05-09-2025, 10:30 PM
== Leo Alden and NRC's Radley, Bandit & Stripe ==
== This post was also finalised and posted with permission ==
Leo's gaze remained locked on the body. The one pinned to the wall.
The smoke was mostly gone now, but some of the remnants wafted around the ceiling. The heat too had subsided, only small and sparse plasma fires remained, but the usually cold metal walls still radiated the heat inflicted upon it by the infernos, and it hissed and creaked in places as the temperature slowly fell.
You have a job to do. Breathe. You have a job to do. Breathe. You have a job to do.
Not seeing the large figure rise from his knees and step up to him, Leo shuddered slightly as a hand was placed on his shoulder moments before he heard a jumble of words. All Leo really picked out was Academy, nightmare, Klingon, drilled, safety, pain and help.
Leo stood, eyes still locked in place on the remaining casualty as the male's words fell on deaf ears. Not completely missed but they landed in the currently empty space between his ears.
"Midshipman. As you are the senior officer from Security currently present, you're in charge of investigating this mess as well. Regardless of who we've lost, for the sake of the many, what you find here may save the lives of others.”
The seemingly gentle giant next to him continued a little more clearly now. This time however, the words, almost as if they had pinched him, made him stand a little taller. Leo did nothing to acknowledge the combat medic and instead, walked forwards, closer to the body, still not looking at anything else but that body.
His surroundings and his senses remained blurry, as if he was there and not there until another hand was placed on his shoulder roughly.
"Are you deaf?" The voice asked in jest unbeknownst that he'd scared the Midshipman half to death. "Sorry, kidding, really. Are you alright?" The man finished with more of a comforting tone.
Leo turned his head and looked blankly at Radley, almost as if he was looking through him, past him even. Like he was a ghost. He breathed through his nose and shook his head gently. Not in disagreement, but just enough to dismiss the question.
Looking around, he also noticed that Radley had come with others. His request for assistance had been answered. One of the men sent with Radley was putting the last of the green flames to rest and the other started to look around as if searching for something he'd lost. Leo supposed he was just assessing the damages and structural integrity of their surroundings but ultimately, he paid no heed to the men.
Not unkindly, maybe the shock was still rattling his cage, but he finally saw Beinn standing a few steps behind him too. Realising that the man, trained to kill probably from birth, had just offered an ear should one be needed, Leo nodded his gratitude before very quietly saying, “Thank you.”
Radley lingered beside Leo, calmly and reassuringly. But even his gaze flicked between Leo and the body on display like a gallery's latest acquisition. Leo felt the man's grip tighten on his shoulder. Not aggressively or rudely, but questioningly. Turning his head to look at the trapped body once more and then back to the man who was essentially holding him up at this point, he mumbled his words.
"I'm… still standing."
He no longer felt the shock, not exactly. But something colder had begun to settle in, like frost under his skin.
"And we have a job to do. Would you..." He said as he stared at the body, somehow unable to rip his gaze from its unearthly sight.
"Beinn.” He said a little louder. “Would you and Radley help me get the body down? Please?." He finished very quietly.
The sound of scuffing boots began to fill Alden’s ears as the men moved to assist, and then the murmuring of somebody behind them talking quietly to himself. The sounds became louder as if he had, as Radley had asked, been momentarily deaf. He shook the notion from his head as he and his teammates began removing the debris that had halted any chance of help for this person and eventually laid them carefully on the floor.
He knew the face, but couldn't place the name and something so silly as that, upset him even more. He didn't know why but it did. He glanced at Radley standing next to him, then to Bandit and Stripe moving about the space and then to Beinn who stood with a preternatural calm before returning his eyes to the lifeless body.
“Kal.” Leo started, second guessing his selection of the wolf's name. “Would you see that this officer gets to sickbay as well please?”
Leo's throat tightened as he spoke and his skin grew colder still. He noted the occasional look Radley kept giving him, not of judgement, but intent.
Ah. So you're here to check up on me.
Good.
He became more steady now that reality and the weight of Kal-Geal's words were setting in.
‘You are the senior officer from Security currently present, you're in charge.’
You. Have. A. Job. To. Do!
He looked around at the mess as he finished regaining his focus. He knew the gentlemen who were sent here to assist him but not that well. And given that two of them, possibly all three, were a rank above himself, he tried his luck. His voice began to flow without thought, giving out orders as if he'd been doing it for many years.
“Beinn, I'll leave you to deal with the crewman as now there are some extra hands, see if sickbay needs assistance, just in case. We're heading to the shuttle bay if they don't.”
"Bandit.” He shouted to the man still checking for any serious damages. “Let engineering know if there's any dangerous bits that need immediate attention."
He turned to face Stripe, who was just putting out the last embers of the wicked fire that would not relent.
"Get that out now and follow me."
His voice grew in confidence tenfold. Whether it was a mask against the bleakness, a response to Radley, who he suspected had been sent to check on him, or because the warrior turned healer may also be assessing, Leo wasn’t sure. But he buried any further emotion and doubt and continued to take charge.
"Radley. You too. Let's go see how bad the shuttle got it."
Leaving Bandit to assess the current state of the hallway and Beinn to deal with the fallen crew member, the three officers strode towards the remnants of the door to the shuttle bay where the Glennis had been sitting pretty and waiting for her moment.
== Open Tag ==
== GM Input - As Leo and his new teammates, Radley and Stripe, approach the origin of the explosion to begin investigating. A)What state are the doors to the bay in (Smashed open, broken but accessible if the climb/crawl or Damaged beyond belief and have no way to get in)? And B) If they do get into the shuttle bay, what might they see, condition wise?
== This post was also finalised and posted with permission ==
Leo's gaze remained locked on the body. The one pinned to the wall.
The smoke was mostly gone now, but some of the remnants wafted around the ceiling. The heat too had subsided, only small and sparse plasma fires remained, but the usually cold metal walls still radiated the heat inflicted upon it by the infernos, and it hissed and creaked in places as the temperature slowly fell.
You have a job to do. Breathe. You have a job to do. Breathe. You have a job to do.
Not seeing the large figure rise from his knees and step up to him, Leo shuddered slightly as a hand was placed on his shoulder moments before he heard a jumble of words. All Leo really picked out was Academy, nightmare, Klingon, drilled, safety, pain and help.
Leo stood, eyes still locked in place on the remaining casualty as the male's words fell on deaf ears. Not completely missed but they landed in the currently empty space between his ears.
"Midshipman. As you are the senior officer from Security currently present, you're in charge of investigating this mess as well. Regardless of who we've lost, for the sake of the many, what you find here may save the lives of others.”
The seemingly gentle giant next to him continued a little more clearly now. This time however, the words, almost as if they had pinched him, made him stand a little taller. Leo did nothing to acknowledge the combat medic and instead, walked forwards, closer to the body, still not looking at anything else but that body.
His surroundings and his senses remained blurry, as if he was there and not there until another hand was placed on his shoulder roughly.
"Are you deaf?" The voice asked in jest unbeknownst that he'd scared the Midshipman half to death. "Sorry, kidding, really. Are you alright?" The man finished with more of a comforting tone.
Leo turned his head and looked blankly at Radley, almost as if he was looking through him, past him even. Like he was a ghost. He breathed through his nose and shook his head gently. Not in disagreement, but just enough to dismiss the question.
Looking around, he also noticed that Radley had come with others. His request for assistance had been answered. One of the men sent with Radley was putting the last of the green flames to rest and the other started to look around as if searching for something he'd lost. Leo supposed he was just assessing the damages and structural integrity of their surroundings but ultimately, he paid no heed to the men.
Not unkindly, maybe the shock was still rattling his cage, but he finally saw Beinn standing a few steps behind him too. Realising that the man, trained to kill probably from birth, had just offered an ear should one be needed, Leo nodded his gratitude before very quietly saying, “Thank you.”
Radley lingered beside Leo, calmly and reassuringly. But even his gaze flicked between Leo and the body on display like a gallery's latest acquisition. Leo felt the man's grip tighten on his shoulder. Not aggressively or rudely, but questioningly. Turning his head to look at the trapped body once more and then back to the man who was essentially holding him up at this point, he mumbled his words.
"I'm… still standing."
He no longer felt the shock, not exactly. But something colder had begun to settle in, like frost under his skin.
"And we have a job to do. Would you..." He said as he stared at the body, somehow unable to rip his gaze from its unearthly sight.
"Beinn.” He said a little louder. “Would you and Radley help me get the body down? Please?." He finished very quietly.
The sound of scuffing boots began to fill Alden’s ears as the men moved to assist, and then the murmuring of somebody behind them talking quietly to himself. The sounds became louder as if he had, as Radley had asked, been momentarily deaf. He shook the notion from his head as he and his teammates began removing the debris that had halted any chance of help for this person and eventually laid them carefully on the floor.
He knew the face, but couldn't place the name and something so silly as that, upset him even more. He didn't know why but it did. He glanced at Radley standing next to him, then to Bandit and Stripe moving about the space and then to Beinn who stood with a preternatural calm before returning his eyes to the lifeless body.
“Kal.” Leo started, second guessing his selection of the wolf's name. “Would you see that this officer gets to sickbay as well please?”
Leo's throat tightened as he spoke and his skin grew colder still. He noted the occasional look Radley kept giving him, not of judgement, but intent.
Ah. So you're here to check up on me.
Good.
He became more steady now that reality and the weight of Kal-Geal's words were setting in.
‘You are the senior officer from Security currently present, you're in charge.’
You. Have. A. Job. To. Do!
He looked around at the mess as he finished regaining his focus. He knew the gentlemen who were sent here to assist him but not that well. And given that two of them, possibly all three, were a rank above himself, he tried his luck. His voice began to flow without thought, giving out orders as if he'd been doing it for many years.
“Beinn, I'll leave you to deal with the crewman as now there are some extra hands, see if sickbay needs assistance, just in case. We're heading to the shuttle bay if they don't.”
"Bandit.” He shouted to the man still checking for any serious damages. “Let engineering know if there's any dangerous bits that need immediate attention."
He turned to face Stripe, who was just putting out the last embers of the wicked fire that would not relent.
"Get that out now and follow me."
His voice grew in confidence tenfold. Whether it was a mask against the bleakness, a response to Radley, who he suspected had been sent to check on him, or because the warrior turned healer may also be assessing, Leo wasn’t sure. But he buried any further emotion and doubt and continued to take charge.
"Radley. You too. Let's go see how bad the shuttle got it."
Leaving Bandit to assess the current state of the hallway and Beinn to deal with the fallen crew member, the three officers strode towards the remnants of the door to the shuttle bay where the Glennis had been sitting pretty and waiting for her moment.
== Open Tag ==
== GM Input - As Leo and his new teammates, Radley and Stripe, approach the origin of the explosion to begin investigating. A)What state are the doors to the bay in (Smashed open, broken but accessible if the climb/crawl or Damaged beyond belief and have no way to get in)? And B) If they do get into the shuttle bay, what might they see, condition wise?