S1E9 The Bright Side of Life

[Dylan Torngate]

[Deck 01 - Bridge]

Rhymus raised a brow at the order. The last time the Challenger had allowed others on board so willingly, it had caused the death of two crewmembers. He was quick to voice his concerns.

"Captain, with all due respect is this the best course of action? The last time we did something like this a firefight broke out and two crewmen died. That was less than two hundred people aboard. This is seven thousand. Who would even be this close to the Tholian border anyway?"

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 1 - Bridge]

Rayek gave his abrupt nod of acknowledgement "Yessir!" even as Cleroux began questioning the Captain on his orders.

Rayek glanced over towards his superior with a slight knowing look.  Rayek would like to think that even if he hadn't been in Engineering to overhear the conversation between the Chief of Engineering and the Captain that the fact that environmental suits were mentioned as a must would have clued him in and that he'd have put two and two together.

"Tholians." he answered Rhymus. "Thus the need for  environmental suits." Rayek turned his look back to the Captain.  "Where will our guests be accommodated?  I'll have my men begin evacuating those areas and will personally go over any potential security risks associated with those areas."

[Bridge]

Dylan nodded to the question. "I'm aware of the risk, but it needs to be done. If we don't, thousands die. They may not be Federation citizens, but they need our help. We have a duty to them, as we do any other sentient being."

He paused, and continued. "It's also a diplomatic situation. If we refuse them now when they need us, what does that mean for the next time we need their help? Unfortunately, it's a risk we have to take. I trust you two to keep the peace- and remember, these are civilians. Allow time for their translators and for them to process."

He didn't like the situation any more than either of them. Even if it all went perfectly, there was no guarantee of anything. One mistake and the entire bay was vented into space.

"Cargo bays, and the lower or middle decks if we need to. Keep all essential bays inhabited and under heavy guard. Even if they go rogue, it'll take time to vent the atmosphere back to Human. Distribute environmentals to all critical areas. Emergency supplies too- keep the atmosphere contained. Get recyclers down there as well, make the areas self sufficent. You have your orders." he said, before nodding. "Make it happen, Gentlemen."

Engineering, Lieutenant Lek. We're gonna need somewhere to dump the excess heat, what do you have for me?

[Lek]

[Bridge]

Engineering, Lieutenant Lek. We're gonna need somewhere to dump the excess heat, what do you have for me?

[Transporter Room One]

Lek paused in his conversation with the transporter chief to tap his commbadge.

"Sir, my 'on the fly' response is to set up a double force field. The inner one holds in the demon atmosphere, where we can set up heat exchangers, then a second force field to protect the Challenger and holds our class M atmosphere. It will be power intensive, but it should work." 

[Bonnie Moors]

[Bridge]

"Doctor Moors, please display all relevant data on the viewscreen alongside the Ambassador."

Bridge

Bonnie frowned towards the viewscreen before the Tholian disappeared off the viewscreen. She thought that they should at least be told what caused it but evidently not, as they knew no more about the situation by the time the transmission ended. Bonnie made her way over tot he science console and kept herself quiet at the back of the room. She put a few pieces of data on the screen, radiation levels, and geomagnetic storm intensity levels.

She stood up before she had finished putting all of the relevant data on the screen and walked over to Rhymus, Rayek, and Dylan. "Captain, chief, petty officer. Bonnie said in greeting to the three, pausing for a moment until it was her turn to speak. "Captain an after effect of a CEM is a geomagnetic storm." She paused for a moment, showing the captain the information on the PADD she had with her. "If this happens we'll lose comms with the colonists and the navigations systems will be disrupted between us and the colonists. We need to be quick or we won't be able to get them off the planet." She paused for a moment and looked out of the view screen. "And I don't think anyone would like to go down to the planet when there's a high chance of exposure to radiation." She looked back. "I'd rather not see someone grow a third arm, captain." Bonnie finished.

[Kyle Briggs]

The crew of the Challenger was like a well oil machine. It ran effectively and quickly. Kyle had been standing by as everything happened at lightening speeds. He finally spoke up when he had a moment.

"I'm with Doctor Moors here. Are we certain of the risks to the Challenger? Do we have time to run a few simulations before we actually go in there and risk everything?" he asked.

[Olivia Briggs]

[Deck 2 - Briggs' Quarters]

Liv had returned to the quarters she shared with her husband and son after Elijah had become cranky and it was evident that at some point he was going to nap and agreed with Jeessa that the best place was for him to be home instead of the Lounge if he was going to settle properly. So she had left her friend and employee with strict instructions to call her if anything changed and she was needed and hopefully by that time Elijah would be in a better mood if not then she knew she could rely on Alex or Jeessa to watch him whilst she returned to work.

So for now she was sat on the sofa holding him gently and soothing him with a lullaby that her mum used to sing to her and hopefully it would work and her son would eventually go to sleep.

[Rayek trLhoell]

P02 Rayek
[Deck 1 ââ,¬â€œ Bridge]

[Bridge]

Dylan nodded to the question. "I'm aware of the risk, but it needs to be done. If we don't, thousands die. They may not be Federation citizens, but they need our help. We have a duty to them, as we do any other sentient being."

He paused, and continued. "It's also a diplomatic situation. If we refuse them now when they need us, what does that mean for the next time we need their help? Unfortunately, it's a risk we have to take. I trust you two to keep the peace- and remember, these are civilians. Allow time for their translators and for them to process."

He didn't like the situation any more than either of them. Even if it all went perfectly, there was no guarantee of anything. One mistake and the entire bay was vented into space.

"Cargo bays, and the lower or middle decks if we need to. Keep all essential bays inhabited and under heavy guard. Even if they go rogue, it'll take time to vent the atmosphere back to Human. Distribute environmentals to all critical areas. Emergency supplies too- keep the atmosphere contained. Get recyclers down there as well, make the areas self sufficent. You have your orders." he said, before nodding. "Make it happen, Gentlemen."

Once more Rayek acknowledged his orders with a nod and a crisp. "Yessir."  Then as the Captain contacted Lek in Engineering, Rayek looked to Cleroux  "With your permission, I shall oversee the cargo bay transformation liaising with Engineering."

Rayek figured between himself and Lek, the two of them could conceivably brainstorm all the different ways the Tholian presence could possibly be a threat to the ship and crew and design means to negate those threats from the start.

[Rhymus Cleroux]

[Bridge]

Dylan nodded to the question. "I'm aware of the risk, but it needs to be done. If we don't, thousands die. They may not be Federation citizens, but they need our help. We have a duty to them, as we do any other sentient being."

He paused, and continued. "It's also a diplomatic situation. If we refuse them now when they need us, what does that mean for the next time we need their help? Unfortunately, it's a risk we have to take. I trust you two to keep the peace- and remember, these are civilians. Allow time for their translators and for them to process."

He didn't like the situation any more than either of them. Even if it all went perfectly, there was no guarantee of anything. One mistake and the entire bay was vented into space.

"Cargo bays, and the lower or middle decks if we need to. Keep all essential bays inhabited and under heavy guard. Even if they go rogue, it'll take time to vent the atmosphere back to Human. Distribute environmentals to all critical areas. Emergency supplies too- keep the atmosphere contained. Get recyclers down there as well, make the areas self sufficent. You have your orders." he said, before nodding. "Make it happen, Gentlemen."

[Deck 01 - Bridge]

Rhymus nodded to the Captain in understanding before turning to leave the Bridge.

P02 Rayek
[Deck 1 ââ,¬â€œ Bridge]

Once more Rayek acknowledged his orders with a nod and a crisp. "Yessir."  Then as the Captain contacted Lek in Engineering, Rayek looked to Cleroux  "With your permission, I shall oversee the cargo bay transformation liaising with Engineering."

Rayek figured between himself and Lek, the two of them could conceivably brainstorm all the different ways the Tholian presence could possibly be a threat to the ship and crew and design means to negate those threats from the start.

"Unless your Starfleet Security training sufficiently covered atmospheric terraforming, I advise against it. Your duty is Security, Rayek, and that's what I need you to focus on."

He lead the man to the Turbolift, stepping inside.

"Deck Nine."

He then turned to Rayek as the doors closed.

[Turbolift]

"Gather a sufficiently sized team to protect the lower 10 decks of the ship. These include the cargo bays, lounges, some barracks, and all of our engineering facilities. I will coordinate the distribution of emergency supplies to the Tholians. After which I will rejoin you in crowd control."

The turbolift came to a halt at Deck Nine, the doors sliding open.

"Good luck, Petty Officer... You'll need it."

Rhymus gave the man a mirthless smirk before exiting the lift.

[Deck 9 - Chief Tactical Office]

The Office of the Chief Tactical Officer could be used to help coordinate efforts between the various aspects of the ship. In this case, the Security teams and the crews bringing emergency supplies to the lower decks. These decks, slowly being filled with rations, medical supplies, and various humanitarian aid all encased in heavy protective cases.

In the back of Rhymus's mind, he feared for the young Security Crewman undertaking the crowd control duty. Rhymus's own attempt had ended up in the deaths of some of his fellow crew, and a black mark permanently burnt into his memory. Quietly, he made a promise to himself. He'd get Rayek through this successfully. One way or another...

[Rayek trLhoell]

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 1 ââ,¬â€œ Bridge]

Rayek just barely refrained from doing exactly what Cleroux himself had done in questioning orders given.  Obviously his superior had no idea was liaising meant but Rayek had his orders, so for now he would indeed ââ,¬Ëœfocus' on that and contact Lek in a spare moment to ensure the transformed areas were secure, not so much by a physical presence of guards, but that all computer access was encrypted and locked down.

[Turbolift]
When Cleroux headed for the turbolift, Rayek followed.   He listened as the Chief laid out what he wanted done.  To Rayek, the orders seemed both inadequate and overkill at the same time.  Inadequate in that there seemed to be no thought to having a plan in place to evacuate levels above and below to essential personnel only in case of breach, no consideration to lock out main computer access and remove cargo transporter access in the terra-formed parts of the ship; and overkill because to have additional security in locations several decks outside of the cargo bay levels seemed wasteful.   But those were his orders.  "Yessir," he acknowledged.

Sometimes, like now, Rayek really chaffed at not being in charge.

[Deck 17 - Enlisted Living Quarters]
After Cleroux, exited on Deck 9, Rayek continued his way down to his quarters to pick up his PADD and began working on editing the schedule.  A normal schedule had approximately 20 security staff on at any time to stand as watch over sensitive areas as well as perform roving security checks throughout all decks.  Rayek now had to increase the overall level of security on the lower decks, organize teams to be sent INTO the Class-Y environment and ensure there was still crew remaining to  man Tactical.  As Rayek delved into the logistics of the schedule he began to realize much of what he was planning actually depended a lot on how long his men could safely be in the Class-Y environment while in the suits.

Rayek tapped his comm.   Rayek to Dr. Vaugan.  I need to know what is the maximum daily safe exposure time for those individuals wearing an environmental suit in a Class-Y environment.  I need to know does exposure accumulate? Are there means of recovering from extended exposure?  And are there any species amid my security staff that are especially tolerant or intolerant even in a suit?

[Lizzie Vaughan]

PO2 Rayek

[Deck 17 - Enlisted Living Quarters]

Rayek tapped his comm.   Rayek to Dr. Vaugan.  I need to know what is the maximum daily safe exposure time for those individuals wearing an environmental suit in a Class-Y environment.  I need to know does exposure accumulate? Are there means of recovering from extended exposure?  And are there any species amid my security staff that are especially tolerant or intolerant even in a suit?

Sickbay

Lizzie was putting together the limited information the databases had on Tholians when Rayek's call came through.

There are no species, save the Tholians, that are in any way more resistant to Thermionic radiation and none on board that are significantly more susceptible. She replied. The standard environment suit can withstand both the temperature and radiation for up to 90 minutes without the crewman suffering any permanent effects. As long as the seals hold. However, radiation poisoning is cumulative and I would not recommend anyone doing more than two 90 minute shifts in any 24 hours. Also I will need to give all crew members who will be entering the environment an injection of Hyronalin to help combat the exposure. Also I will need to examine all crew members after they have completed their shifts and the suits must be isolated to prevent contamination of any clean surfaces.

[Rayek trLhoell]

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 17 ââ,¬â€œ Enlisted Personnel Quarters]

Sickbay

Lizzie was putting together the limited information the databases had on Tholians when Rayek's call came through.

There are no species, save the Tholians, that are in any way more resistant to Thermionic radiation and none on board that are significantly more susceptible. She replied. The standard environment suit can withstand both the temperature and radiation for up to 90 minutes without the crewman suffering any permanent effects. As long as the seals hold. However, radiation poisoning is cumulative and I would not recommend anyone doing more than two 90 minute shifts in any 24 hours. Also I will need to give all crew members who will be entering the environment an injection of Hyronalin to help combat the exposure. Also I will need to examine all crew members after they have completed their shifts and the suits must be isolated to prevent contamination of any clean surfaces.

Rayek listened to the doctor's response carefully.  No more than 90 minutes in a 24 hour period?! That was way less than he had been expecting to hear.  That alone basically ensured each and every one of the security/tactical would be exposed daily regardless of rank - there was no way around it.  Since it would require 16 shifts per day to cover off just one bay, and to fit 7000 evacuees, Rayek assumed at least two if not three bays would likely be converted.  At that he'd be lucky to have a team of 3 or 4 in a bay at any one time to maintain the peace in a crowd of over 3000.

[Turbolift]

"Good luck, Petty Officer... You'll need it."

Rhymus gave the man a mirthless smirk before exiting the lift.

Cleroux's comment now made sense.

"Thank you, Doctor. I will keep you apprised of the duty rotation of my staff daily so that we can streamline your after exposure checks.  If you could please forward me signs and symptoms to be alert for.  Also, the Hyronalin injection is it a one time dosage or does it have to be repeated daily for daily exposure? And is there a preferred timeline in which to have it administered - as soon as possible or just prior to exposure?"

[Lizzie Vaughan]

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 17 ââ,¬â€œ Enlisted Personnel Quarters]

Rayek listened to the doctor's response carefully.  No more than 90 minutes in a 24 hour period?! That was way less than he had been expecting to hear.  That alone basically ensured each and every one of the security/tactical would be exposed daily regardless of rank - there was no way around it.  Since it would require 16 shifts per day to cover off just one bay, and to fit 7000 evacuees, Rayek assumed at least two if not three bays would likely be converted.  At that he'd be lucky to have a team of 3 or 4 in a bay at any one time to maintain the peace in a crowd of over 3000.
Cleroux's comment now made sense.

"Thank you, Doctor. I will keep you apprised of the duty rotation of my staff daily so that we can streamline your after exposure checks.  If you could please forward me signs and symptoms to be alert for.  Also, the Hyronalin injection is it a one time dosage or does it have to be repeated daily for daily exposure? And is there a preferred timeline in which to have it administered - as soon as possible or just prior to exposure?"

Sickbay

Lizzie listened to his questions before responding.

I would need to administer the Hyronalin immediately before the crewmen go on shift to ensure it has it's maximum effectiveness. She replied. As to the symptoms, the standard ones are fever, nausea, dizziness and sweating. I think the best thing to do is have a Med Tech to scan everyone once they have been through decontamination. You are setting a decon area up right? She enquired.

[Rayek trLhoell]

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 17 - Enlisted Personnel Quarters]

Sickbay

Lizzie listened to his questions before responding.

I would need to administer the Hyronalin immediately before the crewmen go on shift to ensure it has it's maximum effectiveness. She replied. As to the symptoms, the standard ones are fever, nausea, dizziness and sweating. I think the best thing to do is have a Med Tech to scan everyone once they have been through decontamination. You are setting a decon area up right? She enquired.

Rayek frowned at her information.  This was going to be a logistical nightmare. "Good to know, Doctor. I'll ensure that Chief Cleroux is aware of the requirement for one."  He stated, jotting in a quick message to Lieutenant Taray, and Chief Petty Officer Cleroux the information that the doctor had provided him, informing them of the requirement that each and every security/tactical staff be rotated through the security detail in the bays so that they could provide even the most basic of security presence at all times. He included the doctor's reminder of a decontamination area immediately adjacent to the bays.

"Doctor, please prepare your medical staff then for daily inoculations for a team of 8 to 10 security personnel every 90 minutes, with decontamination and a medical check-up following exposure.  This will be ongoing until our Tholian guests have been transported to their destination."

As he spoke to her, Rayek was already working on the schedule, pausing to ask yet another question. "Are there any other medical concerns or factors I should keep in mind regarding dealing with a Class-Y environment?  Are there any dangers associated with repeated inoculations of Hyronalin?  Any side effects I should be aware of.. like drowiness or irritability?"

He asked because these individuals would be scheduled for a regular security shift elsewhere on the ship immediately following being cleared by medical, it was the only way to meet Cleroux's level of  security requested as well as maintain expected standards.  If there were adverse side-effects, depending on what it was, Rayek might consider adjusting the timing so that the Class-Y exposure would occur at the end of their shift.  Not an ideal situation. Rayek knew people tended to be less alert and more prone to making stupid mistakes at the end of their shift.  He would rather avoid tired mentality in a Class-Y environment.  The situation would be stressful enough as it was.

[Lizzie Vaughan]

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 17 - Enlisted Personnel Quarters]

Rayek frowned at her information.  This was going to be a logistical nightmare. "Good to know, Doctor. I'll ensure that Chief Cleroux is aware of the requirement for one."  He stated, jotting in a quick message to Lieutenant Taray, and Chief Petty Officer Cleroux the information that the doctor had provided him, informing them of the requirement that each and every security/tactical staff be rotated through the security detail in the bays so that they could provide even the most basic of security presence at all times. He included the doctor's reminder of a decontamination area immediately adjacent to the bays.

"Doctor, please prepare your medical staff then for daily inoculations for a team of 8 to 10 security personnel every 90 minutes, with decontamination and a medical check-up following exposure.  This will be ongoing until our Tholian guests have been transported to their destination."

As he spoke to her, Rayek was already working on the schedule, pausing to ask yet another question. "Are there any other medical concerns or factors I should keep in mind regarding dealing with a Class-Y environment?  Are there any dangers associated with repeated inoculations of Hyronalin?  Any side effects I should be aware of.. like drowiness or irritability?"

He asked because these individuals would be scheduled for a regular security shift elsewhere on the ship immediately following being cleared by medical, it was the only way to meet Cleroux's level of  security requested as well as maintain expected standards.  If there were adverse side-effects, depending on what it was, Rayek might consider adjusting the timing so that the Class-Y exposure would occur at the end of their shift.  Not an ideal situation. Rayek knew people tended to be less alert and more prone to making stupid mistakes at the end of their shift.  He would rather avoid tired mentality in a Class-Y environment.  The situation would be stressful enough as it was.

Sickbay

Lizzie thought for a moment.

There are no side effects listed but if we need to administer for more than 7 days straight then I will have to review the case. I will also instruct my team to check everyone before giving them their dose and they will need to be monitored while inside so we can get them out in a hurry if needed. She replied. As to the environmental effects, you will need to shield everything inside as the combined effects of the heat, radiation and toxic atmosphere will cause all unprotected surfaces and equipment to start to degrade in minutes. I seem to remember that Voyager developed special shielding to protect itself from the worst of the exposure. But that was for the outer hull which is far more durable, the inner bulkheads will be far more susceptible. She finished, hoping that it would be enough.

She turned to the one of the Techs.

"Get replicating as  much Hyronalin as you can. We will need enough to treat every security personnel at least twice a day for a week or more." She ordered.

"On it Doc." The man replied in a Texas accent before heading over to the replicator.

[Rayek trLhoell]

PO2 Rayek
[Deck 17 - Enlisted Personnel Quarters]

Sickbay

Lizzie thought for a moment.

There are no side effects listed but if we need to administer for more than 7 days straight then I will have to review the case. I will also instruct my team to check everyone before giving them their dose and they will need to be monitored while inside so we can get them out in a hurry if needed. She replied. As to the environmental effects, you will need to shield everything inside as the combined effects of the heat, radiation and toxic atmosphere will cause all unprotected surfaces and equipment to start to degrade in minutes. I seem to remember that Voyager developed special shielding to protect itself from the worst of the exposure. But that was for the outer hull which is far more durable, the inner bulkheads will be far more susceptible. She finished, hoping that it would be enough.

She turned to the one of the Techs.

"Get replicating as  much Hyronalin as you can. We will need enough to treat every security personnel at least twice a day for a week or more." She ordered.

"On it Doc." The man replied in a Texas accent before heading over to the replicator.

Rayek listened to Dr. Vaughan's medical recommendations with a slight wry grimace. "Seems medical is going to be even busier than Security during this assignment."

He made a few notes on his PADD, even as he heard her give orders to one of her staff. "Very well Doctor, thank you for your assistance.  I'll send Medical a copy of the schedule to aid in coordinating the inoculations once required.  As for the shielding, I'm sure Engineering is quite aware of what needs to be looked after, but I'll be sure to double check on that as the cargo bay transformation progresses. Rayek out." He double tapped his comm to close the connection.

Then requiring information as to which bays exactly were being converted, and how long that might take, Rayek headed down to Engineering, PADD in hand, to speak to the Chief of Engineering.

[Main Engineering]
Rayek stepped through the doors to enter Main Engineering for the third time that day.  Maybe this time he would actually get to speak with someone. He quickly looked over the room seeking the figure of Lieutenant Erix.

[Lek]

Lieutenant Erix

When the main doors to engineering opened, Erix looked to see who had come in and immediately frowned. His entire body tensed and he studiously ignored the intruder as this was his domain and he didn't have to acknowledge anyone he didn't want to acknowledge. Without a word, Erix returned to the simulation he was running to determine the power requirements needed to set up the force fields in cargo bays three and four.