Lt.Cmdr. Salkath - Fashionably Late

[+ Gila Sadar]

A huge welcome back to Jay, the writer of Maxwell Traenor and the Artemis' newest Engineering Officer. And he came out of door swinging with this one  Between him, Savel and Solas, the Artemis is once again suffering from the Vulcan TakeoverTM, but with quality sims like this one, I don't think we mind 🤣

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((Transporter Room 3 - Deck 07, USS Artemis-A))

((Flashback - Stardate 240101.26))

 

Salkath: Confirm, the captain is not aboard? And the executive officer? ::raised eyebrow:: And the chief engineer?

 

Ensign: That's right, sir. Shore leave. I'm sure they'll return aboard soon...ish.

 

The shuttle ride to Betazed had been uneventful; productive, even. There was a Journal of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers peer-reviewed paper regarding Betazoid freighters that seemed apropos to read on the journey to the Artemis, even if it was nearly a decade old. The Vulcan engineer had a routine to transfers such as this, however, and not being able to follow it by checking in with a senior officer or department head was disagreeable. It put the pattern of his indoctrination to the new posting out of sync and it took particular effort to hide his irritation. Not that the stoic man would ever admit to being irritated, such a reaction being illogical, of course.

 

Lieutenant Commander Selkath straightened the hem on his gold tunic, collected his sparse belongings, and simultaneously acknowledged and dismissed the junior transporter chief with the merest of nods before stepping off the transporter pad and out into the corridor. 

 

However, if the lack of a direct chain of command for reporting purposes rankled Selkath, the rapidly occurring following events would fairly inconvenience him. Master of understatement, he.

 

 

((Security Centre — Deck 08, USS Artemis-A))
((End Flashback - Stardate 240103.14))

 

The modified PADD, glowing dully red in order to protect night vision, laid out a breadcrumb path on a deck schematic. A path forward to a specific location, said path would see lighting flicker and extinguish, only to flicker back into illumination after a shadowy passage. When necessary, an overloaded EPS junction would spark and shoot gouts of green flame to scare off an unsuspecting intruder. It was anathema to an engineer to cause such wanton destruction, but the perpetrator deduced that the Artemis' ranking department head in that field would likely excuse the transgression. It was a calculated risk, was the thought, though any other officer would call it a gut hunch.

 

The past innumerable hours - days, perhaps? - had been a challenging game of cat and mouse. It was a challenge that the resident crew had been ill-equipped to win. First, the physical and psychological disorientation of instantaneous time dilation stunned nearly the entire crew  insensate. Being followed by the rapid assault and quick capture of the ship by an enemy force that was decades from the past was too much for the psyche to process. The crew was rounded up and sequestered under guard with minimal casualties, thankfully, but it also left an organized resistance statistically impossible to mount. If one was recently boarded and therefore not complacent by familiarity and the freedom of shore leave, finding themselves able to resist the disorienting effects of time dilation by nature of their superior constitution, and able to draw on age and experience most others could not, well... they still would have little choice but to seek camouflage and shelter and await a more favorable opportunity.

 

That opportunity was now.

 

Selkath consulted the crude map on his PADD one last time. He had been able to set the infrared wavelength internal sensor modules into a simulated level three diagnostic loop, effectively blocking the Jem'Hadar insurgents aboard from using them regardless of the amount of command authority they had managed to wrest from the Artemis' computers. In actuality, the modules were fully functional and were tied to the device in the Vulcan's hand. He could roughly track the enemy combatants, though their cloaking shielding stymied infrared wavelengths. More importantly, Salkath could track errant Artemis crew and officers, especially ones brazen enough to puncture coolant tanks in main engineering. Knowing full well the risks of entering a room of adrenaline-addled, battle tested and wearied officers without preamble, Salkath holstered his PADD, raised his hands in what he assumed was a placating and submissive pose, and entered the room he had sought.

 

Surprised expressions and the business end of a phaser rifle greeted him, which was fully expected. The rifle was quickly lowered again, the odds of which happening had not been favorable by the Vulcan's estimation but nonetheless agreeable to him.

 

MacKenzie: Commander Salkath, what are you doing here?

This was the vessel's commanding officer; Salkath knew that much from his transfer dossier. Present also was his direct departmental superior, Lt Yellir. He did not recognize the other two junior officers; operations gold tunics were the order of the room, though. Considering the dire odds of the small groups' insurrection, it would be advantageous if they were not more engineers. 

Salkath: Reporting for duty, of course. Excuse me for misplacing my transfer orders.

 

This was not the nature of the question that his commanding officer had asked him, Salkath had worked on Starfleet vessels long enough to know that. He had been in Starfleet enough to know that wordplay in the form of misdirection could often diffuse tense situations, though his execution of the strategy was not as successful as he would prefer more often than not. 

MacKenzie: How did you escape the Jem’Hadar?

Salkath: I had help. ::unholstering his PADD:: A few personal, if unauthorized, ship system subroutines allowed me to move within the shadows, if you'll excuse my pun. Wanton chaos of unknown origins within Main Engineering certainly helped my efforts...

The captain gave that most human of facial expressions, the one Salkath had the most trouble deciphering. Either he was forgiven his transgressions, both social and technological, since coming aboard; or there would be a reckoning for his actions. He would passively face either outcome. She then turned to face the chief engineer.
 
MacKenzie: Looks like you’ve got another pair of hands to help you work, Lieutenant.

Yellir: Response

The Vulcan engineer nodded respectfully before catching the incoming phaser rifle tossed at him. Basic training and refresher courses in armed combat came forth subconsciously, and he checked the charge in the power cell while cycling the settings of the weapon. The heft of the device felt agreeable, and Selkath held it in a state of relaxed readiness.

MacKenzie: Let’s move out.

Kel: Aye sir.

The ensign in the group took point, and Selkath eyed him surreptitiously as he advanced. His lineage suggested a fellow Vulcan, though there were subtle differences to his facial and cranial features that suggested... blended genealogy? Now was not the time for such inane observations, however.

Silveira/Yellir: Response

Kel: Did we decide on the Jeffries tubes or the Turbolift for the bridge assault sir? Four people with phase rifles will be an awful tight fit in there but it would probably offer a tactical advantage. And would keep the Dominion off our back for another second.

MacKenzie/Silveira/Yellir: Response

So it would be an attempt on the control center of the bridge, then. It made sense to Salkath; it stood to reason that the commotion in Main Engineering was the result of a failed attempt to wrest back control of the ship from there. 

 

Salkath: I have partial, exclusive control of internal sensors. As long as our adversaries are not cloaked, I can give an estimation of their proximity to us at any given moment.

 

It would mean slinging the phase rifle over his shoulder to free his hands. Still, the tactical advantage of surveillance likely justified decreasing their firepower by a quarter. And it was a quarter that they did not anticipate only five minutes prior. Selkath moved into the midst of the small party, letting Ens Kel fall back to cover the rear.

Kel: There’s one thing I’m worried about sir. If the Jem’Hadar use their cloaks they’d have the element of surprise, and could go straight for Lieutenant Yellir while she works. Do we have any way to stop them from using their cloaks on the bridge?

Salkath: Could I be informed of her intent?

 

The engineer was at a disadvantage by not being part of the planning process. Thus far, he had contented himself with following the lead of his fellow officers, but at a certain point he would become a liability if he wasn't informed of each crew's roles.

Mackenzie/Silveira/Yellir: Response

 

Salkath: A rational plan. Starfleet records from the Dominion War do not list rebreathers as common Jem'Hadar battle kit, if I recall correctly. It should be an effective strategy.

 

Yellir: Response

 

Salkath: Of course, Lieutenant. I will assist in whatever capacity you require. I only wish I had had the forethought to acquire an engineering kit before joining you all.

 

MacKenzie/Silveira/Yellir/Kel: Response

 

Meanwhile, Salkath had been surreptitiously observing the second lieutenant and final member of the resistance party. He showed signs of trauma, though he was trying to hide them well. Emergency medkits could be found in caches and emergency lockers throughout the ship. Should he require assistance, he need only ask. The officer's stoic resolve could mean that Salkath was misinterpreting his level of discomfort, or that the officer had mental or spiritual tools to manage the pain. It was not Salkath's place to verbalize his concerns in the officer's condition, but he would be remiss not to monitor him to ensure that his possible injuries did not become a liability. He flicked on his PADD after stowing his rifle, consulted it momentarily, then directed the group forward.

 

Salkath: The current deck appears free of Jem'Hadar. We can advance with caution.

 

MacKenzie/Silviera/Kel: Response

 

Edited March 15 by Gila Sadar

[+ Salkath]

You're too kind ::blush::