There's Tea In That Nebula

Posted on Mon Jul 8th, 2024 @ 8:42am by Lieutenant Narin Valen & Ensign Connor Turner & Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Edited on on Wed Jul 10th, 2024 @ 7:44pm

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Main Engineering - Deck 11 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1630 hrs

Several hours after Ensign Ambrose's visit to the science department, Narin found himself heading down to engineering. It was one of the last tasks he needed to complete before he could take a break for a couple of hours.

As he walked down the corridor, Narin reflected on his visit with Ensign Ambrose. He realized that she probably didn't get the answers she was looking for. She had rushed off before he could explain the anomalies his team was observing, particularly with the sensors.

He also wondered what had made her feel so uneasy and nervous. He speculated that the disappearances might have contributed, but it seemed to get worse whenever he looked at her or offered a smile. Was he the cause of her discomfort? He replayed their interaction in his head, searching for an answer, and realized that she had been uneasy from the very start. As this was their first interaction, he didn’t have a baseline to compare her behavior. He concluded that he would need more data before speculating further.

A few moments later, he stepped into engineering, looking for Ensign Turner, whom he had looked up in the crew manifest before heading down. Or perhaps he would find Ensign Ambrose and she could point him in the direction of Ensign Turner.

Connor was up to his ears in reports. He could not believe what he was seeing. There was a degradation in the ship's integrity all over the ship. It likely had something to do with the nebula that they were in. "How did things get this way?" he wondered aloud. "Think, Connor, think. Everyone is counting on you," he chided himself.

Millie stepped around the corner coming from the break room carrying some Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk in it for Connor. She almost dropped it when the last person she had expected stepped inside Engineering. "Uh Lieutenant Valen uh welcome to Engineering. Ensign Turner is there. I was just about to bring him his tea." Not exactly looking directly at Valen.

Tea? I asked for tea? I don't remember that. Did I or did I not? And why could I not get it for myself? Why would Millie get it for me? The questions prattled in his brain while he tried to register that there was someone with Millie. And why is she having trouble talking again? She did not in the engineering meeting. She seems to know him.... Wait, she was supposed to meet with science. Is he science?

Connor turned away from his work and surveyed the scene. "Um, uh, who do we have here?" he asked to neither Millie or Valen and yet to both.

Narin stepped forward, offering a polite nod. “Ensign Turner, I presume. I’m Lieutenant Valen, the new Assistant Chief Science Officer. Since the disappearance of Commander Maren, I've been acting as the Chief Science Officer.”

He glanced at Millie, noticing her nervousness, and gave her a reassuring smile. “Ensign Ambrose mentioned you were dealing with some technical challenges related to the nebula. I wanted to come by and see if there was anything I could do to assist.”

"H-here is your uh tea uh Ensign Turner. T-thought you could use it. " Millie setting the mug safely on the desk near Connor. Her thoughts going through her head were in a turmoil. Being near the two of them was playing havoc with her. She wasn't certain as to why that was, but she had to maybe go back to the breakroom and have some tea to settle her nerves. Don't look at them, just make a plausible excuse. I don't want either of them to smile at me right now. anxiously worrying her upper lip with her teeth. "I need to take a look at something. I'll just be around the corner there," she finished lamely.

Narin glanced at Millie as she placed the tea on the desk and excused herself from the conversation. Her uneasiness, nervousness, and anxiety were evident, much like during her earlier visit. Without commenting, he made a mental note of it. He nodded to her in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to Ensign Turner.

Connor took the tea from Millie and said, "Thank you, Millie, but, uh, could you stay here? I might need your insight." He gave her a hopeful smile before turning to Narin.

"Um, yes, Lieutenant Narin, I'm the Acting Chief Engineer and Millie, well, she's my Acting Assistant Chief. Can't say that I would know much to do without her." He again looked back at Millie and nodded at her. "Anyway, everything appears to be degrading. I suspect it is the nebula. I'm not certain how much we can reinforce or how much more stress anything can take without leaving and we have not had orders to leave. So, if you have any ideas to bolster the ship with our respective reduced staffs...." Connor's words drifted off as he nervously shifted his eyes to the data coming in.

Narin thought for a moment. “Nebulas naturally contain exotic particles and various radiation types that interact with the ship’s systems. Some of these can cause accelerated wear and tear, and even direct damage. Typically, this isn't an issue because the crew can anticipate and counteract these effects. However, with our current distractions, we haven't been able to address these problems.”

Considering the problem at hand, Narin continued. “The obvious solution would be to leave the nebula, but that seems easier said than done at the moment. Our best option might be to modulate our shields to adapt to the specific frequencies of the particles and radiation in this nebula. Given that our sensors are compromised and providing false positives, it will involve some trial and error. However, if we can find the optimal configuration, we can block or deflect the harmful effects.”

Connor nodded. He had come to the same conclusions. Ultimately, he was going to have to talk to the Captain about this. Science and engineering could only provide so many solutions. He asked Narin, "Is there anything spectacular or interesting about this nebula? Can you tell me what the logical reason is for staying here? Are we expecting something?"

“Our scans indicated that this nebula contains high concentrations of exotic particles. Before our sensors became unreliable, we discovered that the nebula is experiencing thermal instabilities, with rapid temperature fluctuations. Additionally, gas density fluctuations are creating localized areas of high pressure. While we need more data to be certain, it seems likely that we are observing the early stages of the nebula's collapse.” Narin explained, answering the first question posed by Ensign Turner.

Narin sighed, "As for why we remain here, I can't come up with a logical reason. It's a question that's been bothering me as well."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the nebula is about to collapse, it is about to turn into a star, right?" Connor bit his lip pondering the subject.

Narin nodded. "That's correct. If the nebula is in the early stages of collapsing, it could be on its way to forming a star. The process can take millions of years, but the initial collapse can create a lot of instability and unusual conditions."

"Do you have an estimate on how long it will be in this case?" Connor asked, a note of concern entering his voice. He needed to know the level of danger before he could take further action. To cover his nerves, he drank some of the tea that Millie had given him.

"I don’t think we have to worry about it collapsing while we're here," Narin reassured him. "Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be as much of an issue, but with the recent disruptions and lack of regular maintenance, it's having a more significant impact on the ship than usual."

"We are a couple of days behind on maintenance," Connor admitted. "I have what teams I can trying to put proverbial thumbs in the dams. So, if you have any other people we can borrow, it might prove helpful. Of course, we might want to approach the Captain, too."

“I’ll see who I can spare and send them to engineering,” Narin stated, glancing at the data on Connor’s console. “We need to approach this from two angles. First, we need to identify the most critical areas that need immediate attention. Prioritizing those will help us stabilize the ship more effectively. Second, we need to figure out the shield configuration to protect us from the nebula's effects. Otherwise, any repairs we make will be for nothing if we can’t protect what we fix.”

Millie had stepped away for a moment just to gather her thoughts. She hadn't gone too far, and she had heard Connor 's request to not leave and he was right she had been made his Assistant Chief for engineering. She quietly returned, listening to the two men talk about what was happening, and discussing what could be done to keep the ship from dying.

Thinking things over for a moment, Millie spoke up not looking at either of them. "W-wouldn't we need to also have someone in operations to helping with this as well?"

Narin glanced in Millie's direction. "Yes, we would need to involve Operations."

Connor thought about it and agreed, "I had planned on handling the anti-matter/matter chamber and warp core first. You're right about the shields for the rest of the ship, as well. I don't know who is running ops right now but we could definitely use all of their help, too."

He turned to Millie, "Can you look into who is running ops and getting some of those people here?"

Millie gave a nod, pulling out her padd to begin the search, the results she came up with were, "There is Ensign T'ket and Chief Petty Officer Xoán Rocha both are in operations and then there is Petty Officer 1st Class Marisol Puerta who is the transporter specialist. Which of these do you want to bring in?"

"Ensign T'Ket would be my choice," Narin replied, "and let them decide who should work on this issue."

"I'd like both, if possible, but without someone running Ops, does that mean I'm in charge of that too?" Connor's eyes grew wide and his face drained of any color. He turned to Millie and squeaked out, "Mill...Millie?"

Millie shook her head at Connor. "No you are not, that will fall upon Ensign T'Ket's shoulders much like it fell on your shoulders to pick up things here in engineering. And-" turning her gaze somewhat in the direction of Narin and yet not directly looking at him. "Uh Lieutenant Valen being in charge of Science. Right now, though it is a matter of teaming up with everyone to keep the ship from flying apart so to speak."

Narin nodded in agreement with her assessment of the situation.

"Guess we can say we need to get a move on things, and I am seriously wondering just if being in this nebula is causing that problem with that hatchway I was working on." She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Narin nodded in agreement. “I’ll head back and get started on my part. If you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

"I will," Connor replied hesitantly. "Uh, thank you, for, uh, coming by to, um, help."

Narin nodded to Connor one more time before turning his attention to Millie. "Thank you, Ensign. I'll see you around," he said with a quick smile before heading out of engineering.

Millie's eyes flared rather wide when Valen addressed her specifically and her face turned a beat red. " Uh... maybe..." she nervously whispered. Oh gosh, what do I do? What do I do? her thoughts running wild at this point of time. "Uh Connor, so- I think I am going to go take a break, to, uh collect myself. Uh, I'll uh hmmnnn, don't worry I will be okay." Millie just rambling, desperately needing a cup of tea and a little bit of quiet to get herself settled.

Connor's head was lost in all of the tasks that needed to be completed. He also was considering Millie's comment regarding the hatch and the nebula's effect. However, he did take notice of Millie's halting speech and her blush. I don't think I have ever seen her do that since I re-met her. I think it might have been when she suggested dinner, which we never did. Perhaps I'll ask her about it then, assuming we find our crew and get out of here in one piece. Now how do I keep this ship in one piece? He sighed and started talking to the computer, hoping it had some miraculous answers.

A Joint Post By

Lieutenant Junior Grade Narin Valen
Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer

Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer

Ensign Connor Turner
Computer Systems Specialist, USS Pioneer

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