Wending her way through the dust-lined corridors, Finn passes at least one spider-like robot, sunk into a mount of dust a good ten centimeters high, that's just sitting idle, presumably jammed with dust.
Eric's path led him away from the airlock rather abruptly, though since there's still atmosphere (for some reason -- wouldn't the dust be easier to deal with if there were no atmosphere?) sound does carry, and the occasional thump can be heard.
The comm. system relays perfectly, though at the moment Finn is only connected to Hale. After a few minutes of this, Finn reaches the 'locked' airlock door. The door itself appears intact, except that someone has used a crowbar to pry off the manual over-ride wheel, and then jammed that same crowbar into the control panel. It looks to have penetrated the tin plate with quite a bit of force....
Bending to examine the mess more closely, Finn frowns. "Well, this is a heap o' shit," she grumbles. "Hale, log this. Ship's Engineer Finn Ezekiel examined the airlock, found the override wheel'd been torn off, crowbar shove t'rough the controls. Prognosis for repairs, is, uh,"
Her voice trails off temporarily, as she tries to determine the full extent of the damage, and whether it can be bypassed.
The control panel might be reparable, but it's easier and faster to replace it, at least right away. This will require a stop at the workshop, where Eric presumably just went -- he might still be there, and could be reached on the comm. system.
The really hard part is going to be repairing the wheel. The machine shops might be up to it, but it's going to be a pain, and welding it in place without fouling the treads immediatly near it is going to be worse.
"Prognosis," Finn pronounces, "is that it's possible, but not fun. Hale, make sure our brave new Cap'n hears about t'is soonish, right? I'm gonna see what shape the workshop's in."
"Acknowledged," Hale replies, as Finn forges through the dust once more. It's easy enough to locate the workshop proper from all the swearing that Eric is doing.
A massive load of pipes has been thrown ... or dropped ... or maybe they just bumped around while gravity was off. Either way, they lie around haphazardly in front of the door to the workshop. They look like pretty heavy affairs, and Eric is busily trying to stack them in the hall so he can get through the door.
But as Finn enters the hallway, the lights brighten, at least.
"Since I c'n see what yer doin'," Finn pipes up in a cheery voice now, "ya wanna hand?"
Eric grunts, and looks up. "Yeah," he says after a second. "What the.... What on Congress happened here, anyway?"
"Donno," Finn says, moving around to get a grip on one of the pipes. "But somebody buggared the airlock. I'd say more'n a star happened here."
"I'll say," Eric mutters darkly. "And it--"
Whatever else he says is cut off, as Hale notifies Finn: "The Captain requests that you repair the airlock, Crewman Finn."
When he's done, Eric is finished speaking, face invisible behind the reflective mask.
"Sorry," Finn says, "didn't catch that. Hale was tellin' me that our great'n'fearless leader is offici'ly givin' me permission to be fixin' the airlock wot if don't get fixed will prob'ly kill us all. What were you sayin'?"
Eric snorts. "Just that this mess doesn't appear to be accidental, either. I suppose that the pipes may have simply been unmoored when the ship stopped accelerating, but that kind of carelessness seems unlikely."
"I's possible," Finn says. "I mean, they prob'ly weren't expectin' to be vaporized by a new star, sort of fing. On the other hand, last night or sixteen years ago, dependin' on how you count it, you were tryin' t' tell me somefing about First Crew. Seems like it'd be a good time to talk about it, ya know?"
Eric sighs, and breaks from shifting pipes around for a moment. His face is invisible behind his mask, but he sounds remorseful as he says, "I had said an unkind thing. Only that while they were competent at their duties, they were not ... stellar in the arenas of teamwork. I wish I had been more vocal about this while it might have ... perhaps ... prevented...." He trails off and shrugs, almost a comical gesture in the suit, and then starts moving pipes again.
"Yeah, well, there's some funny fings about you sayin' that," Finn points out, setting a pipe aside. "First, o' course, is that yer a geologist, an' not, as I generally unnerstand the situation, the sort of person that high muckety-mucks tend to listen to.
"An' the second fing is that wot we're lookin' at seems to be everyone dyin' wif a good bit o' help to get to that point, because I should let you know, I've used many crowbars and seen many airlocks, but I ain't never seen a crowbar get itself stuck in an airlock door wivvout a whole lotta help, right?"
"I would not exactly call it help," Eric says dryly. "But point taken." After shoving aside a few more pipes, the entrance to the workshop is largely cleared, though the floor looks to be strewn with debris and dust. "Now if only we knew what had happened here...."
"Well," Finn says, making her way into the workshop, "if ya start by finkin' that somebody was goin' round smashin' up airlocks an' whatever goes wif it, then you gotta end up finkin' that they di'nt want anyone fixin' their mess, right?"
Once inside the workshop, she surveys the damage.
The tools all look workable, just scattered around. There's about fifty half-assembled controls of some kind, though what they're for is not evident at a glance. Eric leans forward to look closely at one beneath the dust without actually touching it, and then points to a sign that says, "KEEP THIS WORK AREA CLEAN AND CLEAR AT ALL TIMES: SAFETEY FIRST!"
"Curiouser and curiouser," he says, shaking his head, and starting to load sections of piping into the material recycler.
Before helping Eric, Finn ambles over to carefully examine the half-assembled controls, trying to determine their purpose.
After examining the devices for a while, Finn comes to the conclusion that their purposes are unknown. But they aren't a part of a ship, or normal spacer-related equipment as far as she can tell.
Maybe it's something useful beneath the dust.
After clearing the floor of pipes, and stacking the tools on a clear portion of the workbench, Eric begins examining them for damage one at a time before putting them back in their respective compartments in the storage locker.
Further in the back of the room, just beyond the matter recycler, is a larger locker containing replacement parts for just about everything on the ship. There should be three lockers like this on the ship -- one near the bridge, and one between the center of the ship and each main airlock.
The problems with the manual override on the airlock takes precedence over the controls, Finn decides, and starts to collect the relevant equipment for repairing that.
One of the few tools left in the locker that Eric's still sorting out happens to cover that -- the welding torch. It'll take a lot of care to mount the wheel correctly, but it shouldn't be impossible.
"I'm gunna fix the airlock," Finn says, grabbing the appropriate tools. Barring an objection from Eric, she heads off to accomplish said task.
Eric nods, apparently focused on cleaning up the workshop. "Mind the pipes," he says as Finn is about to leave.
After that, tracing the trail through the dust back to the airlock is no problem.
Lacking any distractions -- or any desire to procrastinate, really -- Finn sets to work on repairing the airlock.
The work is tedious and meticulous, but not really very difficult, except for the part about holding the wheel in place while also welding it. But with patience anything is possible.
After the first weld, which is strong enough to bond the wheel to the pin it was snapped off of, the seal need to be allowed to seal. Currently, turning it will only break the seam, so it takes a successive welding attempt to try and reactivate the memory alloy and force it to resume its original structure.
While Finn is waiting for the join to cool, Hale says, "Crewman Kieran wishes to speak with you," and then opens up a connection.
<Finn> What's up?
<Kieran> You're working on the port airlock, right?
<Finn> Roight. Pretty much got the manuals fixed.
<Kieran> Alright. There are some things you should be aware of. First, keep track of that crowbar and don't handle it with your gloves off, I want the doctor in quarantine to check who last used it.
<Kieran> Second, the maintenance bot inside that airlock you're fixing reports fixing a blown pressure seal. I don't think that's correct, can you check that bot for tampering quickly?
<Finn> Uh, sure. Can't make no promises about the crowbar -- I already fixed that plate. Didn't handle it barehanded, but 's a rough job, right.
<Finn> As for the bot... I'll look at, but that ain't my specialty.
<Kieran> Well, just tell me if anyone hit it or similar.
<Kieran> Third, the starboard airlock has been sealed from the outside, once you're done with the communications array, could you unseal it?
<Finn> Easy nuff. By the way, looks like somebody tried to block off th' workshop, for what it's worth.
<Kieran> Any signs of a fight? No, wait, with that much dust . . . was it accessible?
<Finn> Yeah. Buncha pipes dumped in fronta the door. Easy nuff ta move, just took time. Nuffin' too botched up. Somebody'd been buildin' somefing in there, but couldn't figure out what it was from a quick looksee.
<Kieran> I . . . see. If you find anything else strange, let me know. Fourth, Hale reported something - possibly some debris - on the outside hull near the comm array. Once you're done repairing the array, ask him if he can guide you to it and check it out. I'm checking the recirculators; someone in the first crew was . . . tampering.
<Finn> Wot bleedin' fun. Awright. Hale started defrostin' the next bunch yet?
<Kieran> They're in quarantine for the next several hours yet.
<Kieran> Anything more you want to know?
<Finn> I'm finkin' that I want to get those maintenance bots Hale was talkin' about up and runnin' first, get them to take a look outside before I go walkin' myself. Startin' to sound like too much wrong outside to play this hand blind, ya know?
<Kieran> Understandable. The one in the airlock you're working on; once you've freed it, send it out to look around.
<Finn> If it ain't busted like everfing else.
<Kieran> Diagnostics say it's perfectly fine, it just can't leave. The dust dispensers don't extend inside the airlocks.
<Finn> Other than this pressure leak thing?
<Kieran> I think it's memory was tampered with. Sensors inside the airlock and on the bot claim the airlock is pressurized and not leaking, and diagnostics point the bot to be fine - it's the memory that I think was tampered with. It shouldn't have been in there in the first place, as far as I can tell.
<Finn> If someone futzed wif it's memory, ain't tellin' what else they futzed with. Still, wotcha gonna do, roight? I'll work on it.
<Kieran> Right. I don't think we're in any immediate danger, but keep an eye out nonetheless. Also, Hale tells me that there are two pressure suits unaccounted for.
<Finn> Mighta left 'em a few light-years back.
<Kieran> I know, but if they were outside the ship they should still be tethered there; Hale tells me that's not the case.
<Kieran> Keep me appraised of anything else strange you discover.
<Finn> Same for you, eh?
<Kieran> Agreed. We'll get all five of us together later and compare notes once we've dealt with the urgent problems.
<Kieran> Abernase out.
*Finn chuckles.
<Finn> Later.
Once the join is cooled, Finn hesistates, and reaches for her pockets, before remembering she's encased in a pressure suit. Instead, she picks up a wrench and hefts it thoughtfully. Okay. Pointin' port, I fix the controls first. Pointin' starboard, I pop the airlock and go check on the bot first.
With that, she tosses the wrench into the air, letting it flip end-over-end.
After wobbling end over end in the air as it tumbles down, the wrench smacks into the desk almost on end ... and balances, for just a moment before thumping to one side, the grip pointing port, and the head pointing starboard.
Putting the wrench back in the appropriate place, Finn uses the manual release to open the airlock. Stepping in, she promptly reseals the airlock (to keep dust out), before turning to examine the situation.
It takes some effort, but the reinstalled wheel seems to be working. One side is still a little bent, but functionality before form.
The door grinds open slowly and relatively quietly. The airlock within is pressurized, and the external door looks fine. Once the door is shut, the maintainence bot that's just sitting in the center of the floor starts to reactivate from low-power mode, though as the door is shut, it's just staying there for the moment.
There's nothing out of place in this room, as far as Finn can tell. Then again, the bot didn't have anything else to maintain, so it probably took pretty good care of this place.
Making her way over to the robot, Finn checks its condition.
Other then a small dent on the casing in the back, and a chip on the front (right side), it looks perfectly intact.
"Oi, Hale," Finn says, still studying the bot. "What do I need to do to get this fing up and runnin' again?"
"It is in working condition," Hale reports. "Merely unable to operate the door."
The bot finishes warming up, and turns sensors towards Finn briefly before examining the newly prepared door. Its clamp-like apendages should be able to grip the wheel on the door, but it does not try to leave the airlock.
Finn stares, somewhat irritably, at the robot. "An' why, eggzactly, is it unable to operate th' door?"
"Until now the door has been broken. Now the robot is unable to operate the airlock doors because one of the crew is in the airlock, and the robot is programmed not to interfere with crew activities," Hale explains.
Finn sighs. "Roight," she mutters, and then reaches for the airlock. Before she opens it, though, she frowns. "Hey, didn't Kieran say somefing about this fing having a busted pressure seal?"
"That is correct," Hale says. "The repair robot has since repaired this damage, however."
Finn shrugs. "Well, then, pass all that on to Kieran, I guess," she says, opening the airlock.
After Finn opens the airlock, the repair bot scurries out and plows through the dust, moving towards a maintainence locker. Another (somewhat larger) bot is already approaching, outfitted with some kind of quiet vaccum cleaner that leaves cannisters filled with dust lying in the corridor every few meters.
Finn frowns, watching the robot for a second. "Hale, whazit fink it's doin'?"
"Its battery is low," Hale replies. "It's been in energy conservation mode for several years, so it's reporting to the robotic maintainence bay. Would you like me to indicate the path there?"
"Nah, that's okay," Finn says. "I'm gonna fix the main control on th' airlock. Lemme know when the bot's fixed; I wanna send it out t' get a look at what's outside th' ship."
"Understood," Hale says quietly, while Finn works on getting the crowbar out and replacing the panel.
Some hours pass before the new panel is finally in place, and working (to all tests short of cycling the airlock and exiting the ship). In the meantime, the bots have come through the nearby hallways at least twice with their vaccums and have done a good job of reducing the general level of dust to only a centimeter or so. Hale still hasn't mentioned that a bot is ready to go outside the ship, but it's getting to be late, in ship time, and it's been a while since Finn's had any food....
...not to mention that the captain said he wanted to talk to everyone once they were done with their most immediate tasks.
Next step is the walk, an' ain't no worth in riskin' it, Finn thinks to herself, sauntering along the corridor back towards the bridge, with intentions both of checking in with the captain and grabbing a bite to eat.
The galley is nearish the bridge, so it's easy to stop in there and get something to eat. Luckily, the Prometheus is still in fine condition, so the galley seems okay.
Grabbing something in a tube (it does not generally bear worth to consider what it is that you're eating, specifically), Finn then heads off, munching en route, to find the Captain.
The captain has apparently just dismissed a very tired-looking Kelly, glimpsed only in passing on his way to his own quarters.
Finn now goes to Sifting through the Ashes (http://www.pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=45826#45826).
Leaving the bridge, Finn glimpses Kieran on her way to the airlocks.
"Oi, Kieran," Finn calls out cheerily. "What's up?"
Kieran pulls himself out of the access hatch.
"Too much. I'm going to the galley, I want something to eat. Where are you going?"
"Jus' came that way," Finn replies. "Goin' t' check the suits before I hafta take a walk, sort of fing." She shrugs.
"I'd do the same. Hale says they're alright, but . . ." Kieran grimaces.
"Hey," Finn says cheerily, "if ya can't trust Hale, ya better be resigned t' quick deaf, right?"
"We all know he's not operating at peak efficiency," Kieran points out reprovingly, "that's all I was saying."
"Nuffin' is," Finn says, shaking her head. Then she shrugs. "Anyways, enuf wif the flirtin'. I'd better get goin', y'know?"
"And I want something to eat," Kieran turns and starts towards the galley, ignoring Finn's wisecrack, "I'll talk to you again later."
Kieran now returns to Field Promotions (http://www.pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=47218#47218).
After Kieran ambles off to get some food, Finn goes about inspecting the suits to make sure nothing has been damaged or sabotaged. This takes about an hour or so.
Once the inspection is complete, everything appears to be in order. Other than the suits that are missing, at least.
Finn steps back, surveying her job, and then snaps her fingers. "Oh, yeah," she says, talking out loud to herself. "Gotta check those messages."
She heads off then, intent on doing that and then getting some shut-eye.
In the morning, Finn is awoken by Hale.
Finn now moves to Day One (http://www.pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=47487#47487).