Surviving

Posted on 10 Dec 2024 @ 8:02pm by Lieutenant JG Kaelyth Solmarr

550 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Stranded
Location: Various
Timeline: Just after Charge of the Light Brigade Pt. 1

"Attention all hands. Red alert. Arm yourselves if you can. Defend the ship. This is not a drill."

The captain's voice came through his COMM badge. Kaelyth paused, a bit startled by it since the things had not been functioning until now. Did this mean that the communications system was online? He suspected not given the extent of the damage he had seen to this point. Still, the message had gotten through, and he made his way to the locker that still held the silver case. He had used the set of clips he always carried after the business in the Impulse Reactor Control Room, and so he switched them for full ones. He always carried one full set of 5 for safety.

Having retrieved that, he made his silent way out of Main Engineering and took the barely-functional lift up to Deck 15. The staff in engineering needed to be armed, and the quickest place to get weapons was the Armory. Oh, Security was more likely to give him weapons more easily, but that was four more decks up from the Armory. No, time was of the essence, so he opted for the Marine deck.

As he exited the lift, he found himself faced with a female marine with black, midnight eyes, and a very large Phaser Rifle pointed at his chest. She looked him over then demanded, "State your business."

"I need weapons for those in Main Engineering to follow the captain's order." Clear. Concise. No wasted words.

Rhaevyn Mercer stared hard at the engineer. He definitely looked like someone who could handle a weapon. "How many do you need?" she asked, also wasting no words.

Kaelyth tried to remember how many people were in Main Engineering. "Six." He gave her a number that would cover with maybe a couple left over in case other crew were present that he had not seen.

Mercer frowned. "I can give you Type IV's. That's it," she stated.

It was clear to Kaelyth by her tone that there was no negotiating. He nodded. "That is acceptable."

"Wait here."

It was a command rather than a request, and Kaelyth saw no benefit in disobeying given the circumstances. He nodded and waited while she disappeared into the Armory. He wondered if this was her normal manner or if she was just so... harsh because of the situation.

She appeared moments later with her own rifle slung over her shoulder and her hands full with the requested weapons. "These better get back here when this is over," she stated as she handed them to him.

Kaelyth took the weapons from the lady Marine. "If it is at all possible, I will return them myself," he promised. He could not guarantee, of course, that any of them would make it out of this, so he had qualified his promise.

Rhaevyn frowned but nodded. "Good enough." Then she ignored him, continuing her patrol of her deck.

Kaelyth was, he had to admit to himself at least, relieved. That could have gone a lot worse. He made his way back up to Main Engineering, having to fight the lift car and then the doors once more. But upon entering, he passed out weapons to those present, keeping one for himself.

Now all they could do was wait.

 

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