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Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #50 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Cayuga ] @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @Veridian @alphawiz , Anyone else 
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Anya Ziegler remained motionless, watching as the reinforcements from Theurgy took shot after shot into the Asurian intruder. It was only after the vicious hulk was downed, that she allowed herself to take a long breath. Thank goodness for Starfleet Security.

The leader of the security detail called for reinforcements and Anya used the break to reflect on the situation. More had been injured, more had been hurt on her watch. With little to bring her back to the moment at hand, she wondered if the bridge carpet would ever stop being red from the stains of bloodshed. It was only after she was spoken to that it snapped back from her sombre reflections. When the balding officer suggest the Asurians were using the security centre as a centre of operations, Ziegler nodded.

“I agree. Our first priority is to re-take the security centre and then the ship.” As medical personnel began to beam in, Ziegler took a cursory glance around the command centre for the Cayuga. “Lieutenant, you’re with me. The rest? You need to get the bridge operational again.”

With little else to say, Ziegler strode for the turbolift; the doors parting automatically with a waiting car. Push through the pain, she told herself, just keep moving. When she entered and turned back to the doors, she caught once more the sight of the muscular body laying on the deck. On insight, she felt herself tighten her grip on her phaser. With a look to the security officer with her, she quietly ordered. “Wait here.”

 Marching back out onto the bridge, Anya stepped right up the lumbering frame of the Asurian and raised her phaser. With her thumb held against the metallic trigger button, she checked the settings. It was still on a high level, powerful enough to vaporise any biomatter that when foul to the beam. Just one quick blast. That is all it would take. That would stop the chance of the Asurian coming back to life and laying siege to the bridge once again. The Asurians didn’t deserve their mercy. Not after the slaughter that they had committed. She could halt the rampage and destroy the remains. She could get revenge for Anders.

Anders. She daren’t think about her friend and executive officer right now. He had been there for her so many times, kept her honest and true, and now his body laid crumpled on the floor not mere metres away. Would disintegrating a lifeless body bring back West? Would it give him peace? Would it be a fitting memory of the man? With a bitter taste in her mouth, she pulled the phaser away. Ziegler just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t right. Instead she turned to a nearby crewman “Get this thing off my bridge.”

Backtracking one more, Anya returned to the turbolift, grabbing a medkit as she did. When the door finally closed, she ordered them to the security centre and the car skimmed away, gently humming as it propelled them to their destination. Passing her phaser to the junior lieutenant, Ziegler opened the medkit and retrieved an autosuture, placing the device to her wound and turning it on. She needed to stop the flow and close the wound before she bled out. Perhaps that was why she felt a little out of control. The lack of blood, rather than the murder of her best friend. When she was done, she dropped the tool of the ground and snatched back her phaser. Good enough, she concluded, a doctor could look at it again later.

The ride continued in silence for a few moments before Ziegler had a thought and tapped her combadge. “Ziegler to all senior staff, report in. Bridge has been secured and we are en route to the security centre.”

When the turbolift arrived and the doors parted, Ziegler stepped out, checking both ways down the corridor. There was no one in sight. Carefully, the pair moved towards the security complex. The doors to the centre kept opening and closing with a hiss and it was only as they got close did Anya realise it was because there was an arm on the floor, blocking the doors from closing completely. Once they were beside the doorway, Ziegler knelt, opening the medkit once more. This time, she took out a medical tricorder and used it to scan the local area.

“No Asurian lifesigns.” She whispered to the compatriot. Though she couldn’t read everywhere, it seemed the centre was empty. With a breath, Ziegler stood once more, leaving the open medkit on the floor and counted to three before turning into the security complex.

It was deserted, the only person she could see was laid at their feet, their arm through the doorway. The blind, lifeless gaze of unblinking eyes immediately told Ziegler that there was nothing she could do. Instead, she stepped over the body and took a few more steps into the room. Watching from side to side, she muttered. “Where is everyone?”

Eventually, the pair found themselves working through the centre to the holding facility. As the doors parted to the brig, a bright blue light illuminated the otherwise dark room. Only one cell remained active. Ziegler’s stomach twisted as she tried to understand. Why not open all the cells? Who would they leave behind? Was this a trap?

Slowly, the captain crept closer to the last active holding cell, her mind racing, a bead of sweat slowly rolling down her forehead and her phaser held ready to fire. It was only as their approached, did she finally see the unmistakable look of a Starfleet uniform. Propped up against the wall, severely injured but alive, was the Chief Security Officer of the Cayuga.

“Bannin!” Anya called, running to the side of the cell. If she was quick, she could save her. Without any thought to check for traps, Ziegler depressed the controls to lower the forcefield.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #51 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Main Engineering | Deck 17 | USS Cayuga ] Atten: @Auctor Lucan, @alphawiz, ]@Brutus

“Well Petty Officer Hallquist’s idea iz az good as any Ah suppose but Ah still think thet we should…” O’Connell’s thought was cut off mid-sentence as he heard the familiar hum of the transporter.  Pivoting like a holodeck gunfighter, he pulled out his mark one model sixteen hand phaser and pointed it at the assembled figures that appeared in a shower of sparks.  “Well Ah’ll be,” he smiled in relief as he relaxed and concealed his tiny phaser back into his pocket  as six glowing forms appeared to reveal Doctor George Hernandez, Nurse Jones, and four paramedics from the Theurgy. 

“Doctor Hernandez.  Ain’t yew uh sight fur sore eyes?” Billy Bob grinned.  “Ah’m afraid we got a mess o’ casualties an’ th’ Cayuga ain’t got a sickbay raht now; it’s was destroyed, Ah say, destroyed, it’s uh completely gone, that is.  Ez yew kin see we got plenty uh casualties raight here; yew kin thank our two prisoners fer that,” he added as he pointed to the two comatose Asurians.  “Ah reckon those two need medical attention too, but since none of us here got uh degree in Asurian medicine we kinda put treatin’ them on the back burner, on the tuh dew pile that is…”

The two Asurians were in sad shape.  Ora-Sedra was critically wounded if not dead, and Jisa could have cracked the back of her skull when O’Connell’s phaser shot had thrust her into the bulkhead.  Billy Bob didn’t know if those two were prisoners or medical cadavers. 

“All right, just like we trained,” Doctor Hernandez said to his staff.  “Diagnose, stabilize, and beam them to our sickbay aboard the Stallion.  The worst injured will be placed in stasis.  The emergency medical hologram will prep them for surgery.”

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #52 –
[ PO1 B'Nila Skai | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Juzzie @Nolan @FollowTomorrow
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There was a moment when a look of confusion and fear crossed over B'Nila's face, a look that showed how lost and afraid she truly was. A look that showed how damaged she had become during the long months of their voyage on the Resolve and her painful relationship with the now deceased Michal Silika had been on her and how the death of Michal had fractured the carefully created and maintained world B'Nila had. There was a moment when it was all laid bare on her face.

And then it was gone, B'Nila's mask of professionalism slipped back on, hiding the trauma and the pain, hiding the fear and confusion. It hid the broken woman and in its stead was only the strong career minded woman B'Nila made it a point to make everyone believe she was.

"No, it's alright," she said with a plastic smile to Ejek. "I can be of more help if I am here." Even though she was not overly certain what ship she was on she knew that she was of more use where the action was. "And I think the situation here calls for all the help it can get." She looked beyond Ejek at the mess on the floor, the bloody, fleshy, tangled mess of horror, and she could feel the panic creep up her spine, her mind railing against her as she struggled to maintain any semblance of a calm and collected exterior. She had to maintain, she had to fake it, at least for now.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #53 –
[Lt Rhys Williams| Corridors | USS Cayuga] attn: @Follow Tomorrow @Auctor Lucan @Absinthe  @Nolan

Rhys slumped against the bulkhead, the world around him retreating once again to a distant haze, his vision distorted. Everything seemed to him to be so distant. The Asurian was downed and his Cardassian counterpart seemed t have it under control. The adrenaline stopped running thorugh his veins leaving him feeling nauseous again. Every check his damaged body had written was now demanding cash with interest.  He lent his head back, his eyes closed tightly against the pain in his head.

Then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened slowly. They were glazed and not really focused on Kythalie. He seemed to be looking straight through her. He was just about able to discern her words, she was expressing concern for him and calling him Sir. Under normal circumstances Rhys would have normally recoiled at being addressed as Sir. He was utterly uncomfortable in his position as an officer, he hated being in charge with a passion. However, as his injuries had caught up with him he was unable to really react. He swallowed hard, "Um... where am I?" He heard his own voice but it felt far off as if some one else were speaking. "I feel a little confused." Those words forming one of the greatest understatements that had ever been uttered by anyone.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #54 –
[ Lieutenant Winter Bannin | Security Center | Brig | USS Cayuga ]
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At the sound of her Captain's voice, Winter's eyes fluttered halfway open, but she couldn't focus on the movements in front of her. Her vision was blurred, and she could but make out shadows and lights at that point. She heard, distantly, how the forcefield was lowered, and noises of someone approaching, and soon enough, she could make out a face in front of her.

"Anya.." she mustered, through numb lips, when she saw that her Commanding Officer had come. Immediately, the first thought that came to her was to do her duty. "Shuttle... bay. Hurry..."

There was naught more she could do, and in the knowledge that she had relayed the critical knowledge she held, it was as if her body finally surrendered. There was no use holding on any more. Yet she was still bitter, at herself. At her failure. "I am sorry, Captain..." she breathed, eyes distant, "I'm sorry..."

Then, she said no more, eyes staring vacantly at nothing at all.

[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Corridor > Engineering | USS Cayuga ] @Veridian @Doc M. @alphawiz
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Standing impassively behind the end of the corridor while the Cayuga's Chief Science Officer checked if there were any hostiles waiting for them, Cir'Cie shoulders were relaxed, her chin raised, and her phaser half-raised at her side. When the Android gave word that they could proceed, Cir'Cie seamlessly joined steps with her and proceeded towards Engineering. Cir'Cie showed no signs towards trepidation or fear, walking the dimly lit corridors of the Iroquois-class ship as if there mightn't be murderous savages with blades, horns and grossly powerful weaponry behind any intersection.

“Are you alright?” Vanya asked in what appeared to be some kind of cursory comfort, and Cir'Cie raised an eyebrow before answering, not looking towards the artificial humanoid beside her.

"Your concern, however token, is without cause. I remain quite dependable," she said, and then glanced towards the bared metal skeleton arm that the Android was flaunting. It was still beaded with fake blood, yet she made no comment in kind, for they had reached Engineering. When they entered the large area, it was immediately apparent that the Asurians had been there. Moreover, it appeared like Theurgy crewmembers had been beamed over to assist with medical relief and to deal with the threat. To this, Cir'Cie was grateful. She was a Botanist, not weapon-toting savage.

Not far away from the door from whence they had arrived, Cir'Cie espied Chief O'Connell from the Theurgy, and she inclined her head towards him. She knew her repute with the man wasn't good, given the sabotage she had preformed on the Theurgy when under T'Rena's influence, but she would be naught but polite towards him nonetheless. Next to O'Connell was a blonde woman from the Cayuga, as well as the Chief Engineer of the ship.

It appeared they were planning something, talking over the comm-system, so Cir'Cie decided to remain silent and wait for orders. She could but hope her worth in killing Asurians would remain minuscule in comparison to the Bolian woman and the other security officers.

[ Lt. JG Adam Kingston | Engineering | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Arista @Brutus  
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Standing behind the Cayuga's Captain, Adam Kingston heard the last words of the ship's Chief of Securtiy. He couldn't help but be impressed with the redhead, who had clung to life in spite of such significant bloodloss and injury, just to do her duty and tell her Captain what the Asurians were up to. Hearing those quiet words, Adam felt compelled to step up to the task. Not just because he was the highest ranking Security Officer on the Theurgy, about to be the Stallion's CSec once he was officially cleared for duty. For the Cayuga's didn't have any Chief present, and it fell to him to take care of this threat as best as he might.

"Captain Ziegler," he said, his flavoured voice respectful and quiet in that moment of grief. "If you would permit, I am taking charge of this security matter. If needed, should any of your officers ask, you need just confirm my authority. There is no time."

Waiting for a moment for a sign of confirmation, Adam marched up to the main security console and tapped the interface with his fingers, rifle raised towards the deckhead while he opened a comm-link to all security forces, both from the Theurgy as well as the Cayuga.

"This is Lieutenant Kingston, Acting Chief of Security for both ships," he said tersely, biting his teeth together. His voice could be heard from combadges in Engineering, in the corridors as well as the bridge of the Theurgy, since he had opted to ask Captain Stark for aid as well. "There are still Asurians on the loose, and they are making a run for it. All available security personnel, converge on the Cayuga's shuttle bay immediately and stop them from launching. There is no telling how much damage they can inflict with the phaser arrays on the shuttle they pick. Theurgy, if you are getting this, we need site-to-site transports to cover the distance, but we will not be waiting for you. Move out! I repeat, move it!"

Said and done, Kington nodded for two security officers to remain with Captain Ziegler, then he began to sprint down the corridor - the rest of his security detail at his heels.

There was no telling who might reach the shuttle bay first, but if Stark was fast enough, those who were picked for transports was the best bet.

OOC: Still missing a reply from Alphawiz here, but I can't wait any further since we need to open up for Vector 02's arrival. Post as soon as you can, and those with security officers (NPCs or PCs), have them open fire at the Type-9 shuttle that the Asurian and Nina Nilsson will be aboard! Free-form posting for all others, and they might just join in too!

Again, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio releases her captured Asurians above. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] , and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #55 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark, Captain | Bridge | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Arista @Doc M. @Nolan 
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Reports poured in from all over the ship. Helm had maneuvered the Stallion in closer to better facilitate the transports. Yvette at Ops was handling the coordination of said transports, working in time with the various Ops crew manning the transporter rooms. Security teams were reporting in as they beamed over.

And then, silence. Nothing for what seemed like the longest time ever. Just the beep and whistle of the consoles around them, the slight hiss of reprocessed air, flowing back onto the bridge. Please be there in time, she thought to herself.  I need to do better, be there. The itch, the desire to beam over there and take the matter in hand had Natalie gripping the arm rests of her chair. Her chair. Her bridge. Her ship. I belong here.

Natalie was about to cave into the desire to call for a status report when the dual beep of an incoming transmission toned.. She gestured with a hand and the channel was opened, and out poured the voice of Adam Kingston - she'd read a report, earlier that morning that he'd been defrosted and patched up, in stasis for so long - confirming that the bridge was secure.

"Excellent work, Lieutenant." What he'd done during Niga was pushed to the back of Natalie's mind. None of them had been in control of themselves, and she would not hold it against the man who had just willingly strode into enemy fire less than a day after coming out of deep stasis. Relief washed over her. Kingston was a competent officer, and she knew if Captain Zeigler had been injured he would have reported it.

"Proceed at your discretion. Medical is on the way." She pressed a button on the console that sat between the Captain and (empty) XO's chair and muted the external comms, only to open an internal channel. "Transporter room 6, prepare to beam first medical relief team directly the the Cayuga's bridge. Stand by, all teams, for immediate transport upon notification from security teams. Bridge out."

Within moments of her words, a medical team would arrive on the battered bridge of the Cayuga in time to see Lt. Kingston escorting Captain Ziegler off the bridge, on their next step of the hunt. Aboard the Theurgy medical crews queued up. In short order, Natalie heard the request coming in from their sister ships engine room. The security team there made a call and Natalie could make out the iconic drawl of their own Billy Bob in the background.

One less person to worry about, she thought as the trill Kiiz could be heard responding with the transport request. "Pull up a schematic of the Cayuga," Natalie ordered, leaning forward in her chair.

"Highlight areas where we've reclaimed. If we can narrow down Asurian life signs, display them there as well." She needed more information, and watched in silence over the next few minutes as the infographic was updated as more reports came in, and sensor readings flickered in and out.

Her musings were interrupted when Kingston called back to the ship once again with his report. Nat sat bolt upright in her chair, eyes wide. "Viewscreen forward. Helm, bring ups into position to cover the Cayuga's main shuttle bay. Tactical, arm phasers, but keep shields down." They would need those out of the way to continue the transporter support, which would leave them vulnerable should the shuttle make an escape run and attempt to damage them in the process.

"Bridge to Transporter room 6. Ens. Kiiz get on those transports now!"  She ordered sharply. She did not want to have to fire on any shuttle leaving the Cayuga. Both ships had precious few remaining as it was. Nor did she relish the idea of killing the enemy, but they were not giving her a whole lot of options there.

Over the comms she could hear a reply coming in from the transporter bay. "Kiiz to bridge. Transports cycling through now. Cpt. Ziegler and Lt Kingston have arrived at staging area. Next team beaming over."

"Acknowledged. Coordinate with Lt. Conway and Lt. Kingston on the Cayuga."

"Stark to Ziegler," Natalie finally opened a channel to Anya. "We're holding position aft of Cayuga. We'll make sure they don't escape. Good hunting, Anya."

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #56 –
[ PO 2nd class Kythalie Benmual | Corridors -> Shuttle bay | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow  @Juzzie   @Auctor Lucan @Absinthe 

She kept her looks on Rhys as she wasn't sure what she had to do about his injuries. As he spoke about being confused she gave a soft squeeze in his shoulder "You're on board the Cayuga. I... I don't know why." she admitted as she looked over at Ejek and the pale ghostly woman. "Do I need to ask if we can beam you over to Sickbay?" she looked worried at the counselor of her ship. She wasn't quite sure why they were here, what there goal was and her eyes drifted over the mess she had created with the dead Asurian as the blood was expanding further and further from the sliced up body.

She was about to ask the XO from the Theurgy if they could help Rhys when her combadge came to life and the voice of an unknown man came through it. He identified himself as Adam Kingston.

[There are still Asurians on the loose, and they are making a run for it. All available security personnel, converge on the Cayuga's shuttle bay immediately and stop them from launching... Move out! I repeat, move it!]

Kythalie looked at Rhys and at the other two officers as she stood up, swinging the confiscated weapon over her back "I-I need to go..." she said as she looked at the people around her "You guys just try to beam back to the Theurgy. You'll be safer off there I think." She waited for them to either agree or disagree with her plan. Regardless though she was going to move out like her acting chief ordered her to. Unless one of the officers gave her a direct order to stand down and remain with them.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #57 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen | Main Engineering | USS Cayuga | Attn @Doc M. @Auctor Lucan  anybody else

"I was thinking we could vent the air just enough to make them unconscious, before resetting the environmental systems. I don't think we have enough power to do something extraordinary with the gravity plating where they are, like, increasing the gravity to make them unable to move, but between venting the air and trying to get a lock on their lifesigns with our transporter system... why now both, if one method fails?"


Kaylon shook his head.  "I think the transporters are out of the equation for now.  The power was fluctuating on it earlier.  With that blown conduit, power reroutes will have overloaded in a couple of other locations.  Not the extent here, but enough to burn out a few relays.  I wouldn't trust the transporter right now.  Not that I'd mind if the beam ripped these bastards' atoms to shreds."  He chuckled, smiling grimly "Maybe we could even tell the Asurians their people died in a transporter accident while trying to return home.  Let's check Security and see if the other option is a viable one. "

Hallquist pushed herself between O'Connell and himself, pulling up the information and video feeds.

"And I don't think they are in Security any more. We need to find th-!"

The familiar sound of a transporter whine hummed in the air.  Oh no.  The Asurians were sending in reinforcements.  Damn those inoperable shield generators!   "Arm yourselves!" he called out to the few remaining people in the Engine Room who weren't tending wounded or already in a Jeffries Tube trying to do repairs

Kaylon felt a sharp pain in his arm.  "Aaagh!" he barked.  Hallquist had his upper arm in a deathgrip.
Given what she'd been through in the last hour, it was a natural reaction.  Unfortunately it was his phaser arm.  He'd have to extricate himself from her vice like grip before he could fire at any boarders.

The transportees coalesced into not Asurian, but human form..wearing blue Starfleet uniforms and carrying medkits.  He felt himself sag in relief.  "Thank the gods" he said in relief.  His mind suddenly working again, he called out to them  "We still have plenty of wounded who need medical attention.  Best we could do is get most of them stabilized.  I take it you're from the Theurgy?"

He turned to Hallquist, who still had his arm in a death grip.  She met his gaze.  "And I'm going to need a dermal regenerator over here!  I think I'm going to have one hell of a bruise." he said, the mirth returning to his eyes for the first time in hours.  Maybe the situation wasn't as hopeless as it had seemed a few minutes ago.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #58 –
[ Acting XO Lt. Zelosa Ejek | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Juzzie @Nolan @Absinthe

No, it’s not alright! Who in these two damnable ships decided you were fit to counsel once more, hm? Not I, certainly not I, and I should hope for the sake of their careers that nobody in my department allowed this either. Ejek had some very loud thoughts, but like B’Nila, she was trained to keep them on the inside of her mind, not the outside.

“The situation here calls for you to stay on medical leave, B’Nila. I’ve given no authorization for you to work again, and this is the worst place for your mental health.” She tried to scold her as gently as possible, considering it’s also possible that the alien managed to wander here on her own. She looked back to see Rhys--

Also useless, Ejek thought. Her first impression was souring very quickly. Why didn’t anyone here have a smidgeon of mental hygiene? Why did everyone she run into have to be so deeply traumatized?

“Beam him to sickbay.” She sighed to the petty officer. “That’s...not a good sign, to say the least.” Agression, and then complete memory loss didn’t line up with any diagnosis she knew of, anyway. Perhaps he had a stroke—but no, now came the voice of an Adam Kingston. They would lose possibly the only competent officer in this eclectic bunch.
“Go, be safe.” she nodded and bent to lift up Rhys by the arm, to walk him towards B’Nila. She tapped her combadge.
“Acting XO Zelosa Ejek, to Theurgy. I need Lieutenant Rhys beamed to sickbay and PO B’Nila Skai beamed someplace safe.”

She, however, would remain here until the ship was declared safe, even though she knew full well her leadership capacity was about as deep as a fishbowl.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #59 –
Lt. Vanya | Main Engineering | USS Cayuga | Attn @alphawiz @Doc M. @Auctor Lucan  anyone else

Vanya was about to make a cursory rebuke to the Vulcan’s retort when she stopped herself.   Truth be told it was a token response.   In her experience, humanoids generally did require some form of affirmation, an offer of assistance even if it was obvious to all, including the potential party needing help that help was beyond Vanya’s abilities.  

Their thoughts were stopped when Vanya heard a human with the oddest dialogue she had heard since an aspiring Pakled mercenary intended to “buy” access the Morska array during her early career.   Apparently he wanted to look how to be “Strong” from the Klingons.   He was sent on his way, but he was the talk of the communication channels for a while.  

Her thoughts returned to the immediate situation, particularly when medical staff beamed into Engineering.   She cast a look at her exposed hand, the servos and joints visible.   Already she could feel the internal repair systems beginning to kick in, with the repair systems laying the groundwork for what would become her new arm’s system of nerves.     He wasn’t sure who had seen her, so she surreptitiously hit her arm behind her back.

“There were a couple more interlopers in the science labs.” She said, thinking again of those who had died.   “They are ‘resting’ from their encounter with the ensign and I.”   She gestured towards Cir’ce with her good hand. However, they will need appropriate treatment, be it security or medical.”    

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #60 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen|Main Engineering | USS Cayuga | Attn: @Arista @Doc M. @Auctor Lucan

Kaylon felt himself breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in hours.  The security and medical personnel were doing what needed doing.  He tapped his combadge.  "Jeen to Ziegler.  Captain, Engineering is secure.  It's a mess down here, but it's solidly in our hands now."  Switching to another channel he said "Jeen to all Engineering personnel still in working order. Be on the lookout for stray Asurians.  If you spot them, notify security at once, but  let's get back to work, folks.  We've got a lady to get back on her feet.  I want regular status reports."

Not one to take anything for granted, Kaylon holstered his phaser, then picked up his engineer's kit, and headed over to start trying to piece that EPS conduit back together.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #61 –
[ Doctor George Hernandez & William Robert O’Connell | Main Engineering | Deck 17 | USS Cayuga ] Atten: @Auctor Lucan, @alphawiz, @Veridian.

In the brief time Doctor George Hernandez had gotten to know William Robert O’Connell he had learned that although the universal translator in his combadge could convert a thousand tongues into the language he had known since birth, occasionally it could be totally stymied by the master chief’s accent, folksy idioms, and obnoxious drawl.  During those times he tended to tune him out.  Billy Bob O’Connell tended to talk so much that if you missed what he said the first time, he would likely mention what you missed a second time.  On the other hand he did listen to the Cayuga’s chief engineering officer when he called out from the master systems display table.

"We still have plenty of wounded who need medical attention.  Best we could do is get most of them stabilized.  I take it you're from the Theurgy?"

“Why yes Lieutenant I am,” Doctor Hernandez replied as he knelt over a wounded warp technician.  “I’m guessing there’s an ‘and’ attached there somewhere,” he added wryly.

"And I'm going to need a dermal regenerator over here!  I think I'm going to have one hell of a bruise." Kaylon joked.

Before Hernandez could respond the voice of Captain Anya Ziegler was heard over the ship’s communications system:

[ "Ziegler to all senior staff, report in. Bridge has been secured and we are en route to the security centre." ]

Kaylon tapped his combadge.  "Jeen to Ziegler.  Captain, Engineering is secure.  It's a mess down here, but it's solidly in our hands now."  Without missing a beat, he tapped his combadge a second time.  "Jeen to all Engineering personnel still in working order. Be on the lookout for stray Asurians.  If you spot them, notify security at once, but  let's get back to work, folks.  We've got a lady to get back on her feet.  I want regular status reports."

William Robert O’Connell coughed into his fist, cleared his throat and spoke to the chief engineer.  “Sir if yuh don’t mind, Ah cal’culate thet it’s high time Ah wuz…”

He was cut off by the terse but familiar voice of a man Billy Bob had believed dead.  He had been placed in cryosleep.

"This is Lieutenant Kingston, Acting Chief of Security for both ships.  There are still Asurians on the loose, and they are making a run for it. All available security personnel, converge on the Cayuga's shuttle bay immediately and stop them from launching. There is no telling how much damage they can inflict with the phaser arrays on the shuttle they pick. Theurgy, if you are getting this, we need site-to-site transports to cover the distance, but we will not be waiting for you. Move out! I repeat, move it!"

“Well Ah’ll be!” the master chief gushed.  “Thet wuz Lew-tenant Adam Kingston wuzzn’t it?  When they put him in cryosleep Ah wuz shore it wuz jest uh fancy body bag but Ah reckon we must uh got somethin’ from Black Opal…”  He glanced at Lieutenant Jeen guiltily.  It wouldn’t do to talk about the time the Theurgy had (ahem) commandeered vital medical supplies (engaged in piracy) just a week ago if he wanted to convince his new friends that they were the good guys.  His hand went to the hidden pocket in his uniform before relaxing when two women stepped out of the shadows to join them.  “Ensign Cir’cie.  Lieutenant… um… Ah should know who yuh are ‘cause yew were aboard th’ Stallion jest yesterday but Ah cain’t quite place your name…  Did’ja encounter any Asurians ma’ams?” 

"There were a couple more interlopers in the science labs," Lieutenant Vanya replied as she covered her injured hand with her other hand before quickly hiding her wounded extremity behind her back.  "They are 'resting' from their encounter with the ensign and I." she gestured towards Cir'ce with her good hand.  "However, they will need appropriate treatment, be it security or medical."

Doctor Hernandez tapped his combadge.  “Hernandez to Theurgy, beam the casualties directly to sickbay.  We’re ready to beam to the next location on the Cayuga that’s secure.”  Fortunately for Vanya, Hernandez wasn’t concerned with anyone who didn’t have a life threatening injury.

Billy Bob turned to Kaylon to find him repairing the conduit he had overloaded in order to stop Ora-Sedra.  Approaching the beleaguered chief engineer, O’Connell coughed into his fist and cleared his throat again.  “Ahem.  Ez Ah wuz sayin’ sir, the Cayuga ain’t exactly whut you’d call secure raight now.  It’s a combat zone thet iz, an’ Ah cain’t help but thinkin’ thet until it’s secure there’s a lotta stuff Ah could be uh fixin’ aboard mah own ship…”


Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #62 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen | Main Engineering | USS Cayuga | Attn @Doc M.  et al

Peering into the conduit, Kaylon smiled.  It may have overloaded and blown, but in a rare instance of good luck in the hell of the past week, the damage was limited to just a small section.  He'd be able to  repair it and get part of the power grid back online just as quickly as he could replicate a new conduit casing and replace the flow circuit calibrator.


"Ahem."

Kaylon turned as O'Connell cleared his throat.  "Ez Ah wuz sayin' sir, the Cayuga ain't exactly whut you'd call secure raight now.  It's a combat zone thet iz, an' Ah cain't help but thinkin' thet until it's secure there's a lotta stuff Ah could be uh fixin' aboard mah own ship..."


Taking a moment to mentally translate and process what the Chief was saying, and wishing for the ninth or tenth time since the man had shown up in Engineering that one of his previous hosts had been a Linguist, he turned to the man and smiled.  "I imagine there are a lot of things that need fixing all over both ships, Chief.  I take it you've got a powerful reason to want to get back to the Theurgy?  I won't pretend to not need all the help I can get around here, since most of our primary systems are still down, but if there's something you need to do back on your own ship...well I reckon I owe you at least a couple." Smiling at the man and holding out his hand to him, Jeen said solemnly, "Clear it with the powers that be, and I have no objections.   Thank you, for everything my friend."

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #63 –
[ PO1 B'Nila Skai | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Juzzie @Nolan @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]

For a moment B'Nila said nothing. She knew, on some level, Ejek was right. She shouldn't be there. And honestly she wasn't a hundred percent sure how she had even gotten there, that was reason enough for her to not be there, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to leave, to go back to the Theurgy.

"Wait," B'Nila said suddenly and reached out to touch Ejek's shoulder, stopping herself before she got too close. "I... I can't go back... I can't be... there. I can't do it right now. I don't want to be on that ship. I don't want to be on the ship with that broken room, with that blood-stained hallway, with her corpse..." B'Nila could only give Ejek a pleading look. She didn't know how she could explain herself, how she could make herself clear. She was usually well-spoken, but at that moment she felt like a child trying desperately to convince a guardian to let them remain because there were monsters in their room. The only real difference was that B'Nila knew that the monsters were in her head.

"I can still be of use here. I can do... something... I don't want to be... alone..."

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #64 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Cayuga ] @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @Veridian @alphawiz , Anyone else 
[Show/Hide]

Anya Ziegler listened to the words of her newly appointed chief of security and swallowed deep to try to clear the lump in her throat. The captain wanted to say so much. It wasn’t her fault. It’ll be ok. Don’t apologise. By the time Anya opened her mouth to comfort the woman, it was too late, Bannin was gone.

Ziegler watched as the weight of shipboard gravity took its course and the lieutenant’s body slowly slid to the decking with her cold, unblinking eyes staring off into the distance. She had put her duty above everything else. There were times Anya wished she had the passion of a Klingon - to cry and scream at the top of her voice. Another warrior was on their way to Sto’vo’kor.

Instead, all Anya had was numbness. Almost paralysing. Once again, just when she thought she could lose no more, she was proved wrong. What else was there? Her ship? Her life? If she never saw another Asurian again, she concluded with a small blackness growing in her heart, it would be too soon.

Too soon proved right, as the security officer from Theurgy spoke into the quiet moment within the brig. He brought focus back to the important fact. They weren’t out of the woods. The Asurian leader, and possibly the most dangerous of the group was still loose. As he explained his request to take over security operations, the captain stood quietly. When he finished she said only two words.

“Do it.”

Orders were spoken and with the sound of thudding feet on deck plates, Anya was left alone, aside from her escort. She wanted to join in, to run down the corridor, but the emotions of the situation left her drained. Like a car running on fumes, she needed to muster up the energy before she could set herself into motion.

The call from Engineering gave her what she needed. That small glimmer of hope. Jeen and the others had saved the main engine room. Stark was there too, jumping into the channel just moments later, confirming they were covering Cayuga’s back.

“Ziegler here. Thanks, Theurgy.” Turning, the commanding officer of the Iroquois class finally managed to gain some more resolve. “Natalie, whatever happens, make sure that the Chief Marshall doesn’t escape without justice.”

Checking her phaser one again for power, Ziegler rushed off towards the shuttlebay with the other officers in tow. Quietly, she prayed that the shuttlebay operations team hadn’t disconnected any of the shuttles from the main power grid. They had been used for additional battery power during the aftermath of the Borg attack. Assuming that they were still plugged in, the shuttle bay would be a mass of cables and trunking. It would slow the Asurians down to have to removed everything to launch a small craft. Hopefully, this would give a chance for security to congregate.

By the time Anya got there, no matter if it was a hostage negotiation or full blown shootout, the final Asurian battle aboard Cayuga would be underway. 

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #65 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Main Engineering | Deck 17 | USS Cayuga ] Atten: @Auctor Lucan, @alphawiz, @Veridian.

"I won't pretend to not need all the help I can get around here, since most of our primary systems are still down, but if there's something you need to do back on your own ship...well I reckon I owe you at least a couple." Smiling at the man and holding out his hand to him, Jeen said solemnly, "Clear it with the powers that be, and I have no objections.   Thank you, for everything my friend."

“Why thank yew Lew-tenant, yer an’ ossifer an’ uh gen’lmen,” O’Connell purred as the sound of the transporter became audible and the medical team and their patients vanished in a shower of sparks.  “Ah promise yew Mister Jeen, thet as soon as th’ Cayuga is secure mah team an’ Ah will beam raight over an’ fix up thet EPS conduit in two shakes of uh lamb’s tail.” 

Although in some ways it felt like turning tail there was no way O’Connell and his team could begin repairs on the main EPS conduit until the injured starship was free of homicidal maniacs.  In the meantime there was no point risking the chief engineers of both ships by having them both on the ship that had intruders bent on mass murder running free.

Billy Bob walked away and tapped his combadge.  “O’Connell tuh Theurgy, beam me back to th’ Shield, Mister Kiiz.  Until th’ Cayuga iz Asurian free, Ah’m ready tuh return home.” 

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a moment Master Chief,” the transporter officer’s voice replied.  “Currently our medical and security teams have dibs on the transporter.  You’ll have to wait your turn.  I’ll call you as soon as a window opens.”

“Well ain’t this jest sweeter then smeg,” O’Connell grunted.  Grimacing, he looked back at Lieutenant Jeen before walking over to him.  “It looks like our transporter room is a mite busy fur th’ moment,” he admitted sheepishly.  “Need uh hand?”


OOC:  It looks like Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ] is wrapping up, at least the part with the engineers in it.  I’m going to assume that any subsequent repairs take place “off stage” unless Lieutenant Jeen wants to ask O’Connell any questions.


Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #66 –
[ Petty Officer Third Class Patricia Hallquist | Engineering | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Doc M. @alphawiz @Veridian

When Jeen had protested against the pain caused by her grip, Patricia had let go immediately, hands spread wide and apologising. She'd been startled by the beam-in of personnel, but was very relieved to see that there were Theurgy officers present that could take care of the injured. Not long after that, Patricia saw the new Chief Science Officer - Lieutenant Vanya - arrive together with a Vulcan. She noticed the arm, and being an Engineer and already familiar with the Android's rare anatomy, she stepped forward - letting others deal with the developing situation with the Asurians since she had little to offer there.

"I can follow you to the Theurgy's sickbay, Lieutenant," she said, offering a brief smile, and stepped up to Vanya and Cir'Cie, the Vulcan merely giving her a flat stare. She looked like she wanted to hand her phaser over to someone, almost as if the thing caused a rash on her hand, but there wasn't anyone suitable in place. Patricia chose to focus on Vanya. "Whatever the medics can't figure out, I can. I don't think I've ever seen your synthetic skin this damaged before..."

Soon enough, together with all others on the Cayuga that were to due to switch ships, Patricia, Vanya and Cir'Cie vanished in a shimmer of light.

[ Lt. JG Adam Kingston | Corridors > Shuttle Bay | USS Cayuga ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
It seemed like Captain Stark leapt upon his request for tactical site-to-site transports, for at some point whilst the security detail he led was running for the shuttle bay, they were contacted by Kiiz on the Theurgy. The Trill helped them cover the distance, and Adam could regain his breath a little.

He was feeling keenly how he'd been on ice for too long, but since he woke up - and the parasites were still not dealt with - he had become more and more compelled to do something about it. If not the parasites, it was something else, and while he had been gone, the roster of original Theurgy crew had become too diminished for him to not give a damn. He'd lost too many, and the problems weren't just going away. It was time to rise to the damn challenge.

When he rematerialised, it looked like he was in the corridor outside the bay, and while he waited for Captain Ziegler and the rest to join him, he tapped his combadge, speaking whilst he shook out his legs a bit - pulse loud in his ears. "Kingston to all security officers on the Cayuga," he rasped hoarsely, glancing at a control panel next to him to see where he was, "Captain Ziegler's and my team are ten souls strong and we're entering the bay from the port side. If you have a choice, enter from the starboard side so we can pinch them where they are. Engaging the Asurians in three, two, one. Go!"

He tapped his combadge to end the call, and set a brisk pace through the sliding doors, his rifle's stock against his shoulder and his brown eyes along its sights. He rode the rush of adrenaline, forgetting any fears for his own life. He waved to the left and right, making the present security officers fan out to the sides in the bay, which seemed like it had been abandoned in the middle of some weird engineering project. Like kids forgetting to put away their toys, cables and wiring hung from the deckhead and laced across the large deck. Four shuttles seemed like they were getting an IV, but the fifth...

"Enemy sighted, fifth shuttle. Fire at will!" Kingston barked, but the two large, male Asurians on top of the Type 9 shuttle already had their weapons up - firing green beams into the advancing Starfleet officers. Adam dove for cover behind the closest shuttle, swearing as he began to fire from cover.

That was when the starboard door of the shuttle bay opened, and they got reinforcements. Perhaps it was too late, however, since the shuttle was coming alive - the cables already cut by the Asurians on top of it. It was only a matter of time before it would activate shields, and begin to fire back at them. Adam tapped his comabdge again. "Kingston to Kiiz, I need whatever officers you have a lock on, and I need them now! Location: Inside the shuttle that's powering up. It's shields might come online any moment!"

[This is Kiiz, I hear you. Deploying personnel now!]

[ Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio | Shuttle Sato - Interior | USS Cayuga ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
In the cockpit of the Starfleet shuttle, Akri Sitaio had her sindt against Nina Nilsson's throat, the blonde woman at the helm. "Power up the shields, now!"

"No," said the woman, defiant now. As if she'd finally found her backbone. "I refuse. You're not going anywhere."

There was but a second of hesitation, before Akri decided against making good on her threat, wishing to see the woman's aorta severed and seeing the blood cascade against the shuttle controls. Instead, she growled, and whilst keeping the brig officer where she was with her blade, she leaned past her, and tried her hand at getting the shield up herself.

She saw the light more than she heard the beam-in, the noise drowned out by the firefight raging outside, but she caught on to what was happening in time, and rounded on those that had arrived. She'd yanked the blonde woman up from the seat and held her as a meat shield between herself and the cravens that had come to kill her.

"Let me leave," she hissed, teeth bared, "and she lives. One false move, and her blood will be all over you. Literally... and figuratively too, if you have any conscience."

OOC: Any character(s) can be beamed into the shuttle and face Akri. There are also two Asurians to deal with on top of the shuttle. Your next posts in this thread might just be the last ones in the Chapter! Free-form posting for all others, and they might just join in too!

Again, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio releases her captured Asurians above. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title, and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #67 –
[ Acting XO Lt. Zelosa Ejek | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Juzzie  @Absinthe

Why did things happen to her? Why did the universe specifically target Zelosa Ejek and throw all the shit at her? She took a deep breath and sighed.
“The rooms here will likely be even more bloodstained than the ones you came from, and you know full well how adding more trauma to your mental state will affect you, and I daresay you know it better than I do. You’re returning to the ship.”

“But you won’t be alone.” She added, her eyes going over to Lieutenant Rhys. He was also a basket case right now. In all honesty, she did not trust Rhys nor B’Nila to counsel each other, or even themselves. She did trust them to at least maintain a buddy system for a few hours. B’Nila, at least, she could trust to keep documentation of Rhy’s symptoms as well.
“This man is Lieutenant Rhys Williams of the Cayuga.” Ejek patted the poor sod’s shoulder. “We intended to have a meeting wherein I would advise him regarding the mental health of his ship. We were subsequently attacked. He froze, and then attacked back. He now does not remember where he is. I have no medical history and no diagnosis. I need someone to remain with him until such time that we can beam him out for treatment, if necessary. I want someone with counseling experience to remain with him so that his symptoms can be documented. I am having you beamed out." She repeated, "but you still have a job to do. So go, and do it well."

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #68 –
[ PO1 B'Nila Skai | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Juzzie @Nolan @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]

With all her heart B'Nila wanted to stay with Ejek, or at least stay with someone she knew, someone she could trust, but as Ejek spoke, a calm came over her none-the-less. She had a task to do, not much of one, but one that only someone in her shoes could do. She had to make sure another traumatized individual stayed safe and keep some kind of record so he could be helped later. It wasn't going to be an easy task, given her current mental health she could barely keep herself in line, but it was the task she was being given.

"Okay," she breathed in resignation. It would do little good to point out that blood didn't bother her, indeed she was barely fazed by the bloody mess on the floor near them. No, it was the fact that it was her blood, Michal's blood, that carved its way into her mind and she could not escape the feeling of sickened terror, of absolute loneliness that crept into her when she remembered. "I can do it. I still know how to fill out the record forms, I can do that." She offered Ejek a tightlipped smile, a look that showed how scared she was, but also how hard she was trying to do it right.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #69 –
[ PO 2nd class Kythalie Benmual | Corridors > Shuttle Bay | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan + anyone else present

Running as if her life depended on it Kythalie heard her badge chirp as the voice of Adam Kingston was heard once more. Ziegler and himself would be coming on the port side of the shuttle bay, ten men strong. Kythalie looked behind her and spotted nobody yet as she figured she was making a good run to the starboard side of the shuttle bay. She stopped at the starboard side doors as she caught her breath, regulating he breathing as she swung the confiscated Asurian rifle into both her hands. She closed her eyes, the head ache still present and not really fading. The thrum of her heart echoing in her ears as she felt like she was about to puke.

She swallowed the bile however as her muscles protested yet complied to her movements. She opened the starboard side doors and moved in swiftly with the rifle trained. She scanned over the shuttles before she heard the barking order from Kingston echo through the bay. Fifth shuttle... Her eyes shifted before she spotted the two Asurians on top of it. She narrowed her eyes and complied to the order to fire at will. She sank through her knee for more stability before the green beam fired out of the muzzle of her rifle.

The first shot missed by a hair as the targets were moving, the second one sliced through the Asurian firing onto the oncoming security forces. The beam disintegrating the spine and leaving a large incision from his lower back to his shoulder blades, yet due to the nature of the beam weapons, a similar incision was made from the base of the Asurian's bowel all the way to the top of his torso. The figure stumbled backwards towards the front of the shuttle before the skin gave way. His intestines, stomache, liver, lungs and a whole lot of blood gushed out from both sides before the Asurian toppled down over the front of the shuttle. The cockpit windshield probably smeared open by the various organs and blood before the Asurian slid over it and smacked into the deck plating.

Kythalie looked at the result of her shot and moved into cover just to be safe as the Asurian's buddy would undoubtedly figure out what had happened to his fellow warrior. She tapped her combadge "Kingston, I'm at the starboard side, alone for now, I think I got one of the hostiles on the shuttle. Do I push on or wait for reinforcements?" she asked as she poked her head out and fired a couple of more times at the remaining Asurian, though he seemed to be more agile then the first as her element of surprise had passed. He jumped off the top of the shuttle and thus she lost her line of sight of him.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #70 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Shuttle | USS Cayuga ] @Veridian
[Show/Hide]
When Cir'Cie materialised, she was certainly not aboard the Theurgy. She raised an eyebrow, facing an Asurian with a hostage, having been beamed aboard a shuttle instead. A Type 9 shuttle, unless she was mistaken. She wasn't alone either, finding herself standing next to Lieutenant Vanya once more, only now facing a different situation involving one of these hostile aliens that had broken free aboard the Cayuga. Unfortunately, she had given up her phaser to the present officers in Engineering too, so she was unarmed. It seemed Vanya, however mightn't be.

The ultimatum that the female Asurian posed was quite clear, and Cir'Cie looked back at her, the absence of emotion in her tone telling in how exasperated she was with violence. More so than any inflection of anger might. Cir'Cie was a Botanist, and she had no interest in hostage situations.

"Well, then release her," she said cooly, glancing towards the blonde officer with a blade at her throat, "and we will step out with her, letting you be on your way. We have no interest in jeopardising this woman's life if the only term is that you are allowed to leave."

"Then step out of the shuttle, and tell the present security forces to stand down, craven," said the woman, tilting her head and horns forward, while there was blood running down the viewport of the cockpit.

Cir'Cie glanced towards Vanya, since she was the higher ranking officer.

OOC: Just an intermediate post, since I noticed that @Doc M. might not be beamed into the shuttle any more with the final edit of the latest O'Connell post. @Veridian , post away! @Arista , please post again as soon as you can in the shuttle bay, dealing with the second Asurian there. Feel free to NPC Kingston too, as long as we can end this Chapter soon enough and get the Sword to the Stallion.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #71 –
[ Lt, Vanya | Shuttle Sato - Interior | USS Cayuga ] @Auctor Lucan

Vanya held out her hands at her side.  

“Conscience.”   Vanya said, almost distantly.   “That’s something that I might or might not have….   Philosophers have been discussing this for decades.”   She rolled up her glove and dropped it to the ground, showing her exposed skeletal hand.  

The plan to negotiate was already going through her mind   It was time to find some common ground.  
 
“Listen to me.   We are very similar.”   She said choosing her words carefully, knowing that time was of the essence.   “I was built by an enemy of Starfleet, but I was in a desparate situation.   They didn’t want to hurt me, but they had to look after their own, so I had to work with their security.”  

“We do not want to hurt you”   Vanya said attempting to gauge the hostile’s strength and speed compared to her own if there was the slightest chance that the negotiation would fail.      “There has been enough blood spilt this day.   If you attempt to hurt your quarry, I’ll have to take steps to stop you.   I will also put this shuttle on total lockdown   This will likely result in pain for you, and leave you in a position of weakness, without a shuttle to fly.”
 
She thought about her next words carefully.   “But put your blade down, surrender now and you have a position of strength to negotiate from, give us answers about this attack, and let us learn more and we might be able to return you to your own people at some point.   I cannot promise this, I can onlyc give you possibilities.   But possibilities of negotiation are better than the guarantee of a shuttle full of blood.”   

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #72 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Cayuga ] @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @Veridian @Nolan  , Anyone else 
[Show/Hide]

By the time Anya Ziegler and her escort arrived to the shuttlebay, the firefight was already ongoing. The large bay was a mess, it had been since the Borg had attacked Cayuga what felt like forever ago. The main shuttle facility on the Iroquois class was wide and tall, overly large for the vessel’s size, but it was nowhere near the ample provision on Theurgy. Nearly all the shuttles had been tied into the main power conduits as an additional battery source during the energy crisis. The others were plugged during in the storage facility located in the deck below alongside the work bees and the Argo shuttle. This meant, as Ziegler scanned her eyes over the bay, there were six shuttles strewn all over with large amounts of cabling and trunking plugged into the various small craft. At the other end of the cables, there were makeshift adaptors allowing the vehicles to directly interface with ODN and other power conduits. In other words, trip hazards were everywhere.

Waiting for a pause within the shots, Ziegler and her companions joined the Lieutenant from Theurgy covering themselves behind one of the large cargo shuttles.

“Report.” Ziegler ordered, listening to the sound of Asurian weapons fire zinging off metallic bulkheads.

“We have two enemy contacts on the fifth shuttle. They’re attempting to get it operational.” Kingston replied between shots. Whatever else Anya could say about the little time they had spent together, she would be sure to note that this officer was calm under fire.

Carefully she slid herself towards to the rear of the shuttle and peered around the edge. On top of the shuttle was two Asurians. As Anya formulated a plan, there was a few shots from across the bay. The first missed but the second hit it’s mark. The rifle fire caused the Asurian to collapse in on himself until his skin burst in some form of grotesque display. Feeling a twist in her stomach, Anya wanted to look away, but knew this would be a good opportunity. When the last remaining Asurian turned to check on her colleague, Ziegler raised her phaser and fired. The shot struck her in the shoulder, but it was enough, starting from the impact there was an orange glow as it vaporised skin, flesh and bone. In less than a few seconds the intruder was completely gone.

Turning back into cover, Anya took a deep breath. “Kingston! Secure the shuttle. I’m going to get tractor beam controls.”

Standing from the crouch that she was in, Ziegler sprint towards the aft of the bay, over to a freestanding console. It was a relatively open position compared to her last location, but it would allow her to stop the shuttle from leaving, assuming that Cayuga had enough power for a tractor beam.
 

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #73 –
[ Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio | Shuttle Sato - Interior | USS Cayuga ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
Standing there, with her sindt against the windpipe of the blonde officer named Nina Nilsson, Akri Sitatio utterly despised what she was hearing from the odd human with the metallic arm prosthetic. Craven-talk, and also, did she truly expect her to be foolish enough to surrender? That she'd be of the same ilk as them? Obviously, they were not about to step out willingly, these two women - one with pointed ears. Therefore, since it appeared they were unarmed...

"This a waste of my time. You had your chance to leave," she said, and then, she forcefully pushed the blond on her grip straight towards the woman with the metal arm prosthetic. The idea was to unbalance her, and getting the time to raise her short graviton rifle and kill all three women. She began to fire against the blonde she had just pushed, and the graviton beam hit dead centre, hopefully piercing through both the women. Then, she turned the muzzle towards the Vulcan.

Only the Vulcan was right in her face, all of a sudden, and pushed the graviton weapon's aim straight towards the deck - the green beam scorching a rift into the plating. Being new to the Federation, she might have underestimated the sheer strength of the woman with the pointed ears, who was trying to twist her arm around... to great success. Akri grunted, and let go of her rifle, so that she might roll with the twisting motion. It was a cumbersome affair, with the close quarters of the shuttle, and the strength of this Vulcan, but in the end, she got around, and was presented an opening. She bared her teeth, pulling back her sindt in order to impale the Vulcan with her blade.

Yet there was movement in her peripheral vision, and the last thing she saw, was a flare of orange light.

[ Lt. JG Adam Kingston | Shuttle Sato - Interior | USS Cayuga ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
His face grim, Adam Kingston lowered his phaser rifle, standing in the opening to the shuttle. His heart was racing, and his breathing rapid, but with his eyes unblinking, he watched the headless Asurian sink down to the deck, right next to the rifle she had dropped.

He glanced towards Cir'Cie, whom he remembered well enough from the Theurgy, not even knowing she was still alive before that point. The Vulcan returned his glance, before crouching down next to the fallen. She turned the blonde woman over, and the face stared emptily into the deckhead of the shuttle - mouth agape. The other woman seemed to move though, perhaps even unscathed, and Kingston suppressed any guilt he might have felt in that moment, since he had shot the Asurian within the second of stepping inside. By then, the blonde officer had already been shot.

Since Cir'Cie was seeing to the woman with the metal arm, Adam stepped out to Anya Ziegler. "The last Asurian is dead. Shuttle secured."

Yet considering the body count that the Asurians had managed to amount... the victory felt quite hollow.

"Adam Kingston to Theurgy bridge," he added quietly after tapping his combadge. "Asurian threat neutralised. Send over more medics... This crew needs all the help they can get."

Having seen the carnage on the bridge alone, Kingston had already realised, that there was no way that the Theurgy could just leave the Cayuga behind and go to the second Rendezvous point.

- FIN

OOC: Right! I know this ending was a bit rushed now, but since we really need to progress the Episode overall, we now open up for Supplemental Threads instead, for all present characters on the Stallion and the Cayuga, leading up to 0700 hrs. on Day 06. That's the day after the current one

I will be opening up a thread set on 0700 hrs. on Day 06 where the Sword arrives to the Stallion and the Cayuga. I think it might be a good idea to consider how much repairs could have been made until then. Stay tuned for the new thread, set on Day 06, and go right ahead and post your Supplemental threads at your leisure, with the naming convention CH01: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title
 
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