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Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

DAY 01 [2045 HRS.] RESIDENT NIGA: AZURITE STATION

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[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station ]
Attn: 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88 
[Show/Hide]
While she would never show it, Deputy zh'Wann was ill at ease, even if she had volunteered for this away-mission.

The existence of the research facility where the Niga virus was developed had come to the Theurgy crew's attention. Located in the farthest outskirt of Federation space, the Voice of the Savi had agreed to take the Apache and an away team there. So, at 1944 hrs the day after the Battle of the Houses, they left the Theurgy behind and crossed hundreds of light years aboard the Erudite. It had just taken the Savi dreadnought an hour, and upon arrival at the coordinates, the Erudite's sensor array had easily located the asteroid that hid the top secret Starfleet research station. What Ida and the rest of the team had thought would take hours of searching with the Apache hadn't taken more than a couple of minutes. So, Commander Cross had given the order, and the Apache launched from the Erudite's aerodrome, heading straight for Azurite Station.

Their orders from Captain Ives were simple. Stop another outbreak by any means necessary, all specimens of the fora to be destroyed. The reason why they didn't destroy the base outright was that there were more than likely innocent personnel on the station, and they needed to know if any samples of the flora had been shipped somewhere. They knew that the Niga virus had been developed inside the facility by the late Zephyr Praise, but her research had been taken over by her superiors after she'd been told to step away from her tests. Unbeknownst to Praise, the lead researchers had continued the experiments, and it was when she'd found the remains of victims that she had fled from the station and eventually ended up on the Theurgy.

Ida had heard the recording of Praise's interrogation. The bodies she'd found... had been ruptured from within, ejecting seed pods that made the Niga flora spread, so that it could pollinate more victims - luring them close by a sweet scent of overpowering aphrodisiacal effects. The pollen, which was exuded from the skin of the victims after the initial pollination, caused an uninhibited frenzy to procreate... spreading the pollination further. It drove the victims mad. Crazed for more and bent on making as many as possible feel the same euphoria that they did... until they all died. Ida supposed it was a small blessing that no victims on the Theurgy ever had to suffer that fate.

Indeed, Ida knew of these things far too well, since she had been the first victim aboard the Theurgy when they encountered the flora in the Mahéwa System, almost four months ago. That was the reason she was ill at ease, frowning as she checked the energy level on her phaser rifle- tuning its settings to her preferences. Dreams of the Niga Incident on the ship still came to her every other night, remembering herself being caught in the flora down on that planet - pollinated by its vines. After that, memories were scant, since the antidote also attacked memory engrams formed whilst you were infected, which was a blessing for many of the victims of that incident. Images of the events leading up to the Relativity saving them all were still there for Ida, mere flashes of actions she'd committed, but naught more. She lived with the shame still, having brought that contagion aboard, even if she was just another victim. She had merely been the first.

Standing in the cargo hold of the Reman Hawk-class shuttle, Ida had donned a brand new exosuit since her old one had been beyond repair after fighting that Infested Klingon at Praxis the day before. She was still aching in some places after the ordeal, yet Medical had cleared her for duty, largely so because of her Andorian endoskeleton and the protection she had from blunt force trauma. Her helmet rested on the deck, and she had a pulse phase pistol at her hip. She was as ready as she could be, but even when in a hardshell suit and armed... the prospect of encountering that flora anew had her on edge.

Besides standard Type 2 phasers, the non-armoured, non-combat personnel in the cargo hold had been given TR-120 rifles, and instead of the magnetic pulse rounds they had used at Starbase 84, the weapons were loaded with tranquiliser vials, all filled with the antidote that Doctor Nicander had developed during the Niga Incident. They did not know what to expect inside Azurite Station, but given their experiences with the contagion, they were not going to take any chances.

[This is Lieutenant Conway on the bridge, we're approaching the station. Sensor readouts are getting more and more jammed the closer we get, but we haven't picked up any weapon signatures. By the looks of it, the Black Opal was far more fortified than this facility is, likely because the Opal also served as a weapons depot. I am not detecting any comms traffic, nor any armament on the asteroid surface, the line of defence likely being inside the landing bay. We're cloaked, so I would say we can count on this having the element of surprise on our side. Problem is, the bay doors are closed. Looking at it though, there... might actually be a smaller airlock there as well, at the edge of the bay doors. Orders, Commander?]

Ida looked towards Commander Cross, whom was also present in the cargo hold along with the rest of the away team. As Second Officer and Chief Tactical Officer on the Theurgy, he was in command, and since Ida had experience taking his orders from the day before - at Praxis - Ida was confident the unorthodox Vulcan knew what he was about. "Sir, I reckon we have to decide if we knock on the door politely, blast it open, or... if one or two of us in exosuits try to gain access through the airlock and open the bay doors from inside so that the Apache can land."

With the airlock right behind her, and Lieutenant Valyn Amarik also having the same gear she had, Ida was ready if Cross saw her suggestion prudent. He might have better ideas, so Ida bid her time glancing towards a few others in the cargo hold. Ensign Cir'Cie was there, another victim from the Niga Incident, and also the Theurgy's best botanical scientist. Lieutenant Morali was also there, him having been instrumental in finding the Theurgy in the timestream when he'd served on the Relativity and averting the Niga outbreak aboard. Regardless of how much he could remember of all that, Ida found his presence reassuring for some reason. At least he, if anyone, knew the stakes if there was a galaxy-wide outbreak of the virus, him having witnessed it first hand. That was, if he was allowed to remember that? Ida couldn't imagine what it had to be like, stripped of memories... but she supposed it was like what the Niga antidote had done to her.

There were others, twenty souls in total, but Ida's attention returned to Cross when he spoke.

OOC: This is the starter for Resident Niga: Azurite Station, a little adventure set in the beginning of Interregnum 01-02. The posting order, set for the writers I know will be participating, is the following: 1) @Ellen Fitz , with Cross giving orders as you see fit, a pep-talk, or whatever. Check the bio of Zephyr Praise for more intel and fodder, with names and such, if you want to. I noticed the head honcho of the station was named Theodore Cartwright (Manipulated?/Infested?), and that there were Hermat serving on the Station. Have fun! 2) BipSpoon, in the chance of the order for a spacewalk and infiltration to be made, please push that along all the way to getting that airlock next to the bay doors open manually? 3) @UltimaImperatrixia , offering advise on the virus, or just absorbing the moment? Something Zephyr has told her before she died? Whatever you see fit! 4) @Brutus , in addition to whatever you seem fit for Morali's introduction in the mission, could you please add how Conway reports that the bay doors open from the bridge, it either being Ida & Valyn having been ordered to get inside via the airlock... and if not, the bay doors open on their own, reason to be determined. 5) @Stegro88 , could you have Samala land inside the bay with the Apache, besides your character intro? There might be new writers jumping on as well, but unless one of them post after @Stegro88 , I can go next with Ida and establish the situation inside the bay. Hope that works for everyone!!

Please note that the Apache spent 1 hour aboard the Erudite (between 1940 hrs and 2040 hrs), whilst the Savi dreadnought gave them a lift. That means there is ample opportunity to use that hour of travel time for one-on-one Supplemental threads, set prior to the arrival! :)

Participating characters so far: [Show/Hide]

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station ]

Attn: 1) @Auctor Lucan 2) @BipSpoon  3) @UltimaImperatrixia  4) @Brutus  5) @Stegro88 

Safely tucked away in the Erudite for their journey to the station, Cross spent that hour of commute debriefing with Deputy zh'Wann over the events on Praxis. While he’d spent most of the morning watching the video feeds on their helmets and had read the reports written by zh’Wann and the others, Cross still wanted to hear from the woman herself what it had been like to face an Infested. They had every reason to believe that Azurite Station had been commissioned under orders from the Infested, given the timing of its foundation and clandestine operations since then, and they had every reason to believe Infested were still onboard the station. He wanted all the insight possible to ponder as he pieced that together with what he knew of Zephyr Praise’s work.

Using Hermat DNA and the specimens of Trictorcanis Consumae, she’d created formula ZCP-1033588b. Lauded at first as a breakthrough in medical treatment, the experiment was later shut down because of adverse effects—quite the understatement considering fucking seed pods would burst out of the patient’s bodies after forty-eight hours. When she’d discovered her work had been carried out without her knowledge and to a much “grander” scale of destruction and chaos, Zephyr downloaded the data regarding the new experiment and fled the station. Only the fucking Savi fucked with them again, and all that information was lost when they’d intercepted her shuttle. What they knew of the data and situation had come from an oral interrogation and the details that stood out to Cross as important to investigate were:

1. She’d found the “upgraded” experiment in the botanical containment area. It was likely that the experiment, or the virus in its original or potentially mutated form, was still aboard the station in this area.
2. Theodore Cartwright had recruited her, overseen her work, “halted” her work, and was aboard the station even after she left. He could either be Infested or manipulated by the Infested and could offer names and ranks of others involved.
3. Hermat’s had been onboard at the time of her work and had contributed much via their DNA. If they could get more Hermat DNA samples, perhaps even a defector Hermat recruited (or kidnapped) to come back to Theurgy with them, they could synthesize more types of antidotes or perhaps even a vaccination.

Cross continued to mull over the parameters of Ives’ orders as they transferred to the Apache and made their final cloaked approach to Azurite Station. The captain had all but cited Article 14 to him when he gave Cross and the others carte blanche on how they were to stop another outbreak, and no doubt their efforts would include “extraordinary measures” as such missions often required. Of course, infiltrate, investigate, and then destroy was the most prudent order of business. As much as his fingers itched to “pull the trigger” and be done with this station, its very existence a violation of the ideals of the Federation he signed on to protect, Cross refrained. There would be time enough for impressive explosions, as he had every intention of ensuring this station’s destruction before returning to the Theurgy.

Standing in the cargo hold of the Apache, Cross looked at the rest of his away team. Only Deputy zh’Wann and Lieutenant Amarik had exosuits as was fitting their position as lead security detail on this mission. A few other security members were equally armed with Type-3 phaser rifles, readying themselves in the cargo hold alongside them. Lieutenant Morali and Ensign Cir’Cie were leading out in science and had a few other science department members armed the same as himself with Type-2 phasers and TR-120 rifles. Crewman Samala and Lieutenant Conway were still on the bridge presently, but Cross knew their collective expertise in CONN and ops would prove vital before this was over. He’d already given the order for all members of the away team to carry charges with them, as the station’s destruction was part of their mission. The question was now, what order of business came first once they were inside?

At Conway’s alert, Cross nodded to his team for a final equipment check, remaining silent as Deputy zh’Wann offered her feedback. He remembered his mentor, Duncan MacDonald, teaching him various idioms when they first arrived in Scotland after his "liberation," and one came to mind now: Only a fool assumes a flower is without defense.

“Let’s see if we can ease open the bay doors from the inside. Deputy zh’Wann and Lieutenant Amarik make it look like a malfunction. Conway, keep an eye out for any incoming traffic and alert us if you see those doors opening. If we can scoot inside with another ship as a hat without prying our way, all the better.” Studying his team again and keeping the channel open, Cross continued. “The prevention of the hostile takeover of the Federation by the Infested takes precedence over all else, including our own personal wellbeing. They have likely mutated virus samples on this station. It is our job to find that out, collect it if it's there, and destroy the station once we have the samples. The needs of many in the future outweigh the needs of the few in the now, and whatever happens to us, we need to ensure that this virus is eradicated once and for all.”

Cross let his words settle briefly, then laid out the order of business as he saw it.

“Once we’re inside, Lieutenant Morali, Crewman Samala, and I will see about hacking a console or two and downloading the shipping, visitation, and inspection logs while pulling up all data possible on formula ZCP-1033588b. We’ll find a deck plan to the botanical containment area to procure samples of the virus and any mutations that may have been made since Praise left. Ensign Cir’Cie, you lead in that department. While downloading the logs, we will simulate a biocontainment breach to start a station-wide evacuation. Some of our own tender loving care can assist the believability of this simulated containment breach, and I leave that in your care, Deputy zh’Wann. If we can get Hermat DNA samples or specimens of Trictorcanis Consumae, or even nab Theodore Cartwright himself in the process, all the better, though make the destruction of this station your priority, Lieutenant Amarik. Keep your tricorders running to map the station, and Lieutenant Conway here will keep a lock on your comm signal for evac purposes. Our charges are set to blow after twenty minutes, so place them in key areas as you make your sweep, and we have until the clock stops ticking to get the hell out of there. Shoot first, stun setting, and ask questions later. If they don’t go down on stun, kill the bastards. No one goes at this alone, groups of three minimum.” Tightening his holster, Cross took the time to look each team member in the face before adding, “Questions?”

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #2 –
[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus @Stegro88 [Show/Hide]
While Valyn was no stranger to a fight, nearly every waking moment she’d spent with the Theurgy since her reassignment had been spent either preparing for or taking part in battle. This mission was an entirely different animal. She’d been briefed on the virus, but of course hadn’t experienced it first hand. Everything she’d read though, made it sound like something from a nightmare.

On their final approach, Valyn made her way towards a viewport, attempting to get a better look at the hulking asteroid that they approached. Everything felt tense. Even more so than the battle, just a day past. She’d been armed with another exosuit, similar to the one she’d worn to rescue Fisher. A rifle was strapped to her side, and like always, she’d stowed her old Tal Shiar knife at her hip. She was equipped for war, from head to toe. Every fiber of her resonated with the apprehension that filled her before every mission. It wasn’t fear, but she’d have been a fool to not at least feel something about what was to come. She quickly and slyly glanced around the dark hold. Most of them were faces she was unfamiliar with. Practically all of them were, in truth. She studied the features of each of them, trying to understand just how they felt at that moment. The harsh reality was, that the chances of each of them returning, and returning whole, were quite slim.

Everything about the Niga virus made her natural instincts flare up, every nerve in her body screaming ‘danger’. The very thought and idea of some alien spore filling the bodies and psyche of sentient life, driving them to madness, then devouring them from within? That idea chilled her to the bone. She was no stranger to violence and brutality. She was no stranger to utilizing her own fear and emotions for her own gain. What felt so different was that something like Niga could destroy an Empire, root and stem. Be it Klingon, Romulan, Federation, Cardassian, even Dominion, Niga would tear through it like an uncontrolled flame through a summer brush. They had to destroy it first. Root and stem. She was unconcerned with what actions it cost to destroy it, as sick as it made her. Destroying Niga, at all costs, was for the greater good.

After a final glance at their approach, she made her way back to her seat, checking her gear one final time, centering herself. It was practically a ritual. She would sit in silence, check her gear, and just...wait. The sounds and feelings around her vanished into the abyss. Her senses became sharper, honed to precisely what she wanted them to be through a lifetime of practice.

She turned her rifle in her hands, left to right, before settling on the top readout, checking the fire settings and setting it to maximum stun. If there were innocents aboard, she didn’t intend on just blasting them away. Not unless she had no other option. Any other option. Perhaps in her previous life she may have made a different choice. No longer though. Their mission was to destroy the pathogen. She wasn’t here as a sharpened instrument of death, though the skills couldn’t hurt. After all, she’d joined Theurgy to save people. Not simply kill at the whim of another. She’d left that behind.

Besides the Niga virus and the apprehension that facing it brought, being aboard a Reman ship was in itself...haunting. It was a ghastly reminder of the events that had put her there in the first place. The last time she’d even been close to one had been the Dominion War. At the time she wasn’t a Starfleet Lieutenant, she had been a Tal Shiar Colonel. Her relationship with her Reman subordinates had ended with betrayal and bloodshed, and the last time she’d been around Remans at all had been the Bassen Rift. Another macabre event that had seared potent, vicious memories into her head.

She reached under her seat to pull out a small hard-shell case and popped the lid, revealing a handful of Starfleet issue smoke grenades. She never knew when some extra cover may come in handy. However, a thought came across her as she picked the first one up. She gave the device a slight shake and looked at the rest of her crewmates. “Y’know, wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and get that antidote into these things.” She shrugged, looked around the party and stowed the grenade at the proper spot on her chest. She took one more, then pushed the box forward, towards Ida, offering the remainder to her. The idea itself, she thought, had merit. However there were obvious flaws. The antidote was carried through blood. It would need adjustment to work through the air.

Her head dipped to the side as she heard the voice of Lieutenant Conway break the startlingly quiet hum of the engine. Hazel orbs jumped to Cross, whom she had absolutely no experience with. Valyn however wasn’t one to keep hush, even to those she didn’t know. Blind loyalty had gotten her very little in the past, and she’d learned her lesson from maintaining utter silence to ensure the status quo of peaceful command,  “I’m partial to keeping things quiet as long as we can.” She gave him a quick glance, studying his reaction, “Not to say I ain’t a fan of a very bright and destructive explosions but whoever’s on there might notice a big boom.” She shrugged once and checked her gear one final time. It was almost neurotic. If anything failed on the operation, it certainly wouldn’t be her equipment. She knew that ‘by any means’ typically meant it was expected that the team would have to come up with some out of the box solutions, and utilize them. It was almost as if the phrase was the kiss of death that eventually, things would go sideways.

She didn’t need to be told twice when she got the order. She stood up and tapped the side of her head, the seal of her helmet securing itself with a soft hiss as she stowed her rifle. She didn’t move out just yet though, and instead listened to the rest of his speech. Every word was watched. Every word was a part of her perception of the commander of the mission, and she appeared to be content. On her mind though, the gears were already turning about the door. A malfunction would be easy enough to produce. A pulled wire, a blunt trauma to a conduit, hell even a squirrely encryption would do the job. Getting in was the easy part though. Mutated samples. Destruction of the station. Each task added further complication and difficulty to the job whose difficulty already seemed close to impossible. They didn’t have a choice though, they would have to achieve the impossible.

She perked up some though. Blowing up the station was her job. Cross had just made her day. “Yes, sir.” She gave him a nod, grabbed the package of charges and slung it over her back, keeping it low profile enough that it wouldn’t be a hindrance to her movement. The sweep would have to be slick, secure, and accurate if they were to succeed in all their tasks. She looked over the group once and cleared her throat. “Who’s goin’ where? I reckon we should have one security team member with each team, unless you want us to do otherwise.” She glanced at Ida, then back at Cross. Once sorted however, she’d start towards the airlock, ready to begin the float to the station door.

She’d done plenty of walks in the stars, but rarely under such circumstances. She stood at the door, and waited for Ida to join, ready to go with her to the opposite airlock against the station. She certainly had no intention or desire to start off alone.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #3 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station ]

"Questions?" was the question she heard come from Lt.Cmdr Cross. And in hearing this she couldn't help but realize that ever since that fateful day in the Mahéwa System, questions was all she really ever had. From questioning why she was one of the ones to be infected by it first, questions on how things might have turned out differently for her if she had been one of the select few who had been able to avoid the terrible yet oh so delightful effects of the plant's immense power of allure and rewards of tantalizing pleasure; the kind most erotic hedonists on places like Risa or Orion could only dream of. Even though she didn't directly possesses any of the memories from the incident due to the aftermath of what happened all those months ago - the psychological imprints upon her Vulcan mind had taken on physical traits on their own - and with those, even more questions had plagued the young Botanist, in particularly with regrds to her own self-identity.

Did she want to conform to the rules of Starfleet anymore, when something so simple could demonstrate the ability to brush protocol, morale and ethics aside? Did she want to continue following the ways of Surak; to maintain her intellectual discipline and her emotional self-control? Perhaps most importantly; Did she want the Niga to be destroyed? That sweet yet devastating plant that had unlocked a part of her she had no idea that existed. In some ways she felt cheated that she could not remember what had exactly happened, it must have been a powerful and enthralling experience to have left an mnemonic impression on her like this.

Meetings with Counselor's Hathev and Stellan had helped her keep true to the mission goal, to stop her mind from wandering astray too far or simply choosing to bed as many members of the Theurgy as possible. Duty, Routine, Order - those were other things that had managed to keep her going through all of it. Of course; the fact that the Niga killed any target it gave its final gifts too was enough incentive to destroy the plant altogether. No; she had too, it needed to be done. And with the research that Zephyr had left within her stead, Cir'Cie fully intended to aid the task group she had been assigned too with this goal.

"Actually, Sir," Cir'Cie would calmly announce towards Cross, stepping forward and taking out a small medical box made of a plastoid alloy designed to repel bacteria and other pathogens. It has a small steel cylindrical lock which she clicks open to let the small unit open. Inside are six Hypo Sprays. "All of us are mentally conditioned to resist the Niga and are fully aware of the consequences should we fail to ignore our base instincts. However; in my time within the Hydroponic Labs, I have...managed to concoct a strong libido-inhibitor that should buy us some time should we come into contact with the plant; be it physically or any other variant it may now be found in."

Taking one of the Hypo Sprays out from the small container, she would look over it intently and then explain. "Dr. Nicander's discovery with how the Niga Virus propagates within a victim gave me the neccessary knowledge needed to synthesize the chemical compound within these units. I will not go into too many details about exactly what chemicals from which sources are being used. Simply put; these Hypo Sprays will severely reduce your body's natural capability to sustain their sexual functions at present. The result being that should any of us become infected, the compound will buy you some time to hold onto your sanity... I haven't of course been able to experiment with this compound to know how effective it will be, but with the level of hormone suppression it offers, I would estimate you'll have an extra three or so minutes before sexual instincts awaken fully...give or take."

She takes the Hypospray within her hand and very reluctantly injects the substance into her neck, allowing it to flow quickly and thoroughly into her bloodstream. She would then move to each member of the away team, so that they might take one Hypospray each - should they so desire to do so. "None of you are obligated to take the dose. And some side effects may occur such as headaches, irritability and potentially nausea. But I think that is a fair price to pay for a bit more of a chance against the Niga."

Deep down, Cir'Cie still harbored the residual desire to spread pleasure to others, a remnant of the plant's own instinct firmly nestled within her mind. She had her own ideas for work with the research Zephyr had created - but in her mind, the Niga was a failure, a messy and sloppy weapon that should never have been a weapon in the first place. With a final exhale through her nostrils; she readied her Type-2 Phaser and then awaited the order to move out.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #4 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station] ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia 
[Show/Hide]

Sarresh had never before boarded the modified Reman runabout known as the Apache, and hadn't bothered to look up the history of the vehicle. He was aware that the pilot for the mission had been selected in part because she was one of the 'owners' of the ship. She was also a Starfleet enlisted crewman, which told Sarresh she got the commission because Ives wanted her ship. Or maybe she'd volunteered. It didn't matter all that much to the man, as he sat in the back hold of the ship, listening to Cross and Ida, drumming the fingers of his left hand against the top of the same side knee. Kaleidoscope eyes moved from one member of the mission to the next, mentally making a catalogue of what he recalled about each. 

An interesting exercise in its own right, as Sarresh had memories of some of these people with no actual frame of reference. The MEM procedure he'd undergone had some holes in it, thanks to a brief mental encounter he'd had just before things went to hell with Gorka. Minutes before he'd had a memory dump. Items that sat in his brain, unlocked now that should not have been. That he had spoken with only one other about, and they were not on the mission. Of those here, he trusted, well, Ida zh'Wann, he supposed. The two had seen quite a bit together at this point, and he'd had something of an unwelcome heart-to-heart with her in the wake of the Battle of the Apertures. 

It had been needed though, and he respected her for what she had done for him. Having read her file, he was both surprised, and not at all surprised, that she was on this mission. Given her intimate experience with the Niga Virus, and what it could do....well, it made sense to Sarresh. Same for Ens. Cir'Cie, though he knew her far less. The rest....the rest of the complement were all new to him. Oh, he'd seen Cross in passing plenty enough, an occasional briefing, plus the pre mission run through earlier, but beyond that, nothing. 

Running his hands over the strange weapon he had been assigned, Sarresh wondered just how much use the TR-120 would see on the station they had been sent to infiltrate. Sarresh had volunteered the moment he'd heard of the mission. Ever since his last conversation with his previous commanding officer, the time addled Captain Ducane (whom he still wanted to punch, even if he were starting to understand), Sarresh had been reviewing all the data that Theurgy had on the Niga virus. Since he had believed that his own actions, and those of the Relativity had dealt with the threat of the contamination, he was damned pissed to find out that was not the case. His professional prowess was on the line, as far as he was concerned. One of the few things he'd thought he'd accomplished in this backwater century had been largely for naught, and Sarresh had stated, quite bluntly, that he would be damned if anyone tried to keep him away from righting this particular galactic wrong. 

Which had been a waste of breath, as Ives had been planning on sending Sarresh anyways.

A rueful smile crossed his face, shoved away as the Ops officer sent notice back to the others that they were on final approach. Scratching at the light beard on his chin, Sarresh listened as Ida and Cross sussed out a plan. He cocked up an eyebrow at some of what Cross said, but when the man laid out a plan of action for once they were in the station proper, he saw nothing objectionable about the orders, and Sarresh nodded to indicate his understanding of the orders as given. Find a working console and drain the place of any and all useful information.  Capture Theodore Cartwright if given the chance. Get Hermat DNA and find a way to end the Niga threat once and for all. Reasonable enough. 

"No questions from me," Sarresh said when Cross looked his way. His face hardened slightly, and he was more than willing to add onto what Ens. Cir'Cie offered up. "If we encounter anyone infected, try not to let them touch you, let alone kiss you, or get frisky. I will shoot any of you that get in physical contact with an infected person," he hefted the tranquilizer filled TR-120, "And I expect any of the rest of you to do the same to me. Trust me. Having to cure half your ship...this is the smart move."

With no hesitation, he walked over to Cir'Cie, offering up his arm. Over the hiss of the hypospray, he quipped, "Not that I've had much use for a sex drive of late, but I presume this can be undone after the mission?" One he had an answer to that, he stepped back, remaining standing, with the TR-120 nestled into the crook of his arm. He looked like he was a natural with the weapon, something at odds for a science officer. Then again, Sarresh knew he was fully capable of being lethally dangerous. Even if he still didn't remember when he was trained in such matters and tactics, or whom had done the training. The muscle memory was there. The knowledge, without the memory of earning it, all at his fingertips. 

Nevertheless, he quietly watched the Vulcan Ensign move about the away team, one by one, injecting them with the sexual suppressant, keeping his own watch to see if anyone rejected the shot. He missed the departure of Ida and Valyn, but some short time later, when Conway's voice came over the comm's once more, Sarresh realized they must have been successful. 

[Lt. Commander Cross, this Lt. Conway. I've tracked Lt.'s zh'Wann and Amarik. They've made it through the airlock, sir]. Sarresh perked up, glancing off in the direction of the front of the ship, not really able to see anything but the bulkhead separating the cargo hold from the rest of the ship. Still, he could picture it, the two exo-suite clad officers drifting across the distance, silently approaching the station buried in the asteroid. Forcing their way through the airlock, using whatever codes they had on hand. The cycling of the atmosphere. Breaching the interior. He wondered, idly, if they would face resistance? Less idly, he asked himself if they had been inoculated before they left, and he was distrusted that he could not recall. 

Before he could broach that subject with Ens. Cir'Cie, Conway came back over the internal communications channel, piped down into the hold. [Sir, Lt. zh'Wann has sent the all clear. I see the doors opening now.]

Rising up a bit straighter, Sarresh quipped quietly, "Someone should check to see if the words "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" were engraved above the doors or not." He got a few stares at that, and shrugged. "What? It seemed appropriate." Apparently a reluctant ex-cult leader can't make a joke around here.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #5 –
[ CM3 Samala | Bridge | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station | Federation Space ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus
[Show/Hide]

“This had seemed a lot more fun when I was first asked.” Samala mused as she absently corrected for gravitational drift as the Apache ghosted near the concealed facility. She couldn’t even see it on her own sensors, instead having used the Savi ship’s bearings to find it. At least it wasn’t cloaked, she noted, being able to clearly see the large doors that no doubt led to a hanger. The problem being those doors were shut. She could have opened them, but she doubted that her method for entry would be appreciated.

And that was the crux of her issues now. Despite being the assigned pilot, more out of her familiarity with the Apache than anything else, she was the lowest ranked member of the 15-strong, group assembled for this mission. Which meant that she got to make no decisions, could do nothing without prior approval from a superior and had to wait, a lot. She hated waiting. Not that she wanted to do the wrong thing. What she had been told about the Niga virus was going to give her nightmares.

“There’s the signal,” Lieutenant Conway announced from the Operations and Engineering station behind her. “Once the doors open, land us inside please,” the woman requested before getting on the coms. [Sir, Lt. zh'Wann has sent the all clear. I see the doors opening now.]

“With pleasure,” Samala responded, happy to finally be doing something. Once the doors were open enough, she glided the Apache inside the bay, careful to avoid hitting anything before spinning around 180 degrees to face the opening again. Running through her shutdown procedure, Samala turned back to look at the Lieutenant. “I assume I am keeping us cloaked, right?”

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Azurite Station ]
Attn: 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88 
[Show/Hide]
Before stepping into the airlock of the Apache, Ida had listened to Commander Cross' plan, and she'd agreed to it - even though she suspected that like in all missions, things never went exactly according to those. She'd accepted the smoke grenades from Lieutenant Amarik, clipping a few into place along the side of her exosuit's left thigh - agreeing with the sentiment that if possible, those would have been ideal to distribute an air-bourn antidote. The Botanist, Cir'Cie, spoke next, and for those not wearing exosuits, she'd synthesised an inhibitor against the effects of the virus. It was short-lived, but in such circumstances, Ida knew every second counted - every moment of lasting resistance potentially being the margin for their survival.

Her Romulan comrade-in-arms had asked a question pertaining to whom went where once they were inside, and Ida just made a brief comment since they were tasked with getting the bay doors open and they couldn't dally. "I suggest we decide that once we're inside and know more of the tactical situation in the bay. Let's move out."

Valyn was already at the door, so Ida joined her and stepped into the airlock. She reached out to the side and manually sealed the door behind them. She then depressurised the airlock, and hit the switch which made the aft of the Apache open for them. The asteroid wasn't far... yet nor were the memories from the Niga Incident. Ida willed herself to ignore those, and reached for her wrist PADD, activating the thrusters of her exosuit. She led the way across the open expanse between the cloaked Reman gunship and the research facility's closed shuttle bay, and once they were across, she looked back at where they'd come from. She realised that visually, they must simply have materialised into existence once they crossed the cloak envelope, because she couldn't see where the Apache was any more. It was as if Amarik and her were alone, even if the rest of the away team were available on comms.

"I'll cover you," she simply said, keeping her mind on the mission, and with her hardshell boots magnetised against the frame of the bay doors, she put the stock of her rifle against her shoulder, and she was ready to raise it in case the doors opened prematurely and revealed hostiles. She was confident the other Lieutenant would be able to get the small airlock open somehow... and once she noticed the Romulan being successful, she followed her inside, turning her back against the bay doors.

The small airlock was enough for four people, and once her thrusters carried her inside, she reached for the manual controls and sealed the door Valyn had opened. While the airlock was being pressurised, Ida readied herself for whatever they might find beyond the airlock, knees bent and on the ready to take cover if needed be. There was no room for doubt, no time to contemplate that they might encounter some kind of defence turrets inside the shuttle bay, and they were about to die. They had a mission, and their assigned task was on the other side. "Let's go."

Denying the effects of adrenaline in her cobalt blood, Ida hit the seal for the airlock, and once the door hissed open, she charged in three steps - eyes along the sights of her rifle and looking for movements.

There wasn't a soul in sight.

That, given the context of the mission, would be worrying in itself, but worse yet... when she swept the bay, moving along the outer perimeter of it, she also saw that there were no shuttles present either. Whomever might be left on Azurite Station were trapped there, because the single remaining worker be - marked '01' - wasn't going to carry anyone anywhere. Especially this close to Tholian space, and with the lack of other inhabited systems within any reasonable range of light years. There was abandoned cargo sitting in the middle of the circular bay, and some to the side of it. No one has even bothered clearing the area.

Ida raised her eyes to the terrace surrounding the bay, and she could faintly make out windows there, only there were no lights. No movements. The bay operations booth was pitch black, and there was no available ladder, suggesting some kind of elevator out of sight. On the far side of the bay, emergency lighting showed a wide hallway, leading to a set of double doors that remained close. Some kind of partial power failure?

"All clear..." she said to Valyn after they had made the rounds and checked for any hidden defence systems with the tricorders they had in their wrist PADDs. She made no further comments on their findings, the situation speaking for itself. They were professionals, and there was no reason to point out what was obvious to them both. This mission wasn't going to be like they'd thought it would be. There might not even be anyone left to evacuate. "I'm reading life support being online in the immediate vicinity. The control panel is over there, if you get the bay doors open, I'll contact the Apache."


Once the Apache had landed, Ida could hear Lieutenant Conway over comms, her being asked by the Reman pilot if they'd keep the gunship cloaked, but it sounded like Conway had a good idea about that. [You can decloak her, Crewman. If we are to extract people, it's best they see where the cargo hold is at instead of running out into space... and with officers on the ground, it's not like our presence won't show up on internal sensors anyway.]

The aforementioned officers were soon filing out of the cargo hold, and Ida had her back towards them - eyes on the perimeter.

"The control panel for the bay doors had no access to the rest of the facility," she commented once Cross came within earshot, having checked already after Valyn was finished with it, "and while we'd likely have better luck with the booth up there... it doesn't look powered up. For now, our tricorders will have to lead the way to some kind of powered-up terminal, but the dampening field that kept this place off sensors is still active, so it doesn't look like we can scan very far ahead. Twenty meters, if that, judging by my own tricorder."

She knew her voice had a static to it, the helmet projecting it to the away team. Yet even to herself, she believed she sounded cold, but it had nothing to do with the shivers running up her back. They were going in blindly, and she didn't like that at all, yet her tone was that of focus on the mission objective.

To destroy the place, after extracting whatever intel they could glean from it.



OOC: We're in! Time to split people up. I suggest the following posting order next: 1) @Ellen Fitz, perhaps you have Cross split the people up into groups, with set objectives according to the overall plan? 2) @BipSpoon, you lead the way for Valyn's team into the station, wherein you can illustrate the progress. Up to you if they make contact with anyone still alive, or find any infected researchers somewhere? 3) @UltimaImperatrixia whatever team Cir'Cie is on, you illustrate the progress made by that team, and same as BipSpoon, you have creative license in setting the progress of the mission on that end. If Ida ends up in Cir'Cie's team, she leads the way with her rifle raised. 4) @Brutus, same as BipSpoon and UltimaImperatrixia , you also have creative license in setting the progress of the mission on that end. If Ida ends up in Morali's team, she leads the way with her rifle raised. 5) @Stegro88, same same as the previously mentioned. We have the most progress and fun if we push events forward, so don't have them remain in the bay. Push progress forward and I look forward to see where we're at when it's my turn to post again with Ida. If you need any input from Ida in your posts, I'll reply to your PMs. :)
Participating characters so far: [Show/Hide]

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #7 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Azurite Station ] Attn: 1)  @BipSpoon  2) @UltimaImperatrixia  3) @Brutus  4) @Stegro88  5) @Auctor Lucan
 
Cross suggestions and feedback as he knew well enough that there was more than one way to crack a nut open. There was a time for open discussion and reevaluation of a situation and there was a time to shut up and put up. Until they were in it, Cross saw no reason not to solicit the feedback from his team members and respond accordingly. And so as Valyn suggested quiet infiltration over knock and load, Cross nodded his agreement; when Cir’Cie held out the hyposprays for voluntary usage, he used one himself and concurred with her assessment as well; and Sarresh’s leaning towards shoot first and ask questions later only reiterated Cross’ own feelings, while his morbid humor drew an amused smile from Cross and not glaring judgment.

But the abrupt change in the expectation of their mission environment had Cross frowning as he filed out of the Apache alongside the other team members. No shuttles, no appearances of any station crew, abandoned cargo crates, emergency lighting fighting against utter darkness, and a prevailing feeling of ominous abandonment: it all led Cross to the feeling that this was some kind of setup. Of course, appearances could be exactly what they were, and yet, the Infested had always relished ambush and mayhem, and luring them to the station for something like this wouldn’t be beyond their capabilities.

Nodding to the Deputy, Cross turned to face the rest of the team members, though he kept an ever-present watch on the perimeter with his peripherals, even while trusting the Deputy and Valyn to cover their asses. He hadn't survived this far without keeping his guard up even with professional team members at his side. His gaze traveling over each away team member, Cross delegated duties and assigned teams in accordance to the change in mission expectation.

“Lieutenant Conway, Crewman Vansen, and Chief Manfredi will stay with the Apache. I want to get out of here at a moment’s notice if things go south. I also want you to explore these crates of cargo in the bay, see what’s in them, and take anything of note that could prove useful.” Cross frowned as he added to the group. “And let’s all go ahead and expect things to go south and keep on our toes accordingly.” Waiting for nods of confirmation, Cross moved his attention to the next group. “Deputy zh’Wann and Ensign Smith will accompany Ensign Cir’Cie, Crewman Jenson, and Dr. Hernandez to find samples of the virus, its mutations, crew DNA samples, botanical specimens of note, anything, and the kitchen sink, that looks to be useful in combating the Niga virus or the Infested. To assist in this, Lieutenant Morali, Crewman Samala, and I will find a powered console to hack to download data from, and see if we can get some of these systems back up and running so we can find things faster.” Finally moving on to the last group, Cross hid his smile. He hadn’t worked with Amarik personally, but her reputation preceded her and he rather assumed she’d enjoy the job he was assigning her. “Lieutenant Amarik, take Ensign Garret, Crewman Hughes, and Crewman Tucker, sweep the station for survivors, or Infested, lay charges, and see if you can find anything of note before reporting back to the ship.

Cross took one last look at the group as a whole. He knew well enough the likelihood of a trap and that a certain percentage of those he looked at could very likely not make it back to the ship. He trusted the group to know their shit and not lay down arms at the first sign of a fight, and though he wasn’t a praying man himself, so soon after the losses of the last mission, he felt almost tempted to pray to something or someone that this mission could be one of the first that didn’t end in the death of a fellow crewmember.

“Let’s make this quick and effective. Use your tricorders to map your steps, keep in contact, and don’t get separated from the group.” Cross nodded once more before adding. “And the order to shoot first, stun setting, still stands. We can explain ourselves to innocent bystanders later.”
I went ahead and named the NPCs with mostly current NPCs, save for two new Ensigns Smith and Garret, both of whom are security. Vansen, Hughes, and Tucker are security. Manfredi is Engineering and Jensen science. I can change any of these things or all of these things if ye like, just let me know and I'll use the magic edit button.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #8 –
[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarak | Azurite Station ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan  [Show/Hide]
Valyn glanced at the hypospray as Cir’Cie produced it and her eyes went wide. The exact opposite of an aphrodisiac. Starfleet ingenuity really never failed to impress. “A libido inhibitor?” She furrowed her brows, thinking long and hard about that. While she was by no means actively seeing anyone, nor sleeping with anyone, the concept of a life without orgasm still hung in the distance, like some terrible dark cloud of doom. She drew her lower lip between her teeth momentarily before she looked among the others.

“So we have three minutes to get within range of one another so we can get dropped, before we start droolin’ over anythin’ that walks?” She grimaced. That was one hell of a narrow window. Her hazel eyes traced their way back to the hypospray, looming before her. “It’s temporary right? Apologize for the oversharin’ but, I’d very much like to keep my ability and desire to-” She brought her fingertips together, and mouthed ‘pow’ before splaying her fingers out and separating her palms, miming a firework explosion. Despite the question though, she did turn her neck to the side to allow herself to be inoculated. 

Once done, she pushed herself out of the airlock, giving zh’Wann a nod of agreement. Once they breached the gate so to speak, they’d have a more clear picture of what they were facing. Once she felt the unnatural loss of gravity hit her, she fired the booster in her boots once, aiming at exactly where she wanted to go. Avoiding detection was paramount at that moment, and she had no idea if they’d be able to pick up the small energy reading from their boots, so she kept it short and simple. When the gunship vanished, she swallowed. Though logically she knew that her allies were right there if they were needed...space was vast. It was empty. It was lonely. It was dark. Just her and zh’Wann, coasting through the infinite abyss towards a station they knew shockingly little about.

“Got it.” She magnetized her boots and crouched near the airlock. “Accident…” She muttered, staring at the innards of the panel as she tore the bulkhead free. The locking mechanism was far more complicated than she’d initially hoped for. “Mother-” She muttered, peeling back a small array of multicolored fibers that likely controlled the power to the door. She glanced over her shoulder, to some of the fragments of the asteroid in the immediate vicinity, and then smirked. “Got it.” While she’d planned to try and hack her way in, the far easier answer was one that would look far more accidental to any wandering suspicions contained within the hulking rock they were about to breach. She deactivated the mag-boot on the right side as she simultaneously drew out a laser scalpel. As she dropped the foot as quickly as she could, she snipped a single wire, and the door began to slide open, eerily silent in the vacuum of space.

“Snipped the sensor. They’ll know the door was opened but they aren’t gonna have a clue why. If anyone tries to look it’ll look like rock smashed into the wires.” She tapped the mag control on her hip, her boot sealing itself to the deck. “They’d have to come out here and look to get a better idea, and by then I wager we’ll be long gone.” When they entered, she posted up, covering the airlock entrance...just in case.

The moment the door opened, she wrapped her finger around the trigger...and her stomach dropped. She followed in behind Ida, shoulders and rifle on a swivel as she surveyed the hauntingly barren bay. She turned her rifle towards the ceiling and still...nothing.

“What the fuck?” She glanced at Ida before she pressed forward, forming a line with the Andorian. She shook her head before she lowered her rifle, but only slightly, and made her way to the control panel. Opening the bay door was far easier than the airlock, it was a single teal button. She pressed her finger to it, and the bay door began to split open, this time with a far louder screech, the metal scraping against itself. She shot up, and aimed her rifle deeper into the bay.

Once she’d received her assignment, she gathered her squad. “Stay on me. Don’t wander. Three minutes is cutting it a bit close for me. One of us gets infected, drop them...me included.” She looked between each of the junior officers and enlisted assigned to her and let out a deep breath. “Tucker, take the charges and cover left. Hughes, take up the rear. Garret, take right. Stay in a diamond and maintain six feet of distance. Someone shoots at us we need to be able to scatter, not trip over one another. Questions?” She glanced between them each, and received nothing but shaking heads. “Like the commander said. Shoot first, ask questions later. Stun unless you need to kick it up a notch.”

Her team pressed forward.

They first moved down a hallway. It was dark. Barren. Devoid of life. There was the occasional conduit that had burst from lack of maintenance, a light shower of sparks lighting the way, but besides that...there was nothing. Their tricorders ran on a constant scan, but still...nothing. Not for at least a hundred yards from the bay. They found a sealed door, and for only a moment...there was a blip of something on the scan. Only however, for a split second. Then, it vanished.

Behind the door, there was a clatter.

“What the hell was that?” Hughes offered, looking at Amarik, then to the others.

“Eyes on your sector. Tucker, you do not get into trouble, got it? We lose you, we lose the charges if we need to run. Hughes, open it manually.” She posted up in front of the door. Moments later, the door began to open, slowly. Each pump of the lever that hughes produced, inched it further open. What was inside however, made Valyn stop in her tracks. The room was enveloped in a dim, blue light. There were several bodies in the corners, split from end to end with fungus and strange spores pouring from their open body cavity. In the center of the junction they’d uncovered, were two individuals. Two individuals who were in the throws, with the tattered remains of Starfleet uniforms draped over their intertwined bodies. “What in the-” She muttered, and both of their attention shifted to the door.

“Oh shit.” She dove forward into the chamber. “Cover!” She screamed, and immediately began to offer covering fire of her own. “This is Amarik, we already have contact!” She called over the comms, voice staticy and interlaced with the telltale sound of weapons fire. One of them fell quickly. The other was much faster. He was a Vulcan male, and he looked to be in a blood fury. He charged Valyn at top speed, and slammed a fist against her rifle, sending it skittering across the floor. The fire from her own comrades had ceased. She and the Vulcan were too close, and dancing around one anothers touch. “Just fucking shoot!” She shouted, as he ducked. A single shot rang out, and he fell. The bolt had flown directly over Valyn’s head and intersected with the tall Vulcans throat. In the doorway, Hughes stood with a smoking rifle...and was shaking.

“I-I-I-” Hughes stammered for a moment, “I got him. I didn’t shoot you did I?” He swallowed and lowered the rifle slowly.

In response, Valyn shook her head and began to approach her team.

As she moved within feet of them though, there was another figure in the junction. This one, fully clothed but she was laughing...maniacally. Slowly, Valyn turned her head. The instant she locked eyes on the figure...it charged.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #9 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Azurite Station ]

Not wanting to take any chances in this excursion, Cir'Cie had come equipped with a standard filtration and breathing mask which she deftly took forth from her expedition satchel. She also had her Syringe Gun ready - this time fully loaded with Selenium, ready to kill any given segment of the Niga Plant, and hopefully the rest of it...that is if she could stave off desires already dormant within her mind.

No; she would not allow herself to be raped and controlled again. This time she was the Master.

Stepping out from the Apache with her other team members, she would look towards the direction of Valyn and Ida, the light upon her mask piercing through the darkness to a degree, dust streaming through the beam.

All she could do was put trust in her team members to get them through whatever was hiding in the darkness and to their objective - with all the research she had been able to memorize from under Zephyr's notes and her own findings, Cir'Cie felt confident that they could deal with the Niga, providing they all kept their cool. Logically speaking though, she knew that at least one of them would crack and give into the promise of sex. Be it due to the need for stress relieve, a lack of impulse control or an extremely potent libido, that risk of losing all control excited her to the core... but being dead in exchange for a few short and intense moments of pleasure was extremely low on her list of priorities and her long term agenda.

Upon exiting the Apache and drawing her Type 2 Phaser, she would quietly follow the others - watching Tucker and Garret follow after Valyn so that they might carry out their orders. Hanging back, she couldn't help but feel slightly useless in the current situation, more an objective to escort to the goal of the mission rather than an individual with her own skills to apply at the current moment.

That was when she remembered she wasn't alone this time. She may have been used to doing things her way and on her own time within the safe confines of the Theurgy's Hydroponics Lab. But this time she was not alone. With Jenson and Hernandez by her side, they should be able to use their combined skills together to tackle whatever flora and viral based threats they may encounter... in theory at least. With how high tensions had been as of late, the idea of succumbing to sexual abandon was a tempting thought as ever.

With a distinct 'ahem' sound emanating from her throat to clear it - Cir'Cie would draw her Mark IX Tricorder, especially modified for her research and encounters with the plant that had interwoven itself into her life. She would briefly glance at the tattoo that was partially visible across her wrist - the green vines with purple flowers that Chief Herrold had given her some time go. Emitting a heavy exhale, Cir'Cie's jade gaze would turn over to Lieutenant zh'Wann. "Let us proceed." she would state, gesturing to the other scientists to follow her lead, but not to proceed ahead of Ida.

"I know we were given specific orders to find virus and flora samples, as well as note any changes within the aforementioned subjects of interest. But I feel that finding the security center or another means of accessing defenses or force field control of some kind might prove pertinent. It would allow us to safely traverse the rest of the station or provide an adequate defense should the Niga choose to go on the offensive... Lieutenant zh'Wann. What do you make of this suggestion?" Cir'Cie felt it was the logical and cautious thing to do, but if the Andorian protector had other ideas, she would comply with her counterpoints.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #10 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station] ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia 

[Show/Hide]

Finding the landing bay almost completely devoid of ships raised the hackles on the back of Sarresh's neck. It wasn't just that the feeling of walking into a trap had surfaced. More so it was the worry that those whom had clearly fled the station had been infected. If that sort of breach had happened, containing the potential spread of the Niga virus to the rest of the Federation and the powers bordering it had just grown an order of magnitude in difficulty. Of course, that presumed that those whom left were indeed infected. That need not necessarily be the case. But given his luck, the time traveler had to fight hard not to assume the worst, and the worst left an acrid, sour taste in the back of his mouth.

Devoting his attention to the assignment breakdown, Sarresh frowned slightly, looking from Cross to the crewman who had been their primary pilot (and ship co-owner) and back, wondering which of them was an A-7 computer expert and would be really in charge of breaking any encrypted data. He had a suspicion it was just him.

Morali toed at one of the overturned cargo containers, its contents spilled out across the floor. Nothing terribly useful in the immediate, but he supposed there might be something worth salvaging and taking back to the Theurgy. A ship on the run couldn't turn its nose up at supplies, even if they were being kitted out by the best Qo'noS had to offer at the moment. "Might be worth going over all the stuff here with whatever your strongest industrial strength cleaning agent is, just in case." He saw a few confused looks and frowned. "Just because we expect the virus not to linger inside a canister or something like that doesn't mean it hasn't mutated. Be cautious is all I'm suggesting. Bio hazard protocols in full effect."

Conway looked like she might not be keen on the extra effort, but the biohazard protocol made sense. Sarresh couldn't order the Ops officer in charge of the shuttle team to do it - they had the same rank and relative seniority - but he made the pitch anyway and she didn't seem inclined to argue so he didn't have to turn to look at Cross to make it official. That was good enough for him. He had no issue with Yvette Conway one way or another, and presumed it was mutual. 

That settled, he marched over to Samala and Cross, still carrying his rifle so that the barrel lay in the crook of his left arm, like a seasoned combat veteran and not some pencil pushing lab rat. "Closest consoles seem to be dead, Commander," he noted dryly, with a sweep of one hand, trusting the shoulder strap to keep the rifle in place. "Including the one up in the control bay, judging by the lack of lighting coming out of that alcove. We've got multiple exits out of here, I suppose it goes without saying that we pick whatever door the other teams ignore to cover more ground."

Apparently he felt like stating the obvious, as this was what the trio ended up doing. 

Moving down one of the numerous corridors that fed into the main shuttle bay, Sarresh's odd eyes gleamed and swirled in the red emergency lighting, giving them a back-lit appearance that almost glowed. He found it comforting, but he had no idea how the others with him took the oddity of his otherwise human appearance. A touch stone to what he had been, gifted to him by the actions of V-Nine. He wondered when she would be fully repaired, having read the after action report from the mess that had unfolded on Qo'noS. 

Setting aside that thought, Sarresh turned and found himself looking down a long, dark corridor, nondescript in every way. Broken paneling scattered down the red toned hallway, looking as if someone had run along its length, smashing their way along in an effort to make any sort of computer access as difficult as possible. Not to mention create a treacherous path for anyone caught barefoot. Thankfully, Sarresh didn't have to worry about that. In his former form, he often eschewed footwear, but as a human, he found his feet entirely too delicate for such actions. Up ahead he could just make out what looked to be a door, opening and closing at the end of the passage. The tell-tale hiss, in and out, was the only sound he picked up. Narrowing his eyes, he noted a foot sticking out of the door, un-moving. 

"Body ahead. Or well, boot, but I think I see a bit of pant leg too." he gestured with his rifle as he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. Checking his tricorder her founded. "Indistinct life form readings ahead as well. Can't tell if its the leg or...something in the room. Be careful." More stating the obvious...The closer they got however, the warmer the air became. But from that ever shutting and opening door, Sarresh could see a promising glow of light that was not tinged with the emergency red. The humidity caused a sweat to break out across his tanned features, and that brought a frown to his face. 

"Which one of you grabbed the herbicide?" It was, of course, at this point that the comms broke open with the frantic warning that contact with the infected had been made.

OOC: hopefully that sets an ominous enough note. Apologies on the delay: back to back crisis at work related to AWS and then log4j sapped my writing time. On vacation now and looking to catch up.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #11 –
[ CM3 Samala | Passageway | Azurite Station | Federation Space ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus
[Show/Hide]

“Three-being team operating independently. Unit commanding officer, a science officer and a crewman; me. It’s like a terrible Terran holonovel,” Samala mused as she moved along with Commander Cross and Lieutenant Morali. “I don’t have nearly enough weapons to make myself feel comfortable. Besides this rifle, which isn’t even lethal, and a phaser, I only have my knife, and even that is technically against protocol. But fuck coming along on some secret away mission without a knife.”

Reaching out with her mind, Samala tried to identify any minds that might belong to those who should be manning this station. But all she got was... the best she could describe it was haze. She could feel minds, but she couldn’t tell where they were. They weren’t alone though. Their progress was slow, the broken panelling and low light levels making them pick their way along corridors and passages. The other thing that was odd to the hybrid, and she wasn’t sure if the others had noticed it or not, was the smell. She had expected the stale air that lingered once life support was disabled, or at least the crisp recycled air when it was functioning. But what she smelt was neither. It was sweeter, yet subtle too. She found herself curious about what could be causing it and was indeed about to ask when Morali announced that there was a body ahead.

Focusing ahead, Samala tried to push the scent from her mind, but it lingered at the edge, needling her to come and find what was creating it. Her telepathy was just as clear as Morali’s tricorder about what was beyond the oscillating door. Pulling ahead, telling herself it was to protect those with her and not about following the scent, Samala broke into a sweat as the humidity rose. There was light beyond the door, which promised some sort of power that might indicate an accessible control panel. Reaching the door first, she heard Morali ask about the herbicide but paid it no mind as she moved up to the body and hitting the door controls to open the door. 

“I’ll clear the room,” she announced as she entered the room, rifle at the ready, confident that the officers could handle one body. And if she needed help, they’d be right at the door.

Inside, Samala had to skirt around a wall before she entered the main area, which turned out to be some sort of hydroponics or botany lab. The humidity was intense, and her uniform was soon damp as it sucked in the moisture from the air and sweat from her skin. And the smell. The weak scent she had noticed outside was much stronger in here. Almost overwhelmingly so and she shook her head to clear scatter thoughts to focus on her task. But it wasn’t enough.

Moving forward, she came to the first aisle and found another body, a Terran male by the size and shape, lying face down on the deck. And the curious part about him was his complete lack of clothes. There wasn’t a stitch on him.

“I have another body in here,” Samala called out before moving on, her mind distracted by thoughts of the nude male and what had caused it. Stray thoughts about rolling him over and examining him flirted through her mind but she forced herself to focus, to draw on the training she had undergone to learn to close her mind. It helped, if only a little, and the pilot continued. The room’s aroma grew stronger, and Samala soon found herself barely able to concentrate as she walked, her rifle drooping as she used one of her hands to undo her uniform tunic to try and give herself some respite from the humidity.

Turning the corner of the racks, Samala was confronted by the most intense, and mystifying sight she had ever seen. There on the deck at the end of the room, were 5 Terrans, 3 females and 2 males, naked as the day they were born. If they saw her, they paid her no heed, enraptured as they were with each other's body’s. The hybrid was no unwise in what she was seeing, though neither was she personally experienced in it either, but what was before her was not something she had ever thought about.

The room’s air grew tight and heavy, and Samala found herself losing her train of thought. The only thing occupying her mind was going forward and joining the throng of Terrans, to finally experience the pleasures of the flesh she had heard about but never experienced. Her rifle clattered to the deck discarded and she reached for her tunic. Her hand brushed her combadge and a part of her told her that she should report this. Moving forward, like a predator stalking her prey, Samala tapped her combadge even as she began to remove her jacket.

“Sir, there...are...people....” Further speech did not come forth as Samala focused on the undulating knot before her, her tunic falling to the deck behind her.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #12 –
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Azurite Station ]
Attn: 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88 
[Show/Hide]
To Ida, Commander Cross' orders had been perfectly clear. “Deputy zh’Wann and Ensign Smith will accompany Ensign Cir’Cie, Crewman Jenson, and Dr. Hernandez to find samples of the virus, its mutations, crew DNA samples, botanical specimens of note, anything, and the kitchen sink, that looks to be useful in combating the Niga virus or the Infested." It was, arguably, one of the harder tasks, and Ida had mixed feelings about it. Especially collecting samples of the virus. That she had been picked to lead the group that were to head into the botanical containment area in Praise's report was a dubious honour, since while it showed that Cross had confidence in her, she would still be the vanguard for the foray into the horror that awaited them there.

Courage is fear... she had thought, while only inclining her head to the Vulcan.

Cir'Cie, the botanist, would be on her teem. "Let us proceed," the more traditional Vulcan - without the nose-ridges, had said, gesturing to the other scientists to follow. Smirth, Jenson and Hernandez fell in line, while Ida set the cautious pace down the main corridor ahead of them - lit by flickering emergency lighting along the way.

Initially, as they traversed the gloomy interior of the station, they had made no contact. Cir'Cie had spoken up, suggesting the prudent alternative to find the security centre and assess internal defences and access forcefield control systems, if available. It would indeed make it a safer mission if they gained that kind of access. "Agreed," Ida had said, not turning her helmet but keeping her eyes along he sights of her phaser rifle. If there were infected officers ahead, those behind her had the antidote-loaded TR-120s, which was rather reassuring, but using forcefields to seal off the path ahead would be ideal. "Let's keep an eye out. We might get lucky."

Unfortunately, they had no map - the tricorder in Ida's forearm PADD not offering them more than ten to fifteen meters of forewarning about what lay ahead. The dampening field that kept the base hidden was like a wet blanket, and it would indeed be sheer luck if they actually found the security centre along their path. Even the control panels they passed were all without power, so they couldn't access those to get directions. All they had, essentially, was the contents of Zephyr Praise's interrogations, which had suggested that the botanical containment area was located deep inside the asteroid, front and centre from the bay. If only Praise had survived the Battle of the Houses, they'd have more detailed directions for the mission.

[This is Amarik, we already have contact!] The voice over comms, heard inside Ida's helmet, startled her. Valyn... Ida ground her teeth together and ignored the cold shiver running up her spine. In case Cir'Cie and the others hadn't received the same via their combadges, Ida briefed them through tight lips. "The group with the explosives have encountered the plants or the infected. This place is not abandoned. Stay sharp."

The next voice she heard was haunting, bringing back memories with its tone. [Sir, there... are.. .people....] Was it the Reman pilot? Shelat... She sounded compromised, which meant that the air of the station might be filled with pollen. If power was down, the environmental systems wouldn't be filtering out the bio agents in the air. Thankfully, the Botanist behind her had inoculated most of the away team, which would buy them crucial time. As for Ida, she relied on the stand-alone oxygen in her suit.

"Let's make this quick, before any pollen in the air migh-"

The chirp from Ida's forearm PADD suggested a life-sign, and it showed up fifteen meters ahead, beyond a dark intersection. "Contact. Weapons ready," Ida said through her teeth and adjusted the grip on her rifle. She lowered her centre of gravity by bending her knees and quickened her pace, trying to make as little sound as possible despite of the exosuit. Her own breathing was louder than anything else, her heart thundering in her chest, but she never hesitated. She rounded the intersection and entered a mess hall in complete disarray. Tables and chairs were overturned, and the strobe lighting in one corner revealed bare bodies, covered in blood and grime. "By Lor'Vela..."

Everywhere she looked, the torsos lay wide open, ichor splattered across the deck plating. The worst were the faces staring lifelessly into the dark, grins of ecstasy locked in rigor mortis. With a tap on her rifle, Ida lit the flashlight mounted on top of it, and tried to locate the source of the life sign reading. "Fan out. Watch your steps..."

A few seconds later... one of the faces on the floor turned away from her flashlight, which made Ida's trigger finger twitch.

"Doctor Hernandez... this one is still alive." She had blinded the man on the floor with her light, but he made no effort to rise. He remained where he was, breathing quickly. He was covered in sweat, and his abdomen was distended, looking like he was in a late state of pregnancy. Even as he lay there, weak and undoubtedly knowing what was about to happen, he was smiling, aroused and content. Afterward, Ida didn't know why she attempted to speak to him, but she figured she'd try and distract him while the Doctor ran a scan. "I'm Deputy zh'Wann. We're here to evacuate the station. Look at me. Can you speak? What's your name?"

"Car..." he said, squinting against the light and raising a hand to cover his eyes. He was looking at Ida's exosuit, and Cir'Cie's uniform. He wetted his lips, phallus twitching. "Cartwright... I thought... there were no others left... Please, will you...? I'm so..."

"Doctor?" Ida said, sickened. Hernandez pursed his lips to speak, eyes wide, but there was no need. What happened next made it plain what his medical tricorder had showed.

Theodore Cartwrights abdomen burst open, seed pods spraying into the air - hitting the ceiling. He screamed in a mix of pleasure and pain, while Ida scrambled to back away. "Get out! Get out! Back to the corridor! Now!"

Ida knocked over a table, ushering the unprotected group out of the room as quickly as possible. She wanted to get some distance before she turned around and put her phaser on wide dispersal, meaning to scorch the entire mess hall. Before she did, she gave a quick glance to make sure everyone were clear and that they weren't compromised. Clearly, there would be enough samples available to collect... Only the research data in the bio containment area left to find.

"Deputy zh'Wann to Commander Cross, Cartwright is dead," she said over comms, voice thick with revulsion. "We've yet to reach the containment area. Still on the move. Ida out."

Regardless if Cir'Cie collected a seed pod sample or not - since there were likely more to be found - Ida then lit up the mess hall with her rifle. The strobe lighting made it hard to see where all the seed pods had ended up, but she wasn't taking any chances. Once she was satisfied that she had blasted everything, the smoke preventing her to see the immediate aftermath, she led the way onwards through Azurite Station.

OOC: I know, I know, a mess hall scene? Really? I have never claimed to be perfectly original. Anyway, I suggest the following posting order next with some suggestions, but you all take this wherever you want: 1) @Ellen Fitz, looks like Samala is in trouble! Perhaps you, Brutus and Stegro should go over the development OOC if needed? Don't forget to answer the comms messages from Valyn and Ida if Cross can do so in the next sequence of events? 2) @BipSpoon, I can't wait to read the continuation of your scene! Hope they will be okay and that the charges can be set eventually, lol! Cross might have some input over comms. 3) @UltimaImperatrixia Looking forward to read the reaction to the mess hall scene, and I think it would be awesome if - by the end of your next post - we could either find the bio containment area or the security centre Cir'Cie mentioned? During the mess hall scene, there ought to be opportunity to collect DNA readings from the infected, as well as a seed pod, obviously. 4) @Brutus, I think with the scene with Samala's dire situation, you ought to build from what Ellen posts, right? 5) @Stegro88, let's see if Samala is saved or not after Ellen and Brutus has posted, right? lol

So, push progress forward and I look forward to see where we're at when it's my turn to post again with Ida. Sorry for the slight delay with Covid and all the new writers joining, but I am dealing with the backlog, so I shouldn't be posting this late henceforth. :)

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Hydroponics Bay | Azurite Station ] Attn:  1) @BipSpoon  2) @UltimaImperatrixia  3) @Brutus 4) @Stegro88 5) @Auctor Lucan

Still in the bay, Cross nodded to the Ops officer; he’d heard the exchange between Conway and Morali and concurred with the lieutenant’s suggestion. Conway gave a curt nod in response before moving to begin her inspection, but ever with an eye on every entrance in case someone, or something, made a move on their getaway ride. It would be just their luck for Conway to find the answers to all their questions right there in the bay while the rest of them put themselves at risk by venturing further into the station.

Cross ventured with  Morali and Crewman Samala through the door unchosen by the other teams, and on into the darkened corridor. Though his attention remained primarily on their surroundings, Cross couldn’t help but notice Morali’s eyes as they gleamed in the low-lighting. The strange effect was curious, but Cross returned his attention to their progress in time to stiffen at the sight of the body Morali mentioned. At any other time, it might be amusing to see the door opening and closing on the fallen like this, bringing to mind old slapstick comedies he’d seen with his mentors during his deprogramming. But in this time and place, the effect was ominous.

After checking his tricorder readings, which said much the same as Morali’s, Cross closely followed as they approached the body and the room beyond it. Cross’ skin was already itching with sweat as they came to the swishing door as it belched out both humidity and a strange smell. Morali’s question had Cross’ lips pulling back into a sardonic half-smile. There was no herbicide yet invented strong enough to counteract the shit they were likely coming up against. At least the concoction Ensing Cir’Cie had offered them back on the ship gave a slight edge against the virus’ effects for a time.

Cross glanced at his rifle to ensure its settings just as they breached the doorway where Crewman Samala announced her intention to clear the room. Cross gave a nod of agreement, not expecting her to move out of sight. Moving around the separation wall just inside the room, Cross noticed a control panel with a promising glare of light coming from the wall adjacent to their position. The nasty sweet smell was stronger here, along with the humidity from hell, and if Cross had to venture a guess, he’d bet latinum bars that fucking scent had something to do with the body in the doorway.

Using his weapon, Cross pointed towards the panel for Morali to approach. “Check to see if that thing can offer us anything useful.”

[This is Amarik, we already have contact!]

Cross jerked at the Romulan officer’s voice growled over the coms, his grip tightening on his rifle just as he heard Samala note another body further inside the room. Frowning, Cross glanced back to Morali. Crewman Samala had moved out of sight, her voice now sounding odd as she announced more people. Isolation was never a good thing during a mission like this, but now was not the time to berate the woman for disobeying his earlier command to stay in groups at all times.

[Deputy zh'Wann to Commander Cross, Cartwright is dead. We've yet to reach the containment area. Still on the move. Ida out.]

Fuck.

“Shoot first, lieutenant,” Cross spoke over his shoulder as he advanced on Crewman Samala’s trail. “I’m going to check on ‘the people.’” Looking back once more to ensure the Morali’s safety, Cross shifted around a corner of racks in time to see Crewman Samala’s uniform tunic hit the deck with her moving as if in a trance towards the mass of nude bodies in the middle of the room.

It was obvious from their behavior that they were infected with something, perhaps the Niga Virus itself, and Cross wasn’t about to let them touch Crewman Samala, and neither was he about to let her reach them. He couldn’t recall seeing her accept the serum from Ensign Cir’Cie, and he cursed himself for not insisting in case she hadn’t received it. Even with the serum in his system, Cross felt the pull of the scent in his mind, weighing on him, figuring it would be damn near impossible to resist without the serum’s support. He also wanted to strip his uniform from his body, be rid of its confining nature, and walk freely through the humidity that bore down on them like a blanket. But at least with the serum coursing through him now, Cross had more resistance power than it seemed poor Crewman Samala.

It took Cross milliseconds to readjust his weapon’s settings. As a Reman hybrid, he figured she could take the hit. “Crewman Samala is compromised,” he called back to Morali over the coms, certain the others would hear as well.

Cross took aim and shot, the beam hitting her squarely in the back. It should be enough to tickle some sense back into her, potentially delaying the further onset of the virus’ effects so they could get what they needed from the lab. Cross clicked his rifle settings back into their previous mode and kept it trained on the orgy participants. He thanked whatever space gods there were that so far, none of the infected seemed interested in his approach of the fallen crewman.

“This is Commander Cross.” He lowered his center of gravity as he approached his crewmate, speaking calmly over the coms. “We are in the hydroponics bay. Crewman Samala has been…incapacitated, and Lieutenant Morali is checking the working console here for information. Stay sharp, shoot first, get out alive.”

As soon as he was close enough, Cross surged forward. Cupping his prosthetic hand under the woman’s armpit, Cross tugged at her body. It was an awkward retreat, his rifle centered on the orgy, hand under a groaning Crewman Samala’s arm, feet scooting back in a rapid shuffle. But so far, it was an unthreatened retreat.

Once he was almost shifted around the racks, Cross took his eyes away from the orgy to look across the lab to the console where he left Morali. “I hope to fuck you were able to get that console working and found something.”

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #14 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station] ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia 

[Show/Hide]

Swallowing back a manic giggle that threatened to over take him, Sarresh squared his shoulders and tried to tune out the cries over the comms, and focus on what lay directly before him. There wasn't anything he could do for anyone else at the moment. Tightening the grip on his rifle, he took a deep breath through his nose, attempting to settle himself as much as he could. To no real avail, but what was new about that? Training would see him through, even if it was training he didn't remember. His body remembered the motions. He'd proven that before, in the Theurgy's sickbay, in the door to his lab, and in the corridors of the Great Hall on Qo'noS.

He could do this. 

Samala turned around the corner, vanishing into the room, taking point. A part of him wanted to be the one out front. Another part of him thought it better to let the younger woman go. He couldn't decide if that part was being practical, as if she had more skill, or selfish, glad that he wouldn't have to face what lay in the room first. He'd seen Theurgy, walked its corridors along side other members of the Relativity's crew, subduing and curing the rampant infection. That memory he still had. He did not wish to see more, and yet here he was, because he did not wish to see this spread any further.

He was pulled from his musings and preparations by the voice of Cross, the mission commander. Blinking, Sarresh hastily replayed what his ears had heard but his brain failed to catalog. The order made sense. Just because Sarresh was on edge didn't make it any less reasonable, and it was half the point of him being here. Playing an action hero wasn't the mission, and so he gave a terse nod to Cross and slung his rifle back over his shoulder, secure behind his back. Never mind that letting the rifle go left him with an itching feeling in his palms, as if they missed the touch of the weapon. There was nothing for it however, as he let his hands move over the console and began to probe his way through its base directory system.

Focusing on the task at hand with eyes and fingers did nothing to stop his ears from working. He clocked the reports, and the way that Samala's voice seemed to drift in and out of focus. All the teams were running into some kind of trouble, as a far as Sarresh could tell. He wasn't sure how he felt about Cartwright being dead, but then, there wasn't anything he could do about that. They couldn't pick the mans brain for information, so that was a loss from a strategic sense. Morally...well, he'd sort his feelings out later.

Glancing back, he met Cross' eyes, and listened to the orders given, realizing they could have applied to himself and to Lt. zh'Wann. His lips twitched into a half smirk, but there was no mirth in his eyes and he gave a sharp nod to Cross. "Be careful," he wasn't sure why he said it, but he'd felt the need in the moment. As if the man in the red collared uniform needed the warning. Every step they made here was done with care. But all the same Sarresh said it, and then devoted himself to pulling up the base library files and rigging a copy over to storage. He was dumping everything within easy grasp while he tried to work his way through some of the encryption protocols on the main database. The console wasn't designed for access to that but Sarresh's file didn't include his A-7 computer rating for nothing.

“Crewman Samala is compromised,” Cross' voice came from the badge attached to Sarresh's shirt, causing the former Ash'reem to nearly jump out of his skin. He let out an low oath and pushed away from the console. "How in the hell did she managed to do that?"

The words were for himself alone, but he'd forgotten they'd left the channel open for all parties already, before splitting off. So Cross got the question loud and clear. So too would Samala of course, but if she was in a state to understand was anyone's guess. The other teams probably had their hands full and he didn't have time to think about his gaffe. It was a valid question all the same. How had Samala managed to become affected so quickly? He had simply assumed everyone aboard had been inoculated with the suppressant, back on the ship, and not given it a second thought. Now he had to wonder - had she been skipped somehow, or was the cocktail he'd willingly injected insufficient to the task at hand? That latter notion chilled him. He had been under the influence of pheromones that pushed him to act on desires at an ill-opportune time in the past. He had no intent to fall prey to something like that, here and now.

A phaser discharged in the other room and he was three steps to the door when he heard Cross's status update. Letting out a sigh, he forced himself back to where he was supposed to be, resigning himself to letting the more senior officer handle the issues in the other room. It was for the best, he told himself. Believing that was taking a bit of effort. Swallowing back a bit of bile that had risen up his throat, he redoubled his efforts on the encryption lock out. By that point, Cross was back, dragging the less than conscious crewmen with him. 

Not bothering to move, Sarresh grunted and reached up, running the back of his hand over his brow, wiping away a trickle of nervous sweat. "I have a file transfer going, grabbing anything we can," he gestured to the tricorder sitting on top of the console with one hand, the other still moving across the touch sensitive surface. "And I've just about broken into an encrypted sub section of the base's computer storage. Its non-standard, but...ha." A pause, and then his skin blanched and went a nasty shade of green. "Shit. I didn't need to see that. I did not need to see that at all," he bemoaned, and began backing up rather details experimental records. 


OOC: Let me know if this works of if y'all need more

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #15 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Azurite Station ]

Cir'Cie's internal musings and thought processes were interrupted upon hearing her Comm Badge emit the garbled sound of Amarik's warning. Wanting to ensure her delicate and sensitive Elf like ears had not deceived her, she glanced towards Ida only to see the confirmation being emitted forth from the Commando like woman's lips indicating that the Niga plant was not only present upon the station; but also still very much alive and active in its goal of pursuing vessels to impregnate. She would feel a tinge of excitement surge between her legs and the mnemonic impression of the original plant that had its way with her all those months ago gave her a small urge to find this other plant and surrender to it.

Calling upon the discipline of Surak and her own mental vigour, she stamped down the urge and raised her Tricorder to begin promptly analysing the bodies along with the splatters of ichor and of course. The seed pods. Promptly and with deft professionalism, she would kneel down and carefully extract a containment unit from her satchel. A small steel box with a transparent thermoplastic lid and she would then discreetly and cautiously lift and place the pod into the unit, sealing it tightly before placing it into her satchel.

She knew what kind of power this mere seed pod would contain. How it could if allowed voraciously spread across the Theurgy just as it had done so here on the station where its mother had it began its conquest. In essence a trade route of virility and lustful abandon that would offer sweet and sinful pleasures to those who would willingly surrender their lives to it, even as she continued to analyse the trace elements of the Niga residue within the victims and ichor strewn around the Mess Hall - she would remain resolute and calm, even if the raw sights of the massacre before were making her inner most base instincts try to poke at her psyche with raw fear, she refused to be bested by any kind of emotion, keeping a mechanical grace to her actions throughout the survey. And just as she was about to contemplate what she might be able to achieve with her own skill, Zephyr's notes and now the seed pod on hand - her thoughts were once again shattered as they found a survivor before them.

Survivor being the wrong word as the impregnated man before them was hoping for one last venture of pleasure - ultimately denied as his body ruptured open to release the gift of the Niga up onto the ceiling of the mess hall. As stoic as she was, she had not anticipated him to burst on the spot and as such she flinched heavily, even letting out a small yelp. There was no time for questions, no time for further examination, her scientific pursuit within this specific chamber had been rendered null and void as the Andorian Lieutenant took matters into her own hands an rushed the group out into the access corridor before promptly fumigating and exterminating much of the contents within the mess hall.

With a heavy exhale; Cir'Cie would hold up her Tricorder and attempted to divert more of what power it offered into its sensory capabilities, and in doing so she would point out something of use. "Most of the EPS Conduits head in this direction, it is likely they head to a more critical section of the station."

The walk with Ida and the other two team members was eerily silent, only the sound of their feet and her own heart beat ringing in her ears as they proceeded, occasionally broken by the chirping of her Tricorder which offered some comfort, even if the readings that it displayed were only a minor help. She had never really considered the fact she might end up in a horror flick like situation, the darkness of the corridor and the lack of knowledge pertaining to where they were really going outside of their own intuition and hope that luck was on their side. In truth she felt a tinge of frustration rolling through her being at the lack of knowledge and therefore; power she had in this situation. Much of her faith was now being placed upon the the Ground Zero patient of the initial Niga infection and while on one hand it meant Ida had more experience, on the other Cir'Cie wondered if Ida would resist with more defiance or submit more willingly if they did come into contact with the Niga.

Sure enough, after about 40 meters of walking and passing various rooms - they would find access to one of the security centres onboard the station, that is assuming it was not the only one. "The EPS Conduits for this section conclude here, the EPS Relay must be inside, past these doors." Cir'Cie simply stated; closing her Tricorder for now and she would glance over the closed doors that potentially lead into the security center. She would inspect the sign near the door that conveyed the designated purpose of its function, the words partly covered in blood and ichor. Feeling a twinge of fear within her, she would glance over to Ida; not daring to enter the Security Centre herself while Ida was still the team leader and also the main defense of the group.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #16 –
[ CM3 Samala | Floor | Azurite Station | Federation Space ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @Ellen Fitz @UltimaImperatrixia @BipSpoon
[Show/Hide]

Her head ached as her mind began to work again. The last thing she remembered was finding survivors in the next room. But the memory was muddled, cloudy, like she was looking at it through a filter that she couldn’t focus. It was disconcerting to say the least. She could also feel the change in feeling of her clothes, realising that her tunic was missing and that her undershirt was damp; from the smell of it, it was from her own sweat.

Her mind cleared further, and she was starting to see bits and pieces of her recent past in her mind’s eye and what she saw and felt was alarming. Despite the inoculation she had received, the pheromones or whatever she had been smelling had affected her to enough of an extent to cause her control to slip. She’d been told that the serum would protect her, but she wondered if they had taken her hybrid biology into account. Or perhaps it was her concealed telepathic abilities that had made her susceptible to what had been happening before her. It could have been a combination of everything, like a cascade system failure on a shuttle where the failure of one system weakened another until it failed and so on. 

As she tried to move, another feeling made itself known to her. Her body ached in a familiar way; one she had experienced multiple times during the rigorous training in her youth. She had been stunned by a phaser.

“Who shot me?” Samala managed to groan out as she pulled herself into an upright seated position and looked at Commander Cross and Lieutenant Morali where they stood nearby.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #17 –
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Azurite Station ]
Attn: 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88 
[Show/Hide]
Having heard the development for the other parts of the infiltration team over comms, Deputy zh'Wann was crsing under her breath, not liking the direction of the development for the mission at all. Shelat, if we can give the antidote to as many of the base's personnel as possible, that would be great, but not not at the risk of compromising ourselves... Not with the stakes involved. If there were shuttles leaving this station prior to our arrival, we need to know how many and to where they might be heading...

Once they reached a certain door, Ensign Cir'Cie pointed out how the tricorders indicated that the room might grant them some better angle on the overall situation, since the security centre ought to grant them some surveillance access. That was, of course, if the systems had been powered up to record any recent or current development. As it were, it seemed the dire development on the station hadn't left the area unaffected, the tell-tale signs of blood literally being the writings-on-the-wall, as the pinkskins used to say.

"Cover me," Ida said to the rest of the team, the dark corridors behind them potentially about to alive with infected victims at any second. Then, when she stepped closer to the door, it slid open for her - the need for a manual release of the door mechanism not required. Inside, the interior that met her beyond the sights of her rifle was that of an ordinary Starfleet layout of a security checkpoint, in which the consoles lined the walls of the circular room. In the middle of the room, a holographic display table was centred, yet all of the screens and the holographic interface itself were powered down, either because of the evident - if partial - power failure of the station, or there hadn't been any security officers there in a long time and the energy saving settings had shut down all the LCARS screens. Either way, aside from traces of blood in the carpet and on the walls, the room was bereft of any signs of life. "All clear."

Having said this, Ida raised the muzzle of her phaser rifle towards the ceiling and stepped up to one of the consoles, trying to get access. The screen came to life, showing error messages revolving around minimal power to boot the LCARS interface and accessing the stations database. She tried anyway, and once trying to reboot, the screen went black. Shelat... She turned her visor towards Cir'Cie and the others, checking if they had any better luck with either of the other consoles. "If either of you know how, you could try to boot a console with this," she said, and tossed two energy cells for her rifle to the closest team member. "You just have to bypass the EPS grid and give the console some power from those. Should get us a minute or so."

Having said as much, Ida ventured towards the opposite door of the circular room, leaving the consoles to the rest of the team so that she could check what lay beyond the security centre. When she approached the door, it slid open, and at the same point... her wrist-mounted tricorder chirped with life-sign readings.

No more had she acknowledged the warning than she saw the source, it being two bodies intertwined upon the floor plating of the corridor. Her eyes widening, she trained her rifle on the two, just as they turned their heads to look at her. Their gazes were lethargic, and the flashlight on her weapon blinded them momentarily. They had yet to show any signs of distended abdomens, suggesting they were infected much later than the victims in the mess hall, but they were completely bare and covered in sweat.

"Contact!" she barked, and switched the setting on her rifle to stun, firing against them both in rapid succession. They seized up and settled upon the floor, unmoving. "Try the antidote in the TR-120 rifles. Cir'Cie, could you please check if it has any effect with your tricorder. If the antidote works, we can treat them, and they can't be left behind when we destroy this station."

Having dealt those orders, Ida pried her eyes away from the two victims. The corridor beyond lay dark, but there was a sign at the top of the next intersection, stating the direction towards the biocontainment area. Noting how they now had a means to find their way, she turned to check on the status with the LCARS consoles, meaning to tell her team she knew where to go. A minute or so passed in silence.

That was when she heard it. A voice beyond the door whence they'd come through when they entered the security centre.

"Where did you all go?" it said, heard through the closed door as if it could not bar the sound - as if it came from beyond the physical restraints of their reality. It was a male voice... and Ida had heard that eerie tone before. That eldritch pitch that seemed to stem from another realm beyond the present.

"Infested!" she shouted, and trained her sights on the door, which might open any moment to reveal whom the speaker was. "Get behind me! Now! Ida to Commander Cross, one of the Infested are here. I repeat, there is one of them here!"

Having positioned herself in the doorway, with the distance across the security centre between her and the other door of the room, she hoped her team would be able to get behind her in time. Because indeed, the sliding doors parted soon enough, and a figure stepped inside. Ida bared her teeth, seeing how the humanoid was blackened and lacked skin on most of his face and torso. A torso that was split open and leaked blood unto the floor - running down his bare legs and feet. There was enough left of his face to tell Ida that she had been the one that stripped him of his skin and scourged his flesh.

It was Theodore Cartwright.

"There you are..." he said and smiled towards them. "Do you want to play?"

"Run!" Ida ordered her team, facing the Infested in her doorway and meaning to prevent it from pursuit. "Now!"

Then, she opened fire, quelling the fear that nearly would overwhelm her.

OOC: Uh-oh.... :) I suggest the following posting order next, hoping that @BipSpoon is available for this posting round since I suggested she skipped the last one since she had such a backlog. 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #18 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Hydroponics Bay | Azurite Station ] Attn: 1) @BipSpoon  2) @UltimaImperatrixia  3) @Brutus  4) @Stegro88   5) @Auctor Lucan

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Cross had thought to himself in response to Morali’s earlier comment. It seemed this virus had a damnable will of its own and would find a way to fuck them over one way or another. It just so happened, Samala had been the first among them to get fucked with this time. And it was only a matter of time before it got to them all if they didn’t get the hell out of here soon.

Morali was still explaining his work at the console when Cross heard Samala groan by his feet. Gripping his phaser, Cross shifted just enough to stare down at the crewman with apprehension, waiting to see if she was about to exhibit further signs of compromise, meriting another phaser tickle. She sat upright groggily but made no other threatening or sexual moves as she asked her question.

“I saw no other way to prevent you from further compromising yourself, Crewman Samala.” Cross continued to observe her with caution, not trusting her to have come through the effects completely so quickly, not with the virus-induced orgy still going on in the anteroom. “And I’ll do it again if necessary. You-“

[“CONTACT!”]

Cross paused to listen as the Deputy barked out orders to her group in response to finding more survivors. Glancing at Morali first, then back to Samala, Cross gestured with his phaser for the woman to stand to her feet if possible, speaking as he shifted back to stand next to Morali near the console.

“You can report my actions to my superiors once we’re back to the ship if you believe I overstepped procedures, considering the context of our mission.” Still not quite comfortable turning his back on Samala just yet, Cross looked at the console just in time to see the last of the images Morali had earlier grimaced at seeing. “Are you just about done, lieutenant? We should set charges and re-“

[“INFESTED! GET BEHIND ME! NOW! IDA TO COMMANDER CROSS, ONE OF THE INFESTED ARE HERE. I REPEAT-“]

Where the fuck is “here?” Cross gripped his weapon harder, his eyes darting around the room. He hoped to fuck Amarik had got her set of charges in place by now and that even with meeting with survivors and now Infested, the Deputy’s group had also gotten useful intel because it was time to blow this fucker.

“Finish up, Morali, time to go. Crewman, set the charges you’ve got. Over there.” Cross pointed to an area far away from the anteroom, just in case she felt like rejoining the orgy. Cross then growled over the comms as he moved to set his own. “We are setting charges. Time’s up. Head back to the ship. I repeat: return to the ship. NOW!”

Once his charges were set, Cross nodded to himself, checking his weapon one more time as he moved to meet the others by the door. “Let’s go.”

Cross moved into the darkened corridor just in time to hear the door leading deeper into the ship open, turning to watch as a half dozen virus frenzied bodies spilled into the corridor in various states of infection.

“Well,..fuck.” Cross moved to the middle of the corridor and opened fire, making way for Samala and Morali to move past him and head back the way they’d come. After so many years in Starfleet, Cross realized it wouldn’t be a proper away mission if they didn’t have to blast their way out of a problem.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #19 –
[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Azurite Station ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan  [Show/Hide]

The figure that charged her was different than the Vulcan. The Vulcan had charged her naked as the day of his birth but this figure, was fully clothed, and despite the maniacal laughing, each movement he made was marked and judged before he made it. There was intention behind this attack, not simply madness. The figure swung, Valyn instinctively reaching up to block the blow. The blow however, struck much harder than she’d thought it would, and sent her two steps backward. “Oh, hell.” Valyn knew exactly what she was fighting. This wasn’t another victim of the Niga Virus. This was one of the architects of its deployment, the infested. Immediately as the realization dawned over her, like a swift dip into an icy lake, she stepped back again, going on strictly the defensive as she attempted to slyly make her way back towards her rifle. 

“Tucker-” Valyn started, giving him only the briefest of glances.

“Got it.” He nearly knew what she was saying already and started to take his own steps back, glancing at the vague layout of the area directly to their right, another doorway. Tucker began to crank the door open, as Hughes kept his rifle pointed up, unable to land a safe shot. Both Valyn and the Infested were far too fast. He couldn’t take the shot without risking Valyn as well. For her part, Valyn was keeping the Infested at bay. It had taken over the body of a Bajoran male. It wasn’t lost on Valyn that somewhere in there, the psyche of the man likely fought as hard as he could. He had medium length hair, balled up into a nice tight bun at the top of his head. He had small, but rounded eyes with a distinct curve at the lash line. They were chocolate brown, nearly black. His lips were full, and his cheeks sharp. He might have been a handsome man if not for the look upon his face. It was truthfully a look that Valyn had never seen before on the face of a living being. It was a look of utter, and complete revulsion for the Romulan woman. It was a hatred so deep it was hard to fathom. Each swing of his arms was met with a wincing on the face, further rage seeping out with the movement. It was clear; she was not welcome here.

With another swing, Valyn saw her opening and seized it. She charged the infested as he brought his arms up to be utilized as hammers against her skull. On the best of days the Bajoran was likely not an easy man to fight. He was tall and muscled. He was a man who did not neglect his body. She slammed into him with all the force she could muster, utilizing her own Vulcanoid strength to attempt to slam him to the ground. While she was able to push him several meters, and even cause him a great deal of unsteadiness, he did not lose his balance. While she gripped his torso, her eyes went wide. He reached down, wrapped his arms right around her, and tossed her aside as simple as if she were a sack of flour. She hit the bulkhead with a resounding thud. “Ugh!” She blinked, her eyes growing hazy with the momentary pain.

“Hughes!” She shouted; Hughes opened fire as she herself scurried for her own rifle. He began firing, weapon still set to maim or stun, not to kill. It only slowed down the approach of the Infested. Each shot collided with his body and only halted his step as they connected, but he did not even flinch in pain. Her rifle out of reach, she grabbed the pistol at her side and took aim. Immediately, she turned the setting of the pistol up, and began to fire. This time, he certainly felt it, and let out a horrifying scream. A scream of equal amounts pain, rage, and unbridled hatred for those beings attempting to stop him. 

However – he did not stop.

While each bolt collided with him and even caused him to falter in his steps he pressed onwards.

“Our phasers aren’t doin’ shit.” Valyn screamed, scurrying to her feet as she drew the knife. She was hellbent on keeping the creature away from Tucker. “Go,” She screamed at them, “plant the charges!” In a flash, she had launched herself onto the back of the creature and with the glint of metal, she began plunging and withdrawing her knife into and out of the throat of the creature. Each strike brought with it a squelch of blood and meat being shorn through, spraying Valyn across the visor with the thick crimson ichor that sustained the life before her. It wasn’t what she wanted. She knew that there was a man, a likely innocent man, in there somewhere. Someway. Somehow. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was stopping the virus and stopping the creature she clung to from causing further damage. As the fluid poured from the Bajorans neck, the creature slowed. Bit by bit, with each plunge of the battle-tested blade, he grew slower. 

Throughout the altercation, Valyn heard the other calls over the comms. Almost as if they were distant echoes, happening in another time and another place. The truth was, however, that chaos was unfolding all around her.

After one last desperate claw towards Valyn, the infested Bajoran collapsed, sheet white and very dead. Valyn sat there a moment, processing what had just occurred with ragged breaths. While the fight felt as if it had lasted an eternity, it had lasted only minutes. Hughes approached her, gingerly, “Ma-” He started but quickly Valyn snapped.

“I told you to go.” She glared at him but took his hand to stand up. “Set the charges.”

She pressed into the corridor that Tucker had revealed through the manual crank, and it was just like the other. A thick sheen of pollen dirtying the air, bodies strewn about. Many were split open, dead as could be. Many others, however, were still in the throes of spreading the virus. She had gathered her rifle and took aim. “Now!” She screamed at Tucker, who immediately went to work. Their very presence had awoken the horde within the room. “Structural points, make it quick.” She did her best not to kill them, but she knew that one way or another, likely they’d end up in the wreckage of the station they’d be leaving behind, open to the vacuum of space. 

She pressed the communication button on her wrist, and through the gunfire shouted. “Charges being set now, we were delayed by-” She paused, “Infested. I don’t know if he’s dead or just down.” Truly, she had no idea if her knifing would keep him down. The amount of gunfire poured into him made her doubt normal mortality in his regard. Those infected by the virus seemed to come from almost all sides, her and her team dropping them the best they could until finally – there was a moment of peace.

“A few minutes later, with Hughes covering his back, Tucker finished. “Done!” He screamed, but an instant later...she heard an eerie, ethereal laugh...and then a scream of agony, and one more of horror. Hughes had offered his hand out to Tucker to stand, but something had plunged through his chest, ripping through the flash before materializing directly in Tuckers face. Behind him stood the Bajoran. Blood drained from him, nothing but a sack of meat controlled by another being. 

“NO!” Valyn screamed, pulling her rifle around and turning the setting up. For his part, Tucker did the same. “NOW!” She opened fire, as did Tucker, chunks of flesh sloughing away from the monster with each shot. He flinched, wined, and jolted with each shot, but did not drop. Instead, Hughes was lifted into the air and with the hand not plunged through him, the infested tore a hole through Hughes from spine to belly, Staring at Tucker with a gleeful leer. 

“Run.” Valyn offered. “Now. Run!” She ran at the infested, trying to give Tucker a moment to escape, still firing at the beast to draw its attention. She pressed the comm once more, “Charges out, but we have a tail! He should be very dead!” The monster tore after them, abandoning the corpse of Hughes in the corridor.  They ran over the bodies of the victims of Niga, Valyn at one point even plunging her boot into the thorax of some poor soul who'd long since perished, split open from stem to stern. They made it back quickly, but right behind them was a maimed monstrosity, hellbent on ripping each of them apart. Valyn spun as she reached the Hangar, still at the back of the cavernous room, and opened fire. High-powered rounds ripped straight through the creature and still...he did not stop. It was her first run-in with one of them, and it dawned on her just how great a threat they were. 

Within seconds, it was upon her. Tucker had kept running towards the shuttle, as instructed. After all, he had the detonation device for the charges. Valyn however, was forced to the ground by the beast. An absolute stroke of luck however, allowed her one last attempt at felling the thing. Her rifle once again slid across the deck with a scittering sound, but her pistol had instinctively found hold in her hand, and just as the creature gripped her helmet, ready to split her head like an egg, she fired into his chest.

He flew backwards and several feet into the air, and Valyn followed after him. The hold of Vulcanoid rage had fallen over her and the moment he hit the deck, she brought the pistol up, aimed at his face, and continued to fire. Each bolt knocking another piece of meat from the beast until there was naught left but a smoking, scorched spot on the deck. She aimed the rifle at the beats belly, and did the same thing, a hole ripping through his abdomen before she crouched and began to beat the lifeless, limp remains. Each fist falling into a different spot. Her free hand gripped her knife at her hip and plunged it down. Over and over again until she simply...screamed. Then she fell backwards and stared. She knew their situation was dire. But...that? She had never expected to face that. Only then did she fully grasp what they faced, staring at the smoking, headless, injury battered remains. She looked over her shoulder, at Tucker who simply stared at her, horror strewn across his face. It was a level of violence she hadn't partaken in in over a decade. It wasn't an act she would easily forget, ripping apart another being. Another officer. Slowly...she began to attempt to find her footing. She didn't even notice if there were others around her.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #20 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Azurite Station ]

And so it had really begun. Chaos - the antithesis of everything a Vulcan could possibly stand for. Cir'Cie watched as Ida attempted to get some of the consoles working, her eyes for the briefest of moments tracing over the Deputy Chief of Security's frame. Most of her memories of the original Niga incident had been purged and while she didn't remember anything too specifically; what blurred azure images that did linger in mind spoke to her instincts. Shaking her head, she promptly turned over to the alarm system - if they could get the alarms working or even just the red alert light system going, then they might be able to get some form of distraction or illumination across the station.

No response, not even emergency issue commands. She would bitterly curse in her head. -When will the Federation learn to re-implement analogue based devices for these kind of events...- her internal cynicism was interrupted however when she felt Ida pressing for her attention.  "You just have to bypass the EPS grid and give the console some power from those. Should get us a minute or so."

Either the lack of fresh air in the station was getting to her, or some part of her psyche was hoping for the Niga to win - but she paused for a moment before taking the two energy cells. She would open the access port to the segment of LCARS consoles she had been observing - engineering was not her forte, but she felt confident in conducting this task. Getting down onto her side, her svelte rear pressing at her slacks and shapely legs sprawling somewhat across the floor, she had to focus to introduce the two energy cells into the EPS grid. Standing back up and brushing her hands together and closed the access panel before bringing the LCARS online, albeit barely. They flickered and stuttered, but were more or less stable, moving forward to wipe the screen clear of dust and grime she was about to observe the various details and options upon the unit:

SECURITY CENTER SUMMARY AND MANAGEMENT CONSOLE:
Armory Inventory: Empty.
Security Field Emitters: Offline.
Audio Alarm System: Ready.
Alert Colour Code System: Ready.

Chief of Security Logs: 1-10. 11-20.

Out of curiosity - Cir'Cie would attempt to access the Logs; but the system would deny her due to a lack of security code input.

She was about to attempt to manually download the logs when her thoughts were once again interrupted by Ida who had declared enemy contact, a pair of low intensity flashes of orange light and the distinct cry of phaser fire meeting her ears. Cir'Cie had stood up and instinctively reached for her pistol, but by the time she had, the threat was already over. That is when she received her next order from the Azure Lieutenant: "Try the antidote in the TR-120 rifles. Cir'Cie, could you please check if it has any effect with your tricorder. If the antidote works, we can treat them, and they can't be left behind when we destroy this station."

"With respect Lieutenant, I must remind you that most Anti-Viral concoctions take up to two hours to yield any noticable results; that is time we may not have to spare. I would suggest having these two beamed to a secure holding on the Theurgy for the time being...regardless; I will follow your order."

Stepping past Ida and into the corridor, she drew her TR-120 rifle and removed two of the Antidote Modified rounds and had their contents carefully extracted and placed into her Hypospray. Conducting the necessary injections, a soft 'Ksht' sound emitted upon each delicate jab, her tentative focus was broken when she heard the voice and immediately fell back into the security center.

"Get behind me! Now! Ida to Commander Cross, one of the Infested are here. I repeat, there is one of them here!"

Not wasting any time; even as Ida told her and the remaining team members to run; Cir'Cie chose instead to activate the Red Alert ambient lights in the corridors via the console she had brought back to life with the Power Cells that Ida had given her - even if the pulsing of the rectangular and dim red lights wasn't enough to guide through people through the paths of the station - she had at least hoped it would reduce some of the tactical advantage the infected and the Infested would have remaining in total darkness.

Drawing her Phaser Pistol and setting it to Kill - Cir'Cie moved to stand behind yet beside the bold Andorian - firing a shot of intense orange light over her shoulder towards Cartwright. "We were the first to suffer, I won't leave you on your own, Lieutenant." Cir'Cie stated firmly, feeling a desire and a surge for vengeance coursing through her. It was something she would never admit and she hoped Ida would not reinforce her order by telling her to retreat with the other two crewmembers.

But if Ida insisted; she would comply.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #21 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station] ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia 

[Show/Hide]

Truthfully, Sarresh was surprised that the young non-comm was already coming to. She had been stunned but a short while ago, and he wondered if there was something about her metabolism that allowed her to shake off the phaser blast far swifter than he would manage. Could that be why the inoculation had not worked as well as advertised? Or had the young woman's exposure been the reason she had been able to push past the stun in relatively short order? Too many questions that Sarresh did not have the answers too. They might very well be in the data he was gathering now, but it was transferring at a rate too intense for him to monitor and process the details. 

Given the one glimpse of a file he had witnessed after he had broken through the base's encrypted firewall to access the encapsulated records, he decided that this was a good thing. He did not want to see any more than he already had.

Sarresh was content to let Cross fill the younger woman in on what had transpired, as he kept his gaze on the console. Clearly the sexual suppressant was working on him, for the moment at least. Objectively he knew that Samala's disheveled appearance would be rather arousing, especially with the way her undershirt clung to her chest. Normally Sarresh would be distracted, if only a little. He was regrettably human, after all. But right now all he felt was the anxious need for the data transfer to complete and the group to push on with their mission so they could light this place up like a miniature super nova. 

Hearing Ida zh'Wann's call over the comms, understanding that someone was coming for the other team, seeking them out, did little to clam those nerves. Cross closed in on Sarresh and he supposed he appreciated that, as the other man did not seem to be under the sway of the virus that had to be present all over this station. So far they hadn't come into physical contact with anyone under its influence - unless Samala had gotten some flesh to flesh interaction before Cross could get into the room. There's a distressing thought.

The follow up only made things more distressing, and Sarresh found himself swallowing back a bit of bile that rose up in his throat. He wouldn't call the Andorian's tone as 'panicked' but clearly stressed was an apt descriptor and in truth he couldn't blame her. The fear bleed away to another, darker emotion which seemed to settle into his stomach like a lead weight. While it kept the nausea at  bay, the rage that began to smolder did nothing to help him get the data any faster. Growling under his breath, Sarresh drummed his fingers on the side of the console. 

"Come one come on come - ha, there we go. Finally," he grabbed the tricorder and snapped it shut, returning it to his hip holster and punching up a command to purge the console. "Ready to get the hell out of here, sir," he quipped as Cross gave just that order, the Scientist drawing his own weapon. Two steps forward, many more back, the way was blocked.  Cross opened up, and Sarresh found himself crouching down and snapping off a shot of his own. Intellectually he knew he aught to be using the rifle. There was a chance these people could be saved. 

But he opened up with his phaser. Instinct drove him, the pressing need to get to the safety of their ship pushing him on. In truth if they stopped to help these poor souls, the greater thread in the base might have time to undo what they had started. They'd be slowed down, carrying those that might be rendered inert by the vials of antidote loaded into the projectile rifle. He couldn't afford to let that happen. Deep down in secluded portion of Sarresh's brain where secrets from the future were locked away, the man understood the profound need to get this data back to the Theurgy and ensure this base was destroyed.

They couldn't afford to be caught. 

More calls came in. The news was mixed, and that was being generous. Sarresh snapped off another shot over his shoulder, dialing the phaser up to heavy stun. So far his shots were doing what they were supposed to. The people behind them were not infested - infected, yes, but not superhuman monsters from beyond the viel. Simply poor bastards that had fallen prey to their own experiments and the machinations of something deeper and darker, driven by base urges. Better they be asleep when the end came, he mused, though in truth stunned into unconsciousness was not quite the same thing.

Feet pounded in the corridor behind them as Sarresh reached out and grabbed Samala, whom would have the detonator for the charges she had set. He tugged, and then pushed her ahead of him, "Get a move on, Crewman," he orded. Objectively he aught to be the one trying to get back to the ship first - he had the data after all - but she had the trigger to help blow this place to hell, and she was their pilot. And perhaps he was simply feeling his age and decided she was clearly too young to die here. Regardless, he gave her a good shove down the corridor they'd traversed prior, before turning around at the next junction and bracing to snap off another shot back into the darkness they'd just left. 

"We're almost there Commander," he called to Cross. Of all the teams, they'd had the shortest distance to their goal, and thus the least amount of ground to cover in their retreat. That was an empty comfort when he heard the sounds of more moans billowing back down the hallway. For all the personnel they'd stunned, it was clear that more were pouring out of rooms and racing after the trio.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #22 –
[ CM3 Samala | Floor | Azurite Station | Federation Space ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Any objection that Samala might have had was pushed aside the moment that Samala heard the call of an infested in the facility. Her hand snapped down to her hip where she was glad to find that her phaser was still secured. Shaking her head to try and clear the fuzziness that was still present, the pilot drew her weapon and glanced about for any immediate signs of danger, careful to keep her mind closed against any outside influence. When the order came down, Samala snatched up the satchel she had set down earlier and set the charges exactly where and how she had been directed to, knowing that she had already contributed once to the mission's potential failure.

“Charges are set!” she announced once she was done, rising back to her feet as her eyes darted about, searching for danger. Commander Cross gave the order to evacuate back to the Apache, something that Samal was more than happy to do. She had had enough with this rock and what was contained within it. As she stepped into the corridor, she saw a door opening and several people emerging into the light. She was just about to begin firing on them when she felt Morali’s hand on her shoulder, redirecting and shoving her down the passageway back towards the hanger.

His intention was clear; she was the pilot and they needed to leave immediately. So, despite her desire to stay and fight, Samala loped off towards the Apache, phaser in hand as weapons began to fire behind her.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #23 –
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Azurite Station ]
Attn: 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88 
[Show/Hide]
The first barrage of phaser fire had hit the thing that used to be Theodore Cartwright, scorching meat from his torso. The Infested cried out, yet more in pleasure than pain, before stepping behind a security console. Ida kept firing, but the enemy was protected by the now burning computer equipment in the Security Centre. She cursed, teeth bared, but her team would be able to escape.

Cir'Cie lingered, however, and took a stance next to her. Ida glanced over, and acknowledged her words solemnly. The two of them had been the original vectors during the Niga Incident, and now they faced the director that had overseen the creation of the vile virus. Zephyr Praise may have invented the first version, but this Infested before them - Praise's superior officer - had taken over the project after that. Now, they faced him together... and the Infested was laughing at them from his hiding place.

"Flesh-puppets," he grated, shuffling his damaged host body along the shadows behind the consoles, "how much darkness have you seen on your voyage?"

Frowning as she kept her eyes along the sights of her rifle, she began to circle the room. She didn't look at what Cir'Cie did, but she assumed the Botanist would also try to get a better vantage point. For some reason, Ida found herself answering the Infested, and her voice was heard through the helmet's speaker. "You are the darkness."

Another chuckle from the shadows. "I speak of the darkness in living beings. The darkness of the soul. I know you have seen it..."

Darkness of the soul? Ida kept frowning, ice-blue eyes searching the flickering shadows of the burning Security Centre. She said naught, so the Infested kept talking. Ida figured it would help in locating him.

"The strong prey upon the weak," Theodore Cartwright said. "The intelligent exploit the pliant... You even murder in the name of love, envy making you strike down lovers and competitors alike. The selfish neglect their duties for sake of personal gain, loosing themselves in vice, and the honourable are slaves to their primal nature. You flesh-puppets live in the pretence of sovereignty, in a charade of morale and law, yet you are always driven by your most basic, animal instincts... This place shows your true nature, when your inhibitions are gone."

Side-stepping a console, Ida thought she'd find the Infested behind it, but the space was empty. I have to keep him talking.... Ida glanced towards Cir'Cie, making sure she wasn't attacked, before raising her voice. "We are imperfect, but we are not inherently corrupt. All species are redeemable, for we evolve. We adapt."

A derisive laugh this time. "So does a virus."

For some reason, perhaps because of nerves, Ida felt anger quicken in her chest. She found the line of reasoning preposterous. "After all that your kind has done to us, who are you to suddenly judge us? Do you really think this 'darkness' from where you sprung has a more benevolent nature?  You deny life, use us against each other, corrupt and twist us into your image. Why! For your amusement? For your pleasure? You are not better than us."

"False. Do you really believe the darkness is capable of amusement, joy or pleasure? Is that what you truly believe, flesh-puppets?"

Ida didn't answer, but Cross' voice cut through inside Ida's helmet. [We are setting charges. Time’s up. Head back to the ship. I repeat: return to the ship. NOW!]

The Infested wasn't finished, however. "You truly are simple creatures," Cartwright said from the fire-lit shadows. "The dark has no will beyond its nature. It exist to devour everything. It cares not for your plight or your passing achievements, your rise and fall in the ebb and flow of your societies. No, it is the nidus, which you call parasites, that make manifest that which presides inside you puppets already. The chaos of your own nature is brought to the surface..."

With a scream, the Infested suddenly burst forth from it's hiding place, close to where Cir'Cie was at. Ida, however, had her rifle raised already, and caught the skinless remains of Cartwright with three rapid phaser bolts, sending him into the wall. At that point, time being short, there was no point in holding back. With Ida's heart thundering in her chest, cobalt blood coursing through her, she unloaded her energy clip into the prone Infested. She didn't look towards Cir'Cie, since she could not afford to loose sight of the creature again, but she hoped the scientist was firing alongside her.

In the end, the thing on the floor had no working limbs left, and most of the torso was gone. Still, it drew breath, and in the ringing silence that followed, it's eldritch voice could be heard again, albeit as a wheezing whisper since at least one of the lungs were compromised. "You... are just prolonging the inevitable... aimlessly searching for a means to deny the fate of all living beings," Cartwright wheezed, one eye peering at the two women in the room. Ida's helmet was recording it as well. "Everything here... just like thousands of galaxies before.... and countless more to follow... is to be devoured. Transcending.... into the darkness beyond. It is meaningless... to resist."

Ida was no fool, not stepping closer. From where she stood, she took careful aim at the head of the prone figure. She hissed her reply through her teeth. "You will take everything - everything - from us, deny us a future, and yet you think we won't fight?"

Giving the Infested her answer, she fired again, and seared Cartwright's head off with her phaser rifle.

"Ida to Cross," she said eventually, the surreal conversation still on her mind, "acknowledged. Heading back now."

[ 5 Minutes Later | Hangar ]

Time had been short, but after downloading what they could retrieve from the Security Centre, Ida and Cir'Cie never ventured into the bio-containment area of Azurite Station. There was naught they would find there that was worth the risk. With spores collected in the mess hall, and the logs they had downloaded, Ida acted on Cross' orders and had set a brisk pace back to the hangar.

Once there, after making sure all the members of her team had already arrived, she found Valyn, and the remains of a humanoid she appeared to have fought. By the judge of the man's injuries, it seemed clear that Cartwright hadn't been the only Infested overseeing the Niga virus development. After tearing her eyes away from the mess, Ida paused to put her hand on the shoulder of the Romulan.

"Time to go," she said quietly, and she may have said it for her own sake as well, since the mission had served to let Ida face down her demons. She glanced towards Cir'Cie before stepping towards the Apache, wondering if it had been a cathartic experience for the Vulcan as well. When she spotted Cross, she inclined her head. "Everyone is here. By your word, we leave and detonate the charges."

Ida did not envy Cross in that moment, since there were innocent people still on the station, whom had yet to reach the later state of the virus' life-cycle. Starfleet officers that might, perhaps, still be treated with the antidote. She held his gaze, knowing what must come next. Command has us prioritise the greater good. she thought, I guess it - sometimes - mean that we must operate in ethical suspension.

OOC: One final round of posts for closure! :) A final post from you all, starting with the Commander having us back on the Apache and launching? Giving the order to blow the charges and watch the firework? Posting order: 1) @Ellen Fitz 2) @BipSpoon 3) @UltimaImperatrixia 4) @Brutus 5) @Stegro88

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #24 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Cargo Bay | Azurite Station ] Attn: 1) @BipSpoon 2) @UltimaImperatrixia 3) @Brutus 4) @Stegro88  5) @Auctor Lucan

While executing a textbook tactical retreat alongside Morali, Samala going before them with the charges, Cross couldn’t help but be reminded of a number of scenes from the ancient earth films his mentor, MacDonald, had shown him during Cross’ rehabilitation. MacDonald had been a lover of “action films” with storylines highly implausible and that featured—typically—a lone hero standing up against superior forces with inferior resources and somehow saving the day—and often the buxom damsel.

Hearing both the calls from Valyn denoted a worse scenario, with her team coming up against Infested, and then almost immediately after, a similar call coming from Ida with yet another Infested. And here they were, shooting down superior numbers of infected as they withdrew back to the ship from the various corners of the station they’d branched out to. If this were one of those action films, there would be heart-pounding music playing over top of the visual of half-naked and distended bodies of infected falling to the corridor floor, their prone forms bathed in the red glow of the flashing red alert lights illuminating the corridor. Depending on the genre, viewers would know that despite all odds, every member of the team would make it back “just in the nick of time,” he would say something clever like, “eat fire, you fuckers” before they jetted back to the Savi and carried on to Theurgy lauded as heroic survivors of this shit.

But he was not sitting on the sofa with MacDonald at his side, popcorn stuck in his teeth, eyes glued to the explosions and bouncing breasts on the screen. He was actively shooting down fellow members of Starfleet, too far gone into their infection to be saved—by his opinion at least, hoping that the rest of his team made it back before he had to make the damned difficult decision to leave them behind. And if necessary, Cross knew he would. And he knew those officers in the team with him would want him to if it was necessary. But, given the members of this particular team and their penchant for surviving against the worst hells, Cross had little doubt of their survival. Perhaps missing some limbs or with new injuries, but they’d survive.

Back in the cargo bay, Cross took position outside the Apache, covering the corridors as they awaited the return of the others. Valyn and her team arrived with violent gusto, the Romulan taking out the last of her attacker with the usual aplomb of a woman rendered in steel. The immediate threat taken care of, Tucker moved back to Valyn’s side to assist her into the Apache if she needed it while they continued to wait for Ida and her team. He knew they were alive and on their way; she’d acknowledged his order.

And then the Andorian warrioress returned, the Vulcan Cir’Cie with her. He had noted the loss of Hughes earlier, so he knew Ida’s comment had more to do with her own team than the overall group that had arrived. There was no time for congratulations on survival, not yet. The howling moans of infected were vibrating off the walls of the cargo bay now, the mass of what was left of the crew aboard making their way to the only uninfected on the station.

“Secure positions onboard. We blow the station as soon as we clear it.” He was the last to secure himself on the Apache, finding only marginal relief once the ship’s doors sealed shut. They’d done their job, now it was time for the pilots to get them the hell out of there.
 
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