Chief Science Officers Log
- USS Leviathan - Stardate: 2484079
Repairs to both the *Leviathan* and the badly damaged *Ronin* are progressing
at great pace. The refractive shielding system that proved so useful to the
Leviathan is now being installed on the Ronin as well. We have encountered some
problems with installing the system, as the Ronin's Class 7 warp drive has a
much higher power signature than that of the Leviathan. We have had to install
booster refractive emitters on the hull to compensate.
Both crews seem to have integrated well in getting the Ronin back into operational shape and we hope to be finished in a couple of days. She took quite a beating during the Barien conflict, half the decks are uninhabitable, but it looks like Captain Ryan will get his ship back soon.
Installing the shielding on the Ronin has however left us with a potential problem in the future. We have used all our spare parts in installing the refractive shielding and replicating more will take up a massive amount of energy. Like the USS Voyager so many years ago, we find ourselves 'stranded' far from home, our only support being each other. We have already started to ration our power usage. All non-vital areas of the Leviathan have been evacuated and sealed off. Our largest power drains now involve those pertaining to the repairs to the Ronin that are taking place.
Many of the personnel of both crews realize that the obvious decision would be to salvage what we can from the Ronin and start heading back to the Milky Way. With the Slipstream drive, we would be back in Federation space in just over five years, not including diversions. The Captain however seems to have taken the plight of both ships personally, I think he feels especially responsible for the Ronin being here and he wants to get both ships back safely.
We find ourselves in another galaxy, brought here by the Q-Continuum in the guise of a female this time. This Q-citizen seems to have an infatuation with Captain Devore, something that both the Captain and especially Counselor Devore find infuriating.
Another problem that we now have is that we have two undermanned vessels. Both Captains have asked all senior crew to assess the two crews, to see if there are personnel who could provide assistance to other sections. Two of the Leviathan's crew appear to have abilities that would be useful to Science and both have graciously volunteered 4 hours a day.
Ensign James Murphy has a major in humanoid biology and a minor in Computer Sciences. Ensign Janet Gordon has a major in Astrometrics and a minor in Operations.
I have suggested that the two Ensigns should work together getting Astrometrics operational and have given them full authority to make any improvements that they deem necessary. We are going to need Astrometrics if we are to find a way back home.
Ensign Gordon also has some basic knowledge of Slipstream drive theory that could prove useful. The Ensign, like myself took the two-month introductory course whilst at the Academy.
I have spoken to Lt. Shaka about getting Ensign Gordon some time working alongside the Lieutenant and she has agreed to allow the Ensign to have one shift per week in Engineering, working around the Slipstream drive. If she gains as much knowledge as I have, then this would make the Ensign a valuable asset when it comes to the Slipstream drive. The planet below could provide us with supplies for our journey home, there appear to be rich deposits of Dilithium about twenty mile below the surface, enough to keep both vessels running for years. There is also a rich variety of vegetation on the planet, we could harvest quite a supply of fresh supplies and extract a great deal of vital vitamins.
The fact that we know that the name of this planet is Moria is puzzling and having searched the Federation database, I have found over another hundred systems in this galaxy with Federation designations.
Most of these systems are unexplored and only the basic system statistics are in the database. However, around ten appear to have more detailed information and I have found that at least four have M-class planets and there are raw materials which would prove vital to us on many others. However, the information is just the basic facts, there are no details of how and who performed these surveys, nor when they were obtained and entered into the database. When we initially approached Moria, we were attacked by a number of strange creatures that appear to be capable of existing outside an atmosphere for a limited period, which rose from the surface almost undetected. We attacked and destroyed one such creature and the remaining did not pursue us when we retreated.
With the Ronin now capable of sustaining herself without our assistance, the Leviathan has returned to Moria. We have detected a large vessel that we believe to be some kind of Ark, which arrived here over two hundred years ago. We have also detected weak, but definite life-signs around the vessel.
We are preparing to send away teams back to the surface in search of the ark vessel and try to make contact with the inhabitants below, if we find them.
End Log.
Chu rose from the chair in front of his console and headed to the transporter room to join the rest of the away team.
Captain's Log - USS Ronin - Stardate 2484089
The repairs on the Ronin are progressing at speed, all the external hull breaches have been fixed and we now have all our decks back in place.
Engineering, the Bridge and our weapon system are now our main priority. We still have no turbolifts, only two working replicators which are working flat out constructing replacement components (I forgot how much I hate emergency rations) and only minimum impulse power.
All of the crew not involved in the repairs was transferred to the Leviathan, which is now heading back to the planet Moria. In their place, we've got several Engineering crews from the Leviathan, working along side our own crew. We are significantly undermanned and it maybe necessary to 'borrow ' some of the Leviathan crew.
The one system that is functioning is the newly installed refractive shielding, a system that masks a vessels presence. OK it's no Romulan cloaking device, the vessel is still visible to the naked eye, it will however prove an advantage I'm sure.
We hope to have Engineering and the warp core working in around six hours and our weapons in a little over eight. Once all our basic systems are back online, we will be rejoining the Leviathan.
Captain's Log - USS Leviathan - Stardate: 2484089
The last six hours have been hell.
The away team that was sent to the surface made contact with the race Lt. Rashid called the Coreans. These Coreans are a race, who were 'herded' onto an Ark as undesirables and sent out into the galaxy long before the Federation ever existed. Somehow, they managed to end up here on Moria.
However, the away team was attacked by what I can only describe as a collection of the nastiest creature hell could 'dream' up. From the initial reports, some sort of 'host' creature 'ejected' at least two differing groups of beasts to attack the away team. With the assistance of the Coreans, the away team managed to repel the first attack.
A second attack a few hours later upon the Coreans subterranean dwelling space destroyed the Coreans safe haven and left the away team and those Coreans that came out with the teams exposed.
From all account, if we hadn't sent the second Marine platoon down to the surface, we may not have recovered the away team alive. We have also taken onboard a group of 35 Coreans who are currently being treated in holodeck one by the EMH. We are using the holodeck and the EMH, because all the Coreans are suffering from Theta radiation poisoning, the cause of which is still not clear.
Commander Barker has suggested that the cause was a mineral that the Coreans were using to illuminate their underground dwellings, but without a sample of the mineral, he could not be 100% sure. The EMH has reported that at least two Coreans are hours from death, with another five expected to die within a month.
All of the away team and the Marine platoon I sent to aid them were also exposed to Theta radiation, but the Doctor has reported that the exposure was very limited and that there should be no lasting effects.
I still have the 'pleasure of 'chatting' with Lt. Rashad, regarding the information that I managed to discover, regarding this area of space.
OK, the methods that I used were unorthodox and I don't think the Lieutenant will be happy when she find out what I have uncovered. Nevertheless, I thought that after all that we have been through and the knowledge that she is a former Section 31 operative, we trusted each other.
Instead, I had to break into her quarters to access information that I thought she would have volunteered freely, if only to her Captain. We could have been better prepared for the attack on the away team. Another problem that has come to light was reported by Ensign Tricia McMillan of the Ronin. She reported that she saw and briefly examined a small vessel hidden near the Ark, which was definitely Starfleet in origin.
From her description, it appeared to be in part a standard single man scout vessel, with a number of modifications. The type of vessel that the Ensign described could be no more then fifteen to twenty years old and were of a type carried on numerous science vessels.
That confirms something that I'd hoped was not true, as well as having knowledge of this section of the Andromenda Cirrius Galaxy, someone from Starfleet has actually been out here.
How did they get here ?. Why did
they come here ?. Moreover, what were they intending to do when they got here
?. Ensign McMillan was of the opinion that the vessel was structurally intact
and has some power available. I hope that should we get a chance, we can recover
this vessel. It's database and sensor logs could be invaluable, as could it's
engine design. This vessel got here somehow and the vessels systems could hold
the answer, even give us a quick way home.