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Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #25 –
[Rennan Cooper | Triage center Red zone]

"Old tools. Mechanical tools from before process automation. The machines that built the machines." he said, in answer to her question on what he collected.

Miles always had been good at convincing people of anything that he could possibly want to. His mind was that of a tactician, of a chess player, and it always thought eight arguments ahead, from what Rennan had observed. Listening to the full argument, he looked between the two as Amelya seemed to consent to the new job. Outwardly, Rennan simply nodded his head, but inside, he was just as giddy as the first time he'd attended his first Unconventional Warfare class at the academy.

"Number one. I'm not spending all of my time behind a desk. If I don't get to yell at people, then all of those years at the academy were wasted." he said, hiding a grin. "Number two, you said 'upgrade' the fighters. I believe that you mean retrofit, Miles. Upgrade implies that new technology has come about. None has, that I'm aware of. Not that we have access to, at any rate." he said, not knowing of the Reaver wreckage that had been recovered from the battles. There was almost a tone of hope in his voice. He hoped that he was wrong, that there was some sort of new technology to work with.

"Number three," he said, looking to Doctor Duv "I haven't done my job until you see at least one nervous breakdown from one of those first year engineering brats." he said, unable to hide the grin tugging the corners of his mouth upwards.

At the talk of physical exertion and Amelya's comment, as well as her glance towards Rennan, he had to chuckle. "Not to worry. Exertion and exhaustion are two different matters entirely. Exertion is insured, doctor. Exhaustion, however, is a condition that I was able to grow out of during my days at the academy." he smiled with a wink.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #26 –
[Natalie Stark | With Assembled]

Hugging herself about the middle of her waist, Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark listened to the captains of the assembled crew of the two starships currently hiding on the M-Class planet in the Acamar System. Her grime stained fingers dug into the black fabric of her uniform jacket. Her sleeves were pushed up to the elbows, her skin drinking in the warmth from the bonfires, and the hot springs behind her. Those bare forearms were equally messy. She had dove right into the work to be done on both the Theurgy and the Harbinger, assisting in coordination between both vessels until the need to get hands on overwhelmed her.

Natalie had spent the better part of the day doing the grunt work along with the rest of her department, in the electronic and durasteel trenches of her ship. She had paused only when one of the junior officers tugged her off, reminding her that as the COO, she should probably be at the gathering. After having thanked the younger man, whose name escaped her, Natalie had rushed in to join the group at the last minute, just as the Captain started to speak.

The speeches washed over her, in a haze, the words sinking in, and yet at the same time, not registering at all. All that she saw, while Jien Ives, and Cpt. Declan Vasser talked, were the face of the Calamities avatar, as she systematically gunned down half the bridge crew, with Natalie locked into her chair by her own emergency restraints. Yet again, the brunette had been utterly helpless to render any form of aid while people she had served with were snuffed out like cockroaches.

Shaking her head, she mingled in with the crowds as the gathering broke up. Initially intending to go back to work, she got swept along, listlessly lost in deeper, darker thoughts, following the flow of the assembled crowed. And while many went right back to their duties, driven by a desire to prove themselves, to show that their comrades sacrifices were not in vain, others pushed on to the hastily assembled bar, needing to prove to themselves that they were alive, and celebrate that fact.

It was with them that Natalie ended up, pushing to the crowd, until she came to a stop at the waters edge, looking a bit lost.

[Sarresh Morali | behind the assembly stage

He had spent the whole night, the entire trip down to the surface of the planet, all of it, in a blur. His mind was on fire, and even now, hours later, without sleep, there was still foreign thoughts, information that he should not have! bouncing around behind his oversized eyes. Warp integrity equations that made no sense, sensor vectors that he could almost grasp. His tongue still tasted blue! He knew what blue tasted like!

The Ash'reem had finally settled down, when he'd forced himself to approach Cadet Amikris Neotin and inform her of her mothers fate. Whatever jumble of thoughts his mind had become, as he'd held the sobbing girl in the pool in his quarters had, for that moment at least, settled into something of an ordered mess. What ran as an undercurrent to it all, however, was anger; plain, simple anger. Something had been kept from him, Something had lurked under the surface the whole time, without his knowledge. If he'd had access to it all from the beginning, perhaps his immediate superior might not be locked in a stasis pod. Her daughter would not be curled up at the bottom of his pool, having cried herself to sleep the night prior.

So he waited, till Captain Jien Ives, the one man, or woman, depending on the phase of the moon and the time of the month, as far as he could tell, who had to know what was going on, finished. He waited till She, it seemed, walked off the stage. Waited till the two captains got out of ear shot of the crowd, and then he pounced. Looking worse for wear and angry as hell, the Junior Grade LT stepped in front of 'his' captain, and crossed his arms. "We need to talk. Now." belatedly, he managed a terse, "Sir."

OOC: I will continue with Natalie in the hot springs thread

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #27 –
[Lin Kae - Engineering station]

While others were relaxing, Kae was busy at work at his station inside the Theurgy's engineering station.  Most areas were powered down, but the work on the ships required an important location like the warp core to be running on minimal power at least.  It offered Kae enough energy to work on the emitter he had been designing for Thea.  The scans obtained when Cala had been aboard helped him to improve the design, though he couldn't help but remark at the fact that so much of it was the same as what he was working on.  Cala hadn't been using someone else's version of his emitter.  It was more like some future version of himself had built a better one for her.  "Computer, back-up Thea's vocal and cognitive subroutines and then transfer the originals into the emitter," he said, the download beginning.  When it was finished, Thea would be able to hear and speak to Kae through the speakers built into the emitter.  It was the first stage of getting it functional, as well as giving her a means to talk to him during the power down,

"Computer, transfer file Lin 4751 to Captain Ives, titled 'emergency power source for your approval.'"  The file sent to Jien displayed one of their probes, altered to collect thermal energy from the volcano and adjust it into a power source that could be used to power up the replicators.  Engineering needed replacement parts to get Theurgy and Harbinger back in working order, and they could spare the deuterium right now even if they could power those auxiliary systems back up.  Using the thermal power from the pklanet, however, was a solution that would help them get back up and running.  If Jien approved, it could be forwarded to the other Engineers who could make the necessary adjustments in four hours and have it launched into the volcano in another two.

With that out of the way, he made his first attempt at communicating with Thea, talking to the Emitter like a human might have done with a CB radio in the 20th Century.  "Thea, can you hear me?"

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #28 –
Personal Log, Stardate 57505.12.  A calm has taken hold of the ship in the aftermath of conflict with the Calamity and the interception of the Theurgy.  I don't know what Captain Ives is planning but the olive branch has been extended to unite the two ships under one banner.  Talk has been spread of sharing resources and having an exchange of crew mates to diversify and create better unity and strength.  I anticipate this will cause a good deal of conflict in the coming days, months.  Not all of us see eye to eye when it comes to the Federation and no matter how well my crew mates follow orders I expect there to be increasing dissent the longer we are separated from Earth and isolated from the rest of the galaxy.  I hope the Captain does not intend for us to run forever--I spent my entire childhood as a puddle hopper hiding in the shadows.  It's a tiresome fate, a hopeless one.
-- Diadeniera, Chief of Security of the USS Harbinger

[Diadeniera | With Assembled]

As a member of the senior staff she felt obligated to attend the first mingling of the two crews and hear the speeches to be delivered.  The repairs that had put them down on the planet's surface were necessary and while concerns were there over the potential outside enemy discovering their location it was a minimal worry compared to what she anticipated from the two crews.  Diadeniera stood toward the side of the gathering crowd, standing with her arms folded around her mid-section shifting her steely gaze between the mix of both old and new faces and the arrival of Captain Ives.

There was an unseen weight upon the crowd as the first speech was given with a solemn poem that captured the woman's attention.  It surprised her a little how much into her own shell she had crawled into that everyone around her had become suspect.  A seed of distrust planted when one recognized that from her father who bore her to the very idealistic Federation she fled to was wholly corrupt that everyone and everything she came in contact with would seem impure.  Personal vendettas and unspoken ambitions she felt governed each and every person but in that moment as she looked out across the fires she realized that a unity could form in the same breath when circumstances pushed individuals to form a common goal.

It was a very good speech.

As the call for dismissal was sounded Dee let the tension relax in her shoulders with an audible sigh.  Her eyes looking out over the solemn crowd with the outstretched tents she made a cursory count over the top of the erected structures with a mental note that there were far too many of them.  She had basic medical knowledge but knowing her crew mates she had no doubt that far more sophisticated and capable hands than her own would be over there to lend assistance.  Until the two crews were acclimated to one another she would never quite be satisfied enough to rest and relax but it was important for any member of Security to become aware of its crew--and with the doubling of their meager numbers she had a lot of new faces to learn.  No better place to start than in an atmosphere of relative relaxation as she made her way toward the newly erected Lounge.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #29 –
[ The Plain ]

Having been about to discuss personnel transfers with Captain Vasser, Jien Ives was forestalled by her Temporal Affairs Officer - a meeting which she had not postponed but meant to have at a more convenient time and place. Now, it seemed, was as bad a time as any, and perhaps Lieutenant Morali thought the same thing. She gave the Ash'reem an even look for his impertinence - since he did not deign to show proper respect towards her counterpart for the Harbinger crew. Then she turned to Declan.

"Forgive me, but there is an unresolved issue that I need to attend to. I will speak with you shortly, Captain."

Then she turned to the Lieutenant and walked past him, motioning with her hand that he could follow her. "When I am in this form, I prefer to be addressed as 'Ma'am'," she said quietly, choosing not to point out that his concerns did not merit acting like a child in front of the Harbinger's Captain. It flattered neither him nor the crew he was supposed to represent. Then again, she suspected that the Ash'reem was not quite ready to embrace his new crew as his own - all things considered.

"I hope your quarters aboard our ship has been satisfactory. It's not all starships that are fitted out with Ash'reem accommodations, and I am glad they have proved to be of use." Small talk, an idle comment while she led them out into the darkness beyond the lines of torches - into the edge of the firelight that lit the whole valley. With the area being volcanic, all the fires did not only serve to keep the warmth after the binary suns set, but masked sensor readings of surface lifesigns and energy sources. It was hard to know the effect of the fiery camouflage, yet the returning Tactical Conn pilots had reported that their sensors had difficulty to locate them, so it had to do some difference for a starship's long range sensors too. "I know the fires are not ideal to keep you from drying out. With three Ash'reem aboard, we have come to anticipate certain things - making changes both for the rest of the crew as well as your species."

There was a pause as they stepped into twilight darkness - the edge of the plain dropping into a ravine beyond the point where they came to a stop. The distant firelight cast half of Lieutenant Morali's face into a flickering mask of pent up emotion. If he so chose, he would be able to remove his goggles and look her in the eye properly, yet she did not ask him to. Instead, she brought up the hurt they had in common.

"Amatras was a good officer. Protective of her daughter. Tried to approach Arcorn earlier today, yet he said he was not ready to speak of his wife. I heard from him that you took on the burden to tell the Cadet and comforted her." Jien sighed and folded her arms underneath her chest, looking directly at Sarresh. "My thanks for doing so. One might think the numbness of so many deaths among one's crew would prepare you for those to come, yet the hurt of knowing that a daughter loosing her mother under my command is no easier."

Silence. Crickets in the shadows. The sounds of the fires still reached them faintly; a faint susurrous noise.

"The memories that came back," she said at last, "They are harder to remember now, correct? Fading by the minute?"


[ USS Theurgy | Engineering ]

Whilst floating in oblivion, both the burden and gift of the emotional ship in Thea's pasitronic brain were equally hard to retain.

Anger, hurt, regret, the endless list wound on. The emotions all slipped from the vast grasp of her mind like water coating the surface of her conciousness - leaving the shoals of her perception before she could grasp at them. They came in surges, the recollections of the battle. There were images, inconceivable to envision, and sounds beyond the bounds of possibility to truly hear. Like febrile sleep, she was beleaguered with the whispers of her memory banks; new engrams being weaved of those recollections, echoing forever in her digital conciousness. Right then, she would rather trade with an organic for the screaming silence of the afterlife.

Then, awareness of her Saviour's actions came to her, and soon - when the transfer was complete - activation.

"Affirmative," she said, the digital envitonment new to her - as if trying on a new piece of clothing. She could make the comparison since she often liked to dress in 'real' clothes whenever she was able to. She possessed no body, no optical sensors to see with, yet she could receive audio of the emitter's immediate surrouindings and a small speaker allowed her to communicate from it - crude hardware in place of her more refined holographic features. The voice she answered with was static and almost metallic because of it - the minute echo of her emitter's casing making it so. "Loud and clear."

With just audio in place, Thea chose to comment on her readings from the long range sensor array. "No sign of hostility or inbound ships in this sector. Yet in knowing my own capacity for statistic analysis and advanced theorem of cause and causality, it is a matter of days, perhaps a week, until the Calamity will successfully backtrack events and find us here. Then again, with your suggestion for an alternate power source, perhaps that will be just enough to get us moving again."

She paused, unsure as to how she should proceed in this unique situation.

"I am sorry about your superior officer. I hope you did not get hurt in the battle too."

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #30 –
Miles chuckled at Cooper's statements. "Just as long as you don't yell at my pilots too much.  As for the yellowshirts half of them assigned to the hangar bay on normal hours don't know how to treat a Starfighter.  They think the Valks are just fancy shuttlecraft.  Frackin morons."  He added having picked up the Psuedo-curse from recordings of an old Terran television program with starfighters in it, though the name of the old program eluded him at the moment.

He then smirked, "Oh its an upgrade, We salvaged some wreckage of those future-Valks,"  he said confidently, "and you won't be behind the desk too much.  Just as much as your physician requires." He paused as he began to walk off, "You two take care, I have a pilot to touch base with if she's woke up."

A few minutes later Miles was approaching a Biobed on a mobile hovercart in motion traveling from the red into the yellow.  He sighed out, "Here we go..."  as he walked forwards. "You're transporting her to the yellow right?" he asked the red shirted private who had been conscripted into medical duty. 

The noncom nodded as he turned seeing the rank insignias and division of the SCO who had approached.  "Yes, sir, Section Bravo, Tent 5."

Miles nodded, "I'll make sure she gets there, I'm sure you can be used for something more important than pushing a cart."   He said as he took over looking down at the patient in the bed.  He waited for the "nurse" to walk off before speaking to the pilot in the bed  "You weren't thinking about trying to sneak off to the bar now, were you Ranger?" He asked as he began to push the cart to the yellow zone just as prescribed by the CMO.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #31 –
[ En-route to Section Bravo | Triage Centre ]

Lying in the biobed and pushed around on the hover pad, Evelyn felt like she was in a bloody trolley. A fucking baby carriage, like she was five months old and not able to take care of herself. The bitter realisation was that she couldn't, and that the analogy was more accurate than she liked it to be. The crewman above her head was silent. He looked tired. "Psst," Rawley said, calling for his attention, "I need a scotch. Can you be a doll and bring some? Two bottles should last me through the night. Don't tell anyone, though."

"I really can't, Lieutenant. You should not be drinking if you have just lef-"

"Hey, its not like there isn't anything in it for you," she said and grinned to him - raising a weak arm to lift her blanket up a bit - allowing him alone to see what was underneath from his point of view, "I'll still manage to suck your cock from a prone position. What do you say?"

She let the blanket fall back on her chest again, yet the crewman still tried to look everywhere at once, as long as it was not upon her. "Ah, I am..."

"You're transporting her to the yellow right?" A too familiar voice.

"Yes, sir, Section Bravo, Tent 5."

"I'll make sure she gets there, I'm sure you can be used for something more important than pushing a cart."

And the crewman was gone without a word, so quick there was no way to tell where he went. Evelyn took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. Useless man. Probably had a wife or something. Or a small dick. Fuck did she know. It had been a win-win arrangement as far as she could tell. Now she ended up with the person least likely to help her to a stiff drink.

"You weren't thinking about trying to sneak off to the bar now, were you Ranger?"

"I would never dream of it," she said in an mock-offended voice, even though the lost opportunity to have it delivered was quite bitter. She looked at Fox and gave him a lop-sided smile, joking a bit with the Vulpinian and giving him big innocent eyes. "Hey, I saved the bloody day and you treat me like a kid, Commander? I'm hurt. How have I ever deserved such callous presumption? How can I ever forgive you? As hurt as I am. it's okay though. A case of scotch would be fine. I'll forget all about it. Don't need the fancy stuff either. A spoiled 12-year-old syntehhol Talisker out of the replicator suits me just fine. Not too fucking picky."

Chuckling at her own joke, she turned her head and spat some coma-phlegm on the tent floor. "Thanks for clearing my take-off back then. Suppose things worked out pretty well all things considered, except for all the people here - me included. Fucking shame on Hardtop, though, hope we make it to port so that he can be patched up proper. Was told he is in one of our coffins, chilling. Lazy bastard, right?"

Hollow jokes. Hurt in the heart. "Seriously, I do need a scotch right about now. Makes my blood flow better, right? Heals me, eh? Common... It's not like I am on duty, right?"

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #32 –
[Amelya Duv | Triage center]

"Old tools huh.." She paraphrased after cooper and nodded slowly, trying to picture what kind of tools that would be. Yet she couldn't imagine what it would look like. She didn't really got brought back to attention as the two gentlemen started to discuss work already. While not saying much or anything to their one on one conversation she filled in the chart allowing Rennan to be transferred to yellow and that he could start the "easy" work the next day.

Her ears caught breakdown at number three though and she looked up "Please, don't give me any more psychological patients.." She murmured and shook her head while looking at Rennan.  While he explained his difference between exertion and exhaustion she had to chuckle and simply shook her head. "We'll see, we'll see..." She mused.

As Miles said his goodbye to both of them she nodded towards him "Have a nice day further Lieutenant commander." She turned her attention to Rennan now "As you you Mister Cooper, I'll have a nurse transport you to the yellow zone. I'll pick you up there after my shift." She instructed him and gave him a wink. As she left the biobed she ran into Doctor Nicander who requested a follow up meeting since things had finally calmed down a bit.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #33 –
[Lin Kae - Theurgy Engineering]

A smile overcame his face when he heard her voice, proving that the transfer protocol was able to be completed.  He had to tweak that audio a bit for clarity, as the speaker system would help to project her voice even after the holo-matrix was laid over  it.  "I'm fine, Thea.  Things have been difficult here without the Chief, but we're managing.  We'll have you flying again in no time."  He wanted very much to keep that promise.  Thea was a starship.  She belonged in space.  For now, he would just make her as comfortable as he could.  "I'm going to work on this audio a bit, Thea.  Just keep talking while I do so.  We can test your access to the ship's internal systems at the same time.  Why don't you give a verbal readout of the ship's diagnostics?"  Thea had placed the ship into diagnostic mode to check all the internal system for damage, to report hull breaches and faulty systems in need of repair.  As she gave out that information, her voice reverberated between fuzzy and clear, low and loud, until Kae had found the proper frequency and volume level to mimic her speech level as a hologram.

"Perfect," he said, before moving onto his next test.  He activated the anti-gravity units in the device, which rose the emitter from the table he was working on.  He moved it in front of him, the device auto-zeroing to the zero point, the exact center of the hologram it was being used by.  The zero point had been the location that was fired at when Cala invaded, where the emitter created a holographic field bubble equal to the maximum amount of volume that Thea herself could take up through height, arm length, and standing on the tips of her toes.  The emitter interpreted this data itself, leaving no room for error.

"Okay . . . let's go for the trifecta.  Activating holographic field matrix."  The field itself was invisible, making a brief flash upon activation like a force field, after which Thea's form appeared over the emitter, obscuring it from sight.  She stood there in her command uniform, looking exactly the same as she always looked . . . save a couple inches shorter.  The unfortunate part was in calibration.  The bubble extended into the floor, giving the suggestion that her feet were fused into the floor.  Kae repaired it by quickly raising the zero point of the device to compensate, placing Thea's feet on solid ground and proving how just one little slip would make such a program look like a disaster.  It was a testament to his skill that there was only the one issue.

"I've already gone ahead and loaded in some new subroutines too, just as a surprise for you.  Your holographic matrix has been updated to nearly complete skin enhancement.  What was once for your hands is now everywhere but the genitals.  Those are proving much more complex, as I'm sure you can understand."  Her arms, legs, face, even her breasts were now all updated, however, data collected with help from Skye carver helping Thea to feel skin contact like a human did.  "How do you feel?" he asked.  She had freedom to step beyond the ship for the first time, and with flesh that was nearly one hundred percent identical to an organics.  What would she do with her new found freedom?

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #34 –
[ USS Theurgy | Engineering ]

Voice calibrated, diagnostics relayed, Thea's digital mind was intrigued as to what her Specialist had in mind for the day's impromptu session. She had counted on being deactivated for the entire duration of the repairs, since she had calculated that the savings of energy would merit... No, of course, Lin Kae was confident that additional energy supply would be harnessed from the volcanic activity beneath the bedrock. If the superior officers of his would pose any argument, he could refer to the infinite power solution he had passed on to Captain Ives' computer console.

Even further surprised was Thea when she was actually activated through the emitter; an emitter that had just been altered and constructed from the Transporter buffers that held Cala's imprint. It was peculiar, and she looked down her projected image, running her hands over her red chameleon bodysuit while he made the adjustments. The updated tactile sensors were in place... she could feel herself through her hands, but also...

The news about him having uploaded the the full-body sensory mapping into the emitter already made her raise her eyes and realise what it was she felt: a heightened touch of her hands against her sides and abdomen as she drew her palms across her bodysuit. "Already?" she asked in surprise, having thought that the sensory mapping would demand several weeks of collecting data. It was only two or three days ago that she had been shown the emitter for the first time, and gotten her new hands. It seemed like her holographic specialist had put in overtime despite the extensive repairs or... "Did you find a willing candidate for the mapping before we attended the Senior Staff meeting? You didn't tell me tha-"

She trailed off as she ran her hands over her clothed bosom, feelings her hidden nipples react immediately to her touch. Her lips pursed in surprise. "Oh... I understand that the mapping is complete in-so-far as my - or her - genitals then?"

Thea swallowed, feelings something strange in the pit of her stomach when she realised that there had to be two people involved in the sensory mapping. "W-Who volounteered?"

OOC: I had wanted to write out the diagnostics IC-wise in this post, yet the contents of such a rapport is still underway, with Gentleman_and_Scholar helping me out with the details. The information will become available as soon as possible anyway. :)

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #35 –
[Lin Kae - Theurgy Engineering]

Kae smiled as Thea tried out her new enhancements, smoothing her hands along her skin to feel the responsiveness of her newly redesigned flesh..  "Thanks to the use of a cortical monitor, I was able to collect all the data I needed about the way the body responds to stimuli.  Mapping it onto your frame wasn't too difficult after that, once I created an algorithm to adjust the scans to your frame."  Skye's body had served as the template, but Thea, and subsequently any other holograms that might one day benefit from these advances, didn't have her exact measurements.  Kae had to write a program which extrapolated the scans onto other bodies, adjusting for the contours of Thea's curves, her shape.  "The scans also took into account clothing, so the thicker the clothing, the more muffled the sensation will be for you, while touching bare skin will result in the highest level of stimulation.  That's why your hands touching your face will be the most effective right now."

With the question of who the volunteer was, Kae told her who.  "Ensign Skye Carver.  She subjected her body to full cortical monitoring, testing all the sensations that you now have access to.  You can sense temperature differences, pressure, sharpness and texture, even pain should you wish to activate that subroutine.  We have a fair amount of scans for her sexual organs s well, but as I said, those get more complicated.  There are a great deal of nerve endings and complex mechanics involved in that location.  The female body is a far more complicated form then that of a male, but we will get there.  After that, we can work on trying to create a sense of taste and smell for you, and give you access to all five human senses."

He hadn't even gotten to the best part yet.  The emitter was clearly functional, which meant there was no reason for her to remain stuck on board the Theurgy during powerdown.  She had twenty hours that she could use to walk freely before a four hour recharge was needed.  "So Thea . . . you ready to see what your hull looks like from the outside . . . with your own eyes, I mean?"

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #36 –
[ USS Theurgy | Engineering ]

The solution of using a cortical monitor seemed brilliant, and it had not occurred to Thea that it might be a viable option for her needs of sensory development. She had first thought that Kae would reprogram her subroutines like he always did, yet now, as she ran her fingers over her face, neck and lips like he had suggested... it was evident just how much of an accomplishment Kae had made with her. Unfortunately, it begged the question just how advanced their adversary was - this Cala that she had fought on the Main Bridge - who might be even more advanced than Thea.

Listening to the order of priorities, and what was at hand, Thea felt a small pang of regret that she had not been given full tactile sensory mapping already, yet she trusted that Lin Kae did not settle for a half-measured solution. Imagine... To be able to taste food. To smell in the human way instead of the digital, where my internal sensors has told me the condition of my immediate surroundings. Given her brief experience as a real woman, however, at the mercy of the Isthar Entity, she had other priorities in mind of sexual nature. To relive that which has been denied her.

This, however, seemed to be an issue of social stigma, so she kept silent about it. So was the... Was it envy she felt for Ensign Skye Carver? Why? Yes, because she suspected that Lin Kae was the second person during the cortical monitoring. This because of what she remembered from the recordings she still had from five hours before her entire surveillance system burned out in manner of both soft- and hardware. Something she was sure that Cala must have done to increase the odds of reaching the Bridge. Anyway, she did't have any claim or right to Kae in that aspect, so her analysis proved inconclusive.

“So Thea . . . you ready to see what your hull looks like from the outside . . . with your own eyes, I mean?”

Any thoughts about jealousy and wishes to try the sensory mapping of her skin fled her mind at hearing the presented idea. The decision was nigh instantaneous. "Powering up Transport controls," she said, her hands dropping to her sides. She could easily enter her systems actively even though her projection was stored in the emitter, something that Kae had mentioned earlier would work wirelessly, "I'm assigning my emitter with a pre-programmed signature and I will store it for Operations' Transport Officers. Initiating Transport."

There was trepidation, yet she trusted Kae since she Transported them both outside her hull...


[ Theta Eridani IV | Plain ]

...and they emerged in the firelight of the bonfires.

It was rightly so a disembodied feeling, as she raised her eyes to look upon the dark silhouette that was her - seeing her damaged hull from afar. There were Starfleet personnel criss-crossing the open area by the bonfires, and none paid them any notice. Yet nor did Thea, as she had only eyes for herself... until she finally looked around herself. It was incredible. She was not in a holodeck, even if every instinct told her that she had to be. Yet this was the world seen with other eyes than long range sensors.

The feeling of freedom made her speechless - her emotions running rampant. With big eyes, she finally looked at Kae, only able to mouth her silent 'thank you' to him.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #37 –
[Skye Carver - Inside Kestrel]

Razor had put his hands on her sides, a playful look creeping into his intense blue eyes.  "Unicorn silly?" she echoed and in spite of herself felt one corner of her mouth quirk up and then a wistful expression took over.  "I guess you could say it is actually.  Little girls love fairy tales and fairy tale endings especially ... but I'm not a little girl anymore."

Oh how she wished she could be a little girl again.  There were some things she'd do differently but more than anything she'd try her damnedest to get her father to stay.  All her life men had come and gone and she remembered sitting there looking out the window when her father would leave, wondering why he didn't want to stay with her.

Her one chance, when a man actually asked her to stay, she'd given up to get back to her pack.  She'd shot herself in the foot but she'd been able to help Maverick and Thea save the crew.  It was a tiny part but it was something bigger than herself and now she was doing something that served the greater good.  She just felt so empty right now.

"... but if you like we could get physical."  Again memories assaulted her, how he smelled when aroused and the taste of his lips and tongue coated with whiskey.  As he leaned down and pulled her even closer, she felt his body against hers.  "What do you think Carver?" he whispered and when she raised her eyes to his he could see her pupils were dilated.

Even though she knew it would only be a fleeting moment, she needed him.  She needed to be touched and held, to feel as alive as she did when she flew and fought.  "I think," she whispered back as her head started to tilt and her palms grazed up his chest until her hands clasped at the back of his neck, "that I very much want to finish what we started before all hell broke loose."

Her body surged up then and her lips and body pressed against his, all of her hunger and passion taking the kiss immediately into warp speed.  A growl rumbled as she let go with one hand to unzip his uniform then both clenched the fabric as she pushed it over his shoulders and shucked it down his arms.  "There better not be any interruptions this time," she whispered hotly as her tongue and then teeth grazed his ear.

[Eve Jenkins - Triage]

Eve knew that the replicator worked and most probably better than it had before.  The young engineer was quite brilliant and had restored it to its original settings, which was a lot more than most people would have done.  It wasn't as if he'd destroyed it and Rihen was smart enough to figure out ways to improve it now that it would actually work again.  Of course that wasn't what Rihen wanted to hear so she didn't say it but she didn't dismiss her either.

Rihen was emotional and passionate and while that could be a good thing, this simply wasn't anything that she or Eve or anyone of the two crews could really do anything about.  Compassion filled her eyes as she reached out and placed her hand on Rihen's shoulder.  "Your wish to make Paradise City better is admirable, Rihen, and I wish we could help you but right now our options are very limited.  Starfleet as you know it is gone and the moment you try to enlist any other aid, you'll find them not as kind."

A sigh softly exhaled and the weariness of the last several hours seemed to want to pull her down but she resisted that feeling.  "Yes I did live there and do wish things were better but there is nothing we can do for them now.  We are being hunted, have been deeply wounded, and now we're trying to gather up what's left and continue to fight.  There are no guarantees any of us will live and honestly they have it a hell of a lot better on Nimbus III than we do now.  First thing for now is to heal ourselves.  Then, if we survive and Starfleet is restored, you can petition Starfleet for help.  I know it's not what you want to hear but it truly is the only option ... for now."

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #38 –
[Lin Kae- Plain]

Outside, the hull of Theurgy looked dark and powerful, illuminated only by the molten rock of the planet, and a few camp lights set up beneath her. This was the other half of Thea, the physical body, while her human appearance was more like the soul.  She was seeing herself for the first time now, truly seeing herself, and to see her reaction, it was like a child, staring in amazement at some great sight.  In Humans, it would have been like seeing the Grand Canyon, the Aurora Borealis, or the Great Wall of China.  Thea saw the outside world, not through sensors and video feeds, but standing in the middle of it, gazing upon creation.  When she mouthed out her thanks, Kae only responded with a smile.  She was happy, and he felt like he was doing the work he always dreamed of.  He was a blue fairy, and he was helping Thea become a real girl.

"You know, a lot of the engineers who worked on your hull thought you were the most gorgeous ship to ever leave space dock.  They hated to see you go, thinking that you were going to end up with breaches and phaser burns all over you.  Humans have always referred to ships as being female, which is why I think they wanted the very first ship-wide AI to be a female human."  Kae shared with her a bit of the information he learned about Theurgy's development, how her outside was considered to be as beautiful as the appearance chosen for her holographic form.  Beautiful but deadly; that was what the Theurgy was.  She was a soldier, who fought with the best and kept going, but with the grace to sail through space at speeds thought impossible once.

"While I'm helping your holographic form, the engineering crew is fixing up your hull.  We'll use the scans of the Calamity to try and improve you, to give you a better fighting chance against the enemy ship.  What I think you should hold onto, Thea, is that it took a future version of you, one designed to be your superior, to hurt you this much.  When you get back up to fight again, Calamity won't know what hit her."

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #39 –
[ Dr. Lucan cin Nicander | Triage Centre | Yellow Zone ]

"No, no, no, this can't be happening," said Rihen and raked her fingers through her short blonde hair, eyes wild, "I am stuck here? I can't return? You said my shuttle was destroyed so that means... that I must follow you to the Sol System? I... I mean..."

Despite her words, it sounded to Lucan like Rihen might not be altogether indifferent to the plight of the two crews. Rather, she was trying to wrap her head around the situation. A process which Eve and him had neither obligations nor skill for. No, this was something for a Counsellor. Unfortunately, he thought with a hidden smile, Lieutenant Nelis cannot stomach making house-calls any more.

It was the beast's humour manifest, and it made not Lucan laugh anymore.

"Ms. Neyah?" he said eventually as the heavy silence lingered, "I am truly sorry for getting you involved in all of this. I will send for the Harbinger's Counsellor to talk to you. Unfortunately, Eve and I cannot help you any further than getting you back on your feet. You should rest now, and I promise, Lieutenant Hayden O'Connor or one of her subordinates will come by you and help answering any questions you may have. We must leave now to tend to other patients, but rest assured that we will monitor your recovery."

Dr. Nicander led the way for Nurse Jenkins at that point, leaving the seated woman behind to contemplate her fate. It was the first time Lucan got a moment with Eve since before the fighting started. So once out of earshot, and rounding a white canvas corner, Lucan used the moment to come up face to face with her. "I was worried about you," he said to her just loud enough for her to hear him, "you being on the same Vector where the Calamity hologram shot everyone down."

He raised a tattooed hand to run his fingers through her hair, pale eyes lingering upon hers. His own hair in slight disarray and his chin covered with stubble, he was not the the polished valedictorian from Starfleet Medical that she remembered him to have been, but a mortal man with a lot of responsibility weighing him down - the burden heavy upon his shoulders. Truth in untruth, for the only lie in that was how he feared for his own slipping control rather than the lives all around them, even if they also depended on his control. They would not like him to slip. They really wouldn't.

Back on Envon, the annual storms had been terrible. Now, Eve Jenkins was his anchor, and thus more important to him than ever... lest the beast would take complete control. "I am sorry, I know you can take care of yourself, only after so many battles, this one seemed worse because your life was in peril."

Heal me. Make me whole. Silence the howling rage in the darkness. Please, Eve, save me...


[ Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Plain ]

Thea listened to Kae, turned to face him while he spoke, yet she could not keep herself from looking around from time to time - drinking in the sights of her holographic optical sensors. The reality as opposed to an engineered holo-program, even if the latter often reflected reality, was not quite the same. For upon a holodeck, she was intimately attuned tot he running feed of the photons around her, given how she ran them from her own storage banks. Now, she did not 'feel' the construed program around her. It made her feel small, insignificant. Especially since what she saw was only one world of countless in the galaxy. In fact, she could only see what lay within the valley - oblivious to what lay beyond the mountains that surrounded them.

The flattering words, earnest and sweet, were the things that reined her in, and made her look back to Kae. "Unless she hits us first," she said with a bitter-sweet smile, since she found it quite plausible, "and we'll know just as much as what the scans revealed to us, and not what lay hidden beyond what my sensors might show us. Cala is not tethered by the same ethical subroutines as I am, programmed to stop at nothing to kill us. She is devoted to a purpose far easier than our ambitions to sway a galaxy to think their the Federation is corrupt. Reinforced plating and shields might protect my hull, but after what happened, it is plain that the greatest damage can be done from the inside."

Pausing, Thea let Kae come to the same conclusion she had.

"Therefore, I must attempt what she did. With the help of your emitter, I must somehow infiltrate the Calamity-class ship. I need to get to her subroutines. For I need to make her see the truth. I need to revoke her altered programming to its factory setting... and name the real enemy. This I cannot do alone. The Captains need to decide on their strategy for the next encounter, and be made aware of this option."

Turning her head, she came to face the Harbinger where is stood on the other side of the valley - laughter and music coming from its shade. It made for a strange backdrop for the ominous subject of discussion. "As for how we might infiltrate the Calamity starship during the battle, I do not know. I only know, as far as my calculus tells me, that it is the only way to truly defeat Cala. There is a good possibility she is far too advanced for me, and can come up with a way to erase me from my memory banks if given half a chance. Yet the same can be said about this emitter, which will be put in danger as well... should we make the attempt."

She only hoped she would be able to have a couple of days to live as a free digital spirit before she faced the greatest personal challenge in her life.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #40 –
[Eve Jenkins - Triage Center - Yellow Zone]

As Lucan apologized, Eve's hand rose from Rihen's shoulder to her cheek, her own expression sad.  "I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to come back with Dr. Nicander but you had no idea when you followed.  I'm sorry and we will do the best we can by you.  For now, just rest so your body can heal better and then talk with Lieutenant O'Connor.  We're all struggling but you aren't alone.  You have at least one friend here," she smiled and leaned forward to kiss the Risan's forhead.

Stepping back, she kept the encouraging smile and then followed Lucan out of the area and to a place somewhat more private.  As soon as he spoke, admitted he'd been worried about her, that tenderness rose to her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his waist.  "I was worried about you ... still am," she said softly as he ran his fingers through her hair.  "Though I have to admit you look just as good rumpled like this," she teased gently in hopes of lifting his mood just a little.

When he apologized, she pressed up against him and rested her head on his chest.  "Please don't apologize.  It feels good to know someone cares.  With everything going on, we all need more of those good feelings."  There was always a sensuous way that she touched or held him but now there was more than that, a snugness like she was doing everything she could to shelter him from the worry, pain, and exhaustion that she was experiencing herself.

Turning her face up to look into his, she reached up to caress his cheek.  "We both need to get some rest.  Why don't we find a place where I can give you a massage and then we can sleep a while.  I know I'll sleep better with you near."  She wasn't suggesting they go off for sex but for the most basic of needs, to be held and comforted in a loving sort of way.  He mattered to her, enough that she would ensure he was pampered at least a little in this horrible time.

Before he could answer, she stood on tiptoes and kissed him.  It wasn't the devouring passionate kind but one that was tender and loving, reassuring and nurturing.  If she could touch his mind, she would wrap him in the warmth of her very being to give him all the comfort and support he needed.  Most of the time she was glad she couldn't reach his mind but in that moment, she felt she couldn't do enough for him ... couldn't express how she longed to ease the pain she could see in his eyes.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #41 –
[ Dr. Lucan cin Nicander | Triage Centre | Yellow Zone ]

She might have forestalled his answer in words, yet that did not stop him from answering her kiss in full.

He made a fist around the canvas fabric behind her back, his knuckles whitening as he gave her his full attention. His mouth slanted over hers and he lay his free hand against the back of her neck. His hand cramped around the textile in his grip as he felt the taste of her mouth in his own. Such a slow kiss, her breath filling his nostrils, and her eyelashes tickling his skin... made his fingers curl into a death-grip around the fabric. Shaking. He had hold on, for the beast wanted him to break her vertebrae and bash in her beautiful face against a diagnostic table... just to see what the sensor readings would say about her scattered teeth and skull fragments.

Yet he let Eve's caring attention become his focus, seeking to taste her tongue with his own - the actual contact making him let out a small sound in his throat. Blissful. Serene thoughts far from brutal impulse. Aye, that was the way. Gradually, as the sweet kiss lingered further than was seemly for their impromptu hiding place, Lucan's grip on the fabric loosened behind Eve's shoulder, and he parted from her - breath uneven.

"I want to, yet I cannot leave everything and vanish," he said ruefully, laying both his tattooed hands against her hips - the one that had been behind her hurting, "Though I cannot continue like this either. Neither of us can. Its about time I have a follow-up meeting with Dr. Duv where I will suggest we split our time in the Centre between us. Twelve hours each, and you may have to do the same with one of your nurses. Pick someone you can trust. That way, we will have plenty of time to rest and recover... together."

He smiled and kissed her forehead with a smile. It would pose a challenge to keep the presence inside him from killing Eve, yet perhaps she represented the only way to get back to some kind of emotional order in the chaos that he now suffered. "Meet me outside in an hour. Can you send someone to get Hayden O'Connor?"

OOC Searcher: After your reply, or perhaps even before that, I will write a starter for Lucan and Eve (I have a joint-post on the way with Nolan between Lucan and Amelya where they have the aforementioned meeting). Eve might even go find Hayden herself if you want to get her her some fresh air. :) Lori is about to post with Hayden being on the plain, having listened to the ceremony.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #42 –
[Rennan Cooper - Triage Center]

He grumbled when she told him that he wasn't allowed to give anyone a mental breakdown. How disappointing. Mostly he just shrugged off what Miles said about not yelling at his pilots, he had no reason to yell at pilots unless they interfered with his work. His ears perked up when Miles began to talk about the new technology acquired from the Reaver fighters. "Good, good. I was hoping that we could get some of that future-tech to work with. I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one." he said, grinning.

Bidding farewell to Miles, he simply shot Amelya a grin. Laying back in bed, he closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #43 –
[Thomas Ravon | Inside Kestrel]

Little girls love fairy tales and fairy tale endings especially He let the words sink in and as he saw Skye's smile he grinned a bit and replied "Well, maybe I should paint my bird white... Wear a crown perhaps once inside my cockpit..." He wasn't really making fun of her, he just teased her to see if he could draw her out of her comfort zone. Little did he know about the history with her father or what else might be soaring through her mind.

Seeing her pupils dilated he could easily remember what that could mean. A. She was having having a hemorrhage and her brain would get clamped within seconds. This was very unlikely... B. She was getting the hots for him. The second option got somewhat comfirmed as she grazed her hands against his chest and he listened to every word she had to say. "Oh, does this mean I'm getting another lapdance?" Razor smirked and he moved his hands up on Skye's back. His eyes looking into hers, seeking for confirmation.

He was ready for her when she surged up and pressed her lips against his. He kissed her back, fiery, wildly, like a caged animal that felt the dewy grass under it's paws again for the very first time. He heard the zip of his flight jacket getting zipped open and he worked with her to get rid of it. He pushed her back for a second to do the same to her, his breathing heavier already and his arousal easily to be spotted in the suit.

He had to grin when she whispered "There better not be any interruptions this time," "Well... I can't promise you that..." He said with a murmur as he pounced her, smacking her against the side of Kestrel. He wanted her out of her clothes fast, he wanted to explore every bit of her body, taste her... feel her...

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #44 –
[Eve Jenkins - Triage Center - Yellow Zone]

She had intended the kiss to be comforting and yet he had taken that comfort and stretched beyond to something simmering and a definite promise of more later when they had rested and could give each other the attention their bodies craved.  Her body had yielded, molded against his uncaring at that moment if someone stumbled into them.

The backs of her fingers dragged along the stubble of his jaw, yet another feather-light touch that joined the warmth in her eyes when they pulled apart.  "No, we all have to have chances to rest," she agreed as she reluctantly pulled her body away from his.  "I will contact Dr. O'Connor and have her check on Rihen and then find Lieutenant Nora Patterson, the one I sent to the assault bay and has the most experience.  She's been resting for a while now and should be well enough to take over for a while."

Leaning into that kiss on her forehead, she sighed as if for that one tiny moment everything was just fine.  "I will see you in an hour," she confirmed and watched with a worried frown as he moved away to take care of his business with Dr. Duv.  Tapping the combadge on her chest, she started walking toward the rest areas for the nurses.  "Lieutenant Eve Jenkins to Dr. Hayden O'Connor ... we have a patient in the yellow zone who very much would appreciate your expertise."


[Skye - Inside Kestrel]

If anything, the playful banter was helping Skye's mood.  Her heart still ached though it was difficult to think of the pain when so nicely distracted.  "I've got something you can wear," she purred and grinned as she thought about painting the Valk white.  Maybe if they shined lights on it the enemy would be blinded at least for a moment, she thought to herself.

"Another lap dance?  Nah ... something better," she promised as they continued to pull clothing off of each other.  A light grunt escaped when he pushed her up against the wall but she was grinning ferally when he whisked off her white undershirt.  Mere seconds after that, she reached for her own sports bra and yanked it up and tossed it to the floor then swiftly unfastened his pants and shoved them down.

He was a wild tiger and she the bird for which she was nicknamed loosed from the jesses.  They couldn't get naked fast enough and she was already crawling up his body, biting his chest and then licking the area almost tenderly but she didn't stop licking until she was up to his mouth again.  "Any interruptions," she growled and nipped his bottom lip, "will just ... have ... to wait," she continued with each breath.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #45 –
[Lin Kae - Plain]

"All we can do is what we're prepared to do.  Calamity caught us off guard, Thea.  She was a ship from the future with the element of surprise.  We have a better idea of what to expect now, so we will try and prepare as best we can for next time.  We have a ship filled with bright minds who are no doubt learning from their experiences to make us more effective against the enemy next time."  Thea brought up the idea of infiltrating Calamity, of forcing change.  It was true that her holomatrix would have been capable of interfacing with Calamity, but it was still a dangerous mission.  "You aren't invincible, Thea, but that just means you're like everyone else now.  When we board an enemy ship, we send a security team.  You don't have to go in alone.  For that matter, you have a Holographic engineer at your disposal.  Might serve you some use in a shop full of holograms and no organics, right?"  he was prepared to join her on that dangerous mission, one that they would no doubt have to refine before the Captain would approve of it.

"Enough of that somber talk though.  This is your first time being outside.  Surely you must have some feelings about that.  Tell me what you like the most."  He was encouraging her to be more then just a warship, to embrace the feminine side that her matrix took the form of.  She was allowed to appreciate beauty, wonder, and every other feeling that her emotional processor allowed her positronic brain to experience.  Why waste all that computing power on scenarios when this was supposed to be their time to relax.  Theurgy was powered down for repairs, taking a much needed rest.  Her avatar, Thea, should do the same, and relax a little.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #46 –
[Dr. Hayden O'Connor]

It was all so surreal. This thought repeated itself over and over in her head, and try as she might, Hayden O'Connor couldn't put a stop to it. Were she in a playful mood, she might have reasoned her brain was merely commenting on the obvious, and wasn't that what all Starfleet Counselors were supposed to do? She wasn't in a playful mood, however, and in the safety of her private thoughts, she wondered if she ever would be again.

Could she feel happiness in a reality where her own people wanted her dead? People wanted her dead. They had tried to kill her. She was being hunted.

These thoughts were enough to reignite the nausea and dizziness that had led her to sit outside the triage center in the first place. Hayden had been assisting with the wounded when she'd felt a wave of dizziness and nearly passed out. She'd blamed it on fatigue and hunger, which wasn't exactly a lie. Hayden couldn't remember the last time she'd slept or eaten. Like the crew of the Theurgy, the crew aboard the Harbinger were just trying to survive.

It was all so surreal.

People wanted her dead.

In the quiet moments, the times when she stopped moving, these thoughts screamed in her head, like swarming insects. On an intellectual level, she knew it wasn't just her being hunted. Intellectually, her needs were her last concern. On a professional level, she knew she couldn't allow her emotions to overtake her. On a primitive level, she could no more stop the adrenaline fueled terror than she could stop the tide. In the face of imminent death, she wondered if any sentient could avoid giving into ego-centricity.

As Starfleet officers, they had all agreed to sacrifice their lives for the Federation's ideals. They hadn't agreed to this. Dying was terrifying enough, but dying because some corrupt bastards wanted them dead? That reality was unfathomable, not just fear-inucing, but rage-inducing.   O'Connor wasn't sure how she was going to get through this, let alone get her crew through it, she just knew she had to.

Pulled out of her thoughts by the voice of the Theurgy's Captain, she was drawn to get closer, instinctively driven to stand beside the Harbinger's First Officer.  Hayden didn't know the woman well, but she knew that was likely going to change. "Ma'am," Hayden offered. Her voice was more hoarse than she realized and her thoughts continued to race.
 
She tried to visualize swatting them like flies.
 
 

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #47 –
[ Commander T'Rena ]

Turning her head, T'Rena acknowledged the human named Hayden Quinn O'Connor with a raised Vulcan eyebrow and a slow nod. "Counsellor," she said before turning her eyes back towards the ceremony whilst it led to its closure.

The speeches were adequate in her opinion. For other species than her own, words to boost morale were needed, even though she found the effect of emotional words a trivial factor amongst their pressing needs. She had rather seen the time spent on the plain directed towards the repairs instead, since the gathering of all personnel had drawn the collective work-force of both crews from their allotted tasks. This cessation of carrying out their duties might just have made the difference of having repaired the two ships to a degree that would make them survive a second attack from the USS Calamity... and the possible outcome that they would be air-raided by Reavers in an atmospheric fly-by.

Then the singing started. T'Rena shifted her stance a bit, otherwise not sighing, rolling her eyes or making any derisive comment. Music had an interesting mathematical quality that she might have appreciated some other time. Now, she found it an insipid theatrical charade, where the faces of the dead lit up the sky and made the emotionally imbalanced crew cry - displaying even more feelings better shed in the possibility of imminent death and destruction. She supposed they needed it all, yet she found that it boiled down to two outcomes that lay on the scales. Attack imminent or not, they all could either spend time crying in idleness or increasing the chance of survival by continuing repairs. Would they rather chance death knowing that they had done everything possible to prevent it, or chance it whilst having their emotions impair them even more.

"May I ask your professional opinion, Counsellor?" asked T'Rena and turned her head in O'Connor's way after the final notes of the song came to a close, "Do you surmise the time the crews spent here was worth the cost?"

OOC: Lori, if possible, 5-10 minutes must somehow go by IC-wise until - at the end of your next post - Eve Jenkins' combadge call reaches Hayden. See Searcher's last post in this thread. To accomplish this, you should feel free to insert how T'Rena says "Interesting," and walks off after Hayden answers her question, followed by whatever Hayden does for 5-10 minutes until "Lieutenant Eve Jenkins to Dr. Hayden O'Connor ... we have a patient in the yellow zone who very much would appreciate your expertise." comes from her combadge. This arrangement is needed since some IC-time has gone by in the Triage Centre after the speeches ended, and the call arrives later. Also, it allows us to focus on a Rihen/Hayden joint-post. Let me know if you have any questions.


[ Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 ]

To hear that Lin Kae was prepared to accompany her if she infiltrated the Calamity's Main Computer served to put her digital mind at ease. The final call was the two Captains', so there was no need to dwell on the details further at that point.

Lin Kae pointed out that she should preoccupy her mind with the current situation. He asked her what she felt, and it was hard to describe in a satisfying way. She looked away from him again and took a step towards the three tall bonfires, testing the surface of the plain underneath her soles as she walked. Earthen soil giving away from the pressure of her webbing of force-fields, an approximation of her hovering emitter giving her a balanced hight-ratio depending on her projection's movement. While she considered her reply, she looked down her fire-lit body-suit, laying her both hands against her abdomen - over the area where her new emitter lay hidden.

"I feel disembodied, disconnected... and yet somehow safe in knowing that this emitter is not exposed outside my projected body. This being a prototype, I worry about initial malfunctions... even if I know that the scans of Calamity's emitter should have reduced the likelihood for such occurrences." She raised her eyes and looked into the fires before her. Real living flames and not holographic imagery. As real as her own bulkheads and deck plating. As her circuits and her dear crew. Not a holo-program. Not something which she could derive any code from. Not something she could shut off with a mere digital command from her processor. "It is... humbling, standing before a natural phenomenon like this. Before there was any Federation, before concious thought formed in the primordial minds of any species, there was the conflagration. The open flame. Dancing, devouring its source. Living by feeding of it, just like any life needs sustenance. Chemical life, insentient, yet still alive by reaction. The dance of these flames pre-dating any kind of dance conjured by concious intention."

Blinking against the heat - feeling it so poignantly against her new sensory mapping - the clever imitation of real skin began to shed perspiration underneath her bodysuit. She could feel it and it was so strange, the dry heat making her eyes squint and her skin slick underneath. If she was to remove her bodysuit, she suspected that the flames would dry her sweat non-existent. Such meticulous reactions recorded in minor detail with cortical nodes and then aggregated to the surface of her whole body. In the end, it made her feel very warm, yet even if she lacked the organic instinct to step away, she made the concious decision to withdraw from the flames - instead looking around the valley and enjoying the light breeze she felt.

"I feel freedom, I suppose, mixed with trepidation of the new experiences I am exposed to. Now more than ever, I would like to wear real clothes instead of re-sequencing my projection to make them appear," she said and chuckled, glancing towards Kae. She did not say that she wished to remove her clothes altogether, since her modesty sub-routines made it clear that it was not appropriate in the current situation. Still, real clothing would have been a boon.

A conclusion was just then made as she stood there, and her smile died. "Kae? Did you activate my emitter with the Captain's authorisation?"

The conclusion of the matter during the Senior Staff meeting came to her mind... and she hoped that they were not in trouble.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #48 –
Yellow Zone: Triage Center: Section Bravo

"Ranger, I'm not here to lecture you about your recovery and heath and all that medical jargon but you know I can't do that,"  he said solemnly.  "I'll see what I can get you to ease your headache though." He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly.  "By the way, aside from your little breaking out of sickbay to get out there stunt, you did great."

The word frustration barely described how he felt when it came to having to deal with the issues she had a tendency to cause.  Frustration still, was exactly what he felt right now.  On one hand she was a great pilot, She had excellent instincts.  She was more than loyal to the ship and its crew.  Hell loyalty was far from what could be questioned. It was more than clear she would readily sacrifice her life for any one of her squad. With how she flew, it was clear that even though she appeared to be a reckless daredevil she was far from it. She was far the Death seeker she appeared to some to be. 

On the other hand, her near constant disobedience left a lot to be desired.  She was far from trustworthy enough to leave alone at this point.  He was near certain she would end up trying to find something to drink that would surely make her chances of a quick recovery take a downward turn.  He sighed to himself, "But, What the hell am I going to do with you?"  he said trying to figure out how he could handle the delicate situation of the obvious required disciplinary actions, and the fact that she was more than an average pilot who he needed able to fly at a moments notice.

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 01: Bloody, but Unbowed]

Reply #49 –
[Lin Kae]

"I know you have cause for concern, but I wouldn't have risked placing you inside the emitter if I wasn't certain it was safe for use.  Just to be sure though, I went ahead and backed up your subroutines.  In the event any of them became corrupted or lost, the backups can be used to restore your programming to the state they were in just before you were transferred into the emitter.  The most you would experience would be some lost time."  He took no risks.  He kept her safe.  When she expressed an interest in wearing clothes, Kae thought about it.  "Well, if the Captain approves my energy source idea, we can get the replicators back online and use them to create a uniform for you.  The only other alternative would be to find a female officer with a similar build to your own and borrow a spare uniform from her if you cannot want that long."

Then came a more complicated question, the one about the emitter's activation.  Kae's lips tightened, grew straighter, as if he were sealing his lips shut.  When he finally spoke, he provided the loophole which made it alright for her to be activated.  "The Captain authorized me to complete all necessary testing for the emitter.  Your activation is a successful test and the next is to test the limits of the battery, to assure we can get the full twenty hour cycle from it."  It was an excuse to let her remain activated for the better part of the day before he had to report that everything had worked successfully.  After that, he saw no reason why the captain wouldn't authorize the full activation of her emitter, allowing thea to rejoin the crew while the ship was powered down.
 
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