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Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #25 –
[ Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Asteroid Field | Bacury System ]

Samala had watched as her brother had kept himself busy. She had sat next to the access panel to the cloaking device and watched as he serviced every disruptor, counted the photon torpedoes cleaned the ship and cooked meals for both her and himself. When he had asked her if she wanted him to clean her own weapons, she had snapped at him, telling him she was busy and to leave her alone.

In hindsight, Samala knew that he didn’t deserve that reaction from her. He was in probably as much pain as she was. He had lost his father as well as a woman he had come to consider a 2nd mother. She could have peeked, if she had wanted too. But that would mean she would have to open herself up and that she didn’t want to do.

So she fiddled. The cloak itself only really needed a few hours to fix but she had managed to stretch that out into almost 36 hours. She had stopped to rest in that time but hadn’t really slept as she was awoken by nightmares of her parents dying in front of her. She hadn’t known if she had screamed in her sleep and her brother hadn’t said anything; respecting her wishes to be left alone.

But eventually, she cracked. She had seen her brother staring at the entrance to the hold, watching her and realised that he probably had nothing else to do. Wondering what that left him with, Samala sobbed uncontrollably as her minder wandered back to what the two of them had lost.

She had heard her brother pad across the deck to where she sat but only reacted after he had laid a hand on her shoulder. Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck and hugged him for all she was worth. And her brother, he returned her hug.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #26 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Asteroid Field | Bacury System ] 
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“What do we do now?” Samala asked quietly from with her brother’s arms. Neither of them had said a word in several minutes as they hugged, foregoing words to seek as much solace as possible from their sibling.

“I don’t know,” Lorad responded after a moment. “Everything is different now.”

“I want to kill something,” Samala declared adamantly.

“But we can’t,” Lorad responded. “We’re one ship and two people surrounded by Romulan space. We have no known safe-haven and no way to locate one. There is only one place that we know of that could harbour us.”

“The Klingons,” Samala reasoned, her emotions simmering.

“The Klingons,” Lorad confirmed as he released his sister and stepped back so he could look down at her. “But you know as well as I do how far away they are. It’s a long, unsafe journey and there is just the two of us and this ship. We’ll have to rely on each other.”

“So no more ‘not talking to anyone’ events?” Samala asked somewhat rhetorically.

“Not if we can help it,” Lorad responded, smiling softly. “I know it hurts Samala, and I wish I could say that it would get better and hurt less.”

“But it doesn’t” Samala interjected.

“No, it doesn’t,” Lorad confirmed. “But it does get easier to deal with.”

“I hope so,” Samala practically whispered.

“Trust me,” Lorad proclaimed firmly. “Now, about that cloak.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #27 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | Asteroid Field | Bacury System ]  
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Escape Day 1 – Mid-Afternoon

“I’m done,” Samala declared as she straightened up from her previous position leaning into the access panel for the cloaking device. “The cloak should work now.”

“Should work sister?” Lorad asked carefully from where he sat nearby, leaning on a crate. “You realise that if it doesn’t work, we’ll be seen by everyone.”

“Well unless you want to go outside and have a look, brother,” Samala retorted, gazing at Lorad. “Should, is the best you are going to get.”

“Do we have a suit for me to go and check?” Lorad deadpanned. The look he was giving his sister caused her to chuckle, helping to relieve some of the stress she was under.

“No, we don’t,” she responded after a moment. “All the systems’ checks and diagnostics tell me that the cloak is functioning at 100%. So short of going outside and looking at the cloak, we have established is not something that either of us can do, the cloak is working.”

“So, we have a functioning cloak, a full complement of weapons and ordnance but only enough supplies for 12 days for the both of us,” Lorad listed. “Our top speed is?”

“Warp 6 nominal,” Samala answered instantly. “Warp 7 if I push the drive to its limit. But we could only do that for maybe 10 hours. Why?”

“We’ll have to resupply somewhere than,” Lorad pointed out. “We don’t have enough to get to Klingon space safely. Even with rationing.”

“Do you know where we can get supplies from?” Samala asked.

“I do,” Lorad confirmed slowly. “There are two places. But neither of them is a good option for us.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #28 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad & Samala  | Hawk-class Runabout | Atmosphere | Bacury III ] 
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Escape Day 1 – Mid-Afternoon

"Well, we can forget about our first option for resupply,” Samala declared as she looked at the sensor readings that were showing on one of her screens.

“It was a long shot anyway, though a safer one,” Lorad pointed out as she looked at the same screen. Approximately 10km below them, a platoon of Romulan soldiers was pouring into the main entrance tunnel of what had once been a secondary supply cache and watch bunker. Its usefulness as a base had decreased as the main installation had expanded but it had been maintained as a supply cache and training waypoint. “Time to go,” Lorad announced as he sat down at the engineering station.

“Not yet,” Samala countered as she brought the Hawk around. 

“Samala, what are you doing?” Lorad asked his sister.

“Giving them what they deserve,” Samala replied icily as she lined up the ship with the entrance tunnel of the base below. Before her brother could react, she began accelerating towards bunker. When she got within 3 kms, she decloaked, shunting the energy from the cloak to the main disruptor cannon and once it was charged a moment later, fired several full power pulses. She watched as those pulses impacted the area around the base, one of them even entering the tunnel to bathe the interior in fire, before powering down the cannon and recloaking. As they sped away, Samala turned to look at her brother. “Worth it.”

“Perhaps,” Lorad grumbled, understanding Samala’s actions. “How long to get there?”

“At warp 5, 4 days,” Samala answered, already laying in the course.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #29 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 4 – Morning

"Keep your guard up,” Lorad directed as he struck out at his sister again. They had been sparring for half an hour already and just as had happened in each of their prior sessions, Samala’s mind was beginning to wander. As her attention waned, her guard dropped and Lorad took advantage of it; after warning her of course. This time would be no different.

“My guard is up,” Samala proclaimed as she lunged forward, her knife blade leading. But Lorad was prepared for such an emotional attack and sidestepped while bringing his own knife around, aiming for a rear neck slice. But Samala refused to cooperate, rolling around Lorad further and stabbing upwards. Lorad was forced to continue his turn and change his strike into a block to defend himself. He succeeded but it was a close thing as Samala straightened and stepped back. “I almost had you that time brother.”

Lorad said nothing, instead stepping forward and, with his right leg outstretched, dropped into a sweeping kick. Samala’s reaction, given her lacklustre attention, was predictable as she jumped into the air to avoid the attack. And that was when Lorad struck true. Pushing off the deck with his sweeping leg, Lorad flung himself around completely, his right arm coming up to lash out at his still airborne sister. He could had struck her with his full strength but the Reman wanted to educate his sibling, not hurt her. Instead, he shoved her hard enough to send her flying across the room, impacting the deck and sliding some more until her momentum bled away. Samala lay still, catching her breath as her brother walked over and held out his hand for her.

“Almost is not enough,” Lorad said simply, his point made.

“Yeah yeah,” Samala intoned, accepting her brother’s hand before he pulled her to her feet.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #30 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 4 – Noon

"So how close was I?” Samala asked after swallowing her mouthful. They had sparred for another half an hour before stopping. Now, after each had showered, they were sitting down to enjoy lunch. With the ship at warp and only the two of them about, they had had to find someway to pass the time. Naturally, they chose to fight.

“You were closer than you have been in a long time,” Lorad replied, stopping his eating to consider his answer carefully. “But you still reacted emotionally. Emotions in combat will get you killed.”

“So, I am supposed to be some kind of unemotional Borg drone then and care nothing for those around me?” Samala challenged.

“You know what I meant Samala,” Lorad chastised. “It is one of the first lessons our father would have taught you,” Lorad reminded his sister. “No matter what you are feeling in your heart, fear, anger, frustration, none of that wins fights. It fuels them, and the fighters in them but it is your head that wins fights. Use your emotions to make you stronger, faster, more resilient but always stay in control. You are the centre of the storm that rages around you. But you are serene.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #31 –
[ Samala | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 4 – Afternoon

"4 days. 4 days since the Romulans came. 4 days since the attack. 4 days since they died,” Samala thought to herself as she stared at the bulkhead above her as she lay on her bunk. “Feels like an instant and forever all at the same time.”

She had needed some time to think. About what her brother had said to her. About the past and all the events in it. And what the future might hold for her. They’d reach their second resupply option early the next morning and Samala knew, if only by the place's reputation, that it would not be an easy place to visit. There was a reason they had always sent at least a dozen Remans when they had had to come here.

Now it was just her and her brother. They would have to do things differently. They could leave the ship hidden somewhere, and use the transporters to get in and out. And some long-hooded cloaks would help to conceal their identities. But there were still so many things that could go wrong.

Leaning to the side, Samala reached out and drew her knife from its sheath on her gun belt. Custom made, she held it up above her and stared at the deadly curves of the blade.

“If all else fails,” she whispered softly. “This never has.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #32 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 4 – Afternoon

"Tomorrow is going to be rough,” Lorad thought to himself as he sat in the cockpit monitoring the sensors. It was a mostly pointless exercise; they were cloaked and at warp. But it gave him something to do and he needed the distraction. 

“So much had happened since I was woken up that morning. And we haven’t stopped since. So much to process and no time to do it,” Lorad considered, his mind wandering and reliving recent events. "Should I go and speak with my sister? Or leave her be for the time being?”

Lorad, despite his efforts, had never gotten as close to his sister as he would have liked. He put it down to a combination of missing the better portion of her life while he was stuck on Remus while also feeling like he was responsible for awakening his sister’s telepathy. Logically speaking, he knew that that wasn’t the case, that the ability awoke at random, but that it was his memories of a violent battle that she saw first, leaving an irremovable mark on her soul; he had never forgiven himself for that.

[It was not your fault brother. You know this,] Samala’s voice rang within his head.

“I still feel like it is,” Lorad explained, rather pointlessly in hindsight.

[I do not blame you brother, no one does…did,] Samala said. 

“Are you alright?” Lorad asked simply, ignoring the oddity of speaking to an empty cockpit.

[No,] Samala responded, her mental voice softening. [But I will be. And then we can talk about it.]

“I’ll be here,” Lorad promised.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #33 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp | Bacury System ]
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Escape Day 4 – Evening

“What can you tell me about where we are going?” Samala asked as the siblings sat in the cargo hold, lent up against a crate and ate. “I know of this place, but I have never been myself.”

“With good reason,” Lorad declared firmly. “We never came here without at least a dozen shock troops and half of us stayed with the ship at all times. We may have come here to get supplies and equipment, but we never trusted the Syndicate. Never have, never will. Only a fool trusts them.”

“I understand that brother,” Samala said, setting down her drink. “What I am asking is, is there anything that you can tell me that will help us get though dealing with them. I already planned to hide the ship, either in orbit or on the ground somewhere and we can get around using the transporters. But what do we do about us inside?”

“We be very careful about who we talk to and what we do,” Lorad began carefully. “We try not to be seen. Enough people walk around with their identities concealed that two more won’t matter.”

“I can replicate us a couple of cloaks,” Samala interjected.

“Good. And lastly,” Lorad continued. “We control ourselves. There will be any number of people there, some of them enemies. But we cannot afford to start anything. Am I clear?”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #34 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 4 – Evening

“There will be Romulans there?” Samala asked, her voice controlled. Since the attack and death of her parents, the very thought of Romulans made her blood boil. She knew that the very sight of them would make her want to spill their green blood upon the ground where they stood. It was what her heart would demand even if her head said otherwise.

“Very likely,” Lorad confirmed, watching his sister and trying to judge her reaction. “They do not discriminate against their clientele and the Romulans use it for many purposes. Some legal, some not.”

“The Tal Shiar will be there?” Samala questioned, her voice hardening slightly. They had discussed it earlier and the siblings were in agreement that the Tal Shiar had some sort of hand in the attack at Bacury III. They may not have been present, but they knew of it.

“I don’t know,” Lorad stated. “Best to assume that they are and act accordingly. This place’s proximity was always a boon for us in a way. It made getting supplies and equipment easier. But now it will be dangerous for us for that very same reason. We must be cautious.”

“I can be cautious,” Samala stated firmly, her mind listing the different ways that she knew of to kill Romulans, both quickly and slowly.

It was not a short list.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #35 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 4 – Evening

“Brother, there is one last thing we need to take care of,” Samala announced before the two separated for the evening to sleep. “The ship.”

“What about the ship?” Lorad asked, suddenly concerned. While he had a general understanding of how the ship worked, that knowledge paled in comparison to his sister’s knowledge on the subject. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong,” Samala confirmed, looking to calm her brother. “Its just, there is something that I want to do.”

“What is it Samala?” Lorad asked, his voice and tone soft as he wondered what was on her sister’s mind. The only thing he could tell was that it was making her nervous just to raise the topic with him.

“I want to change the ship’s name,” Samala revealed slowly. “I need to erase some of the ship’s data to protect both ourselves and other Remans. The ship’s registry and construction date and such. And since I was doing that, I was going to change the ship’s name while I was at it. But I wanted to ask you first.”

“And what were you thinking of naming the ship?” Lorad wondered.

“I want to name it after something that will both remind us of our past, but also something that we both respect,” Samala explained, building herself up.

“Which is?” Lorad asked.

“The Apache.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #36 –
[ Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Lorad stared at the ceiling of what had become his quarters on the ship. No, it was the Apache now. He had liked how the name had resonated through his mind when Samala had suggested it and it was a nice reminder of simpler times when his sister and he had enjoyed the holonovels that Pakena had graciously translated for everyone to enjoy. Now, it was also a reminder of the ferocity of a people that were, in Lorad’s opinion, scorned, mistreated and persecuted almost to extinction by a government want to control everything. And that those same people refused to give up no matter what was thrown at them or what they had to do to persevere.

Tomorrow, he was taking his sister into what the Human’s called the ‘Lion’s den’. He had no understanding of where the phrase came from, but he understood its meaning well enough. They would have to careful who they spoke too lest someone, be they Romulan or some other party, seek to profit off their misfortune.

“I promised to protect my sister, father,” Lorad whispered to the empty room, lest he wake Samala up with his voice. “No matter what it takes, what I have to do to ensure it, Samala will be protected.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #37 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Hawk-class Runabout | At Warp ]
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Escape Day 5 – 0800 Apache Time

Lorad sat quietly as he watched his sister manoeuvre their shuttle, now named the Apache, through the planet’s rings. Filled with the remains of a shattered moon from what he could tell, the debris had settled into a disk around the planet’s equator. A navigational hazard for some, for them it provided a bounty of potential hiding spots for their ship. All they had to do was find the right one.

“Alright, that looks about right,” Samala finally spoke after saying nothing for over an hour. She had been skirting the field, using the ship’s sensors on a low setting to seek out chunks of rock that were large enough to be able to conceal the Apache. While it had a cloaking device, it was better to be safe than sorry. “Now to just ease us in there.”

Lorad remained silent, watching with pride at how far his sister had come from the first time she had taken him flying. He was pretty sure that he still had some scars from that adventure. Now, she flew their craft without issue and had even fought off three Scorpions during their escape. Parking the Apache in the rock crevice of an asteroid in orbit of an Orion Syndicate outpost seemed almost trivial by comparison.

“If someone would have told me this would be where I am a year ago, I would have slit their throat from ear to ear,” Lorad thought as Samala began to shut down the Apache. “And they would be laughing at me right now from wherever I had sent them.”

“Get ready, we leave in 15 minutes.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #38 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 0845 Apache Time

With their hoods drawn up to shroud their faces in shadow and the encompassing nature of their cloaks working to conceal their forms, the two siblings walked calmly along the street of the outpost.  The location was a known outpost to the Romulans, who allowed it to exist so that they too could benefit from what the Orion Syndicate could provide; access to the Alpha and Beta Quadrants underbelly. It was in places like this that the Romulan Star Empire bought and sold their slaves, including their fellow Remans, Lorad reminded himself, while simultaneously bartering for information that the Tal Shiar was unable to provide. 

Nudging his sister gently, Lorad directed his sister down a side alley and towards the entrance to a shop halfway down. As they walked, Lorad listened and waited to see if they had drawn any unwanted followers before entering the shop, a beep alerting the owner to the arrival of customers.

“Yes, how can I help you?” a grizzled Terran said from behind the counter, his hands resting lightly on the bench.

“We are looking for some freight work and were wondering if you had any jobs that might work for us,” Lorad announced, his eyes focused on the mirror behind the bar that granted him a clear view out the shop’s front door and windows. “My father said that if I ever was lost and needed work, that Zachariah could point me towards my brothers and sisters.” Satisfied that they were not being unduly observed, Lorad reached up to pull back his hood slightly to reveal his Reman features to the man before him. 

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #39 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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"Who’s Zachariah? Is this him?” Samala wondered silently, not making a sound as the Terran behind the counter and Lorad locked eyes, seemingly sizing each other up. In the pilot’s mind, any bout between them would be less than a warmup for her brother. And it wasn’t family bravado making that assessment; her brother was Reman, he had 3 times the strength of the Terran and the physiology advantage to go along with it.

“I’m sure he did,” the Terran replied in Romulan. “But times have changed, and life has gotten harder. And what you ask for comes at a cost.”

“And what cost is that?” Lorad asked, switching to Romulan. He was grateful that they could converse in a language they both spoke rather than trusting a translator to convey their speech.

“Oh, it's nothing too serious,” the Terran commented. “I just need something moved from one place to another without interruption. And I’d hazard a guess that your ship would be able to accomplish this task. And with minimal effort required.”

“And why should we trust you?” Samala asked from beneath her hood, unable to contain herself any longer. “You have not even confirmed if you are Zachariah.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #40 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 0850 Apache Time

“Samala!” Lorad practically snapped. He had almost said sister instead but managed to stop himself from revealing their familial relationship. The less information spread around about them the better. “You are being impolite.”

“Perhaps,” Samala conceded, appearing as nothing more than shrouded figure with a waspish voice echoing out from under the shadows of her hood. “But why should we risk ourselves for the promise of information from a man who has not even confirmed who they are. It is foolhardy at best.”

“She has a point,” the man interjected before Lorad could speak again. “Trust is an exceedingly rare and valued commodity in these parts, and it would be irresponsible of me to expect it without having earnt it. So, why don’t you tell me what I can do to earn you trust, if even a little?”

“You could tell us what we want to know,” Samala retorted. “No questions asked.”

“Well, that would be bad for business but since you have caught me on a good day, I’ll to just that. But only for you,” the Terran said with a wink. “Klingon Empire, a planet called Nar’Get V.”

“We know there are Remans in Klingon space!” Samala growled angrily, resisting the urge to pull her blade and threaten him with it. “But where are the ones here, in Romulan space!”

“As right as your father was about me,” the man began, his tone now more sorrowful. “Unless you wish to travel to Remus, I cannot tell you where your brothers and sisters are. Truthfully, I do not know and there is too much at stake for me to know. I am too easily interrogated by the Romulans.”

“Then why haven’t they taken you already?” Samala wondered idly, her eyes darting to the mirror to check the door behind her. “Unless this is a trap?”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #41 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 0855 Apache Time

“Oh, I like you, young one,” the Terran declared with a chuckle and a smile. “You remind me of me when I was a much younger man,” he said, having caught the subtle head movement from the shorter figure, a movement he understood to be them using the mirror above his head to check the door behind them. Not for the first time he thanked himself for installing it. It made all the difference when Remans came into his store and wanted to keep aware of their surroundings.

“But your youth betrays your inexperience and lack of knowledge about how this place continues to exist,” the man continued. “The Syndicate allows the Romulans to operate here, as long as they do not cause an incident while the Romulans allow the Syndicate to remain so that they can gain easy access to everything that the Syndicate can provide. I can be taken, and interrogated, with ease, as I mentioned, but there is no point, I do not know anything. And the Romulans understand this.”

“You are of more use to them as bait,” Lorad surmised, his tone revealing his unhappiness at the realisation.

“In a way, yes,” the Terran confirmed. “The Romulans could attempt to capture the Remans that come to my store, and they might even succeed. But all they might get, is the location of a single Reman cell. No more. And then the Syndicate would no doubt kick them out because of the mess they will have undoubtedly made in the attempt to capture your brothers and sisters. It is not worth it to them to try.”

“Better to skulk about and watch and listen. Maybe even try and follow the Remans that come here to find out where they come from,” the Terran commented. “But that is above my level.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #42 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 0900 Apache Time

“That still hasn’t answered why we should trust you,” Samala pointed out, her mind racing to try and comprehend all the angles of this unfamiliar situation. She was good in a cockpit, or with a blade in her hand. Her aim with a disruptor could be better but this, trying to get information around people she didn’t know if she should trust or not. That was something that she had never had to do before. She was almost considering probing his mind with her own but was concerned her emotional state would affect her control. She only wanted answers, not to destroy his mind.

“No, it did not,” the man confirmed calmly, not wishing to antagonise his two customers. “And there is no way that I can prove I am trustworthy. I do not know what you want to hear from me.”

“That is unfortunate,” Lorad stated, depressed about their lack of guidance but knowing that what the man said was true. “We will make our own way forward from here. Thank you for your time.”

“There might still be a way that I can help you,” The Terran put forward. “If you need supplies for your journey, I am sure that we can come to some arrangement.”

“Keep going.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #43 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 0905 Apache Time

“There is a mining outpost about a day and a half’s journey away at warp five. They contact me every few weeks with a list of supplies that they want to purchase. The way it works normally is that the supplies get delivered and a load of ore is brought back. I sell the ore for them and the funds wait in escrow for the next order from them to arrive,” the Terran described, trying to be open about the whole arrangement. Remans tended not to like being surprised. “Now, the reason I am offering you the job is that the usual courier I use was attacked by pirates on his last run. They made it back here with the ore but died from the poisoned injury he had received. So, fair warning, the job is not riskless.”

“Nothing is now,” Lorad proclaimed as he glanced. Going off what the Terran, presumably the Zachariah they had been sent to meet with, had told them, the delivery run shouldn’t prove that difficult. Afterall, they had an advantage that most ships didn’t have. They could cloak. Glancing at his sister, Lorad could see that she too was thinking things over and a moment after he looked at her, Samala returned her brother’s look, followed by a simple nod. “If we can do it, we will.”

“What are the details and how much are we hauling?” Samala asked.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #44 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | The Apache | In Orbit Of Orion Syndicate Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 1115 Apache Time

“Alright, that is the last of the crates,” Samala announced as she shut down the ship’s transporters. After getting the manifest of what was to be shipped and coordinates where they could obtain the cargo from the warehouse, the siblings had walked back out of the outpost, careful to watch for anyone following them. After moving out of sight, and confident they were not being followed, the two of them had transported back up to the Apache. Truthfully, they could have transported at any point, but both agreed that disappearing from the middle of nowhere was better than being seen to transport. More places for an enemy to look then.

“I’ll have them secured in ten minutes,” Lorad assured his sister, being no stranger to securing cargo. Truthfully, of all the jobs on a Hawk, this was the one he was most comfortable with.

“Lorad, are we doing the right thing?” Samala asked, not having moved from where she was watching her brother. “Why help this man? Why not just take what we need to get where we want to go?”

“Because it is not our way,” Lorad declared, his tone even as he finished locking down a crate. “We are not the Romulan Empire. We do not take without regard. If we wish for others to treat as better than how the Empire treats us, then we must show them that we are worth being treated that way. That means behaving with honour and integrity.”

“You sound like mother and father,” Samala observed, her voice breaking. 

“I miss them too sister,” Lorad said, stopping and looking across the bay at his sibling. “Now, do you think you can plot a course before I finish here?”

“With my eyes shut,” Samala guaranteed, her face breaking into a soft smile before she turned to head towards the cockpit.

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #45 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | The Apache | In Transit To Mining Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 5 – 1230 Apache Time

“The Terran was right,” Samala announced as Lorad stepped into the cockpit. His sister had summoned him from where he had been checking over the cargo they had taken on and he had hurried forward. “It is easier to try and follow us than to confront us in the outpost. A ship left just after us and so far, their course has matched ours for both direction and speed. I’d wager a bottle of the finest Reman whiskey that they are headed for the same place we are.”

“Romulans?” Lorad wondered, staring at the screen and willing the sensors to provide them with more information.

“Doubtful,” Samala replied. “If Romulans were trying to follow us or intercept us in any way, they’d be cloaked and waiting to ambush us. More likely these are pirates after the load.”

“Anything you can tell me about the ship?” Lorad asked, his mind processing everything.

“Only that there is one out there, and they are not cloaked,” Samala responded. “They are currently matching us for speed at warp five but are too far away to get any kind of accurate readings about who or what they are. I’d have to get closer for that and that would mean allowing them to catch up to us.”

“No,” Lorad muttered. “I’d rather conduct the exchange without having to defend ourselves. We stay on course.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #46 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | The Apache | In Transit To Mining Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 6 – 1350 Apache Time

“How are our friends?” Lorad asked as he stepped into the cockpit. His sister was in her customary position at the controls of the Apache, having barely moved since they had left the Syndicate outpost the day before. He had brought her meals and she had even dozed in her seat, waking every hour or so to check on things despite her brother also being present and promising to wake her if anything changed. He himself had retired to get some sleeping, knowing there was not much he could do beyond stare at a screen until they reached the miners.

“Still there,” Samala confirmed, spinning in her seat slightly to be able to see him. “If I wasn’t confident in our cloak, I would almost swear that they could see us. But it is more likely that they are just going to the same place at the same speed. I could leave them behind if you wanted. Even an hour at emergency speed would leave them in our wake. The engines can take it.”

“I’m sure they can,” Lorad conceded, knowing his sister’s assessment of their capabilities carried more weight than his own. “But I see no reason to risk it yet. Once we are at the mining station, we should be safe enough. The pirates have only been raiding the transports, not the outpost itself.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #47 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | The Apache | In Transit To Mining Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 6 – 2350 Apache Time

“They are still back there,” Samala reported as Lorad came into the cockpit. They had taken turns in keeping watch over the controls as they travelled but never once had their pursuer varied their course or speed. “I have to say, I hate knowing that, while they can’t see use, they are following us. The only thing I can think of is that they either think we are slower than we are, in which case they want to ambush us, or they think that we will need to decloak to conduct the transfer.”

“It would be faster if we could land and use the ramp to move the cargo,” Lorad admitted calmly as he sat at the tactical station. “But like you, I am not comfortable with the risks involved. Better to not be seen and take longer than rush and leave our safety to chance. How long until we arrive?”

“We’ll be dropping from warp in about 12 minutes. After that we traverse the asteroid field until we get to the mining station. As for the transfer, I can’t say how long that will take. The transporters can only move so much at once,” Samala commented.

“Then we will need to be watchful.”

Re: Escape Of The Apache

Reply #48 –
[ Samala & Tesserarius Lorad | The Apache | In Transit To Mining Outpost | Romulan Space ]
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Escape Day 7 – 0029 Apache Time

“Well that was fun,” Samala commented as she brought the Apache back around to face mining station. After dropping out of warp, she had spent a moment going over the sensors to familiarise herself with the field before setting a course. If it had been up to her, she would have preferred to complete the transfer from outside the field but the composition of the asteroids prevented transporters from functioning while also interfering with sensors and shields. As Lorad had heard his sister say, they were navigating an everchanging maze by sight alone and if anything went wrong, the only thing between them and vacuum was the hull. 

“How long until we are within transporter range of the station?” Lorad asked from where he sat.

“We should be clear of the field’s interference in a few minutes. It’s not exactly a uniform gap around the station,” Samala informed her brother after glancing at a screen to her left. “Communications should be clear now because we have line of sight. You have the clearance code?”

“I do,” the shock trooper confirmed as he brought up the Apache’s communication systems and opened a channel. "Mining Station Theta Four, this is transport shuttle Apache, here to transfer supplies and receive ore for transport back to Zachariah.”

“Transport Apache, we didn’t see you arrive. Care to explain?” came the reply, translated into Reman by the computer.

“No,” Lorad declared firmly.

“Fair enough,” the voice acknowledged. “Transmit the clearance code.”

“Sending.”
 
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