LtCmdr Jovenan – This better count as therapy
Jovenan
((Jefferies tube, Deck 4, USS Karnack))
Creating heat was easy. In matter of fact, millennia worth of engineers’ labour was solely dedicated to avoiding creating heat. Civilisations rose and fell depending on if they could figure out lubrication to avoid friction, cooling systems to transfer heat away, and more efficient mechanisms to put objects into motion or to make them compute things. It was the creation of coldness that was far more difficult. Michael Faraday, while studying the same electromagnetic principles that ended up vital for Jovenan and her friends’ survival, had tried to create an alternative for storing food in a cabinet with a block of ice harvested during the winter. It wasn’t him who had formulated the theory behind the refrigeration, nor was he the one to successfully manufacture one, but once again, those centuries old discoveries were going to save them.
Jovenan turned the small CO2 extinguisher in her hands. The green gleam of the chemlights reflected from its metallic surface, obscuring the image into mere lines. The creatures didn’t like cold – this simple device would freeze their toes off.
Jovenan: Seems to be intact. ::hands the extinguisher over:: It creates a stream and a cloud of very cold gas, but it has a limited range, and it won’t stop the momentum. If the predator is jumping or running towards you, it might collide with you before it realises it’s hurting.
Lt Storm accepted the canister from her before passing it to Bancroft. They had learnt that Dark Things like heat and dislike cold water, so although they were yet to see what effect cold stream of carbon dioxide would do to them, Jovenan imagined it was an effective weapon nonetheless. It might not outright kill one or even stun it like a phaser would, but it would give them time to run away. Maybe. Hopefully.
Storm: So we need something to slow them down before they get to us, giving us the advantage. That might be possible.
Silveira: We pick our spot to make a stand. We might have enough places to ambush it.
Bancroft: ::nodding:: There’s more than enough debris in those corridors to turn them against what might hunt us. We won’t lack for obstacles.
True, they could hide behind debris or even build a small barricades to fortify their positions if needed, and even things like corners could slow down the attackers. It was just a matter of how much they could get done while also hiding and avoiding the predators. She turned to their two tactical officers. Even if roaming around the ship while searching for/avoiding intruders was closer to what she would have expected from the security department, she had no doubt their tactical insight would be invaluable right now.
Jovenan: What’s next? We need to start working on our actual task, but is it better to wait until the predators find us, or do we, um, start hunting for them or luring them with fire or something?
Storm: I’ll defer to Commander Silveria’s expertise, but I think we need at least one or two more of those extinguishers before we do anything.
Silveira: I agree, I would rather not risk it failing or run out of juice quickly.
Bancroft: We’ll need at least one apiece. No one should be caught empty-handed if something shows up.
Jovenan nodded. If the circumstances were closer to the normal, they wouldn’t have relied on just one of them wielding a phaser. With any other intruder to their ship before – okay, maybe not the taco viruses – they had needed to take cover due to the risk of getting shot. So in a way, the predators were easier; at least the Dark Things weren’t shooting at them… yet. It wasn’t a lot, but it was difficult to find any other silver lining in being chased by beasts.
Storm: My concern is that if we try to attract them, we might get a whole lot more than we can handle. If we only had one opening to defend, it would be more possible, but with an entire corridor and four holes in the outer walls? That’s a lot of ground to defend, and we could end up with a friendly fire scenario, even. Or do you disagree, Commander?
Silveira: No, not at all. That’s why we need to find a good place to set up. We know one is out there. But there could be more.
Bancroft: Agreed.
Jovenan: So what do we do instead?
Storm: The first tactical rule of thumb before planning a major offensive is to have solid intel. That’s just not something we can get in this case. We’re walking blind.
Jovenan raised an eyebrow. She agreed, of course, that going in blind was a venture doomed to fail, but she didn’t quite grasp how they were going to be gathering intelligence of their enemies. Sending someone to scout for their position sounded like an awful idea, and they couldn’t exactly tap into their communication network either. All they had were their eyes and ears, and Lt Storm’s telepathy, which while giving them an early warning, might serve to incapacitate her. That wasn’t much of a basis for a successful intel operation.
Silveira: I know, but we can’t really run a proper recon, we will need to adapt and improvise.
Bancroft: We may not be as blind as we think. ::glancing at Storm:: As long as we stay tight, nothing will sneak up on us.
Jovenan: Even if we can’t keep an eye on them, we can do reconnaissance on the ship. See where our escape routes are, where they lead, such things.
Storm: I think our best bet is if we can get the majority of the holes closed up quickly, and there was only one way they could come at us, then we could try to draw them into an ambush, but not before then. That would be suicide.
They remained silent for a moment. Jovenan lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment. Suppose it would be. The guilt of hiding in the Jefferies tubes and leaving their colleagues alone in the engineering with the creatures kept telling her that she should do something predators now, but she had to trust her team on this one. They wouldn’t be much of a help to anyone if they were to fail their task and get eaten by the Dark Things.
Storm: And dying today doesn’t fit into my schedule.
Silveira: Not today… Neither tomorrow. And we will get this box match of a ship back up there, even if we have to grow wings and push it.
If she wasn’t as terrified and anxious as she was, Jovenan might have enjoyed his humour more and picture what it would look like to try and push the ship off the ground. Instead, she just let out a sharp exhale through her nose.
Jovenan: We have a plan, then.
Silveira: OK, first get a few more of these. At least two more. ::He looked around, searching for another node:: Then I say we follow Lieutenant Storm's plan. We get the stuff and start welding down the holes. Always keeping surveillance and safe. The more we close the less they come.
Move as a group. That had worked on the Frontier Day too, and although there was not much in common between the tactics and strategy employed by the Borg and the Dark Things, they were not too different in any other sense. The latter might not have had ranged weapons, but both were more than able to tear any of them apart. Richards might have been lucky to survive punching a Borg drone, but Jovenan wasn’t going to test if the same would work for the Dark Things as well.
Silveira: If you agree, Commander.
Jovenan raised her gaze to Vitor, who had turned to look at her. Neither of them had been assigned explicitly as the team leader, but she was more than happy to give him the say in the tactical aspects of their task.
Jovenan: You give the order, Commander.
After Vitor gave each of them a nod, they resumed crawling through the tubes. Jovenan wondered how good hearing did the predators have; would they hear the noise the team inevitably made when they moved their knees, feet and hands long the metallic flooring? Did the Dark Things already have better intelligence on them, or would they be able to evade them regardless? However it was, they didn’t seem to be willing or able to join them in the tubes, and the team were allowed to continue further in peace. This time it didn’t take them long to find the next node.
Silveira: I am not sure if our little climb has brought us to deck three yet. Do any of you got a better look at the Karnack’s deck plant?
Bancroft: ::pointing:: Looks like we’re still on 4. That’s good news - not far to go to get back.
Storm: Then let’s get moving, so we can get back and get started.
They opened hatch to the equipment closet and pulled out another extinguisher. Outwardly, it didn’t look like much more than a metallic tube, and in fairness, that was pretty much what it was. After the week with nothing but rocks and non-responsive Starfleet electronics, having something so simple yet so functional felt like a relief.
Jovenan: This one seems good as well. It takes a lot to damage them.
Without a warning, Vitor winced and closed his eyes as if something had hit him. Jovenan flinched, trying to see what had happened to him, but before she could rush – rush by crawling in the tight space, however that was possible – to him, he had already raised his head. Something had happened to him, even if Jovenan couldn’t see what, but she knew that it was something serious. Something… dark.
Silveira: I’m OK… Just a flashback or something… That transporter might have done a number on me, but we have things to do. Let’s move we got to plank these holes and kick some Things up if they bother us again.
He was downplaying it. Jovenan wished she could tell him to sit back and not come with them, but that was contrary to their plan; they needed him. She needed him. Not just that, but she didn’t even try to stop him also because if she did, she feared that he might lose what made him him. No matter how the chemlight drew shadows to his face and distorted it to something inhuman, he was still himself: he was being brave and strong, even if he was breaking down, he was still doing it for the others and for himself. Maybe she was overthinking it, but shielding Vitor Stone Silveira from the world wasn’t going to be the correct course of action, even if she wanted to do just that.
Carrying on, they retrieved more extinguisher before returning to the place where they had started. As Bancroft prepared to open the locking mechanism, Jovenan glanced over at Storm to see if her telepathy would give them a hint of what waited behind the door. So far, nothing indicated danger.
Bancroft: Ready? Steady?
Storm: I don’t sense them nearby. We should be clear.
Jovenan: Good, but if you see something moving besides us, don’t hesitate to use the extinguisher and retreat. They’re fast. We can analyse the situation from here afterwards.
Silveira: Response
While Bancroft turned the wheel slowly and lifted the hatch, Jovenan squeezed the nozzle of her extinguisher. She wasn’t going to be using it for as long as the others were in front of her and she didn’t see anything to shoot, but keeping a tight hold of her weapon made feel just a bit more prepared. Even if she knew it made no difference.
The four officers exited the tube and entered back into the corridor, now silent and seemingly empty. Despite her readiness, Jovenan didn’t need to fire the extinguisher, but she also didn’t put it down. She turned her head sharply from side-to-side, like she would do if she had been holding a phaser instead.
Bancroft: ::whispering:: I suggest we work in pairs – one repairing, the other watching the other’s back with an extinguisher ready.
Jovenan nodded; that was acceptable. They could work faster without putting down their guards. Lt Storm had already turned to the closest rupture and was addressing Bancroft.
Storm: Why don’t we work on this hole?
Jovenan: That’ll leave us, Commander. ::to others:: Let’s work fast and meet in the middle.
Silveira: Response
Leaving the two junior officers to work on the first hole, Jovenan took one of the repair kits with the torches and visors with her and moved with Vitor to the furthest major rupture in the corridor. She was pleased that she got Vitor of all of them to protect her – it felt right – but it also meant that she could keep an eye on him as well. By the looks of it, Storm was already preparing to weld in the first metal sheet, while Bancroft was keeping watch. Jovenan would have expected them to take the roles other way around, but she supposed it made sense. There was a chance the predators’ mental abilities could hurt Storm, which might make her unable to fight. She wondered if she should take the watch duty from Vitor, but she didn’t think she was would be doing better than him. She didn’t trust herself to tell imaginary movement from real one.
((OOC: I’m including the dialogue between Bancroft and Storm in here, even if Jovenan can’t hear them/isn’t actively listening to all of it.))
Bancroft: ::whispered:: Let’s make quick work of this. The others are counting on us.
Storm: Well, we can’t let them down, can we?
The rupture’s edges were sharp and irregular. One could see a mouth of a creature in its shape, with teeth and the black maw where the darkened sky’s dim light made through. Jovenan covered as much as she could with a metal sheet and ignited the blowtorch. Although it wasn’t anywhere her speciality, this wasn’t her first time doing this; she could find the skill from somewhere in her backbone. More than that, she could reduce the performance stress by reminding herself that she didn’t need to do perfect job or pretty job, just something passable. They could fix their work once off the planet if needed. Lifting her shield, she inspected her first welded seam.
Jovenan: Vitor… How do you feel? I’m sorry about the transporter. I shouldn’t have used it on you, but… I don’t think I could have chosen the other option either. Whichever I chose was the bad option.
Silveira: Response
She lowered the shield again and continued attaching the metal sheet over the hole. She wasn’t sure how much she’d need to do to guarantee it held. The pressure would be working for them, but that made her only question if the sheet itself would start to buckle and tear. She might need to add more sheets partially over it, overlapping, or that she should use bulkier parts.
Storm: Let’s see if we can get all four of these closed up in less than an hour.
Bancroft: Response
Done with the first sheet, she lifted the shield again and started looking for a new sheet to use. The floor had plenty of debris, but she tried also to pick those that she imagined would hold. Adding a plug wouldn’t work if it could just slip through the hole and vanish into the space if they got there. When they got there.
Jovenan: I, um, I wanted you to know I bought you a Christmas present. From Ferenginar. I went there with Commander Munro. Uh, not just for you, but you were the reason I even thought of that. It’s a bit late now.
Silveira: Response
Storm: I need you to hold this with me, while I weld it into place. It’s too heavy for me to hold and weld at the same time.
Bancroft: Response
The work was advancing, but too slowly. The method of using small, interlacing sheets was probably structurally very sound and strong, but Jovenan felt like she was wasting a lot of her time and their resources on something that had supposed to be a quick run. She peeked over to Lt Storm, who has used a much larger sheet and was almost done. Turning back, she quickly finished the second sheet and moved on with the third one, which she positioned so that it covered most of the hole, even if it was going to have to take more pressure than the two first ones.
Jovenan: Vitor… are you terrified?
Silveira: Response
Storm: How’s it going down there?
The shout came over the noise of the torch. Jovenan looked at her work and the welded edges that were slowly turning to dim shade of red as the metal cooled down. She hadn’t realised she was sweating with the heat of the torch, but once she paused her work, the chill from the outside rolled over her and made her almost shiver.
Jovenan: Half way done with the first hole! Watch out, the heat might attract them here!
Bancroft/Silveira/Storm: Response
A little more. She figured she’d get away by wedging the next sheet between the two earlier and only welding where the air could get out. There was going to be some leakage anyway, no matter how much they worked, since the random metal sheets and some welding done in the darkness while being chased by monsters wasn’t exactly up to the standards of Starfleet Engineering. The ship’s structure had bigger issues anyway.
Jovenan: I’m terrified. Mostly for you. For what changes are happening. If we get out. But, um, I’ve also been terrified this whole time, before we even encountered the Dark Things. I’ve been imagining things, seeing movement at the corner of my eye or hearing people whispering. It didn’t start here either, but on the Frontier Day. This happens every time when I’m somewhere dark and restrictive. I haven’t been able to trust what I see or hear. I… I just wanted you to know. In case I start shouting but there’s nothing there.
At this point, she was just rambling. She didn’t think she would have normally done so, but having just Vitor near her meant that she could speak more openly, something she couldn’t really do with her subordinates in the cave, no matter how close she felt to them after the week. She could trust him.
Silveira/Bancroft/Storm: Response
Jovenan: Okay, I’m done here. Let’s move to the next hole in the middle.
Silveira/Bancroft/Storm: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11