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Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #100 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Day 5 | Observation Pen | Precept-Ship Versant/ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Corridors ]
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Att.: @Fife @steelphoenix  @SummerDawn   @patches  @Blue Zephyr

Khorin waited anything hostile would turn the corner: another security team, Holo-Worf back from the unconsciousness and ready to end up the brawl that they had started few ago, one of their captors clad in a security outfit... But when his finger had begun to pull the trigger, what he saw was a slender woman, hands in front of her showing that she was not threat, but the rest of her all defiant attitude, as if she challenged him to dare to continue taking aim at her. As if a klingon warrior, almost a head taller than her, possibly twice her weight, wearing yellow and armed to the teeth was just a ill-mannered punk. "Mind putting that down? It's been a hell of a day and as much as I wish it would end. I'd like to keep my head right where it is." She softly chuckled, a boldly stare in her eyes. The Lone Wolf kept his aggressive stance for a moment, and then threw the gun over his shoulder, straightened  his back and puffed up his broad chest. Despite the arrogance of his pose, a crooked grin appeared in his bruised face, showing up his chipped tooth. He really liked the arrogance that the woman, Zeph according to how she had introduced herself, had shown. He had always had a soft spot for determined women with strong character. Then she pointed out that the rest of the steps belonged to the cats and to a certain guy called Alistair, who he didn't have meet yet. The pilot's smile widened even more, he remembered well the quasi-human's murderous look, Neko was a Lone Wolf fellow and battle-trained and R'Rory, well, he almost didn't know hir but s/he had shown a strong temper when s/he tried to separate him from the vulcan in the Ten-Forward. Things were getting interesting.

"Oh yeah! It's about time you decided to join the cool guys' gang" He rumbled, obviously jesting. "Khorin here," he said pointing himself with a thumb, then turned slightly to the armory. "Over there, the ugly guy with pointy ears is my sidekick, Cross, and there is CPO... Spots" Only then did Khorin realize he didn't had the faintest idea of ​​what  was the name of the trill that accompanied them. He opened his mouth to add something else, when he felt the words of the newcomer invading his mind. The klingon stiffened his back in spite of himself, turned back to the woman and realized for the first time the deep, starless voids of her eyes. His race distrusted telepaths by default, and the experiences of the day only increased the reluctance of the pilot to such advances. However, he understood the strategic advantage of this type of communication at that time, and in addition, he was never reluctant to take risks. So he tried to open his mind to answer the message, still concerned about what could leak out of his brain to the betazoid senses. He wasn't sure if he would only resonate in her mind or in everyone's mind, but Khorin hoped that he sounded strong and loud in the same way his voice reverberated in the aisle. ~Same target here, we've got a small arsenal to blow up the wrap core if necessary, but we've also had a few problems with the firewall, sure you have notice it~ He thought, tilting his head to pointed their bloodied uniforms. ~Good news are that the phasers affect the holograms, but they're harmless to us, so even if I've shot you before I wouldn't have gave any scratch, beautiful~ He added winking an eye and giving Zeph his best cheeky smirk.

Then he made a quick inventory of the weapons he carried, separated a light rifle from them and passed it to the betazoid, taking advantage of the situation to get close to her. Khorin hoped that the blueshirt knew how to handle herself with the weapon, at least her attitude suggested that it was better not to question her ability in the matter. ~There's more where this one came from, let that your group gets ready before continue to engineering~ Looming close to her, he could confirm that she was easy on the eye. It stirred his curiosity to know where she has come from, he didn't remember having seen her before the holodeck was activated, maybe she was another Endeavour abductee, like Cross and the CPO?

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #101 –
[ Lt. Cross | Corridors | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Precept-ship Versant ] @Auctor Lucan @Numen @Blue Zephyr @patches @SummerDawn @steelphoenix @YasyraTrill

After having taken care of the security team guarding the armoury and gaining access, Cross had set to work gathering an arsenal for them to use in their attack on Engineering. Khorin had prattled on as Cross had slung several Type-III phaser rifles over his shoulder. The Klingon seemed to have a tendency to talk just for the sake of talking, a habit that made a stark contrast with Cross’ tendency towards silence.

I wonder if he keeps yakking on like that when he sleeps… Cross thought as he buckled on a belt and clipped a Type-II phase pistol on his right hip before adding several more Tyle-II phasers and pouches to it. He tucked several stun grenades into the pouches and finally picked up another phaser rifle, shrugging his shoulder to shift the rifles slung there into a better position.

”C’mon, hurry!” Khorin suddenly hissed, pointing to the corridor outside the armoury. Cross froze for a moment and listened, then nodded and followed the Klingon out into he corridor, hefting one of the phaser rifles and bringing it up into a firing position.

Khorin took point, phaser rifle at the ready and Cross stayed back to cover him. PO Narelle covered the corridor in the opposite direction, kneeling and looking down the sights of her rifle.

Cross could see little of the corner directly in front of the Klingon, the big oaf’s large form blocking his view. After a moment of waiting, Cross head a female voice, and saw Khorin sling his rifle. Then the idiot puffed up like a Terran blowfish and spoke, introducing himself to the new arrivals and calling him a…

Did that think-headed bastard just call me his sidekick? Cross thought as he lowered him rifle and stepped forward to see who had arrived. And his ugly sidekick to boot! Cross fumed, raising his left hand from the foregrip of the rifle to scrub his sleeve across his mouth, causing flakes of dried green blood to shower down to the deck. Ok, maybe I’m probably not at my prettiest right now… but fuck him anyway. Cross though.

Then he heard a voice in his head, explaining that the new arrivals planned to attack the warp core as well. Cross stepping up next to Khorin and saw a woman in a teal uniform standing in front of him, behind which stood the three felines. Cross guessed that the woman was a Betazoid, judging by her eyes. The Klingon seemed to have an eye for the teal-shirted woman, which made Cross grin inwardly.

”Oh, sure. Now you puff yourself up like a big warrior. You could barely walk a few minutes ago!” Cross chuckled. ”Is she the reason you tried staggering back to the lounge after we dealt with the security team?” Cross asked, glancing between the woman and the Klingon.

Cross had once been a shy, quiet officer. His friendship with Kai Akoni had changed that. Now he used good natured shit-giving as a sign of friendship. Some people thought him witty. Others thought him an asshole. Both opinions may have been partially right. The truth was, Klingon was growing on him.

Like a fungus…

”If you’re done playing the tough guy, our objective is this way.” Cross said, nodding down the corridor behind them. Then directing his gaze towards Lt. R’Rori, he paused and added. ”Thank you for trying to stop me back there, counsellor. I’d lost control. Your words helped me see through the rage.” He said, nodding to the now mostly human Lieutenant. ”I… I owe you.”

With those words he stepped forward and distributed the rifles he had slung over his shoulder to the others in the group, which served to both strengthen their firepower and lighten his load, granting him more mobility.

~So what’s the plan of attack?~ Cross thought, hoping his thoughts would be heard as he looked at the Betazoid who’s name he had missed. ~If we move quickly we should be able to storm Engineering and put down the crew without much trouble. Don’t worry about shooting fellow Starfleet personnel. You won’t be able to hurt other hostages with these phasers, but you’ll put the holograms down without much issue.~ Cross looked around the group. ~Most of us will have to hold any security teams off at the doors while someone rigs the core to blow. Who's going to work on the core?~

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #102 –
[Ens Nathanial "Icarus" Isley |   Observation Pen ~ Shuttle Bay | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E] @Triage  @Auctor Lucan
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So the aliens had Ives. That didn't sit well with Nathan, he wasn't sure exactly what the captain was thinking these days. The last time he had seen her was in the brig, the other side of an interview that had been painful to recall, but he wouldn't exactly blame them for everything that had been said and done at that table. Ives had helped Isley get his wings back even subtly and he had to help her for that. Plus some part of him was still very much attracted to Ives, both their forms were very appealing, and he sometimes still had dreams of the night back in the captains yacht.

That night felt like it had happened life times ago, and looking down at his green skin he may as well not even be that person anymore. Still he would do a lot to save Ives. When asked if he had any prof ency in Holodeck programming he shrugged. "I've run training simulations for the fighters, and I programmed one or two simulation maneuvers to see if they would play out as I intended them, but my experience is that it's a computer, it does what i tell it to when i push buttons."

He looked between the two engineers he was suddenly following towards the warp core of the ship. "I'm a pilot. I fly ships I don't build them."

He shrugged. "If violence is the solution to this problem, I'm in, but my version of a computer reboot involves a very heavy stick. and a very broken console."

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #103 –
[ Deacon | Corridors | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E Simulation | Precept-ship Versant (Observation Pen) ] @SummerDawn   @patches   @Auctor Lucan  @Absinthe  @Fife  @Numen  @Masorin  @Blue Zephyr @YasyraTrill

Deacon watched the exchange between the female betazoid, the klingon and the vulcan.  On the whole, kzinti had some latent level of respect for klingons, though they found some of their practices convoluted and, perhaps, contradictory.  Still, on the whole, the species did tend to lien towards a societ focussed on honor and combat.  What you wanted, you acquired through sweat, toil, and ambition, not unlike kzinti, although klingons did tend to have a rather singular focus on booze whereas kzinti found it little more than a distraction.

Vulcans were another matter.  The kzinti distaste for the species was perhaps only second to humans, which said much considering vulcans not only tended to be telepathic, but also abstained from the consumption of meat.  For humans to held with more contempt than mind-reading leaf eaters was enough to tell anyone the scope of the kzinti desire for vengeance.  Still, Deacon had to admit that, by comparison to the boisterous klingon, he personally prefered the silent introspection of the vulcan.

Their interplay, however, combine with the klingon's barely suppressed leering at the betazoid, was wearing on his nerves, even through the numbing agent that kept them out of his head.  "If you are done jabbing each other," he said quietly starting with the vulcan, "and thinking at each other," he added to the betazoid, "and flirting with each other," he concluded to the klingon, "then perhaps we can focus on the task at hand? I have been in contact with other members of our crew who may be able to provide some distraction."

As Cross handed out the laser rifles, he found Deacon less than receptive, holding it more like a club than anything.  "Despite appearances, I was raised kzinti.  Your Federation denied us such weaponry and now you hand them out expecting us all to be experts in their use.  I'd have an easier time blowing a hole in the bulkhead with my fist.  Our weaponry is a touch more... visceral."  His gaze shifted slightly towards the klingon.  "I'm certain your colleague catches my meaning."

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #104 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Observation Pen/USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E - Stellar Cartography | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Masorin 
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"I...." Sarresh opened his mouth, then shut it, slowly. He was about to give the man some grief but really, there was no point. And really what kind of room did Sarresh have to mock anyone for feelings they might have? Especially given that Jack seemed to be quite aware that everything was one way. A small part of him had to acknowledge that the type of woman described bore at least a passing resemblance to the kind of woman that he himself was sleeping with (not that he would tell Sel and, truthfully, more than just sleeping with.) Though he couldn't really speak about this person he'd never met whom might or might not be sleeping with their captain. Then again....

"The starbase captain...Hawthorne. He has a parasite in his gut. I wonder if she knew?" He mused softly, fully cognizant of the fact that they would never know. "Was she willing, or just another pawn. Assuming you're right about them screwing." He gestured to Jack and shrugged, deferring to the one arm'd man for an educated guess on just how much this Security officer he lusted after knew, or didn't know, about Captain Hawthorne.

And this man understands what it means to wake up in the wrong body, now. Perhaps I should endeavor not to piss him off? Having someone in his life with practical experience as to what he himself was going through could be useful. It was the kind of thing he was sure the councilor that kept trying to get him to schedule a session would have said. Or so he assumed. Feels like it, in any case

But Sarresh pulled his thoughts away from that and focused in on what Jack was saying, his all too human eyes narrowing in contemplation. He'd heard the call from this...Deacon fellow, but could barely make head or tails of it. The man had been attempting to speak in allusions and allegories and it was almost as bad as following a straight translation of Tamaranian without the cultural context algorithms of the Universal Translator.

Almost.

"The theory is sound," he agreed after a a long moment, rerouting some of the spiders that had, up until that point, been messing with the environment sub systems on deck 17 (every toilet on the deck was now configured to reverse their directional flow to expel instead of consume. All he had to do was push a button). Instead he sent them probing about, to find - perhaps - the overriding quarantine function of the Versant's tie-in to the holodeck sub systems. "enough distractions could open up an avenue to accessing the specific system. Assuming that it doesn't just lead straight to being immediately recycled. We'd need at least a few moments to make an escape, post re-materialization." A pause, as a very nasty, disturbing thought bubbled up from the darkness of his mind.

"Can they recycle someone mid beam?" He asked, in a soft, hushed tone.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #105 –
[ Ensign Lin Kae | Observation Pen ~ Shuttle Bay | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] @Triage @Masorin
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Lin Kae had thought Sinead O'Riley was from the Endeavour, since he had encountered a few other abductees from that ship when he first entered the Enterprise simulation. More surprising, however, was how this woman claimed to have skills akin to his own, and that she already knew who he was. He wasn't sure how much she'd read, but his official record was quite stained with his betrayal at the Black Opal, an incident where he'd done and said things he couldn't quite remember afterwards. She had his rank of Ensign right, which meant she knew about his demotion, or she could just have seen the pip in his collar. Either way, there certainly was no need for introductions on his own part.

Then, the woman spoke of Ives, confirming that he'd heard her right. But not just that. She also spoke of an Omega Device, which he knew naught about, the Reaver fighter they had collected from the Calamity... and Thea. The mere mentioning of Thea made him stop in the corridor, the three of them having left the shuttle bay. Is... Thea here?

While it wasn't any certainty, Lin Kae would wager that if the Savi wanted something, they were advanced enough to collect it. They had even beamed him out of a stasis chamber just because they wanted to Correct him, so as much as he dreaded the prospect, he couldn't dismiss it. "Thea," he said, the name tinged with regret because of what he'd done at the Black Opal, betrayed her for reasons he couldn't name. While Sinead seemed to regard her as a person, Kae loved the photonic person he had been working so closely with, which made his actions at the Opal even more a mystery. Moreover, he was filled with horror at the prospect of what the Savi might be doing to her on the Versant. "If she is here... I have to do right by her. The Prophets know that I never wanted to...."

He took a deep breath, trying to focus. "We need to find her. Captain Ives too, and that Reaver is evidence, right? About the parasites attacking us by using the time stream?" A rhetorical question, everyone on the Theurgy knew that much. He thought about what Sinead and Nathaniel Isley had said about the holo program. He reined in his wayward mind and tried to focus on the tasks ahead. He continued down the corridor. "I know about Stazi, but the problem is... we might need an external source of energy either way we do it. In fact, since we have to get people out of the simulation and aid us from the outside, I think Mister Isley here is closer to the current solution. First, we need to compromise the warp core, end the simulation, and do our best to use the new situation that follows. Once the simulation is disrupted, there are a number of things we can do in a holosuite to keep the simulation offline. I have...."

Lin Kae trailed off, seeing someone familiar in the corridor ahead... and she wasn't alone.

[ Commander Nerina | Observation Pen ~ Corridor | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: All
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Her pace brisk, Nerina was making her way towards Engineering when she heard a voice behind her.

"Commander," it said, a male voice, and when Nerina paused and turned towards it, she saw a man in a red-collared uniform and a beard. Tall, and well-built. She knew this man from reputation, but had never actually met him before. It was Commander Riker, and he was smiling with his eyes when he approached her, a saunter to his gait. "Could I have a word?"

Not in the least bit interested in speaking with the hologram, Nerina did not want to draw more attention to herself by refuting the man. She stopped, turned, and folded her hands behind her back. "Of course, Commander Riker. Is anything amiss?"

"Well, I can't reach Lieutenant Commander Worf, but I heard his report, that he'd encountered you and a group of people in Ten Forward while apprehending two officers there. It was not long ago, and I was thinking you'd know something about who the officers were?"

Nerina had a feeling about what might have happened to Worf, and she didn't want Riker to start any investigation. "No, I am sorry. I am new on this ship, and I did not recognise the two officers," she said, even if she was familair with the Klingon from the Theurgy. "Perhaps Lieutenant Commander Worf lost his combadge in the commotion of the arrest?"

"Yes, I suppose that could have happened, or he's conducting interrogations," said Riker, who gave Nerina a once-over with his eyes, before that smile returned again. "So you're new aboard the Enterprise. Has anyone given you a tour yet? I am available for an hour or so, if you are interested?"

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the human - forgetting that she was entirely human herself - Nerina let her smile remain plastered on her face. Perhaps she could talk her way out of it? Lead him on? "Sure, I would love to, Commander. It's getting a bit late, though, and I was about to retire to my quarters. Perhaps you could see me there, and we could look over the deck plans together? Perhaps I could offer you something to drink, as well?"

Riker's face brightened even more. "I would love to. 2300 hrs.?" Wasn't he engaged with the Counselor on the Enterprise? It seemed the Savi didn't know what that meant. "I will make sur-"

[Worf to Commander Riker, come in!] called a rough voice through Riker's combadge. [We have a couple of officers that resisted arrest, striking down me and my security officers! I recommend a warrant to be made for their arrest.]

Riker frowned. "I'm sorry. I need to take this," he said, turning away to take the call. Nerina had smiled and nodded...

...but as soon as the Commander had his back towards Nerina, her smile died out, and she raised both her fists in the air. She cried out, and bore her arms down as hard as she could, straight into the base of the hologram's neck. It made Riker sink down on his knees, and even though her body was weaker than before Correction, she dealt all the force she could muster into another strike across the man's temple. He went down like his strings had been cut. Watching his form, breathing hard, Nerina heard the combadge again. [Commander Riker, come in!]

Nerina crouched down and detatched the combadge from the Commander, looking around. As she did, her heart almost stopped when seeing three officers further down the corridor. Fortunately enough, she recognised the one in the forefront immediately. It was Lin Kae. Nerina waved them over, but tapped her own combadge to make a call of her own.

"Nerina to Khorin Douglas, where ever you are," she said, trying to come up with some way to mask her message and yet still make it clear. She had to make them take precautions so that they weren't apprehended again, and Worf would try to locate them with the internal sensors. The fighter pilot had to remove his and the Vulcan's communicator immediately. "It seems your friend from Ten Forward might have dropped his combadge. He is looking for it very diligently. Perhaps you should put it in a safe place, if you happened to pick it up. Otherwise, I am sure the... engineers could make a new one for him. Nerina, out."

She could but hope the man would understand that engineering was the place to go, before they made their move. Her train of thought ended, however, when she made eye-contact with the Romulan walking next to Lin Kae and a woman with auburn hair and strange eyes. Her eyes widened a little, recognising those features despite the changes. "Nathaniel Isley?"

Memories flashed before her eyes, where she remembered how they had taken advantage of the privacy of a turbolift, and she couldn't help the slight blush that rose to her cheeks.

[Security Alert. Security Alert. All hands not on active duty, return to quarters until further notice.]

This is not the time to reminisce!

"Commander Nerina," said Lin Kae, whatever lay between her and the pilot completely lost on him, "we... might have to hide the First Officer's body."

Nerina blinked, looking down at Riker. "Y-Yes, and then, we must assemble everyone.... before we make our move."

30 MINUTES LATER | DAY 05 | 2300 hrs. | CARGO BAY 04 | USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-E PROGRAM


[ Devyrie "Dragon" Okhala | Observation Pen ~ Cargo Hold 04 | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: All
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Gradually, abductees had trickled their way down to Engineering, and there, Nerina and Lin Kae had gathered them all in Cargo Hold 04, which wasn't far from there. Devyrie Okhala looked away from her sister, Laurel, and tried to see if she could recognise some of the new people, but aside from a small gathering of Andorians and two Ovri - most of them from the Theurgy - the Corrections made it exceedingly hard for Dev to know for sure if she'd met them before.

"Time is short," said Commander Nerina, who had unzipped the collar of her uniform and had a rifle in her hands, a hand phaser at her hip, whilst she addressed the small crowd of abductees in the cargo hold, "and we can't stay here for long before Security notices, so we'll be brief. Everyone, check your rifles and hand phasers. Lin Kae, Zephyr Praise, if you will?"

Ensign Lin seemed determined, quickly going over the plan by whispering to Zephyr. Devyrie was close enough to hear him, however, before the Betazoid might repeat the words to everyone telepathically. "'A starship's primary power come from a matter and anti-matter reaction, harnessed with a dilithium matrix. This is possible through magnetic fields, which contain the anitmatter, since it would otherwise annihilate any ordinary matter it came into contact with. These carefully calibrated magnetic containment fields control the  streams of matter and antimatter, bringing them together in the right proportions and at the right rate to produce the required amount of power. If the magnetic containment fields get weakened sufficiently for anti-matter to leave this containment... and the Savi has made this program authentic enough to real life data... then we should be able to cause an uncontrolled reaction by disabling the containment field. We only need a minor initial loss to collapse it, resulting in the sudden release of all the ship's antimatter supply, which would annihilate itself against the rest of the ship, and end this simulation. Our common target, for all of us, is the very top of the warp core, where the antimatter and the magnetic fields are most vulnerable to phaser fire."

Nerina then stepped up to Zephyr's other side, and whispered in the wake of Kae's words. "We have already ascertained that the phasers aboard this ship can't hurt us, since the Savi merely use this program to distract us and keep us healthy in our captivity. Given that they hold a modicum of interest in our health, and the holographic crew is vulnerable to these weapons, we should be able to storm Engineering and put down any kind of resistance we encounter on the way there."

Devyrie checked the power cell on her own rifle, noticing the 'ifs' in the plan, but figured it was a solid bet. Her question was for something else, and she made eye-contact with the Betazid as she worded her question in her thoughts. Okay, so we manage to end the simulation. Then what? We'd just be in a barren pen, and it's not like we're any closer to actually escaping captivity.

After a while, since the Betazoid was a medium between them, Lin Kae whispered the reply for the benefit of all involved. "Then, Junior Lieutenant O'Riley and I will then be able to act, since we are both specialists in holo-technology. The time-window might be slim, but we'll either learn enough to enter the systems, with the help from Junior Lieutenants Hi'Jak's and Sarresh Morali's research into Savi coding, or simply be able to deactivate the system altogether. It might be a slim chance, a first step... but it's what we have at this point, and none of us wants our memories to be wiped."

"We have a few priorities, regardless what may happen," whispered Nerina, the words echoed in Devyrie's thoughts. "It would seem the Savi have abducted Captain Jien Ives of the Theurgy, and taken the Thea A.I:s positronic brain. Moreover, they have a fighter craft called Cinsaj, which is evidence about the parasitic usurpers in Starfleet Command, and something called an Omega Device, which we know nothing about, but given the import placed on it by the Savi, might not be good if they keep it. Our survival, our escape, is paramount, but these four objectives are of import, and should we encounter either of them, we need to secure them and take them from the Savi."

Of course, given the present company, these objectives were decidedly not obvious priorities or the Endeavour crew, but at least they had learned - during the brief time in the cargo hold - why they were of import to the Theurgy crew. Devyrie suspected that there was plenty of doubt, but since they had to work together, the Endeavour crew would at least try to work with them to get off the nightmare ship.

Then, the Cargo Hold doors opened, overridden by the Enterprise's security guards.

"We have company!" called ThanIda zh'Wann, one of the Andorians that had come to the gathering quite late. The luminescence of the corridor hit their eyes, and the weapon lights of the security detail's rifles pierced the dim light of the cargo hold. There was shouting, but Devyrie Okhala already had the stock of her rifle at her shoulder. Right then, it felt fortunate that her squadmate Khorin Douglas and the one called Cross from the Endeavour had managed to get phaser weapons for them all.

The shoot-out began, and they were thirty meters from Engineering. "Go, go, go!" called Nerina, phaser beams passing harmlessly through her, whereas her own beams made guards topple and fall. Devyrie was already moving, only looking to her sister before pressing onwards - heading for Engineering.

Even though they were holograms, they still looked like Starfleet Officers, but Dev was past the point of caring.

[Red Alert. Red Alert,] said the intercom, and the klaxon sounded throughout the ship while the abductees made their move.

OOC: All right! 7 days response time begins today, where everyone in the Cargo Hold must end their post with their characters getting inside Engineering, preferably firing their phasers at the top of the warp core. This is your time to have your characters mow down any opposition, or merely follow in the wake of the combatants if they are not likely to use phasers at all even in this situation. Physical violence against the holograms is another option, of course, but the point is that they need to bring the program offline. Here are image references for Engineering on the Enterprise-E, where your next posts should end up: [Show/Hide]
The reason why I must push for this leap forward in progress is that we're at a standstill and must progress the story to this point now. Take the opportunity to have fun with this next action-filled post of yours! Oh, and the 30 minutes where people gather in the Cargo Hold is open for Supplementary threads, of course, just like any other scenes aboard the Enterprise/Versant up to this point. The naming convention for such threads belonging to Chapter 02 is still: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day XX | XXXX hrs. ] Insert Title.

Here are the characters present in Cargo Hold 04, and if there are significant reunions because of this, it should be handled in Supplemental threads or mid-action as they storm Engineering. If someone wish to have their characters elsewhere on the Enterprise, PM me, otherwise you are expected to post within 7 days. :) : [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #106 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | 10 Forward | "USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E" | Precept-ship Versant ]
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As Ten Forward emptied out and Lahkesis remained behind. She felt lost. She thought many of the people she watched leave looked familiar, but there was also a horrible feeling under the recognition. Like some horrid scab that would spill out its diseased insides if picked at even a little. She was too scared to follow them and too lost to go anywhere else, so she remained in the lounge, feeling as if her feet were not quite on the ground.

The whole world around her felt sickeningly wrong and she could not figure out what it was about it that was so wrong. It was like a million tiny daggers in her mind. As if some deep dark part of herself was screaming some truth she could not hear and she could feel the desperation inside brewing ever stronger.

She moved to the massive windows of the lounge and peered out into the starry abyss beyond the windows of thick transparent duranium. She watched them with a sort of cold detachment, her mind grinding as it tried to figure out why she felt so wrong.

And then she lurched forward and vomited onto the carpet of the lounge. The emesis, composed of an odd mixture of thick viscous gel that was clearly inorganic and pale white fluid that appeared vaguly like ejaculate. Her stomach tended to take a very long time to break anything down to the point it could enter her lower intestines. This was why she avoided eating and stuck to mineral water. She stared at the puddle in front of her and without thinking her hand moved to her abdomen. She felt like there was supposed to be a wound there.

A few people came over to her, but she assured them she was fine, they wanted to take her to sickbay, but she declined. Instead, she remained on her hands and knees, staring at the puddle of her own vomit.

She could not remember the details of anything. As if there was a great chunk of her memory, of her past, simply missing.

She looked up and out the windows again from her position on the floor. The stars were in the wrong places. She was not where she was supposed to be.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #107 –
[Lt. Zephyr Praise | Enterprise Hallway | Trying Not to Die |  Breathe Just Breathe | Unknown Savi Ship]
@Numen @Fife @steelphoenix @Auctor Lucan

There was a story there, with the chip-toothed Klingon that stood in front of her with some sort of confident and boastful grin on his face.  She could feel his emotions brushing against her, the way that he was geared for battle, ready to take people down, and yet surprised at the seemingly small woman standing in front of him with a great deal of bravery.  His name was Khorin, and once he took in the rest of those with her, she was glad to see him relax a little even if he was a bit more loud than he needed to be.  But then, he was Klingon and loud was basically the base setting when it came to talking.  At least, that was what she had noticed in the few that she had met in her life time.  He introduced a Cross and .. Spots?  The  Sidekick, Cross, did not seem happy about something, she wasn't sure what.. and she didn't pry.

She wasn't sure that was the name, but she would go with it until she was told otherwise. 

Zeph was honestly surprised when she could hear the Klingon's mind in her own.  She hadn't known it would be that easy, though she had never been telepathic like she was before.  It was new, unusual and she kind of liked it. Having that extra connection to the people around her though in the back of her mind was the pounding of all the ethics lessons that she had been forced to sit through for eternity growing up on Betazed.  The ones that reminded them you couldn't just up and invade the mind of others or glean their deeper emotions without express permission.  At the same time, this was not really a permission type of exercise, this was trust, and survive, and later she could go back to making sure that her ethics were up to par.  Right now, she was all about just saving all the lives that she could and getting them all off this boat of horrors.

She started at the fact that he called her beautiful, a slight blush crossing her cheeks because of the surprise.  She hadn't expected him to find her attractive, she was thin, but she had a good deal of muscle on her body.  He didn't know that she knew how to fight or anything like that, but for now, she appreciated the compliment.  That wink though... did things to her insides turning them into some sort of mush puddle that she couldn't afford for them to be right now.  Still, his answer was a shy but sweet smile.  Cross, went off on the Klingon causing Zephyr to chuckle, she couldn't help it.  The brazen personality was something that couldn't be helped.  “Actually, I've never met him before, so that can't be why.” she admitted honestly to the man.

The Klingon, Khorin, stepped closer to her, he was taller than her and she looked up at him with those lovely dark eyes of hers.  They had once held color but since the correction there was nothing but the black orbs that were concurrent with her race.  Handing her a rifle she grinned and took it, shouldering it smoothly on her back so that she could reach it when she needed it.  His voice continued in her mind reminding her that the holoprograms could not hurt them.  He told her there were more weapons and that the entire group could have them.  This close, her heart thumped heavily in her chest.  Now is neither the time nor the place, Zephyr Coral Praise. she chastised herself while she stared up at the man's eyes.  She had to admit, she had a thing for Klingons but this one... with his casual but confident attitude was working himself close quickly.

Deacon, behind them, began to speak and Zephyr sighed, she did not need attitude.  Really, no one did.  She looked over her shoulder at the Kzinti.  “It isn't as though I'm just having a chit chat, I'm trying to get them in on the plan without giving it away in the damned corridor or did you forget the part where there was a little discretion was necessary incase they were listening and monitoring our movements?” she said firmly and quickly.  She didn't care who the man was or how he had been raised she wasn't out to be rude, she was out to do her job.  The one that the First Officer back in the Ten Forward area had given to her.  “They were just telling me that we need to come up with a plan for Engineering and that they have found that while the weapons here hurt the holo officers they do not hurt us, so be unafraid as we go forward.” she stated, hoping it would soothe some of the worries of the officers in the corridor around her.  She was distracted by the fact that there was a message from Nerina given to Khorin that he seemed to understand all too well.

"Do'Ha' "growled Khorin when he heard the Commander's warning. Dozy and battered as he was after the brawl with Holo-Worf he didn't realize the ill tracking device that the combadge supposed. He looks to the newcomers group, Neko was bearing the weight of the quasi-human, who looked unfited on his own body. Surely he can't run, and would held up the whole group, making it easier to the Security team to catch them. He looked around and made a quick decision, reached Cross with a couple of long strides and teared off his badge. "Lead them to engineering, buddy, I'll buy you some time" A mischievous smile showed up in his face when he turned to face the Betazoid.

He tossed her Cross' badge and gave her a lengthy stare, his eyebrows deeply frowned over his eyes, assessing her fitness. "You look in good shape, surely you could chase me for a time" he couldn't prevent that his expression turned into a cocky smirk and, without waiting any answer, he ran away, the rifles and guns drumming against his broad shoulders.

Zeph reached up and caught the combadge that was tossed at her rather quickly with a look of surprise on her face.  She hadn't really expected anything to get tossed at her but she was glad that she hadn't lost all her training in the hell they had been put through since being on board.  Then she looked at the retreating figure of Khorin and grinned.  “I'll take that as a challenge.”

She took off at a run, glad for all the training she had been through.  Despite his long strides she was closing the distance between them she hoped to at least catch up though she had no doubts she wouldn't be able to pass him.  Sheer physics was against her with his longer strides.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Khorin was written with Numen's input and permission.  Numen will continue this post with the next post of Khorin and Zephyr storming the Engineering section with everyone else!

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #108 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Observation Pen ~ Cargo Hold 04 | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Brutus, @Zenozine, @Masorin, @SummerDawn, @chXinya, @Absinthe, @steelphoenix, @Blue Zephyr, @YasyraTrill, @patches, @Fife & @Numen
[Show/Hide]
Half an hour later, Sinead was reunited with a larger force of fellow captives. She felt her old fears, her reputation as the Grim Reaper, coined for her in the Dominion Wars on account of the fact that anyone assigned with her wound up dying, but she always survived. Would this hold true here? Would she be the sole survivor of this entire outing? She looked over at Lin Kae. The Bajoran's survival was absolutely vital, especially right now, at this very critical juncture. Commander Nerina was the closest they had to Captain at this point, so she was important too. Vital, even. Everyone was important. No one was expendable...

...except her.

Silvery-blue eyes tinged with a sense of resignation as she checked her artificial phaser rifle and side arm again. The plan in principle, was easy and to the point. But when had there ever been a simple plan that went off without a hitch? The primary objective was to get to the top of the warp core and overload the magnetic shielding with phaser fire. Of course there was also the matter of the holographic crew now attacking them. She looked down at her self in mild disinterest as a phaser beam went through her body. If this had been real, she would have gone down in a heap. She changed the settings on her weapon to maximum, enough to vapourize targets, and began to fire, even at the unconscious or previously dropped hostiles.

She walked calmly forward, picking her targets quickly and precisely. As long as she maintained her distance, she wouldn't need to worry about getting physical, and vapourizing the holographic officers made the most sense. If they only stunned them, they had a chance of coming back after a certain amount of time. It also reduced any potential future distractions. She didn't even hesitate to eliminate the familiar faces that she saw on this ship. These people were her first contact with the Federation. But they were only holograms, and her keen eye could see the minute hints or details that proved this to her. Besides, if they were real or organic, her weapon wouldn't harm them, which explained her reckless abandon. One holo-officer did manage to break through her assault, and she gracefully ducked the wild swing, kicked out with her leg behind his, and as he toppled, she vaped him.

“Yeh like this.” said her imaginary self, “yeh can deny it all yeh like, but I know th' truth.”

“Yeh be nothin' but a figment of my imagination,” said Sinead under her breath, “Yeh no be here, an' I be in control of me own mind.”

“Are yeh nowh?” said Ghostly, “Maybe that's what we like yeh think...”

That statement seemed odd to Sinead, and she had the sickening feeling that she might possibly be compromising the team just by being here. What if these Savi were watching everything through her? Controlling her actions? Her bare hands alone would be sufficient. She could go up to Nerina while her back was turned, reached out, applied just the right amount of pressure and snapped her neck. Or she gouged out Lin Kae's eyes, broke his leg and arms, and tore out his throat. All the most vital members to the crew here. She dashed forward towards the holographic folk, sliding on her knees at the last part, and fired a few more killing shots, erasing holograms from existence.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #109 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Day 5 | Observation Pen | Precept-Ship Versant/ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Corridors ]
[Show/Hide]
Att.: @Fife @Blue Zephyr @Zenozine @anyone else who want to get involved


Khorin panted heavily, running as fast as his legs allowed. It wasn't easy task, given the impedimenta he carried, the distance he had traveled and the unpleasant encounters he had faced until the current moment. In other circumstances, he should have felt irritated, even furious: a true warrior didn't flee from his enemies, least of all a bunch of badly designed holograms. But instead of that, the klingon was smiling, a proud laugh rumbling like a purr in his massive chest. On one of his shoulders, the phaser rifles that had swiped from the armory rattled, every minute that continued his crazed race they seemed heavier and sharper. Sitting on the other shoulder, Zeph fired the few holo-officers who were still following them, a weapon in each hand, maintaining an unsteady balance over him. Despite everything, the sound of her shooting behind him continued at a steady pace, as if the betazoid was practicing on a shooting range instead of riding a running klingon. The Lone Wolf smile widened even more. "Oh, what a day ... What a lovely day!" He uttered with glee.


The sound of gunfire ceased for a moment, and Khorin threw a sidelong gaze to the woman straddling him. "Hey, have you wipe out all the holo-dorks?" jested Douglas, almost sure of the answer. "Of course I have, do you know who you're talking to?" was Zeph's quick and arrogant response, as he expected. He let out a great belly laugh that resounded loudly in the corridor. [color=silver]"I'm talking to Lady Lukara in flesh and bone again, that's for sure!" [/color]He exclaimed, not caring about the almost sacrilegious nuance of the compliment. She had earned it, exceeding his expectations every time he challenged her. Not for the first time since he left Cross in front of the armory, he thought that perhaps he had died in his cockpit and had reached Sto'Vo'Kor: in the last hours he had not only got the body he had always wanted, full Klingon, but also had teamed up with another raging and foulmouthed warrior, had faced one of the heroes of his youth and had emerged victorious, he had known badass woman worthy to be up to himself and his crew fellos had started a riot that at that point could only escalated in a pitched battle. The forces were against them which only turned the fight into something more epic, worthy of being sung. Wasn't it the definition of the afterlife for the honored dead? However, he felt the beat of his heart in his chest, the burning in his lungs everytime he took a breath, the pain of the bruises on his face, the scratch of his chipped tooth in his gums, the weight of the woman and the weapons on his shoulders. He was alive, more than ever, and it was wonderful.


Focused as he was only on moving forward, he was about to pass the door of Cargo Hold 04, which opened in his path. Khorin took a couple of strides before stopping abruptly, which caused the betazoid to almost fell off her perch and clutched at the klingon's neck. "Easy missy!" He choked, almost suffocated by her hands and weapons. "I know I'm a hunky guy and you do not wanna let me escape, but I need to breath now and then" He added, amusement in her voice. Then he turned and trotted to the open door, finally entering the cargo bay.



Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai| Day 5 | 22:50 |Observation Pen | Precept-Ship Versant/ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Cargo Bay 04 ]



He advanced to the center of the room, his long strides full of pride and resolution. Once he reached his destination, he let Zeph off his shoulder, holding her hand and threw her a wink and cheeky grin before he drop the rifles he was carrying with a metal clang against the bulkplates. "Merry Christmas, fellow rioters!, Santa Khorin and his lovely elf just arrive with your presents" He shouted while straightened himself in all his height and stretching the muscles of his battered back. He cared little for the answers to his boasting, he had fulfilled his goal and he was as happy as he can be.


Soon, his partner in crime was requested by the Commander, and he saw her leave with a bittersweet expression in his ridged face. He had enjoyed their little adventure together, and he didn't know when something similar could happen again. But her skills were necessary to finish organizing the collapse of the holodeck, anyway he was going to miss her constant teasing and her bold nature. Handing a rifle to himself, he looked around, noticing for the first time that the group seemed to have increased in size since the disastrous meeting at Ten Forward. At least a small herd of Andorians had appeared from no-where, as well as a couple of men and a woman who were parleying with Nerina and, beyond, near where Cross was resting, all himself pursed lips and sour face resting against the wall, there was a familiar face...


"Nurse Vojona?" He asked, surprised to discover the Ovri woman among those present. Soon, the pilot reduced the distance that separated them in two pairs of long strides and placed himself beside her, confirming that it was Hylota. He remembered well how the nurse had helped him to recover from the severe injuries that had condemned him to the freezer, she had proved herself to be an honorable person and Khorin was glad to have her with him now that he wasn't crippled by pain. When he arrived at her position, he noticed that the nurse was protecting another shorter Ovri, one that, unlike her, possessed a striking blue skin and a distinctly feminine shapes. Having spoken about the peculiarities of her species, the former hybrid assumed that he was her brother. What he didn't expect was the strong impression that shook him when her pass medical carer stared at him. Those eyes. He had seen eyes like that not so long ago, before his Correction. The nurse's eyes were almost equal to those of their captors. His crooked grin died suddenly on his lips, while his brow furrowed and an ominous thought began to form in the back of his brain. He stopped a step away from her, looming over her with a frown, not knowing very well whether to give voice to his suspicions or not. The silence thickened uncomfortably between them for a moment until, finally, a saw-like grin showed up again on Khorin's face. In spite of everything, he recognized the calm demeanor of the woman, she wasn't one of his enemies, she couldn't be.The pilot scratched the side of the bearded jaw, which caused a small shower of dried blood. "I'm glad to see you here Hylota... well, no, not exactly HERE you know what i mean" It was then that he realized that the Ovri was not an hybrid, so the interest of their captors in her escaped the imagination of the klingon. This made him frown again, trying to think what kind of grotesque torture she had suffered. Also then he realized the dramatic change he himself had recently suffered "I'm Khorin, Khorin Douglas, do you remember me?"

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #110 –
[ Lt. Cross | Corridors | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Precept-ship Versant ]

Cross had listened to the exchange between Khorin, Zephyr and the cats in silence, moving off a few steps to watch the corridor as words were exchanged. Then Khorin had strode up to him and taken his combadge, tossing it to the Betazoid before giving Cross instructions to escort the others to Engineering.

”Good luck.” Cross had muttered to the Klingon as the big oaf had taken off down the corridor, the Betazoid woman speeding off after him. With the Klingon’s departure, corridor had suddenly become much quieter. Loath as he was to admit it, he liked the Klingon. That fact did not stop him from taking a moment to enjoy the blissful silence left in the Klingon’s absence before he turned to the others and hefted his phaser rifle.

”Alright. If everyone is ready, we should get moving.”

[ Lt. Cross | Cargo Hold 4 | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Precept-ship Versant ]

Almost half an hour later Cross and the others stood in cargo hold 4. They had met up with the Commander and the rest of the group from Ten Forward, and been joined by several others, including Shar from the Endeavour. Cross had not had time to speak to her with all the discussion going on around him, and he didn’t know the blue woman that well anyway. He contented himself to lean against the wall while with his arms crossed as he watched the interactions around him.

Then the doors to the cargo hold had slid open and a loud voice had proclaimed it was Christmas, that “Santa Khorin” had presents for them, and that his elf was lovely.

It was nice while it lasted… Cross thought, lamenting the increase in the room’s volume as the low buzz of conversation in the cargo bay was replaced by the drum-like booming of the Klingon’s prattling and boasting.

Cross moved and stood at the fringe of the ragtag group as they gathered together and “listened” as first Ensign Lin Kae and then Commander Nerina’s words were broadcast into his mind by a telepath. Cross had been distracted at first, wondering about his own newly acquired touch telepathy and how he could learn to use it properly. He focused his mind as the plan was explained. It was a simple plan as far as their initial assault went.

Storm Engineering. Supress resistance. Blow the core.

With the holograms unable to stop them with phasers, the assault shouldn’t be difficult. It was the following step that would be truly dangerous. The Theurgy’s crew had multiple objectives. Free the Theurgy’s Captain. Recover an AI core. Recover an Omega Device, whatever the hell that was. And lastly, recover a fighter craft.

All while avoiding being killed by a race that was obviously extremely advanced, and wasn’t overly concerned about their survival, given that they “recycled” anyone who presented an inconvenience.

This is going to be messy… Cross thought grimly, his thoughts cut short as the doors to the cargo hold hissed open and the klaxon began it’s wailing call. Cross pivoted and dropped to one knee, bringing his phaser rifle to his shoulder and firing at the security team that was attempting to storm the hold. Cross dropped a pair of the holograms before rising and following the Commander’s lead as they pressed towards their objective. He saw an auburn haired woman in yellow uniform calmly vaporize several holograms with her phaser before she charged forward and took out several more.

”PO Narelle, on me.” Cross barked, ”We’ll provide a rearguard and prevent and delays from that direction as the rest of you advance on Engineering, ma’am.” Cross told the Commander as PO Narelle gave him a nod of acknowledgement and hefted her rifle as she moved alongside him. The security team that had been attempting to storm the hold had been dealt with, but Cross had little doubt that they would have more company very soon now that their location had been discovered.

As the group moved out of the cargo hold and headed towards Engineering, Cross covered the hallway in the other direction. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a necessary action since the holograms were limited in their combat effectiveness. They could do little more than grab them and hold on. Cross covered their rear more out of habit than anything else. Another security team had begun to advance down the corridor Cross was watching, though they slowed their advance after the first of their number fell to Cross’ rifle. The rest took up firing positions and opened up, their beams having no effect on the Vulcan and Trill blocking their path.

Cross and the PO fired and moved in turns, always one firing as the other moved as they performed a fighting withdrawal. ”Covering!” Cross called as he dropped to one knee, sending several bolts of phaser fire downrange as the PO called “Moving!” and sprinted half a dozen steps past him before stopping behind him and dropping to one knee as she called “Covering!”. This process was repeated over and over, slowly moving them down the hallway and closer to the rest of the group while simultaneously holding up the security teams that were attempting to advance down the corridor. Using proper combat tactics seemed a bit much given that they were dealing with holograms, but their objective was to buy time for the others to gain access to the warp core, and holding up the security holograms would buy the others the time they would need. Cross also found he was enjoying himself, the repetitive actions of their tactical movement bringing back memories of the Dominion War and repelling boarding parties. Dealing with the holograms was a picnic compared to fighting the Jem’Hadar.

Cross grinned as a thought occurred to him. He rose to his feet and pulled one of the 3 hand phasers from his belt. He stood in the middle of the corridor and programmed the phaser to overload as the holograms continued their impotent volley of phaser fire. Once the phaser was set, Cross lobbed the overloading sidearm down the corridor towards the holograms. He turned and set out at a trot down the corridor to catch up with the rest of the group as he heard the alarmed cries of the security team, followed by the detonation of the phaser. Cross figured that might make the holograms more cautious in their advance, hopefully buying them a few minutes as he and the PO ran down the corridor in the direction of Engineering.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #111 –
[ Lt. JG Hi'Jak | Day 5 | Observation Pen | Precept-ship Versant | 2100hrs ] Attn: @Brutus
[Show/Hide]

Jack leaned back in his chair for a moment thinking over the interactions he had witnissed in hawthrone and his relationships with others. With the outsider information of the captain being an alien spy, and a parasite he could look back with a bit of a clearer lens than the ones he had prior to that point.

"She was a pawn. Personally, I think Hawthorne took pleasure in talking down to everyone. For the two years that I worked their my boss, Simon Walt, was a constant pain in my side, ignored his duties and filched my work constantly. So I was constantly involved in staff meetings, where for two years I was introduced at every meeting like the rest of the crew had forgotten my existence. In a way it was very helpful to my tasks, in another way... it showed me how little anything I did mattered." Jack shrugged.

"Dotnihl was Hawthorne's favourite because she was the least likely to fuck up, but Hawthorne was an ass. He played sections against one another, basically constantly raised the bar, and treated us like circle animals from the moment I got there. The Hawthorne I knew, was a jerk who constantly played favorites, and even among his favorites when something was out of order he would berate them. He had us all stressed out, and at wits end." Jack shook his head, "In the end the man played us all, focused on insecurities, and had everyone so focused on hating each other that we never once looked up. 84, had few recreational sites, no holo-deck, the only real thing you could do for pleasure there was drink, so I drank away."

Jack was glad that neither of his ears were damaged as he almost didn't pick up the question of recycling someone mid-beam, Jack thought about it and did some math in his head. "When we were taken aboard. we were held in those alteration cells, prepping for surgery. There was a young woman across from me, who was thrashing so hard she had ripped out the device that had been shoved down our throats, that were feeding us air, and other vitals, I think she was drowning on her own vomit. I got a front row seat to how it worked, the process seemed very chemical, solvents and bases injected into the fluids we were held in, recycling her into clean bio material which was then fed into the ship's system as a literal fuel source, not unlike the Federation's own waste management systems."

"If we look at that process, and then extrapolate, any recycling that would happen during a transport would be pointless, since you would extract less energy than you would gain in the initial transportation system. It's why Federation ships use GNDN* pipelines, and bio-jel filters to convert the 52 liters each crew man generates in waste into the solid and liquid components used by the ships replicators to reconstitute waste matter into that slice of cake you had last week." Jack's hand ran up a rather smooth forehead, then he leaned back in his chair, thinking it over.

"The Savi are unlikely to have built in a system that could recycle mid-transport because they - as a society - would probably have made their recycling process as quick and efficient as possible. Any step that would lessen the amount of matter to energy would be cut out. Most likely they would beam you to a waste management or recycling facility somewhere on the ship, and my guess is that the reason for it, is that the Savi are a species that put out less waste than they take in. If they were born on a world with a scarcity of resources they may have a metabolism that burns energy more slowly giving them a longer gestational period. Could also be from genetic tampering that seemed useful at the time but ended up causing unforeseen consequences."

His computer beeped as some of the progress bars finished, and he started looking at the small fractures in the program where more and more of the Savi programming code, like the language he had seen earlier with the email started to appear trying to fix it's self from the amount of processing power they had been using in the program. "And just like that, we found Waldo."

~~~~~~~~~
30 MINUTES LATER | DAY 05 | 2300 hrs. | CARGO BAY 04 | USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-E PROGRAM
~~~~~~~~~

To a man with one eye, and one arm, going on a siege mission was a little unnerving. He could no longer handle a rifle, and he was left with just a hand phaser. He cranked out the weapon to max, but still felt various nervous at the idea of going on an all out attack.

More of the problem had been revealed when he had met up with the rest of the crew. ThanIda zh'Wann was alive, that was... great, just the best news he had all day. It seemed the blue bitch was much much harder to kill than he thought. It was fine, as much as he would have loved to get some closure on the past days events he knew now wasn't exactly the time or place. The two had managed to survive up till this point, and they would need that resilience if they wanted to survive the rest of this adventure.

Worst away mission ever.

Then there was Vinata, or rather, the creature he had sex with while on drugs. He could blame the drugs, but the truth was he had enjoyed that situation a lot, it had given him some much needed tension release, and if he was going to be completely honest, he would have done so even if Savi hadn't drugged him.

Then came the mention of the Omega Device. Jack had to hide his thoughts for a moment, he was still a touch embarrassed that he had been playing with a potential... actually he had no idea what it was. It was a grand mystery that he wanted to know more of. Like when he had first found the puzzle box and deemed it too complex to open he had a deep desire to know what was inside. What was Omega, and how was it contained in such a small box?

He wanted to know everything about it.

His scientific desires were cut off when the door opened, and the massive amount of panic and fighting started. Jack looked around hearing that they had to get to engineering, but with the amount of phaser fire, and other Federation bodies, even if the devices didn't work on them. Even if they were not real soldiers, he couldn't work through it.

Everything in his gut told him he needed to run, yet despite his common sense, Jack grit his teeth, and started to run towards the door.

The scientist cracked his elbow across one Ensign's face, panting as his reduced lung capacity seemingly made running harder, his one eye having to to double time as he tried to keep a wide field of view, but in the end, this was not a scenario where he could really perform. Once he was past the majority of security, he ducked down a much smaller, path.

He panted, and nearly fell on his face, but after catching his breath he started to make his way down to engineering, choosing to avoid conflict wherever possible, delaying his progress but keeping him as safe as possible. As he walked out into engineering he took shelter quickly behind a wall, pointed with his one arm, aiming with his one eye, and fired at the warp core.

it felt kind of insane to do so he tried his best not to think about it.

OOC: GNDN piping, The tubes used on the set of the original series often had GNDN written on them by the set designers, this stood for 'goes nowhere does nothing.' and became such an in joke that when DS9 set designers had to remake some of the USS Enterprise, they actually labeled the pipes GNDN so that it was visible onscreen.

Waste management and replicators: the information Jack talks about comes from page 146 of the Star Trek Next Generation Technical Manual. I've owned a copy since high school.

The metabolism is an educated guess at this point, made by some observations Jack has made about Savi society, and the recycling process as it is used.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #112 –
[Ens Nathanial "Icarus" Isley |  Observation Pen ~ Shuttle Bay | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E] @Triage  @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Nerina, that was a vistage he hadn't seen in several life times. She was one of the original members of the crew, so she could have been an illusion, but the Nerina standing in front of him was a lot more fragile than the one he had seen back in a turbolift so long ago. A soft smile graced his features for a moment, it seemed the new plan that was coming together was more in line with his thought process.

Find the computer, and hit it with a big stick, the classic reboot.

Thirty minutes later and with everyone around them the plan to fight to engineering was a good one, and so much more fun than anything he could have wanted. He saw Ida was here, but honestly he had no desire to talk to her. She was no longer the white whale he could hunt, and every time he spoke to her he was reminded that they had little if anything in common.

Some part of him wished he had a weapon more physically violent in hand. There was a desire to test himself. His muscle strength had always been Vulcan, or rather Romulan in scale, but he wondered if the removal of his human genetics and the makeup that had been put over his body at birth did anything to weaken his potential.

Going into combat with a sword would have been almost comical, but he would have enjoyed it.

Instead when he waded into the forces of enemies at the door he did so not firing his weapons, he disliked shooting at living targets, even if it was needed at times if he could avoid the use of a phaser he would rather take an an enemy by hand.

And so by hand he went. As someone walked up to him, he brought his leg down on their knee shattering knee caps. for a moment the flinch and sickening crack, the scream that followed made Nathan pause. Why were holograms designed to feel pain? that just seemed needlessly complex to program.

Continuing his way, he was content to brawl and take out some stress on the bodies of these holograms as he traversed the path to engineering, though in all honesty he was more interested in the fight than the objective.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #113 –

[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne | Day 5  |Observation Pen | Precept-Ship Versant/ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Cargo Bay 04 ]
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Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Brutus  @Zenozine  @Masorin  @SummerDawn  @chXinya @Absinthe  @steelphoenix  @Blue Zephyr @YasyraTrill  @patches  @Fife  & @Triage



Shar was angry, more than she had been in a long time. And since that convulsive emotion was the fuel that guided and devastated her life in equal portions, say that could put in perspective the intensity of the emotion that overwhelmed her. She knew that the flame of that anger burned with force to hide other feelings with its burning heat: t the outrage of being a captive, subjected to the perverse experiments those Savi; shame for having comply the dictates of those monsters, even if she was subjugated by drugs and pheromones; shyness simply for stand side by side of her compatriots, after what happened in the observation pen; a feeling of betrayal when she had discovered the ill-fated starship from which the rest of the Andorians came from and the irritation against herself when she was aware that, in spite of everything, she felt bounded to them, even though she knew it was a misplaced feeling. She had thrown all that confused mess into the pyre of her fury, trying to turn it into something she knew how to handle, into something that would allow her to overlook the future ramifications of everything that had happened and what was to come. It wasn't time to evaluate consequences, it was not time to distrust others. Before, they had to get out of that hell and to do it, whether they wanted to or not, they needed to work together.



She gripped the rifle tightly and checked its settings once more, as she had done countless times during the last few minutes, repeating the gestures mechanically. Despite the fury that raged in her veins, even knowing that they would only face holograms and that her allies had reiterated several times that the phaser blast couldn't hurt the abductees, she didn't feel comfortable with  her weapon set at max level, ready to vaporize whatever is impacted with its shots. Since the Academy, she had tried to focus herself on repair and create things, not destroy them, but the current circumstances didn't leave her many options. Leaving stunned enemies behind didn't make any sense either.


She sighed lightly and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on what they should do. "Charge against engineering room, eliminate any resistance, blow up the core" A straight forward plan. Without subtleties or contingency plans. Shar would have proposed a more subtle approach, something more complex than rampage the engineering room, weapons in hand. Something as simple as destabilize the mixture of matter and antimatter and voiding the core ejection insurance could cause a terminal chain reaction. She hadn't even had to use the front door, she could have come right next to the core through the tubes and no one would have found it strange. But of course, she wasn't an almighty engineer, just a mere operations spannermonkey, so no one would have listened to her even if they had arrived in time to come up with a less aggressive plan. Kelleshar exhaled again and clenched her teeth, her antennae firmly pressed against her skull. For a moment she almost wished that the Blue-Beast was there. In spite of her arrogance and know-it-all attitude, she knew how to handle herself in a situation like that, not only run forward blindly, shaking heavy weapons in front of them. But as was usual with her, she wasn't around when she was really needed and, probably, she would appear at the least opportune moment. A small part of Shar expected that she showed herself in any moment, despite how much she antagonized with the human, she didn't want found her dead. If her captors hadn't reduced her to a babbling mass without a brain, she would surely be causing problems and, for once, it was just what they needed. Mainly because the plan beyond escaping from the holodeck seemed to get more and more complicate for the Theurgy crew, but Shar wasn't interested in the least in their captain and that Thea, or on whatever this Omega Device  was or  even in the damn fighter. The andorian just wanted to get out of there alive and would do anything to achieve that. Even when a small voice inside of her head reminded her that she would probably follow blindly to her new kelthreh as soon as she open her eyes, but Shar tried to silence it as soon as it emerged. She didn't want to think about that now. She mustn't do it. Despite everything, she noticed how the heat rose to his cheeks in the form of a purple blush. And she hated herself for it.


The shen squeezed her slender hands over the weapon and opened her eyes, frowning again. The first thing he saw was Selh and Shall and, a little further on, the fierce Ida. Ever since they had appeared, naked and confused, in the shuttlebay of that fake Enterprise, she had barely separated from them, despite having discovered that they had deliberately concealed their ship of origin when Nerina stepped in front of them and tell the truth. She hated them for do it, not so much because they were part of a crew flagged as traitors, but because they had been able to deceive her. But given everything that had happened, it was too late to think about it, or feel offended. Even so it was another new log for the pyre of her fury. Beyond the andorians, and  against the wall, she could recognize the Chief Tactical Officer of her former starship. He seemed to have exchanged his ridged nose for slanted eyebrows and his attitude was even more somber than it had been in the scape-pod. Possibly he wasn't the best companion for her badly contained anger. Something further, she thought she recognized the romulan she had helped save from the Borg along with  LT. Cross, and even farther, among a group of feline crewmembers, she thought she could distinguish her counselor, R'Rory, but she could only recognize her uniform and ears, so she wasn't sure if that was her. Everything in that room seemed misplaced and wrongly shaped and Shar felt isolated, unable to fully trust anyone. “Just follow your instinct to stay together with your kind, grind your teeth and swallow your bitter doubts.” She sourly told herself.


Ida's shout brought her back to the real world, the holographic guards had managed to open the cargo bay doors and spilled inside like a frenzied rabble. Shar advanced to stand side by side with the zhen, supplying cover fire to the more accurate shots of the security officer. Without realizing it, Shar had fallen for the tactics learned in the Chekthora, that the other woman seemed to understand. The thonolanian shots were far from accurate, but the mass of enemies was so close that it was almost impossible to miss a shot. Shar concentrated on keeping pace with her partners, moving forward without pause, eyes searching for the core. There was the point where she could really take advantage of her knowledge, she knew where she should shoot to made the biggest harm. When he managed to cross the engineering doors, she decided to ignore the holo-officers and focus on what would really end the simulation.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #114 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Observation Pen/USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E - Stellar Cartography | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn:
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Sarresh Morali learned two very important things in those moments there with Jack. The first was that he was personally pleased to have never, ever, lived on Starbase 84. Even without being a host to a parasite, it sounded like Hawthorne was a grade a jackass for a commander. At least Ives tried to bind his crew together. Hawthorne set them at each others throats. There was no way to know how long he had been infected, and how much of this was just his base personality. After all, the man was little more than Stardust at this point.

The second was that he should never, ever ask Jack a question about how something might work. The man showed off that he had earned his posting in the science department quite handedly. He knew his game, and was able to suss out the mechanics behind the recycling process with precision. Eerie, disgusting precision. Sarresh regretted asking, as Jack broke down everything that was needed for the process, and why using the transporters to recycle mid-transport would be a waste of time and energy.

"I suppose we can take some small comfort in the fact that turning us all to slush via the transporter is so inefficient that they'll just juice us after they remove us," Sarresh commented darkly. "It does give us that small window of time." Small windows of time, he thought to himself was all he really had left. Small windows of insight into the future he lost. Small moments with Sel. Yet again, he wondered how she fared. Was she worrying over him? Or too busy holding the ship together.

No time for that

Despite having just now decided that asking Jack for information was a hazard in his sanity, he couldn't help but pull a face and ask, "Whose Waldo?"

[30 MINUTES LATER | DAY 05 | 2300 hrs. | CARGO BAY 04 | USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-E PROGRAM]

Arriving with Jack in tow, Sarresh was able to watch as the man turned a nasty pale color. He'd just set eyes on a tall, striking Andorian woman, that looked vaguely familiar to the former Ash'reem. He was fairly certain that she came from the Theurgy and that he had seen her on the bridge before. Probably. Security, if memory served him right, though why she was here, when so far as he was aware, the Savi were only interested in 'correcting' half-breeds. Or genetic aberrations such as himself.

All the same, it was clear that between the mission briefing - which revealed a horribly concocted assault on Engineering with the hope that the resulting detonation would trigger a fail safe and free them from the illusion of the holoprogram  (relying on himself and Jack to help hack the system) - and the survival of the Andorian, Jack was in a foul mood. Sarresh found himself smirking for a just a moment, as he took the rifle he was offered. Almost, the time traveler had pointed out he wasn't a solider. But then, none to shortly after he'd been transformed into a human, he'd come under assault during the mutiny and discovered he had martial skills hitherto unbeknownst to himself. Since then, they'd lingered, in the back of his mind, a present from the Memory engram encoding he'd endured before returning to the 24th century.

Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately - Sarresh had not seen Jacks reaction to the mention of the Omega Device. He was far too preoccupied with hiding his own shock and surprise. Not that he knew what the device was - he didn't per say - but for a moment, there was a sharp, biting pain in the back of his mind. And in that moment, he was certain, beyond a doubt, that he had once known what it meant, why it was important, and that there was a chance he'd know more, very, very soon. That programming of his was struggling to make up its mind as to if he should know more. How he knew that this was what was going on, was in fact something he did not know. He just knew.

It gave him a headache, which left him far more inclined to shoot the holograms as they poured into the Cargo Hold, and in turn, as the abductees poured right back out. Laying waste to a bunch of photons did a decent job of providing some stress relief. Perhaps he'd see if Sel might like to go do something similar on the holodeck. If they got out of this.

I'll get through this, he decided as he let out a guttural shout, driving the stock of his rifle into the face of a hologram that lunged at him. Short. Wiry. Redhead. Female. Trill. His mind cataloged it all as her nose crunched in and blood blossomed across her face, her mouth twisting into a scream of pain. But she wasn't real, so it didn't matter, and he pushed right on to the next. And the next. Face's swam across his vision, all in visages of rage or pain. All of them false. They didn't matter. They weren't real. Like shooting fish in a barrel he thought, ducking through the doors to Main Engineering and sending another engineering hologram flying over the safety railing by the warp core, for a long trip down. He just wished he remembered how he knew that very Human Idiom.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #115 –
[Ens. Irashall “Shall” ch’Xinya | Day 05 | 2300 hrs. | Cargo Bay 04 | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E Program]

Shall still couldn’t shake the feeling of pure wrongness that permeated his entire being.  Part of it was from the rapidly shifting locales: one minute he’d been in an overheated cage with the others, each of them loaded with Uzaveh knows what that drove them beyond the bring, forcing a Shelthreth where none had been considered.  That was the other part of his uneasiness, pure instinct was already affecting their behavior.  Ever since appearing stark naked in some shuttlebay the four were inseparable.  Even now, a phaser in hand, Shall couldn’t help but to hover near Shar and Sehl.  Ida had somehow managed to get a portion of the crowd between herself and the other three, but it wasn’t much.

Shall’s antenna had buried itself into his hair at the first whisper of a thought that wasn’t his.  As the explanation pushed into his mind he could understand the reason for it, if the Savi were recording all of this they could easily counteract this little prison break before it got anywhere.  He still didn’t have to like it though.  Close combat like this wasn’t his forte, and the more he heard the more he wished he had his staff with him.  His thumb played with the settings out of nervousness, power setting went up, then down, then up again.

And then “security” came pouring in.  Since he wasn’t a combat officer, Shall’s first reflex was to duck behind a stack of cargo containers, phaser up and ready in case someone came around.  A quick glance showed that he was the only one of the four to have done so: Ida and Shar were right at the front of the pack, blasting away at the Enterprise’s crew with wild abandon, and Sehl was only a few steps behind.  The prisoners were far from a riot, those with the training and experience had quickly formed some sort of line and were pushing forward, with those behind them taking shots as they saw fit.  A few like the chan were in cover, but the sight of the “enemy” phaser beams passing through the combined crews without effect showed that such actions were needless.

Still, survival instinct could only fight paternal instinct so far.  Enterprise “crewmembers” were sprawled all over the deck as Nerina lead everyone out the door and into the corridor outside, but one hadn’t been completely stunned.  A Zakdorn managed to roll over enough to bring his phaser up, and it looked like it was pointed right at Sehl’s head.  Blue blood boiled as time slowed to a crawl, but then time snapped forward with the Zakdorn out cold.  Shall didn’t remember pressing the trigger, or even stepping out into the open, but there he was, looking down at the man.

Before too long the majority of the crowd had left the cargo bay and Shall followed, walking backwards and taking a potshot at anyone who stepped into the corridor, security or no.  Every so often he’d turn around to see how the others were doing.  Each time he saw three sets of blue antenna waving proudly in the air so they were all fine clearly.  A phaser lanced through someone standing just behind the chan while he was distracted, the bold one caught Shall’s answering beam in the shoulder and ducked back into a side corridor before Shall could see what species they were.

Main Engineering was only a few steps later, and from the sounds of it the holographic engineers were throwing everything they had at the mob, but it was to no avail.  Behind him, Shall could hear the chaotic, meaty thuds as some tried to fight with hands and feet (and any blunt object they might’ve had on hand), but with the safeties on it was no contest.  Engineering tools just bounced off of Theurgy/whatever crewmember’s bodies as if they were made from foam while holographic bones snapped under the returning barrage.  Having ended up in the rear Shall was the last one in, so as soon as the doors closed he passed his phaser off to someone else and yanked the control pad out of the wall and started playing around with the guts to lock it.

While he was occupied with the door, phasers started to sound more focused and before too long a new alarm started to blare.  Holographic crewmembers that were still conscious started to panic, and in the din Shall couldn’t hear what the computer was trying to say.  And then, everything went white…

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #116 –
[ K'Ren | Observation Pen | the Versant | Cargo Bay 4 | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ]
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K'Ren had taken the rifle though her preference was the pistol she usually carried in her survival kit, long since lost to the vacuum of space so she had to make due with the rifle she was given. She was okay with the rifle, though okay merely meant she could pass the proficiency test, but not much better. The pistol was a different story, she scored high on her qualifications, part of that the drive that she knew her life would most likely depend on the pistol then a rifle given her profession. But she took it, at least knowing how to use it, and willing to make a good show of herself in ay event. The idea of having her memories wiped was unpleasant and she'd rather die then have the alternative done to her. Of course, she noted with a touch of sarcastic humor, she'd have no memory of her past so wouldn't care, wouldn't recall anything.

So it was in this cargo bay, gathered as they had earlier, that this lady called Nerina outlined her plan. It seemed sound on the surface, forcing the simulation to endure a catastrophic destruction would most likely trigger a shutdown or reset of the program. The challenge of course was just getting there. She'd spent enough time on her old ship at red alert and while she mostly spent it awaiting an order to launch, she'd had occasion to be near main engineering and it was usually swarming with security teams. That may also have just been her ship but she highly doubted it. It didn't take long tho for this gathering to have caught the attention of the security forces on the ship and almost the same time a cry came from a member of the gathering that security forces were approaching, she heard them, or more accurately heard their foot falls echoing on the deck plate.

Training kicked in and K'Ren soon found herself crouched near a cargo container, as little of her body exposed to the enemy forces, that's what they were after all despite the appearance of being friendlies, and holograms to boot so she didn't care. She wasn't sure if she'd actually drop one of them but the additional fire had to at least keep some heads down and give the better trained crew a chance to make some headway. And headway they did make, as the group broke out of the room and everyone, armed or not, made their way towards Main Engineering. It wasn't long before she found herself inside the cavernous bay that was main engineering, and the target of their endeavor. Staring up at the thing she knew this she couldn't miss, and as the rest cleaned out the room, K'Ren set her phaser rifle to maximum, aiming for the spot where she'd been instructed. Exactly what would happen in the next few seconds she didn't know, but like everyone else she was bound to find out.

(Apologies for a shorter post. Been insane at work and spent the last few days recovering from a family visit.)

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #117 –
[ Head Nurse Hylota Vojona & Nurse Vinata Vojona | Observation Pen | the Versant | Cargo Bay 4 | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: @Numen  @Fife 

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          Hyota took long even breaths, she had not wanted to come this far, she had been quite content to just sit back and hide out in Sickbay with her brother, she did not have the will to keep going at this, she was tired, uncomfortable on so many different levels, and she was barely holding on, her mind was abuzz with conflicting voices, each rambling off ideas, of how she could leave now, how she could hide with her brother and just wait for the others to finish this, how she should take up arms and let off her anger, hunting down anyone who crossed her path and making them suffer, making everyone suffer, making the universe suffer for what had been done to her. To have her few points of stability, constantly knocked out from under her, to have her life twisted with crisis after crisis, she was a wreck and she did not know how much longer she could hold herself together, if not for her brother she had no idea where she would be, he was the last anchor in her life, the last point keeping her sane any longer. Hylota rubbed her temple as she looked to her brother, the both of them were suffering silently. Their hidden change not clear to any outsider, no one could understand how undignified their change had been, sure the others had half their genetics stolen from them, but Hylota had her identity changed, her restraint stolen and she had been forced to rape...she felt sick at the thought, she did not want to deal with this, she did not have the time.

As Hylota heard a rather gruff voice she felt a chill run through her, the distinct tones of a Klingon voice having a drastic impact as the shared last name was stated. Both Hylota and Vinata looked to Khorin as he came over, their unfamiliarity with mammalian races was made all the worse when dealing with their fellow crewmen now no longer appearing as they once had, in truth Hylota was looking at Khorin with a pain stabbing in her heart, she could tell that this was not Maal, but the superficial similarities and her grief tried to say it was, tried to convince her she had not watched him die. For a moment Hylota felt as though she was on the verge of breaking down, until Khorin spoke more and finally grasped her confusion and explained who he was. To see her patient here as a full Klingon and to see that he was injured once more she could not help but smile weakly to him. "Likewise Khorin, I see you have gotten to embrace your Klingon side fully." Looking over her shoulder Hylota put her hands on Vinata's shoulders and encouraged him to come forward. "Allow me to introduce my brother Vinata. Vinata, this is Khorin, I assisted in his treatment after coming out of cryo."

Vinata allowed himself to be more forward, despite the situation he was handling the ordeal much better than his sister, in his hand he held a phaser, among the first items retrieved by the siblings when they had gotten into sickbay, Hylota had insisted on being armed, she refused to allow her brother to be defenseless once more. Looking up into Khorin's eyes Vinata nodded to him and smiled confidently. "Hello Sir, it is nice to see that my sister has not been such a shut in that she has made no friends with the crew." Hylota rolled her eyes at this and pushed Vinata lightly. "I am not some recluse brother." Vinata let out a chuckle and looked Khorin over. "You look to have seen quite a bit of combat as of late sir, my sister and I did make sure to bring medical supplies with us, we could help you easing any pain you might have."

Hylota listened to what her brother had to say and she looked Khorin over as well, inspecting his injuries and clicking her tongue. "Indeed, we could provide some aid to help you before we get too far into the fighting...in fact I feel that there might be an arrangement we could come out to. Seeing as how my brother and I are not combat trained, we are not as good in these kinds of situations, but we can offer support, we could work together as a party to raise our chances of success." Hylota gave a confident smile, her mind calming as she had a goal to work towards once more. "Now while you consider the offer allow us to give you a quick examination. In the meantime how about you get some quick stretches in. I want to check up on your mobility, see if the changes done to you have provided any added healing or if your body is still as it was before the genetic change." Work, it was a good distraction, a good way to get her mind off the stress of her life, it allowed Hylota a temporary out, and she was going to take it. Taking out a medical tricorder Hylota began to scan while her brother took other instruments and set about working on anything he could.

Vinata was working on Khorin's minor wounds with a dermal regenerator, seeing that the wounds were closed up properly before they began to get going, vigorous activity could end up making such wounds worse with the stretching and unintentional tearing of the flesh during the heat of combat. It was as they were busy with their work that the mental broadcast happened, it made the siblings stop cold as they tensed. The Ovri were not a telepathic race and lacked such adaptations, they also rarely dealt with races with such abilities, so the majority were not able to handle the sudden voices in their minds with much grace. As the briefing continued Hylota and Vinata kept at their work, resuming and working quickly to finish up Khorin's healing before they began to get under way, and no sooner had they finished when the doors came open and the fighting began. In the chaos Vinata quickly set about getting their medical kit packed away once more while Hylota took a more protective stance, staring down at the door as she pulled out her own phaser, pointed and fired, her beam steady as she gave a short burst of suppressing fire, her shot was surprisingly good for a nurse. As Hylota glared at the door a glint of rage appearing in her eyes as she scowled. With the kit packed up Vinata spoke up. "Just take the lead Mr.Douglas, we will be right behind you." The two siblings were prepared to move, their attitude made it clear that they had not picked up on any distrust, or were at the least acting as though they did not know anything was wrong, in truth Vinata had taken notice of Khorin's look, it was one several people had had after their arrival in the cargo hold, a look of distrust and suspicion, sadly it was not something Vinata could fix, and for the time being ignoring it was the best option.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #118 –
[ Lt. R’Rori | A Road to Nowhere | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Precept-ship Versant ]

R’Rori gave the Klingon a curious look as s/he was handed a phaser rifle with the apparent expectation that s/he both willing and able to use it. The humanoid held it gingerly and apart from hirself until the rest finished talking and started setting off. With a sigh borne of exhaustion and suffering, s/he girded hirself for some sort of battle. It seemed there was no avoiding conflict for the pacifist, whether within or with others. With the first few steps, it finally registered that Cross had whispered a thanks for the words s/he had said earlier and it brought a small smile to hir face.

[ 30 minutes later | The Battle of Cargo Hold 4  | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E / Precept-ship Versant ]

The cat-eared human fidgeted with a phaser pistol s/he had swapped for instead of the rifle given to hir earlier while listening carefully to Nerina’s plan. S/he had known there would be a fight at some point. The pistol wasn’t a complete unknown to hir. Like any other officer, there were basic standards s/he had to meet for marksmanship and s/he had passed well. R’Rori simply had no appetite for armed combat, a personality trait that influenced hir path into a career that focused on healing the carnage wrought by the wars that the Federation found itself constantly embroiled in. The broken bodies and minds s/he met on Starbase 146 was enough to cement her pacifism.

S/he found hirself in a situation that would now test that. It was stretching hir beliefs to directly aid the others in taking part in this so far but could R’Rori bring hirself to shoot even the holographs that they would undoubtedly attempt to stop the surviving members of Starfleet from taking over Engineering?

It wasn’t long before the klaxon sounded and the holographic Security officers began an assault on the cargo hold. The phaser rifles they wielded were clearly totally ineffective against the living, the bolts passing harmlessly through them, including a stray that went through R’Rori hirself. S/he stood there, numb and frozen with indecision. S/he noticed movement at the corner of her vision. Taking the opportunity to distract hirself, s/he saw K’Ren crouched behind a cargo crate. R’Rori almost collapsed down next to her, dejectedly tossing hir pistol to the pilot’s side.

“I can’t fight. The screams are too real, even if it’s simulated.” The counselor muttered. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t use a weapon. Even with the Borg, I just ran. I heal. That’s all I want to do. I don’t fight. I can’t hurt them.”

Hir silver eyes searched around the hold as people began emptying out. The initial assault had failed and now the motley surviving crew of at least three different ships were going to Engineering. A passing crewman in Security red patted hir on the shower and urged hir to follow. It was with some apparent effort that R’Rori pushed hirself back up and joined the crowd to Engineering, losing hirself in the maelstrom now engulfing the beating heart of the Enterprise. Whatever happened next would be illuminating, s/he mused to hirself as s/he found hirself standing near a console some distance away from the doors and the core.

“Well, at least if we die, it’ll be with the knowledge that we tried something.” R’Rori whispered to hirself.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #119 –
[ Deacon | Observation Pen | the Versant | Cargo Bay 4 | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: Everyone whose anyone

Deacon found the rifle he'd been given less than useful.  A club would be more effective in his hands given the threat of combat that loomed.  However, the rifle did afford him an opportunity, housed as they were in the depths of the cargo bay.  With some assistance, he had managed to find a setting that allowed him to carve narrow strips of graphene from some of the larger containers.  The two longest would serve as swords -- if he was to be effective in combat, he would need to adapt the battlefield to accommodate the manner in which he was taught, such as it was.  Several smaller strips were fused together with small trilithium pellets courtesy of some corner deck plating.  These would be useful for throwing, the weight giving sufficient momentum to improve their lethal potential.

As he worked, he mumbled to himself, a never ending barrage at the tendency of the monkeys to take things at face value, to do the expected, to veer away from the extremes in favor of the comfortable.  That was not his way.  That would not be his way.  Ives was here in this hell, as was Thea.  His motivation to effect suffering upon these so-called Savi doubled.  Bad enough that they should transgress against his mate... their unborn children... but his patriarch?  And Thea... well, she was another difficult matter that he could scarcely wrap his thoughts around.  She was a thing, an artificial construct, but she was among the first to treat him with respect on the ship, to give him an opportunity, a purpose... and when he was sick, she was the one who came to him.  She was...

He paused, looking at the pile of sharpened blades laying on the ground before him.  She was his friend.  He was not going to allow them to keep her... or Ives... or K'Ren...

Taking a deep breath, he looked to his mate.  He wanted to hold her, to lose himself in her, to pretend none of this was real and that they would open their eyes and find themselves locked in each others arms in his quarters.  The numbing in his head was already starting to wear away, in part from his own drive and stress as he worked to shape his own instruments of vengeance, part he suspected from the fundamental transience of this place and its contents.  When all things were considered, it was perhaps little more than a placebo he'd wanted to help him.

Standing, he gathered his materials, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand -- another monkey feature that he would be well rid of, but still a matter for another time.  Swords, knives... these things may well fade with the rest of this ill-forged program, but for now, they felt real enough.

Taking his rifle from the ground last, he strode purposefully towards the klingon, Khorin, who was among those humanoid faces that still managed to stand out to some degree or another.  He placed a parcel of blades into the klingon's hand, suspecting he would find a certain amount of satisfaction in their use even if they were substantially less than a bat'leth or even a mek'leth.  He then handed the rifle to him, leaning close to his ear, his eyes darting towards the door as he spoke a single word, tapping the rifle with a free hand.  "Overload."

As he turned, he gave pause at the site of the two ovri, one of whom he recognized as the nurse that had questioned him following his surgery days previous.  He could not tell if the recognition was mutual and truth be told, he didn't want to swallow any further embarrassment regarding his looks now.  Now he needed to focus; all else was incidental.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #120 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Day 5 | Observation Pen | Precept-Ship Versant/ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Cargo Bay 4 ]
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When Hylota pointed out that he had finally embraced his Klingon blood, Khorin puffed out his chest, full of pride, sharing with her a chipped tooth grin, pleased with himself and what he's become. The pilot had longed all his life to be what he was at that moment, and while that didn't discredit the outrage that had been his capture and the experimentation he had suffered under the hands of the Savi, possibly he had embraced the change with more enthusiasm that any of those present, and couldn't hide it. However, he didn't have much time to go deeper into that feeling, since the nurse soon introduced her brother, Vinata, into the conversation. In vivid contrast with the somehow sinewy and dull-colored figure of the female Ovri, the male showed a striking tone of blue and ocher skin, and a more voluptuous and slender figure, than that of his sister, giving him a much more fragile appearance. Even looking that weak in the klingon's eyes, Vinata showed a determined expression and held firmness his hand phaser, as if beneath that apparent delicacy reside a fierce warrior. Khorin shook his head and chuckled, incredulous. The amphibian race didn't stop surprising him.


As soon as the tease between both Ovri siblings began, it brought to his mind the kind of relationship that was habitual among the brothers or brother and sister, so different from the one he had with his half-brother. Klingon to the core, savage and violent, Gorka had made it clear from the start that he didn't consider Khorin his equal, and had put all possible means to not let the former hybrid reach adulthood. For a moment, the Lone Wolf tried to imagine what his life would have been like if his brother's animosity against him had been left only in words, if the eldest of Margon's children had shown that instinct of protection that Hylota showed towards his brother. Possibly he wouldn't be who he was at that moment, and would never have joined Starfleet. However, the lucubrations about it were useless and kept his mind away from what really mattered: the battle that was coming.


Therefore, when Hylota offered to heal his wounds, Khorin only hesitated for a moment, frowning. "I own the body of a warrior now, I don't any need care" He snarled, but despite the surly phrase, he sat on the floor and let the nurses do their work, repeating with Hylota the stretches that had learned in the Theurgy's sickbay. Even if only a few days had passed since the learned them, the events made it seem like it had happened in another life. By any way, soon the dermal regenerator and the attentions of the Ovri eliminated any trace of bruises or pain that remained in his body.

Khorin stood up, his strength completely renewed, shortly before the quasi-human approached where he was, carrying in his hands a parcel of blades with a bloodthirsty appearance.The klingon hefted the weapons and, while crude and coarse-looking, found them well-balanced and with a razor-sharp edge. "Worthy weapons for a warrior, I thank you for this, from a warrior to his peer" he proclaimed loudly, appreciating the present. He wasn't sure what had been the human with feline tail and murderous eyes before his Correction, but it was clear that he was a fighter, someone well trained in the arts of war. The Lone Wolf nodded to the human's plan, instantly understanding his intention, and offered it to wicked grin as an answer. However, there was no time to exchange more words, as the voice of one of the Andorians drew everyone's attention to the doors of cargo bay.


The security team had managed to break through the door and enter the warehouse like an unstoppable tide. Khorin turned to the Ovri and shouted "Follow me!", then he tried to look into Zeph eyes. His gaze intertwined with the one of the betazoid for a moment, and he let a phrase slip through their minds, hoping that it reach its destination. ~ bomDI' 'IwwIjqaqaw.~ Before he could receive an answer to his bold statement, the Klingon broke the contact and looked back at the doors.


Without much thought, the Lone Wolf threw back his arm and threw the overloaded weapon against the roaring mass of enemies. An instant later, the rifle exploded, a blinding sphere of smoke and shrapnel, which hindered the opening. The cries of pain that followed the explosion were music in the ears of Margon's son, who charged forward without waiting a moment longer, the longest handmade blade in right fist, one of the shortest in the other.


When the smoke hadn't yet cleared, Khorin was met with the first scuffle, a couple of holograms came up to him, receiving him with useless phaser shots. The klingon stretched out a furious thrust with his right hand, which hit one of his opponents in the throat, throwing a bow of fake blood to the back wall. The other officer, seeing his companion fall, threw his useless weapon against the Klingon's head. Khorin dodged the sudden attack, but that left him at the mercy of a cruel kick in the ribs. He grunted in surprise when the blow fit, but quickly slashed with the short weapon, looking for the side of his adversary. The hologram interposed his left arm, sacrificing the limb to save his life, as he approached his adversary and threw a punch against his face. Khorin stopped the hit with his longest blade in the path of the blow, cutting off the limb and then deftly turning the blade and embedding it in the eye of the security officer. The agonizing enemy tangled the sword, allowing time for the bulk of his enemies to reach their position.


Soon a rain of blows, useless shots of phaser, kicking and shoving began to fall on the Klingon, who received them with a defiant laugh, bloodlust wildly running in his veins. The holograms weren't aware of the kind of headstrong they faced. The scuffle continued for a few minutes, until finally Khorin emerged from the melee, his blood and that of his enemies bathed him completely, the blades of his weapons soaked in blood of various colours. However, he barely had time to shout his victory, as a group of reinforcements came up against him. The determination of the Klingon was such that enemy after enemy fell under their cuts and thrusts. Blood flowed through its blades until it shedded over his hand and elbow like a river. Drops of splashes stained his face and, at some point, some of the holograms had hurt him in the side, where a large dark spot began to spread, soaking his uniform. Nevertheless, the klingon remained firm, moving forward without pause, ready to be the first to cross the gates.


Suddenly, a hologram approached him from behind, trying to immobilize him. Khorin bellowed in anger, struggling to free himself, as he watched as a circle of enemies closed ominously around him. In a flicker of the warning lights, he managed to free one of his arms, and turned violently dragging his captors towards the clinging edge of his blade. Surrounded and almost surpassed by his enemies, his heart beating a war song in his eardrums, Khorin felt that he was on the edge between life and death, where any false move could be lethal. But that was why the Klingons lived, that exact moment toward which all the teachings of their culture were directed. Not caring anymore to reach the engineering room, destroy the core or use the rifle hanging uselessly from his bloody shoulder, Khorin laughed, enjoying that moment that could be his last, before he was buried again by a shapeless mass of enemies.

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #121 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | 10 Forward - Hallway outside 10 Forward | "USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E" | Precept-ship Versant ]
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Far away from the action...

The world seemed to shift between realities in the mind Lahkesis's mind. The ship was right and wrong, everything was as it should be, and yet every detail was invariably incorrect. She pulled herself to her feet and looked down at the puddle of her vomit, it was not there. She could still feel it in her throat and mouth and yet it was gone.

Had she thrown up?

She suddenly could not be certain.

It was just one more thing she could not be certain of. The list kept adding up. She was still all but certain of her name and who and what she was, but even that was fragmenting in her mind. She felt as if she were losing more and more of herself. As if the details around her and of her were being stripped away and she was being left a husk.

Her already pale skin had taken on a more sallow complexion as she staggered away, moving toward the door. She had to get out, had to get her feet on ground she knew. She spun on her heel and looked around as she stepped from the lounge and into the hallway.

And there he was, standing in a white wrap around kimono-like shirt and loose pants. His blind eyes looked directly at her as she stopped short before him. She found herself once more ensnared by him as if in his presence the rest of the world mattered not.

"The lamb, lost in the woods, seeks out a shelter from the coming storm," he said quietly, his voice sounding like it was coming over some ancient intercom system.

"Master..." she breathed her tone pleading.

"The wolves come, to ripe the flesh, to taste the blood," the man went on, seemingly unaware of her.

"Please..." she began to weep, sugary tears seeping from her eyes and over her cheeks.

"The lamb may run, the lamb may hide," the man continued, his voice seeming to draw closer, though neither moved and the faint buzz of the ancient intercom remained.

"I can't..." she said as she slowly sunk to her knees before him, her world seeming to turn to liquid and slide away from her.

"But the wolves will come," the man said and fell silent.

Lahkesis buried her face in her hands. She felt as if she were in agony. She wanted to not be alone, yet she could not seem to remember who she wanted to be with. She could not remember who would make her feel safe. She could remember there was someone, but there felt like they were so very far away. And she was trapped. She was in a prison. She could feel the walls closing in around her, the bars pressing into her skin.

She was on display for them, and she could all but feel their eyes on her. Her uniform hid her naught, and she was exposed in every way she could be. The whole of her body and mind laid bare before those nightmarish eyes.

She looked up and the blind man was gone. She was alone in the hallway once more, on her knees.

She got to her feet and looked around, blinking away her tears.

Like a jolt, she remembered something.

She was in the wrong place. She needed to be on a different ship, with a different crew. She had to get back to them.

Somehow...

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #122 –
[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann | Observation Pen ~ Cargo Hold 04 | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: All
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The indignation Ida had suffered fuelled her rage, squarely directed towards these 'Savi' captors, and by extension, their shelat program. Had they truly expected them to be docile? When they had distorted their bodies, subjected them to experiments without consent, and liquefied their fellow crewmembers alive? Had they thought they'd go quietly into oblivion, loosing their memories, in this holographic representation of a well-known Federation ship? A program which was supposed to make them behave, and conform to false, pointless duties? Did they think they were mindless cattle?

No. Ida would not go quietly into the night.

Years of training, with skills honed by ceaseless repetition was the conduit of her cold fury. As awkward as the company of the other three Andorians had become for her, none of it was at the forefront of her mind. She did not waste any pleasantries towards the Corrected, since she wasn't sure she recognised them, didn't see who they used to be. No, with deft motions, her rifle raised and eyes along the sights, she moved with brisk efficiency. She vaporised the images of Starfleet officers without compunction, with no pause to her motions. With a murderous pace, she made for engineering alongside two of the Andorians, Shar and Sehl, with Shall further behind in the mob of abductees.

When she entered Engineering, three holograms ganged up on her, grabbing her rifle and trying to push her to the deck. Ida's face twisted into a mask of her rage. The first one got an elbow to his temple, followed by a kick that bent his leg at an unnatural angle. The second one got his teeth and jaw shattered by the stock of her rifle. The third one doubled over from getting the barrel rammed into his gut, before the phaser barrage tore him in two. Without missing a beat in the deadly dance, Ida's antennae and blue eyes rose to the top of the warp core...

...and she opened fire, her teeth bared in as the rapid stream of phaser bolts tore into it.

OOC: More posts to come here today from Devyrie Okhala and Lin Kae, along with the outcome of this assault on the program. Stay tuned!

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #123 –
[ Devyrie "Dragon" Okhala | Observation Pen ~ Cargo Hold 04 | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: All
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The Okhala sisters were also in the throng of abductees that fought for their freedom, and Devyrie found the words of their Tal'Shiar father resounding in her mind when they smote the holograms that came in their path.

Mindset, child. Many will learn to use a weapon, or study a martial art, but their skills decline quickly because they fail to practice every day. Having the proper mindset means being a stalwart practitioner, determined, never cutting corners and taking every precaution to ensure survival. The words of Aurum Okhala reminded Devyrie how she had failed to hone the skills he'd taught her before the Academy, resorting to the practices of Starfleet when it came to ground combat. Thus, with her hand phaser in a double-handed grip, moving forth with bent knees, Dev picked off holographic security guards that lounged for her and Laurel, the two sisters moving as one in alternating defence angles. They were both pilots in their own right, and together, they were wingmates in an assault without wings.

From her blind spot, a guard struck for her with his fist, catching her across the cheekbone. The vertigo and shock almost made Deyrie fall, yet her father's voice was with her, despite how they were hundreds of light-years apart. In a combat situation, having the proper mindset means being prepared to act without hesitation, and never quitting during the fight, regardless of fear or pain.

With a snarl, her green eyes flashing, she rounded on the guard. Before her long Alpha Centauri braids had settled, she had dealt the man a backhand strike with the handle of her phaser. Without pause, she had vaporised the offender and moved on, covering her sister again.

What the...? That was when she saw the commotion ahead in the corridor, where a fellow Lone Wolf fell under a group of holograms - bringing the Klingon down to the deck. Hardtop had been overpowered, and the instincts in flying in a wolf squadron kicked in, making her run to aid him. She tapped Laurel's shoulder with the back of her free hand, gesturing for her to cover her before she moved to the heap of writhing bodies. With quick motions, she changed the setting of her hand phaser to wide dispersal, and picked the maximum setting. Then, she laid blanket fire unto the holograms and the deck, the wide beams lighting up the corridor in psuedo-lethal brilliance. Each time she squeezed the trigger, her weapon ate away on the holograms and the corridor alike, until she uncovered Khorin Douglas at last. He was covered in blood, but Devyrie surmised it wasn't likely his own, since he'd joined the fray with a melee weapon. As for her hand phaser, it was spent, so she tossed it away.

"A wolf is nothing without its pack," she said, extending her hand to pull the large Klingon back on his feet, those words a mantra from Tac CONN graduation, "and a pack is nothing without the wolf."

Saying this, Devyrie's eyes lifted, and made eye-contact with...

...her eyes widened, being face-to-face with her rapist. The Ovri.

She took a step backwards and drew her second hand phaser, swallowing, but reminded herself... that it wasn't the Ovri's fault. Nonetheless, she left both the two Ovri and Hardtop behind. "Stay away from me," was all she snarled to the tan-coloured alien, waving for Laurel to follow her. The fully Romulan sister did, but looked at the Ovri with great consternation, before catching up with her white-haired Human sister.

Soon enough, they also emerged into Engineering on the Enterprise, and as one, the Okhala sisters raised their hand phasers and fired against the top of the warp core.

OOC: Two out of three posts down. One more to go! If you guys have anything more to add to the scene before it ends, now is the time. :)
 

Re: Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]

Reply #124 –
[ Ensign Lin Kae | Observation Pen ~ Cargo Hold 04 | The Versant ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E ] Attn: All
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Because of what he had done, before he was put in stasis, Ensign Lin Kae had every right to being as determined as he was. He had betrayed Thea, her crew, and the mission at the Black Opal, and even if he couldn't remember his reasons, the facts of his actions remained. Yet so did his current action remain as well, when he, as a holographic specialist without any greater combat experience, his body inferior to his mind, pushed forth, and arrived in Engineering.

Several other abductees were already firing against the warp core. Lin Kae could see Geordi La Forge mounting a defence line, shouting that they had to eject the core, but to no avail. Lin Kae ground his teeth together, tears in his eyes, and lifted his hand phaser, squeezing the trigger repeatedly. He cried out, in a mix of self-hate and need for redemption...

...when the containment fields finally yielded. It was impossible to actually see the antimatter when it scattered, the warp core detonation instantaneous in unbridled matter-antimatter reaction. The entire Enterprise was torn apart within a second.

[ Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | The Versant ]

And then, all the abductees stood in a large room, the dim-lit Observation Pen in which most had found themselves before the Enterprise program started. A vast, featureless deck, bulkheads without doors, with only the deckhead owning any kind of features. Holo-emitters, and hatches where inoculation cannons could emerge. There was not a shred of cloth inside the Pen, since all their clothing had been holographic, and the replicated gown had been long since discarded. The ominous lighting and all the bare skin... it was a nightmarish play of shadows, cast across faces suddenly bereft of courage.

"O'Riley! Hi'Jak! To me! I'm here!" Lin Kae called out into the darkness, needing the other holodeck expert present and the one who had derived the basics of Savi programming language. Eyes wild, Kae pointed towards two other officers, a Klingon and a tall human with a tail, likely the result an incomplete Correction. "You two, lift me up to the deckhead. Right over here, now! Hurry!"

Yet no more had he said it... before an imposing, shimmering image of a Savi's head and chest appeared on one side of the large area. For some, it was the first time they laid eyes on one of them, and this particular one was the same that had spoken to them before the Enterprise simulation began. The partial image of the alien stretched from the deck to the deckhead, and when he folded his arms across his chest, the shifting lights were cast across the whole pen.

[Specimens, this is the Voice of the Savi. You have disrupted your humane containment, choosing to not conform to the process in a peaceful manner. You were warned about the consequences of such actions,] said the captor, his large, black eyes staring indifferently upon them all. Lin Kae had only cast a brief glance towards the towering figure of the magnified alien, before he shouted again, feeling like the window of opportunity was about to close soon.

"Hurry!" he called, fumbling as he tried to climb on top of the two large males he had asked for help. Eventually, he managed to reach one of the emitters, his fingernails tracing the edge while he tried to keep his balance. The holo-projection continued to speak.

[At another time, you would have been given further options, your health paramount for the memory treatment and release. Yet as of ten minutes ago, your conformity has been rendered a moot point.] The Savi paused, uncrossed his arms, and seemed to be entering commands into his datapad while he spoke. [The High Council has evaluated a motion regarding the Versant's need for repairs, where it has been argued that this need surpass the importance of the Correction Program and all the current projects in our Biolabs. Since your biomatter will sustain the Versant during its expedited repairs, the final decision has been made.]

Heart racing in his chest, Lin Kae finally managed to pry one emitter loose, his fingers bleeding and hurting. With shaking hands, he cradled it in his palms, and cast his eyes about for Hi'Jak and O'Riley. His eyes were wide in the dim light, and he almost lost his balance. The mounting dread in the pen could be heard, the bare humanoids suspecting what was to become of them. Lin Kae had to shout to override the terror. "There is no interface! I can't open it!"

[In spite of the Code and how it dictates your release, you will all be Recycled instead.]

"Do something!" called Nerina, standing not far off, flanked by ThanIda zh'Wann and other officers. Yet Lin Kae couln't access the emitter, much less the housing in the ceiling. It was designed to prevent any tampering. He was panicking, dropping the emitter from fingers slick with blood.

[This is Echtand qi Versant, and on behalf of all Savi, we apologise for not being able to release you as intended. Please remain calm, and know that your biomatter is valuble to us. You will aid in our continued research, and your names will be added to our Archive.]

Thea... I'm sorry. I couldn't....

And then, the dim pen brightened in aquamarine light - engulfing them all as they were transported.

[ Commander Nerina | Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | The Versant ] Attn: All
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Her brown eyes casting about, Nerina found that she was in the middle of a throng of bare bodies, all of them cramped close together. The panick that had begun in the Observation Pen continued now, only there was no space to move for the abductees. This isn't happening! No, no, no...

The new area was smaller, and dominated by a massive pad, upon which they all stood. Those near the edges tried to step off, but they were stopped by a forcefield. Nerina tried to keep calm, to see some kind of means to leave, a hand-hold, anything, but she couldn't see anything because of all the bare skin around her. The pad below their bare feet glimmered slightly as it came to life with a undertone of a cool blue colour, emanating from underneath the pad. There was a sound, and the level of panic rose, everyone present knowing what was about to happen.

Outside the forcefield, something moved in the shadows. It was not one of the regular Savi. This one was larger, insect-like, and the soft light of the pad caught its chitin-like protrusions and mandibles. It had three legs, a pale exoskeleton, and four eyes. It looked at the mass of bodies on the pad that tried to get out without a hint of empathy. The thing - this abomination - made an alien sound, and two regular Savi walked to a control panel. At that time, Nerina couldn't hear anything over all the screaming. One thought stayed with her in her animal reaction to her imminent death, and it was how she had failed them all.

Among the thrashing bodies, she met the eyes of ThanIda zh'Wann, resignation in the Andorian's steady gaze. She saw Devyrie Okhala trying to comfort her sister, hugging her close. The Ovri siblings could be seen in the throng because of their differing skin colour. The other Andorians stood out as well, and the felnoids with their ears or tails. The blue light rose from the pad, and Nerina couldn't help the thickness in her throat. She shook her head, as if in denial. i'm so sorry...

The cacophony of screams rose, and there was some kind of wet dust circling in the air. A swirling cloud. At this point of pain-exposure, Nerina was beyond understanding it, how the platform took the top layer of their being. As the light went deeper, and the cloud became denser, they were all disappearing.

Eventually, the cloud rose to a buffer, and the Recycling was complete.

- FIN

OOC: This is the end of Chapter 02. Surviving characters can be found in this continuation: Prologue: Insurgency
 
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