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Gunnery controls can be accessed either at the navigator's position
or the command chair, although you wouldn't want to go beaming a
plasma charge through this place. These gun controls are fairly
complex: only Booths, Gonzo, and Patwardhan have even rudimentary
training in this. Firing the APC's weapons requires some coordination
between the command position and the nav/gunner, and we just don't
have that many skilled artillerists in the group to pull that one
off. Forget about the heavy weapons for now.
But Patty will make herself useful at the nav's position if Gonzo
doesn't offer to; Booths has his hands full with the smartgun. So he
probably won't be able to even take a seat.
There's a bank of two passenger seats behind the driver's position:
these chairs face toward the center of the vehicle, like the crappy
seats at the back of a metro bus. These have lock-down bars for
flight.
The command chair is on its own: Fenix is sitting here. Not really
commanding, more like multitasking. He's got so many things on his
plate right now that he doesn't quite know where to start.
From the main crew compartment (back to the topic of seating again),
where everyone else is gathered, it's easy to see the blurred deck
scans glowing on one of the screens that had been previously showing
the dead-flat lines of some marine. To re-cap: Levenson has just told
them that there are lots of little passages and things in the
engineering core, in the solid-blue middle of C deck.
There are at least twelve uncomfortable flight chairs in the back of
the APC. These face each other (crap bus seats) and have a narrow
corridor in between. So let's take a headcount and see how much alien-
food fits in a tin can.
Schabowski: drivin'.
Patwardhan: sittin' next to him, navigatin'. (Unless Gonzales wants
to do this instead.)
Fenix: sittin' in the command chair.
Stewart and Mnumbu (otherwise known as the two rookiee cops everyone
expects to see eaten in the next scene): standin' next to the APC
door, shuttin' it behind everybody after they get in.
That leaves Levenson, Healy, Gonzales, Beaudreaux, and Booths kind of
scattered around the back of the APC, standing where ever they can
find the room, shifting positions. Sato has taken a seat back there,
but he's still kind of in the way. There's a lot of bad vibes in
here, lots of anxiety and fears they don't quite know where to place.
For Booths and Patwardhan, and even Gonzales after all this time,
being in the APC is like another day at the office.
For those of the team that haven't run into the aliens before, all of
this might seem a little unreal. You guys really have no conception
of what kind of creatures you're dealing with. Those of you who have
run into them have seen only a glimpse of what they are capable of.
As Schabowski fires up the APC, he presents the rest of the team with
the obvious question. "So now where do we go? You know those big
cargo doors don't open by themselves. We need them open to go
through, to get to the elevators. Mr. Fenix I think that is a job for
you."
The vibration of the engine rises up through the sturdy metal floor
of the APC. Schabowski eases forward. Patwardhan leans over his
shoulder, peeking through the slanted glass viewport. "It was pitch
black when we first came in here," she says. "Your science people
must have done something right. Don't bother with the cargo door on
the right, there. That one was jammed when we came in, might still
be. And the one on the left is where we got slagged the first time.
That's where Morrison set off the shape charges, I think. Might be a
breach there. I say we check out the dropship 'fore we go anywhere
else. Turn this sucker around."
[Gonzales]
Alex pushes his way to sit in the flight seat that's as much across
from the door as he can get. Reason 1, covering fire, and reason 2,
it's a straight shot to get out of there should the need arise.
He neglects to latch the restraint, figuring that this heap o' tin
isn't going anywhere very fast. Still, he holds his weapon tightly,
comfoted by its nearness and the luinescent '99' in red numbers.
[Fenix]
Hearing my name, I snap out of my thoughts of how to get more data
finally saying "I'll open doors when they're needed, yes." Going into
the system, I work to find my way into the computer networks door
controls. I check for how to open, and how to emergency seal them
also.
His quick search for the cargo door controls is abandoned, since in
the later posts in this thread he's concentrating on getting ship
schematics, and he can really only do one thing at a time.
[Levenson]
Somewhat emboldened, Levenson braces himself as the APC begins to
move and hovers near the security officer working at the computer
terminals. Hoping to avoid another confrontation, Levenson tries his
best not to look like he's looking over the officer's shoulder, but
he does keep an eye of what's transpiring on the screens.
"Uh, sir," he says to the officer, "I've been thinking. Don't you
think we should get the layout for that engineering sector from the
Korea's main computer? I mean, there's got to be a complete schematic
somewhere in there, right?"
[Fenix]
Looking up at the newguy "So, you know a bit about systems? Good,
feel free to offer advise that makes sense. Which you have...
Unfortunately, I do not have a direct tie into the Korea from here, I
have to go through the APCs connection to the Gaines, and then BACK
through the Gaines's connection to the Korea. It's sorta like
starting at one's thumb, and traveling to the pinky by way of the
elbow. But...good idea." Search for any schematics information I can
find for the ship, and make that the background for the sensor
information I retrieve.
[Levenson]
"Well, I've got my computer terminal," Levenson tells the cop,
patting the green canvas satchel that hangs at his side." It's got
all the standard hookups. If we can find a network jack, I could
probably patch into the ship's files directly, download the
schematics, then upload them onto your terminal here."
[Fenix]
Talking while I work, "That would require knowing where a terminal
is, that's nearby and fairly safe. You want to go looking? I think
for now I'm willing to do it the slow way....although, if we can get
yours to link back into the APC remotely, then that might solve part
of the problem. Actually, I'm more than a little surprised that we're
having so much difficulty connecting from here to the ship directly.
Booths, why did the marines not get a direct connection setup to the
Korea's network from here?"
[Booths]
Booths had remained fairly quiet through out the entire episode.
Mostly, he saw no way of inconspicuously ramming a footlong steel
knife into that cop.
Having locked himself in (even 40mph can be fast, especially if you
brake real sudden like), he seemed to withdraw into himself. He
stirred only when Fenix asked his question.
"Brother was scrambled, and the bulkheads were too thick for radio
pulses." His eyes took on a faraway look. By far the most human thing
anyone had seen in Booths' eyes since this debacle started. "Vito
eventually got the 'puters back up and running, but it wasn't too
long before everything, including the lights, got cut by those
bastards."
He grinned good naturedly. "Why you asking me? They just pay me to
kill people."
[Schabowski]
"Next stop: the dropship" - Chris moves his limbs to coordinate APC's
movement, the maneuver seems to be done quite smoothly. Correcting
the destiny points' patch Chris, without turning his head, says -
"You say Booths, there is nothing about thinking in your contract?" -
he grins even wider than the marine - "As for your question, Fenix,
maybe they didn't want anybody... unauthorised to screw with the
network. Have in mind, that Korea is owned by WY. You wouldn't like
to let some ordinary private or even sarge from an APC peep into your
secrets, now would you?" - Schabowski steers clear of a large metal
obstacle on his way, and continues - "As for our situation, I don't
think it's really important. Let's better concentrate on our present
problems.
Fenix]
Talking more whilst he worked, "I don't know exactly what you meant
by 'not important to our current situation', but personally I found
that when I was in the field any information was important
information. Anything that tells me where to avoid, is good
information at this point." Pausing a moment I mutter "Hrm..." and
continue scanning.
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