Lessons on Deck 16, Part II

Posted on Thu Apr 1st, 2010 @ 4:32am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Commander Michael Evans M.D.

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Deck 16, USS Pandora
Timeline: MD07, 1004

ON: [[Deck 16, USS Pandora, Day 07, 1004]]

Graf grabbed Jesse as he entered the room. "Over here," he shouted over the roar coming from a ruptured conduit somewhere in the room. The smoke from it formed a fog that was hard to see through. "Three technicians were working on a torpedo here in the storage bay when something went wrong. Something exploded. I found two of them, but can't find the third. I think two people were working on the tractor assembly also, but haven't seen them either."

"Jesse," Areli came up behind him, "Graf and I are here to help! What should we do?"

"What's the status of the two you found," Jesse asked of Graf, shouting equally as loud so as to be heard over the sound of the ruptured conduit.

"I'm not sure," Graf replied. "I couldn't wake either of them; I think one of them is dead! They both sustained pretty serious injuries being right next to the explosion."

Jesse looked quickly from Graf to Areli, trying to size up the situation. The roar of the conduit and the fog that was filling the room was making it hard to concentrate on the matter at hand. He tried to remember what he had learned about emergency procedure. There was the conduit to deal with as well as locating the missing personnel. In addition, he needed to see to the injured and still find a way to vent the flooded compartment.

Both Graf and Areli were looking at him expectantly. Areli thought he looked a little unsure as to where he should begin. "Think about your resources," she said above the din. "You've got an experienced medic on your team and Graf is a willing set of hands even if he only has some first aid training, but safety of yourself and your team always comes first. So let's look for further threats to safety, such as this gas leak if it's toxic, and explore the possibility of further explosion, then decide if we can secure those threats or if we need to evacuate. Then we can see to the other crewmembers. Agreed?"

Nodding, Jesse processed the information and began to formulate a plan of action. "Mr. Graf, retrieve three emergency breathing apparatuses from the equipment locker," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the locker. As the crewman began to move, Jesse slapped his commbadge, saying, "Cadet Eckles to Main Engineering." He paused, waiting for a reply, but it did not come. Glancing toward Areli, he frowned, realizing that communications must have been disrupted, either by the explosion or as part of the exercise. "Is there any way we can seal this conduit," he asked her.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I'm guessing that it's part of the torpedo launcher's autoload mechanism, but I'm not an engineer. It uses a hydraulic fluid in its systems that has a very low boiling point, and if that's what this gas is..." She withdrew her tricorder and scanned briefly. "Yes... that's what this vapor is." She looked up. "I estimate fifteen minutes of breathable air on this deck without either sealing that conduit or sealing this room." Graf returned just then with the breathing masks and doled them out.

"We're not going to be able to find or treat anyone if we don't seal this leak and vent the gas," Jesse barked, slipping the mask over his head. He placed it over his mouth and nose, taking a breath of the refreshing oxygen. Motioning to the other two, he made his way toward a nearby control panel that was flashing red. "Alright," he continued, his voice muffled slightly from speaking through the mask, "according to this, there should be an emergency shutoff valve on the far bulkhead..." Jesse paused and turned, but he couldn't see anything through the fog.

"I'll get it," Graf volunteered, breathing mask in place. He disappeared into the fog. Several uncomfortable moments passed before the shriek of the releasing gas quieted. Graf stumbled back through the fog a few moments later. "I've shut down that system," he said.

"Good," said Areli. "That'll give the victims several more minutes of breathable air."

Graf looked pleased. "Great. What's next on the agenda?" he asked. Both crewmen looked at Eckles expectantly.

The cadet's hands moved nervously across the console as he checked the status of the environmental controls in the room. If they could vent the gas, it would give them more breathable air and allow them to locate the missing personnel. At the same time, every minute they wasted was another minute that the victims were going untreated. "Areli, we're going to need a medkit," Jesse said, "Graf and I will try to vent this gas."

"On it," Areli said, and disappeared into the fog.

"Try the 'cycle atmosphere' function," Graf suggested as he glanced at the panel. "It's listed under 'functions', then 'emergency functions' from the main control screen." With a glance at Eckles he flicked through the screens and demonstrated. With a whoosh and a breeze the fog disappeared in a mater of seconds. Graf took off his mask and inhaled. "Much better," he said with a sigh and a smile.

Areli trotted up with a medkit in each hand, her mask slung over her shoulder. She handed one to Jesse. "Good work," she said. "Should we go and find those victims now?" She looked carefully at Eckles.

"Yes," Jesse said, removing his mask and nodding. He could still smell a hint of the gas on the air, but he dismissed it for the more important task of locating the victims. Graf had identified two technicians who needed assistance as well as three personnel who were still unaccounted for. The cadet took a step forward, then paused a moment. He didn't want to break up the team, but they were racing against the clock and splitting up would make the search go faster.

Areli saw the command cadet hesitate. "What are you thinking?" she asked. Though the phrase was short and blunt, her tone was not accusatory nor admonishing, rather it was as though she wanted to understand his current thought process.

Although the tone of the woman's question wasn't harsh, Jesse didn't want to be patronized every step of the way. He'd trained for command for much of his career at the Academy and he knew how to handle a variety of situations. Instead of answering her inquiry, Jesse said, "Areli, see what you can do for these two. Graf and I will look for the others." Without a moment's hesitation, Jesse started toward the far side of the room where another doorway connected with the room beyond.

Areli nodded and moved towards the area containing the most debris, expecting that to have been where the explosion was and, thus, where she would find the two crewmembers.

Graf walked just behind the cadet as Jesse led the way. "Shouldn't take too long," he said hopefully. "This deck isn't particularly big." As they walked through the narrow corridor he suggested, "Maybe we should check the head here as we go by."

Nodding in agreement, Jesse reached out and tapped the door controls. The sound of a chirp could be heard, but the door remained closed. Jesse tried again, but the door still would not open. It was possible that either the door controls had been damaged or that there was someone inside who was keeping the door closed. He glanced over in Graf's direction to see what the man thought of the situation.

Graf thought a moment, then held up a finger. He disappeared around the corner briefly and came back holding a disc that had a handle on it. It clamped to the door as though magnetized. He pushed a button on the disc, there was a click, and then forced the door open with some small effort.

Inside, a man wearing engineering gold cowered on one of the waste extraction units. He looked like he was holding his breath. On seeing the two in the doorway, however, he let out the lungfull with a sigh. "The gas is gone," he said. "You found me." Standing, he said, "Marcus (NPC) and Vines (NPC). I think they're dead. Have you found them?"

A quick glance was exchanged between Jesse and Graf before the cadet slowly shook his head. "Not yet," he replied, still processing the new information the man had given them. There were at least two others to find, but there was the possibility that they were both dead. Still, it was their job to find those two crewmembers, dead or alive. Jesse preferred that it be the latter of the two.

"I see," the man in the toilet (NPC) said. "What can I do to help?"

"Where did you last see the others," Jesse asked, taking a step back to give the man some room. If they could figure out where the two had last been seen, they might have a lead on where to look for them.

"Marcus and Vines were working on a torpedo," the man said. "Bailey (NPC) and Peterson (NPC) were in the main tractor control room last time I saw them."

Areli came up to them just then at a half-trot. Slowing, she shook her head as she approached the group. "Both dead," she confirmed.

OFF

A JP by:

Areli (NPC)
Emergency Medical Technician
USS Pandora
Played by: LtCmdr Evans

Graf (NPC)
Environmental Systems Technician
USS Pandora
Played by: LtCmdr Evans

And

Cadet Jesse Eckles (NPC)
Command Cadet
USS Pandora
Played by: RAdm Iluvar