Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [D05|0800] (Read 19273 times) previous topic - next topic - Topic derived from Chapter 03: From the ...
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #25 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Science Labs | USS Cayuga ] @Veridian
[Show/Hide]
The two Asurians were as different from each other as they could possibly be - one large and one short and gaunt - Cir'Cie surmised, still calm and entirely passionless in her stare. She had been through quite enough on the Theurgy, so despite her relative youth, the control on her emotions remained secure. What almost broke her concentration was how the Romulan android next to her touched her, which she - as a Vulcan - was comfortable with. The next moment, however, she reckoned that the woman next to her was technically a machine, so she might as well have brushed her arm against a computer console.

Before the mountainous, stronger Asurian came forward, Cir'Cie was handed a fire suppression unit, before the Chief Science Officer of the Cayuga spun and tore a piece of the bulkhead away, swinging it at the colossal alien before he could reach them. A fight ensued, while Cir'Cie raised her chin and adjusted her grip on the makeshift weapon she'd been given. The Asurian did not get the chance to use his arm-blade against Vanya, but Cir'Cie heard him roar, and saw him put his entire weight behind an open-hand strike against Vanya's arm. Cir'Cie's eyes even widened for a moment when she saw the android's arm bending backwards by the brute force applied against her elbow.

Before she realised what had occured, the massive Asurian had crashed down unto Vanya. She'd managed to scissor his legs, hurting him, but he also managed to fall upon the long edge of his arm-blade. The metal endoskeleton of the android became a hard surface behind the back of the blade, and the ponderous weight of the Asurian landed right unto it. Cir'Cie slowly raised her eyes from the blood that poured out of the monstrous alien, only to meet the eyes of the smaller one.

He was no taller than five feet, gaunt and sinewy, and he hissed at Cir'Cie, producing a strange hand blaster from behind his back. He would have shot her, unless she hadn't pushed her thumb down on top the fire suppression unit. The white foam gushed straight into the Asurian's face, and his aim strayed. Cir'Cie felt the pain of the aquamarine beam across the top of her chest and shoulder, but it lasted only a moment. After that first shot, the alien's futile efforts to shoot Cir'Cie and Vanya were moot, for Cir'Cie never released the trigger of her emergency appliance. She stepped forward, the foam making the Asurian slip on the deck, and then, Cir'Cie spun around.

She was a botanist, not a fighter, but she knew centripetal force well enough. She applied it to her swing of the metal cylinder, having to use a vertical swing because of the close quarters, and struck the white-foamed Asurian underneath his jaw. He landed in the corridor, the strange blaster clattering against the deck.

"Are you in critical need of repair, Lieutenant?" she asked Vanya, calmly putting aside her 'weapon' and dragging the larger Asurian off the other officer.

[ Ramor & San-Teeg | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow @Juzzie

San-Teeg had ended up on the floor, bleeding from his temple. He had never imagined the craven man on the floor to suddenly attack him. Where he had meant to open up the woman's torso with his brutal slice, the man had met San-Teeg's rising momentum with the end of the graviton rifle.

Next San-Teeg knew, he was being pelted with blows from the Human, until he had heard the unmistakable sound of the female firing Ramor's graviton rifle. He looked up in time to see Ramor fall apart, sliced up by the graviton beams, and the parts making wet sounds when landing on the deck of the corridor. The female had her in her sights next, shouting at him, and he supposed he was caught at a disadvantage.

Oh, he wanted to act on the rage of seeing is friend, Ramor, getting killed by a mere human, but he knew that if he acted immediately on his wish, he would meet the same fate. The male had stopped beating him, and San-Teeg put his hands on top of his hair and horns, breathing heavily. He glanced towards the lizard lady, gave the male a wary glance, then spoke with bitterness in his mouth.

"I surrender," he said quietly, his sindt still attached to his forearm, and at any given moment, he would use it to his advantage. For the time being, however, he ended up staring at Ramor's killer, and plotted what he would do to her as soon as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

[ Jisa & Ora-Sedra | Engineering| USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Doc M. & @alphawiz

Ora-Sedra suspected that the two remaining cravens were trying to fool her in some way, speaking as they were at length, asking her questions and taunting her. The human below her seemed as distraught as she was bored by the idleness - the adrenaline running high in her veins.

"Stop speaking, craven fools," she hissed in the end, not about to acknowledge what was said about her. To have the nerve to suggest that she was anything like them?

She made a decision, suspecting that the longer the remained still, the more clever her prey might become. Thus, she withdrew her sindt from below the human female's arm, and snarled into her ear. "Stand up, you'll be my shield, so that I can go say hi to your friends," she said, and grabbed a fistful of hair, pulling the human up and stepping out of her hiding place. She had Hol-Quist - or whatever her name was - in front of herself, and pointed with her rifle past the woman, aiming with her eyes from above the woman's shoulder.

"What's the matter?" she called, baring her teeth in a grin, "why aren't you sho-"

That's when the blast came.

The heatwave came first, and then the great concussion sent Ora-Sedra off her feet, tumbling forward and loosing her grip on the human. She was sent reeling forward, barely able to keep herself from falling, waving her arms to retain her balance. The moment seemed to stretch on in infinity, her eyes casting about while she stumbled forth, the pain across her back, the plasma burning in her hair, her tail helping her to balance her faltering steps, but in no condition to aim.

Her thought went to her parents, to Jisa, while the shockwave carried her forth.

OOC: Seven days of posting time in response to the above begins today! The current conditions: The Cayuga have very, very limited power, most systems offline. Emergency lightening everywhere. Comm systems work most of the time, but internal sensors are offline along with any means to raise force-fields in the corridors. All such reserve power is devoted to the structural integrity fields that cover the gaping hull breaches around the ship, including the bridge.

Again, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio releases her captured Asurians above. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title, and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #26 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Cayuga ] @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @Doc M. @FollowTomorrow @alphawiz @Juzzie  , Anyone else 
[Show/Hide]

There were many things Anya Ziegler told herself she was prepared for. She had run through so many situations in her head. Following the Borg attack, she had secretly thought that aside from slowly freezing to death, she could survive anything.

That had changed on the bridge of the Cayuga. Anderson West, her xo, her best friend and her rock, was brutally murdered. She had seen the man wrestle a Klingon, yet the Asurian had tossed him aside like he was nothing.

Unable to move, Ziegler stared at the body. Willing him to move again. She didn’t even know if her shots had hit anything. In that moment she didn’t care.

It was only when she found herself crumbled to the deck did Anya find herself regaining her senses. Her mind tried to understand what had happened. How was she on the floor? When she tried to press down with her left elbow to lift herself up, she felt the pain. Looking down, there was a clear cut in the upper arm of her uniform and a blood was slowly spilling from the wound. She had been shot, she realised with a gasp. When had it been fired? She needed to get herself back on her feet, but not where she was in danger. Pushing with her feet, Ziegler scrambled back into the briefing room, the door closing with the tell-tale hiss behind her.

Leaning heavily against the bulkhead, Anya pressed the back of her head against the cool metal trying to will the tears to stop. She couldn’t tell what had caused them, the sight of Anders or the fact her wound was no longer numb. The hot wet feeling had changed to a burning sensation. Too many thoughts invaded her head. She needed to move. She needed to stop the bleeding. She needed to carry on. She needed to raise the alarm.

That was it.

Either unable or unwilling, Ziegler didn’t take her hand from the phaser, instead using the side of its head to press the combadge to her chest.

“Ziegler to Theurgy.” Anya began, taking a deep breath, trying to steady herself before continuing. “The Asurians have escaped. We need help. There are unknown casualties.”

While she talked, Ziegler readied her phaser, turning up the power to lethal settings. No longer could she allow this to go on. Beside the deck plating, she didn’t have much left. The Azure Nebula had taken everything else. She hated this place. The time to weep was later. She had to remain strong.

“The bridge is not secure. Repeat, the bridge is not secure.”

Ziegler didn’t sign off the communications. She wasn’t even sure if she closed the channel. She couldn’t wait any longer. The Asurians would be moving, enacting their diabolical plan. She knew she needed to move. Pulling in one last deep breath, Anya moved with speed.

Throwing herself towards the door, which dutifully parted, the captain landed with a thud into a prone position. She was prepared and easily lined up her shot. When Anya thumbed the fire button, she tried not to blink. She needed to see what happened next. She wanted to watch. This time she knew that, no matter what, she wouldn’t miss her mark.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #27 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Main Engineering | Deck 17 | USS Cayuga ] Atten: @Auctor Lucan & @alphawiz

Throwing caution to the wind, Billy Bob O’Connell rolled out of cover and fired his tiny palm sized mark one phaser.  An explosion from behind and a little to the left of the Asurian and her hostage sent them flying a good three or four meters.

Patricia Hallquist screamed as she tumbled to the deck, thrown clear of her captor when the Asurian had instinctively let go and opened her arms to catch herself.  Eventually, she stiffly tired to up and clutched her elbow while her other hand held the back of her neck.  “Ow-ow-ow-ow,” she chanted pathetically, but it was still cause for celebration.  Thirty-three years ago, O’Connell’s drill instructor in boot camp told him that pain was the body’s way of telling you that you were still alive.  From the looks of things, Patty Hasquist was feeling very much alive right now, and when resolving a hostage situation that was always a victory.  The Master Chief wasn’t a medical man, but from the looks of things Ensign Hallquist had suffered from whiplash and hit the ulnar nerve on her elbow joint when she landed, although Murphy’s Law added the possibility of a sprain or fracture.

The Asurian she-goat on the other hand, had just gone splat.  Close examination revealed not only plasma burns, but also what appeared to be fragments of metal protruding from her back.  She needed a medic even more than Hallquist did; a medic… or a medical examiner. 

Bewildered, Billy Bob glanced at the phaser in his hand and back up at the source of the blast.  The secondary power coupling blew, and Ora-Sedra and Patricia had been too close. 

“Duh-duh, damn!” O’Connell stammered like a green recruit.  “Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah swear tuh Gawd, Ah only had it on stun, Ah swear!”

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #28 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen | Main Engineering | USS Cayuga | Attn: @Doc M. @Auctor Lucan

"Duh-duh, damn!  Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah swear tuh Gawd, Ah only had it on stun, Ah swear!" O'Connell stammered.

Kaylon stood from behind the console he'd be taking cover behind.  Grabbing the emergency medkit, he walked over toward the others, keeping his phaser trained on the unmoving Asurian.    Coming up beside O'Connell he said, "It wasn't your phaser.  I shut off the bypass and overloaded the power coupling, on purpose."  He indicated the Asurian with his chin, "Her body shielded Harquist from the worst of the blast, but she's still going to need medical attention."

He tapped his combadge.  "Engineering to Bridge.  For the moment, at least, Engineering is secure, send Security and Medical personnel as soon as possible.  We have wounded, and possibly a prisoner."  Turning to Harquist, he knelt down, "Sorry about the way that went down, but there really wasn't much more that could be done."  Judging by the look in her eyes, she didn't really hold her so called rescue against him.  Kaylon smiled with mock sheepishness.  "If it helps though, I'm going to have to rebuild that damned power conduit."

With that, he opened the medkit and started scanning Harquist with the tricorder inside.  "Chief, keep an eye on our "guests" here, until Security or Medical can come deal with them..  As soon as they do, I'll need your help trying to get things back online down here." Putting down the tricorder, he took out the dermal regenerator and started treating some of the more serious looking of Harquist's burns, since the Asurian's body didn't completely block the plasma explosion. 

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #29 –
[ Petty Officer Third Class Patricia Hallquist | Engineering | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Doc M. @alphawiz
[Show/Hide]
Sitting on the deck after the blast, Patricia was grateful to be alive, having been quite scared when the Asurian threatened to cut off her arm. As it were, she'd gotten out of it with minor cuts and scrapes, or at least she thought so, along with some blunt force trauma to her elbow. The two men spoke over her, until the Chief Engineer on the Cayuga checked on her.

"I'll be fine, don't you worry, Lieutenant," she said, running her hand through her long, curly hair, but then her tone became a chiding one. "And it's Hallquist, not Harquist." Correcting him felt important when the Asurian had called her something completely else. Why was it that everyone had trouble remembering her last name? She supposed that was life for someone like her, just another young woman who didn't make it into the Academy and decided to enlist instead. Still, the least she could ask for was to have her superior officers remember her name?

Slowly, she made to stand up, gingerly getting her balance back after the shockwave had sent her tumbling through the area. It was quite embarassing, all of it, having been taken hostage, but this soon after the fact, she was trying not to think about what could have happned. She glanced towards the two Asurians with a slight shudder. "Thank you," she said, smiling to the two at long last, having collected herself enough, "you saved my life."

That's when she realised that Kaylon Jeen had tried to contact the bridge, but for some reason there was no answer.

"Perhaps there weren't the only ones that escaped the brig?" she offered, looking between the two men, before turning to Lieutenant Jeen. "Sir, what are your orders? I'll be fine, I said. Please, just tell me what to do?"

[ Iege & Drara | Bridge | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Arista

Fighting as one, the couple dispatched as many cravens as they could, even though it was nothing compared to the loss of their daughter at Starbase 84. Their little girl was gone. She, whom they had nurtured and trained, made into a great Asurian warrior. She had been a source of pride for them both, the achievement they had in common, and what had made them the most confident about it was how their daughter hasn't needed them any longer. She had soared... only to have life cut short without hope of healing.

Vengeance was theirs. Rightfully so.

So they danced, back to back, pivoting and shooting, slashing and whipping the security guards that came for them with their tails. Iege and Drara fought in memory of what they lost, and nothing could stop their righteous fury.

Until the Captain of the Cayuga appeared, and the beam from her weapon caught Drara.

He sensed it more than saw it, and Iege's eyes widened. He turned to look into her eyes one last time, before she was vapourised by the beam. He didn't even have time to say anything, before she was gone. His cry was a silent one, his voice inadequate to express what welled up inside him. It was raw hate, the vitriol reaching his face.

Iege rounded on the shooter, his limbs and face covered by craven blood - freckles in his short, white hair. With a roar, he darted out of the woman's sights, not even caring how close he might have been to sharing Drara's fate. He used one of the bridge stations for cover, and advanced on the human that had re-emerged on the bridge. Bodies and body parts were strewn all around the small battlefield, and now, it was only the Captain and Iege left.

"You have just sealed your fate," he said, his voice quiet but keen, like a blade being drawn. "You will soon be with those you failed."

In the background, voices from Engineering could be heard, going unheeded. Iege had only eyes for the one who had taken Drara from him...

OOC: @Brutus , you're it with Natalie Stark. @FollowTomorrow @Juzzie and @Nolan , you are up in the corridor scene. @Doc M. and @alphawiz , you are up in Engineering. @Veridian , you're up with Vanya. 7 days of response time began since my last post in either of the scenes. Once more, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio released her captured Asurians. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title, and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #30 –
[ Acting XO Lt. Zelosa Ejek | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Juzzie  @Nolan

To say that this was the most unpleasant moment of her life was an understatement. She was having a very difficult time removing the image and wet sound of the Asurian split in half and each half falling with a wet sound. In fact, she couldn’t remember what exactly Rhys said or did or what the petty officer in front of them did. The body split in half took up all of her mind’s processing power right now. She felt her body dry heave, but she hadn’t eaten, so there was nothing to throw up.

“G-great,” She hissed, trying very hard to compose herself. She wanted to run, but her legs were gelatin. “O-okay. Keep your gun on him...” She finally tore herself away. The situation was moving on, she couldn’t remain totally frozen and stuck in this one moment forever. It would be a long time before she ate meat again, she thought, as she turned herself around to an open wound in the side of the ship, where wires, pipes, and the general guts of the ship lay loose and free.

Without thinking too much about guts and viscera, she reached over and pulled on a loose wire. It unplugged, thankfully, and she now had a long cord to do with as she pleased.
"He'll need to stick with us until security arrives, if they arrive. I’ll bind him.” She pulled the cord between her hands, stepped over towards where the Asurian was, and quietly hoped nobody would ask how in the world she knew how to bind a man so well.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #31 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Main Engineering | Deck 17 | USS Cayuga ] Atten: @Auctor Lucan & @alphawiz

"Chief, keep an eye on our "guests" here, until Security or Medical can come deal with them..  As soon as they do, I'll need your help trying to get things back online down here."

“Aye-aye sir,” O’Connell drawled as he walked away and tapped his combadge.  “Engineerin’ tuh Sickbay.  Oh that's raight, you ain't got uh sickbay no more,” he muttered to himself.

In the meantime, Petty Officer Hallquist assured Lieutenant Jeen that she was still fit for duty and displayed just enough cheek to prove it.  In the meantime O’Connell surveyed the area in order find out which of the Cayuga’s propulsion personnel  were still ambulatory enough to follow orders.  Sure enough he found some. 

“Crewman,” the master chief said to a technician that was young enough to be his son cowering behind the master systems display table, “Ah need you tuh fetch me some restraints.  It don’t have tuh be handcuffs, back when Ah wuz yore age th’ special forces folks would use plastic zip ties or duct tape.”

“Petty Officer,” O’Connell said to a Tellarite who had taken cover behind the warp core, “See that injured crewman lying unconscious on the deck there?  Ah need you tuh apply direct pressure to stop that bleedin’.”

“You two,” O’Connell said to a Denobulan and a Grazerite who had ducked behind the power regulators, “Take that there unconscious Asurian an’ place her next to the other one.  They’re at two different ends uh th’ room and Ah ain’t got eyes on th’ back of mah head.  An’ while yore at it, take their weapons.  Frisk ‘em an take their guns an’ knives over tuh Lieutenant Jeen an’ find out whut he wants yuh dew with ‘em.  Now go, git goin’.  Look alive and move lahk yew got a purpose.”

Despite their dazed and horrified demeanors, Jeen’s people responded promptly to O’Connell’s ‘chief voice’ and carried out his orders.

“All raight,” the master chief drawled as he looked around the chamber.  “Which o’ yew ladies n’ gentlemen has any medical training?”

Several eyes when down to a dead officer with an ensign’s pip on her collar lying on the deck.

 “Aside of her,” Billy Bob clarified. 

“I do Master Chief,” a young Vulcan announced.

“All raight then son,” O’Connell drawled.  “Find a place tuh set up a medical aid station an’ we’ll see if we cain’t find yuh some help.”


OOC:  Changed my post after being notified that the Cayuga’s sickbay no longer exists.  The Asurians already destroyed that in the first battle, where a saucer moved through the body of the ship with its graviton beams cutting things up.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #32 –
[ PO 2nd class Kythalie Benmual | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow  @Juzzie   @Auctor Lucan

"I surrender."

A wise choice if any to make. Kythalie kept her rifle trained on the Asurian as she couldn't help but smirk "Good call hornsy." she answered to the Asurian before her. The weapon she was holding surely packed a bigger punch than she had anticipated. The kill shot playing in the back of her head as she saw it sever the flesh, muscle tissue, fat tissue, veins and bones... It was pretty handy if one were to do an anatomy class one-o-one. The beam didn't seem to stop at just that either as it just eviscerated the entire trajectory of flesh and bone.

The heart rate of Kythalie was elevated as she could feel the thrill of armed response course through her veins. Flashback of Betazed returning to her mind as she blinked a few times and kept the rifle trained. She kept her head in the game from now on, patiently waiting for the Asurian to make a move that would justify her firing another beam.

In the meantime the Cardassian began to tie up the prisoner once more with the cords of electric wiring. She seemed to know what she was doing and looked quite adept in doing so. Kythalie didn't make any comments to it as her eyes looked at the sindt still attached to his forearm. "Hey lieutenant.... Could you try to get that blade off his arm?" she asked Rhys as she'd feel a whole lot more at ease if the man was unarmed entirely.

At Ejek's words Benmual frowned lightly "Ma'am, I am security. I can escort him back to holding if you wish. Unless you wanted me to tag along to somewhere else?" she asked her before suggesting "If we are going to move elsewhere, I suggest we stun this one here and keep him tied up. Will be better for us to move as he'll just be a liability." Her reasoning was quite calculated and cool, a total different kind of Kythalie being seen to Rhys if he'd ever come in contact with her. The warm and playful person no longer seemingly present as her solider instinct had kicked in.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #33 –

[Lt. Rhys Williams|Corridors|USS Cayuga] attn: @Auctor Lucan @FollowTomorrow @Nolan

In his anger and with the momentum he had, Rhys first blow had been hard and vicious the rest that followed decreased in strength. As his arms slowed, he sensed that the Asurian had been restrained and was no longer really a threat to him. He knelt next to his fallen foe panting and sweating, his head felt like there was a red hot iron being pressed into his brain.

There were words coming from the security officer again in front of him. Something instinctive in him knew to respect the uniform, but the words seemed to make no sense to him. He felt suddenly irritated with himself it was such a simple sentence very few words in it. He took a full six seconds to process what she had said to him before the words forming into something he could understand. He needed to remove  the blade from the Asurian’s arm.  He nodded slowly, all Rhys’s movements seemed to be slow and clumsy, with a little bit of work a few muttered curses, Rhys removed the blade.

Rhys knew Kythalie, not really well but he certainly had known enough to greet each other in a friendly way whenever they had met on board. However at this moment in time Rhys was struggling to recognise the ship he was on let alone a woman he was a passing acquaintance of.  Feeling tired suddenly an in pain, Rhys slumped against the wall while the other two talked. He felt weak and like he might throw up at any moment. He placed his hand on his forehead and felt blood there. After a moment, he held up a hand and spoke softly. “Uh…. Where am I?” His eyes were looking back at them but seemed to not really be focused on them, “and uh… who are you two? I am feeling….” his hands shakily gestured in front of him as he hazily recalled the word, “...confused.”

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #34 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark, Captain | Sickbay| Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]Attn:
[Show/Hide]

Natalie was lost in her musings, not really seeing the words on the report in front of her, when a beeping noise rose up from the Ops station. Sitting in the chair, as was often the case now when Natalie was on the bridge, was Yvette Conway, current Chief of Operations for the Stallion. Just as Natalie had rested the urge to beam across to their wounded sister ship, to better fulfill her role as Captain, so too had Conway been bidden to stay behind - especially since Natalie had authorized MCPO O'Connell to beam over to the Cayuga.

Can't have Billy-Bob and Yvette off ship at the same time, Natalie had reasoned, and rightly so. While there was an acting assistant chief down in engineering, the reality was that Yvette was coordinating both Operations and Engineering while O'Connell was deployed in the field, as well as manning the main station on the bridge. So it was Yvette that noticed the trouble first.

"Captain," she called out in a tone of confusion. "We're picking up a lot of transporter activity on the Cayuga. At first I wasn't sure, but sensors are clearing up a bit. A series of internal site to sites, ma'am." Yvette turned her head away to look back over at her console again, as Natalie rose up from her seat.

"But they're sorely lacking power," Natalie said as she drifted over, her PADD discarded in the seat behind her. She leaned over Yvette's console, feeling her ponytail fall over her right shoulder. Her blue eyes danced across the console as Yvette pointed out the readings. "We've been coordinating the majority of the transports between the ships because of the power instability over there."

"Yes ma'am," Yvette agreed in one of those polite tones that Natalie remembered using with Cmdr. Hendricks when he was being a bit obvious. The console dinged again. "And yet there's another - wait," Yvette broke off, as she looked from the new readings, to Natalie, meeting her commanding officers wide eyed gaze.

"Ma'am, that looked like -"

"Yes, yes it did. Patch me through to the the Cayuga now, Yvette. I don't like that one bit," Natalie cut the Ops. officer off as she stood back up and tugged down on her jacket, her face hardening. For a moment it looked as if the Stallion's[ sensor suite had detected the discharge of graviton based weapons on the stricken Cayuga. Before the radiation soup of the nebula disrupted their readings.

"Captain!" Yvette called sharply, before Natalie had made it back the short distance to her own seat, pausing instead to turn, braced against the railing. "The Cayuga is hailing us. Its Captain Ziegler!" Without needing the order, Yvette opened the comms channel as everyone on the bridge diverted their gaze to the view screen where the wounded Iroquois-class vessel sat in space.

"Ziegler to Theurgy." Anya began, taking a deep breath, trying to steady herself before continuing. "The Asurians have escaped. We need help. There are unknown casualties."

Natalie's eye went wider still as she heard Anya's voice, calling for help. It was impossible! she thought to herself. There's no way that they could have ....but they had. Clearly.

"The bridge is not secure. Repeat, the bridge is not secure."

"This is the Theurgy acknowledging, Cpt. Ziegler. Prepare to receive security teams. Hold on Anya, we're coming," Natalie said sharply, her voice easing right at the end, well aware that everyone else on the bridge could hear her. She swallowed and looked around, before hitting her own combadge.

"Red Alert," she began, as she had to begin. "All hands to battle stations, repeat, all hand's to battle stations.

"Bridge to Security. I need boarding parties armed to the teeth to beam over to the Cayuga," she then ordered. No point in mincing words. "The Asurian prisoners have escaped from the brig. Assume the Cayuga's transporter room has been compromised."

God, did she want to beam over there. It dragged at her, knowing that Anya Ziegler, as well as many members of her own vessel, were dealing with an outbreak of savage alien warriors. How many were already dead?

Regardless of what Natalie personally wanted, she knew where she had to remain - there on the bridge. No matter how much she desired to beam right over, phaser rifle in hand, and personally clear the ship's bridge of the invaders, she needed to stay on her ship. Duty demanded it.

"Sickbay, this is the bridge. Prepare medical away teams to beam over and begin triage support after Security is deployed to the Cayuga. Prepare medkits for graviton beam disruption, and lacerations." Cold logic, but the Asurian's did like their bladed weapons.

"Bridge to transporter rooms. Prepare to beam in Security parties and medical relief teams to the Cayuga," Natalie continued on, grim faced as she sat back down in her chair. She knew the comm line to the besieged vessel was still active. "Target key locations - Bridge, Engineering, Computer Core, and Transporter room one." She knew that was the only stable transporter bay on the Cayuga.

"Begin beaming immediately upon arrival of the security teams. Be ware that you will be beaming into hostile territory," that was to the security teams as much as the transporter chief and their deputies manning the individual rooms.

OOC: Apologies for the delay involved in this post. Meant to get it up over a week ago, before I went on vacation but work didn't see fit to agree with my plans.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #35 –
[Lt. Vanya| Science Labs| USS Cayuga] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

"Are you in critical need of repair, Lieutenant?" she asked Vanya, calmly putting aside her 'weapon' and dragging the larger Asurian off the other officer.

Vanya sat up and looked at her damaged limb.    The large ball shape that was already visible several inches below where her elbow should be certainly was more than a simple “pop in” job.  

“Depends on your definition of Critical I suppose” Vanya mused as she rose to her feet.   “My arm will require repairs, either via incision or complete removal of the epidermal layer below the elbow.” Being designed to infiltrate, Vanya’s internal skeleton wasn’t as strong as some androids.   Her systems were susceptible to warping and dislocation.   She was easily reparable afterward, however.    “Fortunately, it can wait until our present situation is resolved.”  

She looked down at their beaten foes.   It was oddly reassuring to see that after being able to defeat their ships, this enemy could still be beaten on the field of battle.   She felt a tinge of regret looking at the badly broken leg of her attacker.   Nevertheless, it was necessary to ensure the safety of their crew and themselves.   She hope that sickbay could repair the damage.   She moved over to the weapons locker, with her good arm she input her security code and withdrew two phasers in their holdters, handing one to the Vulcan botanist, then attaching the other one to her pant leg, which automatically adhered to its position.     

“Please keep an eye on our ‘friends’.   I still only have the use of one arm, and I need to report in.”  

Despite her young Vulcan stoicism, the intricate psychological profiling software that Vanya had been given could sense trepidation.  


“I know this isn’t your field of expertise.” She said earnestly.   “But we are Starfleet Officers, and you acquitted yourself admirably.   I think you will do fine.   She tapped her combadge.   “Vanya to Bridge, we have apprehended a pair of escaped prisoners, requesting security…   and medical.”  

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #36 –
[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Science Labs | USS Cayuga ] @Veridian
[Show/Hide]
Chin raised, and listening to the Android, Cir'Cie followed her with her emotionless stare while she collected armament. She accepted the phaser without comment and turned a little towards the two figures on the deck plating - the phaser pointing in their general direction.

"I am quite aware of my own limitations, Lieutenant Commander, and as for how I acquitted myself, there is little to admire about violence in my opinion. It was a mere necessity for survival." With her thumb, she increased the power setting to maximum stun. "I shall hope there were only these two that escaped from your Brig, but logic dictates that the possibility of there are more Asurians loose is... unfortunately high."

The Cayuga's Chief Science Officer tried to contact the bridge, which would hopefully lead to actual security guards relieving them of having to deal with the two individuals that had assaulted them.

Yet there was no answer.

Cir'Cie raised an eyebrow, the concern she felt equal to the amount that would make a Human woman run around the room, screaming in dismay. Cir'Cie merely lifted her phaser towards the two forms on the deck, and shot them both, one beam each. Satisfied that her aim had not been off, she looked back towards Vanya. "These Asurians will likely not be moving anywhere for some time, yet I suggest they are further incapacitated nonetheless. Since your arm is out of commission, I will bind them. My humble suggestion is that you try to make contact with some other part of the ship while I do so."

With that detached delivery, Ensign Cir'Cie stepped over the Asurian with the broken leg and tried to acquire some kind of wires from the repair cart on the other side of the room. With the energy crisis aboard, it was not like they could raise forcefields around the two, so binding them up seemed to be the only available option.

[ Ramor & San-Teeg | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow @Juzzie

San-Teeg bared his teeth as the fastenings of his sindt were untied and the blade fell to the deck - the dazed man that had pummelled him earlier able to get it off him easily enough. The snake-lady, on her end, seemed perfectly able to tie him well enough, but he did not make any motion to defy their efforts, since he had a weapon directed at him. He did not look away from the Human with the large hair, however, his stare still the promise of murder. Ramor's fate was, however, not something he wished to share.

Then, the woman with the big hair spoke of 'stunning' him, and from what little he had learned about Starfleet and the Federation, it was that their weapons were able to incapacitate, unlike the graviton weapon she had pointed at him. What was he to do then, if they were able to render him unconscious? What were his options? Eyes darting to and fro, the seasoned warrior's instincts he had told him he should try and make a move, while the male was behind him along with the snake lady. With them behind her, the female in front of his murderous gaze would hit them as well, if she pulled that trigger.

In the end, he made his decision, while he still had the chance.

He leapt forward, yanking his tied hands free from their grips, and tried to ram the warrior woman before him with his hands still bound, specifically trying to strike the rifle from her hands with his horns. He would have no chance to take the weapon, however, so his best odds were to deliver kicks unto the woman if she fell down, but if not, he ought to run away, to the closest intersection, before they could shoot him. As he made his move, the force of his cry struck the air, meant to startle as much as his attack might surprise the woman.

[ Petty Officer Third Class Patricia Hallquist | Engineering | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Doc M. @alphawiz
[Show/Hide]
It seemed the Chief Engineer on the Theurgy had the situation with the two Asurians well in hand, instructing the Cayuga engineers on how to tie them up and even had them set up a makeshift triage operation.

Patricia turned back to Lieutenant Jeen, though, the man appearing to be brooding in silence when there was no answer from the bridge. High on adrenaline, she didn't want to just be idle. She raked her brain for ideas to help her superior officer with options.

"I know," she said, keeping the worry from her mind, "we should try to contact people individually, if there is no answer via the location intercom system. Like, instead of trying to reach the security center, or the bridge, perhaps Ziegler herself can tap her combadge, or Winter Bannin? I figure that... if the Asurians are here, they must have escaped the Brig, which means the security center might be in their hands. But what about our access to ship systems? Is there anything we can do about that area? How protected are the evironmental systems in Sec Ops?"

Another thought then came to her. "The Theurgy! Can't the Ops officers there help us with transports? Have we even alerted them about what's afoot here?"

OOC: Seven days of posting time in response to the above begins today! Arista has yet to post, but there will be further development there.

Again, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio releases her captured Asurians above. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title, and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #37 –
[ PO1 B'Nila Skai | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Juzzie @Nolan @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]

She had been walking around the dimly lit corridors for what had felt like hours. She would every now and then remember where she was, what she was doing, but then she would falter, her mind playing tricks on her. She would remind herself she was not on the Resolve, that she was on a different ship and that she needed to find someone she knew, someone she could trust and stay with them. But then she would begin to make her way there and would make a wrong turn, forgetting once more that she was not on the Resolve. Maybe it was the lights, maybe it was the damage to the ship, maybe it was the fact that she was in no fit state to be doing anything beyond trying to recover her mental faculties, but B'Nila Skai was hopelessly lost.

Finally, she pulled out her tricorder and locked onto the nearest Starfleet combadge signal. The tricorder had a map of the ship loaded onto it, it would guide her to safety. She began to walk, following the map, ignoring her instinct to go where some part of her told her to go. She did not know this ship and she had to constantly remind herself of that, even if its familiar design and color scheme made her feel as if she did. All Starfleet ships were like that and normally it wasn't a problem, now it was.

After turning a corner she looked up and saw death, bloody and exposed, scattered over the carpet of the corridor. She froze as the sight and smell assaulted her senses and then she saw the man, or perhaps man was not the right word, he was horned and seemed enraged. She saw as he charged. And then she saw Ejek and she felt her chest tighten. She did not know what was going on and in an instant, she felt as if she were back on the Resolve, back where she had spent so long fighting to survive. She reached to her hip, where he phaser was strapped every waking hour when she had been there and she found nothing, not even an empty holster.

She could only stand and stare in horror at the sight before her, unable to even run to them fast enough to make a difference.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #38 –
[ Acting XO Lt. Zelosa Ejek | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan   @Juzzie   @Nolan

The security officer before her had a good point, and she was pleased that the woman with a gun was competent. Hopefully her advice pans out--
“We don’t know how many others are loose, or where else they are.” She had a few plans in her head, but...most of them involved the Lieutenant Rhys near her being present. As she heard him speak, she came to the understanding now that he was actually rather impaired. Great. She sighed, tied her last knot, and stood back. Back to square one.

“If he got out of holding once, I’m loathe to put him back there a second time--”

Sudddenly he moved. He reminded her of a lizard or bug, at the speed he was moving at. Specifically, she remembered seeing cockroaches back on earth, and he moves just like that. She didn’t have time to process it though.

So, like she would have reacted to a bug, she stomped on him. It was a knee jerk reaction, it wouldn’t serve to save anybody, but a foot pressed on his ankle would stop him for a split moment, give the petty officer just a few seconds to respond.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #39 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Cayuga ] @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @EricMatthias , Anyone else 
[Show/Hide]

Scrambling to her feet, Ziegler stood and stared down the Asurian across the bridge. Though small, she knew he wouldn’t be able to get across the command centre of Cayuga without her being able to take another shot.

Quietly but with enough force to reach her ears over the sound of various reports coming in, the intruder announced his intention to kill every living thing aboard.

“You assaulted my ship in an unprovoked attack.” She fired back with a sharp tongue. As she spoke, Anya pressed the beam width controls on her phaser without raising it to look. The power setting had been enough to vaporise the other combatant. By widening the beam, Ziegler knew she could be less precise if the Asurian lunged towards her. “You’ve then attempted a rampage on my crew.”

Ziegler wanted to say more, but the word clung to her throat. She couldn’t think of the bodies littering the bridge. Of West. She had to survive first, then she could grieve.

“What did you expect me to do? Sit idly by?” She asked the questions more hypothetically than expecting a real answer, but she had to keep going somehow. Against the back of her left hand, Anya could feel the warm trickle of blood from the wound to her arm. She knew she was mainly running on adrenaline by this point.

As the questions were posed, there was the tell-tale whine of transporters from the back of the bridge. For a moment, Anya’s heart sunk further, until the saw the gold markings on Starfleet uniforms. Stark had heard her plea and sent help.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the group materialise, heading by a male junior Lieutenant with a close shaved haircut and a rifle in his hands. He looked almost familiar from her time as Executive Officer onboard Theurgy, but she couldn’t place her name. She didn’t have the opportunity to study him closely, as the Asurian attacker held most of her attention. This situation had to end quickly. She had to try something.

“What now?” She called, trying to distract her foe from the emerging reinforcements. “What’s the grand plan here?”

Anya hoped she bought them time to act rather than sit and wait this out. With every fibre of her being, Ziegler willed the new arrivals from Security to shoot first and ask questions later.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #40 –
[ Lt Vanya| Science Lab | USS Cayuga ] @Auctor Lucan

Noticing the repair cart, Vanya decided that having two arms was just as important as communication.  She moved for a repair kit, sliding off her jacket and rolling up her uniform sleeve.   Her arm was discoloured and bruised as a human’s would be.   She walked over to a defunct station, and dropped her damaged arm on the side.  

She took a lazer scalpel and cut into the arm   There was a hiss and burning smell as she cut her synthetic flesh, she cut a vertical line at her elbow, followed by a horizontal line going down to her wrist.   As she feared there was extensive warping of the joint.   As such, she would be unable to pop her joint back in and do a full repair.   She carefully peeled the flesh below her arm off and left it to one side.   She took the limp ball joint and forced it back into the socket.   The lights along her arm suddenly lit up again. She performed a quick diagnostic.   Obviously her touch sensors would be offline, but she wouldn’t be restricted with her movement

“There” she said, satisfied.   “My arm will still require repairing, but I will at least be able to use it to a decent degree.  

She picked up her jacket sliding it over her arm.   With her hand that was still covered, she tapped her combadge.   “Computer, status report, where are command activities being coordinated?”  

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #41 –
[ PO 2nd class Kythalie Benmual | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow   @Juzzie  @Auctor Lucan 

The stare of the Asurian on her was keeping Kythalie on edge. Even while he was being constrained by the bindings the look on his eyes glared pure death and murder at her. She could compare it to the look convicted killers would have, those men or women who had always reveled and flourished in causing as much pain, agony and death in their lifetime. She had seen the holovids during boot camp about prisoner transports and she had done some extra research about it.

She listened in the meantime to the Cardassian officer as she wasn't too keen to put him back in holding as he had escaped from the place once. "Well, I was heading back there myself ma'am. To be cleared for duty and be deployed where nee-" the Asurian lunged forward as he simply snapped the ties off. His battlecry making her raise the weapon to fire. She realized it than why she couldn't fire as Ejek stood in the trajectory of the weapon.

The Cardassian however stomped on his ankle, breaking the momentum and Kythalie raised her rifle higher before she slammed the butt end of the rifle towards the incoming danger. A loud crack was heard as the weapon was stomped into the horns of the Asurian. The left horn cracking as Kythalie was brought off balance and fell to the floor with a thud. She was left to the mercy of the murderous Asurian if he would chose to assault her further. If he didn't however, she'd be sitting up in a matter of seconds, weapon raised and ready to fire at him as he'd make his way to the intersection.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #42 –
[Lt. Rhys Williams| USS Cayuga| Corridors] attn: @Nolan @FollowTomorrow @Auctor Lucan

The conversation, of the two women present passed right over is head. When the Asurian spoke Rhys could feel the hostile intnetion in the voice even if he was having difficulty concentrating on the actual words. No one had answered his question of where he was, though at the moment he was not sure he would have understood any response they had given. He raised a hand to his forehead, it came away again red. The early adrenaline had numbed some of the pain, however now things were more settled he felt everything. Every bump and bruise, every muscle ached and all he wanted was to sleep.

There was no time for sleep. The Asurian was on the attack again. He had lunged for the young woman from security attempting to knock the weapon from her hands. Ejek had stood on his ankle in an attempt to slow him down, and Rhys was not sure if that would work. Then again at that point in time he was not sure of much, the limited lighting hurt his eyes, his head throbbed and his body wanted to wave a little white flag.

There was one thing he was defiantly sure of though, he was very angry. Rhys did not think he had felt anger like this in a long time. He got to his feet, he was wobbly and slow moving but utterly determined. With a yell he attempted to throw his body on the Asurian, his limbs a windmill of punches and kicks. There were more curses in Welsh, at the injustice of everything that had happened in the last few days. The stress, the worry, the Borg attack. He was apoplectic with rage that this creature had invaded his already damaged ship, and was bent on killing his friends and fellow officers. As he exerted himself the sweat mixed with the blood, sending it running in little streams down his face. 

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #43 –
[ Lt. JG Adam Kingston | Engineering | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Arista @Brutus  
[Show/Hide]
Barely fully thawed yet, Adam Kingston had been called into duty by happenstance. He had been available in the security office when the call for aid came, and the guards present were too green to quickly form up for transport. Adam had not been able to keep his mouth shut, even if he was still in physiotherapy, and had picked up a rifle - shouting orders to the NCOs.

Every second counted, he knew, even though he didn't know the situation he'd arrive at. Asurians? Never heard of those, but then again, he hadn't been able to read up on all the PADDs he'd been given, the logs of the Theurgy crew's ongoing mission.

The transporter room had vanished in brilliant light, and when he could see again, a damaged starship bridge came into view. Together with five other security officers, Adam took in the sight of all the dead bodies and the blood. There were only two figures standing. One was a woman in Starfleet uniform, while the other... had horns? Between the lovely lady and the demon, the choice of target was plain.

Too soon, the Asurian figure noticed the shimmering lights behind him, and he rounded on them with those pistols in his hands. He managed to kill two of Adam's officers before they had managed to riddle the beast's body with stun bolts and beams. He made a disjointed dance while he suffered the onslaught from the firing squad that Kingston had arrived with. And as soon as he fell to the deck plating with a loud noise, Kingston stapped his combadge, not wearing any exosuit since there hadn't been any time for it.

"Security to the Theurgy, the bridge is secure. Send all available medical staff over here as well. We have a lot of injured," he said in his flavoured voice, and walked over to the woman on the far side of the area. He noticed the pips in her collar. She might have been the XO on the Theurgy once, but that was before Adam came aboard. "Captain Ziegler, I presume. If these escaped from the brig, then you can count on your security center being overrun. In fact, if I were them, I'd use the area as a base of operation... for whatever they are trying to do."

It also meant that they would be prepared, if the order came that Kingston would take the fight there.

[ Ensign Cir'Cie | Science Labs | USS Cayuga ] @Veridian
[Show/Hide]
While Cir'Cie had spoken, Lieutenant Commander Vanya had begun to repair her arm already. The Vulcan noticed this as she turned around and saw the Android preforming the task herself. Cir'Cie made no comment while the superior officer finished up, showing no reaction to the grisly display.

When the Android made her inquiry to the computer, Cir'Cie raised her green eyes and listened to the answer, phaser still in hand.

[Captain Anya Ziegler hailed the USS Theurgy twenty three seconds ago from the Bridge.] This answer was omnious, since they couldn't get a reply from that deck.

"Computer, state the location of this ship's Executive Officer."

[Commander West's lifesign vanished fifty nine seconds ago. Commander West's last known location was the bridge.]

Cie'Cie glanced towards Vanya, the fact plain. Her First Officer had been killed, unless he'd been transported out of the area, but she was certain that the computer would have stated as much. Cir'Cie tried another idea, allowing the Android to process the loss of Commander West, if there was any need for lamentations.

"Computer, has any of the other Senior Staff tried to communicate with the bridge, and if so, please state their locations?"

[Lieutenant Kaylon Jeen attempted to establish communication with the bridge 63 seconds ago, from engineering.]

Cir'Cie looked towards Vanya. "I humbly suggest we try to join your Chief Engineer, and then estimate a prudent next step."

[ Ramor & San-Teeg | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow @Juzzie @Nolan

As desperate as his attempt had been, just as quickly had the cravens managed to subdue him. Between the different fighters around him, San-Teeg had ended up on the deck with his horns cracked and his body pummelled. The male didn't desist in his mad attacks, and soon enough, San-Teeg lost conciousness.

The last thing he saw was a female with white skin down the corridor, looking like a ghost with golden eyes.

OOC: Sorry for the short San-Teeg bit, but I couldn't come up with anything more, and yet I wanted to make sure B'Nila is noticed to have entered the scene. Seven days of posting time in response to the above begins today! Alphawiz has yet to post, but now, it is time to put two and two together and have them realise they need to clean out the Cayuga's Security Center.

Again, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio releases her captured Asurians above. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title, and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #44 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen | Main Engineering | USS Cayuga  |Attn:  @Doc M. @Auctor Lucan , anybody else

Standing there lost in thought, he almost started to feel overwhelmed.

"I know, we should try to contact people individually, if there is no answer via the location intercom system. Like, instead of trying to reach the security center, or the bridge, perhaps Ziegler herself can tap her combadge, or Winter Bannin? I figure that... if the Asurians are here, they must have escaped the Brig, which means the security center might be in their hands. But what about our access to ship systems? Is there anything we can do about that area? How protected are the evironmental systems in Sec Ops?" said Hallquist.

Kaylon snapped out of his brooding.  Why had that happened to him?  He wasn't usually the sort to start doing that, especially in the middle of a crisis.  Hu'tegh!....he needed to snap out of it.  It was probably just the adrenaline crash.  He tuned out the inner voice and tuned in to Hallquist.

"It's a good thought." he said.  "Normally we can access any system on the ship from here, at least in some form.  With all the damage, it's hit or miss, though."  He turned to walk to the nearest working console, about 15 feet away.  After another minute he had the system status board up.  "Environmental controls are more or less intact.  We've been giving them a high priority since most of us on board like to keep breathing."  Good...his sense of humor was starting to return.  He was starting to get back on balance.  Definitely must've been the adrenaline.

He turned back to Hallquist.  "What exactly do you have in mind?" he asked.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #45 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Main Engineering | Deck 17 | USS Cayuga ] Atten: @Auctor Lucan & @alphawiz

“Well in the first place sir, Ah’d suggest shutting down power tuh th’ Security Center,” O’Connell drawled.  “Last time Ah saw it, the intruders were in charge an’ th’ last thing we need is fur ‘em to have access tuh all th’ security monitors and such.  Then we’s got tuh make uh decision ‘bout what tuh dew about it.  Do we stay here an’ defend engineerin’ until we git th’ all clear or do we call the Theurgy an' ask 'em tuh send some folks over tuh go on the offensive an’ mount an attack on the security center?  Or do we do neither and choose a ‘Plan C?’”

At this point the master chief’s voice became softer and almost conspiratorial.  “Now this is a crazy idea, but Ah wuz thinkin’…  Whut if we use the transporter tuh lock on tuh any Asurian patterns we kin find aboard this here ship an' beam ‘em intuh outer space?  Ah mean… into a cargo hold!” he corrected himself as his eyes looked left and right guiltily.  “Yes Ah definitely meant into uh sealed cargo hold,” he repeated with more composure.  “Now Ah know thet yew only got enough power fur one transporter room but there’s no reason why that transporter room’s uh gotta be th’ one on Deck Four.  Why if memory serves, yuh got one on this deck thet we could use.  Once yuh got their patterns in the buffer yew kin disable their energy weapons jest lahk mine wuz.  Uh course, Ah don’t know jest how many patterns yew kin store in the buffer or if yew kin dew it fur any amount of time whut with the main EPS conduit bein’ busted ‘n all, but if we kin use the transporter az uh weapon it give us more options, alternatives that is… ”

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #46 –
[ Lieutenant Winter Bannin | Security Center | Brig | USS Cayuga ]
[Show/Hide]
Her face was numb, hands shaking and red with blood, and she couldn't move.

Winter Bannin was helpless as she watched from the holding cell in the brig. The Asurian leader had locked her in there together with Nina, who had retreated to the bulkhead in shame over what she'd done. Winter didn't exactly blame her lover for helping the Asurians in order to spare her life, but at that rate, bleeding her life out as she was, Winter just didn't think Nina had accomplished anything beyond letting the escaped aliens kill a lot of the Cayuga's crew. She would die anyway, and she'd gladly died for the crew of the Cayuga. She just thought Nina had shared the sentiment, instead of putting her superior officer before anyone else.

"Nina," Winter tried to say, eyes blurry as she looked at her lover in the corner of the cell.

Before the blonde Brig Officer could answer, the forcefield winked out of existence, and when Winter looked in that direction, she could see boots and tails outside. "You're coming with us," said a voice, and Winter was fairly sure it was the Asurian leader.

"Where?" asked Nina, sounding afraid.

''We're leaving the ship, and you'll help us," said the woman, and her two companions entered the cell, going for Nina. Winter tried to lift a hand, but she had no strength left.

"No! Get away from me. I refuse to leave her!" cried Nina, fighting the Asurians.

"If you get us on a shuttle, you're free to go back here," said the Asurian, and she put something down outside the cell. It was a Federation medkit. "If you hurry up, you can still get back here in time and save her."

Winter heard Nina keep arguing, but something in her voice had given in, and as Winter foresaw, she was soon alone in the Brig, with the forcefield raised again between herself and the medkit. The Asurians were gone, and so was Nina. The Chief of Security, closed her eyes, and tried to push harder against her abdominal wound, even though there was no strength left in her limbs.

[ Petty Officer Third Class Patricia Hallquist | Engineering | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Doc M. @alphawiz

Patricia Hallquist had followed Lieutenant Jeen and Chief O'Connell over to the console, watching what her superior officer was doing from over his shoulder. She was asked what she had in mind, but before she could answer, the Chief from the Theurgy spoke up, speaking of transporters and what they might be doing with those. It was a good idea, so she merely added her own in the wake of the Southern drawl from the Chief.

"I was thinking we could vent the air just enough to make them unconscious, before resetting the environmental systems. I don't think we have enough power to do something extraordinary with the gravity plating where they are, like, increasing the gravity to make them unable to move, but between venting the air and trying to get a lock on their lifesigns with our transporter system... why now both, if one method fails?"

She reached for the other half of the console, giving the gentleman from the Theurgy an embarrassed smile as she cleared her throat, slowly brushing her lithe body in-between them, just so that she could reach the LCARS control screen. "I'll just try to power up the surveillance system in the security center..."

Doing so, she could see how the system was already online, and the previous login was Nina Nilsson in Security, just a short while ago. The list of feeds recently watched included the bridge, engineering and different corridors. "Um, I think they have been watching us," said Patricia, and toggled between the different camera units in area. "And I don't think they are in Security any more. We need to find th-!"

Behind them, there were shimmers of transporters, and Patricia's heart almost stopped, she rounded on the lights with wide eyes, expecting to see Asurians with weapons and blades. Scared, she grabbed Jeen hard, digging her fingers into his upper arm in fright.

Yet what had arrived were no Asurians, but officers in teal uniforms, likely from the Theurgy since she didn’t recognise them, with medkits in hand. Patricia was so relieved she forgot to let go of Jeen.

[ Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio | Corridor | USS Cayuga ]
[Show/Hide]
With a murderous pace, Akri Sitaio walked down the corridor, the two Asurians behind her dragging 'Nina' with them by the hair, just to keep her from having second thoughts. Akri was furious, having seen her people killed or incapacitated in short order on the live feeds in the Cayuga's security area.

There was no choice but to take the last two Asurians she'd freed with her and board a shuttle, leaving the cravens behind for another day, and another battle.

Her bloodied sindt and graviton pistol caught the emergency lighting as she glanced back towards the struggling hostage. "Hush now, if you open the last doors for us, you will be spared, and your can run back to your dear beloved..."

Defeat left a sour taste in Akri's mouth, even worse when suffered against the cravens.

OOC: Looking forward to your posts! Akri is on the run, so you better catch her somehow. I think I am waiting on replies from all of you here, and since Ramor and San-Teeg are down for, I think it’s @FollowTomorrow that’s next in the corridor, followed by @Nolan , @Absinthe and @Juzzie . Please make sure to include B’Nila in the scene there since she’s arrived!

Again, we have an opening for Supplemental threads in Chapter 03, spanning from 1200 hrs. on Day 04 (directly after the battle) to 0800 hrs. on Day 05, where Chief Marshall Akri Sitaio releases her captured Asurians above. The naming convention for such threads that belong to Chapter 03 is still: CH03: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title, and before the Asurians broke free, such threads can be made with members of the Scouting Mission too.

Here are those present on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #47 –
[ Acting XO Lt. Zelosa Ejek | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Juzzie @Nolan @Absinthe

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Just as soon as the Asurian was downed, she glanced up and saw B’Nila, who really ought to be spared from the carnage that was the halved corpse behind Ejek. In fact, whose bright idea was it to have B’Nila aboard the ship? Who authorized the woman to be here? It certainly wasn’t Zelosa Ejek, that’s for sure. She’d have quite a heart to heart with whoever allowed this to happen.

“B’Nila,” She called her name, as gently as she could. Without knowing what state of mind B’Nila currently inhabited, Ejek would be forced to assume she was at her worst, or maybe her best. Schrodinger’s psychosis. She walked towards her, but slowly and with her hands outward, to show she was unarmed. “B’Nila, we need to get you back to the Theurgy.” She would figure out who allowed her here later. Likely just the oversight of some stupid, under-trained crewman, really, but it didn’t make her less angry. This was unnecessary trauma. The fact that someone allowed this to happen made her blood boil, figuratively speaking. It was a good thing she was excellent at hiding her anger and putting up a kind, counselor's front.
"Will you let me walk you to the transporter room?"

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #48 –
[Lt. Vanya| Science Labs/Corridor|USS Cayuga] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
“Agreed” said Vanya.  The Vulcan was proving to be a surprising study.    

As they made their way through the corridor, Vanya could certainly feel the strange atmosphere on the Cayuga   Even through the darkest times, there had been a sense of home on the ship.   The corridors were a hub of activity, now, it just seemed… eerie to her.   She wished she could find a way to convey it to Cir’Cie.    Almost as if the heart of the ship had been ripped out.  

They stopped at a junction.   Vanya held her skeletal hand in a gesture of holding.   She peered around the corner, and dashed into the open in the corridor.   Satisifed there was no danger she lowered her phaser slightly.  

“Clear” she said as she waited for the Vulcan to join her.   It had been an easy trip so far, but they couldn’t relax for too long.  

“Are you alright?” she asked, trying to offer some cursory comfort.   She knew that Vulcans had exceptional stamina, but Vanya had no way of knowing what ordeas the Theurgy had been through this point.   One thing she did know, is that it was very hard to “break” a Vulcan, but when they were broken, they were certainly problematic at best.

Re: Chapter 01: Blood For Blood [ Day 05 | 0800 hrs. ]

Reply #49 –
[ PO 2nd class Kythalie Benmual | Corridors | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow  @Juzzi  @Auctor Lucan @Absinthe

Panting slightly from the surprise attack from the Asurian, Kythalie stood back up as she watched consciousness fleet from the individual before her "We need to replicate some restraints..." he muttered as she kept the rifle trained on the downed warrior. Her eyes stuck on him before she felt the presence of a newcomer coming closer. Her eyes darted sideways as she looked at the pale skinned woman with golden eyes. Before she could even muster a word, the Cardassian lieutenant spoke up, seemingly knowing the woman.

As Ejek went over to the woman, Kythalie tended to her own ship mate. "Lieutenant Williams?" Sir?" Are you okay?" she asked carefully as she looked at the blood and sweat covered face of the counselor. She walked over gently towards him before reaching out with a single hand to shake him by the shoulder. She did so with utmost care though as she wasn't sure how'd he react. Would he lash out at her like he did at the Asurian or would he remain the speechless for the moment until he had gathered more of himself?
 
Simple Audio Video Embedder