Farewell to Thee, Romulan Warbirds Three
Episode Name: Farewell to Thee, Romulan Warbirds Three
Written By: Eidolon
Cast: Eidolon, Green, Park, Payne and Walters.
Produced By: Starfleet
Directed By: Eidolon
Aired On: Thu Nov 17 23:02:02 2005
Stardate: 55417.9
Time: Thu Nov 17 21:05:33 2005
Stardate: 55417.7
Payne steps into the bustle of Ops from the corridor. The door slides shut with a whisper.
Payne has arrived.
Walters seems to be running a simple system scan from his console, standard routine work.
A quiet night shift in Operations, with the stars twinkling in a tranquil fashion on the screen. Lieutenant Commander Park, the station's CMO, stands this particular watch -- where the only thing of interest is the slowly orbiting forms of the three Romulan warbirds which have been keeping station here for weeks now.
Payne steps onto the nerve center platform, immediately heading for Tactical. He approaches and gives the officer before him a nod, relieving him. He taps the console a few times performing his routine preshift scans of the nearby sector. A few moments pass before he glances at the screen to his right, reading the report as it comes back to him. But what is this, Payne is smiling? How odd. For one that hides emotions ineptly, he is obviously in a good mood. Perhaps bridge duty is a welcome break from his normal duties.
Payne sits down at Tactical.
Green steps into the bustle of Ops from the corridor. The door slides shut with a whisper.
Green has arrived.
Walters commands the computer in a quiet voice, "Computer, bring up personnel reports for all junior officers and NCO's in my section."
Park checks the chrono on his wrist and then hits the 'log' button on the command chair. "Command Log, Station 419 Upsilon, Twenty One Hundred hours. All station report normal.", he says routinely, then stabs the button again with his finger to end the recording. He leans back in his chair slightly, settling in for an uneventful watch.
Green steps in with only a slight glance around, her gaze resting briefly on Payne. She nods toward the good doctor, and heads over to releive the officer at the Security console.
Green sits down at Security.
At Operations, the console starts to chime softly. After a moment, the chief stationed there looks to Park. "Sir, the Romulan shuttle Lirash is requesting permission to depart," she reports.
Park glances over at the Chief and gives the man a nod. "Permission granted.", he replies efficiently, then glances at the view screen. At least there's something to watch for a minute or two. Green gets a nod and a smile in return.
Walters continues to scroll through the screens of endless reports and red tape.
Payne gives Lt. Green a nod of respect as she enters, but he quickly returns to his duties, returning his gaze at the console, he tapps on it a few more times as the Chiefs report rings out. Again, he waits paitently for the report to come back, which he studies carefully. The smile is still present at the moment, indicating all is well on his end of things.
Green makes a quick run of eyes over her board before nodding approvingly. There's a brief glance toward the Ops console, but not enough to keep her from getting to work.
"Shuttle Lirash, you are cleared for departure," the Operations chief reports, followed a moment later by the graceful form of the Romulan shuttle departing the station and heading toward one of the Romulan warbirds on the screen.
GAME: Payne spends a courage point.
GAME: Payne contests his Shipboard Systems+A vs Moderate and Succeeds.
Payne looks at the screen on his console, waiting for a moment to interject a report, "Captain, the Romulan ships are powering up main systems, preparing to depart." His gaze shifts to the command console, as he leans against the tactical station in front of him, bracing his hands on the bulk of the console, lazily.
Park leans up a little bit in his chair. "Mister Green, could you please check in with the officers guarding the Tellus Parchment. Mister Payne, put the video feed up on the main screen."
. o O Park feels a little bit suspicious, but not overly alarmed.
GAME: Green contests her Security vs Routine and Fails.
"Aye, Commander," Tay nods and taps at her console. Then her brow furrows, and she bends to place her fingers more stabbily at the touchpads."Working on it, sir."
Walters looks up from his screen and looks over to the stabby touches curiously, anything being more interesting than reports.
Park's com badge chirrups. "Lieutenant JG Mulwray to Lt. Commander Park."
Park taps his com badge. "Lt. Commander Park here."
Payne nods, looking back at his console tapping a few buttons. "Understood, sir."
The screen flashes with the view of space, exposing 3 romulan ships nearby.
Over Park's com badge, Mulwray says, "Commander? Can I beg a favor of you, seeing as you're the foremost expert in genetic comparison on our little old station?"
The Romulan shuttle dips toward one of the warbirds, sliding into its open and waiting docking bay. It's all very normal, very routine.
Over Park's com badge, Mulwray says, "OOC: Nevermind! Had no idea you lot were busy. I was not here. : "
Park's com badge clicks as Mulwray drops off channel. The channel closes.
GAME: Green contests her Security vs Routine and Marginally Fails.
Park glances over his shoulder at Green as she struggles with the controls. "I need some confirmation that everything is on the up and up, people.", he says evenly. "Time is of the essence."
Green's brow furrowing keeps getting deeper. "I'm having trouble raising the security team, Commander."
Walters calls out, "I can run a diagnostic on the communications and sensors..." and indeed he starts typing things into his comsole immediately.
GAME: Payne contests his Security vs Routine and Fails.
Payne taps at his console quietly, his face slipping into a frown. A bewildered look of confusion shortly follows, before his stoic expression returns, as he glares at the console. "Hmm." he humms to himself.
. o O Green starts to feel the stirrings of alarm. "What the hell is going on here?"
The warbird's shuttlebay slides closed, and all three of them start making a turn that will take them past the station and toward the Romulan border.
The chief at Ops speaks up again. "Warbird Decius and escorts asking for permission to depart, sir," she calls over her shoulder.
GAME: Green contests her Security vs Routine and Succeeds.
Green abruptly lets out a breath. "Okay, got 'em, Commander. The parchment is exactly where it's supposed to be, in secure storage." She sends an inquisitive look toward Park, then looks up at the viewscreen.
Walters says, "Umm...No sensor or commnications malfuntions in the logs, I can go to a level 4 or 3 diagnostic, Sir?"
Payne watches the events unfold in silence. He waits paitently for orders for a few moments before conducting a final scan of the ships before they leave Federation space. Again, looking back at his console as the report returns to his screen.
"Tell them to standby, Chief.", Park orders, then stands up from his chair. "Tay, get those people in there to do a sweep. I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden. Hold off on that, Mister Walters."
"Aye, sir," the chief replies, turning back to her console with a grimace.
Green lifts an eyebrow, and nods. "Aye." More busy finger tapping occurs.
. o O Park thinks, "Something just isn't adding up, here."
Walters replies simply, hands poised, "Holding...."
"Sir, the commander of the Decius wants to know why they're being held and why we're scanning them," the chief reports softly.
"They're performing the sweep, Commander," Tay confirms. "It'll be a few minutes before we get the results."
Park glances over at the Chief and then around the bridge. "We're not scanning them. Are we?", asks of the group at large. "Cause as I recall, I didn't /order/ a scan of those ships. Chief, advise the Romulan Commander that it's precautionary given an unknown surge in Tetryon particles recently. We want to ensure that this incident had no effect on nearby traffic. Apologize for the inconvenience and we'll have them on their way shortly. Mister Green, that team has exactly thirty seconds to ensure that item is secure and confirm it is, indeed, the same item."
Walters says, "Am'm scanning the end of mah fingertips in confusion. Not a thing more, ah promise."
"Aye, aye, sir," the chief replies, turning back to the communications boards.
Payne taps his console a few moments, and the command console control arm lights a red flash, indicating a message.
Green shakes her head a bit. "No scanning from me." She sends Payne a narrowed-eyed look before looking back to wait for those sweep results.
Walters says, "Ah can run a check and see if we're scanning them, and likely figure out who's doing it..."
GAME: Walters spends a courage point.
GAME: Walters contests his Systems Engineering vs Challenging and Fails.
GAME: Walters contests his Systems Engineering+A vs Challenging and Fails.
Walters looks at the screen as it buzzes rudely to his taps upon it, indicating much the same as his scowl.
Green reports at the 27-second mark, "The sweep team says the parchment seems to be the same one checked out and back in earlier today by Commander Norhalat and the Romulan scientists."
Park steps over to his chair and hits the button, scanning the message quickly and then shooting a glare over at Payne. He then settles back into his seat. "Very well, Mister Green. Chief, thank the Romulan Commander for their patience and clear them for departure.", he orders.
. o O Park thinks, "I still don't like this."
Green nods once and turns back to the work she'd shoved aside for a few moments.
"Aye, sir, clearing them for departure," the chief replies again, while on the viewscreen, the three warbirds make a turn to all face directly toward the station in a rather menacing sort of way. After a few moments of just hanging there, the three vessels split apart -- and ripple into cloak, vanishing from the viewscreen.
GAME: Walters contests his Systems Engineering+A vs Challenging and Succeeds.
Payne frowns slightly as he notices Park, but remains quiet. He folds his arms over his chest, and hovers his console, waiting paitently.
Walters looks over at Payne as the console finally stops 'blatting' at him rudely. "I tracked down that scan, Sir. Seems to have come from the tactical section..."
Green most definitely shoots a /look/ toward the tactical station, though she says nothing.
. o O Green thinks, "If it's not one thing, it's another."
"I was made aware of that, Mister Walters. Thank you for tracking that down, though.", Park comments evenly from his seat.
GAME: Payne spends a courage point.
GAME: Payne contests his Shipboard Systems vs Difficult and Fails.
GAME: Walters contests his Systems Engineering+A vs Difficult and Fails.
GAME: Walters contests his Shipboard Systems+A vs Difficult and Marginally Succeeds.
GAME: Green spends a courage point.
GAME: Green contests her Shipboard Systems+A vs Difficult and Fails.
GAME: Walters contests his Shipboard Systems vs Difficult and Fails.
GAME: Park spends a courage point.
GAME: Park contests his Shipboard Systems+A vs Difficult and Marginally Fails.
GAME: Chief Jones spends a courage point.
GAME: Chief Jones contests his Shipboard Systems/Sensors+A vs Difficult and Fails.
With those few moments of excitement over, the Operations Center settles back into its slow, silent routine.
Walters sighs and crawls back into console reports.
Payne turns to Walters and looks him up and down, before returning his gaze to park. Remaining silent, he waits. Otherwise still, he simply clears his throat.
Park looks down at his sensor readouts, then does a double take. "Mister Walters, can you try to get me some more resolution on coordinates 212 mark 39, please?", he asks. "I'm picking up some kind of odd signature near Bak'Tur, but I can't make it out."
Walters's reports are dismissed instantly as he nods to that, typing away at the console.
GAME: Walters contests his Systems Engineering vs Challenging and Marginally Succeeds.
Green looks up from her console, curious.
GAME: Walters contests his Systems Engineering+A vs Challenging and Dramatically Fails.
Walters says, "I'll refocus the..." Then the board blats at him in a most uncomplimentary fashion. Anger crosses his face, but all he says is, after that, in a controlled tone, "We just lost some more of the sensor grid."
Payne stands idle, paitently waiting orders. He almost forgets to breath, if it wasn't second nature to him.
Chief Jones looks up from the boards. "Sorry, sir. We lost everything directed om the heading you wanted."
Green's eyebrows rise at that report.
Park can't help but chuckle. "Well, let's hope that it's nothing bad coming our way.", he comments with a rueful grin. "Estimated time for repairs?"
Walters says, "My fault, I think, that and damage that hasn't been repaired from before yet. I can try to refocus the plexing iso-phasic polaron reflector, but...no, it's fried. This is going to take at least a duty's shift for a permanent repair."
Green just shakes her head and works some more.
With the new damage, the last of the excitement for the evening is reached -- and the doldrums of random duty set in.
