Lieutenant JG Renaie Shortrith - This Isn't The Kind Of Sacrifice You Should Have Signed Up For (Part 1)
Renaie Shortrith
(("The Crèche, Damaged Dome, Moon Sigma, Ross-580))
Shortrith: ::smirking:: How are you better at handling kids then I am?
Wren: My mothers were both doctors, and one of them worked with a lot of families. She used to have me volunteer at her clinic with the post-natal patients and guests when I was a teenager because my brother was ‘too busy’. Nothing medical, but I learned pretty quickly how to take care of a baby. ::fondly:: They’re sort of cute, in a very gross way…. How’s the bite?
Renaie glanced at their hand, observing the broken skin through the EV suit. If they had any gloves on them - they should have, really, with the patches of lighter skin, so they didn't creep anyone else out - they'd be able to cover it and protect it from further infection.
Shortrith: Sore, but that's life. I'm fine, I'll treat it properly when I get back to the Ronin.
Wren: Glad you’re okay. ::returning to the computer:: It looks like everything’s up and running, but Romulan computers have a check-in protocol… ::frustrated:: There was a timer for a code they had to enter, or everything would be wiped. I’m sure it’s not gone for good, but it’ll take- ::startled:: Did you hear that?
As Wren spoke, Renaie heard a distant sound that wasn't T'Fearne or O'Connor.
Shortrith: ::Trying to stay calm:: What was that?
Wren: It sounded like footsteps...
Renaie tensed, grip firming on their tricorder as Wren created an extra force-field on top of the young ones.
They tried to think loud enough for Wren to hear, but not too loud so she wouldn't get overwhelmed. They couldn't let anyone get overwhelmed. Not in a situation like this, where they had limited resources to heal people. They were supposed to be Acting Chief Medical Officer, who would they be if they couldn't heal people?
oO Ensign, if you can hear this, and I hope you do, set your phaser to stun and get behind me. Oo
Wren: ::very worried and trying to hide it:: Better safe than sorry, right?
Shortrith: Yeah… I suppose.
All the muscles in Renaie's body tensed as they stayed close to Wren.
Wren: RIt genuinely could just be the others But it doesn’t sound right…
Trying their best to listen intently, Renaie heard the footsteps again.
They weren't… humanoid.
The only other option was… Tholian.
Shortrith: It's a Tholian. It's the only one that it sounds like, it's not bipedal like us.
Renaie paused to listen, and their face fell.
Shortrith: It's near T'Fearne and O'Connor. Let's strengthen the forcefield around the young ones. We need to help them.
Wren: Of course ::kneeling in front of the forcefield, tapping at her PADD:: oO What is it they say, we need to have our phasers at least at level six? I don’t know what level of force-field would repel their weaponry…. Oo ::looking at Shortrith:: Have you met Tholians before?
Renaie shook their head, only using what they'd heard as a reference point.
After the forcefield was strengthened, Renaie briskly but cautiously drifted toward the direction of the other two.
When they caught a glimpse of them, they almost dropped their tricorder again in surprise.
T'Fearne and O'Connor… weren't T'Fearne and O'Connor anymore. They'd become significantly younger. The other JG on the team looked about 12, and the Lieutenant Commander looked about 16.
Shortrith: I heard non-human footsteps… What happened?
Wren: ........::as non-casually as possible:: Did you guys find anything interesting?
O’Connor: Nothing much, Just a de-aging wave and this…
T'Fearne: ::high, light voiced:: We were caught by the edge of a temporal shear, bisecting in the corridor, I assume that’s what happened to this enemy combattant ::holding the Tholian out at arms length to Ian, shuddering:: Here, you take it now! This baby is detained until we can figure out what to do.
It was then when they noticed the Tholian.
They quietly swore again in Klingon, not caring who heard.
Fortunately enough, the universal translator for the others censored the word.
Wren: Oh, I’m sorry, I uh, the computer is set for the babies, I don’t know if we can curse. ::to T’Fearne and O’Connor, but not able to look directly at them:: Where’d you find that little Shrimp?
O’Connor: It was scuttling around the corridor. Might be more so yet another thing to be careful of:: his voice cracked and he looked away slightly embarrassed.::
Shortrith: Are you two okay? Did the temporal wave affect you aside from what's visible?
T'Fearne: I’m fine! ::deep breath through small flaring nostrils:: I’m well, Doctor, merely adjusting to this change in circumstances and how it may affect the mission.
Renaie scanned T'Fearne and O'Connor a couple more times, just to be safe.
Wren: ::nodding:: I think it might be a good idea to update the commander about this. If there are Tholians here, they might be elsewhere too ::tapping comm badge::...... ::taps it again, as it didn’t work the first time::..... Are any of you getting a signal?
Renaie tried, and nothing. A look of concern crossed their face when they noticed T'Fearne's commbadge was gone.
O’Connor: No nothing. Not surprising with the radiation surges I guess.
T'Fearne: Or temporal phase distortion. Either way, I fear we are temporarily isolated unless someone takes a walk out to the land rover.
Shortrith: That can probably wait, we've got more important things on our mind right now.
Wren: We heard footsteps a second ago, too large to just be the baby. I think it might be a good idea to shut down this room, I can use the available power to seal the door with a forcefield, that seems to be the only entrance. I don’t know if I can cover the ventilation system, though, and I don’t know how long I can keep it going ::going back to the computer system:: This thing still doesn’t want to cooperate with me.
O’Connor: Do your best. We should probably put the little bowling ball here in its own little containment area as well.
Shortrith: Good point.
Wren: That’s probably a good idea. I can-
A loud bang echoed from the corridor.
Everyone froze for a second.
Renaie noticed T'Fearne have her phaser out before they even thought of what to do next, and they tensed.
Wren: I’m gonna go ahead and seal the door now.
T'Fearne: ::quiet, pressed to the wall:: Can anyone get a tricorder reading? Mine appears to have… deconstructed.
The door closed and locked temporarily. Renaie didn't want to guess at how long the temporarily was going to be.
Shortrith: Nothing on my end.
[TBC in Part 2]Lieutenant JG Renaie Shortrith, MD
Acting Chief Medical Officer
USS Ronin
They/Them (Player and character)
A240204RS3