Ensign Alok Munshi - Secondary Variables
Alok Munshi
((The Hub, StarBase 118))
Alok tracked the movement of the icons on the holotable, his mind already running a diagnostic on the potential repair tools they would need. He listened as Ensign sh’Sonora and Lieutenant Sylvax weighed in on the logistics.
sh’Sonora: I can have our auxiliary crafts prepped and ready within the hour, Sirs. We may run into work that’s too tough for the EVA, but too delicate for the runabout’s tractor beam. I suggest we have a work bee prepped for backup.
McLaren: I agree, having a backup would be good.
Sylvax: Redundancy is rarely wasted in situations like this.
Alok offered a sharp, appreciative nod. The technical logic was sound.
Munshi: A work bee at Bay 7 is a prudent secondary variable. If we encounter structural warping that requires more than a standard industrial welder, the bee’s manipulation arms will provide the necessary torque that a runabout's tractor beam might lack. Redundancy is, after all, the backbone of any stable system.
sh’Sonora: ::Claps her hands together.:: I got a lot of pre-flight checking and some stowage to take care of, so I best be about it! ::Borrowing the LCARS screen, she quickly checked the shuttle roster and selected a runabout from the list.:: This’ll save some time. The USS Zambezi is available at shuttle bay 5 and her mission module’s still set to engineering. And I can reserve a work bee from the shuttle pool at bay 7, just in case.
McLaren: I think that covers our plan. We can head to the shuttle bay then, and gather whatever materials we need.
Munshi: Understood, ma'am. I’ll coordinate the heavy-duty emitters with the Hub's quartermaster while the Ensign preps the flight deck. I’ll make sure the industrial welding kits are the first items on the docket for Bay 5.
Sylvax: I’ll inform Sickbay of our deployment window and ensure emergency protocols...
Alok’s hazel eyes caught the sudden shift in the room’s energy as the comm system chirped, breaking the technical rhythm.
Osmond: =/\= Osmond to medical. We need an officer on the Promenade immediately. =/\=
Sylvax: =/\= Acknowledged. What’s the situation? =/\=
McLaren: You'd better go. Sounds serious.
Alok adjusted his stance, his 6'0" frame momentarily shielding the display as Sylvax prepared to depart.
Sylvax: ::smiles impishly:: Try not to add to my patient list while I’m gone.
Munshi: ::with a reserved but genuine nod toward the Lieutenant:: We’ll endeavor to keep the structural integrity high and the casualty list low, sir. Safe travels to the Promenade.
As Sylvax hurried toward the lift, Alok looked back at the Second Officer. The team was smaller now, but the "gash" on the hull remained a constant.
McLaren: And I think we have a runabout to get to.
sh'Sonora: What was the old terran saying? Kick the tires and light the fires?
McLaren: If we put in the requisition with Operations, we should have all the materials we need once we arrive... they're staggeringly efficient.
Munshi: I’ve found that Ops efficiency is one of the few reliable constants in this sector. I’ll follow you to Bay 5, ma'am, once I’ve verified the dampener synchronization with the Zambezi’s mission module. We don't want any power fluctuations while we're operating the heavy equipment.
sh'Sonora: WIth your permission, Sir, I’d like to get started now.
Alok watched the Andorian pilot pivot and stride away with a "pep" that seemed almost too intense given her earlier state. He turned to Commander McLaren, his expression clinical.
Munshi: She seems... motivated. I hope the hypospray’s recovery rate is as stable as it looks.
((Shuttle Bay 5, StarBase 118))
Alok arrived at the bay just as the Zambezi began its departure sequence. He stood by the industrial kit crates, watching the runabout hover near the station's massive internal curve. He remembered the feeling of a ship’s deck beneath his feet—the Astraeus, the Expanse—and for a heartbeat, he missed the confined clarity of ship life.
Then, the variables shifted.
The Zambezi didn't bank; it lurched. To an untrained eye, it might have looked like a gust of solar wind, but to Alok, the overcompensation of the port thrusters was immediate and terrifying. The groaning of duranium against duranium echoed through the bay's atmospheric seal.
The runabout buckled, its port nacelle scraping a raw, sparking line along the station's hull before pinning itself against the base.
Munshi: ::tapping his commbadge with urgency:: Munshi to Commander McLaren, we have an unexpected variable. The Zambezi has made uncontrolled contact with the primary hull at Bay 5. The craft is pinned.
He didn't wait for a response. He looked toward the equipment crates and then toward the lift leading to the secondary shuttle pool.
oO The nacelle is grinding into the drydock skin. If the seal on the Zambezi’s cockpit compromises, the Ensign won't have time to reach an EVA suit. I've seen how fast a hull fails when the torque is this uneven. I am not losing another ship. Not today. Oo
Munshi: I’m heading to Bay 7. We need that work bee for stabilization now. If we don't counter the lurch, we’re going to lose the integrity of the Zambezi’s nacelle and the pilot simultaneously.
The party was over. The "magical chaos" had become a physical emergency, and Alok Munshi was moving before the dust—or the duranium flakes—could even settle.
TAG / TBC
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Ensign
Alok Munshi
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
A240204AM1