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CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

CHAPTER 04: SUPPLEMENTAL [ DAY 06 | 1005 hrs. ] TO ARMS!


[ Captain Ives | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ]
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"To arms!" Jien called, heart racing in his chest. He saw his crew, bedecked in Savi suits, answer the call, rushing towards the graviton rifles that the armoured guards left behind. From their vantage point at the centre of the bridge, they could see three entrances in the back, and twelve Starfleet officers were quickly splitting into teams to guard them all. Jien didn't even have to give the order.

Thoughts were rushing through his head, about the dire situation, about the Borg, and how they might best protect themselves against both the Scions and the armoured guards with their own supply of neonox to breathe. Jien could even feel the difference after Thea had altered the output of oxygen in the air. For days, they had all been forced to breathe neonox, making it difficult to move, to think. Now, it was better, but not quite what they were used to on the Theurgy.

"Thea," said Jien, turning to the hologram that literally held her own brain in her hands. "If oxygen is lethal to the Antes, why not beam them all out of here, and let us breathe as we should."

"Aye, Captain," said Thea, complying with the order. Flares of aquamarine made the prone Sclergyn and all the other Antes vanish, and a hiss from above signalled how the vents complied. "A word of caution, sir. Internal sensors show me that there are several life-signs moving towards the bridge, some Antes and some Scions. I have sealed all access points, raised transport inhibition fields around us, but both factions seem intent to reclaim this bridge, and I have already bypassed three attempts to wrest command access back from my link. They are trying to access helm control and other systems from other parts of the ship. They might even sabotage the power supply from the main reactor. I am using force fields and inoculation cannons to stop them, but right now, I am not certain how long I can remain in control."

Jien nodded, thinking. "We only need to reach your hull. Do you have an ETA yet?"

"Negative," said Thea, shaking her head. "The reactor is operational, but the repairs weren't finished after our battle with the ship. There are plasma leaks and cascade failures spreading through the aft grid of the ship. The ETA is changing by the second."

"How much energy do you have left in that tablet?"

"Ten minutes, fourteen seconds, so I do require another power supply," she said, turning the brain in her hands and showing the tablet she'd used to power up her brain, activating and its link to the Versant. "When Blue Tiran patched me into this ship's systems, I sent a message with the same kind of tightbeam link Dyan Cardamone used to speak with the Asurian Queen - which could only be done with Savi technology. I also installed programs that will keep spreading through the ship systems, which gives me direct access to their susbspace network. I am continuously updating those programs to stay ahead of Savi countermeasures."

"Tiran," called Jien and looked around, "Do we have a Blue Tiran here? Thea may use your help to get more power. Thea, can you send another message to the Theurgy?"

"I can, but it is inadvisable," said Thea, her face impassive as she fought the digital war for them, keeping the ship under their control. "Using that transponder, it would give the Savi leverage to regain control, and such a message may be picked up by other ships, and if there are Borg out there - or even Task Force Archeron - it might be detectable. Sclergyn was right in how this ship's technology should not benefit the Collective."

"Very well," said Jien, clenching his jaw. He looked around at the present officers that weren't guarding the doors. "Explore the alcoves up there. Four of you, set up sentry points overlooking the bridge. When we get off this ship, we need to bring that android with us."

"Pardon me," said the android, who was walking down from the dais upon which the throne stood. She was approaching Jien while she spoke, and her teal lens flared with the static audio of her words. "Please be informed that if I am to complete my allotted task, I have yet to gain access to the data from the Correction Program. It would be in your best interest that the DNA sequences and correction journals were uploaded to my memory banks."

"V-Nine, is it?" asked Jien, not sure what to make of the android.

"Yes, Aspect-Maker."

"It seems you need access to Starfleet protocol as well," said Jien and shook his head, not liking that title in the least. "Thea?"

"I can collect the data," said the hologram, "but someone needs to work with the android to give her access. I am standing by for upload."

"Thank you," said V-Nine politely, her lens looking around for someone that may help her.

"Captain!" called someone from the highest levels of the alcoves. "There are offices and living quarters up here, all vacated."

"Take the injured up there, along with those who need rest," said Jien, turning to face the streaming stars of the Azure Nebula. "If someone could brief me about what has happened aboard this ship since we were abducted, I'd be grateful." Having said this, he looked down at his hand, seeing how the skin still rippled, and that his morphogenic matrix needed time and sustenance to recover.

His own needs were moot, however, knowing that the Borg were in Federation space, and that he could see how the Infested might use that to their advantage. Could it even be that they orchestrated their coming?

Too many questions, all dire.

OOC: This is the main Supplemental thread for activity on the Versant's bridge following the conclusion of Chapter 04: True Nature. If you guys want to set up Supplemental threads of your own, you can use the naming convention CH04: S [D06|1005] Insert Title. Please don't let more than an hour last in these Supplemental threads, though, since they will be arriving at their destination soon enough. :)

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. Cross | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @BZ @patches
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Cross watched Blue with an expression of deep concern as she tried to school her breathing, seeing the tears welling up in fearful crystalline blue eyes as she desperately fought to get herself under control. After a few moments, her breathing seemed to come somewhat easier, though the fear was still there. Cross could feel her small form trembling as she slumped against him, the damn metal pigeon being shoved into his face with the movement, though her made no complaint. If Blue needed a moment, the discomfort of having the annoying know-it-all machine pressing into his face was a small price to pay. After another moment he heard her voice, little more than a faint whisper, emanating form against his chest.

”I can’t fa..fail… I.. I can..can’t fail… not a… af… after everything.”

Cross lowered his head so that his chin rested on the top of hers, his useless left arm wrapping around her shoulders as his right hand moved up, the palm laying on the back of her head. ”You didn’t fail, Commander.” Cross murmured, quietly so as not to draw attention. He realized the moment the words left his mouth that perhaps rank wasn’t what she needed at this moment, when she seemed so frail. More frail than she had back in their hideout the night before, when she had fallen asleep against his shoulder.

Had that only been the night before? It seemed a lifetime ago since they had had refuge, a place to rest…

”We’ve only survived this long because of you, Blue. We only got this far because of what you’ve done.” He heard no response. When he spoke again, his voice carried a growling tone to drive the message home to her. ”Do you hear me? Everyone that is still alive is here because of what you did. You. Did. Not. Fail.”

Movement drew his attention then as R’Rori approached, hesitating for a moment before placing hir hand on Blue’s back. The counsellor rubbed Blue’s back gently for a moment, speaking to the distraught engineer in a soft tone. ”Hey Blue,” R’Rori said, ”I’m here for you.” Such a simple thing, those few words, but they carried such meaning. Why hadn’t Cross thought to say something like that? The fact that he wasn’t a counsellor, for one. The fact that he was the awkward, gruff and unsociable sort for another. R’Rori was here, that would help. ”Do I need to punch Shar for whatever she said to you?” Cross gave the counsellor a slight smile at those words, suspecting it was just the sort of thing Blue would appreciate.

”Tiran,” Came a voice, calling out form somewhere off in the room. The same voice that had called them to arms not long before. Cross had not turned from Blue at that call, knowing his combat effectiveness was minimal since the loss of his hand. There were other, more able-bodied officers present who could fight for now. ”Do we have a Blue Tiran here? Thea may use your help to get more power.”

Shit. Cross thought bitterly, his jaw clenching as he heard the call. Not now. She needs rest.

Duty called...

”Blue.” Cross said, speaking softly, ”Blue, they need you. Just a little more, then you can rest.” He hated asking it of her, seeing the state she was in, but she had worked with the AI Thea before, and she was probably the best person in the room for the job. ”Blue, you didn’t fail, but we’re not finished yet.” He straightened up and used his right hand to gently tilt her head up to look at him once again. ”They need you to help the AI with it's power supply.” The look in her eyes as they met his made his heart sink. He had seen similar expressions during the Dominion War among those who had been in the fighting too long, had seen too much. And before that in the camps, when prisoners had given up all hope.

That look was dangerous.

Her breathing seemed to have improved. She wasn't about to pass out. That was something at least.

”Come on, Blue. I’ll be right beside you. Just one more job.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #2 –
Lt Jg Hi'Jak Walking onto Bridge Module | The Versant ] @Auctor Lucan  @Absinthe @Brutus
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It seemed that Lahkesis or whatever she was calling herself now was alive. He had to rejoin the rest of the crew. He had a lot of work that he needed to do, and as much as he liked her new look, and how much he may have wanted to stick around a female's naked body now was not the time for a booty call, now was the time to figure out a new plan.

also the air had shifted, he didn't exactly know what was going on with that, but he saw the two ante's in the room with them collapse. Knowing it was something to do with their crew, he readied himself, and walked outside.

Walking out into the bridge however, he saw everyone running about, the captain screaming orders at everyone. He blinked his one taking in the situation, hadn't there been like a dozen or so Ante's around here? he had come in just in time to see them all get swooshed away. Apparently Thea had taken control over the ship.

Everyone was grabbing the guns off the ground, he looked at his tablet, it seemed the ship had been infected with a virus... or rather it was being taken over by Thea. Guns, or technology, he knew which of the two he could do more with, and be more of a help with.

Jack walked up to V-Nine, the holographic Thea, and the captain whom had tried to assassinate him.

"I can read the Savi Network, I've been data-mining for the last few hours, and I've gotten relatively good at reading their network signals, I might be a touch slower, but I can help." The captain had asked for a briefing on what had happened.

"When we were brought aboard we were dissected and changed." He gestured with his hand to his forehead free of ridges. "We were put into a programmed version of the enterprise, and told that our memories would be erased. We managed to escape the hologram containment and broke into several teams, one to rescue you, one to rescue the fighter, one to go into the machine labs, another to find an egg, and the last was to grab the device linked to the ome-." He stopped himself for a moment she had ordered him not to talk about that under pain of death. He and the people who had come to the lab with him, the blue assassin, the other, Lahkesis, and Morali were the only people who knew what the box held aside from the captain who had ordered him to secrecy.

Ah how many orders had he violated so far. "The box."

"It seems most of if not all the teams retrieved their objective, but I can only speak for the mission on the box. You probably know more about the present threat going on than I do." He said looking around at those people whom were grabbing weapons. "That said while we were in the holographic enterprise me and Lieutenant Morali spent time to learn the language of the savi, the base root programming. my tablet has downloaded several collections of knowledge from their labs, including their research on the box, I have written a virus that deletes every file i copy from it's original, and then scours there database for all copies, doubling it's self with each copy found, meaning that anything my tablet downloads will be the only copy left."

He was injured, tired, he was lacking an arm and an eye, yet as the injured were being gathered he started to turn towards the Hologram of the traitor ship. "If we go to one of the larger ship consoles I can get a better access point than just my tablet."

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #3 –
[LCdr Blue Tiran | Falling Apart Piece by Piece | Complicated Monochromatic Puzzle | Held Together by Duct Tape and Will Power | One More Step to Victory]
@Fife @patches @Auctor Lucan

Sturdy.

Warm.

He was there against her, despite the owl on her shoulder, despite the fact that it was likely biting into his face or his shoulder.. or something.  He didn't shift, he held her instead.  Allowing his chin to drop onto the top of her head.  Her hands rose and curled into the fabric of his uniform.  She knew that she shouldn't rely on him so much, they had never been close before but she had a feeling that there were times that friendships were forged because of necessity.  She had needed someone to come in and give her just a little boost.  Reminding her that there were things to live for and things that she needed to.  There were things only she could do, she was here trying to breathe just trying to remind her lungs what they needed to do.  They had forgotten how to inhale and exhale, her muscles refused to move, and her heart was slowly shattering into small pieces. 

A complicated 3-D puzzle that was slowly losing the pieces that had always held it together.  The mortar, the cement, the glue that had held it together all these years had deteriorated over the last few days while she was alone in those vents, while she crawled through them and witnessed the horrors that were done to her own people.  While she subsisted on nothing but air and heartbreak. 

It had all come to this and the hammer that had shattered the pieces that had been stuck together through the sheer power of a will from a young girl that had never given up no matter what adversity she faced, had one name.  Shar.

His words came, and they brushed against her but fell useless in the dust that surrounded the internal integrity that was rapidly falling apart.  She swallowed heavily, she could breathe now but she felt light headed, she felt weird.  Her body tingled, and she wasn't sure that she was hearing right.  Didn't he know?  Didn't he know just how bad she had done for Ducote, how he would roll his eyes and realize that she had done nothing that she was supposed to.  She had made allies with the enemy, she had found her people, she had taken people out, she had killed.  Her hands carried the blood of the Savi ,and she had done everything she could to live and survive.  But perhaps that wasn't what she was supposed to do.

Maybe Shar was right, maybe he would be nothing but disappointed in her.  It would never, ever, be good that he was dead.  Never, would she stop feeling the ache, the absence of her heart and soul, never would that be acceptable, but at least.. at least he couldn't know her failures.  He told her that she couldn't have failed, and he pulled her off his chest.  She let go of the fabric of his shirt and her hands fell limply against the sides of her thighs.  There was a blood stain on his shirt now where her punctured palm had pressed against the fabric and balled up against it.  She looked up at him the nearly vacant blue eyes proved how far she had been pushed.  How close the edge she was.  Blue had always been such a strong woman but there were limits and with the lack of sleep, food, and normalcy.. with the cruelty of the world around them.. first hand experienced as well as the words of a mother fucking Andorian had fucked what was left of the strong woman.  She wanted to pull herself together, she wanted to let go and fall apart, she didn't know which way to go.  She didn't know what the fuck to do with herself as she looked up at the man that had become someone that stood beside her since last night and seemed to be there to help her.  He was the most unexpected support of it but she was so thankful.  He gave her something to grab onto. 

He reminded her.  Reminded her that she was the one that got them here.  That helped rescue them, made the allies, got them out of their little holes and got them into her safe zone.  Got them food, clothes, and while some had died, they were here ready to be rescued because.. because of her.  She took a shuttering breath.  He was right, it was her.  She had done everything she could, they would have all died, or been experimented on further.  A bit of clarity returned to her eyes as she searched his eyes. 

She searched for the lies.

She searched for the weakness.

She searched for that actual belief in her.

Another voice.  She shifted those crystalline eyes over to the side to see R'Rori having made their way to the both of them, and the young Blue Tiran looked over at her friend.  She had been a good counselor even though Blue knew that she had never made it easy.  She didn't like to talk about some things and no matter how often Ror prodded at those topics there was never a single time that she budged.  Blue had cold hard spots where she couldn't just open up and talk about things.  Pain that she didn't want to unwrap and deal with.  Only Ducote... only her sweet Ducote knew all the secrets to the life of Blue Tiran and why she had wrapped herself up so tightly.

Ror was exhausted, Blue felt it in her very soul, in the bones that seemed to be so heavy that she could hardly move them, in the every lift and collapse of her chest as she breathed out.  Her body was so tired, and she knew that Ror was the same.  Blue's brow rose as Ror mentioned that she would be willing to punch Shar for her.

“I'd pay a fucking shit ton of money to see that.” she whispered softly and brushed at her face angrily smearing the dirt and debris of days without a shower and the tear streaks that had made their way down earlier and into the suit that Cross wore.  Swallowing heavily she bit her lower lip.  She just wanted to rest.  She could hear something about oxygen levels, and she could tell that something was happening.  Some kind of shift, but Blue was not really paying attention.  She had gotten them this far and there was a Captain now, hopefully the woman.. man.. whatever could get this shit finished up and they could go the fuck home.

Blue swallowed. 

“Cro-”

“Tiran!”  Blue's head shot up, and she tilted her head to the side, swallowing again as her eyes searched the room to find the Captain, now male, calling out for her.  She rose her brow and her eyes shifted to Cross.  Exhausted didn't begin to touch what she felt right now, she was surprised that she hadn't fully collapsed on the ground at this point.  She had gotten this far.  “Do we have a Blue Tiran here?  Thea may use your help to get more power.”

She nearly collapsed. 

I have to fucking move.  I have to fucking work.  I'm so fucking tired.  I want to sleep.  I want to sleep forever.  I never want to wake up again.  He's gone... he's gone and...

Cross shook her out of her head before she could get too lost in the despair that was starting to swallow her again.  Her eyes locked on his as he told her that they needed her help.  He was right, they did, she was good.  She was great.  Fuck she was fucking talented as shit and Cross knew it.  There was a reason she had been the Chief Engineer of the Endeavour.  Swallowing heavily as he bucked her up, promising that she just needed to do this one thing and then she could rest.  A weak smile crossed her face, and she reached up and she hugged the man that had been there for her.  He was, different, not like Ducote, but he was like... instant family.  She had let him in a way that took her years to do with anyone.  He was a good man, and a good support for her.  She didn't know how this had all happened and worked all together.. but she wasn't going to turn her back on it.

Her eyes though, they told a story, the story of a woman that was near the ledge still.  She could still go over, she was balancing precariously on the edge.  She nodded, as he told her just one more job.

Time to fucking duct tape your shit together, Blue Tiran, you have shit to do.

“One more job.” She whispered softly and took a deep breath letting out the shuttering breath on the way out.  Giving a nod she turned with Cross to make her way over towards the situation.  As she walked she pulled the crinkly packet out of her pocket, the clear cellophane was not as loud as she thought as she ripped it open and liberated the sponge cake from it's interior.  She took half of the cake in one bite, the sugar and the taste grounded her in a way that few things in her life could.  She swallowed and shoved the other half in there chewing as they walked, her blue hair was not easily missed, and neither was the fact that she was making a beeline for the Thea and the captain.

“I'm Blue.” she said simply as she gave a half wave to the Captain that stood there with Thea.  She took the Padd from the man and looked down at the power supply and what was going on and then she sighed.  “Fucking... power drain is substantial.”

[Miss Blue, Thea requires a great deal of power to complete the processes required to do her jobs.]

“No shit, Sherlock.”

[I do not see the purpose of this statement.]

“It means I know what the fuck I'm looking at you idiotic metal bird.  You don't have to state the obvious.  I can fix her.”

[Well of course you can, you are an Artificial Intelligence Expert and -]

“Yeah we don't need a fucking list of my attributes, this isn't a fucking dating advertisement.”

[Do people not need to be aware of your accolades?]

“No, they sure as fuck don't.”

[Miss Blue if you were unaware you were in the presence of a Federation Captain, it is my duty to inform you of such.]

“I'm fully aware.” Blue looked up at Ives after the altercation with Albert and she gave a nod.  “I'm going to borrow her for a minute.” she said, without asking she just took Thea and her PADD over to one of the wall panels and settled her down for a moment.  Opening her bag she pulled out a long handled screw driver with a flat head and placed it against the sheer plastic that held the lighting of the Bridge within it.  She popped it hard with her hand and it broke into the plastic.  Using her hands she tore out the plastic and tossed the light fixture to the ground with little fanfare.  This enabled her to get into the wiring behind the wall unit and find what she was looking for.  She couldn't read Savi, but she could figure out some fucking wiring.  Trading her screwdriver for a flashlight that was old but bright she checked out the wires and pulled out a couple. 

The black, the green, and the red.  Yanking at them a little to loosen them, most wiring had a bit of play for the times that they needed to be worked on, and it was just enough.  Putting the flashlight in between her teeth she used a pair of wire cutters to sever the wires and watched as the lights in this particular section of wall flicker out without the power, but the lower ones stayed in tact.  She stripped the wires and began to fiddle with everything getting the wires prepped.  Using her teeth, her fingers, and small tools that she found in her seemingly magic bag.  She finally seemed ready and picked up the padd.  Using a small screwdriver and a set of tools she popped off the back of the padd and accessed it's wires before she twisted everything together. 

Reaching into the bag she pulled out an old, almost spent, roll of electrical tape and quickly secured everything together so that a gentle tug wouldn't sever it so easily.  She needed to make sure that everything was going to work.  She watched as the power flowed back into the battery pack that was in the back of the PADD and began to charge it and began to allow Thea to have a more steady stream of the power that it was coming.  The PADD was mostly just a conduit, but it's surge protection would also help protect Thea if something happened though it shouldn't.  That was why Blue had picked lighting wires and not something more potent like the consoles and flight controls that would possibly be accessed by exterior forces.

“There you go, you should have ample power now.  Do your... Thea thing.” she said, holding the PADD and Thea back out to the Captain.  “I can work on a portable pack for you if you need it, but it'll take some more time.  I'll need to get some PADDs together for that, and it'll take some fucking time to modify this shit, but it can be done.” she shrugged as if it was just simple. 

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #4 –
[ Deacon | Day 6 | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Triage   @BZ   @Numen  @FollowTomorrow @SummerDawn  @patches  @Fife  @Numen @Absinthe

Were Deacon inclined to the human proclivity of smiling, he would do so, but appearance aside, he was decidedly not human and the act seemed so foreign to him except as an act of hostility.  Why else would one bear their fangs ... or even their teeth ... at another if not in challenge?  The monkeys were hopelessly backwards.  Still, smile or not, Deacon felt a certain amount of amusement as Theurgy seized control of the bridge, rendering their captors unconscious in a matter of seconds and presenting him once more with what he seemed perpetually denied.

Giving K'Ren another kiss, one that seemed to beg her patience, he turned pointing to two able bodied crewmembers.  "You, you, help me gather anything and everything that is not nailed down.  Weapons, datapads, instruments.  We need to be able to defend the pride should they break through Theurgy's defenses and we are not leaving this place ignorant -- they used us to further their knowledge, it is only fair that we claim what we can of that knowledge.  We'll need to secure those alcoves until we are within transporter range of the ship."

At home, as a Black Priest, he spoke for the Fanged God.  He spoke for the pride.  He spoke for the patriarch.  Few had authority to countermand his directions, even as long ranked as he was.  But for the barest of moments, it felt easy to forget his circumstance, to command, to direct, to overstep his bounds.

Here, he did not have that same authority.  His presence did not inspire fear and obedience.  He paused, straightening himself as he cleared his throat, casting a glance over his shoulder at Ives before turning fully and inclining his head.  "With the captain's permission?" he said with an inquisitive note.  The pride answered to Ives.  Absent the Captain's acquiescence, Deacon's words bore as much weight and consequence as the neonox being expelled from the room.

Not waiting to see if any others followed, Deacon set himself to ascending to the positions of the former guards, intent on securing the abandoned graviton rifles first and foremost, providing as much clear space as necessary for the engineers to support Theurgy.  He was weary, as he expected the others were, but the danger had not passed, and even should they return to the ship, they would need to ensure this vessel vanished down some unfathomable hole lest it seek vengeance upon them.  Now was not the time to succumb to heavy limbs, sore muscles and lidded eyes.  A wave of nausea swept through him, a twinge in his gut that brought bile and stomach acid to his mouth, causing him to stumble for a moment, the contents spilling out onto the floor in a dribble of green and yellow... and red.  He wiped his lips with the back of his wrist, catching his breath, doing his utmost not to dwell on the crimson flecks that shown in the vomit at his feet.  Now was not the time.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #5 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Bridge Module | The Versant ]
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Att: @Auctor Lucan  @Triage    @BZ    @steelphoenix   @FollowTomorrow @SummerDawn   @patches   @Fife   @Masorin  @Absinthe @chXinya 

"To arms!"

The captain's voice took away Khorin from the small universe into which he had sunk, one that consisted only in Zhepyr's eyes. One that had caught him with the gravitational effect of a black hole. He slowly averted his gaze from the event horizon of her eyes and looked around. The situation seemed to have rushed in the last minutes, but now Ives had control of the starship's bridge. For the moment. He (given that at some point he had left behind the more feminine shape to dress himself with his masculine appearance) distributed orders all around everyone present in the hall, with the authority and determination that the Klingon remembered well. It was good to have him back. He made them been better as a whole.

The pilot turned his look back to Zephyr and ran his fingers down the line of her jaw. And he smiled again. He couldn't do anything else to prevent himself of smiling every time he looked at her. However, he couldn't overlook that she still had Nerina's blood in her cheek, where he hadn't wipe it off. He wouldn't let the same thing happen to her. No, not her. He wouldn't fail this time. Khorin kiss her again, briefly, with his hands on her cheeks. "Another fight, Kyamo" he murmured, his ridged forehead resting on hers. The trill of the fight grew inside him again, but he felt a reticence that he hadn't felt before. It was not fear. A Klingon never felt fear. He wasn't worried about her, she had proven to be a capable fighter, more than able to protect herself. But he had witnessed the death of others because of his own recklessness. He couldn't afford to make the same mistake another time. Not when they were so close to getting back to their own starship. With her. That day could be a good day to die, but he needed to live. They needed to survive. "I'll make you proud to fight by my side, Kyamo" he rumbled before turning away from her.

Amidst the cacophony of shouts and orders, he had recognized how the humanoid with feline tail and murderer eyes was gathering weapons and any object that might prove useful in the coming scuffle. Khorin trotted to that direction, nodding to the tall felinoid on his way to the growing pile of weapons and artifacts. Deacon, if he remembered well his name, had the mentality of a warrior. And it was exactly what they needed at that time. Without stopping to check if he had seen his show of respect, Khorin rummaged through the weapons until he found a pair of graviton rifles. The way weapons were clung was strange, their butt and trigger adapted to the Savi three long fingers. But he didn't have time to get used to it. He hung one of the rifles from his shoulder and gripped the other tightly with his right hand, noting with satisfaction how his patched arm was becoming more or less functional. He still felt a dull pain where the bone had pierced the skin, but that would remind him how it had happened. It would keep him focused.

When he looked away from the weapons, his eyes met Cross's for a moment. He was paler than he remembered, his cheeks slightly sunken, the sockets of his eyes tinged with a greenish hue that made him look sicker than usual. And he lacked a hand. The Klingon frowned, and brought his free hand to his new scar. "Cross!!!" He barked to get the attention of the bitter vulcan. When the pointed-eared man turned towards him, Khorin directed him his best sideway grin. "Brother, don't keep losing more limbs. It will be harder for me to find you a woman if you strive to be uglier everytime we meet! " Khorin teased him with a loud laugh. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and looked for Zephyr.

His long strides carried him back to her in an exhalation and he handed her the weapon that hung from his shoulder. Then he pointed to one of the entrances with his bearded chin and trotted there. Hardly as he had positioned himself outside the door, his shoulder against the dark bulkheads, and the weapon humming in his hands, as a graviton beam went through the sealed door, shot from the other side. Behind that first beam appeared another, and another more later, slowly opening a new way in, cutting the plates to allow their enemies to penetrate the bridge. "Enemies incomming!" Roared the Klingon, aiming his weapon and ready himself to fire.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. R'Rori | Bridge Module | The Versant ] @Auctor Lucan

The response to her offer was a subdued one from Blue but it was still something. R’Rori smiled slightly, the vague sense of amusement competing with the sympathy s/he had for the engineer’s exhausted state. There was some more yelling and then someone called for Blue. R’Rori watched as Cross rallied the engineer for “one last job”. S/he nodded in approval after Tiran walked off and took a deep breath of hir own in preparation for getting up.

Breathing seemed easier somehow, more like the air s/he was used to breathing. S/he looked over at where Blue was chatting with the AI and the captain. Had they change the air mixture? If the ship was truly theirs for now, it would explain it. Somehow, it was a connection s/he hadn’t made before. Some of the fog in hir brain lifted and it felt like it was less sheer effort to force hirself to stand back up. Maybe they could make it through after all.

Then it’ll be nap-time. All those jokes about cat naps in the Academy and I’m going to fulfill every one of them.

R’Rori was not quite aware of exactly how long it had been since the Endeavour was destroyed. Intellectually, s/he could probably explain why but for now, it was just this strange feeling of not quite synchronized with time. No clocks, no schedule, a token effort at maintaining a day / night cycle in the labs that s/he mostly ignored. Dissociation, pain, and fatigue had a funny way of doing that. All that mattered was the here and now and surviving it. S/he was useless in a battle, but there were a few things the counselor could do nonetheless. One of them was a message s/he hadn’t had the opportunity to pass along yet, but that seemed vital now that s/he saw Sinead’s face in the crowd and recalled it.

S/he stretched leisurely, groaning at the relief of hir joints cracking, and took in another deep breath. It rejuvenated hir enough to make the trip to the shape-shifter in charge. Cross and Tiran were busy doing their thing. It was time to do hirs.

“Are you the captain of the Theurgy? I’m Lieutenant R’Rori. I was chief counselor aboard the Endeavour.” Good, formal greeting. Maybe s/he wasn’t a lost cause right now after all. “There is something you may wish to know of one of your crew. A lieutenant junior grade … Sinead O’Riley.”

R’Rori paused a moment to gather hir thoughts and figure out how to say what Sinead asked hir to warn the others about. S/he put one hand behind an ear and scratched the spot absentmindedly before continuing.

“She claimed that a device, some sort of chip, was implanted in her head that that the Savi can … control, triggering a state where she no longer has control of her body and will attack anyone in sight.”

S/he spoke slowly, needing that extra time to recall the conversation and place it within the right context. Hir eyes drifted away from Ives’s face to focus on something far off.

“She wanted me to warn the others about it and to … be ready to kill her if it came to it. She also claimed to have memories of this being implanted years ago. By Starfleet.”

R’Rori returned hir gaze to meet the captain’s and gestured in the vague direction of where s/he saw Sinead last. “You’re the first I’ve told about this and I don’t know if Sinead has told anyone else.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #7 –
[Lt. Zephyr Praise | When Hearts Beat as One | Klingon Battle Buddies | Time to Fight | Making a Stand for the Future]
@Numen

Kyamo.

She had heard the word several times, a name that he called her.  While she knew it was likely a pet name she had no idea of the meaning as she had never studied Klingon.  She knew that it meant something to him but she was hoping it was something sweet.  Though she was pretty sure it was.  While she wasn't heavily attuned to Khorin himself, empathically yet, she knew somewhat of the Klingon psyche having worked with them before and found herself pretty sure that whatever it meant, it was a good thing.  Zeph looked into his eyes as he brought her back around to his attention.  Forcing all that was going on around them to fade into the background again, the way that it did constantly when they were together.  Her heart beat slowed as her eyes gazed upon the man in front of her as he explained the beauty of the phrase.

A slow warm smile spread across her face, wide and filling, light shone from her eyes as she gave a small nod.  He kissed her then before anything else could occur.  So much passion, and future desires, in that one press of their skin together.  Kissing him made her heart race, her head sway, and her body want to lean further into him as much as she could.   This was not the place for such thoughts and activities but there was something about Khorin that pulled it out of her regardless. 

“I am going to do research on what I wish to call you.” she smiled softly.  “For now, Khor will have to do.”  she brushed her thumb against the apple of his cheek, her lips still tingling slightly from the heavy kissing of moments ago.  It was now, more than even in the closet, that she wished they could go somewhere by themselves.  Get to know each other, throw caution to the wind and see where this could take them.  Already, their destinies seemed tied to one another and she was eager to see just where they could take it in the future. 

I am so glad I ran away.

Zephyr had not felt her heart stirred by a single person in her life since Ethan.  She had thought about dating from time to time but she never had found anyone that really felt right.  So she hadn't pushed it.  She figured that when the time was right she would find someone that was worth it.  When she stopped looking all together, she had.. she had finally found someone that made her heart race and her blood pump quickly in her veins.  He turned away when he heard the Captain, and Zephyr herself snapped out of the spell that came when ever Khorin was in the same room as her.  Finally, she looked around and noticed that people were arming up.  Things had changed and the Captain had as well.  Where once had stood a woman, now stood a man, and he was the one giving orders.

Khorin turned back to her and her own smile answered his.  She smiled brightly as he carressed her cheeks and whispered that it was battle time.  That it was time for them to go fight side by side and he would make her proud to fight by his side.  His kiss was quick, but gentle, and she would never get tired of the way that he rested his ridged forehead against her own.  Her fingers softly brushing through his hair as best as they could as with ill care and all the battle it was a bit matted in places.  “I would be proud to fight beside you any day.” she admitted.

Khorin left, and Zeph quickly checked her medical supplies while he was gone.  Her kit wasn't going to last forever, but she could do a little more if it was necessary.  No one else had come to find her so she assumed that no one else was in need of as much care.  But, she also knew that very few people knew her and she hoped that if they needed help they would at least recognize the crest on the medkit for what it was.  That or word would spread of her Medical Prowess because there was nothing stronger than a Klingon's lungs and his ability to scream across an entire deck full of chatty people.  Which he decided to prove her mental point at this very moment by calling out to Cross.  Zeph stood up and put her medical kit around her shoulders so that it hung on her left shoulder and against her right hip.  Shifting it's weight carefully she made sure it wouldn't be in the way and prepped to figure out what her purpose was going to be in the next array.

Her body was tired, her mind was on fire, and her heart had not felt lighter in years.  Eyes shifted and found the familiar face of Khorin, with two rifles, making his way back to her.  She smiled brightly at him as he stopped in front of her.  He handed her a rifle, she took it and put it on her shoulder looking up into his eyes.  He motioned towards the door and her gaze followed.  Wordlessly she followed in his footsteps as they made their way towards the door.  He took one side, she took the other, and both of them watched as beams began to cut through the door to make way for the enemies on the other side.  Chaos was about to ensue, and her eyes shifted to the large man that bellowed out a warning to all the people in the room. 

She gave him a smile.

“I am with you.” she said simply. 

It wasn't to give him weight, or worry, no burden to be lay upon his already heavy shoulders.  She didn't care about the smear of blood on her cheek, or the fact that his hands had put it there.  She didn't know the story only the sorrow that he felt internally when he saw it every time.  She would not let him weaken, neither would he let himself.  But, she was there for him, and this battle they would, once again fight side by side as they had in the hallway.  When they had become one in the most strange change of fate she had ever experienced in her life.

As the hole in the door widened to allow some of their enemies to at least aim at the people inside, Zeph took a position so that she could shoot out of the same hole they were using.  There was nothing she could shield herself with, no crates, or consoles, it was fairly open here and she knew that it was dangerous to be so close to the fight but it was best they at least tried to get it under control.  She flipped her weapon on and let it charge up.  Watching the shadows and silhouettes as they grew closer.  Watched the number of beams darting into the room and waited until the right time.  As soon as she saw the first of the odd skin color appear, she shot.  Raising her rifle to her shoulder, she shot through the hole. She wasn't aiming to actually kill anyone, though if that happened she wouldn't be sad, she might mourn the loss of life later but as a doctor she was fairly used to losing people at this point.  Still, right now her main job was suppressing fire.  Allowing, Khorin and other better marksmen to actually lay waste to the beings beyond. 

She could see the spray of blue as she landed some hits, and continued to work.  Pressing the trigger on the weapon every time that she could making it work as fast as she could to help in the fight to keep the Savi at bay.

They had come too far not to survive now.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #8 –
[ Captain Ives | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]
A thousand things encroaching upon his thoughts, Ives had no time to clear his mind as he gazed at the viewscreen. The abuse at the hands of the Scion was fresh in memory, so the expectations on him - as a leader - weighed heavy indeed. Still, he needed to get his crew, and the survivors from the Endeavour, to safety. Question was, if there was any safety at all to be found, when both the Borg and Admiral Sankolov could be in their very sector?

First thing he heard, which made him turn from the viewscreen, was Deacon - yeah, at this point, hearing his voice and word-choices again, Jien was certain it was the Kzin. He was selecting people to aid in gathering things from the alcove that might help them. If it was Deacon, he held no rank to do so, but it was almost as he the Kzin read his mind, since he turned to Jien and acknowledged his authority in the matter. Jien couldn't help a faint smile ghosting his face, in spite of everything that had happened on the Versant. "Go ahead. We need all means we have available to hold the bridge and command of this ship."

"I'm Blue."

Jien turned, and locked eyes with a woman who seemed more weary than the rest. He had picked up words about what she'd done for the abductees - the hideout and this arrangement with the Voice - but there wasn't any opportunity to speak of it, the urgency too great. She knew it too, since she picked up the Savi tablet that Thea had connected to her positronic brain. The pale-skinned woman was immediately assessing the situation, but what gave Jien true pause was the metallic owl speaking to her. Jien frowned, since the thing seemed to display properties of high intelligence. He glanced at Thea, who spoke to Jien quietly during the exchange between Blue Tiran and the bird.

"That is Albert. The Savi might have been able to replicate some of my program, and installed it in him. An experiment, obviously, since they would likely use me for purposes more beneficial for their work," she said, holding her own positrionic brain in her hands while Blue was examining the datapad it was connected to. "I am beaming in the Starfleet weaponry that was confiscated when we got here. They were still in their buffers, Captain."

Soon enough, Tiran said she needed to borrow Thea, and the A.I. accompanied the woman, leaving Jien with the Android... and someone who seemed very familiar.

The long-haired human had lost both an eye and an arm, and the moment he approached V-Nine, the android raised a hand, and... something happened with her index finger and thumb. They shifted, opening, and she appeared to be scanning the human while he spoke to Jien. Somewhere, there was a sound of someone retching, but Jien's frown was directed to this man that he couldn't place. He was offering to help with the android, and began to brief Jien. He spoke of the Correction Program, details which had been divulged to Jien in other ways, but the different objectives... these were news to Jien, and for the moment, he didn't think about how the name of the man still escaped him. The fighter? Which fighter? The only egg I've heard about is the Ovri egg... And the Ome-

That was when he managed to place the man's changed face. When he almost divulged what the Savi had collected from the Theurgy. The Omega Device. The man in front of him, who just told him that Sarresh Morali was aboard as well, along with having done data mining on the ship, was Hi'Jak. He was heading towards Thea, whom Blue Tiran was working with to secure her brain's power supply, but Jien stopped them man. "A moment, Junior Lieutenant. Stay right there. Lieutenant zh'Wann, can you come over here?"

Meanwhile V-Nine seemed to have finished her scan of the dismembered man. Her fingertip and thumb sealed themselves, and she addressed the man standing in his path. "I do not have access to your Correction journal yet, but I am able to detect freshly knitted tissues. My diagnostic is that you used to have Klingon DNA. Your choice, should I be able to get access to your journal, is whether or not I should merely make cosmetic changes, or restore your body to it's original state. Depending on medical technology available at the time, you may also decide between a prosthetic replacement for your eye and your hand, or if I should clone the missing parts for you. Please state your preferences."

Meanwhile, the voice of Blue could be heard, being finished with Thea, and she approached Jien again, who didn't look away from the back of the Imperial spy in their midst. While Blue said she needed time for a portable solution. Jien nodded, acknowledging her with quiet gratitude. "Thank you, Tiran, for everything you've done for us. If we have need for it, I'll let you know. In the meantime, you need to rest. Dismissed, Commander."

A woman with Caitian ears and a tail approached, just as Ida came up to Jien. He looked towards the Andorian first. "Please wait with Junior Lieutenant Hi'Jak, Ida," he said, and turned towards the new face, the Chief Counselor on the Endeavour, who started talking about Sinead O'Riley, who had been one of those that liberated Jien. With a half an ear, Jien was listening to Ida too, who had gone to Hi'Jak. Jien still didn't let the man out of sight, and that was why he tried to pick up on what Ida was saying as well.

"How did Doctor Saugn fare?" the Andorian was asking the dismembered man, standing there with a rifle that she had acquired, followed by, "Do you know why the Captain wishes to speak with us?"

Satisfied that Ida also had her eye on the spy, Jien turned his full attention to the former Caitian. She had collected her thoughts, it seemed, and then went on to tell Jien about what they had done to Sinead. This woman, who wasn't even supposed to have been aboard, but had come aboard to protect Jien. As grateful as Jien was for it, what R'Rori was saying was highly disconcerting. And to add another level to it, Sinead had claimed that Starfleet put that chip in her head too? Of course, Jien turned his head to locate the Engineer, and when he spotted her, he knew he had a choice on how to take care of the threat the woman represented, either by the conventional means of a phaser, or....

He looked back at R'Rori. "Bring this... V-Nine with you, and make the android take care of that chip by the quickest means possible. Also, take someone from Security here with you, just in case. Thank you, Lieutenant. Hopefully, we can stop the Savi from making use of her while she is inside the bridge with the rest of us."

Finally, Jien turned to Hi'Jak and Ida, and while he set his steps towards them, he changed... to her female form. With those steps, she also recalled the woman that had contacted her on the Theurgy during the away-mission to the Coreless Moon.

"Greetings from the IKS Hakkarl, Captain. I am Zyrao Natauna, Strategist for the Hakkarl and for the Klingon Defense Forces.  I fear you have a mole and traitor in your midst.  Curiously, does the name Hi'Jak come with any... recognition?"
Carrigan had warned her about trusting the Imperial operative that had come aboard from Starbase 84, but she had seen the opportunity to let this Junior Lieutenant Hi'Jak prove his loyalty, and to use his connection to the Klingon Empire in order to reach Martok. When she reached the two, she spoke to Ida. Her voice was quiet, her stare upon the man unblinking. "Did you make sure Hi'Jak here contacted Martok and gave him my message?"

"Yes, Captain. He was reluctant at first, admittedly, thinking he knew better than you. I thought he was about to get aggressive about it, so I had to be persuasive. The message was sent, however. After that, we fought alongside agai-"

"Did you verify that it was actually sent to Martok as well?" asked Jien next, which made Ida frown and shake her head. Jien then continued, looking the Imperial spy dead in the eye. "Because it was someone from the IKS Hakkarl that contacted me instead. The ship of his son, Drex. Though I spoke not with him, but someone named Zyrao Natauna."

"I don't know who that is," said Ida quietly, and she was also looking at Hi'Jak now. "I was shot, in a battle with Klingons... who had just landed on the Coreless Moon as well. As if they knew... that we were there. I also saw the ship the Klingons came from on the Sabine's sensors. They were, indeed, from the Hakkarl."

"Indeed," said Jien, and there was no question about her tone now. "That is because Miss Natauna told us we had a traitor in our midst. This would explain why your mission was compromised. I must admit, I feel like a fool, defending this man and choosing to put my faith in him, even though my First Officer warned me about him. Apparently, he is exactly the kind of imbecile Trent claimed."

Ida, she wore her ire on her sleeve instead, likely because she had led the people in that away-mission, and she just learned who was to blame for it going sideways. Her reaction, as plain as it was in her countenance, was manifest in her next movement. She struck out, hard, with her first - hitting Hi'Jak across his face with such force that he almost spun a whole turn before he fell to the deck of the bridge. Then, she checked him with her rifle - pointing it right at the man. "Permission to neutralise this threat, Captain?"

"Permission granted," said Jien, and turned away in disdain, leaving Ida to shoot the man where he laid, regardless what he might try to say. Jien heard Ida fire, and belatedly, it struck her that the Andorian might have used a kill setting after all they had been through. The light that lit the bridge, however, was blue, and Jien was content to know the traitor had merely been stunned. "Tie him up, in case he wakes up, and give that datapad of his to Thea so that she might secure any information on it."

Then, came a call from the back of the bridge, where there was a lot of commotion. "Enemies incoming!" called a Klingon that Jien think might have been one of the Lone Wolves, and a lot of able bodies moved to address the threat. Jien kept an eye on the development while he spoke to Thea. "Aid them as best as you might. Raise more force-fields out there, and beam the Savi away from here," she said, while she walked towards V-Nine, R'Rori and Sinead, heading to where they had gone. "And make sure you get those journals."

"Aye, Captain," said Thea, standing there at one of the consoles with her brain in her hands, and with Ida close by, using wires from the opened console to restrain the stunned traitor. Sympathetic, Jien wondered what had been most shameful for the Andorian. To have that Andorian breeding experiment divulged publicly, or learning that someone she'd fought alongside had betrayed her and her away-team. That she had failed. Jien wasn't sure.

"Sarresh Morali," she called out while she ambled towards the small gathering, "walk with me."

OOC: Given the amount of things that happened since my last post, I hope you all are all right with the timing and order of events I settled on for the development. Please let me know if I need to make any edits, but this was the most realistic solution I could come up with, given that so many people interacted with Ives, haha! Moreover, I also wish to add that @Masorin gave consent to let anything happen to his character in this post, just so that you all don't think I am taking liberties here, lol!

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #9 –
Lt Jg Hi'Jak | Bridge Module | The Versant ] @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

When he heard the captain call for him Jack felt a pit in his stomach. Several voices in his head telling him to run especially as the blue assassin was called over.  Soon enough all became clear as the two started talking, Ives knew. Jack wasn't sure exactly how they knew what he had done on SuD Lang, probably a survivor from the team told them. Looking to Ida he shrugged. "She will live." It was the only answer he could really give when it came too Lahkesis's changes he didn't have the time to study her properly.

He was distracted for a moment as he heard V-Nine speak and offer him correction back to his original body. Cosmetic would not do, for Jack it was full reinstatement of his half breed genetics or nothing, unfortinutely he had far more pressing matters to deal with as the two started talking about the transmission Ida had sent.

"persuasive measures, You pointed a gun at my head and told me you were going to kill me. You didn't even lower the gun after~" He said loudly, only to feel the fist slam across his face a moment later his left side the broken side took the blow, but his vision out of his one remaining eye still went wonky as once again Ida put a gun to his face and asked to neutralize the threat.

"You betrayed me first! I had a deal with your officers, You changed it, and she tried to kill me on~" He didn't finish his sentence he didn't know if Ives even listened as he screamed at them. He was cut off as the weapon fired and his body hit the ground.

As they took his pad, they would learn that he had done several layers of encryption, not wanting his stolen information in the hand of enemies he had put them behind a fail safe a single termination password, try to subvert the encryption and all the stolen research died, guess the password even once wrong and the information died, try to hook up the pad to an outside source and the information died. Jack's deletion virus would be set upon the tablet it's self and spread through any network that it was hooked up too, including thea's neural network.

he may have been an idiot of a spy, but he wasn't a complete idiot, he knew a bargaining chip when he saw one, and he had made sure that his stolen information stayed with him.

Tied up and put aside to be dealt with later, at least they would know he wasn't infected as the man was most certainly out cold. 

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #10 –
[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne |  Bridge Module | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]

Att: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya 




Shar closed her eyes. She closed her eyes so hard that ahe began to see cobalt flecks behind her eyelids. She cletched her jaw. She clenched her jaw until her teeth screeched and the thin muscles of her cheeks were marked like strings. Trying to contain the blush that climbed her cheeks. The anger, the desperation that knotted in the pit of her stomach. The shame and humiliation was such that her free hand trembled against her side, while the other squeeze Shall's hand. Their only hope, that what they had to go through at least gave them a chance for the future of their kind. A way to stop Andoria's decline, the death of their people. However, everything has been a lie. They had only been lab rats in the hands of their captors. A mere curiosity. The egg that grew inside her only made the situation more painful, knowing that it was probably fully viable. But its future had been decided the night before, in the darkest hour.


The memory of her 'conversation' with Ida did nothing but increase the belittling she felt against herself. She had believed, just for a moment, that she still had something left to fight for, when Shall had approached her. But she had failed him again,  she had failed everyone, as she failed in any undertaking she tried. The emptiness that threatened to devour her completely returned to be present, stronger than ever, reminding her that there was nothing left of what she was. Of what she used to be. What remains was just an empty shell.


A twinge of pain in her right hand drew her mind away from her gloomy thoughts and the eyes of the shen traveled to the hand that held hers, ascended the arm covered by the Savi's jumpsuit... when they reached the face of the chan, her pale eyes darkened suddenly, under a deep frown. She knew what she was looking at. She had seen it too many times in her own face. The reflection of that state on someone else creeped her up.


"Shall," she whispered quietly, her voice barely perceptible in the Bridge's uproar.


There was no answer.


"Irnashall," she said, raising her voice, trying to impose it to a male voice that barked orders in the background.


Her fingers were released of the trap that had catched them and, almost immediately, she launched herself over the scientist's corpulent figure.


"SHALL!" She barked warningly as she tried to reduce her ch'te. But it was not enough, it was not strong enough.


"SELH !!!" She pled at the top of her lungs, looking around for another blue face.


The only one she found was Ida's, which at that moment repeatedly fired over another abductee.


"Shelat" was the only thing Shar could groan, being dragged by Shall's wrath.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #11 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Masorin, @steelphoenix, @BZ, @Patches, @Fife & @Numen
[Show/Hide]
Sinead's eyes widened in surprise and alarm when Jien Ives and Thea acted against Sclergyn and the less hostile Savi. This seemed highly radical and dangerous a course of action, and now they would have both factions of the Savi coming for them. The situation became highly unstable, and Jien was now calling for everyone to arm themselves. Sinead found herself a graviton rifle like before, and moved to join the forward defense. She stood in the frontmost lines, taking what cover she could and crouched low, firing when attackers succeeded in breaching the entrance. The Antes would not hesitate to kill now, and there was very little cover to work with, so Sinead aimed for heads and chests, intending to put down any threat decisively.

Yet she could not sustain her attack for long.

A brief flash and a small explosion on the ground forced her into a retreat, and the pains came screaming back into her mind and body. Despite Zeph's treatments and hypospray applications, it wasn't enough to cure her completely, nor was the pain or injury completely treated. Strain and intense activity like fighting for her life was going to take a toll that could not be ignored, and the woman was forced to withdraw. She moved towards the back, her rifle pointed to the ground, as she considered the danger. How many Savi alive knew about the chip in her brain? How many of them knew how to activate it and turn her against her own people? With that in mind, she removed her hand from the trigger of the weapon.

Turning around, she saw the Savi android, V-9, the one that had been offered to the crew as a sort of consolation gift and peace offering. It made her feel worse about what they had done to the Savi. The former Caitian was with it, and she saw Jien and Sarresh approaching them. At the sight of the captain, Sinead quickly dropped her weapon and kicked it as far away from herself as she could. She could not put the captain's life at risk, no matter what. But seeing them all approaching, and the android seemed to be making a bee-line for her, clued her in to the reason. “Yeh 'ave informed them,” said Sinead to R'Rori once they were close enough, “goodh.”

“This robot will help with the chip.” said R'Rori, and Sinead nodded again, then quickly turned to Jien.

“Captain,” said Sinead, “'til th' chip 'as been taken care of, do no be comin' closer t' meh...”

She took off the PADD attached to her wrist and tossed it towards Jien, “P'haps it can be useful. I have been c'llectin' much'as'n th' wee thing can allow of all tha' we seen an' learnt. I pulled schematics for the graviton weapons, and engineering tech, as well as science. I also foun'h a useful code tha' allows yeh t' use th' cleansing beams as weapons, if yeh cain tap int' th' ones 'ere, p'haps yeh cain use it th' aid th' defenders, or push back th' Savi.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #12 –
[LCdr Blue Tiran | Cybernetic Badass | Fixin' Shit Other People Broke |  Get Me Off This God-Damn Ship | I Don't Want a Medal, I Want a Fucking Nap]
@Fife @Auctor Lucan

The power was up.

Thea was running.

Blue was worse off than Thea.  Her batteries could not be so easily recharged even though she really fucking wished that she could just plug herself into something and get the charge she needed.  It wasn't just sleep.  She had slept against Cross last night for a little while and gotten a bit more sleep than she had been before.  But, the kind of rest she needed was in her heart and in her soul and it was not something she was going to find on this mother fucking ship.  She returned to the Captain and explained that she had gotten everything together and Thea would be powered for a while now.  She even had a little room to move though she couldn't go far because it was from the wall panel.  Still, it would do better than the PADD.

The Captain told her that she would let her know if it was necessary and Blue's brow rose.  Of course it was fucking necessary.  They couldn't leave the damn thing connected to the panel for-fucking-ever!  They had to get her to be moved and what not.  But, she didn't say it, even though her mind was racing with all the ways she could get shit stirred.   Still, what she found instead was that her mind went blank.  The Captain was thanking her .. appreciating all her efforts thus far in helping the crew. 

For a moment, Blue just stared at the man.

What the fuck... is he talking about.

“I just.. did what was fucking necessary.” she said in a low voice.  The raw pain in it felt for only a moment before she slammed it back down behind the barriers she had built for many years.  Swallowing heavily she gave a quick nod as the man told her that she needed to get some rest.  Cyrstalline eyes widened as he told her this because.. there was a fucking battle going on.  The loud one from earlier was screaming that they had company and …

She stood there in shock for the moment. 

A hand lay on her arm, and she looked over to the side to find Cross there.  He didn't say anything, or if he did she didn't hear it.  Her shoulders slumped. 

It was over, wasn't it? 

It was over, enough.

He motioned for her to come with and she followed.  She followed with him, Albert was thankfully quiet as they worked their way to one of the offices up above.  She collected some things along the way though.  She had her bag, and she was collecting some of the discarded PADDS and various things that she could.  She collected a couple hand phasers and shoved them all into her bag as she headed up to the office with the man in front of her.

==

Blue and Cross will exit timeline briefly for a Supplemental.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #13 –
[ Nephele Soong | Medical Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] attn: @Triage @FollowTomorrow
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With a sort of sadness on her face what had been Lahkesis Saugn watched as Hi'Jak hurried out of the small medical room, clearly aiming to join the larger group. For a moment she did consider following after him, going to his side and helping in whatever way she could, but she could see now that her place was not on the battlefield. She was a doctor, if nothing else she was that.

She turned her attention back to Heather and began checking her over, though she lacked a Tricorder, she knew how to check her pulse and how to check her temperature with some degree of accuracy based off touch alone. "I am not fully familiar with your species," she said gently, reaching under heather's neck to check the jugular vein for consistent flow and pulse. With little to compare it to, it was difficult to tell if it was accelerated or not. She needed to make quick guesses and hope she was right. She figured going off of human would be inadvisable, and her vitals did not seem in line with those take previously, given her memory of Heather's medical file. There were changes in body morphology to consider as well, the face was different, she could not assess differences in internal anatomy.

She turned her attention to Nathaniel. "Has she had any other recent trauma or exertion?" She asked hoping he knew something more than her.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #14 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Medical Bay |  Versant ]

“Well,” Nathaniel started, settling Heather in his arms a little more comfortably, “She died, for one. And came back. I’m no doctor, but that’s traumatic...We shouldn’t ask her to do anything for a while. She needs a lot of protecting.”

He was hearing chaos outside. As much as he wanted to join, he still had Heather and a...maybe, possibly weak doctor to care for.  He glanced around the medical bay, looking for some way to give them cover and let them rest. He didn’t want to remain visible to whoever simply walked in, especially since all three of them were unarmed.

“Come on, this way.” He began to lead, taking them behind a corner, away from the doors. He couldn’t tell what he was hiding behind, really, just that it looked solid enough to take a hit. That’s all that mattered. He clustered the ladies behind him. There were no weapons here, but if they could stay hidden, maybe they wouldn’t need any. “Until the battle’s over, we’re laying low. We can’t risk Heather.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #15 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Bridge Module | The Versant ]
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Att: @BZ @Auctor Lucan @any other defender


The hole in the door widened more and more, every graviton blast cutting it to pieces with surgical precision. The door emited a brassy groan and, after short time, only heaten metal shards remained. Khorin peeked the corridor from his precarious bulwark.

“Baktag” he growled.The aisle was flooded of  armoured Savi. They poured from every corner, from every junction. The discharge of their weapons dyed everything around with a bluish tinge. They could ward them off for a time but, how long? Surely not enough, not only they both. The bridge had too many doors, too many weak points, too few available defenders. And less rifles.

Khorin leaned back to the corridor and discharged a new burst of gunfire. He tried that each one of them counted. He aimed to the helmets.Even if the shot was not lethal, a crack in the viewfinders or graviton cut in the tubes that provided the neonox could incapacitate the Antes.When he had to take cover again to avoid a new counter charge, Savi bodies began to pile up in the corridor, forming a small wall of dead or wounded. Maybe they could do it. Maybe they could block the path with the corpses of their enemies. An opera-worthy deed.

 The attack of the Antes intensified and a shower of sparks and splinters rained down on the bridge floor plates. Khorin's gaze averted to Zephyr position. She was making a hell of a job, maybe she hadn't the more accurate aim in the room, but she gave her best. Looking at her like that, her mind in battle, her profile highlighted by firing was simply alluring. Khorin shook his head when he felt a purr growing in his chest. He had more urgent matters at that moment than let get lost in his own infatuation. Also she would notice it. As much as he felt the pull of her mind in his.

When he tore off his attention away from the betazoid and put it back on the corridor, the situation had changed. A new Savi surge had arrived, but those didn't try to reach the bridge. They aimed against other Savi, risking their lives to push the main group back. Khorin howled, encouraging their unexpected allies. Soon, both groups mixed in a bloody fray, where it was impossible to distinguish who was a friend and who was foe.

Khorin gritted his teeth and his gaze swept the battle behind the sight of his rifle.He didn't know to whom he must point the muzzle of his weapon. Every Ante crammed into that dark, masked suits looked exactly the same.The hiss of some energetic shields and the rattle of keratin-covered legs ended his hesitations.

“DaH Hegh!!!!” he roared when the Scion appeared in front of his eyes.




Baktag → shit, rubbish
DaH Hegh! → Now die!

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #16 –
[ Deacon | Day 6 | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Triage  @BZ  @Numen  @FollowTomorrow @SummerDawn  @patches  @Fife  @Numen @Absinthe

This was taking longer than it should, though whether it was the nigh cavernous aspect of this so-called bridge or his own dubious well being, he could not say.  Once or twice, he found it necessary to pause, lest his empty stomach attempt to discharge again.  His head swam as he moved from position to position, the ground lurching about beneath his feet as vertigo assailed his periphery.  But still he could not stop.  To stop would be to bow to his weakness, to surrender to whatever vague ailment hammered at him. 

Between the virus that had first waylaid him upon boarding the Theurgy up to this moment, he felt as if every second of this new life was defined by some illness or another.  It was hardly the strongest position from which he could operate and it was frankly humiliating to be so betrayed by his own condition.  Perhaps here, beyond the watch of Amara, no kzin could survive?  Tch!  Kzinti conquered the stars, it was only the humans that had stopped them.  His stomach churned again, causing him to stumble, catching himself against the wall of the alcove that he'd been surveying. 

Breathe.  He'd had to recite that particular mantra far too often in the past minutes, pausing between every load of equipment, out of sight of the others, to rest his stomach, to remind his single monkey heart that it needed to do what three hearts had done before, to each the trembling in his legs.  He felt cold down to his bones and still his hair was matted to him by heavy sweat.

Was this the scion's doing?  Had he been poisoned in the midst of their battle?  The others had died so quickly it seemed but he couldn't be certain if any of the others had been so close for so long.  The claws?  Perhaps they were toxic.  They'd done enough damage to his neck.  Perhaps that was all it required?

He took a deep breath, steadying his legs.  A sound caught his attention from the greater hall where the others had been tasked with building a defensible position.  One foot swiveled unsteadily towards the opening of the alcove, the instinct return and defend the others finding itself at odds with the vanity not to be seen in such a condition. 

Foolishness.  His place was with the pride, with the patriarch, with his tznrrow.  Determined, he wiped the sweat from his face with an irritable flick of his wrist, a second swipe slicking his hair back on his head.  It was far from presentable, but he'd been far from presentable since he'd first arrived on this ship.  He grit his teeth, gathering the pile of equipment he had secured, and returned to the main hall of the bridge, his eyes working to track the movements of those nearby.  The antes had apparently found some way to breach the sealed doors and several of his fellow abductees had moved to intercept.  This place was too large and singularly difficult to defend absent control of the ships systems.

Fortunately, Theurgy had apparently seized that control as the incoming weapons fire lanced harmlessly against the shielding that stood between them.  "Fall back," he grumbled to those nearby as he moved his collection back towards the area he had designated for their stockpile.  "We shouldn't overtax Theurgy's systems."

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #17 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Bridge Module  | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Masorin 
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Sarresh found himself once again along side Hi'Jak, though he hung back, following at a bit of a distance.. The former half-breed seemed to have put aside his concern for the plant doctor and was focusing on the task at hand. Both had heard Ives ridiculous rallying cry of "To Arms," and both had  answered, after a fashion. Even if the Captains words had nearly caused Sarresh to roll his eyes, instead of leaping to a patriotic defense of their fellows. For now, he stuck to the shadows, watching.

You're too tired, he chided himself, and correctly so. You're letting your thoughts get out of hand, instead of focusing on whats important. Keeping this bomb safe. Getting off this ship. The mission. Getting back to Sel. Having Ives shouting rallying rabble is exactly what these people need. Its what  you need to survive. Not some self-righteous disdain for your leader. He paused and looked at the other man - he was a man at the moment.

Even if the bastard is the reason they made you 100% human in that fucking tube, instead of putting you back to the way you had been. It seemed that the past few days had not helped Sarresh put behind himself the horror of waking up as something mostly human, and hardly Ash'reem, in the wake of Theta Eridani. Nor had the soothing touch of Ryuan Sel quite washed away that cartilage deep - bone, he corrected - desire to be whole.

This is what you are now, there really is no going back. Duly scorned, he adjusted the strap of the Omega container on his shoulder and cocked a hip out to one side as Hi'Jak spoke. Maybe the increase in oxygen will help keep you on track he noted. The levels in the bridge were returning to something normal for a majority of the collected species, and it seemed as if a bit of weight was removed from his chest and shoulders. He was breathing a bit easier, and the low grade headache began to fade. He'd be come so accustomed to it that he'd not noticed its presence until he was relieved of it.

His fellow science officer began to give a run down of just what they had all undergone. For the moment, the time traveler kept his mouth shut, and his armed crossed over his chest. His face had what most humans would called a 'resting bitch' look to it, but he didn't much care. The eyes were most telling, however. Wholly human now, the orbs no longer blocked his thoughts with their alien technological cast. They allowed to see see how much the words angered Sarresh, despite the calm look on his face. He glanced, just a moment, to the android, wondering just how useful - or useless - she would prove to be.

But it was Ives that he had to focus on the most, and that's where he forced his attention. The recovered Captain, probably as worse for wear as the rest of them. They called him Aspect- Maker, Sarresh quietly thought. He would have to look into that. Something was tickling in the back of his mind, beneath the surface. He just couldn't grasp it.

Thus began a series of interruptions, from various crew. Sarresh stood patiently through it all, arms crossed over his chest, ever present scowl in place. Too Human eyes observed, without the full bank of information the false ones had given him. Were he feeling a bit more introspective he might have asked what missing those meant. But at the moment he just hated not knowing. He watched, from his distance as Hi'Jak and the android spoke. As Ida zh'Wann came over. he saw the alarm in the scientists face, and some disgust in Ives. The woman changed - female again, and gave an order that Sarresh could scarcely believe.

He watched, unable to do anything, as Ida shot Hi'Jak. Watched his body collapse to the floor. He stared, in disbelief, as she picked up the alien PADD from the man. And then he heard Ives calling for Sarresh to accompany them. Did she know I was watching the whole time?

Mutely, Sarresh stepped out of the shadows not 6 feet away from Ida. He met her gaze and leveled a withering glare at her. What she and Ives had done did not sit well with him. Then again, a lot of what Ives did bothered Sarresh. You had a chance to back a different commander not long ago, remember? You chose your allegiance.

That doesn't mean that you sit idly by, either.

Careful, measured strides brought him up to the Captain. He clutched the strap of the device slung over his shoulder. A terse, "Sir," was uttered, passing for a salute in the moment as he fell in step with the captain. And then, in a very low, and very, very angry voice he asked.

"Just what the fuck did you do there? He was goddamn useful just now. I was standing right the fuck there. We could have used him to get the information we need for that robot. On how to run this ship. Not to mention this wonderful little toy we found." His head jerked to the side, to the item slung over his shoulder. "I need him for dealing with this, the info on that Savi tablet. And you just shot him like a goddamn dog? What the fuck, Captain Ives Sir." To hell with propriety. Sarresh figured he might be the one person, here and now, that could get away with speaking his mind. Time travel gave one an interesting perspective, after all.

OOC: I had about a 600 word draft that had Sarresh right next to Ives that I started a while back. I had to change that based on the last few posts from @Auctor Lucan  and @Masorin . Pleas let me know if anything seems too disjointed as a result, but y'all threw a wrench into the entire thing haha.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #18 –
[ K'Ren | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @steelphoenix All
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Even though she’d have liked to linger there, stay in Deacon’s arms and let the world pass them by, his arms a shields from reality, his lips a taste of the fantasy of solitude alone, together, K’Ren knew the only way they’d make that goal, reach a place of quiet where the world would not intrude, would be once they were safe aboard their ship. Deacon’s words to two crewman snapped her out of the fantasy and she parted from Deacon, letting him go so he might find weapons to defend themselves. “I will come with you,” she remarked, not knowing if he heard her, she would not lave his side until this battle was won, or until she took her last breath in defense of her tznrrow and her ship.

Seeing bodies lying around, unconscious was her best guess for the lack of weapons fire, tho exactly how she wasn’t sure, K’Ren looted several weapons from the Savi, mostly rifles though amongst the bodies she found one or two pistol style weapons. They were light of weight, some advanced composite material she reckoned, designed specifically for the smaller stature of the Savi. The weapons also seemed designed for their species, obvious observation though that was, but Cait’s having three digits plus a thumb, the feel of the weapon she picked up in her hand felt more comfortable to her then Federation weapons. One extra finger hung out beneath the trigger guard but the other two fit nicely in the rifle.

As she caught up to Deacon who’d sprinted ahead, she noticed him retching on the ground, on all fours like a cub who’d just involuntarily given up their lunch to the ground. She wanted to rush in and help, to reassure him or do something that a Caitian wife and mother might do for one who was sick. But she knew her tznrrow was a fighter, a species who valued strength, who refused to show weakness, and if that meant ignoring a sign of weakness like that, she would do so for the sake of her mate, would let him keep his pride intact for the moment.

[OOC: Just posting K'Ren's observations and reactions to existing posts. Had planned something longer and more eloquent but I'm going out of town for the day today to do an emergency repair to a WiFi system up north so my plans to post last night were shot by running around making sure I had all my parts & tools, and a quiet day in the office to post isn't happening as I'll be 20ft up a ladder. :) At least the temps outside where the unit

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #19 –
[Lt. Zephyr Praise | Horny Khorin is Khorny | Fighting for Lives |  One Dead Savi at a Time | Death by Death, We Grow Closer]
@Numen

Zephyr was only doing what she could.  She was not a dead eye, she was far more gifted with her hand to hand combat than she was with the gun.  But right now she was only trying to help out in any way that she could.  Suppressive fire was what she could do right now and it would help.  She was hitting targets and blood splatter answered.  She was not mowing them down the way that Khorin was but then it didn't really matter.  All that mattered was that she was trying her very best and hoping that everything would go well in the end. 

She could feel something, and she looked up to find Khorin checking her out.  She could feel what was going on with him.  She could feel the way that he wanted her, and whatever she was doing; apparently shooting guns was turning him on in a big way.  Such a Klingon. she thought to herself as she shut her mental barriers because she could not currently deal with the fact that he was super horny at the moment get her off track.  She could already feel her body responding because she closed the shield quickly so that she didn't have to feel him any more. 

Her body began to relax again.

Khorin was himself though, no matter if he was oddly turned on at the moment.  He was screaming Klingon down the corridor while he fired shots.  Zephyr edged closer because there were Savi that were coming.  She could hear the noise of them as they stormed down the hallway outside the door.  Their job with the other officers was to keep them in the corridor and not coming into the room where everyone was.   She and Khorin were the main force working their asses off to get this done.  To keep them down the hall, to keep the door as secure as possible.  Zeph knelt down a couple feet to the side of Khorin as he ducked out the door half way and shot down the hall screaming.

There was another hall, that Khorin wasn't looking at.  One where a small group, three Savi, had just rounded the corner and began to shoot towards Khorin.  Zeph's protective nature went into over drive.  She quickly stood up yanking Khorin to the side and shoving him out of the way as the bolts shot through the hole in the door.  One of the bolts caught Zeph in the shoulder, piercing through the flesh there.  She cried out as her mind went blank for a moment, the suit on her married with blood and a smoking hole.  She winced as she poked her head up, Khorin was beside her.  Holding her weapon up she shot right for center mass with the weapon in her hand.

The central Savi went down, then the one with the right.  The one on the left shot again, and she ducked just as the bolt went over the top of her head.  She looked over at Khorin and he was staring at the hold in her uniform.  She got back up from being down.  Blood ran down the front of her uniform as she began to shoot again.  Ducking to the side, as she looked at Khorin and swallowed.  Pain radiated from her shoulder.  She had to compartmentalize.  She had to get this done.  She needed to do things that would save the others. 

He wasn't going to be happy.  There was one left.  One down that corridor and the others, he could take down.  They were a team, and she knew that he was a strong one.  The stronger one.  “Get my back.”

She didn't give him much time to reply as she ducked through the hole.  Raising her arm she fired down the hallway where Khorin had been shooting before but she was running across just long enough to make it towards the one lone Savi that she hadn't yet gotten.  She didn't worry about the Savi in the corridor that Khorin would take care of.  She instead slid into place and used the butt of her rifle to slam into the face of the Savi.  He recoiled and stepped backwards too steps.  He kicked out at her and she felt it connect with her mid section in a kick.  She jumped back using the momentum of the kick to move back and then charged forward with a scream.  Zeph didn't let herself stop there.  She aimed a quick and harsh kick against his inner knee joint and the white creature went down on one knee before she used the knee of her opposite leg to smash right into the side of his head.  As he seemed to sway from the impact Zephyr rose her rose her rifle and point blank shot him in the center of his forehead.  The blood splatter rained down on her from the backlash of the shot.  She didn't care though, he was down, he was dead, the blue dots on her person was nothing.

She turned breathing heavily as she surveyed whether Khorin was still standing or not.  Tossing some of her loose short curls out of her face, she headed for the other group of Savi.  Staying close to the corner all, she used her rifle around the corner to help lay waste to the Savi beyond.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #20 –
[ PWO Heather McMillan | Medical Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @CanadianVet
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Heather felt horrid. Absolutely horrid. The exhertion took so much more than she anticipated, and she felt even weaker than before. As she made her second fall in so short a time, she felt arms catch her before she could hit the back of her head against a hard surface, which likely would end badly for her. As durable as she seemingly felt, she wasn't prepared to test the limits of her newfound strength. Now she could barely move, and she slipped in and out of consciousness, barely holding on as she fell into a half-dream. She saw a mostly featureless being, then the universe, then she saw countless suns, spreading out among worlds.

And then she was engulfed in darkness.

From the darkness, there was a pinprick of light, and then two, and as she sought to brighten the light, she realized it was her own vision, and her eyes were closed, so she slowly parted them, and she gazed into the Romulan's, “Iston i nîf lîn. Mi van me? I dass carnen?” Her voice was hoarse, and she sounded brittle.

She had heard them as they fussed over her, but her brain felt fuzzy, and confused. She didn't quite understand what they had been saying. For that matter, she didn't understand what she had just said, aside from declaring she knew the Romulan, and asking where they were, and whether it was done.

But what was it exactly that were they supposed to have done?

She could hear the sound of violence, and her eyes widened in panic. Sitting up slowly, she weakly gazed about, and tried to let everything come back to her slowly. “Are we still fighting?” she asked, though it was mostly a rhetorical question. She could bloody well hear it for herself. Did Nathaniel say something about not risking her? Why? What risk did they not want her to partake in? She was still too weak, and could only sit up, so she stayed there, huddled behind Nathaniel.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #21 –
[Ens. Irnashall “Shall” chXinya | Bridge Module | The Versant]

To anyone looking at him, Shall was a living statue.  Standing stock still with only the subtle way his hair shifted as his antenna writhed against his skull.  Even as the bridge fell to chaos he didn’t move, an impressive achievement for an Andorian short one antenna.  The light effects from the way the Savi’s weapon fire splattered against Thea’s forcefield reflected off of his blue face and shone in his eyes, but it was clear to anyone who knew the signs that they were not looking outwards.

“There’s no data, just porn films.” Jay teased her ch’te.  “You should get a copy, we can watch them together.”  Before Shall could say anything another arrived.  “That is not our way.” Tavin countered, his displeasure at their zh’yi radiating out of his antennae.  Turning to Shall, “You should know better than to rely on outsiders for solutions to Andorian problems.”  It was an old argument between them, but before the chan could take the bait Syora appeared, her hair gently jingling as she moved.  “It’s not your fault that they lied to you Shall.” she whispered, leaning close and resting her hands on his chest.  “You did what you did for the Whole, if you hadn’t you’d be lost to us.  But right now, others need you.”  Pushing her ch’te with all her might, Syora flew into the distance even though Shall knew that he was the one that was supposed to be moving.

After an eternity, his eyes blinked as the chan came out of his stupor.  Looking around the bridge he was confused at what was going on.  The last thing he remembered was the Savi in charge blurting out to the entire crew what had happened to the four of them.  Now all of the Savi were gone, forcefields were snapping up all around, and the shooting resumed.  "Everything went wrong." he whispered, the Savi's words still echoing through his head.  Shar was right there with him, looking out into the crowd for some reason.  “We need to get into the fight.” he growled, his rage barely under the surface.  “They will not go unpunished for what they’ve done to us.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #22 –
[ Captain Ives | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ]
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Perhaps Jien shouldn't have been surprised with the former Ash'reem's insubordinate attitude - especially after the days they both had spent on the Versant - but right then and there, after having learned that the Imperial spy had betrayed the crew and her confidence, she had little tolerance for the ignorant and self-absorbed Junior Lieutenant. At least he'd had the wits to keep his voice down. Jien didn't do so, the glance she gave him meant like a kick in the teeth, and her syllables cut short.

"Don't you have ears, Junior Lieutenant? Pay attention before you open your mouth."

As emphasis to her words, the bulkheads at the back of the bridge were collapsing from graviton fire, sending sparks and fiery clouds of plasma to the deckhead. Jien did not look away from the Temporal Affairs officer while they walked, her trust in Thea aiding their defenders implicit. She even heard the hum of new forcefields being raised, and how Savi were being transported away from the deck in droves.

"That man compromised the officers sent to the Coreless Moon to collect dilithium for the Theurgy, crystals the ship needed to travel faster than Warp 3 since our old ones were fractured. Even worse, despite my orders to send a message to Martok - whom I know well from the Dominion War - that man contacted his moronic son instead, who attacked our crew. If he had followed orders, we would have gained a sorely needed ally in the Klingon Empire. As it stands, if we had to defend ourselves against his son's ship, I no longer know where I stand with Martok."

They were reaching Sinead, who discarded her weapon, evidently aware of the danger she might represent. While her words had been loud enough for others to hear on the bridge, Jien's tone turned more conversational, as she looked away from Morali.  "I will deal with him later, but for the time being, he is a liability we don't need. Thea can get those medical journals on her own, and she clearly already controls the Versant. As for that device you carry, I already know what to do with it. What you need to do, is to tell me how the Borg is on this side of the Alpha Quadrant without using any breaches in the space-time continuum. I was under the impression it was your duty to warn us, should such breaches occur? At least that was the assignment you volunteered for."

If the arrogant junior officer hadn't been insubordinate, Jien might have made her query more kindly - well aware that there could be any number of things that prevented the man from sensing the breach. The range of his ability was not even established. She would have asked him for theories, even asked him how he'd fared, but no need. It was clear he was the same as he'd always been.

V-Nine, as the android was called, and the Endeavour's Chief Counselor waited for her by Sinead, who spoke to her. "Captain, 'til th' chip 'as been taken care of, do no be comin' closer t' meh..." Jien then caught the datapad that Sinead had carried on her wrist, the Irish woman only having paused to toss it to her. "P'haps it can be useful. I have been c'llectin' much'as'n th' wee thing can allow of all tha' we seen an' learnt. I pulled schematics for the graviton weapons, and engineering tech, as well as science. I also foun'h a useful code tha' allows yeh t' use th' cleansing beams as weapons, if yeh cain tap int' th' ones 'ere, p'haps yeh cain use it th' aid th' defenders, or push back th' Savi."

"Thank you," said Jien and turned to Morali, giving the datapad to him. "Here, make yourself useful. Give this to Thea." If the man had forgotten his place, it was best to remind him. It was not the first time Jien's ambition to bridge the gap between her and the former Ash'reem had been ruined by the man's blatant disrespect and unprofessional attitude. Perhaps there was no use to keep trying? "Now, officer."

V-Nine was turning her cranial unit between the speakers, picking up on what needed to be done. She stepped up to Sinead, raised her hand, and again, her thumb and indexfinger unfolded. She appeared to be scanning the Engingeer's head, the lenses in her digits and on her 'face' whirring and zooming in and out, as if she was studying the things behind Sinead's skin. "Confirmed. Control device of non-Savi origin found. Extraction possible, but will take approximately fifteen minutes, during which time the specimen should be sedated. Of course, open head surgery can be preformed while the specimen is conscious, but odds of success and survival may be lower. Suggested alternative treatment: permanent deactivation. Different methods available. Please state preference."

"What alternatives are there?" asked Jien, frowning, not keen on the term the android was using for Sinead. "Are there any that won't pose a risk to this patient?"

V-Nine turned her lens in Jien's way briefly, but there was no telling if she understood where she had erred. "Certainly. I can access it myself and clear it from any command protocols. While a precise EMP surge might have the same affect, the hardware might suffer a slight combustion, which would not be healthy for the specimen's higher brain functions and overall survival. Therefore, direct up-link and software deletion is more advisable."

Jien frowned, but looked towards Sinead. "Are you okay with this? If you are a threat to me and these officers on the bridge, I think it's either this method... or you will have to be sedated. I'm sorry, Lieutenant."

Meanwhile, the abductees that were defending the bridge were pulling back, now that Thea had managed to transport most of the Savi from the corridors outside, and there were force fields being raised in the side-corridors as well.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #23 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Masorin, @steelphoenix, @BZ, @Patches, @Fife & @Numen
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Up until that moment, Sinead only had speculation and supposition to support her concerns, aside from the fact that she definitely could be controlled by the Savi, whose technological advancements surpassed that of the Federation's, but the android, V-Nine, could identify and confirm the presence of technology, which was not put in there by them. The affirmation was both relief and terror. Relief in the vindication that she wasn't imagining things, terror in that even now, at any moment, a Savi might realize the experiments they conducted on her, and on a whim activate the chip. She would not be able to tell friend from foe, she would be an out-of-control killing machine that would continue its purpose until she had been thoroughly eradicated or vapourized.

The captain is too near!

Sinead moved herself to position V-Nine between her and the captain. There was also tension between Sarresh and Jien, which Sinead could see even if she had been blind. Still, it was a trivial concern, and as the battle nearby raged on, Sinead was torn between delaying the procedure in order to add her firepower to the rest of the survivors, but logic told her the wiser and safer choice was to submit herself to the operation and let the android do its work. Remove the chip and free her from the nightmares, and remove the potential of ever becoming a danger to the crew and the captain, whom she had sworn to protect with her life.

There's another way...

Sinead heard V-Nine suggest permanent deactivation. But did she mean Sinead, or just the chip? Savi logic wasn't exactly what Starfleet personnel would call always humane. The android also proposed using an EMP, but that might not work, and even if it did, the explosioin could kill her. It seemed a wasteful option. The captain turned the choice over to the Bringloidi, apologizing along the way, as if it were the captain's fault. But it wasn't. “Yeh need not apologize captain.” said Sinead, “Thea and yeh, yeh be th' ones that must survive all this. Yeh both be too important t' risk. Th' needs of the few outweigh th' needs of th' many this time.”

She could hear frenzied laughter coming from within her own head, followed by desperate and frantic pleading. Her wild, uncontrolled self was manifesting again, the chip? Or just her own psychosis? “I will give me life for yeh, captain, but I will not let meself be a risk t'yeh.” With that, she went down on both knees, and lowered her head, in anticipation of having the operation done right there on the spot. That was when she heard her own voice, and a sensation of warning.

The chip can defend itself! It might activate to stop V-Nine from accessing it! It might self-destruct! You'll kill the captain and not even know it!

She abruptly raised her head, eyes snapping back open, and she moved fluidly backwards, getting back on her feet, and halting any action the android might have been taking, as Sinead considered an alternative. “V-Nine...” said Sinead, slightly breathless, “rather than removing or alterin' th' microchip, can yeh improve it?”

She waited for the query to sink in for everyone, including herself, “Savi technology is far superior t' Federation; can yeh modify th' chip, enable it t' tell friend from foe? To...t' let me activate it on me own? An' t' prevent it from bein' used against me or th' captain?” There would be disadvantages with such a modification, but the benefits would outweigh them. She could use it for the captain and for Thea, without ever posing a risk to the crew any longer. She could even remain conscious and in control, like it was originally meant to be. Federation tech had simply not reached the level of advancement yet, but the Savi might have, and this would enable her to be of better service to everyone.

She turned to look at the captain, “We all still be at great risk here, on th' Versant,” she said, still keeping in mind that the captain had chosen to antagonize all of the Savi, but she didn't question it, “and there be a risk th' chip might trigger if removal was attempted now. It be better if V-Nine can modifyh it, make it better, and controllable by only meself, so I can turn it on or offh. And remain in control of meself at all times.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #24 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Bridge Module | The Versant ]
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Att: @BZ @Auctor Lucan



Khorin was so focused on shot the enemies in front of him that the blow to his side caught him unexpectedly. He lost his balance and rolled a couple of meters before he could stop. He had lost his borrowed weapon. Where was it? Where was the rifle? He looked around madly, until he found that it was just there lying in the floor.  Just where Zephyr had stood a moment ago ... and where Zeph wasn't anymore.


"Zeph !?" he cried uselessly as he got back on his feet. "ZEPH! ??!?!" He howled as he lunged toward the hole in the door.Just in time. Just in time to see how a graviton bolt hit Zeph in the shoulder. How the betazoid, HIS betazoid,  moved backwards to the bridge. Khorin clenched his teeth as he reached his position again, looming over Zeph. His shoulder burned, as if the graviton hit o had punctured his own flesh instead of hers. "Are you all right?" He asked uselessly, his eyes riveted on the burned rip of her uniform. In the brilliant crimson blood that began to trickle down to the floor plates. They had hurt her. He had allowed it. He had allowed that they hurt her. The Klingon tightened his jaw even more, and concentrated his fire on clearing the corridor. Meanwhile she ducked in his side. He tried to ignore the worry he felt. He tried to ignore his desire to remove her from that busted metal nest and carry her away to someplace safe. Somewhere were they could take care of the wound in her shoulder. That pain burned in his too. He just wouldn't allow something like that happen again.


There were few Savi  in the corridor, and Khorin unleashed a burst on the nearest ones, no longer bothering to make every shot count. He just needed to keep them away from the hole. A sky-blue glow shone in the corner of his eyes. That told him that Thea was raising the shields again, it wouldn't be too long until she finally protected their entrance as well.


"Get my back." She said, before leaped forward and ran down the hall. Khorin couldn't say a thing. Neither to stop or encourage her. He just stared how she moved,  his mouth open and the weapon hanging uselessly in his hands. When she had gone a few yards away, he rushed forward to follow.


WHUMP!


Khorin bonked against the recently rised shield. "NO!" He howled looking uselessly how Zeph took care of a Savi soldier. She was doing an excellent display of her hand-to-hand combat skills. Still he couldn't left her fight alone. Meanwhile, the Klingon hit the shield, as if his fists and headbutts could weaken it in some way. The energy screen just sizzled impassively, its surface hardly altered by a couple of undulations of a darker blue. "KYAMO !!!" he shouted worthlessly again, turned into a mere witness of what was happening in the corridor.


WHUMP!


BANG!


WHUMP!


Khorin charged against it, again and again crashing his body against the screen. A part of his mind knew that he wouldn't achieve anything doing that, but he had to do SOMETHING. Whatever. He took a run-up once more and threw himself at the shield, head ahead. When he was barely a few centimeters from re-embedding himself against the screen, it simply flickered. With that, Khorin crossed the barrier and rolled down the corridor, unable to stop his own momentum. The headless body of Zeph's last victim stopped him and Khorin remained there, sprawled and dizzy, trying to figure out why the ceiling was spinning over his head. And why it was blurry. So blurry.


Finally, his eyes were able to focus on something. Something still and concrete. Zeph face. Khorin smiled stupidly, still half stunned. "I'm with ya again" He babbled happily. Then, his gaze shifted to the wound on her shoulder. He frowned. "That ... that has been the more reckless, unnecessary and stupidly sexy thing i've seen in a time, you know?" He reprehended her. Still, his voice was tinted with admiration. He could lie down like that there, sprawled on his back just watching her, for hours. But it wasn't the moment for that, he reminded himself when he felt the pang of pain in his shoulder. A pain that was not his, but hers.


"Let's get out of here," he grunted, rising to his feet again. The corridor seemed empty at the moment, but still the Klingon interposed his body between Zeph and the corridor, using himself as a shield. He looked back to the bridge and, to his dismay, he saw that the shield was still raised. They were trapped. Maybe if they reached the door Thea could lower the shields for few seconds to let them go. Khorin hesitated a moment and finally he took a decision. He ran his hand around Zeph's waist and lifted her up, nestling her against his chest and his forearm. With her protected against his broad torso, he headed for the door. He didn't care to turn his back on their possible enemies. It would be him who would receive the impact, not her. She would be protected.
 
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