Choices MISSION END

Posted on Fri Mar 9th, 2018 @ 4:36pm by Executive Officer Valiyi Uhin & Captain Rueben Gregnol & Jasper Offermans & Johnathen Anderson Jr & Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*)

Mission: Mission 5 - Liberation
Location: Deck 3 - Ward Room
Timeline: MD 06 10:00
2239 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Rueben paced a little as he thought over and over his options. If he was Starfleet which he technically was he should turn them over to Starfleet Command for a debrief and acclimation to the current time and the very big changes that had happened since 2346. One hundred and fifty year was such a long time and he just didn’t know what to do for the best. The man turned and looked at Uhin as the only occupant of the Ward Room.

“What would you do? If you were me in my situation. What would you do as the Commanding Officer?” He wondered thinking of the people that had survived the transporter. He couldn’t do much about the ones that were still in comas other do the best he could but the four awake seemed to be thriving.

Valiyi removed her attention from the PaDD in front of her, eyes watching Rueben curiously. "In your situation, Reuben, I have and would have done the exact same thing." While the instance was radically different from what the crew of the Rose had in front of them, Valiyi was no stranger to old members of crew being lodged in the ship in some manner or form. "What else could you do? Leave them there, or erase them and let them die off? This solution gives them a chance to make their own choices."

"I meant more there future... do I contact Starfleet or not. I wouldn't dream of leaving them in there. I meant what I said i would have rather have lived with the guilt of trying than the guilt of knowing I didn't." The Captain nodded still not sure whether he was making the right choice on their future or not, but he knew it wasn't his place to decided so giving the power to them was a better solution.

"If we were still in Starfleet, the answer to that would be obvious." Valiyi placed her chin in her hand. "But, as that is not the case, I would say that the answer to that lies within those we've pried out of their state of stasis. Maybe they will not want to be exposed to Starfleet as it is now, or perhaps they wish to contact what remains of their families on their own - if they even wish to do that."

Reuben nodded and sighed softly. It was a situation even on the Starship he had never faced before, being a Civillian Captain was becoming much more complicated than a Starfleet one. "I..." He stopped as he heard noise out in the corridor.

Jasper stopped at the doorway sure he had arrived at the right location but not sure how to proceed, "should I wait for the others," he thought out loud.

Hal came up behind him. "Back in our day, we would wait to be summoned in." he nodded. "But who's to say now."

The operations officer shrugged, it's not even a Starfleet ship anymore so who knows. I like it though, has a homy feel the way it is."

Johnathen and Cassie arrived next. "Hey guys," the former helmsman began. "Before we go in there, what are you two thinking of doing, once we reach port?"

"Hey, John. Hey Cassie." Hal said. "To be honest, I don't really know," Hal said. "Stick around maybe if they let me. What about you?"

"There's some... family business that needs to be taken care of first,"Johnathen replied, not specifying what that business was. He then shrugged as he continued. "After tgat...dunno. Maybe I'll see if there's room for an old young helmsman here on the Ish.. I mean, Mary Rose." He was still finding it difficult to wrap his brain around the fact the ship they were on was no longer a Starfleet vessel.

A cyclic whoosh, repeating once every second or so, was so clear you would swear even the walls of the junction pulsed with the beat of it kept distracting Cassie as she stood next to Johnathen. The woman's hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and she wore the blue jumpsuit that she had been given. She had felt floaty since she had woken up and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. "I think you press the chime." She said not wanting to talk about what to do when she didn't know. She leant forward to press the chime but the door opened automatically not having been locked.

"The door was unlocked," Jasper said raising an eyebrow, "better find out if it needs to be fixed." He chuckled as he stepped forward and then moved to the side to let the others in.

Looking over at Cassie and gently took her hand. "You okay?" He whispered into her left ear as he leaned in closer. He was worried about her. She didn't look good and it seemed like her breathing rate had increased some.

"I...." She started but shook her head twisting her wildly hair back into a tight ponytail at the base of her neck, it was messy but suited her. "It doesn't matter..." She didn't need to discuss everything in front of everyone there and then. She looked up as the Captain appeared in the doorway.

"Come in. No need to just change there." The man said stepping back to let them into the room that has once upon a time been something else.

Johnathen looked at the others, then back at Cassie. They could discuss it later. Giving her hand a loving squeeze, he let go and moved the hand to the small of her back, gently guiding her into the room where everyone else was.

Jasper was the first to enter hesitantly at first offering the man a faint smile and a nod. He glanced around still unsure and trying to figure out why they were meeting here and not in the ready room, a room reserved for such occasions. "Thank you sir," he said standing enough out of the way the others could come in.

Cassie walked into the room surprised to see how comfortable it was. It looked homely and somewhere she would happily spend the night after a busy day. It seemed like it fit with the ships civilian feel more than anything else she had seen so far.

Hal followed her in. He was relaxed by the comforting atmosphere. Nice place. he thought to himself. He smiled at the man as he entered. "Sir." he said.

Johnathen pulled out a chair at the table for Cassie to sit in, then sat in the empty chair on her right. Reaching out, under the table, he took hold of her hand. He was feeling a strong desire to protect her from, well, he wasn't sure what, but the desire was there nonetheless.

Reuben smiled softly as the four Starfleet Officers sat down two of them looking cosier than he had seen them the previous night. He held four files. “Johnathen Anderson Jr, Hal Detan, Jasper Offermans and Ka'see McAvoy. I’m sorry I don’t know your ranks our computer records aren’t complete for your time and we aren’t near a Federation facility to allow us to acquire an up to date version this is last dated about 30 years after you went missing.” He handed them each a old fashioned PaDD.

Cassie looked at the hand that was holding hers and sighed softly. Was he just gonna follow her because he had nothing else?

Jasper looked at the record, "yah, this is me but.....," he paused for a moment as his brow furrowed, "Captain it, it looks like the code may have been corrupted." he looked up from his PaDD and studied the man's face, "was the LCARS updated about the time these files were entered?"

Johnathen let go of Cassie's hand as he took the PADD. "My rank was ensign, Sir. I was a junior helmsman on the Ishimura, gamma shift." He paused then asked the question that had been rolling through his head. "Sir? How is it that we weren't found until now? How has the transporter room never used in all this time?"

Reuben smiled at the woman as she took the PaDD but she didn’t answer his smile back just stared at the human. “We are all junior Officers apart from one of the men in the coma.” She said looking over the information. It was all correct, mother, father, husband. Nothing of note or out of place.

“I wouldn’t know I am afraid Offermans. When I was in Starfleet I was Security then Executive Officer.” Reuben didn’t know any LCARS system from another. “ It seems you were found about fifty years after you were put in but the Engineers didn’t know how to get you out it seems.” It wasn’t right but the Officer in him saw the reason behind it. The Federation has been at war.

"Wouldn't Operations have been the ones to try and make that decision," Jasper replied even more puzzled, "and if they knew about it why not continue to work at it until they figured it out?"

“Not at that time or place.” the Captain said gently. “There was a war and all ships were needed for everything from battle to evacuation ships.” The human didn’t like how this was sounding but they needed to know.

Johnathen looked up. "When we were attacked by that cloud creature, we were nowhere near the front lines. We were in a nebula..." his brows furrowed as he tried to remember the name, but then shook his head, frustrated. "I can't remember the name. But, what I want to know, Sir, what happened to the Ishimura after she was basically lifeless. Did she drift? Who found her? Why wasn't she returned to Starfleet? How could our signatures be locked in the system for all these years?" His eyes started to tear up as he asked the most powerful question. "Why were we forgotten?!"

Reuben slowly stood and gathered six glasses pouring amber liquid into them all before offering it out. Cassie took the glass and downed it, it was unusual for her but obviously needed.

Good question John! Hal thought as he just sat there and listened. He admittedly had more than a healthy dose of curiosity for that little riddle. He nodded pensively

“Okay this is what I’ve gotten from the computer. After a search and lengthy investigation, the USS Ishimura and crew were official marked as missing, assumed lost on June of 2246. In 2264 the fate of the USS Ishimura was finally revealed. The Vulcan Science Vessel ‘Skyvaam’ found the husk of the USS Ishimura on star date 1301.1, floating in the Devorn Cloud. Derelict and damaged, with her computer cores wiped and valuables pillage, it was assumed pirates operating out of the silent triangle, a region of hazardous space very near the Devron cloud, had attacked and striped the ship.” The man sat down with the PaDD and sipped on the whiskey. It was hard to explain to them just how they had been kept in the computer for so long but it was pure luck that they had. The Engineers had obviously done something when they had originally found them to keep a different power source in place.

"Stripped the ship," Jasper questioned and they left the computer system enough in tact we still survived?" He shook his head, "I guess when things get old it's not worth taking." The operations officer drew in a deep breath, "well we are grateful you were able to get us out sir."

Johnathen was finding the information he just heard very hard to comprehend. They had survived, yes. But, at what cost? Everything they knew about the universe had changed. Was there truly a place for any of them in this new time? Looking up at Reuben, he asked another question. "Sir? What will happen to us? Do we just carry on aboard ypur ship as new crewmembers? If so, do we just resume our old positions? What are your plans for us, Captain?

Now there it was, the million latinum question that he had been waiting for. “I have no plans for any of you. You are free to choose to stay onboard we can find new positions and retrain you for this time or we can contact Starfleet and they can help you. It is up to you and you don’t have to decide now.” He said carefully speaking clear Federation Standard. “And you can change your mind if it doesn’t work out here. Free will.” He added as one of them opened there mouth to ask something.

Johnathen glanced at his friend's, ending with Cassie. They all had a lot to think about. He already knew that he would stay with Cassie, whatever she decided. That is, if she still felt the same about him. A lot had happened and changed in such a short time. Only time would tell what lay in store for them.


OFF::

Ensign Johnathen Anderson Jr
Helmsman (formerly)
USS Ishimura

Ensign Cassie McAvoy
Science Officer - Biology
SS Mary Rose
(PNPC Gregnol)

Ensign Jasper Offerman
Operations
SS Mary Rose

Reuben Gregnol
Captain
SS Mary Rose

Valiyi Uhin
First Mate
SS Mary Rose