Lt. (j.g.) Serren Tan - Fashion Crimes

[David Adams]

((Cone Structure Interior, Darime IV))

With the structure they were inside of surrounded by drones, Mallora had come up with an excellent way to distract the drones, much superior to his idea of shooting them all. Which wasn't really an idea, and more, "Whatever option was left to him that he was capable of at least attempting".

Thankfully, Mallora seemed to have some kind of control over the drones, limited though it was; still, it was better than his idea for sure. A lot better.

Tan: ::rolling his shoulders and continuing:: Honestly, I think we're better off trusting in the Ensign and her PADD-thingie here. Call it a last-resort. My appraisal is that there's just too many unknowns for me to be confident that we can shoot our way out of this.

Mallora sighed in frustration. Jona and Serren both turned to her curiously.

Vossti: Unfortunately, I think what I've found is a child's game. If the game's representation of those drones is accurate, though, it indicates that they are capable to firing some sort of energy bolts.

Tan: Well, "energy bolts" doesn't sound like something I want hitting me if possible.

Mallora tapped away at her device, and Serren silently sent her encouragement. Or at least, tried to think encouraging thoughts. Whatever would help. It was certainly going to be better than shooting their way out for sure.

Vossti: I wonder if that yellowish-orange is the aliens' color for something like 'beware'. It was used for what I believe were the enemies in the game I accidentally activated.

ch'Ranni: Good inductive reasoning, doc. 

He had to agree.

Tan: It's been my experience that creatures use whatever their blood-colour is for "danger". Not universal of course, but certainly common.

Mallora paused, eyes glancing to the holoprojection figure in the center of the room and the circling drones outside. Then she stabbed a finger at the device and activated it.

The floating translucent figure solidified into a yellow-orange hovering presence. Immediately, Serren's training kicked in as the thing began a threat-display; claw-hands clacking shut as it swooped toward them.

ch'Ranni: Take cover!

Didn't need to repeat that order. Serren dove behind one of the chair thingies as the creature lunged at him, its big pincers slicing a fist-sized chunk off the back of the chair he was hiding behind.

That was alarmingly close to his head, but a swift check showed he still had his head attached. Good thing too; the Symbiosis Committee would be pretty frustrated if another Tan came back from a mission dead or near enough.

The creature started whaling on the chair, chopping off bits of it, and Serren clumsily fired his phaser over the lip. It went wild, splashing onto the roof and leaving a black burn mark on the floor—whelp, so much for all that archeology grave robbing grant money—and he couldn't help but notice that the drones outside were the same yellow-orange.

Voice: Tama kadmat altawarii activated. Anzimat aldifaei activated.

Vossti: Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that!

ch'Ranni: ::calling out:: Try another button!

The pincer took off another ten centimetres off the top of the chair or so, and Serren fired again, missing once more. It was difficult to get an angle without exposing his hands to removal, and from what he could tell from the ship's history, Tasha MacFarlane had already done that whole bit before. The crew would probably think it stale and—

Vossti: Response

Tan: Any button!

The floating figure slammed its pincer hands down on the floor with enough force to make the whole room vibrate, close enough to him to make him lose his footing, sprawling awkwardly on the ground, his phaser sliding way, waaaay across the room. The holoprogram changed targets, moving toward the doctor now, its thick claws outstretched.

Okay. Yeah. That was no good. Serren was a security officer; gotta take this one. He crawled towards his lost phaser, determined to distract the thing.

Unless Jona got there first, of course. Which he did. Because damn, that guy was good.

ch'Ranni: ::stepping forward:: Hey! Over here, crab hands!

His heart leapt into his throat; Jona!

But the gamble worked. The creature swiveled around and darted at Jona, colour shifting from yellow-orange to pure yellow. Jona raised his phaser and fired a beam of energy at the sentry. It had no discernible effect.

Okay. Now he didn't feel quite so bad about dropping his own weapon. It was almost certainly useless. Still, he grabbed it anyway... it was right there after all.

The floating guard slammed a pincer down and Jona blocked with his forearm - the Andorian exoskeletal plates and bones saving the limb from going full Scottish Engineer. Still, the blow hurt... Jona winced in pain at the blow and let out an involuntary grunt of pain.

ch'Ranni: ::through gritted teeth:: Do it, doc! 

Tan: Whatever you've got!

Vossti/ch'Ranni: Response

If the thing could touch Jona, then maybe it could touch him as well; and he could touch it. Serren flipped up to his feet, employing that Trill agility, and while the Doctor was getting their last-ditch effort ready, he sprinted toward the creature, arms outstretched.

The pincher-grip on Jona looked terribly painful. Serren crouched low as he ran, shoulder slamming into the creature's side, bodily crash-tackling it away from Jona.

Trill and ghostly hologram fell together, pincer blue with blood. Pincers that now turned to him. Serren did the only thing he could think of and jammed the phaser into the pincer as it nipped at his hand. Clank.

But the creature still had one pincer left. And it lunged right for his shoulder, scraping across his uniform and tearing a chunk of the fabric off; amazingly (due to what he could only imagine being dumb luck) the cutting edge missed his skin, but did cut his uniform from the breast to the neckline.

His free hand grabbed the free pincer and, with all his strength, held it back from his throat. Whatever the doctor was going to do, every second now mattered.

Tan: Nnng!

Vossti/ch'Ranni: Response

--

Lieutenant (j.g.) Serren Tan

Security/Tactical

USS Gorkon

O238704AT0