I.
When you've spent enough time on a star ship, the hum became its 'signature' - a unique combination of systems running nominally. Chirps, persistent hums, even the occasional easing of hull frames - combined, they form a bit of a song. As captain of the Parnassus, I pause constantly to attune myself to the correct correlation of multiple, persistent sound. At this instant, it had the right combination...particularly from the ready room. The engine, the vibration of the surfaces in the room, the feel of the air and, one area I was sensitive to, the very pressure was at a rate that was nominal. Nominal may sound an odd description, but the variances of a star ship were such that nominal would only be about half of the time. Dangers persistent at all times, unless you were in the embrace of dry dock. [Not to say there haven't been accidents in dock.] The whole business was precarious to the core.
Being sensitive to changes in pressure is a critical trait for me. It has saved me, and thus the crew, on a variety of occasions. The same sensitivity I require in my own executive staff. Tanishe is my nose, Karl my skin, Farshad my ears - so much so my less sensitive staff relied upon the four of us at crucial times where emotions were high and the proclivities of the Parnassus AI, Daedalus, were not so easily trusted. AI, after all, has no nose, skin or ears. It can easily tell you the composition of the air, but mild variations did not trigger where a human's does. We are trained to trust our instincts...Daedalus simply couldn't be relied upon in the same way.
My desk was a mess and it bothered me. There was a ceremony where the Parnassus and its crew were honored guests and required to be the emissaries for the Federalist Government. I have about 25% new staff and 'new' in they just walked off the fields of Academy. They were taking a crash course in diplomacy from my best. "Better to keep one's mouth shut in all cases where a glint in the eye and a pleasant smile are what's wanted." I had to remind them that we are star hoppers and not politicians. Thank God.
The ship had just dodged a bullet when a piece of NRD, naturally recurring debris, had struck a radiation vent. We had to immediately stop the ship and the whole procedure required that we hold down, no engine use for at least 36 hours. Givvy and the engineering crew got us back up and running within 5 hours and Focus [special tactical teams that were called upon based upon skill, shift and situation] allowed us to move on...only because of the time table to get to Trious for the ceremony. I shifted the reports around a bit, and that was a dangerous move, as the work may have been truncated, but we risked having an issue that would make the 36 hours look like a drop in the hat if it cropped up. 'Focus' was critical - we assigned a crew and they were responsible for the calls, easing the burden on the rest of the team to continue their normal duties. I took a page from Admiral Chartain in that I always assigned a Maverick. A single person to monitor from afar and let me know if Focus was off the mark.
"Engineering?"
"Sir?"
"Is this Stafford?" She hailed from Angel's Nest. A right functioning cadet - quick and bright.
"Yes sir!"
"Did Givvy put the radiation venting on a monitored cycle? And what is our current through put?"
A pause. "Yes, we are monitoring every 5 minutes with an AI and a visual check. We have a glass on the vent and it looks clean at the moment. Still have the damage around it, but it is wide enough not to heat up. Our current through-put is .26. We cut it back and it has been holding."
"Very good Stafford. Please contact the bridge for any deviation from .26, we'll shut the engine immediately. Also, please express to the crew that I've personally asked for the five minute intervals. I don't want us gimped or dead because someone could respond to a timer."
"Yes sir. I'll re-express it the crew."
"Can you ask Valerie on our current time deviation with Trious?"
"Stand-by." Relative time was ascertained against the Earth quantum time, the ship clocks (mean, determined, relative), and a deviation time given against the way-point or destination quantum.
"Twelve hours, 36 minutes. It is currently April 3rd, 11:00a relative to Earth." It popped up on the screen. Valerie was quick.
"Thanks Stafford and Valerie. Out."
I turned attention to the status reports of the various governments convening at Trious. We have the Federalists, and only the Parnassus in attendance, we are a hybrid ship, so we don't upset anyone expecting a particular flub in diplomacy. We represent engineering, command, science, operations and military.
The Trious were hosting. The world was well known for its cultural significance. It was playing host to two primary factions...those of the inner and outer colonies. The ceremony was nothing new, it was seven years old at this point, but all agreed the discussions needed to still happen to keep that fragile piece. There was some outskirt skirmishes still popping up here and there. Mineral and water rights were always under fire. Poor haulers.
The third focus was on reports of real troublemakers, particularly those that saw the Federalists as empire. We do our best to remain neutral in almost all things, but we do put domain on all commodities as a matter of course. This star ship, as lovely and right lined as she is, only existed because of these commodities. In turn, we kept the peace.
I read the status and viewed some extranet vids. Trious had a general warning, but nothing specific.
I knew some of the folks at a nearby trading station...Keystone was one, a trader, and Lamphrey the other, a fueling specialist. If we have time, I'll put to the XO crew on my intention. I'd like to take the Parnassus to refuel and to fix the vent. Meanwhile, I'd use the trip to gather more information for the Federalist docket on this issue...they've named it ZDIE0384. Hopefully my information may provide more help on finding their point of origination.
I rubbed my eyes. I needed to sleep.
"Sev?"
"This is Console."
"What our eta to the next waypoint?"
"2 point...34 hours."
"I'm going to strap down in the ready room. My shift is up in 5."
"Roger sir. We'll chime you if there's anything out of the ordinary."
"Out."
I immediately shifted the seat down and strapped myself in. I needed the sleep, and it came quickly.
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