[REPOST] Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Is It Over?
Lael Rosek
OOC: This post may contain descriptions that could trigger unsettling feelings. Read with care. OOC2: I was made aware I missed a couple of Snow's tags. Sorry, Liz! All fixed I hope.
((Ladonnik Nature Preserve, Eladar IV))
Snow: :: nods :: I'm with you.
Levinson: As am I.
She nodded. At least she had her hand to hand. She’d probably stand a decent chance. Her gaze flickered to Snow. Lephi would likely never forgive her if something happened to the woman. Snow was a decent fighter but was likely no match for energy weapons. It was going to take a hell of a miracle for them to get out of this alive.
She sighed, closing her eyes and picturing her fiance and their daughter aboard the Chin’toka, unaware of what she was about to do. The moisture that she’d been fighting back finally spilled over at the thought of being separated from them, even if it was not forever. Not for the first time today, she clutched at the cross around her neck, covered by her uniform, and prayed for protection. God was calling and she was going to answer.
Pressing her commbadge to open the line on the off chance that it gave the Chin’toka something to lock onto, she pocketed it and looked in the direction they’d come from.
Snow: On your lead, Commander.
Levinson: Indeed. I am right behind you.
Rosek: ::exhales shakily and looks at each one of them in turn:: Ladies, in case this goes south, I--it has been the greatest pleasure serving with you.
Levinson: ::Inclining her head:: Likewise.
Snow: :: smiles :: Ditto.
Without another word, she took off at a run back down the tunnel and into the fray. When they entered the chamber, she grabbed the first Caraadian she saw and disabled him in a matter of seconds. For long moments, others stared in surprise before rushing toward her.
Rosek: oO Once more into the fray, dear friends. Oo
She disarmed her opponents one by one, scarcely noticing the blows she took as she rendered them unconscious. If she survived this, she was going to be very sore.
Levinson: ::Looking for the rest of the team with her gaze:: Commander, Doctor, how are you holding up?
The momentary distraction caused her to miss a block, her opponent’s fist connecting with her jaw. It threw her focus for a moment or two, but she was able to block the next swing, taking the man down by using his own body weight against him. Tugging on his arm, she knocked him off balance before delivering a well-placed fist to his abdomen and then to his jaw. When she released him, the man dropped to the ground like a rag doll, unconscious.
Snow: A little busy at the moment, Lieutenant! But I’m as good as can be expected given the state of things. Yourself? :: her voice was bit shaky ::
Levinson: I am rather well, considering the circumstances.
If the situation weren’t so serious, she would have laughed. Levinson picked a hell of a time for small talk. But then, it was possibly a cover...something to focus on that would keep the anxiety at bay. She’d been guilty of it enough times in her past. However, she’d usually taken it a step further with some flirtatious comment or teasing banter.
Shaking the thoughts from her mind she refocused on the situation in front of her.
Another Caraadian came at her, this time with an energy weapon in hand. She had to disarm him before she could render him unconscious.
Snow: Does anyone have a vantage point where they could possibly take out that Caraadian, safely?
Rosek: ::grunts:: A bit busy. Just try to stay out of the line of fire until I can get there.
Any: Responses
Frankly, she was lucky she hadn’t been shot. Even with her martial arts prowess, she shouldn’t be any match for an energy weapon. She could only credit God for watching over her. Hearing Katnar’s cry, she turned in time to see then rush off in the direction of the other chamber where they’d been earlier. Frowning, she rushed after them, fighting her way through a pair of Caraadians who seemed intent on taking her down.
She took another fist, this time to the head. Her ears rang for a long moment after the strike and she felt disoriented, the world spinning around her for a moment. Somehow, she managed to regain her scattered senses before the third strike and she sent him tumbling to the ground with perhaps a bit more zeal than was truly necessary.
At last, she reached the chamber where she’d seen the two bat-like beings go. Her eyes widened when she saw the state Katnar was in. A knife stuck out from her back and the woman was surrounded by blood.
Qalipu’fari: ::Resigned:: Please. I know I’ve no right to ask it, but she needs your help!
Without hesitation, she turned to Snow.
Rosek: Can we shift her to lay on her side without causing any more damage?
Not a doctor by any means, she didn’t want to do more harm than good. She was relying on Snow’s judgment and expertise on this one.
Snow: Response
Levinson/Any: response
As the moments ticked by, Snow did what she did best with Lael assisting as she was needed. The mental and physical exhaustion was beginning to creep in now as her adrenaline gradually wore off, but they weren’t done yet by any means. She had to keep on alert in case things escalated.
The sound of Katnar speaking drew her from her thoughts.
Katnar’fari: Fari…::She gasped:: What happened?
Qalipu’fari: I could ask you the same thing. Those Car-aad-eens have been dispatched for now. I have a feeling more will come now though.
A wry, unamused grin crossed her lips. She certainly hoped not. Her strength was nearly gone. It was taking an extreme effort just to keep awake. She wondered if that last blow hadn’t caused more damage than she’d thought. Chythar wouldn’t be happy when she returned to the ship. That much she knew. In fact, she was expecting quite a lecture on recklessness and stupid decisions. It seemed to be a running theme through both their friendship and their non-platonic relationship.
Katnar’fari: Response
Snow/Levinson/Any: response
Qalipu’fari: I know you have a non-interference rule, but you never did answer our question. What if somebody from the world ::emphasizes word:: asks for your assistance.
It wasn’t the first time since their arrival that Qalipu had asked. Before, she’d been prohibited from acting by the fact that the beings were essentially asking her to interfere in a civil war and to choose a side when she didn’t have much detail to go on. It would have been like her asking them to select a side in the Dominion War.
This, however, was different. Someone was dying. Her gaze flickered to Snow. She knew enough about the Hippocratic Oath doctors took, in large part from being engaged to a doctor, that Snow wouldn’t let Katnar die if she could help it.
Rosek: ::to Snow:: Do what you can.
Snow/Levinson/Katnar’fari/Any: response
Qalipu’fari: I fear for Fari now. Our lives will never be the same, and now we have more hostiles to worry about.
Her gaze flickered to Qalipu and she studied him for a long moment. He was right. The Caraadians’ arrival had irrevocably changed the perspective of both races on this world. That was one of the reasons the Prime Directive existed. To prevent drastic upheavals in thinking and feeling like this event was bound to cause.
These people had barely dipped their toes in the waters of light-speed travel and it had brought nothing but death and chaos. She wouldn’t blame them one bit if they pulled back from their exploration of the territory beyond their world for a time. These hurts would take time to heal.
Snow/Levinson/Katnar’fari/Any: response
Rosek: ::solemnly:: I’m sorry that your first venture into the universe beyond has ended this way. This is supposed to be an exciting time of discovery and wonder. Instead-- ::motions around the room::
Qalipu’fari: Again, on behalf of my people. Wela'lin, na ta'n teliula'lin. (Thank you, I do well by you)
She turned to Qalipu, wanting to lay a hand on his opposite shoulder in a gesture combining the human attempt at comfort and the Al-Leyan gesture of solidarity, but she wasn’t sure how he would receive it given the horror he had just witnessed, so she settled for dropping her gaze from Qalipu’s in a gesture of submission and trust. She paused a moment, hoping that she didn’t butcher this too badly.
Rosek: ::in the Mekra’fari language:: You honor us.
She repeated the phrase in Federation Standard also, using her commbadge to translate it better. Though her commbadge translated much of the beings’ language into Federation Standard, there were some words that slipped through either because the translator couldn’t make complete sense of them or they had no Standard equivalent.
It was enough for her to catch a basic syntax and find close enough equivalent based on what she knew of linguistics. It had been more of a hobby in her earlier years, but it had helped her pick up languages like Vulcan in the years since.
Snow/Levinson/Katnar’fari/Any: response
Before Lael could open her mouth to respond, she heard rapid footsteps and tensed in preparation for a fight, believing that more Caraadians had arrived.
Serala: Hold it right there! Pull that trigger and I lay you out flat.
She’d never been so happy to hear the familiar bark of Serala’s voice ringing ever so slightly in her ears. Turning, she found three other officers, including Amuro, with Serala as well as an individual whom she presumed to be a Feladoni.
Kiax / McKnight / Azorious / Zadok: Response
Levinson / Snow: Response
Her gaze flickered to the Caraadian who had a dead beat on Snow and her lips thinned, eyes scanning desperately for a weapon. But she had none nearby. Though her legs and body ached, she subtly shifted her position in case she had to shove Snow out of the way. Even if Serala managed to hit the man, there was no guarantee that the man wouldn’t get a shot in that could hit the young doctor.
She saw the man pressing on the trigger and acted quickly, covering Snow like a shield. As she did, the familiar “pew” of the weapon firing echoed in the small space, followed not long after by the sound of a Starfleet issue weapon. Her eyes slammed shut as she waited for the inevitable. But it never came. Opening her eyes, she looked to where the man had been to find him slumped over. With the danger past, she rose somewhat unsteadily to her feet and made her way over to examine the body.
Rosek: Dead. ::lips thin:: But he deserved it.
Kiax / McKnight / Azorious / Zadok: Response
She turned to Serala, certain her exhaustion was beginning to show. Of course, she would hold out long enough to wrap things down here and attend whatever debriefing Serala had in mind. The acting captain likely had any number of questions and possibly a dress-down for interfering in the natural development of another world. But, given the same variables, Lael would do what she did again without question.
Levinson / Snow: Response
McKnight: Response
Rosek: ::shrugs:: I’ve dealt with worse. ::turns to Snow:: How’s Katnar doing?
Snow: Response
She nodded, hoping the old Chief would survive. Katnar had been a beacon for change and a ray of light to her people. Her death would be an honorable one, but something told Lael that this woman had a great deal more to contribute to improving life for her people.
Lael’s gaze flickered to Serala’s. She wanted to ask that Katnar be brought aboard for more extensive treatment but didn’t want to put that on the commander in front of the others. Serala had heard Snow’s report and was more than capable of making that call for herself.
Serala: Response
Kiax / McKnight / Azorious / Zadok: Response
Snow / Levinson: Response
Katnar’fari / Qalipu’fari: Responses