Ensign Kivik: Cow Catchers
Ensign Kivik
((Mining Rig, Asteroid 6585 Poseidon))
Kivik: =/\= ::To Wong:: Lieutenant, we’re ready. Prepare to cut the last cable. ::To Iko:: Bec, you might want to step back. =/\=
Wong: =/\=I hear you. Cutting the last cable now. Everyone get ready to run!=/\=
Iko: ::pushing herself backwards:: will do.
Kivik stepped back and kept a wary eye on the cable. The tension from the Stellae’s thrashing had built up into a massive amount of kinetic energy. There was no telling what would happen when Ikaia cut it - not to mention what the spooked Stellae would do when it was finally freed. The timing would have to be precise.
Ariadust: =/\= Standing by. =/\=
Reade: =/\= Awaiting your go Kivik. =/\=
As Ikaia cut the cable, it whipped wildly back at the group, snapping to and fro in the zero gravity chute. Kivik ducked out of the way, dropping to the ground, as it swung overhead, smashing into the front end of Jones’ work bee, which went tumbling sideways into the wall of the conduit.
oO Oh no - no, this is terrible. We have to get the stellae out of here! Oo
Without getting up, Kivik shouted desperately for Scotty to beam the creature up, but it had been so startled by the whipping cable that it was already moving out of the pattern enhancer perimeter.
Kivik: =/\= Now, Scotty! =/\=
Everything was a blur of chaotic trouble suddenly. Bec started to panic and Wong was knocked aside by the massive creature in its attempt to flee.
Iko: ::speaking really fast:: What- what can I do to help I-
Wong: =/\=Nononononono---GAH!=/\=
Wong yelped as he was smacked by the tip of a stray fin. He was sent tumbling through the air before smacking across the floor of the conduit.
Reade: =/\= Transport failed, I am picking up a lot of interference. Is everything alright? =/\=
oO Oh, this is not good! Oo
Thompkins: =/\= Jones! Jones, do you copy! =/\=
Kivik finally looked to nir side at the work bee, slowly spinning. With horror, ne saw the smashed-in frame of the cockpit and the unconscious miner within. Jones was badly hurt - how badly, ne didn’t know - but if Ikaia wasn’t able to do something (and quick) it could be very serious. Next, ne looked around for Wong - where had he been tossed by the rogue Stellae?
Ariadust: =/\= Man down! Wong, one of the workbee pilots is severely injured! We won't have transporters for thirty seconds.=/\=
Thompkins: =/\= We have a medical emergency! =/\=
Ariadust: =/\= We're responding now. Working on emergency transport. =/\=
Iko: ::still speaking fast:: someone tell me what the hell i can do to help! ::beat:: please-
Reade: =/\= Clearing out buffers from transporter, isolating the worker bee, still need about 15 seconds for them to come up =/\=
Wong: =/\= Hang on….!=/\=
Kivik was glad to see that Wong was conscious at least. But the situation was barely improving, as the panicked Stellae set off down the chute - further into the conduit.
oO Was all this for nothing? Oo Ne shuddered at the though, wondering if Jones was going to survive… Much of this plan had been nirs - was ne responsible for the situation? oO Don’t think like that. Not right now. Focus on the mission. Worry about responsibilities later. Oo
Ariadust: =/\= Still working on transport, but I can move the workbee closer to you. =/\=
Wong: =/\=Please be careful! I haven’t assessed his injuries yet. =/\=
Ikaia pulled his tridcorder out of his medkit as he closed the gap between the damaged Work Bee and himself.
Kivik knew ne wouldn’t be nearly as competent at assessing Jones’ injuries as the Chief Medical Officer and set to work on nir own urgent task - collecting the transport pattern enhancers. With the Stellae moved on from that location, they’d be useless now. They would need to come with nem if they were going to attempt a second beam-out.
Iko: lieutenant, do you need help? Ensign? ::finally slowing down, exhale::
In nir focus, Kivik had nearly forgot about Bec. The young officer seemed beside herself. Kivik could sympathize - it was all ne could do to keep it together after what had just happened. Tucking the last of the enhancers into the case once more, Kivik de-magnetized and floated over to Bec, putting an arm around her shoulder.
Kivik: =/\= Hey, Bec - it’s okay. Jones is going to be fine- ::a pointed look at Wong:: -and we’re going to get that Stellae out of here. We’re going to sort this out as a team, okay? =/\=
Ariadust/Thompkins: Response.
Reade: =/\= Everyone else ok? =/\=
Kivik wasn’t honestly sure that everyone was okay - but every second was precious right now. For Jones and for the runaway Stellae. Bec would need to pull herself together.
oO Funny, I never thought I’d be thinking these things about anyone but myself… Oo
Wong: =/\=Ensign Iko, you need to remember to breathe. Panicking isn’t going to do a lot of good right now.=/\=
Reade: =/\= Take a breather Ensign. Collect your thoughts =/\=
Thompkins/Ariadust: Response?
Iko: ::sheepishly:: Aye sir.
With Bec breathing more calmly, Kivik stepped over to stand beside Wong, reviewing Jones’ condition on his tricorder. The science officer wasn’t as familiar with medical readouts as a CMO, but could still tell the miner was in rough shape.
Wong: =/\=There’s no way around this. Lieutenant Ariadust, I’m going to need you to beam our injured aboard. I can’t do anything without opening the Work Bee which, stating the obvious here, is a bad thing in an airless environment. You and Reade are going to have to do some first aid to keep him stable until I get back. I’ll be sending you what I scanned on my tricorder riiight…. ::presses a few buttons:: ….now. Ensign Iko, you’re beaming back to the shuttle with him. They’re going to need all the help they can get up there.=/\=
Kivik nodded, sensing that Wong was making a wise strategic decision here. This was Bec’s first mission and Kivik recalled how out of sorts ne had been during the incident on Antor II - and ne hadn’t even experienced the mine collapse firsthand. She would likely feel safer and less panicked back aboard the shuttle - and undoubtedly Reade and Ariadust could use the support as well.
Reade: =/\= Roger Ikaia, I just got your tricoder report of Jones, we will do everything we can. =/\=
Thompkins/Ariadust: Response?
Iko: I apologize for my unprofessional behavior...
Wong: =/\=Don’t worry about that right now, Iko. You have my patient to help look after and they’re going to need your help.=/\=
A quick glance back in the shuttle’s direction.
Wong: =/\=Thirty seconds has to be up now. Lieutenant, if you can beam aboard our patient and Iko now, that’d be fantastic.=/\=
Another glance at Kivik.
Wong: =/\=Ensign Kivik, I’m going to need you and Mister Tompkins to come with me to track down the Stellae. I’m going to need you to check on those transport enhancers, Kivik, while I get the cable off the Stellae’s neck.=/\=
Reade: =/\= I have transported Jones and Ensign Iko onto the Sam. We will begin to look at him =/\=
Kivik: =/\= ::Hoisting up the case:: And I’ve collected the pattern enhancers already. I’m not sure how we’re going to catch this thing while it’s moving… but that’s a problem for later. =/\=
Thompkins/Ariadust/Iko: Response
In a flash, Jones and Bec were beamed back aboard the Yosemite. Kivik breathed a sigh of relief, for a brief second fogging the glass of nir helmet. At least they would both be taken care of. Now it was up to nem, Wong, and Thompkins to finish the Stellae rescue.
((OOC - Not including tags from Reade’s sim that take place aboard the Yosemite and not over comms… Please check Reade’s sim if you’re aboard the shuttle!))
Wong: =/\=Alright. Well…. Let’s find that Stellae and get them out of here quickly. We don’t have a lot of time here.=/\=
Kivik noticed the CMO’s voice seemed strained and wondered if he’d been hit harder than it seemed. He’d bounced back so quickly, ne hadn’t considered the possibility that he could be seriously hurt as well. As he climbed gingerly aboard the work bee, Kivik chewed nir lip in worry.
Kivik: =/\= We’ll need to keep an eye on you as well, Ikaia. Let me know if you’re not feeling well. The last thing we want is for you to pass out on us further down the chute. We’re going to have trouble enough getting that Stellae under control long enough to beam it out, let alone our Chief Medical Officer. =/\=
Thompkins/Ariadust/Iko: =/\= Responses =/\=
Wong: =/\= And Reade? I hope you don’t mind me borrowing some of your drones. I think we’re going to need them. =/\=
Reade: =/\= Of course, transferring the program to your tricorder =/\=
Kivik noted as both nir and Ikaia’s tricorders lit up for a moment, receiving the control program for the drone.
Kivik: =/\= Thanks, Scotty. This should come in handy. We may be able to distract the creature long enough to get it to stay still. ::To Thompkins:: Ready when you are, Mr. Thompkins. =/\=
Thompkins/Ariadust/Iko: =/\= Responses? =/\=
((The Conduit - Mining Rig - Asteroid 6585 Poseidon))
At first, they moved slowly, trying to get their bearings and figure out which way the Stellae had gone. In the confusion, they’d all gotten turned around and even Thompkins seemed unsure which way they should go. Kivik wondered how he was handling the incident and Jones’ injury. While the extent of their relationship was unknown, ne assumed they were at least friendly acquaintances from their work together. Either way, this didn’t seem like the right time to bring it up.
oO You know the situation is bad when I’m the one keeping tabs on how everyone else is managing… Oo
They came upon a fork in the conduit. One direction appeared to veer up and off to the left, while the other went down and to the right.
Wong: =/\=Pretty sure it went up this way or at least that’s what I saw. But then again, I did take a fin tip to the… well… ALL of me. I couldn’t 100% work out what was up or what was down. I think the rest of you got a better view than I did.=/\=
Kivik: =/\= I know it went further into the conduit… Thompkins, do you know where these different passages lead, or what sort of equipment is down each way? It could help us predict which way the Stellae would have headed. =/\=
Thompkins: Response.
Kivik: =/\= In that case, I think Lieutenant Wong is correct. Let’s take the left passage ‘upwards’ - if I were a panicked baby Stellae, that’s the way I’d head. =/\=
With that, the work bee took off once again, drifting slightly more quickly through the conduit as it veered off to the left. Kivik figured that, given the Stellae’s known proclivity for vibrational frequencies in nebulous gasses and plasmas, this would be the more likely route… ne hoped ne was right.
Wong: =/\=Most of my patients aren’t nearly this big or this recalcitrant. Hopefully, we can catch up to them soon before anything bad happens. I don’t like the look of that cable around their neck.=/\=
Kivik: =/\= If it helps, at this point, we don’t even technically know if these things respirate… As a space-faring creature, maybe it’ll be completely unbothered by it? =/\=
The science officer shrugged. Whether that were the case or not, significant damage to its carapace could still be irreversibly damaging - and with the Hawlat already on edge, the thought of coming back with an Angel in anything less-than-perfect condition made Kivik’s palms sweat.
Thompkins: Response.
Wong: =/\=What’s THAT up ahead?=/\=
Wong shifted slightly on the Work Bee to get a better look. Kivik followed suit, carefully inching forward to look at what the craft’s lights showed in the distance.
Thompkins: Response.
Kivik: =/\= Could be our juvenile - or it could just be traces of benamite left in the chute from mining. Let’s approach cautiously… =/\=
As they floated closer, it became clear that what they were seeing was neither the Stellae itself nor mining residuals. In fact, it was the same goey plasmatic substance left behind by the creatures when they impacted with other vessels. It reflected the light of the work bee with a similar purple hue, revealing a section of panels that had been dented and sheared off from the wall of the conduit, revealing the machinery within.
Wong: =/\=Well! Then I think this is a REALLY good sign that our patient did come this way. =/\=
Kivik: =/\= I suppose that’s good news. Hopefully, we’re seeing the result of normal behaviour here and not something.. ::at a loss for words:: ..worse. =/\=
Thompkins: Response.
Suddenly, the walls of the conduit shook around them. It lasted only a moment, but it appeared as if they must be getting close. The Stellae was near and it was still bumping into the walls.
oO Is it trying to break it’s way out… or has it just gone back to playful behaviour now that we set it free? Oo Kivik pondered. After a moment, another thought entered nir mind: oO Is there a substantial difference to those objectives for the Stellae? …Unclear. Oo
Kivik: =/\= I think we’re very close now, Lieutenant. Now it’s time to face that “later” problem I mentioned before… We have pattern enhancers to help with transporting, but you saw how long it took them to beam Jones and Iko out of the conduit before - and they were tracking their positions already. When we reach the Stellae, we’re going to need it to sit still in a defined area for at least thirty seconds… and that’s after we’ve placed the enhancers… We’re going to have to find some way to keep it from bolting again. =/\=
Wong: Response
Kivik: =/\= The drone should help to calm it, assuming it’s not too panicked to be food-motivated… but we may need to have a secondary solution in place. If it panics again, one of us could get seriously hurt. =/\=
Wong/Thompkins: Response
No doubt Thompkins was thinking about Jones. They’d yet to receive any update from anyone on the Yosemite.
oO Hopefully they’re just busy dealing with… something else… and Jones is fine. I’m sure he’s fine. He has to be. Stop worrying about that. It won’t help. Oo
Kivik: =/\= Mr. Thompkins, what sort of emergency shut off systems are in place in these conduits? Do you have any emergency bulkheads or shielding that could be activated? =/\=
Thompkins: Response
Kivik: =/\= Then when we find the Stellae, I recommend we activate the nearest shut-offs. That means it won’t be able to escape - at least, not as quickly… ::Gulp:: It also means we’ll be trapped in a confined space with it… =/\=
oO So we’d best hope it doesn’t go crazy again. Oo
Wong/Thompkins: Response
TBC
