Star Trek: Theurgy

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #25 – January 09, 2023, 11:12:08 AM

[ Lt. Rhys Williams | Engineering | IKS K'ratak | Qo'noS] attn@ @Dumedion @rae @ob2lander961 @jreeves1701

Rhys looked over the edge of the lift shaft. It seemed to go on forever, it looked like a huge ominous black void. Or like the maw of some unspeakable horror from out of space and time. Rhys shook his head, he had to stop reading those Lovecraftian style stories.

Then out of no where heard a scream and a huge clang sound somewhere else in the ship. The way it echoed towards them it was not really clear where it was coming from. Though of more immediate concern to Rhys, was the fact that the large sound caused him to just about jump out of his skin.

Rhys felt himself fall forward, there was a tremendous lurch in his stomach as if it was trying to dive back into the corridor. In his panic his hand flew out and caught a rung of the ladder bolted to the side of the shaft. He hung on to it dearly positioning himself, so his arm was around a rung. He looked at his right hand amazed to discover the PADD was still in it. He closed his eyes breathing heavily. “Looks like I am going first huh?” He said giving a slightly hysterical chuckle.

He poked his head up over the entrance way like an absurd Meercat looking back along the corridor. “Where do you think that sound was coming from?” He said sucking his teeth as he tried to calm his rushing thoughts down. “Should we go back or press on?” He said panicking a little.

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #26 – January 09, 2023, 11:34:32 PM

[PO2 Kino Jeen | IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS] Attn: @Juzzie @Eirual @jreeves1701 @rae @ob2lander961
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“M’kay, down it is,” the Trill shrugged while she knelt next to the lift door, the tip of her knife marking another arrow. It didn’t really matter to her either way – the ship wasn’t that big – even with just the two of them searching, they’d find something eventually. Kino pivoted on her knee to face Rhys, a dark brow arched as the knife returned to the sheath on her shin. The LT sounded nervous, but she figured it was just the dark, or the hole they were about to start climbing down; reassurance wasn’t exactly her strong suit, but she felt inclined to try.

“Relax, LT. I’ll go -,” she started to say, but the sound of something or someone screaming interrupted, followed by an echoed clang of metal on metal. Almost immediately, she saw Rhys flinch and lose his balance, flailing for the ladder rungs. Kino reached out with one hand, but the LT managed to grab a handhold and steadied himself. She let out a breath of air, relived, as he chuckled nervously about going first. The non-com shook her head, then panned her silvered head about, trying to listen over his quickened breath and questions.

“No idea, but it couldn’t have been far,” Kino murmured, then arched a brow at him again. “Take a breath, LT,” she nodded to him, then gestured down into the shaft. “Between the two of us, you got the pips, remember,” she drawled sarcastically. “Look, we’re here, already committed – so I’ll go first. I can see a lot better in the dark. Just hang tight,” the dim glow of her cybernetic eye winked at him as her legs swung over the edge, then her body twisted to drop down onto the rungs below him as her hand gripped the rung by his chest. “Don’t get excited, just passing through,” she murmured, amused at the situation as she climbed down over him. As far as the noise? She really couldn’t tell what it was. Didn’t sound like a targ, that’s for sure. She vividly remembered the growling snarls of the beasts, and hoped they didn’t run across a den down here in the dark. That would be bad, even with lights. What the hell is Red doing anyway? Kino frowned at the thought, hoping that Ryn and the others were alright. At least there’s the Medusan – in the insane event that Wolf was even close to being right and there is a killer running around, she blinked, then chuckled at herself for even entertaining the notion. Ryn was probably just tinkering with the core and overtaxed the dusty-ass grid, quit worrying so much.

“C’mon LT, slow and steady. Take your time,” Kino whispered, then started her descent into the abyss, glancing up to keep an eye on Rhys as she went. Given her cybernetics, she figured that if he slipped, she might be able to grab him without killing them both. Maybe. Better than trying to reach for him from on top, her lips pulled to the side, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Kino peered around, below her and to the sides as she descended; they were coming up on the next deck down, the lift door properly sealed. “Hold up,” the Trill murmured, then tapped Rhys’ foot to stop him, stifling a chuckle at his reaction. “It’s me,” she hissed. “See if you can find the manual bypass, I think I passed it. It’s not down here like on our ships,” she nodded to the bottom of the door, even though he could barely see it. Reaching out, she tapped biosynthetic knuckles against the door in an ancient melody, then waited for the two-bit response.

---

OOC: Soorrry...I let this one slip by my reply que. I kno, I kno...shit list again. Dammit! 

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #27 – January 24, 2023, 11:22:46 AM

[ Lt. Rhys Williams | Engineering | IKS K'ratak | Qo'noS] attn: @Dumedion @Eirual @ob2lander961 @rae @jreeves1701

Rhys felt bubbling in amongst the fear and insecurity a guilt. It squirmed in his stomach like a worm. Kino was doing her best to be kind to him in a rough and ready kind of way. However, he felt he could detect some frustration with how he was conducting himself. Rather than being annoyed by that he was in agreement with her and that’s where the guilt was coming from. Not for the first time in his life he began to grow concerned about how he had ever achieved an officer rank in the first place. Rhys was not a voice of authority and he doubted he could be one even if he tried.

Rhys was shy, meek and absurdly self-conscious. None of these were good traits for a leader. When had been at the academy and later he had tried to do that. He had tried to be a tough but firm, perfectionist leader. He just did not have the knack for it and that hadn’t made him happy either. He had been baffled when he was made Chief Counsellor on the Cayuga. He had never understood the choice. Assistant made much more sense. On the Theurgy Hathev being the Vulcan was much firmer and leader like and Rhys could be the shoulder to cry on. That was a role he excelled at. His former Captain must have seen something in him however, Rhys couldn’t see it.

For the moment Kino was in charge and Rhys was more comfortable following her lead and just chipping in technical information. When she mentioned that between the two of them, he was the one with the pips, he said “Don’t remind me.” He had thought the tone was under his breath, but things tended to echo.

He watched as she swung down on to the ladder past him. Her wink and her comment about him not getting excited had him blushing a vibrant shade of red that he hoped was not visible in the dim lighting. While he was sure Kino, did not have much respect for him and he didn’t blame her. She at least so far did not seem to actively dislike him and seemed more amused by his behaviour. That would do.

Rhys was careful in how he hung on to the ladder in case there were other shocking events. His meekness was undercut by a degree of physical strength. When his hobbies were swimming and playing rugby that was to be expected, he would not be easily shook off and loose balance again. However, when he felt a tap on his foot he did jump a little, a sharp intake of breath followed until Kino indicated it was her. He blushed even more now that she was chuckling at him, it didn’t seem mean spirited though, so he accepted it. He held up the PADD is pathetic light seeming to only give definition to the shadows. Shaping them and allowing Rhys’ feverish imagination to do the rest. However, he did spot a leaver of some description above the door Kino had stopped in front of. It was tricky to pull on it with only one hand, but Rhys was loathed to let go of the PADD or the ladder. He tightly rapped a leg around a rung and pulled hard with his right hand. It took a little bit of effort and some grunting, Klingons were stronger than the average human after all, and the switch came down. There was a spark and a flash, Rhys quickly moved his hand away and the door in front of Kino opened a little way. “The motor has probably seized up.” He said unsure why he was whispering. “Can you get through or are we going to need to force it open a bit more?” He asked as she had the better view of the door.

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #28 – January 25, 2023, 01:23:53 AM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Lost in the bowels of the  IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS ]
ATTN: @rae  @jreeves1701 @ob2lander961 @Dumedion  @Juzzie

It felt even darker inside whatever dark hole she was trapped inside than it had when the lights had gone out, if that was even possible. Mia slowly got to her feet and looked up. “Ok so what genius puts a trap door in the deck of a ship,” she asked the darkness, not expecting an answer to come. 

She heard a rustling behind her and spun around, “Wha..  Is someone there? I hope you aren’t a hungry targ.” Mia almost laughed at her last remark. If it had been a hungry Targ she wouldn’t be standing anymore, she would have been the beasts meal. “Geez, Mia, get a grip,” She whispered, the sound echoed in the confines of the trap she found herself in. Mia looked up, not sure what she expected to see. It had been dark in the room above, so why would she see much of anything. She shook her head slightly and walked, one hand  waving back and forth in front of her so she wouldn’t face plant into beam or a wall or some other unidentifiable object.

 It was odd though, she could hear her breath echoing in the room. But it sounded just a bit off. Do echoes sound higher, or faster?? She stopped and turned around slowly, calling out in hopes of getting a reply, “Hey, I’m Mia. Are you here for Azrin’s party? Well not down here, but on this klunker?”

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #29 – February 18, 2023, 03:09:31 AM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Engineering | IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Eirual @jreeves1701 @ob2lander961 @Dumedion @Juzzie

“Stop saying that!” Azrin complained to the tricorder, which was in the middle of telling her, once again, that none of the circuits had overloaded. “One of them has to be. I didn’t set this place up for a dark party. What would be the fun in that!” Some people might have an opinion on that, but Azrin, being a bright happy person herself, wanted a party that reflected that.

“It should have switched to auxiliary power and lighting on its own,” she explained absently to Via, fiddling with the settings on the tricorder. “That’s the point of the redundancy. Since it didn’t, we’d have to trace the command paths to find that error or look for a similar electrical problem in those systems. It will be easier to fix main power – or it would be!” The last bit was directed towards the tricorder.

“Everything is working fine. There are no overloads,” a few short bursts from the tricorder had linked it to the ship’s computer, information scrolling across the small screen as fast as she could process it. “The computer thinks the power is still on. But something has to be breaking the flow circuit somewhere.” As she spoke, Azrin was getting closer and closer to the panel, her head practically inside it now. It was counterintuitive, as her attempts to see better were only getting in the way of Larrant’s light, casting a deep shadow on all the components.

She pulled back, trying to find the sweet spot of keeping her fingers inside while still getting the most light possible. The engineer looked like a lunatic, her back and neck arched back while her arms stretched forward as far as possible. She was still working the tricorder, abandoning power flow scans for a broader search of anything out of the ordinary. “Beritium? Klingons don’t use beritium in starship design. Or in anything.” But she was detecting a small trace of it anyway. Reaching forward to that location, Azrin felt along the power conduit, quickly finding what didn’t belong. She pulled the small device out, disconnecting it from the ship.

The power came back on immediately, but Azrin was too interested in the new mystery to cheer. “Guys? Why is the ship booby trapped? Who would want a component that randomly turns the power on and off?”

[ Lt. JG Nysarisiza “Nysari” zh’Eziarath | somewhere aboard the IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS ]

Following the bang was another familiar sound. Curled up against the wall as she was, Nysari managed to avoid being crushed by the new occupant of her sad little hole, but she still winced in sympathy at the smacking of skin and bone against unforgiving metal. For a moment, she thought it wisest not to speak, waiting to be certain that her new cellmate was of a friendly disposition. She had no idea what was going on here and she was far from a fighter. If the other person was hostile, the darkness was her best defense.

It quickly proved to be a ridiculous fear, though paranoia felt like a justifiable response to someone who had recently fallen victim to a trap door. “My name is Nysari,” she replied, leaving a sizable silence after her words in case she frightened the other woman by revealing herself. “Lieutenant Ryn asked for my assistance in renting this venue. In hindsight, I should not have agreed.” She tried to relax, her muscles aching from holding the tight curled up position against the wall. Her foot moved forward, hoping to find a position that made it hurt somewhat less, but she wasn’t able to straighten her leg before hitting something soft – presumably Mia, unless there was something else new down here. “Sorry.”

“To answer your first question, Klingons put trap doors on their ships. Apparently. It would be effective against a boarding party, as long as the ship’s crew know where they are and how to avoid them. This ship is quite old, maybe it’s forcefields weren’t reliable enough. I’m not sure how a culture that has such a marked preference for head on physical combat justifies them though.” Having someone to talk to was making all the difference in the world, as though the room was somehow brighter.

“Are you injured, Mia?”

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #30 – February 24, 2023, 12:20:11 AM

[PO2 Kino Jeen | IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS] Attn: @Juzzie  @Eirual @jreeves1701 1 @rae  @ob2lander961
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Once it was clear that no one was going to return her knock, Kino waited while Rhys fiddled with the manual release – keeping an eye on him just in case he lost his footing in the struggle. Success seemed evident at last, punctuated by a short lived light-show and the dawn of a smirk on her lips, but that was very short lived. Well ain’t this grand, she deadpanned to herself as the door seized; a dark brow arched down into the abyss as the LT above her whispered.

“Yeah, I'll try. Hang on,” she answered back, shifting her body to one side of the ladder to get a better leverage point. “Climb up a little so I can grab the middle,” she jerked a thumb up at him uselessly; he couldn’t see it if he tried. After Rhys had moved up a few rungs, Kino followed, then reached out with her cybernetic arm and gripped the edge of the door with the tips of her fingers. Ugh, this is gonna suck if I screw it up, she grunted, looking down again, but started pulling anyway. Nothing moved, so her effort increased gradually, until she was straining hard enough to hiss through a grimace. Everything started creaking and screeching then – the door, the ladder – loud enough to make her ears hurt as the racket echoed up and down the lift tube.

Ever so slowly, the damn thing opened; enough for them to squeeze through anyway. Kino released her hold and the air left in her lungs, panting from the exertion. "That was fun," she grumbled sarcastically, shaking her head at it all.

Suddenly, the power kicked on – startling them both. A blur of movement caught her eye as something fell. Kino reached for it instinctively, but missed. The PADD flipped end over end as it sailed down the tube; her eyes narrowed at it, then she looked up at Rhys in annoyance. The smart-assed remark for his case of butter-fingers died though, as she saw what was headed right at them: the lift. “Aw shit – let’s move LT!” Kino hissed, then threw herself out into the gap of the half opened door, scrambling to pull herself in and around to help him do the same. “C’mon,” she waved at him, peeking out and up. “C’mon Rhys, or you’re gonna be a lot skinnier in about ten seconds!”

Her eyes widened as she noticed how bent the ladder under him was; rusted with time, she couldn’t be sure if the damn thing would hold much longer – so Kino squeezed out the gap, artificial arm extended towards him. “C’mon, take it – now!” Kino barked, as the lift plummeted at his head.

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #31 – February 27, 2023, 12:42:18 PM

[ Lt. Rhys Williams | Engineering | IKS K'ratak | Qo'noS] attn: @Dumedion @Eirual @jreeves1701 @rae @ob2lander961

Rhys decided that bowels was the perfect description for where they were in the ship. It was hot cramped, smelled bad, nothing was working and neither of them wanted to be there. The door was seized up not properly opening. After he had asked her if she needed it opening more, she answered affirmatively. Rhys had been intending to help her force it open but with her cybernetic arm she probably stood a better chance of getting the door to budge than he did. He climbed up a few rungs to allow her better access to the door.

It took some time and considerable effort on her part to force the doors to open more fully. He felt concern that her cybernetic arm would not be able to cope with the pressure, but it seemed to prevail in the end. It produced a godawful noise, and neither of them was in a position to cover up their ears. They both winced in the darkness.

It seemed suddenly as if their struggle had been pointless at that moment the power seemed to kick in. It was a loud noise in the otherwise quiet that saw Rhys’ heart feel like it had leapt into his mouth. There was a rumble and a vibration as well, this caused the PADD to slip from Rhys’ sweaty palm as he reached to hold himself on the ladder. Kino went for it but missed. Even in darkness before the emergency lights clicked on, Rhys felt he could see the irritation on her face. He had been about the apologise to her when she seemed to spot something above him. She threw herself through the now opened door. Rhys did not have as much time as she did as he was now above the door. He tried to climb down while the ladder made worrying noises. Once he was level with the doorway Kino reached out and he did not need to be told to make a grab for her cybernetic arm.

Rhys was many things. Shy, quiet, awkward utterly unconfident. However physically he was no slouch. Years of rugby, sailing, and swimming had produced an athletic and energetic young man. Using her arm for leverage, he was able to launch himself through the door almost bowling into Kino, as the ladder crumpled with the force of his jump. He felt a rush of a breeze ruffle the back of his head as the lift rushed behind him and he threw himself through the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder through the doorway. “Fucking hell.” Hearing Rhys swear was unusual, it was like hearing a Klingon complete a sentence without using the word Honour, a surreal circumstance. It was at this point he realised he was now on top of Kino. At which point Rhys’ shyness and awkwardness returned with a vengeance. He sprang to his feet, standing with his back almost ram rod straight, his face blushing so much it was nearly purple. “Sorry!” He barked out in slightly panicked tone, before offering her hand to help her back on to her feet.

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #32 – March 08, 2023, 01:45:38 AM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Lost in the bowels of the  IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS ]
ATTN: @rae  @jreeves1701  @ob2lander961 @Dumedion  @Juzzie 

The female's voice was quiet as it came from almost right next to her. Another one of the partygoers had happened to find the wrong path. Mia briefly wondered how close she had come to landing on top of the other woman. She had a feeling it would not have been pleasant for either of them.

 Mia chuckled, “Hindsight does tend to do that doesn’t it. I know how that is. Azrin can be a force unto herself.”  She shifted her position a little closer to the disembodied voice and to give her new ‘roommate’ more room to stretch out her legs, “Let me just scooch over a bit so you have room, not there is a lot of it down here.”

Mia listened to Nysari explain the room they found themselves in. “An actual trap, huh? Does not seem to be very honorable but who knows what Klingon's really think." She sighed a little and peered into the darkness, "Well at the moment it seems to be working, but if we had a phaser couldn’t we just cut our way out? Seems a waste of valuable space. I would have thought it was Gagh storage since they love it so fresh.” But even that thought made her a bit queasy. Either there were in a pit where the enemies had most likely wasted away or where thousands of squirming worms had spent their final days. She shook her head as she found the wall and turned to rest her back against it.

When Nysari asked if she was hurt Mia nodded, then mentally scolded herself because how was anyone going to see that in this dark pit. She took a small breath, “Not really. Sort of landed on my wrist a little funny. Nothing that seems broken. Were you injured? “

Before Nysari could relay her condition Mia had a thought, “How far up do you think that trap door is? Maybe if we work together we can get it open from this side.”

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #33 – March 13, 2023, 08:39:40 PM

[PO2 Kino Jeen | IKS K’ratak | Kl'alath | Qo’noS] Attn: @Juzzie @Eirual @rae @ob2lander961 @jreeves1701
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She’d heaved Rhys right onto her, and the two fell back in a tangle of bodies just as the lift fell; Kino hit her back with a grunt and the back of her head cracked into the floor, hard enough to make her teeth click together. The LT’s landing was altogether gentler, cushioned mostly by her – his head landed square on her sternum, where he lay sprawled out for a few seconds while the Trill’s head swam with stars. She heard him mutter something, but was too busy grimacing and groaning at the pain in her head and chest to pay attention.

“Ow,” the non-com grumbled, mostly to herself, as she lifted her silvered head to peer down at the top of his head, face buried in her bust. Well...’least he’s okay, she grunted silently. She was just about to ask him to get off when he scrambled up, one knee slamming into her groin in his panicked struggle to right himself. “Fuck,” Kino hissed, curling up as her eyes twisted shut, shaking her head as she groaned in pain. Right in the fuckin’ moose-knuckle, her hands instinctively went to the injury as she rocked a bit at his feet.

“Fuck sake,” Kino growled up at his apology, brows knit in annoyance. If it was one of her guys, she’d probably slap the piss out of him in retribution, but self control held her in check. Easy...just...chill, she took a few deep breaths, then hauled herself up to her feet. “It’s fine. Let’s just...figure out where the hell we are,” the Trill winced, holding her head and her stomach. Bout had enough of this rust-bucket, she fumed, glancing around. They looked to be on some sort of storage area, or cargo hold, then she heard something.

“Wait,” Kino froze, glancing at Rhys as her head tilted. “You hear that,” she hissed. “Voices? Below,” her head nodded to the deck just ahead of them. How or why someone would end up below the deck, she didn't have a clue...but there was definitely someone down there. Kino arched a brow at Rhys, then nodded. "Careful were you step. Somethin feel's off," she warned him.

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #34 – March 14, 2023, 03:51:21 AM

[ Ens. Via "DixeBee" Wix | Engineering | IKS K'ratak | Qo'noS] ] Attn: @Rae  @Juzzie  @Dumedion @ jreeves1701
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Via had absolutely no idea what Azrin was talking about. There were so many words that sounded like math that her brain automatically sorted them into gibberish and threw it in the trash. She did however didn't want her to feel like she wasn't listening so she just chimed in with something that sounded...important.

"Don't you like...have to find the cause of a parabolic destabilization in the fission singularity?" She said surprisingly like she knew what she was talking about. When Azrin just started going on a tangent Via just gave up and looked at the darkness behind her. This was probably the most interesting party she had ever attended and she was having fun. Then again anything was better than being locked on a medical deck 24 hours 7 days a week with nothing to do. Plus she was hanging out with Azrin again and boy she missed her and her...smartness.

Having tuned out all the background noise for a good minute she tuned back in right when the trill mentioned something about boobies which caused the young pilot to turn around with a confused expression on her face.

"Weird ass ship is trapped with boobies wha- oh booby trap. Shit, I dunno. Maybe ask whoever's ass sold it to you. Nysari? Sari?" Via shrugged then had an epiphany. "Oh OH shit, m-my as seen this shit before in a holovid. The ship is fuckin' haunted! We need to like...give its sprit a dead body or somethin cause its hungry...I think. Oh maybe quiet girl was the ghost all along...shit my ass is confused now." Via placed her hands on her hips and started pondering.

Re: Day 10 [2359 hrs.] Never too early for a Birthday Party!

Reply #35 – March 17, 2023, 12:46:31 PM

[ Lt. Rhys Williams | Engineering | IKS K'ratak | Qo'noS] attn: @Dumedion  @Eirual @jreeves1701  @rae  @ob2lander961

Rhys had the sense that he was not really making a friend on this little adventure. In fact quite the reverse. He felt that if things carried on like they were he would have made an implacable enemy. Or at the very least someone who would avoid interacting with him at all costs for the rest of their time on the USS Thuergy. He was amazed at Kino’s patience she did not strike him as the sort of person who would normally be this patient, but then maybe his rank had something to do with it.

She swore, not that he blamed her. He thought about apologising more but he quickly realised that would not do him any good.  She told him things were fine in a way that clearly indicating things were not fine. He felt this strange and pathetic urge to make himself useful to her before this was over but he didn’t see how that was going to happen.

The doorway had opened up into a cargo or storage area. Rhys could see some boxes most of which had been upended, their lids displaced clearly demonstrating that whatever they had held was long gone. He had been about to turn and speak to her when Kino had frozen and told him to wait, and now that he did he could definitely heard voices to. The voices were not loud enough to hear what was being said or make any determination as to who was saying it. He followed her being hypervigilant of where he was putting his feet. His eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom. He felt a sense of mounting unease, partly because of Kino’s behaviour he trusted her instincts more than his own. He kept quiet not trusting his voice to be empty of fear.