pNPC Ensign So'Mior - Complications
Jamie LeBlanc
((USS Constitution B - Astrometrics Lab))
So’Mior would be the first to admit that he was not especially good at thinking ‘outside of the box.’ He quite liked his box, thankyouverymuch, and he could become an expert of what was inside.
But just because he didn’t favor it did not mean he could not do it. And with SydT’s prompting, So’Mior put his mind to it, and started to approach the problem as if he was an engineer, not a rock nerd.
So'Mior: Can you activate a second beam and cross the two? That should amplify the particle effect and increase the rate of particle cleaning.
SydT: I can. ::Her blue fingers flew across the console as she brought the second beam online.::
So’Mior: I can control the second one if you like, but you’ll need to guide me.
SydT: I can do that. ::She motioned for the Vulcan to take a place at the console next to her.::
So’Mior stepped forward, taking the spot beside her, focusing on the panel before him.
So'Mior: The beam is active. Waiting on your signal.
SydT: Just bring the beam towards mine. ::She watched the two beams.::
He found the controls were reasonable easy to operate, but he was not as practiced as SydT. He wondered if she had any background in helm – a subject So’Mior had avoided as much as possible. There was something about flying around at high speeds that unsettled him.
These controls felt a bit like the shuttle simulator in the helm 101 course at the Academy – the required one he had to pass.
So'Mior: I am moving the beam to location 48 Alpha…
He trailed off taking in a sharp breath. This took more focus than he expected as the bam surged forward with a slight touch.
SydT: Easy on the speed.
He nodded, knowing he needed to adjust.
So'Mior: Slowing… we are reaching the meeting point in less than thirty seconds.
It felt warmed in the room. Perceptibly warmer. Vulcan was a planet where most of the ecosystems ran dry and hot. So’Mior’s maternal Vulcan family was from a far northern mountainous part of Vulcan where the summers ran hot, and the winters ran cold and dry. So he was a bit more sensitive to shifts in temperature.
Still, it was not a large enough chance to worry. Yet.
SydT: Just take it slow. I'm not sure what will happen when the beams cross.
He did not know either. Theory said that if they crossed the power would amplify and that should remove the Chrondite effectively. But would it have any other effects?
So'Mior: I believe I have tightened the control and I can maintain this pace. I am headed for the target point.
SydT: Good. Easy.
They worked together in silence for a few moments. It was a comfortable partnership of two capable officers – that was the good part.
The uncomfortable silence was that worry about what would come after they attempted the maneuver. Worry was illogical, but So’Mior was still very aware that there were outcomes he could not guess nor prepare for.
So'Mior: I have reached the target point and I am ready to cross the beams on your signal.
SydT: Ready yourself.
And as illogical as it was, So’Mior found himself holding his breath was the beams both eased into one another, touching before fully merging.
The hull lit up with a pulse of energy and in a spectacular displace of tiny shimmering particles, the remaining Chrondite broke free of the hull and was repelled in a puff, like blowing the seeds off a dandelion.
SydT: Looks good. ::She smiled.:: What's our readout?
So'Mior: Power levels are critically high, we are reaching 1.2% on the Gamma Radiation. However, the level of Chrondite on the hull is at less than 8% and dropping. If we can maintain the crossed beams we should be able to scrub the entire hull in the next minute.
SydT: Then we have to be very careful.
So'Mior: We do. I will continue to monitor the radiation levels.
He caught SydT tugging at her collar out of the corner of his eye.
SydT: Does it feel warm in here? ::She pulled at the collar of her uniform.::
He nodded.
So'Mior: It does. I estimate the temperature has risen by 3 degrees in the last five minutes.
SydT: ?
So’Mior: With two beams activated, and significant energy going to heating the hull, it seems that the excess heat is being filtered into the ship’s vents and atmospheric control. We are at one of the epicenters of control.
He did not think it was radiation – he hoped it was the natural effects of the work they were doing. But So’Mior was worried if the temperature kept climbing that they would need to evacuate the Astrometrics Lab.
SydT: ?
So’Mior: Thirty more seconds of concentrated crossing of the particle beams should get the Chrondite level to beneath 2%, and that should be enough to raise shields. Are you able to maintain your position?
The heat was very perceptible now. So’Mior could feel it, but he was not overly affected by it due to his Vulcan biology being adapted to extreme heat and extreme cold.
But he was not aware of how SydT would handle it. Both Andorians and Klingons were hearty species, one tolerant of cold, the other tolerant of heat. He was not a xenobiologist and he could not assume anything about hybrid biology.
SydT: ?
So’Mior: Stay steady, let me know if you are feeling off.
SydT: ?
~*~
tags/tbc
~*~
OOC – we’re quickly coming to mission wrap up, so feel free to triumphantly get the Chrondite off the hull!
~*~
Ensign So’Mior
Science Officer
~Julian Beck
E239010ST0