(Backlog) JDL | LtJg Rymer & LtJg Mallow | ACTac & Engineer

Posted on 241711.18 @ 8:25pm by Lieutenant Hober Mallow & Lieutenant Alex Rymer

Mission: Reconstruction and Refocus
Timeline: Sometime before reaching the nebula...

.:/ Deck 15 Engineering Lab /:.

Hober Mallow had pulled out the multitronic engrammatic interpreters he had found a few weeks ago and was desperate for an application to explore. Sure he could just plug himself into the computer and try out some simulations, but he wanted to apply them to a useful function. The risk of hooking someone up to them required some reward.

Rymer had discovered the youngster that had played the swearing computer prank on him, and had decided on a bit of payback that wasn't... regulation issue. He knew he might need the help of an Engineer who would keep his mouth shut. He wasn't worried about getting reprimanded for playing a prank, since he hadn't actually reported the culprit for his computer stunt. Rymer didn't like the idea of ratting... but he was perfectly fine with getting even.

So he went looking through the Enterprise's Engineering section, looking for his new comrade Lieutenant Mallow.

"Engineering to Lieutenant Mallow, there is a Lieutenant Rymer here for you sir." Hober's comm badge chirped at him. "Direct him to the lab on deck 15."

Rymer strolled into the lab he had been directed to, spotting Hober fiddling with some devices.

"What ya got there, Hober?" The security officer asked.

Mallow greeted the expected officer with a nod and gestured over the engrammatic headbands he had arrayed on the workbench. Hober had helped Rymer track down a prankster, and since that moment Hober had taking a liking to being Rymer's first stop shop for Engineering matters, it played to Mallows ego. "I have here a brain computer interface, a very special one."

"A brain computer interface." Rymer repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Why is it special?"

"This one renders you unconscious and you're 100% interfaced."

Rymer took an involuntary step backwards. "I'm not a fan of the 'unconscious' part".

"It's totally safe," Mallow picked one up and wiggled it, "...ish." He looked down at the rest of them, "I just don't know what to do with the-- oh hey! Want to hear a crazy idea?"

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like it, but sure." Rymer said.

Mallow put the device down and mimed a rainbow with both hands, "guided firing solutions, how amazing would it be plugged right into your targeting array?"

"Isn't that sort of what the Jem'Hadar had? With those eye pieces of theirs?" Rymer asked.

Mallow waggled his head in slight agreement, "Sort of, this is a step foward though, this will be total integration with the system. Those headpieces were more or less a replacement for the view screens we are used to, however they did provide some integration."

"Alright, so how would this work, and why would it be better than my tactical board?" Rymer said.

"How about we plug you in and find out for yourself."

"Sounds totally safe......ish." Rymer said, echoing Hober's earlier statement, but he figured what the hell. What's the worst that could happen?

Hober started plugging a couple ODN cables into the headband and back into the workbench console. "Okay so, we will start with something really simple and only at point oh five percent immersion."

Rymer came closer to the device and noticed a new colour blinking on the it. "Point oh five? What happens at 100?" He asked.

Hober brushed the question away, "Let's not worry about that, lets start small, and work our way up. At .05 you should be able to envision some basic data from the tactical sim queue, but not interact with it. You'll get a taste of the possibilities."

"Pretty sure the CMO would be flaying us alive if they knew we were messing with this stuff. Should I put it on?" Rymer lifted the headset gingerly.

"Yeah toss it on." Hober urged, eyes glued to the terminal.

Rymer lowered the headset onto his... well.. head, wiggling it to try and get a comfortable fit. It was fairly light, but it still felt odd.

"Alright, let's test it out." The security officer said, feeling half anxious, half eager.

Hober looked up and saw the new blinky light too. His head shot back and forth between the console and the headband a few times.

"Take it off" he said curtly.

"Aaand its off. What's up?" Rymer asked, pulling the headset off.

"Put it down." Hober pointed to the workbench, sliding around the console towards the door, keeping his other finger on the panel.

Rymer obeyed, confused. Had he broken it already?

"As soon as I let go of this console the headband is going to.. uh spark.." Mallow said wide-eyed.

"Spark????" Rymer asked, incredulous. "I thought you said this thing was safe!"

"Well less spark, and more like explode...lightly.. here's the plan. You prepare a level 5 field to surround this console...and on the count of three I let go of this control and you activate the field."

"Crazy bastard..." Rymer muttered, doing as instructed. After a few moments he nodded to Hober. "Ready".

"Okay..one...two...THREE"

As Hober released the control, Rymer tapped the control pad and a security field instantly materialized. Rymer reflexively shut his eyes, bracing for the "spark"... which he assumed was Hober's way of saying the thing would explode.

"Eeeeeee" Hober kept the tail end of his count down going as he darted away from the flash of light and snap of thunder from what used to be the electronic head band.

"Uh, yeah.. so safe."

Rymer glared at Hober, saying nothing.

Mallow flashed what he thought was a charming Wadi smile before continuing, "Okay I think it's safe to lower the field." He was curious about the scope of the damage.

"Yeah now that the smoke's settled?" Rymer tapped a few keys and deactivated the field. He could smell the burning materials.

The Wadi engineer approached the console's table top, what was left of it. The surface was charred jet black. What used to be the screen of the terminal was a sparking mess. "Uh, yeah."

"So maybe we should have tested that out BEFORE putting it on my head, yes?" Rymer asked.

"I ran simulations." Mallow said defensively. He started picking through some of the debris on the top of the table, "There's nothing left..."

"Yeah, such a shame that we couldn't save the device." The security officer's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Okay, I'll clean this up and get a repair team on it...I'll let you know when I got a safer version." Mallow assumed Rymer would play guinea pig in the future.

Rymer sighed. He didn't have much experience dealing with Hober's species, but the man seemed certifiably insane.

"I think our definitions of 'safe' are a bit different from each other, Hober." Rymer said with a small grin before heading out. He was due on the bridge in ten minutes.

-=^=-

Lieutenant JG Hober Mallow
Engineer

&

Lieutenant Alex Rymer
Chief Tactical