Star Trek: Starbase 777 - prison-cells-03

The third floor of the prison was downright cold and humid, icy condensation running down the walls at regular intervals, the wetness allowing to cold to start seeping into one's bones. The walls were all closed off, only allowing for the artificial rhythm of fluorescent lighting. Blindfolded and bound, Vovvi, Eicran, Elohae, Paco, Ellie, and Alin were dropped into a small common room, with small cots along the walls and a washroom behind a sliding door. The door was sealed off behind them, leaving them to remove their own blindfolds.

Elohae reached up and pulled off his blindfold then before he located a cot and settled into it. What else remained for him to do right now? None of the people he spotted as he'd looked around were people he happened to be that familiar with. Did any of them knew sign, while it was something he wondered, it wasn't something he happened to know. So well, into the cot he went as he settled down. Initially stared straight up before he just adjusted himself and watched the others in the room.

Being from a tropical climate, Paco didn't like feeling the sheer humid coldness of the room. Actually, the fact that the place was both cold AND wet did not help at all. Paco had shivers run up from his spine, not just from the cold, but from the unusual feeling of dampness that soaked into his clothes, which only served to amplify the coldness of the room. Paco hated this. And very visibly so. Poetically, Paco could say this is Hell. Hell in its deepest reaches. So far away from any resemblance of both Light and Hope, the typical descriptions of fire and molten magma seem like a merciful luxury. Here, both are absent. *"This is hell..." *Paco said as he sat down in a cot, now fully regretting flipping off the brig's security camera so much.

Having been deposited into the room, as soon as possible he was fidgeting with the blindfold and whatever he was bound with. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lighting. In contrast to the others so far, Eicran didn't immediately claim a cot. Instead he paced in a circle, taking note of everything he could, including the uncomfortable feeling of cold in contrast to the warmth of being huddled together in the brig. "I think they say Hell is supposed to be hot," he replied to Paco. This situation certainly wasn't ideal, that much was for sure. Three days in the brig had been bad enough... But here, having been shoved into this prison cell, was where instantaneously the desolation had already started to sink its way into his bones. The only thing he could do to combat it was keep moving: observe their surroundings for example, and see if there was any obvious sign of where the condensation was coming from aside from what they caused when breathing out. If he couldn't break everyone out the least he could do was make them more comfortable. "It'll be okay. Starfleet doesn't leave officers behind. They'll come to find us. I'm sure we won't be here long."

"That's 'cause they haven't been deep enough." Paco blankly replied to Eicran as he wrapped the basic thin ass blanket around himself, shivering against the cold. "Where the Devil himself is forced to be encased up to the waist in ice, his wings blowing frigid air against those forced to be imprisoned there.... So far from the heat which punishes those who stray from the warmth of the Gods... So far away from the light, no man hears their cries for mercy...." Paco clasped his hands and blew his warm breath into them. He Anthropologist stayed quiet for a moment to let it sit in for a moment, though he also realized that A) that probably wasn't helping and B) there was a chance nobody understood what he was referencing. "...I-its from... uh... The Divine Comedy.... Dante's Inferno... 9th layer of Hell is... ice............. i'm sorryi'm sorryi'm sorry...." Paco sheepishly covered himself in the blanket. "Though I agree that it will be a cold day in Hell when Starfleet fleet doesn't come for us..." (edited)

Well that was downright fucking ominous. Why would you even remember a quote like that?! Eicran - very well versed in forcing himself to keep his expression straight - looked at Paco without a hint of concern. Internally though he was still thinking what the hell. "That's... An ominous quote for you to remember. Dante's Inferno, though... I know that. Uhm..." He clicked his fingers together and paced in a small circle as he tried to remember. "Botticelli, right? The artist?" At Paco's rapid-fire apologising, instantly he felt guilty for having reacted so harshly, albeit internally. Paco looked only young. Eicran couldn't imagine having been shoved into this sort of situation as a young Starfleet officer. It was bad enough now. He rubbed his hands together to try to generate some heat. Part of him regretted the tearing up of his jacket for bandages, but he'd rather be prepared. "Don't apologise. I know you're scared. We all are. But we have to stick together, no? And we have a civilian with us, so our job is to look after them as well." (edited)

Said civilian, having watched part of the others conversation, kicked down upon the cot he happened to be on. Looked after? He might be a civilian but never mind him, they needed to look after themselves. Starfleet happened to be far more important a group of people than some random civilian who'd already played out his usefulness as a officer of the Republic fleet when he was medically discharged. A man who'd purchased all the time he could for Telim's escape when he did what he did. Look after him? No. It was themselves that they needed to look to. Them and their fellow officers. As the man said, Starfleet needed to stick together. He was just the civilian who happened to be with them. The civilian who proceeded to stick his hands off the side of the cot and signed. 'Look after' then pointed to himself and shook his head. Pointed to them both in a 'You' then signed 'Look after' and pointed to them both. * "You look after eachother." *Before he pointed to their uniforms. Mouthed 'Starfleet.' Hoped his meaning would be correctly identified.

"Alighieri... the uh... poet..... from carbonara land...." Paco answered, trying not to pull a 'Um, ACTUALLY' at a time like this. Paco simply nodded off to the other things Eicran said. He then looked over to Elohae when he saw him stick his hands and watched what he had to say. Paco paused to give it a bit of thought to understand what Elohae meant. After a bit of focusing on the last bits where Elohae pointed at their uniforms and mouthed 'Starfleet'... *"No." *Paco signed, and also said because there are hearies (hearing persons; non-derogatory, this is a slang term iirc) in the room. "We... look after each other... together. We... get through shit together and go home." By we, Paco meant all of them, gesturing to the whole room. Paco's hands were trembling which made it hard for him to sign, not from the fear, but mostly by how fucking cold it was for him here. He also spoke what he signed for the convenience of the room. "Don't single civs out...sorry..." Paco said and signed to Eicran (edited)

"Dante wrote the original manuscript, no? And Botticelli did the art, like the one where you see Hell spiraling down in different circles, like an upside down triangle. And they were both from Italy on Earth. Carbonara land." Don't worry Paco, because you were getting an 'um, actually' right back. It didn't sound 'um acshually'-ish though, entirely neutral. Eicran didn't care enough about art and literature to argue with someone about it in the middle of a freezing prison cell. That wasn't the sort of vibe that they needed to create here. Eicran wasn't particularly good at sign language. He had tried to learn during the Academy but it simply wasn't one of those sorts of things that he was good at, so he was thankful for Elohae being slow with his signing. Maybe someone here was fully fluent and could act as an interpreter. "You think you don't need looked after?" He asked, facing Elohae and hoping that his lip reading was good. "What's your background? Surely they took you for a reason."

"Mhm...nice" Paco respects game, giving the good doctor a thumbs up. Anyways, he gladly took up the role of interpreter and translated what Eicran asked to Elohae, also wondering the same thing. He didn't know Vara'l had a kid until recently, maybe they failed to get him and got Elohae instead... or maybe it was something else. Either way, they were all here now.

Elohae frowned at what Paco proceeded to say. Signed back what roughtly amounted to. "I can read lips, I know what the Lieutenant commander said." His sign slowed down somewhat, he was used to the cold but he'd also happened to note that at least one person in this room happened to not be brilliantly fluent in sign. Signed 'You' and pointed to them both then signed 'Starfleet' then pointed to himself as he signed 'Starfleet' and shook his head in the negative. "You're Starfleet, I'm not." Frowned a bit as he noted the last part of what they said and signed 'Single' then signed 'out' followed by civilians and pointed to Eicran. Pointed to him briefly before his eyes fixed upon them, upon their lips, their posture how they moved. Lipread and compensated for anything he missed with what cues the other provided through body language and the like. Responded to their first comment as he slowly signed 'Look after' then pointed to himself 'me' and shook his head no then pointed to the duo and signed 'Look after', pointed to one then the other and back again 'eachother.' Signed 'Starfleet' after that. A response, slowed down in the hope that facilitated their understanding. "Look after me?" The first sign asked. "No, you look after eachother." When the other asked about his background, he frowned at them. Looked to the walls. Pointed to his ear. Did that before he then signed 'Paramedic' and passed it over his shoulder 'before' then signed 'discharged'. "I was a Paramedic before, I was discharged." He then pointed himself and then signed 'Babysitter.' "Now I'm a babysitter.* Then signed 'Time' and 'Gave' as he moved his hand like he measured a kid's height and signed 'Run.' "I gave the kid time to run."

20:31

His jaw worked a bit then before he signed something else, signed as he didn't admit that he wasn't fussed about his fate but instead signed. 'Done.' Signed it again and shook his head as he pointed to the others. Outlined the clear military fact there. "I'm done, you're not done." He'd done his duty. Whether he'd failed to give Telim the time he needed to get away or he'd succeeded, he didn't know. But he'd done all that he could have managed to do in that. Starfleet needed to look after their own as they were well, Starfleet! They needed to get out of this, needed to survive to kick Tal Shiar arse. A medically discharged ex-serviceman, babysitter, art-shop owner and imperial fleet officer who'd defected to D'tan was played out compared to officers of Starfleet. It wasn't that he wanted to die, it wasn't that he was particularly minded to not go down swinging but well. He'd been trained, as a Paramedic yes but he'd been a officer of the Republic. One who happened to have been in close proximity to a CTO for a bit now too. So he happened to see that the Starfleet officers needed to get out of this, more than he did. He categorically refused to be the burden that got them killed or something.

"Let's all look after each other," Alin said, not sure what he was going to follow it up with. How could you talk something like this right? What was even going to happen to them? Why was it so cold? Looking at Eicran, he almost seemed to be holding up better than Alin, and Alin was still wearing his jacket. "It's no good-" he started, before backtracking, "we need to try to stay strong."

Having spotted them out of the corner of one eye, Elohae turned to Alin and looked to them. Looked at them, guessed at what he missed and watched at what they then said what they said. Frowned as he signed 'I can Lipread' and then signed 'Know, I, what' pointed at Eicran then before he finished with 'Said'. "I know what they said." Issued no noise as he snapped off that line of comment and just frowned a bit, shivered as he adjusted himself in the cot he'd claimed. Pressed his back into the wall and watched the others. Watched and signed. "Stay strong?" Looked questioning at that as he frowned. Turned slightly then as his mind worked, analysed and considered. As he noted the shivering of his body, idly considered whatever symptoms happened to be present if any. Arrived at the obvious consideration. He was cold. Noted that it'd not yet affected his ability to sign. Grimly noted too that that might not be something that remained the case.

Ellie had already taken off her blindfold a few minutes ago when they entered, but she was just mentally preparing herself for a little while now, studying everybody. She figured Elohae was deaf, and she wished she had properly committed fully to "Federation Sign Language" classes. She didn't really process the cold until the man had pointed out the freezing temperatures. "If anybody needs it, my trenchcoat should help keep somebody warm." Ellie offered, taking a couple items from its billions of hidden pockets before stripping it off her shoulders and offering it out to anybody. She looked at Elohae, she mouthed the words she said in case they didn't see. Holding it out to anybody who offered to take if, with how tall she was, ripping it up could maybe cover two people.

Vovvi didn't want to take her blindfold off. On one hand, she'd be at a disadvantage if she didn't. On the other, would it be so bad, blindly waiting for the inevitable end?... She knew she wouldn't be granted such a mercy. Better to face things head-on. She exhaled, seeing her own breath in the frigid air and rubbing her cheeks in an attempt to bring back some warmth in her face. Not long here and she already was starting to feel awful. Vovvi dug her nose into her arms, trying to keep her face from the cold. "We should keep close," she said, muffled, so, so quiet, "huddle for warmth." (edited)

Perhaps the cold was eating away at his already questionable social skills. (He had been trying to keep positive and keep talking solely for morale purposes, because he knew when that crumbled, things went swiftly downhill afterwards.) What was Elohae trying to say? Was he 'done' because he had already done what he wanted to do in life, or was he 'done' because he was a former Romulan Republic officer, so he felt the Tal Shiar would pay special attention to him? Thankfully, Alin interjected to say that they should all look after one another. Eicran gave a firm nod at that (as best he could given that his teeth had started to chatter). It appeared that their new civilian friend didn't like the comment, but what else could they do? Fall into negativity and desolation when they had been here all of five minutes? Eicran felt it deep down as well, the feeling of hopelessness becoming more consuming whenever he paid attention to it, which is why he didn't pay attention to it. They had to keep up the act of positivity for one another's sake or all they would all go down together. He was very tempted to take that trench coat without question given that he had sacrificed his uniform jacket for bandages, but he didn't want to look like a dick. "Do you not feel the cold?" He asked of the Ensign, figuring they must be an android. While bouncing on his toes (exercise creates heat, come on people, move!) he surveyed everyone who had been put together in the room. Romulans, a part-Cardassian... The Tal Shiar had done a fantastic job of putting people who required heat more than others into a cell that was downright freezing. Then again, maybe they were all like this. "Maybe we can push the beds closer together so we can do that. Huddle, like you say, ma'am."

The Romulan turned slightly when he noted the signs that someone had started to speak. Turned as he looked over to the Ensign as she proceeded to speak. Watched them and lipread as best as he could as they spoke and filled in the rest when she mouthed all of that. Signed the question, though he happened to not know if they knew sign language. 'Take off' pointed at the coat then pointed to them and signed the query, 'okay?' * "If you take the coat off, will you be okay?" *Asked that as he remained blissfully unaware of what happened to go through Eicrans mind. Remained unaware of what others might have thought about how he happened to feel. Remained unaware if he'd even been fully understood. Looked to the others and managed to catch the last part of what was said and therefore looked...fairly confused. Looked that way before he looked back to the Ensign, awaited a answer to his question.

"I should be. I'm a Golem. So android adjacent I will be fine." She assured, though one of the warnings she was given when her brain had been transfered five odd years ago. They had warned Ellie that her body's cardiovascular system could theoretically freeze over in a hostile enough environment. This room couldn't be more then negative twenty celsius though. It'd take days at this temperature for her to freeze over. Any uncertainty though was buried deep, deep down, and didn't glint out of her face maybe besides a subtle tell of her eyes shifting a miniature amount that only better lighting and history with her would really discern... unless they were good with people and had good night vision. "I think my federation uniform jacket should be able to cover somebody else too." She offered as well, always wearing several layers of her trench coat, federation jacket, and tank-top; considering she didn't get heat stroke, having on too many layers never worried her, and it proved to be quite a useful clothing arrangement. ~~also she really just liked how the Trench coat looked and felt.~~ "It'd be good for you all to huddle, yes. I don't know how much heat my body emits though." The Golem agreed, rolling her wrist.

He squinted a little, concerned. "If you're a Golem then you were created from organic material, no?" Don't ask him about the details because he didn't quite understand them, even though he tried. Golems were so rare that he had never thought he'd encounter one, and he had always imagined that a medical officer who specialised in techno-organic life would be the person they'd go to for any problems. "Even if you don't feel it, I wouldn't be too sure that you can't end up frostbitten or hypothermic. I don't want you thinking that you would be fine and then in an hour's time, you're more icicled than anyone else." Not that it would take long for the rest of them anyway. Despite his efforts to keep moving and therefore keep warmer, he kept shivering more by the minute. Even though he had already surveyed the room he now did that again. This time he was specifically looking for cameras. There didn't appear to be any visible, but he had a nagging feeling that their conversations and actions weren't being monitored. How much trouble would they get in if they tried to rearrange the furniture (if you could call the cots furniture). In any other situation he wouldn't be too keen on huddling up like penguins, especially in bed, but modesty was faaar below on the priority list than staying alive. Anyway - step one was determining if it was even possible, however, so he went about investigating if the frames of the cots were at all bolted down or to the walls.

Ellie bit her tongue. She knew he was right, and she should have seen it coming in that way, considering the colors that lined his clothing announcing his enlistment origin. "I should be decently fine without the coat at the very least. I should be able to last far more then a one hour period though." She conceded, still holding and offering it out, she was very insistent on giving one or two people a chance to cover themselves 'no' wasn't really an awnser when you cold freeze to death. "I can eventually thaw out, or be repaired, you all aren't as capable of that." Ellie insisted, discarding of the Trench coat entirely, letting it lay in the center of the room like a weird fake-leathery beacon. She saw the medical efforts studying of the enviormemt and thought to do the same. Looking and studying the walls and crevices for cameras of some kind. "Also, since this situation may not be resolved for a time, I feel it is impertinent to mention my name, Ellie Findley, apologies for not doing so sooner." She turned so the civilian could better read her lips. Knowing sign language would have been great.... (edited)

A task! Something to set her mind to, to quiet the howling in her head for a little while longer. Were the cots bolted down? Could she try to move them together? Nonetheless, she finally got to her feet. Moving around and staying warm was better than sitting and feeling sorry for herself. She stretched — the brig had been so cramped, she wasn't used to moving around— to the best of her ability, using her old blindfold to cover her nose and mouth in an attempt at keeping those a little warmer too. "No use moping and waiting for death," she said, signing along in Rihannsu, "No matter what you are, no matter your past, we are going to get through this the best we can. No foolish self-sacrifice. We are going to pull through kicking and screaming if we must." She offered Paco both her hands to pull him to his feet. However scared she was, that didn't matter now. Her priority, as one of the officers in the room (damn, they went ham on the Lieutenant Commanders, huh..?) was to do her best to keep everyone from submitting mindlessly. "Let's keep moving, alright? Stay warmer. Kehal has the right idea."

The deaf romulan looked from the security officer to the doctor then before he looked back. Attempted to lip read along with the conversation as it progressed. Attempted too before he signed 'Huddle' then nodded before he pointed to the officer and signed 'freeze' and shook his head. "I'm in favour of the huddle, not in favour of you freezing." Looked to Eicran then before he returned his gaze to the security officer and nodded as he proceeded to bring his hands together and moved 'Agreed' as he suspected they didn't know the fact he'd signed. "I agree with him." Elohae then slipped out of the cot and as he watched the security officer discard the coat then twitched in surprise as someone he'd managed to loose track of, a officer with purple on their uniform, walked past him. Quickly recovering before he moved to sign then frowned as he noted the signs that the security officer happened to not know sign and just sort of waved at their greeting. Decided that that was better than a series of signs the other probably would have not managed to translate if they happened to not know sign. Focused on the security officer for a moment, Elohae then turned and looked to the officer as he spotted something been signed. Read what they were saying before he cocked his head to one side. Pieced together the bits he'd missed. Signed. "Huddle when not moving." In Rihannsu and then moved to say more before he decided to not do so. Decided that if he had been miss-understood earlier as he expected, there happened to be no useful point to an attempt to see ensure that miss-understanding was corrected. Avoiding freezing to death seemed far more important, either way.

16:40

He just reckoned he couldn't really add anything useful right now to a conversation between Starfleet officers. Not that he didn't appreciate the fact the other Romulan had signed. But Eicran, when they'd said what they said earier, in his eyes had happened to have had a point.

"Huddle when not moving," she parroted, nodding in affirmation. "How do you stave off freezing in a survival scenario, do any of you remember?" she asked anyone in the room, but it was mostly directed towards the medical officers. Damn it. The cots were bolted down. She kind of expected that much, but it was still worth a try..

Elohae nodded then before he slowly signed in RSL. "Stay dry." And pointed to the washroom and proceeded to frown a bit. "Try to cover exposed skin, keep moving." He then signed the RSL sign for over-exertion and sharply then signed no several times. "Don't over-exert, drink huddle when not moving." Elohae paused and sharply signed something about himself being stupid, several colourful RSL swearwords then utilized before he calmed down and signed. "Metal cots." He signed at first before he added. "Bad, maybe, if cover too thin, metal leach warmth?" After a moment in which he took a moment to ensure he calmed down, Elohae just signed. "Move, don't over-exert, huddle when resting."

"Stay moving, keep a calm head, if anybody starts to feel warm. Notify us." She interjected despite it not being entirely met for her; the woman knew more about post-mortem biology, and so the medical officer there was certainly better left to the exact diagnoses, but but she knew the behaviors of hypothermia. Your blood begins to push against the outer walls of your veins, your brain stops sending signals to the outer extremities. "If you feel something going numb, smack it against your body." She added, peaking to the medical officer as she begun to pace again. Feeling cold creeping at the viscous power sources that ran from the Golem core. "Kehel yes? Would it be possible for you to preform semi-regular check-ups on everybody to ensure their health? Don't neglect yourself of course." She said, feeling out of her depth. An Ensign? Telling a Commander what to do? It was disrespectful on dozens of professional grounds, but talking seemed to be the only thing anybody could do right now. "I can see if that other room has blankets, or something to cover people with." Ellie erected a finger at the door into the washroom. Making anxious, animated movements to the door trying to slosh chemicals inside her so they frost slower.

Seeing as how the Ensign had abandoned the coat on the floor he figured he might as well claim it. Giving up on his investigations for now (it was too difficult to see if the beds were bolted down or to the walls, thank you condensation for making everything wet and fuzzy), he plucked up the coat. That, and one of the sheets from the bed, were soon wrapped around his shoulders. He tightly held the fabric around himself as best he could. What he wouldn't give to be turned into a Betazoid burrito right now. He let the others converse for the time being, thankful to those who knew sign language and could interpret. It made him feel like one heck of a bad doctor and Starfleet officer combined. Not being able to communicate with someone and accommodate them made him feel guilty. Anyway. "I can certainly try, but there's not so much I can do aside from checking levels of consciousness, pulse, and checking your extremities for any signs of frostbite." When was the last time he had done a BP without equipment? Probably twenty bloody years ago. "Any symptoms, then tell me. I'm not as accurate as a tricorder but I'll try." Remembering something, he took the strips of jacket that they had turned into bandages from his trouser pockets. He stuffed them under the pillow of the cot he had taken the sheet from. "The most fashionable, high quality, soft-as-Tholian-silk bandages are under here. Hopefully we won't need them. Does anyone want to check if that bathroom has any running warm water..?"

Elohae, who'd kept Eicran in his peripheral vision, turned from Vovvi then and smoothly switched back to SSL. Did so as he proceeded to sign. "Did you say Running water?" Hoped that, while he'd just realized he'd been speaking in RSL just before and probably caused anyone who'd elected to interpret who happened to not be the Romulan commander there absolutly mystified. Whoops. "Warm?" Came the question that followed that as Elohae looked about for the officer who happened to know SSL. "Know what to do/not do with it?" He then inquired as his eyes flicked to the rank pips the other had, to the blue of their uniform. A quick outline of what one was strongly advised to not do with water if in such cold something that died unsigned for now. These were Starfleet officers, he bet they were survival trained as well.

"You're doing the best you can with what you have, Commander. We're lucky to have you with us. Thank you.." Vovvi hoped that the medical officers were properly spread out among the other groups, so they could attend to them if anything happened. "Give me a moment to take a look.." She trusted Eicran completely with whatever he thought they may need. He was the medical officer, after all. Off she went to the washroom, to see if they had any warm water at all!

"Paco cold" Paco said as he took Vovvi's hands and stood up, also bouncing on his feet because aside from it being helpful to generate body heat, the floor was also cold as shit. He nodded a thank you to her and kept the blanket wrapped tightly around himself as he huddled in with the rest of the group. He would've offered to check the water, but seeing as Vovvi already went to make her way, Paco needed to find something else to think about to take his mind away from the cold. Okay what's there to think about...death! NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! uhhhh Warm thing-- wait no... that just emphasizes the cold then... hm... okay... uh... this may be random, but it's something: what do British people do when it's cold and miserable? British people? Why yes! Of course! Historically speaking, they must've come up with something to stave the cold and shake off misery when times turned to... well... soggy crumpets and well... Bitch and Shits.... like during the war! The war? Oh there's something to think about!! YES!! Paco remembered reading a delightful British comic from the 1980s, he could just focus on pulling up quotes from that! Or other British things! It's weird to do, especially as a Filipino Person, but when thinking about piping hot freshly steamed white rice, deep fried vegetables, and how funny it is to watch your cousin suffer eating something with a small dose of tobasco while you stomach whole chili peppers only reminds you of how cold it is right this moment... one has to be willing to try anything... "W-what's the use of worrying..." Paco quietly sang to himself as he paced around the room in baby steps in a small circle. "I-it n-never wuz w-worthwhile..." He continued, keeping as much of himself wrapped under his blanket. His teeth chattered as he shivered. He never liked the cold. "S-so p-pack up y-your troubles... i-in your old k-kit bag..." Paco moved towards Eicran to huddle. "And Smile, Smile....smile..."

Suddenly, footsteps outside. Heavy, approaching.

It was with a confused frown that he looked at Elohae, once again relying on the others interpreting. "Yes, we're looking to see if the water in the bathroom is warm. What do you mean by know what to do or not do with it?" At this rate, what Eicran wanted to do with it was stick his head under the running tap or shower and pretend that he was standing under a pleasantly warm waterfall on Risa instead of being here. It wasn't as though warm water was going to do them any damage. Warm was the key word, not hot. Ideally they could prevent frostbite before they ended up with it. Another frown was given but this time towards Paco, solely because Eicran was wondering if he was okay. Did the Lieutenant always refer to himself in the third person? Vaguely he could recall something similar having been done aboard the Borg cube. Maybe it was just something he did when stressed. Shaking off the concern (because if he added anything else to his mental lists of concerns his head would implode,) he joined Paco in pacing around the room slowly. They probably looked like penguins waddling around. "What is it you're singing?" He asked as he trailed behind Paco. "It sounds-" While Paco might have stopped to go huddle instead, Eicran stopped at the sound of heavy footfall coming from outside. "Footsteps," he mouthed in Elohae's direction so the Romulan was aware as well. "Commander t'Rei'nak? You might want to come back through here. We might be getting a new cellmate... Or a visit from a guard."

" Y-y-yes. Yes, they'll... they'll take... they'll take good care of us. W-we won't have to wo-worry a-about... about a thing. J-just... Just leave everything to them..." Paco was still saying quotes of the aforementioned British comic to himself, also hearing the footsteps. It was purely coincidence. "The authorities will know what to do w-with us...." The scientist added, slowly putting more British into his accent. "The powers that be will get to us in the end..."

"Lukewarm water at best," she reported, wiping her finger on the bottom of her already slightly damp shirt. Not that it mattered. Her blood was running cold at the call, and she made her way back into the room, fists curling in the bottom of her jacket. What now? What could they possibly want now? Vovvi knew the answer, but she wished desperately she were blind to it. She took off her blindfold from around her face, stuffing it into a pocket. (edited)

The door was knocked on three times. A brief pause followed, before the imprisoned six could hear the sound of the lock being undone... and the door was unceremoniously forced open by Rhean's boot. The man's stature filled the doorframe, as the scarred up Romulan gave the room a wide, unimpressed glance. Behind him, some guards, standing at least a step or two away from the man. "How lovely to see some familiar faces," he gruffed out, upper lip irking up to show off teeth. "To your beds, face the wall, hands up."

Eicran had a number of questions that he wanted to ask the officer - including ones like 'do you think these conditions are liveable in' - but he figured that complying first was the best option. Gently he gave Paco a nudge onwards to encourage him to move, and then he complied with the instructions himself. With his hands up it was difficult to keep his jacket/bedsheet combination wrapped around his shoulders, and it was instantaneously that the bitter cold became worse.

That voice....oh no... Paco did not like this at all. It was not lovely to see that particular familiar face at all. He rather be dead than stay in this room any longer with that guy. An audible gulp can quietly be heard as Paco quickly complied with what he was told before he felt the nudge, dropping the blanket as he made his way to the bed... He was cold, miserable, and now in the presence of the guy he threw a hot mug of tea and smashed the mug at. And that guy probably would want him dead first.

Alin was too frightened not to listen to the officer, and too cold to lift his hands very far above his head. The temperature was getting to him pretty badly, having grabbed a blanket like Eicran and still shivering harshly. Standing over the bed, he suddenly had to wonder if it would be possible to sleep in these conditions. He knew what sleep deprivation could do to someone, and he wasn't keen to experience it.

Vovvi gritted her teeth and did just as she was asked, no matter how terribly she shook — was it from the cold or her nerves, how could she know? Breathe in, out, center yourself..

"Good, good," cold breath broke off of his lips like smoke from a dragon's maw as he entered the room, slow, calculated steps between the two lines of people, "Keep up the good behaviour and we might become just the bestest of friends..." On the word "friends" the Romulan stopped where Paco stood, turning his head to give the scientist a long look. "Speaking of. You. One step forward."

Elohae had complied with all instructions after he'd been warned about the approach of footsteps. Unaware of everything else that happened to be going on as he faced the wall and complied, given the time had not yet arrived to do more than that, Elohae remained ignorant to most of what was going on. Not that he didn't notice through what shadows there were that could be glimpsed from his position that someone had been approached. Someone had been stopped behind. That someone was soon to discover what their captors happened to have in store for them, a fate he expected all here would face in time. Expected that as in the silence that was his world as he faced the wall, he waited alone with his thoughts and with that painful lack of awareness of much of what happened to be going on.

" Paco muttered to himself as he was called and took one step forward. He wasn't sure if he was the very first one to get captured, but if he was, it would probably be fitting if he were the first one to go 6ft under because of how much he had actually tried to resist... if one could call his cartoonish attempts to escape and defending himself before being unceremoniously shot a form of resistance. Paco just stood there in silence. There was no chance of fighting back at this state. There was only compliance and just being ready to take whatever was coming to him.... here's a brief thought Paco had in order to not think too much about the possibility he would be tortured and/or killed on the spot. During the martial law period in the Philippines, authorities would torture victims by forcing them to sit against AC units on max coldness while naked in an already cold room like a freezer, forced to sit on ice blocks and sometimes accompanied by electrocution.... okay given the current circumstances, that didn't help at all.

It took everything in her to stay still, to not rush to the Lieutenant's aid, but she knew better than to square up against a guy her height but nearly twice as bulky with a disruptor. Vovvi wished she was telepathic somehow. 'Hold on tight, Lieutenant. You'll be okay. Don't be afraid.' Maybe if she thought hard enough at him he would hear somehow. Definitely not, but oh well.

If Paco were in Rhean's shoes, he would probably just knock loudly and have a very loud and annoying song play constantly, at a constand loop, ad nauseam, until he got the information he wanted from his victims.... granted that song would've been either Nyan Cat or the chorus of the Coconut Song. That would've been nice. At least Paco would've respected the fact they were people.... and have ears so annoying them for endlessly and paired with strobe lights until they croak would be the easiest route. But Paco wasn't the guy conducting the "haha happy funny nightmare times!" train, wasn't he. No no no no no! He was it's prime passenger. He only took in a sigh as he mentally steeled himself. This was part of being in Starfleet. Might as well take whatever is coming with some amount of dignity despite how scared he was.

He had to angle his head down to look at Paco, which is definitely the reason a small smirk appeared on the man's face as he hummed: "Humans up-close are so fragile looking..." The heavy, gloved hand landed on Paco's shoulder in a mocking parody of a friendly clap, which turned into a grip: "Your shenanigans were rather annoying back on the station. Let's go and have a chat about that, yeah?.."

Eicran could hear the sound of his own heartbeat. It hammered in his ears at a rate he didn't like. He grit his teeth and clenched both hands into fists upon realising who the officer was standing behind, given that Paco was the only Human there. Fuck, no. No no no. He was just a Lieutenant. Hell, he still looked like a kid that was barely old enough to be in the Academy, never mind be a graduated officer. The only upside of Paco being removed from the cell would be that he would hopefully get out of the cold, but what the Hell were the Tal Shiar going to do to him? In the frigid cold of the room it was almost like Eicran could feel the electricity sparking through his own brain as he considered the options. Squaring up against the Tal Shiar was stupid, foolish - but would he ever forgive himself if he didn't stand up for Paco? He took a slow breath in and squared his shoulders. Mako shark it up, Eicran. It used to be your job to protect people. It still was. "Please - leave him be." He tried his hardest to keep his voice level and steady to not convey his fear, but he was betrayed by the chattering of his own teeth between words. "He's only a Lieutenant Junior Grade. Whatever he's done, he would have been doing in self defence... If the roles were reversed, I'm sure you would have done the same."

If Paco weren't so cold and frozen in fear right now, he would've probably tried to stop Eicran from intervening. There was always the possibility that resistance from one of them could result to very very bad things for all of them, which would make Paco feel worse if he was the reason that would happen to everyone here. But at the moment, he just stood there, glad for the gesture, but still going to follow Rhean anyway... He was also in perfect height for some more shenanigans if it came to that point, like kicking Rhean in the balls or something similar.

Dark, almost black eyes flitted to lock onto Eicran as he spoke. "Yeah?.." he asked, the lilt of his voice insinuating, as his large body shifted and began approaching the Betazoid. "Lieutenant Commander Kehal, was it? Or should I call you Eicran? Hard to tell with these alien names..." This particular Romulan seemed to have no issues breaching personal space, which is exactly what he did as he leveled with the medical officer. Close enough to see his nostrils flare like a bull's would before charging. "Your care for your inferiors is cute. Not here, though. And surely, I'm not going to listen to your suggestions, fishboy..."

Given that he hadn't turned away from the wall (speaking out was bad enough, turning around would probably land him in even more trouble) he couldn't see those dark eyes shift over to him. What he could feel, though, was the phantom sensation of the officer's gaze upon his back. Then there was the sound of footsteps crossing the small space of the cell, and then there was the feeling of breathing down his neck, with the officer all but craning over his shoulder. Eicran was pretty sure he hadn't felt his heart pound this fast in years. He desperately wanted to avoid doing anything stupid, keeping his stance firm and his gaze never wavering from where he was looking at the wall... But in a completely stupid turn of events, apparently that sense of fear decided to culminate in nervous laughter. He all but choked on the air, inhaling in a wheeze that was bewilderedly amused while still being fearful beneath. "Fishboy? I'm sorry - what? Was that an-" Another wheezy inhale of a laugh, teeth still chattering between. Oh man, he was cracking up already. "Was that an insult?"

"Commander," Alin whispered, worried. What was he supposed to do? He knew he was by no means a proper Klingon, but never had he minded it so much as in this moment. Why was this so hard? Why was he so useless?

One of the officers took the opportunity to seize Paco by the back of his collar like a naughty pup. She gave just a moments pause, enough to allow someone to cuff him. "Hurry up," she muttered to them. Fumbling about like a moron.. Useless.. (edited)

He could barely glimpse bits of what was stated from his position. Face to the wall as he waited in that deaf-silence isolation. But, as he glimpsed what he glimpsed as people came into view of his peripheral vision, Elohae's jaw tightened. Tightened as his emotions focused a bit, focused about the fact a Starfleet officer happened to be imperilled. That some Tal Shiar scum happened to be planning to hurt someone in that uniform he so respected. Hurt someone again, like they'd harmed other's he'd cared for. Killed Telims father, a friend of his and Vara'ls too. Emotion something that proceeded to blaze within him as he discovered he honestly cared fairly little for what he honestly expected to follow what he did. * *So he started to form his hands into sign. Signed every time the Arrain talked as he continued to face the wall, continued to outwardly comply. Signed. "Woof." And signed. "Dog." As they talked, anger and other emotions something that mixed together with desperation that howled that he should at least do something. That the single civilian here should at least do something for one of those officers numbered amongst those from the fleet that had protected so many, helped so many, changed so many lives for the better. After all, what did it matter if he ended up beaten up? He'd done his duty when he'd purchased Telim time to run, he'd been medically discharged from the fleet. Oh it wasn't that he wanted to die but, he refused to let evil pass by un-insulted even when it wasn't something that could be successfully resisted here and now. He was still surprised by one fact though, the fact he happened to be fully at peace with what he expected might come next. At least this time, he'd objected straight off. At least this time, he'd not served for a time and looked down and away, before he'd finally listened to his beliefs and defected to D'tan's fleet. Tal'shiar Dog (edited)

"Mmm. Forgive my lack of education regarding Earth lifeforms..." the man behind Eicran shifted, and suddenly the Starfleet officer could feel heat over his right shoulder... And Rhean's face was right there. Turned towards the wall, yet those tense eyes were looking right at Eicran's face. A sharp half-grin, half-snarl cracked his face in two, showing off his teeth; the scars glistened under the fluorescent light, the skin stretching and bending to follow it's owner's tense expression. It was there for just a split second, as if Rhean considered... something, before it eased into something more relaxed, more sly. "... sharks, right? one of their species is called a Mako?"

A dog? Vidi arched a curious eyebrow at Elohae's ramblings. "Afraid to get bitten, are you?" Everyone say bye bye Paco, she's taking him now.

Elohae's simple response to the half-glimpsed comment by the Romulan no.. the person-the thing full of evil and hate that was this Tal Shiar operative in his eyes, was a confused look focused upon the wall as had been ordered followed by hands formed into the signs for 'bark' then 'Understand' before the sign for 'what?' "What's that barking, I don't understand it." He'd looked away when they'd first come for people he'd cared little for. Looked away and down when Tal Shiar had visited this or that vessel he'd served on before defection. When they'd then come for others. Now they'd arrived in his life again and they'd come for him and he, at peace with what he courted, refused to let them pass by un-insulted. He couldn't resist them, but he refused to be silent again. (edited)

If it had been one of his Starfleet comrades behind him then he probably wouldn’t have minded. Instead it only made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. In the background he heard the scuffle of movement and even though he couldn’t turn around to confirm it, he was quite sure that Paco had just been taken from the room. That very quickly stopped his laughter. He might have even been tempted to try to fight to get Paco back, but it wasn’t as though that had gone well last time. Something told him that it would go even worse this time around. Dark eyes met dark eyes as the Arrain's face snapped into his vision. The only movement from himself was shivering, body wracked with the reaction to the cold. It was probably muscle memory as well that allowed him to keep his shoulders back, chin up, and back straight. He only hoped that his shivering would be put down to the cold and not down to fear. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction. Thankfully, a lifetime of faking emotions amongst empaths and then systematically pushing them down when in the field meant that even when internally he was screaming, externally, he was good at being a blank slate. "A mako is a type of shark, yes," he stated as though they were trading facts. Was it some strange statement or a purposeful hint that they knew his service history? If Commander T'Shai had been working with them then they could have ended up with anyone's records, he supposed. "They're from Earth. Have you ever been? Although personally, I would recommend Risa instead..." Maybe a trip to the pleasure planet might do something positive for this officer's attitude.

In some horrible, horrible twist of irony, she found herself viciously fighting the urge to snicker at Elohae's mouthing (handing?) off. Any moment of amusement was quickly dispersed as Paco was dragged out of the room. Damn it. Damn it all. Don't get yourself killed, we need you here, we need you alive— words she couldn't even bring herself to verbalize, stuck in the hollow of her throat as her hands, her entire body trembled in the presence of the thing she feared most. Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she say something? What a coward she was..

Elohae's gut twisted as Paco and the...thing departed out of his vision. The howl of emotion one that remained even as he slightly turned his head to better ensure Eicran and the other thing were in there. Turned it ever so slightly as he remained still just enough to ensure they remained in his peripheral vision, remained facing the wall. Remained there as grief mixed with pain and other emotion and formed in itself and its interactions with other emotions a medley of thoughts and feeling that mixed with the anger and other things within him. Mixed there not with despair, as he reckoned there wasn't any point for that when what remained was the next minutes, hours, days that remained in a life sometimes very poorly lived, but with worry. Not for himself but with someone he's fate he grimly reckoned he might well never discover. For Telim. Oh how he hoped he'd bought the boy enough time to ensure he'd safely escaped. To ensure the son of a defector, of the CTO had slipped away unnoticed as they snatched instead a Imperial fleet defector and former medical officer from the Republic fleet. Oh how he wished he knew if he'd succeeded in that final thing that had remained of his duty when he'd turned and beheld the Tal Shiar. Succeeded in ensuring that Telim had escaped to safety that his babysitter who he'd sometimes called Uncle had nolonger remained able to provide. A worry that flickered within him along with every other emotion, along with the part of him that dwelt on the scars of what had been trained into him when he'd been discharged, how he wasn't fussed about his fate. How his mind had been sculpted to think. Dwelt on that as he continued to sign as the Tal Shiar dog that remained spoke. Signed 'Woof' and 'Dog'. Called the mans every partially glimpsed word a bark. Called the man a dog. Declared what he thought of the man. Of the thing. That he was a Tal Shiar dog.

A breezy chuckle followed as the man turned his head towards Eicran's: "You're a funny one, aren't you? Maybe we will have fun speaking sometime later." And with that, he stepped away, the cracked grimace slipping off to be replaced with something relaxed and disinterested once again. His gaze lingered on the ensign of his own, before it shifted to the signing one. It just... stayed there, for a few moments. "Turn around, everyone," he ordered, voice smooth. After they did so, Rhean began walking down the room again, heading towards the exit... and signing as he talked: "Given that you are not on your house turf, I think it will only be kind of me to lay out some ground rules. For example..." He stopped, looking at Elohae. "Some of you might feel stupid brave sometimes. Some of you might feel like pulling a silly little stunt sometimes. Idiotic little fleetsters and their herd of traitors thinking that distraction and tomfoolery will shield your friends from us." To accentuate his point, the large, gloved hand shot out, latching itself around Vovvi's throat, squeezing it, choking her, as he just... continued speaking in a way only a detached news host could, all the while using his free hand to sign: "Do you feel brave now, my dashing little hero? Do you feel big and strong now? Or does payment in else's blood a price too great for your rebelry?" Rhean released her and continued to walk out, not really caring as for what happened with the Intel officer, "You have some time to think about it, before we bring your beverage tosser back. Enjoy your stay." The door was closed and locked. The footsteps that followed soon grew silent.

Elohae remained facing the wall. He'd not been ordered to move from that. So some of that wasn't seen but the sign was. Was as he noticed it and then turned slightly. Disgusted by the other. Disgusted by how they thought and how they acted. Concerned for the Lieutenant Commander. They'd shown who they were by how they'd acted, by how they'd reacted to something like being called a Dog. Oh, he was concerned for the officer they attacked. Felt pained his action had did that. But how could he have remained silent again. How could he have done that. Especially when people when they were angry shared glimpses sometimes of what they wanted. Glimpses he noted even as his hands stilled. The other had glimpsed what he'd signed, knew what he thought of them, the secret police man from the feared Tal Shiar had faced a deaf man and pulled that. Not that the disgust remained something he dwelt on as guilt clawed at him. As he watched the man depart then turned to look to Vovvi once the door had closed. Once it closed he rapidly moved over to them as he signed 'sorry' to the Romulan again and again in RSL. "I'm sorry." And then pointed to their throat as he signed again in RSL, pointed to himself and signed. 'Look' "Can I look?" Before he then formed his hands into the sign for. 'Paramedic' then the finger spelled 'e-x' then added the signs for qualified and still. "I'm a ex-paramedic, I've still got a qualification/my qualification is still up to date." An admission offered now of something he'd done so, if something had ever happened, he could help those who he babysat as summoned medical aid was waited for.

It was everything she could do not to scream. Not that she could— not with the fingers curled around her throat, threatening to crush her windpipe, threatening to drown her in the black spots gathering in the corners of her eyes— she choked on air, trying to pry the hand off from around her, nails scrabbling, yellow eyes wide and wild— And, and, when she was certain she was going to die, when she was certain she was helpless, she was released. Vovvi fell to the ground like a marionette with her strings abruptly severed, hand flying to her throat as she fought to catch her breath, heartbeat roaring in her ears. She gestured for Elohae to wait. Just.. leave her alone for a minute. Let her remember how to breathe, first. She felt the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, all the exhaustion starting to swallow her whole, but she couldn't, she couldn't, not here, not here, not now—

Elohae moved back slightly at the gestured indication, nodded in understanding as he dropped to his own knees slowly. Watched them and just slowly inhaled and exhaled, inhaled and then exhaled. Slowly as he watched them from a respectful distance. Signed. 'When ready' then signed. 'If wanted' before he added 'I' and 'Here'. "When ready, if you want, I'm here." Signed that before he then as guilt whispered about as it joined other emotions in the medley that snarled through him with more force, signed 'sorry' again. "I'm sorry." Looked away and down as for a moment his face became un-readable. As he considered things. Considered the man, considered all he'd managed to lipread from them. Revised down the likelihood he'd been getting out of here alive. Not that it had happened to be a high one anyway. He was a defector, even if like the coward he was he'd remained silent as they'd come for others before, remained silent so many times before he'd finally defected with a group of others. Oh he reckoned he knew what happened to be in store for those they considered traitors amongst this group and the other prisoners. A thought he'd previously had re-surfaced then within a mind clawed by guilt. Perhaps I'll be seeing you all again soon.

Alin watched the proceedings, and if he'd been thinking of rebelling before (he hadn't) he certainly wasn't now. Whatever hurt they caused him he could take, but they would take his actions out on the others. He couldn't risk anything. So instead he sank to his knees besides Vovvi, doing the only thing he could, the exerting the only control he had over the situation. "Breathe, Commander, in through the nose, out through the mouth," he suggested gently, his hands on his knees so as not to crowd her.

Ellie's plans to check the washroom were delayed, and she was stuck to the wall with clenched fists watching the display There was nothing she despised more then someone so sadistic in their nature of treating others. She had no history with this man, none that the others seemed to have, like the man, Paco, who was taken off to God knows where; to be treated to God knows what experience. She'd remember his hideous face, the complexure of its scars and bumps. His face reminded her of her first case looking into the death of a man. In other words, the monster looked like deaths unwanted child. Unpleasant and unloved by anything. She was powerless to have tried to stop him, but oh how the Golem would have wished to do something. After they left Ellie practically toppled away from the cot. Trying to keep her movements deliberate. She'd have words to say to the him when he returned. She turned to Vovvi, who's mistreatment had ignited her fire of hatred. She wasn't good at consoling people, and she struggled to come up with something to say. Looking between everybody. Confused and lost. The dissociation of a puzzle being put together wouldn't work when the world peeled frost on her skin. "He wants us to turn on each other." She hacked up nervously. Her larynx pulsating as her mind sent startled sparks to her core.

Vovvi nodded a little too quickly as the room swam in and out of focus, trying to stop her gasping in favor of something more controlled. The cold air dragging against her lungs and throat didn't help a damn thing. "I'm.." she managed in a weak little wheeze as she fought for her bearings. "I'm fine. I'm fine, you can..." she waved, as if trying to get them all away from her. "Thank you..."

Elohae, when Vovvi proceeded to speak like that, backed up a bit to give them more room as they seemed to wish. Looked to Alin then before he looked back to Vovvi for a moment more. Did so and then...slipped to his feet and moved to a different part of the room. Did so as he then started to move about a bit again. Moved about in place. He needed to keep warm. They all needed to keep warm. That was part of it. He couldn't have escaped the thoughts and emotions that rattled about his head even if he'd tried. He wasn't broken no, but elements was it all something that clawed at him. The guilt, the other emotions, the worry. The knowledge he'd caused this to happen to Vovvi. Guilt not for doing what he did, for the opinion he'd declared but for the what that had caused. For the fact that the Tal Shiar person had then done that to someone else, the guilt at that something that clawed at him even his his mind whirred and worked. As it worried about someone else, not about himself, watched what Vovvi, glanced at the others, silently snarled at itself as he realized he'd not faced one of the others as they'd started to talk. That the once-coward had managed to forget again the fact that things could be missed if he didn't ensure the people here remained in his view. He backed up slightly and pressed close to a bit of wall.

When the Tal Shiar officer had turned to leave, Eicran had thought that would be the end of it. When ordered to he turned as well, watching and listening. Why was he looking at the Civilian? Silly little stunt? Suddenly it became clear why they had been ordered to turn around - whatever Elohae had done, punishment was now being given for it. As that large hand wrapped itself around Vovvi's throat, fingers crushing, Eicran desperately wanted to help... But he was quite certain that if any of them moved, that hand would clamp further around the Intelligence officer's neck and end her for good. When Vovvi was released, Elohae got there first in offering help. Surprisingly - and concerningly, given that for the most part he was mild-mannered - Eicran found himself seething. First this civilian acted out enough that the Tal Shiar had decided to take it out on someone who had done nothing bad at all, and now he was acting as though himself and Alin were fucking non-existent? Congratulations, you're a former paramedic, and what are we, nothing? Eicran might have said something at any other time. He might have been socially awkward but he was very good at shoving that fear down when it was replaced by adrenaline-fueled anger, and that was very much coursing through him right now, like a fire in contrast to the room's cold. He knew better than that, though. Infighting wouldn't help as Ellie pointed out. Instead he ground his teeth together, took a few very measured breaths, and snatched up the jacket and blanket from where they had fallen to the ground. After wrapping them tightly around his shoulders again, he stalked off to his claimed cot to monitor the situation from a distance without making poor Vovvi any more distressed.

"I think I'm going to stay right here until I can trust you to stand back up, Commander," Alin said quietly. He was ignoring everything and everyone else; more than anything, he needed to have an objective, one way in which he could help the situation in the slightest. "I won't touch you, but I'm going to stay nearby," he promised.

Eyes fixed briefly upon the other Starfleet officer, watched their departure. Didn't address that just as he declined to resist the guilt that whispered about him. The guilt that had pushed him to offer to help to offer to try and undo what another had done when they'd lashed out because of what he'd done. No. He just slipped to his knees upon the floor. Moved as much as he could in a sedentary position to try and keep warm but remained out of the way. Back close to the wall as he watched. He'd not make this situation worse by signing anything right now,as he reckoned that would. (edited)

In, out.. carefully, slowly, Vovvi built herself back up to normalcy, embarrassed at just how easy it already was to start to wear her down. Nothing had even been done to her, and she was already starting to spiral. Elements... "Thank you," she said again, quietly, her breath steady again. She didn't want to stand just yet, but her fingers fumbled with her jacket, shrugging it off her shoulders. She pushed it against Alin's chest insistently. "You will make better use of it than I, Commander... As much good as it will do you in the humidity." A gesture that, she, clearly, was not accepting a 'no' to, given his current state. He was arguably the most susceptible among them to the biting cold.

Elohae slipped further backward and pressed into the wall. Pressed there as he just watched what people did. Continued to move as he attempted to keep warm. Did so as he just watched the Starfleet officers. Watched the conversations happen. Waited as guilt whispered about him. Whispered about him as he clasped his hands together and allowed his mind to dissect what had happened. Considered it and discovered his mind continued to return to certain observations. Elected to keep such things to himself. Just watched the conversations and avoided making things worse by talking, or so he hoped. (edited)

Alin had momentarily forgotten how cold he was, so absorbed in the task of making sure Vovvi was alright. He took her jacket in his hand, straightening up to help her to her feet with the other hand. "Are you sure? You'll be cold, too," he pointed out, already searching for a blanket to drape over her shoulders at the very least. He knew he wasn't built for cold, but neither were the Romulans... he presumed that's why the prison was so cold, but he needed to not spare another thought to that.

"Not as cold as you will be," she said, waving it insistently off. Vulcanoids were built for heat, yes, but those more reptilian likely had it much worse. Fuck if she knew. She was a computer nerd, not a doctor. "Right now, I'm just exhausted. I want nothing more than to rest. I'm not worried about it, but I'm not foolish enough to allow myself to freeze, I assure you." But she couldn't, could she? It was always hard to sleep around people she hardly knew. Harder in a place like this, when who knew what was happening to Paco..

"Only if you're sure," Alin said, grateful for the extra warmth as he slung the jacket over his shoulders before layering his blanket over it again, but worried nonetheless. "Please tell me if you get too cold, I'll give it back to you instantly. Please." Pleading with people in difficult situations was useless, usually, because all sense goes out the window under stress. Still, he tried to make her promise that she'd take care of herself, too.

"Of course," Vovvi affirmed, nodding, but she had a feeling they both knew she never would. For now, back to pacing like a caged animal until she wore herself out enough to sleep. Yay!

Ellie paced, trying to think of what to do for a moment. Contemplating what they could do to take their minds off things while staying warm and on the move. Most thoughts though, at the front of her mind, were about the ideas or worries of what could be happening to the human officer they had picked out. What punishment for disobedience they had planned. Pulling teeth? Breaking bones? She knew the states the human body could be put through before succumbing to stress or loss of blood, but she had to keep a clear head—no more tossing around useless ideas and worthless cyclones of investigative thought. Finally something came through, and the idea was stupid, and childish, but what else was there to do besides contemplate? Well there was one thing. Try to bond, turn something bad into something good. Not let the edge and despair take over. Before she stopped herself, fingers plucked a notepad from her pockets, raiding it as she tore out a piece of paper with a scrunch of friction. Balling it up into a patheticly shriveled white and gray orb. She contemplated for a second if this really was a good idea? Would it just upset people more? Well, she could always apologize. Unfortunately for Vovvi who was closest to the Golem, she was struck with incredibly subtle impact with the scrunched notes. Alin too a second later after another note was crushed into the measly 'snowball'.

Elohae closed his eyes then as he clasped his hands together and worked on them. Attempted to keep himself as warm as he could while he remained settled on his knees near the wall. Remained there,silent and alone with thoughts feelings emotions and the guilt that whispered about him as he just contemplated things. Contemplated them and considered sleeping a bit though he wondered if that would be something he could have managed right now.

For a short time he sat there, shivering beneath the jacket-sheet combo that was barely doing anything to keep out the cold. He bounced his leg, scratched at the beard that was growing in (and significantly pissing him off), and didn't last five minutes before he got up and started pacing again. Staying still had never been his forte to begin with. Now with Paco taken out by the guards and Vovvi injured, and him unable to help either, it felt like he either had to walk off that pent-up energy or possibly explode. While pacing he decided to break the silence. "Does anyone know what Lieutenant Umali did to annoy that officer so much?" He asked, although wasn't sure that he should have. If Paco had really done something bad then it would only make him more stressed about whatever the Tal Shiar might be doing to him in retribution. But that aside, he noticed something else of interest. From where he was keeping pace from behind Vovvi, he noticed a balled up piece of paper bounce off her arm and roll on the floor until it got too soggy from condensation and turned into mush. He tracked the movement back to Ellie. "...Are you throwing paper at people?"

After a bit of time, Elohae sagged back slightly as sleep ambushed the occasionally moving in sat down Romulan. As his back then nudged the wall,Elohae twitched fully awake again. He then shifted a bit and rested his head on the side of a cot. He then slipped into a brief exhausted in several ways, nap. (edited)

"I couldn't tell you," she answered, glancing back over her shoulder at Eicran. "I.. I believe he said something about him being a beverage tosser? I can't be sure." She had been busy gasping for air on the floor, struggling to comprehend the world around her beyond the sound of her own hammering heart and the pain of a nearly crushed windpipe. She'd probably misheard. "I didn't see him until we were all in the brig. I was in Intelligence," because of course she had been made useless in front of her colleagues, dragged around and — Vovvi flinched in the instant the paper ball struck her, head swivelling around until the culprit was discovered.. and almost immediately, she softened, letting out the tension in her shoulders with a shaky, frigid excuse for a chuckle. Ellie looked so serious, too. "Keeping me out of my own head, maybe.." she rubbed her upper arms to make up for the lack of movement, having already fished out her blindfold to cover her mouth and nose again. Maybe, maybe, if worst came to worst, they could tie it around their throat and— what, get nailed by a bunch of disruptors? She had been shot more than once before, and that was more than enough for her, thank you. "Unconventional, but thank you nonetheless, Ensign."

Elohae snapped awake then. Sleep snatched away from him by cold and by dreams pulled together by a mind that had glimpsed Tal Shiar once more. He jerked up slightly then and lightly cracked his head on the cot. Nothing major though the thrumming melody of bruising that would arrive whenever it arrived snatched tiredness from him. Proceeded to wake him up fully as he adjusted himself again and attempted to settle down to rest again.

Exhaustion was setting in properly now — emotional, from the turmoil she faced, physical from her lack of sleep. Her energy sufficiently sapped, she sighed, rubbing her eyes. How did they want to do this?.. She didn't want to freeze, but she didn't want to be close to anyone, just in case.. ugh. However they'd end up huddled, be it trying to squeeze together by one cot or in a circle somewhere, she'd happily follow suit. Paranoia would have to be quelled in the face of a tiredness that seeped into her bones like the chill, and she eventually fell into a rest far from peaceful, nodding off with her head buried in her arms. (edited)

As a nightmare snapped him awake once more, Elohae briefly looked around. Looked around and as he noted what people were doing, decided to move further away from people as he settled down again. Last thing he wanted to do was snap awake again after another Tal Shiar nightmare. Snap awake and do something that further compounded his stupidity. It was also admittedly that he wanted to not crack his head on a cot again. That is, if he slept then snapped awake again. That happened to hurt. Not that it mattered all things considered. Even though he settled down, not sleep graced Elohae in his exhausted state again yet. Pulled him from thought and feeling. No, eyes closed and hands clasped, Elohae brooded on and mulled over his thoughts as he just passed the time awake.

It appeared that it was nap time for cell three. Like Vovvi, he had eventually given up pacing as his energy slowly dwindled. Finally he settled down, looking very much like a Betazoid burrito as he curled up on his bed as much as flexibility would allow and wrapped the bedsheet even around his head. No one had started showing signs of hypothermia yet, but that was while they were awake. Their huddling together would have to do the trick for overnight (or whatever time it was) given that they couldn't ignore exhaustion forever. An overactive imagination provided him with the idea that some of them may not wake up again. Thank you, brain.

It was nap time for cell three right until the moment it wasn't. For there was a knock. Two consecutive ones, to be precise. (edited)

Alin sat up straight in his cot, his heart racing with the knocks. Wasn't taking the young lieutenant away enough? Wasn't nearly choking out the Commander enough? "Visitors, again," he concluded quietly, standing up with Vovvi's jacket and his own blanket still slung around his shoulders, the cold seeping into him again in a way that made him wonder how he ever fell asleep in the first place.

Ellie hadn't bothered to sleep, instead she had spent her time pacing and trotting around, investigating every crevice of the room. She even considered counting the little grooves in the wall until she had counted all six surfaces. Anything to slow her mind down. The noise of the knocking was a surprise. Besides the obvious of coming out if nowhere, why would they bother to knock? Unless it was a warning tk step away from the door. Which made sense now that she thought about it more. Her mind was in overdrive. Turning on her heels she watch the door, staring at it with inquisitive perception. Assuming the worst.

Eicran jolted awake as well, although it was less suddenly sitting up straight and more looking like a wriggling caterpillar as he de-tangled himself from the sheets. In an instant he was alert, heart rate quickening as he looked to the doors. "They just stormed in before," he stated as he wormed his way out of the sheets, voice a little raspy from breathing in the cold. Once he had extracted himself, he stood along with Alin, unwilling to let him go alone. "Why would they knock? Maybe they're bringing Paco back."

"I'd hope it isn't, coming back so soon after being removed I could only assume he was beaten harshly." She said to Kehal, tensing and releasing her fingers waiting patiently for somebody to rush in after the knocking. Her posture changed to more of an anxious slouch, bouncing one leg while she put weight on the other.

Elohaes eyes remained closed for a time before he decided to give up on sleep entirely for now. Opened his eyes then and just watched people from where he had situated himself away from people. He hadn't slipped into sleep and as a result snapped awake again, but well. That wasnt good in itself as that happened to mean he hadnt slept. Hadnt slept as he watched the situation, lipread and kept his hands clasped together. Attempted to stay warm.

The heavy lock gave way, clicking and turning before the door slowly opened...

And a young face poked in, looking into the room with a slight startle in those dark brown eyes. "Um-- everyone stay where you are, hands up where I can see them," he said, opening the door just a sliver more. Behind the short Romulan, someone's looming figure could be seen, standing sentry like a guardian angel...

Elohae raised his hands up as directed. Stared at the man as he did so. These people disgusted him utterly. But he signed nothing. They knew what he thought of them now and he happened to know what they'd do if he signed more. So he stared and he waited. In guilt, anger and a mix of other emotions now marred with the claws of exhaustion and cold that caused his muscles to shiver.

Ellie complied, putting her hands up and stabilizing the crooked posture she took. Fingers anxiously quivering as she stared at the boy. That's what he looked like atleast. Like some poor kid who got indoctrinated into this fascist horror-show. "With all do respect, where is the one you took from our cell?" She asked, pushing a polite tone out of her monotone normalcy that just sounded unnatural. Trying to keep a straight head she scanned around, adjusting her vision to better make out the figures behind him. (edited)

Eicran took note of the way that this latest officer looked startled, sounded uncertain. Hell, were they younger than Paco? If they had been alone with this Tal Shiar agent then it might have been something that the prisoners could use to their advantage, but Eicran was well aware of the looming figure in the background. While he desperately wanted to ask after Paco as well, he didn't want to accidentally entice any further violence from the Tal Shiar... So he stayed silent, but Ellie spoke up instead. He almost winced. Dear whatever gods were out there, please keep this civil. They didn't need anyone else being almost choked to death.

Alin followed suit, the order clear. With what had happened to Vovvi earlier, he didn't want to be the cause of that to anyone else.

"Solitary cell, I think," was the reply, as the Romulan used his foot to open the door wider. Unlike Rhean, this one just pushed it open. The reason for that soon became clear as he shouldered in and took a few timid steps inside, his gaze bouncing between Eicran and Alin, his hands clutching a pile of heavy-looking blankets. The shadow behind him shifted, which prompted a command that the newcomer uttered out without turning: "No no, Tess, it's okay. Stay put." The heap was put on the floor in front of the person, seemingly to save him from the need of entering the room any further. "This is for you. The temperatures are low enough to do some damage to you long-term, which I think is counterintuitive if you're here to be questioned. Um..."

Solitary? Eicran shot a concerned glance to Alin, aware that the psychological impact of being kept in solitary confinement could be considerable. Given that this Tal Shiar officer was helping them, he opted to speak up this time. "Uhm - thank you," he said, but didn't move from his position or lower his hands. They'd pick up the blankets once the agent was gone (even if said blankets would be sodden from the condensation dripping down the walls and pooling on the floor by then.) "It's appreciated - genuinely. Do you mind if I ask a couple of questions..? Namely, do you know how long the Lieutenant will be kept in solitary confinement for? And when you mention we'll be questioned - what about? Please understand, most of us know little of your organisation or of anything that might be beneficial to you..."

Alin caught Eicran's look, which. Yeah, solitary confinement could be incredibly detrimental to one's psychological well-being, especially over extended periods of time. They weren't in any such sort of timeframe yet, but with the added stress of everything that had happened the past few days and the knowledge of where they were now, it wouldn't take nearly as much. The statement worried him. He let Eicran do the talking though, for now, only looking at the blankets and longing for the warmth they could bring.

He gave Eicran a bombastic, distrustful side-eye, as he shifted his weight from one leg to another: "Like no more than an hour? Rhean's in a good mood though, so it might be less. And I dunno about that, I just know that people that get here are often questioned. I've never seen it happen myself, so..." He shrugged, the Tal Shiar outfit slightly too big for his frame crinkling at the motion. (edited)

He cringed internally at the look he was given. Alright, sorry. It appeared that what this Tal Shiar officer lacked in experience and certainty, he made up for in sass. Had it seriously not even been an hour yet since Paco had been removed from the cell? It appeared that without any chronometer or even a window to see outside with, time felt like it had ground to a standstill and what was barely any length felt like it droned on forever. "Ah, well, ehm. Thank you. For the blankets." What else could he say to Sass McGee over here? Although to be fair, he'd rather someone be sassy than downright vicious.

Oh. Oh, no. "Yes, thank you. We appreciate the supplies, mister..." oldest trick in the book, maybe, but holy crap, this was a kid. An actual child, someone nervous and young, and why were they here? Why were they here? Gods, he wasn't aware the Tal Shiar was in the business of employing people barely scratching adulthood with their fingernails. On Earth, way back when, this would have constituted a war crime.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," came a scoff, an awkward attempt at aloofness that only a teenager could muster. "The blankets are waterproof by the way. Others won't mind as long as you don't show them off, so put them under the other blanket or something." Still, he lingered. Curiosity about these - literally - aliens holding him in place, and it looked like Lahae was torn between asking a question, or leaving before one of the big guys could get him... Though Starfleet were rather passive, right? That's what he'd been told before... (edited)

Elohae formed one hand into a sign and proceeded to sign the sign 'Ask' in RSL as he continued to keep his hands up. "Ask Once he'd formed that sign and as guilt spiked through him once more along with worry, Elohae promptly resolved to not say anything further. He'd done enough damage with what he'd previously signed. He needed to stop signing more. Stop doing stuff that caused other people to get hurt. So he just..hoped they'd not noticed the sign. (edited)

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Elohae signing something. For the love of all that was holy, Eicran hoped that it wasn't him going on about Tal Shiar dogs or implying that all they did was bark. He wasn't sure how this young officer would take that, given how it seemed like they were uncertain but trying to act as though they were all like the other officers. "...Is there anything you need of us?" Eicran ended up asking. Himself and Alin probably didn't look too vicious right now given that they were half-frozen, tired, and completely unarmed. He wanted to ask about the mention of 'others' too - did that mean they'd be released into a common area and get to see those they'd be separated from? - but he didn't want to chance his luck with too many questions.

With the fact that the medical officer had in essence asked the guy a question and in a way asked him to ask, Elohae clasped his hands together as he held them up in the air. He fully intended to not sign any further now. He knew full well what these Tal Shiar dogs happened to do if provoked and he didn't want to cause more harm. The guilt happened to tear at him enough already.

"You all just look weird," he said, with zero malice and hundred percent wonder. Slipped up there, Tei... "Well, some of you at least. I rarely see someone who's not a Romulan or Reman..."

Alin had to keep his expression in check in much the same way he had to when a patient was talking about a traumatic experience. In any other situation, his face would have fallen, clearly betraying his thoughts. "Well, I suppose I don't look very typical for the Federation, either," he simply said gently, quietly, a sort-of sore point in the way that he'd never managed to start interpreting standing out as a source of confidence. He didn't hate himself for who he was, his strangeness somehow mundane in the Federation, but it wasn't something he felt he could be proud of, specifically. It was just something he didn't think about too much, except for when it bothered him, when people couldn't bear to part with their preconceived notions. He lowered his hands ever so slightly, taking a tentative step forwards towards the blankets, then another, to hopefully inch closer to the kid. Show he wouldn't be a threat, and maybe get to those blankets quicker. "Have you been here long, then?" he asked, almost worried about what answer he might receive.

Eicran stayed quiet, happy to let Alin take the lead here. The Tal Shiar officer had a look of curiosity when he spoke of other species, no digust or prejudice to be found. It made the youngster seem even younger if that was at all possible. What was he doing here? Were his parents in the Tal Shiar? This wasn't the place for him...

His eyes grew wide at the approach, though because it was so slow, Lahae didn't bolt nor call for help. Instead, he continued, voice growing ever so slightly meek: "Is that a bad thing? U-um, anyways... I don't think I should tell you that information... can be used against me somehow, I know that much..."

Rudely awoken from her slumber, Vovvi had complied without question. She knew better than to toe out of line with her neck still sore, fingerprint bruises already taking shape. ..her expression twitched near imperceptibly at the sight of someone so young — she would not let herself soften, knew let her guard down for a moment, but.. what kind of game did they think they were playing here? Vovvi remained quiet, brows furrowed as Alin conversed with the little one, eyeing Eicran as if to say "are you seeing this shit, my guy?"

Eventually, Alin was close enough to kneel, to start gathering the blankets in his arms. To really allow the kid to look at him, a sort of self-imposed freakshow treatment. Perhaps, in a way, to show him that different didn't need to be scary. "I don't think we'll be able to use it against you, sir," Alin said gently, a heap of blankets in his massive arms. Already a warmth was seeping into him that he'd lacked for the past however long they'd been in here. "We're cold, and tired, and we don't have any sort of tools. But you don't have to tell us, we won't try to make you."

For the first time since coming in there, Lahae looked away from them, his expression conflicted: "... Like a year. Can't say I like it much here comparatively, but it's not up to me, so... why you ask, though?"

He met Vovvi's eyes in return and frowned back, hopefully conveying a silent 'I am in fact seeing this shit.' What did he mean that it wasn't up to him? That he was being forced somehow? If they managed to get out of here - which they would, because the fleet would find them - Eicran hoped that they would have the opportunity to take this youngster with them as well. He didn't want to presume, but someone that age being mixed up in the Tal Shiar felt so wrong. He might have joined in asking more questions but the presence of the other person still looming outside the doorway was offputting. If they kept asking, and their young guard kept answering, then they could land him in trouble.

Knock, knock-knock. The rhythm of those knocks prompted Lahae to perk up with a startled "oh" and look at the door: "Ah, I'm taking too long... I'll maybe come by later sometime. Now I gotta go... make sure to hide the blankets!" Looking an awfully lot like a child in the middle of a mischief, the teenager awkwardly stumbled back to the door without turning his back on the bunch and knocked back. The figure - did it... not move at all? - was quick to retrieve the boy and lock the door. Briefly the prisoners could hear Lahae saying something to his companion.

Alin nodded and did as Lahae said, quickly distributing the blankets and letting everyone put one on their bed. He kept Paco's one safe for the moment, figuring he was the biggest here and would do the best job hiding it for the time being.

When the doors closed Eicran let out a sigh, feeling like the adrenaline that had come with being awoken had now vanished instantaneously. Never mind that blanket being left on his bed - it was going right around his shoulders. "How old do you reckon that agent is...?" He asked, gazing at the door as if he could still picture said agent standing there. "I'm not even sure he looks old enough to get into SFA."

Vovvi gratefully nodded and shoved her blanket under the other on her bed. "Manipulation is a terrible thing," she said, letting out a shaking sigh. "I am not surprised they managed to reach such a young mind, but it doesn't... make it any better." By force, or by other means, she couldn't be sure. What did the Tal Shiar want with a child? Was it exactly as it appeared to be, building a perfectly obedient officer from the ground up?..

A few minutes later, Rhean arrived - he ordered his ensigns to deposit Paco on a bed, while he stood in the doorframe. "Impressionable, that one," he idly commented, unphased by what happened in the corridor. He's dealt with many people, and bore witness to many things, more often than not a result of things done by his own hands. "Wish we could spend some more time together my lovelies, but I have a patrol I need to do today. Heard there was a shuttle our people shot down - do you want souvenirs in case it was your gallant colleagues? Can't promise there's anything left of them, though."

Her jaw tightened just barely, but she forced herself to remain still, quiet, finding the floor by Rhean's feet more interesting than the man's face. A glance to the others in the room — don't move, don't speak, don't fight back, and maybe, maybe.. She could already feel something tightening her throat again.

Paco is unconscious still. Seems like he took a battering, but it was mostly self-inflicted from the amount of time spent in Solitary PaConfinement. Slept fine in the bed. Just wanted to say, Rhean does smell like puke now. mhm.

The sound of the doors opening had made him hopeful that their young friend was returning, but the lack of a polite knock first made it obvious that this wasn't the case. Instead it was their unfriendly agent from earlier plus cronies - and Paco. The scientist was deposited on his cot, completely limp, and Eicran's brain immediately went into overdrive. As soon as the agents had backed away from setting Paco down, Eicran was on his feet. He held up both hands to convey that he wasn't doing anything threatening, only making his way over to Paco. He cringed at the smell of blood, sweat, and bodily fluids. "What happened to him?" He asked of the agents, solely keeping the bite out of his tone because he didn't want to end up getting anyone in trouble. Like he always did at work he pushed the swell of emotions down, acting like a clinical blank slate. With both hands he rolled Paco over to his side and tilted his chin upwards slightly. Of course Eicran's brain had already gone to things like aspiration, or the fact that the Lieutenant was unconscious with no visible sign why. He could think of a thousand horrid things that might have happened at the Tal Shiar's hands. That was where his focus stuck. Not on the mention of a shuttle having been shot down, not at the thought that a rescue attempt might have failed; just on Paco.

"Freaked out in the single cell and got sedated," came a reply from one of the agents. She looked to Rhean, then: "I have a medkit with me. Permission to lend if he's deemed to be in a bad state?"

The man briefly rolled his eyes, but gestured with his hand: "Oh, sure, sure. I am off to get a fresh uniform and collect people for the patrol. Shoot the shark and the rest dead if they so much as blink wrong..."

"Is he—" she'd started, but was soon kindly proven correct. At least through word of mouth.. Paco had to be still alive. Sedated, but alive. She exhaled in relief, fingertips digging just barely into her own arms. "Can I— is there anything I can help with, Commander...?" There was actively another medical officer in the room, so she probably wouldn't be very useful, but she'd be happy to.. hold something, or....

Frozen. Elohae remained frozen as he watched the Arraine and the other Tal Shiar. Watched them with a certain degree of fear in his heart. Not for him but for what could be caused by him. What if he signed the wrong thing what if he set the man off again. What if he caused harm again, not in the defense of a patient but just cause he allowed this or that emotion to spur him into a decision that now in some ways just seemed like it'd been roundly stupid to him. What if he did something or signed something they didn't recognise or or or. He blinked then and looked to Paco. Looked at him as his jaw worked. As he struggled with a mixture of things. As his mind howled at him that there were officers present, that that man was there. That that threat had been issued, a threat he'd managed to catch enough of to get the general gist of. He wasn't afraid for himself but. What if he screwed up again? He felt like he'd caused them to do that, suspected he knew why they'd done what they'd done but. H-he couldn't. Th-this wasn't. Officers happened to be present, he was just a discharged ex-paramedic. He was a ex-paramedic. He wanted to help, to do something but. He glimpsed the Arrain and remained...frozen. Looked at Paco, eyes full of concerned worry but remained... frozen.

The officer made the situation here quite clear: if any of them did the slightest thing out of line, they were to be shot. Raiding the medical kit for strong sedatives would have been foolish anyway. They'd step foot in the direction of taking down one guard and be shot by another. There really wasn't any chance. If allowed, he would retrieve a tricorder and dermal regenerator from the medical kit and use them to heal any of the cuts and bruises Paco had. Thank God that he was only sedated and there was nothing more nefarious causing his unconsciousness. Eicran did wonder how he would be upon waking, though. Even such little time in solitary confinement had driven the poor scientist wild by the looks of things. "He'll be okay," he confirmed, as he worked, giving a brief shake of the head to Vovvi to say that nothing was needed for now. Perhaps she could offer more support when Paco awoke, though. Speaking of Vovvi... "Might I be allowed to use this equipment to help one of the others too? She was injured earlier," he said to the guards.

She glanced upon the others, before nodding a very unsure, "Sure. Be quick, though."

Another knock — two, quick, sharp, before the door was unlocked. Vidi's gaze slid lazily across the prisoners. "Hold on just a moment. Nobody move," she said, holding up a hand before gesturing to Elohae. "I'm taking that one with me. We'll only be a bit." And, before anyone could protest, she was worming her way in, gesturing for someone to help properly restrain Elohae, disruptors set on keeping the other prisoners in their place. (edited)

The storm of emotions Elohae had experienced a moment ago snapped into ice cold grim anticipation of what was to come when he was pointed at. As he turned his head to focus on the person. Noted how they'd gestured, remained still then as he waited for them to approach. He'd comply with them, oh they disgusted him and he'd made that plain before but. He worried for what they'd do to others if he acted out. So he watched them, disgusted but fully prepared to comply and be restrained. Grimly aware of the sort of fate that might be expected for a defector. But that'd been a risk he been comfortable with when he'd defected to the Republic. What worried him was what they'd do to other people. His bill had come due, but he had resolved to not give them reason to harm another again. He'd acted in a roundly stupid way once, he'd not do so twice. He just. He just wished he'd had the courage to defect earlier. To resist earlier. To have served a cause opposed to them earlier. No matter where he then ended up. Not been the coward who'd waited. Who'd not objected so many times before then, seen what the empire did and still joined up. Oh he'd helped people, attempted to heal not harm. But he'd remained silent when people had disappeared before. He.. he wished he'd had more courage back then. Regretted that. (edited)

They got one person back and then another was taken. The next for a trip to solitary confinement, maybe? That forced blank façade of his threatened to crumble as concern welled within him. He wanted to say something. Elohae wasn't Starfleet, and he feared how the Tal Shiar would treat him for being a former Republic Flotilla officer. Not speaking up was cowardly - but when the concern was that someone else would be hurt further due to speaking up, was it cowardice or protectiveness? Eicran had no idea any more. 'Good luck,' he mouthed to Elohae as he was marched past, hoping the Romulan would see him. 'You'll be okay.'

It took everything in Vovvi to remain still as the guards moved Elohae past her. Her hands curled into fists. Useless, useless again, she couldn't risk being reduced to smithereens here, but at what point would her own selfishness break her? "Please come back safe," was all she could manage, quietly, weakly. Don't do anything stupid, she practically begged him. Don't get yourself killed. Don't make me bring home a corpse.

With that, she marched him out to the #prison-corridor.

Elohae lightly proceeded to shake his head at the you will be okay. Mouthed. 'Time to pay the bill.' Smiled briefly then as he awaited restraint and presumably was then marched off. He just looked at Vovvi then. Mouthed. 'I'm sorry.' Then off he departed into the corridor. (edited)

Once Elohae had been taken out of the room, Eicran went about turning the medical tricorder on Vovvi next to check what sort of damage had been done earlier. If anything, at least the dermal regenerator could ease any bruising. He worked in silence aside from quietly asking Vovvi if it was okay to proceed. With so many guards having appeared in the last while, it felt as though even a word - not even anything bad - might cause some inverse reaction.

Vovvi's body tensed in a flinch when Eicran got close — not his fault, her own mind was working overdrive imagining all the terrible things the Tal Shiar could do to her, could be doing to Elohae.. She remained still once her surroundings caught up with her, however, allowing herself to be treated with a sigh of relief. "Thanks," she managed hoarsely, sniffling and reaching up to touch the old injury. Bruises gone, the soreness beginning to soothe.

A quiet 'sorry' was given to Vovvi, completely understanding that she wouldn't want anyone close. After a short silence that was only filled by the hum of the dermal regenerator, Eicran packed away the kit to give it back to the guards. The sooner they were out of the room again, the better.

With the kit back in their possession, the guards swiftly left, leaving the door behind them locked.

"...I should have asked if we could keep that," he muttered just after the doors had slid closed. There was simply no way of knowing what the limit was with these officers. One gave them better blankets, the other strangled someone who hadn't done anything wrong... It was like walking on eggshells but the outcome could be far worse. Paco had been taken away and put in solitary confinement for fighting back on the starbase. Elohae had been taken god-knows-where: maybe it was time for more punishment for the 'dog' comment. One of the guards had mentioned questioning too - he feared that they may go for the Intelligence officer in the room to see what information she had, and it was unlikely that they would hold back in their methods either. Eicran re-wrapped the blanket around himself so he could keep his hands free. He then settled on the floor at Paco's head, not caring about the damp beneath, and set his back against the cot's frame. He tried to consider how long they had been in the ship's brig and now in this more permanent prison. Simultaneously it felt like it had been forever and no time at all. Not even having a window to mark the passage of time was frustrating. Not knowing was frustrating, and there was so much to not know. Was the fleet looking for them? Why had the Tal Shiar taken them here? Where were the others from 777, and were they okay? So many questions and no answers to any of them. With a heavy exhale he set his head back against the cot's frame too. The nervous, pent-up energy he had displayed earlier seemed to have worn out between everything that had happened following the prisoners' rude awakening. Despite the new blanket the cold kept creeping in - and now having a glimpse of what his cellmates might be subject to, given Vovvi being near and Paco being scared half to death, it felt as though the cold was there to stay.

Vovvi, feeling like she could breathe for the first time for a few hours, took a very deep one in celebration. "It's fine," she said, shaking her head in response to the apology. "I'm sorry. I should be—" Stronger? Less of a coward? She didn't know how she wanted to finish that sentence. She picked up both of her blankets, winding them tight around her shoulders and re-tying her bandana. She sat at Eicran's side, leaving a bit of distance between them, but still close enough. An apology of sorts for flinching away. She gestured for Alin and Ellie to come with them, if they so desired. So she'd failed the one thing they all agreed on. To protect a civilian. "I don't think they want to kill us," she murmured, drawing her knees to her chest. "At least, not yet. I don't know if they want information, who knows how much they have already." She sighed out a puff of white in the cold air. "Maybe they just want to see us suffer?.." (edited)

Eicran had expected silence, and certainly not Vovvi coming over. He patted the ground next to him like he was welcoming her to take a seat there (and then he wiped his hand on his blanket seeing as how it was now wet from the floor, blech). He honestly didn't mind that she had flinched away when he had went over to take a look at the bruising that had started to form around her neck. Eicran was pretty sure that he would have acted the same if the roles were reversed. "I'm not sure either." He tried to stretch his legs out in front of him but instantly got disgusted at the feeling of wet condensation seeping into his trousers. Subsequently his legs were crossed under the blanket as best he could instead, but that wasn't comfortable either. Curse him for not being flexible. What was the deal with it being so cold and moist in here, anyway? Who had decided that they deserved that treatment? "Surely they'll put us to use eventually. It would be a waste of resources if they didn't. We'll be... I don't know. Painting raptor art on the bottom of their birds of prey. Or is it warbirds when it's Romulan..? I never worked out the difference."

With everyone having two blankets now, Alin walked up to Vovvi to return her own jacket. "Here. It's plenty warm now for me," he said, only sort of telling the truth. At least he wasn't shivering violently anymore. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to be of much help," he said, to Vovvi, but also to Eicran, to Ellie, and to Paco. He didn't know what else to say. He'd never been so at a loss for how to proceed as he was now.

"Warbirds," she confirmed, completely lacking any enthusiasm. Vovvi hesitated for only a moment before taking her jacket, shrugging it on before replacing her blankets. "Thank you," she said. "You have helped all you possibly can, Commander. That means more than you could ever know. Just because you..." she frowned, trying to properly put the words together, "Because you don't think you have made yourself useful, does not make it the case. You have been patient, you have been kind, and I think... I think that is enough, for right now." She understood the feeling of being trapped without access to the tools you relied on to do your job effectively. Vovvi dug her face against her knees a little more, tired eyes squeezing shut. Had they gotten their hands on Veldan and Ivissa, she wondered? Were they being cared for properly? Would she be too late? "I think kindness is what we all need, right now," she said so, so softly.

He nodded his head to agree with Vovvi. Even if it didn't look so enthusiastic he meant it - the cold just felt like it was slowly turning his head and neck into icicles. He adjusted the blanket for the umpteenth time. "You've been plenty of help. You spoke to that young officer and started building a rapport. Maybe he'll help us more because of it." And let's face it, they could certainly be doing with more help. Even with these blankets it was still frigid in the cell, and the condensation and moisture meant clothes ended up damp too, disgustingly enough. Maybe if they offered to mop the place they'd be allowed... "Poor Lieutenant Umali will probably need your help once he wakes, too. I know he wasn't in solitary confinement for long, but the fact they had to sedate him..." Speaking of which, Eicran craned himself round to check on the mentioned officer. Airway still clear, breathing still steady. Hopefully he might wake feeling rested instead of terrified at having been left isolated, alone, and afraid. "And yourself, Lt. Cdr. t'Rei'nak. You're an Intelligence officer. Everyone looks up to your department. I bet you'll be able to give him some reassurance, too."

All the more reason for her to stop moping. Was Vovvi worthy of the position of a role model right now? Cowering away from her captors like a beaten animal, when she hadn't even suffered to the Tal Shiar to the extent some of her closest friends had?.. She visibly withered just a little more, a wilting, delicate flower in the cold compared to the strong, clever officer she once thought herself to be. "I don't exactly feel very intelligent right now," she chuckled bitterly. "I was a security officer before I was recruited, you know?.. Cybersecurity was just an interest of mine. You could call it a hobby." A way to keep herself from the prying eyes of her family while she fled further and further into the depths of space. "Entirely in the way of self-preservation, rather than using it for something worthwhile... There isn't much I can do here. Not unless we have to brute force our way out, or get some sort of PADD. Nonetheless, these cells will be built to withstand the strength of a Romulan, so." (edited)

Paco was unconscious. Well, not for long. After some time of just getting what could possibly be the best sleep Paco had ever gotten for the past few days since he was captured and transported over here. But even nice things eventually come to an end, as Paco very slowly came to with a quiet audible groan. Oh yea, he also lost his glasses at some point between bashing himself against the door, screaming and flailing around like his life dependent on it while being held by Rhean, and vomiting on the big mean Romulan's back on their way over to the cell.

Quietly he listened to Vovvi talk, brow furrowing with the more she explained. Self-preservation? It must be something to do with the Free State or even the Star Empire, he presumed. (He didn't want to take a guess at Vovvi's age to work out which. That would have been rude). A Romulan in Starfleet Intelligence was likely to have some sort of story behind them. Everyone did, he mused: every single person you came across had their own tale. How many people here had been through hardship and were now going through more despite not deserving it? How many people had friends or family back on the station and didn't even know if they were still alive? "I don't think any of us feel very intelligent right now, or strong, or useful. But that's not our fault - it's solely because we're outmatched. We were from the second that they raided the station, maybe even before, if Commander T'Shai had been a spy all this time. And not catching her earlier wasn't your fault, or Intelligence's fault, or Security's fault. It was just..." A sign the Tal Shiar were better, despite them being so backwards in their views. A sign that Starfleet couldn't keep up. "How it was meant to be." God, it was like the more he tried to be positive and reassuring, the more they went down a depressive path instead. They were interrupted by a groan from behind. (That was probably a good thing given that it prevented Eicran from providing any more depressive talk). He shuffled round to face Paco and adjusted his position so he was on his knees instead of sat down, aiming for the two of them to be at the same head height so it didn't seem like he was looming over the young scientist. "Hey - can you hear me, Lieutenant Umali? You're alright."

"I agree with Commander Kehal... I don't think anyone who was taken feels particularly good about themself." Shouldn't he be helping with that? Wasn't that his responsibility? But he couldn't even get himself to think positively, so how was he going to get anyone else to keep up their spirits? When Paco groaned, that at least distracted them enough. He kept an eye on Eicran, ready to jump in to help if necessary.

Around this time, as the doors slipped opened, Elohae slipped then stumbled then fell through them. Landed with a thunk as the doors slipped closed again and locked. He then released a slow breath, Elohae for a groaned ow. Issued as he elected to just lie there for a moment. Ow.

Grateful for the abrupt shift away from her insane mutterings, Vovvi was quick to Elohae's side while the others tended to Paco. "Are you hurt? Can you stand?" she asked him, signing along before offering a hand up. "What did they..." Ugh. Not now, she'd done enough to worsen the mood already. (edited)

Elohae accepted the hand gently and signed one handed. ‘experimented’ then ‘on’ then tapped his implants one handed. “They experimented on me, my ears/implants.” Frowned a bit and then signed. ‘Torture’ then added, ‘Over?’ Then proceeded to shake his head no. “They’ve not finished torturing me,” The Romulan’s jaw twitched a bit before he mustered a smile and mouthed. ‘I’m fine’ traced one of his ears with one hands, tested if he could remove his ear piece. Discovered it wouldn’t disengage. Attempt,opted to stand with her help as he searched for somewhere out of the way to settle. Noted Paco being helped, wanted to take no focus away from the officer who needed help, the officer who had skills that probably happened to be far useful to their survival than he happened to be. The officer who seemed far more in need of attention than he happened to be. Signed. “Wanted me for defection, treason, desertion.” Looked briefly and utterly pained and furious then for a moment as he signed. “Said things, did things, intend bad toward Starfleet prisoners, maybe kill maybe no” He needed to tell them what he could. “Telepathically invaded, me with Reman-male-telepath-Tal-Shiar to ‘communicate.’”

Vovvi frowned, helping Elohae back over to where they were all huddled around Paco's bed, fetching his blankets off his bed for a bit more warmth. "I'm so sorry." Defection, treason.. words that soured in her gut, threatened to swallow her whole. What could she say to him? What could she do? She shrugged off one of her blankets, adding it to the pile and wrapping all three around Elohae's shoulders. The temperature wasn't much better up there, after all (even if she didn't know where he was). "Get some rest, alright? We have to push through. We can fix your implants once we're back home." She smiled faintly, fondly. "I know just the engineer for the job." It was almost like a switch had flipped in the presence of the civilian, doing her best to keep up while everything was crashing down. She got up to continue pacing. "Anything from the Lieutenant, yet?" she asked, glancing over.

Ellie was pretty inactive as she tried to busy herself with scribbles on paper. Silently protesting when the scarred man made his appearance and took away Elohea. Her mind working in rapid tidal waves when he had returned. While she didn't understand sign language completely, she got the gist of it based off what the Golem did process and how Vovvi reacted she figured it was painful. Bastards. "They will likely pull someone out again." She commented, they seemed to be pulling each person out one by one like some grab bag of 'who can we ruin next?' It was vile, the only tolerable face that arrived seemed to be the kid who came with arms burdened by supplies so they wouldn't die. The blanket helped, but she still shivered under the comforters. Studying everything she can a second, third, fourth, and fifth time until she felt that every crevice would be known to her. "They want us alive for something." Ellie commented, an idea crossed her mind, maybe when they pulled her out she'll be able to ask indirect questions to give useful information to the team. Also in part, to likely calm and distract her head away from whatever monstrous struggles she'd be put under past the corridor.

Paco seemed to be taking his time at coming around, still not fully alert. Eicran remained knelt nearby, although turned at the sound of the doors opening. He would have gotten up to help Elohae but was caught between him and Paco. Thankfully, Vovvi stepped in to assist - both in helping the Romulan up and interpreting his sign language. Eicran listened in as Vovvi spoke the words out loud so everyone else could understand what was being said. With the more that was spoken, the more grateful he was that he was facing away from the centre of the room. He only hoped that Paco didn't wake to find him staring at the wall, wide-eyed, eyes suddenly glistening with a wetness akin to the condensation that continued to drip around them. He could feel his breath hitch, his heart begin to race like a vehicle going from zero to a hundred, his stomach drop, his head swim. 'They've not finished torturing me.' He had heard that story before. That had been what happened to the Voth, except they hadn't even been able to tell anyone about it. They hadn't been able to confide in one another, sworn to secrecy by a Starfleet officer who found himself with the same moral code as the Tal Shiar. Was history repeating itself? Would they torture and isolate and experiment on everyone here until there was nothing left - nothing left but a single medic there to ease their suffering for good? Because that was how it had happened the last time, you know: the torture, the violence, the repeated suffering - and him ending it all. Through the sound of his own heartbeat and blood rushing he just managed to make out the question about Paco. He shook his head although regretted the movement, instantly feeling sick. He ground his teeth together and focused on watching the condensation drip down the wall like it was a lifeline, trying not to imagine the water changing colour and becoming the consistency of blood. Not again. Not again. Not again.

"Commander?" Alin had been watching the interaction between the others, not knowing how to jump in to best help. He wasn't needed, really, between Vovvi and Eicran the situation seemed mostly handled; Eicran was a more useful physician than he was, here, and Vovvi was strong and intelligent and had a knowledge of the situation they were in that maybe didn't provide much comfort, but it did mean at least someone knew more about what was going on. But then Eicran had... checked out. Alin watched the colour drain from his face, sweat starting to pool in his hairline despite the cold. He hadn't even caught the cause of it, not really, but nonetheless he approached, kneeling beside Eicran, not wanting to touch yet in case it would cause him to startle too badly. "Commander Kehal, can you hear me?" he asked, gently, not too loudly so as not to scare him.

Sorry guys, this GM just LOVES being mean to this particular cell. Hence why there were footsteps, and a knock that followed. It was more thunderous than what Lahae's relatively small fist could produce...

If anyone would notice him somewhat losing it, it would have been Alin. It was kind of in his job description after all. Eicran didn't move when he saw his fellow medic crouch down next to him, but did nod a little at the question. "Just... Give me a minute," he muttered, just audible given that he still had his teeth gritted together. He forced himself to take a few slow breaths in, desperate not to let his breathing get out of control. Not here, not now, there was more important matters at hand like seeing to Elohae, although he didn't want to look- And then there was the hammering at the door. He flinched, hard, and snapped around to face the door faster than he knew he could. Who was it for this time? Vovvi? Picking on the Romulans who supported the Republic or the Federation first? Not her. She had been nothing but nice. She didn't deserve it. None of them deserved it.

"In through the nose, out through the mouth, Commander," Alin guided gently, providing an example through exaggerating his own breathing. He had to suppress a flinch at the knock on the door, still trying to guide Eicran to regaining his bearings.

She glanced up as Alin's voice cut through the quiet, giving Eicran a concerned look. Vovvi opened her mouth to speak, but it was quickly cut off by the knock. Elements. Couldn't they get a break? Just a moment to get their bearings? Who was she kidding. "Blankets," she said in a voice so quiet it was practically just a breath, rushing to hide the extras under the covers. They wouldn't take what little comfort they had managed to grasp in this wicked place. They couldn't. The least she could do was see to that.

Ellie clamped her hands into fists under her blankets. Releasing the tension as she got up, shivering now that she had been exposed to the temperature again. She stuffed the thicker blanket under the sorry excuse of cloth. Standing up straight with her hands held up at her sides. "Just stay calm." She mumbled allowed, mostly to herself but could be picked up by almost everybody. She dug her thumb into the sole of her hand and she tried her best to keep a clear head.

He came in with the smell of smoke. A figure slightly shorter than Rhean, his gait slow and flowing yet with an unmistakable hint of tensity underneath it all. A coiled snake, prepared for a strike. Dirty amber eyes swept over the gathering, half-lidded and carrying shadows underneath and above them that made them appear perpetually bruised. "Caught you all at the bad moment, huh?" he scratched at his slight stubble, tilting his long, angular face slightly upwards. Something peaked out from underneath his collar - a tattoo? "Ah well. Commander Kehal, how about you follow me for a lovely talk?"

He had still been panicking internally and trying to will everything from his heart rate to his breathing to calm down, but the task of hiding the blankets gave him something to put his focus onto for now. (It also helped conceal the slight shaking of his hands as shivering from the cold instead). Given the pattern of people being removed from the room, he expected it to be Vovvi next - so when this new figure asked for him, it was completely unexpected. "Me?" Eicran asked, very thankful that his voice didn't come out as a high pitched squeak. In fact it was a little rough, hoarse, and he cleared his throat before speaking again. This new Tal Shiar agent didn't have the same physical size as the one who had strangled Vovvi, but a trained eye could see the energy which went into each step, resulting in a terrifying grace. Some cowardly part of him wished that another person in the room might step in, but the part that was still determined to fight for everyone's safety very much hoped they wouldn't. Disoriented from being so thrown and panicked by what Elohae had conveyed, it now felt even worse to be on the other side of the coin. Earlier it had been him protesting other people's removal, and now it was his turn. "You want to talk to me?"

The man purposefully looked around the room, gesture slow, thorough, before those eyes looked at the Betazoid again with a slight shrug to his shoulders: "Well, unless there's a family member of yours that I don't know about... yes, dear officer. You."

"Commander—" He was already in a bad way only a moment prior, trapped in a daze she couldn't begin to understand, and now they sought to take his misery and drown him in it? Maybe they'd seen him on the cameras and decided to rub it in... Her hands curled into fists. "Don't you all have anything else to do?" Other than torment their prisoners? Probably not.

Stupidly, he also looked around the room when the officer did. It was pretty lucky that he didn't have a family member here: he wouldn't have lasted five minutes locked up in their company. Unsure of exactly what to say - why they hell would they want to talk to him, it wasn't as though he'd have any information useful to the local Evil Romulan Squad - he went to nod... But then Commander t'Rei'nak spoke up. "It's okay," he swiftly interjected, hoping that if he agreed then their latest officer friend wouldn't take any anger out on Vovvi. "I'll talk. I am..." A nervous chuckle then, followed by a statement which was less of a purposeful lie and more of a joke. "Famously good at talking."

"Commander's orders," was the reply, as his gaze briefly flitted to Vovvi. "You have Rhean coming after you later, so perhaps you should be worrying about that, Rei'nak. " Then, back to Eicran. "I have a tendency for finding common language with people, and I doubt you'll be any different. Now, your hands in front of you..." Click went the handcuffs, and the medical officer was guided out of the cell, into the corridor, and towards the interrogation chamber... (edited)

If Paco's roleplayer actually wrote stuff fast enough earlier, instead of playing PEAK! Paco would've started screaming the moment he saw Eicran right at his face, to which in his blurry post-sedated vision looked like a scary guy preparing to open him up. But no, Yugi his time playing Peak. Paco just woke up gradually and watched quietly from his cot, and when he saw who Eicran and the others were talking to, he decided to start playing dumb and dead as so he wouldn't catch their attention. Keeping himself appearing unconsious and mute. Not moving a muscle. They put Paco in Solitary PaConfinement once, they shall never do that shit ever again. Paco would've prefered that scary shit from 1984 where they put a cage on the guys face, and then placed rabid rads inside to eat the guys face unless he confessed to his crimes. Paco was not enjoying. Paco did not know how to help. He only knew to keep quiet and stay still to save his shins, and probably the shins of his friends too.... (edited)

She could not afford to confront the wave of dread that washed over her like cold water. She couldn't do anything, really; just watch, mouth 'good luck', and viciously repress the urge to sock the officer in the face. She was smarter than that. She would like to keep all of her limbs. Vovvi exhaled, flexing fingers to quit white-knuckling the edge of her jacket, trying to focus elsewhere.. She knelt down at Paco's bedside, smiling wearily. "Hi, Lieutenant. How are you feeling?..*

"P-Paco almost punched him in the face...." Paco answered, tired, his voice strained from the constant screaming and yelling. "Him" referred to Eicran whom he initially thought was one of them trying to gut him like a fish while in a hospital bed... or probe him like those dumb 21st century movies. "Everything hurts..."

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking around. "I would get you some water or something, but we haven't got any right now. You just... Just get some rest, alright? We'll do all we can to make sure you feel better. " Would it help to try to stretch, or ... She glanced at Alin for help, or any sort of advice on how to proceed. Eicran come back we miss you.

Alin watched Eicran go, slightly hating himself for not speaking up. Why didn't he work harder to protect everyone? Why couldn't he move? Eventually, he turned back to Paco, tucking him in in his warm blanket, the first blanket over top. "Yes, as Commander Rei'nak said. Just rest up, we'll make sure to wake you when food arrives." He didn't know what else to do for Paco. For someone he knew better, or a child in his care, he might have reached out to pet their hair comfortingly, but for some reason that felt like overstepping now. He was uncertain of every move.

While all Elohae had managed to do earlier when Vovvi apologised to him was let himself be led wherever she'd wanted. Led there as he'd sharply proceeded to shake his head at the i'm so sorry. Still somewhat not entirely with it as grief clawed at him, now with the departure of the Tal Shiar once more and the fact some confidence to have signed more returned, he turned to Vovvi slightly on the cot. Other blanket still concealed. Elohae had then fixed eyes upon her that were ringed by the signs he'd barely managed much sleep at all. Waited for a opportunity where they glimpsed him and signed in RSL, to her specifically. "I'm sorry I didn't speak earlier, but.. you don't need to apologise to me at all Ma'am, I made the choice I made with full knowedge of the risks." Paused then. "I only wish I'd been less of a coward and had defected sooner." He'd elected to not respond to the stuff about his implants. Oh part of him hoped they'd get out of here but well. Others might intend to kill him, part of him reckoned and even if they didn't, with the Tal Shiar that might be a worse fate than death. At least that was how he partially considered it. Considered it as he idly signed to himself. "Sleep?" Signed then. "..That's where the ghosts are."

Vovvi rubbed her hands together, tucking them into her pockets as she continued her back-and-forth. At least she'd be getting a little bit of cardio in while in prison.... Yaaaay. "I'm sure it won't be long," she murmured aloud. Paco had been gone an hour, Elohae not much more than that. It wouldn't take long at all. But what would they do to him out there? Something terrible to disrupt his psyche?.. What would be done to her? Focus. Focus, damn it. "Is there anything else we can do? Anything at all?" A tug at the door proved fruitless, looking around for anything to pry off and use to free themselves as well. What good would it be without a weapon? Without proper backup? With people exhausted, and cold, and hardly able to steady themselves? Hells.

Elohae slipped from the cot then, blankets removed and still concealed carefully. Not needed in his eyes unless Paco happened to need them. He moved with a certain degree of caution then as he moved infront of her and signed to her. "Calm, rescue will-come-here, Starfleet." He signed then, perhaps a lie perhaps not but it seemed like Vovvi needed something said to them. "Every moment they don't get more information about people outside of here from watching us or..other methods is a moment more your colleagues have to come rescue you and your fellows." The Romulan signed then as he watched her with exhausted eyes. Signed then before he added. "You, all-Starfleet, wait." Elohae's jaw twitched then as breath whispered in then out of him in a quiet huff as he signed. "Survive, try." Signed all of it in RSL, for Vovvi's benefit. "They will do things, you officers, help eachother, survive and." He paused and signed more forcefully. "Hold." Then signed. "On." Followed by a. "Try." Not a order, he wasn't a officer. He'd never have ordered a officer around. He was just a discharged ex-paramedic. One who might well have failed at the one duty left to him. To protect Telim. It had been a request, if anything somewhat asked of a person he respected. Perhaps it had even amounted to a plea. A plea to one of these people, these officers who needed to hold on as long as possible. * "Your colleagues, coming for you." *He'd then signed. "This, hell." Elohae paused then before he added. "But they-you, Starfleet, they find, they rescue." Perhaps he'd lied to her. But. He wanted to offer some form of reassurance. Wanted to help. Wanted her to not feel like he felt. Wanted to try and give her that, for as long as could be managed. Until her turn arrived under their knife, he suspected grimly. Arrived under the 'tender mercies' of the Tal Shiar. He then looked to Alin and Paco. Signed in SSL the query. "How, is he?" (edited)

Was she really so pathetic that she'd failed at her only goal again?.. Vovvi regarded Elohae with an unreadable expression, forcing herself to breathe, forcing herself to focus. She knew, logically, people were coming to save them. She knew that they would try. She just wasn't sure if it would end in what they were all hoping for. At least, if they were merciful, they'd have more cellmates. Haha. She betrayed none of her pessimism in her expression, however; she smiled patiently instead, nodding along. "Of course. I know, it'll be fine in the end. I can't help worrying, I suppose," came the reply, hands shaking ever so slightly as she interpreted her own speech. "I think he's okay. He woke up for a bit. He's breathing," this time, not spoken aloud, "Just... Shaken up. I can only imagine what a terrible thing they did to him for him to be so..." .... "It's fine. He's fine. We'll be fine."

Exhaused sleep deprivation ringed eyes watched the other with deep care. With deep concern as she fixed him with that expression. Noted how they and acted as they did, watched them with care even as his stomach curdled with anxiety about what he'd been informed about related to how his implants had been screwed with. Spotted the shakes that the others hands experienced. Hoped he'd have enough time to talk more, before something occurred. Wished his mind was more focused. It'd been invaded, never mind how light the touch had happened to have been. What had been done to him, how they'd weaponised that which provided him at least the idea of sound in its rising and lowering tones and warnings, turned it from aid into torture tool. It tore at him or well, the emotion it caused did. "Purple, intellegence department, yes?" He'd signed then before he'd added. "Know how it may be, ma'am." Paused then signed more. "Can understand worry, but...Hold on." He mustered a weak smile. "..Try." He'd then looked to Paco then, before he looked back to them and signed. "Sleep good, breathing good." Looked at them again before he returned his gaze to her and signed to her once more. "He will be fine, your friends will come for you, Starfleet doesn't leave Starfleet."

"F-for...t-the s-second...t-time of m-m-my life.. we lie... c-capt-...tured... i-in t-the c-crossh-hairs.... o-of war..." Paco spoke quietly from underneath the blankets so Elohae could not see, slowly in shaky breaths as he pulled the sheets closer to him, shivering against the cold. Paco spoke with the British accent which he first used prior to being brought to solitary, quoting whatever media or references he could muster to remember. "O-ov-ver a-and over...a-again..... w-we'v-ve tried t-to f-find a p-peace...eaceful way out....w-with those w-who are now our enemies....." He paused, trying to hold himself back from crying... "B-but it h-has been.... i-in vain....W-we've been forced i-...into conflict..." Paco felt the air choke him as he spoke...He peeked his face out a bit so he could breathe, still faced away from the others. "I-it is the... principle which permits....in the selfish pursuit of power....the m-mere primitive doctrine that might....." Paco paused once more, thinking back to how he was captured as he let his emotions simmer. How Rhean lifted him up... 'Would you stop breathing just as quickly?' the Romulan said. "Is right...." "T-the task... is hard.... There may be dark days... ahead... I ask we.... s-stand calm, firm... and united... in this time....of trial..." Paco slowly rolled himself over to face the others, still tightly wrapped and covered in his blanket. "We can only do the right as we see the right.....and reverently commit our cause to God...If we keep resolutely faithful to it… then, with God’s help...." He took in deep breaths to calm center himself, tightening his grip on the fabric which swaddled him. "We shall.... prevail...." Paco just laid down there for a little bit to let it sink in... but also to force his head to quiet down. After a moment he abruptly got up and held himself as he walked to the bathroom, but not before very quietly signing to only Elohae "Sorry, I need to go pee... heheh..."

Everyone in this cell was going mad, she thought, burying her face into her hands with a barely-audible groan. Vovvi herself included. Elements, she needed a drink. Badly. "Thanks," was all she managed in reply to Elohae. No need to hammer in more how much she'd failed at keeping her composure. She sat down at the end of her own bunk to sulk about it.

It has been a minute or two, but Paco finished his business and got out of the washroom. "uhh.... there's no tissue in the bathroom...." Paco awkwardly stood there and looked around in the room for a solid half minute before walking straight to bed and lying down once more to rest. He flushed and washed don't worry. (edited)

Elohae looked to Paco and slightly cocked his head as if to say 'my problem-how, something you needed to apologise for, why?' Not that he signed it though, he was somewhat too stunned by the fact they'd just signed that to him. It was just so different to everything that had happened, been signed or said about what had happened, that he'd just gone through.To his telepathically invaded mind, it had just happened to be well. Funny? No that wasn't the right word what was the right word, why could the right word be reached for? Oh elements he was so.. so exhausted. But he couldn't have ever managed to sleep. In this place, in here now, that happened to be where the ghosts where, where regret crystilised into faces. Into questions 'why didn't you speak out sooner, why did you let them take me why why WHY', questions voices howled at him in the silence, in how he imagined words clearly heard happened to sound like. He swayed, inhaled. Pressed a hand against the cold of the nearest cot. Forced his mind into focus, forced himself to continue, swallowed a yawn. Looked at what Vovvi stated. What little they signed, signed. "Its..okay." To Vocci. Looked to Paco then, wished he'd turned sooner and had caught what his implants claimed had been them speaking, lipread it and not missed it as he had. Wished that as he signed in SLL to Paco. "What did you say?" He asked.

"Like earlier, or after I went to pee?" Paco asked, signing in SLL. That was a genuine question, Paco was so tired, but still wanted to talk to people, but not want to talk to people verbally because he probably spent a week in solitary PaConfinement screaming and yelling. But he could repeat what he said earlier if that's what Elohae meant.... man Paco could really like to have some Fish and Chips with a thick Manchester Gravy and a cuppa tea with lemon... not really because of the british stuff, Paco just wanted the Tea to sooth his throat.

Some time had passed - trickling by like molasses, maddeningly slow and unhurried. Until...

Knock, knock. "Look who is back!" Derain announced in a sing-songy voice, gesturing for the agents to lead Eicran in. As soon as he was uncuffed and they walked out of the cell, Derain gave the prisoners one last, heavy glance, before walking out as well, locking the door behind himself.

"Commander—!!" All at once, her focus had come back, quickly making her way to Eicran's side. "Are you hurt at all?" Her brows furrowed in slight concern, before her nose wrinkled just barely. "You smell like smoke..."

Expensive cigarette smoke, thank you very much.

!! Eicran was tortured with the most dangerously addictive gateway substance in the world...TOBACCO NICOTINE! He knew the familiar smell from family members smoking. And he knew 2nd hand smoking also kills, unfortunately. Paco hid himself under his sheets to hide himself from this, playing dead or unconscious still

Eicran had been surprised when their 'talk' had come to an end. What had the point of that been? He hadn't been asked any questions about Starfleet, or 777, or literally anything useable by the Tal Shiar. Had the point just been to piss him off - use him as a little plaything for some amusement? He watched Derain go before turning to Vovvi as the door was locked. "I'm fine," he said and held up both hands to reassure her, although he couldn't help but frown in bewilderment. "He didn't do anything to me. Just... Asked questions, general ones, nothing about intelligence that might be useful to them or anything." He tapped a finger behind his ear. "He gave me a cigarette. I have... No idea what any of that was about."

"And not even a lighter?.." Vovvi huffed, going to grab Eicran's blankets to hand them over to him. A cigarette, huh. She couldn't think of any reason that would be useful.. "That's unusual, no?.." (edited)

Alin scrunched up his nose a little. "A cigarette? That's... a strange way to encourage bad habits," he said, having not a clue either what that could be about.

"Smoking kills... give it here." Paco asked as he rolled over to check if the scene was clear of any particularly large Romulans who like to stuff scientists into closets

"Smoking doesn't kill if there's no lighter to light it. Maybe I'm meant to chew on it for entertainment." He gave a shrug. He was glad to see that Paco was awake and talking, but was still a little preoccupied with trying to work out what the point of that 'talk' had been. He took the blankets back from Vovvi with a thank you and headed over to his cot to take a seat. Once there he took the cigarette from behind his ear, wondering exactly what he was supposed to do with it. Throw it under the bed and forget about it being there, hopefully.

"It kills yourself and the lives of everyone around you." Paco starkly said as he watched Eicran so irresponsibly toss it under the bed, like those very dark warnings in the boxes. "it needs to be disposed properly... crushed by my foot and flushed down the toilet. They probably put poison and menthol in it too..."

"Why is menthol in the same category as poison?" Alin wondered aloud. (edited)

"I hate the way it smells. Especially on Smoker's breath. Like my uncle." Paco answered, quite bluntly. "He's dead. because he smokes."

Eicran, who hadn't thrown the cigarette under the bed and had only thought about it, frowned in Paco's direction. Had the hour in solitary confinement addled his thoughts that much? Who died of smoking nowadays? What had this uncle been smoking, cyanide? "Look, it's okay. It's not as though I can light this anyway, so it's not going to do any damage. Besides, the interrogator smoked one of his own from the same pack. I even told him he should be aware of the contents, and he said it's nothing bad. Whether its harmful or not really depends on what you're smoking." When had this turned into a high school PSE class where they were discussing substance use?

An average-looking cigarette, albeit it's filter was black instead of the classic brown of the Earth ones. Although... If Eicran looked at it's front, where one would expect to see tobacco or anything similar, he would spot layers. The middle part of the cigarette was also ever so slightly thicker than the rest, and the wrapping paper around it seemed to be peeling off in one of the corners...

With the fact more officers had arrived, Elohae signed to Paco and indicated. "You've kind of answered the question...though sorry for missing what you said, your friends are here." Smiled at them and moved off to find a corner. Moved off to just get out of the way of the officers as they talked. Paco needed assistance, Eicran had just been through alot, the officers happened to have alot to talk about. Alot to talk about and as anxiety curdled within his stomach, he just slipped between a pair of the cots and settled down. Settled down as his exhausted mind needed him that he happened to have forgotten something, as he sat there without blankets. Shivered a bit without a blanket. He was exhausted. He needed but.. he didn't want to sleep. Not with what dreams happened to entail.

"...spoken like an addict." Paco's a Filipino. Filipinos have held a very strong disdain for drug abuse. Although yes medicine has advanced, the habit itself was frowned upon strongly. Also Paco was probably stuffed that closet for weeks. "Regardless. Smoking shouldn't be taken lightly. It is a bad influence, and is a gateway drug to harder substances." Paco explained. "Like my uncle. he's a dick because he smokes." Paco added, looking down for a moment because his family never spoke about him beyond that. (edited)

"...Okay." Eicran had no idea what else to say. It was lucky that he didn't end up pissed off again, given that he, a doctor and Lieutenant Commander, was being lectured by a Lieutenant JG for no reason whatsoever. Despite feeling like less like a person and more like a tumble dryer (emotions going round and round), he figured that there was some bad family history there revolving around the uncle who was both dead and not dead because he smokes. Eicran was smart enough, and compassionate enough, to not stir the pot. It was when he went to shake out his blankets and burrito himself up again that he noticed what looked like an unfurled layer at the edge of the cigarette. Strange, he thought... And so to avoid any further flack from Paco, he turned and faced the wall while he investigated. Did this even have a substance inside? It looked rolled up, like paper... What the Hell was going on? Confused and suspicious, but also decidedly curious, he gently started unrolling the paper.

A doctor's worse patient, is another doctor. In Eicran's case, himself. how unfortunate... (edited)

There was no substance inside - instead, as Eicran continued to unroll, the layered contents began to slip out, made up of something warm to touch; in the center was a wrapper of about a dozen tiny, little pellets. If the poor, exhausted man thought that these spy-esque shenanigans were borderlining on absurd, no one would blame him. As soon as the tension from the wrapped "cig" was gone, the layered material began to unravel on itself, like a backwards origami shape. Palm-sized warmers, six of them to be exact, warm - nearly hot - to the touch. As for the pellets, they now carried a distinct smell of soup and herbal tea. On the inside of the wrapping paper was a note - written in a delicate, even handwriting:

For whatever shreds of hope you still have left in you. Hold on.

With the more he unfurled the paper, the more confused he became. No, seriously, what the fuck was going on here? As the cigarette paper unravelled he held the interior contents in cuped hands, trying to make sense of what he had found. Was this some sort of trick? This could be poison, the message could be a way to get their hopes up and then snatch it away... But what if it was real? Could that officer with the demon tattoos be on their side, somehow? He had no idea what to do. For a good minute he sat there frozen, even more confused than he had been before... And then decided to get a second opinion. "Commander t'Rei'nak?" He asked and beckoned her over with an incline of his head. An Intelligence officer felt like the right person to report this to. He lowered his voice to a whisper and only spoke when she was close enough. "...Either we're being played, or we have a friend."

Elohae remained shivering between the cots. He still in his exhaustion for a few moments, wondered what he'd forgotten. Then he realized and moved to begin to stand. H-he needed a blanket. He needed to get warm. He hoped the officers wouldn't mind, though he suspected others also needed them, needed them perhaps more than him. Elements. Even combat had happened to have made him more anxious as he'd considered the sort of wounds that might be encountered, he might need to treat. But he could deal with that, what had managed to tear at him was Telim, was the fact the officers struggled that there was nothing that he could do, was what he'd caused earlier with Vovvi. Was the dreams that reminded him again and again before he snapped awake each time what had passed by him, noticed by him but unobjected to in how cowardice before he'd defected. He needed a blanket. Needed to be warm. Needed to think, needed to re-focus on what was being stated. Needed his mind clear. So he moved, moved toward his cot and a blanket. The blanket he'd remembered after brief forgetting, that necessity was decided would be used by him, not by Paco. (edited)

Vovvi peered cautiously over his shoulder, and almost instantly, it was difficult not to collapse in tears. She had every right to be cautious, of course, and she didn't trust this one bit — but she looked around in disbelief, reaching out to hover her hand over one of his, feel the heat radiating off of his palm. "Isn't that something," was all she could really manage at first, stomach rumbling at the idea of something that wasn't gray nutrition slop. "If we dissolve them in water, perhaps," she murmured thoughtfully, "Use the packs to heat it up..?" Where were those cups? Discarded in a neat little stack somewhere, knowing this cell. "Here, I can get some from the washroom and try? I don't know, it.. Do you really think we can trust them, sir?"

There was no further reasoning to Eicran that cigarettes are bad, and also no more room in Paco's head to process how whatever Eicran had found, based on what he heard Vovvi said, could fit in a ciggie. Paco quietly decided to head back to sleep for the time being, using his own blanket since his each cot had one and he was fine with it.

Truthfully he was still suspicious. Who wouldn't be when they were in a literal Tal Shiar prison? The questions the interrogator had asked him had been confusing, and they had harped on about the Tal Shiar and how awful the Federation was... But that was it. Maybe that was why they hadn't asked any questions on intelligence that the Tal Shiar could use, but had to keep up an act? God, he didn't know. If Eicran's head hadn't been swimming before from emotional whiplash, it sure was now. "...I have no idea. That's why I thought I'd show you - you're Intelligence. You'll be better at this sort of thing than me, ma'am." Why wre they both calling one another by formalities when they were the same rank? "Maybe whoever's of a species with the best constitution could try a little and see if anything adverse happens..?" It was very risky, but imagine the morale boost that hot tea would bring. And then they could use those thin little heat packs to warm up their hands afterwards, too...

Vovvi took a look around. Arguably, Alin would be the best to test this sort of thing out, given All the Everything about him, but.. She couldn't ask that of him. "It's fine. I'll take care of it.." Maybe if she fell deathly ill, she'd be free from Rhean's horns, haha... She tried not to think about it. Focused on the nicer option, instead, the possibility they had friends in this prison that were looking out for them. She reached out, delicately plucking a pellet of each and a heating pack from his hand before going for two cups of water. She then disappeared into the washroom for a moment to fill up the cups, heat them up with the pack, then returned to criss-cross-applesauce at Eicran's side while the pellets were dissolving in the hot water. "... I really want this to work," she said in a hushed voice. It smelled so nice, and it'd been so long since she had something hot to eat... Oh well. Here goes nothing. Down the hatch..! (edited)

Some time would pass, and... nothing. Unless you counted that weird feeling your body got when you fed it something warm and nice after a prolonged time of surviving on prison food.

In that case— "Let's get these to everyone else. Before those packets get cold." There was a nagging feeling in the back of Vovvi's head, an insistence that she would get everyone killed, but at least she would be the first to die if anything happened. There was an almost giddy sparkle in those golden eyes of hers, that had been dull and dead for days on end. "Lend me a hand, Commander?" she glanced over her shoulder, trying to balance too many cups of water in her arms.

In his head he had convinced himself that Vovvi would suddenly start bleeding from every orifice like in a horror movie, but thankfully nothing of the sort happened. So this was real? They really did have a friend on the inside? As soon as Vovvi requested help he did just that, ready to help hand everything out.

"It's real, then?" Alin felt almost guilty for the level of hope he felt, in a weird way. What a strange idea, to feel guilty for feeling hope. But he couldn't help himself.

Elohae reached his cot, retrieved a blanket and wrapped it around himself. He then moved to settle into the cot then. Settled into it with care and allowed himself to warm up a bit. He looked about at the others once he was warmed up and back with it enough. Exhaustion and cold mixed together happened to be screwy on memory it seemed. Hrm. He then blinked a bit and cocked his head at Vovvi. Packets, cups, huh? What happened, did someone get poisoned. Was he hallucinating? He reckoned he wasn't hallucinating. He needed to pay more attention to the room, focused on it, what his implants happened to be saying. They'd not messed with them yet. He supposed..he needed to take advantage of that right now? Anxiety twisted his gut again then, twisted as he turned his mind to other matters, watched what was going on.

Hearing people discuss the moral ethics of cigarette smoking was not on the prison bingo board. If it was on there maybe it would go next to 'violent riot' or 'pickpocketing'. Neither of those things could really happen though, as they spent minutes... or maybe hours... days? She lost track, but either way they weren't given recreation. Or communion, just food, food that was too hot on the outside, and starkly freezing within. Truly a vile combination. The only thing Ellie cared about though, was awnsers, judging by the rolled note, and the commanders report; they asked nothing of substantial importance. Maybe if she had spent more time ~~looking into the event logs~~ looking into the Tal Shiar she'd be able to deduce something. For now, she chewed on the thoughts spiraling and pooling around her tongue. Plucking at her fingernails after they had decided to slowly grow further then she appreciated. She spent her time pacing, talking, or rotting under the covers trying to avoid her system slowly freezing over. She could still feel it, and while the blankets delayed it, gave her a few weeks... would they all have a few weeks? Sure she'd be thawed out, but somebody could die that won't if she stays in working order. Ellie pressed the heel of her hand against the bed as she sat up. Looking around. "Anybody keep track of how long it's been?" Was all she asked, scratching at frost buildup around her eyelashes.

The tea and soup (and leftover heat packets) had been passed out to everyone. Vovvi had finished hers already, so she sat in her bed, a warmth lingering in her chest. Both from the heat of what had been provided and re-ignited hope lingering in her chest. A familiarity, maybe — of a time hopelessness had consumed her, only for a light to ignite it.

There was no way to tell how long time passed without windows or clocks, but another day went by. There were no adverse side effects to the hot soup and tea in the night, and everyone was free to sleep peacefully.. or not.

Elohae managed some sleep. Not much. Not much in the face of nightmares that clawed at him with the strength of guilt and regret. Nightmares that had snapped him up again as he'd clunked his head once more. Concealed that with a grumbled I need to look where I'm going that was my dumb fault huff and just slipped back to sleep again as exhaustion had dragged him back down out of consciousness. Once he returned to consciousness after however long he'd happened to sleep, he woke up, Elohae slipped up to sit on the cot and looked about himself. Looked about himself as he checked to see if anyone had been taken or anything. Signed in RSL for the benefit of Vovvi and then SSL for others. "Everyone, okay?" Not particularly fussed if it was seen or not yet, he didn't want to wake anyone, if they'd managed more sleep than he if they'd elected to try for sleep. (edited)

Vovvi had managed to sleep for longer than an hour or two consecutively for the first time in days... She was still fast asleep, in fact, curled up on her side with her blankets wrapped tight around her to keep out at least some of the chill and her nose buried under the covers. One could almost think she looked damn near peaceful, compared to the restless state she'd been in.

Elohae elected to make no effort to move anyone else. Just proceeded to settle onto his bed. Settled crosslegged there as he just watched and existed. Attempted to not deserve any of the officers in their needed sleep, just remained there with his ghosts that awaited his return to sleep. Danced there within his mind, powered by a depth of regret he'd always harboured. One set loose in this place where all happened to remind him, this was a Tal Shiar prison. Reminded him of every time he'd declined to do something, that he'd looked away as someone was dragged away by the Tal Shiar. Every time he'd assured himself that they'd not come for him. Assured himself there was some reason to it or hurtled into this or that other desperate attempt to have just justified his service in the fleet longer. Terrified then of all it could have cost him if he'd objected, if he'd defected, if he'd resisted. Terrified then, a coward who'd failed to overcome that. Who'd failed to say no until he was approached by other officers, until the chance to defect in a group had arrived. His mind treaded water in regret, in the other motion that whispered, that howled, that growled within his mind. He'd lived his live, not always lived it well. Oh, they'd informed him he'd live yes. But could that be believed and, with all it seemed they intended, with what he was to them. Would that be a life that happened to be worth living? Was all he'd decided in the end, worth what it had resulted in? *When it came to defection to D'tan's cause had arrived at least. His mind resoundedly arrived at one answer. Arrived at it again like he had earlier. Yes. It had been worth it. No matter the bill that ended up needing to be paid. Though elements. He wished he could take some of these officers pains, wished he could help somehow. He was just a civilian but, Starfleet happened to do so much, helped so SO much. Risked so much. He. He wished he could do something. *

Footsteps sounded down the corridor. Then hard, heavy knocks pounded on the door like the person on the other end was going to bust it down. (edited)

Elohae rapidly hid his blankets and then raced off the bunk after he detected the slight vibration of the door through the cot and implants. Raced along then and proceeded to shake each person he could awake as he pointed to their blankets and mouthed urgently. “Hide.”

Vovvi was abruptly and rudely shaken from her slumber by the loud knocking, shaking it off best she could in order to properly hide her blankets. Groggy, she signed a 'thanks' to Elohae. Elements. What now?..

Eicran wasn't the sort of person to sleep at night anyway no matter how hard he tried, resulting in his weird ability to fall asleep anywhere at random times during the day instead. As such he was still awake when the doors were pounded upon, jolting him from that weird feeling of being tired but simultaneously annoyed about not being able to sleep. He resisted the urge to tug both blankets over his head and face away from the door. He couldn't be bothered with this. If it wasn't either of their potential friends knocking then he didn't want to know about it. But still, job to do -- hide the blankets, look alert. Maybe they'd get lucky and someone else would be taken away for a 'talk' that resulted in a fake cigarette gift again.

Ellie pushed herself off the cot. Pressing her hand against her face to try and slap some consciousness into her with the sound of the footsteps. They practically served as an alarm clock, or perhaps the metaphor of a bell was more suitable. A bell to toll the next person to be pulled out and subjected to something before coming back with a beaten or defamed figure. Thin chances of being thrown in with something useful. "Who was next" was the question? Vovvi and her were the only people so far who hadn't gone, some cruel coin toss between who's going to have their mental and physical endurance teased. Pushed to death before being wretched out and dunked again. Ellie kind of hoped it was her first, instead of Vovvi, sure, it'd just delay what they'll suffer, but she could handle it... maybe... hopefully. Why couldn't this just end? She shifted out of the bed and tucked the layers away, ready for them to burst through the door and leave this room one short.

The door, indeed, was burst open. The agent, tall and broad-shouldered, narrowed his eyes at the group as he entered. Most of them seemed tired, so he deemed it not much of a threat. He didn't even give Ellie a chance to step forward, to respond to his call. Two guards seized her under the arms, and they began to drag her out.

Ellie expected some ceremony. Some dignity. Something. The silence scared her though. The surgical precision. Cool head, cool head, cool head. She tried to regulate the neurons in her brain that fired angrily.

"You can't just—" She only got enough time to jump to her feet before they were gone, the grand door slamming shut behind them. Vovvi slammed her fists on the door, hard, a dull echo reverberating through her head. "Hey— HEY! Fuck's sake!" she snarled, elbow jamming against it before she turned, running her fingers through her hair. Not even a chance to speak for herself. Not even a chance to step forward. Like she was something less than human.. Poor Ensign.

The Ensign's removal from the room had taken mere seconds, not even enough time to protest on her behalf. Eicran stared after her as the doors closed, the image of Ellie being manhandled away still playing like a phantom as his brain tried to catch up. What the Hell did they plan to do with her that warranted physically dragging her from the room? He sank down onto his cot, still staring. It appeared that the hope they had been given last night was already dwindling.

Elohae watched the snatch. Watched it and for a brief moment, unable to have stopped it, was catapulted back to other times. Was launched into a past filled with regrets. Watched them go out and was assaulted by memory. Assaulted by the pleas of another. The pleas he'd barely snatched bits of half heard bits of with how his hearing had been then, before all had ended up in the silence of being deaf. Pleas to not let them take them. Pleas for those that had arrived to be resisted by his fellow officers. For mercy from the 'guardians' of the security of the Imperial fleet who'd arrived to take him. Pleas Elohae had been too terrified to act on, he'd failed to act on. Pushed into remembering by shock, by the inability to have done something without someone else having been harmed. By exhaustion and how it clawed at him even then. Elohae stared off into space and shivered slightly. Stared away. Stared for a time before memory released him, before a fear of what would have happened if he resisted ceased lending memory it's strength. He'd then twitched a bit and looked at a wall and moved to retrieve his blankets from his cot. (edited)

God damn it was never ending in Cell 3, once again footsteps were heard beyond the cell door.

"Is she back already?" There was an almost inappropriate amount of hope in his voice, but gods he did not want anything bad to happen to Ellie.

Alas, it was not - as the door to the cell opened and a certain face that everyone knew entered, followed by a squad of guards.

Kemo immediately turned to Alin and pointed a finger in his direction. "You. Come with me." She was out for a purpose, and it seemed that the medical officer was next on the chopping block.

Alin's breath hitched before he had the chance to compose himself, slowly standing up to comply with Kemo's demands. His blankets fell off his shoulders, and immediately the protective warmth that he'd felt from the young man's gracious gift a while ago was lost to him entirely. "Are- are you sure? I don't- I don't have anything to offer," he stammered, mentally punching himself for being unable to get through his sentence.

Thankfully snapped to be back with it by the door having opened, Elohae had quickly knocked his own blankets off and sat on them. Did so as he watched the people approach, hoped the fact some of them having their blankets on or at least partly visible wouldn't be something that happened to bite them too badly. Twitched a bit as he watched, as he balled his hands together. Mind still sluggish with what it'd just experienced but clear enough as he looked at the guards. Well. Glared at them helplessly. Elements, they couldn't do anything, not without someone else ending up getting harmed, getting killed.

"I'll be the judge of that, come on." Two guards walked over to Alin and placed cuffs on him (to make sure he didn't try any funny business). Kemo turned to the rest of the inmates around. "Don't worry about him, I'll try my best to keep him alive. No promises though." Kemo turned around afterwards, walking out behind the guards (who were grabbing either side of Alin's arms).

Another person gone - now there were only four of them eight now. Ellie was only an Ensign. Alin might have been a Lieutenant Commander, but he did a job which only the kindest souls could perform. To see both officers marched out like that, manhandled, made his stomach churn. And yet there was nothing that could be done. Too many guards, the threat of harm to the others in the room... An impossible situation. Eicran wanted to say 'they'll be okay' but he couldn't conjure the words. For all he knew, what happened last night could have been witnessed on hidden cameras and now they were being punished. He took the note from his pocket and started at the writing - a new lifeline. He couldn't tell everyone the others would be okay, but... "Uhm -" his voice had gone a little scratchy from the cold and from not talking. He cleared his throat and spoke again from where he was sat cross-legged on his cot. The words coalesced into visible puffs of air in the cold. "Is everyone okay? Does anyone need anything... Some water, to talk, ach, I don't know, a campfire song maybe..."

Elohae twitched a bit as his implants indicated someone had just talked near him and turned to Eicran. As he then proceeded to lipread what they said, he smoothly signed in SSL to them. "..I wish we could do something... I." Stopped then, looked away for a moment and then back before he continued. "...I'm okay." Lied about that, he somewhat hoped they'd not noticed how he'd stared off earlier or whatever he'd done. He was fine. Everything that had happened to him was just emotion stuff, it happened to be his problem to deal with. Nobody elses. Same with the bruises from when he'd clunked the cot twice like a idiot when he'd snapped awake cause of a nightmare. He caused it. His problem, that was Elohae happened to see it. "A-are you.." He stopped asking that question and just signed SSL to Eicran again as he stated. "If you want to talk, Im okay with talking, sir."

"You're not okay." It was a reply that wasn't supposed to be blunt, only truthful. "None of us are. How can we be when we're stuck in a damned Tal Shiar prison!" Towards the end he raised his voice, purposefully glaring at the corner of the room that he'd presume the camera would be. After nothing happening in return - as expected - he sighed and slouched. He shuffled backwards so his back was against the wall, although that was hardly very comfortable either. The only thing stopping the condensation from frustrating him further was the thicker blanket acting as barrier. He looked back to the others so Elohae could lip read again. "Surely one of two things are going to happen. Either Starfleet rescues us, or we end up here in the long term. There are multitudes of people out there who have been prisoners of war for far longer than us." If those people could do it then the denizens of cell three could as well, right? The only problem was that in other instances, people were usually used for manual labour. So far, the prisoners had only been used as violent playthings. He wondered what was happening in the other cells and how they were being treated. Once the Tal Shiar had used the prisoners for their primary purpose, be it as a source of information or a punching bag, then what was going to happen to them? Had their Resistance friend - he presumed they were Resistance - been telling the truth when he said that this prison was for punishment and death only? Maybe death was the only thing that awaited them - fine for him, but a waste for everyone else, as he had said. With a slow exhale he scrubbed his hands over his face. "Ach. I wish I could tell you all that everything is going to be fine. I wish I knew."

Elohae watched as the officer signed what they did. Considered their words and what parts of the statement they happened to be able to lipread. He declined to sign anything initially, waited for them to finish speaking. This didn't seem like something that should be 'talked' in the middle of. Once they'd finished, Elohae then signed to Eicran. "I wish I knew too." Paused before he signed. "I'm sure you're probably right relating what'll happen to us." Winced a bit before he signed. "Well, I hope you're right and it does make sense that there are others." (edited)

Vovvi dug her face in her arms, chest rising and falling rapidly. Was it a game, then? Her fellow officers picked off one by one, coming back as something haunted, something fundamentally changed? Fear had taken root in her chest, the stem pushing up her throat and threatening to keep her from breathing at all. "I want to go home," was all she managed, small, quiet, childish. She didn't care. It was the truth. She swallowed, blinking away bleary eyes. "I... We have to..." Do what? Go home? Lie down with dogs in hopes they wouldn't be killed? "Keep trying. Keep.. we can't..." She was normally so much more careful with her words. Each sentence was spoken with a heavy amount of consideration, like she was reading off a script. Vovvi tried to collect herself. "We can't give up now. We can't.. succumb to this. Hopelessness will do us no favors. It's a fine line between doing our best with the situation we've been handed and pure delusion, but it is one we can try our best to walk." She was scared. She was so fucking scared, more scared than she'd ever been, but she had to breathe, she had to grit her teeth and bear it.. What other choice did she have? Spiral into? If she could limp through a goddamn horror-fueled wasteland with a gaping wound in her side, trying to find a way out, she could find her way through this. "We're not going to be fine. That is just the truth of the matter. We can't walk out of this fine. But we're going to walk out of this alive if it's the last thing I do, damn it, and that's what matters most to me right now."

Elohae looked to Vovvi then, proceeded to lipread what they said. Signed to Vovvi then. "Keep trying, yes." As he agreed with that in words alone, forced himself to sign it with the certain fluidity he signed things with before they'd ended up here. "But.. how do we keep hopes up?" He'd then asked, careful to ensure that it was signed in RSL then SSL as he attempted to sign the question to all people in the room. Asked that as, when Vovvi stated what they did, he nodded a bit and signed. "Okay." Signed that to Vovi before he signed. ".. Then keep hopes up, keep going?" Elohae stated then as he signed that in SSL and RSL so, he hoped, all could understand that. "..Stories or something?" The currently deaf romulan signed.

"I don't have any interesting stories to tell," she chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. Vovvi wasn't exactly the most interesting person in the world.. "If either of you have anything to share, be my guest."

The door opened, and Ellie was brought inside, placed on her cot. There and gone in an instant..

Despite his attempts to remain positive, the only stories that came to his mind were ones that were distinctly morbid. That was going to happen when you were cooped up in an illegal prison, going stir crazy and having to watch colleagues get hurt. It was somewhat of a vibe killer. Thankfully they were interrupted by the doors clattering open - marking the return of one of their cellmates. Eicran sat up in a flash, hands poised at the edge of his mattress (if you could call it that given it was thin as anything) and ready to go to Ellie's side if required. "Ensign? Are you okay? Did they hurt you in any way?"

"Not sure if a Art shop owners stories are int-" He'd stopped his signing to Vovvi mid sign then and looked to Ellie and proceeded to stand up too then. Looked over to them and stood there for a moment before he moved closer. Made sure he was out of the way enough that Eicran's efforts wouldn't be obstructed at all by him and Vovvi could come over. Signed as he then looked down at her. "Elements alive." In SSL before he could have helped himself and stopped himself from something he considered a somewhat blasphemous comment. He then looked over the ensign as he attempted to spot any sign that'd have indicated what had been done. While he happened to be unsure if the Ensign was conscious he signed in SSL. "Ensign?" And lightly knocked on the cot next to him as he attempted to see if they were awake or well, if they happened to be responsive and awake.

"Ensign—" Vovvi was quick to follow suit in leaping to her feet, twisting the end of her jacket anxiously. There wasn't anything she could do, but.. Elements. "I don't see any blood on her clothes," she murmured, hovering nearby, but what did that mean in a place like this? They could've cleaned it off. They could have done anything that didn't involve any bleeding. Maybe she got lucky, if it could be called that? Maybe she wasn't injured at all?.. "Gods, what can we even..." Was there anything at all they could do for her if she was ...?

One thing after another, one thing after another... it seemed that Tal Shiar were determined to break the morale of their ~~toys~~ prisoners as quickly as possible. Because when Ellie got deposited on the cot, and the sound of the paired footsteps disappeared...

... They were just replaced by the new ones. Lonely. Heavy. Approaching.

Footsteps down the hall. Ellie was back. Alin was gone. The others had already been dragged out of the room, which meant.. which meant... The room was spinning, walls threatening to close around her. Vovvi looked around — what she was looking for, she didn't know. There was nowhere to hide. There was nowhere to hide. Her hands curled into fists. "Take care of the Ensign, alright?.. And - And make sure that Lieutenant q'Reth, he's..." Alive. Well. She stood her ground, waiting by the door.

And as she waited, the door opened. It was not by a kick like the last time, no - the entry was near soundless, his silhouette looming in the doorframe like a promise of something horrible. Rhean's eyes might have widened slightly at the sight of Vovvi just... standing there. He schooled his expression then, and let out a single chuckle: "Ah. I didn't expect this. Let's make it nice and civil, then?.."

Vovvi held her head a little higher, jaw set as she nodded almost curtly. Focus on putting yourself somewhere else. Anywhere else. Don't let them in no matter what you do... Go quietly, and maybe, maybe, no one else gets hurt. She took a single step towards the door, allowing herself to be ushered out.

The one after another arrival of officers hadn't been expected and wasn't appreciated. It appeared that each prisoner getting the opportunity for their own personal Tal Shiar time. Knowing that at this stage there was nothing that could be done to stop them from escorting Vovvi away, he whispered a quiet 'good luck' as she walked past. It felt like the only thing he could offer.

"Hands in front," he uttered, just before the handcuffs went click. He was alone here - no guards, no nothing. "We're going up higher. Don't try anything stupid on the way there, yeah?" Those became the parting words as Rhean led Vovvi away.

Ellie had barely moved since the first incision. Every last one of her nerves fired trying to get her to move during the painful moments. She only made one successful attempt to move, and that was covering up the marks of incision when they dragged her limp figure back. Hiding the outlines of vivisection and analyzation. I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die. She missed her mom, her dad, her friends, God, she had missed the cold cell she found herself in now. Though, the rose tinted glasses with that last one were quickly discarded. Any temperature before was worse now with her federation uniform being cut open, her skin and scars exposed, and now she was cold again, so, so very cold. This is going to hurt... I'm sorry. Those words from Victoria were tattoo'd in her mind. Every moment of the last hour was going to be there forever. Every rip, every organ they inspected, every whine she made, every tendril that had clawed at her vision trying to take her away; trying to make the pain stop. Giving cold embraces in an attempt to end it all. ... They came again. They never stopped, it was Vovvi this time. Looks like her luck ran out, Ellie's vision was too blurry to decipher the fact that he was a familiar face. The only thing the woman though of is how she remembered Vovvi chasing after her when she was taken so suddenly, in fact; she remembered that everybody did. "Please, please no! Stop it-" She begged, reaching out from the bed, trying to grab at the kidnappers neck from across the room. Her depth perception as slaughtered as her mind. That plea the first words she spoke since she got back. She wretched out of the bed and tumbled out in the attempt. Her words escaping as her legs went out from under her and the floor came up. Catching herself with a frail arm a moment before her nose would have impacted the concrete. (edited)

Ellie back, Vovvi gone; it had all happened within seconds. The next thing he was aware of was Ellie suddenly springing to life, crying out before dragging herself out of the bed. From his position slightly further away he hadn't noticed the sliced fabric of her uniform, but he caught sight of it as she moved. What the... Between that and her outcry, Eicran's heart had already started to hammer, stomach plummeting. "Hey, hey, Ensign - Ellie?" He pushed himself off the bed and crept forwards a little, slowly, keeping his distance. He gestured a motion of pushing back with his hand to indicate that Elohae who had been standing closest do the same. If something had been done to her - physical harm, sickeningly - then Eicran didn't want to scare her by getting back into her personal space. Giving her as much as a berth as he could while still being able to offer support, Eicran stopped in a crouch with one knee upon the floor. If he hadn't been too focused on Ellie then he would have regretted it giving the condensation seeping into the fabric of his uniform trousers. He worried the same for Ellie given she had landed on her hands and knees. "Look at me, Ellie. You're safe. You're back in the cell. Look - it's just me, Elohae, and Paco. Just us."

Perhaps if anything slightly before it was indicated, Elohae backed away from the ensign. He'd also spotted the fabric cut as she moved. A look of horror plastered in response over his face as he'd backed up. Paused at their movement toward the edge of the bed, torn before he spotted the gestured then and backed up. Eicran new best in this and if they thought distance was good, he'd go with that. So distance he proceeded to put between himself and Ellie. Did so as he signed a discrete query to Eicran in SSL. One born of something he'd realized. "Should I grab another blanket for her?" By more, he happened to mean his. With the fact her uniform had been sliced into it was the first thing that had barged into his horrified brain. Knocked away the immobility that he'd been locked in earlier when that man had entered the room. "Would that..help?" He knew it might be a stupid thing to have asked but. It was all that presented itself to him initially. All that did before he softly waved at Ellie when Eicran named him. But his mind had struggled a bit..With all that happned to the people around him, with the grief and guilt born of what he'd been informed of. Even if part of him still howled that it must not be true. Anxiety had been added to the mix for a time about more than just the coming and going of officers but not at the moment. Things had pushed implants and such worries from his mind, left only the guilt he'd happened to have gotten off free of anything that mattered. Invaded mentally maybe, implants messed with maybe but. Here was a Ensign who'd just been sliced open or something. What did you say to someone who'd been through that? He struggled with more to say and eventually just plumped on a slight nod at what Eicran stated about being back in the cell, that it was just them. Nodded as he signed to Ellie. "You're safe." Repeated what Eicran had said.

"She's..." Ellie became sheepish. She had drawn so much attention to herself. Being the center of attention always discomforted her. No this wasn't just some uncomfortable writhe in her. She felt scared. Scared to have so many people looking at her. All she saw were eyes on their faces. Breath, just breath. The Golem constructed their masks beyond the eyes. Lips, noses, mouths, words and tounges and finger communications. No wandering eyes. Just other prisoners up the same viscous trainwreck she was. "Sorry... I'm... thankful." She said, adjusting the sprawl that she laid in on the floor, and pushing herself up onto a knee. Trying to focus on something besides the anxiety. The movement made her wince though, and she pressed a sleeve over the rudimentary stitches that held her organs in. The Golem didn't cover them fully though. The scar stared at the room as it took in the cold air. (edited)

Seeing all of this, Paco stayed quiet as he clutched the heat pack and his blankets close to him. Despite the warmth he still shivered, but not from the harsh cold that loomed over them, but from fear. Fear for what their captors would do to get what they want... WHY DID THEY EVEN WANT THEM AT ALL... that question only brought up the thought of what they would do the moment they were no longer of any use.... and having the witnessed the horrors staged in this place, Paco reasoned they wouldn't want anyone to even do as much as blow a whistle. "P-Paco want out..." Paco said as quietly as he could as to not ruin the moment of everyone being helpful to Ellie. Paco also wanted to try to help where he could, but felt he wasn't in the right state at the moment. Those same words echoed in his head as his mind flashed back to him screaming from within his time in solitary.... the awful things they must be doing to each of them as their captors pulled them out one by one... they even influenced the Good Doctor to start smoking for Sisko's sake.... * *'Paco want out' yes... Everyone want out... they must.

Elohae watched Ellie then, kept everyone he could in his vision as they moved. His implants trusted to warn him if something occurred. If someone talked out of his view. Trusted as his focus turned away from anxiety, briefly freed from its grip though other emotions stubbornly declined to withdraw their claws from his guts, from his soul. "Yes." He'd signed then, wished that he trusted himself with what amounted to tone in Sign language right now, trusted that his body wouldn't betray him with displays of other emotions. Wished he could trust what amounted to his voice not to betray how he happened to feel, the concern the deep concern he happened to feel if he relaxed the tenous grip he had on it any further. How in the name of the elements did you speak to someone who'd gone through what this ensign had just ended up going through? How! His mind struggled to work through options, forced through emotion that howled within him as it scrabbled for options better options that just refused to come. Wished he could have come up with something better as he simply signed in SSL to Ellie. "You've nothing to be sorry about, you've just been through hell, you're here though we're here." He paused then and repeated what Eicran had stated once more. "You're safe." Trusted that the other man knew what was best to say, hoped they wouldn't mind him repeating what they'd uttered. Wondered why he was worried about something so stupid for a moment, then internally snarled at himself for the circles his mind kept on trying to go in as he signed to Ellie once more. "Can we help you at all?" Glanced to the others in the room them, unsure how much could be done, wished more could be done.

19:13

When his implant then warned him someone behind him was speaking, Elohae turned to Paco and watched them carefully. Moved carefully to keep the Ensign and Paco in his sight. Attempted as best he could to ensure he did both things without getting too close. Eicran likely happened to have had a point, given the fact he happened to be a Lieutenant Commander in Medical that distance from Ellie was warranted. After all that was done to her, it seemed to Elohae that she happened to need to be the focus right now and the pace needed to be hers to set...or something. His mind struggled a bit to keep that thought...clear. Exhaustion something that fuzzed the edges of his thoughts and globbed things together a bit, muddled up the paints of his mental canvas. Even so. He watched Paco and signed to then, slowly and carefully in SSL. "I understand...you're here with us, we'll get out of here." Signed to them following that. "Do you..need anything, food, drink?" Asked questions, hoped they were the right questions.

Ellie used one hand to feel her throat while she considered the room and response, feeling the rise and fall of her trachea as she tried to calm the muscles inside. She was okay now. Vovvi would come back. She just had to stick it out. Somehow. Over and over she tried to mentally reassure herself, but one thought that always prodded these ideas away stood at the forefront of her mind. Don't Try. The surrender was tempting. Very, very tempting. All of the pain from the scar that took in the cold dry air in the cell, all of the marks on another cell mates bodies, the unknown atrocities on the floors above, all disregarded for comfort. She wanted to stop trying. Give up. Wait until she couldn't wait anymore. Grasping at any handhold that centered her. Ellie had never before been so scared. She never knew that fear could be this palpable of an emotion. Her larynx rose and fell. Grew and shrunk. Slowly, over, and over, and over. Reeling back until she could speak without sounding as winded as her lungs made her feel. "I could go for a coffee, but I doubt they'll service us that." Ellie tried to make a joke in that remark, but it could easily come off depressing considering the dark grimace that bleached her face. Built from the fact she was holding in the nerves that sparked around her wounds. The Golem adjusted the arm that covered the stitching, concealing it, not to get away from the cold, but to hide it's disturbing existence; both from herself and the other people in the cell. Hopefully this would be over soon. The Federation had to be coming soon. Right? They'd been there, days now, they'd have to be doing something. Who knows, maybe they were planning a way out for them right now. A wonderful thought that was stomped out once more. Again Ellie shifted, this time to wipe the chalky remains if tears that clung to her face. They were all still here at the very least, and Vovvi would be back soon. Hopefully in one piece.

"...Paco want..." Paco slowly signed "To not go back....to the other cell..." He answered and paused as he held himself and rocked back and forth slightly. He could only imagine the kind of torture the Tal'Shiar must be doing to Alin, or have done to the others after him. Not only was there obviously fear, but also some anger as to what their actual motives could be. Why did they take them? Why go through any of this?? WHY HAVE A SOLITARY CHAMBER??? All Paco can do is simmer, clenching a fist under his sheets like that one scene in Arthur.

"Caffine...." Paco murmured "helps paracetamol work faster.... and prolongs it for up to three hours..." that's another random fun fact with Paco

"british people banned cartoon mascots from advertising snacks.... to make them not buy too many sweets" Paco stated another fact. "That makes Paco sad, because the cocoa crunch mascot is a Koala"

Given that his roleplayer had been completely out of it for the past few days and had no idea if any time had passed out of character, it was probably best to say that Eicran had been helping Ellie during this time. Now his attention turned to Paco from wherever the two of them were in proximity to one another, because who knew. "What are you on about, Ensign?" He asked, genuinely getting concerned about Paco's mental state given how he was rambling about the most random things.

"I'm a left-tenant." Paco corrected. He still felt like an Ensign, though in all fairness, JG isn't a big bump up from the Ensign rank either.

"Ensign, Lieutenant, ach - whatever rank you are." Blame it on the not sleeping and the cold temperature that was probably turning Eicran's brain into a slushie. "...Why do you pronounce it that way?"

"From the old French 'leuf', which came before 'lieu', as in 'lieu tenant', or 'leuf tenant', from the Latin 'Locum tenens' or 'one holding in place of', holding place of a higher ranked officer.... like how you hold rank in lieu of a doctor with rank of commander. Lieutenant Commander." Paco answered "When the word came into English, the French pronunciation changed over time. In Britain, it shifted into lef-tenant, while in America they kept closer to the original French, loo-tenant...." Anthropological Linguistics is fun isn't it? "...the 90th most popular dog name in 21st Century America is Oreo."

Eicran returned Ellie's jacket to her - given the disrepair of her uniform, he figured she could be doing with it - and settled down on his cot. He bounced one leg but that was it; it looked like the constant nervous energy from being cooped up had faded. "You know a lot of random facts, you know that? Very niche facts. Why do you know the 90th most popular dog name from 21st century America..?"

Elohae was absolutely mystified about how this conversation was going and having already struggled a bit with lipreading in his exhausted state. He'd not managed to sleep well for pretty much all of the time they were here if at all, could he blamed for that? He initially looked to Eicran as this conversation went on, looked to Paco then and just 'lipread' as they stated what they stated. Signed. "So many facts that, they're kind of interesting, got...more?" Then looked to Eicran, looked to Ellie and moved over to his own cot and picked up his blanket. Did so then looked to Eicran. "Would an additional blanket be of any use to the ensign...given?" He stopped signing, looked to Ellie's uniform briefly and then looked to Eicran. "All that's occurred?" The Romulan then stopped signing then looked to Eicran then back to Paco then signed the equivalent of. "I'm really intrigued to know the answer to that question." When it came to what Eicran had asked Paco about the facts. (edited)

"Paco is an anthropologist. You look back in the past and you start tripping into one too many rabbit holes." Paco shrugged, by the way, for this whole interaction, Paco had been staring blankly at a wall. "Like, when Steven Hawking cheated on his wife, she must have felt pretty sad." That was probably the bluntest statement Paco has ever given. "Paco doesn't want to defend him, But try thinking about it from his perspective for a moment. He spends all day thinking about the universe and how big it is. How our star, the sun, is just one of dozen of stars in the galaxy, which is just one of dozens of galaxies in the known universe. All set against handfuls and handfuls of time. If one guy cheats on his wife, what's the big deal?" Paco theoretically asked, theoretically, looking upwards at the ceiling, whose light mocked him. "If we're so tiny and insignificant, theory will define one person in the entire universe, who cares about you. Why would you want to disappoint them? Why would it matter if you did if we're so insignificant anyway?" He paused, like a professor in a class, letting that question settle in silence for a moment. "yet again, Hawking's first wife, Jane, also cheated on him, so that question's probably moot." (edited)

Elohae had been the person to bring up blankets to begin with and ensure Ellie didn't end up cold. Even with the uncertainty and having been through some sort of tampering at the hands of the Tal Shiar, he was still showing compassion. It was something to aspire to. "I wouldn't want yourself to end up cold as well," he said to Elohae, "but if everyone agrees to it, we could always 'huddle' again." Maybe they should all try moving the beds again and lay top to toe with all the blankets on top. Paco's speech about cheating and insignificance might have inspired some philosophical thinking in other people, but Eicran wasn't philosophical... Nor did he think that talking about the insignificance of individuals was something that would help them right now. "...Maybe we should talk about something less deary than insignificance in the universe, no? I think we're all significant. We can all shape the universe in our own way."

Footsteps down the hall— heavy, imposing as before, and the door creaked open. Vovvi was let back inside.

She ducked her head, rubbing her wrists with a little huff as she looked around. Immediately, her eyes landed on Ellie, and, not wanting to disrupt, she inched towards her side. "Ensign—? Are you alright?"

Elohae smiled a bit at Eicrans response and signed to Eicran then. "I can keep moving, if they have more need then its there if it could be of use." The Deaf Romulan stated as he started to sign more before, as Vovvi entered he staggered and scrunched his face up. Immediately backed right away from Vovvi as he dropped his blanket on the floor. Dropped it there forgotten as he shivered in the cold and shuddered. Shuddered and then all at once relaxed. Relaxed as he exhaled and then attempted to play it off stupidly as his mind sort of just restarted cause ow ouchie ow ow brain and signed to Eicran. "I'm game with talking about things that are less dreary and stuff." Then just looked at Vovvi and...backed up slightly. That had hurt.

As soon as there was the sound of the doors opening his head snapped towards them, relieved to find Vovvi returning. Just Alin, now... "Are you okay?" He asked pretty much as soon as Vovvi said the same to Ellie, but then he caught Elohae's sudden wincing and backing off. "Are you okay?" He then asked to the other Romulan, throwing out the sign language for the same as best he could - might as well try with the little he knew.

Elohae shivered more as he moved, backed up a bit into the corner, nudged a moisture ladened wall and visibly jerked in surprise. Did so as his mind was shocked back into focus. Blinked a bit at that and signed to Eicran. Swallowed as he signed to them. "I'll survive, I'm okay." Added to what he signed to Eicran as he signed. "Ensign, is the ensign okay?" Concerned more for them than himself even as a hand moved up, pressed against the side of his head and his implant as he shivered and blinked a bit. Wow that happened to be excrutiating when it happened. Thank the elements it had stopped. But..it'd destroyed any hope that they'd lied when they'd informed him they'd messed with his implants. Lied when they'd informed him they weren't finished torturing him. He then signed in SSL to Eicran and RSL to Vovvi. "I'm sorry, I'm okay, going too." He paused. "Stay over here." He then signed, blanket forgotten by a mind that still worked through the fog of exhaustion and the shock of pain that had mixed into it.

"Fine," she answered, though it was apparently much more convincing than Elohae's. She appeared unharmed. No bumps, no bruises, no dried blood. There wasn't even any evidence she'd been crying. Vovvi offered a small, faint smile, and a nod, glancing over to Elohae with a little concerned furrow of her brow. If he insisted he was alright.. "I have— ah, well.." She discreetly attempted to search for cameras, inching closer to kneel down beside Eicran's cot. A flash of her palm, the walkie talkie safely concealed inside. "They'll give some to the other cells. Rhean's out of commission, he got swapped for one of our friends," she whispered. "Our crew is safe and sound. No casualties so far, both in the Starbase and here."

Elohae slipped down a bit in his corner and slowly reached up and rested his hands on his implants. Did so as he stared at Vovvi for a moment. Looked at the others and inhaled, blinked a bit and attempted to clear his head a bit. Forced himself to focus as once again attempted to pull the earpieces clear, failed then just lipread what he could and moved to sign. Stopped as he realized that should probably not be signed. Moved and instead signed then. "Is the ensign alright?" Signed that in RSL and SSL for the benefit of anyone and everyone in the room. Asked that then signed a following one. "..Is the Lieutenant alright also?" Asked that then paused and signed to himself. "Forgetting...something?" Frowned a bit, looked about himself as his mind attempted to catch up with things and remember what it missed. The blanket thing that his mind had managed to forget.

The Betazoid was almost inclined to feel that Vovvi was lying to put on a brave face, given that everyone else had returned in some sort of worse for wear state, but he believed her. She looked untouched, unharmed - just like he had been. He was deeply thankful nothing had happened to her, but he couldn't halt the swell of guilt inside. Why had himself and Vovvi been spared when the others had to suffer? He shook the unwelcome feeling off in favour of listening to Vovvi whisper. His heart practically skipped a beat at the news. Thank the stars that everyone else was alright, including back on the starbase. All things considered, and even with what everyone had been through, he felt that was one of the most positive outcomes there could be. He left the respective Ensign and Lieutenant to answer Elohae instead of speaking for them, too busy thinking about the news that they now had multiple friends on the inside and that the entire crew was alive. (edited)

Ellie buttoned her jacket, trying to cover the wound. Taking deep breaths as she looked around to distract herself, settling on the engagement with Paco and Eicran. Seeming to have been struggling just as much as anybody else with his mumbles and reference to self in the third person. Perhaps that was how he always spoke, and everything had made her memory foggy. Most impertinent though, was how genuinely befuddled yet impressed Ellie was by the abnormal information he factually presented. One thing Ellie noticed though, that confused her; was why were so many people seemingly cheating on each other in the twenty-first century? Maybe that was just the strange subject he looped himself on. He seemed rather eccentric, and interesting. Most everybody in here was interesting as well, if only the circumstances had been better, maybe she'd be able to bond with them. The phrase 'open herself up to people' played in her head like cruel jest. Having to center her breathing again. inhale, count to four, exhale, count to four. The woman looked to Elohae after a meditative moment. "I don't need another blanket for now. My breathing is just rapid due to stress." She tried to exemplify, in truth another blanket would be nice, but that would be fact with or without her new scar that felt like 'yes it sting her with every labored word.' She was cold before, cold now, and would probably be cold tomorrow. "I have many stories of my work to tell if we want to discuss lighter topics." Ellie responded to Eicran, pulling her knees up to the base of her jawline, and resting her exhausted head on her deprived knees. "I believe there was a time-" The Golem begun, hoping to start a story of one of her lighter cases that conveniently had to do with a cheating couple before the sounds of footsteps hung on the other side of the door. She immediately tensed and found her larynx pushed against the walls of her throat. Releasing when Vovvi was discharged inside the room.

04:52

Quite frankly Ellie was surprised to see Vovvi, not only alive and conscious, but she seemed relatively untouched... excluding the faint outlines of cuff marks. Ellie was anything if not perceptive of injuries. Ellie was most surprised on how Vovvi bolted to her first, having to turn her face into more then just eyes as well. Eyes that held a surprising amount of hope. Clearly something had happened, but what? Her train of thought turned back to Elohae with the questions he asked about her and Paco's condition. "I could be much worse." *She said, while true that things could absolutely be worse. It wouldn't be true to say that this wasn't the most she has ever suffered. Everything was overwhelming, and the fear of mortality still hung over her. Brave face.*

After a long time, Alin was returned to the cell, his uniform singed in places, his hand wrapped in thick bandages that made it impossible to move it. He was shaking, whether from the cold or from whatever happened to him, and his eyes were bloodshot and looked like he'd been crying. He was pushed into the cell, and made his way straight to his bed to lay down on it, closing his eyes and not saying a word.

In the quiet, time passed slowly, until eventually, unbeknownst to the prisoners, the dawn of the final day broke.

Elohae remained perched in his corner. Eventually he realized what he had forgotten and scuttled over then wrapped himself in his blanket. He had signed a. "That's true." To Ellie at the time unsure as to what was should have been stated. Then he had frittered away time in his corner. Slowly scooted cautiously closer to people during that. Now he was perched on his cot once again and just stared at a wall. He had again failed to sleep much. He signed then. "Anyone want to talk about anything?" In SSL and RSL for the benefit of all in the room. He wished he could work out something else to say. But well. His mind had failed him there.

Alin hadn't spoken at all since he came back. He'd hardly moved, either... Vovvi inched over to his cot, his serving of delicious nutritious prison slop in hand. "Commander, you.. you should try to eat something." She didn't want to push him to talk about what happened. Clearly, he didn't want to interact with them, but she at least wanted to make sure he was taken care of.

Alin didn't even respond in the slightest, not stirring at Vovvi's approach or her words. He just breathed, and that was about all he did. He wasn't breathing nearly slowly enough to be asleep though, so that was the one indication Vovvi got that he was awake and presumably aware.

".. I'll leave it right here for you, whenever you're ready." Vovvi inched back away from his cot, expression set in a frown. Just what the hell had they done to him?

Vovvi seemed far more equipped to try to help Alin than Eicran was. While he could certainly try to raise morale and rally the troops, he wasn't so good at... Talking, especially when it came to sensitive subjects. If someone asked to speak to him about something then he certainly would - he'd never push them away - but that lingering social awkwardness that never left him meant that he struggled over what to say. Often, he was worried about making it worse. That was something he didn't want to do to Alin - or to anyone here. As he paced around once again (apparently re-energised by feeling like he was going stir crazy,) he internally fretted over the state of the others. Alin appeared to have been burned and something so bad had happened that he wasn't talking. Ellie had those ominous scars and her uniform was in disrepair. Paco had been put in solitary confinement and had been almost incoherent since, and Elohae appeared to be struggling with his implants, often in pain. What frustrated Eicran the most was that there was nothing that he could do to help them. Right now things felt like a waiting game. Were the Tal Shiar waiting to find another use for them? Trying to decide if all of the starbase prisoners should be executed in one fell swoop? At this point he didn't care what it was - he just wanted them to get on with it.

Ellie decided to go quiet again. Tossing around the covers of her bunk after struggling up. Her marks strung needles in her ribs with every breath and acknowledgment of the cold, dry air. Everything hurt, mentally and physically, why did they do that? Why did they do any of this? All the Golem did for now while she contemplated was just sit on her cot. Huddled up next to her legs trying to ignore the paranoia of surgical eyes bearing into her back whenever she tossed or twisted under the covers. Ellie was exhausted, she couldn't sleep, she hadn't sleep for nearly thirty-six hours now. Her eyes felt depraved, her lips were chalk, and she could no longer stomach the food their captors gave to them. Maybe she'd starve. The woman hoped she would starve. The vivisection they conducted had seemed disappointing, if she was still alive by the next round, they'd do worse, and one anxious conclusion pulsated in her mind. 'They'll take me again won't they?' Please not again. Please, please not again. She tried to breath but every breath reminded her of what they had done, and what life was going to be like now; if they even managed to escape. She'd never admit it aloud, but hope for tomorrow doesn't exist in her anymore. There may have been sparks, but no kindling to ignite that desire.

"Fidel Castro..." Paco mused "Loved ice cream... so much he called dairy producuts as '"as integral to Cuban culture as Cohiba cigars' ..." Paco had just been spewing random facts every now and then. A combination of genuinely interesting 21st century trivia; an obscure quote from Federation Literature; a good or objectively horrific philosophical musing; sudden night terrors while he was asleep where Paco repeated the same things he had screamed while in PaConfinement; or musings 'Viva Pacito el Grande' stuff.... a revolutionary Filipino Cubano leader based in Guam trying to liberate the Hawaiians of Madagascar from the Belgian Yolk of Canadian-Taiwanese Rule under the Russo-Australian crown, which mostly happened while Paco spoke in his sleep.

Elohae moved to sign as he looked to Alin and Vovvi but, as he considered things and thought better of it, simply nodded at Vovvi's words. He suspected they weren't in the sort of state where sign would have likely been well.. easy for them to have managed to well. Parse. So he moved away and looked to Eicran then, signed to them in SSL as he smiled. Blanked away any discomfort he'd been feeling, any of the feelings that whispered through him as a part of himself a thing that allowed him to feel more confident after he'd been injured was turned against him. The feelings that wrapped around the contentment he had with the decision that had ended up with him deaf and altered how he saw such a part of him. How he considered his deafness and what he used to assist him. His implants and earpieces weaponised. That hurt. "Do you...want to talk?" He'd signed in SSL to Eicran then. "Not the best conversation partner but well, with non-serious things uh." He twitched then, looked to one side and frowned but quickly recovered as he attempted to play it off as well..nothing. "Sorry- uh, I can try to be at least not a agonizingly boring person to talk to, like I sometimes-" He twitched again, angled his head subconsciously away from the sound that raced through him as he instinctively turned slightly to take in someone else speaking. As he discovered nobody was there, he turned back. "-Am." *When his implants then informed him through that rising tone and slight beep that someone had proceeded to speak. Turned too late, not trusting what he'd heard. Spotted on the end of that and moved again to keep Eicran and Paco in view as he signed somewhat apologetically in SSL to Paco. "Sorry, Cigars?" Then looked to Eicran to indicate he'd not been distracted from them and watched for a response to Lipread. Twitched a bit then as he did so. That noise, that noise elements. (edited)

"It's like the stuff Eicran smokes, but bigger and for criminals." Paco signed, along with a mafioso-like smoking motion. If there was something Paco had been solidly coherent on, it is his strongly negative stance against smoking. Hey kids: It's not cool. "Like my uncle... he's dead because he smoked" Paco said "We called him a Dick.... because his name was Richard" Paco paused, his judgements over that little bit didn't last that long. Although yes, that specific cigarette was an absolute saving grace, which Paco was very grateful for, that and the advancements of medical technology still do not justify engaging in the habit smoking. Anyways! "Some people say..." Paco mused "The guy who invented the Flamin' Hot flavor of Cheetos was Mexican-American Richard Montañez, who worked as a janitor for Fritoy Lay" He paused. Flamin' Hot cheetos and Takis Fuego were his favorite snacks, he misses them dearly. The heat of both corn-snacks felt like a luxurious comfort against the harsh cold. "They manufactured Cheetos and Doritos... however, the company said Lynne Greenfeld, a new hire at the time, invented it since her first assignment was to make a spicy snack that can compete."

Baffled, he blinked and looked at Paco. "I don't smoke. Didn't before ending up here, still don't..."

"okay" Okay, if Eicran said so. "When I was in the Academy, since I was in San Francisco, I got the chance to visit visit Pennsylvania." Paco mused once again as he looked away from Eicran and stared blankly at a wall. "There are a lot of pretzel factories in Central Pennsylvania. Chips too, that's why its often referred to as 'The Snack Belt'... I like mustard." Paco paused, then a thought popped up "Speaking of, did you know that the phrase 'Tie The Knot' is a reference to how they used to use swiss pretzels at wedding ceremonies?"

Curiosity well and truly grabbed by Paco as he relaxed ever so slightly with the end of the additional noise for now, Elohae watched Paco. Watched them and looked deeply deeply curious. While part of him was deeply worried about the fact that they acted like this and what Paco had gone through, Elohae was also just intrigued by the odd facts Paco offered. They just weren't what you expected someone to chat about in a Tal-Shiar prison and that had knocked him temporarily out of the slump he'd worked to conceal. Signed to Paco in SSL though he knew or well hoped Eicran would understand it. "Eicran smokes?" Then glanced to Eicran and proceeded to sign to Eicran the equivalent of. "Ooohhh." Before he turned back to Paco. "No...I uh, don't know what a pretzel is." The deaf Romulan signed then as he admitted that to Paco in SSL and by extention also aired that to anyone in the room who happened to know SSL. Not that he minded. Though well, he resolved to replicate a pretzel after this.

He turned to face Elohae so he could see in particular and mouthed his words instead of speaking them out loud. "I'm going to start smoking once we get out of here," he quipped before starting his ambling walk around the room again.

"A pretzel is like, a string of dough that's shaped into a knot or twisted. It's topped with coarse rocksalt. Very nice." *Paco answered. He may not see what Eicran mouthed, or care to mouthread it, but he will still judge him for smoking if he did it in a no smoking area. Pretzels and hot mustard are a really good combo, especially when paired with a good sausage. Maybe even a beer. Paco should ask his cellmates out for drinks sometime when this is over. That's nice. *

Elohae looked to Eicran when he moved that and proceeded to form his hand into two signs one angled toward himself. These amounted to. "I understand, tempted myself." Directed at Eicran somewhat discretely. With everything that had occurred it honestly somewhat appealed to him, even if he suspected that Vara'l and Telim together would not let him go down such a route. If Telim happened to....still be alive. He looked to Paco then and read what they stated and proceeded to sign in SSL to Paco. "That does seem very nice, I shall have to try one some time." Smoothly, though it happened to take mental effort to do so he added. "..When this is...all over." (edited)

Despite the rocky start to Eicran and Elohae getting to know eachother, he was glad that they could at least joke a little now. He chuckled at the Romulan's response. Maybe if they got out of here and didn't end up executed then they could all get pretzels. "I know it's basically nothing much more than bread and butter, but you can get warm pretzels with the butter inside... Those are divine."

"I'm not familiar with pretzels?" Vovvi had wrapped her blankets around her like a cloak, knees to her chest from where she sat on her bed. "I've never had them, I mean. I have heard of them, but I've never seen one for myself. Or— maybe I have, and didn't have a name to attach to it. Are there any good places back home?" (edited)

Elohae smiled a bit at what Eicran stated as he signed in SSL and RSL cause while he signed to Eicran he wanted everyone in the room to understand what he signed. It seemed well, rude to him even as his mind shivered in apprehension of more of the beeps or something else and he battled to hide that he experienced anything. He was far more concerned about others than himself as he watched those around him with a bruised face and a head of hair that concealed other bruises. Such concerns compartmentalized in the face of others who suffered others who needed help after they were analysed to not be things he could yet be assisted with. Others had priority, he'd try not to worry anyone about that, not until they were out of here..until he happened to find a Starfleet engineer. "From how you describe them, I really want to try that." He signed then to Eicran. When Vovvi spoke then, Elohae smiled a bit and signed. "Not heard of them-." Made a 'errr' like face then as he realized the sign he'd used. "Well, you know what I mean, but yeah, not encountered them at all myself." Paused and looked around the people there as he then signed. "If there is a place back home that does them, how about we all get Pretzels when we get out?" Elohae inquired then in RSL and SSL, the question posed to everyone in the Cell.

"I've had a few pretzels." Ellie butted in the conversation. Wanting to distract her mind by tossing menial words and phrases around to center herself. "They are rather salty. I do not enjoy salty." She said, pushing a finger along the rim of her cot feeling the frigid metal and icy condensation that had built up on it. The woman was still cold, and breathing still hurt, but any distraction was worth while. "I much prefer churro's." The Golem gave her opinion, bringing up one of her favorite snack foods that she very much misses as of now. A nice hot churro would be wonderful. (edited)

"That's something I've never had, but I've heard they're good. You know, this makes me realise how many places there are on board that I haven't been to." One minute everyone was going through the horrors and now they were talking about food. It was a good distraction! "I just use the replicator, but there's so much I might be missing out on..."

Elohae looked to Ellie then and signed in SSL to them, repeated in RSL as he ensured it was understood by all in the room. "That is fair, honestly am fine with salty food as long as they're not salted far too much for what they are." He looked deeply curious then as he glanced to Eicran then to Ellie and then back to Eicran as he signed then. "What's a churro?" Signed it in SSL and RSL, the question directed to both of them but repeated to ensure Vovvi understood it too. "Are they and pretzels something sold on the station?" He then asked as he signed some more. "Not on the replicator but you know, made and uh..get-able?" Oh he was soundly distracted now and honestly very tempted to look into different sorts of food if-when they managed to get out of here and too the station. What had he missed out on! These things seemed interesting.

"They are wonderful. They aren't too complicated to make too." Ellie recalled, she had a pretty specific recipe she enjoyed that involved some cocoa but that was a bit extra of her. "There's likely somewhere that sells it on Starbase. I have only been there thirteen days so I do not quite remember where everything was." Ellie had only been there for thirteen days, little over two weeks now she left her home Starbase. It was disheartening to consider such memories of simplistic pleasures. Before the Yellow Alert she had just been drinking a coffee, and how she'd love to drink a nice warm coffee right now. Scalding hot coffee. "I can tell you all a recipe I know if you want to make them." The Golem retreated her arms back to her knees, laying her forhead on them to trap some hot carbon molecules near her face.

He still hadn't stopped his slow pacing around the room (with the blankets over his shoulders and wrapped around him as tightly as possible, like a walking tortilla wrap). Whenever he spoke he stopped though, turning so Elohae could see. He wasn't sure if it was the most effective technique but he wanted to ensure that the Romulan was included. If only he had put in more work in trying to learn SSL. Languages just weren't Eicran's forte unfortunately, signed ones included. Elohae wasn't the only person he was worried about excluding. Alin hadn't spoken since returning either. It was upsettingly ironic that the best person to help in this situation was Alin himself. Eicran wanted to do more to help, but there wasn't much he he could do in terms of physical injury... Or psychological. Hopefully, some time alone processing things would help, but he was concerned that the 'alone' part meant that his fellow medical officer was stuck in the mental throes of whatever had happened to him. "I'm sure there are places on 777 that do all of this. We'll have to investigate." Like everyone else he wasn't sure if they were even getting out of this prison, but for the sake of keeping up positivity, he acted like they were definitely going to. "You're a fan of cooking or baking, Ensign Findley? You'll have to teach me. I think the last thing I tried to bake was a loaf, and it went on fire..." Never mind being a disgrace to the Betazoid side of his family, that instance alone made him a disgrace to the Human side that lived in France.

Elohae seemed very deeply intrigued about the idea of churros and signed in SSL to the Ensign. "That seems quite nice and well, I'd love to know where to get em." At what the ensign stated next Elohae nodded several times and signed in SSL to them. "I'd love that to be honest, I've not tried many non-Romulan foods and Pretzels and Churro's, they seem really good." Elohae had mused then before he added. "If it'd be of interest, I'm willing to trade you a Romulan Recipe of your choice for it out of the ones I know.." He'd then turned to Eicran as he spotted them turning toward him and lipread what they stated. Smiled at what they stated and nodded slightly. Signed in SSL to Eicran. "I'd love that, investigating." Paused then smiled a bit at what they added about baking. "Baking is fun, so is cooking." He then signed as he then looked to Ellie. "Could we all cook that recipie together?" Noted what they were doing and then proceeded to sign as he asked. "..Do you want another blanket, by the way?" Offered that, just incase it would help.

"mmm I miss churros.... and waffles..."* Paco said, feeling hungry for sweet pastries already* "They both go really well with chocolate.... but waffles are better than pancakes, because its more socially acceptable to stuff it with a wider range of foods, like cornbeef hash, sausage patties and eggs, fried chicken thighs, and ice cream... it's like a superior sandwitch bread... you can't do any of that with pancakes..."

"I hope you're not putting all of that on the waffles at once," he quipped as he started another lap of the room, thankful for people talking. He would have been bored out of his mind and going bats from being stir crazy otherwise. "I don't think sausage, egg, chicken, and ice cream would go together... And what's - what was it? Corn beef hash?"

"Churros aren't too hard to make. You toast a stick of bread. Dip it in sugar cream. Then you put cinnamon sugar on it. It's as unhealthy as it sounds." Ellie explained, what food she ate wasn't something that she taunted over, she didn't gain or lose wait anymore really, so she just kept up her hygiene of brushing her teeth. Now that the woman realized it she hadn't brushed her teeth in a while. Not like the prison guards were benevolent enough to give them tubes of toothpastes and brushes. Hopefully no one got cavities from the disgusting slop they were feeding everyone so far. Ellie began to pick at one of her kay-nines in the back of her mouth before she spoke again. "I add some cocoa to my cinnamon. Not too bitter though, makes it taste abstract." She explained, leaning her head back against the wall that was at the head of the cot. "You'd be surprised what foods you can mix that taste good. Have you tried cheese and Chocolate Commander?" (edited)

"I tried... not as good as Gagh on waffles in terms of taste. It was just unwieldy due to the size....separately, they're delicious." Paco answered. There are two things that bound all living races and species together: We all gotta eat, and we're all gonna die. Paco was glad he got to talk about his favorite topic, food. "Corned Beef fried together with diced potatoes and sliced onions. Really good stuff. goes well with sunny side up eggs"

Ellie contemplated these culinary decisions and decided that, no these were not gods creations remotely. Absolutely curious combinations that sounded like a textural hell for the Golem. "I can barely eat a cheese burger if it has more then ketchup, cheese, and vegetable meat." She incited, rather useless information but information she felt like sharing. Atleast Paco was talking in the first person again?

"Vegetable meat? Like tofu and tempeh?" Paco asked Ellie out of genuine curiosity. Paco has had Vegan foods every now and then. They were nice. Vegan Milk's are great "My cousin once put grilled pineapple on her burger once... like, a whole round slice of pineapple."

"I do not like red meat, it's texture is strange." Ellie explained, she was fine with eating chicken but something about red meat just made her uncomfortable. Never had the woman enjoyed beef or anything like that. It was too fatty and made her feel guilty no matter how or when she ate it.

"It's okay. Red meat's weird sometimes. I don't eat it that often either" Paco said, not understanding why people get so fussy about the done-ness of a steak, or rather why people go through such lenghts for it to be 'rare', which is just a snooty way of saying 'undercooked, but not really'. Paco also couldn't handle eating fatty foods too often, so he was with her on that front. "I tried making fish and chips, but subbing the fish for tofu and nori seaweed once. It was alright"

Elohae actually audibly snorted in a laugh at what Eicran stated then. Smiled a bit then at the fact his spirits had been lifted. Hoped that nothing spoiled this, that nothing else happened he would have been forced to conceal. Knew full well that whoever happened to have been doing what they were doing happened to have him at their mercy. Balance too, they'd stated. So many things he couldn't hide, if they elected to make him suffer further. Not that that snatched away his mirth and his smile as he signed to Eicran and Paco. "You know, while I don't know what beef-corn is, that does sound like it might not go well together but." He paused and then signed. "It does sound potentially fun to try once.." He'd then looked to Ellie then and looked honestly impressed by its simplicty and how good it sounded, churros. He'd then signed in SSL and RSL to her, wanting to ensure Vovvi was not excluded from understanding him as he signed to Ellie. "Okay, Churro's sound divine especially how you describe doing them." Elohae then settled into lipread as Paco and Ellie had talked. Commented no further before he signed in SSL and RSL to people in the room. "Had red meat before, when I was younger, concurr that it can be a bit..weird." Before he paused and asked Paco. "Nori Seaweed, what's that?" In SSL then repeated the question in RSL.

Having no clue what Nori seaweed was he didn't answer, leaving that to the others. He was too busy feeling nauseated at the thought of gagh waffles. All things considered, he'd rather eat prison slop.

Based Eicran.

"I miss gagh," Vovvi sighed wistfully. She missed all the comforts of home, really. "Not on waffles. Just in general. I wouldn't mind some tea, too..." Footsteps down the hall again. Her heart all but plummeted to the pit of her stomach. Maybe it was their allies. Maybe they were finished with all of them. Maybe, maybe...

Elohae looked to Vovvi then and idly signed in RSL then SSL. "I'm beginning to realize I've not tried alot of food outside of Romulan foods at all." And then paused before he signed more in response to Vovvi as he wondered if he trusted his implants and what they told him. Decided he might do. Moved to sign more. "Tea sou-" And then it happened again and he clasped his hands to his ears, staggered a bit and slipped onto his cot, clunked his head against the wall. Oh elements not another bruise oh elements why this why this why-

"Sir—?" Vovvi was quick to his side, brows furrowed in concern. His ears again... Those damn agents, what did they do to him? "What happened, are you alright?"

Elohae blinked a bit as the sound blessedly lessened for a time, started to stand up, the blanket again something that slipped his surprised mind. Attempted to recover as he signed in RSL. "Its f-ine." Proceeded to shake his head a bit, moved to rub his head, discovered the other bruises from when in nightmare fuelled snap awakes he'd attempted to conceal, he'd clunked his head on something before. Somewhat lessened now, given time had passed but still enough that his hand twitched slightly as he moved over them and checked where he'd hit his head. Signed in Rsl then as he forced his eyes to focus on Vovvi. "I'm fine." A lie signed to try and deflect concern from someone's who's need paled in comparison to others in the room. "It passed."

Knock, knock. Then, the door opened - revealing a face that not all people in the cell might've been excited to see.

Vovvi frowned, but didn't have long to linger. She hesitated only momentarily, looking up on the face of Rhean, craning her neck to try to see if there were any guards behind him. "What do you want now?..* Just in case.

"Vovvi?" Ev'kor called out from behind Shepherd, hand nervously twisting into his coat as he peeked over the man's shoulder.

Amber slid into the cell following, beelining it straight for the door on the far end with the intention to check it for any stray Tal Shiar agents. "Congratulations, ya wee jailbirds," she said as she moved, "we're all goin' home. Doc in the back's got more fer ya."

Elohae stood up, prayed nothing else would happen as he cautiously moved his hands further from his ears. This as he'd briefly moved them a bit closer, not that he happened to be able to do anything about anything if more things happened. He then looked at everyone that was coming into the room now his mind happened to be more with it and just signed in RSL and then SSL then with no particular person in mind. "..What?" Looked at the new people and signed then. "Rescue?" Backed up a bit. Peeople. More than a few people. Less...space. (edited)

The breath was stolen from her lungs all at once, but she gave Elohae's shoulder a small squeeze. 'Don't move' was heavily implied, but not spoken aloud. "Not another step," she warned, standing up, glaring suspiciously at the group. "Identify yourselves. Now."

"Lieutenant, you look totally Romulan right now, who is going to believe you?" Ev'kor asked rhetorically, stepping inside and turning to Elohae and confirming "rescue" in sign. His breath caught as he watched Vovvi's fear and suspicion, something he didn't realise he would ever have to face. He looked like himself, he thought, but maybe not in a way she'd ever seen him, and not enough like himself to be immediate "Ev'kor tr'Khellian, Medical Officer with the Flotilla and Starfleet. In... a disguise. Somewhat."

Elohae detected the should squeeze, worked out what it implied and proceeded to freeze slightly. Did so before training kicked in and the ex-republic navy man slipped without realizing it into a fighting stance. Stared as he watched the conversation continue, noted the sign before he responded to it in SSL to Ev'kor. "Sure." Watched Vovvi and the other prisoners in the cell then, Vovvi trusted far more than the new group right now.

"They are real, Rei'nak," came his quiet voice from the door. There was a slight staticky quality to it, and the man was clutching at the front of his collar. Some device was attached to the inner part of it. Filter?

Yeah, she supposed Ev'kor was right. Amber would have knocked herself out if she were on the other side of this, she reasoned to herself. Standing down, she raised her hands in surrender, but would not let go of her firearm. "Lieutenant Ruthven - Amber. First week on the transfer, can ya blame me, really?" she shrugged exaggeratedly, and flashed half a smile. "There anyone in there we ought'a worry about?" she pointed to the bathroom door. (edited)

Vovvi relaxed just barely, moving her arm from in front of Elohae (sorry to mom-arm, some instincts never died) and standing up straight. "When you said people were coming, I didn't think you meant so soon?.." Uhm?? "Lieutenant Commander Vovvi t'Rei'nak. Intelligence. Nice to meet you, Lieutenant... The bathroom is empty." Her gaze was fixed firmly over Shepherd's shoulder.

Diahjir wished he did not need to be in such a disguise, he wished he could be identifiable, but he knew that it was for the best. He did offer the imprisoned group a bit of a smile to show that he was who they said he was, at the very least.

"Would you rather have stayed here longer?" Ev'kor asked with some humour, pushing past Shepherd too to walk into the room, giving a lingering look to Vovvi before scanning everyone for injuries. Only the Commander on his cot seemed to be in a state, which. They'd need to deal with. But maybe not while still in prison.

Elohae continued to watch Vovvi then. Deferred to her and made no move to get out from behind that arm. Watched the situation even as he idly reached up one hand to a ear. Hovered over his earpiece with semi-fearful uncertainty before he moved it back down. Looked to the newcomers and signed in RSL and then SSL then. "..I don't want to stay." He then lapsed into immobility then as he watched the others, watched Vovvi, trusted his fellow prisoners in the Cell.

".. Not really." They'd notice eventually that she and Eicran remained mostly unharmed. All the exhaustion seeped into her bones at once, and all she could really do was chuckle in disbelief. "I've never been more happy to see so many faces in this cell, to tell the truth.. "

Elohae looked to Vovvi then and slightly relaxed as he then waved at the others. Waved and watched what was stated by the others. Watched and then smiled at the person who smiled. Did so before he looked to the medical officer as his jaw worked a bit. Considered an admission about how he happened to feel. Decided against it. As the realization they happened to be okay, that rescue had arrived set in, the sleep deprived deaf Romulan swayed a bit. He then recovered his balance smoothly and idly resolved he was going to find a bed and sleep somewhere warm for a fair old while when the chance arrived.

"We're going to start tagging people for transport," Ev'kor said, signing in explanation for Elohae too before putting a tag on Alin. "You'll be transported to a ship for escape, and checked out for injuries there, too. Since most people here are up and walking, I imagine the priority will likely be on some other folks, but everyone will receive a once-over." Elements, but there was an unpleasant smell hanging about Lt. Cdr. q'Reth. He likely was a medical priority, but from the absent gaze, Ev'kor didn't think telling him that would help. "I do have a few supplies on hand, though, in case someone needs something solved immediately. So does Commander Lan."

He nodded, making himself known as Commander Lan and walking into the room to try and assess everyone. He knew that getting Alin out of there was likely a priority, but he wondered if he could do anything out there in the field, he felt like it was his duty as a medical professional, as the chief medical officer.

Amber had decided to the check the bathroom regardless, even if she did nod to Vovvi's response. Returning, she placed herself, again, right by the door, half her interest devoted to listening out for anyone coming down the corridor. As though it was needed, she helped by pointing with a finger to the Commander, glancing around the room to see if anyone raised their hands.

"Commander q'Reth, he's.. he hasn't said a word for days. I'm not sure if he's been eating. He and Ensign Findley are the only ones with physical scars, I believe." Vovvi exhaled a shaking sigh, shivering a little in the chill. "The rest of us... Well. We're mostly alright."

Diahjir nodded firmly, starting a short medical examination after he had placed a Transporter Tag on him (if that had not already happened). "Commander q'Reth... can you hear me? We are here to help..." His words were unsure, but he was doing everything that he could with the limited supplies he had.

Elohae, when Vovvi stated that, looked to then and then looked to the others in the room as he signed in SSL then RSL then. "Implants compromised, myself." He signed then simply before he added. "Remote control, they've been...occasionally doing whatever they want to me with them." Angled that he hoped to not distract anyone who worked on Alin.

No response from Alin, just the occasional jerk and breathing too fast to be asleep.

Amber began walking around the room after Diahjir had moved to start working, taking the opportunity to place transporter tags on the rest of the prisoners, making a point to show them what she was placing on them before doing so.

He seemed almost torn by the fact that he could not do more for Lieutenant Commander q'Reth, nevertheless, the CMO placed a transporter tag and took notice of the fact that the Civilian's implants were compromised. That could also be hopefully rectified by someone with more tools at their disposal than he had at that moment.

He remained by the closed door, a sentry. As he leaned against it, he kept quiet, save for the light crackle of his broken voice changer - a result from his previous encounter he failed to notice in his haste. So he kept quiet. He had to, for the two people in this cell who Rojin watched from his position.

Because Amber and Diahjir were making quick work of tagging everyone, Ev'kor slid towards Vovvi, hoping to have at least a somewhat quiet conversation, but since the two of them were basically in the middle of the room... He glanced down at her face, then at her hands, before quickly grabbing one and leading her over to the side of the cell, nearer to the entrance where maybe they'd be out of range of most earshots. "How are you doing? What happened to you?" he asked, both out of professional and personal concern.

"I'm fine," she answered honestly, cupping both of her hands around his to give it a small squeeze. His hands were warmer than hers by far. "I — I was lucky. Shepherd stepped in before Rhean could get his hands on me. He wanted to," even now, Vovvi's eyes bounced to the doorway, expecting those heavy footsteps to start falling any second, "and he did, technically," Quite literally. "However, we got our hands on a regenerator, so everything is alright. You don't have to worry, Ev. I wasn't... I wasn't hurt as much as the others." Guilt twisted in her chest. She got off scot-free, and in her place, an Ensign, a civilian, and a medical officer. Elements.

"Okay, okay, that's- I mean, it's not good that everyone else got hurt, but I'm relieved that you're alright. And you're safe now, so- I'm glad we could come save you." Ev'kor couldn't help but be selfish in this moment, and be glad that Vovvi seemed to be alright, at least physically. He was sure mentally there would be scars, how couldn't there be, but- this was a relief. Even if there were other people in this cell who were doing poorly, he couldn't help but be relieved that Vovvi could walk around and talk to him.

Oh. Oh. The realization struck him with the precision and efficiency of a well-placed stab to the heart, though it was nowhere as sudden as one. It crept up on him, starting with the context clues all the way back on the station, which then rose to a roaring wave in pace with Khellian's urgent gait, and then ended on, well... this. Only a blind man couldn't see the tenderness in that gesture, not see the way the rest of the room ceased to exist for them. And despite one of his eyes being a prosthetic... Rojin was not a blind man. Yet he still closed his eyes, breathing in deep. There was a reason for why many of his comrades were oh so careful with relationships of the more personal variation outside of the cell. They made instances like these... painful. He separated himself from the door, and began walking towards them. He was on a duty. He was on a job. ~~He was a tool.~~ He had to remain collected and professional. For Saren. For them. For... Them. "You have to hurry up," he uttered, a whisper, the changer utterly failing him. This was an intrusion, but it was necessary. He had to do it for their own good. "Both of you. You will be able to talk aboard the vessel, I promise."

A gasp, then, of recognition, and an aborted grasp at his uniform before Ev'kor remembered himself, the place they were in, the- it did make sense now. "R-" Even his name got stuck in his throat. He pressed Vovvi's transporter tag to her shoulder, so they'd be able to get out of there. As Rojin said. "You too," he said back, whispering but in a manner of urgency that would almost make the whispering moot. "You have to come back."

It can't be. Not him. Not him. Anyone but him. Anyone but him in this awful place, wearing that face, carrying this awful burden of duty. Vovvi nearly staggered before she remembered herself, struggled to streamline her focus to here and now even through her heartbeat roaring in her ears. Her lip quivered before she could stop it— pressed hastily together, a shaky breath taken in before tears could breach the surface. Not him, not him, not him, not again. "Please," was all she could really manage.

Elohae looked around at all present, realised this was a private moment and stepped back slightly. Signed in SSL. “Need to go” He really wanted his implants returned to his control as soon as possible. His balance it seemed was yet un-messed with but that was something that change, he grimly happened to know. They could get to him whenever, if someone happened to still be on whatever had controlled it. He was..somewhat anxious about that, he discovered.

Seeing Rhean, or at least, someone who supposedly looks like Rhean, gave Paco the reasonable reaction of freezing and not wanting to be there anymore. Not like he could do anything against being tagged, both because he was too afraid to move to do anything and also because of the possibility of being thrown back into confinement again for resisting. 'A ship???' he internally thought to himself... 'oh Prophets where are they going to take them now??' are they being transported to some Romulan Super Prison??? A Tal Shiar Alcatraz??? Or maybe even... their death beds?! OH SISKO THIS IS THE END FOR STARFLEET FINES-- wait did one of them say escape? Seeing as Vovvi was busy having a moment, Paco looked around for the nearest not busy person that he could reliably trust. Could this be another cruel joke like the Solitary PaConfinement?? A lot was happening very quickly. Paco quietly waddled over to Elohae, tapping him on the shoulder. "Escape, meaning we can go home?" he signed in SSL, gesturing to the tag as well

He shook his head. He was breaking so many rules. He was breaking all of the rules. "Commander Lareth is here. I have to..." oh. Why did saying all of that out loud hurt?.. "I have to find him and bring him for the trial before the Republic. I can't let him get away, not after... not after all of this, not after what he has done to all of us. Please, go."

Ev'kor swallowed thickly at the mention of Commander Lareth. If there ever was a name that would strike a chord with him, it would be that one. He buried it, though. "You'd better get home." Because Ev'kor understood. "I'll kill you if you don't get home, do you understand me?"

Elohae visibly twitched at Paco’s tap, the warning of his implants not trusted in the face of fear that it might have happened to have been a false one. He turned then and lipread what they said, nodded and smiled as he signed in SSL “Yes, It does.” Watched him and added in SSL sign. “Freedom, from this, we can go home.”

The room was spinning again, and she was back, back in that room, watching the news feed. A thousand different videos. A thousand different coverages. Millions dead. One to join them. "You have to." She could only agree dumbly, fingers curled in Ev'kor's sleeve.

Paco's eyes absolutely brightened up as Elohae confirmed that, YES! They are finally going home! With a level of confidence and assurance they will be going home soon, excitedly laughing to himself quietly as he frantically pressed the tag in rapid succession as he waited for the beam out to happen. This entire ordeal was finally over. Paco finally got out. (edited)

With a shimmer flooding the room, cell three was gone.

And he was left alone. The silence rung in his ears. He didn't care much of it, his gaze still focused on the spot where the two stood mere moments ago. The two people in his life who... knew, now. He tried not to think about it too much. Or about the fact that they recognized him by voice. Or about their combined insistence on him coming back home. Instead, Rojin pressed the communicator by his ear: "Port, Snake. I'm going to the first floor. You can follow after me, but... be careful." And with that... he left the room, through the corridor, and up the stairs. Up, up, up...