For These are Desperate Times.
Posted on 27 Jul 2012 @ 3:56pm by Crewman Aurangzeb Ameen
Edited on on 08 Aug 2012 @ 5:14pm
1,159 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 4
Timeline: MD 08 - 0445
[ON]
There was an eerie quiet that permeated the corridors of deck four, a thick blanket of silence fell upon their length as if it were suffocating. Under normal circumstances, a hub of almost constant activity, deck four was now occupied mainly by that of damage control and repair teams; many of whom had been working throughout the night in an attempt stabilize the desperate nature of the Galileo's current predicament. Non-essential personnel had been evacuated from nearby compartments until such time that the numerous hull breaches could be properly dealt with. Only the medical staff in sickbay had been permitted to stay so as to continue to conduct humanitarian relief efforts; although, a secondary medical facility had been constructed in one of the cargo bays to serve as, what was assumed to be, a temporary triage and treatment center. From time to time, a pair of security officer's would pass, sweeping the area for any remaining hostiles. But overall, there was very little verbal exchange as many took heed of all that had been gained and lost in such a very short period of time. Trying to maintain some semblance of moral, they focused on the task at hand and when that was completed, moved onto the next; it was the only sure way to keep one's mind preoccupied enough so it would not wander to the dead and dying, the injured and missing. The atmosphere was unnerving, to say the least.
Aurangzeb gently yet firmly gripped either side of the compartments hatch and withdrew from within the confines of the bulkhead. Sweat beaded across his forehead as he shook the debris from the thick curls of matted hair. Kneeling, he reached inside the compartment and withdrew two items, an engineering tool kit and his uniform tunic and jacket. He placed each on the deck, its carpet smudged with dirt and ash. The large pieces of debris had been removed throughout the night so that repair crews could conduct their work unhindered, but that did very little to mask the comprehensive damage that reached almost every corner of the deck. The real work had barely even started.
Wiping grease smudged hands against either thigh, Aurangzeb then gently scratched at a bicep, leaving streaks of black in the wake of fingertips. He was a hot mess, but one of the few that had volunteered to stay throughout the night. Volunteered. He mentally spoke the word over and over again, knowing that it was nothing more than formality. He was more than well aware that every engineer and technician on board was pulling double, even triple shifts; he reasoned if he was able to continue working throughout the evening, it might give one of the more fatigued crewmen or officers a chance for rest. Aurangzeb didn't sleep much anyway, so he figured such time was better suited for work and with so much to do, surely it would keep his mind preoccupied enough not to wonder about what was to come.
He removed a coil spanner from within the toolkit and started to enter a few adjustments into its settings. Placing the device aside, he glanced into the rectangular control panel positioned to the left of the bulkhead compartment. Now producing an engineering tricorder, he flipped open the clamshell and activated the sensor equipment. Passing the device over the control panel, sensor readouts confirmed and matched the data streaming on the panel's display.
Systematic power restored, check. Power regulation constant, check. Successful power conversion, check. Power consumption within ideal levels, check. Safety protocols and systems in place, check. Retrieving the spanner, Aurangzeb made one final adjustment to the innards of the control panel before finishing his work.
Neatly placing each tool back into the kit and securing them into place, Aurangzeb released the power coupling diverter unit and re-activated the flow valve. Within seconds of doing so, raw power surged and coursed through the regulation grid, passed through the conversion matrix and then dispersed throughout the cabins located on the port-side of deck four. Scrutinizing the readout closely, Aurangzeb found no variances or deviations in the flow of power and subsequent consumption. The repair had worked.
He allowed for a long, tired sigh of relief to escape pert lips as the cover to the control panel was secured and the hatch to the compartment closed.
Standing, Aurangzeb stole a brief moment to stretch; he'd spent the better part of six hours held captive within the restricted confines of the compartment. It had been long, tedious work, but more than worthwhile with its success. Nearby offices and laboratories now had full power restored, as did transporter room two. Ventral phasers remained offline and only one of the seven hull breaches had been repaired. With the main power grid now restored, repair teams would have a better chance of reaching those hull breaches with forcefields steadily in place.
Snapping the tool kit closed, Aurangzeb retrieved the remnants of the uniform tops before clambering down the corridor towards the nearest turbolift.
Unlike deck four, main engineering was exceedingly busy. Engineer's and technicians, repair crews and damage control personnel weaved in and out of the pedestrian traffic; it was an orchestrated chaos, perhaps one that only an engineer could truly appreciate and understand. The master system display had been converted to reflect the comprehensive repair schedule, the list organized from highest priority to lowest.
Consistently, crew approached the display to take note of repairs currently in progress, those that had been completed and those awaiting attention. Aurangzeb's hazel-colored eyes surveyed the list only to see that his own repairs had already been noted as successfully completed. Whomever was maintaining the board was exceedingly efficient. On the opposite side of the display, separated by a real time capture of the Galileo's innards, team assignments scrolled vertically. His name was missing.
He turned on a heal, headed towards the chief engineer's hootch. Aurangzeb was more than aware that Chief Quinn had been transported to sickbay and remained in critical condition after sustaining horrendous injuries, including the loss of an extremity. This left Peers as the acting Chief and Aurangzeb's most immediate superior.
The door to the Chief's office remained open, Aurangzeb rapped his knuckles against the metal door frame in an attempt to garner the attention of Peer's whom looked about as tired and drawn as he, only perhaps a bit cleaner. Hopefully she'd excuse his current state.
"Repairs to the primary power grid of deck four's port side has been restored ma'am; scientific laboratories, office's and full power to transporter room two has been restored." The tone of his voice remained soft-spoken and unassuming, not once betraying any sign of fatigue. "Containment fields around the hull breaches have been sustained and reinforced." He said with a nod of the head.
[OFF]
Crewman Aurangzeb Ameen
Damage Control Specialist
USS Galileo
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