Twenty Minutes

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

This log is by, in order of appearance:

Tomlinson/O'Halloran/Knight/Murray/Lexi/Matthews

 

Having just left the bridge, Will Tomlinson made a beeline for his quarters. He sat at his desk and opened up the files on the Ithaca situation. After skimming through it, he got the basic gist of the situation and then began looking through some of his favorite historical records; particularly those involving the U.S.S. Enterprise with Captain Kirk and crew. He scanned through and stopped at one he had read recently. He read through the story quickly and began typing a message to Anna.

 

Anna,

 

While I was on the Bridge, I caught a few tidbits of the conversation you and everyone else on the Bridge were having about the Ithaca and a thought occurred to me. I don't know if you know, but I love reading history, particularly the adventures of Captain James Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Well, one record caught my attention.

 

On Stardate 6283.6 the Enterprise was answering a distress call originating from inside the Romulan Neutral Zone. When the Enterprise arrived, three Romulan Birds of Prey attacked a freighter with a new prototype weapon which completely vaporized the freighter. As the Enterprise began to retreat, they were noticed by the Romulans and the Romulans were planning to use the new weapon to destroy the Enterprise.

 

However, as they were powering the weapon, the Enterprise fired on the Birds of Prey, disrupting the charge cycle and destroying the three Birds of Prey but in the process enveloping the Enterprise in a hyper-dimensional rift that they were trapped in. They couldn't get out of it because instead of the four dimensions of that form the space-time continuum as we know it, they were trapped in an area with many more dimensions.

 

In order to escape, they needed the data on the weapon from one of the wrecked Birds of Prey to extrapolate the course needed to escape, which they did in the end. I was thinking that with this data perhaps the time bubbles could be properly navigated and we could rescue the Ithaca.

 

With this message, I've included the Romulan weapon data. Hope this helps.

 

I love you.

 

your Will

 

::file attached: Romulan weapon data Stardate: 6283.6::

 

Will ended the message and sent it with a top priority flag on to Anna. He turned the screen off and dearly hoped he’d contributed something useful to the problem at hand.

 

* * *

 

Working on the bridge, Anna received the message from Will and quickly read through it, smiling to herself as he recounted his enjoyment in reading the adventures shared by the Enterprise crew captained by James Kirk. He hadn’t mentioned it before and she made a mental note to ask him what the surreal visit made by Kirk and Spock to the Reaent a few months (and 192 years into the past) had meant to him. Accessing the old record, she scrolled through the data with interest. The story was a fascinating though heartbreaking one for the man called Sulu. The solution to escaping the temporal instability the Enterprise had become trapped in was on one of the Romulan ships, but the ship was also trapped within the anomaly. Anna was becoming convinced that the only way to free the Ithaca lie in going over to the ship and trying to steer her out. The time had now slowed down to enough that it should be possible. The probes were able to enter and relay data back easier and recent testing showed that a probe could enter and return from the bubble with barely a ripple. She walked over to Wade and took a seat next to his console, her gaze falling to his workscreen.

 

“How difficult would it be to get the Ithaca’s engines online if we went over there using the emergency transporter bands?”

 

Wade looked up from his work, turning slightly in his chair to face Anna. “I can’t really say without knowing what sort of condition they’re in right now. They could just need to be powered up, which would only take me an hour at most. If we’re looking at repairs it could take considerably longer.” Wade turned back to his console for a moment before again turning his head. “And we?”

 

Raising an eyebrow, Anna met his stare. “Yes, we. Don’t even think I wouldn’t go over there if that’s the decision the Captain makes. The logs are still incomplete and without power being restored to ship’s systems, there’s no way to get all of them.”

 

Wade sighed, shaking his head and looking up to her. “You do realize that if we go over there and I’m wrong -- which happens more often than I’d care to admit -- you’re going to be stuck inside that bubble for decades before they even come up with a solution. If they ever do. By the time we get back, everyone you know could be old and feeble, if not dead and gone.”

 

“I heard what you told Ridire,” Anna answered, her voice low, very aware of the XO sitting behind them. “I’m convinced, based on a past occurrence in the database where armbands were used, that they should be adequate protection against becoming trapped within the time differential.”

 

“And if they fail?” Wade asked, turning back to his console and speaking quietly. “All of the preparation we’ve done here, it’s all based on mere theory and conjecture.” Wade let out a sigh, sitting back in his chair. “There’s just a lot that can go wrong here.”

 

“There’s a lot that already went wrong here!” Realizing her voice was rising, Anna deliberately took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, making sure her tone was lower as she continued, “There are 18 people stuck in two shuttles that have aged who knows how many years since it looks like they never did break entirely free from one of these bubbles. Maybe time doesn’t still move as fast as it did in this one before we were able to slow it down, or maybe it’s still rocketing along and that would make them at least 75 years older than they were a week or so ago, our time. Wade,” Anna pleaded, “we don’t know where the other 150 members of the crew have ended up but I think we need to do everything in our power to find out if the Ithaca can tell us anything. The armbands don’t present a huge risk--they’ve worked in the past.”

 

“Well, I’d certainly feel a lot better if I knew you were over here trying to get me back if I get stuck. But, if you want to tag along I can’t exactly stop you,” Wade replied, taking note of Anna’s apparent compassion towards the crew of the Ithaca. She had certainly invested a lot of time and energy into this particular problem, and Wade could understand why she’d want to be there with him. Even still, his confidence in his skills didn’t extend to endangering the life of a dear and trusted friend.

 

“Tag a long?” Narrowing her eyes at Wade’s unfortunate choice of words, Anna chose her own more carefully. “No, you can’t, and I’m glad you realize it. It’s a calculated risk but the time differential is not very great and we wouldn’t be facing anything like what that poor crew went through.” Anna got to her feet, carefully jerking her jacket back into place. Did Wade actually think she would be so cavalier with their lives? He knew her better than that! “I think you’d better find out from Wim and JJ if they’ll be able to handle the ship properly with the access code if you are able to get the engines back online.” She turned to go back to her station but paused, and turning, smiled at Wade,, her posture relaxing as she added, “You know when I say ‘calculated risk’ it means that the risk is low, don’t you? I don’t put the Ithaca before this ship or any of its crew, Wade.”

 

“You have an interesting definition of ‘low risk’, Anna.” Knight remarked coolly. “I’ll talk to Mr. Murray; I imagine he shouldn’t have any problem navigating the Ithaca out of its mess.”

 

Anna’s expression softened even as she felt her exasperation rise. She reminded herself that Wade was a worrier. It’s what made him such a great engineer; his attention to detail and his concern for crew safety. She tried again. “Did you even read the file I sent you on the armbands? Or did you cut right to the heart of the matter and just tweak them per the instructions? I really think you’d feel much more confident about our chances of success if you would read all the material I gave you rather than just the interesting part about the phase 7 discriminator!”

 

“I never was much for reading,” Wade replied. “Besides, I don’t have the time to read every technical manual you plop down on my lap. All I can say is, no matter how tested and proven a bit of technology is, it can always fail. Otherwise, why would we even have engineers, eh?”

 

“I handed you that PADD--I didn’t go anywhere near your lap,” Anna replied mildly, trying not to laugh. “I understand your point of view, and I’m glad you can see mine.” Not sure if he’d just caved a little or if they were still sitting at square one, she went back to her station.

 

Wade shook his head, grinning a bit as Anna walked away. She was the sort who always got her way. She’d blink her pretty blue eyes, call him her hero and Wade would walk away thinking it was his idea all along. For a brief moment he felt sorry for Will. “Mr. Murray,” Wade called quietly towards the conn. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

 

Murray looked up from his usual spot at the tactical station. “Yes, Mr. Knight. What can I do for you?”

 

“If the Commander agrees to let us go over to the Ithaca, she’s going to need a pilot,” Wade said quietly, leaving the implication up the in the air. “I’d do it myself, but I have a feeling I’ll be too busy keeping our briskets out of the proverbial fire.”

 

Murray shrugged noncommittally. “I suppose I could do it. Mr. Lexi is more qualified than myself, but I suppose his services would be required here. Regardless, I was thinking I’d be going over there anyway for security...stuff.”

 

“I’ll need to speak to Mr. Lexi later,” Wade replied, turning to face Wim. “I’m more concerned over getting access to the ship’s conn. I could probably get the codes and the access myself, but I’m not sure I’m going to have much time for side projects.”

 

Murray nodded in agreement. “No, sure, yeah. I’m no piloting expert, but it’s not like you’re asking me to do loop-the-loops and stunts...right?” He continued on, letting the question hang rhetorically, “But yeah, I can take care of that, no problem. Is there anything else you need of me?”

 

“Perhaps a pint when this bloody business is concluded,” Wade replied with a grin. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll go have a word with Mr. Lexi.” Stepping over to the conn, Wade put his hand on Lexi’s shoulder, crouching beside him. “Have a moment?”

 

JJ’s humming ceased as he felt the hand rest on his shoulder. He turned towards Wade, flashing a polite smile before he spoke. “Of course I do, dearest Mister Wade. How can I be of assistance to you?”

 

Wade smiled in return, always finding Lexi’s manner of a speech a bit odd. “If the commander gives us the word to ship over to the Ithaca we’re going to need someone to steer her. Fighter pilots are one thing, but you’re obviously the most qualified to pilot that hulk. It could be risky, but I think you can handle it, eh?”

 

“I most certainly can, my dearest engineer,” the Brythton responded with a nod. “I am more than capable of doing whatever you shall require of me. Do we have a plan of action yet?”

 

“Well, I’m chock full of theories and ideas, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call any of it a plan. All I know is that once we get over there we’re going to have to somehow reverse the temporal divergence and get the Ithica moving. I have a feeling my theory is only going to work temporarily.”

 

JJ nodded in approval “Well, your judgment on these matters of science and engineering are most certainly better than mine. I shall defer to you for direction,” he told the engineer. “Nonetheless, I shall be there to answer the call when the time comes, oh Honored Engineer.” JJ finished, his tone regal, his informal honorifics turned formal, a Brythton sign of seriousness.

 

Wade grinned and gave JJ a pat on the shoulder and a nod. “I figured you’d be agreeable.”

 

Half listening to Wade’s conversations with Wim and JJ, Anna commed Debbie to let her know what the most recent sensor readings had picked up. “Debbie, sensors have picked up two shuttles trapped in similar ‘bubbles’ containing 18 occupants between them. They are probably from the Ithaca. It’s unclear exactly at this point how quickly time is progressing within these new bubbles. If it’s the same as the original rate around the Ithaca, before we slowed it down, you could find yourself with a ward full of geriatric patients.”

 

It took a moment for Deb to process the news. She was already conflicted about the plan to retrieve the Ithaca’s crew. And now this. It was bad enough they’d been trapped on the ship but to spend all those years on a small shuttle.....a shiver ran down her spine. Taking a deep breath, she tapped her comm badge. “Thanks for the update, Anna. Please keep me posted.”

 

The CMO ended the comm and stared blankly at the opposite wall. Were there other shuttles? I so, how many? And what condition would those crewmen be in if and when they were rescued. She forced herself to ignore her concerns and returned to the incident report she’d been working on. She still wasn’t sure if there was a problem with the holodeck or the crewmen involved were lying through their teeth. One way or the other, she had to request an inspection.....just in case. For now, someone else would have to worry about those weird bubbles.