- , Mission #

"Outta Time"

<GM_James>

Summary

<GM_James>

The Atlantis remains in orbit around the self-destructing planet, their tenuous link to several hours into the past revealing that the subspace vacuole they created on the other side is getting larger and larger by the minute leaving the crew faced with the problem of fixing it. Commander T'Kirr ponders the situation on the Bridge while the Admiral speaks with Starfleet Command in his

<GM_James>

ready room.

<GM_James>

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Resume Mission >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Seated now at his designated bridge console, staring intensely at the readings being fed to him. :: Okay, so my first quickie recommendation? Stop transmitting.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: is in Sickbay tending to patients and keeping an eye on Ilaihr, who has finally stopped trying to escape Sickbay after a stern talking from Quinn. After a moment of watching all in Sickbay, he turns back to the viewscreen to his work, checking every once in a while on Ilaihr in the various things that can reflect views of what is going on behind him. ::

<SCI_LtJG_TLira>

::monitors the vacuole, the probe, and just the planet in general. ::

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

:: watching the probe telemetry and readings on the vacuole ::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: standing front and center on the Bridge :: Agreed, stop transmission. :: nods to Wright ::

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

Aye, ceasing transmission. :: taps keys to make that happen :: The vacuole continued to increase in size... those on the other side may make visual contact.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: frowns and sits, quickly tapping at her chair console a moment :: Increase orbit. Back Atlantis away and monitor for changes.

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

:: monitoring for changes ::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

NAV>

:: increases Atlantis' orbit and moves Atlantis away from the vacuole ::

ACTION: The Atlantis sleekly moves through space, speeding up slightly to increase her orbital velocity, rising like a star through the heavens.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Calls up the position of the vacuole, and cross checks it with what they've been able to glean about the layout of the facility. Sooner or later, this thing may hit something sensitive, and the implications are...unsettling. ::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

CSO: Has the rate of expansion decreased, Lieutenant Wright?

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

XO: No, sir. The rate of expansion is holding steady.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: I don't have the data to be certain yet, but I think it's more likely the probe. And the transporter that got it there.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: puzzles at the situation from her chair :: CEO: Yes, and we can't reach the probe.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: These are some unusual readings I'm trying to make sense of. I've never heard of a subspace vacuole forming inside a subspace fracture...but whatever else it is, it's...a hole. Like a hull breach on an old style submarine. It starts small, but once pressurized sea water floods in?

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: As for reaching it...hmm.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Frowns as he rather immediately does not much like the first idea that comes to mind. ::

ACTION: A crewman stumbles into Sickbay, hand to her head muttering woozily, swaying and twitching before she falls to her knees and throws up

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

Bridge: Well, the options are either to pull it out somehow or destroy it somehow, is that accurate?

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

CEO: If a transporter beam were even still capable, would it make it worse, or would it seal the vacuole? I don't know that destroying it would eliminate all alien matter in the fracture.

<SCI_LtJG_TLira>

SCI: Sending an auto-destruct signal to the probe may work, although that would still leave the vacuole.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

CSO: That's my take on it, yes. It's basically holding the door open.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: hears a commotion behind him and turns to see Crewman Edwards on her hands and knees. Quickly, he walks over to her, pulling out his Tricorder and scanning. :: Crewman: Crewman Edwards? What happened?

<Crewman_Edwards>

::shudders, gasping as she sways on the floor, rolling slightly to th left and right:: CMO: D-doc...nngh....I can't seem to....balance....Gods.....::quickly hurks again, her vision going blurry::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: watches the readings as the vacuole continues to expand :: Bridge: Unless someone can give me a good reason, I believe it would be prudent to attempt the probe's destruction.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: And we could certainly vaporize the probe, ma'am. It's just a question of whether we could do it without causing so much damage to the facility that...that it causes this. But of course, anything that can do that is still foreign matter introduced into the fracture. Even some stray nadions might...might...

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: Um, hold on one second.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: kneels next to Edwards, puts his hand on her shoulder to steady her a bit, avoids her next expulsion and continues scanning. :: Crewman: Where were you when it started?

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: waits, remaining calm ::

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Does some quick double checking against records. He hasn't actually run up against a phenomenon like this outside of a classroom, after all. ::

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

:: waits, remaining slightly anxious ::

<Crewman_Edwards>

::moans softly, her eyes going cross as she tries to regain her bearings:: CMO: In...i-in Engineering....

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

Crewman: Alright. And what were you doing?

<CEO_LtQuinn>

Bridge: Okay, that's what I thought. This is purely spitballing, as they used to say, mind you. But maybe introducing more foreign material into the breach COULD be a viable option.

<Crewman_Edwards>

::breathes heavily, shivering:: CMO: Warp core....diagnostics......routine.....

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: turns her head towards Quinn and perks an eyebrow ::

<CEO_LtQuinn>

Bridge: Let's just break it down a little. The vacuole itself...I'm still working on that bit of it. But would we agree, this DOES look like we're dealing with a subspace fracture...or at least some sort of temporal displacement?

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

CEO: Agreed.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

CEO: It appears so, yes.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: sees scans that don't completely make sense, but he is finally able to make sense of what is going on. :: Crewman: It looks like signals are getting mixed up in your body... All over the place, actually. I am holding you steady; try to lift your left hand off the ground.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

Bridge: Well, I had to check, but there ARE documented cases of a subspace fracture being successfully sealed by a properly attenutated nadion discharge.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

Bridge: Which we produce every time we fire off our phasers. Or...something LIKE what we'd want, anyway.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: sits forward in her seat, her mind racing :: CEO: What would sealing the fracture do to the vacuole?

<Crewman_Edwards>

::raises her hand slowly, her vision going cloudy for a moment before it feels like she's being spun around in a wheel, retching once more:: CMO: Oh nooooo....

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: I'm...not entirely certain. Sorry. Ma'am. It's certainly conceivable that if our efforts created it to begin with, then cutting ourselves off from it could collapse it. Or at least halt its expansion. But I'm still working on that.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: scans Edwards cerebral cortex, cerebellum, ocular nerves and cochleas as she attempts to move her hand. :: Self: Fascinating. :: changes settings in the Tricorder and motions one of the nurses to give Edwards a hypospray for the nausea :: Don't worry, Crewman Edwards. We'll get you taken care of. :: looks up to a couple of nurses who are standing there at the ready :: Nurses, help her onto a Biobed.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: stands and walks to Tactical, relieving the ensign there :: CEO: It's more favorable than causing the probe to explode in a temporal event, although be prepared to do so. Continue working on it, and send necessary modifcations to phasers.

ACTION: The nurses help the poor, heavy Crewman onto the biobed where she promptly rolls over onto her side in misery.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Nods :: XO: I'll try to think of some alternatives for you as well. Maybe a directed anti-tachyon pulse...hmmm.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

SCI & CSO: T'Lira, keep watch on the vacuole. Wright, assist Lieutenant Quinn if necessary. I'm not sure how much time we have.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

CSO: I was just about to ask! Obviously, it's best if we do this without making any new scans.

<SCI_LtJG_TLira>

XO: Aye, sir. :: continues to monitor the vacuole and the planet ::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: thinks Blackthorne is on a very long call in the RR and can sense his troubled thoughts from here ::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

SCI: Indeed, we don't wish to increase the vacuole's expansion rate. Scan what you can passively.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: isn't sure what to make of what he sees on the Tricorder. It almost seems as though there is another set of readings, along with what is normally there, as though it was two people. :: Crewman: I'm going to give you something that I hope will help with the feelings of imbalance. Prepare for it, because while you won't feel motion sickness, you also won't have any sense of which way is actually up. Here we go. :: gives her a neural in

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

CEO: I'm just running those calculations now. It looks like we have about 20 minutes before it's big enough to start causing gravitic effects on the other side.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

neural inhibitor that blocks the signals from her cochleas :: Crewman: How does that feel?

<CEO_LtQuinn>

XO: There's more. And you're probably not going to like this.

<Crewman_Edwards>

::blinks, gasping s her stomach does an odd sort of flip, the sensation similar to stepping out through an airlock shield into space. Calmly she reaches out with her hand, wondering why her body feels so heavy::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

CEO: No need to waste words on my feelings, Lieutenant.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Is thankful that his skin tone tends to hide embarassed blushes. :: Uh, right. Sorry, Commander. Basically, it's a question of power. The bigger the fracture, the more energetic the pulse you'd need to seal it. And this is a big fracture. Add to that the need to narrow the beam enough to make sure we don't breach that power grid ourselves, and keep it coherent as it punches through all that interference...we'd need to be a

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

Crewman: Tell me what's going on.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: continues scanning, seeing that there is a definite second signal in her cerebral cortex ::

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Crunches some numbers on the fly, thankful for the chance to focus on something other than embarassing himself. :: Definitely within the atmosphere. Ten kilometers above the site out to do it. We COULD try it with shuttles,of course. But it'd take a fair few to match the ship's phaser banks. And the range would need to be closer still. Closer than I'd normally recommend, in fact.

<Crewman_Edwards>

::sways back and forth, clearly out of it, muttering incoherently::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

CEO: All right. Good work. Keep at it. Because we're responsible for the vacuole and possibly more, we'll do what we have to.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: sees more clearly in his scans that there are two very distinct signals, as though the second is using her normal signal as a carrier wave, just a few hertz off from her normal waves. He puts the image from his Tricorder on the screen behind her Biobed for a larger view :: COMPUTER: Computer, confirm and analyze Crewman Edwards' brainwave activity. :: stands almost transfixed by what he sees on the screen, what he's been taught for m

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

multiple lifetimes was impossible... even in a joined Trill... yet he's observing it right now ::

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Nods :: XO: Atlantis is up to it. And Lieutenant Wright will have the variance for you by the time we get there.

<CEO_LtQuinn>

:: Shoots Wright a thumbs up.::

<CSO_Lt_Wright>

:: nods and returns the thumbs up, then sets to work ::

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

:: nods curtly :: NAV: Ease us in.

<XO_Cdr_TKirr>

Bridge: I'll update Blackthorne on our preparations.

<CMO_Dr_Tav>

:: notes that the two brainwaves almost mirror one another, except that every so often, for but a moment, the second reading will be slightly different from Crewman Edwards' normal reading ::

<Crewman_Edwards>

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Pause Mission >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>