LtCmdr Salkath - She Handles Like a '57 Type-6 Shuttlecraft
Salkath
((Main Engineering, Deck 15 - USS Artemis))
Salkath: Now we begin in earnest.
It must have been a sight to any and all who wandered through their dank corner of Main Engineering. Here was a grimy Vulcan, wearing eye protection and no end of grease stains, wielding a cutter in one hand and a welder in the other. He appeared to be mutely conversing with a jellyfish in an improbable and out-of-place water tank smack dab in the midst of the beating heart of the ship. The tank was photonic and forcefields, the water was replicated, and the jellyfish was very much real. And as much as the whole ensemble was out of place, it was essential for the task at hand.
For the jellyfish must be made mobile again!
Ensign Gnai had lost its protective exoskeletal containment suit during the ordeals of Frontier Day, and Lieutenant Commander Salkath had been entrusted by it to assist in building a replacement. The two had worked previously on mapping and testing the parameters of the Galadoran's suit, so it was logical for them to work together again. There was a lot of proprietary and one-off technology involved in Gnai's suit, so the two were almost reinventing it as they went along.
As they worked, the engineer was acutely aware how important it was for them to get it right the first time. This device would maintain Gnai's health and wellbeing in a hostile environment as it went about its normal duties. The suit had to be an extension of its tentacles, its mind. Salkath did not have to consciously think about where to place his foot as he walked or to make his fingers clench around a tool. Neither did Gnai need that level of barrier to its everyday life. He took this responsibility as seriously as any other oath he had sworn.
It certainly helped that the telepathic link they were using was so... expressive. It was not common for Vulcans to mind meld, though they were prepared to use their touch telepathy if necessary. Telepathy simply wasn't a part of normal everyday life for your average Vulcan. Yet, the granular detail that Gnai was able to impart on Salkath was immensely helpful. One could vocalize complex, adjective-laden descriptors spanning minutes just to describe one component. Or, one could convey shape, size, feel, in an organically intuitive way. The way the designs were conveyed were almost emotional, so it had a slightly icky feeling to Salkath, however he was willing to endure it due to the obvious utility it provided.
The ebb and flow of fabrication and construction meant that time was immaterial; they worked together at fevered pace and at casual pace depending on the particular task at hand. Neither had anything more pressing at the moment than the success of their endeavor, so they poured all their efforts into the suit. And eventually, their efforts paid dividends. The suit took form, fleshed out with components and framework, until the device was nearly ready for habitation.
Nearly, but not quite.
Gnai: ::taking a look over all that has been created so far:: ~ Commander Salkath… I ::partial:: think we ::partial:: are almost done? ~
The engineer rubbed his hands on a rag to clear off the worst of the grease and grime. Only a sonic washstation would do better, but that would need to wait a little longer yet.
Salkath: Yes, I concur. ::standing back to survey their work:: It certainly looks serviceable.
So boastful, Salkath. The telepathic link must be leaking emotional overload. Harrumph.
Gnai: ~ Yes… I ::partial:: was wondering… Do you think there will be enough transparent aluminum to be salvaged from the ship? Or will it need to be replicated? Is there enough energy to spare? ~
If ever there was a book written on Vulcan nonverbal communication, chapters 3 through 47 would be dedicated to the eyebrow. Twitch it just so, it means thus, tweak it a millimeter or so that way, it meant the opposite. This particular brow-based expression of Salkath's conveyed mild amusement, anticipation, and, daresay, impishness.
Salkath: Stand by one moment.
The engineer walked around the corner to a storage alcove out of sight from where they had been working. An object on a null grav cart sat shrouded, with a sign upon it sternly admonishing any bypassers against touching it, else they be covertly added to Capt MacKenzie's list of potential airlockers. He was a programming engineer, he could totally do it. Salkath 'wheeled' the cart around the corner to stand before the alcove, whereby he removed the cover with just a little bit of flourish to reveal a transparent aluminum dome. It was shaped to exacting standards, ready to fit within the exoskeleton they had just built. It also was ready to receive the various ports and attachments necessary to ensure Gnai could move in, out, and within it as it had before.
Salkath: It has been arranged.
Gnai: response
Salkath: When I was tasked with repairing the captain's ready room, there was still some warped portions of the viewport attached to the outer hull. Though it had suffered explosive decompression and embedded wooden shards, I was able to salvage enough to cast into the shape and quality of containment vessel you require.
Why wooden shards? Who knew? It was easy enough to remove such impurities from the metal, at least.
Gnai: response
Salkath: Allow me to complete the final assembly, and then we will be done.
Both had been meticulous; all the components were organized for easy and orderly retrieval and installation. Compared to earlier grunt work, this was relatively easy and soothing. Before long, the entire suit was completed, and with Gnai's nonverbal guidance, the heuristic controls were brought online. Salkath positioned the suit so that the port to enter it was next to the recreated one in the alcove's tank, and he made the final interlock connection.
Gnai: response
Salkath: ::with a satisfied nod:: All that is left to do is take it for a 'test drive'. ::with a shrug:: Do not ask, it is a human term, and we all know how irrational they are with their abuse of Federation Standard.
Gnai: response
TAG/TBC