Relief in the Cargo Bay

Posted on 17 Aug 2024 @ 9:32pm by Lieutenant JG Lisald Vaat

974 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Stranded
Location: Cargo Bay 1

ON

Lisald was sweating profusely. Literally, sweat had soaked through his uniform under his chest and through the entire back of his top. His legs were drenched, too.

Part of the reason he had been sweating so badly was because of the physical labor he had just endured. Almost 20 minutes ago now, Captain Bane had given his the awesome and important task of verifying that the isolenium container had not ruptured and was still stable in the cargo hold, and that the forcefields sequestering it from making the Cygnus a lifeless hulk in space (as opposed to the life-filled hulk it currently was) were still holding.

Far be it from Lisald, a Lieutenant junior grade, to question the orders of the Captain, and even moreso during a crisis, such as they were in now. However, Lisald could have been put to better use. Sure, he froze up, then vomited on the bridge when he saw one of his crewmates severed literally in half in front of him. Lisald could have easily been assigned to search for other survivors and rally them to a cohesive unit again. Lisald knew that if the containment surrounding the isolenium had ruptured or failed, he would not be on this assignment.

The other reason he was sweating so badly was because life support was on minimum power. Gravity was still working, at least on the Bridge, in turbolift shaft two (as far as he went) and on this deck. Who knows if gravity had failed anywhere else. Lisald noted that none of the air returns were blowing air and oxygen as he made his way here. It was a pretty common mis-belief that if the air stops flowing in a starship, the crew would quickly freeze to death, if they didn't run out of oxygen first. During the Academy, Lisald himself was surprised at this fact. Indeed, people in starship roasted alive. Almost always, the warp core and fusion reactors for the impulse engines would still be operating, even if the crew could not use them to go to warp or sublight speed. With all that heat radiating and no power to channel that heat out into space or to be used for other ship functions, the heat radiated inwards until people were little more than puddles of goop where they had died. That seemed to be the case now, that the warp core (at least) was on, but not being used, and not being able to channel that heat into space. Lisald hoped that Christina was still alive, and hoped she and her crew would be able to get that taken care of soon.

Lisald came around the bend, to which Cargo Bay 1 lay ahead. As he rounded the turn, he found one of the two security guards kneeling in front of the other, who was laying prone, her neck twisted gruesomely, her face at an angle that was not natural. The one that was alive was sobbing silently. "Hey buddy, are you ok," he asked, coming up on the scene.

Without looking up at Lisald, the security guard heaved in silent sob twice before slowing shaking his head. "She was my wife."

Lisald's heart broke for the man. He didn't know him, nor did he know her. He wondered is Lieutenant Seitha knew them. He bet he did. "I am so sorry. Look, I know this is going to sound crass, but I need you to focus on here and now, so you can grieve her and honor her later, so you can tell her parents she died while on duty doing what she loved. I need to get in there," he said, pointing at the door to Cargo Bay 1.

"I don't care. Go on in if you want," the crying security guard stated, defeated.

Lisald nodded to himself. "Second, where is your emergency rendezvous point in a crisis?"

For several moments, the man did not answer. Lisald was just about to ask again when he responded. "Ten Forward."

"Good," Lisald stated. "Look, we need you now. There is nothing we can do for her, not right now, not me, and not you. Help your crew. It is what she would want, right?" He hoped whatever species he was felt the same about performing the duties needed the way Bajorans did when something needed to be done.

He nodded. "Yes, she would."

"Good," Lisald said again. "Can I count on you to make your way there, and if you see anyone else, to take them with you or make them get to their spot?"

Another moment passed. "Yes sir, you can."

"Good," Lisald said for a third time. Lisald waited while the man stroked his wife's hair for the last time, and felt his heart break again all over when the man leaned over and kissed her forehead and telling her that he loved her more than anything.

The man stood, then squared his jaw, his eyes and cheeks red from the crying. The security guard opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was caught in his throat and would not budge. Wordlessly, the man nodded at Lisald, and disappeared around the curve.

Vaat opened the door to the Cargo Bay manually. In the center of the cavernous, and empty, save for the isolenium, room stood the isolenium. Lisald walked up to it and pulled out his tricorder, scanning it. The containment field, a level 9, was holding, but barely. The power level was down to 68 percent and holding, for now. The integrity of the field was slightly worse, at 61%.

They were safe, for now. Lisald had to get back to the bridge to report this to the Captain.

Lisald was not looking forward to the climb up to shaft to the bridge, at all.


OFF

Lieutenant junior grade Lisald Vaat
Chief Science Officer
USS Cygnus

 

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