Lt. JG Natasha Cole - Secure and Defend
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Natasha Schell
Jan 6, 2026, 8:07:24 PMJan 6
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((Unknown City - Callis 1))
The Captain and the others slipped inside just as the rain that had picked up at a much greater pace. Once everyone was inside, they were met with a singular room, with what appeared to be an altar at one end, with a stone statue similar to the carving outside.
MacKenzie: I wonder if this is a monastery of some kind... What do you think about this as a possibility for shelter?
Cole: It’s our best option at the moment.
Natasha slowly started to walk around the room looking at the walls, they looked to have blotches of color, if they had been murals they appear to have faded with time.
Cole: ::looking up:: Roof looks solid, so at the least we’ll be dry.
Brexis: We are going to run out of light soon. I’ll look around for something to start a fire with. We have to stay warm. Hypothermia is no joke.
Storm: I bet there’s something like that in here. There are some jugs with liquid in them. Maybe there’s an oil we can use.
MacKenzie: We might also be able to do something with the power cells in the phasers. Let's look around and see what we can find for now.
There wasn’t a lot of furniture in the room, but if they could get a fire going, it would possibly get them through the night.
Cole: ::rapping her free hand on the furniture:: It sounds like it could be wood. ::Pointing upwards:: It looks like those might be vents.
Brexis: :To Nat:: Think you can get one of those vents open? And if it’s not a vent… Make it one?
Natasha gave Charlotte a nod and reached for her phaser out of instinct, grabbing at the air remembering it’s not there. Letting out a disappointed sigh she turned and looked for something to extend her reach.
Cole: ::to herself:: It probably wouldn’t have worked anyway.
Storm: If you open up those vents, we’ll get rain in here, too. Not that in one location that’s necessarily a bad thing - if the rain is drinkable. Speaking of which, we should get some of these bowls outside and gather as much liquid as we can.
MacKenzie: Simple, but remarkable construction.
Cole: What do you think, ::gesturing towards the statue:: Some kind of deity maybe?
Brexis: Could be. ::Turning to MacKenzie:: I am going to grab a couple rocks from that pathway outside.
Alex put her hand on Charlotte’s arm.
Storm: I didn’t catch any movement outside, but I apparently stepped in a large mound of scat on our way up here. Whatever left it had to be pretty big to leave that much. ::to Brexis:: Keep your eyes open.
MacKenzie: ::flatly:: ...Great. Just what we need - company.
After surveying the space for a moment, Natasha turned her attention to one of the long benches that had been knocked onto its back. It had the length she needed, she just had to break it down into something manageable. She paused, offering a brief, mental apology to the former residents of the now-abandoned city for what she was about to do.
She lifted one side of the bench easily; it must have worked loose over time, confirming her suspicion that the structure could be dismantled, much like handmade antique furniture she’d once seen on Earth. The other side, however, resisted. She shook it hard, surprised by its stubborn sturdiness, and then slammed it against the floor. BANG!
Frustration flared. She lifted it again, rotating the wood-like joint upward, and brought it down harder. This time, the impact was followed by a sharp crack. Instead of going for a third swing, Natasha raised her leg and drove her heel down onto the weakened joint. The break gave way with a satisfying crunch.
The bench finally split free, relatively cleanly, and with the added bonus of extra kindling for the fire Charlotte was working on. Natasha moved on, eyes lifting to the ceiling vents. They were clearly designed for airflow, but not enough to handle smoke … maybe candles, not a campfire. She tested the first vent with her improvised poking pole. The material bent easily. She widened it, then moved to the next, and the next, opening the space just enough to make it usable.
Brexis: Nat how’s it going with those vents?
Natasha thought she might have heard Alex say something, but the sound of the rain muffled it.
Cole: ::focused on her task, but addressing Charlotte:: Just about done.
Brexis: ::Standing up with excitement and pointing to the tiny flame:: My mom taught me that!
Natasha had lowered the pole and was using it to lean on as she watched the flame slowly grow in the mix of hair and kindling. A memory flashed in her mind of how excited she was that first night in 2387 when her father had decided a planned hike in the Appalachian Mountains needed to become a time for a lesson. She remembered being so scared that night. It had gotten so cold. Her hands had shaken that hard she didn’t think she’d ever get the fire started.
Storm: I can sense some of our crew. I found Commander Jovenan, and Lieutenants K’Wara, Bergman, and Bancroft. I don’t know if they are hurt or not, but they are all alive.
MacKenzie: Good news.
Cole: ::snapping out of her memory:: That is promising.
Brexis: Response
Storm: Give me a minute. I’ll see if I can find the other group.
Alex had closed her eyes and placed the heels of her hands over them. While Alex did her telepathic search for the others, Natasha started to gather the broken pieces of the bench and other furniture to bring it over near the fire, being careful to not set it too close so it didn’t all go up at once. They needed to ration their limited resources for heat and, if they could find it... food.
Cole: This should be enough to get us started. It feels like it might be a dense wood, so hopefully it burns for a while.
Brexis: Response
Storm: I found them! Commanders Munro and Silveira and Lieutenant Imril, and Ensign Jaran. Everyone’s alive! oO Roy’s alive. Oo
Natasha didn’t realize how much worry she had been holding onto till Alex mentioned that everyone else was alive. Her shoulders felt lighter, and dropped for a moment at the revelation that her best friend was alive leaving out an audible sigh of relief.
Brexis: Response
Alex looked over at Brexis.
Storm: Can you sense anything more than that they are alive?
MacKenzie: Are they close? Can we get to them?
Natasha looked towards the two Betazoids with a cautiously hopeful look.
Brexis/Storm: Response
MacKenzie: In that case, we can't worry about them. They're exceptional people, and I'm sure they have the ability to survive this. In the meantime, we have to focus on the task and hand and take care of ourselves. So let's make sure we can keep this fire going and potentially capture some of this rain, that way we can make it through the night.
Cole: ::kneeling by the firewood:: Sir, this should be enough to keep us warm for the night, and provide some level of light. I would suggest as it gets darker we sleep in shifts to make sure it doesn’t go out. ::to Alex:: Lieutenant, how do our ration supplies look?
Brexis/Storm: Response
The Captain continued to explore the space while Natasha and the others continued their tasks. Upon examining the wall behind the idol, she could see a series of deep gouges that had marked the stone.
MacKenzie: Come take a look at this. Are these claw marks?
Natasha set down the chair she had started to move when the Captain mentioned her discovery. She walked over towards the wall and slowly ran her hand over the deep groves. With her fingers spread as far apart as they’d go, she barely covered the distance of the four gouges that had been cut deep into the stone.
Cole: Is it too much to hope, that is part of their art style?
In spite of Natasha’s casual reaction to that revelation, something in her shifted, likely a combination of the memories of her youth and her Security training. She turned on her heels and walked into the room Alex mentioned had some supplies.
Inside she saw the staves and grabbed them along with the three knives. She also grabbed the deteriorated towels; the outer edges appeared to be braided and still intact.
Brexis/Storm: Response
The Captain’s lips pulled slightly to one side.
MacKenzie: I wonder what happened to the people who built this place.
Natasha sat by the fire and got to work fashioning her plan. They might not have phasers, communicators or any of the other modern conveniences that have become almost irreplaceable, be she’d be sure to make sure they could better defend themselves … if they needed too.
She started by holding one of the knives next to the top of one of the staves and started wrapping the braided material into a lashing knot securing the knife to the end. She thrust it forward and gave it a quick jerking motion to make sure it was secure. Satisfied that it was secure she continued the process with the other two knives and her own.
Looking at her handy work, she remembered doing the same thing when those three days turned into over a week. Her mother was beyond furious, like destroying a solar system level mad, Nat was convinced that was going to be the end of their family. Little did she know that wouldn’t come till Thanksgiving a few years later.
Storm: Response
Cole: Sorry, No Ghosts of my past. ::beat:: Just lost in a memory for a moment.
Brexis/Storm: Response?
The Captain had finally noticed the smell of whatever had been on Storm's boot. Making a face she pointed to the boot, then to the gouges in the wall.
MacKenzie: Hopefully whatever caused that ::pointing to the boot:: isn't the same thing as what caused that ::pointing to the wall::. Otherwise, we might be in trouble.
Natasha returned to the wall and examined it again. She was no geologist, but the markings didn’t look fresh. The Captain was right though this was concerning
Cole: I’m thinking whatever it was, those doors ::pointing at the doors they entered:: had been closed after whatever made those markings ::gesturing towards the wall:: left the premises.
Brexis/Storm/MacKenzie: Response
Cole: Securing this place shouldn’t be too difficult. Those rooms Lieutenant Storm mentioned both have barred windows. The main door appears to be the only point of entry, unless whatever made those markings can somehow phase through the walls.
Brexis/Storm/MacKenzie: Response
The sound of the rain outside was still a steady downpour, with the semi consistent drip of water dropping for one of the vents Natasha had opened up perhaps a little too far. It was almost tranquil in an unintentional way.
Until …
A furious roar was heard from outside somewhere overpowering even the rain. It didn’t sound like it was right outside, but judging by the echo it wasn’t miles away either.
Cole: ::running:: Let's get these doors closed, before we get any uninvited guests.
Natasha ran over to the doors and started pushing like hers and everyone else’s lives depended on it.
Brexis/Storm/MacKenzie: Response
Tags/TBC
-----
Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
Writer ID A240205NC4
The Captain and the others slipped inside just as the rain that had picked up at a much greater pace. Once everyone was inside, they were met with a singular room, with what appeared to be an altar at one end, with a stone statue similar to the carving outside.
MacKenzie: I wonder if this is a monastery of some kind... What do you think about this as a possibility for shelter?
Cole: It’s our best option at the moment.
Natasha slowly started to walk around the room looking at the walls, they looked to have blotches of color, if they had been murals they appear to have faded with time.
Cole: ::looking up:: Roof looks solid, so at the least we’ll be dry.
Brexis: We are going to run out of light soon. I’ll look around for something to start a fire with. We have to stay warm. Hypothermia is no joke.
Storm: I bet there’s something like that in here. There are some jugs with liquid in them. Maybe there’s an oil we can use.
MacKenzie: We might also be able to do something with the power cells in the phasers. Let's look around and see what we can find for now.
There wasn’t a lot of furniture in the room, but if they could get a fire going, it would possibly get them through the night.
Cole: ::rapping her free hand on the furniture:: It sounds like it could be wood. ::Pointing upwards:: It looks like those might be vents.
Brexis: :To Nat:: Think you can get one of those vents open? And if it’s not a vent… Make it one?
Natasha gave Charlotte a nod and reached for her phaser out of instinct, grabbing at the air remembering it’s not there. Letting out a disappointed sigh she turned and looked for something to extend her reach.
Cole: ::to herself:: It probably wouldn’t have worked anyway.
Storm: If you open up those vents, we’ll get rain in here, too. Not that in one location that’s necessarily a bad thing - if the rain is drinkable. Speaking of which, we should get some of these bowls outside and gather as much liquid as we can.
MacKenzie: Simple, but remarkable construction.
Cole: What do you think, ::gesturing towards the statue:: Some kind of deity maybe?
Brexis: Could be. ::Turning to MacKenzie:: I am going to grab a couple rocks from that pathway outside.
Alex put her hand on Charlotte’s arm.
Storm: I didn’t catch any movement outside, but I apparently stepped in a large mound of scat on our way up here. Whatever left it had to be pretty big to leave that much. ::to Brexis:: Keep your eyes open.
MacKenzie: ::flatly:: ...Great. Just what we need - company.
After surveying the space for a moment, Natasha turned her attention to one of the long benches that had been knocked onto its back. It had the length she needed, she just had to break it down into something manageable. She paused, offering a brief, mental apology to the former residents of the now-abandoned city for what she was about to do.
She lifted one side of the bench easily; it must have worked loose over time, confirming her suspicion that the structure could be dismantled, much like handmade antique furniture she’d once seen on Earth. The other side, however, resisted. She shook it hard, surprised by its stubborn sturdiness, and then slammed it against the floor. BANG!
Frustration flared. She lifted it again, rotating the wood-like joint upward, and brought it down harder. This time, the impact was followed by a sharp crack. Instead of going for a third swing, Natasha raised her leg and drove her heel down onto the weakened joint. The break gave way with a satisfying crunch.
The bench finally split free, relatively cleanly, and with the added bonus of extra kindling for the fire Charlotte was working on. Natasha moved on, eyes lifting to the ceiling vents. They were clearly designed for airflow, but not enough to handle smoke … maybe candles, not a campfire. She tested the first vent with her improvised poking pole. The material bent easily. She widened it, then moved to the next, and the next, opening the space just enough to make it usable.
Brexis: Nat how’s it going with those vents?
Natasha thought she might have heard Alex say something, but the sound of the rain muffled it.
Cole: ::focused on her task, but addressing Charlotte:: Just about done.
Brexis: ::Standing up with excitement and pointing to the tiny flame:: My mom taught me that!
Natasha had lowered the pole and was using it to lean on as she watched the flame slowly grow in the mix of hair and kindling. A memory flashed in her mind of how excited she was that first night in 2387 when her father had decided a planned hike in the Appalachian Mountains needed to become a time for a lesson. She remembered being so scared that night. It had gotten so cold. Her hands had shaken that hard she didn’t think she’d ever get the fire started.
Storm: I can sense some of our crew. I found Commander Jovenan, and Lieutenants K’Wara, Bergman, and Bancroft. I don’t know if they are hurt or not, but they are all alive.
MacKenzie: Good news.
Cole: ::snapping out of her memory:: That is promising.
Brexis: Response
Storm: Give me a minute. I’ll see if I can find the other group.
Alex had closed her eyes and placed the heels of her hands over them. While Alex did her telepathic search for the others, Natasha started to gather the broken pieces of the bench and other furniture to bring it over near the fire, being careful to not set it too close so it didn’t all go up at once. They needed to ration their limited resources for heat and, if they could find it... food.
Cole: This should be enough to get us started. It feels like it might be a dense wood, so hopefully it burns for a while.
Brexis: Response
Storm: I found them! Commanders Munro and Silveira and Lieutenant Imril, and Ensign Jaran. Everyone’s alive! oO Roy’s alive. Oo
Natasha didn’t realize how much worry she had been holding onto till Alex mentioned that everyone else was alive. Her shoulders felt lighter, and dropped for a moment at the revelation that her best friend was alive leaving out an audible sigh of relief.
Brexis: Response
Alex looked over at Brexis.
Storm: Can you sense anything more than that they are alive?
MacKenzie: Are they close? Can we get to them?
Natasha looked towards the two Betazoids with a cautiously hopeful look.
Brexis/Storm: Response
MacKenzie: In that case, we can't worry about them. They're exceptional people, and I'm sure they have the ability to survive this. In the meantime, we have to focus on the task and hand and take care of ourselves. So let's make sure we can keep this fire going and potentially capture some of this rain, that way we can make it through the night.
Cole: ::kneeling by the firewood:: Sir, this should be enough to keep us warm for the night, and provide some level of light. I would suggest as it gets darker we sleep in shifts to make sure it doesn’t go out. ::to Alex:: Lieutenant, how do our ration supplies look?
Brexis/Storm: Response
The Captain continued to explore the space while Natasha and the others continued their tasks. Upon examining the wall behind the idol, she could see a series of deep gouges that had marked the stone.
MacKenzie: Come take a look at this. Are these claw marks?
Natasha set down the chair she had started to move when the Captain mentioned her discovery. She walked over towards the wall and slowly ran her hand over the deep groves. With her fingers spread as far apart as they’d go, she barely covered the distance of the four gouges that had been cut deep into the stone.
Cole: Is it too much to hope, that is part of their art style?
In spite of Natasha’s casual reaction to that revelation, something in her shifted, likely a combination of the memories of her youth and her Security training. She turned on her heels and walked into the room Alex mentioned had some supplies.
Inside she saw the staves and grabbed them along with the three knives. She also grabbed the deteriorated towels; the outer edges appeared to be braided and still intact.
Brexis/Storm: Response
The Captain’s lips pulled slightly to one side.
MacKenzie: I wonder what happened to the people who built this place.
Natasha sat by the fire and got to work fashioning her plan. They might not have phasers, communicators or any of the other modern conveniences that have become almost irreplaceable, be she’d be sure to make sure they could better defend themselves … if they needed too.
She started by holding one of the knives next to the top of one of the staves and started wrapping the braided material into a lashing knot securing the knife to the end. She thrust it forward and gave it a quick jerking motion to make sure it was secure. Satisfied that it was secure she continued the process with the other two knives and her own.
Looking at her handy work, she remembered doing the same thing when those three days turned into over a week. Her mother was beyond furious, like destroying a solar system level mad, Nat was convinced that was going to be the end of their family. Little did she know that wouldn’t come till Thanksgiving a few years later.
Storm: Response
Cole: Sorry, No Ghosts of my past. ::beat:: Just lost in a memory for a moment.
Brexis/Storm: Response?
The Captain had finally noticed the smell of whatever had been on Storm's boot. Making a face she pointed to the boot, then to the gouges in the wall.
MacKenzie: Hopefully whatever caused that ::pointing to the boot:: isn't the same thing as what caused that ::pointing to the wall::. Otherwise, we might be in trouble.
Natasha returned to the wall and examined it again. She was no geologist, but the markings didn’t look fresh. The Captain was right though this was concerning
Cole: I’m thinking whatever it was, those doors ::pointing at the doors they entered:: had been closed after whatever made those markings ::gesturing towards the wall:: left the premises.
Brexis/Storm/MacKenzie: Response
Cole: Securing this place shouldn’t be too difficult. Those rooms Lieutenant Storm mentioned both have barred windows. The main door appears to be the only point of entry, unless whatever made those markings can somehow phase through the walls.
Brexis/Storm/MacKenzie: Response
The sound of the rain outside was still a steady downpour, with the semi consistent drip of water dropping for one of the vents Natasha had opened up perhaps a little too far. It was almost tranquil in an unintentional way.
Until …
A furious roar was heard from outside somewhere overpowering even the rain. It didn’t sound like it was right outside, but judging by the echo it wasn’t miles away either.
Cole: ::running:: Let's get these doors closed, before we get any uninvited guests.
Natasha ran over to the doors and started pushing like hers and everyone else’s lives depended on it.
Brexis/Storm/MacKenzie: Response
Tags/TBC
-----
Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
Writer ID A240205NC4
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