Star Trek: Theurgy

2378 - One Thing After Another

December 16, 2018, 01:07:10 PM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] Attn: @TWilkins
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Personal Log. Petty Officer First Class Mickayla MacGregor. On detached duty aboard the runabout USS Yarra from the USS Artemis.

After departing the Artemis late yesterday evening, the Yarra, in company with the USS Murrumbidgee, have proceeded at Warp 3 towards the colony of New Kalgoorlie. The colony reported a meteor impact near the colony that caused significant damage and multiple injuries. After they requested aid, the ship’s second officer was dispatched with 2 runabouts and 6 of crewmembers to render aid. The Artemis itself is currently responding to reports of several pirate attacks and is unable to come itself.

This is my first mission following my promotion to Petty Officer First Class and yet, despite the rank, I don’t feel as if my role as changed at all. Besides Lieutenant Commander Olsen, there is Lieutenant Dovey from Engineering and Lieutenant JG Kobol  from Medical. The remaining three members are Petty Officer Third Class Li from Medical, and Crewmen First Class Vinn and Choi from Security and Engineering respectively.

Our mission is to render aid to the colony such as we can until the Artemis arrives to assist.

End Log Entry.

Setting the PADD down, Mickayla climbed out of the bunk and stretched to work out the kinks before heading for the sole shower aboard. Thankfully it was empty and she could wake up properly before having to face anyone. In a way, she had it better than Dovey, Li and Vinn aboard the Murrumbidgee; she could have a shower. The benefits of being on board the runabaout with the medical/living module versus a cargo pod. 

Once dried and dressed, Mickayla headed for the rear of the craft to see about getting some food.

“Good morning Commander,” she greeted the senior officer as she entered, not seeing anyone else from her position at the door.

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #1 – December 17, 2018, 05:58:12 PM

[ Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

Elro’s ears picked up the accent of Officer MacGregor, a tone that distinguished her as much as the ridges on her forehead, as she strode into the aft compartment, greeting Commander Olsen politely with the typical good morning address. Elro had personally always found the phrase to be somewhat out-of-place in space, despite consistently using it himself. He supposed it was helpful to emulate a normal body-clock whilst off-world, but he still couldn’t help but ponder on it every time he heard it. It was never morning, afternoon, evening or night in space… It was just…

Elro felt his face twist into a scowl, his frustration reminding himself why it was best not to dwell on linguistic technicalities.

He heard the Commander return the greeting in suit, Elro returning himself to his work promptly, before some other linguistic quandary took him off-topic. He had to focus on the mission at hand. Injuries from a meteor impact would mostly be secondary, caused from structural damage and impact debris. They would be extensive, possible plasma burns from explosions, crush injuries, concussions, broken bones, lacerations… His mental triage continued in his mind, his hands compiling a list on a PADD of the equipment and medication that would be most essential on the ground.

The medical bay on the Yarra was lacklustre in comparison to the facilities of the sickbay aboard the Artemis, but the runabout had the core equipment and supplies that were likely to be required once the team was on the surface. The medical replicator would be capable of creating any simple medical gear that they didn’t have in stock, like braces, whilst the bay itself had a biobed, a full complement of medication and all the necessary equipment for a variety of wounds and conditions. Unless there were any grave complications, he was adequately stocked.

Unfortunately that didn’t do much to steady his mind.

Elro was glad for the security operatives that were accompanying them to the colony, particularly the half-Klingon woman sat across the room from him. Remote colonies on the fridges of Federation space often had minimal supplies, and were much more vulnerable to pirates and in-fighting over the few resources they possessed. The Betazoid had heard case studies at the Academy of Medical support staff being assaulted on site by desperate colonists clamoring for medication. He planned to keep his paracortex heightened, just in case.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, setting the PADD gently down on the counter and preoccupying himself sorting the medications he was expecting to need. Hydrocortilene would be essential with the risk of concussion as high as he expected, as would terakine for bone-breaking and crush injuries. Elro also selected some metorapan, knowing that the safer option of bicaridine would do the colonists no favours if and when they got addicted to it.

The Betazoid occupied himself with selecting the necessary medications to bring down, leaving anything that he wasn’t expecting to require. His mind was so absorbed by his task that he jumped in shock as the cordial voice of Lieutenant Dovey came through the comm system, making the Doctor sigh softly and mentally steel himself for the next few hours.

[Ladies and Gentlemen we’re soon to be approaching the upper atmosphere, so I suggest you all get your fill of breakfast before we head on down…]

Elro's ears pricked once again as Lieutenant Dovey’s charming voice resonated through the comm, making Elro reach up and palm at his cheeks trying not to blush at his pathetically schoolboy crush he seemed to have on the ridiculously handsome Engineer. Dovey had a resonating pleasantness and light hearted humour that was practically intoxicating. Elro didn’t see why anyone wouldn’t be attracted to him. His happy go lucky, friends with everyone, perfect smile, life. Elro grumbled softly to himself as he felt a blush creep on his cheeks.

Why did he always fall for a pretty face?

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #2 – December 29, 2018, 05:46:39 AM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ]
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Mickayla was halfway through biting into her food when she heard Lieutenant Dovey over the intercom announcing their approach of New Kalgoorlie. 

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Commander Olsen replied before drinking the last of his coffee. “Time to go to work Petty Officer,” he said to Mickayla as he climbed to his feet.

“Yes, sir,” Mickayla replied, hurriedly chewing and swallowing the mouthful she had before following. Personally, she would not have agreed with how Olsen had split up their party between the two ships. As it was, the decision to have all three officers, AND, the senior non-com present all aboard the same vessel was tactically disastrous. If something happened to the Yarra, it would leave the 3 least experienced personnel on their own. In her opinion, Lieutenant Dovey should have been aboard the Murrumbidgee while Crewman Choi should have been here. But this wasn’t her command.

Entering the cockpit, Mickayla stood to the side as Olsen sat down next to Dovey and began to access the controls.

“Looks like our initial scans were pretty accurate,” Olsen noted. “The meteor impacted approximately 34km from the site of the colony, within this mountain range. Lots of atmospheric debris. It’s going to be a cold few years.”

“Sir,” Dovey called. “Incoming hail from the colony.”

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #3 – January 07, 2019, 09:58:08 AM

[ Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

Elro scarcely noticed the departure of his comrades from the back room of the craft, his mind too absorbed in the final check of his compilation of the equipment to give them more than a sliver of his attention. They failed to mention their departure to the Doctor, working away in his corner, but that neither surprised nor bothered Elro. He was more than content to exist and work in his own company.

It was the first time, since his promotion, that Elro had been the ranking medical officer on an assignment, and to start with one of such magnitude was a considerable test of his competence. Of course, he’d been put in charge of Sickbay plenty of times, given his own little projects to complete without supervision and the like, but this was different. The Artemis was gone, and Elro was alone. If he made the wrong call, his superior wouldn’t be there to suggest an alternative…

Elro didn't have any particular doubts about his ability; he knew this was a situation that he was capable of managing. However, he had a limited team, limited to just himself and Petty Officer Li, who wasn’t exactly renowned for her ability to cope well under pressure. Half of Elro wished that they had been on the same transport, so that he could have helped prepare her for what they would be facing… The other half of him was glad that she wasn’t stationed on the same vessel as him… She was known to be a nervous talker.

It didn’t take long for Elro to finish organising the medications inside the storage container, his deft hands making sure that the medications were separated into sections, just in case he needed a non-medical Officer to serve as nurse, before he sealed the container and straightened himself up. Alongside the medications, he had several containers of equipment, hyposprays, dermal regenerators, an autosuture… Elro was hoping that some of the equipment would be simple enough for some of the non-medical crew to use; Elro wouldn’t be having time to waste on minor burns and lacerations when there would no doubt be more comprehensive injuries needing his attention.

With everything he expected to need ready to go, he stood from his stool and began the laborious task of packing all of the gear into a shoulder bag, ready to be carried down to the site. It was a particularly tight fit, and Elro couldn’t help by wince at how heavy it was once he zipped it and hoisted it onto his shoulder; he wondered whether it was appropriate to ask Petty Officer MacGregor to carry it for him… He supposed not…

Elro hoised the uncomfortable bag up onto his shoulder, ready to disembark, and made a move to head back to the rest of the team in the main compartment. However, as he stepped towards the door, he felt a hard jolt rock through the ship, nothing considerable enough to knock him off of his feet, but enough to alarm him. Debris perhaps? A meteor impact would leave significant debris in the atmosphere; he knew that well enough from his classes at the Academy. A second jolt however, rapidly followed the first, making him hiss through his teeth as he almost lost his footing.

Elro suddenly felt eager to rejoin the rest of the crew…

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #4 – January 13, 2019, 12:05:46 PM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ]
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“As you can see and feel, the impact has dislodged an incredible amount of debris into the atmosphere. Only one of the ship’s we have is flyable at the moment due to damage and it struggled to make orbit just to send the distress signal,” said the woman on the screen.

Mickayla had been worried at first when the ship had begun to shake but Dovey had quickly explained that it was debris from the impact to ease her nerves. Olsen had been busy speaking with the woman about the damage to the colony when conversation had deviated to the debris.

“Well I can have the engineers with us look at your craft but their primary goals will be ensuring the stability of your infrastructure,” Olsen replied to the woman.

“Surely your starship has a few crew to spare to look at ours,” the woman said firmly.

“Perhaps I wasn’t clear before,” Olsen noted as Mickayla wondered if they were about to land in a shitfight. “I have two runabouts with me from the Artemis. But the Artemis herself is not here as they have been ordered to investigate several pirate sightings before they head here. It could be as long as a week before they arrive.”

“But I thought...” the woman began as Mickayla heard footsteps approaching behind her.

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #5 – January 30, 2019, 03:52:13 PM

[ Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

Elro approached hesitantly, not wishing to interrupt the conversation taking place between Commander Olsen and the the rattled looking woman appearing before them on the viewscreen. Evidently one of the colonists who didn’t appear too appreciative of the Commander’s replies to her questioning.

“But I thought… No, we requested the aid of a Starship.” The woman sounded disheartened at first, but it quickly turned to a defencive stance. “Our community depends on our ships for more than just ferrying people from place to place; without them we are defenceless, easy pickings for pirates or raiders. Are you telling me that the Federation could only spare a handful of Officers to help our entire community?” She was angry now, Elro could tell that much without needing to rely on his empathic abilities.

“I’m sorry…” Commander Olsen took a deliberate pause. “As I said, we can have an Engineer look at the ships, but without more supplies and materials we will be limited in our means to repair anything.” The woman almost visibly bristled about the answer she had been provided with. “But as I said, we have medical supplies and Officers, emergency rations, and we will do everything we can to get your essential systems back up and running…”

The woman didn’t seem much satisfied with the response she had received, but she did duly acknowledge it with a stalwart chin that made Elro feel very lucky that he wasn’t in Commander Olsen’s position. She would no doubt continue her attempt to haggle him once they reached the surface.

“I’m sorry to interrupt Commander, but we’re about to enter the troposphere and I’d recommend that you take a seat. This might be my roughest landing since flight school. I can barely find a stable landing sight less than a kilometer out from the colony…” Lieutenant Dovey reported, Elro looking over his shoulder as he began to make out a somewhat clear image of the conditions on the surface.

The impact crater was clearly visible, even from their high altitude. Elro was no expert in disaster management outside of a medical perspective, but with such an impact, he sorely wondered whether the planet would even recover from such a catastrophic event. Perhaps the woman was right. Without their ships, if conditions on the planet became inhospitable, what choice would the colonists have to survive?

Elro gritted his teeth. This mission was going to be much more trying than he had thought.

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #6 – February 05, 2019, 12:10:22 PM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] Attn: @TWilkins
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“Well, this is definitely going to be an interesting week,” Mickayla thought to herself as she exited the bridge past Lieutenant Kobol . The crater had been impressive to see but it didn’t hold her attention as its appearance wouldn’t affect her mission. The effects it was causing for the colony; those were another story.

The colonists were on edge, desperate and that made them potentially dangerous. And it was her job to make sure it didn’t come to that. The runabout shook and Mickayla had to brace herself against the bulkhead but she continued her progress aft until she reached the arms locker. Entering the code, the locker opened and Petty Officer MacGregor withdrew a Type-II Pulse Phase Pistol. Checking its energy levels, Mickayla reached under the locker and took out a holster and proceeded to belt it around her waist before dropping the phaser into it.

“Petty Officer,” Commander Olsen called from the cockpit door as Mickayla reached for a rifle. “I don’t think the situation calls for that at this time.”

“Yes sir,” Mickayla acknowledge before closing and sealing the locker again. “Times change though,” Mickayla said to herself as she moved over to one of the rear seats and sat down. If Dovey had a rough landing, she wanted to be seated for it.

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #7 – February 28, 2019, 03:05:24 PM

[Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra] @Stegro88

By the time Dovey had managed to straighten the shuttle out, inbound to a landing site, Elro had been holding his seat with a white-knuckled grip for such a long time that he imagined he'd need medical assistance just to pry his fingers away from the arm-rests. He’d taken a seat at the science station, his trusty first aid kit strapped around his torso, whilst the ship buckled and bumped through the air, daring lurches to the side with little-to-no warning from their daring pilot making Elro’s stomach threaten to erupt in protest…

Evidently, the conditions weren’t ideal for flight.

“Phew…” Dovey weaved a touch of comedy into his voice. “Well, that’s one for the logs.” He let out a light chuckle, and Elro imagined that a medical tricorder would be revealing him for the adrenaline junkie he must have been to be able to find such an endeavour amusing. “Shouldn’t be too tough for the rest though. Easy flying.”

Elro hoped that the man was right, unsure whether his stomach could withstand much more turbulence than it had already endured. Instead, the Doctor busied himself with using the science consoles to check the atmospheric scans, trying to establish how safe the conditions on the surface would be, in order to best prepare for whatever scenario they would be facing at the colony site. He wasn't a scientist, but as a Medical Officer, he was probably more qualified than the rest of the crew to interpret the data.

Regardless, he was planning to leave most of the interpretation to the computer.

The readings demonstrated exactly what he would have expected from an impact of this magnitude. Dust, ash and debris were sacturating the atmosphere, and the surface temperature had already decreased from what it had been when the Artemis had conducted its preliminary scans. It appeared as though wildfires had broken out somewhere as well, judging from the amount of carbon dioxide that he was reading.

The planet was not in good shape.

“Judging from what I can see here, we’re looking at a perfect scenario for planet-wide impact winter.” Elro softly spoke aloud, tapping through a few different readings on the screen. “According to computer projections, the planet has about an 87% chance of descending into a ice-age, based on current atmospheric conditions.”

Elro paused, grimly.

“I don’t imagine the population here would survive... Wait?" Elro paused, freezing the scan of the atmospheric concentrations he had in front of him. He checked the data, double checked, then triple checked just to be sure.

"Commander there seemes to be some sort of unsusual toxin present in the atmosphere here... The Federation database isn't recognising it..." Elro paused, running all of the analysis scans he could manage from the shuttle's sensors. Then he moved his chair slightly, turning his head to peer over his shoulder at Olsen. "It might be harmless..."  Elro paused, pondering it in his head. "But, permission to beam a sample aboard for analysis?"

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #8 – March 07, 2019, 01:10:05 AM

[ Lieutenant Commander Olsen | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ]

“Permission granted, Lieutenant,” Commander Olsen acceded as he skimmed the panel in front of him. “But make it quick. We have a lot of people wanting our help. Lieutenant Dovey, how long until we land?”

“Five minutes, maximum, sir,” Dovey replied confidently. “The Murrumbidgee should land about three minutes after we do.”

“Excellent,” Olsen acknowledged as he stood. “I’ll be back in a moment,” the Commander advised before exiting the cockpit. Taking a moment to relieve himself, unsure when he would get a chance to later, Olsen squashed the feeling in his gut that said this mission was not everything it seemed. He had feelings like this before and nothing came of them. Of course, he had also had mission that went completely pear-shaped before they had completed the first objective. All he could do was go forward one step at a time.

“How are you holding up MacGregor?” Olsen asked as he exited the small washroom on the runabout and saw the half-Klingon security officer sitting strapped into a seat. “Dovey says we are through the worst of it and that it is easy flying for the rest of it.”

“I’ll be glad when we’re down sir,” MacGregor admitted. “I’m more comfortable when I can control what’s under my feet.”

“Won’t be long now,” Olsen reassured the petty officer before heading back to the cockpit. “What do we have Kobol ?”

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #9 – March 26, 2019, 08:59:47 AM

[ Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

“Apologies, Commander…” Elro softly replied as Olsen addressed him, asking him whether he’d achieved anything of his analysis of the unidentified toxin present in the atmosphere within the few minutes that the Commander had been absent from the cockpit. Toxicology was his speciality, but he was working with unfamiliar calibrations, not to mention that he needed to run a simulation of the toxin to work out what sort of effect it would have on the human body. Commander Olsen was a good commander, but not exactly a man who best understood scientific means. “The sample is aboard and the biofilters are all satisfied with transport containment… But unfortunately I haven’t had time to finalise a simulation yet, much less run one…”

Elro’s fingers whizzed across the panel in front of him, tapping commands in and bringing up additional information as quick as he could. Whilst the computer wasn’t ready to give him any information or simulated data, it had performed initial scans that would contain some raw data that Elro could construct a some ideas from. It was a bit of a slap-dash method of doing toxin identification, but he could do his best.

“From the computer’s preliminary scans, which are limited... “ Elro paused, his eyes scanning through the litany of complex information in front of him whilst using the database to search for any compositions that might prove dangerous to him or the rest of the crew. “It looks to be some sort of chemical compound, composed of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen…” Elro furrowed his eyes as if he didn’t fully trust what he was reading.

“It might be completely organic, something innate caused by flora that might have been disturbed from the impact…” Elro began, knowing that he wouldn’t need to provide any useful information without running a few simulations. It wasn’t like he had a dedicated chemistry lab to work with… The runabout was lacklustre to say the least. “But, equally, it could be some sort of synthetic poison or a bioweapon of some sort… There’s no evidence to support that, but their wouldn’t necessarily be any… Either way, it’s not concentrated enough that we needn’t be concerned; I’ll set up some simulations to run whilst we’re out and check with some of the scientists on the ground to see if it’s indigenous to the planet.”

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #10 – April 02, 2019, 11:51:07 AM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra | New Kalgoorlie ] Attn: @TWilkins
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“Let me know when you have results,” Olsen directed the medical officer. “Mr Dovey, how are we looking?”

“About to touchdown,” the pilot replied to his commanding officer. “Hold on to something.” Mickayla did as instructed even as she contemplated the idea that a gentle, relaxed landing still warranted the warning to hang on. A subtle jolt later and the runabout was down.

“Thank you Lieutenant Dovey. Please signal the Artemis that we have landed and are beginning operations and then join me outside please,” Olsen ordered before turning to Kobol . “Doctor Kobol , once you have set up your simulations, please join us as well. MacGregor, with me,” Olsen ordered, turning towards the craft’s entry. Mickayla fell into step behind him and exited the craft.

The transition from the warm interior of the runabout to the crisp, cool air of the planet was startling. It couldn’t be more than 16-18 degrees Celsius outside, though whether that was normal for this location, Mickayla didn’t know. 

“Reminds me of home, at least a little,” Mickayla thought to herself as she fell into step behind Lieutenant Commander Olsen as he walked towards a group of approaching colonists. In the lead was the woman from the earlier, looking not entirely impressed at their arrival.

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #11 – April 02, 2019, 02:56:56 PM

Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

Elro’s fingers flicked deftly across his console, finalising the set up of the simulation as he heard Lieutenant Dovey signaling a message back to the Artemis to inform them of their current progress. He knew it was procedure to check in regularly, but if something happened that facilitated an urgent message, there was no was the Artemis would make it back in time to do anything in a dire situation.

Still, protocol was protocol, and Elro was hardly one to dismiss it.

“Lieutenant…” Elro began, his face relatively unchanged as he tapped the correct commands to begin the simulation of the atmospheric toxin they had encountered. “Any update on the progress of the Murrumbidgee? I could do with Li’s help on the ground as soon as possible.” Elro didn’t intend to be splitting the triage equally with the junior officer, he intended to keep Li primarily using a dermal regenerator to tend to minor burns and abrasions, and leave the serious stuff to him. It wasn’t that he doubted her abilities, though he somewhat was hesitant to put her in any position of pressure; it was more that he was the more experienced officer and he was still supervising her. He couldn’t adequately supervise her and do his job at the same time, therefore, he needed to put her in a role where supervision wasn’t as necessary.

“They’re still in the air, looks like they might be setting down a little bit of a distance from here…” Dovey replied as he stood, twisting himself to look down at one of the monitors and giving Elro a rather substantial view of black material stretching over his arse, enough to make the Betazoid turn away with a warmth upon his face. “I can give you a hand if you’d like?”

“That depends if you know how to use a dermal regenerator, Lieutenant.” Elro returned, shrugging the painfully heavy shoulder back up onto his shoulder and turning to leave the cabin. “It might not be the most prudent time for a crash course.”

“Hey, I’m a damn quick study.” Dovey returned with a laugh, clapping a hand on Elro’s shoulder that made the Betazoid a tad uncomfortable, before the human walked down the exit ramp and put on a stonier face. Elro followed suit, noting the comfortable air temperature being something that was far more reminiscent of England than the Artemis was.

He glanced over at Officer MacGregor and Commander Olsen, noting that the colonists they were engaging with did not look particularly excited about their arrival, before he followed suit hesitantly, his hand moving down to palm the phaser on his waist he was required to have during away missions…

He hadn’t shot one since the academy…

He sincerely hoped he wasn’t going to be getting a crash course in phaser fights anytime soon…

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #12 – April 14, 2019, 10:23:03 AM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra | New Kalgoorlie ] Attn: @TWilkins
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“I hate diplomacy some times,” Mickayla thought to herself as she listened to Commander Olsen and the colonists talk back and forth. She wasn’t paying attention to their whole conversation, she was here to make sure Commander Olsen was safe, not to eavesdrop on him. Still though, she was able to pick out some of what was said, and she didn’t like it one bit.

“Seems like the colonists feel like they should have been sent a full starship to fix up their planet rather than just a pair of runabouts,” Mickayla noted as her eyes scanned the crowd for anyone wanting to start anything more than a discussion. “They aren’t listening when the Commander tells them that we are just the forward team for a starship that has a prior mission to resolve first. Damn but do I prefer an assault course to this. Make it a live fire one to add some spice.”

Movement from the runabout drew her attention and she saw Lieutenant’s Dovey and Kobol  disembarking just as the Murrumbidgee broke through the clouds above and flew over their position. More grumbling from the crowd drew Mickayla’s attention back to it and she shifted her stance just as the two officers joined the group.

“Glad you could join us, sirs.”

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #13 – April 26, 2019, 03:02:03 PM

[ Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

Elro had extended his telepathy to the rag-tag group of colonists as soon as he had them within his eyeline, sensing the blurred mist of thoughts that slurried out of the crowd before him. He wasn’t attempting to get the read of any particular individual, but to rather, gauge the intent of the entire group. If one of the colonists decided to consider an aggressive move, the Betazoid wanted to be the first to know.

As he and Lieutenant's Dovey approached the mob, they were acknowledged by Officer MacGregor, whom Elro easily realised was greatly displeased by the initial progress of the negotiations with the colonists. Elro himself, was simply frustrated that the colonists felt the need to negotiate at all; he and the others had arrived with supplies and medical care. Instead of barricading them at the landing site, perhaps their leader should have realised that the wellfair of her people was far more important than sulking because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted…

Lieutenant Dovey passed the half-Klingon and moved up to the side of the Commander, who seemed appreciative of the help. Elro however, lingered back, not feeling entirely comfortable with what he was getting from the colonists. There was nothing especially untoward, the frustration was something he had expected, as was the confusion, the fear… But someone in the mob was feeling something particularly unusual… Perhaps more than one, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

It was almost like a fog, just lingering above their perceptions. He tried to focus on them, noting that they knew what was happening and what was going on, but they weren’t quite taking it in. It was though they were more concerned about something else, but Elro, nor apparently they, knew exactly what it was…

“Commander…” Elro hesitantly took a step forward, his dark eyes apprehensively scanning the crowd. Then, as he watched their denoted ‘leader’ glance towards him, noting his movement like a deer hearing a twig snap in the forest… She was agitated, even irate, Elro was sure her emotional state hadn’t been so volatile a few moments ago… The Betazoid focussed, and got the slightest glimpse of her thoughts… They made his neck go cold...

We need to get out of here… We can’t let anyone else get taken… If we overpower them, we can take that ship…

The thought wasn’t particularly foreplanned, but even as a passing thought, Elro couldn’t risk not acting on it. If they wanted to, the colonists greatly outnumbered the Starfleet crew, and even though they wouldn’t be well armed, Elro didn’t fancy his chances. He needed to warn someone.

But how? Dovey and Olsen were too close to the colonists for the Betazoid to warn without warning their potential aggressors too… Elro instead chose to explore the other option, turning and crouching down to investigate something in his pack, whilst making sure to step solidly on the half-Klingon’s foot… Elro wasn’t a master of stealth, but having a six foot three man step on her foot was bound to get her attention.

“They’re thinking about taking the ship…” Elro muttered as loud as he dared, hoping that he had the woman’s attention. “They’re worried about something taking them... I think she's going to try something..."

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #14 – May 17, 2019, 01:50:41 PM

[ PO1 Mickayla MacGregor | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra | New Kalgoorlie ] Attn: @TWilkins
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Mickayla was confused. Despite them being here to help the colony in their time of need, the colonists themselves seemed more argumentative than they should be, even if they were expecting a starship and got runabouts instead. It was more like they felt they needed the starship because it was a starship; for whatever reason that might be.

What was worse, was that no mater what Commander Olsen said to try to calm and placate them just seemed to agitate them further. Lieutenant Dovey’s arrival moments earlier hadn’t helped matters in the slightest. The crowd had seemed to wrap around the two officers, threatening to engulf them. Mickayla had been about to take a step forward when she felt a sharp pain in her foot and looked down to see that Lieutenant Kobol  had stepped on it, quite deliberately.

"They're thinking about taking the ship..." the man whispered. "They're worried about something taking them... I think she's going to try something...”

“Wonderful,” Mickayla deadpanned as she looked back up to analyse the situation. Activating her communicator, she contacted the Murrumbidgee. “Murrumbidgee, this is MacGregor. I want you to disregard landing and return to our position immediately. We might have a situation here.”

“Understood,” one of them, Mickayla wasn’t sure who, replied. “On our way.” That sorted, Mickayla moved forward, having decided to try and intervene before things turned ugly.

“Excuse me for interrupting, sir,” Mickayla apologised. “I just wanted to find out where the rest of the colony’s inhabitants were. Everyone here seems well enough and we thought we’d get started on treating the injured,” Mickayla explained before turning to the woman that was seemingly in charge. “There are injured here, correct?”

Re: 2378 - One Thing After Another

Reply #15 – November 09, 2019, 02:31:37 PM

[ Lieutenant JG Elro Kobol | Danube-class Runabout USS Yarra ] @Stegro88

Elro watched patiently as he saw the half-Klingon approach the disgruntled Colonists, asking about injured crewmen in a manner that Elro was sure would make the Commander’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. She was far better at the handling of volatile situation than the Doctor was… Elro found far more comfort in test tubes and wounds than he did in social situations poised on the precipice of havoc.

The Betazoid considered stepping forwards, bolstering the Officer’s question by offering his expertise. Yet he hesitated. These people had no reason to know that Elro was a Betazoid. In the smoggy air, they wouldn’t see his eyes, and for some unknown reason, nobody ever assumed that the tallest man of the group would be a Betazoid… Evidently, the social expectation of a Betazoid was for one to be small and delicate.

Yet if they knew that he was a Betazoid, they would no doubt assume their minds had been read, go on the offensive…

“W-we do…” The woman returned to the Officer, her teeth grit in an almost feral manner. Her words continued, but Elro’s attention was stolen by a soft beep coming from the vessel behind them, the ship that he’d only left a few minutes prior. It wasn’t an operational sound, it was the sound of a medical console.

He fished his PADD out from his pocket, opening up the data-sync and observing the information it provided him.

His simulation of the toxin had only just begun, but flagged something disturbing.

A chemical compound, lingering only in a trace amount in the air. He didn’t recognise it, but the database certainly did. A mood-altering narcotic, that, even in small doses, was known to cause paranoia, aggressive and violent impulses, emotional volatility… The database concluded that it was known to be used in interrogations by criminals, pairing prisoners against each-other, making them prime for blood sport…

The quantities he had analysed weren’t enough to be harmful… Anymore…

His mind raced through vague ideas of dispersion and concentration, establishing what the necessary part per million would be to have such an impact on the Colonists, before his neck went cold. He produced his tricorder from his pocket and removed the scanning module, quietly approaching behind the other officers as he approached close enough to get a reading.

“Kobol ?” Dovey’s voice snapped him out of his data-trance, making his dark eyes snap up to see a considerable amount of attention affixed on him. He opened his mouth to hurry out a messy reply, before his tricorder confirmed his concerns. The chemical was present in their host’s bloodstream in a high enough quantity to be severely affecting her judgement.

“Commander I…” He glanced up, his dark eyes widening maniacally as he noted that with all the attention in his direction, none of them were able to see the piece of broken conduit being swung violently towards the Commander’s head.