Ensign Gavrin Tarsan - Where’s the kaboom? Oh there it is
Sean Sabbage
(( The Afalqi Project, Hangar 1659 – Meranuge IV ))
The noise of the gantry coming down distracted Gavrin, his attention turning to it and away from his work in pulling the data off the consoles.
Munro: Stop! Stop the -
Nat’s voice cut through the mechanized clatter.
Cole: Everybody clear the drop zone!
Gavrin looked up to try and track the movement of the gantry before he looked back to Imril, moving up beside them to one of the other consoles to try and retrieve whatever data he could before the trap snapped shut around them.
Munro: Everyone stay out of the safety perimeter watch out for the stabilising cables!
Bancroft: ::shouting over the noise:: Some sort of automation maybe?
Cole: Not unless somebody taught it timing.
Cole: Back up and watch the mechanism—if this thing is tied to the signal, we need to know what moved first.
Munro: I'm trying to override now.
Bancroft: ::exasperated:: Watch– I haven’t stopped watching it. ::dryly:: It’s still moving, by the way.
Imril: ::To Tarsan:: Ensign, scan for anything that might be picking up and responding to the tricoder scans and see if you can jam it. I’m going to pull whatever I can from this computer before it starts taking swings, too.
Gavrin backed away from the console and nodded, pulling out his tricorder so that he could start scanning. The tricorder beeped angrily at him, his brow furrowing.
Tarsan: Whatever it is is adapting.. I think it’s a construct of some sort. It’s not just a dumb device, Lieutenant…
Cole: Somebody didn’t just steal the Afalqi. They built insurance into the scene.
All while the gantry continued to move. A quickening swing towards the opposite side of the hangar. Imril and Tarsan’s side.
Imril: [Expletive redacted] ::Shouting to be heard:: The security footage is deleting itself! I’ll explain later! Typing now!
Gavrin nodded, at first unaware of the motion of the gantry behind him, intent on trying to battle with whatever was trying to kill them. The shout from below caught his attention.
Munro: Get off the platform!
Tarsan: Almost done! Just need another min-
Imril interrupted him, Gavrin finally starting to realise the danger they were in.
Imril: ::Pointing to the ladder:: Back to the ground floor, Ensign. I don't think that this platform’s going to be around much longer.
Tarsan: What about you, Lieutenant??
Imril: That’s an order, Ensign! Move! I’ll be right behind you!
Gavrin swallowed hard, shoving his tricorder back on his belt before he scrambled for the ladder, scuttling down it at a speed that surprised even him. Probably unsafe, but safer than staying up there.
Bancroft: Is there no way to stop this?
Munro: Lieutenant! Move!
Bancroft: This way!
Tarsan: I’m coming, I’m coming! ::calling up to Imril:: Lieutenant…
The noise of the gantry colliding with the platform was almost unbearable, Gavrin slamming his hands around his ears as he fled from the falling machinery. His eyes flicked back to the platform - surely the Lieutenant had made it down by now?? He saw them coming down the ladder and held his breath, resisting the urge to run in and help them - which could only have made things worse.
Munro: Move!
Cole: Response
The platform finally fell with an almighty kaboom (it would have made a certain Martian very proud), and when the dust cleared Gavrin could finally gulp in a breath of relief to see that the entire away team was unharmed.
Munro: :: angry :: What was that?! You could've been killed :: to all of them :: It's not heroic to end up dead, get that fantasy out of your head now. All you get is your name on a list you don't want to be on :: to Imril :: I hope that data was worth it.
It was harsh, she knew it. They all knew it. She took a step backwards, inhaled a breath and looked to the doctor.
Munro: :: harsher than usual :: Roy, check them over.
Bancroft: ::brief pause:: Right away, Commander.
Gavrin subjected himself to the check-up without complaint, purposefully tuning out Munro’s conversation with the Captain, his attention on Imril to make sure the Lieutenant was truly okay.
Bancroft: ::lightly:: Alright, are any of you dead? Barring that, any complaints? ::holding a finger up at Nat:: physical complaints.
Tarsan: All good, Doctor. Was far enough away ::taking a deep breath:: way too close though. Waaaaaay too close.
Imril/Cole: Response
Munro: Let's take a breath :: beat :: Imril, take Cole and head over to the hangar administration building, let them know what's happened here. They'll need to send a crew. Try and find out what might be in those files. Remember the Da'al are not our enemies but someone left that trap.
Bancroft: The question in my mind is, was that meant for anyone who might come poking around? Or specifically for us?
Tarsan: I think it’s some sort of adaptive virus, possibly with limited intelligence. Likely separate to the main network so that it wouldn’t be detected, I got partial readings ::sending the data to the others’ tricorders::
Imril/Cole: response
Munro: Tarsan and Bancroft, let's go find that device.
Gavrin nodded - he wasn’t entirely sure if this was some sort of punishment, the Commander wanting to keep a closer eye on him. Or maybe she just didn’t want to lose the ship’s newest Ensign on his first away mission. He could understand the impulse, he also didn’t want to be lost on his first away mission.
Or any of them, really.
Bancroft: ::to Tarsan:: If things go really well, you won’t learn why they call me ‘Doc Crashcart’.
Behind them, a section of ruined gantry finally surrendered to gravity, tearing loose and slamming into the hangar floor with a sharp, echoing clang.
Tarsan: That’s not reassuring at all, Doctor…
Imril/Cole: Response
((Short Walk Later - Exterior Afalqi Project Complex - Meranuge IV))
Arm extended, tricorder beeping and following the location marker, 300 metres from the hangar.
Munro: Not long now. Be cautious.
Bancroft: Two hundred meters ahead on the… ::scowling at his tricorder:: right.
Something didn’t feel entirely right here. Gavrin reached out with his telepathic senses, but he couldn’t feel anything beyond the other two members of his team.
Tarsan: How many of the engineers did they say had gone with them? I can’t sense.. anyone
Munro: Response
Bancroft: That’s a great point. Where is everyone?
Tarsan: There should be at least… someone here, right?
Munro: Response
Gavrin became aware of the movement behind the storage crates a few moments after Bancroft did. His gaze narrowed on the location - this was starting to feel like one of Lt. Cole’s training sessions. What would she tell him to do?
Bancroft: ::softly:: Eyes up.
Gavrin still couldn’t feel anything. Whatever was behind the crates wasn’t something he could connect with…
Tarsan: It’s not Da’al, I’d be able to sense them…
Munro: Response
As they moved a little closer, the thing behind the crates became suddenly, terrifyingly, visible. An automated phaser turret, turning to track them.
Tarsan: Is that… a turret? Get down!
Bancroft/Munro: Response
Gavrin took cover behind the crates as the turret fired on them, thanking the Divines that Cole had insisted he go through so many drills on his first few days.
Tarsan: Someone really doesn’t want us to find out what’s going on here!
Bancroft/Munro: Response
The turret fired several more times, laying down suppressive fire and effectively pinning Gavrin down, his eyes flicking to the others.
Tarsan: I can’t get a shot, maybe I can distract it somehow?
Bancroft/Munro: Response