Walking Through A Graveyard
Posted on Thursday 14 April 2022 @ 21:41 by Lieutenant Nir’anyar & Sergeant Korotayev Tarr & Lieutenant JG Zirvell Khen
Mission:
Disaster!
Location: Shuttlebay 1
Timeline: Mission Hour 2 @ 0115 Hours
2736 words - 5.5 OF Standard Post Measure
ON
The EVA suits were not built for Benzites and Anya could see Zirvell having similar issues but with his neck ridges. She had wrangled it around her ganglia and the helmet was a decidedly tight fit given the Benzite cranium was fourteen percent larger than a Humans. It was also dawning on her that she was the ranking officer in the group, the one in command. She wanted to run and scream, avoid this with all of her being but she could see the worry on Zirvell's young features, the concern from Dinslow given he was in a situation he probably had not been trained for and Tarr who was in no shape to be doing an EVA walk even in ideal circumstances.
"Is everyone ready for this?"
Zirvell swallowed as the helmet clicked into place, not giving him much room for turning his head at all. "No," he whispered unhappily, feeling and hearing his breath quicken inside the tight confinement of the EV suit. He didn't like small confined spaces at all, well not anymore since waking up from stasis. The idea of being locked inside was terrifying. He held on to his half-Romulan patient, keeping him on his feet as best as he was able. "You should probably feel less discomfort once we are outside," he murmured, even though he himself had no real experience with spacewalks. He was a simple nurse after all, not someone who needed to get out into open space for repairs.
Korotayev pricked his ears, he started to hear something besides the carol of the bells. There were more people than his caretaker, he even saw a bit further, though still just very hazy shapes. He definitely banged his head in that pod.
His savior handed him an EV suit and he obediently started dressing up. Korotayev was able to get into it blind, literally. Not the first trip outside he will participate on. There was no use in asking now but he was looking forward to someone telling him later what happened. He felt the presence of his caretaker, staying close and checking upon him. When bending and pulling the legs up, he grunted and huffed, straining his abdominal muscles being politely reminded of the hole there.
"We need to secure ourselves to something fixed into position... Once the doors open the atmosphere in here will evacuate rapidly... Private!"
Anya looked on to Private Dinslow knowing he had far more experience in this area than she did. Yes, she had worked in EV suits before, her time in the Romulan mines notwithstanding, but this was something different.
Zirvell swallowed nervously, doing his best to focus on his charge instead, making sure he didn't pull the injury he'd done his best to stop the bleeding on. "Easy does it," he murmured while keeping the patient upon his feet in the cumbersome suit, though one couldn't be sure if he was talking to the patient, or to himself.
Anya was activating the gravity boots she had on but also finding a purchase with a shelving unit to the left of the door. Dinslow on the other side nearest the controls. To say this was not an ideal situation would have been understating it entirely.
"I'm ready!"
Korotayev turned on the gravity boots and felt the soles stick to the floor. Just to ease his mind, he also braced himself and grabbed onto the nearest structure that felt firm and steady in his hands. This was not his first trip outside but he felt green as spring grass, going out in this state. Hopefully the umbilical to his savior is in a perfect state and the suit that he is in also went through regular checkups.
Unable to see what his charge was doing, or how he was doing, Zirvell had to trust that he was doing alright. "Keep your comm open," he suggested anxiously, feeling very claustrophobic in the tight spacesuit. "Doctor...please tell me this won't take long?" He swallowed. "I've never done a spacewalk or zero-G before..."
Dinslow looked at those who were under his care. He gulped slightly as well, then took a breath. "You will be alright and I will talk you through it." he walked over and checked once more to make certain all of the suits were in order. "Okay and make sure all of you are tethered together." he returned to the controls and hit the switch, the door started opening.
The pressure was instant as the atmosphere within the small room started to evacuate into the vacuum of space, so much so Anya felt her ears pop despite the pressure suit between her and the violence of the rushing sensation.
Once they were all in a vacuum Dinslow then was ready to help anyone who was having trouble, he stepped out first to lead the way, looking back to the others. "Okay be careful but you'll be okay. And you'll get used to the steps in the magnetic boots." he demonstrates how to do so. "Definitely very handy." When they moved towards where they would be going to the outside of the ship he said, "Just concentrate on how we move. And you will also get the chance to have a view of space that you'd never have seen before. It is truly beautiful in a sort of humbling way."
Anya followed, allowing Dinslow to lead as this was also her first spacewalk. What they found in the shuttlebay was complete chaos that had been frozen in time as the gravity, heat, and air had left in an instant. Crates, shuttles, and the bodies of the bay crew now hung in the air, the eyes froze over and an icy white layer clinging to the remains of those officers that had clung to something long enough for the atmosphere to leave. The rest now moving through space away from Merlin.
'Just focus on getting to safety Anya... You can do this. You've seen bodies of your crew before... too often!'
Zirvell inched forward, feeling light headed from holding his breath so much and so long. He kept his gaze turned forward, watching every step he was about to make, thereby barely noticing the weightless mayhem around him. "While probably very beautiful under normal circumstances, I don't think viewing space on one's first walk is advisable," he murmured, "I'd like to get back inside as fast as possible..." His voice was tight as he spoke, his face an ashen grey. "This is so claustrophobic."
"Better claustrophobic than dead," Dinslow replied as he continued on. Step clomp, Step clomp. The metallic feeling beneath the feet as the magnetic soled boots made contact. Even if the progress was slow they were at least making progress. When they neared the edge, Dinslow scanned the area taking a look to see which way to go. Left or right... he remembered an area where there was another access door mostly used to take care of some repair work. "This way we will be exiting stage left. There is a maintenance hatch that we can go through. Or maybe even to one of the cargo bays."
Zirvell made slow progress as he also tried to keep an eye on his still very injured patient, who really shouldn't be moving this much at all! "How much further?" he asked while trying very hard not to look up and out into space. If not looking at his patient, he kept his eyes on his feet as much as his limited mobility allowed him to.
Anya had caught sight of a young Ensign clinging to a landing control panel at the back of her bay. Her eyes and mouth open, expressing the fear and dread she had experienced which was now immortalized by the cold hard vacuum of space. Her stride took her towards the open maw of the shuttle bay and out onto the hull of the Merlin.
"We need to get back inside the ship as quickly as possible... Keep an eye out for hull breaches and emergency hatches!"
Her breathing was heavy. Despite the lack of gravity, it was still a workout trying to manoeuvre one's self in the bulky EVA Suits.
Ensign Dinslow gave a slow nod as he continued taking point, still looking behind him to check on the others. He was worried, and definitely had the desire to make certain that his charges made it to safety. A moving object caught his eye and he glanced at it, and gave a shiver, it was one of the people who had been sucked out into space, he had to push the grim sight to one side, sending her back out away from him. He had gotten a hitch in his breathing as it was a woman who he had some feelings for.
"Oh Lita, I am sorry..." his voice going over the communications, then he cleared his throat, "Lets carry on." he spoke softly. He continued a bit further on and paused to check on the others. "Are you making it okay?"
Anya had caught the name Dinslow had whispered and a memory flashed in her mind, Lita Carrow, science officer from her previous ship and one of the first to have been executed by Shrak, the Romulan who had been her torturer. It took all of her effort to push aside the memory and the feelings it invoked, she had to stay clear headed right now, a command presence for the others no matter her own history.
"Dinslow?" the Benzite placed a gloved hand on his shoulder in silent support and understanding.
He swallowed hard seeing the compassion in her eyes. "I'll be alright, we must trudge on." he also gaining some more strength from her. "Thank you, and we will make it." then he added, "We were to go out on a date after shift." he blinked, placed a hand upon Anya's hand giving it a squeeze, "okay lets get us to safely." turning back around. A bit more travel, then he gave a slight gasp there was the emergency hatch, he felt elation at finding it. He moved to open it up and looked inside, and gave out a moan. They couldn't go into there. It wasn't safe it was cut off from the rest of the ship, and there were bodies there. "I am sorry, it isn't safe." he turning to Anya and the others. "We will have to continue on."
"What about that hull breach... It looks like its cut right into the primary hull. Maybe we can find some way of passing the emergency forcefields... if they are even working!"
The realisation that the emergency systems could be down meant that the one hull breach could have evacuated the entire ship of its atmosphere... What if they were the only ones left?
Dinslow looked further down and gave a nod noticing the breach. "That could work and if they are engaged, I can find a way to get us beyond that. Its in my job description." looking at Anya with a smile. They continue further, and came to the hull breach. The emergency forcefield was in place, He looked through the transparent field, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay there isn't anyone in there but it looks like it will put us into a room and beyond that may lead into a corridor that we'll be safer. " Dinslow looking around for something or somewhere, he could break through the forcefield. There he found a panel that would help him make a hole to help them pass through. "I'm going to interrupt he field it will just take a few minutes. Its sort of hotwiring a car...." opening the small panel using the tool he had with him, he reworked the wiring, checking his readings every now and then finally he stated. 'Okay I think I've got it." he had also taken one of his other tools to help make an alternate circuit to allow a 'door' through the forcefield but not short out the general forcefield he didn't want to compromise the rest of the ship by starting devastating cascading failure to the system.
"Okay Lieutenant, head on in there, and the rest of you, I'll be right behind you." he stated, keeping hold of the tools he was using to make the bridge of circuitry.
Relief washed over the Cardassian's pale features as he realized they were finally going inside. "And when we are inside, we can get out of these suits, and I can check on my patient?"
"That would be a good thing. Once all of you get inside I can figure out a release so I can get in there with you, and let you get to the rest of the ship. If I don't close up the emergency forcefield we won't be able to get into the rest of the ship. The other door won't unlock." Dinslow replied.
"What do you mean, can get in there with us. Surely, you are coming inside with us at the same time? You can close that forcefield, from the inside?" Zirvell cast their fresh found guide a concerned look.
Dinslow had a determined expression on his face. "I can not do that right now, I need to figure that out." he gave out a frustrated huff, then directed his gaze towards the Cardassian, "You need to go in there, let me worry about finding a way in." gesturing with his head. "Please, go now." he could feel beads of perspiration form upon his brow, but keeping his hands steady.
Torn, the Cardassian looked at him, while still keeping half an eye on his patient. "And what if you can't get in, what then?" he insisted worriedly.
Dinslow just shook his head, he wasn't going to engage in any sort of debate. This was his job and what he needed to do. He can find another way in for himself but this was the best option for the others to get to safety.
"Doctor!" The young nurse despaired, feeling helpless. Hopefully the CMO, who was technically in command -wasn't she?- of their group, could do something.
"Keep an open channel Dinslow. If we can find a working transporter we will beam you in... How much air have you got left?"
Anya was sheparding the other two into the specified area, forcing her voice to remain calm, in control... The command presence she needed to be right at this moment. Was this to be her own personal Kobiyash-Maru scenario? No, she wouldn't allow it to be, she would find a way.
"Aye Lieutenant." he glanced at his oxygen supply, "I am good on the oxygen level, Sir. And also my channel will be open. It will be good to hear your charming voice." the marine deciding to do a slight flirt just to alleviate a rather serious situation. Even if to hear Anya grouse at him. Dinslow gave a rakish grin towards Anya. "It will be alright, just you three get to safety." he watched as the trio stepped inside to what he termed safety. He watched as they were further in then he released the 'door' he had created, resealing the opening. "Okay, once the pressure is balanced, you should be able to open the door to exit from there. Once you are safe I can go look for my own way in."
Briefly taking his attention away from his patient, Zirvell turned to his boss. "Perhaps I should do that," he offered, assuming he was the physically stronger one between the two of them. Equally, he assumed the door had to be manually pushed or pulled open. "If you can keep an eye on our patient?" he suggested quietly, but far from calmly.
Dinslow once they were inside, he released the 'door' he had made and watched as they neared the other door. He felt relieved that they were now inside. From his readings the air was now evenly pressurized and he took a breath realizing he had been holding it.
END
Private Dinslow
NPC Mathias
Ensign Zirvell Khen
Nurse
pnpc Seklar
●● Lieutenant Nir’anyar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Merlin
>>> Sergeant Korotayev Tarr
Infiltration/Recon Specialist
USS Merlin
