AQ/E01-Away Missions

[Daniel Brooks]

==Away Team Thread==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks Input Area description==

The away team beamed into an area that was deemed safe, it still had life support, no life signs and seemed pretty secure.

Upon beaming in the away team will find no real lighting, the room which they beamed into was connected to the engineering section. They were two dead crew in the room with them. The room itself was like a storage room full of barrels and strange looking boxes. There was a smell of burning, melting metal and smoke.

Down the hallway and to the right was a room with twelve life signs, some very weak and needing urgent medical care. Along with two decks down in the cargo bay they would find a further eighteen personal all in various needs.

If they went in the opposite direction they would find the lift to the Bridge, which was out of action. They would have to climb the lift shaft to gain access to the Bridge. It would indicate three survivor's on the Bridge that could possibly help in giving the away team answers, however, each one of their life signs were weak to indicating them being unconscious.

Being near engineering through meant the away team could possibly find out what happened through the ships logs that caused such a dramatic explosion and weather the ship was under attack at the time.

It was down to the away team to organize themselves in getting the best results and quickly

==Tag Away Team==

[Shione Kurasa]

Tapping her badge, she made contact with the Aquila

"Kurasa to Bridge. Captain we have in excess of 30 survivors spread between at least 3 locations some requiring urgent medical care. I will dispatch my team to the locations I am aware of. Please ready multiple transporter pads at mine or the discretion of the Doctor, and I will need at least one additional Medical personnel in Engineering along with security for them.

I am dispatching the Chief Engineer immediately accompanied by Cindy to Engineering.

Doctor Lim I want you handling the closest casualties now, Ensign Mala will go with you for the moment, I will follow.

Commander Velaual, Lt Gath will go with you to the bridge. I want myself and the ship made aware ASAP of what you all find.

You have your assignments, but I want the Mala's and Cindy's report to me first so as not to clog up communication to the ship. Doc, you contact your team as needed but you heard my request on Medical to Engineering to start.

As always all of you employ minimum necessary force to protect you and your immediate teammates. now please go and be careful."

She paused catching her breath and addressed the CO. "Captain I kept my comm open while I split my team so you will know who is where. There is a need for urgency on more than one level. The ship is heavily damaged but I feel the Doctor can quickly assess the nearby casualties and Cdr Velaul can give you her report soon from the bridge. Going to sign off to keep comms open.

Sir in my opinion Commander Talion would be an excellent choice to handle the coordination of the teams, and I know he is listening.

Something or someone caused this damage but my first priority is rescue til I hear otherwise from you, Kurasa out."

Everyone had left, and in very short order, She felt pride in her crewmates, but kept it inside for ow while she headed to assist Lim and Mala."

== I want everyone to remember to PLEASE specify where you are on the ship at the beginning of your every post, we need to be able to keep all the ducks in a row==

[Cornelius Hoekstra]

== Initial Beam-In Point - Room Off of Engineering ==

Upon beaming over to the Cardassian ship, Niels immediately noticed the acrid scent of smoke. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of lighting, he raised his tricorder and initiated some cursory scans, hoping to get a better picture of the damage and what, if anything, they could do to help. His first scans focused on primary life support systems and structural stability. His first priority was making sure that the team wasn’t in any immediate danger.

Meanwhile, the Chief Security Officer reported in with the Aquila and started to hand out assignments. It appeared that Niels would be accompanied by someone named Cindy. He wasn’t exactly sure who that was, but understood that any communications with the team would need to go through her. This worked perfectly for him and meant that he could let someone else do the talking while he focused on work.

== GM Request - What do the initial scans from Niels’ tricorder reveal? How are the life support and structural integrity readings? Are there any immediate structural, mechanical, engineering dangers he is alerted to? ==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NPC Lt(JG) Gath --- Heading to the Bridge ==

Making his way to the FO, he said to her, "It will be an honor to escort you, Commander." He then began working his way through the wreckage toward the remains of the lift.


== NRC Cindy --- Heading to Engineering ==

As Hoekstra struggled to get his bearings a bond woman in mild protective gear and no rank approached him with a smile. She pulled something from a pocket and placed it like a headband and suddenly the band illuminated, making her look like an angel whose halo had been too heavy and she was wearing it just above her brow.

Holding a second one out for him, which he could now see clearly in the light, she introduced herself, "Lieutenant Hoekstra, I'm Cindy Talion. I understand that you sometimes prefer to be called Niels, but please let me know what makes you feel most comfortable. Given the urgency, I think we should talk as we walk. Try to stay behind me and watch your step. Do you need me to help you carry anything? I'm not sure where they want the enhancers set up."

[Jez Mala]

As Jez didn’t get an answer to her question about the dead back in the Transporter room, Jez knew the cultural importance of the treatment of the dead; and she was certain that the Captain wouldn’t want to inflame the situation with the Cardassians.

Jez knew the importance of observing the proper reverence of the dead, as her parents excavated many Tombs, Temples, and Cemeteries in their day. The slightest miss-step, accidentally stepping on a grave marker, the wrong vocal tone, wearing the wrong clothing, or the wrong gender touching the deceased could cause a major incident in an already tense situation.

“Everyone Halt, Don’t move.  Excuse me Commander Kurasa, but before anyone does anything we need to know what to do with the dead. As I’m sure you know, Cardassian funeral rites are very strict. They considered it a dishonor to the deceased if a non-Cardassian views the remains, with that in mind are we performing any retrieving of bodies, or at least helping the Cardassians gather their deceased?” Asked Jez, her tone respectful, but loud and factual.

Jez didn’t mean to be so direct with her words, she would never cause an incident with any of her superiors, but she knew firsthand how disrespecting the dead can cause many problems, Many cultures believed that the dead body was to be treated with reverence and respect. Yes, Klingon believed that the body was an empty shell and should be treated as such, the Frengi didn’t allow an autopsy, much less let the body be touched until they performed the Ferengi death ritual. The specifics of the death ritual were that the body can't be violated before it's buried. Death was a very complex and involved situation in many cultures.



== Tag Kurasa. ==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NRC Cindy ==

Before they could leave, Ens Mala barked for everyone to halt. While still at the transporter, the Ensign had tried to compare dusty tombs and ancient burials with the dead and dying in the twisted wreckage of a ship in space. Cindy had left it alone, but now the Ensign seemed to think that she knew better than all of the other officers on the mission, including the FO and her own Department Head.

In a calm tone, Cindy replied to Mala, "At the moment, we're not doing anything with the dead. We will focus on the living. If leadership finds need of us to search one of the dead for something, then they could call me ad I can do so without violating their cultural requirements. If you must move a body to get access to the living, then do so with as much respect as possible, but priority still goes to the living. The Cardassians may have strict rules on the matter, but they still value life over death."

Looking to Kurasa and the FO, Cindy asked, "If this is acceptable to the commanders, I think we have lives to save...and every second might count."

== Tag to all ==

[Beno Velaul]

After arriving at their beam in sight, seeing the dead wasn't something that wasn't very welcoming. It was something that the Ensign pointed out, and a little more loud than she should. It could cause problems and even panic on both sides. This was something that should be avoided.

Beno was about to say something, and Cindy had a great point. "Yes Cindy you are very correct." Beno didn't want this kind of thing to continue longer, it will cause more harm than good. "Ensign Mala you have orders, I suggest you follow them. As the authority on Cardassiqns I can tell you right now they are about saving the living, it's only after the situation is safe do they worry about the dead." All cultures had a clause like that, and right now they had to save who they can.

"It's a solid plan that we have, and it's time I did my part in it. Lieutenant Gath the Honor is mine, would you like to lead the way?" It wax going to be quite the climb up, but they were both up to it. Heading up to the Bridge Beno didn't want to put anyone on report, especially in a time like this. "One more thing Ensign, if you want to honor the dead here save their friends that are still alive." Beno got into position and started the climb.

==Tags==

[Shione Kurasa]

Shione nodded in thanks to the First Officer and turned to her Ensign; hoping that she kept her reaction to having the most junior officer on the team ordering everyone to halt.

"You heard the First Officer, Ensign, we need to keep up with the Chief Medical Officer. Our priority is to save and protect the living first."

She indicated with her hand directing Mala to follow Lim, adding privately to her. "Do not ever countermand my orders during an away team again Ensign." And she followed the young officer in the direction of the room containing the nearby wounded down the hallway.

==Tags==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NRC Cindy -- Moving toward Engineering ==

As they moved, Cindy waited until they were a little way from the others before saying to Hoekstra, "It can be difficult when young troops are still learning what life is like in the field. I hope I wasn't too harsh with her, but with a bit of luck, she will learn when and how to speak her mind. It can be hard for some of them to learn to work well in a team. Social skills can be a bit of a dance, especially with new partners." Glancing back to him, she grinned, "I hope you don't mind working with me, sir. I've enjoyed working with crew in the past, but I admit that it has been a while since I have had the opportunity."

Cindy carefully worked at picking her path through the carnage of the ship and possibly the remains of people. She tried to point out any dangerous shards of protruding metal or potentially live cables.

== GM Input: What do they encounter on their way to Engineering and are they able to arrive there without incident? ==

== Tag Lt Hoekstra ==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks==

==Input for Hoekstra==

Initial scans showed that life support had been rerouted to the areas where the crew had congregated. The other areas of the ship could be travelled but it would be hard going as it was on minimal life support. The ships structural integrity was compromised greatly in most areas. All engine systems had been shut down, even if they could get the engines working the port side nacelle was hanging on by a thread.

There was minimal power in a few consoles in the area, if the Chief Engineer could get them going he might be able to access the records of Engineering before the ship got into trouble.


==Input for Thorn==

The only thing they would encounter several hull breaches being held together with force fields. They would also find very low air for them to breath.

==Tags==

[Beno Velaul]

== Bridge ==

Making it to the Bridge it was a sight that Beno didn't like the scenery, she would prefer something more lively but so would they. There were not very many people still alive there, but some were better than none. Looking for a second Beno wanted to find someone alive, and hopefully get them to Sickbay and better again.

"I am Commander Velaul here to help." She said in a comforting tone, and brought out a medical Tricorder. "We are searching for survivers and have doctors standing by to get you back to healthy." She started scanning the closest people around. "A small grunt or motion of even a finger could be helpful." 

Looking for survivors the only people that Beno would skip over were people obviously dead, and if there was a small chance they were alive. Tapping her combadge. "Velaul to Aquila we are serching for survivers, and right now there isn't anyone on the Bridge who were capable of answering any hails. With any luck we can locate more survivers, i have hope that there is more out there." 

Beno was keeping her eyes and ears tuned to observing any indication of life, right now there were a minimum of three registered life signs. Chances were good there were more, but they were so small that they had to be close by to notice. If there were any more survivers, she wanted to give them a fighting chance to stay that way. 

==Tag and GM input please==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was waiting for an answer to her question, she was a little surprised when Cindy answered her, "At the moment, we're not doing anything with the dead. We will focus on the living. If leadership finds the need for us to search one of the dead for something, then they could call me as I can do so without violating their cultural requirements. If you must move a body to get access to the living, then do so with as much respect as possible, but priority still goes to the living. The Cardassians may have strict rules on the matter, but they still value life over death."

Jez watched as Cindy looked at Kurasa and the FO, Cindy asked, "If this is acceptable to the commanders, I think we have lives to save...and every second might count."

Jez agreed with Cindy to a point, but Condy kind of contradicted herself, if they were supposed to focus on the living and every second counted, but had to retrieve something from the dead, we have to summon Cindy to the respective location, thus causing delays, meaning that every second doesn’t seem to count in this instance.  Jez was confused, but knew that she had to do the best she could even if she didn’t agree or understand.

Commander Velaul then spoke, "One more thing Ensign, if you want to honor the dead here save their friends that are still alive."

Jez looked at Commander Velaul and nodded her head, “ Yes Commander. I will. “  Her tone was respectful.

Jez then turned to face Commander Kurasa, "You heard the First Officer, Ensign, we need to keep up with the Chief Medical Officer. Our priority is to save and protect the living first." Said Kurasa.

Jez started heading in the direction that Commander Kurasa had indicated, the Commander then spoke, "Do not ever countermand my orders during an away team again Ensign."

Jez walked along for a little while, to say that Jez was a little put out by Commander Kurasa’s tone was an understatement. She had asked the same question of everyone back in the Transporter room before they beamed over, but in typical Superior officer fashion, everyone ignored the junior officer. She was tired of people dismissing her out of hand, just because she was young. 

Let it go, Jez, let it go. It’s not worth it.  You know more about Death rituals and cultural observances than anyone on this mission. It’s your fault for having Archeologists as parents but this has to stop. 

Jez was getting a little fed up with people treating her like she was stupid, she did notice that her superiors tended to rush in blindly without listening to all opinions, or viewpoints their attitudes were like, I’m right, you’re wrong. I’m right because I’m the senior officer, end of discussion.  If Jez had to describe her feelings at this moment they would be frustrated, annoyed, and humiliated. She felt as if everyone was treating her as a first-year cadet, even though she graduated at the top of her class, she received many outstanding reviews from her professors, as well as her former Supervisor, Commander Said.  As Jez walked along with Commander Kurasa, her feelings were tumbling over and over in her head. She was angry, she wanted to scream. However, she was an Academy Graduate and remained calm and collected. Jez admired Commander Kurasa and didn’t want a rift to form with her Superior. 

“Excuse me, Commander with all due respect, if you had answered my question back in the Transporter room when I first asked it.  I wouldn’t have had to counter your order in front of a group. My intention wasn’t to embarrass or challenge you in front of others. I just didn’t want us to escalate an already tense situation with the Cardassians and I do apologize .” Said Jez, her tone low, but very respectful.  “ Oh and just for clarification, how would you prefer me to broach these kinds of subjects should they arise in the future.” Added Jez.



== Tag Kurasa. ==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NRC Cindy -- Engineering ==

Cindy had to pause at one point and caution the CEO, "Let me see how far this goes, wait a moment. The life support is out here and the only air and heat are what is barely able to filter into this gap."

She walked carefully and after a moment, she turned around and said, "It's safe, but you'll want to try and hold your breath as you cross. The air is very thin and the temperature is quite brisk. The air temperature is registering as dangerously low at something between -75 to -95 with just enough air to make it more of a risk of frostbite while not low enough pressure to boil your bodily fluids, just freeze them. Bare skin will begin to freeze after about five minutes of exposure, but it will feel like pins and needles as soon as you step into it. If it stings, it's good. Start to worry when you don't feel it stinging anymore."

Fortunately, they made it through intact. Hoekstra discovered a tiny fragment of ice on his eyelid after they had gotten through, but that was all. The air had been like a slap in the face to wake you up, but no harm had been done. The CEO would have noticed a little frost starting to form on his hand, but no such frost formed on Cindy.

As they arrived in Engineering, Cindy began scanning the people, looking for survivors. WHile she was doing that, she also was glancing around at the structural integrity of the place and trying to establish their odds and how long the place might continue to hold together.

== GM Input: Status of casualties and their environment? ==

== Tag Lt Hoekstra ==

[Lois Lim]

Dr Lim wasn't feeling too well when the team transported in. She noticed two bodies once she materialised and checked then for life signs. "Both dead," was all she said.

Jez yelled for everyone to stop and began to ask her questions and Lois waited just for a moment until Cindy began to answer.

We don't have time for philosophical and cultural question of protocol!

Lim walked away from the group slowly as it was very dark and hard to see where she was going. The dim light of her tricorder showed a passage way. Switching on her arm tourch she scanned, searching for survivors.

Hmm. Down this hallway and to the right is a room with twelve life signs, some very weak and needing urgent medical care and... hmm... two decks down in what seemed to be a cargo bay, a further eighteen personal all with various needs.

"OK survivors in two locations, I'm heading towards the closes just down this hallway and to the right. Follow me," Dr Lim said to anyone who was listening.

Tapping her Comms she gave the cargo bay one a heads-up, "Dr Lim to Dr Langston, prepare to receive about twelve critically injured," Lois reorted as she began to walk carefully in the direction of the injured. She noticed Kurasa and Mala begin to follow.

When they arrived at the room of twelve survivors, Dr Lim immediately spoke, "I'm Dr Lim, we are here to help you and take you to safety where there is medical help."

== GM input, please. Describe the scene Lim is confronted with. Is there any resistance to providing help, and other dangers or weapons? What does Doctor Lim find on preliminary examination, if she gets that far? ==

[Cornelius Hoekstra]

== Moving to Engineering ==

As the other officers discussed Cardassian culture, Niels studied the readouts on his tricorder. The scans did not paint a pretty picture. Engines were down, there were multiple breaches and what little life support remained had been concentrated on areas with survivors. Something terrible happened to this ship, that much was clear. But as to what, he didn’t have enough information to make an educated guess. A light from the women beside him caught his attention and he looked up to see a headlamp being offered to him. He accepted the device and put it on.

The woman introduced herself as Cindy Talion. At the mention of the name, Niels raised an eyebrow. He was only slightly aware of Commander Talion’s assistant and hadn’t been properly introduced. Given his recent experiences with artificial life, he was leery, but had little choice but to accompany her. At least he could trust Talion to have a better grasp on the technology than some bored engineer in a mining post.

“Niels is fine,” Niels replied after the woman gave her introduction, offering her one of the pattern enhancers. “ The ship has multiple breaches and minimal life support. If we can get to their engineering room, I can probably get a better picture of what’s going on and where to focus our efforts.”

Cindy took the lead and Niels followed. As they moved through the ship, he occasionally glanced at his tricorder to get updated readings. Cindy appeared to have a more sociable personality, reflecting on the discussion between the officers shortly after they arrived. Having no real experience of Cardassian culture, he had had no reason to weigh in on the discussion. However, he saw the incident as a failure on both sides. The question was raised prior to beaming over and should have been addressed then, but once the team was aboard the Cardassian ship it was time to work.

Niels gave a neutral “hmm” in response to Cindy’s discussion about the incident, enough of a response to indicate that he had heard her, but nothing to reveal his thoughts on the matter.

Just before arriving at engineering, Cindy paused and informed him they would be passing through a pocket where the life support systems were out. He followed her instructions and moved through the area quickly and carefully. When they entered engineering, Niels took a brief second to get his bearings and get a feel for the layout of the room, then approached a console and attempted to get it powered up.

“If you can keep eyes out for any danger, I’m going to see if I can access their internal sensors to get a better idea of how we can stabilize the ship,” Niels explained, “and if we’re lucky, maybe their engineering records might hold some clues as to what happened.”

Remembering the isolinear chip in his pocket containing the Lieutenant Thorn’s translation program, Niels also looked for an appropriate means to install it. He hoped it would help him better decipher the Cardassian systems.


== Tag Cindy ==
== GM Request - Is Niels able to get the console powered up? If so, does the translator work? Is he able to access the internal sensors and get a better idea of the status of the ship? Are there any engineering records to indicate the cause of the damage? ==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks==

Velaul: Bridge: The Bridge had a lot of damage inside. There was only three survivors on the Bridge, one being the Captain, the pulse being very low but as long as they got them to Sickbay there was a slim chance they would survive. It would be vital for medical to get these three recovered. All power from the Bridge was gone apart from a single console that was partly lit. The rest of the power on the Bridge was in the low lighting and the life support.

Thorn: There was only five officers in Engineering all dead, the environment was very low in life support and breathing for the away team would become labored if they were to be in there for a long time.

Lim: Upon opening the door to the twelve survivors they ranged there was a vast array of injuries. Consistent with a ship having been under sudden heavy fire. There was five women and seven men in the room. Most of them were to injured to be any threat. One Cardassian woman looked at them and spit blood onto the floor and said, "Go away." before her head slumped to the side. Upon scanning them, Lim would find crush injuries, head injuries, broken bones and burns among the twelve. Three of them were unconscious.

Hoekstra:
Power was low through out the ship, Niels would have to divert the power from some where else to be able to power up the console. This would take a bit of time to work out as most of the power was going into life support and force fields holding the ship together. Once Niels does manage this the console would show something in another part of the ship that was still taking power, but what ever it was, the system wouldn't allow him to see it. Sensors wouldn't work very well, the power only gave him two decks above and two below, however the ship damage information would tell the Chief Engineer the ships hull integrity was compromised showing 67% damage.

==Tag all==

[Daniel Brooks]

==Bridge==

[Aquila to Velaul, judging by the state of the vessel I'm surprised anyone is around at all.] came back Brooks voice.

"If we can get Tactical to launch a class three probe or two, we can bring back small pieces of the hull and part of the inhabitanted part of the ship."

Commander Talion then said, , [Sir, I concur. A standard Class 3 probe has the capacity to gather and even do preliminary analysis and is designed for this range. We wouldn't need to modify anything, it already has stealth capability and if needed, it can assist in analysis of any other ship if they arrive while we're gathering samples.]

Daniel turned and said, [Make it so Commander Talion.] before going back to Velaul, [We are doing what you suggested is there any way we can assist in getting the survivor's off quicker?]

==Tag Velaul==

[Jez Mala]

Jez waited for Commander Kurasa to reply, but the silence of the ship was erie, The smoke hung in the air, and the smell of burnt circuits filled her nostrils, Cardassian ships were warm, to begin with, but with all this damage, the environmental systems were probably offline as well. Jez searched carefully ahead of the. Jez couldn’t understand how the Cardassian, once known for their elaborate burial vaults, which were said to be magnificent, contained many artifacts made of jevonite, a rare and breathtaking stone. The First Hebitian civilization was an ancient civilization on Cardassia Prime, not only were their burial vaults lavish, their artwork, literature, and pottery were just as amazing. In the 22nd century, when the burial vaults were first unearthed, they were plundered by impoverished Cardassians, and most of the artifacts were stolen. Some were preserved in museums, but these were sold to pay for Cardassian war efforts.

Jez couldn’t understand how the Ancient Cardassian civilization, which exhibited vibrant religious practice, beautiful works of art, philosophy, and engineering had turned into what they are today. . During this period before the establishment of the modern Cardassian Union, resource shortages, famine, and plague became rampant throughout the Cardassian homeworld, evidently killing large portions of the population. To survive, Cardassian society embraced a totalitarian police state that would be strong enough to provide for the material needs of its citizens. As the ancient religion was a deviation from utter devotion to the government, the modern Cardassian Union was founded as a non-theistic society where loyalty to the state achieved profound importance. Jez could understand how the totalitarian government solved resource shortages and famine and cured the plague, why didn’t the people revert to their old ways? Why didn't they go back to their art, literature, and Jevonite working?



== Commander Kurasa see my tag post # 13.==

[Shione Kurasa]

As they walked Shione attempted to communicate her reasoning for the decisions made to her Ensign.

"Our primary focus is and must be the living Ensign. We have no idea how long the life support will last, or how long the Cardassians themselves will give us to affect a rescue. And besides that, we do not know who attacked this ship and whether they might still be nearby.

I will not ever risk the living; either ours, nor theirs in order to pay respect for the dead. The team came over together, as we are all needed to get to those we can find. I heard your suggestion regarding Security coming first but everyone on this team is capable of protecting themselves and their team, and as time was the primary enemy in this situation I made the decision to focus primarily on the survivors. "

She paused, taking a deep breath as they arrived where the Cardassians were gathered and finished her thoughts before moving in to assist the CMO. "Once the living have been taken care of and if the situation and this ship's environment permits we will do what we can."

As they entered Shione spoke in fluent Cardassian addressing the survivors. "We are here to provide medical aid to you and the other survivors aboard your ship and we will be transferring you all back to your own people at the earliest opportunity, so please cooperate."

Turning to the others. "I have asked for Medical to respond to the casualties in Engineering. Ensign, you stay with the Doctor, I am going to assess the unconscious three."

Moving across the room and continuing to speak in Cardassian Shione will attempt to assess those she encounters and reassure them of the away team’s intentions.

==Tags plus GM input when possible==

[Beno Velaul]

==Bridge==

[Aquila to Velaul, judging by the state of the vessel I'm surprised anyone is around at all.] came back Brooks voice.

"If we can get Tactical to launch a class three probe or two, we can bring back small pieces of the hull and part of the inhabitanted part of the ship."

Commander Talion then said, , [Sir, I concur. A standard Class 3 probe has the capacity to gather and even do preliminary analysis and is designed for this range. We wouldn't need to modify anything, it already has stealth capability and if needed, it can assist in analysis of any other ship if they arrive while we're gathering samples.]

Daniel turned and said, [Make it so Commander Talion.] before going back to Velaul, [We are doing what you suggested is there any way we can assist in getting the survivor's off quicker?]

Beno was listening to the conversation going on while tagging the highest ranking officer, and started to come up with answers. "Captain I would suggest getting these three to urgent care top priority, the man I tagged is the Captain sort of speaking. We can save them but they need to be treated now." There was a brief delay before going on. "What we need is extend your Sheila's around us to give the structural integrity field less to do, and start a power transfer I don't know how much longer life support has before failing. It will also give me a chance to look over their sensors logs." Chances were good that they would answer what happened.

Connecting Hoekstra to the conversation. [Velaul to Hoekstra and Kurasa I'm arranging a power transfer from the Aquila, to you need time to prepare for receiving the power transfer?] She didn't want to cause more problems then its worth. She also didn't want to cut her out of the conversation. [Commander Kurasa I am sending their Commanding Officer directly to Surgery, I would suggest our CMO be there to do the honors.] Beno wasn't sure if she had plans for her or not, and didn't want to appear like she was taking over.

==Tag and gm input on what she sees on the controls ==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NRC Cindy --- Engineering ==

Cindy finally reported to the CEO, "I count five dead. I have their scans for possible identification, if the Cardassians need it. I found no other crew. Whatever you want to do here, your exposure time needs to be limited. You need to have life support and it is beginning to fail in this area. It looks to me like we have no active power sources online. Everything is likely on battery, which won't last long. Perhaps we could fin an operational impulse engine that's still attached to the power grid. That might buy the team more time to extract the casualties to safety."

With hands on hips, Cindy then plainly asked him, "What do you need me to do? How can I help?"

== Tag Hoekstra ==

[Lois Lim]

Dr Lim looked around the twelve survivors and she could tell just by looking that there was a vast array of injuries consistent with a ship having been under sudden heavy fire. There was five women and seven men in the room. Most of the injured were no threat because of their injuries.

One Cardassian woman looked at them and spit blood onto the floor and said, "Go away." before her head slumped to the side.

"Oh loverly!" Lim exclaimed.

At that point Cdr Kurasa and Ens Mala entered. Shione spoke in fluent Cardassian addressing the survivors. "We are here to provide medical aid to you and the other survivors aboard your ship and we will be transferring you all back to your own people at the earliest opportunity, so please cooperate."

Quickly scanning them, Lim found crush injuries, head injuries, broken bones and burns among the twelve. Three of them were unconscious.

"There is nothing we can do for these Cardassians here, we need to transport all the injured to the Aquila"

Lim tapped the comms badge "Cdr Lim to Cdr Velaul, all Away Team members and Captain Brooks, all injured are to be transported to the Aquila, critically injured to Sickbay, all others to Cargo Bay one or two. The 12 cardassian at my location need to be transported to Cargo Bay one. Captain as a courtesy after all the injured are transported, I recommend we transport the dead to the Aquila morgue, because if the ship is destroyed, they will be lost. It may go in our favour with the Cardassians if we can return their dead. I also think that once we have all the injured transported to the Aquila I should return to the ship."

Lois turned to the Head of Security and asked, "Cdr Kurasa, I'd be grateful if you could station security in Sickbay and the Cargo Bays if you have not already organised that, these Cardassians may become quite aggressive once they are attended to and wake up."

== Tag Cdr Kurasa, Captain Cdr Velaul, Captain Brooks ==

[Lois Lim]

All Away Team members' comms chirped and the voice of the Chief Medical officer was heard.

[Cdr Lim to Cdr Velaul, all Away Team members and Captain Brooks, all injured are to be transported to the Aquila, critically injured to Sickbay, all others to Cargo Bay one or two. The 12 cardassian at my location need to be transported to Cargo Bay one. Captain as a courtesy after all the injured are transported, I recommend we transport the dead to the Aquila morgue, because if the ship is destroyed, they will be lost. It may go in our favour with the Cardassians if we can return their dead. I also think that once we have all the injured transported to the Aquila I should return to the ship.]

[Cornelius Hoekstra]

== Engineering ==

When the console did not initially respond, Niels began the work of troubleshooting. There was a slight tightness in his chest as if his breaths weren’t bringing in enough air. It was one of the tell-tale warning signs he remembered from the Academy. Taking a knee, he flung open his engineering kit and pulled out a laser torch. They didn’t have enough time to search for a tool that could handle Cardassians access hatch fasteners. A laser torch would do the job just as well, without discretion.

Within seconds the access hatch fell to the floor and Niels swapped out his torch for his tricorder. He studied the power distribution node for the console and the tricorder readouts. The console wasn’t getting any power at the moment and the distribution system didn’t appear to be running at peak efficiency. He could manually override the node to make it pull power from another system, but would have to be careful that he wasn’t affecting the stability of the ship. Most nonessential systems were likely already shut down due to the power shortage, leaving few options.

“This’ll just take a second,” Niels said aloud to Cindy, “I’m going to try rerouting some power from the gravity generator, since those appear to be powered. You might feel a miniscule amount lighter, but the console should pull enough power to be detrimental to our movement through the ship.”

Pulling more tools from his kit, Niels began making the necessary modifications both to reroute power and to install the isolinear chip Kalli had given him. His work was methodical and efficient. His tools, when used, were returned to their designated spot in the kit. Spare parts were arranged neatly to the side, close enough for easy access. It took a minute to get the console power rerouted, but soon the glow of the screen joined their illuminated headbands.

“Now we’re cooking,” Niels exclaimed as he rose from the floor.

Niels took a second to familiarize himself with the console. The translation program appeared to work well enough. He used the console to double check his power reroute. In the meanwhile, Cindy reported in with her observations.

“As you suspect, it looks like their ship isn’t producing much power on its own. Most of it is being routed to life support, structural integrity, force field generators, and…”

Niels narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, studying the readings. “There’s something drawing power that I can’t identify or access from this console.”

Fingers dancing across the screen, Niels pulled up the ship’s internal sensors, but the power currently available only gave him a limited look at the ship. It wasn’t enough to identify the source of the power draw, but what little bit of the ship he could see did not give him a good feeling.

“67% damage to hull integrity,” Niels said, reading out data from the screen. 

The heaviness in Niels’ chest was slowly increasing. It was very clear that they would need to leave soon. At the same time, the First Officer notified him of a potential incoming power transfer from the Aquila. The extra power would be helpful, but Niels had a bit of reluctance given that there was an unknown system drawing power. It could be something completely innocuous. Or, not.

“Cindy, take over at this console,” Niels said as he stepped aside. “Find me the nearest location with life support still powered, in case we need to make a quick exit.”

[Hoekstra to Velaul,] Niels said in reply to the Commander’s message, [A power transfer should help, but given the level of damage to the Cardassian ship, it will need to be performed in a slow and measured manner to prevent any further damage to their power distribution network. I’ll contact Lieutenant Thorn and her team back on the Aquila to coordinate the transfer.]

Niels opened a new channel to engineering.

“Lieutenant Hoekstra to Lieutenant Thorn, please coordinate with the bridge to initiate a power transfer to the Cardassian ship. We’ll need to start slow at first and then increase the transfer rate once we can verify that their power distribution systems can handle the load in their current state. I’ll handle routing and distribution on this end.”

== Tags ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez understood what the Chief was saying, but she wasn’t sure if she agreed. While speed was of the essence, being sloppy, because they rushed; could cause more problems with the Cardassians.

Jez watched as the Chief spoke, "We are here to provide medical aid to you and the other survivors aboard your ship and we will be transferring you all back to your own people at the earliest opportunity, so please cooperate."

Jez was impressed with the Chief fluency of Cardassian, it wasn’t the most difficult language, but it wasn’t exactly the easiest. The Subject-verb agreement, conjugation, and inflection could be tricky; the closest comparison would be if the Terran languages of Japanese and Spanish combined. Clearly, the Chief was an intellect as well as a warrior.

Jez began assessing the injured to provide triage until Doctor Lim could assess them properly. The chief then turned and said. "I have asked for Medical to respond to the casualties in Engineering. Ensign, you stay with the Doctor, I am going to assess the unconscious three."

Jez nodded her head. “Yes, Commander.” Said Jez, her tone was confident.

As Jez looked around she spotted several injured officers, they didn’t look too bad, with minor cuts and bruises, but they were head injuries and as the blood vessels of the head were close to the surface, thus they bled more causing head wounds to look more severe than they may be, but they could have head trauma.

“Commander, be careful. “ Said Jez.

Jez let out a small sigh. “Doctor Lim, what are your orders?” Said Jez, her voice confident.



== Tag Kurasa & Lim.==

[Kalli Thorn]

== Engineering ==

Cindy stepped over to the console and replied, "Aye, sir." Cindy knew she wasn't going to need to worry about life support going out, but the CEO did and he had not brought gear to help him deal with any structural failures or other loss of life support that might happen on such a mission as this. She was quite concerned that none of the team had done so, but it was not her place to mother them and with such senior officers on the mission, she shouldn't need to.

Niels got an immediate reply: [Yes, sir. Make sure everything is set up on your end. I'll make sure power is available for them to transfer. I'll start it at the minimum, until you know it is safe. That ship is in pretty bad shape and we don't know what it can handle.]

== GM Input: are there any other escape routes, or only the way they came in? ==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks Input==

==Velaul: On the Bridge most of the console were destroyed almost like a power surge, the only thing showing up anything was on the engineering console which was showing a very small power transfer from there to the front torpedo launcher.

==Thorn: there is a small tube running out of the area which would be able to fit a person at a crawl for an escape route==

==Captain Brooks==

Velaul would hear on her commbadge [Captain, we need to allow the CEO to give his evaluation of the situation first. We also have no information about what caused the detonation. If we feed power into their ruined systems and they aren't able to handle it, we could only increasing the risk for everyone over there. If there is weapons or volitile material involved, we could potentially even be putting our own ship in danger." He paused before continuing, "We need to give our people time to do their jobs. We also knew there would be casualties being beamed over before we sent the CMO to be on site.]

Brooks nodded and said, [I agree with you Commander Talion I think we need to be on the side of caution.]

In a few minutes Commander Lim got a response,

[Captain Brooks to Commander Lim, I agree. Beam over as soon as you can. Brooks out.]

==Tag all==

[Beno Velaul]

==Bridge ==

About to say something to Talion when seen all of the stations, they were all mostly destroyed. The Engineering station was the only one working, it might tell her something that she didn't already know. It was showing the power transfer that was happening slowly, there had to something else it would show. 

"Commander Talion thank you for pointing out the obvious already established, we will talk about this when I return." There was a brief silence as she was attempting to gather any other information from the station. It was possible that they were forcing to much power through one way or another. 

"Until then Commander this bridge looks like it was hit by a power overload, if I had to guess they channeled too much raw power throughout their systems causing the overload." Neither Beno or Velaul had much more than minimal experience in the area. Fortunately she did travel with someone who did know these things.

"Captain we are heading down to Engineering in a second, there isn't much more I can establish from here. Seeing how our Friends here are not fond of Secondary protocols, it's an educated guess that it fried most of their systems outright. Best case scenario they can use this ship for scrap after, for now we will conctrate on the task at hand." Hopefully there was something that Beno could learn from the station.

==GM input on what the Station might hold==

[Lois Lim]

== Cardassian Ship, Room with 12 injured cardassian ==

Dr Lim's comms began chirping back, [Captain Brooks to Commander Lim, I agree. Beam over as soon as you can. Brooks out.]

"Aye Captain, once all casualties and deceased are evacuated to the Aquila, I'll beam over too."

Jez let out a small sigh. “Doctor Lim, what are your orders?” Said Jez, her voice confident.

"Ens Mala, I'm about to evacuate all the wounded to cargo bays 1 & 2, they are prepared to receive the injured and the dead to the morgue on the Aquila. If you or Cdr Kurasa find anyone who needs immediate emergence intervention, call me, otherwise immediate evacuation to the Aquila cargo bays and the dead do the Morgue. As soon as I get these evacuated, we'll head to the next location of the injured."

Lim tapped her comms again. "LCdr Lim to Aquila, 12 injured cardassians at my location to be immediately transported to Cargo Bay 1. Also, three dead Cardassian at our beam-in site to be transported to the Morgue."

== GM input are the 12 injured at this location beamed successfully to Cargo Bay 1 and the dead at the away team's beam-in site transported to the Morgue successfully. ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was feeling a bit uncomfortable with Dr.Lim as on one of their last missions together, the Doctor took a controversial stance, in that she got in between Security and an angry mob, but Jez was relieved when she heard the Doctor contact the Captain about beaming the dead to the morgue. Jez knew that showing respect for the Cardassian dead would go a long way.Thought Jez.

Jez turned to listen to Doctor Lim, as she spoke, "Ens Mala, I'm about to evacuate all the wounded to cargo bays 1 & 2, they are prepared to receive the injured and the dead to the morgue on the Aquila. If you or Cdr Kurasa find anyone who needs immediate emergence intervention, call me, otherwise immediate evacuation to the Aquila cargo bays and the dead do the Morgue. As soon as I get these evacuated, we'll head to the next location of the injured." 

"Yes Dooctor, might I suggest we place an isolnear tag on any dead we come across that way we can beam them ober later, it might speed up things." Suggested Jez.



== Tag Lim.==

[Lois Lim]

== Cardassian Ship, Room with 12 injured cardassian ==

"Yes Doctor, might I suggest we place an Iso linear tag on any dead we come across that way we can beam them over later, it might speed up things," suggested Jez.

Lois thought for a moment, taking in the suggestion of Ens Mala. "I'm not sure tagging the injured is all that necessary as the Aquila can pick up their life signs. But the dead will probably need a tag. Let's wait and see what the Aquila transporter chief requests. And Ensign, I'm not your DH so you will need to clear it through your DH Cdr Kurasa, as well."

==Tag Cdr Kurasa - Not sure if you are in ear shot of this conversation, so just jump in if you are Cdr ==

== GM input please, does the Transporter Chief/operator of the Aquila have any difficulty locking on to the injured and the dead, to beam them to the Aquila? Sorry, I didn't ask this earlier. ==

== Also, did everyone read Dr Lim's communication to all away team members and Captain Brooks to immediately beam all injured to the cargo bays 1 or 2 now set up and dead the Aquila morgue, critical cases to Sickbay, as you find them in your locations, please. (see post #24 in this Forum) ==

[Shione Kurasa]

== Cardassian Ship, Room with 12 injured Cardassians ==

Speaking to the CMO Shione assured her that she had arranged for security for all of the triage sites including Sickbay "And there are more standing by should they be needed." She added for clarity.

She congratulated Mala for her suggestion regarding the isolinear tags, "Excellent thinking Ensign, that is very efficient way to keep track of them and the transporter should be able to lock on and just transport them over after we have dealt with the living."

She tapped her comm badge "Kurasa to Away team and the Aquila; the Doctor is preparing to transport the 12 casualties from our room directly to the Aquila and she will be transporting over with them. Ensign Mala suggested placing isolinear tags on the dead so we can recover them by transport after we have dealt with the living; Kurasa out."

==Tag anyone==

[Cornelius Hoekstra]

== Engineering ==

While Cindy worked at the console, Niels quickly and methodically worked his way around the room with tricorder in hand. He traced what he thought would be the logical route of the power distribution system. With each step, his eyes were glued to the readouts on the tricorder. His lack of familiarity with Cardassian systems meant that he didn't know the exact numbers he was looking for. Instead, he worked from the assumption that certain fundamental aspects of shipwide power transfer were of a more universal nature.

"Forty-five point eight one, fifteen point seven three, one oh seven point nine five," Niels softly mumbled some of the readouts as he tried to determine the status of the room's power grid.

If they could get the engineering section adequately powered, Niels knew that would give them a better chance of learning more about the damage to the ship. In turn, if he understood the scope of the damage, he would be better able to support the rest of the away team in extracting the survivors. But all of that was resting on his own assessment of the damage in engineering. If his assumptions were wrong, his calculations off, or he missed something, it could be detrimental to the rest of the team.

== GM Request - Does the power distribution system in engineering look stable enough to begin the power transfer? ==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks Input==

==Bridge==
The station doesn't give much information apart from the ship was on a high coded security mission

==Lim==
Everyone is beamed successfully over to the Aquila including the three injured Bridge crew. All the casualties where beamed to the relevant locations and the communication went all to all away team members.

==Hoekstra==
The power distribution system looks stable but if Hoekstra looked at the other console which had just lit up showing power going to another subsystem.

==For All==
There is a power build up inside the front torpedo tube area, it was indicated a little bit further back from the torpedo bay. It seemed somehow to have its own power source. The sudden build up of power would take everyone by surprise as the ship itself was low on power.

Before they knew it there was a loud explosion which rocked the whole ship, ripping the ship in half, those who were in the Engineering section where thrown across the deck violently. Fires started and several force fields failed in the hull area.

The engineering section had been severed from the Bridge section.

Velaul on the other side would also been thrown across the hallway, suddenly impacting the bulkhead.

==Tag all==

[Beno Velaul]

==Bridge ==

There wasn't much for information on the station she could use, there was still something there. It was a high coded security mission, basically she thought it would mean just border patrol until learning different. She was about to give the order to go down to Engineering, Beno had a real bad feeling with a bewildered look just before the explosion.

After hitting the bulkhead Beno felt winded with small difficulties breathing at first, this made it almost impossible to talk but she tried anyway. All of her speech was not recognizable as words, just recognized as an attempt to speak. Finally there was something people could understand. "LIEUTENANT." She shouted in the could use but slightly slurred. "Are you still with me?" Her voice was still loud but not shouting still.

It took a few more seconds to get her voice back to normal. [Velaul to Away report.] Her voice had a sense of urgency in it. Her first concern was for the safety of the crew. [Prepare for evacuation back to the ship.] Her voice was starting to be a little more clear, but her vision was a bit of a blurr. 

"Lieutenant Gath prepare for evacuation it isn't safe here anymore, we should co-originate with Commander Kurasa to make the evacuation smooth as possible." There was nothing more that she could do there, if they stayed it could only get worse. With an explosion like that Beno knew they didn't have much time before the ship was going to get much worse, that included a future explosion that would kill everyone still alive. She waited for the status reports from the team, and evacuations.

==Tags to all==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was scanning when suddenly the ship rocked, she was thrown to the ground at the bottom of a bulkhead. She felt the wind get knocked out of her. She got up and dusted herself off.

“Doctor Lim, are you alright? “ Said Jez her voice filled with worry.  Jez brushed herself off and tried to get her bearings, there was some smoke and the lights were flickering as if the ship's systems were trying to correct themselves.

Jez’s combadge chirped, [Velaul to Away report. Prepare for evacuation back to the ship.] Jez noticed that the Commander’s voice sounded urgent.

Jez took a step and felt a jolt of white-hot pain shooting through her leg… “Argh……!!” She yelled, she looked down and saw a gash across her thigh. The smoke cleared and Jez spotted a large piece of twisted metal with her blood on it. Jez fell to the floor.

“Doctor Lim, I’m hurt. I need some help.” Called Jez.

I hope the Doctor is alright.

Jez began building her mental shields in an attempt to block the pain, it was a Vulcan technique that her father had taught her.



== Tag Lim. ==

[Lois Lim]

Commander Kurasa tapped her comm badge "Kurasa to Away team and the Aquila; the Doctor is preparing to transport the 12 casualties from our room directly to the Aquila and she will be transporting over with them. Ensign Mala suggested placing isolinear tags on the dead so we can recover them by transport after we have dealt with the living; Kurasa out."

"Wait what about the other injured two decks below us? We have to get them out too!"

Lois tapped her comms and said "Dr Lim to Aquila, did you transport all the wounded, including the injured two decks below us?"

Within a second the answer came in [Aquila to all away team members, everyone was beamed successfully over to the Aquila including the three injured Bridge crew. All the casualties were beamed to the relevant locations.]

Just as that communication ended the Cardassian ship was rocked by a large explosion and the sound of the ship tearing itself apart could be heard. Lim was flung into a wall, and landed on the deck with an excruciating headache. She lost consciousness for about fifteen seconds. When she came too, Mala was speaking "“Doctor ???m, I’m hurt. I ???d so?? help.” Dr Lim tried to gain her feet but overbalanced and went down on her knees. She again tried to stand and was more successful the second time.

"Cdr Kurasa, did someone just fire at us?" Lois asked in slightly slowed speech.
Suddenly, everyone's comms sounded [Velaul to Away report.] There was a short pause, then [Prepare for evacuation ...]

That was all Lois heard as she slumped to her knees and then to the floor, semi-conscious from a concussion.

== Tag all. Particularly Cdr Kurasa and Ens Malab ==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NPC Lt(JG) Gath --- Bridge ==

As soon as the injured had been evacuated, he reported in his unmistakably strong and deep voice, "Commander, I confirm that the injured have been transported. Might I suggest that we..."

They were rocked violently and there was the distinct sound of an explosion of some kind. The ear splitting sound of twisting metal and lights flickering. It was a brief and violent moment, that was then equally punctuated by even less lighting and almost total silence. Gath was comforted by the sound of the FO and she was all business. From near her, his voice was calm, "I'm here, Commander. Don't try to move too quickly, you may have been injured. We should not trust in the artificial gravity, I've activated the magnetic soles in my boots and suggest you might want to do the same."

He was holding a light and was looking around to assess their situation as she began trying to converse with the ship and the rest of the team. The FO could see that Gath had a few minor injuries. His Klingon blood was evident on his face and a couple of places on his uniform, but none appeared severe. Without hesitation, he lifted a large piece of debris out of their way to try and see if they could still return to where they had beamed in. He tossed the heavy piece of ruined ship to the side and did his best to pick his way through the rest.

== Tag Cdr Velaul ==
== GM Input: Are they able to go anywhere and what is the situation with their life support? ==

[Alexander Talion]

== NRC Cindy ---Engineering ==

Cindy was trying her best to make sense of what she was reading on the console. It had limited access and some of the information was contradicting itself. "Lieutenant, if these readings are correct, I'm detecting some sort of power signature that is increasing. It isn't corresponding with the readings from the power distribution and I'm very concerned that it..."

That was when the detonation sent them both flying across the room. Cindy felt the vibrations from the explosion before the shock wave hit them. Her quick reflexes gave her only enough of an edge that she tried to jump towards Hoekstra and do what she could to try and protect him from the flying shards of debris.

== Up to the GM and the CEO as to how effective they wish her efforts to be or not be, but they will have to post that themselves. ==

Initially, Cindy needed to take a second to access her status. She didn't think she was badly damaged, but she could tell from the sounds that it had not been good. Looking over at her left arm, there was a small piece of metal protruding from it. She cautiously tugged it out and after a second it sealed itself, but looked as if there was blood there from the damage. It would take time to completely repair itself, but it was functional.

There were sounds in the aftermath of the explosion. There were pops and sparks from damaged lines and there was smoke around them. She distinctly heard a relay fail and suddenly the smoke was clearing, but it wasn't a good thing. There was a hissing sound that indicated they were losing atmosphere. She tried to get up to look around and saw she was next to Hoekstra. In trying to stand, she initially had difficulty, as there was a sharp pain in her back, on the left side. A systems check indicated that there was another shard of metal that had penetrated below what would be her left shoulder blade. Cindy winced from the pain before turning those receptors off for now. She took care not to make things worse.

She spoke to the CEO, but had to try and make herself louder, as the thinning of the atmosphere combined with the increasing noise was making it hard for him to hear her. "Lieutenant!..." It was too soft of a sound. "NIELS! THERE WAS AN ACCESS TUBE. WE NEED TO MOVE. YOU'LL DIE IF WE STAY HERE."

== If the CEO is conscious, Cindy will do her best to assist him in moving to the tube she found after he requested that she establish a possible alternate exit route. If he is not, she will do her best to carry him out using a fireman's carry. ==

Cindy was impressed by the fact that he had asked her to verify an emergency route to try and exit if things went wrong. This situation certainly qualified as things going wrong.

The transmission came across from the FO and Cindy responded using her comm badge, but quickly realized that might not work, "This sssssssssss Cindy ssssssssssss Engineering sssssss..." A second later the com was much clearer, being routed through her own internal systems instead, "Cindy here, on alternate comm. We're losing atmosphere and moving to an emergency route while awaiting evac. My scan indicates there is increasing distance between our locations, so we may no longer be physically connected. Update to follow."

== Tag to all ==
== GM Input: Status of Cindy and CEO? Are they able to get to the route they found? Is there still atmosphere there after the explosion? ==

[Shione Kurasa]

The satisfaction of hearing word that the casualties had been successfully transported to the Aquila was short lived as explosions rocked the crippled vessel and threw the remaining Starfleet crew around like rag dolls.

Hearing the reply of the Doctor and Ensign Lim, Shione realized that they could not remain

Shione tapped her comm badge. "Commander Kurasa to the Aquila and Away team. There have been explosions here and I am ordering an emergency transport of All away team members back to the Aquila. Those present in my area are injured, and the ship has been further damaged.

Aquila initiate transport immediately, Kurasa over."

[Beno Velaul]

==Bridge ==

Hearing Gath was a relief to her, Beno knew that she wasn't alone on the Bridge. The reports came in from the away team, there was more good news until the bomb hit from Cindy. Her eyes went big as she realized it was a situation close to a reoccurring nightmare, the difference was that they weren't under water. 

Beno slowly stood up from the floor, and Gath was right, getting up slowly was the best way to go. Her vision should return to normal soon, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. Getting her whole team home safely was the number one priority, she would worry about the rest later. The magnetic boots would help Increase the gravity gave out, she activated them before standing up.

"Lieutenant." Her words were still a little slurred. "We need to get the Away Team off ofvthis ship. Whilecwe are waiting on transport, we should gather what we can to tell us what happened." She was sore while moving, but the injuries would be seen as superficial. They were both alert and could walk under their own power, both made them low priority.

"Lieutenant we don't have long here, I suspect we have one minute tops before evacuation." Searching the room her motions were a bit slower than usual, Gath would be able to tell the difference. There had to be something there that would tekk them something, or at very least a plan B to escape. 

[Commander Velaul to Lieutenant Hoekstra, hopefully you found something to shed light on what happened.] Time was short making the next minute more dangerous than the last. She was hoping that Gath had something that could take information from the computer for later, there had to be some kind of record of what happened.

==Tag and GM input on what might be recoverable on the Bridge, and making sure the transmission went through ==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NPC Lt(JG) Gath --- Bridge ==

Gath simply gave the dutiful reply of, "Yes Commander."

He pulled out his tricorder and tried to determine if there was anything still functioning that might give him access to any logs or recorded sensor data. He could make out the symbology on the consols, but most were dead. It was unlikely that there would be any data storage in the consoles, unless a manual backup was being used. He knew that some high security operations he had been trained to have a data stick or other removable memory device installed so that if they needed to make a hasty exit, you could simply grab the memory device from the console and depart, or even destroy it if it were in danger of falling into enemy hands. It was not normal practice on the Bridge of Star Fleet ships, but on rare missions they could do it. He wondered if the Cardassians were as paranoid as he had been told. If they were doing something classified, they might use such a precaution. It was worth looking.

== GM Input on what (if anything) Gath might find in their last desperate grasp for information? ==

[Jez Mala]

The pain in Jez’s thigh felt like someone took a phaser that was set too high, it burnt with the intensity of a million white-hot suns.  Jez looked around to see what might have caused her injury, but the dim lighting and smoke made it difficult. She tried putting her weight on it…..it sent an incredible sensation of pain.

Jez kept reciting the pain-blocking technique. Each mantra added a block to the mental shields in an attempt to deaden the pain.

After a few minutes, the pain was tolerable, she tried to get her bearings. Dr. Lim was a few meters ahead of her.  Jez tapped her combadge,[ Mala to Dr. Lim. ]  but there was nothing but static. Jez didn't know if the Doctor could hear her.

Maybe her combadge is damaged?

She looked around, her heart racing. The smell of burnt circuits and rancid smoke filled the air.

Jez tapped her combadge again. [ Mala to any member of the away team]. There were more static and popping sounds. Limped forward a little;  maybe she was just in a dead zone. She tapped her combadge [ Mala to the Aquila, come in please.] Again there was no response.

“Doctor Lim ... where are you? “ Jez waited, but the rumble and noise were deafening. “Doctor Lim, if you can hear me make some noise!!” Shouted Jez in an attempt to be heard over the chaos. She looked around.  She tried to recall the last location of Doctor Lim.

Doctor Lim was a few meters ahead of her and Commander Kurasa, but just off the main hallway were several smaller rooms, Doctor Lim could be in any one of them or just a few steps ahead of her. “Doctor Lim if you can hear me make some noise. I can’t see you.”

Yes, Jez could have used her tricorder but with all the smoke Jez could walk right past her, as the tricorders didn’t give pinpoint locations, just general locations.

Jez could have used her telepathy, but she was using all her mental abilities to deaden the pain.

Doctor Lim, where are you? Thought Jez.



== Tag Dr. Lom, tag all. ==



>> Bridge. >>

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM BROOKS==

For Velaul: There was a short window for the Commander to be able to download some information from the systems but it would need looking at back on the Aquila. There was only two consoles which would be of use.

For Gath: There was a little information gained access to but would need further investigation back on the Aquila.

For all: Few minutes after the explosion, Commander Kurasa request was activated and the away team where beamed from the stricken vessel back over to Aquila's Sickbay===

[Cornelius Hoekstra]

=== Engineering ===

As he walked around the engineering section, Niels used the tricorder readouts to begin to build a mental image of the Cardassian ship’s power system. It was a bit different from Starfleet’s standard layout, but still familiar enough that he felt confident that he knew how the system worked. More importantly, he understood the distribution system enough to know that it could handle the initial power transfer.

The console flickered in his periphery, catching Niels’ attention. Cindy was still there studying the screen. The ship had little power and there were only a few systems running, so he was curious as to what had suddenly come up. He clipped his tricorder to his belt and started to cross the room. As he did, Cindy reported about a power signature increasing. His brow furrowed as he tried to work out a possible cause. He quickened his pace, closing the distance to the console. Cindy was expressing her concerns, but never got to finish.

A low-pitched rumble like a thunderclap met Niels’ ears. The lights flickered. In a second, the Cardassian ship seemed to reject the presence of the Starfleet officers. The ship’s inertial dampeners were unable or unwilling to keep up with the sudden demands asked of them and did little to subvert the shockwave from the explosion. The deck plates beneath Niels’ feet moved both upward and sideways trying to buck him into the air. The gravitational generators conspired with them to launch the man into the air. He felt a wave of heat against his face, followed by a chilling draft, a sure sign that the containment force fields had failed.

Bright flashes of light forced Niels eyes shut. The sounds of metal being ripped apart by the blast filled his ears. He was blind and deaf to the world around him, sailing through the air with few points of reference to guide him. For a brief moment, this utter helplessness brought him a sense of peace. This was quickly replaced by the searing pain of his landing, adding a whole new cacophony of sounds and sensations into the confusion.

Niels growled in pain as his body slammed against a wall and dropped the floor with a resounding thud. His initial thoughts, an analysis of how the impact was softer than he expected, were immediately drowned out when his body began registering pain. Gritting his teeth, he took a deep and painful breath. Still disoriented, he tried to push himself up off the floor, but his body was not cooperating.

As the pain subsided, Niels’ brain attempted to deal with the torrent of information and regain control. The acrid smoke of burning wires made it through the chaos. It was a sobering scent, much like a cup of coffee shot directly into the veins, and one which signaled danger to a good engineer. The fog began to lift and Niels slowly got his bearings. He looked around for Cindy and through blurry vision could vaguely make out her form as she bent over him. Cindy was saying something. Niels could make out the movement of her lips, but the sound felt distant. Eventually, his brain caught up and translated the most important part.

“YOU'LL DIE IF WE STAY HERE.”

The words triggered a release of adrenaline and Niels summoned the strength to get back on his feet. It was clear from the pain that something was wrong, but any analysis of his injuries would have to wait until they were clear of the danger. With Cindy’s assistance, he hobbled toward the access tube. Commander Velaul’s voice came over his commbadge asking about what happened. Niels reached down to check if he still had his tricorder, but it was no longer attached to his belt. He was interupted by a coughing fit. Each cough sent pain through his chest and he groaned in response. After broadcasting some coughs and pain-filled groans over the channel, he offered an, [I’ll know more once we’re back aboard the Aquila,] then closed the channel.

[Beno Velaul]

==Bridge ==

Using the window of opportunity to gain the information, Beno was working through the pain to gain the information needed. With some hope the information gathered will be helpful, whatever happened here should be documented somewhere. There would be Families out there that want answers to what happened, they deserve something about what happened. It could also be a way to avoid a similar thing from happening again, she spent enough time in the company of death.

"I think I have something here Lieutenant, hopefully it's enough to let us know what happened here." She said while looking at what he was doing, he appeared to have some success that she would ask about later. Right now they simply didn't have the time, she had no idea how much they did have. That was until time ran out and Beno felt the initial process of being beamed out and stood still, she wasn't sure where on the ship they would end up. 

>>>>>Sickbay >>>>

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks Input for second away team==

The away team beamed into an area which was completely dark, it seemed no power was running through this area and they would have to between them force the door open. It would lead to a short small corridor which would take them to the aft part of where the 'experiment' was running.

Once they arrived into the room, it was clear the 'experiment' had access to fire what ever it was into space. The noise of the machine was very loud and the away team would have to shout to each other to communicate. The machine itself, the covers where blown off and all the system was on view, it was hard to tell what it actually was but the console not far from it still had power, it showed the safety fail safe system hadn't kicked in.

The only way to reboot the system was to crawl through a small space to the left of the machine which would bring them to a control box which would need to be fixed in order to make the fail safe work and shut down the system and make it safe.

==Tag all, and Good Luck==

[Kalli Thorn]

As they arrived on the ship again, the darkness was instantly parted by the lights form everyone's suits. On Thorn's faceplate, a wire grid scan overlay told her exactly where they were and where they needed to go, highlighting known objects and structures around them, even into the next room.

Kalli wasted no time. Using an expandable version of a modern variant of a tool reminiscent of a Halligan Bar from centuries prior, she applied force and the team swiftly forced open the doors. The fact that there was loud noise meant that there was at least some atmosphere inside. The vibrations through the deck made you feel it in your bones though.

Before they moved into the noisy room, Kalli ordered over the comms, "Everyone buddy up. We need to keep an eye on each other." Kalli glanced at Kurasa and winked, "Let's do this, buddy."

It was actually fortunate that the covers had been blown off of the device, it made it much easier for Kalli to start following circuits and operations of the thing. Cindy moved directly to the console and began trying to learn what she could from it. A glance around revealed some carnage that looked like someone had been used to redecorate what remained of the walls and bulkheads.

Cindy said across comms, in a very calm manner, though obviously adjusted in volume to overcome the sound of their environment, "I think the effort to shut it down was interrupted before the crew could finish. It appears that the fail safe might still be able to be engaged, but it I'm pretty sure it will take a system reboot. The system isn't going to respond from here yet."

Kalli continued to stare at the system as she cautiously moved around it and pulled out a device, releasing it to let it move around her. The sphere floated, scanned and then moved in a direction to one side. It moved effortlessly, weaving around the small bits of debris that were in the way. Magnetic boots couldn't be heard clicking against the deck over the noise. The small sphere disappeared into a crawlspace, then returned very quickly.

Kalli reported, "There's some kind of control unit in here that shows signs of damage. I'm going in."

The sphere continued to move through the area, scanning in all directions...

== Tags to the entire team ==
== GM Input: Kalli is going to begin to assess the "control box" and attempt to fix it. Please feel free to inject any appropriate information about the process she might have to go through or any difficulties in the repair. ==

[Beno Velaul]

<<<<Transporter <<<*
==NPC Carley Young ==

The first thing that Carley started to do was release the drone, it was small enough to go anywhere but big enough to have built in sensors. They would send the information to Carley for analysis, it could also go into places people shouldn't. The drone can go into places deemed too hazardous,  it would also find survivers if there was any.

As the drone flew off Carley wasn't sure where to start. Her Scientific mind wondered what they were doing, there were a few theories she had but time will tell. "Eyes sharp everyone." Were the only words Carley said aloud. As she was looking around to take in her surroundings to figure things out, she was also need to figure out what was safe to step on.

 ==Tag and GM input on what more she sees and what scanners can pick up==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM BROOKS INPUT=

GM Input for Thorn:

When Thorn got into the control box she would find there was a lot of connections which had been burnt and would probably take longer to fix then it would before the experiment next overloaded.

==Tag==

[Kalli Thorn]

After only a moment of tinkering, Thorn's voice could be heard over the comm, "The good news is that I would be able to fix this, but the bad news is that it is going to take more time than we have. We need to come up with another answer and I'm open to suggestions."

Kalli then came crawling back out of the tight space. There was a look of frustration on her face, but it was mixed with a very strong edge of determination. The small Engineer was not going to give up yet, but she was thinking hard on what to try next.

== Tags to the team... ==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks:

Input for Young: On her scans she could see different power surges going on.

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young ==

She wasn't expecting to like the results, and as they came in she wasn't disappointed. There were a few power surges thatcould be seen. This could be the source of ignition for an explosive situation, they just needed the fuel to be in the wrong place. If this place explodes one last time, there wouldn't be a safe place left anymore. If the explosion happened again, Carley would prefer to be back on her ship.

Part of her wanted to point out how many pieces the ship was in, but that would define counter productive. It would spark more panic, and it would taint any results. "We have to keep an eye out for open power surges, we don't want to get electrocuted." I5s been a while since she been electrocuted, and never wanted that feeling again.  She was now looking for any signs of radiation, and still looking for anything that moves.

==Tag and GM input please ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez materialized on the Cardassian ship, she felt an odd sensation of deja vu. The scent of burn circuits still hung in the air that was a smokey rancid smell. Jez looked around, she could see scorch marks on the bulk heads. She couldn’t help but imagine the ship in its prime; she could imagine an arrogant Gul on the Bridge ordering its men into battle. Jez couldn’t help but think of the positive influence the Cardassians could have on the Quadrant if they were just honest and open with people instead of arrogant and surely all the time.

The ship was eerily quiet and this was on exception. Jez took out her tricorder, and she began scanning the area.

Jez worked it a small tight grid pattern, doing her best to not miss a thing.



== GM Input: Does Jez find anything from her scans?==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks==

==For Young==

The system was clearly critical and the power surges were all over the place but not close to the away team at this moment in time.

==For Mala==

Her scans would show a number of circuits blown and would need a complete overhaul to get the system under control again.

==Tag-==

[Lois Lim]

== Temp NRC - CPO SNP Wedsday Addams ==

>> Transporter Room >>

Weddy moved awkwardly in her space suit with the away team waiting for the inevitable injury or disaster in such a risky environment, floating in one half of a ship that was ripped apart by an undefined experimental machine that was going crazy, out of control, with what could be classified as multiple tares of time and space moving near and around the team members. That may not be an accurate description but it was what Weddy understood about their situation. She didn't like the idea of suddenly vanishing in a space time rift.

Her one job was to help any injured away team member(s) survive until they could be transported to sickbay safely, and that's what she was going to concentrate on. She would try not to think about the chaos that surrounded the team.

[Jez Mala]

After several minutes the tricorder showed a number of circuits were blown and would need a complete overhaul to get the system under control again. Jez wasn’t the greatest Engineer, but she could do basic repair, but that was Federation technology, Cardassian Technology was a completely different animal. Cardassiand have less redundant backups for their systems that explains why this ship is in such bad condition.

Jez pried off the panel and did her best to figure out what she was looking at She scanned the Cardassian writing to have the tricorder translate the Cardassian writing so she could hopefully figure out what system she was working on, but also to make sure it was a system that was presently needed.

== GM Input: What system is Jez working on, What does the tricorder indicate, is this a mission critical system?==

[Kalli Thorn]

Lt Thorn got lots of blank stares at her being open to suggestions, reminding her that SHE was the one that was sent over here to come up with answers and they had very little time to work with. With a small nod to herself of resolve, she continued, "Okay, well I wasn't sent over here to stand around. I guess that until somebody comes up with a better idea, I'm going to try and bypass this control unit and see what kind of crazy thing I can rig up manually. These kinds of systems tend to rely on a containment field for deploying whatever form of energy they are going to flink at people they don't like, so that's what I'm going to work on. Fortunately, fields are one of my favorite things, so let's see what I'm working with here. What kind of field is this designed to generate and can I make it work?"

She took a deep breath and began to closely examine the machine and what components appeared to be generating what types of energy. She talked as she worked, remembering that Kurasa had Engineering training as well.

"The old Romulan systems were crude but effective. Generating a large, build up of compressed plasma, then encompassed it in a field and launched it in a direction. The first ones had no guidance at all. The improved systems weren't much better, but at least they were safer and more predictable. Since this is in the torpedo launch area and not a bank of emitters, it seems safe to say we're working with something based on those weapons, but because it is Cardassian, it is going to be something a bit crazier, intended to be more destructive, and they either didn't think it all the way through, or thought they were being bold and ignored the warnings of those who designed it. I'm afraid to think too hard about what this thing is supposed to be used for. I'm going to guess some form of planetary bombardment, but those kind of weapons aren't my thing, so I'm just guessing."

She then mumbled a few things to herself about things being in illogical places and her general opinions of the idiots that built the contraption, but she was all over the machine. There was a small curse when she stuck a finger into an area and there was a small flash of a spark that left a scorch mark on the tip of her glove. She had found a loose connection and tightened it before continuing on.

== Tag to all ==
== GM Input please: Kalli is looking for some kind of manual way to initiate a containment field. She presumes that it is going to either require containment, or a means to shut down whatever the power generation process is. Does she discover either of these things, or maybe even stumble across some other sort of discovery that points her in a different direction? ==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks Input==

For Mala: No the systems seem to have been rerouted through various subsystems as if the crew tried to stop the experiment and make a new safety shut down.

For Thorn: There wasn't enough power to set up a containment field, the equipment will need to be shut down via a number of commands or via a very small tight space tube off to the right of the system, this would take a few minutes less than working through the command system.

==Tag==

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young==

SHe was still attempting to make sense out of everything she seen, but nothing came to mind. There was nothing that Carley could think of that would make any sense, there had to be something she was missing until there was something new. When she heard what Thorn had to say, there was that ah ha moment, it was a direction that she never thought of before. it was just so much of a classic idea.

"Ever try and fire a fifty caliber hand gun? the recoil is hard to compensate for. What if they developed a weapon that was so powerful that the ship itself couldn't handle the recoil?" It might not be the right phrase for it, but it would be a distinction without a difference. There would need to be some kind of retro fit in order to keep the ship in one piece, there was something else out there that would complete the picture. 

Softly speaking to herself. "This was the same ship that we came in contact with not to long ago, and there was nothing special or notable about them. no noticeable duress on the ship or we would known something. By going to the outer reaches of their space, they could do their experiment without being noticed. If they came here to do it, our presence here had to be pure accidental, and might have caused a condensed schedule making some accidents that wouldn't have happened if they didn't skip a few steps." There was nothing concrete about the theory, but there would be evidence around. 

While Thorn was looking for a way to start a containment field, she was looking into other ways to do the same thing. They had a few options to use for a secondary power sources. One of them sat on her hip, and it was a better use than what it was intended for. She didn't like to shoot it at people, but wouldn't hesitate when the  need called for it. 

==Tag and GM input on the possibility of using a battery==

==

[Kalli Thorn]

Thorn listened to what Young was saying about a compensation device of some sort. there was logic to it, but they weren't going to have time to build or repair anything that complex. Still, she wasn't going to shoot it down.

"See what you can cobble together, but we don't really have enough power to even create a containment field, unless it ties into this things power that it is generating. I'm not seeing anything here for me to work with, but you keep working that approach."

Thorn was staring at the tight access area where she was reading some power junctions and a few components she wasn't sure about. She turned to look at Shione and said, "We're almost out of time. The only readings I'm getting for this thing are pointing me to whatever THAT is. There are components that are registering as some kind of relay system, but they're too shielded for me to scan from out here. I'm going to have to get in there and hope that I can figure out how to shut this thing down completely. It has no outside power source and the control systems are not working. If this doesn't work, we're going to have to pull out and make a run for it, because the clock has almost run out. Stick close and if you see me kicking my feet, pull me out. It will either mean I'm being electrocuted, I'm stuck or we're about to die and I can't get myself out on my own...or all of the above."

Kalli gave Shione her devilish grin as she said the last part, but didn't wait to be told not to. Kalli knew she was likely the only one that could even fit in there. It was also why her gear was lighter and less bulky. Compared to what most of the others were wearing, her gear was half the size. She considered taking it off, but they really didn't have the time and she could tell that although it would be a tight fit, she could wiggle her way into the opening.

Kalli sent DeeDee in first, so she wouldn't have to hold a tricorder, then practically dove into the tight access tube. With practiced moves back and forth, she was in. The lights around her face lit up the small space as she worked to open up the couple of covers that she knew held the components she needed to inspect. She could only hoped that she would be able to sort out whatever it was that some insane Cardassian had designed and put in there, before it blew them up. What she had not said, but had hinted at was that she was also afraid that the same shielding that was preventing her from getting detailed scans of the internal workings she was now buried in up to her backside, would also very likely cause the ship to lose sensor lock on her and her comm badge, meaning that if she got stuck, they might not be able to beam her out. They didn't have time for that conversation.

== Tag Young & Kurasa ==
== GM Input: Well, here goes nothing...this should be interesting... ==

[Shione Kurasa]

==Apologies for absence. Started new job and some other issues contributing to lack of time to focus here==

Shione was equally fixated on how the group could possibly deal with the unexpected level of damage, the limited time available and the difficult access based on the very tight quarters.

She was frankly was completely surprised when after briefing her on what she had observed and detected , Kalli added with a grin , her tone of voice carried well through the helmet comm ...

[I'm going to have to get in there and hope that I can figure out how to shut this thing down completely. It has no outside power source and the control systems are not working. If this doesn't work, we're going to have to pull out and make a run for it, because the clock has almost run out. Stick close and if you see me kicking my feet, pull me out. It will either mean I'm being electrocuted, I'm stuck or we're about to die and I can't get myself out on my own...or all of the above.]

And with only a grin Kalli then simply wormed her way into the tight access tunnel. Shione knew she would be having a quite serious chat when they all got back, but for now there was no other options, and she placed herself in a position to be able to pull the Engineer out at need, looking over her shoulder briefly to catch the attention of the others;

"Kurasa to the away team Listen UP!".  Shione paused to ensure they were paying attention

"Carley  I want you focused on scanning any energy spikes or unexpected that could indicate a possible threat to Thorn. Jez I want you focus to be 100% back on watching our flanks. Tricorder and phaser out, we are vulnerable here; I do not want to be surprised Ensign!

And Wedsday I want you to very carefully monitor Thorn's bio readings for ANY indication she is in danger. I am going to be prepared to pull her out at any sign she is in distress or if the Doctor believes so.

We do not have much time left so everyone stay focused on your role. And Kalli you better know what you're doing!"

Employing her empathy Shione kept a careful watch on the Engineer.

==Tag Away team, Bridge and GM==

[Jez Mala]

Jez looked at the tricorder translation of the Cardassian text, it was confusing to say the least. Besides, she couldn’t make heads nor tails of Cardassian technology. At this moment she wished she was an Engineering Wiz like Lt. Thorn, but engineering was a bit daunting to her.

Jez you really need to brush up on Alien Technology.

Jez made several attempt to get the circuits working again, but nothing seemed to work.

Jez tapped her combadge, “ Mala to Thorn, I have several circuits here that are damaged and I can’t get them working. Please advise.” Said Jez, her voice calm.

Jez looked around to see if there were any manuals that might provide more information about these systems.



== Tag Thorn. ==

[Lois Lim]

== Temp NRC - CPO SNP Wedsday Addams ==

[Kurasa to the away team Listen UP!] Shione paused to ensure they were paying attention

[Carley, I want you focused on scanning any energy spikes ....
Jez, I want you focus to be 100% back on watching our flanks. ...
And Wedsday, I want you to very carefully monitor Thorn's bio readings for ANY indication she is in danger. .... I am going to be prepared to pull her out at any sign she is in distress or if the Doctor believes so.
We do not have much time left so everyone stay focused on your role. And Kalli you better know what you're doing!]

Wedsday snap a "Aye Commander" in reply.

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks==

For all,

The away team felt a sudden change, the room started to vibrate and it started to increase very quickly. The sound from the 'experiment' increased considerably along with it.

In some parts the away team would have to grab onto something to steady themselves.

==Tag all==

[Kalli Thorn]

Kalli was almost finished with what she was trying to do, but just then she felt a change. It was hard to hear over the noise, but she often felt the change in vibrations of a ship before she saw it on the readouts, so she knew something was different.

With a sense of urgency, she said into the comm, "Guys? Talk to me. What are the readings out there? I've almost got this..."

She just needed a couple more seconds...

== Tag Team ==
== Key dramatic music... ==
== GM Input: Is Kalli able to finish what she was attempting? Is it successful? Is she stuck inside the access tube of doom? Will Flash Gordon be able to save her in time or are they all the victims of the latest version of Cardassian BBQ? Tune in next week to find out...same Bat-time, same Bat-channel... ==

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young==

She was happy to figure out what was going on, and how the power surges were going to cause problems. If they were left unchecked they can lead to bigger problems, they could even destroy what was left of the ship. "I am right on it." She said while figuring out what could have caused this, she was tracing back the power surges to their source. If they find the source they could minimize the output, but they would never be able to stop it.

As the ship started to shake, her stomach started to drop. There was nothing good that would ever come out of this, the only thing that she was sure of was this room was going to be open space soon. "We need to get answers fast before this room no longer exists. I would prefer that none of us be here when it happens." The team had a small window of time before they had to go, and not a lot of answers. 

Still there was still time, and she wanted to figure out what was causing the power surges were coming from. It could give them more to work with when they got home, hopefully in one piece. They had to be working on something the ship couldn't physically handle. They should have used a better ship for that, one that could handle the stress.

==Tags, and GM input please ==

[Shione Kurasa]

As the room began to shake and the increased agitation of the device became troubling.

Tapping her badge, more out of reflex than necessity, she addressed the team, her voice and tone emotionless, yet clearly was motivated by the imminent threat

"Carley, monitor the device and warn us if the worst appears imminent, Doctor I want you focused on solely on away team health readings, warn me if something life threatening appears, and"

Her eyes locked with her Ensign's, her facial expressions spoke little of her feelings, but there was a greater focus there. "Ensign Jez Mala, I want you to focus on watching our backs in case there are any Cardassians still aboard, so draw your phaser and use your tricorder to give us warning if someone draws near, which is what I had just ordered you to do.

Is that clear, Jez?"

Without waiting for an answer her tone changed becoming purely professional.

"Kurasa to Aquila Bridge and Transporter room, The danger level has increased dramatically, but our Engineer, may have the answer.

I want the transporter operator to literally have their finger on the button to pull us our immediately if you hear me say the word APPLE, and Captain if that happens you might want to be ready for a substantial explosion.

We are maintaining contact so please stay focused everyone ."

==Tags==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was waiting for Thorn to reply, when suddenly Commander Kurasa’s apple, "Ensign Jez Mala, I want you to focus on watching our backs in case there are any Cardassians still aboard, so draw your phaser and use your tricorder to give us warning if someone draws near, which is what I had just ordered you to do.

Is that clear, Jez?"

Jez was a little frustrated that the idea of working in minimal light didn’t make sense to her, but what could she do. Clearly having more light meant safety and finding the Cardasssians quicker.

“Yes,Commander” Said Jez with a sound of defeat in her voice. Jes took out her tricorder and began scanning for Cardassian life signs, working from a left to right pattern. Suddenly the tricorder blipped. Jez leaned over to Kurasa to show her and she pointed up ahead. To indicate the direction of the blip.

“Commander, it appears we have company.” Whispered Jez.



== Tag Kurasa. ==

[Daniel Brooks]

Captain Brooks went against the COS idea,

[Brooks to Kurasa, permission denied I am getting you all out of their now.]

Tapping the comms Brooks said, [Transporter room one, lock on and beam the away team back.]

[Bridge, this is the transporter room, we lost our lock on the away team. We are trying to reconnect.]

[See if you reroute extra power to the transporter room.] the Captain said to someone else on the Bridge

[Brooks to Kurasa, you may only have a couple of minutes, try and get the team further away from the device to help get a lock on your team. It might be shielding the lock on.]

==Tags==

[Kalli Thorn]

Thorn continued working furiously and a few mumbled curses could be heard from her as she worked, "Kurasa, I don't think there IS a safe area left that we can get to in time. Try having them set up the enhancers in the room we beamed into. I don't know if I can finish this in time or not, but where I'm at might be the safest place on what remains of this ship right now. The energy is going to be emitted from this device, so it is likely to be one of the few things that survive, if it goes off."

In her working in the tight space, all that was still visible of Thorn was the lower half of her legs. She was also rather wedged into her confined space. If she had any more of a suit, she would not have been able to force her way in as far as she was. It was getting noisier and warmer though. There was a hint of static creeping into her comms and although Kalli wasn't going to say it out loud, that worried her a great deal. Her pulse was beginning to pick up a bit, but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She had not lied. She was pretty sure that if another detonation went off, the rest of this ship, or at least this part of it, was going to simply be added to the debris field. if they didn't stop it or get out of there in time, then they were likely to be debris as well. She had seen what happened to people too close to such energy bursts. Those that were not completely vaporized were torn to shreds by the shock wave. The only consolation she could think of was that if she was going to die, it would be quick and painless.

== NRC Cindy Talion ==
Cindy had been doing her best to analyze the contraption and determine if there was anything useful that she could add to the efforts. As the energy was beginning to build again, she focused her scans on exactly where it was building and see if she could determine the point it would discharge and the direction it would take. She had also determined that it was very unlikely that they would survive if it went off and they were still here, but if there was going to be a blast directed in a specific direction, she might be able to find a way to get the team safe enough behind it and not in front of it.

There was also another possible course of action, "Commander Kurasa, if we can find an area open to space, we can try to escape through it and maybe get enough distance from the energy field that is building. The ship might then be able to re-acquire a lock on the team. If a decompression doesn't propel us into space, we can push people away from the ship."

== Tag Kurasa ==
== GM Input: Does Thorn have any Luck? Does Cindy detect anything of use in her efforts to help shut it down, avoid the blast or to find a place where the team can escape off the ship? ==

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young==

Carley received the new order to monitor the device and warn them when the worst was about to come, with how things started to feel they were on their way. What was left of the ship wasn't going to exist pretty soon, it was just a matter of when? When was the ship going to pack it in for one last time? Hopefully when they were not there.

What are they attempting to do here? and why did they lose control of it? There had to be some kind of reason why things went so wrong? Did they not put enough efforts in shoring up their experiment? They didn't exactly believe in fail safes, and that could have been the very heart of the problem. They might have to figure out how to divert the power into something else. something more redundant. 

As she was figuring these things out, she was attempting to keep the stress from getting to her. It was pretty dangerous and to keep safe she needed to keep her head, meanwhile another was starting to loose hers. She needed to calm down a little, and maybe regain some clarity. "Ensign Mala." Carley said with an comforting voice. "I trust your instincts, right now we have to worry about our exit strategy. There isn't much time for any of us." When there was more time Carley would love to have a talk with Jez, nothing official just being friendly

==Tags and GM input please.==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was a bit surprised when Carley spoke, "I trust your instincts, right now we have to worry about our exit strategy. There isn't much time for any of us." Jez had a feeling that what Carley said wasn’t hyperbole, she was serious and Jez had to agree with that assessment.

Jez looked around keeping an eye on every shadow, every sound gripping her attention. She wasn’t exactly scared, just anxious.

“Yes, Carley. I’m looking forward to a nice chat over a cup of tea” Said Jez, her voice calm.



== Tag Velaul / Young.==

[Shione Kurasa]

The answer regarding her decision to press on came swiftly from the CO

Captain Brooks had gone against the COS idea,
[Brooks to Kurasa, permission denied I am getting you all out of their now.]

Taking a deep breath, she bent down taking a firm hold on the Engineers calves. Her voice was calm but clear

"Captain's orders Kalli bring your arms in; I am pulling you out on three. 1...2...3. !"

Shione had a firm grip on the Engineer's ankles and pulled her steadily from the tight shaft she had crawled into and then assisted Lieutenant Thorn to stand."

Stepping back, she addressed the group. "Aquila can't get a lock on us here, so we are going to the closest spot where this device won't interfere. Thorn and Cindy, take the lead Wedsday, Carley and Jez; you follow I am taking the rear."

Pausing for a moment she spoke emphatically "That's an order; let's Move It People!"

==Tags all round==

[Alexander Talion]

== This was supposed to be a Thorn post, but my brain malfunctioned... ==

Thorn had done what she could, but had no idea if it would help or not. There was a scraping and a nails on chalkboard sound of metal on metal as Kurasa pulled her out, but the sound was mostly drown out by all of the increasing noise around them. The small drone exited the tight space after Thorn and the tiny flashing lights on it indicated it was agitated by the intensity of the activity.

Thorn consulted the overlay on her visor and plotted the best possible exit she could sort out from her scans. "Cindy, my scans indicate some kind of hatch, back the way we came in. I can't tell if it is a cargo hatch or what it is, but that's going to be our best bet. The armor plating on the rest of the hull is going to be too thick."

Cindy replied, "I see it." She then began making a dash for the exit. "We might be able to overload a couple of phasers to blow it open."

Thorn was right behind her, her voice sounding uncharacteristically like a Drill Sergeant for a moment, "Let's move people. We're leaving!"

As they moved through the room they beamed into and then into the next, they found what they were looking for. Thorn simply grabbed a small device from a pouch and threw it at the hatch where it detonated with a mild thud, instantly covering the hatch in a shiny substance for about two meters in all directions from the point of impact.

Thorn stated flatly to Kurasa, "Sticky bomb." It was the unofficial nickname for a device used sometimes in Damage Control in making temporary repairs. It was an adhesive that gave a short work time before it hardened.

Thorn and Cindy both pulled out their phasers and began to set them to overload, to then place them in position to make their hasty exit. "Everyone get to cover behind something, even if it is just around that doorway. With any luck, the rapid depressurization will help propel us away from the ship, but I'm not making any promises."

== Tag Away Team ==

== GM Input please: I made a presumption that there would possibly be a hatch of some kind, but not how big it is or how sturdy it might be. For that matter there could be a simple manual emergency lever that they could pull and not need to even use their phasers to try and blast their way out. Just trying to give us possible options. Hey, maybe they can already get a lock on us, but I'm leaving it wide open for the input of GM creativity. I figure GMs need to have some fun too, right? ==

== Oops, logged in with Talion by mistake...I hate it when that happens...oh well, roll with it... ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was a bit surprised when Commander Kurasa said, "Aquila can't get a lock on us here, so we are going to the closest spot where this device won't interfere. Thorn and Cindy, take the lead Wednesday, Carley and Jez; you follow I am taking the rear."

Jez could only imagine what this device was. If you go by their construction of Space Stations, the Cardassians were some of the best engineers in the quadrant,, there had to be more here than what the Away team realized.

Why would the Cardassians hide from us, with their ship nearly destroyed? There is something here that they clearly don’t want us to see. Maybe they are trying to resurrect their Dominion connections and restore the Cardassian Union to its former glory?

That's when Jez remembered the isolinear tags they were carrying, if the tags allowed for a stronger Transporter lock why couldn’t they use them on themselves

“Sirs what can’t we use the isolinear tags on ourselves so the transporters get a stronger lock on us?” Said Jez her voice a mixture of confidence, but a tad or uncertainty.



== Tag All. ==

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young==

The situation was getting worse by the minute, and Carley knew it. They were deep in the heart of danger, and time was about up. There had to be some kind of way out of there and back to the ship, it was just how were they going to do it? Kurasa was doing her best to keep them safe, and even remove them from the danger as they were attempting to escape. 

As Carley was still attempting to figure things out, the new order came to get out of there. It was just where were they going to go? Mala had a good idea about using the isolinear chips to get out of there, the only flaw was no one had any. Cindy was also working on a way for a small explosion, if it was directed in the proper fashion it would pose no danger to the team. The problem was with this sticky bomb was there was no direction to the charge.

"Not today death, I still have a lot of living to do." She said quietly to herself as she took cover, and took out the phaser and tricorder. It took some doing but the idea was that between the two she could create a small electro magnetic pulse, it wasn't going to be large scale but it would do. The idea was not to create more destruction, but to get her team out. The final step that she was going to do was use the drone as a delivery system, the strap from the knife was the only thing she needed. "Commander I might have a backup solution, it dose carry some risk but its something." As much as Carley wanted to release the drone to what was left of the main power source, she waited for word to come from the team leader.  

==Tags==

[Daniel Brooks]

==GM Brooks==

==For all the away team==

The 'experiment' in the room seem to be building up pressure, even for them in their suits they would start to feel this pressure rising.

Some would feel as if they had a headache come on, others would pressures on their bones and joints.

The team would have to get further away from the device...

It didn't seem there was any emergency escape hatch due to the level of previous destruction in the room itself.

==Tag all==

[Kalli Thorn]

== First, to respond to Mala's question... ==

As they were exiting the original area, Cindy commented to Mala, "Our comm badges already have stronger tracking devices in them, so the tags wouldn't help  us. What few we brought with us would be helpful in trying to beam out anyone else we might find that we need to get a lock on for transport. Unfortunately, right now, neither are able to get anyone back to our ship. We need to try and improvise though, so keep thinking."

== Adjusting for GM input ==

Thorn had just done her "sticky bomb" and Cindy was moving to set the improvised charges, when she stopped short, "Kalli, this bulkhead isn't going to be damaged enough for these to work. I calculate that it will damage it enough for this area to depressurize, but the opening won't be large enough for us to escape through."

That was when she heard Cdr Talion contact her on her private channel about an area to her right, just beyond another doorway. "Hang on, I just got a signal from Alex."

Holding up her hand, she quickly moved toward the area. She scanned it and stepped into the area to verify if they would be able to obtain a signal or not.

Thorn cursed under her breath and started to follow Cindy, "What is it?"

== Tag to the Away Team ==

== GM Input: Is Cindy able to verify the readings? ==

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young==

There was something that didn't sit right with what Cindy said, the Com Badges were a good tracking device. They could also look for life signs, materials that wouldn't be on a Cardassian ship. there were more ways but the list would take for ever. She just remembered the tags Mala was talking about were not actually tracking devices, they were mini transport enhancers. They would give no signal until they were attached, and the beam out would almost be instant. She wasn't sure if it was going to work, but it was worth a shot.

"Commander I believe we should give it a try, mini transport enhancers should get us out of here." It might be enough to get through the interference, but there was also a chance it wouldn't, but it was worth the shot. 

==Tags==

[Jez Mala]

Jez listened to the discussion about the problem beaming, that’s when she remembered that Commander Kurasa had instructed Jez to bring Isolinear Tags to tag any stray Cardassians that they may encounter. Jez had a few dozen isolinear tags in her MIssion Bag.


We can use these tags to allow a stronger transporter lock. Thought Jez.

“Carley, would a few dozen Isolinear tags help?” Said Jez, as she took the tags out of her bag.



== Tag Velaul / Young. ==

[Beno Velaul]

==NPC Carley Young.==

Time was running low, and options were lower. They had to get out, and they needed to do it now. The Tags were the best way to do it, and Carley knew who must go out first. "I am certain that one per person would do the trick." Pointing at Cindy who wasn't too far away. "Use the first one on her." As a Civilian of any kind their first job was to protect her, the rest of the team would soon follow as they still had a job to do.

The process that Carley had started for the small explosion was stopped, and instead she was using her system to try and end what was causing the problem, it wasn't present when they went in but was there now. "We are not going to die on this tin can." There was more than a hint of anger in her voice as she attempted to cut down on the interference.


==GM input on potential results==

[Shione Kurasa]

Listening to what what Ensign Mala was suggesting Shione nodded and spoke up.

"That is an excellent idea Ensign give me one and then pass one on to each of the away team.."

She then noticed that Lt Thorn seemed to be speaking about a message from Alex. "What does Commander Talion have to add Cindy?"

== Let's keep the discussion moving forward==

[Kalli Thorn]

== NRC Cindy Talion ==

== Still waiting on input... ==

As Mala began trying to hand out tags, Cindy took one, activated it and tucked it into a pocket, but said over her shoulder to Carley, "I'm actually the very last person you need to worry about on this mission, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Cindy glanced to Kurasa, following her question about Alex's message, "He indicated that this room over here was not showing evidence of the energy field. We're hoping that it is perhaps somehow shielded from the energy the device is putting out. It might allow us to get you all out of here safely."

With a little sigh of frustration, she added, "I would have completely understood if they had sent me in here to investigate, but I think the risk was far too great to send people in here like this."

Thorn was next to Cindy now and commented, "I know what you mean. I've been trying hard to bring the drone program up to a level where people might feel confident enough in it to make more use of it in situations like this. We came in here without even having a secondary extraction route."

Cindy gave a grin, "Look at you, sounding like a seasoned tactician. You're not wrong though. I thought it inappropriate for me to bring it up at the time, but that does us little good now. I promise that if we all get blown to bits, I'll have serious words on your behalf, for the Captain, in my After Action Report."

Kalli gave a tiny huff and rolled her eyes, "Somehow I don't find that comforting. You really need to work on your bedside manner."

Cindy's grin widened, "Really? I thought the small attempt at humor might help a little. I'll have to review my program subroutine on that."

That made Kalli actually give a tiny chuckle, "Okay. That was better."

Cindy simply gave Kalli a wink and returned to her scans.

== Tags to the group ==

== GM Input reminder on the scans of the room and if the Aquila is able to regain signal strength enough to get transporter locks. ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez couldn’t wait to get off this ship, there was just something eerie about the ship. Clearly the Cardassians are hiding something, but Jez couldn’t help but wonder if the Cardassian secret was worth all that they have been through.

Kurasa’s voice pulled Jez back to the here and now. "That is an excellent idea. Ensign give me one and then pass one on to each of the away team.."

Jez handed an isolinear tags to each away team member. “For the best results I suggest that everyone stand as close as possible to give the transporter a strong signal to lock onto.

Jez looked at the others, “Does everyone have a tag?” said Jez, her tone confident, but concerned.



== Tag All. ==