A Planet Sized Problem

Posted on Tue Nov 21st, 2023 @ 12:41am by Lieutenant Wara Tête & Lieutenant JG William Verhoeven & Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Commander Lorut Vila & Lieutenant Commander Jared Rush & Commander Rylen Lyo & Lieutenant Dovenice Nyx & Lieutenant S'Tera & Lieutenant JG Aurora House of Kor & Lieutenant Rowena "Rena" Campbell
Edited on on Tue Nov 21st, 2023 @ 12:42am

4,275 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: First Contact
Location: USS Intrepid: Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD3: 1000 hours

Max was sat on the edge of the table with a mug of coffee to his right. This was going to be a briefing for the entire crew, but he had resources, so why not utilize them? He also had a massive problem, which the Helivans would need to make a decision about, once the crew had all the facts. For now, he was waiting for Commander Rush to join him.

Commander Rush was in his office reviewing notes from Security about potential system upgrades when he got the call to report to the Observation Lounge. He put the PADD in a secure compartment at his work station and left to attend the briefing.

He was the first to arrive and found Captain Culver at his usual position at the head of the table.

“Cap’n, reporting as requested. What’s going on, sir? If I may ask?” Rush said.

“Actually, I’ve asked you here first because we have a big problem. The planet Heliv is currently lined up to be destroyed by comet L22-7 within the next few weeks.”

“That’s the underlying problem that has caused the planet to change from M-class to H-class. It’s also why the Helivans have evacuated their planet. Their problem is now our problem because they’ve asked the Federation for assistance and I’m inclined to approve that request.”

“Do we have any Scott Class starships in the area that we can involve in this mission?”

Rush tapped a control on the table to bring up a holographic display that hung in the air like a hot air balloon. “Aye, sir. Two ships. Relatively new. The Opal and the Rios,”” Less than 10,000 warp hours on each, but they both have experienced crews and commanders. Would you like me to alert their respective captains to expect new orders to come through?”

Max nodded. “Let’s keep it on the back burner as an idea. There may be some dissonance about the Prime Directive, but I don’t think it applies here. Have the Opal on standby and warm up her QSD engines…I’ve always wanted to see what that looked like coming up on a system.”

Rush smiled and said, “I know what you mean, sir. That would be a hell of a sight to see.”

He tapped the same control once more and the image from the computer database vanished. He sat down in his seat and waited for the rest of the senior staff.

Vila was next in the door-she was coming from the Bridge, and while she HATED to give up the "big seat", her scientific mind-and the chance to toss a couple of zingers at the Captain-caused her to be more willing today. She knocked once, but entered quickly, the steaming mug of Jumja tea in her hand.

"Good evening, gentlemen," she said, taking a seat. It was, indeed, her evening, as she worked the night shifts. "Nothing of note is happening, you'll be glad to know," she said, to Max. "Commander Rush, how are you?" She asked. "The reports from Lieutenant S'tera and the bird man look...not great," she said.

“Morning, Commander,” Max greeted Vila. “We were just talking about that situation. We’ll get to the nitty gritty in the brief.”

“That’s quite an atmospheric shift and I agree it’s not good. From what I can gather, evacuation could take a few weeks, a month at the most. And we’d definitely need the extra ships. As far as the planet goes, is there anything else that can be done. I kind of like these Helvians. Eccentric, but there’s something nostalgic about watching them in all their regal splendor,” Rush added.

"Also...when this is all over, I need to talk to you about the spider, from Triton," she said to the Captain. The man-eating spider had been under stasis since they'd left. Since she had been the CSO under that mission, she wanted to spearhead the research now. It'd keep her off the streets, and both of them content, for at least a little while.

“It hasn’t been far from my mind, but the rest of our ride should allow you some time to take that specimen out of stasis for a while, before we do any type of damage to it.” Max wasn’t swayed either way about the small spiders, a consequence of carrying cargo on occasion, except that these spiders were ten kilos.

Vila nodded. "Thank you, Commander Rush," she said, with a slight smile. I agree that it is a...how do you people say it? Hairy situation," she said. "I think that's an interesting assessment of the Helivans...I went with "quaint", myself," she said. "In the area, I understand, there's three other ships-a refueler, and two other light duty cruisers," she said. They were the only battleship, but the Bajoran shied away from that.

“Pretty sure you’re correct there, Commander. I can double check if you like, but the Captain will concur that having Opal along side us will work out just fine. Here comes our Chief Engineer. Look what the cat dragged in. Nice to see you, Dove.”

Hearing her name, Dove gave a toothy smile as she entered the lounge for the briefing. She had quite a bit on her mind; joining a senior staff meeting was not on the top of her list. She attempted to straighten her bedraggled uniform as she took a seat at the table. Few people could wrinkle a uniform the same way as engineers could. "It's good to see you, too," she responded, though there was a slight question in her tone as she tried to remember crew member names once again.

"Hello, Lieutenant Nyx," Vila said. "I hope you're finding yourself well," she said. She smiled. Hopefully they could get off on a better foot than they had before. She turned her attention back to the two men. "You missed that action," Vila said. "Yours truly had to collect a man-eating spider. Come by the labs sometime, and I'll show you. It'll be fun," she said, with a smirk.

Commander Rush turned in his chair toward the Captain. “Cap’n, you were discussing the comet’s future collision with the planet? May I suggest we put a plan together to get evacuation underway? While there’s still time.”

“That’s why we’re here. There are still a number of missing department chiefs,” Max answered. The briefing had been a rushed meeting and the missing chiefs had yet to arrive.

Aurora was swearing up a storm in Aquadian as she raced down the corridor.

"I'm here, Captain! Um...opsi..." Aurora skidded to a stop just inside the door, noting how many people where already there.

Aurora sheepishly walked into the briefing...trying to be as small as possible.

Vila glared at the junior officer. She was a scientist, and assistant department head now. It was time for her to start acting like it. Still, she didn't say anything, she just made a mental note to discuss it later with Max and maybe the Counselor.

Aurora made herself smaller and slunked into a corner chair...humiliated.

Right behind Aurora was Rena, who entered much more calmly and gracefully. She immediately felt Vila's distaste, and pumped the air full of feel-good vibes before settling down, placing a steaming cup of hot green tea on the table, along with her PaDD. "Good morning, everyone," she said, cheerfully. The Betzoid was usually good at shifting the mood of a room-even if she didn't use her abilities. She was naturally calming, anyway, and that's why she was a good counselor.

S'tera came in behind Rena. "Morning all. " she went to the replicator and got a mocha to drink. "So who are we missing? Anybody?"

"Too many," the XO remarked, looking at her chronometer. Time to refresh the crew's understanding of "promptly," clearly. "Thank you all for showing up on time," she said. She rose from her seat and crossed to the replicator. "Rakjatino, hot as the Devil's soul," she said, to the machine. *Please restate your order* Vila sighed deeply. "COFFEE. HOT. BLACK," she said.

Like the other psi-sensitives, Rylen Lyo felt the rancor in the air of the room. But instead of attempting to change it with a soothing vibe, he chose to leave well enough alone and let things run their course naturally. He crossed over into the briefing room and took a seat, granting each of his colleagues a small nod of acknowledgment.

Ensign Will Verhoeven had managed to arrange someone to take his position so that he could take his position among the senior staff at this briefing, even if he still felt like a child among giants. Sliding into a seat, he was as quiet as possible. He got a vibe the XO didn’t like him, though he wasn’t sure why.

Missing just a few faces, Max needed to get started. The others would slip in or would receive a demerit for their absence. “Alright!” He interjected himself into the small susurration of small talk. “Let’s get started. Commander Lorut.”

She started. "As you all may know, I was a science officer before I became your Executive Officer. As such, I have sort of been assisting Lieutenant S'tera in her work with the Helivan home planet," she paused a moment so they could process. "There's a comet headed straight for Heliv. It will impact the planet in a matter of days. The science team has a plan, and I'll let Lieutenant S'tera fill you in. But I need Security, Ops, and Engineering to get me a plan to use the tractor beam to move the comet away from Heliv and away from the planet’s orbital pull. And possibly move Heliv back into its natural orbit," she said. "WITHOUT injury to the Intrepid, our crew, OR the Helivans," she said. She looked around the table. "Lieutenant S'tera?" Vila said, indicating the Caitian should speak.

"Well it's bad. We have about three weeks before the comet hits Heliv. As it nears, the comet is it's shifting the orbit of the planet and causing catastrophic weather changes. The best solution is to maneuver the comet so Heliv is put back into it's proper orbit and then get that comet out of there. I believe it can be done but we need to hurry. If we use a tractor beam, it can work!"

Max looked around the table. “Problems?” Max asked simply. “For the duration of this meeting, Commander Rush will speak for Security since Lieutenant Desha hasn’t been able to make the meeting.”

“Cap’n, if I may….from a security standpoint, I recommend the sensor and communications arrays be fine tuned. Given the magnitude of this operation, also taking into account there are other ships lending a hand. We have to keep our eyes and ears peeled. There may be those who would want to take advantage of the situation. Catch us with our pants down, if you get my meaning. Also, operationally, we
could divert power from non-essential systems to the main deflector. Movin’ a comet is no easy ask.”

“I think the proverbial elephant in the room is the fact that we are wanting to move something so massive,” began the Kriosian. “If we could generate a large enough subspace distortion field, that could lower the comet’s inertial mass…hopefully enough that a tractor beam will have some impact.”

Rush snapped his fingers in approval. “Bingo! I was thinking the same thing, Commander. My team will gladly pitch in. Just say the word. The question is, can we do it without burning out the main deflector?”

Rush turned his chair toward Commander Nyx, the Chief Engineer. “Commander, if we are able to pull this off, will we have to dig into the power reserves? The last thing the Captain has to worry about is life support or shields at sub-optimal levels.”

Nyx opened her mouth to answer, but the sound that she heard was the voice of Vila. She shut her mouth and looked at the executive officer.

Vila shook her head. "Just use the tractor beam," she said, plainly. Men were dumb, but she supposed that's why the Fleet hired female scientists. "If it can tow starships, a comet is no sweat," she said. "Particularly a smaller one like this. It's not huge, it's just moving fast," she said. Astrometrics wasn't her specialty but she understood enough. "Plus, it's fast, easy, and won't break anyone's nails." The XO sat back, but shrugged. It made sense to her-she was a chemist and operated (mostly) on logic, after all.

"With all due respect Commander Lorut," began Rylen, his hands folded neatly on the table. "it is physically impossible to use a standard tractor beam to divert this object. The comet in question has an approximate mass of 9.05 times ten to the eleventh power metric tonnes. Our tractor projectors, while the most advanced in the Fleet, can only exert appreciable force over a maximum of five times ten to the tenth power metric tonnes. Simply put, we would need nineteen starships with the same lift capacity as the Intrepid."

Vila simply stared at him for a moment. "Lieutenant Commander Lyo, please tell me about Einstein's Fourth Law of Relativity," she said. "Last I checked, Krios doesn't have a science academy," she said. "So. I suggest you stick with Operations and let me do the sciencing. Understood? I've done it before, once. And it's possible again," she said. She looked around the table, her fiery gaze daring someone else to speak up. "We do not. The ship that I've done it before hauled a comet the size of Sol's Jupiter with an Akira class beam. Do not underestimate the power of the beam," she said. "Does anyone else need a quick science class, or are we good now?"

“Commander Lorut,” Max said, his tone slipping from engaged captain to annoyed captain. “You aren’t the only person on this ship with science as a background and your open hostility may be hampering this project. Commander Lyo, our final density from stellar cartography is The comet massed 9.982 e12×1012 kilograms, with a density of 0.824 grams per cubic centimeter and an albedo of 0.11.“

“That said, Commander Lyo, I’d like to see projections on my desk in two hours. Commander Nyx, you had something to say? Max asked, staring daggers at Vila. She was beyond confrontational and Max was considering going to Rena to have her pulled from duty.

The Engineer's large eyes followed the captain's glare at the executive officer. Tentatively, Nyx offered, "I'm not sure that I have enough information to make an accurate assessment yet. I wouldn't want to lock in a plan or idea without running through a few projections. But something that hasn't been mentioned is possibly using the weapons' system to either melt or break the comet into smaller pieces that would be easier to control."

The Kriosian gave the Captain a simple nod. “Aye Sir,” he said. “You’ll have them.”

“Commander Rush and I have already accounted for the size differences. I’m calling in the Scott class USS Opal to assist us in maneuvering the comet and she has more than enough power to displace this comet,” Max responded.

“Of course, as an engineering starship, I’d like Commander Rush and Lieutenant Nyx to liaise with her Captain and Chief Engineer once they arrive in position.”

“I would like to see the technical schematics of what you are planning,” said Rylen acidly. He was very curious as to how they were going to circumvent the laws of physics. “Just so I have an idea of what will be expected of Operations. Respectfully, sir.”

“That will be made available to you, Commander Lyo,” Max responded.

“I would also like to know, but the class is called Miracle Worker as a tongue-in-cheek, because they can do most things no other ships in the fleet are prepared to do or have the, no offense, skills to achieve.”

“They have the power of a full Starbase at their command, so don’t underestimate them, Commander Lyo. That said, I’ll keep you in the loop as well. I’m sure we’ll be pulling up the rear as her anchor.”

Vila raised an eyebrow. A Scott class could work. "Let me know if you want me to rendezvous with their Ops or XO," the Bajoran said.

“That’s literally Commander Rush’s job,” Max responded. “I’m sure he’ll ask you for help if he needs it.” Max was struggling not to smile like a dick.

Rush smiled to himself at the Captain’s remark. He put his head down, averting Commander Lorut’s gaze.

Vila simply shrugged. "It's also the XO's job to oversee the crew's work, correct?" If another man had anything else to say to her, she was going to drive this ship directly into the comet, even if meant all of her PIPs for the rest of eternity.

“Oversee…not micromanage, Commander Lorut. You can’t play every part in this project, respectfully, Commander,” Max answered.

And they wondered why she was the way she was. Surrounded by men who thought they knew better than she how to do her job. "Commander Rush, you'll let me know, won't you?" she said, sweetly.

Commander Rush deliberately ignored Lorut’s question and addressed Captain Culver instead. “Our teams will get it done, Cap’n. You can depend on the combined efforts of Intrepid and Opal. Count on it. And Commander,” Rush said, this time making sure Lorut knew to whom he was talking. “I know damn well what your job is. Don’t presume to think you know mine.”

Vila tossed a glare at the man. He'd been here for, what? Two days?

"Towing the comet is not the issue. The issue is where, when and how far as we have to drag Heliv back to its proper orbit and that is not going to be easy!" S'tera said. "We're going to have to use the comet to do it!"

"Ok, Lieutenant, we have some time to figure it out; the Science team will meet this afternoon with myself and the Captain. That part we can figure out then," she said.

"We're getting off topic," she said. "Captain. I think some separate meetings with the various department heads is needed," she said. She turned to toss her tea cup into the recycler. "So we're not repeating information and losing valuable time," she said.

“Let’s just clear up the towing the planet back into position…” Max paused as he wondered where this idea had started. “We aren’t moving the planet back into position. A short time in her present orbit will naturally have her move back into her regular orbit without shaking the planet to bits, or tearing away great chunks of her landmasses.”

“No, we won’t even try to move the planet. We don’t have the power,” Max explained.

Vila simply shrugged. In THEORY, that is correct. However, she had some other things to say about it at the science meeting later. She'd save it for that, though. "We can discuss it further at the meeting with the science department, I think," she said. "Excuse me," she said. She stood up and moved to the replicator. More coffee or else there was going to be sparks flying. There were FARRRR too many men on this ship.
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Rena sent a mental note to the Captain to excuse her actions, and she accosted the Commander and pulled her out of the door. As soon as the two women were in the Corridor, the Counselor addressed the older Bajoran.

"I understand that your background is science. I also feel like you're overwhelmed with too many people coming at once. HOWEVER, wether you like it or not, you ARE the executive officer, and you need to let your pride go for now. The Captain knows your expertise. I can't speak for the rest of the Crew, but I CAN say that your...vibes are pushing people away." Rena stood, crossing her arms across her chest.

Vila sighed. "I understand. Thank you," she said. She turned and went back inside.

"Excuse the interruption," Vila said, settling back down.
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“Does anyone have any questions?!” Max asked. “This is a lot of hands on work from just about every department. Lieutenant Nyx, you’ve been fairly quiet. What are your thoughts?”

"I'm not clear on our timeline?" Nyx answered. "Is it a few days or a few weeks that we have to figure this out?" Two different people reported two different times in the meeting. Weeks or days would definitely require different plans.

“That’s a good question. We’ve got less than three weeks to get this done. That said, the USS Opal will be here this afternoon to begin the discussions for moving the comet.”

“It’s been three days since we met the Helivans, and to be frank, I’d love to get them off the ship so we can get moving toward our initial mission. We’ve dug in too deeply with these Helivans and now we need to dig out,” Max explained. “In short, I’d like them off my ship this week.” He chuckled, but it could be done.

"On that subject," Nyx answered, "we have the engine systems repaired on their ship. Basically, all we have left to do is to snap the access panels back in place. You can send them back to their own vessel, if you want, towards the end of the day."

Max heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Lieutenant Nyx. I could kiss you if it wasn’t against eighty different Starfleet regulations. I’m sure the Helivans aren’t going to sit out settling up with this comet, but we can at least suggest they check in on their fleet now,” Max responded.

“Commander Vila and I will have a meeting with them this afternoon and present their options.”

“Additional questions?” Max offered the open floor again.

"I understand your concerns Captain. I want this done as soon as possible. Once we're done here, I'll start on the calculations needed to move the comet and get them to you as soon as I can!" S'tera said

Rylen leaned toward his left and spoke to the young helmsman. What was his name? Verboten? Rylen was sure that it would come to him eventually. One thing was certain, the Ensign was easy on the eyes. “If it makes you feel any better,” he began in a near-whisper, “I don’t think the XO likes anybody that much.” He gave the young man a ten thousand gigawatt smile.

Vila nodded. "Only one, sir. Do you want to contact Admiral Albion, or shall I?”

“I’ll loop him in, Commander. I’m already in the hot seat for responding to this crisis and acting appropriately in regard to Starfleet regulations. I’ll just have to remind him of that,” Max gave Lorut a regulation face with a hint of mischief and mirth in his eyes.

“He'll need to be looped in on the new planet, its inhabitants, and ect. Lieutenant S'tera, if you need assistance writing a report for the Science Council, let me know. They're particular about things," she said.

"Well, while I am new to writing reports. I am new to the whole Starfleet thing actually, so I will gladly accept your help Commander. Thank you!"

Vila simply nodded. "You're welcome." It had taken Vila a couple of years to figure out how the Science Council wanted reports done, and she hadn't had anyone to show her. She'd just figured it out.

“There are quite a bit of movin’ parts, here, Cap’n,” Rush said, addressing Culver. “As soon as we adjourn, I should probably reach out to the USS Opal, make sure we’re both on the same page. I have a checklist on this PADD I’ve been brainstorming. Get all the right departments on both vessels in the right place at the right time. Shield harmonics, EPS power grid, and so on.”

“I expect you’ll keep Lieutenant Nyx in the loop for power requirements. Commander Lyo will need to know what power you think you’ll need so we can decrease power in some places and completely shut it down in other places. Commander Avila will be available for added security.”

Aurora was just listening...sure she'd missed pieces, but not sure where she could stick in a comment...if she even had one.

“All right team, let’s get our parts moving. We’ve got new crew boarding, some crew departing and Commander Vila and I will be tied up in that for a bit.”

“All department head will need to be ready on deck. While you are all busy, I’ll be running the bridge with Counselor Campbell. I’ll have Ensign Verhoeven on the helm and I’ll pull Lieutenant Armidale for bridge Ops.”

“Consider yourselves dismissed,” Max finished. He indicated Lorut should hold back for a moment after the room had cleared. He looked up in time to see Aurora waving goodbye.

’She’s so cute,’ Max thought as he flashed her a toothy smile.

 

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