[Ch'Dabhae]
"Halifax!" Runo shouted. He had known the ensign personally. The Charon had been the young man's first posting and James had been looking forward to a long and successful career in Starfleet, only to have it snatched from him on the surface of some forsaken planet to an unknown disruptor bolt, lancing out from the darkness to steal both his future and his life. The lieutenant had taken cover behind a part of a destroyed wall with a marine near him, across the remains of what was a doorway. Runo went to run out, the intent to cover surf until he got close enough to the ensign's body to check his vitals or at least bring the body back to cover but the marine stopped him, physically moving the lieutenant back behind cover and a sharp reprimand.
"Shit! Doc get to cover NOW! Everyone find some cover!" Brent and his men immediately crouched low and found cover behind some of the Romulan structures that they were nearby. "Where did that," he was about to finish when another few disruptor blasts struck the building indicating where the enemy was coming from. After a brief count the Marines began to return fire, forcing their enemy to take some cover or be cut down where they advanced from. "Doc. How many are alive around us. Civilians. I don't care about the enemy nearby but if there are any innocents here I'd like to know now."
Indi dove behind a corner of a nearby building, barely beating the disruptor fire that hit the woman she had been scanning. Gritting her teeth in a mix of concentration and frustration, she set about scanning the rest of the village. "Damnit, I cant get a fix." She shouted back to the Marine captain. "Six Romulan beamed down. Maybe fifteen or twenty Romulan civilians in this area, but most of the readings are fluctuating. There's too much interference to be sure."
Looking at the Doctor she bit her lip as she listened to what she had to say about the air born plague. " Is there nothing we can do for them?" She asked though she was sure she knew what the answer was already. As for the hostiles, she knew exactly how to deal with them.
She moved over towards Warren and readied her phaser.
Indi thought she might be sick to her stomach as she shook her head sharply. "I doubt it Commander. I think the fluctuations are the tricorder's way of telling me that they're dying, and fast."
Brent had figured that was what the fluctuations on the life signs had meant. All of these Romulans would die soon of whatever the biological agent was that had been released. He gritted his teeth. "You three," he said pointing to three of his marines. Brent highlighed where they had to throw their grenade on their HUD and they nodded in return. They picked up their plasma grenades and prepared to throw them over the broken wall of their cover. He holstered his pistol and drew his kinetic rifle, instructing his sergeant and the heavy weapons man to do the same.
He made a fist and began to count down. Three, two, one, and then nothing. When the count of nothing came up the three marines lobbed their grenades over, two hitting dead on their targets with one around a meter off. The explosions gutted the hiding place. "NOW," Brent called out over the squad communication line. The three men with the kinetic plasma rifles drew out and fired upon the building behind the wall where the hiding spot was for the Romulan soldiers. The duracete shattered and broke until a part of the wall came down on the hiding spot. Those three men held their position with weapons drawn watching to see if anything came out. "Squad. On your feet. Only one way to tell if their dead."
Nathanial saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, a split second later the sound of multiple explosions followed by phaser fire followed. He tore his eye's away from the romulan girl and his had instinctively reached for his phaser. Starfleet had taught him well, and his mind began to clear of all emotion, to help assess the situation. He heard a whimper come from the girl, his head screaming to get in the 'game' and ignore her. His head shifted back towards the location of the explosions, from his angle he could see figures huddled behind what remained of a wall, they had not spotted him, and for that he was lucky, because only then did he realize that he was crouched out in the open. Another phaser fired, he figured it must be from the rest of the away party.
Nathanial heard her whimper again, he could not leave her like that, avoiding better judgement, he half crawled over towards her. He heard another phaser fire, followed by some shouts. He continued his path towards her, she was laying almost still, the only movement coming from the shallow rising and falling of her back. A phaser fired passing right infront of Nathanial, the light blinding him, he dropped to the ground next to the romulan girl. Another phaser fired, and he felt a hand reach up and rest on his outstretched arm. He turned straight into the eyes of the romulan girl, just in time to see the life taken out of her by a phaser shot.
Runo had watched the marines work with a profiency he had been surprised with. He had gotten used to Cole's marines but it was obvious this was a totally ball game. He cursed under his breath for not bringing his rifle as he intended to from the beginning but thankfully, he had a new appreciation for the hand-held phaser. Due to the untimely and very unfortunate death of Ensign Halifax, the security personnel were down to two officers on the planet, not including the marines. A few moments after the grenades were thrown, Runo peaked his head around what remained on the doorway, having suffered quite a few hits from Romulan weapon's fire. Nothing. Only the sounds of the wounded and the silence of the dead. In the far distance, there was a muffled explosion but other than that, it had become still. The marine that had been taking cover near him began to slowly shuffle forward and Runo followed suit. "Some welcoming committee. I'll make sure to come here on shore leave."
As the AT started to figure out their situation they found themselves in the grasp of a familiar tingling energy. The chaotic scene of the Romulan settlement gave way to the chaotic interior of severely crowded shuttle- as the away team attempts to reorient themselves they can't help but notice the giant D'Deridex class warbird trying to singe their tails.
[IRW Knvuk]
"The federation officers on the planet are now gone- they have beamed aboard the shuttle!"
"Damn them!" Terrh grabbed a passing technician and slammed him head first into a bulkhead. When the technician fell to the floor Terrh began kicking him violently "they are proving to be quite clever…" when his nerves were finally calmed he let the corpse ly still on the deck and turned his attention to the viewscreen "send five fighters after them."
"You do not wish to pursue Rekkhai?"
"No." Terrh said "let them lead us to Charon- we can destroy both."
[End]
Commander Eithne Katris
Executive Officer
USS Charon
Lieutenant Runo Dlya
Assistant Security Officer
USS Charon
Lieutenant Nathanial Doyle
Chief Science Officer
USS Charon
Lieutenant JG Indira Bai
Assistant Medical Officer
USS Charon
1st Lieutenant Brent Warren
Acting Marine CO
USS Charon
Ensign James Halifax (NPC Thomas)
Security Red Shirt
USS Charon
