Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper – Get Clear
Robin Hopper
((Derelict Vaadwaur Ship – Underspace Corridor))
Navigating down the corridor in the near pitch-darkness with an unconscious floating body was, you may be unsurprised to hear, not a particularly pleasant experience. oO How did we wind up here? Doing this? Oo Sometimes you just had to not ask yourself questions like that. The answer was almost certainly not going to be satisfying – and it might not even make any sense. In Starfleet, sometimes you just were there, doing that and you had to keep on doing whatever it was until you weren’t wherever you’d been anymore.
Hopper: Gee, it’d be really spooky if he woke up right now, huh?
Galanis: …Spooky is certainly one way to put it, Commander.
Shortrith: Very much so.
She nodded, both amused and a little unnerved by her own comment.
((OOC – I can’t do math; We are now four, not three. I’ve updated Hopper’s dialogue below to reflect the correct numbers.))
Hopper: =/\= Lieutenant Flint, we’ve got a fourth person for transport… Start trying to resolve our signals now, and the minute you get a proper lock on us, beam all four of us back to the Daintree and ready the biobed. =/\=
Flint: ::Slightly alarmed:: =/\= You didn’t shoot anyone did you, Commander? =/\=
She rolled her eyes at the HCO’s implication – as if they hadn’t come aboard looking for survivors of whatever incident had blown this ship to smithereens and the only reason they could want a biobed was for a casualty they had inflicted.
Shortrith: =/\= Nope, we haven't, but we've got an injured person. =/\=
Robin snorted, almost silently, with an amused smirk. At least the medical officer was there to provide the earnest answer to Flint’s wry remark. So distracted was she by the conversation over comms and her thoughts about the logistics of getting the unconscious Vaadwaur aboard the Daintree, that she didn’t notice his movements at first – not until Niev suddenly startled.
Galanis: Tharon’s bones!
oO Hmm? Oo She glanced down, found a pair of open eyes staring right back up at her. oO HOLY CRAP! Oo
She jumped back, away from the Vaadwaur, momentum carrying him on slowly down the hall a few feet. Niev, too, released their grip. If the ship had been in better condition, and gravity had been active he would have thudded to the floor. In the zero-g corridor though, he instead reached out a hand towards the nearest wall panel, stopping himself from spinning and drifting on down the hall.
Instinctively, Robin reached for the phase rifle slung around her back, pulling it forward and tucking it under one arm. For the moment, she kept the business end pointed down towards the deck, but her arm was tense, ready to raise and fire it (on stun, of course) if the Vaadwaur made any aggressive moves.
Aggression, however, didn’t seem to be his style. He slowly reached to the air supply and breathing apparatus strapped to his face and pressed a control button.
Vaadwaur: A rather unceremonious extraction… ::a pause to cough and clear his throat:: …but an effective one. There will be no further need for combat. Recovering me from containment while the primary power grid is so clearly compromised… I commend your diligence, if not your finesse.
oO No further need for combat? Oo Robin’s eyes shifted down toward the phase rifle, figuring he could only mean that. If he’d just come out of stasis he probably didn’t even know what had landed his ship in this position in the first place. She lowered the weapon an inch or two, a symbolic gesture that she meant him no harm.
Shortrith: ::In a tentativeness not often seen from a Klingon:: Happy to help?
Hopper: Your ship’s been irreparably damaged. We came looking for survivors – but now we need to go, before the piece of the vessel we’re in is destroyed. We have a shuttle waiting…
Galanis: Are you injured? We have a doctor.
The Vaadwaur seemed to consider his current state for a moment before answering. Robin glanced to Shortrith curiously. A few minutes ago this man had seemed at death’s door. Was it possible this was just what it was like, waking from Vaadwaur stasis? Or had he really been dead and somehow revived?
Vaadwaur: I find my vital functions surprisingly intact given the state of this vessel. You wear the garb of a coordinated fleet, though the aesthetic is... quaint. Tell me, what banner do you fly, and who holds the commanding writ among you, so that we might formalize our imminent departure from this ruin?
Hopper’s brow furrowed. oO Quaint? Oo She looked down at her own EV suit. Each of them wore the same suit – predominantly white, with many of the flexion points panelled or lined in red. Shortrith and Galanis wore the same, only with accents in Science and Medical blue. They were hardly as intimidating as Klingon battle armor, or the Cardassian military uniforms, but they were practical and aesthetically… well, maybe not pleasing, but not ugly!
Whatever the case, she didn’t care for the Vaadwaur’s uncalled for condescension. Before she could retort, though, Shortrith once again responded in a far more earnest and straightforward way than Robin might have.
Shortrith: We hail from Starfleet, from the United Federation of Planets. The Lieutenant Commander here ::they gestured to Hopper as they spoke:: is the one in charge at the moment.
This was good – as it gave her a few extra seconds to think, and in that time, she realized something important. This Vaadwaur wasn’t familiar with Starfleet, or with the Federation. He had no idea who they were, nor was he seemingly familiar with the history between their two people at DS17. The fact that, as far as he was concerned, they were just his quaint rescuers could well prove advantageous for getting information out of him.
Hopper: ::Frowning slightly, but staying professional:: That’s right. Lieutenant Commander Robin Hopper, with Starfleet. Our vessel is the USS Daintree. My companions are Junior Lieutenants Galanis and Shortrith, and we–
She sensed the science officer’s gaze moving from the Vaadwaur towards her in her peripheral vision (the EV suit helmets did somewhat telegraph where you were looking) and paused, quirking an eyebrow.
Galanis: With all due respect, sirs, this may not be an ideal place to introduce ourselves to each other… this ship is clearly falling apart.
The Vaadwaur’s head shook dismissively.
Vaadwaur: The structural integrity of this vessel was forfeited hours ago. Panic will not repair the bulkheads. Now, if you would be so gracious as to provide the aforementioned transportation to your vessel, I will assist you in navigating the corridors and allow your healer to perform their customs. I assure you, your cooperation will be noted when we reestablish proper order.
Hmm – well then, maybe he did know something about what was going on, at least what had happened to this ship within the last day. Clearly they would have more to talk about once they were safely back aboard the Daintree.
Hopper: Right. Well, we need to keep moving. A little further along and we should be able to transport back to our ship and move away. Once we’re back aboard, Lieutenant Shortrith can give you a proper once-over, just to make sure you’re in good shape, and we can talk ‘til the cows come home.
Shortrith: ::To Galanis and Hopper:: Will we need security?
Hopper: No. ::Eying the Vaadwaur:: I don’t think so…
She slung her rifle back around to her back.
Hopper: At the moment, we’re all in this together. Let’s try to maintain that, uh, spirit of cooperation, shall we?
Galanis/Vaadwaur: Response
The group continued, somewhat uneasily, but at least at a quicker pace now that all were moving under their own power, back towards the point where they had first beamed aboard. It wasn’t long before Robin saw the open door to the dead Vaadwaur’s room they had first materialized in.
Hopper: Lieutenants – the interference should be sufficiently reduced here for Flint to get a lock on us. Confirm via tricorder readings and, if all looks well… Put in the call.
Galanis: Response
Shortrith: =/\= Shortrith to Flint. Four to beam out. =/\=
Flint: =/\= Received, Away Team. I have your signals – they look clean. Prepare for transport. =/\=
Robin turned to the Vaadwaur, giving him a nod – a signal she hoped he would understand as generally positive. (Though, for all she knew, that could be equivalent in Vaadwaur culture to presenting him with an upturned middle finger). One hoped that was not the case.
Hopper: See you on the other side.
Vaadwaur: Response
((Talon Class Scout Daintree - Underspace Corridor))
All four transportees reformed simultaneously back aboard the Daintree, near the aft of the vessel’s main compartment, on the micro transporter pad sandwiched between the EV suit storage lockers. Robin quickly reached up, unlocking her helmet and pulling it off with a slight hiss. She reached out and returned it to the upper shelf in the locker she’d retrieved it from, then removed her gloves – all the while watching the Vaadwaur with interest to see how he’d react to their runabout.
Shortrith: ::To Flint:: Have you received anything from anyone?
Flint: Negative. I thought perhaps there was some comms chatter on some of the lower-band channels, but it was just sensor echoes. No way to tell if it was our people or not. If it’s them, they’re not yet close enough to resolve the signal…
He pulled up a brief playback of scattered staticky audio. The quality was so poor Robin could hardly tell if the sound was voices or just electromagnetic radiation bumping the receivers.
Galanis: Response
Hopper: Not enough for us to make anything out of. ::Sigh:: Alright, we’re still on our own. Time to get the hell out of here.
Shortrith: Hold on - still nothing?
Flint shook his head with a slight shrug mixed into the gesture.
Flint: You’re welcome to review the data yourself, Lieutenant, once you’ve seen to our guest’s health. ::Eying the Vaadwaur warily:: And who is our guest, ma’am?
Hopper: This is– ::Pause:: Actually, we haven’t yet been properly introduced. ::Gesturing to the fold-out biobed:: Why don’t you take a seat and we can complete the pleasantries while our medical officer completes their review?
Vaadwaur: Response
The bearded HCO considered the Vaadwaur’s self-introduction for a moment before standing and offering his own proper response.
Flint: Lieutenant David Flint, sir. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now, if you’ll quite forgive me, I think the plan was that I would be ‘getting us the hell out of here,’ – is that right, ma’am?
Robin nodded back to him, already removing the chestplate of her EV suit and stowing it, locking down the phase rifle and tucking it into the locker along with her other equipment and replacing it at her hip with her regular Type II phaser sidearm. She wasn’t taking any chances, no matter how friendly or fancy this guest of theirs seemed.
Hopper: Sounds about right to me. If engines are sufficiently restored, I suggest we go back the way we came, unless you– ::She glanced to the Vaadwaur:: –would suggest otherwise?
Vaadwaur: Response
Flint sat back at the helm controls, activating the ship’s impulse engines (still running at reduced capacity, but operable) and began backing the ship away from the derelict in front of them.
Flint: Keep an eye on that debris, will you? That wave that pushed us into the underspace corridor seems to have been carrying an awful lot of junk along with it and it’s been pelting this position for the last hour or so.
Galanis: Response
Robin, meanwhile, moved to stand next to Shortrith as they continued their examination.
Hopper: How’s he doing, Lieutenant? ::To the Vaadwaur:: Feeling alright? What happened, anyways? To you– to your ship?
Vaadwaur/Shortrith: Response
She shook her head, then clarified her response.
Hopper: We entered this underspace corridor by accident while we were investigating the opening. It opened in a volatile region of space and was highly unstable. Evidently, we got a little too close… We found a significant amount of debris outside the rift – debris that matched your vessel. I’m sorry. We think you were likely the only survivor.
Vaadwaur/Shortrith: Response
Meanwhile, Flint and Galanis continued to move away from the hunk of ship in front of them – the entire section now visible on the viewscreen, the extreme damage clearly visible as another large chunk of debris impacted it, the two pieces ripping each other into smaller bits with a series of small rippling explosions.
Flint: Bloody hell. Are we clear enough? Radiation danger?
Galanis: Response
TBC
