One Small Step...

Posted on Sat Mar 30th, 2024 @ 3:47am by Lieutenant JG Astrja Kyan & Ensign Liam O'Connor & Ensign George Paxton & Petty Officer 2nd Class Henry Washington

Mission: The Trojan Horse
Location: USS Athena, Exterior
Timeline: Right after "Houston, We Have a Problem"
2313 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Just one foot in front of the other, that's it, left, right, left, right. It's going to be okay, just remember your training, stare at the hull and not the deep depths of space... the big empty void that is space. Oh dear, I don't think I can do this. What happens when you're sick in your helmet? Will they beam me back inside or will they leave me drowning in my own mess? Charlie is young she can still remarry and live a happy life. I bet Fenn will be the first one in line. Damn, I can't do that to her.... can I? "Is it too late to turn back?" Henry asked, doing his best to keep the desperation out of his voice.

"Oh come on," said Astrja from the lead of the team that is strung together with a safety line, just in case, "this is a simple task. We can stargaze later." She waved everyone forward. "We only have another ten meters of so to go and then we can start the repairs. Think of how this will look on your monthly report," she said happily. "We do not get to do spacewalks very often. This is great."

Liam trailed behind the group, listening intently to their conversation. As the one responsible for carrying the Grav unit tethered to him, he marvelled at the convenience it provided, allowing them to focus solely on their task without the burden of equipment.

"You'd think with all our technological advancements, they would have devised a more efficient method for conducting spacewalks," he remarked, his tone thoughtful. "Or better yet, why not just beam us directly to our destination?"

He paused, cocking his head as a playful grin crossed his lips. "Then again, there's something exhilarating about being on the outer hull of the ship. The thrill of knowing that at any moment, space debris, a stray micro comet, or even a flock of celestial avians could come out of nowhere and knock us off course." He chuckled softly, knowing full well the absurdity of his statement.

"Celestial avians would be a thing to see," agreed Astrja. "But we still have the navigational deflectors running well above our heads so the other things are not likely to be a threat."

"And we would still have to get suited up even if we were transported to the area," added Astraja, "might as well get the practice in case we are ever in a situation where using the transporters would not be viable."

"Talking about all the ways we can die out here is not helping," Henry grumbled over the open com line. "Seriously, how much further?"

"Ten meters for me, about twenty for you," replied Astrja cheerful. "Focus on the job, not the environment. That is what my Academy teacher always said."

"I am going to open the main linkage and check that, Paxton, you are with me," she said. "O'Connor and Washington, you check the secondary linkage and be alert to any signs of damage or stress to the array."

"Sounds good," George said, somewhat softly. Though he enjoyed the feeling of being outside of the confines of the ship, the spacesuit itself felt somewhat confining. However, the last thing he wanted was for his claustrophobia to seep in while they were on a space walk so he kept his eyes out towards space and did his best to think of anything else.

Astrja waved Paxton over and proceeded to open the main conduit run. The neothanium-wrapped cables looked intact at first glance. "I am going to scan for venting," she said. "You run a check for power flares and leakages," she said, manipulating the EVA-rated tricorder with gloved hands. "This is so much easier inside," she said with a laugh.

With a determined breath, Liam turned his attention to the secondary linkage, his gloved hands deftly navigating the controls as he initiated the diagnostic scans. His eyes scanned the array, searching for any signs of damage or stress, his senses on high alert for any anomalies. As the others began their work, Liam's gaze flickered to the vast expanse of space beyond his visor. Despite the inherent risks of their current job, there was a certain exhilaration in being out here, working together to keep the ship running smoothly.

"Everything seems clear on my end," Liam reported over the com line, his voice calm and steady. "No signs of damage or leaks so far." He glanced at George, offering a reassuring nod. "How's it lookin' on your side, George?"

"Check for feedback on the subspace harmonics," said Astraja. "I am getting some strange readings here. Maybe a build-up of sigma band radiation is preventing the linkage from functioning properly?"

Focus on the task. Focus on the task. Henry repeated over and over again to himself like a mantra. "Scanning now," he said, doing his best to keep his voice even. "I'm detecting a variable of minus point two-four, is that what you're reading too?"

"Minus point two five one, here," said Astrja. "So, where is the feedback starting? Here or there? Run a system reset and stabilization and I will do the same. Let us see if that cleans this up any." She put action to words.

"This section looks okay, no flares or leakages," George said, thankful for the task to keep his mind busy and the gorgeous view for when he had lapses in scans. "I'll check again after the reset kicks in, but I'm going to guess the problem is in Henry's section. Why is there a build-up of sigma radiation in that segment?" He wondered out loud.

"Damaged conduits maybe?" said Astraja. "Maybe a gap in the physical shielding? But it should not be there. I hope the reset will flush it, if not we may have to take some things apart."

"Could be," Liam pondered aloud, his gaze drifting toward an access panel nearby. "Maybe it's just a matter of that panel over yonder. Might be misaligned, causing the variance to shift as the signal travels along the line." He gestured subtly toward the indicated panel, a glimmer of optimism in his voice.

"Well, crack it open, O'Conner, and take a look" said Astraja cheerfully. "Sooner we are done here, the sooner we can be having a nice meal inside."

She looked over the scans. "Well, something we did chased the sigma buildup away on my end. Washington, how do things look there?"

"Don't talk about food," Henry groaned as his stomach lurched. Maybe the ship had changed direction by a couple of degrees or maybe he had imagined the sensation but a strong feeling of nausea overcame him. "Erm it's fine, I think... I mean, maybe!" He struggled to concentrate on his work, never mind making sense to the others. He could hear, and feel, the environmental systems in his suit working harder to compensate for his heavier breathing.

"O'Conner, check on Washington, his vitals are spiking," said Astraja. She activated her com line to the ship, "Medical, please be on stand by for a possible emergence beam in."

"Hey Henry," Liam's voice crackled over the com line, gentle and reassuring as he made his way to him. "I heard you're not feeling your best out here. Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."

He waited for a moment, the silence of space enveloping him. Liam took a deep breath, his words carrying through the emptiness around him. "I understand, mate. Spacewalks can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you're not feeling one hundred percent. But you're not alone out here. We're all in this together, and I'm right here with you. Just take it easy, breathe deeply, and if you need anything, just give me a shout. We'll get through this, alright?" Liam's words carried a soothing cadence, hoping to alleviate some of Henry's discomfort and instill a sense of calm amidst the vastness of space which Liam wasn’t going to remind Henry was only separated by their functional magnetic seals.

Astraja kept half an antenna paying attention to the conversation between O'Conner and Washington while she plugged a direct link into the main dish feed.

"I'll be okay," Henry said as he hunched over, his palms resting on his thighs, head tilted down. More than anything, he wished he could sit down, but trying to maintain a magnetic lock whilst sitting on the vast ship's hull wasn't a manoeuvre he was willing to attempt. He also didn't have the energy to try and figure out the locking cable connected to his suit. "Let's just get this done."

Astraja nodded to herself, Washington seemed to be getting it together, she made a note for him to speak with a Counselor after this was over. Never too soon to see to people's well-being. She then focused on the reading, the primary interface unit for the main deflector had gone offline but there was no immediate explanation as to why. They had not been able to do anything from inside the ship which was why the team was out here. The Sigma radiation should not have caused it, and had been purged anyway, and that did not restart things. So time for the standard Operations choice, leading back before the founding of the Federation according to Operations lore. "Alright people, we are going to try turning it off and then on again. Three, two, one . . ." She powered down the primary interface unit and, for good measure, the secondary and tertiary ones as well, she waited, watching the seconds tick by after twenty-one seconds, she moved to restore power. "Bringing everything back online: Tertiary interface, up, green." That was good, they could run the main deflectory off that if they had too. "Secondary interface, up, amber, no, green!" Even better news. "Primary still reinitializing . . . and up. Amber. Running a secondary diagnostic."

Liam steadied himself, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he left Washington, who seemed to be getting back on track, and made his way over to the exposed access panel he'd left beforehand. With practiced ease, he pulled out his tricorder, flipping it open to check the readings.

His brow furrowed as the display showed a fluctuation in power, initially displaying an amber status before flickering to green which allowed a wash of relief to flow over him. But then, to Liam's alarm, the readings continued to rise steadily, indicating a dangerous buildup of energy.

"uh, Astraja!" he called out urgently, his voice echoing slightly in his helmet. "The secondary relays for the primary routing system are overloading! And it looks like it's getting worse, attempting to discharge the excess energy through the back-up systems and reroute!"

Before he could react further, a sudden explosion rocked the area, sending sparks flying in all directions. The localized electromagnetic discharge jolted Liam, causing his magnetic boots to disconnect from the hull and sending him hurtling off into the void of space.

For a heart-stopping moment, Liam felt weightless as he tumbled through the emptiness, but then he felt a sudden jolt as the line connecting him to the engineering sled became taut, stopping his motion abruptly. Gasping for breath, he clung to the line, grateful for the lifeline that kept him from drifting off into the abyss.

"Get O'Conner pulled back!" shouted Astrja, unnecessarily as they were all on the same com channel. "O'Conner, are you hurt?"

She turned back to her tricorder and scanned the exposed area and damaged coils. "Oh, the sigma radiation was from a damaged power sink. Restarting the system caused a sudden build-up and led to the overload. We need a Sor-7 power sink, three meters of number six cable, some new insulation . . ."

George immediately made his way towards O'Connor and helped him to reel in and secure his boots back to the surface of the ship with a comforting smile. "Suit check," he walked around the Ensign looking for signs of damage or holes. "All looks good out here, are you reading any malfunctions from the inside? That was quite the flight you took there."

Astrja flashed a thumbs up to Paxton and O'Conner and made her way over to start clearing away the area where the power sink had been. It has neatly incinerated itself leaving a small hole in the nest of conduits and wiring,

Liam returned the hand gesture and then looked back to George, his heart rate was still high but he was glad to be firmly on the ships hull. “Suit integrity wasn’t compromised, just a static discharge” he said, “Like I said nothing is going to happen” he let out an uneasy chuckle, “But maybe we get this wrapped up and inside the ship.” Liam double checked his feet were once again magneticly sealed and turned to Astrja, “Is the damage we need to sort now or can we just bypass?” He asked.

"Best to sort it now but it is all plug-and-play replacements and then seating in new insulation," said Astrja kneeling by the open panel. "You can take Paxton back in, Washington and I can finish up here, should not take nore than fifteen minutes, twenty at the outside."

She waved Henry over. "Grab me a Laserson probe and some number six and number eight cables, please, Washington."

Henry gave O'Connor a side glance. He had nearly drifted off into the void of space, floating until his suit ran out of air, never to be found again, but somehow Henry still felt he had drawn the shorter straw. "Yes, Lieutenant," he replied as he grabbed the equipment and approached her. This was going to be a long fifteen minutes.

Astrja happily hummed a Bajorian pop tune as she set to work. "Cheer up, Washington," she said, "this will look great on your performance review."