Another Hand... Or Maybe Talon

Posted on Sun Dec 10th, 2023 @ 11:16pm by Ensign Carter Page & Ensign Erahlik Ezazzan

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Mission 5: The Price of Paradise
Location: USS Midway; Port Nacelle
Timeline: M5 MD02 (2268.07.25) 0900
Tags: 2268, Character Development

[ON]

The battle with the Defiant in the parallel universe had left the Midway in pretty bad shape. The two ships were evenly matched reeking havoc on every system aboard. By now the Midway had been in dock for one solar day and most of the critical repairs were nearing completion. Ensign Carter Page one of now more seasoned damage control officers was climbing through the port nacelle which had just been taken offline. Several sections of warp coil needed to be replaced and it was his job to do so.

Climbing through the ship was no easy feat, with this section only accessable via Jefferies tube. Carter climbed through tube after tube with a backpack of tools. Transporter room 1 was kind enough to transport the warp coils to the nacelle so fortunately he didn't need to haul those heavy things with him. Carter was tall but thin, which made him perfect for this sort of work which required squeezing in tight spaces. Fortunately he wasn't claustrophobic. He reached the nacelle and sat down. There was a bench and a water fountain up here. Not much, but he would take it.

A form akin to a shadow suddenly emerged from the Jefferies Tube that Ensign Carter had arrived from minutes before. The shadow seemed formless at first, but in reality was working with its natural flow and the artificial gravity. There was a loud hiss, grunt, and what sounded like something scraping against metal. A loud THUNK later and Ensign Ezazzan had successfully landed from his leap. He had not anticipated anyone else here and had been assigned to help his peer in Damage Control. He felt very pleased with how fas-

...and then he noticed him, sitting down. A fear shot through the Gorn that he possibly ruined another encounter. He cleared his throat, which awfully sounded like a series of grunts, and acted as if to wipe his uniform down with his claws - accidently ripping a section of his shirt off in the process, however small it was. He cursed inwardly.

"My apologies," he stated, professionally, though his voice did not relay proper human emotion. It was more primal, hoarse, reptilian, but it did have a youthfulness to it. "I had thought no one else up here and allowed myself some liberties. I was mistaken. I did not intend to cause any alarm."

A moment of silence, then, "Are you Ensign Carter, by chance?"

Carter was a tad shocked for a moment but then recognized the uniform and the Gorn. He had yet to cross paths with their newest member of the team but he had heard through the grapevine that his work was impeccable. "Yes," he responded, "Pleasure to finally meet you in person." He tried to give a reassuring smile. "I'm usually stuck doing this sort of work myself," he added.

The Gorn tried to smile, this time an earnest effort. His lips didn't exactly function like human lips, but nevertheless his snout erupted in a makeshift haphazard attempt that did somehow convey it. It was a rather disturbing display, but one done under genuine sincerity. As swift as it appeared, however, it was gone.

"I am pleased to meet my peer, then," Ensign Ezazzan said. The Gorn crossed the small gap in an unsettling few steps, reaching out a claw as he lowered himself on his digitigrade legs to make the effort less so for his acquaintance before him. His claw extended, palm open, friendliness in the face of the Gorn presented freely.

"I am Ensign Erahlik Ezazzan and this ship is my Clan, as are you," he said in way of greeting.

Carter graciously took the hand, "Thank you," he responded, "I have to say I've never met a Gorn before." The young human was rather tall, standing at 6' 3" but Erahlik was still taller than he was and definitely much bigger overall. "I haven't started yet, just managed to get up here, it's a long climb," he commented.

The handshake completed, and gently completed, the Gorn lowered his palm and surveyed the scene. He recalled his memories of the battle in the Mirror Universe. He had only just recently been made aware of that fact instead of hearsay through the grapevine. He slowly nodded his head, then one eye focused down on his fellow compatriot.

"Was a long climb, yes," confirmed Erahlik. "Felt similar to climbing mountains on Skoleos. Loved that as a hatchling. Father always chided me for my speed. I see his wisdom now. Had you not been a sturdier man, I surely would of frightened you. I have already to many."

The words did not come across as vindictive. Instead, they were sad. Regretful. As if the Gorn regretted his natural state as an apex predator. He looked away from Carter, surveying again.

"It was a brutal battle, wasn't it?" he asked, his voice hushed a tad in remembrance.

"Incredibly," Carter responded in agreement, "I spent more of the battle putting out plasma fires in the stardrive section after the Defiant hit the main energizers... Hell of a shame on losing her, but better than letting the Terrans keep her."

"Shame," agreed the Gorn. He nodded his head, however the agreement ended there. He didn't care about the other ship. Only this one. He instead remembered the burning bodies, the screaming, the endless blood. "Very much a shame," he repeated, somewhat a seething tone, but catching himself at the last syllable.

A moment to collect himself, then, "Where do you want to start? I can begin checking power relays here. Fix them with my spanner."

For emphasis he held up his coil spanner from his toolbag on his belt.

"Sure, I can head down to the far end and work my way back," Carter responded, "I think I have a better shot at squeezing through... They really didn't make that catwalk all that big." He stood back up from the bench.

The Gorn instinctively helped Carter up. After a moment, Erahlik turned and began to head toward the power relays that were visibly burned and slightly damaged. His eyes keenly saw one that was smoking, though it was gentle wafts of it. He opened it, activated his spanner, and got to work. The repairs would be artificial this time around, until an actual team could come through and do an entire refit. Erahlik would eventually have time to help the Engineering Department on its rounds to replace parts and components with replicated replacements, but this assignment was strictly for getting things back in working order - safely.

Some time passed as the Gorn focused on his work. However his thoughts chewed on him. Something about what Carter had said. Finally, he caved, if only to grant some interim interaction as the two worked.

"Why should we care about the other ship?" the Gorn asked, voice loud enough to transfer the distances.

"Well, she was a sister ship to the Midway... When she went through to the other universe the entire crew of 400 was lost," Carter explained. He tried to think of what else to say, "Dr. Amato's brother who was also Captain Faust's best friend was also on the ship." He figured attitudes on life and death were different in the Gorn culture but he wasn't sure. He for one knew how much Dr. Amato was hurting.

Erahlik flinched and cursed softly as he mistook a wiring for something else, causing a spark. It singed his index claw, though little else was hurt. He carefully continued his work as he thought on the response from his fellow compatriot. Ensign Page presented a conundrum for the Gorn. One that was, however slowly, intercepted and accosted to its proper conclusion in his mind.

"You risked this ship to save members of the Clan who belong here, then?" the Gorn asked. "it is an honorable thing to risk ones life for the Clan, then. I can understand now. Before, I could not."

"Understood," Carter responded as he he continued working, the burned out coils were intermingled with the operational ones which made it difficult to work. Of course it didn't help that he was sticking his hand through areas which while online would have completely incinerated him. He hoped no one in engineering hit the wrong switch. Of course he wouldn't know it if if happened.

"That was part of it, the other part was making sure an enemy didn't have one of our ships," Carter elaborated, "We either had to get it back or destroy it."

 

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