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CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Chapter 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]
Attn: CanadianVet, Ericajohn, Doctor Maya, Searcher, Cathreen Dawinter, Zenozine, Brutus, Sirus, The Counselor

[ Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]
Attn: Sten Covington, Axius Onea, Tessa May Lance & Rory Callahan. Optionally: Cameron Henshaw or Wenn Cinn

The past hour had been completely touch-and-go. For the Lone Wolves and Sten Covington's deck crew, who had survived the strife in the Fighter Assault Bay, the ascent from Deck 15 had not been without losses.

Most of the surviving deck crew had been stunned as the group tried to escape the phasers of T'Rena's search parties. There had been no sign-of-life in regards to Miles Renard since last he had been seen, where he had provided cover for the last people that left the hell-hole that the flight hangar had become. One thing was relatively certain, and that was that Captain Ives was no longer in command, and was likely confined to the Brig. En-route, the short-term plan had been to reach Deck 07, and now that they were there - climbing out of a grate in the corner of the ship's lounge. They were only a few corridors away from the Security Office.

They emerged into an abandoned Below Decks, empty from movement. The place was quite defensible because of the open space and the clear view of the two entrances - one on each side of the lounge area - and it would be the ideal place to form a strategy-of-approach, and figure out how to liberate their Captain and everyone else that were being held captive.

Question was if they were up to the task and were prepared to risk their lives in the attempt.

OOC: It is entirely up to Searcher to establish the whereabouts our dear proprietor of the establishment. Rory Callahan may either be there already, show up at some point, or don't show up there at all - being elsewhere on the ship. Image of Below Decks: [Show/Hide]


[ Main Sickbay | Primary Surgical Suite | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]
Attn: Sarresh Morali, Doctor Maya, Ryuan Sel, Lahkesis Saugn, Eve Jenkins, Hayden Quinn O'Connor & Vinata Vojona Optionally: Cameron Henshaw or Wenn Cinn

The Vasser loyalists that had come to Sickbay had been subdued one hour ago, yet the victors of the confrontation were a motley gathering of people from different departments. They were either hailing from the Harbinger or the Theurgy, so it was quickly made clear that not all former Harbinger personnel supported Declan Vasser. Furthermore, there had been panicked patients in Sickbay that needed to be calmed down and told to remain in their biobeds, so the doctors and nurses had to devote a lot of time to keep the injured crew from doing something rash.

Now, when a modicum of order had been restored, there was an eerie revelation to consider: That a clear majority of the crew that supported Vasser's mutiny had been brainwashed through the Vulcan mind-meld, and that raised a moral dilemma for the present Starfleet officers. What could actually be done towards innocent victims in the name of supporting Captain Ives and the original mission? The importance to restore the command to Ives may be rightful, but would it merit using deadly force? The discussion had been heated, but in the end, it boiled down to whether or not they could actually restore the victims to their right minds.

So, they were all gathered in the circular area around the primary surgical suite, and upon the biobed lay Science Officer Cir'Cie. She was sedated, and makeshift restraints had been secured around her ankles and wrists. It was something that not everyone present were in agreement with, yet still had to be there as a precautionary measure if something went wrong. Cir'Cie was Vulcan, and even as a botanist, she had proven quite dangerous.

Standing closest to Cir'Cie was Doctor Maya, but Doctor Saugn was there too with sedatives at hand to use on the prone Vulcan if so required. The idea was that Maya would attempt a second mind-meld to explore the extent of damage done to the Science Officer's mind, and determine whether or not she could reverse the way T'Rena had rewired her thought-patterns and priorities.

Sarresh Morali and Petty Officer Ryuan were visibly armed, and perhaps the ones who had the tactical acumen to derive some kind of plan for how they were going to restore the crew to their right senses. Potentially with the assistance Doctor Maya if she was successful. With any luck, they might have the help from an additional Vulcan if Cir'Cie was ready to assist them as well... but it was still only two Vulcan and their combined capacity to use the mind-meld that would set the odds for success.

Head Nurse Jenkins was also present, and with her lay the unresponsive Connor Matthews and Sean Cameron - their bodies suspended on floating biobeds that were commonly used to transport patients between the different wards. Their fates were still uncertain, yet it had been decided that Maya or Cir'Cie would try to repair the damage done to them by Eve Jenkin's Deltan abilities. With any luck, the measures that had been taken against the Brig Officer and the Ops Officer in the defence of the patients in Sickbay could be reversed. If not, they would be casualties of war, and with the hear-say about shooting all across the ship, they were not alone either.

Further back, at the Chief Medical Officer's desk, there sat Vinata Vojona, and the Ovri nurse was being seen to by the Chief Counselor. What had happened in the Recovery Ward was difficult to process for everyone, but naturally, Vinata shouldn't have to remain in the place he had been assaulted. Nurse Maal had been rushed to the ICU together with Patrick Andersson, and their fates were still uncertain.

The moment of truth had arrived.

Was there any hope for T'Rena's victims? Could their minds be liberated from the distorted views of the Vulcan Master Acolyte?

OOC: The red area in this image shows where everyone named is gathered to plan the restoration of the crew's sanity: [Show/Hide]


[ Jefferies Tubes | Ascending From Deck 04 | 1300 hrs. ]
Attn: Hylota Vojona. Optionally: Cameron Henshaw or Wenn Cinn

At least the emergency lights worked. It would have become a difficult climb otherwise.

Then again, the ascent from Sickbay towards the specified cargo hold on Deck 02 had become more and more difficult by the minute for Lucan and his Ovri nurse. With the resistance cells actively opposing the Vasser loyalists, the Vulcan Captain had shut down the light in the Jeffries tubes, but she had also ordered her search teams to pop every grate they could and see if they could find any of the crew hiding inside. It had become an exercise in listening while they moved, trying to foresee when a grate ahead or behind them might open and blind them with light from the corridors of the ship. These interruptions, where they had to wait out the search parties, had made the ascent terribly slow for them.

Currently, everything was silent, and the shaft above them provided only some meagre lights, but it was sufficient. "Let's climb," Lucan whispered to Hylota, and set his hands on the rungs of the ladder.

Then there was the grime. It got everywhere. Excess oil was standard to machinery - however well-kept and with all systems functioning - but it had a tendency to stick to everything. Lucan, on his part, had ended up with his whole teal undershirt and uniform trousers covered in it, and his fingers were slipping on the rungs of the ladders they climbed. Having looked at the state of his exotic companion, he had seen that Hylota had not been spared either, and imagined that his own face looked the same from brushing sweat from his own brow.

Overall, Lucan felt rather miserable about the situation, and confused as to what his own motivations were, or should be. The only thing that made sense to him right then was to act in accordance to his facade, and try to maintain control. Ironically, that meant supporting Ives' crew.

Reaching the next level, Deck 03, Lucan grabbed on to the edge - beginning to pull himself up and over it. Then he laid himself in a prone position and reached down with one arm to help in lifting Hylota up as well. Lucan grabbed on to her hand and braced himself against the dirty deck - pulling the nurse up. Then, he got up on his knees and assisted in helping her the rest of the way. "There, n-"

A sound. Shuffling noises.

Quickly, Lucan fished up his exo-scalpel from his pocket, listening with a tattooed hand around Hylota's waist to keep her from falling back into the shaft. The sound was getting closer, and in the darkness ahead of them, Lucan thought he could see movements. It was too late to climb down again. They would have to defend themselves somehow... Unless...

OOC: This thread, named 02: Liberation, will contain the scenes with all characters that are involved in the effort to free Captain Ives, Commander Rez, SCO Renard and Petty Officer Cardamone. This thread will eventually be continued in an upcoming thread in due time, at which point will be determined as things evolve. The events in this thread start at 1300 hours, which is one hour after the end of the previous Chapter. It is free to make up what has transpired during the hour that has gone by since the hostile takeover based on what has been suggested above. Lastly, please make sure to tag your posts by [Character] and/or [Location] for ease of reading.


This Chapter in the Theurgy story is dedicated to Mr. Leonard Nimoy, 1931-2015. May he never be forgotten.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #1 –
[ Tessa May Lance | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ]

Tessa May Lance glanced around the shipboard tavern called 'Below Decks' when she emerged from the Jeffries tube.  Thankfully Sten Covington had been wearing his toolbelt when the smeg hit the fan and had been able to open the maintenance hatch from the inside.  Discussions had been made during the long crawl though the ship.  The consensus was that getting to the brig and freeing Captain Ives was a top priority.  No doubt the captain knew many secret ways to regain control of the Theurgy that only the late chief engineer had access to.  Of course, with all of the damage and sabotage that the ship had endured, it was likely the most of those ways were currently nonfunctional.  But it was Jien Ives' job to lead and come up with a plan, and nobody had any other ideas at the moment.

"If only we could free the captain," Tessa sighed for what might have been the third time.  "The captain can change his appearance entirely.  If he alter his body to look like one of the mutineers in charge he could get close enough to someplace where he could get Thea back online and... sorry, I'm doing it again.  I'm just so scared.  We still have to spring Captain Ives from the brig and nobody knows who to trust on this ship...  Wait!  That's it!" she exclaimed as her topaz yellow eyes lit up.  "Nobody knows who they can trust around here!  If one of us poses as a prisoner the other two say they caught him!  Once we're in we set our phasers on wide angle stun and free the captain!  What do you think fellas?"  Abruptly, Tessa frowned and stamped her foot.  "Oh hell," she groaned.   "I'm the ranking officer.  It's my decision isn't it?"


[ Maya | Main Sickbay | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ] Attn: Sarresh Morali, Doctor Maya, Ryuan Sel, Lahkesis Saugn, Eve Jenkins, Hayden Quinn O'Connor & Vinata Vojona Optionally: Cameron Henshaw or Wenn Cinn 

Doctor Maya massaged hands that looked too large for her petite body as her large hazel eyes surveyed the comatose and restrained Cir'Cie.  Application with a dermal regenerator had concealed the exterior injuries but it was unknown if the greenblooded physician was still hurt. 

"And now we must make a decision," the little Vulcan announced in her calm mezzosoprano voice.  "It would appear that the spread of the mental conditioning has been facilitated by mindmelding with a subject that has already been conditioned, not unlike the way the contagion was spread by sexual contact during the Niga incident.  It is possible to use the medical procedures we have available to treat them, but it would be a lengthy and time consuming process that does not guarantee success.

Maya looked at the others and spoke at a slightly louder volume as she continued.  "Alternatively I could initiate a mind meld of my own in order to reverse the conditioning.  If we can restore Ensign Cir'Cie there will be two telepaths who can reverse the conversion.  In addition, Cir'Cie's familiarity with the minds she herself has affected could simplify the process.  Such a course carries the risk that my loyalties may be compromised.  As a surrogate, I was trained to compartmentalize my mind in order to protect my psyche from this kind of infection, but I cannot deny that there are risks.  Does anyone have any suggestions?"



Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #2 –
Ryuan Sel | Main Sickbay

Sel frowned and folded her arms. Since her timely arrival she had not managed to find a chance to get a uniform, so she still only had a sports bra and panties on, yet she was unfazed by it. Instead her mind was faced with the situation at hand. her first thought was the best option was to stun all the people being controlled and let the big crew, the doctors, and nurses sort them out. Yet she did not say this. Instead she approached the situation is she knew would work best. There wasn't enough time to play nice and hope it all worked out, they needed a solution and they needed one now.

"Don't worry, if you turn on the crew I'll drop you and we can figure out alternatives later," Sel said coldly as she patted the phaser rifle hanging from her shoulder. She looked down at the face of the unconscious vulcan and scowled. IF only she could properly interrogate the woman, then she could get some answers. "We need to ask her some questions about their plans and where they have people, and I'd bet she won't go along with it while her brain is in it's current state."


Lahkesis Saugn | Sickbay

Lahkesis was silent in all of this. She had hardly said a single word since she had watched the door of the surgical suite open. In that moment she had felt nothing. She had feared she would have been captured and tortured or raped. And when she saw Doctor Maya she had not been certain how to react. She felt overjoyed, and yet the anxiety had not left her. In fact it only seemed to grow, festering in the back of her mind. Even now she knew that she should say something, add something to the conversation, help in someway. Yet all she could think about was that the last thing she wanted was for her friend to risk losing herself, becoming 'brainwashed' as it were, while in the mind meld. She wished there was another way, yet she could think of none. All she could do was bite her lip and give Maya a concerned, almost fearful look, hoping her friend would understand.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #3 –
[ Axius vel Onea | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ]

A near-naked Axius and his fellow loyal shipmates emerged into the dim atmosphere of the one and only Below Decks, the Theurgy's mess hall and crew lounge. His bare, sweaty chest was ridden with laces of blood splatter, ash, dirt, and particles of exploded matter that would need a computer analysis to define its origin. His ears rang like the wind bells that used to chime maliciously in a minor key back home on Earth Region. His sea green eyes stung with irritation. His muscles ached with sore stiffness, and the small cuts around his skin were just now beginning to demand attention as the adrenaline decelerated in his veins.

But he was safe, for the time being.

He watched as the small throng of people ascended from the Jeffries tube, all with expressions of awe and disdain. It wasn't new that there was a tragedy to this ship of juxtaposed outlaws, but mutiny was one thing this loyal crew never faced. It was in everyone's best interest that his pack member had an idea that might work.

"If one of us poses as a prisoner the other two say they caught him!"

It was as if all of Tessa's other words were drowned in the running of his own thoughts. That was brilliant. While they would have to see the look of horror on Ives' face if they successfully infiltrated the brig, Axius wouldn't mind if that meant it saved the Theurgy.

"Tessa, where would we begin?" he asked, knowing his implication of agreement was going to be understood. "And can someone get me a damn uniform?"

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #4 –
[Sten Covington | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 7 | 1300 ]

There were twenty-two who had managed to get out of the hangar deck. By the time they'd broken contact with the mutineers, they were down to fourteen and it was this handful that managed to reach Below Decks. It had been a brutal withdrawal, under constant fire until they had reached the junction of Vectors 2 and 3 and the Chief of the Deck sealed the hull panels behind him. Perhaps the computer was down but the manual override functioned just fine and a few rapid bursts of his welding unit made sure pursuit would be severely delayed.

Upon reaching the lounge, the Chief Warrant Officer was quick to give his instructions. The place, being a bar, did not have a weapons locker but it did have a few utility caches and before long what available supplies had been gathered up. A half-dozen tricorders, a handful of PADDs, a few medical kits and some basic tools. Overall, not much to work with when one was the sort to only think with a phaser but a great deal for someone more technically minded.

But in the immediate, their location needed to be secured and Sten saw the doors locked and work on barricades started before approaching Goldeneye and Axius. Just in time to hear her plan and his less than formal reply.

Perhaps, according to rank scales, Quake and Covington held effectively the same authority but the Chief of the Deck had passed the rank of Master Chief better than two decades past and his career so far spanned forty years. And it was with this seniority that he spoke. "Master Chief, Lieutenant Lance is the ranking officer here, not your fellow pilot. You'd do well to address her as Ma'am or Sir, as she prefers."

Despite his words, the grizzled veteran was not there to bust Quake's balls. All the personnel holed up in the bar was frightened and shook up, only two having been trained for combat and only Sten, so far as he knew, had live experience in ground combat. And at this point, everyone needed to be brought back down to the lowest possible level in terms of their mentality. And that meant a strict enforcing of discipline and the chain of command. And that's just what the Deck Chief meant to do. Tessa was in command as the only officer present and he would be her strong right hand and the voice of experience.

"Ma'am, the call's yours but I don't think that's a good idea. Commander T'Rena came through from Security so odds are she's got that aspect covered and then some. The Security offices are already damn secure and if I was her I'd have my most high-value detainees there, not minor random ones. And odds are it's guarded by folks who know who's who. I think we'd be better off trying to get transporter access to get them out of there. Ship's ones are locked out but maybe we can try for the shuttlebay, use one of our runabouts or shuttlecraft to get them out?"

The Chief Warrant Officer then looked directly into the senior pilot's eyes. He needed her to think and make a decision. But the one message his gaze conveyed was simple: he had her back. Just like any good Chief ought to.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #5 –
[ Tessa May Lance | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07  | 1300 hours ]
 
"Oh hell," Tessa groaned.  "I'm the ranking officer.  It's my decision isn't it?"

It was true.  There were no superiors in Below Decks, no one to make the decisions that would save their lives or get them all killed.  According to protocol, in an emergency situation where no one had been assigned command, seniority fell to the highest ranking officer, whether or not that officer was a tactical officer or a ship's counselor.  And right now a twist of fate was twisted enough to leave Tessa as the senior officer, belay that, the only officer in the room.

"Tessa, where would we begin?" Master Chief Petty Officer Axius vel Onea, aka Wolf-04, callsign Quake asked. "And can someone get me a damn uniform?" he added as he drew attention to the fact that he was only wearing running shoes, socks, and a pair of gym shorts.

Before Tessa could respond she heard the fatherly growl of Chief Warrant Officer Sten Covington, the Theurgy's deck chief who the fighter pilots had given the unofficial callsign Papa Bear. "Master Chief, Lieutenant Lance is the ranking officer here, not your fellow pilot.  You'd do well to address her as Ma'am or Sir, as she prefers."

"Yeah," Tessa nodded dumbly.  "You're right!  You're right Papa Bear!  I'm Ma'am or Sir; frack Tessa!" she chirped in disgust.  "That stupid witch will get us all killed!  This is a job for Lieutenant Lance and it's time to get that sorry excuse for an officer on the job!" she declared before she slapped herself repeatedly to clear her head. 

Ever since the Theurgy had gone on the run Tessa had been hanging in the back and feeling sorry for herself.  So much of her identity was founded on her faith in Starfleet that when it was revealed that the leadership had been compromised her personality almost disintegrated.  Inside, she had curled into a fetal ball and given up.  Well frack that!  Did Captain Sisko give up?  Did Picard?  Did Harn, or Rixx, or Kirk?  Did Garth of Izar?  Granted Sisko was dead, Harn's ship was destroyed with all hands, Rixx was listed as missing, and Garth went mad but they had made a difference!  And it was Tessa's turn to make a difference right now!

"Okay!" she announced with tender and rosy cheeks.  "Where were we?  Let's be realistic.  Can we really sneak into the brig as prisoner and escort?"

"Ma'am, the call's yours but I don't think that's a good idea," Papa Bear warned her.  "Commander T'Rena came through from Security so odds are she's got that aspect covered and then some. The Security offices are already damn secure and if I was her I'd have my most high-value detainees there, not minor random ones. And odds are it's guarded by folks who know who's who. I think we'd be better off trying to get transporter access to get them out of there. Ship's ones are locked out but maybe we can try for the shuttlebay, use one of our runabouts or shuttlecraft to get them out?"

Tessa looked at Sten in awe.  "That's... brilliant!"

Of course it was.  Sten Covington had been in Starfleet since before the development of warp drive.  There probably wasn't a single scenario that he hadn't heard of or lived through.  Sten Covington was a legend in certain Starfleet circles, particularly the ones inhabited by pilots and deckhands.  If half the stories were true, this wasn't the first time Papa Bear had to free a comrade from the brig.

"We can use the transporters in the shuttlecraft!  That's brilliant!" Tessa gushed.  "If anybody spots us, they'll think we're trying to escape, not trying to spring the captain!  Only locking onto him might be tricky," Tessa added as her enthusiasm diminished.  "They're bound to have taken away Ives' combadge but the captain's a pretty unique lifeform.  Anyone with a lot of experience with transporters should be able to..."  Suddenly her topaz yellow eyes widened in fear.  "Our combadges!" she screeched.  "Holy smokes, we're still wearing out combadges!  Vasser's people must know where we are!"


[ Maya | Main Sickbay | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ] Attn: Sarresh Morali, Doctor Maya, Ryuan Sel, Lahkesis Saugn, Eve Jenkins, Hayden Quinn O'Connor & Vinata Vojona Optionally: Cameron Henshaw or Wenn Cinn 

Back in sickbay, Maya acknowleged Sel's comments by clasping her hands and nodding once at the blonde Bajorran.  She could feel the anxiety emenating from her unofficially adopted daughter and wanted to comfort her, but this was not the time.  The little Vulcan wasn't going to reveal to Lahkesis that she considered the blue eyed girl an insurance policy in case of the worst; at least not yet.  First she wanted to hear what the others had to say.


Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #6 –
[ Axius vel Onea | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ]

He had no time to hate himself for his insignificant bout of insubordination, nor did he dwell on the fact that Tessa just badmouthed the superior officer in very imaginative ways. Axius just glanced from face to face as they conversed on the plan that might just bring the re-liberation of his ship.

They were thinking on their feet like Starfleet officers are wired to do. Their brains worked in unison as each idea was stacked onto the other and branched off like cracks in the ice, which just might cause enough difference to break through. There was potential in this strategy. The pilots knew it, Papa knew it, and the handful of people Axius took no time to distinguish knew it. However, it needed to be flawless. Hell yeah, it was dangerous, but adventure isn't worth the hassle without it. However, like with most in-the-moment decisions, there seemed to be an obstacle seemingly impossible to overcome.

"Holy smokes, we're still wearing our combadges!  Vasser's people must know where we are!"

That wasn't entirely true. "Except for me. They must think I'm dead! My badge is in the locker room where I left it!" He paused to overcome is rush of ideas, "There will be no way Vasser can identify my body if those Mk. IIs reached the havoc they did on that bay. My combadge is long gone in that rubble of a locker room. They think I'm dead. Or they don't think of me at all, I'm just impervious to the computer's location systems."

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #7 –
[Sten Covington | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 7 | 1300 ]

When Quake realized his mistake in addressing Goldeneye informally, Sten found himself pleased to see his expression quickly recover from the shock of the realization to become once more the face of professionalism. Good on the kid, thought the grizzled veteran, for he could be useful now that he'd woken up.

Tessa, on the other hand? She put on a much more visible display when she realized her position. What looks it garnered were swiftly met with Covington's withering glare. The officer in charge was sorting herself out and that was all that mattered right now. Yes, that sort of behaviour wasn't known for inspiring confidence but at least she was going to step up to the plate. And he needed these people to do their job. And that included one of them coming up to the Master Chief with some surgical scrubs. After all, Below Decks could be used as an emergency medical facility in a serious crunch...

When his plan was well-received, the grizzled Chief nodded. That girl needed to get a hold of herself all right. But for now, her exuberance was a welcome sight. It meant she wasn't beaten yet. And that was good. This handful of crewmembers needed to see an officer in charge. Yes, they'd follow the Chief of the Deck but with an actual commissioned officer to lead them? It would give them even more purpose.

But then, she mentioned their commbadges. Truth be told, Sten had completely overlooked those. They were usually worn in a breast pocket of their coveralls, out of the way while working in the bay. As such, he growled his next order. "You all heard the Lieutenant! Ditch 'em!" Yielding words to action, he was the first to reach for this ubiquitous piece of equipment and tossed it across the room.

Then, he laid his hirsute paw on Tessa's shoulder. "Ma'am, we should be moving. I recommend we fall back somewhere we can finalize our plan for now."

Then, quietly, for her ears alone, he added something. "You're doing fine, lass. Keep doing what you're doing, I got your back."

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #8 –

| Rory Callahan | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 Hours]

As soon as he'd heard people coming in from an alternate area of the lounge, Rory had dove behind the bar and pressed himself tight against the frame.  He didn't dare try to move some of the boxes to try to hide himself, knowing as afraid as he was that he'd give himself away.  He'd managed to make it there though had run into a couple of Vasser's people.  They'd made the mistake of laughing and saying he wasn't a threat but after hearing the announcement, he wasn't about to stay docile.  Not when Ives had been kind and let him transfer over.  The two were in one of the supply rooms, possibly conscious again but hogtied quite nicely.

It was hearing the exclamation that Vassers people would know where they were that allowed him to breathe a little sigh of relief.  "Don' shoot ... I'm not with tha' stinkin' crew," he called out and let his hands be seen from behind the bar before he slowly eased up enough to peek over the counter.  "Dunno if we had a chance t' meet but I'm Rory ... jus' a singer an' bartender.  Got a couple o' them phasers ye call 'em an' a rifle," he said as he stood to his full height.  "What th' fooks goin' on?  I knew Vasser was a cold bastard but turnin' on this crew?  I hope he gets his nuts shot off," he complained.



[ Eve Jenkins | Main Sickbay | Primary Surgical Suite | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]

Eve had managed to get the bodies of Connor and Sean on the portable biobeds and after making sure sickbay was clear, brought them over.  She didn't speak of what had happened, only saying they would no longer be a problem and they would deal with them when other things were taken care of first.  Given the strength of the Vuclans, she had agreed it was best that Cir'Ce be restrained and that Maya attempt to reverse whatever T'Rena had done to her.

She was pensive, considering many things such as gases they could send through the ventilation as well as sonic bursts but she knew that would take out everyone for a while and no one would really know who was on which side.  She looked at the two men with whom she'd been and then back to the two Vulcans and something began to brew in her mind.  "Dr. Maya ... when you do a mind meld, you sort of implant a bit of yourself into the other mind ... correct?" she asked.

"I only ask because I was wondering if there was a way to focus on just those who have melded with Cir'Ce and T'Rena.  Is there a way to tap into their psyche and maybe focus a sound blast or something that focuses on their traces?"  She growled lightly, waving her hand as she tried to find the words to express what she was thinking but wasn't sure it was coming across like she wanted.  "Like if Cir'Ce was sensitive to something, like a certain sound frequency, we could try to replicate it to at least affect those controlled by her and perhaps render them ... inert."

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #9 –
[ Vinata Vojona | Main Sickbay | Primary Surgical Suite | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]

Vinata sat at the Chief Medical Officer's desk looking downcast as he held a blanket tight around himself. The other loyal crew members had not had the time to get him a uniform after coming in and finding out what had happened to him and Maal, after seeing what had happened the poor Ovri could not handle it all and just froze up, after going through hell and barely surviving he had come back only to get raped and almost kill someone. It was no surprise really that he was being paired up with the councilor while the other personnel worked on trying to solve the problem of he mutiny. And what made this all worse was that his sister was off somewhere with their commanding officer who he had yet to even meet, on some mission of their own after finding out that they were in danger.

All in all Vinata felt useless, but at the same time he was jut tired, he did not want to deal with this anymore and he just wanted to quit. He was sore, humiliated, scared and cold, which on top of everything was just making his day miserable. Shutting out the sound around him Vinata tucked his had into the blanket and just sat there in the dark, forgetting he was supposed to be trying to work through the problems he was having and try and get better. All thing considered he was 110% done, he wanted to go to his room lock the door and just hide there until the ship blew up or they finally saved the galaxy or whatever thing the people thought they were going.

Vinata didn't realize it, bu he was actually beginning to cry again as he hid himself away from the world behind his blanket. He looked pathetic and sad, he had been dragged along with this whole mess and gotten nothing, but hardship and loss from it, his reaction to everything was hardly surprising.



[ Hylot Vojona | Jefferies Tubes | Ascending From Deck 04 | 1300 hrs. ]

Hylota had to make quite a few changes as they had gone long in their trip through the jefferies tubes. Initially they had been making good progress, but as thy had been going the mutineers had started to put out searches to see whee people where hiding. This had required her to abandon her magnetic boots so that they would not be heard banging as they went along through the ship. Fortunately this change came as a mixed blessing for her as her fingers and toes had larger tips with more defined groove for better grip on smooth surfaces. Inside a jefferies tube this feature proved to be quite useful in allowing Hylota to move around quickly through the tubes. Of course she ha not been spared from the filth and oils that had collected in the tubs ether, her uniform now had large black smears over the once teal uniform where Hylota had wiped off her hands an feet to restore some of her improved grip.

As Hylota and Dr. Lucan ascended through the tubes she took up the rear so that in case Lucan fell she would have a chance to catch him or stop his decent, and with her better mobility it as easier for her to make a quick movement away from any grates that might end up being opened along the way. After sharing information along the way about how they would need to go about carrying out their plan the duo had grown quiet out of fear of being caught or drawing unwanted attention to themselves. And as time had gone on Hylota had not improved all that much, her body had gotten slightly horny staring at her attractive boss's body for their entire trek, being in her heat was making the prolonged journey mildly annoying s the stress was not able to silence her body's sexual desire entirely.

As they reached the next deck of jefferies tubs and Lucan reached down to offer Hylota a hand up she sighed with relief as she reached up to take his hand and let herself be pulled up, but at that moment she heard the grates ahead of Lucan open and she closed her eyes in a response before she gripped the ladder and lowered herself several rungs before stopping an looking back up to where Lucan had been, one hand came off the ladder as she prepared for the worse and got ready to catch her CO if things came to it. Hylota had to be honest with herself, this entire thing would be so much easier if they could kill someone and take a proper weapon for themselves. And at about this point in time she was prepared to abandon her oath in exchange for some easier traveling conditions. 



[ Wenn Cinn | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]

The Chief of security had been sneaking around through the jefferies tubes when he heard  commotion coming from near where h was, and it had not sounded like one of the many checks he ha com across earlier on that day...in fact he had not encountered any of those for a while now, only ever hearing them happening on decks above where he was as of late. So out of curiosity Cinn decided to take a chance and see what was going on. As he arrived on scene he listened in to the fellow loyal crew trying to sort out who was pulling rank and who was to be in command of their little outfit, he found it quit admirable and he was mildly proud of his fellow crew for focusing and trying to rescue their captain, but as he hard their plan he began to get worried and started to work on entering the room.

When there came some commotion over hat as to be their finalized plan Cinn opened the grate and called down to his fellow crew. "As good a plan as that is I am afraid there are still quite a few glaring problems with what you are proposing to do." He opened the grate and called down. "Now none of you shoot its me Wenn Cinn, and I would rather not be killed again." He pushed through the opening and lowered himself into the room and brushed off some of the filth that was sticking to him before he set a chemical transport bag onto a table beside him. "Now the plan Sten has proposed has some potential, but one does not simply beam one out of the brig, if this could be done we would not bother having them. No a brig cell has preventive measures to keep a cell secure. But the brig itself is free game."

Wenn Cinn looked over the people that had gathered and he straightened himself up, he needed to make sure that these people still saw him as strong, for he was of Theurgy. "My own plan was initially to perform a raid on the brig, but as you have already speculated it is likely guarded and not going to be a place we could walk into. But if we have transporter capabilities we could bypass the entire approach to the brig. It would take a few seconds to fully beam someone into he brig using a transporter making a simple beam in to the security heart of the ship a foolish idea." He place his hand onto his bag. "But I think I have a solution for getting in. When things began to break down I made my way to the science decks and gathered some ingredients to make a flash explosive, a non lethal weapon that would blind anyone who would look at it. This could buy us the time we needed to beam into the brig and capture it."

Wenn Cinn looked over the other crew to let his plan sink in for them, as he looked he noticed a small bit of commotion going on behind the bar as Rory tried to join up with the assembled group. "We would need to act quick, there are four different way to enter the brig, one is the main entrance, the three interrogation rooms could also be made int a way into the room, but if we were to lock the doors and bottleneck the mutineers to the security entrance we could hold the room long enough to allow someone to spring the captain and any other imprisoned crew." Wenn scanned the room again and decided it was best to allow people to ask him questions, throw out criticism and even question him, after all he had not been back all that long and after what this crew had been through, he expected people to be skeptical and worried, especially with their captain unable to guide them.

Cinn was also wanting to keep some of his other thoughts to himself, as he scanned the crew he noticed how many still had their com badges still on, with the searching of the jefferies tubes he wondered what this large group was doing together and not being found. it did no ad up...unless they knew exactly where this group was and the mutineers were just allowing them to remain here out of the way while they did their best to get rid of anyone who might be hiding around the ship. If hat was the case then Cinn could surmise that this mutiny lacked the manpower to hold he entire ship at once.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #10 –
[ Tessa May Lance | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07  | 1300 hours ]
 
"You're doing fine, lass," Sten's fatherly growl muttered for her ears alone.  "Keep doing what you're doing, I got your back."

"Thanks Papa Bear," Tessa May Lance smiled.  "Now that we've got a plan I'm not so scared--AH!" she yelped when a blonde young man revealed himself crouching behind the bar.

"Don' shoot ... I'm not with tha' stinkin' crew,"  the young man assured them in a distinctive Irish brogue.  "Dunno if we had a chance t' meet but I'm Rory," he added as he put his hands up to assure them he was unarmed, "jus' a singer an' bartender.  Got a couple o' them phasers ye call 'em an' a rifle," he added as he stood up to reveal that his slender build was over six feet tall.  "What th' fooks goin' on?  I knew Vasser was a cold bastard but turnin' on this crew?  I hope he gets his nuts shot off."

"Well, we'll see if we can do just that if we can get Captain Ives free," Tessa replied.  "As you probably overheard, we've got a plan, and we think that--YAH!" she screamed as a grate in the wall close to the ceiling opened to reveal a bald burly Bajorran in a gold collared uniform.

"As good a plan as that is I am afraid there are still quite a few glaring problems with what you are proposing to do," the new arrival growled. 

"Don't move!" Tessa shrieked as she and a handful of deck hands pointed their weapons at him.

"Now none of you shoot it's me Wenn Cinn, and I would rather not be killed again," the resurrected chief of security grunted while climbing out of the ventilation duct.  "Now the plan Sten has proposed has some potential, but one does not simply beam one out of the brig, if this could be done we would not bother having them," he added as he brushed off some of the detritus that was clinging to his uniform.  "No a brig cell has preventive measures to keep a cell secure. But the brig itself is free game."  He set down a chemical transport bag onto a nearby table and looked at all the people who had escaped and found sanctuary in 'Below Decks.'  "My own plan was initially to perform a raid on the brig, but as you have already speculated it is likely guarded and not going to be a place we could walk into. But if we have transporter capabilities we could bypass the entire approach to the brig. It would take a few seconds to fully beam someone into the brig using a transporter making a simple beam in to the security heart of the ship a foolish idea," he continued as he opened his bag and took out a few vials and packages. "But I think I have a solution for getting in. When things began to break down I made my way to the science decks and gathered some ingredients to make a flash explosive, a non-lethal weapon that would blind anyone who would look at it. This could buy us the time we needed to beam into the brig and capture it."

Wenn Cinn paused and looked over his audience to see if they understood before continuing. "We would need to act quick, there are four different ways to enter the brig, one is the main entrance, the three interrogation rooms could also be made a way into the room, but if we were to lock the doors and bottleneck the mutineers to the security entrance we could hold the room long enough to allow someone to spring the captain and any other imprisoned crew."

"Hey-hey-hey, slow down Commander Cinn, if that's your real name," Tessa retorted.  "How do we know you're even who you say you are?  All I know is that right after our chief security officer comes back from the dead, people we've served with ever since we got on this ship have been shooting at us and Captain Vasser declares that he's taking over!  How do we know you're even you?  No offense sir, but you can't blame us for being a little paranoid right now."  She looked at the others as she gestured at Cinn.  "Come on guys, I can't be the only one who's thinking it.  Having Commander Cinn come back from the dead is awfully convenient isn't?  Come on fellas what do you think?"


[ Maya | Main Sickbay | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ]

Back in sickbay, the Theurgy's head nurse Lieutenant Eve Jenkins asked Maya a question.
"Dr. Maya ... when you do a mind meld, you sort of implant a bit of yourself into the other mind ... correct?  I only ask because I was wondering if there was a way to focus on just those who have melded with Cir'Ce and T'Rena.  Is there a way to tap into their psyche and maybe focus a sound blast or something that focuses on their traces?" Eve gestured in frustration as she tried to find the right terminology.  "Like if Cir'Ce was sensitive to something, like a certain sound frequency, we could try to replicate it to at least affect those controlled by her and perhaps render them ... inert."

"That would depend on the chosen method of control," the little Vulcan replied.  "It is theoretically possible that each victim of the mental conditioning has been rendered susceptible to the same stimuli very much the way that animals of the same species are susceptible to the same zeitgebers in nature.  It would be necessary for me to make telepathic contact with a victim of the conditioning to make a determination in a timely fashion.  But are we agreed that it is prudent to risk my loyalty in the process?"


OOC:  Haven't heard from Brutus' character and I'm not planning to do anything that moves the scene along until I do, unless Sarresh Morali left sickbay between chapters three and four.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #11 –
[Dr. Hayden O'Connor| Main Sickbay| Chief Medical Officer's Office| USS Theurgy| 1300 hrs] Attn: Dr. Maya and Zenozine

Like a mountain climber is taught to focus on the next handhold immediately in front of her, Hayden compelled herself to focus on the patient before her eyes, even as another part of her brain focused on the discussion taking place in the center of the ward concerning their captor turned captive. There had been no time to celebrate even that small victory as their attention had quickly moved to keeping their captor subdued and attending to whatever damage their assailants had left in their wake.

In It didn't take long for Hayden and company to discover the distraught male Ovri, and for O'Connor to put him on the top of her priority list. He was understandably hysterical, and the counselor was concerned given what he'd already been through, he might be close to a complete psychological break. She didn't know anything about Ovri psychology, but she knew his body and mind had already suffered high levels of traumatic stress, even before they found him. Shock wasn't just a psychological state, but a serious medical condition that could compromise a being's survival, and as a doctor, Hayden knew some of the most serious cases of shock initially presented with relatively minor injuries.

It was why they decided to bring him to the chief medical officer's office rather than bring him to a more distant but private location. O'Connor didn't know exactly what Vinata had been through, but it wasn't hard to determine the sexual nature of the attack. Even without words or scans, a lot could be determined just by looking in someone's eyes or making note of his behavior. Hayden was certain if he could have, the male Ovri would have folded himself into an even tighter ball for his own protection. Her immediate priority had been to get him away from the scene while causing as little additional physical and mental damage as possible. A quick tricorder scan upon his immediate discovery didn't reveal any additional life-threatening injuries, but frankly, Hayden didn't take any more time than she needed to determine it was safe for him to move at all.

Of course, safety was another reason they decided to move him to the chief medical officer's office.  Cir'Cie and some of their other attackers had been subdued for the moment, but there was no guarantee things were going to stay that way, and Hayden wanted to be within earshot of any discussion concerning their next step, and she wanted to have some sort of warning if they faced another attack. Though the open office are allowed her to tend to Vinata and keeping your out for what was going on in the center of sickbay, it didn't allow for much privacy. Hayden frowned. She needed to do a more thorough exam of the male Ovri to make sure he wasn't nursing any more serious injuries, but she wasn't about to ask him to come close to even partially disrobing here. Not only did she not want to add to his psychological distress, she didn't want him to lose any more body heat and potentially placed more strain on his body or exacerbate any injuries.

No, for the moment her priorities had to be simple. She needed to keep Vinata warm, hydrated, and as still as possible. Seeing he was still shivering, she reached for the second of the three blankets she had and explained, "Here, let me put this around you to help you get warm, okay? I'm not going to hurt you, and I promise, you're safe now. I'm going to take care of you, but I need you to take slow deep breaths for me, all right? I'm not going anywhere."

Pushing aside her panicked desire to examine her patient more thoroughly to rule out life-threatening injuries, Hayden and instead turned her attention to the discussion just beyond the office door. Maya already knew that when it came to psionic abilities, Hayden was out of her depth. The counselor and physician could certainly understand the basic idea of mental conditioning using mind melds, but she knew nothing about their practical application, or more importantly, how to reverse their effects. If the conditioning had been more psychological nature, Hayden could help, but even then, the process was long and just as unpredictable. That mattered, however, because they weren't dealing with a fragile psyche and low self-esteem, they were dealing with a physiological mental process that was as difficult to reverse with talk therapy as cancer or diabetes.

She didn't like the idea Maya proposed. They had no sense what she was proposing would work, and Hayden didn't think they could afford seeing Maya compromised in any way. Hayden was unafraid to admit she was out of her depth in this area, and it frightened her even more to think about what could happen if Maya was, at best, unsuccessful, and at worst, completely brainwashed. Even as she thought all of this, though, Hayden found frightening, but true words coming out of her mouth. "Under the circumstances, I'm not sure what other choice we have. We can keep everyone incapacitated forever and that means if we don't do something drastic to regain control, they'll just be able to reassert it at some point. Physically, we aren't a match for them, so that only leaves mental weapons at our disposal. It's simply a fact that we need more than reverse psychology to combat this obstacle."

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #12 –
[ Dr. Lucan cin Nicander | Jefferies Tubes | On the Ledge of Deck 03 ] Attn: Hylota Vojona

Hylota had - wisely so - retreated down the rungs of the ladder, so Dr. Nicander was left momentarily confused by his own impulse to catch her from falling down. Where had that impulse come from? Shouldn't he, of all people, be more concerned with saving his own skin first? The consternation was short-lived, however, since the shuffling noises ahead wasn't going away, and he was still in plain sight. Fight or flee. Fire? Lightning? Internal sensors would catch the energy readings. The powers would lit his face and give away his position. Split decision.

Lucan shuffled back in the end, feet first down over the edge. He kept his eyes ahead so that he knew if he had to change his mind. Once his lower body dangled over the edge, he searched with his feet for the rungs of the ladder. Precious moments passed, and yet he still couldn't find his foothold. The darkness inside willed him to light the tubes with his fiery anger. Where the bloody hell had the ladder gone? No time. Surely the rungs were just a little bit further down. So he slid back further. Only there were no rungs. He was at the point of no return, and his pale grey eyes widened in panick. He had to look down, and once he did, he was over the edge - hands failing out to catch the ladder. It was right there, next to the place he had been hanging, and he caught it easily.

Only his tattooed hands were slick with grime... and his momentum to high.

That he didn't cry out was at least some kind of luck in a very unfortunate situation. That his companion happened to be a female Ovri was another kind of luck, but no less fortunate. She had been ready to catch him and he seized her forearm desperately as he fell past her - praying to the winds that she could hold on. Hylota was every bit as strong as he was, if not stronger, but she was no less covered in grime than he was. The commotion of his fall over the edge and her catching him was too loud for comfort, and Lucan could not quite afford the luxury of stealth as he tried to gain a foothold on the ladder before both Hylota and himself would fall down to the bottom of the shaft.

Only one, odd thought survived the blind chance of survival, and the moment when Hylota's grip either failed... or held true. Am I to die like a rat in a maze for what I have done?

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #13 –
[Sarresh Morali | Main Sickbay | Primary Surgical Suite | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]

For all his sin's, Sarresh found himself once more back in the surgical suit, once more having to deal with that damned Vulcan botanist. A part of his mind supposed that perhaps he shouldn't be quite so angry with the little Vulcan. Based on the current discussion, there was every indication that Cir'Cie had been no more willing a participant in all of this than any of the other mind melded goons that had come into the sickbay with her.

Goons like the two men floating on biobeds next to Eve Jenkins.

He clasped his hands behind his back and forced a cool, collected demeanor to settle over his person. Not the manic, crazed man that he'd been in those boiling pools of acid. Nor the grief ridden husk of an Ash'Reem that he was when he'd regained consciousness in Sickbay. And thankfully, not the near catatonic state he'd been in the last time he'd had a full on rush of insight from the memories left him by the Relativity suppressed deep in the recesses of his tortured, chopped up mind.

There was little chance Sarresh would appreciate the irony of just how much his calm manners mimicked Jien Ives right then. No, not a chance at all.

Pacing slowly, he took in everything the other said. By and large, he found himself agreeing most with the Bajoran Petty Officer. Oh, the others had all raised good points, but at the end of the day, the Temporal Agent was feeling a far more tactical, than scientific mindset just then. Something else unlocked from the cavernous blank spaces in his psyche.

"PO Ryuan has the gist of it," he finally said, after listening to everyone, still acting as if he had the ranking authority. In the current situation, Nurse Jenkins rank gave her the right to overrule anything he suggested. Nothing save a calm sense of self assurance - so at odds with how he normally behaved - gave him any right to dictate their course of action. Had she wanted to press it, Sarresh would defer to the Half-Deltan's judgement. Despite how uncomfortable he was around pretty much anyone at that moment, there was a small sense of trust for the nurse, due to just how she had helped him. He might not have liked it, but the fact was Eve Jenkins knew exactly what he had felt, deep in the depths of his soul.

Strategically speaking however, he was far more prone to expand upon Ryuan Sel's logic. "I suggest, Dr. Maya, that you....give it your best attempt. Time is of the essence, and if we can...rehabilitate Cir'Cie -" that calm mask cracked just a bit, regardless of how little Sarresh wanted it to when he said that name -"then we stand a better chance of mounting some kind of resistance. And as the Petty Officer said - worse comes to worse, we'll simply shoot you, too."

OOC: Sorry about the delay. Moving, new house, boxes, work, reasons. Post is up, lemme know if that works.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #14 –
[ Axius vel Onea | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ]

There was just so much happening. Rory Callahan made a grand entrance, just to be out-staged by the Theurgy's chief of security. Rory did have a flair for theatrics, Axius noticed, however the nature of psyche drew them towards the reincarnated Bajoran climbing down from the ceiling.

He bid the ridged-nose man a due, but his efforts of welcoming and camaraderie were too shortly restricted by the shrill words of Lieutenant Lance.

Tessa's accusations of the Commander just showed how much the shock of their situation was beginning to flourish inside the mind of the small flock of loyalists. He didn't, what-so-ever want to disrespect her judgement, especially not in front of so many officers with line ranks, but it seemed that something needed to be said about her outburst.

He cupped his stinging green eyes with his dirty hands, trying to supress the irritation with pressure. It was a sort of ironic metaphor, to add it to context. Just keep making the stakes higher in this impending danger. Maybe something good will come out of it -- even if it is just a few weeks of calm waters.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he eyed Papa Bear, assuring him he was now adding more distinction to his friend's rank, "Tessa, I feel we should trust Wenn."

He coughed into his now covered arm, his bodies reaction to the build of soot in his lungs. He felt this sensation before, during the attack of the Calamity, but it was a feeling he never wanted to get used to.

"Commander Wenn, I think there is no reason to discount your credibility based on your coincidental arrival."

He then turned to Tessa, branching off of his comment so he didn't talk about the security officer in the third person. "To have been with him as long as we have -- through the hell we've been put though -- I think we should abide by his plans."

He walked towards Rory at the bar, motioning for the officers he had been conversing with to follow. He sat on the stool and faced the huddle. "If there are no flaws anyone can find in this idea, we should implement it as soon as possible. I'm just worried that if we spend too much time devising a plan, we won't have the while to execute it."

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #15 –
[ Vinata Vojona | Main Sickbay | Chief Medical Officer's Office | USS Theurgy | 1300 hrs ] Attn: The Counselor

Vinata accepted the second blanket and just let it hang off of him while he was, Vinata was just done, he did not an to bother having a conversation, he did not even bother discussing the fact that he did not produce all that much boy heat to begin with. But he could not fault Dr. O'Connor, it was not like they understood his physiology or psychology with him literally being the only male Ovri most people had ever encountered. Poking his head out of the blankets Vinata turned to look at the others as they discussed the matter at hand, he did not fully understand how the people had been brainwashed, but he felt that he could not really help in this situation.

With a sigh he looked to the Councilor who was still close to him and he looked downcast and spoke. "There are more important things going on right now than my trauma, please just go and work with the others. I am sure I will be fine on my own...I would very much like to not have to deal with people again for a long time." He ducked back into his blankets. "Maybe just it in my quarter until my medical leave time runs out...should be enough time for me to calm down, yeah...should be long enough..." Vinata began to just mumble to himself about just going away for a while, relaxing, remaining away from people as he tried to forget what had happened. He was just going through a plan over and over, telling himself he would be fine essentially.


 
[ Hylota Vojona | Jefferies Tubes | Just Below Deck 03 ] Attn: Auctor Lucan

Hylota was in shock as she saw Lucan begin to fall, but she had been prepared for this possibility, her arm swiftly grabbed Lucan's and he locked her other arm around the rung of the ladder, letting out a grunt a the force of Lucan's fall went through her body.  Hylota clenched her jaw as she focused on holding her superior; she thanked the forces that be for having remembered to wipe her hands before she had initially reached up to get pulled up by Lucan. It had given her just enough grip to maintain her hold on his arm. Looking down at Lucan Hylota tightened her grip, she could not allow Lucan to fall, he was far too important to let die like this.

Hylota wanted to say something to her commander and assure him that he was safe, but she could not risk making too much noise, she just hop that her commander was professional enough to not freak out as she did her best to swig him back in towards the ladder. She pulled him in so that his head was touching her legs, this way he could at least have something to get his other arm on to help support himself. Hylota new that her feet hand solid holds on the ladder and if Lucan were to take a hold and try and find the ladder from there he would be sure to not fall off. Of course internally Hylota was screaming at Lucan, "FOR THE LOVE OF THE ANCIENTS JUST GRAB THE LADDER DOCTOR IT IS RIGHT THERE!" Hylota knew that they needed to get rest soon; neither of them had been prepared for this trip when they had gone into surgery. Of course the situation above with someone possibly looking for them was not helping Hylota relax either.



[ Wenn Cinn | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07  | 1300 hours ]

As Tessa began to bring up paranoid points, paranoid yet valid he had to admit. Cinn allowed for Tessa to list off her complaints and nodded respectfully as she started to try and rally people behind her in questioning him. Cinn was a little hurt as he was reminded of the Prophets statement, "He is no longer of Theurgy." it made him worry that he might not be able to get back with his crew if he did not stop this questioning of his loyalties.

Wenn Cinn sighed and shook his head, he was about to begin an argument back to Tessa when Axius piped up with his own comment and actually brought up some support for him, it was reassuring to know that the crew still remembered what he had done for them, how he had served beside them in the past. It assured him that he was not too late to rejoin with his comrades.  "To be completely honest Tessa if it was anyone coming back from the grave you are right I would question them to no end, lock them up in the brig and do everything within my power to ensure that I know who they were for sure." He crossed his arms and frowned. "But we do not have that luxury of going through all that right now, and keep in mind our Captain, the person who you and I are working to spring from the brig personally checked to make sure I am who I say I am. And if the Captain's word is not good enough for you, then I do not see myself being able to hold much of an argument here." Cinn sighed and shook his head. "Listen I was as shocked as anyone with what had happened, but Captain Vasser did not agree with the captain and thought that we should go about saving StarFleet. Vasser had many supporters, several of them skilled in various fields; I do not find it that unlikely that they could have convinced people to join their side by alternative means." Cinn ran a hand over his head and looked to Axius, with a look of gratitude for the support. 

"As much as I am sure some of you would love to speculate on how things came to be, we do not have the time for such things. What Axius said is likely true, we are on a timer here and all that we know for sure is that the Captain is being detained in the brig. You were all prepared to begin a plan that had some flaws, but had a good idea behind it." He looked to Tessa. "I acknowledge my reappearance has been a bit sudden and convenient, but that is not important right now, and I would rather not have to throw my rank around to get us back on track." He returned his gaze to the crew. "The fact of the matter is we need to save the captain, I have a plan that will give us a better chance of getting in and out with minimal risk for casualties. We cannot fall apart now and allow paranoia to prevent us from making progress; the plan is still relatively the same. We need to get transporter access with a shuttle, but we will need to beam in before we beam anyone out." Looking to Tessa he spoke towards her and anyone who might share in her fears. "My loyalty is to Captain Ives and the Theurgy, and I will be damned if I let someone come and take that so soon after I finally return. Now will you hear my plan out? " His look was that of determination not anger, Cinn was sure the plan would work, everyone just needed to work together, without the crew he could not succeed and without a proper plan they would be risking failure.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #16 –
[Sten Covington | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 7 | 1300 ]

When the Irishman revealed himself behind the bar, there was a number of weapons raised even as he made it clear he was unarmed. But even more phasers were raised when the Chief of Security arrived and announced himself. Even as Quake calmed down Goldeneye, the Chief of the Deck looked around and his voice sounded again, an authoritative growl. "Weapons down, everyone. If you feel the need to have 'em in your hands, low ready and face the damn doors. Chavez, get behind the bar and find those weapons Mister Callahan's referring to and bring 'em here."

As the deck ape named Chavez headed off to discharge his orders, Covington focused on the Bajoran. "Commander, Lieutenant Lance led twenty-two of us out from the fighter bay. We lost eight en-route to enemy fire. Stunned, no fatalities." He was giving a clear, succinct report of their last hour. Now that he was the senior officer present, Wenn was in charge and he needed to know who and what he had at his disposal. "We're all armed with at least one weapon each, we've got tools, medical supplies, a total of eight general-purpose tricorders and a good cross-section of my Cubs."

His report given, Sten considered what the man had to say. He wasn't ashamed he had missed something about the holding cells. After all, Security wasn't his ball of wax, hangars, fighters and shuttles were. However his plan was not fully dismissed as it was, apparently, becoming the basis upon which the Lieutenant Commander's was built upon.

"I was there when you came back, Commander. If the Captain's cut you loose, that's good enough." Then, the plan at hand. "You're it now, Sir. I recommend you keep Lieutenant Lance as your second in command." Covington didn't know the man well enough to determine for certain who he'd appoint as his right hand. Technically, Papa Bear and Quake held the same authority as Tessa. But at this point, she needed to stay focused and confident to be any use at all, and to help guarantee her survival as well.

"I've got two ordnance techs here, Sir. They can put your devices together without blowing anything up and with what we've got in here, there's enough components to make any number you want. How many do you want, how do you want them set to go off?"

Bomb-making was a pretty exact science and he would leave the details of the payload to the two experts he had with him. The initiation systems, though, he would at least oversee if not build himself. Depending on what spare parts or components they would rip out from the bulkheads and consoles, there might be a serious need to do things differently from one bomb to the next.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #17 –
[ Wenn Cinn | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07  | 1300 hours ]

Wenn Cinn listened to the report from Sten and nodded as he took the information into account. This entire situation smelled of not being a well manned mutiny, otherwise they would have done away with possible military threats and not stunned them. As Sten also informed him that they had ordinance engineers with them Cinn grinned. "That is all relatively good news in fact and do no worry about Lieutenant Lance I believe I am going to need her to take on some command roles here soon enough." He began to focus on talking with Sten now. "I could not get my hands on much but there should be enough here to make one or two flash explosives." He patted the container before continuing. "I could not take too much; I needed to ensure that nothing looked out of place when I was sneaking round."

Wenn Cinn scratched his chin as he thought. "Since we will be a little limited on the transporter capabilities of the shuttle we will need to form a strike tam to infiltrate the brig. I believe a five man squad would stand the best chance. I and four others, three of which should be either security or military trained, the last person we bring needs to be an engineering expert for the Theurgy. I do not think the standard method of unlocking a cell will be an option, and we cannot risk just taking down all the cells, there is one being in there that must remain locked up." He scratched his chin. "An engineer should be able to take down the shields while the rest of the squad holds the brig."

He then turned to look at Tessa. "However I feel we need to tip things more in our favor. I think that this mutiny is not as well manned as they want us to believe; otherwise I think they would have taken you all out by now. So many of you still have your badges on, they all can be traced and I believe they are so that the mutineers can act to impede you and keep you contained. I get the feeling they do not want to fight you all head on, and this gives us another advantage." He smirked. "Lieutenant Lance, I would like for you to head up a second squad that will work as a distraction while the main force moves to the shuttle bay to spring the captain." He raised a hand to ensure he could finish elaborating. "You will take all the com badges as well as a team of your own and move with them too Deck five, with the Battle Bridge there and the Life Support Systems I would imagine that they would move to try and contain you, hopefully drawing away what security they have here."

Cinn looked back over the crowd and waited for questions and input from the people he was asking to follow him. He knew that people would likely be worried about splitting up the group like this, but he believed it as their best chance for survival. If they split their forces so would their enemies, and this would give them better odds when sending in a small strike team to try and achieve their most important goal during this mutiny.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #18 –
[ Heather McMillan | Jefferies Tubes | USS Theurgy | 1300 hours ]

Attn: Lucan cin Nicander & Hylota Vojona

One day, she thought, just one bloody day! Is that too much to ask?!?

Heather McMillan grumbled privately to herself, though possibly asking some higher being to give her a moment's respite. While she had been largely spared from the worst of all events thus far, she wasn't one prone to belief that her luck would hold out forever.

After everything that had happened thus far, to top it all off, there was now what appeared to be an honest-to-goodness mutiny going on. She still recalled hearing Captain Vasser's ship-wide message. I don't want to judge...but this is Captain Ives' ship.

Needless to say, she did not approve of Vasser's technique. Splitting an emotionally exhausted paramilitary group of individuals against one another was not going to end well for anyone. Ever since the announcement of a hostile takeover, McMillan had been carefully evading anyone and everyone. The unfortunate result of her not interacting often enough with people to really know them and to have a wild guess as to who she could trust.

She had nearly been caught once, in a corridor, where there was no hiding place, and dressed in a white lab coat over a bright pink long sleeved shirt and dark trousers did not exactly help make her invisible. She'd closed her eyes and tried to think about the Light, the warmth, comfort and security that the Light gave her. Just like her parents had taught her. She wished they were here now, to tell her what to do. To her relief, she had not been spotted by the patrol, and she quickly exited, making for the Jeffries Tubes.

It got uncomfortable very fast, but this was better than risking an encounter at every corridor. Even in here, she stayed low and moved as quietly as she could, nervously biting her lower lip as she made progress. The lack of being caught was actually a little worse, all things considered, because she expected all kinds of frightening things to jump out at her in the dark.

She had started shuffling along to keep herself from stiffening too much. She much preferred the open air and wider spaces, where she could run, jump and move freely. A jeffries tube was not exactly the most accommodating in that regard. Also, the darkness was really beginning to spook her.

Maybe just a little light...she thought as she began to focus her thoughts and mind, and pointed with her right index finger. The yellowish-white light helped direct her path, and also revealed just how filthy the tubes were. She tried her best to disregard that and crawled onwards to the end. She thought she had heard something, but she assumed it was something from the ship. In its present condition, odd noises were bound to happen now and then.

She slowly poked her head out the end, to get a look, Now, let's see where this leads t- "OH BLOODY NORA!!!"

She reacted by flaring in a bright yellow-white light, her whole body, her eyes and even her hair lit up like a torchlight for a split second until she regained control of herself and retreated back the way she had come, only she got her ankle caught in some loose wiring material or some such. She could not tell what it was, except that it had her caught and now she could not get away. Twisting around, she desperately tried to free herself, only her butterfingers kept getting more and more tangled up in the cables, and she was almost crying "No no no no no no no! Oh God not like this!"

She looked up at the entrance to this deck, and with a whimper, she collapsed and pulled herself into a fetal position, trembling and waiting. The cables, wires, or whatever they were practically had her trapped, and she said aloud without looking up, "J-just make it quick! I give up!"

I wish you were here! McMillan thought to her parents, hoping they'd know, somehow.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #19 –
[ Dr. Lucan cin Nicander | Jefferies Tubes | On the Ledge of Deck 03 ] Attn: Hylota Vojona & Heather McMillan

Even though Dr. Nicander swung far out from the momentum of his fall, Hylota managed to hold on to him, so Lucan quickly secured a double-handed grip around her forearm. He hung there for a couple of seconds while he searched for his foothold - mind still racing - and considering the strain on Hylota, it must have felt like an eternity. Lucan thought he saw the searching light of a phaser rifle above. The Ovri managed to swing him back to her legs - her bare feet secure on the ladder, and Lucan wasted no time to seize the rungs - awkward as the position might have been for them both. His heart was beating loudly in his ears, his mind not quite caught up with what had almost happened to him.

He let go of Hylota's arm as soon as he could, casting a glance upwards. Not to check on her condition - why had he even considered it? - but to make sure they had not been found by whoever was headed their way. He saw Hylota's dark eyes in the scarce emergency lights that lined the ladder - like holes in the darkness - and then... they were being fired upon!

Stark brilliance cast Hylota into a silhouette above him, sudden and bright. Surely she had just been shot. She would fall unto him, take him with her. Yet there was no sound to the light that washed over them, so while the panic of their exposed position came quick to Lucan, where he considered whether to drop down the shaft all the same.... consternation immediately followed. A scream was heard too, all too sudden to pick out, and then the light was all gone. Retreating noises echoed down, as if their assailant had been scared off by their sight.

"No no no no no no no! Oh God not like this!"

Frowning, Lucan took a couple of steadying breaths while he assembled his thoughts. He had no idea what had just happened, but it did not seem like the person they were hearing offered a direct threat anymore. Had there been more than one of them? Was the woman they heard victim to a captor? If that was the case...

"J-just make it quick! I give up!"

"Nurse Vojona," he said urgently, realising that he had to act some kind of hero all of a sudden - reasons muddled for him since he did not know where he truly stood. "Take out your hypospray and climb up. Help her!" He was fishing for his exo-scalpel in his pocket, but it seemed he must have dropped it in the commotion. As soon as Hylota had cleared the ladder, he would have to determine whether or not he'd risk using his abilities and showing their location on the ship's internal sensors.

But why would he? Was he prepared to risk his own exposure to the mutineers? Whatever had gotten into him? Was it still all to preserve his impeccable façade?

Errant thoughts, better left unsorted.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #20 –

| Rory Callahan | Below Decks | Deck 07 | 1300 Hours]

Rory had gulped a little when phasers trained on him but that was why he kept his hands in the air and moved slowly until he was standing straight and tall.  Even then he kept his hands up though looked ready to dive behind the bar when another voice came from the grate.  It was all those phasers turning in that direction that kept him in view and letting out a long slow breath, cheeks puffing out then deflating.

They had acknowledged him but again it was like he didn't exist, all their Starfleet training kicking in as they bantered plans back and forth and who was top dog to give the orders.  There was an expression of frustration as he continued to hold up his hands but then thankfully someone instructed phasers to be pointed elsewhere, also adding to the fact he wasn't a danger to them ... or anyone.  Least I got good punches in on th' arseholes trussed up in th' back he thought to himself.

When someone being called Pappa Bear told someone to get the phasers and rifle, he reached out with his foot and scooted them out in plain sight to make things easier for the man.  Once those were gone, he pulled out a small bottle and bobbed it toward Quake, noticing he kept rubbing at his eyes.  "Some saline fer th' eyes.  Looks like it mi' help," he offered.  "I get dry eyes a lot an' keep some stashed where I work."

The security man gave another go at a plan and then went quiet, obviously asking for questions but as no one was bringing anything up and all looked dubious about splitting up, he raised his hand.  "I know I'm no' Starfleet but I'm a bit o' a scrapper.  If ye don' wanna split up ... an' since I ain't trained an' valuable ... I could take them doohickeys an' walk around."  He didn't think they'd go for it but he wanted to help, to try to make a difference.  Maybe then he wouldn't be a nobody.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #21 –

[ Eve Jenkins | Main Sickbay | Primary Surgical Suite | Deck 07 | 1300 hrs. ]

Even as Eve waited for Dr. Maya's thoughts on her possible plan of attack, she could sense the distress coming from Vinata and her head turned to look at him.  She didn't know for sure what had happened but the emotions she was receiving gave her a damn good idea and her heart ached.  She had tried to help him, lured the two away to try to give them a chance to subdue the mutineer, but it seemed she had failed yet again at protecting someone.  Tears welled in her eyes as she longed to go hold him, to apologize for not being able to do more, but Dr. O'Connor was truly more qualified to help and she had to return her focus to what to do with Cir'Ce and others.

As she looked about those gathered, the pips of everyone's uniforms captured her attention for a moment and with a sinking feeling in her gut she realized she was the ranking officer.  She was so accustomed to following other's orders, even lower ranked, as she was only a nurse that it had been easy to forget with everything else that things were in her hands yet again.  How many more tragedies would occur from her decisions?  Would she be responsible for killing or destroying more minds?  The plain, simple, horrid answer echoed in her mind.  Yes.  As before, she shoved her own feelings to the side and would do her best to deal with them later but for now she had to focus.

"Thank you all for your input," she said as she tugged her uniform jacket a little straighter as she composed herself.  She looked at Sarresh, gratitude in her eyes for his guidance.  "And I agree it's a risk we must take.  Those melded by her will trust her and she can switch them back or help us find a way to reverse what she and T'Rena have done."  She reached out and touched Maya's hand, her eyes full of concern and compassion.  "Be careful and know I will do my best for you if things go wrong," she tried to assure the tiny Vulcan then gave her a nod for her to proceed.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #22 –
[ Tessa May Lance | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07  | 1300 hours ]

Secretly, Tessa was relieved that Wenn Cinn had shown up out of nowhere to take charge.  It didn't take a lot of tactical knowhow to figure out that any plan with Goldeye leading it would result in a lot of casualties on the wrong side.  Commander Cinn was the chief security officer; he was both the new one and the original one when the ship had been commissioned.  It was hard to imagine anyone more qualified to spring Ives from the brig, but having him take charge was too good to believe.  In a galaxy where the heads of Starfleet were being devoured from within by parasites from another dimension, and the only ship who knew the truth was on the run, (after hearing Vasser's announcement over the intercom, Tessa could no longer believe that the Harbinger's leadship wasn't infected too)  could anybody believe that Bajor's Prophets would bring Cinn back from the dead to rescue Captain Ives? 

The problem was, if the refugees in Below Decks wanted to turn this around, they were going to have to trust Commander Cinn and hope he was really Wenn Cinn.  If they shot him with a phaser set on heavy stun, they would all die or get captured.  Following Tessa would be like following a lemming.  If they followed Cinn and he was one of Vasser's crowd, they would all die or get captured, but at least it would be quick.  And if the man who called himself Wenn Cinn was telling the truth and the Prophets really existed, they would free their commanding officer who had gotten them through everything the universe had thrown at them.  There wasn't much of a choice really, but everyone was too polite to say it.

Papa Bear's acceptance of Cinn's identity was reassuring, and his insistence that Tessa be his second in command was heartwarming, but Cinn's role for the blonde in Ives' rescue was upsetting.   She was leading the team on decoy duty.  They were the distraction to keep the mutineers busy so Cinn and his team could do something clever. 

The assignment was upsetting on two levels:  One, if the real Wenn Cinn was dead and the man before her was an imposter, he had found a way to get her out of the way an into danger so she wouldn't question him anymore.  Secondly, and even more upsetting, assigning Tessa to decoy duty was a sound tactical decision:  After going on the run Tessa's Starfleet discipline had crumbled to near nonexistence.    Giving her an assignment that didn't involve blowing her cover would be an act of criminal negligence. 

Tessa had two choices:  She could either protest the assignment and accuse Cinn of trying to get her out of the way or she could smile bravely, nod her head and accept it.  Since leading the rescue would ensure its failure Tessa took the only option open to her.  She gulped, fought hard to keep the twitchy looks off her face and said "Yes sir, I won't let you down," in a strange strangled voice.  She blinked rapidly and set her lips to keep from crying.  The poor devils chosen for her team would shoot themselves in the head if she did that.  She had to be brave for them and do everything she could to keep morale up, even if her own morale had vanished the moment Starfleet started hunting for the Theurgy.

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #23 –
[ Maya | Main Sickbay | Deck 07 | 1300 hours ]   Attention:  Sirius

Eve Jenkins reached out and touched Maya's hand, her eyes full of concern and compassion. "Be careful and know I will do my best for you if things go wrong," she tried to assure the tiny Vulcan then gave her a nod for her to proceed.

Maya clasped her hands and gave the head nurse a tiny nod in return before massaging her fingers some more.  "Thank you Lieutenant," she acknowledged softly.  "The medication we gave Ensign Cir'Cie should render her open to suggestion and diminish the risk.  Your true dilemma will be determining whether I have been compromised.  I must confess that I am not the easiest person to get to know," she added.

That was an understatement.  After being raised by a traditional family on Vulcan Maya was about as expressive as a mannequin.  She was an introvert who didn't socialize with others.  She had been working the night shift ever since this voyage started and almost nobody could claim to really know her.

Almost nobody.

"Out of all of the people in the room it is Doctor Saugn who knows me best," Maya declared stoically.  "I suggest that you rely on her judgement on whether or not I can be trusted.  She turned to the young physician.  "Lahkesis, I am relying on you to be brutally honest with the others if you suspect that I have been compromised," she announced as she held the plant girl's hand.  "Do not under any circumstances try to protect me if you think I could be a danger to the group.  The victims of this influence display signs of thorough indoctrination and can use logic to reinforce their delusions.  Do not accept what you know is not true.  Under no circumstances allow me to mindmeld with anyone who is not indoctrinated, including yourself.  Hopefully these precautions will not be necessary but it is irrational to take unnecessary risks.  I am, and will always be your friend and I am depending on you to prevent me from suffering the dishonor of betraying you.  Do you understand?"

Re: CHAPTER 04: Invictus [03: Liberation]

Reply #24 –
[ Hylota Vojona | Jefferies Tubes | Just Below Deck 03 ] Attn: Auctor Lucan & Always A Healer

Hylotq was sure that they had been found out when the light appeared above them, but when Lucan got hos hold on the ladder again Hylota was bathed in light for a moment, nothing happened, she did not feel the sting of a phaser or smell the scent of ozone that usually accompanied an energy weapon blast. And then came the screaming, the plees of a woman who was over her head and just giving up. As sad as it was Hylota needed to silence the person before they drew a security squad down upon them.

Hylota was moving before Lucan could even give hr an order. She swiftly pulled herself up the ladder and into the next deck as she crawled quickly to where the cries were coming from and frowned as she discovered he woman practically crying with her foot tangled in some loose cables. Hylota sighed and did not take out her hypospray, it would be a waste on this woman as she crawled over to her and Hylota spoke clearly, her deeper voice would most likely make Heather think she was a male lie most other people. "Hey, be quiet. I am here to help you but you need to keep calm and stop kicking or I am going to sedate you for my own safety." She gently placed a hand on Heather's tangled leg and began to inspect the twisted mess that Heather's kicking had created.

"So, not an optimal time for introductions, but my name is Hylota I wor down in Sickbay, what is your name?" Hylota was employing what bedside manner she could to try and keep Heather calm while she tried to free her an make her relax so the entire ship would no hear them. As she worked though she began to worry about Nicander, he had almost fallen to his death and she had left him back there or climb up on his own, she could not help but feel like she was neglecting her commanding officer.



[ Wenn Cinn | USS Theurgy | Below Decks | Deck 07  | 1300 hours ]

Wenn Cinn took a moment and acknowledged Rory. "I appreciate the offer, but I cannot ask a civilian to step in for this matter, I feel that your best service to the crew would be to aid whatever crew we cannot take with either team and try to fortify his position. I can see that quit a few of us are not doing the best, and the poor air quality of the jefferies tubes has began to negatively impact some of the crew. I feel we must leave those that are suffering the most here to recover. Also I would rather the people who head out with the badges be a larger group that could hold a position and work s a distraction." He smiled and hoped that this position would remain safe, with the amount of tables they had here they could hunker down here better than mot other place on the ship.

Turning his attention back to Tessa, Wenn could see the uncertainty and fear that she had and he knew that he needed to keep her together, or the distraction might fail. If this was the case it would be far wiser to sacrifice Sten to head up that second team and leave her here to look after anyone who was not fit to continue. He walked over to Tessa and put a hand on her shoulder and guided her away to talk with her for a second and he looked to Sten. "Sten please join me for a moment with the Lieutenant." He waited for them to be together before he spoke quietly so no on but they could hear him talk.

Looking Tessa in the eyes he spoke to her. "Lieutenant I need to know if you are here right now? Can you handle this mission, or has our situation finally gotten the better of you? Lieutenant I do not want to put you in command if you do not feel up to this, I can send Sten in your place if you feel that you are not up to the task." He locked eyes with her. "Tessa, I need you here at 100%, if you cannot handle this I would be fine leaving you here to look after the remaining crew and help oversee fortifying the location. I will also send Sten with you as you second in command if you feel that you require his guidance on this." He did not want to outright remove Tessa from the mission, she was already doubting him and he did not want to have her lashing out in paranoia. He was making sure that she had options, if Tessa could pass on command and take a different role, or even be set to work with someone he saw boosted her confidence, he felt that she would remain stable through this ordeal.
 
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