Struggle of the Lower Decks

Posted on Mon Sep 28th, 2020 @ 8:36am by Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea & Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Lieutenant JG Issac Drake & Lieutenant Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen [Taylor] & Legate Imik S'Niohun [Lia Taylor] & Chief Warrant Officer Man'darr [Naxea] & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor] & Lieutenant JG Heather De La Rosa {Kelea-Salik} & Private 1st Class Durak

Mission: SEASON 4: Episode 1: Know Thy Self!
Location: Somewhere onboard the USS Elysium.
2886 words - 5.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Jess took cover in one of the empty corridors with her phaser rifle. In her mind she could hear the torture they were inflicting on the crew. "Goddesses almighty.. They're torturing them Officer." She said to Man'darr. "It's excruciating and cruel. They will not survive ten minutes if this kind of torture." She said softly.

"We need to find Naxea and take out the main power relays. They will not be able to stand such torture." Jess stated.

Hearing the screaming just made Man'darr angrier. "If I know the Major, she's headed for Marine Country to get Armor and weapons," he said.

"Let's Go!!" Jess noted and then spoke quietly. "Oh... and back there when I was having the shit kicked out of me. Thank you Jarhead, you can fly on my wing anytime."

"Thank you but I prefer to have my feet on solid ground," Man'darr replied, grinning.

*Marine Country*

Jessica moved towards the Marine Barracks with Man'darr.

"Easy there, Marines." She put her rifle up. "Hey Nax... Ughh.." Jess held her head like it was in pain. "Goddesses have mercy... Nax, our crew. They are torturing them. It is inhumane and ceaseless. My telepathy is being flooded by pain."

Naxea was busy dressing herself into her Assault Uniform when Jess and Man'darr entered, having only the helmet left to don. "I know but if we turn ourselves in now, there won't be anyone left on the ship to save us and we'll be completely at their mercy." She donned the fully enclosed helmet with a mirrored face plate as the suit's computer system linked it with her Type 2 Phaser and CQB Pulse Rifle, instantly giving her weapons status readouts and zeroing the weapons into the computer's targeting program for nearly instantaneous target acquisition. Her arm was numb where she had been hit earlier but applied an anesthetic to the area after reaching Marine Country.

Man'darr rushed over to the Marine Armory, drawing a Type 2 Phaser as well as a Heavy Automatic Pulse Weapon, smiling as he hefted the devastating weapon. "We should head to Security. They may have some people there," he suggested.

Naxea nodded. "Good idea. Are you ok, Jess?"

Jess picked up a Close Quarters Battle Rifle and began to change into a suit of assault armor. She prepared a Knife and a Type Two hand phaser. "I'll be fine. The only thing that pisses me of is they want me as a slave. I'm never going to surrender to them. Even if I have to fight these bastards alone. They will never take me alive, and I do not break!!!" Jess slammed a power cell into the rifle. "Let's go get whoever is in the security armory, and make these son-of-a-bitches regret the day they ever set foot on our ship. Show them no mercy, for I guarantee you, you shall receive none. Not from these minds I'm sensing, they view us as animals."

Jessica spoke. "One more thing before we move..." Jess began accessing the intercom controls and she began playing something over the ship's speakers. The United Federation of Planet's Anthem. "That will make trying to break our crew harder."

Naxea nodded before looking at Man'darr. "You're not suiting up?"

"No major. I hate those suits. I can move better without it," he stated as he loaded a several more energy cell cases for his weapon into a backpack and slung it onto his back.

"Very well," Naxea said. One downside to the suits is that they indeed made it next to impossible to maneuver in tight spaces such as Jeffries tubes. "Let's get to the Security complex ASAP as our enemy will make their way there soon. "She turned to the other few Marines in the Marine Complex. "Stay here and guard this area. Seal access points and set up choke points and defend them with anti-personnel explosives and over lapping fields of fire."

"Aye, ma'am! Semper Fi!" the Marines sounded off loudly.

"Semper Fi," she said in return before taking point and heading out of the door

~ Security Armoury ~

Having made it to their Quarters in the nick of time Heather had rifled out a neural inhibitor from her medical bag, that she kept for emergency use. Now her senses were blocked from the painful input she was sensing she stood alongside her husband in the armoury ready to put up a fight if she had to. She looked at Fernando and offered a brief smile, “Promise me something Fernando, if I get caught you’ll keep going. Don’t stop and don’t give up for me.”

Fernando, stared at his wife. "Stop that kind of talk Heather! You aren't going to get caught, neither of us are and nothing is going to happen to you." He added as he began gathering up phasers, phaser rifles. his beloved Garland and even some photon grenades. A war was coming and it was a war he and Heather were going to win.

Heather offered her husband a nod and a smile, “Let’s find any of our people who are free and get planning.”

Fernando gave a brief nod, "Agreed." He answered crisply as he grabbed a phaser rifle, slung his Garlan across his back. Hooked another phaser to his belt and lifted up a sack holding some grenades. "Let's go." He said to Heather.

"I'm with you all the way" Heather nodded.

Fernando smiled at Heather and her determination and courage. "Together forever my love. We will defeat these evil copies of ourselves." He replied with a grim smile.

Imik had taken to the Jefferies tubes when the MU crew came aboard, she was dressed in her Ojnas combat uniform which meant she could blend into the background. She had taken her Ojnas blaster as the MU people clearly didn't seem to know about her, so when and if she fired it the ships sensors wouldn't detect it. She knew she had to find others, so moving along slowly her tricorder picked up a pair of Humans. Leaving the Jefferies tube, she crossed to the door De La Rosa was what her device told her. She pressed the chime and waited, blending into the corridor wall opposite.

Fernando looked at Heather as the chime sounded. "What the ????" He approached the door cautiously, "Cover me Heather."

As the door slowly opened, Imik revealed herself to her two crew members. "I trust you are well armed and ready to fight? I think we had better retreat into the Jefferies tubes, much easier to hit and run from there do you not think so?"

Fernando held up the sack of grenades and showed the weapons he and Heather were carrying. "I think that is a good idea." He looked to Heather. "Back into the Jeffries tubes Heather."

Heather nodded. "My senses will come in useful, I'm a walking tricorder where sensing people coming is concerned!" She grinned as she climbed into the Jeffries tube. "I've been a slave before I'm not willing to ever go through that again."

"You will never be a slave again Heather. I promise you that." Fernando replied steadfastly.

Across the ship a voice boomed. [[Attention federation dogs, you are now property of the Terran Empire. To properly prepare you for your new lives, you will be tested, broken and rebuilt. And your lives, will build more glory for the Empire! Your Ship has been surrendered by your Captain Lalor. She betrayed you to us. And for that, she will watch as you are all broken.]] As the voice spoke there was another shudder and then the ship stopped.

Drake moved down the dark corridor towards the Intel center on deck thirty one. He knew there was several of the intruders inside his department. The security portal had been breeched and Issac saw the large hole the blast had made. He was armed with a Plasma rifle with a low charge on it he had taken from a pile of dead terrorists he had passed in the corridor. Issac entered the intel communications center and saw one of the black clad intruders bent over a broken console, however the intruder turned and spotted Drake and immediately opened fire nearly hitting Issac in the head with a blast. Drake ducked behind a smoldering panel and returned fire buy pushing the rifle around the panel and blindly firing across the room. There was a small explosion and Drake heard the sound of a body hitting the deck. He was lucky. his panicked wild fire had taken out the intruder.

Issac could here music in the background As he picked up the intruders weapon and kept moving through the intel complex reaching his office. The black clad image of himself stunned him sitting calmly behind his desk. The strange grin on his face marking something very twisted going on inside his brain. They both raised weapons and fired at the same time. Issac without any armor took several blows in the legs and was down quickly, The intruder behind the desk stood instead of taking cover and was thrown backwards into the bulkhead of the office without a face..

[[You will be now transported to Arena Station. Where you will be processed and placed in the Arena. Enjoy your new lives. Those who continue to resist, will die on the Elysium. Even now hunter teams are finding you all]]

Naxea made her way up the deck from Deck 32 towards Deck 19. The climb was physical added with the weight of the armor and weapons she carried with her. She paused as she listened to the announcement. A smile came across her face. 'Good. Let them find me and let them die,' she thought as she began to climb again, passing Deck 22. She soon heard commotion and motioned for the others to stop. She tapped into thermal imaging that relayed the readings from her suit's sensors to he HUD Display in her face plate. Four thermal targets showed up with one near the access point. They were about to be discovered! She switched on her internal suit comm to the Jess. "Four hostiles near access point. Continue to the Security Armory. "I'm going to distract them. I'll be fine." She quickly pulled out her Type 2 phaser as her CQB Rifle was currently slung across her back. and pushed into the access corridor and waited for the door to open. A moment later the doors slid open. Before the poor bastard could know what was happening, he fell back to the deck as Naxea pushed herself out onto the deck, feeing the suit absorb the heat and impact of three phaser hits. She raised her phaser again and fired, hitting another black clad soldier, causing the others to move into cover, giving her a much needed break and allowing her to change position in the corridor as she rushed the third soldier, firing her phaser once again. The fourth began to retreat as she pursued, hoping to take any heat off of the others.

Jess spoke quietly. 'They are not the hunters here. I am.' Jess tracked the fourth one through the corridors as he fled Naxea. She did the same thing with Naxea's marines as she lead her squadron. Naxea would push the fourth enemy into her trap. And when the fourth one thought he had lost Naxea. He got a phaser bolt right into the head. Once again, the tried and true tactics of the Fighting Tigers payed off, Jess was in position to pounce whenever the Marines were facing an enemy. "Battle of Thermopylae Marines. There may be more of them, but we know these corridors. Lure them into a choking point and make them come to us." She said quietly into an encrypted link.

"Jess, get Man'darr and the others to the Security complex while I distract theses so-called slavers to different areas of the ship. I don't want them concentrating in areas that we can use to hide in until we get more organized. I'll meet you on Deck Ten in an hour," Naxea said knowing the easiest deck to hide on was Deck Ten. She holstered her Typre-2 phaser and readied her CQB Pulse rifle as she made her way down the corridor. Checking her suit's status--it's integrity was down to 52 Percent. 'Damn those hits packed a punch,' she thought.

"Don't die on me, Major. Don't let them kill you, my sister. Remember, there's no Azhul Naxea without Jessica Vaii at her side." Jess spoke into her mic and looked at Man'Darr and the other Marines. "You heard your boss. Let's move. Deck Ten. We're going to turn the Security Complex into a Fortress." She said in a whisper to the others. "We'll create barricades. Weld doors shut with phasers. Rig traps and conduct ambushes. It's time to use the Bajoran Resistance's playbook people."

Making their way to join the rest of those still loose onboard ship Heather did her best to guide their small party using her senses to detect any others nearby, she smiled as she recognised voices and saw familiar uniforms. “Could you use extra hands?” She offered a smile. “We come bearing weapons!”

"Welcome back to the good fight, Sergeant." Jess stated in a low voice. "And yes, we can certainly use weapons. I need you and Fernando to secure the doors of any passageways they could use to ambush us, then we funnel them into one corridor. Like the three hundred Spartans at Thermopylae, we will force them into one vector of approach. Work fast, Nax is buying us precious time and it won't go to waste." Jess went back to work and moved more bulkhead panels to the mouth of a corridor and began welding them shut with her phaser.

Heather nodded looked at her husband. “Let’s get this done!” She looked to Imik, “We could use your help too if you’re not needed elsewhere.”

Fernando handed the bag or grenades to jess along with the extra phaser and phaser rifle. He kept one phaser and his Garland for himself. "Right with you Heather." As they moved to secure doors to limit any Terran attack on their position.

Serenity led civilian children and cadets through the tubes with the Consul an Vantar behind them. The group numbered 17 in all, 6 Cadets and her own three children among them. As the announcement came over the comm, Serenity shhh'd them all as groans of dismay began to echo.

As the three companions entered the Jefferies tube, Imik allowed herself to mind walk along the corridor. The enemy crew were approaching, she would wait and allow Heather to alert them. This had to be a joint venture, all of them had skills which they could use to defeat the enemy. She was Ojnas, but this crew and these Humans were her family at this time.

Lady Vanessa began to help the children up towards the Nacelle Tube. "Come dear children, up here, climb. We're almost there." She whispered as she lead them with Serenity at the rear. She suddenly opened the door to the Nacelle Tube and brought her phaser rifle up, Sweeping the maintenance room with the warp coils nearby. The same ones that would keep these cadets and children safe from these boarders. "Cadets! Take care of the children. Medical Cadets, see to any wounds, Security Cadets. That hatch is the only way in and out of here. I want it covered at all times."

"Lieutenant Triannath..." Vanessa stated in her well-spoken, harmonic voice. "We can go undetected here for a while, but eventually we will run out of food and water. I think there is emergency packs in here, is there not? Unfortunately we are also a sitting duck in here."

"Yes I know" Serenity said. "Terrans are not known for their kindness," she added softly.

Vanessa got a med-kit out and pulled out a telepathic suppressor. "The sheer amount of torture out there is overwhelming my telepathy. I'm using this to keep myself from going mad." Vanessa moved to the children. "Children.. Gather around..."

Vanessa spoke. "I know you are very, very scared. I'm not going to leave you. We will find your mommies and daddies soon, young ones. But we must stay very quiet. We don't want the bad people hearing us. Can you do that for me? Can you be brave and not let fear dominate you?"

The tired and teary eyes nodded solemnly at Vanessa. "No matter what happens, always remember. It is because we are kind to each other, that we will win. I've felt the bad people with my mind. They are mean, and they pick on each other. They may say it's strength, but it's weakness. Never forget that."

"Yes, Lady Vanessa." That was Vanessa's name through the ship. She was called that because of her dignified poise and behavior as a diplomat, and she didn't mind that one bit. Technically all Alindari were given honorary titles as part of tradition in the Imperium. It was not to create a nobility. Far from it. But it was chosen methods of address like 'mister' or 'miss.'

OOC-Allison: Here is a list of available Marine weapon and equipment. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PKCExNFgfBnzkwFbnYTNPD2eGxz7IadM6VtxOgcNU9c/edit