Batten Down Your Test Tubes
Posted on Mon Dec 7th, 2015 @ 8:54pm by Ensign Corrine Steiner & Ensign Monday Starr & Captain Liarra Von & Lieutenant William O'Hara Jr
Mission: By Dawn's Early Light
[ON]
Cadet Jasmine caught up with Corrine Steiner as she briskly made her way to a wall of parked public hover-scooters. Miles of starbase had to be covered in a short time, and congested turbolifts and transporter beams were not best choices at the moment. Each hopped on a scooter. Biometrics accepted, the tiny machines powered on and took them into the flow of traffic. "Jazz, you have those life support isolation protocols set up?"
"Yes, ma'am. They can be triggered remotely by CIC or manually by preconfigured circuits. Where are you headed?"
"Quartermaster. We don't have enough disaster supplies distributed to handle a dead station for long." At hearing the continuing chirp of her communicator, Corrine closed her eyes, "So help me... if this thing doesn't stop with the cricket, I shall take a hammer to it!"
Jasmine smiled sympathetically, "Corrie, you can't keep accidentally damaging your combadges. People are beginning to catch on." She gave her a sheepish look, "That's a priority chirp. Probably should answer it."
After a deep, bracing sigh, she opened the channel, "Steiner, here."
=/Ensign! Are you doing something again?\=
"Just what do you mean, am I doing something again?"
=/Well, ma'am, procedures are, if something weird is happening, ask you first.\=
Jasmine shook with silent laughter.
Corrie sighed tensely through clenched teeth, "Just tell me what's 'weird'."
=/Ma'am, we're picking up a strong hyper-accelerated transporter beam locking onto base transponder beacon.\=
Jasmine stared off warily, "Hyper-accelerated. That means interstellar transportation."
Corrie asked with quickened pulse, "Are we being boarded?"
=/The beam tracer is using a valid Federation code.\=
"Origin!"
=/Tracing now. It's... from nowhere! There's nothing but empty space on a sigma tangent all the way out of the galaxy and on to...\= The operator's voice wavered, =/Andromeda!\=
Jasmine shook her head, "We can't raise shields. Depending on the type of beam, it could kill the inbound travelers."
"Ops! Time to materialization!"
=/Estimated sixty seconds!\=
Corrie's lips pursed, "Ops, someone that far away wouldn't be aware we're facing a war situation."
=/But what do we do?\=
She closed her eyes for a moment, "Computer! Enable the SciLab quarantine transporter now. Answer the inbound hyper-beam tracer from there."
==SCI-LAB PAD IS CLEARED. BEACON IS ON. SAFETY BEAM CORRIDOR IS CLEAR.==
Jasmine shook her head warily, "Corrie! What if it's something dangerous?"
The pair took off running at full sprint. Corrine called out loudly enough for all nearby to hear, "Ops! Call security to SciLab Three! Prepare to isolate surrounding decks with containment fields! Clear emergency beam-over for two!"
Lt. O'Hara, lucky him, was fortunate enough to be present to witness the spectacle. Corrie and Jasmine dematerialized at a full run, presumably on their way to SciLab.
Bil noticed personnel beam in and started running. He thought it kinda odd as he followed them. "Whats going on ladies?" Bill inquired feeling a bit lost at this and not knowing the crew yet did not help.
"Jazz?" Corrine kept running.
Jasmine, ever the polite helper, stopped to explain, "Well, Sir, an unidentified interstellar and possibly intergalactic transporter beam is inbound. It's using a Federation annunciation code, but we're not sure if it's genuine. Ensign Steiner is directing the marker signal from the SciLab quarantine transporter."
"I guess its good I am with you at least." Bill commented has he followed them to where they were headed. "Bill to Security! Urgent incoming intergalactic transporter beam. Please advise??" Bill was hoping that the head of department would here and give more of what to do. This was a new one on him.
The group arrived just in time to see a brilliant glow flood SciLab. Very slowly, vague humanoid shadows began forming within. A smile of wonderment melted across Jasmine's face as she glanced at the sensor readings, "I didn't think it was possible... a slipstream transportation field."
Corrine nodded, staring into the pool of light, "Whoever the sender is, this is far beyond Federation technology."
After a nearly blinding flare, the light began fading. Jasmine led the way to motionless humans, "They're unconscious!"
Bill was blinded by the intensity of light. "They could have warned us about that?"
Jasmine tipped her head in a grin, "That would be nice."
After confirming that it was safe to touch them, Corrine helped lay the travelers down. "Some kind of stasis field."
Jasmine nodded, "They've probably been traveling for months. Well, they're obviously Starfleet."
Corrine stepped away to allow medics to do their work. "Computer, identify the new arrivals."
==BIOMETRICS MATCH CREW MEMBERS OF USS TACHIBANA. THEIR LAST MESSAGE WAS A DISTRESS CALL. THEY REPORTED BEING DRAGGED INTO A DIMENSIONAL ANOMALY.==
"WOW!" Bill said quietly as he watched the science team looking them over and medical.
"Wow, indeed." After the travel fields faded away, a woman first opened her eyes. Jasmine smiled, kneeling down to greet her, "Welcome home, Monday Starr. You've reached Starbase 332 in the Archa Sector."
Bill stood there quietly just in case he was needed then he was in the right place for safety sake. other then that he would just observe the happenings quietly until spoken too.
Others awakened from stasis. Most stared off, overwhelmed by wonderment. Corrine asked, "Monday, what about the rest of your crew? What about your ship?"
She sat up slowly with help, "My ship can return when the anomaly reforms in our galaxy. The Andromedan race offered to send individuals back ahead of that. Captain Baldwin wanted to make sure that some of us made it back in the event that something unexpected happened to Tachibana." She looked around, "What's wrong?"
Corrie smiled, "You've arrived just in time for a local war."
[OFF]
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Lt. William O'Hara Jr.
Ens. Corrine Steiner
Cadet Jasmine
Ens. Monday Starr
Starbase 332
Pegasus Fleet