Ensign D'tin Breys - Peeling Layers

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Bea S

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May 5, 2026, 3:14:14 PM (5 days ago) May 5

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(( Hazardous Materials Lab, Deck 11 – USS Artemis-A ))

After somehow lucking past the first layer of shielding, new problems were only just starting to arise. The container was covered in what seemed like intentional damage. They couldn’t make any progress unless someone who knew more about stress fractures than her could fix this.

Breys: Tarsan’s the Engineer, could you might be able to find a way to brace the area? If that is our only way in.

Tarsan: Yes I think with a precisely focused forcefield we could strengthen it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s designed to self-destruct rather than let us get to the contents, so we’ll need to go slow.

Cole: Gavrin, if you can brace it without stressing the rest of the casing, that buys us options. If not, say so fast and we change our approach.

The lack of optimism in Cole’s voice concerned D’tin, of course Tarsan had it under control, that’s what the job was about.

Tarsan: We’re good Lieutenant, we have the technology we need.

Silveira: That’s why I picked this place.

It was definitely a good place for things to go wrong. While they talked this over, Bancroft established additional protections in case the five of them were wanting to be included in the list of survivors.

Bancroft: Safety protocols are in place.

A flash of light on the scan readout showed that something was buried under the data she had collected, more information, more safety moving forwards.

Breys: I'd advise being careful. The good news is my scans of the outer casing seem accurate. The bad news is, they shielded it better than my scan of the outer casing shows. I'm going to have to recalibrate the scanners to see past the inner layer.

Cole: We’re not opening a container. We’re interrupting someone else’s plan.

When you’re trained to prepare for being shot and exploded, D’tin guessed you expected adversarial intent at all turns.

Silveira: Not necessarily Lieutenant. It might have already served its purpose.

Bancroft: The local Da’al guard did mention that it hadn’t been there long. A day, perhaps. No more than that. Long enough to stage, connect, stabilize, or conceal something.

Breys: I don’t like the idea that this is new, new can mean unstable.

Cole: We’ve made it this far without detonating, contaminating, or vaporizing anything. Let’s protect that streak.

Tarsan finished establishing the forcefield emitter, and gave a sharp nod.

Tarsan: I think we’ve got it, it’s as braced as we’re going to be able to get it without a full shielding array.

Silveira: Well done Ensign. Carry on then.

Bancroft: I’ll be a second set of eyes for you, Gavrin.

Cole: Good. Quiet hands, clear heads, and no guessing.

oO Clear heads. Right. Focus on your task, not your thoughts. Oo

This wasn’t working.

Silveira: Just out of curiosity does it still read any power? It was attached to a hybridized drive?

Bancroft: There is an internal power source, yes. Rapidly depleting. Battery backup, perhaps, though it isn't behaving like one that merely keeps the lid shut. It’s maintaining something.

Cole: That means opening it wrong doesn’t just damage the container. It could destroy the point of the container.

The bright spot Breys found started to make sense. She scaled it up and increased sensor resolution in the area.

Breys: I’m seeing the signature too, it’s barely coming through, but the resolution of our scanners can see it.

Tarsan: Response

Silveira: I wonder what is it’s function.

Bancroft: My first instinct would be preservation. My second would be concealment. Given today’s general theme, I hesitate to develop a third.

Breys: Concealment would make the most sense, their shielding methods already imply they’re hiding something.

Bancroft: It may be worth having an external source ready before we finish opening it. If the internal cell collapses while the contents are still depending on it, we may lose whatever state it is preserving. Or whatever trace was left behind when the state was interrupted.

Cole: Then we do it in sequence. External power ready first, before the next seal.

D’tin saw Cole go to hand a power transfer unit from the table to Tarsan.

Cole: Here. If this thing starts dying, I’d rather we’re ready before it gets problematic.

Breys: This thing was eating power from a singularity core, are we sure a normal power unit will be enough?

Tarsan: Response

This felt like a great way for everything to go wrong, attempting to stabilize the power with Federation tech.

Silveira: Curious…

Bancroft: Alright, that is one seal down. ::patting himself down once, clinically:: All major appendages accounted for. How many more?

Cole: However many it is, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Her scans of the outer casing were coming through in clear detail now, there was only a little more work to do before the next step reared its ugly head.

Breys: It seems like the outer casing shows one more “seal” on it, I’m pretty sure whatever is inside will be in a secure container as well though.

Tarsan/Silveira: Response

Bancroft: Everything looks stable on my end. Breys? Tarsan? Nat?

Cole: Looks stable enough to continue. Not stable enough to get comfortable.

Breys: My adjustments should be getting me a clearer view of the internal parts, but the power source is growing more dim on my scans. I can’t see anything without the radiation of the source to contrast against.

Tarsan/Silveira: Response

A small alert flashed red in the corner of Breys’s eye.

Bancroft: Internal power is reaching critical depletion. Whatever it’s holding together, hiding, or remembering, it’s running out of time. Is the backup supply ready?

Cole: Backup first. Then the next seal. Let's not let the mysterious box make the decisions.

Breys: I think I see a spot we can pipe it in right… here. The conduits are made for Romulan tech but I think you can make it fit.

She honestly had no idea if it would fit, but Tarsan already proved he was more than confident.

Tarsan/Silveira/Bancroft: Response

As Breys worked, the entire room was about to screech to a halt with a sudden jerk of Cole’s hand.

Cole: Wait. Something in there just shifted.

The aforementioned hand was raised, palm out.

While Cole inspected, well, something with the box, it was clear that there was a delicate operation ongoing.

Tarsan/Silveira/Bancroft: Response

Cole: Grandpa Dorian used to say the worst machines were the polite ones. The ones that kept working right up until they decided not to. This feels like one of those.

Cole looked from the group to the box, and back.

Due to the previous discussion, Tarsan was the closest person to D’tin. She wasn’t sure whether she was directing her next statement to him or not.

Breys: ::quietly:: What is she doing?

Tarsan/Silveira/Bancroft: Response

Breys: May I ask what you are doing, sir?

Cole: Response

The Ensign quietly went back to reconfiguring the sensor array they had established in the room. She did this from her PADD so as to not disturb Cole.

Breys: You don’t have to do that alone. I think I can help from here. I can give you a higher resolution image of what you’re working with as the scanning frequencies slide into place.