LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - The Silence After Orders
Tim
((Deck 1, Conference Room, USS Khitomer))
For a change, Connor arrived just on time, resisting the urge to tug at his collar as he stepped into the room. It didn’t matter how many years he’d spent in Starfleet, or how many times he’d been summoned to these sorts of briefings, the conference room still carried the air of judgment and finality. It didn’t help that he could already feel the unease radiating off Captain Shayne like static.
Something was wrong.
As he took his seat beside familiar faces and new ones alike, Connor tried not to let his mind drift back to Engineering, back to Ayemet in Sickbay, back to everything not being discussed yet, but still occupying his mind.
Shayne: We’re going back.
Connor’s stomach sank. That could mean anything, and none of it sounded good.
Dewitt: Why?
Any: Response Shayne’s jaw tightened. Connor could see it from where he sat. He thought he could see the effort it took not to sound as frustrated as he most likely felt.
Shayne: DS33’s deep space telescopes have detected trace emissions of Sencha radiation from the Lagoon Nebula. I have assured the admiralty that the probe that was launched was disabled thoroughly- ::he cast a wandering eye towards El’Heem:: -so the conclusion they’ve drawn is that it must be a new source, and given our experiences with the Lattice Alliance, it’s been made our top priority.
Sencha radiation. Lagoon Nebula. The names alone sparked muscle memory. Connor tensed instinctively. He remembered the last time, the systems failure, the surge through the gel packs that had blown his entire grid offline. His official report contained the words ‘miracle’ and ‘unlikely’ more often than any professional report in Starfleet should have.
Shayne: I will refrain from putting too fine a point on it, but anyone aboard for the last mission has more experience with the perils of this nebula than I do. I will be relying on each of you for your expertise. Mr. Korras, you’ll set a course for the Lagoon Nebula, Warp 9.
Korras: Response
Connor shifted in his chair slightly, running through the mental checklist of everything in Engineering they’d need to reinforce… again. If the Sencha field hit the warp systems like it had before, they’d be in for another fun ride.
Shayne then turned to another bunch of officers.
Shayne: What progress have you made on insulating our gel packs from the phenomenon? And I know we just got off shore leave, so if the answer is “none”, I understand.
Semara/El’Heem/Matthews: Response He half-listened as the scientists gave their updates. It wasn't a lack of interest, he trusted their work and he was up to date on the specifics. Instead, his head was already problem-solving. Conduits. Junction redundancy. Isolation protocols. Could they shield the EPS systems better? Maybe. But the real question was would it be enough this time?
Shayne: Very well. I insisted on a, frankly, vast surplus of gel packs, so experimentation is authorized. And speaking of insulating-
The captain’s gaze moved toward Ohnari and Harford.
Shayne: Most of the ship has been inoculated- would a double dose be beneficial in any way? Or should Mr. Korras and myself make our way to Sickbay for a hypo?
Ohnari/Harford: Response
Then, finally, the conversation turned toward his department. Connor sat a little straighter without noticing.
Shayne: Commander Dewitt, Lieutenant Michaels, Ensign Banks, I want this ship ready for anything. Sencha, fighting, hell, the Big Bang. I want to be able to get out of any situation we find ourselves in with speed, durability, and an embarrassing amount of firepower.
Connor gave a short nod, tapping fingers against the PADD he’d brought in with him.
Dewitt: Understood. We’ll begin a full diagnostic sweep of the propulsion systems immediately. We’ll also cycle through the secondary power matrix so we can standby for an emergency shield modulation if things go sideways. Engineering will be ready by the time we hit that nebula.
As the words left his mouth, Connor felt a beat of hesitation rise in his chest. He hadn’t mentioned the experimental systems.
The Sencha Dispersion Array and the adaptive hull plating were still installed, quietly tucked away, isolated from the main power grid and computer core after the last mission. After what happened, they weren’t authorized for activation.
He had spent hours poring over the data during her recovery. He had talked with Amelia about it, even with Ayemet. The diagnostics had shown something. Irregular energy feedback loops, minor power fluctuations, and possible subspace instability. The risks were obvious. But so was the potential.
If the radiation levels in the Lagoon Nebula spiked again, if the gel packs degraded as fast as they had last time… conventional systems might not cut it. His gaze dropped for a split second, jaw tightening.
Michaels/Banks: Response
Shayne: Mr. Zerva, Mr. Matthews, preparations aside, there’s been little to nothing to suggest concentrated Alliance movements in the nebula. Still. Schedule tactical simulations and security drills on all shifts until we get to our destination.
Zerva/Matthews: Response
Connor’s head was already forming his mental to-do list. There would be no shortcuts this time. Not with Ayemet still recovering. Not with the crew already strained.
Shayne: Mr. Hobart, you and Lieutenant Dewitt will review mission logs, recent Alliance movements, any information that might shed some light on what we’re heading towards.
Hobart/Ayemet: Response
Shayne: We’ve got a fair few hours before we get there, even at Warp 9. Let’s make every second count. Dismissed.
As the crew rose from their seats, the sound of chairs scraping and PADDs clicking echoed faintly. Connor didn’t move right away. He was already thinking in systems, redundancies, pressure points. But beneath that, a quieter thought stirred.
Shayne’s words echoed in his head.
We’re going back.
He turned to Lieutenant Michaels and Ensign Banks.
Dewitt: Lera, I’ll be joining you in Engineering shortly. You and Ensign Banks go ahead and make sure power supply of all primary systems is working without instabilities. I want double redundancies for life support, shields and impulse systems. Increase warp core output by ten percent and use that energy to erect level 10 force fields around the main EPS conduits.
Michaels/Banks: Response
Connor nodded.
Dewitt: Agreed. This time, we’ll be ready and make sure the ship, and everyone on it, comes out on the other side in one piece.
Michaels/Banks: Response
Another nod.
Dewitt: Dismissed.
Michaels/Banks: Response
As the conference room emptied out, the quiet hum of conversation faded into the corridor. Chairs scraped back, boots moved in practiced rhythms, and the officers filed out one by one with orders in hand and thoughts already racing ahead.
Connor lingered at his seat, pretending to double-check the PADD in front of him, eyes flicking up only once everyone else was gone. Everyone but Shayne.
He stood and made his way to the head of the table where the Captain had remained.
Dewitt: What a mess.
His voice was low, not accusing, just tired. The kind of tired that came with recycled problems and half-won battles.
Shayne: Response
For a moment, a flicker of shared understanding passed between them. It was born not just from duty, but from the battles they’d weathered side by side: the Sheliak, the Arrow thieves, and the hollow silence that followed when Shayne had first told Connor about Ayemet’s abduction.
Connor hesitated for only a moment more before speaking again, more carefully this time.
Dewitt: We haven’t removed the array or the hull modules.
He merely stated a fact. A fact that Shayne knew about. Still it seemed to get his full attention.
Dewitt: They’re still installed. Fully isolated, not drawing any power, no interfaces connected. Buried so deep under safeties we’d need a full day to reinitialize them.
Shayne: Response
Dewitt: No. Preliminary analysis suggests the dispersion field overcompensated under active Sencha exposure. That, in turn, caused the plating to resonate on a subharmonic that fed back into our primary EPS lines. ::pause:: Best-case scenario? We stress the structural integrity field. Worst-case? We light the ship up like a subspace beacon and fry every critical system. Just as last time.
Connor nodded slowly, then fell quiet, the weight of the moment settling in. He didn’t press the issue. He just stood there, waiting…. hoping Shayne would say it. Keep them buried. Because as much as that tech intrigued him, as much as part of him wanted a silver bullet… he knew better. In this environment, with so many unknowns, flipping those systems back on could be a gamble they wouldn’t walk away from.
Shayne: Response
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr Connor DewittChief Engineer & Second Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3