Ensign Jaran Jira - When A Breath Is A Rest
Jira Jaran
(( Karnack Engineering - Deck 4 - USS Karnack))
K'Wara: That’s our cue. Jaran, grab the engineering kit and get into that shaft. Imril, can you come up with anything to make sure the Things can’t take a whack at the core while we’re away?
Imril: Well, first, I can close the emergency bulkhead…
They tapped at their console and the heavy bulkhead slid into place.
Imril: Second, I can lock the access to bulkhead controls down with an encrypted access code, double-randomized…
Imril: Third… ::Devious grin:: I can set Main Engineering’s Crew Comfort setting to Winter in The Yukon. Or even all the way down to Andorian Summer.
The hum from the vents changed frequency ever so slightly, and Jira felt the cold air on their skin. It felt like an oil slick, and they recoiled.
Jaran: That’s awful. Can we move, please?
Cole input a few commands.
Cole: My codes should help remove some obstacles.
K’Wara: Do it. ::to Cole:: Nat, you bring up the rear once Imril’s down. Make sure to shoot those things between the eyes if they poke their heads in before you close the hatch.
Natasha nodded and walked over between Imril and the door. She drew her phaser and held it to her side keeping her eyes focused on the door.
Jira felt the howls coming from the corridor as much as they heard them.
Cole: Time to go pardner!
Imril: This train doesn’t make stops.
Jaran: I am freezing to death out here! Please tell me it’s warmer in there.
K’Wara: I know. ::hisses:: Move quickly. The cold won’t follow us past the perimeter of Main Engineering.
Natasha lifted her phaser aiming at the door. Stepping backwards towards Imril ushering them towards the jeffries tube.
Cole: Move. Now.
The security officer was fully in security mode as they entered. Her voice said she was watching Jira and Imril as much as she was watching the door. That phaser was ready for any threat.
Then the Thing stepped into the room. No fanfare, just a mass of Creature appearing.
They ducked in and heard the rest follow.
Cole: I’ve got the door.
=/\= chirp =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= This is Captain MacKenzie - can anyone hear me? =/\=
Jira’s eyes went wide. That was a surprise to hear.
K’Wara: Wha- ::taps combadge:: =/\= LT K’Wara here? =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= What's your status, Lieutenant? We're pinned down in the armory and could use a distraction for the dark things... =/\=
Jaran: Who isn’t pinned down at this point?
K’Wara: They must be inside the shield bubble around Main Engineering... But this can’t be good for the power systems, coupled with the atmospheric adjustments Imril just made. ::taps combadge:: =/\= We’re working on shielding Decks 1 to 3 in a modified shield, and then we’ll move to the Shuttlecraft Control Room to work on the Deflector and forward thrusters. Main Engineering’s warded against the Things, for now. Imril’s turned the temperature down far enough the Things should be thinking thrice about going in there, but it won’t work forever. =/\=
Jira heard the sound of phaser fire, then Cole’s voice.
Cole: GO!
K’Wara: Welcome. We’re running out of time - the Captains’ team need that shield up, now.
Cole: I heard, at least that's some spark of good news.
Jaran: We’ll take all of that we can get right now.
Imril: Glad you made it. ::Passing the Chief Engineer’s padd to Cole:: The access code to reopen the warpcore bulkhead is on this. You’re the only one of us who hasn’t gone through the transporter. You should be the only one who sees it. So the rest of us can’t be made to commit any sabotage.
She took the PADD from Imril, nodding slightly.
Cole: I will not let that happen.
K’Wara and Jira joined the others at the relay.
K’Wara: It’s these ones. ::hands a torque wrench to the Doctor:: Here, take this.
Jira accepted the wrench.
Jaran: Not a scalpel, but I’ll do the best I can do with it.
Imril gestured to an arcane array of tubes and wires.
Imril: ::Speaking while they disengage a manual lock with a torque wrench:: See those two junction tubes? We just have to rotate them to move the backup relays into place. ::Steps back, points:: Me and Jira on one, K’Wara and Cole on the other. ::Reaching out to a cylinder:: On three… One… Two… Three!
K’Wara: Pull!
Cole: ::through gritted teeth:: Move you stubborn piece of …
Jira pulled on the wrench as hard as they could.
Jaran: ::grunting between words:: 25th century technology, and everything still sticks.
After a few moments of exertion, they were no longer bathed in darkness, but in the bright blue lighting of power coursing through transparent cables. The humming around them intensified as the shield emitter powered on. Tamio quickly rushed to the nearby console at the same time as Imril did.
Imril: ::Fist pump:: Yes! We have a shield! Wrapped around the whole warp core!
Cole tapped at a PADD idly.
K’Wara: And- ::accesses console:: In two shakes, around Decks 1 to 3 too. ::clicks tongue:: We’re running out of power reserves. That stunt with the combadges drained a lot of it, and the atmospheric manipulations in Main Engineering isn’t cheap either.
Cole:With the physical barrier for the Warp Core in place, if it comes down to it, we might need to sacrifice the atmospheric barrier.
Jira could felt the agitation at the frigid temperature in Main Engineering, and knew that the tactic was working for now.
Jaran: That would be a shame. It seems to be pretty effective.
Imril: Response
K’Wara: We may need to repurpose some other systems for extra power, but that should be doable from the Shuttlecraft Control Room. ::enters the final sequence and breathes out::
Cole:Try routeing non-essential systems into standby, lighting at minimum output, environmental cycling on staggered intervals. If anything spikes, we’ll feel it before it cascades.
Cole paused briefly and looked at the group.
Cole: What? Grandpa Dorian was an engineer.
Imril: Response
K’Wara: Nothing like the feeling of humming bulkheads underneath your feet. Okay, it’s time to go.
Jaran: I’m as ready as I’m going to be.
Imril: Response
Cole: I’ll cover the rear. We move as one. No one doubles back alone. If anyone feels that… pull… you call it out immediately.
That Pull. The call of the dark and wild. Jira knew it was there all the time, if they were being honest. They knew where the Things were right now. They could point right at them. But they didn’t control Jira’s actions. Not yet.
Cole: We’re too close to lose ground now.
K’Wara/Imril: Response
Cole: Let’s move.
Jira follows the rest of the team, with Cole at the rear.
Cole: I’m good.
Jira turns their head slightly and looks back. No one says they’re good unless there’s a reason they might not be.
Jaran: ::to Cole:: Everything good back there?
Cole/K’Wara/Imril: Response
Jira reminded themself that, slow and horrifying transformation into a creature of darkness and death aside, everyone here had been undergoing constant stress to their body and mind. It was a testament to the kind of person that finds themselves in Starfleet that they were all still functioning as well as they were. A twinge in their leg reminded Jira that they weren’t immune to normal pains.
Jaran: I can’t wait to give each and every one of us a full physical exam the first chance I get. Hopefully I don’t have to learn any new anatomy in the process.
Cole/K’Wara/Imril: Response
Cole was still a concern in spite of the momentarily levity. The team really couldn’t afford to to stop, but they also couldn’t run the risk of the one relatively stable person stumbling from exhaustion.
Jaran: When was the last time anyone here had a decent sleep? It’s been… well, it feels like ages for me.
Cole/K’Wara/Imril: Response
That settled it. The risks were outweighed by the necessity.
Jaran; With everyone’s permission, I would like to suggest that I administer some safe and hangover-free stimulants. We can’t afford to slow down right now, and this is a textbook case for why I have them in this medkit at all. I will insist that I also give metabolic stabilisers to everyone but Cole, however. It should counteract any effect the stimulants have on… our little issue.
Cole/K’Wara/Imril: Response
Tags/TBC
Ensign Jaran Jira