Star Trek: Theurgy

Prologue: Insurgency [ Day 05 | 2315 hrs. ]

[ Echtand qi Versant | The Quarters of the Voice | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]With his two hearts racing, Echtand had made it back to his quarters, and he began to follow the development in the holo-program. With his access codes, he could see what the Low Class degenerates could see in their mundane surveillance of the specimens. It quickly became apparent that time was short, before the crews of the Theurgy and the Endeavour would disrupt the program entirely. He immediately began to make his calculations, trying to figure out the most efficient way to go forth with his plan without creating a trace that could lead back to him.

Then, just an hour later, the priority message came. It held Semathal's seal on his screen. Echtand closed his eyes momentarily, suspecting what it was about. He decided to patch through audio only, not wanting the Scion to read his facial features. He had no way of knowing if the Commanding Officer of the Versant suspected him. Clenching his jaw, he answered.

"This is the Voice," he said, while his six fingers continued to work on the solution he needed.

[Echtand,] clicked the deep voice, making his name sound like a failed lab test, and the word reverberated in Echtand's quarters. [The High Council has approved my motion. If you need any verification, see your messages. I want the Correction Program and the Biolab experiments discontinued for the time being, and all specimens Recycled. Immediately.]

Closing his hands into shaking fists, Echtand lowered his head, the profanities all in his mind. Immediately? Surely he could come up with something to stall it. Yet he knew that if he offered any kind of counter-argument, his loyalty would be in question. He couldn't even pause for thought. "Aye, Admiral Semathal."

There was a pause before Semathal spoke again. "I want them all in the Nonary Recycling Buffer, where I will oversee the completion of the process myself. I will be there within the minute. Proceed."

Echtand didn't know if Semathal had detected something in his voice, or if he had meant to oversee the Recycling of all the specimens to begin with. Either way, it didn't matter. All he could do was to comply before he ended the conversation. "At once."

Once the comm-link to the Scion was cut, Echtand pushed away from his desk, pacing his quarters. There was no time. Everything was riding on the aid he needed from these specimens if he was to save his people from its oppressors. He had to know the real Code, and he couldn't proceed on his own. But there was no time! He prided himself with his emotional control, but right then, he hissed in frustration, and lashed out. He struck the bulkhead, screaming at it even if he was perfectly aware that it mattered naught.

There was another chirp, from the surveillance of the starship simulation, and he saw on the screen that the specimens were attacking the warp core. In any other situation, he might actually have admired their fortitude. Yet as he stared at them, how they worked together...

...an idea came to him.

It was far from ideal, knowing perfectly well what it would entail. Another chirp, and the starship simulation had been disrupted. He took a couple of deep breaths, knowing that Semathal would be watching him, anticipating the arrival. So, he schooled himself, and with another deep breath, he picked up his tablet and initiated the holographic feed of himself in the Undenary Observation Pen. With his stoic gaze even, he spoke. "Specimens, this is the Voice of the Savi. You have disrupted your humane containment, choosing to not conform to the process in a peaceful manner. You were warned about the consequences of such actions."

Echtand saw how they scrambled, trying to access one emitter in the deckhead. He could but continue.

"At another time, you would have been given further options, your health paramount for the memory treatment and release. Yet as of ten minutes ago, your conformity has been rendered a moot point." Echtand uncrossed his arms and picked up his tablet again. He began to make his preparations for the transport. The hardest part was the reflection he needed to create, and to hide it... Meanwhile he worked, he had to continue to speak, positively feeling Semathal's four eyes on him. "The High Council has evaluated a motion regarding the Versant's need for repairs, where it has been argued that this need surpass the importance of the Correction Program and all the current projects in our Biolabs. Since your biomatter will sustain the Versant during its expedited repairs, the final decision has been made."

Reflection made, hidden in the buffer as best as he might, he started to work on the second containment beam.

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

He did not want to look up, didn't want to see the emotional response of his words, because he could hear it well enough, muffled through his console. After speaking with Blue Tiran, he knew that the taking of lives might not be a part of the Code at all, and in the interest of verifying this, he had to go though with this, despite the consequences.

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

Then, Echtand energised the transport, raising his black eyes, and seeing how the collected specimens all vanished, knowing perfectly well what would befall them... and what awaited for the others (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Transporter_duplicate). The last thing he did, sombre and quiet, was to finally send a text message in Federation Standard to the tablet he had left with Lieutenant Commander Blue Tiran. The message was short.


(https://orig00.deviantart.net/855a/f/2018/093/b/e/chapter_02_image_2___low_class_by_auctor_lucan-dc7s4fz.png)

[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]Once all the shaken officers re-materialised, it took them all a while to understand that something wasn't adding up.

There were no Savi present, and in the dim-lit area - empty and barren though quite spacious - there was no sign of them being Recycled after all. Even though they were all as bare as they had been in the dark Observation Pen, there seemed to be no immediate cause for concern, noting present being a threat to them. Nothing besides a slight chill, given their lack of holographic uniforms and clothes.

ThanIda zh'Wann frowned as she looked about, and finally, she saw a figure. A humanoid. Human, with a streak of blue in her dark hair. Ida's antennae angled forward, fists clenching at her sides. She made no motion to cover herself, her senses pinned on the humanoid in the darkness. She might have spoken for many others present when she raised her voice.

"Who goes there?" she asked quietly, though the three words carried clearly... since the crowd of lab subjects had quietened down.

Yet like many others, Ida also wondered where they were, since the spacious interiors looked Savi, but completely abandoned.

---

OOC: All right! 7 days response time begins now for all listed below! Here are the characters present in Blue Tiran's hideout in the Maintenance Bays, and if there are significant reunions because of this, it should be handled in Supplemental threads or mid-discussion in this thread. The naming convention for such threads belonging to this Prologue is: PRO: S [DXX|XXXX] Insert Title. Here goes: [Show/Hide]

[ K'Ren (http://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=K%27Ren) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn:  @all
[Show/Hide]Materializing in the relative darkness of the bay, K'Ren felt confused as the transporter released it's grip on her. Moments before she'd felt the grip of a transporter beam and assumed that was the end, that she'd fade into oblivion, peacefully consigned to the nothingness, a fading memory only a few would remember. But now, as she felt the grav plates beneath her, instinct took hold, a fight or flight response welling up inside. Tail still, her claws extended, pupils dilating she felt the furr on the back of her neck went up as she adjusted to the dimly lit bay. Ears swiveling, taking in this new area, she crouched a little, tensing in case an attacker appeared from the dim recesses of the large bay.

That didn't seem to be the case however and with the rest of the survivors all in the same area, and no sign of threats, she could relax a little, just a little. Scanning the room, surrounded by the scent of fear and naked bodies, she looked for familiar faces, specifically Deacon and R'Rori, whom she hoped were also alive though hard to find in the sea of naked monkies. It was ThanIda's outburst to a figure apart from the other's that made her tense up again, her focus on the new threat, wondering how she'd missed the outsider in the room, apart from everyone as they were.  Moving between the throng of people and this unknown, K'Ren tensed up, claws extending again, her senses focused despite the almost overwhelming feeling of the sensory information coming in. She'd fight, and die if need be to defend the others.

[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Sinead_O%27Riley#Personality_Profile) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Brutus, @Zenozine, @Masorin, @SummerDawn, @chXinya, @Absinthe, @steelphoenix, @Blue Zephyr, @YasyraTrill, @patches, @Fife & @Numen
[Show/Hide]Perhaps they didn't need Sinead to do something unexpected, seeing as their act of defiance had not gone unnoticed, and in moments they would be nothing more than material for consumption. It was a sobering moment that once again, her reputation as the Grim Reaper held true, and that anybody who worked with her would end up dead, only this time, this time, she would surely die too. Nothing could escape this. Sinead was a dealer of photonics and transporter technology. She saw no way out, but the truth was, she didn't care to search for a way out. Now she could be with him in the afterlife. With Captain Kendrick.

But that was not to be.

As her ghostly self taunted her, assuring her that when they least expected it, she would lose control of her body, and kill the leaders who could save the crew members on board, she opened her silvery-blue eyes to see they were not anywhere near anything that would supposedly turn them into Savi paste. In fact, she had her doubts that they'd been sent to the correct place. The lighting was low, but thanks to her Bringloidi heritage, she saw in the dim lighting like it was a sunny midday afternoon on Earth. She noticed the woman who was clearly not a part of their group.

She slowly sank to the ground, heedless of the fact that she was once again naked, and she said, “We didna die.” If anyone could read tones well, they would have noticed that the main emotion she expressed was disappointment, not a hint of relief or gladness. She looked at the ground a little longer, then sighed, resigned, and stood up, moving to stand beside the Andorian woman who had spoken, her hands hanging in a relaxed but ready manner as she studied the new person with very little interest, but she was alert all the same.

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs. |  Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | The Versant  ]
[Show/Hide]Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Brutus  @Zenozine  @Masorin  @SummerDawn  @chXinya @Absinthe  @steelphoenix  @Blue Zephyr @YasyraTrill  @patches  @Fife  & @Triage


For a moment, Khorin wanted to thank his Wolf fellow for her help, but Dragon's gaze suddenly turned into a ballistic stance, an incongruous expression in her now too human face. However, her anger didn't seem directed towards the Klingon, but against someone who was behind him. Margon's son turned to face the enemy that caused such affliction in his Pack Sister, only to meet Hylota's black eyes. Still, he didn't have time to act in any way, because the simulation exploded suddenly in a white flash.

Blinking, eyes watering from the excess of light to which they weren't accustomed, in barely an instant Khorin found himself in the observation pen where he had been transported after his Correction. Naked and disoriented, he put his hands to his eyes, taking a couple of insecure steps, his body prepared to act even when his confused brain wasn't yet able to assimilate the transit from one reality to another. He had to focus, it was time to escape, they had little time in fact, he had to ... he had to find Cross, and Zeph. They had a plan. He only just had to ...

"You two, lift me up to the deckhead, right over here, now! Hurry!" the anguished voice changed his plans, and Khorin went to where the young Bajoran pointed. Soon he found himself shoulder to shoulder with the quasi-human with murderous eyes, his twisted body more evident now that nudity didn't prevent seeing the extent of the modifications practiced in him by the Savi. The man staggered, determined to lean on the ball of his feet, as if he weren't used to supporting the weight of his body in the full sole. In the corridors it had been evident that he couldn't run, but now the reason was obvious. The other warrior seemed to have been modified by some kind of Savi interns, turning him into a kind of cripple. If Khorin's hatred against grayish creatures needed more spur, there was a new one there.

Staggering under the uncoordinated movements of the Bajoran, the Klingon could hear the ill-fated voice of one of his captors begin to narrate his condemnation and punishment. "Hey puny boy, do something!" He growled, trying to ignite the young man to made whatever he was trying to make a bit faster. Little could do his words to accelerate the process, but simply holding the engineer, as if it were a mere pedestal was not in the pilot's way of being. "Do something!" Commander Nerina shouted, somewhere out of Khorin's visual range. The Klingon clenched his jaw, trying to raise the slender Bajoran even more. A few drops of blood fell on his forehead, creating capricious paths in his ridges. The engineer was literally working his fingers to the bone on what he was doing, whatever it was. However, it was too late.

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

“Do'Ha'!” Khorin roared in frustration as he felt his body begin to lose consistency, the familiar feeling of the transporter settling in the pit of his stomach. They had failed. His last look, with his almost intangible body, turned to the crowd, searching for Zeph. He hadn't could keep his promise to her.

---

[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Kelleshar_sh%27Zenne)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]


When her body materialized again, Shar acquired a defensive pose, ready to fight for her life. She wouldn't enter gentlely in the other life, she would burn and rave, rage against the dying of all hope. With her fists clenched, she looked around, unable to prevent her antennae from being rigid and quivering above her scalp. She had expected to re-materialize in some kind of factory, a slaughterhouse destined to turn them into mere chains of nutrients and building materials, ready to be consumed by their captors or that damn starship. Instead of that, she found herself in a huge and empty room, barely illuminated, that extended beyond where her eyesight reached. Around her, the rest of the abductees seemed as bewildered as she was, the soft murmur of their voices growing once it was clear that her death wasn't imminent anymore.  At some point a thud sounded against the bulkplates, as if an ox had been knocked down. The Ops officer turned to the sound, but she didn't see any danger. What she did see was the naked body of another of the Andorians, Selh, as he had seen it at the beginning of the experiment to which they had been subjected. Well ALMOST.

The young Shen flushed suddenly, her cheeks a bright purple clearly discernible despite the dim light. She turned her back on the RIO without waiting to see his reaction, there were things that, for the moment, it was better not to think about. Thanks to the Water Guardian, the crowd seemed to quiet for a moment, so she could clearly hear Ida's words. Without thinking, she walked her steps to the zhen, stopping behind her.

Her surprise was huge when she could see who she had addressed. The Beast herself, Commander No-So-Blue Tiran. "I know her," she said, resting a reassuring hand on Ida's shoulder, then moving forward a few steps, facing the former Chief Engineer of the Endeavour. Of all the people she could expected to find in those moments, the one she had least expected was that pink-skin. She had considered that know-it-all her personal enemy, she had sworn to herself in the scape-pod that she would do whatever was in her hands to make her life impossible, to erase that smug smirk on her face and, however... yet now, after everything that had happened, she was glad to see her. One knew what to expect with Tiran. She was arrogant, medding and a smartypants. But she was also devilishly intelligent, tireless and efficient. And given the tendency shown by the crew of the USS Theurgy to reduce their plans to hit hard and without thinking, The Beast was the ally they needed at that time.

She stopped one stride from her, and looked her up and down. She looked exhausted, hungry and almost mad, but her eyes shone with the determination she remembered. Shar allowed herself one of her few smiles, a shark-like one. "You look like shit Commander. Tiran" she said as greeting. "But I'm glad that you are alive." Without knowing how, she found herself hugging the other woman, clinging to the known and logical world she represented.

---

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]



The sudden transport made Khorin unbalanced, so when he rematerialized, on tiptoe, trying to get Lin Kae to reach something that was no longer where it should be, he rushed forward, hitting his ribs on the ground, dragging the quasi-human with him. The engineer fell on both men seconds later. His head bouncing painfully against the Klingon knee pit. The Lone wolf growled at the blow and crawled out of the limbs pile as soon as he could. When he was able to stand up, he looked around, surprised that he wasn't where The Voice of the Savi had announced. They seemed to be in an abandoned section of the ship, empty, barely lit and cold, damn cold.

Unable to avoid it, he began to shiver, all his bare skin (that was, actually, all of it) got goosebumps. Another colacteral effect of his Correction that he hadn't anticipated: a poor tolerance to the coldness. He clenched his teeth, trying to avoid them to chatter. Khorin endured the unpleasant sensation, watching the throng in search of some of his allies. He wanted to find Dragon and the rest of the Wolves, the words about keep the pack stick together still fresh in his mind. He also wanted to find Cross and Spots and the Ovri siblings. But, above all, he wanted to find Zeph. Almost instinctively, his sight fell where she was and went towards her, pushing the rest of the abductees away, not caring how rough his gesture was or who he shoved. His eyes never left her.

When he reached her, his first impulse was to hug her, but he hesitated a moment given the nakedness of both them. It was something that didn't bother the Klingon, coming as he did from a culture that estimated physical potency above all and being in the highest point of his physical condition. But he didn't know if she would be uncomfortable with that. Finally, he traveled the distance between them and cupped her face between his hands, resting his forehead against hers, feeling the warmth of her skin against his. "Here you are, beautiful," he whispered, the relief evident in his gruff voice. A mischievous grin appeared in his beard before he continued talking. "I had intended to wait for you to see this hot, chiseled body after a date but ... whatever" he chuckled

[LCdr Blue Tiran | Blue's Bay | Heads Up 7 Up | I Love to Hate You | Ambassador of Bad Shit]

@Auctor Lucan @patches @Fife @SummerDawn @Numen @Masorin @Zenozine @Brutus @Absinthe @chXinya @steelphoenix @YasyraTrill @Triage

The breeze of the Brazilian city of Rio blew through her dark curls through the modern favelas.  They fluttered about her on the spot where she stood.  Over looking his mother's garden.  She was gifted, green thumb and all, the beauty of the back garden was something to behold.  Though Blue wasn't the sort to really put much thought into flowers and vegetables it was quiet back here.  The kind of quiet that settled the heart but allowed the mind to drift.  To drift to how she had ended up here, and to drift back to her own family.  Watching Ducote and his family, watching the love for one another even if Ducote and his father were always at each other's throats it was still... family. 

There were times, that Blue wondered about the parents she had walked out on when she entered the Starfleet Academy.  She had kept herself and her situation hidden for the most part in regular school, scored stellarly on the Entrance Exams and worked herself into the Academy.  She had never once looked back and to her knowledge they had never once tried to find her.  Perhaps now that all their children had died or abandoned them they would miss her but she was not about to hold her breath.  She cared not for the familial people that had abandoned her in every meaning of the word when she was a small girl.

Footsteps behind her, she knew who it was.  The heavy footfalls sounded different here in the natural surroundings than they did back on the Bulkheads of the ship they served on together.  But, she knew his foot falls anywhere.  She knew the sound of his breathing, his sighs, his hidden anger.  She knew every look in his eyes and how he could tell her to get her shit together without even opening his mouth.  She also knew, that he knew things about her she could not verbalize and while she stood out here looking at the garden, she knew he could feel the turmoil in her mind.  It wasn't often she thought about the things she didn't have  Blue was grateful for the things that she did. 

Mostly, the man who's large arms came around her waist.  Chin resting on her shoulder.  Her mind eased, just the mere presence of him with her, did that.  The way that he grounded her in ways that not a single other person in creation could do. 

“You always show up...” she said softly, though she didn't finish the statement with 'when I need you'.  Because, he already knew that part.

“Blue, I ...”

The ping from her PADD woke her up.  Blue shot up right, for a moment she forgot where she was, the sound so familiar to her past, that her mind had nearly wiped out the present circumstances for just a fraction of a second.  She brushed angrily at her cheeks as the traitorous tears fell down her cheeks from the dream.  Her tongue was stuck to the top of her mouth and she was so hungry but the pain in her stomach and the pain of her body was something that kept her mind sharp for now.  When it wasn't buried in fog, anyway.  Taking a steadying breath she grabbed up the PADD that Echtand had given to her.  She hardly remembered crawling back to her spot.  To falling out of the air shaft and into the large bay that she had taken for her own. 

Pulling it over she brushed her thumb across the PADD and the screen came to life.  She winced at the bright light as she blinked and let her eyes adjust to the bright lettering in Federation Standard on the PADD in front of her. 

[RATIONS WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO YOUR LOCATION.  PREPARE FOR THE MORROW.  REST.]

The Morrow?  I'm going to have to talk to Echtand about his lack of … realism.

Rations. 

Rations.

Rations.

Rations.. rations are coming. 

The thought of eating made saliva fill her mouth which made her stomach go wild with the influx of fluids heading down the way.  She could and would eat anything.  Even.. vegetables at this point. I'd rather a pile of twinkies... or steak.  Steak would be good.  Or those coxinhas that Ducote made me that one time.  I want to eat some Brazilian food.  I want to go back to Brazil and hike in Peru and go play in the water fall again.  Maybe this time I'll jump off the water fall and make him freak out. her mind was all over the place.

Before she could even get it caught up her day dreams of water falls and food, and food water falls ended with an amazing flash of bright light.  She buried her face in her arms and waited for the light to die out.  SON OF A BITCH!  She thought she had either been caught or this was the promised rations.  I don't smell twinkies.. I smell... something else.

Finally, she blinked the bright spots out of her vision and stood up shakily.  Holy mother of fucking hell and twinkies.... they're here.  She looked around at the mass of naked people that stood there staring around.  The room was still fairly dark to be less conspicuous she had only used the small pen lights in the walls instead of the over head so that no one could walk by and get curious.  However, now, this room that had seemed so gigantic and lonely was smaller, by a large margin with that many people in it.  There had to be about .. fifty... or so she could, she supposed, count them all but she didn't really want to do that and she would probably get lost at some point.  So it was best not to push the mental parameters that she had left in her brain.

Suddenly, there was a voice. 

Okay well... I'm not hallucinating then.  Rations don't speak, so .. they must actually be people... oh Echtand you beautiful white bastard... you fucking did it..  She shifted her sharp blue eyes to the woman that stood there.  She looked familiar, but it wasn't someone that Blue knew, no, it was as if it was out of body.  She knew her, but didn't know her.  This was someone the Deltan knew, the one that had locked minds with Blue briefly while the heavy attack on her psyche happened. 

The room they found themselves in was spacious, a nice maintenance bay and it was clear with the debris all around the area where Blue had stood up from that she had been here a while.  There was a pile of what looked like make shift weapons, not just for herself but for others if she could manage it.  She had a small amount of a savi suit that she had been laying on top of and a Savi pad that was still in her hand.  There were parts, bits, and pieces of various machinery and 'junk' that she had collected to probably make the weapons that were stacked somewhat neatly in a pile.  When she was losing her mind she liked to re-organize them.  There were two doors that went off the bay where they now stood, storage closets, that would open up and she thought about how she could get all of them to sleep since now Echtand's message took a whole different meaning. They would have to use the storage rooms and even then it wasn't going to be super spacious but it would do.  She knew the spaces that she had, because she had been living here for days. 

Surviving, anyway.

Another mentioned that she hadn't died, and then... then there was Shar.  Blue's face drank in the visage of the Andorian woman.  Not for a moment, giving a shit that she was naked as the day she was born.  The woman stood forward and said she knew Blue.  That would make things far more easy if someone recognized her.  Blue's eyes locked with the woman that was her enemy in almost every way.  But the enemy of my enemy is still my friend.  Right now, that was exactly what she was feeling.  Shar closed the small space between them and came towards Blue.  Saying that she looked like shit. 

“Understatement of the century.” she whispered in a heavy voice and then there was Shar, again, but this time she was hugging her.  For a moment Blue just stood there absolutely shocked not just because it was Shar but she was being touched, held, she was being something.. other than alone and hungry and tortured.  Blue trembled slightly, she didn't need to fall apart now, she had a job to do and it was a very important one.  Still her arms came up and hugged the Andorian to her. 

“I hate your fucking guts.” she whispered but it was the kindest tone in the world as she clung to the woman that she couldn't stand.  The one that took her away from Ducote, the one that had separated them and the one that had been a bitch on the Escape pod.  She pulled back from the hug.  “I guess you're too mean for even the Savi to knock out.” she smirked slightly though it had lost some of it's general snarkiness because of all that Blue had been through.

She turned to the rest of the group, allowing Shar to stay beside her if she wished.  She thought about what to say, how to say it.  What she did right now would be important and it was something that would decide if these people turned into a problem or if they turned into a solution.  She had worked hard to get them this far, an alliance she never should have made, but also Echtand was putting his life on the line to save them.  He got nothing, truly, out of it.  But she was glad for it.

No... no Albert though.

Her heart ached to see the only family she had left.  With Ducote gone, she had Albert and that was all.  Once things were over Shar and she would become the enemies they truly were and things would be shit again.  Swallowing heavily her eyes alighted on those in the bay.  Some were her own crew, some weren't, some she assumed were from other ships.  Where ever the Deltan was from, several people here were from there too. 

“My name is Lieutanant Commander Blue Tiran, formerly of the USS Endeavour.” she stated out she was in her Starfleet uniform, without it's badge or anything like that.  She had lost a lot of weight since she had been here and it hung on her slightly here and there.  But the Engineering woman was not worried about that.  “I was to be recycled.  To be turned into the food that these people eat and yet, I ran.  I escaped.  I have been here, trying to gather information.  I've seen what the Savi do.  I've witnessed the horrors, I've been biding my time.  Down here, making weapons, so that when I could collect you, we could escape.  We are Starfleet.  We will not go down without a fight, you have all proven that yourselves.  I know what you did in the holodeck, I know how hard you've fought, and I have found an ally here.  He is the one responsible for you being here, he is the one that is going to help us off this mother fucking ship of doom and he is the one that is making all this shit possible.”

She looked at all of them.  “I could only do so much, I am one person but we... together we can fuck this ship over.  Take ourselves back to the people that are waiting for us.  We can make them never forget the ire of Starfleet.” she said as she straightened her back.  “I have been informed that we cannot move until tomorrow.  Food, is on the way.  We will sleep here tonight, it's late, and we need to be rested, tomorrow will take all of what we've got.  But if I know anything about Starfleet, I know that we can do this together.”

Blue was trembling, it was taking everything she had just to stand up, just to speak so much, just to see so much hope in one room.  To know that there was possibility.  They were going to get out of here, there was hope, true hope.

Hope in 57 faces.

[Lt. Zephyr Praise | Unknown Location | Unknown Bay | Unknown Ship ]
@Numen

She had been terrified.  The holodeck program had ended and she found herself, with the others, without anything again, in the Observation Pen.  She was naked again, her weapons that they had been given on the holodeck  Everything was reset.  She stood there on the deck and watched as the great beast... thing.. walked around just out of sight.  The visage and voice of the Voice.. whatever his name was, terrified her.  She looked around in horror.  Searching desperately for the one face that could offer her any amount of comfort for the moment.  Her eyes were wide, horror filled, she was terrified of what was about to happen, what was going to go down.  They were going to be recycled.  At the very least the one thing she could take with her was the fact that they had shared a moment in the closet.  They had fought, side by side, but that she would never truly know if they would have been able to forward.

She wasn't beside him any more.  He was over to the other side of the room.  He was there, but she could see him in the sea of people.  She hardly listened to the voice, she knew that it didn't matter.  They were dead, they were dying, and she knew only one person in here.  There were people that were acquaintances.  But, only Khorin was the one her eyes went for.  She swallowed heavily and just watched Khorin unsure of what was going on.  She knew that it wouldn't be good, it could never be good.  Even if she tried to make it okay, she knew that overall.. things would never be the same.

This was it.

This was all that was in the fate for her and Khorin.

Never once, did her eyes move from his.  Echtand could have been speaking to give her the recipe to his Grandmother's cookies and she would never actually know.  She didn't care what he had to say, he had already said they were dead.  Whatever she had wanted .. that future, the chance that something could develop, a life, her career.  It was gone.  Tears welled in her eyes and slid softly down her cheeks. 

He was the last thing she saw as the bright lights brightened up the room, and blinded her.

==Stayin' Alive, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Stayin Aliiiiiiii-iive==

The light died.  She was naked, and she looked around, it was dim in here but the retinal burns on her eyes for the moment.  She closed them allowing her eyes to adjust even though the colorful array behind her eye lids for the moment.  She could hear the people around her, she could feel the people around her.  The shock, the surprise, and she swore she felt the pang of disappointment from someone but she couldn't pick them out.  There were way too many people in here to select them out all together unless she was very familiar with one of them.  She could pick out Khorin's mind out of the whole building. 

Opening her eyes she blinked again and noticed the frazzled mind that was in front of them.  Hazel green eyes shifted to the front to see the Human woman with blue eyes that matched the streaks in her hair.  The girl looked as though she had been through the ringer.  Weight loss, dirty skin, circles around her eyes said that there was a lack of sleep and a lack of food.  She couldn't tell much more without an actual medical scan but to be certain she was in rather bad shape.  Zephyr's heart went out to the woman though apparently she knew people here because before she could say all the words that would later come from her mouth she was hugged by a naked Andorian woman. 

She could feel the woman's psyche shaking.  Trembling.  Trying desperately not to break down to be strong.  The woman was strong, Zeph could tell.  The way she shoved her emotions to the side, straightened her back, and delivered a speech in the hopes that it would move the masses to help her get them all off the ship.  The woman had a history of emotional turmoil.  Zeph turned her mind away from the girl's emotional state and to the words that she said. 

“She is one of us.” she admitted, she could feel it, and tell it through the empathic link.

Suddenly, there was Khorin.  She looked up and she smiled bright at him.  Despite all the crap that was going on around her she was so glad that he was alive.  She hugged him tightly without even thinking about her naked body for the moment.  She looked up into his eyes she wasn't much paying attention to his body right now, she didn't think it was something she needed to be paying attention to right now.  She just lay her head against his chest and waited for the rest of the people to understand the words they were hearing.  To make a plan, to get things together.  She was ready.  She was so ready to be off this damn ship.

“I'm so glad we're okay.” she confessed to him.

[ Lt. Cross | Corridors | USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E | Precept-ship Versant ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Numen @Blue Zephyr Everyone Else.

The doors to Main Engineering aboard the Enterprise slid open ahead of Cross and PO Narelle, allowing them to hear the sounds of chaos emanating from within. Cross was steps from the threshold, with the PO on his heels, when everything around them changed. The simulation was gone, the Enterprise ceasing to exist. Cross tried in vain to halt his advance, skidding on bare feet along the deck plating and bowling over another of the captives before tumbling forward himself as PO Narelle barreled into his back, her legs getting tangled with his own. Cross rolled onto his back and attempted to extract himself from the tangle of limbs that was himself, the PO and the Betazoid Ensign that he had seen in Ten Forward. He was cold again, the air frigid on his skin. Cross glanced down at himself and found his clothes were gone. It only made sense that the holographic clothing would disappear with the rest of the simulation.

Cross glanced up and met PO Narelle’s gaze as the image of one of their captors appeared. It was the same Savi who had addressed them before the simulation had started. Cross listened as he explained the situation. As he explained that they would be recycled. As he apologized.

Apologies seem a little redundant in a situation like this… Cross thought, his mind seeming oddly calm under the circumstances. He felt no anger, no rage. Not even hatred.

He felt nothing.

For what might have been the first time in his life, Cross was utterly calm, devoid of any emotion. With death looming over him he felt utterly empty. He heard panic around him. Yelling. He saw fear in the eyes of the Trill woman that faced him. Saw the panicked look on the Betazoid’s face.

Then the transporter beam enveloped them all.

---

[ Lt. Cross | Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Versant ]

Cross was still kneeling as he materialized alongside all the other captives on a large pad. It seemed to be the main feature in the room they now found themselves in, though Cross could see little of the room from his position. Panic was reigning among the abductees, increasing in volume and desperation. Cross’ voice did not join the din. Instead, he remained in his kneeling position, shifting his weight to sit back on his heels. He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath in through his nose. His imagined he could smell the panic of the group, the scent joining the horrible sounds that assaulted his ears. Through his eyelids he saw a blue light grow into being, accompanied by a further increase in the volume of the terrified crowd.

Cross truly felt for them. They all had lives they wanted to cling to, to keep on with. Cross felt pity for them. They were losing something they cherished.

He let out his breath slowly as he was enveloped by a growing pain, the sensation quickly overwhelming him to a point beyond thought or pity.

Then he disappeared from existence.

---

[ Lt. Cross | Day 5 | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]

Cross became aware again. Aware of his own being, of the cold, of the noise around him.

As he opened his eyes he saw that he was in a dimly lit room, still surrounded by the naked forms of the abductees. The panic had subsided, the group calmer than when death had loomed over them. It seemed they had been given a reprieve. The thought caused the anger to creep back into him. It came slowly, barely noticed beyond a tightening in his jaw. He shivered, both at the returning rage and the cold of the room.

Cross rose slowly to his feet, his gaze travelling around the room. Then he saw a figure in the dim light, beyond the cluster of abductees. A figure with blue in it’s hair.

Lieutenant Commander Ti…

Cross’ thought was cut short as he was bowled over, hitting the deck plating hard. Rage flared in his chest and his teeth ground audibly as he raised his eyes to see the retreating back of a naked Klingon. He saw Khorin slow as he approached Lieutenant Praise, who was also naked.

Bloody Klingons… Cross thought as he pushed himself to his knees and staggered back to his feet. A low growl emanated from his throat, causing startled looks from the abductees closest to him. They could have at least recycled him…

Cross turned his gaze back towards Lieutenant Commander Tiran, but found himself watching Shar hugging the woman. It took Cross a moment to realize they were hugging, his initial thought being that Shar had attacked the Endeavour’s former Chief Engineer. Then Blue Tiran turned and addressed the group, giving a surprisingly inspiring speech considering the tempestuous officer it was coming from.

Cross approached his two former crewmates as Blue finished speaking, glancing between Shar and LCdr Tiran as he stopped several paces away. ”Now why couldn’t you two get along like this when we were stuck in that escape pod?” Cross’ feigned stern look was spoiled by a chuckle that escaped him. ”It’s good to see you, ma’am. Cross said with a grin, the movement of his face causing several flakes of dried green blood to free themselves from the crusted green smears on his cheek and fall to the deck. ”I would say you look like hell, but I don’t imagine we look much better from where you stand.”

Now that he was closer, he could see the changes in Lieutenant Commander Tiran. Her face looked thinner, almost gaunt. Dark circles framed eyes that spoke of strain and lack of sleep. The engineer had obviously been through hell while they were being “corrected” and fighting to free themselves from the Enterprise simulation. It suddenly dawned on Cross that while Blue knew Shar on sight, the Lieutenant Commander might not recognize him post correction, lacking nasal ridges and sporting the ridiculous Vulcan eyebrows. And naked. ”Sorry, ma’am. It’s Lieutenant Cross.” He clarified, giving a slight shrug as he shifted his weight, feeling suddenly awkward and uncomfortable as he realized he was once again standing naked before his former crewmates.

Lt JG Hi'Jak (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Hi%27Jak) | Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @Triage
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When the program dropped Jack knew they only had a matter of minutes to seconds to fix the problem, find a way out of the place before they were put into some area to be recycled. His original expectation had been a door, or just about anything that would help them to dig out of this situation. Instead the room was lacking in just about every kind of feature.

He had been drugged pretty heavily still when they had first brought him here, so he had assumed that dropping the program was the simplist way to get out of the room. Instead it was a mad rush to do anything that would save them. Jack was slow, his one eye and one arm weren't enough to keep up with the other two, and he lagged behind.

As they were whisked away with the soft glow of a transporter the pit in his stomach and the voice in his head told him one thing.

Your fault.

Lt JG Hi'Jak (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Hi%27Jak) |Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] attn: @SummerDawn @steelphoenix @Blue Zephyr @patches @Absinthe @Fife @Zenozine @YasyraTrill @anyone else i missed.)

When they re-emerged however they weren't in the type of facility that he had hypothesized He stumbled backwards his bare ass hitting the ground as he looked about the room. His arm going to his face as his stub went to support himself only to realize that his other hand didn't exist so he fell onto his back. His eyes looking up at the soft pink ass of Lahkesis Song as his head fell basically at her feet. "Sorry."

He said with his one eye still intact getting a nice under-view of her, probably the only nice thing about this entire situation. His eye closed and he didn't get up as for a moment he just needed to relax, and think, to gather his wits about him and in effect work on what he knew.

Rest, recouperation, and tomorrow movement. "We have a few different priorities than." He said unsure who he was speaking too or who would listen to him, now that he was in a room where Ida could probably see that he was alive. His hand moved from his face to grab Lahkesis's ankle pulling on her to gain her attention and get her to help him up. Though he wasn't sure whom she was, and had no idea she was a doctor he just needed an able body to help him at the moment.

"Guerrilla tactics, we need to disrupt their supply lines." He was talking now from his experience in the Klingon academy, the four years he had trained to do infiltration and operations. "The Savi have pads, that we see them using constantly. I'd like to get a hold of one, if we can grab one, me and the god can work on finding out more about the ships layout, it's communication set up, it's size and where they are hurting. We have seen enough of the language that I'm already working on some rough translations. With some paper, and some help I can probably get something good by tomorrow." He called Moralli the god with a joking tone.

"Further more, our captain, our ships AI, and a puzzle box that was taken aboard our ship have all been taken here by the Savi, I have the most experience with the omega device, but i'd like to request some help anyone with a science background would be helpful." He said basically volunteering for a mission.

"Of course we can't move till tomorrow, but as we are in a bay, and we have no idea what time it is now, only you." He said turning to blue the outside element. "Really know what that means. If we are going to attempt to break out all of our objectives, than we need to form teams and gather some line of communication between teams."

During this time however, he hadn't let go of the new found doctor.

~~~
ooc:
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[ Deacon | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] attn: Anyone and everyone

The siege against Engineering was as he expected -- a merit-less battle that granted no true satisfaction.  The so-called kills that fell to his blades were little more than projections, only slightly more distracting than an immobile training dummy.  The blood, the viscera, what little scent it had didn't even register in his too human nose.  The weapons of their so-called Federation adversaries, as stated, proved ineffective against the charge -- a curious oversight that he thought any well reasoned species would address.  Perhaps it was an insight into their ultimate foe, or perhaps they knew, as he had suspected, that a disruption to their holographic cage would end with the realization that they were all, as they had been, imprisoned and now without the comforts of tangible objects, the illusion of defense or offense.

And so it was that when the false Enterprise faded from sight, leaving them naked and unarmed as they had been, Deacon was unfazed.  One of the scrawny monkeys begged for his assistance in the darkened bay, seeking a higher vantage in an effort to breach the seals that comprised this alien holodeck even as the Savi announced their great disappointment in the escape attempt and the plan to have the lot of them liquidated.  Again, it was as he expected -- contradictory and yet wholly as he expected.  They had wasted so much time and effort to 'purify' the lot of them, implemented no measures to prevent further contamination, and now readied to purge them rather than sedate them.  The blatant inefficiency of their plan turned Deacon's stomach.  The sheer thought of what the kzinti would do had they half the technology at their disposal as these creatures was almost profound.  No less foolish, true, but certainly far more consistent in its application.

As the captives found themselves on the verge of dis-corporation, Deacon managed to weave his way closer to K'Ren, his mate, his one focus.  Had he the time, room and opportunity, he would have taken her then, before the very eyes of their captors, the ultimate defiance, the ultimate insult, the ultimate union.  Constrained as he was, he could only despise them, sparing a moment of pity for his people that they might face a war they could not win, or worse, win that war and learn nothing from it.  He wondered if the Fanged God would cast aside his human guise and permit him into the Great Hunt or if he would be condemned to prey.  There was no regret.  As unsatisfying as his last battle had been, he had held true to who he was and what he wanted.  These Savi may warp his flesh but they had not broken him and now they would never have him.  This was not resignation, one did not embrace death, but there would be no fear.

But nothing came.  Death wasn't as he expected.  No pain.  Not even a dull ache.  There was merely a momentary sense of vertigo.  Around him, he could feel the crush of confusion, prompting him to open his eyes, even as he regretted the choice.  The chamber was dark and vast and those slated for execution stood crowded around him, their emotions assailing his mental defenses.  "Get away from me," he hissed sharply at those too close to him, their naked flesh against his igniting embers of his ziirgah into flames of empathic overload.  Fake ship, fake sickbay, fake medication.  He expected no less.  Such seemed to be his lot.

Moving away from the others, he focused to drive a wedge between his thoughts and those around him, the distance serving to mute the emotions of the others.  Was he angry, happy, scared?  Taking a deep breath, he managed to right himself, standing up and face the others, his blue eyes scanning the faces in the dark, though he could scarcely discern anything beyond that the monkeys referred to as the visual spectrum.  They'd stolen  the farthest edges of his visual acuity in exchange for nerve endings.  Outrage.  That was his.  That remained true and continued to burn.  But so too was fatigue.  This body exhausted him.  The stress of this place exhausted him.  But what burned hotter, the deepest core of what he felt now, was revenge.  He wanted the Savi to suffer as he had, and if it meant regressing them into some sort of cephalopod or splicing genes from every species in the Alpha and Beta quadrants into their own genetic structure, he would find a way to make that twisted vision happen, so he swore by the Fanged God.

[ Lahkesis Saugn | Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Versant ] Attn: those present
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The world dissolved and as did her uniform, leaving her exposed and surrounded by others. She saw on their faces a panic, the fear of death was over them and she knew it should be over her as well, but she felt nothing. She felt as though the whole of the world mattered naught and soon it would matter even less. Soon her confusion would end. She was surrounded by tormented faces she felt she should know, and yet she could not seem to put it together.

The voice of one of the aliens, one of the creatures that now haunted the back of her mind along with dark phantoms she could barely recall spoke to them, but it's words meant nothing beyond the confirmation of what she had seen on the faces of the people around her. Death was coming for them. There was no other option and no way out.

She closed her eyes and did her best to relax, she did not want to die tense and afraid, as the others seemed to be preparing to. She wanted to die at peace, and even in her turmoiled mind, she did her best to relax.

When she felt the transporter program begin she only assumed it was the process beginning and let herself be taken by it.

---

[ Lahkesis Saugn |Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] attn: @Masorin , @SummerDawn , @steelphoenix , @Blue Zephyr , @patches , @Fife , @Zenozine , @YasyraTrill , and anyone else there
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Only she did not die, or at least the version of her that appeared a moment later was not dead, in fact, she felt a little less confused. Somethings were clearer in her head.

She was Lahkesis Saugn, she was assigned to the USS Theurgy, and she was surrounded by members of that crew. She did not know their names, even though she felt like she should. She did not know why she was not on the ship, even though she felt like something terrible had happened that had taken her from the ship.

There were still an uncomfortable amount of missing details, but she felt as if her feet were on solid ground.

And then suddenly someone grabbed her ankle and she almost screamed in terror.

She looked down and saw a broken man or at least a man who was missing a great deal of himself. She moved to a crouch to assist him, helping him into a seated position, her skills as a doctor telling her to not let him move too much to avoid body strain.

As he spoke he held fast to her and she was aware of the heat of his hand on her skin. She was colder than normal, the ship felt colder and she was little more than room temperature, her skin no warmer than the bulkhead she stood upon. But she rested one hand on his shoulder and one on his back, supporting him so that she could look around easily.

Her own nudity did not bother her, nor did the nudity of the people around her. She was still new to the concepts of sexuality and had come into her anatomical knowledge long before her sexual knowledge, so while as some would focus on more erotic areas of exposed flesh, she made mental notes of bruises and damaged areas on the skin she saw. If there was a fight to come, she could already see who was too badly damaged to be of much help.

Ens Nathaniel Isley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Nathaniel_Isley,_callsign_"Icarus") Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] @Triage  @Auctor Lucan
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The fight was over, and the only thing Nathan had to show for it was the fact that he had been enjoying the fight. It had taken away the need to think for a moment and helped him to relax. Now however he was standing in a bay with everyone else, and once again he was stark naked. He found Sinead huddled  to the ground to make herself seem smaller.

"follow me." the words were a touch more stern than he had meant for them to be. He had in some ways been in that position before. He had curled into a ball during his night in the brig and it hadn't helped back then and it wouldn't help now. The Romulan looked Sinead over his mind moving past the confusing mix of powerful emotions even as he passed Ida with no actual recognition or hello, cold to her presence as he was more focused on Sinead than the deputy officer.

"We need to talk." He said gesturing away from the crowd, he didn't pull her up to her feet, but rather walked away from the crowd simply waiting for her to follow.

"I'm going to keep this short, you have voices in your head. I've had another person in my brain as well, multiple times in fact, I may be able to help you." He had failed to recognize the other voice back when he had been a victim of psychic probing, now he had a chance to help someone else going through something close to his own experiences. He took a medatative position near the back away from the crowd. "Unfortunately I lack the psionic ability to perform any kind of mind-meld, but that doesn't mean I can't help to strengthen your resolve, and perhaps block some of that voice."

[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Sarresh_Morali) | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: all y'all naked mother fuckers (and Blue)
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As the transporter beam gripped them in the observation Pen, the feeling of defeat clamped down on Sarresh. He froze in place, the confinement protocols standard to all transporter systems he'd encountered locking him in mid-stride. He had a moment, just one, fleeting moment, before he would be whisked away to be turned into paste for the Savi. That moment, many had said over the years, was when one's life was supposed to flash before them. Sarresh's life, however, did not flash. No, only one image flashed in his mind. A crinkled nose, a half shaved head. A smile that was part exasperation and part affection. One that he liked to believe no one else really saw.

Ryuan Sel.

Then there was nothing, for the longest time...

[Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]

...And then there was a small room, crammed with everyone from the pen. Light faded from his eyes. He stumbled forward a few paces, catching himself before he barreled through one of his fellow prisoners. The Voice was reassuring them that rations would be provided and that they needed to rest. He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of wool was being pulled over the rest of the Savi. And he dreaded to wonder at what the rations would be. Some poor sod that had already been recycled?

Shivering, Sarresh rubbed his arms. He was embarrassed that this last thoughts hadn't been for his mission, nor were they repressed memories finally coming back to him. No, they had been of the Bajoran woman. The only comfort he had left to him in this misbegotten century. The time traveler resolved, then and there, that if he made it out of here alive, he was going to have to confront Sel, and lay it all out on the table. The sheer idea of being that vulnerable to someone else made him shiver in a way that had nothing to do with how cold he felt. But he decided that, as the most important factor in his miserable life, Sel deserved to know how much she had come to mean. How he felt.

why is it so damned cold!? The thought broke through as he rubbed his arms. Before he had been transformed, Sarresh would often pad about naked in his quarters, ducking into the shared bath with the Neotins. Ash'reem were nudists at heart. Their bodies were built for it. Human bodies were not. And while it might not actually be all that cold, there in the nude, in this room, Sarresh felt like he'd walked outside in winter. There wasn't enough humidity for his tastes. Too cold.

He hated this body.

Someone, he belatedly realized, was talking. He didn't know her. He looked up, narrowed his eyes, and sighed when that didn't bring the person into better focus. They'd 'corrected' his eyes after all. Now he had plain, normal human sight. He shuffled forward, repressing an oath. The woman said she was from the Endeavour and her name was...Blue? Fucking humans.

He was having trouble focusing. Great he thought bitterly, shutting his eyes and counting backward in his native tongue. Funny how he still thought in Ash'reem, despite no longer being one. When he opened his eyes again, Hi'Jak was speaking, having managed to get to his feet once more. Rubbing his shoulders, Sarresh padded in that direction now, slipping between one naked body and the next, not noticing whom they belonged to. Not caring. He narrowed his eyes and forced himself to focus, to listen, to nod in agreement when it seemed like the right moment.  IT took him a moment to realize Jack had been talking about him, and he let out a groan,  and (despite himself) a wry grin.

I wonder if any of those idiots are in the crowd. Maybe I can use them as cannon fodder, he thought as he stood up straighter and forced his arms to cross over his chest, instead of clutching his shoulders. A defiant stand, not a shivering one. Ignore the cold. At least Jack had a plan. Kind of. More of one than Sarresh had at the moment. He resisted the urge to tap the side of his head and see if that damned encoding would cough up a useful seizure.

It probably wouldn't have worked.

"For what it is worth," Sarresh spoke, surprised at the sound of his own voice. He expected it to be rough, raw around the edges after the fear he'd felt, the remorse and the longing for Sel, and then the shameful anger and relief that had followed the rematerialization process. It was clear, calm and collected. "We got a decent look into how the Savi system operated before we were all dumped out of the program. As Jack said," he gestured to the one armed man, and he would have sworn he saw Ida - the Andorian Security officer from the Theurgy - scowl. It was hard to tell though, she always looked angry, "We need a padd, one of theirs. Access to their system. From there we can better plan."

Then he turned to the woman from the other ship, this 'blue' and cocked an eyebrow at her. She was the only one in the room with clothing. She looked like a strong breeze would blow her over, even as she was now surrounded by members of her own crew again. "I assume you have some thoughts on that as well?" Belatedly, he remembered she had a rank, and it was a bit higher than his, so he added, "Lt. Commander." Better late than never he thought, though that foresight didn't extend to the point of offering up his own name for her ti know. Not that he could say why. Bad manners, probably.

[ Lt R’Rori | Maintenance Bays | The Versant  | Day 05 | 2315 hrs. ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr @Fife @Numen @Masorin @Brutus

As the transporter’s containment beam finally let go of R’Rori, s/he let out a deep sigh and collapsed on the floor, heedless of hir newly nude state and the people around hir. S/he blinked back the tears that came unbidden as hir body adjusted to the new circumstances. Hir mind lagged behind, a corner of it tugging briefly at a sense of alarm before finally letting go and allowing the felinoid enough mental resources to take stock of where s/he was now. It was colder than the holographic Enterprise, that was for sure. And darker.

Cursing the lack of low-light sight s/he now possessed, the counselor pushed hirself back up to an unsteady standing position, hir arms crossed and rubbing her goosebumped skin in an effort to capture just a bit more warmth. S/he could tell the others were in a similar position, noting the positions of the ones s/he knew as one of them called out to … someone else? There was someone else with them? R’Rori couldn’t quite see the other figure through the crowd, so s/he pushed forward through the bodies until s/he could get to the front.

S/he stopped cold, a mere meter from the front line, when the human spoke and her voice registered strongly in hir memories.  Blue? Blue! She spoke of escaping Recycling and knowing what they had been through, as well as ideas for fighting back again now. There was also mention of an ally, which R’Rori filed away mentally to mull about later. Blue was here! And alive! A tear rolled down her cheek as s/he grinned and forced hir way to the front, looking over the gaunt figure in a Starfleet uniform now too big for her frame. Shar was there too and s/he could hear Cross gently chiding them for not getting along in the pod like this. Unwilling to hold hirself back any longer, R’Rori ran forward with an uncharacteristic squeal and nearly tackled Blue in a fierce hug.

“Blue! You’re alive!” S/he finally managed to squeak out after a moment, lessening the pressure just a tad. Hir silver eyes gleamed with the tears now being freely shed. “It’s so good to see you again.”

The formerly half-Caitian stepped back, gingerly letting go of Blue so that the engineer wouldn’t have her balance off by too much. S/he clasped hir hands in front of hir face, visibly putting hirself back together after that rather public display of affection. “It’s Lieutenant R’Rori. I look a bit … different, I’m told.”

A man was now speaking aloud and s/he whirled around to face the source of the voice speaking of guerilla warfare. Hir ears were standing straight up, alert and taking in every ounce of sound s/he could hear. S/he wiped away the remnants of the tears on hir face and tried to get a handle on what he was talking about.

Right. Omega device? Splitting up?

Another man reinforced his statement and request for one of the Savi pads. They had apparently decoded enough of the language and programming to get an idea of how they operated, which was impressive enough in its own right. R’Rori looked at him and then back at Blue for her response. The fight was far from over and now it looked like the pacifist would have to steel hirself for potentially violent conflict. There was a tightness in hir chest now that was becoming too familiar for the usually calm and collected officer.

I just want to go home. A warm bed and one of my mother’s meals.

[ K'Ren (http://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=K%27Ren) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn:  @all
[Show/Hide]In the chaos of the fight on the holodeck, and the unexpected transport to safety, K'Ren had lost track of the two people that mattered to her in that moment, the two she desired to be close to, the beings that seemed to help her keep her balance emotionally. She could sense her mate's presence at least, that feeling she knew as the bond told her that he was alive, and close by even if she didn't see him in the crush of faces. Smell, well that was a different story, the bay was a confused mess of scents, hormones from a dozen different species, all wafting off the naked mass of humanoids present near her. She'd never been this comingled with so many naked people ebfore and she began to understand why these furrless beings seemed to prefer clothes, aside from the obvious need for temperature regulation. They'd not evolved a measure of control over their pheremone outputs so the clothes she surmised, acted as fur of some sort, regulating the release, containing the scents in the cloth, keeping them dampened. That might also explain why humans and other humanoids seemed to mate more when they were in situations with few clothes on, their baser instincts were more affected by their pheromones, driving them to mate more when semi naked.

She pushed that thought from her head, she needed to focus on the here and now despite the apparent relaitive safety of their location, this humanoid was an unknown, and potentially a threat despite their lack of weapons and professed freindship of sorts. K'Ren still kept a wary eye on the person called Blue, she guessed because of the blue tint to her hair, or perhaps the blue tint was because of the nickname. In any event, K'Ren's disrupted train of thought was brought back to the present as R'Rori burst from the front of the human mass and in what K'Ren could appreciate, hugged the unknown like she'd known the person all her life. K'Ren visibly relaxed, if R'Rori knew this person, then they were freindly, and no real threat to K'Ren. Her ears flopping back into a comfortable pose, K'Ren retarcted her claws and untensed her body, her tail going back to a gentle twitch. This women's words telling of food and a chance to rest for a period of time were calming, even if she knew a fight still remained, a fight to get home, and perhaps K'Ren idly thought, a chance to extract some payment from the Savi for the death of her unborn cub.

But first she had to find her mate, make sure he was okay, that he wasn't being overwhelmed mentally by the crowd of naked humanoids. Then perhaps they could get some rest, curl up in each other's arms, maybe find a quiet corner away from the crowd to bond a little more with her Deacon, one final act of love for her mate before they faced death again. She knew that if they survived this, she was going to hole up with him for at least 24-48hrs and completely ignore the world, ignore what was going on beyond the four walls of their quarters. But that final thought was only if they survived, for now she just wanted to be reunited with her mate, and turning back to the crowd of bodies who seemed focused on Blue, she began to look for a familiar face, at least familiar enough.

It wasn't the most difficult as she soon saw a human standing apart from the others, keeping some distance from the crowd, and with the odd pointed ears she knew it to be Deacon. Moving through the crowd she approached her mate, smiling that teeth covered smile the humans found so odd as she came close to him. She recognized that look in his eyes, the empathic sense he retained from his K'Zin heritage was bothering him and while they didn't have drugs this time, K'Ren could perhaps distract him a little, get him to focus on her, not the others, easing the discomfort she knew he felt. "Deacon," she said softly as she stepped up to him, taking his hand in her paw. "Focus on me mate, ignore the others." She knew that if he was feeling the crush of other's emotions, getting him to a quiet spot where she could get him to relax and draw his attention to her would help. "Let's find a quiet spot away from the others."

[Ens. Irnashall “Shall” ch’Xinya | Undenary Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | The Versant]

Their victory over their captors had been short lived, as much as it could’ve been called a victory.  Shall’s antenna twitched in annoyance when the confining walls of the Enterprise were replaced with the familiar confining walls of a Savi tank, and just like last time he was naked.  Sighing to himself over the situation he looked around for Ida, Sehl, and Shar, but before he could spot them a Savi appeared on the wall and dictated their doom with the dispassionate tone of someone talking to an ant farm.  Out of the corner of his eye he could see something move in the shadows beyond the forcefield, and an instant later the floor shone with a blue light just as he could feel his skin start to burn…

[Ens. Irnashall “Shall” ch’Xinya | Maintenance Bays | The Versant]

Just as quickly as the burning sensation started, it vanished along with most of the light.  Instinct made Shall look around, trying to gauge their new location and find some bearings.  Ida was faster of course, barking out an order to someone he couldn’t see through the mass.  At the very least that told him where the other Andorians were, and Shall started to squeeze his way through the crowd to get to them.  The mass panic was quickly subsiding and normal conversations were popping up, complete with pairs starting to slink off for some semblance of privacy in the expansive room.

Several voices rose above the din, trying to be commanding, or at least express their opinions for whoever ended up in charge.  Shall didn’t pay attention to any of them, he only cared about the three sets of antenna peeking above the crowd.  It didn’t take too long for him to reach the others, and the chan looked all three of them up and down, looking for any outward sign of injury or distress.  “Are you alright?” he asked, antenna angling in concern as he set his hand on Ida and Shar’s shoulders.  The human woman with blue-streaked hair didn’t exist in Shall’s world at the moment, and until he knew this bastardized shelthreth was unharmed nothing else would enter the world either.

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]Attn: @Blue Zephyr


When Zeph smiled at him, and hugged him tight, he let out a conforting growl, just broadcasting her his relieve of found her again, live and sound.  He had lost himself in the battle again, swept along the thrill of the fight, and he had lost sight of her. Khorin felt her relaxing when she leaned her head against his chest, and he just held her closer, cradling her between his arms, and left his cheek rested against her crown. He could smell her pleasant aroma, that mix of flowers and that particular scent that was only hers. And it felt so right simply hold her. Nothing else did matter, the whole world reduced to they both.

"I'm so glad we're okay." She admited, and he found himself grinning like the idiot he was, just delighted she was worried about his well-being. That she was so fond of him to that point. That she felt just like he did. He took his time to answer, nuzzling her hair. “I've told you you'll not get rid of me so easily, my Kyamo” he finally rumbled gently, just for her ears. He shivered a bit, the coldness of the room nibbling his bare skin there where her body didn't touch his.

In their back, there were words and planning, reunions and cries. But he turned a blind eye to all that. He only had eyes for her. For his beautiful one. His Kyamo. Khorin looked at the deep, starless voids that stared him and suddenly the klingon opened his mind, he needed  to feel her voice inside him, only for him. ~I'll always return to you, always~

[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]When Shar ran up to the Human with the blue streak in her hair, hugging her, and when another couple of officers from the cargo bay had recognised her, Ida's stance eased a bit, and she folded her arms across her chest. Not to preserve a modicum of her modesty, even if it might, but because there appeared to be no immediate threat in this new area.

While listening to what was being said, Ida turned her antennae and eyes to the interior, a frown on her face as studied what she could see. It seemed like they were in some kind of abandoned maintenance bay. This much she could tell. Then, Shall appeared, touching her shoulder, but Ida shrugged it off, stepping away from Shall, Shar and Sehl. She felt violated by what had happened at the hands of the Savi, and she did not care to be touched in any way or form any more. It was even worse now, when they weren't alone any more. Nothing but shame for her, when looking at the others in the forced bond.

Walking away, lips tight, she still listened, slowly going about checking the side rooms. Storage rooms in different sizes, mostly empty. The Human - Blue Tiran - had begun to live in the area, as much was plain, and she was surviving as best as she might. One thing stood out in her quick explanation of what had happened. Someone helped her? Could there be anything but a Savi asset on this kind of ship? Indeed, the one thing that struck Ida as odd was what one of the Savi would possibly gain out of freeing their guinea pigs.

"Well done, Lieutenant Commander Tiran," said Nerina, Ida's former XO on the Theurgy, who now stepped forth. The now fully human woman glanced towards both Hi'Jak and Sarresh Morali, the former whom Ida now spotted. She just now learned who it was when she heard his voice, and she frowned, thinking that he was the only one present during the away mission to SuD Lang, and who might shed some light on how she had ended up on the Savi ship in the first place. As for Sarresh Morali, Ida merely knew that he was a mission-essential asset, and she was concerned that he was on the Savi ship as well. She was, of course, concerned about the Theurgy overall, only having heard from a few of the abductees that there was a battle before they ended up on this ship, called the Versant.

Nerina spoke to them all, while Ida remained silent. "Indeed, our objectives become clearer, and with some planning and preparation, we might have a fighting chance to get off this ship, thanks to officer Tiran here, her companion, and our joint efforts to recover what's on the ship, and leave it," she said, and turned to the only clothed person in the room. "I'm Commander Nerina, and before I ended up here, I was First Officer on the Theurgy."

As a leader, a figure of authority and practiced in being such, Nerina seemed to care none about her state of undress, much like Ida. Though secretly, Ida was trying to not look at all the flaunted male genitalia in the room, since as an Andorian and with Thaan and Chan having their phalluses sheathed, she had been raised to think that any exposed phallus indicated something sexual. Forcefully, she pushed the notion aside, hearing Nerina speak again.

"As urgent as we all think it is to escape, I think we're in no such state to do so at the moment. We have no plan, the ship too advanced, and this mysterious asset is our only life-line for the time being, so I think Tiran is right. We wait for more shipments, more information, and take comfort in how we have made it this far." Having said as much, she turned to Tiran again. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. You might have heard a lot about the Theurgy crew, and as I told everyone I rallied inside the simulation of the Enterprise, we are not the traitors Command has made us out to be, but regardless if you believe it or not, we still need to work together."

There was a chirp coming from something Tiran carried, and Ida saw it then. It was a tablet not of Starfleet design, so it had to be one of the Savi's. It was exactly what Hi'Jak and Sarresh Morali needed. It had sounded like a message too, and there were lights in the back of the maintenance bay. A shipment? Transporter delivery from the asset? People amassed there, including Devyrie Okhala and Lin Kae. Ida slowly followed, hoping to find clothes and rations.

Then again, it might be Savi beaming in... to take them back their cells.

[ Echtand qi Versant | The Quarters of the Voice | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]After feeling like he had just committed treason, Echtand had paced his quarters, flexing his large hands as he considered if it wasn't better to abort the whole thing. He considered if there were any means in which he could undo what he had just done. Perhaps he could get the access he needed without the distraction that the specimens could cause? What was he thinking, jeopardizing everything, even putting the Versant in danger?

No, doubts had no room in the methodology he had applied to this endeavor. He was at a stage where there was no return. He had even improvised, in his lack of time, and used a second containment beam to duplicate the specimens, and they had been recycled right before Semathal's eyes. He knew that, as soon as the specimens left Blue Tiran's hideout, his name would be on the line. He had made the transport, and while he could buy time saying it was them who had altered the protocol for the transport, there was a point where he had to be in possession of the original Code, and to have it broadcast across the Versant.

Taking a deep breath, Echtand blinked and returned to his desk. He picked up his tablet, and resigned himself to the task ahead. To both replicate and transport supplies, suppporting the specimens he had enlisted in his campaign to save his own people from Semathal, and abolish the Scion Directive. He already had access to all of their medical and biological files in the Archive, and the most efficient thing to do was to compile individual packages for them all. He just sorted their data in a list, complementing it with their needs in attire, and had his transporter access and the replicator system work in tandem. What hampered the process was to make it look like he was replicating something entirely else; falsifying the records of the expenditure.

Once he was done, and he had made the transport into the hideout, he typed a message to Blue Tiran, the specimen being his main point of contact. It simply read:

Echtand paused, wondering what prompted the notion, but he added:

It was some kind of apology, he realized, for not being able to give her the data retrieval appliance. Then, Echtand logged out, and put his head in his hands. What am I doing? What if Tiran fails to tell them about the Antes, and they turn violent? Taking a deep breath, he rose, undressing so that he might cleanse his body. As if washing is hands from what he had just done, even though he knew he would be plagued by his conscience until this whole ordeal was over.

---

OOC: All right! In the maintenance bay, there are now 6 crates filled with 57 packages in total. The individual packages are labelled with ranks and names, and they are black boxes containing the infiltration suits and the Starfleet rations. There are also three twinkies in each package, because Tiran mentioned her preference for them to Echtand. The boxes will, of course, be stored in alphabetical order. As for the black infiltration suits, they look identical to the ones the Savi wear (see the image of Echtand, but I might be able to post more images in the Plot Discussion thread). The suits themselves don't have any features beyond masking sensors.

7 days response time begins now for all listed below! Here are the characters present in Blue Tiran's hideout in the Maintenance Bays, and if there are significant reunions because of this, it should be handled in Supplemental threads or mid-discussion in this thread. The naming convention for such threads belonging to this Prologue is: Prologue: Supplemental [ Day XX | XXXX hrs. ] Insert Title. Here goes: [Show/Hide]

[ Deacon | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] attn: @SummerDawn and anyone else

Although he'd been staring directly at the others, he found his attention focused to the contrary, looking not at them, but past them, through them, willing them silent to his mind.  The distance helped.  To some degree or another, his ziirgah was nowhere near as potent as it had been.  Some of this, he suspected also came from the damage done to his senses which kept him from augmenting the imperceptible traces of his emotional awareness with the physical ticks and tremors that nearly all living creatures employed to betray their inner sense of well being.  Scents were little more than memories, no doubt taste as well.  Pain, he'd discovered, was frustratingly renewed.  No doubt the Savi saw the damaged nerve endings that had resulted of his prior genetic tampering and sought to make repairs either out of some misguided sympathy or, more likely, their own perverted sense of perfection.  Sight, too, was something that they had begun to strip from him, although he found that he retained some shadow of his former sensitivity -- the lack of light in the cargo bay was not overly burdensome and in the dark, he could make out the faint shimmers of heat that emanated from the bodies of the crew, but everything was muted, the vibrancy and intensity that he had been accustomed to all his life was gone.

At K'Ren's touch, he took in a sharp breath, his attention now drawn to her proximity, her emotions.  He turned his eyes towards her, the golden specks swimming amidst the blue seeming to flash and dominate his eyes for the barest moment.  There was an instinct to jerk his hand away, but he resisted.  "Focus on me mate, ignore the others," she said, prompting him to draw her hand to his mouth, giving it a small kiss. "Let's find a quiet spot away from the others."

It was a tempting offer and given how much he desired to lay with her, to reaffirm their union, to comfort her as she comforted him, to show his contempt for their captors, one he would not set aside for long, but the circumstances remained unsettled and he had a duty to perform and precious little resources at his disposal.

Placing his forehead to hers, he whispered, "I'm alright for now.  It's... it's only overwhelming when they're so close.  I'm getting used to it but it's exhausting... like always being on guard."  He closed his eyes for a moment, the now dominant blue reasserting once they reopened, managing to stand out against his tan flesh and brown hair.  "I will get you out of here," he said, locking his eyes on her, his hand holding firmly to hers, "and I will make those pasty grey bastards pay for all of this."  He wasn't sure why he felt the need to reiterate the oath, the promise to secure the safety for the one he loved and avenge himself against those that had violated them, but circumstances felt too out of hand and that chaffed at his sense of purpose and duty.

It was then that his eared picked up the faint whine of a transporter beam.  Hearing.  That, at least, was undiminished, although Deacon had no true desire to eavesdrop on the hushed conversations of the others, comforted as he was that none were screaming and no sense of panic seemed to crash out from the assembled crowd.  It wasn't an attack, no task force of Savi warriors sent in to uncover their escape.  Instead, a long row of boxes had been deposited in the midst of the bay, each identical to the next save for what appeared to be names inscribed on each.

Casting a glance at K'Ren, he motioned for her to remain as he moved towards the new delivery, reviewing how each package was apparently designated for a specific prisoner, each presented in alphabetic order according to Federation standards.  How thoughtful, he mocked internally, carefully dodging past the others who were drawing closer to retrieve their own boxes.  K'Ren's was the first he located.  Curious that with such effort to alphabetize the delivery, he expected his own to be closer to the front even if he lacked an official rank.  As he moved along the line, the answer came to him as he drew closer to the center of the row.  Maryk, Xander.

He supposed he should have expected it, but he found the use of his birthname no less insulting.  He considered leaving the box unclaimed from spite, but the promise of tangibility, the prospect of again having tools at his disposal, overrode his perception of slight, forcing him to swallow his pride and claim the second box, taking both back to K'Ren.  "If I'm to be insulted by this name," he said, flashing the label of his own box to her, "at least they could have placed ours together."  He knelt down to one knee, holding out her own box to her, a wry, cock-sided grin playing across his features.  "Is that not how marriages work?"

We live, we love, we die...no. We be more'n tha'. We are all...so much more. There be no' one o' us tha' will give up this life so easily. Throw wha' yeh will at us. We will go on long after yeh have died 'n' faded from memoreh!
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Sinead_O%27Riley#Personality_Profile) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Brutus, @Zenozine, @Masorin, @SummerDawn, @chXinya, @Absinthe, @steelphoenix, @Blue Zephyr, @YasyraTrill, @patches, @Fife & @Numen
[Show/Hide]Breathe.

Sinead pulled air into her lungs after seemingly holding it for an eternity. Blue Tiran was not a threat...to the group's continuance. No, that would be herself. Nobody should trust her. Not when she didn't even trust herself. Once she knew who and what Blue Tiran was, she sought a place of refuge in the singular room. There wouldn't be a lot of that, not with this many people around. Yet, for their own safety, she removed herself from the group, especially those of significant importance. Lin Kae, Nerina, and Blue were all of tactical value and importance in terms of leadership and knowledge in their fields. Khorin, Nathaniel and Cross, and a host of others were efficient and dangerous fighters all in their own rights. Either sheer brute strength or agility and natural defenses made them equally valuable.

Breathe.

She reminded herself to keep herself conscious. Watch over them, but keep her distance. She made a point of placing herself where everyone could see her, to know exactly where she was. If she went crazy, if she made a move to attack, there were plenty of telepaths that could pick up the changes in her brain surely, and even if she'd survived encounters with hostile Klingons, Cardassians and the deadly Jem'hadar, perhaps this group would have a chance to stop her before she did damage or worse. Provided they forsook any attempts to subdue her and go straight for killing.

Breathe.

She settled down on her haunches, heedless of her nudity before so many people. She was Bringloidi, and any other time, she would have been helping to appease tensions with what she knew best to use. But not now. And as she took up a vigil from her isolated spot, she went through every single person in the room, examining them with her silvery-blue eyes, glowing bright under the poor lighting. She analyzed the value or use of every person. Placing herself absolute last in value gave her its own sense of odd comfort. That they could continue even and perhaps especially without her. But she had to find the captain herself. She failed one, and she wasn't going to fail another.

Brea- “Jien Ives will mosth definitely die on accoun'a yeh.”

Bloody... Sinead closed her eyes, hugging her knees to her chest and buring her face in her folded arms. “Be gone...” said Sinead, barely a whisper to herself.

“But yeh will miss me, so moch.” said the ghost, and Sinead snapped her head up to glare at the phantasm, anyone looking at her would only see her suddenly looking angrily at nothing in particular, unless they happened to be in her line of sight. But the fury left as quickly as it came. Maybe this was her own guilty conscience punishing her for those innocent lives she'd taken. There would be no excuse whether she had been under her own control or not. The fact was simply that she had blood in her hands. The blood of friends, of Starfleet officers.

Breathe.

She felt more than saw someone boring eyes into her, and when she looked up again, there beside her annoying ghost/conscience was Nathaniel Isley once more.

“Follow me,” he said just as she said, “Yeh shoul' no' be...”

...coming close to me. I could kill you. was the incomplete part of her sentence, but his tone brooked no argument, or heeded the danger he placed himself in when he momentarily turned his back to her. Though he undoubtedly had far more strength than she ever would, Sinead could move swiftly, decisively, just reached out with her hands for his head. Against her better judgement, she unfolded herself from where she sat, and trailed him, for his own safety, and her own restraint, she clasped her hands tightly behind her. When he turned around, she stopped, keeping at least three feet between them. That ought to give him enough time to react and the distance to take any necessary action. She didn't care or notice their bare physical forms and the fact that keeping her hands behind her meant she was essentially exposing herself for him completely. Wasn't that the general idea anyhow?

Breathe.

She drew in air, calming herself, doing her best to concentrate on Nathaniel alone, and not the grating voice of her other self. It made her wonder if she sounded that annoying to other people. She nodded as the Romulan told her that he could help her, having gone through a similar experience. But he probably didn't know the full story behind her situation, and her experiences. Perhaps it would help him to know that first.

“Afterh th' Dominion Warh, I took some time t' join th' Vulcans at a monastery. They taught me th' Ways of Surak, which I have embraced.” She looked up at him, brushing back stray strands of red hair, then quickly snapped her hand back behind her.“Every day, I woul' meditate, t' purge meself of emotions, an' t' fight downh th' fury I feel from my time in th' Dominion War. I do believe tha' yeh can help me. If yeh be Romulan, perhaps there be enough o' yer shared ancestry wi' Vulcans, t' perform a mind meld. I have seen, even practiced the method, as shown by th' Vulcans. If I show yeh, maybe yeh can perform it?”

“An' that will let 'im see me!” said the ghost gleefully, “Yes, make him do it! I think we can take over him too! Then we'll have a Romulan and a Bringloidih t' break this wee li'l insurrection.”

Sinead's eyes widened, and she stepped back from Nathaniel. “I apologize,” said the auburn-haired woman, “perhaps a mind-meld be not th' best ideah. What did yeh have in mind t' help me block th' voices?”

Breathe.

When the familiar hum of the transporter sounded, Sinead held up a hand to forestall Nathaniel's response. She saw the others approaching when it was clear they weren't found out. Moving between two officers, she saw that it was gear and equipment. They also separated the gear by name and assignment. Very efficient and easy. The suits were practical and useful, and she wasted no time in dressing herself. She would be ready to act immediately if needed.

[LCdr Blue Tiran | Twinkies are a Girl’s Best Friend |  Blectand Forever | How to Survive on Evil Enemy Ships | It’s War Time, Bitches]
@Auctor Lucan @patches @Triage @Numen @steelphoenix @Fife

The hug, was unexpected.  The chances were, neither of them would speak of this moment again as long as they lived.  Theirs was a rivalry and hatred that continued on, until this moment where seeing a face you knew, any face, was a welcome boon.  Still, Tiran knew there were witnesses.  People that watched the reunion of two people from the same ship.  She almost wanted to cry, but she didn’t.  Now was not the time for crying.  Now was not the time for doing much more than rallying the troops that were likely better rested than the blue-haired woman that stood before them.  One of them was a familiar voice, and she looked up to see Cross standing there asking why they couldn’t have gotten along like this on the escape pod. 

Blue gave a slight bark of half-laughter.  “Because Shar will forever be a bitch.” She laughed nudging the Andorian with her shoulder knowing that the hatred was mutual.  It had always been, theirs was a battle.  But, it was a battle she was glad to continue.  When Cross verified who he was, Blue smirked.  “Your voice gave it away, and we’ve served together long enough I won’t forget, Cross.” She said and looked back at the rest of the room before delivering her information and her pep talk to everyone.

Then another… another hug, and she was tackled by someone else that had skin and a voice that didn’t match that.  She winced slightly, but she hugged the form back of her favorite Counselor.  The woman that had heard all of Blue’s issues, and then all the problems that sent her there.  All the Brig visits, and the only person that cared enough about Blue to take the layers of her onion off little by little until she was able to unravel some of the truth.  Though Blue held onto the kernel at the center fiercely and secretly.  “Wait.  Where’s your fur.  It’s fucking weird.  Bring it back” she said looking at R’Rori and trying to figure out how not to stare at the oddly un-furred body of her friend.  “Yep.  Weird.”

One of the men, a Klingon, began to speak about if he could get ahold of one of the Savi PADDs, she almost hid hers behind her back.  She didn’t want to lose her one connection to Echtand.  Because while these were her people, and these were those that she had needed to rescue, she needed to keep her communications open with him.  She had seen what amateurs could do to devices and there was no way in fuck she was letting someone that had less training than her get his dirty mitts on her only device to speak to Echtand.  She swiftly tucked the PADD into the back of her uniform.  There was plenty of room there now that she had lost all the weight she had what with the not eating or drinking and barely surviving.  Her sleeve rose up slightly to show the cuts on her pale skin she had administered herself, but they hid again soon after she let her arm back to rest. 

Not one fucking person was going to easily get that fucking PADD from her.  That was her PADD.  Her eyes shifted to the Klingon that wanted her PADD.  Her brow rose.  “it’s just past midnight, we have time, and until I get a message that states otherwise, nothing is going to happen.  We have to wait, if we go too early we fuck all of it up.”

She looked over at another man, that spoke, her eyes were a crystalline blue color, the color of a the sky on a warm summer day.  The kind of eyes that could turn to cold orbs of ice when they needed to as many who knew her could attest.  She listened to what he had to say and she thought about it.

“The PADD is the only communication I have with the Savi that set all of this up for us.”  She figured that she might as well be honest that the benefactor they had was someone that she not only trusted .. as much as someone like Blue could trust, but that he was one of the enemy as well.  She swallowed letting that sink in for a moment.  “We have someone on our side, someone that is risking their life to help me and help you.  Because of his own reasons.  But if this PADD gets fucked up I have no fucking way to get the messages tomorrow of when to begin what we’re supposed to be doing.  We have to get the fuck out of here, off this ship, and to safety.  All while he figures out what to do next.” She looked at all of them.

“I’m a Computer and Hacking expert.  I will be a part of whatever electronics and hacking that we do here.  I have also been putting together phaser like weapons.” She pointed to the pile that was on the floor.  “There may not be one for everyone, I didn’t realize how many people had been transported and imprisoned here.  However, I’ve done what I can.”

Another woman stepped up, and Blue’s eyes swung over to see her saying that she was the First Officer of the Theurgy before being relegated here.  Her brow rose, as she mentioned that she had done well.  Of course I’ve done a good fucking job.  I’ve stayed alive, made alliances, and got all you fuckers here and alive.  If only you had any fucking idea of what the fuck was about to happen to you dick heads you would be groveling at my feet instead of making demands and being pissy about it.  She said none of this but she crossed her arms over her chest and listened as the woman spoke more.

Tiran was glad for the woman who echoed her own thoughts in the fact that they did not need to proceed without caution and a full plan.  Not to mention food, rest, and ideas.  She didn’t want to go out there and jeopardize everything that she had worked so hard to achieve.  Everything Echtand had put on the line for her, this small human that he met and questioned.  Some kind of uneasy alliance had been formed but it was one that was born out of the vulnerability that she felt at this moment.  Her fiancé was dead, her crew was missing, though now recovered. 

A beep chirped from behind her, and she sighed.  Fucking Echtand you have shit timing you white faced mother fucker.  She closed her eyes for a moment as she reached behind her and grabbed the PADD from her pants before she thumbed across it and read the message that was on her screen.  Moments after she read it, she rose her brow and heard the telltale signs of the transporter beam behind her.  She read the message and a soft resigned smile crossed her face as she looked up.  Sure enough there were boxes everywhere.  Each with a name on them each would have clothing and food in there that they could eat, wear, relax with.  It was going to help not only their spirits but their bodies as well.

“We have been sent care packages.  Clothing that is in the Savi style, so we can blend in.  They will mask our biosignatures so that we are not easily caught.  That will come in handy tomorrow.  Each box is labeled a name, find your shit, and get dressed.  Inside the boxes are food as well.  Lets do as the Commander said and take a fucking break.  Rest our bodies and prep.  I know that we won’t receive another message for eight hours.  It has been stated, so we might as well get some rest.”

It was not the time, now, to mention the Antes, that was something she was going to bring up when it was actually time.  Right now, it wasn’t, right now they needed their clothes and their food.  They needed to get shit done and prep themselves for the oncoming battle that was about to ensue.  It wouldn’t be easy, and even with Echtand on their side she knew it was going to be patchy.  But, it would be worth it if they could get out of here.

“I’ve heard that Ives, a Captain was not transported, neither were a few items from the intelligence lab.  We will have to plan to get the Captain and the items on our way out.  It’s going to have to become part of the plan.  We will have to split up, but a well laid plan will see us all through this fucking hell hole.” She commented as she went over to the boxes and found her own.  Pulling it to the side she sat down with it and opened the box, inside, on the top, was a fresh packet of twinkies.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at the little fluffy yellow cakes.  They skewed slightly with the tears watering in he eyes and sliding down her cheeks.  They were such a throw back.  To a time where she didn’t have to worry about anything other than getting Brig’d again and getting Ducote back for something he had done without even knowing about it.  It was familiar, it was home, it was sad that it fucking was that way but twinkies were home.  Angrily she brushed at the tears on her cheeks and opened the bag of twinkies stuffing an entire one in her mouth and chewing it slowly she felt her chest shaking as the sobs that she had held back so long with finally came out.  She wasn’t a crier, R’Rori would know that, many of the crew she served with would know that, but here she was in front of a shit-ton of strangers crying about twinkies.

[Thank you.] she penned to Echtand while she continued to chew around the massive bit of fluff and dough in her mouth.  [I need schematics of the intelligence lab and the location of the Captain come morning.  They will be worked into our escape plan.  Thank you, Echtand.]  Two thank yous in a day, in one conversation, apparently Blue was overly emotional with her twinkies.

Blue sat by herself.  Being surrounded by so many people made it hard for her.  It made it hard because she had been alone for so fucking long.  She had suffered in ways that they hadn’t, and they had suffered in ways that she hadn’t.  She had seen things, horrendous things, and if anyone knew about the evilness of the Savi experiments it was Blue Fucking Tiran.  But, right now she needed them to trust her, to trust Echtand because that was the fucking key to getting off of this rock.  She couldn’t tell them about all of the things she had seen she could only tell them about the good things.  Later, she could decompress.  Later she could feel the hollow spot in her chest where Ducote used to reside, the spot that would never be healed.  It would seep and fester, and grow every larger until it consumed her.  She knew he had been empathic but there were times she wondered if he ever knew, truly, the depth of how much she loved him.

He had saved her.  Saved her from a darkness that she had embodied since a child.  The sharp prickly exterior he had pushed past all of that and made himself a place of ‘home’ in his arms for her.  He had always been her air, her voice, and her comfort.  Without him, she was a ship without a star upon which to navigate. 

She doubted she would survive long without him.

She didn’t wish R’Rori to know such things, but she hoped that maybe some of the Endeavour crew would come sit with her anyway.  Blue bit the other twinkie in half and chewed at it, her eyes darting from person to person trying to figure out what she should do next.  Who she should trust.  Who were all these people?  The Commander mentioned the Theurgy, Blue had only heard bad things about the ship.  A ship of traitors.  But … Blue Tiran would not suffer anyone to the fate on the Savi ship, traitor or not they could be brought to justice after they were rescued.  Or if they got away, she wouldn’t shed a tear.  She just wanted to get the fuck off this damned ship.

[Lt. Zephyr Praise | Cuddles for Klingons | A New Reign | Finding Light in the Dark]
@Numen

He held her, to his chest.  She could hear the heart beneath his rib cage thrumming heavily in his chest.  She cared not that he was nude.  Being half-Betazoid she had seen a lot of nudity in her life and never really cared much about it.  Seeing someone she was physically attracted to and someone that she really liked naked was a bit different.  She didn’t mind it overly much to try to hide herself.  The way he folded down around her and put his head on top of hers.  Inhaling the scent of her hair though she couldn’t imagine that he could inhale the scent it would have normally.  She hoped, that she didn’t smell like Savi Correction Juice or whatever that stuff was called.  All she wanted was to find a dark corner and enjoy the time she had with Khorin.  Know him better, ask a bunch of questions, learn about his past, his dreams.. everything.

You’re falling too fast for him Zeph, that’ll only lead to heartbreak.  she chastised herself even though she didn’t want to.  She knew she should take it slow but her heart would not be calm, not at all.  She couldn’t stop from wanting to kiss him, to know what his breathing sounded like while they slumbered together, to know what it was like to wake up against him.  So many thoughts ran a million miles through her mind as he spoke to her out loud for the first time causing her to smile.  She loved all his voices.  Internal and external.

She could feel so much.  But, Khorin was paramount.  There were the elations of reunions, the realization of safety, and other things like that brushing against her mind but it was Khorin that came up fully and completely in her mind.  She knew they would help, whatever would happen, they would help.  She could tell the woman speaking was speaking the truth, though she was holding something back, Zeph could not tell what it was without pushing.  She smiled up at him having pulled back from his head on top of hers.

~You better.  Because I’ll follow you to the afterlife and haunt you.~ she smiled softly and looked up at him.  Cupping his cheeks as she looked into his lovely dark eyes with her own.  He was beautiful, strong, and honestly everything she could think of needing.  Of course, once they got off this boat they would likely have some issues getting settled.  They would fight, or spat, or whatever until they found a rhythm of not being in danger anymore forcing two hearts to each other.  But, if she got Khorin out of being brought to a Savi hell ship she would be more than happy to have experienced this all together.

~When we get off this ship.  You, me, one Quarters and some Humpy Pumpy Time.~ She said staring straight into his eyes.  The grin on her face proved what Humpy Pumpy time actually meant.  She knew it was this thing…. Between them.  She knew they both wanted to, but she didn’t want her first time to be here, in front of everytime, not with Khorin.  She wanted the time and the place to have time to explore and enjoy.  And privacy.  She didn’t mind nudity but the act of having sex or making love was something she felt was a very private affair. 

A transporter beam sounded and she looked around for the first time since her eyes had found Khorin and she smiled brightly at the supply boxes that had been brought.  She wouldn’t mind clothes, especially ones that fit.  Taking Khorin’s hand she leaned him through the fray that was building around the boxes and looked through to find his handing it to him before grabbing her own.  She lead him off so that others could get their boxes and sat down with him.  Opening hers there was food, some kind of … treat in a package that she put to the side and pulled out the Savi suit.  The woman with the odd colored hair mentioned they would mask bio signatures so she stepped in and pulled hers up quickly.  It fit like a glove and felt amazing. 

“These are surprisingly comfortable.” She said as she sat down next to Khorin so that she was close to him, touching him with the side that faced him.  She opened the small packet of food, not the treat.. things yet, but the food.  It was full of things she liked and she began to eat hungrily.  She had never felt more hungry in her life and she wasted no time getting some food into her stomach.

“That woman that was speaking.  She’s telling the truth.  I can tell that she is, she’s suffering greatly though…. Some kind grief.  I’m not sure what, but knowing how the Savi have treated most of us it could be their fault.  I’m unsure.” She said making small talk to Khorin while they sat side by side together. 

[ Lt. Cross | Maintenance Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] @Auctor Lucan @Blue Zephyr @Numen @patches @Triage @steelphoenix @SummerDawn Anyone Else

Cross watched as Lt. R’Rori tackled Blue in a fierce hug. He had never been a hugger and didn’t understand why so many people were inclined to enter into such close proximity with each other. Glad as he was that almost everyone from their escape pod was alive and relatively safe for the time being, he felt not the slightest urge to hug them. Even if he had, the crust of dried green blood that was smeared across his face would probably have been somewhat off-putting for the intended recipient of said hug.

Cross listened to the various discussions about the PADD, escape plans and resources without comment, barely paying attention to who was speaking at any given moment. He had nothing to add, and knew better than to get involved in the back and forth. His attention was grabbed when the supplies were beamed into the maintenance bay, and he listened with interest as Blue explained about the care packages. Cross moved unhurriedly to the care packages, finding the one that was labelled with his name and picking it up, along with another package with another familiar name on it. He moved off to the side and opened it, taking out the suit that was fitted for him and donning the garment. It fit him perfectly, and was surprisingly comfortable. Cross supposed that the Savi must have had all the abductee’s body measurements from the countless hours correcting and experimenting on them. The thought caused a sneer to spread across the Vulcan’s lips for a long moment before he schooled his expression back to something a little more neutral. Once he had regained some semblance of calm, he turned and moved off in search of the individual who's supplies he intended to deliver.

After delivering PO MacGregor's box, Cross picked his own black box up from the floor and took a moment to peer down at the remaining contents. Starfleet rations, and some strange yellow cake-like things. He’d heard people talking back on the Endeavour about some snack that Lieutenant Commander Tiran liked, and guessed that these must be those confections. Cross peered at the fluffy little cakes for a further moment, then raised his eyes to see Blue sitting by herself. The former Chief Engineer of the Endeavour was sitting on the floor, chewing on one of the yellow cakes and apparently weeping as she chewed. Cross stared blankly at the scene for a long moment, wondering what the hell he was looking at, then took a step forward without fully realizing what he was doing.

He stopped a few feet in front of Tiran and looked down at the human, wondering if he should just leave her alone even as he seated himself on the floor.

”Do you mind if I join you? It’s nice to see a familiar face, especially one that the Savi haven’t <fucked> around with.” It was true. The few faces in the crowd that he had known before the Savi had taken them still appeared to be strangers, most of them altered in one way or another. Cross lowered his gaze to peer into the box once more and reached a hand inside. ”Human food doesn’t make sense. Your species has great culinary abilities, and are able to create meals that could double as masterpieces, with flavours so developed that they are truly wonderful.” As Cross spoke he extracted the spongey yellow cakes and held them up in between himself and Lieutenant Commander Tiran. ”But you also make weird <shit> like this. I don’t get it.” Cross looked past the cakes to Blue’s face. She looked gaunt, obviously having had a rough time aboard the Savi ship. Her face was dirty and her cheeks now streaked with tears. Yet as she chewed on one of those little yellow sponges, there was a certain relish in her eyes. Cross held his three cakes out to her.

”They’re all yours, if you want them.” He said with a crooked and bloody grin. ”I doubt I’d be able to stomach them.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t his full reason for offering her the treats either. He remembered how Blue had been on the escape pod. He knew she had been extremely close with Commander Ducote. He knew she was in a fragile mental state, most likely hanging on by a thread. Cross was no counsellor. Hell, he was probably the least likely in the group to understand the various emotions Blue was feeling. He knew he was well out of his depth. But she was his crewmate, and he wanted to do something for her. And so he sat there, holding out the disgusting little yellow sponges in a weak offering of comfort, unsure of what had possessed him to approach the tempestuous engineer in the first place.

[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Kelleshar_sh%27Zenne)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]
Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Brutus  @Zenozine  @Masorin  @SummerDawn  @chXinya @Absinthe  @steelphoenix  @Blue Zephyr @patches  @Fife  & @Triage




"And here, Commander No-so-Blue would always be a smartass piece of shit," Shar replied to Cross's taunt, her fake smile fixed in her face. After that, she turned to Blue, slapping her on the shoulder harder than she should have, worse still given the pitiful state the engineer was in. "Do not get confused, pink-skin, I prefer you to our abducters, but as soon as we get out of here I'll do everything in my hands to make your life impossible, you moron" She spatted, her shark-like grin defiant in her face, but her antennae slashing over her scalp. It felts just right to hate Blue. Even when it seemed that she was their only chance to get out of there, the only one who had gotten an ally in that nightmare wrapped in duranium. That was the only one who had any idea beyond smash security.


When the counselor made her appearance on the scene, Shar stepped back, crossed her arms under her chest and watched with a sneering expression on her face how the tears began to run down the face of her enemy. A scathing comment was beginning to form in the back of her throat, when she looked away as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She leaned her head to find out who that hand belonged to, and she found Shall's concerned look on the other side of the limb. A slight blush rose to the shen's cheeks, and her expression relaxed slightly, arching the antennae in the direction of chan. Despite the unfortunate way she wase bounded to the other members of that adulterated Shelthreth, it made her feel good that there were someone around who cared about her, someone to whom she could feel attached. Shar put her hand on Shall's, a feathery touch that lasted barely a second. "All good here," she replied with a soft whisper, the ferocity with which she used to surround herself, disarmed for a moment. Soon, she pushed her liquid gaze away from the scientist's face, searching for the others. Sehl was close, without finishing joining the contact but close to them, still on the defensive stance since they were beamed there.


Ida ... Ida had gone, rejecting Shall's touch as if it burned, her gesture stern and irritated, as contradictory and fickle as she had been during the experiment. Shar slipped a hand to the bottom of her belly, where she believed that the egg was developing. It was still too early in the process to feel anything under her fingertips, but as soon as they had woken up in the fake-enterprise Shar had felt her body adjusting for the next phase of shelthreth, a strange heat growing inside her and a constant irritation seizing her mood. It wasn't something she had felt before, but like all shen, she knew the symptoms. She still had time, but the zhen's attitude made her antennae wrung with concern. None of them had decided to be part of the Savi's experiment, but once the process was started, there was no turning back. And however small was the possibility of that egg finishing its development, Shar would do everything possible to give it a chance. As was her duty to their declining people.


The young andorian pulled her hand away from where it was resting and balled it into a fist in her side, then looked resolutely at both males. "Let her go and cold her head off," she said authoritatively, her antennae crushing against her skull as anger was growing inside her. "It's not time now, but we'll need to talk about what we need to do sooner or later ... And we will need Ida then" she snorted. It was no time to get carried away by sentimentality, all they had a duty behind their backs and Shar was willing to remind the zhen her duty in that matter. Even if she need to kick it in her head.


However, they still had time and, over all, they had more imperious needs in those moments, as it reminded her of the transporter's swirling noise. Soon, a section of the maintenance bay was filled with dark boxes, which according to The Beast, contained resources. After casting one last look at her crew fellows reunited again, Shar headed toward the crates, hoping that the other andorians  followed her footsteps. A quick inspection allowed her to find the box that was marked with her name and rank. After the long days in the cramped scape pod and the drugs of the experiment, it was strange to remember that she was an officer of the Starfleet, former Assistant Chief of Operations in USS Endeavour, third shei of Keth Zenne in OM-12. She had been barely an animal, starved first, heated later. When she stuffed herself into the dark suit, she could feel a little more like herself, like a person again.


The next step was to feed her body, and she was surprised to find tuber roots among the provisions at her disposal ... and those disgusting things that seemed to be the only fuel of No-So-Blue. Shar pushed them away with displeasure and began to consume the roots, keeping standing and vigilant, attentive to the movements of the rest of the Andorians, regaining control.

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| | Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]Attn: @Blue Zephyr



When Zeph took his face in her hands, threatening with haunting him in the afterlife if he DARED to die far from her, Khorin only could rumble a chuckle, enchanted by the fierceness of  the betazoid woman. He loved that she allowed him to protect her, to take care of her, just to show seconds after that she only needed ridges on her forehead to be a true daughter of Qo'noS. She was gorgeous, strong, witty and, in some subtle way, terrifying, all those features checked in his list of the perfect woman. He felt unable to stop looking at those unfathomable eyes, he wanted to lose himself on them forever. It could be a good way to die.


When her eyes flickered with a cheeky sparkle and her mind told him about a shared quarters and some Humpy Pumpy time, his grin became even wider and stupider than before. And he had to make real efforts so that his excitement facing such promise would not be reflected in his naked body. For first time since they had arrived at the bay, he was grateful for the cold air that was freezing him to death or he had found himself in a very OBVIOUS uncomfortable situation, surrounded as they were by half a hundred people. Still, he lifted his upper lip, exposing his teeth, showing his approval. But as much as the phrase stirred his groins, he remembered himself that they were in the middle of a war zone, in an enemy ship. They had no room for a proper mating and an oath beyond the one they had already pronounced.


Tilting his head into one of Zeph's hands, Khorin realized that he just not only thought about commit THE oath with her, but that it came natural to his mind when Zeph was involved. Being aware of it, frightened him as few things had done. The pilot had never thought he could have commitment issues, but he hadn't had any intention of committing to anyone until now. And that his heart skipped a beat in his chest just thinking about spending time alone with her, scared him to the bones. Because he knew well that, beneath his overconfident attitude, he had a great capacity to screw things up. And he was usually able to solve stuff with a smug grin and a well-directed joke. But he didn't want to mess  things with Zeph. The idea of ​sadden her in some way terrified him. And he was terrified of being terrified. Khorin had always been someone sure of himself, of winning anything he set out to do, and in the case of not doing so, of being able to get out of the situation better off than most people. So feeling like he felt at that moment was a disturbing novelty.


When the Klingon was beginning to fall into a spiral that he was unable to handle, his mind deafened by an emotion that was alien to him, Zeph took him out of that tumble into an auger by dragging him to the boxes that had just materialized in the bay, placing his crate between his hands before he had time to put his emotions in check. He dressed himself running in autopilot, and only came out of it when Zeph addressed him, sat by his side.He just nodded to avoid the dryness that had taken hold of his throat, while looking betazoid from head to toe. The tight dark suit left little to imagination, and only highlighted how beautiful she was. How perfect she was.


He took possession of the provisions contained in the box, and put almost half of the water available in his stomach in one gulp. Then he search through the food, which consisted mainly of jerky and smoked meat. Klingon field rations, like the ones he had seen his father and uncle prepared before entering combat. He gnawed them for a while, just concentrating on the simplicity of the act, and on the heat of Zephyr's body on his side. Lieutenant Zephyr Praise. Thanks to the black box Khorin knew her full name. It fit her. She really deserved be praised.


Without really knowing how, his attack of... panic? He couldn't call it panic, he didn't have panic attacks. His sudden slight disturbance of his mood, That sounded better. His little mood swing had disappeared, and he felt at ease with Zeph again. It was so easy to be relaxed with Zephyr. Following an impulse, he put an arm around her shoulders, to reassure himself as much as to show her he has cared for her.


"Good to know she tell the truth" He rumbled, joining her small talk. "Anyway Cross trusts her, and I trust Cross, so she's on our pack now. Cross is an ugly and bitter sidekick but you can rely on his criteria." He admitted, his trademarked crooked grin growing in his face. He and the grump vulcan had hit it off almost since they meet, even with their little misunderstanding in Ten Forward. Khorin chuckled while remembering that, and shook his head as he rummaged through the box in search of something else to put in his mouth. That was when he discovered the sweet sponges hidden in the box. Twinkies. "You know ... I loved this junk back on Earth," he said before taking a bite of one of the buns. As he suspected, the taste was repulsive. Just like licking a pan that hadn't been cleaned in five years, seasoned with ashes and soil. "I was such a sweet-toothed back then, my Ma had indulged it all my life ... but since those Savi Correction, i  just can't enjoy sweet flavors anymore ..." He groaned, putting on a tremendously exaggerated pout on his face.

[Ens. Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Maintenance Bays | The Versant]

Shall knew that Ida wouldn’t have taken his presence well, much less physical contact, but it still hurt when she shrugged out of his touch and stomped off.  Shar was the complete opposite, she took his hand in her own, eyes meeting and despite the darkness he could see her skin blushing a deeper blue.  He couldn’t help but notice the rest of her reactions either, the way she covered her belly, clearly feeling for something that she couldn’t yet, but soon might be able to feel in another.  Sehl was nearby as well, approaching out from out of the crowd to be with them.  Before he or Shall could say anything though, the moment passed and Shar’s voice and stance turned as hard as ice.

White hair rustled as Shall nodded in response.  “It’s not the first time something like this has happened to her.”  For a moment he thought about expounding on that, but with so many around that didn’t sound like a great idea.  “I’ll fill you in another time.” Even though he kept his voice calm, the chan’s antenna drooped in embarrassment.  Before anyone could press for any details new lights flared in the room along with the familiar chiming of a transporter.  Looking over to the source Shall could see multiple rows of boxes, waiting.  Commander Not-so-Blue made an announcement that they were for everyone, and he joined the crowd in hunting for one tagged for himself.  ”Not-so-Blue”? Strange name for a human. He filed that thought away.  Despite all the years he’s spent around the pinkskins there were elements about them he just could not figure out.

Finding the box labeled “Irnashall ch’Xinya” was quite easy, and as soon as he had it open Shall was looking over the bodysuit their Savi “savior” had made for him.  It looked like it would fit without any problem, but it was far from his usual style.  Preferring more loose and flowing clothing, Shall wasn’t very keen on this skintight piece of polymer fabric (or whatever it was made of).  Solid panels shimmered in the light while flexible joints allowed for motion and fitting, and it included built-in boots with massive treading.  Shrugging he threw it over his shoulder and made for the wall, examining the remaining contents.  The tuber roots were a nice surprise, but the package of yellow lookalikes escaped the scientist.

Setting the box down and squeezing into the suit, Shall felt a touch more proper, if confined.  Nothing rode where it shouldn’t, and surprisingly the suit allowed a full range of motion.  Time would tell if it breathed properly, but that was a test better suited for later.  Plopping onto the deck and curling his legs together, Shall set the box on his lap and tore into the roots.  He was slow to eat at first, survival training reminding him to take it easy after a forced fast, but his stomach won the battle and they disappeared quickly thereafter.  A liquid container possessed some water, and he washed the simple meal down with a sizable chunk of his allotted portion.

Satisfied at last, Shall leaned his head back, resting it on the cool metal wall.  His eyes closed and with little else to do but wait for now, he prepped himself mentally for a nap.

Joint Post
[ Deacon, K'Ren and R'Rori| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] attn: all present

R’Rori blushed slightly as s/he looked down at hir body in response to Blue’s words and nodded in agreement as s/he registered just how much had changed. As Blue continued speaking and answering questions from the others, the counselor took a moment to look around the cavernous room to gauge the mood. As expected, it was a mix. There were expressions of grief, curiosity, confusion, fleeting happiness, and a few more stoic. It looked like the Klingon found a friend – the scientist from earlier. And there were the other two feline prisoners. Deacon looked to be in distress and R’Rori couldn’t quite figure out K’Ren from this angle. When the supplies beamed in, s/he joined the others in grabbing her box, smiling grimly at the name on it.

They know far too much about us and we too little of them.

S/he pushed aside the Twinkies for now and pulled on the suit within, unsurprised at how well it fit and the consideration made for hir tail. After s/he separated out the vegetable-based meal for hir own, R’Rori made sure to pass by Blue on the way to a spot to eat, dropping the confections for hir former patient. Hir destination was ultimately K’Ren and Deacon, whom s/he spotted conversing while eating.

“Marriages tend to come with a bit more pomp and ceremony in my experience, Deacon.”

R’Rori sat down nearby in easy conversational range while s/he started on the leafy goodness their mysterious Savi benefactor had made for hir. S/he gestured at the both of them and directed hir words at the Caitian.

"Deacon here mentioned you two were bonded, I believe. He is not Caitian, though? What kind of bonding is it?"

K'Ren could feel a little of her mate's feelings, not empathy as telepaths considered it but she could feel his emotional state through the bond they shared, a dull sort of general sense of his emotional state. Strong feelings could come through louder but she'd never felt such strong emotions as she had from Deacon, or Xander, she wasn't sure which now. Resting her head against his, she gently stroked his neck. "We will get ourselves out of here mate, but for now let's focus on rest." That rest however was short-lived as a familiar whine filled the room, spooking K'Ren a little until she saw the crates arrive, not threats as she expected.

She moved to sit where he'd been while he collected their crates. She could tell from his posture, and his facial expressions, such as they were that he wasn't entirely impressed with his parcel, or at least something on the front of it. Bringing it back she saw what was causing him to react as he was, the name on the package.  She glanced them both over as he offered her box to her. "They would not have known mate, could not have known unless they'd looked closely at our offspring. But yes, that is how it would have worked, perhaps even a single package for us both to share."

Opening the package she saw the nutritional items, unsure but assuming they were made for her, or at least generic enough she'd not react to any milk products in the solid foodstuffs. She wasn't sure about the uniform, would put that on later but for now the water seemed the best choice and she took a sip from it. When she put the bottle down, she saw R'Rori sitting their in front of them. "We are bonded yes. He was K'Zin but it seems the Caitian life bond, can extend to other species."

R'Rori nodded. "Similar to the bond between my parents then, though my father's human culture had a strong influence on how they showed it to others. It was a big wedding, I'm told."

Deacon tensed at R'Rori's arrival, not anticipating another to come forward  to invade what he felt was a personal moment; but of all those concerned, he found he minded her presence the least.  As K'Ren turned her attention to the new arrival, he opened his own box, rifling through the contents, pausing long enough to sniff suspiciously at the three Twinkies inside.  He opened one, hazarding a taste of the confection, only to find it revolting, hurriedly wiping it from his tongue, clearly having missed the statement that he had once been kzin-- a statement that he no doubt would take offense to.  "Fanged God," he grumbled, "are they trying to poison us?"  He crushed the remaining Twinkies, tossing them into the shadows at the edge of his sight, still trying to excise the flavor from his mouth by stretching his tongue out repeatedly.  Finally, he looked back at the other two to see what he had missed.

"I never knew the rituals of my father's planet but there was little ceremony on my world." K'Ren noted, thinking back to what she could still remember of her childhood. "Living on a failed colony, much of the civilized ideals never seemed present, least of all when it came to taking a mate and marriage." She paused, thinking forward to her first mate and the short life together they had. "My first mate, a human did a small ceremony of sorts when he claimed me, something about a pledge we both recited, a public display of our union and these little metal rings he made us wear."

"The wedding rings!" R'Rori exclaimed softly. "Yes. While Caitians are satisfied with a private bond, I've noticed humans like public ceremony. It's like a way of bonding the pair's families and friends along with each other. Through the ceremony, they strengthen their community through a celebration. It's interesting."

Deacon regarded K'Ren, his focus diverting again.  She'd had another mate before him and a human besides.  But she was no longer with him, and here he was stuck with a human face and human flesh.  Would she leave him too now that he'd been stripped of much of who he was?  An unsettled wave of insecurity washed over him, though he said nothing.  Should he let her leave him?  These were not concerns kzinti had.  And yet the more he tried to struggle against the sinking morass of his thoughts, the more they clung to him, the more they threatened to swallow him down.

K'Ren glanced at her mate, feeling a sudden wave of discouragement and fear wash off him. Her human mate had been a bit less extreme in his emotional states, perhaps humans normally were less emotional then K'Zin, but regardless it didn't matter, she could feel her mate's distress and almost depression in him. Was it her remark about her first mate? She looked to Xander, "Mate?" she asked, looking to his face to guage what she was feeling in the bond, "I'm your Caitrett."

Deacon blinked, unsure of what prompted her to suddenly make such an admission.  He'd heard her say it before and it had made him happy, but now he was confused.  "I.. I know," he said.  He wanted to say more, to assure her he didn't have any doubts, but he knew the fate of liars when they stood before the Fanged God.  "I think I'm just on edge," he finally added, finding a nugget of truth he hoped would  put her mind at ease.

R'Rori watched the two talk. There was this brief flash s/he got of distress and depression and it was almost dismissed as simply hir own feeling resurfacing, but it felt ... alien almost. Not hirs. K'Ren's words and Deacon's reaction confirmed a half-formed hypothesis. So his abilities are stronger than I thought. S/he spoke up then as gently as s/he could. "It's natural to wonder, especially with the changes forced on us. Perhaps ... a re-commitment of sorts could help. A promise to each other in your new bodies."

K'Ren could sense the confusion, could sense a little deception in his feelings as he responded to her. She cocked her head a little when R'Rori suggested they might recommit to each other. It'd only been, well she wasn't sure now how many days had passed since they initially bonded but long enough they'd made a cub together. Perhaps it was best they did what she suggested. She wanted to reassure Deacon, reassure her mate that she was his and his alone. She paused, was that it? Was that what was worrying him? Did her mention of her last mate worry him that she might leave. "I think we should." She looked to Deacon, "Mate. The human I spoke of, he died defending our ship. We were parted by nothing less then his death. I will not leave you until death separates us and we go the way of our ancestors."

Deacon's ears would have rolled back were they still capable of such mobility.  She was in his mind.  But how?  He was tired, true, but had his defenses dropped so thoroughly?  R'Rori, too, seemed to have some inkling of his feelings.  Was this another change?  Another reflection of what the Savi had done to him.  Another thing he would need to control... if his emotions were bleeding out of him uncontrollably, he'd have to find a way to rein them in.  But it was enough to warrant a half-smile, at least as much as he could, given his lack of practice with such an expression.  He trace his hand along K'Ren's cheek.  He didn't want her to have to do things just to reassure him, but that she considered it alone gave him some small joy in the face of their predicament.

She purred as he ran his hand along her cheek, tail twitching, ears flopped causally on her head. "I would have everyone here know you are my mate Deacon, I am your Caitrett, and nobody will take that from us." She nuzzled into his hand a little as they caressed her whiskers. "Please?"

R'Rori had to quickly stuff the last bit of food in hir mouth to suppress the sudden smile that wanted to crack across hir face, barely succeeding. A part of hir, the diehard romantic s/he supposed, wanted to clap and cheer a bit. It was good to see something like this in the midst of such monstrosities as they had all faced recently. S/he held hir breath, daring not to say anything that might ruin the moment. There was a detail that s/he could mention, though....

"Well, we... do have Commander Nerina here. It is custom in Starfleet that commanding officers can marry people. If you'd like, of course."

Deacon gave a slight laugh.  She was asking his permission to publicize their union.  There was the part of him that didn't require such a public display-- kzinti, after all, took mates as readily as they took any other possession.  But that was not the way of the Federation.  That wasn't the way of his parents.  His father had married his mother, whether she had understood the concept fully or not.  But it was the respect that he paid to her and their union, and if not for that, he wouldn't be here reflecting on them.  And he had to admit, there was the part of him that wanted to declare their union to the others, in defiance of the Savi, a challenge to others who might try to claim her.  It was childish, but it was still there.  He placed his head to hers, nodding his consent.  "We should probably be dressed for this.  Monkey modesty."

K'Ren placed her head against Deacon's. "Thank you Deacon." She purred, turning her head to R'Rori. "If this Nerina is willing, we will do so R'Rori. If not, we will do so privately, Caitian custom does not require a witness, the bond between us is enough."

Deacon turned his gaze towards R'Rori.  "Would you mind asking the commander for a moment of her time?" he asked, motioning to indicate his and K'Ren state of undress with a slight smirk.  "We need a moment."

[ Lt R'Rori | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] @Auctor Lucan

R’Rori titled hir head slightly at Deacon’s request, not bothering to hide the small smirk on hir face or suppress the burgeoning excitement within hir. S/he really didn’t know K’Ren and Deacon from Adam, honestly, but this kind of development was something s/he could see greatly benefiting the mood and morale of the officers present with them. It would serve as a reminder of the persistence of life and perhaps offer a bit of hope. Morale officers were part of the counseling complement and such concerns about a crew’s morale or mood was thus naturally an integral part of a counselor’s assessment.

Also, it was cute to see two people get married.

“Of course, Deacon.” S/he replied while standing back up. “I’ll just be a moment.”

S/he looked around to spot where Nerina was standing. Even with the changes wrought to hir body, hir natural agility still allowed hir to reach the commander deftly and with a surprising amount of speed, considering. The smirk had developed into a more natural smile as hir silver eyes attempted to make visual contact with Nerina’s. S/he waved shortly to grab her attention before speaking up.

“Commander Nerina! I am Lieutenant R’Rori, formerly counselor on the Endeavour. I apologize for interrupting but I have a request to pass along. Two of the people here from the Theurgy here have been bonded in the Caitian manner before …” S/he waved around at the Savi ship’s interior. “All this happened. With the changes, they would like to recommit to each other a little bit more publicly. Their names are K’Ren and Deacon. Would you mind officiating?”

After a short pause and seeing the reaction on Nerina’s face, R’Rori spoke up again, this time in a voice more somehow official. “It would be good for crew morale, I believe. There’s a lot of grimness and death lately and this gives everyone something soothing to experience. It won’t be a waste of your time.”

Ens Nathaniel Isley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Nathaniel_Isley,_callsign_"Icarus") Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] @Triage  @Auctor Lucan
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When the equipment arrived Nathan walked over to it, and took a suit and a Twinkie. He changed quickly and stuffed his face with the food. When he was dressed he walked back to the spot where the two had been talking out of the way of the crowd, and took a meditative position.

"I'll be honest, if you stayed with the vulcan's you probably know more than me about the actual meditations, but what I do have, is the experiances of three different mind melds with vulcans. Everytime they are in your head, you are also in theirs, it's easy to find information after you experience it once or twice. I know how the ritual is done, but sadly." Nathan shrugged.

"When all of the Romulans left Vulcan, the few that were psionic were banished to the interior of a boiling moon tidal locked as it was the surface was either boiling hot, or extremely cold which forced those underground mining the precious minerals and creating what we nowadays call the Remans. As far as I know my mother has no reman blood, and I was raised Vulcan, my mother a spy hiding in Federation space, I attended a Vulcan school in my early years, and hated every second of it." He gave a bit of his background, and why he didn't think he would ever be able to pull off a mind meld, which was unfortunate.

"Lets talk about what happened to me first. I was put under the effect of an unwanted mind meld, and used as a weapon to kill a friend of mine." He sighed going over the different sets of memories he had at the time. "When I learned the cause of the strike i started to do a lot of reading on how to restore control to ones mind. While I don't have the psionic potential, the one thing I have been reading on is how to control the mind internally from external threats."

"Since you have the basics of meditation we are going to jump to the point I'm at, for now we will try a guided meditation. Building the fortitude of the mind, and learning for all to be quiet." He moved to close his own eyes, trusting O'Riley to follow, and attempting to guide her in meditation something that he was not the best at.

[ Commander Nerina (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Nerina) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]When Blue Tiran had insisted on the PADD she had in possession not being tampered with, Commander Nerina had weighed the options at their disposal. She didn't know enough about this woman from the Endeavour, and she didn't know who this Savi asset was, much less what kind of agreement the woman had made with this Savi. Then again, she didn't know Sarresh Morali or Hi'Jak either, even if they claimed they were part of the Theurgy's crew. What was the wisest decision, she didn't know, but she'd rather avoid conflict at that hour, when the two present crews needed to rest and prepare for a more coordinated effort on the morrow.

Thus, when the delivery came, she turned to Sarresh Morali, and shook her head, signaling for him to not push the issue about the PADD right then. Hi'Jak had already moved away with Dr. Saugn, whom Nerina knew well from the original medical staff on the Theurgy, likely needing medical treatment after the fight on the Enterprise since the man had fought at a disadvantage, lacking both an eye and an arm. She'd have words with Morali later, but for the time being, she joined the throng of people picking up their care packages. She used to have Klingon blood, and wasn't prude, but she'd welcome clothing.

When at the crates, she spotted Lin Kae trying to open his package with bloodied fingers, his futile efforts with the holo-emitter earlier having made him loose a couple of fingernails. After Nerina had stepped into her Savi exosuit and closed it, she stepped over to the young Bajoran and helped him. "Here," she said, getting the lid open for him, "When you've eaten, you should see if any of these people are medical staff. They might be able to take a look at your hands."

"Thank you," said Lin Kae with a defeated air about him when he met her eye. "I'm sorry. I failed."

"Don't worry, Ensign. We're still here. You did all that you could." She put a hand on his bare shoulder.

"If I may," he said, the suit in his lap, "I would like to be on the team that tries to get Thea. You weren't there, but... I helped develop her, after we left Niga, after I unshackled her. I... I think I will be one of those qualified to extract her from the kind of lab she might be in."

"Duly noted, Ensign. We'll speak more of this later." Nerina nodded, patted his shoulder, and rose to her feet. "Now, you should eat and get your hands looked at. All right?"

"Yes, Commander."

Nerina looked around, eating out of her package joylessly. She saw how the Okhala sisters moved away from the rest. The white-haired one had looked towards Nathaniel Isley and Khorin Douglas - two of the Lone Wolves that Nerina knew - but the two pilots already had company with the blonde engineer with the heavy accent and the Betazoid named Praise respectively. She tried to see where ThanIda zh'Wann had gone, but she didn't see her. She had seen the Andorian zhen collect her package and move away, but now, she was gone. Perhaps she had taken residence in one of the adjacent storage rooms.

Then, she spotted Blue Tiran, and the woman seemed to be emotional about her food. Of course, she had likely not eaten since she came aboard. Those in the Correction Program had been fed regularly - with and without tubes - and even been able to eat on the Enterprise. Lieutenant Commander Tiran had been alone, and likely without any access to food and water on the Savi ship.

With concern for her, Nerina was about to go to her, to speak with her, and start to make some rudimentary plans for the morrow. To learn more about the Savi asset, and what she had endured, and she would have done so if the Vulcan male without hair hadn't sat down next to her. It made her pause, and let the woman be for the time being.

"Commander Nerina! I am Lieutenant R'Rori, formerly counselor on the Endeavour. I apologize for interrupting but I have a request to pass along."

Nerina found a smile somewhere inside her, and inclined her head to the woman, whom seemed to not be fully Corrected since she had a tail and Caitian ears still. "That's quite all right, Lieutenant. What's the request?" she asked, and listened as the former Caitian hybrid began to explain about the two bonded members of her ship's crew, both likely additions since after she had been put into stasis. Something about the request made a warm feeling bloom in her chest, after all the horrors she and the rest had been subjected to. She only had to think for a moment. "I suppose that... since I am the ranking officer in our midst, it makes me the best candidate for it. I would be happy to do it, and I agree, I think we all need a reminder about how there is something to fight for."

She set her steps towards the two members of the Theurgy crew that Lieutenant R'Rori had indicated, and Nerina smiled to them. She paused in her eating, cocking a hip and resting her care package against it while she spoke to them. "I hear you would like me to officiate your bond," she said, genuinely happy to see that despite all that was going on, and what laid ahead, love could still prevail. "It would be my honour to do so. Do you have any requests, or shall I stick to the usual words? Either way, I just need your full names."

[ Ensign Lin Kae (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lin_Kae) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant Attn: @Zenozine
[Show/Hide]After dressing in the exosuit, and getting some of the food down, Lin Kae rose from the deck and began to make silent enquiries about present medical staff. His fingers throbbed, but the blood had begun to coagulate well enough. He wasn't sure what any doctor or nurse could do for him under the present circumstances, but Commander Nerina likely just wanted his fingers to get looked at.

Eventually, he found his way to two Ovri that he recognized from the Theurgy. The two siblings had come aboard from the Harbinger, he remembered, and he had seen them from time to time when he'd had business in sickbay. He had no idea why they had been abducted by the Savi, since they didn't appear changed in any way since he had last seen them, but perhaps there was more than Corrections taking place in the labs of the Versant. Little did he know about the last inoculation that the two Ovri had gotten from the Savi, and what was in store for them...

"Hello. I am sorry to intrude, but would either of you mind taking a look at my hands? Commander Nerina insisted that I'd get them checked," he asked, the dim light catching the exotic skin of the Ovri siblings, whom would have been given the same kind of care packages as the rest.

[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Outside | Maintenance Bay Corridors | The Versant ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]With the stolen phaser contraption in hand, ThanIda zh'Wann silently made her way down the corridor outside the bay, leaving the others behind.

Alone, she would scout the areas closest to the hideout, since as far as she had seen, there were no security programs protecting them, and no surveillance system in place. Therefore, she had taken on the duty to be the last line of defense for the abductees. As a sentry, she would sleep lightly, in a prime position to forestall any Savi security teams looking for them.

She hadn't told anyone, because she...

Admittedly, she just needed the time alone. She knew it was wrong to leave, but she refused to speak of why she had been abducted, with anyone, but most of all, she refused to be in the vicinity of the bond group that had been forced upon her. She knew that they would try to seek her out, that Shar would feel the time coming. Either that night, or the day to come. The time to pass the egg to a zhen. Would they see it as an obscene duty to their species to try to finish what had begun? She didn't know, and she didn't care.

What if they try to force me? She had been violated, again, and by Lor'Vela, Andoria would thaw before she let anyone or anything inside her again. In a way, she hoped Shar's time, the final step, would come that night, whilst she protected the abductees. In a way, she almost hoped they'd try to make her agree to it. She gripped the handle of the assembled phaser harder, her teeth grinding together.

The rage inside her needed some kind of outlet, and it was a long time till the morrow.

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OOC: Here are the characters present in Blue Tiran's hideout in the Maintenance Bays, and if there are significant reunions because of this, it should be handled in Supplemental threads or mid-discussion in this thread. The naming convention for such threads belonging to this Prologue is: Prologue: Supplemental [ Day XX | XXXX hrs. ] Insert Title. Here goes: [Show/Hide]

[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Sarresh_Morali) | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: all y'all not-so-naked mother fuckers (and Blue)
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This 'Blue' had the potential to be a right problem, Sarresh decided. It would behoove him to withhold judgement, this he knew. That didn't make his initial reaction any less cold. Yes, she'd managed rather well on her own, and yes, she was the only conduit to their savoir. And he supposed as the PADD was hers she had every right to be involved in whatever they did using it. Never mind that he and Jack had already made some pretty damn fine progress on their own. Never mind that they were all in this together. Nope, whatever.

He pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up in surprise, with all too human eyes, as the sparkle of a new transporter effect faded. He listened to the Lt. Cmdr. from the Endeavour explain what was going on. Clothes? he thought, repressing a shiver of longing. Once again he hated how cold he felt in this body. He'd started to long to be warm and here was an answer to that unspoken prayer.

(True, his mind had contemplated other methods of warmth. Methods that, unless he were very lucky, he'd never get again. He silently swore on the spot that if he made it out of this he was going to tell Sel exactly how much she meant. And then hopefully bask in that warmth.)

Sarresh stopped listening to what the woman had to say and meandered over to find his own box. The former Ash'reem wasted no time at all in fishing out the suit. It was sleek and form fitting, and if he were the least bit attached to this 'new' body he might have been self conscious, seeing as the protective (and warm!) garment left very little to the imagination when it came to his rear end. But the well toned human didn't give a targs ass about how his own ass looked. He just cared that it was warm.

Clothed, he tore into one of the rations that had been provided and made a face as he bit into it. Initially he thought it far too sweet - but human taste buds seemed well adapted to it. This was not the first time that something he would have disliked before his unwelcome transformation resulted in a taste that his new body found pleasant. This of course just angered him further, and made him resent the fact that he now liked this thing he would have otherwise liked. It was very contrary; it was very Sarresh.

He managed to swallow it down and only then noticed that there was other food in the box. Feeling a bit sheepish, he rifled through it and chose something small to work on. The time traveler knew too well, from some basic training or another (he was unsure if it were contemporary, or future based) that if he rushed into this after so little for so long (he hadn't eaten in the holoprogram, not really) that he would make himself sick.

A fat lot of good that would do you too, in your screwball attempts to get out of here and back on with the mission. Back to Sel.

Sated for the moment, and with a bottle of water in hand, Sarresh rose back up to his feet. He turned as if to go back and fetch the PADD from the pompous engineer and stopped. She was weeping. Damn He may have been a surly bastard but he wasn't about to go badger a woman while she wept. He had standards.

Instead, Sarresh found himself a corner, pulled his box over to it and sat down to brood. This had become something of a talent of his over the weeks since he had left the Relativity. A good, festering brood, and yet, his heart wasn't in it. His eyes kept flitting about, from one place to the next. His hears, straining, picking up bits of conversation. Nerina, she was called, this former First Officer. She who had fallen during the Niga incident. She was going to...officiate? Of all the stupid - now was hardly - . Sarresh stopped himself with a sigh. Oh, what does it matter?

[ Vinata Vojona & Hylota Vojona | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @all ]
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       Vinata did not take too long to find his care package, as well as his sisters beside it. The two of them opened their packs and wasted no time slipping into their suits, thankfully the feet did have a decent amount of magnetic grip that would do for the tie being, but as they got to looking into the rest of the contents Hylota scowled at the replicated food and rations, most of it human garbage that was not worth bothering to try eating. She did not even waste a moment to look over the rations, she just dumped out the case and closed it once more. She was not in the right frame of mind, she was stressed, irritated, and on edge. Hylota had no interest in working through another crisis, fighting her way to secure the right for another meaningless fight right after that. Vinata, more level headed and calm looked to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder. Hylota tensed and turned glare at her brother as Vinata spoke. "Hylota, please you need to calm down. I understand you are under a lot of stress and this is not something you want to do, but you need to maintain your composure." Vinata began to gently rub his sister's shoulder as he gave a small smile. "Just focus on keeping with the group, you do not have to fight and we will keep away from any fighting. When we get back I think it is time you finally took some time to yourself."

Hylota said nothing, she was not interested in the conversation, she had no interest in debate or fighting, she was just irritated, she was again unarmed and without medical kit, she was stuck relying on others and having to fight an uphill battle once more. Her eyes drifted among the crowd as a mocking internal voice wondered if Heather was here to paralyze her arm again. This sour attitude was thankfully ended as she began to be gently rubbed, helping her to relax as she nodded in recognition of Vinata's words, before she could talk though Lin Kae approached and asked the two from some help. Hylota looked to Lin Kae's hands as Vinata tensed, despite the steps he had taken to recover, the sight of blood all over Lin Kae's hands made him tense, his gut twisting as he remembered the warm sticky feeling of blood all over him. Closing his eyes Vinata took a moment, grounded himself in the moment and reminded himself what he needed to be doing. Hylota was much more capable of being in the moment and as she looked at Lin Kae's hands she spoke. "Yes we can take a look, sadly I do not know what I can do for you with our limited supplies, but at the very least we can see to getting the scope of your injury looked at." Hylota looked to her brother. "Check my pile for a water ration, we will want to wash his hands off to gauge the damage."

Vinata could tell what Hylota was doing, using work as her crutch, it was not going to work forever, but for now it would do. "Alright Hylota, I will get that while you give the physical exam." Hylota hummed and nodded in recognition as she walked up to Lin Kae, her large hands reaching out to take his hands in her own, showing a surprisingly gentle touch as she looked them over. "Alright we will want to go through a simple exam on your mobility. Touch each finger to your thumb from the pointer to your pinkie, then cycle back as quickly as you can. After that I want you to make a fist a few times, moving more slowly each time you clench. We will wash off the blood and see if anything can be seen from the surface...the fact that you are not in any serious pain makes it clear no tendons were damaged, such an injury would be crippling without proper tools." Hylota observed Lin Kae as Vinata sorted through the discarded rations and managed to find a small portion of water that he brought back over. "Alright once you have finished the initial examination I can wash your hands off sir so we can make the final examination. Make sure there is no risk to your hands." Vinata was polite and patient, he would do his part when needed.  Meanwhile Hylota took note of any limit or sluggishness to Lin Kae's movements, seeing if the different tasks caused him to lose control or get stuck at any point, she was also looking to make sure he had his coordination still. If Lin Kae was beginning to show signs of impairment he would have to be asked to use his hands less for the time being.

[ Deacon | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull | The Versant ] Attn:  @SummerDawn @patches @Auctor Lucan and all wedding guests

Deacon cursed under his breath at his tampered sense of balance as he fussed with the savi-provided coverings, wishing instead for the fur he'd once possessed, even as a half-breed.  Even though they were monkeys, human legs were comparatively naked and the rest of them often more-so.  In truth, part of the problem came in balancing between the shivering he'd only begun to notice once he was occupied with  trying to make himself presentable.  Some hint of nerves had managed to keep his mind focused on himself and off the emotional spectrum of those around him, but that only served to inform him that he was cold.  All the more reason to bemoan his lost fur and add to the ever more complex plans of death he intended to impose on their captors.

He stood, his tail finally situated through the hole at the base on his spine, each leg more or less straightened and in place, the upper portion of the suit still hanging loose about his waist.  Was this it?  Was he cursed to just be miserable for the rest of his life?  First life on homeworld, keeping his abilities secret for fear they would jeopardize not only his position but his grandfather's as well?  Betraying the Patriarchy to the Federation in hope that cooler minds might prevail and lead to the salvation of his people only to find the Federation infiltrated and, by extension, even less inclined towards a path of peace?  Catching a virus that compromised a precariously balanced immune system and undergoing genetic reversion to save his life?  Being captured and having the side of him that he'd come to know and identify as stripped away at once, leaving him in the flesh of something he'd been taught to despise?  His hell seemed only to accelerate the further from homeworld that he got.

Still, he paused and looked back of his shoulder at the one redeeming element that held him together, that gave him focus and solace.  The one thing that gave his hearts... well, heart... contentment.  K'Ren.  He didn't have to be here alone.  He wasn't isolated.  The weight of the world no longer rested on a single pair of shoulders.

Feeling the commander's approach, he took a deep breath, bulwarking his mental defenses, determined to see this moment through without suffering, without pain, without regrets or second thoughts.  As he turned, pulling up the remainder of the jumpsuit he'd been provided, his blue eyes caught sight of the commander, the faint light giving the gold in his eyes an almost reflective quality.

"I hear you would like me to officiate your bond," she said as she approached.  Deacon allowed himself one more moment of mental reproach as he recognized the woman, his particular agnosia not allowing her face to blur into the obscurity as everyone else.  "It would be my honour to do so. Do you have any requests, or shall I stick to the usual words? Either way, I just need your full names."

Clearing his throat as he pulled his arm through the second sleeve, thankful that the seemingly flimsy material was sufficient to block out the cold of the bay, he replied, "I... owe you an apology."  This was necessary.  He had questioned her before the others, doubted her claims and identity, but clearly she stood in the same predicament as the others.  As ridiculous as these Savi plans seemed to be, placing a false confidant among the captives seemed all the more ludicrous.  "It was inappropriate for me to challenge your identity and position."  Giving a slight inclination of his head, he added, "Thank you for tending to this matter."

The details of the suit finally resolved, the wrinkles smoothed, elements properly rotated and adjusted as required, he squared his shoulders.  "Appearance to the contrary, I'm not human.  I have no idea what the... 'usual words' are.  I will trust your discretion in that regard.  As for names..."  His eyes fell to the nearby box that still contained what modicum of food their so-called benefactor saw fit to send for him.  With another deep breath, his eyes again locked onto the Commander, "Names are... challenging.  My kzinti name is Deacon because that is who and what I am.  But my parents... my parents named me Xander.  Xander Maryk.  Although my mother couldn't say my full name... she just called me Xan."  He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, considering that the last statement was, perhaps, a little too much information, but it was his truth and the Fanged God demanded truth in all things.  And it gave him comfort to think of his mother in this moment.  "So... I am both."  It was a painful admission, but again, truth.  "Xander Deacon Maryk."

[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Sinead_O%27Riley#Personality_Profile) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Brutus, @Zenozine, @Masorin, @SummerDawn, @chXinya, @Absinthe, @steelphoenix, @Blue Zephyr, @YasyraTrill, @patches, @Fife & @Numen
[Show/Hide]The sustenance seemed oddly limited and wanting, but it was not unpleasant, nor unsatisfying. Yet her appetite was poor, as her mind was preoccupied with her concern for the captain's rescue, her guilt at committing murder of an innocent woman, and the ghost of her own self, ever-taunting, and ever-reminding of the dangers she posed. They had seen a portion of her prowess in the holodeck simulation of the Enterprise, her complete lack of hesitation to inflict murder and harm ought to have given everyone plenty of warning signs. She crammed down the last of her meal as best as she could manage. Another time, she would have relished the experience and the taste. But it was ash in her mouth.

Satisfied and pleased at least with her attire and the purpose it served, her eyes began to seek out Nathaniel, and noted that he'd returned to the secluded spot. She rejoined the Romulan, and listened to what he had to say. Her face remained unreadable and impassive, but she realized inwardly that perhaps he needed this more than she did, that it helped him to cope with the situation they were surrounded by. Danger and death awaited at almost every turn, the potential for everything going awry without warning was so high everyone would be on alert even in the relative safety of this place. Given their shared experiences of hearing and seeing things in their heads, Nathaniel could best understand what demons Sinead saw.

Looking at her ghostly self, she realized now why she saw a reflection: She was afraid of herself. For the longest time, she was subsconsciously aware of the danger she represented to everyone around her, but could never identify it for certain. Deep down, she suspected, knew, that she was capable of killing indiscriminately, that she could lose control of her own memories and morality, killing anything that moved. The Vulcans taught her to suppress her emotions, to control herself, to an extent, and to subdue the rage, but not to eliminate. How could they? The only way she could eliminate the dark aspect of herself would be to end her own life.

She joined him in meditation, never saying a word. Her hands folding together in the way she had learned from the Vulcans. Though she lacked the IDIC icon, she didn't need it for what she was going to do.

“It will no' work, Sinead,” said her ghost, “no' this time.”

Yes, it will, she thought back at the visage, Yeh no be little more than jus' a los' par' of meself

She reached out in her mind, seized the visage, who yelped in surprise, and as they struggled in her mind, beads of sweat formed on redhead's brows as she struggled for dominance of her mind, and to quiet the troubled sense of self that had quite literally taken on a life of her own. As she did every morning save for the most recent days leading up to now, she accepted the ghost as herself, because it was herself. It was a temporary stopgap, but a permanent solution would be needed before she could truly find a sense of peace and serenity; before the ghost within her mind could truly be laid to rest. For now, she would just live with it and deal with it on a daily basis.

“'tis gone,” said Sinead quietly, “my mind be more quiet now.”

Her brilliant blue eyes slowly opened and she looked at Nathaniel evenly, no longer as emotional as she had been for a while.

[LCdr Blue Tiran | Tears in My Twinkies |  Should be a Country Song | Missing My Other Half | Live to Suffer Another Day]
@Fife

Blue was locked within her own misery.

With the reunion of the people around her, it was nice, and yet she still felt very alone.  She felt ostracized as people went about hugging and segregating off with one another.  She knew there were people around she could talk to.  People that could be there for her.  Those that had shared a history with her but right now she was not the same person.  Not at all.  She was hollow, her chest was gone, the soul within her had diminished severely.  She still had fight, but that was because of these people.  These officer she had and had not served with.  She had not been able to leave them to their fates and instead had been working night and day since her escape to get them to be saved.  To be all right.  Not to be recycled and eaten.  However, once they were safe, what would she have to live for.

She wasn't being dramatic.  Those that would think so had no understanding of the weight of Ducote's soul within her being.  She had been lonely and had ostracized herself from the world around her as a young girl.  Her words were harsh, nasty, and her personality was cold.  But then, she had pulled herself together and found a goal.  Starfleet.  She could not get further from her parents than out in the universe.  But it had only been a different kind of lonely.  At that point, Blue hadn't really begun to miss people.  Honestly, she was used to it.  Then there was Ducote.  This man that could feel her and know her.  He knew how to walk with her and not around her.  He accepted her for all the pain she carried in her soul and helped her iron out all the wrinkles that had set heavily over the years.  Over time he had pulled her out of her shell and allowed her to feel again.  Love, determination, pride, friendship.  He had awoken her. 

Now, all of that was just gone.

In the blink of an eye her other half was gone from her life and Blue found that when she pondered too hard on the fact she couldn't breathe.  Her chest tightened.  His mere name brought a tightness that she couldn't breathe around.  She swallowed the lump of sugar and dough in her mouth and just stared at the floor.  She couldn't break down, not here, not with all these people here.  She was already crying softly she didn't need to have a full melt down, not here.  There were people here that could sense her.. probably.  She didn't want anyone in her head.  It was a fucking dark place in there right the fuck now.  She tried to breathe, but only a shallow amount of air entered her lungs.  She grabbed at her chest.  Pulling on the poorly fitting suit because she hadn't actually traded it for the new one that Echtand had given her yet.  She needed to do that.  She should do that.  But, she hadn't.

Twinkies had distracted her.

Words.  She looked up, her cyrstalline, red rimmed eyes shifted upward to see Cross there.  He looked different, weird, and she didn't like it.  Blue of all things, loved familiarity.  It was a comfortable place for her.  She knew what to expect, when to expect it, and who were the annoying mother fuckers and who weren't.  She could pick out the idiots and the wastes of space.  But, here everything was odd and in a world that, for Blue, had lost so fucking much, she didn't need more change. 

Someone the Savi hadn't fucked with.

Blue blinked.  If only he knew.  I might not have been corrected but there are some heinous shit that I can't forget that I have seen.  She swallowed heavily and looked at Cross again, as if his words had to take time to actually sink in.  She gave a nod though.  Blue would actually like if the fucking man sat next to her.  It was nice not to be alone, even though she didn't want to actively seek anyone out she was glad for someone that tried to bridge that gap for her.  He picked up the twinkies out of his box talking about how he didn't understand Human confections.  How they could create such wonderful food and then they could create this as if it was a bad thing.  She looked down at them quietly, it was probably the most quiet Blue had ever been in her fucking career.  She was always quick with a bit of a quip or some cursing.  But this Blue, was a very lost Blue and different from the woman that Cross knew. 

Probably good R'rori went and did some other shit, she'd feel me out in a heart beat. she thought as Cross held the twinkies out to her.  She looked, almost like a beaten puppy in that moment.  Her eyes darted from him to the twinkies and back again as if she was unsure that she could take them.  As if she was unsure that he was really fucking serious.  Her hand reached out slightly and snatched them from him with a quick movement and brought them closer to her, she got herself more comfortable on the floor and bit her lower lip.  That movement would have moved her sleeve back enough that Cross might, if his eyes were sharp, see the self inflicted cuts all over her forearm before they disappeared again.

“Thank you.” she said softly as she tore open the package.  She wasn't crying any more.  She had brushed the tears off her cheeks but that had left nasty dirty streaks on them because of her wiping.  She tossed the cellophane wrapper to the deck plating and tore the twinkie in half before she shoved it in her mouth.  Enjoying the food that wasn't really food but it was the shit she had subsisted on since she was a little girl.

“A... “ Blue swallowed the twinkie piece in her mouth and her blue eyes darted back over at Cross.  The only person to actually make an effort to speak with  her.  She didn't want to burn this bridge.  Secretly, she craved the fact that he was here, and the human.. or in this case... not-so-human contact.  She'd been alone for days.  Suffering and hating herself.  Hating Ducote.  Hating this ship, and the beings on it.  She had been so lost.

“Are y..you all .. all right?  I mean... they haven't h..hurt you or.. fucked you over, have they?” she asked, she was honestly sincere in her questioning.  Cross had kept her from murdering Shar on the escape pod and kept Shar from poking the bear that was already bereft without her sweet Ducote.  Cross was someone she could count on, she thought, anyway.

[ Lt. Cross | Maintenance Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] @Blue Zephyr

As Blue had turned her red-rimmed gaze towards him, Cross had been struck both by how the blue of her eyes seeming more vivid in the puffy red frame of her eyelids, and by the haunted look those sky-blue eyes now held. Her gaunt face was dirty, though with several clean streaks where she had swiped at her tears, leaving several smudged streaks across her cheeks. The cleaner streaks through the grime only served to make her look even more disheveled.

As Cross watched with his characteristic unblinking stare, he recognized the all too familiar way she had glanced between his face and the twinkies, looking like an abused animal that was unsure if this was some sort of trick. The hesitant way she reached her hand out, as though expecting him to grab her. They way she snatched the twinkies from his hand and clutched them to her, as though guarding them, fearing he might try to steal them back. Her sleeve had fallen down her arm a bit when she had reached her hand out, and Cross had noticed multiple cuts on her forearm before the sleeve covered them again. Cross said nothing of the wounds, knowing Blue was in a fragile state and suspecting that questioning was the last thing she needed at this moment.

Blue thanked him for the twinkies as she tore at the packaging. She spoke softly, something that was hardly characteristic for the Blue he knew. Indeed, very little of the woman who sat next to him resembled the mannerisms of Blue Tiran, Chief Engineer of the USS Endeavour. Cross recognized the changes all too well. The hesitation, the reluctance to be within reach of someone, the mistrust of things offered. He had been the exact same way when Starfleet had rescued him from the Cardassian prison camp, behaving almost like an animal. He had seen others behave the same way following traumatic experiences. Cross sat patiently beside her, glad to be sitting with a familiar face, and at the same time worried about the person that face belonged to.

Blue spoke finally, asking if he was alright. That, at least, was a good sign. She wasn’t shutting down completely. She spoke hesitantly though, something Cross knew was very uncharacteristic for Blue Tiran.

”I’m all right.” Cross said, giving Blue a weak attempt at a smile. As he smiled, the movement of his face caused a few more flakes of dried green blood to fall free, sprinkling onto his lap. Cross slowly reached a hand up and touched the bridge of his nose gently, feeling the smooth surface where his nasal ridges had been. ”They made me a pure Vulcan. They took my ridges, and gave me these stupid Vulcan eyebrows.” Cross said, sounding none too pleased about the fact. He turned his head to take in the other people in the maintenance bay. R’Rori had gone running across the bay to speak with Commander Nerina, moving with grace and agility in hir new, corrected body. ”They performed some experiments after they made their… corrections.” Cross continued as he stared off into the space in front of him, the memory of him losing control in his containment cell coming back to him. ”It was hardly pleasant, but it was nothing compared to what the fucking spoonheads did to me in the camp before Starfleet liberated me.” Cross finally turned his gaze back towards Tiran, studying her with a look of concern in his pale blue eyes.

”I did lose my mind at one point, and I tried to kill that Klingon over there.” Cross said, gesturing towards where Khorin was sitting with his arm around his new Betazoid belle. ”I haven’t tried to kill him for a few hours now, so I guess I’m making progress." Cross chuckled before he continued. "He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s on our side.”

Cross hesitate now, looking at Blue and trying to think of what to say to her.

”Uh… how are you holding up, Blue?” Cross asked, unsure if he should be addressing her in that way. He had never been particularly close with the Engineer, and to say Cross was a horrible conversationalist would be an understatement of epic proportions, but she was his crewmate and he knew he had to try. ”It… can’t have been easy…" He began, regarding her with unblinking concern. "Being alone on an enemy ship all this time…”

[Lt. Zephyr Praise | Unknown Maintenance Bay | Unknown Ship | Unknown Crew | Unknown Space]
@Numen

He liked it, she could tell.

That quirk of his lips that showed his teeth.  She couldn't help but give him a full brunt smile in response.  She actually quite enjoyed the reactions she was getting out of him, how all his Klingon bravado and the like only added to the chemistry that somehow had found itself between them.  She was glad for him, having met him had given her something to focus on for now.  Whether it was the same when they returned to a larger ship or if they would be forced to separate because of various circumstances she was unsure.  But, she was also not going to push herself into all those thoughts right now.  It was something she couldn't control and more so she didn't really want to think about all the what if's.  There were far too many.  They would come when it was time and that was when she would have to figure it out.

Right now she would just revel in the enjoyment of being together.

They sat side by side, and she felt the warmth of his body right next to her.  It was comforting to have him there, and it was nice to have someone to lean against.  Especially since, she was part of none of the crews here.  She had searched their faces when they had walked through the crowd earlier for fear that there would be someone here looking for her.  From the Azurite station, maybe they had tracked her down, but she hadn't seen any faces she knew, no mental footprints that were familiar in any way and it allowed her to relax once again.

Khorin's large arm came around her and she leaned into him snuggling softly into his side as she opened the box of food that had been given to her.  She ate the vegetables and meat without little fan fare, she was hungry but not starving.  Still, they would need all their wits and strength about them tomorrow.  So many people to get off this ship and things that they would have to accomplish.  Zephyr's mind touched on the people around her, just getting a blanket feel for the room.  Most were happy to be safe, to have food, and to be where they could just 'be' with one another.  Without the threat of someone barging in and doing more experiments on them.

However, the one mind, the one odd mind that stood out for her was the young woman had been here before all of them.  Their liaison to the accomplice.  Her mind was odd.  Full of spikes and anger.  Full of rage but more than all of that was the resounding feeling of just absolute loss.  As if she was lost, and someone else was lost, and she was in a dark hole.  She was spiraling hard, barely holding herself together, Zeph hoped she could hold it together long enough for them all to get off this ship.  Then she could help the woman, now was likely not the time nor the place to be having deep conversations like this woman likely needed.

“Part of our pack?” she looked over at Khorin and smirked softly.  “Well I think that sounds nice, I liked Cross, he's funny.  I don't know the woman, but she's in trouble, in her mind.  Things are good for her, she'll need people around her to get her through the end game.  I think it's good that Cross has gone to sit with her.” she said admitted.

Khorin changed the subject to the yellow cake in his hand talking about how he had a sweet tooth back growing up but now that he was a full Klingon he wasn't sure that he could handle it any more.  She didn't really seem interested in her small cakes at all.  She wasn't overly one for sweet things except when it came to booze.  That was the only time she preferred sweet to anything else.  Zeph was tired, and wished that she could sleep.  The food hit her hard and as her stomach tried to start processing such an overload of calories and nutrients it began to grind up a bit.  Slowing her down slightly.  She felt her eyes growing heavy but she didn't want to miss out on any time with Khorin.  Still, she knew that she likely wouldn't stay awake for long given his warmth and presence. 

Zeph snuggled into him.  “So you grew up where there were many sweet things then?”  she asked curiously.  “I grew up on betazoid and a Starfleet ship when my Father and his Captain would allow.  He was an Engineer, for the Fleet.  I've never really understood all that stuff, but at least I was able to kind of follow in his footsteps.” she admitted as her eyes grew heavier.  But, she struggled to keep herself awake.

[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Kelleshar_sh%27Zenne)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
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Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Brutus  @Zenozine  @Masorin  @SummerDawn  @chXinya @Absinthe  @steelphoenix  @Blue Zephyr @patches  @Fife  & @Triage



Under her watchful eyes, Shar saw how the crowd scattered in several small groups, in some cases, isolated duets, in others, larger groups. The counselor seemed to be up to something, moving swiftly between the Theurgy's commander and a feline couple. The Andorian couldn't know with certainty what s/he was up to, but she had the intuition that it would be something to encourage the morale of the group, something sickeningly sweet and cheesy that would make her want to tear her eyes out. She appreciated the... well, she didn't know whether to call her Caitian or human, but the fact was that she liked the counselor in some way, s/he was less unpleasant than most of the therapists she had treated with, but there were times that s/he was too mushy to her taste.


The young shen pressed her lips with a slight frown, while still inspecting the room, toying with the black box with her name in her hands. The survivors of the Endeavour had split into two groups, the Conn ensign had left the main group along with a human with white dreadlocks, while Cross and the Beast were still together were she had left them. From where she was then, she couldn't confirm it in top form, but it seemed that the now-vulcan had managed to get the engineer to break down over the yellow Terran sweet buns. But no matter how much she wanted to come closer to bask in the weakness of her arch enemy, she had other priorities. Although no doubt would keep that image in her brain to use it as a throwing weapon later, when it was time to vent her rage on the know-it-all.


She located the trio of antennas she was looking for close one of the walls, Shall was leaning against the plates with his eyes closed while Sehl fumbled in his box, chewing something. Shar headed towards them with a determined step and she squatted down leaving the center of the bay behind her, so that only the males could see her face. She stared them for a moment, trying to sort out what she meant to say, unaware of her clenched teeth. Shar had never been good with words; she preferred to solve her problems with actions. In fact the few times she had tried to solve her problems with words, the situation had ended disastrously, as with the whole matter of her complaint reports about The Beast to Commander Ducote. Just thinking about it made sh'Zenne's gesture sour even more for a second. Not-So-Blue had been laughing at her expense for weeks after that.


The ops officer shook her head, trying to erase that embarrassing memory and focus on what she should do. She forced her antennae to curve politely in front of her forehead, left her box between the two males and touched Shall's knee to get his attention. "Ch'te" she whispered gently, risking herself by using the name for a bondmate. Whether they liked it or not, they needed to represent a united front and maybe highligh their current status could help . "<Earlier you told me that you had information about Ida, information... relevant for our current... situation >" she murmured in their native language, the hoarse tonolanian accent evident in her words. She didn't take her hand away from the black cloth that covered the chan's leg, with her blue eyes fixed on his, trying to win his attention . "<I'm going to look for her and I would like to know that battlefield before fight on it>" As she had previously reacted and according to the efficiency in combat she had shown in the observation pen, Shar felt that the zhen's reaction to her presence would be fierce at least. Shar prided herself on having a good training in close combat, but she suspected that the zhen could inflict her a lot of damage if she wanted to. Even though she was shorter and lighter than her.


Before Shall could say anything, she quickly added. "<Let me go alone at first, give me a few minutes to test the terrain and then you and th'se can join us if you want to.>" Then she waited for what the chan could say, if he had anything to tell her at all. She didn't know exactly where Ida had gone, but she hadn't seen her in the main room. So she only had the lockers and some of the exits of the bay, however much she missed her steps couldn't take too long to find her. And she prayed to the Water Guardian to let her solve this without take too much harm. The egg must survive, that was the only thing important at that moment. It represent a torned hope, for their race... and for her too.

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| | Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
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Attn: @Blue Zephyr



The Klingon's heart shuddered slightly when Zephyr leaned against him and  he couldn't help but stroked her hair for a moment, the desire to fiercely protect her at all costs  locking itself instinctively in his guts, even though he knew she might not need it. And most likely it could be confused with a jealous and possessive behavior, something he had heard many times when referring to his father's species. But now that didn't matter, he simply enjoyed the moment, the close contact and the light conversation. The weight of her body against his. The warmth that radiated from her even in spite of the alien clothes. He only missed the contact of her mind in his, but he supposed that tiredness and worry kept her distracted from that.


Thus, he concentrated in her words, in what she kept her mind elsewhere. Zeph seemed especially worried about the woman who had brought them here, that Commander Blue. Khorin turned his gaze in her direction, seeing how she interacted with Cross. Somehow the woman seemed subdued by a kind of distress. The pilot could understand that having survived for days in solitude in enemy territory could be overwhelming for a human. Klingons used to thrive in hostile situations or died (by their own hand or in battle), but humans had to resign themselves to their ability to survive at the cost of strenuous suffering. He knew it well, having seen himself dragged towards one and the other extreme by his mixed ancestry in the recent past. "I only hope that Pahtak don't fuck her up even more ..." he buzzed to himself. Although he really liked the vulcan, he didn't think the commander needed an extra bit of bitterness at that moment. And that was what the vulcan emanate from every pore of his being.


The heavy frown that had seized his angular face eased when the betazoid began to narrate perfunctorily her background. "Well, well, so your vigilant father is a Starfleet officer? Good to know it, when I have to challenge him to be able to court you. I think I can intimidate an engineer oldman, I don't want to make a bad first impression killing a member of your family, surely it'll sour a bit the family dinners." he joked, bringing up previous conversations, when they were in their little paradise. "I'm not too skilled in engineering either, enough to know when my fighter is ready to fly and give the Flight Hangar boys a hand," he added, shrugging his broad shoulders. "I could change the armament of an Mk III with ease, but don't ask me to change a PADD's screen, I might end up destroying it even more." He added with an thunderous laugh.

"As for where I grew up ... I lived in the Homeworld until the Civil War, then the Federation evacuated all the diplomatic staff and we moved to San Francisco. It was a big change, Earth isn't too prepared for a boisterous half klingon, everything brokes too easily." Despite his cocky smile, Khorin didn't remember with love those first days on Earth, the cultural shock and the denial of his father's death had only complicated the character of the teenage Klingon, with the problems that entailed. Mainly compensation for damages and too many apologizes muttered between clenched teeth.. "Ma and I used to walk all weekends along the promenade, eating cotton candy and those things that make your back teeth squeak because of too much sugar."

[ K'Ren (http://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=K%27Ren) | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] Attn:  @steelphoenix @patches @Auctor Lucan @all
[Show/Hide]K'Ren by contrast it seemed was having an easier time getting her suit on. Sitting on the deck plating she was easily able to slip on the form fitting catsuit, at least the legs and lower part went on easily enough. The one thing that felt weird, not so much that it was there but that there was so much more grown in, was this fur she possessed. As a half breed she was covered in the stuff, but it was thinner & lighter in most places, almost translucent in spots making her look more human. Now it'd grown out in such a short time into this luxurious soft covering that were it not for the instructions to wear it, K'Ren would've been perfectly content to remain without. But sensors wouldn't be foiled by anything less then this suit so she slipped the thing on as requested.

Looking up to her mate as he finished slipping his on, she wondered what the future held for them. The bond was strong, even with the alterations the Savi had made and she could feel her mate's mood even if just as snippets and impressions of how he was feeling. She wondered if Caitian's had a latent psy ability that was brought out in bonded mates, especially ones like Deacon who themselves possesed a latent empathic sense. She was however grateful that she could only feel him, not the rest of those around them as Deacon could. She stood up, the garment around her waist, smoothed out over her lower torso. Tail holes were always an issue but this one seemed to accommodate her well enough and she was soon slipping into the upper part of her suit, zipping it up just in time as this Nerina lady was approaching.

Deacon was still slipping on his outfit but K'Ren stood close as he finished, letting him take the lead. In Caitian and Federation society the notions of males leading in matters of family and clan were no longer the norm and it was common for the females to lead in discussions as required but K'Ren still felt drawn to the old ways, where the male made the first move. She still spoke her mind, but letting him lead was a mark of respect to her mate in her mind, especially given his K'Zin heritage. She listened as her mate gave this Nerina lady his name, using a full name she'd never heard him use, but it seemed aprropriate he would use both his Human and K'Zin names.

K'Ren smiled a little as when it was her term. She'd been rolling about the name in her mind, how it rolled off her tongue her mate's surname, soon enough to be legal in Federation eyes. She stepped closer to Deacon, taking his hand. "My name commander, is K'Ren. I do not have a family name in the Caitian way as my clan is not known to me, nor I to them. My bonded mate is my clan now, my name K'Ren Maryk." She looked to Deacon as the name rolled off her tongue, wanted to see his reaction to her taking his name. Legally she could, and would, but she wanted to see how he would react. "As for the ceremonial words, I do not have specific things that come to mind."

[ Lt R'Rori | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] @Auctor Lucan @SummerDawn @steelphoenix

Nerina’s response was what R’Rori had hoped for and s/he nodded quickly in affirmation as s/he accompanied the commander to Deacon and K’Ren. S/he kept deferentially behind her as she spoke to both of the other two felinoids, hir hands clasped behind hir back. They had gotten dressed in the meantime and both looked somewhat uncomfortable. Like R’Rori, their bodies had undergone significant changes, not least of which was the level of fur coverage. S/he had to admit the texture of the suit on hir body was significantly different, not only in the materials but in actually feeling the material on bare skin rather than through hir fur.

Deacon’s voice recalled hir attention to the group gathered in the midst of the dispersing crowd. He spoke of the difficultly of names after an apology. R’Rori found his explanation enlightening and had the feeling it was a very rare and candid look into a part of his identity that s/he wouldn’t normally see. His choice in mixing his human and kzinti names made a lot of sense, as was K’Ren’s choice in taking his last name as her family name in place of a clan. R’Rori’s ears twitched at the mention of the Caitian not knowing her clan, a sign that she wasn’t familiar with Caitian culture at all despite the body she inhabited. It wasn’t that unique a situation in the Federation, but it was still relatively unusual for Caitians.

The usual words, hmm. I wonder what Nerina thinks are the usual words for something like this. I’ve heard a couple versions. R’Rori mused to hirself as s/he waited for the small ceremony to start. Legally, hir capacity here would be as a witness. If they wanted to register the wedding for Starfleet and ultimately the Federation, it would theoretically take all four of them to attest to it, depending on how bureaucratic the relevant people were feeling at the end of all this.

Assuming there’s actually a happy ending at the finish line here.

[Ens. Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Maintenance Bays | The Versant] attn: @Numen

Resting against the cool bulkhead, Shall had managed to drift off into a semblance of sleep in just a few moments.  It was far from a proper rest, all he’d been able to do is relax and try to shut out everything around him, but long sessions in the lab meant such a feat was hardly difficult for the chan.  As his mind re-centered and focused in on itself, Shall could swear he heard Syora calling out to him, touching his knee as she was wont to do.  He could also feel Tavin next to him, close enough to sense if not touch.  Smiling slightly at the presence of his bondmates, Shall opened his eyes to see if Jay was around…and he was momentarily confused when it wasn’t Syora kneeling in front of him.

The memories came rushing back as his brain rebooted to full alertness, including the reason why Shar thought she could call him ch’te, an endearment normally reserved for his normal bondmates.  He didn’t correct her though, and hoped the surprise didn’t show through his body language.  They’d been through a lot together, getting mad at the shen would help nothing.  As soon as his eyes locked onto hers, Shar jumped straight to business, though she didn’t take her hand off of his knee.

The questions weren’t unexpected, he’d wondered how to broach the subject himself after the Savi dumped them in that holodeck simulation.  Ida was a very private individual and it didn’t seem quite right to divulge what he knew in front of her, but Ida wasn’t around (a quick glance around the room showed a distinct lack of antennae), and Shar had good reason to try to make some sort of bridge between the two of them.  Nodding in agreement, Shall patted the deck next to him, guiding Shar to sit.

<I don’t know everything, and most of what I know either comes from her file or I’ve pieced together based on what I can’t see combined with how she acts.>  Looking between Shar and Sehl at first, Shall’s gaze then locked on some point in void, not really looking at anything in particular.  <I don’t know why, but for some reason she’s uncomfortable around her own species.  I won’t say she’d been avoiding me the year we’ve both served on the Theurgy together, I’d spent most of it in my lab while she’d be off doing security work, and its a big ship, but in the few times we’ve run across each other in the past weeks, her reactions would make the Vulcan Forge freeze over.>  It felt good to be speaking in his native tongue.

Shall paused there, wondering how far he should go with his suppositions, and with a roll of his shoulders figured he might as well share everything.  <According to her record, Ida was a Guardsman before joining Starfleet, but for some reason she resigned, left Andoria, and went to the Academy.  I haven’t a clue as to why she’s done so, she’s never made any reference to her clan, any bondmates, or even her family.>  Huffing with a quick scoff, Shall’s antenna drooped a bit before resuming its usual twitching.  <Most of what she has said to me has been harshly critical.  I don’t think she likes me very well.>

Turning back to Shar, Shall also waved Sehl closer so that the thaan could still hear as the chan lowered his voice for privacy.  <Beyond whatever issues she’s had with other Andorians, what you need to know the most is what happened at a planet called Niga, an M-class planet we stopped at to gather some supplies and rest.  Scans and records showed that it was uninhabited, so the away teams went down for the initial survey, with Ida part of the security portion.  We found out the hard way that while there may not have been any animal life, the planet’s biosphere had been infected with a particularly nasty virus.>  Shall broke eye contact, his gaze dropping to the deck, his face flushing a deeper blue, and his antenna hiding in his hair from the shame.  <This virus propagates via sexual contact, and one of its symptoms is to increase the infected’s drive to the point where all other matters are secondary.  And Ida was the first victim.>

The chan remained silent for several moments so that Shar and Sehl could take in what he was saying, and to keep his composure under control.  <She and another crewmember who had been infected started to spread this virus throughout the ship, base instincts having taken over their minds.  In just over a day, the majority of the crew had fallen to the virus.  Thankfully, our Chief Medical Officer had managed to barricade himself and a few nurses in Sickbay long enough to find a cure and get it distributed.  It was a close one, there’s no telling how much damage we could’ve done if he hadn’t come through.>  Looking back up to the others, Shall somehow managed to grow more serious.  <I don’t know if it’s a mercy, or a cruelty, but one of the side-effects of the cure was memory loss.  At most we just get flashes of what we’d done, but its enough.  I think Ida knows enough of what had happened to her that she feels responsible for nearly causing a galactic catastrophe, and worse, some do as well.>

Taking Shar’s hand in his own, Shall had to warn her about what she wanted to do.  <Be very, very cautious in how you approach Ida about completing the bond.  She puts up a facade as tough as any ice wall, but she’s let entire swarms of ice bores eat away at her core.  Uzaveth knows she needs help, but she won’t ask for it.  Don’t try to force her either, not only can she take on all three of us at our best, she’d do it without any exertion.  Besides,>  Shall’s eyes showed the sadness in his core, something he and his keth had talked about endlessly when together. <Without the Savi’s data, if we follow through with the bond, it could open her up to nothing but sadness.  The chance of a successful birth is very, very low remember.>

[ Ensign Lin Kae (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lin_Kae) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Zenozine
[Show/Hide]It seemed the nurses took to the situation in different ways, and the young holographic specialist could hardly blame them.

The two Ovri moved to treat Lin Kae, and he crouched down in front of the two, letting them have a look at his fingers. While he did as instructed, moving his fingers like they described, he looked between the two, trying to see what was different about them. Personally, the human part of his genome had been removed, but the two nurses appeared Ovri still, and if they had any other genes before they were abducted, it was more than Lin Kae knew.

"It seems I have full movement," he murmured, even if it still hurt, and watched as the water was being collected. "If you don't mind me asking, you still seem like yourselves, even though you were abducted along with the rest of the crew. I thought they had some kind of obsession with purifying genes, so what did they do to you here? What piqued their interest?"

When his hands were rinsed with the water, it became plain that - in the desperation to pry the emitter in the observation pen open - Lin Kae had hurt his fingernails, several of them missing. He also had several small cuts from the metal around the same area, the sharp edge having drawn blood. It hurt, a lot, but it was clearly rather superficial.

[ Commander Nerina (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Nerina) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]Hearing the two speak, Nerina could not quite fathom just how meaningful the partially Corrected male's name was, but she did understand the ancient human tradition of a woman taking the last name of the man. She had carefully committed the names to memory, mouthing them to make sure she got the pronunciation right. She had nodded when they had no requests, and she cleared her throat - smiling to the two of them. With Lieutenant R'Rori close by and clearly being the witness to the affair, she gestured towards the middle of the maintenance bay. "Then please follow me."

Leading the way, Nerina didn't have to say anything. The abductees not completely engrossed in conversation saw the procession and wondered what was happening. When she came to a stop, she turned towards the couple.

"May I please have the attention of the present crew of the Endeavour and the Theurgy," she said, with just a hint of authority, the warmth a greater presence in her face and her undertone. It wouldn't be lost on anyone how absurd the timing was, which only made it better in her own opinion. "On this late eve of a battle - and in spite of it - I ask you to gather here, tonight, to celebrate the wedding of Xander Deacon Maryk and K'Ren Maryk. Because of recent events, they have asked me to renew their bond, and as the highest ranking officer present, it is my honour to do so."

Nerina glanced towards the present faces. "You have come here, perhaps not by your own choosing... from different ships in the fleet, to share in this deep commitment they now make to one another again. I ask you to offer your love and support to their second union, and to allow Xander Deacon Maryk and K'Ren Maryk to restart their married life together."

By then, most people had moved to stand, forming a circle around the four people in the middle of the maintenance bay - R'Rori standing behind the couple. Since everyone were dressed in the same kind of attire, gleaming in the dim light of the bay, it almost seemed they had adhered to a dress-code for the occasion. With her hands remaining behind her back, Nerina continued, her faint smile grown more easy.  "Xander Deacon Maryk and K'Ren Maryk, marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, who trust that love, who honor one another as individuals in that togetherness, and who wish to spend the rest of their lives together. It enables the two separate souls to share their desires, longings, dreams, and memories, their joys and sorrows, and to help each other through all uncertainties of life."

The greatest and first uncertainty was their survival, and escape from the ship, but Nerina did not mention this. She didn't have to. "A strong marriage also nurtures each of you as separate individuals and allows you to maintain your unique identity, and grow in your own way through the years ahead. It is a safe haven for each of you to become your best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and love. It takes more than love to make this relationship work."

By then, there was silence in the maintenance bay, and Nerina even saw smiles among the gathered, despite all that they had been through. She continued, happy for both the couple and for how this ceremony was lifting the spirits of those attending. "It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both."

The same was true for them all. Nerina saw that some of those in the adjacent storage rooms had come out to see what was happening, noticing the Okhala sisters further back in the crowd. She even saw them smile, and when they did, it showed how they were sisters, despite how different the Savi had made them.

"Xander Deacon Maryk and K'Ren Maryk, please join hands, look at one another now, and remember this moment in time," she said, and then turned her brown eyes towards Xander. "Groom, do you take this Bride to be your wife?"

She paused, to let him answer, before she turned her face to K'Ren. "Bride, do you take this Groom to be your husband?"

Once that was done, Nerina struggled a moment to remember what exact words came next, but it was more from the emotions welling inside her than a loss of memory. She continued with barely any pause. "If you have any declarations of your own to make to each other, please make them now, and if not, you can just ask me for the usual pledge, and you can repeat the words after me."

Nerina looked towards Xander, ready to say the traditional words for him. Then, she would do the same for K'Ren.

---

OOC: Here is the transcript for the usual pledge, in case they do not make any pledges of their own. After they have made their pledges, I will post again.

Here are the characters present in Blue Tiran's hideout in the Maintenance Bays, and if there are significant reunions because of this, it should be handled in Supplemental threads or mid-discussion in this thread. The naming convention for such threads belonging to this Prologue is: Prologue: Supplemental [ Day XX | XXXX hrs. ] Insert Title. Here goes: [Show/Hide]

[LCdr Blue Tiran | Of All Fucking Places |  Wedding Bells Are Shit |  We Should be Sleeping | Neither the Time nor the Place]

There was something to be said for twinkies.  They were good for the soul, at least they were good for Blue's soul.  Underneath was a new uniform, something that Echtand had sent her that would likely fit a shit ton better than the Starfleet uniform she still wore and was several days old at this point.  Above the suit though, was something that made her stop in her tracks.  Coxinhas.  The very food that she loved … Brazilian in nature, and something that Ducote made for her frequently.  It was, probably second only to the twinkies she had already consumed.  She picked out one with her fingers and ate it as she pulled the suit out of the box.

Blue was actually, a rather modest person, when it came to her body.  She wasn't ashamed of it or anything she just tended not to show the goods to anyone other than Ranaan.  However, privacy was sorely lacking at the moment and she doubted that with everyone else already naked and only getting clothed no one would pay much mind to her own silent redressing.  With a mouthful of Brazilian seasoning and meat she quickly began to shed her old uniform and placed it carefully on the deck plating.  She picked up the Savi-made suit and stepped into it beginning to pull it up her overly thin body.

While others had their DNA fucked with, they had been fed and for the most part cared for.  Outside of the experiments.  Which Blue could attest to.  But Blue had been starving and deprived of food and water for days while on the run and hiding out on the ship.  Her ribs poked out, she had lost muscle mass, and the wounds on her arm had scabbed over but it was clear to the eye of a practicing doctor they were self inflicted.  Soon though, they were hidden behind the fabric and she sat down to finish her meal.

Some sort of commotion was going on and Blue only barely paid attention at first until the woman who was the Commander from the Theurgy asked for their attention and what it was for.  “Fuck... me...” she whispered under her breath.  She didn't think that she would have been so crass as to have the fucking wedding right the fuck now even if Ducote was still alive but....

Her head swam and all color left her body as a memory took her by storm.

Blue's feet were popped up in his lap, as always.  He had convinced her, or rather turned off her console, to watch a movie with him.  Snacks and drinks were had.  They were chit chatting while watching the movie as well.  His hands worked against the muscles of her legs and massaged the appendages to help her stay put and relax.  It was working too, because she occasionally forgot to open her eyes but then he would say something and she would focus on that rather than the sleep her body was trying to take advantage of.  Her dark curls spilled over the couch and the arm that she had curled behind her head.  Blue eyes shifted over to Ducote.

“Can you actually cook, or do you just replicate well?” she teased him as she popped the last of the Brazilian fare into her mouth.  She grinned over at him, watching him give her that look, the playful warning look that she knew so very well.

“I can cook well enough, considering you'd rather eat over processed sugar anyway I don't think it'll be hard to please your palate”

Blue's grin widened.  “Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's a low grade food item.”

“Blue, it has absolutely no nutritional value.”

“It has caloric intake, most of the time that's all you need.”

“No it's-” he paused and sighed, this battle had been forged before and like all the previous times he would not win.  “Well when we get married maybe we'll upgrade to an actual kitchen.”

Blue's head popped up and she stared at him wide eyed.  “When we... wh..what now?”

His hands paused on her legs and they just kind of stared at each other.  They had been together for years, and while it was just kind of a given they would live their days together, they had never actually talked about it.  Something came over his face. 

“Did I no-  Eraba me  Hold that thought.”  He pushed her legs out of the way and got up smoothly from the couch. 

“Hold the thought?  Really?!” she called after his retreating form as he headed over towards the bedroom. 

With a groan Blue rolled off of the couch and onto her feet.  Tossing her curls out of her face she followed after Ducote, her feet padding quietly on the deck plating.  She leaned against the door frame watching him dig through the drawer where they kept socks and other things.  I feel like there is something I should remember in there... she thought to herself as Ducote came back out with a small black box in his hand.  Her brow rose.  Ranaan opened the box and froze, because inside was obviously not what he expected to see.  Instead it was a beautiful damascus metal ring with a wooden inlay.

Oh fuck...

“Wh.. this isn't the one I bought.”

Blue smirked.  “It's the one, I bought, actually.”

He looked over at her in surprise, she shrugged a shoulder.  “Uh yeah I .. I was gonna ask at some point but shit happens and I like.. fucking forgot.”  She ran a hand through her hair, he was used to her absent minded behavior, but she was actually feeling pretty shit about it. 

But instead, when she looked back at him, he was grinning like an idiot.  Her brow rose again in a silent question as his hand reached back into the drawer and pulled out another small square box.  Opening it his grin turned into a smile.  Snapping the box shut he tossed it to her.  She reached out and caught it fairly ninja-like and opened it herself.  Inside was a blue-steel ring with an meteorite inlay that shimmered and sparkled about as well as any diamond could and it was very much her style.  Clean, simple, and not obtrusive in any way.  She smirked at him. 

“You too?” 

He shrugged and she chewed on her lower lip.  “I'm wearing this shit.  You're trapped now, Commander.  You belong to me now, forever.” she grinned as she pulled the blue ring out of the box and slid it onto her left ring finger.  Perfect fit for her slender fingers and it slid into place as if it had always been made for her.  She watched him do the same.

“Guess so.” 

Tossing the now empty box to the deck plating and the pair collided in the middle of the bedroom...

“Hey.  Hey!”  a voice called out to the woman that had completely spaced out.  Tears ran down her cheeks again, and her hand had completely fucked over the coxinhas that had been in her hand when the moment hit her hard.  Blue's eyes cleared up slightly and they slid over to the woman that was crouched in front of her.  “You okay?”

“What the fuck do you care?” Blue asked the short haired brunette she had never met before.

The woman just smiled as though she didn't mind Blue's harsh words which kind of put her in an even worse mood.  “I'm Zephyr.”

“The fucking wind?”  Asked Blue incredulously.

“Sure.  If you want.  I thought I'd come check on you.”  she said with a warm and understanding smile.

“What the fuck for, I don't know you, you don't know me.  Go back to your.. own crew.”

Zeph decided to sit herself down anyway.  She slid her back against the deckplating just beside Blue.  Her eyes shifted over to Cross, if he hadn't already left, like do you see this shit?!  “I could feel you from across the room.”

“I didn't ask for you to feel shit!” Blue said angrily.

“Yeah well you were projecting pretty loudly once I figured out where it was coming from.”

“Well shut your brain off or something, aren't you trained for that shit.  Not listening or something.  It's fucking rude.”

“Yeah, well I wasn't full Betazoid before a week ago so...” Zeph shrugged but looked over at Blue as the pang of Betazoid hit the woman hard.

“Go attend the fucking wedding.  Get some warm and fuzzies, Leave me the fuck alone.  I don't need you to sit here and play tea party with me.  I've got Cross for that.”  She was completely unapologetic but Blue had been put through the ringer a few times.

“I don't know them.” Zeph said with another shrug.

“Well you don't fucking know me either.  So there you go.”

Zeph grinned. “I think you're very adept at pushing people away.  Except for... one person... maybe?”

Blue stopped moving, she had been, up until that point, eating the pulverized coxinhas out of her hand but she froze and her entire body tensed.  Zephyr would feel something odd, it was as if Blue's mind just shut down.  Completely, darkly, without anything being felt or heard... it was just gone.  Zeph looked over at her in surprise.  All that was there now was some kind of 'get fucked' in neon.

“Get the fuck away from me.  I'm not here for counseling sessions and I don't fucking need you to be here trying to make friends with me.  We're not going to be friends, go find someone else do fuck with.”

“I saw your arms.”

“Fuck.  Off.  Now.”  Blue's voice left little room for anything else to be said.

Zeph sighed, and her eyes searched for someone in the crowd. “Well if .. if you decide to... Im not only Betazoid but I am a doctor so... come find me okay?  Zephyr, right?”

Blue didn't answer, and Zeph finally got up to go find someone in the wedding guests.  Blue tossed the rest of her food against the deck plating close by and pulled her legs up to her chest.  Wrapping her arms around them, she put her head on her knees letting her dirty hair cover her as completely as possible.  Tears pitter pattered against the fabric of her legs.


OOC:  Included Zeph in this post for some between character fun!

[ Vinata Vojona & Hylota Vojona | Maintenance bay |  Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @all ]
[Show/Hide][Show/Hide]

---

As the water washed away the blood enough for Hylota to get a clear look at Lin Kae's fingers, she took her time getting a a thorough look, taking in all the small laceration and shallow cuts, but also noting the ripped out nails and their exposed nail beds.  The sigh of Lin Kae's exposed fingers made Hylota sigh as she shook her head. "You are lucky this is not an away mission on some planet. The sterile nature of this ship is in your favor Lin Kae. You should be fine so long as you do not go rifling through small objects or loose particles. You are also not going to have much of a reliable grip at this point either, I would advise you try and take a secondary position in anything technical, try and spare your fingers until medical aid can be given at this point, otherwise you might cause further damage." Hylota did not for a second believe that her advice would be heeded, but it would hopefully encourage Lin Kae to be careful for a little while.

Vinata looked through the loose rations on the floor and sighed as he kicked some of the twinkies aside. "A shame these kits held only food and water rations, if we had some basic medical kit there could have been more we could do for you." Vinata sighed s he looked at the items, nothing they had was useful for Lin Kae's situation. Of course as he was pondering what they could do Lin Kae brought up their reason for abduction and how it had mostly been about purifying genetics. Going off of what he had observed personally Vinata sighed and waved his hand. "I do not know why they selected us, but they did their own kind of correction for us. Both my sister and I woke up with different genitalia, or I feel it would be more fitting to say that she is now my brother and I am her sister. Our genitalia and physical builds now match the mammalian norm from the Federation. Granted I do not know why they chose us for this alone."

Hylota looked over at Commander Nerina as she began to perform a marriage, yeah this was what she needed right now, another fucking reminder. Hylota turned her back to the union as she did her best to ignore her illogical urges, there was no reasons she should be so mad, this was not about them, they had not done anything to her, there was no reason to hate them for being happy just because she was in a bad place, but as she turned her attention back to Lin Kae and Vinata's conversation she stopped for a moment and pondered what had been said. These abductions had been done for genetic purity reasons, every hybrid member of the crew was here. Hylota's eyes widened as realization began to creep into her mind, the cold grip of dread coming over her as Hylota felt her stomach sink, her mouth opened silently as she looked around, her eyes going to the corrected crewmen, looking to each face eventually coming to stop on Khorin, looking at his strong Klingon traits and remembering Maal, remembering what she lost as she looked to the marriage, and then in a quick movement Hylota looked to her brother. "Hylota what is wrong."

It was all coming apart, Hylota reached up to her head and gripped firmly. "No no. No No, No. NO! NO!" Hylota began to breath in a heavy panic as she let loose a roaring sound of raw emotion and rage. Hylota looked around frantically as she lashed out in an instant, kicking her empty care package across the maintenance bay. In a panic Vinata rushed to his sister and put his hands on her shoulders, doing his best to restrain her and keep her from causing any harm to someone or to herself. "Hylota please calm down! What is going on? Why are you acting like this?" Vinata looked up at Hylota as she shuddered and held her head. "They took it, they took it, why else would they want us?" Hylota looked her brother's eyes. "My egg, Maal's child. Why else would they want us? We managed to breed with a mammalian race." Vinata looked back at his sister and tried to keep her calm. "Hylota why would they do that, it was just an egg, how would they even-" Vinata was cut off as Hylota shouted him down. "They took everyone else, why not an hybrid egg? They had to have taken it, there is no other justification for going out of their way for us." It was clear that Hylota had taken a few leaps in logic as she had come to her conclusion, but Vinata could not deny that Hylota might have a point. Looking to Lin Kae he Vinata swallowed hard. "I fear she might have a point, our abductors might have one more of us than the rest know of." Vinata was doing his best to hold onto Hylota as he spoke, but she was shaking with the raw emotion, her hands clenched into fists against the side of her head as she made an intimidating hissing sound, her throat pulsing as she breathed heavily. Everything had been taken, every last thing was being ripped out from under her, her stability, her friends, her lover, her child, it was all gone, stolen from her. Hylota's eyes darted around as she tried to think of a solution, desperately thinking of how she could find her child, who would even have it?

[ Lt. Cross | Maintenance Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] @Blue Zephyr

Cross stayed sitting, having crossed his legs and settled in as best he could next to Blue Tiran. He took another bite of his food as Commander Nerina asked for everyone’s attention, and listened to what the Commander said, chewing slowly as his eyebrows knit together in a puzzled expression. That puzzled expression was slowly replaced by one of concern as he heard Blue utter soft word that he couldn’t quite make out, the quiet sound causing him to glance at the blue-haired woman sitting next to him.

Cross knew that Blue had been close with the Endeavour’s XO, Commander Ducote. He knew they had been in a relationship, and he’d also heard it said that they had been engaged. And now, following the Borg attack, it could safely be assumed that Commander Ducote was dead, along with Kai, Annika and everyone else he’d known on the Endeavour. As he studied Blue, the Human woman seemed to be lost in thought, or perhaps a memory. Regardless of what was going through her head, she once again had tears running down her face, and she stared off into the space of the maintenance bay without seeming to see anything.

Cross was about to speak when someone else approached the spot where they sat. Cross raised his gaze to see Zephyr Praise draw closer and crouch in front of Blue. Zephyr spoke, trying to get Blue’s attention, and Blue seemed to snap out of her reverie.

”What the fuck do you care?” Blue finally spoke.

There’s the Blue Tiran that we all know and fear! Cross thought, fighting to suppress a smile. Zephyr may have good intentions in approaching the Engineer, but anyone from the Endeavour could have told her it was a perilous undertaking at the best of times. And these were hardly the best of times. Not that Cross was about to inform her of that fact within earshot of Blue herself. The Betazoid was on her own.

Cross shifted himself back a little as the two spoke, moving a little further away and resting his back against the bulkhead as he watched the drama unfold before him, with Blue snarling at the Betazoid woman and Zephyr remaining remarkably calm in the face of such hostility. Cross took another bite of his meal and chewed slowly as he watched the exchange, silently wondering if he was going to have to step in and break up an altercation.

”I don’t need you to sit here and play tea party with me. I’ve got Cross for that.”


The wormlike Vulcan eyebrows on Cross’ face rose at that comment, and the Vulcan hardly managed to force down the urge to smile. Cross was hardly known for being good company, and it was rare for someone to prefer his company to another’s.

She must really hate Zephyr… Cross thought to himself as he watched the exchange between the two women cautiously. Cross missed what Zephyr said next, but saw Blue go stock still and tense, which in turn caused Cross to tense and get ready to tackle the Engineer should she try and actually kill the telepath. Cross was still amazed it hadn’t come to that point between Blue and Shar in the escape pod, though this might finally be the breaking point.

More words were exchanged between the two until finally Zephyr moved off, presumably to go find Khorin, at which point Cross silently let out a relieved sigh. Then Blue hurled the remainder of her food onto the maintenance bay deck and curled herself up as though trying to shut out the events going on in the maintenance bay. Cross watched as Blue stayed in that position, unsure of what to do. He felt he should comfort her in some way, but knew little of what that entailed.

Cross reached out a hand, the limb hovering in the air just inches above Blue’s slumped shoulders. His hand floated there for a long moment, but the Vulcan found he couldn’t bring himself to rest the hand on her shoulder. After another moment he withdrew the hand and let it fall to his side before taking the last bite of his meal, slowly chewing the food as he let his head fall back against the bulkhead behind him. He stayed like that, sitting quietly beside the hurting Blue Tiran. Across the bay from them, Commander Nerina spoke as the wedding continued, with most of those present in the maintenance bay attending.

In their little corner of the maintenance bay, away form the others, Cross sat quietly beside Blue Tiran and watched the wedding ceremony progress, unwilling to leave his crewmate alone in her time of pain even if he had no idea what to do about it.

[ Deacon | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull | The Versant ] Attn:  @SummerDawn  @patches  @Auctor Lucan  and all wedding guests

Nerina began the ceremony with what seemed to be some level of practiced ease, although that could have been Deacon projecting his own desires of perfection on the rote and circumstance of it all.  Being unfamiliar with the words of the ritual, he had to trust in this female he barely knew to formalize something that he and K'Ren had originally decided privately amongst themselves in a moment of intimacy.  It was a tough burden to ask, trusting in another, let alone a non-kzin, and a female to boot, but there were no options.

Despite his best efforts to block out the incessant noise of emotions around him, his fatigue left far too many breaches in his mental defenses.  While he could feel the sincerity and good will of those close by, the love of his bride, the support from Nerina and R'Rori, beyond, at the far edges of the crowd, there was a sense of... animosity? confusion? irritation?  His eyes traced the shadows, his burgeoning anger held like a tight knot in his stomach, the desire to curl his lips and bare his fangs at the would-be detractors almost irresistible.  But though his eyes were tinged with a moment of feral gold that almost seemed to penetrate the darkness of the over-sized bay, he managed to swallow the urge to lash out, determined to adhere to the expectations of the moment, determined to allow nothing to stand between him and his chosen mate.

He turned his attention back only to find that Nerina had finished her initial invocation, looking at him expectantly.  In an instant, his heart sank as he'd barely managed to hear anything of what she'd said.  Well, that wasn't wholly accurate... he'd likely heard every word.  It was all a matter of whether he'd absorbed their meaning.  An affirmation.  That appeared to be her expectation.  "I do?" he asked with a side glance towards the commander, hoping for some confirmation as to whether that was the appropriate response, to which she provided an affirmative nod.  "I do," he repeated, his tone louder and with greater conviction, the corners of his mouth faintly upturned as he took hold of K'Ren's hands.

When asked if they had specific words to share with one another, Deacon's cheeks flushed slightly before he cleared his throat, turning his face to Nerina.  "We made private vows when we first committed to one another," he replied.  It wasn't that he shied away from reaffirming such words, but they were personal, for his K'Ren only.  It was a vulnerability he wasn't quite ready to expose before the others, certainly not on the heels of exposing his name as he had.  Besides, this was a ceremony and, to him, such things seldom benefited from improvisation.  It seemed wrong to unnecessarily vary from the words set down by tradition.  "I will need the words," he asked of Nerina which he repeated in steady breaks, his attention diverted from K'Ren only enough to hear the prompts.

"K'Ren," he paused, again placing his hand against her cheek, blocking the feelings of those in the shadows out of his mind, ignoring the anchor in his stomach, the weariness in his shoulders, "I take you as you are, loving who you are.  I promise, from this day forward, to be grateful for our love and our life, to be generous with my time, my energy and my affection, to be patient with you and with..." Again he slowed, the quirk of a grin playing at one corner of his lips again, knowing the next word was something he seldom had the opportunity to practice of late but finding the oath intended not only as a commitment to the union of another, but to the wholeness of the speaker, "... with myself, to fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter, to inspire you to grow as an individual, to love you completely.  These things, I pledge to you, K'Ren."  Clever monkeys, he thought, finding the words simple yet directed.  Kzinti had nothing to compare against given the blatant inequality between the sexes in their culture.  He would need to introduce this concept to them one day.

[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Kelleshar_sh%27Zenne)| Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
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Attn: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya



When Shall patted a spot by his side, Shar knew instantly that the chan's story was going to be pretty long. So, without needing too much insistence, she settled between the two males, her legs bent under her rear and her arms crossed under her svelte chest. The ops officer knew that her stance could be considered defensive by most of those present, but her bowed head indicated to her kind that she was attentive and listening. The young shen knew very well that her personality was far from bubbly and cheerful, rather it was caustic and cranky, but she was trying to behave in a way that was at least neutral with her forced bondmates. Neither of them had chosen that situation, and it didn't have sense to make their relationship even more difficult, overcomplicating it with her vitriolic demeanour.


Staring at some point in the void away from the bay, Shall began to tell the story of Ida, from her incongruous disdain for her own species to her refusal to speak her aversion for her now ch'te. He also confirmed what she had suspected in the battle of engineering, the security officer had belonged to the Guard. "<Believe me, there are several reasons a Guardman could be kicked out, I know it well>" Shar pointed out, without going too deep into that open wound since she didn't want to interrupt the scientist's soliloquy.


When the narration dropped tone and took on a conspiratorial timbre, Shar leaned forward, shoulder to shoulder with Sehl, the heads of the trio of Andorians almost together, the five antennas about to rub against each other whenever one of them gesticulated with them. In that guise, Shar heard the narrative of the Niga Incident. The event as a whole had a disturbing tone, an unhealthy aftertaste that stirred the andorian's stomach. Ida's reticence and anger were now better explained, even without knowing what it was that had forced her to leave Andoria. Shar's decision to talk to her wobbled momentarily, while a bitter taste made her compose a grimace. Of course, she was going to have to change her strategy to approach the zhen.


When Shall held her hand in his, he tore her from his grim thoughts, warning her of Ida's nature and the consequences of an ill-considered approach. Shar stubbornly crushed the antennae against her skull, her determination spurred by the chan's words, even when they were trying to discourage the decision she had made. "<I know how to take care of myself, ch'te>" she huffed sharply, her tone irritated again. Then, thinking better on Shall's words, she squeezed the chan's fingers between hers, sighing slightly, trying to control her bad temper. When she spoke again, she did so by looking into her bondmate's eyes, her sullen gesture sweetened for once. "<Precisely because there are so few chances of a successful birth it's why I ... why WE need to try this. Maybe this is our only chance, however scanty it may be. Not only is our duty towards our specie, perhaps it is our only opportunity as individuals. I couldn't forgive myself at least try.>" Her voice broke with emotion when saying the latter, and looked away, without wanting to delve into her own motives in the matter.


Behind her, a small commotion was taking place between the rest of the abductees, around Commander Nerina and the three felinoids. The andorian wasn't interested in the least, but it gave her a perfect window to leave the bay and go in search of Ida. With a fluid movement she stood up and addressed a  liquid gaze to the males, to the sad eyes of Shall and the scowling expression of their th'se. "<I''l be cautious. Remember, give me some time alone with her before coming to find us> ". She knew that a gesture of affection, an expression of confidence and determination, was mandatory, but she was  so uneasy about everything that she only stood in front of them uncomfortably, not knowing what to say until she simply turned on her heels and walked away, following the wall of the bay.


She tried to stay away from the main crowd, as well as the smaller gathering scattered around, moving quietly around the perimeter of the room. Her steps soon took her to the small rooms that some of her misadventures' fellows had chosen to rest, but she didn't find the zhen there. Shar didn't expect it either. Now that she knew a little more about her background, she doubted that Ida was the kind of person who locked herself out of sight to wept out her distress. Her strides slowly led her to one of the bay's exits. To her satisfaction, she found it slightly ajar, giving evidence that it had been used a short time ago. Possibly she had found Ida's trail.


She allowed herself one last glance to the crowd, as well as to the two blue forms resting against one of the walls, before crossing the threshold, entering the gloomy side corridor.

[ K'Ren (http://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=K%27Ren) | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] Attn:  @steelphoenix @patches @Auctor Lucan @all
[Show/Hide]For all the strangeness she felt in being in this situation, saying marriage vows in the cargobay of an alien vessels, not real idea if they would survive the next 24hrs, there were aspects of this that felt familiar, much like she'd done a few years prior, when she'd been wed to a Human male, her first mate. She could see in Deacon's eyes some discomfort, perhaps from the others feelings around him, perhaps in how he was treading unfamiliar territory. When asked by Nerina, K'Ren willingly took Deacon's hands in her own. She knew it was part of the ceremony but touch could be a powerful calming agent and for all the nerves she was feeling, she suspected, well could sense, that he was as nervous as she felt.

She waited for Nerina to ask her Deacon if he took her as his wife, smiling up at him as he said he did. Purring away, when Nerina asked her if she took him as mate, she nodded, agreeing with the words even as she kept her gaze on Deacon. "I do," she said simply. Her face flushed a little when Nerina asked if they had specific words to share. Deacon's response, his statement that the words they'd spoken were private, between them only, K'Ren nodded her agreement. She turned back to Deacon, her face feeling a little flush as he spoke the words Nerina gave him.

And it seemed so fast that Deacon said his vows to her, pledging to live with her, cherish and care for her, be her mate through everything life brought, until death separated them. Now her turn she paused breifly, she knew the words roughly. "Xander," she began, feeling her voice crack a little as she began her public commitment to the love of her life. "I take you as you are, loving who you are. I promise from this day forward, To be grateful for our love and our life. To be generous with my time, my energy and my affection." She paused briefly, looking up into his face as his hand went to her cheek. "To be patient with you and with myself. To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter. To inspire you to grow as an individual." She could feel tears welling up as she spoke, forcing her to pause for a moment to recompose herself. She'd said same words to her last mate, only to lose him. She hoped this one she would grow old with, see their cubs grow old enough to themselves become parents. "To love you completely. These things, I pledge to you, Xander."

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| | Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
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Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Brutus  @Zenozine  @Masorin  @SummerDawn  @chXinya @Absinthe  @steelphoenix  @Blue Zephyr @patches  @Fife  & @Triage


While Khorin waited for Zeph's response, he watched how the Theurgy former first officer advanced to the center of the cargo bay, followed closely by Neko, the murderous-eyed man and the other feline, Cross' crew fellow. The Klingon lifted his chin slightly and followed them with his gaze, furrowed brows and his ramble silenced instantly. Something was cooking up. Many of the abductees watched with curiosity the strange procession, until Nerina revealed the reason of that spectacle, his Wolf fellow and the murderboy had decided to celebrate their wedding in that ill-fated situation. Or re-celebrate it, the matter wasn't very clear to him. Of course it wasn't the time or the situation the Klingon had chosen, but it was his duty as a packmate to attend the ceremony and show his support for his squad fellow.


He raised to his feet, didn't feeling like left Zeph side, but compelled by the circumstances “Well, at least we all follow a stric dress-coat” he joked as he helped the betazoid to stand up. The woman seemed sleepy and exhausted. Khorin couldn't but help feeling guilty for not allowing her to rest and promised himself to find a place so that she could rest as soon as possible. Zephyr, on the other hand, seemed to suddenly wake up, cocking her head and looking towards the place where Cross and his crew fellow were isolated. "You go ahead to the wedding. There's someone that needs help. I'll meet you there okay?" The pilot nodded slightly in response, before she put herself on her tiptoes to kiss his scruffy cheek. He only could grin like an idiot, looking her bounce off across the bay, the tiredness reflecting on her slightly sunken shoulders despite the determination that guided her steps. The Klingon chuckled resoundingly and shaked his head before heading towards the ceremony.


When he arrived, standing in the front row, Nerina had already begun the ceremony. To his disappointment, the former Klingon hybrid had decided to hold a standard Federation ceremony, so they couldn't raid the bride and groom at the end of the ritual. Which diminished a huge amount of the fun of the ceremony. Even in spite of his disappointment, Khorin squared his broad shoulders and listened to the votes of the couple. One phrase struck him particularly: that they were more than themselves separately. That stirred a memory in the back of his brain, he remembered vaguely that someone once said that victory was hollow without someone to share it with. So those cats had decided face the incoming conflict declaring in front of all abductees that they would face the battle with someone with whom to share it, whether at the end it was a victory or another ending. For a moment, the pilot thought that the ceremony itself wasn't as crazy as he had initially believed. His eyes flew over the crowd in search of whoever wanted him to be by his side in case of victory, but the throng prevented him from finding her.

[ Ensign Lin Kae (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lin_Kae) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Zenozine @Blue Zephyr
[Show/Hide]When being told he should take a back seat in any future technical endeavours, Lin Kae bit his tongue, remembering how he had just asked Nerina to accompany the team that would try to free Thea. He did not want to disrespect the Ovri in their judgement, and he would try to - literally - keep his fingers to himself as best as he might. He just hoped he would have a good team on his side.

Then, the Ovri explained that they had switched sexes, conforming to the norm. Lin Kae's eyes widened, incredulous to the fact that the Savi would go out of their way to standardise species in such a fashion. It was invasive in so many different ways, and yet... If Vinata Vojona was supposed to be - or at least identified himself - as male, why hadn't the siblings been changed so that Vinata would have a fully male body? Wouldn't it be more 'correct' if Hylota had been Corrected to have female curves along with her original sex? Was it a matter of ease for the Savi? Merely changing the genitals instead of the whole body? Given what they had done to the rest of the abductees in the bay, it surprised Lin Kae that something like that would stop them.

"You know," he told Vinata, flexing his fingers where he sat, "when the Ishtar Entity visited upon the Theurgy, I ended up switching bodies with a female pilot aboard the ship. Don't ask me why. The entity seemed to be toying with us. In any case, I can sympathise with how... odd things ought to be for the two of you. For a couple of hours, I was fully female, and it gave me... unique perspective. It helped me in my programming of Thea's upgrades, where I was able to..."

He trailed off, because Hylota suddenly seemed distraught. She began to lash out, violent because of what she seemed to have realised. Then, when she explained, it became perfectly clear. Lin Kae had only met the Klingon nurse briefly, and he didn't know Hylota had... made eggs with him. But her reasoning was solid.

"Hey, hey, easy now. There is no way to be certain... unless, we ask the one Lieutenant Commander Tiran has made and alliance with. The one who sent us these suits. He could not only tell us if it's aboard, but where it is, right?" He tried to give Hylota an encouraging smile, his hand on her shoulder, but careful not to lay his fingerstips against her. "Come, let's talk to her, and we might even ask for a medkit as well, since there are more people than me who were hurt when we fought our way into Enterprise's engineering. Come, I can do the talking..."

Kae would have attended the wedding if it wasn't for his treatment and what Hylota had said. What he did was to try and be so inconspicuous as possible as he made his way over to the officer with the blue streak in her hair. He did not want to disturb the wedding in any way, so when he reached Blue Tiran, inclining his head to the bald Vulcan sitting next to her and looking briefly towards the Betazoid that had aided them in the Enterprise simulation, he spoke in a very low voice. "I'm sorry to distrurb you, Lieutenant Commander. I am Lin Kae, holographic specialist on the Theurgy. This is Hylota Vojona and Vinata Vojona, two Ovri nurses that also served on the Theurgy. We... have a request to our ally on this ship. We need a medkit, and... we also need to verify something. It might be that the Savi also took an egg from the Theurgy, since it is an egg carrying what may become a cross between a Klingon and an Ovri. It's Hylota's egg, and she fears it might be aboard."

He paused there, clearing his throat. "Do you think our ally can find this egg, if it's aboard, and provide us with a medkit as well?"

[ Commander Nerina (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Nerina) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]When the two had made their pledges, Nerina smiled, and spoke again.

"Now... is where you might have traded tokens of your pledge, but this can be done later... given the circumstances." When she said this, there were a few chuckles from the crowd, the humour not lost on them. Nerina continued in an explanatory way, her smile warm. "Humans have rings, other species have other tokens, so you can choose if it's important to you. When, and if, you find something that fits your pledge to each other, you can say 'This token symbolizes my love for you, and the commitments we have made.' Personally, I'd say this is something to fight for, to trade these tokens after we get off this ship."

Having said this, she concluded the ceremony, her tone becoming more official again.

"Xander Deacon Maryk and K'Ren Maryk, you have come here today of your own free will and in the presence of your crew, declared your love and commitment to each other. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the power vested in me as a Commander in Starfleet and your ranking officer, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The declaration made, it was finished.

"Congratulations," she said, remaining as she stood with her hands clasped behind her back. "Crews of the Endeavour and the Theurgy, I now present to you the newly married couple. Let’s hear it for ‘em!"

Despite the ordeals they had been through, the majority of the gathered applauded and spoke their support, shouting not being advisable since they were hiding on an enemy ship. Nerina inclined her head to Deacon and K'Ren. "You may now share your first kiss as husband and wife."

That was not, perhaps, true given their previous bond, but at least in accordance to the fleet's traditions.

---

OOC: After this wedding is done, this Prologue will now remain open for any further development in the bay at that hour. I will be writing my characters as they set up to sleep, and when we feel we are done with this thread, I will lock it. Supplemental threads are, of course, still available, and encouraged for this night in hiding. A new Chapter will be posted eventually, where the next day - and the mayhem - will begin. Here are the characters present in Blue Tiran's hideout in the Maintenance Bays. The naming convention for Supplemental threads belonging to this Prologue is: Prologue: Supplemental [ Day XX | XXXX hrs. ] Insert Title. Here goes: [Show/Hide]

[ Deacon | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull | The Versant ] Attn:  @SummerDawn   @patches   @Auctor Lucan   and all wedding guests

Deacon's eyes sparkled playfully, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he leaned forward to formalize their newly public union, cupping K'ren's cheek with his hand as he gently placed his lips to hers, biting softly at her lower lip as he pulled away, an array of far more interesting options occupying his thoughts as to how they should demonstrate their union.  Monkey modesty, though, and he supposed some sense of time and place would ensure that he adhered to the expected level of decorum.  "First kiss?" he whispered, "Seems tame compared to last time if you ask me.  But there's still later.  Added incentive to get out of this place."

Turning his attention towards Nerina, he inclined his head as thanks for her officiation, a second nod given to R'Rori for her assistance in facilitating the spontaneous ceremony.  "I think we've taken enough of your time.  Long day tomorrow, I suspect."  He cast his eyes back towards the dispersed crowd, the gold and blue swirling together in his eyes.  "I think the others could use a little motivation if you can spare it.  I'd offer beverages suitable to the occasion, but I'm fresh without a lounge at the moment."  Slipping his hand into K'Ren's, he added, "Now, if you'll excuse us, I think my... wife and I should be alone for a bit."

He paused long enough to see if K'Ren had anything she wished to add before leading her to a quiet corner to finish what remained of their ascribed rations.  Hunger in the face of adversity was foolishness, as was fatigue, and this day had been nothing if not exhausting to him.  The thought of heavy sleep embraced in the arms of his mate grew more appealing by the moment.

[ K'Ren (http://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=K%27Ren) | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] Attn:  @steelphoenix @patches @Auctor Lucan @all
[Show/Hide]K'Ren smiled a little, feeling her mate's touch against her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her. She returned the kiss, feeling him nip at her lip, his human teeth doing little on the way of injury to her lower lip but she understood the gesture, the desire that her mate had for her welling up, as it did in her. "Firrst of many," she remarked, kissing him a little more passionately then she might normally in public, it was their wedding after all and while monkey modesty dictated a certain decorum, she could get away with a kiss.

After the kiss was done, their lips parted, K'Ren followed her mate's lead. "Yes thank you both. I know it seems odd forr such a thing to be done at a time like this, but we are grrateful forr yourr supporrt." She took Xander's hand in her own as he finished his thank you's, and she glanced over at him when he suggested they needed some time alone. She was unsure what her mate planned, if he planned to consummate the union here in this bay.

Under different circumstances she would have leapt at the chance, but here and now, there was little privacy to be had, even behind crates, and these uniforms were designed with utility in mind, not discrete sexual encounters. For now the intimacy would have to wait, wait until they were back aboard the relative safety of the Theurgy. Then they could consummate the union, hide away for a few days and get acquainted with each other's new body.

She held his hand as they went back to where they'd been sitting, the half finished meal they'd started to eat. She could sense he was tired, as was she and she nuzzled him gently. "Rrest and rrecoverr ourr strrength mate, therre will be harrdship ahead, then we can rretrreat into the prrivacy of our quarrterrs once we are safely back aboarrd Theurrgy."

[LCdr Blue Tiran | When Pain is Tangible | A Broken Heart | A Fissure in My Soul | Finding a Focus]
@Auctor Lucan @Zenozine @Fife @patches

She was gone, the Betazoid.

Blue had effectively scared her off.  She didn't feel any better for it.  But she sure as fuck wasn't going to spill her soul to a complete fucking stranger in the middle of a room filled with other complete fucking strangers.  She wasn't about to jack with any of that shit.  If that woman wanted to know what was wrong and the kind of pain that centered itself at Blue's heart then she could find another time to come pick her about it.  Right now, she wasn't going to get shit.  Even if it was another time, she doubted that she would talk to anyone that she didn't know.  Some might say it was easier, but few could really read Blue.  Duco-

Her mind shut her down the moment she thought of the first part of his name. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her shoulders trembled with the silent sobs.  She dared not make a sound.  She didn't want to draw attention to herself, she had enough of it.  She was the only person that could talk to Echtand.  The only one that hadn't been corrected or fucking recycled.  She had survived and that already stood her out among the others.  If it hadn't been for her crew remembering her she knew that there was no fucking way these people would have allowed her to be with them.  She heard him move closer, Cross, and she kind of hoped that he would help her.  Give her something to ground herself with.  But, but, he didn't.

No one wanted to touch her.

Not even Cross.  Especially not Shar. 

The only person ever brave enough to make that step was Rana-

Words.  Voices.  They reached her, or rather it was just one voice.  Lieutenant Commander, he must mean me.....  Fuck.. why won't people leave me alone.  I need a fucking sharp implement and a closet all by my fucking self.  She brushed her hair out of her face and looked up.  Tear streaked cheeks on view for those close by.  She looked rough, badly, and she looked as though she was likely going to just fucking keel over.  Though she hadn't yet.  Though she wanted to.  What was the point of soldiering on.  She had been abandoned by her fucking parents as a girl and now Du-.  No, she couldn't allow herself to think about him she had to focus.  Focus on what was in front of her.

The request.

Angrily she brushed the back of her hand at the tears that still stained her cheeks until they were gone.  Almost like a child that was done with their tantrum and trying to get the evidence off their faces.  She brushed the unruly but greasy curls out of her face and looked at the woman and the male.  The one mentioned something about the fact that they could all use some sort of medical kit. 

Makes sense... I wonder why Echtand didn't send any.

Blue was quiet, this was giving her something, anything, to do besides wallow in her pain and misery.  Focus was good, focus was what got Blue through a fucking day.  Right now, she didn't have anyone in her court.  No one to help her breathe.  Nothing that could keep her busy.  Nothing to put all her energy into.  She had always buried her thoughts and emotions behind her work.  She shifted her blue eyes, as crystalline as they were but also rimmed with the angry red of someone that had seen horrors and cried tears of full pain.  Still, they zero-d in on the woman in question that worried about the fate of her egg.  She had been pregnant, that or the egg was out?  It was very hard to know but at this moment Blue knew that she was the only one that could contact Echtand.  The only one that could find the fate of the egg for this... mother?

That's what it seemed like anyway.

At least she already gives a shit.  I hope she doesn't give up.  Don't give up on your kid lady.  It's the worst shit you can do to someone.  None of this was said out loud.  Blue didn't have the words on her lips that would enable her to reach out like that to someone that she didn't know.  She did hope for the little... egg-let?... that everything would work out all right.  She swallowed heavily realizing that she was still staring at them.  She hadn't given them an answer and .. furthermore they were still waiting. 

I should speak...

Blue cleared her throat and licked her lips trying to breathe life back into her body for a moment.  “Yeah, uh.. I'll see what I can do.  He said he wouldn't contact me until morning so I can't promise to know before then.  Soon as I get a message, I'll let you know.  No one likes to be left ha-han-hanging.” she got it out at the end, nearly choking and vomiting on the word at the end.  Her face went pale, paler than normal Blue pale which was practically white as it was.  She reached behind her and pulled the PADD Echtand had given her for communication and began to pen the message to him.

[We need medical kits, or supplies if possible.  Some of our officers are wounded.  We need to be as ready as possible for tomorrow.  I've heard there is .. a baby.. an egg, actually, missing from it's mother.  An Ovri.  The egg was a cross between Klingon and Ovri.  Do you have knowledge of the egg?  Can it be returned to it's parent?  Please, respond quickly.  ~Blue]

She looked up after she pressed send.  “I sent it.  I'll let you know.” she said heavily.  A familiar.. but creepy person came into view.  Blue rolled her eyes, this was helping.  Her friends, having something to do with her brain.  Less to wallow on. 

“You need to grow your fucking fur back.  Or I will fucking replicate you a fucking fur coat any time you're in my presence and you know how I am about my fur, and you know full well I'll fucking do it.” she said to R'Rori.  She scooted over, so that she was pressed a bit against Cross to make room for R'rori to sit down since she seemed hell bent on coming to hang.  Blue didn't want to talk about the wedding, it was awesome that people loved each other and decided that this was the fucking moment to get all fucky, but, Blue didn't feel like celebrating.  She didn't feel like breathing, actually.

She needed all the distractions she could get.

[ Lt R'Rori | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] @Blue Zephyr

R’Rori stood quietly as Nerina led K’Ren and Deacon through the marriage ceremony. S/he didn’t bother to suppress hir smile as they recited their vows. It was a good feeling, one s/he desperately needed in order to keep hirself from going loopy on this ship of the damned. A part of hir couldn’t quite escape the feeling that s/he was standing in a very spacious coffin since the moment s/he woke up in the tube, but at least this wedding gave hir something else to dwell on.

It was over quickly, almost too quickly for the former hybrid’s preference. The newly married couple walked off, hand in hand, leaving hir back to hir own devices. Hir smile faltered as s/he looked around the room, only mildly conscious of doing so in a search for something else to distract hir. R’Rori might have easily enough recovered hir physical balance after the Correction but hir mental balance was still off. Hir body felt too raw and too wrong for that sense of unease and mild disgust to not rot in the corner of hir mind, always reminding the non-binary person of a body that was too female, too human.

Ah, Blue!

S/he walked over to the blue-haired engineer, hir steps growing hesitant as s/he noticed the pair engaged in a conversation with Blue. Apparently, she had sent a message about their egg. That was going to be a really interesting matter to see the resolution of. Their captors, these Savi, certainly hadn’t shied away from committing atrocities now. What’s one more egg dead? Hopefully, it was still intact and viable though. R’Rori was troubled enough, not to mention how desperate the female who laid the egg must be.

"You need to grow your fucking fur back.  Or I will fucking replicate you a fucking fur coat any time you're in my presence and you know how I am about my fur, and you know full well I'll fucking do it."

It was classic Blue – a mild insult veiling the fondness beneath. It was true she loved fur. She was borderline obsessed with it, as R’Rori recalled many sessions where she talked about Ducote’s war against the fur blankets that Blue so adored. This flashed in hir mind briefly before hir defenses broke. The reference to hir own fur reminded the counselor too much of what s/he had just gone through, driving a dagger through hir heart in one sharp exhale. Hir face went blank. S/he took the proffered seat without remark, one hand resting on the center of hir chest.

“Yeah.” R’Rori finally replied in a small voice. “I don’t think it’s going to grow back, Blue.”

S/he brought a hand to hir eye, wiping off a tear that managed to make it out. The counselor looked at it in mild surprise.

I thought I cried this out already….

[ Lt. Cross | Maintenance Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Blue Zephyr @patches

Cross had remained silent as he sat next to Blue and watched the Bajoran approach, introducing himself and the two Ovri nurses that were with him as members of the Theurgy’s crew. Cross listened as the Bajoran made a request for Blue to relay to her Savi contact, a medkit, and mentioned an egg that was taken from the Theurgy. A hybrid egg, born of one of the Ovri and… a Klingon?

I wonder what the Savi would have done with a hybrid egg? Cross thought to himself, remembering his own correction. What the Savi had done to the abductees was bad enough. To do such things to a child, or an unborn infant…

Cross was by no means squeamish, but the thought of what their captors and tormentors might do to an unborn hybrid was truly disturbing. Cross gritted his teeth as he fought to push down the surge of anger that the thought stirred within him, swallowing back the bile-like taste that rose in his mouth.

Just a child…

Cross was all too aware that there were people in the galaxy willing to experiment on children. He was living proof of that fact. The thought of such things never failed to bring him to the verge of vomiting.

Cross turned his attention back to Blue as she produced the PADD that was their lifeline, their connection to her Savi contact, and drafted a message. He could tell that she had been crying again, and felt a pang of pity for the woman. The pity was not born out of sympathy for her plight, but rather from Cross’ knowledge that she was stuck with him for company at the moment, the Vulcan being well aware of the fact that having him around wasn’t much better than having nobody at all. The message sent, Blue informed the Bajoran and the two Ovri that she would keep them informed on the matter.

It was then that movement caught Cross’ eye as the form, or rather new form, of R’Rori approached. The former feline was greeted by a remark about hir lack of fur, with Blue threatening to make hir wear a fur coat if s/he didn’t grow it back. The remark was much more in keeping with the old Blue, and caused a smile to creep over Cross’ features.

For his part, Cross simply greeted R’Rori with a nod and a ”Counselor” as the former Chief Counselor of the Endeavour joined them. Blue had scooted closer to Cross to make room for the newest member of their little antisocial party, and was now lightly pressed against Cross’ side. Cross found Blue’s proximity both comforting and unnerving. He was not one to generally let people close to him, either physically or emotionally, and the contact with another person made him feel somewhat awkward, though he somehow found it comforting at the same time.

It made him feel less alone.

Cross couldn’t help but give R’Rori a weak grin over the slouched form of the Endeavour’s Chief Engineer as the counselor informed Blue that s/he didn’t believe hir fur was going to grow back. Looking at the former Caitian hybrid, it still felt strange to see hir in hir new form, though he imagined s/he may think the same when looking at him.

All the talk of fur caused Cross to reach up with his free arm and run a hand over his normally bald head, feeling the stubble of several days growth under his fingers. His other arm was currently trapped between Blue’s body and his own, the feeling of comfort he experienced from the contact leaving him unwilling to shift himself or free the limb.

Cross glanced down at Blue again, still concerned about the Human. It was good the counselor had joined them. She was another familiar face, few though those were in the crowd that now inhabited the maintenance bay, as well as being someone who could at least try and talk to Blue. Someone that Blue knew and trusted. Someone less awkward than him.

[Lieutenant Zephyr Praise | Unknown Maintenance Bay | Unknown Ship | Unknown Space | Unknown Future]
@Auctor Lucan @Numen @Zenozine

She had left the group, the Vulcan and the angry one.  It was still odd, that a human, likely untrained could shield her mind from Zeph.  To be shut out completely was an unusual feeling and Zeph was wondering just what was going on with her.  She was possibly hiding something, but it wasn't anything nefarious as far as she could tell.  As she had only gotten a couple steps away she could hear the others coming over to the young blue-haired woman.  Zeph didn't want to eavesdrop but she could sense the horrendous worry coming off of one of them, the trepidation at approaching the young woman, and the hope but fear that were so interlaced they came from the same origin.

So she paused. 

When the conversation was done, Blue pulled out the PADD she had been sitting with and began to pen the message.  She was far nicer with them than me, probably because they aren't poking her about personal stuff. she thought to herself.  As the Ovri and the young man turned from Blue when they were ready to go find themselves a spot to settle for the evening Zeph paused, reaching out the grab the wrist of the young man for a moment before letting go.  Once she had his attention, physical touch was unnecessary. 

“Sorry to have over heard your issues.” she said softly.  “However, I'm a Medical Doctor, so, when the Medical kits come in, let me know.  I'll come help you all.” she smiled warmly.  “I hope your news is good.” she said honestly and sincerely before offering a kind smile.

She had offered her help because that was what doctors did.  Giving them all a bit of eye contact to show that she was genuine she began to head off towards the crowd letting the others get settled.  It was exceedingly easy to pick out the Klingon in the crowd.  Not only because she could feel his location with his emotions but because he was loud as crap and he was looking for her as well.  When their eyes met through the crowd their faces lit up in mutual admiration.  Slowly and carefully they moved through the massive crowd of wedding celebrators to merge with one another.  She slid herself in his arms and nearly lost herself in the fold of them.  Snuggling into his chest listening to the hearts beating in his chest as the thrum seemed to calm her near immediately.

~I'm tired.  Will you lay with me?~ she asked him mentally, the first way they had learned to communicat with each other and honestly she was just so glad that he didn't freak out about such things.  So many people did. 

She pulled back and slid her hand into his leading him to a quiet and darkened corner.  She was exhausted, it was in her stride, the set of her shoulders, and her face.  They didn't have beds, or blankets, or anything.  Everything was different, everything was on the edge, nothing was for certain.  Not even their survival.  They had a hell of a better chance now but anything could happen tomorrow.  This might be the very last night she saw the people that surrounded her right now.  Zeph lay down on the ground beside Khorin and slid close to him.  Looking into his eyes softly as they lay in the half dark of the corner they had found.  Khroin's back was to the room, she assumed to keep her protected, but moments later a slight glistening on his cheeks might have proved another reason.

She smiled supportively.  She gently pulled him closer to her body.  So they could curl against each other.  Her fingers brushed through his hair gently stroking it the way a mother might in a way.  She didn't wish to fill the roll but she knew it did wonders to sooth people down.  She smiled at him warmly, only inches from his ridged face.  Trying to be the supportive person in his life right now.  He too, needed strength, like everyone else did.  Even her. 

~We will stand together, tomorrow.  Tonight, is for us.  To hold each other close and be safe in each other's arms.  Don't let go, Khorin.~

[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Khorin_Douglas)| | Day 5 | 2315 hrs.| Maintenance Bays | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]
Attn:  @Blue Zephyr

When the ceremony was over, Khorin stretched his full height and looked around, looking around in search of Zeph. There were few among the abductees who exceeded him in height, so he could see the top of most of the heads, but he wasn't able to distinguish the soft curls of the betazoid anywhere. He rumbled her name, or at least that was his intention, but his voice resounded loudly in the bay. The pilot didn't give him much importance, a Klingon that went unnoticed was a shame for his kind.

At a certain moment, the wave of people opened and allowed him to glimpse her. They meet their eyes, and the Wolf face etched a wide grin. She shone through the crowd as if a spotlight were constantly illuminating her, as if she were a beacon guiding him in the middle of the storm. The steps of both led them slowly towards each other, longing for the other, at the same time, enjoying that last moment apart before they met. He took her in his arms, and felt complete again. He stroked tenderly her head, placing one of her rebellious strands behind her ear from time to time. An impossible battle to win.

At one point, she entwined her mind with his, confessing her weariness. Even her inner voice sounded exhausted. He smiled while his mind whispered ~ Yeah, just let's find a place to be comfy ~. Talk to her that way seemed more natural than doing it out loud, more intimate. Khorin not needed boasting to prove that he had no weaknesses. He could just be himself. He let himself be dragged across the bay, feeling the weight of the past days taking over him. He'd been running on anger and fight drive since the very moment he'd been abducted, even though he was possibly the least upset about the changes he had undergone, his transformation was one of the most dramatic. The bra'kul had given him a new full set of organs, changes in most of them, extra bones and emotion swings even more extreme. Khorin had allways be a passionate man, but he'd never know what really meant to deal with full klingon turmoil. There were no shades of gray on his feeling now, where in the past he was happy now he felt elated,  when he felt upset, now he was maddened, a little crush now had become in.... THAT. He didn't even has a name for it. But it was overwhelming.

At the end, he found them both curled in a dark corner, her back against the wall to keep her safe, his walling their little world from the sight of the others. Looking at her eyes, his free hand cupping her face, Khorin felt how the exhaustation and uncertainty seized him and spilled through his cheeks. Just the way it mustn't since klingons weren't able to show it that way, everybody knew that. Now she knew the truth behind that fact. He almost hope she chastised him for that display but, instead, she moved closer and combed out his mane, smile etching her beautiful face. Not only did she not care about his passing weakness, but she supported him, strong when he couldn't. That feeling he'd no name for spread even more. So he left her enter in his mind, no words there, just confusing, raw emotions. Primal, fierce and genuine.

In the end, when his silent breakdown calmed down, he found her practically asleep in his arms but still holding him. Fatigue may have overcome her body, but not her will. His hearth skipped a beat upon realizing it. However, he didn't have time to let himself be seized again by emotion, as he felt her body tremble slightly. Khorin sat up carefully, carrying her in his arms, looking for a warmer place for her to rest. His eyes spotted the doors of the storage rooms. A smaller room would be easier to heat, and more comfortable for her. It was the only thing that mattered. Walking carefully, trying not to disturb her sleep, he went to one of the unused rooms and closed the door behind them.

[ Ensign Lin Kae (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lin_Kae) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Zenozine
[Show/Hide]The Lieutenant Commander seemed a bit out of it at first, not replying immediately. It might have made Lin Kae nervous in any other situation, but because of where they were, and what he'd realised she'd been up to all alone on the alien dreadnought, he gathered that the lack of a reply was not a rank-based arrogance. The mark of tears on her face was plain, and she had likely been through a lot. Still, when she did catch herself staring in silence, the woman with the streak of blue in her hair moved to accomodate the Ovri, and to ask for the medkit.

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head. He glanced towards the other people from the Endeavour before stepping away, talking to Hylota and Vinata.

"Hopefully, that asset aboard has a lot to win by accommodating us, and you'll get the location where your child is at," he said to Hylota, looking up at her. "I... don't know if I am best suited to aid in reclaiming it, my skills better applied to something with screens and buttons, but there are fifty-seven people here, some of which I am sure will help you. Despite all we have been through, we are still Starfleet officers, and we look out for each other. There will be many volunteers to help you get your child back, if it's aboard this ship."

Seeing how the two Ovri were alone, and he could sympathise with their unique plight, Kae looked around the maintenance bay. "I think there are still storage rooms available, in case you want to withdraw from the rest tonight," he said, gesturing towards a couple of doors in the corner of the bay. "I... wouldn't bother too much about what the Savi have done to you either. When we get back to the Theurgy, we have some of the best doctors in the fleet there that can restore you to your original selves. Doctor Nicander, for instance, even managed to save Sarresh Morali from death after he fell into an acid bath. I am sure the Chief Medical Officer will be able to take good care of you."

[ Ens. Nathaniel Isley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Nathaniel_Isley,_callsign_"Icarus") Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] @Triage
[Show/Hide]Seated at a ninety degree angle in front of Sinead, Isley opened his eyes when she spoke. Apparently, she'd had more success than he did. The years which he had spent in training was too long ago, even though it served to soothe the raging turmoil inside him - this agitated, paranoid suspicion that Romulans in the Empire must have learned to school in some fashion. Not like the Vulcans, of course, but all the pent up emotions he felt were unbearable, confirming how Vulcans - the cousins - likely had to be feeling as much as Romulans, only they were taught to suppress it all. He knew so little about what he was, making him doubt himself.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said quietly to Sinead, not admitting to his own shortcomings. What would that serve her to know? It was better if he appeared - to her - to know what hew was doing. Theoretical learning was not equal to the actual meditation itself. "Whatever it is you see, whatever you might have done when the Savi tinkered with your mind... It's not you. I killed, but I was found innocent, in the end, because the truth tends to come out at some point. I might have been demoted for lying about my confession, but I could return to the pack, and fly with the Lone Wolves again."

Isley sighed, and looked out across the maintenance bay. "Well, I tried, at least, before all this happened. I didn't even get to fire once against this ship, before I was abducted."

Pausing, Isley then looked towards Sinead again, remembering what she'd said about Ives - whom Isley had a checkered past with. It had started out in one way, and yet ended in quite another. "If Ives is supposedly held in captive still, it must be in an area where this asset aboard can't access with transporters. As fortified as it might be... we still have the Reaver warp fighter here. Perhaps it can be used to breach that area.... if we can't reach it on foot."

The time for planning was not ideal, however, as weary as people were, and given how the asset had yet to give them more information. "Perhaps sleeping is a good option," he said, glancing towards the door behind them.

[ Echtand qi Versant | The Quarters of the Voice | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]As if washing is hands from what he had done, Echtand qi Versant had cleansed his body, and taken his time doing so as well - his mind ceaselessly working on what would come on the morrow. By the time he emerged from the sanitation chamber of his prodigious living quarters, his pale body damp in the dim light, quite some time had passed, yet he had managed to solve a couple of logistical problems he'd foreseen. Unlike his usual scientific methodology, he did not have the time he wanted, so that meant taking a few short-cuts in his plan. At least he'd made progress, but the hours of the night were few, and he suspected he'd not be able to sleep even if he was finished.

At that moment, he wished he was born a Scion, so that he didn't require rest, and could continue to hone the finer details of his endeavour. It was, however, a fleeting notion, now that he suspected he'd gleaned the truth about the Scion Directive.

He passed his tablet, and saw how a blue light shone in it's corner. He picked it up and opened the message, walking towards the aft viewport. As he read, the sprawling expanse of the Versant stretched for three kilometers outside the panoramic viewport, ending in the damaged engine sectiom, which was almost repaired at that point. The message was succinct enough, clear in what the specimens he had helped escape needed for best possible performance. He had thought them well-fed and cared for in the Correction Program, yet he had failed to foresee how they - despite the safety protocols in the Observation Pen - still could have hurt themselves. That request made sense, of course, but... an egg? A macrolecithal egg containing a zygote of such a mixed genome?

Frowning, he walked towards his research center, the displays lit and waiting for him...

But then, there was a shrill chime from the door.

Working his diminutive jaw, he glanced towards the incriminating research. Quickly, he tapped a few times on his tablet, and shut off the screens. He walked towards the entrance while typing a reply to Blue Tiran.

Once the message was away, he checked the identification of his visitor. The name made him pause, since he had not expected her. He was conflicted, for he did not have time for this particular visitor, since he had to spend the night preparing for the morrow. In the end, he decided that it would seem more suspicious if he didn't even open the door. He tapped the tablet once more, and in a couple of seconds, a figure appeared in the antechamber. She walked up to him with an almost intrigued expression on her face.

"Echtand," said Sclergyn, one of the researchers in the Biolab which he had a mutual interest with. Her iridescent eyes stared at his bared body. "Is this a bad time?"

He wished to deny her. To send her away, but seeing her, he was torn between a primal response - a base reaction - and foresight of the consequences of loosing hours in her company. Yet after a few seconds, he realised that... after tomorrow, he might be dead, and this was his last chance to see her before nothing would be the same. At least not for him, since if he failed, she might even be one of those that supported his judgement; likely submitted for as a test subject. Just like his parents had been.

"No," he said, remaining where he stood in the opalescent light - his brow drawing down over his eyes.

Seeing the look he gave her, with a mixed expression of anticipation and fear crossing her porcelain features, Sclergyn walked past him. "I will undress," she said quietly in her contraltro voice, and moved to the back chambers of his living quarters, already working on the fastenings of her bodysuit.

Echtand glanced towards his research center one more time, before he followed the female Antecedent.

---

OOC: There! I think I am ready to start up a new Chapter following this Prologue now. I might even finish that tonight. :) This thread remains open if there is any unfinished business that can't be handled in a Supplemental thread.

[LCdr Blue Tiran | Shit is Real | Vulnerability | Rest for the Wicked | Soul Pain]
@Fife @patches

She had only been joking.

Yet, one look at R'Rori's face and she knew she had crossed a line.  Blue was used to crossing lines, it was basically a habit and hobby at this point.  She never felt bad about it either.  Everything she always said was usually true just most people didn't think it should be said out loud.  Blue however, didn't find that holding back the truth did anyone any good.  She didn't like to be lied to and thus, she endeavored not to lie to others.  There were people that could see past her shit.  Some of the friends of her past.  Some of the crew she had served with.  Ranaan.  R'Rori.  Laurel.

Blue felt her heart heavy with the words the former Caitian spoke as she resigned herself to sit next to Blue and make their little group larger.  Studying her friends' face and the way that she seemed to truly miss the other part of her Blue realized that she could relate.  It wasn't easy, losing part of who you were.  She was glad that no one could read her mind at the moment.  People might believe she was just overly emotional.  Putting so much of herself into a man.  Allowing him to have such a impact on her that without him she could not breathe.  All that kept her moving with forward momentum at this point was the fact that she had to survive. 

Or at the very least, help the others.

Then she could wallow.  Then it could consume her, and she had no doubt, it would.

Blue leaned over and she pulled R'Rori into a hug.  She held her close for a long moment letting the hug settle and hopefully soothe her broken soul for a moment.  “I'm sorry Ror.” she whispered gently just holding the woman, her counselor, her friend.  “I know what it's like.. to be missing part of yo..y...yourself.  You..your s..s....soul.”  Blue's voice broke up as she spoke to the young counselor and she tightened the hug hoping for mutual soothing before she finally pulled back to let the woman have her space.  Blue, wasn't a hugger, but there were times.. situations that called for such.

Her PADD chimed and Blue picked it up.  She looked down at the message she had received from Echtand.  It was short and succinct but it worked well enough.  He would look into it, and furthermore, he would send medical kits when he could.  Blue felt exhausted, she didn't message him back.  They weren't here to chit chat he had shit to do, and she had shit to do.  She had to hold up to her end of the bargain.  And hope that all fifty fucking seven of the other fuckers in here did too.

She didn't even realize that while she looked at her PADD her head had slowly tilted, and made it's way to Cross' shoulder.  Resting comfortably on his strong shoulder.  With his height, it was the perfect spot for her to rest her head.  It was as if her body could just not hold it up any longer.  She clutched the PADD to her chest to protect it-their one life line.  Before she knew it, she was gone, her body was breathing heavily and regularly.  Her eyes had fluttered closed at some point.  That or a blink had just forgotten the opening part.  His shoulder reminded her so much of him, of being a small girl, of being protected and safe.

Blue Tiran was asleep on the Vulcan's shoulder.

A knock at her door and young Emelia Tiran looked up from her desk.  A small work light beamed out in the otherwise dark room.  Cascading it's light on the parts, pieces, and objects on her messy desk that she gleefully called a work station.  Her mother called a mess.  And her father called a challenge.  Worried she was caught, up working in the middle of the night, she shrunk slightly on the stool she had perched on waiting for the hammer to fall.  The knob on the door turned and the door cracked open.  It was hard to tell, in the darkness who it was, but a moment later the familiar silhouette was on display.

“Em.  It's two a.m.”

She grinned.  “Arthur!” she beamed over at him, her bright blue eyes shimmering.  He was the only one that understood the insides of her mind.  Far older than her, and in the Academy himself, he was home for a visit this weekend.  He had been busy today with old friends and having fun.  He must have just come home for the night. 

He slipped inside the room and held his finger to his lips.  “You know Mom will blow a gasket if she catches you up fiddling with this...” he looked over at the desk surmising the parts.  “..project?”

Emelia rolled her eyes rather hard tilting her head to her dark curls framed her face in their mess.  “It's the old replicator from the garage, dad tossed it for garbage but I know I can fix it.” she beamed.  “It really just needs a new output conduit and a new Kinfink Junction cube. Once I get those fixed back up it will need a polished lens but that's something I can do without spare parts.”

“And you need this replicator back together at two o'clock in the morning?” Arthur asked a grin on his lips, the same grin Emelia had, as he stepped over towards her desk.  Leaning his hip against it he reached up and tugged one of her sable curls around his finger.

“Well, no, but tomorrow there will be chores, and school and less time.”

“You don't like school?” he asked tilting his head to study his littlest sister.

“It's just, they don't teach anything fun and I want to do my stuff.  I want to make things.  And there I have to sit and listen and I don't like that crap.”

“Em!”

She rolled her eyes again.  “It's not that bad of a word.  Besides, I don't fit in.  Most girls want to have pretty hair and try to dress super cute.  I just want to take things apart.  Last week I fixed holoprojector in my History class.  That was sooo fun, I even got an A as a result.”

“Because you fixed it?”

“Yep!  I think he was tired of waiting for maintenance.” she shrugged. 

Arthur sighed and kissed his little sister on the top of the head and picked her up from her seat.  Carrying her over towards the bed.  She sighed into him and snuggled.  “I'm not tired.” she murmured. 

“Mhm.  I can tell.” he said smoothly as he stepped out of his shoes and climbed up on her bed with her.  He sat her so that she could lean against the wall and sat beside her.  “I just want to sit here and talk to my brilliant little sister before I have to go back to the Academy.” he stated.  He patted his shoulder, her favorite place and she leaned against him.

“Well I'm not tired so I'm not going to fall asleep this time.” she said adamantly.  Luckily, the yawn held off until after she had actually said the phrase.  Her brother smiled down at her.  He kissed her forehead and she snuggled into him more.  “Tell me about the academy?”

Not a surprising question from one Emelia Tiran.  “Oh, Em, you would love it there.  It's so full of people just like you.  The tech labs are amazing and every time I'm in the lunch commons and I hear the engineering cadets talking about something they want to make or how to make a phaser work it just reminds me of you.  There is so much talent there.  I've never seen so many smart and talented people in one place.  We all get along pretty well but it's like any school where there are fights.  Good people and assholes.”

“You said asshole.” she admonished sleepily.

“Now so have you.” he chuckled.  “Anyway, you know I'm not very tech savvy but I've been in one of the labs while I was studying a basic engineering course.  The holo panels and the holo displays were so top notch I kept trying to touch what I was seeing only to remember that I couldn't.  There is a group of students that are soley there to create holo programs, that's their big goal in life.  I'm not sure why but hey whatever floats your boat right?  I wish I could bring you there some time so you could visit.  I would love for you to see all the possibility out there for someone like you.  You think you don't fit in but Em, you will, you're made to do great things I can te-.”

He cut off mid sentence at the sound of a slight snore before Emelia shifted so that she was breathing better.  He grinned softly and guided her down so that she was laying in her bed.  Her fingers still tarnished from the work she had done.  Pulling her ragged quilt over her body he tucked her in and brushed her curls out of her face.

[ Lt. Cross | Maintenance Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] @BZ

Cross froze as he felt something come to rest against him shoulder, slowly turning his head and rolling his eyes to investigate with the least possible movement. He found himself looking at the top of a head which was covered in black hair with streaks of blue in it. He could see hands clutching a PADD, holding is against her body. The deep, regular rhythm of breathing told Cross what had happened.

Blue Tiran had fallen asleep.

Cross raised his gaze and gave R'Rori a wide-eyed look, as though silently asking the counselor what he should do. He knew there was little either fo them could do short of waking the slumbering Human up, and Cross felt that Blue deserved the rest after what she had been through. That still left him unable to move, trapped as he was under the slightest pressure form the engineer's head.

As Cross watched her doze, her head resting against his shoulder, Lieutenant Commander Blue Tiran seemed oddly small. The word surprised the Vulcan as it came to him, arising not from her gaunt appearance, but rather due to the fact that Cross had never seen her cry before, nor had he seen her act so vulnerable. Here, leaning gently against him, was the Endeavour’s tempestuous Chief Engineer, and yet Cross saw something different about her. She seemed somehow… fragile. Cross though he knew why.

Ducote.

They had all lost friends aboard the Endeavour, people they were close to.

Kai. Annika. Both dead. The thought brought a bitter taste to his mouth, the realization of the loss of his friends finally settling in now that they had a moment to breath. They had lost more in the days following the Endeavour’s destruction as well, those who had been recycled like Ensign Julbi, killed to feed the very aliens who held them.

Cross had no doubt Blue was suffering the loss of Commander Ducote, though he couldn’t imagine the depth of the loss she obviously felt so keenly. The Vulcan’s experience with romantic feelings and loss was extremely limited, leaving him at a loss for what to do.

Several strands of black and blue hair had fallen over Blue’s face, and were being moved with each deep, slumbering breath the Human took. Cross reached out and gently tucked the hairs back behind one of Blue’s ears. He hesitated for a moment, his hand lingering in the air by Blue’s head, before gently laying his hand on the top of Blue’s head. It was not an intimate gesture, but rather a protective one, as though the Vulcan were attempting to shield the sleeping woman from the world around them, and all the horrors is contained. Cross slowly leaned his head back, letting it rest against the bulkhead behind him, his movements slow so as not to wake the exhausted engineer.

Rest now, Blue. Cross thought, brushing yet more errant hairs back into place before resting his hand defensively atop her head once more. Sleep, and let the worries keep for tomorrow. If we survive the fight to come, we’ll have plenty of time to grieve.

[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Sinead_O%27Riley#Personality_Profile) | Maintenance Bays | The Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Brutus, @Zenozine, @Masorin, @SummerDawn, @chXinya, @Absinthe, @steelphoenix, @Blue Zephyr, @YasyraTrill, @patches, @Fife & @Numen
[Show/Hide]Studying him with a keen eye, Sinead was not quite convinced that Nathaniel was as at peace as he seemed to be trying to portray, but she neither said anything nor voiced any curiosity. She surmised that if or when he felt like telling her, he would, though her private opinion was hiding or denying truths wasted time, and only did more harm later on. But it was for him to decide, and she could be completely wrong on her guess. It had happened before.

She listened carefully as he explained something about himself, her mind in the meanwhile processing his explanation even as she began playing out scenarios and outcomes for the next few hours, when it was time to take action. Since there was so little to work with, and far too little knowledge, the scenarios had too many unknown variables and risky outcomes, most of which ended in too many fatalities on their part.

“Aye,” said Sinead, “th' Reaver mayh be a valid option, but we do no' be knowin' th' Savi layouts, military numbers and mohr. Until we do, 'tis indeed best we take th' opportunity t' recover our strength. Thank yeh, Nathaniel Isley. Awaken me if yeh need.”

They were interrupted by the abrupt wedding announcement and ceremony of Deacon and K'ren. She stood by, bearing witness, and though she felt it illogical and somewhat poor in timing, she could see the value in how it seemed somewhat uplifting. Bringloidi unions were significantly simpler in practice, but the ceremonies were interesting to watch. She offered applause when others did the same, and before too long, it was already over, and the gathered officers once again dispersed, with Sinead rejoining Nathaniel in their designated "spot". There was really so little for them to do, even in planning, until their benefactor, through one Blue Tiran, gave them more to work with, or if Blue would provide them with any additional information.

Without further ado, the young woman curled up right where she sat and pillowed her head with her hands and closed her eyes, her body relaxing, and her mind clear. She would not let guilt assail her or disrupt her thoughts. There was danger aplenty and she did not need to add doubt into the mix. Whatever came next, she would make ready for it.

[ Vinata Vojona & Hylota Vojona | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @all ]
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The siblings listened to what Lin Kae about the situation, being very understanding of his limitations as an asset in a fight, the both of them could relate to that quite easily, but as Lin Kae proceeded to do his best to comfort them, to ensure them that things would turn out in their favor, the tension in the air seemed to lessen, Hylota let out a sigh as she relaxed a little, the possibility of her child, her last tie to Maal being safe, Hylota felt as though she could perhaps take up the offer for rest, but as Lin Kae brought up Nicander and how his medical expertise could be of use, well things turned south. Vinata winced at the unintentionally painful statement, Hylota tensed and scowled, the reminder of another one of the hells she had to deal with, how someone she had trusted so intimately had been a traitor. To the Ovri the abuse of a position of power, to betray and lie to those who relied upon you as a master of any kind, it was one of the greatest taboos of their race. With a people who value the knowledge and expertise of an individual in how it can help the whole, to use this gift to harm was tantamount to murder.

Letting out a bitter chuckle Hylota glared at Lin Kae, she was done, she did not care what hurtful things she said, her composure was shattered as she threw her hands in the air in mock praise. "Oh Of course Doctor Nicander, oh yes the parasite bearing traitor will save us! The vile monster I watched being cut up and laughing off phaser fire before we got abducted. You know what I am sure he will be able TO HELP!" Hylota took a deep breath and let out a strange croaking sound before she stormed off to take a cargo room for herself to retire in for the time being. It seemed she was letting off steam within though as sounds of dull banging could be heard from within as Hylota punched the walls, her screams of anger thankfully being muffled.

As Hylota went off to be alone Vinata swallowed and reached out to put a hand on Lin Kae's shoulder in a compassionate expression. "I am really sorry for that. My sister is at her breaking point...essentially what you would consider her spouse was killed in front of her before all the stuff with Doctor Nicander happened. To our species betrayal is socially regarded as just as bad if not worse than murder, considering how close we had been to the Doctor and how he helped us integrate into the medical staff, this betrayal has cut quite deeply." Vinata looked Lin Kae in the eye and gave a reassuring squeeze of his shoulder. "You could never have known what had happened. You did not deserve that outburst, and if my sister was not so distraught I think she would have composed herself better...but well...you saw earlier." Vinata sighed and looked out to the gathered crew. "I guess I should speak on my sister's behalf. See if I can get people willing to volenteer to help if the news comes down and it turns out my sister's fears were correct." Vinata sighed as he rubbed his temple and walked towards the crowd.

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[ Vinata Vojona  | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan , @Brutus , @Triage , @Masorin , @SummerDawn , @chXinya , @Absinthe , @steelphoenix , @BZ , @YasyraTrill , @patches , @Fife & @Numen ]
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Vinata walked to a point where most of the assembled abductees did not have their backs directly to him before he took a moment to try and compose himself. He had never done anything like this, addressing such a large group of people on a non medical topic, all so that he could ask them for their help, to ask them to put themselves at risk for the sake of him and his sister. Swallowing Vinata knew he had no other real recourse left. Taking a long slow breath Vinata let it in and out a few times before he felt he was composed enough to address the gathered crew. Speaking loudly and hoping to get the attention of any that might have chosen to try and get rest. "E-Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention for a moment?" As was the nature of Ovri language, through the translator his voice was loud, but oddly melodious as he addressed the group. "M-My name is Ensign Vojona, it has come to light that there is a possibility that something besides the crew was abducted...aboard the Theurgy was a recent birth, between my sister and a member of the medical staff, a Klingon some of you probably knew as Nurse Maal. The birth resulted in a single stable egg, the only hybrid child of their union...my sister fears it might have been abducted with the rest of the crew when we were taken." Vinata felt his heart pounding in his chest, there was a reason he chose to be reserved and off to the side, he hated how his guts felt right now, but he had to do this, there was no shame in asking for help. "As of right now we do not know if the egg is here aboard the ship, but if it is revealed to be here...then my sister and I will be going after it. We do not know if the egg will be a detour or troublesome to get, and I cannot demand aid, but I would like to ask if anyone would be willing to volenteer, to agree to come to our aid and join us in our mission if it does come to pass that the egg is here aboard the ship." Vinata suddenly looked downcast and shifted from one leg to the next nervously as he took a few seconds to collect himself. "I know it sounds foolish to call upon volunteers before something is know for sure, but I feel it is better than the rest of you know what is going on now while we have a calm moment to think, than to ask this of you when we have our mission to carry out to escape. I do not expect any of you to throw in with us for this possible mission, but at the very least thank you for giving me your time...just come talk if you wish to pledge aid." Vinata nodded and clenched his hands together as he awkwardly tried to move off to the side, pacing as he would look to the rest of the groups, not sure if he should be with them or not, he was truly no good at this, looking to Blue Vinata began to wonder if he could be of use elsewhere.

Walking back over to Blue, Vinata cleared his throat gently as to announce himself before he spoke. "Um thank you for what you did for my sister, I am sorry if she just brushed off your existence. She is not in the right state right now." Vinata's dark eyes lingered on Blue for a moment before he spoke once more. "I cannot help but notice you are also in a poor state. I understand that you probably wish to be left alone right now...but if there is anything I can do for you I would like to know. I can offer medical diagnosis from surface inspection...I know a small amount of massage and therapeutic stimulation. Truthfully I do not know if there is anything I can do for anyone here...but if I can help I would like to offer my service, you at least seem to be the most in need of aid of anyone here right now." Vinata seemed shy and compassionate, hie body language clearly expressing he was prepared to back away at a moments notice. He truly just wanted to offer any contribution that he could, considering how useless he felt he had been so far.

[ Lt R'Rori | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] @BZ @Zenozine @Fife

R’Rori barely registered Cross’s weak smile as s/he settled in next to Blue, some process in hir brain filing it away to prompt forget about. When Blue started to pull hir into a hug, shock fell quickly to relief and s/he returned the hug fiercely. S/he cried more freely now, aided by Blue’s soft-spoken words, forgetting for a few precious moments to keep up hir appearance, to play hir role on stage.
 
“I miss him too. All of them. I- I miss home.” S/he whispered, not even sure if the words were loud enough to be understood by the engineer.

As Blue pulled away, R’Rori only reluctantly let go, sniffling a moment and wiping away hir tears as s/he worked to regain hir composure. Blue’s PADD chimed and s/he looked over curiously. Apparently, it was another message from their mysterious benefactor but not one that required urgent action on their part. Slowly, Blue drifted to sleep and R’Rori smiled a bit to see her head resting on Cross’s shoulder. S/he shrugged at Cross’s look.

A yawn of hir own escaped as s/he took the opportunity to stretch hir legs and arms. One of the two that Blue was speaking to earlier came up to them after speaking to the group as a whole, apparently unaware that the woman had fallen asleep. The counselor smiled warmly as he spoke of offering medical assistance and apologized for his sister. After a glance at Cross, R’Rori took up the task of responding in her stead.

“Blue is sleeping now, Ensign, but I am sure she won’t take your sister’s words or actions personally.” S/he was still unused to the different qualities in hir voice now, somehow including an almost Caitian purr in hir words as her tired mind and body worked together to form coherent speech. “I will make sure she knows of your offer, though.”

S/he stood up slowly. Hir muscles registered their complaints, but were ignored. As Vinata had himself noted, there were plenty that needed assistance, both medical and psychiatric. All that awaited the former Caitian hybrid in hir sleep would be unpleasant dreams and anxiety. Perhaps R’Rori could yet stay awake a bit longer.

“I am Lieutenant R’Rori and this is Lieutenant Cross who is serving as an impromptu pillow here. We were on the Endeavour. I am a counselor by trade, but I am familiar with basic medical treatment. Perhaps we can both seek out other wounded here to help?”

S/he held out hir right hand as s/he finished speaking, gesturing to the rest of the bay. There were clearly others in distress, even as many began nodding off one by one.

“Do feel free to rest, however. We will all need our energy tomorrow. You and your sister have been through a lot and tomorrow, I suspect we’ll get to see what our Savi ‘friend’ wants from us in exchange for our freedom.”

[ Vinata Vojona  | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan , @Brutus , @Triage , @Masorin , @SummerDawn , @chXinya , @Absinthe , @steelphoenix , @BZ , @YasyraTrill , @patches , @Fife & @Numen ]
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As Vinata was made aware that Blue was now resting and that his apology would be passed on for him, he turned his attention to R'Rori, his eyes dark and observant, the traits giving an unexpected parallel between the Ovri and their captors. As R'Rori spoke and explained their own expertise. To hear that there was a counselor was a huge relief, and considering what had been unfolding as of late Vinata felt that he might want to take advantage of things.

As R'Rori spoke of how Vinata should try and get some rest he let out a sigh and shook his head. "Hello R'RoriI, my name is Vinata, and thanks for the suggestion, I honestly wish I could could get to sleep, but I do not have the heart to face what awaits me in my sleep right now. Now that I have been able to think clearly, all I can do is remember the state of medical when we were abducted, the things that were unfolding and how it might be when we return." Vinata swallowed and looked to R'Rori and crossed his arms in a way that showed he was a little apprehensive. "Look I hate to come off as selfish considering the state of affairs right now...but I need to get some stuff off my chest and I do not think that I am going to get any other time...would you mind too terribly if I were to use you expertise in counseling for a little bit?"

Vinata did not feel as though he was asking for something he had any right to right now, it was not outlandish to suppose that R'Rori would want to get some sleep as well, and what good would it do for them to be carrying around Vinata's pain along with everything else. Besides these people had half of their identity, their heritage stolen from them, it was not as though Vinata's correction could be compared to that. Honestly when it came to matters such as these Vinata struggled to bring himself to talk, he did not have the right to complain, or at least that was how he felt.

Vinata had to take another long slow breath as he collected his nerve once more, he could not continue that kind of thought forever, it was not healthy to continue to remain silent, he had seen the effects on his sister quite clearly. Shaking his head he looked to R'Rori and amended his initial statement. "I understand this is a bad time for everyone and my suffering is in no way special, but...there are just some things I need to vent. Perhaps we could talk while we walked among the assembled crew and see if anyone needs immediate aid?" Vinata hoped this made his desire to talk seem less selfish.

[ Lt R'Rori | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] @Zenozine

R’Rori nodded quickly when Vinata asked if he could lean on hir “counseling expertise”, as he put it. It was a task s/he was about to start offering for others in the crew, as hir mind still dealt too much with the recent Correction by the Savi. S/he had to really think for a solid minute to recall what his species was. They were a recent enough addition to the Federation that s/he hadn’t run into them before but s/he remembered pretty much just that they were loosely similar to amphibians and their sexual dimorphism was reversed from the typical.

Well, hopefully, their psychology is similar enough! Goddess knows we’re all dissimilar otherwise!

A bemused smile crossed hir face as Vinata offered to conduct their talk while offering aid to the others. S/he shook hir head slowly before responding.

“You’re not being selfish in asking for a sympathetic ear, Vinata. It sounds like you left a very serious situation and if you’re here, you’re having a pretty bad time of it yourself.” The former half-Caitian’s tail weakly twitched, a remnant of hir former nonverbal communication that s/he was still capable of. “Besides, you’re one of our few qualified medical people here. We need you in relatively good spirits.”

S/he looked around for a good spot and pointed at one of the smaller side rooms. “We can go there, if you’d like, for some privacy. If you’re more comfortable talking while working or walking, though, we can do that. Please, lead the way and I’ll follow.”

[ Vinata Vojona  | Observation Pen | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @patches ]
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As Vinata was comforted and told that he was not being selfish and that they could talk he visibly relaxed, his body sagging as he let out a sigh and he smiled to R'Rori. "Thank you...it means a lot to me that I can have someone to talk to in this time." Vinata motioned to one of the rooms and began to walk slowly. "I personally would like for us to be alone while we talk...I have a lot of things to vent an I do not feel that I should be this open around the others, I do not want to drag down the mood so soon." With that Vinata focused on getting out of sight, going into one of the storage rooms and closing the door behind them. As they were finally alone Vinata let out a sigh and he fell back against the wall with a sigh. "By the stone mother I am tired." He reached up and began to rub his face, taking a long deep breath once more before he looked to R'Rori. "I am not sure how long I can keep myself together. There has just been so much stress, so many small things building to this mess." Vinata closed his eyes and took a deep breath once more, the steady breathing working to calm his nerves.

As his dark eyes opened once more Vinata looked at R'Rori for a moment before he spoke. "I really do not know how to lead into this in a good way...there are a few things that are weighing down on me...but I feel that the big one right now is just the uncomfortable feeling of identity." Vinata hung his head and shook it for a moment before he looked back up, a slight look of shame on his face as he felt he was wasting time. "I know this is not a concern for right now...but it has been weighing down on me more so than before. I do not know if you are aware of Ovri biology and the difference between our males and females. To sum it up my sister looks like what you would expect for a male and I look like a female. This let to a lot of confusion in the academy. I was always mistaken for a woman and it really never bothered me...I was confused at times though...you see I find the masculine figure rather appealing, I must admit I find the strong frame of mammalian males rather appealing, but I have always been kind of on the fence about men sexually...I have experimented and I enjoyed myself. Thanks to those I had in my life I felt comfortable to try indulging in the female lifestyle, embrace what people assumed about me." Vinata went silent for a bit as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Vinata was silent for a moment before he looked back to R'Rori and he continued. "Then we got abducted...and corrected. I am not a hybrid, I was corrected to match the sexual dimorphism of most other races." Vinata began to rub his arms as he held himself. "It is one thing to play at being female, to not correct others and just embrace a culture...it is another to have your body changed against your will. I woke up to find myself made a woman, to be drugged and fucked by a man I can scarcely remember. I feel violated, like an intimate part of myself was taken...and what makes it worse is that no one will notice, that I cannot bring myself to complain...was I not pretending to be as I am now...do I have reason to complain...do I want to change back...it is all just so muddled and confusing...I do not know what to think." Vinata let out an sigh as he hung his head and held himself more firmly.

[ Lt R'Rori | Maintenance Bays | Main Research Hull |The Versant ] @Zenozine

As s/he listened to the Ovri speak in their secluded location, R’Rori felt a pang of sorrow and pity for Vinata. S/he knew well the feeling of a body that did not fit the mind, both before hir Correction and now. It had taken hir years to switch from she and her to s/he and hir pronouns and realizing that hir identity lay in areas beyond the popular male or female binary. There had been plenty of deep discussions about gender with a Hermat classmate, a counselor, and others within that community in the Academy.

Vinata would have none of this community support specifically for cross-sex changes like this, though there were plenty available that would empathize with him in the sense of nonconsensual changes to his body. All that would be available was that empathy and counselors like R’Rori, as well as R’Rori’s own experiences with gender dysphoria. After he finished speaking, R’Rori stayed silent for a moment to think over what s/he should say.

“Thank you for taking the time to explain a bit more about Ovri biology,” s/he finally responded gently. “There really is not yet a whole lot that we know about your species beyond some basics and you are the first I have met.”

S/he looked around briefly for a crate to sit on. The ordeal and lack of real sleep was starting to take its toll on the humanoid. Once settled in, s/he crossed hir legs and pulled up hir tail to curl it up in hir lap like s/he was used to.

“I am … familiar with the feeling of your mind not fitting who you are, ‘correction’ or not. I am something that the humans like to call ‘non-binary’. I don’t quite fit the mold of either man or woman. If we make it back to a Federation ship, I can give you some reading material on the topic if you are interested.” S/he smiled faintly as hir right index finger twirled the tip of hir tail. “I was not quite Caitian or Human either prior to our … visit here. Always something in between and something more. Our identities and our relationships to our bodies can be very complicated. It gets even more so in situations like yours, when our bodies and autonomy have been so grossly violated.”

Hir grey eyes studied Vinata’s face somberly and s/he leaned forward slightly, bracing hirself with hir hands on the crate.

“One thing that I want to make clear here is that you do have the right to complain. You went through some serious trauma recently and you need to heal from that, just like any physical wound you might treat. It will take time and we will get that time for you to process all this and make any choices that you need to.”

R’Rori tilted hir head to the right slightly as one of hir ears twitched in response to some sound s/he heard from outside the room. It sounded like footsteps walking by their door.

“You said that you ‘played’ at being female. Can you expand on that?”

This is going to be a very interesting conversation.

~FIN

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OOC: Auctor mentioned that since it had been awhile since we last continued this that we go ahead and end it here and I agree! We can discuss specifics of the conversation over PM to reference later in interactions between R'Rori and Vinata, if you'd like!