YE/D01 - Bridge

[Paul]

==

[Jennifer Braggins]

==0755 Hours. Day after commissioning. Continued from Crew Quarters.==

The new Bridge module had that new ship smell as Jenny stepped out of the turbolift and took in the brand-new equipment. The Yeager had launched with temporary modules installed for several of its major work areas, and the Bridge had been one of them; now it was once again whole with its permanent installation. While outwardly it was near-identical to the older Intrepid-class vessels, the Pathfinder-class Bridge utilised far more advanced technology, including holographic and haptic interfaces where desired, and the sheer amount of space meant that all of her Bridge crew could be present, along with understudies or assistants learning the roles, and there was still room to spare.

They really did just tear the whole thing out and replace it. The entire deck.

Refreshed and in a much cheerier mood than she had been the previous night, Jenny worked her way around the Bridge checking in with the Gamma-shift officers who were due to go off-duty in five minutes. They all seemed as impressed with the new equipment as she was, and Jenny briefly lingered to straighten and run her fingers over the Yeager's shiny new dedication plaque, installed when the ship had been deemed safe for habitation again.

"Rules are made for people who aren't willing to make up their own." It was an apt quote for this crew, and this particular Captain, as it had been appropriate for the man who had initially spoken it; Yeager had famously flown his Mach One flight with broken ribs, conveniently failing to inform the flight surgeon that he had fallen off his horse lest he be grounded. It was just one of many ways in which the Yeager's namesake had been a renegade and legend, but it was the one Jenny most related to.

Taking her seat and wiggling in the new faux-leather, Jenny tested for any sign of squeaking or other unfortunate noises that might cause embarrassment or distraction. There were none, and it had automatically lowered so her feet touched the floor and didn't dangle like those of a small child. The terminal between her station and Jensen's, so much like the Philadelphia's or the old Yeager's, popped up almost unbelievably quickly and displayed requested data at a speed she'd not encountered since the Artemis. Some of the quirks remained though, despite the entire module being ripped out; the ventilation duct above the Master System Display still rattled, and she could have sworn that one of the lights above the door to her Ready Room flashed purple every couple of minutes.

It wouldn't be the Yeager without a few glitches...

Sitting back in her chair, Jenny smiled to herself as she heard the chimes that signalled the change of watch. The Gamma-shift personnel would remain at their posts until their Alpha-shift replacements arrived, and then the Yeager would depart on her next grand adventure. The biggest challenge before her now, at least until she got to the diplomacy part of the mission, was to select the contestants for the race. Much as she would have loved to do it herself, that was a job for the young and eager, and Jenny's lip quirked a little more at the corners as she considered just how "informative" the new crew's first mission would be.

[Peter Jensen]

Peter entered the bridge and smiled as he took in the view. It was a sight for sore eyes, he thought, as the layout of teh bridge stations was at least somewhat sane again. The XO's position was back in its proper place next to the Captain, so that he could immediately have access to the same data, and be able to step up immediately if circumstances forced him to.
There was also something about he symobolism of it all, with the XO's seat to the right of the Captain that he liked, but of course would never speak aloud.
While he did have an ego - anyone, even Vulcans, who claimed that they didn't were filthy liars - it was not inflated enough to think that this was the main benefit of the "new" arrangement.
Instead, it was his dedication to tradition that drove his view here: This layout had worked fine for so long, that changing it seemed silly.

He gave Gamma Shift a reassuring smile as if to say "Just carry on", realizing that they were a few minutes away from being able to go to bed. He knew that feeling. While there technically was no "night" in space, and so the whole idea of a circadian rhythm became increasingly irrelevant the longer you were in space, the idea of the "night shift" still had a psychological impact.

"Goodmorning everyone", he said with calm smile, then looked at Braggins: "Goodmorning, Captain", he finished as he sat down in his own chair and pulled the terminal over towards him so he could see if there was anything urgent to report.

[Pax Cassidy]

== Wrong thread sorry ==

[Arwen Qi]

The bridge’s new layout seemed to amplify the sound of Qi’s footsteps, like the wooden floor of a dusty old theater. The design was cavernous, particularly compared to the compact Geronimo. Even there, Qi dreaded Bridge duty. He used to spend his entire shift wishing he could retreat to the comfort of his lab. Working on the Bridge felt like having a spotlight shining constantly in his eyes. Since his most recent promotion, he had been spending more and more time in that light. Somehow, his eyes would adjust.

I could ask Jensen to put Papaver or Bowman on the Bridge more often. Would that be generous or selfish?

Qi tapped the shoulder of the ensign at the science station, sending her home a couple of minutes early. He reviewed the calibration that she’d been running, satisfied with the results. It seemed that the shipyard engineers had managed to track down the bug that had been causing a small but annoying variance in the starboard array.

“Good morning, crew. The last mission set quite a precedent. I wonder what centuries-old mystery we’ll solve next.”

== Tag bridge ==

[T'Lari]

As the turbolift door opened T'Lari got her first look at the new bridge layout. Superficially the same as an Intrepid-class, it was nonetheless much more sophisticated. The half-Vulcan had spent much of her recent time reading technical manuals on the design as well as running simulations on the holodeck. Several Alpha-shift were already present, including the Captain and First Officer.

“Good morning, crew. The last mission set quite a precedent. I wonder what centuries-old mystery we’ll solve next," Arwen Qi said.

"Preferably one that doesn't cause a major diplomatic incident," she responded with an almost completely deadpan tone.

Ensign Gethekkrik was already rising as she approached. "She's all yours, Lieutenant," the Saurian said, his tone casual. "Have fun."

The previous bridge module, temporary though it might have been, had still impressed T'Lari with its responsiveness. Based on her practice with the simulated controls the new design promised to instantly and provide tactical information at a rate that suited her, something beyond what most humans could process. She preferred older LCARS controls, though, finding that holographics and haptics could sometimes be distracting. Thankfully she had a choice. Each station could automatically reconfigure itself to match the officer in charge of it.

[Recognize T'Lari, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Weapons Officer.]

The display reset as soon as she took her seat, the holographic buttons vanishing in favor of a display of the Yeager. She did a quick check and found the custom weapons and shield settings were already preloaded and ready to be called up as necessary. Good. She was ready.

"Weapons station ready for departure, Captain."

== Tags ==

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

Somehow, Flint had been selected and assigned as alpha shift pilot. Normally he was assigned to delta shift, but with Black being on leave. The powers that be had, he decided in his head, had finally seen fit to recognise his skills, and elevate him to a more prestige roll. In his head.

Pausing at the rear of the bridge as he entered he nodded to T'Lari. “Lieutenant.” He said flashing the Vulcan a wide smile.

He was tall and well built, mousey blond with blue eyes, and had a chin so chiselled, you'd have thought it was made of the same stuff as his namesake. His voice was smooth. Like the Radio 4 late night shipping report read by Orson Wells level of smooth.

Stepping down to the command level with a swagger full of self confidence, “Good Morning, Captain. Commander.” He said as he passed them on his way to the helm. Which he swung himself into with the grace of a lithe cuttlefish as his hands began reconfiguring the station to his personal settings.

After a couple more minutes and a few pauses and hurried taps, he turned back to face his superior officers and announced. “The Helm is ready at your command. Captain.”

[Jennifer Braggins]

As the crew began to report in, Jenny considered the mission before them; they were going to initiate first contact with a race who venerated pilots and engineers, and who challenged any new species they came across to a race. On paper, that was going to be simple enough, but in reality things were already looking like they were going awry. Theresa Black's bereavement leave couldn't have occurred at a worse time, the sixteen-week round trip between Starbase 214 and Earth meant that her Helm Officer (since she was no longer Chief Tactical Officer) would be absent for nearly four months. While she'd sympathised with the woman for her loss, she now wasn't sure if she would have approved it had she known what lay ahead - the needs of the service took precedence over personal concerns, after all, and while she'd been tempted to recall the elder woman, she also knew that she needed a pilot on top form for what lay ahead.

Plus the civilian transport wouldn't have turned around, anyway.

What she had, instead of her top pilot, was Flint Chertstone. While he was qualified for the role, Jenny had noted that his personnel record indicated his ego outweighed his ability, which is why his rank remained low, and why he had never been assigned outside of Delta Shift. It also explained why he'd been assigned to the Yeager, his cocky attitude had rubbed a few superiors the wrong way, and they'd needed a dumping ground for him. Jenny would have preferred to have one of her Senior Noncoms fill the Alpha Shift helm position, but his rank automatically moved him into the position.

For now, at least...

With Black absent, T'Lari was now senior Tactical Officer and therefore de-facto Chief Tactical Officer, and that meant that Jenny would need to keep her at her preferred weapons station; while Jenny had held the position while operating as the Artemis' helmsman, and Black had held it aboard the Philadelphia, it was tradition that the junior members of the department flew the ship while the more mature officers were given access to the things that went "boom". Unfortunately, unless something happened, that meant that the inevitable race and diplomatic relations with the Wairara would rest on the shoulders of Chertstone.

Might as well pack my bags now...

“The Helm is ready at your command. Captain.”

Jenny nodded slowly, checked around to make sure her Bridge officers were all present, and then consulted the terminal between herself and Jensen. The crew had all been allowed back aboard the prior evening, which meant she wasn't waiting for the shore patrol to pick up any stragglers. The "diplomatic aide" was also aboard, and there was already a complaint logged in the system that his quarters were inadequate. Because of course they were.

"Take us out of dock, one-quarter Impulse. Then set course one-five-zero mark three-five-zero, Warp Eight."

With the direction given, Jenny turned back to Jensen.

"When we go to warp, I want to see all senior officers in the briefing room. And request the Middies come along, as well, they might learn something."

[Jadaris]

The engineering console was dark despite one of Gamma shift's engineers working underneath the console. Looking more closely would reveal the engineer talking to someone over comms, but within a minute, the console began to reboot.

"Console's online sir, what was the problem?"

The sound of Commander Jadaris's voice came through the commbadge,

"Bridge-Engineering linkage via conduit A-17 was insufficiently shielded against EM interference from the EPS conduit. I used a polyalloy sheath to insulate the linkages further but keep them accessible for future maintenance."

The engineer tapped at the console, verifying its operative status, before saying,

"Station's ready Sir, thanks for the help."

"No problem Petty Officer. Always glad to help my fellow engineers."

The engineer went into the turbolift, and a few moments later, out of the briefing room doors came Jadaris, presumably from the service tube that led out of where he was working. Jadaris went over to his station and signed into it, before tapping at the display to give him precise numerical readings of the ship's systems. Given the Yeager was right in between the two extremes of what he had been the Chief Engineer previously, he hoped this ship wouldn't give him as much trouble. Given his need to duck all the time on the Magellan, Jadaris was happy that he wasn't running into bulkheads all the time aboard this ship.

He turned to look at Jensen and Jenny,

"Engineering is ready Sir. All systems within operational margins."

Of course, that only lasted so long as the system wasn't overly stressed, which inevitably would happen because the universe hated a perfectly functional ship.

==tag==

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

"Take us out of dock, one-quarter Impulse.” Said the Captain. “Then set course one-five-zero mark three-five-zero, Warp Eight."

“Aye-aye, Captain.” He replied. “One-five-zero mark three-five-zero, Warp Eight."

Then he contacted the station operations centre to request clearance. “Two one four, this is Yeager requesting authorisation to disembark.”

“Yeager, Two one Four.” Came the reply from a young woman. “You are cleared to disembark from holding dock and proceed to outer marker before engaging warp drive systems.”

“Copy that two one four.” Then he paused. “Is that you Janice?” He asked with a glint in he eye.

“Flint... This isn't the time.” Came a very quick reply. “Please proceed to the outer marker...”

“I'll see you soon sweetheart, just don't forget me now...”

It was then that another voice broke into the channel. “This is Commander Vance. USS Yeager, please keep this channel free for direct communication to and from the station, and the fraternization to a minimum. Thank you.”

Flint sat up a little at that. “er, Roger that, Sir. Yeager is proceeding to the outer marker. Thank you for your hospitality. Yeager out.”

[Peter Jensen]

Peter was not fond of Black as such, but he was fond of competence, and whatever else he could say about her, she was certainly competent.
He wasn't at all sure the same could be said for her replacement. Even the guy's name sounded like a bad parody of a jock.
And his estimation did not improve at the little scene the guy made with station control.
He had been about to intervene himself, telling Chertstone to remember where he was and what he was doing when Commander Vance broke in and did it first. That did slightly annoy him, but...well...

When the line was clear again, he did speak up, however:

"And that's the last time we'll have our helmsman act like an eigth-grader pining for his crush", he said calmly, but the ice in his voice was enough to keep James Bond well supplied with his favorite martini for a full year.

Then he looked at Braggins as she told him to be ready to assemble the senior staff and Midshipmen as soon as they'd gone to warp.

"As you command", he nodded, making a mental note of making sure to get the new middies involved too. He had no idea what their mission was, but it had to be at least moderately important for her to be that busy with getting the staff meeting underway.

[GM-04]

Thanks to Starbase 214 being located on the very edge of a solar system with a smaller star, it was possible for the Yeager to enter warp fairly quickly.

At Warp Eight, the journey to Wairara would take two weeks.

[Peter Jensen]

Once warp drive had been engaged, Peter did as he had said, and tapped his comm badge:

"Jensen to all senior staff, as well as Midshipmen Aiden, Bowman, Bremner and Campbell, report to the briefing room at once", he instructed as he got out of his seat to head there himself.
He was curious as to what was going to be their mission.
Having all senior staff present for a briefing was common. But Midshipmen too? Something had to be up.

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

With the ship now settled at warp eight, and a two week cruise ahead of them, Flint settled into his shift. Fourteen, six hour stints behind the helm of Alpha shift ahead of him. He was in his element.

And when the senior staff retreated to the briefing room at Commander Jensen's order. He let himself slouch a little. Just take in the ride. He thought to himself.

The standby staff had taken the stations around the bridge until the others returned, and although the Commander hadn't assigned anyone the con as he left, Flint felt confident that for now, the Yeager was his.

[Jadaris]

Engineering systems were green, power flow to the engines was in balance, and everything seemed good to go as they went to warp. Jadaris enjoyed seeing everything going smoothly, which made his job easier when the problems would inevitably flow in.

Then Jensen called for the senior staff to head to the briefing room, which Jadaris did so since there was nothing else that needed to be done. He sent a message for Campbell to join him in the briefing room according to Jensen's orders, duplicating the orders since Campbell hadn't reported in for his shift yet. He checked his PADD again to see if Campbell was on the Alpha shift, but then his replacement for the bridge showed up, and Jadaris briefly forgot to order the request until after he went through the doors.

>>Next Post: Briefing Room>>

[T'Lari]

"When we go to warp, I want to see all senior officers in the briefing room. And request the Middies come along, as well, they might learn something."

T'Lari rose as Ensign Lehnna took her position. The console readjusted to the new officer, a young Bajoran woman who'd received her rank only two days ago. "Good luck, Lieutenant."

An odd thing to say. It is just a briefing.

Of course it was also T'Lari's first briefing, and she didn't really consider herself 'senior staff.' She supposed the Captain did, though, at least as far as these things went.

"Thank you, Ensign," she acknowledged, trying to follow the social niceties of other races. The half-Vulcan tried to remember if there were any other expected lines in the exchange, decided there weren't, and headed for the door.

>> Briefing Room >>

[Arwen Qi]

Qi smiled at T’Lari’s flat response to his comment.

“I was selectively remembering around that. But yes, you’re right. I’m not exactly keen to get shot at this time either.” Qi replied.

He spent some time fiddling with the interface on his new bridge console. Things had come a long way from simple touch controls, though he wouldn’t fault anybody for preferring an old favorite, especially when a millisecond of reaction time could be the difference between life and death. Still, he loved experimenting with new options. Each interface was a language connecting human and machine, and new ones were being invented all the time.

I bet our new Chief Medical Officer knows that better than anyone. Still, I prefer to talk to computers using my voice and my hands. I don’t need one drilled into my head.

Just as Qi was finally satisfied with his revamped station, the ship went to warp. He went to join the senior officers and the midshipmen in the briefing room.

>>>> Briefing Room >>>>

[Jennifer Braggins]

Jenny was the last senior officer remaining on the Bridge as the others filed out to go to the briefing room, and utilised the time reviewing the notes she had been given on the mission. As Captain, being the last one to arrive was her prerogative, but she knew she didn't want to keep anyone waiting as in her experience, diplomats could be...difficult. That said, things weren't sitting right with her; how could Starfleet have just come across this species despite it being within known space? And why were they sending her as their main representative with a diplomatic aide, rather than sending a full ambassadorial delegation aboard a ship a little more...impressive? Time was, allegedly, a factor. But again, why?

Something stinks, and it's not Chertstone's aftershave...

Speaking of Chertstone, he was still sitting at the Helm station. While that was where he no doubt wanted to be, unfortunately he was going to be critical in the success of the mission, which meant he also needed to sit in on the briefing. He wouldn't have a seat, but he could stand behind T'Lari like one of the Midshipmen.

"Chertstone, Briefing Room. Now."

Rising from her seat, Jenny made sure the data on the mission had been downloaded to her PADD, before making her own way towards the briefing with the crew, and her first meeting with whatever Diplomatic Corps weenie had pissed off their masters enough to get assigned to this mission.

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

"Chertstone, Briefing Room. Now."

Flint's daydream revelry was cut extremely short as he realised that he hadn't been left to his own devices and the voice was the Captain herself ordering him to follow.

“Yes, Ma'am.” he stuttered quickly rising after securing his station and following.

I'm being invited to the briefing? Holy crap! um... Keep it cool... Keep it cool.

>> Briefing Room >>

[GM-Braggins]

==Timeskip - Eight Days later==

The Yeager dropped from warp at the far edge of the Wairara system, the closest they could get without risking the warp field interacting with something nasty and collapsing or the ship coming into contact with something that would tear it apart at superluminal velocity.

Far more powerful and advanced than a recon probe, the Yeager's sensors revealed a lot more information about the system even in passive mode. The inhabitable world lay about three quarters of an AU from the star, and had no natural satellites of its own. A comet hurtled through space on a projected elliptical course that took it through the upper chromosphere of the star and out towards the system's edge, currently it was between the planet and the star, heading out-system. 

Other assorted anomalies included ionic radiation surges; an asteroid belt that was too dense to be naturally-occurring and likely either the result of a planetary collision or explosion, or created artificially; and a neutronic storm that seemed to be lazily wafting through the system.

Of most interest, however, was the temporal particle stream; even from a distance and at maximum magnification, it was massive, easily the size of a dwarf planet at its centre. The temporal stream seemed to emanate from the "top", both spreading and absorbing waves chroniton particles, like a giant fountain in space. Early Earth science-fiction would classify the anomaly as a "white hole".

There seemed to be a race in progress as well; engine emissions and transponder beacons of a dozen tiny ships traced a figure-eight circuit between the planet Wairara and the comet. One seemed to stray too close to the comet and the sensor contact winked out instantly, never returning.

It currently did not appear that the Yeager had been detected.

[Arwen Qi]

Qi flitted around the ship like a hummingbird during the eight day voyage to the Wairara system. There was plenty to do: several systems aboard both the Yeager and the Glennis required extensive modification to protect them from the exotic radiation that they would be bathed in. The Glennis was a particularly troubling case, as even a brief outage in the middle of a race could sideline the crew (or worse).

The captain’s directive had been that their solution didn’t have to be pretty, it only had to work. He half-expected the thought to terrify him. Oddly enough, it only amplified the excitement that he felt. He loved learning the millions of rules that gave shape to a language, but they weren’t always necessary to communicate an idea. They would have decades to study the phenomena in this region. For now, they just needed to win the race.

As the Yeager approached his destination, Qi was surprised to see that a race was already in progress. He bit his lip as one of the contestant ships disappeared off sensors. The collision happened so quickly, he doubted that there had been time for an emergency transport.

“Looks like we’re getting a sneak peek at the competition. Good chance to copy their homework,” Qi mused, running some exploratory scans on the racing ships.

== Tag Bridge

GM Input: Any sign of a transporter signal from the ship that disappeared into the comet?
Any notable special technology among the racing ships? Qi is particularly interested in modifications that protect against the local phenomena ==

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

The ship dropped out of warp on the border of the system. Ordinarily, they'd make the final approach on the orbital plain of the system, falling in with the other celestial bodies for ease of navigation. But this time they approached at a higher angle to the orbital relationship of star so that they could observe the plethora of anomalies scattered about the system.

A comet, ionic radiation, an asteroid belt, a neutronic storm, and a temporal particle stream. Just to name a few.

Chertstone had barely secured the ship from it's warp travel and set about the impulse drive when his attention was drawn more to the race that already seemed to be in progress.

“Darn it, looks like they started without us!” He said with a hint of dejection in his voice.

It didn't take the main computers tactical threat software to analyse the presence of the dozen small fast moving craft as they flitted at ridiculous speeds in a classic figure eight formation between the only habitable planet in the system and the comet.

The display showed the twelve dots currently approaching and rounding the comet. The pilots must have been relying on gravitational slingshots to make the turns. Tight into the corner, accelerate out and go wide. Even from this distance, Flint a self confessed adrenalin junky was already enjoying the entertainment.

Then one of the dots vanished.

“Looks like we’re getting a sneak peek at the competition. Good chance to copy their homework,” said the science chief from the rear of the bridge.

“Copying is easy.” Flint replied, strangely not sounding cocky for once as he spoke, “But not copying their mistakes is harder.” He continued as he zoomed in on another smaller screen to analyse the perceived crash data.


== GM – What's the odds that the craft that hit the comet may have actually survived a hard landing on the comet and we can possible rescue them? ==

[GM-04]

==Qi==

There did not appear to be a transporter signal, but such a relatively low-energy system would need the Yeager to either be closer or to be utilizing active sensors to detect. The same was true of any special technology; at this range the passives could read engine emissions and transponder signals, but not much else.

Active scanning would reveal much more information about the system, but would also broadcast the Yeager's presence and risked spooking the Wairara.

==Chertstone==

Any hope of survival was wishful thinking; the racer had been moving at impulse velocity and collided with a solid object. Even if the pilot had realized their mistake, there would have been no time to correct even for an onboard computer. 

It highly likely that the pilot hadn't even realized they were dead until they were a smoking crater on the comet's surface.

[Peter Jensen]

When they arrived in the system, Peter felt himself getting slightly nervous, though he pushed that feeling down as best he could.
For all intents and purposes, he was going to be the lead on a first contact mission.

No pressure.

As the results of the scan came in, he frowned slightly at the bit about the white hole. He wasn't a physicist by any stretch of the word, so he wouldn't even pretend to try to be able to wrap his mind around that concept.
But the word "temporal"? He understood that very well. That way, madness and temporal prime directive violations lay. With the subsequent visits from the Inquisition, as he liked to refer the Department of Temporal Investigations as. 
He bowed his head slightly as the "competitor" met their demise.

A potent reminder to be careful, he thought

"A potent reminder to be careful", he echoed, referring to the same vanished dot, then looked at Qi.

"Can you tell us anything else about that giant stream of trouble there", he gestured towards the "white hole". "I, for one, have no desire to get subsequent visits from the DTI once we're done here", he pointed out, only half-jokingly.

While he waited for a reply, he looked at Braggins, waiting for her to initiate contact with the planet. The first hall of a first contact mission was always an important moment. While this wouldn't be the first encounter these people had with "aliens", it would certainly be one of the first. And if the one who answered this particular hail was less level-headed and more easily impacted by the uncanny valley-effect the Yeager crew was sure to have on the Wairarans, things could get complicated.

[Arwen Qi]

Qi clicked his teeth. The Yeager’s passive sensors were powerful, but he always hoped for more. He decided against launching an active scan. It would send the wrong impression. Perhaps that Wairara would give them a chance to examine one of the racing shuttles up close. If not, he’d keep his eyes open for a more discreet opportunity.

Jensen’s voice came from the station behind him. Qi didn’t look up. The data from the temporal particle stream was far too fascinating. He’d never had an opportunity to observe one up close. The force of the anomaly would likely repel most scanning frequencies, so he would have to hit it with something powerful.

“Let’s take a look,” Qi said, still focused on his console. “Initiating a multiphasic scan now. Hopefully we won’t find any traces of the Yeager in there.” He added, half joking.

== Tag bridge

GM Input: what more can be gleaned about the particle stream? ==

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

Flint looked over the readings they had at this distance at the impact point on the comet. The outlook from the readings was not looking good. It was likely that given the combined speed and gravitational forces of the stellar body, the poor bastard probably never felt a thing.

"A potent reminder to be careful" Said the Commander from behind, before asking for more details on the particle stream anomaly.

While this was going on, Flint kept his eyes trained on the remaining fliers. The main screen showed just moving dots. But the more he watched, the more he could see almost imperceptible differences in how each dot moved. How each pilot handled themselves. Some changing places midfield, others remaining in their positions. The lead dots so close, it was like they were only one pixel apart.

In his spare time, he'd been working on his set up of Glennis' cockpit, and practising in the holodeck on some of the Federations most renowned courses. Now watching as just this one race played out, he understood this was going to be harder probably than any of them had actually thought.

But in his head the music to that inspirational Starfleet recruitment film was already playing.

[Mika Bowman]

The week-long journey had been somewhat demanding for the young woman. Although she was capable of participating in the First Contact race mission, it was not her area of expertise. Primarily engaged in laboratory work, she now found herself stepping outside her comfort zone, which was not particularly enjoyable for her. Nevertheless, she had taken the week's training seriously.

At present, Mika was positioned on the Bridge, which contributed to her discomfort. Standing beside the console, while Qi operated it, Mika observed the readouts being displayed. She noted that he was not primarily using the passive sensors, which provided less detailed information. Given their presence in the space of a new species, she understood the rationale behind acquiring limited knowledge.

This species appears to hold their races in high regard. However, what is the purpose if there is a significant risk of fatality? Surely there are safer methods to achieve the same goals without such major risks.

Qi had directed the scanners toward the particle stream ahead, presumably focusing on scientific phenomena rather than other ships. He made a lighthearted remark about hoping not to find the ship itself within the stream. Temporal mechanics were notoriously complex, but Mika refrained from commenting. Feeling uncomfortable on the Bridge, she preferred not to draw attention to herself. She kept her thoughts private and waited for the sensor data to be processed.

[Jennifer Braggins]

==It's amazing how having a two year-old and a new job sap your time!==

The Yeager had arrived on schedule and without much in the way of drama. Certain personages aboard had complained vociferously about the survival training that Jenny had ordered D'Tor'an to run, but it had been for their own good, so Jenny had politely listened to, and then forgotten about, the complaints. It didn't stop her wondering whether it would be a good idea to toss a certain diplomatic assistant into a temporal stream and see what happened. Would the temporal radiation age him a thousand years in ten minutes? Reduce him to a single-celled organism? The possibilities were, actually, endless.

As sensor readings began to flow to the Bridge through the Yeager's passive sensors, Jenny took particular interest in the race apparently already in progress. Given that racing seemed to be something like a spiritual experience for the Wairara, she wasn't surprised to see one going on. Bringing the display up on the terminal set between the command chairs, Jenny watched with interest and let out a soft 'ooof' as the signal of one of the racers vanished. Given the velocities involved, she doubted the pilot even knew what was going on, let alone that they were about to meet their end, before scattering themselves across the surface of the comet.

“Copying is easy. But not copying their mistakes is harder.”

Jenny was gratified to hear that her temporary Helm Officer was taking this seriously, and though the reason for it was unfortunate, it had been a much-needed reality check for the young pilot.

"A potent reminder to be careful."

Jenny frowned, eyes still fixed on the screen as she watched the race continue. As yet, no search and rescue craft had been dispatched, but given the velocity at which the racer had impacted the comet, there wouldn't be much left to rescue; maybe a few fragments of spacecraft and a body part or two, to return to the grieving family. That is, of course, if losing a pilot in the race was cause for grief; many cultures actively celebrated death when chasing a spiritual or ideological objective, the ancient Mayans of Earth would allegedly sacrifice the captain of the winning team after a ball game. If the Wairara were anything like the Klingons, that pilot was likely sitting at the the starting line of The Great Race next to Yun themselves.

Regardless of whether or not death during the race was a matter for celebration or grief, it was simply a matter of life that racing had always, and would always be a dangerous sport.

"Careful doesn't win races; but there's a difference between daring and recklessness."

Rewinding the sensor logs on her console, Jenny zoomed in and tried to follow the individual sensor contacts as they skirted the Comet, trying to identify what might have caused the crash. She knew that it was most likely pilot error, but it could also have been caused by a systems malfunction, gravimetric shear, or exotic particles. The reason for slamming into a solid object at a fraction of lightspeed rarely mattered in the long-run, you were just as dead regardless of reason, but if it kept her people alive it was worth knowing.

"Helm, take us in-system but steer clear of the racers and any anomalies. I'd rather not make a first impression on the Wairara by breaking the ship or turning one of their pilots into a bug on our windshield."

==GM Input please: Do the sensor logs give Jenny any particular information to form a more concrete hypothesis of why the pilot crashed?==

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

"Helm, take us in-system but steer clear of the racers and any anomalies. I'd rather not make a first impression on the Wairara by breaking the ship or turning one of their pilots into a bug on our windshield."

“Aye-aye, Ma'am.” Replied Flint. His voice once again taking on its usual chamois leather fluidity.

Plotting a straight line course toward the only planet in system should have been a simple task, but due to the distribution of the local anomalies, for the Yeager to navigate in system safely, the route was somewhat more circuitous than it should have been.

The course looked to be clear, ensuing they avoided the more perilous areas by several thousand kilometers, but that didn't mean that there wasn't potentially anything new that might pop out of sub-space without warning given everything else present.


== GM – Do we navigate through without any issues? ==

[GM-04]

==Chertstone==

It was slow(er) going than a direct course, but the cirtcitous route the Yeager took kept it well clear of any anomalies and the race course. The planet was before them, a clear route now presenting itself.

==Qi==

Thankfully, there were no traces of the Yeager in the particle stream. There were, however, sufficient levels of chroniton and antichroniton particles that a more in-depth study would have to be conducted at a much closer range.

==Braggins==

Judging by the racer's course, it looked as though maybe the pilot had tried to use the gravitational pull of the comet to accelerate them and slingshot themselves into the lead. Given the altitudes involved, it was likely that the pilot had misjudged and flown into a mountain or other rock formation.

==All==

As the Yeager approached Wairara, the ship rocked violently. A muffled "boom" echoed through the hull, and emergency sirens began to wail as the ship immediately went to Red Alert. Reports came to the Ops station that there had been an explosion and fire in the Aeroshuttle dock. Fire suppression systems in the area were offline, and the fire was at risk of spreading to the Aeroshuttle's fuel lines. At least two people were reported to have been in the area prior to the explosion, and were currently unaccounted for.

[Arwen Qi]

Qi braced himself at his station as the ship rocked. His mind flashed back to the destruction of the Yoritomo, his first day on the Bridge. He’d been unprepared for the sudden jolt of the Romulan weapon and sustained a mild concussion, on top of everything else that had happened that day. He’d gotten better at holding on.

“Something’s wrong with the fire prevention system. Resetting it now,” Qi said, tapping his console faster than he could see or speak. It was likely that some element of the system had been damaged in the explosion. Hopefully it was a sensor or regulator that he could override manually from his console.

“Mika, try to find the cause of the explosion.” He added, glad to have her help on the Bridge. They had known that this region of space would be dangerous. Any number of invisible anomalies could interfere with the function of the ship, and they would need to detect them quickly in order to prevent further damage.

== Tag Mika
GM Input: Any luck getting the fire suppression system online? ==

[Mika Bowman]

The scans initiated by Qi began to come back, and Mika focused on the data loading onto the console. The chroniton readings were consistent with the information provided during last week’s briefing. Mika, although not an engineer, speculated if the Wairara had used these particles to enhance their sub-light engines, particularly in reducing the time dilation effect caused by traveling at near light-speed without warp engines.
 
Suddenly, the ship was rocked violently. It appeared that they hadn't been attacked, but it wasn't clear what had caused Mika to be thrown off her feet. Once she regained her footing, Mika examined the sensor readings but found nothing unusual. It was expected that passive sensors would have given some warning, but perhaps it wasn’t sufficient, or the cause couldn’t be detected without full sensor scans. Additionally, the Aeroshuttle Bay was one of the affected sections, and if the fire there wasn’t extinguished, the situation could worsen for the Yeager.
 
"Mika, try to find the cause of the explosion."
 
This is an anomaly minefield, for lack of a better term. The most well-known example before now was the Delphic Expanse that Archer’s Enterprise traversed. On the bright side, we don’t have to risk everything to save Earth. Keep things in perspective, Mika.
 
Mika acknowledged the Commander’s request verbally. Given that he was addressing the fire suppression systems, she decided not to occupy part of the station. Many people would prefer avoiding the danger if the Aeroshuttle's fuel lines ignited. She moved to the auxiliary station behind the command well, quickly reconfiguring it to a science setup. It was beneficial that each station could be adapted to various needs without displacing others.
 
Active scans could potentially alert the Wairara and the racers to the Yeager’s presence, but Mika believed she could conduct those scans safely. To be cautious, she limited her planned scan range to the immediate vicinity of the Yeager, avoiding the racetrack. This would also improve the precision of the sensor data due to reduced strain. Mika needed to determine if an anomaly had struck them to prevent another potential incident.
 
== GM-Input: With the sensor range reduced to a close proximity of the Yeager, do they detect any sign of an anomaly that could’ve resulted in the ‘boom’ just experienced. Also, do they show any anomaly in the current flight path that would be a danger? ==

[Theresa Black]

== NRC – Flint Chertstone – Tactical Officer ==

The route through the system was graceful and leisurely as the Yeager made her way toward the only planet. The anomalies were thousands of kilometres from them as Flint brought the ship about one final time for the approach toward Wairara. The black disc of the dwarf planet silhouetted against its star.

The red alert klaxon sounded a second after a muted boom rocked the vessel. The deck lurched, and Flint briefly felt the stomach churning drop as the inertial dampeners and gravity systems compensated.

“All Stop!” He announced loudly as he brought the three quarter million tonne ship to a stop as fast as he could, fearing the forward sensors had somehow missed something he could have easily avoided, and he didn't want to risk any more damage.

The science team were already rushing to find a cause, Commander Qi issuing orders quickly.

Flint pulled up the damage report on the helm as he began reviewing the flight telemetry.

“Something’s wrong with the fire prevention system. Resetting it now,” Said Qi.

Flint saw the note and then saw its location. The Aeroflyer bay. They needed that craft. It was the only auxiliary ship they had in order to take part in the race with. If they lost the Glennis, it would be game over before they had even begun. And if the fires ruptured the fuel cells, it was highly likely that the explosion would take out most of the saucer section too.

Turning on his seat quickly to face the Captain, he said without thinking; “Captain. Permission to transport aboard the Glennis and disengage her from the Yeager before we loose her.”


== Tag el Capitain. ==

[Jennifer Braggins]

The Yeager was having little difficulty traversing the Waitara system now that they were above the galactic plane and the worst of the anomalies. So far, the system was still proving a mystery as she was as yet unwilling to use active sensors and spook their would-be hosts. Coming in hot was less "we come in peace" and more "give me your solar system", after all...

Jenny's attention remained on the race, what the Yeager could still track of it, when the ship lurched suddenly. The deck vibrated as a muffled boom rumbled through the ship's superstructure. Immediately alert klaxons blared and, to his credit, Chertstone brought the ship to a sudden and immediate halt.

"Damage report!"

Reports were already coming in via the automatic systems, but having verbal confirmation from her crew removed any chance that the systems had sent her incorrect information.

"Something’s wrong with the fire prevention system. Resetting it now."

That wasn't good. Fire, left unchecked, would ravage a starship and consume the air at a greater rate than the life support systems could replenish it. The explosion had happened in the Aeroshuttle dock, and two crew members had been reported in the area at the time. 

With her ship burning and two of her crew missing, perhaps dead, Jenny was in no mood for heroics. While Chertstone was certainly brave, and her opinion of him improved by several points as he volunteered for what was likely a suicide mission, she needed all hands on deck. Not throwing their lives away.

"Denied. We don't know what state the Glennis is in, and venting the atmosphere in that section could very well kill whoever is still in there."

Jenny didn't add that the chances of anyone surviving the kind of inferno raging within her ship were extraordinarily slim 

"Jettisoning the Glennis will be our last resort. What I need to know is what happened, and the status of the rest of the ship. For now, we maintain position, and let the damage-control teams do their jobs."

And find out whether Jadaris is as good an engineer as he thinks...

[Artemis d'Tor'an]

The voice of the Chief of Security came over the comms, rough and interrupted by coughing.

[ d’Tor’an to Bridge. Investigating the scene now. What the hell was that?! ]