Ens Chevalier - Heartbreak honeymoon
CPT Arianus
(( Industrial Exhaust Manifold - Facility KTF-031 - Medara, Betazed 2376 ))
As the panel switched its color from a glaring red to a welcoming green, Jaseb couldn't help but break into a relieved smile. He turned towards his companion, Nieran, and gave him a thumbs up to signal that everything was alright. However, if Jaseb had paid closer attention to Nieran's expression, he might have noticed the furrowed brows, the worried glint in his eyes, and the pensive air that surrounded him. Perhaps then, Jaseb would have been able to pick up on the doubts and fears that were weighing heavily on Nieran's mind.
But he did not. That simple. He never doubted his partner's intentions, and so he did nothing. Jaseb was focused on completing his task and moving forward with no worries about what was behind him. He believed that his partner had his back covered.
Dwayx: All clear for you to enter!
Chevalier: Perfect! Give us five, and we move to the next!
As he uttered those words, Jaseb briskly strode towards the funnel manifold, followed by one of the boys who worked for him in the shed. Nikka, his name was Nikka. A wide grin spread across Jaseb's face as he gestured towards a massive exhaust duct, beckoning Nikka to follow him deeper into the duct.
Chevalier: A junction should be three hundred feet deeper. We need to put the explosives on the ceiling and floor of each branch. Understood?
Nikka nodded and returned Jaseb's smile, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of disbelief. He seemed taken aback by the unexpected news that he had been chosen for the mission. However, Jaseb was confident in Nikka's abilities and knew he was the right person for the job. Finding individuals with the right balance of skill and reliability was a daunting task, but Nikka possessed both of these qualities.
The moment that caught them unprepared was sudden and jarring. The sound of plasma being fired outside the funnel was deafening, echoing off the walls and filling the space with pulsing energy.
oO What just happened? Were they made? Oo
Jaseb swiftly pivoted around and approached the entrance, his heart racing with trepidation. A piercing siren and flashing warning lights suddenly filled the air, sending shivers down his spine. It was then that he realized that someone had activated the exhaust system, with both of them still trapped inside. The deafening sound of the roaring exhaust was getting louder by the second, and panic began to set in as they realized that they were running out of time.
Chevalier: Nieran? NIERAN!
The exhaust access hatch slid closed a second too early, trapping them inside. Jaseb peered through the thick glass of the observation port to see the other side, to see Nieran holding a Dominim plasma weapon in his hand, standing over Zarek's lifeless body. Nieran's gaze met Jaseb's, and he looked directly at Jaseb’s face.
Dwayx: You know, the sad thing is you people might’ve really been able to pull this off. ::He shrugged.:: Not that it would’ve made any real difference.
Chevalier: I kill you. I kill you, traitor!
Jaseb took a step back and reached for the battered coilgun that was tucked in his hip bag. He took a fraction of a second to aim the gun right at the observation port and then squeezed the trigger. The coilgun came to life, and the electrifying squeal of the coil confirmed that it had fired. The ODN coupling shattered, breaking one of the many layers of glass that stood between Jaseb and his inevitable death. As he scratched the glass, the web of shattered fragments barely obscured the view through the port.
Nikka: Boss? What’s happening?
There was no chance or time for him to shoot the glass or hatch, which were supposed to withstand thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. Jaseb turned to Nikka and smiled. This was it. They had reached the end of the road. This was the place where they would die. Where he would die.
Jaseb lifted his weapon and pointed it directly at Nikka's scarred face. He couldn't help but feel pity for the boy. Jaseb had come to terms with his own mortality a long time ago; his entire life had been an expectation of death. However, Nikka was so young, with his whole life ahead of him. He didn't understand the concept of a Father's Greater purpose or why someone would willingly lay down their life for something greater than themselves. He had never been conditioned to accept that death was not the end. Nikka was just a scared boy, staring down the barrel of a gun, and wondering if it would hurt. Jaseb didn't have the words to express how sorry he was for what he was about to do. But he knew one thing for certain; they wouldn't die in pain, melted by hot exhausts, boiled alive in some ceramic composite tube...
oO This is it, Jaseb! This all around us is just TPL! There is a way out! Oo
The barrel pointed upwards towards the ceiling while the coilgun fired, altering their fate with each shot. The sound of the gun reverberated through the funnel as Jaseb continued firing, causing further and further damage to the thermal protection layer, which is composed of a solid ceramic composite. Layer after layer quickly began to deteriorate under the intense impacts, peeling away from the ceiling and revealing the rough concrete underneath.
Chevalier: Give me five greens and run!
Nikka: But boss…
Chevalier: ::turns to face Nikka:: I told you, RUN!
The kid handed Jaseb five tubes with green sleeves and quickly ran away from the increasing heat. Jaseb promptly connected the pipes using connectors and inserted his creation into the cracked concrete. The time had come for him to run away, too. The time had come for him to run away, too.
Chevalier: Nikka, BRACE! Heads down, stay down!
The sudden explosion caught Jaseb off guard, and the secondary pressure wave from the directional charge forcefully knocked him to the ground. As he descended down the face, he turned to survey the aftermath. Unbeknownst to Jaseb, the charge detonated directly against the load-bearing wall of the room above, causing an instantaneous rupture that compromised its structural integrity. What initially seemed like a mere breach transformed into a cascading disaster as the room's floor gradually succumbed to gravity and sank into the space below. As Jaseb plummeted, he inadvertently triggered a chain reaction, and the exhaust funnel ceiling collapsed, bringing down the anchored section. The previously tested and strained anchoring finally gave way, and the entire exhaust funnel segment crashed into the corridor. After long seconds of horror, the dust slowly settled, and it covered Jaseb entirely. He looked horrified at the result of his desperate attempt to survive. At that exact moment, Jaseb realized that the sound he heard was not a screeching in his ears, but a battle siren echoing through the corridor below.
Chevalier: Nikka? Nikka?!
The silence interrupted by the screams of the sirens was his answer. Until it didn't.
Nikka: I’m here, boss, two hands, two feet… I’m… Yeah, I’m ok.
Jaseb got up as he heard footsteps approaching behind him. He came to the edge, took a yellow pipe from his bag, and turned its cap before slamming into it, throwing it down into the corridor. The improvised grenade exploded, and the ball bearings flew in all directions, clinking against the concrete below - but Jaseb didn't hear any screams, so he peered over the edge.
Nieran was gone. Console, where he stood before, was broken, and Zarek’s body - shot, crushed, and pierced - was the only witness left.
Nikka: Boss? What will we do, boss? Where is Nieran? What happened?
Jaseb kept looking at the scene below him and didn't answer. For the first time in his life, he didn't have an answer, and for the first time, he didn't know.
TAG/TBC