Ludus Incipit

Posted on Wed Nov 7, 2018 @ 8:44pm by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Samantha Raylen & Major Victor Crowe & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant Arashi Tanaka Mr. & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Senior Chief Petty Officer Samantha Summers

6,302 words; about a 32 minute read

Mission: Plaga Navis
Location: Syriuus Station, northern continent Heouron IV

Syriuus Station, northern continent Heouron IV

It hadn’t been hard to receive permission to enter Heouron space and land at the planet’s northern space station where civilian ships of all makes and sizes maintained a steady flow of inbound and out-going traffic. The Rascal had been directed to land along a wide stretch of docking berths which allowed for easy load and unload of cargos. They’d brought in a cargo of textiles, easily replicated by the Victory’s systems and of a high enough quality it wasn’t long before the Captain had a number of potential ‘buyers’ listed for her by the station master.

Holding up her cover, she had Dr Anderson at her side (mostly to annoy the Doctor and also to keep her from outright killing Summers who had managed to annoy the Doctor before they even launched).. while the Marines filled in roles for the moment as deck hands and mechanics, tending the ship and its cargo and getting a very good survey of the immediate area around them in the process.

Captain Katrijn Sixx (OOC: Shut up), the name by which Kennit had introduced herself to the station master had gleaned some information as well with a few carefully thrown in questions during their discussion, currently, the station master - whose name was Hough - was lamenting vigorously “This is the fourth theft of supplies meant for other destinations in the last 4 months!" The officious little man declared.

“We are a major hub for the progress of supplies and equipment to this sector as well as beyond and having any shipment of cargo taken by smuggling operations for their own purposes is intolerable!"

‘Sixx’ didn't answer right away, being busy watching the surveillance video which was playing on a hand held tablet Hough had handed her.

The video feed was of extremely poor quality. The grainy image showed indistinct figures moving in the cargo transfer area, deftly and without hesitation identifying the crates and containers which contained the components intended for the construction of a communications array, as well as medical supplies and of course, a large shipment of real Colombian coffee held in a specialized stasis field and transferring the goods from the intended queue to be loaded aboard a waiting ground transfer unit and instead loading the indicated containers aboard a modified vessel very similar to a mid-size Starfleet cargo ship instead.

She noticed several things. One: Throughout the process, which took nearly 3 hours to complete..at no time were any of the 'smuggler' crew challenged by members of the station's staff.

And Two: Though it was worn and heavily scarred, the emblem just visible on the ‘smuggler’ vessel. A stylized planet, with a sword rammed through from its north pole to the south. VERY unexpected indeed..

“Thank you for the warning Master Hough,” Captain Sixx replied when the short, round little man paused for breath. “I would not wish our cargo to be taken as well, I will be sure to place guards around the Rascal, and of course should any unusual activity be noted we will inform your security forces immediately.

After a few more minutes of bluster, the station master went on his way, leaving The Captain to look at her medical officer and ask, “Did you see it?”

Nicole nodded. "So they're just worn enough to look like salvage, and no one seems any the wiser. That or no one knows what that symbol means. But all those supplies, just stolen and no one's checking? And what could they be doing with it all? Some of it isn't even of value, and they were careful to load it all. What's that all mean?"

“It means we need to move fast, and figure out how to reach the prison on an accelerated time table. It may be nothing. But I don’t believe in coincidence.”

"I do, but I rarely encounter them," Nicole sighed.

Walking back to the waiting ship, the Captain noted that Major Crowe was returning from his initial recon of the area with Lt. Tanaka and she wasted no time, “Well? What have you got? We know the prison is 8 kilometers to the north, with all holding cells underground..that much we got from sensors as we flew in. Tell me you found a subtle means of getting there from here.”

Vic walked up to Captain Kennit and looked at her with a concerned expression. "You sure picked a helluva place to break into. The guard force is heavily armed, three-man patrols instead of two, motion sensors, transport inhibitors, holographic projectors disguising the entrance."

“I love a challenge.” The Captain answered. “In your opinion, what’s the best was to gain initial entrance.”

Vic grinned at the captain with one of his impudent grins. "The best way into this place would be right through the front door." Vic reached into one of his trench coat's pockets and pulled out a set of what looked like Starfleet handcuffs. Without wasting a moment, he slipped them over his wrists and the binders locked into place with a short beep. Vic held up his hands and said, "It seems you have a prisoner that needs to be delivered. If we can get the guards to put me in the same cell as our target, I can get him ready to be extracted. Once the systems are down and everyone is in place" Vic pressed his thumbs against the sides of the binders, causing them to beep twice and loosen, allowing him to free himself. "Trick binders I got from a friend a long time ago when I was a rookie second lieutenant on Romulus."

Nicole raised an eyebrow and smirked. "So you get yourself to the right cell, drop the cuffs, hit the first guard, get stunned by the second guard and killed by the third guard." She shrugged and looked at Rhea. "Well, it's a plan at least."

Kennit met her CMOs gaze, both of them knowing that for the Captain at least, being hit with a phaser or a stun beam was of no concern at all..

Vic sighed heavily. "No, doctor, it is not a complete plan. Mercs have a tendency to keep their bounties in custody until the promised reward is paid. The next phase of the plan involves the away team escorting me to the proper cell, making sure that I am secure in that cell, then our able ops chief wil work her magic. When the guards go investigate whatever distraction has been caused, our people disable them." Vic took out a small box and opened it, producing a tiny earwig transmitter. "This earwig will allow me to stay in contact with everyone. Once I have Torrence ready and willing, or subdued, we initiate phase three and take out the guards with the anesthesine contingency used in case of riots by nearly all Starfleet facilities. The away team will take the precious cargo to the exfil point for phase four, which is 'discovery' and beam-out." Vic turned to his senior NCO. "Did you remember the transport range booster?"

Gunny Clarence Woodard simply nodded, letting his hard eyes show his contempt for the non-Marines in the room.

His contempt didn’t go unnoticed by the Captain, she thought the Gunny might benefit from a resounding attitude adjustment..

"Well that sounds a bit more plan-like," Nicole said, nodding in approval, then looked past him. "Got it all, Penny?"

"Roger Roger," Penny said, stepping up. "I ensure Victor's vector once I get Clarence's clearance. How bad do you want their computers? Bashed, broken, or bedlam?"

“Play it by ear..” the Captain responded. “I am hopeful that we won’t have issues with Nathan at least in getting out of the prison. Reasonably sure once he realizes who we are, he’ll cooperate as it is in his own best interest.”

Looking back to Crowe, she said “Well.. I am quite ready to play mercenary bitch if you’re ready to play prisoner.”

Vic simply nodded his silent agreement Not gonna argue that one, captain! he thought

Arashi noticed that the gunny was giving him a look. He was listening to the mission breifing but he saw the gunny out of the corner of his eye but did not say anything. "Ready to go." he said and finally put on gloves so as not to leave any evidence at the scene.

Summers tugged at her clothes and looked around. For an Romulan, she actually was hesitant to speak up. *But,* she felt she should say *something* or else risk being left behind. She cleared her throat. " Captain, not to throw a live fish into a pirahana tank, but if you have a specific spot where you feel I'd do best,( other than cleaning the latrines) I'm all for it."

“Give it time Summers.” Kennit replied. “When things go south, the focus is on getting our target out in one piece. Anyone who tries to stop us, make them regret it.”

Summers nodded her head. " They won't stop us, Captain. And if they try, they *will* regret it. And...thank you.." Summers clutched the hidden long knife she had hidden and slightly smiled.

Kennit walked back to where Crowe was speaking with his Gunny. Woodard shot that look at her again, and she smiled at him while thinking just how easy it would be to put the Marine face down on the rather dirty ground of the landing area where Rascal had docked. “Crowe.” she said. “A word.”

Vic turned to look at the captain, "What do you need, captain?"

“A quick word of warning, Chief Summers is .. a potential problem. I won’t leave her on the ship,but if she puts the mission at risk do what you need to do to ensure mission success.”

Vic simply nodded with a small smile. "Consider it done." Vic's gaze met Gunny Woodard's. Goddamn it! he swore to himself. After Kennit left them alone Vic turned to Woodard "Gunny why are you pissing in the punchbowl again?""

Woodard shrugged. "These muppets are gonna get us killed, sir. We need to leave the Fleet pukes on the ship and get this done ourselves."

"Opinion noted, Gunny. I think you are underestimating our new crewmates. That aside, I want you to pair up with Chief Summers. Watch her. The captain's concerned. ROE Echo Kilo in effect."

"Aye sir!"

Vic raised his voice. "Let's get this shit done, folks!" Vic stretched his hands out. "Binders on!"

SCPO Summers' ear itched. One thing about Romulans and their Vulcan cousins, they both had *exceptional* hearing. Slightly smiling,
she walked over to Gunnery Sgt. Woodard, and looked him over before speaking. "Sooo, would you like to 'team up' on this excursion, Sergeant?"

Woodard regarded her with an annoyed grunt. "It's 'gunnery sergeant', chief, or 'gunny'! I am assuming your ears picked up the private conversation between myself and my CO." Woodard tightened his grip on his phaser rifle, silently vowing to get even with Vic.

Summers slightly grinned back at Woodard. " Ok, 'Gunny,' noted for future reference. Oh and by the way, did you know your eyes sparkle when you get agitated?"

Once Crowe was secured appropriately, Kennit took charge and slipped easily into the personae of Captain Sixx. The way she walked shifted, a subtle flex of muscle and sinew that added a distinctive seductive quality to each step. Her voice took on a slight huskiness, and she poke with a smooth polished accent which was both familiar and unidentifiable at the same time. Approaching one of the docking zone personnel, she flagged the man down for his attention and then spoke. “I need a place I can secure this rodent for a night or two while my ship makes a few repairs and we conduct business. Seems he likes to transport Rhuludian crystals refined for recreational purposes and ‘forgot’ it's outlawed on the planets he was selling it. When the authorities came for him, he killed two people trying to escape. He made a little way but...he wasn’t good enough. I’m taking him back for the bounty and the last thing I want is to have him wriggle free. I heard there’s a prison facility near here. I have the necessary credits to cover the cost of keeping him safely out of the way. We need a transport to get us there.”

The dock supervisor nodded as she spoke, his gaze locked on the Captain’s upper torso only shifting from her artfully exposed cleavage when she rattled the soft leather pouch containing the credits she’d mentioned. “I call a transport for you..but it’ll cost ya 10.”

She shrugged, “Done.”

It didn’t take long for a transport to arrive, the rented vehicle turned over to her after a somewhat painful explanation of its simple controls used as a thinly veiled excuse to hit on the smuggler Captain while she awaited the control chip for the vehicle. Finally extricating herself from him, she got her people and her prisoner aboard and on their way.

"What did she pay ten of, exactly?" Penny whispered.

"Gropes, from the look of it," Nicole said, under her breath. Nicole's arms were folded and her eyebrow raised in silent judgement as she watched the Captain 'work her magic.'

Noting the look from Anderson, ‘Sixx’ hissed a low, “don’t you even start.”

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it," Nicole said, dryly.

Alec didn’t look any happier either having watched her flirt with the dock supervisor. This was going to just be a peachy day!

The trip to the prison was tedious, but the natives there did not use transporter technology for what they considered short distance travel.
.
When they arrived at the prison, the Captain repeated her performance for the guard on duty. Explaining her prisoner was a low level drug dealer who wasn’t smart enough scope out his choice of planets to sell his dope and in his hurry to escape capture, managed to get two people killed. Turning Crowe over with a shove, she watched as he was lead back to holding while she settled in to handle the cost of his keep and arrange payment as well as pickup time once her other business on Heouron was complete.

While the Captain talked and jiggled her way into the guards' good graces, Nicole used her own 'orbs of persuasion.' She walked over to the guard who was eyeing Crowe, ready to take him and smiled. The guard glanced at her and her eyes flashed red. He blinked in confusion and looked closer, and her eyes turned deep red as she stared back. The guard's eyes glazed over and she walked up and whispered in his ear quickly before snapping her fingers in his ears and stepping away back into the group. The guard blinked and shook his head as if he'd just dozed off, then looked at Crowe and grabbed him by the arm, taking him away.

While the guards were talking with the Captain and focusing on the marine, Penny slipped her wand out of her top and quickly ran it across a computer-access port. The prison's systems were fairly secure, but since the officer at the desk was already logged in, Penny just slipped in remotely with his access. She looked at the lights flashing on her wand and then pointed it at the prison chief's monitor, connecting to it.

After a moment, she smiled and shivered and slipped next to the Captain. "We're in the system," she said.

******************************

Vic, in his role of a captured smuggler, acted like a defiant prisoner loudly protesting as he was led towards the underground facility. As he he was led into a turbolift, he made careful note of the passcode, filing the numbers away for future reference.

"Move, maggot!" a guard snarled, giving Vic a shove.

"Shove me again and I'll shove his head up your ass, turnkey!" Vic snarled.

The guard laughed as the lift slid into motion. The turbolift itself was several times larger than the standard lifts in order to accommodate SORT team insertions. "Third floor!" another guard said, and the lift began to slow down.

Third floor, now which section is Torrance in? Vic wondered to himself.

The lift slid to a halt and the trio of men exited. "New inbound human from the surface. We've been asked to hold him until processed. Any empty bunks?"

"Put him in with the human in cell 31654!" came the disembodied voice over the intercom.

The guard shoved Vic again, propelling him towards the numbered cell. When the trio was in front of the cell door, the guard tabbed a control and the forcefield dropped. Vic was given one last violent shove into the cell, then the forcefield snapped back on. The guards quickly left, allowing Vic to slip his binders.

"Who the hell are you?" a gruff voice asked from the occupied bunk.

Vic ignored him and fished the earwig out of his pocket and stuck it into his ear. "Crowe is active. Standby for facial recognition scan."

"I asked you a question buddy.....hughhh!" the man gasped as Vic socked him in the jaw with a solid right hook. Not wasting a moment, Vic lifted his eyepatch and stared hard at the man's face. "Initiate facial recognition scan."

**Facial recognition scan complete. Identity confirmed.**

""Confirmed." Vic looked at Nathan Torrence and spoke quickly. "Listen up, shithead. I'm Vic and I am here to break you out of here. Do what you're told, when you're told and you have a ride on Starfleet ship to look forward to. Piss me or anyone on the team off and I leave you here to rot. Understood?"

Torrence simply nodded. His ice blue eyes unreadable. Nathan didn’t know who this little punk bitch was, but he was willing to play the game for the moment if only to break the monotony of being imprisoned. If this little turd-burglar somehow managed to get them out.. maybe he’d only break his legs instead of his neck...

"Good." Vic reached up and touched his right ear. "Vic to team, initiate phase two."

******************************

In the prison intake administrative office, the Captain had just signed her scrawling signature using her left hand onto a data tablet confirming authority to hold the prisoner when she heard Crowe’s transmission via the hidden comm link in her right ear, as did the rest of the strike team.

Penny pointed her wand at the console. It lit up quickly and code scrolled across the screen lightening fast. She started rewriting it quickly with one hand, keeping the system open with her wand. She hacked into the power grid and set up a feedback loop through the lighting system. In less than a minute, a jailbreak would be in full swing.

Exactly 47 seconds later, the power to the facility flickered twice, and a series of alarms sounded, indicating that a loss of containment had occurred on level 2, and level 3. The administrator, who had been leaning over close enough that their bodies touched at him and side jerked in surprise. He didn’t get a chance to do more. The Captain twisted, locking her right arm neatly around his neck and with a smooth, powerful wrenching motion she snapped his neck. The lecherous man was dead before his body hit the floor. Kennit picked up the tablet she’d just signed, verified that her signature had not yet been processed into the main computer and destroyed it by snapping the device in half with a hard blow against the counter. She made sure the data was not retrievable by twisting out the memory core and crushing it with a twisting motion, tucking the broken component into a pocket of her jacket.

Leave no evidence....a long ago echo from a training officer whose name she had never bothered to learn

Penny stepped behind the desk and gave the Captain a disapproving look over the corpse, but her fingers were flying over the former administrator's control panel. "Setting false alarms in three sectors," she said. "Forcefields should be down straight to the cell. You want the third floor, cell 31654," she said. "I can pull up a floor plan--"

Before leaving, Rhea reached to the computer. Penny leaped backwards as twin tubules of brushed silver metal snapped out from the Captain's left hand. Rhea cocked her head to one side for an instant, the Borg programming in her neural net only needing a moment to slip through the security protocols and obtain a complete floor plan of the facility. She didn’t like not knowing where she was going.

Retracting the tubules into her arm, ignoring the dull ache which now drifted through the back of her skull like a dark fog she said, “Let’s move. We won’t have much time.”

Alec walked just off Rhea's right shoulder. "Lead on Boss." He quipped deciding 'Boss' was a better substitute for Captain. His head swiveled as he looked all around for any possible threats.

Penny took one extra moment to wipe the security footage from the prison's camera system, then crashed the system. "They're blind," she said, slipping her wand back up her sleeve and following behind.

Heading out of the admin office, they made their way toward the access lift which would take them down into the prison. Almost at the lift, a pair of guards bolting toward the lift as well spied them. “Hey!” The taller of the two shouted. “You can’t go down there! Who are you?” He snarled, drawing his sidearm as if to threaten them.

The Captain turned to the approaching guards, smiled, and then in a flash of movement disarmed the guard who’d spoken and cracked his skull against a hard bulkhead support beam leaving a smear of dark purple blood sliding down the metal surface left as he dropped. Eyes glittering, she looked at the second guard now charging her and met him full on, slapping his weapon from his hand and toying with him for a moment before jabbing him in the throat, crushing his windpipe with a brutal jab of her fingers into his neck. He choked, face turning purple and gagging as he tried to breath. “Stop me..” she said then with that smile once more on her face as she watched him collapse, fighting to breath.

Hitting the control, when the doors parted she jerked her head for the strike team to enter, “Move move move.. we are too slow..”

Penny jumped into the lift as the doors opened and whipped her wand out, running it over the control panel. She upped the power levels and held the doors open.

Alec watched dispassionately as Rhea dispatched the two guards with lethal efficiency. He didn't even give the guards a second look as their lives ended on dirty prison floor. He followed right behind her. She was right they needed to move and move quickly.

Once in the lift, the doors slammed shut and everyone had to brace against the walls as they shot up towards the 3rd level, unsure what reception they’d find.

Penny's wand beeped and she checked its readouts, then leaned over and whispered to Nicole. Nicole tapped the back of her gloved left hand and pressed her fingers against everyone's necks. "The facility is about to get gassed. This should help fight the effects," she said, quietly.

Level 3

Vic tossed Torrance a rebreather mask. "Put that on, shithead. You're gonna need it."

This guy, whoever the hell he was, was really starting to get on Nathan’s nerves. He wasn’t in the habit of tolerating pricks like this one.. and if not for the prospect of getting to the surface level and out of here he’d have already used the shank hed carefully fashioned and sharpened to a razor edge to teach this little loser a lesson. As it was, he caught the rebreather and said, “And this we need why?”

Vic turned to stare at the Terran fugitive. "Because, you fucking idiot," Vic jabbed his finger towards the hallway. The cell doors suddenly opened, allowing the prisoners to pour into the hallway. The prison security team and Vic's escorts quickly retreated into the sally port.

=/\=Riot in progress, engaging pacification protocol, Releasing anesthezine gas=/\= the computer's female voice announced.

Purple anesthezine gas streamed from the air vents into the hallway and cells, including Vic and Torrance's. Vic calmly waited on the bunk until the prisoners had all dropped from inhaling the gas. Torrance moved to take his mask off but was stopped by Vic. "Not yet. Prisoners are down, folks, I see three remaining guards in gas masks. They moved to secure the level so get in here, pronto. Precious cargo is getting twitchy."

Three additional guards suddenly entered the room and quickly incapacitated the remaining guards. One of them walked up to Vic's cell and inserted a key, opening the door. "C'mon, major! we don't have a lot of time. Captain Sixx is on the way." The Marine tossed vic his Marine pistol belt.

Vic inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, glad his Marine remembered to use the captain's cover name. "Let's go, shithead!" Vic ordered Torrance, buckling on his belt and quickly drawing his Marine-issue 3p pistol.

“If you don’t stop calling me ‘shithead’ you malodorous little sack of denebian slime devil excrement..I may well get offended and decide to do something about it..” Torrance snarled at him, rather sick of the mans attitude ..possible escape or not ..

Vic looked at Torrance and grinned. "You can run your cocksucker all you want, girlfriend; but you're gonna move willingly or I'm gonna move you. Let's move!"

Drawing his 6’ frame up into a combat stance, Torrance replied. “Somehow I think I’d like to see you try and follow through on that..”

"Captain, your friend doesn't want to move. Maybe you can reason with this asshole?" Vic said, his hand on his ear.

It took a moment for a reply, as the Captain and the rest of the strike force with her had reached the 3rd level and were a bit occupied at the moment. Five guards had them pinned down, the corridor filled with smoke and phaser fire. An emergency force field had snapped up, blocking their way back and trapping them unable to progress forward. Highly inconvenient.

“Mr. Tanaka, Miss Naroot,” The Captain said, “work your magic and get that force field down; that looks like an access panel there behind us..the square panel set by the floor..”

Penny gripped the side of the panel and tore it off the wall quickly, setting it aside. Her wrist flicked and she ran her wand over the panel. "If you can cross-wire the system I can redirect the computer," she said. "Just tell me what to do."

Tanaka got to work and started to take the force field down. "It is gonna take a few minutes, cover us and I'll get it done." He said to one of the marines and he got to work. While the marine covered them he removed the panel and started working. "Ok, remove the isolinear chip here and then move it here. Take this panel and remove the red chip and move it here. Then take this and shunt it over and..." He pushed a few buttons and reprogrammed the force field.

If anyone could bypass a security measure, it would be the security chief. She knew she could just connect in again, bypass it and shut it down however, doing so had already generated a headache, too much use of her implants in that manner would begin to have a detrimental effect on her physically and right now was not the time to be doubled over with a blinding headache, vomiting up her boots.

What she could do however, which the rest of the team with her could not, was walk through that force field once her Borg systems analyses and adapted to it. The smoke from the phaser hits on the bulkheads smelled horrible.. and she wasn’t willing to risk one of her people being injured when she knew how to deal with the problem!

Looking at Alec, with Nicole on his other side (looking really annoyed at the situation), Rhea flashed them both a smile. “This is stupid..someone is going to get hurt if we don’t deal with those goons. Both of you stay here..keep the kids down and safe..” she said, referring to the marines with them. “I’ll Be right back..”

Alec was about to protest but stopped. Number one, it wouldn't do any good and number two, it wouldn't do any good. Rhea was right, they needed to be moving and if they didn't do it fast someone was going to get hurt. "Do try and be careful Captain." He said before turning attention to Nicole and the rest of the marines with them.

He smiled as the field came down. "That did it. Let's get moving!" Arashi said and took up his phaser rifle raising his rifle and covering the team as they exited. He was fired at by a random guard and he returned fire, dropping the man. "Kuso! Anata wa kegareta buta o dono yō ni shite shinitai nodesu ka? (Damn! How do you want to die you dirty pig?!)" He shouted, the adrenaline starting to flow a bit.

"Remember to keep the body count low," Nicole grumbled at Arashi, pulling a stunner out of her bag and dropping a guard." She glanced at the Captain and her flashing implants. "You're not going to lose yourself again, are you?" she said.

Kennit smiled at that, almost a laugh. Her expression was strange, her eyes were blazing with intensity that seemed ..odd.
Truth was, she was alive.. felt more so than she had in some time... the adrenaline rush, that feeling of control and power..

“Relax Doc, this I can handle,” she said.

"I'm so reassured," Nicole said.

Rhea stepped around the bulkhead they’ll been using as shelter and ran straight toward the guards, taking three phaser hits which were deflected and absorbed by the Borg shield system which protected her. Hitting the force field, there was a flash of energy and she was through, nerves singing from the force field but already forgotten, the adrenaline surge coursing through her blood.

Nicole dropped another guard with her stunner, then hissed in pain as one guard landed a shot through the meat of her shoulder. She inhaled sharply as her shoulder healed, but her eyes blazed red as Arashi stepped up to fire back at her attacker. "Save your weapon, these men are mine!" she snarled and raced at them, snarling as she dove at two, pulling them down to the ground, eliciting a scream out of one. The third one dropped his weapon and started to run, but Nicole jumped up and chased him down. She clamped her hand on his shoulder and his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the floor. Nicole had a splash of blood on her cheek from her last victim and she wiped it off quickly, licking her fingers as she retrieved her bag and stunner, facing the rest of the guards.

The rest of the guards were falling back, shocked by seeing Kennit coming at them, unaffected by the phaser blasts she’d been hit with, undeterred by the force field. And her face.. her skin mottled along the right side of her face, a dark pulse of nanites coursing through her skin visible beneath her skin and along her neck. Her voice was terrible, soft and heavy with promise and something else, an eagerness there as she snarled “Didn’t anyone ever tell you? Resistance is Futile.”

"Captain!" Nicole shouted, hoping to pull her back.

Rhea killed the first man without breaking stride, grasping his head and driving his head down with both hands, into her rising knee crushing his skull. The second guard tried to fight, only to be shot with the phaser she carried, set to max power. The third man drew a knife, making her grin and wave one hand at him in a ‘come hither’ isn’t was brutal and short, the guard dying with his own knife thrust up under his chin straight through his lower jaw and into the base of his skull. She held him there, body twitching and looked at the remaining two guards, her face a promise of death.

"Enough!" Nicole shouted, stepping towards the Captain, the anger in her voice adding volume. Kennit swiveled neatly, sensing motion as the Doctor moved toward her, Kennit’s features half mottled and pale gray, triggered by the weapons strikes against her shield system. Her gaze was impassive, and at the same time in her dark eyes was the pure rush, the thrill ...

The force field came down then, the surviving guards bolting and running now, retreating as the strike team moved forward to join her.

Rhea answered Crowe’s call finally, letting the body fall as she spoke. “If you keep calling him an asshole, we’ll never make it out of here Crowe...”. Then, “For Gods sake Nathan.. get your miserable ass off your high horse and let us get you out of here with your hide intact..” she snapped out.

Elsewhere on Level 3

Hearing her voice, Torrence jerked in undeniable surprise, “Katrijn? Holy shit..”. Then, to Crow he snapped “All you had to do was tell me my wife was here...idiot.”

Penny accessed the doors as Arashi took up position next to Nicole and she finally cracked the locking system. "Olly olly oxen free!" she shouted. "Doors are open, we should have clear access to rendezvous and get out!"

“This way..” the Captain ordered, moving swiftly to join forces with Crowe and Torrence. Turning the corner, the sound of phaser fire whined loud and clear, a haze of green energy flashed around her body as the Borg shields absorbed the weapons fire. Kennit smiled again, “My turn..”

The two Heourian guards never had a chance, dispatched with ruthless efficiency. Continuing down the passageway, following the schematic she’d accessed to guide their half of the strike team to where Crowe and Torrence should be. Guards weren't the only threat, with the cell doors unlocked the prisoners were on the loose and intent on getting out. A group of prisoners came out behind them, one lunged at penny and locked his arm around her, a shank made from a broken bit of metal pressed against her neck. “Hand over those weapons or Little Pretty here gets it..”

Nicole whirled around and shoved Alec out of the way, clearing the path between her and her prey. She growled, her eyes blazing red and her fangs out. Her hair curled and she tensed every muscle ready to pounce.

His eyes widened in fear, but he held his ground. "I said hand them over!" he yelled, pressing harder.

Penny didn't have a jugular per se, but she didn't need one of her main fluid channels being ruptured so far from home. She blinked and calculated the distance between herself and Nicole, the height of her assailant based on how he was holding her, his weight and stance, and the relative gravity feel of the planet, along with composing a quick letter to Thomas just in case, and communicating with the prison's computer to begin scrambling the communications network, although it was having an extreme migraine already, dealing with the Captain's nanites.

In the end, she decided the best course of action was to remove her assailant from her body and let Nicole handle him. Penny wasn't one for violence. She reached up and grabbed his arm around her throat, pulling it back with relative ease. The man was strong, but harsh prison conditions left him somewhat weakened and no match for Penny's inhuman strength. She spun around, taking his wrist with her, forcing him to turn and arch his back and she twisted his arm around. She grabbed him and lifted him bodily, spinning him around like she was tossing a ball, then chucking him towards Nicole, letting him at least land on his feet.

As the criminal stumbled forward, his arm swung out, and his shiv stabbed right into Nicole's chest, getting a pained grunt and gasp out of her. He paused as he realized that his apparent victory over one of them wasn't having the outcome he expected. Nicole grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground, and grabbed the shiv with her other hand, pulling it out.

"What...what are you?" he said.

"I'm complicated," she snarled, then threw him sideways through a door into a nearby room. She dove in after him and the door slammed behind her, mildly muffling his screams.


Alec looked at Rhea, "Go! I'll stay here. Nicole may need some assistance to get back to the ship. besides more guards may be coming and I can slow them down."

The Captain nodded, “Don’t be late.” She cautioned. Then, with a jerk of her head for the rest of the strike team to follow she headed to the rendezvous point hoping to find Crowe and Nathan there ready to make their exit..


To be Continued in Part 2


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(OOC: This post is enormous and I’m lazy. Takes too long to scroll to the bottom. On to Part 2!)

 

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