It Ain't As Easy As You Think (Part 1/3)

Posted on 18 Sep 2012 @ 5:20pm by Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Arthur Willis & Crewman Aurangzeb Ameen & Lawrence Gibbs

2,971 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo: Main Engineering/Various Locations, Deck 7
Timeline: MD 08 - 0600-0900 hrs

Deck 5
TIME: 0600 hrs

Petty Officer Asa Tusk sat behind the primary damage control station in main engineering. The display recessed into the bulkhead's console panel was a grid of nine different internal sensor captures; eight of these display's cycled through different areas of the Galileo, reflecting the repair efforts of the numerous damage control teams dispersed throughout the Nova-class starship, working through the seemingly endless list of comprehensive systems and technology fixes. The ninth screen, located in the middle of the overall display, showed a live feed from the sensor mounted on the helmet of an EVA suit.

Reaching out, Asa pinched the middle display to expand its size and increase the resolution, making it the most dominant on the entire screen. "Okay Mouse, your oxygen level is reading at 99.7% with a good, steady feed and all indications read you have a good seal." He paused, tapping fingers against the smooth keyboard of the console interface before continuing. "Yup, that's confirmed... you're good to go whenever you're ready." As he spoke, a current biometric reading of Aurangzeb's basic life signs started to stream horizontally at the very bottom of the screen; Asa noted the elevated pulse and increased breathing rate, but said nothing as both were within acceptable levels associated with basic anxiety, a very normal feeling to experience during such circumstances.

Asa turned in the chair, glancing over a shoulder toward the situation table where Peers sat. "We have a live feed, ma'am; Mouse is about to enter deck five." He reported. A technician seated at the adjacent console leaned over to look upon hearing this news.

In the turbolift, the doors to the cart remained sealed. Aurangzeb did one final check of the EVA suits systems before activating, both, the wrist mounted flashlight and the magnetic lock of the boots. Reaching out, he depressed the control that opened the set of paneled doors and then locked both into place when recessed to the bulkhead compartments.

Reaching out, Aurangzeb slowly illuminated the most immediate area with the flashlights strong beam, the length of corridor ahead bathed in absolute darkness, think and nearly impenetrable. The recessed lighting within the turbolift cart touched upon this darkness, only slightly able to coax it into retreat. It was a reminder of just how desperate the ships current physical state really was.

=^= "It looks like main power on that deck is completely offline, Mouse." =^=

Mouse? Lilou glanced at Asa, then shrugged and went back to watching the various monitors of surveys in action.

Aurangzeb's breathing was a little elevated, so he took a moment draw in a few deep, calming breaths. Next, removing the tricorder from its holster, Aurangzeb flipped open the clamshell and started to actively scan the surrounding area and compartments.

"That's confirmed... readings indicate extensive damage to the surrounding power grid." He noted as the readings started to stream vertically across the small display of the tricorder. "Life support systems and artificial gravity are both offline and I'm detecting a zero percent oxygen saturation... so a hull breach is the most likely cause." He paused for another moment, as he digested the information being feed through the tricorder's sensors. "Locking mechanisms on the doors to nearby compartments are engaged, so it looks like safety protocols were in place prior to the power failure." He added.

Aurangzeb's eyes flickered from the tricorder to the darkness beyond, squinting in hopes of breaking through its unnerving cloud of secrecy. "I'd like to attempt restoring emergency lighting; are the main batteries charged on this deck?"

There was a momentary pause until Asa's silky smooth tenor echoed over the open communications line. =^= "Emergency batteries read at a 100% charge, you're free to proceed." =^=

He nodded, obviously a gesture that meant absolutely nothing to anyone else but him. He located the nearest wall mounted console interface, its display still intact, yet negligibly damaged. Removing the back casing from the tricorder, he placed the exposed portion of the device against the glossy surface of the display. Entering a short string of commands, the tricorder dimmed as it fed power into the display.

"I'm accessing the tertiary power feed for the emergency lighting and rerouting from the primary and secondary power grids into the batteries. Standby." Aurangzeb reported.

The darkness nearby was eerie and unsettling; it was difficult to ascertain the condition beyond without some kind of lighting assistance. Although the tricorder could provide all of the sensor information necessary, Aurangzeb was set on not playing in the dark only to be surprised and frightened by what lay unseen beyond.

Finishing his work, Aurangzeb was nearly ready to activate the lighting, yet paused as he glanced back into the darkness. "Asa..."

Asa could detect a certain level of hesitation in Mouse's voice; although the kid had only said his name, he somehow almost immediately knew exactly what that hesitation and apprehension was regarding, as he felt similar.

Peers was standing just behind him now, arms folded over her chest. Asa glanced upwards, searching her eyes for some kind of confirmation, but found none. Left with no other indication, he merely shrugged his shoulders.

=^= "Transporter logs indicate that all biologics were removed shortly after the deck-wide systems failure... but, without sensors, we can't confirm that all personnel were completely evacuated prior to the deck sealing off. I'm sorry Mouse; we're just not sure what you're going to find when you turn those lights on." =^=

Letting out a slow, unsteady breath, Aurangzeb closed both eyes tightly before activating the lights. There was an audible hum that slowly built in intensity as power circulated through the tertiary bypass grid, light now spilling into the darkness to unveil what lay within. He stood with eyes closed for another minute, building up the courage to turn and face the dissipating darkness. At last, when he felt confident enough to turn, he did.

The corridor was deceptively calm; the only immediate sign that anything was amiss were a couple pieces of deuterium siding floating half-way towards the corner. As he moved towards them, he caught sight of a few droplets floating just before them; tiny rotating globes of crimson liquid that effortlessly trailed in his direction through mid-air at a slow pace.

Aurangzeb swallowed hard, worried eyes darting around suspiciously to absorb as much of his surroundings as was possible. Gradually, both his breathing and heartbeat slowed, no longer anticipating the big bad boogieman to leap from the edge of darkness to snatch him away. As a child, he knew the amorphous imaginary being as Kokkayi; yet, at that age, the being seemed more reality than make believe, but that was merely Aurangzeb's overactive mind playing tricks. If misbehaved, Aurangzeb's parents threatened the presence of Kokkayi as means of obedience and respect, otherwise the continued irritation would cause Kokkayi to bundle him away in a burlap sack to consume later when they returned to the creature's underground layer. The thought of being taken away from his parents and then eaten by such a horrible creature petrified the young boy; the threat almost always worked. Aurangzeb knew this now to be nothing more than a silly childhood fairytale, conjured up by his parents as a means of obedient discipline. Yet, in the here and now, when the darkness seemed too much to handle, Aurangzeb ventured the smallest of thoughts that perhaps Kokkayi truly did exist.

"Damages at present appear negligible; I'm going to tap into the safety protocols and release the locking mechanisms from all cabin doors." Aurangzeb reported, turning back to the console interface he'd been working at earlier. Accessing the series of safety protocols currently in effect, Aurangzeb entered a string of override commands that resulted in the eventual release of all locks. There was an audible click that echoed down the corridor as each cabin door seal was released.

Removing the tricorder from the wall panel, Aurangzeb replaced its back sleeve before activating a repeating passive scan.

Approaching the nearest set of doors, he turned to face them. "I'm going to access cabin 51-1 Alpha, storage compartment." Placing the tricorder away, he next produced a small set of magnetic locks; circular in shape, they could be placed on either door panel, magnetized and then used to pry the door open.

It took him only a moment to accomplish this before he started to force either panel apart. Neither was heavy and really only took a small amount of effort before there was a sizable enough gap to permit entry.

Inserting his body so that only half of it was within the compartment, he raised a wrist to shine the light around the confined space of the compartment. An utter mess, most of items stored within were free floating, while other containers--perhaps some of the more heavier parcels--remained secured to the bulkheads. "Cabin 51-1 Alpha remains intact; the vast majority of containers appear undamaged with only a few cases showing visible spoilage. I'm marking this compartment as clear and flagging for an inventory review and container loss assessment with the Quartermaster once open access to the deck has been approved."

As Aurangzeb spoke, Asa notated the Crewman's findings and subsequent recommendations.

The tedium of this work continued for well into two hours.

=^= "Mouse, your oxygen level is reading at 15%; let's have you finish accessing cabin 53-2 Beta and then take a little break." =^=

Aurangzeb nodded an affirmative. "A break sounds nice." He replied standing in front of the cabin doors. As he'd down several times already, he placed the round magnetic locks on either panel door and hoisted them apart.

As he entered the cabin, Aurangzeb almost immediately recognized the design layout as being that of crew quarters; however, the entire port side bulkhead, where the living area viewport would have been was missing, a jagged carving in the hull of Galileo that left it exposed to the vacuum of space beyond. The entire contents of the compartment had been sucked out into the void, leaving a relatively empty living and dining room area.

=^= "Spacious, isn't it... and look at the view, spectacular!" =^= Asa teased.

Although he didn't laugh, Aurangzeb did smile, relieved for the moment. As he inspected the cabin itself, there was a noise he could faintly make out towards his left.

"Did you hear that, Asa?" He asked curiously, turning in the direction of where he thought the noise had come from.

=^= "I don't think so... it must have been pretty soft." =^=

"It was." Aurangzeb agreed. Re-directing the beam of his flashlight, he was able to make out another set of doors, more than likely leading into the sleeping compartment of the quarters. As Aurangzeb took several more steps in that direction, the thumping noise could be heard once more. Goosebumps rippled across his entire body, skin prickling at the noise.

=^= "It's okay Mouse, take a deep breath man... it's probably just a pair of boots or something. Just... open the doors and see what's in there." =^= Asa urged calmly.

Aurangzeb cleared his throat, "Yeah... boots." He tried to convince himself of this notion, hoping for the best, yet expecting the absolute worst.

Approaching the door until he was standing just outside it, Aurangzeb reached out to pry the door panels apart. It took some effort, but eventually the seam between the two grew into a more pronounced gap. The Crewman's heart thundered against the inside of his chest in uncontrollable apprehensive tension.

The doors now completely recessed into the bulkhead, Aurangzeb peered into the cabin, blanketed in darkness.

"I don't see anyth-- wait, standby." Just out of arms reach, there seemed to be movement coming towards him. It was difficult to make out any sort of distinct shape, but whatever it was, the object was coming at him.

"Asa!" Aurangzeb called out, unsure of what to do.

=^= "Shine your light, Mouse." =^=

He rose his arm quickly, the beam of light striking upon the object as it came within a foot of where he stood. Gleaming against their impeccably polished surface was a pair of regulation issue duty boots.

Petrified that it might be something entirely different, Aurangzeb felt a wave of relief wash over him as he watched the pair float through the air, kicking towards the hull breach and then departing through the opening into the vastness of space beyond.

Overcome with laughter at the irony of the moment, Aurangzeb bent to rest on both knees, chest heaving and stomach aching as Asa joined in, who was evidently just as relieved.

His laughter soon subsiding, Aurangzeb returned to a prone position, "Oh thank goodness it was only a pair of boots, what if it'd been--" As he spoke, Aurangzeb had turned back towards the opening of the door only to be met with the grotesque sight of a dead body literally spilling towards him.

The damage control console's communications link in engineering lit up with a terrifying yelp, drawing the attention of several nearby engineers and technicians, startled by the sound. Asa jumped as well, not only because of Aurangzeb's vocal reaction, but also due to the image of the dead officer colliding with the young Crewman. The body itself was riddled with the injuries most commonly associated with sudden decompression and exposure to open space.

The console issued a series of warning beeps as Aurangzeb's pulse and breathing increased substantially, into a serious warning range.

Aurangzeb tried to step back, the reaction of the magnetic boots too slow to accommodate resulting in a clumsy retreat that caused the boy to stumble towards the deck, losing their magnetic lock. With the dead body literally on top of him, the two were a mass of tangled limbs.

"Help! Oh Goddess, help!" He called out in panic, squeezing both eyes tightly as he tried to fight the body away. To him, it wasn't the corpse of a fallen comrade, but the physical realization of a horrific nightmare. "Nooooo!!!! Get off!!!!" He screamed, one boot capturing a magnetic lock while the two bodies wrestled in seemingly slow motion.

Asa tried to calm him, speaking soothing words of encouragement and direction; yet they did very little. Starting to worry, Asa turned to find Peers literally on top of him. "I can't calm him down, ma'am; he's in a full freak out, I think he's having a panic attack." Although Asa didn't know Aurangzeb too well, he did know that the kid suffered from acute panic attacks, an aspect of himself that Aurangzeb had shared with Asa when the two worked closely on one previous occasion.

Lilou tapped her combadge, watching the feed. =^=Ameen, this is Peers,=^= she spoke quickly and assertively, trying to snap him back to sense through chain of command and focus on work. That seemed to work best for her. =^= "Stop screaming and give me a full damage report. Now." =^=

The dead body pressed against the thick material of the EVA suit, unable to retreat. Exhausted and spent, Aurangzeb sort of just floated there, one boot anchored to the deck while he tried to keep his body as still as possible so as not to compound the intimacy of the contact. In a weaving of nightmarish thoughts that plagued him, Aurangzeb thought he heard a familiar voice in the distance, penetrating the dominance of an overactive imagination. Each word was spoken with a clear conciseness that befuddled his mind, drawing away the attention once focused on the deceased. He concentrated, listening to each word, repeating them out loud; he recognized the voice as belonging to Peers.

"Full damage report... full damage report... full damage report." He whispered this over and over again until his mind centered. "Full damage report... c-ca-cabin 53-2 Beta... c-cr-crew ca-cabin." He stuttered. "Sig--nificant hull breach port-side; contents of li--ving room and dining room are gone. One... deceased now accounted for." Aurangzeb's eyes remained tightly shut, unwilling to peer through the glass shield of the EVA suits helmet for tremendous fear of seeing the remnants of the poor soul left behind. "One dead... one dead... one dead... one dead..." He kept repeating this under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.

Lilou looked over her shoulder, "Rothgra, report to Sickbay that we've found one more deceased. Asa, get a still of that face and we'll send it up for identification." Breathing deep, she tapped her combadge again, =^= "Ameen, I need you to listen to me. Are you secure? Do you need assistance?" =^=

Aurangzeb whimpered, "I'm s-se-secure, I think. I c-can't get the b-b-body off of me." He held perfectly still, calm starting to overcome the fear. Peers steady, unwavering voice placated any continued fear that may have desired to well up from within. Her voice grounded him, provided an uncharacteristic anchoring that calmed and soothed him like Asa had been unable to do.

Asa nodded before accessing the controls of the sensor cam and snapping a still image of the corpse. Now stored in the console's memory banks, a small capture of the image appeared in the lower right corner of the screen. Tapping it with a finger, Asa enabled the face imaging and recognition program and activated the scan.

=^= "Ch-chief... I'm stuck." =^=

=^= "It's not a body, Ameen. It's cargo. Say it with me: it's cargo." =^=

He hesitated, words faltering once or twice before he felt confident enough to speak; "It's cargo, it's cargo... it's just cargo." Each time he spoke, the words instilled a level of courage that only strengthened with each utterance. "Right, it's just cargo... precious cargo." He finally breathed, feeling brave enough to open both eyes.

TBC...

[OFF]

MWO Lilou Peers
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

CN Aurangzeb Ameen
Damage Control Specialist
USS Galileo

Lawrence Gibbs
Encryption Specialist
USS Galileo

Chief Petty Officer Arthur Willis
Engineering Computer Specialist
USS Galileo

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