#134 A Call for Assistance

Posted on Sun Jan 8th, 2023 @ 8:32pm by Captain Rogue Green {Meji} & Chief Warrant Officer Niraasha "Nira" Whisperwind

Mission: BUGS OH NO!!
Location: Bridge
Timeline: current

ON:

With everyone back aboard and the ship back in top form Commander Green did a walkabout through the ship. As she went she would randomly stop and chat with crew, both enlisted and officers, making basic conversation and finding out how their day went. Being Number One caused many to remain at arms length and she always found that to be disconcerting. Yes, she was the second highest ranked person aboard, the VP of their little world. So, in her travels among the crew she made it a point to get to know them, to speak to them and let them know that she was not unapproachable, nor against talking to any of them at any time.

Due to her status as, basically, an Augment (bio and bio history), Ro did not require the sleep that others did. So, there were many times when she would walk the halls and check on minor systems, internal sensors, weapons caches, that sort of thing. She probably knew more about the workings of the Amandora than most of the crew aboard. Gamma shift was the smallest on shift, a skeleton crew of the most junior officers who were tasked with running the ship in the wee hours of the morning until Alpha shift could take over. As one showed better performance ratings then they could be moved to one of the other shifts, to see the workings of a cohesive crew being handled in a more streamlined fashion. So, being Gamma shift, and done with walking the corridors, Green ended up on the Bridge. The look of surprise on everyone's face was priceless but Green acted like she did not see it. "Good evening/morning, everyone."

Like an echo chamber the greeting was returned by those standing watch.

"Anything to report," she asked.

The OOD, who was still afraid to sit in the Commodore's chair, instead choosing the empty Counselor's seat, stood up to address his XO. "Still cruising at warp four, Commander. No changes over the past eleven hours we've been cruising and nothing coming across the sensors worth mentioning."

Green gave a few nods. "I see." She moved to her chair and sat down. "As you were, Ensign. Continue your shift. I'll just be over here quietly seeing to reports."

"Uhh...Aye, Sir." He sat back down, not sure how to proceed now that he could be heard by Number One. Was she testing him, checking on him? If so he needed to be professional and not so chatty like they all were when the XO was not present. "Nichols, long range sensor sweep. Let's see if anything interesting can be found."

"You got it," said Nichols, an Operations officer who was sitting at the SCI station. She manipulated her console and then looked up and over at the Ensign. "Nothing special, Sir. Just a whole lotta nothing."

Green cleared her throat ever-so-slightly as she wanted to laugh at the response, but kept her eyes on her PADD and continued to pretend to ignore them. There was a slight grin on her face which she tried, but not tried, to hide. Even as that was going on she did think to herself that maybe this Nichols needed to be looked at, in her file and performance ratings. Could be another good officer for taking stations on Alpha when others left to see to issues and orders. How the wheels turned on a starship.

The starboard lift opened and in walked Nira with her daughter Sera in tow. "And this, this is Bridge. Place where Matriarch Song leads Amandora. Her rank is Commodore, but she is Matriarch of this population."

"Wow," said Sera, eyes widened a bit as she looked around, taking everything in. And, like her mother, the ears and whiskers were waving about of their own volition. "Neat."

Nira was wearing her black, strange material but it was now done up as a pair off yoga-style leggings and a belly shirt. All like a second skin, of course, but more material coverage of her body. Sera had been dolled up the same way although her body was not as mature as her mother's yet. Both were barefoot, as was the Puazi way, and both wore belts with various box pouches on them and Nira had some equipment hanging from hers.

Green could not help but smile. First, because it was a child and the progeny of her best friend. Second, because the look of wonder in those young eyes as she looked around was absolutely brilliant. "Hello, Sera. Do you remember me?"

Sera backed up into her mother's legs, a defensive stance as she did not know how to answer since she did not remember this person. All she did was look back and up at her mother. "What I say?" She whispered, even though everyone could hear her. "I no 'member."

Nira squatted next to her daughter, the squat being a natural posture and pose for her people, which often times reminded Green of the Spiderman pose with how their joints, tendons, and muscles seemed to have more elasticity than other species. A trait from their feline ancestry. "You say no. She will understand. Ro is my bestest friend, my sister, and I did introduce you when she came back from her trip. You must learn to observe surroundings better, and to recall with clarity. Seh seh (yes)?"

"Yes, Mother." Sera's eyes went back to Green, scrutinizing her. She saw the pseudo-pouty face, but the human eyes belied her expression, showing mirth and teasing. So, finding that strong streak of courage within herself Sera approached. "Hi, Ro. I am Sera." She stuck her hand out, which got shook by Green with a smile. "Apology for no 'member you."

"Seraasha," hissed Nira. "You know how to speak perfectly well."

Sera half turned to look back at mom, sticking her tongue out at her in fun. "My handshake, my way, Momma." The entire Bridge laughed at that.

Nira stood up and also gave a giggle, unable to quell the smile her daughter had caused to appear. "As you can see, Ro, she is quite...willful."

Green gave a wink to her friend. "Not unlike someone else I know." She gently grabbed Sera's shoulders and turned her back to facing her directly. "Glad to meet you, Sera. May I hug you?"

"Yes!" Said Sera, engaging the hug before Ro could, squeezing tightly, as if they had known each other for years. This was done with Sera seeing the friendship between mother and human, and also because her mother had referred to Green as her sister. "If you be momma's sister, are you my auntie, then?"

"Absolutely, sweety!" Said Ro, while hugging the girl and rubbing her back lovingly, then letting her step back. It felt good to hug a child she could love and call family. A flash of memory about Tore went through her mind, the only man who had ever garnered her want to have children of her own. With the Core she pushed that down and maintained Control.

The ensign at Tactical spoke up. "Commander Green, I am picking up a distress call. Not a beacon, and not an emergency, but definitely a hailing frequency."

"Nira," said Green, moving Sera aside gently so she could stand up.

Nira, responding to her name being said, went up and stood next to the junior officer, to aid him with his tasks. "It is a hailing frequency, Commander," stated Nira. "But, using Federation frequencies only."

Good, thought Green, that meant it was a friendly call for assistance. "Open the channel on screen." Ro sent Sera to her mother with a light pat on the bottom and then stood center Bridge to face the screen.

Nira watched the junior officer perform his tasks with skill and knowledge, commending O'Connell silently for keeping the others in Security well trained. She let him answer since it was his shift. "You're on, Commander." The screen appeared over the panoramic window, in the center, showing a grizzled looking human with graying hair and a well-trimmed beard.

"Hello, Sir. I am Commander Ro Green, First Officer of the USS Amandora. How can we be of assistance?"

"Glad to meet you, Commander. And, glad you caught our call. My name is Dwight Bachman and I am the governor for our colony on Midora III. Our scheduled transport has not arrived, Commander, and we require the equipment they were carrying to maintain our colony's health and well being." The man was both pleasant and charismatic. His weathered face did nothing to take away from his looks, his grin only adding to his appeal, even if he did look to be somewhere in his fifties.

Green could not help but grin back since it did not seem as though the call was an immediate emergency. "Do you require our arrival, or do you want us to search for the transport? We can do either, or both, Mister Bachman."

He raised a hand briefly. "Dwight, please." That grin again. "My grandfather was Mister Bachman. But, since you asked, and it isn't too much of a bother, we could use the help now, Commander. Midora is not an easy place to live so having all we need on hand is a must. Our terraforming efforts will be for naught if the colony suffers too much loss."

"Understood, Dwight," Green replied. "How much time until disaster are we looking at?"

"Ohhhh, let's see." Dwight rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments. "I'd say we have ten days before things begin to go critical. And, so you know, it is not a matter of life and death for us, only for what we are doing. The planet will sustain us for a time. It's a crop situation and with that comes the issue of the terraforming being set back by months, possibly years, depending on how quickly we can right the situation."

"We have your comm code, Dwight," explained Green. "I will call you back with a time frame for our arrival as soon as we know how far away you are. But, no matter what we will get there long before ten days, you have my word."

"Thank you, Ro," Dwight responded, using her first name and giving her a comely smile, his eyes also showing an interest in the woman before him.

"My pleasure." Ro smiled, returning the gesture with the same interest, and letting her eyes match the sentiment in his own. "Until we speak again. Amandora, out." The transmission was cut. Once the comm was closed she turned to the Bridge. "Get me data on Midora III. Classification, distance from us, the works. Hop to it, people." The Bridge became as busy as a beehive as everyone on the Gamma crew did as she ordered.

All the information came through to Tactical, and Nira relayed what was uncovered. "Midora III is Class-L, and at current velocity we can reach them in approximately sixteen hours."

"Thank you, everyone. Your timely data gathering is appreciated." She then turned her eyes to the front. "Helm, plot a course for Midora III, warp five. Engage." Doing the math in her head Green figured that the sixteen hours at warp four would be reduced to roughly 4 hours at warp five. The ship turned her course and accelerated at light speed, with the FC officer relaying that information. Ro could see that the Gamma shift was coming to an end, with Alpha due to arrive any minute. She would stand the watch and resume her duties on Alpha, informing the Commodore of the course changes and comm call once she arrived. "When Alpha arrives, people, feel free to just cut out. Your performance will be noted in my log. As you were." Returning to her seat Green leaned back in her chair and watched the stars streak by outside the window. A Class-L planet was marginally habitable, with vegetation but usually no animal life. With the terraforming effort she could only assume it was an agricultural colony, using their farms to add to the atmosphere and improve the planet's class to Minshara, or Class-M. The best part was that in all her years of service Green had never been to a Class-L world, and to see the efforts to terraform it would interest her a great deal as an engineer.

Nira and Sera left the Bridge, not bothering Ro since she was now in XO mode. Plus, Nira had to get ready for her shift.

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