Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Topic: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker! (Read 10265 times) previous topic - next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

January 24, 2023, 09:21:09 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

By rights, finding a specific item aboard the Theurgy should've been simple: run a computer search, get the item's exact location, find it, use it and be happy. Aboard most Starfleet ships, that was indeed how it worked, and had worked for two centuries. Even primitive Earth ships first leaving Sol had utilised the system. It was an everyday convenience that was simply taken for granted and given little thought.

Except, of course, when onboard a renegade dreadnought that, for many months, had fought one battle after another, barely escaping destruction on multiple occasions, had been given slapdash repairs and had been cut off from Starfleet supply chains. As Alistair slowly realised during one long shift, the Theurgy's inventory system had become a disaster since fleeing Earth. Searching for a simple tool, which should've taken ten seconds, ended up consuming two tedious hours of Alistair's life.

He had considered getting help; Selena, Joseph, even Lieutenant sh'Laan, whom Alistair hadn't met yet since she'd been awoken from stasis. Nevertheless, as much out of stubbornness as anything, he ploughed on alone from one cargo bay to another, determined to find the tool before finishing work. It would be downright irritating to be spending time with Enyd with the spectre of the kicker looming in his brain.

Thus, Alistair was quite distracted as he entered the final cargp bay on his tour. He noticed the Andorian lieutenant and raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi!" he said jovially. "You must be from Engineering, right? Sorry, don't mind me, just looking for something..." With that, he looked around the cavernous cargo bay, which (like the others) was full to the brim, just in case the Theurgy had to spend another few months (or longer) without support. The sight of so many crates, boxes and shelves was intimidating. As he tried to think, an insistent niggle was in the back of Alistair's mind...and, after a good minute, realisation finally bloomed.

"Oh." Alistair looked back at the lieutenant with a wince. "Er...I feel like an idiot right now. You wouldn't happen to be Lieutenant Reika sh'Laan, would you?"

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #1 – January 26, 2023, 06:41:58 AM

[ Lt Reika Sh'laan | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] attn @Griff

Reika stood halfway down one of the walkways that wriggled its way across the Cargo Bay. Normally, the paths between the cartons of supplies would have been straight and wide. But the fact that they were slightly haphazard and rather narrow spoke to the sheer volume of items that they were trying to store in that area of the ship.   This being her first full day on duty, the Andorian had decided to refamiliarize herself with their various storage facilities. She was trying to determine the actual state of their supplies, not just what the computer said they had.

On a computer screen, the Theurgy's inventory system was the same system that was in place when she ended up in stasis, but using the same system and utilizing it effectively were .... well were obviously two different things. But after what she read last night, she could fully understand why things were so helter-skelter here in the bowels of the ship.   Once she had the chance to make an assessment of where the department was and in which of the needed areas her strengths lie, she could speak to Lieutenant Ravenholm about it.

As she took another step down the walkway, trying to identify the various cartons, Reika heard the door swish open. She raised her eyes to see who else was down here in the cargo bay.   Spotting another gold uniform, she smiled.

"Hi!" he said jovially. "You must be from Engineering, right? Sorry, don't mind me, just looking for something..."

The assumption made sense. She was wearing gold, and was unfamiliar to him - as he was to her. But if he assumed she was engineering, was he ... Operations?

"Oh. Er...I feel like an idiot right now. You wouldn't happen to be Lieutenant Reika sh'Laan, would you?"

"Exactly right," she said with a friendly nod. "Which tells me that you're probably in Operations as well. I haven't had too much time to study the roster, but you don't strike me as a "Selena." She grinned at him. "So which Operations Officer do I have the pleasure of addressing?" Reika walked over toward the door, and placing her PADD under her left arm she extended her right hand to her fellow officer in gold.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #2 – February 15, 2023, 01:29:44 AM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

Alisrair was the picture of awkwardness as he shook Reika's hand, not reacting to the startling sensation of her cool hand. Reika's grin was welcome, speaking volumes about her already, and Alistair forced himself to relax.

"Alistair Leavitt," he said amicably, smiling back. "I'm the other assistant COO. Selena told me about you, but I haven't had the chance to look you up yet." Literally, as Reika had several centimeters on him. "To be honest, I'm glad that you're here. Uh...here in a general sense, I mean, but the specific sense too. We've been shorthanded since Chambers died. I really have no idea how Commander Stark kept Ops running for all that time with no support."

Realising that he was rambling, Alistair clamped his mouth shut for a moment. "I'm just here looking for a kicker to sort out the QCC...uh, quartenary computer core. It's been driving me up the wall for weeks, ever since the coolant system got backed up. What about you?" After a moment's thought, Alistair shrugged. "We could help each other while we're both in here, if you like. Team-building and all of that stuff. Besides, I read a few of your tech logs while I was doing a crash course on the ship's systems, so I'd appreciate seeing how you work. Your logs were very concise and efficient."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #3 – February 15, 2023, 09:28:08 AM

[ Lt Reika Sh'laan | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] attn @Griff

It was nice to meet another crewmember, but doubly nice to meet one that she would likely be working more regularly with.

“Alistair Leavitt. "I'm the other assistant COO,” he said.

"It's nice to meet you, Leavitt. Or do you prefer that I call you Alistair unless we're around other crew?" Reika noticed the Alistair seemed to flash between uncomfortable and cordial. “Makes sense,” she thought. “He wasn’t expecting to meet up with me here.”

"To be honest, I'm glad that you're here. Uh...here in a general sense, I mean, but the specific sense too. We've been shorthanded since Chambers died. I really have no idea how Commander Stark kept Ops running for all that time with no support."

“Yeah, I was just down here trying to get a handle on where things really are - not where the computer says that we are,” she removed the PADD from under her arm and waved the end of it, as if to show that’s why she was here. “If things are hectic, it’s hard to keep the two systems synced up, ya know? I mean the computer system’s the same as before I was frozen, but our storage system seems to have gotten a little … unwieldy?” It wasn’t so much a question as hoping she wouldn’t offend him with the state in which she found it. She really did understand how easily it could happen.

"We could help each other while we're both in here, if you like. Team-building and all of that stuff. Besides, I read a few of your tech logs while I was doing a crash course on the ship's systems, so I'd appreciate seeing how you work. Your logs were very concise and efficient."

“Wow,” the Andorian said, her eyebrow raised slightly and a half smile wound its way onto her face. “Thank you. I’m glad they were helpful. You have to be pretty dedicated to read tech logs. Most people avoid them like the plague.” Her eyes ran around the room before fixing themselves back on Leavitt’s. “As I’m just down here to assess where things are, there’s no better way to do that then to help you find what we need for the QCC.” Reika initiated a search on her PADD to see if the computer listed the location of any of its components. “According to this, some of they should be down aisle 1, slot 4, carton 2.” Glancing up at him, her eyes twinkled slightly. “Any chance that it’s the right components or that they are where they’re supposed to be?”

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #4 – February 19, 2023, 04:48:30 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

At Reika's question, Alistair relaxed further. "Alistair is fine when it's just us, or...well, us and Selena. Or anyone in Ops, really. I don't know what it was like before Earth happened, but we're pretty casual now. It's great, to be honest. I've served with CO's who were strict on protocol and it drove everyone up the wall."

Reika's description of the inventory system as 'unwieldy' drew a laugh, and Alistair didn't object, merely smiling. She was, of course, exactly right, and at her amused query of whether the kicker would be where the computer said it was drew another chuckle. "About as likely as running an all-systems level six diagnostic and reading no errors, first time. That happened to me once, back on the Pioneer. We actually had a party."

Admittedly Operations officers, as a whole, were not known for their humour.

The two lieutenants walked into the cargo bay until they reached the spot, and though momentarily buoyed by seeing a case exactly where it was supposed to be, Alistair's optimism was dashed as he opened the box to find...

"What are these!?" Kneeling on the deck beside the open box, Alistair stared at the six long rods that had been roughly jammed into a container that was clearly not designed for it. Klingon lettering was visible on the rods, in stark contrast to the Starfleet-stamped box that they were in, and realisation struck.

"They're pain sticks," Alistair said in bafflement. "How in the...this is the right box for a kicker, the inventory code matches..." Looking up at Reika, he laughed softly in bewilderment. "Okay, Reika...uh, sorry, Lieutenant, I didn't mean to assume. I've got nothing. Who takes an advanced piece of Federation technology and replaces it with pain sticks?"

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #5 – February 20, 2023, 06:20:59 AM

[ Lt Reika Sh'laan ] Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] attn @Griff

Glancing at Alistair as he answered her question, the lanky Andorian nodded and a pleasant smile spread across her face. It was nice to know that some things on the Theurgy didn’t change when she was frozen. Having a slightly relaxed atmosphere when they weren’t in battle was something she had always appreciated. And more than that, it was nice to hear that a lot of the ship functioned under that assumption. It would certainly make reintegrating into the daily grind on the ship easier. “I’m lucky to never have had a CO that had a stick up his ass when it came off-bridge protocol unless we had a visiting dignitary or we were in a battle situation. And I'm glad to hear some things around here haven’t changed all that much - at least in that way, though crew turn-over was shockingly high. I only know a handful of people anymore."

And as he described the current state of the inventory system, she smiled and nodded her head. “I may be able to help there. I have a penchant for order, so depending on how much time Selena allows me to spend down here working to get everything back into place and how much manpower she’s willing to allocate to help, things could change - at least marginally,” she said as the two started down the aisle that was marked as the location of the QCC. “Now granted, requests and acquisitions are less my thing,” she said, sliding the PADD back under her arm. “It’s one of those trade-offs ya know? I mean, I can if I need to, but organizing and cataloging tend to be my thing.” Reika knew that she wasn’t the answer to all of the Theurgy operations challenges, but she did know one or two of the areas where her expertise lay, and if she were given the opportunity to focus some time there, she definitely would.

Landing at the spot indicated by the PADD, Reika watched as Alistair hefted the carton open and knelt down by its side. “What are these?”

Reika crouched down and lifted one of the long, skinny cylinders with a handle at one end and two electrode-like projections at the end. She stood and held the handle in one hand cradling the middle of the rod in her other. She rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh.

"They're pain sticks. How in the...this is the right box for a kicker, the inventory code matches... "Okay, Reika...uh, sorry, Lieutenant, I didn't mean to assume. I've got nothing. Who takes an advanced piece of Federation technology and replaces it with pain sticks?"

“Feel free to call me Reika. You know how many Lieutenants there are aboard? There’s just one Reika,” she said with a grin, as she shook her head at the item she held in her hand. “So do we have a problem with fencing Federation merchandise and replacing them with Klingon trinkets?” It was both amusing and serious. If there really was a problem it had to be addressed, but she gave the person who did kudos for their … originality.

“So what do we do, Alistair? If we need the part, we either take the entire storage room apart and hope that it’s here or ….is there another option?” she asked as she carefully slid the cylinder back into the wrongly labeled carton. “But while we’re at it, at least I can fix one thing,” she removed the PADD from under her arm and changed the contents of the box to match what was actually in it.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #6 – February 24, 2023, 11:36:08 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

Perplexed, Alistair stood and crossed his arms, although secretly, he felt a familiar buzz of excitement. The tedious scavenger hunt was verging on becoming on actual mystery, the sort of problem that was always fun to solve. The bizarre but wonderful foray into the Theurgy's bowels lingered in his mind and suddenly, a bulb sparked.

"I have an idea," Alistair said, looking somewhat daft with his mouth slightly open as he pondered.
He crouched down and pulled out a pain stick, eyeing it carefully. "Computer, run an inventory search on Klingon pain sticks, total timeframe."

Thea's voice answered, though with the AI busy doing other things, the computer-generated simalcrum was distinctly robotic. "No results found."

Smiling slowly, Alistair resealed the carton and put it back on its shelf before walking away, talking as he went. "Our system might be a mess, but the Klingon system isn't," he said brightly, still holding the pain stick in one hand. Alistair abruptly stopped then, and he glanced at Reika, still smiling. "Oh, uh, I'm happy to help you with the inventory clean-up too. Logistical software is my specialty, to be honest. If I write an algorithm to reconfigure the system, improve efficiency and highlight inventory items by likelihood of missorting, would you like to deal with the physical clean-up, re-organisation and cataloguing? I can cover your duties for a bit if necessary."

With Reika's reply, Alistair continued on his way. Soon enough the two lieutenants had returned to the cargo bay entrance, but rather than make for the door, Alistair headed for a console mounted on a bulkhead. With clear enthusiasm, he set the pain stick aside and started working the console. His hands flew across the LCARS interface, only pausing briefly to scan the pain stick before resuming.

"Klingon systems aren't pretty, but they are efficient..." Alistair murmured to himself, his eyes fixed on the screen as a flurry of data and graphics flew by. "And...there! These pain sticks came from the...uh...Haqqa Haqqa inventory depot, right here on Qo'nos." Looking at Reika with an excited grin, Alistair said "So...field trip? I've always wanted to see a Klingon depot." Realising how absurd he must sound, Alistair grimaced, one hand sliding over his scalp. "Er...long story. They do have interesting cataloguing systems."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #7 – February 28, 2023, 04:42:13 AM

[ Lt Reika Sh'laan ] Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] attn @Griff

Reika stood there as Alistair puzzled through how in the world the Painsticks got into the crate marked for a computer part. The Andorian couldn't tell if he was more annoyed or just deep in thought, though time working together would eventually help her perception of what was going through his head.

He certainly was an interesting human. When he got a negative response from the computer, he grinned. She tilted her head, watching him as his response wasn't one she would have expected.

"Oh, uh, I'm happy to help you with the inventory clean-up too. Logistical software is my specialty, to be honest. If I write an algorithm to reconfigure the system, improve efficiency and highlight inventory items by likelihood of missorting, would you like to deal with the physical clean-up, re-organisation and cataloguing? I can cover your duties for a bit if necessary."

She took a moment to think through his proposal. It seemed fair and equitable enough for her, and considering that - in many ways - she was low-man on the totem pole, the fact that he cared about what she thought was a nice change to some of the other co-workers she'd interacted with in the past. "Yeah. I don't mind doing the grunt work. I'm more of a visual person anyway. Seeing things in their rightful places is a better way to remember them than just a catalog. It's easier for me to put my hands on things later. Besides, there's a sense of satisfaction when things are neat and well organized.

But before she finished speaking, he was off, and this time, she could tell he was excited by something. The Andorian followed after him curious to see where this all was going to lead, but instead of heading out of the cargo bay, he made his way to a terminal. "So...field trip? I've always wanted to see a Klingon depot."

At the words "Field trip," Reika's antannae stood erect and a smile played across her lips. She perched herself against one of the bulkheads, doing a damn good job of holding it up while her thoughts continued, "There must be some story behind wanting to see a Klingon depot. Someday when we have time, you'll have to enlighten me."

But with her thoughts running on, she almost didn't pause, though she watched for Leavitt's visual response. "So will we be taking these," she nodded her head at the pain stick still in his hand, "with us? And are you assuming that someone traded our QCC part for these? I can't imagine why in the world, someone would do such a thing, but I have been out of it for awhile."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #8 – March 11, 2023, 02:38:04 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Lower Cargo Bay | Deck 28 | USS Theurgy ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

Alistair grinned back at Reika, quite plainly in his element and loving every second. "I know, it sounds dumb, but it happens. You wouldn't believe some of the things that I've seen happen to inventory. For instance, back on Tellar, we once spent a full day filling a tent with geological equipment and samples in the caldera of a volcano. The next day, we came back to find the tent full of Cardassian kanar instead, plus a few thousand copies of Vulcan Love Slave. We had no idea what happened. Local law enforcement investigated for weeks and couldn't figure it out, or even why the stuff was stolen. In monetary value, the kanar and holoprograms were worth a hundred times our equipment."

Still smiling, Alistair idly rolled the pain stick in his hands as he spoke. "Anyway, two months later, the university gets a call from Starfleet. A starship had answered a distress call from a beat up Orion freighter and found our stuff in the cargo bay. The crew were trying to be suave thieves, apparently, but it was their very first heist, and they thought that our geological equipment was some sort of secret advanced technology. The stuff that they left behind was a joke, a calling card. They'd have gotten away with it too, except their chief engineer decided to use a seismic resonator as a back-scratcher. She accidentally turned it on, the vibrations damaged the warp core, and they had to call for help."

Realising that he was babbling, Alistair paused, tracing the prongs of the business end with his thumb. "Uh...anyway. You get my point. Weird things happen. We might as well take the pain sticks with us. It's not like anyone on the crew would want to use them. Uh, well..." Thinking back to the baffling people that he'd met thus far, Alistair frowned. "Most wouldn't. Probably. Hopefully."

Knowing Enyd and Zark...yeah, there's no way that I'm tempting fate. Best send these things away now.

Shaking off the errant thought, Alistair smiled at Reika. "So: transporter room two, twenty minutes?"

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #9 – March 14, 2023, 07:46:35 AM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'noS ] attn: @Griff

Thirty minutes later the two OPS officers and a crate of Klingon pain sticks materialized on Q’onos. This was the first time that the Andorian had set foot on the planet - ever. So it was quite a new experience for her. The place where the transporter chief set them down appeared to be near the outskirts of a small-ish city. While Reika had seen pictures of the architecture before, it still looked imposing the first time a person laid eyes on it.

The white-haired woman checked in with her equipment, phaser at one hip, Ushaan-Tor on the other, and a PADD in hand. She activated it to see where they were and where they needed to go. Once Sh’laan was relatively certain where they were headed, she bent down to pick up one side of the crate. Reika waited for Alistair to pick up the other side. Then double checking her PADD as to the location of the supply depot, she gestured. “It’s down that way.”

Everywhere Reika looked, heads turned and words were whispered. While she was certain that humans weren’t exactly regular fixtures on the planet, she guessed that Andorians were less so, or if not, the feeling of aggression toward Andorians seemed greater for some reason. Had something she was unaware of happened with Andorians down on the planet? She glanced around at the looks that she was getting, holding herself even more upright in response.

At one point, a large Klingon who had several centimeters on her stepped directly in their path, bringing their forward progress to a halt.

“What are you doing here, petaQ,” he spat, as he stepped up to the Vector 3 COO.

She cooly looked up at him. “We’re here to trade.” That's kinda what we're were here doing, right? she thought to herself. She felt that telling a Klingon that they were here to return something would have even less favorable results than the one she expected.

“Trade! Ha! You wouldn’t have the first notion of Klingon trading, insect.”

Sh’laan ignored the insult. “Well, that may be true,” the Andorian set down her end of the crate, “but I do know a lot about the art of Klingon negotiation.” She unfastened the two claps that held the crate closed.

“Someone as scrawny as you can’t know much about Klingon negotiation,” he hissed.

Reika grabbed a pain stick out of the crate, pointing the business end at the Klingon. “Oh, Sure I do. You can leave us alone, or my friend,” she nodded over her shoulder at Alistair, “And I can practice using these on you. Two to one. I think we’ll get the better end of the deal."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #10 – April 11, 2023, 12:40:25 AM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt | Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

Recalling his last trip to the Klingon homeworld, Alistair was feeling considerable trepidation as the familiar grip of the transporter took hold of him. He wasn't worried about safety, so much as the constant ability of the Klingons to spring surprises. Reika seemed capable enough, and the nasty-looking blade that she carried implied that she was more than able to defend herself, but still, Qo'nos was...Qo'nos.

D'Takka, as it turned out, was a far cry from the bustling metropolises of Saq'wa or the First City. It was late afternoon in that part of the planet, threatening rainclouds blanketing the city, which only added to the bleak starkness of the place. Unlike the larger cities, which had been clean and relatively welcoming, D'Takka was grimy and imposing. Many buildings looked as if they could double as small fortresses, and most of the Klingons in the street were armed, either with disruptors or bat'leths. Even the children had d'k'tahgs on their belts, either sticking close to their parents or clinging together in gangs.

Most particularly, unlike the other Klingon cities that Alistair had seen, there was hostility everywhere. The Klingons that he and Reika passed in the street eyed them with either concern or outright menace, an uncomfortable silence surrounding the two Starfleet officers as they walked. The feeling of threat only grew as they entered an industrial district, the air traffic overhead beginning to taper off, until finally, a thug decided to do something.

Happy to let Reika handle matters, Alistair remained quiet, painfully conscious that since he was holding the box with his dominant left hand, it would be tricky to draw his phaser in time. Reika at least solved that problem by setting down the box, only to alarm Alistair as she pulled a pain stick out.

The Klingon thug, far from being intimidated, laughed. "Look at the little blue girl, pretending to be Klingon!" he guffawed. "Is that what they teach you about us, Starfleet? Pretend to be Klingon, and we'll play along like docile targs?"

"Uh, Reika," Alistair muttered, glancing around as several more thugs began to surround them. They were far from elite warriors; three of the four wore rusting armor, one sported a long and unkempt beard, while another was grossly obese. All, however, were armed with disruptor pistols and knives, fingering their weapons in anticipation.

"So you see," the first Klingon drawled menacingly "we don't tolerate Starfleet scum in our district, pretending to be traders. Now, we won't kill you, no no no, that'd be dishonourable...but I think we can give you a message for your masters and those traitors on the Council-"

"Uh, hang on, please," Alistair interrupted, raising a hand and stepping forward. He was clearly uncomfortable, but barelled on all the same. "You all seem like perfectly nice warriors. We really do have some business at the military depot, so...uh, we're allies, right? I mean, we're all friends here, and, uh, my friend is a great fighter, pretty handy with those weapons, she's seen a lot of battles, you really don't want to make her mad..."

The thug scowled, a hand resting on the butt of his pistol. "And what enemies have you defeated in battle, human? All I see is a snivelling dishonourable coward, unworthy to walk our ground!"

Hyperaware of the danger they were in, Alistair frowned in puzzlement. "Uh, good question. I killed a Cardassian in the war when they boarded our ship, and fought some Jem'hadar at Quatal Prime. I've fought the Borg too. Oh, I fought Klingons and one of the Infested on Praxis a few weeks ago, when they were trying to blow up the moon. Is that enough for you? What enemies have you defeated?"

The thug's eyes widened in rage, tensing, only to suddenly freeze in place. "What-?"

"That's enough, you unworthy filth," a old man's deep voice spoke from behind the big thug. The Klingon whirled around, only to cry out in pain, with Alistair and Reika's view blocked and thus unable to see what was happening. The thug stepped away to the side, revealing that behind him was a much older Klingon, his short hair entirely grey, with a stature smaller than anyone else present. His armour gleamed, however, his bare forearms looking remarkably muscled, and the intent in the old man's eyes was murderous.

The subsequent fight was brutal and utterly one-sided. The old warrior was quicker than his age would suggest, and using only his hands, he got to work beating the thug with ruthless precision. The thug's cries of rage turned into cries of agony until, in short order, he was lying on the ground in the fetal position, barely conscious. The old warrior gave the body a few more kicks before stepping away, his upper lip curled in disgust.

"I've called the constables," he barked at the other thugs, who'd watched the beating with astonishment. When the old man reached for his d'k'tahg, it was all the reason they needed to scarper, and he grunted scornfully. "Gutter scum. Anyway," he said as he looked at Alistair and Reika, "Lieutenant Leavitt, Lieutenant sh'Laan, welcome to D'Takka. I am Quartermaster Dok, son of Qannal. Excuse our vermin. They always come crawling out after a war."

The beaten thug on the ground whimpered, and Dok gave him another strong kick. "Stop whining, you pathetic idiot. The constables will be here soon, then we'll deal with you properly. For now, Lieutenants, follow me. The depot is just up the road."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #11 – April 13, 2023, 07:44:46 PM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'noS ] attn: @Griff

“Little blue girl?” Blue lips mouthed at the insult and brows furrowed. She activated the painstick and pointed the business end at the mouthy Klingon. “I don’t pretend to be a Klingon,” Reika nearly growled. “I’m an Andorian, and we’re a martial enough race to even rival the Klingons."

“Uh Reika?” came Alistair’s words called her attention away from just the one.

Alistair seemed intent on talking his way outta this. "You all seem like perfectly nice warriors.” He said as the rag-tag group gathered around. “We really do have some business at the military depot, so...uh, we're allies, right? I mean, we're all friends here, and, uh, my friend is a great fighter, pretty handy with those weapons, she's seen a lot of battles, you really don't want to make her mad..."

The skinny blue woman crossed her arms over her chest - still one pain stick in hand. If she hadn’t been asked to look intimidating, she might have unsconsciously pulled it off, but instead by trying to look scary to a Klingon, she failed miserably. She could have easily looked like a dance instructor using a pain stick almost like an umbrella in hand - like she was getting ready to break into a song to accompany the jig that looked imminent as she picked up a foot.

But fortunately, then Alistair distracted the group drawing their attention. She set the pain stick back down in the crate and picked up her Ushan-Tor. Now that she had her blade in her hand and she wasn’t trying she looked a lot more intimidating. Reika positioned herself between the majority of the group and Alistair who she wasn’t sure if he could defend himself from one let alone a large group of the demons.

But just as she did another Klingon appeared and before she could take much in the motley group of Klingons were all either battered, bruised, or down and begging for mercy. Blue lips muttered as she slid her Ushan-Tor, slid back into its sheath. “Wouldn’t have minded using the thing,” the nearly silent words passed her lips.

“I’ve called the constables,” he yelled at the goons. “Lieutenant Leavitt, Lieutenant Sh’laan, Welcome to D’takka. I am Quartermaster Dok, son of Qannal. Excuse our vermin. They always come crawling out after a war."

Reika nodded and stepped over the initial Klingon who had insulted her - making sure that his nether regions hurt a whole lot more after she trod on him than before as she made her way back to pick up the box of painsticks. Grabbing her end and once Alistair hefted his side, the two started off toward the lone still-standing Klingon

“Thank you for cleaning the trash out of the streets for our arrival,” Reika said. “We found something that we aren’t sure how it got aboard. Thank you for aiding us in returning it - hopefully for what we guess was wrongly deposited with you in exchange.”

Quartermaster Dok hrumphed as he kicked one of the hooligans who had started to move again. “Well let’s get back to the depot and see what we can find for our Federation allies. Before this lot really starts moving.”

Holding onto her end of the box one handed, Reika’s eyes continued to sweep the area. The Klingon that they were with was obviously a force to be reckoned with, but who knew how soon their law enforcement would arrive or it the rag-tag group had others that they would rally.

Fortunately for the three of them they weren’t that far from the depot. While the outside wasn’t much to speak of, it did look well kept, and when they got inside, it was obvious that Dok knew his craft. Everything was neat, appeared to be in assigned places, and well organized.

“Where would ya like this crate?”

“Set it down there for now,” the wizened Klingon head nodded to a table that was currently adjusted to mid-height, making it easier for the two to deposit. “I’ll put it away after you leave.”

Once the box was settled into place, Reika turned to face Alistair. “What is it we’re looking for again?”

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #12 – April 30, 2023, 01:35:07 AM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt| Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

Somewhat chastened by Dok's rescue, Alistair was quiet as the old Klingon led him and Reika through the streets. There were no children in the industrial part of town; everyone that they passed looked as if they could be another thug, or worse. The shops were run-down, some closed despite it only being late afternoon, and the stench only got worse the further they went. Dok, fortunately, was an able escort. More than one rough Klingon stepped up to stop them, only to see the medals on Dok's uniform and promptly decide that they had urgent business elsewhere.

The depot itself stood in contrast to the dingy surroundings. The enormous building, as cavernous as a cathedral, was evidently a new construction, gleaming among its grimy neighbours. Mercifully, after Dok led them past a security door, the stench was replaced with a nose-twitching sterile burn. The foyer, consisting of a few pallets, lockers and desks, was so neatly organised that it immediately caught Alistair's eye. After setting down the box of pain sticks, Alistair continued to look around with open curiosity, and was so engrossed in mental calculations that he missed Reika's question for a moment.

"Hm?" he said, glancing between her and Dok. "Oh, right, sorry. Quartermaster, did you-"

"-get your message?" Dok interrupted impatiently, drumming his fingers on the desk that he stood next to. "Of course I did, or you'd both be half-dead in a gutter right now. Hrgh...maybe not you," he said to Reika grudgingly. "You have strength. Fire. But your shipmate here? He was stupid enough to try and talk his way past gutter scum. Urgh...humans." Dok rolled his eyes. "I've already searched our system for a kicker, and for Federation technology in general. I need more information. Are the pain sticks in that box military issue?"

At Alistair's hesitant nod, Dok walked over to the box and opened it. "I plan to have a very long conversation with whomever left these on your ship," he growled as he picked up a pain stick and read the serial number. "Blast, it would be from the Fuq'mi. Hmph." Dok looked at Reika and Alistair. "I need to go into a secure area to confirm my suspicion. Wait here."

Without another word (and with agility that belied his age), the old quartermaster promptly strode out through a door, suddenly leaving the two lieutenants quite alone. Alistair glanced at Reika and shrugged before looking around for a few moments.

"So, uh, Reika," he said awkwardly, "do you mind if I ask you a personal question? What is...uh, that?" Alistair gestured at the bladed weapon on her belt. "I've never seen one before, and you're the first Ops officer I've met who carries a blade. Honestly, back there, I thought you might be ready to take them all on with just that."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #13 – May 03, 2023, 12:32:46 AM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'noS ] attn: @Griff

Dok was right. Alistair did like to talk his way out of situations, but then again, so did she if she was feeling discombobulated. This however wasn’t one of those times for her, but the human’s question did cause the edges of her mouth to curl up infinitesimally.

“This?” Reika’s eyes and hand dropped to the curved spiked blade at her side. Somehow it reminded her of an ancient Terran dinosaur she’d heard stories of. She unclipped it and held it up for him to see better. "The type of blade is called an Ushaan tor, and it’s the main traditional Andorian blade. This one, however,” Blue fingers caressed the area of the blade just under the spines, “Is called Tria. After the wife of one of the great Andorian Bish’ee kings. He was deadly in battle, but she was lethal in her own right.” And the hint of a smile blossomed into a full one.

“I grew up around these and flabbjellah since my Zhavey was in the Andorian military, and she taught me a thing or two.” Reika took a moment to showcase a couple of simple moves with the instrument. “It’s my version of a pain stick,” she chuckled and winked. “Before I was frozen, I never carried it around on the ship and I don’t intend to now, but since we were heading down to Q’onos of all places, I felt like it was worth bringing - just in case.”

“Did you know that I was in Tactical for several years before switching over to OPS?” the Andorian asked. “The blade may make more sense knowing that about me."

“You’re welcome to see it if you’d like.” Reika held it out to the OPS officer to take if he wanted to get a closer look at it. “Have you never carried a blade or a weapon on your person?”

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #14 – June 01, 2023, 07:54:24 AM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt| Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Dree
[Show/Hide]

Alistair accepted the weapon very gingerly. "I'm not really a fighter," he said mildly as he considered Tria. "I mean, I've carried phasers before, but that's different. You just point it and press a button. Something like this..." Alistair peered at the blade's edge. "I guess that you use this for...uh...slashing, right? It's light, so I bet you're really fast with this. It must be a great weapon for personal defence...no attacker is getting close without getting hurt...an acute arc shape...that must be for sweeping movements..."

Lost in his own chain of thought, Alistair abruptly jerked himself out of it before carefully handing the weapon back to Reika. "It's a fascinating blade. On my homeworld, we had big machetes for breaking through thick brush, but-" Seeing Reika's expression, he quickly clarified, "they're...uh, heavy one-handed swords from Earth. Nobody ever imagined using them as weapons, though. We just didn't have that mindset. Mostly, we just focused on not hurting ourselves by accident."

Glancing back at the closed door, Alistair mused for a second on where Dok might be before shaking off the errant thought. He instead took a few steps to the side, eyeing the stacked Klingon crates with interest before looking back at Reika with a curiosity. "So...I know you have a mind for organisation, but why go from Tactical to Ops? You know, going from blowing stuff up to setting stuff neatly on a shelf or...or redistributing power, or writing WSP routines? Most people I know would call that change hell. I think even my girlfriend thinks me a bit daft for it sometimes. In a nice way, but still."

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #15 – June 13, 2023, 04:43:11 AM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'noS ] attn: @Griff @Ellen Fitz

Reika tilted her head as she watched Alistair with her Ushan-Tor. She could almost sense his discomfort - even with holding it. “You’re right, It is meant for slashing and sweeping. It’s not like a Klingon weapon where it’s mostly meant for stabbing. And yes, the Tor is best wielded by someone who has a lot of speed and agility. “ As he handed it back to the Andorian, she took it gently and kissed it before sliding it into its holster at her side.

Reika caught the Human’s look of puzzling, and she realized that Dok had been gone for awhile, her antenna tilted back in the direction of the Klingon in the hopes of better hearing if something was amiss, but for the moment, she couldn’t make out anything particular.

“Well, don’t get me wrong, there are times I miss the action terribly, but at the same time, I didn’t realize how good I could be as an OPS officer and how much I could accomplish until I didn’t have a choice but to take on the position. We had more than one tactical officer, and we lost our OPS officer on a deep space recon trip, and with a background in both I was requested and required to relinquish my post and take over operations for the remainder of that mission, but by the time we got back to the heart of the Federation, I didn’t necessarily want to go back to tactical. In some ways I felt like I made a greater difference in operations. Besides,” Reika quipped with a wink, “It’s harder to put things into order than it is to blow them up, and I was looking for a challenge.”

But Reika turned around wondering where Dok had gotten to. She took several steps toward the storage area that the Klingon had disappeared into only to halt abruptly when she saw Hirek and someone else was with him. She took a step back not exactly sure what was going on.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #16 – June 28, 2023, 03:19:29 PM

[ Hirek tr’Aimne | Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Griff @Dree

It certainly hadn’t taken Pierce and the Intelligence department long to find a use for Hirek outside of his bioengineering skills. With the risks to Hirek’s personal safety and the potential threat to his family back on Romulus should he be discovered alive and well instead of drowned like the report he’d hoped had made it back to his homeworld, deemed acceptable, Pierce had done as Fisher would have done and as King had done before him: used Hirek in an elaborate game of double-crossing. Working with the Klingon Intelligence Agency and capitalizing on their presence in orbit, Hirek had been given a crate of supplies from the ship and instructed to sell them on the nomadic black market the KIA had been working to take down for months. Using a mixture of Romulan charisma and years of experience at quickly adapting to new scenarios, and ever and always with an aggressive charm that confounded more than it attracted, Hirek had made contact with the black market ring and made the sale to the second in command.

With the supplies marked for tracking, Hirek wasn’t worried about their later retrieval. And that was precisely what would have happened if the third in command of the black market ring didn’t have a personal hatred for all Romulans and demanded to see the additional crate of supplies Hirek had promised to sell if they offered a high enough price. The bastard had called his bluff and trailed behind him as Hirek led him into the official Klingon depot. He’d insisted the best place to hide ill-gotten goods was in the more official and secure place possible, and while the second in command had believed Hirek, this mouth-breaking lard lurking just over his shoulder had not.

“Why don’t we just kill him?” Mouth-breather hovered over the unconscious Klingon quartermaster, his hand already reaching for the dagger sheathed at his hip.

“As he didn’t see us before I knocked him unconscious, I fail to see the benefit in killing him. At most, they’ll put out a reward for depot thieves once he comes to and reports the incident. Kill him, and you’ll have more wrath called down on us.” Hirek nonchalantly shrugged his shoulder before moving toward the door leading into the main area. “The crate is in the D23-A sector.”

Knowing that the lard was more likely to follow him than remain next to the quartermaster, Hirek didn’t dawdle at the door, giving him further opportunity to make good on the threat. And while he was correct in that the imbecile followed him, even Hirek was unprepared to find Reika’s familiar form alongside the human Alistair, a man Hirek knew to be Enyd’s significant other. Hirek had barely the chance to dart his gaze between Reika and the closest cover she could take before mouth-breather unholstered his scatter disruptor and began firing at both Starfleet personnel. Hirek also took cover behind a pile of crates, not trusting the bastard to keep from taking him out in the ensuing chaos.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #17 – August 13, 2023, 01:56:27 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt| Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Dree @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

Somewhat bemused by Reika's wink, Alistair raised a finger in question. "Doesn't that imply that you found blowing stuff up...easy?" he asked in bafflement. "Actually, never mind. I can believe it. You remind me a bit of Lieutenant Zark, actually. She's a medic, but she really kicked my ass in hand-to-hand training the other day. I've always been terrible at that sort of thing, though. If those thugs had attacked us earlier..." he shrugged helplessly, the unspoken message plain.

A natural pause in the conversation followed, growing increasingly awkward as the two lieutenants waited. "I'm just going to call him on the comm," Alistair said finally, moving to the desk. "Between us, maybe we can help-"

The double door leading into the depot burst open, and Alistair froze, startled by the sight of the Romulan standing in the doorway. A moment later, the tension broke as an unkempt Klingon charged in, firing his disruptor wildly. On pure instinct, Alistair dived behind the desk and fumbled for his phaser, emerald bolts zinging everywhere.

Once his phaser was out, Alistair looked around and found Reika, a few meters away in different cover. It was a mark of how many battles he'd been through lately that Alistair didn't even hesitate to kneel down behind his slim cover and return fire, although true to form, his orange beams were only somewhat more accurate than the Klingon's wild shooting.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #18 – August 18, 2023, 07:22:55 AM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'noS ] attn: @Griff @Ellen Fitz

When Alistair asked her if she found blowing stuff up easy, a laugh that escaped her lips caught the Andorian quite off guard. She hadn’t at all expected it, but it surprised her how good it felt to let out an honest-to-goodness belly laugh. “Haven’t you ever blown anything up before, Alistair? Blowing stuff up is not just fun, but most often very easy. It’s putting things back together after that’s much harder.”

Then there was that name again - Zark. Not only had she met the inebriated medic, but she also had heard of her from several people already. “Zark must really be something. She seems to be on everyone’s lips. But ya know if you want some fighting pointers, I’m happy to teach you so maybe you can take her next time.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Whatcha think? You up for that?”

But as she asked her question, Hirek made his way through the two double doors, but seeing a Klingon with a disruptor at his side, Reika made a judgment call to protect Hirek as well as Alistair and herself. If the lumbering Klingon didn't know that Hirek was with Starfleet, he may ignore him potentially allowing the Romulan to get the upper hand on the interloper. “Romulan traitor!” she screamed and reached for her phaser, but the Klingon had his disruptor out quickly and nearly took her shoulder off. Scrambling for cover, she forced herself to pause and take a deep calming breath.

Barely poking her head out from her hidey hole, she observed the big lug of a Klingon and his exact spot. Seeing the oaf move his disruptor back in her direction, she snaked her body the other direction in the cramped spot that she perched. She looked the other direction and ascertained where Leavitt was hiding. She could only guess at where Hirek disappeared to from his earlier position.

When she could tell that the one of the other two had the Klingon’s attention, she rolled out of her spot and squeezed the trigger of her phaser, hitting the Klingon in the arm, but that didn’t seem to stop him.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #19 – August 30, 2023, 07:16:47 AM

[ Hirek tr’Aimne | Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Griff @Dree

With Starfleet officers firing at the Klingon and the Klingon firing in return, Hirek saw his opportunity. Smacking his hand against the crate he’d taken cover behind, he called to the Klingon, “I have no weapon! Give me your other disrupter! One of us can draw their fire while the other flanks them.”

The mouth-breathing lard only glared at Hirek, sending off a few more beams of fire before pausing long enough to answer. “How do I know you won’t just shoot me and make off with the goods yourself?”

“I’m a Romulan,” Hirek drew back, looking insulted, “I’m not an idiot.” Hoping that Reika and Alistair had their phasers on stun, Hirek pushed into a crouch, “If you aren’t willing to trust me with a weapon, you can handle these two on your own.” He turned, glancing around the opposite edge of the crate, tensing his muscles to make a run for the side door.

Something metallic sounded behind him, then a heavy bump against his foot. Looking down, Hirek spied the spare disruptor and looked past it to watch the snarling Klingon shoot down a few overhanging gangways directly above Alistair’s position.

“That should’ve crushed the male,” the Klingon pulled his lips back in a snarling smile, “you draw their fire, and I’ll flank them.”

Hirek wrapped his fingers around the disruptor, immediately taking a few wild shots directly over the crates where Reika had disappeared, “Got it! Go!”

The Klingon mimicked Hirek’s earlier crouching position, making ready to leap across the open space to a row of supplies. Hirek took a few more wild shots over the crates opposite his position, allowing the Klingon to scuttle to safety. He waited a moment, then stood, moving out from behind the crates. Arm extended, Hirek maintained a heavy barrage of fire as he advanced on Alistair and Reika’s positions. But then, feigning a jam, Hirek let loose a volley of Romulan curses before looking up just as a beam struck him in the chest, sending his body flying backward and sprawling unconscious on the floor.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #20 – August 31, 2023, 06:04:33 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt| Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Dree @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

Traitor?

Even amidst the shooting, Alistair paused for a moment to look over in Reika's direction in bafflement. It was such an odd word to use. It was extremely unlikely that she knew the Romulan; how could he have 'betrayed' her? Was it a general sentiment towards all Romulans? Sure, they were allies during the war, but still, it seemed odd to shout out 'traitor'. Maybe Reika called it out as...well, maybe....a tactic of some kind?

All those thoughts passed by in a second before a fresh barrage of disruptor fire hit the desk, sparks and debris flying everywhere from each impact. On reflex Alistair tried to return fire, only to jerk back in alarm as a fizzing green bolt nearly blew his hand off. Instead he tapped his combadge, only to feel a telltale tactile buzz on his breast.

"Comms are jammed!" he called out to Reika, not even sure that she could hear him amidst the disruptor barrage. After a few more moments, Alistair finally summoned the courage to lean out and shoot back, only to see the Klingon looking right back at him, disruptor raised.

Raised high.

"Oh no," Alistair whispered as he looked up at the gangways crisscrossing above him. As the green bolts spat out, he scurried underneath the desk and huddled there, hands over his head, as his world quite literally came crashing down around him. After it stopped, he sat there frozen, barely believing that the desk had held up under the impact.

I love Klingon engineers.

Hearing yet more shooting and abruptly remembering that Reika was still in trouble, Alistair hurriedly began to shove his way through the debris, grunting as he wiggled his way underneath the tangled metal, wincing as a jagged edge cut into his back. Undeterred, he kept crawling on his stomach, debris on top of him, until he could see past the desk.

Seeing the Romulan standing in the open, cursing at his weapon, Alistair blinked, shrugged, then fired, hitting the man square in the chest with a sizzling phaser beam.

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #21 – September 01, 2023, 06:31:43 AM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Outskirts of D’Takka | Qo'noS ] attn: @Griff iff @Ellen Fitz

Craziness and green shafts like short streaks of lightening erupted around her head, and yet the Andorian remained calm. She took the entire situation in as best as she could. Hirek continued playing the part of the comrade to the Klingon who was firing a barrage of shots over their heads despite the hit that he had already received. Alistair nearly had his head taken off by a wild shot.

Reika tapped her combadge and feeling it vibrate instead of hearing it chirp, she cursed under her breath just as she heard Alistair call out, “Comms and jammed,” but at least she knew he didn’t get hit by that last close energy discharge.

“Keep that bald head of yours down. It doesn’t need shaved any further,” she called out, but just as she did, the catwalk above Leavitt came crashing down on top of the desk under which he had hid himself.

“Leavitt, are you okay?” she called out taking another shot at the Klingon at the same time. While she felt increasingly angered by this oaf’s exertions to take them out. Ducking just in time a green flash zipped past her head and hit the crate that had been directly behind where her head had been previously. “Okay,” she said taking a breath. “That was too close.” She needed to get out of this location and find a way to get into a better position.

And why didn’t Hirek just turn and fire on the lumbering Klingon? Reika had seen him with a disruptor when she had last raised her head. Not trusting to the Romulan, she scrambled through a hole in the shelving unit behind her and made her way into another hiding place - one from which she would have a better vantage point.

But as she did, Alistair ducked out from a different position he had been able to procure. And this time he came up and hit Hirek square in the chest. Not believing that he couldn’t know that the Romulan was a member of their crew, she hoped that the phaser was just on stun.

But Alistair’s shots drew the Klingon’s attention allowing Reika, from her new vantage point to shoot at the Klingon, and this time, her aim was true. But one hit only brought him to his knees. She shot again and once more for good measure.

Before coming out from her hiding place, she called out. “You okay over there, Alistair?” Then, while keeping an eye on the Klingon, she moved from her covered position and walked over to the beast and kicked his disruptor away from his hand. Reika reached down and while still training her phaser on the unconscious man, she felt for a pulse - which she found.

Stepping back and turning to face her counterpart, she said, "If the comms are jammed, we might have further visitors. It might be a good idea not to linger overly long.”

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #22 – September 04, 2023, 09:42:32 PM

[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt| Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn. @Dree @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Alistair called back as, grunting with exertion, he pried himself out of the debris. When he got to his feet, he looked a stark contrast to the tidy man who'd entered the depot just half an hour. His uniform was filthy and torn, his bald scalp smudged black with some substance, and when Alistair straightened, he winced. After gingerly reaching around his back and finding the scratch, he shrugged and walked over to Reika, phaser still in hand.

"Yeah, you're probably..." he trailed off before his eyes widened. "Dok." In a rush, he hurried over to the door that the two assailants had emerged from. The heavy door opened smoothly at a button push, revealing a perfectly ordinary corridor, lit by the usual nauseating burnt-orange lighting. On the floor partway down the corridor was a Klingon body lying face-down, and Alistair ran up to it. Kneeling next to the body, he heaved it onto its side, revealing that it was indeed the quartermaster. His nose was clearly broken, dark blood streaming down onto his armour, but his chest rose and fell.

"He's alive!" he called back to Reika. "Looks like they just knocked him out." Getting to his feet, Alistair looked down the corridor with apprehension before glancing back to Reika with atypical determination. "He helped us. We can't leave him. Besides, this could be bad if the Romulans are breaking into military depots on the Klingon homeworld. We need to contact the Theurgy or the Klingon military somehow."

After a moment's pause, he frowned as he glanced back down the corridor, holding his phaser loose at his side. "Uh...any ideas? Do you reckon this place has redundant hardline comms we can get to?"

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #23 – September 06, 2023, 09:28:14 PM

[ Lt. Reika Sh'laan ] Haqqa Haqqa Depot | D’Takka | Qo'nos ] Attn: @Griff @Ellen Fitz @Dumedion

Reika heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Alistair’s voice. But as soon as Leavitt was free he called out Dok’s name and rushed through the double doors into the other section of the depot. Reika kept her phaser trained on the Klingon who had been intent on killing them all.

“He’s alive,” Alistair said.

Another sigh of relief. Reika looked around to see if she could find a Klingon Comms device. It was possible that they were only jamming Federation signals. After some looking around, she found a Klingon comm’s device. She took her communicator off and opened both the communicator and the Klingon comms terminal up. “I’m going to try to interface my communicator with the comms terminal. If I can do that,” she said as her fingers continued moving as she pulled worked to integrate her combadge with Klingon technology. It wasn’t easy. Three minutes later, she called out. “I think I got it. Gimme a second to grab Hirek, as I doubt that he has a communicator on." She took one more look at the unconscious Klingon to make sure that he was still unconscious.

She walked over and slipping her hands under Hirek’s armpits, she dragged the sturdy Romulan back to where her communicator was hooked up to the terminal. She was thankful that she was an Andorian at the moment. Having denser muscles made it easier to move the chunk…or was the human word hunk….she couldn’t remember.

“You’ve got Dok?” Reika confirmed. “Okay. I’m going to call back to the Theurgy and ask them to transport four of us directly to sickbay. But once I initiate the comms link, I need you to try to activate your badge, so that they can lock onto yours through mine.”

Then tapping her combadge, she initiated the call. “This is Lieutenant Sh’laan. You need to lock onto this combadge and Lieutenant Leavitt’s. There are four of us to beam directly to sickbay. Take the Klingon nearest to Leavitt, but leave the other.”

Re: Day 20 [1650 hrs.] My Kingdom for a Duotronic Interphase Core Kicker!

Reply #24 – September 07, 2023, 06:08:18 PM

Arven stood inside the opaque privacy screen around biobed 3, hovering over a patient. The man laid face down, the medical gown opened to reveal colorfully bruised and bleeding buttocks to the air. The tissue regenerator in Leux’ hand purred in a monotonous tone as he slowly passed it over the man's colorful contusions while Arven frowned, trying to believe the man's story of ‘taking right tumble down a flight of stairs, skiddin’ on me arse,’ as the patient had said in a rather embarrassed English accent – Liverpool, perhaps – Arven guessed. The fact that the injuries were localized in nearly the exact same positions and patterns on both cheeks struck him as odd, as well as the lack of any other physical damage to the man’s body. Regardless, he really tried not to comment, for about the first thirty seconds or so, which was surprising, really.

“This is amazing, you know,” Leux deadpanned in his usual sarcastic tone while he worked. “You found the only stairs that assault the arse, to use your anatomically correct terminology. I’m curious, do these stairs have a name? Do they understand the term...aftercare? I believe that’s what it's called – could be wrong. I'll look into that.”

The patient shifted as he cleared his throat.

“Uh oh,” Arven muttered, “better quit wiggling or I’ll get the straps out,” he warned mockingly, as the subdermal swelling and color of the man’s cheeks slowly returned to normal.

Leux’ badge chirped suddenly, which he tapped with another frown. “Medical, send it.”

[Incoming emergency transport, party of four. Routine,] a feminine voice reported.

“Acknowledged. Send them to the ward,” Arven tapped his badge again with a sigh. “Unfortunate timing, really. Well, here, take over for a bit while I sort this out,” he set the regenerator just above the man’s buttocks, “and use a damn safe-word next time,” the Trill shook his head as he stepped out of the privacy screen.

“Ms. Duncan,” he called to one of the duty nurses as he stepped into the corridor with a smile. “Spanky on bed three could use your assistance.” The nurse managed a brittle smile, brows bouncing as she passed with a nod.

[Recovery Ward, a moment later]

Arven entered, rotating the tension from his neck, before nodding to another nurse – a rather young looking man whose name he couldn’t place at the moment. “Who are you again,” Leux asked him with a confused expression.

“Florez,” the youth replied evenly. “Filling in for Adams? We met this morning – and like, ten minutes ago... I brought you coffee?”

“Ah, right,” Leux nodded with a smile. He didn’t remember any of that. “Well Flo, let’s see what we got,” Arven tilted his head, ignoring the nurse’s irritated expression as he tapped his badge. “Medical – energize.”

Four streams of light and sound materialized in the open area between rows of recovery beds; revealing a four individuals – two of which, (a Klingon bleeding from his nose, and a Romulan) instantly toppled like meat-sacks. Arven caught the Klingon with a grunt just as he heard a weighty thud. As he positioned the unconscious Klingon to transfer him onto a bed, his eyes glanced over at Florez, who was struggling to lift the Romulan. “Nice catch, Flo,” Arven grunted with a shake of his head, as he laid the Klingon down then moved to assist the nurse with the Romulan, who looked like he fell face-first, judging from the small line of blood oozing from his nose.

“He slipped,” Florez grunted, as the pair moved his limp form to an adjacent bed.

Arven glanced at the other two beam-ins, recognizing the Andorian (even if he couldn’t remember her name, either), but not the human. “Welcome to sickbay, pull up a chair,” the Trill flashed them a smile as they deposited the Romulan onto a bed, "be right with you."

A low moan bubbled from the Romulan's blood smeared lips, signaling his imminent return to consciousness - so Leux stayed put. “Take that one,” Arven waved Florez to the Klingon as he pulled out a tricorder and began scanning away. “Either of you two can fill me in on what happened any time now,” Leux spoke aloud at the pair of officers, his attention focused on the device in his hand.