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[[Galantis - Port Authority- waiting room]]

Erein Sorik
[Galantis - Port Authority - waiting room]

Harold Richards  (alias of Erei'riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell)
[Galantis - Port Authority- waiting room]

While Rayek waited tensely for either Jael to return safely, or the authorities to attempt to arrest and detain them all, he decided it was best to give Riov Tekin an update.

Once more using his encrypted silent-mode ear-comm Rayek gave his report.

"tr'Lhoell to Tekin.  We have made it to Galantis and have determined where the Bird-of-Prey is.  It appears have landed at a facility at the edge of Galantis - that the locals seem almost fearful of.   All but one of us have made it through the Customs interview process without incident except Sherem, who had been released initially but then pull aside for secondary questioning.  I will update again shortly."

Rayek discreetly checked in with each of his team to ensure they were ready in case of trouble.

"Kura," (*Alex's alias) "if things go sideways, your priority is getting us a ship.  Understood?"  Rayek then looked to Torra, and quietly added "You'll buddy him and make sure he doesn't encounter any trouble doing that" To which Torra nodded.

He looked then to Kyle and Lisa. "The doctor is your responsibility to keep safe, Daniel." (*Kyle alias)

With a glance to the remaining two crew present - Helga and Sorik... the Romulan was tempted to assign them together just so that he could have some distance from the Vulcan, but Helga he knew was a bit of powerhouse and would be best suited to keeping Jael safe, more so than the Vulcan.

"Narak, you'll stick with me  - and M'Arla... you're to find our Cardassian and stick to her like glue."

Helga nodded.

His questioning had taken a moment longer, apparently they found it hard to believe to find a Vulcan among such a group like theirs. But in the end he had gotten through the questioning with his stoicism and logic.

When he returned to the waiting room with the others, he stood near them, and simply observed. When Rayek began addressing the members of the team, Sorik turned to him and listened. At his orders to stay with Rayek, the Vulcan nodded his acknowledgement.

[[Shuttle]]

Erein Sorik
[Shuttle]

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Romulan Shuttle | Heading to Galantis]

Jael smiled. Doctor Belmont did an impressive job with the Commander. Now she waited until they came within communication range. She was just as impressed by the cover story: Harold Richards, a dropout turned hired hand? Impressive. Of course, Garak would've scoffed at the job, but it was good to Jael.

Once in communications range, a call came from Galantis. The hail was answered and there was a glinn on the viewscreen. "Incoming shuttle, this is Glinn Gidoni of the Galantis port authority. State your business."

Jael stood forth as the spokesperson and replied, "This is Tilan Jid. I speak for the crew of hired hands here and we request permission to land."

Glinn Gidoni stared intently at Jael for a moment, then said, "Yes, I can see you're a crew of hired hands. The only other way there'd be a zoo of a crew would be if you were a crew from the Federation. I will need to ask that you identify yourselves."

"Gladly," replied Jael. "As I indicated, my name is Tilan Jid. I speak for the crew in quite a lotof ways."

"You must be the captain of the crew, then," replied the glinn.

"For the most part, but as to the voice of experience, that belongs to Mister Richards," said Jael, nodding at "Harold Richards." "However, they're all fine with my taking the lead owing to typical Cardassian cunning."

"The way of our sphere of influence," said the glinn, nodding in approval. "And the rest?"

The rest of the crew began making their respective introductions. Torra and Helga introduced themselves next,  Jael had to hold back a laugh at Torra's cover. That accent sounded much too Earth American South to her. No way in hell a Grazerite in their homeworld's southern hemisphere would have an accent like that...but then, Jael didn't know much about Grazerites to know their different accents, but all the same, Jael had to inwardly cringe at Torra's Southern drawl.

Helga's, and later Sorik's sounded more believable. Then it came turn for whoever of the rest of the crew to speak up.

Erei'riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Shuttle - prior to launch]

Rayek gave nod towards the pilot, as Graham arrived.  He was encouraged to see the petty officer's smile. A good sign of morale for the start of a mission... and to continue that morale Rayek offered back a smile of his own.

With everyone on board, the shuttle was cleared to leave, and slipped out of the cloaked Valdore while the ship made a close pass to some rogue debris by the edge of the enclave border.   With any luck the shuttle would not be noticed nor tracked back to its source.

[Shuttle - arriving at Galantis - 4 hrs later]
The planetoid which they approached was mainly a barren rock with a single sprawling Metropolis under multiple layers of shielding.  The shielding explained why their sensors couldn't get a read on anything below.   The trail of the old Bird of Prey had led here, but where it was now was anyone's guess.

Rayek, and thus his alias Harold, grimaced momentarily as a comm came in.  Thankfully, Rayek had already put all messages and comms on discreet ear-comm mode from the moment they left the Valdore.  That single comm if overheard by the Cardassians running Galantis, could have jeopardized the mission.

After greeting Glinn Gidoni and introducing himself with just his name, Rayek rose out of his copilot's seat and motioned for Jael to take it and continue negotiations.  Meanwhile, as he moved to the rear of the shuttle with his back to the viewscreen, Rayek silently responded to Tekin's call, mouthing the words, which his ear-comm then translated the jaw and muscle movements into sounds on the Captain's end.  Of course, messages sent by this method had multiple layers of encryption that Rayek had preset to be unencrypted by the Valdore's comms station.  Anyone else listening in might just give up in frustration after several days of attempting to break the code.

"Ca... Rayek caught himself before fully making the same error others had with using Federation ranks.  "Riov Tekin.  We have arrived at the planetoid, and are in the process of requesting permission of the port authority of Galantis - the colony name I believe - to land."

Rayek turned and glanced to the viewscreen as he heard the Glinn welcoming their motley crew to Galantis.  He covered his mouth an apparent cough as he continued his report.

"We're in.  I'll update again once we find the Bird-of-Prey or discover any useful information about the Borg nanobots. tr'Lhoell out."

In front of the shuttle, the first layer of shielding opened up just large enough for the shuttle to pass through.  Once they were within, that first layer closed and the second layer opened for them.  This was repeated between the second and third shields, until the shuttle was clear of all layers.  The shuttle received a signal along with coordinates to which they were to land.

"Excellent job, Jid." Rayek acknowledged Jael's efforts to deal with the port authority.  He then tapped Torra on the shoulder. "Mute us, if we are still on comm" Rayek directed and Torra was quick to do so.

Rayek look over to the other Ops officer. "Narak, scan Galantis for any sign of that Bird-of-Prey."

Rayek then called on Graham's alias to take a slow scenic route down to the landing coordinates, giving Sorik ample time and multiple scan vectors in which to find said vessel.

Two hours later they arrived at the planetoid and were asked by the port authority to identy themselves. When it was Sorik's turn, he did so.

When Rayek ordered him to scan for the Bird-of-Prey he moved to sit at the console. The scan parameters were pretty distinct so Sorik chose a wide scanning beam to cover as much of the plantoid as possible. The Vulcan went through the incoming data swiftly and efficiently as they came in. It was logical to start at the port authority, there was a high chance the ship could be there. But it turned out quickly that it was not the case.

The scan ran for some time, then something on the console raised his attention. He tapped on the console to call up specifics of the data division, then ran another scan over the area to rule out errors.

"Report, Mr. Richards: I have found the signature of a Bird-of-Prey. Coordinates: 13947.2-mark-072637. Considering the location, it appears to be a private base rather than an official one."

[[RFS Valdore - Lab]]

[RFS Valdore - Lab]
Arriving at the Sorik's location, Torra asked to see the alias backgrounds and the ID card designs.  She looked them over for any sign of forgery.   She did a series of fact checking queries to be sure that details aligned and that no one was from someplace inappropriate for their species.   But as expected from a Vulcan requesting a task, everything was perfect.  Torra doubted anything she came up with would have been this good.

"You've done fine work here, Sorik.  Let's get these printed up and then distress them a little so they don't all appear to be newly printed."  It was a sound idea for both ID forgeries and shuttles.

Sorik accepted her assessment of his work with merely a nod of his head, then acknowedged her order verbally. "Yes, Sir." He then went to do so.

Narak (alias of Sorik)
[Shuttle]

Sorik stood in front of the shuttle's bulkhead, hands at his sides. A lirpa was strapped across his back. Besides that he also had a disruptor at his belt. He wore a Vulcan combat suit - something he was surprised to find on the Valdore's replicators. He had instructed the computer to make it look worn out.

He listened carefully as everyone started to share their aliases - although it was him who had made them up. However, he was impressed with how well everyone seemed to embody their alias.

When it was his turn he spoke up. "I am Narak. I was born and raised in a Vulcan colony on Merak II. I served for 5 years on a Vulcan combat cruiser. I have never shared my reasons for leaving the Vulcan military and taking on this kind of life, I do, however, of course have my own personal, logical reasons. I have combat training, specialized in Vulcan melee techniqes."

[[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room]]

Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room]

Erei'riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room] (after briefing meeting)

Rayek was gathering up his PADD and logging off the briefing room computer so to go with Dr. Belmont to see about what might be possible for a disguise, when Sorik rose and turned to face him, obviously with more to say.  When the Vulcan spoke seeking to be assigned the task of creating the ID's, Rayek hadn't expected such an offer.

"You do realize that the names on the ID's will have to be aliases, correct?  Are you certain you are capable of creating forgeries?  Is that not too much like lying?"  He couldn't resist the taunt before shrugging.  "If you wish the task, it is yours.  But have Torra review the alias details before final printing."

Rayek noticed then behind the Vulcan, that Dr. Broadshire was also standing in wait.     "You wished to say something more, Doctor?"

[Briefing Room (Deck 13)| RFS Valdore]
As the meeting concluded, Dem was in a state of indecision. Should he go? Would it help the team to have a genetic engineering specialist, or will he be a hinderance? Dem sat their tapping his finger on the table as the meeting came to a close. He smiled at Doctor Bellmont, but his mind was somewhere else. He was thinking about the best way to incapacitate the beast, and he landed upon a blood infused antigen that would help deactivate the creatures enhanced cognitive processes. As the meeting was dismissed, he saw operations officer Sorik talking with the commander. Dem half stood up, awkwardly standing, and jittering about as the officer bid for the ID tag job. The only thing moving on him now was his mouth, reading over his proposition in his mind to create an antigen to be used on the away mission.

[Briefing Room (Deck 13)| RFS Valdore]
"œah, sir. I was wondering if you wanted me to try to make an antigen that may neutralize the creature. It would have to be administered in close range, but I think it can be done in brief time."
"œA lot of promise now rests on my shoulders" He thought, trying to not be pressured by the hole he dug himself in. Dem also thought talking with Doctor Bellmont would be prudent, as he wanted to get to know her better. Maybe his major in molecular sciences would also help with the crew's aliases. It would also be nice to have some friends in the medical department.

There was nothing in Sorik's face that would show the slight confusion about the Subcommander's words. He merely stood there unmoving, listening. "I do realize it and yes, I am certain", the Vulcan confirmed. "Offering to volunteer for a task one is unable to perform is not logical", he explained to him. When Rayek agreed for him to take over the task, Sorik hesitated, although he noticed the Bajoran doctor lingering in the background, apparently seeking to speak to Rayek as well. He wanted to argue with Rayek, that he would do the job thoroughly enough, probably even more thorough than Arrain Addams would do and thus he didn't think his work would need go through that phase of review.

It was the second he needed too long to make his decision, then Rayek already called Dr. Broadshire over, asking him what he wanted to say. Sorik bowed his head in acceptance of the Subcommander's decision, turned to Dem with a nod of acknowledgment before he left the Briefing Room.

[RFS Valdore - Lab]
Sorik had spent some time reading through the files of the officers who would be part of the undercover mission, so he would be able to make up believable aliases for them. For himself, he chose a history of him having been in the Vulcan military's armed forces. He credit himself with some melee experience, which he actually had, but it was not as excellent as one would expect from him in that alias, since he had learned and used it more in a way as a meditation technique.

After finishing his work he prepared everything for the upload into the Free State database and made it so that it would look like they have been there for years already.

That done he contacted Torra.  "Arrain, I'm currently in the lab and just finished the preparation of the aliases for the undercover mission. When would be a good time for you to review them? As per Erei'Riov tr'Lhoell's orders."

[[RFS Valdora - Deck 13 - Briefing Room]]

Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdora - Deck 13 - Briefing Room]

Erei'riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room] (prior to Dem's arrival)

Rayek acknowledged Dr. Belmont's volunteering.  He had suspected that with Subcommander Briggs' volunteering that the doctor would join along too.  Some might be hesitant about having a 'couple' together on the same away mission, and there were valid reasons for that, but Rayek also knew that having someone you cared for at risk beside you made one all the more motivated to get things done right so as not to endanger them more.

He was glad to hear her answer that cosmetic surgery was one of her specialties.

"Excellent.  Then immediately after the meeting, I will go with you to Sickbay to have that done."   Rayek stated towards Dr. Belmont.  He consider things for a moment, tapping on his PADD.

"While a Vulcan disguise for me would be physically easiest, it may also bring suspicion to the mercenary group if there were more than one.  Besides which, I doubt my ability to portray the species in a way wouldn't get us undue attention."

To himself, Rayek finished that admission with a silent... 'because I tend to portray Vulcans as complete  kllhwnia-nomaes diehv.  (*[spoiler]shit[/spoiler]-head robots)

Lek spoke then in answer to his request and Rayek knew that his family would be safe under the Ferengi's care.
Arrain Danjar-Torra Addams
[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room] (after Dem's arrival)

When the Subcommander opened up the meeting for anyone to speak, Torra spoke up.

"Sir, it's likely there will be times when the Away Team will get split up.  We won't have our Starfleet comm badges, nor will we be able to use Romulan communicators. I recommend the Team be provided with the same surgically-inserted ear comms that you use, sir.  They are ideally suited for mercenary work, so would fit our cover-story even if discovered." Torra suggested in her soft-mannered way.

Her former Security chief, now Romulan Subcommander, turned towards her and smiled at her suggestion.   "That's an excellent idea, Arrain.  I won't make it mandatory but I have the just the perfect comm device in mind for those who want it."

The Subcommander described a comm device that was bio-locked to their specific DNA when set-up so that even if found and removed it was unlikely whoever found it would be able to listen in on the encrypted device.  Torra commented that it sounded like a Romulan-designed device, to which he laughed.  "That's because it is.  I designed it myself with some AI assistance.  But it's not in registered or recognizable as a Romulan design since I was upgrading the Federation model I had with me at the time."

It would mean more work for the doctors upfront but the Subcommander seemed to think that was best.

"We'll also carry the standard Federation hand communicator so as not to draw attention to their presence with our lack of normal comms." he added.
.
.

Before wrapping things up, Rayek reviewed the plan.

"Lek and his engineering team will adapt a shuttle into something passable for a a small rogue mercenary team. The Away Team will consist of myself, Briggs, Belmont, Sherem, Tragnar, and Addams. Oh, and Sorik.   Aliases will be provided along with ID. Ear-comms are an option for those wanting them - which I recommend"

"We will approach the planetoid under the guise of mercenaries looking for work.  Sherem will be our main spokesperson, in the hopes that her being Cardassian will get us better access than stealth alone would.  We locate the vessel that boarded the vaQ and using whatever means necessary gain access to the ship, her log and any labs aboard her to determine if and/or how they had any part in the Klingon crew's condition."

It wasn't much of a great plan since there were so many unknowns but it was at least a framework.

"Dismissed."

Sorik listened with interest what Dr. Boadshire had to say about his findings. Borg technology was extremely advanced and many details of it barely understood. A tough task for the team.

The plan slowly began to come together, then. They would be going out as a group of mercenaries. When Erei'Riov tr'Lhoell mentioned that while a Vulcan disguise would be easiest it would not be entirely inconspicuous because of his lack of ability to portray a believable Vulcan, Sorik arched an eyebrow in agreement with that statement "Indeed", he mumbled. He thought it was fortunate that the Subcommander saw that himself and didn't need to have it pointed out to him.

Torra brought up the idea of surgically inserted in-ear-communicators, which the Romulan then boasted with as having altered Federation technology to fit his personal perference and use. The Vulcan wondered how Starfleet liked their technology being used and altered like that. Rayek didn't make such in insertion of the in-ear-device mandatory and Sorik would have preferred not having to commit to such body modifications, however, given the level of danger the mission inherited, it seemed logical to take that kind of precaution.

The meeting then came to a close, with Rayek repeating the names of those who had volunteered - with his name being added as if an afterthought to the Romulan and almost forgotten. Sorik turned his head to look at Rayek. Of course, the Vulcan didn't feel emotions like offense, he just noted it.

When Rayek dismissed the assembled crew, Sorik rose from his seat, though instead of leaving, he turned to Rayek, his hands clasped behind his back. "Erei'Riov, if you agree, I could take on the task of IDs for the undercover team."

[[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room]]

Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Deck 13 - Briefing Room]

Sorik had answered the greetings in his direction with a respectful nod of his head. Soon after, the meeting had begun. The mission - once again - seemed disproportionately dangerous to him, on more than one level. To venture into Cadassian territory just to solve a medical mystery, lacked any logic. He was not surprised that the Romulan Riov sent the Federation exchange officers ahead. The consequences for Starfleet were not to be neglected in case of them being discovered. It seemed more and more to Sorik that the Riov was using the exchange officers as cannon fodder, sending them on the kind of missions he would reject as too risky for his own people.

Three volunteers came forward before the Romulan captain then moved on to express his disappointment and disdain for the lack of feedback. For a moment Sorik considered logically discussing the cause with him, but he knew it would only fall on deaf ears. At best. His eyes followed him as he left the room, then silence fell over the group for another moment.

"Erei'riov, although I am merely assigned as your assistant, I am reporting for duty on this mission." A little logical, rational mind certainly wouldn't hurt in the mix.

[[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

When the Erei'Riov started to speak of personal information, Sorik was not pleased. Vulcans didn't like to give away personal information just like that. Privacy was something greatly valued by them. He was wondering what kind of information his superior was looking for, when Rayek specified his question.

His face remained a mask of perfect control as he answered. "In the time outside of my duties, I strive do deepen and extend my knowledge in fields of profession I have chosen." If Rayek wanted to hear something more personal, Sorik was not ready to provide any such information if not specifically asked for it. After all, personal hobbies was not something he had asked the Subcommander about. Why he shifted the topic to something personal was not something the Vulcan understood. But should he really wonder with a Romulan? "Astrophysics is a subject area that is highly interesting and about which there is much to learn." He had graduated the Academy with a major in Astrophysics, but of course he couldn't learn everything about it, since his focus in study was Engineering. "At the moment, I study astroparticle physics and cosmochemistry in more depth", he shared.

[[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Briefing Room]]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Briefing Room]

When Sorik reached the meeting room, Rayek was already there. The Vulcan carried his PADD in his right hand, gently pressed against his leg, just to control his movements. He had only been in the Romulan's service for a week, but this one week had already been very eventful. For one thing, he had been busy bringing a more detailed structure to Rayek's workday - and thus to his own. That had been complicated by the current investigation and by the unexpected arrival of his family. One thing the Vulcan did notice, however, was that the presence of his wife and young son made the subcommander want to stick to regular meals after all.

Sorik stopped briefly in the doorway and registered that only Rayek seemed to be present so far. He expected this meeting to be longer than their usual crew briefings, which made him consider to suggest they put their briefing after he had lunch with his family which was in about two to three hours.

With firm steps, he walked toward him. "Erei'Riov", he greeted him. They hadn't seen each other yet today, as their first meeting together was always scheduled after the crew briefing. With a controlled movement, he pulled back the chair to Rayek's left, sat down and placed the PADD on the table in front of him.

[[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik nodded, satisfied that the Commander approved of his suggestion.

Regarding his answer concerning his meals, the Vulcan was surprised someone would make their meals dependable on something unreliable like the duty schedule. He refrained from commenting on it at this point. He would see if he could get some regularity into his eating habits with time. "Very well", therefore was all he said.

When asked if he had any further questions, Sorik took a moment to think about that. Eventually he shook his head. "No, I am quite satisfied with the informtion I have at the moment." He paused briefly. "Is there anything you would like to know?"

[[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik listened as Rayek walked him through a typical work day. There were several things the Vulcan noted. For one he wondered, why he felt the need to take a tour of the entire ship, when it would be more efficient to just have the third shift report any incidents to him, which he could read in the morning? It seemed a waste of time to him. Another thing was that the Commander 'sat the bridge' although it was not required of him. And still, he did waste time with it, when he probably would do better to organize his days better, so he wouldn't even need an assistant for that. The Romulan really seemed to have very poor time scheduling skills. He would make a whole new plan for him, later, when he had a quiet minute. So he didn't comment on his internal musings just now.

He noted the time frame Rayek gave him on his PADD. Eventually he lowered it and looked at Rayek. "I suggest to schedule our morning meeting following the staff meeting at 0800. For the meeting in the evening, I consider 2000 an appropriate time." The Vulcan planned on working longer shifts than what would be expected of him as well since he didn't really need leisure time. He was actually surprised the Commander didn't make use of his. Which prompted him to breach another topic. "Do you have preferred times to schedule your breaks?" He stopped typing away on his PADD and lifted his gaze to regard him.

When told that his personal logs for his wife and her messages to him were off limits, Sorik nodded his head once. "Perfectly."

[[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik's gaze was fixated on Rayek the second he had taken a seat in the chair. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to analyze what prompted the frown that had appeared on the Romulan's face. Unmoving, Sorik observed as Rayek took a sip of his beverage, which was some kind of herbal tea judging from the scent that wafted over to him. Then the frown was gone and finally, the Erei'Riov handed him a PADD.

He leaned forward to take the device before he resumed his previous perfectly upright posture. Glancing down he skimmed over the missive's content, which he noted was only signed by the Romulan Captain and not his Starfleet one, while simultaneously listening to Rayek.

The fact that someone thought it necessary for the Commander to receive a personal assistant wasn't surprising to the Vulcan. From what he had read about the First Officer the man had a remarkably - not meant in a positive way - fluctuating service record regarding both rank and assignments. To the Vulcan, this service record was a mess. It rose the suspicion in Sorik that Rayek had gained his promotions by corrupt means and earned his demotions due to his actual incomptence to fulfil a position of responsibility and authority, no doubt rooted in his species' inability to control their emotions and tendency to let those emotions dictate their words and actions.

Outwardly, Sorik's face remained perfectly blank as he nodded his head once in acceptance of the new role. "I see."

Leaning forward once more he placed the PADD back on Rayek's desk, before he picked up his own one and held it in front of him, ready to take notes on it. "With your approval, Sir, I suggest setting up a meeting at the very beginng and the end of each work day to go through appointments, problems and developments. If you agree, I will prepare all of the paperwork regarding authorizations I will need, especially on your inbox and other documents to administer them." Actually, Sorik was already on it to do just that while he spoke. "Are there any routines or other items you would like to include in the schedule that is not involved in the typical duties of your position?"

Ensign Erein Sorik
[RFS Valdore - Commanders' Office]

Sorik regarded the chairs and took but a second to make his decision.

Unhurriedly he walked towards the comfortable chair to the right and took a seat. His posture sitting wasn't less perfect than when standing. His back perfectly upright, the Vulcan put down the PADD on his lap before he then directed his gaze directly at Rayek. His statement thst they had a lot to talk about was redundant to him as he still didn't know what the reason for this meeting was. Any impatience that might have come up was controlled immediately. As it was obvious to both of them that Sorik had no idea what this meeting was about he simply kept looking at Rayek expectantly, trusting the Commander would fill him hin now without him prompting once more.

[[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]]

Ensign Erein Sorik
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]

Sorik followed the new developments with a mix of intrigue and horror. He was curious what had made those two life forms merge together in that way. But there was no doubt that it was animalistic and dangerous and would not hesitate to kill brutally. The Vulcan only had a knife which was undoubtedly insufficient to hope to be able to defend himself with it successfully. In addition, what troubled Sorik the most was the stench on this freighter. It seemed to be his personal disposition to get sick from it, and so all color had left the Vulcan's face and he struggled with the urge to throw up. It was hard work to focus on controlling himself.
So he kept in the back of the group, hoping that they would be quick to get their job done here.

Character(s) affected: Sorik
Assigned ship(s): USS Discovery
Period of time absent: Nov 1st - Nov 8th
Date of last period of activity: Oct 31st
Date returning: Nov 9th

Any relevant comments: This for my ATC.

[[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Transporter Room]]

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Transporter Room]

The transporter room was silent after the Security members left to secure the entry point.  Rayek had the second team stand ready to assemble on the transporter pad, but left it clear in case things were bad on the freighter and the security team needed an emergency beam out.

As the seconds ticked off Rayek began second-guessing himself - wondering if he too with his years of Security/Tactical experience should have gone over as well.  He knew how even one additional weapon, used effectively, could make a difference in a skirmish.  However, Romulan protocol was far different than Starfleet's.  It was a rare exception that he, as Executive officer, was even going on this boarding action.  Romulan command officers delegated personnel to do the risky tasks; they didn't do them themselves - they watched from the safety of their Command chairs.  This thought reminded him of something he'd forgotten - to activate the cameras.  He retrieved his PADD from the inner pocket of his uniform and opened it's display.  With a few select swipes and taps, Rayek turned on the miniature cameras and microphones in each Romulan emblem of the boarding team.  Now the Valdore could track their progress.

 

Despite how time seemed to skew in his mind, the call Rayek was waiting for from Subcommander Briggs eventually came.  The Mess Hall was secure.  Rayek stepped up onto the transporter pad and once everyone was assemble the order to transport was given once more. "Moraere."

[Klingon freighter vaQ - Mess Hall]

Despite arriving to a secure area, Rayek couldn't help but have his hand at his disruptor holster, ready to draw it out at the least bit of provocation.   His dark brown eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting as he glanced about the area.  He noted that though no klaxon was sounding, the ship was definitely on some manner of alert mode just by the slow throb of red coming from the room's lighting.

As he opened his mouth to speak he was preceded by a loud, yet distant feral growl from somewhere on the ship.  To the security team, that had heard that same growl before, the sound would seem closer.  Rayek was aware that Klingons often kept pet Targs on their ships as a 'guard dog' of sorts, he reasoned this was one such ship.

Rayek looked over towards Saqa7, the teams one science officer. "Can you do a scan of the ship?  See how many people or targs we may be dealing with." He turned to look over the others.  "Everyone else assemble into your assigned teams and prepare to head out."

The St'at'imc native woman nodded and took out her assigned Romulan scanner.  Doing a slow 360 degree turn in place, a puzzled frown grew on her face.  She stopped and tried to do the scan again, but the readings were just as confusing this second time.  Her scanner display, which would also be visible to those watching on the Valdore, showed non-sentient and sentient life occupying the same space.

Saqa7 offered Rayek an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, sir. I think I may have not recalled how to work this properly.   It's blending lifesigns together.   At best count, I'd say 12 lifesigns but I can't distinguish Klingon from Targ, or anything else for that matter."

Rayek kept his expression neutral though he was disappointed that Saqa7 hadn't been more prepared.  It reflected poorly on her that she didn't know how to use the tools of her department.  Rayek suspected this was exactly why Commander tr'Siedhri had ordered the Exchange personnel on this boarding action so soon after their arrival.

"Thank you, Erein.  That'll do for now."

Rayek then looked to Kyle with a 'what can you do' type shrug.  "Take your team to Engineering.  We have to secure this ship in under 25 minutes."

Raising a hand he called.  "Bridge Team - with me.   Erein Sherem, you and I are on point.  Arrain Addams, cover from behind.  The rest of you buddy up and keep alert." he ordered as called up the ships schematic on his PADD quickly.  It took but a a couple seconds for the Romulan to study and memorize it's design.

Then they were off, headed out through the Mess Hall doors into the ship's corridor.  The Bridge Team headed to the right, while the Engineering team would head to the left.

Ensign Erein Sorik
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Mess Hall]

Sorik looked around slowly as he materialized on the Klingon ship. The dining hall was bathed in an ominous orange-red. There was no audible alarm. But something else was. Animal sounds. They reminded him a little of the sounds of a sehlat, but Commander tr'Lhoell's guess was much more likely - targs. He didn't know too much about these Klingon animals, but there was no doubt that they could also be dangerous.
As a Vulcan, Sorik actually rejected violence, but self-protection was only logical. Equipped only with a stabbing weapon, he did not feel very safe - neither from animals nor from attackers in humanoid form.

Since there seemed to be no danger here at first glance, Sorik left the dagger in his pocket and instead pulled out his tricorder and began to scan. The science officer was not able to come up with proper scan results. While she attributed it to her lack of ability to handle the Romulan tricorder, Sorik immediately realized that it didn't seem to be that, because he was getting equally unusable results. Had they been sent here not only with insufficient armament, but also with defective tricorders? But no, it didn't seem to be it either.

For now, Sorik stuck with his higher-ranking departmental colleague, the Grazerite Torra, and followed Commander tr'Lhoell's directional guidance, leading them toward the bridge. Meanwhile, Sorik tried to adjust the tricorder's settings to get proper scan results, or to figure out otherwise what those readings could mean.