Search and Rescue

Captain’s Log, Stardate:6717.4. The Constitution is in orbit above the ring plane of the gas giant Theta Orionis V , responding to a distress call from the Federation merchant vessel, Feng Bo. As we approached the system we found the U.S.S. Columbia already on the scene in response, but she had so far been unable to locate the vessel. The signal had cut off before either of our ships entered the system, but the final transmissions placed the craft in or near the ring plane with the first officer describing their power-drained ship as being swarmed by what appeared to be ring particles, but moving in a decided non-Newtonian, if not intelligently guided motion.

Most of the gas giant’s ring lies within its tremendous radiation. It makes little sense that a merchant vessel would be navigating this region of the system – yet another piece of the mystery. It also imposes a time imperative for the rescue, as the ships shields may have been non-fuctional. Both Columbia and Constitution’s deflectors are at full power to manage the radiation storm. Our ships occasionally light up like Tellarian funerary yachts as gusts of high energy particles impact our shields, creating ghostly Auroral displays.

We’re continuing the search. At 08:30 we’ll be meeting with the Columbia’s executive crew in our briefing room to review the situation. Commander Ralston has an unusual theory she’d like to explain and have both crews explore. With our total lack of leads as to the Feng’s disposition, even an outlandish theory is worth considering in order to move this search and rescue effort forward.

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In the past I had been a fan of the conformal shield concept, where the shield is like a projected second skin of the ship. But the more I thought about theory and mechanics behind such a technology, the more a symmetrically elliptical field made sense. So that’s what I tried to convey with these two ships’ deflectors displays.

Stunning gas giant and ring background element by WhiplashD [link] Constitution model by Aggi, Destroyer model by Lord Schtupp and reworked by Mr Tricorder. Rendered in DAZ Studio, post via Photoshop CS2.