Best Laid Plans - Part 1

Posted on Friday, 12 June 2020 - 4:16pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant JG Maximus Mackenzie & Lieutenant Ryan Rose MD & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley & Lieutenant JG Kay’la

Mission: Operation: Iktomi
Location: USS Standing Bear | Various
Timeline: 2393 (Mid Morning Before Lunch) MD 04

{ON:}

The day stated out as any other day for the group. It would be a calm start before a storm of occurrences that would lead to the paths of several crew members crossing.


=/\=Tactical Office=/\=


Max sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I can't figure it out."

T'Paris raised an eyebrow. "I must admit to a certain puzzlement myself. Every wire was checked. Every link was verified and it did work."

"Right so logically," as Vulcans were fond of saying, "It should work when you put it all together."

"Precisely."

Max rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We'll have to go through it again."

T'Paris loosened her hair and then re-tied it. "Indeed. I shall pull the connections if you can run the checks."

He sighed. "Alright. You're right we should switch roles. Maybe I'm not seeing it. A second pair of eyes could help, greatly."

The beautiful Vulcan gave a nod. "Indeed." She paused. "We should begin." She sat down on the hover board and slid it under the panel.


=/\= Sickbay =/\=

T’Lanna arrived in Sickbay, she’d made a point of stopping by on a daily basis on route to her office just to check in and see if there were any patients Ryan had seen that needed a Counsellor’s intervention. She smiled as she was greeted by a new face.

“You must be Lieutenant Vali?” Kay’la offered a polite smile. “I was reading your medical file, more specifically your maternity notes.”

T’Lanna nodded. “Ah then you are Lieutenant Kay’la” T’Lanna nodded. “It’s nice to meet you and to know that you’re as organised as I am when it comes to files.”

Ryan saw T'Lanna and Kay'la talking so hung back to provide them with what level of privacy he could in the small sickbay. He did offer T'Lanna a polite smile though.

T’Lanna smiled and gave Ryan a polite smile in return. She was glad he had a nurse to help out in Sickbay. “Why don’t you join us Ryan, we were just chatting.”

Ryan made the small trip over to join them. "What are we chatting about?" He asked.

“Just getting to know each other” T’Lanna grinned.


=/\= Science Department =/\=


Ensuring the temperature and humidity was within an acceptable range, Lieutenant Kingsley carefully watered each plant. Typically one of the technicians tended to it but with one lab still undergoing repairs and some modifications she had some extra time. And it was somewhat peaceful, being surrounded by little glimpses of nature in the middle of an otherwise sterile lab.

PO Jensen entered the room of plants looking for the chief science officer. "Lieutenant Kingsley?"

“Over here,” Alex called from the far side of the room.

Jensen smiled as she headed over. "The plants are looking lovely...thank goodness I don't have to take care of them. They would be in big trouble. I can kill a cactus." She chuckled.

"Just don't get too close to that one," Alex warned as she pointed to a plant with yellow and purple petals, "it secrets a substance which can be deadly to some humanoid species."

"No, not really," Alex replied with a grin, "it actually creates a naturally antibiotic. I thought it might be good to have some herbal remedies on board so we brought some aboard at the station. And don't worry, everything in here is sturdy. Not every plant can survive on a starship no matter how much we regulate the acidity of the soil, the nutrients, the heat and humidity... I couldn't even keep a goldfish alive. I digress. Was there something you needed?"

"Oh yes! I was looking at the cargo manifests and you are going to love this! Most of the equipment that cannot be repaired from the lab...we have a double of or parts to fix it." It was a tiny bit of good news.

"Really?! That's amazing! Not that I don't love watering plants..."

She laughed. "Was going to head down there for a few things. Feel like coming along?"

"Absolutely," Alex nodded as she finished her task, "I need to see this to believe it. I thought we'd have to wait forever for parts..."


=/\= XO's Office=/\=

Soral leaned back in his chair. "Mr. Grol while I value your attention to detail and your need to have everything complete I really would prefer that we transmit the report now. While it is incomplete it is necessary for at least a partial update."

"But sir we only require a day. What harm can..." Before he could complete the sentence a call came in from Tactical. That panel that he'd been helping them work on was still acting up.

Soral waived Grol off and headed out to find, to his discontent, the young PO as following him chattering about the report.

The trip to the tactical office was long and he was glad when they arrived.

They had been working for the better part of the hour on the panel with Grol grumbling all the way. In the end they found that the disruption wasn't even in tactical but the tactical station in the cargo bay. They decided to head that way to see I they can figure things out.


=/\= Cargo Bay 1=/\=

Jensen looked at Alex as they walked in. "Busy place." And it as with members of Ops and tactical all milling about.

"Small ship," Alex reasoned. "Where are our supplies hiding?"

She led her to the section. "All here. Let's dig in."

Like a child at Christmas, Aria began to pry open grates, following Jensen's directions as they worked through the list of parts required by engineering to fix everything in that cursed lab that needed repaired.

Soral supressed a sigh as he bent down to check the panel again. Just as he had been about to reach for the wiring a surge ran through the conduit. There was an eerie hiss followed by a deafening silence and then all hell broke loose. The surge shook the panels on the stands and on the walls knocking loose some barrels. The panel sizzled sending sparks into the air.

T'Paris hissed as she was tossed back against the wall like a rag doll. Soral had a split second and dove for Max who would not have been fast enough to avoid the falling barrels. He had no time to think about this skin burning but when the barrels hit him he led the air in his lungs. Pain seared his body.

From the opposite side of the cargo bay, Alex gasped as she gripped the edge of the container. Dimly aware of the commotion in the distance as one word came to her mind through the feeling of pain. "Soral!"

Jensen supported Alex. "Are you alight Lieutenant?"

"Soral... he's hurt," Alex said as she pushed away from her. As the initial shock of it passed, as she felt more herself, she found herself walking quickly towards the calls and chaos on the other side of the bay, picking up her pace until she was running by the time she reached the scene of all the commotion. She zeroed in on Soral and hurried to his side even as she called for a medical team.

Max had knelt by him and had already pulled off the barrels. He hissed when he saw the bit of metal sticking out of Soral's side. Three inches higher and it would have gotten his heart.

Soral supressed a groan as Alex knelt by him. "Am...okay. Crew?"

Max looked around. “T'Paris is knocked out bumps, bruises, medical team should be here."

He looked over at Alex. "Am alright."

“You are a bad liar, husband of mine. Now, don’t move,” Alex whispered as she placed a hand on his shoulder to make sure he didn’t try something foolish like walk to Sickbay. She glanced up at Max, “are you okay?”

He was pretty sure he'd broken a few ribs. "Fine." He saw Soral struggle to get up. "Oh no you don't. I know, I know. Check on the crew. I'll do that."

He scurried away. Soral grasped the object sticking out of his side so he could shift a little. He looked up at Alex. "Are you alright?"

“You are literally impaled on something and you are worrying about me?” She breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. She touched her fingertips to his, wanting so badly to take his pain. Instead all she could do was be with him, be there for him no matter how much of his pain resonated through their bond.


=/\= Sickbay =/\=

In Sickbay the call had come through loud and clear. Kay’la looked at Ryan. “I’ll get Sickbay prepared.” She hurried off to have an already spotless Sickbay organised ready for whatever the state of the patient.

T’Lanna looked at Ryan as she passed him an emergency med kit “I’m going with you!”

"Thanks." Ryan took the offered med kit, and grabbed another one on the way out.


=/\= Cargo Bay 1=/\=

As they arrived in the Cargo bay T’Lanna let Ryan sort his patient hoping Soral was alright. She was sensing the faintest pain radiating from Soral as he suppressed the emotion but plenty of it radiating from Alex thanks to her bond with Soral. T’Lanna moved across to Alex, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Alex said absently, her eyes locking on Dr. Rose. “Doctor, over here!”

Ryan headed straight for Soral. He turned to Max. "Hold that steady." He pointed to the metal sticking out of Soral's side.

Max gave a nod. He held onto the pointy object. "Hang in there buddy."

Soral raised an eyebrow through his pain. "Hang in what?"

Max smiled a little despite himself.

Ryan took a medical scalpel, and cut through the excess metal, until it was close to Soral's skin. He took a pair of scissors and cut Soral's uniform and undershirt out of the way. A quick visual inspection told him what he'd already know. "Rose to Kay'la, make sure the emergency transport pad is clear, and start prepping surgery."

Soral looked at Max and wordlessly something past between them. Max gave a nod. Soral turned to Alex. "All is well." He briefly touched her face only realizing a little late that there was blood on his hand. He cursed himself for smearing it on her cheek.

“You will be fine,” she promised him, even though she could see Dr. Rose’s concern. She tried to give him every ounce of strength and love she could through their bond, wishing she had his discipline and control.

Max move over to Alex's side and gently pulled her back. "Let them take him. It'll be alright."

Alex nodded, letting Max guide her back. It made no difference really, it felt as if the bond was stronger than ever, perhaps because she clung to it. Willing it to be enough to help her husband. She saw Max flinch and shot him a look, “You are hurt,” she whispered.

"Couple broken Ribs. Will be fine."

"Bring him to sickbay." Ryan told Alex, right before the emergency transport took him and Soral to sickbay.

Both Alex and Max watched them go before she pushed him towards the door. “T'Paris are you okay to walk?” She asked, suddenly remembering the woman. At some point T’Lanna had moved to check on her but she seemed conscious and irritated so that seemed a good sign.

"Fine." She said as she limped.

Max walked behind Alex trying to breath slowly. "He's going to be fine." He told her.

“Doctor Rose is an excellent Doctor you know that” T’Lanna offered a smile. “Can anyone tell me what happened? What started all of this?”

"There was a power failure in Tactical we traced to the tactical station in cargo one. Then there was a surge that spread to the walls and knocked some cargo containers down and the rest of us."


=/\= Sickbay =/\=

In Sickbay Kay’la had the bio-bed ready and prepped for emergency surgery as Ryan had requested. As he’d transported in with Soral she was ready to get to work. “Do you need to have Emerick here in case of any complications Doctor?”

"We should have two more coming in under their own power from the cargo bay. Have Emerick on standby for them." The anti-grav stretcher soon had Soral on it, and Ryan was headed to the operating room. "Meet me in surgery once the rest are settled."

“Yes Doctor” Kay’la nodded and headed to meet the walking wounded when they arrived and to call up Emerick too.

{OFF:}