Star Trek: Theurgy

Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

December 14, 2021, 01:42:58 AM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Klingon Opera House | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
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The opera house in First City was a surprisingly ornate building dominated by arched ceilings and gothic columns. The signature feature of the expansive entrance hall was a massive chandelier composed of rare crystal, an impressive piece of artistry that reflected and enhanced the dim illumination of the hall. Crowds of klingons meandered towards the exits with many deep in conversation about the fiery climax of the performance. Amongst the sea of theatergoers dressed in dark clothes accented by gold and other jewelry, three Starfleet officers in pristine dress whites stood out.

"I read somewhere that Captain Archer once compared Klingon opera to the cries of a Vulcan sehlat. Having heard them myself during my time on Vulcan, I would say that the good captain was not exactly exaggerating. That being said, I adored the storyline of this opera! The characters were all so flawed, and it was their pride that brought out their destruction. That's not so different from most human operas, in fact, and I find that similarity fascinating,” Enyd said to the pair as they descended the grand stairs into one of First City’s plazas. It was late in the evening and save for other theatergoers departing the opera hall, it was largely devoid of people.

“The tragedy of hubris is a common theme amongst cultures that prize concepts of honor and duty, I have found,” Callax said as he rubbed his hands together for warmth, a slight chill making him shiver. “Take Earth composer Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle for example. One can find many similarities between Siegfried and the klingon soprano, both tragic heroes whose fates were the result of their own actions and decisions.”

He grinned then, a pearly white smile to match the junior officer’s dress whites. “Frankly, I am just thankful it was not just another Kahless tale. As much as I enjoy the classics, there is a point when it just feels vapid and unimaginative.”

The trio was some distance away from the opera house when Callax noticed a figure standing off near one of the side streets seemingly in tense discussion with another tall humanoid. He gestured for the others to follow and began walking towards the pair.

As they approached, the familiar figure of one of their crewmates came into focus. Across from him in heated conversation–more like an argument–was a Romulan in dark street clothes. Not a common sight on the Klingon homeworld. The hairs on the back of Callax’ neck rose in anticipation of trouble. A street fight was not the way the Ardanan had imagined his evening ending.

Raising an arm in greeting, Callax called out hoping to help diffuse the situation if only by the introduction of more numbers to the situation. “Kingston! Out for a late night stroll?” He said at almost a shout, eyes fixed on the unfamiliar figure.

A glance was all the warning he was given before everything went white. A bright flash blinded the Starfleet officer and he felt his body lift off the ground and impact with the wooden support beam of a market stall. Knocked breathless, he struggled to bring himself up to his knees as his vision faded in and out of focus. The sound of several footsteps, seemingly coming and going from one of the nearby alleyways, was all that he could make out amongst the chaos. Were they friend or foe?

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OOC: Posting order as previously discussed is Sqwelookle, BipSpoon, then Ellen Fitz. BipSpoon ineligible for tokens from this prompt due to participation in Dinner Out.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #1 – January 06, 2022, 07:32:53 AM

[ Lieutenant JG Adam Kingston | Near Local Opera House | First City | Qo'noS ] attn: @Eden @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon  so sorry for the delay people, I wasn't quite sure what to write and several other things happened I had to tend to.

Aside from the damage and state of emergency on the Klingon homeworld, Qo'noS had a roughness that Adam liked. He didn't feel that comfortable with luxury or fancy decoration that many other worlds had in their cities, like Aldea as he feared he'd just break stuff, he simply just focused on his job.

He had been exploring the capital city and helping where he could, then he saw a notice that several public events were happening around the city to keep morale up, Adam assumed. He made his way to the nearest one and it was an Opera house, he wasn't quite a fan of Klingon Opera but some songs he did enjoy.

However before he could get inside, someone called out for his attention. "Starfleet, I need your help. I must get off this foul planet!"

Adam turned around and was about to nicely tell whoever that he had other plans when he was confronted by a Romulan in dark clothing. Here on Qo'noS? He thought as his surprise of seeing a Romulan showed on his face.

"Indeed, I shouldn't be here! Now get me off this forsaken world!" The Romulan demanded and waved his hands about in Adam's personal space.

”You really want to back off,” Adam said with barely restrained anger, he is a grunt after all, angry is his thing. He was thinking of all the ways he could detain this annoying Romulan when from across the street where the Opera house is, his name was called.

One thing went through his mind. Never turn your back on Romulan, so he didn't instead he circled around so he could see who called him, hopefully a fellow crew member, which made the Romulan back off a step back but then it all happened in a flash of light as the others approached.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #2 – February 04, 2022, 02:25:10 AM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Near Local Opera House | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden @Sqweloookle @Ellen Fitz  [Show/Hide]

Valyn hadn’t been to Qo’noS…at least not in recent history. It was far off from what she’d learned about it back in her Romulan days, and the degree to which it differed from the ‘official’ report, unsettled her at first. The one thing that was correct however, was…unfortunately, the smell. Her sensitive olfactory system was screaming in protest as she worked her way through the city, the contents of her stomach not far from full rebellion with each time she passed someone preparing a fresh bowl of gagh.

She’d attended the opera, needing a night off the ship. She had been pleasantly surprised by the contents of the show, and the quality of the performance as well. “Y’know…I never really gave much thought to Klingon Opera…really wasn’t bad.” She shrugged, “I’m not sure if I’d compare it to a Sehlat though. The woman…I forgot ‘er name already, but the leading gal? She’s got some pipes.” She whistled, impressed.

As she made her way outside though, she noticed the kerfuffle occurring with Kingston, and sighed, stepping towards him. Never a quiet day. She thought to herself, as her head shook side to side.

Moments later, she heard a metallic clatter, and then everything went white. Her ears began to screech in protest and she felt the ground make contact with her side. “Son of a-!” She exclaimed, shouting into the bright abyss she’d found herself stranded in. The sound of footsteps caused her to lash out, reaching for someone…anyone around her that she could manage. None of them however, remained in her grasp for long, in fact, the second individual that she grabbed, gave her a wallop of her own with what felt like the backend of a weapon.

“Urgh!” She shouted, reaching for her then-bleeding nose as the noise around her slowly dissipated and her senses began to fade back into existence. "One day without getting shot, punched, or stabbed...just one." She grumbled. The world was still bright, and sound still dim, but she made herself to her feet, ready to fight. When she looked around however…there was no enemy. So instead, her focus shifted and she jogged over to Kingston. “You alright!?” She bellowed, going to offer assistance in case he was injured.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #3 – February 04, 2022, 01:39:29 PM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen| Unknown | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden  @Sqweloookle  @BipSpoon 

One minute, the trio were discussing the finer points of Klingon opera in conjunction with ancient Earth composers, and the next, soon after catching sight of a disgruntled-looking Kingston, everything was heavy, white, and chaotic. Enyd felt lifted from the ground and thrown back in a heated wave, heavy with energy as it cracked her body against something solid before painfully pressing her into the ground. Enyd heard herself cry out only seconds before succumbing to a sticky black creeping into the edges of her consciousness.

When next she peeled her eyes open, Enyd could make out only vibrating swirls of colors and shadows. Her head was pounding. Her very bones ached, and her blood felt heated as it pulsed through her veins. As if through a garbled tunnel, she could hear voices, but couldn’t make out words or meaning. Enyd moaned, weakly reaching for the closest shadow. Her hand was slapped away just seconds before she felt herself hoisted into the air. She again reached out to find something solid, but her whole world spun out of focus when she was unceremoniously tossed over what felt to be a bony shoulder.

Her head bouncing against the back of what she now assumed to be her kidnapper, Enyd pushed her hands against the kidnapper’s hips, raising herself up to spy out where it was they’d been when she’d first come to. Enyd heard a growled slew of foreign words next to her, and she turned her head just in time for her face to connect with the downward swing of a fist. Her hands slid out from under her, her unconscious head bobbing once more against the back of the Romulan Tal’Shiar operative as he and his companions retreated down the narrow alleys of the city, away from the blast, and Enyd’s companions.

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OOC: Tis short but I wanted to leave their intended destination a bit of a mystery for y'all to solve. Mwhaha! But consider Enyd good and kidnapped. I believe we've got a good order set here, Eden, Sqwe, Bip, then me again. Let's get this chaos party cranked up to level 10!

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #4 – February 23, 2022, 02:01:43 AM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Near Klingon Opera House | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
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The young officer’s ears were still ringing when he finally rose to his feet, fists raised and ready to retaliate against a second attack that never came. Why were their attackers not attacking? A child could have killed him in that moment given his disoriented state and now that he thought about it, he would not put it past a Klingon youth to do just that. Shifting his gaze left and right he surveyed the area for any view of their assailants and allowed himself a breath of relief when he found none.

Still gathering his wits, he blinked until his vision cleared enough to get a view of the scene around him. It was a small patch of chaos, no doubt amplified by the narrower street they found themselves on. Luckily for them, the explosive device was not of the lethal variety though no less effective. Instinctively, he reached one hand up to tap his combadge as Amarik shifted to help Kingston.

“Valin to Theurgy. Requesting emergency transport to sickbay.” No response. He tried again to no avail, just then realizing it had been fried by the EMP. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. “Lieutenant Madsen, is your combadge still working?”

The pilot turned to face the woman only to find there was nobody there. “Lieutenant?” He asked again, a bit more haste to his tone as he looked around for his crewmate. He counted the familiar figures present. Three not counting the crowd of Klingons slowly gathering to their periphery. “Dammit! Madsen is gone. I am going after her. Adam, you good to move?”

Before the man could answer—if he even could answer—Valin was already hastily looking for any clues that might indicate what direction she might have gone made all the more difficult by the lack of a tricorder. Brushing rubble aside, he squinted in the near darkness for any shreds of evidence and let out a breath of frustration. "I am not seeing anything. Give me a hand?"

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OOC: Bit on the shorter side as well but wanted to open it up a little for Sqwel and Bip.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #5 – February 27, 2022, 05:15:29 AM

[ Lieutenant JG Adam Kingston | Near Local Opera House | First City | Qo'noS ] attn: @Eden @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon

Everything hurt, a lot. It brought Adam out of unconsciousness with several grunts and groans as he made several attempts at opening his eyes. He'd been thrown against the ground, hard, and from what he could see he was on the road, closer to the Opera House.

Though his vision was still clearing along with his hearing, Adam fought through the pain and got into a sit up position. He could feel dried blood in a few places, he didn't experience any broken bone pain as he slowly got to his feet though he froze as someone bellowed in his direction.

Adam wasn't sure what was said but they were soon next to him. ”I…” His voice croaked and he swallowed. ”I am… alive.” Adam began but paused midway as he made another assessment of his body and how it felt, after a moment he finally concluded with certainty.

His vision focused and he found Valyn was the one who had come over. ”How about you ma'am?” Adam asked in concern. Though he heard Callax call out for a beam out and no response… Adam tapped his combadge and attempted the same. ”Kingston to Theurgy?”

After a few moments he pulled off his badge and took the cover off. He could tell immediately that it had lost all its power, then it took Adam hearing Callax announce that one of them was missing to make him look around as well as respond. ”I’m okay, yes I can move, we should find out how long we were out for, it could tell us how far they got with the Lieutenant.”

He glanced around at the various Klingons and others were getting back on their feet as people further away came to see what happened. ”Can anyone tell us the time?” Adam called out as he half heartedly investigated the area for clues for what happened to Madsen.

Callax announced he was going after Madsen, ”And how’d you expect to find her, we can’t even call the ship. Something tells me that that Romulan I was talking with was probably involved.” Adam said though somewhat unsure without more info.

The Romulan in question was heavily wounded nearby as Adam looked around. ”Over here!” He called as he went to the Romulan’s side and quickly assessed their status as best his limited training allowed him.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #6 – April 11, 2022, 06:48:09 PM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Mess Hall | Deck 13 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Eden @Ellen Fitz @Sqweloookle [Show/Hide]

Valyn did her very best to get Adam back onto his feet. Her nose was clearly bleeding, but otherwise she looked alright, if a bit disoriented. Like the others, Valyn too attempted to reach the ship to no avail. “They fried our shit.” It was an old trick, and an effective one. She brushed her pant legs off and started to look around for anything that might provide a clue as to where Enyd had been taken.

There was no initial response from bystanders as to the time, at least not until Valyn picked one in the crowd in particular and marched towards him, shouting at him in Klingon. “What. Is. The. Time?” She practically snarled the words at him. With their badges fried, that had possibly left them without a universal translator, so she’d have to make do with her own knowledge of language.

Valyn looked to Callax, “Are you alright, any injuries?” She continued to stare the Klingon down as she asked the question, only briefly looking over her shoulder at Callax. After a moment, the Klingon did provide them with the time. Luckily, they hadn’t been out for very long. “Thanks.” She replied, this time in English.

“We need to move fast, every second counts.” It was directed at every member of the party that remained, and she moved towards Kingston. The Romulan was severely wounded. “If we don’t get him medical help quickly he ain’t gonna make it.” It was evident on her face  she was thinking about something, and something that didn't sit well with her. He had started to come to, groaning and writhing in pain from the blast.

Her voice shifted into her own mother tongue, Romulan. Her accent was prim, and proper, like one of the senators in the capital city. “Where is she being taken?” She grabbed the Romulan by the fabric of his tunic and shouted the words at him. “You’re going to bleed to death within the hour if we don’t get you help, which I won’t have time for unless you help me. It will be painful, cold, and slow. Clear?” She didn’t look particularly proud of her actions, but dealing with the Tal Shiar was a dirty business, one she’d been part of for a long time. She knew how it worked. Gentle Starfleet methods weren’t always the best option.

“Any suggestions?” She directed at the rest of the team. Whatever they did, they’d have to be on the same page. They’d have to be smooth and fast.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #7 – April 17, 2022, 01:43:07 PM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen| Unknown | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden  @Sqweloookle  @BipSpoon 

The Starfleet officers gathered around the grievously wounded Romulan would witness the man grimace as he coughed out thick, blood-tinged sputum. Despite his obvious pain and the reality Lieutenant Amarik had so succinctly pointed out—he would die soon without aid—the man was not without continued stubborn grit, a trait so common among Romulans. As Amarik shook his, the man emitted grunts of pain and a snarl but never tried to push her away.

“Get me-“ he coughed again, spraying his blood into the air near his head, “to your ship, and I will tell you.” Pulling himself into as straight a posture as his wounded body afforded him whilst in Amarik’s hold, the man tipped his head back and glared at the woman. “We share a common enemy. And we have information for Starfleet.”

As the maimed Romulan bargained for his life and his associates safe passage off the planet with Amarik, Valin, and Kingston, elsewhere in the city, in an old sewage station, abandoned after a rerouting of the city works almost two decades before and only accessible through a labyrinth maze of stinking, humid tunnels, Lieutenant Enyd Isolde Madsen was just coming to again. The first thing that registered in her addled brain was the stench of waste, mold, dust, sweat, and blood mixed into a gag-inducing cocktail. Blinking her eyes to clear the thick grit and grim the earlier explosion had coated her skin in, Enyd had to fight panic as with her clearing sight came the building realization that she was cuffed to a set of rusted pipes, arms overhead, and dangling like a butchered pig, her feet barely touching the ground.

The closest description to the sound she made then was a crying howl, as her body contorted and writhed like a desperate fish trying to loose itself from a hook. The more she struggled, pulling herself up to try to jerk her arms free, frantically kicking at the air to gain momentum and shake loose, the tighter the merciless cuffs cut into her wrists' delicate and already scarred flesh. This was exactly how she’d been kept the majority of the time by the Directorate on Cardassia. Only then she’d been naked and rendered exposed in every way to the men and women who were using her to manipulate her fiance, Javec, into assassinating the Castellan. At least this time, she was still wearing her stained and batted dress whites.

“Fighting like that will do you no good, lieutenant. Those cuffs are pure tritanium, a gift, so to speak, from another timely Federation encounter.” A husky male voice, the vocal equivalent of the warm molasses her grandmother used for ginger cookies, echoed off the walls of her newfound prison. Though the words held no promise, somehow knowing she wasn’t alone helped to quell the worst of the panic for the time being. “Are you thirsty?” The voice had yet to reveal itself in flesh form, sticking to the shadows that lurked around her.

Enyd swallowed the lump her fearful panic formed in her throat and nodded. “Y..ee…ss.”

Qo’Nos was not a cold planet by any means, at least not near the capital city. So logically, Enyd knew the chills wracking her body now, the incessant shivering rattling her teeth, had nothing to do with temperature and everything to do with shock. As she waited for the molasses-voice to return with something to drink, Enyd closed her eyes. She avoided breathing through her nose as was the standard method for calming down but counted her breaths as she sought to bring down her heart rate. Losing her head because of the past would only get her killed in the present.

“Here.” Enyd rocked her head back, eyes snapping open. Molasses-voice was still in the shadows, but a metallic cup was being held out to her, its rim earlier pressing against her lips and startling her. “It is only water.”

Molasses-voice was surprisingly gentle as he held the cup to her lips, allowing her to drink slowly, considering the cut on her lips limited her drinking and speaking abilities. Enyd knew the chance of the water being infused with some sort of truth serum was high but if the truth serum brought with it the added benefit of killing off the pain and numbing her brain against panic, she was willing to take her chances. Enyd doubted she knew much of anything useful for this sort of treatment anyway. She’d barely been on Theurgy and what she knew of the Infested was the sort of knowledge that NEEDED to get out, not be kept quiet.

“Now what?” Enyd questioned as soon as the cup withdrew back into the shadows, and she heard molasses-voice shuffle away.

He chuckled, “Now we trade stories in the dark while we wait to see what your friends will do.”

“What if they don’t do what you want them to do?” Enyd didn’t bother questioning who her friends were. Either this man had carried her from the scene, or he’d knocked her out.

“Well, then, I may have to use you as a bargaining chip. That could mean slow maiming, leading to death, or a quick death. Either way,” Enyd imagined him shrugging as she could still see only shadows shifting and swirling around her, “let us hope your friends are of the intelligent sort, and we may come out of this as old friends.”

Enyd rolled her eyes, and then immediately regretted the action. It tossed her equilibrium about, and she felt queasy.

“Very well, friend, what sort of stories do you usually trade with prisoners in the dark?”

“The best kind.” Another chuckle. “Love stories.”

With his answer, Enyd was already contemplating whether or not death was the better option.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #8 – May 01, 2022, 12:13:09 AM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Klingon Opera House | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

“I am good, Lieutenant,” Callax said with a dust laden cough. “Bruised but able.”

A muscular forearm, exposed except for the tear of fabric that had been the white sleeve of his dress uniform, rubbed away the sweat and dirt that had begun to cake on the Ardanan’s temple. There was nothing that could be found in the rubble he had started to clear. Nothing that could be found with the limited time they had on their hands, at least. He muttered a barely audible curse under his breath.

”And how’d you expect to find her, we can’t even call the ship. Something tells me that that Romulan I was talking with was probably involved.” Kingston said somewhere behind him as he rose again, more steadily this time, to his feet. Callax allowed himself a slight sigh of relief, difficult to do over his racing heartbeat, knowing now that both were alive.

Turning, he saw Valyn begin to question the Romulan. In ideal circumstances he might have stepped in and stopped the lieutenant but these were not ideal circumstances and time was of the essence. In this case, a measure of roughness was more than warranted. At least the klingons surrounding the scene might approve.

“Any suggestions?” Valyn asked as the Romulan looked on with stubborn resolve despite coughing up blood.

“First let’s get off the street. Too many eyes and someone will surely have alerted the authorities by now,” he said, gesturing to what appeared to be an abandoned storefront heavily damaged by the blast. A quick glance towards the crowd resulted in an uncharacteristic scowl before stepping uneasily over towards the building.

A slight amount of pressure on the door caused it to give way and fall inwards, the blast apparently strong enough to dislodge it from its already deteriorated condition. Past the threshold of the door was an open room clearly spanning the entire width of the building. Dust covered every inch of it though there was evidence that someone had been living there by the look of the ragged blankets piled in the corner and various food containers littering the floor. A plain metal chair behind what he would assume was the checkout counter was the only visible piece of furniture.

Now it was his turn to get a bit physical.

As the others came through the door, Callax would grab the Romulan by the shoulder and push him towards the chair, a none too gentle shove landing their prisoner securely on the metal seat. The Ardanan’s piercing blue eyes might as well have been red by the amount of fire that burned in them now as he lowered himself to be level with the Romulan.

“Here is the deal,” he began with a voice that would chill even the hottest of rooms on the volcanic planet. “You tell us where your associates took our colleague–now–and maybe we’ll take you to our ship. If you refuse I swear we will keep you on the edge of death long enough to be handed over to the Klingon authorities. I can only imagine what they would do with a Romulan spy found on Qo’noS. I doubt you would even get a chance to give your information story to them before they started their interrogation. They might even keep you alive just for the fun of torturing you further after extracting everything in that thick skull of yours. So tell us right now what we want to know because I assure you a Federation holding cell is a paradise compared to what the Klingons would do to you.”

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OOC: Leaving it up to the next poster how the Romulan responds. Apologies for the delay!

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #9 – May 15, 2022, 04:28:12 PM

[ Lieutenant JG Adam Kingston | Damaged Store | First City | Qo'noS ] attn: @Eden @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon OOC: Sorry again for the delay, I hope this is okay.

It was interesting watching the others succumb to just a little fear, Adam wasn't immune either as he followed the fighter pilot into a store that had been damaged by the explosion; as Callax had suggested, to get off the street and away from the public. He guided Valyn and the injured Romulan inside, the latter a little forceful. ”Move it.” Adam growled.

Once inside though Callax had grabbed the Romulan and unceremoniously shoved him into a metal chair then gave him an ultimatum. Of course the threat of being given to the Klingons with the label of being a spy was going to scare any Romulan, many other species as well.

The Romulan went pale, and not from blood loss. After a few swallows as blood was spilling out of the sides of his mouth. ”An *cough*-abandoned stat-*cough*” he said and went into a coughing fit, blood going every direction in front of the dying Romulan. He slid off the chair onto the floor, dead, his body giving a couple of twitches then utterly still.

Adam sighed. ”I think we may have shoved him too many times." He said and looked at each of his fellow shipmates. He held his side as it felt like a rib or two were not where they should be, he could feel several tender areas that had bled and sealed.

He tried not to move too much. ”An abandoned stat-” He echoed, ”station, maybe? But what kind and within transporter range or vehicle?”

So many possibilities and so little time as well as no more possible insider assistance. ”Looks like we have to get some Klingon equipment to help us?” Adam offered.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #10 – May 20, 2022, 04:56:52 PM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Klingon Opera House | First City | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Eden @Sqweloookle @Ellen Fitz [Show/Hide]

Valyn gave Valin a pat on the back, “Good.” Then quickly moved off to stare down their Romulan prisoner, who she realized was rapidly bleeding out. The dank stench of the Klingon Road, intermixed with the sharp aroma of the Gagh stand nearby caused her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. It’d been an impulse she’d been fighting since the moment they’d arrived to attend the opera earlier that evening. Her eyes traced the path that Callax had pointed towards, and she gave a nod of agreement.

“Good idea.” Utilizing her Vulcanoid strength, she began to drag their Romulan assailant towards the abandoned store.  By no means was she being gentle with him, a fact she knew likely set her very much apart from the other officers in her entourage. She likely represented a wildcard to the Romulan. Whereas a typical Starfleet officer may be unwilling to revert to cruder methods of extracting information, Valyn held no such qualms. Each footfall brought with it the familiar crunching of glass as she approached the building, only momentarily lifting the Romulan from the ground so as not to rake the shards against his legs. 

Valyn released the Romulan, allowing Callax to have his turn with him. “Try not to kill ‘im.” She offered, but truthfully, she sounded unconcerned as to the fate of the attacker. She didn’t expect to obtain information from the man, even if they did, she didn’t expect whatever he provided to be particularly helpful. She’d been trained by likely the same methods he had been. Death was preferable to betrayal of the empire. The propaganda machine of Romulus was a powerhouse, and it elicited and demanded absolute loyalty from its citizens.

As Callax threatened the Romulan prisoner, Valyn approached behind him, and in a single, menacing motion, she’d drawn the Tal Shiar knife from the waistline of her trousers. She made very certain that the Romulan could spot it, the insignia emblazoned upon it, and her rank. It was entirely a move of intimidation and fear. “I can speak from experience. Federation Holding Cells at least feed you, give you clothes, and give you water. Klingon cells...well, they’ll hang you upside down from your toes and let a targ snack on your limbs just for fun.” She shrugged, “But- what’s worse is if we lead the Tal Shiar right to you, telling them all about everything you told us.” She held up a finger, “Be that true or not, you and I both know intimately well, what they will do to you. What they do to-” Her entire tone and voice changed from that of some Earthly southern belle, to that of a well-to-do Romulan from the Capital city, almost as if she herself was nobility, even her language switched to her mother tongue, “/What they do to Traitors./”

Unfortunately, the threat was short lived. Moments later, he sputtered his final words, blood splattering across the face of the former Tal Shiar agent. “Son of a bitch.” She shook her head, “Doubt it was from the shoving, he’s likely bleeding internally from the blast. Dammit!” She kicked a piece of rubble across the room and crossed her arms. “Everyone whole for the most part?” She herself had a few dings and knicks scattered across her body but overall, she felt alright. Adrenaline however, was a hell of a drug. 

“Station sounds about right. I doubt he means something in orbit, but that doesn’t exactly help us right this very second.” She bit her lower lip as she mulled over the possibilities. “Could be an abandoned power station, an abandoned military station, could be anything. We should ask locals about abandoned infrastructure nearby, we’re going to need to get our hands on some gear in any case. A couple of disruptors and a tricorder at the very least.” She looked between the two, “You boys know how to use a disruptor?” She pursed her lips, “Usually ain’t a stun setting on them, just a heads up.” She let out a deep, frustrated sigh, and went to search the Romulans body for his own gear, stripping him of everything of value. Foremost among the gear, was a single disruptor pistol, and a damaged Tricorder, of Romulan make of course. “If we can get this fixed...” She tossed it towards Kingston, “Might be able to help us pinpoint Enyd’s life sign at the very least, if not we can look for Romulans, I don’t reckon there are too many here on Qo’noS.” That of course, depending on if they could either repair it themselves or find a benevolent Klingon to do it for them.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #11 – May 22, 2022, 03:13:53 PM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen| Abandoned Sewage Station | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden  @Sqweloookle  @BipSpoon

The trio were not alone with the dead Romulan for long. As the tricorder arced to Kingston, a pair of Klingon guards shouldered their way into the ruined room. They were dressed in the official uniforms of the city guards, the Klingon version of a police force, and they looked none too happy about the situation. At seeing the dead Romulan and the three Starfleet officers milling about, one guard immediately stepped to the side and ordered back up to their position while the other dared to move closer to investigate.

The Klingon cleared his throat and spoke in heavily accented Federation standard. “Which one of you killed the Romulan?” His eyes moved accusingly to Amarik first. “Was it you? Your lot is not known to be very forgiving.”

His partner finished calling for reinforcements but remained close to the door, hand already near his holster in case anyone made a seriously mistaken move.

“What do you know of the explosion?” His eyes turned this time to Kingston, then to Valin. From his voice and mannerisms, it was obvious he had already concluded that even if they hadn’t pressed the button to detonate the bomb, these three were at the center of the destruction nonetheless.

As the trio dealt with the cantankerous Klingon officer and his surly partner, Enyd continued to half-dangle, half-stand in the murky darkness of the abandoned sewage station. Enyd had noted no one aside from molasses-voice and herself in the room in the span of four increasingly implausible tales of romance. She’d lost feeling in her hands and arms because of the angle of her bonds and the dried blood and sweat caking the skin of her face and neck itched something fierce. Enyd was almost tempted to ask molasses-voice to ease her frustration with a quick nose scratch. But, though he’d made no threatening gestures or threats aside from the one promise of a quick death if necessary, Enyd didn’t want him any closer than necessary.

“And what of you, lieutenant?” Enyd grit her teeth when the man finally stopped speaking long enough to ask her question and not mean it rhetorically. “What romantic tales do you have to share?”

“Why would I-“ Enyd snapped her mouth shut and closed her eyes. Losing her temper and poise right now would only be a point in his favor. Swallowing the lump of ire she desperately wanted to spite at him, Enyd opened her eyes and began again, “I feel that if I am to share stories with you, I should at least know your name. Or a part of it. I’ve not seen your face, and unless your name is one in a billion in its uniqueness, there should be no harm in sharing. In fact, I’ll go first. My name is Enyd. Enyd Madsen. And what is yours?”

Her question was met with silence. And such silence that, for a moment, Enyd thought that maybe her efforts to draw him in had done the opposite and driven him away.

“Madsen, you say?” his question was spoken closer than where he’d been standing before, though his face was still heavily masked in the shadows. “Is that a a common Earth name?”

Enyd raised a single eyebrow. “Not that I’m aware of. I’ve yet to meet another Starfleet member with my surname in all my years of service. Now, respectfully, I have given you my name; may I know yours?”

“You may call me Hirek.” His voice sounded different again as if he were once more moving further away to resume his seat in the shadows. “Now I told you my parent’s love story; what of yours?”

“You did?”

“I thought humans were known for their genuine interest and sincerity in listening to others.” Enyd stalwartly resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his obvious sarcasm. “My second story, the one involving the Orion dancer and the Ferengi businessman?” Enyd nodded, though she could barely remember anything the man had said thus far. “Well, it was the one right after that.”

Though she was tempted to question his apparent obsession with love stories and romance while also telling him to take a long walk off a short pier, Enyd decided that keeping this Hirek engaged with her tales was likely better for her chances of survival than leaving him to brood in the dark while they both waited for their friends to come through for them.

“Very well, Hirek, my parents fell in love during a training exercise gone wrong…”

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #12 – May 24, 2022, 12:45:21 AM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Klingon Opera House District | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

Callax muttered an Ardanan curse under his breath as the Romulan slid lifelessly to the floor. Of all the emotions he was feeling at that moment, remorse was not one of them. The Romulan sealed their own fate, indoctrinated or not, by attacking them with a percussive device and getting caught in the shockwave. Valyn was right. It was the internal bleeding that killed the Romulan, not the manhandling by the Starfleet officers.

Right?

The alternative, that he had killed a prisoner in his custody under interrogation, was not a possibility he was capable of entertaining in that moment.

He turned to face Valyn, offering a short nod as he wiped away sweat from his forehead with what was left of the sleeve to his dress uniform. “Whole,” he began to say before adding with the faintest hint of a smile. “For the most part.”

As the others considered their possibilities and checked the dead Romulan for equipment, the young pilot paced the length of the room looking for anything that might be of assistance. Unfortunately, the abandoned storefront had truly been abandoned with anything of value taken long ago either by the previous tenant or squatters. There wasn’t even broken furniture he could fashion into a crude weapon.

An eyebrow rose at Valyn’s question about disruptors as she rose from the dead Romulan’s body with a broken tricorder and one such weapon. “Have not used one in a while but Adam here should probably get first claim on it. That master-at-arms title must be good for something,” he said, flashing a good humored grin in Adam’s direction. Whatever brief respite they had to plan their next steps, however, was abruptly cut short by the appearance of some uninvited Klingons.

“Which one of you killed the Romulan?” He said harshly to the group before turning his attention to Valyn. “Was it you? Your lot is not known to be very forgiving. What do you know of the explosion?”

“The Romulan died by their own hand, caught in the blast radius of their own explosive device,” Callax began to say, taking a step towards the Klingon while half raising his hands palms open and fingers spread to show he was unarmed. “He was not alone. There were others–we do not know how many. They took one of our crewmembers. We will get them back. We are duty-bound to get them back.”

He considered the pair then if only for the briefest moment. Observation had been a skill taught to him from a young age. The ability to read a person, his mother had told him, was one of the first steps to dominating them. Much could be learned and used from even the quickest of glances.

From their basic city guard uniforms and general appearance he could assume these were not the elite of the Empire nor favored scions of great houses. It was likely these were locals assigned to guard duty in their home districts. If that was the case, and if Callax’ potentially weak assumptions were correct, then these Klingons could be just the people they needed. Given the limited alternatives, he felt confident in rolling the dice.

“Help us find them and you will have the accolade of uncovering and dismantling a Romulan spy ring operating on your planet. Wait for reinforcements and not only will the spy ring potentially disappear, but your superior will take the credit and all the rewards for finding it,” the Ardanan began to explain, eyeing the Klingon closely. Not waiting for an answer he continued to, he hoped, sweeten the pot for the pair. “We are looking for an abandoned facility or station where they are hiding out. Likely close. Does that sound familiar? We just want our person. The spies and the rewards for their capture are all yours."

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #13 – July 18, 2022, 04:24:18 AM

[ Lieutenant JG Adam Kingston | Damaged Store | First City | Qo'noS ] attn: @Eden @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon sorry for the delay

The Klingon didn’t really need that much convincing, appeal to their honor and you have them. Adam found it amusing as the Klingon held up a hand to forestall any further discussion. Clearly he wanted some quiet to consider the various possible locations that the Romulan spies could be hiding.

Meanwhile Adam would accept the disrupter if all agreed and take point. He is Master-at-arms after all and will defend his fellow crewmates. He was about to confirm with the others about using the Romulan hand weapon when the Klingon spoke. ”There are several underground facilities that we haven’t reclaimed, though since things seem to work fine without them we saw no reason to do so. Abandoned power, storage, training, mech and sewage stations below First City and its perimeter.”

The Klingon laughed hard, ”No one wants anything to do with the Sewage station.”

And there it was. Clearly a place the Romulans knew the Klingons wouldn't go to. Adam glanced over at Callax then Valyn. He grinned hopeful that they would want to mobilize, like right now. Though they only had one weapon and no communications with the Theurgy for a beam out.

He turned back to the Klingon. ”Would you grant us a communicator? And weapons?” Adam asked.

The Klingon laughed again, ”for both going into the Sewage station and bringing me Romulan petaQ, I will get you some weapons.” He said, then gestured for the team to follow him to a nearby KDF post.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #14 – July 20, 2022, 03:52:47 PM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Klingon Opera House | First City | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Eden @Sqweloookle @Ellen Fitz [Show/Hide]

Valyn returned the slight smile at Callax and dipped her head, "Good. Glad to hear it." While a quick verbal confirmation from the members of the team regarding their welfare was nice, she certainly kept a close eye on them. Adrenaline was a powerful drug, one capable of masking even the most severe of injuries. Valyn stood up from the Romulan corpse, brandishing the disruptor and checking the settings on it. Broken glass crunched beneath her feet as she moved and she briefly shrugged at Callax, then looked at Adam.

"You're welcome to it if you think you'd do better, just keep in mind it ain't a phaser. I've used these my fair share. Isn't a stun setting on them." Phasers were far easier to use, far easier to service, and by Starfleet parameters, were better for almost all mission settings. The discussion however, was quickly interrupted by the Klingon patrol, causing Valyn to stuff the pistol into the back of her waistband, and pull the bottom of her shirt out to conceal the weapon. Klingons and Romulans weren't on the best of terms most of the time, finding a Romulan near an explosion with another Romulan, dead, and the living Romulan armed with a disruptor pistol didn't set a great starting point for the conversation, and she was well aware of that fact.

Valyn glanced between Callax and the Klingons, watching their reaction to his suggestion. It was a good thought, to bank on the inherent Klingon desire to seek glory. "You don't even need to mention our involvement if you don't want to." She dipped her chin to the Klingon she presumed was in charge of the duo, "You're right though, my kind is not very forgivin'. Luckily the humans seem to have rubbed off on me at least. I'm a much more pleasant person since bein' around them. This guy's pals though, I somehow doubt they'll be quite so magnanimous as I am. So might I suggest we work together on this, we just want our officer, all the glory and recognition can go right to you." She made the attempt to seal the point Callax had opened the door for.

Valyn would give Adam the disruptor if he thought it better, otherwise she'd keep it. She looked entirely comfortable with the weapon, and had utilized one expertly for years prior to entering Starfleet.

"Sewage?" Valyn blinked a few times and sighed. "Must just be male Romulans then." The remark would likely be lost on most of the group, but she said it anyhow. Already, she mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of foul stench through her overly-sensitive nostrils, like a tendril of dark magic reaching up into her brain, putrid odor emanating from it.

"Thank you." The Romulan woman looked at the Klingon officer and on her face really was true relief and gratitude. She had a rather...troubled history with Klingons, and she knew they all likely had their own issues with many of her own race. However, she'd do whatever she needed to in order to get Enyd back. If she needed to get on hand on knee and beg, she would do it. Not only was it a fellow officer, but it was her friend, one of the only ones she had.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #15 – August 05, 2022, 07:50:34 AM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen & Hirek tr’Aimne | Abandoned Sewage Station | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden  @Sqweloookle  @BipSpoon

So this was THE child. Hirek could still hear her name whispered on the dying breaths of her father as his warm life force leaked onto Hirek’s hands from the blade Madsen had forced into Hirek’s hands. It was either kill Lieutenant Commander Ernan Lars Madsen and save Hirek and the potential for more Intelligence counterwork to the Tal Shiar’s manipulations or be killed and take with their useless deaths all hope of vengeance against those who’d killed Lieutenant Commander Isa Leigh Madsen and Hirek’s own uncle. Enyd, unaware of the power her presence had on Hirek’s entire being, kept up with her storytelling. He’d prompted her to share about her grandmother soon after she’d reached the conclusion of her parent’s love story—the truth of their deaths on Romulus a blank for her.

Prevented by this titan of a grandmother from following in her parent’s footsteps completely, she’d opted for diplomacy. Hirek had smiled at this admission, curious what either elder Madsen would have thought of their daughter, strung up as she was in this abandoned sewage station. He had already known he wouldn’t follow through entirely with the other operative's plans for this Starfleet officer, already intending on sabotaging any effort to kill her. But now that he knew of her origin and knew far more than Enyd presently did of how intricately interwoven their lives were, Hirek was going to be far more ostentatious with his efforts.

Hirek knew without checking the time that they would be limited. As Enyd continued her story, he retrieved the key to her shackles and moved to stand behind her. Her body jerked in surprise, voicing wavering, when she felt the warmth of his hands brush over the sensitive skin of her wrists.

“What are you doing?” While she held herself firmly, jaw jutting forward in obvious determination, Hirek could hear the lilt of vulnerability in her voice. He’d also seen the scars on her wrists when he’d first shackled her, soon after she’d been tossed at him to keep secure. It seemed this was not her first time being bound against her will.

“I find our present location unsolicitous to shared stories of family. Perhaps we might try somewhere more comfortable?”

Enyd rubbed at her wrists but said nothing as Hirek released her and nodded towards the shadows. He produced a flashlight but remained just behind her, prodding her nonverbally to precede him down the narrow corridor. Though their steps echoed into the shadows, Enyd could hear the sounds of running water and also what could be the sounds of cavern-loving creatures jostling against one another.

“Are you taking me to meet your associates?” Enyd asked over her shoulder. She hadn’t seen a weapon in his hands, but that didn’t mean the taller, stronger Romulan wasn’t armed or wasn’t capable of quickly incapacitating her once more if she tried to escape into the darkness.

The man gave a noncommittal hum in response. Braving a glare, Enyd tossed the look over her shoulder at him, further annoyed that the light he bore shielded her view of his features. She’d only caught a glimpse of fine-colored hair, chiseled jaw sporting a surprising amount of hair, and noted his height and powerful bearing before he’d shifted back into the shadows and made her move in front of him. If he’d been Klingon she could’ve goaded him into an impulsive attack and then used her smaller and potentially quicker frame to evade into the shadows. But being Romulan, he was not so different from a Cardassian in that he was already thinking ten steps ahead of her, calculating a myriad of potential responses on her part, and had already planned out his own in return. Enyd presently hated that she loved that about both Romulans and Cardassians.

She opened her mouth to voice another question when her foot stepped on something large and squishy, and a high-pitched squeal echoed in the tunnel in response. Enyd instinctively drew back, directly into Hirek’s chest. As soon as she noted her proximity to the Romulan, and once more smelled his infuritatingly pleasant smell, Enyd stiffened and pulled away. But not before Hirek both grunted in amusement then chuckled when his light fell on what looked to be a giant salamander.

“That is only an ‘evta.’ Fairly harmless at this size. Hopefully, your kicking it won’t attract its larger siblings. We’re just about the size of a snack to them.” Leaning forward, Hirek pushed at the creature gently with his foot and snorted when it scurried into the shadows and plopped into the unseen water. When he looked back to Enyd, she felt further irritation grow. The man looked like a Grecian god, perhaps Cupid himself, and that was damned annoying given their circumstances. “Shall we proceed before they come, or would your rather gape at my charms revealed?”

Enyd gritted her teeth and brushed by him, enjoying the grunt she heard through his lips when she intentionally stomped her heel onto his foot in her passing.

“For the record,” she called over her shoulder, “I wasn’t gaping.”

Hirek was prevented the opportunity for a clever retort by a sudden hissing emanating from the dark. Enyd stopped. Hirek as well. The single hissing was joined by a chorus, alerting them that whatever was in the dark was not alone.

“That’s not another ‘evta.’” Enyd dryly commented, not caring this time that she was once more instinctively drawing closer to Hirek.

“No, it sounds like we’ve wandered into a teghbat colony. They don’t like the light.” Enyd jerked in surprise when two things happened simultaneously. One, Hirek switched off the light. And two, he grabbed hold of her hand in his larger one with a near-crushing grip. “Regardless of your feelings towards me, Enyd, I suggest you not let go or try to flee on your own. You are the perfect size for their claws to snatch. We are safer together. For now.”

Enyd heeded his advice and clenched his hand harder as they picked their way through the dark. She trusted he had better night vision than herself, or at least knew the layout of the tunnels. Otherwise, they may end up landing on top of the 'evta’ in the sludge-like water. She hoped neither her own rescue party—which she knew they’d come for her—nor Hirek’s associates were about to come in here with guns blasting. She’d really rather not end up a teghbat snack.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #16 – August 17, 2022, 03:29:07 AM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Klingon Opera House District | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

Well that was easy.

The Ardanan had struggled at first to mask his surprise when the Klingon acquiesced to their request for assistance. Persuading the Klingon had been a hail mary born of desperation more than any coordinated plan and he was grateful for the backup from his comrades. While he knew he could be persuasive when necessary, it still came as a shock when he found success. That was especially true with a species not particularly well-known for doing what others want. Maybe he was cut out for politics after all.

Talk of possible locations for the Romulan infiltrators eventually settled on the most likely destination, an abandoned sewage facility that Klingons, understandably so, did not wish to investigate themselves as long as it operated within parameters. That honor would seemingly fall upon Callax and his compatriots.

The journey to the KDF post took longer than it likely should have as their path took them down narrow alleyways more often than the sweeping avenues that connected the city. At the first diversion down a particularly rundown alley, Callax had expected their Klingon allies to turn on them. Instead it quickly became clear that they were simply trying to avoid unwanted attention as would happen if three injured and disheveled Starfleet officers simply took a stroll down the main avenue with armed escort.

The KDF post itself, when they arrived, was something of a disappointment. In his head, Callax had imagined some imposing complex with high walls, watch towers, and armed guards. Instead, they were led to what appeared to be a converted storefront situated on the corner of a busy intersection. Inside, they were told to wait in a cramped and sparsely furnished waiting room.

“Remain here. I will return,” the lead Klingon said before disappearing down a narrow set of stairs.

After a few seconds, Cal turned towards the others. “We do not have much time, if any, to gather substantive information on this sewage treatment facility. What are we thinking? Go in guns blazing? Or try to out-sneak some sneaky Romulans?”

Not too long after, the Klingon returned with a box of assorted weapons in his arms. "You will return these disruptors," he said, teeth bared. "So you spare us the task of retrieving them from your corpses."

---

“Too much time has passed,” said a cloaked figure just into his middle years, huddled against a sewer wall. “Something must be wrong.”

“I concur,” a large shadow just now materializing into view said with a deep voice. “We should have received feedback by now.”

A third figure, face shrouded, approached the pair. “We must investigate. Where is Hirek?”

“He should be on the lower levels,” the first voice said.

“Then we go.” The third said, withdrawing a disruptor pistol from within her cloak. From the sound of shuffled fabric it became clear the others did too. The sound of muffled steps dissipated as the group departed down the hall. After Hirek.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #17 – September 13, 2022, 07:12:40 AM

[ Lieutenant JG Adam Kingston | Damaged Store | First City | Qo'noS ]
OOC: sorry for the delay. @Eden @Ellen Fitz @BipSpoon

It was a damned fifty fifty situation and just to make things worse, time was not on their side. Adam hated when that happened. Thankfully they now have weapons supplied by the Klingons, and perhaps more credit with the Empire for exposing the Romulan spy network. That albeit has probably been operating for a very long time and impunity, Adam hoped they could deliver them so they could collect Enyd.

He grinned at the Klingon. ”A pity that you do not want to join in the hunt and glory of the catch yourself,” Adam stated causally as he inspected the Romulan weapon he held. It seemed to still be holding enough power for this rescue mission, he'd have to use it sparingly and rely on the Klingon disruptors as the fighter pilot handed one out to Adam, which he accepted, then one to Valyn.

Several handed out additional power packs later, along with old communicators that seemed to be only able to send and receive within only a few kilometers, and the trio were headed to access the underground tunnel network. The Klingon laughed again and called out to them, ”I am needed elsewhere but as your Federation sayings go… Best of luck.”

Adam glanced over at Valyn then at Callax. ”Okay, when a Klingon says best of luck, I get nervous.” He said. ”Perhaps we could try both frontal and behind attack along with a few distractions? The problem is we don't know the lay of the land so we'd have to scout a bit to identify how best to fight once we have found the Station.”

He gestured to Valyn then at Callax. ”Any suggestions?”

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #18 – October 02, 2022, 04:09:23 PM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Damaged Store | First City | Qo’NoS ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz @Sqweloookle @Eden  [Show/Hide]

Valyn idly followed after the Klingons, keeping her eyes on a well-practiced swivel as they weaved their way through the streets of the First City. These were Romulans they were facing, and Valyn knew better than anyone that they could well be being watched, just as they moved through the streets. Valyn had once been the watcher, and she wasn’t foolish enough to ignore that threat that could be lingering. She didn’t much trust the Klingons, but she certainly trusted them more than the Romulans.

On arrival, she allowed the Klingon to wander off without argument, before turning her attention to her comrades. “No we don’t. I suggest we go in through two entrances. If you two take the front, going in guns blazin’ I can slip around back and we’ll take them from both directions.” She clearly wasn’t overly pleased with the plan, not keen on splitting up on her own but as it was she saw few other options. She stopped talking as the Klingon return, and shot him a sour look at his comment. “Wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.” She snatched the box and started to divvy up the weapons between them all.

Glancing at Adam, and the Romulan disruptor, she offered him a Klingon one. “No offense, but I’ve got a handful more experience with that sort than you do.” She offered the weapon in trade, and in any case, on another level, she wanted to spare her comrades the fact that using a Romulan weapon, they would most certainly be taking a life. A fact she was more than comfortable with, but she knew that most of Starfleet had strong moral qualms with the act of ending a life.

“Me too.” She sighed, glancing at Adam. “Sounds like they’re sending us into the hornets nest.” She thought for a moment and then nodded slowly, “I’ll come around from behind, you two come from the front guns blazin’. We need distractions though…” She thought for a moment before she grinned, “If we can access a console, we can create sensor ghosts that’ll make it appear as though there’s a lot more of us than we actually have. They’ll reroute themselves to try and escape through the rear I wager, but I’ll seal that exit. You two keep pressing the front, we trap them.” She shrugged, then looked between the two, verifying that everyone seemed in agreement.

Still discussing the plan though, she headed out towards the compound, guiding the others along with her. Either way, she knew it was about to be one hell of a fight.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #19 – October 04, 2022, 02:45:51 PM

[ First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden  @Sqweloookle  @BipSpoon

[Commander Arusha, Klingon leader for this sector of the city]

“You mean to tell me you not only loaned Federation officers armament, but you sent them to flush out the presumed nest of Tal Shiar Ha'DIbaH that have been plaguing our streets for months?” Commander Arusha snarled at the fucking Bekks who’d brought nothing but consternation to her ass ever since they’d been transferred into her ranks. They fucked up time and time again, turning her sector of the city into a nightmare when it didn’t have to be.

Bekk Wos turned to Bekk Tarf, making the mistake of looking uncertain for the first time in their report. Sergeant Batass cleared his throat, staying Arusha’s wrath for the time it took for him to speak.

“Perhaps we can use this to our advantage? We let Starfleet get the Tal Shiar to reveal themselves and then we capture what’s left of them. General Chu’vok will not care who started the fight when we report victory over these Romulan scum, only that there was a glorious victory.”

Arusha narrowed her gaze first at Batass and then at the witless Bekks she’d been cursed with. No doubt Batass was making this petition to fool Wos and Tarf into thinking he was their ally when, in reality, Batass was the one they should fear far more than Arusha. His was a fierce temper when he lost it, and he never forgot a slight. Despite her instinctive desire to bash the heads in of her two Bekks after telling Batass to fuck himself, Arusha sighed and nodded.

“Very well. Alert the other Bekks, and bring in the lieutenant. We will break into two groups, one to sweep in behind the Starfleet officer’s frontal assault. The other will cut off the only other known avenue of escape and, knowing Starfleet, they likely will send one member to go that route as well. Everyone holds back until the Tal Shiar emerges. There will be no assistance given to the Federation officers. In this scenario, they are our bait.” Batass turned to do her bidding, Wos and Tarf on his heels. Arusha clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Wait. I have another job for you two. One that befits you most perfectly.”

[ Sajet, senior Tal Shiar agent, abandoned Sewage system ]

“Who goes there?”

A muffled cry, the sound of a slap accompanied with a chuckle, and then, “It is me,” the familiar sound of Hirek’s grating voice carried out from the darkness.

Sajet had always hated the slightly younger man. Not that it said much considering their vocation, but Sajet did not trust Hirek. There was something too confident, too charming, too everything about the former lecturer that left Sajet’s mouth bitter with distaste. Perhaps it was because Hirek represented every reason for Sajet’s voluntary position in the Tal Shiar. Of noble birth, landed, wealthy, good-looking, with a powerful clan that often made the mistake of openly opposing the Tal Shiar. Sajet’s lips pulled down into a frown as he watched Hirek drag the female Starfleet officer beside him.

“Why have you left your post?” Melus, the second in command, asked, annoyance obvious in her voice.

Hirek shrugged, pushing the human before him, “I grew lonely.”

Jebul, the largest of their group, chuckled. He was the only one of their cell who had warmed to Hirek. Sajet didn’t have to look over to see mirrored looks of annoyance and disgust on Kathesa and Emik’s faces. Hirek raised an eyebrow when he seemed to realize they were all standing together at the circular junction of the old sewage station. Branching out in six directions were the various tunnels, some still usable and others collapsed, that led either to the city, further inward to more caverns, or out to the river. Hirek had come from one of the tunnels leading further inward, whereas the rest were poised to take the tunnel leading to the river.

“Why is everyone here?” Hirek looked at their group in surprise. “If you made the effort to kidnap this female,” he pointed his weapon towards the woman, “then why are none of you standing guard watching for her companions? Have we heard back from Vemiss?”

“That is precisely the problem,” Kathesa grumbled. As the youngest of their group, she was the most likely to see the silence as a problem. “We haven’t. We were discussing whether we should just dispose of the human and look for another off-world route.”

Sajet felt a sliver of pleasure at the worried sound the human tried to swallow. It was always pleasurable to see and hear their “prey’s” fears before they struck. That was yet another reason he enjoyed his work.

“After Jebul carried her all the way here?” Hirek rolled his eyes, rocking back on his heels. “Seems rather like a waste of a potential asset. Emik went through all that trouble of planting the bomb, and now you want to dispose of the fruits of their labor as if she were a rotten piece of fruit?”

Melus frowned, “She is a liability now. No good will come of our bringing her with us. It has been long enough; if the ship had felt her a vital member of the crew, someone worth negotiating for, they would have contacted us through Vemiss by now. But all we have received is silence.”

The so-called silence was interrupted by a series of rumbling explosions erupting in the distance, followed by a careening alarm going off on one of the many devices Emik had attached to his body. “Someone has breached the perimeter.” Another series of alarms came from a different device. A frown worked at Emik’s lips, “Another perimeter, closer to the river, has been breached. They’re making a two-front assault.”

His words pushed all the cell members into action. Melus double-checked her series of sharpened blades attached to her body before pulling out a very illegal Varon-t disruptor. She melted into the darkness, already heading towards the river. Kathesa favored the energy whip she’d won from a hapless Ferengi, moving with Jebul and his traditional phaser-fist combination towards the city entrance. Emik turned toward the lone functioning console in the junction, laying out his various gadgets that each coincided with the series of traps laid out throughout the tunnel system. If anyone non-Romulan drew close to these traps, Emik would know to detonate them.

Sajet glared at the human before turning his glare to Hirek, “Keep her under control. I’m going to get the boat started.”

He didn’t wait to see if Hirek complied with or without a snide comment or his habitual smirk before climbing down the rusted stairs to the single prop ancient-looking vessel they’d found floating near-derelict in these shadowed caverns. They always had a way to escape, and if these intruders thought there were only two routes out by land, they were about to be sadly mistaken by the reality that there was one more by the river.

[Enyd, thoroughly upset with the whole situation]

“So, what now? I just sit here and wait until your friends kill whoever is coming so they can then kill me?” From down the corridor towards the city exit, the echoing sounds of a fight were already reverberating off the walls. Over by the console, she could hear Emik’s grunts as he began to press a series of buttons and responding explosions testified to a trap detonated. “Are you going to tell me I survived listening to your stories and a teghbat attack only to die at the hands of your friends?”

Hirek pulled her against his body. In any other situation, Enyd might think he was trying to give her hug. But given the increasing sounds of bedlam coming at them from two different tunnels, combined with the curses from the older Romulan from the boat below and the groans of frustration from Emik at the console, Enyd knew it was not a hug. Hirek was securing her, as he’d been ordered to.

“Now, why would you think they were my friends?” Hirek dipped his head down to whisper in her ear.

Just as the older Romulan came back up the rusted stairs into view, a look of defeat on his face, and Emik turned snarling from the console towards them, Enyd heard the shuffling sounds of running feet coming toward them from down the corridor. She just spied the whites of dress uniform when Hirek pressed an object into her hand and whispered again, “If you would be kind enough to fight me, Lieutenant Madsen.”

“What-“ her face stung when Hirek suddenly struck her.

On instinct, Enyd pushed forward, using some of the moves Frank had taught her, momentarily forgetting about the object Hirek had put in her hand. Only once they were at the edge of the ledge overlooking the murky darkness of the slug rippling below did Enyd tighten her grip enough to realize it was a phaser. Behind her, Enyd could hear the last stand of the remaining Tal Shiar operatives against her friends. Raising her arm, Enyd tried to aim at Hirek. But there was something wrong. She felt it in the grip and heard it in the energy build-up in the gun. The last thing Enyd saw before the gun misfired, throwing the energy both into her body and partially into Hirek’s was his smirk.

[Hirek, potential Romulan defector]

The flash of the discharge was enough that when Enyd fell into the water if it could be called that, it was only reasonable that Hirek would fall too. They were both “victims” of a deadly misfire for any who cared to see the event. This was a delicate process, the whole defecting thing. If he wanted to do it in such a way as to protect his family back on Romulus and keep himself and Enyd both alive, well, it had been a crude set-up, but perhaps it might work.

The water was thick with gunk and impossible to see through. If he hadn’t grown up in the water as much as he’d been on it, Hirek doubted he would have been able to fetch Enyd’s limp body back to himself and tug the both of them beneath the surface to an alcove just beneath the ledge they’d fallen from. Beneath the water, Hirek was able to find a weathered ledge to anchor his fingers on, holding himself under the ledge and cradling the floating body of Enyd next to him, her head lolling on his shoulder. Until he heard confirmation of the Tal Shiar defeat, he was going to bob here in the muck with the unconscious Enyd, eagerly looking forward to the look of ire on her face once she was restored to consciousness and they were both safely aboard her vessel away from the filth of this world and the stupidity of the Tal Shiar.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #20 – October 15, 2022, 09:16:04 PM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Klingon Opera House District | First City Sewers | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

Cal’s place was in the cockpit of a Valkyrie, the stars a comforting companion in the otherwise bleakness of space. His place was not in a humid Klingon sewer advancing on a cell of well-trained Tal Shiar agents yet it was this latter situation that the Ardanan found himself in as he descended through an oversized manhole, the Theurgy’s master-at-arms already below. Longing for a sterile cockpit grew as the stench assaulted the lieutenant’s nostrils with each rung down the ladder he descended, the ammonia in the air causing a burning sensation that all but nullified his sense of smell.

His dress boots found solid ground through a shallow puddle as the last rung began to bend under his weight. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light he recalled how the troglytes on his planet had existed for years in such dismal conditions, put there and held there by his own kin. He felt deep shame in that moment but quickly put it out of mind as their current predicament took precedence.

The plan had been straightforward enough and he certainly was not going to argue against it. For one, he had no better plan himself; and two, he was hardly the one with expertise in these close quarters situations. Were they in a shuttle he might have interjected but in their current situation he gladly deferred to the assistant chief intelligence officer and the man-at-arms.

“No doubt we have triggered some sort of perimeter alarm,” he said in a hushed tone to Adam from the opposite wall of the sewer. “Let us hope Valyn can create those sensor ghosts. Mayhaps we can at least catch them somewhat off-guard.”

The Klingon disruptor he carried in one hand was heavier than the Federation phasers he was accustomed to and he compensated accordingly as the pair advanced down the winding sewer, weapons at the ready. They moved with haste, the situation allowing for little wasted time. Every second was one more second that the Romulans could use to get away and for Enyd to pass beyond their reach.

As Cal turned a corner, a wrong step triggered a concussive explosion that brought him to his knees, ears ringing for several moments before he could gather himself. He was lucky it had not been a fragmentation device or he very likely would have been dead. Worst still, if they had not alerted the Romulans to their presence during their initial entrance, they certainly did so now.

Sure enough, disruptor fire lit up the dark tunnel as streaks of green flashed through the dim. Diving behind a small pile of discarded refuse, Cal carefully returned fire. Squinting just barely allowed him to identify the shapes moving in the distance. They were retreating. Maybe their plan to appear more than they were was working.

Not looking to give up the advantage, Cal began to advance after nodding to Adam his intent. Mindful of traps, he began to push forward as the disruptor fire became less intense. They were gaining ground.

Ahead, the tunnel began to expand towards what appeared to be a central junction, a round chamber through which the sewer system branched out. There were figures ahead, not much more than vague shapes in the limited light. Amongst the dark, a brief flash of lighter colored fabric that no self-respecting spy in the night would wear. Could it be?

A figure suddenly appeared beside them, a streak of deadly light from what appeared to be an energy whip arcing high in Adam’s direction. At the same time, a figure with a phaser suddenly appeared and discharged their weapon towards Cal, just barely wide of striking the fighter pilot in the shoulder.

With his cover compromised by the Romulan swinging an energy whip, Cal opted for offense and charged forward towards the Romulan that had shot at him. As the gap closed, the Ardanan reached forward with a strong left hook that caught the Romulan in the jaw. The hit was returned in kind as a fist found purchase in Cal’s right torso causing him to grunt in pain as the breath was pushed from his body. The Romulan withdrew a short knife and attempted to stab Cal in the abdomen. Dropping his disruptor, the Ardanan grabbed at the Romulan’s wrist to stay the blade. As the pair grappled for control, the Tal Shiar agent’s foot caught the discarded disruptor. They fell, prompted by the Romulan’s slipping, into the shallow stream of sewage that trickled through the tunnels.

As Cal pushed himself up he found one hand covered in a viscous green liquid. Eyes vacant and lifeless, the Romulan stared up at Cal with a look of disbelief. Protruding from their stomach was the small knife now coated in green blood.

Picking up the Klingon disruptor he had dropped, Cal glanced in Adam’s direction. He would have helped if his weapon fire would not have threatened Adam as much as his opponent given their proximity. Interfering could worsen the situation and so he pressed on.

Ahead, two figures appeared collapsed in the muck–one of which was wearing a familiar white uniform.

“Enyd!” Cal called as an older Romulan fired a disruptor in his direction, just barely missing his jaw. Diving behind a control terminal, the Ardanan took cover.

[ Melus | Tal Shiar Agent | Abandoned Sewers ]

From the shadows, Melus idly fingered the handles of the sharpened blades attached to her body. Sounds of fighting could be heard in the near distance behind them as Starfleet’s frontal assault met Romulan resistance. They would have to manage on their own.

“You are certain it is their pet Romulan?” She asked, eyes focused down the rear sewer tunnel they had been tasked to defend.

Emik nodded. “I am certain but there may be more. My sensors keep alerting to multiple individuals. Klingons, perhaps?”

Melus formed an unseen frown in the dark.

“Regardless, the plan remains the same. She–or they–set off the concussive mines and we finish them off.” The woman’s frown turned to a malicious grin then. “I do so look forward to using my little friend here on a blood traitor.” In the other hand, the Varon-t disruptor was primed and ready.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #21 – October 20, 2022, 02:28:05 PM

[ Lieutenant JG Adam Kingston | Damaged Store | First City | Qo'noS ] attn: @Ellen Fitz @Eden @BipSpoon

At Valyn suggesting 2 entrances to the sewers, Adam nodded. ”Ah the oldest tactic in the book, draw attention away from the rear by attacking the front. Though is there a backdoor? I'm sure the Tal Shiar would have secured their base.” After she indirectly insulted the Klingon, Valyn recommended that she have the Romulan disruptor instead of him. Adam could see that she was probably correct. ”I guess you're right, here,” he offered the disruptor with a smile and grabbed one of the Klingon rifles instead.

”Hornets nest indeed,” Adam agreed with a smirk. ”Let's hope there are no surprises in your path ma'am, and you will be alone. I advise no unnecessary risks and we can't save Madsen if we are dead or captured…” Adam wondered if being captured would help speed up the rescue. He managed to refocus on Valyn in time to hear sensor ghosts. Another old tactic in the book, misinformation. ”A… plan comes together.” He said, still a little unsure but willing nonetheless.

With that all discussed the trio headed out to carry out the operation.

[ City Sewers | First City | Qo'noS ]

It did seem too easy as Adam and Callax managed to get fairly inside the sewer network without being intercepted by the Tal Shiar. Adam hoped they were going the right way to attack the 'front' of their hideout and distract them from noticing Valyn. At that point he just realised what Callax had said. ”I'm sorry did you just say mayhaps?” He asked as he paused to glance over at the pilot.

He quickly added. ”Isn't that what we want? Their focus on us not her so triggered their perimeter alarm is part of the plan, yes?” Adam inquired, he held his Klingon rifle at the ready looking between the way ahead and at Callax. He hoped Callax was keeping an eye on their rear as well as any other directions that present themselves.

After some travel and an explosion which brought both men to their knees for a few stunning moments, they managed to get back up and focused on defense just as quickly. If the Romulans didn't know they did now, disruptor fire lanced out at them and both men went for cover in the garbage around them.

Adam did notice that the disruptor fire did diminish the more it shot at them, at the risk of peeking out a few times he could faintly see humanoid figures losing their shapes in the darkness. Adam realised that their enemies were retreating and glanced over at Callax who nodded at him clearly having the same awareness. The pilot moved then towards the enemy, so they were going to give chase, Adam smiled as he advanced onward.

He saw Callax being a little more careful then they were up to now and Adam quickly followed suit as no Tal Shiar nest wouldn't be without traps. Though they were gaining distance, maybe the spies' defenses would ensnare them instead of the Starfleet officers as self preservation would cloud their minds in fear. Well Adam could only hope.

[ Abandoned Sewer Station | Under First City | Qo'noS ]

They entered a junction as it felt like air swept in from multiple directions, and like most action holonovels suddenly charging light bloomed into the darkness from what looked like an energy whip momentarily blinded Adam and Callax, the master-at-arms assumed. He quickly aimed his rifle at the direction of that light, and fired a few times as he gently shifted the weapon's nosal slightly in different directions. He hoped that the multi fire would hit more than one part of the whip as well as its owner. Since his vision wasn't back to normal yet it was his own play.

Adam only just managed to dodge the energy bolt's impact though sparks and dispersing tentrals of energy splattered all over his left side thanks to the debris from the spot he'd been in, small splashes of water he registered had been the carriers of the energy. It tingled along his left side and he couldn't quite feel his body's movements on that side as numbness spread. Though he was still able to move without sensation and vision in his right eye was clearing while the left seemed to dim.

Not completely making a hit angered the whip's owner and Kathesa raged as she cracked the whip to charge for another strike. Adam's good eye locked onto her as it adjusted to the growing light. He clearly was at a disadvantage with only one working eye though he did notice water dripping sounds and a slight glance upwards revealed stalactites above across the whole junction. They weren't very large but sizable enough to be dangerous.

Just as Kathesa pulled back and began the motion to crack the whip at Adam once again, he quickly aimed at her whip holding hand and fired as he leaned over to the right to roll out of the way. The whip itself and his own fire went past each other, she got hit just under her hand a moment after fully extending and was pulling back reflexively. The whip itself, released from her grip, and still got charge, was floug into the air above Kathesa where it hit then wrapped around a few of the stalactites with enough force that they cracked and broke off. They fell fast and caught Kathesa as she tried to get out of the way in her injured arm and upper thigh on opposite sides of her body.

Blood sprayed out and flowed out as she screamed in pain. Adam cringed a little as he lay on his good side waiting for his left to register sensation again. He vaguely recalled another being in the junction but as he glanced around couldn't see anyone else but Callax and the dead Romulan stabbed on the ground near the pilot. Suddenly Callax ran off as he yelled out for Enyd. Good he spotted her, Adam mused and as he continued to survey the junction got to a sitting position against the wall. From there he used his good leg to push himself up along the wall.

His Klingon rifle at the ready.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #22 – November 20, 2022, 03:13:08 PM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | First City | Qo’noS ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz @Eden @Sqweloookle [Show/Hide]

Valyn gave Adam a wry grin, “Oldest tactic in the book because it works.” If they were focused on their forefront, and she could slip behind and generate enough ‘ghosts’ then it would likely cause enough chaos in their ranks to give the Starfleet officers the upper hand in the skirmish. She hosted the Romulan disruptor, giving him a nod of thanks.

“Oh no doubt there will be surprises. It’s Tal Shiar, that’s how they do things. Surprise, overwhelm, and lie.” She had done it herself for so long that their way of doing things was a second nature to her. She’d faced off against her own kind before but Tal Shiar? That was a new one. She noted the uncertainty in Adams voice and quickly added, “We’ll get her. If we don’t move quickly though we don’t know that they won’t move her, best to strike quickly once we have the information.”

[ City Sewers | First City | Qo’noS ]

As Adam and Callax moved in from the front, she made her way through the tunnel system, finding herself a route from the rear. It took her some time, but eventually she found a maintenance shaft within the tunnel that led to where she wanted it to. It was dark, damp, and odorous in the tunnels, a thin layer of dank fog lining the walls and floors of the tunnels.

As she exited the shaft, wiping a collection of sweat from her brow, she felt the rumble of a blast. Within moments a Klaxon had begun to sound off around her. Not overly loud, but loud enough to muster any men that had been lingering. Almost on instinct, Valyn pushed the lid to a crate open, and jumped inside as the sounds of boots crunching against dirt and gravel moved past her. She heard one voice lingering near her, investigating the area when she heard him lift a piece of metal, and placed her eye on a small slat in the crate.

He’d found her entry point to the cave, and her eyes went wide. He reached for his comms device, and Valyn launched herself from the crate, pushing up off the lip of it as she jumped out, and throwing herself at him full force. He cursed at her in Romulan, and she grunted as she was thrown against a stone wall, feeling the sharp points of rock scrape against her back. “Argh!” She let out a sound of pain before she swung her elbow down like a hammer against the side of the Romulan mans face. It forced him to release her and within a second, she had produced the disruptor and pulled the trigger.

A flash of green came from the tip of the pistol, and the man vanished before her eyes, leaving nothing more than an aura of ‘heat, and the vague scent of seared flesh behind. She tapped her combadge, quickly trying to reach her team. “Cavalary is coming.”

She moved to a console, and set her tricorder up against it, forcing the device to mimic the signals of ten transporter beams in her direct vicinity, and ten life signs to match. With her work done, she grabbed the tricorder, picked up the rifle the man had dropped when she’d dove at him, and ran forward to pincer the Romulans between her and her allies.

Running into the station proper, she saw her friends at a distance, and what appeared to be a whip of energy, though quickly enough the woman wielding it was dispatched. The small group that she had seen pass her were near as well, and immediately, with their backs turned, she opened fire. Shot after shot fell upon them, striking one in the back, causing him to fall lifeless and limp on the floor of the station. The others dove for cover.

Her eyes followed the direction of the shout, and after a moment, found Enyd. She was in a melee of her own though, so Valyn continued firing on the small group she had pinned down, at least until she saw the misfire. A large flash, and the splash of a body hitting water.

“NO!” She shouted. She tapped a few buttons on her rifle, sending it into an overpowered overload, enough to cause an explosion on equal standing as a concussive grenade. Running forward, she tossed it behind the boxes being used as cover by a few of the remaining agents, but turned her back on them without fear, charging at full speed towards where she’d seen Enyd.

A large explosion rattled the cavern, sending two agents flying from the force of the blast, moaning on the ground as they attempted to recover, to no avail. Another agent pursued Valyn.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #23 – November 25, 2022, 06:20:24 AM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen| Abandoned Sewage Station | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Eden  @Sqweloookle  @BipSpoon 

Groaning, Enyd was slow to take stock of her surroundings. She first noted how light she felt, then how warm, and finally how foul she smelled. Pushing against the firm warmth at her front, Enyd struggled to open her eyes.

“Ssh,” a purring voice whispered near her ear, warm breath sending a shiver down her spine as it fanned out over her skin, “they aren’t done flexing up above. I would suggest we remain here until the coast is, as you would say, clear.”

Enyd frowned. What coast? Where was here? She gave a little head shake as she blinked her eyes, intent on being able to focus and regain control of her muscles. As it was, she felt akin to a rag doll. Somehow floating in something foul, held upright by warm iron wrapped round her chest. At first, it was only blurred and shadows moving on shadows when Enyd opened her eyes, hearing what sounded to be a fight from overhead somewhere. Then the longer the sounds of fighting lasted, and the more she blinked, the more Enyd recalled of where exactly she was, who she was with, and WHY.

Stiffening, Enyd tilted her head to look over her shoulder, her head swimming and vision blurring but managing to look in the general direction that was her Romulan captor’s handsome face. “You shot me.”

He chuckled, “No, you shot yourself and me. Though you took the brunt of the power surge, I’ll admit. And may I go ahead and say thank you for that.”

“Thank-“ Enyd shook her head again as she fought a surge of bile. The scent of sewage and the after-effects of the power surge were not doing her stomach any favor. “What do you mean?”

Hirek shook his head, “I don’t enjoy repeating myself, but I’ll at least tell you this. I am not a Tal Shiar agent. I never intended to kill you, and I’m just as happy to see your friends here as you are. If anything, I’m happier. Now let’s float quietly until they signal all is well.” Hirek hugged her floating body closer to emphasize his point and pressed further against the wall behind them.

Enyd knew she could fight his hold and probably get loose, but she was still disoriented and woozy. Most likely, if she broke free of his hold, she’d drown. Then there was her not knowing who was winning up top, her friends or the Tal Shiar. Less than happy with the situation, Enyd clenched her jaw and remained as still as could be. If Hirek was willing to tread water for the both of them, she’d let him. Make him work towards their salvation.

[ Bekk Wos, rafting inward on the sewage river ]

Around five minutes before, Wos had convinced himself there was glory to be had in being in this makeshift raft rowing up the sewage line. At least he and Tarf were the only two being sent into the potential fight, while all the others remained at the exit, awaiting who might emerge victorious from the fray. Based on the continued groans from Tarf, it didn’t seem his companion felt similarly.

“Be quiet. Stealth is our only companion for success.” Wos quoted to his peer, both hands steady on the repeating disruptor gun they’d mounted to the front of the raft.

While Tarf rowed, much to his chagrin, Wos kept his eyes peeled for movement. He had every intention of shooting anything that moved. Let the commander worry about Starfleet red tape. In his opinion, anyone in these sewers was best dealt with like filth. He looked over his shoulder, and in the dim light, he could make out the grimace of displeasure on Tarf’s face, but his companion wisely fell silent. He knew Wos was not above kicking him into the sewage to make a point.

“Do you hear it?” Tarf suddenly said, nodding toward the front of the raft.

Wos smiled and nodded. The sounds of a fight. He rechecked his gun and laid his hand on the trigger. Be they Tal Shiar or Starfleet, Wos didn’t care; any who moved would die.

Re: Day 04 [2230 hrs.] Enemies of the Empire

Reply #24 – December 06, 2022, 04:48:15 AM

Lt. JG Callax Valin | Klingon Opera House District | First City Sewers | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Sqweloookle @BipSpoon @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

Disruptor bolts continued to flash past the rusted control panel that served as the Ardanan’s quickly deteriorating cover. At this rate of fire, he estimated he had seconds before the console would be nothing more than a mass of melted metal leaving him exposed to his Tal Shiar enemies. A survey of his options yielded few viable alternatives to his present position. Looking to buy himself some time, he returned fire as able, adding his own weapons fire to the light show that now lit the dark rotunda in flashes of red and green.

“Where the hell is Valyn?” He muttered to himself as one flash from a disruptor came dangerously close to his knee.

As if on cue, a friendly Romulan voice crackled through their Klingon-provided communicators.

“Cavalry is coming.”

Boom.

The sight of a rifle flying through the air towards the Tal Shiar immediately preceded a concussive explosion that reverberated through the narrow tunnels. The shockwaves blinded Callax for a split second and dropped him to the damp ground where he uneasily pushed himself onto his feet. Ears still ringing, he could see two figures writhing and moaning on the ground.

Tal Shiar.

Emerging from what remained of his cover, he raised his weapon and fired a stunning shot at each of them, mercifully relieving them of their pain as the bodies went still. It was more than they deserved; although, death would have perhaps been more merciful to whatever the Klingons would do with them. That particular moral quandary was filed under the not my problem category and quickly dismissed.

With the immediate threats addressed, Cal cast a glance back in the direction of the tunnel he had come from to see Adam fast approaching with rifle in hand. He raised a hand in greeting and gestured towards the tunnel the last Tal Shiar agent had advanced down.

“One more. Presumably going after Valyn. Back her up and see if you can contact the Klingons? I will check on Enyd,” he offered between heavy breaths. A pearly white grin formed for the briefest of moments. “You look like shit,” he said to the man equally covered in excrement and sewer runoff as himself.

As the adrenaline began to wear off he became increasingly aware of the vile stench. It took all of his willpower to hold back his gag reflex.

Cal took one step towards Enyd and her captor when a salvo of disruptor fire erupted into the room once more. Unseen to the Starfleet officers, a raft had managed to row its way to the periphery of the control room. Within, two Klingons fired wildly at anything and everything. Cal just had enough time to dive behind a metal crate.

“Stand down! We are Starfleet!” The Ardanan attempted to shout over the cacophony that filled the domed room. “You idiots!”


[ Melus | Tal Shiar Agent | Abandoned Sewers ]

The concussive blast all but knocked Melus’ companions out of the fight. As useless in death as they were in life, she thought as she emerged from the alcove she had slipped into just before the blast had rocked the sewers. The ringing in her ears quickly dissipated to allow her to hear incoming footsteps.

As Valyn stepped into view, the Tal Shiar agent leapt into action. Two sharpened blades flashed out through the air from her alcove in Valyn’s direction as she quickly closed the distance between the two.

“Cute trick with overloading the rifle. Not bad for Starfleet’s pet,” Melus managed to say through snarling teeth as a third and fourth blade, still in the hands of the Tal Shiar agent jabbed towards Valyn’s arm and abdomen.

“Ready to die like the traitorous scum you are?”