4 hours ago
The extinguisher in Leo’s grip sputtered, coughed, and then gave one final hiss before dying with a hollow clunk. The worst of the orange fire ahead had receded, smothered under the suppressant foam, but the danger hadn’t passed. Some of the flames were still trying to regain their foothold, licking hungrily at debris, while the green plasma fire crackled furiously, fierce and luminous, spilling poisonous light through the churning smoke.
Leo turned slightly, the heat prickling his neck through his uniform. He saw Beinn emerging from a crawlspace nearby, looking more like a soldier than a doctor. The San-Tarah’s fur was singed and his breathing mask clung tight over his elongated muzzle. Leo watched as Beinn raised a hand, a paw. It's not important he reminded himself, but nonetheless, the soldier raised a tricorder and began scanning through the smoke with his tricorder while another hand started unfastening something from his belt.
“Midshipman. Grab the extinguisher on my belt and use that one instead.”
Leo nodded sharply. Leo turned and took a couple of steps to take it, but his foot caught something. A metal cylinder, partly obscured by the haze. The second extinguisher, the one that had been close to where Cassidy had been standing. It fell over as his foot connected with it, rolled and clanged dully against the bulkhead.
Ouch. Damn that hurt.
He ignored the sting and slung the new canister from Beinn under one arm. Just then, his commbadge chirped. Jadaris’s voice came through, precise and calm even through the chaos:
[Engineering to Alden. There should be a secondary EPS bypass on the deck. Flip the master switch and put the bypass array's isolinear chip into the emergency bypass slot to shut off that EPS conduit…]
Leo looked around. There, maybe ten meters behind them and protruding from the bulkhead. A small access panel, blackened at the edges and scorched by the earlier blast. Close enough to have taken damage, but far enough from the worst of the remaining fire that it was still safe to work on. He gave Beinn a glance, looked back at the flames and then back at the access panel. Leo moved quickly to it, placed the new extinguisher on the floor next to the wall. His hands moved fast, tugging open the panel. The isolinear chips inside still glowed faintly, but some of the relays were scorched and partially fused. He hesitated. Academy basics, yes, but no real field time.
He flipped the main switch. The hum changed pitch. Then he yanked the bypass chip from the emergency rack and slid it into its new place. Click. The hum stuttered for a moment, then steadied. A success? Or a failure? It wasn’t clear—and he didn’t have time to check.
He left the panel wide open, the cover leaning against the bulkhead and grabbed the extinguisher at his feet again, turning back toward the plasma fire just in time to see movement in the haze. Artemis.
She emerged through the dense, acrid smoke like something out of a dream. Blackened, burned, her uniform seared through in places, patches of blistered skin visible beneath torn fabric. Her usually-perfect bun had fallen in charred, wet strands around her face, and her expression was tight with pain and determination.
In her arms, dragging behind her, was a human man, clearly an engineer. His body was slack and brutalised, limbs limp, skin melted, uniform shredded from the blast. Leo didn’t need a tricorder to guess his condition.
He surged forward, moving to cover them. The green plasma fire danced just ahead. Leo pulled the trigger and sprayed the suppressant in wide, deliberate arcs, trying to push the flames back from where Cassidy had vanished minutes earlier.
“Chief!” he shouted, glancing over his shoulder. “Are you okay? Is he—?”
She collapsed by the wall, the body slipping from her grasp. Blood smeared the deck. Then she rasped, hoarse and broken:
“Where’s Cassidy?”
Leo’s jaw tightened. “He followed you in. Just after you went through the flames.”
He didn’t wait for her reply. Cassidy was still in there. And the plasma fire was still alive and roaring as though full of malicious intent. Leo turned back and kept spraying.
== Tag Art, Cassidy and Beinn ==
== GM Input - A, Did Leo’s attempt at engineering work, and shut down only the immediate areas (areoshuttle bay and corridor) EPS Conduits, therefore reducing the flames of the plasma fire and risk of further EPS related problems like more fires and explosions? and B, is his continued fire-fighting now completely eliminating the fire? ==
Leo turned slightly, the heat prickling his neck through his uniform. He saw Beinn emerging from a crawlspace nearby, looking more like a soldier than a doctor. The San-Tarah’s fur was singed and his breathing mask clung tight over his elongated muzzle. Leo watched as Beinn raised a hand, a paw. It's not important he reminded himself, but nonetheless, the soldier raised a tricorder and began scanning through the smoke with his tricorder while another hand started unfastening something from his belt.
“Midshipman. Grab the extinguisher on my belt and use that one instead.”
Leo nodded sharply. Leo turned and took a couple of steps to take it, but his foot caught something. A metal cylinder, partly obscured by the haze. The second extinguisher, the one that had been close to where Cassidy had been standing. It fell over as his foot connected with it, rolled and clanged dully against the bulkhead.
Ouch. Damn that hurt.
He ignored the sting and slung the new canister from Beinn under one arm. Just then, his commbadge chirped. Jadaris’s voice came through, precise and calm even through the chaos:
[Engineering to Alden. There should be a secondary EPS bypass on the deck. Flip the master switch and put the bypass array's isolinear chip into the emergency bypass slot to shut off that EPS conduit…]
Leo looked around. There, maybe ten meters behind them and protruding from the bulkhead. A small access panel, blackened at the edges and scorched by the earlier blast. Close enough to have taken damage, but far enough from the worst of the remaining fire that it was still safe to work on. He gave Beinn a glance, looked back at the flames and then back at the access panel. Leo moved quickly to it, placed the new extinguisher on the floor next to the wall. His hands moved fast, tugging open the panel. The isolinear chips inside still glowed faintly, but some of the relays were scorched and partially fused. He hesitated. Academy basics, yes, but no real field time.
He flipped the main switch. The hum changed pitch. Then he yanked the bypass chip from the emergency rack and slid it into its new place. Click. The hum stuttered for a moment, then steadied. A success? Or a failure? It wasn’t clear—and he didn’t have time to check.
He left the panel wide open, the cover leaning against the bulkhead and grabbed the extinguisher at his feet again, turning back toward the plasma fire just in time to see movement in the haze. Artemis.
She emerged through the dense, acrid smoke like something out of a dream. Blackened, burned, her uniform seared through in places, patches of blistered skin visible beneath torn fabric. Her usually-perfect bun had fallen in charred, wet strands around her face, and her expression was tight with pain and determination.
In her arms, dragging behind her, was a human man, clearly an engineer. His body was slack and brutalised, limbs limp, skin melted, uniform shredded from the blast. Leo didn’t need a tricorder to guess his condition.
He surged forward, moving to cover them. The green plasma fire danced just ahead. Leo pulled the trigger and sprayed the suppressant in wide, deliberate arcs, trying to push the flames back from where Cassidy had vanished minutes earlier.
“Chief!” he shouted, glancing over his shoulder. “Are you okay? Is he—?”
She collapsed by the wall, the body slipping from her grasp. Blood smeared the deck. Then she rasped, hoarse and broken:
“Where’s Cassidy?”
Leo’s jaw tightened. “He followed you in. Just after you went through the flames.”
He didn’t wait for her reply. Cassidy was still in there. And the plasma fire was still alive and roaring as though full of malicious intent. Leo turned back and kept spraying.
== Tag Art, Cassidy and Beinn ==
== GM Input - A, Did Leo’s attempt at engineering work, and shut down only the immediate areas (areoshuttle bay and corridor) EPS Conduits, therefore reducing the flames of the plasma fire and risk of further EPS related problems like more fires and explosions? and B, is his continued fire-fighting now completely eliminating the fire? ==