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<br><div><br><div style="color:#000;background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><div>// Main Engineering, D Deck, Challenger \\<br> <br> <br>Sasha couldn't
get in through the portside access hatch, which was the first one she
tried. It appeared as though the hatch opening had been warped somehow,
so that the hatch itself would /not/ budge. She limped further down
the access corridor toward the starboard access hatch, and discovered it
open. <br> <br>It had taken a while to make it down to D Deck from the
Bridge. Numerous times she had stopped to help the crew: whether it
was with moving a piece of fallen panel from in front of a door or piece
or equipment, or helping the injured, it had taken the most part of an
hour to make it this far. Now Sasha took a deep breath, expecting the
worst but hoping for the best. She bent down, hand pressed to her
wounded ribs, and then stepped through, straightening up with a loud
exhale. Damn.<br><br>Flames radiated and lit the bay from several
different directions, with emergency lighting providing a complementing
glow of red to the ambiance of "what used to be" main engineering.
Faint blue light was still present at the main reactor, but no engineer
was at the controls. Coolant was venting into the chamber, but not at
toxic levels, at least not that anyone noticed. Sharp, acrid smoke and
mist left visibility as problematic, with the bay venting fans fighting
to remove the disruptive smoke.<br> <br>Sasha looked around, but she
couldn't really see anyone. She took a breath in order to yell, but the
smoke started her coughing -- and that was /not/ good with her
bruised/or/cracked ribs. Pain shot through her chest as she fumbled at
the bulkhead to her right, hunting for the emergency panel -- hoping to
find one of the emergency O2 masks there. She found the panel and
discovered it was already open, but lucked out: several of the personal
oxygen devices were hanging there. Sasha slipped one on, took a
careful breath, coughed a few times with her hand pressed tightly to her
left side, and blinked her streaming eyes.<br> <br>Avoiding the coolant
that was misting from the righthand accessway, Sasha moved along the
catwalk until she could walk no more. The catwalk had been severed by a
now unrecognizable piece of equipment. She stared at the bulkhead,
trying to envision what had once been bolted there. Was it ... a
regulator? Anyway, it was gone now. And the breach in the catwalk was
too large to jump. She was standing there, staring at it in an
almost-stupor, when she became aware she was not alone.<br><br>"Captain,"
McDonald said in a raspy voice, struggling to support one of the
younger engineers who could not walk on his own. A few others could be
seen casting shadows on the far side of the bay, their much slower
movement a contrast to the flickering flames in other areas of the
cavernous room. Broken equipment littered the floor of the compartment,
with other 'shapes' mingled in here and there, and only a careful
examination could reveal their true natures.<br><br>The chief engineer
sat his companion down on a fallen bulkhead brace, and hobbled over
towards his superior. "I think she'll need a refit, ma'am."<br> <br>Walking
around the catwalk to join the Chief Engineer, Sasha once again avoided
the coolant leak. They met at the back of the bay, overlooking the
warp core. It was eerily silent in the bay, only the sounds of hissing
leaks and crackling sparks could be heard. The warp engines were
quiet. Approaching Rick, Sasha put a hand on his shoulder and looked up
into his face. "Are you all right?" she asked, her voice muffled and
distorted by the face mask. <br> <br>McDonald shrugged. "Better than
most, I think." He gestured around the bay. "Certainly better than the
ship. I have no idea what's keeping the reactor going. One of the
coolant conduits must be intact below the deck."<br> <br>"How about your
people?" Sasha knew they'd lost crew. But the damage and casualty
lists were still incomplete ... it was too soon. <br> <br>"I frankly
don't know, captain. I haven't heard anything from the damage control
teams since before the shock wave hit us." He did see a few men and
women on the deck that were not moving, but he thought she could see
them, too. There just wasn't a need to bring it up.<br> <br>She nodded
brusquely. It was the same story all over ... she had to keep telling
herself that they'd just gone up against the entire Romulan fleet and
/won/. By all rights, they should be a cloud of gas right now. "We've
got impulse power, that's one thing to be thankful for," she said, a
grim smile on her lips. She pushed stiff, blood-caked hair out of her
face and let out a slow breath, surveying the bay. "We're a long way
from home ... a long way from /anywhere/," she said quietly. "What will
it take to get warp back online?" She turned back to him, looking at
his eyes as he replied.<br> <br>Gently wiping a smudge away from his
eye, which teared up when a foreign object made it in, McDonald sighed.
"We are moving. The reactor is generating power. The impulse engines
are pushing us through space. Right now, that's all I know. If we try
to engage the warp drive without making sure our structural integrity is
relatively intact would...well..." He thought for a moment, forcing
his brain to fight through the haze. "If we lose coolant to the
nacelles, or worse, to more than one...we won't need a rocket to fly
through space."<br>
</div><div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><br></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Sasha
had heard enough. "Commander!" she snapped. Her voice sounded
ridiculous through the mask and she ripped it off. "I didn't crawl all
the way down here to be told things I already know. Two things. Give
me report and then tell me what you need right /now/." </font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Stunned
at her abrupt tone, McDonald blinked hard, and attempted to answer her
question. "Since you crawled down here, you might be able to tell me
what the state of the rest of the ship is in. Getting the warp drive
back up will take a back seat to major <span id="ecxyiv1733977484ecxyiv240651253ecxyiv1707864916ecxyiv1399146255ecxlw_1320023312_0" class="ecxyiv1733977484ecxyiv240651253ecxyiv1707864916ecxyiv1399146255ecxyshortcuts">hull</span> breeches. My board is down right now. I can't see a thing."<br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">The
Chief Engineer had barely begun when the hatch that had been locked in
place was forced open behind him, with the screeching sound of wrenching
metal. Immediately a head of luxurious white hair was visible as what
could only be an Andorian, ducked through. The woman stood up, looking
around her. "Well?" she said. "What can we do here? My captain said
you needed help."<br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Sasha
stepped forward quickly. "I'm Captain Spearling. This is Commander
McDonald, chief engineer. He'll tell you what you need to know." She
turned back around to face him. "You have help, Rick. Put it to good
use so we can get my ship out of here. 'Sitting duck' is not a term I
enjoy."</font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Nodding
gently, McDonald limped towards the Andorian. "Aye, captain." Seeing
an Andorian female was startling enough to halfway bring him out of his
stupor. "To start, what did you see from the outside? I don't have
status on damage control and ship's systems right now, so a short
appraisal would be a good start."</font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">The
Andorian woman snorted. "I'm Yusuth. You're venting all over the
place ... but at least it looks like most of the venting is oxygen and
plain water." She looked around the bay. "I've got teams standing by
to work on the outer hull whenever you are ready. What's going on in
here?"</font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Looking
around with her, McDonald conceded he had only regained consciousness a
few moments ago. "The reactor is online, but our internal sensors are
compromised. I think we have limited communications. As long as we
continue to have power, we should be able to keep most of the lights
on. My concern is people trapped in compartments losing atmosphere, and
whether we'll have a cascade of bulkhead failures. If you could have
some of your personnel accompany a few of my engineers, I think we can
get that situation under control."<br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font></div>
<div style="background-color:#fff;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#000;font-size:12pt"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Sasha
watched the interplay between the two. As she did, there was another
arrival through the recently-forced hatch. The brightly-colored
'uniform' left no doubt.<br><br>"Ho
ho!" said a smiling Denobulan, straightening up after coming through.
"Captain Larana sent us ... Chigara, I see several injured, come on
through, come on through ... there you go. Separate into groups of two,
search the bay, find and treat, folks, find and treat!" He walked up to
Rick, Sasha, and Yusuth. "Walking wounded?" he said, eyeing them
expertly. <br><br>"Uh, yeah," McDonald replied, eying the newcomer. "A
stimulant should be enough for me, but not too much. I need to keep my
wits right now."</font></div></div><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">
</font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font>
<font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><font face="Arial">"One picker-upper, coming right up!"
the smiling alien replied. Swiftly, he manipulated a small device in
his right hand, his arm darted out, there was a quick hiss near
McDonald's neck, and then the man turned to Sasha. "Captain Spearling,
I'm Sashel ... we almost share a name, yes? Now ... you look like you've
taken a beating. May I scan you for injuries?"</font></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">
</font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font>
<font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><font face="Arial">"No thanks," Sasha said firmly. "I know what's wrong with me and it'll keep. Just dose me with the stimulant, too."</font></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">
</font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font>
<font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><font face="Arial">Behind them, Andorians began filing
through the smallish hatch, lugging equipment and tools. They came to
Yusuth, who began issuring orders based on McDonald's assessment -- and
she gave them in Earth Standard, with no small amount of pride visible
on her haughty face. The Denobulans were scattered around the bay,
searching for wounded and treating them when they found them.</font></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">
</font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font>
<font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><font face="Arial">"All right, Captain," Sashel said.
"But I insist on one more thing." He injected her with the drug, then
whipped a small package out of a belt pocket. "Arms up!" he chortled
cheerfully. Sasha looked at him suspiciously, but raised her arms,
having a bit of difficulty with the left one. Damn, her ribs ached.
Sashel unfolded the packet, gave it a snap with a wrist, and then
flipped it around her torso with an experienced flourish. It
immediately swathed her from just beneath her breasts to the tops of her
hipbones, and snugged down tightly. The relief was instantaneous.</font></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">
</font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font>
<font size="2"><font face="Arial"><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Trying
not to stare, McDonald monitored the professionalism and skill of their
Andorian allies, paying particular attention to Yusuth. An occasional
antenna crept around to acknowledge him, accompanied by a half-smile
from the female. When her engineers departed for their assigned tasks,
she nonchalantly whispered to him. "I've heard of you, too." Rather
than staying near him, she began a walk/crawl around debris and static
obstacles that were once a proud engineering bay.</font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">"What
happened in the battle, captain? What produced that kind of..." He
stopped, remembering his 'special' task in the armory. "The nukes?"<br><br>Sasha
smiled at him. "Yes. And from what we can tell as of now, it really
did the trick. There's no trace of them left -- although that's not all
due to our nukes, you know that they destroy anything that we could
maybe find and analyze." She ran her hand up her left side, feeling the
tightly-wrapped ribs. She thanked Sashel and then turned back to Rick.<br><br>"Amazing.
The shock wave seemed to do a number on us, too, but it looks like we
are on the road to recovery. I'll get us underway as soon as I can,
captain."<br><br>"Excellent. You'll have plenty of help, I'm thinking. Looks
like the Coalition forces suffered a lot of damage and casualties, but
we can be proud of our efforts. Now we're going to get everyone
space-worthy and head for Earth -- /all/ of us." Sashel had moved on,
directing the treatment of Rick's injured crewmen and teasing Yusuth.<br><br>McDonald
thought for a moment. "Wouldn't it be prudent to monitor this area for
awhile? I mean, some of them could be hiding behind the debris
field." He paused. "I'm not trying to be the tactical officer. I've
got my work cut out for me here."<br><br>"It's so far out," Sasha
murmured. "We can drop subspace communications buoys on our way back to
keep this area linked-in, and suggest to Command that this system is
monitored on routine sweeps. But it'll be up to them in the end." She
put a hand on the railing to steady herself as the ship took a dip --
they must be working on the grav system or the stabilizers, Sasha
thought. "Rick -- thanks for all your hard work. It won't go
unnoticed, I'll make sure of that. Nor will the losses you've suffered
here." <br><br>He looked around a moment, finding that the crewmen who
had been down were gone, either on their own or on stretchers. "I guess
you never get used to it. I can only imagine what the rest of the ship
looks like. If the damage is half as bad as it looks, it might be less
trouble to retire her and build another one." He looked at her out of
the corner of the eye. "I don't really mean that, you know."<br><br>"You
had me going for a second there," Sasha said, pretending to recover
from a swoon. "No, structurally she's still pretty sound, from what
I've been able to ascertain so far. We'll patch her up and get her
going again -- and there's some new mods I'm going to insist on, too,
Rick. Let's get together after we arrive at Earth, we'll do the meet
and greet and then tell them what we want. After a battle like this, we
should be able to write our own ticket." Another smile, although the
haunted look remained in her eyes. So many lost. So many hurt. <br><br>McDonald took a deep breath and let it out. "Very well, ma'am. I'll see how the repairs are going and report back to you. Would you like hourly updates?"<br><br>"No ... how about 'event-based' updates. As you find things out, as you get things fixed, let me know. Sound all right to you?"<br><br>"Yes, Captain."<br><br>"Then ... as you were, Commander. As you were."<br><br><br><br>Captain Sasha Spearling<br>Commanding Officer<br>&<br>Lt Cmdr McDonald<br>Chief Engineer<br>====================<br>FCL-04 Challenger</font></font></font></div></div> </div></body>
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