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 Feb 12, 2021 4:32:35 GMT
[NPC - Xoteak - Dalab Mountains]
"That is the Dalab Wall. It was built to keep the Free Tribesmen out of ore-rich regions like this," Xoteak explained to Harmon. "This is an older, less secure segment of it."
It was an act of extraordinary arrogance by Yatin to send them here, where the Free Tribesmen could kidnap them, or collude with them. Yatin was, of course, a man of extraordinary arrogance.
Although it seemed Baram was arrogant too, sending them these particular animals to ride on.
"These are allergic to Caldonians. They'll sneeze me off," he protested, running back into the runabout.
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Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730 Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
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Post by Charlie Fox on Feb 12, 2021 12:06:45 GMT
[Matthew Harmon - Dalab Mountains]Charlie seemed less than impressed by the prospect that they may need to kill people. That was understandable, but he knew that Kova and Shavan at least would be by his side if it was necessary. He wasn't going to force any of them to carry, or use any weapons. They then landed and Harmon followed Charlie out of the runabout, and stretched for a moment before looking around. It seemed they were alone. After a moment of squinting into the distance for any sign of life, he turned to Xoteak "What is that wall?" he asked, having noticed the strange shape in distantly in front of them. While he didn't openly indicate it, he was beginning to be concerned that Baram had screwed him. Jeren did warn him about Baram. Around ten minutes passed when suddenly he noticed a noise behind him and looked across the rugged desert landscape to see a number of beasts ridden by humanoids rapidly approaching. They were deceptively quick and soon reached the group, the lead rider dismounting and approaching Harmon. "Matthew? I was sent by Baram. My name is Arav," the man introduced himself. He was shorter than most Kurjarians seemed to be and not particularly heavily built either. The rather small man was not how Harmon had pictured Arav, the loose cannon and aggressive warrior that Jeren warned about, the opposite of how he described Baram in many ways. It was curious that Baram seemed to have entrusted him this mission. Or perhaps Baram was hoping it would go badly. As with much of this mission, working with him was a gamble, but one that Harmon had to make. "We will take you to the labour camps. But first..." he turned around to one of his men who had disembarked behind him and was carrying a rifle, which he handed to Harmon. He inspected it, unsure what to make of it. It seemed battered and dirty but appeared to have held up. "Don't let her rough exterior fool you, she's sturdy. Built to survive the desert. Not a lot can make that thing malfunction. They're reliable weapons," his men approached the rest of the group offering an assortment of similar weapons and sidearms to choose from. "We must get going quickly, we need to make good use of the cover of darkness," he said, walking back over to his mount and preparing to hop back on it. "When you are ready, you will each ride with one of my men," he said. "We can talk more on the way." [Ens. Syl O'Connell - Caldonia - Dalab Mountains]After going through the standard procedures for securing the runabout while they were away, the Ensign followed the others outside. The mountains were even more beautiful out here, and she took a moment to simply take in the view. Once they got started, there wouldn't be any time for enjoying the view, and the things they were about to see were likely far from beautiful. Their guides arrived, and Syl accepted the sidearm that was offered to her. Hopefully she wouldn't need to use it, but she didn't feel like not being able to protect herself either. Securing the holster against her hip, she turned and examined the two-legged beasts they were expected to ride. They were certainly unlike anything she had ever seen before, and didn't look to be nearly as comfortable to ride as horses. But before she could ask any questions - or have any second thoughts - one of the riders came up next to her and offered a hand to help her up. Syl hesitated for just a moment, eyeing the Kurjarian and his mount nervously, before accepting his hand and letting him pull her up onto the creature's back. [NPC - Xoteak - Dalab Mountains]"That is the Dalab Wall. It was built to keep the Free Tribesmen out of ore-rich regions like this," Xoteak explained to Harmon. "This is an older, less secure segment of it."It was an act of extraordinary arrogance by Yatin to send them here, where the Free Tribesmen could kidnap them, or collude with them. Yatin was, of course, a man of extraordinary arrogance. Although it seemed Baram was arrogant too, sending them these particular animals to ride on. "These are allergic to Caldonians. They'll sneeze me off," he protested, running back into the runabout. [Charlie Fox - Dalab Mountains]Charlie stepped around and beyond everyone, ignoring Harmon and Arav, the latter of whom seemingly equally as disinterested in her. Olsen hovered behind her for a few moments, before she sent the drone to get some aerial shots of the impressive wall with the desolate background of desert sands, which seemed to move with a life of its own every time a breeze stirred the top layer of fine particles. She pulled protective eyewear from a pocket inside her jacket and fixed them over her eyes. The glass had a purple, mirrored tint, meaning that nobody would be able to see were her gaze rested. Just as she liked it. "They call them krik-rav-tukk, tukk for short," she said of the unusual beasts of burden to the group at large. "The direct translation is 'roundy-two-legs'." The corners of her mouth pulled downward as she tried, and almost succeeded, in hiding her amusement. She'd learned a lot about this planet and the Kurjarians in particular during her preparation for this trip, but the language was probably her favourite part. It was direct, and it had a simple, obvious honesty without much by way of flourish. Charlie could dig that. The presentation of the weapons and sidearms threatened to spoil her mood some. She studied what the Kurjarian tribesman was offering her, her eyes narrowed behind the purple shades. Eventually deciding that she'd require something to defend herself with, if for no other reason than not wanting to put her teammates in a position to have to do it for her, she picked up a small handgun. She checked it over once, shrugged, and tucked it into the waist of her combat pants. It pressed against the warm skin of her lower back, cooling her. She zipped up her jacket, pulled a scarf across her mouth and approached one of the tukks herself, behind O'Connell. "Fair play," she said to the pilot who was first to brave the unusual, almost precarious looking animals. "I can't decide if they remind me more of dinosaurs, or a Pac-Man with legs." Charlie took the offer of a Kurjarian hand and flung her leg over. She tried not to squirm in an effort to find a comfortable position, not wanting to disturb her tukk.
Tags: Area, direct Syl O'Connell
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Shavan Th'zhaar
Science
[TI35]
Posts: 800 Likes: 19
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Assistant Chief of Science
Species: Orion/Andorian
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Post by Shavan Th'zhaar on Feb 13, 2021 18:03:29 GMT
[Lt Shavan Th’zhaar - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia]
Shavan stepped out of the runabout, breathing in the fresh air as he watched for the approaching Kurjarians.
After a few minutes of waiting, they arrived at the landing site, and he listened as the leader spoke to Harmon and then to the team in general. He took the weapon that was offered to him, similar to the one given to Harmon, with a nodded thanks, examining it briefly before securing it. It was nothing fancy, but it would do.
When everyone was ready to go, Shavan stared dubiously at the strange beasts for a moment, before walking up to one and letting the Kurjarian rider help him onto it. The tukks weren't exactly his preferred method of transportation, but there was nothing to be done about that.
He said little as they rode, focusing on the journey and taking in their surroundings.
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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 Feb 15, 2021 12:25:56 GMT
[Matthew Harmon - Dalab Mountains] The group soon departed, minus Xoteak. He had a bad feeling about this. It would be useful having someone watch the runabout, however they needed all the help they could get. Xoteak especially was valuable, without his knowledge and information it’s unlikely they’d have made it. It was already a risk trusting him, and now he seemed even more risky to trust. The ride was uncomfortable and long, but eventually they reached the location where Arav said they would set up camp. It was part way up a mountain overlooking the penal colony, which enough rocky outcrops that they could hide behind to stay out of sight. The penal colony was surrounded by a guarded perimeter. Much of the camp was located within a deep pit caused by extensive strip mining. They weren’t far from the prison, Xoteak had given them the schedules of the guards, so if they timed it right they’d be able to get past the perimeter undetected. From their position, they could examine the prison and better formulate their plan. Before they could begin discussing things, Arav made a request of the group. “I know that what we are asking you to do is already a great risk to you, however I have one more request of you all,” he said, looking over each of the Federationers, looking for their approval. “My former chief, Jeren, I know Matthew and Charlie know him, his wife, Solin was taken prisoner four days ago. If we can find her, and free her it would be of great help to our clan. Her wisdom and diplomatic skill is unmatched.” Harmon recalled Jeren’s words, his wife apparently commanded the respect of the tribe and helped balance some of their worse impulses. However, he knew that it was unlikely they could possibly succeed at that. He looked between Kova and Charlie, waiting to see how they responded, knowing they would no doubt be the most outspoken. “We need a plan first, before we can decide,” he said. “Does anyone have any ideas?” Tag: Charlie Fox, Kova Sh'qaleq, Syl O'Connell, Shavan Th'zhaar
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Feb 15, 2021 16:19:41 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Caldonia - Dalab Mountains]When the other human woman - the reporter, if Syl remembered correctly - informed them of the creatures' name and mounted the next tukk, Syl glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "I'll go with dinosaur. Not nearly colorful enough for a pac-man. Though either one had pretty big mouths..." She definitely didn't want to find out how big the tukk's mouth was. They set off once everyone was seated, and Syl had to adjust her position a couple times to find the right way to balance. This wasn't at all like riding a horse. The Kurjarian at the reins eventually gave her some advice, after which the ride was far less stressful. No longer fearing falling off, she was able to look around and enjoy what scenery there was. Though she still couldn't get over the morbidity of what was occurring at their destination. When they finally reached their camp, Syl slid to the ground, wincing at the sharp pain as her legs readjusted to the new position. Perhaps she shouldn't have left her medication back in her hotel room... But it wasn't like she had expected to need it. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the pain from her mind and joined the others to listen to the man who was speaking. "Do you have any idea where she's being held?" She asked when it was requested they rescue the former chief's wife. The team wasn't exactly prepared for a rescue mission... But if she was easy to access then they might as well try to get her out as they left. Though that was hardly her call to make, and she said nothing else on the matter.
Tag Matthew Harmon soft tag Charlie Fox
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Shavan Th'zhaar
Science
[TI35]
Posts: 800 Likes: 19
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Assistant Chief of Science
Species: Orion/Andorian
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Post by Shavan Th'zhaar on Feb 16, 2021 3:40:00 GMT
[Lt Shavan Th’zhaar - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia] After the long, uncomfortable ride, it was a relief to get off the back of the tukk and stand on his own feet. When they stopped at the camp, Shavan listened to and considered Arav’s request along with the rest of the team. It may be nice if they could, but they weren’t there to free the prisoners. This wasn’t a rescue mission. Even taking just one person could draw the attention they were trying to avoid and complicate things. He wasn’t afraid of a little extra risk, and would help, but they had to weigh it against the end goal. The answer to Ensign O’Connell’s question about where she was being held could be a deciding factor. As could the expected response. “If it’s possible, we can think about doing it on our way out. What’s their protocol for when they find out someone’s escaped?” They needed to know as much as they could about the penal colony’s defenses if they were going to get around them. tag Matthew Harmon , soft tag to the group
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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 Feb 17, 2021 6:23:10 GMT
{Quoted Posts} [Matthew Harmon - Dalab Mountains]Charlie seemed less than impressed by the prospect that they may need to kill people. That was understandable, but he knew that Kova and Shavan at least would be by his side if it was necessary. He wasn't going to force any of them to carry, or use any weapons. They then landed and Harmon followed Charlie out of the runabout, and stretched for a moment before looking around. It seemed they were alone. After a moment of squinting into the distance for any sign of life, he turned to Xoteak "What is that wall?" he asked, having noticed the strange shape in distantly in front of them. While he didn't openly indicate it, he was beginning to be concerned that Baram had screwed him. Jeren did warn him about Baram. Around ten minutes passed when suddenly he noticed a noise behind him and looked across the rugged desert landscape to see a number of beasts ridden by humanoids rapidly approaching. They were deceptively quick and soon reached the group, the lead rider dismounting and approaching Harmon. "Matthew? I was sent by Baram. My name is Arav," the man introduced himself. He was shorter than most Kurjarians seemed to be and not particularly heavily built either. The rather small man was not how Harmon had pictured Arav, the loose cannon and aggressive warrior that Jeren warned about, the opposite of how he described Baram in many ways. It was curious that Baram seemed to have entrusted him this mission. Or perhaps Baram was hoping it would go badly. As with much of this mission, working with him was a gamble, but one that Harmon had to make. "We will take you to the labour camps. But first..." he turned around to one of his men who had disembarked behind him and was carrying a rifle, which he handed to Harmon. He inspected it, unsure what to make of it. It seemed battered and dirty but appeared to have held up. "Don't let her rough exterior fool you, she's sturdy. Built to survive the desert. Not a lot can make that thing malfunction. They're reliable weapons," his men approached the rest of the group offering an assortment of similar weapons and sidearms to choose from. "We must get going quickly, we need to make good use of the cover of darkness," he said, walking back over to his mount and preparing to hop back on it. "When you are ready, you will each ride with one of my men," he said. "We can talk more on the way." [Ens. Syl O'Connell - Caldonia - Dalab Mountains]After going through the standard procedures for securing the runabout while they were away, the Ensign followed the others outside. The mountains were even more beautiful out here, and she took a moment to simply take in the view. Once they got started, there wouldn't be any time for enjoying the view, and the things they were about to see were likely far from beautiful. Their guides arrived, and Syl accepted the sidearm that was offered to her. Hopefully she wouldn't need to use it, but she didn't feel like not being able to protect herself either. Securing the holster against her hip, she turned and examined the two-legged beasts they were expected to ride. They were certainly unlike anything she had ever seen before, and didn't look to be nearly as comfortable to ride as horses. But before she could ask any questions - or have any second thoughts - one of the riders came up next to her and offered a hand to help her up. Syl hesitated for just a moment, eyeing the Kurjarian and his mount nervously, before accepting his hand and letting him pull her up onto the creature's back. [NPC - Xoteak - Dalab Mountains]"That is the Dalab Wall. It was built to keep the Free Tribesmen out of ore-rich regions like this," Xoteak explained to Harmon. "This is an older, less secure segment of it."It was an act of extraordinary arrogance by Yatin to send them here, where the Free Tribesmen could kidnap them, or collude with them. Yatin was, of course, a man of extraordinary arrogance. Although it seemed Baram was arrogant too, sending them these particular animals to ride on. "These are allergic to Caldonians. They'll sneeze me off," he protested, running back into the runabout. [Charlie Fox - Dalab Mountains]Charlie stepped around and beyond everyone, ignoring Harmon and Arav, the latter of whom seemingly equally as disinterested in her. Olsen hovered behind her for a few moments, before she sent the drone to get some aerial shots of the impressive wall with the desolate background of desert sands, which seemed to move with a life of its own every time a breeze stirred the top layer of fine particles. She pulled protective eyewear from a pocket inside her jacket and fixed them over her eyes. The glass had a purple, mirrored tint, meaning that nobody would be able to see were her gaze rested. Just as she liked it. "They call them krik-rav-tukk, tukk for short," she said of the unusual beasts of burden to the group at large. "The direct translation is 'roundy-two-legs'." The corners of her mouth pulled downward as she tried, and almost succeeded, in hiding her amusement. She'd learned a lot about this planet and the Kurjarians in particular during her preparation for this trip, but the language was probably her favourite part. It was direct, and it had a simple, obvious honesty without much by way of flourish. Charlie could dig that. The presentation of the weapons and sidearms threatened to spoil her mood some. She studied what the Kurjarian tribesman was offering her, her eyes narrowed behind the purple shades. Eventually deciding that she'd require something to defend herself with, if for no other reason than not wanting to put her teammates in a position to have to do it for her, she picked up a small handgun. She checked it over once, shrugged, and tucked it into the waist of her combat pants. It pressed against the warm skin of her lower back, cooling her. She zipped up her jacket, pulled a scarf across her mouth and approached one of the tukks herself, behind O'Connell. "Fair play," she said to the pilot who was first to brave the unusual, almost precarious looking animals. "I can't decide if they remind me more of dinosaurs, or a Pac-Man with legs." Charlie took the offer of a Kurjarian hand and flung her leg over. She tried not to squirm in an effort to find a comfortable position, not wanting to disturb her tukk. [Lt Shavan Th’zhaar - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia] Shavan stepped out of the runabout, breathing in the fresh air as he watched for the approaching Kurjarians. After a few minutes of waiting, they arrived at the landing site, and he listened as the leader spoke to Harmon and then to the team in general. He took the weapon that was offered to him, similar to the one given to Harmon, with a nodded thanks, examining it briefly before securing it. It was nothing fancy, but it would do. When everyone was ready to go, Shavan stared dubiously at the strange beasts for a moment, before walking up to one and letting the Kurjarian rider help him onto it. The tukks weren't exactly his preferred method of transportation, but there was nothing to be done about that. He said little as they rode, focusing on the journey and taking in their surroundings. [Matthew Harmon - Dalab Mountains] The group soon departed, minus Xoteak. He had a bad feeling about this. It would be useful having someone watch the runabout, however they needed all the help they could get. Xoteak especially was valuable, without his knowledge and information it’s unlikely they’d have made it. It was already a risk trusting him, and now he seemed even more risky to trust. The ride was uncomfortable and long, but eventually they reached the location where Arav said they would set up camp. It was part way up a mountain overlooking the penal colony, which enough rocky outcrops that they could hide behind to stay out of sight. The penal colony was surrounded by a guarded perimeter. Much of the camp was located within a deep pit caused by extensive strip mining. They weren’t far from the prison, Xoteak had given them the schedules of the guards, so if they timed it right they’d be able to get past the perimeter undetected. From their position, they could examine the prison and better formulate their plan. Before they could begin discussing things, Arav made a request of the group. “I know that what we are asking you to do is already a great risk to you, however I have one more request of you all,” he said, looking over each of the Federationers, looking for their approval. “My former chief, Jeren, I know Matthew and Charlie know him, his wife, Solin was taken prisoner four days ago. If we can find her, and free her it would be of great help to our clan. Her wisdom and diplomatic skill is unmatched.” Harmon recalled Jeren’s words, his wife apparently commanded the respect of the tribe and helped balance some of their worse impulses. However, he knew that it was unlikely they could possibly succeed at that. He looked between Kova and Charlie, waiting to see how they responded, knowing they would no doubt be the most outspoken. “We need a plan first, before we can decide,” he said. “Does anyone have any ideas?” [Ens. Syl O'Connell - Caldonia - Dalab Mountains]When the other human woman - the reporter, if Syl remembered correctly - informed them of the creatures' name and mounted the next tukk, Syl glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "I'll go with dinosaur. Not nearly colorful enough for a pac-man. Though either one had pretty big mouths..." She definitely didn't want to find out how big the tukk's mouth was. They set off once everyone was seated, and Syl had to adjust her position a couple times to find the right way to balance. This wasn't at all like riding a horse. The Kurjarian at the reins eventually gave her some advice, after which the ride was far less stressful. No longer fearing falling off, she was able to look around and enjoy what scenery there was. Though she still couldn't get over the morbidity of what was occurring at their destination. When they finally reached their camp, Syl slid to the ground, wincing at the sharp pain as her legs readjusted to the new position. Perhaps she shouldn't have left her medication back in her hotel room... But it wasn't like she had expected to need it. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the pain from her mind and joined the others to listen to the man who was speaking. "Do you have any idea where she's being held?" She asked when it was requested they rescue the former chief's wife. The team wasn't exactly prepared for a rescue mission... But if she was easy to access then they might as well try to get her out as they left. Though that was hardly her call to make, and she said nothing else on the matter. [Lt Shavan Th’zhaar - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia] After the long, uncomfortable ride, it was a relief to get off the back of the tukk and stand on his own feet. When they stopped at the camp, Shavan listened to and considered Arav’s request along with the rest of the team. It may be nice if they could, but they weren’t there to free the prisoners. This wasn’t a rescue mission. Even taking just one person could draw the attention they were trying to avoid and complicate things. He wasn’t afraid of a little extra risk, and would help, but they had to weigh it against the end goal. The answer to Ensign O’Connell’s question about where she was being held could be a deciding factor. As could the expected response. “If it’s possible, we can think about doing it on our way out. What’s their protocol for when they find out someone’s escaped?” They needed to know as much as they could about the penal colony’s defenses if they were going to get around them. [ Kova Sh'qaleq - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia] As Kova left the runabout, she quickly began to feel as if things were going from bad to worse. The first sign was the arrival of Baram's contacts. They approached riding some hideous beasts, which were to serve as the primary mode of transportation. How convenient was it that Xoteak was allergic and had to stay behind. The Andorian's eyes narrowed, and she stole a moment to have Chel-E hack into the Batfish's computer and begin running the Nanny-Cam protocols. She didn't trust the Caldonian any further than she could throw him. And seeing that he was staying behind, that clearly wasn't very far. They provided them with weapons, that could easily have been centuries old. Kova's eyes narrowed as she was offered a pistol instead of a rival. Her eyes scanned the others noticing all the women had been offered sidearms rather than rifles. "Seriously?" she said as she took it, shaking her head. The next thing she was offered was a hand as one of the Kurjarians pulled her up onto the back of a tukk. The ride through the desert wouldn't earn anything above two stars, as far as Kova was concerned. Still, the trend of the situation degrading continued as one of the Kurjarians made a request of Harmon and the others once they reached their destination. After sliding off the beast, Kova listened and was actually shocked when Harmon and the other Fleeters didn't dismiss the request right away. "Wait a minute! I'm sorry," Kova interrupted. "Did we or did we not sign up for recon? Information that the Federation could use to pressure the Caldonians to I don't know... release Jeren's wife among amending several dozen other humanitarian infractions?"It wasn't that Kova was dismissing the woman and abandoning her, but if she were honest, she wasn't sure the others knew what they were signing up for. Her eyes moved along each of the Fleeters. "Do either one of you know the first thing about breaking into a prison?" Kova asked. Her eyes moved from Harmon to Syl and then to Shavan. "It takes planning and plenty of it! The fact that they haven't successfully pulled it off before now, should tell you something." Kova's eyes then moved towards Charlie. "Are you onboard with this too?" Kova was actually hoping that Charlie wasn't. That perhaps she could be the voice of reason to real Harmon back in. It was doubtful that Harmon would hear anything that Kova had to say, believing she was looking to save only her own skin. Though, perhaps he'd appreciate Charlie's counsel more.
Tag: Matthew Harmon , Syl O'Connell , Shavan Th'zhaar , Charlie Fox
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Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730 Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
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Post by Charlie Fox on Feb 17, 2021 18:43:39 GMT
[Charlie Fox - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia]Charlie slid off her tukk, her arse well and truly numbed from the long ride. She gave it a few half-hearted pats, then tugged the scarf she'd wrapped around the lower part of her face downward, leaving it flapping about her neck in a weak, warm breeze. She stepped toward the Kurjarian men as they began to make camp, but her attention was on Arav and his request. She grimaced. Her eyes were still hidden behind the tinted eyewear, but her jaw clenched and her lips pressed together in a line. Behind her Olsen was already buzzing around, literally taking it all in, but Charlie was distracted from the prison below by the proposition before them. She'd spoken to Jeren during his hearing on Cait. She knew how important Solin was to the effort, she even had a message for the woman from her doomed husband. But they'd come to record, they'd come for information. That was supposed to be how they could help the Kurjarians. What was being asked of them now, and in such a nonchalant way, was way beyond not just their abilities, but also possibility. She waited to see if O'Connell's question would be answered, before her attention moved to Kova's expected dissenting voice. Charlie sighed. However much logic she applied to the situation, she knew she couldn't ignore it, either. "It's one thing recording the prison camp, Arav, it's another entirely to break in, move around unseen, locate one prisoner, and then get her, along with the rest of us, out safely. Without getting shot." She didn't bother to add anything about getting arrested; likely the policy would be shoot first. She looked at Matthew, seemingly calm but inside she was at war with herself. "Let's see what we can figure out first, yeah? We need shift and duty schedules, floor plans, all that good stuff." The people on this team were good, decent types, who didn't want to stand idly by while a people were enslaved and killed for resources. But this was her crusade, and Charlie was suddenly very pissed off with Arav and Xoteak for this obvious manipulation of them all.
Tag: Matthew Harmon , Kova Sh'qaleq , Shavan Th'zhaar , Syl O'Connell
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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 Feb 18, 2021 13:22:28 GMT
[Matthew Harmon & "Friends" - Dalab Mountains]"I do not know specifically where she is being held. Likely deep inside," Arav responded to Syl, looking at his feet as he spoke as if embarrassed. "If they find someone has escaped they will lock the perimeter down and send out search parties," he said in turn to Shavan. At least he seemed willing to consider it if the opportunity arose. Then, Kova, ever the pessimist, gave her opinion. Harmon knew in his head she was right, but he deeply wanted to help Solin and the Kurjarians. Kova brought Charlie in and so Harmon looked at her, knowing that if even she was against it then there was no way he could justify accepting Arav's request to himself, and certainly not to the people he had conscripted to join this mission. However, before any more debate or descions could be made, they were suddenly interrupted by a blinding search light over the top of the group. As he looked up, Harmon saw some sort of gunship descend, as a number of Caldonian soldiers disembarked. Arav and his three men grabbed their weapons. One managed to get a shot off against one of the approaching soldiers, another was quickly gunned down himself. A second gunship then arrived and another group of soldiers quickly filed out. They were trapped, outnumbered, and most likely, had been betrayed. Harmon went for his weapon, but was shot in the shoulder and knocked to the ground, leaving him to abandon the attempt and instead crawl behind a rock for cover. The whole fight only lasted less than a minute. Arav's two other companions were quickly killed, caught from both sides with nowhere to escape and no time to find cover. "Surrender and we may spare you!" called a Caldonian officer. Realising the futility of the situation, and hoping not to put his companions at any more risk, Harmon tried to stand up slowly, the pain in his shoulder was intense and he was unable to raise that arm above his head. Arav, he noticed had survived but was wounded, knelling on the ground as two soldiers pointed their rifles at him. The rest of the soldiers seemed more focused on the group of Humans and Andorians. While the focus was there, Arav gave one last look at Harmon as he pulled a grenade of some sort from his pocked and primed it. However, he was noticed and immediately, brutally shot execution style to the head. His body slumped to the ground as the grenade rolled from his hand. The attentive soldier noticed it and dived on it, killing himself instantly but preventing the other soldiers in range from sharing his fate. Harmon realised that this was it. Before their mission even began it was over. At least they'd have an easy time getting into prison...
Tag: Charlie Fox, Kova Sh'qaleq, Shavan Th'zhaar, Syl O'Connell
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Feb 18, 2021 15:36:51 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Caldonia - Dalab Mountains]The sudden raised voice made Syl jump slightly, and she turned to look at the Andorian woman who was clearly not happy they were even considering the rescue attempt. "I may have missed that part of the briefing... But don't we have to break in to get the footage we need?" She replied. While she didn't know much about the situation here, she doubted the worst of the atrocities happened outside the perimeter. Arav answered her question, and it wasn't a reassuring answer. Without knowing exactly where this prisoner was, it likely was too risky to waste time trying to find her. And the deeper she was being held, the harder it would be to get her out. Before the Commander could give a final decision, however, the air was filled with the roaring of engines, shouts, and gunfire. The young Ensign dropped low and dove behind the closest form of cover she could see. Her heart was pounding as she pressed herself against the solid object behind her, covering her head with her arms. She was not prepared for this. Knowing a situation was dangerous was very different than the danger actually happening, and as bodies fell around her the panic continued to rise. There was an explosion, and then silence, but she didn't dare lift her head. She didn't want to know who was left and who wasn't, and she didn't believe it was actually over.
Tag Matthew Harmon soft tag Kova Sh'qaleq
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Shavan Th'zhaar
Science
[TI35]
Posts: 800 Likes: 19
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Assistant Chief of Science
Species: Orion/Andorian
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Post by Shavan Th'zhaar on Feb 19, 2021 13:02:09 GMT
[Lt Shavan Th’zhaar - Dalab Mountains, Caldonia]
Unsurprisingly, and not without reason, Kova objected to Arav’s request. It seemed that Charlie was more in agreement with him; they needed more information to make a decision. It probably wasn’t possible, but they could at least hear him out. Arav started to answer their questions, but before they could actually work out a plan, there was a sudden blinding light and the sound of weapons fire.
Instinct took over and Shavan dived for cover behind a boulder. He gripped the rifle and managed to get a shot out. Then a blast struck the boulder inches away from him, and the next thing he saw was one of the bodies that had fallen close by. The Kurjarians were dead, and they were surrounded. The firing ceased, and a voice called to the rest of them to surrender. His blood ran cold.
This was the second time in no more than a month that he’d been in this situation.. and like last time, there was no getting out of this. Only now, the stakes were much higher. He clenched his jaw and dropped the weapon, then put his hands up.
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Charlie Fox
Civilian
FOX NEWS
Posts: 730 Likes: 81
Position: Journalist
Species: A human of some kind
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Post by Charlie Fox on Feb 20, 2021 11:42:26 GMT
[Matthew Harmon & "Friends" - Dalab Mountains][...] However, before any more debate or descions could be made, they were suddenly interrupted by a blinding search light over the top of the group. As he looked up, Harmon saw some sort of gunship descend, as a number of Caldonian soldiers disembarked. Arav and his three men grabbed their weapons. One managed to get a shot off against one of the approaching soldiers, another was quickly gunned down himself. A second gunship then arrived and another group of soldiers quickly filed out. They were trapped, outnumbered, and most likely, had been betrayed. Harmon went for his weapon, but was shot in the shoulder and knocked to the ground, leaving him to abandon the attempt and instead crawl behind a rock for cover. The whole fight only lasted less than a minute. Arav's two other companions were quickly killed, caught from both sides with nowhere to escape and no time to find cover. "Surrender and we may spare you!" called a Caldonian officer. Realising the futility of the situation, and hoping not to put his companions at any more risk, Harmon tried to stand up slowly, the pain in his shoulder was intense and he was unable to raise that arm above his head. Arav, he noticed had survived but was wounded, knelling on the ground as two soldiers pointed their rifles at him. The rest of the soldiers seemed more focused on the group of Humans and Andorians. While the focus was there, Arav gave one last look at Harmon as he pulled a grenade of some sort from his pocked and primed it. However, he was noticed and immediately, brutally shot execution style to the head. His body slumped to the ground as the grenade rolled from his hand. The attentive soldier noticed it and dived on it, killing himself instantly but preventing the other soldiers in range from sharing his fate. Harmon realised that this was it. Before their mission even began it was over. At least they'd have an easy time getting into prison... [Charlie Fox - Dalab Mountains]"Aw, shi-" Charlie hit the deck. She'd flung herself to the side and landed face-first on the sand, gaining herself a mouthful of the warm, grainy silt. She turned her face and her eyes widened as she saw phaser bolt smoke wisping from a hole, right where she'd been standing. She stayed down and interlaced her hands over the back of her head, surrounded by the sounds of people dying. When the firing stopped she forced herself to open her eyes and look up. All of the Kurjarians were dead... except for Arav. Slowly, and with palms raised, Charlie pushed herself up, her knees digging into the sand as she tried to balance and raise. "He's hurt..." She gestured toward Arav, hands still moving slowly, deliberately. "Let me -"They weren't listening. They didn't care. They executed him. A yelp escaped Charlie as she stared at Arav, hand grenade in hand. His body slumped to the ground. It was a testament to the shock her mind was succumbing to that she didn't realise the danger the primed bomb represented, and it wasn't until the Caldonian soldier flung himself on Arav and blew themselves into smithereens, that her body caught up to what her eyes were seeing. About half a kilometer away, suspended in the air and mercifully as yet unnoticed by the Caldonian guards, Olsen's emergency protocols kicked in. Triggered by the elevated vitals of his mistress, the former war drone began uploading the live feed to the Mac's command staff, via his uplink to the ship itself. >ACTIVATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL WTFOX1< MODIFIED ACCESS AND COMMAND TRANSFER
>CAPT. JUDITH EASTMAN >CMDR. THEA BAKER [OFFSITE] >>SCI - LTCMDR ISAIAH QUINN [OFFSITE] >>>INTEL - LTCMDR MATTHEW HARMON** [UNAVAILABLE] >ENGINEERING - MCPO OZU SAYA >SECURITY - LT. JOSHUA NILES
Tags: Mountain Crew Matthew Harmon , Kova Sh'qaleq , Shavan Th'zhaar , Syl O'Connell . Softs from Olsen: Judith Eastman , Ozu Saya , 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 Feb 20, 2021 13:42:35 GMT
[Matthew Harmon - 'The Pit']
Harmon hardly had time to process what had occurred before he was hit in the head with a rifle, knocking him out. His companions were then in turn subdued and knocked unconscious. It was hard to tell what had happened or how long they had been out for when he was woken up be a continuous clanging sound. Slowly, he started to get a sense of where he was. The clanging sound was that of mining equipment and he didn't take long to realise he was underground somewhere. No doubt the prison. Well that made breaking in easier, he thought. He was lying on the hard rocky ground inside some small prison cell with its door open. His shoulder was still wounded and it appeared his captors hadn't bothered to patch him up at all. It wasn't life threatening but it was painful and would need treating. Around his neck was some sort of collar, presumably something to keep the prisoners in line. That would complicate things, hopefully Kova could figure out how to deal with that. If she was still alive and he could find her. The area was filled with similar open prison cells, a few seemed to have people in them but most did not. Unsure of what to do, he followed one of the two corridors connecting the room. It was long and what little signage there was was no help being in Kurjarian or Caldonian. There were a couple of doors and rooms that mostly seemed to be secured shut. After some time of walking, he saw natural light which he followed and soon found himself standing at the bottom of the deep pit. The sun was well and truly up meaning he must have been out for at least a few hours. There were many workers digging away into the rock, many using labour intensive tools. It was cruel. Everyone seemed to have the same collar around their necks. A number of armed guards patrolled around, occasionally beating a prisoner for not working hard enough or if they simply felt like exercising their power to fulfil some sadistic desire. Harmon stood and looked around for his companions as he tried to think of a way out. The Captain, if she knew what had happened, would want to help him, however diplomacy could prevent her from doing so. He couldn't take the risk, he needed to find his people and try and formulate a way out.
Tag: Charlie Fox, Kova Sh'qaleq, Syl O'Connell, Shavan Th'zhaar
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Feb 20, 2021 14:16:08 GMT
[Ens. Syl O'Connell - Caldonia Prison - The Pit]
The first thing Syl became aware of was the intense, throbbing pain. There was clanging in the distance, and her stomach knotted. What is he destroying now? But no, that wasn't right. He was gone. So why did she hurt so bad? She rolled onto her side, her skin scraping against course stone. Caldonia... That's right. She'd been hiding, and someone had pulled her to her feet by her wrist before striking her across the back of her head. Her fingertips ran through her matted hair, feeling the cold, sticky blood. Good thing I already have an appointment with Dr. Baker when we get back... Bringing her hands beneath her, she moved to push herself up, crying out as the pain in her forearm intensified with the pressured. Broken again... that was going to make things difficult.
Rolling onto her side, she cradled her injured left arm against her chest, pushing herself up into a sitting position with her right hand. The world spun and her stomach lurched, and she clenched her eyes shut to try and keep herself from passing out or vomiting. Or both. When at last the dizziness faded, she opened her eyes, the darkness that surrounded her penetrated by pinpricks of light in the distance. That's the direction the noises were coming from. Syl had no idea how much time was passing as she struggled to get her body to cooperate enough to stand. It seemed with every movement the dizziness got worse, and she was fairly certain she blacked out a few more times. But eventually she had found a wall for support and managed to get to her feet, and with tentative shaky steps began to walk towards the light and sounds.
The dark corridor suddenly opened up before her, and she recoiled away from the sudden bright lights that filled the room beyond, throwing her uninjured arm across her eyes. Shouts and metal ringing against stone echoed loudly, her head throbbing painfully from the assault to her senses. Everything spun sharply once more, and she fell back into the peace of silent darkness.
Her body sprawled across the path above the slaves hard at work, clearly visible to the next person who walked that way. It only remained to be seen if that person would be friend or foe.
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Shavan Th'zhaar
Science
[TI35]
Posts: 800 Likes: 19
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Assistant Chief of Science
Species: Orion/Andorian
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Post by Shavan Th'zhaar on Feb 21, 2021 1:49:23 GMT
[Lt Shavan Th’zhaar - The Pit, Caldonia]
The next thing he was aware of was lying on the cold floor, and Shavan opened his eyes to see the stone walls of the unfamiliar small, dark prison cell. He jerked upright into a sitting position, then winced as a wave of pain and dizziness washed over him. The last thing he remembered was being cornered by the Caldonian soldiers.. and the end of the rifle swinging towards his head.
He took a deep, steadying breath. There was a loud clanging sound coming from somewhere nearby. They must have been taken to the prison camp. So, that was one step in the mission accomplished. Sort of. Now, he just had to get a better sense of the place, find the others, find the right guard to bribe, and improvise a way out. It would be… it would be fine. He reached up to push back the hair that was stuck to the side of his face, sticky with dried blood, but his fingers found the collar first. With a sinking feeling in his gut, he gripped the collar in a vain attempt to feel for the locking mechanism.
The door was open, and after a few minutes Shavan managed to get to his feet and walk out into the corridor. He passed rows of cells, most empty, a few Kurjarians huddled in corners, but none of the rest of the team. Following the clanging and dim light at the end of the corridor, he reached the open area of the pit, looking from the brutalized miners up to the distant sunrise sky.
A guard noticed him lingering there and approached with a cold look in his eyes. Shavan made a rude gesture and swore in his native language. In answer, the guard struck across the face, while another held him from behind. He let out a pained hiss, and spat a mouthful of green blood at the guard’s feet.
The beating was quick, but vicious. The guard used the end of his rifle to repeatedly strike him wherever he could reach with brutal force.
When second guard abruptly let go, Shavan fell to his knees. No doubt there were bruises and welts all over his body, he was pretty sure his ribs were cracked. He clenched his jaw, breathing shallowly as every movement sent a fresh wave of pain through him.
In the end, he was thrown down into the pit and a mining tool shoved into his hands.
soft/open tags everyone
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