The Easy Way

 Episode Name:  The Easy Way

   Written By:  Spider

         Cast:  Alethea, Anne Bright, Birev, Dana, Edwards, 
                Evanginor, Hiroshi, Hurley, Michael Cross, 
                Spider, Stewart, Takamura, Thorne and Valentine.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Spider

     Aired On:  Sun Aug 22 05:10:42 2004

     Stardate:  54331.2

Time: Sat Aug 21 16:36:10 2004

Stardate: 54330.0

Valentine seems to have gotten really fond of the stew available in the rebel compound. With a heaping bowlful threatening to overflow, she's planted herself at a table in the ostensible mess hall, eyes fastened avidly on her PADD as she eats.

Takamura walks into the mess hall, glancing around. As he crosses to the table, he smiles at Valentine. "Hello, Tara. I see you have your appetite back." He then proceeds to dish up a sizable helping for himself.

Valentine glances up, her head moving before she tears her gaze away from her reading. An eyebrow rises in mild surprise, and after a minor pause she mentions with some amusement, "You weren't supposed to notice it was on vacation in the first place."

Takamura sits down next to her and pours himself a cup of water. Grinning, he replies, "It's you. Of course I noticed. So, what are you reading so studiously?" He then eats a spoonful of stew.

Valentine has to smile at that comment before pushing the PADD away. "Troubleshooting phaser malfunctions." She pulls her bowl closer and digs in faster. "You have our battleplan all worked out?"

Takamura takes anoter bite and washes it down. Quirking a brow, he inquires, "Are you expecting any phaser malfuntions?" More stew. "Mostly. I still have to review the personnel assignments with Commander Edwards."

Valentine lifts her shoulders in a slight shrug. "No, but then I wasn't expecting to end up in an alternate universe or planning to do a prison break in a heavily guarded enemy base either." She looks toward him, an eyebrow rising in curiosity. "Edwards. Uh huh."

. o O Valentine thinks "Why bother? If that man's notion of tactics is on the same level as his blackmail plan..."

"I know," sounds a voice in the hallway, someone calling back to a fainter, indistinct voice at the other end of the hall. "I'll tell them." The voice can be recognized -- mostly -- before the figure comes into view in the doorway. Minos pauses in said doorway, raises a hand, and runs it through his cropped black hair. "Excuse me."

Takamura chuckles at her. "No. None of us have expected to do either of those things. Though, some of us try to be prepared for any eventuality. I'm glad to see that you are doing the same." When Minos enters, Tak turns to look over at the Orion man. After a deep breath, he nods to him. "Yes, Minos? How can we help you?"

. o O Takamura thinks "Calm Hiroshi. Not /our/ Minos."

Valentine beams at Tak's approval... and then she cringes slightly. After a few seconds, she half-turns in her seat to look toawrd the Orion, blanking her expression.

. o O Evanginor has an aura of deep weariness and sadness. Despite the approaching-middle-age of his features, he's got the emotional state of an old man. Definitely a widower. No matter what else he may feel, this is the overriding Self of Mirror-Minos.

"Apologies for the interruption. We need to start prepping you for departure," Minos replies quietly, his expression solemn, more than a little tired. "I'm still not sure what we're going to do with your Andorian, but we need to get prosthetic ridges on the rest of you, and false scarring, and put you in the right clothes." He gestures down the hall. "Whenever you're ready."

It's then that a small voice calls, "DADDY! HE STOLE MEGGIE AGAIN! MAKE HER STOP, HE'S PULLING HER HAIR!"

With a quietly beleaguered expression, Minos notes, "Excuse me," and turns toward the exit. "Dylan Tarsis Evanginor," he begins, in that not-yelling-but-powerful Daddy Voice, "give your sister back her doll /right now./"

Takamura bows his head slightly to Minos. "Understandable." Turning to Tara, he says, "Looks like it's time to play with makeup." Draining the rest of his water, he gets up from the table. When Evanginor calls his son's name, he raises a brow. "Would your son be named after Dylan Golden?"

. o O Valentine thinks "/Scarring/?"

Valentine gulps down another couple of spoonfuls of stew even as she rises. "I still wonder if we'd've been better off going in with Birev as a 'prisoner'."

"Yes, rest his soul," Minos replies, finishing his turn toward the door and striding out of it without further explanation.

Takamura closes his eyes, bowing his head in a moment of silence. He then begins following Evanginor out the door. "That might end up being our only alternative, Tara."

Valentine lifts an eyebrow in surprise at the response, starts to say something... One look at Tak's face, though, and silence becomes golden.

Stewart arrives from another part of the compound.

Stewart has arrived.

The group is lead out of the caves and through the trees; on the way there, they pass a little girl, no more than five, who is sitting, now contentedly, 'brushing' the red hair of her dolly with a stick. "And then, Meggie, we're going to go and fight the Alliance, but only we can go, not the grown-ups, this time," she tells the doll with all due solemnity. Her skin is a pale green, and her hair a curly white-blonde. Above her in one of the tree-plant-things, a boy of a year or two older clambers about in the leaves, his dark hair and muddier-green skin showing a stronger affinity toward his father.

Having noticed the traveling caravan of people from where he stands outside, Edwards wanders toward them as they trek along. Don't mind him. He's always been there. Sure. When they come across the children, he watches them silently.

Takamura walks out of the compound, following behind Minos. When he sees the children playing, he sighs heavily.

. o O Takamura thinks "These poor kids. Having to grow up in a universe like this. This is why I wanted to join Starfleet. To keep kids from having to live like this."

. o O Edwards thinks "They shouldn't allow kids in this universe. But I guess that wouldn't really be practical..."

Following more or less quietly behind Tak, Tara bites her lip a little when she spots the lil 'uns. Forcing up a smile for them, she quickens her pace, drawing up nearly even with Hiroshi. A motion barely a nod greets Edwards.

Birev walks up quietly from where he had been doing his thing, face grim.

Stewart follows along with the group, arms folded across his chest as he walks. He eyes the children for a moment, and then turns his head forward, just keeping pace.

Having parked himself next to Minos' ship, Randal watches the approaching line of people in solemn silence. As they close in on him, he carefully closes an ancient paperback which is clearly on the edge of falling apart, slides it into his jacket pocket, and stands.

"RAAAAR," howls Dylan Evanginor from his tree. "I'm a KLINGON! I'm gonna get you, Annie!" And he leaps down from his tree, then, chasing his sister off into the woods as she shrieks and calls for 'Mommy Chere, Mommy Chere!' to help her.

In any universe, children are still children.

The group is lead into Evanginor's ship, where a number of bridge chairs have been arranged in a circle, trays of cosmetic equipment set next to each. Alethea and Craig are waiting for them, and as the group enters, a trailing edge of loose, grey garment can be seen exiting in the other direction.

Edwards glances around the interior of the ship, noting those already present. He flashes a brief at Alethea, of course. Then he peers at the opposite exit, as he waits for... something.

Takamura walks into the ship, looking around at the surroundings. Nodding to Thea and Craig, he moves over next to one of the makeup chairs.

Hurley arrives from another part of the compound.

Hurley has arrived.

Valentine's engineer eyes come up and start to dart around as she enters the ship, her path becoming a bit vague as she follows Tak. At the last minute, she avoids running into him, sidestepping toward the next chair over.

Birev gives the ship a thoughtful look as well, settling down into a chair wordlessly.

Herded by a native non-descript to the area, Hurley manages to find the group, albeit a little out of breath. Stepping up behind Valentine, she nudges the other woman questioningly, but follows suit wordlessly by taking a nearby seat.

"Time to become a Bajoran, huh?" Randal asks no one in particular as he brings up the rear. The way he says Bajoran, though... it leaves the impression that there's no love lost between him and them.

Stewart takes a seat of his own. He's a little out of sorts as to what exactly is going on, but is following along.

"A couple of you will require a little more than just a nose," Minos explains, glancing over his shoulder to Malloy and Alethea. "The Commander and the Lieutenants will need to have a little more cosmetic work done, as their faces are well-known to the Alliance, and a simple ridge job just won't cut it. The rest of you will be getting ridges and some scar effects; the latter makes you harder to identify, because things like scars are fixated upon by the eyes." He's done this before, obviously. "All of our operatives are going to have a level of cosmetic work akin to that done on the Commander and the Lieutenants. As for you," he turns toward Birev, "it'll be necessary to fasten your antennae back and dye your hair and we'll be turning you into an Orion. With a hat on. Which, mind you, we will glue to your head." Pause. "Any questions?"

Craig, arms across his chest, waits patiently, eyeing the lot of them suspiciously, while Alethea offers Edwards a brief, nervous sort of smile.

. o O Valentine thinks "Well, at least I get one of the quick makeup jobs. Silver lining, Tara."

Birev winces slightly in uncomfortable anticipation. He shakes his head before saying softly, "Please be careful. They're sensitive."

"Yeah. What is the true meaning of life?" Edwards wanders over to an open chair, seating himself. "Comfy." he remarks. Then he looks to Evanginor and waits for the next step.

Takamura takes his seat in a chair. Glancing towards Minos, he says somewhat seriously. "Do whatever you need to do to my face. But, please don't cut the hair."

Hurley wrinkles her nose and traces the smooth bridge with her fingers. At Tak's comment about hair, her eyes widen and she immediately reaches for the ponytail hanging down her back. "I'd.. like to keep my hair, too, erm.. please."

Stewart chimes in to ask, "Is the James Stewart of this reality scarred, or am I already one up on that?" He then pauses, and asks, "And just how much are you going to do in order to make me unrecognizable? Seems like a tall order."

"Most definitely don't cut the hair," Tara agrees fervently, settling with the slightest squirm into her chosen seat. "His, that is." She looks over to give Hurley a wry little smile.

"It's not, really," Malloy informs Stewart, stepping over to bend over Birev and peer at the stalks with a critical eye. "Change the shape of someone's jaw slightly, the shape of their eyebrows, build up their cheekbones or change the apex, and no one will recognize you. It would take even you a long look in the mirror to realise that what you're staring at is your own face."

. o O Valentine thinks "I gotta remember to tease Malloy about being a makeup artist when we get back."

Thorne snorts in amusement before flopping into a chair and closing his eyes. "Just as long as I don't wake up with a third eye... or worse."

Birev watches Malloy closely, holding still as his precious antennae are inspected. The Andorian seems a bit tense.

Hurley eyes Tara for her comment, but can't help the smile that forms. "I have dirt on you, you know," she notes barely audibly. "I might just have to tell Meg what you said earlier."

"Well, if you're wrong, it's only as good as if we hadn't tried," Stewart replies, leaning back in his chair. "May as well get on with it."

Valentine tips her head back, closing her eyes, and a wide smile slowly grows at Hurley's statement. "I imagine she already knows, since I told your grandfather. And I meant his hair," she licks her lips slightly, "As opposed to meaning mine, Chris."

Takamura chuckles at Tara's comments as he leans back. He then quirks a brow at Chrissy's reply, glancing between the two women.

Where Malloy inspects Birev's antennae, nodding slightly, "I'll be careful," Minos moves to stand over Hurley, informing Stewart even as he does so, "Jim is scarred, but differently than you are, so on that count, at least, you're one up." Perhaps predictably, it's to Edwards that Medes goes, apparently oblivious -- whether accidentally or purposefully so -- to the conversations around her.

. o O Takamura thinks "I don't think I /want/ to know what they are talking about."

Thorne is apparently comfortable with whatever's going to happen. A soft snore escapes his lips.

Edwards looks mildly disappointed that his important question wasn't answered. Alas. He's distracted by that when he receives his very own rebel, whom he smiles at. "Is this the fun part?" he asks.

Hurley is about to respond to Valentine, no doubt sarcastically, but is suddenly shadowed by the Orion. She looks upwards at him and slides down in her chair a bit nervously with mouth firmly shut. Quickly, however, her lips curve into a smile to the green man.

Valentine shifts to sit cross-legged, turning her PADD back on to continue her earlier reading. "No, Commander, running out to your girlfriends afterward squealing 'whatta ya think oh my god whatta ya think' and preening as they gush over your fabulous new look is the fun part. Oh yeah, and charging it to Dad's account."

Stewart nods over towards Minos, "Right." He folds his hands over his chest, adding, "So the only real problem, then, is that I don't speak any other languages. I guess I'll just have to pretend to be taciturn."

'Fun is subjective. Close your eyes, Michael,' Thea replies, with a few brief signs, giving Edwards a smile that's nervous and shaken. Despite this, her hands are steady when she picks up a cloth, wiping his face thoroughly, in order to remove dust and grime that might cause the makeup to adhere poorly.

"I know. The last time you saw a face that looked like mine, you probably didn't care for him," Minos tells Hurley quietly, picking up a cloth like Thea has. "I'm not him. Just close your eyes. I won't hurt you. I need to wash your face so the makeup will take."

Craig, on the other hand, reaches for a small tube. "You'll want to close your eyes," he informs Birev. "This stuff will make them water. Skin first, then hair."

. o O Alethea thinks "Just pretend it didn't go badly the last time you did something like this. Remember that you don't believe in omens or any of that fate crap."

"Can't we just use personal universal translators?" Hurley asks Stewart, though she's still carefully watching Minos. "Or would that be too obvious?"

Takamura sits watching the the others get their makeovers. He smiles at the lighthearted mood people are in and patiently waits his turn.

"You're a strange one, Valentine." That said, Edwards looks to Thea, nods, and closes his eyes. Essentially making their communication one-way, unless she decides to talk. Because surely he can't shut up. "My face can't be that bad. I do try to take care of myself." he comments.

. o O Takamura thinks "Good. Maybe this little bit of humor will take the edge off of people and keep them from going off the deep end later."

Birev closes his eyes when prompted, looking about as uncomfortable as possible. "Next time we're going to the reality without humans," he says with a frown.

"Takes one to know one, sir," Tara replies mildly. At Birev's comment, she looks up toward the Andorian, clearing her throat slightly.

Stewart replies to Hurley, "Probably... but that still doesn't let us talk. But understanding is half-way there." He half-lids his eyes while he waits, resting.

Takamura turns his attention to Birev. "I always wanted to look like an Andorian. I think I might even be able to pull it off." He says playfully.

Hurley's attention returns to Minos and in response nods a couple of times, her eyes sliding shut. "It's.. really difficult to separate our world from yours," she notes to the Orion quietly. "Everything we know has been turned upside down."

Alethea patpats Edwards' jaw absently with her tiny, scarred hand as she finishes wiping off his face. The little gesture is meant to convey amusement with his words, and then she gently taps a thumb next to his eyes. "Can open," she informs him in her slurred, atonal voice, setting the cloth aside.

Rather wordlessly, Craig begins carefully applying pigment to Birev's skin. It doesn't smell all that great, but it does an amazing job of turning his blue skin to an even spring green.

"I know," Minos tells Hurley, lowering his voice as he wipes her face clean and sets the cloth aside. "I can't blame you." A pause, and he asks, rather in the voice of someone who's afraid to know but can't help but ask. "Your Gwen... " The cloth is set aside, and then another one's taken to dry her face before he reaches for more cosmetic tools. "... how is she?"

Hurley's eyes open rather immediately at the mention of Gwen. She clears her throat and answers in a soft, rather meek (for Hurley) tone, "She's.. good." It's not entirely true, but Chrissy adds quickly, "alive, a wonderful person to be around - she's a great and understanding commander, too. And she has great taste in shoes."

Edwards opens his eyes and blinks. "I feel cleaner. It's nice." Yeah, sure. "Now what?" He spares a glance in Minos and Hurley's direction, but somehow holds his tongue. Instead, he looks back to Alethea questioningly.

. o O Edwards thinks "And she still hates you, buddy."

Stewart waits quietly, listening for the moment, arms folded over his chest.

Valentine, though she'd never admit it in a million years, does the same as Stewart.

Birev keeps his eyes closed as he's dyed, telling Takamura tactfully, "I'm sure you'd make an excellent one, sir."

. o O Valentine thinks "I suppose mentioning that Gwen's a great kisser wouldn't make our local greeny particularly happy."

"I'm glad to hear it," Minos replies quietly, starting to apply thin strips of something that looks like plastic foam one of Hurley's cheeks, building up a thin, ribbony knife-cut scar. "All of it."

Takamura turns his gaze on Minos when he mentions Gwen's name. When Birev responds to him, he notes. "Well, Thaal'vor Idisha does consider me a brother. And I play a pretty mean game of kochek."

Hurley watches Minos quietly, curiously. Finally, she asks in the earlier soft, meek tone. "Do.. you.. are you familiar.. with her here?"

. o O Hurley thinks "Please don't say she's dead. Please don't say she's dead. Please don't say she's dead."

Minos's only response was, "She was my wife," as he continues to work.

. o O Hurley thinks "She's... dead... God, I want to go home."

'Now, I build up your cheekbones some, and your chin,' Thea signs, making a little face at Edwards as she exaggerates how much she's going to build up his chin to a ridiculous degree, trying to make light. 'Then ridges on your nose, and some scars. We can probably leave your hair.' She reaches for a container which holds pieces of foam cut to create the effects noted, and plucks out a piece before picking up adhesive and maneuvering the piece into place on his cheekbone. Perhaps not surprisingly, it fits perfectly.

Hurley falls silent as she watches Minos do his thing. Eventually, her eyes slide shut and a slow, silent exhale is released while she tries to relax.

"Yikes." Edwards gives Thea a dubious look when she exaggerates at him. "Well... oh, good. My hair is pretty nice, isn't it?" He reaches up to touch it briefly, then drops his arm back down. Don't need to be in the way now. "I wonder if this is what secret agents go through all the time."

Stewart looks over towards Edwards, "You haven't met the one on our station, have you? There's a reason they don't normally let him near anything more dangerous than a long form."

Randal continues to snore softly in his chair, shifting every once in a while.

'It is,' replies Thea, patting his cheek again amicably as she smoothes the first 'enhancement' into place on Edwards's cheekbone. Minos murmurs a soft, "I didn't mean to upset you," down to Hurley as he continues to work, and Craig silently finishes up painting Birev's face, paying special attention to his ears, hairline, and neckline. It's eventually necessary for Birev to remove his shirt, the better to have his torso painted, as well.

Alterations are made to all of the "agents," and after they're finished, the other rebels are brought in and modified as well. Hiroshi is turned into a massive Orion male, which is explained as an attempt to keep the obvious fake from being discovered due to the men looking so much alike. Once everyone is all makeupped, Hiroshi absently taps at the drying dye on his chest, testing it, and notes, "All right. Do you want to brief them, then, and I'll fill in as we go?" to Takamura.

Hurley absent-mindedly traces a couple of fingers along the newly-acquired scar on her cheek. She lifts her eyes slowly up towards Takamura as he's addressed, her gaze slowly flickering towards Hiroshi and back again.

Thorne finally stops touching his new nasal ridges, quirking a grin as he waits for The Plan to be revealed.

Valentine's fingers keep twitching up toward her face, only to be forced back down again. Overhearing the green Hiroshi, she glances toward her own.

Birev, the most miserable-looking Orion ever, stands quietly. Every few seconds he starts to raise a hand to check on his antennae before catching himself and lowering his arm again.

Edwards just grunts and looks toward Takamura, eyeing him silently.

Takamura nods to Hiroshi as he checks his appearance in a mirror. Getting out of his seat, he clears his throat. Glancing to the now disguised crew, he begins. "Here's the plan. We will split into two teams of six. The first team will consist of Commander Edwards, Hiroshi, Ensign Valentine, Ensign Hurley, Morgan and Dana. I will lead the second team with Lieutenant Stewart, Ensign Birev, Nathan, Randal and Gela. Thea and Michael Cross will pilot the shuttle that will drop us off a few clicks from the palace. We will have to hike through the woods until we get there."

Glancing towards Hiroshi, he continues. "Using the disguises and some security codes, we will breach the perimeter of the palace. Now, we have the layout for the first floor of the palace, but not the basement or second floor. We believe the cells are in the basement, but have no direct entrances into them. The only way into or out of the cells is by using a transporter. From what we've gathered, the transporter controls are on the second floor. Once inside, the two teams will split up and search the second floor for the transporter controls. Once they are found, we contact the other team via the modified communicators. We retrieve the prisoners and then call for extraction. Until we find the transporter controls, we must maintain communications blackout. Also, we must refrain from entering into any type of firefight until we find the prisoners. We do not have the equipment or personnel for a protracted battle."

. o O Takamura thinks "Just great. Edwards is going to hang me for doing the briefing and not him."

. o O Valentine thinks "Oh God, not Edwards. *sigh* Maybe Takamura can keep him in line."

. o O Thorne thinks "Just as long as they don't get us killed, I'll be happy."

Alethea's hand sneaks out quietly to rest on Edwards's arm through all this. It's an instinctive motion, and once she realises she's doing it, quickly withdraws her hand, glancing away from Takamura for a moment and then looking back at him, listening to The Plan.

Hiroshi explains, "We've obtained command codes, which will allow us to override the door locks once inside and should allow us to make our entrance look like a verified allow-in of newly-hired palace workers. Randal has prepared a file for upload which will make the Cardassian guards think this. There are a number of workers who enter the palace on a daily basis and live in nearby compounds. We're to pass ourselves off as being new hires who have not yet been moved into the compound."

Minos, without another word, slips out of the room, leaving those going behind. The door shuts nearly silently behind him, and Dana glances after him but says nothing, leaning her head on Randal's shoulder and twining her fingers with his.

Valentine listens quietly, intently. For a brief second as her own Hiroshi speaks, she grimaces as if tasting something bad before getting her experssion under control again. Her eyes narrow a bit at the begreened Hiro upon his words.

. o O Stewart thinks "Poor Tak, stuck with Edwards. Don't much know Birev, but I suppose this is a 'no news is good news' sort of thing."

Edwards glances at Alethea briefly when she touches his arm, but doesn't react to it otherwise. He only looks again when she moves it. Most of his attention is on assimilating the information being given, however. And of course he has to add his own two credits. "If you have to fire on someone, do it on stun." he says simply, giving everyone a steady look.

. o O Edwards thinks "We're not creating a new killing field here. Not this time."

Hurley draws in a slight breath and nods in response to the not-so-twin Takamuras and Edwards. She side-glances twoards Valentine, but the majority of her attention remains quite focused on the instructions being given.

A grin that can only be described as 'rogue-like' appears on Randal's face, and he squeezes Dana's hand.

Stewart gives a little nod to the briefing, and asks, "Are we going to be issued weapons that can be effective without setting off weapons detectors? Knives, preferably? Or will I have to hunt around for a rock before we go?"

. o O Thorne's insides betray the bravado that he shows on the exterior. He's -extremely- frightened.

Alethea's expression is vaguely guilty when Edwards glances at her, and she doesn't look at any of her fellow Resistance members anymore. (Especially not Randal.) Instead, she varies between looking at Takamura and Edwards, with occasional glances toward Stewart.

. o O Alethea thinks "Please just don't die. I couldn't live with myself if you died to save him."

Takamura tilts his head to Hiroshi to respond to Stewart's questions about weapons. Charity has connected.

"Thank you for asking. Contained in the file we're uploading is a silencer for the weapons scanners," notes Hiroshi. "It should give us about eight minutes to successfully maneuver the whole group inside before the computer core refreshes that section. We will probably need all eight minutes, so let's not waste any time on that."

Dana squeezes Randal's hand in response, her own expression rather stone-faced. Her throat appears 'thicker,' since her scar has been covered up by a rather liberal application of the plastic-foam substance.

"If we're stopped and questioned," Hurley asks, eyes flickering towards Stewart, then back, "does that file also contain our hired positions?"

Valentine pulls out her phaser to fiddle with the settings, then looks up toward the Hiros. "If we can't avoid a firefight, is the communications blackout still in effect, or should we warn the other team?"

Edwards lapses back into silence, observing the others and listening to any further information.

Takamura gives Hiroshi a knowing nod, then turns back to the group in general. "I have replicated some combat knives for those who are comfortable using them. We were going to wait to issue them until we were ready for the mission." To Valentine, he replies. "If a firefight breaks out, contact the other group for a situation report. But, try to keep it brief. We're not certain how long we will have before the Alliance will be able to track our communications."

Hurley glances towards Randal, then quickly adds in response to Takamura, "Hopefully they won't be able to track our communications - that was the point of putting the anti-tracking technology into our communicators' design. In effect, to the Alliance, all of our communications should look like unimportant noise." Looking to Hiroshi, "Or.. am I mistaken?"

Birev checks his weapon quietly, looking around at the others. "Is there anything else we should worry about while we're in there, or is this just a rescue mission?"

Stewart falls silent again, and just watches all of this quietly, listening to the other questions.

"You do have to remember that there are a lot of them, and only twelve of us. If we alert them..." Randal clears his throat. "Well, I hope you like mining dilithium."

"You're not mistaken," Hiroshi confirms, "but, with no offense meant to you, Christine, I wouldn't want to depend on it too much or for too long." He shakes his head slightly. "It's a rescue mission. Get in, get out, get our people, don't get dead. Our files indicate that we're maintenance workers." Intergalactic janitors on a rescue mission. Or something.

. o O Thorne thinks "I'd rather die then go back to the mines."

Valentine nods in acknowledgement to Tak, staying small and quiet.

Alethea's hand sneaks back onto Edwards's forearm and remains there, this time. She doesn't look at him, chewing her lower lip and watching Takamura and Hiroshi instead.

. o O Valentine thinks "Okay. Calm. Calm. This plan might just work. A little luck, and they'll never know we were there. We're about due for a little luck. Now would be a great time for it to arrive."

"This... sounds like fun." Edwards comments, breaking his silence. "Is there anything else, or are we ready to go?" He looks between the two Takamura's questioningly.

"I need to replicate a couple more communicators," Hurley notes softly, glancing back to Edwards. "We only made 10. It should only take a minute or two."

"And we near-destroyed one of 'em in the testing," Tara reminds Chris very absently. "Best make up for that one too."

Hurley nods. "Can I get everyone to test their communicators before we leave? You..never know."

Takamura shakes his head at Edwards. "I have nothing else, sir." He then glances over to his counterpart.

"I think we're good. Or as good as things are going to get, anyway." Stewart stays leaned back in his chair, adding, "Do we have a plan B for in the event things go badly, or is it just figure things out as best we can?"

"Figure things out as best as you can," Dana replies, speaking up for the first time. "We have only limited intelligence as to what we're up against. Thea will try to extract us all if it goes bad."

. o O Valentine thinks "I can always beg to be concubinized if things go badly. Shoulda worn my thong."

Briefing finished, the crew is loaded up onto the Baer. Note one: a Type VI is not meant to carry fourteen people. Note two: It is a six-hour flight at best speed under cloak to Bak'TUR. Eventually, however, the ship comes into orbit over Bak'TUR, with Alethea and Michael Cross exchanging signs regarding avoiding patrol ships for the transport. Cross turns over his shoulder, glancing at Hiroshi, and notes, simply, "It's time. We have about two minutes before the next patrol ship comes into range."

Thorne, having slept most of the way, allows his eyes to flicker open as the shuttle slows to sublight. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends," he murmurs, mostly for his own benefit.

The words sink into Tara's head after a few seconds, and she looks up with sharp edginess. "Breach, breeches, all the same," she says, swallowing as she shifts slightly back and forth on her feet.

Hurley eyes Valentine quietly for a brief moment, then turns her attention back towards Edwards. Her eyes are widened and if it was possible to see her complexion through the makeup, it'd be quite pale. She remains, however, quite silent and simply waits for orders.

As the prepare for transport, Takamura double checks his weapons, then smiles over to Valentine and Hurley. A nice supportive and comforting smile. Then he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens his eyes, his face becomes an unreadable mask. Gameface time.

. o O Takamura thinks "Alright. This is it. Let's get this done."

. o O Thorne's fear tightens his stomach into a knot.

Nothing like a long flight cramped in a small area with people who can't hardly stand you. Edwards grunts. "Action time." He catches Hurley's look and it makes him calm down some, and he offers her a small smile. "You're lucky. You'll get to watch me in action." Who's worried?

. o O Valentine thinks "Okay. This is it. We're prepped. We're good. *pause* God, I need to throw up."

. o O Takamura feels a sense of calm wash over him. The calm before the storm.

. o O Edwards might be nervous, being sane and all, but he does his best to project calm assurance.

Stewart stands off to one side, leaning against a wall, one leg propped up, and he strops the edge of his knife on his boot as he waits. When things near, he tucks the blade away, and says, "Just remember, the more you worry about trying not to get killed, the more likely you probably make it. Just worry about getting things done right."

. o O Hurley thinks "And do I ever *feel* the luck. No, really. Of course, if he *really* wanted to show off, I could have programmed him a nice holosimulation of this entire thing."

Valentine doesn't even try to return Tak's smile. She nods once, simply, and pushes her hands into the opposite sleeves to stop the shakes.

Hurley quietly regards Edwards, then Stewart in turn. She draws in a deep breath, closes her eyes, and when she reopens them, a small smile has formed on her lips. To Tara, she offers softly, "We're getting home after this. Everything works out in the end - always."

Birev checks his weapons anxiously, still struggling against the urge to adjust his antennae.

Alethea taps at her console a few times, and gets up to distribute brief hugs to her fellow cell members. It has the aura of a ritual, since each of them bends down to wrap their arms around the tiny human as she maneuvers her way around the enclosed space well-stuffed with people. She eyes Edwards uncomfortably at the end and stands very still while signing toward him, 'You all ready?'

During this time, there is the usual goodbye-saying among the couples in the Resistance: it's a bittersweet moment, each acknowledging they may never see one another again, perhaps even expecting it. Gela leans over Cross's shoulder, kissing him soundly, while Dana simply presses her forehead against Thorne's cheek for a moment. Hiroshi stands apart, watching the viewscreen.

Edwards regards Alethea quietly. He smiles some after a moment and replies, signing, 'Always. Just another day.' He does things like this all the time. Right. Then he adds, 'Stay out of trouble up here.' And he gives her a mock-stern look.

Valentine quickly looks away from the various couples, turning her gaze to Hurley, and she straightens her stance, clearing her throat. "Of course we are," she states confidently, offering something that's probably related to a smile.

Thorne hugs Thea fiercely, nearly lifting the small woman off the ground before his arm snakes around Dana's shoulders. "It's your turn to buy dinner," he murmurs playfully, although it doesn't quite mask the worry in his eyes. "You know... when we get home."

. o O Thorne thinks "Don't die. Please don't die."

. o O Valentine thinks "Some of us, anyhow, probably. I hope Balin pulls one of his stupid pranks at my memorial, so I can come back and haunt him. Inhabit his computer. Make it play It's A Small World After All at very high speed. Silver lining, girl, there ya go."

Takamura stands up, staying out of the way of the rituals. He just glances around at his fellow Starfleeters, his eyes regarding Valentine the longest.

. o O Takamura thinks "It will be alright, Tara. We /will/ get home."

Stewart heads over to stand next to Birev, and says, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just keep your ear-analogues peeled down there."

'If you say so, chief,' Alethea signs back, chewing on her lower lip as she reaches one hand out to tenatively and one last time pat Edwards on the arm. Must resist urge to hug. 'Don't go die on me, and I promise to stay out of trouble up here.'

Dana laughs a little at Thorne's statement, and queries, in her low, rough voice, "Don't you mean, 'catch dinner'?" She lowers her voice to a whisper, adding, "I love you," before stepping away from him. "I think we're ready, Michael," she calls up to Cross, who sits in silence, having already bid Gela his goodbyes.

Birev frowns slightly at Stewart. "My ear-analogues are strapped down and hidden, sir. I'm already having trouble hearing."

Thorne blinks as his eyes start to flood, clearing his throat. "Yeah, me too," he offers softly to Dana's back before he bows his head and makes a show of checking the charge in his phaser.

Valentine's head tilts slightly, turning to the left a bit as she catches her lover's gaze, though she doesn't look at him. A single, deep breath and nod, then her gaze goes to the other Hiro.

"Well, as much as possible, then," Stewart says to Birev, before adding, "Don't worry, is what I'm saying. Just not very well."

Hurley watches Stewart and Birev during their conversation and can't help the softening of her smile. Drawing in a breath, she pats the areas of her jacket where weapons are stashed, then looks out the viewscreen herself.

Birev nods tensely to Stewart. "I'm not worried."

'Deal. Knowing you, I have the easier side of the deal.' Edwards signs with a grin. Though his grin doesn't last too long. Serious, deadly mission and all. But he doesn't go looking as worried as some. Just... a little more serious.

Thea's pat of Edwards's arm turns into a playful smack, before signing, 'Meanie.' She turns away, then, and Hiroshi explains, "We're beaming down in twos. It's imperative that we begin moving as soon as we're down there. We'll be too vulnerable if we don't. The shuttle will be uncloaked for 36 seconds. Michael, go. We're running out of time."

With that, the first two -- Dana and Birev -- shimmer into blue sparkles and disappear from the bridge.

Time: Sat Aug 21 21:32:19 2004

Stardate: 54330.5

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Planetside Survival (Forest) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

GAME: Edwards spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Edwards (claiming advantage) contests his Planetside Survival (Forest) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Planetside Survival (Forest) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

<CONTEST> Dana (claiming advantage) contests her Planetside Survival (Forest) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

<CONTEST> Hiroshi (claiming advantage) contests her Planetside Survival (Forest) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Morgan Leah (claiming advantage) contests her Planetside Survival (Forest) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

After the beamout, it's possible to look up and watch the ship disappear under cloak into the sky; moments later, a Cardassian patrol ship skims overhead. Fortunately, the forest's thick canopy protects the group from visual reconnaisance, and luck is with them: the sensors of the ship don't /appear/ to pick them up, as they're not waylaid.

Thorne is good to his word and his work: a pause some distance away from the fortress allows him to upload the command-code overrides and New Hire information, and while the group is stared at quite a bit by the Cardassian guards, they manage to maneuver their way in without much incident. Once inside, Hiroshi gestures to Takamura, instructing him to take his group one way, while he moves another way and begins to remove a plate that appears to lead into jeffries-tube-like passages through the wall.

Things are already off to a great start. Edwards trudges after Hiroshi, tired and irritable after the trek through the forest. Maybe that helps him blend in more. Who knows? He peers at the plate and waits for it to come off.

A break? Stoppage? Now /that/ is a real smile on Tara's face, quickly stifled. She stands in one spot near the men, glancing around as she works on getting her breathing control back.

Hurley does her best to keep her breathing under control - even and apparently normal respiratory. It's very difficult, though, and she pauses long enough to get her breath heaving abolished. At least that's what she thinks. Upon reaching the passages, she wearily eyes them with her breath caught in her throat. Not too good when your circulation is already racing.

Dana's fighting the urge to scratch at her neck, as the makeup apparently irritates her scar. Once the door is off of the tube-like passage, she crawls in, followed directly by Morgan, who's sweating and patting at her face to try to keep her makeup in place. Hiroshi gestures for the others to hurry in, glancing up and down the hallway, jaw set.

. o O Valentine thinks "He's gotta be joking... He's not joking. *sigh*"

Edwards stands back and motions for his two people to go ahead, choosing to go after. He glances around quickly, then into the tube.

Valentine nods once, shifting her pack slightly as she takes a couple of swift steps to slither her way into the tube. Her face is set in grim determination.

With a shake of her head, Hurley draws in a deep breath and crawls into the passageway herself, nerves causing her to visibly shake if she pauses at all. Knowing the pause can't last long, she trudges forward, as silently following the parade as possible.

<CONTEST> Edwards contests his Presence (Willpower) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!

A quick gesture up to the second floor, and Dana leads the way, clambering up the handholds that lead to and then above the second floor with grace and ease. Morgan heads after, with Hiroshi remaining behind.

Edwards climbs on up the, well, not the water spout. The jeffries tube-like tube. And he doesn't look like he's enjoying it, either, although nobody's probably watching them. He just goes as fast as he can in silence.

Valentine's brow furrows a bit as the second floor is passed, and she glances down toward Edwards without stopping. One, two, three, four, five... The furrow gets a bit deeper.

Like a pro, Hurley takes to the climbing easily despite the shortness of breath she still suffers. Her attention is diverted to her upcoming path and movements exact and precise; her hands seem to know exactly where to go, with her feet finding their footing and pushing up further quickly.

. o O Valentine thinks "No access on the second floor? And where the hell is El Hiro Greeno? I'm starting to get a baaaad feeling about this."

Hiroshi follows the group up last, keeping up the rear end of the group -- he doesn't abandon them. "Get us a scan," he whispers to Hurley, "you too," directed to Valentine. "We need the layout of this floor."

GAME: Valentine spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

GAME: Hurley spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Hurley (claiming advantage) contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Edwards peers on up at the ladies after Hiroshi gives his order. No sense in adding anything, so he doesn't.

Valentine braces herself against the walls of the passageway, freeing a hand to produce her tricorder for a slow scan around. Eyes intent on the reading, she nods after a moment, murmuring, "Got it." She moves slightly so Hurley can see her screen for comparison.

Immediately upon hearing the order, Hurley balances herself against the rungs with an arm slung through one of them. Into her pocket with the other hand, she withdraws the tricorder, flips it open and taps in the necessary parameters. After reviewing Valentine's information, she nods to the other woman and whispers back to Edwards and Hiroshi, "Three rooms below us, empty." She motions off to the right with her tricordered hand, towards the servant's entrance and continues, "Over there is a large room with a female Klingon and a small child."

"Right. We avoid the Klingon with child. That'll likely be the Governor," Hiroshi hisses quietly. "Let's get up above the level and see if we can't find the transporter controls. I don't know where we'll have to come down in order to get to them."

"Above the level?" Edwards mutters. "I thought the plan was on the second level." Nevertheless, he prepares to keep on moving along. Maybe it just doesn't make sense to him. Wouldn't be the first time.

. o O Valentine thinks "And no children die this time."

Valentine nods and saves the information on her tricorder, then tucking it back beneath her robes again. Swinging back to the laddyer, she starts heading upwards again.

Hurley slips the tricorder into an access-ready pocket and waits for Valentine to continue her climb, then follows behind quietly.

"The other team is moving below the second level, in the crawlways. We go above the level until we find out where we need to be," Hiroshi explains, as he follows the team up in his climb. "Hold. Someone's coming."

Through the walls, voices can be heard, and footsteps. "... /four days,/ Rann. She's my /sister./ I don't give a damn what the Governor says, we need to get back /out there./"

Edwards accepts that answer readily enough. At the 'hold', he holds, and grimaces when he makes out the words. He shakes his head silently.

. o O Edwards thinks "Sorry, Havaris. I am."

Valentine freezes instantly at the 'hold', tilting her head slightly. After the words filter through, she sends a look upwards, watching Dana Rivers.

Hurley's face immediately falls. She was silent before, and now she doesn't even breathe. With eyes widened, she can only find comfort by looking down at Edwards.

. o O Valentine thinks "Collateral damage, right, Rivers?"

Dana's face is cold, icy. She's steeling her will, that much is certain, and her hands hold tight onto the rungs as the footsteps pass.

"I know, Kusto, but there's no way we're going to get the Governor to approve it, not right now. I know you don't want to think this, but she's probably already dead. We can't get people killed for one woman, and we can't even find where they've been hiding out, this time," the other voice says, quiet.

. o O Dana seethes with hate. She's trying hard to fight the urge to leap through the wall and attack the men.

Edwards looks up at Hurley with understanding. It's all he can do. That, and hope they can move along soon.

Valentine shivers softly, wiping one sweaty hand against her clothes. Waits... waits... waits...

Hurley's teeth grit and she closes her eyes with a small, quiet sigh. Laying her head against the nearest rung, she waits for it all to be over.

"Damn them," Kusto hisses, his voice audible through the walls. "Damn them all. We /have/ to find them. Mauno, Nua, and now Jiasha... " There's the sound of a fist hitting the wall, right next to Hurley's face, and then Kusto's feet -- presumably -- stalking away. "DAMN THEM!"

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Presence (Willpower) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

. o O Edwards thinks "Mauno?"

Edwards furrows his brow at something or other, until he hears the slam near Hurley's head. He blinks and looks up at her quickly, ready to... do something?

Valentine flinches at the slam, her knuckles turning white on the handholds of the tube. After a moment she realizes she closed her eyes too, and opens them, to look down quickly toward Chris.

Hurley's eyes fly wide open with the boom right next to her face, and a small, almost inaudible gasp escapes her lips. She regains her composure quickly though, her grip remaining firmly locked on the rungs and nods upwards to Valentine in silent acknowledgement that she's ok.

. o O Hurley isn't ok.

. o O Valentine thinks "Okay. Just for kicks and giggles, let's avoiding capture by dear Kusto. Seems like the smart thing to do."

Once the footsteps fade, Dana makes a quick motion with her hand, and then starts climbing again. The rungs are slippery with sweat by the time Hiroshi gets up there, and one of his hands slides. Fortunately, he catches himself, and doesn't fall. "Forward," he whispers, "Not to the right. Along the wall. Then take another scan."

Edwards makes sure to avoid any slipping and sliding as he climbs from below most of the others. Forward and not the right, as instructed. He peers at the ladies above him, looking for when they take their scans.

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Valentine gives Hurley a little smile and a thumbs' up before swarming up to follow the women in front of her. Once she alights, she glances around, pulling out her tricorder for another reading. After a moment, she frowns at it and softly knocks the silly thing upside the casing with the heel of her hand. The engineer murmurs, "You getting anything, Chris?"

Again slipping her arm into one of the rungs for balance and comfort, Hurley pulls the tricorder from the easily-accessed pocket, quietly takes her readings and nods to Valentine. "Yeah, one lifesign on this level - human moving.." she points left with the tricorder, "that way. There's a buildup of energy over there, possibly a transporter pad? Maybe?"

Hurley purses her lips while looking at the tricorder. Her head cants slightly and she says, off-hand, "Well, I *detect* one .. human.. lifesign, I should say."

There's a soft sound of sobbing beneath them, presumably from the human lifesign, but it fades as she turns away into the hall; the grating beneath Edwards's hand, and the one beneath Valentine's, will give a glimpse of a downturned, blonde-haired head, and a slender figure in a cream corset and a white skirt, shoulders bare.

Dana hisses, with quiet disgust, "A concubine."

Morgan quite literally gags, clapping a hand over her mouth so she doesn't do so loudly.

Hiroshi doesn't do anything. He freezes. Quiet.

Edwards looks through the grating, getting a look at the alleged concubine. And he tries not to make any sounds. Glancing from the grate to Hiroshi, he arches his brow.

. o O Edwards thinks "That better not be anyone I know. And are we stopping, or?"

Valentine mouths 'well, duh' at Rivers as she freezes again, then shifts very slightly as she catches the movement beneath her. Careful not to lean over the grating itself, she peers through it in pure curiosity.

Hurley's eyes close when Dana's comment soaks in and she inhales slowly, followed by a deep, careful exhale. Waiting for further orders, her eyes slowly open again and focus above her.

. o O Valentine thinks "Oh man. How can we leave the concubines behind? Ain't like they /want/ to be here. Probably."

"Stupid Orion floozy. Who likes Bela, anyway? Only Cas... " this from the sobbing figure, her words broken by hiccups, as she disappears.

Dana begins moving again the second that the concubine is out of sight, rising to a crouch to move faster. She gestures toward the first bend in the tunnel, looking back questioningly toward Hurley and Valentine. Morgan follows after, silent, her jaw set harshly.

Edwards clenches his jaw and nearly puts a fist through the grate. Nearly. Redoubling his effort, he moves to haul himself along behind the others in stony silence.

. o O Edwards thinks "If I see anyone with my wife around here, I'm going to shoot them."

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Valentine's eyebrows rise at the words, and she sends a quick look toward Edwards. Assured he's not going to do anything stupid- or at least, not in this particular minute- she moves to follow Dana once more. And pulls out that bloody tricorder. Which ends up getting another annoyed look a moment later, as Tara's expression starts to tighten.

Hurley catches Dana's questioning glance and casts her own questioning glace back to Edwards and Hiroshi. "Another reading?" she whispers back to the only men in this group. But, before either can answer, she pulls out her tricorder again and sweeps the area where Dana is leading, then nods to the woman. Before she trudges on, she repockets the tricorder.

"Let's go," Dana murmurs, and clambers off through the tubing. Morgan follows after. They move in silence for a bit, before Dana reaches another intersection, and pauses, looking back to Valentine and Hurley.

From below, and off in the next room, there are the sound of footsteps. Light, quick, possibly female. They fade.

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

Edwards stops when the whole train comes to a stop. He frowns and awaits the verdict.

This time Tara ends up giving her tricorder a look that indicates it's in for a very short lifespan. Shaking her head, she sends a questioning look toward her compatriot.

"Left, then right to get to the transporter... I think," Hurley whispers up towards the front of the parade, regarding her readings carefully. "Below us, I'm seeing two lifesigns, human.. and an Orion, who is moving away quickly."

. o O Edwards thinks "Orion?"

"Right," replies Dana, turning left and moving slowly through the tubing.

"This is too easy," Morgan whispers, and then bites her lip as she follows after.

. o O Hurley thinks "We /want/ easy, thoguh, I thought..."

"Easy? This is a pain." Edwards mutters/grumbles, trudging ever onward.

Valentine hugs the wall as she follows the women in front of her. "Ain't been shot at," she murmurs. "I stick that in the 'easy' category too."

"Let's not jynx ourselves," Hurley whispers, closing up behind Valentine to leave no distance between them.

Hiroshi follows behind, the group creeping slowly through the tubing. Left, then as she's about to turn right, footsteps below Dana make her stop again.

"I see," comes a soft voice from below. "Yes. I will see the prisoners in fifteen minutes." The voice is female, distracted.

"Yes, Grand Inquisitor. In which order?" Another voice, female, subdued.

"The older one first. He has such a delightfully one-track mind. My woman, my home, my people. And so brash. I believe it will be him, today. He's so close to breaking, don't you think?"

"Yes, Grand Inquisitor."

Dana sits back against the wall, closes her eyes. Her face goes pale, and she's shaking visibly now. Morgan's elbows nearly give out on her. Fear isn't the right word, here. It's terror. And the tight space suddenly reeks of fear, from all three Resistance members.

. o O Hiroshi feels fear, yes, but hatred as well.

. o O Hiroshi forces himself to blank his mind; it's obvious he was trained by a Betazoid to create a null space in his brain.

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

<CONTEST> Edwards contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

<CONTEST> Edwards contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

<CONTEST> Hurley contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!

Edwards comes to a stop when the others do and squints upon hearing the voices. Squinting might not actually help him hear better, but... well, he can't squint his ears, now can he? He looks around, nothing the terrified people, and grits his teeth.

. o O Edwards thinks "Come on, come on... Now's definitely not the time to lose it."

Valentine pauses, playing popsicle again. She frowns slightly as she listens, canting her head, then looks up to notice the rebels' reaction. The engineer grimaces, waiting tensely for the voices to die away.

"Gellan," Hurley softly whispers, eyes narrowing as she concentrates between them. "Counselor Gellan is apparently the Grand Inquisitor." She looks to Valentine, then back to Edwards and slowly, her gaze falls back on the terrorized women in the front.

. o O Valentine thinks "Fifteen minutes. We don't have time to go to pieces, folks."

. o O Edwards thinks "Oh hell..."

"Don't... say... her name... " hisses Dana, her hands shaking as she hurries away down the tubing, as quickly as she possibly can without making TOO much noise.

"She can /hear/ you... " adds Morgan, still pale as a sheet, scrambling down the tubing.

. o O Dana is terrified byond reason.

Now that he's been provided with this new information, Edwards tenses. Bad bad bad. When things start moving again, he follows with all due haste, not wanting to stick around any more than any of the others do.

Valentine bites her lip a bit as Gellan's species comes to mind, but she lets out a tiny breath of relief as the women get moving again, and follows, looking back to make sure Hiroshi hasn't frozen to the spot.

With the front of the parade rushing back towards her, Hurley is forced to fall back or be run over. She chooses falling back, and she does so quietly.

<CONTEST> Edwards (claiming disadvantage) contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

<CONTEST> Valentine (claiming disadvantage) contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

<CONTEST> Hurley (claiming disadvantage) contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!

"... up into the tubing to fix it," comes a voice as the group rushes through the crawlspaces, and a grate a short distance down the hall is pushed away.

"Down, down!" hisses Dana, pulling aside a grate, "I think this room's empty!" And then she disappears out of the crawlspace.

Edwards swears under his breath at the abrupt change of plans and prepares to head gratewards after the others do.

. o O Valentine thinks "You /think/?!? Hell's bells!"

Valentine clamps her lips shut over some swearing of her own, and scrambles across the last few feet after Dana to drop after the woman.

Dropping down out of the tubing brings the group face to face with a very familiar face. It is, point of fact, one that Edwards will know best of all. Bela stands stock still, dressed in an extremely skimpy outfit comprised more of suggestions of translucent clothing than anything that's actually meant to conceal her form. She stares at Dana for a long moment, her eyes going wide, and opens her mouth to scream, to raise the alarum...

And while the Resistance members are gathering themselves from the floor, another figure, in a cream corset and white skirt, rises up behind Bela from behind a couch, a heavy book in her hands. The book is brought down with not much force but a /great/ deal of inertia on the back of the Orion's skull. Her eyes roll back, and the woman crumples to the floor soundlessly.

Anne Bright drops the book to the floor, where it lands with a soft thump, tugs on the bottom edge of her corset, and mutters, "I have wanted to do that for /years./"

Edwards springs up, straight and tall, and watches Bela go down like a ton of bricks. A ton of bricks! Now there are many ways to react to such a situation, surely. But... come on. He reacts like a husband, and, well, an Edwards. He springs forward to slug Bright.

Valentine blinks, and starts to grin toward the savior who is, to her, unknown. Edwards' rush cuts that expression off /real/ quick. "/Commander/!" It's not /quite/ a shout, but it's frantic, as the ensign throws herself at the idi... er, man. Same thing.

<CONTEST> Edwards contests his Fitness (Strength) skill vs Anne Bright's Fitness (Vitality) skill and Fails!

. o O Valentine thinks "You fool! Focus, you idiot!"

He pops her right in the nose, Edwards does, since Bright isn't expecting to be hit. Far from being a fragile little science geek, however, /this/ Bright seems to be made of duranium composite, because despite the fact that he punches her full-on, the only thing that she does is snap her head back and tap beneath her nose, checking for blood. "Hey! That was uncalled for! She was going to bring them all down on you!" she spits, her voice a low hiss. "Fine, maybe I won't help you and ask you to take me with you. I know you've got to be Resistance. Maybe I'll just call them myself."

Dana hisses a sharp, "NO!" while Hiroshi reaches for his Bajoran phaser, instinctively.

Edwards's derailed by the fact that Bright didn't go down. Heck, Thorne went down. Not Bright. He does a double-take, not looking at all happy, and moves to check on the fallen Bela. Someone else can deal with her.

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Unarmed Combat (Wrestling) skill vs Edwards's Unarmed Combat (Wrestling) skill and Fails!

. o O Anne Bright thinks "What a jerk!"

. o O Anne Bright thinks "What stupid bimbo was going to bring the whole place down on them, and he punched me in the face! What is WRONG with him! What a stupid jerkface!"

Valentine snarls as her own rush results in nothing but air and she rolls, gradually pushing to her feet to send a glare after Edwards. "Oh, /that/ was bloody bright." Taking a deep breath, she looks back toward the savior. "He's an idiot, like most men. I, for one, am deeply appreciative, and sure as hell we're taking you with us. But we're on a mission here. Where's the transporter controls for the prison cells? Can you take us there?"

Bela is, and remains, out cold. She was thunked in a way that indicates proper skull-thunking has been thunked upon her skull.

"Well, great. Yes, I do. It's this way. You, like, stay behind me. Everybody knows me here. I'm somebody important's concubine, so they just totally ignore me," Bright offers tensely, wiping at her face. "Only we have to wait a minute because if they see me with my nose bleeding they'll want to know why." Pause. "Oh, screw it, I'll say I was stuck with Vor'mak again. I hate him." She wipes a little more blood away, and the trickle appears to have stopped. "He's not going to hit me again, is he?"

"No," Hiroshi replies tensely. "He's not."

Edwards checks Bela's pulse, as that's what you're supposed to do when you check someone. Then he stands up and back, frowning. Putting his mind on the task at hand, he turns to the group and hangs back, waiting to follow near the rear. Should help keep Bright a little calmer, at least.

. o O Edwards thinks "She's not Bela. She's not Bela..."

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

<CONTEST> Edwards contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

"Never again," Tara promises grimly, growling low in her throat. She glances around to see if Edwards has regained his brains yet.

"Right. Well. Wait a second. I'll tell you when to follow." Bright pads barefoot out of the room, walking casually in that way that people who are trying to be sneaky and think they're walking casually so they won't look sneaky walk. It's kind of silly, especially in a corset, but she's trying. Tough she may be, but she's not yet cut out for the life of the Resistance.

Edwards shoots a warning look at Valentine and glances around at the others. He pauses and glances again. And one more time, just to make sure. "Where's Hurley?" he asks, in a low voice. "Hurley?"

Valentine snorts softly at the warning look, moving toward the door of the room to settle herself well behind the jamb. It's a little hard to ignore his words though, and Tara looks around, and lets out a quiet curse, looking up toward the grating they all just fell through.

Anne Bright saunters casually into the hallway and down it, coughing a little to summon the group to follow her. "Come on," hisses Dana. "Use your tricorder, Tara. We've got to get out of here before someone comes."

Edwards wanders closer to Valentine and watches her expectantly, waiting for her to work her tricorder magic.

<CONTEST> Valentine contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

Valentine nods toward Dana, giving her tricorder a look similar to the one Edwards just gave her. Apparently the machine is not impressed, for she ends up shaking her head. "I can't make heads or tails or these readings."

Of

GAME: Edwards spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Edwards (claiming advantage) contests his Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

Edwards moves to take the tricorder from Valentine when she fails. Kindly. He doesn't tear it out of her hands. Then he has a go at it, with much the same results. "What the hell?" He grunts. "This tricorder must be defective."

"Uh huh." Tara /might/ be agreeing with him. She looks up to address Dana. "No scan available. Cross your fingers."

"Come /on,/ someone's coming, hurry /up!/" Bright hisses, from out in the hallway. "Look later, come now, find safe place, c'mon!"

<CONTEST> Edwards (claiming advantage) contests his Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Edwards motions for Valentine to move and starts heading off himself as he tries for another scan. Which means he doesn't give back the tricorder. After smacking it once, he blinks. "I got something. Hurley. She's the one coming this way." Just to make that clear, he points out into the hallway.

Valentine moves. Then she almost halts at that particular news. "Alone?" she inquires, sharp and soft with a glance around as she emerges into the hall, altering her stance to something more servant-like.

Sure enough, around the corner steps a rather nervous-looking Hurley, glancing back over her shoulder. She pauses, takes a deep breath and turns to pay attention to her surroundings, more importantly, the group in front of her. Her eyes widen and she steps towards them carefully.

"She's one of yours?" Bright says nervously, trying to usher the group into a room across the hall. "Quick, this lets out into the room with the computers."

Dana looks rather suspiciously at Bright for a moment, but says nothing.

Morgan mutters under her breath, and wipes a hand across her face.

Hiroshi just hurries the group across, nodding once to Bright.

Back in the room behind them, Bela continues to lie crumpled on the floor, a copy of 'The Oceans of Bajor' beside her on the carpet.

Edwards spares one last look back at Bela as he heads off with the others. "Just her. Obviously." he says, motioning to Hurley by her lonesome. And he motions for her to hurry up and come along.

Valentine lets out a sigh of relief, and grins toward Hurley, beckoning as well before she hurries after Bright. "Yeah. She's one of ours."

Hurley looks between each of the group members in turn as they respond, eyes falling on Edwards finally and his motion to move along. She nods once, a small, relieved smile spreading across her lips is offered to Valentine as she heads off after the group.

Bright comes up to the door which ostensibly leads into the computer area, presses a button, and... frowns. "It's locked," she says. "It's never locked. Oh no. It's never locked. Make with your scanny thing."

<CONTEST> Edwards (claiming advantage) contests his Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Edwards's com badge chirrups. "Ensign Birev to Commander Edwards."

Edwards aims the tricorder at the door and performs a scan. "Five humans, one... Andorian." That makes him smile. "It's the others." Of course. "And..." his smile turns into a fornw, "Klingon blood."

Edwards taps his com badge. "Commander Edwards here."

Over Edwards's com badge, Birev says, "Sir, we've located the transporter controls and we can get the prisoners."

Valentine blinks, glancing toward the door. Her mouth quirks in ironic humor.

Hurley's eyes glance back and forth from the door to Edwards back to the door again, blink with a raised eyebrow, then her smile broadens with her gaze finally falling on Edwards.

"Uh." Anne watches the communicator with some small amount of fascination and fear, blinking rapidly. "The. Oh! Oh, okay, yeah, I know where they are, too. Crud."

"It's okay. And, uh, sorry. About the punch." Edwards nods at Anne and resumes his comm conversation, using the communicator he pulled out of his pocket.

Into his com badge, Edwards says, "Great. We're right outside. If someone could just open the door..."

"Whatever. You don't hit nearly as hard as Dakin Rann, and you left my skirt on. So we're okay," Bright replies absently. "You'd just better hurry, 'cause they patrol this place an awful lot."

Valentine shakes her head slightly at Bright's words, turning to take a few steps and crouch down, watching the corridor. "Hurrying sounds good, yes."

Hurley's nose crinkles slightly at the mention of Dakin Rann and a rather disgusted look passes over her eyes, but she manages to catch herself enough to look and listen down the corridor.

Dana eyes Bright for a moment, and then snorts. She looks amused, but only vaguely, and then turns her attention towards Edwards.

Hiroshi creeps toward the door, peering up and down the hall. "Tell them to hurry. We've got a patrol around the corner. I can hear them."

Over Edwards's com badge, Birev says, "Come on in, sir. It's secure."

"Timing..." Edwards mutters, as he steps forward to move through the door. And hopefully doesn't run into it.

Anne Bright heads south.

Anne Bright has left.

Edwards approaches on the road from the north.

Edwards has arrived.

Valentine approaches on the road from the north.

Valentine has arrived.

Hurley approaches on the road from the north.

Hurley has arrived.

It's not any of the team that leads the way in, but a woman -- the Anne Bright of this universe -- in a gold and cream corset and a white skirt, her lond blonde hair unbound, her feet bare. "Oh, wow. Oh wow. Yeah, I totally forgive you for punching me, now," she confirms to Edwards. "I'm really going to get out of here."

Randal and Nathan trade glances once again before looking to their Tak. "We've got transporter locks on Jim and Mike," Nathan reports. "We're ready to go when you are."

. o O Thorne thinks "It's going to be a lot more cramped on the shuttle ride home."

Edwards glances around at the others when he enters with Bright. "It was a misunderstanding!" he says defensively, to cut them off at the pass. Hopefully. He offers his tricorder back to Valentine and shuts off his communicator, slipping it back in his pocket. "We are ready to go."

Edwards taps his com badge and terminates transmission.

Birev's com badge clicks as Edwards drops off channel. The channel closes.

Valentine takes her tricorder back, then looks up quickly, a bit shocked. "Ready to go? What about the other prisoners? And the concubines?"

Upon entering the room, Hurley takes a moment to look from figure to figure, almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people in the room. Unable to stop smiling to herself, she steps away from her group and stands next to the door, listening for possible incoming patrols.

Takamura glances up from his console when the others enter. He smiles briefly, before it quickly disappears. "We don't have much room on the shuttle for too many extra passengers. Plus, a Cardassian patrol is practically on top of us. We have no time."

"Could be worse," Stewart says to the new Bright, "He could have chatted you up." He then looks over towards Valentine, and says, "Keep in mind that we're going to be on a tight schedule once we start using the transporter. Also, keep in mind that it's already standing room only in the shuttle."

Birev hangs about quietly by the console in the cneter of the room, looking somewhat relieved that the end of the mission and the trip home are nearly in sight.

"Yeah, you totally misunderstood the part where I clobbered the stupid bimbo who was about to bring all the Alliance down on you," grouses Bright, but she can't be mad. No! She's getting out of here. "I so want out of this corset. I hate it." A pause, and she looks between Stewart and Edwards. "Uh. Hunh."

Seeing as how the standing room only thing has been beaten to death, Randal (who has been pretty much staring at Dana since he traded glances with Nathan) turns his gaze on Hiroshi. "Hiro..." he murmurs in a low voice. "We've got to go. I'll call Thea, Nathan'll beam us all out of here, and we'll go home."

Edwards gives Stewart a look. "The stupid bimbo was my wife. Or someone who just happened to look a hell of a lot like her." He shakes his head. "And I don't want to leave anyone here, but... we have to hope this mission being a success means there's hope for every human here in the future. Get the prisoners, Takamura." And since he didn't catch Randal's murmur, he pulls his comm back out, "Edwards to Baer."

"Baer here," comes Michael Cross's voice, relief evident in it. "Michael. Good to hear you. Ready to go?"

"This is pretty much wrapped up. Start grabbing people." Edwards replies.

"Done and done. Use the compound's transporters to beam people up /to/ us, too. It'll make it go faster." And then, two by two, people start disappearing, beginning with Hurley and Valentine. Michael drops off the com channel, and people disappear every few seconds, the transporters cycling with as much efficiency as they can muster.

Edwards stuffs his communicator back into his pocket. "You heard him, Takamura." he remarks. He looks around. "Mission accomplished. And we didn't even have to shoot anyone. Who'd've thought it?"

"Aye aye, sir." Takamura replies as he nods to Nathan. As he kneels down to pick up a disruptor, the stain of Klingon blood becomes more noticable on his clothing. "Sir, I'm going to set a disruptor to everload so that they can't use this console to bring us back. There are no other prisoners in the cells, so they won't be trapped."

. o O Takamura thinks "Well, you didn't shot anybody."

Valentine boggles at the abruptly calm nature that seems to settle in, and shrieks in protest. "No! We can't just leave! This isn't righ-" Damn transporter.

. o O Takamura thinks "Heck, neither did I."

Stewart sighs heavily, and says, "This is just going to go on... permission to stun her? It's quicker and more humane than having the discussion about why we can't save every man, woman, child, and bunny rabbit here."

A sense of excitement fills Hurley's eyes and she turns to listen to the conversations around her better. After a deep sigh of relief, she looks directly at Valentine during her protest, eyebrows furrowing together.

"I'm sure someone will return for them someday," Birev says wearily, moments before he's transported.

The scene on the shuttle is a little chaotic. Standing-room-only becomes a little more so when one of the people involved can't stand up: while Jim Stewart, resistance leader, hugs Morgan tightly before standing back to scratch absently at his goatee and try to stay out of the way, Michael Edwards is unconscious, pale as death, and lying in a back corner of the shuttle. Cross has one hand on Thea's arm, forcibly keeping her in her seat and trying to get her to focus on the console in front of her.

Thorne collapses into a seat, allowing a long breath to escape as he winds down in silence.

Edwards glances around after he materializes on the Baer. That's when he notices... himself, looking like death warmed over. Or maybe not even warmed over. "Oh, geez." He moves to check on the other Edwards. "I look like hell. Medic! Takamura!"

When he rematerializes on the shuttle, Takamura swiftly has to change hats from security expert to field medic. Heading for the prone Edwards, he calls out. "Someone get me the medkit." He then kneels down beside his patient.

"-t." Valentine blinks to find herself on the shuttle again, and starts to swear, long and hard. Not quite distracted enough to stay on the transporter pads, she heads for the nearest bulkhead, and punches it, hard.

Stewart makes his way through the crowd on the shuttle towards, well, himself. He examines alternate-him for a moment or two, before nodding a little to himself, and saying, "You have to trim that beard. It looks awful on you."

Hurley's attention is drawn towards Edwards and his call for the Takamura-Medic. She remains quiet, though certainly not solemnly so, and can't hide the excitement shining in her eyes while she watches everyone on the cramped shuttle.

. o O Takamura thinks "Oh boy. My job isn't over yet."

GAME: Takamura spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Takamura (claiming advantage) contests his First Aid (Combat Medic) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Dana hurries to get a medkit for Takamura, having taken a moment to kiss Randal soundly before Tak called for it. She shoves the box into his hands or drops it on the floor next to him.

Cross forces one of Thea's hands down onto the console. "Fly, Thea, damnit, or we'll all die. Do it. Now."

Snapped back into reality by the hand on hers, Alethea obeys, her face pale as her husband's, almost, and the cloak reactivates as the shuttle soars away; they're not yet being pursued, but surely it's just a matter of time.

"Tera likes it," Jim responds to his clone, before leaning heavily against the bulkhead, expression tired. "This is supremely strange. I never thought I'd be rescuing myself in quite /this/ sense."

Edwards stands back when Takamura comes to the rescue. "This is spooky." He shakes his head and turns away, trying to focus on something else.

Takamura nods his thanks to Dana as he takes the case from her. Cracking it open, he removes the tricorder and begins his scans. Ignoring all the chatter around him, he focuses on treating Mike. Reaching for a hypospray, he administers a mild sedative with a frustrated look.

. o O Takamura feels the tension returning as he treats Michael.

. o O Takamura thinks "Damn, he's in bad shape. His mental patterns are all over the place. Focus on stabilizing the body. And pray that the mind will heal."

Valentine drops into her usual seat at the engineering console, arms tightly folded over her cheat, furious enough to stare at the console for the next six hours without acknowledging anybody else's existence.

Stewart lifts a hand to point at Mirror-Stewart, before dropping it to his side, face tightening a little. "Yeah. If it helps, I didn't think I'd be saving you either, say... two weeks ago."

. o O Stewart thinks "Shouldn't strangle him... not after we've gone to all this effort. Besides... he didn't mean it like that."

Hurley's attention is split between the two Stewarts and the two Edwards mainly, though she does look from couple to couple, or those standing alone. She remains quiet, observant, but quiet.

. o O Valentine thinks "That's right. The Resistance gets what they want, and we blithely flitting back home. How many times did I hear 'we help people in need, that's why we're doing this'. Apparently that doesn't count when it's inconvenient."

Once the ship is well away from the planet, there's nothing and no one who'll stop Thea from getting closer to her husband. She clambers out of her chair and pushes between taller people, pressing herself down next to MirrorMichael, taking the hand on the side that Takamura's not on and holding it. Her face is a quiet rictus of fear and worry, and she's one hair's breadth from breaking into hysterical tears.

"Funny what we can't predict," Jim replies to Stewart, shrugging slightly and breathing out in a slow puff of air. "God, I feel awful."

. o O Alethea thinks "Please don't die. Michael, you can't die. Do you hear me? Don't die. Don't die, pleasedon'tdie."

Takamura continues to monitor his patient. He sets up an IV to replenish his nutrients and fluids. And just waits. When Thea comes close, he gives her the most supportive smile he can muster.

. o O Takamura thinks "I'm doing everything I can for him, Thea."

Stewart finds a spot of wall next to the other Stewart, so he can join in the leaning. "Yeah..." He drums his fingers against the wall, and finally says, "Might as well keep the goatee, then."

. o O Stewart thinks "If he's with Tera here... what does that mean for me? Is that a good sign or bad? Hell, does it matter?""

. o O Alethea thinks "Please. We've tried so hard. We've come so far, Michael. Come on. Come on. You can do this."

A raised eyebrow from Jim, then. "Ha. Right. Guess so." He shrugs slightly. "It does wonders for my Rebel Credibility. Sort of a prerequisite to being the leader of a rebel band, and all that, I suppose. At least, if you're male." God help us. Two Stewarts conversing.

Thea wraps her hands tightly around Michael's, and barely seems to notice Tak's smile. In the end, she curls her head down to rest it on her husband's shoulder, closing her eyes, her body a tiny little ball.

The flight back home -- to the rebel base, anyway -- is uneventful.

Removing the cloak from the Baer doesn't take long, either. Thorne and Dana work on it pretty much in silence; there's a grim sort of air around everyone from the Resistance. Except, of course, Anne, who couldn't be more thrilled to have been removed from a life of subservient luxury and into one of freedom and brutal hardship.

Alethea and Jim remove Michael from the Baer together pretty much the moment that the thing lands: he's brought out on a makeshift stretcher and taken in to Craig's tender ministrations. It is the last that any of the Starfleet officers see of either of them.

And then, it's time to go. Michael Cross presses a small, cylindrical object into one of Valentine's hands in passing. "I know you're the Engineer," he tells her, his voice quiet, his manner so very reserved as compared to this universe's Cross. The small object, resembling nothing so much as one of the Warp Core's coffee tumblers gone insane, has a glowing purple disc at the top. "Press this... " he begins, and explains the device's operation. "Keep it. In case you need it. I'm sorry. This isn't like us." Without another word, he moves away from the Engineer, leaving her with the literal key to the door home in her hands.

. o O Michael Cross thinks "It was a desperate choice. Maybe it was the wrong one. Too late now to change it."

And so, the Baer leaves the Okuda Sector -- or what it is in this universe -- and finds itself becoming a small blip on the station's sensors. Home again, home again.