Lieutenant Commander Marty Tucker - A Fist Full Of Tholians
Martin Tucker
Kessler: ::whispering:: Power down anything you can except your phasers.
Marty had already begun the process when Kessler gave the order. Hopefully, between powering down the suits and the interference from the Sencha radiation, the interference hadn’t helped them, so he was pretty sure the Tholians couldn’t get a proper scan either. But he also hoped they didn’t linger, having the suit off wasn’t a great idea to begin with, but when life gives you Tholians, make for the quickest exit.
Getting to the quickest exit wasn’t in the proverbial cards for the team. Their best bet was to stay plastered behind the bar until they marched past with their clickety-clack. With the suit's power off, his visor was starting ot fog up, and he’d started sweating.
Tucker: I wasn’t able to see how many there are, Mister Kessler?
Nemes: reponse
After what seemed like the longest day ever, the grinding of crystals resumed. Unfortunately, it sounds as though they were sliding up to the bar, just on the other side. Jack gave the signal to hug the concrete, so Marty did as he was told, trying not to make any noise, which was the last thing they needed. And again, what felt like an eternity, the clickity-clack of crystal on concrete resumed, presumably heading the way they had just come from.
Kessler: ::whispering:: Five Tholians Commander. Two are carrying something large. Equipment of some sort I think.
Evinrude: ::Equally as quiet.:: Sir. We need to reactivate some of our suit's systems, it's growing stale inside this tin can. ::He gestured as his fogged-over visor.:: I think there's enough interference here from the powerplant and mess hall. ::Gesturing at his tricorder, he showed their security chief the level of background emissions.::
Tess was right; they needed to start powering up their suits again or it was going to get worse than it already was. Not only was the visor fogged, but condensation dripped down it as well.
Tucker: I’m with Evinrude. We need to start bringing the suits back online. I’ve got condensation, and as you can notice, I can’t see through the fog on my visor.
Nemes: Response
Kessler: ::still whispering:: Might as well see where they came from and what they are doing. At this point they are between us and the exit anyways.
Marty nodded and got up to his knees, where he slapped his phaser rifle to his back. He looked at his tricorder and couldn’t tell whether that pack of Tholians was moving or congregating in the foyer. So their best bet was to press on and get into the Lid, trying to stop the massive leak of Sencha radiation that is somehow making the chronitons in the area even more unstable.
Evinrude: Been trying to coordinate our readings, get a lay of the land based on emissions. There's a heavy concentration of conduit just past that first length of hallway. I can't guarantee it, but chances are good that it's a service tunnel.
Solana: =/\= Security Alert. All teams, be advised, we’ve encountered a Tholian scout and have been informed that multiple worker-class and three Warrior-class are on site. The former most likely in the hab dome. Ronin, we have one to beam directly to the brig. Advise all phasers set to setting six at minimum to stun. =/\=
If Marty could run his hands over his face, he was able to. The message from the senior chief came a few minutes too late for his group; they’d already run into some, though they were able to avoid a firefight. But knowing that there were three Warrior Class Tholians on the ground made it that much more interesting.
Tucker: Wish she had been a couple of minutes sooner with that information::he shrugged:: But it is good intel that there are three Warriors on the ground. I’d bet dollars to one of Brew Continuum’s doughnuts that there is one somewhere near the reactor.
Nemes/Kessler: Response
Evinrude: These radiation spikes coming down the main corridor... ::He looked to Nemes.:: You think you have the timing of the bursts down?
There was an itch at the back of his brain that just couldn’t be scratched. There was something else afoot, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d learned over the few years he’d been the Ronin’s Chief Engineer to trust his gut; Niac taught him that, whether he knew it or not.
Tucker: We need to get a timing on those bursts as well. I’m also starting to pick up chroniton radiation, not much, but it’s in the air, that’s for sure.
Evinrude/Nemes/Kessler: Response
Marty looked around again and decided the coast was somewhat clear, and they should get a move on, since they were no closer to solving the problem than they had been twenty minutes ago. Even with the interference, Marty could tell the cadre of Tholians was now outside the structure, headed due north. Marty sighed with a little relief.
Tucker: Okay, they’re outside now on the march north towards the Hab.,.
Evinrude/Nemes/Kessler: Response
The group got out from behind the bar and continued heading the way that the Tholians had come from, and now they knew to be on the lookout for one of those Warrior caste Tholians, which made things a tad bit more interesting, to say the least. They were almost three times the size of the worker drones, and they are as smart as a Ferengi’s plasma whip.
Tucker: ::tapping his combadge:: =/\= Tucker to Kel, just a word of warning: there are five worker-drone Tholians headed your way. And they’re carrying something, we’re just not sure what.
Kel: =/\= Response =/\=
Tucker: Keep your head on a swivel, Skipper. Tucker out.
Evinrude/Nemes/Kessler: Response
The group gathered itself to prepare to head the way the Tholians had come from, into the belly of the beast, as it were. Instead of a single-file line, they were two by two: Kessler and Marty at the front, then Nemes and Evinrude.
Tucker: Nemes and Evinrude, keep a tight scan going on and readjust for Tholian life signs. You might have to tweak your tricorders to do so.
Evinrude/Nemes/Kessler: Response
They were about 600 meters from the mess hall when they came to a T in the corridor. There were large double doors in front of them, then a hallway to the right and one to the left. He motioned for them to stop. Out of some sort of reflex, he pulled his phaser rifle in one smooth movement.
He looked at Kessler with a raised eyebrow.
Tucker: What? ::he gave a half-grin:: I like to be prepared; it’s why I tend to overpack. Lieutenants, what do your scans say about either hallway or what’s behind those doors, because I’m betting that that’s where our Tholian workers came from.
Evinrude/Nemes/Kessler: Response