Lt. JG T’Fearne - The Ultra-Violet Light District
Teayl Thorn
((Science Lab 3 / Bio-Decontamination, Deck 08, USS Compass Rose))
T’Fearne: ::dryly, but with a ghost of a smile:: Let’s hope it pays off without the gambling. Shall we split the team? Some stay here to fix the decon-chamber, and others go to find these plant specimens on Deck Oh-Two?
T’Fearne stood back, watching the human and Trill technicians work, the hum of consoles slowly returning like a ship regaining its heartbeat. For the first time since boarding the Rose, she felt a faint but growing flicker of hope.
Kel: ::nodding:: Yes. I'll take Mr. Benal here and move to this hydroponic lab.
Corzy: ::standing taller at Kel’s nod:: I’m as ready as I can be, Sir. :shoulders rolling inside his suit in minor discomfort::
T’Fearne suppressed a sigh. The Commander leaving without a security escort wasn’t ideal, especially when the potential cure, or at least the best chance of survival, was involved. But she trusted Kel’s instincts.
A loud metallic clank snapped her attention around. Crewman Ślimak was fumbling with her gear. T’Fearne’s brow rose, but in that moment of distraction, Winters voiced what she had been about to.
Winters: Want me with you Commander or here?
Kel: If we can get this system to work, we need to have a place to gather patients. Winters get a hold of Deacon, see if he can help you. Maybe there's a cargo bay we can start bringing people to.
Winters: Aye Commander.
Ślimak: 2Na razie. Look after yourself, Corzy.
The pair departed first swiftly. She had not been invited along and anticipated that Kel had intended her to remain with the engineers and provide whatever assistance she could. Her own determination was echoed surprisingly by the short human woman, who got to work on fixing the chamber door with a burst of energy.
Winters: ::Looking at T'Fearne and then Roop:: Good luck you two.
T’Fearne: And you, Lieutenant.
Michele gave a curt nod before stepping past and out of the lab, T’Fearne returned the sentiment. The two engineers didn’t seem to notice, deep in discussion.
Roop: You know, ::talking to Ślimak:: We could simply weld stem-bolts in place on the frame for the toggles to latch to. We don’t need to worry about high pressurization at this point. Just a good seal.
Ślimak: Sure. ::licking her lips:: Sorry, sir. I think I destroyed the old stem-bolts when I broke us out earlier.
Roop: Well, ::thinking, looking around:: the main doors into the Lab are broken anyway, get the stembolts from that mechanism.
Ślimak: That should work. If I can get the bolts to retract and still trigger their self-sealing function. If they are not too weathered.
Roop: Alright. ::nodding energetically:: You start with that, I’ll see what we can do about putting the controls back together out there.
Ślimak: :: strolling to the lab’s main hatch:: Yes, sir! Just so you know, I didn’t break those. ::pointing to the labs consoles and doors:: There were two massive explosions earlier, the warp core and something else, I think; it did most of the damage in here. That and the angry officers from earlier.
As the two engineering personnel conversed, the Vulcazoid looked over the partial Compass Rose crew manifest that had been partially compiled and sent to her. She threw the lists of names and profiles up on her visor's internal display. With care, she extracted a small containment packet from her gear and withdrew a Bajoran d’ja pagh. Scanned the personal effects and set the tricorder to run a simple image matching search. After a moment, she got a match. A crew profile isolated and opened, showing a young Bajoran man, Khelen Daro, wearing an engineer's uniform, Lieutenant pips on his collar, his earring a clear match to the one now resting in her hand. She closed her eyes for a moment and then slipped the earring back into a pocket, updating the file as confirmed deceased and tagging it for future reference.
A voice broke through her thoughts.
Roop: Lieutenant? I'm going to use a duotronic enhancer to redirect the chamber controls from the broken console to the Doctor's computer station. ::pointing at the computer console the Commander was just using:: Seems the best shot, but I can't adjust it here and monitor the computer screen over there. Can you keep trying to access the LCARS library and let me know when you have correct access?
T’Fearne: That I can do Ensign.
She leaned over the console, long, gloved fingers dancing over the controls, trying to gain access to the LCARS. The console flickered occasionally.
Meanwhile, over by the decon chamber, the Petty Officer was generating a light show and an industrious amount of noise as she began wielding something, scattering sparks like miniature comets in the dim lab.
T'Fearne: Nothing.
Roop: ::grimacing:: Ok. ::adjusting the frequency again:: How about now?
T'Fearne: ::more tapping:: Nothing. Wait, I’m in the forcefield and deflector screen generator system.
Roop: Deflector controls? We're close, at least. ::adjusting again:: Now?
T'Fearne: Forcefield matrix online. Deflector systems are partially responding, adjust 0.3 megahertz. The console display keeps flickering.
She pressed her hand down on the warped edge of the console, hoping to realign any loose connections. The display held steady.
Roop: Ha! I didn't know you could do that. Excellent. ::his big classroom grin at learning dissolving as the seriousness of the situation returned:: Good. ::getting up::
T'Fearne: I’ll just..::slamming a fist on the console's edge:: hopefully that will keep in place.
Roop: There it is, sure enough. ::calling out to Ślimak:: We've got controls on both sides of the decon chamber. ::standing taller and stretching his back out:: Now, let's see if we can find this treatment seventeen. You'll probably have to use the recovery proto..yep. You're already on it.
The young woman gave a Human gesture of agreement.
Ślimak: Yep, found it. ::quietly, almost to herself:: There it is. Treatment Seventeen.
Before T’Fearne could reply, her comm crackled to life. And the information flowing over hit her like a stone to the chest.
Raga: =/\= Attention all hands. This is the First Officer. Some of you may have noticed that we’ve sealed deck ten. And by now, you all know what it is we’re facing. A plague unlike any other. =/\= ::He slowly moved across the bridge from left to right:: =/\= One made worse by the machinations of monsters. That plague is now loose on this ship. I know that revelation likely terrifies some of you, maybe all of you. I do, for that same fear threatens to take the heart of me. And yet, I know you all will keep focused on the jobs you’ve been doing. As we’re all in this together. Our friends, colleagues, shipmates, our Captain, as we speak are working off ship to retrieve what we need to get through this. =/\= ::Toryn stopped in the center of the bridge and stared through the viewscreen:: =/\= There will come a time when we will give our tomorrows. When we break from all duty and hope is lost. But it is not this day. Because we are all Ronin Strong. Raga out. =/\=
She glanced at Roop, eyes fierce to see if he had received the same communication on their private suit comms.
T’Fearne: ::nodding slowly:: Things have gone from bad to worse, but this is our duty. Mr Roop, Crewman Ślimak, if you have any strong belief system, then I suggest you utilise its function now.
oO Great Fire, Four Deities, Prophets of Bajor, Surak’s katra and giant cosmic sky marsupials! Anything out there listening, this would be a good time to help! Oo
Roop: Response
Despite the dire situation, the colour and shape of Roop's emotional response was surprising in one she assumed to be in their early 20s. Like a ripple in a pool after a stone drops, rhythmic and calming. She took some of her own strength from him in that moment, allowing logic to come first.
Petty Officer Ślimak frowned, looking slightly preoccupied, and spoke up, unaware of the dire news the Ronin officers had just received.
Ślimak: It looks like… I’m not a medic, but…is there at least a few more doses of the inoculant ready to go? The chamber’s showing residual synthesis patterns.
The Human woman looked up questioningly at the taller officers as T’Fearne’s eyes widened slightly, and she turned and walked to the entrance of the decon chamber. Timing or fate, it didn’t matter.
T’Fearne: We need to verify this is the correct formula, that it works and is safe to send to the Ronin for them to begin inoculating the crew. We don’t have time to waste. I will allow myself to be exposed to this inoculant. If there are no harmful side effects, we can send some of the remaining doses to the Ronin and continue inoculating people here.
Roop: Response
She lifted a gloved hand, silencing any objections before they could form. Ślimak hesitated, eyes darting between the two officers.
T’Fearne: I’m no longer essential here. :: To Roop:: You’re the one who can keep these systems running. If anything goes wrong, I can’t risk your safety.
Ślimak: ::hesitating, then speaking up:: With respect, sirs… I don’t think you should be the ones to risk yourselves inside that chamber.
Roop: Response
The security officer had already made up her mind for herself, logic dictated risk, and she had accepted it. But Roop had the right to make his own choice. This wasn’t about rank, and she didn’t feel that she had the right to decide this for him. Without another word, she turned and stepped into the decontamination chamber.
((Bio-Decontamination Chamber, Deck 08, USS Compass Rose))
The door sealed behind her with a heavy, final hiss. She turned to see that Ensign Roop had made his choice. She acknowledged his actions with a nod.
T’Fearne: Crewman Ślimak, run Treatment Seventeen.
Ślimak: It’s still unstable. The power level is cycling steadily, but half the safeties are offline. If it fails during the process, it could hurt whoever’s inside. It’s not worth the risk yet.
T’Fearne: Then monitor those controls carefully and make it fast. Activate the UV field and administer Treatment Seventeen. That’s an order!
T’Fearne felt a dry swallow scratch at her throat. The words came out sharper than intended as the tension of the situation rose. She had never had to give an order before, not like that.
Roop: Response
Ślimak: Response
She reached up and released the seal on her helmet. A shocking mixture of tainted shipboard air hit her senses. Burned electronics, acrid, organic and decomposing scents assaulted her nose. She had smelled this before, on DS33 and maybe once in her childhood, the scent of a dying ship. She took shallow, measured breaths, imagining the pathogen dancing invisibly in the air around them. It didn’t matter. There was no time for fear. She was counting on Ślimak to do it quickly before they had a chance to become infected.
A beat of silence hung in the air, and then violet light speared the room like bleach. The hum of barely functioning circuitry filled the space like static.
T’Fearne: ::eyelashed crashing tightly shut :: Watch out for those controls! That seems too bright!
She threw her gloved hands up to shield her face, but she felt her eartips begin to burn.
Roop: Response
Ślimak: Response
The UV light dimmed to normal level for the decon compartment. An aerosolised agent began misting from the dispenser, pale and ghostly, swirling in lazy spirals through the chamber. It smelled faintly herbal, sharp and clean.
T’Fearne inhaled deeply, letting the cooling mist rush down her throat, land on her face and sink into her skin. She unsealed the rest of her EV suit, pulling it half off, leaving the boots and pants on and the top folded around the waist of her under uniform shirt. Gloves clipped to her belt and helmet resting on the bench beside her as she stood poised in the centre of the room. The air against her skin, so long enclosed in the suit, was cold. Each breath felt icy, and she shivered as the mist rushed down her throat and into her lungs, chilling her from the inside.
T’Fearne: :: Coughing slightly:: It’s cold and unpleasant, but otherwise tolerable. No immediate effects. ::beat:: How long until we’ll know it’s working?
She turned to check on Roop.
Roop: Response
Ślimak: Response
[Tags / TBC]
===============================
Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14