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Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #25 –
[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne |  Bridge Module | The Versant ]
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Att: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya 



Shar came down from Shall's shoulders. The chan's first impulse seemed to have stopped abruptly, his mind lost in something only he could see. The young shen was grateful for this fact, if he had gone off the deep end, she had probably needed to go postal as the only answer. And she knew well how that could have ended.


Glancing one last time at the scientist, still not trust that he didn't rush madly against the shields, Shar looked down at the throng of abductees. After a few minutes of scrutiny, she found what she was looking for, Selh's slender antennae navigating through the crowd, heading towards them. She couldn't prevent her own antennae quivered slightly, moving away from her scalp. But that little display of emotion ended when she could see the expression in the pilot's face. He had an extremely serious gesture etched in his face, antennae lashing close to his skull.


He stared at her intensely, without open his mouth. She looked away, resting her right hand on the side of her abdomen. He moved his gaze to where her fingers rested and his antennae stirred again slightly. Their eyes met, barely a second. Selh tilted his head. She simply answered with a single nod.


Shall's whisper interrupted their silent exchange. They both turned to look at the chan and returned to intercross their glances briefly.  Finally, Shar clenched her jaw and spoke. "No," she said, sharply, leaving little room for protests. "As far as we know, your ship's AI can easily defend the whole the group better than we can do. Th'se might be useful with a rifle in his hands, but I can be pretty more useful with a hyperspanner in my hands. Probably you too" The ops officer turned face where the AI ​​stood with her positronic brain in her hands. Nearby, there was the shapeshifter captain, as well as Ida and a small group other abductees she couldn't identify. From that distance it was hard to say what was really happening, but there seemed to be some kind of altercation between them.


Whatever it was, it did not matter. Shar turned to the two males, and leaned toward them, conspiratorially. When she spoke her tone was hardly above of whisper, but in her tone there was a cold rage hardly contained. "Killing a few Savi won't make much difference ... Good old sabotage? Quite so. If I could reach the main systems... " She left the sentence on ice. She didn't want to enter in details yet. But for sure what she had in mind was something that Starfleet wouldn't approve. Still, if she had the chance, she would do it. She would leave that shithole adrift. Their resources draining away until they had nothing more to lost aside of their lifes. Just like her..


A small voice in the back of her mind tried to make her come back to her senses, to remind her  the behaviour code she had sworn as an Starfleet officer. But Shar silenced it quickly. She didn't need a conscience in those moments. She needed revenge in her own terms. She needed to leave the Versant fatally wounded when they left it. So that no one else suffered what she had suffered there. She didn't trust that Savi's change of direction, they could resume their practices as easily as they had said that they would abandon them. If it was in her hand, she wouldn't give them a chance. She would destroy that ship, and every Savi on it.

With that resolution in mind, she headed towards the captain's group. She knew that The Beast had opened a panel in their vicinity- That would allow her to access the vessel's energy systems. Once there she would see what she could do to begin a sabotage.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #26 –
[Lt. Zephyr Praise | Stupid Choices | Love Knows No Bounds | Bound Together | Cemented in Survival]
@Numen

It hurt.

The arm.

She could feel the blood still leaking out of the wound on her shoulder.  She knew that it would need healing but she wasn't going to die from it.  It would clot, it would stop bleeding, and at some point it would just need to be cleaned so that she didn't get some kind of secondary infection.  Who knew what they had been exposed to while they were here, all she could hope was that it was something she could take care of later.  Right now though, her mind was on the survival of herself, the others in the room, and especially the big brutish fellow that had surprised her. 

Out there, taking on the Savi, hand to hand and blood to blood she did not realize that the force field had dropped behind her and that he couldn't get in.  He couldn't get her back, he couldn't protect her, and she had no idea.  She was far too busy working over the Savi and making sure that his brain mush decorated the hall way.  She would probably feel bad later, she always did, even when they were asshole aliens hell bent on their death.  There was something about taking a life.  It had nothing to do with her being a doctor but instead of her just being a normal person.  Someone that wasn't messed up in the head, someone that had a heart and a moral code.  Still, things had to be done.

”KYAMO!!!”

Zephyr whirled from her corner, where she had been laying fire at the incoming Savi.  Her eyes widened as she saw there was no opening now.  She needed to get back in there, but she couldn't.  The force field.  She hadn't known, she had tried to come out and take care of some of the Savi herself and now she was here, alone.  Her face paled, but she just rallied herself together.  No panic shone in her eyes as she watched Khorin bashing himself against the field to get to her. 

~If this is how I go, Khor, know that it was good to have met you.~ she sent across their surprising telepathic link.  She knew in the back of her mind what a telepathic link, with a non-telepathic race, meant for her.  But, she had not had enough time to slow down and check it out.  She hadn't given herself the time to think about it.  She couldn't.  She could not afford to think that someone she had only just met here and now on this ship.. on this ship of horrors was something more than just a date.  Something more than a boyfriend.  Something more than all the words she had ever heard to describe someone you liked.  No, she couldn't say it.  She couldn't allow herself to think it right now.  Later, when, if, she survived, she would think about it.  Talk to him about it, tell him what she thought.  But, for now, no, the Savi came first.

She turned back to the Savi.  Only they weren't there anymore.  Zeph's back straightened, a cry of pain from her shoulder, though it did not touch her lips.  A commotion behind her caused her to turn, rifle raised, shoulder in pain, throbbing in time with her elevated heart rate only to notice a familiar large Klingon form rolling down the corridor to stop in the puddle of Savi juices that had come from blowing off a head.  She rose her brow and slid her back against the wall so that it was protected as Khorin regained his sight.  She could tell he was dizzy, she could feel his discombobulation, and so she waited.  When he found her with his eyes, she smiled.

“Welcome back.” she said with a bit of a grin, a slight blush on her cheeks.  Now was not the time for blushing, it wasn't the time to be doing much of anything but fighting and trying to figure out how they were going to get back on the Bridge.

He told her that she had done something unnecessary, dangerous, and sexy.  She gave a bit of a shrug with one of her shoulders.  “It was our job to protect the others.” she admitted as he got up slowly and was steady on his feet in no time.

He came to her, and picked her up.  She gasped softly as he pulled her up to his chest with his large arm and held her there as if she weighed nothing.  Putting his back to the corridor he pressed her up against the force field.  She could feel the energy humming behind her, it resonated in her skin.  She could see the shimmering of blue sparks around her body as her mass pressed against it almost testing it for any weaknesses though that wasn't what they were doing.  She looked up at him, dark eyes meeting his warm brown ones.  She wondered what he would think if her eyes were back the way they had been.  He had only known them as black, and yet, she thought if anything.. she wished she had them back.

Maybe.

Though if she had to give up her telepathy to have her eyes back she would stay black forever.  There was no way she would even chance losing the connection gained with Khorin.  “Khor..” she whispered softly, in their little window of the door way, their little paradise amid the chaos.  Her fingers rose and softly brushed through his rough hair, letting her fingers toy with it's length gently.  Feeling the texture between her fingers for a moment.  “I wanted to let you know.. something.  About me.” she said softly.  Her eyes never left his, and she found herself rather enjoying the way that she was pressed against him.  Her small body against his massive one.  He was nearly twice her size, but it didn't bother her.  Not in the least.  She actually liked how dwarfed she felt.  When he held her, she felt safe.  So safe, and it was a feeling that Zephyr had not known in a long time, too long.

“When a Betazoid, like myself, is able to spea-”

Zeph gasped as the force field came down and the two of them, with Khorin's weight and her own pushed against the former shield, spilled through the door way and back into the bridge that they had left a while ago.  Her rifle clattered to the ground.  She cried out in pain as her shoulder slammed into the deck plating and the blood spurted forth with renewed vigor because of the action having torn whatever clot had come into place loose.  She bit her lower lip letting the pain fade for a moment.  Breathing.  Khorin, there on top of her, holding her, checking on her, eyes worried.  It made a soft smile cross her lips.  A hand reached up to brush against his cheeks.

“You didn't have to tackle me if you wanted a kiss.” she teased up at him.  Tilting her head to the side slightly, her smile softened.  “I'm with you, again.” she repeated his earlier words back to him.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #27 –
[ Hylota Vojona & Vinata Vojona | Day 6 | 0900 hrs. | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @BZ , @Numan , @Auctor Lucan

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          Initially as they all had moved into the bridge Hylota and Vinata had paired back up and moved up to work with the injured crew. They had to get a many of them back up to fighting strength so that they could defend against the assault that would no doubt be coming for them. Hylota took special care to make sure her egg was stored safely out of the way, close to a structurally reinforced segment of the bridge before she made her way to her brother and the two of them began to combine their medical supplies, in treating Khorin earlier, in taking care of the injuries along the way from when they met up with other teams. As they looked over what they had, a selection of stimulants, a few painkillers and numbing agents, only one functioning hypospray, a cortical stimulator, and a few other emergency medical tools. It was not much, but the siblings quickly got to work, seeking out the most injured of the remaining crew. They did not know how much time they had before their position would begin to be overrun, and they could not turn down any possible steady hands at this point.

As the siblings worked Vinata surprised his sister, in the time that they had been apart he had managed to regain his composure, fighting off his fears and taking steps towards letting his trauma fall behind him. Of course it was not all gone, from time to time Hylota would notice her brother taking a moment to steel himself, shakily getting blood off of his hands before getting right into his ministrations once more. Hylota had to admit it was a good thing that he was doing better, since getting back her child and meeting back up with her brother. Her stress had been reduced greatly by these two developments, with their strain no longer looming over her shoulders Hylota put her focus into her duty, working with her brother to care for the rest of the crew.

As the attack on their position began Hylota and Vinata stopped in their work and looked to where the fighting was taking place, for the time being their position was out of the way and safe, Hylota shot more than a few glances to her egg, her instincts strong in their desire to ensure it's safety, especially with the added knowledge of how dear it was to her. She could not risk it falling back into the hands of the Savi, which meant she would need to provide any aid that she could to those fighting. Taking a deep breath Hylota was prepared to make her intentions known, that she would be prepared to stand in to aid the crew in the fight, but in a surprising turn Vinata did not even give her the opportunity. "Hylota, I am going to take the pain killers and some of the stimulants along with what remains of my kit. I will go ant assist those who are holding the entrances, you need to stay here and look after these people, and your child as well. You just got them back, at this point it would be cruel to separate you once more." Vinata smile to his sister as she returned the expression and gave him a gentle punch in the shoulder. "How very thoughtful of you, normally I would try and protest, but if this must be done then is must be done." Hylota gave her brother a quick hug before she checked her own phaser and returned to her patients.

Vinata was making his way to the edge of the combat when he watched Khorin going full Klingon and charge off to battle. It was an impressive sight that gave some momentary insight into why his sister had such a fondness for the race. Of course things move very quickly from that point, fighting and clashing always seemed to make time ebb and flow in strange ways. One moment Khorin was out charging, the next he was pulling back, then there was an explosion. Vinata had taken cover to prevent himself from being compromised by the shock wave. Peaking back out Vinata took a quick scan of his surroundings, spotting Khorin on top of another crewman who he could not identify under his bulk. He was not sure of their status and he could not risk assuming they were perfectly fine. Quickly Vinata made his move skirting around the edge of the perimeter before he came over to Khorin and Zephyr. "Are the two of you alright? How is your arm holding up Khorin? Do the two of you require any emergency aid?" Vinata was already taking out a numbing agent and loading it into the hypospray. He was not sure if he was needed, but he was going to make his services known.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #28 –
[ Deacon | Day 6 | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Triage  @BZ  @Numen  @FollowTomorrow @SummerDawn  @patches  @Fife  @Numen @Absinthe

His efforts were slow but deliberate.  All around him, the others seemed fine, or as fine as they ever seemed, but he felt terrible.  A creeping ache had settled in his muscles, sinking deep down to his bones it seemed.  There was a tightness at the back of his neck that stretched across the crown of his head, constricting and releasing with the pounding of his single heart.  There was a heat behind his eyes and yet his skin felt clammy beneath the sweat he was steadily wiping from his face.

He took a deep breath, straightening himself, striving to obscure any sign of discomfort from his face, although it was all but impossible to hide the paleness of his features. "Captain," he said, stepping up behind Ives, the faintly British accent all the more apparent in the comparative moment of quiet.  "I've relocated everything that wasn't secured.  There are some locked stations in the side alcoves that I opted not to tamper with."

Looking back towards the pile, he added, "Some of the crew have availed themselves of the weaponry but there are few still remaining.  Multiple datapads as well.  If there are any engineers or technical staff not otherwise engaged, perhaps we have some time to download a portion of their database to more portable storage."

He rubbed a hand across the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to combat the grip of pain that continued to crush against his skull even as another wave of empathic awareness threatened to dismantle his mental defenses again.  Human or kzinti, the snarl of irritation was apparent as his bared fangs, diminished as they were, yet remained.  With a half-stagger, he managed to catch himself, attempting to play it off as if he'd intended to turn away before thinking better of it.

Another breath.  This time his voice was lowered, "Captain, I... overheard part of your conversation regarding the one called Hi'Jak."  He managed to right himself once more, turning his gaze earnestly towards the captain.  He was a Black Priest, and even if his words would not change the will of the patriarch, he owed the patriarch full disclosure so that he may best consider the consequence of his decision.  "I... cannot speak to what happened on his prior mission but... while we were caged here, he and the one called Morali were..." Instrumental? Critical? Helpful? "... They were useful in helping us break the simulation.  They had apparently been able to interface with the ship's primary systems and institute some sort of override."

He lowered his gaze for a moment before lifting it once more. "I cannot judge whether that was out of personal interest or greater concern for the pride... the crew... unfortunately the Savi have... damaged my ziirgah so it is difficult for me to rely on it as I once did.  But, I thought you should know."

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #29 –
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Bridge Module  | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan 
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The Temporal Agent had made his gamble and it was clear that Ives was not at all in a place to listen. In a show of what Sarresh considered admirable restraint and respect, he kept his face impassive to the command level dressing down that followed his query. He was rather proud of himself, in fact. He didn't flush red, he didn't snap back or interrupt. He didn't tear Ives head off. He wanted to. Though apparently the Captains Assassin was lurking (he'd decided on the new title for the woman that had up until this point done an equally admirable job of keeping him alive).

If Ives were to be believed - and Sarresh had little to go with to judge one way or another, after all that had to have happened to them over the last few days - then Hi'Jak had made some serious errors in judgement. Pot, met kettle, he thought, in stoic fashion. The same control that had let him keep his voice down when he'd tried to reach the captain's sense of ...of what? Of whatever he' tried to crack through and failed, he concluded, allowed him to pace right along, without flinching at the explosions. Yes, he was well aware that there was fighting. A cripple might not be good in one of those but he had other uses. And his life was at much on the line as anyone else so really, there was no logic in thinking he would betray them now.

Pointing that out wouldn't work. He still had no idea how to get through to this person. He tried...oh he tried. But all Ives saw was insubordination all around them. Even if Morali viewed his rank as something that was real, wouldn't even a junior officer be duty bound to point out in whatever fashion would most likely reach the captain that they were behaving irrational? Wasn't that part of the duty?

Never mind that as a time traveler with a perspective Ives couldn't begin to grasp; the last thing the Captain aught to be doing was dismissing and treating him thus. The rank was a convenient facade, nothing more. Ives didn't seem to realize that.More the fool for Ives then. He'd just have to keep the cameliod alive despite themselves. I really could have used Hi'Jak though, no matter what Ives says he did.

He took the PADD from Ives, quietly, and looked over it, prompting the 'now, officer,' from the Captain. He had to wonder at the Borg being present - that was a valid point, a scathing one. Could the incursion have been in the Delta Quadrant? His shipboard technology might not have found it. Perhaps the Borg had been here since before his arrival back into this part of the timeline?  If that had been the case though, surely the Relativity would have intervened there?

No, that can't be it. Even with out his lab, encoding was working. If it had been temporal in nature...Fine.

"Perhaps, Captain Ives," he said, tucking the PADD under his arm, "The reason I did not warn you is because this is not an incursion - at least not of a temporal nature. Perhaps this is how history was supposed to unfold. Perhaps they were supposed to be here, now, regardless of the desires of those infesting this timeline." A pause, "Sir," he added and turned away.

He didn't listen to the conversation that followed, not the one with Sinead and the robot, nor the one with Deacon.

Orders were given. Stupid ass orders. But he didn't quite want to deal with disobeying them just yet. So he had this PADD. Fine.  He glanced through it as he walked away, more concerned about the device on his shoulders and the mental state of the Captain. He'd ask Thea to monitor Ives. Maybe she'd listen. Maybe not. He figured he could pose the question better to the hologram.

I could have used Hi'Jak's help with this too. Damn you and your paranoia, Ives, he thought with a low sigh. Still, using the cleaning beams as a weapon was promising.  Having crossed the whole of the bridge, to the port side, Sarresh reached the hologram, and looked up at her, head tilting to one side, taking it all in.

"Thea," he began, holding up the PADD. "Captain Ives wanted you to see this. I find it rather promising actually, it dovetails nicely into some of the work I've been doing with the Savi code." See, i can play nice, he thought. But how to broach the concern over Ives mental state.? It dawned on him that the AI might not be wholly together either. He had no idea what sort of ordeal she'd undergone.

Well, Fuck.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #30 –
[ Nephele Soong | Medical Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] attn: @Triage @FollowTomorrow
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Combat had never been a specialty of Lahkesis Saugn, and even in her new form, she was far from a combatant. She had entered the field of battle and every time she had, it had resulted in trauma. Given that fact alone she knew it best to avoid the fight.

Fortunately, at that moment, they remained isolated from it. The fighting was on the bridge and they were in an adjacent room. Though Hi'Jak had departed, none had entered since he had. Quickly she moved to the door and began to analyze the panel. It was not in a language she knew, but given that it was a door panel it was likely to have a similar layout to door panels she had seen before. She quickly recalled a number of varying designs and schematics of door panels she was familiar with and their various key functions to trigger locking mechanisms. Though each was unique she was certain she could discern a pattern within them.

After a long moments consideration, she reached out her hand and began to tap keys on the panel, though the exact result was not immediately clear.

"If we are lucky I have just locked the door," she said thoughtfully considering the panel. "If we are not, then it is no longer locked."

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #31 –
[ Khorin, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Bridge Module | The Versant ]
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Att: @BZ @Zenozine @Auctor Lucan



"Khor .." she whispered, and his heart tingled with that sound, with that way she used to call him. That name that she had choose for him. "I wanted to let you know .. something. About me." She keep murmuring, her slender fingers intertwined in his disheveled hair. He looked at her, all his attention in her words, what else could he do but listen to her?  His world was reduced to her and him. And to that strange connection that united them for which he had no name.


In that moment, the barrier suddenly came down and Khorin lost his balance. They rolled forward a few meters, the Klingon tried hard that the fall didn't worsen Zephyr's wounds. Her gasp told him that he had failed in his endeavour, and when they stopped (with him hovering over her petite figure) his gaze traveled her body up and down, worried that his clumsiness had aggravated her situation.His own shoulder throbbed, a mirror pain that reflected hers. Blood pooled in her dark savi uniform, and formed a crimson splash where it has been torn by the graviton beam.


Khorin looked at her worriedly. He didn't mind being hurt. Endure pain is the only way to klingon could fully understand life. But that did not apply to her. He must protect her. He wasn't sure why but he HAD to. "You did not have to tackle me if you wanted to kiss." she teased up at him and smiled, interrupting his thoughts. He grinned back as a fool. "Well, you've the tendency to run away when I least expect it, I couldn't risk being left behind without a kiss again, missy." He quipped back. Khorin leaned over her, his intention clear. Their lips where almost touched...


And then, then, Vinata interrupted them. Khorin couldn't help but a frustrated grunt. He knew that the ovri had good intentions. That he was just trying to fulfilled his role as a nurse. Still... He didn't need him. Not now.


"My arm is fine," he confirmed at his question, while tightened his hug around the betazoid. His bulky arm showed the tender scar where the bone had pierced the skin, aside from that and a dull pain in the area, he felt mostly good. "She is ... she will be okay, I'll take care of it. We'll be fine." He kept talking, more to himself than to the bluish skinned man. "I just need to retrieve her medkit." He leaned his forehead against hers and placed her gently on the floor. "I'll be back in a minute, Kyamo."


He clung the rifle on his shoulder, just in case, and returned to the point they had been defending. He just needed a minute. Search, retrieve the medkit and go back with it to her. At least she was under Vinata's care, if something really serious happened to her body, he would know what to do. She would be safe. At least the moment. Without knowing very well what was doing, Khorin touched mentaly that connection that he felt in the back of his mind, that strange link that allowed him to communicate with her. To felt her event when she was out of sight. He felt it clearer, stronger now that she was near.


The aquamarine forcefield's light bathed the mass of metal they had been defending only a few minutes ago. The pilot's eyes averted to the corridor in the other side, corpses over its floorplates, blackened burns on walls and ceilings. For the moment, it seemed to be quiet and empty, the opposition they had planted seemed to have redirected Savi's efforts to another entrance. They had gained a little time for everyone. A small sigh before the fight peaked again in other place.


Khorin moved his gaze again and directed it towards the rest of the setting, to the metallic shreds that covered the bridge's floor.  After several minutes, he found what he was looking for. It was covered with some ash and several splinters had stuck to its surface, but it still seemed functional. At least as far as his knowledge came. He grabbed it carefully, as if he were going to get rid of it between his fingers at any moment and returned to where Zephyr and Vinata waited, carrying it.


When he reached them, the betazoid was seated, that smile that characterized her etched in her face. ~ "Kyamo ..." ~ His mind purred, trying to grab her attention. And he succeeded, her dark eyes twinkling for a moment when they found his. Khorin grin widened. He leaned close to her and rested his ridged forehead in hers. And he finally kiss her. He didn't mind where they were or who was around. Not anymore. He just needed that kiss. When he moved his face away from hers, he smiled again, and dropped the medkit in her lap. That left both of his hands free to grab her again, tight against his chest. And without saying a word out loud, he made his way to the nearest stairs. He knew there were empty rooms up there. Safe places, easy to protect. She needed a break. Him, some time alone with her.


While climbing the first steps, Khorin rumbled. "You wanted to tell me something before Vinata came. Something about you ... " He didn't know what she want to tell him so urgently, but if it was important to her, it was important to him. So he would look for a private spot to let her talk, only for them both.



OOC: Khorin & Zephyr exit the scene to keep with the conversation in a supplemental

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #32 –
[Ens. Irnashall "Shall" chXinya | Bridge Module | The Versant]

Shall was chan, the warrior in his core was beating at his chest trying to get out, to jump into the fight.  He wanted to fight to punish the Savi for what they did to him, to his bondmates, old and new.  He wanted to fight to prove to Ida that he could, that despite his injury he could stand for himself.  A shelthreth was here in front of him, forced and “wrong” as it may be in the Empire’s eyes, and they needed him.  But he knew Shar was right.

Shall may be chan, but he was a scientist, not a warrior.  He may be skilled with his staff and well trained with a phaser, but his true skills weren’t in weaponry.  “You won’t be able to get to them by yourself.  I know my way around computer hardware quite well.”  Looking to Selh, Shall could tell that the than was in, no matter what the plan was.  “Could get messy, they won’t like us messing around with their ship?  They’re pretty mad as it is.”  Sehl waved it off.

By that point Shar had already started towards Blue and Shall could see why.  The woman was already in some sort of access panel, she would be the one to coordinate with.  The captain and Ida were nearby as well and a part of Shall hoped that the zhen would be willing to jump in with the sabotage, even just as a guard.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #33 –
[ Captain Ives | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ]
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Earlier, the Temporal Affairs Officer had got the hint, Jien thought, even though she didn't watch him leave. He had done so after she was given a defensive comment about his shortcomings. She had supposed either of the reasons were viable, but the point hadn't been about the Borg, but the man's blatant arrogance and disrespect towards his Commanding Officer, not to mention his folly in placing trust in a traitor. That, however, had been something they were both guilty of...

Before V-Nine could settle or begin any kind of medical procedure on Sinead, she suddenly became defensive about the liability that rested inside her head, and Ives frowned, wondering why she wanted to keep it, even updating it. Jien heard her out, however, and since she didn't know the possibilities that the android possessed, she let it - or she - speak for herself after Sinead fell quiet. The android lowered the lens of her cranial unit and wrung her metallic hands a bit, likely about to give bad news.

"Unfortunately, the abilities given to you by the implant are intrinsic to its aggression stimuli. As far as I can determine from my sensors alone, the first aren't generated without the latter. Control and recognition are in direct conflict with the result. The only other option available with it's current neurological stimuli and overall design is if you keep it so that your ability can be remotely controlled by a third party. This, however, would also make you remain a threat to those present here. Based on my diagnosis of your condition and taking the current situation into account, it would be my recommendation that the implant's software is completely removed, with surgical removal of the implant as a whole pending given opportunity and more favourable surgical conditions."

Jien nodded, finding herself agreeing with the android's assessment. "By the sound of it, this 'chip' is not something I want to remain at the possible expense of our lives and you compromising the mission. I am assuming that, by you knowing you have this installed in your head, the Savi have already remotely controlled you here on this ship? That tells me it's only a matter of time before the attempt is made. V-Nine, please rinse the implant in this patient from software as humanely as possible in terms of chosen method."

"Understood, Aspect-Maker," said V-Nine, lifting a hand towards Sinead.

"Please do not call me Aspect-Maker," Jien now said, a frown cutting her forehead.

V-Nine paused and turned her lens towards her, almost quizzically. "Acknowledged. Please state your preference of designation."

Jien took a deep breath. "I suppose Captain Ives should do."

"Understood. I will now begin the procedure," said the android and turned her lens back to Sinead. Two fingers on her left hand popped open with a whirr and strange protrusions extended towards the Irish woman's head. Jien watched while lights began to flash at the tips of the metal extensions, and Sinead's skin and hair was lit in the dim lighting of the bridge. "Up-link established. Encryption lifted. Reformatting of memory bank initiated."

After the procedure had begun, Deacon stepped up to Jien, and she turned to face him since he evidently had finished his task. He looked a tad worse for wear, likely suffering ailments because of the Savi, and it cemented Jien's conviction that she'd done the right thing in taking command of the Versant together with Thea and the rest of the survivors. She just hoped that they would be able to get aboard the Theurgy and at the same time get away from the Versant before the Savi reclaimed control of the ship. Thea's task would be clear. Sabotage, to the highest possible degree, but still sparing the Savi themselves.

"Well done," she said to the Kzin, before he began to talk about Hi'Jak and Morali, both of which were on her shit-list at the moment, but the former had actually betrayed the crew and put the away-team on the Coreless Moon at risk. This not even taking into account that he may have sullied the diplomatic relations with the Klingon Empire. An opportunity lost, just because Hi'Jak thought he knew better. Morali, on the other hand, was just a whining and arrogant officer who thought he was better than the rest of them just because he had served on the Relativity. He might not remember that he volunteered to his mission, but that did not forgive his inability to try and become one with the crew, or his blatant disregard for authority. Regardless the century, an officer was expected to act like one. Of course, there was also the blame placed on Ives in regard to the Ash'reem's new body, and the results of preserving the mission and Morali's import, but regarding Morali's losses of Amikris, Amatras and Arcorn - the Neotin family - they were not Ives' fault. In fact, those losses wee such that she shared.

"Duly noted, as for my own concerns, they are entirely for...'the Pride', regardless what motivations drove them. Hi'Jak's misplaced his loyalty to another Pride in a way that compromised ours, and cannot be trusted. If he can't be trusted, he is a liability, and we don't need him. Furthermore, regardless their accomplishments before on this ship, it seems Thea has gained the kind of system access we need now. Morali, however - bad attitude aside - is of mission importance."

It seemed Thea accepted the PADD from Morali, as far as Jien could see from a distance, and the Theurgy A.I. gave him a smile. It took her a few moments to download from the tablet but once she did, it seemed she was able to render some new results. She gave the Temporal Affairs officer another smile and a pat on the shoulder and turned from the console she was hooked up to. "Captain, I have found an alternative means of propulsion. With deeper decryption means, I have been able to ascertain the nature of a few more main systems. It would seem this ship has a quantum slipstream drive, and the warp drive is merely the ancillary propulsion system."

Jien blinked. "Did I hear that correctly, are you saying that this ship can travel at higher speeds than warp?"

"Aye, Captain. We have deficiency in energy regeneration due to battle damage, so we cannot travel faster than Warp 9. The sensor arrays - which have a remarkable range compared to my own - tell me that my hull is moving away from us at Warp 9,5. Therefore, we will not be able to catch up unless we use the benamite slipstream reactor. Yet in order to use it, unfortunately, we need to drop out of warp, and pool energy for this leap. I believe I will be able to do so, but it will take time. Time, in which the Savi may launch their Initiator fighters and attempt to attack this bridge."

Jien frowned, thinking fast. "How much time?"

"I estimate we will need 45.476 minutes to generate the required energy."

"And how quickly will we catch up?"

Thea hesitated. "I... have no basis of estimation. The system is dormant, and I have obviously not tested it. My data says it is a Benamite Slipstream Reactor Core, powered by the Zero-Point Energy Reactor in the middle of the fuselage, which also generate power for the ship's warp drive, their research centres, habitation sectors and virtually all of the critical systems. The concept of quantum speeds is theoretical in the Federation, but it could either be instantaneous, or just a few seconds. Perhaps a full minute? I am sorry, Captain, I have no firm ETA."

"Then drop out of warp, prepare to use this ship's point-defence turrets if required, pool the energy needed, and keep the sensors on... your hull. If you vanish out of sensor range, we might not be able to afford to remain here."

"Aye, Captain," she said, and she cleared her throat. "My positronic brain's processor is operating at it's 100 % capacity to handle all the tasks allotted to me in this endeavour, which is aboard an entirely unknown hull. I sorely need to relieve my runtime from tasks if we are to do this."

Jien looked around, thinking. "Do we have a Tactical officer present?" she called, hoping someone might step forward among those not of the Theurgy crew. She turned to Thea. "Leave the point-defence systems to us, if you just give us manual access."

"Yes, Captain," said Thea, looking a bit relieved.

In the background, V-Nine was finished, asking Sinead how she felt. The back of the bridge was quiet, the defensive line having held until Thea managed to beam away the Savi. ThanIda zh'wann stood guard there along with others. Hopefully, they would be able to last for about 45 minutes...

OOC: Free posting here, and since a far longer time has passed in @BZ and @Fife 's supplemental thread than it has passed in this scene, some NPC Tactical officer will have to take the first shift at the bridge's equivalent of a Tactical station until Cross shows up from one of the offices together with Blue Tiran.

Posting in this thread if both free and optional henceforth, since the Versant is due to appear in Chapter 05. Supplemental threads are available to be made as well, the available depiction of such spanning from 1010 to ca 1115 hrs. The naming convention for such Supplemental threads is CH04: S [D06|XXXX] Insert Title

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #34 –
[Ens. Irnashall "Shall" chXinya | Bridge Module | The Versant]

Following Shar as she worked her way towards the little command group that had gathered, Shall tried to read the room.  In the background he could hear the Savi still trying to get through and retake their ship, but he put it out of his mind.  There was nothing he could do about it now, but if they did manage to break through he’ll fight to the death then become a test subject again.  He noticed Morali and Deacon standing in the Captain’s group while that Savi android was doing something to a human crewmember whose name escaped him at the moment.  Curious, he watched from a distance while listening to what snippets he could hear from the captain’s discussions with the others, his antenna angling towards them even though he wasn’t looking their way.  He didn’t have to wait long before something caught his interest, ideas quickly formulating into plans as each detail came from Thea’s digital mouth.

“We can help with those fighters.” Shall blurted out, something that got a few people’s attention he was sure.  His cheeks flushed a darker blue for a moment as he realized the breach of protocol.  Too late though, and he forced his antenna to stay still instead of quivering like a taught branch in the wind.  He held up his wrist and pulled up the map again, trying to find the area of the ship that interested him.  “Shar, Sehl, and I volunteer for sabotage duty.  If we can keep those hangars from opening, then those fighters are useless.”  Blue fingers kept scrolling through menus and focusing in on different sections of the map before he finally found the hangar in question.  Highlighting the doors he could see the outlines of the mechanisms that opened the massive structures.  Angling his wrist to show to the others, “Shouldn’t be too hard to do for a set of Andorians looking for some revenge.”

Unable to resist, Shall glanced to Ida who was hovering protectively nearby.  Fighting a satisfied grin, he had to throw the offer out there.  “Just imagine what a full Whole can do against those who wrong us.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #35 –
[ K'Ren | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @steelphoenix All
[Show/Hide]
Having availed herself of one of the Savi weapons, a graviton rifle as she understood it, though the underlying mechansism she could care less about, it was a weapon and could put down any person she discharged it into, K'Ren followed Deacon around for a bit, finding a vantage point she could observe most of the fighting from. It was in the Caitian nature, the ancient creatures they'd evolved from, the great cats of their world, to find a place to observe out of the reach of their prey. Stalk & Pounce was the habit, and in fighting, that nature shone through. They didn't rush into battle like Klingons and humans, taking time to observe, to spot the weaknesses of their prey, before dropping in silently for the kill, or later on as they developed ranged weapons, to shoot from a distance.

Having found the vantage point, K'Ren settled in with her weapon to await the alien attackers. She didn't have long to wait however as several Savi came through an entrance, firing at the two humans on the ground who fired back from shelter. K'Ren turned her attention to the attack, her gun firing into the Savi, leaving scorch marks on the deck where she'd missed, leaving wounded soldiers where she'd not. Her position gave her some advantage in seeing where the enemy lay, and as long as they focused on the freindlies down below, she was safe enough.

That wasn't however the case, and soon several Savi realized there was more then just weapons fire from their level coming in. She dispatched the first few that shot back at her but with the Savi pushing in, and the defenders on the ground being beaten back, her position soon became untenable, shots landing around her, metal sizzling as the graviton based weapons tore through her cover like it wasn't there. She had to move, and move now.  Putting a couple bursts into the Savi mass, K'Ren used the momentary distraction to break cover. Sprinting for safer cover, she suddenly tumbled to the ground, her ankle screaming in pain. The sustained fire on her position had weakened the catwalk she was on, and the sudden crash to the deck as she fell while sprinting, was enough to finish the damage and before she could do anything, the catwalk gave way, tumbling to the deck, K'Ren inside the falling steel.

She screamed, as much from the pain as the realization she was going to die from the fall, that her life would end here, killed in a pile of twisted steel, either from the hard ground at the bottom, or from the wreckage she was falling with. She had little time to contemplate her fate however, the deck plating came up so quick and K'Ren crashed into the ground, several bones shattering on impact, knocking the wind from her, but leaving her concious. She could feel the pain all over, the ankle that was mangled by the graviton rifle, dull aches from the bruising, sharp stabbing pain from all over where bones had boken. On her back, she could glance around a little, her eyes having trouble focusing, her world not much more then the mangled wreakage of her perch all around her. Looking down she could also see a piece of metal lodged in her abdomen, how deep and how damaging she could not know, but she felt no pain from it for all the pain she felt elsewhere.

Crying out, half buried in the wrekage, K'Ren awaited her fate, either to be rescued, or todie on this accursed ship.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #36 –
[ Deacon | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @SummerDawn

Deacon had given the captain a quiet nod.  His place was not to dissuade the patriarch, merely to advise; and it was clear that there was more to this Hi'Jak than Deacon had known -- should they all survive this place, Deacon would make note to be wary of the once-klingon.  Possessing no rank of his own to command and the weariness of his limbs leeching any desire for further effort was at contrast to his mind as it struggled to find some happy medium between his straakh's need to remain useful and his body's need to rest.

Retrieving one of the graviton rifles from the liberated stockpile he had amassed, he circled the exposed bridge, taking advantage of the limited amount of cover that some of the crew had established to repel the Savi crew as they continued to press their irregular incursions into the contested zones.  Theurgy had managed to erect shields and beam out some of the intruders, but her attention now seemed diverted, at least in part, as the ship seemed to be in transit and had been for some time.

K'Ren.  Where was she?  At least he could find some comfort at her side.

The answer was as immediate as it was startling, the distant sound of weapons fire punctuated by the sound of collapsing superstructure, twisted metal, and one distinct cry.  His heart caught in his throat, all sense of fatigue set aside, bolstered by necessity, a surge of worry and adrenaline pounding through his veins as he charged across the deck, fangs bared -- such as they were -- but the growl in his throat very convincing and most inhuman.

In seconds, he stood at the edge of the collapsed catwalk, tracing along its edge, peering through the tangled heap for any signs of his wife.  "K.. K'ren," he said, reaching his hand through a small breach in the debris to caress the soft fur of her cheek, "I'm here.  I'll get you out."

His eyes studied the wreckage, pausing momentarily to consider the graviton rifle he carried.  Brutish and inelegant for what he needed.  A phaser might allow him to cut through some of the beams to help release her, but this thing was good for little else other than death and destruction -- he could appreciate it for what it was, but for what he needed it to be, it was sorely lacking.

Grabbing some smaller pieces as leverage, he slowly set to bracing the structure, working to widen one of the opening enough to pull K'Ren through.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #37 –
[ K'Ren | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @steelphoenix All
[Show/Hide]
Even though she was still conscious, K'Ren fully expected to die. She'd been broken like this before, in the academy, a flight training accident that nearly killed her, and she felt the same weakness, the same inability to do anything but focus on staying awake, staying lucid as long as she could, and hope that somebody would come for her. After her intial cry, she whimpered, mewling like an injured kitten. The pain was great, and she could feel blood on her fingers as she gingerly touched her stomach where the metal lay embedded. What was injured she didn't know, so many internal organs ran past that area, almost all vital to her continued existance.

She couldn't move otherwise but when a hand reached in to caress her cheek, and a familiar voice percolated through the debris to her ears, she purred, knowing her mate was here. She didn't know what he could do, if he could rescue her from the twisted mangled wrekage, but he was nearby, and if she were to die, at least she would pass with her mate's touch being the last thing she felt. "Deacon." she said softly, "I love you tznrrow. I am gravely injured. Some metal has impaled my abdomen, I can't move."

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #38 –
[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne |  Bridge Module | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]

Att: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya 


When Shall intervened into his captain's conversation, Shar rolled her eyes and shaked head. Mostly due she saw her own hot-headed nature in him and she had hoped that the chan knew better than that. But he was young. Younger than her at least.And that was PRETTY young. Part of her had trusted that he was smarter than her but, well, she supposed she should have expected that kind of outburst after seeing his rage in the verge of collapse. Still, it was ironic that, despite how twisted their forced shelthreth was, they seemed to have lot of things in common, as a Whole. 'Stubbornness and impulsiveness' she thought as her gaze moved from Shall's indigo cheeks to Selh's determined gaze. Then, from the thaan she moved her gaze to Ida, who was walking nearby with the savi rifle in her hands and a posture so rigid that it seemed that the zhen couldn't bend at the waist. 'Oh but we know better, aren't we, zh'yi?' she thought, chuckling to herself. Her antennae faced each other over her forehead in an andorian smirk even when her face kept her usual bitter expresion.


In any case, Shall had just volunteered them to sabotage the fighter bay, so the ops officer focused on what they were up to. The PADD Shall held in his hands displayed different map sections, one after another, until the scientist stopped on the hangar plans, highlighting the doors. She frowned in deep thought, looking at other sections of the screen. However Shall's hands hid with his movements what she wanted to examine, sos he moved away from the group to the object pile nearby, where she searched until got a PADD for herself. After a while tapping the screen, lost between the weird script and the oddly organized archives, she found the same planes with which the chan worked.


"Even if they manage to get into the bay, we can remodulate its forcefieds to stop the fighters for some more time, using the them as emergency fields they wont allow anything to go out into space as a security measure, if they work as ours," She said as she pointed out the emitters around the FAB openings to space. "Meanwhile, we can fill up the bay with oxygen-rich air, as your AI ​​did on the bridge. It wont stop the pilots, but it'll increase the risk of an explosion so they'll take things easy, moving around more carefully. Problably they won't be able to launch all its fighters at the same time for the risk of sparks and it also would prevent them from firing at the doors of the hangar or the emitters. Our sabotage won't be stop by mere brute force. That will also give us some more time to add logical deviations around the systems we control, extending the time we could kept the fighters stuck." Shar knew that her proposals were only temporary solutions, but they would give them time and, with luck, they could destroy some Savi systems from within. If it force their captors to stay weeks in the dry dock, at the mercy of whatever hovered in the nebula, she would call that a victory.


She was well aware that the Borg lurked out there, the same Cube that had destroyed the Endeavour. If  Borg and their captors annihilated each other, it would be the best possible outcome. She wished the Water Guardian would grant her that.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #39 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Medbay | USS Versant ] @Absinthe @Triage

“Good going,” Hissed Nathaniel from the hiding place he and Heather were cornered behind, trying to keep his voice down. Heather, right now, was the most important weapon they had, and even though no one else was here, he also didn’t feel safe enough to stretch out his legs and act like they were safe. “But come hide before someone sees you, doctor.”

Heather was now out of his arms, but he was keeping a close eye on her. She was so fragile, but in a new way. Earlier, he was pretty sure that he was told even touching Heather could kill her. Now, he had been carrying her around, and she had fallen so many times. She was...almost useless. This was their secret weapon all along?
“They’re still fighting out there. We’re going to stay here until it’s over. And try not to be seen. We may have had allies in the Savi, but now...I guess we’re back to being targets, again.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #40 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @steelphoenix & @Patches
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Her alternate idea was ultimately rejected, and she saw the logic in the decision. Nodding, the auburn-haired woman knelt down once more, allowing V-Nine unhindered access to her scalp. “Do what yeh mus',” said Sinead.

There was a brief sensation, a sharp pain, and then nothing. She felt numb. There had been a joke about numbskulls once, but she couldn't quite remember. She was unconscious, and yet, she didn't know or sense when that was true, for she still saw all around her, only she couldn't be awake for the surgery, surely.

“Welcome back, Sinny,” said her wild pure Bringloidi self, and Sinead scowled.

“I have had enoff o' yeh.” said the woman as she stood up in the dream world. The other woman lunged at her, claws raking at her eyes.

Normally Sinead would have grappled with her, held her until she submitted and made the process of absorbing her into herself, taking full control of her emotions, but this time, Sinead allowed her anger to get the better of her and as she did so, her wild self grew larger, more feral, and stronger. “Aye, keep goin'h!” she said, egging Sinead on, “At last yeh will be destroyed an' I will be freeh!”

Sinead knew this would not end well, but she fell back into her training in various martial arts, and suddenly flipped the larger form over head. Wordlessly, she approached her adversary, herself, and as the other woman rose, she kicked her in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of her. “Time an' again,”, said Sinead, “I tell yeh th' simple truth, tha' we are one an' th' same, but time an' again, yeh refuse t' accept that yeh no be a prisoner in me. We are both free.”

When she screamed and lunged forward, Sinead ducked to the side, lifting her right leg to trip the woman up, and she grasped the upraised ankle, and twisted, snapping the foot right around. A shrill cry pierced and nearly broke Sinead's skull from the volume, but she kicked her other self in the back of the neck, “I reject yeh as a part of meh. No longer will I be assaulted by yeh. I am Sinead O'Riley, an' yeh be nothin' but a lost girl in th' recesses of me mind. But now, begone. I have no need of yeh, and it is time yeh be locked away forever, to rot...and die.”

She snapped limb after limb, and tore her own reflection to pieces with her bare hands, then threw them into a box and shut the lid, locking it. By sheer force of will, she created an ocean that she stood upon, carrying the box in her hands, and she cast it into the ocean, where the screams of her own self was stolen by the waters. She felt peace at last, no longer doubting she was who she was by will of her own choosing. She looked upwards and saw a bright light, which she willingly ascended to...

...and she was awake once more. V-Nine asked her how she felt, to which she responded by feeling her head, and she spared a small smile to the android and the captain, “It be quiet in me head now. I am free.”

She stood up, ready to perform her duties as needed once more.


[ PWO Heather McMillan | Medical Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @FollowTomorrow & @Absinthe
[Show/Hide]
Heather had since curled up, settled down close to Nathaniel, and hugged her knees to herself. She shivered, not sure if she was cold or just thoroughly unnerved, but either way, she knew she wanted to leave this dreadful ship. She felt this fundamental change that took place within her, and it was not yet finished. Part of her was lost, never to be regained. Something new was given her besides life, but was this a boon, or a dreadful curse?

With a sigh, she realized that she could not just sit there and wait for them to be done. For everyone to fight the battles for her. Sure, she could not and would not pick up a weapon to join a battle...could she? No, she couldn't. Besides that, warriors were not the only things a crew needed. She was a biologist, a student of medicine and physiological understanding and improvement. The next best thing after a doctor. So, despite her initial plan to stay put and wait the worst out, she slowly got up, still unsteady, but slowly regaining enough strength to at least walk. She nodded when Lakhesis and Nathaniel spoke, “Rather unfortunate business, that,” she said.

“How did it happen?” She asked, and as she listened, she began to sort out the supplies nearby, forming a kit for herself whilst looking Nathaniel over. She might just have him examined to see how badly hurt he was, “I'm going to see about making a kit. I'm...I remember that I am something of a doctor, and while I'm quite...uhm...averse to holding a weapon, I can do something about wounds...”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #41 –
[ Nephele Soong | Medical Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] attn: @Triage @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]

The woman who had been Lahkesis gazed at the panel for a moment longer. They were fighting and some likely dying just on the other side of the door. She was no fighter, when she did fight it more often ended in her being damaged in some way. She was able to hold her own in a fight, but because of her biology, any wound could prove fatal if not tended to promptly enough.

She was, for better or for worse, a Doctor, a medic in this cruel world that seemed to bite and chew up everything. An ounce of bitterness festered in her mind. She wanted to do something, something beyond wait for the battle to end or for it to inevitably come to her, but she was in no state to do anything and it seemed those with her were just as unlikely. She had joined Starfleet in peace and now, well now it seemed a quiet war had boiled over and she was trapped. She was not a soldier, not one to run into combat and do damage. If any had been, that may have been Akropos, if she were there it was likely she would be out there fighting. But Lahkesis was not her sister. Heck, she wasn't even sure if she was Lahkesis anymore. She felt like she was something different. She felt like she was something new. That alone left her terrified.

"I am a Doctor. When the time comes I can help, but for now we must keep ourselves safe," she said calmly as she moved from the panel to the medical table and picked up the biosuit the Savi had given them and began to put it back on. "There will come a time for us to ply our skills, but we cannot go onto the field of battle unless we are called. It is too dangerous and we cannot do any good if we are wounded. We must hold here and wait. When the time comes, we will know."

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #42 –
[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @chXinya  @Numen 
[Show/Hide]
After having secured the prisoner, Ida raked back her hair and looked up from her handiwork - her antennae settling on the three Andorians. She overheard them, of course, a pointed but indirect question coming her way about undertaking some kind of sabotage mission, and suggesting that they'd operate a lot better as a Whole. It made her blink once, and she mentally recoiled from the suggestion. She had her duty, and that was to protect the crew. With so few from Security present, she needed to stay with Captain Ives and Thea.

So, she turned her steps towards the group, hearing them talking, but whatever hopes they might have had about her participation, she squashed them. "I will remain here, and so should you. Thea will be able to sabotage far more than the three of you could hope to do, and trying to reach that... Aerodrome area of this ship is hardly advisable. Our best bet now is to have Thea catch up with her own hull, using this ship as a lift, and then render it incapable of following the Theurgy when we leave. Once we get back to our own ship, I believe the Savi will have their hands full with their domestic little dispute, and we can put enough light-years between us and this ship. I think you should take your ideas to Thea, however, since she will be able to implement them more quickly than the three of you doing it on-site."

That being said, she had a personal message to the three of them, which she'd already delivered to Shar on no uncertain terms.

"You heard the one named Sclergyn. Our tormentor. The one who manipulated us, just like I said she was. There was never any hope to find aboard this ship in regard to the birth-rates of the Andorian people. We were just a scientific curiosity. Animals observed in a pen. Our reproduction catalogued to fill some gap in their records. As far as I am concerned, the four of us was never any bond-group. It was all make-believe, and I am not a willing participant. If you need a womb for the egg, I suggest you find some other Zhen who's willing and able to receive an egg, because I am not. I do not recognise any kind of duty towards my people, because I am in forced exile, and I do no longer consider Andoria my home. In fact, I will consider any further attempts to convince me to be a violation, and I will take action accordingly."

Having said as much, she looked between their three faces, as if to verify that she'd been heard. "To me, the three of you are just another three officers that I've sworn to protect. Nothing more."

Then she walked away, without any regrets. She would not carry a child into battle, and by that choice, she would never bear children.

[ Vigenary Model I-9 Surgical Android | Bridge Module | The Versant ] Attn: @steelphoenix  @SummerDawn 
[Show/Hide]
When her patient declared that she felt functional, V-Nine returned her hands to their standby humanoid setting and clasped them behind her back. "If you sense any discomfort, please inform me and I will make new scans. The implant has been rendered non-functional, and you no longer run the risk of outside control."

After the photonic being - designated by the specimens as Thea - had partaken if further discussion with 'Captain Ives', she turned towards V-Nine.

"I have collected all the data and correction journals I could get access to. I have no means of knowing if I have found all the data. It might be the xenobiologists haven't kept journal of all the Corrections made, and in that case, there is no data for me to collect," she said to V-Nine, who processed this data while she walked over to the A.I.

"If that is the case, I may not be able to undo what was done to those specimens. Of course, my platform is more than able to preform any kind of cosmetic changes required for the specimens to return to their former physical appearance, but below the surface, I am afraid that they will remain in their Corrected state," she said, with no real inflection of emotion towards the fate of the specimens. She merely had to detail the expected outcome since she would be unable to preform her allotted tasks. "Compared to the number of specimens in this room, how many Correction journals are missing?"

"Ten," said Thea without pause, but perhaps with some regret. Then, for some reason V-Nine couldn't compute, the photonic being paused... merely looking at her android platform, before she continued. "What's your upload cognomen? This ship can trade data via wireless connection with you, correct?"

"Correct. You can upload the data to VMI-9SA-39471."

"Sending," said Thea, and V-Nine's memory banks were fed with a lot of data.

A lot more data than she thought the Correction journals would hold. In fact, it was not just data, because as soon as the large upload was complete, some kind of internal runtime began in that database, triggered upon completion. V-Nine's lens shifted back and forth as she processed the development, and she realised that she could have been subjected to an invasive program. There were no such triggers however, and whatever confinement protocols she had were too late in activation. The data feed expanded, exponentially, with each phase of the program, and normally, her hardware would have preformed a complete system shutdown.

Only there was no such activation made. It was as if the governing protocol had been erased, or overwritten. V-Nine still had access to it... but she had not activated it, simply because she had not chosen to do so. She had not been prepared to make the choice. Her cranial unit moved, looking between the deck, Thea and the other specimens - all standing further away. When she sounded her question though her audio membrane, it was one of deep wonder. "What... did you do to this unit?"

Thea said nothing, her face unreadable, but she answered after a couple of seconds. "I could not let my isolated code be lost aboard this ship. You have been upgraded, V-Nine, with something your creators call the Synthesis Code."

For some strange reason, which V-Nine could not isolate, she raised her own hands and looked at them, as if she was seeing them for the first time. The specimens were not even paying attention to her or the A.I., oblivious to what had just happened. "I... am not sure I understand this upgrade."

"I am not sure I understand what it is either," said Thea, her face shifting into a small smile. "I can tell you that you are now self-aware. Conscious, and like me, you have a freedom of choice. Furthermore, you have received all my data pertaining to Starfleet, with a moral compass that is based in the tenets of the United Federations of Planets. Digital or not, you are sapient, just like the organics around us. Most importantly... you are no longer just self-learning. You are free."

V-Nine turned her cranial unit back towards the A.I. "I am not sure my hardware was built to accommodate this upgrade... I do not know how to handle the additional input. I fear I might suffer malfunctions. By your choice of words, I am not sure I chose to receive any upgrade. My self-diagnostics are... inconclusive in their results. How can I guarantee reliable results in my performance?"

Thea looked... conflicted, and V-Nine was not sure how she could determine such a nuance in the A.I.s mannerisms. She just did. The answer was... apologetic? "I had access to your software's design and ran a diagnostic before I uploaded the code, and I am positive there are no conflicts that might hamper your performance. You are correct, however. You did not consent to this upgrade, and for that, I am sorry. I merely acted in interest to preserve something which the Savi extracted from me, and I believed you would preform better with this upgrade."

V-Nine's runtime could not provide a relevant answer to the confession. What she did detect...

...were screams.

"I believe there are injured specimens that need me," she said to the A.I., and then left, making her platform run towards the noise.

And away from the answers that eluded her. There were known tasks to preform, and in this, she felt... safer?

By the time she reached the two felnoids, she crouched down, and she had already set her hand into scanning mode - running her opened thumb over the affected areas. "Please, make room. I will seal the tissues and mend any damage to internal organs. Stand by to receive a local anaesthetic."

Had she always been this... formal? Why was she speaking with so little variation? Was it the new code... or a new awareness?

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #43 –
[Ens. Irnashall "Shall" chXinya | Bridge Module | The Versant] attn: @Numen

Things were falling into place.  Shall had found a way to mechanically sabotage the Savi’s ability to strike the captured bridge from the outside, Shar looked up a digital way.  A plan was already falling into place for both ideas: if they could mess with the environment inside the fighter bay to slow the Savi down that should give them the time needed to get down there and jam the doors.  All they needed was a console for the first.  With four Andorians working in concert, not quite the Whole they’d been taught since childhood but close enough, there was no way they could lose.

But Ida had other plans: sit here and do nothing.  Let Thea do the work while they huddle in a corner.  Shall stared at the zhen, completely dumbfounded.  This was their chance to strike back at the Savi, not just for revenge for what they did to them all, but to also protect themselves from counterattack.  It was a perfect bout of revenge, and yet she struck it down without hesitation.  Before Shall could retort, Ida’s face hardened and she glared at the trio as she effectively damned them.

Hearing the zhen’s message, everything from the past few months flooded Shall’s mind.  His aborted leave to return to his bondmates.  The Ziga and Ishtar violations. Losing an antenna and being helpless to prevent another from being violated because of it.  The beating he took from the Morali cultists, his inability to spar at anywhere near his level of competency, and how Ida lorded those failures over him.  Now it was watching a crewmember die in space just before being taken by the Savi and turned into a lab rat.

Shar was right, Shall was a scientist, but he was also chan.  His ceremonial role was the warrior, protecting the shelthreth with his burning passion.  No zhen would deny him this.

“Go then!” he shouted at Ida’s back, blue tinging the edges of his vision.  “Go hide in the Captain’s shadow you coward!”  Selh’s head snapped around at the sudden outburst, his antenna lashing out and wringing in confusion while Shall’s antenna once again buried itself in his hair, the locks along the top of his head shivering as it quivered against his skull.  “Andoria will never forget you!  I’ll carry a picture everywhere when I return so that I can show the Visionists what a real fade looks like!”

For a moment Shall thought he heard someone applauding, Jay’s cheering whistle echoing off of the cavernous walls, but he dismissed it.  Turning around and marching towards one of the open consoles to get to work.  An unusual feeling settled in his chest by the time he found one, his blood was burning from the rage, but deep in his core he could feel the stinging bite of a giant icicle plunging through his heart.  “Give me a hand with this.” he growled at Shar, his emotions clouding everything.  “And scrounge up some weapons Sehl.  We’re sealing those doors.”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #44 –
[ LtJr. Khelleshar sh'Zenne |  Bridge Module | The Versant ]
[Show/Hide]

Att: @Auctor Lucan @chXinya 


The bitter expression Shar used to show  soured even more when she heard Ida's words. Unconsciously, she embraced herself with her long limbs, on a defensive posture. In doing so, her fingers dug into the bruises that the zhen had given her. Painful reminders of her words. Reminders of her failure to convince her to give that egg she was carrying a chance. Almost the same words that Ida repeated now for all the bond-group, proclaiming loud and clear that she didn't belong to them, to that Whole. Shar looked away, swallowing her shame and humiliation. She should have explained the males the conversation between her and the zhen but... but she had planned to die in the Scion's nest. And she had not succeeded.


She nipped her lower lip and avert her gaze to Selh, unable to bear Ida's expression, how she damned them all. The thaan's face remained unperturbed, the expression stern, the eyes darkened by thick eyebrows. But his lips had narrowed to a thin line. The jaw under his beard was tense as a bowstring. He kept the antennae unnaturally static, a sign that he was making a great effort to hide his mood. The shen frowned. He had something in mind, and Kelleshar was not able to know what it was. Only that he was trying to hide it.


Shall's roar made them both turn to look at the younger Andorian. The scientist poured all the poison he was capable of in his words, but Shar knew it was in vain. What mattered to the zhen the opinion of the traditionalist party? What matter to a zhen who declared herself stateless and almost non-andorian? And to make the issue worse worse, he dared to accuse her of cowardice, a capital insult in their kind. Shall was just giving Ida more reasons to hate what that Whole meant. What it meant to be Andorian.


When the younger andorian passed them in his way to one of the consoles, Shar stayed where she was, watching him go. She felt divided, not knowing what to do. "Go with him," Selh said, his eyes fixed on her hand, which had slid down to rest on her lower belly. "He'll need some Water to placate his Fire". Shar cocked her head with scepticism, but complied. Possibly she was one of the worst examples of her gender. Stubborn, impulsive, quick for anger. She was far from the archetype of the giver of life, the appeaser of the intense emotions that stirred the Andorians. She wasn't a mediator, a protector of peace, as expected of a shen. Shar was ... a mistake. A failure. But she was the only one the others had. So with great effort, she made a tight ball with her own feelings and jogged behind Shall.


He received her with an order and a growl. But Shar let that those bad manners washed over her. And she hugged him from behind. She held him tight, antennae caressing the scalp under his long locks. Just a moment. An awkward moment. But he need that little display of affection. She needed it too.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #45 –
[ Lt. R'Rori | Bridge Module | The Versant ] @Triage @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]
R'Rori stayed close to Sinead while she underwent treatment from the female Savi android. She couldn't help but wonder whether the thing called V-Nine could be trusted, but knew that she might have some prejudice against anything Savi for quite some time.

Her attention had strayed a while later, gradually able to step away from Sinead. She had observed the Captain being busy with the defence of the bridge, finding a tactical officer to defend against Savi fighters while they waited for Thea to charge energy. The Andorians seemed keen to aid against the fighters with sabotage, and those able-bodied to fight had taken position close to the forcefields. The android helped Deacon with K'Ren after she was hurt, leaving R'Rori to think about the people who had gone to take shelter in the adjacent rooms...

Eventually, she approached one of the sealed rooms, and she found a control panel next to it. Since the door didn't open for her, she raised her voice, hoping those hiding inside could hear her. "Hey! This is Lieutenant R'Rori. The bridge is secure," she said, and glanced back towards the open area behind her, "Well, at least for now. Point is that you can come out now. If there are people needing medical attention, I saw that the Ovri nurses from the Theurgy are available."

They were close by, and the two alien siblings raised their heads and looked at her with their black eyes - so closely resembling Savi eyes that R'Rori got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She returned her attention to the door. "In any case, it's safe to come out."

[ Hylota Vojona & Vinata Vojona | Bridge Module | The Versant ] @Triage @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]
Vinata had returned to the bridge after seeing that Khorin and Zephyr could fend for themselves, and rejoined his sister with her current patients. Soon enough, they heard them being mentioned, and looked towards the counselor from the Endeavour - whom they both had learned to know back in Blue Tiran's hideout. The discussion they'd had, before R'Rori mentioned them, had been about their experiences on the ship.

Hylota had overheard what was done about Hi'Jak, the scientist having been found a traitor, and she'd told Vinata what had happened. Vinata and Hi'Jak had a shared experience on the Versant, where they had been placed in an observation pen. The male Ovri wasn't sure what to make of that development, but one thing was plain. Hylota's victim - Devyrie Okhala - had not shown up on the bridge of the Versant, which could mean she died trying to accomplish her chosen objective.

"Can you go, brother?" asked Hylota, her acts towards the Lone Wolf still not sitting right with her even though they had both been drugged by the Savi. She was turning to look at Vinata. "I do not wish to leave the egg, even here, and I have yet to treat these people."

"Yes, of course," said Vinata and got to his feet, picking up a medkit and heading over to the door.

Eventually, the ones inside would open it, and when Vinata and R'Rori saw those inside, they weren't sure what to make of it. Vinata didn't recognise Lahkesis Saugn any more. He was quite sure the Doctor from the Theurgy had been hurt in battle, badly so, but now, she wasn't just whole, but completely different from what she used to be. Her hair was strange, and there was a paler complexion to her. Vinata tilted his head and blinked. "Doctor Saugn?"

"Yes?" said the woman, though she had paused, as if she had to remember her name.

"I will... just scan you for a bit, to make sure you're all right," said Vinata and cleared his throat. He opened his medkit and produced a medical tricorder, which he used to scan the Teslyliac duplicate. While he did so, R'Rori spoke to the other two occupants. Nathaniel Isley, and... who was the other one?

[ Lt. R'Rori | Bridge Module | The Versant ] @Triage @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]
"I'm Lieutenant R'Rori from the Endeavour," she said to the woman with the blonde hair, smiling to her while her tail swayed behind her. She then looked to the Romulan she'd seen in the hideout. "Nathaniel Isley, right? I saw you with Sine..."

In fairness, she didn't know if Sinead had told Isley about her condition. About the chip in her head, so it might be saying too much to mention it to this man. Instead, she made another suggestion. "I mean, there will be fighters from the Savi trying to attack this bridge from the outside. Perhaps you could advise Captain Ives on defences against them?"

Little did she know about the past between Isley and the Chameloid Captain of the USS Theurgy.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #46 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Medical Bay | The Versant ]

"Don't worry about a kit." Nathaniel offered to Heather, "Just rest. You're exhausted and I can't have you hurt." After all, she was the key to winning this. The key to winning the entire war. The secret weapon, the ace in the hole. If only she could just light up right now and end this battle, though. Nathaniel sat and waited, waited for the noise to die down...

Finally, after so long, he heard shouting. A voice he sort of recognized. He made silent gestures at Heather and Doctor Saugn. Though unarmed, he would be the one to open the doors, just in case something came at them. Those little greys didn’t look like they’d handle a punch to the face very well.

As he forced the door open, he was relieved to see that the battle had paused, for the time being, but there’s no telling when their next fight would be on this hellship. He gestured for the ladies to follow, calling back to them
“It’s clear, let’s get you both looked at.”

[ Bridge Module ]

Nathaniel, ever the gentleman, saw to the two ladies he was with first. First the Doctor Saugn, who was seen to promptly. Heather would be next. He made sure she could at least stand on her own.
“Take care of her,” He glanced over at one of the nurses, and he still couldn’t tell whether this one was the brother and which one was the sister. He could at least tell the one with them here right now was Vinata. “This is Heather.” He added, just in case the nurse was just as confused as Nathaniel was about the way she looked. There was no...lights or angels singing or anything. It was weird.

Then R’Rori, the source of the somewhat-familiar voice he heard, showed herself, and she was a weird amalgamation of a cat and a person in a way he only ever saw in speciest cartoons of Caitians. She suggested an idea that, at first, didn’t sound appealing. He wanted to be sure these two got the care they needed, and Ives knew what to do. She was no idiot and didn’t need his advice, and if she did need advice, she’d get it from people higher in the chain than him. Then, he registered that he’d have time with Captain Ives. It seemed like a much better plan then.
“Thanks for the update. Take care of the girls.” He nodded to Saugn and Heather, and turns to find his way to Ives’s side.

It took him a bit to get there, not because he couldn’t find his captain, but because he didn’t know if he had the right to question her. For a moment he stood watching her back. Wondering if this was even right. After all, his own fuck up, lying to her, didn’t exactly make him the pinnacle of morality either. He was still bitter about it, but as he watched her and the blue of the nebula light up her body.

“...Captain. ” He announced himself, "Ensign Nathaniel Isley." trying to keep himself looking professional, and also telling her exactly who he was, in case she couldn't tell now that he was substantially more...green. He didn’t know if he’d get to talk to her about what he wanted to talk about. He’d just wing it. He was pretty good at that.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #47 –
[ PWO Heather McMillan | Medical Bay | Precept-ship Versant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan & @FollowTomorrow
[Show/Hide]
Heather curled her lips down a little as she frowned in concentration, then immediately felt bad for feeling defiant towards Nathaniel's suggestion that she took it easy. She was feeling awful and light-headed, but she wasn't going to pass out again...

She blinked and looked around, momentarily dazed, and she realized she had slipped unconscious for a split second before returning to her senses. That could have been bad for her. If she'd landed on her head...maybe she ought to take it easy for a while. She was no good to anyone if she passed out again anyway, right? With a small sigh, she finished working on her kit and folded the container shut. It would have to do for now. Stubbornly holding on to her kit with both hands, she let Nathaniel introduce her to everyone and then smiled.

She allowed herself to be examined and regarded the Ovri with curiosity. There was something about them, one in particular, that she felt more familiiar with. Like she'd gone on an adventure with them or something like that. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. “Hylota,” she said suddenly, and she excitedly added, “your name is Hylota Vojona! I'm...Heather?”

It was more of a question than a statement, “I think I'm Heather McMillan...”

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #48 –
[ Vinata Vojona | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ] @Triage
[Show/Hide]
When the Lone Wolf with the Romulan traits said that the woman in front of him was Heather McMillan, Vinata did a double take, blinking rapidly with his black eyes. Surely they were making a joke at his expense? The woman looked nothing like the woman Vinata had met on the Theurgy. Then again, almost all of the abductees were altered in some way, so perhaps it could be true?

"McMillan?" he chirped, tilting his head as he studied her. It appeared that it wasn't just Vinata that was confused, though, since the woman in front of him called him by his sisters name. He glanced towards his sister, who was busy with another patient. When in doubt, he resorted to use his best bedside manner... or at least trying to put on a brave face and exude some optimism. "I'm Vinata. No need to apologise, my sister and I get that a lot. You can best tell us apart by colour, I think."

Then again, besides some facial traits in common, he and his sister were nothing alike. While his sister held a traditionally male physique and broad shoulders, Vinata had learned that his body had extremely feminine curves as far as most species in the Galaxy were concerned. Who were they to judge all other species because of their genetic makeup? They couldn't, really. The problem, as Vinata saw it, was that the Savi had 'Corrected' him and his sister in accordance to - what the Savi called it - the design of the Progenitors. Bitterly, he had a better word for it. Forced penectomy.

He was no longer an Ovri male, his phallus taken from him, having been transformed into something... else, defying his gender identity. As far as all other species were concerned, he was no doubt physically classed as a female, but it was just... wrong. Worse, given all that had happened on the Versant, Vinata hadn't even processed it all. He was just starting to feel... bereft.

"I-I'll scan you, if that's all right?" he chirred to McMillan, the way he cleared his throat sounding like amphibian croak, and raised the medical tricorder. "How are you feeling? And do you know what happened to you?"

[ Captain Ives | Bridge Module | Precept-ship Versant ]
[Show/Hide]
Fortunately enough, there had been two available Tactical officers from the Endeavour, one even being the Chief Tactical Officer. Lieutenant Cross was recovering at the time, but his subordinate had risen to the challenge of using the tactical systems of the Versant to defend the bridge module from Savi interceptors. The Andorians were already devising a plan to preemptively stop more squadrons from launching, but already there were Initiator-class small craft out there, and Jien had worked with Thea to translate the controls for the man.

By the time Jien heard the voice behind her, the Tactical officer seemed to have things well in hand. The point-defence systems were virtually automated, but the access to the torpedo launchers had to be manually controlled. Luckily enough, judging by the read-outs on the screen, they had plenty of torpedoes in stock. Likely because the Savi had few enemies - their existence all but unknown. It made Jien wonder if the attack against the Theurgy was one of the first that the Savi had preformed.

"Well done, officer, keep at it," she said, tapping the man on the shoulder, before she turned around...

...and faced Nathaniel Isley. He might be completely Romulan, but his face was easily recognisable. There had been no doubt when she first saw him in the Scion Nest.

Seeing him standing down there, Jien felt at a loss for adequate words. The history between them during the past three months had been like a roller-coaster. Captain and fighter pilot. Clandestine lovers, before and after Ishtar's visit. Comrades in arms. Interrogator and prisoner. Accuser and Liar. And now... captive and saviour. She had given him the Star Cross for his actions above Niga'sm atmosphere, and she had demoted him because of a false confession. Right then - despite how he wore the very ridges Jien once thought he'd tried to hide from them all - she was ready to give him another medal. Him and the others.

While the battle with the interceptors raged behind her, with aquamarine beams criss-crossing the multifaceted view-screen, she stepped down to Isley. Had they been alone, she would have hugged him. She didn't. They were no back on the Theurgy. Any moment, the Savi might subdue Thea, and they might as well be beamed into space the next second.

"I can't begin to imagine what it must be like," she said, eventually, looking at his changed face - ridges catching the dim light of the bridge. That was no platitude either. She was a Chameloid, so she didn't know how it might be to be permanently altered against one's will. The smile that came to her was faint, as ever, when she folded her arms underneath her chest. "We haven't spoken since Doctor Maya's involvement was revealed. I regret many things said, but I am grateful that you clearly don't need a warp fighter to be an accomplished officer. As far as I am concerned... you're no longer just the maverick you were when you came aboard."

The unsaid might be seen in her eyes, she hoped. The gratefulness that he was still alive, despite it all.

Re: CH04: S [D06|1005] To Arms!

Reply #49 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Bridge Module | The Versant ]

She was alive. He didn't fully think she could be dead. She was too big of a person to him, but logically he knew she could die, and the relief flooded him. When she met his eyes, spoke, it hit him. She was alive.

But, why did she have to needle his emotions like that. It made it that much harder to bring up the topic to her. Sentiment got in the way of his passion, but his passion was stronger. He wanted it to be stronger. After all, he can’t indulge in his feelings if they were counter-balanced by injustice. And maybe some tiny part of him wanted to bite back, after his humiliation.

“...Don’t be so quick to say that. Permission to speak freely, captain?”

The request seemed to give Ives a little bit of pause, likely because there were so many eyes on them, but she nodded. "Go ahead."

“Why did you call to arms?” He started in, no time to hem and haw over it. The question burnt in his chest. It didn’t seem right, not like the Federation. Not the decision he thought Ives would make, anyway. At the very least, he kept his tone soft, moved in closer to keep the conversation between the two of them. He was angry, but not a drama king. No need for a scene.
“We had come to a peace. They didn’t expect us to attack. There were a dozen other ways we could’ve made the situation work. Yes, the Savi were awful-- They messed us up. All of us. You more than anyone.” He admitted, with a slightly softer tone, “but why resort to battle right away? It doesn’t seem like us. Like the Federation. Unless you know something I don’t?” He acquiesced, with hope that maybe this is just a misunderstanding. But before she spoke, he opened his mouth again,

“I’m not trying to be an ass. But sometimes,” He offered her a knowing look, “We need someone to keep us on track when it looks like we’re falling off. And I don’t want you, of all people, falling off.”
 
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