Away team on the Nuntio

In a corridor of the USS Nuntio, the sparkling fountain of light coalesced into the shape of a full security team lead by Mrriin M'ata in full combat EVA suit. Back to back and crouching with rifles aimed in every direction of the compass, their wrist tricorder active right under their nose, they kept immobile, a compact mass of bristling weapons ready to fire at anything that could look like a threat.

Only silence and stillness greeted them.

The smallness of the Nova class felt oppressive with all the moving shadows their headlamps created from the surrounding darkness as they looked around wearily. The camera afixed to it sent back gloomy and sinister images to the main viewer of Syntron's ship.

"Boarrding team to Phoenix; landing site deserrted. Emerrgency powerr only; life supporrt out. No life signs... Accorrding to ourr trricorderrs, emerrgency forrcefields active. That's the comparrtimentalization system in case of multiple hull brreaches... orr multiple boarrdings situations. That is why we cannot beam into any crritical arrea of the ship."

Captain Syntron listened intently to the communication transmitted from the USS Nuntio.

"Acknowledged Lieutenant" the captain responded as she concluded.

The captain then turned to his chief engineer.

"Commander Rogers, prepare your team for transport over into that area within the next five minutes."

David affirmed his captain's statement and, with a nod toward Commander Riker, turned made his way to the nearby turbolift. Ordering it to deck eight, Rogers accessed his PADD and brought up the schematic MSD of the Nova class vessel. Still looking it over, the doors swooshed open and David exited the lift to proceed toward transport room two. Just arriving there from the opposite direction were Andrews, Parker and Gorski. They all wore their EVA suits, helmet's in hand, and the junior officers carried two engineering kits. Andrew also toted David's personal EVA suit, which he handed over awkwardly, juggling his own helmet along with the bulkiness of the second suit and helmet. Getting a  hold of his suit and helmet,  David followed the trio into the transporter room while addressing his team.

"Aye Sir" Riker said

Ticking his head Riker signaled for those that were coming to follow as he headed for the turbolift.

The captain then contacted the security chief aboard the apparently abandoned ship.

"Lieutenant  M'ata, prepare for the arrival of Commander Riker along with chief engineer Rogers and his team of engineers. With no life forms registering aboard that vessel, we need immediate answers as to what happened to this crew."  

"Acknowledged, Captain. Howeverr, the forrcefield networrk is what is prreventing ourr tricorrderrs to rregisterr any lifesigns twenty meterrs beyond this corridorr. We managed to beam in this specific spot due to the fact that powerr is down on this small section. But this is a storrage arrea; not so surrprrising we find nobody herre."

Turning to face his commander officer, the X'Ell science officer offered his recommendation.

"Sir, if we shut down the grid, they will be able to fully scan each deck as they go...  We ourselves could even sweep the entire ship from the Phoenix."

"I would advise against it, Captain," the spacesuited Caitian woman retorted to the suggestion overheard on the comlink. "Eitherr the crrew errected the securrity forrcefields forr some rreason... or the computerr did it automatically to prrevent some hazarrdous situation. Until we know what that rreason orr situation is, I rrecommend local deactivation only as we prrogrress with a level 1 searrch of the ship."

"We will side with precaution and patience in this case" Syntron noted as he considered the recommendations offered.

"Proceed circumspectly Lieutenant  M'ata. We have no idea what hazards might befall your team as you venture beyond your immediate locale. Keep us apprised of your team's progress as you advance."

As Commander Riker entered the transporter room he double checked his phaser pistol and adjusted his uniform waiting for the engineers to arrive.  As the door to the transporter room opened again this time Doctor Gray walked through wearing on his right arm the portable holo generator.  The new models were just a shade bigger than a communicator pin.  While they were more common since the day the USS Voyager brought one back to earth Riker still found an innate fascination with having a hologram on his away team.  Tapping the portable holo generator Doctor Gray activated it before double checking the medical kit he was bringing.  Pointing at the lone phaser pistol Riker was carrying Doctor Gray spoke.

"I hope you didn't forget anything"

Riker smiled and went to say something back but was interrupted as the door to the transporter room opened again and the first members of the engineering crew entered.  Tapping the com badge Riker spoke.

"Captain the away team is almost ready.  When the rest of the engineering detail arrives we will transport over."

Just as Commander Riker was confirming their readiness to the bridge, Elisha Leóne dashed through the transporter doors and glided toward the circular transporter pads on the floor.   

"Lieutenant Leóne reporting for the away team mission, Commander" the Orion Ops chief uttered breathlessly as she continued adjusting her environmental suit. Yet no matter how she tried manipulating the fit of restrictive suit, she could not conceal the curvaceous attributes of her toned physique. If anything, the EV suit accentuated her statuesque form even further with its reflective properties in addition to the tight fit.

After a few more moments of fidgeting with it, Elisha resigned herself to these circumstances and focused her attention instead on the features and condition of the accompanying helmet.

She just didn't want her presence to create any distractions from their mission. From experience, she had learned that she needed to consciously downplay not only her Orion mystique and allure, but her overall physical appeal to males of a variety of species. These circumstances had throughout her life opened many doors for her. But unfortunately, the majority of these opportunities led to places and conditions of which she did not want to be led.  

On the ship's internal communication grid, Counselor Bijou had patched the away teams together. Everyone in the transporter heard as well as the people on the bridge the purring voice of the security chief coming from the derelict starship.

"We have manually deactivated the forrcefield on both ends of the corrridorr. Still no lifesigns, eitherr  forrward orr aft. Sirr, do we split up in two units orr stay togetherr and proceed towarrds the brridge... or main engineerrring? I would rrecommend the laterr."

"The engineers will be splitting into two operative teams Lieutenant M'ata," the captain of the Phoenix responded.

"Lead the first team of engineers to the engineering section of the ship. Then have a second security escort lead the remaining engineering team to deck three... where they can address life support systems. Once our teams have these systems stabilized, then your security team can systematically work their way toward the bridge."

"Aye, Captain; moving to coverr away team's arrrival."

From the head cameras of the boarding team helmets, the bridge officers followed the security squadron as it split into three pairs; one for covering each end of the corridor, the imposing Caitian woman and her last guard backing up to each bulkhead so as to cover the beam in of the others as well as their flanking sentinel groups.

Tapping his combadge Riker inquired the forward away team.

"Riker to away team.  Status report, update on the estimated time before the rest of the team can beam over."

"Arrea securred; away team can beam in at your convenience, Sir."

"Confirmed, Lieutenant," Syntron replied with ample volume but no evident emotion through the comm and then activated a connection to the main transport room of the Phoenix.

"Away team, you are cleared for transport to Nuntio. Commence immediately."  

Snapping her EV helmet into place as the orders from the captain came resonating clearly through her headset, the away team stood motionless on the transporter pad. Lieutenant Leóne breathed deeply several times as she closed her sparking aqua-colored eyes and awaited the sensation of her body's atoms and molecules first moment as they begin to dissipate. 

Once they materialized in the unlit corridor of the Nuntio, Mrriin M'ata went to the First officer. Now her personal job was to ensure his security, helped by the two other guards now posted at the right extrenity of the corridor. She assumed that he would take the lead on the group that would take care of the life support system controls in the auxillairy control room, while Commander Rogers would do the same with the team heading for engineering. That second group would be escorted by her nearest colleague along with the two other security people watching the left hand of the corridor.

"Nothing to rreport so farr, Commanderr, " she said to him, "except that theirr is no sign of the crrew orr of what happened to them.Therre is some minimal life supporrt rregisterring in severral arreas of the ship, but no definite lifesigns yet.. No damage to the hull orr EPS grrid that I can detect. It looks as if the ship is at Condition Blue... but without being connected to the powerr sourrce of a station, it is effectively disabled."

Elisha Leóne, positioned just behind Commander Riker, listened attentively to the description provided by the security chief. Thoughts began to seep into her mind as she gazed around their immediate surroundings by means of the beams of lights emanating from their helmets.

Why would this ship be abandoned out here in the vastness of this unfamiliar region of space? If no one remained aboard this vessel, where could the entire crew possibly have gone?

These thoughts sent a shiver throughout her body within her environmental suit that Elisha tried to ignore as she stepped forward to address the security chief.

"Have you detected anything hindering our pathway to auxiliary control Lieutenant?"

"Just the forrcefield securrity grrid, Lieutenant," the felinoid woman answered. "As perr the new standarrd comparrtimentalization prrotocols in case of multiple hull brreaches or boarrding assaults, therre is a level 10 forrcefield errected everry twenty meterrs of corrridorr and arround everry comparrtment. They can only be deactivated thrrough command codes frrom an active Starrfleet command officerr, chief medical officerr orr chief of securrity. When worrking prroperrly, the system matches combadge encodings, biorreadings and encephalogrraphic signaturres to Starrfleet rrecorrds in orrder to ascerrtain the corrrect identity of whoeverr input the codes. I trried the system myself and, as you can see, it rresponded to my command codes as designed. Prrogrressing should go smoothly, albeit slowly."