Recovery

Posted on Tue Jul 1st, 2025 @ 7:44pm by Commander Kelly Kerrigan & Lieutenant Malcom Hunt & Ensign Karri & Lieutenant JG Zai Walker

1,075 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: USS Arcadia
Timeline: During the Away Team posts

Left behind aboard the USS Arcadia, Lieutenant Commander Kerrigan worked tirelessly on the communications console lying on his back with tools in hand. An experienced Communications Officer prior to command, he knew his way around the the wiring, fuses, connections and adaptors. It needed parts and pieces. That much was certain. Though he could get creative and do some splicing and patching, hot wiring as it were.

Also left aboard were Professor McEntyre who's science station was finally coming back to life and information was coming in. "Music to my ears" said Kelly Kerrigan from underneath the communications console.

Ensign Karri was tasked with doing their best to gather parts and pieces requested by various departments throughout the ship from storage. Kerrigan was waiting for them to bring a crucial component to the communications systems and the latest report from Engineering about which propulsion systems were back and to what extent

"It's not like I have a supply depot here, Captain. But I've got medkits, a few phasers, and rations." Karri said.

Left with nothing to shoot at, Lieutenant K'Var was assisting McEntyre with the launching and guidance of probes with Arcadia's tractor beam as information was being sent from the probes to one of Arcadia's shuttles and directly to PaDDs until Kerrigan could get systems communicating properly again.

On the plus side, weapons systems were still functioning should anyone or anything decide to attack them.


In Engineering the group cheered as the power started coming on. It couldn't be all at once of course but the main areas were getting there, medical, science, the engines. Things were looking up. Zai should have been happy but his mind was with Sabastian. The idiot knocked him out just to keep him on ship. He was so mad and yet oddly moved by his husband's need to protect him. He sighed. "Johansen keep going. I'm heading to the bridge we can start bringing things back on from there at a more rapid rate."

He headed out of the Engineering bay and up to the bridge.

Lieutenant Malcom Hunt sat in the escape pod contemplating everything that had just taken place. Seventy-two hours ago, his ship was pulled into the anomaly. They did everything within reason trying to find themselves a way out. This ultimately led to the destruction of the ship. Very few people made it to the escape pods in time. When the ship that exploded many of the escape found themselves lost to the shockwave. Somehow, he managed to avoid that with the exception of minor damage. His escape pod now a drift, Hunt wondered if somehow, he just prolonged his fate by making it to the pod. Everyone else died fairly quick, but for him it would be slow with thoughts of where they went wrong and likely starving to death or running out of oxygen eventually.

The emergency tracker gave us a signal indicating his location, but the irony of the whole thing was that no one outside the anomaly would ever get the signal.

Lieutenant Commander Kerrigan had made a temporary fix to the communications console and the system itself unsure how long it would last, but no sooner had he made the fix, a signal was detected. It was within range of being picked up by the limited range that his fix had, and it appeared to be a distress signal. Federation in origin and one currently in rotation.

"We have a distress signal!" shouted Kerrigan, quickly vacating the communications station and heading down towards the helm and navigation stations. When Zai had entered the bridge, Kelly immediately looked at him.

"Zai, status on engines? I need good news. We have a potential survivor out there close...distress signal."

He raised his eyebrows. "We have full thruster, but warp will take more time. I could maybe push warp one but we can move."

"Thrusters are fine. I'll take what we can get, no need to risk warp engines. If someone's out there, we'll get to them."

"I can give you full thrusters and up the sensors." Zai said as his fingers flew over the console.

"Up them," replied Kerrigan. He needed to know who or what was inside that pod. When the Arcadia drew closer the sensors were able to scratch the surface. The mystery was no more.

Lieutenant Commander Kerrigan looked at the sensor readings himself. "Human male" stated the Commanding Officer. Whether or not the occupant was responsive or not was an entirely other question.

With communications back up albeit limited, Kerrigan made the attempt. "Federation Escape pod, this is the USS Arcadia. To any occupant, please respond. Help is on its way."

Sitting in the pod, Malcom was considering exactly what to put in the log. Out of nowhere voice came over the comm. It was from the USS Arcadia. Quickly moving towards the communication device, Hunt responded. "USS Arcadia, this is Lieutenant Malcom Hunt. Still here and alive for now."

Zai looked over at Kerrigan. "Tractor beams are active. We'll be in range soon. I can clear bay 2."

The Arcadia neared the pod. "Stand by Lieutenant...we're coming."

Hunt with a sudden filling of home, laughed to himself. "Standing by."

"Bring them into bay 2. I'll go give the Lieutenant a welcoming party."

Zai's hands flew over the console. "Engaging tractor beam now, sir." There was a slight hum to the deck as the beam activated and a gentle jolt as the ship locked onto the pod. Slowly the pod moved towards the bay doors. It was a slow retrieval but it had to be to make it safe for all. Long minutes ticked by. "Switching from main tractor to Inner Bay Beam in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The beam cut and the three secondary beams from the bay locked on rocking the pod. "Secondary beam confirmed. Being pulled into bay. It's been cleared and we will need a radiation decon that will last about ten minutes."

"Do it" replied Lieutenant Commander Kerrigan. "I'll go welcome our guest. Dispatch someone from medical to rendezvous there."

Kelly looked to Professor McEntyre. "Care to join me?

Zai watched them go and then locked his terminal. He had an idea and Engineering was the place he needed to test that idea. He motioned over an Ensign from Engineering. "Take over here. Monitor the decon. I'll be at home." He was what engineers said when they were going to engineering because that place felt like home.

 

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