Away Team 1 (Part 2)
Posted on Wed Oct 13th, 2021 @ 11:15pm by Commander Finchley Kerr & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant Sarah Wilson
Mission:
Gamma Quadrant
Location: Bajoran ship 1
Timeline: Current.
The lift system that was on the Bajoran ship was shot, so Finchley had to use the access tubes instead. Making his way down three decks, he soon found himself in the corridor which led to Main Engineering, or what passed for it on a ship of it's age.
Stepping through the doors, he began scanning the area for life signs, or bodies. To his amazement, it seemed that everyone had managed to get out, not a soul was there, no injured or dead and none of the engineers. Changing the settings on his tri-corder, he began looking for signs of Cardassians, then he got a reading..."Gotcha!" he said to himself. Moving towards the back of the section he was in, he found himself up against the sub light engine casing. Carefully, very carefully, he began searching the unit for signs of damage or sabotage. Reaching round behind an access panel, his fingertips bumped lightly into a round solid object.
Kneeling down, he once again very carefully began to feel in and around where the object was, and what he could see were two wires exiting the metal object and being fed into the access panel. "Well Finchley, this is what you're payed for, what you've gone through training for, get on with it."
Gently, ever so gently, Finchley reached up to his tunic and tapped his COMM badge "Kerr to Commander Savar, I believe I've found one of the explosive devices in engineering, I'm going to see if I can defuse it or at least scramble it's inner mechanism timer. May I suggest Sir, given the nature of how large the explosive is, that if all the Bajoran crew and survivors have been beamed off the ship and are being kept safe, that you and Lieutenant Vali both beam off as well so I can try to make the device safe."
Meanwhile the Captain's voice echoed through their combadges- asking for a status report.
" Sunfire to Away Team 1, updated status report please, we have received some of the wounded to sickbay along with Dr Wilson, have you found anything or anyone else?"
Finchley gently tapped his COMM badge again and replied "Commander Kerr here Captain. Having checked the sensors onboard our Carrier, there's strong evidence that the Cardassians beamed a saboteur over here. I just informed Commander Savar that I believe I've found an explosive devices in engineering. Once everyone, Bajoran survivors and Sunfire crew, has beamed back to the ship, I'm going to see if I can defuse it or at least scramble it's inner mechanism timer. After a cursory inspection of it, there's no chance of beaming it out as the kinetic energy will trigger the device. I can't be absolutely certain how long is on the timer, perhaps five or six minutes, but if this goes up whilst the Sunfire is nearby, the explosion will severely damage both ships. To be honest Sir, if the Cardassian ship is cloaked nearby, they may even have a remote detonator and if they trigger that whilst the Sunfire is nearby, as I said, it will severely damage the ship."
There was a pause as the Captain considered the information, running through various scenarios in her mind before forming a course of action.
" We'll beam everyone else off apart from yourself and Commander Savar. If you're confident you can diffuse it that is. We'll keep a transporter lock on you both in case things go pearshaped, and we'll deal with the Cardassian's if they show themselves." The Captain instructed from the bridge of the Sunfire. Things just got a little more complicated. " Let us know when everyone is prepped for transport and far enough away from the device to avoid detonation"
"I was hoping to limit the potential for injury to just myself if this goes AOT Captain, but Commander Savar's help will be advantageous given the current situation, if you believe they're required to help me" Finchley replied.
" No-one goes it alone Commander, Commander Savar will remain with you to assist and protect. We'll get everyone else off. Keep me advised of your situation" The Captain signed off, requesting the transporter room beam everyone bar the two commanders from the Bajoran vessel.
"Very good Sir, Kerr out" Finchley replied closing the link. Softly tapping his COMM badge again he said "Commander Kerr to Commander Savar, Sir, can you please make your way to engineering straight away, we have an urgent problem that needs both our attention."
" I am enroute to your location even as we speak Mr. Kerr. I shall be there momentarily." Savar replied crisply.
Finchley was glad of the fact someone else was going to be there helping him defuse the explosive device. He did have a concern though, was the saboteur still onboard, and if they were, what were they currently doing.
He was certain in his own mind that there was something in the ships files the Cardassians wanted, he just didn't know what. The explosive device was meant to be insurance it wasn't found by anyone else other than them.
The doors to engineering opened and Finchley heard someone enter
Savar moved quietly through the engineering department. He knew Kerr was here somewhere so he concentrated on finding the strategic ops officer even as moved in and out of the maze of machinery.
"Is that you Commander Savar?" Finchley asked.
"It is indeed me Mr. Kerr." Savar answered as he came to stand alongside Kerr.
"I firmly believe that the Cardassians have beamed someone across with the intention to, once they got what they came for, destroy this Carrier" Finchley began "they've left a 'sleek Cardy'...sorry Sir, it's a term our Intel team used for Cardassian explosives that had sensor and remote access triggers. There's two wires that come out of the device and into the access panel beside it, the only things is they welded the panel shut before activating the explosive. If we try break through the weld, there's a chance we could set off the sensor trigger, same if we try to cut the wires. They're also sneaky, they coat the wiring so anything touching it other than the same substance as the coating, it triggers the sensor. My best guess on how we can try and defuse this explosive is to get into the housing of the explosive itself and see if we can do it from there. This isn't any kind of standard device I've come across before, this is a new one to me. Have you come across this type before?"
Savar listened as Kerr explained the workings of the device. "Most elaborate." He observed. "And I have not encountered this type of explosive device before. "Why can we not simply transport it into space or place a stasis container and accomplish the same thing?"
"If this is a sleek, and I suspect it is Commander, then any kind of kinetic energy pulse would set it off" Finchley replied. "You must admit, Cardassians are pretty thorough when it comes to trying to stop anyone tampering and making their explosives safe" he added rhetorically.
"If you're happy to lend a hand Sir, we try to defuse it now" he said.
Savar nodded, "I will assist you in any way I can Mr. Kerr." He replied evenly. Happiness has nothing to to with it."
Nodding, Finchley then said "I've found the outer locking catch, I'll just ease it open."
Gently, feeling the casing open, Finchley began to ease the casing upwards. "If you could move your hand round Sir and place an index finger under the hinge so it doesn't close again..."
Savar did as Kerr instructed and placed his finger on the hinge.
"That's great, I can see where the wires are going" Finchley said, "If you can gently move your finger along the hinge Sir, that'll give me a little more room to play with" Finchley said.
Again Savar did as Kerr instructed so the Commander could continue his work on disarming the explosive.
Reaching down to the small bag he had with him, Finchley took out a probe and handed it to Savar saying "You've got a better angle then me Sir, if you can try to disconnect the yellow wire from the housing, I 'think' that'll stop the timer and the remote access as the other wire appears to be going onto the inner workings where I suspect the explosive is."
Taking the probe. Savar looked at the maze of wires before him. He didn't rush his approach as he moved the probe slowly to the yellow wire. As he began his work he noticed a second red wire intertwined with the yellow. "I must first untangle this red wire from the yellow." He told Kerr. " Can you please lift the red way away slightly so I can proceed?"
Finchley had taken a smaller lance probe out his kit and using it, he managed to move the red wire as asked "Hopefully that should give you enough room now Sir."
"Thank you" Savar replied as Kerr had done what he asked. He now had a clearer view of the yellow wire and was able to work at a better pace. After several minutes. He was able to pull the yellow wire back from the timer. "The yellow wire had been successfully removed from the timer." He announced.
Finchley looked towards the timer mechanism and it had indeed stopped. Looking back round at Savar he said "Well done Commander, that was good steady work."
Savar nodded, "I appreciate you saying so Mr. Kerr."
There was now the case of trying to remove the red wire so that remote access couldn't trigger the device. The wiring was a little deeper inside the mechanism, so this would be slightly more awkward to get to.
"Removing the holding plate shouldn't be to much trouble" Finchley began, "but after that I'd imagine we'll have to do some imaginative work to get the red wire out. I don't think whoever set this up wanted anyone tampering with the mechanism, so they'll more than likely set a fail safe, possibly even a couple. The angle I'm going to be at removing that plate won't allow me a decent angle to see what's inside, perhaps if I move forward you could try."
He manoeuvred himself nearer the engine housing and said to Savar "Is that enough room for you to move Sir?"
"It is adequate." Savar replied as he looked at the inside of the device.
"Ok, I'm going to remove the holding plate" Finchley replied "If you could let me know what you see I may be able to ascertain what kind of device we're dealing with."
Finchley then safely removed the plate a set it to one side.
"Do you have a mirror Mr. Kerr?" Savar asked. "A mirror would help immensely in seeing all angles of the device as well as the wires. Even some which may be hidden from out view."
Finchley looked in his kit, but there wasn't one "Sorry Sir, I don't, however, I do have a small scanner...primarily used to check conductivity levels, but perhaps it may give you a reading telling you if the wire splits and where it leads."
Savar nodded, "I believe the scanner will be adequate Mr. Kerr." Savar replied as he took the scanner and began to scan the device. Savar took his time as he did not wish to overlook a thing. "Ah. The red wire branches off and there is a green wire running from the split into what looks like a triggering device."
Finchley closed his eyes and tried to imagine in his minds eye how it looked. It wasn't something that readily came to mind as a device he'd come across before, but there were similarities to a couple that he had.
"Does the triggering device look triangular in shape Sir?" he asked.
Savar lowered his head to look at the triggering device. "Yes. is triangular." He affirmed to Kerr
"It's more than likely that's a remote trigger then" Finchley said "so we'll need to try and trace the red wire" he added. Shifting position slightly, he looked up at Savar and handed him what looked like a small laser scalpel saying "If you trace the red wire, it'll feed into a tilt bar. The bar will be copper coloured, oblong, about seven or eight centimetres long. If you can, try and slip the probe I'm pass to you under the end nearest to yourself, once you've done that, you ought to be able to use the scalpel to cut the red wire. Once you've done that, you can then cut the green wire and the device should be safe."
Savar listened intently to what Kerr was telling him on how to disarm the device. He placed a finger on the red wire and slowly, precisely traced the red wire until it reached the tilt bar. "I have reached the tilt bar." He told Kerr. "It is indeed copper colored. I will now try to slip the probe under the bar." He informed Kerr as he took the probe. For what seemed like an eternity he was silent. His concentration totally on achieving this task. "I have the probe under the tilt bar. I will now cut the red wire." he said as he used the scalpel to complete the task. That done he turned his attention to the green wire and repeated the procedure. Only then did he relax. "Both the red and green wires have been cut."
"Well done Sir, a very good job you did of that indeed, yes, a very good job" Finchley said. He moved forward and listened intently to hear if there was was any noise from the explosive device, as sometimes the Cardassians left a secondary trigger in case the first one was compromised...but there was nothing, no sound. "I believe the device is completely safe now, so it can be removed later" he added.
Savar inclined his head slightly. "Your instructions were most precise and allowed me to accomplish the task Mr. Kerr."
Standing back from the engine housing, Finchley turned to Savar and began to speak "There's obviously a reason this device was put here Sir, chances are we..." then he was interrupted by his tri-corder bleeping. He quickly checked the readings and his eyes opened wide for a second "There's been another spike in kinetic output Sir, that suggests another transporter beam being used. It's not our ship I'd imagine, they'd have told us, I can only surmise it was whoever was here as a saboteur. It could have been one of the smaller Cardassian ships, cloaked, coming in to pick someone up."
"That would be a logical deduction Mr. Kerr. Pick up the agent once the mission was completed." Savar replied.
Just as Savar finished, Finchley noticed a blinking light on a console just across from where they stood. Walking over, he read the report on the screen that had caused the light to blink.
"Sir, someone's downloaded the main frame computer data, there's nothing left...might I suggest we get back to the Sunfire to speak with some of the Bajoran Government Officials and try to ascertain what's been taken?"
" A most excellent idea. Perhaps the Bajoran officials can shed some light on this matter. Obviously something of importance to the Cardassians was removed." Savar concluded.
Finchley tapped his COMM badge and said "Commander Kerr to the Sunfire, two to beam back."
In moments, both Finchley and his Executive Officer were surrounded by a blue hue and transported back on the USS Sunfire
Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen
Executive Officer
USS Sunfire
&
Commander Finchley Kerr
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
USS Sunfire
