Captain Luriaa - "Begrudging Request"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Bridge, UDP Svisivak - Tlugani Nebula ))
Starfleet had swooped in and saved the day, quite literally. Luriaa felt a mix of relief and annoyance. While Starfleet wasn’t overly antagonistic toward them, they also weren’t allies. Yet, they had their own philosophy and moral code, and whether or not they agreed on all points, Luriaa would take full advantage of their rather convenient arrival.
Yet, she also wasn’t going to simply leave it at that. She assumed that, knowing the pattern of the way Starfleet operated, they would help them return to one of their own ships - but she had more things to worry about than just her crew, about whom she was greatly concerned. With Starfleet there, she knew they felt it their duty to tend and heal anyone who needed it, so her worry switched from crew to something else. She needed to speak to the person in charge.
Luriaa: I wish to speak to Lieutenant Colonel Greaves.
Woolheater: Yes captain, right away. I’d like to get a copy of your nav and sensor logs, cargo manifest as well, with your permission of course? Then we’ll see if we can patch your ship up or put you in tow back to DS14.
Ragh: After I get your crew stabilized I would like to have a once-over of yourself to make sure you're okay.
She had no idea why the human wanted to know about their nav and sensor longs, or what business it was to know their cargo manifest. Ragh’s attendance to her crew and his concern over herself was noted begrudgingly. Yet, she needed them to help her, as much as she hated to admit it, but she was also concerned about another matter.
Luriaa: It is important to the survival not only of what’s left of my crew, but of yours. I’m well aware this freighter is in no condition to move on its own and I doubt the vessel you’re in can easily tow her.
The man turned his tricorder, which he had been using, around to show her the results on it. Her eyes flicked to it, but they did not linger. Luriaa didn’t need to see that, they needed to get moving.
Woolheater: Captain, we might surprise you with what we can do. Let’s get you looked at and I know you’re wanting to talk to our CO. ::Sam motioned for Staff Sergeant Navarro::
She was correct, he was the man in charge. Since his vessel was small, Luriaa recognised that it was not the main ship. Who was captain of the Octavia E. Butler now? Was it him and he had chosen to come to such a mission? She doubted that, but obviously, he was in charge of that specific operation.
SSgt Navarro: ::sharp nod:: Aye Sir! Captain, if you’ll follow me?
Ragh: I will check on you aboard the Talents, Captain.
Luriaa nodded, and despite the pain even that motion brought, she kept her face schooled so she did not reveal it visibly. She didn’t even look back at the others as she followed Navarro off of the bridge, into the freighter itself, then to the hatch that connected their ship to the Starfleet vessel. She said nothing, offered no explanation to the person who guided her to the flight deck of the small, Starfleet ship. When the doors opened, she saw a familiar face along with an unfamiliar one - a Caitian.
Greaves hadn’t changed at all. For someone who was used to battle, she had expected him to age, but he wore his experiences nobly and gracefully. Immediately, her guide stepped away, his orders fulfilled and duty done, the doors hissing closed behind him. Although she mentally noted the other officer in the room, her focus remained solely on the human.
Luriaa: Greaves.
JoNz: Response
Greaves: Captain, you’re the last person I expected to run into out here. You’re lucky we found you.
They were indeed, and they were lucky they hadn’t been found by someone else. There were three concerns foremost in her mind. Since her crew was, for now, safe with Starfleet (though she was not foolish enough to think that was a permanent status), she shifted to the other concerns as more pressing.
Luriaa: I appreciate your assistance. I formally request that Starfleet aid us in getting medical supplies to their intended destination.
Greaves/JoNz: Response
Of course he would want to know, but in their predicament, Luriaa understood she was going to have to be a bit more forthcoming if she wanted their help. Normally, she would refuse, but once again, the knowledge that she really had no choice motivated her actions.
Luriaa: We were taking a greatly needed serum to a planet called Guranis which is now part of the United Dominion of Planets where a plague has swept through the population. The nebula is about half way there, and we had just come into this sector of space when we were attacked.
Greaves/JoNz: Response
Luriaa: Whoever attacked us did so while cloaked. I never saw them, nor did any of my crew for when they boarded, they were within suits that hid their forms. They went for medical supplies but didn’t actually take anything, just tried to destroy as much as they could. We ran and hid here. Somewhere during our flight, whomever was on board must have been transported back to their ship, for all they left behind were our injured and our dead.
It was as if they hadn’t cared what was actually in the cargo, they just wanted to cause as much destruction as possible. They left no name, had offered no response to any of their calls, and simply chased them into the nebula. At least whoever they were hadn’t managed to find them, but she wasn’t certain they weren’t somewhere outside of it, waiting to attack again.
Greaves/JoNz: Response
Luriaa: Fortunately, they missed a crate of the serum, so we have some intact. It needs to be delivered to the planet to begin treatment, and so more can be made.
She paused, her eyes flicking toward the space outside. Currently, their view was coloured by the hues of the nebula that surrounded them. Visually, it was difficult to see far, and even with sensors, they had not been easy to find. How had Starfleet found them? She wanted to know, but it was a question she would ask later.
She also knew that if they compared the markings to their database, they would find no matches. Luriaa didn’t even recognise them - they weren’t from the quadrants that Starfleet was from, nor did they match anyone in the Gamma Quadrant. When attacked, the antagonising ship had remained completely cloaked, so they had no visual to compare to. There was nothing that could tell them who those people were, and even Starfleet wouldn’t be able to determine that. For once, she wished that was not the case.
Luriaa: We need to get it to them quickly.
And then she spoke words she never really wanted to speak, but it was currently the only way. Unless another UDP vessel somehow managed to come into the system, Starfleet was the fastest method of getting the serum to that planet - and, she had to admit, it was something they claimed was the sort of thing they did. She would use that to her advantage.
Greaves/JoNz: Response
-- Luriaa Captain UDP Rij’dal’vak M239008AD0