Solutions to our problems?

Posted on Mon Dec 12th, 2022 @ 3:52am by Lieutenant Samaire MacBride-Reece [Lalor] & Avalon [ADMIN NPC] & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Lieutenant JG Jason Danvers [Taylor] & Staff Warrant Officer Reo'thanra Sandtail & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor] & Staff Sergeant Leilani Charles {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Season 6 : Episode 1: Circinus
Location: Bridge
Timeline: MD3 - 03h40
2763 words - 5.5 OF Standard Post Measure

IC

Samaire slid out from under the Operations Console and reached up blindly and hit a button. The main viewer cleared and split in two. The Forward and Aft Cameras activated and it showed the spinning top that was the Elysium.

"Ok... not good" Samaire said softly as she pushed herself to her feet. She looked at the rest of the bridge crew. "Sensor data will be flowing in but with Science not working and helm dead in the water, we need to do something fast."

The forward viewer showed stars flashing past and asteroids in brief glimpses. "Interstellar space is confirmed though." Samaire added. "Though where? No idea."

Leilani’s head popped up from behind the science station. “I’m working on...getting the science station up and running.” She ducked down underneath and continued to work. A few sparks flew before she finally stood up. “I’ve got life! Not sure how long it’ll last, or how accurate anything will be though.”

"It is a good beginning." Gary observed, "Let's make the most of it and see what we can make of the data coming in and get the Elysium under control."

"Can we get to astrometrics? We should be roughly..." Miraj asked. She done 5 seconds at Warp 2 inside the QSD. Straight multiplication meant they would have gone roughtly "Five light years off last position." A light year a second. It made her dizzy. "At the heading we went, Starbase 39 can't be more than light year or two away. They should be able to pick up the emergency beacon. If that's working."

Samaire looked to the Commodore and Captain. "Deck 17 is closer than deck 23" she said softly. "Sirs, I think we need to try or else we could be spinning for ages and never know where we are."

Miraj suddenly straightened as inspiration hit. "Deck Seven's even closer. I could get readings off any of the jolly boats. And if Mr Sandtail or Lieutenant MacBride want to come with, maybe we can reroute comms through Phlegathon or one of his siblings, get everyone in contact again."

"Go to deck seven Miraj. We need to know where we are and get the ship under control before we can even assess the damage to her. Do you wish to take Malakai with you?" Gary asked.

Miraj glanced to the big solid mass of the tactical officer. A set of muscles could be really handy. "If you don't need him here sir, then, please."

Gary shook his head. "Mal will be more useful to you then here on the bridge with all the stations down." He pointed out.

"Thank you sir," Miraj turned to Malakai. "Do we want to try the jeffries tubes, or just go straight to the turbo lift shaft, sir?"

Mal thought about the question for a moment maybe two before he replied. "Let's live dangerously and go straight to the lift and see where that gets us." As he struggled not to think on Kara and the baby. Turning his attention back to Miraj, he spoke, "Ready when you are Ensign.''

Miraj nodded and moved to the turbo lift doors, "No time like the present."

Samaire looked at Sandtail "You are the Engineer Sandtail. You go with them. I will keep trying to get internal comms and sensors online"

Reo Nodded as he moved towards the Turbolift his tail twitching. "I'll do what I can," he said simply, not wanting to promise a miracle. In All his years, He'd never had to Cold start A ship after Catastrophic power loss

Phoenix was slowly getting her senses back.

Leilani smiled as she moved around to Phoenix. “Commodore, How are you feeling? Is there anything you need?”

Phoenix shook her head.

====

Mal looked back at Gary and Phoenix, "Hopefully you'll know soon if we were successful." He moved to the lift, stood in front of it and looked over to Miraj, "After you Ensign."

THey wrestled the turbo liftdoors open, and Miraj leaned over the drop and waved her hand experimentally. There was no gravity in turbo lift tubes as standard, but there was still plenty coming from the deck coils, even on emergency power. Falling would still be a problem. Just slightly slower than usual. Then she shrugged and slithered over the edge onto the ladder. Only six decks down wasn't that far. She started climbing down, unbothered by the yawning pit below her bare feet.

"Wait a moment, Ensign." Mal told Miraj as he went to the tactical station and opened a small compartment beneath it and brought an emergency handheld lantern. Returning to the lift, he turned it on and shined it down the shaft. "Wouldn't you like some shoes?" He asked Miraj.

"I'm good sir. I'm used to it." She looked up at him. "Besides, my shoes are in my quarters, and the nearest spare pair is in the shuttlebay, so..." She shrugged as best she could without letting go of the ladder.

Mal shrugged his shoulders, "As you wish," He looked to Sandtail, Time to join the party." As he entered the shaft and began climbing down. "I have a suggestion." He told Miraj. "It going to get tedious calling each other by rank, so you call ne Mal or Malakai and I'll call you Miraj. Deal?"

Reo Grunted quietly As he waited for the pair to move down, his paws clenching with anticipation, while Heights Were never something he'd been afraid of, Humanoid Made Ladders had always been difficult for his species to climb. "Its a Good thing The Turbolift Cars go into Lock down as soon as the system looses power," he cut in as he started his own decent, His pace noticeably slower as he carefully got his footing on each rung.

"Yeah," Miraj agreed, moving down with the smooth grace of long practice and no fear of heights or falling. "It would be too embarrassing to survive what ever hit us only to go splat on a turbolift like a bug on a windscreen." She added in quick raspberry as a sound affect.

"Fifty thousand unemployed comedians and we get you for free." Mal deadpanned as he continued farther down the shaft.

"I'll be here all week" Miraj caught sight of a deck marking. "We've just passed four. You okay, Mr Sandtail?"

"Reo..will suffice," The Little alien grunted quietly as he worked down, his Armor Bathing the shaft in a Pale Red glow as its Systems kicked on Lighting mounts. "And I'm fine...Just, trying to not loose my footing."

"Its not far now." Miraj had reached deck five, and pressed her ear to the doors. She couldn't hear anything. Maybe that was a good thing?

"Good." Mal replied as he steadily climbed down the shaft. The sooner they reached their destination the better he'd feel. This at least kept him from thinking and worrying too much about Kara and their baby.

"N..ng..Next time I See on Star fleets ship wrights...I'm going to smack them," Reo Said in a playful tone. "Get them to install an easier way to get around the ship."

=÷Bridge÷=

Meanwhile Samaire began pulling panels off of consoles and poking into the circuitry. She mumbled and muttered and wished they had more power than reserves.

Phoenix was not feeling so well, as she sat in the Command chair. Her head pounded and her arm ached. She knew why both hurt, being thrown across the bridge did wonders for one’s health as well she knew, having been thrown across the bridge many times in her life. She took a breath as she struggled against the headache that was threatening to overwhelm her. Her hands clutched at the arm rests of her command chair and her vision went blurry. She frowned and tried to focus.

The Lieutenant at ops and the one helping her, were… blurred. She blinked to try and clear her vision, but it didn’t work.

The pain in her head grew worse so she closed her eyes to relax her eyes, thinking that was what was wrong. But when she opened them…. Nothing. Black swarmed her vision. “Captain Taylor… did the power go out?” she asked softly, so only he could hear her. Pain was evident in her voice and face.

From his XO chair, Gary's face instantly turned to look at Phoenix. He heard the pain in her voice and saw it on her face. As he knelt beside the command chair. "Light is pretty dim Phoenix." He lied not to scare her also replying in a whisper. He waved a hand in front of her face. No reaction. This was bad, very bad.

"Gary.." She managed. She had a bad feeling. "You need to take command now. Remove me from Command until Medical clears me."

Gary stiffened at Phoenix's words. She was right of course but that didn't make the decision any easier to follow or accept. "Phoenix are you sure about this? That this what you want to do?" He replied in a low, urgent whisper, reluctant to relieve her of command of the Elysium.

"You know it has to be done Gary." She said softly. "If this is Temporary then I will be fine once the Doc checks me over. But yes you need to take command."

He nodded his head, not that she could see. "Yes, I do know." He answered softly. Then he reached out, and gently squeezed her hand. "You'll be back in command in no time." He assured her.

She wondered if that was true. "Just figure what's going on Gary and lets save our people."

"I promise you, we will." He replied steadfastly. Then he did what duty demanded he do but what he nonetheless hated. He slowly rose and looked about the damage bridge. "Attention crew." He began his voice level and firm. " It has come to my attention that Commodore Lalor is unable to effectively command the Elysium due to her current physical condition. Therefore, effective immediately, it is my sad duty to assume command until Commodore Lalor is able to once again assume command."

Samaire looked up from where she was working and noted the look on the commodore's face. Something was really wrong. But she nodded and said "Aye aye" and went back to her task at trying to get internal comms online.

Jason looked back from the dead helm saw the Commodore and the expression she wore and knew something was wrong. He nodded, "Aye sir."

Fernando leaned on the tactical console to take weight off his injured leg. "You can count on me Captain."

Gary nodded at each in return, his gaze falling on Leilani, "Leilani." He said softly, motioning to come over to Phoenix. "Look after Phoenix, err the Commodore. I believe she is having vision issues."

Leilani looked at Gary concernedly, there could be many reasons for loss of vision pressure from a bleed on the brain being one of them. “Of course Sir” She crouched down beside Phoenix. “Commodore, How are you feeling?”

"Sore head, nauseous and" here her voice lowered. "Its dark. Really dark. Sergeant I cannot see you or anything." she continued softly.

"Don't worry Phoenix." Gary said from her shoulder. You're going to be fine. Just need to get you to Sickbay and let the Doc look you over." He said reassuringly.

“Commodore, I’m a combat Medic I’m not one for beating about the bush.” Leilani ran a quick scan with her tricorder. “I’m not familiar with Erisian physiology but from what I can tell you have a concussion. Your vision loss is due to your concussion, so I’m in agreement that we need to get you to Sickbay.”

"Sickbay is not currently an option and even if it was, they probably have worse injured than I." Phoenix said. She forced herself to think of other things than her family below decks.

=÷Bridge÷=

"Deck Seven!" Miraj called up the turbo lift. She tugged at the door release as best she could whilst still holding on. She gave it a sharp pull, but it didn't move, her fingers slipping off, and snapping back with the force she'd used her moment threw her away from the ladder, only one hand on the rung. For a moment she didn't breath, her heart froze, and then she was back on the ladder. "oops." she giggled with relief. "Doors stuck! Keep going to eight?"

In the dim light, Malakai could see Miraj pull on the door release that refused to yield then suddenly fall away from the ladder with only one hand on the rung. His breath caught as the seconds dragged by before Miraj was able to get both hands on the ladder. "Oops indeed Miraj, you scared me, I don't want to be scraping you off the lift floor like strawberry jam. That said are you alright and yes go to eight."

Reo Grunted quietly as he paused just over the pair, his tail swaying slowly as He looked to the door, briefly wishing he Had Combat Armor instead of General purpose armor. "I could cut through the door if either of you have a phaser.." he added softly as he clung himself to the ladder a bit tighter after Miraj's close call.

"No such luck in regards to a phaser. We just have to hope one of these doors is going to cooperate and open." Malakai answered.

A wailing hiss rose up to meet his words. "Deck Eight!" Miraj announced, swinging herself into the turbo lift cross shaft. "Everything looks clear, but there's light at the end of the tunnel."

"A light?" Malakai repeated. "There shouldn't be a light. Can you make out what kind of light?" He said from just behind and over Miraj on the ladder.

"Orange enough for Emergency lighting. I think the lift pipe has cracked open." But they were all breathing, which meant that the shuttle bay wasn't open to the void, which was good. On the other hand, it didn't bode well for any other part of it.

Malakai thought, "It could be emergency lighting. It obviously means it's not open to space however I think we need to get to the flight bay and out of this shaft and see just what is going on."

Miraj took off down the tube. At the very core of the saucer section, it was clean and debris free, until she reached the very end. The tube had cracked open, the edge of a gouge through the back end of the saucer section, like something had dropped in through the shuttle bay ceiling and passed out through the door. Bright blue light from the extra ferocious SIF that surrounded the shuttle bay during normal operations filled the gaps, leaving the bay itself sealed, and largely unharmed. The casualties seemed limited to half a dozen type 9s that had been parked long the path of whatever had pierced the saucer, the other jolly boats safely secured in their clamps.

"Hello?" Anyone there?" Her voice echoed in the quiet shuttle bay.

Malakai had climbed down the ladder after Miraj. He now looked over her shoulder. "Hmm. damage doesn't seem to be as bad as I would have thought. Got a few banged up boats." He said looking at the 9s. Other at externally look okay."

"Eric!? Coco!?" Miraj called out. They'd be the only two on duty down here for the Graveyard shift. "Are you okay?"

Ensign Eric Kyler appeared from behind one of the type nines, an anti-matter container in hand. "Yeah." There's as a bruise on the side of his head that proved that to be at best a partial truth. "Hath and I are just making the casualties safe in case of breach. Echo and Foxtrot took the brunt, but Hotel and India are looking ropey too." He held up the antimatter container to prove a point. "What the fuck happened?"

"We hit a quantum filament, repeatedly," Miraj said, "Then I used the QSD whilst at warp two to stop it cutting us in half. It shouldnt' have worked, but it held, for five whole seconds!" Miraj still felt giddy. "And we're clear of it, but the bridge is a mess, helm is down and we've got no sensors."

"I've been trying the Battle Bridge, but we've got no comms." Eric looked around at the shuttle bay, full of weird shadows from the emergency lighting and SIF fields showing in places you'd normally never see them. It made him look extra tired.

TBC