Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "War And Turmoil" (Bridge: FAO Galven)
Amanda Nordstrom
((Main bridge – USS Amaryllis))
DeVeau: =/\=Hey Bridge, how we doin’ with those evacuees.=/\=
Taybrim: =/\= All evacuees from the Andromeda are onboard, and the MTF Is already away.=/\=
DeVeau: =/\=That’s exactly what I want to hear. Get as far away as you can. Also...incoming!=/\=
Before Nalni could react, Alora tapped the controls, and suddenly light surrounded the Barzan female to get her back on the Narendra.
DeVeau: Sorry Nalni, can’t put you at risk.
She wasn’t sure if the woman heard before she left, but it didn’t matter. Oh boy. Now she had to pilot. Great.
DeVeau: =/\=German, get a lock on me and get ready. When I say now, beam me out. You got it!=/\=
Galven: =/\= Yes, I heard you. A deaf man could’ve heard you. =/\=
Okay, so she was a little worked up. Alora was in a life or death situation, she could be cut some slack for that. If German didn’t do his part, she’d be toast. Or bits. Or toasty bits. That wasn’t exactly how she wanted to go out.
Alora’s fingers tapped furiously at the controls. The shuttle jerked to a halt and she almost flew completely over the console. Oh yeah. Her flying skills at work. Fortunately, she managed to catch herself before she collided with the window. Flopping back in her seat, she gritted her teeth, attempting to wrench the shuttle into doing what she wanted. Spun around and then aimed directly for the Nimitz at maximum speed. Shields up. Shields up. Ah, shields! SHIELDS!
They went up just in time as the Nimitz fired and the entire shuttle shook, rattling her with it. Shields were down twenty percent, but that didn’t matter. They needed to hold on just long enough to…
Closer. Another fire. Down to sixty five percent. Closer. Now the other two smaller ships were firing. Forty percent. Come on...almost there.
Alora fired back. And fired back. And fired back. Over and over and over again, eating away at the Nimitz shields. That flicker occurred again, the one that they had seen before. Glitching? Somehow.
Another shot. Down to thirty percent.
Closer.
Almost there.
The Nimitz and the ships that flanked it loomed before her. Its form could no longer be determined, all she could see was the bow, the word “Nimitz” suddenly turning to “Nim” before she screeched -
DeVeau: =/\=NOW GERMAN!=/\=
As the shuttle plowed into the Nimitz, the antimatter pod exploded with it. Alora was, unfortunately, not entangled with that. Instead, she had been surrounded with light and suddenly found herself on the roundabout with German. Fireworks exploded in front of them, but she didn’t stop to admire the scene. Instead, she crossed the short distance between her and the former officer and literally smacked him upside the head.
Galven: It’s good to see you too, Alora.
Taybrim: =/\= You’re both lucky to be alive. Standby for immediate transport.=/\=
DeVeau: You know you deserved that.
Galven: And if I wasn’t here, you’d be in that. ::points outside:: Wait, where’s Nalni?
DeVeau: I don’t care, you still deserved that. In fact, you deserve /more/ than that.
Alora’s body trembled, her anger unable to be leashed out effectively any other way. So she shook, hands clenched into fists, jaw tight as she glared at the man in front of her. There were so many things he’d done that had just grated at her in the last hour that she positively just wanted to throttle him. However, unlike him, she was going to actually restrain herself. Hopefully.
Maybe.
Possibly.
The Nimitz hadn’t been completely obliterated, but it wasn’t going anywhere, nor was it possible for even the Borg to reconstitute that ship. According to the sensor data, there were still drones on what was left of the ship, which was collapsing and if they didn’t beam them aboard, they’d be gone. Potential friends, family, and officers.
Lost.
Galven: Going to have to get them. I’m picking up at least a couple dozen. All assimilated.
DeVeau: The Narendra’s got a system to take care of that. Let’s see if they can get back in here and...
Galven: I’m going in. ::waves at Alora:: =/\= Bridge, One more to transport! =/\=
German then pulled an Alora and beamed her back to the Narendra. For a moment, she stood there, blinking at a completely different console, a completely different set of people, and German nowhere in sight.
Zel: We don’t have the time to take the shot, let alone get him out. ::and that was coming from a suicide runner who was used to cutting corners all the time.::
Maxwell/McLaren/DeVeau: ?
The captain swore very quietly under his breath, but Alora? Alora let out her own series of exclamations! Eyes flashed, the normally brilliant green alight with electricity. Within her, a ball of fire welled up, pressing into the pit of her stomach and rising to take residence in her chest. Her hands unwound, then clenched over and over again and the tightening of her throat and sting in her eyes threatened to erupt. Rather than give in to that particularly notion, her mouth opened and, like her captain, she let out some muted yet vehement choice words for the former Starfleet officer.
DeVeau: Kuso! Kuso! Kuso! Anta baka! Nanda yo omae-wa? Bakabakaashii! (Shit! (three times) You idiot! Who the hell do you think you are? Stupid idiot!)
Her hands finally remained into fists as she attempted to get a hold of her anger. Why did this bother her so much? Why was she struggling to keep her cool? Alora couldn’t take the time to fathom the extremity of the effect German’s actions were having on her. It wasn't the place either. That sort of introspection would have to be shelved until the situation was resolved. Despite the fact that she wanted to reach out and wrench German out of the seat of the roundabout just so she could encircle his neck with her hands and get a good stranglehold, that was going to have to wait.
And the fact that he remained on that roundabout might mean she wouldn’t get the chance. The captain ordered the pilot to move. They were going to leave German behind. Suddenly, Alora’s anger fizzled. The ball of fire died out and her eyes widened. There was no other choice - more lives were at stake than his.
Zel: engaged!
Maxwell/McLaren: ?
The Narendra sped away as the antimatter containment finally failed and there was a brilliant white explosion that covered the viewscreen and blinded the sensors. They never even saw the Amplitude hop to warp. All the Narendra saw was a shockwave rushing out after them, a wild ride… and finally, stillness and quiet in the dark of space.
Alora bent over, arms pressed tightly against her chest. Her eyes closed against the display that had allowed the entire event to play out. She didn’t want to see that. She didn’t want to have that visual. It was too painful, too heartbreaking. The well of fear, anger, and sorrow roiled in her chest, spreading out and painfully threatening to break free. Alora managed to keep the damn closed, but her stomach protested, threatening to rebel.
Taybrim: Damn him! ::He let slip his diplomatic demeanor and hissed towards the viewscreen.::
One breath. Two. Three. In, then out. Alora managed to struggle to the surface, to break free and finally gasp back to reality. Resolutely, she opened her eyes, the shimmering cloud before her only hammering in what had occurred, but she refused to give in. Stalwart, she stared at the cloud that floated through the vacuum of space.
Maxwell/McLaren?
The words cut through the fog of everything that pounded in her brain, and both she and the captain were in sync in their physical response, eyes snapping over to McLaren.
Taybrim: What do you mean communication?
Maxwell/McLaren?
Galven: =/\= Narendra… Bridge, Sickbay… I’ve got ::grunts and wheezes:: survivors. All drones. =/\=
Alora’s eyes closed as the familiar voice cut through the commlink. He was alive. He was alive. He was alive.
He was dead. Oh he was _so_ dead. When Alora got her hands on him…
Eventually, German’s luck was going to run out, and it was likely going to run out with her.
Taybrim: =/\= And your status? =/\= ::Concern bled through his voice despite his anger.::
Galven: =/\= I’ll be… ::clears throat:: in the process of being assimilated myself. Power systems are down. ::pauses:: Need transported to medical as well. =/\=
Taybrim: =/\= We’ll do what we can when it is safe to approach. =/\=
Taybrim: You idealistic fool. ::He muttered hotly.:: Contact Taelon m- can we possibly accommodate those Borg on the Amplitude in cryostasis, including Galven before they form a new collective?
Maxwell/McLaren: ?
Alora finally turned to a console. She needed a job, something to do, something to keep her on track and keep her busy. Without that, she would surely break. Looking over the data and reports, checking in with sensor readings, she took note of the information the computer gathered, no matter how trivial. It kept her mind busy. The antimatter pod had demolished the Andromeda, the Nimitz, and the Amaryllis. The lives that had been held within? For the most part, they had been saved. Alora hoped they could /all/ be saved, but with the way the nanites and assimilation worked...no, she had to hope for the best. Always hope for the best.
Maxwell/McLaren/Taybrim: ?
DeVeau: Yes Captain.
Alora’s voice cracked as she uttered her first words in several minutes since the bombing of the rollercoaster of emotions had her swaying back and forth. The science officer cleared her throat, attempting to calm the timbre of her words, even as the rage and fear and relief stirred and warred within her.
Maxwell/McLaren/Taybrim: ?
-- Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau Science Officer Starbase 118 Ops M239008AD0