Star Trek: Starbase 777

The trees were tall, their canopies almost umbrella-shaped, which painted the forest floor in a permanent, mysterious shade. It was quiet, save for the distant birdsongs and movement of the vegetation. Currently they were on a small path, which made their trek that much easier. Anga was at the front, her step sure and swift, but not too quick. Their guide clearly knew what she was doing.

8

Even though their mission was very serious, and Tavek was still thinking about how it would feel to stun a Tal Shiar, if it would still hit that hatred in him as sticking a dagger in them did in the old days, he still took a moment to look up as he walked down the path towards the front. The trees bathed the path in shadow, though that wasn’t much of a problem for his eyes, being an android and all. The sense of mystique it gave the place was definitely aesthetically pleasing, though he looked around from left to right every so often out of the nervous thought that someone could be lying in wait. It was times like this where he missed his first resistance cell, where he had been on the ground fighting the fascists instead of doing the logistics side of things.

Ev'kor was having a slightly more normal train of thought as he followed the group a little further back, bringing up the rear. As a medic, staying out of the immediate line of fire was preferred, and that meant not leading the charge. He was used to this. He hoped to catch up to someone he knew, though, like Vovvi or Allan or Kya, so they could maybe chat a little. He always felt better going into situations with someone he trusted at his back, and while he was reasonably sure he could rely on all the officers around him, there was a little voice left over from his Resistance days that told him that a face he didn't know wasn't a face he could trust.

1

A team of researchers? So it was them who were the handsome scientists this time! He followed the group, making sure the belt around his waist was properly fastened. Would suck if it was loose and got caught in something, after all. Being an engineer, he probably also stayed back just a little, not exactly the fighting type unless it really called for it. "Pretty birds," he said simply to Ev'kor when he noticed him beside him, listening to said birdsong. "Wish I brought my... wait, we're researching, right?" Tempting...

Vovvi was half-zoned in, alert and aware of every rustle in the branches, every step and sound they made as they moved through the forest. She watched their guide make her way swiftly through the trees, her movements fluid and quick as water. She wondered if she did a lot of hiking or exploring as a hobby, but that didn't seem something polite to ask on a mission.

1

She walked next to Ev’kor with a nod. “You good?” She asked simply,

Raatar had decided to stick toward the middle. Able to run to the front for some battle and gave his opponents plenty of time to see him so he could fight with honor. Able to run to the back in case he needed to defend the very tall Romulan who was their medic. Raatar always wished he could yoink some height from the nearest individual, although him being so short did allow for his d'k tahg to be used easily at most Romulan's kidney heights. Raatar was faking some researching, by just jotting down notes of the birds around them. He looked to Allan and shrugged. "Yeah, guess so. Wanna doodle some birds with me? Doodling looks a lot like researching." Raatar said with a light smirk. He had passed the time in many a science class period by doodling throughout it. (edited)

"If you want to method act, feel free to do so," Anga offered over her shoulder, hearing Allan's musings. "Can't hurt to get some actual data in case someone asks..."

1

"We are," Ev'kor told Allan, grabbing his own tricorder as well. It was a medical tricorder, but it'd give readings about their surroundings anyway. As a medical officer he was probably nearly the closest thing to a scientist here anyway, even if his field of study mostly revolved around childhood afflictions... mostly. "I'm alright, thank you," he told Kya, glancing over at her before his eyes darted back over to Vovvi, and then back to Allan. "Do we need a cover story of sorts, or are we trusting our collective improvisation skills?" he asked, smiling as he asked it. He'd become somewhat of an expert on lies over the years, at least on those of omission. He was sure his pokerface would hold, if nothing else.

Dakom trailed along with the group, only half listening to the conversation. He really didn't want to talk right now. He didn't want anyone to talk right now. The set of his jaw grew tighter with each word passed between them. Still, his interest in their surroundings was hardly feigned. He was no researcher, and certainly no botanist, but the shifting foliage did some to ease the tension coiling in his stomach, winding up his throat to strangle him from within. Even if he did wish to speak now, he was not sure any sound would escape him. If he were not a doctor, if one was not already artificial, his hands might have shaken. In duty, in necessity, Dakom was most capable. It was when he was given time to ruminate that the steel of his nerves softened. He needed not to think. It wouldn't do him any good.

He was a good fighter, even though he was a diplomat. Like many Klingons, he was versed in the arts of love AND war. Still, he hung back with Allan. Had to protect him if trouble came, right? Not to mention there were actually tactical officers here. "Honestly, in my experience, asking large groups to remember small details is... An unreliable strategy," he said, in reply to Ev'kor. (edited)

Zhi'rev took that quite literally, deciding that a good cover story was better than nothing -- even if he did not know much about science. As a result, he got some readings about the soil in the forest, documenting them all quickly and quietly in case anyone asked.

Mudd also being an engineer stuck himself in the crowd in the back of the line, he had experience in combat but not much aside from fighting in the dominion war. He decided to not take part in the conversation happening he was a bit off edge already though he'd speak if spoken to if only a couple of words.

It was just a nice little hike, if you ignored the reality of the situation. Kiadras’s boots crunched the dirt beneath them as they continued down the path, the ends of his trench coat flowing softly in the wind as he lingered in the center of the line. He was a good fighter, good strategist, and…an iffy actor. But, hopefully, he wouldn’t be probed for anything more than ‘What’s a Trill doing here?’ Science Ministry lecturer on sabbatical. That was always his excuse.

She nodded towards Ev’kor, giving a small smile as she walked. “I’ll stay silent unless needed. I’m good at fighting, acting less so.”

"Oh, fuck yeah," he said to Ev'kor and Anga both, and one could've sworn there was a sparkle in his eyes as he took out whatever kind of camera device he had with him, looking around for the first bird he could see. "I'm ah, a lot more of a photographer, but you should totally doodle and show me what you get!" He said to Raatar as he moved a little around people to get closed to where he saw the cool bird. "This isn't even like, improvisation for me, I've got a whole library of shit like this to back me up if we need," he paused for a moment to take the photo, standing underneath a tree and then looking to the side to make sure he wasn't going to run into anyone, talking to whoever was closest to the tree. "Sorry, ah - you see that up there? That's what I'm trying to - I'm just gonna.." yeah, just happened to be Vovvi that was next to the tree. Because. And then he squatted to get a Perfect Angle™️ of said bird. Click!

Right, they were meant to be working together, weren't they. Vovvi scooted over to let Allan get his photo, looking up at the bird. "Perhaps we should shift our discussion to our findings," she said, not so subtly hinting that they probably shouldn't be Openly talking about pretending to be researchers. You never know who was listening. "What kind of bird?.." she asked, peering down over his shoulder.

"Oh, photography! My hands have never been steady enough for me to take it seriously as a hobby, and in research I do tend more towards the use of a tricorder," Ev'kor said happily, following Allan's gaze as he took a photo of the bird.

Raatar gave a nod to Allan and began to look for a different bird to start drawing. He looked up and down a few times as he just went to doodling. He started with the shapes and went from there. Getting the branch, their little feet, and then working his way up. He kept pace with everyone else even though every once and a while he began to slow to focus more on his hands to make sure nothing drifted out of place.

While breathing in the fresh air of the forest he walked along with the group. If he stopped thinking about it he could imagine that he was out for a group hike around the environmental ring - and that was what he tried to emulate, making himself walk more casually instead of taking quick strides. With both hands he fidgeted with the sleeves of his fleece. Given that they were potentially dealing with the Tal Shiar he would have felt far more secure with a phaser rifle in his hands. For now all he could do was keep walking and try to look inconspicuous - while still constantly scanning the away team's surroundings, always on alert. Maybe he'd pretend he was watching for birds, like the others who handled 'act normal' far better than he did.

"Um... I think it's like," he adjusted the camera to take a few more photos, zooming in more on it, "a hummingbird? If I'm uh, remembering right, Saren said it can actually fly backwards, which is pretty damn cool. They normally move super fast, so getting one sitting down is... like, very rare." A few more clicks before he stood back up. "They actually have a bunch of settings in cameras that'll help with that!" He piped up with a smile when Ev'kor mentioned his hands being unsteady, "it's actually pretty neat stuff, basically it'll take all the frames from when it was shaking and sort of like, center it with image stabilization, or you can do some neat stuff with adjusting the shutter speed and the lens' focal length to make sure it's sort of evened out to combat the shaking - that's probably a bit more than you wanted to know, but, yeah."

Their eyes were darting between their surroundings and a tricorder they were holding. As the group was walking they took scans of things and saved them as evidence of their work. For the most part they did not understand halve of the data they got, but the hope was that neither would anyone questioning them. In between taking scans of plants and critters they also tried to catch signals, although so far this had not been fruitful.

"No, no, that's good to know! I usually embroider or cook if I'm feeling creative, but finding other outlets is never a bad thing, and I do like to try new hobbies," Ev'kor explained. Also, he just liked hearing people talk with passion, and he'd always encourage infodumps of any sort. Not that he'd say that out loud, of course, that was a little too mushy for a reconnaisance mission against the Tal Shiar.

1

He fondly observed Allan take a photo of that bird. He'd thought about getting a pet bird once, and maybe he would someday, though not a wild one like this. He felt some affinity to them. They liked to sing and they were colorful and pretty... Which was like Allan, too. Perhaps that was why Saren liked them both. A birdwatcher, of sorts. "I struggle with technical things like that, but I've also been known to cook and embroider. You think it'll be useful in the mission today?" He said in a jovial tone. He doubted it would. Unless, for some reason, someone had a wound that required stitches and they had to embroider the wound shut.

1

Vovvi took to absently doodling the little hummingbird, stepping a little more off to the side so as not to get in anyone's way. "I'm.. not very good at drawing," she admitted quietly to Kiadras in a heavily accented Standard, twirling her weapon of choice (pen) between her fingers, "So it is good that someone got a photo, no?"

"Oh, I'd love to learn how to embroider, I'd teach plenty about the picture stuff in return if you wanted," he shrugged, continuing to walk with the group as he looked around for more birds to take pictures of, "or we could all cook together. You already know how much I love doing that," Ev'kor, Eshen, and... well, just about anyone who checked the chatroom, really.

Perking up from where she’d been, admittedly, zoning out against a tree, the Trill glanced in Vovvi’s direction and flashed a brilliant smile, “Photos and research do tend to go together like a hand in a glove, though I’d bet a drawing would add to the…” She waggled her fingers, “…allure of it all,” She shrugged, “Besides, I’m sure you’ve talents elsewhere.”

"I doubt embroidery will be particularly useful, but cooking is always a useful skill to have, I think. Who knows how long we'll be out here? Being able to rely on practical skills like that will never be a waste," Ev'kor told Eshen, nodding along with Allan's words. "I'd be happy to lend some recipes, although I'm cagey about my space in a kitchen. I don't think I'd be very fun to cook with," he warned.

"Oh, yes. I could make a model on my PADD, but I need a few hours and a flat surface for that," she said, shrugging. Besides, just a little doodle would do for now! "We'll likely find a, um.." Vovvi looked down, squinting at the ground as if to search for what she meant. "Beetle. Or something of that nature. In this environment."

Raatar absent mindedly continued to doodle. He enjoyed the kind of mindless freedom that came with the arts. Just turning your brain off and allowing the stylus to move around felt liberating in a way. To let everything go and see something come of that was always satisfying. "I would make my signature Rokeg Blood Pie, but without the ingredients sadly that will have to wait till later. Maybe once we all get back! I can though handle most meats or things like that. Probably anyways, I mean, how hard could it be right?"

“Plenty of bugs, I’d bet,” He replied with a smile, having patiently stood beside Vovvi as she searched for the word. He was a wonderful teacher. He wasn’t going to just abandon someone still learning things. He raised a finger of his, his smile turning into more of a cheeky grin, “I mean, for starters, you’ve got a worm riiiight here,” He pointed to his stomach, chuckling.

"Hey, recipes is always cool, you could always make one part ahead of time or vice versa, and they combine to make something pretty good. And - oh shit, if you guys find a cool bug, lemme know," he said as he overheard just a bit, whipping his head around when he heard the tactical officer mention a worm and- then he laughed once he saw where the other was pointing. "Don't think this camera has any sort of x-ray capability," he said with a little smile before he turned to Raatar. "Oh, pleaaase, when we get back, I love some blood pie, that shit's the bomb," hopefully that slang would get translated appropriately into non-Standard languages. If it didn't, well... that might not be great.

"I... Shouldn't you—?" Vovvi stared wide-eyed at Kiadras' abdomen for a moment. Briefly, she'd forgotten Trill symbionts were a thing, before she spotted his ..well, spots, remembered, and relaxed. "Oh. Right. Hold on, here.." She squatted down, snapping a photo of a little six-legged critter in the second before it helped itself to a hole in the tree. "Beetle," she confirmed, standing back up to meet him again and doodle that guy, too. Probably a beetle. Lots of things were beetles.

“Mm?” She gave Vovvi a confused look before breezing past it. Maybe the joke went over her head? Didn’t quite dawn on the Trill that jokes about worms in stomachs didn’t translate all that well outside of her own culture. Regardless, she squatted down beside Vovvi as the photo was taken, nodding at the confirmation, “Beetle,” She repeated, before lowering her voice, “Y’know, my usual go-to excuse for stuff like this is that I’m a lecturer from the Trill Science Ministry on sabbatical, so it’s pretty serendipitous this is the route we’re taking, huh?” She grinned. (edited)

"Oh of course! I'd be happy to make it for you! No shit though, I just got over a stomach issue. Maybe next time." Raatar replied to Allan with a chuckle. Clearly getting his meaning but wanting to joke around a bit. "It is my husband's family recipe, and even though sometimes I might not get it exact, but I like to think the love that goes into it makes up for a soggy bottom." (edited)

Kya looked around the forest like a trained hawk, trying to spot any foes that might come out of the woods. It reminded her of the week long trek across the forest moon the Sakai had crashed onto. In her minds eye, Vovvi was replaced by Ensign Charles, one of the survivors of the crash. She remembered the Iaconian bolt that killed the graduate. She shook her head, not the time. “Eyes up everyone.” She mumbled.

"Seren.. what?" Vovvi frowned, brows furrowing as she tried to connect the dots via context clues. "Is that.. coincidental? Because it is quite the coincidence." Beetle doodle (boodle) received his (her? their) little wings, as well as the shell that covered them. ".. Yes, sir, of course." Ever-vigilant. She had always felt something of a kindred spirit in Commander Pok.

They ventured deeper. It could be felt in the shift of the lighting, and temperature, and ambiance - but it didn't ring any danger bells. At least, not yet. The birds kept singing, one whistling it's own little tune not too far away from the group. (edited)

“Coincidental in a good way,” He replied, a smile on his face before hopping back up onto his feet, “Onward and upward, sir,” He said toward Kya. He had luckily swallowed back saying ‘Commander Pok.’ Didn’t wanna blow things up in their face just yet…

"Pleaase, yeah, it's absolutely the love that goes into it. Captain makes me soup sometimes, and I'll be real, it's definitely the love that goes into it that makes up for any lack of spice," he said, and then his attention was redirected by the mention of a beetle, twice. "Wait, wait, beetle -" he was pretty good at weaving around the group to get to where he needed to go near the two officers, pretty much just sitting on the ground now for a little as he looked around for more. Speaking of the Captain, that guy loved seeing bugs, so it'd be neat to have some pictures! "Where did you see it.." he half muttered to himself.

Kya nodded towards her fellow commanders. “No need to call me sir.” She reminded Vovvi. “Hm.” She looked towards the birds. Remembering the phantom pain of a Iaconian blast that had damaged her for a few days on that trek, yet here she was.

"I see. Serendipitous," she echoed, giving a little nod as if to reaffirm herself as Allan beelined his way over at the beetle mention. "It went in a hole. I'll send it to you once we're all done here." Vovvi promised Allan, showing him the little boodle (beetle doodle). (edited)

1

Another bird responded to the whistles, mimicking the song, but just a tad louder. Showoff.

6

3

Mudd continued on with the group in his silence, he was not feeling particularly chatty under any other circumstances he would yap away if the opportunity presented itself. But Mudd stayed alert looking around the area with some doubts of paranoia like anything could jump off from the trees and attack them or maybe the birds were spies, anything was possible in todays world.

"Can I see?" He said, walking slightly closer, just within what one might colloquially call 'stabbing range'. Don't worry, it's just slang from old rp - he had no stabbing aura. He tried pretty hard to come across as friendly, for the most part. He just wanted to see the boodle.

"I don't think I've ever had blood pie, myself. I make a mean steamed stonefish, though, it's usually my go-to when I have guests over," Ev'kor said, pocketing his tricorder again since he was much too busy taking in the animals and listening to their sounds. Had he been on a Federation world before? He was pretty sure he hadn't.

"Sarendipawhat?" He asked when he heard Vovvi say... whatever she said there, and smiled when she said she'd send him the picture and saw the doodle. "Oooh, I love this," he said as he got up off the ground after shooting a few pictures of a cool little flying bug that was resting on some grass. He'd have to find out what it was later. "Oh, that-" his head instantly looked around to wherever the louder bird would be, seeing if he could spot it. Maybe take a little video... "Mmm, stonefish. That's good shit, too."

“Serendipitous,” The instructor corrected with a light tone, giving Allan a smile. God, she really was a teacher.

"Oh, here's the actual photo," Vovvi did not think the boodle was very well done, so the photo would do them some more justice. Even so, Eshen was granted permission to see the sketch. "Coincidence, in a good way," she parroted.

1

Man. Those birds are sure going ham. Really well hidden, though - perhaps perched in the dense bushes that now surrounded them.

4

Her gait slowed down, as soon as they lost the path under their boots. Still, she seemed sure in her navigation, occasionally looking down at her own tricorder.

1

"Is that the beetle name? Ser-end-ip-it-ous?" He said it carefully, to see if he was getting it right as he looked over at the photo. "Oh, so it's like a ... I can't come up with any examples, but okay, it means coincidence, but like, a specifically good one. Cool, thanks." Another big word added to the Allan vocabulary. "Photo's great, by the way. Doodle might be just a smidgeon cooler, though, if I'm being honest." Damn, the birds were hidden... well, he probably wasn't going to try and approach them all too much. Who knew what they'd do if disturbed.

Raatar nodded toward Ev'kor with a smirk. "Well you will if I have anything to say about it! Trust me it is delicious. Always good with Blood Wine too. Especially, if you don't like the flavor. The more blood wine, the better the taste! Stonefish though does seem interesting. Although, I'm not sure my teeth are up to snuff." Raatar continued to walk along the path and got closer to finish his doodle. He was thankful Anga slowed down. It made it easier to draw! Hopefully gave him some more time as well before any potential hunt or food gathering.

"Oh, stonefish isn't made of stone, it just looks like one-" Ev'kor responded to Raatar, nearly bumping into Vovvi in front of him when he failed to notice the tempo change until the last possible second. "It just looks like one. It's a fish native to Remus, though it has its equivalent on Earth as well. It's... very venomous."

7

Oh hey, a small clearing! Anga hummed in content. They were on the right track.

"Someone isn't happy we're here," Vovvi looked up towards the trees in search of the birds having a screeching contest, hearing a step stutter behind her and glancing over her shoulder. "Are you alright, Ev'kor?" she asked, not seeing any dirt spots on his coat, so he hadn't fallen at least. (edited)

"Love me some bloodwine. Ooo, bloodwine and stonefish, actually, might be pretty good - maybe even as a little bit of a flavor or sauce, or something..." He nodded when Ev'kor explained about stonefish. "Yeah, if you don't clean and prepare it well enough, you get like, the nassstiest sting ever. My friend had it for like, three hours straight, and ever since then I've been put on cooking duty over him."

Ev'kor chuckled, a sheepish grin on his face as Vovvi spoke to him directly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. Sorry Vovvi," he said gently. "I was looking around, and not actually in front of me. I nearly bowled everyone over."

He smiled warmly. What a great boodle! "What's everyone's names, by the way? I forget if we've been introduced. I'm Eshen K'Tann, though I sometimes go by Dion. My pronouns are he and him."

Raatar seemed a bit surprised and a little apologetic as his hand moved to the back of his neck. "Oh um...I guessed. That was more of a joke than anything else. I'm sorry I should've been more clear. I have a kinda dry tone sometimes." Raatar said as he looked up to make eye contact with Ev'kor. "Sorry bout that! I'll be more conscious next time round!"

"No need to be sorry. I'm just glad you didn't send us both toppling, and that you're doing alright." She adjusted her backpack on her shoulders, turning back forward. Oh, were there any wildflowers in the clearing?? She was getting a little too into this whole pretend researching thing.

Dezyim, who had been following along quietly near the back of the group, turned his head to focus on the birds. “Those birds are very unhappy. I might as well record them and turn them into my morning alarm, with how shrill they are.” He acknowledged what Vovvi said. His voice was casual and calm, and he was keeping one hand in his pocket. His other hand, though, was clenched in a fist at his side. This Tal Shiar business had him on edge.

1

Whistle, whistle, trill. Whistle, whistle, trill. Whistle, tweet. Whistle, tweet. Whistle, trill, tweet.

She stopped in the middle of the field. "...Wait, no. This is wrong. They should be--"

Here. Yes. Correct.

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Her arrival into the clearing was slow and calculated, if not outright elegant. With all of the casualty of a woman stepping into a bar, she brushed past some large leaves, as if manifesting from the darkness of the foliage. The rank on the uniform suggested a Commander, who regarded the group with a hardy sort of calmness. "How's the jog, Anga? Did it tire you out, enough to stop you from running?" she inquired, calmly, even if her hand was on her belt. As she talked, more of them popped out - surrounding the clearing. "If so, I offer you play nice and follow us. If not, we'll just force you to."

7

The Trill tutted her tongue, “So much for ‘We’re warehouse workers…’” She said in a low tone to Vovvi, still stood beside the agent.

"Oh, shit," Ev'kor breathed quietly, the Havrannsu leaving his mouth almost on instinct.

2

Vovvi did not have anything to say. She couldn't, really— her body was freezing, tongue stuck firmly to the roof of her mouth, unable to move or...think, beyond, "We don't want any trouble, miss."

“Excuse me, ah- Commander? Must be some misunderstanding here, see…we were told these warehouses had been abandoned and became a bit of a wildlife reserve!” He stepped forward a bit, “I’m from the Trill Science Ministry, Patrelvia Jek. Anga here was just leading us on our way!”

3

Kya glared at the commander. “Do we have to? We’re just travelling workers.”

Raatar wondered if it made sense to lie or attempt to. They seemed to know Anga by name. Most likely that meant they knew her position in the Republic. He kept silent though for the moment and just nodded. Might as well give it a shot right?

"Yeah, it's some pretty cool stuff, I've been taking a bunch of pictures," Allan added in to what Kiadras said, brushing off the spot on his coat near his knees where it'd gotten a little dirty from, well, being on the ground taking pictures of bugs. Very realistic!

Tavek, who had to bite his lip in order to keep from saying some choice curses at the Tal Shiar Commander in front of them, was off to the side a bit, tricorder in his hands. He had taken a few random soil and rock scans as he went, just in case anyone asked him anything- but now was the time to bullshit. Even he knew they couldn’t fight at the moment, not with so many popping up. “I’m just a geologist, I don’t want any problems.”

She almost froze as she tried and failed not to let the horror that shot through her body like electricity show on her face. Her heart rate jumped up and as she forced herself to take deep breaths and the first few of them were shaky. This feeling was one she knew well, simultaneously terrible and deceptively comfortable in its familiarity. Doing her best to look as unbothered as possible she mentally reminded herself of where her phaser was and how she could reach in quickly while bringing up some of her scans on the tricorder to underline their story.

Ev'kor placed a grounding hand on Vovvi's shoulder when he noticed her tense. "What is going on?" he demanded in Vulcan, hiding his shaking hand by clenching at his own jacket.

To say that this was bad would be an understatement, and one that he did not want to make. Instead, he tried to calm himself, relying on the teachings of Surak that he ever so diligently taught himself when he was younger. He tried to remain calm, relaxed, ready to explain himself, but his mind kept giving him very unhelpful flashbacks.

Ah, so they were scientists now? Sure, he could work with that. Hopefully they didn't ask him to do any... Actual science. He wasn't well-versed in any scientific field beyond what he'd been taught in school. Oh, but maybe he could just... Not be a scientist? "I'm more of a painter." Here to bring the wildlife to the canvas!

"Shouldn't have wandered deep into the woods where trouble resides, dear," came her response. It didn't sound demeaning or taunting, it was... weirdly solemn. While the Commander spoke, a tall figure took his place by her side - large Romulan male, most of his features hidden behind what looked like a ski mask, his brown eyes surveying the group intently. "Especially with such raw cover-up of yours. We've been tracking you for some time now." And then she turned to Anga again, and now her features changed - a sneer, a muzzle to hold back her hatred. "Really, Anga, your pathfinding has become so much shittier. Especially compared to all those stunts you pulled on Remus..."

7

Their guide, who until now was looking a lot like a deer in the headlights, let out a frustrated growl - her own hand now, too, on her belt. "Rot in hell, Emni!" she bit out, palm gripping a concealed knife's handle until her knuckles turned light. "I should report you being here! I should bring you to said hell myself!" So much for a peaceful resolution, it seemed.

8

“Calm down.” She said, trying to put a hand on Anga’s shoulder, even as her free hand snaked down to her hidden phaser in her pants. “We can talk about this.”

"Yes... acting rashly can have dire consequences, we don't want any trouble. I'm Sivath, please, do tell us what is happening here." A far cry, but it would it might lead to something. If he just feigned innocent, using a his fourth name and a strictly Vulcan tone of voice, he might he able to pass himself off as something other than what he was -- and get that sweet sweet info.

Dezyim’s eyes widened upon hearing the Tal Shiar speak. This was very bad. Veryyyyy bad. He didn’t know what he could say to make this better, so he stayed quiet. He took his one hand out of his pocket. He was no longer attempting to hide his fear, hoping to make their story of being average citizens appear more realistic.

"No!" she whisper-shouted, taut as a bow under Kya's arm. "Do not listen to them! They will not take us away peacefully, they will kill all of us!"

The large officer tugged at Emni's sleeve, signing something to her with one hand. Seeing her shake her head, the Lieutenant Commander resumed his watch on the group - ready to spring into action at any moment.

Vovvi forced through the thick fog of paralyzing fear, the hand on her shoulder grounding, helping her at least get her bearings. "I think we should cooperate," she said quietly. "These people have no problem killing us and making sure our bodies are never found. If - if we pick a fight, it would be like we never existed at all. We're better just complying with what they ask.."

Raatar groaned internally. Do'Ha...seems like their guide had a history they couldn't let go of. He shifted a bit as his hands stayed in plain view. He didn't want to reach for d'k tahg and create a whole other set of issues. "I agree." Raatar said to Vovvi. "I'll comply with any orders given." He said to kinda make a point and hope that Anga would follow suit if enough people were urging one course of action.

"I mean, don't .. don't get me wrong, I know what the fuck their deal is, but like - they wouldn't be that... this many people going missing at once will raise a hell of a lot more suspicions, right? Like, I know they can, and they can cover their asses, but it doesn't seem like... the smartest move to just off us like that without reason," he also said quietly, in agreement with Vovvi.

1

Ev's ears perked up at the mention of Remus, but instead of speaking, he squeezed Vovvi's shoulder a little tighter. Was he grounding her, or himself at this point? A combination of both, perhaps. The rest of his body remained deceptively calm, needing to keep a clear head to be able to take proper action. It was just like- just like before. "How many..." he mumbled to himself, his eyes darting around the forest, trying to get a sense of just how surrounded they were. Would they be able to overpower these people? He didn't think so, but he needed to make that calculation for himself.

"They might take that course of action if they feel threatened enough," Eshen said. "Which I don't think they do right now. We should probably keep it that way." The fawn response to threat.

1

"I think you know exactly what is happening here, no?" she regarded Zhi'rev - Sivath - with a slightly raised eyebrow. "After all, you are here, lead around by this pathetic excuse of a smuggler. Unfortunately for you, we came here sooner."

That last sentence seemed to struck a realization in her - and the small Romulan seethed, her knife now fully pulled out, making the Lieutenant by Emni's side shift his weight ever so slightly in front of his smaller leader: "Oh you bitch, what did you do to them?!"

"Even with those coming out of the bushes, it's hard to say. I can hear them," she answered quietly, even if Ev'kor was talking to himself. "I don't doubt they have eyes on the whole planet." Unhelpful, in this situation, but.. "It'll be alright. We'll figure this out.."

Kya looked to the rest of the group. “We have to fight.” She said quietly. “There’s no reason to assume we won’t break under capture. And I don’t think any of us want to be captured by fascists.”

"No. No fighting. Not while we're at a disadvantage. We need to gather more information first." That way they could turn it to their advantage. Right now, they were completely outnumbered and outgunned.

"Better captured than killed," Vovvi practically snarled in reply, surging forward, raising her voice to be heard properly, "What are you talking about? Smuggler? What did you do to.. who?"

"Gonna be real, we don't, actually," Allan just straight-up said to the erei'Riov, very genuine about that. "Like, okay, we don't actually know her very well, so I'm not sure what you're on about there, and you're Tal Shiar, so like - that's as far as I've got, actually, but some clarification would be appreciated so we can like, work this out, maybe...? Keeping our heads on right is uh, preferable."

“We’ll be executed if we’re captured.” She mumbled.

“They will torture you and then kill you, and you will beg for that death before it happens. So if we play nice, we need a plan.” He said in a whisper that sounded more like a hiss, like he knew intimately what they’d do to them all. And he did know, since it had happened to him before. And while he could turn off his ability to feel pain, his fleshy comrades could not. He was speaking low enough and was far away enough that the Tal Shiar guy couldn’t make much of it out.

"So we die now or we possibly don't die later. The choice is obvious, yes?" He said, whispering to Kya.

Zhi'rev decided to speak up again, "Like my coworker said, we do not know who our guide is, just that she is our guide, and we would appreciate any sort of clarification."

They reset the tricorder they were still holding to factory settings, if it was taken they did not want anyone to be able to grasp even the most minuscule amount of information on the process of how they worked. There could be any number of them nearby. "I agree, we're surrounded, if we resist we'll be executed here." They side eyed Tavek, they very much did not want to be reminded of the torture methods of the Tal Shiar right now.

Smuggler? Wasn't Anga an Intelligence officer of some kind? Why did Emni call Anga a smuggler? "I don't-" Ev'kor knew what Vovvi was saying was true. He'd fought worse odds, but if he could avoid it, he would. "We should stand down," he said, with a sense of finality to it he wouldn't be able to explain even if he were asked. "Kya..." he implored quietly.

Dezyim looked back and forth at people as they talked. “I think fighting… is a bad choice.” He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking about it. “If it really came down to it, and we get captured…” He looked at the Tal Shiar. He was paler than normal. It looked like he didn’t want to say whatever it was he was about to say. “We could kill me and have my predecessor send for help.” (edited)

5

He side-eyed her back a bit, but stayed quiet, following her lead and also factory-resetting his tricorder. He sighed, more or less resigned to the idea of surrendering. His comrades would go through pain, unimaginable amounts of it, but he knew he could likely find a way to get them all out. He had done it before. Tavek raised an eyebrow at the idea of killing Dezyim.. but honestly, if it came down to it, it could honestly work.

“Or they torture you in front of your boyfriend to get information from him.” She said sternly in response.

Raatar just went back to doodling. At this point he had said his peace. He hoped that Anga and Kya would just submit but if they didn't he at least wanted a tablet and a stylus in his hands to use in case anyone got combative. He then heard Dezyim's plan. He shook his head. "No one is dying if I have anything to say about it. That cost is too great." He whispered to Dezyim. "Just stay close and do what they say. We'll go from there."

"Kya." he wasn't imploring gently anymore. "We have to stand down." He hoped she remembered their conversation at the Winter Ball. And that it would cause her to trust him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What a delightful possibility. Anyway, I think most of us prefer possible death to definite death, don't we?"

He brushed a bit of dirt off his jacket. If he was going to be doing this, might as well not look like garbage, y’know? He had no clue how these specific Tal Shiar guys thought about androids.. knowing how they were the last time he was this close to a live Tal Shiar, they weren’t the most open-minded and accepting bunch. If they found out who and what he was, in his mind, it might be definite death either way. But.. it wasn’t for his comrades, not yet, so he would go with them too.

Dakom remained silent. He knew this wasn't something he could offer input in. He was a doctor. He was here for if things went wrong, and instinct and experience were telling him things were absolutely about to go wrong. All he could hope to do was put things back together after. The agitation of everyone around him was spilling into his skull. He could taste it on his tongue. Somehow, though, he felt calmer than he had before while walking. This was a distinct problem he could form a pearl of resolve around. And hope it wouldn't be torn from his grasp.

The Starfleet were doing what Starfleet does best - figuring shit out. Unfortunately, she was no Starfleet. And there was no one to hold her back. So just as Allan spoke she sprung forward, faster and swifter than one would expect from her, blinded by fear and anger...

And, of course, he is there. Stoppable force, meet immovable object. His large hand clasps both of Anga's wrists, twisting then up and away from Emni, who didn't move an inch from where she stood. The knife was ripped out of her grasp and dropped off to the Commander, before he procured a hypospray out of his pocket - and promptly emptied it's contents in the struggling one's neck, making her go limp in his grasp a second or two later, like a dead wildfowl in a dog's maw. The man didn't say anything. Only sighed, in a tired, "you-brought-this-onto-yourself", manner. Then, he looked dead at the group, as the others surrounding them tensed, raising their weapons ever so slightly. (edited)

7

Yep. That was about what would happen to them if they tried anything right now. Out-numbered, out-gunned, out-hypo'd. He lifted up his hands, gloved palms facing the Shiar, but said nothing yet.

Vovvi also raised her hands in surrender. Better somewhat safe than sorry.

Ev'kor followed Eshen's example, raising the shaking hand that wasn't currently finding purchase on Vovvi's shoulder. He needed to retain a clear head, and she was helping that.

2

Raatar internally was a bit relieved. He was worried when he saw the girl lunge they would just kill her. Although, if they were doing that, then they had a horrible reason. His mind immediately went to the interrogations his mother made him watch. That would be everyone. He shivered at the thought, but collected himself and made sure to remember his courage. Whether he could use it was a later matter. Just think about Korok. Just think about Korok. Was all that went through his mind as he dropped his pad and slowly raised his hands. He had to stay conscious by any means. He needed his d'k tahg. They couldn't take it from him. He wouldn't let them.

Zhi'rev decided that it was best to go along with the group, since he did not want to be the last one standing. Perhaps surrendering would allow them access to more information after all -- more information than they would get by being rendered unconscious. And so, he raised his hands.

Kya also surrendered too.

Yeah, he also followed the others in the group lifting their hands, hoping that that and the silence of the group might prompt the Tal Shiar to say something more, because he really didn't want to speak up again at the moment. But, well - he would, if needed. Because genuinely, what the hell was going on right now?

With a glance back at everyone else, he raised his hands up too. Knowing the Tal Shiar, he was dead as soon as they found out he wasn’t organic, but everyone else still had a chance. And he’d be fine dying if everyone else had a fighting chance. Fifteen years wasn’t bad of a run… right? But also, Tavek was always a nihilistic, melodramatic little bitch, so chances actually are he was probably fine and he was making a big deal out of nothing.

Dezyim followed suit. His hands were shaking as he raised them.

3

Mudd immediately put his hands up in surrender sure the fear was getting to him and he definitely did not want to die needlessly. He was very confused at the situation and scared that the Tal Shiar could torture them for information, this reminded an awful lot about when he was captured by the Jem'Hadar, giving him flashbacks he neither wanted nor had time for.

She didn't move an inch, but there was a milisecond there when she believed that... it's going to be it. Foolish of her, of course - because Temar was right here, by her side. He always was. All of them were. She blinked, and breathed out, before once again turning her head towards the "civilians". Liars, a bunch of them. Just like Anga. Though... fuck, she completely missed what they all were saying - with the sound of her bloodrush in her head. "I think this was an unfortunate but good demonstration of why attacking us might be a bad idea," she stated, not even looking in the direction of Anga. That concern was in the past, for now. "You are to follow us and be questioned. And no more funny business, "scientists"."

"Yes, we understand," Ev'kor said clearly and steadily, speaking for the group, which he felt comfortable doing somehow. He'd never been a negotiator, that was not a skillset he'd ever had to be concerned with, but he'd clawed his way back up from worse. He'd seen worse, and survived it. This would be no different.

Raatar nodded and got ready to move. It would be a shame to leave his bird doodle. He actually liked that one. Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam. Raatar thought to himself to try and boost his spirits as best as he could. Just think about Korok. Just think about Korok.

As Dakom lifted his hands, he kept his gaze fixed on the woman who he took to be the leader. His mind, however, he allowed to wander, unfurling from the protective huddle of his psyche. Extending to the one mind he was already familiar with. 'Are you alright?' the words passed to Mudd. He didn't expect an answer - at least not in the fashion the question had been asked. He didn't even like him all that much. But he was a caretaker first and foremost, and the Trill was the only one here he had any real connection to. So at the very least he was.. concerned.

Zhi'rev did his best to calm himself down, he could keep the upper hand... somehow... and hopefully he would be able to get out of this with everyone else. Rhhaein would not be there after all, he couldn't be.

Havra mentally forced herself to think about her daughter, her niece... whatever. Head held high she raised her hands and followed the others. She did her best to commit as much as she could of the things she saw to memory, any information might come in handy later. In the end though, no matter what happened here, her child was safer on 777 than she could have ever been in Free State territory, everything Havra had done would be worth it for that alone.

Mudd half jumped out of his skin as he heard Dakom's voice in his head it seemed to break him out of the flashback he had, at first he thought it was one of his previous hosts talking to him, Then he remembered, of course Dakom was a betazoid he tried his darnest to respond back with a 'Not really' as he looked at Dakom through his visor. Mudd neither smiled or had his usual cold look, no it was fear genuine fear.

Given the situation, the fact that they were most certainly surrounded and indisputably happened to be at a insurmountable disadvantage if it ended up a combat situation at the moment, Vara'l raised his hands and followed along with the others. There wasn't much else that could be achieved right now except for dying, the Romulan reckoned. While he harboured no illusions about what awaited them. Vara'l reckoned better that and a chance to kill Tal'Shiar later than what would have likely resulted if they'd attempted a break for it now. He just hoped they'd get a chance to escape this situation before they all ended up dead. That or ended up something worse. After all, while it remained the case that their disappearance wouldn't be something that remained unnoticed forever, he much preferred to be alive. He had a kid to worry about, his mind highlighted, after all. So he just committed as others were, everything that they passed to memory and attempted to work out what their captors happened to be armed with.

He saw that Dezyim's hands were shaking and considered offering him a pat on the shoulder, but didn't want to make any sudden moves right now. Maybe he'd ask him in a minute, when everyone's hands were back down.

6

"Good," she gestured to the rest of the uniform-clad men and women to gather the away team into a neat line. As she did, she felt Temar's hand briefly squeeze her shoulder. "Follow. Do not try to run, or yell, or fight, or whatever other bright idea might come into your mind. Let us know if there is an emergency or you need medical assistance." And thus began their much less exciting and much less whimsical trek to the #camp...

Let them know if there's an emergency or they need medical assistance? That was awfully caring of them. Did the Shiar ever offer such hospitality? He'd have to ask someone who knew more about them. "Thanks. We appreciate it."

22:29

Oh, and he also went to the #camp.