Ensign Kivik: Crunch Time
Ensign Kivik
((The Conduit - Mining Rig - Asteroid 6585 Poseidon))
The plan was taking shape - though it wasn’t a shape that Kivik particularly liked. The two science officers would get as close to the Stellae as possible before Thompkins would shut the emergency gate behind them, essentially trapping them inside with the animal. From there, it was a simple matter of calming down the massive, terrified, and possibly-injured juvenile creature long enough for the CMO to get in close enough to cut the cable it was caught up in. All without getting smooshed.
Kivik attempted to rein in nir breathing and gain control, but it was difficult not to let the occasional shudder through.
Thompkins: =/\= I've tapped into the conduit gate controls. Just give the word. =/\=
The rumblings of the frantic Stellae permeated the gaseous atmosphere within the conduit.
oO Strange. They always tell you space is silent… Why do I feel like I can hear the creature breathing? Am I losing it? Oo
Kivik chalked it up to vibrations in the gas resonating through nir suit and decided not to think about it any further.
Wong: =/\=I think they’re just around that bend. Can you get us a little bit closer?=/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
Kivik: =/\= Just remember - nice and slow, Mr. Thompkins. We may not get another chance at this. =/\=
Kivik clenched nir teeth as the work bee inched forward delicately. Ikaia leaned out, peering around the corner. There was a moment of tense silence as Kivik waited, holding nir breath, for Wong’s report.
Wong: =/\=Mister Thompkins, see if you can get us around this corner and shut the gates. Kivik, I’m going to pass you along the recordings I’ve made of the Stellae calls. Just make sure you aim it into the side of the wall or into the plasma itself so then the sounds have molecules to vibrate off of. I suspect the combination of the plasma and the calls will help calm the Stellae down allowing us to work safely. After that, it’s a matter of placing the transport enhancers and cutting the remaining cables. =/\=
oO Sure, just play a recording in a vacuum and hope that it’s loud enough for the Stellae to sense it while also placing multiple transport enhancers and controlling the KIRA drone… Oo
Kivik: =/\= No problem. =/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
Ikaia passed Kivik a PADD with the Stellae calls he had recorded. Kivik accepted the PADD and split the screen into two divisions: one for the drone controls and the other for the audio output. Ne set the audio’s parameters to play as loudly as possible, hoping it would resonate loudly enough to do anything.
Wong: =/\=Well! I hope this works! Otherwise, we’re in big trouble if it doesn’t!=/\=
Kivik: =/\= It’ll work. It has to. =/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
Kivik noted the rails that the emergency shut-off gate would run down and hoped they hadn’t been damaged by the thrashing Stellae. As they rounded the corner and got a good look at it again, it seemed even larger than Kivik remembered.
Wong: =/\=Okay. Shut the gates now! Kivik, get the sounds and the drones going!=/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
As the gate shut behind them, Kivik was suddenly reminded of Tsunkatse - the Norcadian bloodsport reported by the USS Voyager on its return from the Delta Quadrant.
oO Cage-match Stellae wrestling will be the next big thing… Oo
Kivik: =/\= Here goes nothing!=/\=
As Ikaia scrambled atop the work bee, Kivik disengaged nir mag boots and ‘dropped’ to the ‘floor’ below, re-magnetizing and crouching to get a better look at the situation. The Stellae seemed startled by the vibration of the shutting gates.
With that, ne set the audio loop to begin. Vibrations reminiscent of those emitted by the adult Stellae began emanating from the PADD - but the sound was painfully quiet. Kivik doubted if the juvenile would be able to hear it at all.
oO This won’t do. Oo
Wong: =/\=Alright! Let’s get moving! We only have one shot at this!=/\=
The next hope they had was the drone. Kivik set the controls to begin emitting plasma - fortunately, the gasses in the conduit provided the right admixture for the Bussard Collectors on the little drone’s impulse nacelles to produce plenty of it. As it began heading towards the Stellae, a trail of purple globules began forming behind it, shimmering in the light of the work bee.
oO At least something’s going right… Thank goodness for Scotty’s engineering. Oo A sudden idea struck Kivik.
Kivik: =/\= Hang on - I’m adjusting the drone’s settings! =/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
Team KIRA had discussed implementing a vibrational frequency emitter after realizing that the creatures seemed drawn to certain wavelengths. While they hadn’t talked much more about it since their prototyping phase, if Scotty had in fact incorporated it in the drone’s design, then perhaps… oO Yes! Oo
Kivik: =/\= Programming the drone to mimic the sounds of the Stellae! =/\=
Wong: =/\= Response =/\=
With Wong’s recordings, Kivik could input specific wavelength patterns into the Drone’s emitter and reproduce the ‘sounds’ the adult Stellae made at a much greater intensity. Immediately, the room began humming - Kivik could practically see the shifting in the gasses surrounding nem. It was a sight to behold. And, in fact, it seemed to have some effect on the juvenile which stopped thrashing momentarily and began tilting and turning itself gently, as if searching for its parent.
With the juvenile momentarily distracted, it was time to start in on the next phase of the plan.
Kivik: =/\= Now would be a great time to get in there, Ikaia - I don’t know how long the drone will keep it occupied! =/\=
Wong/Thompkins: =/\= Responses =/\=
As Wong set to work removing the cable, Kivik pulled out the case of transport enhancers, letting the PADD float freely away from nem. At this point, there was little more ne could do. The Drone’s programming would have to handle itself from that point. If the enhancers weren’t set up in time, then there’d be no way to get the creature out of there.
Kivik: =/\= Setting up the enhancers. Thompkins, please keep an eye on that Stellae for me and warn me if I’m about to get clobbered! =/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
The Ensign placed the first enhancer near the gate. With the Stellae no longer trapped in place and able to move about the gated chamber freely, the area of triangulation would need to be larger – which likely meant a longer transporter buffering period - but if the enhancers were placed too close together, they’d risk only getting a partial signal.
Kivik: =/\= How’s it going Ikaia? =/\=
Wong: =/\= Response =/\=
Wong seemed to have his hands full. Kivik just nodded. There wasn’t much time for words just now. Ne placed one foot on the wall, then de-magnetized nir boots, pushing off at a 45° in an attempt to reach the opposite corner of the room. Floating up and over the stellae, Kivik looked down long enough to see it nibbling at a globe of plasma, but couldn’t catch sight of Wong. Ne hoped he wasn’t being squished beneath the creature.
Reaching the corner, Kivik placed the next enhancer. oO That’s two out of three - just one more to go! Oo
Suddenly, a strange noise caught the Ensign’s attention. Ne looked over and saw that the Stellae had caught onto the Drone using it’s tendrils – an issue Team KIRA’s modelling had predicted, but that they hadn’t had time to solve for – and its vibrations were now resonating through the Juvenile itself, making a deep and muffled sound that Kivik could feel in nir chest.
Wong/Thompkins: =/\= Responses =/\=
The Stellae did not seem to like that one bit, as it’s tendrils twitched, sending the drone careening across the room and towards the work bee.
Kivik: =/\= Look out! =/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
Just as ne warned Thompkins of the impending danger, a swoosh of the agitated juvenile’s ‘tail fin’ glanced off Kivik’s helmet, sending nem spinning. Ne lost nir grip on the case of pattern enhancers as ne went flying towards the far corner. Before ne could initiate nir mag boots, ne planted head-first into the steel wall of the conduit with a disconcerting ‘crunch’. As nir boots activated and ne stuck to the wall, Kivik saw a large crack spread across the front glass of nir EV suit.
oO Oh, this is not good… Oo
One more impact and the glass could break, depressurizing the suit and exposing Kivik to the near-vacuum and potentially-hazardous gasses within the conduit. Looking around frantically, Kivik spotted the case. It was still floating, thankfully, in roughly the spot that Kivik needed to place the last enhancer - only, between nem and it was the Stellae, which had grown more agitated again now that the Drone was gone.
Wong/Thompkins: =/\= Responses =/\=
Kivik: =/\= Thompkins - think you can use the arms on the work bee to toss that case my way? =/\=
Thompkins: =/\= Response =/\=
The miner had done his best, but Kivik knew that it was a big ask. The case was swinging wide, carried off-course by its spin. Ne had no choice but to de-magnetize and push off, hoping to catch it mid-flight. The J’naii propelled nemself forward, hoping against hope that the Stellae wouldn’t come this way as ne reached for the case, nir fingers barely catching purchase on the handle.
Kivik: =/\= Got it! =/\=
At last, ne removed the final enhancer and locked it into place on the wall.
Kivik: =/\= Okay, that’s it. Wong, how’s it coming with that cable? Ready to transport? =/\=
Wong: =/\= Response =/\=
Kivik: =/\= Yosemite - come in. We’re all set here. Please beam this Stellae out before we all get squished! =/\=
For a disturbingly-long moment, silence filled the comms, taking Kivik’s breath away. Had they gotten caught up with something on the way to dropping off Jones? Were they okay? Were they even in transporter range?
Yosemite: =/\= Response =/\=
TBC
