Star Trek RPG - Mission #4: "Codex Aelyrr"

It's memory, more than sight, that spins Nia around and aims her weapon at K2 in the doorway. "Don't move!" she yells at him, seeing his hand reaching for his disruptor. For a second she almost laughs. Too stupid to be armed and waiting for us? That'll cost you, turtle-face.

She shouts loudly to be heard throughout the shuttle. "Give up! You're surrounded, it's over. Five seconds you're gonna be out cold. Each of you get your arms up, now!"

It's something she has to say; no violence unless provoked, that's what she learned and it's what she's practiced as long as she's been in Starfleet. Still, even as she barks the commands she knows there's little point. The Klingons'll keep at it. They're taught to keep at it no matter how ridiculously outgunned they are.

The canisters, when are they gonna start working? Fuck it, why didn't I give them more time to work? Anyone gets hurt it's me, it's all me...

All this runs through her mind in an instant. She glares at K2, her hands pointing the phaser right at his center mass and her finger pressing the trigger button as far as it'll go without discharging. If he does anything but breathe, the slightest, micrometer movement of her finger will send a heavy stun beam into the bastard's gut.

All Rangin can do is wait in nervous anticipation on the bridge listening to the action unfold over comms while continually monitoring.

The Klingons are either unable to hear Onn's shouted commands through her spacesuit helmet, or are uninterested in complying.

K1, the pilot, continues turning around and begins reaching for his weapon, as well. St. Croix and then Three Crows both hit him with phaser fire, and he slumps in his chair. His disruptor falls to the deck.

Graham hits K3, who is slowed but not knocked out. He is almost fully standing when he fires at Graham and narrowly misses. His disruptor bolt hits the bulkhead just behind Graham, sending down a shower of sparks.

K2 does not turn towards Onn but raises his disruptor at Eris, who shoots at him and also barely misses. She dives to one side and raises her weapon for another shot.

Onn fires at K2 from behind and hits him. He is staggered but still standing.

All of this, too, happens in just seconds.

Among the chaos of the phasers and disruptors going off around her, Nia steps closer to K2 and fires two shots as rapidly as possible.

Graham drops low (as low as he can go with his left leg extended back one knee and his weight on his front leg ready to lunge toward K3) continuing to squeeze off shots at K3.

Onn hits K2 twice, as does Eris once, just a moment later. He falls forward to the deck, his disruptor flying from nerveless fingers as he does. He never had a chance to fire.

Graham and K3 hit each other simultaneously. The Starfleet man is hit in the right front thigh. The disruptor blast burns through the tough spacesuit fabric. A wave of fiery pain, as bad as any he's ever felt in his long career, sweeps up from his leg, but he remains conscious. Eris comes to his aid.

K3 collapses and rolls slightly over.

Nia hears whatever's going on in the next compartment, including what sounds like two shots that hit their targets, and a sudden furious instinct makes her want to leap over her own downed enemy to see what happened.

Instead she manages to focus and snaps out a fast command. "Everyone. Disarm the Klingons and get the anti-transporter devices from them." She bends and, putting away her own phaser, snatches K2's disruptor and pats him down none-too-gently. Now that she's in the doorway, she aims a searching gaze at the threesome inside Compartment B. Her heart sinks to her stomach. "Book," she exhales when she realizes he's the one who was hit. A second of agony passes before she recovers herself.

"Shuttle to Yorktown," she says, controlling her rising panic. "Ensign Graham's taken disruptor fire to his leg. Ferguson, beam him to the infirmary, now."

If/when she's successful in finding the anti-transporter device from K2, she'll yank it from him and order the Klingon transported to the Brig. As an aside, she mutters to the Yorktown that one of the medical team should probably be there to check on his status as well.

Burning. Burning that makes touching a hot burner on a stove feel like holding a piece of toast...

Decompression of the suit...

Oblivion would be a blessing, passing out a relief...

You go out, you may never wake up. Stay awake, dammit...

Graham's not sure how bad the hit is other than the fact it hurts as bad as any wound he's ever suffered (which is a bad sign) but he's not dead (a good one).

There's a big furry...oh, its the Aelyrr, Eris...helping him. He grabs the alien's arm with...desperate strength? a limp, flaccid hand?....he can't tell.

"Thanks, Eris. If I don't make it, tell my daughter...I love her, and I'm sorry."

His pulse is pounding...no, not pounding...something less...in his ears. Not good.

But someone Starfleet is issuing orders...good...it's Nia. He turns his head toward her voice...

Eris squeezes Graham's arm with her gloved paws and says encouragingly, "Do not despair, Mr. Graham. You have many years of Starfleet service ahead of you, I'm sure."

St. Croix takes the anti-transporter-lock gadget from K1, searches and scans him. "He's clear," she announces.

Three Crows does the same for K3, and suggests that Eris stand back a little to allow for Graham to be beamed back to the Yorktown.

In a few seconds, the wounded officer is gone, reappearing in Transporter Room 1. Dr. T'Var is soon there with a Medical team and an antigrav gurney. She scans him, gives him a painkiller and helps him remove his helmet. They put him on the gurney and take him on the double to Sickbay.

Onn disarms K2 and removes his gadget. He is soon beamed away, too.

"Report, Mr. Onn," the Captain says.

Nia stares at Booker as he disappears. I didn't get a chance to speak to him. She clutches the device in her hand as if trying to crush it into a tiny, dense metal ball. Then she gets a hold of herself, courtesy of Singh's voice in her ears.

"Yes, ma'am. The Klingon ship has been taken and is in our control. All three Klingons are down and have been beamed off the ship to the Brig. One of them shot Ensign Graham, he's just gone to the infirmary, but the rest of us--"

She hesitates before continuing, turning to eye St. Croix, Three Crows and finally Eris. Her lungs are straining--she's been breathing very fast and it's taxed her tolerance of the Class-M atmosphere--but she centers herself, focuses her mind and ignores the hint of dizziness. "They all look unhurt. St. Croix, Three Crows, Eris--report to the captain, please? Do any of you need medical assistance?"

While listening for any reply, she swallows and steps into Compartment B, trying to ignore the scorch marks from the blasts, and heads directly to the case she saw earlier. "Captain, I believe the Codex is in the box I saw from the viewport. I'll take a better look to see what its story is."

If Nia's duty belt has a tricorder, she'll scan the box herself to see what it's made of, not to mention getting a sense of whether it's safe to open.

"In the meantime, if the security officers aren't injured, I'd like them to search the rest of the ship for other stolen goods, data storage devices like our datapads that might indicate what their plans were, any weapons--"

The idea causes her to break off her words, annoyed. "No, wait. Forgive me, ma'am, my mind's going too fast." She straightens and looks at her crewmates. "St. Croix; Three Crows. If you're okay, please scan every inch of the shuttle for anything that could indicate there's any self-destruct or booby-trap waiting to kill us. The faster the better, too. Given the radiation readings Mr. Rangin mentioned, I'm not keen on staying here longer than necessary--and I wouldn't recommend towing the shuttle onto the Yorktown for the same reason.

"Until the scans are through, I don't want anyone touching or triggering anything. Including you, Eris, though I know you're anxious to get at this box." Her words aren't harsh, just matter-of-fact.

She kneels down to the case, looking it over sadly. All this trouble. Dead Aelyrr, dead Klingons. Booker hurt, who knows how badly... all for this damn piece of paper.

"That's all I have right now, Captain," she says quietly. "I'd be grateful for any recommendations, or corrections if I've made any poor decisions." Any more poor decisions, anyway.

Upon hearing of Graham's injury, Collins gets a little antsy. She'd like to ask permission to go see him in sickbay, but the mission isn't over yet and her place is here.

Singh says, "No recommendations or corrections here, Mr. Onn. Well done. Alveron is of course anxious to learn the status of the Codex. Carry on."

Only Graham and K2 have been beamed back to the Yorktown. K1 and K3 remain on the Klingon shuttle's deck.

St. Croix, Three Crows and Eris are all unharmed. St. Croix asks, "Shall I close the anesthizine dispensers, ma'am, and vent the cabin?"

A careful tricorder scan and search reveal no boobytraps or hidden dangers of any kind, in the shuttle itself or on the scuffed, dull gray box next to which K3 had been sitting. Eris goes to it and looks expectantly at Onn.

In Sickbay, Drs. Villa and T'Var prep for surgery. Orderlies remove intact Graham's gloves, boots and most of his spacesuit, and then begin cutting away his spacesuit pants. Before he is given a general anesthetic, Graham realizes his pain has ebbed considerably. He looks down and thinks he might see bone at the bottom of the ugly, burned, bloody wound on his leg.

Rangin looks straight ahead at the screen as he hears what is happening across there. Not a twitch, not a muscle moving, no indication of what he might be feeling inside. Just for one small moment, he's happy; happy Graham has been shot after all the trouble he has put Rangin through. Karma paying Graham back for all he's done over the last few days.

He can't help it, he knows it's wrong and clamps down on it hard, Graham is still a ship mate risking his life and Rangin steels himself to go back to begin ready to assist as best he can.

But still...a little voice in the back of his mind laughs quietly as Rangin curses himself out to be a better Coridanite.

Nia could have sworn she ordered the others to get the Klingons beamed back to the ship, but apparently not. It was only what she wanted when she'd ordered the devices taken from them. Well, they can't read her mind.

She thanks the captain quickly and adds, "Mr. Ferguson. Two more Klingons to beam into the Brig, please. You should be able to get a lock on them now. They're unconscious too, so better have a medical officer look at them as well." No rush, though, she thinks with a glare at K3.

Her attention returns to her remaining squad. "Yes, please, St. Croix. Close the canisters and vent." For all she knows, the damn things didn't even deploy--or if they did, they might as well not have. The Klingons didn't react to them in the slightest.

Probably there wasn't time. Why didn't I ask T'Var how long it would take? Why did I have us beamed in so quickly? That was stupid, inept, Academy-level decision making.

She hides her self-anger and continues, "And after that's done, you can both beam back to the ship. Excellent work, the pair of you. Thank you very much for your skill and efficiency." Her smile probably isn't visible through the damn helmet, but she attempts one anyway. "We'll have a debriefing, but you can get out of those suits and take some time to refresh yourselves however you want."

Once that's done, she focuses on the case. Eris's impatience is obvious. "We're getting there, I promise," Nia says calmly to the Aelyrr, and examines the box to see how to open it. If it's simply a matter of flipping a latch or pressing a button, she'll do that at once.

While she looks, she murmurs, "Onn to Yorktown. How is the radiation issue looking? Once Eris and I secure the Codex, before we head back to the Tesla I want to take a look at the Klingons' control and nav panel. Might tell us what their eventual destination was. At least I might be able to link it to the Yorktown's system, so you can do the data probing remotely. "But if we're expecting another rad leak situation like back on the Naradraen, I'm not risking it. Some engineers might beam aboard instead."

"Think that'll leave a scar, Doc?" Graham mumbles as he sees his leg, giving Dr. T'Var a wan smile as they put him under.

The remaining two Klingons are beamed back to the Yorktown. They will be checked by Medical personnel there.

St. Croix picks up and handles each canister briefly, closing their gas emission apertures. Three Crows gathers them together for return to the ship. St. Croix then goes to the control console at the front of the shuttle and finds the environmental controls (Onn vaguely remembers that St. Croix knows Klingonese). In a few moments, the air begins around moving quickly around the cabin - not gale-force winds, but definitely a strong breeze - as it is vented and replaced by clean air (or as clean, at least, as can be found in the tanks of a poorly-maintained Klingon shuttlecraft). Then all is calm again.

Three Crows says, "I don't mind sticking around, ma'am."

Onn can see St. Croix nod through her helmet visor. "Likewise, Lieutenant. You never know what might come up."

The gray case is heavy and strong, and has a codelock as big as Onn's hand.

"Scan for any radiation risk to the boarding party, please, Mr. Rangin," the Captain says on the Bridge.

In Sickbay, Dr. T'Var returns Graham's smile and asks, just as his vision begins turning blurry, "Why? Do you want another one, Ensign?"

Finding the case locked, Nia screams out a loud, vulgar curse involving the Klingon's sex life, his father, and a swamp-dwelling creature only found on Sidonia--but since she does it inside her head, no one else hears it.

She stands up and for a second aims K2's disruptor at the codelock. Unfortunately she can't be sure whether it'll destroy the Codex. "Well," she says to Eris in as controlled a tone as she can muster. "An anti-transporter device and a lock? You'd think this was as precious to these Klingons as it is to your Priestess."

Looking back at the security officers, Nia tilts her head toward the case. "Any thoughts? We know the case can't be transported, and it can't be unlocked unless we get the answers from our prisoners... Hang on, I'd better report this."

With a sigh, she communicates to the Yorktown again. "Captain. The case is locked and I'm not convinced we can break into it safely." She chews her lip in thought. "Maybe Cmdr. Vargas can try to uncover the code from the prisoners? With one batch from the Naradraen and the other from... this shuttle, whatever it's called... we have two groups of Klingons who might not be on great speaking terms with each other. After all, the three on this shuttle seem to have killed the others' crew mates. Assuming the first group aren't happy with that development, maybe we can play off their resentment to get some info about a possible password?

"Otherwise," Nia adds, "We'll need to get this to the Tesla and then over to the Yorktown for one of our codebreakers to handle it. I can turn off this shuttle's artificial gravity, letting us pick it up and carry it safely via a spacewalk. If anyone has other recommendations, I'd be grateful." She aims her glance at the three others in the shuttle, just in case they want to speak up too.

"Got to give the other guys some chance with the ladies," Graham intends to answer, but he has no ideas if anything more coherent than "Gagiogeeswalaydees..."--or even anything at all--comes out...

"I'd prefer a more direct approach," Singh says. "Scan to see if there's any incendiary device or other trap on or in the box. If not, and if it's safe in your and Eris's judgment to do so, go ahead and use a phaser cutting beam to open it."

Graham slips into unconsciousness, and Villa and T'Var begin surgery.

Nia glances warily at Eris, expecting a protest, as she responds, "Aye aye, Captain. The box has been scanned and deemed safe, and I'm more than happy to get straight to it. I'll do all I can to take care."

Great. Whose head will get ripped off by those claws if there's even a hint of a scorch mark on this Codex?

She takes up her phaser again, sets it to a cutting beam, and kneels down. "Feel free to stand back," she murmurs to the squad at large, not knowing how the metal in this box will react. Her hands grip the phaser and rest it on her knee to keep it steady; her head lowers so that she's looking straight across the weapon, level with the case. As thin as possible. Hopefully the Codex is all the way at the bottom... She takes an inward breath, holds it, aims the phaser only a few centimeters from the top of the case, and presses the button to start slicing this thing open like a tin of sardines.

Eris says quickly, before Onn can begin cutting, "Wait, please, Lieutenant. We should scan it more carefully, to confirm that the metal is inert and to make sure, as the Captain suggested, that there is nothing inside the box that might cause harm to the Codex if we force an entry."

"We'll also want to be sure that the Codex isn't near the part that you're slicing, ma'am," St. Croix says.

Three Crows takes out her tricorder and, after a minute or so, does just that, ensuring that Onn can cut safely.

"Thank you," Eris says. "I am satisfied. Please proceed, Lieutenant."

Onn carefully makes one cut, then another, and another, and soon has the box open.

Within is the silvery, embossed Codex case, apparently intact. Eris presses two recessed tabs and reverently opens it, revealing a thick scroll of pale blue, very thin paper, covered in delicate alien calligraphy. She drops to one knee, lowers her head and spreads her paws, saying, "Praise be to Ael, Creator of All, Queen of the Universe, that this holy relic has been recovered undefiled. Our prayers are answered, and behold, that which was stolen is now restored to its rightful people." She is clearly moved. She closes the case again and says, "My thanks to all of you. The Aelyrr are forever indebted to you, and to the Federation."

When Eris tells her to stop and makes her little suggestion, Nia sends the security officers a glare that should cut through the women's helmets like the phaser in her hand. She then stops and counts to thirty. Her mind is seething and her face hot.

Okay, what the hell. First they don't use their brains to have the Klingons beamed out, just as I did with K2. Then I order them to scan the box, and now they're seriously fucking telling me that they didn't have the goddamned initiative to scan inside the box as well? What did they think they were supposed to be looking for, invisible pixies dancing on the cover?

She looks back and begins slicing, furious. It's just like A.J. has said, time and time again. 'Bloody security officers. They're either control freaks or such drones that if they ever had an independent thought, it would die of loneliness.'

Nia's extremely glad she can take her frustration out on the box, slicing through it like a butcher through spiced meat. Then she sees the Codex, and she loses some of her anger. It is a pretty thing, she has to admit. As it should be, for all the trouble it's caused.

While Eris thanks her and the IQ twins in red, Nia waits until she's finished and nods. "It is an honor to have been able to perform a service for you and your people. That's what the Federation and Starfleet are for." She opens her mic to the Yorktown. "Lt. Onn to Captain Singh and High Priestess Alveron. The Codex is safe and in Eris's hands."

Rangin follows the captain's orders, relieved to not be sitting idly by, and checks the radiation level of the Klingon shuttle.

Collins reflects on the last hour's events. Deep down she knows Onn did way better than she ever could have. But she still yearns for command. I have a looooong way to go, she thinks sadly.

"Thank you, Mr. Onn," the Captain replies. "The High Priestess is very pleased, and so am I. Proceed with your plan for returning the Codex to the Yorktown."

Rangin sees no cause for alarm in the radiation levels aboard the Klingon shuttle.

"Stand down from Red Alert," Singh continues. "Mr. Collins, power down and secure phasers and photon torpedoes. Drop shields."

Nia nods, looking through the starboard viewport to find the Yorktown, as if she can see Singh directly. "Aye aye, Captain." She swallows back her impulse to bark: What about Booker, how is he doing, are they operating on him, is he conscious, has he lost his leg, tell me, damn it!

Instead she continues coolly, "Before we go, I'll do that quick check of their nav logs and see where this shuttle's been--that'd be one way of finding out where they came from... and possibly where they were heading, too."

Turning to Eris, she suggests that if possible, the Aelyrr try to find something to protect the Codex. It's only a few seconds of exposure, but radiation and anything else being emitted by the nebula might not be the best idea. Which is another reason we should've waited before opening the box. Nia adds, "St. Croix and Three Crows, thanks again. You can either accompany us or beam back directly the ship. Up to you."

Her attention now moves to the forward compartment, and because she can't help herself, she sits in the pilot's seat. A smile twitches her lips. Naturally she's been through simulations of numerous alien vessels during training, but sitting in an actual Klingon ship she and her team have just commandeered--even though it's just a shuttle--is pretty amazing.

Peering at the panels, Nia tries to identify the nav controls. They shouldn't differ too much from the Birds of Prey she trained with, but it's better not to start cockily pressing panel buttons. Once she identifies them, assuming she recognizes them, she'll attempt a download to her tricorder. Or, if that won't work, she'll contact Thalen to help her establish a channel to allow the Yorktown's system to speak to the shuttle. Then he can deal with it on his own, and she can get Eris and the Codex to the Tesla already.

Sedation is usually dreamless, but Graham could swear he's at a park with Lizzie, and she's ten years old, just as he remembers...only her mother has scales. And her pet cat is more than a meter tall and bipedal...

"Aye, ma'am" Collins powers the ship's weapons down and secures the system.

Singh approves Onn's proposal.

Three Crows asks Onn, "With your permission, ma'am, I'll remain with you. May I contact Sickbay for an update on Mr. Graham's condition?"

Eris looks around with Three Crows, but they find nothing big enough to fit the Codex. Eris says thoughtfully, "The High Priestess and I brought nothing with us in which to carry the Codex other than its own naryen case, which you see. Could your Engineering staff perhaps fabricate an airtight strongbox to replace the Klingon one and beam it here?"

St. Croix decides to stay, too. With her help, Onn soon gets the hang of the shuttle's nav systems. It is slow and crude, compared to Starfleet's comparable systems. The automated nav logs were tied to the scoutship's central computer before its destruction. She finds a series of Klingon starcharts and several tables of astrogational references with column after column of numbers, going back at least a month, but evidently from a region of space unknown to the Federation. She recognizes none of it, but downloads it to her tricorder.

Graham's unconsciousness deepens. He feels no pain as the surgical team strives to save his ravaged leg.

On the Bridge, Collins can tell that Alveron is delighted by the recovery of the Codex. The ancient felinoid is grinning toothily and almost bouncing in place as she stands near Singh in the big chair.

Oh, for a feather on a string Collins thinks when she sees how happy Alveron has become.

Rangin gives off the details of the radiation leak to the Captain and Lt. Onn.

Then with a sigh of relief, he leans back and thinks of the other person who should be told, but isn't here.

"Kylah, we retrieved the Codex. Thanks for all your help. Velir."

Nia is glad to approve Three Crows' request for information about Booker, and before finishing her task, contacts the Yorktown asking for assistance with an airtight container for the Codex--first giving them the approximate dimensions of the Codex and its covering.

Having removed her helmet while downloading the data, Nia knows she should replace it in preparation for the spacewalk, but she prefers to hold off as long as possible. The helmet is a bit claustrophobic.

She stands, thanks St. Croix for the assistance, and sends the data back to the Yorktown. Then she waits for both the box to turn up and any news about Booker.

The Captain thanks Onn for the data. She says, "Mr. Rangin, run a full analysis, and compare it to the Federation stellar cartography database."

Dr. Bucci reports from Sickbay, "Mr. Graham is still in the O.R., undergoing surgery. His injury is serious and would have been life-threatening if not attended to, but of course he was brought here very quickly, thanks to the boarding party. I am monitoring the operation now. I'd say his prognosis is excellent."

After a few minutes, a box much as Eris described materializes from the Yorktown. The Aelyrr warrior carefully places the Codex inside it, and it fits snugly.

Nia lets the others watch Eris put the Codex inside the box. She is busy hurrying to seal up her helmet, looking away from the rest.

His prognosis is excellent. Focus on those words, don't dwell on the thanks to the boarding party. It's not as if Nia did anything any slightly competent leader would do once someone in her party is injured. What matters is that it was her poor planning that put Booker--all of the squad--in such a dangerous position.

She blinks her eyes until the fogginess recedes, and turns off her mic so she can clear her tight throat without anyone overhearing. Then it's back on to the mic, her voice cheerful but false.

"All right, I think we've got everything we needed, at least right now. If the captain wants to dig out anything else, she'll probably send some engineers to make sure the shuttle's not a danger. If it's safe, I wouldn't be surprised if we took it along with us. Be a pretty good prize to bring to Starfleet--and to study, in the meantime. For that matter, it could be am important bargaining chip. Maybe the Klingon Empire has an interest in these criminals themselves."

Her rambling has allowed her to put on her game face. "To the airlock. We'll need to take a pretty hard leap to get the proper momentum. Unlike this shuttle, ours has no hand-holds--something I think we need to complain about pretty loudly, once we're home. Anyway, once you're within grappling distance from the Tesla, deploy your mag-boots and get 'em in contact with the hull as soon as you can."

She moves to stand by Eris and says quietly, "I know you have EV experience, but your arms are full, which puts you at a disadvantage when it comes to maneuvering in zero g," she says to the Aelyrr. "I'm gonna be right behind you, ready to grab you and position you as needed. Okay?" Nia turns to St. Croix. "You first, then Three Crows. Three Crows, please be prepared to help Eris into the shuttle. Or if necessary, to take the box from her and let her get inside herself."

Nia looks behind her, remembering to pick up the remaining anti-transporter devices and any spare Klingon weapons she finds that can fit on her duty belt. This stuff is way too valuable to leave behind. Starfleet must find a way to reverse-engineer these anti-transporter units.

"Let's get going, folks. Unless there's something I forgot, we're ready to make the trip." She switches her mic to connect to the ship. "Onn to Yorktown. We're about to depart the Klingon shuttle and make our way back to the Tesla. I'll report once we've made the hop. If there's anything more you need me to do here, please let me know."

"Acknowledged, Mr. Onn," Singh replies, with a smile Onn can almost hear over the intership channel. "Bon voyage from all of us here."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Eris says, holding the case just a little possessively. "I'm sure I will be all right."

Three Crows says to Onn on the private channel, "Ma'am, if you have any concern about us all getting back over to the Tesla safely, would you maybe like to ask the ship to beam over some maneuvering units?" The Sidonian woman knows the small thruster packs can be quickly and easily fitted to their spacesuits. "Or run a tether line between Eris and me?"

Nia eyes Eris thoughtfully while she listens to the security officer. "Thank you, Three Crows. I'm personally not very concerned at all, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew what to do. I have every confidence that between the three of us we can get Eris safely across--and she likely won't need help anyway. There's about three meters, tops, between the two shuttles. I've made the trip myself twice now without disaster, and at the time I had to worry about enemies blasting me to kingdom come.

"But you sound less than confident yourself, and I don't want a nervous officer in between us and the Tesla. Run a tether line if that eases your concerns."

Speaking of tethers, Nia is reaching the end of hers with every passing second. If thrusters had been a viable option, why didn't Meyer simply attach them back in the shuttlebay? So great, he sent us out with suboptimal gear? She's never seen anyone on the Yorktown use EV thrusters and had no idea they were available on the ship. Sure would've been nice to have that option when she was out there alone spying on the Klingons.

Fairly certain that her role in this little episode is finished for now, Collins turns to the Captain. "Ma'am? Permission to head to Sick Bay to check on Ensign Graham?"

Rangin takes the data and starts running the full analysis to see what he can find.

Three Crows stiffens. "No, ma'am. I can do it."

Singh says, "We just had a report. He's still in surgery and you won't be able to see him, Mr. Collins. But if you wish to go, you may."

Rangin compares the Klingon navigational data with Federation charts. What will he look for?

"Thank you, ma'am." Collins heads to Sick Bay trying not to picture Graham as anything less than fully healthy.

Kylah's communicator buzzes with the receipt of Rangin's message, muffled slightly from its position on the floor peeking out from under Collins's bed. Rangin receives no immediate reply.

Collins takes a turbolift to Sickbay. A nurse meets her in the reception area. "May I help you?"

Nia nods at Three Crows. "I know you can do it, Three Crows. Now, everyone: take a last check on your helmets and suits, just in case all that activity loosened a seal or tore anything. Once you're sure your suit status is a go, St. Croix, lead the way."

She follows her own orders, though her helmet seal seemed pretty secure seconds ago. If everything's okay, and all the others report no problems, she'll move to open the airlock door, peeking inside the chamber to see how many of them can fit at one time, especially given the box Eris is carrying. However many can fit, she'll wait for St. Croix to take the lead position.

If all of them can fit the depressurization chamber, Nia will close the airlock door behind her and make sure they're lined up in the order she recommended: St. Croix, Three Crows, Eris, and finally Nia herself. Also, assuming St. Croix is near the controls, Nia will ask her to begin the depressurization procedure until it's safe to leave. And at last she'll watch everyone push off to start the brief journey to the Tesla.

All of the boarding party's helmets and spacesuits check out.

Two will fit into the airlock at a time. St. Croix and Three Crows enter, go through the depressurization cycle and leave the airlock. The former pushes off and sails across to the Tesla; the latter remains on the outer hull and waits there for Eris and Onn, gripping a handhold. Onn, next emerging from the airlock with Eris, is struck once again by the vast beauty of the nebula. She sees St. Croix waiting by the open hatch of the Tesla, not far away. The Yorktown has not changed position since she last saw it.

"Ready, Eris?" Three Crows asks.

"Yes," the Aelyrr warrior says. "Let's go."

"All right, on the count of three," Three Crows says. "One... two... three." The pair simultaneously push off, Eris handling the somewhat cumbersome box in zero-G with no apparent difficulty. They cross the short distance to the Tesla, almost within arm's reach of each other, take hold of the edge of the hatchway and go inside.

St. Croix waves to Onn. "Ready when you are, ma'am."

Nia slips out of the shuttle and is about to leave when a little pull of determination overrides her desire to get back to the Tesla.

"Thanks, St. Croix. Um, give me a few seconds... I want to take one look at something."

No longer afraid that her clomping magboots will alert an enemy of her presence, Nia connects them to the hull and moves to the spot she saw before, where dirt and scorch marks cover the shuttle's signage. Using her gloves just as she did with the viewport, she wipes at the metal, hoping to clean off enough to see what's written below. If the letters become clear enough, she'll grab a shot of it with her tricorder.

Lucky I'm not Aelyrr or Caitian, she thinks with a humorless chuckle. Curiosity would've killed me long ago.

In truth, it's not just curiosity, really; there's some superstition here as well. Nia knows the name of just about every ship she's flown. While she never had a chance to fly this shuttle, she did sit in the pilot's seat. And her team took ownership of it.

One of them nearly died on it.

And so she'll be damned if, after all that, she never finds out what this troublesome bucket of bolts is called.

Once she's done--successful or not--Nia will disengage her boots from the hull and, like a swimmer reaching the end of a lap, turns gracefully and uses her strong legs to launch herself back to the Tesla.

The astrometric charts from the Klingon shuttle will be from an obviously different viewpoint coming from the Klingon homeworld instead of being based around Federation space.

However certain stars and systems will overlap and match between the two sets of records and those will be along the neutral zone between the two. Rangin also accesses what little data is known about the Klingons for their names of the various planets along the neutral zone to match up with the data coming across and cross references with Federation star charts. Of course, other main locations like Qo'noS would be invaluable in matching the charts up.

And by matching the two up like a puzzle of match the dots, he hopes to expand the Federation star charts out further.

"Yes, thanks" Collins replies to the nurse. "I came to see how Ensign Graham is doing."

Onn crosses the distance between the Klingon shuttle and the Tesla, all of space stretched out beneath her, and lands nimbly near the hatchway.

Rangin finds several points of commonality between the Klingon charts and the Federation's, particularly Qo'noS's star and four pulsars - Omega Listera, Vandor B, Gu'ro'kel and Sadain D. (Pulsars, given their precise, sustained radio emissions and easy detectability from far away, have always been useful guideposts in interstellar navigation). Once Rangin has matched those up, the rest of the pieces fall into place. The two maps merge and become one, rotating on the Science I display screen in front of him. He sees that the Klingon scoutship had long been outside but not far from the bounds of the Klingon Empire, in space unknown to the Federation. It spent a lot of time in and around a particular red dwarf star system about a dozen light years from the Yorktown's current position.

The nurse smiles and says, "He's still in surgery, but things are going well."

"Good," Collins says. "Do you know how much longer it'll be?"

Nia closes the Tesla's hatch and heads back to the pilot's seat. When her gaze falls on the co-pilot's chair, she feels her stomach turn leaden. Booker should be here with them. There's no sense of satisfaction over a completed mission, not with a man down.

"Three Crows," she says quietly on her way. "C'mon up and take the co-pilot's seat, please? I doubt there's a need for it but I'd like someone at weapons just in case." Nia hopes this will make up for her earlier attitude, which was what A.J. would call 'sarky.'

She repressurizes the shuttle's atmosphere to its normal levels, then tells the squad they can remove their helmets now. Her own is quickly unsealed and stuck behind her seat, as it was earlier.

"Tesla to Yorktown," she says. "We're all back. Shuttlebay, please prepare for our re-entry."

The nurse says, "They say another half-hour or so, if all goes well."

"Aye, Lieutenant." Three Crows comes up and takes the copilot seat. Everyone doffs their helmets once the shuttle cabin is repressurized.

"Tesla, this is Yorktown Shuttlebay," comes the prompt reply. "You are cleared for approach and landing. We're ready for you."