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CH02: S [D01|0430] Exsanguination

Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Unknown ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Petty Officer First Class Mickayla MacGregor, formerly of the USS Endeavour, was confused when she woke up. She remembered being in an escape pod from the Endeavour with Lieutenant Drake and a few others. She remembered being enveloped in a transporter envelope. And she remembered the hope that she felt at being rescued.

But that had been replaced by confusion. She was inside some sort of suit or tank. She couldn’t tell which as she couldn’t move. She could open her eyes and move them but there was nothing to see. Something was covering her eyes. And there was a tube down her throat.

“A breathing tube?” Mickayla wondered, trying not to worry. “What happened? Where are the others? Was I assimilated?” It was a random thought but one that latched onto Mickayla’s brain like a leech. “Is this what it feels like to be assimilated? I thought it would just be nothingness. That I wouldn’t know where I am or what I was doing. Although, to be fair, I don’t know either of those things now. Maybe I was assimilated and then somehow rescued? Is this some new way of freeing a drone from the collective? How long has it been?”

Mickayla’s mind continued to spin in circles, trying to determine what was happening but getting nowhere. And then the voice spoke.

OOC: @Multificionado , @patches , @Fife ,not sure if Auctor has spoken with you yet. But we had the idea that for the thread that will detail Mickayla's correction and "testing" (Read: Torture) that you might like to include your characters from the Endeavour. Purely up to you. Just let Auctor and myself know that that we can either wait for you post and/or include you in our posts.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #1 –
[Lieutenant JG Gideon Drake | Unknown ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @patches @Fife
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Gideon was awake. He was instantly concerned. Where was he? Where was Mickayla?

His first impulse of thought was that he was back in the womb, forced back in some womb the hard way; he didn’t see a thing, but he can tell because he was in some kind of liquid. But as he felt around, it occurred to her that he’d be feeling something soft and fleshy. This seemed more metallic. And what’s more, he was sure a womb didn’t come with a breathing tube. Yes, he felt the tube in his mouth. He knew it was a tube; if he was in an alien womb, the tube would be fleshy, alive, and continuing to snake down into his gullet.

He remembered the escape pod, escaping with Mickayla as the Endeavour was blown to smithereens by the Borg. There wasn’t anything he could’ve done. What mattered was safety.

So much for his third post. He barely knew the Endeavour.

He had gotten to know plenty of the crew well enough, including Mickayla, a fellow “mongrel Scot.”

What mattered now was survival. But he was sure they just left the fire from the frying pan.

He had studied reports of the Borg, and he knew right away that this wasn’t what the Borg would do. Before he came to any conclusion about where he was, he heard the voice.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. Cross | Unknown ] @Auctor Lucan

As Cross regained consciousness, he found himself groggy and confused. He felt strange, as though weightless. What little movement he was afforded seemed sluggish, as though moving through some sort of viscous liquid. Not that he had much range of motion, as he seemed to be restrained as well. He could feel an invasive presence in his mouth, and quickly realized he had some manner of endotracheal breathing tube inserted to allow him to breath while being suspended in the fluid.

Where the hell am I?

Cross’ mind cast about, trying to remember what had happened to bring him to this place. He remembered the escape pod, remembered the cramped confines in which Shar and Blue had been ready to rip each other to pieces. He remembered Laurel, half delirious and concussed, with Ensign Julbi tending to her with a level of affection that had made Cross feel awkward, wishing to be anywhere else. He remembered R’Rori, the counsellor sitting silently in her seat, not getting involved with the drama unfurling around her in the confines of the tiny escape pod.

He remembered the transporter beams that had enveloped them, basking the interior of the pod in it's eerie light while bringing with it thoughts of rescue... of hope.

Those hopes seemed to have been dashed, given the circumstances surrounding Cross’ return to the waking world. He’d never seen any sort of apparatus on a Starfleet vessel that would have him restrained, tubed and suspended in liquid, and so could only conclude that their rescuers were not Starfleet. Cross’ still cloudy mind desperately tried to make sense of everything, though he continued to come up short, unable to determine where he was. It was then that he heard the voice speak.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #3 –
[ Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ]



Soon enough, now that the specimens had been resuscitated inside their pods, their eyes would adjust to the dim lights of the Ternary Correctional Lab. Still the xenobilogist tapped his tablet, and increased the lighting with twenty percent, making him squint a little. The first thing they would hear was his voice, after he activated the translator program.

"My name is Agrand and I will be conducting the correctional procedure on your biology," he said, following the protocol of the Code. He had said the same words hundreds of times before. Before he continued, he tapped his tablet again, and the four Resequence Pods moved - the spherical glass fronts tilting forward on their mechanical arms.

The pods were soon set upright, so that the four specimens come see him. Agrand took a deep breath, and tapped some more on the data tablet.  With great disinterest towards their plight, he didn't even look directly at them, stripped and restrained as they were inside the biogel pods. They had a catheter unit clasped around their hips and genitals, just so that they wouldn't contaminate the biogel. He was about to speak again, but paused, hearing futile thrashing from one of the Pods. Hopefully, that specimen would give up, instead of hurting itself on the tubing inside its mouth.

"Currently, your deoxyribonucleic acids have mixed sets of nucleotides." His translated words would be heard as a vibration applied to their ears and their skulls as a whole. "In other words, you are of mixed biological origin, and in violation of the gift of the Progenitors. Therefore, you will now undergo Correction. After the procedure is done, your memory engrams will be wiped, and you will be released to propagate your chosen species at your leisure."

Agrand tapped his tablet again, and buttons lit up underneath the thumbs of all four specimens, fitted into their restraints. The biogel was clear enough for them to see the dim light, if they had the presence of mind to notice them. Agrand continued to speak. "The term 'choice' is used liberally. Our Code dictates that all specimens should be presented with this humane choice. Your preferential opinion will be put on record, but unfortunately, it is the ease of Correction which will determine which species group is more ideal for your survival. If you put your thumbs on the buttons, you will hear which of your species they represent."

There was a chirp from the Resequence Pod with the trashing male. Agrand took a deep breath and turned towards it. The specimen had injured himself in his reaction to the pod. As it were, it was suffocating on the gel, eyes wide. Agrand had no choice than to activate the Recycling Sequence. Over the course of ten seconds, the thrashing specimen was dissolved - all movements ceasing. Agrand tapped his tablet again, and flushed out with the biogel and the specimen's residues for bio processing. The other specimens had likely seen what had happened, and Agrand continued without further disturbance.

"To encourage adherence to the Code and in wish to keep complete records of all Corrections in our Archive, failure to make this choice - however inconsequential to the result - will automatically lead to your bodies being Recycled in order to sustain the Versant. Since efficiency is the doctrine in all our science projects, you will be given one minute to contemplate your choice, but please keep in mind that your memory engrams will eventually be wiped, and you will have no recollection of the choice by the time of your release."

Agrand was almost finished with the first part of the transcript, which he had learned without having to read aloud from the tablet.
"One minute starts now," he said, and tapped his tablet another time. "Please keep in mind that you will be Recycled if you don't register your preference."

When resting their thumbs on the buttons, the pods would announce the alternative that the button represented though a reverberating, digital voice against their submerged bodies. Agrand waited with ill preserved patience.

OOC: Regardless which species your character chooses, the Savi will make the pick, so its up to you if your character actually chose to become the result we saw in the later Chapters. :)

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #4 –
[Lieutenant JG Gideon Drake | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @patches @Fife
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Gideon felt the pod rotating, and the voice became stronger. Gideon also began to see properly from the pod, and the more he saw, the more his brow furrowed in disgust. He could see a lab. He saw three others, which meant was not alone. He saw the two men and a woman, and he recognized them at once, and they were all as naked as he was. He also saw his captor, a very thin, ugly alien.

He realized he was in a lab. Experimented on. He heard stories about Crell Moset, the Cardassian butcher known for his...experimentations. If Little Ugly hurt his friends, especially Mickayla, in any way...

He tried to call out, but whatever was in his mouth was in the way, and the taste of whatever he was sucking was unpleasant. It was like sucking tentacles spitting out ink into his mouth.

Hearing their captor’s words, he was taken aback to hear that he was going to be Corrected, that he was no longer going to be half-Bajoran. At first. But then he realized, however drastic the change would look to everybody else, whatever species he’d look, he would be fine with what he looked like. Bajoran or human, hardly anybody took notice of his ridges.

In addition, he felt that it would be necessary to play along for the time being. Showing resistance would only make things worse for himself, and for whoever else was trapped here.

Then he saw something that motivated him further: he saw the unfortunate man thrashing around in one of the pods getting killed. "Recycled" as the alien put it. He may call it "recycling," but to Drake, it was nothing more than murder after experimentation, like the Nazis during the Holocaust on Earth, or like watching the infamous Crell Moset perform his experiments.

He instantly pressed the button his captor instructed him. He heard only one word: “Human.”

He nodded in approval, hoping it would be seen. He was fine with being human. Nobody ever took notice of his ridges anyway. Although he had more view of his naked body than he had for a while. Much as he didn't mind displaying his body on occasion, he hated being in the pod.

He pressed it a few more times, just in case the captor heard it. He didn’t like the sound of this Recycling. Not. One. Bit.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #5 –
[ Lt. Cross | Unknown ] @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Multificionado

Cross had closed his eyes and concentrated, waging an internal war with his anger and fear. With his eyes closed, he felt like he was drifting weightlessly in the ocean, just like on the holodeck when he would go surfing with Kai. Normally the feeling would have relaxed him and left him feeling content. He loved the water. This was different though. He was suspended in some sort of fluid and with a tube running down into his throat, keeping him alive, allowing him to breathe.

Cross’ eyes shot open when he heard the voice speak. It introduced itself as Agrand, and informed Cross that he would be in charge of their “correction”. The tube moved then, tilting so that he was afforded a view of the room they were in. The light was brighter than it had been when he’d closed his eyes, allowing his eyes to make out the room with only a small amount of distortion from the fluid he was suspended in. He saw four others in the room with him, three in some sort of containment tubes identical to his own, and one standing in the middle of the room, presumably Agrand. His appearance was not familiar to Cross. His head was bulbous and grey, his body thin. Black eyes regarded the four “correction” subjects impassively. He looked nothing like any species Cross had ever seen.

Two of the other three subjects were familiar to Cross though. They were faces he had seen aboard the Endeavour, meaning at least one other escape pod had made it out in the chaos of the Borg attack. He recognized Gideon Drake, a Junior Lieutenant and one of his tactical officers, the one who had the strange habit of calling him “Boss”. Cross didn’t quite understand the habit, though he had never bothered to ask the man, assuming it was simply yet another strange mannerism he wouldn’t understand. The other person he recognized was less familiar, though still recognizable. The faint ridges on her forehead, coupled with the curly mane of dark brown hair and caramel skin left little doubt in Cross’ mind that the person in that tube was Mickayla MacGregor, a Security NCO. One of Kai’s people. Cross felt a pang of embarrassment as he realized that Mickayla, like he and Gideon, was naked. The fact that he felt embarrassed at the sight of the half-Klingon’s bare form while they were suspended in a strange fluid, with breathing tubes down their throats and catheters secured in place with harnesses, was ridiculous. The stupidity of his response was not lost on Cross, though he had little time to dwell on it as Agrand spoke again.

Agrand spoke of the progenitors, whoever they were, and mentioned their mixed origin, calling them a violation. He stated that following their correction, their memories would be wiped. For a moment, that prospect didn’t sound all that horrible to Cross. Half of his lift had been a nightmare, full of experiences he would gladly forget. His recovery had been long, painful and frustrating. Then Cross thought of the memories he’d made since joining Starfleet, and since transferring aboard the Endeavour. He thought of his friends. The people he cared about. He didn’t want to forget them.

Agrand was talking again, and Cross tried to focus. He said that they would be given a choice, an opportunity to choose between their two halves, though he warned that their choice would not necessarily dictate their correction. Agrand was distracted for a moment by the fourth person, who Cross couldn’t quite make out. He saw that they were thrashing, eyes wide as they fought for breath. Agrand raised a tablet and entered a command. Cross’ eyes widened as he watched in silent horror, seeing the person in the fourth tube dissolve.

What the fuck…

Agrand entered another command and the fluid in the tube was drained, leaving behind no evidence that the tube had ever been occupied.

Agrand continued to speak then, continuing as though nothing had happened. As though he hadn’t just ended a life. He informed them that their failure to make a choice would lead to them be recycled to feed the Versant.

They’ll eat us? Cross thought with a mixture of horror and disgust,

They were told they would have one minute to make their selection, and that their minute had begun.

Cross moved his thumb, resting it on one of the buttons. He heard a digital voice inside the pod say the word “Bajoran”. He shifted the digit so that his thumb rested on the other button. “Vulcan” announced the digital voice. Cross remained still for a moment, the countdown running in his mind as he considered the monumental choice he was presented with. The two buttons represented two sides of himself, and while Cross had no real attachment to either side of his biology, he felt his anger spiking. Hatred coursed through him. Hatred for Agrand. Hatred for the aliens that would feed on him if he failed to make the choice. Hatred for the two buttons while loomed beneath his thumb that would change his life. He knew he had little time to choose, though the anger was clouding his mind and making it hard to think straight. He knew the countdown was nearly at an end, and he lowered his thumb and punched one of the buttons, depressing it just a moment before the digital voice heralded his choice.

“Vulcan.”

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #6 –
[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ]
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Mickayla’s thought train was interrupted by the brightening of the area outside the pod. Where before she had assumed the pod was fully enclosed, she now realised that at least the front section of it was transparent.

"My name is Agrand and I will be conducting the correctional procedure on your biology," said the voice, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“Correctional procedure?” Mickayla wondered as she began to study the room beyond the pod, it began to shift though it took Mickayla a moment to understand that it was her that was moving, not the room; the pod was being tilted upright.

Looking out from the pod, she could see 3 other pods in the room, each with an occupant within, though she could only make out two of them clearly from where she was positioned. One of them was a man, she couldn’t remember his name at the moment, from the Endeavour that had been in the pod with her and Lieutenant Drake. And the other was Lieutenant Cross. And his presence made something very clear to Mickayla; whomever this Agrand was, he had picked up more than one escape pod.

Both men were naked, restrained, with something strapped around their genitals and a tube forced down their throats, same as her. Taking stock for a moment, Mickayla realised that she too was naked, having been confused by the constant pressure the gel in the pod had on her skin and that she also had something strapped to her groin.

“A catheter?” Mickayla wondered. “They obviously need us alive and no soiling the pod we’re in. Not that I like the sound of this Correctional Procedure this thing is talking about.” Across from her, the man she couldn’t name began to thrash about. Trying to move her arms, Mickayla judged that to be moving as much as he was, the man was in danger of injuring himself from overexertion. “Now isn’t the time for that.”

Mickayla listened as Agrand explained that each of them was of hybrid DNA and that they were in violation of some Progenitor gift. Mickayla didn’t understand what he meant having never heard anything about Progenitors before. But she did understand when he said that her memory would be wiped and that she would then be released.

“Chosen species,” Mickayla repeated. “Great, we’ve been captured by some mad scientist who is going to change our DNA, alter our memory and then release us. Oh, and while we have a choice on which way we are changed, it’s not even really a choice. Perfect.” Agrand continued to speak and Mickayla was able to move her head just enough that she could see down to where her hands were restrained to see the glowing buttons he was speaking about.

Mickayla was about to move her thumbs to hear her choices when Agrand’s movements distracted her. Looking up again, she was treated to a perfect view of the man from her pod being clinically dissolved and then flushed from the pod. Aghast at the sight of one of her fellow crewmen being killed so, scientifically, in front of her, Mickayla could do nothing but listen as Agrand spoke further.

"To encourage adherence to the Code and in wish to keep complete records of all Corrections in our Archive, failure to make this choice - however inconsequential to the result - will automatically lead to your bodies being Recycled in order to sustain the Versant. Since efficiency is the doctrine in all our science projects, you will be given one minute to contemplate your choice, but please keep in mind that your memory engrams will eventually be wiped, and you will have no recollection of the choice by the time of your release. One minute starts now," he said, and Mickayla watched as he tapped his tablet again. "Please keep in mind that you will be Recycled if you don't register your preference."

“A minute!” Mickayla riled inside her mind. “We have a minute to decide the course of the rest of our lives! Well I suppose others have made greater, harder choices in even less time. And this one only affects me,” she considered, trying to reassure herself. Moving her right thumb, she heard it announce Klingon while her left thumb announced that it was Human. “Right, Klingon or Human. Like that is a hard choice to make. Being even part Klingon has done nothing but make my life harder. I’ve never fitted in because of it. Not once. Given the choice, I’ll pick my mother’s blood anytime. And after this, I can stand proudly with the rest of Clan MacGregor,” Mickayla thought as she double tapped the left button, the human button, with her thumb.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #7 –
[ Agrand qi Versant | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Fife @Stegro88 @Multificionado

Eventually, the three specimens had made their choices, and Agrand, being rather bored with the transcript and protocol that the Code demanded of him, took a deep breath and began to input new commands into his tablet.

"Excellent," he said to them, slowly stepping to a point in between the four pods, only three which still held specimens. "Thank you for registering your preference. Now, the Correction will begin. By the time you wake up next, you will likely be a pure-bred specimen, just like the Progenitors intended. Some of you might have to undergo further, direct surgery, where the pods won't be able to alter your bodies sufficiently. Eventually, by the time of your release, your memories will be wiped, and you may begin your new lives."

Then, Agrand tapped his datapad, and he made the three specimens succumb to oblivion once more - the anaesthetics more effective than what they might be used to, judging by their crude medical practises in the Federation.

[ Day 04 | Unknown Hour | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Fife

The next day, the other three specimens where in their Resequence Pods, still undergoing their changes, but for Specimen 823 - its old Federation name being 'Cross' - a direct surgery was needed to complete the Correction. Strapped into the surgery suite by ankles, wrists and with a metal band across his forehead, the Lieutenant was still covered in gel from his pod, dripping from the table as he laid there.

Removal from the pod also meant the removal of anaesthetic circulation in his body, carefully calibrated to fit the individual specimen, so Agrand was preparing the inoculation cannon in the ceiling with the correct dosage for the soon-to-be Vulcan male. He did this via his tablet, like most things in his duty in the Correction Program. Meanwhile, his three Low Class orderlies were preparing the tray with surgical instruments, and removing the catheter. Given the fact that there were Bajoran genes in the specimen, a phallic correction might be required as well, aside from the evident ridges on the male's nose.

Agrand looked up from his tablet in time to see the specimen coming to, and spoke to his orderlies in warning. The translator system had been deactivated, so all the specimen would be able to hear was native Savi. "<The specimen is regaining consciousness. Reroute power to restraints and arm the inoculation cannon. The anaesthetic dosage is almost finished.>"

[ Day 04 | Unknown Hour | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Multificionado

At another point, same day, Agrand looked at the other male specimen, which needed to undergo a similar procedure as the first one, only this one would need to become human. There were still ridges to remove, of course.

"<This specimen is not as strong as the first one,>" Agrand told the Low Class orderlies, even though they might already know the difference between a Vulcan and a Human. "<Arm the inoculation cannon.>"

Slowly, Agrand stepped up to the table upon which the soon-to-be Human laid, and looked at it with his black eyes. He looked at it, deeming it no more than an primate of its species, yet to become anything worthy of respect. The Human might just as well have been an animal from its home planet, and he was just correcting a stray mutation for its own good. The translator program was offline, so even if the male tried to speak with him, Agrand didn't understand the gibberish coming out of its mouth.

"<Remove the catheter. If there are any phallic ridges still there, they need to be removed,>" he said, tilting his head sideways, watching the efforts the animal took to try and communicate with him, while the orderlies yanked the catheter off.

[ Day 04 | Unknown Hour | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Stegro88

The female specimen was a bit of a larger undertaking, and preferably, Agrand would have liked to remove internal organs rather than cloning them and surgically add them to her body. This was one of the reasons why he loathed to work with Klingon specimens, but the decision had not been his to make. The decision process had slated the female to become Klingon instead of Human, and Agrand would respect that.

As the anaesthetics wore off, Agrand had stepped up to the surgical suite and run his three-fingered hand over his own head, contemplating the incision he had to make. It depended on the size of the specimen, and this one was not overly tall. He made some notes on his tablet, ignoring the specimen and it's movements entirely. He had already told the three orderlies to strengthen the restraints around her limbs, but since they were to raise the ridges on her forehead even further, Agrand had opted to restrain her to the table by the neck instead. Key was to not suffocate the specimen, however, so the inoculation had to be hurried before she hurt herself.

"<Arm the cannon,>" he told one of the orderlies, and frowned a little as he looked at the centre line of her bare torso. The catheter was already being removed by the second orderly, but the differences between Human and Klingon female genitalia was nominal enough to let the Resequence Pod handle it. Agrand was not the least sexually interested in specimens, even though the third orderly openly stared at the body on the table. Agrand would have to replace the Low Class Ante if he couldn't be trusted around the specimens in the Program, but since he was just looking, Agrand didn't say anything about it.

Instead, he leaned over the female and raised a black making instrument. He made a dotted line down the woman's front, from the base of her throat to above her pubic mound. Once finished, he stood straight, and finished the calibration of the anaesthetics for her.

On a tray next to her were small stasis units with glass sides, showing the additional organs that they were about to give her.

OOC: No set posting order! :)

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #8 –
[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]

Mickayla’s return to consciousness heralded a slew of different sensations compared to her last awakening. Gone was the feeling of immersion and tube down her throat; something that Mickayla was grateful for. But in their place was cool air against bare skin, restraints on her limbs and something odd against her neck.

“I’m out of the pod but why? I thought I wasn’t supposed to remember anything after they made be human?” Mickayla wondered as she stared at the ceiling. Further thought was silenced by a strange, Mickayla wasn’t sure she wanted to call it a hand but didn’t know what else to call it, hand on her skin near her groin. Acutely aware of her state of undress, Mickayla began to instinctively struggle against her restraints as a second ‘hand’ joined the first. Trying to lift her head to see what was happening proved futile as her neck impacted against what she now understood to be an additional restraint around her neck.

“What’s going on?” Mickayla asked as she pulled at the restraints on her arms. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to remember any of this after you made me human? That I could go back to my life, happy.”

The thing, Agrand, Mickayla remembered it said its name was, said something she couldn’t understand. But she soon found out what it meant. A large apparatus began to move out over her head. It looked like a long, extendable arm with a large, very large to Mickayla’s eyes from where she was directly beneath it, needle on the end of it. As it finished moving into position, Mickayla’s catheter was removed and cold air hit her sensitive centre, sending a shiver along her body.

That shiver ended though as Agrand leaned over her naked body, and using some sort of marker, began to leave a dotted line along her body. It from the base of her throat, down the valley between her breasts, across her abdomen and ending below her navel. She had seen marks like this before. They were guides for surgery. 

“Why do they need to cut me open?” Mickayla wondered as she began to look around more. It was only when she turned her head fully to the side that she saw the containers and what they contained. She was no doctor and only had basic first aid training, but even she was able to identify the liver contained within one of the cases. And that sent a pulse of fear through Mickayla.

Her liver was fine. It didn’t need replacing. But a Klingon, they had redundant organs for whatever reason that Klingons needed them. And while she had an 8-chambered heart already, she did not have a second liver.

“No, no, NO!” Mickayla said, her voice raising into a scream with each repetition of the word. “I selected Human. I want to be Human!”

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #9 –
[ Lt. Cross | Unknown ] @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Multificionado

Cross’ mind felt sluggish as his senses returned, leaving him unsure of where he was or what was going on. His cloudy sense of confusion only grew as he tried to raise a hand to his head, and to raise his head off the table he was strapped to. Both hand and head were restrained, held in place restrained. The sense of alarm that spiked within him pushed back the fog of sedation, his senses becoming more clear as the fear cleared his mind. He was on a cold metal table, naked and strapped down. Gone were the breathing tube and catheter. Gone was the vat of fluid he had been suspended in, though he could feel the remnants of the fluid that still trickled down his skin, raising goosebumps and sending a slight shiver up his spine.

His eyes shifted about, taking in his surroundings. He saw the forms of three bulb-headed aliens looming over him, speaking in a language the he couldn’t understand. He strained his eyes to look further out of his periphery, and saw a fourth form standing slightly aside and holding a tablet. He ventured a guess that this was the one who had spoken to him while he was still suspended in the vat of fluid, the one who had spoken to them, but he couldn’t be sure. Frankly, they all looked more or less the same to him. He heard the tablet wielder speaking, presumably to the other three. Whatever the tablet wielder had said seemed to send the other three to action. He heard the clatter of tools on trays, and suddenly he found memories surging forth from the recesses of his mind.

Quote
His body was a bit smaller, but the fear was just the same. The faces that loomed over him were different too, still grey, but shaped in a more familiar way. Grey, scaled and sporting the hated spoon in the middle of their forehead. He was restrained, strapped to a table much like the one the Savi used, though the room was different. The lights were brighter, and it held the distinct smell of antiseptic. The Cardassian doctors were preparing for another experiment on their favourite subject/victim.

A17338961 struggled against the restraints, trying to free his limbs, until the familiar face of Doctor Gurann loomed into view.

”Now now, don’t struggle. You know this will be much more unpleasant if you do.” Gurann’s voice carried an almost fatherly tone, though A17338961 knew all too well that there was nothing fatherly about the sadistic Cardassian. He’d been the subject for far too many of the Doctor’s experiments. ”Now, cross-breed, we’re going to begin in a moment. Unfortunately, our last shipment of anesthetic didn’t come through, so this procedure will likely be… less than pleasant.” Gurann’s face split into a delighted grin as he said the words. ”It will be interesting to see how your mixed biology reacts to the painful stimuli! Perhaps I should write a paper and publish my observations!” The bastard Doctor was practically cooing as he said the words, his eyes lighting up with a disturbed glee. A17338961 continued to struggle as Doctor Gurann’s face disappeared from view, being replaced by a grey scaled hand holding a gleaming scalpel.

A17338961’s, no, Cross’ mind reeled at the panic brought on by the memory, though his focus was brought back to the present when he saw one of the bulbous heads loom into his field of vision, the being seeming to inspect his face. Cross watched, wide eyed and fighting the terror he still felt as the head withdrew, and Cross watched out of his peripheral as the creature moved away from his head and leaned over once again, inspecting his crotch.

The ridges… Cross realized as he watched the bug-eyed head loom closer to his manhood, the Vulcan-Bajoran hybrid finally getting the fear under control enough to allow for coherent thought. It’s inspecting the ridges.

Cross flinched as the being that was inspecting him reached it’s hand forth, extended one of it’s overly long fingers, and lightly prodded his phallus, presumably curious about the Bajoran ridges it bore.

”Get your <fucking> hands off me!” Cross snarled, twisting his hips away form the curious creature. Cross heard more unrecognizable speech form the side, and saw the dick-poking bulb-head retreat from view even as the other two beings seemed to be readying for what was to come.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #10 –
[Lieutenant JG Gideon Drake | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife
[Show/Hide]

When Gideon woke next, he could see he was out of the “womb,” but onto an experimentation table, at least, that’s how he viewed it. It didn’t matter if there were little uglies working on him instead of Cardassians; inwardly, Gideon felt like he was trapped in the lab of Krell Moset.

The way they were leaning in, inspecting his nose…Gideon crossed his eyes instinctively; they aimed to remove his ridges.

If he wasn’t restrained, he would’ve shrugged. He didn’t mind at all if they got rid of the ridges; nobody ever noticed them anyway.

He could see one of the uglies observing him. Must be Agrand.

“Uh, hey,” he said, trying to make conversation. “I hope this won’t take too long; I don’t like being a lab rat.”

As cool as he tried to sound, there was a layer of nervousness in his voice. He wasn’t exaggerating when he said he didn’t like being a lab rat; the stories of Krell Moset scared him. He would’ve killed Moset himself if he was one of the poor buggers being experimented on in his lab. Still, he didn’t need one more person to have a vendetta against. He had made peace after killing the Gul who kept his mother enslaved.

Then again, ugly Agrand didn’t seem to understand him, nor did it seemed he and his ugly colleagues cared.

“Any chance you’d tell me what’s going on?” he asked Agrand; much as the ugly bugger didn’t understand him, at least he has someone to talk to. “What’s with all the changing-hybrid crap? Now that’s perfectionism in an extr…”

He momentarily stopped. He resisted the urge to look around, look at what the uglies are doing to his body. He kept his eyes on Agrand, ugly as he was, and kept talking.

“Okay, I’m sure you’re not at least in league with the Borg. I don’t know if you’ve ran into so much as a cube out here, but there’s trouble brewing; your ship may be in danger, along with any other ship in this nebula. If there’s a cube in this nebula, and nobody knows about it, then…ah, forget it. Let’s just get this over with.”

He finally looked away from Agrand but shut his eyes as he did so. He tried to keep his mind off what was going to happen, and when he gets innoculated. Rather than panic, he merely relaxed, let his mind wander to other things. He intended to find out what was going on, and panicking won’t help. He learned that in the Maquis. He will play along for the time being.

He began thinking of the good times he had since graduating. He remembered his first post on one of the old Longbottoms, the Starship Bismarck, one of the old Proxima-class starships. He smiled in amusement at the memory; he was sure he was assigned to the Bismarck because of his dissertation about the old Longbottoms, as the Proxima-classes were termed for since the first Proxima came off the assembly line, as the old expression put it, called so because of their semblance for an elongated arse.

He remembered the commendations he received, and offers by captains and admirals to serve with them. He turned down plenty of offers, even one made by Admiral Sankalov, but was honored to serve on the Rabin.

He remembered the friends he tried to make in his time on the Endeavour. Kai Akoni, who he called “Big Kahuna” and was glad to be a friend of; Laurel Okhala, who he was taken in for despite her Romulan roots; Annika Van den Berg, who worked in the Tactical Department with him; Ranaan Ducote, the First Officer whom Gideon came to respect; Lucas Freeman and his sister Karen, who both had tendencies to write on paper instead of with a padd, as in old times, and the latter of whom Gideon had finally succeeded in kissing and would’ve had a good relationship if it weren’t for when the Borg showed up and destroyed the Endeavour…

Memories soothed Gideon most. Even more than a massage or food. And they helped comfort him and ignore what was going to happen, even if he doesn't witness it after getting doped.
OOC: Sorry to be a while. It took me a while to work out what I should come up with next in Gideon's perspective. Note mention of likely NPCs who wrote on paper; Rawley came across a written diary on paper in an old post back in "Charades." Of course, it only depends on which of the NPCs wrote on the paper diary Rawley discovered, but it's up to the reader's imagination and it'll also be likely they'll be civilians. If there's also mention of Admiral Sankalov, it's mostly a rejection in passing. As to the reference to the Proxima-class starship, I had the idea that the old Proximas would be nicknamed "Longbottoms" for how they looked. After all, the name "Longbottom" crops up in other franchises; it was the name of a smoking weed long before it was the surname of a clumsy would-be wizarding hero. So it would be fitting for the Proximas to be called "Longbottoms," but as a crude nickname. As to what Proximas look like, note the image.
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Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #11 –
[ Day 04 | Unknown Hour | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Fife

Agrand had told the orderly, across the bare torso of the specimen named "Cross" that the anastethic dosage was ready, and that he should stand back. What the specimen had said, Agrand didn't know, since the translator system hadn't been activated.

It hardly mattered, and Agrand was not particularly interested in conversing with the specimen.

Instead, he stepped back a little and lifted his tablet. With a few quick commands entered, the inoculation cannon whirred and took aim, and without delay, it fired. The specimen was hit squarly in the middle of the torso, close to the heart. The efficiency of the inoculation was satisfactory, and once the specimen stopped moving Agrand put the tablet aside.

"<We will begin with the ridges across the bridge of his nose, and then handle the phallic ones. The Resequence Pod should have softened the bone and cartilage in the area.>"

Agrand picked up the medical instrument for the task, and preformed the necessary modifications to make the specimen completely Vulcan.

[ Day 04 | Unknown Hour | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Multificionado

The second specimen to have its ridges removed was far more talkative than the first. Of course, the amount of words didn't matter. Agrand couldn't understand what was being said now either.

"<Shall I activate the translators?>" asked an orderly, looking quizzically at the soon-to-be Human.

Argrad just shook his head. "<No need. I have heard it all before. The specimens never offer any stimulating conversation. They are too vacuous to actually be worth the time.>" Sighing, he finished to prepare the dosage for this specimen called Gideon Drake. "<The inculcation cannon has been armed. Stand back.>"

Once the orderlies cleared away from the surgical suite, and Agrand also had retreated to a safe distance, he tapped his tablet one more time. With that brief touch of his fingertip, the cannon fired - straight into the specimens chest. Like with the Vulcan, the subject of this next surgery had soon been rendered unconscious again. "<We'll begin with the residual ridges in his face, like with the first one, and then handle his genitalia.>"

[ Day 04 | Unknown Hour | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Stegro88

By the time Agrand had finished marking the female specimen, she was clearly agitated, being far louder than the first two. Agrand raised a hand to the side of his head, hissing, for the loud noise was quite unpleasant. Of course, he didn't need the translator system to tell him she was objecting to the surgery. Perhaps it was because she had registered a preference to become human instead of Klingon. For a moment, Agrand got the notion to activate the translators, and tell her that the Human quota had been filled for the time being, and there was no changing the decision.

He also wanted to tell her that lest she stopped screaming, he'd recycle her instead. It was far more preferable than having to spend time adding internal organs to her.

"<Is the cannon armed?>" he sneered, glancing towards the orderly that had been given the responsibility to synthesise the dosage that Agrand had selected for the specimen. "<She might damage her throat unless she settles down, and that means we'll run behind schedule.>"

"<Inoculation cannon armed,>" said the orderly, and handed back the tablet to Agrand.

"<Stand back,>" he said, having to actually raise his contralto voice a bit to override the specimen's protestations. Without delay, he tapped the firing command, and the cannon delivered the dosage. The inoculation hit her in the center of her chest, right on top of the line that Agrand had marked out. Irritably, Agrand put the tablet away and picked up his graviton scalpel. He tuned it to it's most narrow setting and stepped back to the Klingon.

He could see her become unconscious as he stood above her, and wasted no time in making the first incision - carefully splitting her skin open. "<Deactivate the first stasis unit and prepare the liver for transplantation.>"

[ Agrand qi Versant | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Fife @Stegro88 @Multificionado

Later, the same day, the process was complete.

For sake of time-efficiency, Agrand had decided to let the three specimens be transported into the same Containment Cell. He approached the transparent metal bulkhead that allowed him to observe them, wearing his the same kind of black suit all Savi wore. He was holding his tablet behind his back. Since he had no interest in speaking with either of the specimens any more than he had to - even if the Code stated clearly that he must - Agrand would give the three of them the same information at the same time. Rather that, than having to repeat himself for all three in turn.

The specimens - now fully Vulcan, Human and Klingon - were stirring, since he had selected an airborne resuscitation solution inside the cell. Once he was satisfied that they were completely awake, he tapped his tablet to activate the translator system in the cell. When he spoke, his voice amplified as reverberations in the bulkheads, on the very deck the three naked specimens woke up upon.

"Your Corrections are now complete, with no further surgery required. You will be given separate cells quite soon," he said, and asked the next questions without any greater interest in getting an answer. "Are you in any pain, or do you have any questions?"

There was but a single bunk in the cell, yet three gowns had been replicated for them.

OOC: No set posting order! :)

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #12 –
[ Gideon Drake | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife
[Show/Hide]


Gideon blinked groggily awake. And when he saw the figure of a woman and realized that both she and he were naked, he momentarily smiled…then remembered where he was.

If this was still on the ship he was held captive in, that meant the woman was Mickayla. He was careful not to at least flirt with her; he knew what she was like, even when he tried being friends with her, but she was always distant. Now…it would be best to be on his guard in case she lashed out in rage.

Then he saw a male with them. It was his boss, Cross. If the Corrections were all complete…

He instinctively felt his nose. Sure enough, the ridges were gone. But Gideon merely shrugged. He wasn’t going to miss them.

A moment later, a voice reverberated so loudly, Gideon almost responded, “Is that you, God?” But he looked out the cell and realized it was the ugly bugger who worked on them.

He noticed the gown and pulled one on, still bracing for Mickayla’s outburst of rage; he could see her forehead as he looked at her face. He knew she resented her Klingon side from as much as he could get to know her, trying to be a friendly fellow mongrel Scot, but other than that, not much.

“Pain, no,” answered Gideon calmly. “But a few questions have crossed my mind. First of all, may I ask what the point is to the hybrid purification crap? Secondly, what do you intend to do with us? And thirdly…are you aware of who’s out in the Nebula right now? I may need to warn you before anything else: If you are familiar with a race known as the Borg, they’re out in the nebula somewhere. Your ship and your crew may be in danger if the Borg are in the nebula.”

He felt to repeat his questions in case they didn’t understood him when he was being experimented upon. Much as he despised being a lab rat, he felt the need to warn them of the impending threat of the Borg. No individual species deserves getting individuality wiped away, and certainly not through being assimilated into the Collective.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. Cross | Unknown ] @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Multificionado

A voice sounded within the cell, speaking to them and asking questions. Cross was aware of the fact, though he didn’t listen to what was being said. As his senses returned, the Vulcan pushed himself off the deck plating until he was on his hands and knees. He could feel the goosebumps that rose all over his body as his skin reacted to the chill in the air of the cell. He felt like the air was much colder than the typical ambient temperatures he was used to. A shiver ran up his spine as his mind reeled, still trying to get his bearings as the haze of the anesthetic wore off. The cold wasn’t the only thing that was new. Even in his muddled state, he could feel the new sensation within him. Oh, Cross had always struggled with his emotions, a gift from the Vulcan side of his parentage that had left him in a constant battle for internal balance. The small part of his rational mind that remained as he fought to regain that internal balance seemed to conclude that his correction to full Vulcan had served to amplify those emotions. That rational part of him was desperately fighting to remain present as those emotions washed over him like waves thrown forth by a storm. The fear, the anxiety, the helplessness.

The rage.

Anger had always been a predominant emotion with Cross, even at an early age. Over the years, particularly during his rehabilitation on Earth, he had been taught to cope with it, manage it. Those lessons had allowed him to function, suppressing the anger that was often present within him. Those lessons had not prepared him for the torrent of rage and hatred that coursed through the Vulcan now, burning his veins and turning his vision red. Cross was aware that there were others in the cell with him, presumably Drake and MacGregor, and the fear of losing control and turning on them drove him to focus everything he had on holding that rage back.

Cross began to crawl towards the single bunk in the cell, his eyes having locked on the gowns that rested on it. He gritted his teeth as he crawled, his eyes bulging with the barely contained anger. He heard Drake speak, but paid no mind to the words. First Cross had to get a gown, anything to try and help against this damned cold, and then he would keep himself away form the others. A part of him, the part that was the Starfleet officer, knew he should check on the other two, as he was the ranking officer of the three. The frayed thread that his control hung by suggested that it would be safer for everyone if he kept himself at a distance, however, and served to direct his course of action. He needed to distance himself as best he could from his crewmates. He needed to meditate, to try and regain some semblance of balance within himself. As he was, he couldn’t trust himself not to turn on them if he lost control.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #14 –
[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Ternary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]

Mickayla’s rise to consciousness was heralded by the sound of a voice she recognised, talking about the Borg in the nebula. He was trying to warn them about the cybernetic pestilence that was the Collective.

“Lot of good that will do,” Mickayla thought to herself as her mind raced over everything that had happened to her since the Borg had destroyed her ship. The escape pod, being rescued, not actually being rescued. And then being changed. Against. Her. WILL.

“I never asked for this,” Mickayla raged inside her head. “In fact, I specifically asked to not be this. Being Human would given me reason to celebrate. But now, all I want to do is kill something. Why is that? That’s not me.” The thought bugged her, but she could do nothing to stop the rage inside from continuing to build. The idea that it might not just be her rage never entered her mind.

Exploding from the ground, completely heedless of her nudity in the presence of both Drake and Cross, Mickayla stalked over to the transparent bulkhead through which she could see one of the things that had done this to her. Rearing back her fist, she struck at the bulkhead with all of her now considerable Klingon might, but the bulkhead didn’t react. So, she struck again, and again. And all the while she screamed her rage at the alien.

“WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME! I WANTED TO BE HUMAN!”

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #15 –
[ Agrand qi Versant | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Fife @Stegro88 @Multificionado

The question of purpose to Correct posed was hardly a first, and Agrand almost decided to end the conversation and move on to the next project. The mentioning of the Borg did stir a modicum of interest to answer. Since their memories would be wiped eventually, there was no harm in telling them.

"We are the Vigilant of Sa." He spoke with detached certainty - as if chiding ignorant children, the answer taken straight from the Code. "We preserve the heritage that the Progenitors left behind, ensuring that their legacy is not corrupted by the mixing of genes from different species. We, the Savi, carry on their work. Their design, their gift to this Galaxy alone, should enable you to live and breathe. Instead, your mother and father sought to squander and distort what they had been given... and we have now corrected the corruption that they begot."

Then, he addressed the warning about the Borg, which was quite jocular. "We have watched empires rise and fall. We are quite aware of the Queen's forces. She do not know of the Savi, inferior to the task of assimilating us. We have no cause for concern in occupying the same part of space as the Borg. Thank you kindly, however, for your consideration."

Hearing the Klingon female speak next, and how she assailed the bulkhead, Agrand was reminded why there was no merit in engaging in conversation with the ignorant specimens. With a sigh, he raised his tablet and began to input commands. He was reminded about what the Code said about the limited knowledge of these specimens, and how to best illustrate the vast difference between them and the Savi. "If you tried to look at the sun of the planet you were raised on, you would be blinded. If you can't see it, does it mean that it isn't there?" he stated calmly, and the deck head inside the cell opened up, revealing another inoculation cannon. "Just like the sun, the Savi care not that you are blind to them. Our purpose is larger than you, and move beyond your understanding. Your limited comprehension means nothing to us. The Correction is not just a gift... but a mercy. You should be grateful."

Having said this, he had finished synthesising the anaesthetic that would calm the female down, and armed the cannon. It whirred threateningly and took aim against the centre of her back. "Will you be calm, and stop hurting yourself, or do you need to be immobilised?" he asked the female quietly and raised his black eyes towards her - the mere extent of his compromise being that he gave her a singular chance to rethink her actions.

Behind her, Agrand had noticed the Vulcan, but since he'd said naught, he ignored that specimen.

OOC: @Stegro88 goes first, creating more activity to react to, then no posting order set! :)

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #16 –
[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]

Mickayla’s body quivered as she paused in her assault to listen to what Agrand had to say. He spoke in riddles about the sun and not seeing but all it served to do was infuriate Mickayla further. She was beyond caring where her anger, rage and indignation were coming from or caused by. All she cared about was getting her hands onto the creature beyond the wall and tearing his arm off and beating him to death with it. After that, the next one she found would be more amenable to ‘correcting' her to her desired human form.

“Fuck grateful!” Mickayla uttered in complete contempt of whatever Agrand’s reasoning was. “You asked us to choose. I chose Human and yet here I stand as a Klingon. Now I’m going to beat you to death as one. And mercy can go fuck itself as well.”

Her words said, Mickayla resumed her assault on the unyielding bulkhead that separated her from her would be victim. Her anger only continued to grow as the wall refused to give way to her administrations against it and she redoubled her efforts as her fists began to bleed, smearing the clear wall with streaks of red.

She never heard Agrand speak again, warning her to stop, and she never heard the inoculation cannon above and behind her either. But she did feel the impact of the dose. It stung as it entered her system and Mickayla tried to channel that pain into rage against the bulkhead but found that her strength began to wane. Her knees grew weaker and soon she collapsed to the deck, her knees unable to support her.

As her strength continued to ebb away, Mickayla rested her face against the window, heedless of the blood now smeared on her face as she tied to hit the wall again. But her arm wouldn’t rise from where it hung limply at her side. As the darkness began to overtake her, Mickayla struggled to speak as her eyes wavered.

“Royal was my race,” she whispered before her eyes closed and she passed out leaning against the wall.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #17 –
[ Gideon Drake | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife
[Show/Hide]


As he took in Mickayla’s savage reactions, Gideon took a moment to think on Agrand’s words. He seemed to know something about the Borg. In fact, Gideon had the impression the Savi must’ve known about the Borg are likely up to.

The Queen’s forces? That had to mean the Borg Queen was directly involved. And sharing the same part of space as the Borg? It had to mean there would’ve been more than just the Borg vessel that attacked the Endeavour. It had to mean that the Borg somehow have a means of traveling into the Alpha Quadrant without being detected by anybody as they pass by.

The Federation could be in danger. As well as the Klingon Empire and virtually anybody in this neck of the woods. And all these ugly buggers were concerned about are correcting mongrels to their proper genomes?

Gideon felt pity for Mickayla. He knew that she resented her Klingon side. Becoming full Klingon against her wishes seemed to push her over the edge. He could understand that she had to be inoculated, but all the same, Gideon felt sorry for her.

He took the last remaining gown and draped it over Mickayla, a gesture of kindness, then looked up at ugly Agrand with a wary expression and hard eyes.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #18 –
[ Lt. Cross | Unknown ] @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Multificionado

Cross could hear the thrumming strikes of something hitting the wall of the cell they currently occupied. The Vulcan pushed himself to his feet, holding the gown in one hand and using the other to support himself against the bulkhead as he staggered upright. Turning his head, he could see Mickayla as she repeatedly hammered her fist into the bulkhead. Cross took notice of the fact that the she-Klingon was completely naked as he struggled to get a hold of himself, straining to focus his mind as the Klingon’s vocalized rage boomed in his ears. The Vulcan turned and rested his back against the wall as he watched the scene, his teeth grinding as he took long deep breaths as part of his battle for control over his own mind.

Movement caught the Vulcan’s notice then, his eyed being drawn to the source. Some sort of apparatus moved on the ceiling, aiming itself at MacGregor’s back as she continued her hateful tirade against their captor. Cross opened his mouth to call out a warning, but too late. The cannon fired, striking MacGregor in the back. The Vulcan bit back a curse as the Klingon woman sagged, slumping against the section of bulkhead that now stood bloodied from her futile assault. Mickayla slid to the floor, and the Vulcan’s now keen hearing managed to pick out the words she whispered as silence fell over the cell.

”Royal was my race.”

Cross watched, mesmerized, as the bare flesh of Mickayla’s back rose and fell, proof of her continued survival. A sedative then. Cross found himself relieved that they hadn’t outright killed MacGregor as they had the other crewman in the fluid-filled pods. Cross shrugged into the medical gown that he had retrieved from the cell’s single bunk, securing it in place before stepping forward. Drake had draped another of the gowns over the still form of MacGregor, the thin material of the gown veiling much of her nakedness from view, though her bare shoulders and legs were still visible beyond the hem of the garment. Cross took more deep breaths as he drew closer to MacGregor, the greedy inhalations and forceful exhalations serving to take the edge off the rage that flowed through him. Cross spared only passing a glance for their captor, who appeared to be the same bulb-headed grey alien who had spoken to them before, though Cross couldn’t be certain. Between the fact that his mind was still clouded by the onslaught of his new emotions, and the fact that these aliens all looked alike, it could have been a completely different creature for all he knew. Cross knelt down beside MacGregor’s slumbering form and hesitantly reached a hand forward, resting it on Mickayla’s shoulder. It was only once his skin made contact with hers that he realized his mistake.

The momentary contact caused a spike in the chaotic battle within his head, his anger spiking once more. Cross reeled backwards, loosing his footing and ending up lying on the floor scrambling for footing as a growl resounded deep within him like some sort of feral creature. Cross turned his attention to Drake, his eyes wide and his teeth bared as he stared at his now Human one-time subordinate. The Vulcan’s eyes jumped from Drake to MacGregor, then to the window through which the grey alien who spoke to them stood peering in, then back to Drake as Cross scrambled backwards, his eyes holding a mixture of fear and hatred as he felt his back come into contact with the wall.

Focus on your breathing, Cross. Cross told himself amid the mental chaos, Breathe!

The Vulcan attempted to follow his own commands, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he forced the air in and out, concentrating on the sensation of the act as a focus for his mental struggle. He had to maintain control. If he lost himself, if he gave in to the rage that coursed through him, who knew what he would capable of.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #19 –
[ Agrand qi Versant | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] @Fife @Stegro88 @Multificionado
Once the Klingon female was incapacitated, or more accurately, unable to harm herself any further, Agrand lowered his tablet and folded his hands behind his back.

“You will be given individual contaiment cells in a couple of minutes, where you will bide your time until further notice. There might be some time before your release, but the Savi thank you for your patience. If the delay is extended, you may be relocated to an Observation Pen, where you will be able to mingle with other specimens. The Code compells us to ensure your health until the point of your release, and you will be healthier if you’re able to move about more. If this will be the case, you will be informed.”

Having said as much, Agrand raised his tablet again and tapped it with his finger, the phosphors in the bulkhead changing with a different kind of charge, rendering it non-transparent once more. Without any lingering thoughts upon the three specimens which he had Corrected, Agrand left the cells behind, typing the request to have them transported to individual cells on his tablet.

As he walked, he passed all the other cells by, many of them filled with other officers from the Endeavour. He counted himself fortunate to not having to Correct all of them alone, grateful that Cirand and the others were able to aid in their common tasks in the Correction Program.

OOC: Mutli and Fife, feel free to continue this as long as you wish, until your characters are transported out of the cell in a minute or two, leaving Mickayla behind.

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #20 –
[ Lieutenant JG Gideon Drake | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife
[Show/Hide]


Gideon was taken aback by his boss’s current behavior. And it took him a moment to realize that he, too, was missing ridges. Cross was full Vulcan. And right now, Cross was a fully cross Vulcan.

The way his eyes darted about, and his nearly uncontrollable behavior suggested that Cross had trouble controlling his emotions. He had met a Vulcan on the Starship Rabin who endured Pon Farr, and he hoped never to experience. Aside from the fact that it was unnerving to see a Vulcan lose his cool, he had learned the hard way that Vulcans can be extremely violent when they lose control of their emotions; he walked with a limp for a fortnight after that time, but his injury would’ve been worse if he didn’t have his phaser on him, with a stun setting strong enough to stun a mastodon. And now, here he was, in a cell, experiencing déjà vu, and this time he had no phaser on him. So he decided he can try something else.

“Boss?” he said. “Try to calm yourself. Breathe. Relax. Try to relax.”

He never thought he’d see himself trying to attempt to calm a berserker Vulcan, but Gideon was always a smooth talker, even more so since he grew up. It added to his handsome looks. He hoped he can get away with it before Cross loses control.

“I know it seems like a new experience for you,” he said. “We both may no longer be half-Bajorans, but I know the feeling. Calm yourself, relax.”

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #21 –
[ Lt. Cross | Unknown ] @Auctor Lucan @Multificionado @Stegro88

Cross heard Drake speak, the sound causing the Vulcan to roll his eyes towards the sound. His crazed eyes focused on Gideon, the Lieutenant Junior Grade who had been calling him “Boss” since he transferred aboard the Endeavour earlier that year. Truth be told, Cross had always found the man efficient, albeit somewhat arrogant. In Cross’ current state, the man was positively intolerable.

”Thank you, Drake.” Cross said in a low growl as the man told him to breathe, ”I wouldn’t have thought of that otherwise.” A part of Cross knew the Drake was simply trying to help. A part of Cross knew that Drake was hopelessly unequipped to deal with the situation they had found themselves in. A part of Cross felt grateful to the man for his attempts to help calm his superior officer. A part of Cross wanted to scream at the man to stay away.

Because another part of Cross, a much larger and angrier part of Cross, wanted to rip the man limb from limb. Of course I need to fucking breathe! Relax? How the fuck am I supposed to relax with all this rage inside! Why won’t he shut up?

Drake was speaking again, trying to empathize with Cross. He mad a tiny slip in his wording, however, when he stated that he knew how Cross felt. How could Drake possible know how he felt? How could he possibly understand the hurricane of emotions that coursed through the Vulcan, threatening to destroy him? Why did he insist on talking? Cross’ jaw clenched, his teeth grinding as the muscles ached. The veins in Cross’ temples bulged like pulsing green worms beneath his skin. How could he possibly know? How could he stand there so fucking calmly and say something so fucking stupid!?!

Before Cross knew what he was doing, he had lunged at the now-Human Drake, his hands finding purchase on the man’s shoulder and neck. ”<How could you possibly know?>” Cross growled, unaware that he was speaking in Cardassian, his primary language. ”<What is it you think you know?>” He snarled, his eyes bulging in anger as each word grew more menacing, ”<STOP TELLING ME TO RELAX!!>” As Cross roared the final words, he turned and heaved Gideon Drake, the strength he displayed following his correction surprising even him. Drake was sent soaring across the cell, striking the wall with a dull fleshy thud before crashing to the floor. Cross surged forward again, seeing red and well beyond rational thought at this point, his hands seeking Drake’s throat.

Drake was saved only by the timely initiation of the Savi’s transporter system. The shimmering light of the transport beam enveloped the Vulcan mid-lunge, his fingers mere inches from Drake’s throat as he disappeared from the containment cell.
 

Re: Chapter 02: Supplemental [ Day 01 | 0430 hrs ] Exsanguination

Reply #22 –
[ Lieutenant JG Gideon Drake | Containment Cells | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife
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Gideon had expected, sooner or later, that Cross would take his berserk behavior on him, but he didn’t expect it this quickly. As much as it unnerved him to see a Vulcan lose control of all emotion, what unnerved him more was the fact that Cross shouted in Cardassian. Gideon knew that language very well; he knew that they were words spoken by those he deemed undesirable, deplorable, abominable, the people who enslaved his home, his people, his mother. Hearing a Bajoran speak Cardassian never surprised him a bit; in fact, there were few Bajorans he met that didn’t speak Cardassian as a second language. But to hear a Vulcan speaking Cardassian when he was losing his cool…it was just shocking.

The next thing Gideon knew, he was tossed aside by his boss as easily as a child lifting a teddy. Gideon swore to himself that if the wall hadn’t been in the way, he would’ve flown another dozen meters. And the impact hurt. A lot.

He looked up to see Cross lunge at him, lunge at his throat. Gideon let out a scream, a scream that, had it been any few decibels higher, would’ve shattered glass. He had expected, at any bloody moment, to have his throat ripped out by his supervising officer. They would have…if the Savi transporter didn’t beam him away.

Alone in the cell, Gideon was gobsmacked at what he had seen. He experienced what he all too rarely felt: terror. Panic. Sheer, bloody panic. Few things scared him more than a berserker Vulcan.

“Th-thank you, Agrand,” said Gideon in a quiet shocked tone, grateful to the ugly bugger for the first and last time in his life.

Once Gideon calmed down, reason and logic overcame his panic. The fact that his boss knew Cardassian made him curious. It made him realize that he knew so little about Cross than he realized. And that he used to be half-Bajoran and half-Vulcan…where did he come from? And how did the Cardassians fit into the equation?

And, now that he got his bearings, he realized that he had the crap scared out of him. Literally.

- FIN

OOC: I enjoyed writing this post. It felt satisfying to show Gideon brought into panic. I was imagining him screaming almost like in the below video.
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