Ens Chevalier - Wish us luck...
CPT Arianus
(( Facility KTF-031 | Medara | Betazed ))
They embarked on a route that led straight to the facility. They knew they would have to confront whatever lay ahead. It no longer seemed possible to retreat.
Savel: I do not believe there will be any further resistance between the checkpoint and the factory. We should use this time to rest, it will be our last chance.
Dakora/Leera/Nieran: Response?
Jaseb looked away from Savel while Vulkan closed his eyes and began to meditate or perhaps perform whatever ritual Vulcans typically do to detach themselves from their surroundings. Jaseb couldn't help but smirk at the idea that what the Vulcans practiced was more effective than what he had been taught.
Chevalier: ::whispers as he sings:: There is no glory nor greatness found here, no tales of valiance, or of courage over fear, no survival instincts, only faith, innate. You are the third child, born with the sin…
oO Don’t give yourself that lame excuse, Jaseb. Oo
Jaseb looked at the front of the sled. He knew what he saw was not real; he was not real. J. Born in sin, a heretic. Jaseb blinked and leaned back comfortably in the seat. J, like his own doubts, was gone.
Chevalier: ::whispers as he sings:: We're expendable, a tool in His plans.
oO To kill as is needed, to die, as He demands… Oo
As Jaseb peered out of the sled, the sight before him was both awe-inspiring and disheartening. The factory loomed ahead, a colossal monument to Dominion's unyielding power and greed. The walls were towering and imposing, casting ominous shadows upon the surrounding landscape. Chimneys jutted out in every direction, belching thick clouds of smoke that rose high into the sky. The smoke was colored an eerie shade of toxic green, a stark reminder of the devastating impact that the factory was having on the environment. It was impossible to ignore that the factory symbolized Dominion's brutality and ruthlessness, and Jaseb couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as he surveyed the scene before him. But there was enough thinking about hopelessness and thinking about it; this war could have turned out differently for billions across the stars if only one event had turned out just a little differently, and the Dominion... won. It no longer mattered as the sled was slowing down. They had reached their destination.
Savel: It does not appear that the alarm has been raised here. There is very little activity.
Chevalier: No welcoming committee? I think we can survive, Mr. Savel. ::turns to Nieran:: Any information on local patrols within our contemplated area of operation, Nieran?
Dakora/Leera/Nieran: Response?
Savel, wanting to be among the first to exit, left the sled with his workbag and pulled his hat down, obscuring his distinct Vulcan features. Although his work uniform was slightly rumpled after his altercation with the Alpha at the checkpoint, he hoped it wouldn't draw any unwanted attention.
Jaseb assisted others in unloading the sled before he took his bag and checked his gear. Everything was in place. Everything looked as so. They went over the loading ramp directly to the door, to the door that separated them from the corridor leading to their supposed maintenance site, the place they intended to sabotage. And further, to generators and heat exchangers control - their second target.
Savel: Any final directives before we begin, Commander? Leera?
Dakora/Leera: Response
Chevalier: ::whispers:: Listen only to the sound of the voice. Let your mind relax. Let your thoughts drift…
Nieran: Response
Nieran opened the door with his maintenance card. The corridor was dimly lit, and the air was thick with anticipation. They knew that the next few minutes would be critical in determining the success of their mission. The air was stale with humidity. The group entered the complex, attempting to appear inconspicuous as if they were just another group going about their day in the endless work cycle. Only silence was their companion, interrupted by the occasional sound of drops falling from the ceiling. Jaseb glanced at walls, covered with maps of precipitated salt and incipient mold. Corridor was as indifferent and hopeless as the rest of the installation. Jaseb tried to remember how long it should take before they arrived at the exhaust ports, where the group split up. One group had to prepare the detonator in the ports, while the other group had to proceed to the heat exchanger control room. Together, they should have coordinated and set the explosives for twenty minutes, which should have given them more or less enough time to evacuate before this factory disappeared from the surface of the Betazoid.
That was the plan. The group turned to the right, and Jaseb saw a raised platform with controls and a monstrously wide pipe, from which Jaseb could see only a half, near the ceiling. They were here. This was the place. This was the first one from the exhausts.
Chevalier: So, wish us luck, commander. Commander. Ensign… Good luck to you.
Savel/Dakora/Leera/Nieran: Response
Jaseb and Nieran ascended the platform, leaving the remainder of their group to continue to the control room. Jaseb's eyes fixated on the control panel, and his admiration for it was instantaneous. The panel's sleek design and intuitive interface were enough to win him over from the beginning.
Of course, the control panel was in Dominion design. Jaseb's gaze locked onto the panel, eyes scanning the unfamiliar controls before him. The control panel was a chaotic mess, unlike anything he had ever seen on a Dominion vessel. He desperately wished he had his communicator with him, as it could have been a valuable tool in deciphering the strange machinery. But alas, it was still back at base, leaving Jaseb to puzzle out the controls on his own.
Chevalier: Nieran, would you set the maintenance mode and transfer the exhaust lines? My Dominia is not so extensive, and you worked with this panel before, right?
Nieran: Response
Jaseb stepped away from the panel and moved to the maintenance entrance to exhaust. The panel next to the entrance was simple, and Jaseb understood the pictograms quite accurately. It might have helped that the only thing on it was the "unlock and open" and "close and secure" buttons, plus 2/3 of the panel formed a simple color signal if the entrance was safe to open. Jaseb smiled. Little joys of life…
Jaseb stepped back from the intricate control panel in front of him and walked towards the maintenance entrance, which led to the exhaust chimney. The panel next to the entrance was relatively simple compared to the one he had just been trying to operate. Jaseb could easily comprehend the series of pictograms displayed on it. The panel only consisted of two buttons - "unlock and open" and "close and secure" - and the remaining 2/3 of the panel was dedicated to a color signal that indicated whether the entrance was safe to open or not. As he stood there, Jaseb couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of the panel - it was one of those little joys in life that he appreciated…
TAG/TBC