Ensign Natasha Cole - The Choices We Make

[Natasha Schell]

(( Holodeck 3, Deck 222, DS 224 ))
As Bergmen and Imril made their way down the hallway she made eye contact with the Lieutenant, who had a smile on his face for the first time during this drill. She returned it as best as she could, angling her stance to obstruct the tear.

Bergmen: =/\= Report, Ensign Cole. Is our route to Engineering clear? =/\=

Cole: =/\= Fires are out, just cleared the path. =/\= ::gesturing towards the unobstructed hole::

Stepping back so Bergmen could investigate, still placing her leg away. The Lieutenant needed to focus on the mission, she had time, with the current radiation levels she had months at worst weeks.

Imril: =/\= Thank you, Ensign. =/\=

Bergmen: =/\= You should have patched that tear as soon as it happened, Ensign… =/\=

The Lieutenant had approached her, taking her by the elbow and retrieved a patch kit. She had seen the radiation levels and knew the reality of the situation was exposure regardless of the length of time.

Cole: =/\= Lieutenant, every one of us knows the risk. Especially those in Security, we position ourselves to not just be a weapon to be used, but also a Shield. That is the mission. =/\=

The Lieutenant and her gaze met. They exchanged a nod of understanding. A few seconds later, he quietly finished fixing the patch.

Imril: =/\= The plasma’s almost vented. Heat’s not our problem now. Rads are. =/\=

Bergmen: =/\= We …o go, …w. The … to ..gin…, the hig… the …tion le…s are bec…. Ther…wrong …. adings, Mr. … The only ….ation I c…ink of is that the …lock …mber is …eating, …ch sugg…s … at …ast som… act… or… =/\=

Natasha looked at Bergmen confused and then to Imril, great their comms are now compromised. This was going to complicate things even more.

Imril: =/\= I…hav…troub…hear…u. Comms…fail… =/\=

Bergmen turned his head toward Imril as what he began to hear was just garbled. He tapped the side of his helmet to indicate he hadn't heard correctly, and his expression mirrored his unasked question. Imril tapped their chest and shook their head, confirming the lieutenant's concerns. Comms began to be disrupted and affected by all the radiation.

Cole: ::looking at the other two mouthing:: Now what.

Bergmen pointed to a half-broken touch screen covered in cracks on the wall and stepped closer to type the message.

// /_- COMMS OFF DUE2RADIATION.
    _‘ IF NEEDED, TAP SHOULDER &
    ⥘᷿  PRESS HELMETS TO HEAR. OK?

Natasha nodded and gave thumbs up as they made their way further towards Main Engineering. Imril led the way, tricorder at the ready. Around them they were surrounded by death and in spite of their likely one way trip they pushed forward because if they didn’t even more would die. That thought specifically steeled Natasha’s nerves. She wasn’t sure what they would find when they got there, but she would do whatever she could to help. Bergmen paused at a crewmember in a suit not dissimilar to theirs.

Bergmen: =/\= ::whispers:: Maxwell… =/\=

After a moment Bergmen stood and signaled they were dead and pressed forward. But the team found their way to the end of the tunnel ahead of them. The emergency compartment blast doors were huge, and hard to miss. They were in their destination - the Main Engineering entrance.

Bergmen stopped and turned to Ensign Cole before stepping forward to meet her, pressing his helmet against hers.

Bergmen: =/\= Ensign, you cannot go with us. Hold the keep, count the time. Ten minutes and then go for us inside to retreat. We will not hold out longer than that ten, but we need to focus on work. Understood? =/\=

Cole: =/\= Sir, I’m not a fan of that, but I understand. Ten minutes and I will retrieve you if I need to. =/\=

Lieutenant nodded and tapped the ensign’s shoulder. Without saying another word, he turned and walked toward Imril. Meanwhile Natasha had stated a timer.

Bergmen: =/\= We …  to … those … doors. … you … how? =/\=

Imril: =/\= Man…door…lease. T…way. =/\=

Natasha watched as the two coordinated their breach of Main Engineering. She didn’t like being sidelined, but she did realize it didn’t mean she couldn’t help in other ways.

Imril: =/\= If…synch…ze…ll go fast…on…mark..ree…tw…On…Go! =/\=

As the two worked on getting into Main Engineering getting the blast door to raise enough to gain entry. She waited biding her time to act. Once they ducked under the door she started to move.

Cole: ::to herself mostly:: You said I couldn’t follow you, not that I couldn’t help you.

She started wedging the scattered cases under the bulkhead, it wouldn’t hold forever, but it would buy them time, and that was a valuable resource at the moment.

[[OOC: Keeping the parts for pacing, that are happening outside Natasha’s presence.]]
// Warp Core Ejection System Failure. Evacuate the ship.

Bergmen: =/\= [Expletive redacted] =/\=

Even though the comms interference made the lieutenant’s words quite incomprehensible, let alone translatable by the UT, the clenched fist slamming against the console controls, along with additional gestures, communicated his message effectively. Ollie turned to Imril, grabbed them by the back of the head, and pulled his helmet closer to theirs.

Bergmen: =/\= Can we manually remove the crystals from the active intermix chamber? Because it's that or welding the core cooling system anew. ::pause:: If you have another idea?… =/\=

Imril: Response

Cole: ::looking at the timer:: Come on move faster.

Natasha started to pace, she hated this, she could hear the garbled comm chatter of Imril and Bergmen. Exhaling she walked over the now braced bulkhead, looking through the gap she tried to see if she could see a way to help.

Meris?*: Response

Bergmen: =/\= ::shaken in voice:: DC 15-A Actual, who is on the Engineering deck? Report. =/\=

Cole: =/\= I’m still outside Main Engineering, waiting out the clock as you ordered. =/\=

Imril/Meris*: Response

As Natasha stood there waiting, eyeing the timer as it painstakingly ticked away. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye of someone in a command uniform move across the space behind her. She spun on her heels, grabbing a panel and brandishing it ready to strike. What met her eyes caused her to stop in her tracks dropping the panel, a full on hallucination of her father, the Commander.

Solan-Hallucination: Look at you. Just a kid pretending to be a soldier.

It had been over a decade since she was in the same place as him, and even though he was a hallucination due to the radiation exposure her stomach was already in knots.

Cole: ::eye’s narrowed:: Commander.

Bergmen/Imril/Meris*: Response

Solan-Hallucination: You still take your coffee black, don’t you? Just like me.

Natasha kept staring at the hallucination as she listened to the chatter. She really didn’t need this at the moment.

Cole: No, but I do use that coffee trick you showed me to gauge peoples reaction.

Cole: =/\= Lieutenant be advised, I have reinforced the entrance to Main Engineering as best I could, in the event you need a speedy egress. =/\=

Bergmen/Imril/Meris*: Response

Solan-Hallucination: You’ll never crawl out of my shadow, Junior.

Natasha closed her eyes, holding back a few tears, even the hallucination knew how to strip her of her identity, of her agency. She balled up her fists, opening her eyes, staring at him with all the anger and hate she wished she could direct at him.

Bergmen/Imril/Meris*: Response

Solan-Hallucination: Radiation doesn’t care how brave you think you are, ::dismissively:: Girl.

Cole: ::glancing the time:: =/\= Three minute warning Lieutenant. =/\=

Cole: Maybe, but you know I’ve never been one to give up. Even if choosing my own happiness cost me you.

Bergmen/Imril/Meris*: Response

Tag/TBC

[[OOC: I made sure to mark when Natasha was using the suits communication system, so no one thinks she’s loosing her mind.]]
* plus anyone from Team 2 if entered into the Main Engineering deck already

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Ens. Natasha Cole 

Security Officer 

USS Artemis-A

Writer ID A240205NC4