Ensign Tho'Bi - Slide Don't Slip (Part 1)

[Tobi]

((MAIN BRIDGE, DECK ONE - USS ARTEMIS-A ))

A heavy dull protracted thud shuddered through the very superstructure of the ship and everything dropped into darkness.

…Well not quite.  The soft glow of the Galadoran Scientist shimmered across the bulkheads and blank screens.  Soon enough, standard issue flashlights added to the illumination.  

Given he could see perfectly well in the dark, the young Andorian Engineer lent down and freed the Engineering Tricorder from the stowed Utility Belt.  From deep within her snug, the eyes of the cat watched him, quietly studying him.

Tho’Bi: ::attention on Tricorder::  Everything’s out.

With a reassuring double beep, the Engineering Tricorder synced to the ship’s systems.

Tho’Bi: ::attention on Tricorder:: Bringing battery power online.

From deep within the depth of the mighty ship’s hull, a flat smack sound echoed outwards.  The dull red cast of the emergency lighting washed over the bridge.  Displays snapped back on and began to boot up.  The main viewscreen flickered and stuttered back into life.  The specter of the Orion Dreadnaught returned with reassuring menace.

Jovenan: What happened?

Cole: ::Confused:: That was curious. ::tapping her console::

The Andorian Engineer sat the Tricorder down on the edge of his console and began working the touch-responsive input keys.  At the aft of the bridge, the colorful schematics of the Main System Display had been replaced by an energy-saving cascade of raw data.  The dark blue eyes of the Andorian stationed there tracked across the complex sequences.  

th'Chaorhith: ::turns from the display:: There was a sudden massive power spike.

The young Engineer chased through the datafeeds of EPS hubs, conduits, and connections.  A high speed maze game, played out in the barren landscape of raw data.  Deadend after deadend.  Feedback-fused shield emitters, not the source of the spike.  EPS relays cooled by the exposure to open space, not the source of the spike.  

Tho’Bi: oO Trojan Horse Oo 

The young Engineer sped down highways of code.  Deck 5.  Across open planes of data.  Docking Port.  Twisting through the tight turns of interface logs.  Hook up locked.  The rapid fall of symbols broke up, became spluttered and sporadic, then ceased.   

Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan::  The spike came from the shuttle. 

Jovenan: Shuttle? Which shuttle?

Cole: The one our guests arrived in, they were a Trojan Horse.

The rasping bite of the intercom spat into the ambience.  The human male’s voice was rushed, amped and broken up by the sound of phaser fire. 

Braga: =/\= Bridge, you Copy? ::phaser fire:: The klingons! ::shouting:: They went wild ::phaser fire:: Just started attacking us ::screaming:: It’s like they're out of their minds! =/\=

Udesky tapped upon the limited, but still functional Ops console.  She looked at Jovenan and shook her head.  The intercom was dead.  

From her ruck-snug, the cat let out an anxious, ‘Meow!’  The dark blue eyes of the Andorian Engineer looked down at the cat.  He lent down and rested his hand on the side of the ruck-snug.

Tho’Bi: ::softly::  I got you, little one.  

From below them, through their feet, through the decking and bulkhead, they could feel the distant vibration of impact and phaser blast.

Jovenan: Lieutenant Udensky, we need to have contact with the rest of the ship. Go down, take Crewman th'Chaorhith with you. We need all the hands we’ve got, and you’re more needed there than here.

Udensky: Aye, Commander.

The Andorian Engineer cast a glance aft as the departing bridgecrew reached the doors to the Turbolift.  He offered a nod to his fellow Andorian.

Tho’Bi: ::quiet solemn:: Shaslex n’fellex

The Andorian Tactical officer nodded and returned the sentiment.

th'Chaorhith: Shaslex n’fellex

Udensky pointed at th’Chaorhith.

Udensky: ::drly:: What he said.

Without another word Udensky placed her hand on th’Chaorhith back and gently, but firmly, shepherded him on the Turbolift.  Swoosh!   The doors closed and the Turbolife plummeted down into the lower decks, and the sound of phaser fire, panicked footsteps, and phaser fire. 

Jovenan: Ensign Cole, try to isolate the Klingons. Disable the turbolifts if possible. Ensign Tho’Bi, what’s the status of our other systems?

Cole: Aye Sir

The blue of the Andorian Engineer’s fingers moved swiftly across the input panel.  Raw code cascaded across the screens.   

Tho’Bi: ::attention on screens:: Not much ::shakes head:: Shields and Transporters, Warp and Impulse Drives are all out ::tilts head one way:: we have ::beat:: emergency life support, a few turbolifts, and limited scans and sensors ::looks at Jovenan:: Communications, targeting Systems, and torpedoes are good to go, but phasers ::shakes head:: a few shots.

The blunt tonal grind of proxy voice interjected.

Gnai: Sir - some ships have just departed the base!

The Lieutenant Commander turned on her heel to face the Galadoran Scientist.

 

Jovenan: On screen! Enhance!

The main viewscreen shimmered for a moment.  A ramshackle mess of eight small vessels galloped their way across the darkness.  Though similar in design principle, the constituent parts looked cobbled together from a rough assortment of junkyard and/or black market sources.

The sight of the bodged-together ships would have, no doubt, delighted the young Engineer, had his attention not been fixed on the repeated use of the input code prefix ‘SECSHIELD’, demanding more power from the ship’s limited battery supply, resulting in redlines across numerous systems.  The Andorian did not need the Serial Number ‘NS-118-081’ to guess Ensign Cole was getting creative with shield deployment.

Cole: :squinting:: Are those life pods or shuttles? ::glancing at her console:: Klingons are contained to deck five. Working on coaching them back towards their ride, by rolling them through an impromptu maze of force fields

The Andorian Ensign offered no additional comment.  It was simply not the way with his people.  Ensign Cole was doing her duty.  Now, he had to do his; find more power for the Security Shields.

His fingers moved fast to re-route resources from Turbolifts and Life Support Systems that had been auto-allocated to the areas of the Saucer Section currently exposed to open space.  Easy part done.  

The hull, the superstructure, the bulkheads, they kept the vacuum out, but the ship’s batteries were all that stood between them and the zero kelvin environment of space.  They were the ship’s last gasp, and they did not leave much room to maneuver.

Reluctantly and with a shuddering breath, the young Engineer, scant months out of the Academy, pulled all but the minimum power level from the inertial dampeners to feed the Security Shields.

While it was not his people’s way to comment, Starfleet regulations clearly stated, the officer in command must be informed of any changes to critical systems.

Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan:: Lieutenant Commander, maintaining the Security Shields is draining our power reserves ::beat:: I had to pull from the Inertial Dampeners ::beat:: they’re fine for now, but any bumps ::voice thins out:: we’re going to feel it.  

Just as the soft glow of the Galadoran had provided light when the ship’s power failed, so did the Galadoran provide hope in what seemed an almost hopeless situation.

Gnai: ::excitedly:: It’s them! ::pausing to collect itself:: The furthest ship, there ::pointing to it on the main viewer:: it’s got the missing crew! And a… stowaway?

Jovenan: Can we contact them?

The metallic digits of Galadoran Scientist’s mechanical transport suit tapped inputs into the Science Station Console.  Artemis’ communications array reached out across the vacuum to their friends and fellow crewmembers, aboard the battered old ad hoc cargo hauler; but no voiced response was offered in reply, only the dull fuzz of jamming.

Cole: ::reading her security readouts:: It looks like between security pushing and the rolling force fields, our uninvited guests are back in the hallway outside their transport.

Gnai: Response

Jovenan: Ensign Tho’Bi, we have to keep the Orions’ attention to us and not the away team’s ship. If that means we have to take a bounding, then we take it. Make sure the ship is ready for that!

Though not more advanced, the Orion Dreadnaught loomed over the Artemis with greater firepower, heavier shields and armor.  Given her speed and maneuverability, a fully functional Artemis would, in all likelihood, prevail; but Artemis was far from fully functional.  She was on the last gasp of battery power.

Tho’Bi: ::quiet but deliberate:: With respect Lieutenant Commander, you can not change the laws of physics.

His antennae sensed a sudden movement from at his feet.  The white and black of the cat’s head appeared from the snug of the rucksack.  Green eyes fixed on him.

Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan:: But I will do my best ::bows slightly::

The cat disappeared back into the snug of the rucksack.  He sensed her curl up at the bottom of the bag, and felt her weight resting against his foot.  The Andorian turned his attention to the console in front of him and the problem of restoring auxiliary power.   

As she moved toward the tactical station, Lieutenant Commander Jovenan turned to the Galadoran responsible for the Science Station.

Jovenan: Lieutenant Gnai, earlier my team discovered a relationship between an Orion drug, nanoparticles and a transceiver. If the Klingon party’s behaviour is in any way influenced by the Orions or anyone else, find it, block it or use it!

Gnai: Response

Upon reaching the tactical station, Lieutenant Commander Jovenan leaned closer towards Ensign Cole before speaking.

Jovenan: Ensign Cole, about your earlier suggestion. What would it require to make the Orions think we’ve got backups coming?

The Ensign smiled.

((OOC: Part Two Coming Up!

Cat action has been checked with Beky.

‘Shaslex n’fellex’ is an Andorian expression which literally means, ‘Slide don’t Slip’ and is used to invoke a sentiment of ‘Good Luck’.  I’ll add it to the SB118Wiki once this Sim is live.))

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Ensign Tho’Bi

Engineering

USS Artemis-A

A240203T11