Joint Duty Log: Tanzanite crystals collection

Posted on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 @ 5:57pm by Lieutenant Heather Argeneau-Morgensen & Commander Oliver Queen & Commander Magnus Morgensen & Lieutenant Commander MaKorie Kai
Edited on on Tue Feb 2nd, 2021 @ 5:58pm

1,410 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Where do we go from here?
Location: Shuttle Craft/Eacth Oceans

Joint Duty Log: Tanzanite crystals collection
By: Oliver Queen, Heather Argeneau, Magnus Morgensen, and Kai Makorie.

Heather remained in the pilot seat as the shuttle continued its dive to the Tanzanite vein that Lt. Kai had given the co-ordinance to. The ocean life was actually quite beautiful other than the double-decker sized shark that was swimming about them bouncing off their shields. "We should be reaching our destination in a few minutes, do you have a plan on how to extract the crystals with that sharp tooth swimming around us?" Heather asked.

"I could always get out and distract it by flipping it upside down and rubbing its belly?" Oliver smirked.

Heather couldn't help but smirk at Ollie's words. "If you think it'll distract him enough for us to extract the number of crystals needed, but I was more curious as to how we're actually extracting them while underwater," Heather admitted.

Still looking out the window, Makorie answered. "As I said before we left the ship. I have portable mining equipment with me, even handheld mining devices. They work underwater, in space, and on planets, tested on Andor, the mining asteroid belts, and several different planets. We will, however, have to leave the safety of the ship and use them, out there. We will need about 1 metric ton of the raw crystals, then I can use them to fabricate the power crystals found in the devices." Her voice, as always, was professional and more interested in giving facts than inviting other conversations.

Heather gave a nod, Makorie had never seemed the most friendly of individuals so it didn't matter if she kept to the facts as she did. "Well then we're here I'm no good at mining crystals so I'll stay here in case we need to fire on any sharp-tooths," Heather said with a teasing tone of voice giving a look to Magnus as they were also sharp-tooths.

"I will suit up. I will let those who are better able, deal with our carnivorous friends out there." Makorie said and turned from the window and got into the locker with the environmental suits that would protect her underwater and let her do her job.

Heather turned to look at Kai and shook her head then looked to Morgensen to see if he planned to go with her or not.

Rubbing his forehead for a moment, Morgensen shook his head as well. "Mining everything by hand is gonna take some time. That's not exactly a luxury we have a lot of right now. If we could recalibrate the phasers to be able to expose more of the deposits it could help speed things up... That said, I should probably get suited up. Ollie, think you can hop on those recalibrations whilst Kai and I are down there?"

"Be careful you too. I'm going to keep an emergency beam out lock on you." Heather said looking at both officers.

"It is appreciated, Doctor." Makorie then looked at the two options for the mining and decided that Commander Morgensen was correct and the handheld auger would be too slow. However, the Lazer auger, which required a simple tripod, would be much faster. It would reduce the time from a couple of hours to a mere hour to get the needed metric ton of crystals. The only problem was, sometimes, either method, damaged the crystals and then they would be useless. Time would tell.

Oliver nodded a little bit, "Yes, I can do that. We'll just go ahead with that as time isn't on our side. I'm going to send out a probe for the shark to play with also." Standing up and moving to replace Morgensen at the 'tactical' console.

Heather was a medical or microbiologist at best. She had figured out how to manipulate the nanites in her blood but then so has most of her family by now. if they really really wanted to they could probably figure out how to turn them off, but it was too late for their own family. However, if she were to replicate them she could recode the new ones to die off when they are no longer needed, but they would be seen as a danger to the body if there were already nanites in their blood that were similar to her family blood-line.

So Heather would remain at the helm while watching her team unsure how else to help them at this moment.

With the lazer mining equipment on hand and all suited up, Makorie had to trust her fellow crewmates to make sure she didn't die as she got the much-needed crystals. She went to the airlock and pressurized the compartment and her suit and then when things were ready, stepped out into the water, turning on the light, so she could see, she followed the readings on her tricorder, not really paying attention to what was around her. Then she found a ledge at the base of what would have been quite a tall mountain had it not been covered in water and set up the drill on the tripod and started drilling for the crystal, gathering all the good crystals mined and setting them on the anti-grav cart she brought as part of the mining equipment to carry back to the ship.

Even with the modifications, it took Lt. Kai a while to mine all the crystals needed. With the shark not really bothering them and keeping most of the other big fish away too as it fed on them instead of the shuttle, Heather had suited up and gone to help Lt Kai with the mining. It still took a half-hour to mine all the crystals and get back to the shuttle.

There actually didn't seem to be anything wrong that happened with the operation. Oddly enough. No surprises. Other than maybe a fish here or there or a dolphin curious about them. The dolphins certainly wanting to just play. A humpback whale moving meters above them gracefully. The outer hatch opened once they were coming back.

Heather longed to swim with the dolphin passing by but didn't have time for it. She moved to help Lt. Kai bring in the store of crystals into the shuttle. "I think we should have more than enough, how about you Lt. Kai?"

Looking over the haul of crystals, Makorie nodded. "Yes, this is a fine sample and I am able to use them all. Once we are inside, I can begin fabricating the right size and shape for the crystals to power the devices. And since the DNA for them is also here, I should have them done by the time we get back to the Roddenberry." She sounded pleased. "That is if you don't mind supplying the needed samples. I should only need a single hair with the root still attached and a vial of blood from each of you."

"That shouldn't be a problem so long as our samples are destroyed if you don't use all of them. we can't risk our nanites getting into well the wrong hands." Heather told Makorie honestly.

"I understand completely. And you can destroy them yourself as soon as I am done before we even get to the ship. I will destroy the samples I have in my lab as well. Right now they are under the tightest security Starfleet offers for such things." She cracked a rare smile. "I even marked the sample, 'Broccoli/Kale hybrid sample number 23,' and I know no one will willingly go near that unless ordered." She then turned and got to work on fabricating the crystals.

"Any time this year, ladies.."

Heather laughed and went to retake the pilot seat. "Keep your shorts on Commander, we're ready to get underway let's go home," Heather said softly putting in the coordinates for meeting up with the Roddy.

Oliver stayed where he was since Morgensen was in the back keeping the samples secure. "Let's go home." Configures another probe to leave for the other aquatics to have something to play with after they are gone.

Heather smiled at that thankful it would never surface allowing those that lived here to find it. With the nose of the shuttle heading towards the surface, she had no problem piloting them out of the oceans of Earth. Compensating for the turbulence of the waves was the only problem she had to worry about.

--- To Be Continued During Sim ---

 

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