WHAT did you do to my shuttle?

Posted on Wed Mar 16th, 2016 @ 4:15pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Petty Officer 2nd Class Amelia Takethen & Commander Angelica Fairchild & Commander Sinek & Lieutenant Commander Ethan Chaparral MD & Lieutenant Daln Hadren & Chief Petty Officer Ginifred Klem & Staff Warrant Officer Nexi
Edited on on Wed Mar 16th, 2016 @ 4:16pm

Mission: Talosian Perversions
Location: USS Hera, main hangar deck

No matter how carefully its pilot flew, the Thor had no hope of landing gracefully inside the main hangar deck, but knowing that didn't prepare anyone for the hard jolt and the crunching sound as the runabout set down. While the interior floor was undamaged, its underbelly crumpled under the stress, and the Thor listed to its port side, leaving its hatch on the starboard side pointed more up than down. Angel swore under her breath as the runabout creaked for several moments before settling into a 'stable' orientation. One that made it obvious that the poor little ship was no longer spaceworthy... and Angel had no idea how she was going to get out of this one. She was pretty sure the shuttle looked about how she felt... broken.

Two souls lost, but at least the other three had made it to the shuttle seemed unhurt. It kind of made up for taking two bad falls and spending the entirety of the flight back to the Hera on the floor.

Enalia was there at the port side hatch as soon as the Thor finished 'settling' and had it open in an instant. Letting the two medics slip past her first, she followed them in and looked for Angel. "First off, I'm glad you're back alive. Second off, I'm glad you brought most of the team back with you. Third off, you're paying for the repairs to the Thor. Now then... Can anyone tell me what the hell happened over there? And does anyone have any idea why that thing vanished like a ghost as soon as it started to blow up?"

"Could you maybe help me up before you yell at me?" Despite how sore she was and being pretty sure she wasn't going to be able to stand up without help, Angel waved the two medics off and indicated they should check on the rest of the team first. "As for what happened, you won't believe half of it. I was there and I don't believe it."

Enalia offered a hand to help Angel up, her scowl only deepened as the medics went to tend to the others. "You can brief me in a little bit then. Just give me a summary for now."

Daln entered the shuttle bay, looking for Hawke and Wang. He didn't like Hawke much, but he had high hopes for Wang. She was a good security officer, a good person. She worked well with others, did her job well...she could go far. Daln came around the back of the shuttle bay and saw only four people. Confused, he looked at Commander Fairchild. "Commander? Where are Ensigns Hawke and Wang?"

"Tribbles and Gorn," Angel said to Enalia as Enalia pulled her up off the floor. The dizzy, sick feeling that followed had her quickly reconsidering getting up at all, as did the searing bolts of pain any time she tried to put any weight on her right leg. Daln's arrival and question about the missing ensigns stung a bit, but she just shook her head slightly. "Wang was assimilated so Hawke shot her. And Hawke..." Angel blinked, reeling a bit. "Hawke was eaten by a Gorn."

Since Captain Telvan had left to meet the away team in the Shuttle Bay, Sinek was left to command the bridge. The cube's complete disintegration came as a surprise to the Vulcan. Upon hearing the shuttle's return, he was concerned. The only voice he had heard came from Petty Officer Takethen.

He tapped his comm badge. =^=Bridge to shuttle crew, welcome back. What is your status?=^= He knew four were returning, two security officers were lost, but not hearing Angel's voice in the transmissions meant caused him to think something was wrong.

Daln's face turned cold with anger. He was furious, but he was cold, calculating. Wang should not have died. If they had been paying attention, Wang would not have been assimilated. If a Borg Gorn got that close, Fairchild had not been doing her job. It was her fault that two good officers had died. "Their deaths are on your shoulders, ma'am."

"Yes, Lieutenant, I am aware of that." Angel's tone took on a biting quality, one it didn't often carry. "I'll keep that in mind next time I have to fight off a horde of assimilated Tribbles while running for my life and trying to keep five other people alive as well." She freed one hand from her tenuous grip on Enalia's arm to answer Sinek's call, only to find that clinging to Enalia was the only way she was staying upright at all. Wobbling precariously, she gripped Enalia's arm a little tighter, trying not to fall.

=^= Bridge to shuttle crew: please report. Is everything satisfactory down there?=^= With the delay in an answer, Sinek found himself suppressing the anxiety that was beginning to build within him. Outside, he was all business.

"Scan the immediate area where the Borg cube was. We don't desire any surprises."

Enalia tapped her own commbadge with her free hand. "Telvan here. Medics are treating the injured. I think you'll have to be acting XO for a few days while Commander Fairchild recovers. Please report Ensigns Wang and Hawke as lost in the line of duty and schedule the Thor for a complete overhaul."

Then Enalia turned to Daln. "As the captain of the Hera, the lives of Hawke and Wang are ultimately my responsibility and no one else's. I ordered them to their death and thus their blood is on my hands. Be mindful of who you blame for all the lost souls of this ship, Lieutenant."

Nexi reluctantly allowed one of the medics look her over, but her hand would necessitate an actual trip to the infirmary. until she could make that trip, they fitted her with a splint to keep her finger immobile so it wouldn't make things worse. This whole situation was making her reevaluate if she even wanted to officially join the crew at this point! Once the medic was done with her, Nexi rose from the pilot's chair and went over to the survivors, pretty much ignoring Daln and Enalia. "Hey, you guys wanna get wasted, come by the 'Star later, drinks are on me..." she said to Angel, Amelia, and Klem, then brushed past everyone so she could take herself back to her ship.

"No, I'm okay." She wasn't - not really - but Angel didn't want to be taken off duty. Not working would leave her too much time to think about being chased down by assimilated Tribbles and dragon-Gorn. "I just... I think.... maybe I should sit back down..."

Back on the bridge, Sinek started to wonder what Captain Telvan meant by recovery. Logically, it meant Angel was alive, but not well. How not well? he found himself thinking. It's not that he cared less for the two lives that were loss. He just cared more for the one he chose to love.

Pulling up the crew manifest database, Commander Sinek entered the necessary details, noting the deaths in action. He knew it was the Captain's duty to notify the families of the deceased. It was a task better left for a non-Vulcan. Sinek realized any notification from him would seem cold and without heart to humans.

Enalia helped Angel back to a seat as one of the medics started scanning her over. It seemed she had gotten the worst of it if the red and yellow warnings on the tricorder were any indication. Then the medic tapped his comm badge. "Computer, emergency medical transport for Commander Fairchild to the infirmary." Then he tapped his comms again. "Sanchez to Sickbay, Commander Fairchild has several broken bones, a cranial fracture, internal bleeding, a concussion, and swelling in her abdomen putting her embryo at risk. Requesting priority treatment."

Broken bones, internal bleeding, etc etc. It all sounded par for the course until Sanchez said 'embryo', and then Angel gave him a shocked look. "My what?" was all she managed to say before the transporter's sparkly beam whisked her away.

Enalia was a bit shocked as well, but at least she knew what to do. She tapped her comm badge. "Telvan to Sinek, please report to your fiance in sickbay immediately."

There it was. This had to be bad news. At first, with the announcement he'd be Acting First Officer for a few days, Sinek envisaged the injury to Angel as minor. Now, he didn't know what to believe.

Turning to the Officer at the Communications Station, Sinek flatly ordered, "Lieutenant, you have the bridge."

The Vulcan calmly walked to the turbolift. Once it delivered him to the proper deck, Sinek waisted no time. He sprinted to Sick Bay.

Satisfied her message had been delivered, Enalia headed out of the runabout. "If anyone needs me, I'll be on the bridge."