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71
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: Theurgy: What If...? Below Decks Lounge
Last post by RyeTanker -
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 03 | Holosuite 01| USS Theurgy] @AbsintheDeux @Dumedion @Juzzie @Dree

As Kino explained what had been going on in life, she nodded along.  It sounded remarkable like her own experiences so far, except she had been handling the medical side of the inventories by making sure that all the med kits were fully stocked.  As intelligent the people back at Starfleet Medical were though, war field experience had caused the medic to go around re-arranging the kits and adding a few more items.  She gave the armourer a wide grin and a squeeze on the shoulder when it was revealed her sidearm had been tuned.  It was always one of those things that one meant to get to, but there never seemed to be the time for it.  The Andorian did want to make sure that the weapon going to react the way she wanted, and would have to take it to the range at some point.  Another item to add to the endless list of things that always needed to be done.

There was really no denying where this evening was going though as she picked up on the subtle movements in the Shen's antennae.  The subtle swaying of Kino's hips purveyed a subtle trance on the mind, and Reika's gentle and electric touch was more than enough to tip the cosmic scales.  Mentally nodding to herself, Zark looked at drink and considered pounding it back.  A grin turned into a smirk as she took a final sip.  It had been a while since she'd been with multiple partners and maybe it was time to brush up on those skills.  A familiar ache between her legs was starting to build and she unconsciously crossed them as she leaned against the bar for a moment.

The medic was not known for either subtlety or indecisiveness as she moved between the Trill and Shen and linked her arms with theirs.  Giving them a reassuring squeeze that have each of them a chance to sample what they would be playing with later, Zark gracefully whirled her two companions towards the door and guided them towards the exit. Pulling them in so all three hips were connected, the hips swayed in motion, creating a barely audible groan as the magnificent posteriors headed out.  Turning to each person, Zark's smile was positively indecent. "I'm sure we can make both tactical and otherwise work, but I agree that otherwise will be taking precedent tonight.  I'm sure we can work out all the details in your quarters Reika since I'm sure we'll be getting an introduction to tactical as well; and well, we'll definitely need room for all the exercise."  Taking a breath, the lavacious Zhen finished with. "It's been a while, but it's like riding a bicycle, so I should be able to take care of bot of you at the same time."


OOC: And these ladies exit stage right
72
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 1: Triggered Much? [ Day 1 | 1800hrs ]
Last post by Nesota Kynnovan -
[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Maintenance Corridor | Romulan Space Station | Romulan Space]
Attn: @Stegro88, @Number6, @Ellen Fitz, @RyeTanker, @P.C. Haring, @Hans Applegate, @BipSpoon, @Dree

[OOC: I thought I’d have Amanda find the triggers so we can progress the story. If anyone is opposed to that, please let me know and I’ll edit my post accordingly!]

Amanda’s idea of providing covering fire had been the often tried and tested practice of blindly firing her phaser rifle and hoping that no one was stupid enough to wander into her field of fire in the process. When the mech finally stopped firing after a while and Reika called out, stating that she at least temporarily disabled the mech, the blonde-haired Martian carefully peered over the edge of her scorched crate. While the mech was slumped over and idly humming, thus no longer posing a threat, there was a gnawing feeling in the back of Amanda’s mind that, with her luck, it would immediately power back up the very moment she stepped out of cover.

Regardless, as Reika correctly pointed out, they had thalaron triggers to find. Following the Lieutenant’s position, Amanda pushed herself out of cover as well and reattached the phaser rifle to the magnets on the back of her suit before taking out her tricorder. At the same time she could hear how Lorad reported contact in the rear and how he’d neutralised the threat. ”Copy. We’ll resume our search for the triggers.” It was nice to know that the rear was being covered by someone who knew what they were doing and, for a brief moment, her blue eyed gaze came to rest upon the mech. The space station was dangerous and just the sight of the mech prompted Amanda to smile nervously. ”Nice job, Lieutenant. That mech would have torn us to shreds.” While she spoke, the blonde-haired Ensign activated her tricorder and began to scan for the unique signature of the thalaron triggers.

If she had expected the process of scanning to be easy, Amanda was definitely proven wrong the very moment she looked at the scans. Her scans were frustrated by an incredible amount of background clutter; various types of radiation at roughly the same frequency as the feint traces of thalaron that would give away the position of the triggers. It was an old trick though, one Amanda only recalled too well from her time as a wartime volunteer at the Ganymede refugee camp back during the worst of the Dominion War. Back then, the crew of resupply ships developed the practice of masking the  critical medical supplies in their cargo holds by drowning it out in background radiation so it wouldn’t show up in scans. While it wasn’t exactly the same, the high amount of background clutter in her scan held enough similarities to remind of her the practices back in those days.

It was at that moment, just when Amanda tried to filter out the background radiation, when her attention was briefly drawn by a sound. She listened closely and, astonished, double-checked to be absolutely sure, only to realize that some asshole apparently felt confident enough in their current predicament to start singing. She couldn’t be absolutely sure what was happening because it happened around the corner and, given that she wasn’t able to see anyway, Amanda shrugged and resumed her scans; identifying and eliminating the background clutter one piece at a time, like peeling an onion, and narrowing the search one piece at a time. ”Judging by the sheer amount of background clutter in here, the triggers must be in this room. I can’t pinpoint their exact location, but they must be… give me a moment to burn through the background noise.”

The process of eliminating each particular piece of background radiation was a tedious one that took more than ‘just a moment’, but Amanda eventually got lucky. After several minutes she eliminated a particular piece of background clutter originating from a large crate on the opposite side of the room and, when it disappeared from her scans, the feint traces of thalaron radiation finally appeared on the display of her tricorder. ”I’ve got them!” As she spoke, there was a hint of excitement in Amanda’s voice and she quickly followed the source of the radiation to a small shielded crate which was stacked neatly next to some other crates. The closer she got to the shielded crate, the stronger the particular signature of the thalaron triggers became. ”Alright, I have logged the signatures of the triggers!” She turned around and looked at the person closest to her. ”Now what do we do?”
73
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 1: Triggered Much? [ Day 1 | 1800hrs ]
Last post by Number6 -
[Lt. Vanya| Maintenance Corridor | Romulan Space Station | Romulan Space ]
@Stegro88 @Dree   @Nesota Kynnovan  @Ellen Fitz @Rye tanker  @P.C. Haring  @Hans Applegate

“And those who deny my brothers cry
Who won’t let my daughters sing
Have seen their last sky
For they shall be crushed by the Raptor’s Wing”

The song claimed to be an ancient Romulan hymn but Vanya knew it to be between 100 and 200 years old, a ditty that was intented to encourage patriotism in the lower classes while their Senator’s personal guards were absorbed into the central command to fight in the wars against Earth.   

Vanya turned to face the singer.    She had never quite seen a Romulan like him before.   His face was heavily tattooed she didn’t recognise the origins of the designs    It wasn’t just the tattoos, the parts of his face that weren’t under ink had been ravaged by time, or were under thick, dark green scars.    No doubt the irritation on the scars was being intensified by the same gas that was affecting her

“I’ve waited so long for this…”    he said staring her down.  He held the equivalent of the Romulan phaser rifle.    “I’ve even had you in my sighs before..    But I wasn’t allowed to do what must be done.   But now I have you.” 

She held up her hands.  “Vanya, Lieuentant, Starfleet serial number 987343-C .”  

The man barked with laughter.   “Cute really really cute.   You have no idea who I am do you?  Not only do I deny you your rights as an enemy combatant, I deny your rights as a sentient being.   You are an abomination that must be destroyed.   I am a sentimental old man, I should have done the deed as soon as I saw you, but I wanted you to begin to understand…”

She was about to make a play for freedom when her would be attacker’s head  vanished in a sea of green plasma. 

The attacker behind her assailant was a female in a Romulan uniform.   She dropped her phaser and raised her hands. 

“I don’t know whats going on here.” She confessed.   “But this isn’t right.   Its not even Tal’Shiar right.”
74
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: USS Theurgy: What If: Climbing Mt. Olympus [Holodeck]
Last post by JacenSoloDjo -
USS Theurgy | 1400 hrs | Holodeck 1 Attn: @Krajin‍ 

Kath felt her heart speed up a little with excitement as the archway appeared and the door to the holodeck opened behind her. She turned around to face the alien male that walked in. Her brows rose and she could not help but smirk a little bit.

"Si. I'm familiar with who you are; good to put the face to the name," she said amicably. Once getting on the ship and settling in properly, she had, as part of her position, gotten a look at the crew manifest. Running in the tactical department meant she needed to know who was part of the tactical CONN in addition to a myriad of other positions. "I'm one of the ones coordinating you fighter jockeys."

"Lieutenant Katherine MacFarlane, but most call me Mac or Kath," she stated in a professional tone, making it clear how she took even her recreation and interpersonal relationships seriously, while holding out a hand not yet completely caked in climbing chalk. "'Course, some people also call me Valkyrie but that's usually when I'm in the field," she added with a chuckle.

"We can start as soon as you feel like it. I'm sure mountain climbing seems a little bit of a niche interest so I'm not expecting many people," she admitted, turning her gaze to the mountain. It had no real life counterpart and she felt that would increase the draw out of curiosity. Her message had only stated how difficult the climb was programmed to be at its max depending on climb route. She had done her best to make it so that any number of skill levels were apt for the climb. It was predominantly a level 3, but people could treat it as a 2 or a 1 depending on which direction they climbed. Thus, various spots on the base of the mountain held numbers and a line seemingly spray painted on that gave an idea of how difficult the climb would be if someone took that route. You would never find such a thing on a real life mountain but Kath had done the best she could to make things as accessible as possible for all mountain climbing skill levels.

"How much experience do you have climbing?" Kath asked after musing on all of her painstaking work in crafting a mountain that was equal opportunity as much as an activity could allow. She noted the attire looked appropriate enough but that did not always indicate skill. 
75
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 16 [2200hrs] A shore for shore leave
Last post by Brutus -
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Turbolift | Various Decks | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Nolan 
[Show/Hide]


In truth the body felt far more natural to Sarresh than he felt it should. There were reasons for that, some he knew, some he didn't. His gait was far more natural looking now than it had been at first, when he mimicked the more looping motion of the Ash'reem. Now, his stride toward the water seemed confident and automatic, without thought. Months prior, when he first woke up in the 'dry monkey suit' he'd been reborn with, that would not have been the case. Though again, there had been moments in those first few days, when the Harbinger mutiny was in full swing, where his body responded perfectly.

None of which was on his mind at that point. Sarresh was far more focused on the surf, the surprisingly warm lapping of the water running up over the top of his feet as he began to descend into the waves. He waded out to his knees before he heard Kythalie entering behind him, her own stride causing splashes in his wake. That brought a smile to his face as he pressed on, the water rising higher. He had expected it to be colder for some reason ,but then, it was a sunny day, and why shouldn't the waters be pleasantly warm?

Another splash behind him had the dark haired man turning his head, realizing that the Betaziod had gone under the surface.

"Capital idea," he muttered to himself and followed suit, plunging into the water fully. With a grace reminiscent of his previous form, he sliced through the depths, reaching the sandy bottom with ease and trailing his fingers along the slit. He wove through some seagrass there under the surface and came back up soon after, sucking in a deep lungful of air. He gave his head a shake and then swept his hair back from his face, turning in place as he tread in the water.

Her voice was light and sweet, full of what Sarresh took to be happiness as she asked her question, and he answered with a small smile of his own. Not a tight smile, nor the forced almost grimace that he used day to day. Small yes, but genuine. "Yes it is. Refreshing but not cold. Feels like coming home."

As Sarresh spoke, he drifted closer, less than an arm's length from the security officer. For a moment he contemplated reaching out, but held back, wondering where the impulse had come from. Perhaps he was more worn out than he’d realized, or perhaps he was just relaxed. Either way, he didn’t feel like keeping his friend - the word seemed fitting - at arms length the way he did with so many others.
76
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: USS Theurgy: What If: Climbing Mt. Olympus [Holodeck]
Last post by Krajin -
USS Theurgy | 1400hrs | Holodeck 1 | Attn: @JacenSoloDjo


A shipwide invitation to attend some rock climbing had gone out and Atlas with some free time on hand decided to attend this. It'd been a fair while since he had done some Rock Climbing on an actual mountain, rather he had used the climbing boards on the Holodecks. Primarily because other crew he had been with at the time were not keen on climbing an actual mountain and endure the vertigo and other bits that came with being so high up. Or the terror of falling. He passed through the archway and into the holodeck proper, taking a look around at the mountain they were at. He took a deep breath through his nose as he picked up on some of the scents from such a wild environment.

To show off his impressive, though furry physique and allow for easier climbing, Dominic had chosen for a form-fitting black sleeveless shirt with a White Wolf head emblazoned on the front, as well as black cargo pants and something akin to shoes for him to wear on this endeavor. He wore climbing gloves to assist in the activity and protect his hands from the terrain, though the right glove lacked fingertips and as such left his fingers roughly half bare. "I heard of an invite to join another crewmate on a daredevils climb! I'm all for it." Dominic greets her with a twitch of his ears. "I'm Dominic Winters, or Atlas. Your preference on which you want to use. Do we want to wait around for others or shall we start the climb?"
77
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Ch 3 : The Meeting of Heroes (or Villains) [ Day 1 | 1500+]
Last post by Eirual -
[ Kelistina Kavot Droga | Corridor outside Bridge Crew Mess Hall | Deck 01 | Vector 01| “Helmet” ]
@Ellen Fitz @Brutus @Stegro88 @Dumedion @P.C. Haring @JacenSoloDjo @Juzzie @GroundPetrel @Nesota Kynnovan

Kelistina had found no signs of life on either of the two unfortunate souls before her. Her mind was racing in several directions at once. Why were these ones killed, who or even what did this, was the killer still nearby… all of those and several other questions vied in her brain to be answered. She heard the other female calling on the device, but her translator seemed to be having trouble and what she heard was “beware of not welcome”.  Kelistina could agree with that statement as whoever did this was certainly ‘not welcome’.

She did as she was asked and tried to bring the travel box back, but it would not answer her call. She looked over at Ja-ya, “No come back. Must find pole steps.” She got down low and pulled off one of the strips of her dress that had several metal items clinging to it. Then she inched closer to Jaya and spoke quietly, “Maybe more hurt.” She sniffed into the air, trying to recall her days of youth when she hunted as a child before she was sent to learn to fix. Wrapping the strip of clothe around her neck as a small layer of protection, hoping the metal pieces would be enough protection, she stepped further down the hall. Her hair fell into her face as she leaned to look around a corner. She continued moving forward quietly and quickly, searching the area with her eyes, her ears, and her nose.

As she turned a corner something caught her attention. A sound? Almost too quiet to be heard. She stopped and listened trying to hear it once more. Perhaps Ja-ya had left the bloodied male and was following, but Kelisitina thought the sound came front in front of her and not behind.

pole steps = Ladder

79
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: USS Theurgy: What If...? A Winter Wonderland
Last post by Dumedion -
[Ens. Talia "Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Near Campsite Gamma | Theta Sigma VI] Attn: @RyeTanker @tongieboi @AbsintheDeux
[Show/Hide]
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. Surrounded by the silence of nature, Talia slowly trekked; having paused only once so far to pull a beanie from her pack. The cold had proven too much for the pilot's ears, which even covered still stung a bit (along with her nose and cheeks), but the laborious hike kept the rest warm enough. Talia had never realized – or even considered – how just walking through snow could be such a workout. Snow, she discovered quite quickly, was rather treacherous; at a glance, it appeared quite level, yet Shadow learned that appearance was deceiving. Only a few steps into the hike, she sunk thigh deep into the pure white powder. Of course, in the attempt to recover the balance lost, Talia’s other foot ended up just as stuck, which forced her to crawl her way out with a laugh.

“Next time,” Talia huffed and pulled on the second strap to her pack, “bring a sled or something,” she chuckled at herself. Never one to back down from a challenge, Shadow post-holed her way along for a good while, trudging through the rest of the way, arms swinging about for momentum. By the time she reached the edge of the camp-site, a thin haze of vapor drifted from her head – evaporating sweat, mixed with puffs of breath – some of which had frozen to her eyelashes, which the Wolf tried to blink away with watering eyes. Should’ve brought some shades, she kicked herself in hindsight; the glare off the snow was surprisingly bright. “Probably should’ve…thought this through…a bit more, too,” Talia half-laughed/half-grunted with exertion.

Thankfully, someone had cleared out a perimeter around the site, which the pilot promptly slid down on her ass with another laugh. She sat there with her back to the berm for a little while to catch her breath.

Snowflakes drifted in the air.

Talia looked up and caught one on her tongue, as the first wisps of clouds covered the sun; the mountain peaks on either side of the valley had been obscured, all in the short while of her hike. She stood up, and looked back in the direction of her landing; sure enough, a slow roll of clouds had followed her. The scene triggered an oddly clear moment from childhood; Shadow remembered the giant wind-storms of the desert – a massive wall of dust that promised to block out the sun – sometimes for days. The weather that approached wasn’t quite that dramatic, however. She saw no wind or apocalyptic front, only a quiet blanket of snowfall. It was beautiful, in its own way. Talia smirked, then smiled fully, glad that she’d taken the time to experience it.

But the longer Shadow stood there, the more her nose and cheeks stung; the sweat she’d worked up wasn’t helping. “Okay, time to warm up,” the pilot shook herself with an audible brrr, then turned back to camp and made a bee-line for it, nose wrinkled and wiggling, trying to gain some feeling back. When that didn’t work, both gloved hands rose and cupped over her lower face for a few steps, only to come back wet with snot. “Ew, gross,” Talia froze, unsure what to do, then tried to fling most of it off; no feeling apparently gave her nose free reign to leak all over the place. A wet sniff immediately followed, along with several hurried, self-conscious swipes; the Wolf hadn’t even realized she’d been mouth-breathing the entire time. The cold had triggered some reflexive reaction, apparently, which completely negated any hope of air entering or exiting through her nostrils. “Ugh, f-fuck it,” she shivered and took off at a brisk pace.

Fuck it’s cold, it’s cold, it’s cold, it’s cold.

Thus preoccupied, eyes and head lowered against the bite of air she was rushing through, Talia stomped her way up onto the small wooden deck of the closest pre-fab unit, dusted with a thin layer of snow; at least, that’s what her eyes told her it was. Unfortunately, her eyes were wrong. Traction disappeared in an instant, and Talia’s brain misfired in panic as muscle memory failed her at exactly the same time she collided with a body that literally popped out of nowhere. Talia reached out in reflexive instinct to attempt to right herself and the other person, but failed miserably; feet slid out from under her, arms pin wheeled – they hit – the world tumbled – she felt her pack slide off her back. Ass, back, then head, in that order, hit cold, snow covered ground, but momentum rolled them over at least once until she lay pressed into the snow by the weight of whoever she ran into.

“Ow,” Talia winced, then blinked up at a familiar blue face haloed by platinum locks, and stifled a chuckle at the tickling touch of antennae. “Hey Zar – koof,” she grunted into the Andorian’s chest, having been promptly pulled up into a gleeful hug, ear ringing from the medico’s squeal of delight. The pilot returned the embrace, mimicking the excited rocking motion of Zark’s body with an honest laugh. The Andorian’s exuberance was infectious; a testament to her character. Talia genuinely enjoyed her company, even if it mostly involved Zark beating the shit out of her, but those sparring matches always ended with a smile. It was impossible to not love Kali – as Talia liked to call her – the Andorian was just one of those people that everyone liked, and seemed to like everyone just as much.

Once air became needed, however, Talia tapped and gasped, then quickly wiped her face free of snow and anything else with another laugh, then just as quickly fell into an apology. “Are y-you okay? S-sorry, I s-slipped and d-didn’t see you,” she asked through a shivered grin, then noticed another Andorian over Zark’s shoulder step into view that the pilot didn’t recognize. Definitely not Duchess, Talia blinked, but smiled and offered them a quick wave anyway. Once she was sure Zark was okay, the pilot chuckled again and started trying to shrimp her way out from under the Andorian. “Not s-sure how you…always end up on top,” she grunted under her breath, then gave up due to complete lack of traction with a laugh. “M-mind letting me up? I can’t f-feel my b-butt.”

Once on her feet, Talia shook herself visibly and shouldered her pack by a single strap, then adjusted the beanie on her head with an amused thanks. No lump meant no worries – not that she was worried about a little bump to the head anyway. She was more concerned and amused by the facial expression on the mystery Andorian; she’d never met one that looked quite so…serious.

Heh, l-looks like she could use a b-break, Talia thought, the scowl on the other Andorian’sface met with a smirk. Few people frowned at her like that; mostly after she’d done something stupid – namely Janus and Ghost – everyone else had been easy to ignore, though.

“S-sorry again,” Shadow apologized again quietly and smiled at Kali, but tilted her head at the other Andorian, while her hands attempted to brush most of the snow from her ass. “W-who’s your f-friend?”
80
Director's Cut / Re: [2374] USS Hamburg: Meditate on the Way of the Targ
Last post by Dumedion -
[PO3 Kino Taer | J’rovia Reclusiam | Ruins of the Main Librarius | 2374] Attn: @JacenSoloDjo

The fuck? Kino’s brows creased in anger as she caught the spare power pack, stowed it, then pivoted to face MacFarlane fully, mouth already opening to give the idiot a piece of her mind, who was looking at her with a brow raised as if she was just asking for it.

Taer didn’t need the invitation; her entire team was just wiped out. She'd seen enough death and misery in the last 12 hours alone to last a lifetime. Now everything was on her? Kino was the reason MacFarlane and her people were there, getting tore up?! No, Taer wouldn't cosign that mess.

Nah, fuck you, and fuck your mission.

“You listen – I didn’t ask for this shit,” Kino spat back. “I didn’t ask to get stuck here, an’ I sure as hell didn’t ask for you and your squad of fuckin’ cheerleader try-hards to come down here – so you can take that bullshit and shove it up your ass, sir. Look around! Your mission is fucked – everyone you came to save is fucking dead.”

“That’s enough –,” the Klingon tried to interrupt, but Kino ignored her and kept talking, cold fury laced in every word.

“I’m trying to get us all off this fucking rock! Who here knows how to count? Six,” she held up her fingers for emphasis, “minus two wounded, equals four. Two to cover each. If we run for the LZ, they’ll follow us, and fucking kill us – unless someone stays back to kill them.”

“That is enough,” NuQach bellowed, “you were given an order, Petty Officer,” she took a step at Kino.

“Yeah a fuckin’ stupid one, thanks,” Taer sneered and got to her feet, wobbled briefly, then looked at all of them in challenge. “What, you clowns forget how to think for yourselves? Trade them specks of gold on your collars in for brains? Look at her,” the Trill threw a hand out to MacFarlane. “She can barely fuckin –“

Kino never saw the blow coming, but she sure as hell felt it. The world rung, and the left side of her face erupted in pain. She found herself driven to a knee, unable to do much but grunt in agony for several long seconds. “Y’motherfu-,” Taer groaned.

“You are a disgrace to that uniform,” the Klingon’s voice growled down at her.

Taer spat a wad of blood to clear her mouth; a molar came out with it. “Yeah, heard tha' b'fore. Never wanted the fuckin' thing anyway,” she laughed without any trace of humor, then got to her feet with a bloody smirk. “Nice shot. Try it again when I can see it comin', fuckin’ coward.”

NuQach glared at her, murderous.

MacFarlane spoke up then, and Kino just snorted.

Saved by the bell.

“Fine. Be seein’ you,” the Trill nodded to the Klingon, then stalked around her to set off to the LZ without a backwards glance. If they made it out, she’d settle up with Newcrotch then. If not, then it wouldn’t fucking matter – just like everyone else that was left to rot there.

Taer shouldered her rifle and walked away into the dust, far enough to stay in visual range, then crouched and wait while they got their shit together. Her jaw clicked every time she moved it; but at least it wasn’t broken. Gonna feel that tomorrow, Taer fumed, then blew some dust out of her sights. Fuck this planet. Fuck all of it, she ripped the combadge off her torn and dirt caked uniform.

Enough was enough. She’d rather rot in a cell on Trill than listen to another fucking idiot bark orders at her – indoctrinated fucking sheep – hell bent on killing themselves and everyone beneath them for a flag, an ideal; a system they were too blind to see was just as corrupt as the one they fought against.

Fuck it.

Taer moved out. She’d get them to the LZ. She’d fight to get them there, and get them off this shithole. But after? Well…

I’m done taking orders.

She tossed the badge away.

[Later…|Reclusiam Perimeter Wall]

Taer scrambled up the blown-out ramp of rubble that was once the outer perimeter wall of the complex. Beyond, the harsh red light of the red giant painted the desert in a heat simmered glare of desolation; pink rock, rose sand. The hill, it’s pinnacle carved flat, laid in view; almost a kilometer out, probably half that tall. Kino waited for the others to catch up, eyes scoured for movement.

She was drenched in sweat already. The run to the LZ was going to cost them; some more than others.

Her head turned to glance at the sound of shuffled footsteps. The Vulcan, supporting the injured Bajoran. The others came up behind shortly after.

Taer lifted her chin to the hill.

“There’s our exit,” she deadpanned flatly, refusing eye contact with any of them while they made ready for the run.
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