MSNPC Dr. Aurdax - Find the Damage
Jamie LeBlanc
( USS Icarus – Deck 5 – Engineering )
Dr. Aurdax held the PADD, fiddling with the power cell from her tricorder, checking the power connections to see if she could jerry rig something up.
Aurdax: I think I can power this PADD up, I’ll let you know soon.
Perax: I’m running our first low level pulse through the power systems.
Shimisi: Make it as low as possible, we don't want more surprises that could hurt us.
Perax: Given what happened, I’m not sure we should trust the Icarus’ computer. We might have to test each power connection manually. Not exactly the most fun thing to do on a shift.
Shimisi: I'll shunt off the energy relays going out of this section. I don't want another call from the Commodore.
She found herself nodding as she tucked the PADD under her armpit and started working on the power couplings.
Aurdax: Probably best to be avoided. Pissing off the boss is never a good move.
Perax: Second pulse. I wonder if the crew on the Aleek Om will watch the lights flash when we decide to remove the firewall around main engineering.
Shimisi: I hope they do, that will mean that we've managed to get power safely.
Aurdax: Getting power – even emergency power, will get us a lot more information.
She could hear the energy fluctuations humming within the console, and from the edges of her vision there was a flash of light.
Shimisi: Everything seems to be shut off from the engine room out, I believe we have our sandbox to start playing with the systems in a safe way, at least for the rest of the ship
Perax: I’m slowly increasing pulse strength
As the lights in engineering struggled on, Servi pulled the correct cable, one that she could attach to the tricorder. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t elegant, but there was a satisfying hum as the PADD started to power up.
Aurdax: Hah! Got it!
Shimisi: What did you get from that log padd?
She held up one gloved finger, waiting for the PADD to reboot, hoping it wasn’t encrypted.
Waiting…. The sigil of the Icarus flashed up on screen. Waiting… no login screen. Data started to flash up. She narrowed her eyes, trying to parse the sudden influx of information.
Aurdax: It’s a data log of the engine readouts, all the way up to 2267.0914.1407. Then it abruptly ends.
Shimisi: Does that help us to stabilize power through the systems?
She rocked on her feet, brimming – about to burst with excitement on the data she had in her hands. However, as amazing as this way to hyperwarp research and Icarus history, it did very little to help with the immediate problem with restoring power.
Aurdax: I don’t think this PADD will be much help in that.
Perax: I just thought of something, could we use Trellium? Assuming we could find some nearby or synthesize it, we could insulate the power systems from some anomalies.
Aurdax: Is that something you can do all the way out here?
Se turned to watch Lieutenant Shimisi wave a hand in a negative gesture. Servi figured that this plan was wishful thinking on the part of the younger engineer.
Shimisi: Any information about what could have happened to the crew? Or their remains?
Aurdax: Nothing yet. But what I can tell is that there was a massive power surge four minutes before the data stream ends. ::She looked around:: What other options do we have?
Shimisi: If we can get a stable power flux, we'll try the outgoing conduits one at a time. We'll focus on auxiliary systems first, this way if something goes wrong, it won't have serious consequences. Once we can make them work properly, we'll scale up to higher systems.
Perax: I’m working on it. I’m on the sixth pulse. It’s slow going. It’s going faster now that the sandbox is in place, but it will still be a few minutes.
As the elder engineer called the bridge, Servi took a moment to start to digest the delicious data present in the log PADD. There was every indication they had not just attempted by actually opened a hyperspace rift…
And then something went critically wrong.
Shimisi: =/\= Shimisi to Jalana =/\=
Rajel: Response
Shimsi: =/\= We've shut off all energy conduits from engineering outside. We'll start checking auxiliary systems first one by one to ascertain their stability and safety. Dr. Aurdax warned us that being an experimental system, we might find residual effects like weird energy packets or exotic energy that could explain why systems acted up strangely. =/\=
Rajel: Response
Yirah/McCray: Response
Shimisi: =/\= We're doing our best, but if the doctor is right, exotic energy is unpredictable,... but we'll try to predict it. I'll inform you of our progress. =/\=
Jalana/Yirah/McCray: Response
Perax: As soon as we get full ship wide power back, I recommend that the first system we try to get back online is internal sensors. I’d like to see how many escape pods have launched. If they are here, the crew should be here. If some or all are missing, then we can presume that the crew abandoned ship even if the logs don’t mention it.
Shimisi: Good idea. :: To the comm channel :: =/\= When we get stable power here, we'll go with illumination first, If that works, we'll move forward, Is that okay with you? =/\=
Jalana: Response
Perax: =/\= I don’t know about the tribbles. ::he shrugged and gave a thoughtful look:: My little grey cells, have a hunch that the tribbles don’t fit in to this, a red Salmon, if you will. =/\=
Jalana/Yirah/McCray: Response
Perax: Tribbles are a nuisance, but they don’t eat circuitry or get into completely closed systems. They do very little except eat too much and take up space.
She scoffed a bit. Once upon a time she had dated a tribble breeder and almost immediately declined to marry him. He had a distinct smell of tribble musk which turned her stomach to this day.
Aurdax: Why would anyone bring those little pests on a starship? I thought they were outlawed in this time period.
Jalana/Yirah/McCray: Response (if still listening)
Shimisi: I was only aware that they eat quadrotriticale but I agree they shouldn't be able to eat circuitry or anything of importance to the ship's systems.
Aurdax: If I remember correctly they don’t even have teeth.
Because her would-be suitor assured her over a dozen times that they could not bite her.
Perax: I’ve mapped about twenty-one percent of the power connections. So far, they are all in perfect condition.
Shimisi: When I shut off the external lines I didn't saw anything abnormal, so I tend to think that there's no real problem with the systems themselves. Maybe the problem with the hyperwarp ended when it went off and we're experiencing residual effects.
She looked up from the PADD.
Aurdax: I think your theory is sound, Lieutenant. From the log data on this PADD it looks like they opened up a hyperspace rift – a subspace tear – and were preparing to make the jump when something went wrong and everything shut down.
Perax: ?
Shimisi: We're going at a good pace, everything is controlled for the moment so let's keep it that way. Doctor, once we get this consoles working, would you try to get the info about the ship's crew and the last system data and transmit it to the other away team crew. I want them to know what happened as soon as possible. It could help them in their investigation.
She gave Shimisi a nod.
Aurdax: I can. I’ve read through enough that I can parse out the data and get it sent. If you can’t get that console working I can try to connect back to the Aleek-Om and transmit that way.
Perax/Shimisi: ?
Her left ear twitched as she thought and she might have scratched it thoughtfully were it not encased in an EV suit helmet.
Aurdax: If the systems are still in good – pristine even – condition it makes me wonder what went wrong.
Perax/Shimisi: ?
Aurdax: Well, there’s no obvious signs of damage. Even visually, everything is clean, there’s no indication of leaks or overloads or structural failure. But something had to go wrong. Four minutes prior to the end of the log there was something that triggered a power surge, and afterwards the systems couldn’t compensate and the readings start to degrade until in the last thirty seconds or so all power drops and then the log goes blank.
Perax/Shimisi: ?
Aurdax: So if you ask me, once you get internal sensors online, look for the damage – find the damage and find answers.
Perax/Shimisi: ?
~*~
tags/tbc
~*~
MSNPC Dr. ‘Servi’ Aurdax
~Julian Beck
E239010ST0