"Heat"
(Previous Post: Mark's 'Heat of Battle')
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Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
The HATHOR's executive officer and chief engineer rubbed
his bald scalp as his friend and former Academy
classmate looked to him for an answer.
"Well?" Lieutenant Commander Serenna said.
"I haven't the foggiest idea Captain," David replied as he stood and stretched, "I'm slowly loosing contact with the ship."
"That's a bad thing isn't it?" Susan asked as she looked on.
"The *worse*," David said with a scowl, "but I'm not licked yet."
A flash swept across the eyes of the HATHOR's CO.
"Enlighten me number one."
"I now have partial internal sensors..." David said as
his hands danced across the console in front of him.
He got a lock on Uxtar and Lea... and Pravat?
"The marines are here," David said never taking his
eyes off the console.
"The calvary has arrived. Thank God," Susan replied
with a sigh and smile.
"Lieutenant?" Serenna said as David crossed the bridge
to the Ops console.
"Ensign Kea... do we have access to the potible water
stores on deck 4?"
The Ops officer's hands pressed in a few commands.
"Hard to tell sir. The computer says we do... then it
says we don't."
"Didn't Pravat say that he used water to destroy the
Imperian on the ANUBIS?" Serenna asked.
"I remember hearing that. The only problem is I can't
tell how much damage is down there." David replied
drumming his fingers on the board.
"What was it you had in mind?" Susan asked.
"I thought about pumping mist through the O2
emmitors...just enough to bug the pesty bastards...."
"But?" Serenna asked.
"If there's an open conduit down there we risk
electrocuting everyone in that section of the
ship... and risking further damage."
"Like?" Serenna and Susan asked in unison.
"Boom," David replied.
"Oh," Susan said as she slowly lowered herself into the
chair by the science station.
"That idea is out David," Serenna said, "we don't need
to destroy the ship."
"Well... those sonsabitches are doing a fine job of it already," David replied with a smirk and feeling a severe headache coming just thinking about the repairs.
"Lieutenant... I have a suggestion," Ensign Kea said.
"I'm all ears."
"I remember from the Academy that the DEFIANT class
ships were equiped with pumps in case of a water
landing..."
"Your point?" David said.
"Well... why not trick the computer into believing
that the HATHOR has crash... let's say in a ocean. The
life support systems double in that section and the
pumps will pull water away from damaged areas of the
ship."
Serenna looked at Ensign Kea then to David. "Not a bad
idea. Question is is it doable?"
David closed his eyes and shook his head. "With the
way the computer keeps booting damn near every command
we put it no. But as my Pops always said you have to
be smarter than the machine."
"Not to be the harbinger of bad news," Susan said, "but
how can you be smarter than a computer?"
Then just like a bolt of electricity, the HATHOR
XO/CEO snapped his fingers. "That's it... why didn't I
think of that earlier," he said as he sat at the
engineer's station.
Susan and Serenna noticed the flare in David's right
eye. Ever since his twin brother's soul was removed
from the XO/CEO, that was a reminder of what David
went through. It was hard to tell at times whenever
the redness bled into the hazel iris of his right eye.
Serenna rose from her chair and stood behind her
executive officer.
"I see that light in your eye David," she said placing
her hand on his shoulder.
"I just can't believe I missed this completely."
"Missed what?"
"What do we know about the Imperians?" David asked.
"Not much," Susan said.
"They're creepy," Ensign Kea replied.
"As far as Federation technology goes," David said.
"They seem to know their way around our best
defenses," Serenna added.
"Well... that leaves us with 2 options," David said as
his hands danced across the board.
"And they are?" Serenna asked.
"We could either shut the computer down completely."
"Not the best option," Kea said from Ops, "we'll be
dead in space for real."
"I agree," Serenna said, "and we wouldn't do Uxtar,
Pravat and the marines any good if we shunt them into
total darkness."
"I concur Captain," David said with a wry grin, "but do
you remember the reason we came to the SURIAL system
before?"
Serenna's eyes narrowed as David's eyes met hers.
Everyone knew why they went and why they were headed
back... then Susan snapped her fingers and smiled.
"The orbital weapons platform."
"Exactly," David said with a wicked grin and Serenna
nodded.
"Save my ship number one and I'll put you in for a
promotion," the HATHOR CO replied with a wicked grin of
her own.
"I appreciate it Captain... but another round of
Jemp'ta'Lar would suit me fine."
Serenna chuckled at David's suggestion. In all the
attempts, the HATHOR XO/CEO has never beaten her.
"Your on," Serenna replied as David went to work.
"Ensign," David said looking to Kea, "start shunting as
much power into the computer as possible. Use every
avenue possible. I want to draw these bastards in like
bees to honey."
"Anything I can do to help?" Susan asked.
"Yes" David said pulling up a chair next to him and
pointing to a monitor, "keep your eyes on Lea, Uxtar,
and Pravat," and he looked to his CO, "Captain I could
use your help too."
"What do you need?" Serenna asked.
"Coordinate with Carft. We need to find a way to
restore internal communications so we can talk to
them."
Serenna nodded as the bridge staff went to work.
===================================
as
Lieutenant David Dawson
and
Executive Officer/Chief Engineer
"A Starfleet officer... that's all I am and that's all I'll ever be." 2006 post #081
Stardate: 60341.1700
Julian Knight (d_dawson_1@yahoo.com)
Chief Engineer
USS ANUBIS NCC 18501
USS HATHOR NCC 74211
- Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko,
Commanding Officer of the Federation Spacestation Deep Space 9
