LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - Ctrl Alt Deflector
Tim
((Deck 12, near Main Engineering, USS Khitomer))
Prix: =/\= Ouchita to Khitomer Bridge, Engineering and Sickbay. We transported Lieutenant El’Heem to sickbay. The energy discharge hit us hard… We will try to return to Khitomer shortly. Ouchita out.=/\=
A thin smile went over Connor’s lips. Hopefully, that Ensign was right and they were safe for now. Still, even with life support and a deactivated probe, they needed shielding if they did not want the nursery to devour its way through their outer hull.
Dewitt: That’s good news…
T’Dara: Response
Dewitt: A little more enthusiasm, Commander… ::pause:: My gel pack diagnostics for the warp core came back all green. Let’s start up the dilithium chamber control and the injector systems.
T’Dara: Response
Connor pushed a few buttons on the console to increase energy to the dilithium chamber force fields that controlled the crystals themselves. As the power supply was established to a level that should allow them to initiate the matter antimatter reaction, his communicator chirped.
Hobart: =/\= Bridge to Engineering. I need my ship, Con. Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?
Usually, Connor liked Nolens jokes. They eased the mood and brought him away from the tension of the situation. And although the report about the probe had calmed him down, being with the Vulcan who seemed not to care that much about the well-being of his crew, was the wrong state of mind for the XO’s quirkiness.
Dewitt: =/\= Brilliant idea, Nolen. Why haven’t I thought of it? Let me quickly press Control-Alt-Deflector for you. =/\=
All diagnostics for the dilitihium chamber showed green and Connor powered up the injector systems and whispered to T’Dara.
Dewitt: ::quietly:: Start injecting the critical mass of matter once the injectors are online.
T’Dara: Response
Hobart: =/\= Response =/\=
Dewitt: =/\= I know, I know. We have replaced all gel packs for the warp core systems. If everything goes well, we will have main power in a few minutes. Then we only have to reroute essential computer functions and get to DS33 or wherever and spend our shore leave replacing gel packs. =/\=
Hobart: =/\= Response =/\=
Dewitt: =/\= ::thin smile:: Oh we’re in this together, Sir. And I’m absolutely certain you’ll want to be right there making sure I get all the help I need - especially with the mountains of tedious diagnostics, endless system reboots, and delightful manual recalibrations. Wouldn’t dream of doing it without your expert oversight.=/\=
Connor chuckled. Maybe it was not the wrong time for jokes.
Hobart: =/\= Response =/\=
Dewitt: =/\= You got it. Give me five minutes, I’ll keep you updated. Dewitt out. =/\=
The channel closed and Connor looked to the Vulcan to get her report on the injections process.
T’Dara: Response
Dewitt: That sounds perfect… Let’s inject the antimatter and start the reaction. Start with one-hundred milligrams per second and follow the delta-2 injection pattern.
T’Dara: Response
Connor nodded as he monitored the reaction flow. It was slowly starting, slower than he had expected when his communicator chirped again.
Michaels: =/\= Michaels to Commander Dewitt. I am back on Khitomer.=/\=
Dewitt: =/\= Welcome home, Ensign. I hear you were successful? =/\=
Michaels: =/\= I am uncertain how much of the probe is left but I suspect Commander T'Dara will not be overjoyed about it. I will leave it to you or Commander Hobart to deal with her on that matter. =/\=
Connor looked at T’Dara listening in on their conversation and smiled apologetically. On second thought he did not even know why. It was her weapon that had caused this mess.
Dewitt: =/\= I’ll brief you on her thoughts on the matter, Ensign. Anything else? =/\=
Eying T’Dara closely, Connor had the feeling that he could see a tiny spark of anger in her cold Vulcan eyes. Was there emotion in the careless Engineer? Did she care more for her probe than for the Khitomer’s crew? Or was this Connor projecting his anger into an innocent woman on the other side of the table?
Michaels: =/\= You may not be aware but I had a few moments of unconsciousness. I believe it was a malfunctioning air purification unit but Doctor El'Heem mentioned hypoxia. =/\=
Dewitt: =/\= You should report to sickbay then. =/\=
Michaels: =/\= I know. I also know that Doctor Ohnari will be angry if I do not check in with her expeditiously. My plan is to check in at Sickbay and return to Engineering as soon as she clears me. =/\=
The image of Talia’s outrage if she heard about the unconsciousness if Michaels would not show up in sickbay made Connor smile. He nodded.
Dewitt:=/\= Agreed. Make it quick. As soon as you feel up for it, report to Engineering. We have a ship to fix. =/\=
Michaels: =/\= Understood. Michaels out. =/\=
The panel in front of the Chief Engineer still did not show the reaction to have reached a sufficient level for the next injection stage. He looked at T’Dara.
Dewitt: If you need to get anything out because of the probe, do it now and make it quick.
T’Dara: Response
Dewitt: Alright… with that out of the way… Let’s focus on the startup process again. We should be at least at 150 kilowatts output now… Efficiency is way too low. Any ideas?
T’Dara: Response
Dewitt: Alright… Let’s try it and get to the next injection stage to get main power running again.
T’Dara: Response
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr Connor DewittChief Engineer & Second Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3