JDL | CDR Jake Satie (XO) & CDR th'Zarath (CEO) | "We All Fall Down"

Posted on Sun Oct 15th, 2017 @ 1:09am by Captain Jacob Satie & Commander Thelin th'Zarath

Mission: The Round Table
Location: Engineering | Cold Station Theta
Timeline: After Depositing the CO at Medical

Jake had cooled down. On his way from Medical, where he had deposited the Commanding Officer in the care of Doctor Valeese, he ran the scenarios in his mind and decided there was likely no way the small staff on the station could have known the lift was so derelict. He would speak with the Chief Engineering Officer and make sure the urgency of lift maintenance was addressed and then head back up to his office for more paperwork. The engineering section was about as far away as a soul could travel from Operations. The station was powered by a group of large reactors located in a detachable sphere near the bottom of the station. This was a safety protocol enacted on many stations with similar designs. If there was a problem with the reactor core it could be distanced from the station until the problem was adverted or the reactor suffered catastrophic meltdown thus keeping the station's inhabitants safe. Small backup generators would offer minimal defenses and life-support for the station in the event the Engineering Sphere was detached. To the best of his knowledge, Jake had never heard of a situation where the separation had been tested by catastrophe, and God willing it wouldn't happen on his watch either.

Engineering was massive and walking around in this small section of the station gave a person pause to think about just how large the whole station really was. Using the computer he had located Commander th'Zarath and found him talking with several junior officers near Reactor Control. Jake waited until the Engineer had a free moment and then said, "Commander th'Zarath, We haven't been formally introduced, I'm Commander Jacob Satie, station Executive Officer. Pleased to meet you. I just came from the old fuel depot area with the Captain, we were trapped in a turbo lift for over an hour up there. The lift is locked out on command override currently but I would like it moved up on the to do list." Jake underplayed the amount of danger they had felt like they had been in when the lift gave way.

It had taken several hours for Thelin to find himself down in the main engineering section of the station, it had been a rats nest when the corps of engineers had first arrived and it was still a terrible mess considering what this area on most stations looked like. His team... the words formed in his head like a burst of stars amongst the black depths of space, it had been a long time since he'd had anyone he could really call his team, he'd been handing out work orders to a couple of his juniors when the introduction had come from behind him, he turned to face the announced Executive Officer and was careful to extend his right hand before the man before him could make the same gesture. "Commander Satie, you're correct, we have not." he replied as they shook, "I'm afraid it's going to have to be added to a long list of repairs, I'll move it up but I have access lifts to critical areas which are still temperamental, including one of the ones leading to Operations."

Crossing his arms, Jake pondered again why Starfleet had let things go in half measures of completion for so long. Even with the war and resources being somewhat more limited, there were dozens of systems nearby where resources could be mined and utilized. "I understand, Commander. Just do what you can. What is the status of the site to site transport system? Are we still on schedule to have that up fully operational by weeks end?" That would be one alternative to needing to take a lift everywhere. Jake knew the Captain would be in favor of rushing that project forward.

"Captain DiAgessi has already ordered me to place that at top priority due to the nature of the issues we're experiencing throughout the station," the Andorian replied with a slight nod as he handed a PADD over to the man standing before him, "This is everything I have noted so far, everything that has been reported." he added before slipping his left hand into the pocket on the jacket he'd found for himself, "I'm prioritizing the transporters as per the Captain's request in addition to the turbolifts on and around the promenade and civilian areas of the station, the last thing we need is a civilian getting stuck on a Starfleet facility, I've also got work to do on the shield generators on the upper habitat and docking pylon delta."

Nodding as Jake read through the list of things the Commander had on his plate, he said, "We are doing what we can to get you the help you need. Has the Constance been much help. She has been docked here for a month now, I'm sure her crew is eager to get back to the Sol system and receive their new assignments." Jake had worked with Andorian's before, but this man had arms like two recently fed anacondas. Jake was physically fit but looked small and scrawny next to the the blue skinned man. "Off topic, Commander. What is your workout routine like. Your guns are huge man." Jake smiled without teeth as he looked the man in the eyes and patted his own upper arm.

"Well, this one is home grown, Engineering will do that to you," Thelin replied quickly as he tapped the fingers on his left hand on his right forearm, "However this one," he added as he rolled up his left sleeve and began to peel off the blue-flesh colored glove that concealed the hand, it revealed a translucent prosthetic arm covering a metallic skeleton and all the assorted cybernetic parts that gave him full articulation, "Is the best that Starfleet Medical could do for me at the time."

Jake was impressed, the man had no outwardly visible signs of having a prosthesis and Jake would never had know if not just shown. "May I inquire how you came about loosing the original arm?" Jake said as he subconsciously rubbed his hands on his shoulders as if checking to make sure his arms were still attached. "I will say they did an excellent job with the arm. Is it stronger then the natural one? Able to lift more and the like?" Jake was trying to be careful not to offend the Andorian but he had a genuine curiosity and would like to know should a situation arise where he needed the lid off a jar of pickles and couldn't do it himself.

"I lost it during the Second Dominion War, an accident caused by battle damage on the USS Anderson, one of many officers to be signed off injured during that time." Thelin replied honestly as he replaced the glove and allowed his sleeve to right itself, "I lost part of my upper chest, the shoulder and the entire arm. You are right though, it gives me an enhanced strength however it comes at a price, I have to have it re-calibrated regularly and the fine motor control can sometimes glitch out causing the hand to clamp down." he'd answered these questions all too often and had the usual script memorized, people tended to ask the same questions when they found out the nature of his injuries, "Lifting weight though is different, that depends on the rest of my body and attempting to lift too much can put strain on the graft points, too much and it gets painful."

Shaking his head, Jake said, "We do have a state of the art medical facility here. Perhaps there is something more that can be done. In any case, Commander. I know you are a busy man. I'll get out of your hair and back up to Operations. My door is always open. Don't be a stranger." Jake smiled and held out his hand to shake the Andorian's. Jake had never been actively part of any conflict. He had helped resolve many but none that were paramount to war. He felt slightly inadequate somehow when standing next to survivors and heroes of past battles. Now was no exception.

He made his way back to the lift, lost in thought. The Andorian had inadvertently made him question himself. He was not battle tested and he wondered if diplomacy failed him how he would handle conflict. His father had been in the first Dominion War and had told stories about the ruthlessness of the Jem'hadar and the Breen. Jake wondered how the Stenellis would compare if it came down to it. The doors to the turbolift hissed open and Jake stepped inside lost in his musings.

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Commander Jake Satie
Executive Officer
Cold Station Theta, SB-1170

&

Commander Thelin th'Zarath
Chief Engineering Officer
Cold Station Theta, SB-1170