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[Pre-Sim] Arrival to the USS Saracen

Posted June 4, 2019, 9:47 a.m. by Ensign Mike Gareth (Security Officer) (Michael McDowell)

Posted by Ensign Mike Gareth (Security Officer) in [Pre-Sim] Arrival to the USS Saracen

Posted by Ensign Mike Gareth (Security Officer) in [Pre-Sim] Arrival to the USS Saracen

Posted by Lieutenant Elmira O’Shea (Chief Tactical Officer) in [Pre-Sim] Arrival to the USS Saracen
Posted by… suppressed (13) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
“You’re making me skeptical, Ensign.” Elmira squinted, raising a ginger eyebrow. “Are you positive I won’t find a bomb, or a map of classified Marine Corp base?”

Gareth shrugged casually, “You’d never know unless you looked of course..” He tauntingly shook his dufflebag side to side, only slightly jiggling the contents inside.

A smirk ghosted her lips, Elmira came around his side, unzipping the duffle hanging from his open hand. She didn’t care about the contents of the bag, that was his business, not her own. Although, while searching for the PaDD, she caught sight of combat knife. “Are you ex-Military?” She asked, pulling the PaDD from among the extra uniform and socks. Turning it on, she briefly went through and found his assigned quarters. “You’re in luck. I do know where this one is.”

Lt. O’Shea
CTO

He jerked the bag up sharply after she pulled the PADD out to swing the other handle up and catch it. “I’m not sure if you’d qualify a local militiaman as military, but I spent a good amount of time in our colonies’ local militia back over near Bajor. Life along the DMZ wasn’t all that great, but we’d always do what we could to make sure everyone was safe. Though that wasn’t always the case when raiders would show up.” He tilted his head and looked up for a moment. “Technically Starfleet is the closest to any sort of real military that I’ve been in?” His eyes lit up a bit and he was slightly relieved to hear that she knew where his assigned quarters was, it definitely saved him a lot of aimless wandering if she hadn’t been around. “You’re seriously a lifesaver!”

Ensign Mike Gareth (Security)

OOC: Sorry, messed up the format in my insert D:

-Mike

OOC: It happens, dude! No worries. :D

IC: “It depends on the militia. If we’re talking a group of amateurs who came together because they got panties in a bunch about some dumb law their government passed, then no. But if we’re talking about a group of educated people willing to learn while still fighting against their government for what they believe in, with good reason THEN I would consider with similar weight to military, although still classified as a civilian defense organization.” Elmira pointed out, eyeing him for any indication of which Mike had come from. He seemed legitimate, and he had chosen to enlist in a defense branch (Starfleet’s main purpose diplomatic and scientific over military), so she figured the latter. “I see. We’ll have to chat sometime about life in the militia, if you’d like.”

“No, I’m Elmira.” She returned with a lopsided grin. “Pretty sure it’s Arabic for ‘princess,’” she cringed. “In that case, I’ll take lifesaver!”

Gesturing for Mike to follow, Elmira made her way towards the nearest turbolift. “What switched you onto Starfleet?”

Lt. O’Shea
CTO

OOC: Don’t mind me…I am just the mighty omniscient GM who is going to opt in to some of the side sim threads that I think could tie into the sim nicely. I am going to be starting to describe some things that crew are going to be feeling or noticing so please feel free to expand on what I post.:)

IC:

While O’Shea was speaking with the new, young and nervous Ensign she began to notice a strange sensation. It was an empathic sensation rather then a physical one. As a Betazoid with empathic and telepathic abilities O’Shea would be used to a certain mind and emotional level in the ship, almost like a psychic background. That background was suddenly changing. Instead of the white noise she was use to it began to take on undertones of red. Red meant that the emotional level of the crew was changing to anger, irritation, and many more negative emotions.

The young Ensign before her who had begun to relax during their friendly conversation would himself start to feel edgy and nervous again.

GM Nosferatu

The white noise of the ship’s collective psyche was nothing new to Elmira. As a child, a Betazoid became accustomed to the emotion surrounding them, just as a bird grew used to the wind. But this was different. Vibrant spritz of red began to accent the white, piquing the interest and concern of the Betazoid Officer. Her eyebrows furrowed in the slightest, she turned to Mike. “Are you feeling all right..?” She asked, despite knowing a single person couldn’t elicit such drastic changes in Saracen’s emotional complex.

Lt. O’Shea
CTO

OOC: Ooooo! We get a GM too!? :D I love it! can’t wait to see what you come up with!

IC: “Ah .. yeah nothing out of the ordinary I suppose..” He was usually somewhat okay with hiding what he was feeling at least externally, internally was a different story. He just really didn’t like a ton of change. Though looking past her through the hallway he couldn’t help, but stare at it for a moment .. it looked somewhat familiar, but foreign at the same time. He could recall disruptor fire as he was running through a portion of their colony during a Cardassian raid a good couple of years ago on their colony. The building was a school that they were using as a warehouse in the mean time since the colony was still being established in the new zone when they had attacked. Cardassians held no mercy and were exceptionally brutal for those caught out in the open. Eventually, they had no option, but to retreat from the warehouse, but for a while the they defended it and did what they could with the weaponry they had. They left beaten, angry, utterly defeated as they ran with many fewer people than they began that easy day with. He couldn’t even begin to count the people that were there for one second in the window next to him, to them just being on the floor with an empty gaze staring at the ceiling. He silently gripped the strap tightly from the bag that was on his shoulder and politely smiled, “Is there .. a different way we can go ..? It might sound stupid, but I ..” He looked back and off towards the side looking for a different direction they could go, not really caring where it lead. He shrugged a bit, looking uncomfortable like he was dropped in a room with no light. “..I just don’t like this hallway for some reason ..”

Ensign Mike Gareth (Security)

A different way? To her, every hallway of the Saracen was the same, besides subtle changes in the tell-tale markers indicating the systems harbored behind metallic doors. Why was this one any different? In lieu of responding, O’Shea’s eyes squinted a bit, studying the faint changes in Mike’s expression. His grip had tightened, eyes staring aimlessly at the ground, the lines of his face shifting from friendliness to an emotion she hadn’t seen on him before. He seemed uncomfortable, like a shy teenager forced into a crowded room. “No! No. It’s fine, man. We’ll just take the other turbolift,” Elmira shrugged her shoulders. She tried to get a better read on him, but the growing power of red blurred her vision. She wasn’t focused enough to peer past her own intuition. “This way,” She gestured down the corridor they’d come from, making her way quickly down its path. Elmira was not as adept at using her abilities as others were, but something was off and it was impacting majority, if not all of the ship. Closing her eyes, her feet guiding her down their route, she dismissed the thought. Mike was her concern right now, after she’d helped him to his room she’d look further into.. whatever this was. “Mind if I ask what’s wrong?” She gave him a lopsided smile, “Most people don’t suddenly dislike hallways.”

Lt. O’Shea
Definitely Not a Counselor

(bumping as a reminder for tomorrow)

-Mike

OOC: Nicely done! Keep going with that:) General feelings of unease and nervousness should continue.

GM Nosferatu

OOC: Sorry it took a bit to get this reply in lol

IC: He found a strange comfort in her eyes and sideways smile, but it only seemed to last for just a moment before he would remember again. He gave a small pained smile, “It’s not so much the hallway itself .. but the memory of a similar hallway or something like that.. If that makes any sense ..?” It was a little hard to concentrate, he just wanted to get away from there, anywhere really. He gladly followed her back the way the came shaking his head trying to clear it as best as he could. He hadn’t thought about that time in a long time. Why was he suddenly filled with .. what was it? Stress? Apprehension? Panic? Sure he wasn’t too accustomed to new places, but why couldn’t he relax?

“Sure,” Elmira played it off with a meager shrug. She couldn’t say she had any painful memories regarding hallways, but that didn’t dismiss the notion that Mike clearly had. Apathy shut down her curiosity in knowing what he’d experienced, as she reminded herself that his business was not meant for her meddling nose. If he wanted to talk about it, he’d of said something by now.

It might have been just nervous chatter, but he tried to fill the awkwardness of the situation with probably some even more awkward talk something to try and distract himself if anything. “So .. um, Elmira was it ..? You said it meant princess or something? Is it okay to ask the story behind your name, Lieutenant ..?” He trailed behind her carrying his things, trying not to look behind him again and focused his attention on watching her hair as it sort of bounced as she walked in front of him.

Ensign Mike Gareth (Security)

(Friendly bump!

-Mike

OOC: Thank you!
IC:

He wore tension like an open wound, anxiety seeping from its damage. It pained Elmira, knowing he was distressed and she didn’t have the answers to help him; helplessness far from her preferred state of mind. But there was little she could do to mend the uneasiness that loomed over them, poisoning the air.

“Yeah, in Arabic–I think. Don’t quote me on that, Human dialects were never my forté in High School; far too complex for anyone to understand.” Elmira rolled her eyes, seizing the opportunity to distract him. She didn’t often engross others with stories of her childhood, but he was a rare case. “My birth-mother was too young to care for a child when she had me, so I was put up for adoption shortly after I was born.” She explained. She doubted she’d see much of Mike after this, so telling him wouldn’t matter, right? Surely he’d forget the useless information.. “Unable to conceive, a young couple decided to adopt, and on their trip, my aunt–one of my mothers’ younger sisters, found me. At the time she was obsessed with ‘Disney,’ some old Terran company. Anyways, she thought I looked like a princess.”

“Disney huh ..?”

Elmira chuckled at the thought, nostalgia setting in. She could hear Androna’s voice as she spun the tale many times in her youth, often lulling her to sleep after a long, arduous day. The sweet touch of her fingertips brushing stray hairs from her face distracted her, but she quickly forced the thought away; its bittersweet aftertaste scorching her tongue. “Sadly, I didn’t quite fit what Persis believed to be the ‘standards’ for sharing a name with her favourite princesses. So, she opted to call me ‘Princess.’ For me, it wasn’t a title–it was a name.” A smirk crept past her facade, “My other mother, Lilliu, wasn’t having it. What an absurd name Princess O’Shea was! But Persis wouldn’t budge.”

“Mmhmm..”

Something just wasn’t right .. he could hear the Lieutenant that he was following, but it was too hard to focus. He could keep track of certain points when she spoke he really wanted to remember what he could from her, but he just kept looking around. It was like he felt eyes all around him, but there was no one there. His pace slowed as he walked more cautiously. Even if it was just a small comfort, while the fiery Lieutenant spoke, since he never zipped up his bag he quietly withdrew the knife from it and placed it in it’s sheath at the small of his back, pulling his shirt back over it to keep it hidden. Something just wasn’t right. It wasn’t right. It just wasn’t. He just needed to get out of this area it felt like it was choking him .. There was no way he could stay in a confined area like a turbo lift.

“For a few days, ‘Princess’ was my name. Until Lilliu found an alternative that fit both her and her sister-in-law’s standards: Elmira.” She peered over at Mike, searching for any indication of less stress in his expression. “It was a battle to convince Persis, but I’m certainly glad she changed her mind.”

Lt. O’Shea
CTO

A cold sweat glistened across the top of his forehead, it was an incredible internal struggle to even keep this much in check he just wanted to run anywhere away from the area even just for a moment. Preferably to the armory where he could hold a weapon and feel safe enough to engage an unseen threat. Perhaps just a small comfort for being in combat situations, but he felt better with a weapon. Any weapon. The knife helped .. but it had a very short range. He shook his head for a second just thinking about the turbo lift again. “Sorry .. can we go back to the shuttle bay or something ..? Somewhere more open .. I really have to get out of this hallway..” The urgency in his voice was something he didn’t really want to let slip out, but he could barely contain it at this moment. Nothing felt right. Something was definitely, definitely wrong.

As distracting as it was listening to O’Shea’s story Ensign Gareth would find his feeling of anxiety and fear was actually increasing and not decreasing.

GM Nosferatu

OOC: Oh man .. this is going to be fun in a crazy way isn’t it Nosferatu? XD Making me adjust my personality on the fly .. lol gonna be some odd placement here just to kind of keep with the feel of things

Ensign Mike Gareth (Security)

Elmira was not a woman of sympathy, having been raised in the apathy of trouble. Although, Mike’s perturbed demeanour sent red flags spiking through her mind, breaching her façade of detachment. His behavior was that of a toddler; a dangerous combination of disassembled thought and impulse that could lead to destruction. He was a liability to himself in this stage; anxiety a weapon greater than any she’d ever seen.

Concern-laden features were masked by innate professionalism, as Elmira struggled to maintain her calm exterior. He was getting worse. “Yes, of course.” She assured, contemplating the hallway before them. “We’re nearing the shuttlebay, now.” Coming to a crossroads, Elmira gestured him down the left. Out of precaution, she trailed just behind him, observing his movements carefully. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, the words burning up her throat. She was not a counselor, her degree in the art of destruction rather than healing, but if it would appease his anxiety she would do what it took to ensure he would not harm himself.. or her. But he was only one person, and Elmira could sense the entire ship’s growing apprehension.

His pace quickened a bit, not quite a speed walk, but a walk with purpose. Directly towards the way that they originally came to the hopefully open area. The tight grip on his dufflebag he was holding on his right was easily able to be seen, like he was carrying a hefty bag despite it being incredibly light with only some clothes in it now. “It’s not really a good memory ..” He trailed a bit, trying to focus on his words rather than the vivid memory that kept creeping up no matter what he did. He could hear the sounds of everything that had happened at that time from the disruptor fire hitting the walls and through the windows to the shout of commands his leaders would give. “But .. ” He felt like he should say something if anything .. she was kind enough to his request and interest behind her name, he could at least tell her something about his past, right? “It was.. a warehouse back home on one of our colonies along the DMZ near the Cardassian Union.. It was supposed to be simple we were just watching a small new warehouse that we had set up which was supposed to be a school later on. Some Cardassian raiders decided they’d rather take our supplies instead of trading for them so things got a little heated and before we knew it .. we were already shooting at each other.” He kept his gaze mostly on the floor to see if it would help get rid of the apprehension of looking at the walls and doorways. “We dealt with their initial group with minimal casualties, but.. it seems they were only the talkers. The rest of them were already on the hill and we had to fall back into the building. We had to run after a while because we couldn’t hold it .. a lot of us didn’t make it back and seeing the doors and the hallway here .. for some reason reminded me of that time. There wasn’t anything we could do .. They took everything and left. Weapons, food, supplies, all of it.” He bit the inside of his lip wishing there was more than he could do aside from escaping with the few that made it out with their lives.

The shuttlebay approached from the right, its grey doors a welcomed sight. Elmira cocked a crooked grin at Mike, swaying her head towards the doors. “Looks like we made it in one piece, kid.” She wasn’t positive how much younger Mike was than her, if at all, but that didn’t matter. “After you,” She bowed, gesturing to the parting doors despite her back’s scream of protest. If she could make him laugh, maybe it would settle some of the disquietude.

Lt. O’Shea, CTO

Not in such a dramatic fashion, but as soon as he crested those doors he had let out a small sigh of relief. He was still on edge, but at least this was a larger, not so cramped area. It only took him a second to catch his breath, but he immediately started to survey the area just to make sure nothing was waiting for him. He still couldn’t help the unease that sat with him..

Ensign Mike Gareth (Security)

(Friendly bump!)

-Mike

(Bumping just to keep on the board)

-Mike


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