gorkon Lieutenant Cory Stoyer - Failure runs deep

[Alieth]

I think we've broken Cory a little bit! Still, a good rendition of failure and defeat, good job mate! @Cory Stoyer


((Engineering, Deck 5, Sasu Gol))


Cory had a tight grip on Alieth’s slender wrist.  She had a death grip on him.  Her hand squeezing the bones of his wrist.  He could feel them grinding under the pressure of her grip.  But it wasn’t enough.  What ever had her was pulling her away.  

Stoyer: Alieth, you are slipping!

The desperation in his voice was clear and evident.  His shoulder was starting to ache badly.  Like it was being pulled out of its socket.  Cory kept his eyes on Alieth, hopefully trying to reassure her.  
 
Alieth: No… Please!

O. Marshall: Stoyer! Hold onto her!

Cory felt the muscles in his shoulder pulling.  Pain shot through it and down his arm.  He tightened his grip. Whatever had her was very very strong.
 
Stoyer:  I…. I got her.

Cory tried to sound confident, through gritted teeth.  It felt like his arm was coming out of its socket.  He concentrated on Alieth and holding on to her.  There was a loud ripping sound as the sleeve to her jacket gave way.  Alieth’s wrist slipped from his grasp as the darkness pulled her from him.  Alieth tried to grab something on the icy deck to stop herself from being pulled into the darkness.  

Alieth: No-no-nonononono…

Cory’s now deaden arm dropped to the frozen deck, still holding the torn sleeve of Alieth’s jacket and nothing else.  He heard the others, but could only stare as Alieth slid out of view into the darkness.

Desoa: I have you! Do not let me go!

Stoyer:  ::weakly:: No.

Alieth: Help me!

That was the last time he saw her.  Cory laid on the deck, oblivious to the cold leech through the layers from the cold.  He couldn’t move, all he could do was stare at the place Alieth vanished from view.  

O. Marshall: Alieth!

Cory barely registered Commander Marshall  

Stoyer: ::Softly::  I lost her…….

Cory laid there, not moving, as a flare burst into life and arced into the air toward the spot where Alieth was.  The light showed nothing……Alieth was gone.  He laid there, staring blankly…tears frozen on his face as fast as they formed.  
 
O. Marshall: She's gone! Where the hell did she go?!

Cory’s voice was barely above a croaking whisper.

Stoyer:  She’s gone……I lost her.
 
Just then, another flare lit up and flew through the air to bounce on the icy deck.  Cory didn’t care.  He still had not gotten up from the deck. Looking at the receding darkness, Cory wanted it to swallow him now.  

O. Marshall: Her tricorder! Get her tricorder!

As Cory laid there, his guilt pulling him deeper into a severe depression.  All he could see was the fear on Alieth’s face and the desperation in her voice as she told him to not let go.  It was his fault…  Cory closed his eyes and laid his head on the good arm and didn’t move.  The frozen tears matted to his face.

Bjarnadóttir: Make it scream! High frequency noise! Make the tricorder scream!

Stoyer:  ::quietly:: It doesn’t matter…

O. Marshall/Desoa: Response

Bjarnadóttir: Just do it!

Cory heard that tone of voice too many times to count.  Usually after she suggested something that he didn’t want to do and was being stubborn about it.  Something in the tone got to him.  Slowly, Cory pushed himself up on his good arm.  The one that held Alieth was sore, and he felt like something tore in it.  He finally got to his feet and looked around.  

Stoyer: Where did she drop it?

O. Marshall/Desoa: Response

Before anyone said anything, there was the sound of thin metal breaking.  Then the sound of 2 folks colliding.  Cory looked around to see Petra and Commander Desoa pulling themselves apart.  
 
Bjarnadóttir: That—

There was something there.  Cory wasn't too out of it to have missed it.  He filed it away for later.  Cory quickly looked away and saw the tricorder in question.  Stumbling over to it.  Grabbing it with fumbling fingers, he set a high pitch squeal to sound.  The noise of deafening.  But the darkness fell back. Either the noise or the fact that it had what it wanted.  Setting the tricorder on an engineering bench, Cory leaned against it and folded his arms across his chest.  He felt nothing inside.  He failed and lost someone, a friend.  
 
Bjarnadóttir: That should give us a little breathing space, but not for long. We have to act fast. Can the tricorder pick up any trace of her?

It took a moment for Petra's words to get into Cory's mind.  Looking around again, he spotted the tricorder and grabbed it.  

Stoyer: Let me see….

O. Marshall/Desoa: Response

His shoulder throbbing, Cory grabbed the tricorder and started it scanning. Alieth had a lot of science stuff on it but, Cory was abel to dig through them to get it to start scanning for a Vulcan lifeform.  Nothing. The results showed nothing.

Stoyer: I have nothing on her….  No Vulcan lifeforms in the area.

O. Marshall/Desoa/Bjarnadóttir: Response

Looking around, Cory saw the console for the umbilical.  That still needed to be released.  He looked over at Commander Marshall.  He tossed Alieth's tricorder over to the other officer.  

Stoyer:  see if you have better luck.  I need to get the umbilical released.

O. Marshall/Desoa/Bjarnadóttir: Response

Without another word, Cory headed to the umbilical release console.


Lieutenant Cory Stoyer
Helm/Comms/Ops Officer
USS Gorkon
C239111CS0

Edited April 7, 2022 by Alieth

[Bryce Tagren-Quinn]

A powerful piece! Well done, @Cory Stoyer!