Bridge Clatter

Posted on Sun Apr 30th, 2023 @ 8:28pm by Captain Tristan Faust & Lieutenant Ty-Yak Novo & Lieutenant Commander John Stryker II & Commander Lucy Heartfilia & Lieutenant Thraxina & Lieutenant Shinobu Miyake & Lieutenant Yōji Itami & Cadet Freshman Grade Poppy Koppelman

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Mission 3: The Peace Ship
Location: Bridge
Timeline: M3 MD02 - 0915

[Bridge]

Lucy shifted her position slightly in the middle chair. It wasn't as comfortable as some people thought. Granted it was more comfortable and better padded than the other bridge chairs, but she didn't have the faintest idea of how Faust sat here for long periods of time.

She was starting to grow a little bored. A mischievous smile started to emerge across her face. "Commander. You said there was nothing 'big' in the way of our current flight path?" she asked.

"I did, Ma'am, should be smooth sailing the rest of the way." Strker responded confidently.

"Good..." Lucy smiled. "Lieutenant. I believe that the Midway's warp engines need a proper running in. Shall we see what she can do?" she asked as she tapped the arm of the command chair.

"Certainly, Ma'am." came back Helm.

"Ok people. Lets shave some of the time off that arrival date." Lucy told them all. She pressed a button on the chair controls. "Bridge to Engineering. We're going to be running some engine speed tests up here. Pump up the power to the warp drive and start recording results from your end."

"Well, alright Commander..." Novo responded over the intercom.

"Ok, Lieutenant." Lucy looked over towards Thraxina. "Go fast."

Thraxina turned to look at Heartfilia and then back to her controls "Aye aye, Skipper. Warp 8"

Stryker grinned, he was going to get along with the Commander just fine!

"Warp 9" Thraxina said, she would wait for a direct order before going to to 10; that really would be pushing it.

Aze sat comfortably at her station with her earpiece in her right ear. Nothing was happening at all of interest on either internal or external traffic.

"Ok. Keep her at this speed. Let's see how she handles it." Lucy smiled. "Monitor structural integrity and engine output levels."

As the ship reached warp 9 a loud clacking noise began reverberating through the ship.

"Oh, what the hell did you do?" Lieutenant Miyake groaned.

The noise caught Lucy's attention immediately. "Report. What I'd that?" She asked.

John turned half around, looked at the Commander, and then Thraxina, this didn't sound like 'smooth sailing,' not in the least. Clacking was not a sound associated with smooth anything.

Thrax just shook her head slightly at John as if to say 'don't ask me, nothing I'm doing!'

"Helm. Drop our speed to warp six." Lucy ordered. She swung around to face Aze on the communications console. "Contact the Engineer. Have them report what's making that noise."

"Yes Sir, I have checked the comms channels, whatever this noise is, its definitely not coming from the communications system." Aze replied. She taps her console. " Bridge to engineering, please report on the cause of this background noise we can all hear."

"Too busy down here Bridge... If you must know the warp drive is overheating," Novo responded over the com, "The automatic shutoff isn't working..."

"Do what you can. I will advise command. Bridge out."

"Sir, engineering reports warp core is over heating and the automatic shut-off is not working. "

"Tell engineering to shut down the warp drive," Lucy said cool and calmly.

"Yes Ma'am. " Aze replied. "Bridge to engineering, do what ever is necessary and shutdown the warp drive."

The only response was an acknowledgement beep.

Poppy had become quite lost peering through the science Scanner scope, its blue light shining prettily on her face; when the terrible clattering started up se moved back a little, scared she'd accidently pressed some previously unknown switch that would make the ship fall to bits.

She wasn't so much scared that the ship was about to blow to bits, as that it was about to blow to bits and it was somehow her fault!

"We're dead meat if Captain Faust finds out we broke the ship," Lieutenant Miyake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Me especially, seeing as I didn't do anything about it..."

"Lieutenant. I'm in command here, there's no need to worry," Lucy replied quickly looking over to Miyake.

Again, Stryker did his best to suppress a smile of appreciation, she was not about to back down from her decision. He had been that way as well, you make it you stand by it. And you reaffirm was in charge.

The turbolift door opened and out walked Captain Faust. "Report!" He yelled over the loud buzzing. He was wearing the green wraparound tunic and his hair was still wet.

"You were saying...?" Lieutenant Miyake mumbled.

Lucy stood up from the command chair. "We were conducting warp drive tests, however engineering reports that our warp drive is overloading. Automatic cut offs have not activated, they are attempting to shut down the drive system."

She moved over to the science console and tapped Koppelman on her shoulder lightly, a basic gesture to relieve her from the station.

Poppy's 'Captain-radar' clearly wasn't working as she was still peering into the science scanner when the Commander alerted her and she gave a little yelp. "Oop! Sorry Commander!" she said, moving out of the way. She was now redundant on the bridge, so she grabbed her clipboard and started to make her way out, only pausing for one last lingering look at HIM.

The Captain nodded and then sat down in the command chair.

Stryker looked over at Thraxina and sort of shook his head as if to ask 'Really?' But then he supposed that it would not be uncommon for a girl like this Poppy to have this crush on the Captain, after all, had he not been the hero of their little game on the holodeck? He simply shook his head.

"Attempting manual deceleration. Helm unresponsive." Thraxina reported mechanically. "Buffers holding." She had forgotten Poppy and was all attention to the job.

"No use bridge," Novo said over the com, "The warp drive is continuing to ramp up."

"Acknowledged," Tristan said in an even tone. He was distracted, wracking his brain at what possibilities there may still be... There was clearly nothing down in engineering that could be done. There were a few other options. "Engineering, I want you to shutdown the warp drive... Pull the plug... On my signal," he said.

"But Captain, a hard stop would overload the internal dampeners and..." Novo started.

Tristan cut him off, "Do it on my signal lieutenant," he said.

The Captain stood up and walked over to the engineering console and leaned over lieutenant Itami who was manning the console. He started tapping at the keys, "I want you to open up the bussard collectors and reverse the polarity... Turn them from suck to blow."

Itami nodded. "Aye sir. Engineering reports we're ready, I just need to flick the switch..."

Aze was at her communications station, hearing everything going on. She was doing all she could to remain and look calm but inside she was getting more and more terrified at the thought of the warp core out of control. All that Matter and Anti-mater. All she could picture in her vivid imagination was 'boom'.

'Well, this was going to be some serious poopao. Likely put them all through the view screen. You just don't stomp on the brakes of a starship!' Stryker was thinking as orders flew around the bridge, and what was going on at the engineering console? This Captain was certainly no-nonsense when it came to 'push comes to shove.' The man had just got Stryker's respect.

"Lieutenant Vox, alert all decks to brace for impact and tell sickbay to receive potential injured personnel," Lucy said from her station as she slipped down into her chair and began to grip the edge of the science console tightly.

"Yes sir."

Tapping get console she sent a priority message to Sickbay to expect potential injured personnel. She then tapped her console and opened a ship wide broadcast.

"Attention all hands. Brace for impact. I repeat, brace for impact."

She gripped her own console and prepared for what was to come.

Stopping at warp speed would be just as bad as slamming into something, the question John Stryer had was, 'how bad would it actually be,' so he gripped the sides of his console and hoped for the best.

"This is gonna hurt..." Lieutenant Miyake muttered as she turned her chair to face aft, hoping the sudden deceleration would force her back into her seat.

For her part, Thraxina couldn't afford to 'brace herself' - as soon as Engineering disconnected power from the Dilithium crystals and the warp bubble collapsed, she would be all on trying to steer the ship on full impulse. Rather like, in the old earth automobiles, steering into a skid to regain control.

It was now that co-ordination between helm and engineering was all important. Thraxina glanced over to Engineering's man - or woman - on the bridge: this was their big moment to help save the day!

By now Tristan has returned to the command chair, "Now engineer," he ordered through the intercom.

Suddenly Stryker realized, hanging onto the edges of the console when the ship stopped, inertia would launch over it and into whatever would then be in his way!

He saw one of the bridge crew do what should have been instinctive he dropped into his chair and spun himself facing aft. he looked at Thrax and said, "Hang in there Thrax! You got this!!"

“John, I....” she started to say, but then decided it was better not said.

“Yes, Commander.”

It was just as those orders came through that Meredith happened to be heading to the bridge with some completely routine paperwork she'd expected to be handing to the XO. She didn't comment. At least not immediately. She moved to a bulkhead, squatted down, and pressed the paperwork between her knees and the wall so there was no chance of it being dropped. It was not her first time doing so or her 21st.

 

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