CDR Naxell — Standing By (Part II)
Naxell
((Airlock, Deck 16, USS Khitomer))
C. Dewitt: =/\= If Matthews was taken this might no longer be first contact… ::pause:: The crew of the ship is a strictly matriarchal society. For diplomatic reasons, they think Lieutenant Dewitt is the Captain of the Khitomer. My guess is that they also identify Lieutenant Semara as part of the command staff. =/\=
Naxell was too busy to react to the revelation that he had been supplanted as Commanding Officer in the brief time that lapsed since he went below deck. He shifted his body, to try and get a better angle on the glint.
Naxell: =/\= Diplomacy is going to be delicate if we've started off with a lie, Number One. =/\=
Melville-Kilpatrick / Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
El’Heem: =/\= Captain. I’d like to go with the away party to help get Richard back. =/\=
He knew the guilt El’Heem must have been feeling in that moment all too well. He had carried it in the past. He carried it now. It was his order that put Matthews out there. They didn't know what the cloud could do, but it was the only way he could think of to find out.
It was a clip. It was definitely the clip at the end of the line. He could see it now, as it flew back, pulled on by the bit of tether attached to it. But it was coming and going from view, which shouldn't happen. Even if he was seeing through thin layers of cloud, it should only be getting clearer to see.
C. Dewitt: =/\= Considering the stakes, I’d suggest at least one member of the command staff to be on the away team, Captain. Either you or me. =/\=
The conversation in the Captain's ears, coupled with the burning pain in his upper arms and lower legs, made it hard to immediately understand what he was seeing. Obviously the away team wouldn't include the Captain, for the same reason as he wasn't the one on the wiggly end of the rope. Why would Dewitt even leave it open?
C. Dewitt: =/\= We’re allowed a team of five. We also gotta include security, discreetly if necessary. All of that considering that they will only talk to female crew members. =/\=
Semara: =/\= What about Doctor Ohnari? Matthews might need medical attention, and they'll actually talk to her. =/\=
El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick / Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
It was the cloud! The cloud was reacting to the tether in the same way it reacted to the Lattice ships, to Khitomer, and to Ensign Matthews! That's why the glinting clip was fading in and out of view—the thrice-damned “nebula” was following it and trying to grab onto it.
Naxell: =/\= Won't talk to males, or won't tolerate males? =/\=
C. Dewitt: =/\= We’re not sure if they are hostile… My first impression is that they strongly disagree with the male gender, but apart from that… =/\=
Semara: =/\= Cap'n - As someone who comes from an ancestral matriarchy, this goes way beyond that. Males ain't worth much of anything to them. Commander Dewitt speakin' up was at best an insult to them. We only defused the situation by insinuatin' Commander Dewitt belonged to the Lieutenant. And they weren't shy 'bout recommendin' correction of "her male." I strongly discourage sendin' male-idenitfyin' officers unless there ain't another option. If we're seen deferin' to you or Commander Dewitt, there's no tellin' what might happen. =/\=
Naxell quickly moved to the other side of the airlock, where the controls were, ducking low under the incoming line as he did so. He would only have one shot. He raised a fist.
Naxell: =/\= Let's keep it as simple as we can. Admiral Nicholotti can represent Starfleet Command honestly, while Counselor Dewitt can maintain the fiction of Khitomer’s command. That's two. Recommendations on the other three? =/\=
El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick / A. Dewitt / Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
Semara: =/\= I agree with Commander Stros' assessment. We're at their mercy both on our ship and their ship. If they evolved as predators like stories say - like as not, no number a' security officers will keep us safe over there. :: Beat :: But they seem willin' to talk, for now, so maybe we can get their cooperation or even help. They seemed more interested in us than anythin' else - even more than our knowledge of the Lattice Alliance. :: Beat, eyebrows pinching in recall :: They said they want to learn more about our species, and they want medical exams for cross-contamination. =/\=
Naxell: =/\= The name of the game will be keeping their interest, without falling prey to whatever that interest truly is. Whoever we send over needs to be… wiley. =/\=
The end of the tether—without any shred of Ensign dragging behind—was seconds away. And now, standing off to the side, he could see a long, thick pink stretch of cloud following it, shimmering from the ship's exterior lights. Someday he would grapple with the realization that they could have fished for a sample without live bait, but not today. Today he would pry off a piece of the cloud, the same way it had pried off a piece of his crew.
Semara: =/\= Whatever you decide, cap'n, we're down to about ten minutes already. =/\=
El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick / A. Dewitt / C. Dewitt / Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
Naxell: ::hurriedly:: =/\= Nicholotti, Mrs. Dewitt, Ohnari, Semara, and… and the marine second-in-command! Torado! That's five women! =/\=
He slammed his fist against the airlock control panel just as the clip at the end of the tether cracked against the inner airlock door. It hurt, but in that moment the pain was deeply satisfying. A fizzle of blue light flickered at the edges of the opening to vacuum, and that was all Naxell saw before his faceplate became coated with a blast of pink.
Semara / El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick / A. Dewitt / C. Dewitt / Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
Naxell wiped a glove across his face, and the pink gave way to clear lines, gaps where his fingers had traveled. His eyes swept toward the outer door, where it looked like the cloud was receding from the forcefield-reinforced hatchway. But that was hard to tell for sure. It still looked mostly like a solid pink wall out there. The hatch closed, and the sound of the ship around him grew clearer as atmosphere began to flow in. He brushed off more of the “cloud” from his helmet and suit, and watched it trickle towards the deck at his feet, a fine powder of some kind.
Naxell: =/\= I need assistance in the airlock on Deck 16. And a dust pan. =/\=
Semara / El’Heem / Melville-Kilpatrick / A. Dewitt / C. Dewitt / Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
((OOC: Not pushing it further than this, because of the number of tagged parties))
TBC
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Commander Nax-Ellarneii-Tellargo
Commanding Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
A240001NH3