ILLUMINARRPG: (4 - 1230) Pilot Vic 'Raid' Montero and Chief Frank Martin

[Dieter Gregory]

*

Mission:  Death in the Shadows

Day: 4

Stardate: 2446.02.04


(USS Illuminar - Deck 10 - Main Shuttle Bay - Pilot Ensign (sg) Vic 
‘Raid’ Montero and Ensign(jg) Bebe “Gunsmoke” Sheridan - 1230)


The Lief Erickson had been pushed to the main shuttle bay, to make it 
easier to access the systems. Engineering had been looking over the 
exterior of the shuttle, access ports were taken off and scans of all 
critical systems were being performed.  The Lief was going to be out of 
commission till they convinced themselves everything was fine, and even 
then, it would be the cursed shuttle. Montero would have to take it out 
and prove them wrong when the time came.


The level 1 diagnostic had started it’s second automated pass. Montero 
had shooed the engineers out of the cockpit so he could think.  Pilots 
liked things a certain way, call it superstitious, call it what  you 
want, but a good pilot could tell when something wasn’t right, by some 
sixth sense.


Sitting in the pilot's chair, his fingers lightly traced over the 
controls. Time to start pulling pieces apart, but where to start?


“Now why would an assassin run to the shuttle craft? Gunsmoke, see if 
you can find that grumpy Klingon and see what he knows about what they 
found?” Vic called to Bebe.


“Give me the hard job, or are you afraid of him,” Gunsmoke teased.


“I think he likes you, at least better than me.”


Gunsmoke stepped out of the shuttle to find Galk while Vic pulled out 
the PADD with the schematics of the shuttle.


He started at the control panel, looking at the connection modules 
between the different systems. What would attract their villain to the 
shuttle. To escape? How?


Lost in thought, he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Here 
Raid,” Bebe said, handing him a cup of coffee. “Talked to Mr. Galk, he’s 
a pretty sweet fellow when you get to know him. He said that when they 
were waiting to apprehend the suspect, he started to use the 
transporter, even though we were at warp with the shields up.”


“Curiouser and curiouser.” Vic said as he sipped the hot elixir.  “Well 
now we have a starting point.”


(USS Illuminar - Deck 10 - Main Shuttle Bay - Pilot Ensign (sg) Vic 
‘Raid’ Montero and Ensign(jg) Bebe “Gunsmoke” Sheridan - 1330)


The two pilots had poured over the schematics of the shuttle.   The 
transporter controls are hooked into the auxiliary computer system, 
which controls the small pattern buffer.  The transporter could hold two 
people at a time, three in an emergency, but due to size limitations, 
the pattern buffer didn’t have the storage or memory of a ship's 
transport buffer.  To extend that power, it turned out there were some 
connections to the main computer, routed through the navigational 
systems.  Probably to help connect the scanners and targeting systems.  
Why have two sets when there was a nice one already available.  It made 
sense.  “I’ve never noticed that before Bebe,” Vic said.


“Yea, well they pay us to fly ‘em, not fix ‘em.”


“And yet, if we crash, odds are we better do the fixing.  Besides, this 
is better than being on stand down,” he replied.


“Hey, Gunsmoke, who do you know on the crew who has more than a passing 
knowledge of transporters?  Might be good to get a semi-expert up here 
to help us out before we go digging away at the guts of this thing.”


“Why do you think I know someone?”  Gunsmoke asked.


“Come on, you’re the friendly side of our team.  People respond to you 
better than they respond to a twice demoted, old ensign with anger 
management issues.  Notice how I didn’t get invited to any of the events 
when the diplomats are on the ship?  Even how my last go round at the 
Prancing Pony crashed and burned, and then someone messed with my 
drink.  Nah, I’m best in my flight lane, doing what I do and letting you 
do the politics.”


Gunsmoke smiled.  That had to be the most Vic had said about things in a 
long while, especially since Mars and the visit with Commander “Viper” 
Metcalf.  She remembered how those two pilots, Badger and Merlin were in 
awe of him when they realized that he was the one who took out Jester, a 
film still shown today for training.


“Well, I do know a guy.  Frank Martin is his name.  I’ll give him a call 
for you.”


“Aces, Gunsmoke.  Aces,”  Vic replied.  “Going to mosey around the 
outside for a bit, see what the engineering boys had found.”


While Vic headed out of the shuttle with his coffee, Bebe tapped her 
comm badge.


“Chief Frank Martin please come to the shuttlebay.  Chief Martin to the 
shuttlebay.” she called.


=^=You need something Bebe?=^=  There was a little sound of exasperation 
on that question.


“Yea, got a little problem that is right up your alleyway and could use 
a consult if you have the time to break away,” she replied.


=^= Really?  Right up my alley?  Last time you said that there happened 
to be a pair of Orion women involved.  I am assuming that these are 
different circumstances.=^=


“I didn’t hear you complaining too much there Chief.  More on your 
technical expertise, you know the transporters, like you used to remove 
some clothing the time or three ago.”


There was a laugh at the other end of the communication.  =^= I can 
transport anything anywhere.  No questions asked.  My standard fee will 
be applied.=^=


“Cash, Latinum or Trade.  Done. I’m in the main shuttlebay, by the Lief 
Erickson.  I’ll explain what I know when you're done here.”


=^=I’m on my way.=^=


It took Frank about five minutes to dig his way out of the system he’d 
been immersed in and get down to the main shuttlebay.  If he was getting 
a call from Bebe it should be something interesting.  Pilots are not 
necessarily the best engineers, but they can work on their ships to keep 
them flying pretty well with general maintenance.  However the mention 
that it was a transporter issue… well. After all, that was his main gig.


It was pretty easy to spot Bebe, or “Gunsmoke’ as his call sign went.  
To be honest, he wasn’t too keen on the call signs, but each their own, 
and Bebe was a great guy to hang out with, as pilots go.  He was 
standing in front of a shuttle that had been fairly torn down.  He was 
glad he wasn’t on vehicle maintenance right now… or was he?


“Wow Bebe!” he exclaimed, “that’s quite a… almost a ship you have 
there.  What’s going on?”


“Well, funny you should ask there Frank.  Long story, so it seems   You 
heard the Captain got stabbed this morning right?  Well it seems said 
assassin made his way down here after the Commander took the ship to 
warp away from the starbase.  According to the tall Klingon security 
guard, they tracked him down to the shuttle, not sure how long he was 
here, but when they moved in to apprehend him, he had started the 
transporter cycle.”


“That begs the question what was he doing in the shuttle transporter, 
with no safe place to transport, and the shields up anyway.  What else 
did he do to the shuttle.  As you can see, the engineers are having a 
field day outside looking to see what he might have done.  But Raid and 
I have been trying to see what he might have done inside, and that 
requires more … finesse, hence my call to you.”


Before Frank could say anything, he saw another pilot over by a nacelle, 
coffee cup in his hand yelling the crewman there, “No, no, it goes the 
other way.  Check the specifications. It’s my neck if you’ve reversed 
the polarity or crossed the streams, so do it right.”


Frank shook his head, “Cross the streams. Everyone knows you never cross 
the streams. There should be a video showing what happens when you cross 
the streams. Cats and dogs living together.”


Then he refocused on what he’d been told. “Well you called the right 
guy. Let’s have a look.”


They went into the shuttle and straight to the transporter controls. He 
tapped on the control panel and watched as it came to life. Then he 
looked at the reading. “Interesting,” was all he said.


Now he was completely ignoring Bebe. He sat on the floor and opened the 
access panel and fingered the isolines chips.   “Very interesting,” he 
said cryptically then pulled out one of the chips. “Well this doesn’t 
belong here.”


Then he began to examine the chip. Pulling out his tricorder he began to 
scan the chip with some tsk sounds and grunts.  Finally he hopped back 
to his feet.


“Well I know where he was going,” Frank said, “at least via the 
transporter.”


“OK, where?”


“He was going nowhere.”  Frank saw the strange look on Bebe’s face. 
“He’d rigged the transporter to hold his pattern in the buffer. It seems 
that he was committed to his plan as he rigged the buffer to 
continuously draw energy to reduce pattern degradation. But what I don’t 
understand is,,,”. He paused thinking.

“Wait, what?  How. I thought the pattern buffer on a shuttle was pretty 
minimal,” Bebe replied.


He looked at the readings on the chip and his eyes widened.  “Nooooo!” 
he said more to himself than to his friend. “No, no, no.  If he did that 
then…”


Bebe raised an eyebrow.


“Look,” Frank turned the tricorder so Bebe could look, “once activated 
there is a subroutine linked to the shuttle’s sensor array.  Under 
certain conditions the transporter would activate and rematerialize 
Sanchez… or should I say not rematerialize him,  It is set to send him 
in wide dispersal out into space. This escape was a death trap, unless 
someone came in to counter the programing.  If it all went automatically 
Mr. Sanchez would have… been no more.”


While the two were talking about the transporter, Vic wandered back into 
the shuttle.  “Those guys out there are making such a damned mess. What 
did you find?”  Vic listened as the two discussed what they found.


“So, you’re saying that the transporter is linked to the shuttle's 
scanners?”


“I am,” Frank said. sounding impressed.  “It’s quite a piece of 
engineering.  Something beyond what I believe is capable of being 
produced here on the Illuminar by anyone other than a well prepared 
engineer.  Whoever produced this had a plan.”


Vic knelt down, “If they patched it in, they’d have to replace the 
controls on the sensors. Here, hand me that spanner,” he said.


Vic loosened the control cover, “Yea, here.  Look at this,” he said 
pointing to some isolinear chips as he got up.  “What do you make of those?”


Frank reached in and felt around inside the compartment.  There were 
some connectors that he didn’t recognize.  Now these weren’t attached to 
the transporters, but they did seem to be attached to the sensor array.


“That’s really strange,” Frank said, continuing in his self narrative, 
and not really explaining or clarifying to anyone around him.  Then he 
looked at the faces of the others.


“Well,” finally he said to Vic and Bebe, “I don’t know what it does, but 
my instincts tell me it isn’t something good.  Whatever it is, it’s 
connected to the propulsion system and the sensor array.  I just can’t 
be sure what it does.  What was this mess you were talking about?”


“The engineers taking the shuttle apart from the outside.  Leaving 
things for people to trip over.  Not checking alignments of critical 
components.  It’s going to take a month of Sundays to get this back in 
flying shape,” Montero grumbled.  “It's FODDed all to hell.”


Vic sat down in the pilots seat, lost in thought.

(Reply none) (Posted by Al and Tim)



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