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DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Outside the Captain's Yacht | Deck 04 ] Attn: Stark, Maya & S'Iti

With a brisk pace, Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann entered the Allegiant's dimly lit launching bay. She had heard that Declan Vasser met his end on the gangway that led to the yacht's airlock, and that Cinn had been the one that shot the mutinous augment. In the back of the head, no less - the high-risk situation demanding it. Ida's blue eyes and her antennae swept the small bay area, seeing that she was first to arrive. It was just as well, since she had been given the launching codes and access to the airlock, so she stepped up to the control panel... where she paused with a frown.

The control panel looked... askew.

She tilted her head, seeing that it had been torn open, and then she stepped up to it. It looked like someone just had put the top back in place and left it there. Non priority repair, perhaps. She tried a few commands on the glass surface, seeing that nothing happened. She sighed. "Thea, are you there?"

[Yes, Lieutenant zh'Wann.] Her tone was... reserved. Perhaps it was just Ida's imagination, but she thought that the Ship A.I. might resent her for the fact that she had ordered to ram the Calamity and destroyed her daughter. It was a bit unnerving, to say the least, thinking that the A.I. of her very own ship might... hate her, but then again, Ida was quite used to being hated since the Niga Incident. She dismissed the notion since the A.I. had not brought it up yet, and if she wouldn't, then Ida was surely not about to do so either. The humans called it 'a can of worms', and it was a fitting saying. The sense of guilt for the act had not nearly manifested itself in her. THe Calamity had killed too many of her crew. People close to her.

"It would seem I can't get inside the Allegiant because the control panel is... damaged." To say the least. "I have received deployment orders from the Captain. Assignment: Search and rescue. Authority: zh'Wann-Gamma-Five-Epsilon."

[Please stand by,] said Thea, and the next moment, the lights in the whole bay area lit, and the Allegiant started to power up. The access doors to the aft compartment swung open, like arms opening to embrace its inbound crew. [Awaiting decoupling command to open docking latches.]

Not having dropped the duffel bag she carried over her shoulder, Ida had started to walk towards the opened airlock before Thea finished speaking. "Thank you."

She did not get any answer, but she tried not to make anything of it. Instead, she focused on her duties, beginning to run inventory checks and ensuring that nothing was out of ordinary aboard the yacht. Soon, the other mission companions of hers would arrive, and she busied herself with the pragmatic tasks in order to not think about much else. Her face was still a bit bruised from the beatings she had suffered at the hands of the very crew she was about to bring back to the Theurgy, but she had been cleared by medical, and it was not like she was going to say no to the mission when Wenn Cinn and Captain Ives both thought she should go.

Furthermore, she had orders concerning the assigned pilot of the yacht. Orders... and her own interpretation of them.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #1 –
[  Lt Cmdr Natalie Stark | Outside the Captain's Yacht | Deck 04] Atten: zh'Wann Maya & S'Iti


"Make a decision, any decision," Natalie once more repeated the words back to herself as she left the turbolift and crossed down the corridor towards the Allegiant's bay, small pack tossed over one shoulder, carrying her gear for the mission, a small array of technical gadgets, mixed in with the standard away mission gear git for overnight operations. There was every chance that, given the area mapped out to patrol on the PADD in her right hand, that the SAR mission could, and likely would, eat into the next day, if not longer. They had to balance time out here, against the risk of being detected, and getting back to the Theurgy in time to make their departure for Starbase - 84. All of which came down to Natalie, making decisions.

And she had made plenty of them, in the intervening time between leaving  Cmdr. Trent's office and walking into the docking bay, now. Chief among them, unfortunately, was to set aside the commanders suggestion about additional personnel. After a more detailed conversation with the Chief of the deck and a -very - brief chat with the Captain, it became readily apparent  that, while it would be good to have the escort, it simply wasn't an option. The threat of detection had to be weighed against the convenience of additional shuttles to help with the rescue effort. In the end, stealth won out. It would fall to Natalie's proven talents with the transporter for creative....boarding of rescued survivors. Especially if any of them happened to be of an inclination to take over the Allegiant by force.

Mind, that's what Lt. zh'Wann was coming along on the ride for. But anything that Natalie could do to make the Security Deputies job easier, would in turn make her own job easier. And likely make their mission a success. So! That was that.

Natalie rounded the corner and into the bay proper, coming to a halt. The lights were already on, and the airlock had cycled open to allow crew to board. Resting her hands on her hips, jutted to one side, she chewed on her bottom lip for a moment in contemplation. The truth was, she had hoped to be the first one on the ship. It was not, by any means a huge matter of importance, but still, impressions being impressions, she had wanted to make a good one.  There was also the question of who, exactly, had boarded. Realistically speaking, it would have to have been either herself, or Lt. zh'Wann that got the ball rolling. Dr. Maya would not have been given access codes and Natalie was sure - as a result of her conversation with Cpt. Ives and his additional instructions - Cpo, S'Iti would not have been authorized to start things up either.

Of course, none of this guaranteed that someone else hadn't somehow covertly gained access.

There is caution, and then there's paranoia, Nat she told herself, taking a deep breath through her nose.  She tapped her combadge, and quietly spoke into it. "Thea, please confirm whom is aboard the Captains yacht."

"Lt. zh'Wann is the current occupant of the Allegiant lt. Cmdr. Stark," the muted reply came back through her combadge, and therefore likely not heard throughout the bay and the interior of the ship beyond. Which had been Natalie's goal the whole time - discretion.  Satisfied with the report from the ships AI, and that she had thought to ask, the COps rattled off a quick "Thank you, Thea," before killing the comm line. Not everyone thanked their ships computer - not every ships computer was a sentient being in her own right. Given the uniqueness of Thea's existence, and her own committed stance to the AI's continued freedom, as a person, well, Thank you seemed right.

Immediate concerns put to rest, Natalie resumed her stride, through the airlock and into the ship itself. She hadn't spent all that much time on the Captains private yatch that had been shipped out with the Theurgy. She knew that like everything else on the Theurgy-class vessel, the Manta-class Advanced Scout was top of the line, and a classified prototype. And the evidence was all around her, as Natalie made her way down the main corridor that branched off from the Aft Airlock, heading towards the bridge of the small ship. For now, she avoided the quarters section, and instead focused on getting to the bridge.

 Walking through the security check point, Natalie had to smile. There wouldn't be anyone manning this small station on the mission, but it appeared that the diligent Security deputy had already gotten this little room up and running all the same. Per protocol, she too keyed in acess codes, by hand, and allowed. "Authorize, Stark- Sigma-Delta- Niner." Similar to the process that Ida had undertaken to start the ship up as a whole, the command crew would each be required to identify themselves here to ensure bridge access during the mission. The yachts computer responded with, "Stark, Natalie. Lt. Commander. Currently assigned Mission Commanding Officer, Allegiant. Welcome aboard"

With that, the bridge access doors slid open and Natalie was able to walk onto the cramped command deck. "Lt.," She called out, seeing the Andorian, as she mentally told herself to look confident and calm, taking a few steps to the command chair and letting her free hand rest atop the back of it.. "How do we fair?"
OOC: Took a few liberties with placement of characters, references to conversations not actually played out, and interactions with AI's. Let me know if anything needs to change.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #2 –
The Cardassian Conn officer walked into the boarding room where the dock between the Theurgy and the Allegiant was and smiled as she approached the small but powerful captain's yacht.  "Theurgy, this is Chief S'iti" she asked the computer console. "Is the MCO on-board the Allegiant?"

The computer replied back with an affirmative and the MCPO keyed in her access codes into the now repaired entrance pad.   Keying her combadge she spoke up.  Chief S'iti reporting for duty Commander Stark.  She said as she walked down the small corridor before reaching the security checkpoint and keying in her sequence.  "Authorization,  S'iti Tango Kilo Four."

The computer replied with a monotone, "S'Iti, Aisha. Master Chief Petty Officer. Currently assigned Pilot and Recovery Liaison, Allegiant. Welcome aboard."

She nodded towards the computer not knowing it it payed attention to such things or if it was as self aware as Thea was but in her own way thanking it as she walked towards the door which opened to the cockpit.  "Orders commander?"  she asked not wanting to assume anything about how the OPS chief wanted to go about the various preflight preparations.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #3 –
[ Maya | the Captain's Yacht Allegiant | Deck 04 ]  Attention: Stark, Ida & S'Iti.

To say that Maya found the mission inconvenient was somewhat of an understatement.  She had spent nearly all of last night deprogramming T'Rena's victims and had spent the morning checking up on her patients.  She had expected to spend the rest of the day in a deep trance to excise the angst of the week from her psyche and maintenance and reorder the contents of her mind but instead she was being sent out to recover survivors from the Harbinger's lifeboats.  She has accepted the assignment without complaint.  The martyr like instinct that 22nd century Vulcan's sexual surrogate program had drummed into her didn't go away easily.  Besides, her traditional Vulcan upbringing had taught her that it was unbecoming to display dissatisfaction towards a task that needed to be done.  Out of all of the people that Nicander had in his department, Maya was the logical choice, and like every other department head he was shorthanded.  Perhaps after recovering the Harbinger's surviving crew the Theurgy would be a little less shorthanded.

When she reached the Allegiant's shadowy launching bay, she paused as she noticed the damage to the control panel near the space yacht's open airlock.  Scuttlebutt indicated that Captain Vasser had met his end here, and from the look of things hadn't gone quietly.  Maya raised an eyebrow but gave no other indication of distress.  "Maya to Stark," she called in a calm professional tone as the hand that wasn't carrying her duffle bag tapped her combage.  "Reporting for duty as ordered."  She paused to stow her duffle bag, her tricorder and her medkit in the little portside cargo bay before gliding down the corridor and entering her security code into the console by the door.  ""Authorization, Maya Beta Niner Foxtrot."

"Maya. Ensign. Currently assigned Mission Medical Officer, Allegiant. Welcome aboard,"  the Allegiant replied in Thea's voice as the door slid open and allowed the little Vulcan access.

"My apologies for my tardiness," she murmured to the others when she reached the cockpit.  "I presume that I will be taking the comm station?" she asked in a casual but respectful tone.


Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #4 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Captain's Yacht | Bridge ] Attn: Stark, Maya & S'Iti

Standing at the Tactical station when Commander Stark entered the Bridge, Ida turned her head and antennae towards the human and inclined her head in greeting. She was young for her rank, Ida had noticed well before the misson at hand, and she had thought Lieutenant Commander Hendrick's protegeé hadn't been ready when she assumed the position of Chief Operations Officer after the Niga Incident. Given the ease in which she seemed to conduct herself at the onset of the away-mission, Ida gathered that the past months had forced them all to adjust to the demands of their positions, the pinkskin included. The greatest respect Ida held towards the woman was her efforts before the ascent from Theta Eridani IV's surface, where she had saved more than a hundred people by storing them in the Theurgy's transporter buffers - something which might be key to accomplish their current mission.

"The Allegiant is fully stocked with necessary equipment and the replicator has been modified to not require any rations," she said and resumed the inspection of the scout's tactical system settings while she spoke. "The lockers contain minimum required field equipment if we need to hike on foot to find some of the crew. Serving as EVA-suits, there are four Tactical Conn Exosuits available if we need to do a space walk and repair the Yacht at some point. All systems are online and Thea is waiting for the decoupling command."

After Ida had finished, the two last members of the team arrived in short order, an Ida raised her eyes and antennae to nod in greeting to both of them. She was just as little familiar with the Cardassian and the Vulcan as she was with the Pinkskin, not having said two words to either of them before then. Naturally, Ida wondered how much they knew about her actions during the Niga Incident, and if they held her pollinated self accountable still for what she had done. An errant thought, best ignored. She did not have to prove herself.

"We are ready to depart, Lieutenant Commander."

OOC: Would you mind launching the Yacht in your next post, Brutus? Then I can post again where I move the hands of time forward and set up how they have their first encounter.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #5 –
[  Lt Cmdr Natalie Stark | Outside the Captain's Yacht | Deck 04] Atten: zh'Wann Maya & S'Iti

The Lt. Cmdr had the distinct impression that Ida zh'Wann was sizing her up. Natalie took that in stride, doing the same to Ida in turn, with a small smile after. It seemed that both women were willing to work with the other, and that while neither were telepathic, both came away with a sense of respect for the others abilities in their particular fields of focus. Whether or not that respect would grow during the mission would remain to be seen. She listened with rapt attention as Lt. zh'Wann walked through the ships status and that, as far as Thea was concerned, they were good to go. "Excellent, thank you, Lieutenant."

Having barley finished acknowledging Ida's report, Natalie heard the doors slide open behind her. She stiffened up just a little bit, as the Cardassian addressed her. It wasn't at all fair to Aisha, but the COps couldn't help but remember Cale Winterbourne when she saw the flight ops officer, and remember how the grey skinned woman had taken over for Cale after he had been gunned down during the mutiny. Then again, Aisha had come to her rescue, later on during the same day. So she forced a smile onto her face, and taking her hand off the back of the command chair, she gestured to the helm.

"Take your station, Chief, and get us through the pre-flight check; take it from the top and work us through. I want to get underway as soon as we're all aboard." Sure, Thea considered them ready, but Natalie had yet to meet a pilot that didn't want to go through the checks themselves, to put their own minds at ease. And no sooner had she given the order than the last of the crew hailed her. Natalie's combadge went off, as, Dr. Maya, announced herself. She would be their medical department on the small ship for the duration of the journey, and Stark took the moment to respond with a simple, "Acknowledged, Doctor. Come on aboard." Maya arrived with the typical stoicism that the younger brunette had come to expect of the Vulcan race, delivering a soft apology for her timing, and then a suggestion about stationing.

Natalie tilted her head for a moment as she considered the diminutive Vulcan's words. It seemed as reasonable a position for the doctor to take as any, at least for the initial duration. "Very well, Doctor. The communications station will work just fine." She paused, and then smiling, "However, once we are underway, I'll want to take a look at the Medical bay with you. We'd be poor rescuers indeed if we weren't prepared to accept injured." She was sure that the Allegiant's med bay had been prepped already, but it paid to get a bit more hands on familiarity with it. Plus, she'd never worked with the Vulcan. It would do good for her to observe the other woman.

Once everyone was in their stations, Natalie took a long look around the bridge. Nodding to herself, she glanced to Maya, "Open a channel to the bridge," she ordered softly, as she gripped the chair back tighter. They were ready, but there were forms to follow still. She spared a glance to Aisha, confirming that they were clear on the pre-flight check. Once she received acknowledgement that audio channel was open, she took a breath.

"Theurgy, this is Allegiant, requesting permission to disembark." She had expected the mellow, whisper tones of the First Officer to answer back over the open channel, but it was the more reserved, if lighter female tones of Captain Ives. "Allegiant, you are clear to disembark. Good hunting, Commander."

"Thank you ma'am," Natalie responded. She nodded then, to Aisha. "CPO S'Iti, take us out," she gave the order, and eased herself down into the command chair at the same time. It seemed to mold to her back, and she could barely feel the shudder as the docking clamps were released. Out the bow windows, she could see the metal of the ships hull break away, replaced with the expanse of space that surrounded their mothership. She drummed her fingers along the small command panel on the right hand arm rest, bringing up their mission flight plan. "Come about, bearing 227 mark 4, full thrusts." The ship slid forward, and Natalie watched as they passed under the saucer of the Theurgy. "Once clear, go to warp, factor 5." And then she crossed one leg over the other, and simply said, "Engage."

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #6 –
[ Aisha S'Iti| Captain's Yacht | Bridge/Cockpit] Attn: zh'Wann, Maya, Stark, and Ives

The Cardassian nodded replying a simple, "Yes Ma'am" to the order to go through the preflight checks.  Working her way through she verified all the various safeties and system status messages as she readied the small ship to be separated from its mothership. "Computer, please transfer engine system readings to the copilot console."  As the information began to show on the screens beside her she silently went over the check-list within her head.  Both Deuterium tanks and Antimatter cells full, both dilithium crystal mass and integrity optimal, all four containment chambers showing no deterioration, both intermix chambers primed.  "Engine systems showing green across the board boss, bringing the twin cores online and sending power to all necessary systems.  Preparing to sever power umbilical and open the docking hatch once the doctor is onboard.  She said as she began the process of bringing power systems online within the ship smiling as she heard the soft noise as the twin warp cores fired up sending a steady stream of power throughout the ship giving the ship the ever so slight resonating vibration.

Mere moments passed before the Doctor was arriving on the bridge and by that time the rest of the preflight checks were proceeding just as planned.  As expected of a Captain's yacht, the Allegiant had been kept in primed condition and there was not a thing aside from the broken console on the outside that was amiss on the ship.  For lack of better terms it was as if the ship was fresh out of the shipyards and prepared for her maiden voyage.  Aisha smiled as she finished a double check of the last of the preflight checks and looked to the mission commander. "Commander Stark, the docking hatch is open and the power umbilical has been released.  All that remain are the docking clamps, awaiting launch orders Ma'am."

"Open a channel to the bridge,"  Aisha heard her Commander say, hearing the drawn breath and softly inhaling a bit herself, "Theurgy, this is Allegiant, requesting permission to disembark."

Aisha smiled as she heard the voice of their Captain's female form reply. "Allegiant, you are clear to disembark. Good hunting, Commander."

The scaled woman nodded her own thanks despite knowing she was unable to be seen by the captain as her commander thanked her for all of them. "Thank you ma'am." Aisha nodded when she heard her superior's command, "CPO S'Iti, take us out."

"Yes Ma'am,  Commander."  She said in an eager but still subdued and tempered tone.  It was clear that she had been waiting for the order and was more than ready to carry it out to the letter.  But not so overzealous to fail to do things by the book.  "Docking clamps released, dorsal thrusters at 10 percent and... we are clear of The Theurgy's ventral hull Commander.  Bringing the impulse engines online," she said feeling the soft thrust as the impulse engines began to propel them forward just enough to begin overtaking their inertia from separating with their mothership.

"Come about, bearing 227 mark 4, full thrusts."

"Course adjusted."  She said quietly speaking into the console logging the necessary information so it would be in the records as she watched the engine status showing on the consoles in the seat beside her.  "Engine systems reading all clear we are safe to bring the warp field online."  She continued to herself and to the computer.

"Once clear, go to warp, factor 5."

"Warp engines fully online warp field bubble stable." She continued quietly listening to her commander waiting for the command.

"Engage"

The Cardassian smiled softly to herself as she entered in the command and watched as the lights of space began to stretch and move by as if they were now speeding past star after star.  Of course they weren't.  It was merely an optical illusion caused by the many factors of the interactions between the warp field barrier itself and the barrier of space on its outside and the bubble subspace which the ship was present within.  No matter how many ships she had been on there was always a certain wonder that filled her heart and mind at the sights of FTL travel.  Despite knowing how it worked and understanding nearly every facet of the theory and having put said theory into practice on uncountable occasions the actual sight as the theory and action came together with reality was never less than awe inspiring to her.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #7 –
[ Aeron-2514 | Equator | Escape Pod 87 | 1310 hrs. ] Attn: 1) Brutus 2) Doc M. 3) IronFerrox 4) Auctor Lucan

Ensign Abner paused to wipe the sweat from her blue eyes. It felt like Aeron-2514 was even hotter than the scans had made it out to be. At least that was how it felt. The hard baked clay of the dried riverbed that their escape pod had landed in only served to reflect the heat of the dual suns back up at her. She desperately wanted some water, but knew they had to conserve the meagre supplies of the pod as best they could. Who knew when they might be able to expect rescue... if it ever would come?

Gripping with both hands the crude wooden pole that Edgar had managed to craft, she set about once more trying to chip her way through the hard crust of earth. She did it so that she could erect the shaft as she had done two others so far. A loose pile of emergency blankets lay on the ground nearby, waiting for her to finish so that they could be stretched from the pod to the poles, creating some extra covering so that they would not have to crowd into the escape craft to escape the suns.

Nearby, Edgar had broken through, and was forcing his pole into the sandy soil that lay beneath. He had slipped his uniform free down to the waist, his dark skin glistening with sweat she saw. She longed to do the same, but at least until she had some shade to work with, her pale skin ruled that out. Degara had made that mistake yesterday, and now he could hardly walk. So bad were his burns.

The staccato rhythm of their work continued - the crust defying their strikes. Abner swore as the staff broke in two. She'd had it, or at least she needed a break. Angrily she threw the two halves aside and walked away. She stalked past the opening of the pod, taking a quick glance inside as she passed. Peter Hildebrandt was still laid out on a crude stretcher; Hebert slumped over in sleep beside him. Herbert had been up all night fighting to keep the other man alive, and his efforts had finally paid off. Abner knew it was a well-deserved rest, but she could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the man sleeping. Degara was finally asleep as well.

She made for the section of the riverbed's banks that they had been using to climb out. A few roots jutted out at random intervals, which made fairly decent steps and handholds, even if the tree from which they stemmed had died when the river dried up. A few moments later, she had reached the top.

A rare breeze touched her face, making her blonde hair flare out in the binary sunlight. As far as she could see, there was naught but dried out grass and a few horribly stunted or dead trees. She did not know what had happened to the river, but clearly it had been the lifeblood of this area. Looking west, she could see the trio of crewmen that she had sent out exploring. They were making their way back. They looked to be in good shape, but sadly, empty-handed again.

She glanced to her right at the rough grave they had been forced to dig yesterday. There lay Anders and Durmalach. The escape pod only had six seats, and in panic, there had been ten of them when they had ejected from the Harbinger. It could be worse, she decided. At least the eight of us are still alive. For now. Sighing, she turned back to climb down to the crashed pod. That was when she saw it, catching the sunlight right in the middle of the sky.

"We've got company!" she called, and soon, the three men in the distance came running with their phasers out, and Edgar was kicking Degara and Hebert awake down in the pod. Ensign Abner narrowed her blue eyes at the approaching shuttle, making fists at her sides to find courage. She was wondering which of the two Captains were alive to mount a search for them... or if it was a Reaver that came their way to end their lives.

OOC: Reposting this since IronFerrox did not chose to jump to 1150 hrs. and Allegiant's arrival to Aeron-2514. It would be odd to have this post before his now. I am at fault here, however, since I may have posted the destination scenario a bit too soon. Now, I have moved the hands of time forward, so please don't post anything more about when they leave the Theurgy otherwise we will be stomping in the same place and the mission will take forever. :)

I also changed the posting order so that Brutus is next, having Stark give orders about what they should do as they descend towards the damaged escape pod. Maya is second, and the it's IronFerrox turn again. I will be posting for Ida as well as the people on the planet, but feel free to NPC them as much as you want to in your posts. Here is the basic info on the Harbinger crew and the pod (which I added now):

Escape Pod 87
Image & Pod Information: [Show/Hide]


ENS Carla Abner          Engineering
CPO Jacques Hebert       Medical
PO1 Peter Hildebrant     Security (injured)
PO3 Edgar Rowland        Science
CWM Luther Ford          Science
CWM Degara Moon          Operations
CWM Morgan Meyers        Operations
CWM Russell Rodriquez    Engineering
CPO Anders Gayle         Operations
PO3 Durmalach            CONN

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #8 –
[  Lt Cmdr Natalie Stark | Bridge - USS Allegiant | Descending into atmosphere, Aeron-2514| 1310 hrs] Atten: zh'Wann Maya & S'Iti

The group had been ar warp for some time, when they picked up their first emergency beacon. Natalie had, in fact, been in inspecting the engine room, when Dr. Maya had called back to her through the comms, summoning her to the bridge. As the closest thing the crew had to a chief engineer, it feel to Natalie to check in on that department, as well as command the mission.

She swept back into the bridge with little hesitation, nodding her thanks to the Vulcan at the comm station. "Lock on to the signal, and bring us out of warp, on approach vector." The orders came out, hopefully sounding natural, as Natalie looked from the Cardassian pilot to the Andorian security chief at Tactical, back over to the Vulcan at comm's, taking assessment of each of her team with a glance. "Report. What are we dealing with?" Asking the question, Natalie watched as the Allegiant dropped out of warp, and an arid, harsh looking world was brought up on the view screen.

She waited for the team to take their scans and file a report, one more taking the center seat. What do they do to these things to make them so damn comfortable? she wondered, the errant thought unpressed. "So the signal is coming from the planets equator," she repeated the information, frowning. She didn't like that there was interference coming up from the planet. Some nasty mineral in the rock was making it difficult for sensors to pinpoint the number of lifesigns down there, but it was clear that there were life signs.

"We're going to have to go down into the atmosphere," she muttered, looking at the readings that Ida has forwarded to her small control panel, built into the command chair. She tapped out the coordinates, pulling up a visual - too garbled to make out sadly - then swiped the location over to CPO S'Iti. "Bring us in slow, but high. Let them see us coming," she ordered the flight officer, then leaned back into the chair. The brunette took a slow breath, and laced her fingers together, two pointers tapping against her chin, elbows resting on the chair arms.

"All right, I want options, people," she said, as she looked around the group. Make a decision, any decision she told herself yet again, repeating the words like her own new personal mantra. Whatever they suggested, it would be her call in the end, and she would stick by it. "Aisha," she said, turning to face the pilot. "These are your people, when we bring them on board, i want you on hand to greet." Whether they beamed the refugees up, or landed and let them in on foot remained to be seen. "Doctor, it goes without saying that we will need to be prepared for injured. I just hope that we don't have to add to the injury list, ourselves."

On the screen, the picture was clearing up. The Allegiant had cut through the atmospheric barrier and was on its approach. She could just make out figures below, in what appeared to be a dried up river bed. They were high enough up that the refugees looked like ants, but all the same, her heart seemed to freeze and rise up into her throat, all at once. These were her people. Sure, they came from the Harbinger but they were fellow officers in distress. She looked to Aisha, as she listened to her officers chime in, and wondered, if the Cardassian could see the concern in Natalie's eyes, and if it were mirrored in Aisha's heart.

OOC: Feel free to chime in with suggestions, everyone. Natalie will consider everything that yall have to contribute. I know which way I'm leaning, but she wants input first. And note, Natalie has not yet ordered the ship to attempt to hail the survivors.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #9 –
[ Maya |  the Captain's Yacht Allegiant | 1310 hrs.]  Attention: Stark, Ida & S'Iti.

The Allegiant soared through the empty reaches of space, searching for any sign of survivors from the Harbinger’s collision with the Calamity.  It wasn’t until 1310 hours that they found something.  Ensign Maya who was sitting at the mission operations/communication system was monitoring sensors, just like everyone else on the bridge. 

Not everyone was on the bridge, however.  The mission’s commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Natalie Stark was inspecting the ship.  Normally such an inspection would have been made before takeoff but with the Theurgy being shorthanded, Maya didn’t know when the Allegiant had been inspected last.

It was Maya, who was at the comm panel, who contacted Commander Stark.  “Commander, we have picked up an emergency beacon.  It has been confirmed as a transponder from one of the Harbinger’s escape pods.  Your presence is requested on the bridge.”

When Natalie Stark entered the bridge, she wasted no time before she started giving orders.  "Lock on to the signal, and bring us out of warp, on approach vector." she instructed Master Chief Petty Officer Aisha S’Iti, who was manning the helm.  "Report,”  she ordered as she took the captain’s chair.  “What are we dealing with?" she added as the Allegiant dropped out of warp.

“The signal is coming the surface of an M class planet listed in our records as Aeron-2514,” Maya replied as her long spidery fingers played across her LRCS panel.  On the viewscreen, a khaki colored world could be seen in the distance.  The desolate world seemed to expand as the Allegiant approached it.  “Oceans only cover roughly forty percent of its surface leaving the majority of its surface barren and arid by Federation standards.  The signal seems to be coming from a location in what would be considered its tropical zone.”

"So the signal is coming from the planets equator," Stark nodded.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Maya acknowledged with a single nod of her own.  “Lieutenant zh'Wann is forwarding you our scans now.”

"We're going to have to go down into the atmosphere," Stark murmured as she glanced down at the miniature LRCS screen installed in the arms of her command chair. She tapped at her console, frowned before sending the coordinates to the Cardassian in the pilot’s seat. "Bring us in slow, but high. Let them see us coming," she said to Master Chief S’Iti before leaning back in her chair. 

Maya’s eyebrow rose as Stark took a deep breath while making a gesture that Maya had been told was called ‘here is the church, here is the steeple.’   The gesture seemed frivolous, yet if Maya’s peripheral vision was accurate the expression on Natalie Stark’s face was not jovial.  Maya had seen the gesture on three occasions:  twice in movies that she had watched in the 22nd century and once in a 24th century holonovel.  Apparently the gesture was both ancient and cultural.

"All right, I want options people," Stark announced.  "Aisha, these are your people; when we bring them on board, I want you on hand to greet."

Maya considered the situation.  It standard procedure for Starfleet personnel to lay down on their stomachs and spread their limbs when rescued by Starfleet Pararescue teams but it was unlikely that the Harbinger’s survivors would allow follow regulations.  They believed that Starfleet was hunting them with shoot to kill orders.  Maya was drawn out of her diagnosing when Stark addressed her.

"Doctor, it goes without saying that we will need to be prepared for injured. I just hope that we don't have to add to the injury list, ourselves."

“And that possibility is likely,” Maya acknowledged with a tilt of her head.  “The Harbinger’s survivors believe that Starfleet is hunting them, and their opinion of the Theurgy’s personnel is unknown.  It is likely that our passengers will need to be tranquilized to prevent them from attempting to overpower us and hijack the yacht.”

In the meantime, the Allegiant had entered the atmosphere and was approaching the planet’s surface.  “I’m locking on to ten combadge signals,” Maya reported.  “Putting them on the screen.”  

The main viewscreen displayed the image of a dry river bed and the tiny dots that were the images of the castaways seen from the air. 

“I am reading only eight lifesigns,” Maya announced as she studied her console.  “They must have sustained two casualties,” she reported in a brisk businesslike tone.


Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #10 –
[ ThanIda zh'wann | USS Allegiant | Bridge | Descending towards Escape Pod 87 ] Attn: Stark, Maya & S'Iti

Ever the keen eye and sharp tool, Ida observed the readings on her console while the Allegiant descended towards the landing site - mind bent on risk assessment and a sound tactical approach. Lieutenant Commander Stark was asking for their advice, and the Vulcan provided a count of survivors and the option to subdue them all up front - supposedly via a stun-setting on the Yacht's phaser strips. Sound advice, especially coming from a Doctor, Ida thought, but then again, Maya is Vulcan after all. It was the logical solution to the problem, eliminating the risk to the mission.

"It would not be the most diplomatic approach, but the Vulcan's idea is what I would recommend as a last resort," said Ida quietly, antennae bent and still as she watched the main screen and the faces next to the dots. Her eyes lowered to the back of the Cardassian's head, and Ida wondered what the pilot might have in mind now that the number of Harbinger people aboard the Allegiant might increase. Ida trusted the Doctor and Stark to have Ives' interests a priority, but from what she had understood, Chief S'Iti was a clear risk element. The pilot could not be allowed to hijack the Allegiant, so Ida would not let her out of her sight. Therefore, she did not offer any solution that would leave the Cardassian alone aboard the Allegiant.

"The ship has an external PA-system," she reminded Lt Cmdr. Stark in her focused, eerily calm way, and she turned her head and antennae towards the pinkskin. "I would recommend the familiar voice of Chief S'Iti speaking to them first, explaining our intent, and telling them to surrender all their weapons before we set down on the riverbed. My readings say the ground there is as solid as stone, so the Yacht won't get stuck."

Nodding towards the Cardassian at the helm, Ida continued. "She being the liaison of this mission, I also suggest Chief S'Iti walk out to meet them together with you, Commander. Doctor Maya, you should preform the mind-melds as soon as possible, at least before any one of them set a foot aboard the Yacht. Personally, I will have to be out there too, armed, and covering you all from a rear vantage point. From such a position, I could make sure no one tries to board the Yacht ahead of time, and I can stun anyone that makes a false move against either of you."

Having offered her suggested tactic, Ida glanced towards the Cardassian, wondering if she would comply to it, or if she had ideas that would grant her opportunities that she could not be allowed. It was the Lieutenant Commander's call, and Ida would abide to her given orders, yet she would not risk the Allegiant and their lives if Stark made a bad decision.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #11 –
[Aisha S'Iti | USS Allegiant | Bridge | Descending towards Escape Pod 87 ] Attn: Stark, Maya & Ida

Aisha nodded hearing their suggestions.  "I agree with Lieutennant Zh'wann on this, but not fully.  I am not particularly keen on the idea of placing the Commander in a position of danger as she is the current captain of this vessel.  As such I believe it would be advisable for someone to remain on the bridge just in case.  If Commander Stark were to remain on the bridge then she would be kept out of the most dangerous situation and the bridge would still be manned.  Aside from modifying the plan to keep the commander safe I believe we should pretty much follow her plan to a tee."  she said looking around the room.  "What I need to know is who do we tell them sent us?  Are we being honest, or are we gonna make them think we were sent by Vasser?" she asked.

She then added, "Secondly I would advise a Beam down approach while maintaining an altitude of 10 meters rather than a landing.  After I address them via the external PA I would suggest beaming down an emergency water and food rations container.  I believe that gesture alone may do more than a familiar face or voice ever could as it shows an intent of rescue and medical treatment as the priority of this vessel's mission."  she said as she began to level the shuttle off putting it in slowly lowering hover within clear eyesight of the survivors turning the shuttle so as to reveal the silhouette of its profile and so that at least the forward weapons weren't being pointed aggressively at the survivors as the small vessel descended.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #12 –
Hearing the suggestions from the Cardassian, Ida was content that she had not offered advise that might compromise the Allegiant. If anything, she had offered suggestions that lent more precautions to the way they would approach the situation. Not landing did present a slight difficulty to what Ida had to do, so she felt she ought to explain her suggestion to land and offer her suggestion as to what Aisha ought to say.

"The safest way would be to avoid immediate hostility and not mention that we are under Captain Ives' orders. We need not say who sent us, but let your voice and your name make them assume we were sent by Vasser and T'Rena." Ida then considered the COps' positioning.

"As for whether or not you remain here, Commander Stark," said Ida and turned her head and antennae towards the pinkskin, wondering if she'd jump at the chance of avoiding a direct confrontation, "that is your preference, but with you aboard, and the Allegiant still in the air, you would have to pilot the Yacht, operate the transporters and the tactical systems in case they retrieve their weapons and open fire against us. Our lives would be in your hands since you would not only be our cover fire but our sole means of escape."

Ida had not seen the pinkskin in action, so she had no idea if she had that kind of skill piloting a shuttle. "The reason I suggested we'd land the Yacht is because of my rear vantage point. Your backs would be in my line of fire, so I want to climb on top of the Yacht with my rifle. That way, I can have a clear shot at all eight of them while you talk and Doctor Maya deprogram their minds. In the end, it's your call, Commander. I see merits in all three suggestions, depending on how diplomatic we want to be, and if you'd prefer to head out there or not."

Or rather, if Stark had enough hours of shuttle training, and could fire those phasers without hitting them as well. Being Andorian, Ida was sensitive to phaser fire - even a stun setting dangerous to her. Perhaps Doctor Maya's suggestion was the best after all, since that would pose the least risk to the four of them and the mission. Opening fire, however, would provoke an immediate hostile response.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #13 –
[  Lt Cmdr Natalie Stark | Bridge - USS Allegiant | Descending into atmosphere, Aeron-2514| 1310 hrs] Atten: zh'Wann Maya & S'Iti

Leaning back in the command chair, Natalie listened to each officer in turn, weighing the merits of their suggestions. She tried to channel the calm she often saw Cpt. Ives summon up from within, the ability to look at an officer, show them through his/her gaze that they were drinking in every word said, without comment or interruption.  How much she managed to succeed was beyond her ability to judge. She didn't fret on it though, but to her credit, focused on what was being said.

"Thank you," She finally said, after everyone had said their piece. She turned first to Ida, not realizing she'd sucked in her lower lip between her teeth while she thought about her next words. Her lip was slightly flushed from the bite when she spoke, "Lt. zh'Wann - our goal is to bring these people home as peacefully as possible, without risking this ship in the process.  For better or worse, your actions in saving the Theurgy have likely made you less then popular with the Harbinger survivors. Those that fully embraced Vasser's machinations, or succumbed to T'Rena's tender care." Natalie pulled no punches, she didn't sugar coat her words, nor did they hold an ounce of reproach. She was just being honest, "You're not a face they are going to want to see right away. Hell, I'm probably not one they'll want to see, not recognizing me. I want you keeping this ship in the air, and keeping the phasers trained on those people, and that pod." She hadn't forgotten the phaser strip each escape pod came equipped with.

Her gaze flickered to Aisha and Maya, then back to Ida, "Let me be clear - I do not want to start a fire fight with any of them. They've been through hell, and we have no idea how hard its been here for them - they've clearly lost some of their own," she added, reinforcing the fact that while there were 10 badges, there were only 8 life signs. "But I am not going to be foolish enough to think that everything will roses and lollipops just because we want it to be. I trust you to know when to pull that trigger, Lieutenant, if it comes to it." She held the Andorian's gaze for a moment longer and then turned to Aisha and Maya.

"Ladies, it'll be up to the two of you to get the ball rolling. For the moment, I am going to be manning transporters. You two are going down there to start the evac. If it looks like we'll need an extra hand, or if landing is a safe option, then that's what we'll do. But I'm hoping that the two of you will be our....least threatening welcome party. We're not going down there with phaser's drawn - we'll have to hope that no one puts two and two together and realizes they aren't needed with the Allegiant still in the air."

Standing up from the chair she continued. "Doctor, open up the PA system," the ship had come into the hover position at the Cardassians control. "Take the food and water with you, its a solid idea, and judging by the reading's we've seen on the way in, they'll be thirsty. But make it clear, we're here to get them off this planet. Be as discreet as you like as to who one - it's your call. But I want those mind melds started asap," that last part, she said to Maya, looking directly at the Vulcan, "IF we can do it on the surface before they board, so much the better. I'm trusting your judgement on that, Doctor. I've only ever been on the receiving end of mental probes, and none have been pleasant for me. " She repressed the shudder that threatened to run down her spine with that reminder, "Either way, lets get the ball rolling. Chief,  say hello to our friends down there."

Even as she gave the order, she turned and gestured to Maya, "Doctor, get your kit and get to the transporter room," she whispered her orders, as Aisha was already addressing the survivors, "I'll meet you and CPO S'iti there shortly." Perhaps in hind sight, not as short as she'd hoped. Natalie listened in on the exchange between the Cardassian pilot and her former crew mates and fellow survivors, keeping her features schooled. make a decision, any decision. Well, she'd made her decision, as she moved into the transporter bay behind the security check point. Ida zh'Wann was now alone on the bridge, but with an open comm line to monitor all activity. Natalie stood at the transporter controls, as Dr. Maya and Cpo S'iti joined her, each taking a platform.

"Here we go," she said softly, meeting each woman's gaze, before initiating the transport to send the duo - along with a crate of emergency supplies - 10 meters down to the surface below. Over the internal comm she called out to Ida, "Dr. Maya and CPO S'iti have beamed down successfully. I'll stay here and maintain the lock for now. Route a copy of the external feed to the wall monitor here, Lieutenant. Let's see how this plays out."

ooc: hopefully I didn't steamroll anyone. Plan from here is down to the planet we go.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #14 –
[Aisha S'Iti | USS Allegiant | Bridge | Descending towards Escape Pod 87 ] Attn: Stark, Maya & Ida

She nodded regarding her orders and upon the PA system being open addressed the group below.  "Harbinger survivors,  This is chief helmsman Aisha S'iti. A doctor and myself will be beaming down momentarily along with a crate of emergency and medical supplies.Please remain calm and prepare to receive supplies and medical attention.  S'Iti out."  She said having sent the quick address to the crowd below before closing the communication.

She listened to the general plan as best as she could as she did her first job before making her way to the transporter room.  "Ready to beam down Commander.  she said taking her place on the transporter pad.

Mere moments later Siti felt the synthetic footing of the pad give way to the feeling of natural soil under her feet and the sterile scent of a ship's life support systems gave way to the scents of far from ideal atmosphere clearly drier than her species was ideally adapted to.  Now the real challenge began.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #15 –
[ ThanIda zh'wann | USS Allegiant | Bridge ]

Ida had objections about using the tactical systems of the Allegiant since she was far better with a Type III assault rifle if it came to stunning moving targets on the ground, but she reserved herself from commenting on that - accepting the pinkskin's orders with a quick acknowledgement. "Understood."

Stark had made a good call, she admitted, for while having considered the kind of impact the sight of herself might have created, she would have been the only one armed. She had thought she'd act as a deterrent towards any sudden ideas from the Harbinger people. Aisha made the announcement, and while she could appreciate the methodology for its merits, she had her concerns about the idea of not immediately demanding that the Harbinger survivors surrendered their weapons before the Cardassian and the Vulcan beamed down there. If the mentally warped people down there were still armed, the risk that they would take Ida's people hostage and demand passage was paramount to the benefits of the survivors being more at ease.

Nonetheless, when the three other women left the Allegiant's bridge, Ida slid past the Cardassian on the way to the pilot's seat - eyes meeting for a moment. It was not just the survivors that she would have the two starboard phaser arrays locked on, for if they only took Doctor Maya hostage, Ida would know who gave them the idea. "Computer, transfer tactical controls to the helm. Lock on the heat signatures of the people on the ground and include the phaser strip facing the Yacht. Maximum yield for the the latter, and high stun for the soft targets. Arm the starboard arrays and designate all targets by number on the screen. Give me a keypad and await firing commands."

Giving the instructions, a chirp acknowledged her, numbers appearing above the people down there. [Targets acquired. Standing by.]

She had little to no faith in the computer to hit anything... but she would give it a fair chance before she solved it her own way.


[ Aeron-2514 | Outside Escape Pod 87 | 1310 hrs. ] Attn: 1) Doc M. 2) IronFerrox 3) Brutus

Ensign Carla Abner had climbed down from the edge of the riverbank and taken position twenty feet before the opened hatch to the escape pod, and the rest of her people had gathered behind her except for Hildebrant, who was still recovering from his injuries inside the pod. They had already seen that it was no Reaver descending from the skies, but the Theurgy's prototype scout. As it approached, a voice resounded from it in the dusty air.

[Harbinger survivors, this is chief helmsman Aisha S'iti. A doctor and myself will be beaming down momentarily along with a crate of emergency and medical supplies. Please remain calm and prepare to receive supplies and medical attention.  S'Iti out.]

It did sound as Petty Officer Durmalach's superior officer, and had he been alive, Abner was sure he would be relieved to hear it. Aisha S'Iti was a known name on the Harbinger, and she had taken the helm of the Theurgy when Vasser made his move, but why was she here? Why would they send her to recover them? Was it because of the chance to fly the Manta-class prototype? Abner had to be cautious, but she did not find any immediate cause for alarm.

"Lower your phasers... but don't holster them," she said thoughtfully, narrowing her blue eyes against the sheets of dust that the thrusters of the craft whipped up in their faces and into their hair. The approach made their dirty uniforms flap around their legs too, and Carla felt dust escape down her unbuttoned collar. She raised an arm to cover her nose and mouth, but her eyes never left the aero-wing shuttle that had come to their aid. It wasn't landing... as if in a hurry, or to keep them from running aboard on their own. That aft air-lock was large enough to accommodate a quick boarding, but they were denied shelter from the binary suns. "Doctor Hebert... Go into the pod and prepare Hildebrant for transport. I will send this doctor to you with some water, and... in case this is some kind of foul play... power up the phaser strip while you're there."

"Yes, Ensign," said the gaunt Frenchman and broke away from the gathering, returning to his patient. Then, the shimmer of two individuals appeared on the hard surface of the dried up riverbank, and Abner raked back her blonde hair from her face, hoping the development was just as good as it seemed. She wanted to hope, but she was not about to take any chances. As thirsty as she was, she did not want it to cloud her judgement.

"It is Chief S'Iti," said Luther when the shimmer died away, and indeed, there was their Cardassian Marquis pilot... but the Vulcan at her side was unknown, most likely being a Theurgy physician. Luther's words echoed their collective thoughts. "Who is that?"

The supplies that had been beamed down to them compelled Abner to overlook the presence of the Theurgy woman, to just go there and drink her fill... but she had obligations. "Good to see a familiar face, S'Iti. I trust T'Rena and Vasser sent you because we need genetic diversity where we're going, otherwise I would never blame you for leaving this sorry lot of poor survivalists behind." That drew a chuckle from her people, then she looked to the pale Vulcan. "As for you... I don't recognise you. Mind giving me your name? Then, actually, you should go into the pod. We have an injured officer inside that needs to be seen to. Jacques is there too and he will tell you what happened to him."

Abner wanted a private word with the Cardassian almost as much as she wanted to make sure Hildebrant made it through alive. She had to know what happened to the Calamity and the Harbinger, the latter having been set to self-destruct before they ejected. She also wanted to know who was on the Yacht, still hovering in the air for some reason...

Why beam supplies down... if we could just as well have been drinking our fill in the temperate conditions inside that hull? It just seemed wrong that it hadn't landed already and allowed them to get out of the sun, and her thoughts had to be running through the minds of the others too, looking between the hovering scout and Aisha S'Iti.

OOC: Next poster is Doc M., followed by IronFerrox (and then Brutus if required at that point)

Here is the list of surviving NPC:s again: [Show/Hide]

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #16 –
Maya | Aeron-2514 | Outside Escape Pod 87 ]  Attention: Stark, Ida & S'Iti.

It wasn't until after she stepped on the transporter pad that Maya considered the flaws in Stark's plan.  Perhaps flaws were too harsh an assessment.  It would be more accurate to call them gaps.  The plan needed details.  For example:  What were they going to say to these people that would placate them?  They were no doubt paranoid and hostile, guaranteed to be suspicious of anybody who hadn't served aboard the Harbinger.  The situation needed diplomacy and guile, two things that Maya had never possessed in abundance. 

The plan, as Maya understood it, was not to let any of the survivors aboard the Allegiant until Maya had insured they were free of T'Rena's influence and were themselves again.  This meant deprogramming them one at a time.  How Maya was going to get each of them alone to diagnose and treat them was a mystery.  She only hoped that S'Iti had brought along a ball that she could get rolling.  After all, Commander Stark had reminded her twice.

Maya's body tingled as the Allegiant's tiny transporter room vanished in a shower of sparks to be replaced by the hot arid surface of Aeron-2514.  The heat was refreshing and low level of moisture in the air was comforting.   For a brief moment, the little Vulcan entertained memories of her home world that she had left over two centuries ago.

Anything close to entertainment left Maya when she saw the bedraggled survivors heading towards them with phasers in their hands.  As expected, trust was nearly nonexistent.  A blonde woman whose fair skin had been reddened by the sun was the spokesperson.  Her torn and dirty uniform had a gold color and had one rank pip.  If the identification transponder in her combadge was accurate she was Ensign Carla Abner.         
 
"Good to see a familiar face, S'Iti," Ensign Abner greeted.  "I trust T'Rena and Vasser sent you because we need genetic diversity where we're going, otherwise I would never blame you for leaving this sorry lot of poor survivalists behind."

That remark was troubling.  It indicated that Abner and the majority, if not all of the castaways had been mentally conditioned by T'Rena to accept Vasser's plan to flee known space and create an army of eugenic supermen.  That meant that their morals and ethics were compromised and that they were capable of unspeakable crimes their rational minds couldn't conceive of.  It would take a very glib tongue and quick wits to keep control of the situation.  Unfortunately, Maya had never possessed what was known as 'people skills'.  At least she did have an impressive 'poker face.' 

"As for you,"  Ensign Abner addressed Maya, "I don't recognize you. Mind giving me your name?"

Before Maya could speak Aisha spoke for her.

"Anyways yes this is Doctor Maya," Aisha chimed in, not wanting to be interrupted.
 
Maya nodded respectfully.

"Then, actually, you should go into the pod," Abner nodded at the escape pod that had gotten them to this planet. "We have an injured officer inside that needs to be seen to. Jacques is there too and he will tell you what happened to him."

"Very well," Maya replied with a respectful nod.  "Chief," she murmured with a nod at Aisha.

Hearing what was said after that, Maya raised an eyebrow after having moved through the suspicious castaways towards the pod.  Aisha had chosen a 'cover story' and it was a masterstroke.  As the little Vulcan passed the Harbinger survivors her large hazel eyes took in their race, age, rank, and visible injuries.  By the time she reached the escape pod she was confident she could match faces to the names she had read off their combadge transponders when she had been manning the sensors aboard the Allegiant.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #17 –
[Aisha S'Iti |  Aeron-2514 | Outside Escape Pod 87] Attn: Stark, Maya & Ida

"Then, actually, you should go into the pod," Abner nodded at the escape pod that had gotten them to this planet. "We have an injured officer inside that needs to be seen to. Jacques is there too and he will tell you what happened to him."

Knowing their mindset regarding their loyalties Siti already had an idea on how to deal with the situation.  Making sure he Vulcan doctor was within earshot she nodded,  "Well the Commadore and Captain were very clear on the need for diversity but that is hardly the only reason," she said in a lighthearted tone.  "Anyways yes this is Doctor Maya.  She will be making the decisions on who gets beamed up and when, per the Captain's explicit orders.  On to business though Ensign. As we discuss that though can you please assist me in dispersing the water packs and rations?"   She said tossing the Ensign some of ration packs knowing that catching them would require putting away the phaser.  She herself grabbed a large canister of water making sure to keep her other arm free in case the phaser had to be drawn.   

Her voice then took a much more serious tone directing her words to the Ensign still making sure the doctor heard her making her understand the ruse so they could remain on the same page. "As you may have guessed the Captain is rather busy and given the reports of insurrection aboard her ship before its destruction.  She wants to ensure no one comes back without being properly indoctrinated.  As such everyone, starting with your injured comrade and Jacques, will receive a mind meld from our doctor prior to being beamed up to ensure that there are no insurrectionists returning to the Theurgy.  All those resisting being shown the path, or who choose to think they do not have to be shown again, will be dealt with similarly to the example what was made of the Theurgy's former helmsman.  Do I make myself clear Ensign?"  she said adding a little force to the last words as her com channel remained open. 

If the people being rescued chose to panic and attack them it would at least be clear that the attack was made as an act of defying Vasser and hopefully Ida would only retaliate as lightly as possible.  If she was going to put herself in the line of fire it would be in the process of exposing the survivors as loyal to Ives instead of the other way around.  Besides, those loyal to Ives she figured would likely resort to stuns as a means of attack then the killing shots Vasser's revolutionaries were now known for using.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #18 –
[ ThanIda zh'wann | USS Allegiant | Bridge ]

On her viewscreen, Ida could practically see the paranoia oozing from the pinkskin in charge of the Harbinger survivors. She was eyeing the Allegiant, no doubt wondering why it had not landed and let them into the shade. Ida curled her upper lip, thinking that this plan was not going to work. She would have to stun them all and Stark would have to beam Maya and S'Iti out of the cross-fire. She was just about to tap her own combadge and tell Stark as much... when the Cardassian began to speak.

Slowly, Ida lowered her hand from her combadge. The pilot was resourceful, an able liar, and she had come up with a way to allay their suspicions. Listening to what was being said through the combadge on Aisha's chest, Ida resumed to hold her fingertips over the firing controls.


[ Aeron-2514 | Outside Escape Pod 87 | 1310 hrs. ] Attn: 1) IronFerrox 2) Brutus

Carla Abner listened, and frowned all the more when it was revealed that the Vulcan was supposed to give leave as to who could get into the shade, the only thing stopping her from raising her voice in protest being that it was - supposedly - on Captain T'Rena's orders. Something was wrong. S'Iti said that T'Rena wanted to ensure they didn't come back without being properly 'indoctrinated'. The word... It did not sit right with Abner. They were not 'indoctrinated'... T'Rena had merely shown them the indisputable future, and without other recourse, they were left to do the only thing they could. Fall back, regroup, breed and mobilise for taking back the Alpha Quadrant when they had the numbers. The pure-bred numbers.

She clenched her jaw, not liking it one bit, but she had caught the ration pack thrown to her with her free hand. Turning it over and looking at it, she gave the situation some thought. Rationally, she could understand that T'Rena did not want any more resistance from Ives Loyalists, but they had not even been on the Theurgy, Ives no more than the strange Chameloid who would rather sacrifice the lives of the crew than break rules not meant for battle against their own former fleet. They had escaped the Harbinger, so why would there be Ives Loyalists to weed out among them? In the end, she decided to not give challenge just yet. Her first - personal - priority was to get on that scout, and bringing the survivors under her happenstance command on it as well.

"Very well," she said quietly  and holstered her handphaser. She tossed the pack to Degara, who was a bit worse for wear because of the sun - needing sustenance the most. "Moon, Ford and Rowland, you have at it first. Dig in. Rodriquez, Meyers and I will eat and drink second, instead preparing food and water for Hebert and Hildebrant, not to mention gathering whatever we need from the pod's storage compartments. Holster weapons and be quick about it. The sooner the Vulcan clears us, the quicker we'll be out of the sun."

Having her people set in motion, Abner walked up next to Chief S'Iti and began to dislodge ration packs and water bottles and distributing them on to the others. Meyers started to collect an armful to bring to the pod and to the two men there, but Rodriguez was already following in the Vulcan's wake - heading into the pod so that he could get any supplies or gear left inside.

As she worked, she took one of the water bottles and sipped it... then she took a big mouthful. Before long, she found herself gulping down water and spilling it over her dirty yellow undershirt. In the end, she was pouring it over her own head, making it run down her collar - feeling it trickle down her back and between her breasts. Had she really been this thirsty before the Yacht came? When the worst of her thirst and had been slaked and her body temperature restored, Carla turned to the Cardassian - dirty lips wet as she spoke. She meant to ask if the Calamity had been claimed or destroyed, but the question she asked surprised even her when it came, as if begotten by someone else. "Why did you say that we were 'indoctrinated'? Sounds rather unflattering for being enlightened about what will come if we would remain in Federation space."

Having said this, Carla accepted the question as her own... and watched the Cardassian keenly when she answered.


[ Meanwhile | Inside Escape Pod 87  ] Attn: Doc M.

Opening his eyes, Peter Hildebrant had to blink a few times to make out where he was. Even when his vision was restored, he couldn't tell. Looked like the inside of an escape pod, and he wasn't alone. Hebert, one of the nurses that hadn't been transferred to the Theurgy was there, and he... he looked like he had been living in a desert without water. Speaking of desert, why was it so warm, and where was his clothes?

"What is going on?" he rasped, seeing that his lower body was covered in a thinn med kit blanket. He propped himself up on his elbows, joints cracking as he moved. It hurt too, skin stretching taught across his chest and his side, as if newly treated with a dermal regenerator. His left leg hurt too, something fierce. He ground his teeth against the pain. "What happened? Jaques, do something with my leg. It's killing me."

Last he remembered, he had been pursuing Duv, Slayton and that blue bitch named zh'Wann down the corridors of the Harbinger. They had put up quite a fight, and in the end, it had just been him and Husker. The fucking traitor. He just couldn't remember how it... Damn, but his leg hurt.

"Jaques! Now! Please..."

Nurse Hebert did react in the end, standing there in the doorway of the pod and looking at something outside. He turned around and came to Peter's side. That was when he realised he was lying on a stretcher, perched between two overturned chairs and clear of the dusty ground. Why?

"I'm sorry, Petty Officer. There was nothing I could do. The blast took it, and I had to cauterise what was left. Spent the whole night by your side, but you'll liv-"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" said Peter irritably and moved to sit up, but as he turned to set his feet down, his right leg slipped out from the thin blanket... and to his horror, there was only a stump there - ending well above where his knee would have been. He did not know what kind of undignified noise he made, but he could feel his eyes dry up as he stared in fright at what had become of him. He remembered then, Husker throwing something, and now he could guess what it had been. Either a phaser set to overload, or a phaser grenade.

That was when a new figure appeared in the sun-lit doorway. A Vulcan. One of the Theurgy Vulcans. The enemy. Fight-or-Flight mode having set in, he rolled out of his stretcher, away from the woman. He banged his head in the short fall, got dust in his mouth. All he could hear was his rapid breathing. He was hyperventilating, and he was trying to find some means to protect himself. Exoscalpel. Yes, it was at least something.

"Peter, calm down! You have started to bleed again! You are bleeding out through the bandage! Doctor!"

OOC: Rodriguez will be entering the escape pod roughly 20 seconds after Maya does. Meyers is due to arrive there in a minute with water and rations.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #19 –
[ Aisha S'Iti|  Aeron-2514 | Outside Escape Pod 87] Attn: Lucan, Brutus, Doc M

As they spoke and the ensign handed out supplies and drink Aisha got to work putting together the makeshift that was with the kit.  withina few minutes there was what could best be compared to a kind of temporary gazebo with the water and rations at the center  of the structure not providing at least a degree of shade while the translucent top still allowed those in the shuttle above to see through it and the survivors to still see the shuttle above.  still it was shade and she hoped that a chance to be out of the sun would do something to ease their present discomfort.

Hearing the question she nodded noticing her suspicions, "Oh, yes."  she said understandingly, "To be honest I don't really know the right way of saying how you see things, due to certain aspects of my species, particularly the physiology of my skull and brain,  I have not been able to share in your... enlightenment?  Mild melds don't work particularly well on my kind after all.  Still T'rena was able to find a job for me.  Given my skill in piloting and how it is merely my word on my loyalty aside from the same assurance she has from her preferred method,  It was determined that if the worst were to happen loosing me would be, an acceptable loss.  I can't say I like having the suspicion that I am more than usually expendable, but at least the mission she gave me got me in the pilot seat of that sexy little ship so I can't complain there.   Still, I can understand how my lack of "true-understanding" can seem a bit unnerving." 

She paused.  "I suppose you want to know why T'rena has her own suspicions regarding survivors on the life boats though.  Some of those who were not "on the path" apparently led an insurrection on-board the Harbinger.  As such T'rena knows there is the distinct possibility there are some who never received the mind meld in the first place among the survivors hence the doctor's mission to assure everyone's loyalty."

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #20 –
[ Maya | Aeron-2514 | Inside Escape Pod 87 ]  Attention: Stark, Ida & S'Iti.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" 

That was the first voice Maya heard as she entered the escape pod, followed immediately by a mournful whine guaranteed to cause horripilation on the skin of any creature with a greater intellect than a housecat.  To the uneducated ear, the noise didn't sound human, but to Maya's sensitive Vulcan ear, the sound was all too familiar.  A young man with visible second degree burns on his skin was thrashing on a stretcher that had been made into makeshift cot and had tried to get to his feet, only to discover that he had lost half of his right leg. 

To Maya's professional eye, Petty Officer Hidlebrant's response was textbook:  Hyperventilation, heart palpitations, trembling; it was to be expected.  The sense of loss Petty Officer Hidlebrant was no doubt suffering for both his ship and his limb made Maya grateful that she had been raised on a planet that trained their children to suppress their feelings.  It was time to practice her bedside manner.

"Hello," Maya greeted.  "I am..."

In an instant Petty Officer Hidlebrant fixed his eyes upon Maya and the expression on his face was one that the Vulcan was all too familiar with after enduring the mutiny:  Peter Hildebrant considered her a threat.  He rolled away from her and Maya heard an alarming thump and a short stifled cry.

"Petty Officer Hidlebrant, you will injure yourself," Maya began as she glided forward.

"Peter, calm down!" A man whose blue collar and rank pin indicated that he could only be Chief Petty Officer Jacques Hebert implored him.  "You have started to bleed again! You are bleeding out through the bandage! Doctor!"

By the time Maya reached him, Hildebrant had opened a medkit and extracted a scalpel.  Before he could turn around, the green-blooded physician's long spidery fingers were at the base of his neck, applying pressure to the trapezius nerve bundle.  Hildebrant jerked and collapsed as paralysis and unconsciousness temporarily overtook him just as a gold collared crewman entered the pod.

"A nerve pinch can be a drugless anesthetic," Maya explained as she moved the crippled and comatose Hildebrant back to his makeshift cot.  She hoped her calm and tranquil demeanor would keep the survivors from interpreting Maya's action as an attack on a helpless invalid.  What would Doctor Nicander say?  He was good with people, skilled at using humor and sarcasm to defuse a stressful situation.  "He had seized a scalpel and might have hurt himself."  That was as dry as a bone left in the Eithnir Province's desert.  She needed to say something witty to defuse the situation, like Nicander would.  "I had to act; he didn't have a leg to stand on," she added as a second crewman entered carrying water and rations.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #21 –
[ Aeron-2514 | Inside Escape Pod 87 ] Attn: Doc M.

Jaques Hebert being a nurse, he had no immediate inclination to resort to hostile means towards a fellow Starfleet Officer, not even when she subdued Hildebrant with her Vulcan nerve pinch. This Doctor Maya had acted in the best interest of the patient to keep him from hurting himself, and he even moved to help the Vulcan to return Hildebrant to the stretcher. That was when Rodriquez walked in.

"What if going on here?" he said, shifting his stance and his hold on his phser - browridge drawn down over his coal black eyes. "What happened?"

"Oh, stand down," chided Jaques and gave the buffoon an irritable look. "Peter tried to get up and he might be bleeding out. Doctor Maya here merely made sure that he would hurt himself, or us for that matter."

The large man with the dark eyes did not look like he was entirely convinced, but his trust to the frenchman won out, and he holstered his phaser. Meyers arrived as well with the rations and the water, waling past Rodriguez. "Fine. Fix him up while I collect the gear then. We are ready to be screened after that, Ensign."

With so many things that could have gone wrong inside the pod, it seemed fortune and Doctor Maya's quick thinking had saved the day.


[ Aeron-2514 | Outside Escape Pod 87 | 1310 hrs. ] Attn: 1) IronFerrox 2) Brutus

The water in Abner's hair was quickly drying up while she listened to Chief S'ti, and she vaguely remembered hearing something about Cardassian's being immune to the the kind of visions that Captain T'Rena had given them. It had still seemed an odd choice of words, but from the chief of the helm, it might appear that way.

Then there was the mentioning of what had happened on the Harbinger, something Abner was quite familiar with. It seemed the Andorian, the CMO and Husker had put her and the rest of the survivors in poor light, and the need for more precaution was required. It was, Abner supposed, a warranted order to have them screened before being allowed back.

"What is taking them so long?" murmured Abner and dropped the issue, looking towards the escape pod where Rodriquez and Meyers had gone. And just when she did, Meyers stepped out, rubbing his head. He shaded his eyes from the binary sun. Something was... odd about the look he gave her, but Abner could not tell what it was. The man simply waved to the people up in the makeshift shelter. While it had been built, Doctor Maya must have screened the people inside the pod.

"One at the time, she says," called Meyers across the short distance, and he stepped away, walking out across the riverbed and putting some distance between the pod and himself - appearing thoughtful. Abner looked at him, and she supposed that just like the first time, when T'Rena had showed them the vision, it was an overwhelming experience.

So far, her suspicions had been allayed... so she waved for the next man to head to the pod.

And so they went, one by one, until it was her turn. In the end, they were all proven how wrong they had been...


[ USS Allegiant | Bridge ]

During the procession, where the survivors headed into the pod one by one, Ida had been vigilant -. ready to fire the phasers, but when the last one emerged from the escape pod, and she saw how the blonde pinkskin sank to her knees on the riverbed, she knew it was over. The survivors filed out of the escape pod one by one, all of them looking like they had just eaten something foul.

"Commander Stark," said Ida after tapping her combadge. "We have secured the survivors. I am setting down the Allegiant so that they may step inside through the aft airlock. As much as could have gone wrong, your plan was good, and made all the better by Maya and S'Iti. Good call."

There were, however, more escape pods out there. Hopefully they will be just as lucky the next time.

OOC: Now, it would be great if no one posted in direct reaction to what has happened in this post of mine, but turn the hands of time forward 30 minutes, where Hildebrant is in Medical with Maya (he wakes up in your post and I play him), Stark speaks with the rest of the survivors inside the Captain's quarters, reassuring them that they won't be put to trial for their actions while under T'Rena's influence (I play Abner and the rest). I also want a one-on-one between Ida nd Aisha on the Bridge. Looking forward to your posts!

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #22 –
[ Maya | USS Allegiant | Medical Bay | 1350 hrs. ]  Attention: Hildebrant (NPC)

"A marg of prevention is worth a ag'emarg of treatment."  That was one of the oldest idioms of Vulcan's medical profession and one that applied to difficulties other than medical issues.  Chief S'Iti had been brilliant when she had come up with her solution.  The deception was simple and yet Maya would not have imagined possessing the audacity to suggest it, let alone the creativity to come up with it in the first place.  She had always considered herself a free thinker back home; now she knew how unimaginative she really was.

One by one each member of the escape pod's survivors entered and one by one she made contact with their minds and freed them of the programming that T'Rena had infected them with.  She saved Petty Officer Hildebrant for last.  Touching his mind indicated that resentment towards zh'Wann and Slayton might linger but for now Maya concentrated on undoing any mental tampering rather than initiating any of her own.  Whether she should modify any emotions or memories was Doctor Nicander or Counselor O'Conner's call and not Maya's, she would not take the responsibility after what T'Rena had done.

"Petty Officer Hildebrant's condition has stabilized," she informed Chief Herbert after they finished treating the comatose security specialist in the Allegiant's medical bay.  "I will head to the bridge and send his medical information to the Theurgy so they can begin constructing a biosynthetic replacement for his leg.  Monitor the patient and contract me if there is any change," she murmured, but before she could leave her patient awoke.  Without a word, the green blooded physician moved to his side and waited for him to speak.

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #23 –
[ Aisha S'iti |USS Allegiant | Bridge ] Attn: Ida

She sighed as the ship settled into its course the impulse engines humming softly as the ship only so very slightly vibrated from the work of the engines.  They were far too close to the next closest escape pod to use warp drive would be wasteful given the things that needed to be squared away before encountering the next group of survivors. A 10 minute period at warp 1 would just put them getting there before they were ready to rescue the group.  But going at impulse for 30 minutes in that amount of time thy could get everything done needed and wouldn't have to waste any additional energy on bringing up the warp engines.  Besides if there were Federation ships looking for them the last thing they needed to do was engage warp engines every couple of minutes.  Impulse was far safer for this mission and allowed for a lot more effective stealth.

Thinking about all the things that could have happened during the mission and how close they came to having to resort to violence instead of trickery she just breathed deeply with relief as she turned around in her chair looking to the only other left on the bridge, the Andorian Security officer, "So..." she began with an exasperated sigh. "That could have went horribly wrong."  she said not looking forward to having to report to Ives that the rescue mission ended up having to be built on trickery and lies.  'OH well,' she thought to herself, 'better than building a rescue on assaulting them with phasers.'

Re: DAY 01: SAR Away-Mission [1150 hrs.]

Reply #24 –
[  Lt Cmdr Natalie Stark | Captains bunk - USS Allegiant | en-route to next pick up| 1400 hrs] Atten: Abner

Natalie had monitored it all on the video feed, with the ships computer pumping in the audio from CPO S'Iti's comm-badge. She knew that Ida would be hearing the same thing that she was, and both women would be hanging on every word said. It had been an amazingly nerve wrecking experience, that had left Natalie's palms coated with sweat. Thank god for service kits with rags in them she'd thought, having the foresight to use one to dry her hands off as Lt. zh'Wann brought the ship down to the surface, before meeting the first of the survivors as they slowly trickled on board. It had been touch and go, but they had pulled off their first pick up.

Now she stood in the Captains cabin on board the Allegiant. She hadn't expected to have access to the room but Cpt. Ives had seen fit to grant her the honor as mission commander. t wasn't the worlds largest cabin by any means, but it was sizable enough, especially in the more cramped confines of the Captains Yatch, where space was a premium. She tried to rationalize it away as freeing up one extra bunk for an injured survivor, but in all honesty she couldn't say for sure what the reasoning was. It was just a small aside from the woman during her very short briefing before the mission - as Cmdr. Trent had handled most of the pre-mission work.

Making a mental note to put them all in for accommodations (especially the fast thinking Doctor Maya) and then equally chastising herself for thinking that far ahead, given that they still had a lot to do, Natalie moved to unlock the cabin door and beacon the surviving - and no longer brainwashed - members of the Harbinger they'd picked up of of Aeron-2514's dry desert surface. With Ida and Aisha busy getting the ship out of orbit and on their way back to the patrol route, now was the prefect time to address the motley group waiting outside.

"Please come in," she said, addressing the ragged group. They'd only been in the air for 30 minutes so far, and not all had had the chance to change, though they would all be afforded that luxury, and anything else the small ship could offer. She looked around at the group as they crowded in around her, filling the room easily enough. Not all were present - those too seriously injured - as well as Nurse Jaques Hebert - were in the small med bay or sedated in the crew quarters (the nurse assisting Dr. Maya as needed). The rest however, were here with her.

Her blue eyes stood out on her pale face, hair pulled back into a tight tail as she surveyed the reddened, sandblasted faces before her. Stark contrast she thought cynically, not the first time she'd made a pun out of her own name, though perhaps this was the most serious case of it.  She took a slow breath, chest rising and falling in her clean uniform, at odds with most of those here.

"My name is Natalie Stark. Some of you may recognize me as the Chief of Operations for the USS Theurgy, and some may not," she started off, "I - heh, I had a speech all prepared but I think I'll just toss it out the airlock." She let out a sigh through her teeth and she relaxed her pose. "Look, I'm not going to pretend to know what you are going through right now, at least not the specifics. I've....had my mind messed with before, but not quite the same way you have." Understatement, "The point is, the first point that I absolutely want to make clear to you, is I - and more so, the Senior staff of the Theurgy - do not hold anyone brainwashed responsible for what happened, or their conduct. I could quote Starfleet protocol regarding the care, treatment and punishment or lack there of for officers under alien influence all night, but that doesn't' matter."

She fixed them each with her gaze, one after another, finally resting on the leader of the group, Ens. Abner. "There will be no trial. There will be no witch hunt. You were not yourselves while under that influence. You are not responsible for your actions. What you are responsible for, is what you - what we, do next."  Her hands were clasped behind her back, as Cpt. Ives often did when addressing the crew - Natalie didn't even realize she was emulating her CO, she simply did it, trying to project the same kind of confidence the shape-shifting captain often did.

"We're resuming our scanning patrol to try and find more survivors. Not just because we need the personnel, but because I refuse to leave anyone else behind if I can help it. And I cannot say what state the rest of your fellow crewmen and women will be in when we find them. We are going to need your help, ladies and gentlemen, plain and simple."

OOC: Seems like a decent, mid speech point for possible interruptions
 
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