Lieutenant JG Delphina Wren: One must imagine a house in a Cyclone

[Grace McDermott]

((Deck C, Forward Compartment Three))

Wren:..... ::spitballing a little:: Is it possible to generate the shields as close to the shuttle as possible? The shield is normally in a bubble, but if we sort of…. Wrap the ship in its own shield, maybe it can slough off the dust? Like a giant windshield wiper.

Karrod snapped his fingers and tapped at the display, zooming in on the idle little shuttlepod. Delphina tilted her head, surprised to see that it had been sheltered from most of the hailstorm. oO I suppose that makes sense… the shuttle bays are like doors, you want them to be reinforced when you can. Oo. In fact, it was so untouched that, had Delphina been insane, she could have easily started the shuttle up and ridden out into the storm like a man sitting astride a bomb.

Niac: We'll never be able to get the shield tight enough against the hull to pull all the contamination off...but maybe with a little bit of help we won't have to. The uh...::He double checked to be sure he was reading the name right::...the Space Flea here is pilotable by remote. It won't last long in the storm but if it can give us a push into a higher orbit and supplement our shields, a lot of our problems become a lot less critical. What do you think?  

Wren: ::suddenly excited:: If we did that, we can use the shields on that shuttle to attract the dilithium dust off of us and onto it! ::small beat:: That will eventually cause the shuttle to crash, however. Very quickly.

Karrod chuckled and shrugged.  

Niac: I like the way you think...besides, you won't be the one who has to explain to Captain Stergis why she's not getting her security deposit back on the Kestrel. Start getting it ready, I'm going to tell the bridge what we're up to.  

Tapping in commands to both the shield and shuttle controls, Delphina watched as various warning signs popped up trying to stop her. As if she was somehow unaware of the massive storm that was shaking them like Andorian mice in a bag. oO No, I know this isn't ideal weather, I know it endangers the Space Flea. I know you have other suggestions. Yes, I know, I know, I know. Oo

Wren: The programming is fighting me. I'm pretty sure it was designed to keep us from dropping a shuttle in the middle of a windstorm, but I can sweet-talk it. ::loosens and kicks off the console’s side panel::  

She knelt down, pushing her hair out of her face as she decided going back to a bun was probably the best idea moving forward. She clipped the PADD into the panel, trying a few different avenues, when she heard a sudden burst of static behind her.

Niac: Dammit. I think my comm badge is fried. Try yours.  

Wren: Hang on, let me try this ::popping off the top of her comm badge and plugging it into the console wires:: This will let us talk through their consoles up above instead of their comms =/\= Lieutenant Delphina Wren to O’Connor or Rylar. =/\=

O’Connor/Rylar: Response

Quickly gesturing for the captain to come closer, she made the best of her small size to push herself between the console and the wall, sitting on a pipe with her knees against her chest as the captain knelt down, speaking into her console-comm.

Niac: =/\= We're going to launch the shuttlepod and have it give us as much of a boost as possible. Between that and Lt. Wren's shield modifications we should be able to get back into orbit and patch up our damage. If you can focus on the Kestrel, Mr. O'Connor, we'll handle the pod from down here. =/\=

Wren: ::sitting up as much as she can:: I've convinced the ship that the Space Flea is a dangerous foreign entity, so the Kestrel will let us release the shuttle. I'm running a side program on my PADD so we can still remotely control it. ::passing the PADD to him::

Cerisor: =/\= push...dilithium dust....ull is char.....ht back to us. Unless.... brilliant!

Niac: Alright, let them know when we're ready...you focus on the shields, I'll focus on keeping the shuttle from falling like a rock the minute it hits those winds. It'll be fun. Standby to launch.  

Wren: I'm resetting the deflectors for now ::clambering out of her nook and sitting on the edge of the console to avoid Niac in the narrow space:: They've been withdrawn, and I'm unfurling them again slowly. I can see the dust being knocked around.

As the shuttle began its launch sequence, Delphina leaned over and connected the PADDcontrol back to the console, watching nervously as the pod jerked back and forth. Briefly, she remembered her favorite movie from childhood, and the cyclone that had swept Dorothy off to Oz. oO May you too land somewhere pleasant, little flea. Oo  

Niac: Standby for the deflector pulse....I'll engage the tractor beam at the same time. We're in for a rough ride whatever happens.  

Wren: ::grabbing the nearest handhold:: Shielding is coming back down now, sir. The pod is in position.

The ship jumped, bucking backwards and Delphina immediately fell off the console, only staying upright because of her hold on the wall. She glanced up as she saw movement, reflexively reaching up and batting at a falling panel before it could strike either of them.

Niac: Response

Wren: The pod is successfully siphoning off the dust. ::entering a few more commands:: I've turned on a very low-level electrical buildup on the pod’s hull to generate some good old fashioned static cling =/\= How are we looking up there? =/\=

Cerisor/O’Connor/Niac: Response

Wren: If I'm not mistaken it looks as though we're gaining altitude?

Cerisor/O’Connor/Niac: Response

[Tags/TBC!]

Lieutenant JG D

elphina Wren

USS Ronin NCC-34523

Capt. Karrod Niac Commanding

R240301DW1