I looked up at the power coupling above me, did a scan and compared it to the schematics on my HUD before I reached up and pulled it out with one tail before replacing it with the new one.
It was not worn out yet, but it would be within a month. Still, making sure it was the right one before pulling it was just plain common sense. What if you took the main shield emitter offline or worse... the gravity plating in the captains quarters.
Now that the power was not going through it I held it in front of my nose for a more intensive scan. The power going through it had been degrading the materials at the core.
Still, pop into it a replicator and you can recycle most of it.
I shifted my ears, got up and padded through the Jefferies tube towards the closest junction. Deciding to make this form quadruped was one of the best decisions I ever made.
No crawling around on hands and knees, I could just walk normally... if barely. I did have to keep my head a bit lowered not to scrape the ears against the ceiling.
I paused as I received a transmission.
"Cadet Winter, report to transporter room one. I assume you are using your heavy form?" Commander Rorick said through my built in com-badge receiver.
"Yes sir. On my way."
Wonder what the hell that was about.
Getting out into a corridor took about five minutes, with another five minutes to get to the transporter room before I padded inside.
"Sir." I said, looking around as I sat down, my tails curling around me on the floor "What is going on?"
I was not the only other person there. T'Ro was there as well as Commander Rorick and two others that I did not know. One ensign and one Lieutenant. Human and Bolian. I had seen them around but I had not learned their names... well, not without checking my personnel files.
Oh, and they were all wearing vacuum suits.
"We had a distress call." The Commander said "A human freighter under attack by Orion Corsairs. The pirates ran when we got into sensor range, but the freighter is heavily damaged. There are weak lifesigns from the engine section. They need our help with repairs or evacuation."
I nodded "Ready sir."
I already had some tools stored on a gecko strap on my back... at least the essentials. Ready to go.
Rorick looked at the transporter chief and gave him a nod before we all piled onto the transporter pad.
I could not quite help but give each of them a through scan, mostly making sure that their suits was both working and keeping their pressure.
So sue me. Biological beings are squishy and need very specific environments. I happen to like having them around as well.
Especially T'Ro.
But also the rest.
When I can, I want to double check to make sure what they are doing are safe. A bit silly, they know what they are doing, but they are so fragile.
I should know, I used to think I was one.
The chief frowned "There is interference in the engine room. I need to set you down halfway down the ship." he said, working his console "Energizing."
The transporter room disappeared in a shimmer of white light to be replaced by a solid wall of black.
I got nothing from my eyes, so I switched my tricorder, giving me a view of a empty corridor as well as a good reading of the air.
"The vacsuits was a good call, Commander." I said as I stood up 'looking' around "The air is un-breathable for most species."
"So the sensor scan said. Everyone switch to thermal." Rorick said before he continued "Come on, engineering is in this direction. The survivors is gathered there."
Getting to my paws I turned in that direction, taking the lead as I kept a full scan going. The ship was pretty big, with a level above and below me. None of the walls did much to stop my scans so I could get a good reading.
At least until we started to approach engineering "Commander, I am reading antimatter radiation. Dangerous levels." I reported as I stopped.
"That must be why we beamed in so far away. " T'Ro said as she stopped next to me "Our suits should protect us for now."
"At least for as long as it will take to get the people out of here or repair the damage." Commander Rorick said "Gordes, Malone. Set up the force field emitter."
They quickly slapped emitters on each side of the hallway and a atmospheric forcefield shimmered into view between us and the door.
"Winter, Open the door."
"Yes, sir." I said and reached up to tap the button with my tail.
Nothing happened.
Well, not surprising. Nothing else I seen so far on this hulk had been working but the gravplating.
Annoying, but I was more than capable of handling that kind of thing.
I got up onto my rear paws I put my front paws against the door with a solid clanging sound.
My limbs were capable of propelling my three hundred and eighty two kilogram platform at speeds exceeding fifty kilometers an hour through difficult terrain.
That also made them quite capable of other things.
I dug the claws into the joint down the middle of the pair of doors before simply pushing them apart with a sound of screaming metal, slamming them into the sides of the doorframe before I fell back down onto all four.
The small amount of toxic smoke that was trapped between the force field and the door billowed into the dark engineering section's much cleaner air. The radiation might scatter my sensors somewhat, but with the physical obstacle gone I was able to pick up ten or so lifesigns around the chamber as I moved inside, out of the way of the rest.
I was about to announce who we were only for one of the lifesigns signatures to pop out from behind a nearby console three meters away and aim a weapon at me.
AN// Madork Gunna is the one to thank for betaing this section.
