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CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

[ Holographic Martok (MCWO Larant in disguise) | Slum Alley | Old Quarter | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Sera couldn't have picked a better location to crash the Sabine. The sarcasm of the thought failed to register on the holographic face Larrant now wore. His idea to pose as Martok was a calculated strategy. Larrant had run the calculus of probabilities. The greatest chance of improving Martok and the Captain's mission to the High Council building would be by luring any suspecting assassins away from the real Chancellor. Larrant only hoped that he could successfully imitate the Chancellor's mannerism.

The Medusan POD, home to Larrant while interacting with corporeal beings, continuously recorded its' surroundings. Larrant would be able to replicate any of Martok's observable actions and replay any of his previous speeches. But that was the extent of his acting capabilities. Any serious assassin familiar with the Chancellor or novice with a scanner would see through the disguise.  But Larrant knew that most Klingons shot first and scanned the corpses later.

The Medusan disguised Klingon cautiously stepped from the crashed Sabine. Sera had managed to maneuver the ship between two upper-level streets and threaded it between two ancient buildings in the lower sections of an Old Quarter slum. It was the undercity, the place where the flames of the Klingon city's furnaces were flamed. It was here that the lower rungs of Klingon society resided, the servants, the non-warriors, those scrounging for honor and glory.

Larrant turned to look back on the damaged Sabine. It was salvageable but its condition aided it in its camouflage in this place. Everything was steaming piles of refuse and recycling. The Old Quarter underground was a hodgepodge of industrialized urban blight by Federation standards. Larrant spotted the quickest way to the cleaner surface streets. He knew that would be the route the real Chancellor needed to take. The sensors in his pod began to alert him of the approaching of patrol vessels, most likely filled with Klingon First City Guard. He needed to draw them away from the Chancellor and the Sabine. With the political situation as it was there was no way of knowing who one could or could not trust.

A young Klingon boy suddenly bumped into Larrant's holographic form. "Hey, watch where you are goi......" The boy began to exclaim and then jaw agape, "you you're you're.... sorry Chancellor." With that, the boy ran off toward a Klingon bodega where a group had started to gather searching for the impact site of the Sabine. Larrant pulled up his POD's listing of Martok audio recordings and quick edited clips of the many public files available.

"There is no greater enemy than one's own fears. Fear not my friends. This is a moment worth savoring. As I predicted the day is ours! To victory. Hard fought and well-earned." Larrant had reviewed the Chancellor's file, knew that he came from a low birth, like many living in this part of the city. He was the people's Chancellor after all.

After an awkward period of silence, a chant began to emanate from the crowd. "Martok..... Martok..... Martok....." The crowd engulfed Larrant and began moving him forward through the lower streets toward the Great Hall. Larrant hoped that this distraction would serve two purposes. One, clear a path for the real Chancellor, and two, draw the attention of any assassins that may be attempting to prevent him from reaching the Great Hall.

He did not have to wait long. After a few blocks, the first disrupter shots interrupted the crowd's chants, turning them into screams of pain, vengeance, and battle. Larrant abhorred violence and was beginning to regret this decision. The loyal followers of Martok continued to position themselves as shields protecting the fake Chancellor. Larrant wanted to reveal his true self if only to protect these innocent Klingons, but he knew he couldn't do that until confident he could no longer protect the real Chancellor, not to mention his captain.
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
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Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #1 –
[Lt. jg. Jonas Arisaka | Bridge |Deck 01| Vector 01| USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Tae @RyeTanker
The image of the Klingon K'Tal had just vanished from the main viewscreen. The Head of Imperial Intelligence had notified the acting captain of the Starfleet vessel orbiting Qo'noS that the craft carrying its captain and the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire was shot down on approach to the First City. He had forcefully informed the commanding officer of the Theurgy that the survival of the Sabine crew could not be assured. The situation among the High Council prevented him from acting directly. Those loyal to House Mo'Kai were embedded deep within all facets of Klingon society. He informed them that he had dispatched a recovering team to investigate the crash and recover any survivors, but he could not vouch for the loyalties of those assigned to that team.

A few exchanges were made by the bridge crew and a decision made. With a tap of a few LCARS buttons, Lt. Arisaka sent an order for the assembly of a rapid response hazard team. He had been pushing for such a team from the beginning of Theurgy's mission, now he would get to assemble one.

Thea had taken but a nanosecond to provide Arisaka the list of active-duty officers not already assigned to repair the ship and tending to the current situation taking place in orbit of Qo'noS. The standard rapid response team consisted of a platoon of three to four squads of highly trained specialists. Theurgy did not have such a pre-existing team, therefore, Arisaka had to assemble one from scratch.

THEURGY RAPID RESPONSE HAZARD TEAM SEARCH
ALPHA SQUAD ASSEMBLY
RRHT - CO / Scout ------------ Lt. jg. Jonas Arisaka
RRHT - XO / Field Medic ------ Lt. jg. Xamot Zark zh'Ptrell
RRHT - Scout/Sniper ---------- CPO Amlas Keyah
RRHT - Demolitionist --------- PO1 Jean-Paul Rivard
RRHT - Technician / Pilot ----- CPO Victor van Vinter
RRHT - Weapons Specialist  -- CPO Douglas Marcaida

Tapping his combadge, Arisaka notified his selected team, "Priority One Alert. Report for combat duty to the lower shuttlebay immediately and board the Tesla." With a few more commands on his tactical terminal, Arisaka notified the shuttle ops team to prepare the Tesla and equip it for ground combat and rescue. This would include equipping the modified four-seat, two-turret Tesla LMUV, as well as loading Exo-suits, weapons, medical and engineering supplies. The Tesla's shuttle specs were not labeled as a military dropship but as a Heavy Cargo Transport, it was the closest thing they had.

With that, Arisaka turned and exited the bridge and headed to meet his team.
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
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Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #2 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Lower Shuttlebay| Deck 21| Vector 03| USS Theurgy | Attn: @jreeves1701 @RyeTanker @Auctor Lucan


1745:Deck 16: Fighter Bay Operations: Deck Crew mess/Lounge

Victor was getting a meal, realizing that he hadn't managed to eat something in well, the last six months. Being in stasis would do that to someone, though he was hungry enough to get a light meal at least.  So Victor was in the Deck Crew mess eating some hasperat when the call came over his combadge and the need to get to the lower shuttle bay. But he did the only thing that he could do, the NCO taps his combadge and makes his way out of the Fighter Bay to head to the shuttle bay for an away mission.  "Orders acknowledged, on my way, Sir." And so Victor departed the bay, giving a wave to Ensign Herrold on his way out, giving a shrug. Victor had been tasked with orders and was sure that Thea would relay the orders to his direct Report, Thea being quick and efficient like that.  Making his way into the Turbolift while shoving the rest of his interrupted meal into his face, he taps in the manual orders for 'Deck 21, Shuttle bay.' He wouldn't have long, so he'd go over an inventory of what was needed.

1747: Deck 21: Lower Shuttlebay

Of what the Lieutenant had listed in the orders he saw on his PADD for, engineering supplies would be his responsibilities, and if he was required, it was because they needed a mechanic and maybe a pilot. Not knowing what the situation was precisely for, so he finally takes a detailed look at his PADD while shoving the rest of his meal into his mouth.

And there it was, he was assigned as a Technician and Pilot, this was undoubtedly an exciting day for him, and he hoped that he could be a part of it. Thankfully the Turbolift was indeed turbo, so he stepped out into the corridor and jogged the rest of the way into the shuttle bay. Spotting the Tesla right where it should be, Victor continues his jog over to an industrial replicator and enters in some commands for precisely what he wanted for this mission; a portable field maintenance kit for Starfleet fighters. One that wouldn't be coming from the FBO so that the kit would be classified as 'expendable' at least to him and Ensign Herrold. Taking the new toolkit from the replicator, Victor worries about stowing it on the Tesla, in the embarked buggy that the vehicle had. He wanted to make sure that 'his' tools were stored correctly. That was, even if the whole shuttle was his responsibility, or would be soon enough.

Most of the other team were faces that he didn't recognize very well; if they weren't TAC CONN or FBO he didn't exactly know them from his time, not in stasis from before. So after he got 'his' duties taken care of, Victor stands by the boarding ramp of the Tesla, and nods politely to the rest of the team. "Thank you all for choosing to fly Tesla spaceways this evening. I'm Chief vanVinter, I'll be your pilot for this mission. While I can make no promises that this should be an easy ride, it should be a quick in and out. However, we are expecting a fifty percent chance of thunderstorms once we hit atmo, and an even greater chance of Klingons at ground level. Please keep your hands, feet, and other appendages inside the craft at all times. Although we regret to inform you that there will be no inflight meal or entertainment. Other than myself, and overall the ride on the Tesla should hopefully not be a shocking experience." His delivery had been jovial and sarcastic in a way reminiscent of old-style air travel on so many worlds and even with current transport services. With that Victor smirks cheerily, praying that someone will groan over his pun, and stays by the entry ramp to greet the team he'd be transporting, taking care to meet everyone in their eye. He wanted to remember these people that he was taking care of today, hoping that all six embarking would be debarking later. The humor was his way of defusing a tense situation, and he knew it was going to be a shitshow if the entire team, minus himself, were wearing exosuits for this.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #3 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | USS Allegiant | Cargo 2]

@jreeves1701 @Tae

1710 Hours to mission launch

Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell let out a sigh of relief as she examined her exosuit in it's cargo container. Her usual smile and bright aware eyes were uncommonly unfocused and she wearing a poker face.  She was tired after being shot up, repaired, and having gone on a hasty rescue mission only to come back empty handed.  Her mind played over the whole mission but seemed to slow at a bright light and searing pain.  Her hand unconciously moved to her abdomen and she facce twisted in a grimace and her breath picked up though the sensation was more of a phantom in her mind.  She closed her eyes and shook her head to get the memory out and it subsided as she turned her head back to the viewscreen in the cargo bay.  She'd come here to examine, run down the fault her exosuit, and get ready for whatever came next.  She'd accessed the Allegiant's exterior pickups to see what the situation with Theurgy was and the carnage was apalling.  The newly repaired ship was scorched again and there was wreckage of various Klingon craft floating around.  She anticipated she'd be needed either doing search and rescue in the Klingon ships or in Theurgy herself.  As much as she'd like to just place the suit in a charging station to restore the power reserves, she left the suit running and punched a combination onto the arm mounted LCARS pad. The suit shut down and the power cell popped out.  It was in rough shape after after the mission to Breen, maybe 50% charge, so she grabbed the spare cell from a pouch on the suit and swapped it out. She'd have to grab a new one before heading out again.  It didn't look like she'd be getting any sleep yet.  She'd have to settle for medical stimulants.

"All hands, this is the bridge." The disembodied voice of Lt. Commander Stark's came out over the intercom. "We are going to execute a rather risky manoeuvre to propel our vessel toward Qo'noS, in an effort to arrive in time to assist Captain Ives and Chancellor Martok. Set status, yellow alert. Sound general quarters. Batten down anything loose and hold on tight."

Zark barely had time to get the container closed and the mag lock engaged before the whatever hurtled the ship caused her to lose her footing and send her into the opposite wall.  Clearly the inertial dampening field wasn't ready for whatver had hit them.  Luckily she'd managed to get her arms up in time, still the impact was hard enough elicit a grunt of pain.  That's going to bruise. she thought to herself.  The computer's voice then sounded.  "Attention all hands, arriving in Qo'noS space in 25 minutes, complete all necessary repairs and prepare for arrival.  We are at yellow alert at this time."

The Andorian's eyes widened fractionally and a grin split her face. Shelat! More Klingons, the ship's might get boarded. I'll need to suit up.  With a sigh, she made her way over to the case and opened it again.  First grabbing a pain killer, anti-inflammatory, and a combat stim from various pouches, she quickly injected herself before going after her armour as quickly as possible.  She took several more minutes putting her armour back on, a little more gingerly around the arms since the pain killer was still kicking in before inventorying what medical items she'd likely need.  Lots of pain killers and spray suture for sure.  Lt. Zark quickly identified the crate that held some of the supplies she'd packed previously and ransacked it for more supplies before strapping the medical kit she'd taken to Breen and the field stretcher to her back and activating the mag locks, Zark left cargo bay for the armoury to grab her phaser rifle, pistol, and a the grenades she'd just put back.  A different disembodied voice came through the comms again, male this time.   "Priority One Alert. Report for combat duty to the lower shuttlebay immediately and board the Tesla."

The Andorian combat medic stopped for a moment in utter confusion, pausing as she was stuffing a spare energy cell in a pouch.  What the Shelat??! "Thea, what's the situation for that call?".  The computer's voice was back. "Lt. Jonas Arisaka has been placed in charge of a combat search and rescue team.  The objective is to ascertain the condition of the Sabine and rescue any survivors.  You have been designated the medic for the mission." A shapely eyebrow rose in intrigue.  Interesting!

Stepping onto the transporter pad.  The Andorian thought furiously for a second.  "Thea, search the cargo bays for two more spare field medical kits, a case of field stasis generators, a half dozen collapsible stretchers, a portable shield generator, a case to carry all that, and a grav palette.  Beam it all to the shuttle.  Give me a site to site transport to the shuttle."  The ship's computer beeped in acknowledgement.  As she thought for one more moment before tapping her combadge. "Zark to anyone on Allegiant, I've been called away for a mission to Qo'noS, good luck and see you on the flip side. Thea, energize." 

The computer beeped again and a familiar shimmer engulfed Lt.Zark and disappeared as she found herself in a scene of organized chaos.  She didn't recognize anyone, but she saw her cargo container with a the medical symbol on it floating on the grav palette.  Nodding to the various members of her new team, she quickly stepped by them to open the case and check it's contents. Wow, good job Thea, all here. she thought to herself as she pursed her lips in a silent whistle.

A Bajoran looking man was welcoming everyone on board and she paused as the sight of all the prosthesis and damage he'd clearly suffered at some point in his life.  Mentally shaking her head, she began pushing the palette into the cargo shuttle as she activated the suit speakers. "I'm sure we'll all have a chance to get to know each other when we take off.  I'm your medic.  You can call me Zark. My full name's more of a mouthful."   With that Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell quickly made her way into the shuttle's cargo bay and upon seeing the buggy, immediately made for the cargo compartments to begin loading her medical supplies.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #4 –
[ Kudesh, Son of Otruk | Slum Alley | Old Quarter | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Tae @Griff @RyeTanker

The Klingon was being pulled in two directions between the real Martok and the replica created by the Federation box. He had studied the thing that now sported the appearance of his Chancellor while on the Sabine. It appeared to be a containment pod for a gaseous alien entity, a Medusan. He tried hard during that time not to glare at the box, studying it, fearing that it was somehow a bomb planted by one of the Empire's many foes. Kudesh did not like not knowing everything there was to know about this Larrant as the box had been identified as. And now he was ordered to abandon his duty to protect his Chancellor and to follow and protect this imposter.

Perhaps it was Kudesh's reluctance to abandon the side of the real Martok until he was out of sight that caused him to let the fake Markok to slip past his guard.

"ghuy'" exclaimed the Klingon as he ran in the direction that the Martok imposter was heading.


[ Holographic Martok (MCWO Larant in disguise) | Lower Streets | Old Quarter | First City | Qo'noS ]

On second Larrant was surrounded by citizens of the First City, all chanting the name of the Chancellor whose face his pod now projected. He did not understand the emotion the crowd exhibited. Such feelings toward another individual were foreign to the Medusans. Larrant hesitated in his responses and perhaps that is why he didn't register the hatred coming from one of the citizens, hatred toward the man whose face he wore nor the following attack.

Despite the confusion the cheering group caused Larrant, the sensation caused by a knife blade penetrating the holographic matrix created by his containment pod snapped his mind into focus. Had he been the real Martok the blade would have severed his spinal cord causing instant paralysis and possibly death.

"QI'yaH! It's another Changling imposter!" cried a lone Klingon as he slowly backed away from the crowd. The explanation caused the remaining Klingons to see the qhonDoq sticking protruding from the back of the Martok hologram.

"He does not bleed!" screamed one of the citizens as they all pulled their own weapons. Klingons were always armed in some fashion and ready to fight. How swiftly this crowd had turned from loving followers to angry mob. It all left Larrant more confused. Then the energy weapons began firing, not from the crowd surrounding Larrant, but from the massive thoroughfares from above. No one was safe, as the target was anything moving, be it Larrant or the Klingon citizens of the First City.

Using the situation to cover his departure, the initial assassin turned and bolted away from the scene only to turn a corner and slam into the very solid chest of Kudesh who had finally caught up with Larrant. If their mission was to draw attention away from the real Martok, it was a resounding success. House Mo'Kai assassins had been drawn to the fake Martok and the growing crowd and they had pounced, not only at an opportunity to kill the Chancellor but also those most loyal to him, the Klingon lower classes. The First City Guard would be responding to the conflict in the street, but where would their loyalty be? Would they be as divided as the rest of the Empire?


[Lt. jg. Jonas Arisaka | Lower Shuttlebay |Deck 21| Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

Leiutenant Arisaka walked toward the Type-17, Argus-class shuttlecraft Tesla. It was his hope that this craft would soon become a staple in the future Hazard team arsenal. As a heavy cargo shuttle, it easily checked off all the boxes for a rapid response drop ship and transport. His team was assembling, all the essential cargo was being loaded. The MUV buggy was recently modified to seat four and was waiting to be driven aboard when Arisaka cleared his throat announcing his presence.

"Team!" oh how he loved the sound of that. "Team, I hope this will be the first of many missions that we will be assembled to complete. Since the very beginning of our journey as outlaws fighting for the very survival of not only the Federation, nor for even the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, but for the entire Galaxy; I have envisioned a team like this. An elite force of tactical officers, medics, marksmen, and pilots utilized to take control of extreme situations and high-risk away team missions. The Lone Wolfs serves Theurgy in the vacuum of space, but who will serve Theurgy planetside? Arisaka thought about the ground forces of the Dominion War, the dedicated and depleted soldiers of Starfleet's Marine division, the modern-day MACOS. Theurgy lacked such a group. "I have assembled this Hazard Team to step up when the mission at hand is too risky for the average officer. Your records are testament enough to your skill and abilities to achieve success whatever the cost. The captain is in danger, there are hostiles on the ground. This is a search and rescue and possible extraction mission. I need your best. The Chancellor needs your best. The Captain needs your best. Do I have it?"


OOC: @Griff this would be a good point for you to jump in. Arisaka just gave a rousing pep talk in the middle of the shuttlebay. Fairly sure Lillee would be insulted that she was not selected as one of the best to join this team. In fact possibly even see Arisaka's speech as an insult calling her average. Your call, play it like you want. TAG YOUR IT.

CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
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Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #5 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Lower Shuttlebay | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @jreeves1701, @RyeTanker, @Tae

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After the frantic fight to protect Martok's grandson, Lillee went to the packed Sickbay to get patched up, . The medic kindly pried her fingers off the honour-blade's hilt before working on her cuts and bruises, then gave Lillee a couple of hyposprays that almost instantly cured the concussion and lingering shock. However the Theurgy was still at yellow alert, and the mission wasn't done; everyone was needed back at their posts, injured or not. He therefore told Lillee that she was fit for duty, and moved on to the next patient without another word.

The last thing Lillee wanted to do was get back to work. Really, she just wanted to find her bunk, crawl into it and stay there for a solid twelve hours. Nevertheless she gamely replicated a new uniform and got dressed in a curtained part of Sickbay, noting that Drauc had done his usual vanishing act while she was being treated. By the time Lillee returned to the shuttlebay, she looked like a mess; her long blonde hair was wild, she was clearly in need of a shower, and the uniform clung to her body as the sweat dried. From Lillee's slightly heavy walk, it was clear that she had been through some things.

The Romulan pilot entered the shuttlebay, half expecting the fighting to still be ongoing despite the Klingons having all beamed away, and was relieved to see that everything was back to normal. Well, mostly normal. The Klingon bodies had been collected, but the place was still a mess after the hard fighting, the deckhands working hard. A sizeable hole was still present in the flight deck, a Type-9 shuttle having fallen into the lower hangar deck, and Lillee winced at the memory. That had been...an hour ago? Less? She wasn't sure. It felt like an eternity.

As she went to an arms locker on a bulkhead to equip herself with a belt and a phaser, she noticed a group standing around the Tesla, the Theurgy's only Argo-class shuttlecraft, undamaged after the fighting. They were clearly preparing for a mission of some sort, and seeing them from behind, Lillee could've sworn she recognised one. The man's shoulders, haircut, how he held himself...Lillee felt that flicker of recognition, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Still, the officer's speech caught her attention first, and she frowned.

Lillee didn't care a whit for the pomposity of it, long used to the speeches of young officers still figuring out how to lead, but she realised as the man spoke that she would be needed. It stung a little that the lieutenant hadn't thought to call her. Who else was going to fly a dangerous shuttle mission if not her, with so many of the other CONN personnel off the ship? Sure, the last thing Lillee wanted to do was get in a fragile little shuttle and fly off to be a hero, but it stung her pride all the same. Thus she sighed and, making for a startling sight with the sheathed sword slung on her back, she moved up to the group, her eyes on the leader.

"Lieutenant?" she said in polite greeting, catching the rank pips. "PO3 Lillee t'Jellaieu. Lillee, if it is easier for your tongue. I am the shuttle pilot on call. I think you will need me, sir."

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #6 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Lower Shuttlebay| Deck 21| Vector 03| USS Theurgy | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan

Victor was paying attention to everyone as they boarded, and he nodded politely to the Andorian Lieutenant, Zark apparently. "Good to meet you then Zark, I aim to bring you back safe and sound." He'd noted the look that he'd gotten from Zark, and he smiles politely at her. "Don't worry, none of this is from crashing. The face is courtesy of the Borg at Earth, and the arm, well, that's new, woke up with it a few hours ago, feels nice though." Yep, he'd just said he'd woke up with the arm a few hours ago, but it seemed to be well integrated; maybe it was the rest of his cybernetics that were already integrated that made the use of the arm as natural as it was. "Don't worry, already kicked some Gorn ass with this, without pants." Then to lighten the mood, Victor wiggles his eyebrows letting out a rich bass chuckle, hoping that he hadn't just scared Zark. Was he joking about fighting Gorn without pants?

And then the Mission CO begins his briefing that was more of a gung ho speech. He idled against the side of the Tesla listening to this, and he simply had to think of him as a gasbag. Sure, the mission planning was proper, but they were doing a recovery mission, right? Where was the second Pilot anyway? There was a nearly impossible to read look on his scarred and twisted visage, something bordering on contempt for this speech. It felt like Victor was about to go right into a meat grinder again, like both times against the Borg at Earth. His thoughts about Arisaka somewhat less than favorable, even if only because they'd never worked together before. He wasn't going to be disrespectful, but there was indeed a salient point that he needed to bring up. So he spoke up in a polite and professional tone, with only a hint of irony to his voice. "Thank you kindly for the inspiring words, Sir, but we're doing a recovery mission of a craft that may or may not be in operational condition, and we only have one pilot, unless one of you..."  Then it happens, like absolute kismet, he gets interrupted by a familiar firey voice. The nearly melted part of his face turns into something that could be a grin. "By the elements, Bloodwing, get over here!"

"And there's our second pilot." His attention was shifting from Arisaka then to Lillee. "I was just telling the Lieutenant that we needed another pilot for this boondoggle we're getting in. Happy to have you Lillee, good to see that you survived." His tone of voice cheerful then, and he regards the Romulan for a brief moment, letting out a relieved sigh. "I'll take your right seat on the flight down, Lillee." Grabbing up his PADD he pulls up the map of the first City and the area around it, holding it to show Lillee. "I thought that we should come in low and fast on top of the Qam Chee from about a hundred klicks out. Hopefully, we'll come in under most of the defensive systems that way. It is up to you on how we want to come in for insertion, but that's what I was going to do. Honestly, I hope that our security team can hold their stomachs for whatever you decide to do." There it was, the bright, cheerful tone again, though there was a rather serious undertone. This time, the cheery style was more geeking out about making up potential flight plans with a pilot that he respected. "On the way out, well, we will have to see what shape the Sabine is in and if I can get her flying again. From what I can tell, she looks like an old Valkyrie prototype? If that's right, either of us can fly her. And we should probably keep the same pilot for the Tesla. So up to you on which one you want to fly." Clearly Victor valued her input from how quickly he'd deferred to the more junior NCO.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #7 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Lower Shuttlebay | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @jreeves1701, @RyeTanker, @Tae

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"Chief?" Lillee said, stunned as she realised who it was , then endured the hug, barely believing it. "Chief! I thought you were still in stasis! Oh thank you Elements, it's good to see you!" Lillee was grinning as Victor pulled back, and she took a moment to look him over, noting that her friend wasn't in any better shape than she was. The cybernetic eye wasn't new, but the burns and new prosthetic hand were. No wonder they had waited so long to do the surgery on Victor. The man looked as if he had been through the fires of Hell, quite literally.

Buoyed by the surprise, Lillee looked cheerful as Victor showed her the PADD, and she considered it carefully. "Agreed," she said after a moment's thought. "I've simulated this approach before. It's normally impossible even in a cloaked fighter, but if these sensor readings are correct, and their defence networks are compromised, then the Qam Chee...it's a good idea. If we can get below the orbital defence grid and avoid their AA, I can get us to the river...around here." She pointed an area far too the east, where there was only sparsely populated hills. "I can submerge us in the river if I need to. Getting back to the Theurgy will be interesting, but maybe we can get some Wolves or the Theurgy to cover us."

Lillee nodded gratefully when Victor deferred to her judgement, remembering just how much she liked the man. "Yes, the Sabine is a retrofitted Valkyrie, but its owner is civilian. I haven't had the chance to get inside it." She paused, thinking about Victor's question. She would've preferred to fly the Sabine herself, knowing that it was the more dangerous task and would require more skill to handle, but logic got in the way. "I'll never be as good a fixer as you, Chief. They'll need you at the Sabine to get that thing back up into the black. I'll cover you all with the Tesla."

She looked at Lieutenant Arisaka and the others. "We'll get you down there and bring you back up, Lieutenant. Don't worry about that."

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #8 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Lower Shuttlebay| Deck 21| Vector 03| USS Theurgy]

@Tae @jreeves1701 @Griff

Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell's eyebrows went up and a smile creased her face as Chief Victor doled out a quick resume on his abilities, only to come to a bit of a halt as she processed the fact that he had fought a Gorn with no pants.  Her head whipped about and her eyes narrowed filing this little tidbit of information away. I so need to find that video and watch it.  Shaking her head again, she proceeded into the Tesla's cramped cargo compartment, she proceeded to the buggy and flipped open a side cargo compartment.  Taking off her helmet and leaving it on the rim, she got to the business of stowing. Making everything fit wasn't the easiest and she was glad that most of the items she'd brought were collapsible. It was a bit of tight fit and she was only partially complete when she heard the team leader call for everyone to assemble.  With her ears perking up she went to the hatch frame to see what was going on.

Zark crossed her arms under her breasts and a large smile split her face as the team leader gave a rousing speach for the troops. Okay, not the most rousing, but definitely 10 points for enthusiasm.  I like this!  When the team leader finished, there was only one possible response. Dropping her arms to her side and straightening herself, a loud "Aye Aye Sir!" followed from her and most of the other enlisted.  The only real flaw in the response being the somewhat irreverent Victor and his sudden enthusiasm as a blonde Romulan showed up. Bloodwing? That can't be her name, it's got to be a nickname of some sort.  Resolving to ask about this another time

Chuckling and shaking her head, the Andorian turned back into the cargo shuttle to finish stowing her medical supplies.  It took a bit of grunt work to get the last bits in, but the hatch closed and satisfyingly locked in place.  At least, hopefully the supplies wouldn't go flying out of the buggy if they had to go around at high speed.  Sighing then looking around, she spotted Chief Douglas Marcaida struggling to grab a couple of cases in his hands while carrying a couple of other cases in his arms.  Heading over, she grabbed one of the cases under his arm as a Bolian with the name plate A.Keyas moved to grab the other.

"Thank you ma'am." came a deep and elegant baritone. The accent was very similar to a classmate she'd had from a place on Earth called Panama."You're welcome Chief.  What have you got here?" curiosity piqued at what appeared to be some heavy ordnance.  A snort and a chuckle followed from Keyas "Probably all of Douglas' toys."  Douglas let out a short sharp laugh. "You only call them toys since they're bigger than that pea shooter you call a gun on your back.  Begging the Lieutenant's pardon." The Chief said after seeing a similar rifle on Lt. Zark's back. "Just a couple of Mark II Isomagnetic Disintigrators, and more grenades.  Never know when we're really going to need to uhmmm...... exercise creative barrier production.". Keyas snorted at this.  "He just wants to blow something up Ma'am" Chief Douglas made an indignant sound and the two went back and forth trading friendly barbs.

Lt.Zark could only chuckle as the banter continued into the shuttle before helping the chief to stow his gear.  With launch time approaching, the Andorian combat medic grabbed her exosuit helmet off the buggy and made a final check of her equipment before making her way to the passenger compartment and grabbing a seat.  Taking a centring breath and closing her eyes, she was aware of the hydraulic sound of the shuttle hatch closing as they were about to get underway.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #9 –
[Lt. jg. Jonas Arisaka | Lower Shuttlebay |Deck 21| Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Tae @Griff @RyeTanker

With his team assembled, it was time to head out. "There will be time for formal and informal acquaintances later. Things are getting hotter by the second down there. We can hammer out the details of our mission on our descent." Arisaka turned to enter the Tesla only to pause at the entry hatch to look over his shoulder and add, "Oh, and don't think the Klingons are going to make it easy to get to our target zone."

There would be Klingon fighters on their tail as soon as they left the shuttle bay. Then, there were the orbital defense platforms and the surface-to-air defenses. With the political situation unfolding within and without the Empire, Arisaka would be surprised if every other rooftop of the first city wasn't laced with Mo'kai snipers waiting to fire.

MEANWHILE.....

[ Kudesh, Son of Otruk /  Holographic Martok (MCWO Larant in disguise) | Slum Alley | Old Quarter | First City | Qo'noS ]

Kudesh cursed as he fought his way to the surrounded Martok fake. Mo'Kai soldiers descended upon the disguised box at a remarkable pace. As horrifying as that was, the real horror was how they indiscriminately targeted everyone on the street. Kudesh's anger grew to a boiling point as he stepped over a Klingon youth of no more than five solar cycles. Any future glory and honor fated for the youth were snuffed out by the ruthless rain of disrupter fire coming from above.  "How could the House of Mo'Kai be so uncaring? They fight without honor," Kudesh thought.

When the Klingon guard finally reached the Starfleet officer disguised as the Chancellor, he noticed the assassin's blade in his back. A lethal strike, for all accounts the man should be dead. "What sort of creature is this?" Larrant had taken cover behind a pile of Klingon citizens murdered in the first moments of House Mo'Kai's attack.

"Are you injured?" he asked as he took aim at their attackers. The fact that they were using the dead as a shield did not bother Kudesh.

Larrant as Martok replied, "I am unharmed. It would seem however the true nature of my disguise has been revealed." A disrupter shot struck the Martok imposter in the shoulder, causing a ripple of energy to spread across the holographic matrix surrounding the Medusan's EMU-POD. The moment the energy wave connected with the dagger still protruding from his back, the entire holographic proton matrix popped out of existence, the dagger clanging on the ground upon impact.

Kudesh stood staring at the alien pod he had come to know on their journey to Qo'noS. It just hovered there. "Does that thing not have weapons? Does the Federation Starfleet truly possess such weak soldiers?"

"IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE, KLINGON." Larrant's pod reverting back to its mechanical voice. "MY PEOPLE ARE VERY... PERCEPTIVE OF THE LIFE AROUND US. I CAN FEEL THE ATTACKERS HATRED AS STRONGLY AS I FEEL THE PAIN OF THOSE DEAD AND DIEING AROUND US. TO CAUSE FURTHER PAIN AND SUFFERING WOULD BE TO FEEL IT AS WELL."

Kudesh fired at their attackers in response. "If you must feel the pain of those dying, better it be those attacking us, rather than ourselves. Look, you garbage scow, if today is a good day to die, it is my decision to die with honor protecting this Empire and its citizens." Kudesh motioned his head toward the bodies in the street and the moans of those injured. "I thought it was Starfleet's mission to serve and protect its citizens and allies. So I ask again, does that thing not have weapons?"

Larrant processed the impassioned Klingon's words. In a silent response, the lights on his containment pod changed from a neutral peaceful arrangement to a crimson aggressive one. Twin phaser beams shot from the Medusan chassis. They did not strike any of the attackers but instead hit points near them.

"Bah, your aim is worse than my grandmother's." Kudesh complained, "but don't stop firing."
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
 [Show/Hide]

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #10 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Lower Shuttlebay| Deck 21| Vector 03| USS Theurgy | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan

Victor was quite pleased by the reaction that he'd gotten from Zark. Giving the Andorian woman a wink, he made a note to buy her a drink if they all made it back alright. Two since she was their medic, and Victor knew how important Medics could be. Victor went back to his discussion with Lillee about flight paths and how they'd get to the landing zone. He was about to say more but looks over to Arisaka when he boards the Tesla and speaks agon. Victor nods, and his demeanor shifts. Suddenly he wasn't so upbeat and cheerful, there were hints of that still in his demeanor, but now he became serious. "Alright, everyone, strap in. We're getting out of here fast."

And with that, Victor heads to the flight deck of the Tesla and takes the co-pilot seat. He was beginning the start sequence to get the ship out of there. "Alright, engines are primed and ready to go. The shield generator is good, and phaser arrays are good to go. And we've got a full load of micro torpedoes. And I'll handle your comms so you can focus on flying." Taking a moment to run it all through his head, they had seven people on board, and Lillee was the pilot. Victor hits the Comm panel and speaks in a professional tone of voice. "Tesla to Theurgy, we are ready to Depart for Qo'nos and Qam'Chee. We have seven souls aboard. Requesting clearance to depart." He always hated that part, calling how many 'souls' were on board a ship when it left a port. It had always felt like it was tempting the reaper as it were, even if it did drive home the seriousness of any mission. It may have been an Earth custom, but it had stuck around much to his chagrin.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #11 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Tesla | Qo'nos ] Attn: @jreeves1701, @RyeTanker, @Tae

[Show/Hide]

With the reminder that they were on the clock, Lillee began to settle into her cool frame of mind, the warrior's focus that she had learned all those years ago. She still felt less than optimal after the fights with the Klingons, but there was nothing for it. Without another word, Lillee went to the shuttle's cockpit, taking off her honour-blade and hanging from her chair, tightening the strap. The Chief beat her there, and with him handling pre-flight, Lillee began re-arranging the the Tesla's control layout to her preferences. Her preset was already loaded in the shuttle computer, an advantage of actually being permanently part of the Theurgy crew, but she made some tweaks anyway. Atmospheric flight was different to spaceflight, after all, and given how hairy this one could get, Lillee wanted every advantage possible.

After Victor asked for and received clearance to launch, Lillee tapped one specific control, then confirmed it. Ahead, the shuttlebay's doors began to open, air being held inside by the forcefield, and Lillee smoothly lifted the shuttle off the deck before gliding out of the bay. She flipped the shuttle over, and flying along the length of the Theurgy as they accelerated, Lillee idly noted the damage as they passed. Given the extreme odds that the Theurgy had faced, Lillee was pleasantly surprised to see that the ship was relatively unhurt; battle-scarred, perhaps, but undaunted and all the more dangerous for what it had survived in the past few hours alone.

Still, there was no time for reflection. "I'm going to make a hard vertical burn," she announced to everyone, her eyes up ahead at the curve of Qo'nos, as the emerald world met the blackness of space. "Inertial dampeners might not catch it all, so strap in now and try not to throw up." Lillee was automatically putting on her own harness as she spoke. "Chief, redistribute shields forward, configure for maximum aerodynamic drag now, that's our shield profile for de-orbit. Convert to minimum hydrodynamic drag at twenty kilometers altitude, repeat, minimum hydrodynamic drag at twenty kilometers altitude. Set inertial dampeners for maximum load." Lillee's hands began to dance over her panel as the shuttle changed course, diverging a few kilometers from the Theurgy's orbit. With that, she took a breath and began accelerating the shuttle even more, zooming around Qo'nos even faster, all thoughts of her physical and mental shock completely gone as she focused on her flying.

"This maneuver is technically a Romulan state secret," Lillee said, breathing deeply, glancing at Victor. "I hope you like it. Everyone, brace now, the first hit will be the hardest."

With that, Lillee entered the parameters into the computer, which returned the computation instantly, giving a series of times, all calculated to the microsecond. Lillee tapped the autopilot on one of the options, knowing that her reflexes were woefully insufficient for such precision, and her hands went still as she waited. A few seconds passed, then a few more seconds, and then...

SLAM! The shuttle felt as if it had hit a brick wall as the shuttle suddenly flipped over on its axis, impulse engines pushing madly in the opposite direction that they had just been flying. The Tesla began falling into atmosphere, all of the shuttle's orbital velocity being dumped within seconds. The shuttle began to fall and the computer fired thrusters, aiming the shuttle right down at the planet's surface. The impulse engines lit again, the Tesla accelerating right down at the planet in a death dive, fire starting to fill up the entire forward viewpoint. Lillee's hands remained still, the entire maneuver automated, the shuttle's hull creaking and groaning alarmingly at the abuse. The shuttle accelerated further and further until all they could see out the forward viewport was roaring fire, all they could hear was the protesting whine of the shuttle's hull.

"Standby," Lillee called out, focused with total concentration on her controls, her fingers starting to work the controls. "Flipping impulse thrust, we're on course." She vaguely heard Victor on the comms but Lillee tuned it out, focusing on the numbers and on her sensors, the fire in front of the shuttle beginning to fade. "Fifty km...forty...thirty...twenty, switch to minimum hydro drag!" The shuttle was zooming towards the ground at impossible speed, a huge river snaking through the ground, so much so that it seemed impossible that they could stop in time...and they couldn't. "Brace for impact!"

Even though everyone was braced for hitting the water, it proved strangely unnecessary as the impact was heavy, all of them flung forward into their harnesses, but nothing painful or dangerous. Even as she recovered, Lillee's hands were back on her control panel and changing their course. The shuttle was suddenly very smooth and peaceful, only murky darkness ahead in the water. "Setting course for the First City, underwater transit, 200kph. ETA, four minutes. No underwater hazards on sensors."

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #12 –
CPO Victor vanVinter |Shuttlecraft Tesla| Qo'nos | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan


Victor was more than happy to take the Co-pilot duties. And he made sure that power was primarily routed to engines and shields. He didn't want them gettings hot out of the sky and considering what they were going to do, Victor hits the Comm panel, setting it to record, and then he speaks in a robust and aggressive tone of voice, loud and clear. "This is the Shuttlecraft Tesla. We are entering Qam Chee Airspace to recovery our crashed ship. We are from the USS Theurgy, friends of House Martok! I say again; we are friends of House Martok, do not open Fire!" He taps a button on the console to broadcast that message on repeat. "Well, that will probably get House Mo'Kai shooting at us, but that was going to happen anyway. It should keep anyone loyal to Martok off of our backs, hopefully."  He frowns a little at that, hoping and praying that he was right about that. As necessary, Victor cycled the shields and used whatever countermeasures the Tesla had to keep them protected. 

Sure enough, they took a few hits from orbital defenses as they neared the planet. he did his work silently, eyes to the boards and thoughts on his tasks as he made sure they stayed in one piece. He'd be chewing on a lip, trying to work through it, but the turbulence from taking the few hits they did would have had him bite through his lip instead. Every now and again, he'd cast a look towards Lillee, both in respect and in horror with the maneuvers he knew she was pulling. Then the order came, and he frowns. "Copy, shields focused forward for Aerodynamic drag." The turbulence from reentry was terrible enough. The intense friction that the shields were taking made it that much worse.  Feeling like he was inside of a blender almost, and he felt a little heavier, the inertial dampeners absolutely not catching all of the reentry forces this time around, enough so that the crew of the shuttle was experiencing increased G-forces. The groans and pops of metal around them are not worrying in the slightest. He knew what metals fatigue sounded like, and this wasn't a problem yet.

The second part of that order had him worried, though. Watching the altitude readout, Victor changes the alignment of the shields to allow for Hydrodynamic drag. "Changing to Hydrodynamic configuration, but we're going to hit that water with our hull still a few hundred degrees! Also, changing the display settings you've got to a sensor overlay so you can actually see what you're about to do." It wasn't so much a protest as a statement of fact, as Victor reroutes life support and cooling to do his best to bring down the temperature of the hull. "Rerouting power to structural integrity, trying to get us cooled down, impact with the surface in three.. two..." The 'one' being drowned out by a veritable explosion of steam around them as the still-hot hull meets the much cooler water of the Qam Chee river and enrobes the hull in boiling clouds of steam until the hull cools. "State secret because it's crazy as hell Lillee, deflector shields knock aside bits of dust and particulate, we run into something solid, and we're going to have a problem." Victor certainly wasn't pleased by taking the shuttle underwater at such speeds, but it couldn't be helped.

He shakes his head and sighs a little at that; looking to the Comm panel again, he taps it for Internal communications this time. "Say again, four minutes to target. Get ready for egress from the Tesla, someone warm that Buggy up for me, and then strap in." No, Victor wasn't anywhere close to being senior ranking here, but he was currently one of the two pilots, so he 'could' give that order at the very least. He certainly trusted Arisaka to take command on the ground and would absolutely follow his orders. Victor earnestly hoped that Arisaka knew what they were doing, though. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this, but at least he had Lille here, and Zark seemed capable. The Lieutenant, though, that guy was chasing medals, so Victor didn't hold much hope that the Lieutenant would make it back unscathed.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #13 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Shuttlecraft Tesla | Qo'nos]

@jreeves1701 @Tae @Griff @Auctor Lucan

Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell to all external view looked to be either asleep or meditating.  The second state was closer to the truth, but she was very aware of what was going on around her.  The comm chatter that the shuttle pilot's were trading back and forth was definitely a good way to know what was going on and she simply absorbed it. Her face was a mask for the butterfly's that were currently occupying her innards. She didn't have much choice. When she got on the ground, she could control her fate, but until then, it was up to the shuttle crew she'd never met and hoped they were as exceptional as Theurgy seemed to attract.

When the Romulan Petty Officer described her descent plan, her breathing hiccuped.  Roman state secrets were one thing in theory, now she was going to live it.  Oh how I wish for a straightforward transporter insertion. Lt. Zark thought to herself while cursing the plethora of transport inhibitors that made the shuttle descent necessary.  Her eyes opened and her head whipped towards the piloting section as the inertial dampening field wasn't able to cope with the sudden manoeuvre for an orbital insertion.  The buggy creaked in it's mooring at the sudden change in g-forces as there was a sudden sensation of her stomach and its contents attempting to escape through the top of her head and she had to fight the sudden wave of vomit inducing nausea.  Chief Keyah wasn't as lucky in this battle, but luckily her helmet was off as she projectile vomited a multi-colour stream at the side of buggy and all over herself.  Oooooh. That's not going to come out easily. Chief Marcaida was made of crazier stuff as he laughed at the Bolian's ejection and whooped with glee.  The wretched scent of stomach contents assailed Lt. Zark's senses and bile rose in her throat, but a quick series of air sucking  and swallowing motions managed to keep everything down.  The computer noted the noxious fumes and increased ventilation as Chief Keyah moaned and swore viciously at her momentary weakness, then quickly horcked a nasty pile of stomach contents and spat it at the feet of Chief Marcaida.  This only made him laugh while she glared daggers at him.

Shifting her head toward the viewport, the blackness of space gave way to the brown of the Qo'nos atmosphere.  The Andorian's eyes widened as the pilot compartment was highlighted with bright green flashes passing by at high speed. Disruptor fire. Oh Shelat! Get me on the ground!  Gripping her restraints and a manic smile on her face, she held on for dear life, not being able to do much else as the shuttle bucked from the turbulence of a super rapid orbital entry. Panic almost set in as the PO t'Jellaieu made the call of water entry. Numerous cries of shock, mainly in the form of Oh Shit! came from the passenger compartment came loud and fast as the planet surface came up quickly followed by a sudden motion of being hurled towards the bow the shuttle.

Lt. Zark was breathing hard as she realized she was still alive, but now under water and making their way towards the First City.  As she leaned back an closed her eyes to bring her breathing under control, she could hear several others doing the same.  One or two others were even laughing their relief at such an intense insertion.  This was definitely going to be story to be told over drinks if they got through this escapade alive.  With the reminder from Chief vanVinter to check the buggy, Lt. Zark opened her eyes and undid her restraints. Getting up rock steady, she made her way over to the replicator as others began checking the buggy.

"Computer, a pair of Bolian antacids, a glass of water, and an empty bowl." The computer beeped and a hum filled the small replicator bay as the computer produced the requested items on a tray.  Making her way over to Chief Keyah who was standing next to a cargo compartment re-securing some of the medical supplies.  "Take these chief.".  The Bolian turned towards the combat medic. "I'm fine ma'am" .  Lt. Zark gave the the Bolian sniper a warm sympathetic smile. "Don't make me make it an order Chief."

Chief Keyah sighed, snorted, and smirked. "Of course not ma'am" as she took the contents of the tray, washed out her mouth, and took the antacids. "Thank you."

Lt. Zark smiled and nodded as she went to return the items to the replicator.  They should be at the First City really soon.


‘echHom Klavek | First City | Qo'nos

‘echHom Klavek was an impressive specimen for a Klingon, and his current anger and frustration added an even greater level of menace to his already imposing physique.  The fighting that had flared up in the First City when the traitors from House Mo'Kai had risen against Chancellor Martok had taken his house by surprise. The street fighting had been vicious but he'd survived the initial onslaught while amassing great glory in sending numerous traitors to their deaths.  Knowing he had to support the rightful leader of the Klingon Empire, he'd led his forces towards the Great Hall initially until word had reached him that the Chancellor was with a Starfleet vessel and the shuttle carrying him had crashed nearby. He was leading his host of 800 warriors towards the crash site, but traitor forces were contesting every meter of his advance.  His forces had just overrun an air defence battery whose loyalty was with House Mo'Kai, slaughtering it's crew who had been busy shooting at something else coming down planet side.

Wiping the blood off from his d'k tahg, Klavek made his way to the main command console to see what had distracted the battery crew.  He found one of his subordinates looking over a command console very intently.  Having known the man for years he could tell he was engrossed in what he was seeing meaning it must be important.  Barging his way passed several of his troops, Klavek made his way over to the console. "What is it la’Hom?"

"Sir, I beleive we easily overtook this battery because the crew was firing at something coming down from orbit.  It wasn't a Klingon ship or the Federation shuttle. I believe the Federation starship has launched a rescue mission for their shuttle." replied his subordinate.

"Let me see" Klavek  said pushing aside his subordinate.  Looking at the data and seeing the signature of another Starfleet shuttle make planet fall at such a rapid rate, he was ready to dismiss it as being shot down when he noticed there were no telltales of the ship being hit. No explosions, no debris.  Thinking furiously, he punched a rapid series of commands into the computer and brought up the communications section.

"Unidentified Federation shuttle.  This is ‘echHom Klavek.  I assume you are here to support the rightful leader of the Klingon Empire, Chancellor Martok.  I have warriors who are needed to secure the crash site and the Chancellor.  Make your way to the location I'm transmitting now.  We will continue to press towards the crash site with the rest of the troops and draw the traitorous warriors away from you. Receive these warriors and deliver them to the crash site to secure the future of the Empire!"


OOC:
‘echHom = Colonel
la’Hom = sub-commander

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #14 –
[ Karreka, Daughter of Lyyroq, ghintaq of the House of Palkar | Palkar Estate on the Qam-chee River | Qo'noS ] Attn: @RyeTanker @Tae @Griff @Auctor Lucan

The Palkar Estate spread across the riverbank across from the First City. Since the days of Emperor Sompek its occupants had served the Empire with honored distinction. One of its former leaders had even risen to the seat of Chancellor following the death of Chancellor M'Rek in the 791st Year of Kahless. It was from one of the windows of the estate that Lady Larreka looked out across the river at the Hall of Heroes. One day her son would be among the many statues immortalizing the Empire's greatest warriors. She had made sure of it by laying the foundations of his destiny. Karreka was originally for the relatively minor House of Krolt. The only way she could have improved her station was to marry into a larger house and so she did. She never truly loved Leskit of the House of Graf. It was merely a marriage of convenience but did produce one child, Ch’Kan. The child anchored Karreka’s position. Leskit would not divorce her leaving both her and Ch’Kan houseless and him without honor for abandoning them.

Convenience was presented with an opportunity when Leskit initiated an affair with Kurak, daughter of Haleka, of the Great House of Palkar. Kurak, like Karreka, was an ambitious Klingon female. She too was trapped by the male-dominated society of the Empire. Forced to adhere to the wishes of a typical male house head and male ghintaq. But sometimes fate needs a feminine touch to help guide it. And so it was that the aged Moloj, the Palkar ghintaq who ordered Kurak to remain in the Defense Force and service to the Empire until her nephew Gevnar reached the Age of Ascension and made head of the house, met his death. With Moloj out of the way, Kurak given special dispensation to lead the house, something only a few females in the history of the Empire had achieved. Her first act declaring Karreka the new ghintaq and Karreka’s first act was renouncing the selection of Gevnar as future house head and naming her son Ch’kan instead. With her son’s and her positions secure, she and Leskit could divorce, he could bond with Kurak. It was a win for all but Ch’kan.

At the thought of the would-be head of house, Karreka turned to face both Gevnar, now seventeen DIS old, and Ch’kan, eight, sparing on the Mok’bara mat in the Palkar Estate’s dojo.

“I will best you yet cousin,” the younger Klingon cried as he displayed his clawed hands preparing to strike in a series of fast, rough movements.

The elder Klingon boy met the attack with calculated precision demonstrating years of training. “You lack discipline. Focus,” Gevnar responded.

Fury filled Ch’kan as he was thrown to the ground by Gevnar’s block. “Arrrrrggggggg!” he screamed as he leaped back to his feet and charged Gevnar, who easily sidestepped the Klingon youth. Ch’Kan’s momentum sent him beyond the edge of the mat into the arms of his mother.

“Calm yourself!” she ordered. “Gevnar is correct.” Ch’kan thrashed in the arms of Karreka as he attempted to escape and seek vengeance on his opponent. “You will never beat Gevnar as long as you act like a feral targ. Besides, that is enough practice for today. We have other things to prepare for today.”

“Do you mean you have agreed to have my ascension rite, Lady Karreka?” Ch’Kan asked. He had grown anxious ever since reaching the typical age of ascension. It would mean that he would be eligible to take on the leadership of the house should something befall his aunt, uncle, and step-cousin.

“No. Lady Kurak and Lord Leskit are currently away from Qo’noS. Their attendance though not mandatory is highly desired. Besides, it would bring honor for them to be present, perhaps even the Chancellor himself would accept an invitation from Lord Leskit. And General Klag would also attend. No, we must wait until word of the Fifth Battle Fleet’s return before we have any more talk about ascension rites.”

Gevnar’s face remained stoic but deep inside his emotions were as feral as those Ch’kan continued to express as he tried to wiggle his way free of his mother’s grasp. “Understandable,” was his only response.

"We have a lop’no[1] to attend. I have been informed that your friend R’Ton, has completed his chontay[2] and will complete ‘his’ Second Rite of Ascension this evening. He is General Klag’s grand-nephew and as such a member of the House of M’Raq, deserving the greatest of cha’nobs.[3] So I need you two loDHoms [4] to help me pick out the best.” Karreka was aware that denying Gevnar’s rite of passage only to attend that of another was a grave insult. She did not care. The only ascension taking place in the House of Palkar while she was ghintaq would be Ch’kan’s.

[ Gevnar | Pao’la Open Air Bazaar | First City | Qo’noS ]

Ditching Lady Karreka and Ch’kan was easy in the busy bazaar. Finding the tag graffiti leading to the insurrectionist gathering was not. Ever since his Rite of Ascension was postponed and the declaration that he would not be made head of House Palkar by Lady Karreka, Gevnar had been searching for a way to reclaim his birthright. It wasn’t long until he found this group. Hidden in the underbelly of the First City with connections throughout the Empire existed a radical and extremist group of Klingons opposed to the leadership of Martok and the societal changes he brought. Its members consisted of the discontented, the discommendation, and the dishonorable. A true Klingon’s rogue gallery if such a thing existed. It was here that the survivors of the House of Varnak and similar houses that supported Morjod’s coup against Martok fled. It was here that the impassioned speeches of Kajek were heard in secret. Kajek belonged to a group of Klingons that believed the Empire was weak and had become tamed lapdogs of the Federation.

"We are the only true Klingons left in the Galaxy today. All others have sold out their birthright, their heritage, their right to kill - and for what? For a household and a smile."

Those were the words Gevnar had heard at the first meeting he had managed to locate and they were the words that convinced him it was here that he would find his path to glory. The old ways were the best ways he was preached. Today would be the day that the true Klingons take back control of their Empire. No more being led by the lower castes. No more taking orders by those acting above their station.

The plan was simple. Storm the Great Hall and eliminate the Chancellor and all who followed him. Rumor had it that another cell was planning to take the Federation Embassy as well. The streets of the First City would run with the blood of those that stood in their way.[/color]

[ Kudesh, Son of Otruk /  MCWO Larant | Slum Alley | Old Quarter | First City | Qo'noS ]

The longer that Kudesh and Larrant fought the worse the situation got. Pinned as they were with only the corpses of those caught in the crossfire for cover.

"You are a useless warrior Starfleet." Kudesh cursed as he continued to fire at their attackers both on ground level and from above. For everyone he hit, it was as if two replaced them. There was no way House Mo'Kai was this prepared for the Chancellor's return. There had to be more at play here.

"I ASSURE YOU. THE VALUE OF MY SERVICE IS FAR GREATER THAN YOU THINK... KLINGON." Larrant added that last word more or less as an attempt to mimic Kudesh. He knew that in a firefight he was less than efficient. Already his higher conscience began calculating the probabilities and calculus of success. In the time it took Kudesh to form a retort, Larrant had found an exit strategy.

"Why you....."

"DO FORGIVE MY INTERRUPTION OF WHAT WAS SURELY TO BE A PROFOUND KLINGON RESPONSE. BUT I BELIEVE I FOUND OUR VICTORY STRATEGY." Without another word, two compartments opened on the sides of Larrants POD and two extendable manipulator tentacles emerged. Their pincers opened and faced the ground and discharge a jet of plasma that sent the pod soaring to the heavens.

Kudesh stared only a moment at what he thought was the cowardice of a Starfleet officer, then was immediately drawn to the fire the plasma ignited on his uniform pants. While distracted extinguishing himself the surly Klingon missed the fireworks above his head.

Larrant's pod slowed its acceleration a few stories above the highest perched attacker. At that moment his pod's sensors pinged the surrounding horizon. He detected the Sabine. He picked up on life signs approaching it. Klingon but no indications of friend or foe. Having scanned the real Martok, he pinpointed his whereabouts approaching the Great Hall, as well as energy weapons discharge in that area. And off in the distance, a faint Starfleet identifier signal blipped out of existence before vanishing above the nearby river.

"You metallic PetaQ, come back here!"

Even at this height, Larrant could pick up on Kudesh's curses. With a precisely calculated spin maneuver, Larrant blanketed the surrounding area with blue wide-beam phaser fire, targeted specifically to strike targets in the least lethal manner. When Larrant's pod finally came down to hover next to Kudesh, the Klingon could only glare at the swirly gas through the filtered visor.

"IF MY CALCULATIONS ARE CORRECT AND THEY USUALLY ARE. WE HAVE EXACTLY 30.25698 SECONDS BEFORE THE LARGEST AND HEAVIEST ARMORED OF OUR ATTACKERS WAKE UP."

"Stunned. They deserve death for attacking their Chancellor!"

"I AM NOT THEIR CHANCELLOR."

"Bah!" Kudesh turned away from the sight of Larrant and pulled out a communicator. "This is Kudesh, Yan-Isleth to Chancellor Martok. Respond."

"IS THAT WISE? DOES THAT NOT GIVE AWAY OUR POSITION?"

"Like your little light show didn't?" Kudesh was growing impatient with this floating trash compactor.

The impending debate over whose actions were more detrimental toward giving away their position was interrupted by a response from Kudesh's communicator. "This is 'echHom Klavek responding. I have warriors moving toward your position to secure the Chancellor and the crashed Starfleet vessel. However, I am getting reports from throughout the city. It is as if all Grethor has broken loose."

"Acknowledged," Kudesh responded before placing his communicator back in its holster. "Now, we should move."

"AGREED, OUR ATTACKERS ARE STARTING TO WAKE UP."

Kudesh and Larrant dashed away from their recent combat zone. The echoes of recently stunned now very angry Mo'Kai aligned Klingons in pursuit.
1 lop'no = celebration↵
2 chontay= ritual hunt↵
3 chob'nob= traditional gifts brought to a boy's second Rite of Ascension↵
4 loDHom = youngsters↵
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
 [Show/Hide]

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #15 –
CPO Victor vanVinter |Shuttlecraft Tesla| Qo'nos | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan


Victor could swear that he'd heard the sounds of retching coming from the back of the Tesla. The descent had been rough, but not so jarring as impacting the water's surface then, as it was, he was sure that he'd heard more than a little swearing coming from the cargo compartment, the langue he'd heard bringing a smile to his scarred visage. Then, he winks over to Lillee and laughs brightly. "You've still got it, but I think that was more turbulence from the shield configuration than you twisting our bodies into knots. You're losing your touch, Bloodwing." Victor was certainly amused, but it was time to get things ready to deploy. Of course, he couldn't help but tease his friend, however slightly. Taking a brief moment, Victor looked at a camera feed from the cargo compartment and counted what looked like two, maybe three puddles of vomit. "Only three of them hurled. You really are losing your touch." Victor smirked again and cut out the video feed, but not before saving an image from the camera, call it a souvenir for his crazy as the pah-wraiths friend. "Alright, time to start thinking about us going airborne again. We're probably going to be scorching rooftops as soon as we get back above water." Still professional and even as he watches the readout of the distance, and then something else takes his attention, a blinking light on the Comm panel!

Victor finally got an actual reply to his open channel hails; accepting the call and terminating the repeating broadcast, he hears a robust Klingon voice on the other end, voice only for now, and Victor pumps his fist in victory! "Acknowledged 'echHom Klavek, this is the shuttlecraft, Tesla from the USS Theurgy. We support Chancellor Martok. And we have your coordinates." Victor accepted the data packet that had the coordinates and shot that over to Lillee's piloting display so she'd know where to go. "We are currently inbound and will be on-site for your warriors shortly. If you can get us air cover at the crash site, I'll buy you three barrels of Blood wine. And a keg to any pilot crazy enough to fly cover." Victor might also try to appeal to the nature of the Klingons and throw in some alcohol to sweeten the deal, so to speak. 

The pacing of his words quick and professional, but there was an excitement to his voice then. This crazy plan might work. A makeshift hazard team, a shuttle full of Klingon warriors? Yeah, it seemed like they actually had a shot.  Victor was glad that he wasn't a betting man, though, because he still wouldn't actually bet money that everyone was going to get out of here.  His cross-talk with Lillee had stopped for the moment while he was on a channel with the Klingons, and Lillee didn't need his assistance at the present moment. Victor dearly hoped that the Klingons would be able to get them at least some sort of air cover, the Tesla was nice, but it was far from the most maneuverable thing in the air.

Re: CH07: S[D03|16:49] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #16 –
[ Sera vers Aldnoah | Sabine Crash Site | Old Quarter | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @jreeves1701 @RyeTanker @Griff @Tae 
[Show/Hide]
On the Sabine, Sera vers Aldnoah had her helmet off, hair matted to her forehead as she struggled to somehow get her ship space worthy again. Blood and bloody ashes... Haul me over and plough my sideways, this blasted spanner isn't working!

Since box-boy had sauntered off before Kudesh and the Security officers even saw he was gone - parading around as a Martok-copy - Sera was left alone with the broken damn bot on the deck. She certainly wasn't helping, just lying there like a heap of scrap metal and making odd blip-noises, so Sera had to keep an eye out the airlock now and again to make sure she wasn't getting jumped by Klingons, which certainly wasn't any kind of distraction from her repair work. Not at all. The bloody Security officers had run after Kudesh too, following the big cat's orders, so she was all alone. She'd shouted for one of them to remain if that wouldn't have called unwanted attention from the shady figures out there in the darkness.

"What was that about Starfleet looking out for their own?" she asked V-Nine as she tore another panel open, not expecting an answer. "Not leaving anyone behind? Oh, that's right. I'm not Starfleet. Burn me, my mistake. That's fine. Totally fine. Yeah. while they all go save the Galaxy, I'll just try to fix my ship all by my bloody self, thank you very much. Now, don't blame me if I just take off and leave you all to burn in the wind, you blasted hypocrites!"

"Miss Aldnoah?"

Sera jumped from the male voice, and struck her head on the edge of the open panel. Ignoring the pain, she spun around, disruptor raised, only to see a golden exosuit with raised hands standing in the opening of the airlock, the wearer being one of the Security officers that had left a while ago. "Hey, hey! It's us. We couldn't find the Medusan, and Kudesh told us to return here. I'm just letting you know that we've set up a perimeter. Were you talking to someone?"

"No, burn you, I wasn't," she murmured and returned to what she was doing. "You have eyes in your neck or something? Watch the blasted alley then!"

"Understood, we're just outside. Call us if you need anything."

"Sure. Right now, I just need to focus and get what I need from the replicator. Check your comms in case you hear from the others, because I can't bloody well be on top of that as well."

"Yes, ma'am."

Meanwhile, V-Nine just stuttered some monosyllabic static, and Sera had really just hoped she could play some music instead, so that she could be of some damn use.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #17 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Tesla | First City | Qo'nos ] Attn: @jreeves1701, @RyeTanker, @Tae

[Show/Hide]

Lillee was mostly quiet as Victor teased her, only giving him a half smile every now and then, too focused to distract herself with banter. She knew that they were making a complete mess of the Qam Chee river up on the surface, smashing through the water at such an absurd velocity, but Lillee didn't care a wit if some Klingons got wet at the riverside. Complying with Victor's suggestion, she began taking the Tesla higher, the shields deflecting the water away like an arrow.

"Okay, time to come up, reconfigure shields for normal flight when we leave the water. Keep an eye on sensors and standby phasers," Lillee ordered, still concentrating on her sensors as she zoomed the Tesla through the river, navigating its twists and turns. She was flying (well, diving) mostly from memory; it had been, what, ten years since she'd done this in the simulator? Eleven? Still, it seemed to be working so far. Keeping one eye on the holographic map to her side, one eye ahead and one eye on sensors (all good pilots required three eyes, at the least), Lillee judged that the moment had come. She pulled the Tesla up out of the river into the chaos of the First City, smoke rising high from fires all over the city, emerald flashes signifying battles still in progress between Martok loyalists and Gorka's rebels.

"Oh Elements, what a mess," Lillee muttered, eyes wide. She turned into the city itself, flying only just above the rooftops. Disruptor fire from rooftop flashed against the Tesla's shields and Lillee turned a corner to avoid it. "Take care of yourself Chief, please," she said quietly, not even looking at Victor, her eyes fixed ahead. "This looks ugly, even for a Klingon city. Let all the other people be heroic idiots first, yes?"

It didn't take long before they reached the co-ordinates of the Klingon warriors, and Lillee landed the shuttle as quickly as she could inside their cordon, a squad of armed Klingons ready and waiting at the landing area. She called up the aft cameras she opened the door, but Lillee otherwise trusted the team to handle things and the Klingons to behave. That was one thing Lillee had to give the brutes. They were many things, but they weren't the type to use deceit as a battle tactic, not like that.

As the Klingons boarded, Lillee glanced at the map that Victor had pulled up. "I can't drop you right on top of the Sabine," Lillee said, frowning as she examined the hologram, generated by the Theurgy's most recent scans before the Tesla had launched. "I can land...here, in this courtyard, in front of that monument. It has a tall wall around the perimeter, that gives us cover when we land. You will still have distance to travel, but it is the best I can do." Seeing that the Klingons had finished boarding, one of the warriors gesturing at the internal camera, Lillee wasted no time closing the aft door and taking off, heading back down the streets at a relatively modest velocity, even dipping below the rooftops whenever she could.

Lillee tapped the internal comms. "All hands, standby aft for landing in one minute, be ready to disembark fast," she said calmly, concentrating as she slalomed the shuttle from one street to another, zig-zagging her way to the next landing zone. Disruptor fire flashed up at the shields from a ground vehicle up ahead, shield readings fluctuating alarmingly, and Lillee took a detour to bypass it. Soon enough they reached the courtyard and Lillee dropped them inside it. The statue was enormous, representing some Klingon grappling a mythical beast, and Lillee rolled her eyes, repressing the urge to vaporise the thing on general aesthetic principle. Instead, she tapped her internal comms once more.

"We're down. Go, go go."

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #18 –
CPO Victor vanVinter |Shuttlecraft Tesla: Buggy | First City streets | Qo'nos | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan

Victor performed his co-pilot duties well for Lillee, changing up the shields, managing power, handling everything that she was too busy to mess with on a ship this size. Still, his friend did everything exceptionally well, and Victor wasn't going to critique her performance.  With the sights of the city on fire and with disruptor blasts going off in so many directions, it was clear that there was another civil war well underway, or at the very least, the beginnings of one. He dearly hoped that the Klingons would worry mostly about themselves, ideally obviating the need for air cover, but he wouldn't hold his breath there.

Victor glances over to Lillee, and he gets up, prepared to head into the back to take the driver's spot for the Tesla buggy, giving Lillee a pat on the shoulder with his new cybernetic arm before he does go back there. "Elements watch over you, Lillee t'Jellaieu, and I won't be more of a hero today than you."  There was so much that Victor could have said in response. He could have been snarky or full of humor, anything really, but no. Now it was time to be serious.

With a heavy sigh, Victor heads back to the now crowded cargo compartment and wends his way through the Klingons and the rest of the hazard team, the lanky Chief Petty officer taking a phaser off the rack and clipping it to his waist as he goes. His movements not jubilant or excited. There was a grim professional air to Victor even as he goes about the tasks of downloading the maps to the dash of the buggy and starting it up. "Lieutenant Arisaka, Mission's all yours, I'll be your driver from here on out. We've got a few klicks to get to the Sabine Crash site. I'm ready to go as soon as the shuttle is down." He looks to Zark then, giving the Andorian woman a polite nod. "You too, Lieutenant, hop on, and we'll get going soon as the shuttle is down. Anyone else that can hang on to this crazy thing, do so; this is going to be a bumpy ride!"

There was still that grim and ready tone to his voice, and the Senior NCO knew his job. Get to the site with as much of the team as he could, patch the Sabine up enough so that it could break orbit at minimum, and ideally make it back to the Theurgy. He breathes a heavy sigh, not knowing if the Sabine was even recoverable, but at the very least, he'd be doing his best to make sure that the recovery mission was a success.

Victor grips the steering wheel of the buggy tightly enough to make his knuckles go white, and popping sounds come from his organic hand as the knuckles pop. Looking at the altitude readout on the buggy's dashboard, he counts down silently until the Tesla is only a few meters from the ground.  Once the craft is at the 5-meter mark, Victor shouts out in a booming voice. "Tonight we will feast to the honored dead, for today is a good day to die, Qa'pla!" As soon as he hears Lillee shouting over the internal comms, Victor guns the engines of the buggy, and the moment the Tesla's cargo doors open, the buggy would tear out of the cargo compartment like a bat out of hell. It might not be a shuttle, fighter, or an ancient aircraft, but damn did it feel good to unleash his brand of piloting chaos on the streets of the First City.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #19 –
Lieutenant Arisaka | Shuttlecraft Tesla: Buggy| First City streets | Qo'nos

Lieutenant Arisaka seated himself in the passenger seat and punched in the Sabine crash site based on the map information they had.  He was peripherally aware of his Andorian Medic taking a seat behind him.  The map provided the quickest route and he nodded at the result. Smiling at the prospect of action he agreed with the sentiments of Chief vanVictor.  "Absolutely Chief!  We get to the crash site, we set up a perimeter and cover vanVictor till he can get the Sabine back up and running. Chief Keyah, find a position to setup top cover for us.  Chief Marcaida go with Chief Keyah.  The rest of us will form a roving perimeter.  Let's roll!"

lagh Yuhmila Pos | Skies above First City | Qo'nos

Lagh Yuhmila Pos finally knew the glory of battle as war raged across Qo'nos and especially in the area around the First City.  Truth be told, she'd never thought this day would come after she'd graduated from flight school and had selected to become a fighter pilot.  The Empire had become decadent and fat under the so called Chancellor, Martok.  The Empire thrived on war and glory and the Federation had robbed the Klingon people of their rightful place as ruling the galaxy and smashing the honour-less Founders.  She'd found her calling when she'd stumbled on an insurrectionist meeting and devoted herself to the cause in secret.  Destroying the Federation would be the first step in putting the Klingon people back on the right path.

She flipped her fighter on it's back and pulled hard back on the control stick trading altitude for energy before diving on another fighter from a rival that supported Martok.  A sustained burst of fire disintegrated the enemy fighter she'd been tangling with and sent another traitor to Grethor, also claiming her third kill of the day.  Scanning around she realized she'd lost her wingman in the melee.  Shrugging it off as no concern, there was still plenty of fighting to be had.  Taking a scan of her instruments, she noticed a very odd energy signature, it definitely wasn't Klingon.  A quick query of her computer pulled up a slew information, mainly several Starlfeet based technologies.  Her mouth pulled back in a feral smile as she increased the throttle of her fighter and headed towards the shuttle.

Arriving just as the shuttle was landing, Yuhmila lined up her sights on the shuttle but had to pull off as it landed behind a building that covered it from any fire.  Pulling around for another run, she lined up again on the shuttle and was distracted as something drove out of the back of the shuttle at high speed.  This caused her fire to slew towards the rear of the shuttle, missing it entirely.  Energy fire exploded around the back of the shuttle doing no appreciable damage in the darkness.

Cursing, she pulled back on her stick to make a top down attack on the shuttle.  Gaining altitude she prepared to pull back over to initiate her attack when warnings began to light up and beep indicating she'd been locked up by a ground based installation.  Yuhmila blanched and attempted to jink out of the way.  She wasn't successful as a pair of disruptor bolts slammed into her fighter's wing and fuselage.  Yuhmila cried out in anger and pain as the fuselage shot exploded into the cockpit and her body. Her training took over as she worked by instinct to stabilize her craft with dying controls.  Juking the stick and adjusting the throttle as well as kicking in the anti-grav system managed to level out the craft around 200 meters above ground. 

Grunting with pain, she knew her fight was over and she needed to find a place to put down.  Burnt flesh and metal assailed her nostrils getting her blood worked up again for a fight, but she controlled the urge sternly. Her controls were shorting out and flickering and she began punching and slamming on the various consoles trying to get them to work, losing all awareness of her situation.  Her fight did end when she suddenly felt her fighter thumping and exploding around her as another trio of fighters shattered her fighter into flaming debris over the First City.

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Shuttlecraft Tesla | First City Streets | Qo'nos]

Lt. Zark took a couple of steadying breaths and grabbed onto the frame of the buggy as the shuttle ramp came down and they went flying out of the rear at high speed.  Chaos exploded behind them as the distinctive sound of rapid disruptor fire and explosions erupted behind her.  The scream of a fighter rapidly passed over head.  Her head whipped around and her eyes widened as the majority of the warriors that were supposed to be accompanying them lay torn or thrown around the impact sites.  Her instincts took over as she opened the comm channel in her suit. "Lieutenant Arisaka, we need to turn around and help those people."   Her heart sank as she saw Arisaka's head shake. "Negative Lieutenant, time is of the essence here.  More Mo'Kai troops are headed towards the crash site and we need to reinforce the site now.  I'm sorry, but they'll have to look after themselves."

Lt. Zark's professional duty stubbornly insisted on helping them anyway as she leaned forward towards the front compartment. "But Sir, there's no way they'll survive.  The city is coming apart around us, there's a good chance..."

"I realize that, but we have a mission" Arisaka interjected, cutting her off. "We're headed to the crash site, do you have a problem with that Lt. Zark?" an edge creeping into his voice.

"No sir." was her formal reply as they sat back in her seat and raised her rifle out the side of the buggy. Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell spared a moment to look back towards the direction of the fallen warriors and her eyes were sad as the buggy sped away from the blasted landing site.


lagh = Ensign

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #20 –
[Lt. (JG) Jonas Arisaka | Shuttlecraft Tesla: Buggy| First City streets | Qo'noS] Attn: @Tae @Griff @Auctor Lucan @RyeTanker

Not since the Klingon Civil War of 2368 had the streets of the First City burned with such intensity. Arisaka was not unfamiliar with such chaos but despite that, the sight still caused knots in his gut. Klingon citizens openly engaged in battle in the streets. Off-world tourists ran for cover. Less honorable types took to looting. Fires burned while the streets began to fill with blood. If you asked anyone unfamiliar with the day-to-day life on Qo'noS they may say that this was a typical Thursday.

Directing Chief VanVictor to head down a street filled with smoke may have been a poor decision, however, it was the quickest and most direct path to the Sabine crash site. At least according to the topographical map of the First City on the dash monitor of the buggy. "Cover me," he ordered as he stood to utilize a pair of powered binoculars to see through the haze.

Moments upon standing the Starfleet rover was bombarded by plasma fire. Most of the hits landed against the sparse armor plating of the vehicle, but one managed to strike Arisaka directly in his right shoulder. In an instant, the lieutenant's body went limp, collapsing back into his seat as Rivard grabbed the Tetryon Pulse Launcher that he had mounted in place of the High Powered Phaser Cannon typically installed on the buggy. "Take this you Klingon bastards!" Rivard's face contorted into that of a berserker as he began to vaporize the source of the attack. Perhaps the man had issues best handled by a counselor or maybe there was something darker within him taking hold.

From their pitch high above the city on a spire of one of the buildings, CPOs Marcaida and Keyah witness the whole thing. Marcaida had retrofitted some flight vests and rocket boots to help their quick ascent but now they needed to get to work. "We need to give them cover fire!" exclaimed Keyah. "Agreed," Marcaida responded.
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
 [Show/Hide]

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #21 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Shuttlecraft Tesla: Buggy | First City Streets | Qo'nos]  @Tae @Griff @jreeves1701

The explosion of fire that came from the front came as a complete shock.  One second she was sitting in her seat keeping an eye out potential threats while Chief vanVinter drove like madman through the streets.  Next, they'd stopped and the team leader had decided to see what was going on ahead.  Lt.Zark was about to tell Arisaka to get back in the vehicle when a mass of energy fire erupted at them dropping the team leader in an instant. Rivard, Marcaida , and Keyah sprang into action and began returning fire.  Explosions rocked a building in the distance.

"Chief, back us into cover!" Lt.Zark screamed as her unconscious caught up with the fact that command of the team had just landed on her shoulders.  The vehicle suddenly lurched into reverse around the street corner covering the vehicle from the masses of hostile fire.  If Rivard's return fire had reduced the volume of fire, it was hard to notice.

Kicking her door open, she activated the comm on her wrist PADD "Team, maintain perimeter, starting CFA" she rushed to the seat where Lt. Arisaka was down and slumped.  Pulling out the medical tricorder she began hastily scanning the injured team leader. The results that came back were not good.  His armour was scored in several areas and had taken the majority of the strength of the shot, but an ugly blackened crater covered his shoulder where the shoulder joint met his chest plate.  In other words, it was damned unlucky shot that had penetrated a weak spot on the suit.  The combat medic grimaced at the damage, the shoulder was cauterized, essentially gone, and his life signs were fluctuating madly. 

Ripping his helmet off, the Andorian was greeted by the sight of a Arisaka bleeding from the nose and mouth.  He was also turning slightly blue. "Rivard, get me a med kit!" Grabbing Arisaka's arm, she punched in a combination that overrode the chest plate and pulled it off, then pulling out her combat knife, she cut the heat insulation, sending a spray of liquid in all directions.  Grabbing a hypospray with a combat stabilizer from a pouch, she quickly injected his chest, removed her own helmet, and pulled the unconscious human out of the vehicle onto the ground, then knelt and began madly compressing his chest rapidly to start CPR.  Rivard soon arrived and dumped the med kit next to Lt. Zark before going back to man the vehicle weapon. Finishing her compressions, she tilted his head back, bent over and placed her mouth over his to pump two quick breaths into his lungs.  Looking at the med pack, Lt.Zark quickly opened the kit and found the cardiostimulator and slapping it on his chest.  The on board computer quickly responded. "Scanning, no heart beat detected, initiating charge, stay clear of body, stay clear of body. Delivering charge."  Arisaka's body jumped with the charge when the computer continued.  "Scanning, no heart beat detected, initiating charge." "Computer set charge to 350 millijoules." Lt.Zark overrode the computer. "Acknowledged. Charging. Stay clear of body, Stay clear of body. Delivering charge."  The Lieutenant's body seemed to jump a bit more with this charge. "Scanning, heart beat detected, continue administering medical aid."

Letting out a slight sigh of relief, Lt.Zark didn't feel the corners of her mouth twitch into a grin as she scanned the wound again. Spraying it with a general anti-sceptic to stave off infection, she grabbed the cellular micro-sture to seal off the worst of the damage.  Taking a moment to inject a pain killer, she let out another breath of relief.  Lt. Arisaka would live, but he was definitely out of this fight and probably several more after this.  Movement and a war cry caught her attention as several Klingons came charging out of an alley across the street from the buggy.  Rivard was looking the wrong way and there was no time to swing the vehicle weapon around.  Grabbing the phaser rifle off her back, Lt. Zark quickly threw herself onto the ground blocking Lt. Arisaka with her body and pulled the trigger sending a hail of phaser fire at the attackers.  The wild spray of fire managed to hit most of them, stunning them.  The combat medic grunted as a disruptor shot from the last Klingon hit her square the in the chest knocking her into the unconscious human.  Mildly stunned, her actions were like being mired in syrup to get her rifle back on target. A sudden shot came from above and hit the Klingon in the head causing him to to collapse bonelessly on Lt. Zark.

Breathing hard "Shelat! That was too damned close." the Andorian exclaimed.

"No kidding" came back the Keyah over the team net. "The idiot was going to try to gut you.  Good thing I hit him."

Lt. Zark's breathing began to steady and the mad grin she'd been holding relaxed. "That was a good shot. Thanks".  Pushing the body off and standing up she took stock of the situation, Lt. Zark had some decisions to make.  With a quick nod of her head, she began issuing orders.  "Bloodwing, see if you can plot us another route around the blocking position ahead of us, pass it to Chief VanVictor soonest. Rivard, help me load Arisaka into the buggy.  Keyah, Marcaida maintain overwatch till we're ready to go.".


CFA = Combat First Aid

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #22 –
CPO Victor vanVinter |Shuttlecraft Tesla: Buggy | First City streets | Qo'nos | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan



Tearing through the crowded streets of Qam Chee Victor kept a peripheral awareness of the skies to prevent being strafed by fighters. This nearly happens right as the Tesla's buggy tears out of the bay with a squealing of tires on the deck plating. The green disruptor bolts form the Fighter scorching hot over their heads, impacting against what might've been a storefront of some sort.  Tanks burst and various fluids sluiced out of the shattered windows. From the smells assailing his nose, Victor took the aromas to be blood wine and oils, that is, until he gets a worm in his face. The heavy fragrance of Targ blood about the thing, leaving a reddish ichor on his uniform as the worm of Wistan-Gagh stares him straight in the face.  Victor rips the worm off of himself with a quick motion and shoves it, still squirming down his throat while driving. "Lunch!" While some may think him mad, and indeed, he very well may be, whatever his quirks, Victor made one hell of a driver.

The man was slick as they come and not from the gagh juices that soaked his uniform either. Victor weaved in and out of the First City streets, only glancing at the map display to make turns. Every once in a while, he'd feel more squirming, and Victor would blindly reach for the offending piece of gagh and shove that into his mouth. At the very least, the man was finally getting a meal in the strangest way possible. Calories were calories, though, and he wouldn't argue with it, though he'd have preferred nearly any other species of gagh. Wistan-gagh would ruin his uniform. The squeals of tires and brake pads alternate as Victor takes corners like a madman, downshifting as needed, popping the hand brake when needed to make an exceptionally sharp turn around the corner.

Zark was right, and Victor was indeed driving as a man possessed. The look of sheer focus and determination wouldn't be out of place behind the stick of a Valkyrie, and here he was in a ground vehicle that he made to scream and squeal around every corner. Sometimes the showiness was warranted when they needed to evade what looked like an armored personnel carrier of some sort, the Chief driving through a narrow alley barely wide enough for the vehicle to fit, though. Pieces of brick and mortar flying out behind them as the rear driver side panel clips the building sending a spray of debris out behind them just before a disruptor cannon hits where the buggy should have been.

When Zark gives him the order to find cover for the buggy while they were passing through what looks like a market square, Victor sees an alcove he can just squeeze the buggy into and jams the handbrake and wheel brake, causing an unholy racket of metallic shrieks to fill the air. The efforts are most successful as the buggy drives around a central fountain that probably depicted Kahless, and the buggy comes to rest, slamming into a wall of containers, which happen to burst, showering the passengers and intrepid Cheif in warm Bloodwine. At the very least, they were in an alcove about 4 meters by 4 meters, with buildings overhanging them, and backed into the spot. He hoped that it would give Zark time to do what she needed to do. However, his focus was on the surrounding area, not whatever the medal-chasing Arisaka was doing, dying apparently.

That's when the APC chasing them comes around the corner, and the Klingons open fire. Victor ducks down behind the dash as the disruptor fire scores the front of the buggy.  "Lieutenant, whatever you're doing, we gotta do it on the move! This is becoming too blasted unfriendly!"

After Zark and company are loaded back up

Victor doesn't even wait for new directions or orders. Instead, he guns the engine hitting the pedal to the metal. The away team was tearing out of the cover into hell itself, the firing Klingons. And just when it looks like the course is set, the Chief pulls the hand brake and powerslides the buggy into the group of Klingons, likely hitting a few, possibly killing some. Then, without a moment's hesitation, Victor takes off away from the APC down the nearest street that he could see the other end of. The last thing he wanted to do was get trapped in a dead-end.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #23 –
[PO3 Lillee t’Jellaieu | Shuttlecraft Tesla | First City | Qo'nos ] Attn: @jreeves1701, @RyeTanker, @Tae

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It was the height of irony that despite the rest of the team being in a primitive wheeled vehicle, and Lillee flying a maneuverable and shielded craft capable of travelling faster than light, it was Lillee who was having the most trouble getting to the Sabine crash site. She had hoped that the raging civil war in the streets, not to mention the enormous Federation dreadnought orbiting a couple hundred kilometers overhead, would be a powerful distraction.

Instead, the Klingons reacted faster than Lillee could've ever imagined. It had only been fifteen minutes since she'd flown out of the river, barely five since she'd dropped off the away team, and already the Klingons were reacting to destroy the Starfleet shuttlecraft flying in their city. Lillee tried to follow the team, at first noting Victor's psychotic driving with amusement, but increasing Klingon resistance forced her to get creative with her evasive maneuvers. She had tried to venture over the rooftops only for an emerald disruptor beam from one of the tallest buildings to miss her by a hair, the shuttle's shields crackling at the near miss, and Lillee had been shaken at the realisation that the ground-to-space weapon was designed to destroy starships, not shuttles. If it had hit her, she would've been dead in an instant, shields or no shields.

Confined to claustrophobic low altitudes, Lillee still had to contend with some very determined Klingons who took objection to her flying in their city. She followed the buggy around one corner only to see a bulky vehicle with a humungous disruptor cannon on its back waiting at the end of the street, and only quick reflexes had Lillee fire her weapons first, a phaser beam destroying the artillery. The ambush was well-laid, though, and even as the buggy zoomed down the street, the shuttle rattled as Klingon troops on rooftops to either side opened fire. The handheld disruptors were little more than a nuisance, but the anti-vehicle heavy weapons (flecked with antimatter, of course, the Klingons being complete lunatics) caused the shields to flicker and alarms to flash on Lillee's panel. She reversed, spun around and flew back the way she'd come, muttering rihannsu curses under her breath. She couldn't survive another ambush like that one.

As she tried to navigate the war-torn streets, keeping an eye on the holographic map and the buggy as she tried to catch up, Lillee noted when the buggy stopped for a brief period, then proceeded to start driving again. Busy keeping an eye on her sensors, having ordered the computer them to detect Klingon lifesigns and overlay them on her forward viewport, Lillee dodged yet another heavy weapons team, and took some satisfaction in vaporising them with a phaser hit, annihilating an entire floor of the large shopping centre they'd been firing from. She was still working off the fright and raging adrenaline of that encounter when she recognised a woman's voice over the comms. The Andorian lieutenant? Had to be, right?

"Bloodwing, see if you can plot us another route around the blocking position ahead of us, pass it to Chief VanVictor soonest."

Taking a moment for some peace and quiet as she lowered the shuttle into the (questionable) cover of a destroyed building, Lillee checked her holographic map, happy to see that the buildings around her were free of infestation. She was a good three hundred meters behind the buggy now, having been strategically driven further and further away by Klingon heavy weapons teams, mobile artillery and even an adventurous Klingon fighter. The buggy was only a hundred meters away from the Sabine, but sure enough, the shuttle's sensors detected the mass of Klingon lifesigns in their path, and indeed, in every possible path between the away team and Sabine.

"Fvadt," Lillee cursed under her breath, examining the holo-map closely. "The Klingons are learning. I hate it when they do that." She winced as she realised that there was only one option, and it was surely only an option because the KIingons assumed nobody would be psychotic enough to try it. "Bloodwing to vanVinter. I'm cut off, I can't get to you. The Klingons have barricaded every direct ground access point to Sabine against you, but there's a ramp eighty meters northwest of you to an elevated highway that spans across the commercial district. Get up to it, drive north for a hundred meters, and the Sabine will be directly below you, twenty meters below, to your left. I'm transmitting the route to your buggy's computer now. I'm reading nine Klingon lifesigns on that highway. Do you copy?"

Re: CH07: S [D03|1649] Sabine Crash Site

Reply #24 –
CPO Victor vanVinter |Shuttlecraft Tesla: Buggy | First City streets | Qo'nos | Attn: @jreeves1701 , @RyeTanker , @Griff , @Auctor Lucan

Victor drove like a madman, slamming into the Mo'kai that were firing on them, the sounds of armor and bone-crunching as he slams them aside with the heavy vehicle., the sound of tires, and brakes screeching into the night along with Klingon howls of pain and anguish. Victor drove. Continuing towards the rough location of the Sabine was the only goal right now. And getting the team to the site, well, that was half of why he was here. So the madman drove.

Hearing Lillee's voice buzzing in his comm, a devilish smile comes to his face as he notices what she's talking about. How could he miss it, the barricades, and then an accidental ramp that looked to be formed from shipping containers? It wouldn't last long under the weight of the buggy, and they'd come down badly, but it wasn't like he saw any other options. There were no good ones that didn't have them dismounting and fighting their way over the obstruction slowly and bloodily at the very least. Victor slams his foot down and activates the comms, knuckles giving the steering wheel a death grip, knuckles white with tension.

"Troubleshooter copies Bloodwing. Ramp eighty meters northwest, I see it!" There was an excited tone in his voice, one that Lillee would be all too familiar with from their time flying together. The away team quickly approaches the gauntlet of House Mo'Kai troops. Their weapons fire was closing in, disruptor blasts frying the air creating a sizzling sound and a flash of green light whenever one of them hit the buggy. It was now or never, no time for evasive maneuvers! Victor guns the engine. With a soft whine, the engine spins up, and the wheels squeal against the flagstone streets of Qam Chee!

Nearing the ramp moving at maximum acceleration if not maximum speed, Victor shouts out to the rest of the team. "Hold on, everybody, this is gonna be cool!" keying the coms once more, Victor speaks up in a cheerful tone of voice.

"Troubleshooter to Bloodwing, you better be recording this because..." And at that moment, the buggy hits the ramp, and pictures of old Earth entertainment and the cultural zeitgeist of Earth hit him full force, The Half-Bajoran letting out a rebel yell into the blazing Qo'nos night. "Yeeeeee-Hawwwww!!!" The sound of sheer delight and madness ringing out in time with the new silence of the sound of wheels moving against nothing, pure air, the buggy airborne.  As a disruptor blast hits the roll bar behind Victor for a moment, the briefest of instants really, there's a green halo of dissipating energy forming a ghostly halo around his head that to a particular eye may resemble a long extant piece of Earth headwear.

The flight through the air lasts only a few seconds, and then the buggy comes down hard on the front axle. The snapping and shearing of metal echoes through the courtyard near where the sabine was. The chaos and carnage weren't quite over then, as the whole vehicle bounces and spins. The crew restraint system triggering, everyone becoming covered in crash safety foam, sealing them up for the time it would take for the vehicle to come to a full and complete crash stop. Skittering and spinning, the entire vehicle rotates on three axes like a demented ballerina. Enshrouded in crash foam, the away team feels little of this, save for the vector changes and disorientation of being trapped in something akin to a giant marshmallow. After another few meters of the demented ballet of a wreck, the crash foam begins to dissolve, the vehicle sensors noticing no more dangerous vector changes. And so they all found themselves in the wrecked Tesla buggy, upside down.

Victor pipes up in that same dry yet cheerful tone of voice he'd used when giving the flight safety brief back on the Theurgy. Clearly, he'd had fun. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your trip with vanVinter speedways. We hope you have enjoyed our driving experience." And with that, Victor hits the release on his safety harness and carefully drops out of the inverted vehicle. He then scrambles to his feet, already moving to get his toolbox for the shuttle repairs.
 
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