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Unsurprised that words did not work, Kylah lets the Chalnoth's suffering at Mr. Rawlings's hands roll off her back. She tries yet again to activate the little Uwat communicator, although without much hope since her earlier attempt yielded nothing. The announcement comes as a relief--assuming it does any good.
The Chalnoth's attack triggers Nia into an outraged but poorly considered leap up from the bed. She has nothing to fight with, neither weapon nor strength--and even if she could be of any use, Dr. M's in a better defensive position. But she stands nonetheless, grabbing onto the upper bunk as a protection against vertigo: a transfixed, helpless witness of whatever Booker experiences.
Bizhi agrees with Nia that the situation with Rangin is bad. He does not, however, have time to discuss it with her, because things are happening fast.
One possibility he has been contemplating is to knock the attacking Chalnoth out with a tranquilizer. The problem is, not that he fancies ever having this argument with Lt. Graham, is that that would violate every legal and ethical standard of informed consent, not to mention the laws of war, and doing so would, ironically, justify the Chalnoth's enmity. This Chalnoth is not his patient, nor is he insane. If it were really a dilemma between doing nothing and saving lives... yet (so far, anyway) he finds himself having made no move to prepare such a hypospray.
That leaves Graham grappling with one Chalnoth already in the room. So long as the attacker is blocking the doorway, Bizhi figures his friends cannot follow. He therefore chooses to (unless Graham, who presumably knows what he is doing, indicates or orders otherwise) square up with Graham and crowd the Chalnoth so he does not have room for the mano a mano he is aching for. He keeps his eyes on the Chalnoth's hands, in case he is holding a stabbing or energy weapon or whatever tool they used to pry open the door, and in any case he can try to use his strong hand (at least that one has a chance at being effective) to control the Chalnoth's wrist, or at least shove him backwards.
"I told you, you have got it all wrong!" he hisses. "It wasn't us! You can see for yourself my friends are hurt too! I dinna ken what Protocol Ghar means, but I can see them settling for what we've already paid, spacing us all, scrubbing our DNA, and forgetting we were ever here!"
Graham gets on the balls of his feet and gambles he's quicker than the larger Chalnoth.
He takes a quick hard slap at which ever of the Chalnoth's hands is closer to him and then lowers his shoulder and lunges hard at its torso, attempting to knock it back toward (or, ideally through) the door.
Kylah gets a screech of feedback but no coherent response from the Uwat communicator. Rawlings keeps grappling with "his" Chalnoth.
Onn feels woozy now that she's back on her feet, but is able to stay vertical.
Graham's quick hard slap misses - the Chalnoth is a little faster than Graham would have expected - but the Security officer's charge and shoulder butt works like a charm. The Chalnoth is knocked back into the doorway, bumping into the next warrior which is trying to wriggle through. The Chalnoth in the room glances for a moment at the good doctor, then screams with rage and grabs Graham's shoulders.
The same warnings in different languages keep squawking out of the bulkhead comm unit: "All passengers must return to quarters. All passengers must return to quarters. Security Protocol Ghar will otherwise be imposed. This is your last warning."
Nia's hands squeeze into useless fists. Her only contribution to assist Book would be shoving her body at the Chalnoth like some kinda limp projectile, but that would do precisely nothing except get in Booker's way. And end up with the enemy slashing or biting her to shreds using the same weapons--claws and fangs--her currently impotent scales evolved to defeat.
Nia may be dulled by her brain fog, but she's not stupid or suicidal. All she does is fling a desperate look at the doctor.
Bizhi does not know if this is normal behaviour for Chalnoth (but, when it comes to a capacity for irrational violence, it does not get much worse than humans). To their credit, at least they are persistent, and they did get past a locked door without too much trouble, as well as Uwat crewmembers armed with some sort of energy-based disabler by the sound of it. It may well be that there is more to the War-Brotherhood than idle boasting.
Now, however, only one of them made it in, and both hands on Graham's shoulders leaves the Chalnoth's torso exposed. With time running out, Bizhi (whose strength in his cybernetic arm may come as a surprise to the Chalnoth, at least initially) goes for quickly jabbing him in [where there should be] a nerve cluster, with the aim of producing pain and knocking the wind out of him (but no real damage), worst case distracting him and making him loosen his grip. Assuming this is at least partially effective and the Chalnoth is taken aback for a moment instead of getting an iron grip on him in turn or knocking him across the room, he will join Graham in his strategy of shoving the Chalnoth, hard, back to the door, hopefully making him lose his balance in the process.
The impulse to slam the apparently worthless device onto the deck is overwhelming, but Kylah resists. She shudders when she seems to hear frightening noises and animal-like grunts from the cabin next door. But then she suspects it is just the Chalnoth just outside her own door.
They seem to be in a stalemate. Those twisted wrists will probably snap off if Mr. Rawlings has a rare lapse in control. Or the attacker could rally and gain the upper hand, so to speak.
That must not happen. She must do something to keep the Chalnoth backfooted. Staring resentfully at the chair she earlier considered a possible weapon, and then the communicator she hoped would serve as support, Kylah decides to flip her thinking.
Since she cannot see the enemy past Mr. Rawlings's tall frame, she drags the chair closer, and--insanely--steps up on it, satisfyingly increasing her height. (Hopefully she can now see the Chalnoth.)
Next she eyes the communicator. Since operating the device eluded her, it is possible the Chalnoth does not know what it is either. It is worth a gamble. Turning it so that it is oriented counterintuitively (at least for its purpose as a communicator) and grasping the metal so that her fingers obscure all but one end, she raises her arms aggressively and points the device at the partially open door.
"Stop and look, Chalnoth!" Kylah barks, steadily aiming the pseudo-weapon at any visible part of the alien's face. "Your crewmates' limp bodies are strewn throughout these corridors. You have guessed that we possess the power to put them into that state. Are you so keen to experience it yourself? Cease your attack now!"
Kylah has no doubt whatsoever that this absurd bluff will not work. She just needs to distract the Chalnoth and buy Mr. Rawlings some time until this Security Protocol Ghar--whatever it is--finally kicks into gear.
The Chalnoth which Dr. Mäkeläinen struck seems stunned for a moment; its shoulder slumps down on the side which the doctor hit (its left). Graham seizes the moment and is able to break its grip, grabbing it by the front of its leathery armor breastplate and forcing it further back into the still-partially-opened doorway, practically wedging it there.
The Chalnoth with which Rawlings has been grappling flicks its eyes up towards Kylah in response to her threat with the communicator. It, too, screams in rage, viscous saliva flying from its jaws as it angrily shakes its head.
There is a brief silence from the intercom, and then you hear, in the same sequence of languages, "Warning. Warning. Security Protocol Ghar will now be implemented."
A moment later there is an intense, blinding flash of purple-red light and the entire Starfleet party loses consciousness. As she falls, Kylah alone has a momentary, dim sense of the Chalnoth, too, crashing to the deck.
Sometime later, Graham, Kylah, the doctor and Rawlings come to, groggy and more than a little disoriented. Onn and Rangin, now in the same cabin with everyone else, remain passed out.
"Oh, God," Rawlings moans. "My head... it... it feels like someone's trying to drill through it." He rubs his forehead with both hands and winces. All of you but Kylah feel severe headaches coming on.
The Elasian notices that the door is now closed and there are no Chalnoth in the room. She has an impression, which she cannot really explain, that many hours have passed since the flash of light overtook you all.
Dr. Mäkeläinen slowly sits up while trying to take mental inventory. At first he feels like he is a stranger in his own body. Not even counting the headache, he can tell something is off--- this is not waking up after a refreshing nap. He is alive, at least, and seems to know where he is.
"Guess they decided not to space us after all," he jests quietly. "I changed my mind: every credit we paid in advance was worth it."
Some time later he says, "If anyone needs an analgesic, help yourself. I'll set up the hypo for you." He will not take any medicine himself. But, first, he forces himself to work through the pain and any residual mental issues and check on Rangin and Onn. They were not in great shape even before their synapses were (yet again!?) fried by whatever it was. If they are still unconscious yet otherwise breathing, he will wait a few minutes to see if they will come to on their own before contemplating more intrusive methods of inducing consciousness. He also checks that his own medical supplies, as well as Onn's elixirs, are still around somewhere.
Graham groans. "Same here," he says in response to Rawlings. "And...thanks for the assist back there, doctor. Much obliged."
He rolls over and moves toward Nia, worried that her...conditions...might mean she's worse off than the rest of them. "N- Lt. Onn," he says softly and inquisitively.
Kylah takes a quick assessment of her status and is gratified that she does not immediately appear to have injured herself after falling from the top of a chair--the last thing she can remember.
"How long have we been unconscious?" she murmurs, frowning. "It was not momentary. What did they do to us?" A shudder of familiar dread risks nausea. If she has learned anything from her time in Starfleet, it is that nothing good has occurred when she is rendered physically or mentally helpless.
But she swallows back fear and focuses on now. Whenever now is--and wherever she is. Some uncanny knowledge tells her there was enough time for the Uwat--or anyone--to move them. But she can see nothing but Mr. Rawlings's frame in front of her.
Worried about his pain, she drags herself up and crawls over to him. "Did you strike your head?" She tentatively brushes fingers upon his shoulder. "Let me see."
Onn does not respond to Graham.
Dr. Mäkeläinen finds that she and Rangin are apparently uninjured, but unconscious. Neither appears to be in any pain.
Rawlings sits up. He smiles ruefully and says to Kylah, "No, thanks, I don't think I bonked my noggin. Just a splitting headache. I don't think I've ever had a migraine, but it sure feels like how I've heard them described." Everyone awake other than the Communications officer feels their headaches taking hold.
The intercom has stopped its blaring, and the ship is otherwise silent.
Kylah belatedly realizes that the others are now in her and Mr. Rawlings's cabin. Or... no, she is in their cabin. Her eyes widen and again a ripple of unease rushes through her. The Uwat moved her? Why? And how did they do the same to Mr. Rawlings? It must have taken a half-dozen of them, assuming the travel was physical. I hope it was. I hope they all strained their backs.
She gets to her feet, hugging herself, and at once discovers that Lt. Onn and Velir have not yet awoken from...whatever the Uwat did to them. Concerning but perhaps not surprising, since neither is in their best shape. Poor Velir. At least he did not collapse on the floor; he remains on the bunk where he was when Kylah left the cabin.
As she intently watches Dr. Mäkeläinen check on them, her brow lowers in a scowl. She senses the same faint echo of discomfort from both him and Mr. Rawlings. A glance down at Lt. Graham, who is very near Lt. Onn--he looks so worried, she thinks with a stab of sympathy--confirms after a brief empathic push that he, too, has a headache. But I do not. At all.
Kylah quickly withdraws her mental focus from their pain, not wanting to experience it even by proxy, and blinks at the disparity between her and the others. Since when has she ever been more resilient than the rest of her crew after some attack? Mystified, she lifts her hand absently to tuck a curling lock of hair behind her ear, touching her temple in wonder. She certainly does not object to being spared, but it is strange.
Mäkeläinen mutters a few particularly fulsome curses with which none of the others are quite familiar, more at discovering his patients' unconscious state than at the blinding pain in his skull.
He tends to Nia first: a 125% dose of ersatz Bilitrium and a light stim in an effort to revive her. Rangin gets just the stimulants.
"Are we on lockdown?" he asks Ens. Kylah. "No, it matters not— if there is a crew medic with a tricorder we should call them here." He winces slightly at his own pain.
Dr. Mäkeläinen's question is a good one. He and Velir are kindred spirits; I do hope they will be friends, Kylah muses. Since she seems to be the only one of sound body, she dutifully heads to the door to check whether it is, indeed, locked. "We have no way to speak to anyone," she says--softly, not wishing to bother the afflicted. "Unless they have changed the permissions on our comm panel to allow us outgoing contact. But if that were possible, I suppose that Uwat need not have given me his communicator."
Her palm reaches for the door panel, but even as she does, curiosity sends her gaze back to the floor. Where is that unfathomable little device? Had she left it behind? Had the guards confiscated it? Whatever it was. Possibly not a communicator at all, she thinks irritably. In retrospect, the gesture of lending her such a highly useful and desired object seems atypically generous.
The officer probably just wished to pacify her and shuttle them back to their cabins. For all she knows, it might have been some toy belonging to the youths. A tool to fix a broken gadget. A remote control for a helper robot. Kylah grimaces. And I treated it like a priest's blessing.
Graham blinks as if doing so just might make his headache go away. "OK, we try the comm panel again...if that doesn't work and we can get out of here, Mr. Kylah, you're with me..."
He winces at the pain in his head. "If you're able, that is. Not sure what they hit us with."
After Dr. Mäkeläinen tends to her, Onn stirs but does not awaken.
Kylah cannot find the Uwat communicator. It seems to be missing.
Dr. Mäkeläinen looks up. When he speaks, it is to the point, channeling his element. "She's freezing, still unconscious, and (I must be honest) I do not know what they hit us with, but it did her no favors. I shall get her warm, keep her stable. Maybe your sympathetic crewmember can arrange for that assistance; they simply may not realize anything is wrong." And perhaps someone knows about the nature of the various energy discharges on board, from the security system and otherwise, if they can be coaxed to talk.
He makes sure Onn is comfortable--- on the bunk, not the floor, and swaddled in blankets. "We need to ask them to turn the heat up on the life support in here. Upper range of what would be considered comfortable room temperature, even beyond."
Kylah nods at Lt. Graham's order. "Yes, sir." Following the others' requests to call for assistance immediately, she slips through the crowded cabin to arrive at what had seemed to be a mere listening device when she tried it yesterday.
"If we are able to leave, I am able to accompany you if you wish, although Mr. Rawlings was far more effective at stopping the Chalnoth. It was...very impressive. And I must admit," she adds shyly to her fellow ensign, "rather satisfying. Shameful of me, but..." She gives Mr. Rawlings a tiny smile and then, more seriously, turns back to Lt. Graham.
"In truth, I... I feel perfectly fine. Worried," she adds with a glance back at Velir, "but physically I do not seem to share the ill effects the rest of you have. Perhaps that...that pulse was programmed specifically harshly for humans? Except... no. That cannot be it."
It cannot be species-based. The non-humans are worse off, not better, except for Kylah. And she herself is half-human. Nor was it related to gender, since Lt. Onn is presumably identifiable as female. Even her being an empath is no explanation, since now Velir has... well, some sort of psi ability.
She realizes he has not described it as empathic, precisely. He has heard and seen her thoughts, and used his mind as a weapon both with Mr. Palver on OCIII and here. And possibly on Ollos? She still does not know if the fight had anything to do with whatever strange things are happening to Velir's mind.
But does he feel what others do, as Kylah does? She thinks back to their interactions, and what Velir would have comprehended if he could truly know her emotions, from the inside out. It does not seem possible.
Biting her lip, she takes a moment to respond to Dr. Mäkeläinen. "I will do my best to ask for assistance. Though I do not know how helpful that crewmember was," Kylah murmurs to the doctor while she turns the communicator dial and taps the controls in hopes of achieving...something. "The device he gave me was beyond my comprehension. Perhaps he knew it would be. I suppose I am fortunate it was not a weapon or I might have blown us all up while examining it."
Onn's body temperature improves once she's lifted up off the chilly deck and well-covered. She mumbles something that Dr. Mäkeläinen cannot quite understand, but still does not wake up.
Soon after Kylah begins trying to work the comm panel on the bulkhead, you hear a familiar woman's voice respond, saying, "Ah, you're awake. Good. Stand by." Then the channel is closed again.
A few minutes later, the door to your cabin opens, and there you see the women you knew as T'Ves and T'Rehl. They do not enter the crowded cabin. Although they are dressed, as before, in dark, functionally-severe clothing, there is something different now about their expressions, their body language - something more confident and assertive. Graham is the first to notice that each is now also holding an ugly, steely, sharp-tipped disruptor of a design he instantly recognizes.
Romulan.
Does Dr. Mäkeläinen recognize that the two women are Romulans? He is not a weapons expert, so I am not sure if he can instantly tell a Romulan disruptor pistol from a Klingon, or any other, disruptor pistol at a glance like Graham. He was never absolutely sure they were Vulcan pilgrims, and "Romulan spies" was one of the possibilities he considered, but at some point he stopped worrying about it.
The Doctor is not fazed by the threat to his personal well-being, but he fears for his helpless, unconscious crewmates. He tries an odd tack. He says, matter-of-factly, "We will be happy to help you gentlewomen if you put those away," indicating their weapons. "No need for that."
A quick progression of pleasant events surprises Kylah: the response of what sounds like T'Ves's voice (the only easily identifiable female voice Kylah has heard, so it must be her) over the speaker, then before long, the relieving whoosh of the opening door and the Vulcan's welcome face.
But not welcoming. Quite the opposite. Kylah does not understand why the Adept seems so... assertive, almost contemptuous. Unless the violence from a few hours ago frightened them. But why blame the Yorktown crew? T'Ves must know it was not their fault--
Wait, why--how--is Kylah finding herself describing any emotions at all?
Just as she registers this, she senses a sting of...something...from Lt. Graham. Eyes darting to him in alarm, she follows his gaze. Weapons. They are not Vulcan weapons. Just as contempt and fear should not be detectable Vulcan emotions. While the latter was only Kylah's foolish speculation, the former seems tangible. And it should not be.
"Oh," she whispers--more of a mere exhale--her lips remaining parted in shock. She slowly returns her wide eyes to the current commanding officer.
Oh for fuck's sake...
Graham is starting to wonder why the away team didn't get a jump on how their luck was going to play out and pilot the shuttle straight into the nearest star as soon as they left Yorktown.
He slowly shows that his hands are empty. "You're an awfully long way from Romulus, I must say..."
The women look the same to Dr. Mäkeläinen as they did before, when he thought they were Vulcan. He does not know enough about weapons to identify those they hold as Romulan, but Graham can and does.
The woman known as T'Ves responds to the doctor slightly sardonically, saying, "Thank you, Doctor, but I think we will keep these out for now, just the same."
To Graham she says, "Closer than you might think, Lt. Graham. I am Major Aval of the Tal Shiar. This ship is mine now."
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Tal_Shiar
Dr. Mäkeläinen rapidly recalculates. The possibility that "T'Ves"'s group were Romulans had crossed his mind— did he dismiss it? More that nothing of import transpired during their encounter (he thinks); there was tacit and not-so-tacit acknowledgement that they were Starfleet, but nothing most of the ship had not worked out for themselves. (Although, they did blab about having made a delivery, albeit as part of their cover story.). Therefore, he had accepted them as what they said they were— why would he not? In fact, who is to say they are really Romulan secret police or intelligence? "Aval" may well be lying again. (They could even be some Vulcan splinter group. The point is, as in medicine, to work with probabilities, yet to remember the existence of negligible and exotic diagnoses.)
In any case, Aval's statement makes his next step clear: he interjects, "If that is so, Major, then it is your responsibility, and I beg of you, to help the injured and wounded. Our own, the other passengers, the crew, and your operatives. I am doing my best, but I need equipment, supplies, and access to any casualties."
Graham makes a mental note to put Mäkeläinen's response in his report. Smart. Appeal to military protocol; offer to help without prejudice.
"Dr. Mäkeläinen is a top-notch physician. If you enable hm to treat our...our colleagues, Major, he'll treat everyone else, your own team included, on an equal basis. Not that he needs to hear it, but I'll make it an order and give you my word as an officer."
Kylah is furious with herself. How could she have been so utterly blind? She saw the group of Vulcans on board and immediately trusted them. She did not reach out to sense their veracity, did not even try to assure herself of their motives. Why should she bother when Vulcans are almost entirely obscure to her? Worse, she let their costumes and religious folderol distract her. She is no Federation human--who, in their typical hubris, tend to miss subtle differences between races other than their own. Kylah should have seen.
Despite the dreadful circumstances surrounding Velir and Lt. Onn, she has allowed herself to feel confident--even complacent. Now here is her comeuppance. She is not personally afraid--unless things have changed considerably back home, Elas has no quarrel with Romulus. Aldaan and the Council are open to any alliance that enriches them. But the others...
Despair and anger battle within her. She wants to demand: what will the Romulans do to them? What happened to the Uwat--to Mr. Jol, to the children? Did the Romulans arrange this with the Doregg all along? How else could they have retained their weapons? Above all, what do they plan to do with the passengers--to her crewmates?
Instead, she lowers her gaze, hides her rage, and remains silent. And uses every ounce of empathic ability she possesses to gauge any false information, any hint of unspoken meaning, behind whatever Major Aval tells them.
Major Aval listens to Dr. Mäkeläinen and Graham. She nods and says, "There are, in fact, no other casualties needing your attention, Doctor. I will permit you to care for your crewmates, but any sign of treachery, any attempt to escape, any use of medical devices or resources against my team, and you will all be executed. I trust I make myself clear?"
She turns to her subordinate and says something in a harsh-sounding language which none of you recognize. The subordinate responds briefly and leaves. Aval says, "This ship has no sickbay or infirmary, and I have no medical officer with me. However, I have ordered that you be given an Uwat medikit, in addition to the Starfleet one you already have. It may be helpful." Soon the subordinate returns and hands the medikit to the doctor. It appears to be intact. With time, and using the small scanner from his own medikit, he thinks he can figure its contents.
The major appears to have excellent psi defenses; Kylah, in her initial probe, learns nothing from her.
Aval smiles genially and says, "The Federation and the Romulan Star Empire are not officially at war, and we are not on this ship because of you, in any event. You have questions, I'm sure. You may now ask them. I will answer them, if I may do so, consistent with my orders and with Imperial security interests."
If you have any questions, you may, to save time, ask up to six in a single post before she replies.
If Bizhi did not use medical technology perfidiously against an actively hostile Chalnoth, he is not about to start now. That is a solution a certain type of agent would consider using, the category of techniques including, for example, a wide-field energy pulse designed to disrupt the nervous system of any unshielded targets. A dangerous gambit that can easily be lethal if not executed just right, or if some of the victims were unusually susceptible or in poor condition to begin with.
He demands, therefore, "I need to know what anti-personnel systems or internal ship's defenses were used, both earlier, when the Chalnoth first blamed us for attacking them, and later. You know that such weapons are far from harmless." He is leaving out a whole lot of context, clarification, reasoning, and medical jargon (or the simplified version thereof). He does not want to reveal to this woman any more than she already knows about what he does or does not know or suspect, nor anything about his own team's strengths and vulnerabilities.
Kylah listens carefully to the doctor, and does not dare ask anything much, knowing that Lt. Graham must do the strategic thinking for them. But the Romulan's words are so specific--typical of their kind--that they only cause greater concern.
Keeping her gaze low, she takes great care with her own vocabulary. "Shaoi kon, mil aendeh Aval," she begins haltingly, starting with the greeting spoken from an inferior to a superior, and of course ending with Aval's rank. Her hand reaches to her chest in apology. "Mosekhesai ahefvi, hveolhaonn raed'aeusnnta'jhiy iebhe dochai aigrev Rihanha."
Making sure the others are not in the dark, Kylah glances at Lt. Graham and says in a rushed undertone, "I only said that I am sorry to speak so little Romulan."
Her gaze returns to Aval, head still lowered in respect and voice as quiet and controlled as her rising anger and fear will allow. "We are grateful there are no other casualties that require our doctor's assistance," she echoes, then adds with precision, "But are there others beyond any medical help? Has anyone--have any of the Uwat crew died?"
Kylah says no more. She is desperate to know about the message she and the Lieutenant sent, but will not jeopardize anything that Lt. Graham wishes to keep to themselves. But she is not entirely silent. Velir, please, Velir, can you hear me? I am right beside you. Where are you, my heart?
Major Aval says to the doctor, "The Uwat used a shipwide stun field when the Chalnoth were trying to break into your cabins. We had already taken steps to shield ourselves." She raises an eyebrow. "We don't know what happened to the individual Chalnoth earlier; we thought you had done something to them."
To Kylah she nods coolly. //To speak a little is better than speaking none at all//, she says in Romulan. //None of the Uwat have died. Three of the Chalnoth have//.
Rangin does not respond to Kylah. She has only the faintest, dimmest sense of his consciousness.
Ashen and dizzy as the blood rushes from her brain, Kylah clasps her hands together and breathes in deeply to steady herself. The Chalnoth were brutes, but had only attacked the Starfleet crew in the false belief they were responsible for their comrades' injuries. They did not deserve death. Is the Goram dead? Incongruously her next thought is of the Chalnoth who was so ill last night. Is he gone now?
And Velir is beyond her reach.
Suddenly it occurs to her that while she asked her question in Federation Standard, Major Aval responded in Romulan. Does Aval not wish the others to know of the fatalities? Unlikely. Perhaps it was simply a test to see just how much Romulan Kylah understands. In truth, with languages in which she is not fluent, Kylah finds it easier to comprehend foreign words than to formulate articulate sentences in speech. Her pronunciation was surely abysmal.
But whatever the reason for Aval's response in a language the others do not understand, Kylah cannot keep the truth from her expression, and her duty is clear. "Three Chalnoth," she murmurs shakily for the benefit of Dr. Mäkeläinen and Lt. Graham. She nods in belated gratitude for the Romulan's acceptance of her apology, and then falls both silent and still.
Graham raises an eyebrow at Kylah's apparent mastery of Romulan.
When he has an open moment to speak, he says: "Given that we're all mutually agreed we're not at war with one another at the moment, I'll cut right to the chase: we have a--" he pauses. "Maybe two medical situations right now. We need to get to a full-fledged state of the art medical facility yesterday, if possible." He pauses. "That's my highest priority...how can we make that happen?"
Bizhi gets the drift. But, he wonders, which three Chalnoth, and what happened to them? Did the three unconscious War-Brothers ever regain consciousness? Were any of them present at the brawl? Who, Chalnoth and other, was hit by disruptor fire, cold weapons, claws? Let's-call-her-Aval might give him straight answers, or lie; in any case, he will be the judge of who needs medical attention. He might get some answers from the Chalnoth themselves (hypothetically; more likely get ripped apart). The Uwat, it would be good to know where they stand in all this. Slipping away from the watchful eyes of the Romulans is something to work on, anyway (but what if they have someone monitoring them using the ship's systems? Or took the opportunity to tag them with trackers?). For now, he will pretend to accept what she has told him, and not ask any under-the-circumstances daft questions (including would they mind if he took a little walk around the deck later to stretch his legs and help him focus, does she know any good Romulan bistros this side of the Neutral Zone, and what did she say they were doing on board, again?)
The stun field is one thing he feels confident he can do something about. On general principles, and judging by its effects on himself, it probably does its job by excessively stimulating neural receptors, resulting in overloading the victim's nervous system, potentially causing excitotoxicity. Something to confirm with his own scanner and whatever is in the Uwat kit. (Even a standard small Starfleet phaser set to stun can kill someone given multiple shots.) If he can discover specific pathways that were overloaded, he could try blocking them, or at the very minimum the larger medkit would contain something suitable for (the Uwat equivalent of) migraine or stroke.
Nia is the one he is more worried about (though that may well be changing), because her preexisting conditions plus further abuse leave little margin for error. He cannot simply apply gross measures like pumping her full of sedatives or stimulants. Graham is absolutely right that the orthodox move would be to immediately transfer her to a fully equipped medical facility, and he says so. Rangin's peculiar condition had been burning himself out, and possibly bystanders, maybe or maybe not including Nia, even before the latest stun, and with him Bizhi does not yet know what circuits are involved. "They are in critical condition, and a proper medical facility is indeed what they need. We must also arrive at the Cavinre system without additional delays; that is the reason we chartered voyage on this ship. In effect, none of that has changed."
Kylah's hands curl more tightly, fingernails digging into her palm. The men's remarks about their urgent destination have led to a grim conclusion. She sees no reason to avoid voicing it, continuing Dr. Mäkeläinen's thought.
"Our needs have not changed," she says slowly while watching the Romulan. "But the Doregg's itinerary surely has. Unless I am mistaken, Major Aval, your party has no desire for a leisurely journey to Shiyy Val, for a pilgrimage or otherwise. Why seize the ship unless to divert its course?"
Kylah glances at Lt. Graham before refocusing on Aval. "I do not presume to ask your true destination or purpose. But does this mean you will be diverting us, as well? Or will you still bring us to Cavinre?"
She stops abruptly. Her friends clearly do not think it safe to explain that Lt. Onn requires a singular, extremely rare treatment. Of course: such a dire necessity could be exploited. Although the Romulans hardly need more power than the weapons in their hands.
Given all this--and in the hope that Aval has not intercepted her message to Aldaan and thus does not know a shuttle from the Yorktown might be heading to meet them with Lt. Onn's medication--Kylah will certainly not be the one to reveal it.
Then she recalls in dismay: Aldaan's response will do it for me.
Maj. Aval thinks for a moment and says, "I will see that you have access to a medical facility, at least as soon as you would have anyway, were this ship going to Cavinre. But it will not be; we are indeed diverting it. You say nothing has changed, Doctor, but in fact everything has changed. I will show you why." Her subordinate begins to say something but she cuts her off. She points. "Mr. Graham, Mr. Kylah, come with us, please. Doctor, you may remain here with your patients, or come with us, as well. Mr. Rawlings, you will remain here with your unconscious shipmates."
Graham notices that Rawlings looks tense and ready to attack.
"No doubt you are doing your duty, Major," says Dr. Mäkeläinen. "As likely the only professional physician on board, mine is to tend to these comatose patients first. You have said there are no higher-priority medical emergencies on board; I cannot possibly leave them until I have ensured their condition does not deteriorate. I vouch that Lt. Graham and Ens. Kylah are capable of communicating whatever you wish to show us, and hope myself to be soon more fully at your disposal. Also, as you know, while I have medical authority, the Lieutenant is presently in command of our little group.
"You and I both are bound to do what is right in service of higher objectives. Please keep in mind that in this delicate situation we may find a way where our goals are not mutually incompatible."
The Doctor will pay attention to little details like whether he can see a guard posted outside and whether she locks the door (or, alternately, makes a point of leaving it unlocked), but he was not much exaggerating things and first on his agenda is scanning Onn and Rangin and sorting out the Uwat medication and any useful gadgets that may be in there.
It takes almost supernatural power for Kylah to avoid turning to Lt. Graham in fear, but some protective instinct keeps her gaze straight ahead. What changed that has anything to do with her? A leaden lump forms in Kylah's stomach, because she suspects she knows.
Her resentment toward the Romulans deepens. Yet of all the things she wants to blurt out, Kylah steadies herself and latches onto one petty correction. She has always hated the use of "Mister" as a form of address, customary though it may be in Starfleet tradition. Elasian women are not treated as men, for good or ill, and it is an insult to be called by this term. She accepts it from her crewmates only because she must.
While it is almost comically unimportant considering the circumstances, Kylah finds herself asserting what little dignity she can.
"With respect, Major," she murmurs without inflection. "That term of address is abhorrent to me, coming from neither a colleague nor a direct superior officer. I may not be of the Federation, but I perfer the rank I have earned from them. Ensign Kylah, if you please, ma'am."
Graham nods slowly and without turning his head speaks in a slow, clear, authoritative voice. "My team doesn't take orders from anyone but their commanding officer, but--Mr. Rawlings, the Major has been stand-up respectful of protocol--whatever experiences with Romulans either or both of us might have had in the past. I trust you to remain here and see to Lt. Onn and Mr. Ragin's safety."
If he cranes his neck slightly, Dr. Mäkeläinen can see that there is indeed a guard - another young Romulan woman - just outside the door. He cannot quite see, from where he is, if she is armed, however.
Maj. Aval raises an eyebrow. "A Starfleet officer, but not 'of the Federation'?" she asks. "Interesting."
Rawlings relaxes ever so slightly at Graham's words, but he doesn't look happy about it. "Aye, sir," he says. "Be careful."
Graham and Kylah follow Aval and her subordinate - whom Graham mentally designates as TS2 or Tal Shiar 2, with Aval as TS1 - out into the corridor. The major locks the door behind you. You, too, can now see the guard just outside; consider her TS3. She is armed with an identical weapon as the others. The Romulans keep just outside of lunging distance from the two Starfleet officers.
TS3 remains where she is. The corridor and the Common Room, when you pass through it, are both otherwise empty of people. Kylah notices a large, dark stain on the deck just beyond the far doorway to the Common Room.
"This way," Aval says, leading you towards the stern.
Aval's remark thrums in Kylah's mind as she exits the cabin and walks beside Lt. Graham, spirits lifting. She does not know who I am! If the Romulan knew of the message sent to Aldaan, Kylah's identity as an Elasian would be evident.
Of course, her planet is a dust speck in the Alpha Quadrant--until last year, less than that. Elas's improved status in the eyes of the Federation was only due to the Klingons' interest in it; Cousin Elaan's behavior and the deaths on the Enterprise; and above all, the discovery of Dilithium crystals. Now Elas has value.
That does not translate to Quadrant-wide fame. Her home planet remains a mere dust speck. Romulans would likely have never heard of Elas. Unless Aldaan or some faction on the Regency Council of Nobles is currying favor with the Empire in an attempt to undermine both the Federation and the Klingons. (She has no idea why Aldaan would wish to, but no machinations would surprise her.)
Even so, it is still extraordinarily unlikely that the Romulans guarding her and Lt. Graham would, on their own, know of such a minuscule pebble on the border of Klingon territory. Much less care whether it is affiliated with the Federation.
Nevertheless they are Tal Shiar who had hours to perform basic due diligence on the identity of the Starfleet officers on board. Kylah's official records, and even a cursory glance at her all-too-public history on the net, always make note of Elas's Federation status as pending. That Kylah's description of herself comes as an apparent surprise to Aval is very good news.
Not only have the Romulans not seen Kylah's message asking for the Yorktown's help, but the Starfleet crew does not matter enough to research. Surely harming them would be purposeless. To Kylah, their prospects have improved.
Cut this into two posts because omg too long to read.
Bizhi resolves to remember to address Kayla as... simply "Kayla", in the future. Would she prefer "Ensign"? To his ear that does not necessarily sound so impressive, even compared to "Mister" or "Master", but he has no sense for such things. He tries to be diplomatic, and has been to enough worlds so that si fueris Romuli, Romulo vivito more, but formal titles and terms of address (often a grammatical or social necessity), moreover formality, he does not prize in and of themselves. Really, though, why is she attempting to draw Aval's attention? Some incipient distraction?
He attempts to pantomime to Rawlings that they may be under audio and video surveillance. Not that he thinks the man needs a reminder, plus as much was understood before they even boarded the ship. He is currently absorbed not in working out how to elude the Romulans, though, but in working to save his colleagues. He is not going to lose them like this. He will not inject anything he cannot identify, but if he can find the appropriate drugs from the expanded med kit he will use them. If not, he judges that, for the moment, it is safer to give them more time to heal on their own than to forcefully induce consciousness.
All of Kylah's hasty calculations offer some relief by the time they reach the Common room, a setting that drifts her attention back to the events this morning. A memory pings her brain and her gaze darts across the room to the quarters of that cagey, privacy-obsessed passenger she vainly tried to engage in conversation. What has happened to him? Is he connected to the Romulans? No. He was human, she recalls. Is he all right? Is he even still in there?
About to make a quick empathic check for his presence, this intent suddenly dies--indeed, all thoughts of this mystery passenger do--upon the sight of the dark stain on the deck. Lungs hitching, she stares in shock.
An instinctive step closer to Lt. Graham lets her upper arm brush against his. "Sir," she says shakily, followed by a tight nod toward the ugly stain. She cannot identify it. Is it... blood? Is it Uwat or Chalnoth blood?
Major Aval's aftward journey seems unlikely to stop for any questions, and Kylah curtails the impulse. Calling attention to such a potentially grim observation aloud is a choice best left to Lt. Graham's discretion. Nevertheless, her anxiety returns in a rush.
The maybe-bloodstain is not news; it only confirms what Aval has already told her of the three fatalities and likely other injuries.
But seeing the proof is always, always worse.
Yes, this was formerly part of the previous post, but splitting it up to give y'all a break seemed wise.
"Noted, Ensign," Graham says quietly in response to Kylah's comment about what looks to be a bloodstain.
Graham would love for the Tal Shiar to show some signs of sloppiness, but so far, he's not seeing it.
They seem to be a ship shape team, which means taking them on head to head is not a good prospect.
Conversely, they also seem intent on a mission which doesn't involve needlessly antagonizing their captives, which is the best he can work with at the moment.
After the cabin door closes and locks, Rawlings nods in understanding at Dr. Mäkeläinen's gestures as to surveillance. The good doctor carefully looks through the Uwat medikit and, after a few minutes, believes he understands what about three-quarters of its drugs and gadgets do. He's not sure that any of it would actually help his patients - there is nothing, in particular, that would aid Onn in her illness - but he believes he could probably restore either to consciousness.
Kylah and Graham cannot tell whose blood, if anyone's, the stain is from. Neither knows what Chalnoth or Uwat circulatory fluid looks like.
Maj. Aval and TS2 lead the two Starfleet crew past the stain and to the strangely-designed ladder you ascended from the shuttlebay upon your arrival aboard the Doregg. Aval says something to TS2, who takes to the ladder and lithely climbs down it to the next deck below. "Follow her, if you please," the major then says, gesturing with her weapon.
Kylah looks up through her lashes at T'Ves--Aval, she corrects herself. The Romulan is polite, if nothing else.
She looks down at the ladder and hugs herself, almost able to feel the cold she recalls from the deck. Trying to guess whether Lt. Graham would wish to back her up, or for him to descend first, Kylah suspects he might prefer to be the one to face the unknown. After a second of gnawing a corner of her lower lip, she exhales and conjures up an approximation of Security vocabulary.
"If--if you wish to take the point, sir, I shall have your six."
Amidst all that's happened and continues to happen, Graham can't help but smile, an unbidden flash of pride at the young trouble-prone woman.
He nods. "Very good, Ensign." He starts climbing up the ladder.
Easily curing all of Lt. Onn's systemic problems was not even hoped for (though Dr. Mäkeläinen would gamble that that level of medical technology exists somewhere in a nearby quadrant— but where exactly, and at what price?), however easing her symptoms is what the synthetic concoction they got at Ollos is for, for as long as it lasts and continues to be effective, plus remedies like Lexorin (though overuse of such strong drugs is counterproductive and dangerous). What he needs right now, medically, is to keep her, and Lt. Rangin, from slipping further into a coma, and the team really needs both of their skills and leadership. He does not know yet what will transpire with the Romulans, but it is not brute force that will get them out of this fix.
They should be awake, and what he does is use the Uwat supplies (he is beginning to learn something about the Uwat approach to doing things, a very little bit from their observations around the ship and somewhat more from his perusal of their medkit, which involves his area of expertise) to bring them around. He also gives them painkillers to take the edge off the lingering effects of the indiscriminate stun (it was a little discriminate, though? From what he could tell, Kylah got up without much, if any pain compared to the rest. He again wonders about the nasty possibility that they may have been tampered with or implanted with something while they were out. He hopes the Romulans confined themselves to DNA scans or whatever it is they use to confirm their identities.). He explains a bit as he works, to give Rawlings (and the Romulan guard) something to focus on.
"Down the ladder, Mr. Graham," Maj. Aval says sharply after he goes just a rung or two up it. "Follow my colleague."
Onn comes around, feeling groggy and like she's been through the ringer. She also has a terrible taste in her mouth. Rangin does not regain consciousness, but his vital signs strengthen a bit.
The Romulan guard is outside in the corridor, not inside the cabin with Rawlings, Dr. Mäkeläinen and his two patients.