Planetary Attack [Part Three]

Posted on Sat Feb 11th, 2023 @ 8:40pm by Captain David Hawkins & Commander Raiden Kosugi & Lieutenant Commander Mel Torma & Lieutenant Commander Timia Svidi & Cadet First Class Pallas & Cadet Third Class Aarfa Barakzay & Captain Callisi Verra & Lieutenant JG Willow Wales (Kosugi) & Ensign Kanan Mishra (Kosugi) & Ensign Quinton Grey (Kosugi) & Petty Officer 1st Class Tia Smithy(Kosugi) & Sergeant Trent Busby (Kosugi) & Corporal Zul'arra (Hawkins)
Edited on on Wed Jul 5th, 2023 @ 10:42pm

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Gladiator
Timeline: Current
1238 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

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Shuttle A
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Kainans tended toward singular focus when an important task was imminent, and Aarfa was true to her kind as she sprinted to her shuttle. It was only the experience that her sprint was fast enough to possibly collide with slower beings that set her awareness wide enough to catch some of that. "Hey, I'm the pilot. Get up, we need to board."

"No you aren't," John Hayter spoke up with Zul'arra in tow with Meeka, the canine working K-9. The two marines hoped onto the shuttle and shut the hatch. "What the hell is wrong with your face?" he asked looking at the new ensign before looking at Aarfa. "And you. No more biting or I'll put Meeka's mussal on you."

As the colonel made his way to the front of the shuttle, Coporal Zul'arra and Meeka sat down near the rear. "Ignore his rudeness. He is on edge," She spoke looking at the two officers. "But seriously... What ever reason you two are on this mission, I recommend staying behind us. We will clear the paths."

Aarfa flattened her lips against curling at the insult, but snapped out sharply, "I am your pilot. Sir." Before heading to the front, she nodded to the corporal and glanced at Meeka - from what she understood earth dogs generally had about the IQ of a pup that was still mostly fuzz (though Meeka probably had at least twice the social intelligence of the Colonel), and while they had good noses, the lack of true sentience meant they couldn't match an adult Kainan for tracking. "But don't limit me to the rear. I'm also here as a tracker. I have the scents of the attackers and of the crew I served with."

The Colonel looked the cadet over for a moment before taking a deep breath and took the co-pilot seat. He pulled his rifle over to sit on his lap as he brought his controls before him online. "Take us down, Cadet. But when on the ground, unless we call you up, its still my responsibility to keep your nose clean. So unless you want the nickname, Rudolph, follow our lead. We will get them back and deal with those spinless half pints."

Aarva, by comparison, flinched a little bit at the insult - as irritated as she was with it. "Nothing's wrong with it, Sir. It's my face." She retorted sharply. "Which I like the way it is." She liked the dog woman's sass - hell, she only wished she had the courage to say that without first praying that she wouldn't get kicked in the gut or flung across the room or... well, something. She could've sworn the long-furred woman was the spitting image of Pu'lio when it was whole and not a couple of plastic pieces in a baggie she'd brought with her - assuming, of course, it had fur.

"Glad someone likes it, now lock it up back there. I know you are a naval rank, but that is an order. An order from a superior officer," John called out over his shoulder before looking at the cadet. "There will be time for the complaining and what not when we get back. Cadet, all you. Go ahead and clear us for take off."

Yes, the dog is definitely smarter when it comes to social IQ. Aarfa did not say it. He might have the etiquette of a rabid rat-badger, but the Colonel was a superior officer. "Aye, sir." She tapped the comm. "Flight Control, preflight check complete. Ready for departure on your signal."

Aarva took a fraction of a moment to seethe in silence at the Colonel's attitude before turning around, locking the shuttle's exit ramp and sitting back down again. She was not one to contradict a superior officer, but god, did she want to toss something. Which, knowing her, wouldn't fly very far.

Edruj sat silently as she listened to the Captain's words and they were indeed stirring. She planned on taking the Captain up on that drink when they got back. The blood wine she thought would be exceptionally good. When the Captain finished speaking she spoke loudly. "Q'Pla" and with that made sure her engineering kit was secure and faced forward toward the unknown. "This is the kind of day that will bring glory to us all." She whispered so only those around her could hear.

Colonel Hayter looked up from the front of the shuttle and felt the shuttle start to lift up. Before the shuttles and fighters prepped to launch, the red klaxons across the hanger bay floor, walls and ceiling came to life. The hanger doors cracked and slid open to show the glowing lights of the warp bubble surrounding the Gladiator as the light of stars flew by them. Deep down, he knew what was to come, but this felt different to him.

Tia had sat near Edruj, and looked towards the Marines there, one of which was Trent and Zul'arra and a marine she hadn't met yet then towards Hayter. Her stomach felt like it had butterflies in it and it compounded more when the shuttle headed out from the Gladiator. They were on their way.

Trent had an expression of concentration going through a mental list of what they could possibly run into when they hit planetside. He looked over at Briar, "You ready for this?"

Briar nodded out of nervousness, "Ready as I'll ever be." She double-checked everything including the fasteners securing her and was currently sitting there with her right leg bouncing up and down. "Everything is good to go, yes?"

"Yes we are ready." Trent replied.

Tia glanced over to where the new crew member sat (Aarva), "Uh hi, what's your name, and what race are you?" Tia had never met a Kelpien before so didn't know the first thing about the race.

"Oh." Aarva glanced the older woman up and down before replying meekly, "Um. Hi. I'm Aarva, and I'm a Kelpien. I know, we're not all that common in Starfleet." She flushed with embarrassment and clutched her engineering kit to her chest. Clearly she wasn't all that good with social situations or conversations at all, poor thing.

"A Kelpien, okay and an Engineer?" Tia raising an eyebrow. "I guess that means you are decent with fixing that which is broken if you are here. Your first time on a ship?"

"My first assignment out of Starfleet Academy, yeah. It's been kind of a weird ride so far." Aarva replied meekly. "I've met a couple of new people. It hasn't been bad at all so far, so uh... I guess that counts for something?" She found it odd that, despite how much older this woman clearly was, she'd still have to call her, this short, misshapen bald thing, ma'am. Rank structure between enlisted and commissioned was weird, man.

Edruj sat and watched the stars go by as they moved into their position. Being Klingon she was not one for small talk, especially when a mission and possibly battle was to be had. She was an engineer, but she was also a Klingon and that meant the thirst for glory, and honor was never far off. Normally, she would be singing a Klingon war song. Her compatriots would join in as well, however, being in the situation she was in at the moment, she settled for humming the war song.

TBC