Post by Babs on Aug 25, 2021 19:24:59 GMT
Timestamp: Just before the Chiron's arrival at Risa, approx. 11904.something
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Becca lay prone on the ground, on her stomach, on the bare concrete floor of a large warehouse-like building. Her arms and hands supported a phaser rifle in front of her. She closed one eye and looked through the rifle sight, concentrating intensely. The rifle’s sight turned green as the crosshatched target locked into place several yards in front of her, on a hapless Yridian’s chest. The Yridian was completely unaware of her presence.
Target acquired. Becca sucked in her breath and squeezed the trigger.
The bolt slammed into the mouse-like humanoid, bringing him to his knees. She squeezed again, and he slumped forwards, prone on the floor.
First target down.
She regarded the downed Yridian coolly, without emotion.
“Computer, ready second target.”
Very soon, they would arrive on Risa. Even though she didn't expect a fight there, it was possible that whatever lead they had gone there to find, could end up in a violent confrontation somewhere down the line. She wasn’t about to get shot again, or caught flatfooted.
A Naausican shimmered into place, looking slightly surprised for a holo. He caught sight of her and raised his disruptor, but not before she slammed a bolt into the shoulder of his weapon arm, causing it to clatter to the ground, then another bolt to his knees, and a third to his head, finishing him off.
Second target down.
Ok, so she was still on level four, and this was the warm up. But she’d managed to somehow hold her own in that firefight with the Cardassians a few weeks ago. Maybe she was channeling the pent-up rage she’d been feeling towards the Yridian slavers, and the after-effects of that encounter with the Orions. And considering there was no tactical officer aboard Chiron to train her, she felt she was doing pretty well with Holodeck simulations.
“This is too easy.” She clambered to her feet and stretched, readying herself for the next phase of the training. “Computer, begin level Five, keep safeties on.”
Buildings shimmered into place around her in a night-time cityscape, it's narrow streets twisting and turning in a convoluted maze where anything or anyone could be hiding.
A bolt slammed into her back from somewhere behind her, knocking her against a wall. She cursed and whirled, raising her rifle. She caught a glimpse of a glint of light off of the end of a weapon before a figure came screaming at her out of the shadows.
There was no time to get a shot off. She raised her rifle to block, and then twisted her arms and slammed the butt into the woman’s face. The klingon woman snarled and pulled a Mek’leth from her boot. Becca didn't have time to dodge before she was shoved backwards again, pinned against the wall. The klingon's hot breath seared Becca's nostrils and the sharp blade dug into her throat, just short of drawing blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her uncle and her grandmother had been missing for several months, caught within the dark depths of the slave trade. She desperately wanted to give her cousin and Aunt some good news. Or any news at all. If the mission on Risa could give them a trail to follow, it would be worth it.
Her grandmother Eleanor had spent most of her career as a starfleet scientist, racking up several awards over the forty some odd years she specialized in genetics. In her old age, she’d retired on Gault and bought a farm, raising woolbeasts to supplement her pension and to keep her genetics skills sharp. A buyer would probably pay dearly for a woman with her experience. Especially given the fact that humanoid genetic modifications were illegal, so why not use a slave to do the work, whose very existence could be easily denied or hidden.
Her uncle J’ran had been a civilian maintenance worker, and sometimes a freight hauler, until he moved with his wife Lydia and young daughter Cora to help take care of the family farm as Eleanor aged. In his forties now, he would probably be marketed as someone who had several years of work left in him.
Wherever they were now, Becca at least hoped that they were alive.
And if they weren’t, there was going to be hell to pay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She found her strength and leveraged herself against the stone wall, pushing the Klingon woman backwards onto the ground. She pointed the business end of the rifle towards her opponent’s temple, and squeezed the trigger.
Target Eliminated.
The alley was eerily quiet. A red moon shone above the stone walls, half-illuminating the scene. Becca held her breath, peering into the shadows.
A split second later, she was slammed to the ground by a heavy object falling from above, knocking the wind out of her.
“Fuuuck!” Becca groped for her rifle, which had clattered just out of reach. Her Gorn opponent raised his sword, going for the kill….
“Lieutenant Terell, we are approaching Risa. Please report to the Bridge.” The acting OPS officer’s voice burst shrilly from her combadge, startling her. She froze, just at the point where she would have rolled away. The sword descended, aiming right for her heart.
“Computer, Pause program!”
The blade halted, right before it would have pierced her sternum.
“Computer, save and end program.”
The alleyway, and Gorn disappeared, leaving her laying flat on the floor of the yellow gridded holodeck. She hauled herself upright again and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“This is Terell, I’ll be right there.”
“Computer, please set a reminder in my quarters to pack a couple of bikinis.” She swished out of the holodeck towards the turbolift. “And... a phaser.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Becca lay prone on the ground, on her stomach, on the bare concrete floor of a large warehouse-like building. Her arms and hands supported a phaser rifle in front of her. She closed one eye and looked through the rifle sight, concentrating intensely. The rifle’s sight turned green as the crosshatched target locked into place several yards in front of her, on a hapless Yridian’s chest. The Yridian was completely unaware of her presence.
Target acquired. Becca sucked in her breath and squeezed the trigger.
The bolt slammed into the mouse-like humanoid, bringing him to his knees. She squeezed again, and he slumped forwards, prone on the floor.
First target down.
She regarded the downed Yridian coolly, without emotion.
“Computer, ready second target.”
Very soon, they would arrive on Risa. Even though she didn't expect a fight there, it was possible that whatever lead they had gone there to find, could end up in a violent confrontation somewhere down the line. She wasn’t about to get shot again, or caught flatfooted.
A Naausican shimmered into place, looking slightly surprised for a holo. He caught sight of her and raised his disruptor, but not before she slammed a bolt into the shoulder of his weapon arm, causing it to clatter to the ground, then another bolt to his knees, and a third to his head, finishing him off.
Second target down.
Ok, so she was still on level four, and this was the warm up. But she’d managed to somehow hold her own in that firefight with the Cardassians a few weeks ago. Maybe she was channeling the pent-up rage she’d been feeling towards the Yridian slavers, and the after-effects of that encounter with the Orions. And considering there was no tactical officer aboard Chiron to train her, she felt she was doing pretty well with Holodeck simulations.
“This is too easy.” She clambered to her feet and stretched, readying herself for the next phase of the training. “Computer, begin level Five, keep safeties on.”
Buildings shimmered into place around her in a night-time cityscape, it's narrow streets twisting and turning in a convoluted maze where anything or anyone could be hiding.
A bolt slammed into her back from somewhere behind her, knocking her against a wall. She cursed and whirled, raising her rifle. She caught a glimpse of a glint of light off of the end of a weapon before a figure came screaming at her out of the shadows.
There was no time to get a shot off. She raised her rifle to block, and then twisted her arms and slammed the butt into the woman’s face. The klingon woman snarled and pulled a Mek’leth from her boot. Becca didn't have time to dodge before she was shoved backwards again, pinned against the wall. The klingon's hot breath seared Becca's nostrils and the sharp blade dug into her throat, just short of drawing blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her uncle and her grandmother had been missing for several months, caught within the dark depths of the slave trade. She desperately wanted to give her cousin and Aunt some good news. Or any news at all. If the mission on Risa could give them a trail to follow, it would be worth it.
Her grandmother Eleanor had spent most of her career as a starfleet scientist, racking up several awards over the forty some odd years she specialized in genetics. In her old age, she’d retired on Gault and bought a farm, raising woolbeasts to supplement her pension and to keep her genetics skills sharp. A buyer would probably pay dearly for a woman with her experience. Especially given the fact that humanoid genetic modifications were illegal, so why not use a slave to do the work, whose very existence could be easily denied or hidden.
Her uncle J’ran had been a civilian maintenance worker, and sometimes a freight hauler, until he moved with his wife Lydia and young daughter Cora to help take care of the family farm as Eleanor aged. In his forties now, he would probably be marketed as someone who had several years of work left in him.
Wherever they were now, Becca at least hoped that they were alive.
And if they weren’t, there was going to be hell to pay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She found her strength and leveraged herself against the stone wall, pushing the Klingon woman backwards onto the ground. She pointed the business end of the rifle towards her opponent’s temple, and squeezed the trigger.
Target Eliminated.
The alley was eerily quiet. A red moon shone above the stone walls, half-illuminating the scene. Becca held her breath, peering into the shadows.
A split second later, she was slammed to the ground by a heavy object falling from above, knocking the wind out of her.
“Fuuuck!” Becca groped for her rifle, which had clattered just out of reach. Her Gorn opponent raised his sword, going for the kill….
“Lieutenant Terell, we are approaching Risa. Please report to the Bridge.” The acting OPS officer’s voice burst shrilly from her combadge, startling her. She froze, just at the point where she would have rolled away. The sword descended, aiming right for her heart.
“Computer, Pause program!”
The blade halted, right before it would have pierced her sternum.
“Computer, save and end program.”
The alleyway, and Gorn disappeared, leaving her laying flat on the floor of the yellow gridded holodeck. She hauled herself upright again and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“This is Terell, I’ll be right there.”
“Computer, please set a reminder in my quarters to pack a couple of bikinis.” She swished out of the holodeck towards the turbolift. “And... a phaser.”