Again!
Posted on Tue May 14th, 2024 @ 1:11am by Lieutenant Betaras K'ner
Mission:
Starbase 364
Location: Starbase 364
Timeline: Current
[ Cargo/Workout Bay ]
K'ner dropped hard on the deck, rolling forward and to one side as she swung the blade in a hard, low arc behind her without stopping her momentum.
There was a muted 'ding' and a computer voice. "Medium hit. 17 points of damage. Opponent partially disabled but still alive."
K'ner spun, depressing the shallow stud on the handle, releasing the stored charge. The static pop stitched through the air, lancing through the apparition.
The voice called out. "Medium hit. 13 points of damage, 7 stun. Target down."
She stood as the image faded, watching the others in what otherwise looked like absolute chaos. Team members worked individually and in groups, dealing with the computer sim'd images based on scant video logs, as well as eyewitness accounts. That, plus their own recent encounters, lent credence to the effectiveness of the Gorn, young or old, although they didn't seem to really age far in their society if the data they had was true.
K'ner heard the whistling in the air before Billingsly flopped unceremoniously onto the deck near her, partially sliding and tumbling to graceless stop in a heap, only to manage a half roll just as an image ferociously leapt onto her. The sim software triggered the sensors on her suit, simulating the impacts where it clawed and bit. She screamed, mostly from the horrendous visual moreover than any real pain.
K'ner cancelled the sequence for the PA, giving her a moment to come down from her fright. Billingsly slammed her fist into the floor.
"These things aren't real!! They can't be this fast!! I can't do this... I can't!!" She staggered, trying to rise, adrenaline competing with endorphins and her own psyche.
Anya desperately tried to control her breathing, dots dancing in front of her eyes, but she couldn't get enough air. She felt like she'd fought and chased and been chased for an hour, but she was sure it was probably only minutes. No one could do this...
"Alright."
It took her a moment to let that sink in. She looked up at K'ner, her expression passive with her faceplate helm now retracted.
Anya was confused. "What?"
K'ner looked down at her. "Alright."
Anya managed to stand, only wavering a little as her breathing steadied. "Alright? Alright? What do you mean alright? That sucked!! I was being carved up for supper! I can't kill these things, I can't even scare one! I'm a casualty waiting to happen and someone else will get hurt trying to rescue the hapless nurse!"
K'ner sighed. "Very well. You're dismissed."
Anya's mouth dropped open. "What?"
K'ner had been watching Taz bending backwards farther than she'd seen before but looked back at her PA. "You're dismissed."
Anya started to speak, shut her mouth, then opened it again, shaking her head. "No... No!! You can't say that to me! I'm not quitting!! I'll detonate a grenade while I'm wrapped around one's leg if I have to but I will NOT let them get past me to the crew. I am not qui..."
She screamed as another image leaped over K'ner and Lt Tela, straight at her. The sound turned into a rage as she turned, letting the image carry past her, just barely dodging a swipe of needle sharp claws. She slapped her side, her phaser in her hand before she realized it, getting off two blasts that impacted its side before it ran to the crates piled in one section of the cargo bay like an obstacle course. She screamed again, giving chase...
K'ner exhaled fully, watching her disappear in the pileup, satisfied she would pass out before she gave up.
Tela chuckled lightly. "You gonna tell her you sped up the Gorn?"
K'ner shook her head. "Naw, not yet. I'll drop that tidbit at the review briefing while we eat." Tela nodded, walking off to check on more of the team.
"She's not ready yet," K'ner said quietly to herself, her attention split between HUD and the view in front of her. "But she will be..."
OFF:
Lt Betaras K'ner
Hazard Team Medic TL-B / Acting CMO
USS Chuck Norris
:o)
