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Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

CHAPTER 07: ALL OR NOTHING | DAY 03 | 1555 HRS.

STARDATE 57654.78
APRIL 18, 2381
1555 HRS.


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[ Captain Ives | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Oneida ]
Attn: @Hope @Luciain @Nero @chXinya  @jreeves1701 @Stegro88
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"Drop us out of warp. Red alert," said Captain Jesse Jackson on the bridge of the Oneida, addressing Lieutenant Lail at the helm. The lights dimmed and Jien Ives turned his head - being in his male form - towards Jackson. The Commanding Officer of the Iroquois-class ship glanced towards the tactical station. "Commander Ikthan, what are we facing?"

"As I said, two Klingon warp signatures, dead ahead," said the Rigellan CTO, his prompt having make Jackson give the order to disengage the warp engines. "Large bird of preys, too early to give classifications. Long range sensors trace them back from a Ty'Gokor-class outpost, which belongs to House Mo'Kai, so we can assume hostile intent. It looks like they set out on an intercept course right after we picked up the Sabine. Estimated odds of bypassing them are... poor at best. Not without sustaining critical mid-warp damage, and rupture of our warp field. We'd be thrown out of our subspace envelope and suffer catastrophic sheering damage. I'm afraid we had no choice but to drop to impulse and make a stance."

Tellarite curses came from the figure next to Jackson, where Commander Mag'Lev stated the irking truth of the situation. "We are still five long minutes out from Qo'noS... and any delays will have that Negh'Var ship and its escorts catching up to us sooner rather than later."

"Oh, Commander, we still have a head start," said Jackson with a lopsided smile, evidently used to his XO seeing the glass half full. "Yet these two Mo'Kai ships ahead of us are still a concern. Captain Ives, your thoughts?"

Looking at the sensor readings, Jien weighed the available options. He recalled something that the immobile Android down in the shuttle bay had said.... and eventually made the call.

"We stick to our original plan," he said, turning to face the bridge crew. "We launch the Sabine, and as the Oneida draws the attention away from it, the shuttle use a newly installed propulsion technology to get past the birds of prey. Lieutenant Logan Hale will remain here, however, to provide the Oneida a tactical advantage with his Valravn fighter. All the while, you act bait for House Mo'Kai, as the Sabine reaches Qo'noS and we bring the Chancellor to the Great Hall. Just as we intended to begin with."

"The ETA on those birds of prey are just four minutes. Won't they turn to give chase on the Sabine instead? You won't likely get away unseen, and the Klingons knows about that fake transponder by now," objected Lt. Daius Shar from the science station, wide eyes even more curious at that point.

"It won't matter. If the specifications on the technology are as predicted," said Ives with a faint smile, think about what V-Nine had said about the new ZPE booster, "then they will never have a chance of catching up to us."

"All right," said Captain Jackson, and soon concurred with a nod. "The Oneida will deal with these two birds of prey and then resume course towards Qo'noS. We hope to stay ahead of our pursuers - Gorka and his larger ships - because while she is fast and nimble, the Oneida will hardly stand a chance against that kind of firepower, and I doubt one warp fighter can make a difference in that regard either. No offence towards Lieutenant Hale’s skills, of course."

"It's settled then," said Jien, and tapped his combadge, stepping towards the turbolift. "Ives to Chancellor Martok and Sabine mission crew. We're being intercepted, so report to the shuttle bay for launch. We will use the device Ravenholm built from V-Nine's components and make it to Qo'noS ahead of schedule. The Oneida will cover us while we get away."

"Good luck, Ives, and thank you. If you and your crew hadn’t persisted, this new enemy would still have kept us in the dark, and torn us apart from within," said Jackson, and Jien paused by the turbolift to respond.

"You too, Jackson. Thank you, also, for the additional officers that will be on the Sabine. I am sure we'll need all he help we can to get into the Great Hall safely." The Sabine would be a bit crowded for the remaining short flight time, but Martok needed the protection. "We'll speak further after we make it through this, and rest assured... once Thea catches up, she will come to your aid. Just use the codename King gave you, and they will know you are an ally."

"Understood, and godspeed." Jackson went to sit down in his command chair. "Raise shields the moment the Sabine is out of the bay, and arm forward torpedoes. I want-"

The sliding doors closed in front of Ives, and he descended to the shuttle bay.

Alone, he afforded himself a deep breath, remembering the old words his crew had lived by since they first fled Earth, six months past. Courage is fear, when it has said its prayers.

OOC: This is the starter for Chapter 07: All or Nothing, where we follow the Sabine as it uses the ZPE booster to get straight to Qo'noS, bypassing planetary defences and eventually landing in proximity to the Great Hall. Posting order is not set, @Nero @chXinya  @jreeves1701 @Stegro88, but you all have 7 days in which you all need to get your characters on the Sabine! A separate starter will be posted for the Oneida’s showdown with the two Klingon ships, while this thread will focus on the Sabine’s mission, leading all the way to the Great Hall. At some point, there could be ships arriving to Qo’noS (like the Oneida or the Theurgy), at which point more writers will chime in here as well.

The objective in this thread is to deal with House Mo'Kai assassins that are lying in wait to intercept Martok, and once in presence of the Klingon High Council, an attempt will be made to sway the Council towards the mission and the Empire's public opposition of the Infested. This, by using both the real Simulcast message - shown for the first time in the story - as well as trying to expose a present Infested among the Councillors. A small number of new characters on the Oneida will be coming along to Qo'noS as well, if the character profile is plausible for that.

Roughly 2 hours of travel time have passed for the Oneida to almost reach Qo'noS, during which everyone on the Sabine and the new characters introduced on the Oneida can be featured in Supplemental threads, only belonging to Chapter 06! The naming convention for these threads is CH06: S [D03|XXXX] Insert Title, wherein XXXX marks the time. These two hours on the Oneida is set between 1400 hrs. and 1555 hrs, after which some characters will leave on the Sabine here in Chapter 07.

Attn: Everyone! This is just one side of Chapter 07, because here is a short list of Supplemental threads that will be detailed in an upcoming Newsletter, which covers the other facets of this last Chapter of Advent of War:  :) Click here! [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #1 –
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | SS Sabine | Shuttle Bay | Deck 10 | USS Oneida | EnRoute To Qo’noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Hope @Luciain @Nero @chXinya @jreeves1701
[Show/Hide]

After spending some time aboard the Oneida after getting her burns treated, Mickayla had returned to the Sabine and locked herself into the storage room so that she could have the peace to think about what she was going to have to choose to do in the near future. That had been 20 minutes ago and she was still no closer to having made a decision about what Martok wanted of her. And she didn’t have long left to decide.


"Why now?" Mickayla asked, her eyes losing their distant gaze and locking onto Martok once more, almost challenging him. "Why tell me this now?"
 
Martok paused, looking at her for a moment before he continued. "Because when I kill the Targ that has dared challenge me, I will have a choice. I can dissolve the entire House and discommendate all its members for treason. Or I cede House Mo'Kai and all its holdings to your father in his stead, showing mercy. I question, however, why I should do such a thing, when Mo'Kai has so readily committed treason."
 
"You're asking the wrong girl that question," Mickayla replied, surprising even herself with her almost sarcastic tone. "I was raised on Earth, by Humans. I don't know what it means to be Klingon. I have never met my father and the only thing I know about him is that he fucked my mother while one or both was drunk.  But you already know all that," Mickayla challenged, her demeanour becoming more annoyed. "So, I ask you, Chancellor, again. Why tell me about my heritage now?"
 
Martok tilted his head, his browridge sharpening his glare in answer to her tone. "Because your father, on behalf of your voice in the Great Hall, might unite the Empire in these dire times, in how those who have pledged for House Mo'Kai will then fight by my side still, and stand against the Praetor and the Infested." He did not speak to her as if she was a child, but his reminder of the greater stakes at hand was a keen one still. "Speak for your father, and you aid your Captain and me both, on this mission we share."
 
"Finally, some answers," Mickayla thought as she considered how to answer the man before her. "And yet he still seems to miss the point."
 
"Chancellor, with respect," Mickayla began, her tone now calmer. "I have never met my father and until you told me it just now, I didn't even know his name. And yet you ask me to speak for him, to make a decision about him and hundreds, thousands of other people that I have never met. Tell me, could you do that?" Mickayla asked. "Could you speak for a man regarding his loyalty based on nothing more than his name and what another member of his family has done? Because if Gorka killed his on family to get to where he is now, then not all of House Mo'Kai challenges you. But how many remain are yet still loyal is the question."
 
"I cannot speak for someone I do not know, only for myself. I'm sorry," Mickayla apologised sincerely. "But I will stand by your side and do what I can to see that you remain Chancellor. Even if that means removing Gorka as an obstacle. Permanently."
 
Martok shook his head. "Duty compels us to do things we mightn't do, Mickayla MacGregor, so I urge you to give this some thought, and see the grander image and not just the boundaries you put before yourself." He stepped past her, about to leave, before he levelled his remaining eye on her. "If you will not speak and try and unite my Empire, then I cannot trust having House Mo'Kai next to me in battle. Then, I can but hope your father makes a reappearance before I raze your House to the ground." And with that, he left her there in the darkness.


“Can I speak for a great house, for people, that I know next to nothing about?” Mickayla asked herself in the darkened room. She didn’t know. But her conscience was telling her that she couldn’t allow Martok to execute or subject them to discommendation without more cause than the great house they were currently serving. “Innocent until proven guilty,” she whispered, not liking where her train of thought was taking her but unwilling to let it go either.

"Ives to Chancellor Martok and Sabine mission crew. We're being intercepted, so report to the shuttle bay for launch. We will use the device Ravenholm built from V-Nine's components and make it to Qo'noS ahead of schedule. The Oneida will cover us while we get away."

“Time to get this show on the road again,” Mickayla said as she reached for her bag and the Klingon armour within. It was the more formal version, with the cut-out that highlighted her cleavage but beyond that glaring weak point, it was just as strong as her combat version. If anything, the platform boots that went with it were a greater weakness but Mickayla had spent time walking, and training, in them in case she had ever found a need to have to fight in them. She just hadn’t expected that to be so soon.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith"| Shuttle bay | Deck 10 | USS Oneida] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Hope @Luciain @Stegro88 @chXinya @jreeves1701
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"We will put ourselves between the Sabine and the Klingons and hold off their fire until the Sabine can safely go to warp," Hunter suggested. Logan studied the tactical data for a moment and then decided to follow his RIO's suggestion. Alith was right. It was the best decision they could make.
The fight was going to be difficult. Logan and Alith were on their own. Except for the Oneida, of course, but that was something entirely different. A ship-to-ship fight in no way resembled or was even comparable to fighters fighting other fighters. David versus Goliath, that was more of a comparison that came to mind. Without a proper wingman, it would be damn difficult to win. But the pilot felt compelled to wrest a victory from the battle ahead. Not for his own sake, but for that of his fallen comrades, Liliana and Dev, who were killed in a cowardly attack and no longer had the opportunity to face death in a fair fight. But especially for Alessia, his little sister in spirit, he was not going to let the Klingons go home with a victory.
Fortunately, the Oneida still had some leftover ordnance on board from its previous mission and was able to rearm the pilot's Valravn. He pointed to the fighter. "Let's go."
Logan grabbed his helmet from the wing of the Valravn, and Alith did the same. As she climbed into the fighter and began pre-flight checks, Logan spotted Captain Ives stepping out of the turbolift. The captain followed a group of security officers who were also headed toward the Sabine, all equipped with melee weapons. Logan nodded to the ranking officer of the Theurgy.
"We'll have your backs until you can go to warp. Safe travels and good luck, Captain."

Meanwhile...

[ Lt. RraHnam | Security Centre | Deck 4 | USS Oneida ]
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[Changing plans] it blared through the ship's internal radio. RraHnam was making final preparations for the crew's incursion into the Great Hall when she received information that they would be delayed. Rivera ordered her to join Captain Ives' crew of the Sabine with a couple of officers. The Caitian growled irritably when she learned of this. She had no problem accompanying Captain Ives. In fact, it was planned already, but she hoped to have the Oneida in Orbit to aid them.
"Got it," she finally confirmed a moment later. "Brightman, take over the preparations as discussed and have the landing party on standby. The Oneida will follow the Sabine as soon as possible and then we can use help on the planet surface."
The human male nodded in affirmation and issued further orders to prepare the crew for the battle ahead. RraHnam indicated a handful of volunteers to follow her and get their weapons ready. And even though RraHnam knew the anti-nadion field would protect the Great Hall, she kept her phaser with her. Who knew how far they would have to push through enemy attackers before the dampening field took effect? RraHnam just wanted to play it safe.
On the way to the shuttle bay on deck 10, she stopped again briefly at the armory to pick up her special order, because after learning from Chancellor Martok that this dampening field surrounded the Great Hall, she had to find and arm people with close combat experience. Some of them wielded batons, others, like Captain Ives, swords of various designs, but the burly feline woman had another weapon in mind.
"Here you go, deputy. Fresh from the replicator."
The quartermaster placed a rod of duratanium alloy, a good meter and a half long and three centimeters thick, on the table in front of him. Its interior was hollow to save weight. It did not, however, make it any less dangerous in any way. One end of the rod was unadorned, completed with a small sphere no larger than two inches in diameter. The other end, however, was adorned with a blade about twenty inches long with four crossed edges. Her eyes widened as RraHnam took the spear, wrapped with a synthetic thin rope, and cradled it in her paw. It was well balanced and for the short time, the quartermaster had done a particularly good job. She ran a finger along one of the edges and found that it was tremendously sharp.
"Good work, quartermaster. Really good work. Thank you."
"You're welcome, deputy. Good luck."
Even though the traditional decorations were missing, RraHnam thanked the man and wrapped the Caitian weapon in the cloth provided. She made her way to the shuttle bay. On the way, she met her volunteers who would accompany her on this mission. The Deputy Chief of Security nodded to them all and joined them. She took the lead.

[ Lt. RraHnam | Shuttle bay | Deck 10 | USS Oneida ]
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When the door to the shuttle bay opened, she saw bustling activity. The deck crews were getting the two small ships ready. The SS Sabine was manned and the fighter with the human/vulcan crew was also getting ready to launch. RraHnam nodded to the two and thanked them in her mind for watching over her friends aboard the Oneida.
Together with her volunteers, she boarded the shuttle. The flight was not going to be pleasant. It was much too cramped in the shuttle for that, but they would endure. Now it was up to them to make sure that Chancellor Martok got to the First City and the Great Hall as unharmed as possible.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #3 –
[Selena Ravenholm | SS Sabine | USS Oneida Shuttlebay] attn: @Auctor Lucan @Nero @Stegro88 @Hope @Luciain @jreeves1701

Hunched over the small worktable that she’d cleaned off and claimed for her own use (without asking, and if Sera ever asks, that small crate that’s now under the table had always been there), Selena did her best to keep her hands steady.  The last three components for their little booster sat in a line between her chest and the finished product, the casing sitting off to one side, each ready to be plugged into their slots.  “Ok V-Nine, another minute and we’re all done at last.”  The human kept her grumblings to herself from here, this had already taken far longer than she ever expected it to.  Over the past two hours it felt like she had to remake the same subassemblies three times each, this Savi tech was shockingly exact in how it had be pieced together.  Having a power source that could rip the entire ship apart if mishandled made it hard to argue though.

Having learned her lesson from the earlier hangups, Selena blinked and brought her little HUD up again.  The blue overlay in her vision helped guide her hands, the sensors built in showing her the exact angles to insert the chips, how much force to push them in with, and even how much power needed to route through the circuitry.  Once all three parts were in place a diagnostic started automatically, and to her relief everything came up green.  She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and collapsed backwards into the seat.  “All green across the board V-Nine!  We’re in business at last!” she called out towards the head, where the android was busy being a door.  “Not that we have anywhere to go in a hurry now…” she muttered under her breath before snapping the casing around the assembled booster.

The laws of the universe were absolute, so of course that’s when the call came from Captain Ives.  Groaning in exasperation, Selena snapped up the cylinder with one hand while rolling out of the chair, hitting the ground running.  Her mind was already racing with possibilities, and there was one that had her full focus almost immediately.  “V, what’s the chance that if we use the booster to jump straight into Q’onos’s atmosphere we’ll either burn up or turn ourselves into paste against the ground?”  The intake port she and V-Nine had installed was still exposed, a quick push and twist had the booster in place, ready to go.  That done, she then raced to the cockpit to bring up any information the Oneida was already piping down to them.  “Even money says if we spend more than a minute in space we’ll have Klingon’s all over our asses, and they are never gentle.”

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #4 –
[ MCWO Larant | SS Sabine | Shuttle Bay | Deck 10 | USS Oneida | EnRoute To Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Hope @Luciain  @Nero  @chXinya  @Stegro88

Larrant had misstepped in his interactions with Sera vers Aldnoah. The problem with having been connected with so many minds through the Diad relationship was that he was now undecisive with his interactions with other humanoids. When Larrant argued with himself it was much more complicated. The consensus among the mental remnants was that a gift was in order, a peace offering to comfort, to apologize, to lull Aldnoah into a false sense of security. The last coming from the Vorta. The only mind Larrant could speak with a physical representative of he dare not risk. Hedril was serving aboard a Starfleet vessel somewhere. He could reach out to her mentally. But what if she had been taken over by the parasites they are fighting. Larrant would be putting the mission in jeopardy. What if Hedril's superior officers had been compromised. He would be putting her life in danger. No, he would have to deal with this emotional conundrum on his own. Besides the effort would be too taxing, not to mention too dangerous. His consciousness could get lost in the complex ether of interspace. Most corporals only sensed the physical, the here and now. Psionics were aware of another plane. For advanced telepaths like the Medusans, there was so much more beyond the material plane. To expand your awareness too far was to stretch it beyond the ability to contract back.

So a gift he thought. The Medusan had been dealing with the difficult understanding of physical beings' obsession with acquiring material objects since severing the diad relationships that had sustained his presence among the Federation and Starfleet. Now in a solitary existence in an effort to avoid the pain of losing another intimate partnership, Larrant had quarters of his own and space to accumulate his own stuff.

He had become good at picking things up, but not so much at justifying doing so. On the Ganymede, his quarters were filled with random baubles from self-sealing stem bolts, eating utensils, game pieces, rocks, and deutronic circuits. If he had trouble ascertaining what was important enough to keep, how would he know exactly what was important to gift to Aldnoah in an attempt to apologize for offending her. If he got this wrong the journey to Qo'noS was going to be even more awkward.

The time on the Oneida was short, and he had managed to gather a few nicknacks from many of the public spaces onboard. Larrant had collected a white queen from a 3-D Chessboard from the crew lounge, a hairbrush from the Salon, a set of dice from a children's game in the youth education center, and a sonic shower head from the temporary quarters he had been given so that he could take a break from the confines of his containment pod. With such an eclectic array of objects to choose from, Larrant had spent the better part of the hour prepping the Sabine for the final leg of its journey debating with the echoes in his mind as to what object to select and how to give it to Aldnoah.

Rotating his containment pod so that the viewer faced the pilot who was running her own preflight checks, "MISS ALDNOAH, DO YOU HAVE A MOMENT? I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU REGARDING OUR RECENT EXCHANGE. IT IS APPARENT THAT I OFFENDED YOU. FOR THIS, I APOLOGIZE. CORPORAL EMOTIONS ARE DIFFICULT FOR ME. NORMALLY I WOULD LEAVE SUCH UNFAMILIAR THINGS TO MY DIADIC PARTNER. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN A SOLITARY MIND FOR SOME TIME. BUT EXPERIENCE SUGGEST THAT THE CALCULUS OF THIS SITUATION DEMANDS AN OFFERING OF RESTITUTION." With a hiss and click, a compartment in his pod opened and a tentacle appendage emerged, its pinched manipulator claw extended toward Aldnoah holding two cubic objects with six marked sides. "I HOPE YOU ACCEPT THIS TOKEN. IT SEMED APPROPRIATE WITH YOUR PASSION TO MANIPULATE THE ODDS."
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
 [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #5 –
[ Captain Ives | Shuttle Bay | Deck 10 | USS Oneida ]
Attn: @Nero @chXinya  @jreeves1701 @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]
When Jien had been spotted by the Lone Wolf by the Valravn, he had stepped away from the others who were heading for the Sabine. Once in ear-shot, Logan Hale had spoken up. "We'll have your backs until you can go to warp. Safe travels and good luck, Captain."

"Likewise, Lieutenant, and thank you," Jien said to him and inclined his head in turn before heading towards the Sabine. He gave the man another glance before leaving, hoping dearly the two Tactical CONN officers would make it through. "The Oneida is our ally and we have few of them, so do whatever you can to protect her once we've left for Qo'noS. I will see you at Qo'noS."

By the time Jien stepped aboard the repaired shuttle, he overheard Selena Ravenholm speaking with V-Nine, whom remained immobile in the doorframe she'd wedged herself in. "V, what's the chance that if we use the booster to jump straight into Q'onos's atmosphere we'll either burn up or turn ourselves into paste against the ground?" 

Pausing, Jien listened to the android's response while Selena headed towards the cargo hold, which had the access port to the small warp core. The cybernetically augmented human brushed shoulders wit the larger frame of CPO MacGregor when she stepped out of the compartment, wearing full Klingon armour. Curious, Jien knew Chancellor Martok had requested the officer to come along, yet for reasons not entirely obvious to Ives. V-Nine could barely turn her head where she was, but her lens pulsed with the sound of her digital voice when she gave her detailed answer to Selena.

"Oh, dear. Well, I think the chance is relative to the exactitude of our timing. If the count-down is calibrated well enough relative to the distance of the target, this shuttle can switch to impulse engines beyond the planetary defences but before the atmosphere entry. Based on the exact moment of initiating the warp drive, and our given coordinates at the time, I can generate an exact nanosecond in which the warp field has to be dissolved."

Jien had a question of his own. "How quickly will that thing get us to Qo'noS?"

"Oh, hi Captain!" said V-Nine, turning her cranial unit towards him. "Well, considering my estimated output of the booster given its specifications, our ETA is one minute, but I need to know the actual energy output before I can make the estimation. Needless to say, I would hate to miscalculate when the margin of error is virtually zero..."

Martok and his bodyguard, Kudesh, arrived and after she had installed the booster, Selena stepped past them all, heading for the cockpit, while Jien went to lean against the doorway to it. Ravenholm seemed concerned about the launch.  "Even money says if we spend more than a minute in space we'll have Klingons all over our asses, and they are never gentle," she said, but Sera vers Aldnoah - already being in the cockpit and running post-repair diagnostics - gave her answer with a rueful smile.

"That's likely true, but burn me, some do like having their ashes hauled like that."

Jien merely shook his head, and when he looked towards the aft compartments, he saw Larrant's containment pod approaching the cockpit as well, so he stepped away to allow for easier passage, meaning to speak with Lieutenant RraHnam and the Oneida officers that had volunteered to accompany them. Behind him, he could hear the Medusan's awkward apology and offering of a gift. In the end, the Navigation Specialist managed to phrase himself rather well, and Sera's reply wasn't a dismissal.

"Burn you, I don't know of half the things you just spoke about, but I know dice well enough, and I do enjoy beating the odds. Apology accepted, box-boy," she said, and reached up to hang the dice at the upper edge of the viewscreen. "Now, give me a solid course so that the android can give me the data I need to time the warp jump's ending. Sabine to Oneida, permission to launch, over?"

[Permission granted. Good luck out there.]

"You too. Sabine out. Course laid in. Captain?" asked Sera, turning her attention to Ives, whom had yet to reach the Oneida officers in the back of the small ship. Jien knew that it was time. With everyone aboard, and enemy ships bearing down on the Oneida, they had to get going before it was too late.

"Take us out," he said, his sheathed dai-katana held at his side, and grabbed on to a railing in the ceiling with his free hand. The airlock closed, and as he watched the viewscreen, he saw how the Sabine exited the shuttle bay after the Valravn launched ahead of them. Trace spatial particles in the outer sector of Qo'noS made for a green and gold backdrop, and in the far distance there weren't two bird-of-preys... but four. Jien cursed under his breath, knowing that the odds for the Oneida and Lieutenant Hale weren't promising any more. He did see, however, that Captain Jackson had ordered to launch the Oneida's aerowing shuttle as well.

[Wolf zero two to Sabine... Good luck, Sera.] Hale's voice. Sera made no immediate reply, and Jien had to give the order. It was time to leave, for they couldn't linger any longer.

"Now," he said quietly, hoping the Savi technology wouldn't smear the Sabine across the sector.

"Engaging warp drive," said Sera, and whatever was to be expected... turned out wrong. There was no extraordinary jolt or effect to the shuttle caused by the ZPE device attached to the warp core - the subspace field generated as they always were. There was no relative stress to the shuttle due to the heightened velocity. The effect was merely seen on the displays in the cockpit, as well as the navigational output. "Blasted storms... Deuterium and antimatter annihilation rate is crazy, but whatever that thing is, it is keeping it all together for now with its own power... Bloody ashes, when do I stop it? We're heading straight towards the planet!"

"Oh, right. Ahem, accessing navigational array," said V-Nine, otherwise immobile, but she seemed to have tapped into the shuttle's computer wirelessly. "Calculating warp speed and distance. T minus 42 seconds and counting. Sending time estimation now. The margin of error is in the range of nano-seconds, so you cannot disengage manually."

"Shit, so I need to tie the warp controls to that timer? Give me a moment," said Sera, and Jien realised that their lives depended on the Sabine stopping shy of impacting with Qo'noS. Martok surged to his feet, and while silent, he clearly did not care to have the Klingon homeworld and the capital city levelled by the manner of crater a warp-carried shuttle would make.

"Twenty seconds left," said Jien in warning, and the tension was rising in the shuttle. Sera kept cursing under her breath, and Jien was just about to order her to disengage prematurely... when the scavenger finally pulled through.

"There! The flaming warp field will terminate just prior to atmospheric entry, right?" she asked, turning to look in V-Nine's direction and past all the passengers in-between. Jien stepped aside to look at the Android.

"Correct," V-Nine said. "Warp field dropping in five, four, three, two, one."



The viewscreen was filled with the surface of Qo'noS, and off to the side, the damaged moon named Praxis could be seen looming in the far distance. Sera immediately switched to full impulse and the Sabine shook by the rapid atmospheric entry. Tactical alerts came in, with many Klingon ships recognised on sensors, some of them likely hostile. Martok stepped up to the cockpit, and Jien made room for the Chancellor.

"Use this clearance code, and put us down at these coordinates. It will be the best way to enter the Great Hall without making it too easy for House Mo'Kai's assassins," he growled, tapping at a console, before returning to Kudesh and MacGregor. Sera set the course, and the First City began to spread over the viewscreen, sprawling across the terrain. The clearance code seemed to have some effect, since they weren't challenged...

...until they were but a few kilometers out from the centre of the capital.

"I'm detecting weapon signatures. They have a lock, Cap-" Sera got no further. An unknown number of surface-to-air disruptor turrets caught them, and the Sabine shook violently, making Jien hang on to the railing in the ceiling. Clearly, they had been expected. "Shields down to 15 %! Navigation systems and transporters offline. Subspace communications are down too. Impulse output dropping. Burn me, we can't be hit like that again."

"Take her down below the rooftops!" roared Martok, and Sera didn't have to be told twice. The Sabine dove, and then levelled out above a wide street leading straight to the domes of the Klingon seat of power. There was a plasma fire close to the transporter alcove, and V-Nine lay on the deck plating, unable to get up. The Chancellor cursed and pointed towards an area in the distance. "Put us down there. We'll have to get to the Great Hall from the back instead. It will take longer, but we'll use the old streets to our advantage..."

"Everyone, get ready to move out," said Jien and made his way to the android. With some effort, he managed to put her in a seated position, and he looked into the flickering lens. "V-Nine, are you there?"

The answer was a static noise. A screech that didn't carry any comprehensible words. Clearly the android was damaged, and she wouldn't have been able to accompany them anyway. Hopefully, she could be repaired, but there was nothing they could do right now. Ravenholm had to accompany them to the Great Hall, her skills and the preparations she'd made key to the mission, so even if she was the most qualified to help V-Nine, there was no time for that right then. They had to reach the Great Hall, but Jien couldn't just leave the android alone on the shuttle either. "Miss Aldnoah, we might need the Sabine to get us out quickly, so you stay here. Protect our means of escape, and do whatever you can for your ship to be ready."

"Aye, Captain. Larrant, will you stay as well?" she asked the Medusan, since she likely needed help defending the shuttle if she needed to repair it. Soon enough, regardless the answer, Sera put the Sabine down in a dark alleyway in the shadow of the domes. It would likely take them an hour to get to the Great Hall, and Martok couldn't call for aid on the way there either. Ironic, how the current Chancellor had been rendered helpless so close to his own seat of power.

OOC: Lengthy bit, but we're there! Besides any reactions to the development above, I would love if the next round of posts would cover 1 hour of time where they traverse the city towards the back of the Great Hall, avoiding detection as best as they might. They are cut off from communications and have to rely on themselves to get there. If you feel inspired, feel free to illustrate how they are assailed by House Mo'Kai assassins in the narrow alleys, but there will be more chances for that once they get out of the streets. If you wish, you can also have warriors from House Martok appear and save them, allowing them to slip away. NPC Kudesh and Martok to some degree if you have to, but leave it ambiguous how many Oneida officers are accompanying them, along with whom they are (opening for new Applicants). Most importantly, have fun!

@jreeves1701 , if you want to have Larrant stay with Sera and V-Nine on the Sabine, we can write a Supplementary thread in which Mo'Kai warriors appear and try to kill them there? In that case, would you consider writing the starter for that scene? The Naming convention for that thread would be CH07: S [D03|XXXX] Insert Title.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #6 –
[ MCWO Larant | SS Sabine | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan   @Hope  @Luciain   @Nero   @chXinya   @Stegro88

Before the Captain could exit the Sabine, Larrant spoke up, "CAPTAIN, IF I MAY. I HAVE AN IDEA TO AIDE OUR MISSION. WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE CHANCELLOR, MY POD HAS THE ABILITY TO DUPLICATE HIS APPEARANCE VIA THE HOLOPROJECTORS. IT WOULD NOT PASS A SENSOR SWEEP BUT TO AN IMPASSIONED ASSASSIN, IT WOULD BE A VERY CONVINCING RUSE. I COULD THEREFORE LOGICALLY LURE THEM AWAY CLEARING YOUR WAY TO THE GREAT HALL."

Larrant was uncertain if such a tactic would be approved by Martok but he proposed it nonetheless. If Martok's rivals knew there was a chance that the Chancellor would make it to Qo'noS, they would likely have placed agents on the First City streets. Larrant's proposal was to lure them away with a decoy, thereby improving the odds that Ives and Martok would make it to the Great Hall. Larrant even thought about suggesting Ives morph into another copy but held that tactic to himself. Perhaps Ives would come to the same idea on hir own.

In answer, Ives looked towards Martok, whom merely grunted in affirmation and stepped up to the Medusan, letting him scan him before they would depart.

"Move out," said Jien eventually, and changed... into her female form. Instead of a Starfleet uniform, she wore more inconspicuous clothing in drab brown colours, hiding her weapon inside the folds of a cloak. She led the way, shoulder to shoulder with Martok, into the shadows of the Klingon streets.
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
 [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #7 –
[ Lt. RraHnam | Security Centre | Deck 4 | USS Oneida ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 
[Show/Hide]
RraHnam did not open her eyes again until she felt the Sabine come to a stop. Traveling in a sardine can at speeds well above warp factor nine didn't scare her, but the possibility of ending up in a stain on the floor of Qo'noS if the flight ended even a few tenths of a second too late did. The Caitian was no space jockey, and she would certainly never understand the appeal of such risky maneuvers. Unconsciously, she clawed at the seat to hold on. In vain, she also tried to slam the claws of her feet into the much more metallic floor.

The Deputy Chief of Security rose immediately after she regained her clear vision, which didn't take a second. She grabbed her spear and left the shuttle to secure the perimeter with her squad. One of her guards took care of the plasma fire on the transporter platform, but then soon joined them. The android in the doorway seemed to have been hit harder. RraHnam certainly could have helped, but they had neither the time nor the tools for that now. So, the robot, apparently named V-Nine, had to wait.

RraHnam sucked in the air as the airlock doors opened and gave them a view of the dark alleys of the First City. Inwardly, she was glad to finally feel earth between her toes again, but there was no time. She ordered a defensive perimeter and took a few steps out herself to look at the immediate surroundings. The mantle of darkness had already settled over the First City. The bright remains of Praxis were visible in the sky. Far and wide, no one was to be seen. They were safe for now. But that would change quickly. Opportunists as well as loyalists would soon make their way to the landing site and by then they all had to be gone.

The surrounding area seemed safe. A secluded park. Trees half-hid their landing site, no one to be seen. Tall buildings framed the greenery. RraHnam ordered two of her people to stay behind with the pilot Sera vers Aldnoah and protect the shuttle. She watched as the captain's form changed and he slipped from his male to his female form. As she did so, she also noticed the change in her clothing and looked down at herself. Her Starfleet uniform was striking. Any Klingon in their right mind would notice her. RraHnam opened her uniform and removed the gold shirt underneath. Garish colors were a hindrance here.

"We look like Harabas." the security officer explained to her people. "See if you can find anything to mingle with quickly."
RraHnam used her claws to undo and remove the seams on the sleeves and pant legs of her uniform, exposing her muscular limbs. The Starfleet clothing kept restricting her movement. Knotting the sleeves and pant legs together, she fashioned an improvised carrying strap for her spear, which she then slung around her shoulder. She wore the gray-brown cloth in which the spear was wrapped like a cloak. It was wide enough to wrap her up to a large extent, but not large enough to cover her completely. She left her shirt behind in the shuttle.

Shortly thereafter, the man named Larant also transformed, and RraHnam only now realized that it was a containment unit wearing a holographic projection of a human. Interesting. Larant, after brief modifications, took the form of the Klingon chancellor.
"Larant, I suggest you take Kudesh and most of my troops with you. Let's focus as much attention on you as possible."
From the background, she heard Martok's giant bodyguard grumble. In a heavily Klingon-tinged Federation standard, he told the Caitian that he would not leave his chancellor's side and did not think much of her proposal. But RraHnam saw it differently, so she explained to the warrior.
"The deception only works if everyone believes he is the real Martok," she pointed to the holographic copy of the chancellor. "How convincing do you think a single Martok is, accompanied by a horde of Starfleeters, but traveling without bodyguards? And besides, you know the way to the Great Hall."
The real Martok grabbed the shoulder of the increasingly angry Kudesh and whispered a few words to him. Kudesh looked at him in surprise. Reluctantly, the rooster nodded briefly and then finally followed the Caitian's recommendation.
"This isn't over yet, petaQ[1]!" he rumbled.

RraHnam remained firm. She returned his angry stare. Her ears perked up in attack, her flews pulled up, exposing her pointed fangs. She tensed her paws and thrust out her claws. Then she hissed briefly. She turned away from him. She could not let herself get carried away. Kudesh was not her enemy. They had to work together. But it was hard. She hoped Larant's idea was successful and that they made it as unscathed as possible.
"Good luck."

RraHnam closed in on the captain and the chancellor. Their footsteps were not audible. So, she took the vanguard and scouted the area. After Martok had told her the approximate direction, she quickly found her way until she met two Klingon warriors in one of the narrow alleys, between all the garbage of the restaurants, which had already closed at that time. The two men seemed to have had quite a bit to drink already, but they got in the way of the small delegation.
<Hey, look at that, M'varr. Isn't that the traitor, Martok?> one of them bellowed in Klingon.
<You know what, Krem. I think you're right. And this must be his ...>
RraHnam didn't let him finish. In one leap she jumped toward the two drunken men and grabbed one by his hair. She hurled him full force against the wall. The man staggered back, dazed. Any other humanoid would have been knocked unconscious by this collision, but the man's forehead plates were too thick for that. They protected him from this fate. However, they could not protect him from being hit on the back of the head with a pipe lying around. The man finally went down unconscious after all.
<M'varr! Dude, that was...>
The security officer did not let him speak again either. With an elegant twist, she swept him off his feet and hit him in the head with the pipe. Unconsciousness seized him as well. She threw the improvised weapon away again.
Rra could just have them stunned using her phaser pistol, but weapon fire would have drawn much more unwanted attention to them then simple handywork. She grabbed both men and leaned them against the wall. She briefly checked the pulse of both, which was still clearly regular. That gave the others enough time to catch up.
"Just a couple of semi-strong drunks," she explained tersely. "They won't be any danger to us. Tomorrow they'll wake up with a proper headache. Let's move on."
1 petaQ = Asshole↵

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #8 –
[Selena Ravenholm | SS Sabine | First City | Qo’nos] attn: @Auctor Lucan @Nero @jreeves1701 @Stegro88

As soon as Larrant returned to the shuttle Selena gave up the second seat for him, the updates with the Oneida were just about done and he was the better navigator.  Not to mention there was the jerry-rigged piece of unknown technology plugged into the warp core in the back that could use some eyes while it worked.  The moment everyone was on board Captain Ives didn’t waste any time, they were spaceborne in moments and at warp seconds.  The cybernetically enhanced woman could hear Sera’s cries of shock from the cockpit, and she smiled.  Artificial eyes locked onto the warp booster and switched EM bands every few seconds, her implanted recorders soaking up every bit of data she could see.  Between that and the plans, maybe, just maybe, engineering could duplicate this thing and give Thea herself a similar advantage.  I hope she handled Gorka well enough… she worried.  Her friend was a formidable combatant after all, but Gorka had a lot of ships…

As the minute of extreme warp counted down the booster continued to perform admirably, the only sign of stress she could see was a slowly building glow from its core and a whine that she doubted anyone else could hear.  The Caitian that joined them maybe, but that’d be it.  Thankfully they didn’t have to worry about the slapdash technology, right on the mark the warp drive shut down and the Sabine dropped to impulse with nothing more than a shudder.  Starting up a diagnostic just to be safe, Selena figured her job was done here in the back and left the engineering closet to see the results.  Leaning in the cockpit door, both arms braced on the doorframe Selena looked in awe as Qo’nos filled the canopy.  She kept silent while Sera, Larrant, Ives, and Martok worked, keeping out of their way as best as she could in the cramped quarters.

In the end, holding onto the frame like that is probably what saved her from getting crushed by V-Nine when the Sabine was slammed by multiple emplacements.  Selena could hear the servos in her arms strain to keep her upright and she bit back a few curses and grimaced at the banging behind her.  Sera rattled off a number of downed systems and Selena ran back to the closet to see if there was anything she could do from there.  She did what she could (which wasn’t much), but at least the shooting stopped quickly.  Once they were on the ground, she came back forward, kneeling next to V-Nine.

“See if you can do something for V while we’re gone too, can you?” she asked those staying behind, looking at the android with concern.  Someone had already picked her up and set her to the side, but she wasn’t speaking and that flicker in the lens was troubling.  There was nothing she could do now though, the Chancellor needed to get to the Great Hall, and she had the evidence he needed in her bag.

Stepping out into the Klingon night, Selena’s eyes immediately switched over to a low-light mode, the blue glow in her irises disappearing and her vision turning into a high-contrast greyscale mode, multiple non-visible spectrums added into the dilated pupils adding to the detail she could see.  The plant life in the park they’d landed glowed in the infrared as photosynthesis wound down.  While was was distracted the Caitian took charge of the security arrangements and took point, the cyborg completely missed the argument with Kudesh, it was just background noise to her now.  “I’m not seeing anyone around, area’s abandoned for the moment.”

While RraHnam took point, Selena took up the rear.  The paralyzer in her right thigh stayed inside its little compartment for now, while it wouldn’t kill anyone who knows how much attention the little bolts would bring, especially in the dark.  As the little group of galactic VIPs and two extras moved down the alleys she would occasionally look backwards, always at a random time, to see if they’d picked up a tail.  Thankfully they hadn’t, the only one she had to admire was RraHnam’s which of course soon jumped ahead of them, maybe she’d caught a scent of something?

Selena’s suspicions were soon proved somewhat correct, two large grunts appeared out from an alcove, boisterous voices already calling out just who it was that was approaching.  They didn’t get to do much more than shout though, before Selena could plot out a parkour route to introduce the drunks to a new kind of punch-drunk the Caitian was on top of it, KO’ing one with two quick introductions to the Klingon’s head and the other went down in a sweep.  If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes Selena could’ve sworn that they’d just come across the remnants of a drunken brawl, probably due to someone refusing to pay a tab.

The human whistled in amazed approval of the cat’s work.  “When they do wake up I doubt they’d remember what hit them.” she said with a nod.  “The Lieutenant’s right though, we need to move, and fast.  There’s no guarantee no one heard the yelling.”  As the group continued down the bar Selena took a moment to stop by the groaning bodies just long enough to liberate some currency off of them.  There was no telling just how useful some coin might be at getting through a few gates.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #9 –
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Alleyway | First City | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @Nero
[Show/Hide]

So far, her first trip down to Qo’noS was going about as well as she had expected it to have gone, after a fashion anyway. There was the dramatic arrival involving weapons, the confusion about what to do next and then dealing with someone who had had too much bloodwine. Altogether, about as Klingon a welcome as you could imagine. The issue that the empire was on the verge of another civil war that would, in ways that very few knew about much imagine, decide the very fate of the Klingon Empire and the quadrant.

“If we are aiming to move fast, I’ll take point,” Mickayla proposed, her mek’leth held loosely in her right hand. She hadn’t yet had the opportunity or necessity to use the blade but she was under no illusion that that would not change soon enough. As pragmatic as she had been during their descent and their initial foray into the streets, now it was her turn to step forward. “I can blend in far better than anyone else present and can make sure the way is clear. All I need to know is if I make a wrong turn.”

When her proposal was acknowledged, the Klingon set off, her stride full of purpose as she continued on in the direction that they had been travelling, keeping to the alleys and dashing across streets when she came to them. They were able to maintain their pace for almost 30 minutes, only need to stop a few times to allow crowds or vehicles to move out of their path before continuing onwards. Mickayla was almost thinking that they had managed to avoid any pursuers, idly sparing a thought for both Sera and the Sabine and Kurdesh and the others with him when she came around a bend and almost ran straight into a trio of warriors, armed and wearing the crest of the House Mo’Kai.

“Hold there!” one of them barked, his hand coming up with a disruptor held in it. The others with him were holding bat’leths though they also carried holstered sidearms. “Where are you off too, girl? It’s not safe around here.”

“I can take care of myself,” Mickayla retorted, bringing herself up to her full height and tightening her grip. “No traitor will get past me,” she declared.

“A true Klingon daughter,” the man responded, lowering his weapon. It was at that moment that movement behind her drew their attention from her and Mickayla knew that the time had come. Before anyone could utter a sound, the security officer’s blade plunged into the belly of the middle Klingon, the razor-sharp edge barely stopping as it penetrated the armour and bit deep. As his companion’s caught up to what she had done, Mickayla ducked under a hasty and haphazard swing from a bat’leth and wrenched her blade sideways before withdrawing it, disembowelling the talker before continuing her spin and cutting her attacker down at the knee, severing the limb. 

Her last adversary was prevented from immediately retaliating by his dying companion blocking his path but he soon sidestepped him and raised his bat’leth to chop down at the kneeling female. He was confident in his blow and looked askance at the female before him as she rose up and deflected his weapon sideways. He never got the chance to consider a second attempt as Mickayla drove her d’k tagh up into his head, burying it up the prongs caught on his jaw.

As blood flowed down over her hand, Mickayla pulled her knife free and allowed the corpse of the warrior she had killed to collapse to the ground next to her other victims. One was dead while the last was clutching at what was left of his right leg, trying to stem the stream of blood that was passing swiftly through his fingers. Stepping over to him, Mickayla held the tip of her mek’leth at his throat.

“How many more are between us and the great hall?” she demanded.

“I will tell you nothing, traitor!” the Klingon taunted. “I go to Sto'Vo'Kor proudly,” he remarked before releasing the stump that remained of his leg and allowing it to bleed freely. Mickayla accepted his choice and by the time that everyone else had caught up and gathered around, Mickayla was surrounded by three cooling Klingons.

“Let’s keep going,” Mickayla urged as she began to move off. “We can’t be far.”

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #10 –
[ Amissa aka “Emerald” | SS Sabine | First City | Qo’nos ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @Nero 
[Show/Hide]

Amissa shook off the effects of the crash landing, wondering just how her life had taken such a crazy change of course in such a short period of time. Only a few days ago, she had been a fighter pilot with the Sapphire Wolves. Now, she had just survived a crash landing on the Klingon Homeworld, caught up in some kind of conflict that she had never expected to be part of.

When the call had come for security personnel to act as an escort for the mission to Qo’nos, Amissa had volunteered. She had only been temporarily assigned to the Oneida anyway, pending Starfleet’s recommendation of how to handle her situation.

After a harrowing launch from the Oneida, they had been harried by Klingons until their escort had diverted them. What had become of the Klingon ships, she never knew. What she did know was that a short while later, the image of Qo’nos had come into view, the shell of their moon hanging like a foreshadowing of doom.

As the shuttle approached the planet, Amissa ran through her equipment list. She had opted to wear her Exosuit. Granted, she was on assignment with the Security Department for now, but the suit had been issued to her prior to her unfortunate encounter with the Romulans, and she felt it her responsibility to care for it until such time as she could trade it in for a security Exosuit, or got back in the pilot’s seat again. If she ever did.

Diamond is dead because you failed to obey orders fast enough. Maybe if you had, your ship wouldn’t have been damaged and Diamond would be alive today. Do you really deserve to fly again?

That question had been running through her head since she had effected her escape from the Romulans, and even more so once the Oneida had picked her up.

Amongst her weapons had been the standard issue of a Type-II Phaser pistol, a Type-III Phaser Rifle, and a combat knife, along with backup power cells for both phasers. There would have been no mistaking her function with the team, white exosuit or not.

They hadn’t been in space over Qo’nos very long before the planetary defense systems began an assault on their vessel. The pilot had done a steep dive, making for the First City, even as their shields were quickly depleted. "Take her down below the rooftops!" she heard the Klingon Chancellor roar.

Amissa had begun to wish she was back in the cockpit. Not that the current pilot wasn’t capable. In fact, she was probably better. But Amissa didn’t like the helpless feeling she had experienced during that descent.

"Move out," came the order from Captain Ives, and Amissa fell in with Lt. RraHnam to set up a defensive perimeter. "We look like Harabas." the security officer explained to her people. "See if you can find anything to mingle with quickly." Amissa noticed the Caitian begin to alter her uniform and wondered how she was going to blend in.

I’m wearing a Starfleet exosuit, and even if I weren’t, I am bright green. How am I going to hide that?

Amissa shrugged. She was just going to have to improvise. For now, she fell in with the rest of the security team as they followed the Captain and the Chancellor. The Lieutenant took off at the lead, but Amissa remained with the main group. As the passed various garbage deposits, she found a rather smelly and tattered garment that would serve to at least minimally cover her exosuit. She quickly draped it over herself, not much relishing the odor it was emanating, but sure that she would be glad to have it before too long.

She quickly caught back up with the rest of the group and came on them just as they reached Lieutenant RraHnam who was propping a pair of Klingon warriors against a wall.

"Just a couple of semi-strong drunks. They won't be any danger to us. Tomorrow they'll wake up with a proper headache. Let's move on."

Amissa nodded her acknowledgement and stayed near the main group. With any luck, she might pass as a mercenary for a short time.

Aye, Lieutenant. The sooner we reach the Great Hall, the better I will feel about this.

And once more, Amissa found herself marvelling over the series of events that had brought her to a darkened back alley in the capital city of the Klingon Homeworld. It was a long way from her life as a pleasure slave for the Syndicate, but she wondered if she was any safer.
OOC: Well, here's my first post. I hope I did this correctly.  :) 
Lt. JG Amissa | Fighter Pilot, Callsign "Emerald", USS Theurgy
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Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #11 –
[ Captain Ives | First City | Qo'nos ]
Attn: @Nero @chXinya  @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 @SaraKnight
[Show/Hide]
In the shadows of the First City, Captain Jien Ives kept pace with Chancellor Martok, and while neither of them bespoke the obvious, Jien had taken on Kudesh's role as the old Klingon's personal guard. For who better protect the Chancellor than the person who's mission, crew and life depended on the Klingon Empire not crumbling under the machinations of the Infested?

The companions who left the Sabine behind were a formidable gathering of Starfleet officers, from the Theurgy and Oneida both, and they demonstrated their prowess at turns through the dark Klingon alleyways. The future of the war was at stake, the redemption of Jien's crew just a small facet of all that rode on Martok remaining in power, and it seemed the reality of the moment had fully settled into the companions as they made their way towards the Great Hall. Without the potential opposition of the Klingon Empire, the Infested would be unchallenged in their sway with both the Praetor and Starfleet Command - orchestrating the war from both sides of the trenches. Worse yet, the Theurgy crew also knew the Infested would be able to utilise whatever resources were at the Scion High Council's disposal as well, so having the Klingon Empire fly the banner of truth in a battlefield of lies was beyond crucial. Loosing the Empire might decide the outcome of that war before it even truly began.

The Theurgy had fought valiantly for over six months, with next to no allies, to defend the truth and to try to - in vain - make their voice heard. Jien had suffered personal hardships and losses, people dear to her killed and herself bearing unseen scars of torture, all of it leading up to precarious straits of the moment. With the entirety of House Mo'Kai doing all it could to kill Martok before they reached the Klingon seat of power. So, after Mickayla MacGregor, whom had scouted ahead, had dispatched three Klingons with the emblem of House Mo'Kai on their armour, Jien Ives offered no rebuttal or comment about taking those lives. If needed be, with no other recourse, deadly force would simply have to be the answer, as regrettable as it was. Only a few of the Oneida officers carried phaser armament, and inside the Great Hall, that option would be entirely off the table. Knowing this, the weight of Jien's sheathed dai-katana seemed heavier in her hand.

Jien merely inclined her head inside the cowl of her drab attire, and didn't slow down - unblinking eyes watching the shadows.

The next thirty minutes, those remaining between them and reaching the back of the Great Hall, would have been uneventful hadn't it been for the perimeter House Mo'Kai had raised around the building. If it hadn't been for Martok and his knowledge of the city, they would have walked straight into an ambush. Instead, the Chancellor had taken them through a narrow alleyway that emerged on a dark terrace. It overlooked a small square, and beyond it, the a staff's entryway to the building could be seen in the flicker of a torch, but as Martok told them all to be quiet and crouch down by the railing, he pointed towards different ends of the square - where the shadows were alive.

"There, there... There, and there, and two more by the door," the Chancellor whispered, and there might have been more for all Jien knew, because she could barely make out the movements of Mo'Kai assassins in the dark. She simply had to trust that Martok knew where all the hiding places were. Looking at the narrow streets that emanated into the small square, and how the group could split up to take care of the individual assassins, she turned her cowl to the officers behind her.

"Lieutenant RraHnam, there are at least ten assassins ahead. Split your team in two between yourself and Lieutenant Amissa, and deal with those four, hiding along the western side of the square. Ravenholm, the two in that alley are yours. Chief MacGregor, that street is yours, where two others are hiding. I will take the long way around and deal with those posted by the entrance. Martok, you hide here until the coast is clear."

"I am perfec-"

"Chancellor, we cannot risk your life to an assassin's blade. A single cut of poisoned steel and all of this have been for naught. You ought to remain here."

"Fine," growled Martok, curling his upper lip, but Jien had already turned her attention to the others.

"Move out." That was all she said, before she set off down the closest intersection, meaning to descend upon the Klingons from a rooftop close to the rear entrance of the Great Hall. She had her form mimic the soft soles of jika-tabi whilst she ran. She preferred to adopt those features for her feet not just for the flexibility of the soles, which allowed the wearer a greater degree of grip than rigid-soled shoes, but because they were nigh soundless against the pavement. She kept out of the torchlights, sprinting across alleys with miniscule light, until she climbed the small building closest to the door - letting the rooftop carry her the last of the distance. Once there, she leaned out, and espied the two assassins that Martok had pointed out. She realised, seeing how motionless they were, that if she hadn't known they were there, she would never have spotted them. With just a quick glance towards the other sides of the square, she took a deep breath... and leaped down.

She landed with a rolling motion, distributing the impact of the landing harmlessly along the forward movement. She came up standing and with her momentum, she cleared Arashi from its scabbard - the rising cut coming straight from the sheath and slicing the back of the closest Mo'Kai assassin. The force of the cut had driven the air out of the Klingon's three lungs, so he did not raise an immediate cry of pain, but the second assassin was on his toes, coming at her with an overhead strike. Jien could barely make out the length of the black-painted steel in the dim light, but managed to slide out of reach - the swing of the mek'leth missing her by a hand-span. In his rear hand, the assassin had a kut'luch, and he came after her with that next. At that point, however, Jien had her bearings, and was prepared.

Without turning her back to the opponent, she twisted and pushed the knife-hand out to the side with the flat of her blade, and drew blood by slicing in a rising arc. The scrape of the edge against black-painted armour drew sparks, but judging from the grunt, she knew she'd cut through. Another swing of the mek'leth followed, in which the Klingon meant to use his range and strength to split her from shoulder to hip. Hours upon hours of daily practise and repetition had her act by instinct rather than thought, and with the collective experience of honing her skills to that degree, she stepped into the swing, but raised her sword diagonally - letting it slide off harmlessly to the side. She felt the impact of the Klingon weapon in her shoulders, but rather than absorbing it, she let it propel her overhand strike as she came out behind the Klingon's back. That was the end of it. The Klingon took a couple of disjointed steps out into the square, while his head rolled in the other direction.

The first Klingon - with his back cut and teeth bared - turned around in time to lock eyes with Jien, before she delivered another cut across his chest, and sent him to Sto'vo'kor. After both bodies fell to the pavement, she shook the blood from her blade and sheathed it in a fluid motion, before gauging the progress of the others.

Once they were all accounted for, Jien raised her hand in Martok's direction, signalling for the Chancellor to come out of hiding. To her surprise, he appeared not far away from her, with a bloodied blade in his hand. Jien raised an eyebrow at her old friend, who merely snarled his answer. "There was another, one which I didn't see at first. Don't begrudge me the opportunity, Ives."

"I see," she said, shaking her head, before she led the way inside the Great Hall.

OOC: Handle your allotted assassins, and then I will cover the next phase, leading up to the Klingon High Council chamber. You have 7 days. Have fun!

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #12 –
[ Lt. RraHnam | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 @SaraKnight
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The Klingon way of fighting was often very dirty and very personal. Although the honorable warriors rarely admitted it, many of them were just as devious as humans and sought the shadows as their allies. They liked to lure their opponents into ambushes and often won only by sheer superior numbers. They too often fought the weaker and celebrated the slaughter of them as a glorious victory. Many young Klingon warriors were taught these ways at an early age. They were made to believe that it was the only way to achieve honor, the only way to enter the Klingon paradise, Sto'Vo'Kor. But RraHnam also knew stories of truly honorable Klingons. They hired themselves out as doctors, scientists, or even as simple farmers. They dedicated their lives to their work and taught their children to live honorably according to the teachings of Kahless.

And then there were the Mo'Kai, who interpreted all teachings differently and who were willing to use any means to achieve victory. They did not shy away from the use of poisons, the weapon of a coward. Often, however, they lurked deep in the shadows to kill their opponents when they were asleep. They stabbed them in the back or used their eloquence to incite their enemies against each other. Still, they were passable warriors and in a duel with them one always had to be careful.

RraHnam nodded in affirmation as Ives ordered them to join Lieutenant Amissa and her other soldiers in securing the western flank. The Caitian knew that Amissa was actually a fighter pilot. They had rescued the emerald Orion woman after the Romulan raid on the Tactical CONN Training Center Omega near the Paulson Nebula. Her Valkyrie had received a lot of damage at that time and had unfortunately become unfit for flight. So, she temporarily volunteered her services to Oneida's security department and RraHnam selected her for this mission. She raised her paw and told Amissa to attack the front hidden troops of Mo'Kai Assassins with the other Oneida security guards, while the Caitian wanted to take care of the rear unit of Klingons.

"Be as quiet as possible while doing this. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves." the security lieutenant explained the obvious as she removed her spear from its makeshift sling and cradled it in her paws.

Sheer overwhelming force.

RraHnam sucked in the air. She took in the scents of her surroundings. Her whiskers twitched excitedly. She smelled Targs and her stinky droppings. Tension was in the air. It was quiet, almost too quiet. She still smelled the blood of the Klingons MacGregor had killed still clinging to her clothing. RraHnam smelled the fear sweat of some of her comrades. She couldn't blame them. They were deep in the lion's den here.

Her golden eyes had adapted quickly to the twilight, allowing her to see farther and more clearly than most. RraHnam quickly and quietly climbed to a canopy that would lead her almost to the front of her opponents. The Mo'Kai assassins were expecting her, that much was clear, so they had to use their element of surprise. RraHnam began to run. Then she pushed off, jumped, and hurled her spear at the right of the two men. The force of the impact threw him back. The four crossed blades pierced his breastplate and bored deep into his body. The shock and blood loss ensured a quick end. The man was dead before he hit the ground.

Startled, the other warrior turned around. As he did so, he raised his bat'leth into a defensive stance in front of him. He quickly understood what was going on. But the woman, who was as adept at killing as he was, was just as quick. RraHnam landed elegantly in front of him. She raised her head and smiled dangerously at him. Her pupils constricted to narrow slits. She licked her lips. Then he made an unexpected leap forward. The surprised officer tried to dodge the bat'leth, which he thrusted forward. RraHnam leaped past him. She used the momentum to deliver a kick to his knee, forcing him to crouch. The warrior looked startled at the tattered pants and realized that the Caitian was using her claws to kick at him. RraHnam quickly straightened up and grabbed her spear. With a jerk and a short twist, she released it from the body of the opponent she had killed earlier. Now it was her turn again. With a similar sequence of attacks as his before, she worked her way forward. He tried to do the same and roll past the female soldier. But RraHnam speculated on it. She spun around with a jerk and brought the spear around in one swift motion to slit the Klingon's throat from the backhand. Gasping, the man went down. RraHnam knelt beside him and placed her hind leg on his bat'leth. Her paw she placed on his shoulder.

"The Sto'Vo'kor will welcome you with open arms, Warrior."
After he breathed his last, she placed his sword of honor on his chest. Even though he was a Mo'Kai, he was no less a Klingon and RraHnam respected their values and this one had lost out in an honorable duel.

RraHnam joined Captain Ives after making sure Amissa and her people had taken care of the other two Klingons. She nodded to the captain and smiled knowingly as Martok explained himself. Now the gates of the Great Hall lay before them.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #13 –
[Lt JG Amissa aka “Emerald”|First City|Qo’nos] Attn:  @chXinya @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan
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Amissa walked with the rest of the team, trying her best to remain vigilant. She was on Klingon territory, and one thing she knew about Klingons was that they could smell very well. And with the nasty odor coming off her ratty cloak, coupled with the sweet smell of her sweat and the emerald hue of her skin, she was fairly certain it wouldn’t take much for a Klingon to spot her. She wasn’t exactly sure what the Klingon policy was regarding Orion Slave Girls, so she didn’t think trying to pass herself off as one would be a good move, though it certainly would have been handy if she knew for certain.

She also had to be conscientious of her walk. Amissa knew that due to her extensive years of training with the Syndicate, she had an almost innately sensual gait and if she wasn’t careful, it would be noticeable as well. She pulled her long, black tresses over her face and ducked her head, hoping it would help conceal her further.

If I am lucky, the Klingons will get one whiff of this cloak and decide to leave me the fuck alone.

She doubted she would get that lucky, but despite her misgivings, thirty minutes later the group found themselves on a darkened terrace that overlooked a small square which led to an entrance to the building beyond it. The Chancellor signalled them to be quiet and they all crouched down behind the railing while he whispered to Captain Ives, pointing at various locations.

"There, there... There, and there, and two more by the door," the Chancellor whispered. Amissa looked at the locations where the Chancellor had pointed, but it was too dark in those locations for her to see from this distance. Still, she had the general locations and was certain if she got closer, she would know where to look.

"Lieutenant RraHnam, there are at least ten assassins ahead. Split your team in two between yourself and Lieutenant Amissa, and deal with those four, hiding along the western side of the square. Ravenholm, the two in that alley are yours. Chief MacGregor, that street is yours, where two others are hiding. I will take the long way around and deal with those posted by the entrance. Martok, you hide here until the coast is clear."

Amissa started to acknowledge the order, but the Chancellor began to protest and she settled for a nod of acknowledgement to the Captain.

"I am perfec-"

"Chancellor, we cannot risk your life to an assassin's blade. A single cut of poisoned steel and all of this have been for naught. You ought to remain here."

The Chancellor growled out a "Fine," and Captain Ives turned to the rest. "Move out."

Amissa noted the Caitian woman’s nod of acknowledgement, and then she turned to face Amissa herself, pointing to the group of warriors in the front.

"Be as quiet as possible while doing this. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves."

Amissa nodded at the Caitian, then signalled the others to fall in. She exercised as much stealth as she could manage in the exosuit, regretting even more that she had chosen to wear it. Without it, her natural grace and agility would have made things easier.

Another problem with trying to initiate a surprise combat against trained Klingon warriors was their size and strength. Klingons were just big. And strong. And while she didn’t mind large, strong men in certain instances, combat was not one of them. They were going to have to exercise lightning tactics to take these warriors out, otherwise a prolonged battle would go very badly for her given that she was only five-and-one half feet tall and 114 pounds soaking wet. The exosuit would help some, but it wouldn’t take them long to overwhelm her. At least she had help.

When they got close enough, she signalled the other security officers and they took off at a sprint. Amissa was hoping to catch them unaware and prevent them from raising an alarm. The plan mostly worked. While the team dealt with one of the warriors, she launched herself at the other, hoping to bury her combat dagger into the warrior’s chest before he could act. But he was faster than she gave him credit for.

The knife struck home and was buried deep into the Klingon’s right shoulder just below the socket. But Amissa’s inertia had carried her past him and the dagger was ripped from her grasp. Now she was facing an angry Klingon warrior who had just been wounded. He whipped out his mek’leth and spun to face her, crouching as he sized up his opponent and not even bothering to remove her dagger from his shoulder. Apparently, one small, unarmed Orion woman was no real threat and he wielded his blade in his left hand.

Behind her, she could hear the others battling with the other Klingon warrior and was grateful neither had the sense to raise an alarm. Of course, in the case of the Klingon she was facing, he probably assumed she didn’t need to. And judging from the sounds behind her, the other one was too occupied to take the time.

“toDSaH! Did you really think you could defeat a warrior of House Mo’Kai so easily?

Amissa did not respond. She just dropped into her own defensive stance, waiting for the inevitable attack. She didn’t have to wait long as the warrior stabbed at her and she dodged, the blade striking a blow on her exosuit. He didn’t stop, however, and swung his mek’leth at her head. Amissa ducked the swing, allowing herself to drop low enough that she planted her hands on the ground and swept her leg out to take out the Klingon’s footing. As hoped, he fell backward and Amissa finished her move by completing the circle of her sweep to bring her own feet under her. Without pausing her actions, she sprung up and landed on the Klingon’s abdomen, winding him. Reflexive action caused him to drop his blade and Amissa swept it up in her grasp. Still in motion, she swung the blade high and buried it deep in his chest before he could recover from her sudden assault.

She left the blade in the Klingon, but removed her own and stood to see the others finishing off their own Klingon warrior. Nodding in approval, she signalled the team and they returned to the main group.

“Mission accomplished.”
Lt. JG Amissa | Fighter Pilot, Callsign "Emerald", USS Theurgy
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Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #14 –
[Selena Ravenholm | SS Sabine | First City | Qo’nos] attn: @Auctor Lucan @SaraKnight @Nero @jreeves1701 @Stegro88

Catching up with the rest of the group quickly enough, Selena kept a watch on their rear as they slipped their way through the city towards the Great Hall.  Thankfully their attempts at keeping unnoticed but the closer they got the more she got nervous: Mo’kai was not this stupid, they had to have something waiting for them.  To his credit, Martok was the first to spot it as opposed to the cybernetically enhanced human.  Kneeling next to the Chancellor Selena’s eyes switched over to night-vision mode and the assassins waiting in the deep shadows outside the Hall were as plain as day.  Ives took Martok at his word and Selena gave her the thumbs up at her assignment.

As quiet as a mouse, Selena crouch-walked along the terrace railing to get to a nearby rooftop, a simple enhanced jump was more than easy enough for her, even if the landing was a bit rougher than she intended.  Staying low with a grimace she waited and listened for any sign that the Mo’kai goons below noticed or thought it was worth checking, but they didn’t.  A little shake of the head was the only sign of her displeasure at that laziness and continued forward with slow, calculated steps.  The slow pace was two-fold, the woman did not want to make any noise this time so she gingerly checked each point of contact between her limbs and the rooftop for anything that might creak, groan, clatter, vibrate, or do anything to betray her presence.  The other side of the coin was that her communication implants were currently scanning for any devices her two targets might have on hand, a nice little distraction would be the perfect tool right now.  And as luck would have it, one of the Klingons below forgot to secure his commlink.

Crouched on all fours and moving like a cat, Selena’s internal protocols made short work of the commlink’s security functions and she was in, the full array of functions filling the right side of her vision.  She couldn’t help but peruse some of the files he’d stashed on it as well, some quick copy actions had his entire contact list in her own drive, completely decrypted.  Text messages were next, she’ll look through those in more detail later, could be some good nuggets in there.  The photos though, eyebrows rose at some of the saucier ones.  My my….someone’s been looking for some alternate sources of…profit.  At first she didn’t think the Klingon/Ferengi “negotiation” pictures were worth saving, some of the things he was doing to the Ferengi’s ear will haunt her dreams tonight, but it was intel…

By the time Selena was directly over the two Klingons she was done with the commlink and ready for the main event.  A quick look up and down the alley revealed no one else was here, all the other assassins were busy being dispatched elsewhere, none of the staff were coming or going, nor were there any passerby’s.  Satisfied that they were alone, Selena looked down at the shadowed ground beneath her and plotted out her moves, her vision marking the movement paths and waypoints with each mental note.  That done, she sent one last command and set the program running.  Watching from the rooftop edge, her hands gripped the stonework hard and servos primed.

Gotcha! She smiled as the one assassin took his eyes off the road and pulled out his commlink, buzzing away with a lit display and raucous tone drowning everything out with its full-volume blast.  Both Klingons were completely distracted while he struggled with the controls trying to shut the thing off and they had no idea that above them mechanical arms let a lithe human woman flip herself completely around her shoulders and drop vertically behind them with little more than a soft clack of metal on stone.  The only warning the commlink-wielding assassin got was the sudden jerk of his partner’s head sideways, he turned just in time to see Selena’s arms unwrap themselves from his partner’s head to let the body drop like the sack of meat it now was.  Dark eyes went wide in shock and the commlink followed the body as he reached for something on his belt, but not even a Klingon was a match for this cyborg in combat mode.  Leaping forward Selena’s arms grabbed an overhead protrusion from the wall while she wrapped her legs around him entirely, pinning his arms to his sides, and with the leverage from above she swung as hard as possible, slamming his back into the stone wall hard enough to drive the air from his lungs.  Squeezing with her legs she gave the man a smile as she felt his body react to his body’s struggles for air, bones creaking under the load as he tried to get free.  “Oh…so not just the Ferengi, but little ol'’ me?” She coos, the honor-less deviant’s look of shock and horror at hearing his secret whispered out loud telling her all she needed.  “Don’t you worry, I’m sure he’ll join you soon.” She teased right before the light disappeared from his eyes, the blue glow of her own the last thing they see.

Disentangling herself from the new corpse Selena gently set herself back onto the ground and slid both bodies deeper into the darkness, a pair of quick searches netting her a few more coins, and knives.  Silencing the commlink with a remote command she scooped it up as she walked back to the group, pocketing the device after disabling it.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #15 –
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Street | First City | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @SaraKnight @Nero @jreeves1701
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Crouching next to the railing as she had been directed, Mickayla looked out on the square before them, straining her eyes to see what didn’t want to be seen. If it hadn’t been for the look of calm assurance on Martok’s face, Mickayla might have doubted him but soon enough her eyes were able to pick out the shapes of Klingon warriors, no doubt more assassins from House Mo’Kai. They had laid an effective if the group had continued on their path towards the Great Hall. Instead, Martok’s diversion to the elevated terrace had saved them all from a potentially grisly fate.

“This is going to messy,” Mickayla mused after receiving her objective of eliminating the two Klingons in the street. There was no way that she could approach their hiding place without being seen unless she wanted to drop off a three-storey structure right above them. “Looks like I am going to have to risk an open approach again.”

Shuffling back, Mickayla took the alleyway back down to street level and approach the square. Steadying her nerves, Mickayla began to walk down the street, dragging her leg and clutching at her side as if she was injured. The dried blood on her mek’leth added to the look of a warrior who had seen battle and not come away unscathed. She hoped it would be enough that she would be challenged instead of killed on sight.

She was almost to her target’s location, her plan beginning to crack apart as she worried that the assassins might ignore her completely when the sound of a commlink echoed through the square. It was so unexpected that the assassins in hiding shifted, revealing their positions as Mickayla drew level with them.

“Now or never,” Mickayla noted, pivoting on her heel, all traces of her feigned injury gone as she reached for her d’k tagh. Her sudden shift drew their attention back to her, but they were too slow to realise the threat she had been. Now, they were off balance and out of position and Mickayla capitalised on it. She plunged her mek’leth into the belly of the closest Klingon, a tall male that was still trying to bring his disruptor up to shoot at her. Mickayla twisted the blade, carving a hole big enough for her arm through his insides before releasing the blade and allowing it to fall along with the body of the male.

Her remaining opponent was female and instead of trying to shoot her, had opted to drop her weapon and draw a knife of her own. Now, the two squared off, each trying to gauge the abilities of the other from the way they moved. The female hissed at Mickayla, baring her teeth and slashing out with her knife. The blade passed within arm's reach of Mickayla but not close enough to be a threat. The female kept snarling and slashing, never once stepping closer to actually try and harm the Starfleet officer. It was more like she was trying to keep Mickayla away from her.

“What is wrong with this woman?” Mickayla wondered, taking a step to the side to see how her opponent would react. “Nothing. All she did was pivot. Is this a bluff? A trap?” 

Deciding to test her theory, after the female’s next slash, Mickayla stepped in and grabbed at the wrist holding the knife. Surprisingly, she was unhindered as she clenched her grasp, the wrist beneath now held firm and with a strong pull across her body, Mickayla spun her opponent around to expose her back. Performing the drill by rote, the Chief plunged her knife several times into her target until the female lolled back in her arms as her life drained away. 

It was only then, as her face was lit up, that Mickayla realised she had just been fighting, just killed, a female Klingon that could not have been older than 20 standard years old. Pulling her knife free and feeling the warm blood beginning to coat her hand, Mickayla lowered the body in her arms to the street as she took a moment to think about what she had done. 

“Just a kid!” one part of her mind muttered, looking down and staring into the lifeless eyes there. “No time. Must keep going!” another part urged. It was right, she had a mission, but it seemed so callous to just brush off having taken a life so young, so full of potential. Mickayla had killed before, many times, but never like this.

Shaking her head and reminding herself why she was here in the first place, Mickayla retrieved her sword and began to walk away before pausing. Looking down, she saw the female’s d’k tagh laying on the street and she bent down and retrieved it and its scabbard from her body. Sheathing it, Mickayla moved off towards the rally point as she attached the new weapon to her armour.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #16 –
1720 HRS. | STAFF ENTRANCE | THE GREAT HALL

[ Captain Ives | The Great Domes of Qo'noS | The First City | Qo'noS  ]
Attn: @Nero @chXinya @Stegro88 @SaraKnight
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Once inside, the motley crew from the Sabine found themselves in a hallway with doors along both sides, leading to a set of double doors on the other end of it. There was not a soul in sight, the only movement coming from the fires lit along their path. Chancellor Martok led the way, knowing where they might head, and Jien kept pace with the grizzled Klingon - sword sheathed at her side.

"How far to the Council Chamber?" she asked, and Martok paused his step... only not to give her an answer - eyes staring ahead.

"There are always loyal guards posted here," he grated, a snarl reverberating deep in his throat. He raised a finger, and pointed towards a dark patch on the stone floor. The firelight danced on the reflection, and it wasn't a leap of imagination to deduce how it was either wine or blood spilled there. "Another ambush, likely set to spring beyond those doors. There are no terminals here either, the staff relying on traditional duties, so I have no means to contact those loyal to me. The room beyond have terraces lining the path, and we'd be easy targets. We should take the long way around... through the barracks."

Ives clenched her jaw, not keen on the delays they might suffer, especially when this close to their destination.

"Lead the way," she said nonetheless, and gave the others a glance to gauge their readiness. With the ambush set on the courtyard they had just left behind, as well as this longer route they had to take, it seemed they would have to blend into the shadows of the great building for a while longer. Still, they were off the streets, and it was now just a matter of time before they ran into Klingons loyal to their Chancellor. Surely House Mo'Kai hadn't set more traps? If they had, Jien had to wonder if there weren't more Councilors that had decided to aid Gorka on site.

They knew of one, whom Rov, son of Pekdal, had divulged to Martok back on the Theurgy, after he'd been incarcerated. The name hadn't been a surprise either, since that Councilor had opposed Martok at many turns before the present day.

1743 HRS. | KLINGON HIGH COUNCIL CHAMBER | THE GREAT HALL

[ K'Tal, son of Machi, of House K'Tal | Klingon High Council Chamber | The Great Hall | Qo'noS ]
Attn: @Nesota Kynnovan @Brutus @Ellen Fitz
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"Who goes there?" growled Councilor Kopek, raising his thick eyebrows in K'Tal's direction. The old Councillor had spotted him as he was about to leave. K'Tal cursed under his breath with his back turned towards Kopek and the other Councilors. The communicator device in his pocket was whirring with new messages, keyed to alert him. He could not openly respond, however, so he had to go to his office, just like he had done when he spoke with those on the Theurgy's bridge, less than half an hour ago.

I can hardly hardly blame my bladder a second time, he thought as he turned around to face Kopek and the rest.

"Bah, Gorka is on the way here, and if he is to make his claim, I mean to find our current Chancellor. Else, House Mo'Kai has no one to level their challenge against. No one present to answer the accusations. I will not be long."

By wielding the truth, the dark stare Kopek gave him as he turned away was rather telling, but K'Tal didn't linger, heading straight for his office and pulling up his messages. One such stood out, and made him bare his sharp teeth.

  Councilor K’Tal, this is Lieutenant Commander Rutherford, Chief Diplomat aboard the Starfleet vessel Theurgy. I am contacting you with a contingency plan Chancelor Martok and I discussed before he left for Qo’nos. It is essential you get us clearance to deploy a diplomatic team to the surface via shuttlecraft, so we can present to the council the possibility for a continuation of chancellorship of the House of Martok, as well as provide you with evidence towards the traitor in your midst. A science officer will assist you in using that proof to deploy countermeasures against him. We’re putting everything on the line here and I am putting my faith, and that of Chancellor Martok in absentia, in you to help us see it through.
K'Tal, was still digesting the new intel as he accessed the flight control logs... only to see that a landing clearance had already been given to the inbound Theurgy shuttle. He hadn't issued it... and it was immediately clear whom might have done so. Two quick steps and he was at another console, one meant for his operatives in the shadows. "This is K'Tal, team nine, head for the southern landing platform immediately. Protect the Starfleet officers on the shuttle designated Roslaind Franklin and escort them to my office. House Mo'Kai mean to kill them all."

Cursing, he knew he couldn't stay and wait for them either. Looking around, he picked up a data tablet, synced it with the open computer console, and headed back towards the Great Hall. At least he would be able to correspond with them, if they were still alive.

1745 HRS. | SOUTHERN LANDING PLATFORM | THE GREAT HALL

The shadows were alive, watching the Type 11 shuttle descending towards the platform. With steel painted black and with eyes sharp, the shadows waited for the small Federation craft to settle down unto the pad. Only once the engines were switched off did they stir, slowly making their way towards the airlock - skirting around the firelight from the torches that were mounted around the area.

With murderous intent, the three assassins of House Mo'Kai waited for the airlock to open, and once the hiss was heard, they didn't wait for long to gauge the readiness of the passengers. They did not consider armament or sensors, relying on the element of surprise. They simply moved in, blades drawn, and would cut them all down.

Gorka, son of Margon, would be the next Chancellor, and the Theurgy had no business to interfere.

OOC: Please welcome @Brutus , @Nesota Kynnovan and @Ellen Fitz ! :)

This group thread now covers two different events. On one hand, we have another round of posts from @Nero @chXinya @Stegro88 and @SaraKnight where roughly 30 minutes need to pass, during which these different things could happen. These are all objectives that you can all pick and choose from, and you have the full latitude to depict the listed events or any other development you decide you want to write, these merely being suggestions: [Show/Hide]
Moving the hands of time forward to 1745, when the Type 11 shuttle designated Rosalind Franklin lands on the platform, there are three House Mo'Kai assassins lying in wait for them. Aboard the shuttle you can have 1-2 NPC redshirts that you can have killed off, of you like, but at the end of your three posts, K'Tal's spies will reach the landing platform to kill off any remaining assassins. I will NPC the spies after you three have posted, @Brutus , @Nesota Kynnovan ad @Ellen Fitz !

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #17 –
[ Lt. RraHnam | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 @SaraKnight @Brutus @Nesota Kynnovan @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]
It was like one of those holonovellas, like "Trapped with the Mummy" or "One night over Rannoch III" which both her bonding partner wrote. RraHnam's whiskers twitched when Martok told them that loyal guards were usually posted in this corridor. They had walked into a trap with their eyes open. First the comparatively light fighting in the forecourt, now this. She looked around searchingly. Her golden eyes searched the walls and nearby doors for hidden objects. RraHnam was sure they were being watched.

"They want us to take their planned route," she agreed with Martok, who announced another ambush. So, it was only wise to take a detour. Even if an Anti-Nadion field ensured that particle weapons would not work, it was not impossible that the Klingons possessed crude projectile weapons. Although it was common knowledge that Klingons tended to prefer hand-on-hand combat, there were also many cowards in their ranks. Oddly enough, most of them gathered in the ranks of the Mo'Kai. RraHnam checked the fit of her pulse-fire phaser pistol, which remained firmly holstered. If these cowards dared to drop the protection of the Anti-Nadion field, they would regret it.

The Caitian opened the door to which the Klingon chancellor pointed. Beyond the door was a short corridor leading to the barracks. A gruesome picture revealed itself to the group as they entered the guards' sleeping quarters. At least a dozen corpses were scattered around the room. All the throats had been slit. They had been left to bleed out, stripped of their honor. The room reeked of blood. Huge puddles had formed on the floor. The grip on her spear tightened. RraHnam absorbed the details, but this room reeked only of death. She spared herself any comment. This was neither the time nor the place to joke. RraHnam pulled up her lips. Baring her fangs and growling, anger was building up inside her. Anger at this senseless violence. Feelings that had been forgotten rose to the surface again and RraHnam didn't know if she should fight the Mo'Kai honestly or just tear them apart. It wasn't until someone put a hand on her shoulder that her thoughts shifted back to the here and now.
"One man can slit four thousand throats in one night," Martok quoted a Klingon proverb in disgust, and RraHnam could only agree with him. This was the act of dishonorable bastards.

The security officer knew they had to move on, yet she was disgusted to wade through all that blood. She had no choice, though, so she put one foot in front of the other and kept walking. She left small pink tracks on the ground that clearly showed her bunion prints. Klingon blood soaked into the fur on her feet, and she knew she needed a good shower after this mission. She took a deep breath. RraHnam carefully opened the nearest door a crack wide and peered through. For a moment she listened into the silence and only when she was sure that no one was waiting for her, she opened the door completely. Ready for battle, she stepped out into the hallway and peered in both directions, holding her spear in front of her.

Martok showed her the way and RraHnam went ahead. It was some time before they came to an intersection from which she heard footsteps. She motioned to the rest of the people to be quiet and listened for a moment. She counted four pairs of boots and relayed her acoustic observation to the captain and the others with brief hand signals. The security officer was getting ready for an attack. RraHnam was ready to strike when the four guards turned the corner and were surprised to meet the group of Starfleet and Klingon personnel. The three men and one woman recognized their chancellor and took a stance. <Chancellor Martok. We feared you where...>
<Oh, come on,> Martok grumbled from the second row as he squeezed between the captain and the Caitian. <Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.>

The guards wore loyalist insignia and were delighted to see their chancellor. They were just heading to the barracks for their end of duty, but that quickly changed when the chancellor told them of the monstrous atrocity that had occurred there. The young Klingons could see the burgeoning thirst for blood, and Martok used this anger to rally the warriors to his cause. Without thinking twice, they joined the troop and brought a lot of fighting power with them. Each of them carried a Klingon's sword of honor, the bat'leth, a mek'leth, the d'k tahg, and various qhonDoq. RraHnam could only imagine how efficient these warriors were with a variety of these bladed weapons. After all, they lived for combat. Interestingly, with the four additional guards, they advanced faster than before. The warriors knew their way around the lower levels of the great hall and helped them maintain a pleasantly quick pace despite various detours.

Only when they entered a larger meeting room, used by many Klingons as a conference room, were they slowed down. Out of the shadows stepped several Klingon warriors. Unlike their escort, however, these bore the markings of the House of Mo'Kai. They surrounded the group and cut them off from the council chambers. The whir of brandished bat'leths filled the room, but otherwise there was a palpable silence. The Caitian soldier's ears perked up and her tail began to swing about in excitement. Her pupils constricted to narrow slits. She gripped her spear tighter. RraHnam prepared to leap almost unnoticed.

Then one of the Mo'Kai raised his bat'leth over his head and let out a battle cry. The fight began. RraHnam leapt and executed a wide swing with her spear, forcing the three enemy soldiers in front of her to keep their distance. She hissed aggressively, making it clear that she was no longer in a joking mood. To her right, one of the Mo'Kai tried to stalk her, but her ears heard his cheap attempt. She thrusted the blunt end of her spear in his direction, forcing him to make a defense out of his attack and step back into the huddle. His crony on the other side sensed his chance had come, but on this side the cross bladed tip of her weapon, proved far more dangerous. While he tried to parry her attack, she slashed the back of his hand, not only injuring muscle, and tendons, but at the same time destroying important nerve pathways that now rendered his hand useless. Screaming wildly in pain, the man dropped his bat'leth and grabbed his d'k tahg. Against all logic and reason, the man threw himself forward to his death. With a powerful thrust forward, she drove her spear into his chest just below the neck. In the process, she severed his trachea and esophagus and vital blood vessels. In addition, his neck and back vertebrae took great damage from her attack, causing the man to fall to the ground like a wet sack.

RraHnam now faced only two opponents. They looked each other in the eye for a moment and seemed to wordlessly agree on a tactic of trying to attack at the same time. While one tried to land a hit with his sword of honor, the other tried to grab her spear. With the Klingon on the other end of the spear, the Caitian tried to fend off the other warrior's attacks. Finally, she let him have the weapon and pushed off in an elegant spin to put distance between herself and the two attackers. RraHnam assumed a crouched posture, one paw stretched far from her, claws extended. The other hand was on her back, feeling for the pulse-fire pistol in its holster. She was aware that the Mo'Kai knew that phaser fire wouldn't work here, but she had something else in mind. With a gliding motion and thanks to her past as a Vra'shan Blitzer, she pulled the weapon out of the holster and threw it at the Klingon's head with her spear in his hands. A battle frenzy began to swell within her. A split second after the throw, she leapt forward again and at the man's neck. She sank her teeth into the flesh of the staggering man. RraHnam felt his warm blood flow in her mouth and bit down hard. The man cried out in pain and he tried in vain to free himself from her bite. With her strong arms and thanks to the claws reinforced paws, she held his arms in place. The soldier forced him to act as a shield and made sure that the suffering warrior was always between her and the other attacker. Finally, her victim went limp and sank to the ground. RraHnam let go of him, only to bring a foot under her spear and lifted it up. She caught him and was now about to face her last opponent when he was cut down with a few quick strikes by one of the loyal warriors.
<Chancellor, go forth! You must reach the council chambers. Go! We'll fend them off. For the Empire!>

<For the Empire!>, Martok reluctantly agreed with the young warrior. The Mo'Kai shouted all sorts of insults at him, calling him a coward and a traitor. But Martok had come so far now to not be stopped by words of simple warriors. He bravely endured the taunts and prayed to Kahless that his warriors could fend off the assassins long enough. One by one, the troops ran to the other end of the room and slipped through the heavy doors.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #18 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Type II Shuttle "Rosalind Franklin" | Southern Landing Platform | The Great Hall | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Brutus @Nesota Kynnovan @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 @SaraKnight

They are clean.

Enyd refused to pause in her study of the intel reports to check her hands. They were not covered in blood. Javec had been dead for years. And she was on an away mission that couldn’t afford ill-timed eccentricities in connection to latent grief. The away team had already HALO jumped, and those remaining were on the last leg of their journey to the Great Hall. There was no time for the silliness of old memories haunting her.

To further distract herself from this unwelcome haunting, Enyd glanced up to the rest of the shuttle’s occupants. Ensign L’Nari, she’d met briefly on the ship, a fellow member of the diplomatic corps. Her role was to covertly pass encoded messages back to Theurgy. Enyd had only met Lieutenant Junior Grade Morali upon boarding the shuttlecraft. He was to check on the anionic devices set up by Councilor K’Tal while Enyd employed all her knowledge of Klingon politics and behavior to further the claim of Martok. The other two security personnel onboard had not bothered to introduce themselves, and in the crush of the pre-jump shuttle, Enyd hadn’t felt the need to insist on pleasantries.

Looking back at the PADD in her CLEAN hands, Enyd furrowed her brow. She was no longer studying the PADD’s contents so much as playing over events and fitting these events with objective details. Just hours before, Gorka’s forces had boarded Theurgy, with both sides suffering casualties and likely costing Gorka alliances among some of the Houses. General Chu’vok’s intercepted transmission from Gorka to Eriska regarding Daa’maq, led one to conclude the infested Dr. Nicander had seen through must’ve been of House Kopek. Martok had a grandson, previously unknown, who could be counted on to continue the bloodline now that it was undetermined if Martok had survived the crash. And there were yet three undecided houses—removing the corrupted Kopek from the equation—whose allegiancess could be swayed to Gorka or Martok, depending very much upon their current success.

The shuttle began its descent, pulling Enyd from her studies. Enyd set aside the PADD and double-checked the straps that held the tik’leth to her body. She had no idea which House Pa’Qis had been from, but she supposed the House markings on the blade would move the coming discussions along faster than if she’d come without it. As it was, Enyd hoped she wouldn’t have to rely on it alone for defense. She double-checked the security of her phaser and inwardly sighed in relief. Greater chances of survival at a distance for someone of her stature.

Making eye contact with one of the security personnel, Enyd nodded towards the shuttle doors. “No doubt there is an ambush awaiting us somewhere between the landing pad and the Great Hall.” It did not take Vulcan logic to deduce that strong possibility considering earlier events. “When those doors open, we form a diamond formation and move as a group as quickly as possible to the building.” Enyd glanced at the other occupants of the shuttle, regretting not knowing more about the craft's capabilities. “If possible, vent steam or some sort of smoke once we have landed. If there is an ambush waiting on the landing pad, that would further impede their attack, though admittedly also impair our visuals as well.” Realizing not for the first time that though she was the highest-ranked, she was the shortest of their group, Enyd added, “If there is none, well, then we can just claim a flair for the dramatic in our arrival and still beat a quick pace to the building.”

The shuttle settled on the landing pad and Enyd waited till she heard the craft settle completely before she stood and moved into position by the door, signaling for the others to join her. Now it was just a game of good timing.

"Let's go quick, steady, and don't get separated." Pulling the phaser from its holster, she held it at the ready, waiting for the door to open and the rest of the group to file out as one.
________

OOC:  Link to "Discovered Identity" detailing the mentioned intercepted transmission.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #19 –
[Lt JG Amissa, Callsign “Emerald” | The Great Domes of Qo’nos | The First City | Qo’nos ] Attn: @Brutus @Nesota Kynnovan @Auctor Lucan @chXinya @jreeves1701 @Stegro88 @Ellen Fitz
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Once everyone had regrouped, the Captain had them move on. As they moved along, it became more and more apparent that the Klingons were planning an ambush. She envied her Caitian team leader for her senses. Amissa could tell there were warriors in the shadows, but she could barely make them out.

After a brief conference, Chancellor Martok redirected them to a less obvious route. It had become clear that an anti-nadion field had been set up negating their phasers and disruptors. If a battle did erupt, it would be hand to hand. That might be fine for the Klingons, or even Lt. RraHam. But Amissa knew that the only reason she had survived her last fight with a Klingon was due to the fact that she was wearing her exosuit. And she had no doubt it was in need of repairs. If another fight did come to her, her only real weapon would be her natural agility and reflexes.

Following the Chancellor, the group eventually came to a door which RraHnam opened. It led to a short corridor beyond ending in a barracks room. Inside, a minimum of twelve bodies lay around the room, throats cut and left to die in disgrace. This was not the vaunted Klingon honor she had heard so much about. This wasn’t even the style of the Syndicate. Whoever had done this had been cold and calculating, and cared nothing for honor.

"One man can slit four thousand throats in one night," she heard the Chancellor say. From the way he said it, she had a sense that it was some form of proverb.

One that is all too true.

The team continued on, leaving the grisly seen behind. She paused as Lt. Rrahnam signalled everyone to be still. Amissa heard several heavy footsteps approaching and gripped her combat knife tightly.

Well, here we go.

But instead of meeting a fight, four warriors came around the corner and met them. After establishing that they were loyal to the Chancellor, they once more proceeded on, and Amissa took comfort in the increased numbers.

With the presence of the four newcomers, they were able to make better time since these guards clearly knew their way around. They had just entered a large meeting room when several Klingons stepped from the shadows and surrounded them. There was no conversation, only the sound of bat'leths swinging through the air. Amissa dropped into a defensive crouch and waited for the inevitable attack to begin.

And it did begin. With a loud battlecry, one of the Klingons lifted his blade over his head and attacked. Amissa’s reaction was a bit slower than Rra’Hnam’s but she snapped into action as two warriors charged her.

She dropped low as one bat’leth swung for her midriff. She then quickly leapt into the air as the second one came low, aiming to take her head off. She managed to just clear the blade, but while she was still airborne, the first one hooked his blade around clipping her ankles. Amissa came down hard, but went into an immediate roll, dodging the blades of her opponents the entire time. Just as she was nearing a wall, she kicked her feet out and used the wall to start a backflip, flipping over a pair of bat’leths as their wielders let out cries of victory that quickly turned to grunts of frustration. Amissa had flipped over the blades and had regained her footing once more, now behind them.

She took advantage of their brief disorientation to plunge her knife into an opening in the second warrior’s armor, driving the blade deep. He let out a cry of pain and she could see it had been a devastating blow as he fell to the ground. He wasn’t dead - yet - but he was certainly out of this fight. The only problem was that when he fell, he had stripped her knife from her hands.

Realizing the green-skinned woman was now weaponless, the first warrior got a triumphant look on his face, but Amissa once more took advantage of his overconfidence. She quickly scooped up the other warrior’s bat’leth and was prepared to defend herself once more when the first warrior suddenly sprouted the tip of a mek’leth from his chest. His eyes glazed over as he slid off the blade and Amissa gave an appreciative nod to her rescuer. But he spared no time for the niceties, having once more turned to the battle.

The Klingon warriors with them began to call for the Chancellor to make his escape to the Great Hall, claiming that they would take care of these warriors. Amissa tried to regroup with the rest of the team, but as she neared the team, a Mo’Kai warrior got a cheap shot at her from behind, puncturing her exosuit from behind. It didn’t get too far in, however, as one of the loyalists removed the head of her attacker before pulling the blade out of her suit. She was pretty sure the tip had pierced her about an inch as she could feel a trickle of warm fluid down her back, and she hoped it wasn’t too serious. They were far from any medical aid at the moment.

She still had enough energy to keep going, but she was in a lot of pain. She gripped the bat’leth tightly and braced herself on the walls as they kept moving.

“The coward had to go for a cheap shot,” she said between ragged breaths, “but I think I will be fine as long as I can get stitched up in the next hour or so.”

She also needed sleep. Or some stims. Between the battle and her natural sleep rhythms, Amissa was starting to feel fatigued.
Lt. JG Amissa | Fighter Pilot, Callsign "Emerald", USS Theurgy
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Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #20 –
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Barracks | The Great Hall | First City | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @SaraKnight @Nero @chXinya
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Mickayla was beginning to lose track of both time and the number of Klingons she had killed. She’d remember later, she knew, as she always did, but right at that moment, with both hands now slick with Klingon blood, the Chief couldn’t say. They were on a mission of the utmost importance and the order had been given; those that stood in their path were to be removed from it with extreme prejudice. And she had done just that. First, when moving from the crashed Sabine to the Great Hall, and now within the hall as they attempted to get to the High Council Chamber.

They had just been ambushed by a group of Mo’Kai warriors and Mickayla was wondering just how many more of them could be in their way. She had only the most basic understanding of the Klingon political structure and had no idea just how many warriors made up each of the Great Houses’ forces. But she was left hoping that Gorka’s were starting to run short even though her gut was telling her that more blood was going to be shed before they came upon the venerated hall that was the High Council Chamber.

After passing through another set of heavy doors, Mickayla rotated up to the front of the group. It was the smart move to allow those that were tired to try and gain some of their strength back even as they continued forward. From that position, she was the first to see the approach of a pair of Klingons, both looking somewhat battered. She hissed a warning to those behind her and steadied herself, ready for another ambush. Thankfully though, both warriors pulled up short and knelt, presenting themselves to Martok.

“I am Avird and this is my brother Atring,” the taller of the two introduced. “We are loyal warriors of the House of Martok.”

“You two look like you have seen some action,” Mickayla observed.

“Truly,” Atring agreed. “We had numbered eight when we arrived by those traitorous targs have killed those that came with us.”

“How much more opposition are we looking at?” Mickayla asked, trying to assess their situation.

“There shouldn’t...” his voice trailed off as growls echoed through the hall. The two brothers spun about and reached for the knives at their hips, even as the two of them uttered together. “Jackals!”

Mickayla didn’t have time to ask them more as more growls preceded the sounds of padding feet hurrying along. Her first view of beasts was as hurrying white clouds approaching through the gloom. Soon enough though, the clouds took form, and the Chief could see what was attacking them. Jackal Mastiffs. Mickayla had seen images of them several times over the years, but this was her first encounter with a live specimen. And it looked to be a violent one as the four beasts charged at them, baying as they neared. 

Dropping her Mek’leth, Mickayla steadied herself, knife in hand as she waited to see which of the hounds would target her. Once one had singled her out, Mickayla’s focus zeroed in on it, everything else falling away as she hunched over, presenting her armoured forearm as a target. She needed it distracted so that she could use her knife. She had to get its focus away from her weapon, if it even recognised it as one, so that she could defend herself. Thankfully, the canine took the bait.

Gathering its legs under it midstride, it lunged at her with open jaws, teething flashing in the dim light before latching onto her vambrace. The weight and momentum of the animal carried Mickayla to the stone and she grunted at the impact even as the jackal attempted to wrench her arm sideways. It clawed and snapped at her, and the Chief ground her teeth as she feet its claws gain purchase in her skin several times. Through the pain though, she knew that she was in the best position to strike at the mastiff, and she wasted little time in doing so. 

Fresh blood coated her hand once more as she drove her d’k tagh into the canine’s side. The beast squealed above her but renewed its attack on her, its enormous central tooth running a line across her exposed chest and drawing blood in its wake. Again, and again Mickayla stabbed, until finally she either hit something important or the cumulative toll of the wounds added up. The jackal above her whimpered as strength left its body and it collapsed down onto the woman, driving what little air remained from her body.

Time stopped as she lay there pinned. It could have been seconds, or minutes or hours to the Chief but she couldn’t tell. Finally, the carcass was hauled off her and she was able to take stock of the situation around her.

OOC: You're right, Attack Targs sounds weird. I found an alternative.
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Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #21 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Shuttlecraft Interior| Rosalind Franklin| Southern Landing Planform | The Great Hall | The First City of the Klingon Empire | Qo'noS ] Attn: @stardust @Ellen Fitz @Nesota Kynnovan  @Auctor Lucan 
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Checking his gear for the fourteenth time, Sarresh Morali reflected on just how he had ended up on a shuttle craft full of diplomats on the way to the Great Hall, the seat of government at the heart of the Klingon Empire. It was almost enough to be amusing. The real punch line was he had volunteered, for a multitude of reasons that would likely as not irritate both Captains Ives and Ducane. That notion brought a hollow grin to his lips, and he almost snorted. But that was beneath him.

Had he been given a choice in the matter, Sarresh would have preferred to be suited in one of the Savi stealth rigs. While his time trapped aboard the Versant had not been a pleasant experience, he had come to appreciate the grey skinned bobble headed species' ability to come up with rather impressive gear, and having worn the stealth suite more than once, found it absolutely perfect for such an occasion as this. Alas, they were supposed to be the good little party of diplomats and scientists. The other team had already vacated the ship. Sarresh scowled at that, for all the wrong reasons this time, but shoved them aside. 

He'd volunteered for this mad mission as a favor to Samantha Rutherford. She needed help. He stepped up. It was a simple as that really. Sarresh did not have many people he could claim to care about on this ship. She was one of those very few, and so he'd answered her call. And now he was baby sitting her subordinates. Even if one of them did out rank him, he still saw himself as having to take care of them, not the other way around. 

I never professed to be anything other than arrogant, he thought again, this time allowing himself that small grin. 

Besides which, he was up to date on the anionic equipment that was to have been deployed ahead of their arrival. More so than many on the ship, Sarresh had a vested interest in making sure that Jien Ives was alive. The former Ash'reem had sacrificed everything on the bet that Ives, above all others, would be the one that stood the greatest chance of stopping the infestation. Without their leadership, the already poor odds were of a magnitude worse. He would not allow that to be the case, not if he had some chance to affect things. And while Ives might have preferred Sarresh safely ensconced aboard the Theurgy, where the temporally locked memories in his brain might be protected, Sarresh had decided that Ives was missing, they didn't get a say in the matter. 

After all, at any point those memories could crack open again, and some vital detail could come foaming up out of his mouth at just the right moment, and if he weren't on Qo'noS that would be a shame wouldn't it? The logic had held enough to get him a spot on this mission. Besides it's not like I can't hold my own in a fight. There was a pile of Klingon bodies that had been piled up in front of the entrance to the Temporal Observatory some hours before that proved the point rather succinctly. Sarresh had dipped into that dark, fearsome well of talent he didn't remember learning but clearly knew so well to deal with that threat, just as he'd dealt with the attack in sickbay months before during the rendezvous with the USS Harbinger.

Shaking his head to disburse the dark memories, Sarresh walked over to the far side of the compartment where he hefted his own captured prize. Again, that flicker of amusement surfaced on his face as he looked over and watched Lt. Madsen, the mission lead, strapping a Klingon short sword to her back. He wondered if she had claimed the weapon in the fighting aboard the Theurgy as he had, or if she'd had the blade for far longer. He'd never find out if he didn't ask, but Sarresh didn't care about it quite that much. For himself, in addition to the bag of equipment needed to possibly tend to the anionic apparatus awaiting them in the Great Hall, the strange eyed human had brought along what looked like a very sleek tricorder, one of the phaser pistols often assigned to security officers, such as their gold shouldered non com escorts, and one slightly used Klingon bat'leth. 

Bracing his hands atop one of the wrapped hilt points of the blade, he listened as Marsden addressed the others. Glancing from human to Caitian, and then the guards, Sarresh let out a soft sigh and turned on his heel, closing the distance toward one of the engineering control panels. "Honestly the easiest option is to vent some of the plasma from the nacelles. It'll bellow out and possibly do a number on any lurking assailants. Of course, we couldn't easily walk through that without the proper safety gear. But...atmospheric thrusters could be reconfigured to vent their pressurized gas at an angle that would serve our purpose."

OOC: The bat'leth was acquired during a drafted, but unposted scene to have been set in the battle log: Whomever Remains.

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #22 –
[Selena Ravenholm | The Great Domes of Qo’nos | First City | Qo’nos] attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @jreeves1701 @Nero @SaraKnight

In the rear, Selena nearly walked right into one of the loyalist warriors when he stopped short.  One of her networking implants recognized a ping in the local network (one of very few she’d picked up, but just like all the others she’d had no luck getting into as of yet) and the door behind her slid closed with a heavy clunk.  More bodies stepped out of the shadows between the pools of torchlight, naked blades gleaming with patterns of reflected firelight.  A mechanical hand slowly slipped towards the hidden compartment in her thigh but she thought better of it, the quarters were just too cramped for the pistol stashed inside.  The silence between the two groups as they stared each other down was so thick it was amazing the twirling bat’leths didn’t cut it apart.

Then someone made a move.  Selena couldn’t see who, there was too much muscle between her and the vanguard, but in almost a blink the sounds of clashing metal filled the room.  Dropping to the floor and bracing herself on her hands, Selena’s leg kicked out to trip up the first onrushing hostile, the woman’s kneecap shattering with a wet crunch as the synthetic material smashed into it like a piston.  Her momentum carried her forward and down to the floor, bat’leth disappearing behind her and she screamed.  Rolling onto her back Selena’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of one of the sword’s end points embedded deep into the other’s flesh, just above the pubic area.  Before either could respond someone’s arms ripped it out of her and swung it back down as a mercy kill, ending the screams with little more than a gurgle of blood.

Instinct (and maybe some automatic combat software) kicked in shortly after and Selena dove into the fray.  One of their new friends took a backhanded blow from another bat’leth, staggering him back and opening him up to getting disemboweled.  Seeing the sword arcing around for the kill the human leapt towards the friendly to get in between, arm jutting out for a block.  Simulated pain shot straight into Selena’s brain a moment later as her arm crashed into his at full force, bones crunching under the impact.  Howling with pain the Mo’kai stooge dropped the blade and Selena drove her knee straight into his groin, bowing him in half so that she can finish him off with a double-fist to the back of the neck.  Moving on before the body even hit the floor the cyborg yanked the d’k’tahg off of someone’s belt and embedded it between another’s ribs without breaking stride.

The rest of the brawl ended up a bit of a blur in Selena’s memory, a near endless cavalcade of limbs and blades and blood.  Somewhere in there her foot slipped on something slippery and she fell under a swinging bat’leth, pure luck keeping her head attached to her shoulders.  Later something big and heavy smacked her right in the temple sending her to the floor along with an entire constellation of stars.  She had no idea what happened next, the next thing she knew someone was hauling her down another hallway with the sounds of battle fading behind them.  “‘Id we whin?” She slurred to her crutch.  The blood on her face had already gone tacky so it took a little bit of effort to wipe it out of her eye.

Able to move on her own again after a very brief rest, Selena still stuck to the rear.  Turning around every so often to do a random check for new shadows it looked like the rear guard back at the brawl had managed to keep anyone from that group from pursuing.  That didn’t preclude the idea of another wave in front of them though, the pair that appeared from around another corner were proof of that.  Bloodied bodies and knives gave everyone a clue to what was coming, but the sight of those massive jaws surrounded by fur froze the woman up.  It was a good thing Mickayla was up front, she took on one of the beasts all on her own while the other three barreled past her towards the others.  The brothers held their ground, working together to scrap with one jackal leaving the other two to the Starfleeters.

Unsure of what to do, Selena was too slow at first, the last jackal got through the line and lunged right for her.  Massive teeth clamped onto her leg with impossible force, the sudden weight pulling her to the floor with a scream that was cut short when her chest hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her.  The beast’s head whipped around frantically trying to tear the leg right off of her body.  Cautions and warnings filled the woman’s vision as the mechanisms in her leg strained under the brutality and the outer sheathe was already buckling under the bite force.  With so few options all she could do was kick with the other leg as hard as possible, hoping to smash something sensitive.  Blow after blow glanced off of the animal’s angled head without seeming to faze it.  Something blurred the light above her, visions of the final jackal crushing her neck drained the blood out of her face.

It didn’t happen though.  Something growled above her, but the weight vanished off of her leg with a yelp and splash of something wet.  Quickly pulling her limbs in Selena reflectively rolled to get out of the way and into the wall.  Using it as a support to get back to her feet (the damaged leg was having some trouble manipulating the artificial musculature), she saw Martok roar in victory as he pulled a blade out of the canine that had literally tried to rip her limb from limb.  When he turned towards her all she could do was nod in appreciation.


The rest of the fight didn’t last much longer, the jackals were fierce but once intelligence and numbers always win out in these cases.  Looking around at the aftermath Selena noticed Mickayla pinned under her prize, feeble movements hinting that she was trapped.  Limping over she used her augmented strength to lift the dead animal’s weight off of her and flop it to the side.  Holding out a hand to help the other woman up she saw the blood leaking out of several nasty-looking wounds.  “Can you move?  There’s no way they didn’t hear all that.”

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #23 –
[Ensign L’Nari | Shuttlecraft Rosalind Franklin | Southern Landing Platform | The Great Hall | The First City of the Klingon Empire | Qo’noS]
Attn: @Brutus @Ellen Fitz @Auctor Lucan

When she initially applied for the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps following her graduation from Starfleet Academy in late 2377, L’Nari did so in the understanding that her ‘front line’ would be diplomatic negotiations. The most dangerous aspects of her career would involve either minor job-related injuries, such as stubbing her toe on the edge of her desk, or the commute from- and to work. As a Linguist whom specialized in six completely different languages, the black-furred Caitian hadn’t only accepted that knowledge, but even embraced it as tightly as one would do with newborn kittens.

That’s why, as she listened to the words of Lieutenant Madsen, L’Nari genuinely wondered just where she had gone wrong. It was probably when she intended to review the report on the Daa’maq-mission for anything they might have overlooked, maybe something small that had seemed insignificant at the time. When she arrived in the Diplomatic Council Offices, she had stumbled onto Lieutenant Commander Rutherford and Lieutenant Madsen by sheer chance and, in the absence of Faye Eloi-Danvers, the dubious honour of volunteering for something dangerous passed on to her.

Upon hearing how Lieutenant Madsen told them not to get separated, words which she further accentuated by drawing her phaser and holding it at the ready, L’Nari once again remembered the near-disaster which had been the Daa’maq-mission and genuinely regretted that she hadn’t thanked for this assignment when she still had the chance. Contrary to the Lieutenant however, the black-furred Caitian hadn’t drawn her phaser yet and instead looked at Lieutenant Madsen’s weapon with a hint of discomfort in her green eyes; to say that weapons training hadn’t exactly been her forte was quite the understatement and, as such, L’Nari hoped to keep her weapon holstered if possible. If not for her own safety, then definitely for the safety of the much better-trained people around her whose actual job it was to keep Lieutenant Madsen, Lieutenant Morali and herself safe.

Before she could say anything, her green eyes came to rest upon Lieutenant Morali as he placed his hands atop his bat’leth and spoke up as well. Upon hearing his suggestion about venting plasma from the nacelles, any potential assailants that could be waiting for them on the other side of the doors seemed like a much lesser evil and L’Nari began to glare at the man. ”No.” As she spoke, L’Nari’s slightly-accented Caitian voice matched the indignant expression on her black-furred face. ”There are regulations against precisely that kind of thing for a reason, it is way too dangerous!” L’Nari briefly turned her attention towards Lieutenant Madsen to see if the woman could truly agree to something as outrageous as that, before she turned her attention back to Lieutenant Morali again. ”I mean, we’re diplomats!” While she was opposed to any form of violence whatsoever, especially when it was directed towards her, L’Nari knew that just their diplomatic immunity might not be enough to defend them. As such, she shrugged before quickly adding “We might as well see how far we can stretch our immunity before it wears out. At the very least it can buy us enough time to make it to the relative safety of cover, right?” 

Re: Chapter 07: All or Nothing [ Day 03 | 1555 hrs. ]

Reply #24 –
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Type II Shuttle "Rosalind Franklin" | Southern Landing Platform | The Great Hall | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Brutus  @Nesota Kynnovan  @Auctor Lucan

Though they’d known each other for the span of this ride into likely chaos, Enyd already respected Lieutenant Morali. He carried himself with purpose, and she appreciated his cut-to-the-chase view of problem-solving. As evidenced by his suggestion. Turning to her fellow diplomat, Enyd could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and in truth, Enyd felt it reflected in her own gut. It took a lot of willpower not to wipe her hands on her trousers to clean them of the blood Enyd rationally understood was not there. Eyeing the remaining two of their team, the security personnel looked more eager for the door to open than worried about safety protocols.

As the senior officer, Enyd realized much of their success banked on whether she could hold it together at a crucial moment. Taking a deep breath, she used a direct but calm tone of voice as she first addressed the young Caitian. “I hear what you’re saying, Ensign L’Nari, and I respect it. We are diplomats, but we are also in a situation where cowboy diplomacy with guns drawn may keep us alive long enough to fulfill our mission. A fanatical Klingon couldn't care less about diplomatic immunity.”

Enyd gazed at Lieutenant Morali and nodded. “Use the pressurized gas, Lieutenant. The rest of you,” she signaled the two security personnel and waited till they stepped closer before she continued. Pointing to the taller of the two, “You have point.” Then, stepping back so he could take the lead, Enyd motioned to the other. “You take the right flank.” Enyd assumed her position angled diagonally behind where Morali could step in on the left flank if he wished and nodded to the Caitian, “You may fall in beside me in the back.” It wasn’t a perfect diamond formation, but it would do.

As soon as everything was set, the lead security personnel engaged the airlock. As the door hissed open, the following seconds proved their earlier ethics debate, and Enyd’s attempts to safeguard their team, had both been in vain. No sooner had the lead security personnel emerged from the craft when a large Klingon materialized. He was visible just long enough to slice off the point man’s right arm before rapidly twisting out of sight. Blood drenching interior and exterior alike, the man crumpled to the ground in paralyzed agony. Enyd reached out towards L’Nari while she ducked closer to the ground to make a less available target. Moving through the spray of blood, the remaining security guard quickly pulled his screaming comrade back into the shuttle, with Enyd training her phaser on the obscured area just over his shoulder.

This was where training became the maker or breaker of an officer and a mission. Enyd had never considered herself a fighter or a warrior, but believed she came from a legacy of resilient survivors. Stubborn survivors. Training was not just for the physical demands of leadership, but the mental ones as well. Enyd recognized mind counted just as much in a time like this. And her mind was uninterested in having survived the hell of Cardassian torture just to die on Qo’nos on her first blasted mission.

The air filling with the wounded man’s screams of anguish, Enyd growled, “There’s no time!"

As much as she wanted to use a field medkit and spend more time trying to save him, they couldn't afford to. They couldn’t stay in the shuttle. There was no telling how many more Klingons were on the landing pad. So the choice, as she saw it, was to die by being overrun in the shuttle or die in an effort to make it to the Great Hall. No real debate there.

Enyd wrenched the remaining security back to his feet. Her hands were wet now, with real blood, and somehow that served to soothe her nerves instead of further frazzling them.

"Chancellor Martok disclosed that anti-nadion emitters dampen any energy use once we are inside." She moved her phaser from one hand to the other while she wiped the blood off on her trousers. “We have until the interior of the Great Hall to make use of our phasers." Careful not to slip in the blood left by their still suffering comrade, Enyd took position at the entrance to the shuttlecraft. "We can exit to the south from here. Make every shot count while you can. Let’s go!”

Enyd tried to take off in a run but slipped. She fell awkwardly, and painfully, to her knees in the blood. The security personnel quickly overtook her. Pulling herself back up, and snatching her phaser from the congealing pool of blood, Enyd followed the man across the landing pad. Not unexpectedly, but still suddenly, another Klingon appeared out of the shadows with a snarling growl, blade brandished. The remaining security had swifter reflexes than his counterpart and fired off a quick energy burst before the Klingon could strike. Enyd kept moving. She spared a glance to see how Morali and L’Nari were faring before returning her attention to her own steps. Not much further, and perhaps…just perhaps, they could make it.
OOC: Techno-babble line regarding phaser use compliments of Auctor, not my imagination.
 
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