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Topic: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station (Read 7239 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #25 –
[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Cargo Bay | Azurite Station ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus @Stegro88 [Show/Hide]
What had shocked Valyn the most had been perhaps most shocking of all, the violence. Violence was her birthright. She was no stranger to it. What shocked her about it was just how much it took to actually take one of them down. Not two, not five, not ten. Only one, had to be blown into pieces to be stopped. The realization that this was an enemy they likely would never be able to face head on, dawned over her as she sat there on the deck of that accursed hangar.

She sat there, thinking for what seemed like a longer time than was likely appropriate but in reality, it had only been seconds, and her senses were still firing on every cylinder. She heard the team approaching behind her, and finally offered movement when she felt the hand on her shoulder. It was a welcoming, and grounding feeling. It instantly snapped her back into the moment. Her face still showed a face of concern, not only because of their nearly invincible enemy, but also because for the first time…she’d paused. Sure, she knew what was happening around her but still, she’d paused for only a moment. It wasn’t something she’d allow to happen again.

“Got it.” She spoke clearly and instantly shot herself to her feet. She felt the telltale feeling in her legs, the subtle tingling and…looseness. Almost as if her thighs were made of some sort of controlled gelatin. She was being driven by training, and adrenaline was the fuel by which she ran. Collecting her weapon, she aimed to cover the team as they withdrew.

She stood of her own volition, but did give Tucker a direction to cover along with her, splitting their sectors with perfect overlap between them. For a split second it seemed quiet…until she heard the moaning. Until she heard the pained caterwauling that could only be conjured by the mindless. A sound of a truly maddening sorrow and frenzy. A sound she’d never forget. Each horrific mew was once the voice of a Starfleet officer. Of a comrade.

Quickly, she climbed aboard, heading towards the fore of the ship to take station. From the viewport she saw them beginning to pour into the cargo bay. It was nothing short of a horde, limbs scratching, clawing, and reaching over one another, the ultimate competition to see who would seize the pray aboard the ship.

“Holy shit.” She muttered, quickly tapping in a command to raise shields. “We gotta move!” She shouted back to the rest of the crew. Her charges were set. The moment they were clear they’d blow the station to bits.

They’d end the suffering of every soul aboard.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #26 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Azurite Station ]

"Flesh-puppets, how much darkness have you seen on your voyage?" came the question from the vile entity that held control and sway over the vessel that once housed Theodore's being.

It was not within Starfleet's training or policies to seriously contemplate or consider the position of their enemies if said enemies were driven by a state of utmost contempt or could not be negotiated with. Not unless they were extenuating circumstances...given the nature of their mission and how these beings had changed her life - the question came at her quite hard.

"I speak of the darkness in living beings. The darkness of the soul. I know you have seen it..."

Seen it? She had experienced it, she might not have fully remembered the source of her darkness. But she had been present in the suffering of others throughout the Theurgy's voyage through the stars, and while she had not experienced it all first hand. She knew exactly what kind of 'darkness' the entity was referring too. The capacity to make others suffer, to need to languish in sinful indulgence, the ability to justify misdeeds and cruelty.

Her dark thoughts were quickly halted however by Ida's counter-argument and sure enough the two were soon locked in a philosophical debate regarding the nature of Humanoid life and the prospect of Nihilism in 'lower tiered' life forms. The argument would continue to unfold and seconds would approach minutes. Throughout it all; Cir'Cie remained silent and motionless - yet her emotions were not still. They toiled and swirled within her as the faux-Cartwright's words hacked at her internal stability like a biting axe to the trunk of a tree.

Before she even had a chance to interject within a modicum of sense or logic that could be assembled from the maelstrom of conflicted thoughts and feelings that swirled within her; she was forced back to reality and to the severity of the situation at hand as the manic and contorted form of Cartwright attempted to savage her; only to be greeted by the righteous flurry of phaser bolts that stemmed forth from the phaser rifle pointed at the fiend.

It was what she needed - she had not found the experience cathartic at all. If anything she had a series of questions to heavily consider in regards to herself and the mission. But she knew for certain that Nihilism and a love of all things dark and fatalistic was NOT the answer.

Clenching her fists and exhaling through her nostrils; she quickly followed after Ida - desperate to return back to the Theurgy to shower, clear her head and relief her emotional stress...in whatever way might be necessary. The air had gotten to her long enough and after her mental assault from earlier; her grip on emotional discipline through the teachings of Surak were failing her once more.

With the desperate run back to the hangar, the mission objectives no longer being considered tenable and the fact they had recovered a sample of the Niga strain - all that remained now was the imminent destruction of the station for this expedition to be considered a success, Phyrric or otherwise. Cir'Cie did all she could to stay close Ida, occasionally venting out a burst of phaser fire from her pistol to keep any decadent and frenzied victims from trying to slow them down or pin them down for an ultimate rapture.

Seeing the sight of Cross covering the Apache gave her some measure of re-assurance, but she wasted no time in boarding the Apache to secure both herself and the sample she had acquired from the mess hall before then taking her filtration mask off and letting out a sharp exhale of both simultaneous relief and anxiety - safe she and the others might be on the Apache, the scenario would be far from over until they finally returned to the comfort and security of the Theurgy.

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #27 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Cargo Hold | The Apache | Approach Vector: Azurite Station] ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia 

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What transpired on the hasty retreat back to The Apache would linger in Sarresh's sleeping conscious for some time to come. Just another nightmare to keep him from getting a good sleep between shifts. Another stain on his young 'humanity'. Something that had to be done and then dealt with after the fact. Honestly, it would be an additional motivator for him to go see a professional, if he could arrange one with high enough clearance to deal with the fact that he occasionally got glimpses into his past, their future, in the form of seizures and that he was starting to learn more than he was supposed to. 

Or he could do as the Late Blue Tiran would tell him, and get shitfaced drunk. Simpler, and more appealing, especially now that the Theurgy seemed to be well stocked in real alcoholic drinks. It was more of a punishment if it hurt a bit the next morning. A price paid, small as it was, in penance for what he was doing now. Who he was leaving behind as the white orange glow of a phaser beam smashed into a half dressed Bolian that stumbled into the corridor, attempting to arrest their attempt to flee the red zone that this station had become. Ground Zero for Niga 2.0.

Bursting into the landing bay on the heels of the others, Sarresh gasped down breath as he hurried over to their ship, sending off another stray beam over his shoulder, not even looking to see who, or what he hit. He itched to switch to wide beam settings now that they were in open ground, but he knew the dispersal pattern of the beam would weaken the blast such that those infected would not be stopped as he'd hoped. Targeted fire was still the best bet.

The real surprise for the former Ash'reem was the way the other teams returned, heralded by the echo's of pain, pleasure and phasers, scampering across the bay. Rushing up, and rushing in, Sarresh reaching out to steady more than one, ushering them up the loading ramp. Then it was his turn, his feet pounding up and into the ship, a dull throb in each, from too much running.  He threw himself down into one of the seats, watching as Cross boarded last. A part of the Scientist had wanted to be the last one in, holding the line, grimace on his face; the rest of him understood that he had data that needed to get back to the ship, and the he himself was too good an asset to leave on rear guard, in the event that someone got a lucky shot. 

"And this isn't even the worst cluster-fuck I've seen," he gasped out as he struggled to steady his breath, the thought having slipped past his lips and common sense. Reaching up, he raked his hands through his hair, his head falling forward for a moment, but only a few heart beats, before he forced himself to sit upright. Sarresh knew if he stayed bent over like that he'd end up losing his last meal all over his boots. He'd seen enough disgusting acts that day, and would not let his own exhaustion and roiling nerves add to the problem.

A tale tell jolt ran through the sleek craft, repulsor-lifts engaging, thrusters firing, the vehicle lifting up and speeding away from the horrors that were left behind. Trusting that Samala and Valyn would get them clear of the blast range, Sarresh reached out and tapped up a command on one of the rear station monitors in the back. Pulling up the external sensor feed, he redirected the image to focus on the rapidly retreating form of the hidden station. Glancing at the others, he declared, "The least we can do is watch and make sure it really goes. We owe it to all of them to bear witness. To not forget the price...'

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #28 –
[ CM3 Samala | Floor | Azurite Station | Federation Space ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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She ran. She ran as if her life depended on it. And it did. The charges were set, and she knew in her heart that those with the detonators would not hesitate to blow them if they were unable to escape. Better to die in fire than to live and spread whatever had been released further. And Samala found herself agreeing with that sentiment. If those were her only options, then she would also choose death. Until then, she would fight as hard as she could to live. And that will to live pushed her to pump her legs faster.

The pilot exploded into the hanger bay, seeing her ship ahead of her, the open embrace of the rear ramp welcoming her back into its secure confines. She saw other members of the Theurgy’s nearing the ship but she dashed past them, eager to begin the start-up sequence for the Apache so that they could leave this place behind them. Stepping onto the ramp, Samala weaved past an armoured figure and continued on to the cockpit. 

Falling into the seat, she frantically began bringing systems online and had just finished when word came through that everyone was aboard. Samala didn’t waste another moment, she increased power to the Apache’s engines and guided the ship out of the hanger bay. Once clear, she moved them away from the asteroid before bringing the ship to a stop and spinning back around to face the hidden installation.

“We are clear and at a safe distance,” she announced before double checking that the shields were up.
 

Re: Day 01 [2045 hrs.] Resident Niga: Azurite Station

Reply #29 –
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | The Apache | Leaving Azurite Station ]
Attn: @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon @UltimaImperatrixia @Brutus @Stegro88 
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After ascending the ramp to the Apache, Deputy zh'Wann found a seat in the large compartment just inside, securing herself there along with the rest. Given the development in the shuttle bay, where the infected Niga victims spilled into the area in pursuit of the Theurgy crew, Ida's heart was beating fast, adrenaline lacing her cobalt blood, but once the ramp was retraced and the airlock sealed shut in the nick of time, she released a breath she hadn't realised she'd kept.

Not long after, Ida had removed the helmet of her exosuit, and once the Apache was out of the shuttle bay, she unbuckled herself and got to her feet. Sarresh had spoken up, directing external sensors towards Azurite Station, and the CONN Officer at the helm soon announced that they had cleared the expected blast radius. Glancing towards the former Ash'reem, she agreed that if they were to detonate the charges, the least they could do was to witness the merciful end for those already lost. The cost of duty would be high, given the mission parameters, and the risks posed by this vile virus. Clenching her jaw, she raised her chin - blue eyes peeled on the live feed of Azurite Station.

Commander Cross raised his voice. "We owe to them to ensure this is a quick so let's end this," he said, and then... he gave the order. "Blow the charges."

At his word, Ida squinted at the sudden light from the screen as the asteroid came apart in in a succession of soundless detonations. Eventually, when the conflagrations had faded, only stone and metal remained - spinning through the dark void of space.

The vile contamination was gone... save for the sample collected and whatever spores clung to clothing and skin. Knowing this, even whilst the live feed of the bygone station was still on the screen, she began to solemnly remove her exosuit, piece by piece. All of the crew would be undergoing decontamination with a pre-configured setting in the sonic showers, either aboard the Apache or the Erudite, but if she'd have any say in the matter, she would prefer to do it aboard the Apache. All their gear, weaponry, and clothing would also undergo decontamination. Yet as she looked at her discarded helmet, she realised there was something that she wanted the crew to see. Or rather, something that they needed to hear.

"Commander," she said, asking for Cross' attention, while she picked up a PADD and accessed the vid-log from her own helmet. She scrolled to the right time index and shared it to the same screen that now merely showed empty void where Azurite Station once were. The recording showed the confrontation with Theodore Cartwright, and the audio relayed his words to the gathered away team on the Apache.

"Do you really believe the darkness is capable of amusement, joy or pleasure? Is that what you truly believe, flesh-puppets? You truly are simple creatures. The dark has no will beyond its nature. It exist to devour everything. It cares not for your plight or your passing achievements, your rise and fall in the ebb and flow of your societies. No, it is the nidus, which you call parasites, that make manifest that which presides inside you puppets already. The chaos of your own nature is brought to the surface..."

Then, the skinless remains of the Infested leapt out of the fire-lit shadows of the security centre to try and reach Cir'Cie, yet the recording showed Cartwright being subdued by phaser fire before he could harm anyone else. As the orange flares of phaser bolts riddled the man, flashing on the screen, Ida turned to Cross - pointing out the significance of what had been said.

"This sound like something Doctor Nicander said in one hearing, where he suspected that the personas of the Infested aren't that of the parasites, but the hosts themselves - their will and incentives twisted by what's inside them. That means... the hosts are spectators of their own actions, and yet they are also themselves - the worst traits of themselves brought to the surface. Moreover, I guess they can remain undetected by telepaths since their minds are not replaced, still being themselves... even though the parasites make them part of the alien entity."

The 'nidus', Cartwright had called them, these things that - somehow - possessed host bodies. Nicander's descriptions detailed a dark place, with figures watching the procedure outside a pillar of light. Where was this place, and from where did the nidus come?

- FIN

Thank you to Ellen for the Cross dialogue!  Thank you everyone for an adventure finished!
 
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