Ash MacKenna/Logs
| Crew of USS Arrow |
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| Ash MacKenna |
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Secondary of Kalianna Nicholotti |
Stardate 238706.22
Things are so vastly different these days. I guess I am still remembering the moment I set foot on my first assignment, and from that day, even I am difficult to recognize. Leave on Earth was good to me, and to Katy, but now we are back among the stars and things just feel...different. I found an interesting thing today that would have made my first department head nearly jealous. A micro black hole in the middle of space. It seems that this tiny tear in space-time was wreaking havoc on Starfleet ships for some time, but now it is only a memory. It is a shame we didn't have more time to study the thing. It was truly amazing. Not only did the hole suck in light and energy, but it seemed to portray all of the aspects of time distortion that scientists have theorized for decades. All in all, despite the danger, it was amazing to see.
It will be a good feeling when we finally get close enough to the planet to provide support to the crew of the downed Eagle, and it is good to know that most of the crew has survived. I know that we will probably not be able to spend as much time as we want helping because of a distress call we got earlier today, but knowing that anything we can give them is better than what they currently have, I suppose we can all sleep a little bit easier.
Up until now, I have spent all of my time on the bridge or in my quarters, but I suppose that I can journey down to the science labs soon. Although it isn't official yet, I think that I might just be the Chief Science Officer on the Victory now. As of this moment, I am still the only science officer on this vessel, but Admiral Rocar has taken command and it seems that we will be putting the ship into service rather than simply delivering her to the starbase. I think this is a good thing, and it is great to know that I will be with friends and mentors who I already trust. I know that I have issues with shyness, but I must admit, it is much easier to speak my mind knowing that Commander Jaxx will never look down on me, and realizing that Katy is always close by.
There are things I miss about the old days, but as I grow into my Starfleet role, I am finding joy in new things. Realizing that when I put away the dire feelings and the need to hide or run away, I can discover so much more and learn about the universe around me. I think that I will really love my assignment here...
Stardate 238706.28
So many mysteries, so little time. Between the Gwyrrdon and the black hole, along with the perfectly timed distress call, there seems to be a sort of continuous controlled chaos on the bridge. I still haven't gotten down to the science department, and although it is still not official, I am fairly sure that it will be my department. Gosh, it has been such a long road from the day I stood, scared out of my wits, in the science department on the Resolution. I still remember that day, because, well, I don't think that I've ever been so nervous. I am still grateful to have had such good mentors. Without them, I don't think that I would be where I am today.
With the black hole behind us, we are now headed towards the Eridani Hydrae system, which will give me my first glimpse of a binary system up close. There, among the outer limits of the intricate system, it seems that a deuterium mine is being attacked. I can only hope that the outpost is not under too much fire. The mined result of deuterium burns very hot, and given the chance, it could destroy the entire place very quickly. I cannot assume what is going on in the minds of those who are attacking, as they too will be in danger,so I must go into this believing either they are very stupid, or they are trying to get a starship out there. The next closest ship to us is a couple weeks away, so whatever we are dealing with, we will deal with alone...
Mr. Hunt has some crazy idea that we can break into their computers by using a nearby Klingon relay station. He says that it would fry the station, and I have my reservations about following this type of plan. The Klingons and the Federation have had somewhat of a rocky past, thus, destroying one of their relays may land us in more hot water than I care to think about. Still, the more we know about the outpost, and what we will be dealing with when we get there, the easier and safer the ship will be. It might be a long shot, and we might have to deal with the consequences of our actions later, but it might just be worth it. On the other hand, it would be best if we could find an alternative.
Well, back to it. There is tons to do in the twenty four hours that we have until we arrive on the outer edge of the system. If we are facing something sinister, I need to make sure that we know all that we can about it before we leave warp...
Stardate 238707.05
The plan to use a relay station was very successful. We were able to get an alternative to the Klingon station, which made me much more at ease with the whole idea. The information that we gained from the whole experiment was wonderful, and it gives us so much more to go on rather than the little bit that we had found in the distress call. Still, we cannot tell where people are in the station, or even how many of them there are. Soon we will know what is going on, however. We are only a few hours from arriving in that part of space.
Though the miners seem to blame whatever is happening on the Romulan vessel that is sitting cloaked outside the station, I cannot concur. Not only is this ship out of weapons range, but it is taking damage as well. On top of that, one of the Betazoids on the bridge said that she could sense something out there, and even I picked up faint life sign readings surrounding the station. Nothing seems to add up, but the station is still being damaged somehow or in some way. I have a feeling that it will be a more complex problem than a simple attack.
Now I just have to sift through the tons of information that we have in the next couple of hours and try to find a solution before we do anything...
Stardate 238707.22
This is one of the most interesting things that I have had the pleasure of researching, and it is really too bad that we do not have more time to devote to learning about these organisms. Particles from the dust belt are apparently alive, but they show no signs of being sentient. So, we have a ton of particles that are, as I found out in an experiment earlier, attracted to energy which they feed off of and turn into speed. By this conversion, these beings travel well past the speed of light, opening numerous cracks in the space/time continuum.
It really is fascinating, but more importantly, this gives us a basis off which to work. We have an away team on the station as we speak, trying to locate the survivors. However, until now, communication has been intermittent, so we have no idea what is really going on over there. We are getting strange readings, like multiple versions of Jaxx, and even versions of myself that are located on the station. With the results of the last experiment, however, we should be able to account for the temporal fluctuations so that we can get a stable line of communication. In all, it will give us the edge that we need to at least see what the conditions are on the station.
I have a theory regarding the evacuation of the station as well. Because it is the speed at which these things are going that opens the fissures in time, freezing them should allow us to get solid sensor readings from the station, and transporter locks on those people that exist on the station in our current time line. If it works, we can hopefully bring everyone aboard and then worry about what to do with the station, which is still taking damage.
I also seem to have found a link between the particle beings and the station. They did not seem attracted to the power output on the station until they began to mine the deuterium in the dust belt. It is this action that seems to have provoked the beings into converging on the station, where they acted almost like a corrosive substance, eating through the metal exterior of the hull and anything between them and the largest power sources on the station.
I will present all of this to the Admiral, and with any luck, we will at least get people off the station as soon as possible.
Stardate 238707.27
The bridge, WOW! I almost choked on my own words when the Admiral left me in charge while he went to set up on other parts of the ship. I am amazed that I have come this far, and the fear almost prevented me from doing what I needed to do. Unlike my past, however, I was successful at pushing the feeling away and getting on task fairly quickly. This was in part due to a new officer aboard as well. I now have someone in my department other than myself, and though I am nervous about it, I am also glad to have someone around.
Back to the bridge. Having approved of my plan to freeze the creatures, Admiral Rocar left and is preparing sickbay and a place for the refugees that we get from the station. The last records of the station state that there are about eighty people aboard, but we are preparing for up to three hundred or so. The bridge is full of new or junior officers, so again, I am worried that things will not work out well. Still, here I am, and all that stands between our away team and their homes is the plan that I have come up with.
I know that it will work. I am rarely wrong when it comes to these things. I guess I should keep that in mind the next time I second guess myself, but confidence is just not one of my stronger suits. Thankfully, there are enough diversions to make it look like less than it is. Though, sitting in the center chair seems to have enticed me into command one day. Perhaps in the distant future, that is what I will push for. A science vessel might not be a bad thing to command, especially if I am able to serve with a crew that is as good as this one.
Stardate 238708.31
We finally got into port, but it seems that this shore leave will be different than most I've experienced. Almost right before we pulled into the starbase, the Admiral was discovered missing. What's worse, he seems to have left a staged crime scene in his wake. I was asked to look at and analyze the knife that was found, and it seems to have been replicated. There were no minerals or materials in the knife that should have been making the whole thing seem slightly surreal to say the least.
We got to have a great dinner on the holodeck thanks to Ensign Cooper. It was great in the fact that I got to go riding on my holographic representation of Duster, which is always something that I love. What I didn't expect was to spend as much time with Commander Webb as I did. He came after me on a horse that was waaaaay too big for his skill level, which promptly ended him on the ground. I guess I didn't want the night to end, and he fell asleep on my couch. I don't mind, in fact, I rather wish that we could do it again. I hope that we get time in the near future to at least talk. I must say, I really enjoy his company.
Commander Jaxx wants a full overhaul of the sensors done in thirty six hours, and while it is normally impossible, I have to give it my best. Between Ensign Tali, Cyrus, Tressa, and I, I am hoping that we can come up with some kind of plan that gets us where we need to be in the time that we have to get there. I don't know what Jaxx is planning, but I trust that he will not lead us astray.
Stardate 238710.02
The sensor overhaul was a success and I must say that I am quite proud of how the department held up. With the help of Ensign Tressa, we were able to coordinate our brand new department with engineering to complete the task just over the deadline that Jaxx set for us. Of course, he told me later that he didn't really expect it in that time period, but it was good to get close. The goal was impossible, but he thought that our actual time was impossible too. All in all, I am pleased at how the department is doing and how well everyone is working together. I am especially glad to have Tressa aboard. She is a huge help in many ways.
Today was quite the shocker as well. I was called to the ready room after the briefing, which made me think that I was either in trouble, or Jaxx had another crazy task for me and my department. Wrong on both accounts, I was quite surprised when he promoted me. Cyrus was there, and all I could really do was look up at him with a stupid look on my face as he place my new half pip on my collar. I feel like an idiot, and in a room with two powerful betazoids, I am sure they knew just how idiotic I felt. I still am not used to people calling me commander, but I am sure in time it will be second nature.
Tonight may prove to be an interesting night. It is the first time since we set sail that we have a full department and normal working hours. That means I get to take some time off! Cyrus asked me to dinner in his quarters, and I have to admit that I am pretty excited about it. I have a few things to tie up here in the lab, but soon the day will be over and I think I will finally be able to relax a bit. I just hope that I don't make too much of a fool at dinner. This whole relationship thing is so new to me. All I ever cared about before was science, but now I am starting to feel just a little bit different...