<USS Avalon> Shuttle Flight

 
Shuttle Flight 
Lt's Moreya, Mahler and Henderson 
James entered the shuttle, stowed his gear in the back and then made his way  
to the front to the helm console. Sitting down he took a quick look at the  
console. All lights were flashing green. With this knowledge he began his  
preflight check. "Lt. Moreya and Dr. Mahler if you would care to have a seat we 
 
can begin our departure." He turned back to what he was doing. 

"One moment, Lieutenant," Moreya said.  "I'm afraid I still have some  gear 
to stow."  She quickly tucked away all the equipment she had brought  along, 
securing it carefully, then took one of the passenger seats. 
Checking one more time James looked back, "Everyone and everything secured?  
The sooner they are the sooner we can take off. Dr. Mahler you okay back  
there?" 
Mahler nodded. "All set here. Let's get going." He sat back in his seat,  
eager for the adventure that lay ahead. This was his first assignment to an 
away  
team since being posted to the Avalon and it looked to be fascinating, if  
nothing else than they were to visit the predecessor of their own ship. It 
would 
 be like taking a voyage back in time, an exploration of history. 
Now that he had everyone situated, James finished his pre launch sequence. He 
 had to admit it was strange going back to the old ship but it had to be 
done.  There were no memories or items he needed to pick up. His life had been 
pretty  much a solitary one.  Once he got permission to launch he put the 
shuttle 
 in 1/4 impulse and exited through the shuttle bay doors. Once they were 
through  the doors he plotted the course and put the ship on auto pilot. It was 
going to  be a short trip and would use the time to think of how he could 
improve things  at Tactical or just maybe figure out how to ask Lyta out to 
dinner. 
"Have you a specific assignment for this mission, Dr. Mahler?" Moreya  asked 
him.  "If you do not, I could certainly use help in the analysis of  the 
neuro-gel packs that failed.  There are several theories as to why they  did, 
but 
nothing definitive as yet." 
"I have to admit, my assignment wasn't anything specific," Mahler replied.  
"I'm new to this ship so the whole experience is new to me. I'd be glad to help 
 you in any way possible. Perhaps while we're on our way over there you could 
 fill me in on these theories you referred to? As the Ferengi said, I'm all  
ears." 
Bad joke, he thought. Still it's a good way to break the ice. I  wonder what 
could have caused those failures? He hoped this would be  interesting. 
Moreya smiled widely.  "I haven't heard that one in quite some time,"  she 
said.  "The reports I read made note that just before the failures  began, the 
Avalon-B had a visitor, a first contact situation.  The species  in question 
were very large, arachnid in form, apparently.  It's suggested  that something 
that visitor brought aboard might have infected the gel packs and  caused a 
cascading, catastrophic failure." 
Trying not to listen to the conversation James couldn't help but over hear  
about the giant spider. It gave him the shivers every time he thought of it. It 
 or rather she was gigantic. Could barely fit through the halls. If he wasn't 
 mistaken she, being the spider had been pleasant enough and would most 
likely  feel bad if she knew she was the cause of the problem. That was not his 
concern  at the moment. He was still trying to decide how he could ask Lyta out 
without  looking stupid. He was used to seeing her back but would prefer to see 
more of  her. The few times they had talked she had seemed pleasant enough. 
"Not exactly the most appetizing scenario," Mahler remarked. "How much do we  
know about this alien species? And did they leave any of their kind behind?"  
Good Lord, he thought, just what sort of scenario  are we going into? He half 
wished he could be back on the  Avalon-C going over PADD's and, in some 
leisure time, cataloging the butterflies  which was his passion. Well, you 
wanted 
adventure, you got it, Isaac,  he reminded himself. Careful what you wish for. 
... 
"Dr. Mahler, we don't know a great deal about the spider species. We only had 
 contact with the one arachnid. She was very pleasant. We attempted to repair 
her  ship so that she could return back to her homeworld.  Her name was  
Mir'ast'hera of R'ish'tk and her ship had developed problems. She was the first 
 
to venture forth from R'ish'tk." James sighed at the thought of the first time  
he saw Mir'ast'hera. Some believe that the secretions that were on her legs 
may  have caused the gel packs to become infected causing a cascade failure of 
all  systems. Thus causing the evacuation." 
"If we prove that it was something from the R'ish'tk species that caused the  
infection, we'll have to find a way to immunize the gel packs," Moreya  
observed.  "It might almost be easier if we show that something else caused  
the 
problem." 
Nodding his head James agreed. "I can't be sure that the infection came from  
Mir'ast'hera. I only know what I heard. She had to be evacuated before the 
ship  shut down completely or she would have been trapped in the shuttle bay. I 
don't  envy your job Lieutenant Moreya. Not at all." 
"Well, if those gel packs can become contaminated to the point that we lose  
an entire vessel every time we encounter a new species, it would suggest to me 
a  fundamentally flawed system.  Lieutenant," she addressed James, "do you  
know if the Avalon-C's computers run on the same type of technology?" 
James had to think for a moment before answering that question. "Actually  
Ma'am, if I am not mistaken the systems are essentially the same. Perhaps you  
are right in that the infection had to come from another source. We had other  
first contacts and never had any problems. I would hate to think that it all  
stemmed from Mir'ast'hera. She seemed nice enough." 
"We definitely need to make sure that we can visit her species, as well as  
any others we find, safely," Moreya said.  "With any luck, between myself,  Dr. 
Mahler, and Ensign Teryn, we will be able to do so." 
A beep went off on the helm console leading James to look over the console.  
They were approaching the Avalon B. "Lieutenants if you will make sure you are 
 secure we are approaching our destination." James made the appropriate 
changes  in course and managed to dock the shuttle as close to the ship as 
possible. He  then directed the two scientists to the transporter in the rear 
of the 
shuttle  and beamed them aboard the Avalon B. Once he was sure they were safely 
aboard he  transported himself aboard and began to search the ship for 
whatever he could  find.




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