05-28-2024, 09:56 PM
Chief Engineer's Log, Stardate... Stardate... I don't even know anymore. 22405.... dot something. I have no clue. It's been a crazy week, week and a half. Between the mission and the aftermath, we've done a ton and I'm certain there's stuff that I've forgotten, if I could only remember what it was.
We arrived at the Parhelia system and located the Callisto, which was simultaneously in better and worse shape than what we'd expected. Better, because it was still roughly intact and was accessible (read: not docked at the Nor or out of system). Worse, because my stars, that thing had been beaten to hell and back. It looked like the Cardassians had attempted to repair some of the damage from their last battle, but for the most part it was cosmetic repairs. For example, the hallway we had to take was lined with debris and just rough to traverse, but the forcefields were all working, as were the turbolifts. It was kind of bizarre.
As anticipated, the Cardassians had removed the Slipstream from it and taken it elsewhere, though it took them until just a couple of weeks prior to do so. I presume they were trying to study it in situ first, in case there were any countermeasures or any connections that were critical they didn't know about. They had also removed the specs from the computer, and while it looks like we missed those files we were able to keep them from getting any other classified materials. Score one for the home team, I guess?
Anyway. The biggest problem was that one of the nacelles had been sheared off and replaced, but without a starbase. As a result, the specs were iffy at best. Sure, it was attached, and sure, it could be powered. But it wasn't going to give us much. I tasked Ensign D'Mar with getting us a little more out of it. She tried her best, but didn't give us much more than we would have gotten, though I cannot fault her dedication.
I never intended it, and I don't know if there was anything I could've done different to prevent it, but she went into the nacelle itself to try and shore up the conduit, and when the bridge activated the warp drive... she was just gone. I've never ordered anyone to sacrifice themselves before. I still don't feel like I have, though I can see how I might have phrased my order a little vaguely and made her choose to do it. Even after a week of dwelling on it - because let's face it, that's just the kind of person I am - I can't really understand the why.
I've submitted paperwork to posthumously promote her to Lieutenant Junior Grade, and I'm supposed to meet with her mother tomorrow to deliver her effects. I still don't know what I'm gonna say, particularly as I barely got to know her. But that's tomorrow's problem, I guess.
Back to it. Once we discovered we were alone without support - and also that we'd managed to take out the Nor and the Cardassian presence in Parhelia - things really took off. I spent most of a day trying to repair Callisto's subspace radio before Artemis showed up. Cera was resourceful as ever and knew we were there before we could even call. But then it was getting Callisto prepared for towing, and rigging Artemis to do the job, and then double shifts replacing and fixing all the conduits that didn't quite rupture as Artemis redlined trying to get to us. She may not have blown up, but that kind of thing takes a toll, usually in engineering overtime.
And then we got here to DS9. I'm technically on shore leave, mandated by the good captain, but wanted to finish this up before I did anything else. You know, there were times this past mission when I didn’t think I was ever going to get to record another…
Well, crap. That’s what I forgot.
*sound of cabin bell chiming; log terminates*
We arrived at the Parhelia system and located the Callisto, which was simultaneously in better and worse shape than what we'd expected. Better, because it was still roughly intact and was accessible (read: not docked at the Nor or out of system). Worse, because my stars, that thing had been beaten to hell and back. It looked like the Cardassians had attempted to repair some of the damage from their last battle, but for the most part it was cosmetic repairs. For example, the hallway we had to take was lined with debris and just rough to traverse, but the forcefields were all working, as were the turbolifts. It was kind of bizarre.
As anticipated, the Cardassians had removed the Slipstream from it and taken it elsewhere, though it took them until just a couple of weeks prior to do so. I presume they were trying to study it in situ first, in case there were any countermeasures or any connections that were critical they didn't know about. They had also removed the specs from the computer, and while it looks like we missed those files we were able to keep them from getting any other classified materials. Score one for the home team, I guess?
Anyway. The biggest problem was that one of the nacelles had been sheared off and replaced, but without a starbase. As a result, the specs were iffy at best. Sure, it was attached, and sure, it could be powered. But it wasn't going to give us much. I tasked Ensign D'Mar with getting us a little more out of it. She tried her best, but didn't give us much more than we would have gotten, though I cannot fault her dedication.
I never intended it, and I don't know if there was anything I could've done different to prevent it, but she went into the nacelle itself to try and shore up the conduit, and when the bridge activated the warp drive... she was just gone. I've never ordered anyone to sacrifice themselves before. I still don't feel like I have, though I can see how I might have phrased my order a little vaguely and made her choose to do it. Even after a week of dwelling on it - because let's face it, that's just the kind of person I am - I can't really understand the why.
I've submitted paperwork to posthumously promote her to Lieutenant Junior Grade, and I'm supposed to meet with her mother tomorrow to deliver her effects. I still don't know what I'm gonna say, particularly as I barely got to know her. But that's tomorrow's problem, I guess.
Back to it. Once we discovered we were alone without support - and also that we'd managed to take out the Nor and the Cardassian presence in Parhelia - things really took off. I spent most of a day trying to repair Callisto's subspace radio before Artemis showed up. Cera was resourceful as ever and knew we were there before we could even call. But then it was getting Callisto prepared for towing, and rigging Artemis to do the job, and then double shifts replacing and fixing all the conduits that didn't quite rupture as Artemis redlined trying to get to us. She may not have blown up, but that kind of thing takes a toll, usually in engineering overtime.
And then we got here to DS9. I'm technically on shore leave, mandated by the good captain, but wanted to finish this up before I did anything else. You know, there were times this past mission when I didn’t think I was ever going to get to record another…
Well, crap. That’s what I forgot.
*sound of cabin bell chiming; log terminates*