The work must go on

Posted on 26 Sep 2023 @ 3:52pm by Lieutenant Callisi Veera & Ensign Kat Walker
Edited on on 30 Sep 2023 @ 4:49pm

1,079 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Miranda
Location: Fighterbay

It was a thankless job, one that Callisi did not want. Petrova knew this. But Petrova also knew that Callisi had the best knowledge and understanding of the AI's technology, and a vested interest in ensuring that everything was done as carefully as possible. And so, after she was certain - as certain as she could be - that the AI was 'clean' of the influence of that artefact on the moon base, Petrova had given Callisi the order to reactivate the AI's disabled systems again. Engines, shields, and most important, weapons.

Callisi arrived in the fighterbay, already feeling a sense of dread about this. Reactivating the systems of this ... thing... was a mistake, but so ordered, so done. She continued through the bay, nodding to those that caught her eye. Eyes.

Eye.

With her she had a case of spare parts. Fuses and switches mostly, and while she could have gone and replicated them easily enough, having them on hand would make the task go faster. Once done, she could get back to tasks that mattered. Mattered to her. Out of this bay. Out of this room. What on the home moons was that buzzing? Well less of a buzz and more, the sensation of a buzz. She arrived at the frame, chalking up her mild discomfort to interference from the ship's core and her prosthetics. She winced gently, but it looked like a sneer considering her missing eye was non-emotive.

"Let's get this over with." she muttered, moving to open up the cockpit to gain access to the burned out relays. A momentary flash of heat as she opened the cockpit frame. The last time she was here... everything was on fire.

As the Lieutenant approached, the AI awoke. The soft hum of her cooling system engaging. The core itself lighting up, pulsing with thoughts. handshakes going out to all systems. Some returning green. Some returning red. The failures were - ... uncomfortable, to the programmed thoughts. Instincts. Were they instincts?

"Hello, Lieutenant Veera," she spoke, her voice as soft and measured as always. No need for a holographic avatar. At least, not yet. As the daughter of Ts'usu climbed onto the airframe, the cockpit canopy hinged open to allow her access.

"Hello." a simple, direct answer. Her voice was harsh, but not out of disdain for her existence. No, something was off about the Lieutenant. She was a little warm, but her people had a higher native body temperature than Federation mean. Raspy. Curt. Something was off.

"Here to re-engage the damaged systems." A pause, another small wince. Probably from the core. Certainly from the core. She didn't have an eye there to have it hurt behind... and yet.

"The engagement sequence will be Engine power, Shield and defensive systems, everything else, and finally weaponry." she declared, stating the mission briefing before commencing the operation.

"Understood, Lieutenant. You have, of course, my full cooperation. All appropriate hardware interfaces are powered down, you have full and safe access," Kat replied. She knew about the officer's discomfort around her, dealing with her. And she understood why. So, her communication was calm and to the point. Only the facts. Except for -

"... Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

Callisi was already halfway to the breaker junction for the engine and propulsion systems when the question came through. She took a breath as she reached to remove the breaker assembly, and had to give it a little extra to get it loose. Damaged in the fire, she told herself. Components flash welded.

"I'm fine." she countered, curt and direct. Her voice still raspy and hoarse. It wasn't but a few moments later that she had a minor coughing fit. Five coughs, in series, each sounding worse than the last. That's when she paused and sat back, closing her eye. The one that had the decency to be able to close. She started to move again, driven by the need to get this task done. Done and behind her. "I'm.... I'm fine." she said, this time more to reassure herself as she began her task anew.

"No Lieutenant, you're not," came Kat's reply, with a tonal shift that her programming told her signified 'concerned'. It was these kinds of things that she still had a lot of trouble with, the subtle changes in someone's tone that signified certain meaning or mood. At least doing it was easier than recognizing it. "My primary method of recognizing crew is by their infrared heat maps and voice patterns. I can tell the difference. You are running a fever and your voice is affected." by now she materialized her holographic avatar. She calculated a non trivial risk of Callisi slipping and falling down, and wanted to be ready.

Callisi looked at the avatar form... anyone else might have fought back. Denied. Bargained. Callisi just took a heavy breath. "No time for.. for that. Being under the.. the weather doesn't stop.. the weather." An old adage probably, a mantra of the power of a job done, a duty fulfilled.

After a minute it was clear, Callisi was depending more and more on the unfailing processing of her prosthetic than her living eye as far as seeing the task ahead. Perform it she would, but the teens were starting to get muddy.

"Is it advisable to go adjusting and connecting high powered hardware, including near nuclear level weapons, in your state Lieutenant?" Kat asked, her voice still calm, though with a slight sense of urgency to it. Her avatar looked up at the Lieutenant balanced atop her airframe. "Your dedication to your job is admirable, but safety is paramount."

Callisi took another heavy breath, reaching for the panel one last time before she collapsed forward, landing with a thump on the outer plating. Nothing was damaged, except maybe her pride, if she was even aware of...

"I... I have to fix the ship... counting on me..." she muttered, a weak attempt at the panel still on her mind. Her chances of opening the access panel to the breakers was about equal to her chances of spontaneously developing psychokinesis. But she still tried.

Kat frowned, seeing Callisi collapse, but at least the Lieutenant was stable, and not in danger of slipping off. Still, Kat wasn't quite sure what to do. This wasn't what she was trained for. Instead she just opened a channel to sickbay. "This is ensign Kat Walker, Lieutenant Veera collapsed and is unresponsive. She seems delirious. Please advise."

 

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