MSNPC Legend O'Connor - Starting to think you all are the unlucky ones...
LT Gila Sadar
(( Destroyed Stairwell - Secret Lunar Compound, Surface of Moric ))
The more time he spent in the company of these Starfleeters, the more Legend was convinced that his bad O’Connor luck wasn’t at fault for all of this. Granted, he didn’t have a long slew of good luck to really disprove that theory, but these Starfleet officers had to be responsible for at least some of what was going on. Even Legend had never been this unlucky, and he was more than happy to lay that responsibility at the feet of these stuck-up fleeters as he looked up through the dilapidated stairwell.
O’Connor: Well, this seems perfectly safe and sturdy. ::shrugs:: We ought to be pretty close to the Keystone now though, so if we can just get up there...
Doctor Sadar didn’t seem a great appreciator of sarcasm.
Sadar: This looks... V-Very unsafe.
Vailani: We don't have a choice.
The Bajoran Lieutenant stepped forwards, looking back at them with an air of ‘we got to get this done’. Legend crossed his arms over his broad chest as he gauged her. Despite their consecutive examples of rotten luck, he knew for a fact he didn’t want to bet against this one. She seemed the type to claw victory back from the jaws of her own untimely demise.
Vailani: I'll go first, then Gila. O'Connor in the middle, Bergmen and Silveira at the back.
She led the charge, and the alien Doctor seemed to hesitate on following. That seemed to be her entire personality, frankly, and Legend nudged her slightly.
O’Connor: After you.
That finally prompted her to move, and Legend followed her in short order.
Bergmen: See ya up there, lieutenant. Good luck.
In direct opposition to both Legend and Dr. Sadar’s opinions on the sturdiness of the stairwell, the route that Vailani led them up seemed to hold, which was a minor miracle in itself, even if the going was pretty slow.
Sadar: H-How far do we need to ascend b-before we’re near the Docking Bay?
O’Connor: Should be just three floors. ::looks up:: Though ‘just’ may be optimistic...
Not long thereafter, the distant sound of explosions started up again, but these ones were evidently near enough to be a problem, as the stairwell started vibrating in response to their occurrence.
Vailani: What was that?
Bergmen: Nothing good, ma’am. One explosion can be an accident, but two? Bombardment.
It took Legend all of one second to react to that with shock and visible concern.
O’Connor: Bomb- Your colleagues do know you’re down here, right!?
Silveira: Let’s move.
Legend sped up considerably, and he was more urged on as he saw parts and pieces of the stairwell fall past them, some nearly impacting some of the climbers. Legend did his best to remain firmly attached to the wall as he climbed, and he quietly praised his luck - for once - by being behind the tallest of the Starfleeters. Best chance of the debris hitting her first.
Sadar: This won’t hold for long! Climb!
Vailani: Watch out!
The warning preceded a large piece of wall breaking into many smaller pieces and raining down the stairwell with exceedingly hostile intentions. Legend reclined from the gap where Dr. Sadar was currently climbing, and saw it almost like slow-motion how a large square piece of the peculiar metal the base was crafted from headed straight for the Doctor as she was attempting to climb.
oO IT WAS A JOKE! Oo
O’Connor: Woah!
He lunged forward to grab onto the hooded alien, dragging her backwards just in time to avoid the piece of debris cracking over her skull. He felt her boney shoulders beneath the uniform tense in surprise, before her brain seemingly caught up to what had been going on.
Sadar: Response
Legend shook his head, deflecting her gratitude.
O’Connor: Just move. We gotta get out of here quick.
Behind them, a similar conversation was taking place.
Bergmen: Are you all right, sir?
Silveira: Yes… Keep moving…
Station Alert: =/\= Warning, self destruction imminent please evacuate. =/\=
If it wasn’t one thing, it was the other, and Legend’s assumptions about ‘bad Starfleet luck’ only received ever more validation.
Vailani: You couldn't have installed a better warning system? How long do we have?
Legend stared up at Vailani, who was just two platforms below the correct exit, indignation clear on his face.
O’Connor: You say that like this is my base!? I just visit here every once in a while! It’s the Kydonians who built it!
Bergmen: Great…
Sadar: Response
Silveira: Not long enough to learn how long. Are we close?
Legend nodded, though he wasn’t sure Silveira would note that given the amount of utter chaos that was going on around them, so instead he just scaled up to the next platform, joining Vailani and Dr. Sadar there already, and headed through the door.
O’Connor: Through here!
They made an impressive speed as they dashed through far more familiar hallways than previously, and Legend could practically taste freedom as he knew they approached the Keystone. Or, well, as much freedom as could be expected while still stuck playing escort to Starfleet officers.
(( Hangar - Secret Lunar Compound, Surface of Moric ))
The Keystone was a sight for sore eyes as they rushed into the hangar bay. Was she pretty? Absolutely not, and if there was one thing Legend had standards about, it was his mode of transportation. Regardless, even a dingy escape pod would be preferred over this actively-exploding death trap as far as he was concerned, and he barely slowed down from the mad dash, even as he heard Vailani voice her disbelief behind him.
Vailani: This? This is our rescue?!
O’Connor: I mean, if you want to wait for a commercial flight, be my guest!?
Bergmen: It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice, ma'am.
First reasonable thing he’d heard from the teenager today.
Sadar: Response
Silveira: As we portuguese say, you don’t look at the teeth of a gifted horse.
(( Cockpit - Keystone ))
If the Keystone was ugly outside, she was downright hideous on the inside. Never intended for long stints in space, she was little more than a glorified sleeping cubby at the front with three large containers glued together by top quality adhesive and vain hopes on the back, and Legend - at this point more than familiar with the Keystone’s appearance - managed to get ahead of the Starfleeters to claim the one comfortable seating spot in the cockpit. And then, of course, Silveira decided to intrude.
Ever heard the saying ‘too many cooks’? Turned out the Keystone’s comfortable cook limit was one, and the cockpit got a far bit too snug with two up there.
Vailani: O'Connor, can this thing fly?
Silveira: It better...
Legend’s hand flew over the controls.
O’Connor: If you’ve got this many complaints, why don’t you call one of your spiffy shuttles down here!?
He could feel the Keystone vibrating beneath his hands, and since he knew he hadn’t gotten her going yet, it had to be residual aftershocks of whatever was going on outside. Which only made him move faster.
Bergmen: Go!
Sadar/Vailani: Response
O’Connor: All right, all systems green, take-off procedures started. Now, just for- ::looks at Silveira:: Time to switch, buddy.
Silveira: What do you mean we need to change seats?
Legend’s expression shifted slightly, a spark of mischief reasserting itself now that he felt the somewhat-unreasonable safety of the Keystone around him. At least this hull wasn’t prone to depressurization at the moment.
O’Connor: This is a one-man cockpit, dude. Shift so I can reach my controls.
Vailani/Bergmen/Sadar: Response
Silveira clearly didn’t like the idea, but he did as bidden anyways. Giving orders was a nice novelty.
Silveira: Fine…
Silveira did do his best to move so Legend could get close enough to the helm controls to get them out of there, but he was certain it had to be quite the sight for the other three at their vantage point in the cargo bay. Legend almost made it all the way to his new seat when he realized he’d forgotten a step back at his old seat, and he turned at the waist to reach back. Of course, Silveira was slightly in the way now, but nothing Legend couldn’t compensate for by extending his reach a bit.
Silveira: Hey, get your hands out of my... I am already spoken for...
O’Connor: Spoken for? And here I was thinking we were having a moment, or do you always jump into the cockpit with the first handsome pilot you see? ::slight grunt as he leans in:: There, thrusters initialized.
Vailani/Bergmen/Sadar: Response
Legend got back in the new seat, a smirk on his face as he saw an unmistakable red tint to Silveira’s face while the Portugisian officer was giving him the biggest stink-eye. Legend’s smirk didn’t falter, almost as though he was inviting Silveira to continue his indignation - give him another chance to feel a sense of normalcy in all this chaos - but perhaps urged by the others in the back, Silveira just sat back down with a pout.
Silveira: Can we go now?
Vailani/Bergmen/Sadar: Response
Legend nodded, powering the Keystone up. Was it elegant? No, and it definitely wasn’t a comfortable sensation either, but it was movement and for the moment, that was all Legend cared about as he sent the release codes to the hangar doors. It was a miracle those still worked, but soon, the ceiling of the bay split apart, showing the Galaris system above them.
O’Connor: Hang in there, Starfleet.
Vailani/Bergmen/Sadar/Silveira: Response
He took the Keystone out into space, marvelling at the ease with which she flew now that those three containers in the back had been emptied of all those crates, but that sensation of ease and lightness disappeared the moment he turned got her turned around to look back towards where the Fleeters said the Artemis was parked.
Only, she of course wasn’t parked at all, but was currently playing hockey with two Orion destroyers, and she was the puck. Adding to that, the Keystone had to fly through a minor squadron of Kydonian fighters too. Those had to be Vef-Lai’s ships, and by the way they were flying?
Yeah, they’d definitely noticed them.
O’Connor: Hoh boy, this place is looking mighty crowded.
Vailani/Bergmen/Sadar/Silveira: Response
O’Connor: Weap- Weapons!? Now hang on there, you’re not seriously suggesting we get ourselves involved in all that?
Vailani/Bergmen/Sadar/Silveira: Response
TAG/TBC
Legend O’Connor
Very disgruntled pilot
As simmed by
LT Gila Sadar
Assistant Chief of Medical
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1