LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - Side by Side
Tim
((OOC: First part is a little much, but talked it through with Rox first. Thanks for being awesome <3))
((Cargo Bay 2, USS Khitomer))
The air was colder than usual in Cargo Bay 2, not by much, just enough that it became uncomfortable. Connor rubbed his hands together out of habit, not that it would do much. But it kept his brain occupied. Just as his decision to take care of the torpedoes that had been brought here. The lighting overhead buzzed softly as he and Chief Sparks stood beside the containment unit that held the micro-torpedoes from the Ouchita.
Connor watched carefully as Sparks pried open a panel. These weren’t ordinary weapons.
Sparks: Respnse
Connor: ::nodding:: Yeah. I ran the mass-to-yield ratio twice. Thought I’d made a mistake.
The Chief tilted the torpedo slightly so the internal housing showed more clearly. The dark carbon casing felt different and not entirely of this era.
Sparks: Response
Connor exhaled slowly, kneeling beside her. The thing did not look dangerous. Sleek, compact, almost elegant, like a scalpel. He had expected differently considering the state of Starfleet in the Ouchita’s time. And yet the readouts suggested this thing could gut a Bird of Prey in a single shot. He reached out, fingers hovering near the exposed control matrix.
Connor: Power dampeners are holding?
Sparks: Response
Connor nodded. They spent the next ten-something minutes running passive scans and cross-referencing signatures with the Khitomer’s database. They were able to disarm the fail-safe circuit, probably the most dangerous part of the package, but the deeper architecture was like trying to translate a dialect you had only ever heard in a dream. And it kept his head busy.
Sparks: Response
Connor: Makes sense. If these were used behind enemy lines... better lost than captured.
Sparks: Response
Connor leaned against a wall next to the containment field, arms resting on his knees. His gaze drifted from the torpedo to the an empty corner of the shuttle bay. He stared at the wall.
And then it hit him.
He sighed. Hard.
Connor: We’re going in circles.
Sparks: Response
Connor: And you know what that means.
Sparks: Response
He chuckled under his breath despite himself, rubbing the back of his neck. The idea still made his skin crawl, not because Kael had not proved himself trustworthy, but because... well. Because he had his mother’s ridges, his father’s eyes, and a whole damned lifetime of might-have-beens stamped across his face. But he could not see a future where he had not taught his son the basics of engineering. And he might be the most qualified to help them with these weapons.
Connor: If anyone knows how these things tick it’s Kael…
Sparks: Response
Connor stood up and stretched, brushing off his uniform and stepping back.
Connor: We don’t let him touch anything until we verify, and I want you monitoring every microjoule of energy coming off those weapons.
Sparks: Response
Connor: It’s not him I don’t trust. It’s... these.” ::he gestures to the torpedo::
Sparks: Response
Connor: ::nodding:: I’ll call the Captain. Get clearance. Kael joins us in the bay, under guard. No tools unless we authorize them. But if he can explain even half of what’s in this warhead…
((Timeskip, Cargo Bay 2, USS Khitomer))
The cargo bay doors slid open with their usual hiss, but the shift in atmosphere was immediate. Kael Ohnari-Dewitt stepped in with two security escorts flanking him, posture relaxed but eyes flicking from crate to crate. The boy carried himself like someone used to warzones, not ships like this.
Connor stood near the containment unit, hands clasped behind his back. His stomach tensed, a mix of anticipation and dread. He still was not used to the sight of him.
Connor: ::nodding slightly:: Thanks for coming. We need your insight on something that’s... a little above our grade level.
It tore Connor apart not to ask his future son the thousand questions he had on his mind, but to stay with a single professional question.
Kael/Sparks: Response
Connor: I think we disabled the fail-safe… Walk us through the detonation process so we can disarm the warheads.
Kael/Sparks: Response
((OOC: Keeping to two tags since I don’t know how Kael will respond))
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr Connor Dewitt
Chief Engineer & Second Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3