Ensign Jaran Jira - White Knuckled Pysche
Jira Jaran
((Karnack Engineering - Deck 4 - USS Karnack))
Jaran: Lieutenant, a word?
Imril stepped slightly closer, but not close enough for a private conversation. They were fighting their instincts with other, deeper instincts.
Imril spoke loudly enough for all to hear.
Imril: You want to know what’s happening to you? To us? It’s called Assimilation. I’ve experienced it before. But they’re making a slow job of it, so we can put up roadblocks. Think of something about yourself that means ‘you’. That makes you who you are. Your pagh. Your healer’s oath. Your fondness for Fuzzball. Anything. Make it your lifeline. A buoy in stormy waters. ::Clutching a fist:: Hold on to it, with everything you have. You don’t let them have it. If they can’t get it, they can’t get you. Not yet. Not right now. Resistance is never futile.
Jira took a step back at the intensity of their reply. Every word struck Jira's psyche with the force of an asteroid strike. They knew the lieutenant wasn't angry with them, but it was hard not to take it personally. It was true; Jira wasn't fighting with everything they had, even though they knew what was happening. Imril had their anger, and Jira needed something like that, too.
Jaran: We aren't going to let this take us, are we? ::beat:: No, we aren't.
Cole moved to K'Wara's side, keeping an eye on them.
Cole: How’s coordinating with the Captain’s team?
K’Wara: Good. ::looks over:: Imril, Jaran, you good to go?
Imril aggressively jabbed their finger at their commbadge.
Imril: ::Forceful, defiant:: This is my pack! ::A breath, followed by calmer words:: But the enemy is beginning to see things through both of our eyes. So let's get this done before they absorb how to read an LCARS panel and catch onto what we’re doing and start attacking the systems we need to restore.
Jira took a deep, shuddering breath. They directed a prayer at The Prophets as their breath escaped their lips.
Jaran: Veshar kai. Orbah solan. Peldar joi.
Jira became aware that K'Wara was speaking to them.
K’Wara: ... The Medkit works, right? Doctor, find a way to ensure you and Imril can keep it together until we get off of this planet - stimulants, transporter sickness tablets, try it all. We can’t risk you two becoming compromised before the power’s back on. Meanwhile, Imril and I will be working on fixing up the Impulse Engines and the Shield Emitters.
Cole: ::to Jaran and Imril:: If you feel like you're about to lose touch … ::beat:: Lets hope it doesn't come to that.
Imril: We are compromised, so it very well may ‘come to that’. ::To K’Wara:: If this team needs to split up for whatever reason, Jira and I can’t go alone, or with each other. We cannot be trusted on our own.
Jira knew they were right. Sickbay. That's where they belonged, in quarantine. It was functioning, and they may be able to do what they needed to do with the power in Sickbay from there. And, in the worst case, they could seal themselves in to avoid harming anyone else.
Jira started walking to the doors from Engineering.
Jaran: There are some metabolic stabilizers in the medkit, but it won't be enough. If I could get to Sickbay, I could pull double duty: try to figure out how to stop whatever's happening and also manage the power distribution.
They continued walking to the door. The Things were out there. They felt them, and it was getting harder to feel afraid. A stray thought about how they should have been even more terrified of that passed through their mind but failed to connect with anything, another idle thought, dismissed as unimportant. But K'Wara's voice stopped them.
K’Wara: No, the Captain’s team is handling the Sickbay systems. Which means powering the Impulse Engines and Shield Emitters from here is our primary task, and then we’ll move to the Shuttlecraft Control Room afterwards. ::to Cole:: Natasha, pull the shield modifications that Commander Munro programmed into the Computer Core and have those ready for the Ship shields. Once the shield emitters are online, it should eliminate basically all the power bleed.
Cole: Yes Sir.
K’Wara: If you can get it to cover a larger part of the Ship - at least these three middle decks - that’d be great. It would give the teams some ability to defend themselves if they run into those things outside of a shielded room, but don’t waste power we don’t have. Better keep some in the bank, in case we need it.
Cole took a breath.
Cole: Is there any chance power is trying to be sent to areas of the ship that aren't able to be secured? That might buy us some extra power for the shields.
Imril: We can’t afford the time or exposure to chase down every little leak. We need to seal them off from within the areas we absolutely need to access. Commander Jovenan’s team may end up plugging some up for us as they patch the hull anyway.
Jira was focusing inward while the technical talk happened around them. Visions of their time at the Academy and of the Vedek Assembly competed for time in their head. Both equally Them, which is what Imril said was needed.
K’Wara: Response
Cole: ::entering last keystrokes:: Shield … ::shakes her head:: Modifications are ready when shield emitters are back online.
Imril tapped the padd.
Imril: The closest shield emitter to this position is one deck below us. Almost directly below us, actually. It’s part of the warp core ejection mechanism safeties. We should be able to extend this room’s quarantine field to it, now that we have the Warp Core up and charging. But we may have to make some physical adjustments to the emitter itself, if something goes wrong. The shortest way there is that maintenance shaft.
They pointed to a wall opposite one K’Wara had used to flee the electrified floor. A small panel near the floor. If nothing else, it would be a way to flee the enemy if it came back to another go at everyone.
Jaran: Is that area connected to the rest of the deck? Jeffries Tube access?
K’Wara: Response
Cole: I appreciate it, Lieutenant. I’m operational.
Imril looked each person in the eyes as they spoke.
Imril ::Coldly serious:: If I turn, kill me.
Jira knew that, even if they weren't looking directly at them, the rest of the team was expecting words of similar import.
Jaran: I... well... We'll have a cure before that happens. To any of us.
K’Wara/Cole: Response
Imril nodded and returned to their seat in the control nook.
Imril: A three-deck shield projected from the emitter below us, as Lt. K’Wara asked for, will be more than large enough to reach the primary shield emitter. Once we have that powered, we can piggyback all the rest.
K’Wara/Cole: Response
Imril: Cole, stay on that quarantine field, ready to make corrections as needed. Jaran, you keep on that damage control panel. Let us know the instant something starts getting too hot downstairs. Last thing we want to do is draw the enemy there. Lieutenant K’Wara, unless you have a better idea, I suggest you man that stabilizer in case things get shaky.
Jira took their post quickly, desperate to stay busy.
Jaran: Aye, sir.
Imril: Ready on your mark, Lieutenant.
K’Wara/Cole: Response
Jira watched the console in front of them as thought it were going to disappear should their concentration lapse. The lights continued to read at their baseline for now.
A flash of disappointment crossed their memory. Why were they disappointed? Was that even their memory?
Cole's console began to flash and beep.
Cole/K'Wara/Imril: Response
The hustle behind them faded. There was a pressure behind their eyes. But they were prepared this time. Jira dragged the memory of praying in front of their shrine to the surface of their mind. They smelled the incense. They felt the subtle flames from the candles. They felt the coarseness of their robe. The pressure subsided, and they looked over their shoulder at Imril.
Jaran: Imril. You good? I have those metabolic stabilisers still.
Cole/K'Wara/Imril: Response
A warning light began to flash on the damage control console in front of them. That was the sign. The heat was rising on the deck below them, and Jira could feel the attention. It was turning in their direction. They had noticed, and they were drawn to it.
Jira felt far too calm.
Jaran: We got trouble. Things are heating up downstairs, and They know.
Cole/K'Wara/Imril: Response
Tags/TBC