Ensign Thomas Melville-Kilpatrick - Connect the Dots?

[Sarah P]

((Science Lab, Deck 16, USS Khitomer))

Melville-Kilpatrick: Well, if we know that the sound affects it, maybe the frequency of the scanner is doing something to it.

Another comm alert. A sign of spending time with the captain of the ship--Thomas barely even jumped at this one, and even then it was only because he had been waiting for the scanner to do something.

B’Ella: =/\= Ensign B’Ella to Captain Naxell. Ensign Graves has found a coded message from Ensign Matthews that was intercepted here in Stellar Cryptography.   =/\=

That was a thing they had? He glanced at the captain, mildly impressed.

Naxell: =/\= …Cryptography? =/\=

B’Ella: =/\= It was an old Terran Morse Code. I was able to decipher it.  It reads as follows, SOS I am okay for now. They are going to do something to me. I am not complying. SOS Lock onto my helmet. =/\=

Morse code? Thomas had heard of it, but only when his parents decided to put on old, "classic" movies. There were faster ways to get information these days, and Thomas was far more inclined to use them than archaic codes. It did seem they had their uses.

Naxell: =/\= I see, Ensign. Well, codebreaking aside, it’s “Stellar Carto—” =/\=

B’Ella: =/\= One moment sir, I believe Graves has made contact. =/\=

Stellar Cartography had to be near them, judging by the way that Thomas was hearing the muffled, distant voices of B'Ella and a person he assumed was Graves.

Naxell: This is foolish. Stellar Cartography is— let's go, Ensign. ::gesturing to the scanner:: Put a pin in this.

Melville-Kilpatrick: Yes, sir.

He reached out and turned off the scanner, leaving the dust inside with one last nervous glance.

((Seconds later, Stellar Cartography, Deck 16, USS Khitomer))

Thomas looked around to better situate himself. Great, now he knew where this was. He stayed quiet.

Matthews: ~/\~ Get ~~ Graves? Heading there ~~~~. Call ~~~~. ~/\~

Graves:  ~/\~ Response  ~/\~

Naxell didn't know what the conversation had sounded like before he arrived, but even when Matthews’s voice wasn't heard in the transmission, there was some static coming through along with it. Now, there was nothing.

B’Ella: Graves? Did we lose him?

Graves: Response

As Ensign Graves gave his best, futile effort to reconnect, Commander Naxell crept closer to the pair, ears listening intently.

B’Ella: =/\= Captain were you able to make out any of that? What are your orders, sir? =/\=

Naxell: Not really, no.

Thomas would have jumped if he hadn't slunk in behind Captain Naxell. He just waved to B'Ella and Graves instead.

Melville-Kilpatrick: Sorry to say I didn't catch much of it either.

He meant it. 

Graves: =/\= Response =/\=

Naxell: We know he's alive, he's ambulatory, and he's coherent. More or less. What else do we need to worry about, Doctor?

Melville-Kilpatrick: Well, besides the obvious "they eat people" that he mentioned earlier...he can't exactly make it back on his own. He needs to find our people. Probably best if Dr. Ohnari gives him a good scan, too...just in case they did do something to him already.

Graves / B'Ella: Response

The captain was turned away from Thomas, who kept pondering the options and what Matthews would need, besides a nice long decontamination procedure. Or, as a layperson might have called such an activity, a shower.

He double-checked to make sure none of the dust was on him. 

Naxell: Is there any way we can get more information to him? Let him know who's over there? If he's looking for Lieutenant Semara's team as hard as they're looking for him, we might get get a little luck.

Melville-Kilpatrick: ::thoughtfully:: I wish I'd kept track of the vital signs instead of passing those on to Dr. Ohnari. Or better yet, kept track of all their vital signs.

They did have a doctor with them, and Thomas wasn't sure if vitals would be able to pass through the nebula to reach their ship without getting at least a little garbled. It was probably for the best that the more-experienced Dr. Ohnari had a handle on it. Still, it was challenging being the one left behind to worry.

Graves/B'Ella: Response

Melville-Kilpatrick: Were you able to lock onto his helmet? Or did the signal cut off?

Graves/B'Ella/Naxell: Response

Melville-Kilpatrick: Maybe we could get into contact with someone on the away team? Could that boost the signal?

It had been a while since Thomas had done any of this technology stuff. "Boosting the signal" seemed like a good idea to someone who didn't spend a lot of time messing with signals. Unless scanners and tricorders and other tools of his trade counted. He shot a nervous glance over to the lab.

Obviously Matthews was more important than space dust. But if they all died before they could rescue him because the space dust decided to go rogue, it wouldn't be great.

Graves/B'Ella/Naxell: Response

Melville-Kilpatrick: I just thought, maybe it would sound clearer bounced from someone who isn't...er...about to be tortured?

Or experimented on, or eaten, though really anything could be happening to the away team, too. Except for the fact that they were, for the most part, female as requested, which, who knows, probably put them in the good books. Flip of the coin.

Graves/B'Ella/Naxell: Response

TAG/TBC

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Ensign Thomas Melville-Kilpatrick

Medical Officer

USS Khitomer – NCC62400

K240210TM2