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Topic: CH2: S [Day1|1900hrs] Show us what you got! (Read 44220 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: CH2: S [Day1|1900hrs] Show us what you got!

Reply #25 –
[ Dominic Winters | Holodeck 3 | Vector 2 | Deck 21 | The Ranger ATTN: @Dumedion @Pierce

He wondered why they were treating him like a complete rookie fighter pilot. He knew full well that things could go tits down, balls up the moment they entered the arena that was battle. Heck, even patrols could go that way if you were not careful or just had an unlucky roll of the dice. Putting his ego away for the moment Atlas understood that these ladies were here to get to know him and his skills, what he can do, and what his flaws are. Dom had been rather harsh in his own judgment of the two.

 
“Yeah, sorry about killing the Sim. Tell you what they do move! I am so glad there’s no RIO involved either, least they complain about getting sick when I pull a high-G turn.” Dominic’s right ear twitched in the form of the Kzint grin. “I like the assessment, formidable. We all can complement each other while in flight.” He nodded lightly. “Going Borg is not a good look for anyone, weird myriad attachments aside that I am sure someone would find an unusual use for.” he joked lightly.

When Shadow brought up his tactic not potentially working he brought the back of his hand up to his forehead like he was feigning a dramatic injury. “Oh, you wound me!” He then chuckled. “Yeah, it's a good trick to run with when you want to surprise your enemy. I bet it would have worked unless, of course, Goldeneye here can see the future eh?” He teased.

He liked the mention of food and when Shadow’s stomach growled his ear twitched in that direction as well and that seemed to tell him that food was a good idea despite her own statement. “Three hours? So no food until 2200? Oh no. This cannot do. How about we sit, break out some snacks from the replicator and snack here with each other? Share a story or two and then go back into the sim. How’s that sound?” He asks, his right ear twitched. “We can learn about each other differently. Eh? Just no Jamie Oliver or those who followed his style of cooking. Ick.” Dominic poked his tongue out in a ‘bleh’ kind of manner. "Maybe as part we can introduce each other to snacks and bits we prefer."

Re: CH2: S [Day1|1900hrs] Show us what you got!

Reply #26 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance | FAB | Deck 16 | Vector 2 | The Ranger] Attn: @Dumedion @Krajin  [Show/Hide]

Tessa Lance couldn’t help but giggle as she crunched on her heavily buttered popcorn, catching Atlas's ear twitch with every bite. She tossed a popcorn kernel playfully at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hey, Atlas! You think my crunching's annoying now? Just wait till we’re in the middle of a firefight and I decide to snack!" She winked, then turned her attention to Talia. "Shadow’s right, you do get used to it eventually. Besides, life's too short to stress about popcorn noises."

She leaned in, her voice dropping conspiratorially. "Now, as for this training, expect the unexpected, kiddos. Because out there," she waved her hand dramatically, "things can go sideways real fast. You gotta be ready to pivot, dance, and maybe even do a little jig if it helps."

Tessa Lance's eyes lit up at the mention of snacks. She gave a playful wink, her signature quirky smile broadening. "Oh, you had me at snacks, big guy. Let's raid the replicator and see what we can find!" She tossed another handful of popcorn into her mouth, the crunch echoing in the room. "And hey, if you're lucky, I'll let you in on my secret popcorn recipe. It's got extra butter and just the right amount of salt."[/color]

Giving Atlas a playful nudge. "So, what do you say? Let's grab those snacks, share our tales, and then jump back into the sim. Because if there's one thing I've learned as a veteran pilot, it's that bonding over food and stories makes us a stronger team. And besides," she added with a smirk, "We need to keep those energy levels up for the next round of chaos."

Tessa handed Atlas a handful of her buttery popcorn, her grin wide and infectious. "Consider this your initiation. Welcome to the Wolves, Atlas. Now, let’s see who can tell the best flying story while we munch away. Go on, big guy, your turn!"

Re: CH2: S [Day1|1900hrs] Show us what you got!

Reply #27 –
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Holodeck 3 | Vector 2 | Deck 21 | The Ranger] Attn: @Krajin @Pierce 

Shadow had to check her initial reaction to Atlas’ idea; while a snack wouldn’t hurt, (she'd just have to log the caloric intake mentally and adjust accordingly), this wasn’t supposed to be a social affair – but in the end she decided to just go with it. After Javert, Talia reminded herself, we may not get another chance to just…spend time together. Besides, it wasn’t like the old man was peeping on their every move. They were still in the holodeck; as far as Janus or anyone else was concerned, they were still training.

A wry smile curled her lips at the thought.

“Sure,” Talia agreed as she fell in line with them towards the Den. “Pita bread and hummus for me, maybe some lamb kabobs,” she shrugged to herself, as the others conversed. A smirk was thrown in Goldeneye’s direction at her wingmate’s warning. No shit, Shadow thought to herself; in the short while they’d known each other, Tessa had proven herself to the epitome of unpredictability – in and out of the cockpit. Flying with her would require constant adaptation, which suited Shadow just fine. Stagnation led to complacency. Everything changed over time, or it simply died; she had no intention of dying.

Atlas seemed of a decent sort, as far as Talia could tell, anyway. Her own social skills being what they were, she counted it as ‘so far, so good’ and aimed to keep it that way. She’d made a mess of plenty of first impressions already. The towering Kzin met her eyes and Talia grinned at the opportunity to hear of his exploits; having read up on him, briefly, she wondered if he’d stick to his war-time missions or delve into the alleged ‘piracy’ activities. Either way, hearing about them would be better than reading.

As for herself, Shadow’s grin faded I little in self-consciousness; she had no stories to share, at least, very little in the realm of combat anyway. She shrugged to herself again. Doesn’t matter. She could eat, and listen, and try her best to bond with these people that risked it all with her every time a scramble order went out. It was the least she could do.

“Well,” a dark brow arched up at Atlas as they walked with a smile. “Let’s hear it.”

ooc – sincere apologies for being so late to reply.

Re: CH2: S [Day1|1900hrs] Show us what you got!

Reply #28 –
[ Dominic Winters | Holodeck 3 | Vector 2 | Deck 21 | The Ranger ATTN: @Dumedion @Pierce

Dominic ordered from the Replicator a meat platter to snack on, along with a pair of chopsticks over the use of a fork or similar tools as they were inherently messy and this would in some weird little way test his dexterity while the suit was on. He pulled up a crate and parked his butt on it with one leg crossed over the other and the platter resting against him. “Stories, stories..” He picks up a vegetable and eats it.Taking his time to get the positions of the sticks correct and get the mechanics of it all working. Sure enough, though many who knew the carnivorous nature of a Kzint may see this as crazy or ludicrous.

“So. Stories.. You want one of mine.. I am not about to relive the Dominion war. I already have a reminder and plenty of shit from that. Pretty sure none of you want that either..” He muses. Flexing his right hand slightly and doing that thing all men do when it comes to tongs, chopsticks, and everything else by testing them by clicking them together. Granted, that hand had those implanted claws in them.

“Alright. When I was first getting into the conn role. When I graduated the Academy, I was posted to the USS Akira. I worked as first shift conn, handled third shift tactical on occasion and flew the shuttles. Now the Akira was the Prototype, first of the Class, and is the testbed for many of the upgrades that go into the class. Now I have built a bit of a reputation for flying the Akira like I stole it. My first combat run was against some Orion Pirates. Now we had just had an impulse drive upgrade so things had been a little shaky. We were investigating some pirate activity along a trade route which as you can guess turned out to be Orion Pirates: three Corvettes and a Brigand class. Now the engagement was a little hairy, we got ambushed by two corvettes first, we crippled one corvette and after scoring an engine kill on the second, we had the damn Brigand plus another Corvette show up. We were outnumbered and outgunned just from force multiplication and well, we engaged.”

Dominic eats a bit and then continues on. “I got told to perform evasive maneuvers. Sooooo.. I pushed the Akira and made the cruiser dance. Phasers, Torpedoes.. We won! But I have the captain some new grey hairs when we took on the Brigand and danced around its disruptors. I think I taught the crew how to make an Akira dance and that it can really, really move. Engineering though.. really disliked me.”

He looked pleased as punch. “What about you two?”
 

Re: CH2: S [Day1|1900hrs] Show us what you got!

Reply #29 –
[ Lt. JG Tessa May Lance | FAB | Deck 16 | Vector 2 | The Ranger] Attn: @Dumedion @Krajin [Show/Hide]

Tessa smiled as she heard her comrades telling their wiley tales from the battlefield. It was nice to hear the teambuilding she meant to inspire through this exercise rather than the frustration she caused from the Borg incident. Still, it was fun she thought to herself.

"Interesting story. You know, that reminds me the time that Lauren and I thought we could defeat the Dominion when we were training on MIMAS Station."

She began re-telling the story of how the alarm klaxons wailed, a symphony of impending doom. "My heart pounded against my ribs like drums. Space, once a vast, comforting blanket, now felt like a suffocating void. Lauren's voice, usually so bright and infectious, crackled through the comms to me in my own shuttle, "Be ready Tess! Incoming!"

Four Breen battlecruisers were before us. My stomach churned anxiously as I sat panicking around them. These vessels were nightmares given from their cold designs radiating an overwhelming power. "I'm reading four Breen battlecruisers and several scout ships. I think we should turn back!" I yelled into my comms, my voice trembling. I slowed my flight trainer, seeking refuge behind the cold, unyielding mass of Mars’ moon."

Tessa paused to reflect on that day that changed her life forever. The day she thought she'd lost her best friend.

"Lauren, ever the daredevil whom I learned from, ignored my plea. "Oh, come on Tess! This is fun!" Her laughter was so lively despite our terrifying reality. She scanned the Breen vessels, a reckless act that drew the immediate attention of a scout ship. Energy weapons fired through space. I watched, paralyzed with fear, as Lauren expertly dodged the blasts, her small shuttlecraft a nimble insect dancing before giants. I was in such awe at her fluid movements."

She smiled warmly, without the wild abandon she usually held in her antics. Almost oddly so.

"My own vessel was soon targeted. The Breen scouts, like predators headed my way with their weapons spitting energy death. Pew-Pew!" She grinned breaking the silence and the tension of her memory before falling back into the story.

"Thankfully, my training kicked in and I spiraled and weaved my little flight trainer with a blur of motion. But inside, I was screaming franticly. This wasn't a simulation. This was real. This was war.

And Lauren’s voice, strained now, came over the comms. "Hey Tess, in case I don't make it out of here alive, I'm transmitting the data to you so you can send it to command." A chilling premonition, one that quickly became a horrifying truth for me. As the data finished transferring and I pocketed the isolinear chip, another wave of enemy fire hit Lauren’s shuttlecraft. "Hold on, Jenn!" I cried out, desperation clawing at my heart strings.

But it was too late. She told me to take it to command and get out of the line of fire while she drew them away. Then, static. And then, a blinding flash, a silent explosion that ripped through the void. Lauren was gone and so was my best friend.

My scream was swallowed by space as my tears blurred my vision. I watched in horror as the debris of her shuttlecraft drifted away. In that moment, something inside me shattered... I was broken. The thrill of the mission evaporated, replaced by a cold, gnawing dread. I felt utterly alone, adrift in a sea of grief and fear."

She realized her demeanor had changed and she'd started to cry reliving that story. But heck, it was meant to help them understand why she was nuts. Afterall, with this much death, one had to grow accustomed to losing their friends in battle. Especially as renegades.

"My time was short though as a Breen battlecruiser broke formation, its massive form bearing down on me. It locked weapons and fired, my small ship erupting in flames. I thankfully activated the emergency transport just before the explosion. I rematerialized in the transporter room, but the battle, the loss, stayed with me... The image of Lauren’s shuttle exploding was seared into my mind. I found I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. The sounds of the ship hummed with the memory of weapons fire. I was broken.

Years later, I ended up on the Theurgy after many other placements and at shoreleave several months ago, I found myself in a Vulcan healing chamber. The Vulcan mindmeld was my last chance, a desperate attempt to purge the trauma that had taken root in my mind. I relived it all – the cold of space, the deadly energy blasts, Lauren's final words. The Vulcan healer helped me confront the memories that caused my mind to fall into a childlike state and to finally understand them, and let go. But not all of it. Some wounds, I knew, would always linger.

That is until I learned that Lauren was MIA and re-enlisted and joined us here on the Theurgy. The reunion was awesome! Seeing her alive brought back the trauma but this time I wasn't alone. Lauren was there."

Tessa wiped the tear from her eye. Took a swig of her drink and then cackled. "All that to say, we all have our traumas, but it's how we deal with it that matters."

-FIN

OOC - Sorry for the loooooong delay. Went ahead and "FIN" the scene as it's been on a while and ran out of steam. Also, wanted to help evolve Tessa some with my current headspace as I want her to lean into more of a 2nd in command role for the Wolves rather than a crazy pilot. Used a lot of her backstory from MIMAS and recycled some of it for this story.
 
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