Ayiana Sevo Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 ((Day 98 - Bridge, USS Gorkon)) Marshall: ...looks like they're moving off, Captain. ::The relief was hard to describe, and she watched as it washed over the bridge like the tide. People slumped in the chairs, others smiled, others still bowed their heads, and there was even a fist-pump from one young ensign. All eyes were on the viewscreen throughout, watching as the Cardassian fleet wheeled about in a slow, graceful arc and made their way toward the edge of the ship graveyard.:: Reynolds: Keep an eye on them, just in case this is an attempt to lure us out. :It's what she would do. But perhaps they had been convinced enough by their two day search that there was nothing to find. She hoped that was the case, as it had been wretched living on a ship playing possum for this this long.:: Marshall: Understood. Maintaining... ((Day 131 - Abandoned Research Outpost, 83 Leonis II)) ::...as Blair's away team dragged the last of their haul to the upper deck of the research outpost, Quinn found her attention drawn to the vista outside. With all the doom and gloom of this universe, she found the place oddly calming -- at least here, the people were still alive and prosperous, not doomed by the Prime Directive and Cardassian grandstanding. ::Her gaze was drawn away as Larant approached her, and the ensign pressed the isolinear chip into her palm. She'd given the fiery young woman an odd request, to retrieve as much research data as possible from the wiped computers, and this was the fruit of her labours.:: Reynolds: ::Quietly,:: Thank you. ::She looked down at the chip, then stuffed it into her pocket. Those were answers for another time and another place. Now, she had to attend to the business of survival.:: Reynolds: Let's get this beamed up and secured, then we... ((Day 157 - Bridge, USS Gorkon)) ::...blood trickled into her eye as she hauled herself back into her seat, and she wiped it aside, thoughtlessly smearing it across her cheek and temple, where it mingled with the grime and ash clinging to her skin.:: Eerie: Shields at 34 percent. Phasers offline. Torpedos offline. Rosek: Inertial dampeners are failing and the warp engine is offline. ::No surprises there, given how they were being tossed about like ragdolls with every hit and manoeuvre. She squinted through smoke and sparks at the flickering viewscreen, trying to hold in the cough that the acrid air was producing.:: Nkai: Casualty reports coming in from decks 9, 10, 14 through 17, and… ::a frightened pause,:: we're losing antimatter containment. ::For a moment, Quinn swore her heart actually stopped. Was this it? Was this how it was all going to end? In that moment, all she could think of was Dylan and Amelia, and that hurt so much she could barely breathe.:: Sevo: Captain, I have an idea... ((Day 185 - Port Nacelle, USS Gorkon)) ::...Stoyer looked at her, and she could see the concern etching deep lines into his face. He was looking positively haggard these days, even more so after the recent accident in the fusion reactor that had claimed the lives of several of his engineers.:: Reynolds: Do the best you can, Lieutenant. Stoyer: Aye, Skipper. ::They both turned to look at the problem, and it was not a pretty sight. The row of verterium cortenide coils were scorched and bubbled, some entirely stripped of their inner layer. It made maintaining a stable warp field even more difficult than it already was, and added yet another item to their ever-growing list of desperately needed goods. ::While Stoyer stared at the massive job in front of him, Quinn stole another look at her chief engineer. He was dead on his feet, and that was a dangerous thing.:: Reynolds: And get some sleep. ::He opened his mouth to protest, and she held up a hand to silence him. She was reluctant to do what she was about to do, but the Triumphant crew had been aboard for months now. Perhaps it was time to trust some of them with some real responsibility.:: Reynolds: That's an order. Lieutenant Reynolds can hold the fort while... ((Day 199 - Cargo Bay, USS Gorkon)) ::...it wasn't a big crowd, but she wasn't surprised. This was all-too common an event these days, and it was simply too depressing for everyone to attend all of them. She was one of the few who did, because it was her responsibility. *They* were her responsibility. ::Taking a breath, she swallowed to try and wet her dry throat. No tears, though. No tears for people she barely knew. It made her felt guilty, for not knowing them well enough to feel the loss as only friends and family could.:: Reynolds: We are gathered here today to remember and celebrate the lives of Crewman Teesoan th'Ranthi, Crewman Skalvis, Crewman Devu Levon, Crewman Arash Resa, Crewman Miya Ataaxon, Crewman Tyrene, Crewman Sanjay Patel, Crewman Ayumi Ishikawa, Chief Petty Officer Shelen zh'Raasia, Chief Petty Officer Maxwell Alder, Ensign Pak, Ensign T'Mei, Ensign Marruh, Lieutenant Vrida Prex, Lieutenant Ozioma Babatunde... ((Day 207 - Marketplace, New Donetsk)) ::...her ribs sang with pain, but better the rough collision with the floor than the disruptor bolt that had bored a smoking hole in the wall. Hunkered down behind a low wall, chips of stone flying over their heads as the disruptors slammed into their chosen cover, the Russian woman responsible for their current predicament grabbed onto Brunsig's arm with a desperate strength.:: Nazarova: I'm sorry! Erik came here, he took my wife -- he took Lise! He said if I didn't get you here, he would… he would... ::Quinn dropped her head, looking at the floor, unable to find the words. When Brunsig echoed her movements, the raven-haired merchant paled, tears welling up in her eyes.:: Nazarova: N-no. No! He said-- He promised! Brunsig (Alt): ::He shook his head.:: She's gone, Irina. Erik left her for us to find. ::She half-expected some brutal comment about how the woman should have known better than to trust a traitor to keep his word, but if Brunsig was thinking it, he mercifully kept it to himself. Irina released his arm, collapsing to the ground as though her strings had been cut, and began unashamedly weeping. ::The young security ensign that had escorted the away team gestured for Quinn's attention, indicating the street to their right. There was movement, and it looked distinctly like they were being flanked.:: Tyan: Captain, I suggest we... ((Day 219 - Ready Room, USS Gorkon)) ::...it was pathetic. *She* was pathetic. Pathetic and weak and useless. But it had just been one more piece of not even terribly bad news, and something had snapped inside her. So here she was, huddled and hidden behind her desk, completely unable to stop the tears from flowing as every regret and loss of the past few months rushed in to haunt her. Tam: Quinn... ::The nurse's voice was low and soft as he crouched down beside her, and she turned her face away from him. It was bad enough that she had lost control, worse still that someone was present to witness it. ::He put his hand on her shoulder, a gentle and soothing weight that somehow made it all worse. She shook her head and half-heartedly batted him away.:: Reynolds: Just… ::She heaved a sob, unable to string even a couple of words together.:: ...go. ::He didn't. He hand slid around her shoulders and he pulled her close against him, holding her tight. She could hear his heart beating a steady rhythm and she buried her head in his chest, curling up in his arms…:: ((Day 247 - Ready Room, USS Gorkon)) Reynolds: ...how long do they usually take to reply? Brunsig (Alt): Not this long. ::She cast a weary look toward the three men sat around her desk, asking for their opinions without saying a word. Brunsig had barely changed at all over the past eight months, and why would he? This was the same life he'd been living for years.:: Vess: Ah think this is a bust. We canna sit here twiddling our thumbs forever. ::Vess. Oh, Vess. He didn't know it, but he was the cause of so many of her sleepless nights. His family. His children. What kind of life was this for them? Of course, she had made sure that the few children on the ship were not going hungry the way many of the adults were, and there was an ongoing effort by many of the crew that she too participated in, donating some of their replicator rations to make sure the children had toys and clothes. ::Still, it was no way to grow up.:: Blair: I agree, Captain. We have to stay on the move. ::Dear, stalwart Blair. Quinn wondered if he had regretted his decision to accept the post of first officer on the Gorkon, given how things had turned out. But she was glad that he was here, even if he was not. ::She sighed, sinking back in her chair. They were right, of course, but their options had grown increasingly thing, as Erik Jansen had continued to hunt them, growing ever more ruthless in his efforts. The Gorkon was becoming a cursed name in the Corridor, bringing only death and destruction in their wake. Reynolds: Alright, we'll-- ::There was a burst of painfully loud static, the sound that had long since replaced the polite and quiet chirp of an incoming communication. Nobody batted an eyelid -- they were all too used to it by now.:: Nkai: =/\= Captain, we have an incoming message from… ::he paused,:: uh, the IRW Rh'vaurek. =/\= ::Brunsig abruptly straightened in his chair, and the frown that carved its way onto his forehead was one of alarm and concern.:: Brunsig (Alt): That's a warbird. Reynolds: That's unusual? Brunsig (Alt): Yes. Either our luck is turning, or we're about to get blown out of the sky. ::Nothing was an unremarkable decision anymore. Everything was life or death. And she couldn't remember when she had stopped struggling against that miserable fact. ::It wasn't as though they had any choice in the matter, after all. And now, it was time to...:: --Captain Quinn Reynolds Commanding Officer USS Gorkon T238401QR0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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