LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - The Crack
Tim
(( Cargo Bay 2, USS Khitomer))
Connor stood near the containment unit, hands clasped behind his back like a shield against the moment. His stomach tensed, a mix of anticipation and dread. He still was not used to the sight of his son. He managed to nod, forcing professionalism into every following syllable.
Connor: ::nodding slightly:: Thanks for coming. We need your insight on something that’s... a little above our grade level.
Sparks: Well hey there! I'm Stella. It's real nice to be meeting you, and I hope you don't mind us doin' a little diggin' around here.
Kael: :shaking Stella’s hand tentatively: Err Hi. I’m Kael. :turning to Connor: Hi Dad. No family hug?
The word ‘Dad’ hit like a hammer blow. Connor’s throat tightened, and for half a second, he nearly said something human. Nearly. But instead, he fell back on the only language he could still speak fluently right now. Procedure. He gestured at the torpedo.
Connor: I think we disabled the fail-safe… Walk us through the detonation process so we can disarm the warheads.
The way Kael’s expression dimmed was like watching a light go out. And Connor hated himself for being the one to generate the wind. But what was he supposed to do? Every word of warmth felt like it might crack him open, and he could not afford to break here, not with a half dozen armed torpedoes humming under containment. And one humming in his heart.
Kael: Please tell me you haven’t attempted to disable the failsafes.
Sparks: ::smacking her hands together:: I knew it! I just knew it! Them suckers ain't got one failsafe, but two! That's what that extra control box thingy was that I was talkin' 'bout.
Connor almost smiled at that. Sparks’ enthusiasm was contagious as always, even when he was trying to hold himself together.
Kael: Yes. An informed guess?
Connor: ::meeting Kael’s eyes fpr a heartbeat too long:: More like the attempt to control the panic…
Sparks: Response
The faint smile Kael gave him was a truce, for now. It was awkward, uncertain, but real enough to sting. Connor wanted to say something else, anything that wasn’t a technical directive, but then Kael’s expression hardened again as he nodded toward the security team posted near the doors.
Kael: :indicating the guards with a nod of his head; They leave and I’ll help.
Connor frowned, straightening slightly. The officer in him knew better. The father in him didn’t care.
Connor: Kael, that’s not how this works. Protocol sta…
Then Chief Sparks cut him gently.
Sparks: Response
Kael: Sorry Dad. I trust you and :looking at Sparks: you. I don’t know or trust them. They go. I help. It’s not negotiable.
Connor looked at her, then at Kael again. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him. The Chief, the guards, even the faint hum of the containment field seemed to be waiting for his decision.
He was the Second Officer of the Khitomer and he could feel the weight of his rank like lead on his collar. What he said here mattered. Not just for the mission, but for how others saw the chain of command. Sending the guards out... it looked bad. It would look bad. Hell, maybe it was bad. Maybe he was compromised.
But when he looked down at the micro-torpedoes again, when he thought about those warheads arriving at Alpha Trionus II and possibly detonating before they had even breached orbit, his instincts screamed louder than protocol. It was what Shayne would have done.
Connor exhaled slowly, then raised his head and looked the security officers square in the eye.
Connor: ::finally, controlled, but low:: Stand down, return to the corridor and wait outside. I’ll take responsibility.
There was a pause, just long enough for the judgment in the guards’ posture to be felt, but eventually, they nodded and stepped out. The doors hissed closed behind them, and silence settled in their place. Connor did not look at Kael. He did not appreciate the blackmail. He felt rage trying to tear open the crack in his heart. Then, he turned back toward the control console, pretending his attention was focused solely on the torpedoes.
Kael/Sparks: Response
His eyes lifted to Kael, then, just briefly.
Connor: ::voice low:: So start talking, kid.
He knew what he’d just done. Stepped closer to a line he couldn’t yet see. A line several people were concerned about. Including himself. But right now, the mission came first.
The three of them clustered around the open micro-torpedo. Connor did not need his tricorder to know just how dangerous they were. Every design decision screamed precision and purpose.
Kael/Sparks: Response
Connor watched him closely. The kid had his mother’s brow, his own eyes, and a voice that sometimes cracked like he had not grown into it yet. But his tone… his tone carried the weight of someone who had lived through hell. And made it out the other side smarter, sharper, and far too young.
Connor bent slightly beside him, nodding slowly at the panel.
Connor: And this capacitor here, you said it’s for pulse sequencing? You learned that… where? Academy?
Kael/Sparks: Response
The corner of Connor’s mouth lifted, barely. He was not sure if it was pride or pain that tightened his chest at that answer.
Connor: And before that? Where’d you grow up?
Kael/Sparks: Response
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr Connor Dewitt Chief Engineer & Second Officer USS Khitomer A239901CD3