Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "Risky Ideas" (Bryne/Max/Taelon)
Amanda Nordstrom
OOC: I have started later in the scene and dropped some previously unanswered tags to prevent it from being too long and to keep the scene moving forward.
((Pirate Ship Drowning Band - In a living sample cage))
There had been the vibration of feet, ones that were likely headed directly toward them. The small group was right in the hallway and if someone turned a corner, they would be caught, and probably put right back in a cage. They couldn’t let that happen. They had to get to the bridge and they had to do something about that ship. That meant hiding and getting quickly out of sight. It was Max who had spotted an option, a slightly ajar hatch, and Alora had urged her fellow officers into it. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t all fit. Alora had waited til last, and found herself only half in - and half out. Quickly, she had ducked around the lip of an arch that lined the hallway, cradling herself in the embrace of a corner and desperately hoping no one would look behind them as they passed. She was granted a reprieve and hurried around that lip to remain out of sight of the pedestrians. After the footsteps had faded and it had remained quiet for a few moments, she rejoined her crew members, breathing a bit of a sigh of relief. This, however, wasn’t going to be the only time they would run into others. They needed to get going.
DeVeau: They’re gone.
From the way Taelon scrambled from the hatch, Alora could tell he was more than happy to comply. Once everyone was out and stretched, Alora glanced around.
Maxwell/Bryne: ?
But they weren’t out of the woods yet. That was only the beginning. Surely those wouldn’t be the first pirates they’d have to get past on their way to the bridge. No one said this was going to be easy.
DeVeau: We do need to move quickly, but we can’t be careless either. Stick to the walls. All ships have archways and the like. Duck behind those and we’ll need to check the coast is clear before continuing.
Taelon: Right.
Bryne/Maxwell: Response
Those arches were actually useful. If something needed to be contained, such as a poisonous gas, radiation, or, ha, an escaped prisoner, they could be erected in specific places, cutting off hallways and escape routes. In their case, it would provide them some cover, and Alora was going to take every advantage she could.
As they moved along, Alora paused, then glanced around the edging of one of those arches. No one was coming, so she motioned for the others to follow and moved down the hall to the next one. That was actually located at an intersection, where more halls came together. Taking a deep breath, Alora cast a glance over at Taelon.
DeVeau: Got any ideas on direction?
She really really really hoped she was right about that memory of his.
Taelon: It’s, um, the third door down from here. ::He pointed off down the hallway.:: The one with the red light at the doorway.
Bryne/Maxwell: Response
DeVeau: All right then.
Without another word, Alora took the lead that time and hurried across the intersection and in the direction Taelon indicated. They came to a set of doors and, glancing around, Alora motioned for the officers to stay where they were, then approached. Those doors opened, and the woman immediately danced back to the safety of that little lip made from the archway. Swallowing, Alora looked over at her companions.
DeVeau: We have a bit of a problem.
Taelon: Is it more of them?
Bryne/Maxwell: Response
DeVeau: If we have to go this way to get to the bridge, then we have to go right through their mess hall.
Which wasn’t full from what she could tell after that brief peek inside, but there were still more than just a couple. HOwever many didn’t really matter - they had to somehow get past the pirates without being seen and get beyond the doorway.
Taelon: T-they seem unorganized. If there’s - if there’s a cooking area, there’s more things to hide behind
DeVeau: I didn’t get a long enough look to know.
Some ships did have cooks. Some people preferred replicators. It was all dependent upon a person’s taste. While most people she knew couldn’t tell the difference between replicated food and freshly made food, Alora swore she could. Maybe it was all in her mind. Maybe it was just a psychological thing and if she was given a blind taste test she’d fail. Regardless, that was her preference - fresh food. But replicated was almost as good and certainly not worth avoiding especially when convenient. Regardless, how smaller ships operated depended upon what sort of power capacity they had, their level of technology, and a variety of other factors.
Taelon: How many of them did you see?
DeVeau: Again, I didn’t get a long enough look to know.
Bryne/Maxwell/Taelon: Response
Suddenly, there were more vibrations and the sound of voices. Quickly, Alora hurried her group into a corne on the other side of a lip, then peered over carefully. Gigantic pirates approached the mess hall and the doors opened, then closed. Peering at the door way, Alora pondered over their situation and realised something. It was risky….but not any more than simply trying to stick close to the walls and sneak through the mess hall while hoping no one noticed.
DeVeau: Guys...I have an idea.
Bryne/Maxwell/Taelon: Response
DeVeau: We’re so small, we could all fit on one of their shoes. We could hitch a ride, and the cuffs of their pants would hide us from view. As long as we aren’t climbing up their legs, they shouldn’t notice they’ve got hitchhikers.
Bryne/Maxwell/Taelon: Response
Alora licked her lips as she pondered over it. Yes, it was a little tricky, and it was definitely risky, but she also knew that this was the only way they knew to go. They had to do something. They had to get back to Starbase 118. They had to stop those pirates.
DeVeau: I’m going to approach the door and have it open, then hide off to the side and wait for someone to come to it and figure out why it’s opening randomly. If that means I have to try multiple times, I will. Everyone stay against the door until someone comes. Then we’ll come up behind them, jump on and ride. Taelon, you and I will take the right foot, Max, you and Bryne take the left.
Bryne/Maxwell/Taelon: Response
DeVeau: Here we go.
With that, Alora moved forward, quite nimbly despite the fact she was still clad in an evening gown. Perhaps there was something advantageous about having a skirt loose enough to move around in. At least her shoes weren’t slowing her down. She approached the door which opened, then hurried off to press against the edge. They closed a moment later, and Alora waited, but nobody came. So, she did it again. Open, hide. Wait. Shut.
Another moment passed and no one had taken the bait. After a little bit longer of a count, Alora did it a third time, darting out just long enough to trigger the doors. The third time was the charm. A moment later, they parted as one of the pirates stepped out, a frown upon her face. That frown went unnoticed by Alora, for she was far too busy rushing the woman behind, skipping past the heel and then jumping onto the shoe.
Pirate: What the?
Alora cringed, thinking they might have been discovered. Had it been too risky? Had she been seen? But no, the pirate was still looking around, as if she was trying to figure out who had triggered the door and why they had suddenly disappeared.
Bryne/Maxwell/Taelon: Response
-- Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau First Officer Starbase 118 Ops al...@blar.net M239008AD0