LtJg Lera Michaels - Wrapping Up The Thread Count

[steve...@yahoo.com]

((OOC: I have tried to blend together the scene in the Jeffries Tube with the communicator messages from Medical. I have left out the communicator messages between Ohnari and Dewitt since I am not certain Lera could hear them. I apologize if I have messed something up here. ))

((Jeffries Tube 127CC, Nacelle One, USS Khitomer))

Michaels: Talon. You are bleeding. :: Reaching out to touch Morda's forehead where the blood was seeping, Lera stopped and noted the thin, green line on the heel of her hand. A single drop of green blood had formed. :: Apparently, so am I.

Ohnari: =/\= Wait, who's bleeding?? What changed? =/\=

Lera held up her hand so that the admiral could see, Lera studied the bulkhead and the overhead of the Jeffries Tube. Suddenly she understood what was happening and why the filaments were glowing.

Michaels: There are threads here that are not anchored on the opposite side of the tube. They do not radiate because their temperature is the same as the ambient temperature. We have greater difficulty seeing them because they are so thin and they are not glowing. Since they are not taut, touching them is like gently touching a very sharp knife. The result is this. A scratch. :: beat :: The filaments are glowing because our energy is flowing through them. The ones that are not attached to our power cables do not have flowing through them. These threads are some type of superconductive power cables themselves. That is why we are losing power.

Ohnari: =/\= What? I caught about a third of that, something about unanchored and glowing? If you can isolate a sample without a literal blood sacrifice, we can analyze it with El'Heem in Science to see what we get. Be careful! =/\=

Morda: To use a human aphorism: they threw spaghetti at the wall? Except we’re the wall. Some spaghetti tapped our power systems and is draining it. The other spaghetti isn’t contributing to energy loss, it isn’t as anchored, so it’s flapping about? And instead of being spaghetti, it’s actually nanometer razor wire?

Nicholotti: Response

Michaels: We should leave here immediately. We can simply go back down the Jeffries Tube though there is the possibility of additional threads. The alternative is to have the ship spend a portion of our remaining energy beaming us out of here. The Bridge. Sickbay. Engineering. Somewhere else. :: glancing back at Nicholotti.:: Admiral. I will defer the ultimate decision to you.

Nicholotti: Response

Michaels: Admiral.

The Admiral's command was clear and concise. The only reason Lera hesitated at all was Morda's work with the tricorder. If he found something of value, it would be worth a moment or two of delay.

Zerva: =/\= Engineering? This is Lieutenant Jg Zerva. Doctor Ohnari is on another call with the XO. They need a biobed for a medical scan. Not sure what exactly they are scanning that requires a biobed, but if you need an emergency beam out to sickbay, let me know ASAP! I don’t want anyone else losing blood. =/\=

Michaels : =/\= Hold on, LtJg Zerva. We will need a beam out momentarily after taking one more reading. =/\=

Zerva: =/\= Understood. I’ll remain on the line. Keep us posted please. =/\=

Michaels: =/\= Will do. =/\=

Morda: Sirs? Am I reading this right? ::Turning the tricorder screen around:: I think the tricorder is just able to detect the vaporization of the duranium and other components as the threads pass through them. Some of the displaced atoms are oxidizing with the atmosphere, and that energy release is pinging. Close-up, this could help us detect and avoid the invading tendrils.

Michaels: Vaporization of duranium. If the threads were forcing their way through the metal there would be evidence of impact. :: quickly scanning the ceiling :: I do not see any evidence of melting. To vaporize so quickly without melting would require a particularly high temperature in a very small location. :: beat :: I believe you are correct, Mr. Morda. Double check that your tricorder is on its highest resolution setting and continue scanning.

oO Energy flowing both from the threads and to ... somewhere. What does that imply about the threat to Khitomer? Oo

Morda: Response

Michaels: And do a scan behind us. I have no wish to suffer more "scratches" than necessary.

Zerva: =/\= Lieutenant Michaels? The XO just informed us there could be a hostile vessel on approach. Do you think it’s possible the threads and this vessel could be connected? =/\=

oO "Lieutenant Michaels," Ezra? What kind of a greeting is that? It is an open channel so that is appropriate, I suppose. An approaching vessel. Possibly hostile. Of course. Oo

Michaels: =/\= At the moment I do not have a plausible alternative, Lieutenant Zerva. The threads are clearly engineered which implies a life form behind this. =/\=

Morda / Nicholotti / Ohnari: =/\= Response =/\=

Zerva: =/\= Life form? That would explain a lot and why they want to reroute power to the sensors via biobed one in their scans of the vessel. ::looks at Doctor Ohnari:: Was there anything I missed?

Ohnari: =/\= Response =/\=

Zerva: =/\= Has Captain Naxell been informed of the threads? =/\=

Michaels: =/\= I have not informed him. =/\=

Ohnari: =/\= Response =/\=

Zerva: =/\= Understood. We are here if you decide you need that emergency beam out. =/\=

Lera watched Morda for a moment until she was certain that he had completed the scan. He had a second scratch on his cheek that was oozing a tiny amount of blood.  She noted a bit of warm liquid that ran down her nose. For a moment, she considered examining herself but decided that nothing she saw would alter her decision. 

Morda: Response

Michaels: =/\= We are done here. Three to beam to sickbay. =/\=

Zerva: =/\= Response =/\=

Tags/TBC

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LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2