[[BACKSIM]] Lt. JG T’Fearne - How to Detonate a Cargo Bay in 10 Seconds
Teayl Thorn
((Slightly delayed end of mission for T'Fearne, but I wanted to wrap it up.))
((Corridor Outside Cargo Bay 02, Deck 03, USS Compass Rose))
The corridor thrummed with a low vibration as the magnetic clamps disengaged. T’Fearne’s gaze lingered on the sealed hatch, watching as the bulkhead shuddered, then steadied. Through the narrow view strip, Cargo Bay 02 drifted free, tumbling slowly into the darkness beyond. The pounding from within became a faint, distant echo, swallowed by the void.
Roop: How do we describe...living vapors in a report, Sirs?
Winters: ::looking to Roop:: Good work Ensign. ::looking to Deacon and T'Fearne:: You two ok?
T’Fearne checked herself, seeing the Lt. do the same. Her throat was dry and scratchy, and faint tremors, nerve pulses still ran up and down her limbs, but she indicated she was operational, with a nod.
She was worried about Roop though. His talk of living vapours was concerning. Had he somehow seen something similar to what she saw in the transporter room? She had seen nothing like that this time.
Deacon: I’m good for the moment. Give me a few hours, and I'll get back to you.
T’Fearne: ::lowering her weapon, voice steady:: For now, the threat is contained. I recommend we assume those two weren’t alone.
Lt. Frost rested his rifle against his chest, crossing his arms over it, scanning the dim corridor as T’Fearne pulled out her tricorder and scanned the departing cargo bay. Using it to keep a trace of the hostiles.
Roop: Do they have any spaceflight capability? We only cast them away. They may have survived the decompression, as tough as they seemed.
Winters: I have no idea but that's a great question and a scary one too.
Deacon: Yeah, they can survive in a vacuum. But they’re sealed in that cargo hold, and if they get out, they’re just going to float around until they get sucked into some planetoid’s gravity pull and they’re burned up in atmo. I don’t think we need to worry about them for the time being.
T'Fearne: If they launch off the module at the right angle, they could drift back within range to climb back aboard. I’d rather make sure no shuttle or other ship picks up a hostile either. Consortium tech seems to be— persistent.
The engineering officer seemed to reinflate as the tension loosened. He regrouped with T’Fearne and the other security officers.
Roop: So, this was the second time you've fought these things, Lieutenant? ::looking at Deacon::
Winters: We need a better defense and lets really hope there is not a third time.
Deacon: Unfortunately, Ensign, yes. And they keep getting creepier and harder to kill. The best way to disable them is to hit the spot directly in the center of the undercarriage. That will usually do the trick, but not always. Depends on the size, too.
T'Fearne: ::casting a glance Frost's way:: Do you think their behaviour suggests adaptive intelligence? Not just pure programming?
Roop: How in the heavens did the Ronin ever survive that?
T’Fearne frowned, remembering the state of the Ronin as she first reported for duty. Over seventy fatalities, numerous injuries, crew reeling with loss and pieces of spiderbots and debris through the walkways and habitat spaces of the ship. A shudder rolled up the Vulcazoid’s spine, not entirely related to her recent reaction to treatment of seventeen.
Winters: How indeed? Can we use that to our advantage or would these bots have adapted to your strategy from the last encounter?
Deacon: A lot of airlocking and explosives. Chief Tucker had to cleanse one of the laboratories because it had freed itself from stasis and had to burn it to a crisp.
Roop’s triPADD chirped, and he gave a huff upon viewing it.
Roop: The jamming signal’s been cleared. ::looking up to face the other superior officers:: Ronin and Luster transporters are fully available to us. Recovery, resupply.
Roop kneeling to place a transporter tag on a nearby victim pile and standing to stare out the view strip at the shrinking lump of cargo bay 02 module, he seemed to be descending inwards, deep in thought.
T'Fearne: ::shaking her head:: With transport enhancers and these tags, we’ll manage.
Winters: Ok, so we assume there are more or those two can get back aboard. How do we take them out without dismantling the rest of the ship?
Deacon: Someone said they had a photon grenade or two? Those would help immensely. But the problem is that some of these models have personal shields.
Roop: Adjusting scans for similar Consortium metallurgy based on those active spiders. ::tirPADD responding to his settings:: They also have unique signals…I believe they communicate and…well, ’see’ in the ultraviolet spectrum. Some type of wave mechanic oscillations modulating in the emission spectrum. ::shifting jaw to one side in his helmet:: All the way down the hydrogen series. Clever. ::looking up, he immediately realized he was miscommunicating with his team again::
T'Fearne: ::checking her scan data:: Fascinating…Are the transport enhancers in Cargo Bay 02 module still active?
Winters: I wasn't here for that fight so I am deferring to your knowledge of the creepy crawlers.
Deacon: I’m not reading any more of the little bastards on my latest scans, so that’s good.
Roop: Confirmed, none on scan. ::looking up at his superiors:: An under-armed and vulnerable science vessel encountered a very lethal Consortium trap. But it wasn't set for them. ::looking around with shrugging hands:: They were simply the worm on the hook. The Ronin had to be the real target all along, didn’t it? The Compass Rose’s Captain failed protocol somewhere, probably starting with the scan jamming irregularities, and then the Consortium set the trap, and we raced to the rescue.
T'Fearne: ::swallowing dryly:: Something to take note of in the Alpha Isles, Ensign. 87% per cent— no, now 93% of away missions I’ve been assigned to since my arrival on the Ronin have included subterfuge and a trap. Hope for the best, but prepare for the unexpected.
Michele seemed to be listening, and Lt. Frost shifted his stance. He tapped his combadge.
Deacon: =/\= Deacon to commander Kel =/\=
Kel: =/\= Kel here. =/\=
T’Fearne leaned a hip against a bulkhead to rest for a moment and took stock of her gear. Akai sticks, both phaser pistols, a Bajoran earring, a tricorder, and several packets of rations, transporter tags. She eyed one of her phaser pistols and popped open the charge cell compartment.
Deacon: =/\= We’re all wrapped up here, spiderbots were ejected. Want us to head to you? =/\=
Kel: =/\= Excellent work Lieutenant. If your team is up for it, you can begin sweeping the ship and getting patients to the triage area. I think Dr. Beck is on the verge of a breakthrough. =/\=
Various waves of cool relief radiated out from the other members of the team like slowly blooming flowers. And ensign Roop broke into a relieved smile.
Winters: ::looking around the group:: Looks like light at the end of the tunnel finally.
Something seemed to have caught Roop deep in thought. As she modified her phasers power cell in a way her academy teachers would have disapproved she spoke to Roop.
T'Fearne: Are you alright Ensign?
Deacon: =/\= Aye, Commander, we’ll join you. We’ll take the long way and do a sweep. Deacon out.
Kel: =/\= Good luck. Kel out. =/\=
Winters: Looks like round up time is here.
Roop: ::scanning the corridors and rooms ahead, Roop’s triPADD comm link-up now offered their suit HUDs’ crystal clear trackers for living life signs, deceased commbadges, and enhanced spider detection utilizing a Heisenbaerg-Schrödinger differentiation:: Have any of you played the game Durotta?
T'Fearne: I can’t say I have, Ensign. What does it entail?
Deacon: Well, ya heard the man, let's skiddadle.
Winters: With pleasure.
The power cell started to grow slightly warm in her gloved hand, and she peeled herself off the bulkhead to join the rest of the team moving out.
Roop: In Durotta, you each choose your opponent’s piece to play.
T'Fearne: ::throwing the hot cell up in the air and catching it as she walked:: Curious, so one must strategize using the hand their opponent deals them?
T’Fearne followed Frost with Roop at her side, letting Michele cover them, bringing up their rear. The Vulcazoid kept an eye out for the transporter room on deck 04 as they began to make their sweep through the Compass Rose.
Roop: That’s the Consortium’s angle here. Our pawns fought our own knights.
T'Fearne: Half distracted:: I’m not sure I follow, Ensign.
Roop: I mean, they knew our protocols and wanted us to follow them. They knew our moves before they even started.
((Transporter Room, Deck 04, USS Compass Rose))
As they passed close to the transporter room, T’Fearne took the opportunity to pop the now-smoking power cell back into the phaser pistol. She adjusted the phaser settings, dropped it on the transporter pad, and at the console, she swiftly locked coordinates to the active enhancer ring in the drifting bay with the spiderbots.
T'Fearne: Ah, chess? But our pawns stood together to rescue our knights, our towers and bishops are skilled, and our kings and queens are strong.
Thinking of how Kessler had turned swiftly from the Ronin's Sec/Tac to a dangerous liability, and if Winters hadn’t shown up to help, how she would have dealt with the situation alone.
The phaser pistol disappeared in a shimmer of blue motes of light.
Roop: Yessir. We were playing chess, not realizing they were playing Durotta. ::checking triPADD:: We’ve got two survivors ahead in rooms eighteen and twenty-two. ::voice shifting deeper and slower:: Fifteen remains as well, scattered. No signs of spiders or ultraviolet signals.
On her tricorder, she registered the moment the phaser pistol exploded, igniting the thermite charges in the drifting cargo bay, tearing the active units and the module to oblivion
oO I hope that got their sensitive underbellies. Oo
She looked back at Roop as they continued on their way rounding up the survivors, a dark fire burned in her obsidian eyes. She was already on the Consortium’s trail, after Proxima Sigma they were firmly in the security officers sights, and she knew the ire of the Ronin had been fully awakened.
T'Fearne: Let the Consortium play their games…for now.
[No Tags/ End of Mission for T’Fearne]
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Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14