The Next Morning
Saru looked around the conference table in the Captain's ready room, scanning the faces of the officers gathered for the latest updates on the geomagnetic storm and the dangerous weather it was spawning. Their determination and hope, bit by bit, was morphing into doubt and despondency.
Previous briefings had been held in one of the conference rooms. Saru thought would lessen the sting of their crewmate's absence and facilitate objectivity. He then realized that the warmth and familiarity of the Captain's ready room bred rather than sapped confidence, including his own; the room acting as the stand-in for the man who resolutely led them with poise and faith.
WWCPD (what would Captain Pike do) had become Saru's mantra during these past three days. Unsure of the answer to that question, he called the group to order and began the briefing. He believed, and Captain Pike had reenforced, the best antidote and way forward is information. "Latest scan results?"
Owo answered, "The geomagnetic storm is steady – not dissipating, but not intensifying either. It's maintained this plateau for the last eight hours." She shook her head and looked frustrated. "We don't know if that is a good or bad sign."
Saru signaled for the meteorologist to speak next. "The current ice hurricane, which is the best descriptor I can think of, is weakening and moving south. They should have eight to twelve hours of dry, steady weather with mild temperatures."
There were faint smiles and murmurs around the table. This was the first positive sign since the situation began. The meteorologist sighed. "That's the good news." Everyone turned to stare at him. "There is another, similar depression forming at the south pole. Its moving north and will merge with the remnants of the first hurricane. Based on the isobars and other readings we expect this second storm to become at least twice as powerful." His voice became soft, "It will hit them directly."
"And we have no way to warn them." Bryce said, worry evident in his tone of voice.
Saru watched Michael shift back and forth in her chair, her facial expression thunderous. He wondered how long he would be able to manage her reactions – and influence her actions.
Owo spoke up. "I was able to scan the cave system they are sheltering in before we left orbit. If they have a way to heat the space, the caves provide adequate protection."
"What about supplies? Especially water, there is no safe indigenous water supply." Dr. Pollard asked.
Saru held up his hand. "Before we address supplies, can Discovery return to the planet prior to the geomagnetic storm subsiding?"
"Yes …" Paul Stamets began.
"and no." Reno, Detmer, and Pollard added, speaking at the same time.
"Proceed Mr. Staments." Saru directed.
"The distrubance does not affect the mycelial network, it's safe to travel through it. We can successfully jump the ship back to the planet."
Reno amended the scientist's answer. "But without improved shields, once at the planet the ship will be disabled within ten minutes. That includes life-support by the way. We are working on changing the polarity of our shields, as well as other tweaks that might protect us. But the effects are hard to simulate. The only way to test the modified shields may be exposing the ship to the storm. It's ironic that the kid is the one of our best resources for thinking through the theoretical ramifications."
Saru smiled. "Ensign Tilly does excel at pulling together disparate threads to form a creative idea."
Michael spoke for the first time. "We could jump back, beam them up, and jump out in less than ten minutes."
Dr Pollard shook her head emphatically. "No. Even before the storm reached its full strength, the transporters were believed to be compromised. We can't risk it."
"We have their patterns from beam down. With that data, an up-to-date scan and additional programming, I can … patch them together." Michael replied.
Saru barely managed to suppress his alarm. "That breaches ethical guidelines for transporter use."
"We may have to consider extreme solutions." Michael countered, her voice edging up in volume.
"Could a shuttle land and return in ten minutes?" Bryce asked, deftly averting a stand-off between the commanding officer and the science officer.
Detmer looked thoughtful. "No, but I think we could in twenty minutes if the shield modifications are implemented on the shuttle. Would the shields hold that long?"
Reno shrugged her shoulders. "Unsure. Especially for the shuttle as it may not generate enough power to feed the enhanced shields for more than a few minutes."
"We also have a navigation problem." Detmer said. "The shields will protect our equipment, but not our ability to automatically navigate and correct our course. Once we are within the zone affected by the geomagnetic disturbances, all navigation will be manual, all course corrections dependent on reflexes. We're trying to build simulations, but this system is tricky. The gravitational pull of the trinary suns attracts more than the usual number of asteroids and a lot of debris. There are only a handful of pilots in the fleet with the level of skill required to fly through that. One is trapped on the planet."
"And there are medical ramifications. Without protection, anyone with an augmentation will be at risk. The risk includes rendering the bionics inoperable, as well as potentially compromising their body's ability to use an augmentation in the future." Dr. Pollard noticed the confused looks. After Detmer nodded, the doctor continued, "For example, Keyla's visual augmentation will cease to operate. Normally we would simply replace it, but unless the current bionics are removed before exposure, her optic nerve will also be damaged. But not every augmentation is optional. Some control vital involuntary functions like breathing. There are several, including Airiam, whose lives will be at risk."
The air in the room felt heavy. All conversation ceased.
Nhan interrupted the silence. "If the supplies arrived intact, they could shelter for two weeks – at a minimum." She studied her new colleagues. Their concern and worry were pronounced. "If the supplies were compromised … I have served under Captain Pike for several years. He's resourceful. He has survived situations more dire than this. He never gives up. He will protect Tilly with his life. I truly believe they will be OK." She hoped her confidence might ease their worry, at least a little.
"We have to rescue …" Michael started and then, to Saru's surprise, stopped when he shook his head slightly. Now her expression was sad rather than angry. He resolved to keep a close eye on her as she tried to cope with the possibility of losing her best friend. And to find time later to offer her comfort.
WWCPD? Saru thought. He remembered a recent conversation. Captain, what is the most difficult command decision? The Captain replied, the one we make every day – when to wait and when to act. It's our nature to crave action, to believe we prevail only by doing; but waiting and watching is often the best path.
He looked around the room again, briefly holding eye contact with everyone at the table. And made his decision. "We too have emerged safe and sound from worse situations. And we have good options that need more time and study. For now, we assume the supplies are intact and wait for the storm to cease. And continue our work on other solutions. Pull needed resources from any department. And Commander Burnham, work with the engineering staff on the shield modifications. If there are no further questions, please resume your duties."
Michael hurried, pushing to leave the room first, eager for privacy to get her emotions under control. The rest filed out, talking quietly amongst themselves, shoulders now straighter.
Saru rose and turned to the viewport. For reasons not understood, he found staring out the window grounding. He wondered if he had walked the fine line of command as skillfully as he had observed Captain Pike manage it. Unleashing the talents of the crew to find, perfect and execute solutions. Allowing the crew to feel their advice, even when it differed from their commanders' opinion, was heard and valued. Attributing success to the crew's work and skill. And most importantly, drawing a clear line between contributing to the decision and making the decision, shielding the crew from repercussions and guilt when the result was loss.
ooooo
Tilly woke feeling more like herself after yesterday's fresh air and gaining the freedom to move around on her own. Not seeing the Captain, she used her makeshift crutch to carefully stand up and limped outside. There she found Pike leaning against a tree, face upturned, eyes closed, basking in the sun light.
"Good morning Ensign."
Did he have preternatural senses? He didn't even open his eyes! But then I am not exactly stealthy on this crutch. "Morning. It stopped snowing and icing?"
"At least for the moment. Any sleep?" Pike asked
"Yes, amazingly. You're good with beds …"
What am I saying? She was glad, with his eyes closed, he couldn't see her blushing. "… I mean you're good in bed …"
Girl what is wrong with you? She thought she heard a faint chuckle. This is mortifying! "… I mean you're good at making beds. Even when you have little to work with. Oh, hell I give up."
She changed the subject. "No ice or snow. That's nice."
"Yes, perhaps the geomagnetic storm is over. At least our first projections indicated it would be over by now." He straightened and opened his eyes. Gesturing with his arm he added, "Let's go inside and talk."
Once they were sitting near the fire, he handed her a water bottle. "This morning's ration – a couple of sips."
"What about yours?" Tilly asked as she carefully took two small drinks.
"My morning started earlier. Let's talk about supplies. For the most part, we're in good shape. But there are a couple of things we need to be careful with. I want to save the remaining pain meds for emergencies. Can you manage?"
She nodded. "The pain's not bad right now. As long as I move carefully its more of a dull ache."
"Good. Food's gone." She made a face and he chuckled. "But I don't think you will miss those power bars. I'll get more wood today in case the weather turns bad again."
Now I miss the rain and ice! Then you would need to take off your shirt again. Tilly thought.
"With careful rationing, there is enough water for two more days. Initial scans did not find a safe water supply. Maybe there is a way to purify and test it using local resources. Or perhaps there is an underground spring in this cave system the scans missed, though we would still need a way to test it. Think about how we can find drinkable water. Or treat what's outside so it's safe."
He paused, taking in her frightened look. "It's going to be OK. The geomagnetic storm may be over. And more importantly if anyone can develop a solution its Sylvia Tilly."
She nodded uncertainly, looking down and fidgeting.
"Before I go, I want to tighten the splint on your leg. It's important to keep it straight and motionless as you move around. Understood?"
She nodded again, still looking down.
"Ensign, eyes up." Once she complied, Pike told her, "Don't lose the battle before you fight it."
ooooo
The weather change, for however long it lasted, was welcome. After spending most of the day gathering wood, there was nearly enough to supply Tilly for five more days. With three hours of daylight left, Pike judged he had enough time stack this load, get a couple more loads and check out the coconut-like fruit he saw hanging from a tree about a mile away. If it were safe to drink, that would solve their water shortage.
As he neared the cave, he saw Tilly was outside it, hopping around on one leg. Dropping the logs, he grabbed her arm as she teetered. "Whoa, careful. Use the crutch – remember?"
"Sorry, I'm slow with the crutch. And I want to look for several plants. We might be able to make a test agent with them."
He eased her down to sit on the ground. While retrieving and stacking the logs he discarded to keep Tilly from falling, he felt a slight pop on his right side near the ribs damaged a few weeks ago. Absent mindedly he rubbed the area and grimaced from the brief stab of pain. Once the pain subsided, he finished with the wood and sat beside Tilly. "The ground is still covered with snow and ice, it's too slick for you to be wandering away from this area. Tell me what you need, and I will look for it."
She drew pictures in the dirt using a stick and described the expected colors. After memorizing it, Pike helped her back inside and reminded her to drink her afternoon water ration. Once satisfied she was comfortable and safe, he promised, "I'll be back before dark."