thor Cmdr. Geoffrey Teller - Promises in Motion

[Alieth]

This sim is a roller coaster of adrenaline with a perfect pace, increasing the urgence of the scene slow and steady till the cliffhanger-y end. @Geoffrey Teller

Delivers again? Oh yeah he does

 

 

((Damaged Yacht, the Skies above the Zet Homeworld))

 

Katsim: Are...are you sure this is going to work?

 

The craft rocked, another near miss marring the deckplate near Nenni's skull.  Geoff felt that made a more convincing argument than anything he could say, stepping back from the console and working his way towards everyone else.  

 

Alieth: ::Trying to impose her voice over the wind:: It will work, Peri. ::She glanced back at the sleek, swiftly moving vehicle that was closing the distance between them::: And in any case, we will run out of alternatives pretty soon.

 

Nozku: Now or never! We're going to be out of there sight for only a dozen seconds or so once we round the next skyscraper!

 

They were gaining altitude rapidly before arcing back on a parabolic course that would see the craft hurtling towards one of the enormous Anroc statues that dotted the landscape.  It was a small, pithy gesture, but Geoff had promised to wipe the smug sneer off Anroc's face, and he made good on his promises.  

 

Teller:  We jump at the same time, we can't risk getting separated in that soup down there.  

 

Geoff could see the dense smog layer hanging over the city and clustered in close, on hand steading himself against the ships edge.  With a hop, he'd be over and into the open air.  He looked ahead, their 'camouflage' nearly in place.  It would be a matter of seconds now.  Then it would be in the hands of Teller's oldest nemesis.  Physics.  

 

Quen: Response

 

Katsim: Sure there's something else we can do?

 

Quen: Response

 

Geoff shook his head and put an arm on Peri's shoulder, trying to reassure the visibly frightened young woman.  This mission had been unexpectedly grueling for his team and Peri had seemed hardest hit by the horrible conditions and general hopelessness.  He'd find time to talk to her when this was all over, but for the moment, they had to act.  The yacht shuddered from another glancing hit astern.  

 

Teller:  If it makes you feel any better about it Ensign, I'm ordering you to abandon this ship.  ::Geoff leaned in, lowering his voice as much as he could:: I trust this crew.  That how I know it'll be ok.  

 

Geoff winked, as if he let Peri in on a secret, before setting himself firmly against the rail, hand outstretched.  

 

Alieth: While I always encourage a vigorous debate about the virtues and the innumerable deficiencies of Geoff's plans, we need to jump.  NOW.

 

Something about Alieth's voice cut through the breeze and caught Teller's ear unexpectedly.  He hadn't noticed earlier, but the spritely Vulcan was almost vibrating with anticipation, eagerly looking over the side of the craft and pantomiming her dismount, subtly shifting her weight from one leg to the other.  Where Peri, Quen and Nenni were all looking over the gunwale with a mixture of apprehension and dread, Alieth was visibly excited.   Geoff laughed, the tension of the moment broken for him, and looked to Quen.  

 

Teller:  Doc, the CMO is showing an unhealthy excitement about all this, don't you think?  

 

Quen: Response

 

Their moment came, the tops of towers aligning to give them a few seconds of obscurity from the eyes of their pursuers.  The incoming fire mercifully ceased and Geoff could feel himself going light, the craft at the very top of its arc before plummeting back downwards and away from them.  If they had plotted the course right, they were at nearly 2000m now.  It would take them nearly a minute to fall all the way to the ground, but Geoff hoped that would give them time to spare.  

 

Nozku: We're out of time for this!

 

Katsim: Sir, I officially go on record that I don't like this plan.  

 

Geoff nodded and in reply, stepped to the rail, the first to jump.  It had been his plan, after all.  The instant updraft made Teller's eyes water before he managed to roll over, watching the rest of his team leave the yacht in a tight string behind him.  Even Nenni floated freely and for a moment, everything was oddly peaceful.  There was no sense of relative motion, no sensation of velocity because everything he could see was moving at the same speed. 

 

Then an Zet interceptor streaked towards the yacht, peppering it with weapons fire, still trying to force it down.  Geoff smiled at that a bit, their distraction working.  Clumsily he rolled, trying to flair out as he'd been trained to do long ago in an Academy drill.  At the time, he had struggled to see the point of it.  Now he regretted not paying closer attention.  From somewhere to his left, nearly lost in the roar of the wind, a Zet voice called out.  Nenni had composed herself almost immediately and seemed in confient control as she gently glided towards Geoff.  

 

Nokzu: (Shouting) Together! We need to get closer!

 

Geoff swam, flapped, kicked and dolphined his way through the air, making a graceless spectacle and very little progress.  Seconds passed but he got a hand around Nenni's forearm, just as he felt another hand grasping at the back of his uniform.  Slightly above him, Doctor Quen had caught up with their small constellation.  With his free hand, Geoff swatted at his combadge.  The roar of the wind was so loud he couldn't tell if it was working but that didn't stop him.  He figured they had forty five seconds now.  

 

Teller:  =/\= Teller to Thor, Teller to Thor, Emergency Transport, Team Plus One, Expedite, Expedite =/\=

 

Quen: Response

 

Worryingly, nothing happened.  They continued to sail through the increasingly polluted Zet air, low enough now to see light shining through windows.  Geoff ground his teeth, repeatedly slapping at his comm badge, still unsure if he was even getting through.  

 

Nozku: (Shouting) Alright, you Federation aliens! Nows the part where you save us all!

 

The hurtled down, each crewman calling for emergency transport and receiving no reply.  Below them, the ground had become visible below the cloud layer.  It was reaching up towards them quite uncomfortably.  

 

Katsim: =/\=Katsim to Thor….Get me out of here!=/\=

 

With successful contact made, Ensign Katsim was the first to shimmer out of existence.  Her sudden disappearance shattered their tenuous formation and Geoff found himself tumbling away from Nenni, his hold lost, as Alieth shouted in alarm.  

 

Alieth: GEOFF!!!!...NOZKU….!!!

 

Geoff's eyes widened, the implications clear to him.  When they had been in physical contact, the ship would have no problem tracking Nenni along with the rest of the away team.  But falling on her own without a comm badge to lock on to, the ship wouldn't see her.  He slapped at his combadge frantically.  

 

Teller: =/\= Teller to Thor Abor....

 

It was too late, and Geoff felt the tingle of the annular confinement beam snatching him away.  The last thing he saw was Nenni's terrified look of betrayal.  

 

Time froze.  In the three seconds it would take Teller to cycle through the pattern buffer, he had a lot to think about.  The first was that Nenni, still alive and falling to her death, would have about 20 seconds left before coming to an abrupt halt.  Geoff didn't know how yet, but he had that much time to find a solution and implement it or he'd feel the shame of that woman's gaze in his soul for the rest of his life.  

 

The second thing he considered was how the modern transporter worked, and it's numerous safeguards and redundancies.  For example, inertial compensation as part of the dematerialization process meant they wouldn't slam into the transporter pad at terminal velocity, only falling a small distance since they hadn't exactly been on level ground to begin with.  Unfortunately, nothing in the transporters safety system could compensate for the orientation of someone spinning out of control. That meant Geoff rematerialized an arms length above the transporter pad with his boots facing towards the ceiling.

 

((Transporter Room One, Deck One, USS Thor))

 

The beam released its hold and Teller fell face first into the transporter pad with a bone breaking crunch.  Dark red spots filling his vision, Geoff struggled to his feet and towards the transporter console.  A visibly startled Chief Larell was already calling for medical assistance, but Geoff held up a hand and slid behind the console, riding the adrenaline for all it was worth.  In his mind, Geoff was still falling with Nenni, still struggling to reach out to her, to grab on.  Now, he was doing it with the ships targeting sensors. 

 

Greaves: =/\= Captain Greaves to Commander Teller. Sir, I've got a nice warm seat here on the bridge with your name on it. =/\=

 

The voice sounded far away, his hearing ringing badly from the wind or the earlier explosion.  

 

Teller: =/\= Standby Bridge, forgot somebody. Retargeting transporters now.  =/\=

 

The room fell away and the whole of the universe was reduced to the transporter controls.  

 

Greaves: =/\= What do you mean we forgot one? =/\=

 

Geoff's fingers were moving fast, disabling some of the very transporter safety systems he'd just been thinking about.  He'd never be able to pick Nenni out of that soup, not without something to target first.  So he wouldn't try.  On one display, he had the computer plotting the descent vectors of the away team it had taken from the transporter logs.  On the other, he was increasing the radius of the annular confinement beam well beyond the safety limits.  Fifteen seconds.  

 

Teller:  Clear the pad, now!

 

Quen/Alieth/Katsim:  Response

 

So he'd beam up a huge volume of atmosphere, air included, and would hopefully capture Nenni in the process.  The trajectory plot computed and safety systems began flashing urgent red.  He was pulling power from all over the ship and channeling it, only one chance left for him to make good on his word.  His vision was beginning to blur.  Something tasted bitter.  Ten seconds.  

 

Teller: =/\= Volumetric lock established, standby bridge, energizing... =/\=

 

With deft fingers Teller's hands slid up the triple sequence initiators, the transporter humming to life.  The system strained and Teller made a myriad of small adjustments, narrowly averting overload and calamity.  Finally, a solitary form materialized in the very center of the transporter pad, curled in and clutching into herself.  There was a blast of residual air with the scent of the city that dispersed and filled the room, but the ships filters had it gone in moments.  

 

He managed to set her down with surprising grace before leaning heavily against the console, his frantic rush having peaked.  Blood dripped unnoticed onto his uniform jacket and console.  The transporter, similarly spent, went offline with a sad electronic whine.  Geoff knew it would need extensive repairs.  

 

Teller:  Doctors, if you're alright, please check on Ensign Katsim and Nenni.  I need to...get to the..bri..

 

Geoff felt his legs buckling but caught himself before hitting the deck entirely.  It was suddenly a struggle to remain conscious at all, adrenaline rush entirely spent.  He wanted nothing more than to lay down and get just a few moments of rest, and his eyelids were getting convincingly heavy.  

 

Greaves: =/\= Response =/\=

 

Nozku/Quen/Alieth/Katsim:  Response

 

Geoff coughed into his hand, leaving dark streaks on his palm.  

 

Teller: =/\= Bridge...Transport..Successful.  Red...Alert.... =/\=

 

Greaves: =/\= Response =/\=

 

Nozku/Quen/Alieth/Katsim:  Response

 

Tags/TBC

 

===============================

Commander Geoffrey Teller

Executive Officer

USS Thor - NCC 82607

Commodore A. Kells, Commanding

V239509GT0

[Ben Garcia]

I had my eyes closed while reading this sim