Star Trek: Starbase 777 - entertainment-promenade

It was a relatively normal day on Maggie's end. They'd just finished picking up a few final props and were making their way back to their showroom, readjusting everything under their arms and humming a jovial tune. Would fireworks be too much? They'd have to check on that with the person they usually commissioned for these holograms. They made a mental note to send a message later, ducking and weaving through the crowds of people.

The emegency light flashed on as the intruder alert was called. Maggie barely had time to register it before they felt an arm wrap around their neck and the functional end of a phaser pressed against their temple. A voice hissed in Maggie's ear. "This thing is set to kill, so don't make any sudden movements. Now move." (edited)

Maggie yelped at the arm around their neck, held tight and keeping them from squirming free. Shaking hands dropped their bags as they nodded just a little. "Okay, okay," the magician barely managed through the fear that clawed at their throat, following along with what they'd been directed to do. They did not feel like dying today, thank you.

The pair were getting intense stares from passers by as they began walking. Each person who got in the way was quick move aside, out of the path of the gun wielding hostage taker. Maggie could hear the criminal under their breath. Something about 'two and half years' and 'gone in a second'.

Maggie, usually quick to a snarky remark, kept their head down and kept quiet even while they were shaking like mad. It wasn't their first time playing hostage, actually, and it probably looked to everyone else like they were being arrested. "Are you going to kill me?" they asked quietly.

"Maybe, if starfleet plays nice and lets me get faaaar away from here. Otherwise we'll have a problem" On the word 'problem', the hostage taker pressed the phaser into Maggie's head a bit, as if to emphasise a point that had already been well established by now.

The magician flinched a little, biting down on their lip as their vision blurred with the threat of tears. Fuck, they hoped somebody -- anybody -- would show up soon.

It was only a matter of time before Alyssa and the team made it to the entertainment promenade. She held up a hand to halt the team as they were just about to make their way around a corner that would lead to the entire promenade - which Alyssa assumed would be where the hostage would be. Alyssa peeked out from behind the corner - yep, that was it. Although thankfully it was only one hostage - that they could see, anyway. Alyssa turned to the rest of the team and pulled out her PADD. She opened a speech to text function so that she could show Timi what she was whispering, as she was whispering it. "Here's the plan. We're going to surround the criminal and the hostage on all four sides. Lieutenant K'Tann, take the front, attempt to negotiate with the criminal, buy us some time for security to arrive. Lieutenant Junior Grade Morgan, on the back. Lieutenant Commander Kestrel, take the port side. I'll come in from the starboard side. We won't approach as a group, or else the criminal will be able to slip away. Use the hallways around and enter from your respective side so the criminal doesn't have an easy out. Am I clear?" (edited)

"Copy that," Timi's PADD said clearly, though less loudly than usual. Then, he typed a second sentence. "I have assistive devices to help me interpret spoken word. You are thoughtful, but please, spare the effort." It was in reference to Alyssa's speech to text function, which genuinely did go appreciated. Timi signed a quick 'thank you' before circling around to take his position.

Alyssa nodded and gave a genuine smile to Timi. Alyssa found his gentility quite refreshing, she had to admit. With a thumbs up to Timi, Alyssa addressed the group. "You will advance upon the criminal on my signal. Not before, not after, on my signal," Alyssa whispered. "Let's move. Good luck." Alyssa promptly dashed on her side to take her position.

The hostage taker wasn't making any effort to be discreet, and they were going in the direction of a nearby turbolift with Maggie almost held in front like a human shield.

Watching as the criminal was taking the hostage in the direction of the turbolift, Alyssa needed to think fast. Immediately she tapped her COMM badge. "Change of plan. Lieutenant Junior Grade Morgan, block the entrance to the turbolift so that the criminal can't escape through it. We're going to corral the criminal and the hostage back into the center of the promenade so they don't have an easy escape. Remain on your sides... almost there... and... now!" With that, Alyssa ran out towards the criminal and the hostage, pulling out her phaser and pointing it at the criminal.

Timi had a brainwave, and quickly pressed his commbadge in order to get a message back to his colleagues. "Kestrel to Engineering, please shut down lift if possible," the monotonous voice of the PADD rang, before he too drew his phaser and approached the hostage taker.

He didn't draw his phaser. If there was still a chance they could talk down the hostage taker, in his experience, it was best for whoever was talking to them to look as non-threatening as possible. He was pretty quick on the draw if he did end up needing to shoot someone, though.

The doors to the turbolifts that were shut down flashed red lights, and the hostage taker stopped in their tracks when Alyssa jumped out in front of them before talking to Maggie. "It looks like Starfleet are being bold, let's hope they're smart as well..." The hostage taker raised their voice so that the officers could hear them. "Well then? I know the rest of you are here now so you might as well all come out!" (edited)

Maggie kept their head down, squeezing their own arms as they tried to stop their shaking. Their heart was racing in their ears, drowning out all other noise. 'Please...'

Keeping her phaser drawn as she stood to the starboard side of the hostage taker, Alyssa quickly scanned the remainder of the entertainment promenade within her periphery. She prided herself on having eyes like a hawk. Even if one of them needed a half visor. She quickly visually checked in with her team who had stepped out and approached the hostage taker, before noticing Eshen didn't have his phaser drawn. That was a good move on his part - Alyssa gave him an approving nod.

Eshen, who hadn't revealed himself yet, gestured for wheover was near him to approach him. "What do you think about only one person coming with me to talk to him, or maybe just me, and the rest staying back?" He said. "He might think that was the last of us, and if anything goes wrong you can be a big surprise. I also don't want to outnumber him too much."

Timi too had not come forward, wanting to leave the de-escalation to people who could actually speak. He readily agreed to what Eshen suggested; he was a good shot, and could hang back for now. If it was necessary, he could always jump in later. Instead, he reached out to Maggie with his mind, knocking on theirs telepathically in the hopes they'd let him reassure them.

The Betazoid blinked a few times as it registered, though tentatively let the connection pass through. They needed something to focus on besides the phaser to their head and their own distress.

Timi was glad the hostage allowed him to communicate telepathically. It was so much quicker than having to type everything, after all. "I can feel your nerves," he started, hopefully soothingly, "but you're doing extremely well. There's a team here to come get you out, so hold precisely as still as you have been, and everything will turn out alright, I promise." He hoped that got the message across. It wasn't frequent he had to reassure people, and while he was a strong telepath and empath, that didn't mean he always knew the best way to go about dealing with the emotions of others.

Alyssa kept her phaser pointed directly at the hostage taker. Her eyes were poised on them now, and didn't let them out of her sight. "You don't know what you're doing. You may think you do, but you don't," Alyssa said. "So let's just handle this calmly and without any more hard feelings, okay?" She wasn't one for diplomacy, she had to admit, but her voice was the softest and gentlest it had been this whole mission. Right now, she was alone. She hoped she'd get backup soon enough.

The hostage taker grinned at Alyssa. "I know exactly what I'm doing. I've taken this person as leverage so I don't get arrested - and I'm perfectly calm about it." Game recognises game, and the hostage taker was at least somewhat satisfied with taking the diplomacy option.

Knowing there was a team here to help put Maggie a little more at ease, but they didn't relax in case that seemed suspicious. In fact, they only tensed a little more. "Okay," they finally managed to reply telepathically through their panic, "Okay, I'll try. I trust you. Please hurry, if you can." They tried to focus on the connection over the sound of the taker's voice, taunting the team with their life on the line.

Having arrived with the others Alyx had thus far kept their phaser in one hand, powered up but lowered. The last thing they wanted was to spook the hostage taker in any way, so they decided to just do as advised and block off a potential means of escape. They weren't exactly trained in hostage negotiation, after all. Their job description didn't include this in the slightest, and they knew they could be quite hot-headed at times (you can blame their old colleagues for that) so they decided to just keep their mouth shut and hope for the best. Hoping their purple uniform did enough to convey the seriousness of the situation the hostage taker had gotten themself into without the need for words, them not getting arrested was certainly not to be happening, that was for sure. Not on their watch. And oh boy were they looking forward to asking this individual a few ~~hundred~~ questions.

Alyssa felt it unnecessary to acknowledge the fact that the hostage taker 'knew' what they were doing. However, it seemed they were open to diplomacy. "Alright, you're calm," Alyssa said carefully. "So let's talk. If we can reach a mutual agreement on this, we can move forward with no hard feelings. Running and hiding isn't going to get you anywhere. So just tell us what you want. Something that doesn't involve taking a person as leverage. And while I'm at it..." With that, Alyssa sloooooowly lowered her phaser... before holstering it. "See? Just want to talk." (edited)

Assuming the others agreed to his course of action, Eshen stepped out slowly, hands up and empty. "Sorry for the wait - I'm coming out now. Well, I did that years ago, technically, but I mean I'm making myself known." Diplomacy notes for Alyssa later: the calmer voice was good, but condescension was unnecessary. "I ask the same question - what do you want? You should know - what you were doing in the chop shop wasn't violent crime, but this is, so if you show mercy to your hostage there, you might get a softer sentence. We could even vouch for your benevolence!" (edited)

"Ah yes, your almighty benevolence for not shooting a perfectly innocent bystander in the fucking head. How very gracious," Maggie grumbled telepathically, making sure not to say it out loud as not to make their situation worse. (edited)

"I want out of here. On a shuttle, transport, whatever. And it can't be tracked, by you or that Intel department you have here." Seriously, those guys gave them the creeps. "And a softer sentence? Do you take me for a fool after what I've done here?"

"We're working as fast as we can while being as safe as we can. I'm with Intelligence, I'm keeping my distance right now. One of my colleagues is here too, and you can already see the two red stripes trying to talk your captor down. Lieutenant Eshen K'Tann is a diplomat, if anyone can get you out of there, it'll be him." Just keep talking. As long as you're busy talking, you're not busy being scared. And that was the most important thing he was trying to achieve right now, even if the talking was more like thinking loudly. Timi himself kept his eyes on the scene. He couldn't exactly make out what Eshen was saying, his lip-reading had never been great and his assistive devices were simply not meant for use at larger range, but he got the distinct impression that there was some stalling going on. He wasn't aiming his phaser directly, but he had it at the ready, picking a spot out of immediate sight where he'd have a clear shot. It never hurt to be prepared for the worst.

"Hmmm. I suppose I could ask the Captain about that, really try to cash every bit of clout I might have," he lied. Even if they did manage to grant him that wish, there really wasn't anything stopping intel from just tracking him anyway, or organising an ambush before they got to the shuttle, or even rigging the shuttle so it would go straight to the nearest penal colony. All this guy was doing was telling them exactly where he'd be after this. "You'd need to give us the hostage first, though."

At first Alyssa was completely shocked by Eshen's response. How could he say that?! He was just going to concede the fight? Let the hostage taker get away with-- oh wait. Then Alyssa realized that Eshen likely was just doing his diplomacy thing and bluffing to gain the high ground. She tried her best not to show the initial shock on her face, and went along with what Eshen was proposing. He was the diplomatic attaché, after all. (edited)

Maggie clocked Lieutenant K'Tann, listening to how easily he spoke to the hostage taker, definitely believing he was a diplomat of some sort. They, of course, recognized him from that drag event a little while ago and not from official Starfleet business. "Intelligence. Fancy," they managed to reply, sounding weary even in their own head despite the pathetic attempt at a joke. "I really don't want to die, so safety is a priority, I guess."

Despite the obviously targeted comment towards Intel Alyx’s face remained entirely neutral. This hostage taker really thought they could get away on a shuttle? They had another thing coming. Case in point: Tractor beams. It was never going to happen, so it was only a matter of time before they’d be in cuffs and being questioned.

"Your safety is absolutely a priority to us. Also, hmmm," he paused for a second, thinking, "no, the fanciest thing about belonging to the Intelligence division is the purple stripe on my uniform. It's a great colour, though it doesn't blend in too well." He really was talking about inane things now, just to keep a conversation going. "On missions I tend to prefer the yellow of operations. I used to be a Security officer, so posing as one isn't too difficult. In the purple people tend to take me a lot more seriously, though, so it has its uses. Are you holding up okay?" he asked, keeping his feelings level as if in an effort to transfer his calmness to Maggie. (edited)

The hostage taker smirked. "If I give you the hostage, then what stops you from just arresting me when I let go? I can't trust that. And the shuttle - I'm not letting go until It's confirmed." This guy seemed dead set on their objectives, they were going to be a tough nut to crack.

He took a moment to think it over, then said, "Would you allow me to confer with my comrade for a second?"

After a lengthy bit of Jeffries tube transit marked with grumbling, Vara'l had slipped out of one of the Promenade's Jeffries tube accesses and after he quietly sealed it behind him, watched from cover. He raised his phaser slightly and proceeded to watch the situation as it continued to develop. He'd done so from what he hoped was concealment.

Deliberating for a second, the hostage taker made a motion with their head that gave approval to Eshen's request. "Be quick, and no sudden movements."

Maggie was starting to get antsy. Really antsy. They blinked a few times to stop their tears, their legs begging to run for it, to do anything, under them. "I'm scared," they managed telepathically, "I don't think he's going to let up, I.. I really don't want to die."

Vara'l continued to press into the side of the Jeffries tube access he'd entered through and silently praised his lucky stars the hostage takers attention seemed to be at least partily elsewhere. Once it seemed like it happened to fully focused elsewhere, Vara'l had carefully then slipped away from the Jeffries tube access and pressed further into the cover provided by a nearby entranceway. If was discovered, he had reckoned rather didn't want to highlight a problematic potential egress route.

Alyssa nodded - she followed the hostage taker's request and moved slow to confer with Eshen. "Well, lieutenant," Alyssa whispered. "I defer to you on this one. I've got the combat skills, but that means nothing compared to your diplomacy and negotiation skills. How should we proceed? I have some ideas but you know better than I do." Alyssa didn't necessarily like to admit she didn't know everything and wasn't the best person to handle a situation. But now? Now was one where she had to get used to it. Maggie was worth it. They were more than worth it. (edited)

"You're doing really well. We're not going to let you die- What's your name? Tell me a little about yourself." Timi asked, watching as Eshen moved over to Alyssa. He raised his phaser, aiming for the hostage taker, but doing nothing else to draw any attention. He was starting to lose patience, but this situation was delicate, and he had to let the professionals do their work. He was here in case things went south. And it wasn't like he wasn't trained to hang back and watch, and wait for the right moment to strike.

This was taking too long. Except it wasn't, either. They were just impatient and wanted it over with, but they also knew everyone else did, too. Moving over towards Eshen and Alyssa to listen in on the conversation the hybrid spoke in a whisper. "We could try to set a sniper up somewhere. Worst case scenario both get stunned if we take a shot. I'm not happy with giving them a shuttle when they've already stepped over a line they shouldn't have crossed, but if we did we could disable it within about five seconds anyway, so if it gets us our hostage I think that's our best bet."

Vara'l peaked out from his hiding spot as he continued to watch the situation and watched for potential opportunities for a shot if it started to become apparent the diplomatic solution had failed. Something that currently looked like it wouldn't be doing, though he wanted to be prepared for if it did, his phaser raised as he pressed his other arm along with himself, into the wall. Pressed in and then rather regretted that. This had really started to become a problematic bruise he reckoned he was on the way to getting. Not that it overly concerned him much. He'd been hit by a box, a small metal box and it had bounced off, he could function and he'd been functioning, it hurt a bit more now, but not so much he couldn't have continued to operate. He'd already resolved to drop into medical when things died down, it was fine it just happened to hurt more now, that was okay he reckoned. He'd been in two firefights and had raced around then climbed and walked about in the Jeffries tubes. Right now, he reckoned their were far more important matters than something that could be solved easily later and focused on the situation at hand. If only he'd accounted for them having the equipment to force open the Jeffries tube hatches, his mind grumbled as he mentally kicked himself about that and continued to listen in as he'd watched the situation, phaser raised.

Alyssa was a bit concerned hearing Alyx's plan, as it involved possibly harming Maggie. She didn't want any harm to come to Maggie, especially if it was from Starfleet. "If anyone is to be the sniper, it will be me," Alyssa said. "I can aim and snipe the hostage taker from afar. I'll need to get to a higher level of the promenade to do so. Lieutenant K'Tann, if you can keep the hostage distracted I can set up from a higher level. I'd just need a signal to fire a stun at the hostage taker. If all else fails, we bluff that we're conceding the battle. If that happens, Lieutenant Junior Grade Morgan, alert Engineering that they'll have a limited window of time to disable the shuttle within five seconds. First things first, we'll need an excuse for me to leave the situation so I can reposition from higher up. Does this sound like a good plan to you both?" (edited)

Maggie's ears perked up just a little as they heard the whispering of the negotiators, blocking out everything else and basically destroying any calm that Timi had helped them build up. "Hey, they're not actually considering leaving, are they? They can't just lie and walk away, he's going to kill me!" They were trying to keep their panic off their expression, but it was getting harder by the second. "I don't want to get shot, I don't want to die, I don't --" (edited)

"You're not going to die, sir, I can promise you that." Within a second, Timi's priorities shifted, instead knocking twice on Alyx' mental door before coming in, only barely awaiting the slightest hint of confirmation. "Lieutenant, whatever you're planning, you'd better knock it off. The hostage can hear you and is about to collapse with panic. I can taste their fear." Then, he pulled back, awaiting a response if any was to come, but focussing on Maggie and the criminal. If could just see how their trigger discipline was.... If their finger was off the trigger, he might have enough time to get off one shot, which would be enough. Just one shot.

Assuming they were now in some place the hostage taker couldn't see or here them, Eshen spoke quickly and quietly, not trying to try the hostage taker's patience. "The priority is the safety of the hostage above apprehending the hostage taker. I would much rather go along with what they're saying, considering their plan won't work. I could offer to switch places with the hostage if need be, and then - timi can talk to people telepathically, right? He can give me a signal for when to dive aside when Alyssa takes the shot. Otherwise, I say we honestly just say we let him get on the shuttle. It isn't exactly going to work out for him either way, though I'd still prefer to be his hostage in that scenario too, because I'm trained to be calm in that sort of situation." Civilians really shouldn't be caught up in all this mess. Besides, the moment the hostage taker turned their back - Vulcan nerve pinch!

The knocking at their mental door was far from appreciated, having never experienced such a thing before, but knowing who it was the rather begrudgingly didn't fight against it, nor did they look at Timi so as to give away the telepathy to the hostage taker. "With all due respect sir I'm not planning anything, I'm suggesting we shoot this prick before he shoots first. What would you rather happen, both get stunned or one get killed? I know what I'd prioritise. But in my defence I did say the shuttle idea was the best bet." Having responded, the stress and frustration they were experiencing being quite apparent to the Betazoid, they metaphorically slammed the door to their brain closed as they listened to what Eshen said, giving a subtle nod in response. "The shuttle won't get far so I say we give them what they want." They whispered in agreement.

Considering the options in her head, Alyssa concluded Eshen and Alyx were both right. Perhaps it was best for Maggie to be removed from harm's way first, and the shuttle was the best bet. Right now, Alyssa's mind wasn't as sharp as she thought it would be. She didn't trust herself anymore. "Very well, lieutenants," Alyssa said. "Proceed accordingly."

Well, that was absolutely useless. Timi understood not everyone enjoyed communicating telepathically, but the Lieutenant could have at least responded to their information better. It's not like he could actually hear what was being said, now could he? He didn't know what the plan was in the slightest, he just knew the hostage didn't like it. He had two options; either try again with someone smarter, or wait for the opportune moment to shoot. He decided on the latter, steadying his breathing and once more trying to convey that calm to Maggie.

As Vara'l had noticed that there was some form of conference that had happened, Lt Commander Hayes and others having.. paused to talk, the Romulan mulled things over before he snatched at an opportunity as it presented itself and poked out a hand from his cover. He'd selected a moment when he was once again sure the hostage taker happened to be looking the other way to do this when he acted and poked his hand out briefly as a 'hello there's another officer here now' as he'd attempted to alert the officers without alerting the hostage taker that someone else had entered the area. His hand selected for this, his none phaser hand, twitched slightly as he moved it and on the way back into concealment as he'd moved it back. His body had started to protest yet further what he'd put damaged muscle and dinged bone through and that showed then. Not something he much liked but he'd resolved to simply tolerate it for now and to kick himself about it mentally along with the Jeffries tube thing, later.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alyssa spotted Vara'l. Right away, she knew that she was no longer the sniper. "ACTO is here," Alyssa whispered under her breath to Eshen and Alyx. "Looks like we have backup. Whenever you two are ready, proceed how you both see fit." Alyssa couldn't see any other option. Perhaps it was best to just let Eshen and Alyx do their thing as Vara'l now provided another backup fire. In this moment, she really... wasn't needed. So, she encouraged Eshen and Alyx to put their brains to use and handle this to gain further practical experience.

"To be clear - do you want me to offer to switch? I think that would be better. The hostage has been through enough." He was absolutely confident in his ability to come out of this unscathed. Confidence or arrogance? Who knew.

Brain whirring away for a moment, just trying to think of what the best idea was as they glanced between the hostage taker and the others, Alyx spoke again. "I can switch out if you want." They offered simply, still whispering. "I'd much rather have someone able to negotiate their way out of anything else not have a phaser to their head. I'm only here for firepower, anyway. You actually have a useful skill right now."

"I understand what you mean, but I think I've established a better rapport with the hostage taker than you have, which will increase my chances of getting out of this alive. If you need to negotiate in the future, I'm sure if you keep a calm head and try to see the other person as a... Well, person, and not an enemy, you'll do fine." He tried not to do that with people he was negotiating with - people could generally tell when you were dehumanising them. Usually you'd start with asking the person what their name was, but this time he actually forgot to do that - oops. Well, he could ask after this.

Alyssa gave Eshen a quick nod. "Eshen has a point, Alyx," Alyssa said to Alyx actually using their first names now! "Use this as a learning experience if ever, god forbid, you were in the same situation." Alyssa promptly turned to Eshen. "Eshen, it's all yours."

"Alright." He approached the hostage taker, hands up again, and then said to them in a calm but firm tone, one which wasn't threatening but communicated that these were the final terms of the deal: "We agree to your terms, on one condition: you take me as a hostage instead. They shouldn't be involved in this."

The hostage taker looked to be deep in thought for a rather long time, and at the end of it Maggie could feel the arm around their neck loosen slightly. "...Alright, but I don't let go of this one until you're closer."

"Okay, I'm going to come closer, then." He started walking slowly toward the hostage taker, along the way saying, "Once I'm within arm's reach, I advise you let go of them immediately and let them run away." Presumably the hostage would grab him after that, but then their hands would be off Maggie, which was a win.

Vara'l had sighted in, as the situation continued, on the hostage taker as he'd better adjusted in his position. If a phaser shot was needed he definitely wanted to be as ready as possible and in as best a position as possible to fire at them. He intended to use the fact they'd not spotted him so far to his advantage in that respect, though when he had moved he'd atempted to stay as concealed as possible. All he did probably wasn't helped by the discomfort he was in. While he might not have regretted what he'd been doing, his body continued to experience painful twinges as he moved and that had made him slightly..less stealthy as he'd adjusted his posture.

As Eshen came closer and closer, the grip on Maggie loosened until they could get away. In the same second, the hostage taker quickly aimed the phaser at Eshen. "Like I said, no sudden movements. Don't be a hero."

Maggie stumbled in their effort to get away from their captor. They couldn't get far, a little too dizzy with terror, but it didn't really matter--

Timi watched the situation like a hawk. There finally seemed to be some movement in the whole thing, and he couldn't wait until he finally got to do something. Waiting.... Waiting.... there. The hostage was being exchanged somehow, and the gun was no longer pointed at their head. In a split second, he shot, watching the captor drop to the floor before stepping out from his cover, quickly jogging to join up with the group.

Vara'l also opened fire as soon as the moment arrived. Seemed things had gotten heated now and the shot needed to be taken, if only so the other officers were provided with the time needed to get the magician out and ensure they were removed from the area of danger.

He blinked, looking down at the captor, stunned on the floor. Well, not what he'd intended, but hey, it worked! He approached Maggie, offering a hand to help them up. "You okay, darling?"

The hostage taker was stunned (pun intended) at the fact they had just been stunned. They stayed there, for just a few seconds, before crumpling onto the floor incredibly ungracefully. Vara'l's shot flew at where the hostage taker used to me, creating a scorch mark on a nearby bulkhead.

As the shot was taken Alyx legitimately jumped as if they themself had been shot at, as they raised their phaser towards the hostage taker, only to realise it wasn’t the hostage taker that had shot. Looking over at Timi with a frankly baffled expression on their face, said expression soon turned to a combination of two things: Realisation that no one had told him the plan so he had no idea what they were doing, and frankly looking really quite impressed that he had just taken the shot when he got the opportunity. It made sense, and had they had been in a better position they would’ve done the same. “Thank fuck…” They muttered, holstering their phaser before signing to Timi. “Nice shot.”

Timi, too, gave Maggie his undivided attention. "Told you we'd get you out of there alive," he told them gently, smiling slightly as he signed a quick "thank you" to Alyx.

Phaser still loosely aimed at the stunned man given the fact their phaser hadn't been secured, Vara'l headed over and then proceeded to reach down with a visible wince as he retrieved the hostage takers phaser. Once he'd retrieved it, Vara'l holstered his own phaser. He then looked to Lieutenant Commander Kestrel. "..Aye, nice shot commander." He commented then calmly.

Maggie was a little bit steadier with Eshen's help, offering a pathetic excuse for their usual dazzling smile. "Thank you," they managed, attempting to walk a little on their own to at least start to get back to their bags, though... didn't last long, anxiety-induced wobbly legs cursing them to nearly collapse as soon as Timi moved up close. "I think I need a nap. Or six," they mumbled.

Timi only barely caught the mumbling, just loud enough for his lenses to subtitle. "We'll get you those naps," he told them, catching them by the arms as they fell. "Can you walk if I'm holding you up, or do you need me to carry you? We'll just go to the sick bay first to make sure you're alright, if that's okay." The telepathic communication was really working out for him, especially if he'd need to carry them. Hard to sign or type if your hands are full. (edited)

Alyssa had also reared up to take the shot, but was too slow on the draw. Vara'l and Timi had gotten there first. Alyssa also attempted to speak to Maggie and ensure their well-being, although Eshen was quick enough to do that first as well. As such, Alyssa simply stood back, not saying a word and holstering her phaser. It seemed her work here was done, although she needed to stay if Vara'l had another assignment for her. She had a feeling though that that answer would be no.

"I think if I'm on my feet for another second I might pass out. My head is spinning like nobody's business," Maggie answered, straightening up best they could despite it, looking over at Eshen and offering as big a smile as they could manage right now. "Thank you... All of you. For saving my life, and for not shooting me in the process," they laughed, lowering their head a little.

With his phaser holstered and a hand freed, Vara'l then probed the area that he believed the discomfort originated from on his body. As he did so, he twitched periodically then frowned when he identified something that he reckoned shouldn't be like that. That was something he reckoned he needed to deal with in a moment, given how quickly such things were fixed up, there was something else that he reckoned took priority. That happened to be conversation with Lieutenant Commander Hayes, or so he'd decided. That decision followed through on, Vara'l headed over to Hayes and once he was close enough he then stopped and nodded to them in greeting. "Hello Lieutenant Commander Hayes." He softly proceeded to say before he turned and looked to Maggie. He.. found as he considered what to say, that he happened to be.. unsure how to respond to that past a small nod and a smile he offered. So he quietly hoped as he turned slightly back to the Lieutenant Commander that that would be taken as a focus on his duties. "It would appear this situation is well in hand, anything to report?" The Romulan softly then asked. (edited)

Timi quickly swept Maggie up in a princess carry, so that their feet would be off the ground and they could rest. He could hold them for a while, in case he was still needed, and mostly just wanted to make sure that Maggie was comfortable and safe. Collapsing and passing out didn't exactly scream "safe" to him.

TW: negative self-talk Alyssa politely faced Vara'l and gave him a nod as well. Welp, this was it, she supposed. "Sir," she replied. "Aye, sir, the situation is under control. Lieutenant Commander Kestrel, Lieutenant K'Tann, Lieutenant Junior Grade Morgan and yourself are the heroes in this situation. They all played their parts beautifully and de-escalated the situation far beyond what I could do." Just then - something hit Alyssa which she never thought would hit her - impostor syndrome.* "I give full credit to you and the other members of my team for averting the crisis, sir," *Alyssa said, defeated. "I shall provide a full written report in detail if you'd like. In the meantime, sir, do you have any other orders for me? It appears I'm really... not... needed here right now." With that, while Alyssa's face, voice and demeanor remained professional and unphased, a tear ran down her cheek. Alyssa hadn't felt like this in years - she'd only endured the feeling of not being needed in her childhood and crucial developmental years. This wasn't anywhere near what she felt like she was supposed to be. Eshen, Alyx, Timi and Vara'l did all the work, and all she did was stumble behind. What was up with her today?! Why wasn't she on her ballgame like she always was?! Since the accident that took away her eye, she never had a bad day! Why here?! Why now?! And why when she was managing a team?!

Maggie giggled a little as they were swooped up off their feet -- it was weaker than it usually would be by a long shot. They were still shaking quite a bit. Of course they were -- being in a situation and almost dying was scary, no matter how many times you went through it, no matter how many back alleys you've been stabbed in before. At the same time, mostly everyone around them being at ease was starting to soothe them, though the sudden rush of guilt confused them. Didn't this go like it was supposed to? They'd come out safe and sound, and all of the officers had as well, so wasn't this the best case scenario?.. They focused on following a steady breathing pattern, squeezing their eyes shut and avoiding the nasty thoughts that curled in the back of their head-- were they even supposed to be okay?

Vara'l started at the other commander as she proceeded to say that before he softly proceeded to say. "Given the nature of the situation and the point in it I arrived at, from my position it rather looked like the hero's were yourself and the others." He paused before he then continued to observe. "All I did was provide your teams plan with another shooter." As he watched their reactions and his mind proceeded to identify some signs that indicated something was up. What, he happened to not be sure about. Pain marred and sometimes slowed a mind. His mind had slowed a bit. "I'll happily accept the report, though from what I saw I've no concerns, if...that helps." He then paused before he then said. "I can..see you're not okay right now, if you don't mind may suggesting this, talk this situation over with a councillor, they will able to help you unpack what you're feeling around it." Vara'l then moved to rub his head with one hand then winced and mentally kicked himself. Maybe not do that, he mused in the aftermath. As he then rapidly moved to cover how he presently felt, Vara'l then proceeded to add. "I've no further orders for you at present, Lieutenant commander.. though I'll be available if you'd like to talk this matter over further later, while I am not a counsellor If it'll help to talk over the tactical decisions made or anything, I can do so with you." He had offered as he'd moved the hand of his bad arm behind himself so the fact it twitched with pain and discomfort was concealed from the officer who happened to seem like they were in distress. (edited)

With another nod, and another tear rolling down her cheek, Alyssa's face actually developed somewhat of a smile. She'd NEVER shown this level of vulnerability to Vara'l, literally to anyone on the station since boarding. Not once. Well - if you count meeting a certain feline. But this? This was different. Alyssa was always known - or at least, that's what she liked to think, she was always known - as the tigress. The warrior, the unbreakable, invincible wall of unstoppable force that no one dared cross. Now? She couldn't even pick up her phaser from her holster without thinking... 'How did I even get here?' "Aye, sir, thank you, sir," Alyssa said. "I'll schedule an appointment immediately. One moment, please, sir." With that, Alyssa stepped to the side and sent an email to #counselling-office-one requesting an appointment for whoever was available before stepping back to Vara'l. "If you'll excuse me, sir. Thank you for letting me tag along." With that, Alyssa turned about face before heading to #turbolift-one.

Did... did Commander Hayes just leave? He hadn't been paying attention, just focussed on making sure Maggie was alright. Okay, uh. Well, he guessed the altercation was over, anyway. No need to hang around to simply watch things happen, he supposed. "I'm pretty sure you still haven't told me your name, what do I call you?" he asked Maggie instead, hoping to keep them aware. Adrenaline crashes were real and scary, and he wanted to make sure they knew they were in good hands now.

Vara'l proceeded to say. "..Your welcome...and alright." As he responded to their initial words. When they proceeded to speak again, he started to say. "You're a brilliant officer who led a team, you didn't just ta-" Before he stopped as he realized she'd just departed. He..watched her leave then before he turned away..softly sighed in worry for the officer and then tried to move his arm more. Tried and then decided against doing so. That happened to be unpleasant. Something he noted down mentally as he decided that after this was sorted his next stop was sickbay. He had then turned to the other officers and conducted a visual check for injuries on the officers and the civilian as he attempted to get a idea of the current situation for a report to the captain.

Watching as everyone else either rescued the hostage, left (?), or just generally secured the scene, Alyx made their way over to the suspect to cuff them. Standing and tapping their commbadge they spoke. “Brig from Lieutenant Morgan, one for transport in stasis cuffs.” They stated simply.

"Oh-- technically, my 'name' is Magician, but Maggie'll do just fine." Maggie did their best to keep focused, leaning a little against Timi from where they were in his arms. They were tired, but their eyes bounced around before fixing on the person who'd had then-- who was finally being transported away, thankfully. Their heart was still racing like they had a phaser to their head. They sighed. "You? If you don't mind my asking."

He once heard a wise man say 'if it sucks, hit da bricks'. Watching Alyssa leave, he reasoned that she, too, lived by that philosophy. "I wonder why they got involved in all this. They're Starfleet, so it certainly wasn't for the money."

"I'm Timi Sinon Kestrel, though just Timi is perfectly fine. At your service, Maggie." He reiterated their name to make sure they knew he got it. He squeezed his arms just barely, hoping the extra pressure would be comforting for Maggie. It usually worked when hugging someone, and this was pretty similar, right?

"We aren't presently sure they're even Starfleet." Vara'l observed a bit as he turned to Lieutenant Eshen and continued to keep one hand behind him. His jaw had tensed a bit by this point, just got to get this sorted then medical, he mentally reassured himself before he instinctively moved to tap his combadge with one hand.. then paused and instead tapped it with the other. "ACTO to Captain, hostage situation resolved, civilian hostage being taken to medical, no further perpetrators at large in the entertainment promenade."

He shrugged. "They're wearing a Starfleet uniform. I suppose they could just be pretending, but they were only of only a few who were." He walked a little closer to Timi and Maggie to see how they were doing. "Nice shot, friend!"

"Got it. It's nice to meet you. Thank you," they answered Timi, exhaling a sigh as they were held a little tighter. Grounding, definitely helped them a little. Maggie was definitely ready to be carried off and away from here. They rested their head on his shoulder, quiet to let Eshen and Timi have their conversation.

"Something I imagine will be identified qhen they're questioned and the like." The Romulan mused softly before he then looked around to the others, moved over to Lieutenant Morgan and proceeded to speak as he informed them. "As the hostage taker has been transported to the bridge and the hostage is on the way, I'll be heading to medical now, if there's anything else I'm needed for, I can be reached via the comm." He then smiled at the group and started to head off in the direction of medical.

Timi just nodded at Eshen, as a way to thank him for the compliment. He had no way to use his PADD right now, the hand holding it far too important for holding Maggie up, so he hoped the nod would get the message across. He tried to fingerspell "T-H-A-" but got frustrated and left it.