Saboteur Part 8
by Maureen, Jason and Eleni

The ship was powered down,at ease, although no-one was exactly that way after...what happened.

The senior officers were either still in MedBay, or off-duty.

The Tactical console,empty,since that was John's job, and the ship had little need for a Tac officer right now, was calmly beeping away to itself.

Suddenly, the console sparked and exploded,sending sparks across the bridge.

<"Fire crews to the bridge!" shouted a crewman.

Extinguishers erupted.

Nicolas left med-bay at a full gait, boots slamming down on metal. He had to get to the bridge as quickly as humanly possible.

One syllable screaming through his mind, Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!.

He considered trying to raise the bridge on com. Decided against it. They were busy enough up there right now.

They'd been maintaining a level amber alert since the current series of crisis had begun, since the first explosion. Amber status tightened security, let everyone know that the threat they currently faced was coming from within and that EVERYONE should be vigilant. Even with the first explosion he still wanted so badly to trust these people. He hoped that this was something as simple as faulty wiring. He knew it wasn't.

He took the stairs from B to A deck and ran headlong onto the bridge.

"If you can't help, get the hell off my bridge!" Ethan yelled over the sirens. The pandemonium on the bridge was taking over. The computers were illuminated orange from the flames. Another bomb had gone off, and this time, it had been computer detonated. The fire alarm system wasn't working, the explosion must have shut down during the computer sequence.

Some young ensign ran in behind Nicolas. The rest of the crew on the bridge was fighting for fire extinguishers, despite the little they were doing. Several enlisted crewmen were injured.

"Commander!" Ethan yelled. "We can't activate the emergency fire system!"

Kassi heard the ringing of the alarm in deck B, where she was repairing an electrical system for the computer in the Captain's ready room.

She dropped her socket wrench, and ran out of the room to the bridge.

The bridge was orange with flames, and she noticed people panicking. Things can be worse. Let's get through this, she thought, sitting down at the last remaining computer that wasn't down. The fire system wasn't working, whoever had set off the explosion had obviously disarmed the emergency system. The computer was awaiting a command. She typed in UNIX. It booted up in the UNIX system, and Kassi typed in a search for the bridge emergency system. It asked for her newest command. EMS she typed. The system sputtered, and finally, white dust came flying down from overhead, extinguishing the flames. The people on the bridge looked around like it was a miracle. I can't believe them, Kassi thought. The system asked for a new command. Terminate EMS she typed. This was the last computer that was actually up, and it had just been dumb luck it had been the first one she sat down at. No one else had seen it, some how. She had prayed all day yesterday, even in the meeting that she was in, that she wouldn't mess up and have a giant blotch on her record for being incompetent. Apparently, God had answered her prayers. She had stayed calm and worked through it like an old pro.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and her heart missing a beat, suddenly, like she had been caught doing something wrong. Well, no one had called her. She knew to always wait for commands in the military, that was the first thing she had been taught in boot camp. And here, she hadn't listened. She knew the captain had something to say to her about the way she and Azra had suddenly run onto the scene of the first explosion, with guns, and they hadn't been called. She didn't know whether it was good or bad, still, but if it was bad, she was in deep trouble after this. She looked up to see the Commander looking down at her, covered in white fire extinguisher dust.

"Excellent work, Ensign. You just saved a great many lives."

He allowed a slite smile.

"It's an honor to serve with you."

He turned. Stepped closer to the center of the room. "All right. Damage report! Now!"

Kassi gasped. She couldn't believe her luck. However this had happened, she was ecstatic that nothing had gone seriously wrong when she entered the scene. She wasn't too sure what to do, now, except dust her glasses and hair off.

The commander took a full look around. "I need status reports!! Get me life function levels of life support and internal controls!! Helm! What control do we have?"

A Seaman, grizzled, battered, coated with dust, back at his station, chimed in: "I have basic controls. Pitch. Yaw. Rudimentary propulsion."

"Very well. Take us down. DIve!"

The Seaman, shaking, sounded the alarms and took her down.

The seaman reported that they were diving. Marked off the depth periodically.

The feel of the bridge changed.

At a depth sufficient to cut the ship off from the outside world the commander gave the order to level off. They were near to the bottom. But not so near that it's proximity would cause further problems.

He walked over to the comm station. "I'm tired of this shit. We're going to do something about this. Patch me through to shipwide communications."

"The signal's down, sir," the seaman said.

"MAKE it work."

"Yes sir," the comm said. The panel was looking bleak. "The power's not coming in. I don't know what to do."

"That's not an option."

"Ensign Dandridge. I know about your talents. You just proved them to me. Make this console work. I need shipwide comm."

Kassi looked at the UNIX system. The primary problem was that there wasn't enough power going into the station at once. She pulled a screw driver from her belt, and motioned for the seaman to get out of the chair. She laid down in her chair, lifting her feet off the floor to avoid the electrical current from running down her body, and she rewired the panel while it was on. She sat up and tested the power. "It's ready, sir."

"Very good. Good work. There will be commendations in your future."

Kassi blushed.

Speaking into the microphone, Sutherland said, "Attention all personnel. Be advised that of this moment all non-essential personal are confined to quarters. Anyone found outside there's quarters risks being shot on sight. We are also instituting shipwide communications blackout. Anyone found trying to send communique off this boat will be shot. Dr Garrett to medbay. Incoming. There have been further acts of terrorism. All security personnel keep your comm channels open. You will be contacted by your commanding officers. All non-essential, non-eco supportie functions will be shut down. All non-essential internal console will be shut down and power rerouted. As of NOW we have declared a shipboard state of martial law. Any suspicious activity should be reported to your supervisors immediately. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I am relying on all of you. Your shipmates and friends lives hang in the balance. We must all pull together if we're to survive this. Report to your quarters and remain there. Guards of the watch will check on you at irregular intervals. There will be no warnings for violation of these impositions."

He cut the comm. "Okay. Pull the plug on all external communications. Rig a watchdog on all internal communications. Assign someone to monitor them all. Stringently."

"Get me updates on both are defensive and tactical systems."

The commander turned to Kassi. "Dandridge. You are one of very few people I trust implicitly right now."

Kassi blushed, for the millionth time.

"I need you to jerry rig me all esssential systems. Note all damage and summarily overrule all secondary and tertiary systems." He turned to address everyone on the bridge. "Lock this ship down. And get these boys to the medbay."

There was an ensign nursing a burn on his forehead.

THe commander addressed him. "You gonna make it son?"

The ensign nodded. Picked himself up.

"Somebody find out for me what the hell's going on."

The Captain picked himself up off the floor and breifly surveyed the damage to his ship. His eyes rested on an older man talking to the ensign he had seen at the first bomb explosion, although he did not remember her name.

"Commander Sutherland, I presume?" he asked, belatedly remembering the famous line from the Sherlock Holmes novels. "Adrian Fitzgerald." <> "Let's get things under control here, make sure the rest of the ship is okay, then I'll explain what's going on," <> "I want a meeting of all the senior staff in four hours, if they aren't in a coma or dead then they had better be here. Also," he turned to Kassi, who was doing her best to not listen to the conversation going on right in front of her, "you are?"

Kassi kept her head down. The person next to Kassi tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the Captain. <>

"What- oh, I'm sorry, sir! I'm... uh, Ensign Dandridge," she said, stuttered, blushing.

"Dandridge, I remember your name now. I want you there too, and whoever the girl was that was with you at the first explosion. Dismissed."

Commander Sutherland and Ensign Dandridge saluted quickly, going back to their duties to repair the ship.

Internal Memo
All Departments
DSV SEAHAWK
Issued From Office of XO

Please submit damage reports to all primary and secondary ship's systems, please report sustained systems damage and current systems reliability.

Commander Sutherland

To Captain, seaHawk
Fitzgerald, Adrian
From office of XO
Sutherland, Nicholas

In Reference To: our recent security dilemma

As per your request I have examined profiles of seaHawk crew to find possible temporary security seconds, temporary reinforcements due to recent internal complications. Upon examination I have four recommendations. As interim dept head I examined both officers Diringer and Michaels.

Lt Ethan Diringer has an exemplary record and served most recently aboard the Orlando in a capacity most similar to our current necessity. Lt Diringer has a history of work in the fields of defense and intelligence, and could prove a most useful asset to our current investigations and internal security needs.

Lt Joel Michaels, though an excellent and capable officer, I fear, may prove too unreliable in the current dire situation. He has a history of panic disorders and bipolarism, currently under treatment and controlled - but I fear the current situation might tax him too far, possibly instigating episodic panic or depression; a capable officer, but perhaps best serving in his current capacity.

I recommend that we tap Mr Diringer for temporary promotion of duties to acting security chief.

In regard to support staff, though our ship's personnel already works very hard, I have two selections from ship's crew that I have complete confidence in the capabilities of and on whom I would stake both my personal safety and the integrity of this ship. Two souls from ship's compliment the integrity of whom I have found to be unwavering and am prepared to instate as temporary security officers, adjusting pay rates where applicable.

Ensign Kassidy Dandridge, currently working as a ship's mechanic, who fought hard for her position here aboard the seaHawk. One of the most determined individuals I have ever met.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthias H. Gonzalez, who works aboard the seaHawk in the firing control room. Decent, honest, hardworking. Excellent reports since coming aboard. Good with a firearm. Scores ranking the eighty-three percentile.

I will send notices of the changes in duty rotation.

I stake my reputation on the soundness of character of PO Gonzalez, Ens Dandridge, and Lt Diringer.

sincerely,

Sutherland

Adrian reread the report a second time, thankful that his CO was indeed the competent officer that his dossier said he was, and as yet, he had seen no signs of the mans eccentricities. He saved the report on his computer before striding out onto the bridge. He had only cleared the doorwat threshold when the second bomb went off.