Easy Way Out

Posted on Apr 26, 2015 @ 12:32pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane & Lieutenant Commander Aerdan Jos
Edited on on Apr 26, 2015 @ 12:33pm

Mission: Limbo

"Easy Way Out" (Continued from "The Ties That Bind")

~*~

Location: LIMBO
Stardate: 2.150424.2210
Scene: Economy Housing Room 4672-B

~*~

“So, who knows where we are and how to get back to the ship?” She asked to no-one in particular.

There was a half a second of wavering silence before an alarm started shrieking through the dim corridors, prompting every single person in the room save Montoya to snap their head up.

"What the hell is that?" Thomas asked, fluffing his wings out.

"Evacuation alarm." came Jacen's gruff reply. "We're on a time limit."

"Time limit? What sort of time limit?!" The science officer's eyes widened. "What's going on."

The burly human canted his head, deep in thought. This wasn't his first go around by a long shot and he had lived through similar situations. Bombs. Attacks. Eviction notices. "Usually it's a station wide emergency. But I'm guessing this time it's a grace period."

"Grace period?" Thomas wrinkled his nose in curiosity.

"As in, get out before Tella Yavin vaporizes you." Kass intoned dryly from the back of the room where Aerdan was helping her to her feet. "The docking areas will be a madhouse."

Jacen rocked on his feet. "I know a back way."

Aerdan's antennae both perked up. "That is an incredibly useful skill you have." he lisped quietly.

The burly human cracked a humorless smile. "Gotta have some ways to keep a leg ahead of everyone else."

The Andorian nodded smoothly, heading towards the shower. "Thomas, travel with Major Thytos. Follow Mr. Barnes. I'll be behind you with Montoya."

"You're not seriously bringing the murderer with us?" Commander Varn looked aghast.

"Yes." Aerdan's soft voice was dripping with finality. "I doubt she was in control of herself. She's chock full of psychotropic drugs."

"Psychotropic drugs?" Kass queried darkly. "Didn't you say you used her blood for my transfusion."

Antennae wilted into the top of his snowy hair, his gaze was nonetheless committed. "You might feel some strange side effects. I'll detox you back on the PHOENIX."

"Strange side effects..." The words sounded strangled.

"It was either that or die." Aerdan offered bluntly. "Speaking of, we should get a move on."

Jacen was already ready and waiting, ready to pull the bickering threesome forward if they didn't shut up. "Follow me."

~*~

Location: USS Phoenix
Scene: Captain's Ready Room


Michael Turlogh Kane passed through the bridge, ignoring the concerned looks of the bridge crew, and went into his ready room, putting the Romulan communicator down on his desk. He used the dirty sleeve of his uniform to wipe away the blood and sweat from his face as he sat down.

He activated his desktop monitor, interfacing it with the Romulan communicator, seeking the broadcast wavelength that the communicator was using. After a moment, the frequency was found. Kane pushed the button on his monitor and open a hailing frequency. "This is Captain Michael Turlogh Kane of the starship Phoenix, calling Admiral Radaik aboard the War Hawk."

There was nothing for a moment, then the monitor screen fizzed into life, showing the icon of the Romulan Star Empire - a great bird seizing whole planets in each of its talons. The screen winked again, and the satanic visage of Admiral Radaik was looking at him.

{{Captain Kane,}} she said in an imperious tone. {{Make this quick, I have no time to speak with enemies of the Empire.}}

Kane held up communicator stud he'd taken from the forearm of the dead Romulan following the battle with Rawyvin Seth. "I encountered a Romulan officer on Limbo. This is his communicator."

Admiral Radaik bristled. {{I know. We matched the communicator's frequency as soon as you used it. Where is Commander Merak?}}

Kane put the communicator down. "I didn't know his name. Admiral, I am sorry to tell you that Commander Merak is dead. He was killed by Rawyvin Seth outside the Pit."

Admiral Radaik nodded with resignation. Kane could see that there was nobody around her. She appeared to be sitting in her own ready room. {{I see. May I ask if you know the fate of Rawyvin Seth?}}

"He is also dead," said Kane evenly.

{{Good. Our mission on Limbo is concluded. Goodbye, Captain Kane.}}

"Wait!" exclaimed Kane. Seeing her pause, he leaned forward earnestly. "Admiral, the Phoenix's mission on Limbo was to secure a powerful Vulcan telepath that Rawyvin Seth wanted to kill. Without knowing it, our two missions were overlapping."

{{So?}} Admiral Radaik looked unimpressed.

"We could have helped each other if we had known," said Kane earnestly. "Admiral Radaik, please listen to me. Do you recall our meeting with Tella Yavin? I tried to tell you about the Neo-Essentialists - "

{{Not this drivel again, Captain.}}

"It's the truth!" exclaimed Kane, holding on to his temper. "Civilian control of the Federation has been usurped by this group, the Neo-Essentialists. They are the ones who provoked your people into invading across the Neutral Zone in order to consolidate their domestic power! Their leader - a Terran admiral Richard Edgerton - is placing his cronies at the highest echelons of the Federation government and of Starfleet!"

Admiral Radaik shook her head. {{Why should I care about this?}} she said. {{The internal politics of your people are of no interest to the Empire.}}

"That's not true!" said Kane passionately. "The Neo-Essentialists want to heavily militarise Starfleet! They favour first strikes against the Federation's enemies in the Alpha Quadrant, including your own people. They want war, Admiral Radaik! Consider it - if the United Federation of Planets becomes a militarised, expansionistic society, won't the balance of power in the quadrant be ruined? Won't your people have two belligerent, powerful enemies on its border? Do your people really want another long, ruinous and bloody war with the Federation?"

{{We are winning, Captain Kane. Bolarus is negotiating secession and surrender as we speak. Cait is next. Then your core worlds.}}

"I understand that," said Kane, wondering how he could make her see sense. "The Imperial Navy's gains have been impressive, but for how long can they continue? It's only a matter of time before the Klingons start sniffing around, and while your forces are concentrating on the conquest of the Federation, no-one is guarding your back door!"

Admiral Radaik paused at that. She pursed her lips in a very Terran manner. {{I see what you mean, Captain Kane.}}

"Please, Admiral," said Kane. "I'm telling the truth, I swear it. I'll transmit all my logs on the Neo-Essentialists. I'll give you everything we have on them. You must make your government see that they are being manipulated!"

That idea seemed to make up her mind. Admiral Radaik nodded in agreement.{{Very well, Captain. Give me what you have and I will bring it to the attention of my superiors. But it will not be easy - what you are asking is that we give up the systems we have gained in battle, something that is not readily acceptable to the Romulan mind.}}

"If anyone can persuade your leaders, it is the victor of Prygus," said Kane, knowing that the mention of Admiral Radaik's victory over the Klingons eight years ago would appeal to her ego. He accessed his information on the Neo-Essentialists and transmitted it, piggy-backing on the hailing frequency. "Your people value conquerors. How much do they value peacemakers?"

Admiral Radaik nodded as she received the data. {{We are preparing to cast off from Limbo following Tella Yavin's expulsion of our citizens. You have my word of honour that I will personally deliver this information to the Senate and People of Romulus.}}

"We are also preparing to depart," said Kane. "Good luck to you, Admiral Radaik. I hope we meet again, and not as enemies."

The Romulan woman paused at the sentiment, then nodded curtly, killing the transmission. Kane sat back in his seat, wondering what the future held.

~*~

Location: LIMBO
Scene: Docking areas/hangar

To say it was a mess was putting it lightly. It was as much a mess as a category 5 hurricane could be called 'a little wind.'

Between the people scrambling to get out, the trampled and the dead the whole area was awash with panic and terror. It was only through the savvy of Jacen Barnes' intimate knowledge of the station that they were able to avoid the bulk of the crowds and tow their injured and unconscious to the hangar where the PHOENIX would be stowed.

Aerdan knew they were headed in the right direction when a familiar voice hit his ears.

"Holy shit, you guys made it!" Jake Crichton's arms waved out over the sea of refugees.

Thomas flared his wings, clearing a path for Kassandra Thytos to walk. "Who are all these people?"

"Refugees. We're taking as many as we can before we're forced to leave." Jake called back, his eyes scanning the team. Who was the big guy? And was that... Montoya? And how was Kass walking? "We need to get you guys to sickbay."

"I don't suppose you have transporters operational?" Aerdan called.

"That would be too easy, wouldn't it?" the engineer called back, surreptitiously calling in an order to engineering. Knowing the circumstances they could spare a minute.

Jake Crichton smiled a lopsided grin as the small group was engulfed in a brilliant blue beam, and neatly deposited into sickbay.

~*~

Location: USS PHOENIX
Scene: Main Sickbay

Cade Foster's mood was already soured by the presence of Selyara Chen. Add to it the fact that there were still members of the ship missing in this mess - members that he actually gave a crap about - and this day was shaping up to be one brilliant nightmare.

He was considering the possibilities of injecting small doses of neurotoxins into Selyara's bloodstream to kill her devastating telepathic abilities and bring her back to the level of mere mortals. He supposed that some members of the ship might be opposed to it, though he couldn't quite figure out why. Cade would much rather diffuse the ticking time bomb in his sickbay than let her sit there, fermenting in her hatred for every living thing on the ship. It was like asking Rawyvin Seth over for dinner and expecting him not to have your heart for dessert.

So when the whine of an emergency medical transport hit his ears he was frankly quite grateful for the distraction.

"What now?" He spun just in time to catch the toppling form of Kassandra Thytos as she stumbled away from Thomas Varn's protective support. "What the hell? What happened?" Shock, with an undercurrent of deep concern pierced his gruff sarcasm.

"She was stabbed, the wound is only partially knit." Aerdan filled in, falling all too quickly into the old roles they had worn so well while working together in the medical department of the Prophecy... and the Stonehenge... and the Patriot... and the Pendragon.

Behin him, Thomas Varn drew Jacen away from the injured, eyeing the man with a look that mingled admiration and concern. He wasn't sure about this newcomer, and yet he had proved himself valuable. And now here he was on the ship. The two drew away to talk while the doctors did their work.

"There you go half-assing things again." Cade snapped back, scooping up Kassandra Thytos in a uncannily gentle motion. "And you leave me to put things back together again."

"There's more..." Aerdan offered lightly, hauling his armful of Montoya to a biobed. "I had to give her a transfusion and the only compatible blood was Sedna's."

Setting Kass down in one of the surgery bays, Foster did a double-take. "Evangeline Sedna Montoya? How the hell did you find her?"

"She found me." Aerdan countered. "And Rawyvin Seth has her filled full of psychotropic drugs - so you probably want to counter them in Thytos' bloodstream."

"You just love to give me all the easy shit, don't you?" Cade snapped back.

"If I didn't make it challenging, you wouldn't be interested." The Andorian smirked, watching as his counterpart failed to have a comeback.

Sickbay lapsed into silence as both doctors got to work on their respective patients...

~*~
NRPG: We are back! I leave it open for Jacen and Thomas to talk about coming onboard and the like. More to come on Sedna's detox in a day or so!
~*~

Jamie LeBlanc
Lt. Commander Aerdan Jos
Executive Officer
USS PROPHECY

with scenes from:

Jerome McKee
the Soul of Michael Turlogh Kane
Commanding Officer
USS PHOENIX

"Why do we fly? Because we have dreamt of it for so long that we must"

~Julian Beck