On Wed, 16 Jun 1999 20:27:46 GMT, smilodon@h2net.net (VanitySeven) writes to

USS Galileo <galileo@ucip.org>;:



~~~~Engineering~~~~

=09

	The voice of Lt.Cmdr. Davis boomed over the internal

communication channel, and red lights flashed when the ship moved to a

red alert.



	"Battle stations everyone!  This is our last chance," Davis

exclaimed.



	Tar'a's fingers brushed over several consoles to prepare the

ship for take off and getting all shields up. The engines were not a

problem, but the shields fluctuated heavily. A seperate console was in

direct communication with the strange gel that was now part of the

ship.



>>Quote from Davis's post>>

Davis> +COMM+  Eng, see if you can't work with the gel to get those

shields up.  Were going to need them when passing through that portal.



Dach>Eng> Ack.

<<End quote<<



	Again her fingers hovered over the touchscreen and engaged

several routines to adjust the shield harmonics and frequencies. She

consulted the gel control panel for additional information which she

stored directly in the shield generators. A soft humming sound

indicated a raising availability.



	Power was rerouted away from auxiliary components to feed the

powerhungry shields. She had to compensate several times to prevent

the emitters from bursting, and after adjusting several plasma

regulators the indication of an power overflow ceased.



	Soon the engines kicked in and the Galileo broke itself loose

from the planet's surface. Considered the damage the Galileo had to

widthstand, it was a very smooth lift off. Tar'a closely monitored the

power outlet and distribution systems as the impulse engines screamed,

expelling raw electromagnetic plasma bursts through the guidings

systems. She had to redirect the guiding system to get the signature

matching the specifications of the portal. It was too easy to disrupt.



>>Quote from Davis's post>>

Davis> +COMM+ Tar'a, how's the signature holding?



Dach>ENG> Some minor fluctuations sir but they are corrected before

they pose a problem.



Davis> +COMM+ And the shields?



Dach>ENG> Rerouting what we have of auxilliary now, sir.



Jade> Shields now at 55% sir.



Davis> +COMM+ Keep working on it Ens.

<<End quote<<



	"Aye Sir. I'm working on locating a barrier that seemed to

prevent a more fluent flow through the EPS conduits. It might be a

leak," Tar'a answered and ran several low level diagnostics to locate

the exact position.



	The diagnostics indicated several irregularities along the

sides of the distribution system, preventing a steady flow of energy.

When she analized those irregularities it seemed that the gel was

causing the problems. After further investigation she came to the

conclusion that the gel wasn't settled yet, and that small gaps

between gel components caused the flow to pause, albeit for a very

short time.



	"Dach to bridge," she said after tapping her comm badge.



	"Davis here, what do you have," the Lt.Cmdr. asked.



	"Sir, it seemed that we didn't give the gel enough time to

settle throughout the entire ship. It is working hard to fill the gaps

that exist, but currently it can only expand a few microns per

second."



	<You have less than five minutes, Ensign. Davis out.>



	'I guess I've to figure out a way to promote growth. Alright

gel, what do you have for me,' she thought as she eyed over the gel

control panel. It occured to her that the gel needed some extra

sunlight to expand more rapidly. Her fingers tapped away on the light

control panel and charged the light generator at a UV frequency. It

would spread through the gel, reducing the time it needed to expand by

two hundred percent. A small tremor waved through the ship when the

concentrated bundle of UV light penetrated the bio gel components. The

gel control panel flashed up brightly, mimicking a pleasant feeling,

almost a smile.



	The sensors indicated that they were closer to the portal and

it would be soon that they needed to engage the holophased cloaking

device. There was unfortunately not enough power, and Tar'a could only

hope that the few minutes that were left would be enough. The UV burst

was helping, but not enough. The gel needed more, and Tar'a was going

to provide. Quickly she adjusted the panels located at the outside of

the hull and converted them into solar panels. That way the Galileo

would not loose power to feed the gel, and the gel could then take all

the solar energy they required -- without feeling guilty.



	Again the Galileo moved closer. It now only would take about a

minute before they would reach the portal. The gel had been growing

and expanding rapidly after fixing up some of the sensory as solar

panels, and the plan seemed to work. They just had to be careful with

the power distribution, and not doing anything crazy like engaging the

holo-cloak prior to arrival. However, Lt.Cmdr Davis had a different

opinion.



>>Quote from Davis's post>>

Davis> +COMM+ Bridge to Eng! Do we have enough power for the

holocloak?



Dach>ENG> Not enough Cmdr. We'd fry ythe ships systems to create a

complex image.



Davis> Understood Eng. Standby. ::spinning to Ktryna:: The natives

weren't particualrly fond of your Kzin correct Ktryna.

<<End quote<<



	Tar'a was not happy about the decision the Lt.Cmdr. was about

to make. They were lucky that she had been able to help the gel

distribute itself through the ship's systems. If she had not done so,

they would have been fried by now. Of course, nobody would know nor

care -- it's just part of the job.



	In anticipation to Davis's request Tar'a started to collect

information from several diagnostics to see what possibilities they

had, and from what power resources they could pull without

destabilizing the entire power system.



>>Quote from Davis's post>>

Davis> Then let's see how they feel about a ship sized Kzin. +COMM+

Eng reroute all power including life suppport to holocloak. Ktryna

patch in all avaiable information on the Kzin to TAC.



Ktryna> ::nods:: Aye, sir.



Dach>Eng> But sir...



Davis> I'm aware of the risks to the ship Ens but we won't get another

shot at this.

<<End quote<<



"Aye Sir, but with protest."



<Your protest has been noted ensign. Now proceed, bridge out,> the

Lt.Cmdr. stated.



	Tar'a sighed but did not hesitate and headed back to work.

While preparing the power management systems she reduced the imagery

resolution scans by half. That would be enough to scare away those

ignorant natives. When the power management systems had collected all

available resources -- including life support -- she made the

holocloak available to tactical. As soon as Jade brought the holocloak

online the onboard computer system chirped its warning.



<Warning life support failure in 5 minutes.>



	For the last time she consulted the gel control panel, but the

information that was presented indicated nothing drastic. Tar'a

pressed her hand against the screen, wanting to be in close contact

with the gel during the last minutes. She did not know why, but she

felt compelled to do so.



	When the Lt.Cmdr. gave the order to initiate the holocloak a

power surge streamed through engineering. Explosions where audible,

control panels cracked and sparks lit the main part of the sober

lighted engineering department.



	At that time Tar'a engaged the alternative warp drive system,

as she opened up the bussard ramscoops to extract the elements it

needed to create a compatible warp signature. The warp nacelles had to

be placed in an angle, but it had to be done manually. The gel helped

a great deal in the preparation for this. The warp signature changed

significantly. Now it came down on a perfect timing. She wrote the

program only an hour ago, and it had been tested in the holodeck. Now

the real test.



	The sensors were offline, and structural damage was reported

over several decks. She could only hope that her timing was right, and

opened a open comm link to the bridge. The voice of Triss was audible

over the comm system.



>>Quote from Davis's post>>

Triss> Impact in 5...4...3...2...1...



::The Galileo screamed into the fiery portal, just as the base gave way =

making the portal tumble and break into huge chunks below::

<<End quote<<



	At the time the Galileo struck the portal Tar'a executed her

alternate 'bubblegum program'. She still had her hand pressed against

the gel comm panel and it almost was as if she could feel connected

with the gel, as if it screamed in agony; and in agony she screamed

with it. It was almost comforting.



Sincerely submitted,

=3D/\=3D Cdt. Tar'a Dach,

USS Galileo, CEO



Awards

Red ribbon of excellence