ENS Chevalier - I could not foresee this thing..
CPT Arianus
((
Ruins
of Janaran Community Center, Medara - Betazed, circa 2376 ))
It
became more and more obvious that the building was something similar
to the community center or public meet&entertain building.
Leaflets around, message board, building layout... but nothing really
answered the most pressing questions. Like when exactly they
“appeared” and how they will get back.
Savel:
Commander, you said you lived through the Occupation. What is
different about where, or rather when, we are now?
oO
My thoughts, Mr. Savel. Oo
Jaseb
stopped for a moment at reception and quickly searched it, but to his
dismay he found nothing that would be a possible source of fire.
Dakora:
I think I do, but it doesn't make any sense. ::He gestured to the
board.:: This says the year is 2376.
Jaseb
looked from the reception at the First Officer with disbelief. That
could be right...
oO 2376? War ended a year ago! Oo
Maybe
the board was broken, some power surge could easily cause a reset in
the board system and a wrongful date was set. He took one of the leaflets
lying on the reception and then second. And then third.
oO No,
no, no... that's wrong. That cannot be possible... Oo
But it
was. Date was correct, more or less. Board showed it, leaflets event dates confirmed. They were somewhere that wasn't their time and
place. Their reality. This – everything this – was some twisted
reality of the twisted mind.
Commander turned to all three of
them, and interrupted the flow of Jaseb's thoughts.
Dakora:
Which is a problem. ::He sighed.:: Because the Occupation– and the
Dominion War, for that matter– should've ended by 2375.
Savel:
We are also not supposed to be here. Our problems are many, and
solutions so far are nonexistent.
Z’Vahme:
I seem to recall hearing that resistance fighters used local flora to
craft blowguns with poisoned projectiles. Though I have no idea if
those plants are even located in this region…
Jaseb
kept silent for a second, as he threw the leaflets on the
counter.
Chevalier: So this is it. We are out of our time and
space. In the war which ended for some of us even before we were born.
This slapping whatever that was just sent us here, into war, which
ended, except it isn't.
Dakora: I don't know. Clearly, CloQ
changed something that caused it all to turn out differently. ::He
paused.:: Which reminds me; I probably still exist in this timeline
as a kid, so let's play it safe and try to avoid further timeline
contamination. Just call me.. uh, Yogan Silveira, if we're around any
locals.
Jaseb almost exploded laughing, as he heard
Commander's alias and saw Savel's eyebrows trying to make an almost 360'
backflip over his face. But he rather silently coughed into his palm
with which he wiped the tears coming from his eyes.
This
started to be absurd ad absurdum. But he looked at the group with a
serious face. In
the end, he was a Starfleet officer.
They
were duties, there was an oath, and in the end, there were his
colleagues and other people depending on him just as he depended on
them. Not talking about self preservation. That Jem'Hadar
did not look like someone nice to surrender.
So
when the voice of someone else sounded through the hallway, it caught
Jaseb unprepared. What else, it wasn't Jem'Hadar, but someone who
knew the commander. He … no, she knew the commander by name.
Leera:
Talos?
Dakora:
M…Ma'di?
Armed
or not, she was someone new, and with this reality weirder and crazy,
she could be easily friendly as she could be enemy. Jaseb's hand went
down from the counter to the lower table, and he clutched the pen
lying in the dust, determined to skip the counter at the first sign
of trouble and use it as a shiv.
He
looked at Savel, but Vulcan was more interested in a weapon newcomer
dropped, so Jaseb turned again on whatever that was, who knew
commander.
Savel: I believe she has come alone.
Z'Vahme:
Response?
Jaseb jumped over the counter and grabbed his
improvised bag with chemicals, a pen hidden behind the
wrist.
Dakora: It's me. ::He gestured to the others:: This is
my team, we need help. I'll… I will try to explain everything when
we're somewhere safe.
Chevalier: You know her, sir?
It
was the woman who answered. Or better to say, she continued with her
reunion with the commander and both ignored Jaseb.
Leera:
::Nodding, searching for words:: Of course…
Woman exhaled
sharply, as she was dreaming about some memory. Probably a better and
distant one from the world outside. For the moment, she looked
almost... happy.
Leera:
I sense we’ll both have a lot of explaining to do… and a lot of
questions.
Jaseb
took a breath to comment, but Savel overtook him, as he approached
Commander and the lady.
But to his credit, after all, Savel was a Security, so his comment
was more relevant than anything Jaseb would say.
Savel:
Indeed, we were followed here by a Jem'Hadar. He did not seem to have
anyone with him, but I doubt others are not closeby or on the way.
Chevalier:
Yeah, if he had two brain cells at least, he already called for the
back up and we will see more of them soon.
Z’Vahme:
Response
Savel
handed her back a hand phaser - or better to say frankenstein
phaser - she dropped as she entered. With the obviousness of herself, she
seemed to be more of a friend than a threat.
Savel: We would
appreciate any other phasers you may be able to spare, our own
weapons were lost when we arrived.
Leera:
I’ll see what we can do. ::Cautiously:: The resistance doesn’t
have much to spare. What we have now is mostly cobbled together by
the few engineers in our ranks.
oO
So much for arming ourselves, Jaseb... Oo
Phaser she
carried looked more like a children's puzzle than a weapon, so his
words were probably true - painfully truthful. But Savel as a good
little Security was a step forward from this problem as he pointed at
the
rack of costumes and at the cloaks especially.
Savel:
Our uniforms may also draw additional unwanted attention, especially
from occupying forces. ::pointing to some of the racks of costumes
they'd passed:: Perhaps those would be slightly more
suitable.
Chevalier: Good thinking, Mr.
Savel...
Dakora/Z'Vahme: Response
Jaseb
took two cloaks, one used as a replacement of an improvised bag he made
from his service jacket, and second one – a nice, black, heavy warm wool –
cloak he threw over his shoulders to cover his body and
uniform.
Leera: Quickly. We don’t have much time. ::To
Talos:: I won’t say I’m not happy to see you – but your timing
could have been better.
Dakora:
Response
Chevalier: Lead the way, mylady... ::looks on
Dakora:: Sir.
Z'Vahme/Savel: Response
Leera: We have
explosives planted in the building across the boulevard, about 40
meters from here, give or take. A whitebloo– ::stopping, realizing
he may not be familiar with the term:: –A Jem’Hadar patrol is
passing through and we need to…
Chevalier: We found and
took.. ::pointed at his bag:: some cleaner chemicals like nitro-methane, nitric or sulphuric acid, vinegar, peracetic acids.
So, if needed, we mix them and with quick hands, we can make some
nice bigbang.
Jaseb smiled, hoping the lady would appreciate
a little handy thinking. And maybe he was getting a little flaunt.
Well, he was definitely bragging.
Dakora/Z'Vahme/Savel:
Response
Leera:
It’s our only chance. If we don’t take them out, Destro, Illux,
and the rest of our group won’t stand a chance. The detonator is
just upstai–
With
all this enthusiasm to explode something, Jaseb was quite surprised
by an explosion down the hall. Reflexes and training kicked first and
he caught and pulled the person next to him down to the ground. A
moment later he looked into Z'Vahm's face, lying on him, and covering
him with his body.
Chevalier: Sorry ::looks ashamed::
Jaseb
quickly rolled off of Z'Vahme and helped him back to his
feet.
Z'Vahme: Response?
Leera:
::Softly:: There’s an old lift tube – just this way. Come on!
Jaseb
looked at the scene of the explosion, the hole in the wall and the
dust swirling around the rapidly advancing silhouettes.
oO
Definitely not friendly. Oo
Group followed the Leera in
the opposite direction,
as any thinking about fighting – four unarmed and single laser pointer
wasn't something anyone would like to face the Jem'Hadars with –
was out of the question.
Leera:
::Over her shoulder:: The tube leads down to a series of tunnels.
From there, we can take you to the resistance forces nearby… I have
to go up, detonate the explosives… But I’ll be right behind
you.
Jaseb nodded and ran with others to the tube entrance.
The doors were already gone, so that was good, but as Jaseb looked into the lift
shaft, his enthusiasm quickly subsided. The maintenance ladder
remembered better times and down there was only darkness and something –
probably debris from the elevator – but they didn't have a choice. This
was it. There was no other way out.
Chevalier: Commander, you
first, then Z'Vahme, we with Savel will close. I recommend not to
fast slide down due to debris.
Dakora/Z'Vahme/Savel: Response?
Commander nodded and stretched himself around Jaseb, who stepped
aside. Next was Z'Vahme, but Jaseb at that time already threw his bag
on the ground and took from it two bottles and goo. He unscrewed the
bottles, and goo them quickly together, before laying them down with
other bottles. As sad as it was, there was no way he could take
them. He had only two hands, and he was not good with using a ladder
with only one of them. Maybe another time...
Jaseb quickly
threw the spare cloak over the bottles and nodded at
Savel.
Chevalier: If not now, then never. Let's go!
Savel:
Response
Jaseb stepped into the lift shaft and caught on the
ladder. The screeching was unpleasant, but luckily the ladder didn't
shake. Savel
followed him down, just a couple minutes
before first Jem'Hadars arrived.
Jaseb with others was already on the shaft bottom when Jaseb's three
brain cells won over their two, as one of Jem'Hadars kicked upstairs
into a cloak and broke the seal formed by the goo. Those two
chemicals which goo sealed, spilled on the floor, fused together,
exposed to oxidation. An explosion would be better, but Jaseb didn't
have the time or confidence to mix the explosives within a couple seconds he got. With peeling, the
chemicals quickly turned into a toxic, corrosive cloud. Fortunately
for the lift shaft occupants, a cloud was very volatile and
lighter than air. For Jem'Hadars around the spill, unfortunately,
something not recommended to breathe - what they did. As one of
Jem'Hadars fell into the shaft and his body clattered to the floor, Jaseb
turned at the Commander standing in the tunnel entrance.
Chevalier:
Time to go, sir, it will not stop them for long... that cloud will
disperse within minutes...
Dakora/Z'Vahme/Savel: Response
TAG/TBC
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