Trinity Universe: Dreams of Dragons

[Umoja]

((Call me crazy, but why did you edit out my post Archer?))

Simon sighs, and takes off the laser. Crazy English speakers, always prattling on in their overly choppy language. It's like having his vococorder recycle garbage. "I'm afraid your to caught up in other things, to realize that we have a potential Abberant, I dare say, or at least someone with horrible taint disease, on this ship. If it's the former, I am the least of your problems. But, understandably, you must have a strong dislike of me." Simon puts the laser down infront of him, and closes the lense (eye?) of the laser.

"So in both of our self interest, it wouldn't be wise to completely disarm me of my weapon when we have a potential problem on board you may have missed. So could I request that your men don't touch my laser, and they just look at it while it's sitting here? Because, I doubt they could use it properly if, God forbid, an abberant comes in here to attack." Simon pushes the Biolaser towards the feet of one of the guards very slowly to show no hostile action. "But please. This is business time, I'm not your enemy. And although, being in an order gives me no authority on this ship, I am trained for improvising in bad situations...." Simon let's his voice trail off, realizing how tight behinded non-Sudamericans are about drugs. Maybe this guy was raised in Singapore?

[Archer21]

(OOC: Because I'm a tard...sorry. Won't happen again.)

Now that the Sudamerican has released his weapon, Randall turns his attention to trying to help Ran. He asks his security personnel if any of them have medical training, or their medkit with them. If so, he assigns that person(s) to reviving the second officer. He responds to Simon over his shoulder.

"You don't get it, do you? I realize there's probably an Aberrant aboard. We'll deal with it when the time comes. I have other priorities right now."

[ProfPotts]

Drifting through the micro-gravity environment of Engineering, over to Chief Singh, it's clear to Sean that the Indian is beyond his help. Maybe a Doc could have done something, but even that's doubtful - that final effort took the last of his strength - the Chief is dead.

The damage to Engineering is extensive - most ship systems seem to be off-line... Including life support! ::shocked It won't be long before people start to feel the cold...

None of the dead Engineering staff appear to have been carrying guns, although there is the Chief's sword, & outside the department Sean also finds several dead security men who have their standard-issue Screamer pistols & taser-batons.

Simon pushes the Biolaser towards the feet of one of the guards very slowly to show no hostile action.

The weapons slowly spins across the room in the micro-gravity that is left since the grav-crystal grids failed. The security guys don't seem too pleased with the reporter's various insults & outbursts [OOC: what I can recall pre-editing that is! Archer: the power of a god gone bad! He's an Aberrant! Arrrggghhh!!! ::shocked ::tongue ::wink ]. As he keeps on about the Taint on-board the vessel, one security officer glances towards the dead Tobias & obviously infected ARES & comments under his breathe, "No sh!t, Sherlock..." ::rolleyes .

The three volunteers (those with more micro-gravity maneuvering experience) head off towards Engineering with a serious of push-drift moves.

A couple of men managed to hold Ran down against a wall, & a third pulls out a medikit - quickly checks the diagnostic computer - selects an appropriate [let's hope... ::devil ] vial of stimulant, slots it into the kit's hypodermic dispenser, presses the device against the Telepath's neck, & clicks the button that forces the drug through his skin via a concentrated blast of air (no needles required!). He waits a couple of seconds, then puts his ear against Ran's chest...

... The Second Officer awakes with a violent start ::blink ! His chest feels like it's on fire, his head is pounding (in time to his thumping heart-beat), & he's still suffering the disorienting after-effects of the jump (as are all the Psions), but he's back in the land of the living!

The three volunteers call-in, informing Randall that they've found some more crewmembers who want to know what's going on - they ask how they should proceed?

[Archer21]

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, Randall floats over to the Second Officer, his ugly face breaking into a grin. "Welcome back, sir."

Hearing his men report in, he grabs his comm unit. "Take them with you. If you find any other survivors along the way, grab them as well. Maintain your course to Engineering on as direct a path as possible. Once you've retrieved Vinge and any others from Engineering, come back to the ARES chamber immediately. Do not, I repeat, do not, attempt to rescue anyone who is not along your direct path. That's an order."

Looking back at Ran, his face turns grim. "We've already jumped. I'm hoping you have some idea of where we are. The bridge is not responding, looks like you and I are the only officers capable of command right now. One of the reporters," he jerks a thumb towards Simon, "smuggled a biolaser aboard, and is apparently a Norca." He makes sure to mispronounce the order's name, using the hard 'c'.

"As soon as you're ready sir, we can proceed on your orders."

[phoenix]

Sean stands over the dead Sikh, his face hardened by recent events. He pauses for a moment, then drops to one knee.

"Ye shall be avenged", he says simply. He leans over him to remove his sword, then stands up.

"This'll have to go to his family, if we get out of this - but whether we do or nae.." He trails off, then carves a graceful shining arc in the air with the weapon. His face is grim.

He fastens the sword to his own belt. I owe it to this sword's owner to honor his weapon.

The damage to Engineering is extensive - most ship systems seem to be off-line... Including life support!  It won't be long before people start to feel the cold...

Sean, monitoring various instruments, quickly realizes the gravity of the situation. He calls to Tess, tries to start various emergency systems, but (presumably) nothing works. He swears loudly.

"Simon, this is Vinge. All ship systems have gone straight to 'ell, including life support. Soon's yer men arrive I'm draftin' 'em, we need to get this fixed. Tell 'em to hurry."

[Asbjørn]

Simultaneously trying to shake the cobwebs from his mind and holding it all in one place with his hands it takes a few moments before Ran is aware of his surroundings. Taking a few deep breaths to try to get his heartbeat and breathing under control he opens his eyes and looks around. The chief of security's voice slowly comes to his attention.

"...already jumped. I'm hoping you have some idea of where we are. The bridge is not responding, looks like you and I are the only officers capable of command right now. One of the reporters," he jerks a thumb towards Simon, "smuggled a biolaser aboard, and is apparently a Norca."

Ran simply nods to indicate that he's heard and understood the messages. Taking another second to compose himself he looks over at the reporter.

"As soon as you're ready sir, we can proceed on your orders."

His attention coming back to Chief Simon, he clears his throat and says. "We need a damage report ASAP. Establish contact with engineering and see what needs to be done. Take Mr Mendez in custody and confiscate his weapon. Even if there still is an aberrant aboard, he's more a security hazard than an asset."

Looking into the ARES chamber and seeing the dead body of Tobias, Ran gets a brief, sorrowful look on his face. "We need to make sure Tess is online and reliable and get to the bridge and see how the captain and the rest of the command crew are doing.", he says. "There is nothing more we can do here right now. The jump is made, as you say. I've got an image of where we are, but I need to talk to the second navigator and maybe the Qin to establish the exact coordinates."

"And from the looks of things, you need to get to the weapons hold and break out the big guns. Find that aberrant."

Ran starts to move along the corridor in the direction of the bridge. On the way he tries to make contact with Tess or patch into the shipwide comm to have all units report in.

[archer]

"We need a damage report ASAP. Establish contact with engineering and see what needs to be done. Take Mr Mendez in custody and confiscate his weapon. Even if there still is an aberrant aboard, he's more a security hazard than an asset."

Randall nods, glancing at Simon. "Aye, sir. Agreed." He looks at his men. "You heard him. Place the prisoner in restraints. I'll secure his weapon." Hearing the crackle of his comm unit, Randall listens to Vinge's report. "Sir. Engineer Vinge reports almost all systems are offline, including life support. Some of my men are on their way, I'll assign them to help." Pressing the send button on his comm, he contacts Vinge and assures them help is on the way; then contacts the volunteers and instructs them to get to Engineering ASAP and assist with repairs...making sure to take the other crewmembers with them, hopefully there's another engineer in the group they've found.

"There is nothing more we can do here right now. The jump is made, as you say. I've got an image of where we are, but I need to talk to the second navigator and maybe the Qin to establish the exact coordinates."

"Sir, as Chief Security officer, I must insist that I and my men accompany you to the bridge. We can't risk you being taken out."

After making sure that Simon is restrained and Alex comes along quietly, Randall and the remainder of Team Bravo go with Ran to the bridge, keeping a sharp eye(and noetic senses) out for any threat.

[Umoja]

Simon lets the men retstrain him, not bothering to resist. He let's out a slight sigh, and then quirks a smile. It's always easier to be flashy and get Brazilian women in Brazil, not in Space. "So when we see the Abberant, are you going to throw me at it to slow it down? Or am I just gonna float around, and watch?" Alex looks at Simon and rolls his eyes. Always with the stupid comments.... Always with them....

[ProfPotts]

After a few minutes the disorienting effects of the jump begin to fade. Soon enough, Sean is joined in Engineering by Randall's security men & several other crewmembers they've picked up along the way. The senior crewmember amongst them (still under Sean in rank) quickly points out which individuals are engineering staff, which have some engineering training, & which are complete novices. He then asks as to the acting Chief Engineer's orders? Two of the security men take up guard positions at the ripped-through entrance to the section... just in case...

Ran, Randall, their team, & their prisoners, float through the micro-gravity of the ship towards the bridge. It's slow going with the lifts & doors unpowered, but they make reasonable progress - & don't spot any wandering Aberrants along the way.

On the way he tries to make contact with Tess or patch into the shipwide comm to have all units report in.

Tess doesn't appear to be answering verbal commands, &, although the shipwide comm' must be working (they all heard Tess earlier), the systems to patch through to it must be down. It should be possible to manually patch-in given time, some engineering skill, a few tools, & one of the many access panels that line the corridors.

"So when we see the Abberant, are you going to throw me at it to slow it down? Or am I just gonna float around, and watch?"

One of the security guys answers under his breathe,

"Nah - we're not allowed to enjoy ourselves on duty..." ::sarcasm

Eventually the group get to the main entrance to the bridge - it appears to be locked & sealed. There are a couple of ways that could happen - it could be ordered by a senior ranking officer, it could be achieved manually, or it would happen automatically under certain circumstances (like loss of atmosphere, or a radiation leak, or something similar).

[Asbjørn]

Stopping in front of the doors, Ran taps his comm.

"Engineer Vinge, do we have any reported damage to the bridge or surrounding areas?"

While he waits for an answer he turns to Randall and points to a nearby access panel.

"If any of them have the skills, have one of your men patch into the shipwide comm system. We need that up and running to get control of the situation."

That order given, he turns back to the door and reaches out again, his mind searching for conscious life on the other side of it.

*Captain...? Are you there, Captain...?*

[ProfPotts]

As one of the crewmen jumps to patch into the shipwide comm', Ran stretches out with his feelings... [::jedi ]

... & detects no trace of consciousness beyond the door to the bridge.

The patch into the ship's comm' grid is soon complete, & linked to Ran's personal comm'.

[phoenix]

Sean takes over a workstation, reaching out through whatever avenues are still operating to test the ship's life support and other systems. After some time, he addresses the security officers present and sends whatever ones appear to know the most about hardtech systems to check various relays within the ship, helping them out where their knowledge is incomplete to the minimum amount necessary to let them do the check. He tells them to radio in to Simon or him if they see anything weird, and to radio in the status of the junctions once they reach the checkpoints. He then maps out the routes for them to the best of his knowledge, and sends them on their merry way. Then he radios Simon and describes what he's doing, and says, "Listen, just so you know, it'll be a matter of hours before we start to freeze. Don't shoot the messenger. I'm trying to get it back up."

Once that's out of the way, he'll run a series of checks to see why exactly he can't talk to Tess.

[ProfPotts]

As Sean's small team start to call in, he realises that some sort of power surge fried a large number of the ship's hardtech systems. A few more checks & he confirms that the main power generators are off-line (the ship's on reserve power - although the bio-tech systems tend to 'live' without external power sources for some time anyway), but have only suffered minor damage & (after some repairs) it should be possible to reinitialise them. The damaged systems themselves will need to be replaced or bypassed - neither option will be complete ship-wide before everyone freezes to death unless he gets some more manpower & organisation. Restoring the gravity & lights would also speed things up greatly.

As for the tesser - her systems seem undamaged. By the looks of things she should be able to respond, but is just choosing not to... ::confused

[phoenix]

Sean frowns, and deputizes some of the remaining security officers in Engineering, particularly the ones who know the outlay of the ship best, to go around and find survivors and send them to Engineering. When people arrive, he'll send them out to the hardtech stations and try to orchestrate their repair, answering people's questions on repair and generally acting as a switching-board.

If the lights and/or gravity have a centralized spot, the repair of which could restore them to everywhere on the ship, he will send a couple of people (once he has them to spare) to try to do that, but if the relevant systems there are also scattered, he'll decide to go without.

[Asbjørn]

::rolleyes

"I repeat: Engineer Vinge, do we have any reported damage to the bridge or surrounding areas?"

Getting the 'all clear' signal from the man at the access-panel, Ran sets the comm up so everybody on the ship except the guests in their quarters can hear him.

"Attention, all units. This is 2nd officer Ran. The situation is as follows: We have jumped to an as of now unknown location. The aberrant attack previous to the jump has wrought extensive damage on the ship, but that situation is under control and is being dealt with."

"We are still on emergency alert, however. Until further notice, I am in command of the Kai Xing. Immediately following this transmission all operational units will give a situational report to my comm. That is all for now."

Having his agent record and order the incoming situational reports as the various units check in, Ran in between messages turns to Randall and says

"I tried scanning the bridge for anyone conscious. I found nobody. Hopefully that means that they're all knocked out, or that my head hurts too much to find anyone right now."

[Archer21]

"I tried scanning the bridge for anyone conscious. I found nobody. Hopefully that means that they're all knocked out, or that my head hurts too much to find anyone right now."

The chief security officer grimaces. "Let's hope you just have a headache." His professional demeanor returning, he asks, "Sir, I'd like to start arming my men, and any other crewmembers you deem necessary. The aberrant is hiding for now, but it won't stay in the dark forever. Permission to break out the big guns, sir?" ::devil

[Asbjørn]

"Permission granted." Ran replies. "Arm as many men as you need. I'll leave the security issues to you. Getting life support online is priority number one, though, so all personell who can help in that effort are to be transferred to engineering. Your underofficers are the only exception."

"Once I've established the situation of the command crew, I will help you locate the aberrant."

[Archer21]

Randall smiles, his eyes like green ice. "Thank you, sir. And I understand. I will make sure that Mr. Vinge has all the help he needs." He looks at the members of Team Bravo standing there, and his voice is hard. "Your current assignment is to protect the 2nd officer at all costs. Understood?" He doesn't wait long before they all respond in unison. "Yes, sir! He nods in satisfaction.

Tapping his comm and switching to the security channel, he issues his orders. "This is Chief Simon. All security personnel not currently assigned other duties will report to the Armory immediately, and wait for my arrival. Simon out."

Looking over at the Sudamerican reporter and his assistant, he speaks to Ran over his shoulder, winking at the telepath. "Sir, with your permission, I'd like to leave the prisoner and his friend here. Your skills at...extracting...information from recalcitrant suspects are well-known, and we need the truth of his reasons for being aboard."

(Provided Ran says yes, Randall makes his departure, and goes to the Armory to load up his troops. If not, Randall will take Yi and Simon with him, keeping them ahead of him and covered with the slugthrower until they get to the Armory, where he'll then give custody of the pair to his subordinates.)

[phoenix]

"I repeat: Engineer Vinge, do we have any reported damage to the bridge or surrounding areas?"

"Sorry about the delay, sir. Lemme check.." Sean will do what he can to get a damage report for the bridge, and give it to Ran.

OOC: Sorry about that, Asbjørn - red text and all ::blush

[ProfPotts]

A quick check confirms what Sean suspected - there's no way to know how badly damaged the bridge is from Engineering. It's the same problem he faced with finding out the extent of the damage to the life support systems - there's been extensive damage to the remote systems that detect such things &, besides, with Tess unresponsive the back-up computer systems just aren't all that useful for anything beyond running basic ship systems.

The bio-engineer thinks that lights & gravity could be restored pretty quickly if he can get the main power generators operational again. There may be damage to specific areas as well, of course, but that would restore the general shipwide grids.

As Ran starts to organise the crew, more engineers report in to Sean - & he quickly sends them where they're needed the most. It appears that nearly a full shift's worth of the engineering staff are dead, & several more incapacitated by injuries received as the ship was taking damage.

As Ran starts to get reports in from all over the Kai Xing, he soon realises that no-one has reported in from the sick bay. Several reports come in of ripped-up corpses being found, many in the vicinity of the medical facilities. Reports from the hangers indicate that only a few ships both survived the attack & made the jump, although most of the VARGs are still present, since they were never ordered into battle. The second Navigator fails to report in, but several other crewmembers report that she was last seen entering her quarters. The security officers posted at the guest quarters report that all is well - although some of the civilians are getting restless & are demanding to know what's going on.

Arriving at the armoury, Randall's men start to suit-up in heavier armour, & break out the 'big guns'. Despite the almost compelling need to do so, no-one dares risk the Security Chief's wrath by quoting the old line about a 'bug hunt'... ::wink

[phoenix]

Sean forwards the bad news regarding the bridge to Ran and decides to set out in order to work on the power generators himself, while leaving a capable underling in Engineering to tell people where to go and to provide tech support. He'll still be available for such things, he just wants his impromptu secretary/manager to field the easy ones so he can work.

Additionally, he'll open a line to Simon once he realizes the weapon stores have been opened and request weapons for him and his engineers if there are any to spare.

[Asbjørn]

Looking over at the Sudamerican reporter and his assistant, he speaks to Ran over his shoulder, winking at the telepath. "Sir, with your permission, I'd like to leave the prisoner and his friend here. Your skills at...extracting...information from recalcitrant suspects are well-known, and we need the truth of his reasons for being aboard."

"No.", Ran quickly replies. "He'll be both safer and more useful with you."

As the chief of security nods his 'Yes, Sir', he hears Ran's voice inside his head. *I know it will complicate your mission, but I do not want him to know more than absolutely necessary about the gravity of the situation. Better for a reporter to cover a heroic aberrant-hunt than being next to the commanding officer in a crisis. I will interrogate him later, if you need it.*

Hearing Sean's message about the bridge, Ran replies "So the bridge might be in perfect condition, but there's no way to be certain before we get the other systems up and running?"

Then he instructs the guards on duty at the guest quarters to inform the civilians that we're having some technical problems, and that for the time being they need to be patient and remain in their quarters.

"Chief Simon, this is Ran. I've heard nothing from the sick bay or any of the medical staff. Other crewmembers have reported casualties in the sick bay area. Aberrant-caused."

[OOC]Ran of course knows the layout of the Kai Xing by heart. Who's closer to the second navigator's quarters? Ran or Simon? If it's the chief of security...[/OOC]

Ran adds "While you're in the area, check on the second navigator's quarters. She hasn't reported in, and she's absolutely vital to the ship's continued operation."

[OOC]If Ran is closer to checking it himself...[/OOC]

He moves down the corridors towards her quarters, Bravo team in tow.

[Archer21]

"Chief Simon, this is Ran. I've heard nothing from the sick bay or any of the medical staff. Other crewmembers have reported casualties in the sick bay area. Aberrant-caused."

"Understood, sir. I'll investigate it right away."

Having completed the task of arming and armoring all available security personnel, he splits them up into groups. He orders one group(Team Echo), to take additional weapons to Engineering, and maintain guard duties there. Team Delta is assigned to protect the guests and diplomats. Team Charlie will accompany Randall and Team Alpha to the sick bay. Both Charlie and Alpha teams have been given some of the heavy weapons from the armory, the other teams standard weapons and some grenades. Before he locks up, Randall takes stock of how many laser carbines and bio-armor suits are left over, calculating how many of his people are missing. The pause to count is brief, but obvious. Jaw clenched, he re-locks the vault door and starts moving towards sick bay.

[Umoja]

Alexander smiles, and continues to catch as much footage as possible as him and Simon quietly follow behind Randall. Simon seems rather closed mouthed, either because he realizes this'll exalt or ruin his career, or he just feels pretty dumb right now.

[ProfPotts]

Sean's work on the generators progresses quickly - by the time Ran & Randall's teams are in positions, the lights flicker back to life (although still out in some of the more badly damaged sections) & (after a few more repairs to the gravitic grid network) the gravity comes back on (with, in some cases, a 'thump'). Where attacks have occured, droplets of blood suddenly splash across the floor, & floating corpses crash heavily to lie still.

Several of the civillains (excluded from the shipwide announcements, & Sean's warning about the returning garvity) relay complaints to Ran when the gravity grids activate - although a few bruised V.I.P.s is hardly on his priority list of things to do... ::wink

Checking the weapons locker, Randall works out that almost a full half of his staff haven't reported in...

Ran & his team are closer to the second Navigator's room, & soon reach it. The door appears to be locked from the inside - although Ran's security code should overide the door lock (he'll need to key it in manually with the automated systems down).

Approaching sick bay, Randall's team meet with sickening carnage - bodies ripped apart in a savage, brutal, manner. The sick bay itself is almost coated in blood - there appear to be no survivors... Then, one of the security men calls over the Chief - huddled under a bed, covered in blood, naked, & shivering with fright & cold he sees the missiong reporter - Barbera Boon.

[Asbjørn]

Several of the civillains (excluded from the shipwide announcements, & Sean's warning about the returning garvity) relay complaints to Ran when the gravity grids activate - although a few bruised V.I.P.s is hardly on his priority list of things to do...

Ran apologizes for the incidents, and in as polite a way as possible explains that the fewer of these complaints he receives, the sooner all systems will be up and running again.

Ran & his team are closer to the second Navigator's room, & soon reach it. The door appears to be locked from the inside - although Ran's security code should overide the door lock (he'll need to key it in manually with the automated systems down).

Making sure that team Bravo is alert, Ran punches in his security code on the panel beside the door. As (or if) the door slides open, he nods to two of them, signaling that they go inside and check the room. As soon as it's declared safe, he follows them inside.

[Archer21]

Approaching sick bay, Randall's team meet with sickening carnage - bodies ripped apart in a savage, brutal, manner. The sick bay itself is almost coated in blood - there appear to be no survivors... Then, one of the security men calls over the Chief - huddled under a bed, covered in blood, naked, & shivering with fright & cold he sees the missing reporter - Barbera Boon.

Involuntarily sucking in his breath, Randall steps forward and puts a hand on his subordinates shoulder, pulling him away from the reporter. Leaning down, Randall keeps his weapon oriented on the woman, and visually scans her for any injuries, trying to see past the blood. He tapps him comm badge. "Sir, this is Chief Simon. I'm at sickbay, there appear to be no survivors except one, the reporter Barbera Boon. She was with Tobias before everything went down. I think you'd better get over here and help me talk to her." Randall's voice is strained, his request sounding more urgent than it should be.

[ProfPotts]

Making sure that team Bravo is alert, Ran punches in his security code on the panel beside the door. As the door slides open, he nods to two of them, signaling that they go inside and check the room...

The door slides open to a darkened room. The two security men nod acknowledgement to Ran's order, & flatten themselves against either side of the open doorway - screamer pistols raised & ready. With a glance back to the rest of the group, one of the men gives a quick 'three - two - one' countdown on his fingers, & they both round the doorawy - one high, one low. Almost before they move, a bright crimson beam of laser light cuts through the darkness of the room, & through the door. The beam catches one of the security men across the arm, cutting & burning him badly (& scoring a line across the wall opposite), but the other man rolls into the room, pistol firing towards the laser's origin. There's the dull 'whump' of the sonic discharge - felt as much as heard - followed by a suprised female scream, & the sound of things scattering to the floor.

There follows some brief sounds of a scuffle, during which the rest of team Bravo both move into position to enter the room, & help drag their injured comrade to safety (a team member starts to check his wound). After a few moments, the security man in the room calls an all clear - some more of the team enter, the lights go on, then Ran follows.

The security officer who first entered the room is now standing over the prone form of the second Navigator - covering her with his pistol. Several other security men join him. A dropped Banji Spark laser pistol lies a short distance away, & the furniture & room contents are in some disarray. The Navigator herself lets out a long moan as she pushes herself up slightly with her hands, & brushes her flowing red hair to one side in order to groggily scan the room with her emerald green eyes. Her figure is petite, & Ran recalls from her files that she's quite young - only seventeen. He also recalls her name - Sarah Foxley - & that she's a citizen of Great Britain. Apart from that her file was pretty light - she's only recently completed her training with the Interplanetary School for Research & Advancement, was rated as highly gifted psionically, but noted as lacking in self-confidence. As far as Ran's aware, she was placed on the ship to learn from the experienced & talented Tobias with an eye to eventually becoming a fully-fledged jumpship Navigator herself.

For a few moments the young clairsentient just looks dazed - the sonic blast having knocked the wind out of her, then she suddenly focuses on Ran & blurts out (in a rather upper-class English accent),

"It's going to kill me - I've seen it - don't let it kill me!" ::nervous

Involuntarily sucking in his breath, Randall steps forward and puts a hand on his subordinates shoulder, pulling him away from the reporter. Leaning down, Randall keeps his weapon oriented on the woman, and visually scans her for any injuries, trying to see past the blood. He tapps him comm badge. "Sir, this is Chief Simon. I'm at sickbay, there appear to be no survivors except one, the reporter Barbera Boon. She was with Tobias before everything went down. I think you'd better get over here and help me talk to her." Randall's voice is strained, his request sounding more urgent than it should be.

Randall does, indeed, note that although the reporter is covered pretty much head to toe in blood, she doesn't seem to have any obvious major wounds beneath the gore. She curls tightly into a fetal position, & shivers slightly, looking with wide-eyed fear at the gun pointing towards her. With a trembling voice she whispers,

"P-p-please d-d-don't s-s-shoot m-m-me..." ::nervous

[phoenix]

Meanwhile, Sean returns to Engineering to once more take over the campaign of repairs. He sends his engineers (and those of Simon's men that have been "assimilated" ::drunkenmonkey ) in rotations to go get weapons, then goes to get one himself, leaving the same engineer in charge. He heads to Security to grab a weapon, then, keeping in contact with Home Base, he adds himself to the number of skilled workmen moving through various junction points in the ship, finding and correcting problems due to the shortage.

[Asbjørn]

For a few moments the young clairsentient just looks dazed - the sonic blast having knocked the wind out of her, then she suddenly focuses on Ran & blurts out (in a rather upper-class English accent),

"It's going to kill me - I've seen it - don't let it kill me!" ::nervous

Ran walks slowly over to the young officer and sits down next to her. Reaching out with his hand to touch her shoulder he says: "Relax. Nothing is going to kill you here. You have to calm down and focus on the present. I need you to be calm and collected." Speaking in a slow and steady voice he looks into her eyes as he tries to calm her down. When he has her attention he adds to the calming effect by directly smoothing out her fear and panic. Images of slow gentle waves rolling towards a serene beach enter her mind.

"Just breathe slowly. In and out. Breathe like the ocean."

If Ran manages to calm her down, he helps her stand and says:

"We have work to do. Your captain needs you. Come with me."

"Sir, this is Chief Simon. I'm at sickbay, there appear to be no survivors except one, the reporter Barbera Boon. She was with Tobias before everything went down. I think you'd better get over here and help me talk to her." Randall's voice is strained, his request sounding more urgent than it should be.

"Ran here. I've just picked up the second navigator and am going to the bridge now. I will be with you as soon as I can. Is she a threat? Is it possible she's an abberant?"

[Archer21]

"Ran here. I've just picked up the second navigator and am going to the bridge now. I will be with you as soon as I can. Is she a threat? Is it possible she's an abberant?"

His weapon and attention still directed at the woman, Randall mentally curses the Second Officer for such a blatant question. Praying that the reporter didn't hear, and trying not to grind his teeth, he answers. "To the first and second questions, yes sir, both are distinct possibilities. I'd really rather discuss this with you in person, sir. I'll be waiting here in Sick Bay."

Alpha Team, though not really understanding what's going on, follows their Chief's lead and targets their weapons on the woman as well. Seeing the confusion on one of his crew's face, Randall takes a few steps back and switches his comm back to Alpha's unit frequency. Never taking his eyes off Barbera, he issues his commands, speaking loud enough for her to hear. "Team, Ms. Boon is obviously in shock, and she is not aware of the tainted atmosphere. For her own protection, and for ours, Ms. Boon will need to be sedated until she can receive proper attention."

Hoping his team understands, Randall risks lowering his weapon and approaching the bloody journalist. Moving slowly, he squats down close to her, and says, "Ms. Boon, the life-support systems onboard have failed, and there are dangerous levels of radiation and harmful gases. For your own safety, my team and I need to give you a mild sedative and breathing equipment to stabilize you until we can get you to a qualified medic. Do you understand?"

[Umoja]

Simon looks over at Alexander when his vococorder picks up the word for Abberant. He gives Alex a slight grin, before one of the members of Randalls group glares at him suspiciously. Simon goes back to looking around in paranoia.

[ProfPotts]

"Relax. Nothing is going to kill you here. You have to calm down and focus on the present. I need you to be calm and collected."

The girl still seems stressed, muttering,

"No... that's not... you don't..."

"Just breathe slowly. In and out. Breathe like the ocean."

Following the sound of Ran's voice, the Navigator's breathing calms, & she stares into his eyes. The telepath feels her emotions calming, & her thoughts gaining order at his gently coaxing. Soon, she closes her eyes, takes a few deep breathes, then looks again to Ran,

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"We have work to do. Your captain needs you. Come with me."

Foxley accepts Ran's help, & regains her feet. Straightening her uniform, she glances out of the room towards where the security officer she shot lays. A look of both embarrasment & concern crosses her face ::blush ::nervous ,

"Oh no... I'm so sorry... Is he going to be alright?"

After the attending crewmember confirms that the laser shot was merely a glancing one, the Navigator turns again to Ran,

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure you understand the situation. My talents aren't developed enough for precognitive sensing. When I said I saw the aberrant was trying to kill me - I was refering to the present. It's difficult to pin-down, sir, but I know I'm in imminant danger - it was near here, not long ago - but it's moved on."

Even so, she follows the Second Officer as he heads towards the bridge.

"Ms. Boon, the life-support systems onboard have failed, and there are dangerous levels of radiation and harmful gases. For your own safety, my team and I need to give you a mild sedative and breathing equipment to stabilize you until we can get you to a qualified medic. Do you understand?"

The woman doesn't appear to respond to the message Randall receives on his ear radio, but remains huddled in the corner. When the security chief lowers his weapon & takes a less threatening attitude, she looks for a long moment into his eyes, then nods in answer to his question. She tries to stand, reaching out to Randall for support as she does so, still appearing to be in shock ::blink .

Behind the security team, Alex, meanwhile, turns white as a sheet, & hastily pulls Simon slightly aside, to whisper something in his ear...

Elsewhere, under Sean's expert guidance, the repairs on the ship's vital systems are progressing well - some of the repairs couldn't be considered pretty, but the drafted engineering teams are at least managing to patch-up enough to get life support back on-line.

[Asbjørn]

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure you understand the situation. My talents aren't developed enough for precognitive sensing. When I said I saw the aberrant was trying to kill me - I was refering to the present. It's difficult to pin-down, sir, but I know I'm in imminant danger - it was near here, not long ago - but it's moved on."

Listening to her explanation on the way, Ran nods when she's finished. "I understand. We have security teams out looking for it as we speak, but let me know if you get a feeling of where it is. Meanwhile Bravo team here will look after you."

When they reach the bridge (hopefully) without incident, Ran stops in front of the closed blast doors and turns to Foxley.

"We have been unable to establish contact with Captain Getui and the command crew, and for the moment the surveillance systems are malfunctioning as well, so we have no way of knowing the situation on the bridge. Except for you."

Pausing briefly to see if she registers the implication that Tobias is dead, he steps back, gestures to the door and says:

"I need to know if it's safe to open this door."

[ProfPotts]

"We have been unable to establish contact with Captain Getui and the command crew, and for the moment the surveillance systems are malfunctioning as well, so we have no way of knowing the situation on the bridge. Except for you."

Foxley frowns slightly at Ran's final emphasis,

"Navigator Tobias... is he... is he hurt, sir?", she asks nervously, obviously fearing the answer.

"I need to know if it's safe to open this door."

The clairsentient looks at the door, then back to Ran, uncertainty etched on her features, but then nods, & mutters,

"Yes... of course, sir."

Gingerly placing the fingers of her left hand against the door, she closes her emerald green eyes. Her forehead furrows with concentration, & she nervously nibbles at her lower lip - then starts to quietly relate what she's witness to,

"The bridge is empty. It's dark, cold... Oh no! Oh, please God, no! There's... there's a hull breach, sir... behind... behind the main screen - through the main screen. I... I can't... there aren't any people... any bodies, sir. It... it looks as though the bridge crew were... were... they've been blown into space sir. Only a few systems are functioning, sir. The breach goes all the way to the outer hull - it's... it's as if it were tunneled out specifically, sir. The side... the edges of the breach are smooth - melted - something very hot passed through the ship, sir - but stopped when it reached the bridge. They're dead, sir... they all must be dead..."

The young Navigator opens her eyes, tears flooding down her cheeks. Trying her best to wipe her eyes, she looks to Ran,

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm so sorry..."

[Asbjørn]

Ran's face goes cold and expressionless as his worst fears are confirmed by the clairvoyant's vision. Giving her a supporting nod and quietly thanking her, he glances around at the surrounding security crew, before contacting Randall via the radio.

"Chief Simon, this is Ran. I'm bringing Navigator Foxley and team Bravo to the sick bay now."

Then the group goes to meet Randall and his men.

[Archer21]

She tries to stand, reaching out to Randall for support as she does so, still appearing to be in shock.

His caring nature struggling against his professional concern, Randall offers her his hand, ordering one of his team members to come forward with a medkit and administer a sedative.

(Hopefully)After Barbera is sedated ::sleeping , Randall gently places her onto a gurney and covers her nude body with a sheet. He then has his team secure her to it with the restraining straps, while he responds to Ran's latest transmission.

"Chief Simon, this is Ran. I'm bringing Navigator Foxley and team Bravo to the sick bay now."

"Aye sir. I'll be here."

[Asbjørn]

When (or is that 'if'?) Ran reaches the sick bay, he pulls Randall aside with him and Foxley. Moving out of earshot of the two civilians, Ran in a quiet voice explains the grave situation to the chief of security.

"Chief Simon, I have some very bad news: There is a hull breach on the bridge. Captain Getui and the command crew are dead."

Finding words both unnecessary and inadequate, Ran is silent for a moment or two, contemplating the age-old tradition of sending dead shipmates into the deep...

"Our top priority is the security of this ship, Chief Simon. As I understand it, the life support systems are back online, so you'll have all the available resources at your disposal. If there's anything myself or navigator Foxley can do to assist in the search for and capture of the aberrant, just state your need."

[ProfPotts]

Boon takes Randall's offered hand, & thankfully presses her body close to his, shivering. Tears begin to silently roll down her cheeks, though she fails to find words to adequately express her trauma.

At the Chief's order, a security officer approaches, with a prepared hypo' of sedative. Barbera flinches slightly as the drug is injected into the side of her neck, then goes limp in Randall's arms. With the help of his crew the Chief soon has the woman lying covered & restrained - her breathing deep & even.

Foxley seems jumpy as she follows Ran down to Sick Bay, & appears to get even more nervous as the small group get close to the medical facility. The large number of dead bodies still lying openly in the area undoubtedly does little to help calm her troubled state of mind...

... Ran & his group reach Sick Bay...

... As Ran relays her report on the bridge situation to Randall, the young Navigator looks aside, & runs her fingers over her eyes, trying to hide fresh tears...

As the second officer & security chief confer, Alex glances at the various security personnel in the room, then steps slightly towards the Chinese officer. Sounding somewhat embarrassed, & nervous, he blurts out (in Mandarin Chinese),

"Er... Sir? I... I gather you're a bit short-handed? I'd like to offer my help, sir - I'm a qualified technician. I can help out with repairs on hardtech & computer systems, although my experience with biotech is limited. I'm... I'm sorry for the trouble...", he glances at Simon, "... we have put you to, but it's all a misunderstanding, really. In any case - it's in all our best interests to see the ship repaired, right? After all - we're 'all in the same boat' here..."

[Archer21]

Looking down at Boon's resting form, Randall sighs. *That went better than I hoped. Is it possible she's one of them?* He's still staring at her, a thoughtful expression on his face, when the second officer arrives.

Walking off a short distance with the second officer and Foxley, he listens to Ran's report.

"Chief Simon, I have some very bad news: There is a hull breach on the bridge. Captain Getui and the command crew are dead."

Bowing his head, Randall's eyes burn with the effort of holding back the tears. Even after all his years in the Legions, the loss of a comrade had never gotten any easier.

With skill born from years of practice, Randall forces his expression back to a neutral state. Lifting his head, his professional demeanor slides back around him like a comforting cloak to hide his pain. He gives Ran his full attention.

"Our top priority is the security of this ship, Chief Simon. As I understand it, the life support systems are back online, so you'll have all the available resources at your disposal. If there's anything myself or navigator Foxley can do to assist in the search for and capture of the aberrant, just state your need."

"Aye sir. I'll arrange for a briefing and assembly of a search team immediately. I'll let you know if I need anything."

A bit suprised when Alex steps forward, he holds his hand out to forestall any moves by security to restrain the cameraman.

"Er... Sir? I... I gather you're a bit short-handed? I'd like to offer my help, sir - I'm a qualified technician. I can help out with repairs on hardtech & computer systems, although my experience with biotech is limited. I'm... I'm sorry for the trouble...", he glances at Simon, "... we have put you to, but it's all a misunderstanding, really. In any case - it's in all our best interests to see the ship repaired, right? After all - we're 'all in the same boat' here..."

Looking at Ran, he says, "Sir? With your permission, I'll hand him over to Vinge for the repair crew. It will make for one less prisoner I have to watch. Speaking of which..." He flicks his eyes to Simon, "what are your orders concerning the other one?"