Ensign Alok Munshi - StarBase, We Have A Problem
Alok Munshi
((Shuttle Bay 7, StarBase 118))
The red alert sirens for Shuttle Bay 5 were already echoing through the corridors by the time Alok reached Bay 7. He didn't wait for the automated doors to fully cycle, slipping through the gap as soon as it was wide enough for his frame.
The bay was a hive of controlled alarm. A group of deck hands were moving toward the EVA lockers, but Alok headed straight for the primary Work Bee—the secondary variable he’d insisted on during the briefing in the Hub.
Munshi: ::shouting over the siren:: Clear the launch pad! I’m taking the Bee to Bay 5.
A crewman started to object, gesturing toward a PADD with a lock-out sequence, but Alok was already pulling himself into the Bee’s cramped cockpit. His hands moved with a diligent speed.
oO Redundancy isn't just a suggestion; it's a requirement. The Zambezi’s nacelle is taking a shear load it wasn’t designed for. If I don't counter the torque, the drydock skin is going to unzip like a cheap flight suit. Oo
He bypassed the standard three-minute pre-flight warmup, his fingers dancing across the LCARS interface to force a manual seal on the magnetic clamps. For a heartbeat, the smell of the Bee’s recycled air triggered a flash of memory: the Astraeus during the Silenya mission, the smell of ozone and the feeling of a ship under his feet.
He gripped the control sticks, his jaw tightening.
Munshi: Not this time.
The Bee lurched as he kicked the thrusters into high gear, clearing the atmospheric field and banking hard toward the exterior curve of the station.
((Exterior Hull, Near Shuttle Bay 5))
The scale of the disaster was even more visible from the vacuum. The USS Zambezi was pinned like a broken insect against the massive curve of the station. Sparks were still venting from the port nacelle where the duranium microwelds had popped.
Alok brought the Work Bee in on a high-velocity approach, his hazel eyes tracking the stress markers on his HUD. He could hear the heavy, labored breathing of Ensign sh’Sonora over the open channel.
sh’Sonora: OHHHHHHH GODS!!!!!!!! COMPUTER! STOP THE SHUTTLE!!!!!
sh’Sonora: This isn’t my trainer shuttle. Where the frell am I?!
Alok tapped the comm line, his voice a deliberate anchor of cold, technical logic. He needed her cognitive functions back online.
Munshi: =/\= Ensign sh’Sonora, this is Ensign Munshi in the Work Bee. You are at StarBase 118, Bay 5 coordinates. Your shuttle is stationary, but the port nacelle is currently acting as a lever against the primary hull. =/\=
He maneuvered the Bee underneath the Zambezi’s underbelly, the manipulator arms extending to lock onto the runabout’s primary structural ribs.
Munshi: =/\= Mi'shune, I need you to listen to the timbre of my voice. The variables are shifting, but they are still under our control. Do not attempt to engage thrusters. I am going to apply a counter-thrust and clamp the Zambezi to the station's magnetic grid. =/\=
McLaren: =/\= Response(s)? =/\=
sh’Sonora: =/\= Response(s)? =/\=
Munshi: =/\= What do you mean who am I? We just met a couple of minutes ago… oO Doesn’t matter, I should get over with the task at hand first.Oo
He felt the jar of the Bee making contact. Metal groaned against metal, a sound that resonated through the Bee’s frame. He began the "clamp and counter-thrust" maneuver, fighting the momentum that was trying to grind the runabout deeper into the station's "gash".
oO The torque is peaking. If she panics and hits the RCS, we both drift. Oo
sh’Sonora: =/\= Response(s)? =/\=
McLaren: =/\= Response(s)? =/\=
Munshi: =/\= Ensign, keep your hands away from the helm. I’ve got you. Commander McLaren, the Bee is in position. I am attempting to stabilize the Zambezi before the hull integrity drops below the safety threshold. I suspect we’re going to need a second Bee and an EVA team for the extraction. =/\=
He looked through the viewport at the trapped runabout, his heart hammering against his ribs in a way he hadn't felt in 147 days.
sh'Sonora / McLaren / Any: Response?
TAG / TBC
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Ensign
Alok Munshi
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
A240204AM1