels in our vicinity are a Starfleet freighter, a Ferengi shuttlecraft, and a Vulcan science vessel. None pose a threat to us. They are all out of range of the probes last known location.”

Emilynn worked just as before to try to clear up the telemetry and see if the universal translator had any plans to help her this time now that it had been upgraded. But again, nothing valuable had presented itself.

“Captain, the data provided by the probe is not recognized by our translator.”

Within seconds the 1st shockwave hit the ship.

“Shields up! Red Alert. Report”

“We’ve been hit on the starboard side by some sort of energy shockwave. It’s disappeared from the sensors.” Emilynn responded. She continued to look for its origin with no avail.

“Shields are at 82%. Weapons at the ready.” T'Koth added calmly from tactical.

“Minor injuries reported from all over the ship, no casualties. Power is out on decks 6 and 7 starboard side. Sensors are fully operational.” Emilynn continued to search for a way to detect the shockwaves before they happened.

=^= Stark to Engineering, whats your status?” =^=

=^= Captain, minor damage down here. We have a few injuries, but we are managing. =^=

=^= Very good Lieutenant, I need those engines back online. =^=

=^= I’m going to need at least 6 minutes to get them up and running again captain. =^=

=^= Alright, get it done Logan, we need this ship operational. I don't know what I’m dealing with here. We can’t be cau…. =^=

Another shockwave slammed into the ship. Everyone scrambled to get to their feet. Smoke began to fill the bridge making their task more difficult.

“Shields down to 63%.” T'Koth called out.

Emilynn again read the reports coming into her station. “Captain, haul breaches on decks 7, 9, and 10. Force fields in place and repair crew in route…”

The next wave assaulted the ship violently.

“Shields down to 44%.” T’Koch reported.

=^= Lieutenant Jeffries, were are my engines? =^=

=^= 2 more minutes Sir, I’m almost there. =^=

The shockwaves continued their assault while Emilynn struggled to find the answers she knew she would be asked for.

“I need answers ensign. What are you seeing on sensors?” He demanded.

“Captain, I can’t locate where the energy field is originating and its gone before it even registers on sensors. I recommend we try reversing the the shield polarity to see if it has any impact on damage.”

“It’s worth a try, make it so ensign. Mr. Alden change heading 40 degrees to port. Once the engine are back online get us out of here Warp 6.”

“Aye sir.”

The ship was hit yet again. Although the wave still caused damage her plan had helped some.

Shields to 34% captain.”

The captain interjected. “Divert emergency power from all non-essential systems to the shields. I need options people.”

“Marginal improvement in shield output. Now holding at 46%.”

The ship continued its gradual decline as the assaults continued.

“35% captain. We can not sustain these assaults.” T’Koth reported.

=^= Logan I need the engines now. =^=

There was no response.

=^= Engineering where are my engines? =^=

=^= Captain, this is ensign Murphy, Lieutenant Jeffries is dead. =^=

=^= Get the engines online. Now! =^=

=^= Sir, I’m afraid that last hit caused massive damage to the navigational deflector, we wont be able to sustain more than thrusters until its fixed.” =^=

Another shockwave rocked the ship.

“Warning. Critical systems failure. Warp core breach in 60 seconds.”

“Shields down to 24% captain.”

=^= This is the captain, all hands, abandon ship. =^=

There was no time. The order had come too late. One last shockwave hit the ship and the program again ended abruptly.

Emily stood motionless in the holodeck again trying to think of a solution to the problems that had occurred. ‘What am I missing? Reversing shield polarity had helped…what else could I do? Hmm maybe…its a crazy idea, but it might work. I might as well try it and see…’

“Computer restart program 3273”

=^= Acknowledged. =^=

“Ensign, take your station at Ops.”

“Yes Commander.” She replied.

Emilynn followed many of the same steps she had taken previously and everything had happened just as it had before. The shockwaves still came undetected, reversing the shield polarity had helped but wasn’t enough to offset the damage from the assaults.

Shields to 34% Captain” T’Koth reported.

The captain interjected. “Divert emergency power from all non-essential systems to the shields. I need options people.”

Emilynn knew it was a risky choice. If this was a real world situation she wouldn’t dare recommend such steps but it wouldn’t hurt anything here to see if her plan was the solution to their problem.

“Captain. I think we should cut all nonessential power to the ship and only utilize what we need to navigate out of here. I think the shockwave is attracted to our power systems.”

“Very well ensign, make it so.”

Emi’s hands ran over the console and the ships power systems systematically shut down.

=^= Jeffries to Ops, we’ve lost almost all power down here. =^=

=^= Standby Lieutenant. =^= Emilynn replied.

Emi waited for the next shockwave to occur praying her hypothesis was correct. Soon it came and although it still hit the ship its damage was almost undetected.

“Captain shields are holding at 33%. It appears it is working.” T’Koth reported.

“Great work ensign.”

=^= Logan, where are my engines? =^=

=^= I’m on it Captain. Standby…. Ok Captain I can give you warp 2. Anymore than that is going to take a little time. We have extensive damage down here. =^=

=^= Acknowledged. Thank you Lieutenant. =^=

“Ensign Dove, deploy a warning beacon. Mr Alden take us out of here at warp 2.”

Emilynn looked out onto the bridge. Where moments earlier there was a storm of chaos it had been her that had calmed the storm. She felt proud and wondered if she could be so bold in the future as to recommend such an action to her captain. It was certainly worth further thought. She had after all just saved the entire crew.

Although she had only recently joined the Firebird she now understood she wasn’t just a worker, she was a part of a team. Someone with ideas and input worth sharing. It was an epiphany she didn’t think she would have come to had she not initiated Starfleet Command - San Francisco - Headquarters Training Simulations, subsection 3273.

“Computer end program” she said cheerfully.

[OFF]

Ensign Emilynn Dove
Operations Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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