#77 On the Way/A Discovery

Posted on Tue Dec 13th, 2022 @ 5:37pm by Captain Rogue Green {Meji} & Captain Sean Silk & Lieutenant JG Jamie T. Kirk/AKA: "Jim" & Lieutenant JG Marcus Resch {Meji}

Mission: BUGS OH NO!!
Location: USS Euphrates
Timeline: current/somewhere in between

ON:

Jamie 'Jim' Kirk, Ro Green, Sean Silk, and Marcus Resch were all aboard the USS Euphrates, heading for Rigo IV at a casual warp five. At that speed they were looking at a trip of roughly 20 hours, give or take. All of them were in civilian attire, with laughter and positive energy filling the small starship. All of them had moved to the aft section, sitting around the dining table back there, playing cards, eating, and drinking.

Kirk and Resch both looked like they had just stepped off a ranch somewhere on Earth. They were wearing jeans, his Wranglers and hers Ropers pocketless, while they both sported Ropers boots with the all-terrain sole. Both had on leather belts with the standard ranch style buckle, but nothing flashy like a rodeo rider. His button up shirt was over top a white sleeveless T-shirt, and untucked. Kirk's was untucked and unbuttoned down the front while she too wore a white top underneath, hers being Underarmor and a sports bra all in one, which was tucked in.

Green was wearing khaki Carhartt pants with her own set of hiking-work boots on with an all terrain sole. Her tops consisted of a white ladies T-shirt, sleeveless, over which she wore a black and red flannel shirt, also unbuttoned down the front.

Doctor Silk had dressed similar to Green, but his Carhartt pants were black, as was his T-shirt. No over shirt. All of them had the Starfleet leatheris (synthetic leather) away team jackets (Strange New Worlds uniform style) to wear over the top of their garments since Kirk had informed them all it was mid-winter on Rigo IV, and Kirkland would be covered in a fresh, deep, field of snow.

All of them sat around the six person table, gathered at the first four seats to be a group. The glasses would make the light clinking sounds of ice moving around, each of them having a tumbler of Jameson's Irish whiskey on the rocks. None were drunk, nor intended to be until they reached turf, but sipping and chatting just seemed the right thing to do while getting underway.

"So, Sean," said Green, getting his attention, the others quieting down a bit to see what she was going to say. "Why did Nira feel the need to suddenly go home? Should we, as her friends, be worried?"

Silk finished his first tumbler, the ice clanking in his glass as he brought it back down and reached for the bottle. Filling the tumbler half full he then placed the bottle back in the center of the group. "No, not really," he finally said. "Nira is with child, our daughter, so she fel..."

Everyone began to talk at once, with 'what?!', 'no way!', and various other exclamations of surprise. Sean raised a hand to get them to settle down and shut up. "Can I finish?"

"Please," said Kirk.

"Puazi have a different way of breeding than we do," explained Silk. "One of you already knows this." He looked pointedly at Green for a moment. "So, to ensure the health of our daughter, who is a half-breed, she went home to consult with her Matriarch. No Puazi has bred with another species in their recorded history, so we'll be the first Bridge between worlds. I could tell that Nira is terrified, deep in her heart, that something will go wrong and we'll lose Sera. That's the name we decided on. So, my mate went home to make sure she survives."

Green gave a big grin and then raised her glass over the center of the table, with all clanking theirs with Silk's. "Congratulations, Sean. I have no doubts that all will be well."

"That is epic to hear, Sean," said Resch. "Congrats to you both." Kirk echoed his sentiment.

The chatter went around about the child, all of them as happy for Silk as he was for himself. But, as with all things, the conversation went back to other topics.

***

Kirk, sitting up front and leaving the others in the aft so they could dim the lights and use the bunks, had her head back as she napped. The whiskey and camaraderie had been needed, and she was glad she had only imbibed one glass. As did the others, aside from Silk. He had finished his second glass and also gave up on the alcohol. Jim had stowed it away for another time. In her subconscious she heard a soft bleeping noise, a sound coming from the panel before her. Her conscious mind came awake as she sat up and rubbed her face, looking to where the bleep was coming from. The sensors had detected something. Now, with her mind fully awake she angled the sensors that direction, the scans showing a small ship not much bigger than the Euphrates. There was no warp signature for a drive, and their main power systems were offline, with what was left of power fluctuating. Jim tapped the comm key. "Everyone, up front. We have a ship in distress."

It took no more than a minute for the others to arrive on the Bridge, with Green taking the co-pilot's seat, Silk at Tactical, and Resch took the SCI station, all four sitting close together as the Bridge was designed to do, allowing them all to see out the forward viewport.

"Talk to me, 'Captain' Kirk," said Green, smiling at Jim with a sideways glance. There were chuckles from behind them.

"What you see, so far, is what I have," stated Kirk. "Captain Kirk? I like the sound of that, 'real' Commander Green."

Resch tapped his console and focused the scans on the alien vessel. "Low power readings. If this is reading right their life support is at minimal."

Green spoke over her shoulder. "Any life readings?"

Marcus tapped some more, then spoke up. "There are. Two, very faint."

Kirk had slowed to impulse, now able to see the ship ahead of them. She was reading her own scans, those for the pilot. "Our docking collar should cover their hatch and allow access. If not, then we need to beam whatever they are over here."

Silk was looking at the life readings sent from the SCI station. "They appear to be humanoid, but not known to Starfleet medical files." He then had to do the right thing here. "I say we dock with them, first. We have no idea if they have a contagion, or not. Beaming them over would be in bad form, Commander."

"Agreed," said Kirk. "Commander, I suggest you and Silk suit up and be the first to cross the threshold. Once we determine safety, then we can do what we can. The hatch forcefield will keep out any contagions."

Green gave a nod and patted Kirk's shoulder as she stood up. "Good call, Skipper. Sean, you're with me. Hope you don't mind seeing your XO in her knickers."

"I'm spoken for, Ro, not dead," quipped Silk as he got to his feet and went to the aft with his Number One.

Resch and Kirk gave light laughter at the banter, with Marcus moving to the co-pilot's seat to be next to Jim. Better for conversation and easier to look at each other. "Whoever these folks are, they are a long way from wherever."

Kirk gave a nod. "Got that right. Pegasus and Rigo IV are out on the edge of fringe space, so this little ship could be from any of those out there." She motioned out the window, meaning the hundreds of stars they could see. "Let's hope they're friendly. Last thing Starfleet needs right now is another war."

"I can't argue that," replied Resch.

TBC...

OFF:

OOC: I jumped the gun on my leave posts, since this little endeavor is what I had planned for weeks now. CD affords the opportunity to finally do this side story. *big smile*