The TML PBeM

1994, Turn 0 - Part 4 (of 4)

Bridge - 07:12

Aiwi checks the nav settings one more time, and then calls up damage control on the holodisplay. After examining both the display and personnel locations, her eyebrows raise slightly. She then keys up the common engineering channel.

<< Chief Munro. This is Crew Chief Aiwi. I'm reading a fault on Deck 3's Number Six console as a major unrepaired item left before jump out, and 5 engineers presently on Deck 3. May I offload the management of Deck 3 repairs so you can concentrate on jump preparation? >>

Munro, stunned by the dynamic-duo repairing console 3859, snaps her mouth closed with an audible click. A small smile passes her lips. Glancing at 'Vouf, she mutters << Who next will offer advise or 'help'? >> Switching over to Aiwi's channel, Munro responds, her tone somewhere between neutral and sweetness. << Munro 'ere, Crew Chief. By all accounts, the repairs will be done 'fore you can get 'alf way to Engineering. Jump is immenent. Please stand by. Munro out. >>

Aiwi blinks, nonplussed. She switches over to Munro's private comm channel and seems about to make a reply, but doesn't. Instead, she cuts back to the all-engineering channel.

<< Understood. Standing by. Crew Chief out. >>

With that, Aiwi goes back to monitoring ship's status and preparing for the jump. All the while she continues to digest the new method of calculations that will take the Elissa to Centerpoint.

Nick pops out of the dialating iris like a Jack-in-the-Box, and immediately heads aft. Keying the Westwinds airlock access pad, he heaves himself up through the hatch before it completes cycling.

<< PATER, this is Talon. Please confirm external docking clamp integrity on the Westwind. >>

<< One moment, mister Talon. >> replies PATER. A brief pause is followed by, << Clamp integrity confirmed. My sensors show nominal funtion in all related sub-systems. >>

<< Thanks. >> Talon bursts into the bridge and slides into the pilots couch. Years of experience make the rapid check more a function of muscle memory, and finally Talon relaxes with a sigh. Everything is as it should be.

Dropping through the Westwind airlock at a much more leisurely pace, Talon cycles it closed and thumbs his commdot again.

<< Talon to bridge. Westwind is secure. I'll be back on deck 4 in about half a minute. Talon out. >>

A few apparently unnecessary scraps (all that remains of the proton counter) fall to the floor from Bishops hand, and the white filaments begin to vanish as well, as he looks up at the doctor.

"Very well, Christian. That seems... fair." There is a minute pause, as Adrian adds, "It's only fair to warn you that rule number one may be a hard rule to follow. I'm *still* not sure about everything myself."

Christian shrugs. "We will just have to do the best we can. I'm not aware of any similar precedent, so we're blazing our own trail."

Bishop glances at his trapped limbs and visibly hunches his shoulders.

"I *think* I'm ready, Christian. I've used the critical elements in the proton counter to augment some of my internal structures, based on revised calculations by my IASIC partial. I think they're correct this time, but then, I thought they were correct the last time." He shrugs and adds, "I doubt my situation could deteriorate much more."

Pointing at the wall with his free hand, Adrian instructs, "Could you activate the grav-coil alignment probe at it's lowest setting and focus it on the bulkhead right at my arm?"

Christian eyes the probe, warily. A moment later, he makes a face in resignation and points it as requested. "There you go, Adrian." He reaches out and taps the probe, which responds with a low hum. He raises an eyebrow at the pinned-beetle form. "You may fire when ready."

Aolrkhea' is often distracted by all the activity surrounding the console repair, but stays at her task. She works her way around the perimeter of the room, manually verifying the power grid's integrity for the high frequency stresses of jumping.

Two minutes later, the scan complete, Aolrkhea' receives a ping on her comdot. << Doctor Aolrkhea', this is Hur'Shurvan in Main engineering Control. If you have turned up no anomalies on your scan, please evacuate Deck 3 at once for Jump. Out. >>

She stores her work on crystal. << Damage Control, Aolrkhea' reporting. No additional damage in the power grid, up to the exterior couplings on decks 2 and 3. I shall run my complete data through Damage Control diagnostics if there is time. >>

Before heading to Main Engineering, 'Khea takes a detour by the bustle of the new engineer's work, but tries not to disturb them.

<< Station Two, gravitics, ready for Jump. >> And then Angus chuckles << We might dim the lights, but that might short something out... >>

This is too good to be true. As Angus turns back to his console, he wanders close to Alliara and trips, making sure to get into contact with Alliara as close to the time of the trip as possible. Angus hastily gets to his feet and turns to Alliara and chooses a frequency which will reach Alliara and all engineers. << Sir! I must insist that you stay out from underfoot. Running through engineering like that, you could have caused some serious damage, hampered repairs, and hurt some engineers. As it is, we were lucky that you just tripped me as I was going about my duty. I just hope Chief Munro doesn't find out about this incident. >> In a quieter tone, << I would also like to point out that data, polluted or otherwise, is meaningless if we're dead. That just might happen if we don't get things fixed and get out of here before our friends come back. Like all things, data must be kept in perspective. >>

With that, Angus turns back and moves quickly towards his console. 'I hope Alliara gets out of here quickly. Yolanda doesn't take much to having her turf invaded.'

"OK," replies Bishop, tensing. "Here goes."

For a few seconds, nothing happens. The look of intense concentration on Bishops face is frozen in place. He doesn't even blink. Then, without any warning, there is a *rippling* effect in the wall, followed by an audible *SNAP!*, as if made by a static discharge, as Bishops right wrist and hand slip free of their prison. That now blank section of bulkhead appears completely unaffected by the weird passage.

Christian observes this unique procedure with a blank stare, trying to comprehend the maneuver.

"Wow."

"Whew!" gasps Adrian, working his newly released fingers vigorously, "*That's* better."

Pointing down at his right foot, he nods to Christian, "Let's try the next one."

"Er, uh, yeah. Sure." Christian steadies himself and supports Bishop's balance, still staring.

Standing on his left foot, without the arm in the bulkhead for balance, Adrian grips van der Merwe's right shoulder with his left hand to stay upright. After another moment of mental preparation, there is the bizarre ripple and crackle of electricity, and Bishop slides completely free of the wall, clinging to the doctor to keep from falling.

As the target time for starting Jump comes and goes, and only haut-Frieder and Hur'Shurvan have reported in, 'Vouf's expression gradually darkens. Munro can hear him muttering to himself as he crosschecks the status readouts on the Wall. << J-Drives okay, Grid okay, Power Plant okay, subsystems Deck 1 never went offline, 5 through 8 ditto, M-drives who cares?, Deck 4 coming along...Deck 2 reports done...where's Deck 3? >>

He tunes into the conversation going on on Deck 3 and scowls grimly before resorting to a few curt orders and a growl to get things going again.

Munro nods appriciation of 'Vouf's commands, continuing to work the boards. << Thank you, Captain. The reminder is well timed. >>

<< My pleasure, Chief, >> 'Vouf nods.

The muffled smack of a head in a vacc suit quietly penetrates Munro and Vouf's suits, as Boris Merkle retreats from underneath the Life Support Station, rubbing his head to absolutely no effect.

With a spanner in one hand and a mutilated fish carcass in the other, he grins. << Hiya Chief, Captain! >> waving and then dropping the fish, << I was just doing a bit of cleanup, and cut my mic so everyone wouldn't need to hear me grunting and panting. Life Support is prepped and ready to go. >>

Boris snaps a small access panel back in place, and stands up, stowing the spanner in a pocket. He takes his place at Station One, and rechecks status on all systems, wary of possibly intimittant circuits.

'Vouf gives Munro a sour look and half smile, shaking his head. << I think they think this is some kind of pleasure trip, >> is his only comment.

After a moment, he says, << Yolanda, that crack about 'abrogating authority' really stung. If I'm getting in the way of your doing your job, you better say so. I'm used to crews that have to be beaten into shape. Literally. >> He grimaces, eyes narrowing. << A Chief Engineer on a Vargr ship has to not only be a competent worker but also a good fighter. Crewmen just plain decide they don't want to do as they're told, and you have to slug 'em a few times to get 'em to see things your way.... >>

Munro frowns at the board she is working, either at its readouts, 'Vouf's comment or both.

<< Only when you give permission for non-engineers to get in the way of engineering teams. As to beating crews into shape, that's *generally* not needed in a mostly human crew. There are always exceptions. >> Sighing, her tone becomes less severe and more moody. << As you've seen, I'm not a fighter. I prefer working *with* my engineering crews. Head bashing is not my strong suit. *But* it's obvious I need lessons. Emergencies like these call for a firmer hand than what I use. This lack of wisdom has caused problems in the past. >> She levels a gaze at 'Vouf. << Maybe you could impart some insight later? >>

<< I'll try to oblige without doing any permanent damage, >> 'Vouf smiles.

A chuckle fights to escape past the slight smile on Munro's lips. Glancing at the ready boards and the clock shown, she frowns. << Frag it. We've got to start the jump soon. We're running out of time. Luckily, it looks like all critical systems are patched or re-routed. >>

'Vouf nods as MacLaeran enters.

Noticing MacLaeran's entrance, she mumbles << Show time. >>. Taking a deep breath and switching to the all-engineer channel, Munro pitches her voice to penetrate.

<< All engineers. Return to Main Engineering immediately. Jump is about to start. If you have a critical repair that can't wait until after jump, report ASAP. Otherwise, drop what you're doing and get your butts back here. Anyone in position, please escort the new engineers and Mister Niigurd to Main Engineering. >>

<< Grey aye aye, >> comes the response. << We're buttoning up console 3859 now. ETA one minute minus. >>

<< When you get here, Mister Grey, direct your companions to Station Four, >> 'Vouf interjects. << We could use having it repaired. >>

Doejin glides through the door and swoops over to his place beside Hur'Shurvan. One waldo locks to the console as he hovers above the spot where a chair would be. << Station Six, Fuel and Secondary Systems on line, *click* >whistle< *click-scree*. Demolitions team has removed dangerous materials from Deck 2 fuel feeds; all secure above Deck 3. *whistle, click* >>

'Khea is next to step out of the portable airlock into Main Engineering. Proceeding to an available console, she inserts the data crystal and keys in a comprehensive analysis for damage control.

Chiifraa comes loping in on all fours. He ignores haut-Frieder and Hur'Shurvan and scampers over to the Wall, where he sits up on his haunches and tosses off a snappy salute. << All Teck 4 outstantink r'pairs complete an' nominal, Chiif Ench'niir, >> he chuffs loudly.

<< Very well, Mister Chiifraa. What is your usual station for jump? >>

<< I pe 'Lektronics Systems Mate, Chiif. Norm'ly not senior enuf for mon'tor stationkeep in Chump; I stay hot on paws for fast fixes, ah? Kor'tinate wit' Tamache Cont'ol. >>

<< Good. Backup Mister Grey at Station Five when he arrives. >> Munro motions toward the appropriate console. Turning to 'Vouf, Munro asks << Care to sound the Jump Warning, Captain? >>

'Vouf smiles. << If we weren't in pieces, I'd say yes, but.... >> he trails off as Grey comes in, followed by FixesThings and Bex, who are followed by Alliara. << Ah. HERE they are. >>

<< Can ya work on that one too? >> Grey asks, pointing to Station Four as he sits down at the central seat. << Uhm....Station Five, Damage Control on line, >> he reports. << All boards show green. We have primary fault lights in about twenty spots on the Grid.... >> He swallows hard. << ..but they're all tagged with overrides, either on your or the Chief's authority. >>

<< WHA-AT?! What for you say?! >> Fraa scrambles over to the Damage Control station, running right THROUGH the holotank in the process. He stares at the board for a moment, then turns to face 'Vouf, his eyes wild behind his visor.

<< You CRAYSI! Can't Chump wit' t'is Grid! Is in PIECES! You try proof you hot-riffet, ket us all KILT! >> He grabs wildly at FixesThings's arm. << We kots pail out! Ket pick up py t'a Hamilcar! T'is SUICIDE! >>

Stubbs spends a moment puzzling out how to route current status data to the Nav tank, then calls up an Engineering overview board. He swallows. Hard. "Bad Grid, no kidding," he says softly. "Man."

Behind him, Akhouw rumbles in intimidating agreement.

Stubbs turns to Akhouw. "Commander, I will of course defer to your and the Captain's decisions on whether and how we make this Jump, but I must confess I had an incomplete picture of the damage to the Grid when I suggested the Jump. My question is, and I ask this without implied slight....how good ARE your Engineers?"

Akhouw stares at Stubbs for a long, uncomfortable moment. That was a curious question, Akhouw thought, unwise in the tense atmosphere. Best to draw the hisol'i out and discern his meaning. Slowly, he straightens in the command chair and breaks the silence.

"Why do you ask the question, Captain Stubbs?"

Stubbs considers the return question as seriously as Akhouw had taken the initial query. Finally he says, "To see how you'd answer it, Commander. We are about to enter a highly dangerous, time-critical situation, and I know nothing of how you approach problems in such cases. I can learn a great deal with such questions, as much by the manner in which they are answered as by the answers themselves. Your counter-question demonstrates your foresight and unwillingness to assume easily-reached conclusions with insufficient data at hand, and is therefore in itself an implied answer to my own, of sufficient content to satisfy my curiosity. I consider my question to have been answered appropriately, and crave your pardon for any implied slight.

Listening to the proffered explanation, Akhouw relaxes back into the command chair. His ears perk forward to drink in every nuance as they flatten ever so slightly in deferred aggravation. Perhaps only Aiwi could properly divine Akhouw's mixed signals. His tail flows from side to side, with a rhythmic flick, flick, flick.

"I offer as excuse only my concern for my life and the lives of those on this ship, knowing as I do a great deal more than anyone here about the risks of what we are about to attempt. Fiya'." He inclines his head to the huge Aslan in the captain's chair...not a casual afterthought, but a genuine bow.

The words are well spoken, Akhouw mused. Clearly the speaker is wise to the ways of the ftierle, to be so clever so as to defuse the anticipated wrathful response. Yet not so good as to fool one of the ftierle who is wise to the ways of *his* adversary. Here and now, pressing matters were most deserving of attention, lest they overcome us as helpless prey. When a place of safety is reached, then, perhaps, honor would claim its due.

Akhouw receives the bow in gracious silence, then leans forward in the chair and folds his arms in the formal mode of acceptance. He straightens and gestures as he speaks to Captain Stubbs, a sort of pantomime of accepting a gift, but accompanied by a visual idiom best interpreted as a deferral of a challenge or question.

"I accept your explanation, Captain Stubbs. We will, I am sure, have much to discuss when we can afford the luxury of the telling of stories. As for now...." His voice trails off as he glances between Aiwi and Stubbs in expectation of result.

Stubbs turns back to the Nav console, and stands there silently reviewing the data until he hears Munro and 'Vouf signal readiness for Jump.

"Let us begin, Crew Chief," he says crisply, starting the Jump sequence.

Akhouw grins. Now he knew safety was assured, for fate surely would not pass on the opportunity for two such warriors as himself and the hisol'i to meet and fight as equals. He divides his attention between status monitors and the Bridge crew as the sequence progresses.

In calm anticipation, without any sudden moves, the ursine arm grabbed by the frightened engineer subtly grabs back. Should fright become flight Chiifraa will go through the motions of running about a meter above the deck.

As this tableau unfolds, 'Khea enters, and takes a position by the Big Board. << Doctor Aolrkhea' reporting on station in Main Engineering >>

'Vouf freezes in place for a moment. Then he says mildly, << Chief Munro? If I may...? >>

Munro shakes her head. << Unfortunately, no. >> Striding over to Chiifraa, she leans over so that she is at eye level. Green eyes glare with icy intensity at Chiifraa.

<< Listen up, *engineer*. If we didn't think we 'ad a good chance of making this jump, we'ed of transferred to the 'amilcar and scuttled this ship. But you don't see any of us running with our tails between our legs now do you! If you want to stay behind, great. There's the nearest airlock. I'm sure Mister Stamerra will be glad to pick you up when 'e jumps back in. Otherwise, get back to your boards! >> Whirling from Chiifraa, Munro strides back to the jump console.

Rafe glares at his nominal boss on the Contact Team, daring her to say a word.

Chiifraa lets out a whimper, and turns back to look at Munro's retreating back with an expression reminiscent of a child being left at school by a parent for the first time. All he sees are a pair of blue-violet Vargr eyes regarding him with cool amusement. 'Vouf is leaning casually against the Wall, watching both Fraa and Yolanda carefully. The muted thumping of his wagging tail smacking against the console is very faintly audible in the whisper-thin air. Fraa swallows and takes a position behind Grey.

Munro notices Fraa's movement and nods at him, her countenance softening. << Good! Just follow Grey's lead. He won't steer you wrong, with engineering at least. >> The last is said with a grin at Grey, who manages a weak chuckle. Very weak.

In stern but compassionate tones Fix says << It OK Fraa. All jump together. >>

Bex unfreezes and jumps from Fix's head down his arm and sits, helmet to helmet, with Chiifraa. In his excitement he yells, << Chiifraa! How can one who feeds coffee in condoms to Fao the Cow be afraid of a jump? At least we have a chance of surviving this! 40 bits says we make it. >>

Fraa blinks a few times, then sputters, << STU'PIT! How I collect if I win?! Ket out my way! >> He dives for the console Bex has just repaired and frantically reconfigures it into a backup Damage Control display. Grey grins at him for real this time.

Munro takes her place at the Wall. << Alright! Full power conservation. Angus, shut down all gravitics in non-habitated areas. Everybody else, kill every frigging extraneous power sucker on board this ship. Oh, Emperor's Balls! Give the Science Team 60 seconds before cutting their power. Pater, sound jump warning! Boris, dim the lights! >>

Angus' hands fly at Munro's command, bring gravity down in the uninhabited areas of the ship. On a channel to PATER << Pater, please activate warning lights on hatches leading into areas where gravity has been disabled. >>

<< Command confirms all orders but one, Shurv, >> 'Vouf says softly. << Kill all active sensor suites but leave them the passive stuff, or we'll have a mutiny on our hands. >> He grins at Munro through the Wall, then takes a moment to adjust his gloves and helmet.

All over the Elissa, the lights dim. The change in illumination is barely noticeable, but the signal it sends to the crew is one that dates back ten thousand years, to the earliest days of the Vilani Empire: all hands prepare for Jump.

_Attention all hands,_ PATER's voice sounds on the All-Call. _Beginning Jump sequence. All hands to Jump stations._

Switching channels, Munro calls, << Bridge, we're *finally* ready. >>

Another voice rings out over the All-Call. << All hands, this is the Captain. We are about to engage the Jump drive. Our Grid's got a few nicks in it, so this may be a bumpy ride. Dr. Yorblin is issuing antiJumpsick medication to all hands who need it. Signal him if you want a dose; people on his short list for prior problems don't get a choice. Security! Secure all captured weapons and remain at your posts. Science! All sensors hot and rolling. Bridge! It's in your hands now, Commander. Wait for our signal to initiate Jump. Crew Chief, Captain Stubbs: you're only going to have a second or two of full power to fire the weave-open before the Grid fails. Make it count. May the Great Pack guide us! Captain out. >>

Oh geez! How could I forget a thing like that! Angus quickly tabs over to the medical frequency. << Docs, this is MacLearan. I'll need some meds to avoid Jump sickness. I would really like to avoid getting sick in my suit. >>

Aolrkhea' responds quickly with a hypo, << Here you are, Angus. Anyone else here in engineering _ever_ have a problem? >> She injects MacLearan at his suit access flap and looks around.

Spotting Merkle, << Ahh, yes. You are a different prescription, let me take care of Alliara. >> Proceeding to Niigurd, Aolrkhea' states << If you please. >>

She injects Alliara with the standard doseage of MPTA. Moving on to Merkle, she increases the potentcy and injects him. Flipping out a med scanner, she checks his vitals and reports up the chain, << Medical preparation for jump is complete in Main Engineering. >>

Aolrkhea' gives herself a small shot for her aging muscles, then quietly logs all prescriptions.

<< A few nicks, >> Grey whispers.

<< Shut up, Grey, >> haut-Frieder grits.

'Vouf turns to the Wall. << Hey, ho, LET'S go, >> he half sings.

All throughout the Engineering Control area, the intricate ballet begins. In a high, reedy voice that shakes with terror, Fraa begins reeling off Grid-stress figures to the Chief and the Captain as Grey monitors hull stresses and other subsystems. haut-Frieder's face is creased in a scowl behind his faceplate as he jockeys the Jump Drive into operation, Hur'Shurvan whispers softly to the Power Plant as it ramps up, and Doejin watches the fuel flows as if tracking a fleeing minnow. Beneath the Engineers' feet, the mighty banks of zuchai crystals begin to charge, a tiny trickle of energy leaking to the Grid and allowing configurations to be tested, discarded, rerouted.

As the pre-jump chaos begins to calm down (except Chiaafra's nervous twitch), Alliara hisses to Rafe:

<< MISTER Awntremont, grab any part of my anatomy another time, and you shall be speedily rendered monomanual. Please take note... >>

Munro's and 'Vouf's hands start to move across the Grid routing board. Faster...and faster...and FASTER....

Bishop rubs his arm gingerly just as PATER's ship-wide jump warning sounds.

"Now *that*," he comments, "is what *I* call timing."

Stooping to reach for his bubble helmet, Bishop stops, and then raises again to face the doctor. Placing both hands on van der Merwe's shoulders, Bishop looks him straight in the eye.

"Christian... thank you. This means a lot to me." After a moment, he releases van der Merwe and retrieves his helmet.

Christian reaches up and mirrors Bishop's gesture. "My pleasure, Adrian. Nice to get it right for a change." His smile reflects heartfelt relief.

"We've got a lot to talk about," Bishop gestures towards the door, helmet in hand," but I guess that had better wait until we hit this Centerpoint place."

Christian follows his lead out the door. "Indeed!" is his wry comment. "No sense in trying to decipher a riddle in the midst of combat." He glances over at Adrian. "I look forward to it...." He snaps off a mock salute. "See you on the other side!"

Christian moves off toward the Bridge under a full head of steam.

<< Medical team, >> call 'Khea, << from the looks of Damage Control, I assess the liklihood of a misjump and any consequential jumpsickness as high. Let us prepare accordingly. Also, do we have any medical or biological information on the three new engineers? >>

Joachim Tabor, who has joined Jan Yorblin in preparing Jump shots for the crew outside of engineering, fields the call. << Hullo, uhh, AowwlrChhhheeya. This is Tabor in SickBay. Jan and I are on it for the rest of the ship; understand you have appropriate materials on hand for your people. Hang on a sec....ah, this is handy, those files beamed over from the Hamilcar have an Imperial-readable format...AH! According to these records, of the three Engineers present, none as ever shown anything more than mild and transitory symptoms. There are no medical-attention flags at all. Jawetz Class 1 or 2. Tabor out. >>

<< Thank you. And Joachim, Crew Chief Aiwiheikahaih typically takes 2 cc Scopolamine, but I recommend 3 cc today. >>

<< I shall administer it myself, Doctor. Good luck! >>

<< Go with honor! >>

Quickly reviewing the records for the rest of the crew, Jan chimes in, << And 'Khea, make sure you dose Mr Merkle with .75cc of MTPA. That's one and one-half times the regular human dose. He's a Jawetz 7, records show he does okay with that dosing, but he's your biggest worry back there. >>

<< .75cc MTPA, yes I recall his case. However, my biggest worry would be to remind the Captain of that misrepresentation in his medical file by Tukera Lines. >>

<< 'Khea, if you do not remind him, it would not be a worry, and frankly, I think it would be the more honorable thing not to bring it up. Let the pup suffer, if he has a bad reaction, it could be image enhancing. >>

<< I do agree now is not the time, and I would not dare to propagate the slight against the Captain. Do I detect a story behind your prediction? We really must get together during a dull moment! Aolrkhea' out. >>

"Jan, you see if Sokuku and Kor want shots; I'm assuming Goughzar's premedicated himself as he usually does. I'm heading for the Bridge to give the Chief her dose. If you hear me scream and go flatline, send Dulinor to pick up the remains and tell Alliara my last words were of her." Tabor grins as he scoops up a hypo from the prep table and heads out the door.

"Hah, no doubt expressing missed opportunities. Stay up there for the jump and keep an eye on the bridge crew."

"No doubt. I'll stay there. Luck, Jan." The door closes behind him.

A moment later, the Bridge iris valve slides open and Dr. Tabor steps onto the Bridge. He walks over to Aiwi and says, "Your preJump prophylaxis, Madam....if I may?" As he speaks, he opens and carefully fits a sterile needle to his injector.

Aiwi inwardly winces, though no outward expression of her reaction can be seen. "Yes, doctor." she begins, "You may. Do make it quick, though." She signs, and looking at the damage control window one more time, she adds, "How do you humans say? And make it double?"

Tabor's eyebrow raises at what may be the first deliberate attempt at humor Aiwi has made to a human. "*A* double..." he says with a small smile, administering the injection.

Aiwi manages to ignore the hated injection by concentrating on her duty, and the exchange between Captain Stubbs and her Lord.

"...used to refer to an intoxicant of doubled strength...this will pinch... and, done. Thank you." He scans the tall Aslan women's vitals, nods, and turns to Captain Stubbs inquiringly. Stubbs, still talking with Akhouw, waves him away calmly.

Aiwi nods at Doctor Tabor, her attention obviously elsewhere.

Tabor nods and steps back to an empty station to watch proceedings....

Jan snags a half dozen preloads of Nospin in addition to his field bag and heads out the door.

<< PATER, tell me, where are Sokuku and Kor, please. >>

_Of course, doctor Yorblin._ the unflappable reply issues from the speakers. _Mister Kor is currently assisting mister Edmondsen in the armoury. Mister Sokuku..._

"Is right here!" finishes Dave Sokuku as he bops through the door into sickbay. "Man, that mess compartment is now *truly* a mess!! I've been trying to get back in some semblance of order for use as a conference room, but I'm about ready to give up."

He stops in front of Yorblin, peels back a thigh patch to reveal one of the vacc-suits semi-perm membranes, grits his teeth and mutters, "Give 'er your best shot, doc."

<< Kor, this is Yorblin. Given the predicted rough ride will you be wanting a shot for your troubles? >>

As the tension mounts on the bridge, the aft hatch hisses open and Doctor van der Merwe steps through. Quietly, so as not to interrupt the focused tasks of those already present, he briefly surveys the situation, that takes a seat at one of the vacant rear engineering stations.

Just over a minute later, the hatch opens again. Bishop enters briskly, nods silently at VDM, and then moves the the bridge computer computer station, behind and above the command chair. A brief once- over of the console displays what some would suspect Bishop already knows. Turning to the center of the compartment, he addresses Akhouw.

"Nominal function on all ships core autonomous systems, Admiral." he advises. "However, we have enough spinal damage that I don't believe PATER can do much more than advise in an engineering emergency. I'm afraid it's all up to the Captain, and Chief Munro and her team."

Alliara scowls as the lights dim... Ah, romantic, no. Another romantic sequence, bloody hell. And after every romantic sequence one gets the usual nausea - how normal. Bloody life, bloody space, bloody jumps - what was the bloody hell bloody wrong with bloody....

The Jump sequence begins, with Aiwi and Stubbs hunched over the holo console, whispering to each other urgently. From the command chair, Akhouw watches the status boards carefully...as officer at the conn, it is his responsibility to coordinate the Jump between the navigators and engineers. Some say this is a formality, but in high-stress Jumps it can be vital. Timing is everything.

<< Charge ramping to twenty percent, >> haut-Frieder calls. << All nominal. >>

<< Power Plants operating smoothly, >> whispers Hur'Shurvan.

<< Take her to fifty percent, then proceed ahead, >> 'Vouf mutters, fingers flying across the Wall.

"They're past twenty percent charge already," Stubbs notes, hands flying.

"And thirty-five...and forty...and forty-five...and fifty...and fif--" Stubbs breaks off as a section of the Grid goes dark, one of the hasty repairs giving way. Almost before he can draw breath, power flow is routed around the dark patch, surrounding it and washing it out. Another breach appears and is similarly dealt with, almost without effort, or so it seems. "Damn fine," Stubbs mutters.

Munro's hands mimic 'Vouf's, the tempo ever increasing. 20+ years experience at fiddling with power plants and jump grids consolidates into the knowledge required for desperate times. At her touch, energy moves here, there and back again. The resulting visual representation of the charge on the grid around a damaged area looks like a volcano. Some volcanoes are small; some are large. The volcanoes' craters are the gaps in the grid. Care is taken to ensure that all sections are given only as much energy as they can handle and no more.

Unfortunately, sometimes they're pushed past their limits.

<< Reeyeek! We kots Clas'T'ree leffel fault in Chump Grid, node 32341A1! >> Chiifraa grips the arms of his chair as Munro chases the fault and reroutes it. << 'Nomaly troppin' troppin' an'....STAPLE. Hooi! Koot one, Chiif! >>

<< IgotanotherIgotanother!! >> Grey breaks in, voice shrill. << 22149J6! >>

<< I'm on it, >> 'Vouf almost sings, drawing an elegant arc across the Wall and smoothly reassigning power flow around the break in a nicely modulated distribution. << Go, Aaron, GO! Don't stop now! >>

Aiwi notices the failure of the jump grid repair, and the quickness with which it's dealt with. "Indeed," Aiwi says - slightly sarcastic. She resists the urge to add a further remark, concentrating on the task at hand.

Observing the flow of technical gibberish, Akhouw still notices the seriousness of the problem, even if he does not grasp the female details. A whisker twitches, only once.

"Sixty...sixty-five...." Suddenly the Elissa shudders in place, heeling over slightly, and several telltales on the Damage Control Board turn red for a moment. For a heartstopping second, the Bridge crew actually hears one of the Power Plants choke and seize, then smooth out again. Stubbs winces as the power curve projection arcs away from the real data on a rapidly diverging curve, and hits the comm.

Rafe continues to breathe in the 8-10-8 pattern prescribed for the Third Passive Meditation, doing his best to shut the chaotic scene around him out of his awareness as he prepares for death.

Aolrkhea' stands nearby, arms stoically folded, only her darting eyes and tail giving away the effects of the mild stimulant.

<< Passing through sixty percent, >> haut-Frieder calls. << All nomi-- >>

<< *SQUEEE!!* RUPTURE IN BELLY TANK AFT SIX!! >> Doejin's waldoes chase the leak, following selfseals with manual shutdowns. << All hands, brace for fuel-line ullage-- >>

The Elissa shudders, and the Engineers actually HEAR the portside Tokamak cough momentarily as it loses fuel for a split second. Hur'Shurvan rides out the sudden glitch and stabilizes the plant on the other side. << Vrrrfk, >> he whispers.

<< Captain, this is the Bridge! We felt-- >>

There is no fear in Bhyarrvouf's voice...only anger and grim determination. He whirls away from the Wall to the main holo. << Doejin, how much fuel'd we lose? >>

<< 22.6 megaliters, *click! squee!* >> the dolphin cries out, still activating seals and rerouting conduits by hand.

<< Do we have enough for Jump? >>

<< PERHAPS! >>

<< Aaron! What's the story? >>

<< Eighty-five percent and still ramping! Just a few more seconds.... >>

<< We're going dry! >> One after another, fuel telltales turn red.

<< The routing system's got nothing to work with! We're hosed! >>

<< SHUT UP, GREY! >>

<< Aaron! >> Munro's voice cuts across the comm, << Constrict the injector nozzles 15% and increase the pulse rate 10% to compensate! >> Come on Elissa, hang in there!

<< Wh--YES! >> Aaron hesitates only a moment, then flies into action. The move is a desperate one, one that will only buy a few seconds of steady fuel flow from the draining tanks...but it may be enough.

<< YASIKIERRVOUF! >> 'Vouf's voice is vibrant with admiration. << That's got it...we just need-- >> He breaks off as the Elissa shudders again, and a whole line of the hasty lanthanum sutures threatens to tear open.

Aiwi's eyes widen at the changing data, realizing that the grid sequence will have to be recalculated if the jump is to be completed successfully.

Blaine is closest to Damage Control, and the story there is Not pretty. `This is Not going well' he thinks, and looking at Stubbs makes him more nervous. But then he looks at Akhouw...

An island of sharp serenity amidst chaos, Akhouw speaks with his eyes, which flare in alarm for a long moment. The mood quickly passes, as Akhouw leans back and coolly reigns as lord of the bridge. His eyes remain active, darting between engineering and navigation status monitors.

Zben's grin is nervous, shaky, and strained, but there. Speaking quietly, to himself, for himself, "We're gonna make it..." and he returns his attention to keeping all the communications channels clear, moving the Bridge-Engineering links to highest priority.

Stubbs switches off the comn savagely. "FRAG it," he snarls. "Aiwi! PATER! Back me up...I'm redoing the calcs on the fly!" He desperately slashes across a series of multidimensional integrals, redrawing new solutions by hand, mapping out a new Grid sequence. The firing solution begins to creep after the existing parameters, then picks up speed as it races across the holotank to rejoin the Engineering data.

Aiwi, already starting work on the alternative solution nods. "Yes, Captain Stubbs." Her hands flash across the console, providing calculations and other data as Stubbs requires it.

Tabor chooses a place where he can watch the Bridge crew unobtrusively, especially Aiwi, and stands ready to assist anyone who needs it. His florid face is beaded with moisture, but he has managed to silence his normal grumblings for once.

It is as if an aura of dryness surrounds Akhouw. Neither forced nor a facade, his even determination flows outward to the bridge crew as an unshakeable anchor and reminder to duty.

"When we hit it we'll only have a few moments," Stubbs whispers, sweat pouring down his face as he jockeys the computers toward their goal.

Aiwi nods. Realizing that a slightly early warning is better than no warning at all she says, "Pater, sound the jump all-call."

PATER wastes no time on an acknowledgement. Its voice is modulated to demand instant attention. _ALL HANDS PREPARE FOR JUMP!_

Confused voices spill from the Engineering speaker, almost too faint to hear....

Alliara swallows as the floor tilts, the walls warp and sway - jump sequence, remember, bloody jump, not open space and suit....

<< fractures in 11567B6 through 33457B8-- >>

<< Tokamaks show less than ten seconds' fuel-- >>

<< Chiif! Chiif! Grid show STAPLE! She HOLDINK!! >>

<< Do it *NOW*, Captain! Bloody 'ell *NOW*!! >>

<*HOLD!!* >> 'Vouf rises up on tiptoes, hand on the actuator. << Aaaaand-- >>

<< We've got maybe FIVE SECONDS-- >>

The warping of the walls is more and more pronounced and the well-known gob rises in Alliara's throat, YES! WOULDN'T IT BE LOVELY TO SPEW ON THAT UPTIGHT YOWLANDA. Hold it in! Fight. The sodding males should never see the morning sickness.

'Vouf screams into his commbug. << NOW, Akhouw! *NOW!!* >>

Stubbs reaches for the actuator controls and looks up at Akhouw....

... To find Aiwi's hands already poised over the controls, her eyes intent on her Lord's face.

Akhouw turns from the holo to face Stubbs and his Lady, Aiwi, the very picture of command. An agonizing fraction of time later, he speaks.

"Fire!"

Aiwi engages the jump drive, even as she answers, "Yes, my Lord!"

Munro slams a button on the Wall with her fist, with 'Vouf's palm coming down on another button an instant later. In a smooth, precise flash of purple light, the Jump capacitors feed a huge surge of energy to the faulty Grid. For a second, it teeters on the edge of collapse.

Alliara sways and grabs onto a console as Elissa shimmers and...

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