[FINALE] Lt. Robin Hopper: Boiling Point
Robin Hopper
((Idrustix – Southern Tundra Region, Outside Teams A & B Campsite))
As the larger sphere fled, chased by the Quimby away from the camp and towards the sea, Robin turned her attention back to the much smaller downed drone beside her. Black viscous bioneural slime oozed from the crack in its phaser-scorched side. She looked at it with exhausted contempt. Every bone in her body ached, her hair had moss frozen to it, and there was still another drone back in the campsite hunting for Betazoids.
Grurg: Hopper!
Robin turned, bleary-eyed, towards the Klingon Security Officer as she half-walked / half-slid down the embankment to reach her, her own phaser rifle trained on the downed drone.
Grurg: Are you okay? Are you hurt?
Hopper: Uhh… I don’t know. A little, yeah. ::Shaking her head, biting her lip:: But we’re not done yet. We have to get back to the camp. I think there’s still another drone in there.
Grurg: Before we go, I think you’ll be wanting this.
Grurg held aloft a small shiny object – Robin’s lost combadge – with a toothy smile. Robin accepted it, pinning it back on her chest with some relief. She tapped it, both to ensure that it was still functional, and to try and reach out to the others in the camp.
Hopper: =/\= Anyone in camp, this is Hopper. I’m with Grurg. Recommend extreme caution. There’s another dro–=/\=
Before she could finish, the distinct sounds of phaser fire came from within the camp. Both women turned to face it. Robin was a naturally cheery person… In fact, she considered herself quite resilient. But the last 48 hours had pushed her ability to ‘soldier on’ happily to the breaking point. She could feel a near Klingon-like rage burning within her. Turning to look at Grurg, she wondered if the actual Klingon felt as done with these drones as she did.
Without a word, the two sped back into the camp, Robin now barely feeling the burning pain in her right knee. The last drone had made its way towards the rear, near Team B’s accommodation hut. It had begun emitting the same red cutting-beam its predecessor had used to try and blast its way through the hut to reach S’Raga, Lekasa, and Lohani before. It looked as though some of Team B had taken up defensive positions – the Betazoid Ukinix and Lekasa.
Her blood felt like it was boiling. She had been tasked with keeping the Betazoids safe from these things and it felt as though every effort she had made over the last few hours had been completely in vain. Here they were fighting for their lives, the drone blasting crates out of its path to try and reach them.
Hopper raised her rifle, took aim and shot a sustained beam – targeting the back of the open ports from which the spherical drone’s weapons emerged. That seemed to offer enough of an opportunity for the others to get some shots in. Robin pressed further into camp, no longer concerned with evading the drone’s fire. She was of a single-minded purpose… oO I’ll show YOU ‘eradication protocols!’ Oo
As the drone spun and sputtered, phaser fire cutting into it from all angles, it attempted to flee – hovering fraily in Robin’s direction. As she prepared to take the final shot, her phaser beeped at her, red lights flashing to indicate that its charge had been entirely depleted. With an unyielding cry, she lifted her phaser by the barrel and brought the stock down on it as hard as she could.
Hopper: DAMMIT! ::Bash:: I’M A SCIENTIST! ::Bash:: WHY WON’T YOU.. ::Bash:: ..LISTEN TO REASON?!!!
With a final swing, the drone crumpled in a heap at her feat. A moment later and the surging pain in her knee, and the shock of her own adrenaline, caused Robin to drop to the ground as well, sitting, panting, with her legs sticking out in front of her. Her broken rifle dropped to the mossy ground beside her.
Ukinix(B): Response
Lekasa: Response?
Hopper: ::Deadpan, breathing heavily:: The, uhh, drone is no longer a threat, Sir.
Grurg: majQa'!
Ukinix(B)/Lekasa: Responses?
Hopper: How are the others?
Ukinix(B)/Lekasa: Responses?
She looked at the wreckage of the drone on the ground in front of her and, as her simmering anger cooled, she felt a pang of sympathy for it – which she knew was dumb, but she couldn’t help it.
Hopper: I swear I’m not normally like this…
Ukinix(B)/Lekasa: Responses?
((OOC – Can continue backsimming here, if you like))
((A Few Minutes Later – Team A Accomodation Hut))
Robin limped purposefully into the hut, shutting the door behind her less carefully than she probably ought to have. The hut shook, ever-so-slightly, causing Vananth-Polgonz to look up at her with wide eyes.
Lohani: By the Four, what happened out there? It sounded like a pitched battle out there…
Robin was done being polite. They needed to go – and they needed to go immediately.
Hopper: Ehh… Delta Quadrant Diplomacy.
Lohani: And the drones?
The Science Officer made her way over to the reserves of hot beverages and poured herself a coffee, taking a large gulp of it black – a choice she immediately regretted. She made a disgusted face, then added a bit of hot chocolate to the cup to balance it out.
Hopper: Won’t be a problem. For now… ::To Reade:: Scotty?
Reade: Are we ready to call the Kitty Hawk? I can send out a comms signal?
Hopper: ::Taking a sip of the slightly improved hack-mocha:: Please.
Lohani: Right. ::A look to Reade:: I believe the Lieutenant has something prepared.
Reade: Ok, standby, let's send this signal.
Robin sat back, leaning against a crate, as she watched Reade input the relevant commands. The comms channel was opened and, for the first time in two days, they were able to contact the Kitty Hawk from the ground once more.
Reade: =/\= ⟟⟒⎍⏁⟒⋏⏃⋏⏁ ⍀⟒⏃⎅⟒, ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⍀⟒☊⟒⟟⎐⟟⋏☌ =/\=
(OOC: Scotty to Kitty Hawk,. Can you hear us?)
There was a pause. No doubt the bridge crew on the Kitty Hawk were trying to make heads or tails of the message they had received – and determine where and whom it had come from. Lohani gave Robin an unnecessary, but appreciated, nod of encouragement. At last a voice came
Iko: =/\= ⟟☍⍜ ⏁⍜ ⍀⟒⏃⎅⟒ ⌿⌰⟒⏃⌇⟒ ⏚⟒ ⌇☊⍜⏁⏁⊬ ⌿⌰⟒⏃⌇⟒ ⏃☊⏁⎍⏃⌰⌰⊬ ⏚⟒ ⌇☊⍜⏁⏁⊬ =/\=
Vananth-Polgonz ran the message through the drone’s translation matrix.
Lohani: ::Translating:: Iko to Reade. Please be Scotty, please actually be Scotty… ::A look at Reade:: A friend of yours, I’m guessing?
Robin smiled, an exhausted and grateful smile. She found herself holding in tears for at least the second time in as many days. oO I never thought I’d miss the boring days and nights on the Wall Street so quickly… Oo
Hopper: That’s Bec. ::To Lohani:: She beamed down with us.
Lohani: ::Nodding:: Yes… Of course. That seems like ages ago now. ::To Reade:: What shall we send back?
Reade: =/\= ⟟⟒⎍⏁⟒⋏⏃⋏⏁ =/\=
(OOC: Yes, I can confirm with my code. Scotty-Omega 3, Alpha 2)
Robin finished her drink as the Kitty Hawk crew deciphered. Her pulse was finally beginning to return to normal, and the deep fatigue and soreness of her body was matched only by the turning headache of doom that spread from the base of her skull through her eyes like phaser beams.
She tried to reassure herself that it would all be over soon – and before long, they’d be back on the Kitty Hawk heading back for Amity Outpost…
Iko: =/\= ⊑⍜⍙ ⟟⌇ ⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⍜⋏⟒ ⊑⟒⏃⌰⏁⊑ ⍙⟟⌇⟒ =/\=
Lohani: ::Translating:: How is everyone fairing? Anyone gonna need sickbay?
Hopper: How can we tell them we need emergency beam-outs for the Betazoids as quickly as possible? I’m sure the shuttle crew can reach them now, if we can.
Lohani: ⌇⍜⋔⟒, ⊬⟒⌇. ⟒⋔⟒⍀☌⟒⋏☊⊬ ⏁⍀⏃⋏⌇⌿⍜⍀⏁ ⏃⌰⌰ ⏚⟒⏁⏃⋉⍜⟟⎅⌇
(OOC: Some, yes. Emergency transport all Betazoids)
Hopper: Nice work you two. Really good stuff.
A second later, the voice of the J’naii Science Officer could be heard over Robin’s combadge.
Kivik: =/\= Kivik here. We’ve established the last of the pattern enhancers. We should be ‘invisible’ now… I figured, better late than never. We shouldn’t have any more visitors. =/\=
Hopper: =/\= Understood. Get yourself and Dro back to the hut as quickly as possible. =/\= ::To Reade:: Do you think you can send them coordinates as well? Encrypted, if possible? They’ll need precise location data to find us with those enhancers masking our signal.
The Engineer figured out the conversion – quicker than Robin could follow.
Reade: It's working!
Hopper: Perfect. Send them.
Lohani began translating the message, providing the data to Reade.
Hopper: We also have multiple casualties requiring immediate treatment: First Secretary Ukinix, and Lieutenant Wong. I don’t know how much longer we can keep them stable down here with what we have.
Lohani: What about you?
Reade: Response?
Robin looked down at her knee. She hadn’t realized it, but her right pant-leg had ripped at the knee where it had scraped across the rock, and there was a shallow cut that had seemingly begun to scab.
Hopper: I’ll be fine for now. Send it.
Lohani: =/\= ☊⍜⍜⍀⎅⟟⋏⏃⏁⟒⌇ ⎎⍜⌰⌰⍜⍙. ⍙⍜⋏☌, ☍⟒⟒⊑⏃⋏⟟ ⌿⍀⟟⍜⍀⟟⏁⟟⟒⌇ ⎎⍜⍀ ⏁⍀⟒⏃⏁⋔⟒⋏⏁. ⋏⍜⏁ ⌇⎍⍀⟒ ⊑⍜⍙ ⌰⍜⋏☌ ⍙⟒ ☊⏃⋏ ⊑⍜⌰⎅ ⍜⎍⏁ =/\=
(OOC: Coordinates follow. Wong, Keehani priorities for treatment. Not sure how long we can hold out)
Reade: Response?
A moment later, the response came back from Bec.
Iko: =/\= ⟊⎍⌇⏁ ⏁⍀⊬ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⏚⟒⌇⏁ ⍾ =/\=
(OOC: Just, try your best?)
Hopper: I guess they’re still working out transport options then… ::Sigh:: Let’s check in on the shuttle. We may have no choice but to pile in and hope for the best.
Reade: Response?
Lohani: Well, that sounds very undignified.
Hopper: Ma’am, with all due respect… Nothing about this trip has been ‘dignified’. I think it would be strange to start now.
END MISSION for Hopper
((OOC Note – I’ll get some post-mission content out in the days ahead before fully diving into Shore Leave!))
