*ACTION*

"Whats the problem?!" Alota asked as she entered engineering.
"Were not sure" replied Chris Zodar, chief engineer, "The aft manouvering
thrusters just won't fire"
David Canazza stood beside Alota holding a pad and scratching his head.
"Look" he said "We've trried everything captain, no offence, but I don't see
what else you'll be able to do."
Alota smirked.
She may be the captain, but first and foremost she was an engineer, it's
where her life long ambition had laid until she was given a command postion
on the Blue Dwarf. Truth be told she was probably more qualified that the
engineers themselves, and when they were stumped, she loved nothing more
than to get her hands dirty and help them fix the problem.
She glanced at a diagnostics panel.
"Hmm..." she murmered "The thrusters themselves are operating at 110%....how
on earth did you manage that?!"
"Simple..." said Zodar. "I just chucked Mini-Phil's underwear in
there....after all the little guy's not gonna need em anymore...and they
burn like buggery"
"Hang about..." said Canazza, "If they're working then the
problem's.....moved...."
"What?" asked Alota and Zodar together.
"Well, I took a reading on the thrusters not 10 minutes ago and it read that
they were operating at under 5% efficiency, that means the problems gone..."
"Then why arent they working Dave?" asked Zodar
"Thats the thing...if it was GONE they would be...instead I think whatever
is causing it has infected another component."
"Yeah he's right look at this" Alota said "It's reading now as a blockage in
the cooling fan..."
"How is that possible?!"
"Computer bug?!"
"If it was the thrusters would still work...."
"Guess we take a look......" Alota said, and the trio hoisted some equipment
onto their shoulders and made their way to the coolant systems.
The main cooling system for the manouvering thrusters was an octet of giant
fans surrounding the thruster's main engine housing. Each of the eight fans
had a span, from blade to blade of over 100 feet and housed four blades
each, it was clear which one wasn't working when they arrived, it was the
only that didnt rotate.
"Think it's a blockage or something?!" Canazza asked.
"Could be...though it doesn't explain why it seems to move...." replied
Alota.
"I think I may have found the answer..." said Zodar, stood inside the blade
housing looking up at the axle. "Theres something up there..."
"WHAT?!" Alota asked "What kind of something?"
"I..." began Zodar, but it was too late, whatever it was, lashed out, it
moved so quickly all Canazza or Alota saw was a boody hole appear in the
back of Zodar's head and him falling to the ground, Canazza ran toward him,
as he did so whatever it was that was in the fan housing darted out, into
the main coolant area, without it being there to block the fan, it began to
roatate. Canazza tried to stop himself, but skidded into the blades, blood
spattering all over Alota.
"SECURITY!!!!" she yelled into one of Holly's terminals. But she was too
late as well. The thing that had killed Zodar and, indirectly, Canazaa had
in seconds, decapitated the Blue Dwarf captain.
2 hours later.
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU FeBUGGURE?!" yelled Jay, storming into Phil's
office "WHY WERE YOUR SECURITY FORCE NOT POSTED IN ENGINEERING?! WHY WAS
ALOTA ALLOWED TO ROAM AROUND UNGUARDED WHEN THERES A KILLER ON THE LOOSE!"
he grabbed Phil by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "SHE WAS THE
CAPTAIN FOR SMEGS SAKE!!!!"
"Jay..." said Phil "There was nothing we could have done...whatever this
thing is, its not picking up on any of the internal scans and is too quick
for us to respond before it strikes....."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Jay snapped "MY WIFE IS DEAD!"
"I've lost someone too Jay."
"I know...man...I know, I'm sorry..." he slumped back into Phil's chair and
held his head in his hands, fighting back the tears. "Promise me you'll find
it Phil............" Jay said, his voice filled with anger. "IT had just
better hope YOU find it before I do...."