Ensign Sahriv - "The parting of ways."
Aidan Bradley
(OOC: I have been extraordinarily busy over the Christmas period, I didn't expect it. So sorry for my lateness! Sad to see Kells and the Mercury go too, am applying for transfer to the Darwin as it's more my style. Pretty ship too!)
(( Walter Schirra Interior ))
KELLS: Ensign, get us as close of a fix as you can on those lifesigns.
:: Sahriv allowed the momentum of the next jolt to carry him forward to the console. He landed in the chair and proceeded to allow his hands to move deftly, instinctively over the controls. ::
SAHRIV: Aye sir, specifying search patterns.
KELLS: Can you get us there, Lieutenant?
SHRYKER: Aye Sir, I will do everything I can.
KELLS: Then do it. Glide if you have to.
SHRYKER: I shall try, I really will.
SAHRIV: Trying is irrelevant, Lieutenant. Success is what we require.
KELLS: Yes, and especially if we can land neatly.
:: The lieutenant gave an apparently facetious laugh. ::
SHRYKER: I can’t promise that smooth landing.
:: The human capacity for understatement was a limitless source of wonder for the Ensign. ::
SAHRIV: In that, we are in agreement.
::They could hear treetops scraping the shuttle's underbelly.::
KELLS: Put us down safely, Jade. I know you can do it.
SHRYKER: Thanx Sir. It might cause some damage to the landing engines. The shuttle will be damaged.
:: Once again, her powers of stating the obvious bemused Sahriv. ::
oO Of course the shuttle will be damaged. Disintegrated, most likely. With us inside. Oo
KELLS: Damn. Well, we may need to get this thing flying in a hurry again, hm? But we also need to find our officers. (beat) See what the tricorders tell you now. We should be close enough. If you can find them, you two will go and find them, while I stay and repair the shuttle.
SHRYKER: Here we go!
SAHRIV: ::Under his breath:: <...Ponfo Mirann...>
:: The Walter Schirra hurtled downwards at a steep angle, forced in part by their urgency, forced in part by the turbulence that buffeted the small craft mercilessly. The shuddering became almost unbearable and for a short, terrifying moment, Sahriv felt the impending threat of the sensory overload that had nearly cost him his graduation. It passed however, and the shuttle broke through the canopy into open sky. There was another sickening lurch as the Schirra's nose inclined downwards yet again and they struck land. Sahriv was nearly thrown out of his seat and into the ceiling by the impact. Like a skimming stone across water, they bounced and slid and scraped over the terrain. The hull screamed in protest. ::
KELLS: Hold on!
:: With an almighty shriek of metal, they finally drew to an abrupt halt. Sahriv was saved from being unseated again by his vice-like grip on the chair. Shryker did not fare so well, striking her head. ::
SHRYKER: Ow!
:: The craft and crew settled into stillness. ::
SAHRIV: A smooth landing, Lieutenant?
SHRYKER: Everyone ok? Hard time for my first day back.
KELLS: That's absolutely true. Ensign?
:: The Vulcan closed his eyes for a moment and took stock of his physical status. ::
SAHRIV: I am, surprisingly, undamaged.
:: That fact could have been considered miraculous if such occurrences were believed in by Vulcans. ::
KELLS: Well, since our landing wasn't quite as bad as I would've thought -- well done, Jade -- I'm going to modify the plan somewhat. Ensign, will you grab the medkit? I'm going to try and contact the away team, if you could see to Lieutenant Shryker's laceration.
SAHRIV: Yes sir.
:: The Vulcan moved quickly to help the Lieutenant. It was her skill that had enabled them to land relatively safely, he recognised that. Sahriv was a competent pilot, but he could not have done what she did. He tended to her wound, with difficulty, as she busied herself with the console. ::
SAHRIV: Kindly remain still, Lieutenant.
SHRYKER: Its ok, I will survive.
SAHRIV: Of that I have no doubt, ma'am.
KELLS: =/\= Kells to Ross and away team. =/\=
ROSS: =/\= This… is Ross. =/\=
:: Sahriv could not help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. The comm systems were operational. That was a positive development indeed, especially considering the damage the shuttle had sustained. Then again, the shuttle was still in one piece. The outcome could have been far worse. Sahriv decided he would have to remember to congratulate Shryker later. ::
oO Ross sounds as if though he has sustained injury. Oo
KELLS: =/\= We've just arrived on the planet's surface in the Walter Schirra. How can we assist? =/\=
RAHMAN: =/\= Captain, we need an emergency beam out now to the surface! =/\=
KELLS: Lieutenant, Ensign, how are the transporters and sensors? Can we pinpoint the away team and beam them to the shuttle?
SHRYKER: Yes Sir, I think I can. Locking on them now.
KELLS: Good. Prepare to do so.
SHRYKER: Yes Sir.
:: A thought occurred to Sahriv. He leaned forward over Shryker's shoulder, tapping a command into the amazingly functional controls.::
SAHRIV: I am triangulating the source of their signal with our coordinates. It should increase the precision and speed of the transport beam, Lieutenant.
oO It certainly sounds like an urgent situation. Oo
:: As they worked in tandem, the Ensign and Lieutenant were successful. Seconds later, in a haze of blue, familiar shapes materialised in the increasingly cramped space of the shuttle. One of them, Ross, was slumped on the ground. The others did not seem to have fared much better, though Sahriv noted with some degree of pleasure that Alora DeVeau was not dead. He could not help but wonder what had happened to them, and to the Mercury. ::
oO No doubt I will find out soon enough. Oo
KELLS: (lightly) Doctors, you should probably see to him, shouldn't you?
SAVERON: Affirmative, Captain. Doctor T’Vai, will you assist me?
KELLS: Can we get back into the air?
:: The young Vulcan ran a quick diagnostic. ::
SAHRIV: Incredibly, yes.
KELLS: Good. Let's do it.
:: There was an alert from the console. ::
SAHRIV: Captain, we are being hailed by a Federation vessel... but it is not The Mercury.
KELLS: Not the Mercury? A different ship?
SAHRIV: That much is obvious, sir.
KELLS: Let's hear what they have to say. =/\= This is Kells.
EGAN MANNO: =/\= Kells, Captain Egan Manno, Garuda. We are prepared to beam you and your people up and your shuttle directly to our bay.
:: The Captain seemed to deliberate for a while. This perplexed Sahriv. What more was there to think about? ::
KELLS: =/\= Thank you, Captain. Beam up all officer except for me and the two signals closest to me. Also, if you would leave me the shuttle, I'd appreciate it. Stand by, then, to beam up the final two signals.
EGAN MANNO: =/\= Captain, I-- (beat) Five minutes, Captain. Garuda, out.
:: Try as he might, Sahriv could not fathom the reason behind Kells' actions. He barely knew the man, despite the fact that he was his Captain. It was obvious, however, that some ulterior motive was in play. Aron clapped his hands sharply and all eyes were on him. ::
KELLS: Please listen: You're about to be beamed to a Federation rescue vessel. Dr. T'Vai, please ensure that Commander Ross's medical needs are attended to -- and the rest of the team's, as well, along with Lieutenant Shryker's. Dr. Saveron, Commander Rahman, if you'd join me please.
:: Sahriv took his place alongside the others, awaiting transport. The success of the mission was uncertain at best - had the first away team located the gate? Had the Mercury escaped the clutches of the Cardassians? He looked around him; the battered interior of the Walter Schirra; his fellow officers who stood, knelt or lay in varying states of injury and exhaustion. The mission report would make an interesting read, to say the least. His gaze once more fell upon Captain Aron Kells. Sahriv narrowed his eyes. He had a curious feeling, inexplicable though it was, that he would never see Captain Kells again. There was something in the man's eyes the young Vulcan could not identify. He did not take his eyes from Aron, even as azure light began to engulf the group. He began to raise his hand.::
SAHRIV: Live long...
((U.S.S Garuda Transporter room 6))
:: The sentence was never finished as the interior of the shuttle disappeared from his vision to be replaced by a new environment. Sahriv continued to stare at the place Captain Kells had been in his line of sight, barely registering the flurry of activity around him as the debilitated away team were ushered from the transporter pad of USS Garuda. He lingered a moment. Someone was talking to him. The Vulcan blinked slowly and turned distractedly to the source of the noise. He caught the latter half of a repeated sentence. ::
CREWMAN: ...alright? Sir, are you alright?
:: Back in the present, the blankness of Sahriv's face was replaced with his customary steely visage. ::
SAHRIV: I am...
:: His first mission as a Starfleet Officer was over, yet now even at the beginning, the future seemed more uncertain than ever. ::
SAHRIV: ... fine.
The end!
Ensign Sahriv
Science Officer
USS ... who knows?