Lieutenant Jack Kessler - In a twisted minds eye
Joel Cannistraro
((Torpedo/Magazine Bay, Deck 09, USS Compass Rose))
Jack counted silently in his head. Transport time, distance the shockwave would have to travel before hitting them...Time was up but there was no shockwave. No up and down heaving of the Rose. T'Fearne looked up from her crouched position and slowly released her grip on the rack.
T’Fearne: Do you think you disarmed it before it beamed away, or that the Luster got the distance correct this time?
Kessler: ::shaking his head:: No, wasn't anything I did. The warhead locking clamp was fused with something. ::looking around the bay:: Even if the Ronin's shields had absorbed the blast we would have had some indication. This is strange.
Although strange, Jack was very happy to have not been tossed around the compartment as he had been during the last explosion.
T'Fearne: ::standing from a crouch:: Then either it detonated far enough away, or it’s trailing behind us. For now, I think we’re clear.
Kessler: ::pointing at the torpedoes:: We carry Mark IX and Mark X torpedoes on the Ronin correct? ::beat:: Why is this ship carrying Mark VI torpedoes? ::looking to T'Fearne:: I didn't think Starfleet even still used these.
T'Fearne: That is true, photons, and we sometimes carry quantums and tricobalt devices for special occasions. ::looking up at the racks:: I’m not surprised at the Mark VI’s, this is a scientific research vessel with a comparatively small crew, low threat profile. The Mark VI’s are still viable, and we have seen, still a good offensive weapon. If they were upgraded, this vessel could look like more of a threat to the Lattice Alliance.
Jack looked around the compartment. The torpedo launcher had been updated, it looked like a Mark IX series launcher which had been in use since the mid 2380's. Infact these same launchers had been aboard the Thor when he first was transferred to her from the Academy. They were also the same launchers he trained on while aboard the Oumuamua before getting them replaced with the newer Mark X launchers.What the compartment lacked were the loading ram-fueling sequencers. Jack's stomach sank, his gut feeling hollow as he realized what that meant.
Kessler: There's no fueling sequencer here. ::looking to T'Fearne:: That means every one of these torpedoes have a fueled and live warhead.
Jack shook his head in disbelief. Starfleet had moved away from this configuration before he was even born. Current, modern starships stored torpedoes with an unfueled warhead. As the Tactical Officer ordered up a torpedo, it was moved from its staging mount or rack in this case, fed into the Ram-Fueling Sequencer where it received the fuel to arm the warhead and then it's final stop was the launcher itself. This made it impossible for a torpedo to be armed before it made it's way into the fueling compartment. Looking around the compartment, Jack realized that the Rose was carrying an entire bay of fueled torpedoes. One goes off, they all go off.
T'Fearne: ::holding the chip up:: Good news. No detonation timer. Either they didn’t set one… or they were going to trigger them manually.
Kessler: We need to find out how they armed all of these and disarm them. Manually one at a time isn't going to work. ::beat:: Ideas?
As T'Fearne gave her input Jack scanned the compartment again. It would have been easy to disarm the torpedoes if the Rose's crew armed them conventionally through the ships computer. But the computer was gone. Emergency lighting bathed the compartment and that meant he and T'Fearne had a new task to deal with.
T'Fearne: It takes more energy to transport more matter. ::thinking out loud:: What if we just locked onto the warheads, the matter and antimatter pods, and beamed them away?
Kessler: I doubt we have enough transporter tags or time to hit them all. Without the computer we cannot rapidly launch them. ::beat:: I might have an idea.
T'Fearne: I’m all ears.
Jack smiled a wiley smile and tapped his comms on his EV suit.
Kessler: =/\= Kessler to Ronin. Captain we have a problem in the torpedo bay. The Rose's crew activated all the torpedoes before the computer went down. Bad news, these are all Mark VI torpedoes. They are fully fueled and armed.=/\=
Raga: =/\= We hear you mister Kessler. Mark Sixes can’t be deactivated easily or quickly once they're armed and fueled. I doubt you’ll have time to do so for that many. We need to get them off the Rose, now. Do you have enough transporter tags to get all of them? =/\=
Shortrith/Niac/Nicolau(Optional): =/\= Response =/\=
Jack looked at T'Fearne and then back up towards the ceiling slightly as if he was talking to thin air. Which in reality, he technically was.
Kessler: =/\= No, we do not have enough tags and with the computer down I can't tell you how long these will stay armed before they go critical. Can you use the Ronin's cargo transporters to lock onto everything in this bay and transport it off the ship? Just leave it as energy though, do not rematerlize it. =/\=
The tactical possibilities could be very interesting. Bypassing normal firing arcs. Rematerialize a warhead point-blank and they’ll never see it coming until it detonates.
Raga: =/\= Can our pattern buffers handle that much energy in stasis? =/\=
T’Fearne: ::Joining the conversation:: =/\= What about just the warheads? =/\=
Roop: =/\= Lieutenant Kessler, Sir? If I may, the torpedoes have a minefield mode. It disables the fuel cell and launches them like mines or depth charges. Should only take a few seconds to adjust each torp to proximitiy mode with the arming sequencer as they drop out the tube like a chain gun. Sirs. =/\=
Jack noted a slight head title as T'Fearne prefaced her next response. Jack said nothing immediately as he needed to know her tactical ability. As his condition worsened she would need to take charge. Did she have the knowledge to do so?
T’Fearne: It solves the now, but creates a future hazard. I’d rather not leave a minefield for the next ship unlucky enough to pass by. I don’t particularly like the idea of wasting all this ordnance.
Ronin: =/\= Response =/\=
Jack looked back to T'Fearne. That was not good news. One transporter success was going to have to be the win for the day. Looking around the bay, they needed alternatives. Alternatives Jack was not seeing in the dim red glow of the emergency lighting but what he did see and what drew his attention was the quick movement of a spidery looking shadow on the other side of the bay. Jack's focus froze on the stop as he tried to locate the movement again.
Kessler: Did you hear that? ::gesturing::over there.
T’Fearne: No, I didn’t hear anything either. One of the Rose’s crew?
oO Unless the crew has multiple legs and looks like some sort of Earth spider, nope. Doubt that was one of them. Oo
Jack almost verbalized his thoughts but held them in. He refocused his mind and reminded himself he was fighting the virus. He needed to double down on his focus, his awareness and his mindset. Time was not how enemy and there were too many different things happening to allow a sarcastic comment to eat into time they did not have.
Kessler: No. Something different. ::beat:: If I didn't know that this virus was affecting my mind, I'd say it was some sort of large, synthetic spider.
T’Fearne: Check anyway. I’ll cover you.
Kessler: ::smiling:: Just don't shoot me yet.
As The bay’s red emergency lights guttered against the racks, shadows deepened. Jack threw T'Fearne a wink and started to move forward when their comms chimed back in and a voice that Jack did not know entered the conversation.
Shortrith: =/\= Mr Kessler, I'm sorry you have to hear this from us… =/\=
Raga/Niac/Nicolau/Shortrith: =/\= Response =/\=
Kessler: =/\= Tarellian? I see. Any news on how this was engineered? Or is this a mutation all of its own? =/\=
Jack noted a puzzled look from T'Fearne and looked at her and smiled slightly.
T'Fearne: Response
Kessler: ::Keeping comms open:: =/\= Sorry, my mother was a Medical Doctor and an Exo-Species Biologist. As you might expect deadly viruses were not an uncommon topic with her. ::pulling his tricorder out and flipping it open:: Given that no scans have revealed what we know about the Tarellian Virus then it stands that this is engineered to be different or it mutated, correct? =/\=
Raga/Niac/Nicolau/Shortrith/T'Fearne: =/\= Response =/\=
Kessler: =/\= What about medical records from Doctor Wyatt Earp? oO No, wrong history Jack. Oo, Wait, Wyatt Hiller....Wyatt Miller. Yeah Miller, didn't he stay in touch with Starfleet for a while about the plague ship he was aboard? =/\=
Raga/Niac/Nicolau/Shortrith/T'Fearne: =/\= Response =/\=
Movement this time to his left, in the shadows grabbed his attention again and Jack snapped his phaser rifle off his back and swung around to the point where the movement should have been. Jack took a half step from T'Fearne as he shouldered his rifle, his support hand thumbing an activation control that illuminated a light source on the rifle that was much, much brighter than their EV suits lights. The corner of the bay lit up under the brilliant light as Jack stepped slowly, deliberately, foot over foot, is a forward but slightly sideways motion.
Kessler: ::continuing his thought but motioning T'Fearne to a pincer movement from his right:: =/\= I'm thinking I'm not dead yet, but will be. If this was mutated then you have a far bigger issue on your hands. If this was engineered then there's a cure. the engineers wouldn't be stupid enough to follow in the Tarellian's footsteps and resequence a virus that was known to wipe out civilizations without ensuring their own was protected. Unless of course they were naturally immune. Which means we could develop a cure from them, right? =/\=
Jack moved towards the movement as T'Fearne moved to his right. He did not immediately tell the bridge what was going on. He needed to stay focused on the fact he was most likely a walking dead man now under two time constraints. The viruses and the torpedoes that sit around them with deadly heartbeats ready to go off anytime.
Raga/Niac/Nicolau/Shortrith/T'Fearne: =/\= Response =/\=
Reaching the stack of containers the shadowy figure disappeared behind, Jack stepped quickly and turned the corner, phaser rifle at the ready. Nothing. Again nothing was there. This was not a hallucination, not something his mind was making up. There had been something there but Jack, looking to T'Fearne could see the concern in her eyes. She might be Vulcan but Jack knew that look from anyone. The questions about his stability, his ability to judge the situation was coming into play.
Kessler: ::tapping his comms closed:: I swear there was something here. I'm not......
Jack clinching his teeth together. It did not matter what he saw. It was not there now and scans were not picking it up. T'Fearne would have to assume this was the virus affecting him. Jack was just about to reach up to reopen comms when something much closer and just behind T'Fearne moved swifty behind several communication buoys towards the torpedo racks. Throwing the phaser rifle to his shoulder Jack rushed past T'Fearne.
T'Fearne: Response
Sweeping around the communication buoys Jack was certain the shadowy figure could not have gotten away from him this time. The space was tight, and to no surprise....empty. Jack straightened, his posture feeling defeated. He looked back to T'Fearne and lowered the rifle. His eyes locked with her's for a brief moment as he thought about what actions she was thinking about taking. If this was the virus, then she had to relieve him. oO Unless this was her doing int he first place. Oo Jack made no change in his posture as the thought entered his mind. oO Was she working with them? Deliberatly not seeing them? Oo
Jack could not believe his mind, how had he not seen it before. She had been down here in the torpedo bay longer than he had although she said she had just arrived. Then when taking out the crew, had she allowed the one to activate the torpedo? The clues were adding up in his mind, T'Fearne was part of this and now he could stop the entire plot right here if he got the jump on her. Motionless, Jack tried to read her facial expression as he tried deperately to keep his from showing that he now knew her plans. He had seen her in action. Was she faster than him? Could he get the shot off before she could? He had to if he was to save the Rose and the Ronin....The Ronin. If she got back to the Ronin and blamed all this on Jack, he had no way to defend himself. They had known her longer and he was the new outsider on the ship. oO Wait a minute. No.....Oh I missed it altogether. They are all in on this. The entire Ronin crew. Oo
TAGS / TBD
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