Lt. JG T’Fearne - Said the Spider to the Phaser
Teayl Thorn
((OOC: Slight ret con from my previous sims, Rose crew in need of assistance, and Kessler in a stasis pod are not in Cargo Bay 02 like I’ve previously said, they are mysteriously somewhere else…probably for the best. ;) ))
((Cargo Bay 02, Deck 03, USS Compass Rose))
The Spiderbot moved with a blur of motion.
Its many limbs clattered up the bulkhead, claws digging furrows into duranium before it anchored itself upside down on the ceiling. Then it screamed, a shrill metallic screech that reverberated in T’Fearne’s skull.
Was it a battle cry or summoning reinforcements?
Her pointed ears rang with the creature’s metallic shriek. T’Fearne snapped her phaser pistol to level four as she drew a bead on the creature’s shifting silhouette.
Mentally, she designated that as Hostile One, though even amid chaos, she registered a second set of claws on metal. Another creature approaching. Hostile Two.
The first Spiderbot squatted on the ceiling, motionless, almost…waiting. Then, as if activated by a hidden signal, it scuttled forward across the ceiling towards the Starfleet officers. Sparks showered the deck as phaser fire scorched metal and light ricocheted across the cargo bay ceiling, leaving glowing scars.
Feeling exposed, firing her phaser from a seated position in the open on the medical pod, T’Fearne gripped the lip of the cot and hauled herself over the other side to partial cover. Her boots struck the deck hard, legs almost buckling.
Holding onto the cot’s frame, she steadied her phaser’s aim, drew a slow breath, exhaled, and fired.
A molten line of energy burned across the spider’s metallic carapace. The beam barely scored on the surface.
T'Fearne: ::yelling out:: How do we stop these creatures? Tactical weaknesses?
Winters: Deacon, if we can't get through the main body can we take out the legs or joints to the legs on that thing?
Kel: ::nodding to Deacon, Winters and T'Fearne:: This is your area of expertise. Fire away.
T’Fearne: Understood. Coordinating left-side suppression!
She tracked the motion, reflexes still sluggish, fired, and watched the creature twist out of the way, phaser bursts striking empty air. Its legs struck sparks along the cargo bay ceiling, skittering with unnatural speed, ducking through the web of energy beams.
Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
Winters: Ideally I would think we want the memory core intact but I will settle on blowing this thing to....
Winter's words vanished with the shriek of metal as the spider dropped from the ceiling with a crash, scattering debris and twisted cargo containers as it lunged toward the officers.
Kel: ::firing:: Who built these things?
T’Fearne: ::eyes wide:: The report I read indicated they have a connection to the Consortium. I’ve never seen one active. ::yelling to Frost:: Deacon! You were aboard the Ronin during the last attack…what does it take to put them down?
Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
T’Fearne was so focused on Hostile One that she was startled when a green-armoured shoulder slipped under her arm, wrapping around her ribs, the enhanced strength of Michele’s suit making up for her seven-inch height difference as she half-lifted the tall Vulcazoid over a shoulder, bracing her as they retreated.
Winters: Sorry Lieutenant but we need to move back. ::looking over her other shoulder:: Commander, we need to jettison this bay and that thing before we take casualties.
Kel: You'll get no argument from me.
They fell back together, Michele half-dragging her toward the hatch. T’Fearne firing in measured bursts, laying down suppression cover fire as the team made their retreat to a clear exit.
Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
T’Fearne: The exosuits worn by the Lattice Alliance soldiers required level six phaser fire to breach even joint seams. I’m escalating weapon output.
The team backed through the hatchway, the air thick with ozone and vaporised alloy. Beyond the threshold, Kel’s voice cut through the commotion.
Kel: ::looking at Nakada and Roop:: You heard them make this bay go away.
She toggled the charge up, feeling the weapon’s hum deepen slightly, vibrating at a more intense frequency through the small bones in her hand.
She aimed the flesh-peeling beam with more precision and care not to accidentally hit the crates of thermite. The next shot cut cleanly through one of the spider’s legs, severing it in a burst of molten metal. The creature reeled, emitting an inorganic screech as it crouched protectively under their onslaught.
Michele hauled her bodily through the hatch as the team cleared the bay.
((Corridore Outside Cargo Bay 02, Deck 03, USS Compass Rose))
The hatch sealed behind them with a hard metallic clang. The creature’s shriek dulled to a muffled pounding.
T’Fearne: ::yelling over her shoulder, dry tone of voice:: What about that thermite? Now you’ve deactivated it…can we blow it up?
Winters/Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
Beck: =/\= Beck to Kel. How are things going on your end? Still alive? =/\=
Kel: =/\= For the moment yes. What have you been up to?=/\=
Beck: =/\= I've collected a cutting from the plant and the last RNA canister. I'm running it through my tricorder now, but I think we need a heftier computer to really get this working. =/\=
Kel: =/\= I'll get to you as quickly as I can. I'm a little backed up here. =/\=
Through the view strip in the hatch, T’Fearne glimpsed the cargo bay, crates overturned, luckily the stembolts and not the thermite, triage pods upended. And then, from the haze, the second spider emerged. Hostile Two, joining the first, tearing at the hatch with inhuman precision.
Winters/Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
Beck: =/\= Anything I can do to help? =/\=
Kel: =/\= I'll get back to you, Kel out. =/\= What's our Status?
Winters/Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
The pounding and scraping continued. The air smelled of ozone and burning coolant.
T’Fearne flexed her fingers; her hands tingled faintly as her circulatory system fought off the remnants of her allergic reaction. She sealed her EV suit’s helmet with a snick and locked her gloves into place, the hiss of airtight seals grounding her in the moment. She rechecked her phaser’s power cell, then patted Winters’ shoulder, wordlessly signalling she could stand on her own and didn’t have to be carried or dragged anymore.
T’Fearne: I’m functional. ::measured tone:: If we opened this hatch, I don’t think I could get a shot off at the thermite quickly enough that the spiders couldn’t get through, and the backlash of the explosion would vaporise us. Jettisoning the module has a higher probability of success and a lower safety risk margin.
Kel: Well that's something. Nakada you're with me. We need to help Dr. Beck in the Botanical lab.
Winters/Deacon/Nakada/Roop: Response
Kel and Nakada swiftly disappeared towards the Botanical Lab on deck 02, leaving the two security officers, the marine and the engineer behind to defend.
After a brief grimace at Commander Kel running off without a security escort, again, T’Fearne turned back to the sealed hatch. The new defence team refocused their efforts on locking down the threat of the arachnid killing machines and keeping them contained to cargo bay 02. They had the rest of the crew and teams on the Rose to protect.
T’Fearne: Have we locked all entries? Maintain seal integrity. We need confirmation that both hostiles are contained before we release the module.
Winters/Deacon/Roop: Response
T’Fearne’s gaze lingered on the sealed door.
A deep vibration rippled through the deck, the sound of magnetic clamps disengaging. The pounding from within the bay faded as Cargo Bay 02 detached and drifted into the void.
Winters/Deacon/Roop: Response
T’Fearne: ::lowering her weapon, voice steady:: For now, the threat is contained. I recommend we assume those two weren’t alone.
Winters/Deacon/Roop: Response
[Tags / TBC]
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Security Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14