Lieutenant Commander Marty Tucker - Walk Softly
Martin Tucker
Tucker: Okay, give it a couple of minutes to see if any more are coming to the party. The sooner we get this reactor to play nice, the quicker we can call it good and be back in our racks in no time.
Kessler: ::pointing:: Can we squeeze through that opening back there?
Evinrude: I don't want to risk puncturing our suits. Let me take a crack at it. ::He reached over his shoulder to the suit hardpoint on his back, and removed the portable pneumatic pry bar. The tool resembled a lobster claw the size of a human leg.::
Marty couldn’t help but admire the size of the pneumatic pry bar, feeling his fondness for Evinrude, which had roughly doubled with the equipment he brought along. As the ancient organization called the “Boy Scouts”, who were apparently always prepared.
Tucker: Impressive, Mister Evinrude, Mister Kessler, and I will be here to lay down cover fire if the need arises::checking his wrist:: nothing inbound at the moment. oO At least there's some good news Oo
Kessler: Agreed.
Evinrude: On it. Cover me...in case they come back.
oO Don’t jinx us, Tess. Don’t jinx us… Oo
He watched as Tess walked up to the ladder. He took the tool in one hand, and the ascent was proving to be awkward with three out of four limbs available. He reached the top, wrapping his free arm around the ladder to keep himself from a lifetime of ribbing had he fallen off. Evinrude peaked over the edge of the ladder into the hole that was made by the explosion. He used the pry bar to bend back some of the jagged edges, making it wide enough for them to get through with their suits.
Kessler: ::eyeing the lift and the ladder leading back to the upper level:: Where did those guys go?
Marty closed his eyes and hung his head before checking his wrist. It was like they were just gone. And Tholians don’t just give up and turn around and call it a day, what if they, too, are going around? Which, Marty looked as if they would be coming from their backside.
Tucker: Keep your head on a swivel, chief. They may have found another route, most likely one coming from the direction we're not facing. Tholian’s just don’t shrug their shoulders oO Do they have shoulders? Oo and not pursue the enemy, not in their nature.
Evinrude: ::Calling quietly down from above.:: Okay, I can get my head through...let me take a look.
Marty kept an eye on his tricorder; he needed to remind himself to add HUDs to the extreme environment suits. The fact that they didn’t irritated him to no end. But according to his wrist tricorder, there was little movement, mostly just unchecked Sencha radiation pouring into the night, like a snake it wound it’s way up through the atmosphere and into the system.
Evinrude: ::Quietly.:: It's clear. The hallway to the left curves back around towards the coolant pump room... ::He said, jerking his head in the direction of the Targ's Foot.:: We should be able to cut through the floor and drop down, bypassing the worst of the radiation.
Marty liked the sound of that. The sooner they can get this done, the sooner they can blow this crappy Romulan taco stand. Or was it Tholians? Someone was calling the shots; Marty chalked it up to the Lattice Alliance and their areas of operation.
Kessler: ::aiming at the upper level:: Go, I'll be right behind you.
Tucker: Mister Evinrude, I do believe that’s the best news I’ve heard today, right after a half off raktajino’s at the Brew Continuum.
His commbadge chirped, causing a pause as he waxed poetic about how they make the raktajinos at BC.
Shortrith: =/\= Shortrith to Tucker: We've been sent down to rejoin you guys. Where are you?
It was good to hear from someone, anyone, for that matter, since they set foot on the moon. He did talk to Kel briefly, but that was some time ago. They should have reached the reactor by now, but because of the massive radiation, they had to take the long way.
Kessler: ::turning to Tucker:: They could be walking right into the remaining three Tholians.
Marty nodded to Kessler.
Tucker: We’re on the way to the reactor, got sidetracked and took the scenic route. Also, I would keep in mind that there are Tholians wandering about, worker class, but still dangerous.
Zh'taan/Esot/Evinrude: =/\= Response =/\=
Shortrith: =/\= We'll try to find you. =/\=
He wasn’t so sure about them traipsing around looking for them; they lock onto their lifesigns and track the group that way, he guessed, but the interference wasn’t helping at all. And it was going to get worse the closer they got to the reactor.
Kessler: Tess, keep going, we need to get to the reactor. ::turning to Tucker:: We need the Tholians to think we are going to affect their work. That should draw them to us and not to Shortrith's team.
Tucker: Sure, why not? I love being bait. ::he rolled his eyes::
Evinrude: reponse
Shortrith/Zh'taan/Esot/: =/\= Response, assuming comms are left open =/\=
Kessler: ::rubbing his head through the back of his helmet and looking around:: I know it's not ideal, but I am guessing Shortrith and team have never dealt with Tholians face to face like you and I have.
Tucker: Exactly, most of us who faced off with them last time are back aboard the ship. Which doesn’t do us a damn bit of good. Lieutenant Shortrith, be advised the AO is hot, I repeat the AO is hot. And you can park next to the Sojourn.
Evinrude: reponse
Shortrith/Zh'taan/Esot/: =/\= Response, assuming comms are left open =/\=
Kessler: After you sir, I'll bring up the rear. ::looking up at the upper level:: =/\= Shortrith, this is Kessler. Be warned, if you encounter Tholians, they are carrying spears with explosive tips. Designed to go off on impact. =/\=
Kessler motioned for Marty to head up the ladder, with the Security Chief bringing up the rear.
Tucker: Lieutenant Shortrith, try to track our comm badges for as long as you can, as interference will only get worse the closer you get. But you’ll get a good idea of where to find us. See you soon, kids. Tucker out.
Evinrude: reponse
Kessler: ::holding up the spear:: Just in case we need a little diplomatic push back.
Once Marty reached the top, turned to make sure that Kessler was okay and covered as he came up on the ladder. Now was the time to get to the reactor; from what he could gather, it was several meters ahead, and they were along one of the back walls. Which could play to their advantage as they’d be partially hidden in the back to start.
Tucker: Walk softly, carry a big stick. I like it.
Kessler/Evinrude: reponse
They walked without interruption for several meters, and mostly in silence. Marty brought up his tricorder again, scanning for Tholians, and just as a precaution, Sheliak’s as well. If this were an Alliance facility, there would also be Sheliak Managers. He picked up some Tholians, but they were either one or two levels above where they were now and posed little to no threat at the moment. They came to a junction in the service tunnel, a crossroads of sorts.
Tucker: ::under his breath:: Beware the king of the crossroads..
Marty consulted his tricorder again, and they needed to go left, right would take them back the other direction, and forward, well, he didn’t know and didn’t want to know. He motioned left with his hands, and they turned the corner.
Kessler/Evinrude: reponse
Tucker: We should be far now, and once we get there, we’ll hopefully cut a hole in the floor and lower ourselves into the reactor room. If I’ve read this right, the reactor is in the middle of the room, and we’ll come out on the far side. That way, we won’t dive into radioactive Sencha goop.
Kessler/Evinrude: reponse
((The Reactor Room, The Lid - Moon Sigma, Ross 580 System))
Marty was the last one through the hole as they dropped from the ceiling, and he tricorder was making all sorts of noise, as it would, this close to the reactor.
Tucker: Alright, so far so good. Let's hope that no Tholian warriors are about; worker drones could be handled. It was the warrior caste that gives me pause.
Kessler/Evinrude: reponse
TAGS/TBC