Stardate: 70506:1814
Title: The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back
Author: Ensign Corren Varrn
Time: Current
Scene: Engineering / Brig


Ensign Varrn tapped away at the computer console, his eyes darting back and forth between the console and a data padd.

With so many things to do and with the engineering team already under pressure, Corren had offered to take on some of the more basic engineering duties in order to 'lighten the load', as it were, on the Engineering crew.

Corren started to mumble to himself, a habit that he had acquired only since he had started spending more time around humans. Suddenly he stopped and stared incredulously at the console screen, then raised his head to look at the warp core, and then back to the console. His face creased into a perplexed frown, and he tapped in a few numbers bringing up a different screen.

Immediately his expression changed to a look of horror, and he swung back to look at the warp core again. Only now the swirling plasma had turned from light blue to blood red, with long swirling tendrils of black fusing with the deepest red in the centre of the core.

The Ensign moved forwards toward the main console but as he stepped forward a deep red mist spiralled out from the core and started creeping towards him, small flecks of black lightning flashed out from the mist searing the floor and surrounding walls, and driving Corren back behind his console station, but the mist continued to creep forwards. He pressed a series of buttons on his console and stepped back just as the red mist enveloped the spot where he had been standing.

At that moment, two security officers entered engineering, their phasers drawn. Corren turned towards them just as they fired; he managed to duck in time and the phaser beam flew past, almost hitting the core. He swung himself under the beams and charged the two security officers, knocking them off their feet before they had time to react. One of them threw himself on Corren's back and tried to bring him to the floor but the Ensign threw him off, sending him sprawling into the red mist.

Corren kicked out, sending the other man into the bulkhead, and turned back to see if the man he had thrown into the mist was still alive. His answer came when the beam of the Security Officer's phaser hit the Tactical Officer square in the chest.
Once, twice, three times the officer fired. Corren went down like a brick.


=/\= Two Hours Later - The Brig =/\=

Two Security Officers stood at the Brig console, talking in low tones. Corren lay still, his eyes closed, obviously still unconscious. The two men seemed to be talking about the incident in Engineering. The larger of the two men seemed to be dominating the conversation, while the smaller did the listening.

"You know if he managed to vent the core, we'd be stuck here forever..."

The man was cut off, much to his annoyance, as the Chief Medical Officer entered the room. Ted nodded his head to the two men.

"The Captain wants Corren questioned, and I want him to be able to actually speak, not just snore."

The Security Officer lowered the forcefield, looking sheepish. Doctor Matthews entered the cell and proceeded to check Corren's vital signs.

"Was it really necessary to use maximum stun on him? That high a charge could have killed a human."

The large Security Officer nodded.

"Understood, Sir. We will attempt to use more caution in the future."


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Ensign Corren Varrn
Tactical Officer
Strategic Operations Advisor
USS Horizon
NCC-72400
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