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Escape Of The Apache

[Tesserarius Lorad | Personal Quarters | Sub-Level 05 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad had returned late the previous evening from a mission. He and his unit were not due to report for debriefing until midday and he was using the extra time to catch up on some quality rest. Unfortunately, that was not to be as Lorad was shaken awake by the distant rumbles of what Lorad recognised as orbital weapons fire. Someone was bombarding the area near their base.

Lorad rolled out of his bunk and straightened up just in time to be knocked back to his knees as the ground shook from another impact. And this one was closer. Lorad quickly dressed as the base continued to shake from nearby impacts, all the time wondering how long before one of those shots actually hit the base proper. Slipping on his vest, he ensured that his visor was secure in one of the internal pockets. The visor was a gift from his Romulan mother, Pakena, and while she would never replace his birth mother, Minuk, in his heart, there was room for her as well. And for his sister Samala.

Half Reman, half Romulan, Samala was the apple of her father's eye, or so the human phrase went. He had learnt it from a Holonovel that Pakena had translated into Reman. And while the words and phrases didn't always make sense, the characters in the story acted the same way that his father acted with Samala.

Another impact rattled the room, throwing Lorad across the room. That had been a close one, Lorad could tell. Steadying himself, Lorad turned to retrieve his weapons when the center of the room was blocked by the incoming transportation of three Romulan soldiers.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

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[Tesserarius Lorad | Personal Quarters | Sub-Level 05 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad had one advantage in this situation; the poor planning of the Romulans. They had teleported into the room, side by side and all facing the same direction. And Lorad was behind them.

Seizing the initiative, Lorad sprang into action. Creeping up behind them, Lorad kicked out the right knee of the Romulan on the left, turning and isolating him from the fight. Grasping the center Romulan, he shoved him to the right into his companion with all his strength, sending the two of them to the floor as well. As one of the Romulans tried to raise his disruptor, Lorad stomped on his forearm and shattered the bones within under his heavy boot. Without hesitation, Lorad knelt down and grabbed onto the injured Romulan’s head at the jaw and occipital bones. With a sharp wrench, Lorad broke the man’s neck before gathering up his fallen disruptor and shooting his dazed companion.

As Lorad turned to third Romulan, he instead found himself staring down the barrel of a disruptor. The hand holding it was trembling but that made it no less dangerous. Lorad considering trying to say something witty but he never received the opportunity before a disruptor pulse hit the hand, vaporising it, before a second one impacted his torso. The Romulan collapsed to the side and moved no further.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #2 –
DISCLAIMER: Unless otherwise stated, all speech is in Reman from this point forward.

[Tesserarius Lorad | Personal Quarters | Sub-Level 05 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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“What did I teach you about making sure that your opponents were dealt with correctly?” the familiar voice of his father asked from the now open doorway, a disruptor carbine in his hands.

"In my defence, I was not expecting three Romulans to beam into my quarters," Lorad said as he stood back up with the Romulan disruptor still in hand. "What is happening? How did they find us?"

"I'm not sure. 20 minutes ago, a pair of D'deridex warbirds decloaked in orbit and began to bombard the continent from orbit," his father related. "It was obvious that they knew we were here but not where. The Tachi was out testing some modifications and came back. They were able to eliminate one of the warbirds but they were then engaged by 4 Mogai-class warbirds. So far, they have killed one and are working on the rest. But it is prevented from targeting the other D-deridex that is continuing its bombardment."

"The bombardment must be disrupting the power grid," Lorad realised. "That is how they got through the magnetic shield.

"It is," his father confirmed. "The shield is fluctuating and gaps are opening and closing. The Romulans are beaming in small groups to try and shut down power to the shield completely. I eliminated one such group not far from here."

"They are after the data cores," Lorad stated as he thought about what the Romulans would want.

"The cores, tech, prisoners," his father listed. "The Romulans will take it all if they can and try to build their own ships and weapons. We will not let that happen."

"The self-destruct?" Lorad wondered.

"Indeed," his father said. "It will detonate in 57 minutes. Less, if the Romulans breach the control centre or the archives."

"Evacuation plan?" Lorad asked as his training asserted itself.

"Everyone is being sent to either the Mek'leth or the main shuttlebay. The Tachi will provide cover," his father briefed. "Grab your gear, we have to find your mother and sister quickly."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #3 –
[Tesserarius Lorad | Corridor | Sub-Level 05 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad and his father advanced quickly but quietly down each side of the corridor they were in, disruptors at the ready. The bombardment had continued but so far neither believed that anything important had been hit. They were just coming up to a junction when 5 Romulans beamed into the space before them.

Neither of the Remans hesitated as they opened fire almost before the intruders had completely rematerialised. The five Romulans never had a chance against the two shock troopers with none of them even managing to get a shot off before they were killed.

"That was a larger group," Lorad observed as he looked down the connecting corridors.

"The largest I have seen as well," his father agreed. "The shield must be weakening. We have to hurry."

"We should split up then," Lorad proposed as he looked at his father. With what time they had left, it was the best option.

"Agreed. You go after your sister," his father commanded. "She should have been at her Kormerek lesson on level 4." Lorad's mind flashed back to his own lessons years earlier. The Remans had appropriated the Romulan martial art and adapted it to their own use. The brutality remained but the stigma against blocking was removed. When paired with knives or sticks, the most common weapons available to any Reman, slave or soldier, it was a formidable skill their enemies were forced to overcome.

"Where will we meet?" Lorad asked.

"The briefing rooms on level 3," his father said. "Now go, we do not have time to waste."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #4 –
[Tesserarius Lorad | Corridor | Sub-Level 05 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad had considered using the primary lift shaft to ascend to level 4 but had found his way blocked by another group of five Romulans. Not liking his chances without help, Lorad had backtracked to a secondary emergency shaft and climbed up the ladder within to the next level.

The Romulans had been prepared for this, posting a pair of guards to stop anyone trying to enter the shaft. But they were not prepared for an angry Reman exiting the shaft, weapons at the ready. Lorad had easily shot one guard in the head before stabbing the second one in the throat. Now their green blood emptied into to shadows at the base of the shaft they had been guarding. And their killer; he padded off down the corridor in search of his sister.

Samala may only have been Lorad’s half-sister by blood but he had never treated her differently; regardless of her familial connection or hybrid status. Samala was the daughter of his father, a full-blooded Reman and Pakena, his Romulan stepmother. Her, Lorad had had to grow used to but she had worn him down eventually. And she had borne his sister.

His sister. Samala was an oddity on the base. There were other hybrids on the base; 2 in fact. But unlike the others which tended to favour either their mother or their father, Samala was almost an even split in her appearance. She had her mother’s smooth skin but instead of the dark chestnut of her mother, thanks to her father, it had lightened to what Pakena had called a Terran Caucasian. She retained the pointed ears of both her mother and father and her brow ridges, a typical Romulan trait, were more subdued. She had brown hair that hung down to her shoulders, another difference from the other two hybrids who were both hairless.

But perhaps the most unique trait about his sister was that she was telepathic. They weren’t sure if it came from her Romulan or Reman blood but to them it didn’t matter. She was what she was, and they wouldn’t change anything.

He was approaching the training rooms when he heard the sound of Romulan disruptor fire and the death scream of a male. Locating the door he thought it was from, Lorad reared back and kicked it open before stepping through.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #5 –
[Samala | Kormerek Training Room | Sub-Level 04 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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She had thought she had avoided detection when she had ducked into the training room as the two Romulans materialised in the hallway. But cornered as she was now by three Romulans, she realised she had made a mistake. Not that it mattered now. Samala kept her back to the wall as the three males entered the room; their disruptor rifles held casually. Seeing this, Samala realised they couldn't see the knife at the small of her back and assumed she was unarmed and not a threat to them.

"Easy girl," one of the Romulans said. He, judging from his uniform, was one of the two that had just transported in. He and his companion's clothes were clean while the third Romulan's were dirty, bloody and torn. "Surrender and you won't be harmed."

"And why should I believe you?" Samala asked as she took another step back, careful to keep the knife hidden from view.

"You are a fellow Romulan," the other clean-clothed Romulan stated. "Would you not take us at our word?"

"The world of a Romulan enslaver?" Samala queried in derision. They didn't know what she was. "You must think I am a fool."

"Don't be like the animals that scurry about in these tunnels," the dirty Romulan chided. "All they do is hide and die in their holes." And that caused one of Samala's hidden talents to flare up. Because, unknown to her three assailants, Samala was a telepath.

Ever since the rumbles had started, Samala had been forced to contend with the fear. Oh, she wasn't an empath but the thoughts of everyone on the base within her range, all thinking the same thing, with the same images in their minds overwhelmed her neophyte abilities to keep them out. And that caused her to feel fear as well. She would have had to be an emotionless Vulcan not to feel fear.

When the Romulans had begun to transport into the base, that fear had turned to panic and then terror as the Romulans attacked. Fighting against the images, Samala had come back to get her pack from her room down the next corridor when she had been forced to dash into the training room. Thankfully, the majority of the thoughts had stopped as she had moved away from others. But she was weary and her ability to block thoughts overtaxed. And the strong thoughts coming from the dirty man pushed aside what shielding she had tried to maintain.

He was reliving a memory of an earlier altercation. He had beamed into the base with two others and they immediately set out to begin their tasks of capturing Remans for interrogation and disabling the magnetic shield protecting the base. They had just turned the corner when they came face to face with a family; a father, mother and two small children. Samala even recognised the mother from the man's thoughts. Before the Romulans could do anything, the father had shouted for his family to run as he drew his knife and charged the Romulans.

What followed was a frenzy and blur but it ended with this Romulan standing over the corpses of both his friends and the Reman father. Catching a glimpse of the escaping family dashing into a small storeroom in an attempt to hide, he gathered up his fallen rifle and pursued them. He had even offered them the option to surrender but he mother had shot at him with a disruptor. Not seeing a way to get them out without injuring himself, the Romulan had primed a plasma grenade and stuffed it through the door.

The memory ended there as the Romulan considered just shooting her in the leg. Samala was about to retort when she felt another mind approaching. It was her brother, Lorad's mind. He was searching for her. Calling out wasn't an option nor was any other way to gain his attention. The dirty Reman was too twitchy. But that could work in her favour.

"First, I'm one of those animals," Samala announced as she smiled at the three Romulans, revealing her elongated canines. They weren't anything special but they did the perfect job in showing that she wasn't 100% Romulan.

"Mongrel!" One of the clean Romulans hissed. Samala wasn't sure which as she concentrated on where Lorad was. He was about 20 metres away. 

"Second, her name was Siratek and her children were Riakad and Tirarix," she revealed. That took a moment but realisation dawned on the dirty Romulan.

"She's a telepath!" He shouted as he tightened his grip on his rifle. Perfect.

"And lastly," Samala said as she twisted her body slightly in preparation. "My brother's outside." That had the desired result of all three men starting to turn around to face the door. And it was this movement that heralded Samala's attack. 

Dropping her right hand to the small of her back, Samala gripped the knife handle. Snapping her am forward, she threw her knife into the left leg of the dirty Romulan. He cried out in pain but it was too late; Samala had followed her knife and was upon him. She kneed him in the groin and rode his body to the ground as she reached for his weapon. Gripping the barrel of the disruptor, she pushed it in the direction of the other two Romulans before tugging on it. This caused the Romulan's finger, frozen in pain over the trigger, to pull it and fire the weapon.

The first shot took the closest Romulan square in the chest, dropping him to his knees. The second shot, meant for his companion, instead obliterated his head. Samala kept on tugging on the weapon, causing it to fire several more times before she finally managed to shoot the stunned Romulan. With a final tug, she ripped the weapon from the Romulan's hand and reached for her knife.

"For those you have killed," Samala declared as she twisted the knife, causing the Romulan immense pain, before pulling it out. She was rewarded with a spurt of blood from the wound; some of which hit the side of her face. She had pierced his Femoral artery. Unsatisfied, Samala buried her knife in the Romulan's heart, causing him to scream one last time as his life left him.

From outside, she could see Lorad's mind as he reacted to what he had heard. A moment later, her brother kicked in the door.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #6 –
[Tesserarius Lorad | Kormerek Training Room | Sub-Level 04 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad entered the training room, side arm up and ready to fire but he quickly realised that it wasn’t necessary. Among the bodies of three dead Romulans, he found his sister Samala; knife in hand and with green blood on her cheek. Making a quick scan of the situation, Lorad deduced what had occurred.

“Sister,” Lorad greeted Samala.

“Brother,” Samala replied in kind as she stood up.

“Did he really deserve the knife in the heart? You did sever his Femoral artery,” Lorad questioned.

“Siratek, Riakad and Tirarix were hiding in a storeroom. He killed them with a plasma grenade,” Samala explained. “I saw it through his eyes.”

“I did not realise Romulans were so patient,” Lorad noted as he tapped the two Romulans who were shot with his boot. Neither flinched.

“You still don’t understand,” Samala said. “In the mind, time isn’t constant. A lifetime can feel like an instant or an instant, a lifetime.”

“And it is times like this that I am glad I am not a telepath,” Lorad pointed out.

“I wouldn’t wish my ability on anyone,” Samala whispered as she lent down and pulled her knife free before wiping it clean on the Romulan’s clothes. “The cost…is too high.”

“I know, sister,” Lorad conceded. He had wished more than once that he could do something to help his sister with her telepathy. But unless he somehow became a telepath himself, there wasn't anything he knew he could do. “We have to go. The base…”

“Is being evacuated. I know,” Samala finished. “How long do we have?”

“A little over 35 minutes,” Lorad responded after checking the chronometer on the wall. “We have to hurry.”

“I was on my way to get my gear when this happened,” Samala explained. “My new quarters are just around the corner.”

“Lead the way,” Lorad said as he stepped to the side to allow his sister to pass.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #7 –
[Tesserarius Lorad & Samala  | Samala’s Personal Quarters | Sub-Level 04 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad stood in the doorway of his sister’s quarters, guarding the passageway as she stuffed items into a bag. She hadn’t said anything since they had left the training room and it was starting to worry him. He had seen the price his sister had paid before for seeing another’s memories of something terrible. His own being the first.

It had been about 6 months since the start of the Dominion War and Lorad was returning home after a particularly bad battle. Their warbird had been disabled and boarded by the Jem’Hadar and the resulting fighting had continued for almost 2 days before help arrived. Afterwards he had been allowed to return home while his unit was returned to full strength and a replacement ship procured.

He had entered the home and greeted each of them without issue but a question from Pakena had caused him to flashback to the events on the ship. Without warning, Samala had started screaming and crying before running off to shut herself in her room. That was the day he discovered that his 12-year old sister was a telepath. She had seen the memories in his mind as he had relived them. And he still carried the guilt of it to this day. They were not something she should have ever seen.

“You can stop feeling guilty,” Samala said from across the room as she finished zipping up a full-body suit before reaching for leather belt, complete with two disruptor pistols in thigh holsters. “I do not blame you.”

“You should,” Lorad countered. “Because of me, you experienced events that I hoped no one would ever need to know the full details of. I should be begging your forgiveness.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” Samala declared as she moved her knife from the scabbard on her discarded training belt to the one on her gun belt. “I would have experienced traumatic memories sooner of later. At least with you, I had someone who I could talk to and try to understand why you did what you did.”

“I’m still sorry,” Lorad said as he watched his sister pick up and shoulder her pack. “Have you gotten any better with those?” He asked as he indicated her disruptor pistols that their father had given her.

“I’d like to think so,” Samala replied. “But I guess we’ll find out. You lead.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #8 –
[Tesserarius Lorad & Samala  | Corridor | Sub-Level 03 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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They had made it back to the secondary emergency shaft that Lorad had used to get to level 04 and had used to climb up to level 03. They were headed towards the briefing rooms when their path was blocked by the arrival of 5 Romulans. With no cover to conceal them, they had no choice but to attack.

Dashing forward, Lorad speared the center Romulan through the group, collapsing him to the ground in pain. Rolling to his knees, he drew his knife with his left hand and slashed at the knees of the closest Romulan. His strike connected, disabling the Romulan and dropping him to the ground.

Samala, surprised by the arrival of the Romulans, recovered quickly and drew her disruptors. She had favoured the dual pistols ever since joining her brother in one of the few holonovels that they had available. It was something the Terrans called a ‘Western’. In it she had used a pair of guns called colts to good effect and had taken up the same style beyond the novel. Now though, she found her shots blocked by her brother diving forward.

But his plan soon became apparent as the Romulans that were still standing all turned to engage the Reman in their midst; abandoning their training in the face of the immediate threat that Lorad presented. She watched as Lorad disabled a second Romulan with his knife before rolling away to the side and clearing Samala’s line of fire.

Wasting not a moment, Samala opened up with both of her weapons in concert, easily firing more times than was necessary to kill the three Romulans still standing. Once they had all collapsed to the ground, Samala stepped forward to execute the other two but Lorad beat her to it as he shot them both in the head with his own weapon.

Recovering his knife, Lorad and his sister began making their way down the corridor towards the rendezvous with their father and mother.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #9 –
[Tesserarius Lorad & Samala  | Briefing Rooms | Sub-Level 03 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ] 
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"I need a sword," Samala declared as the two of them approached the briefing rooms. They had not encountered any more Romulans to their relief. But they had also not encountered any remans either; alive or dead.

"You don't need a sword," Lorad stated. While he had learnt how to engage sword users in training, he had never seen a Reman use one in Combat. Only knives.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my knife," Samala declared as they paused to check a side tunnel before continuing. "But I would love something with a little more reach."

"That's what your disruptors are for," Lorad pointed out. "And I thought you said you had gotten better with them. You fired enough shots to kill a dozen Romulans back there."

"I wanted to make sure they were dead," Samala argued with a smile. "But you know there are times only a blade will work. Surely me having a second one would give me options."

"I..." Lorad began as he mulled that one over. Having a second blade would give her options. And her physical stature did limit her reach. "What kind of sword would you want?"

"I don't know. Something with a longer blade, obviously. But not too heavy or it would slow me down," Samala described and Lorad had to agree with her deductions. "I think I need to talk to father about it."

"I agree," Lorad said. They were coming up to the first briefing room when their father and Pakena appeared in the tunnel ahead of them.

"Father!" They both exclaimed as they saw his injured arm and rushed over.

"I'm alright," he said as he holstered his pistol. "Just getting slow in my old age."

"No, this is from attacking 6 Romulans on your own," Pakena chastised as she checked the bandage on the wound. "But your father is right. He'll be fine once I can treat it properly."

Further conversation was stalled by a tremendous rumble through the underground structure. All four of them looked at the ceiling as several cracks appeared.

"What was that?" Pakena asked. She was the least educated when it came to explosions but even she knew that a blast of that size wasn't good.

"It's not the power core or we'd be dead," Lorad said.

"Could have been a disruptor bolt from the D'deridex hitting right over the base," Samala considered.

"Only a high-powered shot would do that and there is too much risk for the Romulans to cause secondary damage doing it," their father pointed out. "No, that was the hanger. They penetrated the rock over it and set off one or more of the ships within."

"By all that... it will be a disaster up there," Pakena gasped as her hand covered her mouth. Samala moved to comfort her mother as she focused on keeping her mind closed.

"Father, anyone left alive up there will be going for the transporters," Lorad said.

"If they are still operational," his father agreed. "We need to find another way off this planet."

"What about the maintenance hangar?" Samala asked suddenly. "There are ships there that can fly."

"It's on the other side of the base to the main hangar and the transporters. And it is deeper into the rock," their father said, his mind at work.

"All we'd have to do is kill any Romulans that try to stop us," Lorad noted.

"It's our best chance with the time left," their father stated. "But we must hurry."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #10 –
[ Samala | Corridor Adjacent To Maintenance Hangar | Sub-Level 02 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ] 

"How much time do we have?" Samala asked as they waited for Lorad to climb out of the access shaft. They had had to climb up the ladder to level 02 to get to the maintenance hangar. But two dead Romulans later, and they were as close to a way off the planet as they had been since the Romulans had arrived.

"Less than 15 minutes," Pakena answered as Lorad began to emerge from the shaft. "We must hurry."

"Samala, in what condition are the ships in the hangar?" Her father asked her. Samala considered her response based on when she had seen the maintenance board the previous evening.

"There are 4 ships in the hangar that can fly. Two Kestrels that were going to be returned to service today after they had had a final test flight. There is a Hawk that was brought in because it lost all power to weapons and shields. It flies, it just can't fight," Samala described as Lorad finished exiting the shaft.

"Or protect itself," Lorad commented, having heard the conversation as he had climbed.

"The cloak still works," Samala stated.

"You mentioned a fourth ship," Pakena interjected. "What is wrong with that?"

"A fault in the starboard disruptor array shorted out the cloak. It was decided to go ahead with the biobed install while the cloak was disabled and then fix it. You know how the biobeds always caused issues with the cloak power matrix," Samala replied to her mother. "We fixed the fault in the array so it is fully armed. The biobeds were going to be installed today."

"And the cloak is disabled," Samala's father clarified. "Can you fix it?"

"We fixed the damage," Samala stated. "The cloak should just need reinitialising and maybe a few adjusts in power flow optimisation. I've been doing that for almost a year now."

"Under supervision," Lorad said. While he had every confidence in his sister's abilities as an engineer, they far outstripped his own, this was their survival at stake. "You won't have that this time."

"I can do it," Samala declared confidently.

"Then we'll take the Hawk," their father decided. "It's capabilities far outstrip a Kestrals. And Samala can fix anything that is still broken."

"As you say, father," Lorad deferred.

"Lorad, take you sister on ahead to the bay," their father said as he reached for his pack. "I'll jam this door so that the Romulans cannot follow us."

"What of any fellow Remans?" Pakena wondered after Lorad and Samala had begun to move away towards the hangar.

"It is too late now," their father declared somewhat coldly as he pulled out a plasma grenade from his pack. "This base will be gone in minutes."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #11 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Corridor Adjacent To Maintenance Hangar | Sub-Level 02 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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“How many do you think managed to make it to the Mek’leth?” Samala asked as the two approached the door to the Hangar.

“I do not know,” Lorad responded as he turned back to look at his father working on the access door. “Hopefully it has already left or there will not be much left when the self-destruct detonates.”

“It would have a better chance of making orbit than one of the shuttles,” Samala reasoned as she moved to the door control panel.

“But our cloaks?” Lorad asked. “Would they not protect us from detection?”

“They should,” Samala replied as she punched in the code. “But there is always a way around. Shinzon discovered that in the ‘Bloom’. He should have won easily but he lost to a Betazoid female. Who’s to say the Romulans haven’t figured out a way to penetrate our cloaks. They found this base after all.”

“I see you point,” Lorad conceded. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. “I hope the Tachi is ok.”

“It shouldn’t have any difficulties. It may not have had a full load of torpedoes, but all of its disruptor banks worked. As did its cloak and shields,” Samala stated as the door began to open. “Zaria still the Secondary Tactical Officer?”

“She is,” Lorad answered. “I was going to see her tonight. We were to share a meal.”

“I’m sorry brother,” Samala commiserated.

“It is not your fault,” Lorad assured his sister. “And it was only a meal.”

“As you say,” Samala said with a soft smile as the two of them looked back down the corridor to where their mother and father were just leaving the access door for the shaft. They had barely taken half a dozen steps when 9 Romulans transported into the corridor between the two pairs.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #12 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Corridor Adjacent To Maintenance Hangar | Sub-Level 02 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]
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Lorad’s training took over as he pushed his sister away from the hangar door and into cover down a side corridor; all while drawing his sidearm and firing. His aim proved true as one of the Romulans went down with a wound to the chest. Disruptor bolts from the Romulans impacted the wall behind them as they took shelter, showing that these Romulans were better trained than others they had encountered. Lorad sneaked a look around the corner, ducking back as several shots came his way.

“How bad?” Samala asked, her hands filled with her own pistols.

“3 dead or dying in the corridor. Only one of them is mine,” Lorad explained. “The other 6 Romulans have taken shelter in two of them rooms between us and father. What are they?”

“Just meeting rooms. It’s where we hold training courses on new equipment,” Samala answered, flinching as several more shots hit the wall, showering them in dust. “Could you see mother and father?”

“No, but they are ok,” Lorad said, silently hoping that he was right.

“How can you be sure?” Samala asked.

“2 dead Romulans in the corridor and more shots coming from the other end of it,” Lorad stated as he lent around and fire off two shots, discouraging the Romulans from leaving the shelter of their cover. “Can you reach mother or father?”

“I, ah, haven’t tried,” Samala stammered, realising what her brother meant. It was at the farthest reaches of her range but she was familiar with their minds so that helped.

“Can you?” Lorad prodded. “Time is running out.”

“Hold on,” Samala said as she holstered her pistols and tried to focus her mind over the combat taking place around the corner. She reached out mentally, searching for the familiar feel of her mother’s mind and the Duranium wall that was her father’s. She had to focus past the open minds of the Romulans, ignoring all the violent thoughts they were having. “I found them,” shouted Samala. “They are right at my limit.”

“Can you talk with them?” Lorad asked as he fired again, grazing one of the Romulans who had overextended.

“Mother’s mind is all turbulent. She’s in pain. I cannot reach her,” Samala responded, concern flooding her voice. “Let me try father.” Lorad stayed silent as his sister focused, firing around the corner at irregular intervals to keep the Romulans pinned down. He was about to fire again when his find felt enveloped by something he had never felt before. It was like it was surrounded, enclosed by something and then it seemed as if a door opened inside his head.

“Lorad, Samala,” their father’s voice echoed through their minds. Lorad turned to his sister to ask how she was doing this but the look on her face, her eyes as wide as he had ever seen them, told him all he needed to know. She wasn’t doing this.

“Father, how?” Lorad said softly. It was immediately apparent to him that the question was redundant; he knew how. He had always assumed that Samala’s ability came from Pakena, not their father.

“You know how, Lorad,” his father’s voice echoed through his mind with force and clarity; a symbol of his strength and skill.

“Father, you never said,” Samala’s voice chimed in inside Lorad’s head. He was still looking at his sister and her mouth hadn’t moved. She was speaking telepathically.

“No, I didn’t,” their father confirmed. There was a pause and then her spoke again. “Lorad, you need to take your sister and go.”

“Without you father?” Lorad asked yet knowing that his father wouldn’t have said it without meaning it.

“Yes, without us,” his father confirmed. “We can’t make it.”

“We aren’t leaving you father,” Samala declared adamantly. “We can get to you.”

“NO!!” their father practically shouted. “There isn’t time. You have to go now.”

“What aren’t you saying father?” Lorad asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Or his sister to know. “We can take the Romulans.”

“Even if we did,” their father began. He didn’t speak for a moment and Lorad heard disruptor fire from down the corridor. “There isn’t enough time. You have to go now.”

“Father, mother isn’t speaking and all I can get from her is thoughts of pain,” Samala said. “What aren’t you telling us.”

“We aren’t making it,” their father declared again, his focus wavering for a moment and Lorad realised why.

“How bad are you both hurt?” he asked as he fired around the corner again. As he was ducking back, he caught sight of a transporter beaming in more Romulans in one of the meetings rooms. “More Romulans just transported into the room across from our position.”

“Got it,” their father acknowledged. “I took a glancing hit to my left leg. Enough to keep me from putting weight on it. That same shot also hit your mother in the back. I don’t know how bad, but she hasn’t moved since she fell.”

“Mother!” Samala shouted, both verbally and telepathically. Lorad feared he would have to physically restrain her but she didn’t move.

“She can hear you Samala, but she can’t reply through the pain,” their father said. “You need to go. Time is almost up.”

“How much?” Lorad asked as he took another shot.

“Less than 5 minutes,” their father said. “Catch!” Lorad looked out just in time to see something flying at him. He realised it was his father’s gun belt and knife as it landed right at the corner’s edge.

“Father, I…” Lorad began but found he couldn’t finish.

“They are yours now my son,” Lorad’s father said, even his telepathic voice carrying the emotion he felt. “Bring them honour.”

“I will,” Lorad promised.

“Now go, my son,” Pakena’s voice suddenly erupted into their heads for but a moment before it disappeared again.

“MOTHER!” Samala shouted as she jumped to her feet and drew her disruptors. Lorad had barely moved to stop her when she stepped out from the corner, weapons blazing. Lorad scampered to his feet as he snatched up the belt from the ground. Bringing up his own disruptor, he added his fire to his sister’s barrage even as he passed behind her and wrapped the arm holding the belt around his sister’s waist. Using all his strength, he picked his sister up and began to back into the hangar.

From the other end of the hallway, his father appeared, rolling into view while firing Pakena’s disruptor and throwing a plasma grenade at the room where Lorad had seen the Romulan’s transport into. His fire pinned the occupants in the second room even as the grenade detonated within the first room. The explosion caused everyone to duck for cover long enough for Lorad and Samala to enter the hangar; Lorad slamming his disruptor against the door controls to shut the doors.

As the Romulans in the second room recovered and began to shoot back at their father, he looked down at his children through the closing doors.

“Take care my children,” his voice filled their heads. “Lorad, protect your sister.” And then he broke the connection as the doors shut; Samala’s disruptor blasts hitting the door several times before she stopped firing.

“I promise,” Lorad uttered vocally within the silent hangar.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #13 –
[ Samala | Maintenance Hangar | Sub-Level 02 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]

Samala’s arms fell to her sides as her mind tried to process what had just happened. Her mother could be dead, and her father probably was after drawing all of the Romulans’ attention to allow Lorad and her to escape.

“Samala,” Lorad called as he set her down on her feet. She was numb. What did she do now? “Samala! This is not the time. We need to get out of here. Which ship is it?”

“It’s, um…” Samala began but didn’t finish as her mind whirled. They were gone. They were safe right; right behind them. And now they weren’t. “I don’t know.”

“Samala, I…” Lorad started before stopping abruptly. He turned her around, laying his clawed hands on her shoulders. “I know this is hard to comprehend, and I cannot know how you feel right now. But they did what they did for us. So that we could survive.”

Survive. Yes, that is what they had wanted. Her mother and father had died so that Lorad and she could live. And with the realisation, Samala’s mind snapped into clarity.

“That one,” Samala indicated as she holstered her disruptors. “But I need you to open the hangar doors while I get the ship ready.”

“How do I do that?” Lorad asked. He was unfamiliar with this section of the base.

“Control room over there,” Samala said, pointing off to the side. Console facing the doors. You can’t miss it.” As her brother ran off, Samala headed for the ship with only one thought on her mind.

I will survive. And to the Pit with anyone who tries to stop me!

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #14 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Maintenance Hangar | Sub-Level 02 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ] 
[Show/Hide]


Lorad ran. He had to run. Time demanded it. Each moment in his head seemed to last an eternity as he ran towards the control room that his sister said controlled the doors. It dawned on him as he ran that he had never even seen the external entrance to this bay. The main hangar was hidden in the cliff wall of a canyon; the door camouflaged to look like the external rock. But this one, he had no idea. And now, it didn't matter. In minutes, there wouldn't be a door, a hangar or even a base; it would all be gone and their sole objective at the moment was to not be here when that event occurred.

Lorad entered the control room and immediately sought out the console that faced the external doors. Finding it was easy enough and Lorad began to scan the controls for the one that would activate the door mechanism.

"Where is it?" Lorad said to himself as his eyes flashed over the buttons. He idly wondered if shooting the console would open the doors before dismissing the thought. "There!" Lorad shouted as he finally found the right button. Slamming his hand down on it, he was rewarded with the sounds of the doors opening; a sound that was matched by the view of them doing the same thing when he looked up and out of the control room window. His task completed, Lorad dashed back out the door.

He had almost made it back to their escape ship, the rear ramp just meters away, when the door they had entered through and sealed behind them, exploded inward. The force of the explosion sent Lorad reeling to the side where he landed behind a stack of crates; thankfully out of sight but now cut off from their ship, and his sister.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #15 –
[ Samala | Maintenance Hangar | Sub-Level 02 | Secret Reman Shipbuilding Facility | Bacury III ]

Samala was in the pilot's seat, preparing the ship for launch, when she heard the explosion. Using a side monitor, she pulled up the rear ramp camera to find out what it was and where her brother was? The monitor showed the doors they had sealed were now smoking rubble on the ground as several Romulans entered the hangar, their disruptors at the ready.

"Not good," Samala uttered to herself as her eyes scanned the screen, searching for her brother. She was just about to change the view when she spotted movement behind a stack of crates near the rear ramp. Reaching out with her mind, Samala searched for her brother's even as she continued to prepare for launch. "Lorad!" Samala practically shouted when she touched his mind. On the monitor, she saw Lorad's head pop up and stare at the ship before ducking back down. "Just think your words and I'll hear them."

"Like this," Lorad thought.

"Like that," Samala confirmed. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, just some grazes," Lorad replied as Samala watched up check his surroundings, careful to stay concealed from the slowly advancing Romulans. "But I am cut off from the ship. It's too far for me to reach it before I am shot."

"I'm working on that," Samala said as she climbed from her seat and moved back to the tactical station. Manipulating the controls, Samala transferred control of the primary disrupt cannon and the aft disruptor array to the pilot's station before moving back there. Seating herself and rechecking her consoles, Samala switched her attention to the monitor, waiting for the right moment. "Get ready brother. On my signal."

Samala watched and waited as the Romulans slowly advanced, lowering the power level of the rear array as they neared her brother. She saw Lorad shift on his feet as he feared being detected but just as the closest Romulan was about to come within line-of-sight, Samala activated the array.

A green energy beam erupted from the array above the rear ramp of the ship, impacting the bare wall behind the ship and sending debris and dust everywhere.

“Now, brother,” Samala called out but Lorad was already moving. He dashed across the open space between where he had hidden and the ship. A disruptor pulse from a Romulan behind him impacted the ramp ahead of him but Lorad ignored it as he rushed up and into the ship, slamming his hand on the ramp control panel once he was aboard.

“Go!” Lorad shouted but Samala was already ahead of him. Bringing the ship into a hover, she retracted the landing gear while readjusting the power to the rear array. Once the ramp was up and secured, Samala began to slowly move the ship forward and through the doors into the tunnel beyond, raising the shields as she did. She heard her brother enter the cockpit but kept her eyes focused on the monitor. “We can’t leave yet. What about the ships in the hangar?”

“Already have a plan for that,” Samala said, her gaze unchanging. As the ship advanced further into the tunnel, Samala adjusted the target for the array.

“What are you doing?” Lorad asked.

“Dealing with the ships in the hangar,” Samala replied without looking. “By destroying them,” she stated as she fired the disruptor array again at full power. The shot tore right through the unshielded Kestral she had targeted, the beam unhindered in its destructive path. The beam finally pierced the fuel tanks of the ship, igniting and detonating them. As the ship exploded, Samala changed targets and fired again and again until she had destroyed all the ships in the hangar.

As explosions erupted behind her, Samala threw the ship forward until they were hurtling down the tunnel.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #16 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Atmosphere Above Reman Facility | Bacury III ] 
[Show/Hide]


The waterfall, despite the bombardment happening nearby, continued its gravity bound fall over the edge of the cliff and into the canyon below. It had flowed thus for millions of years, its flow over the precipice unable to be stopped; even by the emerging form of a Hawk-class runabout as it burst through the cascading water in dramatic style. A fireball emerged after it, instantly turning the descending water into steam; but this only added to the majesty of the image.

"Hang on," Samala said, perhaps redundantly, as she piloted the ship at a breakneck pace; all while keeping it below the lip of the canyon.

"Shouldn't we be going higher?" Lorad asked as he sat/fell into the starboard console's seat. 

"Only if we want every ship in orbit to know that we are down here," Samala replied. "They probably will still see us because we aren't cloaked, but no sense in making it easy for them."

"Right," Lorad accepted. He was extensively trained in ground combat but when it came to piloting ships, he was a novice. In this regard, his sister was the expert of the two of them.

"How long until the base...." Samala began to ask; her question dying on her lips as the sky lit up. Neither of them could see it, but an enormous explosion tore through the Reman facility. A large portion of the base was immediately vaporised; anyone inside at the time unquestionably dead as debris was thrown hundreds of meters into the air. The sky above the base took on the familiar pyrocumulus cloud common to all large detonations.

And the waterfall; it died a sudden, ignoble death as the water that once streamed over it was irreparably diverted into the crater that was formed from the base's destruction. It would pool there before escaping back into the canyon out a crack on the far side of the basin.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #17 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Atmosphere Above Reman Facility | Bacury III ] 
[Show/Hide]


"Are we far enough away?" Samala asked as they stared out of the cockpit window at the still growing mushroom cloud above what had been their home.

"The blast can't hurt us here," Lorad assured his sister as he too, stared at the cloud. "We're almost 100km away now. Nice flying."

"We're just lucky the canyon widened out and straightened or we would have been a lot closer to that," Samala pointed out. "How big of an explosion was that?"

"Father once said something about a 15-megaton device being used to protect our secrets," Lorad answered. "I don't know if he was speaking about the bases' self-destruct or another bomb."

"Well, however big that one was, judging by the cloud and lack of bombardment, there isn't much of anything left," Samala observed. Further conversation was stalled by a sudden beeping from Lorad's console.

"Samala, I think we have a problem," Lorad said as he turned to and tried to understand what the console was telling him. His sister jumped up from where she was sitting in the pilot's seat and moved to look at his console.

"We have a big problem," Samala said as she began pressing buttons faster than Lorad could understand. "3 Scorpions are on an intercept course."

"By the pit," Lorad cursed. Samala finished whatever she was doing and dashed back to her seat. "What did you do?"

"I transferred control of the rear disruptor array back to you," Samala said as she sent the ship careening along the canyon once more. "I can't shoot at the Scorpions and dodge their fire."

"Right," Lorad acknowledged.

"I hope you remember how to shoot better than reading the sensors," Samala joked half-heartedly. "We're going to need it."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #18 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Atmosphere | Bacury III ]  
[Show/Hide]
 

"Where are they brother?" Samala asked as she focused on flying the ship. They had stayed in the canyon to limit the Scorpion's attack vectors but now the walls were closing in; the canyon was getting narrower.

"2 of the Scorpions are lower, almost in the canyon with us, while the third is higher and further back," Lorad responded.

"The one further back will guide the other two towards us while also being ready to cut us off if we exit the canyon," Samala explained. "How close are the other two?"

"They are in the canyon now and almost within our weapon's range," Lorad replied as he looked up at his sister. "Should I fire?"

"Not yet. They don't know our weapons have a longer range than theirs," Samala said. "Wait until after they fire at us."

"As you say sister," Lorad acknowledged as he returned his attention to the screens before him and not the canyon walls flashing past the cockpit windows as Samala expertly guided their ship through the twisting gauntlet. The two chasing Scorpions, due to their smaller size, had an easier time of it. Their stature, along with their speed, proved advantageous and they soon closed within range to fire their own disruptors. Their first shots missed but they quickly found purchase on the weaving shuttle. "Shield's down to 91%. May I shoot back now sister?"

"Please do," Samala requested through gritted teeth as she accelerated, pushing her skills to the limit. For his part, Lorad focused on the weapons console as he targeted the lead Scorpion. Once he was ready, Lorad tapped the button that activated the rear disruptor array. A luminescent green beam lanced out from the emitter above the ramp on the shuttle, crossed the distance in the blink of an eye and bathed the Scorpion's forward shield in light, draining its power. Lorad's next shot missed as the Scorpion rolled out of the way before returning fire.

"Shields at 87%," Lorad reported as he returned fire. "What happens when they send more Scorpions after us?"

"I'm not planning on being here for that?" Samala pointed out.

"How do you plan to lose the ones already here?" Lorad asked with a glance at his sister.

"I don't think you want me to tell you," Samala chuckled. "Just keep them away from us for a little bit further."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #19 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Atmosphere | Bacury III ]  
[Show/Hide]
 

"Almost there," Samala said, half to herself and half to reassure her brother, as the shuttle careened along the ever-narrowing canyon. 

"Almost where, Samala?" Lorad asked his sister as he continued to fire back at the two chasing Scorpions. He had brought their shield levels down but had yet to do any appreciable damage to either of them. Thankfully, they had had the same difficulty in damaging the shuttle. "You still haven't explained what you have planned."

"It's not a plan, exactly," Samala admitted as she manoeuvred the ship through a particularly narrow portion of the canyon; having to bring the ship up on its side to make it through. As they emerged through the gap, Lorad fired back at the pursuing Scorpions, scoring several good hits due to the limited ability to evade. "There it is," Samala announced as she adjusted the settings on the main disruptor cannon. "Get ready."

"Ready for what?" Lorad wondered.

"This," Samala said as she fired the cannon once, and then a second time. The main disruptor cannon on a Hawk had multiple settings, but the two most used were a full power pulse, or a reduced powered burst of three pulses. Samala had chosen the full power shot. 

Ahead of the shuttle, a rock bridge spanned the canyon; once that had stood for as long as the canyon had existed. Today was its last day, however, as a disruptor pulse hit the point where it connected with each side of the canyon. Its support weakened, cracks spread rapidly, separating the spanning rock from the wall and allowing gravity to take hold.

"Are you crazy?" Lorad asked when saw what she had done.

"Just get ready to fire," Samala said as she switched the cannon back to burst mode before guiding the shuttle under the bridge. The pursuing Scorpions, unable to fully realise what Samala had done due to their complete focus on bringing down the shuttle, were too slow to react to the falling rock. The first made it through with only relatively minor impacts to its shield, but the second found itself completely pinned under the falling rock; its forward motion instantly redirected downwards.

The lead Scorpion, in checking their systems and what had happened behind them, failed to manoeuvre when Lorad fired. The ship's weakened shields collapsed under the strain and allowed the beam to penetrate the ship. Lorad wasn't sure what he had hit but watched on his screens as the Scorpion impacted one of the walls of the canyon and exploded.

"That's both of them sister," Lorad announced.

"Good," Samala said as she practically flipped the shuttle on its end, pointed the nose skyward and sent them hurtling upwards; directly at the third and final Scorpion. It had no time to react to the Hawk's sudden change in course and Samala wasted no time in targeting it with the main cannon; firing as soon as it was locked. Several bursts in rapid succession crossed the dwindling distance between the two ships. The Scorpion tried to turn away but Samala adjusted her aim. Multiple pulses hit their shields as the Scorpion tried to evade but the assault was too much and the fighter exploded moments after its shields collapsed.

"And that is the last one," Samala declared. "Time to go."

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #20 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Orbit | Bacury III ]  
[Show/Hide]
 

"Anything on sensors?” Samala asked as the shuttle climbed out of the atmosphere; the sky beyond the cockpit windows darkening as it did so.

“Uh, looks like the wreckage of at least one, maybe two, of the Mogai’s. The other two Mogais, and the the D’deridex have disappeared, probably recloaked to protect themselves from the Tachi,” Lorad briefed. “You think they left?”

“The Romulans?” Samala asked rhetorically. “Unlikely. As soon as it’s safe, they’ll be transporting down to scour the planet for any sign of us.”

“And they can see us because we have no cloak,” Lorad pointed out. “We need to leave.”

“Already plotting a course,” Samala said before her brother’s station emitted a loud shrill.

“Ship decloaking behind us!” Lorad exclaimed. Seconds later, the shuttle rocked. “It’s the D’deridex.”

“They have locked onto us with a tractor beam,” Samala declared as she worked the controls. “Can you disable the emitter?”

“I’d never get through the warbird’s shield,” Lorad replied. “Can you flip us around? Several photon torpedoes might work.”

“No, it’s completely immobilising us,” Samala responded after a moment of working her controls. “We’re trapped.”

“I’m sorry, sist....wait,” Lorad said as he noticed something on the sensors. “Incoming torpedoes!”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #21 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Orbit | Bacury III ] 
[Show/Hide]


In space, in orbit around Bacury III, a Mogai-class warbird in service with the Romulan Star Empire, hung like a swooping raptor above a Reman Hawk-class runabout. Not that the Hawk could escape due to the tractor beam that the Mogai had caught it in. But then everything changed.

From out of nowhere, 4 photon torpedoes appeared and slammed into the starboard shields, taxing their ability to hold up to the punishment. As systems aboard the warbird tried to compensate for the abrupt power demands, the tractor beam was shut down, releasing the runabout that it had captured.

“We’re free!” Samala cried out as she kicked in the engines she had moments earlier throttled back so as not to damage them. “Where did those torpedoes come from?”

“I think it was the Tachi,” Lorad responded without looking up. “They just appeared out of nowhere. More incoming.”

“Moving,” Samala said as she directed their shuttle down and away from the Mogai as quickly as she could. It was a good thing that she did because as soon as they began to move away, a barrage od disruptor pulses appeared; all targeted at the Mogai. They impacted on the bow shields but then began to rotate around the ship to the port shields and then the rear shields, making it clear that whatever was attacking the Mogai, was circling it.

“The Mogai’s shields are failing,” Lorad announced as his sister flew them away from the fight. “Two more Mogai’s are decloaking.”

Beyond their shuttle, two more Romulan warbirds appeared from nothingness but they were too late to save their comrade as a trio of photon torpedoes appeared, blazing across space before slamming into the neck of the defenceless Mogai. The powerful explosions that followed succeeded in violently decapitating the ship.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #22 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Planetary Orbit | Bacury III ]  
[Show/Hide]
 

“What are those warbirds doing?” Samala asked as she weaved and rolled the shuttle, constantly changing its heading as she plotted a course to somewhere she knew well. They could stop and rest there in relative safety while also having time for her to repair the cloaking device.

“They are in a running battle with the Tachi,” Lorad answered. “It keeps firing at them, giving its position away. And they cannot ignore it or the Tachi will destroy another one of them.”

“It is drawing them away from us?” Samala enquired. Her gut said that was what was happening but she needed to know for sure.

“It is,” Lorad confirmed. “From what I know of her design, is isn’t even using all of its rearward weapons. And there have been no more torpedo launches since it beheaded the Mogai that caught us.”

“The Tachi didn’t have a full complement of torpedoes aboard to begin with,” Samala reminded her brother. “And we don’t know how they used before we launched.”

“True,” Lorad acknowledged. “Where do we go now?”

“I’m taking us to the Bacury asteroid belt,” Samala answered as she finished.

“Uh, why?” Lorad wondered idly. “I know we need to fix the cloak but wouldn’t we be safer somewhere else?”

“The belt is laced with Meklinite. It interferes with sensor scans,” Samala replied. “We’ll be safer there than anywhere else right now.”

“If you say so,” Lorad said, having no knowledge on the matter.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #23 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Asteroid Field | Bacury System ]  
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“Alright, we’re here,” Samala declared as she began shutting down the ship’s system’s. “I’m shutting down everything we don’t need to reduce our energy signature.”

“That I understand,” Lorad noted as he looked out the forward window. He could just barely make out the side of the rocky asteroid that Samala had hidden their ship within. “Can they find us?”

“I don’t think so,” Samala answered, turning her seat around so that she could face her brother. “The asteroid is laced with Meklinite. That and the stealthy nature of the Hawk should keep it hidden from sensor scans. And I put us pretty deep inside the fracture so we shouldn’t be seen from the outside.”

“But there is a chance?” Lorad asked.

“There is always a chance, brother,” Samala said. “But I believe they would have a better chance of locating us by randomly destroying all the asteroids in the belt.”

“Comforting,” Lorad responded dismissively. Seeing his sister stand, Lorad continued. “Where are you going?”

“To fix the cloak. We can’t risk leaving without it working,” Samala answered.

“We need to rest for a moment and eat,” Lorad stated, worried for his sister. “We need to...”

“Grieve?” Samala snapped at her brother. “They are dead. Killed by Romulans. We can grieve later. Now, I am fixing the cloak.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #24 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | Asteroid Field | Bacury System ]  
[Show/Hide]
 

Lorad had tried to keep busy. He had field stripped, serviced and reassembled all 20 disruptor rifles in the hold. And then did the same to all 20 pistols. And then he had down his own sidearm. And then, very reluctantly, his father's. He had even offered to give Samala's weapons the same treatment but she had curtly demanded he leave her alone when he had asked about them.

He had thoroughly cleaned the decking and the walls. Completed a manifest of the current equipment and cargo aboard. Visually verified how many photon torpedoes were in each magazine. He had prepared all the meals they had eaten in the last day and a half they had been hiding here; not that combat rations were difficult to prepare. He was running out of things to do. Which left him more and more time to remember and relive the events that had brought them to their current position. But they couldn't stay here.

And so, Lorad found himself standing at the entrance to the hold; watching as his sister worked on the cloaking device though one of the access panels in the hold's deck. At least, that is what he had thought she was doing until his impressive hearing caught the softest of sobs. 

Without a word, Lorad walked across the hold and sat down next to his sister and laid a hand on her shoulder. He was considering saying something when Samala sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. And Lorad, he wrapped his arms around his sister as he thought of the promise he had made to his father. To protect his sister.
 
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