[M] Lt. Alora DeVeau - "And It Only Gets Worse From Here" (Mercury)

[Amanda Nordstrom]

((Main Bridge, USS Garuda))

::She led him towards the upper level, where they came across Tristam
and his team. She wiped the sweat from her brow, brushing some strands
of hair aside.::


Rahman: Not quite the homecoming I'd hoped for.


Core: RESPONSE


DeVeau: Nara! It’s good to see you.


::Despite the situation Rahman had managed to find herself, Alora was
glad for another familiar and friendly face.::


Delano: =/\= Delano to Core and DeVeau. I think I’ve got this ready. Are
you set on your end? =/\=


Core?


DeVeau: =/\=Ready as we’ll ever be. =/\=


::Alora glanced over at Core. Although they had not known each other
long, this was the second time she found herself being used as his
hands. She really hoped this situation would have a more positive
outcome than the last one.::


Delano: =/\= You’ll get plenty of power, but it will probably stress the
EPS system. There’s a chance some of them could blow out. It will get
worse the longer we run it. At this point, I figure a little more damage
is better than having nothing left. If I did this right, most of the
strain will be on the conduits that would normally connect to the sensor
module. If there’s a blow out, the damage should be contained to the
lower decks. =/\=


Core?


DeVeau: =/\= Acknowledged.=/\=


::Should be. Possibly. Most likely, though there was still a chance that
it might not be as well. Hopefully it was a very, very small chance.::


DeVeau: =/\=Wait a sec...give me a minute.=/\=


Delano: =/\= Understood. Let me know when you’re ready. =/\=


DeVeau: ::To Core.:: So here and here then?


CORE?


::Roshanara nodded back at Tristam.::


Rahman: Sounds like you figured the same thing. Do a hard reset.


Core: RESPONSE


DeVeau: Okay.


Rahman: All right, but it's not a matter of "if" there's a blow out. The
damage to the EPS system is going to be massive without the proper
protections in place from a drydock.


::Oh that was a lovely thought. Alora’s mouth twisted in distaste.
Another explosion like the last and someone could wind up dead -
definitely not the preferable outcome.::


Core: RESPONSE


DeVeau: So what do you want me to do?



::A familiar sound drew everyone’s attention to bodies that materialised
as the secondary team arrived. Alora managed a small smile for them..::


Voss/T'Leia: RESPONSE


Vistain: Commander!


Rahman: We've got quite the mess to clean up.


DeVeau: That’s putting it mildly.


::Poor Mercury. The last thing Alora wanted was more damage to the ship.
She inhaled, then let it out slowly.::


DeVeau: All right. Let’s do this then.


::They got into position for the reset, but when it came time for Delano
to check in, there was silence from the comline. Roshanara cast a
worried look at Tristam.::


Rahman: =/\= Lieutenant? =/\=


Delano: =/\= RESPONSE? =/\=


Holo-Rahman: All right, let’s see what we can do about…


::Rahman strode into the room then froze as the sight of an extremely
familiar face came into view. Her eyes shifted from her twin to the
other members of the crew and back again.::


Rahman: Is this some sort of a joke?


::Alora froze save for her eyes darting back and forth from one Rahman
to the other. Two of them? One was obviously a hologram, but which one?
The other had arrived first, so perhaps she was the real one.::


RESPONSES?


::She shook her head and motioned to the console.::


Holo-Rahman: I see. I didn’t realise there was a holographic version of
myself running around.


::Then again, maybe Alora was wrong. Had the holographic version caught
up with them before the real Rahman could?::


::Briefly, Holo-Rahman’s gaze flicked over the mirror image before she
approached the console.::


Holo-Rahman: I suggest a hard reset of the system, but beware, the
kickback isn’t pleasant. We’ll need to set protections in place and…


::Those dark eyes shifted once again and her frown deepened.::


Holo-Rahman: Excuse me?


RESPONSES?


::Her gaze narrowed and then in one swift movement, one arm snaked
around Alora’s neck and a phaser pressed into the soft flesh of her neck.::


::Alora’s eyes widened, taken by surprise at the action of someone she
considered a friend - or perhaps the holographic version. She began to
react, her hands reached up to grip the arm that held her, but the cold
bite of metal against her skin made her pause before she could drop her
weight and initiate any sort of attempt to wriggle out of the hold. It
was one thing to do what she needed to do when someone had a grip on
her. It was quite another to do it with a phaser threatening you.::


Holo-Rahman: One move and she’s dead.


RESPONSES?


Holo-Rahman: I suggest everyone back away - slowly.


RESPONSES?


*****

Lt. Alora DeVeau

Chief of Science (and currently captive)

USS Garuda


&

Holo-Rahman