Refugee Shelter 39 

The cargo bays that were available, were now fully converted into makeshift shelters. Provided with heat lamps, ration dispensers and communal spaces were set up. The refugees that had fled the onslaught of the Vaadwaur now finally had a place to rest, to let sink in what has happened to them, to their family and friends. Ryom was coordinating the incoming civilians to their newly sleeping arrangements. He smiled at a family of three as they walk towards their shelter. But he felt distracted as he could hear some arguments, “They are at it again” Ryom shrugs, while shaking his head.

Meanwhile, the task of Engineering and Operations continues to keep up with repairs and set-up. Rubbing the side of her template, Yozria narrows her eyes looking back at Tamaz “Look, I understand that you have to run the ship, but I have to keep people alive” She looks at the side “We can cut some systems that are not really required…”

“Reducing heating cycles on the lower decks to conserve power?” Tamaz looked at the PADD, “Lower air purity thresholds slightly to allow more time between filter swaps? Or this one…” He taps on the PADD, “Switch to rationed hydrated cycles…. Really, hydration gel packs?”

Crossing her arms, “I need to get life-support somehow functional. Or a hydration gel pack is the least of their problem” Yozria pointed out “The increase of overcapacity population has an impact on our systems. Lowering the air purity will provide more air, not great, but they can breathe” Yozria continued “If we do not do something about the heat dispersal, it will overwhelm the already overcrowded cargo bays, these are not build for shelter Lieutenant”.

“Then do some system rerouting of the automated power grid. Perhaps even some aggressive reallocating. If we do this, we risk system redundancy, sick and elderly refugees struggle with lower air quality and long-term damage to station hardware is a fact” Tamaz bites back.

Varujan shines in as he steps into the conversation “It would be best to outline the best possible solution, if I would do some extensive simulations then we might know the best course to resolve these issues”

Rolling her eyes “Fine, do it” Yozria sees her assistant start on the simulation as she looks back at Tamaz “Bet I am right”

“We will see” Tamaz crosses his arms now also.

Promenade

The kitchen was quite overwhelmed, it was just constructed with help of the Council of Merchants. But the overwhelming was not in any bad way, people wanted to help in any kind of form they could provide. Be it donating ingredients, cookware, or even the damage goods that Merchants had donated. People wanted to help to know now that this place was their home for the time being, and they needed everyone.

“Get those boxes to the back, people that want to donate please stand in the row on your right” Hinri directed those that wanted to help out and also the food distribution as best as possible. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Pia “Pia, awesome, please go to that group they want to help”

Pia smiled at her “Got it chief” She walked to the group and claps her hands “Awesome, you guys want to help out as helpers? We require all the hands we can get with this crisis” She started to give instructions and orders as refugees now get trained to become helpers.

The story began to be shared among the refugees, to help each other to beat this crisis. A feeling of quiet reflection and solidarity was sparking among everyone.

Operation Central

The coordination needed to be tight, and Starfleet was on top of it every second to guide ships into the respective docks, transport wounded to medical and guide people to the shelters. There was a build up of an approaching political complication, but Lieutenant Palema was already tackling it.

“I understand your need for support, but we need to stay humane in these times, there is a ship full of wounded that we are now transporting to the medical supported areas” Palema explained to the refugees leaders that were waiting for their support. The amount of ships had increased to fifty-one, and yet Palema followed the orders to provide as much support as possible.

“We want to have the equal support that everyone else has been given”

“So do we”

Raising her hands, “Then feel free to try your luck elsewhere. We do not reject you, we not send you away, we ask you to wait. Do realize that Hecate Station is over its capacity, and we are doing with the resources, tools and people we have”

At another station, both Dacio and Adham were checking the latest population and logistic models. The truth of it was freezing cold.

Dacio leans on his console “This station was build to hold up to 8000 inhabitants, with this sudden surge we reached already 9200 after the forty-eight ships that had arrived. Not to talk about the remaining ships outside. Additionally,” He looked at another rapport, “Ration projection shows that at the current request levels, emergency food replicator coils will burn out. So both life support and replicator systems will be collapsing within seventy-two hours.” He looks at Adham “How does it look at your side?”

“Well” Adham didn’t like these numbers, “Even if Ukiah is send now out to get supplies, within sixty hours our medical resource will be depleted. We need to enforce strict triage rules or medical supplies will run dry” He swipes his console display a few times “Not to mention the power grid can barely hold all these new areas, let alone execute the evacuation protocols”

At the communication console, Asipa was concentrating to get any signals and was receiving quite some encrypted communications from the Grim Wall. It seems the area was clearing up from the fog, but the worry for her was more the cause of it. Was Starfleet successful in its attack back at the Vaadwaur?

The alarms went off, people rush to their stations as the information was pouring in “We got a ship leaking plasma, unknown the cause” Iress spoke loudly “Get the Kusanagi on it, deploy the worker bees that are available to assist”

Narrowing his eyes, Iress notice that long-range scanners were now picking up more data “Incoming ship” As a bleep on console popped up at the edge of the sensors. “Inform command, we got someone approaching Hecate”

It didn’t take long as Tamaz was standing on the Operation Central deck, he was appointed by Sazra as the interim Executive Officer of Hecate Station. Tamaz rather wanted Deem to take the command chair, but Sazra counter that offer as she was needed elsewhere. He looked at his side as Sazra walked onto the deck, “Captain, you should rest”

Sazra waves it off, “I got my rest, I am here so speak”

“Right” Looking at the screen, “We have known little of what is approaching, long-range scans just got back. We don’t know the cause of it. But we know for sure that something has happened with the Vaadwaur or Starfleet” Tamaz explained  “We are unable to ID the ship”

Standing there in the center, Sazra took a deep breath. She had her resolve, but honestly was quite weary of the given situation. “Yellow alert, get me Lieutenant Ze to operations” Sazra didn’t know what was approaching, but she couldn’t take the risk “Alert Kusanagi and Ukiah to go to yellow alert as well”