Lt. JG T’Fearne - Rose of Hearts
Teayl Thorn
T’Fearne: That is only a few meters away from us. We should also clear the vicinity. To the escape pods on deck 03?
Syrex: So long as it’s far enough away from engineering, those Brayon particles are like bleach. Only they are indiscriminate to all organic life.
Om-Zora: Response
Roop: ::ma:: I caution against the escape pods, Sirs. When the core explodes, the ejected escape pods will offer no shielding. Anyone in them will be killed instantly, with the pods struck like a clay skeet pigeon. Within the Ronin’s shield bubble, we’d actually be safer here on the Rose, as the fate of both ships is now intertwined.
Syrex: Thank you, Ensign. That settles it. Whatever we do, we have to do here. T’Fearne, Please update the Ronin and Luster that we mustn’t break the quarantine protocols anymore than we already have. Sending Naledi over to the Ronin may have been a mistake. I only hope their physiology is too… different to carry the disease effectively.
T’Fearne’s eyes narrowed, flicking from Roop to Syrex. She hadn’t suggested ejecting escape pods from the hull. Her thought had been merely using them as a fortified fallback against the shockwave.
oO Assumption, misinterpretation. Oo
Her fault, in part, for not being precise. She didn’t have time to dwell on her mistake.
Syrex gestured her team out of Sickbay and into the corridor, guiding them away from Engineering’s bleached heart.
T’Fearne: :: grimly following :: Understood.
The weight of Alyndra’s words pressed on her. Quarantine meant containment, even if it condemned everyone aboard. Her instincts, logic and duty all urged her to resist, to discuss alternatives, but there was no time for debates. She had to trust Alyndra’s judgement.
T’Fearne: =/\= Lt T’Fearne to Ronin Bridge and Luster. ACMO requests that Luster refrain from returning to the Ronin or transporting any crew over. Recommend maintain current quarantine protocols until further notice. =/\=
She didn’t wait for a reply. Her task was merely to pass along an update.
Om-Zora: Response
Roop: ::stepping into the corridor:: Lieutenant T’Fearne, our mystery Third Deck life form has just entered our Xindi’s turbolift…They are headed for the Bridge. ::looking up at the Lieutenants, eying each one in turn:: Another turbolift, a Jefferies, and the Transporter rooms themselves are also only meters away.
T’Fearne shook her head at the ensign’s assumption. Her tricorder painted a more complicated picture: a distorted lifesign moving in the turbolift above, yes, but also signatures suggesting there could be more than one person still alive on Deck 03. The schematics confirmed decks 03 and 02 were the primary crew quarters. They had no way of telling if the screaming belonged to one lifesign or another. There were many possibilities that they had not yet ruled out.
Syrex: Bridge. We go to the bridge. But we should be discreet about it. The transporters are still a no-go. It won’t filter the disease off of our EV suits. So we can’t go back to the Ronin that way. I don’t even know if we can go to the Luster at this point. If our engineer thinks we are safer on the Rose, then I’m taking our expert’s advice.
T’Fearne: I believe Ensign Roop was pointing out that the site-to-site transporters could place us on the Bridge immediately, :: raising an eyebrow at the engineer for confirmation :: though we would not know what we were beaming into. I would prefer to climb up and scope out the situation before making our presence known on the Bridge.
Om-Zora: Response
Roop seemed to be deep in thought over his triPADD.
Syrex: Right, Jeffries tubes it is. We take them up to the bridge. See how our patient is doing, and if possible, we work that old Starfleet magic and save the day.
Alyndra banged her head against her helmet.
Syrex: Not that I want to sound like a poster.
T’Fearne: :: jokingly deadpan :: Too late. You already do. :: more seriously:: But we only have a few moments until the warp core goes critical. We should be prepared to either brace here or emergency transport off this ship.
Om-Zora: Response
((Vertical Jefferies Tube Junction Deck 04 / Deck 03, USS Compass Rose))
Alyndra ushered the team into the familiar tube, same formation as before. Roop moved with precision, pulling the hatch and engaging his boots as he began the climb.
Roop: The Ronin bayron sweep has cleared the fouled warp core. It is now trailing behind us. ::reporting to Alyndra as he passed::
Syrex: Right, let’s proceed as quickly as we can ::Closes the hatch behind her:: we still don’t know how long it is before the warp cor-
The rest of her words drowned in a thunderous detonation. The Rose bucked violently, the walls groaning as a shockwave ripped through.
Syrex: Hang on!! Brace!!
T’Fearne: :: voice cutting through :: Engage your magnetic boots! Secure yourselves! Now!
Om-Zora: Response
The team clung to the rungs and the inside of the tube as the Rose shuddered like a living thing under the impact.
Something struck her shoulder, falling debris or a flailing limb and knocked her off balance. She deactivated her boots and tried to turn her fall into a jump down in the dark, twisting to land on her feet, only to crash sprawling on the edge of the junction floor.
Darkness threatened to swallow her, a klaxon blared, and emergency lighting flared red. The metal under her shoulder blades vibrated fiercely, shaking her vision.
Glancing up, she thought for a moment she saw or rather felt, a fifth figure in the room, on the ladder looking down at her.
Elsewhere, floating in the dark of space, the Rose's dying heart beat its last.
[Tags / End of Act 1 T’Fearne]
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Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14