I felt that Ensign Connor maybe needed a bit more justification than the head injury/concussion to make him break down like that. Also, maybe the Brig scene could be different. So here goes!
"Argh!" cried out Ensign Connor has his station exploded in his face. "Medic!" the Captain quickly yells out. The medic rushes over and tries to assist. Connor struggles to his feet, angrily saying "I'm fine!" before nearly falling over. "How many fingers am I holding up?" the medic tests, holding up 2. Connor tries to focus on them, saying "Um...three?". The medic realises he is likely concussed, acting almost like he is drunk. She tries to help him move, but then he grabs her hand and asks "Aren't you going to do the number of fingers test?", confirming to her that he IS concussed. Before she can react the Captain decides to step in,
"Ensign Connor! Get yourself to sickbay, get yourself fixed and then get back to duty!". The shout seemingly snaps the Ensign awake. He stand bolt upright and boldly states "Yes, Captain!", before feeling woozy and nearly collapsing. Another crewman helps the medic walk the Ensign off the bridge towards Sickbay.
(A little later)
The Ensign, the medic and the crewman are making their way along a corridor, not far from sickbay. The ship periodically shakes from hits. "You're going to be fine" the medic reassures Connor, just before he grasps his head. "UHHH..." he groans as he almost doubles over in pain, as the medic and crewman remain standing next to him. Suddenly, he hears a noise from ahead of him? With a "Huh?", still doubled over, he looks up. There is an explosion and everything goes black.
When he comes to the Ensign is lying on his back on the floor. "Owww..." he says as he feels stings of pain on the top of his head. Putting his hand there, he realises there are some bloody but superficial cuts there, and his hair looks and feels like someone fired a razor blade through it. He manages to sit up, saying as he turns around "Oh thank god, if I hadn't ducked down at that moment I'd....."
He never finishes his sentence, for as he turns he realises with a horrified gasp that the medic and crewman who were with him are lying on the floor, dead! Their lifeless eyes staring back at him. She has a large, ugly laceration along her neck. He has inches of jagged metal shrapnel protruding from his face. It's all too much for the concussed Ensign. Freaking out, he scrambles to his feet and starts running off in a direction, anywhere, anyplace but here!
The door to the brig opens. Michael reacts with confusion. "Connor? What happened?". Connor is barely able to avoid becoming a crying, gibbering wreck, talking to himself almost nonsensically "They're dead...they're dead! They were fine a second ago and then I ducked and they didn't and they're dead! That could have been me! We're supposed to be explorers not soldiers!" Struggling to get the Ensign's attention and understand what happened, Michael yells "Connor! You've taken a blow to the head! You need to get to Sickbay!". Seemingly shaken awake, Connor focuses on Burnham and replies "Yes...I...."
BANG!
There is a huge explosion and Connor is sucked out into space! Burnham can only helplessly watch in horror as she gets a front row seat to the effects of decompression on a human body. The Ensign's scream of "AHHHH-HURGHH!!!" is muffled by the sound-deadening effect of space. Blood streams from his eyes and eye sockets as he tries to cover them with his hands. Every square inch of uncovered skin starts swelling up like a balloon. His breath forces itself out of his body, evaporating instantly and coating parts of his mouth and nostrils in a thin film of frost and ice. And maybe worst, the expansion of gases in his stomach causes uncontrollable explosive vomiting. It is thoroughly a horrible way to die. And Michael realises, as the Brig is now exposed to space, her cell atmosphere held in only by forcefields, she has every chance of sharing the same fate....
(A little later)
Michael is conversing with Saru on how they are going to get her out of the brig. "Can't you just beam me out?" she suggests. "Unfortunately, no", replies Saru. "The brig computer is damaged and so are the brig power circuits. We are unable to simply cut power to the floor or ceiling forcefields. We'd have to cut all of the forcefields at the same time. Which also means we can't beam in a space suit."
Michael digests this info. "How much time till I run out of oxygen?". Saru replies "8 minutes, but that's not the problem. The CO2 levels in your cell will become toxic in 2 minutes".
There is a pause before Michael replies "Is there no hope of escape?". There is a further pause from Saru "Yes, but you are not going to like it. We can try and beam you out immediately after cutting power to the forcefields. With luck and timing, we should be able to get you without prolonged exposure to space."
Michael ponders this "That does seem to be my only hope." Resignedly she says "Ok, do it.". Saru prepares "Acknowledged. Do you still remember the protocols for surviving exposure to vacuum?" "Yes". Realising how delicate and precarious her situation is, Saru asks "Would you like me to go through them again now?" Almost gladly, she replies "Yes.", finding herself in the unexpected situation of wanting to hear his voice, a comforting life-line before her upcoming ordeal.
"30 second countdown. We're sending medics to the transporter room now. Close your eyes tightly, and cover them with your hands. Your capillaries may burst. Do not hold you breath or your lungs or throat may rupture. Breathe out one second before exposure to space. Your breath may evaporate and form frost or ice crystals on around nostrils and mouth. Your skin will swell up like a balloon. 10 seconds. And finally the expansion of gases inside your gastro-intestinal tract may cause uncontrollable explosive vomiting, urination and/or defecation. God be with you. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." Trembling from the adrenaline and fear, Michael closes and covers her eyes, and breathes out one last time.
There is a horrible rush of air, and the awful pain starts. Michael screams in agony as the transporter activates. Rematerialising mid-scream, she throws up, doubles up and collapses to the floor, blood streaming from her eyes. The transporter officer yells "Get her to sickbay now!" as the medics rush to aid Michael.
"Argh!" cried out Ensign Connor has his station exploded in his face. "Medic!" the Captain quickly yells out. The medic rushes over and tries to assist. Connor struggles to his feet, angrily saying "I'm fine!" before nearly falling over. "How many fingers am I holding up?" the medic tests, holding up 2. Connor tries to focus on them, saying "Um...three?". The medic realises he is likely concussed, acting almost like he is drunk. She tries to help him move, but then he grabs her hand and asks "Aren't you going to do the number of fingers test?", confirming to her that he IS concussed. Before she can react the Captain decides to step in,
"Ensign Connor! Get yourself to sickbay, get yourself fixed and then get back to duty!". The shout seemingly snaps the Ensign awake. He stand bolt upright and boldly states "Yes, Captain!", before feeling woozy and nearly collapsing. Another crewman helps the medic walk the Ensign off the bridge towards Sickbay.
(A little later)
The Ensign, the medic and the crewman are making their way along a corridor, not far from sickbay. The ship periodically shakes from hits. "You're going to be fine" the medic reassures Connor, just before he grasps his head. "UHHH..." he groans as he almost doubles over in pain, as the medic and crewman remain standing next to him. Suddenly, he hears a noise from ahead of him? With a "Huh?", still doubled over, he looks up. There is an explosion and everything goes black.
When he comes to the Ensign is lying on his back on the floor. "Owww..." he says as he feels stings of pain on the top of his head. Putting his hand there, he realises there are some bloody but superficial cuts there, and his hair looks and feels like someone fired a razor blade through it. He manages to sit up, saying as he turns around "Oh thank god, if I hadn't ducked down at that moment I'd....."
He never finishes his sentence, for as he turns he realises with a horrified gasp that the medic and crewman who were with him are lying on the floor, dead! Their lifeless eyes staring back at him. She has a large, ugly laceration along her neck. He has inches of jagged metal shrapnel protruding from his face. It's all too much for the concussed Ensign. Freaking out, he scrambles to his feet and starts running off in a direction, anywhere, anyplace but here!
The door to the brig opens. Michael reacts with confusion. "Connor? What happened?". Connor is barely able to avoid becoming a crying, gibbering wreck, talking to himself almost nonsensically "They're dead...they're dead! They were fine a second ago and then I ducked and they didn't and they're dead! That could have been me! We're supposed to be explorers not soldiers!" Struggling to get the Ensign's attention and understand what happened, Michael yells "Connor! You've taken a blow to the head! You need to get to Sickbay!". Seemingly shaken awake, Connor focuses on Burnham and replies "Yes...I...."
BANG!
There is a huge explosion and Connor is sucked out into space! Burnham can only helplessly watch in horror as she gets a front row seat to the effects of decompression on a human body. The Ensign's scream of "AHHHH-HURGHH!!!" is muffled by the sound-deadening effect of space. Blood streams from his eyes and eye sockets as he tries to cover them with his hands. Every square inch of uncovered skin starts swelling up like a balloon. His breath forces itself out of his body, evaporating instantly and coating parts of his mouth and nostrils in a thin film of frost and ice. And maybe worst, the expansion of gases in his stomach causes uncontrollable explosive vomiting. It is thoroughly a horrible way to die. And Michael realises, as the Brig is now exposed to space, her cell atmosphere held in only by forcefields, she has every chance of sharing the same fate....
(A little later)
Michael is conversing with Saru on how they are going to get her out of the brig. "Can't you just beam me out?" she suggests. "Unfortunately, no", replies Saru. "The brig computer is damaged and so are the brig power circuits. We are unable to simply cut power to the floor or ceiling forcefields. We'd have to cut all of the forcefields at the same time. Which also means we can't beam in a space suit."
Michael digests this info. "How much time till I run out of oxygen?". Saru replies "8 minutes, but that's not the problem. The CO2 levels in your cell will become toxic in 2 minutes".
There is a pause before Michael replies "Is there no hope of escape?". There is a further pause from Saru "Yes, but you are not going to like it. We can try and beam you out immediately after cutting power to the forcefields. With luck and timing, we should be able to get you without prolonged exposure to space."
Michael ponders this "That does seem to be my only hope." Resignedly she says "Ok, do it.". Saru prepares "Acknowledged. Do you still remember the protocols for surviving exposure to vacuum?" "Yes". Realising how delicate and precarious her situation is, Saru asks "Would you like me to go through them again now?" Almost gladly, she replies "Yes.", finding herself in the unexpected situation of wanting to hear his voice, a comforting life-line before her upcoming ordeal.
"30 second countdown. We're sending medics to the transporter room now. Close your eyes tightly, and cover them with your hands. Your capillaries may burst. Do not hold you breath or your lungs or throat may rupture. Breathe out one second before exposure to space. Your breath may evaporate and form frost or ice crystals on around nostrils and mouth. Your skin will swell up like a balloon. 10 seconds. And finally the expansion of gases inside your gastro-intestinal tract may cause uncontrollable explosive vomiting, urination and/or defecation. God be with you. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." Trembling from the adrenaline and fear, Michael closes and covers her eyes, and breathes out one last time.
There is a horrible rush of air, and the awful pain starts. Michael screams in agony as the transporter activates. Rematerialising mid-scream, she throws up, doubles up and collapses to the floor, blood streaming from her eyes. The transporter officer yells "Get her to sickbay now!" as the medics rush to aid Michael.
