Lieutenant Beriev the USS da Vinci’s Saurian Assistant Chief Science Officer had been somewhat quiet since his return from Colludia IV; not that he was that talkative before the mission. It was certainly an experience that had changed him.
There was never much on the Saurian’s desk; he didn’t like to see it get cluttered up, a couple of PADD’s and a planet that looked rather like an Aspidistra, but was in fact native to his home world. The leaves having a slight mottled effect, being the thing that most distinguished them from the Earth plant they resembled.
One other item currently occupied the desk, as it had done, since soon after his return. It was a small empty sample container. To the casual observer, it looked just like any other identically size container that could be found on shelves and in fridges in the various labs aboard the ship.
This container was different though, and had its own little story to tell. Dropped by Crewman Chesterfield, it had been left behind; after an encounter with a female dinosaur, the local research team referred to as Amber. It had been a brief meeting at the edge of a wooded area, not far from the river. The dinosaur seemed more intent on protecting its latest kill from the intruders on its meal time, than any direct hostile intent.
Amber displayed some level of understanding; beyond what Beriev had expected and certainly above many of its fellow creatures on the planet. It seemed aware that he was clearly different from the other upright creatures it was more familiar with.
The incident was largely at the back of the Lieutenants mind, when Amber arrived at the research facility some three days later. That in itself was unusual, as the base was situated some distance from the dinosaurs established hunting grounds. However, that wasn’t the remarkable part. Resting between powerful jaws and sharp dagger like teeth, designed primarily to rip flesh from bone, was the container Chesterfield had lost; held as if Amber understood how delicate the item was and how easily it could be crushed.
There was only one person at the site that Amber felt happy to relinquish the container to; and that was Beriev. She dropped it gently into his outstretched hands, along with a small quantity of saliva, which the Saurian did his best to ignore, as it dripped off the containers lid and his fingertips.
If it was possible for a dinosaur to display pride in a job well done, then Amber was doing just that She hung around the facility for a couple of hours; attracting the attention of all the staff present and the visiting tour party that had arrived whilst she was there.
Long ago, his ancestors, though not dinosaurs; could have been much like Amber, so it was easy to feel a form of connection. Was this just an anomaly, created after years of exposure; even though limited; from scientists and visitors, or had Beriev been privileged to witness the first sparks of an evolutionary change? Whatever the case, he was determined that one day he would return to Colludia IV and hopefully see her again.
**********
Main Engineering was in what the crew simply referred to as ‘Standby Mode’; that wasn’t to say there wasn’t any work to be done, only a bad engineer could ever claim that there was nothing to be done. A Starfleet vessel had to be ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice; so there was always some piece of maintenance or diagnostics check being carried out.
Ensign Green, Chief Engineer of the USS da Vinci was currently stood by the ‘pool table’ along with Ensign Sparrow, looking over a set of the ships schematics. She used her finger and thumb across the surface of the screen to enlarge one small section of the ship.
“So you think out problem is there.” Green pointed at a junction in the power relay system that operated the ships impulse engines. “Rather than the actual engine itself?”
Her voice sounded relieved, and if her fellow engineer was correct in his assumption, it would be a far easier thing to deal with. A 6% fluctuation in power levels may not have seemed much; but there might come a time when that small margin proved vital. It was also annoying, that the fault had chosen to occur two weeks after they’d departed Starbase 86.
If it was the engine, it would require stripping out and repairing, before the problem could potentially worsen. That would mean several hours without one impulse engine and space walks for members of her team.
Thanks to the Corps of Engineer, who previously operated this vessel and their love of tinkering with things, the da Vinci was regarded as one of the swiftest in her class; Ensign Green was determined to keep it that way.
“It’s partly my fault.” Ensign Sparrow admitted. “When we engaged those Vaadwaur fighters, one of them got a lucky shot in. I should have replaced the damage section with what had been fitted by the Corps; instead I followed the ships original specifications.”
“Would Lieutenant Yolanda have really approved the work, if you’d made a like for like replacement?” Ensign looked back at him knowing what the answer to that question was. “However I fully approve the replacement of any part you feel is below the standard this ship deserves.”
“I won’t hold you to those exact words; it could end up being a very long list.” Ensign Sparrow smiled. “But I’ll get right on it.”
“Take Niroc with you.”
The Romulan technician looked up, having just heard her name and stepped over towards them “You require my assistance with something?”
“Yes grab your tool kit and go with Ensign Sparrow to the main stores.” Green requested. “He’ll fill you in on the details.”
“As you wish.” Niroc nodded and went to gather her bag of tools.
**********
The Bridge was quiet and subdued; even the occasional pings and beeps from the various consuls seemed muted; as if they too were reluctant to break the silence.
Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley currently occupied the Captain’s chair, and as Lieutenant Beriev was down in the Labs, it was Lieutenant Giovanni Agusta who was monitoring things from the science station. He liked to at least cover a few hours a week on the Bridge to maintain his competency. As yet though, he had not taken the centre chair; that would probably come up at some point in the near future.
They were approaching the Friður star system of which the third planet Vingjarnlegur was the only one inhabited. Its residents had reported seeing an additional satellite orbiting one of the outer planets; so the da Vinci was taking a quick look on its way past.
“I can confirm that Friður IIX, now has five moons.” Lieutenant Agusta announced confidently. “Initial scans put the object as an ellipsoid measuring approximately 15.7 by 11.2 kilometres in diameter.”
“Any idea where it’s come from or how stable an orbit the moon is in?” The Lieutenant-Commander turned and asked.
“There’s nothing in the composition offering up any clues to its origin, Commander.” The Astrometric officer replied. “And it’s too early to tell how stable the orbit is.”
“Well log whatever data you can and get a message to base.” She asked him. “See if anyone’s available to perform a more detailed analysis.”
“Will do.” Agusta conducted a number of further scans, collecting up the data for transmission to Starbase 86. “There’s nothing like finding a new moon on Monday.”
