Lt. JG D'Cyra Varati - Headache
D'Cyra Varati
((SRC Level 18, Deep Space Imaging))
Varati: But if someone or something is still hiding behind the panels or in the Jefferies tubes, then we should sort this out immediately. We can't afford any more problems today –
D’Cyra almost accidentally grabbed the phaser instead of the tricorder… oO Ooops… Oo
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
She pulled out the tricorder, switched to bio signals, but of course immediately received an error message that the sensors were already detecting too much interference...
Varati: Argh! That was to be expected... we don't have time for a recalibration now! ::to Annamae:: Where exactly did you hear this "whispering"?
Taelon: And, um, did anyone else hear anything…?
Taelon looked at the other two questioningly.
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
But the focus must not be distorted now; out there in the storm lurked a previously unknown danger. Therefore, D’Cyra turned to Commander Ukinix; things now had to happen in parallel, not one after the other.
Varati: ::to Cmd. Ukinix:: Perhaps we really should focus on activating the torpedoes? Regardless of whether we are dealing with extraordinary energy fields or hidden dark forces. ::pause:: I have a couple of new drones down in the lab... they haven't really been tested yet, but we could still send them straight to the anomalies – after all, it's just metal and technology. If we can save lives with them, whether our own or others', then we should keep that option open, but we need to get them up here immediately before the lights go out!
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
Taelon: Launch the drones, then, and let’s get the hell out of here…? ::He trailed off into a suggestion, then remembered and steeled himself.:: We need to go.
Time was really running out now, and the storm offered plenty of dangers they hadn't yet explored. There was definitely no time left to crawl through tubes and shafts!
D’Cyra felt that slightly sweaty tingling in her toes and fingers when the nerve endings were stretched to the limit because she didn't know what to do first.
Varati: Yes, we have to go! All of us! Maybe you can check out what that mysterious whispering is all about as we're leaving. Perhaps it's just a draught?
She felt uneasy about it, but what could it be? A draught, a pet, children playing around, or perhaps some of those voles? Everything else was sentimental nonsense and, at most, due to the threatening situation.
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
Taelon: Varati, launch your drones. We’ll take the console’s data and keep it running as long as we can. Barberra, get the sled to the train, and let’s get the hell out of here.
Varati: ::to Taelon:: Like I said, they're in the lab... and I have to go down to “The Cellar”, Level 3, Shuttle Bay 4. From there I can launch them... and that's the problem: the shields protect us for a while. But then what? I can't get the drones to the shuttle bay on my own. Launching them isn't a problem. But at the latest on the way back – and we have to assume that the turbolifts and the corkscrew train might not be working anymore – the storm and therefore the radiation will catch us. None of us have received radiation protection yet… My body can withstand the radiation for a while, but what about you?
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
Taelon: Whoever is doing the whispering can either make themselves known, or deal with the gamma radiation. We don’t have - ::He struggled a moment. He did have the image of a lost child in his mind, a stranded engineer, but their reality was stark.:: We don’t have time to search for them.
Varati: Aye. I can't decide that; I have to go down now, and someone has to at least help me load the drones onto a gravsled – from there on, I can manage on my own. Let's use the EV-suits; there doesn't seem to be any other way.
She put the phaser rifle down again, walked over to the gravsled at the door, and looked for the smallest EV-suit.
((OOC: If I remember correctly, Ukinix received one dose and used one of the other two for Bob - so there should still be one hypospray left?))
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
And there it was: the storm. Not yet at its full force, but the first effects were already noticeable. Like sitting on a yacht and suddenly the sails were filled with wind, or simply stepping out of a door and feeling the strong wind.
The slight vibration of the ground could be felt for a few seconds, and Lt. Taelon cursed slightly.
Taelon: Everyone to the train. Now!
Varati: I'm going down; I'm aware of the danger. ::pause:: Please ensure that the turbolifts and the train in the SRC are operational until the very last possible moment! A few floors on foot are no problem, even with an EV-suit, but almost thirty? Nobody can endure that under these conditions. And beaming up with this level of radiation is not a good idea…
Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
While the others prepared to retreat, D’Cyra fiddled with the suit and slipped into it as quickly as possible, adjusting it to her size with a few straps and searching for the matching helmet, which she temporarily hooked onto the belt.
It was all incredibly dangerous, but there was no other choice.
Varati: Okay, I'm ready - who's coming with me?
Taelon/Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
D’Cyra grabbed one of the standard phasers and one of the outdoor tricorder PADDs.
Varati: Let’s go! ::to the others:: See you later. We only need power for the lifts and the shuttle bay. Once we're done, we'll let you know and the systems can be deactivated one by one.
Taelon/Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
((SRC Level 7, Physical & Astronomical Sciences / Turbolifts / Ancillary Support Section, Shuttlebay 4))
The lifts were still working, and within minutes they had reached the lab, loaded the test drones onto one of the gravsleds, and lowered them down to the shuttle bay. Here, the gusts of wind and vibrations were much more noticeable. Every second counted.
Varati: Thank you very much. Head back now! I'll open the hangar doors and start the drones manually, so we can be sure they actually take off. I also need to make sure the gates are securely closed again.
Taelon/Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response? (whoever came along)
Varati: ::to the others of the SRC Team:: =/\= We're almost ready, the drones are ready to go. As soon as everything is safe here, I'll come up too. =/\=
Now she was alone. There was truly no one down here anymore. Only the emergency lighting, no heating or ventilation. Only the greenish glow of the HUD in her helmet.
D’Cyra felt the pressure building up from the outside. Using the PADD and the manual consoles, she initiated the launch sequence for the two drones. The two devices lifted off as planned; now quickly activate the force fields and open the hangar gates...
Varati: oO Hurry up, Cyri! Oo
The seconds felt like minutes, the minutes seemed to stretch into hours... the hurried typing with trembling fingers seemed to happen in slow motion. Feedback and signals seemed to travel every millimetre on foot... Was she imagining it? Or were these already the effects of the storm, or even the radiation?
Computer: ::chirp:: Orange 1 and Orange 2 have launched. Fields deactivated, Gate 4 closed.
That was what she wanted to hear, even though it felt like it took forever for her to understand the content of the message and react.
Varati: =/\= Ok! I'm done! The drones are on their way and the gates are closed again! Now I just need the lower lifts and then the train! =/\=
Anyone: =/\ Response? =/\=
The walk back to the elevator felt like a marathon with extra weight. oO One foot in front of the other, step by step, there's the door! Oo
In the SRC, she had to change again, taking the turbolift to the ninth level, where the station was located. It was a little easier here because there was more space around her. Nevertheless, every step felt as if someone had tied lead weights to her knees. Keeping her head up was also becoming more and more difficult, and her helmet seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Take a few steps, stop, continue walking. Her stomach cramped more and more, her head felt as if it were being hit by several migraine attacks at once.
In the ninth level, D’Cyra felt her way along the wall to the station and dragged herself with her last ounce of strength into one of the gondolas parked there. Her head was spinning as if after a wild party, her stomach ached, and her skeleton felt like that of a centenarian.
Varati: =/\= I... I... You can... the train... upstairs... now! =/\=
Anybody: =/\= Response? =/\=
((Meanwhile in SRC or Habitat Ring))
Taelon/Galanis/Barberra/Ukinix: Response
Tag/TBC
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