Lt. Commander Yogan Yalu — Oh, this just got serious
Yogan Yalu
(( Crew Quarters, Deck 5, USS Artemis ))
It had been several years since Yogan’s last zero-gee training, and aside from an isolated incident in Excalibur’s variable-gravity astrometrics lab, his boots had remained firmly on dirt or deck ever since. Now, he was re-learning the difference between weight and mass. He felt light as a feather, but when he became unable to reduce his inertia before colliding with a bulkhead, he was given a stern, ouchy reminder that the bigger they are, the harder they… float.
Prevented from reaching their objective—the computer core control room—due to a simulated hull breach dead ahead, Yogan and his team were left with no option but to double back. As they attempted to propel themselves in the direction they came, the sound of phaser fire in the distance alerted them to the presence of the opposing force infiltration team from Berlin.
Yalu: Arm yourselves, Ensigns. Prepare to engage the enemy.
Savel: response
They moved slowly forward, discoordination hampering their progress. Without artificial gravity, the liminal space of the corridor made concepts like “up” and “down” lose all meaning. Yogan got himself into a spin and ended up kick-propelling himself along the bulkhead instead of the deck. It was actually kind of fun.
Tula: Excuse me, Commander.
Yogan whirled around as best he could. Behind them was Lieutenant Tula, one of Artemis’ security and tactical officers. The Bajoran caught herself on a rib of corridor and swung to a stop. Quick and to the point, Tula pointed at Vedic, who seemed to be just who she was looking for.
Tula: Comms are spotty on this deck from the damage, but Ensign Vedic is needed at the turbolift to help free a stuck Security team. I’ve been sent to replace him, sir.
Yalu: ::nods:: Take your position, Lieutenant. ::to Vedic:: Good luck, Ensign.
Savel: response
Vedic moved off and vanished around a corner. In the context of their game, Yogan had been very pleased with what good sport Vedic had been. In just the short time since they’d left the bridge, he’d come into his own and proved himself as a capable, innovative engineer. The rest of the game would be a little less fun without him around.
Yalu: ::grins:: Gonna miss that guy.
He turned back to Tula and Savel. With all the comings and goings between Excalibur, Artemis, and now Berlin. It was likely that the two junior officers had not yet met, despite serving in the same department.
Tula: I’m Lieutenant Tula Kanai, but we can save the formal introductions for after. ::She scanned the corridor cautiously.:: I’ll cover our six, Sir.
And just like that, they were back in business.
Yalu: And away we go. We’ve got some infiltrators to flush out.
Savel: response
Yogan soon became adept at kick-floating down the corridor, and tried his best to match Savel stride for stride. The sounds of fighting grew louder as they turned toward a suite of computer system maintenance and control rooms. Finally, they came up behind one of the security teams engaging the enemy. If Yogan had blinked, he would have missed Talos’s team disappearing through an access hatch in the ceiling.
Yalu: oO Darn you, artificial gravity malfunction. Way to make it easier to jump through overhead hatches. Oo
As if she were acting on instinct, Tula unleashed a volley of phaser fire in the general direction of Talos’ scrambling backside. Yogan’s inertia pushed him further ahead and he ducked to avoid Tula’s phaser fire. The computer already registered his broken ankle, and the last thing he wanted was to be shot by an ally.
Tula: They’re escaping!
Memories of Keroga Yalu, Yogan’s fourth host and the classically trained grande dame of 23rd century Trill theater, flooded his mind. The drama of launching himself from a crouch through an overhead hatch was just too good to pass up. Getting into a crouch proved harder than he anticipated, however, and it took a comedic moment or two before he was finally in position.
Yalu: ::theatrically serious:: We must pursue them through the Jeffries tubes! ::raises arms in a superhero pose and kicks off the deck:: Excelsior!
Savel / Tula: response
Yogan flew through the open hatch and immediately crunched his head against the tight quarters of the Jefferies Tube. As Tula and Savel followed him, hopefully more sensibly than he, Yogan checked the combadge in his pocket. It still glowed yellow, meaning that the computer hadn’t assigned him a traumatic brain injury in payback for his moment of dramatic flourish.
Yogan pointed ahead to direct the group toward its target, but before they moved on, the faint sound of… hissing… down in the corridor alerted Yogan that something was amiss.
Yalu: Hang on.
He lumbered as best he could past Savel and Tula and stuck his head back through the hatch down into the corridor. A faint mist emitted from each environmental system return. He brandished his tricorder and scanned the area, but he didn’t need to wait for the results. He was already starting to feel drowsy. He pulled his upper body back into the Jefferies Tube and pointed to the hatch cover.
Yalu: Seal that opening, now!
Savel / Tula: response
Yogan took a few deep, cleansing breaths as the fog around his mind cleared. He sat—or whatever the zero-gee equivalent of sitting was—and waited for what he knew his tricorder would say.
Yalu: That was anesthizine gas. Real, not-simulated, anesthizine gas. ::beat:: What the hell is Talos thinking? This is a drill, for God’s sake.
Savel / Tula: response
Yogan didn’t like the picture being painted by the available facts. The ship continued to rumble, and while he would have been excited by the play fighting just a moment ago, now he was deeply concerned. A voice rang out from his pocketed combadge.
MacKenzie: =/\= MacKenzie to Yalu… We have a problem. =/\=
Oh no. He fished the yellow-glowing badge out of his pocket and pressed it firmly with his thumb.
Yalu: =/\= I’m afraid so. Someone has released knockout gas throughout deck five and the computer core is going haywire. This isn’t a drill anymore, Captain. I think we’re in danger of losing the ship. =/\=
[Tag / End of Act 2 for Yalu]
Lieutenant Commander Yogan Yalu
Second Officer & Strategic Operations Officer
USS Artemis NCC-81287
D238804DS0