Lt. Cmdr. Alieth - the runaway card
Alieth
OOC: Since C'iri writer has filled a LOA, we'll drop any tag from them from now on. O'Connor, we'll make a round out of the Rhine and came back to you next so you don't need to sim alone, yet you can use the comms if you want some dialogue partner!
((USS Rhine, Within the Barrier, Olidra System))
The
crew had come up with a plan, far-fetched and bold, to destroy the
Sencha wave emitter of the super structure that threatened to sweep
them and the Ronin out of the system. It was risky, but it could
work, and after a brief review of the steps to take, Alieth paused
for a minute and glanced at the viewscreen, where the station, weapon
or structure (whatever one preferred to call it) slowly swirled ice
crystals and Tholian compounds around it, building up the pulse of
energy within it, in a crescendo of wicked energy.
It was
going to be a quick trip, and it would require pinpoint accuracy...
but they could do it.
Then, for the first time, she
uttered aloud a phrase she had thought of long ago, in the unlikely
event that she would ever occupy the captain's chair.
It
was well worth the premature release of that harebrained, life-saving
foolery.
Alieth: Mister O'Connor, warp us.
The pilot let out slowly the breath he had been holding.
O’Connor: Here we go.
The runabout's engines whirred as they sped forward under the layer of swirling ice. The Vulcan kept her eyes on the objective as, behind her, she heard the soft thud of padded paws drumming on a console.
Lorana: Commander, the structure has multiple data points along these partitions along the hull. It follows the same trajectory towards the disc.
Alieth looked away from the overall picture of the structure to return her attention to the schematics. She enlarged those, and surveyed the surface around the route O'Connor had plotted. Sure enough, on the structure's exterior there were a series of small ports.
O’Connor: ::pointing:: I see what you mean, along in here.
Alieth: Indeed, ::Turning to the Caitian::: what exactly do you intend to do, Ensign?
Lorana: I know but if O'Connor can slow down :: finds the spot :: Just here. I can get us the information, I'd only need a minute, beam me down :: stubborn :: It's worth a try.
O'Connor: ::Eyes opening wide he turns to Luxa in disbelief, not sure he heard her right:: Wait, what?
The petite CSO observed the route, the point where someone could be transported to access one of the information ports, the Rhine's manoeuvring space and her mathematically inclined mind estimated the time it would take, the margins of error and all the things that could go right... or wrong... really wrong. Then her dark eyes wandered over the faces of the three young, wide-eyed ensigns, two of them fresh from the academy, the other only a few months into her career. Idealistic, juvenile, and essentially asinine given their short experience. It wasn't their fault, they were well intentioned, but she couldn't risk their deaths.
Alieth: ::plainly:: No. The risk of error is simply too high.
The phrase apparently displeased the other scientist, who tensed her whiskers and flattened her ears against her skull, just as Mu-kur used to do when she brought her a belated dinner. Having seen such a gesture on a hungry apex predator that was capable of ripping off a limb in one bite (which, on one occasion, had almost happened) made the expression seem rather less than impressive, and Alieth remained largely unaffected.
Lorana: Commander if we leave here without the data then it's been for nothing. :: frustrated :: For all we know the Tholians have one of these in their space. Without the information we'll have nothing real to stop them. :: more intense :: We should try. Isn't that what being Starfleet is - trying, against all odds?
The young Caitian's voice carried equal parts fervour and frustration, and Alieth's eyebrows furrowed in response to such a display, little fond of explosive displays of emotion. Meanwhile, the pilot averted his gaze from his controls for a brief moment and glanced first at her, then at Lorana, then back at small vulcan.
O’Connor: ::looking a bit sternly at Luxa:: This is nuts, ya know? ::then easing in to a slight smile:: But don’t worry about my end. I can make it work. We can do this.
The slanted eyebrows tilted a notch closer to the Vulcan's eyes, in a stare that would send shivers down the spine of most people.
Alieth: ::steel in her voice, staring at Lorana:. Indeed, it is a folly that borders on stupidity that is unlikely for a Starfleet officer, and if you think that as your superior I am willing to let you go out there alone, you really have lost your mind. :: a little softer:: However, the objective of this mission is to gather information, and this nonsense you have concocted really has some merit to achieve it, so we will do this together to ensure that you achieve it, or you will not do it at all. ::frowning a bit more:: I will make sure neither of us die there so that we can have a more serious discussion about this afterwards.
A phrase that anyone who had spent more than two weeks next to a Vulcan knew was a coded way of stating that they were going to get a very earnest and very logical scolding afterwards. If they managed to get out of that alive. Still, Alieth rose to her feet without taking her eyes off the slender Caitian and gestured with one hand towards the back of the cockpit, where the EV suits were located.
Lorana: :: relieved :: Yes, sir. I understand.
Thus,
almost shoulder to shoulder, they reached the lockers containing the
suits, and spent the next few minutes stuffing themselves into them.
Alieth spent a little longer than usual in doing so, not only due to
the predictable size problem (always large) until the automatic
fittings tailored the EV to her tiny figure and petite stature, but
also because the pain in her shoulder had chosen to return with
newfound viciousness, and she could feel the stiffness around the
joint and the dampness in the uniform. Whether it was blood or sweat,
both were bad omens for the Vulcan.
Even so, she didn't
say a word, and eventually pulled her long hair back into a tight
bun, including the unruly locks that customarily framed her face. As
she put on her helmet and activated the interior lights that lit up
her pale face, the pilot's voice came from the front of the Rhine.
O'Connor: Are you two almost ready? I’ve slowed down but I’m gonna need to drop out of warp soon.
The two EV suited officers approached the front of the Rhine.
Alieth: Beam us up as soon as we reach the position.
Lorana: :: nodding :: I'm ready.
The Orion looked at them both, a gallant confidence flashing across his face.
O’Connor: Ok then, here we go.
The
Rhine jerked lightly, the change in speed evident, just before the
pilot fiddled with the console and the transporter lock gripped the
two scientists.
Alieth felt the familiar lightness in
the pit of her stomach that heralded the transport before she saw the
cascade of blue and silver sparks appear around them.
Just
before she vanished from the Rhine, she glanced at the pilot, the
young security officer and, finally, the scientist officer at her
side.
And she asked herself whether she had made the right
decision, or whether the loss of blood had made her act a little too
recklessly.
((The Outer Hull of the Superstructure, Olidra System))
In a second, amidst the familiar glimmer of the transport, they found themselves stood on a curved, smooth section of the outer hull of the structure. The surface was dark and unnaturally smooth, peppered here and there with large domed structures which reminded the former doctor of diseased buboes.
Lorana gasped and the CSO turned her gaze in the direction the young woman faced. Above them, rotating slowly was the ice structures, from this vantage they could see how the light of the stars reflected from them. Glistening like a thousand more stars. The light spectrum created their own colourful shapes, that appeared to react with the radiation.
Above
the two women, the icy structures rotated in slow motion. Light
streaked across them and, due to the angle at which they stood, the
two could clearly see how it scattered in a thousand colours, a
million new iridescent stars reflecting off the nearby structures.
Somehow, the spectrum of light seemed to be reacting with the
surrounding radiation, creating blue and gold archways that crackled
all around them.
Something about that sound, at the lower
limit of the CSO's hearing, sent a rush of adrenaline through her
veins, with a sense of impending threat.
Lorana: :: to Alieth :: The data point should be right ahead.
She nodded silently and took a few awkward steps toward the structure, while remembering how to walk in the magnetic boots. Before long, she crouched down next to the dock and handled the cover to expose the interior connection.
Alieth: We will be detected as soon as we make the connection. We will have three minutes at most until they detect us. ::A wild smirk tried to creep across her features, but she managed to stifle it in time.:: Ready?
Lorana / O’Connor (optional): Response
As the first wave of data began to load onto the Starfleet device, Alieth looked up and saw the Rhine pass over them, propelled by the thrusters, into the heart of the structure.
Alieth: ::almost to herself::: Three minutes maximum to download, thirty seconds to destroy the emitter, two minutes to get out of here.
Lorana / O’Connor (optional): Response
The small CSO kept the small hatch open, while the device released small clouds of frozen particles, repeatedly trying to seal itself once more, but unable to beat the strength of the Vulcan muscles. In spite of her small frame, she was two or three times stronger than most humanoids, and remarkably strong for someone of her build.
Alieth: We can only trust them and stick to our schedule. How is the download going?
Just then, the small scanners attached to their wrists let out an alarmed beep.
Lorana / O’Connor (optional): Response
[[TAG! /TBC]]
Lieutenant Commander Alieth
Chief Science Officer & 2O
E239702A10
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