Rebuilding the Water Tower, Part 1

Posted on Sat Dec 9th, 2023 @ 4:00pm by Lieutenant Commander Johanna Lyngstad & Lieutenant JG Naltar Jerane & Ensign Sar

1,573 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Campor III, Ferengi Settlement
Timeline: MD C19

Paisley was standing in front of the water tower, a dubious look on her pretty face. She had never attempted such a thing before-she fixed warp cores and slip streams. She didn't have a civil engineer on her team, and her knowledge of that sort of thing was limited.

"Alright, Sar. What are your thoughts on where we should start?" She asked. "Ligan, I'm going in. Commander Lyngstad...well. I am not sure what you should do but let me know?" She pulled off her tunic and readied herself to climb up a tall ladder and into the structure's walls. Good thing she wasn't afraid of heights.

"The tower itself will need to be rebuilt." The replacement parts for the tower were there already. "Once that is done, we can install the filtration unit which feeds into the tower." Johanna consulted the design on her tricorder. She wasn't a civil engineer either, but the design seemed to make sense. Being a Vulcan design, it was quite logical.

Sar waited for Johanna to speak first as the ranking officer. A heavy toolkit was slung over one shoulder, carrying an even wider variety of tools than a standard pack. "Commander.. I believe it would be prudent to examine the internal and external systems of the hydro-extraction matrix, the quantum storage reservoir and the magnetic induction systems of the bilge pumps."

"Good idea, Ensign." Johanna nodded to Sar.

Paisley nodded. "Sar, please work on the outside for now. Repair the damage to the bilge pumps. Turner is going to send supplies as we need it, and I've got Garcia answering tickets back on the Ship. Let's go," she said, beginning the ascend into the deep, dark concrete structure. Normally, she'd have one of the guys do it, but it was dangerous and if something went South, she'd rather be the one hurt. Or worse. She didn't want to have to explain things to someone's mama.

"Right away, Commander." The Vulcan watched Paisley climb for a moment, calculating the risks of the assignment. He saw her actions as brave, yet thought her skill brought the odds in her favor. He was next to climb, hand and foot lifting rung by rung. He came to a platform dozens of feet high, each step echoing off the metal platform. Although he was high up, the platform extended far off around the side of the tank to provide plenty of space. A short gate provided a bit of extra comfort to those with a fear of heights.

Even Sar found himself calculating each movement more frequently, setting down his satchel. He pulled out a tricorder from its holster and began to scan the pump structure. A power source located high up powered long rods which worked to pump water deep from natural wells. There were also pump structures along the bottom of the tank that Sar would have to check. A secondary function of these pumps was to clear water which pooled between the tank and extraction area between operations.

Earlier in her career, Johanna would have been the first one going into the tower as generally the most athletic person. Now she had to supervise the whole operation. She watched as Paisley climbed the tower and as Sar began analyzing the structures.

"What're you picking up, Ensign?" Paisley asked Sar. She realized too late that she'd left her Comms badge down the ladder with her tunic. Damn it. Oh, well, she'd have to yell if something went wrong.

"The internal pumps appear to be disconnected from the power grid", the Vulcan replied matter of factly. "They need to be reconnected and polarized. I'm also reading that the pump arms are wedged and buried deep within a layer of sediment below the tank."

"Thank you. I am going inside," Paisley said, shifting her kit from one shoulder to her opposite side. She paused a moment to secure a headlamp so she could see. Figures her first assignment would require her to swim. She was half-Cardassian, lizards didn't SWIM! She sighed deeply, but found her footing, and was glad for the ladder inside that would lead her to the internal pumps. "Please be careful, Sar," she said, before she disappeared into the dark, damp structure.

Sar figured that the Commander's experience made her the better choice for entering the tower. It was clear that Paisley could have sent another inside and therefore wanted to enter the tower. Sar had no plans to question her decision, even internally. Instead he shifted his analysis to the access terminal at the platform.

Ivitha, meanwhile, while not involved in the construction of the tower itself, for that was very much more an Engineering thing, had her own tasks to do. The Andorian stood nearby with her crack team of three other anthropologists (and one anthropologist to be) briefing them on what to do - chief among them learning more about the settlement. Plenty of enthnographic work consisted of fieldwork, after all. "...and we'll meet back here by evening, mmkay? Samantha, if you'll bring Nugo with you, please? Travel together always, alright, and stay safe."

"Aye aye, boss! Hey, don't worry! You'll be fine, okay? Nothing's gonna jump out at us or anything like that, at most we'll just be shooed away!" The tan-skinned human woman reassured the visibly very nervous seven foot tall bespectacled Kelpien male looming behind her like a tree. In his slender hands he held a ridiculously thick pen and paper pile of notes - in addition to the PADD sticking out of his pocket. Ivitha had invited him along to get him exposure with the first fieldwork of his training cruise, and she was going to get him exactly that.

"Okay." He replied, in a surprisingly high-pitched voice for someone of his stature. He and his human partner disappeared into the settlement while Ivitha and her partner remained behind for the time being...

Sar analyzed the state of the access terminal behind a gated cover. It appeared the system had switched into a standby mode sometime after its last fill operation. Sar reached into his satchel and pulled out a sonic driver. He attempted to adjust the flow of frequencies behind the panel to awaken the system. The system's resistance showed there must be a deeper problem within the system. Sar brought the forked, illuminated tool closer to himself as he made fine adjustments to it. Once again he pointed it towards the panel and studied the reaction of the lights and sound.

Vashir saw saw Sar working on a panel with some tools, and climbed up to see what he was doing. "I don't think we are trying to salvage anything under the old system that should require a control panel up here," she said as she got closer. "What does that even do?" she asked.

"This panel monitors the operation of the various pumps and mechanics of the tower. It shows a visual of the extraction matrix as well." Sar turned from the panel to face her.

"The new design really just uses the tower as a reservoir. We'd like to salvage as much of the plumbing as we can, but the filtration systems themselves will be in the ground where the water feeds into the tower, and again when water leaves the tower to service the city." Ensign Vashir climbed a little higher so she could look down into the tower at the chief engineer.

"Indeed," Sar replied. "The tower also draws water from an underground aquifer that is used to supply the settlement. Commander F'Rar is working to repair an issue with the internal pumps. I am recalibrating and resetting the panel to prepare for a restart."

"Commander, we also talked about the feasibility about not have any of the control panels out here in the open where they could be tampered with," the young science officer continued. "Do you think it would be possible for all of that to be at one of their government buildings, or should they build something here?"

Paisley considered a moment before dipping down fully. "I will consult with Security, but I am inclined to put it in here, internally, so that only a select few know about it. The ultimate decision will be up to Commander Tomm and myself, though. I'll loop you in when I can," with that, the Carjoran continued her descent.

Down in the belly of the water tower, Paisley found the pumps in question. They were corroded, which made sense, being that they were in water. She had anticipated that, and had come prepared. From the anti-grav lift next to her, she selected a sturdy, fiberglass tube, and began her task to reattach them to each other-and then the outflow pumps. She could hear the pumps humming to life-Sar might be a little young, but he was good at his job, and she was grateful that he was a self-starter. A bit later, she shouted over the noise of the pumps. "Sar, ask Commander Lyngstad to get them started from below. Tell her to run them for ten seconds." Paisley backed away-she didn't want to get sucked away.

>> To Part Two >>

Lt. Commander Paisley F'Rar
Chief Engineer
USS Columbia

Lt. Commander Johanna Lyngstad
Chief Science Officer
USS Columbia

Lieutenant Rachel Soros
Chief Operations Officer
USS Columbia

Lieutenant J.G. Zeke Ligan ( also Ensign Vashir )
Security Officer
USS Columbia

Ensign Sar
Engineering Officer
USS Columbia

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