Full Exposure

 Episode Name:  Full Exposure
   Written By:  Claness
         Cast:  Claness, Fortunae, Golden, Havaris, Idrani, Imzadi, Rivers, 
                Zero and Zian.
  Produced By:  Starfleet
  Directed By:  Claness
     Aired On:  Mon Oct 21 02:06:01 2002
     Stardate:  52720.5

Time: Sun Oct 20 20:29:50 2002

Stardate: 52720

Public Information: Nausicaa III, a marginally class-M planet, is found along the border of Romulan and Klingon space in the Nausicaa system. Home to nearly 8 billion Nausicaans as well as several million client or offworld species, it is known to be a hostile planet, that reputation coming from both the artificially-spoiled climate as well as the inhabitants. Not a space-faring species by their own design, the primitive and warlike Nausicaans were "uplifted" by the Romulans and used as shock troops against the Klingons. The Romulans encouraged the Nausicaans to exploit their natural resources for the good of the Romulan war effort, and the Nausicaans were more than happy to support their patrons. For reasons only known to themselves, the Romulans eventually cut their support and left the Nausicaans to fend for themselves. The Nausicaans are, as a rule, a simple-minded species that holds to the maxim that might makes right. Currently there are seven feudal warlords who are vieing for control of Nausicaa III and of Nausicaan space as a whole. The strongest and most able, Gr'rak'taa, has managed to wrestle control of the lions share of resources and technology in the Nausicaan System and has been "elected" the leader of the feudal Council of Command, making him the most powerful Nausicaan on the planet.

Mission Briefing: In a move that was uncharacteristic for his species, Zuh'raah'do, Nausicaan Ambaddador for Warlord Gr'rak'taa aboard Station 419, apporoached the Federation Council with a request for aid. Siting the Federations willingness to assist other worlds that lack a solidified central government, from Bajor to Acamar III, Ambassador Zuh'raah'do has requested that the Federation conduct a planetary environmental impact study as a first step towards more normalized relations and a formal supply of aid. In the hopes of being in a position to facilitate a peaceful transition of Nausicaan government, and in recognizing the importance that Nausicaan space could hold in the future, the Federation Council has authorized an environmental impact study of Nausicaa III as a good will gesture and has sent orders to 419 to oversee the operation.

As Nausicaan space is inherently hostile and under no policing effort by the natives, the appearance of a Starfleet vessel would put lives at risk. To assist Starfleet in this mission, Ambassador Zuh'raah'do has commissioned a Nausicaan-contracted civilian vessel to act both as transportation as well as a "duck blind" for the Starfleet operation. The ship is an older Antares-class cargo freighter designated the Mertz. The Mertz is commanded by Samatha LeCates, a human freetrader.

Scene One: The Mertz.

After collecting the away team and going over the mission briefing, you report to Transporter Room One and are beamed to the bridge of the Mertz. The bridge is of a design that is at least 75 years out of date and is a hodge-podge of various technologies. Still, all the major console locations you would expect, plus a few more, are accounted for. Positions are available for helm, ops, sensors, tactical, engineering and command. Standing before you is a Terran female who appears to be in her mid-seventies and a Nausicaan male of undeterminable age. Both are dressed in gray utility overalls that have seen better days.
The woman looks each of you over, a squint-grimace on her craggy face as she tries to puzzle out who is in charge. "I'm Captain LeCates, operator of the Mertz. Call me Sam. This here," she hikes a thumb towards the Nausicaan "is Bar'nook'ta. Bar for short. He's my first mate. I didn't bother to hire any additional crew because Zuh'raah'do told me that this is some sort of working vacation for you 'Fleeters. Fine by me. I'd just as soon stay on your pretty station and let you all wander off to Nausicaa on your own, but that isn't part of my contract. As it stands, I'm handing over command and bridge duties of this vessel to you fine folks. So, you all know how to fly one of these things?" She kicks the base of the command chair like she's kicking the tires of a used Buick, then looks at the Starfleet officers expectantly. "Don't be afraid to ask me or Bar for help. The Mertz can be temperamental."

Action!

. o O Idrani thinks "Is ... rust holding it ..."

Havaris steps forward smartly, offering a nod of the head to the Captain, and a similarly diplomatic nod to the Nausicaan. "Lt. JG Havaris Kusto, I'm the officer in charge of this mission. My Starship certifications include Junior Tactical Officer for the USS Aegis and the USS Thomas Paine, though they end there. This is my Mission XO, Lt. JG Rivers. Lieutenants Junior Grade Golden, Zian and Idrani. And Ensign Zero, the much abridged Bynar. On behalf of Starfleet, I thank you. I'm not certain, honestly, if we have a rated Helmsman, so if you wouldn't mind taking the helm...?"

Rivers gives the ship's bridge a lookover while Havaris speaks, being sure to nod to the Captain when she's acknowledged.

Golden "Hello Sam, Bar." He nods to each and flashes a quick show of teeth then leans closer to Havaris saying, "I believe that Lt Idrani is rated for helm sir. Where do you want me go?" he looks dubiously about the bridge layout.

. o O Rivers thinks "Egads. ... the ... dont ... apart when we touch them. ... ask questions ... Nausicaan? *Scoff*"

Zian's dark eyes quietly take in her surroundings. She nods politely to the Captain and XO as she is introduced, offering a faint smile.

Idrani nods to acknowledge Golden's words that indeed, she is qualified to sit at the helm. However, she eyes the hybrid technology with not a little uneasiness, then glances sidelong at the assortment of gold-shirted officers here and takes silent note that not one of them is an engineer.

"Hello," Zero and One say simultaneously to the human and Nausicaan. The pair of Bynars then look around the bridge for the science station...only to find none. They stand still, unsure of where to go.

Captain Sam smiles politely to each person in turn, taking special note of the Bynars. She looks to Havaris. Bar excuses himself from the bridge without a word and stalks off through the entryway.

"Right. Rivers, you're at Ops. Golden, you're at Tactical. Zero-One, you're at Engineering. Zian, I need you at Sensors. Idrani, take the helm. I'll take this... chair. Here." Havaris hops up into the command chair, dusting it off a bit as though hygiene were the greatest of his concerns. Adjusting his collar a touch, Havaris notes generally to the room, "If you all could give me the basic rundown on your stations? Capabilities, ranges, deficiencies, that sort of thing? If we don't have any weapons, it would be good to know that ahead of time."

<CONTEST> Rivers contests her Shipboard Systems (Mission Ops) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Golden contests his Shipboard Systems (Tactical) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Zero contests its Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Imzadi contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Fails!

<CONTEST> Idrani contests her Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Fails!

Rivers moves forward with an acknowledging nod, identifying the Ops station. She stands there for a bit, just staring at the console in front of her, and then finally drops into the seat with a long-suffering sigh and dusts her fingertips across the controls, getting aquainted with the antique freighter's stats. Her lip curls faintly while she gathers information from the old console, which flashes yellow at her. "Twisted..." she mutters softly. "Err..stats show the ship is pretty underpowered Sir." Falling into typical Starfleet protocol, she glances back to Havaris. "Bit underpowered at Impulse, overpowered for warp. Shame we don't have an engineer to tweak it. I estimate we could sustain warp 9, maybe a short burst at 9.2. We'll may have a bit more power once we're using warp power." She tacks on a belated 'Sir'.

After approaching the tactical console, Golden considers it thoughtfully before touching it. He takes out his tricorder and scans it, making a few adjustments then activates the magnetic setting and puts it in convenient eye reach on the left side of the station. He looks back and forth between the two displays then raises his voice to say, "Sir, we're packing six type six phaser arrays, with the firing arcs and placement we can bring about three to bear on any one firing direction at a time. Now torpedos that I'm finding... uh... standard cargo handling tractor beams two forward, one aft... shields are about the same rating as a Runabout, good for the age of this vessel... seems pretty easy to use the Klingon console with the tricorder link up... but... Excuse me, Sam -- What is this "Cape" device here?" He gestures at one of the knobs, double checking the tricorder before looking to the woman.

Zian crosses to the sensors station, the chair letting out a shrill *creak* as she takes a seat and swivels into position. Wincing slightly, she runs her hands across the controls, familiarizing herself with the layouts and the ship's stats. "Sir, as far as sensors go, the looks of this ship are deceiving. They've got sensors to rival the Paine's, though a civilian version, so the layout's a bit different from a standard starfleet sensor panel."

Idrani moves to sit at the helm station. "Aye, sir." She says, the Andorian accent pronounced in her voice. She seats herself, smoothing her uniform, then attempts to make sense of the piece-mail technology. After a few moments, her brow furrows and she chews at her lower lip. "This makes no sense..." She mutters under her breath. She tries a few buttons and the ship lurches forward. The only indication that this reaction was not what she had intended is a short, indrawn breath.

The small, pinkish-violet Bynars head toward the engineering station as ordered. After looking around the console a bit before attempting to do any work on it, they start bringing up engineering statistics for the ship, splitting the work amongst the two. There is a dual-pitched, rapid chirping coming from them for a moment. "Lieutenant Havaris," Zero begins, "engineering systems are functional, but barely. Main power from the warp core is unavailable except while the ship is in warp." One speaks up next: "We agree with Lieutenant Rivers, sir. The warp engines and impulse drives shouldn't be pushed very far."

Sam gives Golden a semi-toothless smile. "That is my pride and joy, honey." She gets up and moves to stand next to, very close at that, Golden. She seems to pay no attention to the power situation. "When we reach warp speeds, sweetie, push that button for me."

"Your love for your ship is rivaled only by her status as an enigma, Captain." Havaris drums his fingers on the chair, lets out a rather profound sigh, and nods his head faintly -- even after Idrani's little lurching start. "We can't maneuver, can't keep our shields and phasers going at the same time, and can't even reach a favorable combat speed. So keep your eyes open, Zian. If hostiles are on the way during our voyage, I want to know well in advance. Give us some time to jockey for an exit vector." Havaris glances about the bridge, then straightens up in his chair. "Helm, sound the klaxon. Hail Flight Deck Control and request permission to disembark. Once clear, come about at 1/4 impulse until we've reached our heading, proceed to a safe distance and make for warp 6."

Glancing back curiously at tactical, mention of the Cape device getting her attention, Rivers barely supresses a giggle at the Captain's response to Golden. She does smirk however and sits back in her chair, her hands curling about the edge of the console as if ready for the ship to do something else unexpected...like fly out from under her.

. o O Rivers thinks "... out ... those ..."

Golden "Hmmmmm." A typical stalling tactic while he regroups his thoughts, "So I activate the "Cape" while we are at warp... and it..." He narrows his eyes and then looks incredulously towards Sam, then towards Havaris' seat, then back towards Sam. "Uh huh." He nods and then silently looks over his console, his left hand gripped on the upper edge to give him some leverage incase there are any further helm lurches.

Zian nods at Havaris. "Aye sir." she responds crisply.

Idrani says smoothly, "Hailing the flight control deck, aye." She manages to find the communications system and in a moment, is given clearance for departure. "...Thank you S149." She closes the channel then begins working at the helm system, "Manuvering thrusters engaged.... Come about at one-quarter impulse, aye sir." She hits another button. "Engaged." She does not react to Captain Sam, other than a slight twitch of her left antennae when the 'Cape' feature of this craft is mentioned.

One and Zero are poring over their console, chirping at each other every once in a while. They do not seem too confidant at something.

Sam scratches her head, then leans across the tactical console in order to get a good look at the button marked "Cape". "That, sweetling, is an X-5651e cloaking device. State of the art...last century." She cackles to herself, then straightens herself out. She looks to Havaris. "In my trade, sonny, there is only one rule: See them before they see you. My sensors are state of the art and my Cape keeps me from being seen. Oh, don't worry your pretty Bajoran head over it. We don't cloak. Technology that old just makes it harder for pirates to see us. We aren't invisible...more like opaque."

"Gee, thanks, Sam. I'll try not to." Havaris gives the Captain a wan sort of smile and shifts in his seat a bit. "Right. Golden, engage the 'CAPE'. Let's make ourselves ... opaque." He glances back towards the Binars, notes they're content with their duties, then swings his gaze back about. "Keep an eye on our running operations, everyone. Otherwise, perpare for a long and dull ride to our destination."

<CONTEST> Idrani contests her Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Idrani finishes laying in the course and speed. She eyes the console, silently ordering it to behave, then engages the warp engines.

The lights on the bridge dim as Idrani makes the jump to warp, then they return brighter than ever after a few moments.

Golden taking a deep breath, he awaits the confirmation that they are warp speed then he says, "Activating the... Cape, aye sir." He pushes the button with an extended finger.

The lights dim once again as the Cape is engaged. Low and behold, the ship didn't blow up. The nose of the freighter visible on the viewscreen shimmers and then becomes a shallow, see-though outline of its former self. With that completed, Sam shows each of you your quarters for the trip to Nausicaa III.

Act II, Freefall.

The long trip from Station 419 finally comes to an end as the Mertz comes out of warp at the edge of the Nausicaa system. Immediately the "cape" disengages due to a lack of power. The ship shudders gently, if such a thing is possible, for a moment before it starts into an end-over-end careening. Inertional dampeners are compensating, for now. Slowly the lights in on the bridge begin to fade, as does the console screens. A warning light blinks fire-engine red on the Operations console.

action!

GAME: Havaris spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Havaris contests his Command skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Command skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Of all the ways to come out of warp that Havaris had imagined, this wasn't it. He spends only a moment trying to secure himself at his chair before raising his voice above the general din of a shuddering ship and the warning klaxons. His voice, despite the urgency of the moment, lacks its usual barking bluster, and sounds oddly calm amid the commotion. "Helm, disengage the inertial dampeners, then re-engage them, allow the spin to sort itself out a touch. Operations, I need additional power to the guidance systems. Tactical, I need entry-shields in case we can't right this spin, and I need to know where to go in case we must abandon ship. Engineering, see if you can't generate a static warp field to supplement our power. We'll need all we can get. Sensors, look for possible landing zones, and inform me of any incoming craft. Captain? Your input."

"ooh..ohh." Rivers grits her teeth, grabbing on to the console with both hands and fully expecting to go spilling onto the floor at first. She glares at the blinking red light as if she could stare it into submission. "Additional power?" She glances breifly at Havaris as if he'd asked the impossible. "Um .. Sam? Why is this console screaming at me in red?"

Golden says, "We have lost the Cloaking device... I can shunt and rotate the shields for additional atmospheric compensation, but I'm going to have to have more power..."

<CONTEST> Zero (claiming advantage) contests its Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Zian runs her fingers swiftly over her console, scanning the planet for the requested landing zones and the surrounding space for any spacecraft or other possibly hostile objects. "Scanning now, Lieutenant."

<CONTEST> Idrani (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

Idrani hits a button on the console, bringing secondary dampeners online to keep everyone in their chairs before disengaging the primary dampeners and re-starting them. The primary dampeners come back online and the ship's auto-stablizers stop the rolling. "Ship stablized, sir."

Zero and One cling to their console as they attempt to erect the desired field. After a little bit of trouble trying to coordinate their work at first, the ship stops spinning and they manage to form the static warp field. "The field is in place," Zero reports.

The static warp field brings power reserves up to normal and beyond, but not unsafely so, as the ship returns to it's regular ponderous self. The previously plotted course will take you directly to your destination of Nausicaa III. Sam looks to Havaris like there is nothing at all wrong. "She just hiccup'd, punkin. Nothing to worry about."

<CONTEST> Golden (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Tactical) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Rivers (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Mission Ops) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

And they're still alive! Havaris looks eminently pleased with himself. See what he did? They're alive! Nodding his head in satisfaction, he slicks back his hair with his fingers, lets out a 'Whoo!' sort of sigh and smiles back towards Sam. "Your charming endearments move me, Captain. Truly." He glances back towards the view screen, bites back the comment he's itching to make, ticks his head a touch, and motions towards the direction they're heading. "Steady as she goes, helm. Sensors, I'll need that landing zone. Good work, Engineering. And excellent work, Helm."

Rivers lets out a long sigh of relief, as the blinking light winks back to yellow. Nodding in response to Havaris, she makes a quick glance towards the mentioned stations, flashing a game grin.

Golden frowns impressively at his station at the blaise depiction of the disasterous departure from warp; then he rigs the vessel's structural integrity field and shield systems for atmospheric tolerances just in case and confirm locks that power banking into the relay capaciters for the phaser banks; that is the power goes out he will have a few moments of emergency power banked in the weapons he can transfer to the shields and SIF regardless of what else is going wrong. Once the future is secure he worries about the present and their lack of cloak, checking the F/FRS and TAT/TS systems for anything alarming heading their direction.

Zian breathes a soft sigh as the ship rights itself, and reports crisply, "Lieutenant, sensors show local shipping lanes are free of traffic. Until we establish standard orbit, however, I can't get any readings on the planet beyond the upper atmosphere."

Idrani exhales slowly. Those familiar enough with Andorians would notice that the set of her antennae, the only indication of her tension... which probably will not relax until everyone is off this tin coffin. She nods faintly to acknowledge the compliment. "Assuming standard orbit, sir." Her voice is cool, calm and professional.

The four eyes of the Bynars quickly go back to work scanning the engineering readouts, making sure another such power problem would not creep up again.

Standard orbit is reached, and Sam moves over to see what the Bynars are up to. Cute little critters, Bynars.

"Come again, Sensors?" Havaris looks to that Station, no doubt a touch incredulous at the lack of traffic in the system. "Well. Very good. Keep those scans open. And now that we're in standard orbit, begin a standard sensor sweep of the surface. Let's get the information we came here for and get out before anyone's the wiser." He settles back in his chair, relaxing a bit now that the way is clear, the ship is under control and once again humming with power. Might as well relax while you can, after all.

Rivers eyes her console, not that it does any good. Fingers tap here and there while she checks readings, or the lack thereof.

Idrani keeps a very close eye on her... eccentric helm console, hoping that they continue to have a good working relationship. She listens to the readings of the sensor data, making mental notes about the impacts that data would have on the sociological model of the Nausicaan people for further diplomatic considerations at a later date.

Golden says, "Nothing is pinging on the friend or foe sir, we have some transports and personal craft -- odd thing perhaps, nobody has initiated a hail; nobody is actively scanning us, and we aren't being challenged by any spacebound or planetary authority even with an automated system. It's like we aren't even here or... everybody is minding their own business."

Zian whistles softly as she begins to actively scan the planet's surface. "Wow. Nausicaans don't do anything by halves, do they?" she wonders aloud as data begins scrolling across her screen. "As I said, sir, no traffic in the system at all right now... and the planet... well... wow. I honestly don't know how anyone can stand to live there, sir. They started out with an oxygen/argon atmosphere, but it's so polluted now that it's only breathable for a few minutes, at best. There's a severe greenhouse effect going on down there, creating abnormally hot and humid surface temperatures. Precipitation is detected in the form of acid rain, and low-lying clouds have created pockets of low burning chemical fogs that crawl across the planet's surface, 55 of which is covered by severely polluted water. I'm detecting only 4 water that might actually be clean enough to be useable. I'm detecting a population of about 8 billion, mostly Nausicaan. The population is concentrated under or near large domed habitats, or mining operations--which seem to have just about run out of things to mine. Severe strip mining and deforestation is visible even from here, and my readings confirm that anything of value that was within 3 klicks of the surface has long since been removed. The domed settlements I mentioned don't seem to be doing a very good job of protecting the people who are taking shelter in them... They are Romulan in origin, and very, very outdated, many with nonfunctional air circulators, so they're just holding in stale air and pollutants instead of recycling it and giving them fresh air to breathe. There are a few major roads that disappear beneath some of the larger mountain chains, indicating that some of the population may be living and possibly continuing to mine in subterranean cities and mining facilities. I can detect a few potential landing sites, Lieutenant... I'll send the top three to the helm. These are the ones least affected by the abnormal volcanic activity I'm reading."

Idrani keeps a very close eye on her... eccentric helm console, hoping that they continue to have a good working relationship. She listens to the readings of the sensor data, making mental notes about the impacts that data would have on the sociological model of the Nausicaan people for further diplomatic considerations at a later date.

While Zero keeps vigilant watch over the engineering readouts, One turns around from the station upon Sam's approach. Craning its head up to look at the much taller human, One greets, "Hello Captain LeCates."

"Ain't'cha just the cutest little buggers?" Sam pats both Zero and One on the head, then moves over to watch the sensor data scroll. She gives Zian a squeeze of the shoulder. "I told you these sensors are state of the art."
Bar'nook'ta suddenly appears on the bridge, his coveralls are splotched with some sort of industrial lubricant. He looks around the bridge, then approaches Lt Havaris. "Urh, sir. I need help." He scratches his head, mandibles twitching around his mouth. "The plasma tube is broken. I can't fit." He stretches his arms out, showing his size. "Can't fit in floor. Sam too old. Need two. Can show her" He points to Zian "and her" points to Rivers "how to fix. Get small, turn wrench. If they" points at Zero and One "turns off and watches with that." He points at engineering console.

Havaris spends a good long moment staring at the Nausicaan in abject bafflement before looking back to Zian with a mixture of utter revulsion mixed with the subtle undertones of anger. A Bajoran? Angry about a planet being raped? No. That never happens. He looks back to the Nausicaan and tries his best to disassociate the crewman from the planet below. Perhaps without much luck. "I'm not entirely certain what you're trying to tell me. But Zero-One is our Engineer. And it just so happens that the Binar is functionally two bodies. And two small bodies at that. I'm..." He looks to Sam for assistance, "What in the name of Opaka does he require from us?"

Rivers turns around in her seat, her look incredulous. "You want /me/ to crawl into a hole and do something related to engineering?" She glances to Havaris cautiously. "I'm dangerous around anything mechanical. I /look/ at it and it breaks. Ask Akeen, he'll tell you." Belatedly she realizes that not only is Ghorev not around to ask, but that Havaris might have just shifted the emphasis elsewhere. Ha ha!

<CONTEST> Zero (claiming advantage) contests its Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

"Aw, shit." Sam chews on her lower lip for a few moments. "Hon..." She says to Havaris. "...what Bar is trying to tell you is that some wrenches need to be turned and he's too big-an-ugly to do it and I'm too old-an-weak. He probably wants to keep the dimplebugs" Indicating Zero and One "...there to make sure no plasma ends up melting Engineering. You men might not fit in the subfloor, but the gals there probably would." She leans back. "Your call, though. I'm just a contract employee."

Golden does his best imitation of a personal cloaking device, so still does he stand, so strong his is mental projection to not be noticed for having long limbs. Gee, what is that tree doing by the tactical station, certainly nothing to do with turning spanners that's for sure.

. o O Golden thinks "..."

Zian's expression is pretty much a mirror of Rivers'. "Respectfully, sir, the only engineering experience I have is doing some quick fixes and configuring on medical equipment. I don't know the first thing about replacing a plasma tube."

Idrani considers the situation. She is a former science officer, not an engineer, but everyone knows that science officers can be trained for a variety of tasks. "Sir, we're in standard orbit. I think I could be spared from my station for a few minutes, long enough to help ensure that we will not..." She hesitates briefly, thinking that a joke about putting on EVA suits and going outside to push might not be appropriate. "... that the systems will operate at their maximum capacity. I have just the Starfleet minimum engineering training, but that should be enough to be a pair of hands."

The Bynars look blankly at the woman who just petted them, then blankly at the Nausicaan who is not making any sense, then they turn around back to their stations to run an internal scan of the engineering systems. "Lieutenant Havaris," says Zero, "we're detecting a damaged plasma conduit in engineering. We can't go to warp if it isn't fixed soon." One, who continues looking over the readings while its partner talks, now frowns and says, "Sir, we should close off that section to prevent it from damaging nearby systems."

Bar doesn't look like he understands much more than the rest of you. He nods as Idrani speaks. "Starfleet doesn't teach people how to turn a spanner?" He scratches his head. "Need one more to help."

Sam aw's and pats Bar on the arm. "Don't you fret none, sugar. These Starfleet people will get this sorted out soon enough."

. o O Zian thinks "..."

"Yes, fine, close it off." Havaris gestures vaguely towards the Bynars, continuing to press home the question which has him rather lost, "Why can't you two go down there and turn the wrenches for the Nausicaan? If this post requires someone, in your opinion, I can relieve the helm and place Idrani there. But, yes. The tube needs replacing. The section needs locking down." One of these days, people will answer the questions he's asked of them in the manner intended. Now is not such a day. Frustrated, he motions towards Idrani. "Helm, you are relieved. Go assist Bar with the repairs. Engineering, do what you can from your post." He settles back in his seat, rests his head on a pair of fingers conveniently placed to apply pressure to his temples, and begins mumbling under his breath in Bajoran.

GAME: Zian spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Zian contests her Receptive Empathy skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

. o O Zian thinks "this is ... test for fleety ..."

Rivers turns her attention intently to her console, pretending to melt into it. Anyone close by might hear her humming to herself.

Golden looks between Zian and Rivers and Idrani, then focuses at watching Havaris rub his temples.

Zian presses her lips together then sighs, rising from her console. "Okay, when you put it that way... I'll do my best to lend a hand. You just show me what to turn with the spanner, Bar, and I'll turn it. Sound good?"

Idrani gets up from her station and straightens her uniform. "Aye, sir." She walks over to the huge Nausicaan, "Ready when you are, Mr. Bar'nook'ta." She nods to Zian and follows behind Bar.

. o O Zian thinks "this is a test for fleety tralalalala..."

One of the Bynars keep its eyes and ears on the conversation while the other watches the console to make sure the conduit does not cause any more problems after isolating the affected section.

Bar leads you to the engine room, where you see a grate in the floor has been pulled up. The subfloor is covered in the same sludge that covers Bar's overalls and several conduits and tubes can be seen running the length of the floor. Bar points at the hole and the plasma conduit, then to a location 5 meters past the hole, under the floor. "Crawl and fix?" He hands you both spanners.

Zian accepts the spanner with a halfhearted grin. "Heh. Yeah... sure. No problem. That's all there is to it, huh?" She glances over to Idrani, giving her her best I-hope-you-know-what-you're-doing-because-I-don't look.

Idrani takes the other spanner. "All right." She nods, sounding confident, at least. She gives Zian a little 'how-hard-could-it-be?' smile and hops down to the subfloor.

As you two move as directed, a sudden feeling of energy-matter transfer washes over you as you sink into a dark oblivion.

Captain Sam walks over and behind each console, nodding to herself as she goes. She finally stops near Lt Havaris, her arm brushing up against his. "How ya doing, honey?" Suddenly an explosion from somewhere in the back of the ship rocks the bridge (Athletics routine to stay in your chair), causing primary power to go offline and the viewscreen to go black. Sam is thrown forward and flies into the bulkhead. An audible /snap/ is heard and she falls into a wet heap onto the deck. The hull breach alarm sounds and the entryway leading from the bridge is sealed by a breach door that slams shut with a hollow ///throng!!/// sound.

<CONTEST> Havaris contests his Athletics skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Zero contests its Athletics skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Golden contests his Athletics skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Rivers contests her Athletics skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Fails!

Havaris turns his head to answer Sam, coming out of his brooding at the matronly promptings of the woman. Which serves only to give him an excellent vantage point by which to watch the woman fly across the bridge and land in a broken heap, most likely dead. The rocking of the ship nearly spits the Bajoran right out of his chair as well, and once things are settled down, that's exactly where he flies. Right out of his chair. "Report! All stations, report! Sensors, can you verify? Are we being boarded?" Havaris taps his compin, "Lt. JG Havaris to Lt. JG Zian. Zian, Sam's down. We need you on the bridge. Now." Havaris stops at the back of his chair, gasping it nice and tight. "Rivers, you're up. Get down there. And keep your phasers handy."

Acting on instict, rather than intellegence, Rivers shoots up from her chair with the first sounds of the explosion. She doesn't even get a chance to respond to Havaris, as she goes head first over the console and into the bulkhead beyond, to slide to the floor unconcious.

Golden reacts to the explosion before he realizes completely what is going on, as the forward impact would have thrown him he forces himself to fall backwards with both hands grasping the console, so instead monkey swings under it just barely missing a connection with his chin, then swings back up as the ship rolls backwards. Flexing his legs as he swings back he is standing at his original position from which he immediately begins calling out the status display results on his station before looking around to see if there is anyone left to hear them.

The seats that Zero and One are on are, fortunately, postioned in such a way that they help to prevent the Bynars from falling off during the rocking. Once things calm down, they quickly get to work on their console, which flickers momentarily. "We are not receiving any damage reports, but we are also not getting anything from outside the bridge," states Zero. "It could be because of loss of power," says One. "We are trying to route reserve power into systems now."

<CONTEST> Zero (claiming advantage) contests its Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Bright light again fills the bridge and the offline consoles return to life as the reserves kick in.

Havaris has had nightmares that have gone worse than this. With his Ops officer on the deck, and the ship's captain as well, Havaris steps away from the command chair and steps up to man Operations. He can give orders from there, as sure as he can from his chair. "I need those status reports, and I need them now..." Noting that Sensors -has- nobody stationed there, he steps over a body and moves to that station, giving them a quick scan to see just what the hell's out there -- if anything. "Engineering? Tactical? What's our condition."

The bridge is filled with emergency klaxons, flashing red lights and other assorted "this is very bad" bridge signs.

Golden "Sir I'm getting nothing beyond the bridge, either we have nothing but the bridge left or there is no power left for internal sensors... hold on, getting some trickle now... Sweet Ifni -- Sir... main engineering is gone, completely gone open to vacuum... we have hull stability for now with the secondary SIF because I powered that up before the accident... I'm reading some altitude control... I think Impulse engines are still feedign... Sir, I don't think we have enough power to maintain orbit." He reads each point off, and strangely enough gets calmer as the situation darkens, at the end he looks directly to meet Kusto in the eye as he makes his last pronouncement.

As the information start scrolling onto the Bynars' screen, they report their findings. "We managed to feed power to helms, sir. Impulse engines damaged but marginally functional. We definitely do not have power for ascent." A brief pause, "Reading nothing from engineering, not even life signs."

Havaris pours over the sensor data, scanning and rescanning, refusing to believe what his sensors are telling him. No lifesigns. Once the reality of his situation has settled in, he looks back to Golden with the same calm expression that his junior is offering to him. He gives him a simple, unadorned nod of the head and looks back to his controls. "I'm taking the helm." He preps the controls and steps over to Operations, opening a general hail quickly before returning to his station at Sensors. "May-Day. This is the Freetrade Vessel Mertz under command of Lt. JG Havaris Kusto representing the United Federation of Planets. We've lost our main engineering and we're heading for the surface of Nausicaa with a crew of nine souls. I repeat, this is a May-Day from the Freetrade Vessel Mertz under control of Lt. JG Havaris Kusto requesting assistance..." He repeats this message in a calm monotone as he begins to battle the helm throughout their descent.

Golden says, "Sir, I squirreled away some extra shield and SIF power in the phaser buffer after the warp exit incident, perhaps if we transfer all remaining life-support out of the rest of the ship and cancel all other non-essential power systems we might have enough to help with any sort of landing by using the tractor beams as a repulsor buffer system to augment the manuevering thrusters and correct any problems with our angle of descent or rate of same, sir?"

Zero and One continue clinging to their seats as the ship heads planetside. Otherwise, they do not really know what to do, as this was not what they are used to.

Cutaway shot: The Mertz, venting plasma, debris and atmosphere into surrounding space, is being pulled down towards Nausicaa III. The hull glows red as the atmosphere buffets the craft, with damaged sections of the hull plating ripping off and burning away. A trail of firey debris follows the Mertz down as it descends, the surface rushing up at an uncomfortably fast pace to meet it. The Mertz comes down hard in a boggy swamp, ripping a trail along the surface for 250 meters before coming to a halt. The remaining exterior lights blink once, then twice, then go out for eternity.

Cutaway shot: A dank cell carved into the wall of a stone tunnel is lit by a torch just outside the door. Lying on the floor unconcious, naked, are Zian and Idrani. Water can be heard dripping on stone as screams of pain and terror reverberate off of the walls.

Consciousness comes in small doses to Idrani and Zian. It's cold, it's dank and it's dingy. You find yourselves in the middle of a rough-hewn cell, naked as the day you were born. Just as you're getting your bearings, you notice a pair of beady black eyes peering at you from a far corner. Those eyes take on a shape as a large male Nausicaan stands up and approaches the two of you, his eyes moving up and down your naked forms. He says something in Nausicaan, which probably isn't fit for polite company, and brandishes a dagger.

Zian groans and pushes herself up from the dank floor, into a sitting position. Gingerly, she rubs at her head and looks around, taking stock of her situation. When her gaze falls upon the Nausicaan, she stiffens, reaching for the weapon that is no longer upon her person. "Oh, shit." she mutters, looking over toward the naked blue form of Idrani. "Jaylas... we've got company..." she hisses.

Idrani shakes her head slowly as she returns to consciousness, muttering to herself in Graalen. She wonders what happened and where she is, but her sensitive hearing picks up the Nausicaan's breathing even before he speaks and the young Andorian snaps to full consciousness like a seasoned combatant. She gets smoothly to her feet, locking eyes with the larger Nausicaan, then begins to slowly and deliberately walk toward him. Subtle movements of her arms test her muscles for combat readiness.

Apparently taking a liking to Zian, the Nausicaan again says something in his native language and turns his attention towards Zian. A low rumble of a growl comes from deep inside his chest and saliva drips from his mandibles. He notes the approaching Andorian female and he completely misreads her intentions. Yummy. He gives her his best Nausicaan "hey baby" look and kinda swaggers.

Zian slowly rises to her feet, her eyes wide. "Something tells me we're not in Engineering anymore. Unless they always expect people to replace plasma tubes in the nude, while being leered at." She, unlike Idrani, is /so/ not a warrior, it's pathetic. Without a weapon, she hasn't a clue what to do... so she stays put, trying very hard to act unafraid, though her voice wavers a little as she asks, "Uh, Jaylas? What the hell are you doing?"

<CONTEST> Idrani (claiming advantage) contests her Unarmed Combat (Starfleet Martial Arts) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

Idrani walks right up to the larger Nausicaan. Without any warning whatsoever, her right hand snaps out in a heel-palm strike placed precisely in the Nausicaan's throat. The Nausicaan, being taken completely off-guard, blinks his beady eyes, mandibles going slack. He blinks once more before toppling over like a sack of potatoes. In a heartbeat, Idrani has taken the Nausicaan's knife, obviously this weapon is not unfamiliar to her.

Zian is still riveted in place, watching events unfold with an expression akin to awe on her face. "...wow. Remind me not to ever piss you off, okay?" she comments as the Andorian disarms the Nausicaan.

At the window of the cell door, an Orion face suddenly appears. He's cautious though, not close enough to be grabbed but close enough to use the tricorder that is in his hands. "Hmm, that experiment didn't go as planned." He says more to himself. "Lets see what we have here. Andorian female.has not delivered a child..is not a virgin." He looks at Idrani. "Can you tell me the success rate of your mother in carrying children to term?" Without waiting for an answer, he turns his tricorder on Zian. "Human female.hmmmmaybe not." He looks towards someone on the outside of the cell, down the hall. "Nice work, Bar. You got exactly zero viable females. Kr'kall'a will not be pleased." The Orion then looks back into the cell. "Hello. I am Rushaan, and I'm afraid that I have to ask you a few questions. I really would prefer that you tell me freely instead of making me torture you for the information. That can be somessy. Who sent you here? Why is Starfleet working with Gr'rak'taa? Is the Alliance planning an invasion or occupation of Nausicaan space? And, if so, are they looking for allies on the planet?"

Idrani flips the knife in her hand, laying the hilt against her forearm. She peers at the Orion as she answers, "Lieutenant, junior grade Idrani, Jaylas. Serial number 419-1170-10155."

Zian turns toward the door, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. Amazing how dark eyes can blaze like that, and how a body can just exude defiance while at the same time being stark naked and utterly vulnerable. In her slightly lilting voice, Zian responds in the same vein as Idrani, stating for the record, "Lieutenant junior grade Eliara Zian. Serial Number 419-1686-10167."

Rashaan sighs. "Fine, fine. We'll do this your way. Bring me the Andorian first." A Nausicaan female opens the door and levels a very large, very nasty looking sword at Idrani and Zian. She says in broken Fed Standard. "You. Out. Now." Rashaan has moved over to a table which has several bladed instruments on it. He puts on an apron, stained red as if a butcher has worn it, and looks back towards the cell. "Hurry them up."

Idrani studies the Nausicaan female as she enters, eyes lingering on the sword for an instant. She steps toward the door as if complying with the orders, but only to the point where she is able to close distance on the larger female with the longer weapon. In an eyeblink, the knife moves in Idrani's hand as she attempts to stab the Nausicaan in the forearm of her sword hand, then trade the dagger for a much bigger... and deadlier... sword.

<CONTEST> Idrani (claiming advantage) contests her Primitive Weaponry (Knife) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!

Zian's eyes narrow, glaring at the Orion. "You greenskinned bastards never learn, do you?" she mutters. Looking to Idrani, she gives her the faintest nod of encouragement. She has faith in the Andorian's abilities. She's seen her handiwork up close--she's a student of Idrani's. As the Andorian trades weapons, she steps forward, holding out her hand. "Jaylas! Here!"

Rashaan looks genuinely surprised as his Nausicaan bodyguard retreats back, a wicked slice nearly severing her forearm, with no sword to be found. The weapon clatters onto the ground at the feet of the two Starfleet officers. Being a man who strongly belives in the maxim of living to fight another day, Rashaan turns tail and runs, disappearing down a side-tunnel.

Idrani slashes the knife deeply across the Nausicaan's forearm and is clearly prepared to deliver another strike, if necessary. "Back. Off. Now." Once the female Nausicaan has backed out of kicking or hitting range, Idrani snatches the sword from the ground, then lightly tosses the knife to Zian. "We need to get out of here and find out what happened to the Mertz."

Zian catches the knife easily, looking at the Andorian with newfound respect. "Agreed." she answers, hitching her thumb over her shoulder. "My gut tells me this is the way out. At least... I think I hear some sort of motorized vehicles down this way. D'you hear it?"

Idrani inclines her head, antennae shifting slightly. "Yes, I hear it. I think there is a way out there." She points her sword at the Nausicaan, then points it down the opposite way. "Go. Now. Run."

The Nausicaan doesn't have to be told twice. She staggers off, up into the mountain. And with that, the two Starfleet officers trot off towards the sounds of civilization.

--Cut Scene to the Mertz--

The smell of smoke is the first thing that greets the four of you. The second thing is a dull light coming from the sensors console, the only light source in the bridge. Hull integrity seems to still be intact, or else you've all died and Bynars, Terrans and Bajorans all go to the same afterlife. The sensor console beeps, showing that it is storing data via an internal battery that is quickly losing strength.

Havaris blinks back to consciousness almost reluctantly. He slowly rolls over onto all fours and crawls back to his post, right over the unconscious form of Rivers. He drags himself back to his feet, leans heavily on the console, wipes something that might be blood from his face, and takes stock of the sensor readings. "Dylan? You with me?" At times like this, rank sort of goes out the window. "One-Zero? You there? Status. Status report."

Covering his mouth with one arm as he coughs, Golden then checks both limbs, his eyes and his groin before responding, "Still with your, sir." He limbs around the tactical console bar over to Dana's position and reaches his fingers down to her throat to check her pulse while blinking back at the smoke. He rubs his tongue across his teeth and out of his mouth, testing where he bit down on it upon impact and tasting the blood that oozes from it. "My console is completely dead sir, my assessment, we crashed. We need to get out of here because we can't breath that air very long from Lt Zian's report earlier... checking Rivers now sir."

The pair of Bynars, with particularly frail bodies compared to the other species, are lying motionless on the floor. Funny how they are still next to each other in unconsciousness.

Havaris tugs out his PADD, fires it alive and leans an elbow onto his console as he begins downloading the mission critical sensor data. Sure. They've crashed on the surface of an alien and hostile planet. Sure, half their crew are dead or down. More than half, really. But there's still a mission to think about. Once that's done, he turns on a homing beacon which -- although short lived -- will at least give Starfleet a notion of their location. Hopefully. He closes down sensors, diverts all power to that beacon, and limps over to the side of One-Zero. "We need to get out of here. I'm too small to take these two. I'll get Dana. There's an emergency hatch right in the back of the bridge. Blow it, and it's a short walk to the outer hull..." He explains it, and then he goes about doing it, limping over to the hatchway to pull the emergency handle. With a hiss and a pop, the hatchway opens.

Golden he moves up to a standing position from where he crouched beside Dana, favoring his arm which is twinging unpleasantly and moves towards the downed Bynars. As he moves he asks, "What about Captain LeCates, sir?" As he passes his former station he detaches his tricorder, tapping a confirmation of the recording of the station's data before the crash, that should give him something to use for navigational and terrain purposes as they move, he then fixes it to his belt. He gently checks the two science officers for life signs before deciding how to move them...

Zero's arm twitches before its eyes shoot open and it cries out in pain.

Havaris limps from the hatchway to an emergency cabinet. He tugs it open and can be heard to groan audibly at the contents therein. One mask is taken and pulled over his face, a breather mask to stave off the atmosphere. The other is taken out and tossed Golden's way. Leaving them three masks short for the party that remains. The question of the Captain has Kusto limping over to the woman and rolling her onto her back. It's a grim business, but he does it just the same. He runs his hand over her brow to usher her eyes closed and folds her hands across her chest, giving them a farewell pat. "She stays." Unclipping his Type I from his belt, he motions outside, "Stay here. I'll check the atmosphere. Be back." He then limps out of the exit, moving through the archway and out into the atmosphere.

Golden catches the mask and pulls it over his face before saying, "Roger that, sir. We're about 2 klicks east by south east of the domed city of Kyroa, it's built into and around a volcanic mountain, got the position off my tricorder from the tactical station before we impacted." He then focuses his attention the diminutive Bynar officers, the one with opened eyes first. "Shhh shhhh, take it easy one step at time, can you focus? We're on the ground now, can you sit up? Is anything broken?"

After the screaming spurt, Zero again goes limp and falls unconscious.

The air is hot and humid, but breathable. It reminds you of a smokey room with no ventalation, although you are currently outside. The walk won't be easy, but the domed spires of a city are just a few short kilometers away. If the team leaves soon, they can make the city before nightfall.

Havaris returns to the bridge, moving to sling Rivers over his shoulders and get her balanced out. Not. Easy. Less so with a breather for an air supply. "Gotta hump it, Dylan. City's in sight." Without further explanation, he moves off towards the hatch, fortunately not having to duck the bulkheads due to his lack of stature.

With a grim set to his jaw, Golden looks up from the unconscious Bynars and assesses the bridge debris for his options, then we direct focus he removes the two belts from the Bynar officers and connects them together around the two scientists cinching the belt to keep them firmly together. He steps over to a sizable piece of debris, takes out his phaser II and resets the power level before burning two small holes through one each side of one end of the flat metal debris. While that cools he moves over to the corpse of the vessel's former captain and removes it, holstering his phaser he strips her shirt off and moves to the water dispensor and tears it open to wet down the shirt before he cuts it into sizable scarf wide strips. He ties one each over the faces of their down officers to provide some sort of breathing filter then moves back over to hole cut segment of the dead vessel with River's removed belt and his own. He connects the belts after running them through the holes and connects them to make a pull strap for the travois. Once this is done he passes the Bynars up, then the travois, then climbs out painfully himself. Topside he puts the two little officers on the travois shoulders the pull strap like a yoke. "Hump it out, aye aye sir." There is firm gleam to his eyes.

GAME: Havaris spends a courage point.

GAME: Golden spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Golden (claiming advantage) contests his Planetside Survival skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

<CONTEST> Havaris contests his Planetside Survival skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

GAME: Golden spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Golden (claiming advantage) contests his Athletics skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!

The trip takes longer than expected. The combination of dead weight, uneven ground and unbreathable air makes the trek very difficult for Havaris and Golden. Yet, finally they make it to the city walls. An access portal on the dome is unguarded and only closes three-quarters of the way. It opens upon their approach and they enter the Kyroa Habitat.

Kyroa Habitat is the largest city on Nausicaa III. Several large domes, each one of them cracked, enclose the majority if the city. Kyroa Habitat continues right into the mountain that bears the same name, as tunnels honeycomb the surface of the rock. Zian and Idrani emerge from one of these tunnels and have a good view of the citye below. The section of the city you are overlooking is a bazaar of sorts, with numerous vendors and merchants selling all sorts of goods and services. Nausicaans wander around the bazaar, most of them shuffling aimlessly instead of actually buying or selling. Havaris, One, Zero, Golden and Rivers, if she were conscious, see the bazaar from the other side as they enter into the city from the outer portal. In the middle of the bazaar a large tracked rock-hauling vehicle has come to a stop, and several Nausicaans wearing dark green "uniforms" jump out and onto the dump scoop of the vehicle. One holds up a large sack and throws it into the crowd, causing an immediate stampede as nearly every Nausicaan in the bazaar rushes towards the vehicle. The green-dressed Nausicaans continue to throw bags out of the scoop and into the crowd.

A roar from above drowns out any further hope of conversation as two VTOL vehicles streak in towards the bazaar. The green-clothed Nausicaans stop throwing supplies to the masses and start firing phasers and disruptors at the VTOL's. Arcing around the scene, barely 5m from the domed ceiling, the VTOL's turn and swoop towards the bazaar, firing at the armed Nausicaans and the crowd in general. Chaos erupts as the crowd runs in every direction. Fights break out over the supply bags and pandemonium reigns. A convoy of armed vehicles is moving down a main street towards the bazaar.

<CONTEST> Idrani contests her Search skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

GAME: Zian spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Zian (claiming advantage) contests her Search skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Golden contests his Search skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

GAME: Havaris spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Havaris (claiming advantage) contests his Search skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

Havaris watches from a distance as the madness erupts. Without preamble or explanation, he reaches into his pocket and draws out a bottle of pills, pops the cap, and dry-swallows a pair. They're recapped and stowed away in his uniform again. He settles Rivers down behind some cover, motions for Golden to find some of his own, and does what Starfleet does best. Nothing, from a safe vantage point.

Golden watches the choas exploding for a moment and quickly drags his cargo off the road under the eave an old building. He looks upwards to see the source of the shade and with immediate resolve breaks the support links to the cloth awning and with sure cuts of his knife turns it into an unfashionable poncho that conceals his uniform, he steps over the Bynars and crouches low, covering them up from the eyes of those fleeing the carnage, and under the poncho he sets his phaser to wide beam stun, ready to defend his charges as necessary.

Zian crawls carefully out of the caverns, gripping her 'borrowed' Nausicaan knife tightly as she hunkers down behind an outcropping of rock and looks out over the bazaar. Nudging Idrani, she points out the UFP symbol decorating some of the bags that are being tossed out to the crowd. Looking beyond, her eyes widen as she spots her comrades in arms. "We have to find a way to get over to them..." she hisses to Idrani, ducking down as the fireworks begin.

Idrani emerges from the tunnel into the fresh... well, into the air. Her only piece of equipment is the stolen sword, searching for clothing not a priority for the Andorian, at this point. Black, ichor-like Nausicaan blood has dried on her hand and arm. She watches the crowd gather for the supplies, not uncompassionate, yet with the professionalism of a social scientist. She is about to suggest taking that opportunity for skirting the crowds of Nausicaans, but then the VTOLs appear and start opening fire. "Ah, hell." She says softly, unable to do anything but watch the carnage.

The convoy comes to the edge of the bazaar and stops. Several Nausicaans in crimson leather clothing step out of the lead vehicle. One appears to be using a tricorder. After a moment, he turns and points directly at Havaris and then points towards Idrani. More crimson-clad Nausicaans unload from the convoy and start pushing through the crowd, heading towards the places the tricorder-using Nausicaan indicated. One particularly nasty looking Nausicaan approaches Lt. Havaris. "We have been sent to get you out of here." And assists the Starfleet Officers with their wounded, helping the group make it to the lead vehicle. Another group approaches Idrani and Zian, providing them an honor guard of sorts as they make their way towards the convoy. There, in the middle of all the chaos, the mission team is reunited.

Needless to say, Havaris is dubious of any outstretched Nausicaan hand, but outnumbered, outgunned, and outflanked in every sense, Havaris stays his phaser and steps away from his crew to approach the lead Nausicaan. That way if a bloody fight erupts, at least Golden can get a few shots off before the inevitable happens. When nothing of the sort -does- happen, he motions for Golden to follow and takes a seat in the vehicle. Oddly calm, oddly withdrawn even. It isn't until Zian and Idrani are ushered into the vehicle that emotion returns to his face. Doesn't matter that they're naked. He's up on his feet, at a loss for who he's meant to be hugging first. Or even if he should. So he sort of wobbles a bit, nods to either, and reclaims his seat with one of his odd little smiles.

After everyone is loaded, Golden as well, he rubs his jaw with some relief before removing his poncho and his uniform over shirt and offering them over towards the ladies, for his own comfort if not theirs. He offers his tricorder to Zian, gesturing towards the wounded, knowing she can make more use of it then he can.

Zian is about as trusting as Havaris, when the Nausicaans first approach. She raises her knife, ready to defend herself if necessary. When it turns out not to be, her shoulders sag with relief, a weary smile coming to her grimy face. As she rejoins Golden and Havaris, she puts on her most nonchalant expression, remarking, "Well. It's about damn time you gentlemen showed up..." With that, she winks and grins, happy to see familiar faces. Suddenly, her smile fades as she accepts the proffered tricorder, not even bothering to don the garment, her attention absorbed by the sight of the wounded, who she immediately begins to scan and assess.

Idrani is immediately defensive when approached by a group of Nausicaans, but eases out of her aggressive posture as she recognizes their insignia being identical to the one worn by Ambassador Zuh'raa'do. She lowers the weapon but does not surrender it as she walks with the honor guard, her dignity not at all offended by her utter lack of clothing. Upon approaching the lead vehicle she spots the remainder of the crew, smiling a little at the two conscious officers, then looking with concern upon the slew of unconscious ones. She accepts Golden's offer of the poncho, using it to wipe the Nausicaan blood from her arm. She is uncertain if she should brief her commander on the recent events, given the presence of other Nausicaans. With no order to report given, she remains silent.

The sound of the battle/carnage at the bazaar are quickly left behind as the convoy gets underway. Moving slowly through the uneven streets of Kyroa Habitat, it becomes noticable that the farther the convoy goes, the better the conditions seem to be on the street. After driving for 15 minutes, the convoy turns into a section of Kyroa that has been sealed off from the rest of the city. Metal plates have been sealed between building, walling off the area from outside influences. The convoy passes through a guarded checkpoint manned by more crimson-clothed Nausicaans. Soon, the convoy pulls up in front of a large command building of Romulan design. The driver of your vehicle motions for you to get out here and you are whisked into the building. Immediately you notice the change in atmosphere and realize that this building has a functioning self-contained air recycling system. The party is shown into a large room that is decorated with Ferengi artistic tapestries and Romulan furniture. Yes, it clashes. After a moment, a large, imposing Nausicaan enters the room, flanked by 2 bodyguards and followed by a small Ferengi with a PADD. He says in Fed Standard "I am Gr'rak'taa. You are the mission team from Station 419. We monitored your "landing". Where is Samatha LeCates and Bar'nook'ta?"

Havaris straightens back up and regains his officerial bearing. All of his boyish joy at seeing the crewmembers and friends he'd written off for dead very much alive having receded into the past. A moment best forgotten by all. "I am Lt. JG Havaris Kusto, Mission Commander. Thank you for your rescue and escort. Captain Samantha LeCates lies with her ship. She died during the explosion that sent us from orbit. Her recovery from the wreckage for proper funerial rites according to her species would be greatly appreciated. I cannot speak of the Nausicaan Bar'nook'ta." A glance is sent to Idrani and Zian at that before he turns back to the imposing fellow. "I politely request the use of your communications systems. We are needed back home, and I have wounded in need of treatment."

Picking up directly where Kusto left off, Golden adds, "It is a great honor to meet you Councilor Gr'rak'taa. Your envoy, Zuh'raah'do has spoken thoughtfully of your wise intentions and well considered plans for the future of your people. Despite our... setback, we are honored to have been invited to come to participate in that brave new future you seek, and we thank you for your efforts to ensure our presence with your tribe after our unplanned landing operation. I am sure my fellow officers... " he gestures towards the ladies, "will be able to explain the fate of Bar'nook'ta; but before they do I wanted to assure you that Lt Havaris, our mission leader, had the foresight to save the data that Lt Zian gathered about the state of your ecological system, so the orginal goal of your Ambassador's request was still met, and we've had the silver lining opportunity to see first hand the variences between your tribe's area of this vast city and those areas under the domain of other less worthy administrators." He says this all with a straight face and an earnest tone to his voice.

Zian's brow furrows, an expression of fury in her eyes at the mention of the Nausicaan XO. "To use a human colloquialism, sir, Bar'nook'ta sold us up the river. He knew exactly what he was doing when he selected two women to come to engineering and 'assist' with repairs. Idrani and I were held captive by an Orion man called Rushaan, who implied that we were intended for use as... breeders for someone known as Kr'kall'a. Unfortunately for him, we weren't suitable candidates. And they made the mistake of putting a man with a knife within reach of Jaylas, here. Rushaan had intended to interrogate us, but he very quickly learned that neither he nor his bodyguard were any match for Jaylas Idrani."

Idrani bows her chin a bit, a little uncomfortable with Zian's gushing praise. "Lt. Zian is correct, sir." She says, addressing the Nausicaan lord. "The Orion Rushaan called Bar'nook'ta by name. We were held in an underground holding cell." She offers the stolen Nausicaan sword to Gr'rak'taa. "Fortunately, Lt. Zian and I were able to free ourselves but did not apprehend the Orion Rushaan or Bar'nook'ta."

Gr'rak'taa smiles, mandibles waving, as both Havaris and Golden take their turn at telling of their adventures. He certainly seems to appreciate the glowing words of that silver-tongued devil, Lt. Golden. His demeanor changes as Zian and then Idrani tell of their experience with Bar'nook'ta, Rushaan and his eyes blink in surprise at the mention of Kr'kall'a. He takes the sword from Idrani and examines the hilt. A fierce anger leaps into his eyes and turns and whispers to his Ferengi aid, who nods and leaves the room. He then turns back to regard the assembly of Starfleet Officers. With an inward battle of self-control, he reigns in his temper and speaks with the tongue of a diplomat. "We are grateful for the assistance of the Federation and we can understand each other better in the future. I will loan you a fast-warp shuttlecraft so that you can return home. It would not be safe for you to rely upon a pickup by a Federation vessel. Not with the rebel warlord Kr'kall'a knowing that you are here and seeming to have an interest in your wellbeing. I will find Bar'nook'ta and bring him to justice for the death of LeCates and the attempts on your lives. As for Rushaan, he is the head interrogator for Kr'kall'a. Now that I know he is on the planet, we will bring that outlaw to justice as well."

Later, aboard a Ferengi shuttlecraft, you learn that the majority of the sensor data was saved, making the mission a success, albeit not a "by the book" success. Any crash you can walk away from. It is blatantly obvious that Nausicaa is a long way off from being a civilized world. They are not Federation-member material, but does that mean they are beyond redemption? Do they deserve the aid they seek? How much of their plight is derived from nature, and how much from circumstance? The galaxy is truely made up of droplets of black and white in an ocean of gray.

After returning to S-419 and debriefing the team, a coded incoming message from Nausicaa III is received by the Communications Officer, addressed to Lt Havaris. It is a recording of Bar'nook'ta, his hands tied behind his back and his face a mess of broken bone and blood. One eye is completely missing, plucked neatly from its socket, and his mandibles have been ripped off. Even then, the Nausicaan musters enough energy to look defiant. From off-camera, a hand covered with a crimson-red glove comes into view, holding a Klingon disruptor to Bar'nook'ta's temple. A shot is fired, Bar'nook'ta falls from view and the transmission ends.