LT Aine Sherlock - Break It Down

[Nestira Aristren]

I really enjoyed reading this ❤️
It's the perfect mixture of professionalism and taking charge of a situation that isn't really going anywhere. If we survive, Aine definitely is one of the people to thank for it 

_________

((OOC: I normally try not to go back too far in my overlapping, but I've added in some back narrative to give some context. Didn't change any of my old narrative and it doesn't affect the outcome, just more context.))

 

((Engineering, SS Belladonna))

Sherlock: Anyone else's tricorder not working?

 

Of course they weren't. It always seemed as though nothing worked right, especially when right in the middle of a crisis. But that was the life of a Starfleet officer. The highly trained leaders they were had been drilled from day one at the Academy to adapt and overcome.

Asta: There’s some sort of interference…

Luthas: I didn’t bring one, so no idea. Is it an everythings borked kinda not working or just some things aren’t working kinda deal?

 

That was quite the statement coming from a Marine Captain. Though Aine had barely used one in almost a year and a half, and oddly last time it didn't work either, she at least always carried one. It was tool that could save your life as much as the other tool, a phaser, strapped to her hip.

Sherlock: I'm not sure...I'm hardly an engineer. Ideas? ::looking to Renot and Asta::

Renot: Yeah, my tricorder is down too, bah. I’ve always had issues with mine, so take that with a grain of salt… or ten. I mean, it’s kinda important, but we may be able to manage without it.

Always had issues? What did that mean? Aine wondered why, if Egil's tricorder always had issues, he didn't just get a new one. She could feel her breathing getting a little deeper. Her lungs were trying to bring in as much oxygen to her blood, trying to get her body to relax.

Asta: ::Rocking on their feet:: It could be due to the merging of the warp bubbles… but we should be able to compensate for that.

Luthas:  I don’t remember that being an effect of tricobalt, beyond the normal radiation stuff. Maybe there’s something extra causing the problem?

Renot: I’m not entirely sure on this one. There’s so many things that it could be, honestly.

 

All of them were valid hypotheses. It was the mention of the warp bubble that had Aine worried. Any possible disruption could lead to any number of disasters. From losing transporter pattern signals to dropping below warp three.

Sherlock: We'll keep an eye on it, see if this spreads. For right now, it's an annoyance that's just taking away one tool...

Asta: I’m worried it’s a leak in the secondary coolant systems.  ::They frowned deeply.:: While it’s not critical to keep the warp engines from breaching, the secondary systems play into the impulse drive.

Luthas: That’s bad.

Renot: Yeah, it is. Why… is it leaking dare I ask?
 

Another slow, deep breath. The words "keep calm" kept repeating in her mind. She honestly didn't care about the "why's" right now, only that the problem existed and needed to be fixed. She felt like everything was moving off the rails.

Sherlock: But if not critical to keeping us above Warp 3, it shouldn't be that big an issue ::beat:: right?

Asta: That not only makes it much more difficult for us to slow down, if we can’t fix it, but it can release gamma radiation, which will mess with tricorders and scanners – and if we’re not careful mess with your brain.  Loss of vision, delirium, hallucinations, headaches, the works.

 

And there it was. They already had a deadly device to deal with, problem one. On a time constraint based on the distance to Betazed, problem two. With now limited tools, problem three. And now...trying not to have their brains melted, problem four.

Luthas: Sooo...

Renot: To translate, that’s pretty darn bad, yeah. Kinda hard to defuse a bomb when tripping out like you ate some funky mushrooms.

 

The causal nature brought her mind back to Risa. After the destruction of the Resolution, she'd been a part of a group counselling session. She remembers explaining to her crewmates and Captain how one thought would lead to another and how it would quickly spiral out of control. The cycle of blame. She was beginning to feel that way again. It took everything in her to focus and bring the conversation back.

Sherlock: ::to Asta:: What do you need from us, Chief?

Asta: With scanners down we’ll have to go directly to the impulse core.  Also sealed off to all by the engineering core.  And if there’s gamma radiation, we’ll be exposed.  I have safety gear, we’ll need to suit up just in case and pray we don’t start going crazy on the way down.

Luthas: Yeah, don’t want that. So is that something we’ll need to take care of first before the bomb goes off or can it wait?

Sherlock: Again, I'm no engineer, but I'd assume if we can't get it fixed, there's a chance we won't make it to defusing the bomb. The ship will be a lifeless missile.

Renot: That would be quite correct, yes. In a best case scenario… I’ll spare the details of the worst case.

Asta: ?

The sigh from the Marine Captain perfectly encompassed Aine's own feelings on the situation, but she wasn't about to show it. They just have to deal with one impossible thing at a time.

Luthas: So how many people are you going to need to do whatever? :: He gestured vaguely. :: Cause impulse cores aren’t our :: he pointed between himself and Sherlock :: speciality.

Sherlock: We can't send both Engineers there. One of you ::pointing to Renot and Asta:: needs to stay here. If something were to go wrong with the ship, like if that warp bubble starts to collapse, we need someone here who can deal with it.

Renot: I mean, we also have the risk of remote detonation, do we not? The person who planted this must know we are here by now.

 

Aine's chin dropped and she looked to the floor. It was her turn to sigh. She could feel it was getting harder to keep it together, something about the situation was bothering her...and it wasn't the bomb nor the radiation.

Asta: ?

Luthas: So shouldn’t we leave this thing with a babysitter? :: He jerked his thumb at the partially dismantled device. :: Or do you have a way to shut off the engineering area so no one else sneaks in and starts messing with the place?

Renot: I can set up those signal jammers round this area to prevent what I mentioned at least. I’m still listening…

A small bit of relief, the Ensign took some initiative. One problem down, four more to go.

Asta: ?

 

It was decisions like this that every officer feared. You could be sending two people to a particularly nasty death. But there was still a job to do, which if abandoned, would mean the deaths of tens of thousands to billions.

Sherlock: Chief, would it be safe to say that you know this ship inside out?

Asta: ?

Sherlock: So you're most likely to be able to get the impulse drive fixed fastest?

Asta: ?

Sherlock: Ok. It's my recommendation that Captain Luthas and you proceed with the repair.

Luthas: It’s not my area of expertise, but I can follow instructions with the best of them. Also if you need a dongle jury rigged I’m you man.

Aine's jaw tightened and a slight twitch of the neck that was her stopping herself from glaring at Renot when she heard what could only be a stifled laugh.

Asta: ?

Sherlock: Vulcans have a much higher constitution than humans. This is a matter of practicality. We can't afford to lose anyone and this would minimise the risk overall.

Asta: ?

Luthas: Despite what my charming personality would indicate, I can assure you I am 100% Vulcan.

 

She didn't know exactly what the Captain was saying. What she had said was meant as a condemnation or aspersion, it was simply a statement of physical fact meant to convey that a Vulcan would be more likely to enter that situation with a higher likelihood of survival. Before she could speak, however, the Ensign came barrelling over waving his driver in the air.

Renot: You think leaving the two behind who don’t know explosives with the big boom is.. A good idea?! Also hi! Al-Leyan! Not human either! Hmph…

 

Sherlock: ::taking a deep breath:: That's not at all what this is about...

Asta: ?

Luthas: Anything else we need to know before we split the gang up?

Renot: Yes, actually; what is a dongle? And please tell me you aren’t serious about leaving the two most under qualified people alone with this to try and not make it go off?!

Sherlock: oOUnder qualified!?Oo

 

Asta/Luthas: ?

Renot: On one hand, I get the slight logic of sending one engineer and keeping the other. On the other hand, have we all lost our minds?! With all due respect, I feel like the least qualified space elf to baby sit a bomb.

It was too much.

Sherlock: Everybody! STOP! This isn't a goddamned democracy! Ensign, stand down! Go over there ::pointing towards the bomb:: and wait!
 

Aine waited for the Ensign to move just out of earshot (if she could keep her voice down at this point he would be).
 

Sherlock: Captain, I don't know how you normally do things in whatever Marine unit you're from, but frankly, you are one  of the most indecisive Marine's I've ever served with. And while I can appreciate a Vulcan who's chosen to be different from the others, I will not allow that choice to compromise the mission, ever. Now, I've made a choice. You're going with Chief Asta to repair the radiation leak and you can talk all you want on the way there. But the situation here is out of hand and it will not continue this way. Those are my orders.

Asta/Luthas: ?
 

She held her head high as she about faced and made her way towards the core, the bomb, and the apparently panicked Ensign. She'd never once before had to order another officer around and had hoped she wouldn't ever have to. Perhaps things were so different with a space station crew versus the crew of a ship, who knows. But whatever it was, she had to get a handle on it.
 

As she approached Egil, she waved him over towards the bomb. She could see that they had already opened the outer casing. She carefully lifted a dangling piece and examined it.
 

Sherlock: I see you've already exposed the inner workings of the device?
 

Renot: ?
 

Sherlock: ::continuing to examine the piece in her hands:: A bomb like this is nothing more than a circuit. Think of it like wiring for a light. Except at the end of the circuit it goes boom instead of flash.

 

The Ensign was way more qualified than he thought. And she would show him exactly that.

 

Renot: ?
 

Sherlock: When you guys were removing this, did you check for anti-tampering devices?
 

Renot: ?
 

And now she would show him just how qualified she was.
 

Sherlock: We don't know each yet, Ensign. But I was formerly a Chief of Security on two starships. I'm a trained armorer, that includes demolition and explosives. In addition, I Majored in Intelligence at the Academy, so I have training in counter terrorism. This is why, at twenty-four, I was able to become a Chief on a starship. Together, we've got this.
 

Renot: ?

 

tags/TBC
 

Lieutenant Aine Sherlock

Tactical Officer

StarBase 118 Ops

R239712AS0