Consulting with Engineering

Posted on Sunday 1 November 2020 @ 18:44 by Captain Melody Jones & Lieutenant Breana Rathburn & Major David Scarlet

Mission: A Whale of a problem (We're going to need a bigger boat)
Location: Engineering
Timeline: MD 6 1730
1483 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

Scarlet was mostly silent as the two talked. His own thoughts going back to his own training and methodologies. Maybe something not energy based could do it. He looked up as the two discussed engineering. "That would be Lt. Rathburn. I'll escort you to Engineering to meet with her."

"Lead the way then, Scarlet. Killian, shall we?" as Mathias followed after Scarlet.


Down in Engineering:

Another mug of java in her hand as Rathburn rushed around the department barking an order every so often at her crew. Clearly, like the others, sleep was not on the top of her priorities and she was making up for it with the overload of caffeine. A few officers were working on keeping power going to the main life support system. But, at the moment, almost everything else seemed fair game to the rotating surges of power. "How are we doing with keeping those backup generators going?" Bree asked Alexa as she passed the young junior officer.

"Main deck is trying to hold on, the one in medical we have someone down working on at the moment Ma'am. The other ones we are rotating on and off so we can try to keep them ready in case we have to have them at full blast for life support." The officer responded quickly.

"Good, good" Breana said with a nod as she moved to the computer, taking a drink as she starred at the image of her ship. Well, not her's, but yanno.... she had to make sure the blasted thing could go, and at the moment she was failing on that one. A soft muttered curse under her breath as she lifted her mug for another drink.

Killian and the others entered engineering. "We've got some reading on the stuff covering the hull. It nearly flung me off into space. It's definitely being controlled from somewhere." He said as he opened his tricorder and established a data link to the main computer.

Spinning around as she heard Killian, she gave a slight nod. "Lets look at this then and see what we can figure out. Although I'm surprised no one tried to shoot it off." Bree added with a slight smirk seeing that Scarlet was with the group. Bringing her mug to her lips for another drink, Rathburn once more went to studying the new information on the screen before her.

Scarlet grunted indignantly. "We found that it absorbs energy. Phasers cause it to grow." He crossed his arms across his chest.

She couldn't help the roll of eyes as she heard Scarlet, for some reason she had no problem picturing him trying to shoot the crap off of her dying ship. Wait... She gasped suddenly as she spun around and looked at the three before her. "Wait.... you said... it's absorbing energy, so that means..... that's why it's....." Turning, she started moving her hands over the computer console. Clearly her java induced mind was racing now with thoughts and ideas. "Alexa, start shutting down any generators we absolutely don't need. Pass the message on that it's going to get cold on this ship. and lower the temperature slowly."

"Aya Ma'am" Came the quick reply, after all trigger fingers were there and she wasn't in the mood to get shot at for questioning her boss.

"Science officer..." She'd really have to work on getting better at names but for the moment..... "Back in the old days, there was.... an extinguisher that was used to put out fire. It blew out a foam that would cover and kill the fires. If we could come up with something like that that could freeze what ever it is that's covering the ship. After all, if it's living on energy and we start freezing it out, maybe we can kill it off?"

Scarlet watched the engineers bustle around and follow her orders with barely a word of objection. Maybe Doyle was right.

"What about a decoy?" He suggested half to himself. "In conjunction with making Marlin uninhabitable to the organism, we give it somewhere to latch onto instead. Divert it's attention." He looked around at everyone to gauge their reaction. "We're reducing power on the Merlin, we send out an overcharged shuttle that'll look a lot tastier than we are. That way if that stuff doesn't die from your fire suppression idea, it might just leave for the decoy."

"Newly arrived, Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant Mathias McPhee." Mathias introducing himself. "I do like that idea about using the carbon dioxide to freeze it off. And I had thought of changing the harmonics of the energy we are giving off, to make the energy distasteful. Like say, something to do with antimatter, but that... is probably too much of an explosive action to do though. And a decoy could work as well."

Well whadda know, trigger finger had a brilliant idea! Smiling, she gave a nod of her head as she pondered that. "Yes, yes.... that could work. A highly supped up decoy, and then once the leach has attached it's self onto the decoy, we blast it." Cause well, come on this is Bree she enjoyed blowing something up every now and then. "Oh, and well met Lieutenant, and you might be onto something with changing the taste of the energy somehow." She added before downing the rest of her Java, crap she'd need to get more. "So, now we have at least some kind of plan, we should likely get to work on it."

Killian shook his head. "I'm not sure a decoy will work. Whatever is controlling this stuff is intelligent and judging from these reading it's fusing itself to the hull. How could we ever hope to remove it without seriously damaging the outer hull and compromising structural integrity?"

"I had also wondered if that stone has the earmarkings of nanotech. Was there a reading in accordance of that Killian? And would the carbon dioxide damage the hull?" Mathias asked. Then turning towards Bree, "Possibly something could be figured out on not damaging the hull of the ship. I just don't feel like being a sitting duck and allowing something whether it be intelligent or not, to cover us in a sort of stony cocoon. Maybe an emp blast on the outside of the ship might work? Just in case the stone skin could be knocked out that way."

"Mayhap another possible way to rid said stone covering, would be to blast it with discordant music, or even some heavy metal music." Mathias commented. He looked at Breana. "What do you think? Or even something with a high frequency that could shatter it, but not the hull of the ship. Like an opera singer hitting a note so pure that it shatters a champagne glass?"

Suddenly, without warning main power came back online. Killian looked around perplexed? "Maybe they don't like music?" He went over to a console. "Lieutenant Rathburn, you better see this." he pointed to the display "The stone substance is disintegrating from the hull and power levels are returning to normal."

Breana was eyeing Killian a moment, wondering why the Ensign hadn't started with that when they first walked in and was brain storming. Though with the brightness of power again, her attention went back to the computer. Frowning as she watched the levels. "Let's play some music and play it loud." She said with a sigh, so much for blowing something up. But then again... yes, she would need to have a talk with the Ensign about delaying important news.

Scarlet grimaced. "Things usually aren't so cut and dry. I'll recommend to the bridge we remain at high alert until we have all our crew back onboard."

Mathias walked over to take a look at the readings, his eyes widened in wonder. "Oh my, how curious. I wonder what caused this to happen? I am rather pleased though." turning to Killian, Scarlet and Rathburn, "It looks like the danger is over."

"Come on, let's get back up to the bridge and see what happened," Killian said.

"I am in agreement on this." Mathias looked over to Scarlet, "Shall we?" giving a bit of a smile.

"How about you?" looking towards Breana.

"I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on this." Bree replied with a frown as she studied the computer and what was going on. Something seemed off yet she just couldn't seem to have an explanation for it. It was to cut and dry... to much of a coincidence.

Scarlet grumbled. He didn't like it when things seemed too easy. And this seemed too easy. For things to just return to normal without them actually lifting a finger? "I'll believe the danger is over once we have the rest of our crew back aboard."

"Off to the bridge to see what news they have!" Mathias leading the way.

OFF: