Saved by the Klaxon

Posted on Fri Jun 11th, 2021 @ 8:00pm by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Grace Vetur
Edited on on Fri Jun 11th, 2021 @ 8:02pm

1,308 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Lonesome Road
Location: Science Lab 4
Timeline: Immediately after "Dinner and Duets"

ON

Grace continued to chastise herself for her lack of self-control all the way to the science lab. It didn't matter that they were both consenting adults or that she was strongly attracted to him. It didn't matter that she agreed that Amanda and Yiv would make an excellent couple. She should not have let the too-strong wine dictate her behavior. Nor should she use that as an excuse for her behavior. They weren't in a relationship or even dating. She could hardly call dinner with the Captain as his Number One a date. Her feelings in this were irrelevant. A cold shower, however, was not. It was very relevant. Or would be, as soon as she got back to her quarters. She was not going to change her mind about this. Not tonight, anyway. Maybe.

Percival Bálor had been asleep in his quarters when the explosion happened. No sooner had it happen, did his communicator go off. Something had happened in science laboratory number four, a geological.lab that he had not had much time to.poke around in. Percy was there before Grace and Captain Michaels had arrived, and he was already getting to the bottom of what had happened.

While others were going about the scene with tricorders, taking scans, and collecting samples, Percy was using his Tellarite heritage. His snout had already been onto to something in a corner of the lab. He squealed and shook his head, grabbing a trivorder from a nearby officer. The Chief Science Officer exited the science lab and found himself looking at Grace and Elijah. "You look nice," he said to them both as he stood there with a grey tank top and his silky turquoise pajama pants on.

"You look...comfortable," Grace replied. She nodded toward the lab. "What happened?"

Elijah examined the tricorder of one of the Officers from the Damage control team. “I’m assuming that whatever was in the science lab was not meant to go boom....”

Grace flashed Elijah a quick smile. "They generally don't."

"No," Percy replied and made his way forward shaking his head. "They do not generally do this, not without something having gone wrong. At the moment I do not know what happened, Commander," he said to the woman. "For once, it was not me. I don't make it a habit of blowing things up in my pajamas."

The Chief Science Officer snatched the tricorder from the damage control personnel. He studied it for a moment himself and began to take some additional scans. "Heh" was his only response to what he was seeing.

Grace found it highly amusing that this particular accident had nothing to do with the Chief. "What did you find out?" she asked Percy.

Percy had entered the lab and had begun scanning the blast radius. Discoloration was noticeable to the naked eye, but more delectable in finer detail on the tricorder. The half Tellarite also sniffed the air. "Argine," replied Percy. "A combustible compound, used in mining operations where laser drilling cannot be conducted to to atmospheric interference. This should have been placed in the geological lab, crudely, Argine has also been used in explosive devices. Ferengi if I am not mistaken."

He shrugged. "I don't owe any latinum to any Ferengi, certainly none that would go to the means of killing me," he added with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, I suspect what we have here is an accident." He wasn't pleased that one of his labs was wrecked, but he was counting his luck that nobody was seriously injured or worse.

"I would hope this was a mistake," Grace said, looking around. "I don't want to think that someone has a grudge against one of the scientists." She turned to Percy. "Take thorough scans and talk to the scientists that worked here. I'd like to see a report as soon as you have all the information." A part of her hoped this had nothing to do with the HTA and the actions of the away team.

"If any scientist aboard is going to be targeted for anything, it would be me," replied Percy. "I think we can safely side on accident for this one, but I still want to give you both answers as to what happened and why." He also wanted to know who was responsible, but he left that out.

"I'll be happy to help, if you need it," Grace offered. It would give her something to keep her mind off...recent events.

Some things were spinning in Percy's mind. The First Officer's willingness to volunteer her time, the fact both the CO and XO had arrived at the scene. He looked at Grace and nodded. "Sure, I would value your assistance."

She nodded. "I can help with a preliminary analysis. Have you taken the initial scans to recreate the lab on the holodeck?"

Percy nodded "Elementary forensics," he scoffed. "Come, Commander, we must science!" Percy proclaimed with a snort. He was practically giddy at the thought of using the scans to recreate the lab in the holodeck, determine the magnitude of the explosion, and possibly who was at fault for what he personally believed was an accident.

The first officer chuckled. She would probably regret letting him use the holodeck to recreate the accident, but it was the best way to find out what happened. "I will be happy to oblige." She still wanted to go back with Elijah, but she needed time to think, to figure out how she felt when she could think straight.

The Captain looked around. “Alright very well carry on.” He said with a nod. “Lieutenant Hassleton is the on call forensic expert in the Security Department so I’d coordinate with him as well, molecular scans of the entire deck are to be conducted, every bulkhead, every rivet and every fibre.”

Grace nodded. Part of her was relieved she could have some time to think, and part of her still had regrets. She was being silly. All the more reason to take some time to think.

Percy agreed with a nod. "I'll touch base with Lieutenant Hassleton," replied Percy. He looked over at Grace. "We will get to the bottom. of this."

"We will, indeed." She smiled. She was actually looking forward to the investigation.

The Chief Science Officer closed the tricorder after taking one final reading for the time being. "I bid you adieu, Captain. I have a date with science," he said with a bit of glee.

Grace watched Elijah for a long moment, almost changing her mind to follow him. Then she shook her head. She needed to think, and for that, she needed distance. "Where shall we begin, Lieutenant?" she asked Percy.

"By sending the Captain away for sonic shower or a good night's rest," he said glancing at Elijah. "No offense, Captain, but there is not much you can contribute to this. It is well outside of your wheelhouse, the Commander and I will take care of it."

"Christ I really must get my pips sewn onto every item of clothing I own....." He said with a small grumble. "Keep me in the loop with your findings...." He said before walking away down the hall.

Percy smiled at Grace. "I think we need to start by finding a science lab that isn't so...well done," Percy teased. "It is a little too chared in this one to start running tests and analyzing samples" he explained. The explosion that happened had left that particular lab fairly inoperational for the time being.

"All right," Grace said. It would be better to do their research somewhere else.

Percy smiled. "To science lab three!" he proclaimed.

____
OFF

Captain Elijah Michaels
Commanding Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant Commander Grace Vetur
Executive Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant Percival Bálor, Ph.D
Chief Science Officer
USS Ontario

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