Ensign Jovenan – If there's no sound in space, can god hear our prayers?

[Jovenan]

((Outer Hull, USS Excalibur-A))

After the brief chat with Ensign Kijana, it was Ensign Jones’ turn to ask her a question.

Jones: =/\= Looks like we're getting close now. Ensign Jovenan, do you spend much time in an EVA suit, or do you prefer doing your study through sensors? =/\=

Jovenan: =/\= Sensors, definitely! I don’t mind going down to a nice, peaceful class M planet, but EVA? It’s not really in my comfort zone. =/\=

Jones: =/\= Fair enough. ::waving a slow hand at the endless starfield:: You can't beat this view though, huh? =/\=

Niac:  =/\=  Couldn't agree with you more.  Sensors can show you a lot more but there's no replacement for the old Mark II eyeball when you're looking to be awestruck.  =/\=

There was undeniably something beautiful about seeing the field of stars, massive planets and awe-inspiring structures with one’s own eyes. On surface, the atmosphere and light pollution prevented seeing the true beauty of starry field of view. Admittedly, even here, the proximity of the ship, the base and the light that they emitted obscured some of the stunning sights they would otherwise see, but there were very few places where a display such as this could be seen.

Jovenan: =/\= True, but until they come up with a mark that can detect deep space radiation as well as ship sensors can, I’m sticking with them for my job, sir. =/\=

Kijana: Response

They arrived at the hangar doors. They were in not one point in immediate danger and with the massive gates standing just in front of them, it seemed their small promenade had remained only slightly alarming. But, as in any emergency, they were not safe until they actually went in.

Jones: =/\= Let's hope somebody's home. =/\=

Niac: =/\= Nothing...suit confirms a link to the door controls and accepts my authorization but I get an error message.  Anybody else?  =/\=

Jovenan tried too, but the result was not a bit different. Her heartbeat began to rise again.

Jovenan: =/\= Same here, sir! =/\=

Kijana: Response

The Commander tried to get the doors open through the various means they had. Eventually, he seemed to have exhausted his other options and tried contacting the transporter room.

Niac:  =/\= Karrod to transporter room 2...=/\=

But it was all in vain, as they couldn’t get pass. The malfunctions on the ship were clearly more prevalent they had thought. Only when they were really needed did they unveil themselves. It was almost as if they had been plotting against the group of young officers and their babysitter.

Niac: =/\=  Alright, minor annoyance is starting to turn into a bigger problem, but we'll figure this out...any minute now. =/\=

There was a short, silent moment. As with others’, Jovenan tried to think of a solution. Would somebody indoors remember them going out and come to their rescue? Not necessarily. Could they walk by some window and hope somebody indoors would see them? It was a big ship, and by the time they found a window with somebody inside, the oxygen might have run out. Was there anything else to do?

Niac: =/\= Well, unless one of you knows how to hotwire a door I think we're going to have to jump to the station. =/\=

Hotwiring door? Not really something she really knew how to do. Someone with longer engineering experience might have learnt that in the Academy. Some others might have learnt it for illicit antics, but with the Edo ethics, those were beyond Jovenan. Wait, what did the Commander say after hotwiring the door?

Jones: =/\= Never picked up that particular skill, myself. =/\=

Jovenan: =/\= M- Me neither, s-sir! =/\=

Kijana: Response

Niac: =/\= In that case I'm open to suggestions.  Otherwise, we'll tether off to one another and make a quick hop over to the station.  There's an emergency airlock adjacent to the docking umbilical and I'm....mostly sure that one will let us in. =/\=

oO Jump!? Oh God, oh God, oh God… Oo

But the God didn’t answer. They were orbiting Rubicun III, looking upon their Children, the Edo. Jovenan was far beyond their jurisdiction.

Jovenan tried her best to calm down and remain in her senses. She was unsure if she had unintendedly mumbled her panicky plea to the Edo God and if the others had heard her through the commlink. She tried to focus on Ensign Jones, who was giving their suggestion.

Jones: =/\= Sir, if I may make a suggestion? ::not waiting for permission to continue:: I'm not sure it makes sense for all of us to make that jump. If we can't get in through the emergency airlock on the station, we'd be taking a big risk. If however, one of us jumps, the rest will still have options ... should something, you know ... go wrong. The needs of the many and all that. ::taking a breath and plunging on before his nerve could fail:: I volunteer. =/\=

Jovenan: =/\= T- That might be better than us all jumping all at once. But if you miss, your only hope is that somebody on the station spots you and beams you in. That’s too risky! =/\=

Kijana: Response

Niac: Response

Jones: =/\= I thought of that too. How much tether do we have combined? If there's enough length, You three could act as an anchor. As long as I don't push off too hard, your EVA boots would be enough to stop me floating away if my aim is that bad. Additionally, I could activate my suit's emergency beacon. Hopefully that will work better than our comms systems, and it will help get somebody's attention on the station. =/\=

Jovenan tried estimating the length of the tether they had combined and the distance to the station.

Jovenan: =/\= I don’t think there’s quite enough to the station. We can stop you, if you seem to go amiss from the start, but we might need to let go before the end. =/\=

Niac /Kijana: =/\= Response =/\=

Jones: =/\= It's not exactly what I expected when I woke up this morning, but hey - we're bonding! =/\=

Niac: =/\= Response =/\=

TAG/TBC
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Ensign Jovenan
Science officer
USS Excalibur-A
E239911J11