New Home?

Posted on Thu Jul 15th, 2021 @ 5:02am by Captain Mattias Richardson [Reece] & Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar & Lieutenant Commander Malakai Starr [Taylor] & Sasha Stone [Whavi] & Lieutenant Clara Lawson & 1st Lieutenant Joshua Young [Taylor] & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Darkness Rising - A Phoenix Lalor Sub Plot
Location: Equinox - Conference Room
Timeline: MD 19 - 09h00
2226 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Displayed in the center of the table was an all too familiar planet, Rigel X. Sasha was hesitant at first to call the team together. She could find a better hideout couldn't she? Surely there were plenty holes for them to crawl in out there. When she came to the realization this wasnt her decision alone to make she sent out the alert, she'd pitch the new base to the others and see what input they had.

Kate walked in with her duster with its hood down and leaned against the wall.

Mattias entered next, while he no longer needed the crutches, his back was still bandaged, a few edges sticking out from under his tanktop. He sat at one of the tables and waited.

Walking into the room looking somewhat worse for wear thanks to morning sickness, Kara offered a tired smile and sat down beside her brother.

Reaching out, Mattias ran a gentle hand up and down Kara's back. "Morning sickness getting strong, isn't it?"

Kara offered a brief smile and a nod. “Stronger than I’d like. There’s only so much in the way of anti sickness meds I can give myself, so I’ll have to tolerate it.”

Giving her a sad smile, Mattias pulled his sister in for a little squeeze of comfort.

Kara appreciated Mattias’ support, he understood what it was like for a woman with morning sickness. His own wife had gone through the same thing, though she avoided asking for hints or tips. “I never suffered this badly last time, in fact I was barely ill at all queasy but next to no morning sickness.”

Malakai entered next, "Morning." He said simply as he sat on the other side of Kara and softly patted her hand.

Kate put her hand on Kara's shoulder. "My mother suffered terrible sickness while she bore me and my sister as well. She had a herbal remedy that worked well. I will get it for you."

“Anything!” Kara rested her arms on the table, and lay her head on her arms. “I’m not afraid to admit... I hate feeling like this!” She hoped she wouldn’t have to keep running off during the meeting.

Kate sat down nearby.

Anna walked in with Josh. Both of them looked like they were the cats that ate the canary. The sat down next to each other and looked at each other. "Want some Coffee, Sweetheart?" She asked Now in stead of flirting they had a new way of tormenting the crew.

Mattias gave the pair a level stare. "Don't make me seperate you two kids," he growled playfully. While he wouldn't say it aloud, he was starting to feel that this small crew was like a family to him.

Josh ignored Mattias and replied to Anna, "Why thank you Buttercup, I do appreciate it and can I get the cream and sugar as well darling?"

Grumbling under his breath, Mattias got up and moved over to the pair. After glaring down at Josh for a few beats, he suddenly changed, acting like an insulted lover. "I thought I was your buttercup!"

Josh just smiled at him, " No, Anna is my buttercup. Your my prickly cactus."

"Hey, I'm your prickly cactus.." Anna said to Josh. "Because Prickly Cactuses have pears, And those are kinda sweet., I'll have to show you them when we go to Arizona next." She noted. "He's your prickly porcupine. Ornery and he goes about quilling people with those spikey things."

"Oh right. Sorry lambchop. Right you are." He looked at Mattias, "Your my prickly porcupine."

Reaching up, Mattias gave Josh a friendly noogie. "Yeah, and don't you forget it, kid." He then grinned, gave Anna a playful wink, and moved back to his seat between Kate and Kara.

"Yes Dad." Josh answered playfully all Malakai chuckled softly at the byplay.

Anna smiled as she got Josh's coffee and sat down next to him. "Don't worry about the ornery porcupines here. They just don't like us tormenting them. And it serves them right. Not only are we going to flirt, we're going to start telling each other how much we love each other. We'll be twice as insufferable, Joshy."

"Right you are snookums and I love you sooooooo much. In fact I love you three thousand." Remembering a line from an old they had been watching.

Looking over to Malakai, Mattias asked, "As the X-O of this outfit, and as my loving brother-in-law, can't you do something about those puppies? They're clearly not house broken."

"I'll see what I can do." Malakai offered. "Though I'm afraid we may just have to live with it as we don't have any newspapers to whack em on the nose with."

Mattias gave him an evil smirk. "What about shock collars. They get within forty feet of each other, and they get zapped?"

"Possible." Malakai admitted.

Mattias chuckled as he reached over and gave Malakai a brotherly slap on the back.

Malakai just nodded and smiled.

Anna spoke."Collars huh? Well not if ol' Bessie has anything to say about it. My repeater likes Josh too." She grinned.

"Looks like you might have a challenge ahead of you Mattias." Malakai observed.

Mattias gave his Marine sister a wolf-grin. Then replied to Malakai's words. "There really is no challange, Mal. Any gunslinger can spray an entire room, and hope to hit their target. A true artist can find their target in a crowded room, place a nine millimeter hole in either the head or heart of said target, and then melt away into the surroundings while the area around the target explodes in activity."

Kate shook her head. "Ascendants. How long are all of you going to carry on like this?" Kate smirked. "And what is this... flirting. One moment you're acting on romance, and the other you're comparing yourselves to plants and small mammals. And I'm reasonably certain a few veiled insults have been exchanged.

Josh didn't answer Kate, he looked at Anna, "Look love, the prickly porcupine is trying to get us angry. what a silly prickly porcupine."

Mattias leaned over to speak to Kate. "It's all just good humored ribbing. It can be used as both a stress release and a method of bonding a group tighter together. Now, take those two," he tilted his head to Josh and Anna. "They are both young and think they know everything, so they act out and test the boundaries of just how much shenanigans we will take before we snap knots in both of their asses." He paused briefly, before continuing.

"That being said, when the shit hits the fan, as it did on our old base, they stepped up and kicked ass. Because of it, I know they have my back and hopefully, they know I have theirs." He paused again, to allow what he said to sink in. "Does that help to clarify things any?"

"Oh indeed." Kate noted. "Perhaps I shall join in." The Alindari woman noted. "Settle down... Or you will find yourself installed into two stasis chambers for fifty years, and studied by my people's scholars." Kate said in her usual calmed tone. "Was that sufficient banter, Malakai?"

"Not bad for a start Arri, not bad at all. A good beginning." Malakai told the woman.

Mattias chuckled softly. He then looked over at Josh and Anna. "Well? You heard the Lady, kids. Settle down."

" Come on darling, lets settle down and pay attention. This may be important." Josh told Anna.

"You got it sweetie."

The door opened and Clara entered followed by Lily. Clara sat down beside Mattias and Lily moved to stand beside Sasha. She gave the room a once over, and was about to ask where their last three were when the door opened again and Jaxon lead Xavier and Gwynn into the room.

Mattias gave Clara a quick wink after she sat down.

Lily nodded at them while they grabbed seats.

"Sasha?" Lily said turning to the Intelligence specialist. "All yours."

Kara rested back in her seat to see what Sasha had to say.

Sasha nodded thanks to Lily before turning to the still displayed holo in the center of the table. "I've located a safe house that's currently unoccupied and up for grabs. It's slightly outdated but it fits our needs." With a swipe of her hand the holo changed to that of a manor house built into the slide of a mountain. "It's fitted with holo projectors that conceal a massive hangar bay build inside the mountain, right underneath the house." Sasha enlarged the holo and it began spinning slowly giving the team a full 360 view of it. "The house is located on Rigel X, but apart from those who already know of it, which to my knowledge is only my contact, its undisclosed."

"Are the remains of Cragen's Compound still on this planet. I want to examine it for anything I can use to... save my life?

Anna spoke. "Your life?"

"Cragen infected me and Josie with Nanites, which have built a type of kill switch inside me. If he discovers that I am no longer a slave..." Kate noted. "It will result in my death." Arri explained.

"Rigel X is a cold desert planet, 40% of it covered in water, ice, and snow." Sasha pressed a few buttons on the consul before and the holo began changing again, first zooming out from the safe house then spinning slightly and zeroing in on a cluster of buildings almost stacked atop one another. "There is a supply port and trading post not far from the safe house that's over populated, so it should be easy to blend in. The majority of all activity happens beneath the surface." She paused before adding, "The population is predominantly Orion, they were the first race to establish a station on Rigel X. The slave trade was said to be diminished there, but...." Sasha's voice trailed off.

"We all know how that was wrong" Lily commented.

"Any chance Cragen's people may still be here?" Kate explained.

"Oh I would say a high likelihood. But he will be expecting us to be somewhere else." Lily replied softly. "Sometimes it is best to hide under one's enemy's noses"

"Hide in plain sight. I believe is the saying." Malakai offered.

Kate nodded. "Excellent, if we play our cards right, we can trace and profile Cragen's organization... Expecially all of his resources... Lily, I think there may be much to be gained by sweeping Cragen's old compound. It may be destroyed, but it may provide the intell you seek.

Lily gave a small nod. "We shall see what happens when we get there. Jax? How long do you think?"

Jaxon studied the Map that Lily brought up. "Three days. Two to get there, warp 7, and we will want to land at night, so have to come in on the darkside of the planet, will take a day to match the rotation and come in in the sensor blindspots." he said.

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Kara looked uncertain. “Cragen will know every inch of that place including its weak spots and any secret entrances! Plus we’ll be putting Kate within his reach again.”

"Rigel X is bigger than Kyle Cragen" Lily said softly. "And we have our holo emitters. Thanks to our taking out his people, they do not have scans of this ship. So we play it safe, lay low. No one goes out alone into the main area of the planet, and we see what happens. Sasha, I take it the house is covered by a shield as well? Atmospheric?"

"It is, as well as the levels below it. The property is outfitted with deflectors that make it impossible to scan. To those without clearance, its just a random mountain." Sasha said a bit smuggly.

Lily nodded "Good."

"I need a few people to back me up as I sweep Cragen's old facility." Kate noted.

“My senses could come in useful” Kara looked towards Kate.

"I'm going to need the support in this place, Kara. They broke me here." Kate noted. "But I also need a few good people with some good phasers. Maybe Malakai or Mattias. I am not going to underestimate Cragen."

"You can count on me, Kate." Mattias spoke up. "Nobody fucks with my family."

"Count me in as well Kate." Malakai added in his quiet way without the bluster of Mattias.

Kara offered both the men in her life a smile. “I can handle a phaser Kate, I’m going with you.”

"I'd prefer our phasers are holstered as much as possible. I want to be discrete, and make sure no word of me reaches Cragen's ears." Kate noted. "I don't want him suspecting a thing, until my blade is at his neck." Kate noted.

"I do like the way you think Kate. Best to be discrete until we're ready to bounce." Malakai pointed out.

"I can't say I'm an expert with a phaser but I'm glad to help in anyway I can." Sasha offered.

"Can we get settled in first before we plan another daring assault?" Lily asked wearily. "Jax, set course."

"Aye Aye" The Pilot said standing and flashing her a grin. "on it"





https://www.vrbo.com/776276
OCC S-What I have in mind.