Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "Walk and Talk"
Amanda Nordstrom
((Maintenance Room, SS Belladonna))
DeVeau: What’s up, doc?
She said. It. She actually said it. Why? Alora had no idea. For some strange reason, the desire had been so overwhelming that they tumbled out of her mouth without any regard to what she *really* wanted and knew to be appropriate. A groan immediately followed. It wasn’t as if it was a lighthearted situation - far from it. Terra Prime had planted a bomb, they were trying to get 25,000 people evacuated. So no, it wasn’t the time for such quips.
And yet it came. Despite knowing all that, her mouth had disconnected from her brain just long enough to get that out. Alora recognised it, even through the low thrumming headache that had started to pound against the walls of her head. Gaining more control, she stepped into the maintenance room now that she had managed to use her phaser to cut a passage way in the door that Lowell had welded shut. So now they could get out. That was, if Arys would actually *go* with her.
DeVeau: You all right?
Trovek: =/\= Hey Adon, I need to talk to DeVeau for a second. But I am still here, okay? I just want you to know what is going on. =/\=
Arys motioned to the EVA suits and Alora nodded as she moved to the locker. Her head hated her and chided her with more pain. Reaching out, she took one that looked about her size.
Trovek: Gamma Radiation. These should help.
Yeah, most definitely. And that probably explained a *couple* of things going on with that brain of hers. Once she grabbed the suit, Alora arched her eyebrows at the doctor.
Trovek: I am still talking to Kent. He is trying to fix the impulse core… or… make it fixable.
Well that was good, right? Better than trying to make the entire ship explode.
Trovek: =/\= I am still here. Will the suit protect you enough? =/\=
And it seemed that the tides had turned. The man who had locked them in a maintenance room was now trying to fix the ship? Alora had to hand it to Arys, she did good. She would have remained to listen to the conversation when her comm chirped. Just as she stepped back out into the hallway, Sal’s voice came through.
Taybrim: =/\= Narendra to away teams. Are you alright over there? =/\=
Renot: =/\= At this moment, I am physically fine. Honest answer though, things aren’t pretty. Tricobalt core dismantled, explosives still woven in the warp core. Sabotaged coolant system and impulse drive edging towards critical. =/\=
Sherlock: =/\=We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. ::beat:: How are you? =/\=
So the answer was both yes and know. Physically, yes. Would it remain that way? Hard to say. Currently? Stressed. Everyone was. Alora had to refrain from laughing at Sherlock’s rather conversational reply - as if this was an every day occurrence.
Luthas: =/\= ?
Taybrim: =/\= Yes, we’re reading the engine damage! We were able to stay stable in the warp bubble. But the warp field degradation will continue. And we have over 6000 of the 25,000 passengers onboard right now. =/\=
Renot: =/\= That’s less than peachy. We’ve got a suggestion here from Sherlock to eject the warp. My numbers aren’t too pretty. Would love some input… =/\=
Renot had more than just a suggestion from Sherlock, he had an *order* from her. The First Officer. Or had he forgotten that? It wasn’t exactly optional.
DeVeau: =/\= I’ve told Sherlock and Luthas to work on disabling the explosives. The tricobalt is removed, but the actual explosives are still attached to the core. I’m not certain ejecting the core would mean we’d get out of the way quickly enough. =/\=
Taybrim: =/\= And what about the coolant leak? From what our scans say if that stabilizes the warp core won’t be affected. =/\=
Alora found herself getting irritable, though she didn’t know why. Sal hadn’t question her methods or her orders, but for some reasons, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Fortunately, she was able to remain level headed and calm as she answered.
DeVeau: =/\= Renot and the chief engineer on working on that leak. If the engines can be repaired, the warp field should stabilise.=/\=
Sherlock: =/\=If the engines get fixed, it will buy us more time. Right now, that may be the biggest threat. If they go off, this all will have been for naught.=/\=
Taybrim: =/\= Does Engineer Asta think it can be fixed? =/\=
Alora didn’t know if it could be fixed, but the options were limited, and repairs should be explored before tossing the warp core out the window.
Renot/Luthas: =/\= ?
There was a big old conversation going, and Alora found herself fighting back some rising irritation. She had no right to be annoyed. They were simply doing what they were supposed to be doing. Even so, the emotion manifested itself and she struggled to refrain from snapping in return. Fortunately, she managed to refrain from doing so and keep her voice calm and matter of fact. She would deal with the strange irritation later. They were all trying to do their job.
And they would continue to do so. With the odds stacked against them, they would fight until the very end. That end would come, but it would come in victory - Alora was certain of that. Terra Prime could throw all they wanted at them, but there was no way they would come on top. They were Starfleet Officers. They didn’t give up. They wouldn’t give up. They would prevail.
But winning was all about taking steps. Thus far, they were taking those steps, and though they weren’t going as quickly as they desire, it was still progress. They would cross the finish line and Terra Prime would be left in the dust. Currently, Alora had updated Sal and others on what was going on - but there was one more thing they didn’t know.
DeVeau: =/\=We’ve also made contact with a Terra Prime member. Trovek is speaking with him right now. =/\=
Sherlock: =/\=Is he there now? Can we talk to him?=/\=
DeVeau: =/\=He’s not. He locked us up and ran away with the key. We’re free though, don’t worry. Currently, Doctor Trovek’s on the line with him.=/\=
And that was a good thing. Establishing that contact, that rapport, it was important.
Renot/Luthas: =/\= ?
Taybrim: =/\= Bridge scans indicate he’s heading towards the plasma fire in the impulse drive section. =/\=
Sherlock: =/\=Can you repeat that? He's heading where?=/\=
DeVeau: =/\=Not your concern, Lieutenant. You need to stay on that bomb.=/\=
Maybe Alora was wrong, but she got the feeling that Aine wanted to go after the guy. It made sense knowing what little Alora had learneda bout her since their first meeting, but she was needed in a specific place.
Renot/Luthas: =/\= ?
Taybrim: =/\=So if the issue isn’t so much the damage, but getting to the damage to fix it – what equipment can we send you to make getting to that area safe?=/\=
Alora didn’t answer, because she wasn’t the one dealing with damage. No, she was the one who needed to get Arys out of that room and find Lowell, and work on evacuations. So much to do…
Renot/Luthas/Sherlock: =/\= ?
Taybrim: =/\= Done. I made sure we brought the 292nd’s SARS specialists and they stocked the Narendra with emergency gear. I’ll have it beamed directly to the Belladonna’s main engineering. =/\=
If anyone would be prepared, it would be Sal and, or, a marine. And since they were repaired, they could beam over items that would be useful.
Renot/Luthas/Sherlock: =/\= ?
Taybrim: =/\= No, let Arys continue to work with Lowell, because whatever she’s doing – it’s working. Alora, if you’re in range verbally tell her that you’re getting emergency gear in Engineering. Have her share that information on an as needed basis.=/\=
Which was what Alora had said in the first place. Did people think that her orders should just be ignored because the Commodore was on the line? Chiding herself, Alora shook her head and again the pain increased. Oh, the suit!
Maybe it was the gamma radiation. Hopefully, with the suit’s protection, it would no longer affect her. Quickly, Alora began to slip into it, keeping her triPADD and phaser out and in easy reach. Hey! There were pockets! Bonus. Probably because people in EVA suits inside ships likely still had to use tricorders.
DeVeau: =/\= Will do.=/\=
Renot/Luthas/Sherlock: =/\= ?
Alora secured the suit and inhaled deeply. How long would it take to filter out the radiation? What damage had already been done? Well, she’d find out eventually - at least now things wouldn’t get worse.
Taybrim: =/\= You should have a delivery in Engineering now. Use whatever you need. Get those engines fixed. =/\=
DeVeau: =/\= Yes sir. Al…DeVeau out.=/\=
And with that, Alora cut off the communication. She had work to do. Turning back to the hole in the door, she stepped back inside, noting that Arys was still talking to Lowell.
Trovek: =/\= I am not going to ditch you after this. Where are you now? What’s happening? =/\=
Kent: =/\= response =/\=
It seemed that Arys had made some progress as well. That was good. They could do this.
Trovek: =/\= Okay, I am talking to DeVeau again, but not going away. =/\=
Once the channel was muted, Arys turned toward Alora, her expression indicating uncertainty. Thus far, the woman had done an amazing job, but there was still a long way to go.
Trovek: I don’t know what to tell him. He’s willing to walk into a room with plasma fire and I don’t know if I should stop him. I don’t want the ship to blow up.
She was worried and Alora sensed she was doubting herself, not just what to tell him. She hoped not. Arys was quite capable, and she’d proven that on multiple occasions already.
DeVeau: Tell him we want to help. That Starfleet wants to help. He’s trying to fix things, right?
Trovek: ?
Alora nodded and smiled a little and hoped that the expression was somewhat comforting. If she’d managed to convince Lowell to assist in the repairs, then that was one more person working toward making sure everyone would be all right.
DeVeau: Tell him there are emergency supplies beamed into Main Engineering, including some fire proof EVA suits and other things he’ll find useful.
Trovek: ?
Then Alora turned and motioned out the door. She needed the woman to move, and last she’d heard, talking didn’t affect the ability to move.
DeVeau: And keep talking to him, but start walking. We need to actually *go*.
Lowell/Trovek: ?
-- Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau First Officer Starbase 118 Ops al...@blar.net M239008AD0