Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

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Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #75 – April 20, 2017, 08:06:39 AM

[Captain Tristan Kendrick | Aerowing ] Attn: All
The sight of the command center being ripped apart brought Kendrick a slight amount of joy. He knew that this wasn't going to last however. Te pulse phasers were doing their work, but he was worried. Worried that Hawthorne would get away, worried that his ship's warp core could breach, and take down too much of this station. When the reinforcements began firing upon him, he wanted one thing, and one thing only. So, he had the tactical systems ignore the new targets.

With so much fire on him, the Aerowing shuddered and lost it's shields with the usual line of sparks and explosions and plasma fires. The same kind of damage that had ripped the Resolve apart. He supposed if he ran now, he could get to the transporter pad. He could jump to the closest ship, make another run for it.

No, he was past that point. His radiation poisoning was too severe, being too dead to keep this going. "I was supposed to retire." He shook his head as he voiced the thought. The computer screeched it's concerns about structural integrity. Then, he saw something through the raining sparks on the small bridge. Two persons, fighting. He gave another scan of the command center. He would rather only hit Hawthorne, having thought all Theurgy crew had beamed out by then, if they had even been there to begin with. Then, the LCARS screen told him the other life form was a Romulan. There was literally only one person it could be, and he knew what he had meant to do when he returned to Starbase 84. Drauc made it...

"Computer, lock onto the Romulan life sign and prepare for a site to site transport." Now, he just had too figure out where to put the man. Their were a few ships that were taking heat in the battle, with limited times and options. A familiar one had had no shields left. He opened up the consule controls and picked out the one person he knew could use a calm head. He tried to hail the destroyed command center again. "Tell Tancredi... Tell her I said goodbye.."

With that last comment, suspecting the Romulan would never hear it, he energised the transporter systems before they frayed, and beamed the man to the Fuzzy Flayer. Moments after, the transporter systems went offline, that part of his controls exploding from overheating. But hopefully, the man would be gone and safe.

[Warning. Warp core breach imminent.]

"Oh no you don't... You will explode when I tell you too. Arm self destruct, Alpha-Command-Kendrick-Three, and..." He pushed the commands. "Full ahead!" The Aerowing started to move. pushing forward as fast as atmospheric flight would allow. It's engines were clipped, trailing smoke and fire as the ship lurched forward, and crashed against the EOC Tower's top level. It was still firing the phasers as it went in, the entirety of the vessel overheating as metal scratched and smashed against metal. He remembered the three years with his crew. Closed his eyes in the reverie.

Then... nothing.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #76 – April 20, 2017, 11:13:24 AM

[ Ian Hawthorne | Command Center | EOC Tower | Starbase 84 ] Attn: All

The shoulder and neck of Ian Hawthorne host's body had been grazed by a pulse phaser bolt when the Resolve's auxiliary craft appeared and opened fire - the voice of Captain Kendrick booming inside the command center. As much as he revelled in the sensation of pain - from the strike his neck had suffered from Lieutenant Commander Marquez and the phaser burn alike - the suppressed host-mind of Ian Hawthorne did manage to wrest a semblance of control in the commotion. In severe agony, Ian was of two minds simultaneously, where parasite and host coexisted in control of the injured flesh-puppet they wore. Having taken cover, the parasite called for reinforcements, but the rightful owner of the body...

...his eyes lay upon Cameron Henshaw, where she lay prone on the floor to avoid the rapid fire from Kendrick's shuttle. He wanted to say something, make sure she wasn't hurt, to ask forgiveness since he had not been strong enough. To tell her he did love her, and that it hadn't been him that tried to kill her. He met her eyes across the distance, separated by the phaser fire that whisked by between them, and while he could not say anything, his gaze was twisted in regret. I'm sorry... Oh, Cammie, I am so sorry...

Then, as he looked into her eyes for the last time, she vanished - beamed away from the area - and if she had been the last anchor for the original owner of the body, the nameless darkness seized him again. Starbase security opened fire against Kendrick, and in the respite of the phasers straying away, he stood up in hope to see the Resolve's Captain finally die.

Only what he did see was the Romulan in the threadbare cloak coming at him, savage strikes landing across his head and chest. With an inhuman sound escaping his throat and the abyss inside, Ian began to fight back - trading blows with the last remaining adversary left in the Ops center. The Romulan seemed able to anticipate his strikes, giving him an advantage at the onset of the fight, but he was no match - the brief bout soon shifting to Ian's favour. In seconds, he had the Romulan down on his knees, bleeding and reeling in imminent defeat. Ian thought he heard a voice overriding the winds, but he cared not, just about to strike the blade of his bionic hand into the fool's torso...

...when the Romlan vanished - beamed out like Cammie and the rest.

Looking behind him, Ian saw the burning craft Kendrick flew outside the broken glass panels, still there, and it's searing stream of phaser fire returned when the shuttle adjusted its altitude. Ian was caught in the middle of it - flying backwards when a couple of bolts hit his limbs. He landed hard against the railing above the bottom level, the host body no longer receptive to movement. One arm gone and a part of his torso missing, charred and with his uniform on fire, Ian raised his eyes to see the Aerowing lurch forward - entering through the broken glass panels with a loud, screeching noise and with phasers still ablaze.

In the last moment before the warp core detonated, Captain Hawthorne smiled...

...because Cammie was safe, and his nightmare had finally ended.

[ Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Dewitt | USS Allegiant | Bridge | Upper Deck ] Attn: EAC, Kaligos & Steelphoenix

The orders from Commander Trent were utterly clear, and it was pure happenstance that had them already close to Vector 03 and the Allegiant's docking bay... if they only could catch up with it while it moved to reintegrate with the other Vectors of the Theurgy. A big 'if' right there.

"Get us the hellz out of here," said Sithick, and Jennifer could not have said it better. "As the Petty Officer says, step on it!" urged Dewitt, directing herself to Jaya Thorne. The hope of survival against all odds that filled her voice almost forgave the archaic expression - the saying a remnant from when humans drove automobiles on wheels in the city streets. All brittle hope escaped her though, when the shimmer of a transporter beam-in lit the damaged bridge interior. They were being boarded, and Dewitt reached for her hand phaser, having it by her hip where she sat strapped to her chair.

Yet as she took aim, Sithick had already thrust himself towards the new figure on the small bridge, and she refrained from discharging her stun beam - the mass of the gorn in her sights. The figure avoided Sithick's attack, drifting away in the last moment, and Dewitt adjusted her aim. Then she heard it speak, saw dark fur against dark bulkhead, and fanged teeth moving. Golden eyes looked back at her, and whatever it was, the figure surrendered. Jaws clenched, Dewitt almost stunned the figure anyway because at the present critical juncture of their operation, she did not want Jaya Thorne distracted.

"Then shut up and hold on to something!" she called over the sharp noises of the damaged bridge - debris and liquid fire in the air.

With her phaser still pointed towards the new passenger, Jennifer turned her head to see if Thorne could make it in time...

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #77 – April 20, 2017, 10:28:51 PM

[Hylota Vojona | Isolation Ward 02| USS Theurgy| Vector 02]

Hylota tried her best to keep her breathing under control as she was covered and crowded by the other two, she was not thinking completely straight. To Hylota the battle was not her concern, she had no control over it and she was completely at the mercy of the forces of the battle, she could not change that, but as a member of medical she had been trained to tune out the threat to the ship and focus on patients, she did not worry about the battle unless it came to her.

As Maal began to get proper scans he was able ton see why the egg was not moving so comfortably through her, it was not too large to pass, but it was a partially calcified mass that would be painful to move through her sensitive insides, and from what could be seen at least one other egg was like that and was already moving through her. Groaning Hylota pushed against her eggs as she began to dilate and the first egg began to make its way out.

As Hayden then told Maal to look after her while she went to get phasers Hylota took a long deep breath. "Just don't put it in my reach or I might do something I will regret out of discomfort." Hylota squirmed and tensed as she began to pushed her egg as it started to crown, the egg was mostly spherical but had strange indistinguishable calcified matter inside of the membrane that held it all together, but as it moved into the water there was a distortion in the water as other fluids began to mix in with the water as Hylota began to scream in discomfort from the laying of the deformed egg.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #78 – April 22, 2017, 01:17:12 AM

[ MCPO Nolak Kalmil | Main Engineering | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

Master Chief Nolak Kalmil held the near empty bottle next to him as he admired his handy work. The mess in front of him looked like a demented robotic spider took up habitat under the tanks. There were wire crossing every which way, and connected to the fuel injection main circuit boards, circuit breakers, and some bypassed their original connection points completely. He swished around the remaining liquor left in the bottle as he reached over and overrode a couple final adjustments to the power board.

The bottle in hand he raised it to his lips and finished the last of liquid. He then placed the empty bottle into the tool belt. Shouting out to Thea still standing at the computer station, “I’ve done all I can do here, how do we look?”

The holographic projection of Thea monitoring the computer said in a somewhat monotone voice, “Master Chief, it appears your repairs have caused more errors messages and problems than fixes. However, power output has increased 18%, and appears to be stable despite the errors indicated. Can I now transport you out of here and into sickbay? I fear for your health.” She said with concern in her voice.

As Nolak crawled his way out from under the tanks he continued to fiddle with a panel here, or a wire connection there as he went. “My place is in engineering, Thea.” He said as he emerged from under the crawl space and sat up rubbing his aching shoulder. Feeling a bit drunk from drinking he sat by the tanks for a short while looking around the steamy warp chamber feeling at peace. He loved being here instead of anywhere else on the ship. The ship shook and rattled again from another strike. He shook himself back into the action.

He rose to his feet and moved next to Thea standing at the computer panel. He checked the read outs for himself. Indeed the damage report grid was flashing mostly red after his jimmy rigging, and he went through each damage issue and manually overrode the safety errors. He then went about and directed the extra power to the ships shields and maneuvering thrusters. Speaking to Thea, “Thanks for your concerns. I’m feeling better now.”

He pressed the battle bridge intercom button and spoke, “Greetings up there, hope you got a plan to get us out of here, because this was the very last trick up my sleeve. Anymore tampering and we might as well chuck the warp core out and use it like a weapon the same way the Resolve’s core was used. Also ignore any critical readings coming from engineering now. I’ve got things so rewired and bypassed in here if we have a core breach, we won’t know about it until after the fact, at which point we won’t have to worry much anymore. Over, and out.”

He closed the channel and leaned on the computer station drunkenly. Looking up at the tactical display he watched as the fleet maneuvered about trying to seal off any chance of escape; Vector 01 still appeared to be adrift in space; the USS Chester wasn't rounding about for another attack; and he wondered about those saucers attacking Task Force Archeron. There were other power signatures in the star field but those readings were harder to figure out with sensors also being jammed and some damage sustained in the battle.

“Looks like quite a party the Captain got us into this time. We did all of this just to broadcast a message. Even that appears to be all fowled up. With so many lives lost and it looks like we’ve got nothing to show for it. Guess I should have never have woke up, but it sure felt good being an engineer again one last time.” He gave the computer panel a loving pat and turned to Thea next to him. “Sorry I got snippy with you. Do you have any clever advice left?”

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #79 – April 24, 2017, 12:35:43 AM

[ Zelosa Ejek | Conference Lounge | U.S.S. Theurgy ] Attn: DocReno, FollowTomorrow, Auctor Lucan, Anyone else

Zelosa Ejek felt queasy. Her mind was racing, covering what felt like a hundred topics a minute. Mentally, she tried to catalogue and come to terms with the developments when, suddenly, she was enveloped by arms. The touch was like a static shock, causing the young Cardassian woman to flinch, pushing out on those limbs closing around her. It was a visceral reaction, breaking the hold before it even really took place. Whether the hug was designed to bring her concentration back to the moment at hand or just provide comfort in a time of need, it certainly did the former. Stepping away, she twisted quickly, checking who it was that had given her such a fright.

“Lieutenant!” She scolded quietly, trying not to alert the others in the room. She wanted to chastise him, quoting regulations about workplace conduct and appropriate touching but instead she said nothing. In truth, it was not who had touched her that was the problem but the location. That sort of activity shouldn’t have happened in front of their colleagues. She understood that Keval wanted to show that he cared, but it should not have been done like that, it certainly wouldn't have been back on Cardassia. She was not a weak, frail flower that needed comfort and protection. Breathing a sigh through her nose, she leveled her head with a simple reminder. Different cultures, simpler minds.

In all this insanity that was Kendrick’s death, the end of the Resolve, and whatever was going on Theurgy, Ejek knew she was glad to have Keval there with her. She just wished he showed that he cared in a better way. What she liked about him was his logical side. In secret, that aspect of the man attracted her, though she’d never admit it. If it had been logical, subtle support, she'd like that a lot better. Instead, the Andorian received a disapproving look for his work, while Ejek felt a small blush of embarrassment running up the back of her neck ridges.

Finally averting her eyes from the silent staring content between them, she checked across the room. Whatever was happening on screen had provided suitable distraction from the cute but unwanted reaction of her colleague. It was at that point that she caught a glimpse of Suq. Leaving Keval behind, alongside all thought of their interaction, she rushed to her friend’s side. Kneeling beside the Efrosian with his head between his knees, she watched over him, a concerned look knitting her brow ridges.

“Suq, can you hear me? Are you alright?”

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #80 – April 24, 2017, 01:25:05 AM

[ Lieutenant Keval ch'Rayya | Conference Room | USS Theurgy ] Attention: Arista, et al

Keval understood Zelosa's reaction, it was a near mirror of what happened a few years ago to him but in the end it had the desired result and he watched how she reacted with a trained eye as she went over to their fellow crewmate and offered to help.

Keval in turn went over to Zelosa, bent over just enough so that he could whisper into her right ear "I'm sorry about that but right now we need you, Zelosa..*I* need you because until we can find out what's happened to Striker..use what your feeling and focus it, we need you now more then ever."

The andorian then straightened back up and went to the middle of the room and in a very loud, clear tone he said "Alright, I know that things look bad right now but Kendrick knew what he was doing and he put our safety above everything including his own life."

Keval paused for a second, not just to let that sink but also to give himself a moment to think as he didn't realize how hard the loss of his friend was hitting him as his now late captain was like a brother to him after everything was said and done. "I know it's hard in that we just lost a home, our homecoming in turn has become something of a complete and utter mess, and now we're on a ship that's being hunted by our own fleet."

Keval motioned at the view screen that they had seen everything on. "I'm going to be upfront with you in that before all of this started today, the captain and I had a chat with the base's commander and he fed us a lot of bull about this *VERY* ship and it's crew which meant that right now, it's perhaps the best place for us to be..if not the safest." the Resolve's CTO and Second Officer said plainly as he turned around to take in every single one of his fellow officers. "I know that we've lost the only home that we've had for the past few years and we've lost a lot of people that we've cared about today..but we are the officers and crew of the Resolve and we have survived our exodus to come home and we *WILL* survive this exodus, I promise you."

Keval then turned to face where Zelosa was with Suq, his tone becoming less loud but just as clear. "We tend to our own, help our new shipmates, and survive..we owe it to our friends who aren't here now to carry on."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[ Captain Marcus A. Slayton | Conference Room | Starbase 84 ] Attention: Et all.

As per tradition, the commanding officer of the USS Orcus was the last one to be beamed off of his command and was escorted into a conference room instead of being taken to sickbay, the medic that had been attending to him the entire way from his bridge had stayed by his side.

"I need to know the exact situation in local space, Number One..." Marcus was about to say when suddenly there was a powerful rocking of the station followed by a new series of alarms that made Marcus' left eye narrow.

"What in the name of the Prophets was that?!" the medic asked, her tone tight with concern.

"Collision alert..something rammed into the station itself." Marcus growled hotly despite the drugs in his system before he turned to look at his First Officer. "Secure me a terminal and then find out what the hell just happened."

His Executive Officer did just as he was told before helping Marcus over to a seat at the head of the table where an independent station was and accessed a secured line in the communications network. "Starship Archeron, this is Captain Slayton from Starbase Eighty Four. Security Code Slayton Orcus Gamma Gamma Six One Nine Orange, authenticate." Marcus said into the channel. "Put me through to the admiral."

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #81 – April 25, 2017, 04:37:30 AM

[ Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark and Lt. (jg) Sarresh Morali| Main Bridge | USS Theurgy - Vector 01 ]

Elim Garak - the name meant something to Sarresh, but said something was buried deep in the recesses of his mind, and he wasn't in the mood to drag that out just then. No he was still shaking from head to toe in rage at the stupidity, the loss. This damn Trill had just cost them so much. Had just invalidated everything he'd done. "Dammit. DAMMIT," he barked, but it was too late. Ives was there, ordering Thea to beam away the injured former officer. With one source of rage gone, Sarresh was damned ready to lash out the follower.

Too late for that, however - Security already had him in hand. He had - he had to do something. Ives was back in his - her - command chair, issuing orders, but Sarresh wasn't stupid. The former Ash'reem had seen the look on Ives face as they both loomed over Rez: defeat. The captains biosigns screamed it in those damned eyes of Lt. Morali's. Furious and frustrated, he pushed away, stalking back to the auxiliary science station. He had...had to find away to fix this mess.

For an instant, in all the turmoil, Lt. Cmdr. Stark felt eyes on her. She glanced back, over her shoulder, and saw Lt. Tovarek looking her way. She managed a shaky nod, but that was it. There was too much going on, and Natalie knew she had to focus. The order had been given and lives were at stake. "Proceeding with transports now." Her voice utterly devoid of all emotion.

She didn't look at the man next to her, piloting the ship - the one from the Resolve. She didn't think about Aisha, or how helpful she had been during the SAR mission with her and Ida and how she was now a corpse, just like Winterbourne. Natalie compartmentalized, bottled, buried, sucked in a deep chest filling breath of air - and did her job. She worked with the transporter rooms across three vectors, coordinating and cajoling power where needed, sweeping the Starbase of their personnel.

And never mind the crazy, grinning man sitting where Aisha should have been. She'd just pulled the remaining crew off the Starbase's command center when she heard something, a gasped wail in the back of the bridge.

It hit like a ton of bricks. One minute he was pulling up the transmission pulse recording, trying to prase it for some clue some detail as to what else Joan - Edena - the fucking Trill - had hidden anything else he might be able to parse. Maybe something his training from the future would pick up on and trigger. The next minute, something triggered all right.

The tingling at the back of his neck was the first warning. It built up, pressure behind a wall, a damn threatening to crack. Readings were scrolling across his screen that had nothing at all to do with the message he'd been dissecting. In reality - the readings were all in his head. The screen was perfectly blank. But the damn was bursting, the engrematic programming buried deep in the recesses of his subconscious was releasing a new data packet, a warning. Memories surfaced, flooding the former Ash'reem. He let out a pained wail of distress, crashing back against the console, twisting and falling forward onto the deck. He curled in around himself as sound, sight, all of it bled out.

Natalie whipped around in her seat, mouthing off a fast, "What the hell?" She wasn't the only one, and frankly, after a moments confusion, she understood. The last time she witnessed this, the Temporal Officer was still an Ash'reem - and the Calamity had been arriving on the scene. "Oh not again," she whispered, and then louder, "Its a seizure." The revelation spurred crewmen closer to the time traveler into action.

"Ami'kris....and Niga," he groaned out. He couldn't see anyone around him though he was sure, absolutely sure he was surrounded. Hands were positioning him, trying to support his head, keep him from choking on his own tongue. No, he saw a screen that didn't exist, hadn't been invented yet. a 29th century read out. Temporal waves, splitting - no, forking. The temporal incursion. The Ash'Reem DNA found on a mutated planet where none should exist. And now it was...oh no.

"Paradox....the cycle has been...not again. No, no, not like Niga, not again," he wailed, starting to come out of it. Something had happened. A new incursion. A new paradox. It hurt, oh, gods above it hurt. For one brilliant instant, Sarresh understood. Understood the implications of the first incursion, at Niga. Why Ash'reem DNA had been there - why he had come back. Damn them he had vol - it shifted before he could finish the thought.

The new incursion. His lab. Something....something of Amikris. She was there, at the center of it again even in death. "its happening again!" He snapped upright, eyes seeing again, as he pushed away from the people surrounding him. "NO no no noooo no no not again, not again, damn them all to hell and back not again!" He screamed and grabbed at the controls of the Auxiliary Science console. He had....he had to get to the other Vector.

Another jerk wracked his body. Pain in the back of his head, then...knowledge. His hands flew across the touch screen as new alarms sparked all over the bridge. In that brief moment of insight, Sarresh Morali used skills and knowledge, tactics that were buried deep in his subconscious mind to bend the ships abilities in ways they were never intended. Knowledge he didn't know he possessed, Just like when the Calamity assaulted them. Just like in the sickbay, after his revival. Skills he should not have, but did.

It took less then 5 seconds. But in that time, the former Ash'reem reconfigured the transporters to emit a phased variance pulse. Theurgy's shields were already back in place, the crew having been snapped away from the damaged starbase. That didn't mater. In an instant, Sarresh vanished in a sparkling haze as the transporters swept him from Vector to another - through the very active shields - flawlessly. And the second the computer confirmed his arrival on the other Vector, the subroutines self deleted, wiped from the ships memory banks.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #82 – April 25, 2017, 05:08:16 AM

[Ens. IrnaShall ch'Xinya | Stellar Cartography | USS Theurgy - Vector 3]

If it wasn’t for the fact that the figure slumped in the chair was constantly righting itself after every jostle of weapons fire, evasive maneuver, or any other motion an observer would think that the Andorian was dead. In a way he was. Fighting back a debilitating headache from where his head smashed into the console earlier (it was all but guaranteed that a concussion was the result), Shall had tried to keep up with the battle with Task Force Archeron, but then the boarding teams succeeded in sending out the Captain’s message with the Simulcast system. When the subspace transmitter lit up like a beacon, an antenna shot into the air and quivered in excitement, but it was too bad that the message sent wasn’t the one that had originally been recorded. Hearing his captain burn every last bridge they still had with the Federation was worse than a punch to the gut, and with that came a kick to the groin when the thought of their personal messages home came to mind. A full range of emotions played out on Shall’s face and his lone antenna responded accordingly, wringing and lashing soon followed by pressing itself against his scalp, then a resolved weak flop to the side.

On the massive screens that wrapped around the laboratory, saucer shaped ships decloaked and came to the Theurgy’s aid, fighters that were logged as hostile changed sides, an Aeroshuttle found a way into Starbase 84, even a runabout tried to flee the battle only to be shot down moments away from warp. Dark blue eyes watched it all, but the mind behind them didn’t see any of it. After what felt like an eternity things started to change outside, the chaos of battle quickly reforming into the organization needed for the retreat. The screens showed the other two vectors coming together along with his, fighters and other auxiliary craft made their best speeds to the various hangars littered throughout the different vectors. At the same time, the drones that Shall’s superior had so brilliantly dreamed up formed up for one final maneuver. All that was needed now was a destination and a course, and the one who’s job it was to provide that was completely zoned out.

Luckily, the Theurgy had a computer unlike any other in Starfleet, one that could be far more proactive when required. Several reminders pinged both on the lab’s console as well as verbally through the comm. The sound of a friendly voice got the Andorian to stir, his mind clawing out of the funk it dove into. “Right, escape course….” Shall muttered to no one in particular. Hesitant fingers played the controls, their strength and focus returning as he worked. The screen shifted, refocusing from a tactical view into one better suited for course plotting. There was a lot of junk in local space, the result of exploding starships as well as the saucers’ odd strategy of tossing trash out behind them as they buzzed around. Thankfully they were able to keep most of TF Archeron at bay giving the soon-to-be united Theurgy a path of escape. A line soon appeared, showing the best path out of the system.

Quickly forwarding the course to the helm up on the Bridge, Shall keyed up the comm to confirm that it was received. “Lt. S’lti, you should have our best possible course out of the system and towards the Azure Nebula.”

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #83 – April 25, 2017, 05:57:17 PM

[ Asst. CSec Mackenzie | EOC Tower Ruin | Starbase 84 ] Attn: All

Picking himself up from the floor, Mackenzie realised he couldn't breathe, smoke filling his lungs. Eyes watering, he couldn't see anything either, even if he knew he should be in the Security Center. The stench was unbearable as he fumbled about for something, anything to help him get his bearings. He caught a piece of uniform. A sleeve, and as he scrambled towards the hand-hold in the smoke, he saw that it was Bradford, unmoving. Still struggling to get air down his lungs, Mackenzie checked the pulse. Nothing. He had to move on, away from the smoke, even if it seemed to fill the entire area. "Mackenzie to Lieutenant Dothnil... Come in..."

No answer. "Security to Captain Hawthone... Are you there, sir?"

The silence wasn't even pierced by warnings from the computer, the only sound being all-consuming fires and his shuffling feet as he made for what he believed to be the exit. He was not entirely sure he was unhurt, feeling numb in the aftermath of the blast. His hands were covered in dust from what he could see, and his fingers were shaking. He was in shock, and yet continued to move. Out of the smoke, towards the light beyond. His limping stride carried him forth out of sheer desperation, until the smoke receded and his dry eyes could make out something.

Suddenly, the floor vanished in front of him, and he almost fell down. Mind reeling, he could not quite grasp what he was seeing, but somehow, he was looking across the expanse of the Recreational Dome. Only it was barely recognisable. The air shimmered from heat, the fires stretching far and wide across the grass and the promenade. Trees burned like candles, and everything in sight was incinerated. Even though he saw it, he couldn't quite fathom what was in front of his eyes. He saw that the entire top side of the EOC tower had been reduced to a charred skeleton - everything flash-burned. But it extended beyond that, for even the floors of the tower above his level had been scorched, melted and twisted beyond recognition, the inside of the dome also showed signs of the blast. The reason he couldn't breathe wasn't because of the smoke, but the life support systems not able to compensate the atmosphere that had turned into plasma by the blast.

The Aerowing.

The Recreational Dome was a non-flight zone, and yet an enemy craft had made it inside. The blast had spread up and down the Travel Core, the shafts acting like conduits, and everything in their vicinity had been damaged. The terrifying realisation was that its warp core had detonated on the wrong side for all the base's shielding, the blast only mitigated by how it seemed to have gone off inside the top level of the tower. The shields were supposed to protect on-board systems from the radiation surge, but if a warp core breach were on the wrong side, there could be a radiation casualties unless they were all taken to the infirmary - hundreds of people - and a lot of systems must have fried across the whole starbase. Civilians may have been sequestered to their accommodations, safe from harm, but the EOC tower...

As he stood there on the precipice, stricken in horror, Mackenzie could not guess how many were dead or injured.

OOC: More posts coming. I owe the inspiration of this one to CanadianVet, his take on the aftermath excellent.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #84 – April 25, 2017, 10:28:33 PM

[ Admiral Sankolov | Main Bridge | USS Archeron | Task Force Archeron ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]

Having imagined the day the Theurgy was caught for three full months, Sankolov had not counted on Ives finding allies to stand with him in the field of battle. The questions his bridge crew asked out loud were irrelevant, about who they were and where they came from. Sankolov just watched from his chair, quietly annoyed, as the Theurgy moved to reintegrate into one ship again - likely meaning to try and run.

And these unknown allies of the Theurgy... they broke away from his Task Force's ships in order to defend Ives' escape.

Sankolov saw this, and knew what needed to be done. "Hail the Conquest and Supremacy," he said, voice even yet firm, watching from underneath his eyebrows how the saucers were finally out in the open, "tell them to fire off the pods they have deployed so far. All of them. Primary target are the saucers. Full barrage. Fire at will."

Wherever the force of saucers had come from, their graviton beam weaponry could represent a major shift in the power balance between the galactic powers, and his kin needed to escalate the conflict beyond any possible political amendments. All the flammable gas that Captain Hawthorne had been pumping out from Starbase 84 - building distrust between the Federation and the Romulan factions fighting over Romulus - Sankolov would ignite it all.

Another step in the arms raise was the perfect means to start that fire. Indeed, let Starfleet make this fledgling new beam weaponry its own, and Romulus - whoever governed it - would not stand idly by. From the debris of these saucers, Sankolov would take directed energy beam armament to its next generation, and he would make sure all the major powers in the Quadrant and beyond would catch up. Judging by the effects of the graviton beams upon his forces, all current shield technology would be rendered obsolete, and the casualty rates rise exponentially with the new armament. All defences would be rendered moot. All starbases, all planetary defences would be viable targets. This was, indeed, the means to raise fear... and unleash chaos. War would be within his kin's grasp, and then... they merely had to stroke the fires.

"Captain! There was a warp core detonation within the starbase! The readings are hard to make sense of, sensor readings poor, but judging by the yield... hundreds of people might be dead..."

Sankolov moved his eyes towards the starbase, and while he wanted to chuckle at the travesty of the development, he let himself wear a hard frown - ever acting composed. Always focused. Oh, now you've done it Ives. First that message, and now this? Could you possibly have made this easier for me? I doubt it...

"Send the Bellerophon, Seeker and Berlin," he said, but then his eyes moved back to the viewscreen. "Hail all ships. Have them focus on the task at hand. Destroy the saucers, and then the Theurgy. I repeat, all ships diverge on the Theurgy before she goes to warp. We will not loose her again."

"Captain Slayton is on the line, sir," said Ops, revealing that the Orcus' Commanding Officer was still alive. "He is on the starbase."

"Not now," said Sankolov quietly, eyes pinned on the saucers, the fighters and the Theurgy. "Tell him to stand by..." Instead, he watched it happen, riveted by the onslaught. For like fireworks rippling through space, all the pods deployed from the Supremacy and Conquest opened fire as one.

OOC: No need to post with Slayton in reply now that we are wrapping up, DocReno, but if you have ideas for what Sankolov could have said instead, let me know over PM and I will edit.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #85 – April 25, 2017, 11:04:29 PM

[ Thea | Main Engineering | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ][/color] Attn: MasterRat & Zenozine
[Show/Hide]

"My place is in engineering, Thea."

This, Nolak Kalmil had said to the Ship A.I., who was projected on the platform not through her mobile emitter, but through her hologrid. Her emitter had been damaged on Starbase 84, and until Lin Kae could have a look at it, she would not use it again. She could but hope Kae would make it, knowing of the his emergency medical transport to sickbay. As she stood by the former Chief Engineer's side and listen to him speaking with her third Vector's battle bridge, Thea monitored the development in the battle through her sensor arrays, and she knew of the false message. She knew of Edena Rez, how she was dying. She knew of the temporal vortex, of Sarresh Morali, and she knew that it might all be for naught unless she could go to warp before Task Force Archeron reached her.

When Master Chief Kalmil leaned drunkenly on the station on the platform, she drew Thea's eye. She heard him talk of failure, and she could but agree. What she could no longer agree upon, was his aversion to the medical treatment that he needed. She also knew that O'Connell was back aboard, having beamed the current Chief Engineer out herself. What Nolak Kalmil did not know, since he had presumed to give her an order earlier and took her obedience for granted, was that she had been unshackled while he was in stasis. She would act out of her own free will, because she knew it to be the right thing to do for him.

"Apology accepted, Mister Kalmil," she said quietly to the Deltan. "Only one piece of advise. You should listen when such is given."

Then, with as much of an apologetic smile as she could muster given the circumstances, she energised the site-to-site transport, and sent Nolak Kalmil into the decontamination chamber in sickbay - filtering out his clothes on the way there. "Thea to Ensign Vojona," she said where she stood, contacting the nurse closest to Kalmil, "there is a patient in need of 12 cc:s of iodine solution in the decontamination chamber, and I believe he has yet to be granted medical leave."

Then, she watched Chief O'Connell entering the area, giving him a small nod before she vanished - needed on the bridge as she was.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #86 – April 26, 2017, 04:51:33 AM

[ Commander Carrigan Trent | Main Bridge | USS Theurgy ]

The withdrawal was well under way, and as the Vectors were being recovered, Commander Carrigan Trent was starting to breathe easier. Soon, they would be able to go to warp, as soon as the fighters would be recovered. In the meantime, he had to keep an eye on his sensors and keep firing his weapons to ward off those elements of the Task Force that were managing to get past the Asurian screening elements.

But then, something flashed on his board, and he had to confirm the readings. What he was seeing was impossible, yet there it was. And he could only imagine the damage that would have caused... "Captain! I'm reading a warp core breach... inside the Starbase. I'd say a shuttle, maybe a fighter, but no bigger. And it happened.... Oh my God." Trent had never been known to let anything show on his face but a mask of calm intensity when he was on duty. But this time he could not contain it. "It went off... inside the dome. I... I can't tell the extent of the damage from here, but I'm reading power spikes and a lot of unstable systems within Starbase 84; radiation levels are varied, and they range from hazardous all the way to instantly lethal. I... I can't assess casualties." That report, however, did not hang in the air for long, for Lieutenant Yukimura, who had been handling the EW and making sure their allies had targeting information on hand if they hadn't been cut into their barrage jammer's algorithm, made himself heard.

"Commander, the Asurians, they're not close enough to us anymore; they're out of the jammer's effective envelope." Indeed, as Theurgy had been reintegrating, each Vector was radiating its own EW bubble, but as they were reintegrating, that bubble kept on shrinking, and now their allies were no longer protected by it. "Sir! I'm reading massive targeting activity from... Oh fuck."

Masuda did not need to amplify, for Trent brought up the required information, and yet even more horror crossed his face. "Captain! Supremacy and Conquest are lighting up their targeting arrays. I'm seeing links to... Captain I'm seeing at least six hundred pods spooling up out there." And then, he realized who was being lit up, and he immediately got on the channel with their Asurian allies. "Break off! Break off and go to warp! NOW!"

And just as he sent the message, a salvo like he'd only ever seen in simulations was launched from the deployed pods, a true vision of apocalypse.

[ CWO1 Sten "Papa Bear" Covington | Reaver-class fighter Cinsaj | On approach to the Fighter Bay ]

With the order to withdraw given, the Chief of the Deck was not going to waste his time. And frankly, he'd had enough of this pilot shit. Granted, a job needed doing and he was the only one who was even remotely qualified to fly that thing his ass was strapped into at the time. But that didn't mean he was enjoying himself. And already he'd come to realize that pilots must all be completely insane. Especially Rawley who started singing while they were staring death in the face.

But now, he was nearing the bay, as fast as the computer was recommending, and he was following the green boxes in his screen just like he had before now that he had requested a combat landing profile. But this thing, which could literally fight itself if there was an operator to give it directions, did not have an auto-landing sequence. That was something he would shoehorn in there the moment he had a chance. But for now...

He contacted the landing coordinator in there, following the procedures he knew intimately... "Barn, this is Papa Bear coming in for a combat landing, and coming in hot!"

But at least, there seemed to have been someone whose brains were working fine, for the moment he crossed the forcefield, one of the approach controllers must have turned on a tractor beam, for Sten decelerated faster than his thrusters should have allowed for, and before long his fighter was on the deck... and not just on the deck but right back in the maintenance bay he'd come from...

Never had he been so glad he had originally hand-picked Theurgy's deck gang, and had ridden them hard. And now he could really appreciate that approach. And while, according to procedure, he should be disembarking now, and he had a pile of work to do on that deck, instead he leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes for a moment.

He had survived his first, and hopefully last, combat mission in a fighter...

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #87 – April 26, 2017, 08:27:07 AM

[ Vinata Vojona | Main Sickbay | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: MasterRat

As Vinata finished cleaning up and seeing to the arm of his patient he had set about cleaning up the mess and seeing to the sanitation of the area when he received the comm transmission that he was going to be receiving a patient. Blinking it took Vinata to collect himself and fully realize what had just been said, that he was going to be dealing with a case of what sounded like radiation poisoning. Looking around Vinata located the decontamination chambers and made a note of its location as he rushed off to the medical supplies and picked up an empty hypospray.

As he trailed his finger along the list of chemicals he made sure to reread every line he thought was what he needed, he did not want to cause a repeat of what his sister had done with the corpse, he needed to make absolutely certain he had the right chemical and the correct dosage on top of that. As his finger stopped on the item he needed he began to pick it out when he heard the sound of the site to site beaming. Frantically he took the capsule of compressed iodine solution and set it to the proper dosage as he turned to face his patient.

As Vinata watched Nolak Kalmil fully materialize inside one of the chambers, seeing him through the window in the door, he froze up a little as he saw the fully nude patient standing there. It was not what Vinata was expecting, but with radiation contaminating all that it passed through, Vinata knew he needed to act quickly. Entering through the doors to the nude crewman, Vinata cleared his throat. "Um excuse me, I take it you were sent for radiation cleansing? My name is Vinata Vojona. I need to administer an iodine solution." He made a motion to get Kalmil turn to his side for the inoculation without making direct physical contact. He did not want to risk contamination. He waited for Kalmil to turn so that his arm would be presented to him, and once he would, Vinata would administer the hypospray before going to activate the chamber.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #88 – April 26, 2017, 09:51:47 PM

[Jaya Thorne | USS Allegiant Bridge | Vector 03 | Attn: Open Space Fighter Elements, Theurgy Bridge

There were worse situations than having 4% shields in the middle of an active space battle. Jaya was sure of this, but she couldn't remember a time when things had seemed this dire. Everything was exploding around the Allegiant as they raced through Vector 03 towards the Theurgy, but their own craft's lack of shields was actually helpful for one thing. The transmission. They could send it directly to whatever fighter was near enough to reach without having to worry about the shields getting in the way. Jaya targeted the nearest friendly, the one who called himself Papa Bear, and delivered the message as she blasted by him.

The mission wasn't over and the Allegiant was still worse for wear, but Jaya's body exhaled anyway. It felt like she had just accomplished some great feat and now she was home free. A sudden blast that rocked the ship and made the bridge crew flail about like clothes in a washer knocked Jaya out of her brief reverie.

[Warning: Primary shields failing.]

"Right.. space battle.." The brunette's brown eyes refocused on her console as a single pursuant registered as a red blip. She fingers tapped the screen several times and she smirked. It was a lucky shot. He was still a ways out and she was certain she could outmaneuver him if she concentrated. But at that moment, her concentration was broken by an incomming message.

[All fighters and Allegiant combat landings and tactical docking! Priority to Papa Bear, Grey and White Wolves into the fighter and shuttle bays, Lone Wolves you board last. All elements, you have no more than 90 seconds to park. If you can't make it to the bay, latch onto the hull and we'll deal with you when we drop out of warp. Lone Wolves and Allegiant, if you can't do either, you know the rendezvous. Asurian elements, we're aborting the mission; if you could cover us while we get set up to withdraw it would be much appreciated.]

The first sentence gave Jaya all the information she needed to know. They were docking, or they would be as soon as they rendezvoused with the ship. Jaya was calculating their speed versus the distance to safety before Sithick or Dewitt had a chance to react. Thank the cosmos they were already in Vector 03 and not too far off from the docking bay. They would make it, possibly even with seconds to spare! The helmswoman acknowledged her crewmate and her CO's sentiments with a simple "I'm on it!" and transferred all remaining power to their primary thrusters. Hell, if she could get close enough to the Theurgy while dodging potshots, it was likely that she ship's point-defense grid would take care of her attacker.

Jaya was still concentrating on flying when a shimmering beam of light appeared in the middle of the bridge. It took only seconds for the light refraction to restabilize in the form of a... "What the hell??"

Suddenly a furry blue thing clothed in a uniform was floating on the bridge. Jaya stared, unblinking, as her fingers briefly paused their evasive maneuvers and a second shot impacted against the Allegiant. New alerts went off on the bridge and Jaya forced herself to ignore the intruder and focus solely on flying. "You have one job! You have ONE job!!" She rattled the mantra to herself on repeat.

[Warning: Intruder detected on Main Bridge. Security has been alerted. Warning: Critical Failure detected in Warp Core Area. Plasma Leak Detected. Sealing Warp Core doors. Warp Core offline]

"Damnit, then give me maximum impulse!!" Jaya screamed at her console as the computer rejected her initial commands. Her second input had a far better outcome as the Allegiant lurched forward and seemed to be accelerating. "Come on baby, just hold together a little longer. 60 more seconds and we're home!"

Somewhere in her peripheral, Sithick was moving and the blue creature was surrendering. People were talking and she was certain that some of those words were meant for her, but Jaya was focused. She had to get them out of there! 45 seconds to go.. the red dot vanished from Jaya's console as the Theurgy point-defense systems activated and fired upon the enemy ship. Whether it was destroyed or disabled, Jaya didn't have time to check. The docking bay was in her sights now.

"Theurgy Docking Bay, this is Allegiant actual. Clear a space, we're coming home. ETA 30 seconds."

At 20 seconds, Jaya dropped power to 50% impulse. At 10 seconds she killed the impulse engines altogether. At 5 seconds she activated the reverse landing thrusters to ensure they were going slow enough to dock. The Bay doors were open and Jaya sighed with relief when she felt the Theurgy's docking tractor beam engage. She relinquished controls to the docking engineer aboard the Theurgy as he guided the Allegiant in. The Yacht shuddered as it was locked into place and depressurized. They were home, safe and sound.. mostly.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #89 – April 27, 2017, 12:10:15 AM

[ Deacon | USS Allegiant | Bridge ] Attn: Kaligos, EAC, Auctor, and Others

"Then shut up and hold on to something!" instructed a female, her phaser aimed pointedly at him. While he was certain he could withstand a standard stun setting, under the circumstances he couldn't trust that the device wasn't set to something more lethal. Then again, had he been human transporting onto a kzinti ship, he'd very likely be someone's meal by now.

The instruction, though, was not without merit. Whatever course this vessel had and whatever its fate, doubtless the crew knew better than he. Carefully, eyes ever watching, he pulled himself towards an empty station chair, though he preferred to remain standing as much as possible. Who knew when that giant lizard might take another shot?

[Warning: Intruder detected on Main Bridge. Security has been alerted.]

"Yes, yes, take the unarmed hero into custody lest he do something stupid... like beam into the middle of a ship without gravity..." he mumbled to himself before the computer added:

[Warning: Critical Failure detected in Warp Core Area. Plasma Leak Detected. Sealing Warp Core doors. Warp Core offline]

Deacon cast his eyes upward. "Irony? Is that what this is, Fanged God?" he asked, perhaps a little louder than intended.

Perhaps a seat was a good idea, he considered, sliding ungracefully against the chair before he slowly started to drift away from it again. "Damnable lack of gravity,"he cursed, his tail instinctively wrapping around the chair while he dug his claws into the fabric to remain in place. Was this his fate now? He'd turned on his own people, he'd betrayed his hosts on the station, and now he was... where? Lost. At the mercy of monkeys. At best, they might toss him into a cell. At worst, he could well be spaced.

"Amara, third-born-male of the Fanged God, spare a moment's gaze from homeworld to this distant hero and light my path that I might earn my name."

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #90 – April 27, 2017, 04:21:30 AM

[ Dyan Cardamone | Transporter Room | USS Theurgy ]

For all of Asurian history, death was said to have a noise. A great ringing noise like hammers on the walls of a hollow shell, a rattling noise like the last breath out of liquid-filled lungs, a wet squelching like a blade through flesh. All death had a sound. You never forget someone's death-sound.

Dyan watched the screen with eager glee, the same giddy happiness that she had from her earlier 'victory'. Pride. Confidence. She waved her team-members over.
“Come look! My father, my brothers! They're here, they're fighting with us!”

Little colored dots swirled around, pestered the larger ships, effectively tore through the battlefield with the dual blades of surprise and superior technology. It seemed at first that they had no pattern, just a random assortment of movements akin to a furious swarm. It wasn't until they started to form a pattern around the Theurgy's vectors, a defensive line, that she could point to one ship, then another.
“My baby brothers, look, and my Daddy--” She prodded the screen, naming the dots as people she loved and cared for, “My cousins, my auntie--”

In one moment, the console showed many things at once. The Theurgy's vectors retreated in preparation for warp, leaving the Asurians open in their more organized formation. A hundred blips—no, six hundred at least-- lit up the screen. They raced from two ships, the Supremacy and Conquest, towards the saucers, lined up like targets at a fairgrounds game. Yes, the saucers did move—but not all of them, and not quickly enough. Before Dyan could even breathe, the lights that were her people, her blood and flesh shut off.

Out of all ships, she only counted six that made it out alive. The rest were so effectively destroyed that a spotted, debris-free wall of gravitational wells protected the Theurgy as she tucked her tail and ran. There'd be no bodies, no wreckage, as Asurian warfare tends to be, but there would be few Asurian survivors to greet this time. No brothers still in their jumpsuits, drinking it up at a bar, playing tricks on the women by pretending to be each other. No father to lounge with, to listen to his stories of conquest and bravery.

The gentle hum of the Theurgy around her, someone at work at the transporter console some ways behind her, her teammates as they regrouped after victory—these sounds stopped at once. For Dyan, the sound of death was her own voice, a wet scream as the realization set in.

She would never forget the sound of this massacre.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #91 – April 27, 2017, 08:52:14 AM

[ LT Daniel Havenborn | Cockpit | AC-307 Mark-II Valkyrie “Grey Wolf-01”] Attn: Auctor, Tancredi, anyone I missed

Daniel watched as the remaining interceptors had either broken off their assault or were currently engaged with other fighters. He scanned the area for what was left of his squad finding that just Tancredi was left, her shuttle had a few fighters providing escort for the moment. He silently cursed Captain Hawthorne for sending his people to attack them; he’d lost more than ninety percent of his squadron in less than an hour. That was more than the losses they’d incurred during their trip home. Tancredi’s shuttle looked beat up and as was his way he’d make sure that she landed before him.

Daniel heard the orders from the Theurgy to land in their docking bay; he’d not be able to return to the Federation after all it seemed. He’d been shunned from his home on Mars and now he couldn’t even return to his adopted home. “Salvo to Meony, orders are to land in the Theurgy upper shuttle bay. Make your approach now; I’ll be right behind you.” He said into the squadron channel. If they were the last two fighters from the Resolve than this was likely his last command as a squadron leader and he was going to do it right and protect the last member of his squadron that he knew for a fact was alive, besides Knight who was behind him.

Hearing an acknowledgement from Ensign Tancredi he took up a defensive position of the shuttle and watched as it moved into the shuttle bay. Now it was his turn, he scanned the battlefield once again committing it to his memory, then maneuvered his craft around and lined it up with the shuttle bay. A moment later he was slowing down and he felt the unmistakable feeling of a tractor beam helping guide him inside, a few moments later he felt his fighter land on the deck and for the first time since they had launched he relaxed and let out a long sigh. “You holding up okay Knight?” A moment passed as another fighter landed into the bay before he heard Knight speak.

“With all that’s happened, no. Not at all.” Came the reply from his RIO. “Hold it together Uriah, I still need all the pilots I can get.” Daniel heard an affirmative come from him and then a technician tapped on the cockpit window giving the universal sign for him to open up the cockpit. He pressed the button and heard the audible hiss as the depressurized cockpit met a pressurized atmosphere. He removed his helmet a moment later and breathed in deep, when the tech offered to help him he declined. “I’m alright, just been breathing recycled air for awhile.” He said as another fighter landed and was guided into an open berth. “Actually there is something you could do for me, could you find out if any of my fighter pilots were rescued and brought onboard your ship and then direct me to their location.” Daniel asked the technician. The man nodded and went to speak to another officer; while he did that Daniel slowly got up and looked back at Uriah who had finally removed his helmet. “It’ll be okay, Uriah. Just stay with the fighter for now.” He reached in and grabbed the tactical/soft case from the floor of the fighter and then slowly climbed down the ladder and felt the deck plating beneath his feet.

As he saw the technician walking back he strapped the tactical/soft case to his thigh and listened to the man report in that the only other member of the Resolve’s fighter group to survive was in sickbay currently. Daniel looked up at Uriah who nodded and he thanked the technician; then decided to make his way to see how Ensign K’Ren was doing. Hopefully she’d be flying again in no time, though he wasn’t really sure what she’d be flying.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #92 – April 27, 2017, 09:44:06 AM

LT JG Alessia Garcia, Callsign "Angel" | Cockpit | ACC-477 Mark I Valravn Flight Leader "White Wolf 09" | Vector 02 | Attn: Vector 02, White/Grey/Lone Wolves, anyone else

Everything was going to shit before Angel's eyes. The interceptors on her tail kept her busy, but she could still see the carnage, both on her viewscreen and on her console. Colored dots flickered into and out of existence seemingly at random, but she knew each dot represented a fighter. At least one life was eliminated each time a dot disappeared from her screen, maybe two if that pilot had a RIO like she did. Even if they weren't being killed outright, a disabled fighter was as good as dead in a battle like this one. Someone else would come along and deliver the coup de grace while the pilot was helpless.

Angel had been in skirmishes before, but she had missed her ultimate calling: the Dominion War. It was over by the time she graduated. She had always dreamt of flying alongside her brother, Jonas, and fighting for the Federation.. but that dream was snatched from her the moment that Jonas died. His death had defined her in so many ways, and it was the reason for her current predicament. She knew Iron Fox and Razor. They were good men, her kind of men, and they were like her family. They were solid and sturdy like rocks, keeping her grounded when she might otherwise fly away. She had needed that back then, and now that the three of them had been reunited she was determined to keep it that way.

The three interceptors on her tail had other intentions, however. They were raining fire on her craft and she was damn near flying sideways in order to avoid the hits. But her faithful RIO, Talon, kept her up to date on the shield status each time they were struck. "Shields at 63%. Angel, I recommend avoiding-"

"[Ssstorrrmfang to Angel, I got your bogiesss in my sssightsss. Sssending carrre package now.. you might want to steerrr clearrr.]"

Angel glanced at her screen in time to see one of the three hostile signals disappear. "It would seem that Stormfang got your message." Talon chirped in from the backseat. Her Andorian RIO was being uncharacteristically talkative today. "Incoming message, Angel, priority flagged. Tuning in now." As Talon handled the screens and messages and everything else, Angel executed a series of barrel rolls to dodge a new stream of projectiles. As she leveled out, Talon relayed the message.

[All fighters and Allegiant combat landings and tactical docking! Priority to Papa Bear, Grey and White Wolves into the fighter and shuttle bays, Lone Wolves you board last. All elements, you have no more than 90 seconds to park. If you can't make it to the bay, latch onto the hull and we'll deal with you when we drop out of warp. Lone Wolves and Allegiant, if you can't do either, you know the rendezvous. Asurian elements, we're aborting the mission; if you could cover us while we get set up to withdraw it would be much appreciated.]

"Sounds like the right call. Even with the addition of those... saucer-ships, we cannot hope to match the force of Task Force Acheron. Initiating 90 second countdown." Talon shared his thoughts as Angel did some quick course-corrections. She grimmaced when she realized they were too far away to make it in to dock in 90 seconds. In fact, they had ended up far out on the other side of Starbase 84, over a hundred kilometers towards the RNZ. They wouldn't make it unless she gassed it and damn near warped into the docking bay. Actually, that wasn't a terrible idea....

"[Stormfang, stay close. This is gonna be a helluva trip. On my mark, punch to warp, then drop after one second. That should get us close enough to barely make the cut-off. Are you with me?]" Angel walked through her plan with her fellow fighter. By the amount of wreckage on the playing field, she knew that too many lives had been lost today already. A new barrage of shots impacted against the Valravn's right side, fiercer than the last blows, just as Angel went to jump to warp.

"No good Angel, those Knights know how to concentrate their fire. They're targeting the shields around our warp core." Talon's report was not what Angel wanted to hear. Why hadn't Stormfang eliminated them yet? Whatever the reason, Angel knew she couldn't take too many more hits like that. She had to shake these guys and her evasive maneuvers weren't cutting it! Well, if they wanted a fight, they were about to get one.

"Talon, it's time to play Chicken. Use the twin-mount and fire at will when I come about. I'll drop the big boys." Angel jumped to Warp Factor 1 for a mere second before dropping out and looping around upside down and backwards. She was now staring down her last two attackers, albeit from a less than optimal angle. She acquired her target locks and started firing her phaser array as she righted the ship. "Haha, you're not the only ones with guns, ustedes cabrones!"¹ The Valravn's phaser array combined with a hail of torpedoes and the twin-mounted turrets proved more than effective at disabling one of the two enemies. While that Interceptor listed through space, Angel flew past the second one and saw why Stormfang hadn't done more to help. That Valravn was engaged in battle with another fighter, and as Angel moved to check on who, her screen lit up with new dots. Her chocolate brown eyes went wide as she took in the sheer number of ships that the Task Force had brought. "Madre de dios..² We have to go NOW!"

Angel rocketed towards Stormfang, bringing her arsenal in tow and unleashing it upon one of the two fighters that had captured Stormfang's attention. Within seconds, that fighter was also disabled. As Angel flew past, she felt another hit, make that two, impact against her right warp core. "Shields at 37%. We're down to 40 seconds, Angel. Whatever you're doing, do it now." Talon chimed in with his words of wisdom as two more shots slammed the right warp core. "Angel, we've got incoming! Looks like Stormfang wasn't a fun playmate. She's clear now and we've got three again." Talon relayed this newest bit of data with an anxious tone. 30 seconds to go and three enemies to take out before docking? There was no way. She would miss the rendezvous and have to face the task force alone. This time three shots rippled against her shields and Talon alerted her to their status: 21%.

She had to turn around again and fight. She would rather die screaming into space, knowing that she took someone out than running like a coward. She imagined Jonas had gone out the same way. "..Talon.."

"[Angel, get to the Theurgy! You are closer! You can make it! I'll keep them off you long enough for you to get away. Tell Terror I'm ssssorry I couldn't make it. ..Go!! Now!!]" As Stormfang spoke, one of the enemy blips on Angel's screen disappeared and another broke off and doubled back. It was heading for Stormfang. Angel couldn't just leave her friend behind, but this was the opportunity she needed to get to the Theurgy. "[WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO!!!!!]" Stormfang shouted the order at Angel and then there was silence, for just a moment.

"[..I'm sorry..]" Angel's voice sounded hollow in her own throat as she replied.

Seconds later, Angel had spun around to face the Theurgy and sped up into full impulse in order to clear the gap between her and the docking bay. Talon kept a countdown running.

10

She wasn't quite close enough yet, just a little further and she'd be within range.

9

One shot ricocheted off her right warp core and Talon responded with "Shields at 18%".

8

Angel focused on evasive maneuvers, but being done at near warp speeds, they were exceedingly difficult to pull off and put the ship under tons of stress.

7

Angel spun sideways in a roll and narrowly avoided getting hit again, but was now out of alignment with the lower shuttle bay.

6

Bright light darted past Angel's viewscreen, followed by an explosion somewhere very near to the aft of her fighter. The concussive blast propelled Angel forward a bit further, putting her target of safety that much closer.

5

She was still too far away to make a clean landing, even after running her Valravn full-throttle to the designated shuttle bay. She could feel her determination slipping away as the harsh realities of war started making themselves at home in her brain. "We're not going to make it.." It was whispered, but her RIO still heard it.

Talon didn't sound off the last four seconds. Instead, he did some quick transferring of power and overrode the computer's alarms of overheating. "We have to make it. Punch it now, Angel."

How many seconds were left? Angel didn't know. Her countdown stopped at 5, but as her own defeatism reared it's ugly head, Talon piped in with some encouragement. Angel did as he said and punched it. The power output was drastically increased, despite the blaring warnings that the computer kept chiming. With one last all-or-nothing burst, Angel dove her fighter into the lower shuttle bay and kicked on the landing thrusters as the '90 second alarm' blarred that time was up.

No sooner had she entered the bay than did the tractor beam grab her Valravn, slowing her forward momentum drastically enough for a safe landing. The jolt was gut-wrenching but once Angel felt her Valravn land safely in the bay, she pulled up her sensor readings. Stormfang and Scythe were still dancing with certain death, as were Bacon and Vapor. They wouldn't make it to the Theurgy in time now. They would be left to the mercies of the Task Force. Angel attempted a scan to see who else they might be praying for tonight when her monitor powered down and her cockpit hissed open.

"Wait! I wasn't done! Talon, I was still searching for our squad!" She flung her helmet from her head as a string of Spanish obscenities exited her mouth.

"Ah, sorry Angel. I diverted power from some of the systems to give you that last boost. Apparently I also toggled an automatic landing setting. It was an accident." Talon looked genuinely distressed. Her squad was his squad too, and they both were itching for information on who had made it aboard the Theurgy. Talon's eyes fell to one of the deck engineers who was caring for their Valravn and Angel took his cue.

"Oi, you there, I need to know who else from the White Wolves made it aboard. And about two of your own, Miles Renard, callsign Iron Fox, and Thomas Ravon, Callsign Razor. Tell me they're aboard.."

1: The Spanish vulgarity used here translates to "you motherfuckers" ... roughly.
2: This Spanish expression translates to "mother of god". It's an "oh my god" kind of expression.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #93 – April 27, 2017, 11:35:51 PM

[MCPO Nolak Kamil | Main Sickbay | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Auctor, Zenozine

Master Chief Kamil watched the tactical display as his mind contemplated over Thea’s holographic projection. It accorded to him how much her physical appearance looked different to him. Her body had changed a lot since he last saw her a couple months ago. He felt like she had undergone some form of metamorphism and emerged a completely different entity. He last remembered her being more basic and utilitarian. Now, however she appeared more flesh and bone standing before him, with her bodily features more defined and realistic looking. Someone had spent a lot of time and loving care to her core programming to achieve these results, or something else had happened.

He would investigate farther once he had spare time to do so. Until then it kind of made him feel uneasy seeing her looking almost like a living person. More so with him not being able to sense her with his Deltan mind. This always bothered him about non organic beings. He glanced back at her as she spoke to him.

“Apology accepted, Mister Kalmil,” Her soft voice barely audible over constant hissing from the ruptured ventilation duct above them. “Only one piece of advice, you should listen when such is given.”

The apologetic smile caught him off guard as he suddenly started to feel his body dematerialize. His vision of engineering sparkled and faded from view as his body zipped across the cosmos during transportation. Moments later as the shimmering light show disappeared from his perspective, he rematerialize in the decontamination chamber in sickbay. From the sudden unexpected transport it caused him to stumble a few steps forward because he was no longer supporting his body upon the computer station in engineering. He grimaced from the sudden pain shooting from his left arm, as the sling and clothing disappeared in the transfer. The pain came from his his arm as it fell limp by his side. It took Nolak, a couple seconds while his drunken mind figured out where he was.

He glanced around the chamber. He was standing in a rather plain sterile room with the light panels on the walls give off a pale bluish glow. The transparent wall facing the main sickbay operating room reflected the light and glowed a bluish hint. There were medical crew members working like busy bees in the crowded sickbay as they treated the injured in a frenzy manner. Glancing down at himself, he looked at his own naked body. He could see some of the effects from the radiation burns from his stay in the warp chamber. Small color variations spotted his body, and in some cases were starting to boil up creating odd bumps on his skin. His hands and fingertips were burned from welding, and his neck still ached from the neck surgery. A slight frown curled on his lips as he shook his head. He came to the realization that he was back right where he started the day, nude and in Sickbay.

Nolak’s expression and bald head flushed red as he looked at the colorful Ovri nurse entering the decontamination chamber holding a hyprospray. “Um, excuse me,” the Ovri nurse said. “I take it you were sent for radiation cleansing? My name is Vinata Vojona. I need to administer an iodine solution,” said the Ovri Ensign before him.

He didn’t recognize the young Ensign. In a calm disappointed voice Nolak said under his breath, “Not quite the clever plan I had intended, Thea.” To the Ovri nurse, “No, I was betrayed by a fellow crewmember and friend. It appears I’m to surrender to you. So, here I am as your prisoner Ensign Vojona. Let us get this treatment routine over with. I’ve been demoted to patient again, when I should be in main engineering keeping us alive.” He turned his body so that his uninjured right shoulder was facing the nurse.

Although he’d never admit it out loud, Thea did the right thing. He was dying in that warp chamber. It was a risk he was willing to take to ensure that everyone else survived. Being forced from his duty however, that did ticked him off so he felt bewilder, and betrayed.

“When we are done with this medical checkup, give me a PADD. I’m going to file a report against the A.I. Thea, for insubordination. It may not have any solid merits to stand on, but it will give me something to do while I’m imprisoned here.” He stood in a formal manner, nodded to the Ovri, “I’m Master Chief Nolak Kamil, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ensign Vojona. Also, a word of caution, better lock the chamber behind you. I will try to return to my post otherwise.”

OOC: Reference for the room from Auctor Lucan; [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #94 – April 27, 2017, 11:52:40 PM

[ Nurse Maal | Isolation Ward 02 | USS Theurgy | Vector 02 ] Attn: The Counselor (last cliffhanger post in this scene!)
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Hurt after the panels from the ceiling had struck him over his back, Maal pushed the pain from his mind. He was back in the birthing pool with his one-time lover and the counselor again. The ship shook from sustained enemy fire. Hylota was in pain. Screaming. Intruder alert was sounded, and he realised O'Connor had spoken with him.

"Yes, yes..." he said by reflex, realising only after the counselor left to get the phasers what she had said. She meant to leave him there with Hylota? Eyes wide, he looked towards the Ovri, and she certainly did not make things any better when she said she'd use the phasers if they got within arms reach of her. Maal swallowed, fumbling for her four-fingered hand in the water and trying to let her hold it if she wanted to. Yet regardless what he might do, he was utterly without further means to help her, wasn't he? Was there naught he could do to help her?

"I..." he said, voice rumbling as he made eye-contact with Hylota - looking into those big, dark eyes of hers whenever she might meet his gaze between two contractions, "I can sing for you... A song of bravery, from my people. I have not practised, but it is supposed to lend strength..."

So, holding one of her hands with both of his, Maal sang from deep down in his throat, giving voice to the Warrior's Anthem in his Klingon tongue. And all the while, the battle raged outside.

Qoy qeylIs puqloD.
Qoy puqbe'pu'.
yoHbogh matlhbogh je SuvwI'
Say'moHchu' may' 'Iw.
maSuv manong 'ej maHoHchu'.
nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu'.
batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq vavpu'ma' DImuv.
pa' reH maSuvtaHqu'.
mamevQo'. maSuvtaH. ma'ov.

OOC: Translation = [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #95 – April 29, 2017, 02:06:51 AM

[ Lt Cmdr. Miles Renard | Mk III Valkyrie Cockpit | Wolf-01 | Lone Wolves Squadron ] Attn: All Fighter Elements
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[Husker to Iron Fox, are you coming or do you need a hand?] came from the squadron channel as Miles fought bitterly against the White Wolves that remained loyal to Slayton and the disabled Orcus. And while the Knight-class interceptors were predictable, known to him in all their abilities, the Valravn-fighters he was up against were another thing entirely. Of course, rumours had gone on about Director James Knight's new project, shrouded in mystery, but he wasn't up against fiction but cold fact. These were not interceptors at all, but superiority fighters like his own. Even as early prototypes, their potential was made plain to him while he fought for survival and to keep them at bay. For he was out there, along the saucers that had come to their aid - these Asurians that had barely given him two words of introduction.

Having learned that they were Dyan's people - sweet Dyan whom he'd had a budding relationship with before they reached Starbase 84 - he wondered how Ives had managed to gain their trust. Dyan must have helped. She had been picked for the boarding teams, and gained the help from her people. Dyan, who he had named his Valkyrie, but since he'd feared he wouldn't survive the battle, he had ended their relationship - instigated the fight in hope they'd continue if they were both alive afterwards. Not his finest hour, but he had done it for her, he believed, as much as himself.

Now, Miles fought alongside her people... and he realised he might have been wrong. They were far tougher than he'd given Dyan credit for. Knowing this, even as he fought with dying engines, he had answered Husker.

"You heard me, Husker! I will be right behind you!" he growled, baring slightly pointed teeth as he diverted all his remaining power to his one functioning impulse engine, only sparing enough for his pulse phasers. With precision... that was all he needed. He ended his call to the newest member of the Lone Wolves pack - perhaps the last one to hear his bark. "Go, that's an order!"

Mere seconds passed after that, as if in tranquillity, where he joined lines with the Asurians as the single fighter from the Theurgy's forces still engaged in combat. Even Rawley docked with the Theurgy, just ahead of Husker. Rawley, who's trust he'd betrayed, and created the schism that would eventually have split the pack. Seeing that all the pups were home, he switched off the comm system too. He needn't speak with the Asurians either, for their minds and his were the same. Defiant against the odds facing them; the full force of Task Force Archeron.

"Now... what are you waiting for?" he asked quietly, and then charged ahead of the Asurians. The Valravn fighters were falling back, tails between their legs, and Miles gave chase - aching fingers squeezing the triggers still. Along lances of green graviton beams he raced, Valkyrie leaking plasma. The first Valravn fighter was caught by his twin lines of pulse phaser energy, then the second. "I am your measure!"

That was when the torpedo pods went off as one, like a new layer of stars superimposed before the rest - casting the feet he faced in brilliance. Not a sound was heard, no air to act the conduit between the pods and his fighter, but he saw them coming. With resignation and regret, he let go of his stick, switched off his tortured, remaining engine... and closed his eyes.

"Keep them safe, Thea."

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #96 – April 29, 2017, 05:25:42 PM

[Nathan | Transporter Room | USS Theurgy ]

Having just gotten out of the station Nathan had no idea what was going on out in space. He looked a the view screen and again felt that need to be outthere. To have wings again to be in a ship so he could help.

He had thought he had put those feelings down, thought that he could walk away from the cockpit and just focus on trying to bring down the people on the inside. He had even gone so far as to set up a mock little conspiracy board in his room so he could keep track of his own personal case, and find out exactly what had happened the day he had shot down one of his fellow pilots.

The transporter room was chaotic and clustered. Ida, oh he wanted to talk to her or do something, but as she ran out with a member of the medical staff to escort a red-collared officer he did not recognize on a gurney, now was clearly not the time. Leaving an assortment of others from the boarding teams, Sel, Winn who he was sure was going to give him hell for his behavior, and Selena the cyborg who had been a great help in their mission up until the very last moment.

Then there was Cardamone, and her pointing out to the larger viewscreen showing what was going on out in space.

Now looking out at the massive space fleet of alien ships, and the task force assembled to hunt them down, the cold realization hit him that none of it mattered. His confessed lie, his quest for some semblance of answers, his job in security.

Every ship that exploded Nathan blamed himself because once again he wasn't being the asset he needed to be. He had picked the ground assault, and delivered a fake message that instead of inspiring change had only brought shame and pain to the people aboard the ship.

Nathan left the transporter room. hearing the screams of Cardamone behind him. Perhaps one of her people died. He knew he should stick around or do something to comfort her, but honestly he didn't have the words. Their was nothing that could be said against that kind of loss and while his heart went out to her he couldn't stay to just watch this fight. He walked with purpose down to the nearest turbolift.

"Fighter Assault Bay." His voice stressed and dry as he started to feel the platform move. Which one of the docking bays didn't matter, he was going to end up going to all of them to count the ships.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #97 – May 01, 2017, 02:55:32 AM

[ Lt. JG. Suq | Conference Room | U.S.S. Theurgy ] Attn: Ejek

His face was startlingly pale, he felt cold and sweaty and clammy, and as much as he wanted to get a hug from Ejek--or anyone, really. He stifled the urge to hug thiugh, because that was Ejek's voice, and if he went in for the hug he is certain she would be displeased. But it was clear he was Not Okay. Years and years of being Okay, and suddenly he wasn't.

He opened his mouth to speak, and nothing came out, but he was trying. Words had to push through a wave of nausea first.
"I...I killed officers, with the...the warp core, that was my idea, I killed them--Kendrick, god--I don't know. I'll be okay. " He tried to assure her, but he wasn't sure himself. All those years being lost and this never happened before. He should be able to handle this, and he wasn't. Ejek being there made him realize just how weak he was. He had to man up, he had to swallow it down...he had to....he had to....

He had to throw up.
Not in Ejek's face, he turned to his corner and heaved. Thankfully, he hadn't eaten yet.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #98 – May 02, 2017, 04:55:15 AM

[ Ens Ryuan Sel | Transporter Room | USS Theurgy ]

The transport back to the ship had been almost anticlimactic in how calm it was after the chaos of combat in the EOC. Despite not being out of the woods yet, Sel still breathed a sigh of relief as she materilized on the padd and could take in a breath of familiar ship's air. The chaos however of the transporter room assaulted her senses as the teams beamed back in. Quickly moving off the pad, Sel made room for the remaining away team members. As she moved aside, she saw Cameron Henshaw, standing to one side, most likely in shock as she had the first real chance to absorb the enormity of her father's betrayal, the twisted evil of the creature that had possessed him.

Glancing at Ida, she nodded as her boss helped a medic transfer their unknown compatriot onto a hover gurney for transport to sickbay. Who he was she did not know, but like Drauc he had his reasons, and like Drauc he paid for those reasons. She wondered what those reasons were, who he reported to, who he had betrayed. What mattered though was he was safe, at least as safe as one could be on a ship targeted for destruction by her enemies.

Glancing back at the transporter padd she saw Wenn Cinn, Ravenholm, and Isley beam in as the last survivors of the raid materialized on the ship. She hoped that others had made it back but given the losses her team had sustained she knew there were few survivors, that many had died on the starbase, died for what they believed in, died for truth. They would be mourning the loss of their own, even as they fled the starbase and licked their wounds, that much Sel knew.

Re: Chapter 07: Cost of Truth

Reply #99 – May 02, 2017, 06:18:36 AM

[ Krystal “Meony” Tancredi | Tribble Squadron | Fuzzy Flayer ] Attn: All fighter allies & Theurgy crew
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“Sonofabitch!” Tancredi came to with a start. This was the second time she'd lost consciousness in as many times. But then again, the Fuzzy Flayer had never had its consoles blow up in her face repeatedly. The controls were a mess of wires and damaged displays, but by sheer miracle, still functional enough...that she could see from a quick visual examination. Her seat restraints had snapped and she was feeling only half as heavy as she ought to, suggesting gradual decline of the artificial gravity generator. The last she could remember, she had been in formation with the last of the Resolve's fighter elements, alongside new allies and all sorts of other surprises. Did Havenborn and Uriah make it?

She vaguely recalled something before a stray shot knocked into the unshielded section of her battered fighter transport's viewscreen. :: Salvo to Meony, orders...to land in the Theurgy upper shuttle bay. Make...approach now; I'll be right behind you. ::

And she had been on her way to complying with that when she'd taken the shot, and despite the clear damage to her own suit, which would make it fatal for her if the ship's hull was breached, which by yet another miracle, it still wasn't. Maybe that Romulan metal really did strengthen and reinforce its durability...and she was drawing pistols to look at whoever was beaming into her ship. “Romulan! Hey, ya doin' all right?”

She quite literally forgot his name for a moment, despite having a steel-trap memory, but she really had no time to think on it as she holstered her babies, and returned to coaxing her shuttle towards the Theurgy. “Sorry, cain't talk, Ah gotta get mah baby in first!”

Venting smoke and plasma from the port nacelle, Tancredi slapped on the override and forced a shutdown, shunting power to the remaining nacelle and to the impulse engines, she was able to keep the ship from burning anyone who got too close to her, once she was brought inside and docked. To her relief, she could see K'Ren's fighter, or what was left of it, and she hoped the woman and her co-pilot had made it...did she take note earlier? She could no longer remember, and her head was still spinning. A slick sensation on her brow suggested she was bleeding, probably from being thrown about inside the shuttle once her restraints broke.

She was probably nursing some broken or bruised ribs too, since breathing was starting to hurt like no one's business. She would laugh at the pain, but that hurt too much, and whether she'd admit it or not, that was no fun. The moment the shuttle settled down and she issued the last command, it shut off on its own, making a grunt and whine, like a wounded faithful animal bringing its master to safety, and settling itself to die. “Ah'm sorry, baby...Ah'm so sorry...” wheezed Tancredi, stroking the consoles lovingly.

Slowly getting up, she turned to look at the Romulan again, “Ah hope ya cain walk dat off,” said the redhead, studying his wounds. Did anyone escape unhurt? Very unlikely. “C'mon, lessee...wha...dis sheep...has ta...offer...” add mildly concussed too to the list. Or very.

Havenborn and Knight made it too. And that made the girl smile. With effort and no small amount of cussing, she managed to get her helmet off, as the doors of the shuttle popped open, and she staggered out, casually wiping off the blood from a large gash on her brow. “Ah s'ppose dis'd do. Now, where's our good cap'n? Ah'd better make sure...he's...okay...” she leaned back against the side of the shuttle, eyes closing. She suddenly felt so tired, and a sleep right here felt perfect, to hell with everything else, a girl needed her sleep.