A Walk On The Hull

Posted on Mon Nov 27th, 2023 @ 4:52am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Lieutenant Rea

1,683 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Starship Graveyard
Location: USS Tokyo Exterior Hull

The heavy doors of the airlock opened, light from outside came flooding in along with the intense heat from the rolling desert sands. It had been the first time that Taiga had stepped outside the ship since they had crashed on the planet. Lieutenant Rea wasn't joking when she had said it was hot outside. She was used to warm summers back in Japan, but this was something more extreme.

However, she didn't let it look like it bothered her as she stepped out onto the smooth metallic hull of the Tokyo. The hull seemed to shine and relfect the light as it sat there basking in the sun like a large lizard. The Tokyo's unique shape of hull was unusual to say the least, the Armitage class was based upon the Akira design however upgraded.

"Captain, we shouldn't spend too much time out here..." Lieutenant Rea said as she stepped out behind her a PADD in her hand. "Being exposed on the hull isn't a great idea, especially with this heat and the threat of raiders."

"Agreed," Taiga replied with a nod. "Show me the damage to the Hull. I told you I want to see it with my own eyes."

Rea nodded as she led the Captain around the side of the large swept back pylons which protected the upper parts of the saucer and provided linkage to the nacelles and upper torpedo pod. They passed the bridge module, the smooth metal extending far out in front of them. The back spine of the saucer section was painted black, a gentle slop led down towards the forward of the saucer where the main deflector sits.

"We've got some buckling in the plating..." Rea said as she pointed out where the hull had large ripples and buckles protruding from the usually smooth surface.

"I can see that. Will that create a problem when taking off?" Taiga asked.

"Not necessarily, but we would need to check its structural integrity before we attempt to fly the ship again," Rea replied as she made a note on her PADD. "We've done a basic survey of the hull, it seems like its mostly intact." she turned to look down at the starboard side of the saucer section. The starboard phaser arrays spanned across the ships name and registry number. The running lights were all dark and sat there grey and lifeless.

Taiga slid down the saucer followed by Rea. After a few minutes they approached the large semi-circle phaser array. Taiga crouched down and opened one of the panels on the outer hull. Below the panel was a small control screen. She began to tap at the screen. She looked up at Rea who seemed surprised to see the Captain knowing where the manual controls for the phaser arrays were.

"What?" Taiga asked as she looked up at the chief engineer.

"Sorry, I was surprised you knew where thet was..." Rea smiled. "Its not well known there are manual access controls for the exterior weapons..."

Taiga couldn't help but smirk. "Before I was a Captain I was the Executive Officer of this very ship. It wasn't very long, before I was given command at the last minute. Before that I was a Security and Tactical Officer. When I was assigned to the Tokyo, I made sure to know where every system that I needed to know about was, and every little detail I might ever need." She looked up at the Eifie.

"I know a lot about the Tokyo that most don't. I believe it makes me a better commander to know the ship more than anyone else." She explained as she tapped on the screen. "This phaser array still has power, but its aiming systems have been damaged. I imagine we'd need to replace the aiming sequencer."

Rea crouched down looking over the Captains shoulder and smiled. "I believe you're right Captain. I'll add it to the list of repairs." she said as she tapped on her PADD once again. "I respect the fact you know this ship so well."

"Why thankyou." Taiga said as she turned the screen back to standby mode and closed the protective flap. "Its my first time on the hull though..."

"Same," Rea said. She indicated for them to make their way towards the aft of the ship. They could do a visual inspection of the nacelles. Taiga walked slowly, being careful not to slip. If she slipped the risk of sliding down the side of the ship and off the edge was high. That would result in injury or worse, so Taiga was carefully watching her step.

"The Nacelles look like they're in good shape." Taiga said as they approached the rear edge of the saucer. She had never seen the Nacelles and buzzard collectors this close before. They seemed so massive in comparison to herself, it made her feel smaller than she already was. The blue of the nacelle grills were now grey and the once orange buzzard collectors also sat there lifeless and grey. "It's strange to see it so lifeless and grey..."

"Well, they are offline..." Rea said with a weak smile. "We still need to repair most of the engine damage. They look in good condition, but we've got several burnt out relays and several of the coils are also fused. We'll only have limited warp drive if we ever get back into space."

Taiga turned to Rea, a now serious look on her face. "Listen, we will get back into space. I swear I am going to do everything I possibly can to get us back. I have no intention of staying on this dustball of a planet. Plus..." She placed both hands on her belly. "I don't want to raise my child here. Its not a planet which has many opportunities."

Rea nodded in response. "I can understand that Captain." she turned as she looked up and down the hull again. "We have a minor breach in this section..." she said diveritng the attention from their immediate doom to something more relevant.

There was a small breach in the hull, only about four to five feet in diameter. It looked like it had been ripped off in the initial impact. Taiga made her way towards the hole and began to peer through. The room inside was dark and she couldn't make out much. "Whats behind here?" she asked as she turned to Rea.

The engineer looked at where they were on the schematics. "Its an inaccesible area. Looks like all thats behind there are the..." she paused for a brief moment. "Systems related to life support and external sensors..." She seemed a little confused for a moment. "But I don't remember this being noted on the survey..."

Taiga began to run her hand over the hole edges. It seemed hot to the touch, much hotter than the hull itself. "Wait a minute..." She took a step back and began to look at it from a different angle. "We need to get inside. Now!"

"Why, what's going..." She didn't need an answer as several disruptor bolts began to blast out of the hole.

"RUN!" Taiga shouted as she grabbed the engineer's arm and began to run along the hull of the ship. She glanced back to see two large Klingons climbing out of the hole. They were wearing old worn Klingon armour and carrying old disruptors. Taiga noticed their old weapons and knew their accuracy was pretty poor. "Seems like we have yet more visitors! But why didn't we detect them?!"

"External sensors must not have picked up their approach. Maybe they found a way to get in close without being detected." Rea replied as they kept low and avoided more disruptor shots.

"Aisaka to all hands. Klingons on the Starboard Bow. Intruder Alert!" Taiga called as she tapped her comm badge. Taiga and Rea ran together towards the airlock. The Klingons were hot on their tail. "Wait, I have an idea!" Taiga said.

She made an immediate diversion and slid down towards the starboard phaser array. She crouched down and pulled up the manual flap that revealed the control screen. "Please work..." Taiga muttered as she began to tap at the screen. Disruptor shots fired over her head as she tapped away working on bringing the phaser array back online.

Finally the shots stopped and it fell eerily silent. It was at that moment that Taiga realised that the Klingons had caught up. "Surrender!" one of them said in a gruff voice. "You are enemies of the Klingon Empire! We will slay you here. To your feet Human, I wish to kill you whilst you stand!"

Taiga looked up at the Klingon. "Nah, I don't feel like standing..." she said simply. She activated the screen. Taiga grabbed Rea and pulled her away as the phaser array fired sending a beam of bright orange energy into the air, taking the Klingons with it. They were instantly vaporised as the phaser erupted like a volcano, catching them by surprise and instantly dispatching of them.

The phaser burst was only short, but it was enough to get the job done. Taiga sat on the hull breathing heavily. "Honestly..." she said with a grin. "I had no idea if that was going to work." She told the engineer. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she sat there. "Remind me to have security and the marines set up a perimeter around the ship to stop anyone else sneaking up on us..."

Rea nodded and gave her a smile. "Yes Captian, I think that would be a good idea."

"I think I've had enough play time outside. Lets get inside..." Taiga said as she pulled herself up and brushed down her uniform. She looked down at the name on the side of the ship again and couldn't help but smile. This was her ship after all, and there was no way in hell she was just going to let it rot away in this desert.

Posting by

Captian Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Rea
Chief Engineering Officer

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