[USS Charon, bridge]
Lamont breathed a welcome sigh of relief hearing Lt. Tyrax's words that the bridge had been secured. He remained behind in the ready room briefly as the captain bolted out to join Sakarra in the carnage that littered the bridge. Turning toward the child, Lamont placed him in the care of the Andorian. The bridge was no place for a child at the moment. Lamont was hardly sure it was a place for adults for that matter given the body count and the grim residuals of close quarters combat.
Leaving the confines of the ready room, phaser in hand, Lamont collected the weaponry scattered about the bridge and quickly tossed the Romulan weapons safely into a corner far from the hands of the few groaning survivors should they attempt any final acts of bravery. It wasn't long before he was staring at the body of the Romulan he had cut down with the phaser he still gripped in his hand.
Immersed in a pool of jade colored blood the soldier stared at him with cold, lifeless, eyes. It was the first time Ian had taken a life with his own hand. The knowledge he had killed filled him with a dark intensity he had never known. Unable to cope with the wave of sudden emotion and guilt, Lamont sucked in a labored breath as he steadied himself on the shattered remains of the tactical station. The phaser in his hand slid from his grasp hitting the deck as his fingers relaxed almost with a will of their own. His stomach churned at the revelation of what he had done and it was taking ever ounce of the ambassador's strength to keep himself from becoming ill in front of his superiors.
Immersed in a pool of jade colored blood the soldier stared at him with cold, lifeless, eyes. It was the first time Ian had taken a life with his own hand. The knowledge he had killed filled him with a dark intensity he had never known. Unable to cope with the wave of sudden emotion and guilt, Lamont sucked in a labored breath as he steadied himself on the shattered remains of the tactical station. The phaser in his hand slid from his grasp hitting the deck as his fingers relaxed almost with a will of their own. His stomach churned at the revelation of what he had done and it was taking ever ounce of the ambassador's strength to keep himself from becoming ill in front of his superiors.
The young Vulcan just barely managed to not suffer the indignity of having to grasp a console for support before she succeeded in subduing the most inconvenient pain for another little while. Blinking in the direction of the ambassador, she noticed the human was not faring quite so well.
"Mr Lamont?"
Lamont looked up his face pale as he noticed the Vulcan's inquisitive expression. "I'll be alright", he said taking several unsteady breaths. The cold eyes of the dead Romulan were a sight he would never forget. "Tell me captain, do you ever truly forget? I..I have never killed before", he admitted to the two women. "You two do it with such ease. I've heard it gets easier with practice. I.. just never expected it could invoke such a strong emotional response. I suppose it is a human weakness." Lamont sucked in another breath as his stomach lurched within him.
Ease? Sakarra's dark eyes wandered over the bridge, deliberately taking in every detail of death and destruction, knowing full well that it would remain etched in her memory for as long as she lived, and possibly beyond.
"The day this becomes easy," she murmured quietly "I may as well lay down right next to them."
Shaking her head slowly, the young woman carefully navigated her way around bodies and casually read over some flickering, barely working consoles. No, it was not over yet. But first things first.
"Ambassador." she stepped up at the human's side, lightly placing her blood-stained sword on another shattered console. Very slowly and carefully, she reached for the man's hands but stopped a centimeter before touching him. "If you will allow me? I believe I will be able to alleviate some of your physical discomfort."
Lamont didn't say anything as he leaned against the console his insides twisted into knots. He simply stared into the Vulcan's dark eyes and then nodded unsure what to expect or what assistance she could offer given the dark anxiety that pulsed within him.
She would have to take that as a yes.
"It will help if you can draw steady breaths and focus on my presence."
With the swiftness that comes from much practice, but as gently as an evening breeze over Llangon, she took the ambassador's cold, clammy hand in hers and placed her other fingertips just where the uniform collar ended and his rapid pulse could be felt.
Human physiology … that meant a little more to the left and… hm.
She opened the ambassador's collar and finally found the pressure points she was looking for.
It was a rather good thing this could be done with only a minimal lowering of mental shields, or the human would be in more trouble than before.
"It will help if you can draw steady breaths and focus on my presence."
With the swiftness that comes from much practice, but as gently as an evening breeze over Llangon, she took the ambassador's cold, clammy hand in hers and placed her other fingertips just where the uniform collar ended and his rapid pulse could be felt.
Human physiology … that meant a little more to the left and… hm.
She opened the ambassador's collar and finally found the pressure points she was looking for.
It was a rather good thing this could be done with only a minimal lowering of mental shields, or the human would be in more trouble than before.
Lamont tried to relax, but the proximity of Sakarra and her delicate fingers now on his neck were not making it easier for him to focus. He finally closed his eyes and instead attempted to focus on his breathing.
A firm grip to nerve endings in his hand sent the signal for the stomach to cease tensing, while some other light pressure right there…. yes. Through the undercurrent of a minute connection, she could tell the adrenalin production was slowing.
Murmuring softly in her native dialect, Sakarra let her small fingers wander just a little further and nodded to herself when she found her next target.
"Nam'uh hayal."
He had little choice but comply when his tension involuntarily seeped away, as nerves instructed the body to stop behaving silly.
Murmuring softly in her native dialect, Sakarra let her small fingers wander just a little further and nodded to herself when she found her next target.
"Nam'uh hayal."
He had little choice but comply when his tension involuntarily seeped away, as nerves instructed the body to stop behaving silly.
Well, that would have to suffice. She could not have Mr Lamont dozing off happily in a chair right now.
Lamont opened his eyes as the Vulcan pulled away. Most of his anxiety had faded replaced only by an unusual calm.
"Nemaiyo", Lamont responded thanking Sakarra in her native tongue. He seemed to be constantly thanking the lieutenant these days for her unselfish acts. He longed for the opportunity to make it up to her somehow, yet he knew her Vulcan modesty required no form of payment in return.
"Nemaiyo", Lamont responded thanking Sakarra in her native tongue. He seemed to be constantly thanking the lieutenant these days for her unselfish acts. He longed for the opportunity to make it up to her somehow, yet he knew her Vulcan modesty required no form of payment in return.
Shiarrael glanced between the two of them, a wicked grin making its way across her face "it's a shame we were not born Klingons- we'd certainly be ecstatic at this moment." She kneeled down and looked over one of the corpses "so young" she whispered shaking her head "truly a shame but it could not be avoided."
Lamont reached down and closed the eyes of the Romulan he had killed. "Ecstatic is hardly the way I'd define the situation. But then again, I'm not Klingon." He refastened his collar which Lt. Tyrax had loosened.
Having managed to regain some of his composure, Lamont made his way to the nearest working computer terminal. "Captain, the Romulan ship is still aft of the Charon. Shields remain offline, but it appears that the Romulan's shields are also down, however I cannot be sure given the damage to the sensors and the ill effects of the nebula. I cannot do more unless the computer locks are released. What are your orders sir?"
Having managed to regain some of his composure, Lamont made his way to the nearest working computer terminal. "Captain, the Romulan ship is still aft of the Charon. Shields remain offline, but it appears that the Romulan's shields are also down, however I cannot be sure given the damage to the sensors and the ill effects of the nebula. I cannot do more unless the computer locks are released. What are your orders sir?"
Sakarra intently stared at the readouts of her at least still partially intact helm console and quirked a thoughtful brow.
"Hm."
She cleared some clutter off the panel's no longer smooth surface and her expression changed ever so subtly from the mask of marble to the characteristic features of a Vulcan thinking very hard.
"Mr Lamont, if I remember correctly there is a Terran idiom involving frozen precipitation and an ancient deity?"
"Ice…sleet. Hail. Hail…hail…Hail Mary", the ambassador responded unsure if he had correctly guessed the Vulcan's description with any accuracy.
"Yes, I believe that was the one." Sakarra said mildly, her long, slender fingers dancing over the flickering panel.
"Captain, assuming you would rather see this other ship destroyed than allow it to send more intruders, there may be a way. However, I estimate our chances of survival in our current shape at…" she paused briefly, tilted her head and looked at the panel again "Approximately 1.73 percent. Allowing for further damage to Charon, the chances increase to above 8 percent. Unfortunately, without correct internal sensor data, I cannot estimate how much more damage we will be able to sustain."
"Captain, assuming you would rather see this other ship destroyed than allow it to send more intruders, there may be a way. However, I estimate our chances of survival in our current shape at…" she paused briefly, tilted her head and looked at the panel again "Approximately 1.73 percent. Allowing for further damage to Charon, the chances increase to above 8 percent. Unfortunately, without correct internal sensor data, I cannot estimate how much more damage we will be able to sustain."
If there was one thing Vulcans did not like at all, it was guessing. But then again, they were not all too fond of taking desperate chances, either.
Good thing Sakarra had at least some practice concerning the latter.
Good thing Sakarra had at least some practice concerning the latter.
"Our other options are" she pointed at the plasma eddy blinking rapidly on her helm console, and the red line indicating they were drifting directly towards it "attempt to evade both this eddy and the warbird, thereby alerting it to the danger. Or …" she glanced at the ruins of the bridge, the pale human and the grim face of her CO and tilted her head in an eloquent way "tell as many of the crew as we will be able to reach that they should abandon ship."
Casually walking across the bridge Shiarrael plucked the limp body of a Romulan marine out of her command chair and tossed him to the deck like a piece of trash. Her cushions were covered by the thick emerald life blood of her people but she ignored it- sitting down she looked over her once beautiful bridge.
It was tattered and littered with corpses- bloody things which rudely stained the once fine carpeting. How long it would take to get their foul stench out of the carpeting? Her eyes narrowed to thin bars as she considered the options Sakarra had provided.
It was tattered and littered with corpses- bloody things which rudely stained the once fine carpeting. How long it would take to get their foul stench out of the carpeting? Her eyes narrowed to thin bars as she considered the options Sakarra had provided.
Neither option was palatable but she had envisioned this possible scenario "there is a shuttle prepared." She looked at Lamont, the words twisting in her throat.
[To be continued ... ]
Captain Shiarrael Rehu
Commanding Officer
USS Charon
Commanding Officer
USS Charon
Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
USS Charon
Chief Helm Officer
USS Charon
Ambassador Ian Lamont
Diplomatic Advisor
USS Charon
Diplomatic Advisor
USS Charon
