Lt. JG David Flint: The Tolling of the Iron Bell

[Wil Ukinix]

I posted a sim where my PC Wil Ukinix has a grim outlook in a desperate situation, and used the song Time by Pink Floyd as inspiration, even including it IC (as part of Wil's well established eclectic collection of 20th/21st century Earth music).  @Kivik brilliantly reflected the use of that piece of art in his own follow up sim for his PNPC character David Flint, an xB.  This is a wonderful and unique demonstration of "yes, and"!

 

 

((Gravity Well, Type 10 Shuttle))

 

With the plan taking shape and time at a premium, Flint readied himself to once again exit the shuttle. He was certainly going to have to log these EVA hours properly on his record if they ever survived this hellhole. He grabbed his helmet and connected it to the neck ring of his suit, rotating it until the locking pins clicked into place. Dim lights sprung up around him, illuminating his face with an eerie pale blue glow.

 

Flint: ::Sarcastically:: This day keeps getting better and better.

 

Barberra(R2): It’s gonna get worse for all of us if you don’t *hurry up and get off*.  ::looking at console:: Four minutes forty seconds until intercept.

 

Ukinix: Right.

 

Commander Ukinix began distributing the arsenal, with Flint receiving a phase rifle. He adjusted his grip on the weapon. It had been some time since he’d practiced at the range with something so large – but the principles remained the same. Point and shoot. 

 

Ukinix: Let’s get down there.  Two parallel, competing priorities – welding the antenna to the hull, and disconnecting it from this shuttle so Annamae can get away.  Understood?

 

Reade: Aye, mate. We got this. 

 

Flint: Fine.

 

Iko: ::placing on helmet:: Lets do this so we can get back home…

 

Ukinix:: Agreed.  ::To Annamae(R2):: Depressurise and open the door. 

 

Flint followed Ukinix’s glance once more to the reflection of Barberra – unsure if the Crewman was foolhardy or brave or some combination of the two. oO Probably foolhardy… Oo he told himself. Still, he did feel a pang of guilt that she would be piloting the craft and not him. It was a noble sacrifice, worthy of respect. oO Brave after all, then. Oo

 

Ukinix: And good luck to you, Crewman Barberra.

 

Barberra(R2): Thank you, sirs, it’s been an honour and will you just *leave*! Geez.

 

Iko: ::putting her hands up:: We’re going, we’re going! 

 

Reade: Thank you Annamae 2.

 

Flint: ::Opening the hatch:: Enough banter. ::Powering up the phase rifle:: Let’s go.

 

((USS Independence-B, Hull))

 

As the group descended onto the Hull of the Indy-B, David looked about cautiously. The last thing they needed was another rogue probe sailing by and ripping someone’s head off. His thoughts shifted, momentarily, to Ensign Richards. The man was lucky to be alive – though how much of him had survived was unclear to Flint. Despite his insistence on moving about he was pretty sure at least some of the Engineer had been rendered into jelly by that class six.

 

His thoughts then twisted back to his own turn as an Ensign. A short-lived experience that had ended up with his assimilation… oO It’s a dangerous business this Starfleet thing. Oo

 

Ukinix: =/\= We’re running out of time, how’s the antenna looking? =/\=

 

He snapped back to the present, realizing that he should be participating in the effort to acquire the subspace antenna rather than day-dreaming about the Borg and amputations. 

 

Flint:  =/\= There should be minimal damage, sir, despite everything. =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Still intact, proceeding to start the cutting. =/\=

 

Flint nodded and looked expectantly towards their Commander.

 

Iko: ::to Wil:: =/\= What’s the plan sir? =/\=

 

Ukinix: ::Looking up at shuttle:: =/\= We’re gonna have to start severing the cables, and hope the antenna doesn’t float away. Crewman Barberra needs all the time she can get. =/\=

 

Flint: =/\= True enough. We’ll have to work quickly but carefully. Let’s hope she can hold still while we do this.. ::to Iko:: ..and we’ll try not to cut a hole in her hull. =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Acknowledged. =/\=

 

Iko: =/\= I vote we… do that. =/\=

 

Flint smiled darkly to himself.

 

Ukinix: ::Resuming welding:: =/\= I wish we had more time. =/\=

 

Iko: ::shrug, jokingly:: =/\= Or we cut everything with a 20th century saw… =/\=

 

Reade: ::turning around towards Bec:: =/\= Remind me after this, I got to show you that holo simulation of old 21st century earth tech. 

 

Iko: =/\= okay for real though, hand me a rifle. =/\=

 

Ukinix: =/\= What?  I thought you had it – ::looking down, flustered tone:: Oh Wil, you *idiot*!  ::Exasperated sigh:: Sorry, Ensign, here- =/\=

 

Flint cocked an eyebrow at the Commander’s flustered blunder. Not only had he forgotten to give their tactical officer the rifle – he had also reverted to calling he an Ensign again. It was clear that something was on his mind. oO Is it Barberra? Or something else? Oo  He decided to look into Commander Ukinix’s file when – if – they made it out of the gravity well.

 

Ukinix: =/\= OK, point that thing at the cables and sever them.  ::To David:: You  too, Lieutenant. =/\=

 

Flint: =/\= My pleasure, Commander. =/\=

 

Iko: =/\= Aye sir. =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= In the process of welding right now as we speak.  =/\=

 

Flint took aim at one of the cables and began firing in short concentrated bursts, doing his best to avoid scorching the hull of the Type-10. Taking a momentary break, he glanced at Iko and noted her precise firing. He’d begun to wonder about her following her intense reactions earlier… now he supposed those were simply the result of overwhelming tachyon exposure. She seemed to be focused and capable now.

 

Ukinix: =/\= @#$% here they come!  Sever those cables! =/\=

 

David turned to look in the direction Ukinix was indicating and noticed the incoming dots.

 

Flint: =/\= Damn those things are fast. ::To Iko:: Alright, I’ll concentrate on the aft cables. You take the forward cables? =/\=

 

Iko didn’t reply, but continued firing efficiently. David nodded and took aim once more.

 

Reade: =/\= Oh no, there coming again. =/\=

 

Ukinix: =/\= ::To Scotty:: Keep welding mate!  Enough to keep the Antenna in place! =/\=

 

The two phaser-wielding officers paused a moment as the Type-10 banked. David wished they could communicate with Barberra in the shuttle. He couldn’t imagine the agonizing wait that she had to endure as they cut away and welded below out of comms. As the shuttle settled, they resumed firing.

 

Flint: =/\= ::To Reade and Ukinix:: We’re nearly there with the cables, gentlemen. Hopefully you’ve got that thing secured back there… =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Aye mate. =/\=

 

Ukinix: ::Moving to new spot and beginning welding:: =/\= Quick, Scotty, quick! =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Almost done. =/\=

 

The subspace antenna momentarily raised a little again, then lowered, as the almost untethered Type-10 spun in it’s X-axis, pointing away from the direction of the incoming probes in a seeming attempt to get ready for a getaway.

 

Reade: =/\= Thats the best I can do. =/\=

 

Ukinix: =/\= It’s gonna have to do!  Just keep going! =/\=

 

David didn’t look back to see what they were talking about and just continued firing. They were nearly through all the cables.

 

Flint: =/\= Last one aft. Iko, how’s forward? =/\= 

 

Iko: =/\= ::more… klingon-y than normal:: Last one.  =/\=

 

Ukinix: =/\= C’mon! Break you stupid cable- =/\=

 

Iko: =/\= ::slightly more normal, but still serious voice:: We did it.  =/\=

 

With the Commander’s spurning, the last cables gave way and the shuttle was freed. Immediately the shuttle started accelerating away from them and the probes. Flint looked overhead and watched with bated breath as the probes closed at a rate exceeding the shuttle’s acceleration.

 

Flint: =/\= Come on, Barberra, give it some welly! =/\=

 

One of the dots caught up to the Type-10 dot, and they touched.  It wasn’t long before a small line of vented plasma formed a straight line behind the dot. A probe had hit Barberra(R2)’s shuttle, how bad was anyone’s guess given the distance it was from them now.

 

oO Damn! Oo

 

Ukinix: =/\= Nooooooo!  Not another one! =/\=

 

oO Hang on… Oo

 

Surprisingly, the Type-10 dot seemed to regain speed and once again led nine smaller dots behind it away.  A tenth dot, the probe that must have impacted the Type-10 shuttle, sped off at a completely different angle.

 

Ikoa and Flint lowered their rifles as the dots continued fading into the distance, eventually merging into one single speck of distant light and then, at last, into indiscernibility.

 

Flint: ::Turning back towards the group:: =/\= That could’ve gone worse. =/\=

 

Iko: =/\= ::normal voice:: Wil? =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Hope she gets away.=/\=

 

Ukinix: =/\= ::Glumly:: I hope she’s okay.  ::Quietly quoting line from a song in his collection::  “Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.” =/\=

 

David nodded in recognition. Time was a classical song from his homeland, a twentieth century piece by the group Pink Floyd, whose melancholy reflections on existence oft reflected David’s own. After a brief pause, he turned to his compatriots and followed up with his own - slightly-adjusted - quote from the piece.

 

Flint: =/\= Hanging on in quiet desperation is the human way. Let’s get back to it. =/\=

 

Iko:  =/\= Come on, we got work to do. =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Think positive mate. =/\=

 

Looking back at the roughly-affixed antenna, Commander Ukinix sighed. David felt his exhaustion, his own body aching and begging for a rest. But their work was not quite finished yet. 

 

Ukinix: =/\= ::Sigh:: Alright.  Let’s not make whatever Crewman Barberra’s fate is in vain.  We have the secondary antenna, let’s begin interfacing it with our primary antenna that’s inside the hull. =/\=

 

Reade: =/\= Shall we go back in? =/\=

 

As they headed towards an airlock, David took one last look back into the black behind them. As he looked into the nothingness he felt a welling of dread. Another lyric from the song ran through his mind.

 

oO You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today /

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you… Oo

 

Life was a such fickle and fleeting thing and time the ever-inflating currency with which it could be bought. Ten years had been taken from him by the Borg. He would be damned if this gravity well would take any more of it.

 

END ACT 2 for FLINT

 

==

Lt. JG David Flint (he/him)

Helm Officer, Amity Outpost

Character Wiki Page

V239806K11

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[Alcyone Brennan]

I've not seen the inclusion/reference of a song work in a fast-pace situation without slowing it down and shifting focus away from the actual scene. I really like how this was done here, it's a great read ❤️ 

[Robin Hopper]

I love that music plays such an integral role in your simming, @Wil Ukinix. It always adds a very personal and relatable touch (as far as I'm concerned) and frankly I'm mad that I can't steal the idea of incorporating more music without it seeming derivative. Thank you for the appreciation and curse you for your inspiring choices!