From: sks1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Sujay Shaunak)
Subject: Repost : DELPHI 2
Organization: Mississippi State University
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 05:33:53 GMT


 
DELPHI : Chapter 2 
 
"Shakedown" 
 
 
 
 
	"Captain, helm is holding at warp factor 2. Power fluctuations 
in the warp reactor are being noted. Shall I disengage ?"  helmsman 
Qhasmon reported quietly. 
 
	"Mister Penthrach, get me Lt. Korn in Engineering." 
 
	"Aye sir." 
 
	"Yes, Captain ?" Korn's stretched voice replied. 
 
	"Mr. Korn, what is the problem , we are bouncing around more than 
Xeldarian Ards up here." 
 
	"Well sir, I am continuing to make adjustments to the 
dilithium crystal configuration. We are becoming more power efficient 
even as we speak. I'm afraid that the bumpiness will remain until I have 
finished making the changes. I could give you a smooth ride now, but then 
we we need warp 6 or better, we would be hard pressed, sir. The bouncing, 
as you put it, is due to warp field fluctuations in response to changing 
crystal orientation." 
 
	"Very well, continue on Mr. Korn. 
	 Mr. Penthrach, send out a message to all decks advising them 
that we will be in 'choppy space' for some time as yet, and to plan 
accordingly." 
 
	Percivale Malory slouched back into his chair. He glanced around 
his bridge. Ne noted that Penthrach was mostly unaffected, while Helmsman 
Qhasmon was being easily jostled around. He turned and marveled that 
Assali had remained standing at the tactical station. The ship had 
been at warp speed for 1.3 hours now, and the ride was not getting any 
smoother ..... 
 
	"Sir, I have been getting some rather strange results with 
ORACLE." 
 
	Malory turned and faced Lt. T'irna. 
 
	"Strange ? In what way, and for how long have you been getting 
these readings ?" 
 
	"Well sir, I have been monitoring shifts in ORACLE status ever 
since we entered warp speed, and have been trying to pinpoint the cause. 
I have periodically lost and then regained contact with ships in our wake. 
I thought that you should be advised, now that I have completed all of the 
minor diagnostics ..." 
 
	"Lt. Are you telling me that our new and improved sensor array 
is faulty at warp speeds ?" 
 
	"Sir, I believe that the matter bears further investigation before 
a definite conclusion may be reached." 
 
	"Mr. Penthrach, I need Mr. Korn on the line again." 
 
	Olgin Penthrach's sigh was barely audible. He definitely did not 
enjoy this assignment so far. Being tossed around was not his idea 
of a good time. In fact, he was beginning to feel rather nauseus. Moreover, 
having to connect and disconnect various communications while watching 
over the passive sensors was more than he was accustomed to performing. 
He noticed that Helmsman Qhasmon had made a slight inclination of the head 
and had a slight twitter to his antennae. Penthrach finished his patch. 
 
	"Sir, I have routed a patch to your personal console. You may 
engage it at your discretion. Engineer Korn on line." 
 
	Malory arched an eyebrow for a moment, a decidedly non-characteristic 
action. 
 
	"Mr. Korn, would you be able to perform some of your work if 
we dropped out of warp speed ?" 
 
	"Dropped out of warp ?? Well .. I .. Hmph, I suppose that I could 
make some of the other changes. I would still have to spend as much time 
making the warp speed modifications though. Is there a problem ?" 
 
	"There may be Mr. Korn. We will be dropping out of warp speed." 
 
	 "Mr. Penthrach, relay to all decks that we will be dropping 
out of warp, so that they may again, plan accordingly. We will be 
resuming warp speed as soon as possible, further notification will 
be forthcoming. 
	Helm, drop us out of warp. Ahead one-half impulse." 
 
	"Yes sir. We are now out of warp speed. One-half impulse confirmed." 
 
	"Lt. T'irna, how is ORACLE now ?" 
 
	"Running test sweeps, sir. Prelimary tests are are yielding
information that appears to be within normal operating tolerances." 
 
	"Recommendations ? anyone ?" 
	Malory looked around at his senior bridge crew. Supposedly, these 
were the best officers that were on board the vessel. Times like this were 
where rank and respect were earned. 
 
	"Sir. I would recommend that we maintain impulse speed until we 
run a full test and diagnostic of ORACLE. Then, we can run another 
test and diagnostic while at warp speed. This should help us make a 
determination." Commander Assali was the first to speak. 
 
	"I concur Captain." Lt. T'irna also responded. 
 
	Malory flexed his hands. 
	"Very well. How long will this take ?" 
 
	She replied calmly , "For a full diagnostic and then test, 
ORACLE will take 2.5 hours." 
 
	'WELL, I GUESS THIS COMES WITH THE TERRITORY', Malory thought. 
 
	"Alright people. Mr. Assali, assist the Lt. as she needs. Everyone 
else, let's start training some of the back-up crew, and then take a 
break. It's almost time for lunch anyway." Malory patched through to 
main engineering. 
	 Mr. Korn, you have a little over 2 hours to play with your engines 
before we will re-engage warp-drive. If you make any major modifications, 
I would like you to keep in mind, that I want warp power in 2 hours. 
	Mr. Penthrach, AGAIN inform all decks that we should be out 
of warp for approximately two hours." 
 
	"Yes sir." 
 
	Lt. Korn exploded as soon as the Captain had broken communication. 
 
	'HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO GET ANYTHING DONE WHEN I AM INTERRUPTED 
EVERYONE MINUTE. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. ' 
 
	He glanced at his status board. 
	"Alright. Ensigns Moreau and Donoha get to work on adjusting 
the warp field coils. Ensign Tselada monitor all impulse and reactor power 
output. I will be working on the crystal configuration and analyzing some 
of the changes. " 
 
 
..... 
 
 
 
	Garin Meede stood before a small security group in the security 
training hall. The security training hall served as a place to practice 
combat skills, as well as a place for the men and women of security to 
get together 'after hours'. Meede paced before his main staff. 
The performance of his two ensigns and 5 yeomans was not promising. 
 
	"People", Meede barked ," your performance at phaser accuracy 
was pathetic. I suppose that you will seek to place the blame on the 
fact that the ship was bouncing while you 'fired'. LISTEN AND LISTEN WELL. 
There is NO excuse for poor accuracy. If you are on a planet in a combat 
situation while there is a seismic quake, I don't think that your creator 
will accept ... 'but the ground was shaking' as an excuse when you meet him 
because the OTHER party could shoot under pressure. *I* definitely won't. 
I recommend that everyone practice , for when we resume warp speed, 
we will have a target shooting practice AGAIN. This time *no* excuses, 
a good security officer never needs an excuse. 
	You are free to leave now. Report back here in 2.0 hours. 
Dismissed." 
 
	 Meede looked on as his new security crew exited the hall. 
He walked over to the rack and picked up a pair of phasers. These weren't 
actual phasers, but they did simulate phasers in most respects save that 
they caused no damage other than a slight discoloration where they 
impacted.  Meede looked at the target across the hall. With his left hand, 
he fired, 5 times. At another target he fired with his right hand, 5 times. 
Meede inspected the targets. On the first target, all 5 shots were well 
within the "max zone", on the other target, 4 shots were within the 
"max zone" and one was on the borderline. 
 
	"Damm. I'm getting rusty." Meede said to himself. 
 
	"I thought it was excellent shooting, if you don't mind the opinion, 
sir." 
 
	Meede turned and faced one of his crew. Ensign Zalvosta. Meede 
assessed the ensign. She was about 4" taller than he, at 5' 6", and was 
definitely not built like a security officer. He noted that she had been 
the best shot of his 'elite' core. 
 
        "Oh? Opinions never bother me.... And what brings you back
here so quickly ensign ? I would think that you would like to take this
time-off just as the others are."

	"Actually sir, I was going to practice some more. In fact, a 
couple of the other ensigns are engaged in pugilation in the rec room. 
Most of our group is in the rec room in fact. We feel privileged to 
serve under you sir, we have heard of some of your service record." 
 
	"Really? I must be getting soft then. My first commander would have 
taken that as a personal insult." 
 
	Ensign Zalvosta looked at her senior officer. She couldn't tell 
when he was being serious or not. She did see his eyes glimmer as she 
had spoken about 'pugilation'. 
 
	"Well Ensign, I think that I may look in on them, while I take a 
workout of course. Stay as long as you wish." 
 
	She watched as Meede strode out from the hall. 
 
	Yeoman Antoine Albert looked on as Garin Meede strode into the 
recreation hall. Albert and Yeoman Bronsdale had been 'boxing' and 
were now resting. They watched as Meede went to the strength-training 
equipment. 
	They gaped as they saw Meede set the level at 90% of maximum 
capability, and then proceed to excercise. Albert and Bronsdale resumed 
their match. 
 
 
..... 
 
 
	Dr. Anne Mayak efficiently arranged the sick bay. It was 
smaller than what she was used to, and there was only one other 
doctor besides herself. She surmised that this vessel was not 
meant to see as much damaging action as others and thus, medical 
staff was conveniently omitted. Still, she had an excellent staff 
of competent medical technicians working under her. She continued 
with her work, hoping to be finished organizing sick bay before warp 
speed was re-established. 

 
	Olgin Penthrach lounged in his quarters. He had turned over 
the communications control to a trained ensign. He was waiting 
as his food was being prepared. He had gone through great pains 
to 'teach' the replicator in  his cabin how to make proper 
suppers. 
 
	*process complete* the computer voice acknowledged. 
 
	Penthrach rose. Suddenly he didn't feel so well. 
	'I MUST HAVE CONTRACTED SOMETHING WHILE AT STARDOCK' he thought. 
Cautiously, he made his  way to sickbay, not even bothering with his 
meal. 
 
	Mayak glanced at her medical scanner,  and then glanced at her 
patient. He was overly large, and had surprisingly high levels of 
physical disruption due to improper diet. Still the scan showed nothing
terribly unexpected."
 
	"Mr. Penthrach, you are physically fit. I have no evidence of 
any form of disease." 
 
	"But Dr. What would cause naseua and my other feelings of affliction 
then ?" 
 
	"Mr. Penthrach, I'm not sure, I'll continue to look into it, but 
in the meanwhile, I pronounce you fit for duty ." 
 
	"Sorry to bother you then Doctor." 
 
	Mayak watched as the large man lumbered away. She then went to 
her medical records file and pulled up his record. Upon reading it, 
she almost laughed. She activated the replicator and proceeded to 
Mr. Penthrach's quarters. 
 
	*beep* 
	"Come in". 
 
	Mayak entered, and was greeted by a most inviting aromatic scent. 
	"Mr. Penthrach, I think I have discovered the cause of your ailment. 
Here take this, you should feel it's results almost immediately." 
 
	She handed him a small pill, which he took eagerly. She then 
glanced at his table. She looked at the 3 circular disc-like objects on 
his plate. They were covered with some form of thick sauce. Each object was 
thin, and the total package smelled wonderful. 
 
	"Thank you Dr. I DO feel better already. Please, allow me to 
thank you with a meal." 
 
	"Well, I should really be getting back to sickbay ..." 
 
	"Well then, please, drop in some other time and allow me to 
prepare a wonderful dinner for you, it is after all, the least I can
do to repay you." 
 
	"I will Mr. Penthrach. Good day." 
 
	Mayak walked out. She was still smiling as she walked back 
towards sickbay. She herself took one of the small tablets which she 
had had replicated. 
 
	'HMMM, TASTES RATHER LIKE MINT' she thought as she popped the 
flavored-pill into her mouth . 
 
 
...... 
 
 
	Percivale Malory was relaxed. 
 
	"Queen to King's level, Arch-duke's left." 
 
	He was laying down on his couch enjoying the luxuries 
of being a starship captain. 
 
	"King's Rook to Arch-duke's left." chimed the computer. 
 
	"DAMM.... Computer discontinue game." 
 
	Malory rose. Ever since he had started playing chess, at the 
age of 13, he had never beaten a computer. Of course, he had never lost 
to a computer either. Regardless of which form of chess he played, the 
computer would always manage to get the upper hand, and Malory would 
always stop the game. He took pride in the fact that the computer 
never won. He refused to be beaten by a machine. 
 
	"You don't know strategy anyway....." Malory muttered, more to 
himself than the computer. 
	"I guess I should get back to the bridge now ..." he continued 
muttering as he straightened his shirt and walked out of his quarters. 
 
...... 
 
 
	"Scans and diagnostics are almost complete Commander."
 
	Assali listened to the cool and level voice of Lt. T'irna. 
For a little over 2 hours now, they had toiled at running diagnostics and 
attempting to ascertain a possible problem with ORACLE. Such a problem 
could be critical. They had worked with efficiency and were slightly 
ahead of schedule. Even though they were still no closer to solving 
the anomaly. 
 
	"Very well Lt. Hopefully we should get some good readings 
while at warp speed. Then we can draw some conclusions." 
 
	"Of course sir, it would be hasty to form conclusions so early 
when dealing with a system as complex as this." 
 
	Assali grimaced. He addressed the ensign who was taking 
Lt. Penthrach's place at Communications. 
 
	"Ensign. Contact the Captain. Inform him that we have completed 
tests. Also, advise Lt. Korn that we will be going to warp speed shortly." 
 
	The ensign responded, "Sir, the Captain is already on his way 
to the bridge." 
 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, set course for Starbase 89, warp factor 1.5. 
	 Ensign, inform all decks that we will be going to warp speed 
shortly." 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	The turbo-lift doors opened and Captain Malory entered the bridge. 
 
	"Mr. Assali, how is your progress coming ?" 
 
	"Well so far Captain. We are ready to examine the system while 
at warp speeds." 
 
	"Very well then, Helm, if we have warp power available, set course 
for Starbase 89, warp factor 1.5.  ...... Engage." 
 
 
	Assali grinned while Lt. T'irna arched an eyebrow. 
 
	Malory faced his first officer . 
 
	"Was there something humorous ?" 
 
	"No sir. We are about to resume testing." Assali and T'irna 
started their scans. 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	"ATTENTION !!! 
 
	 FIRE ! 
 
	 FIRE ! 
 
	 FIRE ! 
 
	 FIRE !" 
 
	Garin Meede watched as simulated phaser bolts struck near their 
intended targets. The ship was still lurching its way through space at 
low warp, and Meede was working on training an 'elite' security core. 
Meede noted that the accuracy was much improved over the last excercise. 
He also noted who had been the best shots. 
 
	"Much better. Next time I expect you all to be even more improved." 
Meede was speaking in his most powerful and intimidating voice. 
 
	"Now, for evaluations...... 
Ensign Zalvosta, Yeoman Seneschal, excellent job. 
Ensign Hamden, Yeomans Upaw and Greely, acceptable. 
Yeomans Albert and Bronsdale, poor. Report to me after drill. 
 
	Company, dismissed ! Return to your normal duty stations now. We 
will meet again tomorrow at 0500. Dismissed." 
 
	Slowly, the tired group of new security personnel exited the 
training hall. There were the two exceptions. Meede crossed his arms 
and stared up at the two Midshipmen. 
 
	"Well, Mr. Albert, and Mr. Bronsdale ? What do you have to say 
about your performances ?" Meede's voice was a steely hiss, and neither 
young yeoman man knew how much trouble that meant. 
 
	Bronsdale replied first. 
	"Well, sir, Mr. Albert and I have been engaged in pugilation for 
almost the last two hours, and I know that my arms are 'tired' thus causing 
a poorer aim." 
 
	The corners of Meede's mouth tightened. 
 
	Albert responded. 
	"Sir. I was just a poor shot today. I will work to do better in the 
future." Reflexively, Albert swallowed. 
 
	"Mr. Albert, were you engaged in 'boxing' as I would call it, with 
Mr. Bronsdale for almost the last two hours ?" 
 
	"Yes sir." 
 
	"And yet, you don't credit your poor marksmanship to that ?" 
 
	"No sir." 
 
	"Why ?" 
 
	"Sir, I have been boxing for years now, if I thought that it would 
affect my aim with a phaser, than I would have stopped one or the other 
long ago." 
 
	Meede nodded. He barked. 
 
	"Mr. Bronsdale, the FIRST rule of being a good security officer, 
is that a GOOD security officer makes no excuses. For the next week, 
you will be in here at 0430 practicing your aim AFTER you have 
excercised for at least 1.5 hours. Your own statement seems to imply, 
that you are having a hard time with accuracy after exertion.. This is 
NOT good for a security officer, I might forgive this if you were a 
blue-shirt, but I won't stand for it in any of my security officers." 
	Meede was riding the young men hard, and he knew it. 
 
	Mr. Albert, the SECOND rule for being a good security officer is 
to be able to perform under ANY circumstance. For the next week, you 
will be relegated to .5 hours EXTRA P.T. per day as well as 1 hour 
EXTRA of phaser practice. 
 
	Any Questions ?" 
 
	Meede looked over the two Midshipmen. 
 
	"Dismissed." 
 
	Meede watched as they exited. Then he himself left, and went to 
the security station. There he began looking through his records for 
information about each of his 'elite' squad. 
	'ALWAYS KNOW WHO IS WATCHING YOUR BACK' he thought, as he 
paged through the datafiles. 
 
...... 
 
 
	On the bridge of the Delphi, Percivale Malory was slumped in 
his chair. His first officer, and main sensor operator had been 
working solidly for almost 4 hours now, and it had been over two hours 
since the ship had re-established warp speed. The ship was currently 
cruising at warp factor four, and each successive engine 'refinement' 
by Engineer Korn had taken less time. 
	Malory had already acclimated himself to the bridge and sat 
reviewing ships specifications on his personal console as the 
Delphi continued towards Starbase 89. 
 
	"Look, there and there", Assali was talking quietly to Lt. T'irna 
as he gestured towards the display. 
	"What do you make of those readings Lt. ?" 
 
	"Well sir, it looks like a large gap in our sensor readings." 
 
	"Exactly. I think we may have found our anomaly." 
 
	"Sir ?" 
 
	"Well Lt., as the ships speeds up and rides along on its warp 
field, our sensors are getting cluttered by fluctuations in the field 
itself. You'll notice that the forward sensors are functioning fine 
at all times, and that the sensors which 'malfunction' are the ones 
which overlook the nacelle." 
 
	"This idea does fit the data. I suggest that we use a shuttle to 
maneuver behind us so that we may determine if we do have a 'sensor hole'." 
 
	"Agreed. And good work Lt. 
	 Captain ..." 
 
	Malory turned and faced his first officer. 
 
	"We think we may have found the cause of the anomolous sensor 
readings. Lt. T'irna and I feel that the readings are flawed due to the 
presence of the warp field, which adversely affects the rear sensors. 
In effect, what happens is that when we have a ship on long range 
scan, and the warp field gets in between the ship and the Delphi, we 
effectively lose the ship from our sensors." 
 
	Malory sat calmly in his chair. Assali watched as his Captain's 
gaze grew slightly unfocused and then appeared to re-converge. 
 
	"Good work, both of you. Now, we need to find out what type of 
liability this is.... 
	Mr. Assali, I think that you should take a shuttle out, and try 
to 'ride' in our 'blind spot'. That should give us a fair idea of what 
we are dealing with." 
 
	"Yes sir, on my way." Assali turned and began walking towards 
the turbo-lift. 
 
	"Mr. Assali, I would recommend that you wait for a time yet. 
You and the Lt. have been working continuously for a long enough period 
of time now that your senses may be slightly dulled. Aside from that, 
you look like you need a break, and we aren't setting any speed records 
on our way to the Starbase. Mr. Qhasmon, I think that you have 
been at your post continuously also. Take a break. I'll expect 
you, Mr. Assali, and Ms. T'irna on the bridge in 3 hours." 
 
	Malory noted that T'irna's eyebrows arched for a moment. 
 
	"I can call you Mr. T'irna, but I have always felt that removing 
the gender from titles was a big mistake...." 
 
	"I have no problem with that Captain." T'irna rose and left, as 
did Assali. 
 
	"Well, Mr. Qhasmon....." 
 
	X'anfrey Qhasmon rose from his position, he contemplated telling 
his Captain about the time that he had 'flown' through a mine field for 
over 23 hours, but decided against it. 
 
	"Yes Captain. On my way." 
 
	Malory watched as Qhasmon entered the turbo-lift, his antennae 
quivering slightly. An ensign reported to the bridge and took his position. 
Malory eased back in his chair, the leather really was very comfortable. 
 
 
...... 
 
 
	X'anfrey Qhasmon entered his cabin. The rooms were all totally 
dark. He left the lighting level at its current level, and walked to his 
viewport. It was round and small, more like a porthole than a viewport. 
X'anfrey turned again, and strode back to his chair in front of his computer 
He had only been awake for 22 hours now. He  was still used to the 35 
hour stretches that he worked on while Helmsman for the Argo. 
	He stood before his computer. Rather than using the voice feature, 
he used a small console. The room was totally dark and quiet, save 
for a soft tapping of fingers against a console, and dancing lights 
produced by a display screen. 
	Qhasmon tapped away at his console. Images and views of the 
ship danced before his eyes at an alarming rate of speed. He 
studied the ship from almost every conceivable orientation and attitude. 
Seconds passed into minutes as his eyes accepted input. After 20 
minutes he stopped abruptly. He disengaged his program and rose from 
his chair. 
	He strode to his small viewport as if to look out, but his eyes 
were closed. He stood. Again seconds passed into minutes as he held 
his position. Then he walked over towards his replicator. With a 
barely audible voice he spoke. 
 
 
	"Computer. Create replica to scale of exterior modeling of this 
ship. Length, 14 centimeters. Detatchable pedestal." 
 
	He paused as the computer and replicator worked, and he watched 
as the model formed. He took it from its place and held it. His hands 
coursed over it and again, he viewed it in all of its orientations. 
He held it for a moment longer and then placed it on its pedestal. 
He moved his replica to a small shelf. He placed it beside a 12 cm long 
model of the Argo, his first ship to serve on as helmsman. 
 
	Qhasmon stood before his viewport, with eyes closed and 
hands clasped behind his back, he waited. 
 
 
 
...... 
 
 
 
	Eleyasan T'irna lay on her bed. Images formed before her, 
great rivers of fire crept along the ground, only to cascade down the 
side of a great cliff. Twin moons watched as spires of rock rose from 
the ground. 
 
	'ENOUGH !' 
 
	She awoke with a start, a cold feeling in her stomach. She sat 
on the edge of her bed, her hand rubbing the base of her neck, her body 
drenched in a cool sweat. 
 
	'CALM. 
	 RELAX. 
	 BREATHE.' 
 
	 Slowly, she lay back down. Her breaths gradually became longer 
and deeper. With careful concentration, she focused her mind on her 
body. Starting at her feet, she concentrated on every muscle group, 
relaxing them. Her body was so still that it could have been mistaken 
for that of a corpse. She meditated. Her mind now empty of all thought 
even that which had been used to relax her muscles. 
 
 
	She stood on a black plane, her eyes straining to peer into the 
darkness. She knew that the robe she was wearing was red, although 
that too was invisible to her. She waved her hand before her face, 
seeing nothing. Her ears pulled in sounds, or, more precisely, the 
absence of sound, and the roar was deafening. All sensory input 
was gone. 
 
	She was at peace. 
	She drifted into an endless void of nothingness. 
 
	Currents moved and she felt coolness creep up her legs, 
a light breeze playing softly. Gradually, she perceived a barely 
audible sound of air moving. A grey mist registered to her eyes, 
and she embraced it. 
 
	She opened her eyes. She was in her room, on the Delphi. 
She looked at her chronometer. She had been in trance for nearly 
2 hours. She rose and donned her uniform. She exited her quarters, 
departing for the bridge. Her experience behind her. 
 
 
..... 
 
 
	Stephen Korn gave a final look at some of his engine 
readouts, and gave a slight smile. He turned his head and addressed 
his crew of ensign engineers. 
 
	"Mr. Moreau, Donoha, and Tselda, good work. You may go off duty 
now. I think that everything is quite in order, at least, for the time 
being." 
 
	Korn gazed about his engine room. Everything was now well-ordered 
and he had looked over all of the schematics that star-fleet had failed 
to provide earlier. He strode over to his small office, which was integrated 
into main engineering. As he sat in his chair, his thoughts pursued a mental 
checklist. He gave his engineering crew a quick mental evaluation and 
decided that they were at a tolerable level of proficiency. 
 
	'MAYBE NOW, I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT INCOMPETENTS RUNNING 
AROUND IN ENGINEERING.' 
 
	He finished his checklist and began looking into the extra 
energy usage required by the ships replicators..... 
 
 
..... 
 
 
	"Well, Mr. Penthrach, exactly what position did you hold while 
aboard the Dante ?" 
 
	Malory was still slouched in his Captain's chair, as he had been 
for the past two hours . He had made 'small talk' with some of the 
ensigns as well as his communications officer, but still was restless. 
 
	Penthrach half-turned in his chair. 
 
	"Well, Sir. Actually, I was secondary communications officer aboard 
the Dante. I specialized in various forms of cryptography rather than 
communications as such." 
 
	"Ahh, I see. I assume that you still have the core requirements 
satisfied for being  a full-status comm officer though." 
 
	"Of course Captain. It's just rather than taking extra Comm courses 
I opted for the cryptography option, while at the Academy." 
 
	"Very interesting. Did you learn how to make that delicious pie 
while on the Dante as well ?" 
 
	The ensign who currently sat at the helm shook her head. 
The Academy had never discussed what common bridge discussions were about. 
 
	"Actually sir, Cooking is somewhat a hobby of mine. While the 
replicator can make things, it cannot add the 'extras' which make a 
meal truly delectable. In fact ..." 
 
	Malory watched as Penthrach quickly turned around again and 
monitored something on his panel, he raised  an old-style earpiece 
to his ear and listened intently. Penthrach turned around again and 
faced Malory. 
 
	"Sir, a small mining ship in the antillian asteroid belt 
sent out a distress call. A federation cargo ship was nearby and they 
are responding.... 
	Evidently, one of the Captain's knows enough to bounce the message 
off of a nearby subspace beacon, you would almost think that this message 
is for us, Sir. I can signal them to let them know that we are able to 
respond as well, if you wish...." 
 
	Malory paused. 
	"Ensign, do you have a fix on the coordinates that the call 
came from ?" 
 
	Ensign Galaden looked at her console. She was happy to be 
second helmsman aboard the Delphi, and had been trying to impress 
the Captain while he was on the bridge. She frowned at her readings. 
 
	"I don't have a definite fix sir, but I can plot an accurate 
course, that will take us to them sir." 
 
	"How long would it take us to reach those co-ordinates at warp 
factor 6?" 
 
	The ensign computed. 
	"15.7 hours Captain. It is rather far away." 
 
	"And the distance from those co-ordinates to Starbase 89 ?" 
 
	The ensign paused and utilised some of the touch-sensitive pads. 
 
	"164.6 light years." 
 
	Malory concentrated for a moment. 
 
	"Mr. Penthrach, send a message to StarBase 89, make sure that they 
are aprised of the situation. Ensign Gladden, plot a course towards the 
ships, but maintain current speed. Let's see if the other ship can 
lend enough assistance, unaided." 
 
	Malory watched as Penthrach turned again and then faced back again. 
 
	"Sir, Starbase 89 has just informed me that the other cargo ship 
has stated that it can lend the necessary assistance." 
 
	"O.k. log the report, and lets continue on then. Helm, maintain 
current speed of warp 4 and alter heading again for Starbase 89." 
 
	Malory shrugged and eased back into his chair. 
 
	He patched himself through to main Engineering. 
 
	"Mr. Korn." 
 
	"Yes Captain," Korn replied. 
 
	"Are your engines ready for some warp speed maneuvers? ". 
 
	"Yes sir, I have finished all engine modifications. 
I would recommend that you not exceed warp 7 since that is the 
last truly 'stable' warp speed for this vessel. For future reference, 
however, I think that I can get the engine to perform at warp 8. 
Beyond warp 7.5 we begin to lose stability and run the risk of 
reactor core damage as well as dilithium de-crystalization. It's hard to 
tell right now, but I should be able to evaluate the engine better in 
the future. This is a somewhat new design, and it just takes time to 
see if it matches its specs or not." 
 
	"Very well, then, we shall be initiating maneuvering tests 
shortly." 
 
	Malory closed the channel and glanced at his chronometer. 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	The turbolift door opened and almost as one, his first officer, 
helmsman, and primary sensor operator stepped out. Each walked to their 
respective posts. 
 
	Malory rose and walked to the front of the bridge, then he 
turned so that he could face everyone. 
 
	"Alright. Here's the plan. Mr. Assali, you take a shuttle 
out and get in a position behind us corresponding to the 'hole'. 
Then, translate in small concentric orbits so that we may define the 
exact size of this hole. After we have done that, I want you to do 
your best to stay in that hole. Mr. Qhasmon I want you to try and 
keep Mr. Assali in sensor view.  Questions ?" 
 
	Penthrach responded. 
	"Sir, I don't think that it is possible for a ship of this size to 
outmaneuver a shuttle..." 
 
	Malory watched as Qhasmon's antennae twittered for an instant. 
 
	"Yes, Mr. Penthrach, our goal is to see if we can get the 
shuttle out of the blind spot into a position from which we may fire 
upon it. Thus simulating (hopefully) a semi-combat situation. If we can 
keep a shuttle in sensor view, then we should have no trouble keeping 
a larger vessel in view. If there are no more questions then lets begin." 
 
	Malory returned to his seat as Assali left the bridge. 
 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, ease back to warp 1.4 ." 
 
	"Yes sir, warp factor 1.4 confirmed." The andorian replied. 
 
	Malory stared out at the expanse of stars filling the 
forward viewscreen. 
 
	"Captain, shuttle bay 1 reports that Mr. Assali has now departed 
the Delphi." Penthrach added. 
 
	Malory eased back into his chair, eyes alight with anticipation. He 
glanced quickly at his console. 
 
	"Captain", Qhasmon began, "we have defined a perimeter." 
 
	"Confirmed, Captain. ORACLE has an Alagarn-symmetric splined 
curve defining the perimeter. ORACLE has transferred all necessary 
information to the helm." 
 
	'VERY COOL', Malory thought, as Lt. T'irna gave her report. 
 
	"Very well. Mr. Penthrach, open a channel with the shuttle." 
 
	"Communications open. Audio only." 
 
	Malory smiled. 
 
	"Cmmdr. Assali, prepare for tactical maneuvers." 
 
	"Yes sir, take your best shot ...." Assali's voice replied. 
 
	Malory folded his hands. 
	'THIS WOULD BE FUN.... 
	 BUT I'D BETTER SEE JUST WHAT MR. QHASMON CAN DO ....' he thought. 
 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, Helm's discretion. Co-ordinate with ORACLE. I'll 
watch this one through." 
 
	"Very good sir." 
 
 
	X'anfrey Qhasmon looked at his instrumentation. The shuttle was 
definitely in the blind spot now, since he had no read on it. 
 
	From his position "below" and aft of the Delphi, Assali watched as 
the larger ship performed an unexpected turn, going +Z. Assali punched the 
engines in an attempt to re-aquire the 'hole' while staying out of the 
phaser arcs. 
 
	Malory peered at his console. It indicated that Assali was 
in sensor arc, but not phaser arc. Malory still enjoyed the 
unorthodox maneuver of Qhasmon. 
 
	Qhasmon watched as the shuttle slipped back off of his displays. 
He performed a 45 degree y-rotation with a 70 degree x translation. 
In effect, the ship 'skidded' on its side. Assali was quick however, 
and managed to stay behind the larger ship. 
 
	Assali gaped as he watched the Delphi move from a position 
directly in front and above him, to one of directly in front yet 
parallel to him. He eased the shuttle back into the 'blind spot'. 
Still, the maneuver was totally unexpected and almost caught him 
unawares. If it had not been for the shuttle's superior maneuverability, 
Assali felt sure that he would have been caught. 
 
	Qhasmon eased the Delphi into a slow rotation. 
 
	Assali held relative position as he watched the Delphi turn. 
He felt that Qhasmon must have something up his sleeve. This was a 
standard maneuver. 
 
	Assali reversed engines and dropped back behind the ship. 
 
	This time Assali was prepared as the Delphi banked abruptly, 
he used the shuttle's size and maneuverability to hold the position. 
 
	Qhasmon pulled the Delphi into a direct X vectored course. 
 
	Assali pulled up in pursuit of the Delphi. He quickly adjusted 
as the Delphi rolled on its side. He failed to adjust fully for the 
surprise axial rotation, as the Delphi brought its sensors to bear, but 
was still unable to place the shuttle into its phaser arcs. 
 
	Malory watched as his helmsman's entire hands and arms moved. 
He was apparently doing something much more than the leisurely counter 
Y turn. 
 
	Malory clutched his chair as the inertial compensators failed 
to react quickly enough. It was a surprise move nonetheless. 
 
	Assali looked on with shock as he stared head to head with 
the Delphi. He had never seen a ship careen like that and stabilize so 
quickly. Even if he had been prepared, he didn't think that he could have 
stayed in the blind-spot or even out of the Delphi's phaser arcs.... 
He shook his head for a moment and rubbed his eyes, they were not 
deceiving him. Assali acknowledged his being targetted. 
 
	"Shuttle to Delphi. Good work, I'm coming back in." 
 
	Assali sighed to himself as he established shuttle bay trajectory. 
 
	'NOW THERE, IS A GOOD HELMSMAN.' 
 
...... 
 
	Stephen Korn's voice rang through the intraship communication 
patch between the bridge and main engineering. 
 
	"Captain ! What type of stunts were you trying to pull ? Don't 
you know the dangers of superimposing the impulse field with the 
warp field in that manner ? I mean really ...... 
 
	"Lt. Korn. I must know the capabilities of this vessel, as well 
as its overall readiness. Remember, that this ship is not run by a 
committee. Now, if you don't have any problems to report. I must get 
back to evaluations." 
 
	Malory listened to a flabbergasted pause. 
 
	"Korn out." 
 
	Malory gazed around at his bridge. Qhasmon was unchanged in 
appearance, whereas Penthrach was breathing heavily. T'irna looked 
slightly startled. Malory grinned. 
 
	"Good flying Mr. Qhasmon. Resume course. Increase to warp factor 5." 
 
	Malory paused. 
 
	"Lt. T'irna, you have the bridge. Mr. Qhasmon, I would like 
to speak with you in my ready-room. Lt., inform Mr. Assali to join us 
as soon as he arrives on the bridge." 
 
	Malory rose and went to his ready-room, Qhasmon behind him. 
 
 
	X'anfrey Qhasmon stood as his Captain walked around his 
small table and then casually sat on the edge. He felt sure that the 
Captain would reprimand him for pulling such a maneuver. With hindsight, 
Qhasmon decided that he really should have warned the Captain first, even 
though he was sure that the chance for ship damage was negligible. 
 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, that was a very unorthodox piece of piloting just now... 
Tell me, did you do that when you were at the helm of the Argo ?" 
 
	"No sir." 
 
	"Not to tell you your duties then, but WHY did you attempt that 
with the Delphi then ? Heck, I'm not even sure exactly what you did !" 
 
	"Well sir, first let me explain why I never performed that 
maneuver with the Argo. While on the Argo, I never had a need for it, 
also, the Argo was not especially designed to handle something like that. 
Moreover, pulling a high-energy maneuver like that in a minefield is 
inviting suicide. 
	 What I did was actually rather simple, although it is rarely 
taught or mentioned at the Academy. I kept our warp field stable and used 
a calculated impulse field to quickly change our orientation and then 
'balance' us. Most ships don't have their impulse and Warp drives 
located in such a way that makes the maneuver feasible. This ship, 
however, does." 
 
	"What was the chance of damage to this ship when you performed 
that maneuver, Mr. Qhasmon ?" 
 
	"During my break, I examined the ship, and calculated the 
chance of damage at the integral warp speeds. At warp 2 the chance 
of damage would have been about 5%, at warp 1, about 1%." 
 
	"Well, I agree with you that less than 5% is negligible under 
a tense situation, but this was not a tense situation. We have to 
be constantly looking between the 'big' and 'little' pictures of things. 
StarFleet would have both of us if we had managed to break the ship down 
so soon. 
	As Captain, it is my perrogative to decide what is acceptable 
and not. *NOT* yours. 
	Still, I'm not reprimanding you or anything silly like that, you 
performed an excellent maneuver." 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	The door opened and Assali strode in. 
 
	"Yes Captain ?" Assali spoke. 
 
	"Mr. Assali, what did you think of Mr. Qhasmon's maneuver ?" 
 
	"Sir, quite frankly, it was some of the best maneuvering that I have 
ever witnessed. How did you do it ?" 
 
	"Sir, it was simply a matter ..." 
 
	Malory cut in. "Mr. Qhasmon may tell you about it later. 
I just wanted to let you both know that you did a good job. Mr. Qhasmon, 
you may go about your duties now, although I do expect a full report on 
the tests and what your thoughts are of the ship maneuverability and such. 
Dismissed." 
 
	Malory watched as Qhasmon exited, then he turned to face his now 
seated first officer. 
 
	"Mr. Assali, what do you think as to the preparedness of this 
ship and crew now ?" 
 
	"Sir, I think that we are really ready for some actual duty. 
During my break, I spoke with Security Chief Meede, and he has been 
working on training a good core of security officers. These should 
prove useful when we do some exploration, as well other circumstance. 
Similarly, Korn has finished with his engine modifications. I think we 
are ready." 
 
	"Good. I agree. We will be picking up our ORACLE 2 operator 
at the Starbase, as well as getting some more specific mission assignments 
from Rear Admiral Hrgon at the Starbase." 
 
	"Hrgon ? Wasn't he in charge of a new ship-class ... Turpitz class 
I believe." 
 
	"Yes, it is now called something else, but yes, he's the one. 
He has his flagship at the StarBase, and has supposedly fully tested it. 
Anyway, before we get to the StarBase, there is something I want you 
and Meede to ponder over and start working on. Since this ship appears, for 
all intents and purposes, to be a Pentalia-class vessel, I think that we can 
capitalize on that in a combat situation. Here is what I thought of while you
you and Qhasmon were performing you little ship-dance ...." 
 
..... 
 
	The Delphi slowly cruised in towards StarBase 89. 
 
	"Helm, slow to one half impulse, move us in." 
 
	The Delphi docked alongside the large Starbase. 
 
	Admiral Hrgon looked out of a StarBase viewport as the Delphi 
slowly docked. 
 
	'SO THAT IS WHAT THE NEW DELPHI-CLASS IS LIKE .... LOOKS JUST 
LIKE A PENTALIA FROM HERE. I'D BETTER MEET WITH MALORY SOON.......' 
 
..... 
--

'Sooge'
sks1@ra.msstate.edu

Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative,alt.cascade,alt.fan.matt.welsh