Lt. Ryden Sylvax - What does success look like?

[Ryden Kel]

OOC: I have stitched together the most previous sims to include
Ivalyan's in the context of the storyline.

Sylvax: They're moving research.

Willow: Research on the Grevad.

The words landed heavily.

Ryden watched Leda's expression change as the implications settled in.
He didn't need his Betazoid senses to recognize the anger there. Her
nostrils flared, her jaw tightening as she stared toward the Orion
camp below. But beneath the anger, he caught something else. Guilt?
The emotion brushed faintly against the edges of his awareness before
he deliberately pulled back from it. He had spent the entire mission
concealing that part of himself. Now was not the time to forget.

Leda: ::a strangled growl:: They were never trying to stop these
monsters, were they…

Willow: Yes, it appears so.

Ryden's attention shifted back to the camp as the two Orions continued
loading crates, apparently unconcerned with operational security.

Orion 1: Careful with that one. Onzion said if those cultures get
contaminated he'll have our heads.

Orion 2: Better ours than Nysari's.

The pair laughed.

A quiet hiss escaped Leda beside him.

Sylvax: Leda...

His voice remained barely above a whisper.

Sylvax: Did the Grevad exist before the Orions arrived?

The question felt important. Not because Ryden expected a definitive
answer, but because timelines mattered.

Leda: I… I didn’t think they could possibly… All our orbital scans of
the planet were within safety limits, but… We sent expeditionary
parties down to the surface and they reported creatures living in the
caves, but we hadn’t pressed forward yet to see what they were. When
the Orions turned up, they said those creatures were the Grevad. It
made sense with the reports I had so far and they had physical
evidence and I…

Willow: It is possible that the Orions could have exacerbated the
initial ferocity of the Grevad population.

Ryden slowly nodded. That possibility had crossed his mind as well.
Natural creatures could become something very different with enough
experimentation.

Movement beside him caught his attention. Leda had reached into her
canvas bag. The flashbang appeared in her hand before Ryden fully
registered what she was doing. For a moment he thought she intended to
storm the camp. The emotion radiating from her certainly seemed
capable of it. Then the fight left her. The sight somehow felt worse.

Ryden watched her sink to her knees instead, and Ivalyan quickly
stepped to her side. Clearly her role as counselor had kicked in.

Ivlyan: St-st-...p-p-...

Leda: Response

Ivalyan: I won't tell you it's ok-k-kay. You d-d-deserve better. But
one d-day, it will be. And we will help make it so. I p-p-promise.

Leda: Response

Ivalyan looked back to the group.

Ivalyan: On your command.

Ryden nodded and looked to Leda.

Leda: What can we do? Distract them long enough to get closer? Maybe
I… I could speak to them. They may not know me personally, but they
know of me. They know they’re breaking our deal by leaving. It would
make sense for me to have questions.

Willow: Perhaps not until after we consider it through more thoroughly.

Ryden considered the camp below.

The shuttles. The crates. The research. The opportunity disappearing
with every passing minute.

Sylvax: Leda... ::His voice remained quiet.:: if you go down there
right now, can you honestly tell me you're doing it because it's the
best plan? ::A small pause.:: Or because you're angry?

Ivlayan: ?

Leda: ::Leda bit her lip, continuing:: And if they’re distracted, we
might be able to disable the shuttle. Keep them grounded as long as
possible. Or even get in the cockpit and figure out their destination.
Their watch on the perimeter is slack at best - if I approach them
from the western side of camp and you sneak through the woods on the
eastern side, you might be able to access the back of the shuttle
without them noticing.

Willow: Likely, though what would occur if they became aware of our presence?

Ryden frowned thoughtfully.

Sylvax: Then we adapt. ::He kept his voice low.:: We've spent the
entire mission responding to incomplete information. ::A beat.:: I'd
prefer not to add panic to that list.

Ivlayan: ?

Leda: ::She fixed them all with a steely gaze:: This is my fault.
::far more than they knew:: I owe my people something better. Let me
help you do this. Please.

Ryden felt a flicker of sympathy. Whatever mistakes Leda believed
she'd made, she clearly carried them heavily.

Willow: Explain to me what it is you wish us to do.

Ryden looked directly at Leda.

Sylvax: Before we decide who does what... ::His eyes moved between the
group.:: I'd like to know what we're trying to accomplish. Are we
gathering evidence? Learning where they're going? Holding them here?
Confronting them? ::He glanced toward the camp below. Depending on
that answer, the plan changes.

Ivalyan/Leda: ?

Willow: I only guard you against using your emotions to fuel a rash
course of action. I sympathize with how this is particularly difficult
for you, a perceived failure for your people, yet, we must plan
logically in order to avoid catching the attention of the Orion. I
fear for your safety and that of your people too.

Ryden found himself agreeing with Haukea. The emotional part of him
understood exactly why Leda wanted to act. The doctor in him knew that
panic rarely improved outcomes.

Ivalyan/Sylvax/Leda: Response

Sylvax: We're not going to solve this in the next five minutes. But
we may only have five minutes to gather evidence before they leave.
Let's make sure we're chasing facts and not just anger.

Willow: Take it slow and explain it one more time. Please.

Ryden nodded once.

Sylvax: Start with what success looks like. What exactly do you want
us to accomplish before those shuttles take off?

Ivalyan/Leda: ?

The sounds of the Orion camp drifted up from below... crates sliding
across metal decking, shouted instructions, the intermittent whine of
shuttle systems being brought online. Every noise seemed to reinforce
the same uncomfortable reality.

They were running out of time. Yet rushing now felt just as dangerous.
From their concealed position, he watched another crate disappear into
the shuttle's cargo hold. Whatever Onzion's people were taking with
them, they clearly considered it important enough to abandon the
entire operation.

Ryden could practically see the conflict playing out behind Leda's
eyes. Anger. Guilt. Determination. The desire to do something. He felt
it. He understood it.

If someone had endangered his crew, harmed people under his care, and
then attempted to disappear before answering for it, he wasn't
entirely certain he would be feeling particularly patient either.

The difference was that right now, patience might be exactly what they needed.

A gust of wind swept through the trees, carrying the scent of pine and
damp earth across the hillside. Ryden shifted slightly behind the
cover of the shrubs and glanced back toward Leda.

Sylvax: Take it slow. ::His voice remained low.:: Walk us through it.
What does the plan look like in your head?

As he waited for her answer, Ryden returned his attention to the camp
below. An Orion shouted something unintelligible. Another crate was
loaded. Somewhere in the distance, a shuttle engine began to spool up.
Whatever they decided, they would need to decide soon.

Leda/Ivalyan/Willow: ?


-----
Lieutenant Ryden Sylvax
Chief Medical Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
O240109RK1