Mission 2: Tell No Tales

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

Orion.  That was Archangel's first reaction to the face that appeared on the main viewscreen.  She had to admit that she was relieved to see that the Orion was male and not female.  The female ones always tended to give her a headache and render her crew somewhat distracted.

She got to her feet, taking a few steps forward before stopping, clasping the top of her cane in both hands in front of her.  She had always considered it polite to stand up to talk to people on the viewscreen.  She wasn't sure why.

"Captain Krespo," she said in greeting.  "I am Captain Archangel T'Koris.  We were dispatched here to investigate a distress call from the planet's surface.  Am I right in assuming that the craft is one of yours?"

[Orion Vessel Latinum Wave]

"Ah...yes, indeed," Krespo said, giving a smile that he knew was entirely too toothy. He was...not a man well-known for his warm and pleasant demeanor. Or smiles. "It is one of my fleet. It crashed not long ago, and we've traced the signal here. We...thank you for your concern." Apparently, this Romulan girl was actually in Starfleet, so there wasn't any chance of making a deal there. Even though she was Rommie, she probably had the same stick up her ass that every other Federation officer did. "My men can deal with the situation from here, Captain T'Koris. We'll treat our own wounded and tow the ship back to...Orion space."

NPC wrote:

[Orion Vessel Latinum Wave]

"Ah...yes, indeed," Krespo said, giving a smile that he knew was entirely too toothy.  He was...not a man well-known for his warm and pleasant demeanor.  Or smiles.  "It is one of my fleet.  It crashed not long ago, and we've traced the signal here.  We...thank you for your concern."  Apparently, this Romulan girl was actually in Starfleet, so there wasn't any chance of making a deal there.  Even though she was Rommie, she probably had the same stick up her ass that every other Federation officer did.  "My men can deal with the situation from here, Captain T'Koris.  We'll treat our own wounded and tow the ship back to...Orion space."

[USS Phoenix - Bridge]

Archangel couldn't help one upswept eyebrow inching upwards as she listened to the captain on the other end of the comm channel. She was getting some sort of unpleasant vibe from him, but she couldn't put her finger on why exactly that was.

"Understood, Captain," she replied evenly. "If you'll give me a moment, I currently have an away team on the planet investigating the crash site. I will inform them that you are ready to take over. Perhaps we can give you any data we've picked up."

Signalling to the operations station to mute the transmission, she was surprised to find that Gabriel was already in contact with her before she could open a channel to him.

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

=^="Arthur to Phoenix! Arch, it's living cargo! This appears to be some kind of transport ship. Three Bajorans, one Deltan, two humans, and...a Wadi, I think? All in bad shape. It's...Orion."=^=

Archangel swore under her breath, closing her eyes for a moment. A slave ship. Of course. That was why the Orions had been trying to get in under the radar. They wanted to pick up any survivors of the crash and get out before they got caught.

"Oh, that's not good news. I have three Orion ships up here and the captain of one on the comm. He wants to take over the recovery, but if what you're saying is what I'm thinking, then we can't let him recover the cargo."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

Archangel couldn't help one upswept eyebrow inching upwards as she listened to the captain on the other end of the comm channel.  She was getting some sort of unpleasant vibe from him, but she couldn't put her finger on why exactly that was.

"Understood, Captain," she replied evenly.  "If you'll give me a moment, I currently have an away team on the planet investigating the crash site.  I will inform them that you are ready to take over.  Perhaps we can give you any data we've picked up."

[Latinum Wave]

Still smiling, Krespo nodded. "I see. That will certainly help speed things along." The screen reverted to a starfield centered on the Romulan's ship as she halted the transmission. Krespo sat in his seat, his mind going over variables. One didn't get to be of his age and wealth in the world of Orion piracy by being stupid. However...he most certainly did not want the Federation getting a hold of his ship. And the penalty for slaving would...not be enjoyable. Even on what passed for a penal colony in the Federation.

Krespo stood. Once he committed to act, no force in the Universe could stop him. "Signal all ships. Target their engines and weapons. We probably can't blow them out of space, but we can slow them. Alert me once target lock is achieved."

The weapons control, Zira, nodded. "Aye!" She turned in her seat. "What about the ship on the planet?" Krespo's face may as well have been carved from immobile jade. "Have Night Jewel target it for surface bombardment. I want it destroyed, no matter what."

Firing on a Federation ship was not how a good pirate stayed alive, but...well. It was a very, very remote and...dangerous...region of space. Once his crew all checked in on their internal lines, Krespo sat in his chair.

"All ships. Fire."

Ilana Telak wrote:

[Planetside]

As soon as Ilana registered what was inside the crashed shuttle, she darted forward, her tricorder at the ready, starting to take as many readings as she could.  Kneeling down amongst them, she pulled ration packs of water from her medkit, distributing them to the survivors.

"Eight dead, s-seven survivors," she reported.  "L-lacerations, a f-few broken bones, m-minor v-viral infection, severe m-malnutrition and d-dehydration.  N-nothing l-life th-threatening.  I w-would p-prefer to get them b-back to the ship f-for t-treatment."

[Planetside]

Although the doctor had dashed headfirst into the transport, Derek took a few extra seconds to assess the situation, donning his respirator in response to the rancid stench which had billowed out within moments of the hatch opening. The sweet, sickly smell of decomposing bodies was only offsetted by the quiet moans of survivors reacting to the bright light now piercing the interior darkness.

Slinging his rifle and pulling the strap to tighten the weapon firmly against his back, he followed Telak, pausing at each of the casualties after she had assessed them. Marking each on the back of their left hand with a transport priority in relation to their injuries, Derek also attached transponders onto the patients who still lived in preparation for emergency beamouts.

A few of those who had been coherent enough to realize that they had been given packs of water began retching, vomiting back up precious fluids moments after too-rapidly sucking their rations empty. Others simply lay gasping, too weak or delirious to raise the water to their parched lips.

Hiding a grimace at the sight of two bodies lying entwined, Derek turned to the others. I hope they had been killed in the crash. It had been a long time since he had seen a scene so desperate. "Doctor, we have a small quantity of neodextramine with us, I recommend that we begin rationing out treatment to the survivors." He indicated at the medical kit on his back. "Some of them also can't keep fluids down, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea switching to intravenous and adding an antiemetic."

Bridge

Something about the spike of ion readings told Andrew all he needed to know. There was an impending attack coming in and one of those spikes was reading towards the planet surface where the away team was at.

"INCOMING!" Andrew alerted in a near shout...both to the Captain, and to the XO on the planet below. "Here they come...one ship break formation if I read this right to bombard the planet!"

A moment later, flashes came out of space to strike the Starfleet cruiser, but Andrew had already been prepared for battle. Tactical had the coordinates for the enemy vessels, and he knew the counterstrike would be deadly. The ship rocked violently, but Andrew was already rotating the shields so no one part of it continued to take the strike.

"They are targeting sensitive areas....I suggest we make them pay swiftly, Captain," the young Ensign announced as he coordinated with Helm and Tactical.

NPC wrote:

NPC Post - Lieutenant Dietrich

[Mess Hall]

Lieutenant Dietrich's jaw clenched.  He had heard stories about this junior officer, about how he couldn't follow straight orders without backtalk.  He lifted his chin slightly, relaxing his position so as to be able to move quickly should the need arise.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," he countered.  "Under the captain's orders, you were not to leave your quarters.  Counsellor Abols' presence mitigated those orders, but now that she has left and we are under a red alert situation, you must return to your quarters immediately."

[Mess Hall]

Matthew let out a sigh. "Fine. But I'm bringing my food with me. I'm hungry." Matthew was always very intentional about his meal plan, it fit perfectly into his training regimen.

Derek Black wrote:

[Planetside]

A few of those who had been coherent enough to realize that they had been given packs of water began retching, vomiting back up precious fluids moments after too-rapidly sucking their rations empty. Others simply lay gasping, too weak or delirious to raise the water to their parched lips.

Hiding a grimace at the sight of two bodies lying entwined, Derek turned to the others. I hope they had been killed in the crash. It had been a long time since he had seen a scene so desperate. "Doctor, we have a small quantity of neodextramine with us, I recommend that we begin rationing out treatment to the survivors." He indicated at the medical kit on his back. "Some of them also can't keep fluids down, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea switching to intravenous and adding an antiemetic."

[Planetside]

Ilana knelt next to one of the casualties, beginning a more detailed scan and taking inventory of all the various breaks and lacerations. She ignored the deceased, knowing that there was nothing she could do for them, but she could still work to save those who still had a pulse.

She glanced up at the pilot as he spoke and gave a short nod. "G-good idea. Intravenous h-hydration w-will have to t-take place when we r-return to the sh-ship. We d-do not h-have the n-necessary supplies here. N-neodrextramine w-will have t-to do for now."

Andrew Sheridan wrote:

Bridge
"INCOMING!" Andrew alerted in a near shout...both to the Captain, and to the XO on the planet below.  "Here they come...one ship break formation if I read this right to bombard the planet!"

A moment later, flashes came out of space to strike the Starfleet cruiser, but Andrew had already been prepared for battle.  Tactical had the coordinates for the enemy vessels, and he knew the counterstrike would be deadly.  The ship rocked violently, but Andrew was already rotating the shields so no one part of it continued to take the strike.

"They are targeting sensitive areas....I suggest we make them pay swiftly, Captain," the young Ensign announced as he coordinated with Helm and Tactical.

[USS Phoenix - Bridge]

Unfortunately, Ensign Sheridan's warning didn't give Archangel enough time to brace herself and she went crashing to the ground. She swore aloud, knowing that she had just blown the temporary fix Chira had put in place on her knee.

Breathing through gritted teeth, she hauled herself back into the command chair, anchoring herself there to ensure that the next lurch wouldn't throw her back to the deck.

"Tactical, return fire! Target their weapons arrays!"

Andrew Sheridan wrote:

Bridge

Something about the spike of ion readings told Andrew all he needed to know.  There was an impending attack coming in and one of those spikes was reading towards the planet surface where the away team was at.

"INCOMING!" Andrew alerted in a near shout...both to the Captain, and to the XO on the planet below.  "Here they come...one ship break formation if I read this right to bombard the planet!"

A moment later, flashes came out of space to strike the Starfleet cruiser, but Andrew had already been prepared for battle.  Tactical had the coordinates for the enemy vessels, and he knew the counterstrike would be deadly.  The ship rocked violently, but Andrew was already rotating the shields so no one part of it continued to take the strike.

"They are targeting sensitive areas....I suggest we make them pay swiftly, Captain," the young Ensign announced as he coordinated with Helm and Tactical.

[Transporter Room 1]

Alex had been a pilot. Not just any pilot either, he had been the helmsman on starships, working his way to the top of his food chain. In the past, this meant he could either take the helm, or make his way onto the bridge whenever he had the opportunity to, often in the midst of action. He had always pitied those that were stuck in the bowels of the ship, unable to gather the 'big picture' due to their job requirements. Now, he was trapped in that very position, surrounded by nothing but four walls and blinking lights which held no bearing on what was happening outside. It was driving him crazy.

Without warning, the deck below his feet suddenly lurched, Phoenix shuddering under the impact of powerful blasts. Thrown backwards against the bulkhead behind him, Alex barely missed being showered by sparks and shrapnel as the console exploded outwards. Tabernac! Struggling to his feet, he touched the back of his head gingerly. It was aching from where it had bounced off the wall. Worse, the transporter pad had gone dark, the entire room now illuminated only by the red emergency lights. Power surge must've blown the conduit. Calice. =/\="Transporter Room One to the Bridge, my system's out of commission, I've lost contact with the away team."=/\=

Ilana Telak wrote:

[Planetside]

Ilana knelt next to one of the casualties, beginning a more detailed scan and taking inventory of all the various breaks and lacerations.  She ignored the deceased, knowing that there was nothing she could do for them, but she could still work to save those who still had a pulse.

She glanced up at the pilot as he spoke and gave a short nod.  "G-good idea.  Intravenous h-hydration w-will have to t-take place when we r-return to the sh-ship.  We d-do not h-have the n-necessary supplies here.  N-neodrextramine w-will have t-to do for now."

[Planetside]

"On it, Doc." Derek promptly stripped off the pack, pulling out the medication pouch and hypospray. With only ten vials of the required medication, he could only afford to give each patient a 5cc dose, saving a couple vials specifically for the more serious cases. "We've got more onboard the shuttle, can we afford to send a runner back to grab the spare kit?"

Injecting the first patient, Derek froze as it suddenly became much brighter inside the crashed ship, sending the hairs on the back of his neck tingling. It only lasted a second, and faded as rapidly as it had come on, but he knew exactly what had happened, even before the shockwave rippled over them and showered their heads with dust. The sensation brought back instincts from nearly a decade ago, his mouth turning dry simply from the memories.

"Sonofa-" Derek swore, reflexively leaning over to shelter his current patient's head while a low rumble followed the initial flash. "Where did that hit?" He called outside, dreading the answer. "Did they get the shuttle?"

Derek Black wrote:

"On it, Doc." Derek promptly stripped off the pack, pulling out the medication pouch and hypospray. With only ten vials of the required medication, he could only afford to give each patient a 5cc dose, saving a couple vials specifically for the more serious cases. "We've got more onboard the shuttle, can we afford to send a runner back to grab the spare kit?"

Injecting the first patient, Derek froze as it suddenly became much brighter inside the crashed ship, sending the hairs on the back of his neck tingling. It only lasted a second, and faded as rapidly as it had come on, but he knew exactly what had happened, even before the shockwave rippled over them and showered their heads with dust. The sensation brought back instincts from nearly a decade ago, his mouth turning dry simply from the memories.

"Sonofa-" Derek swore, reflexively leaning over to shelter his current patient's head while a low rumble followed the initial flash. "Where did that hit?" He called outside, dreading the answer. "Did they get the shuttle?"

[Planetside]

Gabriel had bit off a curse when Archangel told him that the Orions were bearing in on the ship.  He barely had any more time to process it, however, before an odd, whistling sound turned into a concussive blast.  The charges exploded around the perimeter, sending a cascading shower of stone and fire.  One had struck very close to the wreckage itself, rocks clanging off the ruined hull.

"We need to get those people the hell out of the ship and back to the shuttle," he shouted.  Most of the sick prisoners had been removed, but there were a handful in there still...along with some of his people.  Another whistling sound indicated that more concussive barrages were on the way.  "Get down now!  Get cover!"

[Planetside]

In the middle of assisting a sickly-looking Bajoran girl, her medical attentions had suddenly turned into a full-out rescue operation as Kattell and the rest of the landing party had suddenly come under attack.  She wasn't sure what was worse to the Bajoran - all that she'd survived, or coming face-to-face with a Cardassian as a rescuer.  

"Keep down!" Kattell shouted, as she heard the tell-tale sound of another blast firing toward them.  The Bajoran woman, however, only stood there, blinking.  Was she in shock?  Probably.  The poor girl gaped openly as a blast struck a nearby mountainside, sending large bits of stone rocketing toward them.  Moving on instinct, Kattell saw a massive piece of stone flying toward the dumbstuck girl.  She knew in her heart that the Bajoran wouldn't have had a chance to move, even if she had full control of her senses.  

Somehow, the Cardassian managed to put her own body between the Bajoran and the rock.  She heard a monstrous thud sound...and realized, right before utter blackness took her, that the sound was the stone hitting her own body.

[Planetside]

Safefta had no time to brace herself for the sight and smell of the contents of the cargo container. Bizarrely, she managed a stout poker face as she looked over the lethargic and battered humanoids. She agreed with Telak- they would be best returned to the Pheonix for better medical treatment, although she could already see Black moving to help some of them already.

She herself was knelt beside a Deltan. She hadn't listened to her cautions about drinking too quickly, and Safefta just sighed when the poor thing threw up on her shoe. It didn't take much deduction to determine that this was a slave ship. Safefta tried very hard to remind herself that there was a job to do and that getting as angry as she'd like at whomever felt it right to deal in slaves wasn't appropriate.

Though Pardek wanted to say something as a suggestion to Gabriel, but she never got the chance. A shrill whistle was the only warning before a loud explosion shook the surrounding area. "Fvadt u'hnaev!" the Romulan hissed as she leaned forward to shield the quaking, silent woman under her.

Somewhere to the side she heard Gabriel's order to take cover. Pardek knew that meant 'not here'. There were far too many loose pieces to hit them. Though she didn't think it too wise to start tugging the victims around, she didn't see an alternative. She looped an arm under the Deltan's and tugged her quickly to a shielded bit of ground. "My apologies," she grunted, though rather meaninglessly.

The second she dropped her and the victim down, the next blasts hit. Her eyes flew wide as she watched one of her crewman- the cardassian from earlier- throw herself in front of a falling rock. The thud-crunch noise was horrible. Safefta even winced, and wished she could get over there to help her. Perhaps she could.. but would it be too great a risk?

Pardek put the thought on hold as she heard another whistle ringing in her ear.

Safefta Pardek wrote:

[Planetside]

The second she dropped her and the victim down, the next blasts hit. Her eyes flew wide as she watched one of her crewman- the cardassian from earlier- throw herself in front of a falling rock. The thud-crunch noise was horrible. Safefta even winced, and wished she could get over there to help her. Perhaps she could.. but would it be too great a risk?

Pardek put the thought on hold as she heard another whistle ringing in her ear.

[Planetside]

With most of the away team and several of the survivors outside, Derek left the Doc with the remaining patients and scrambled back to the open door. Taking cover behind the frame, he peered out into a fantastically horrifying light show. What the hell is Phoenix doing? He thought furiously, spotting two figures still out in the open. Paces away, there was a security officer who was pinned under a large rock fragment, along with one of their original patients curled up in the fetal position. Others had taken shelter in shell scrapes or natural crevasses.

"Goddamnit!" Derek cursed, darting forward in an awkward, bent over, run. Dropping to one knee beside the bajoran woman, he looked over towards the crushed cardassian. Even from the single glance, he could tell that her injuries were critical. "I'll be back for you!" He shouted to her over a particularly massive explosion. There wasn't anything else he could do, certainly not alone, and not under fire. Grabbing the bajoran and lifting her into his arms, Derek carried her back into the container as debris fell from the sky.

Leaving her just inside the open doors, he ducked as a jagged metallic chunk buried itself into the sand beside his feet. Kicking it loose, Derek swore in frustration at the familiar markings. Federation markings. "Commander, they got the shuttle!" He called out, kneeling down again to assess the bajoran woman. As far as he could tell, she wasn't any more injured than she had been before, asides from now hysterically crying. Derek didn't have time to panic, nor to think about the other patients whom had been in the open while waiting for evacuation.

His ears ringing, it was several seconds before he noticed that the bombardment had stopped. They must have been targetting the shuttle, Derek realized, standing up hesitantly. We have to regroup, find out who else got hit. "Doc, how you doing?"

Alexander Wu wrote:

=/\="Transporter Room One to the Bridge, my system's out of commission, I've lost contact with the away team."=/\=

[USS Phoenix - Bridge]

Archangel wanted to strangle Wu as the communication came in to tell her that he had lost the away team's signals. That meant that there was no way to beam any of the crew or any of the survivors back. She swore aloud again, hitting the communications panel on the chair hard enough to crack it, but she didn't care at that point. She could see one of the three ships starting to bombard the planet and knew that time was running out before people down there started dying.

"Then get to another transporter room and re-establish the locks! We need to get them out of there!"

Derek Black wrote:

His ears ringing, it was several seconds before he noticed that the bombardment had stopped. They must have been targetting the shuttle, Derek realized, standing up hesitantly. We have to regroup, find out who else got hit. "Doc, how you doing?"

[Planetside]

As soon as the bombardment had started, Ilana knew that they were in trouble. She wasn't cut out for these situations, not active war zones. She had only ever been in a combat situation on a ship, and even then never actually seen any action beyond casualties coming in.

Helping one of the survivors to their feet, she started to help them out of their crashed craft, hoping to get them back to the shuttle and back to the Phoenix quickly. A shockwave from a shell hitting the planet knocked her thin frame to the ground without much effort. She groaned, pushing the young Bajoran she had been helping towards the others, hoping to get her to safety.

Her ears were ringing from the blast, rock and metal fragments had grazed her skin, but she was in one piece. Or at least so she thought until she tried to push herself upright, only to feel a tugging sensation in her throat and her skull. A piece of debris that had grazed her neck was now pinning the wire to the ground. The thin black wire that connected the implant in her brain to the implant in her larynx.

Hearing the pilot's voice through the ringing in her ears, she regretted that she didn't know his name, call out to her, she was relieved to find herself able to reply to him. "I'm t-t-trapped!" she shouted back. "G-get them out of h-h-here!"

Derek Black wrote:

Leaving her just inside the open doors, he ducked as a jagged metallic chunk buried itself into the sand beside his feet. Kicking it loose, Derek swore in frustration at the familiar markings. Federation markings. "Commander, they got the shuttle!" He called out, kneeling down again to assess the bajoran woman. As far as he could tell, she wasn't any more injured than she had been before, asides from now hysterically crying. Derek didn't have time to panic, nor to think about the other patients whom had been in the open while waiting for evacuation.

His ears ringing, it was several seconds before he noticed that the bombardment had stopped. They must have been targetting the shuttle, Derek realized, standing up hesitantly. We have to regroup, find out who else got hit. "Doc, how you doing?"

[Planetside]

Figures, damn it, Gabriel thought, blinking blood out of his eyes. Apparently, at some point in the explosions, he'd taken a stone to the skull. He assumed that he looked quite more garish than he felt - forehead wounds tended to turn to a crimson waterfall easily - but the ringing in his ears wasn't just from the concussion blasts.

The destruction of their shuttlecraft certainly complicated the issue more...though he also had a crewperson that had gone down in front of him. The rock that struck Kattell had made a sickening sound, and he didn't need to be a doctor to know that, if they couldn't get her to the ship, she'd not survive.

"We need to get the hell out of range of this ship," he called out. "They must be targeting their craft!" Not far off to the northwest was a heavy shelter of rock that looked to afford some protection from aerial assault. "Those rocks! Get everyone to them." He grabbed another member of Safefta's security team. "Help me move her," he said, indicating the Cardassian. He knew that she probably needed stabilized, but...what other option did they have? Leave her in a bombardment? She was dead either way, if that happened.

Andrew Sheridan wrote:

Bridge

Something about the spike of ion readings told Andrew all he needed to know.  There was an impending attack coming in and one of those spikes was reading towards the planet surface where the away team was at.

"INCOMING!" Andrew alerted in a near shout...both to the Captain, and to the XO on the planet below.  "Here they come...one ship break formation if I read this right to bombard the planet!"

A moment later, flashes came out of space to strike the Starfleet cruiser, but Andrew had already been prepared for battle.  Tactical had the coordinates for the enemy vessels, and he knew the counterstrike would be deadly.  The ship rocked violently, but Andrew was already rotating the shields so no one part of it continued to take the strike.

"They are targeting sensitive areas....I suggest we make them pay swiftly, Captain," the young Ensign announced as he coordinated with Helm and Tactical.

[Bridge]

The ship gave a fearful shudder under the double-barreled Orion barrage. Whoever these people were...their ships weren't pushovers. I guess you don't get to amass a pirate fleet by not packing firepower, she thought, her hands working furiously over her panels.

"Shield rotations holding, aggregate strength at seventy two percent!" she called out to the captain. "They're aiming to knock out the warp core, I'd suspect." It made sense. Assaulting a Federation Explorer-type starship wasn't the smartest thing a pirate could do, and they certainly couldn't hope to have enough crew to actually board the ship. That left slowing the ship. A delaying tactic to buy time...

"Andrew!" she said, her voice raised only slightly. It did not do to panic, no matter how much she felt like it. "We need to concentrate on bringing that ship bombing the surface down!" The away team was sitting ducks, as long as whatever was on the surface that the Orions wanted to cover up.

Bridge

Already, the Captain's orders to return fire had been strafing the enemy pirates, but thus far had not managed to actually cripple any of them. The call from Wu saying the transporter was out was not news to Andrew as he noted the same on his Ops board, but things were a bit more hectic for him to do much more than transfer some power from one transporter room to the second. Sophie's own warning of the bombardment of the planet was alarming, and had to be dealt with. Now was not the time to deal with all three ships as a group...at least not completely.

Coordinating with the Helm; Andrew guided the PHOENIX to where they had a better shot at the bombarding enemy vessel. To cover their maneuver; the young Ops Ensign coordinated a new set of firing solutions for Tactical...a spread of quantum torpedoes directly into the face of the current two attackers on the starship. The spread was timed to where only one of the torpedoes missed. Two struck the lead vessel while the last hit the second vessel. Such an attack would hopefully cause the pirate onslaught to give way. Nor did he stop there.

With the new position achieved; Andrew coordinated a new focused strike on the bombarding murderous pirate ship. A second spread of quantum torpedoes combined with phaser strikes came at the third foe with a fury. Most of the strike landed on target...flashing brightly against their enemy. One phaser array kept the other two pirate vessels at bay with a continuous fire until the PHOENIX could better be kept between the pirate's goal of wiping out the away team and slaves.

"Chief, keep those systems clear of ions. We don't need them piling it on us. If those ions get into the warp core...we will have a terrible time cleaning it later," he warned his superior at the secondary Ops station.

[Planetside]

The situation had begun to escalate out of control. Well, she thought, It really was only 'in control' mere moments before the attack started. Whatever semblance of tranquility that the crash site turned battlefield had held, it was long gone now in the wake of the oncoming explosions.

Her Deltan rescuee hadn't said a word, although she'd made a fair amount of gaping facial expressions and body movements. Safefta briefly wondered if she was mute, in shock, or otherwise unable to talk. Why would someone transport a mute slave? she wondered before quickly becoming disgusted where that train of thought was leading.

Despite the noise and rumbling, Safefta heard the XO's call to get to a safer patch of ground. "Aye sir!" the Romulan called, though unsure if she could be heard. She looked down at the huddled woman on the ground. "With me," she said before immediately grabbing her arm and doing a practiced duck-and-run beeline for the sheltered pile of rocks.

She looked over her shoulder and for a split second wondered what had befallen the crushed cardassian. She felt guilty- she was her superior on this team and even if she hadn't caused the injuries directly, she was responsible if she died.

Pausing to look, however, was a mistake. She heard a thud and a ripping sound, and a second later a red-hot pain raced from her shoulder and down her arm. Faelirh ch'susse-thrai! The pain was blinding, and Safefta's knees nearly buckled under her. "Keep going!" she hissed at the Deltan, who went very wide-eyed and stumbled forward on the weakened support of Safefta's arm.

It was only when they reached the rock pile that Safefta dared to look at what happened. A wide, dagger sharp piece of shrapnel from what had to be the shuttle had lodged itself deep in her shoulder. Blood was already discoloring the yellow of her uniform to a muddy green. Do not pull it out, she thought to herself, though her mind was screaming to remove the foreign object immediately. She wasn't stupid, though... she knew if she pulled it out, she could start bleeding even more profusely, to a life-threatening point.

The Romulan grit her teeth against the grating pain and hid her expression well enough to look at the Deltan and focus. "Do not... move from this position." Her best bet was to wait for further orders, especially now that they were moved to relative safety.

Safefta Pardek wrote:

It was only when they reached the rock pile that Safefta dared to look at what happened. A wide, dagger sharp piece of shrapnel from what had to be the shuttle had lodged itself deep in her shoulder. Blood was already discoloring the yellow of her uniform to a muddy green. Do not pull it out, she thought to herself, though her mind was screaming to remove the foreign object immediately. She wasn't stupid, though... she knew if she pulled it out, she could start bleeding even more profusely, to a life-threatening point.

The Romulan grit her teeth against the grating pain and hid her expression well enough to look at the Deltan and focus. "Do not... move from this position." Her best bet was to wait for further orders, especially now that they were moved to relative safety.

[Planetside]

Having already resigned herself to death in the dark confines of the Orion cargo ship, Aeri was surprised to find another possibility thrust upon her.  Hope, that precious commodity that had died along with most of the other captives, that thing that seemed to be stoked by the improbability of their rescue, had been destroyed once again by the violence of fire and stone and death.  So much death.

It had taken the nearby explosion, as well as the sound of rock shrapnel embedding itself into her Romulan savior, to shake Aeri out of her stupor.  Once they had reached the relative safety of the stones, the Deltan girl gave a visual appraisal of her rescuer.  She didn't like what she saw...not one bit.  

"You should not move, either," she said, her voice thin and reedy through her cracked, emaciated lips.  Reaching a bloody hand out, she lightly touched the shoulder area.  The Deltan touched the Romulan with her mind, as well, opening a direct channel to the pain receptors in the white-haired woman's brain.  While Aeri could not remove the stone from her shoulder, she could at least ease the pain.

Once contact was made, the floodgates opened as Aeri channeled the painful sensations from the Romulan and into herself.  Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to withstand such an empathic barrage.  However, her weakened state allowed the pain to overwhelm her.  Aeri smiled at the Romulan through gritted teeth.  "...better?" she asked, before slumping to the ground.

Matthew Thompson wrote:

[Mess Hall]

Matthew let out a sigh. "Fine. But I'm bringing my food with me. I'm hungry." Matthew was always very intentional about his meal plan, it fit perfectly into his training regimen.

Dietrich's jaw clenched at the continued delaying tactics that the belligerent ensign was displaying. One day, it was going to get him into a lot of trouble. That was of course assuming that it hadn't already gotten him into trouble.

"Now, ensign!" he snapped.

NPC wrote:

Aeri

[Planetside]

Having already resigned herself to death in the dark confines of the Orion cargo ship, Aeri was surprised to find another possibility thrust upon her.  Hope, that precious commodity that had died along with most of the other captives, that thing that seemed to be stoked by the improbability of their rescue, had been destroyed once again by the violence of fire and stone and death.  So much death.

It had taken the nearby explosion, as well as the sound of rock shrapnel embedding itself into her Romulan savior, to shake Aeri out of her stupor.  Once they had reached the relative safety of the stones, the Deltan girl gave a visual appraisal of her rescuer.  She didn't like what she saw...not one bit.  

"You should not move, either," she said, her voice thin and reedy through her cracked, emaciated lips.  Reaching a bloody hand out, she lightly touched the shoulder area.  The Deltan touched the Romulan with her mind, as well, opening a direct channel to the pain receptors in the white-haired woman's brain.  While Aeri could not remove the stone from her shoulder, she could at least ease the pain.

Once contact was made, the floodgates opened as Aeri channeled the painful sensations from the Romulan and into herself.  Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to withstand such an empathic barrage.  However, her weakened state allowed the pain to overwhelm her.  Aeri smiled at the Romulan through gritted teeth.  "...better?" she asked, before slumping to the ground.

With one useless arm and a bloodstain growing by the second, Safefta was very concerned now not only for the Deltan's life but her own. However, the pain was making it too hard to think. It was crippling. Still, she was surprised when she heard the faint and dry voice from next to her. So you can speak... she thought faintly.

She was about to make a comment about how she was supposed to be the one doing the rescuing when she saw a blood-stained hand reaching for her.

"What are you-" Safefta was halted by the extraordinary sensation of pain physically leaving her body. If it hadn't sent a tailspin of euphoria surging through her, she might have told Aeri off for attempting to connect to her brain. She never let anyone near her like that for that very reason. How could she have forgotten about the Deltan ability to do so?

The searing pain was reduced to a dull throb, but Pardek was momentarily distracted when her helper collapsed. "Fvadt, no," she said, using her one good arm to re-position the fallen girl  so she was upright. "You should not have done that..." she said under her breath.

From what she could tell, the Deltan was not stuck with the majority of the pain that Safefta had been feeling a moment prior. "Please do not die... I do not have the means to resuscitate you at the moment," she urged.

Her eyes glanced down at her wound. It was still bleeding steadily, though she couldn't feel the same pain as before. She knew it was more of a bandaid over a broken leg, but at least she could think clearly. The shard had pierced clear though her shoulder, but had gotten lodged there. For a brief, amused second, she realized that had it been on the other shoulder, it would have pierced the brand there like a perfect bulls-eye. Of course, Safefta didn't laugh... but it was a very, very brief moment of macabre amusement for her, given the situation.

"Are you still conscious?" she asked to the slumped Deltan, probably uselessly.

Safefta Pardek wrote:

Her eyes glanced down at her wound. It was still bleeding steadily, though she couldn't feel the same pain as before. She knew it was more of a bandaid over a broken leg, but at least she could think clearly. The shard had pierced clear though her shoulder, but had gotten lodged there. For a brief, amused second, she realized that had it been on the other shoulder, it would have pierced the brand there like a perfect bulls-eye. Of course, Safefta didn't laugh... but it was a very, very brief moment of macabre amusement for her, given the situation.

"Are you still conscious?" she asked to the slumped Deltan, probably uselessly.

[Planetside]

A faint smile settled onto Aeri's lips as her eyes flickered, her blurry vision taking in the face of the Romulan.  I do not have the means to resuscitate you...  No, she likely didn't.  For what she'd known about Romulans, which was admittedly sparse, the gold-shirted woman was being positively warm.

"I'm here," Aeri said, her voice faint and soft.  "Just need to rest.  You too.  Lost blood.  Lots of it.  I'm sorry I couldn't take more of your pain away."  She wasn't just posturing, either.  The Deltan species were bringers of joy and pleasure, and not just in the sexual sense, though that was what non-Deltans (particularly humans...) tended to focus on.  Suffering was anathema to Aeri, and she hated to see anyone going through it.  "F-Federation, aren't you?" she asked.  If she kept talking, perhaps she could keep the both of them awake.

NPC wrote:

Aeri

[Planetside]

A faint smile settled onto Aeri's lips as her eyes flickered, her blurry vision taking in the face of the Romulan.  I do not have the means to resuscitate you...  No, she likely didn't.  For what she'd known about Romulans, which was admittedly sparse, the gold-shirted woman was being positively warm.

"I'm here," Aeri said, her voice faint and soft.  "Just need to rest.  You too.  Lost blood.  Lots of it.  I'm sorry I couldn't take more of your pain away."  She wasn't just posturing, either.  The Deltan species were bringers of joy and pleasure, and not just in the sexual sense, though that was what non-Deltans (particularly humans...) tended to focus on.  Suffering was anathema to Aeri, and she hated to see anyone going through it.  "F-Federation, aren't you?" she asked.  If she kept talking, perhaps she could keep the both of them awake.

[Planetside]

Having found herself useless to the rest of the away team as a result of her injury, Safefta's primary concern was the well-being of Aeri. As far as she was concerned, that was now her job, and she'd never, ever shirk her duty. Doing that duty meant staying alive, staying conscious. However, Aeri was right. She'd lost quite a bit of blood already, and it wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. The fact that she felt little pain anymore was terrifying in its own way, like watching a limb die from lack of blood flow.

"I thank you for your assistance, but you are far too weak to have done even what you did," Safefta said coolly as she pressed her back against the hard surface of the rock. Doing so nearly pushed the shuttle fragment deeper into her shoulder, and the Romulan concealed a yelp of pain before she adjusted her position.

A silence fell before the Deltan broke it again. Her question confused Safefta, who glanced down at her soiled uniform and back up at the bald woman. "Affirmative," she said. Unfortunately for her, Safefta was a woman of few words, especially in a crisis.