Ensign Savel - Did We Purchase Vacation Insurance?
Savel
((Port Side Observation Deck - Nova Gamma Borealis Cruise Ship))
Operation Vacation was off to a poor start thanks to the arrival of some Gamma Quadrant baddies looking to spoil the day. They’d kicked the Bolian guide off of the intercom and were now doing their best to strike fear into the hearts of all of the passengers on board.
It was working too, as most of the passengers were now frantically running around with no obvious destination. They were convinced anywhere and anything was safer than staying in their seats and behaving orderly. Panic and alarm would surely be better for them in the long run, right?
Voice: =/\= Unknown Vessel, you have invaded the sovereign territory of the New Idran Confederacy. Stand down shields and prepare to have your vessel impounded. =/\=
Savel: Ensign Gnai. I believe that our tour has officially come to an end.
Gnai: Absolutely fantastic. ::righting itself again:: Where did Commander Dakora and Lieutenant Sadar get themselves to?
Savel and Gnai were standing from their chairs, and the Vulcan’s attention was divided against trying to see the source of their troubles and the location of the other two officers.
Savel: Agreed, we should locate the Commander and Lieutenant. It will be best if we all remain together.
Gnai: Correct. It doesn't -- ::cut off by the explosion::
Talos and Gila both came running back to their seating area, and Gila hopped right into the instincts any good doctor should have. She checked to make sure no one around was injured in the explosion that had interrupted Gnai.
Sadar: Everyone okay!?
Gnai: Minorly stunned, but fine, sir!
Savel: I am fine, Doctor.
The warning shot had exploded in the perfect spot. It was able to rattle the ship without damaging it along while also shaking up the passengers on board.
Dakora: We all have our badges, so we should have peer-to-peer comms if we get separated.
N.I.C. Voice: =/\= Last and final warning. Lower shields. =/\=
That warning was immediately heeded by the Captain, as the shields lowered and left them entirely defenseless. Now they were stranded and at the complete mercy of the inevitable N.I.C. boarders.
Sadar: That is… Not ideal.
Gnai: Not in the slightest! ::looking to Ens. Savel:: This seems to be yet another crisis together. Perhaps if this is resolved, you and this should not be on missions in the future.
He turned from the view offered up by the sides of the ship and looked down to Gnai.
Savel: It is illogical to assume our proximity to one another is a cause of our repeated misfortunes. ::pause:: But it is an undeniably curious set of coincidences.
Dakora: I read some reports about these kinds of groups back when I was in Intel. They board unescorted civilian ships, ransom off or maroon the occupants on nearby world, then strip the boat for parts on the black market.
Talos frowned before he continued on.
Dakora: I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like being marooned or seeing the look on Captain MacKenzie’s face when she has to negotiate my ransom. If any of you have an idea, now’s the time.
Two additional appearances caused Savel’s gaze to shift between them. First it was the ship that came into view alongside their transport. A hulking mass of metal and weaponry that was obviously designed for one purpose, that it was fulfilling in spades right now.
The other event was the appearance of their Bolian guide who attempted to wrangle the unruly passengers.
Guide: ::shouting:: Quiet! QUIET!
Dakora::Whispering to the others:: He’s not going to be able to control this crowd for long…
Savel: Agreed, so we should not stay among them.
The last thing they needed was to be around when the passengers turned violent against the ship’s crew.
Sadar: Response
Guide: I've been in... brief negotiations with the New Idran Confederacy. This is fine, you don't need to panic--
The crowd was wholly uninterested in what the guide had to say, and they weren’t shy about showing it. Several bottles were launched in the direction of the Bolian as a response to what he was getting ready to say. It quickly shut him up and he frantically fled through a coded door to another compartment.
Just as the guide left, the Idran ship docked with the tourist transport.
Gnai: More likely surrender, given how quickly this ship dropped shields…
Dakora: This ship isn’t armed. There wasn’t much they could do. ::His eyes narrowed as he turned an idea over in his mind.:: We might be able to do something, though.
Savel: Our access will be limited for now, however, we may be able to convince a member of the crew to assist us.
It depended on whether or not the crew was going to sell out the Starfleet officers as soon as their affiliation became clear. Starfleeters were bound to be perceived as fetching a handsome ransom in the Gamma Quadrant.
Sadar: Response
Gnai: Is there... any way to contact the Artemis? Or is this ship completely alone here, at the mercy of whatever this New Idran Confederacy may be?
The appearance of a Starfleet ship could cause the N.I.C to turn tail and run, or it could put the defenseless ship in the crossfire. It’s not like they had many other resources to rely on when they were on this side of the wormhole though.
Dakora: It’s worth a shot. If we can slip into the employees-only areas below decks, we can avoid getting rounded up with all the other tourists at least. ::He shrugged.:: Then if we can make it to the Comm Room, we can try for help.
Savel: We may also wish to attempt to avoid the crew of this vessel if possible. Until we have gained some advantage in our situation.
Sadar/Gnai: Response.
Talos motioned for everyone to follow him and he led the group to an alcove that had a coded door, similar to the one the Bolian had gone through.
Dakora: Luckily our Bolian friend thinks his code out loud as he enters it…
The Commander used his newly acquired code to access the door, and ushered everyone inside once it opened.
Dakora: Everybody in!
Sadar/Gnai: Response.
Savel wanted to be the first one through the door, just in case some threat was waiting on the other side. Fortunately there was just a tiny bit of luck on their side and they didn’t immediately run into a baddie. He was certain that event was inevitable, however, since they had heard the sound of the two ships docking together.
Savel: I believe we will be safe in this part of the ship, for the moment. Though I do foresee the boarders attempting to quickly pacify the passengers on the observation decks.
Dakora/Sadar/Gnai: Response
Hopefully the N.I.C. would use a more direct route to get there. Since they’d gone through the door tucked away, there might be a chance this particular part of the deck wouldn’t be well traveled.
The area they’d come out into looked to be nothing more than a corridor for the ship’s crew to navigate around in. The space was also tighter than one would expect thanks to the expanded observation decks they’d just come from.
Savel: If we do intend to seek out the communications room, we should attempt to locate more information about the ship’s layout. Wandering between decks in the hopes of discovering it by chance, even on a ship of this size, would be illogical.
Dakora/Sadar/Gnai: Response
It was doubtful they’d find a map saying “You are here” with a nice diagram on how to get away from intruders, but they might get lucky with something.
Savel started to look around the small room they’d come out into, hoping to see anything that could point them in the right direction. Before he could get too deep into his search, however, there was a clattering that came from down the narrow corridor just ahead. Just after the noise ceased, Sable could hear what appeared to be rapid footfalls approaching. Not quite a run, but they weren’t out for a gentle stroll either.
The moment the sound hit the Vulcan’s ears his head snapped in that direction. It was difficult to tell what may have caused it, but without any information on who they were dealing with or any real defenses against them, Savel wasn’t eager to find out.
Savel: It may be wise to find a place to hide. Whatever, or whoever, made that noise is currently headed towards us.
Dakora/Sadar/Gnai: Response
TAG/TBC