CDR Naxell — Finding Cover
Naxell
((Airlock, Deck 16, USS Khitomer))
He could barely hold back his excitement. A giggle flourished in his throat and his smile drew wide, even by the standards of his species.
Naxell: The cloud can explode! ::gesturing around him:: Quite violently!
Melville-Kilpatrick: And that's good news...because?
The junior medical officer seemed nervous. And, well, of course he did. Explosions were generally serious matters. Perhaps it was Naxell’s experience in laboratory settings that made him a little more numbed to the fear that accompanied them.
El’Heem: That wouldn’t happen to be the cloud we currently find ourselves summering in, now, would it? ::long pause:: I fail to see the upside.
Naxell: You do? Perhaps it will become clearer.
He could not help but sound crestfallen. The Commander’s eyebrows scrunched as he retraced his mental footsteps to see if there were other paths his deductions could have forked. But no, it was a pretty unavoidable part of any explanation. The cloud’s cohesion was forced, somewhat violently, which meant that its hold on Khitomer was a lot more precarious than it appeared.
Melville-Kilpatrick: So what would you recommend we do with it?
Naxell: First, we need to collect it. Sweep it into a container, and take it to a lab where we can observe and conduct experiments on it.
Melville-Kilpatrick: Maybe a vacuum cleaner would be better than a dustpan, here.
Naxell nodded. It certainly would. The cloud had exploded into a mist and condensed onto the floor once gravity had reasserted itself after the airlock was sealed. He had been able to wipe much of it off the surfaces, but there would be lingering traces, no doubt. Their shoes and his suit would have to be isolated. It seemed inert now, but who knew what it might react with?
Once they’d figured out how to scan the material, they could use the ship’s internal sensors and transporters to do a thorough cleaning. With a sample in hand, however, they could leave it behind and secure the airlock.
El'Heem: Of which we have neither. ::pausing to walk slowly around where it was most concentrated in the center of the room:: We do have a containment canister and ::pulling out the PADD tucked under his arm:: we have a special processing receptacle that was being used to conduct experiments on the cellular level of the infected gel packs. This ::tapping at the screen:: is more pressing.
Naxell: Perfect.
Melville-Kilpatrick: And we're sure it's not going to ::fumbling for words:: reconstitute itself? Try and capture someone else?
El'Heem: That’s what we aim to discover ensign. ::stepping out of the airlock and setting the PADD in an open locker just outside the door:: let’s get suited up, we don’t want to find out what it does when it touches bare skin.
Naxell remained inside the airlock as El’Heem stepped through the now-open inner door, into the containment area just beyond and set to work on the airlock. The captain still didn’t dare to remove his helmet—there was too much dust on him and there was no way for him to confirm that he’d clear it all. Bare skin was a concern, as was contact with their uniforms, or sweat, or any number of other materials besides the sterile atmosphere that had been pumped into the chamber.
These were all risks would eventually have to be confronted, but given how little they knew about the cloud, Naxell counted himself as lucky that it hadn’t been ignited by contact with oxygen. Lieutenant El’Heem’s thoughts, however, were clearly split.
El’Heem: I understand why you won’t let me go over. Male and all. And I trust you’re not going to leave Rich- uhh ensign Matthews to be eaten by the black widows, but…
Naxell: But you’d like me to reconsider.
Melville-Kilpatrick: Response
He turned his body to look at the Chief Science Officer through his EVA suit helmet. The expectant look in his eyes begged the man to continue his request and—importantly—his explanation.
El’Heem: Ensign Matthews, though he has been an ensign for as long as I’ve been a member of Starfleet, is an important member of this crew.
Naxell: I don’t disagree, but so are you, Lieutenant, and I can’t say what these people will do if they see you.
Melville-Kilpatrick: Response
Naxell stepped to the side, all of his focus on Lieutenant El’Heem’s justifications, such as they were. He knew what the Lieutenant was going through, not only because he was going through them himself, but because he’d been there. Countless times. He’d been in Starfleet for five decades—no, six! How time flies!—and he’d been a department head or higher for more than four of them. The urge to take action to care for the officers and crew you were responsible for was hard to ignore, especially when you didn’t already have experience with the costs of indulgence.
El’Heem: Diplomatic nightmare aside, we cannot lose him….::turning to MK:: hand me the canister and zip me up please ensign ::taking the canister from MK and turning to face Naxell:: I can’t lose him. It was under my direction that he went out there. And….and….and that’s going to be a lot of PADDwork, frankly. I can’t have that on my record. And…and given the unknown technological element of ::looking around at the splatters of pink:: of the nature of the matriarchal society, I believe we need a science officer on the away team.
Sealed in his suit, the Lieutenant was ready to step into the airlock, but they needed to address the Ensign first. The three of them would have to work together, and if the Captain accepted El’Heem’s rationale it would just be him and Thomas cleaning up.
El’Heem: Now you, MK. ::turning to the captain:: I urge you to reconsider, respectfully ::beat:: sir.
Melville-Kilpatrick: Response
Naxell: Lieutenant, I recognize that you are very new to the role of department head, so If you’ll permit me, I’d like to offer you some advice. ::pause, gentle nod:: The relationship between a Captain and his Chiefs is dependent upon trust, and the strength of that relationship is more important to the ship’s function than any individual choice the Captain may make.
El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick: Response
Lieutenant Ras El’Heem was wet behind the ears when it came to leading Khitomer’s science department—in fact, even wetter than Commander Naxell was to captaining Khitomer itself. But with years of experience as First Officer, the Denobulan knew well enough how these things worked. Sending El’Heem on the mission was an undeniable mistake. It was the wrong choice, with regard to the mission. But it was not the only mission Naxell had to consider. They had in the chamber the possible key to their escape, and with it the promise of many more missions to come.
El’Heem would need experience. And what better way to gain it, than to be allowed to make mistakes?
Naxell: You are asking me to give a… suboptimal order to assuage your personal feelings of guilt. ::gesturing at the three of them:: We all know that. By all rights, I should have security hold you at phaser-point until the shuttle departs to ensure you don’t get on it. The only way I can say yes is if I have your assurance—as Chief Science Officer—that you’re going to become a better bulshitter.
El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick: Response
He nodded sharply. Extra “PADDwork?” How could he pretend to be persuaded by an excuse like that?
Naxell: Good. Ensign? You and I will wrap this up. ::to El’Heem:: The explosion in here means the “black widows” as you called them are using a great deal of force to keep this cloud together. Take Lieutenant Michaels from Engineering and report to Lieutenant Semara in the shuttlebay. She’ll be lead on your team, but you’ll be responsible for figuring out how they do it, so we can undo it if they won’t.
El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick: Response
TBC
——— ●●● ———
Commander Nax-Ellarneii-Tellargo
Commanding Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
A240001NH3