Ensign Natasha Cole - Prison Break
Natasha Schell
(( Mysterious Facility - Underground, Breetia Township, Galaris IV ))
As their two guests were being brought out of their stasis pods, Natasha had readied herself just in case she needed to act.
Cole: ::calmly:: Let’s all stay friendly, shall we.
Sadar: D-Do you... ::twist anxiety band twice:: D-Do you know where you are?
Grunden: By the Ancestors-
The male Grunden spoke, with a voice that carried a weight to it. He stared at the three officers with a look of either interest or disgust. The Kobyar male however appeared to twitch in response to their presence, Natasha couldn’t quite get a read on if it was fear or distrust.
Kobyar: ::breathy disgust:: Monsters! High Chief Kraton and the Grand Marshall have finally pushed the war too far!
Rude was also an option, not a great first impression.
oO High Chief Kraton, wasn’t that one of the Grunden higher ups in the government? Oo
Even though she only briefly got a look at the dossier for the mission, she did recall that he was a conservative and progress-averse Grunden who’d supported their push to warp technology. This was definitely quite the discovery.
Bancroft: ::raising both hands, palms out:: Right. Okay. So, for the record, the only thing genetically modified about me is the coffee I had this morning. I’m a natural born human doctor… er, healer.
Natasha considered easing up her stance, but opted to stay at the ready if things went pear shaped. She didn’t want to present as a threat, but as one that is not to be threatened, after all the two doctor’s were hers to protect.
Cole: ::easing her hand away from the phaser:: I can’t speak for these two, but I’ve been called worse. And as for my genetics, that’s none of your business.
Sadar: I-I assure you, w-we aren’t monsters. W-We’re, uhh, a-aliens. From, space? ::brief pause:: Wh-Who are you?
The two of them exchanged a long thoughtful look, before looking back at them.
Grunden: I don’t trust them.
Kobyar: Calm, Nensi. ::to the Starfleeters:: Greetings... Aliens...?
Griil: I’m Bruufo Griil, Chief Engineer on the Slingdrive project... Or, I was. And this ::gestures to Grunden:: is Doctor Nensi. They were the Lead Astrophysicist who worked on the Grunden Warpship.
The exchange gave Natasha a slight smirk. This was not how she expected this mission to go. An engineer and scientist, interesting, both key figures in this planet warp development. That was likely not a coincidence.
Sadar: Y-You... You’re part of the teams that brought Galaris IV into the warp age…
Nensi: ::scornful scoff:: For all the good it did us.
Cole: You are alive, and that means you can spite them by living.
Natasha did wonder how the two ended up in the ‘basement’, and other questions. Those would need to wait.
Griil: I will share all that I can, but really, I’d much rather we got out of here! If you truly aren’t with Grand Marshall Vef-Lai, maybe it’s not too late to expose him for the greedy warmonger that he is! Make my people see some sense!
Sadar: I- Uhh, o-okay. ::looks to Ensign Bancroft:: E-Ensign, make sure Doctor Nesin and Engineer Griil are healthy and fit to move. ::looks to Ensign Cole:: Ensign Cole, please keep watch by the door until we’re ready to go. I’m, uh, not interested in more surprises.
Cole: ::pulling the phaser:: On it, Lieutenant.
Bancroft: ::nodding:: Aye, Lieutenant. Let’s see what sort of mileage the two of you have left.
Natasha took up a position just inside the circular room using the corner of the wall as cover. Peering down the hall she did not see or hear any kind of movement. This made Natasha uneasy, it was too quiet.
Bancroft: ::to Nensi, clinically polite:: You’re in good shape for someone who’s been preserved like a museum exhibit. No dehydration, no muscular atrophy, and ::glancing at Griil, beginning second scan:: same for you, new friend. Whoever put you in those tanks was disturbingly good at their job.
Nesin: ::curled nose:: They’ll be repaid in kind.
Griil: Agreed. I’d like to see Vef-Lai stuck in there for a spell.
Natasha could almost feel the animosity the two had for their captors. This impromptu prison break would likely have unforeseen consequences. That was a later problem and likely above Natasha’s pay grade to worry about.
Once everyone was ready to depart, Natasha led the way back to their entry point. Hopefully the building hadn’t collapsed into itself. Part way towards their exit Natasha paused, a section of the wall must have receded offering a different route. She held her hand up for everyone to stop, so she could sneak a peek down the new hall.
Sadar: Wait, this wasn’t here before?
Griil: Well, obviously. Once the biosensors embedded within the ceiling register personnel, the facility starts up its systems. Though this facility’s biosensors must be poorly maintained since it didn’t immediately power up upon your entry.
Cole: We didn’t exactly open the door in the most traditional sense, but hey at least we found you guys.
Nesin: Quiet! ::low growl:: I hear something.
Natasha slowed her breathing and listened carefully, after a few moment’s she heard it. They had company in bound.
Griil: They’ve realized we’re out!
Sadar: Ensign Cole, double-time it. We need out of here, preferably back to the Artemis.
Natasha immediately started moving faster, while she considered running she wasn’t sure Griil and Nesin had fully recovered from their ‘nap’.
Nesin: I will have the Chief quartered for this treachery!
Bancroft: Response
(( Ramshackle Shelter - Breetia Township, Galaris IV ))
As the team got to the door, their pace slowed as they had to go through one at a time. Once through Natasha noticed the civilians had vamoosed. Thankfully they had left the rope. They had enemies inbound and had to get out of here as quickly as possible.
Sadar: Ensign Bancroft, you and Chief Engineer Griil start climbing. Ensign Cole, can we do anything to prevent them from following us out here?
Bancroft: Response
Nesin: I’ll help.
Natasha glanced around them and immediately began to smile. It was a bad idea and more than a little reckless, but it was their best option.
Cole: Lieutenant, I have the perfect idea, I can overload my phaser and cause a cave inside the hallway.
Sadar: J-Just, be quick about it. We don’t have much time. ::calls up to Bancroft:: Ensign, try and get in contact with Vai-n- Lieutenant Vailani or the Captain! We need to get these two out of here!
She pulled her Type-II phaser from her belt, flipping open the maintenance panel underneath with practiced fingers. Her expression shifted, focused, fast-thinking, the glint in her hazel eyes unmistakable. Nisen helped as best as he could for someone unfamiliar with Starfleet tech.
Bancroft: Response
Cole: ::priming the phaser:: We’ll have ::doing mental math:: about maybe ten seconds. Everyone up the rope. :: Natasha motioned upwards::
As everyone got upstairs, Natasha stood about half way between the doorway and the rope, taking a final deep breath. She could hear the guards getting closer, she pressed the trigger on the phaser initiating the overload process. Winding back she chucked it at the door and spun sprinting towards the rope and climbed like her life depended on it.
Unfortunately her math was off, She was maybe two meters from the top when the charge went off. BOOM. A deafening concussive blast tore through the hallway and hole, swallowing rock and air in a singular, violent exhale. The rope bucked under her hands like a spooked horse.
Cole: Aw, hell…
Then physics had opinions, big ones. She was airborne, the force of the explosion hurling her up through the hole like a cork from a bottle … except corks didn’t scream mid-flight. She crashed through the upper floor, landed hard on her back, rolled once, and came to a dusty, bruised stop. Blinking up at a hole in the ceiling, she coughed once and then again..The silence that followed was heavy. Brief.
Sadar/Bancroft: Response
Cole: I’m not dead, but I think my ribs are rethinking my life choices. ::cough:: oww.
Despite the ache, her smirk held. Their pursuers were sealed in and her team was safe. At least she wasn’t a boring problem-solver.
Nesin/Griil: Response
Sadar/Bancroft: Response
TAG/TBC
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Ens. Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
Writer ID A240205NC4