Fighting the Red Dragon, Part One

Posted on Tue Oct 18th, 2022 @ 4:13pm by Ensign Kitiuas Thenis
Edited on on Tue Oct 18th, 2022 @ 10:36pm

Mission: *CD*
Location: Jefferies Tubes 15,16, and 17

Kit and her crew as well as Warrant Officer Nigel-Timmons team donned respirator units then put on the heavy silver fire resistant suits. “Okay gang, let’s do this Mister Nigel-Timmons select two from your team to crawl down the Jefferies tubes and manually seal all the juncture points between this bulkhead door and the last closed bulkhead door. You and the other will work your hose on the fire from a good vantage point. Remember folks to be alert and weary, there is a good chance that this fire is part Plasma, and Plasma fires can eat through the decking and bulkheads.” her voice sounding like it was coming through a tin can from the communicators in the respirators.

She turned and looked at the three crewmen she had. She pointed “You and you, names?”

“Petty Officer 1st Class Erik Randall and Crewman 1st Class Adara Hussein” replied petty Officer Randall, in the same tin can voice.

“Okay, you two are to proceed down the Jefferies tube as ordered and manually seal all the juncture points. Do not worry about repairs or even breaches in the hull. We will let the Engineering teams worry about them when we get this fire out. With minimum power and most systems running on emergency batteries, we have to do things the ‘old school’ or hard way. Do not waste time, do your task then get a hose and hit the fire, Understood?” her tin can voice asked.

”Aye, aye Sir.” came the tin voiced reply of Petty Officer Randall. He and crewman Hussein entered into the smoke laden Jefferies Tube and flicked on their headlamps.

Turning, Kit saw that Chief Warrant Officer Nigel-Timmons had his crew already entering the Jefferies Tube. She turned back and looked at the last member of her team ”What is your name?’ she inquired in the tin can voice.

A very scared voice replied ”Crewman 3rd Class Holly Kane from the science department, Sir. We actually are going into that?” she inquired in a tin can voice.

”I am afraid so crewman, like I said we have lost power and are running on emergency batteries, any other power the ship may have is being routed to what the senior command staff thinks is important. I know your scared but stay behind me, ensure the hose is kink free, and follow my orders.” With that Ensign Kitiuas lead the way into the swirling, black, abyss of smoke that was Jefferies Tube 16.

She immediately had to turn her headlamp on as she could barely make out the thin glow of the Jefferies Tube, even with her headlamp on she could barely make out an area the length of her arm. She sensed crewman Kane behind her, pulling the hose along and making sure there where no kinks. Thenis herself had the nozzle in one hand as she crawled forward, feeling the deck with her free hand.

The smoke was thick and swirled back and forth. Just great, she thought damn fire has a good source of oxygen, allowing it to grow, and adding to the potential of a flashover in these tubes. She was already starting to sweat profusely from the heat and gear. Suddenly the deck platting below her hand felt incredibly hot and seemed to glow. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked at the deck, she could see a definite glow, and cautiously reached down and drew it up. The heat was almost unbearable in her hand as she tossed the deck plate forward and saw flames shoot up. She quickly hit the release button on the nozzle and it the flames with a small dose of firefighting foam. The small amount hit the fire and quickly expanded, snuffing out the flames. Kit sat back a second as heavy thick smoke poured out of the deck opening and added to the already thick smoke. She could feel the sweat flowing down her back and chest, soaking her work tunic.

Suddenly there was a small crackle of a tin voice communicator ”Sir, there is an approximate three meter by five meter breach in the hull, and it appears the local wildlife is showing an interest in it, but the smoke seems to be keeping it back.” came Petty Officer Randall voice. Ensign Thenis sighed, and replied back in her tin voice Understood, if you two can safely get to that area of the breach and seal all junctures that would allow further access into the ship.” Thenis thought for a second then hit her combadge, The senior leadership needs to know about this, and I am sure they are going to be so thrilled.

In a metallic and tin voice she said ”Bridge, please be advised two of my team have found a hull breach of approximately three meter by five meter on deck three in the Jefferies tube region of 15, 16, and 17. They state local wildlife showing an interest but being held back by smoke from the fire. I have advised them to cautiously approach and seal all junctures that lead to the breach.” Thenis was exhausted but knew she needed to move on.

”Okay crewman Kane, onward and forward, this fire isn’t going to put itself out” Ensign Kitiuas began crawling forward feeling with one hand and holding the nozzle in her other. Her legs, and back were killing her as she crawled forward. She saw a faint glow off to her left and she realized she was at a juncture point with only two options, go forward or turn left, the right juncture had been manually sealed. She began to crawl towards the left when all of a sudden the smoke seemed to pull back towards the glow. Her training instantly told her what was about to happen and she screamed in a metallic, tin voice ”Get down, flashover” and she dived to the deck praying to the Thousand gods that crewman Kane did the same. She suddenly felt a wave of super-hot heat wash over her and she felt like a roasting Wing-slug. Just as quickly the sensation ended. ”Still with me crewman Kane?” asked Thenis. ”Yes Sir, but I feel like fried chicken Sir.”

Kit had to chuckle at that comment. With the assurance that the young crewman was okay, Thenis began to crawl cautiously forward the flickering glow was getting brighter, she looked about the Jefferies tube and it was nothing but blackened soot from the fire. As she crawled forward in the Jefferies Tube the bulkhead wall on her right suddenly bulged out and exploded; throwing metal shrapnel followed by a gout of hellish blue green flames. A piece of the bulkhead shrapnel sliced through part of Thenis’s protective suit and into her right shoulder. She gritted her teeth and aimed the nozzle towards the shooting flames coming from the wall. ”Crewman Kane, are you still with me?” she asked in the tin voice, as she continued to blast away at the flames. ”Yes sir” came the terrified tin voice of crewman Kane. ”Good to know. I need you to crawl over me and open the panels on the right side of the tube. Find the manual override valves for the gas lines and turn the damn gases off for me. I will cover you with the hose.” Thenis replied in a pained tin voice.

”Aye, aye Sir” replied crewman Kane in a timid tin voice.

Kit felt crewman Kane crawl over her prone body as she slowly made her way past her. The pain in her shoulder screamed at her, but she concentrated on keeping her hose on the gouts of flame coming from the wall of the corridor. Once crewman Kane was past her, Kit adjusted the angle of her hose and hit both the flame and covered crewman Kane. In pain Kit reached down and tapped her combadge ”Bridge, Ensign Thenis here, if possible can we have someone either go to the Auxiliary Environmental control center or other control panel and reroute the gasses from the main control and section between Jefferies tubes 15, 16.17. and 18. We are getting seriously blasted by blowouts as we fight this damn fire!” She said in a very pained tin voice.
As she finished up with her combadge communication request, she saw crewman Kane open one of the side panels and reach in, just as she was reaching in the Jefferies tube side wall and floor exploded out and up; throwing crewman Kane against the upper deck.

Ensign Kitiuas screamed and immediately sprayed the whole corridor with fire suppressant foam. She crawled forward painfully and reached the crewman’s side. She checked the young crewman, and discovered she was both badly burnt and had multiple open wounds. She was unconscious but still breathing. Thenis hit her combadge without thinking I need an immediate beam out of a serious, casualty red patient. Multiple shrapnel wounds and at least up to third degree burns. Crewmen Randall and Hussein to my position on the double.” She said in a very loud tin voice. Thenis was in pain both emotionally and physically but she had a duty to perform. She gently pulled crewman Kane back away from the majority of the fire and put her in a recovery position. She took the hose nozzle back up and waited for her back up.

Her respirator com unit came alive with a metallic voice ”Warrant Officer Nigel-Timmons to Ensign Thenis, my teams have had to displace over to Jefferies tubes 18 and 19. We had to seal Jefferies tube 17 from our end, massive fire has engulfed it up to the bulkhead seal. Had a hell of a time getting it back enough to seal it. We are in position to attack the corridor around the main Environmental Control, be advised corridor is fully engulfed in flames. Some of the flames appear to be neon green in color.”

Just great, sounds like a plasma conduit may have burst, where the hell is an engineer when you need one thought Thenis. With a heavy sigh she responded in the tin voice of the communicator "Copy, continue dousing the flames, be wary sounds like a plasma fire may be involved. I will have my team up and running again soon. Down one. Out.” with she sat back and kept an eye on both the fire and crewman Kane. Seat still pouring down her body.
TBC