RAdm Kalianna Nicholotti - The Admiral Bulkhead

[Marissa Jeffrey]

((Main Engineering, Deck 12, USS Khitomer))

There was one thing for certain, and that was no matter her rank, knowledge was something that could only be gained through time and experience. To that end, Engineering was one thing that would likely stay at the edge of her expertise, save an entire other life in which time was spent solely on that. Thankfully, she had spent enough time around the more brilliant minds of the Federation to pick up a few things at least, which made her less than helpful while still being a pertinent player.

That didn't seem to matter too much to the officers in the room though, as they continued to move through their motions as if she had walked away. In a way, she didn't mind that either, since it meant she wasn't deflecting worries about rank. At the same time, she was made to feel as if she were nothing more than another panel on the bulkhead. It was truly an interesting place to be in.

Michaels: Mr. Morda. Please confirm that we have two shield emitters that not functioning properly on each of the two main nacelles.

Morda: Uh…yes, ma’am. Confirmed.

Kali raised an eyebrow. The computer could have done the same confirmation, but perhaps multiple sets of eyes meant something more to the Vulcan engineer.

Michaels: Two factors here. The main nacelles are the rear most portion of the ship. It is also the section with the weakest shield protection.

Morda: Marginally weaker.

Marginally to the point that it likely wasn't noticeable in any real sense. Kali leaned back against the bulkhead she was supposedly a part of and listened to try to ascertain where the woman was going with the line of reasoning.

Michaels: The primary function of the shields is to prevent the ship from colliding with matter at near light speed. Even a tiny rock could be devastating at that speed. We do not need shielding if we are going backwards under impulse power.

A strange description to be certain, but Kali refrained from interjecting. It wasn't as if they had given her space to anyways.

Morda: I wouldn’t think so.

Michaels: Ginny. You are in charge here.

At that point, however, they did give space for the other officer in the room. Kali was aware of Ginny and her history. Two pools of crystalline blue fell upon the young genius and waited to see what she would add.

Lacy: Response

Michaels: No I am not planning on doing something stupid. At least not that stupid. Again. I just want to check out those malfunctioning shield emitters myself. :: beat :: from inside the ship.

Kali was also familiar with Michaels' propensity to make less than great decisions on how to approach things from time to time, particularly involving spacewalks. Given the statement by one of the other engineers in the room about an EVA coming up, there were some concerns floating around her head. For now though, she remained quiet.

Lacy: Response

Michaels: Mr. Morda. You are with me.

The other officer seemed less than excited about the prospect.

Morda: ::Deadpan:: Again?

The raven-haired admiral smirked to herself, mostly because no one else was paying her any mind. Figuring she'd continue along that vein while making sure nothing 'stupid' was committed, Kali decided to tag along as well.

Later if she was asked, she'd just call it Admiral's prerogative...

((Timeskip, Jeffries Tube 127CC Nacelle One))

The trek to the nacelle had been pretty uneventful, even with the overall weight of the ship's current situation. In silence she had accompanied the officers and they seemed to avoid noticing her which was still fine with her. When she needed to, she'd make sure she was known. For now she just followed and watched.

Michaels: ::urgently:: Morda. Stop right now. Do not go another centimeter forward.

The urgency made her pause and look up.

Morda: Okay, ma’am. 

Michaels: Tell me what you see.

The literal translation of what was seen spilled out into the tubes between the officers.

Morda: ::Squinting uncertainly:: I see Jefferies Tube 127CC, Nacelle #1, and a vertical transition shaft two meters ahead.

But the Vulcan saw something else.

Michaels: You do not see the faint pink glow? Perhaps Vulcan eyes and Kerelian eyes are sensitive to different frequency ranges. I see a glow forming two lines from the top of the Jeffries tube to the bottom. I can not see what is in the center of the path. Perhaps it is infra-red radiation from something microscopic. If that presumption is correct, it could be extraordinarily dangerous.

Morda: I think you’re right: we see things differently. But if there’s an infrared emission, I don’t think I feel any heat radiating.

Kali, also, did not feel any radiating energy.

Michaels: Let me get next to you. I want to try something.

As the two shifted and squeezed into the tight space together, Kali was momentarily grateful for being considered a part of the wall. There had been plenty of times where she had been in similarly tight positions, and they were rarely comfortable.

Michaels: If this is what I think this is, it could function as the sharpest knife ever made. It could be like a blade just a few molecules wide along its edge.

It was an interesting premise, and made her eyebrow rise again.

Morda: I take your meaning, Lieutenant. Where does it start and end?

As if in response, the lieutenant doffed a glove and precisely moved it back and forth a few times in front of them. The fingertips and then the fingers seemed to spontaneously detach, leaving perfectly smooth material behind -- as if they hadn’t been one cohesive garment seconds before. What a strange incidence aboard the ship. Despite her years, she could not say that she had seen this before. It also made her wonder what the point of it was.

Michaels: Like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Morda: Absolutely lethal.

Kali wasn't sure that there were any truer words that could be spoken just then.

Michaels: That is what I thought might happen. Imagine what would have happened to you if you had crawled up to it.

Morda: Yeah. I got a nice haircut on shoreleave and this would’ve really messed it up.

Then came the reasonably engineer-ish definition. At least Kali didn't have to provide herself that.

Michaels: It is an ultrathin cable attached to our power systems siphoning energy away from the ship to... something. Somewhere. And, with a few million similar microscopic cables, strong enough to keep Khitomer from leaving without ripping itself apart. :: beat and a slight smile :: We seem to be caught in a spider's web with extraordinarily strong microscopic filaments. :: beat :: This looks like a job for Science.

Morda: Specifically targeted, too. If we had these kinds of filaments firing arbitrarily through the ship, we’d have more overt damage: injured crew, water storage leaks, fusion reactor failures, even the warp core and the whole plasma distribution system. They must be small enough not to trigger decompression alarms if they extend or originate outside the ship. I wonder: could they have stuck us with these pins and then put the squeeze on the ship to keep us from moving and damaging ourselves further? Where are these things anchored?

Or were they anchored at all? That got her mind churning given the information Semara had shared not all that long ago.

Michaels: Response

The sound of a badge being engaged brough her mind back to the present.

Morda: =/\= Ensign Morda to Lieutenant El'Heem. Sir, Lieutenant Michaels and I have discovered something that might pose a hazard to the planned EVA. =/\=

Michaels/El’Heem: Response

Now seemed like as good a time as any to speak up...

Nicholotti: Hazard might be an understatement.

Michaels/Morda: Responses?

El'Heem: =/\= Response? =/\=

Kali offered that all-knowing grin again, even if she didn't know nearly everything.

Nicholotti: Given the information we have now, perhaps we reconsider the walk outside?

It was far from an order, to be sure, but an invitation to think. Was this the right path? If it was necessary, then so be it, but if new information meant something else, then perhaps it was worth saying.

Michaels/Morda: Responses?

El'Heem/Any: =/\= Response? =/\=

TAG/TBC

--

Rear Admiral Kalianna Nicholotti

Commander - 13th Recon Fleet

USS Eagle-A

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