Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Jul 20, 2020 2:50:34 GMT
[Jeren - Blue Beta Bar]
Jeren was begining to become concerned that he may be losing control over the situation. He weighed up releasing this Aune. On one hand allowing him to go would remove a potentially dangerous and unpredictable hostage that could cause problems. On the other hand, if he were to release him along with the underaged and elderly hostages he would appear weak, like he was easy to take advantage of. That he could not have. "I am willing to release either the wounded, underaged, and elderly hostages that your Commander has requested of me, as a show of good faith, or Mister Aune and his wounded friend. I will not release both. I am willing to negotiate with you and your Commander, however you ask too much of me at this time," he stated calmly, his demeanour very much hiding the increasingly insidious nerves he was facing internally. "As for the Computer Core, I cannot withdraw my men without a reciprocal action from you. I will withdraw them on the condition that they may keep their arms and be escorted to your Docking Bay to be provided with a warp capable vessel. If you do not grant us this and attempt to retake the Core, there will be bloodshed. You may win, but are you prepared for that cost?" [ Leanna - Hostage Area, Blue Beta] Leanna may of returned to almost silence apart from the odd hushed word with the other hostages, but that didn't meant that the Betazoid hadn't been listening. Besides she saw no point in becoming completely distracted by the events still unfolding right in front of her, even if she had wanted to retract within herself and focus on more happier times. With her senses no longer hidden, she allowed the emotions of the room to swarm around her, filtering out where necessary especially the hurt, distress and the slow ebb of life slipping away from Xander as well as the negotiations. She knew it wouldn't be easy for such a junior officer to be the one to negotiate between their captors and his superiors but she admired his strength for doing so. Although it wasn't difficult to pick up on his desire to find a way to stop this as he continued to convince the Clan Leader to work with Judy and reach a compromise. Then there was Jeren himself who was beginning to get concerned with how this was turning out, despite his outward appearance as he thought about his options and answered Niles. Realising how he hadn't wanted to look weak, even as he continued and made another compromise regarding the Computer Core, not overly surprised that the group had taken over other places on the Station. Despite everything it was reasonable if they didn't want anymore bloodshed as she stood and looked at them both. " We don't want any further bloodshed, if you're willing to compromise then think of your own people too and why you're doing this" she implored, before speaking more directly to Niles. " Tell them to accept Sven and Xander, before we lose him ... he hasn't got long left if he's going to survive, I can feel it".| Blue Beta Bar and Grill || lt. Sven Aune || Xander McGrath | Interactions: Sven -> JarenSven -> LeannaSven listened as Jaren made, yet again, a demand. A look of utter contempt and loathing for this man spread acrossed Sven's face. He would toy with peoples lives like this. As far as he was concerned, they were past reasoning. He watched poor Josh trying to hold it all together. The junior officer was doing a bang up job with a very difficult and tense situation. And he knew that the way he was applying pressure upon Jaren was also applying pressure to Josh. Hold out a little longer. Hang in there...Sven stood there and took the news from Leanna with a nod that Xander was dying and now he was forced into a decision. Free the children and elderly, and Xander dies. Or free Xander and the children and elderly are kept in a very traumatic situation. Classic trolley problem. I choose track 3... Sven thought to himself. "No, you're going to release the wounded, the children and the elderly at the very least. You seem like a reasonable person," lets see how reasonable you are, "Lets consider what the reporter is going to find when they get here. Some children subjected to sever psycological trauma or a man dying. Sympathy for your cause will go straight through the deck plating." He painted a picture and as he did so he made an exaggerated thumbing from on high down into his palm where he ground it in while making a high to low pitch whistle. Just to drive the point home. "No one. And I mean no one who sees the report will have any sympathy for you or your plight when they see how you treat the wounded, the young and the elderly. You will be painted as fanatics and the best you will be able to hope for is a very long sentence in a Federation prison. So lets engage some common sense. Show the reporter that you are caring people who just need to be heard."Sven still wasn't going anywhere. He was going to continue to apply the thumb screws. Perhaps Jaren might just see the absurdity of this all, call it off before it was too late. For him and his plight. [ Ens Joshua Niles - Blue Beta Bar, Front Ear Station ]At long last, Jeren was ready to give his reply to the terms offered to him by Commander Eastman. On one hand, he ought to have heard everything coming out of his commbadge; on the other, the Clan Chief seemed worried about remaining in control of the situation, and so the back and forth was necessary to make him feel as though it was so. However, with Jeren giving him alternatives to feed to Commander Eastman, Niles was getting the impression that he had inserted himself into the man's decision loop, and he was, ever so gently, putting himself in a position of starting to direct the tune. And, the young Ensign found himself with a renewed confidence: he had shifted his line of thinking, turned a security problem into a tactical one in his mind. And now, he could think straight enough. The woman who'd been behind the bar, the Betazoid who had subtly announced her presence to him spoke, enjoining one possible course of action, but Lieutenant Aune brought out another one, but in a far more aggressive manner. And, that the young Ensign took as an order, even though it was not clearly one. And, while his intent had been to try and get the big man out, where he could relay information in a way that could be used by the station's security people, it would seem he had other ideas... and that notion was starting to lead to a whole new way of thinking for Joshua. "All right, Sir. I will contact Commander Eastman now, let her know your response."Truth be told, the immediate call, which was going to be his, had been made by Lieutenant Aune... and it was as close to what he wanted in the first place. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A=
Tags: Matthew Harmon, Judith EastmanSoft Tags Leanna Mazal, Sven Aune
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Matthew Harmon
Intelligence
[TI42] Frontier's Most Malcontent Malcontent
Posts: 540 Likes: 18
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Intelligence Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Matthew Harmon on Jul 20, 2020 13:27:47 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Security Office, Promenade]Charlie snorted with amusement at the clap-back from the officer, not concerned as to whether he meant it in jest or not. The simple truth was her history with the Fleet was a colourful, often antagonistic one, but since her arrival on Front Ear both she and the uniforms had avoided each other. That was likely something to do with her lack of clearance to poke her nose in nooks and crannies where it wasn't welcome, and the fact that the most salacious thing she'd written in the last four months was the Parsinp pun she'd slipped into the farewell piece about the woman. Cutting edge stuff. She followed at her own pace, realising quickly that in order to keep up with Harmon's long-legged, rushed stride, she'd have to break into a jog and break a sweat. Charlie only broke a sweat for one thing, and she had far too many items of clothing on for that. She wasn't happy about having to hand over her gear, and she made that quite known as she slapped each item into the provided dead box. No signal would get in or out, but she plucked Olsen from the air, deactivated it, and set it atop the box instead of adding it to the rest of the equipment inside. "This one stays out," she warned, before following the Intelligence officer toward a nearby door. There she stood and listened in complete silence to the torrent of information he was spewing at her. She could only imagine the gamut of expressions her face was running through as she processed everything. Threats of the Espionage Act and prison time meant very little to her; it was nothing she hadn't heard before. She'd ask no permission for the things she wrote, and as far as she was concerned, the only person who needed to sign off on her work was her editor. But these people didn't need to know that, so she played along, and gave a careful, measured nod. Inside, she was impatient for the meat of this story. And then it came. Kurjarians had taken hostages in the Blue Beta. Her brows shot upward and her stance stiffened as she fought the impulse to make straight for the busy Promenade. But then Harmon rambled on about briefing her on their operation, putting her in danger, and what her role was to be. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed with renewed suspicion at him when he turned, and without even giving her the opportunity to respond or so much as a backward glance, left her in a hallway and entered a room. "Well."She had zero incentive to stay; he hadn't even told her what they were expecting of her, aside from her undying silence in all matters secret, pompous Fleet, nor had he given her any detail whatsoever as to what this 'role' was to be. No, thanks.What was stopping her from turning on her heel and walking to the Blue Beta and covering this all by herself? Nothing. She had no idea how long she'd be expected to stand around in a hallway like a spare tit while the bigwigs inside talked themselves in circles. She could only assume that she was there for one of two reasons: one being that they wanted to use her against the Kurjarians as a distraction, or the other that she'd been a part of these demands they'd seemingly made. Or quite possibly both. "This was about as useful as a fart in a jar," she proclaimed to nobody in particular, before she shook her head, uncrossed her arms and moved to retake possession of her gear. [Ensign Chloe Hudson - Security Office, Promenade]Chloe had been assigned to help monitor and coordinate things from the Security Office once the hostage situation had become, Harmon having used his authority as Officer of the Day to assign her. She wasn't too sure why. Was he trying to get her experience? Did he want someone he could trust? Could he trust her? He was a hard man to read. In any case, she was here and noticed him bring in a civilian and lecture her on confidential material protocols, from what little Chloe could make out from her desk. Harmon soon disappeared and the woman appeared frustrated and appeared to begin leaving. Had he already spoken to her as much as he needed? Or did Harmon want her for something? Did he know she was leaving? Should Chloe chase after her and try and stop her? The young ensign often doubted herself and filled her heads with questions, second guessing herself. As the woman got closer to the exit, Chloe realised she had to make a split second decision. "It's okay, crewman, I can handle this," she said to the security crewman who was helping hand back the woman's equipment. "Hi. I'm Chloe. Chloe Hudson," she said with a smile that was clearly more genuinely reflective of her personality than the forced ones she observed Harmon frequently making. "I don't mean to intrude, but I saw you over there with my boss. He's a bit of..." she paused and lowered her voice before continuing, "He's a bit of an asshole, I know. He likes playing his games and being important. But he does mean well. He also very rarely asks for help," she explained keeping her tone down. "So if he asked you for his help, he must really need it. I know he isn't good at knowing how to treat people, but I really think you should consider hearing him out," while Harmon often carefully and cynically crafted his words to get what he wanted, Hudson was far more understanding and made no attempt to command or bully this woman into submitting to Starfleet. Talking to people came much easier to her, her words flowed freely without need for her to carefully craft them. "If he needs you, something must be really wrong. People probably need your help," she paused for a moment, thinking of anything else she should add, "If that's not enough, I know he can...or the Commander can find some way to make it up to you? Give you something in return?" Chloe didn't know the person she was talking too and so made sure to appeal to her self interest if patriotism and protecting others wasn't enough. [Chief Dr. Kece Lunn - Sickbay]Kece resented the constant abuse to himself and his Sickbay, but he was, much as he would never admit it, powerless to resist. If he did anything, they'd kill him. "As the ranking Medical Officer on the station, I am able to do that," he said. "Would you also like instructions in the proper use of these? I can train you."He was buying time, and also seeking to demonstrate his own greatness, as he approached a computer terminal. He input a few commands, and was then hit by the error message "Diagnostic in process. Cannot access files." "I can start training you now," he offered. [Divri Sickbay]
Divri was suspicious. Was he being serious? Was the Federationers technology really so advanced they could be be implemented so simply and easily enough that Divri could be trained here and now? It was a fascinating prospect, and one that could greatly help his people, perhaps even beyond the battlefield. "Yes. Train me now. But we need those patterns. We need medicine. We need equipment."
Tag: Felicity Ellis, Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Jul 20, 2020 16:48:48 GMT
[ Kova Sh'qaleq - Promenade Security Office] No sooner had Ryah confirmed that they were speaking about the same Avi Moz, did the Bolian actually arrive. Kova's eyes fell upon her and narrowed at the sight of that cocky smile of hers. What the hell was she doing there anyway? Perhaps Chief Melihn thought it'd be best to have her under lock and key before anything else went wrong. Though, as Bajoran-Trill security officer spoke to Avi a different revelation washed over the Andorian. "Wait a minute," Kova said, not even trying to hide the contempt in her voice. It was all right there in front of her. The mention of Harmon and that Nyberrite jacket draped over Avi's arm. "He picked you?!" Kova scoffed, certain that it was officially possible for everything to go to hell in a handbasket. Commander Eastman seemed to usurp control of the room before anything further descended into chaos. Kova's eyes continued to eye the Boilan as Eastman ushered her towards the offices. Though not before the Andorian overheard a comm from the team near the armory. If she had doubts before, it was quickly becoming apparent what sort of people they were looking for. This was nothing more than an elaborate snatch and grab. They may have been prepared to die, but they wanted something out of the deal. The Blue Beta Bar was just a distraction. Sickbay... the Armory... those were the targets. That and what else... a way off the station? A ship? Hearing Eastman's voice, Kova began to focus on the woman's words. She couldn't help but feel as if she were being handled to an extent. Foldng her arms in front of her chest, Kova considered it. Perhaps this was the extent of their arrangement: quid pro quo... and trust as far as one could be bought. "We can discuss what you're inclined to give later," Kova said. "What you need, is an opening. Zechariah can give that to you."Kova reached into her pocket, producing what appeared to be a cylindrical tube, large enough to be concealed in one's hand. "It's something I worked on for a former client." The Maquis. "This is a transmitter. What it does is lock on to the nearest comm frequencies. Once the link is established, it uploads a virus to all receiving comm units within 20 to 25 meters, effectively making those units tasers." She'd seen a fair share of Cardassians get a nice little jolt courtesy of it. "It should incapacitate those it hits for a few seconds. It may or may not be long enough to move a team in to position, but... anyone already there could get a handle on the situation."It was a bit of a double-edged sword. Whomever was deploying it would be incommunicado, and anyone nearby would fair a great deal better if they left their comm badge behind. It was then that Lt. Harmon appeared, seeking an audience with Commander Eastman. Kova rolled her eyes at the man. She hadn't even earned a call back. For that matter, she didn't even earn a call. Was it really that difficult to tell her and Avi apart? At the very least, all people had to focus on was the hair... or lack thereof in Avi's case. "When this is over, Spook, let's have lunch. It'll be my turn to ghost you."Sensing that he probably wasn't going to open his mouth with her nearby, Kova made a rather audible sigh as she stepped away, giving them whatever perceived privacy would suit the spook. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Promenade Security Offices]Judy examined the device with the curiosity of an engineer. It seemed to be a remarkable piece of technology, and she would've liked to look over the details of its construction and operation. Maybe later. "Thank you," she said, taking it into her hand with much caution. She supposed she'd need to meet with this civilian asset at a different time to satiate her own curiosity... and clean up after Harmon. With that, he left her outside and entered the room where the Commander and Chief were planning things, along with Moz. He was surprised to see that she had been so visibly summoned to Security, something which could not possibly bode well for her ongoing undercover operation if the wrong people saw her. He also did not want Charlie to see her as that could prompt her to investigate Moz's connection with Starfleet, something that would be very dangerous for Moz and destroy Harmon's operation. "Please be wary of how publicly you meet with my assets in the future, Chief," he warned, his tone not rude or upset but still stern and serious. The urgency of the present situation took priority however, and he quickly moved on. "I have Charlie Fox outside. I'd like to bring her in and brief her on her role in this operation with the Commander and the Chief as soon as possible so we can get her in there before they start shooting hospital," he stated. "I have briefed her on the classified nature of what she will be doing and informed about, and informed her of the proper channels for her to gain approval to begin writing about today's events." "Lieutenant, keep in mind that Ms. Fox isn't a Starfleet spokesperson. If we want favorable coverage, we have to play nice," the First Officer advised Harmon. Commander, she said, stopping suddenly and turning to Judy. Do I have permission to stun any hostages if I can get all the aggressors with one wide-beam shot? It might be the quickest solution. Ryah preferred precision shooting, but it was more important to end the situation as quickly as possible. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A= Then came two things at once, the Comm from the hostages, and the Chief of Security's request. Judy gave the latter a look that said "just one moment", as she dealt with the former. =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= Then, she turned to Ryah. "Permission granted, Chief," she accepted. "I also have this little device that may be of use to us, courtesy of Ms. Sh'qaleq. It causes all communicators within 20-25 meters to send out an electric shock, like a taser. I'll leave where it's used up to you."Judy took a brief pause and swallowed. "For your planning, you should know that the Kurjarians refused to surrender the Computer Core. They're probably expecting us there," she added. "Gosh, my throat is getting a little dry. Do you know where I could get some water?"She had been talking far too much today, between the impassioned haggling of the family Settlers of Catan game, and the tense hostage situation they were in now.
Parting tag Kova Sh'qaleq . Tag Matthew Harmon , Joshua Niles , and Ozu Saya . Soft tag Avi Moz
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Matthew Harmon
Intelligence
[TI42] Frontier's Most Malcontent Malcontent
Posts: 540 Likes: 18
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Intelligence Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Matthew Harmon on Jul 21, 2020 8:08:22 GMT
[ Leanna - Hostage Area, Blue Beta] Leanna may of returned to almost silence apart from the odd hushed word with the other hostages, but that didn't meant that the Betazoid hadn't been listening. Besides she saw no point in becoming completely distracted by the events still unfolding right in front of her, even if she had wanted to retract within herself and focus on more happier times. With her senses no longer hidden, she allowed the emotions of the room to swarm around her, filtering out where necessary especially the hurt, distress and the slow ebb of life slipping away from Xander as well as the negotiations. She knew it wouldn't be easy for such a junior officer to be the one to negotiate between their captors and his superiors but she admired his strength for doing so. Although it wasn't difficult to pick up on his desire to find a way to stop this as he continued to convince the Clan Leader to work with Judy and reach a compromise. Then there was Jeren himself who was beginning to get concerned with how this was turning out, despite his outward appearance as he thought about his options and answered Niles. Realising how he hadn't wanted to look weak, even as he continued and made another compromise regarding the Computer Core, not overly surprised that the group had taken over other places on the Station. Despite everything it was reasonable if they didn't want anymore bloodshed as she stood and looked at them both. " We don't want any further bloodshed, if you're willing to compromise then think of your own people too and why you're doing this" she implored, before speaking more directly to Niles. " Tell them to accept Sven and Xander, before we lose him ... he hasn't got long left if he's going to survive, I can feel it". [Jeren - Blue Beta Bar]
Another hero? Jeren contemplated as the bar owner spoke up. "I am thinking of my own people. Not just my people on this station, but all my people. Those of us here are but a few. We serve our people as a whole. Our lives don't matter. Not in the grand scheme of things. We are ready to be martyrs. Ready to lay down our lives to fight those who would enable the oppression of our people, ready to put down as many of those enablers as we can. If your Federation continues to enable the crimes against our people then so be it, we have no qualms forcing your people to feel a fraction of the suffering we endure every day," his tone was passionate and animated as he spoke, quite different to the level and polite tone he had relied on earlier. "Every day many innocent Kurjarians are killed. Your Federation enables this. I am giving you a choice save your innocents today. This is not a choice we are given."
| Blue Beta Bar and Grill || lt. Sven Aune || Xander McGrath | Interactions: Sven -> JarenSven -> LeannaSven listened as Jaren made, yet again, a demand. A look of utter contempt and loathing for this man spread acrossed Sven's face. He would toy with peoples lives like this. As far as he was concerned, they were past reasoning. He watched poor Josh trying to hold it all together. The junior officer was doing a bang up job with a very difficult and tense situation. And he knew that the way he was applying pressure upon Jaren was also applying pressure to Josh. Hold out a little longer. Hang in there...Sven stood there and took the news from Leanna with a nod that Xander was dying and now he was forced into a decision. Free the children and elderly, and Xander dies. Or free Xander and the children and elderly are kept in a very traumatic situation. Classic trolley problem. I choose track 3... Sven thought to himself. "No, you're going to release the wounded, the children and the elderly at the very least. You seem like a reasonable person," lets see how reasonable you are, "Lets consider what the reporter is going to find when they get here. Some children subjected to sever psycological trauma or a man dying. Sympathy for your cause will go straight through the deck plating." He painted a picture and as he did so he made an exaggerated thumbing from on high down into his palm where he ground it in while making a high to low pitch whistle. Just to drive the point home. "No one. And I mean no one who sees the report will have any sympathy for you or your plight when they see how you treat the wounded, the young and the elderly. You will be painted as fanatics and the best you will be able to hope for is a very long sentence in a Federation prison. So lets engage some common sense. Show the reporter that you are caring people who just need to be heard."Sven still wasn't going anywhere. He was going to continue to apply the thumb screws. Perhaps Jaren might just see the absurdity of this all, call it off before it was too late. For him and his plight. Jeren then turned to Sven. "I will release the wounded, the children, and the elderly. I will allow that, so long as your Commander holds up her end and gets me Charlie," his tone having returned to the more level headed one from earlier. "Sympathy is ideal, but I'll settle for awareness. I'll even settle for giving you a glimpse into the horrors we face every single day. And make no mistake, we will never see the inside of a Federation prison alive. Even if you hold us alive, the Caldonian Technocracy will demand our repatriation so they can execute us, and your government will accede, desperate for its fix of our Trillium 323 ."
[ Ens Joshua Niles - Blue Beta Bar, Front Ear Station ]At long last, Jeren was ready to give his reply to the terms offered to him by Commander Eastman. On one hand, he ought to have heard everything coming out of his commbadge; on the other, the Clan Chief seemed worried about remaining in control of the situation, and so the back and forth was necessary to make him feel as though it was so. However, with Jeren giving him alternatives to feed to Commander Eastman, Niles was getting the impression that he had inserted himself into the man's decision loop, and he was, ever so gently, putting himself in a position of starting to direct the tune. And, the young Ensign found himself with a renewed confidence: he had shifted his line of thinking, turned a security problem into a tactical one in his mind. And now, he could think straight enough. The woman who'd been behind the bar, the Betazoid who had subtly announced her presence to him spoke, enjoining one possible course of action, but Lieutenant Aune brought out another one, but in a far more aggressive manner. And, that the young Ensign took as an order, even though it was not clearly one. And, while his intent had been to try and get the big man out, where he could relay information in a way that could be used by the station's security people, it would seem he had other ideas... and that notion was starting to lead to a whole new way of thinking for Joshua. "All right, Sir. I will contact Commander Eastman now, let her know your response."Truth be told, the immediate call, which was going to be his, had been made by Lieutenant Aune... and it was as close to what he wanted in the first place. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A= =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= He was not expecting a ship. That was fine. And terrorist? Of course she would say that. She had the luxury of sitting in her ivory tower and denounce his means as illegitimate, as evil. The Kurjarians had no such luxury. "I will release the wounded," he said looking towards Xander, "And half of the elderly and children. The other half will be released once Charlie is here. No sooner," he paused, "And I would advise your commander to be careful throwing around such privileged accusations and derision unless she wishes to witness a display of real terror." He was beginning to lose patience with the false superiority complex of the Federationers.
Tag: Leanna Mazal, Sven Aune, Joshua Niles, Judith Eastman
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Leanna Mazal
Civilian
Posts: 1,728 Likes: 32
Position: Civilian
Species: Betazoid
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Post by Leanna Mazal on Jul 21, 2020 11:49:53 GMT
[ Leanna - Blue Beta] When she had stood up with the intention of not only trying to help Niles but also getting through to Jeren, the Betazoid was far from being perceived as a hero. No it had nothing to do with that rather an attempt to show what she was and using her talents so to speak to diffuse and bring this terrible situation to a peaceful conclusion. However as Sven acknowledged what she had said about Xander with a nod, Leanna knew that he wouldn't be going anywhere even before he had addressed Jeren. This wasn't what any of them had wanted and yet there was a vein of understanding weaving through the tone and words that were used. Whether Sven could also convince the Kurjarians to listen, she wasn't sure but at least they had tried. Although it did bring about a renewed sense of vigour from Niles as he agreed to contact the XO with the new terms of compromise. Their answer came a few minutes later and whilst she wouldn't of used the word "Terrorist", thinking it might cause more harm than good, Leanna waited to see how Jeren would react to that and what had been said so far. What followed made Leanna understand that little bit more about the Kurjarian's and why they were doing this as Jeren's tone became more passionate and animated. Of course there was some natural sympathy and empathy towards the plight that his people were experiencing, a hint of their suffering. Yet surely there could of been another way rather than holding people hostage and making demands to make their voices heard. " Now I understand and why you felt it necessary to try and force our hand, so we would listen ... but surely if you had just been honest with us, we could of avoided all of this and its not too late for you to do that".Whether or not she would get through to him, she didn't know but for now all she could do was continue to listen, especially as Jeren answered Sven, recalling more of the horrors that his people faced and what would happen if they returned to their home world. As an empath it was overwhelming but he wasn't lying. Even as he agreed to Judy's terms and made a more ideal compromise, she didn't need to use her abilities to tell that he was starting to lose patience, thanks in turn to the attitude shown by the first officer. Realising that this could become more dangerous if they continued and nothing was done. " He's not lying either .... the Commander could of just signed our death warrant" Lea warned Niles, not taking her eyes off Jeren.
tag Sven Aune, Matthew Harmon, Joshua Niles
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Matthew Harmon
Intelligence
[TI42] Frontier's Most Malcontent Malcontent
Posts: 540 Likes: 18
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Intelligence Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Matthew Harmon on Jul 21, 2020 12:48:38 GMT
[ Kova Sh'qaleq - Promenade Security Office] No sooner had Ryah confirmed that they were speaking about the same Avi Moz, did the Bolian actually arrive. Kova's eyes fell upon her and narrowed at the sight of that cocky smile of hers. What the hell was she doing there anyway? Perhaps Chief Melihn thought it'd be best to have her under lock and key before anything else went wrong. Though, as Bajoran-Trill security officer spoke to Avi a different revelation washed over the Andorian. "Wait a minute," Kova said, not even trying to hide the contempt in her voice. It was all right there in front of her. The mention of Harmon and that Nyberrite jacket draped over Avi's arm. "He picked you?!" Kova scoffed, certain that it was officially possible for everything to go to hell in a handbasket. Commander Eastman seemed to usurp control of the room before anything further descended into chaos. Kova's eyes continued to eye the Boilan as Eastman ushered her towards the offices. Though not before the Andorian overheard a comm from the team near the armory. If she had doubts before, it was quickly becoming apparent what sort of people they were looking for. This was nothing more than an elaborate snatch and grab. They may have been prepared to die, but they wanted something out of the deal. The Blue Beta Bar was just a distraction. Sickbay... the Armory... those were the targets. That and what else... a way off the station? A ship? Hearing Eastman's voice, Kova began to focus on the woman's words. She couldn't help but feel as if she were being handled to an extent. Foldng her arms in front of her chest, Kova considered it. Perhaps this was the extent of their arrangement: quid pro quo... and trust as far as one could be bought. "We can discuss what you're inclined to give later," Kova said. "What you need, is an opening. Zechariah can give that to you."Kova reached into her pocket, producing what appeared to be a cylindrical tube, large enough to be concealed in one's hand. "It's something I worked on for a former client." The Maquis. "This is a transmitter. What it does is lock on to the nearest comm frequencies. Once the link is established, it uploads a virus to all receiving comm units within 20 to 25 meters, effectively making those units tasers." She'd seen a fair share of Cardassians get a nice little jolt courtesy of it. "It should incapacitate those it hits for a few seconds. It may or may not be long enough to move a team in to position, but... anyone already there could get a handle on the situation."It was a bit of a double-edged sword. Whomever was deploying it would be incommunicado, and anyone nearby would fair a great deal better if they left their comm badge behind. It was then that Lt. Harmon appeared, seeking an audience with Commander Eastman. Kova rolled her eyes at the man. She hadn't even earned a call back. For that matter, she didn't even earn a call. Was it really that difficult to tell her and Avi apart? At the very least, all people had to focus on was the hair... or lack thereof in Avi's case. "When this is over, Spook, let's have lunch. It'll be my turn to ghost you."Sensing that he probably wasn't going to open his mouth with her nearby, Kova made a rather audible sigh as she stepped away, giving them whatever perceived privacy would suit the spook. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Promenade Security Offices]Judy examined the device with the curiosity of an engineer. It seemed to be a remarkable piece of technology, and she would've liked to look over the details of its construction and operation. Maybe later. "Thank you," she said, taking it into her hand with much caution. She supposed she'd need to meet with this civilian asset at a different time to satiate her own curiosity... and clean up after Harmon. With that, he left her outside and entered the room where the Commander and Chief were planning things, along with Moz. He was surprised to see that she had been so visibly summoned to Security, something which could not possibly bode well for her ongoing undercover operation if the wrong people saw her. He also did not want Charlie to see her as that could prompt her to investigate Moz's connection with Starfleet, something that would be very dangerous for Moz and destroy Harmon's operation. "Please be wary of how publicly you meet with my assets in the future, Chief," he warned, his tone not rude or upset but still stern and serious. The urgency of the present situation took priority however, and he quickly moved on. "I have Charlie Fox outside. I'd like to bring her in and brief her on her role in this operation with the Commander and the Chief as soon as possible so we can get her in there before they start shooting hospital," he stated. "I have briefed her on the classified nature of what she will be doing and informed about, and informed her of the proper channels for her to gain approval to begin writing about today's events." "Lieutenant, keep in mind that Ms. Fox isn't a Starfleet spokesperson. If we want favorable coverage, we have to play nice," the First Officer advised Harmon. Commander, she said, stopping suddenly and turning to Judy. Do I have permission to stun any hostages if I can get all the aggressors with one wide-beam shot? It might be the quickest solution. Ryah preferred precision shooting, but it was more important to end the situation as quickly as possible. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A= Then came two things at once, the Comm from the hostages, and the Chief of Security's request. Judy gave the latter a look that said "just one moment", as she dealt with the former. =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= Then, she turned to Ryah. "Permission granted, Chief," she accepted. "I also have this little device that may be of use to us, courtesy of Ms. Sh'qaleq. It causes all communicators within 20-25 meters to send out an electric shock, like a taser. I'll leave where it's used up to you."Judy took a brief pause and swallowed. "For your planning, you should know that the Kurjarians refused to surrender the Computer Core. They're probably expecting us there," she added. "Gosh, my throat is getting a little dry. Do you know where I could get some water?"She had been talking far too much today, between the impassioned haggling of the family Settlers of Catan game, and the tense hostage situation they were in now. [Lieutenant Harmon - Security Office]Harmon nodded an 'it's alright' to Ryha before turning to Kova. "I'll have to see if I can find the time, Kova," he replied dismissively. He had already recruited Avi by the time Kova made contact, and so he did not reply. Furthermore he didn't like recruiting those who approached him. He was far more suspicious of them and their motives than people he manipulated into working for him himself. "Besides, I'm quite happy with my current asset," he said flatly. The Andorian seemed to have an overinflated ego. "Fox can cover the story, but we shouldn't let her print whatever she wants, and I especially don't want her feeling free to disclose Avi's presence or any other sensitive details she may come across," plus there was the issue of her potentially undermining Starfleet or making it look inept and incapable of protecting the station, which was an especially dangerous prospect with the Nyberrite Alliance still circling for any opportunity.
He was surprised when Eastman switched to calling the Kurjarians terrorist, given her prior restraint. It was a move he didn't agree with, but knew it was too late now to change it.
Tag: Kova Sh'qaleq, Judith Eastman, soft tag Avi Moz
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Felicity Ellis
Command
Cap'n Mum
[TI11]
Posts: 719 Likes: 59
Rank: Commander
Position: XO
Species: Human
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Post by Felicity Ellis on Jul 21, 2020 13:09:37 GMT
[Ensign Chloe Hudson - Security Office, Promenade][...] "It's okay, crewman, I can handle this," she said to the security crewman who was helping hand back the woman's equipment. "Hi. I'm Chloe. Chloe Hudson," she said with a smile that was clearly more genuinely reflective of her personality than the forced ones she observed Harmon frequently making. "I don't mean to intrude, but I saw you over there with my boss. He's a bit of..." she paused and lowered her voice before continuing, "He's a bit of an asshole, I know. He likes playing his games and being important. But he does mean well. He also very rarely asks for help," she explained keeping her tone down. "So if he asked you for his help, he must really need it. I know he isn't good at knowing how to treat people, but I really think you should consider hearing him out," while Harmon often carefully and cynically crafted his words to get what he wanted, Hudson was far more understanding and made no attempt to command or bully this woman into submitting to Starfleet. Talking to people came much easier to her, her words flowed freely without need for her to carefully craft them. "If he needs you, something must be really wrong. People probably need your help," she paused for a moment, thinking of anything else she should add, "If that's not enough, I know he can...or the Commander can find some way to make it up to you? Give you something in return?" Chloe didn't know the person she was talking too and so made sure to appeal to her self interest if patriotism and protecting others wasn't enough. [Charlie Fox - Security Office, Promenade]Charlie looked up at the sound of the new voice, eyes training on Chloe Hudson for several moments before she resumed retrieving her equipment. She was shoving a small device into an inside pocket of her leather jacket when the other woman called her boss an asshole. Her brows raised and the corners of her mouth quirked upward in an amused expression. That fell somewhat though when the young officer continued. Charlie had taken Olsen in hand, as she listened to yet another individual presuming to tell her her business. "Nobody gets into journalism for material reward, Chloe Hudson," Charlie informed her, her tone matter of fact. The insinuation that she would require something more than just saving lives would normally have triggered a much more defensive reaction from the writer, but she could rationalise that these people did not know her, nor had they any idea what it was that motivated her. They were Intelligence; they were looking for an angle to use and exploit, it was what they did. It was what Charlie herself did. Blaming them for it would be massively hypocritical of her. "I'll hear him out," she conceded after a few drawn-out beats. Besides, even though she externally torpedoed the offer of incentive, she couldn't help but think being owed a favour by Intelligence, or the First Officer, could be very useful to her, indeed. "But you might let him know that sometimes using the carrot before the stick yields more effective results."She tapped a console, intent on checking the time. There was a hostage situation to cover, and her time was a-wastin'.
Tag: Matthew Harmon (Harmon/Chloe)
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Leanna Mazal
Civilian
Posts: 1,728 Likes: 32
Position: Civilian
Species: Betazoid
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Post by Leanna Mazal on Jul 21, 2020 14:24:31 GMT
[ Ellis Monroe - 12 Underground, Lower Promenade] The announcement that had rang out across the station only succeeded in making Ellis grin, before she resumed the conversation that she was currently having with a few interested parties. Hiding out in 12 Underground, seemed like the perfect excuse in order to ride out not the subsequent alert but also so she wouldn't be associated or linked to the current situation involving her clients. Disillusioned by both her fleet career thanks to the arrival of the new command staff and the empty promises from the Nyberrite Alliance, Ellis had taken it upon herself to work on her own, determined to use her talents for a more worthwhile cause. Yes she could of just left the station and find suitable employment elsewhere but that was far too easy and at first, the Alliance had been the perfect organisation in which to transfer her loyalties too, since Starfleet no longer gave a damn about her. But even then, they were just as strict, just as good for promising the universe and then leaving her out of key assignments. So when she had heard about the Kurjarian's, the half Betazoid had sought them out, offering them vital information for their planned takeover in exchange for the chance for her final stand and giving the finger to her old life. So here she would stay, enjoying the drinks and the flirting courtesy of the Andorian and a couple of Human freighter Captain's, each of them trying their luck with the beautiful woman, who had captured their attention. An alibi that she was more than happy to play along with until it was time for her to leave.
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Jul 21, 2020 17:28:29 GMT
[Divri Sickbay]
Divri was suspicious. Was he being serious? Was the Federationers technology really so advanced they could be be implemented so simply and easily enough that Divri could be trained here and now? It was a fascinating prospect, and one that could greatly help his people, perhaps even beyond the battlefield. "Yes. Train me now. But we need those patterns. We need medicine. We need equipment." [Chief Dr. Kece Lunn - Sickbay]Kece rolled his eyes at the impatience. "I am a surgeon, not an engineer. The diagnostic is someone else's fault," he proclaimed. "Now, I will teach you."Kece walked over to a cabinet in the back and retrieved a field kit. "This is a hypospray. It can be used to quickly and reliably deliver medication without puncturing the skin at all," he grandly explained, brandishing one of the devices. "Hyposprays have turned injections into a thing of the past, and most pills, too."This hypo was empty, but there were capsules for several basic medications elsewhere in the kit.
Tag Matthew Harmon
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Kova Sh'qaleq
Civilian
Posts: 516 Likes: 34
Position: Security Consultant
Species: Andorian
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Post by Kova Sh'qaleq on Jul 22, 2020 6:23:17 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Promenade Security Offices]Judy examined the device with the curiosity of an engineer. It seemed to be a remarkable piece of technology, and she would've liked to look over the details of its construction and operation. Maybe later. "Thank you," she said, taking it into her hand with much caution. She supposed she'd need to meet with this civilian asset at a different time to satiate her own curiosity... and clean up after Harmon. [...] Then came two things at once, the Comm from the hostages, and the Chief of Security's request. Judy gave the latter a look that said "just one moment", as she dealt with the former. =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= Then, she turned to Ryah. "Permission granted, Chief," she accepted. "I also have this little device that may be of use to us, courtesy of Ms. Sh'qaleq. It causes all communicators within 20-25 meters to send out an electric shock, like a taser. I'll leave where it's used up to you."Judy took a brief pause and swallowed. "For your planning, you should know that the Kurjarians refused to surrender the Computer Core. They're probably expecting us there," she added. "Gosh, my throat is getting a little dry. Do you know where I could get some water?"She had been talking far too much today, between the impassioned haggling of the family Settlers of Catan game, and the tense hostage situation they were in now. [ Lieutenant Harmon - Security Office]Harmon nodded an 'it's alright' to Ryha before turning to Kova. "I'll have to see if I can find the time, Kova," he replied dismissively. He had already recruited Avi by the time Kova made contact, and so he did not reply. Furthermore he didn't like recruiting those who approached him. He was far more suspicious of them and their motives than people he manipulated into working for him himself. "Besides, I'm quite happy with my current asset," he said flatly. The Andorian seemed to have an overinflated ego. "Fox can cover the story, but we shouldn't let her print whatever she wants, and I especially don't want her feeling free to disclose Avi's presence or any other sensitive details she may come across," plus there was the issue of her potentially undermining Starfleet or making it look inept and incapable of protecting the station, which was an especially dangerous prospect with the Nyberrite Alliance still circling for any opportunity.
He was surprised when Eastman switched to calling the Kurjarians terrorist, given her prior restraint. It was a move he didn't agree with, but knew it was too late now to change it. [ Kova Sh'qaleq - Promenade Security Office, Front Ear Station] As Kova left her program in the hands of the commander so that she could speak with Lieutenant Harmon privately, the Andorian heard the voice of the Intelligence officer directing his comments at her. He stated that he'd see if he could find the time in response to her comments to him, but stated that he was happy with his current asset. If something handy and heavy had been in reach, she likely would have hurled it Harmon's head. Instead, she ignored him, turning her eyes back to her console. Zechariah, if used, would likely only help them retake one of the sites. The Kurjarians were all over the station. And there was still the matter of how they had managed to place themselves so strategically, as well as transport their weapons with them. Kova looked at the last known locations where the Kurjarians were positioned. Chief Melihn had opted to deal with those on Deck 21 in the Computer Core. It seemed Lt. Harmon's focus was on the Kurjarians here on the Promenade. There were searches underway for those on Decks 11 and 15 by several security teams. Though, the one that had Kova's attention were those in Sickbay. Suddenly, she was struck with an idea. Although, with the computer core presently compromised, she had to wonder if she would have a higher chance of success on site. She switched from her work console to her personal unit. She immediately opened up one of the holo-programs she'd been working on. A smile spread across her face as she isolated one of the characters. She made a few modifications and lowered the usual safety protocols. She also modified the routines to focus on Kurjarians with an 87% preference threshold. Satisfied with the modifications she'd made to the holographic character, she turned towards the others. "I think I can provide a suitable distraction in Sickbay," Kova announced, "and give someone time to activate the manual release so that the security team can secure the scene." Kova's eyes sought out the Bolian. "Perhaps there's a way for you to be useful after all."Kova quickly turned the screen of her personal computer so that the others could view it. "I can overlay this character profile onto Sickbay's EMH," said Kova. She'd be able to recover the original easy enough after the fact. Though, with time being of the essence, it was easier to commence with the overlay than actually upload the character. "It looks menacing enough, and will see the Kurarians as preferred subjects for interaction. The manual release can be triggered and the teams can move in." Kova took a deep breath. "I can attempt the graph from here, though accessing the grid that houses Sickbay's holographic relays directly may make things easier. Also, it may be wise to entrust the doors to someone expendable... with imagination... just in case there are unconventional countermeasures in place." Granted someone blue and bald was exactly whom Kova had in mind.
Tag: Judith Eastman , Matthew Harmon , Avi Moz
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Matthew Harmon
Intelligence
[TI42] Frontier's Most Malcontent Malcontent
Posts: 540 Likes: 18
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Intelligence Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Matthew Harmon on Jul 22, 2020 12:31:56 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Security Office, Promenade]Charlie looked up at the sound of the new voice, eyes training on Chloe Hudson for several moments before she resumed retrieving her equipment. She was shoving a small device into an inside pocket of her leather jacket when the other woman called her boss an asshole. Her brows raised and the corners of her mouth quirked upward in an amused expression. That fell somewhat though when the young officer continued. Charlie had taken Olsen in hand, as she listened to yet another individual presuming to tell her her business. "Nobody gets into journalism for material reward, Chloe Hudson," Charlie informed her, her tone matter of fact. The insinuation that she would require something more than just saving lives would normally have triggered a much more defensive reaction from the writer, but she could rationalise that these people did not know her, nor had they any idea what it was that motivated her. They were Intelligence; they were looking for an angle to use and exploit, it was what they did. It was what Charlie herself did. Blaming them for it would be massively hypocritical of her. "I'll hear him out," she conceded after a few drawn-out beats. Besides, even though she externally torpedoed the offer of incentive, she couldn't help but think being owed a favour by Intelligence, or the First Officer, could be very useful to her, indeed. "But you might let him know that sometimes using the carrot before the stick yields more effective results."She tapped a console, intent on checking the time. There was a hostage situation to cover, and her time was a-wastin'. [Ensign Chloe Hudson - Security Office]
Chloe watched Charlie's expression and body langue as she spoke, picking up on all the queues. At first she seemed at best disinterested, then amused and unimpressed. Then, for a moment Chloe thought she'd blown it and offended Charlie with her attempt at offering some sort of reward. "Of course...sorry," she said sheepishly. Fortunetly, it seemed as though she said something right at some point during her mini-speech as Charlie agreed to hear Harmon out. "Thanks!" she said, smiling and bubbly again after a moment of embarrassment and disappointment when she thought she'd failed. "Yeah...I've been trying to teach him about the carrot. He's a slow learner, but one day maybe," she shrugged. "He should be finished with the Commander in a moment."
Tag: Felicity Ellis
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Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
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Post by Sven Aune on Jul 22, 2020 14:58:58 GMT
[Jeren - Blue Beta Bar]
Jeren was begining to become concerned that he may be losing control over the situation. He weighed up releasing this Aune. On one hand allowing him to go would remove a potentially dangerous and unpredictable hostage that could cause problems. On the other hand, if he were to release him along with the underaged and elderly hostages he would appear weak, like he was easy to take advantage of. That he could not have. "I am willing to release either the wounded, underaged, and elderly hostages that your Commander has requested of me, as a show of good faith, or Mister Aune and his wounded friend. I will not release both. I am willing to negotiate with you and your Commander, however you ask too much of me at this time," he stated calmly, his demeanour very much hiding the increasingly insidious nerves he was facing internally. "As for the Computer Core, I cannot withdraw my men without a reciprocal action from you. I will withdraw them on the condition that they may keep their arms and be escorted to your Docking Bay to be provided with a warp capable vessel. If you do not grant us this and attempt to retake the Core, there will be bloodshed. You may win, but are you prepared for that cost?" [ Leanna - Hostage Area, Blue Beta] Leanna may of returned to almost silence apart from the odd hushed word with the other hostages, but that didn't meant that the Betazoid hadn't been listening. Besides she saw no point in becoming completely distracted by the events still unfolding right in front of her, even if she had wanted to retract within herself and focus on more happier times. With her senses no longer hidden, she allowed the emotions of the room to swarm around her, filtering out where necessary especially the hurt, distress and the slow ebb of life slipping away from Xander as well as the negotiations. She knew it wouldn't be easy for such a junior officer to be the one to negotiate between their captors and his superiors but she admired his strength for doing so. Although it wasn't difficult to pick up on his desire to find a way to stop this as he continued to convince the Clan Leader to work with Judy and reach a compromise. Then there was Jeren himself who was beginning to get concerned with how this was turning out, despite his outward appearance as he thought about his options and answered Niles. Realising how he hadn't wanted to look weak, even as he continued and made another compromise regarding the Computer Core, not overly surprised that the group had taken over other places on the Station. Despite everything it was reasonable if they didn't want anymore bloodshed as she stood and looked at them both. " We don't want any further bloodshed, if you're willing to compromise then think of your own people too and why you're doing this" she implored, before speaking more directly to Niles. " Tell them to accept Sven and Xander, before we lose him ... he hasn't got long left if he's going to survive, I can feel it".| Blue Beta Bar and Grill || lt. Sven Aune || Xander McGrath | Interactions: Sven -> JarenSven -> LeannaSven listened as Jaren made, yet again, a demand. A look of utter contempt and loathing for this man spread acrossed Sven's face. He would toy with peoples lives like this. As far as he was concerned, they were past reasoning. He watched poor Josh trying to hold it all together. The junior officer was doing a bang up job with a very difficult and tense situation. And he knew that the way he was applying pressure upon Jaren was also applying pressure to Josh. Hold out a little longer. Hang in there...Sven stood there and took the news from Leanna with a nod that Xander was dying and now he was forced into a decision. Free the children and elderly, and Xander dies. Or free Xander and the children and elderly are kept in a very traumatic situation. Classic trolley problem. I choose track 3... Sven thought to himself. "No, you're going to release the wounded, the children and the elderly at the very least. You seem like a reasonable person," lets see how reasonable you are, "Lets consider what the reporter is going to find when they get here. Some children subjected to sever psycological trauma or a man dying. Sympathy for your cause will go straight through the deck plating." He painted a picture and as he did so he made an exaggerated thumbing from on high down into his palm where he ground it in while making a high to low pitch whistle. Just to drive the point home. "No one. And I mean no one who sees the report will have any sympathy for you or your plight when they see how you treat the wounded, the young and the elderly. You will be painted as fanatics and the best you will be able to hope for is a very long sentence in a Federation prison. So lets engage some common sense. Show the reporter that you are caring people who just need to be heard."Sven still wasn't going anywhere. He was going to continue to apply the thumb screws. Perhaps Jaren might just see the absurdity of this all, call it off before it was too late. For him and his plight. [ Ens Joshua Niles - Blue Beta Bar, Front Ear Station ]At long last, Jeren was ready to give his reply to the terms offered to him by Commander Eastman. On one hand, he ought to have heard everything coming out of his commbadge; on the other, the Clan Chief seemed worried about remaining in control of the situation, and so the back and forth was necessary to make him feel as though it was so. However, with Jeren giving him alternatives to feed to Commander Eastman, Niles was getting the impression that he had inserted himself into the man's decision loop, and he was, ever so gently, putting himself in a position of starting to direct the tune. And, the young Ensign found himself with a renewed confidence: he had shifted his line of thinking, turned a security problem into a tactical one in his mind. And now, he could think straight enough. The woman who'd been behind the bar, the Betazoid who had subtly announced her presence to him spoke, enjoining one possible course of action, but Lieutenant Aune brought out another one, but in a far more aggressive manner. And, that the young Ensign took as an order, even though it was not clearly one. And, while his intent had been to try and get the big man out, where he could relay information in a way that could be used by the station's security people, it would seem he had other ideas... and that notion was starting to lead to a whole new way of thinking for Joshua. "All right, Sir. I will contact Commander Eastman now, let her know your response."Truth be told, the immediate call, which was going to be his, had been made by Lieutenant Aune... and it was as close to what he wanted in the first place. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A=
Tags: Matthew Harmon , Judith Eastman Soft Tags Leanna Mazal , Sven Aune [ Kova Sh'qaleq - Promenade Security Office] No sooner had Ryah confirmed that they were speaking about the same Avi Moz, did the Bolian actually arrive. Kova's eyes fell upon her and narrowed at the sight of that cocky smile of hers. What the hell was she doing there anyway? Perhaps Chief Melihn thought it'd be best to have her under lock and key before anything else went wrong. Though, as Bajoran-Trill security officer spoke to Avi a different revelation washed over the Andorian. "Wait a minute," Kova said, not even trying to hide the contempt in her voice. It was all right there in front of her. The mention of Harmon and that Nyberrite jacket draped over Avi's arm. "He picked you?!" Kova scoffed, certain that it was officially possible for everything to go to hell in a handbasket. Commander Eastman seemed to usurp control of the room before anything further descended into chaos. Kova's eyes continued to eye the Boilan as Eastman ushered her towards the offices. Though not before the Andorian overheard a comm from the team near the armory. If she had doubts before, it was quickly becoming apparent what sort of people they were looking for. This was nothing more than an elaborate snatch and grab. They may have been prepared to die, but they wanted something out of the deal. The Blue Beta Bar was just a distraction. Sickbay... the Armory... those were the targets. That and what else... a way off the station? A ship? Hearing Eastman's voice, Kova began to focus on the woman's words. She couldn't help but feel as if she were being handled to an extent. Foldng her arms in front of her chest, Kova considered it. Perhaps this was the extent of their arrangement: quid pro quo... and trust as far as one could be bought. "We can discuss what you're inclined to give later," Kova said. "What you need, is an opening. Zechariah can give that to you."Kova reached into her pocket, producing what appeared to be a cylindrical tube, large enough to be concealed in one's hand. "It's something I worked on for a former client." The Maquis. "This is a transmitter. What it does is lock on to the nearest comm frequencies. Once the link is established, it uploads a virus to all receiving comm units within 20 to 25 meters, effectively making those units tasers." She'd seen a fair share of Cardassians get a nice little jolt courtesy of it. "It should incapacitate those it hits for a few seconds. It may or may not be long enough to move a team in to position, but... anyone already there could get a handle on the situation."It was a bit of a double-edged sword. Whomever was deploying it would be incommunicado, and anyone nearby would fair a great deal better if they left their comm badge behind. It was then that Lt. Harmon appeared, seeking an audience with Commander Eastman. Kova rolled her eyes at the man. She hadn't even earned a call back. For that matter, she didn't even earn a call. Was it really that difficult to tell her and Avi apart? At the very least, all people had to focus on was the hair... or lack thereof in Avi's case. "When this is over, Spook, let's have lunch. It'll be my turn to ghost you."Sensing that he probably wasn't going to open his mouth with her nearby, Kova made a rather audible sigh as she stepped away, giving them whatever perceived privacy would suit the spook. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Promenade Security Offices]Judy examined the device with the curiosity of an engineer. It seemed to be a remarkable piece of technology, and she would've liked to look over the details of its construction and operation. Maybe later. "Thank you," she said, taking it into her hand with much caution. She supposed she'd need to meet with this civilian asset at a different time to satiate her own curiosity... and clean up after Harmon. With that, he left her outside and entered the room where the Commander and Chief were planning things, along with Moz. He was surprised to see that she had been so visibly summoned to Security, something which could not possibly bode well for her ongoing undercover operation if the wrong people saw her. He also did not want Charlie to see her as that could prompt her to investigate Moz's connection with Starfleet, something that would be very dangerous for Moz and destroy Harmon's operation. "Please be wary of how publicly you meet with my assets in the future, Chief," he warned, his tone not rude or upset but still stern and serious. The urgency of the present situation took priority however, and he quickly moved on. "I have Charlie Fox outside. I'd like to bring her in and brief her on her role in this operation with the Commander and the Chief as soon as possible so we can get her in there before they start shooting hospital," he stated. "I have briefed her on the classified nature of what she will be doing and informed about, and informed her of the proper channels for her to gain approval to begin writing about today's events." "Lieutenant, keep in mind that Ms. Fox isn't a Starfleet spokesperson. If we want favorable coverage, we have to play nice," the First Officer advised Harmon. Commander, she said, stopping suddenly and turning to Judy. Do I have permission to stun any hostages if I can get all the aggressors with one wide-beam shot? It might be the quickest solution. Ryah preferred precision shooting, but it was more important to end the situation as quickly as possible. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A= Then came two things at once, the Comm from the hostages, and the Chief of Security's request. Judy gave the latter a look that said "just one moment", as she dealt with the former. =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= Then, she turned to Ryah. "Permission granted, Chief," she accepted. "I also have this little device that may be of use to us, courtesy of Ms. Sh'qaleq. It causes all communicators within 20-25 meters to send out an electric shock, like a taser. I'll leave where it's used up to you."Judy took a brief pause and swallowed. "For your planning, you should know that the Kurjarians refused to surrender the Computer Core. They're probably expecting us there," she added. "Gosh, my throat is getting a little dry. Do you know where I could get some water?"She had been talking far too much today, between the impassioned haggling of the family Settlers of Catan game, and the tense hostage situation they were in now.
Parting tag Kova Sh'qaleq . Tag Matthew Harmon , Joshua Niles , and Ozu Saya . Soft tag Avi Moz [ Leanna - Hostage Area, Blue Beta] Leanna may of returned to almost silence apart from the odd hushed word with the other hostages, but that didn't meant that the Betazoid hadn't been listening. Besides she saw no point in becoming completely distracted by the events still unfolding right in front of her, even if she had wanted to retract within herself and focus on more happier times. With her senses no longer hidden, she allowed the emotions of the room to swarm around her, filtering out where necessary especially the hurt, distress and the slow ebb of life slipping away from Xander as well as the negotiations. She knew it wouldn't be easy for such a junior officer to be the one to negotiate between their captors and his superiors but she admired his strength for doing so. Although it wasn't difficult to pick up on his desire to find a way to stop this as he continued to convince the Clan Leader to work with Judy and reach a compromise. Then there was Jeren himself who was beginning to get concerned with how this was turning out, despite his outward appearance as he thought about his options and answered Niles. Realising how he hadn't wanted to look weak, even as he continued and made another compromise regarding the Computer Core, not overly surprised that the group had taken over other places on the Station. Despite everything it was reasonable if they didn't want anymore bloodshed as she stood and looked at them both. " We don't want any further bloodshed, if you're willing to compromise then think of your own people too and why you're doing this" she implored, before speaking more directly to Niles. " Tell them to accept Sven and Xander, before we lose him ... he hasn't got long left if he's going to survive, I can feel it". [Jeren - Blue Beta Bar]
Another hero? Jeren contemplated as the bar owner spoke up. "I am thinking of my own people. Not just my people on this station, but all my people. Those of us here are but a few. We serve our people as a whole. Our lives don't matter. Not in the grand scheme of things. We are ready to be martyrs. Ready to lay down our lives to fight those who would enable the oppression of our people, ready to put down as many of those enablers as we can. If your Federation continues to enable the crimes against our people then so be it, we have no qualms forcing your people to feel a fraction of the suffering we endure every day," his tone was passionate and animated as he spoke, quite different to the level and polite tone he had relied on earlier. "Every day many innocent Kurjarians are killed. Your Federation enables this. I am giving you a choice save your innocents today. This is not a choice we are given."
| Blue Beta Bar and Grill || lt. Sven Aune || Xander McGrath | Interactions: Sven -> JarenSven -> LeannaSven listened as Jaren made, yet again, a demand. A look of utter contempt and loathing for this man spread acrossed Sven's face. He would toy with peoples lives like this. As far as he was concerned, they were past reasoning. He watched poor Josh trying to hold it all together. The junior officer was doing a bang up job with a very difficult and tense situation. And he knew that the way he was applying pressure upon Jaren was also applying pressure to Josh. Hold out a little longer. Hang in there...Sven stood there and took the news from Leanna with a nod that Xander was dying and now he was forced into a decision. Free the children and elderly, and Xander dies. Or free Xander and the children and elderly are kept in a very traumatic situation. Classic trolley problem. I choose track 3... Sven thought to himself. "No, you're going to release the wounded, the children and the elderly at the very least. You seem like a reasonable person," lets see how reasonable you are, "Lets consider what the reporter is going to find when they get here. Some children subjected to sever psycological trauma or a man dying. Sympathy for your cause will go straight through the deck plating." He painted a picture and as he did so he made an exaggerated thumbing from on high down into his palm where he ground it in while making a high to low pitch whistle. Just to drive the point home. "No one. And I mean no one who sees the report will have any sympathy for you or your plight when they see how you treat the wounded, the young and the elderly. You will be painted as fanatics and the best you will be able to hope for is a very long sentence in a Federation prison. So lets engage some common sense. Show the reporter that you are caring people who just need to be heard."Sven still wasn't going anywhere. He was going to continue to apply the thumb screws. Perhaps Jaren might just see the absurdity of this all, call it off before it was too late. For him and his plight. Jeren then turned to Sven. "I will release the wounded, the children, and the elderly. I will allow that, so long as your Commander holds up her end and gets me Charlie," his tone having returned to the more level headed one from earlier. "Sympathy is ideal, but I'll settle for awareness. I'll even settle for giving you a glimpse into the horrors we face every single day. And make no mistake, we will never see the inside of a Federation prison alive. Even if you hold us alive, the Caldonian Technocracy will demand our repatriation so they can execute us, and your government will accede, desperate for its fix of our Trillium 323 ."
[ Ens Joshua Niles - Blue Beta Bar, Front Ear Station ]At long last, Jeren was ready to give his reply to the terms offered to him by Commander Eastman. On one hand, he ought to have heard everything coming out of his commbadge; on the other, the Clan Chief seemed worried about remaining in control of the situation, and so the back and forth was necessary to make him feel as though it was so. However, with Jeren giving him alternatives to feed to Commander Eastman, Niles was getting the impression that he had inserted himself into the man's decision loop, and he was, ever so gently, putting himself in a position of starting to direct the tune. And, the young Ensign found himself with a renewed confidence: he had shifted his line of thinking, turned a security problem into a tactical one in his mind. And now, he could think straight enough. The woman who'd been behind the bar, the Betazoid who had subtly announced her presence to him spoke, enjoining one possible course of action, but Lieutenant Aune brought out another one, but in a far more aggressive manner. And, that the young Ensign took as an order, even though it was not clearly one. And, while his intent had been to try and get the big man out, where he could relay information in a way that could be used by the station's security people, it would seem he had other ideas... and that notion was starting to lead to a whole new way of thinking for Joshua. "All right, Sir. I will contact Commander Eastman now, let her know your response."Truth be told, the immediate call, which was going to be his, had been made by Lieutenant Aune... and it was as close to what he wanted in the first place. =A= "Nile to Commander Eastman. Ma'am, Clan Chief Jeren is ready to order his men to release all underage, elderly and injured hostages under their control station-wide, including the man here who was hit by disruptor fire. However, with regards to the Computer Core, he requests a reciprocal arrangement, with his men escorted unmolested and still armed to a warp-capable ship within the Docking Bay. Please advise."=A= =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= He was not expecting a ship. That was fine. And terrorist? Of course she would say that. She had the luxury of sitting in her ivory tower and denounce his means as illegitimate, as evil. The Kurjarians had no such luxury. "I will release the wounded," he said looking towards Xander, "And half of the elderly and children. The other half will be released once Charlie is here. No sooner," he paused, "And I would advise your commander to be careful throwing around such privileged accusations and derision unless she wishes to witness a display of real terror." He was beginning to lose patience with the false superiority complex of the Federationers.
Tag: Leanna Mazal , Sven Aune , Joshua Niles , Judith Eastman [ Leanna - Blue Beta] When she had stood up with the intention of not only trying to help Niles but also getting through to Jeren, the Betazoid was far from being perceived as a hero. No it had nothing to do with that rather an attempt to show what she was and using her talents so to speak to diffuse and bring this terrible situation to a peaceful conclusion. However as Sven acknowledged what she had said about Xander with a nod, Leanna knew that he wouldn't be going anywhere even before he had addressed Jeren. This wasn't what any of them had wanted and yet there was a vein of understanding weaving through the tone and words that were used. Whether Sven could also convince the Kurjarians to listen, she wasn't sure but at least they had tried. Although it did bring about a renewed sense of vigour from Niles as he agreed to contact the XO with the new terms of compromise. Their answer came a few minutes later and whilst she wouldn't of used the word "Terrorist", thinking it might cause more harm than good, Leanna waited to see how Jeren would react to that and what had been said so far. What followed made Leanna understand that little bit more about the Kurjarian's and why they were doing this as Jeren's tone became more passionate and animated. Of course there was some natural sympathy and empathy towards the plight that his people were experiencing, a hint of their suffering. Yet surely there could of been another way rather than holding people hostage and making demands to make their voices heard. " Now I understand and why you felt it necessary to try and force our hand, so we would listen ... but surely if you had just been honest with us, we could of avoided all of this and its not too late for you to do that".Whether or not she would get through to him, she didn't know but for now all she could do was continue to listen, especially as Jeren answered Sven, recalling more of the horrors that his people faced and what would happen if they returned to their home world. As an empath it was overwhelming but he wasn't lying. Even as he agreed to Judy's terms and made a more ideal compromise, she didn't need to use her abilities to tell that he was starting to lose patience, thanks in turn to the attitude shown by the first officer. Realising that this could become more dangerous if they continued and nothing was done. " He's not lying either .... the Commander could of just signed our death warrant" Lea warned Niles, not taking her eyes off Jeren.
tag Sven Aune , Matthew Harmon , Joshua Niles | Blue Beta Bar and Grill || Lt. Sven Aune | Xander McGrath |
Interactions: Sven -> JarenSven -> LeannaXander -> SeamusSven continued to stand tall, arms folded staring down at the terrorist leader. He understood what they were doing. He understood the motivation. The Federation very well could have been turning a blind eye to the treatment of their people for the acquisition of Terrilium. But how they went about it... Perhaps it was the only way to penetrate the bureaucracy. The Federation was a quagmire of red-tape and fillibusters. He let out an inward sigh. At least things were moving forward. It even seemed that Jaren had placed him as some sort of Federation officer. Not that it mattered. Xander was still breathing, but only just. He needed medical attention quickly, and he was a mix of emotions. Scared that he would die. happy that Seamus was there to help him. Raging pissed off at the terrorists for how they decided to handle things. Introspective at what Leanna said. But, things were moving forward. However he inwardly groaned when Eastman called them terrorists. That could unravel things very quickly. They were, in fact terrorists from the Command's point of view, but in their own, they were freedom fighters. But Sven wasn't pleased with the arrangement. He chewed his tongue and made another counter offer. "No, you will release all the children, and the elderly first. Xander can be released after the reporter arrives." he said with an emphasis on all. This very well could be signing Xander's death certificate. But the children needed to be out of this situation as fast as possible. The long term consequences on their psyche was unimaginable. He looked to Leanna and gave her a nod. Her presence was calming and he could see that it was facilitating a more peaceful resolution. Niles continued to handle things well. He made a good arbitrator. Perhaps that was his training. Sven knew he served as a tactical officer on the Mac & Cheese. He didn't know where exactly, but he hoped it was operating the ships weapons. A man with a cool head needed to be a gate keeper over a system that could level an entire city. Hell even an entire culture from orbit. He gave the man a small knowing look. __________ Tags Joshua Niles Matthew Harmon Thea Baker
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Jul 22, 2020 18:00:12 GMT
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Promenade Security Offices][...] Then came two things at once, the Comm from the hostages, and the Chief of Security's request. Judy gave the latter a look that said "just one moment", as she dealt with the former. =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= [...] [Jeren - Blue Beta Bar]
Another hero? Jeren contemplated as the bar owner spoke up. "I am thinking of my own people. Not just my people on this station, but all my people. Those of us here are but a few. We serve our people as a whole. Our lives don't matter. Not in the grand scheme of things. We are ready to be martyrs. Ready to lay down our lives to fight those who would enable the oppression of our people, ready to put down as many of those enablers as we can. If your Federation continues to enable the crimes against our people then so be it, we have no qualms forcing your people to feel a fraction of the suffering we endure every day," his tone was passionate and animated as he spoke, quite different to the level and polite tone he had relied on earlier. "Every day many innocent Kurjarians are killed. Your Federation enables this. I am giving you a choice save your innocents today. This is not a choice we are given."
Jeren then turned to Sven. "I will release the wounded, the children, and the elderly. I will allow that, so long as your Commander holds up her end and gets me Charlie," his tone having returned to the more level headed one from earlier. "Sympathy is ideal, but I'll settle for awareness. I'll even settle for giving you a glimpse into the horrors we face every single day. And make no mistake, we will never see the inside of a Federation prison alive. Even if you hold us alive, the Caldonian Technocracy will demand our repatriation so they can execute us, and your government will accede, desperate for its fix of our Trillium 323."
He was not expecting a ship. That was fine. And terrorist? Of course she would say that. She had the luxury of sitting in her ivory tower and denounce his means as illegitimate, as evil. The Kurjarians had no such luxury. "I will release the wounded," he said looking towards Xander, "And half of the elderly and children. The other half will be released once Charlie is here. No sooner," he paused, "And I would advise your commander to be careful throwing around such privileged accusations and derision unless she wishes to witness a display of real terror." He was beginning to lose patience with the false superiority complex of the Federationers. [ Leanna - Blue Beta] When she had stood up with the intention of not only trying to help Niles but also getting through to Jeren, the Betazoid was far from being perceived as a hero. No it had nothing to do with that rather an attempt to show what she was and using her talents so to speak to diffuse and bring this terrible situation to a peaceful conclusion. However as Sven acknowledged what she had said about Xander with a nod, Leanna knew that he wouldn't be going anywhere even before he had addressed Jeren. This wasn't what any of them had wanted and yet there was a vein of understanding weaving through the tone and words that were used. Whether Sven could also convince the Kurjarians to listen, she wasn't sure but at least they had tried. Although it did bring about a renewed sense of vigour from Niles as he agreed to contact the XO with the new terms of compromise. Their answer came a few minutes later and whilst she wouldn't of used the word "Terrorist", thinking it might cause more harm than good, Leanna waited to see how Jeren would react to that and what had been said so far. What followed made Leanna understand that little bit more about the Kurjarian's and why they were doing this as Jeren's tone became more passionate and animated. Of course there was some natural sympathy and empathy towards the plight that his people were experiencing, a hint of their suffering. Yet surely there could of been another way rather than holding people hostage and making demands to make their voices heard. " Now I understand and why you felt it necessary to try and force our hand, so we would listen ... but surely if you had just been honest with us, we could of avoided all of this and its not too late for you to do that".Whether or not she would get through to him, she didn't know but for now all she could do was continue to listen, especially as Jeren answered Sven, recalling more of the horrors that his people faced and what would happen if they returned to their home world. As an empath it was overwhelming but he wasn't lying. Even as he agreed to Judy's terms and made a more ideal compromise, she didn't need to use her abilities to tell that he was starting to lose patience, thanks in turn to the attitude shown by the first officer. Realising that this could become more dangerous if they continued and nothing was done. " He's not lying either .... the Commander could of just signed our death warrant" Lea warned Niles, not taking her eyes off Jeren. | Blue Beta Bar and Grill || Lt. Sven Aune | Xander McGrath |
Interactions: Sven -> JarenSven -> LeannaXander -> SeamusSven continued to stand tall, arms folded staring down at the terrorist leader. He understood what they were doing. He understood the motivation. The Federation very well could have been turning a blind eye to the treatment of their people for the acquisition of Terrilium. But how they went about it... Perhaps it was the only way to penetrate the bureaucracy. The Federation was a quagmire of red-tape and fillibusters. He let out an inward sigh. At least things were moving forward. It even seemed that Jaren had placed him as some sort of Federation officer. Not that it mattered. Xander was still breathing, but only just. He needed medical attention quickly, and he was a mix of emotions. Scared that he would die. happy that Seamus was there to help him. Raging pissed off at the terrorists for how they decided to handle things. Introspective at what Leanna said. But, things were moving forward. However he inwardly groaned when Eastman called them terrorists. That could unravel things very quickly. They were, in fact terrorists from the Command's point of view, but in their own, they were freedom fighters. But Sven wasn't pleased with the arrangement. He chewed his tongue and made another counter offer. "No, you will release all the children, and the elderly first. Xander can be released after the reporter arrives." he said with an emphasis on all. This very well could be signing Xander's death certificate. But the children needed to be out of this situation as fast as possible. The long term consequences on their psyche was unimaginable. He looked to Leanna and gave her a nod. Her presence was calming and he could see that it was facilitating a more peaceful resolution. Niles continued to handle things well. He made a good arbitrator. Perhaps that was his training. Sven knew he served as a tactical officer on the Mac & Cheese. He didn't know where exactly, but he hoped it was operating the ships weapons. A man with a cool head needed to be a gate keeper over a system that could level an entire city. Hell even an entire culture from orbit. He gave the man a small knowing look. [ Ens Joshua Niles - Blue Beta Bar, Front Ear Station ]=A= "Niles, acknowledged. Stand by for confirmation."=A= That was all he could tell the XO for now, at least, until he would confirm Jeren's decision. At long last, the Kurjarians' cause was being made clear to the young Ensign. Which, in a lot of ways, explained a number of things about their current stance and motivations. But, there was one thing that truly bothered the man: they were angry, desperate, and willing to die for their goals whether or not it would support accomplishing them; and that made them exceedingly dangerous. Jeren was willing to talk and show reason, but there was no guarantee his subordinates would be as accommodating. And that changed the math of the situation immensely, and it did not do much for his nerves even when his confidence had just taken such a boost from reframing the overall problem. Their cause was the kind that he could sympathize with on a personal level. However, Jeren and his people deciding to resort to terrorist tactics to further it soured it in Joshua's eyes. However, he did not speak until he heard back from Commander Eastman, and it would seem that Jeren, this time, chose to acknowledge what she said over the channel rather than wait for this ersatz negotiator to repeat what she'd said. However, it would seem he decided he would be altering the conditions he had just agreed upon and Niles' face hardened at that. But before he could get a word out, both Leanna and Lieutenant Aune spoke. The Betazoid's warning started echoing in his mind even as the big man offered a compromise, favouring those who would be certain to live, over the man he obviously cared about a great deal whose life expectancy could be measurable in minutes. That was the sort of thing that, however, stiffened his resolve even further. "Clan Chief, whether or not Mister Aune is offering you a compromise, you are not doing yourself any favours by changing the terms you have agreed to. If you renege, do you honestly think Commander Eastman will keep her end? Trust works both ways: you expect us to keep our word to you, but in return you damn well need to keep yours."That change of terms was entirely unacceptable, and should Jeren decide to stick with this new state of affairs, or even agree with Lieutenant Aune, then Commander Eastman would see the duplicity... and while, to Joshua, she seemed like a kindly grandmother more often than not, he also had the very strong impression she had no patience for any sort of dissembling or lying. "And think of the image you would be presenting. Miss Fox will have been told you would be releasing all elderly, child and wounded hostages in exchange for access to her. Should she see you lied, that will not go well for you either."
Tag Matthew Harmon, Judith EastmanSoft Leanna Mazal, Sven Aune
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Isaiah Quinn
Science
[TI36]
Posts: 1,153 Likes: 57
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Isaiah Quinn on Jul 22, 2020 19:20:00 GMT
[NPC - Colonel Helena Vasser - N.S.S. Soteria (Docked) - Front Ear Station] Colonel Vasser exited her ready room and stepped onto the Bridge after hearing a summons request from her communications officer. She strolled form her door over towards the comm station. "What is it, Lieutenant?" she asked the officer. "Colonel, we're receiving several reports that our officers are being asked to remain on board, while those on the station have been asked to essentially shelter in place."Vasser's brow furrowed slightly. She couldn't recall there being any drills scheduled. Typically, such information was shared as a courtesy, but it wasn't mandatory for Starfleet to make others aware of such things. Vasser nodded slowly. "I see. Make a ship-wide announcement to inform our people that we will comply with Starfleet's request. Then, be sure to contact those aboard the station making them aware of our stance as well.""Actually, Colonel, contact with personnel aboard the station has been challenging," the comm officer reported. "Show me," Vasser ordered as her eyes scrutinized the readings on the screen. It was possible that this was a drill, or either something more was at work. Still, Vasser wasn't going to jump to any conclusions without more evidence. "Continue trying to raise our people. But first, make a formal request of the command center for a status report on how long these restrictions will be in place."
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Jul 22, 2020 20:08:16 GMT
[ Kova Sh'qaleq - Promenade Security Office] [...] Hearing Eastman's voice, Kova began to focus on the woman's words. She couldn't help but feel as if she were being handled to an extent. Foldng her arms in front of her chest, Kova considered it. Perhaps this was the extent of their arrangement: quid pro quo... and trust as far as one could be bought. "We can discuss what you're inclined to give later," Kova said. "What you need, is an opening. Zechariah can give that to you."Kova reached into her pocket, producing what appeared to be a cylindrical tube, large enough to be concealed in one's hand. "It's something I worked on for a former client." The Maquis. "This is a transmitter. What it does is lock on to the nearest comm frequencies. Once the link is established, it uploads a virus to all receiving comm units within 20 to 25 meters, effectively making those units tasers." She'd seen a fair share of Cardassians get a nice little jolt courtesy of it. "It should incapacitate those it hits for a few seconds. It may or may not be long enough to move a team in to position, but... anyone already there could get a handle on the situation."It was a bit of a double-edged sword. Whomever was deploying it would be incommunicado, and anyone nearby would fair a great deal better if they left their comm badge behind. [...] [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Promenade Security Offices]Judy examined the device with the curiosity of an engineer. It seemed to be a remarkable piece of technology, and she would've liked to look over the details of its construction and operation. Maybe later. "Thank you," she said, taking it into her hand with much caution. She supposed she'd need to meet with this civilian asset at a different time to satiate her own curiosity... and clean up after Harmon. =A= "I'll accept his terms. His men can stay in the core, because they're not getting a ship. I'll send Ms. Fox over only after he fulfills his end of the deal. He's the terrorist, after all," =A= she dictated. =A= "Eastman out." =A= Then, she turned to Ryah. "Permission granted, Chief," she accepted. "I also have this little device that may be of use to us, courtesy of Ms. Sh'qaleq. It causes all communicators within 20-25 meters to send out an electric shock, like a taser. I'll leave where it's used up to you."Judy took a brief pause and swallowed. "For your planning, you should know that the Kurjarians refused to surrender the Computer Core. They're probably expecting us there," she added. "Gosh, my throat is getting a little dry. Do you know where I could get some water?"She had been talking far too much today, between the impassioned haggling of the family Settlers of Catan game, and the tense hostage situation they were in now. [Ensign Yino - Armoury]
Ensign Yino was a young, inexperienced Saurian officer, fresh out of the academy. And at the moment, he happened to be the ranking officer in the Armoury overseeing the process of securing it from possible Kurjarian intruders. He knew deep down however, that were it not for Chief Tlunch, the gruff Tellarite NCO, he would have had no idea what he was doing. In reality, Yino was pretty much just sitting back and allowing the Chief to take charge, Yino simply rubber stamping all his decisions. Suddenly, a group of Kurjarians emerged attacking quickly and without warning. Yino stood there in the middle of the room shell shocked and unable to move. One of the attackers fired a shot, right at the young officer, who was saved only by the quick intervention of Tlunch who rammed into the Saurian, knocking him off his feet and out of way of the disruptor. "Keep your head down!" scolded Tlunch. "Surrender, lay down your arms, we do not wish to hurt anyone!" called out one of the attackers. Tlunch, the ever arrogant and aggressive Tellerite was having none of that, he stood up, took aim and fired several shots with his phaser pistol. He hit one of the attackers, causing a slight squeel of excitement from Yino before he realised the Chief had also been hit. The next series of events happened quickly, a grenade of some sort was thrown and Yino ordered a retreat as he tried to drag Tluch to safety, inside the weapons locker room itself where he and his men barricaded themselves. Once had calmed himself, Yino sent a message.
=/\= Ensign Yino to Chief Meihn...oh god...they've attacked us...they hit the Chief....we're holding out in the weapons locker. Help us, please! =/\= [NPC - Chief Melihn Ryah - Promenade Security Offices] Hold tight, Ensign. We’ll have help on the way momentarily. Just stay put. Ryah made herself hold still and listen as Commander Eastman explained the small device. Her adrenaline was high, but ideas were formulating. While she thought, the chief gestured a crewman over and said, Get some refreshments in here for the team, especially a pitcher of water. Keep an eye on it.The crewman nodded and darted off to the break room. I’m taking the armory. We can’t let them get to the weapons. If the Kurjarians are locked outside, I should be able to pick them off.
That device might be most useful at the computer core. With a range of 20 to 25 meters, a team should be able to disable the insurgents without revealing themselves and move in quickly to take them into custody. The only problem...how much of a shock does this device give? If they have hostages, there’s no way to warn them to remove their communicators. They’d be hit, too.As she spoke, Ryah pointed to three security officers that were milling about waiting for orders. Come listen to this. I’ve got an assignment for you.She trusted this group to keep cool-headed in a crisis, and they were often on duty together.
Tag Judith Eastman , Kova Sh'qaleq , Sven Aune , and Matthew Harmon
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