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[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"Good Allah, I hope the scavengers attacking Sickbay aren't including the ones I brought up," said Nira. Any one of those scavengers in particular, if they were involved, then it would mean it's her fault.

She sighed at Captain Galloway's next words. "I suppose so...if only the center seat could see what was going on...but yes, it's best to put trust in..."

She looked up at Ops and saw Aarwendil there, feeling just as bad as she was about their efforts against the Machine. She stood and approached him.

"I understand how you feel, Aarwendil," she said comfortingly. "If anything, I have been feeling worse about it; I wasn't sure what more we could do..."

She then looked around at the science row...and she noticed Savar was gone. She realized he must be heading down with Lieutenant Randall...
[{NPC} Lieutenant Savar | Cargo Bay Three | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Savar accompanied Lieutenant Randall and Ensign Zalos to the Cargo Bay. While conferring with Lieutenant Fisk, Savar observed the device. Three buttons at random, they would be the ones to shut it off. Gotten wrong, something worse could happen. When Ensign Zalos gave her piece, Savar raised his eyebrow.

"If I may," he said, "the buttons pushed at random, and one sequence shuts it off...if that was the case...whoever found it, who did put the device online in the first place, and would he or she remember the particular buttons that turned it on? Because if that particular person would remember the buttons that activated the machine in the first place, the particular reverse could potentially shut it off."

That was what he figured, and the investigator in Nira that had rubbed off on Savar was what had him thinking in an investigative manner...

[Ensign Neva Cordon|Cargo Bay 3|Deck Six|USS-Challenger]

Neva walked into the Cargo Bay with Randall and to the Entity. She slowly circled it, PADD in hand, making notes. She kept an ear out for what was being said, adding this and that to her notations.

When she stopped among the group, her brow furrowed as she heard Lieutenant Savar's speculation. Her head tilted, thoughts suddenly racing. 'Buttons to push? Order?' Her silent shorthand queried.

"Pardon me all. I have an idea." She murmured, her whole attention focused on the Baby Planet Killer. Her hands hovered over the controls, fingers making tapping motions.

"Were the Salvagers feeling of anything specific when they were going over the Mama when it activated? Or thinking something?" Now Neva straightened and looked at Commander Said. "What I'm asking is this." She pointed at the thing. "All beings need energy to eat, move, release energy, etc. They have a rudementary 'brain' if you will." She pointed at the controls. "What if the buttons aren't buttons? What if they're essentially this thing's brain configuration?" She grinned at the Commander. "They basically patted its head and woke it up." The young Engineer scanned the group, looking for any light of understanding to glow. Finding only skepticism and blank stares, she shook her head quickly and continued.

"What if the key is we have to treat it like a being who needs to go back to sleep? That it's done eating a big dinner and needs to sit and let the body digest?" She looked at the Commander sheepishly. "Just a thought, Sir."

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira heard out Captain Galloway, going from inquisitive to surprise to flared anger at what Captain O'Flaherty has done. She was surprised that O'Flaherty had discovered the machine dormant, to finding a device that may or may not be its power mechanism, and her anger flared at his naked greed that had started them off.

"That bastard," she hissed. "If there was anybody in the outermost planets, their blood is on his hands. If it doesn't work and we lose Andgarr...well, I might have to get in line," she added, her sense putting her anger aside, though her fury was still there, emphasized by the fact that Ian and anybody on the bridge was bound to feel a fire cyclone where Nira was standing, feeling fiery hot in terms of emotion.

[Neva Cordon| USS-Challenger| Bridge]

When the Captain told the science officer to get with her Chief, Neva handed off her station and went to join Randall in the turbolift.

Smiling, she spoke calmly. "Hi. I dont think we'vemet. Im Ensign Neva Cordon. Im in Engineering, so if its fine with you, id like to help you if possible." Her smile turned into a smirk, dark eyes full of mirth. "That is if Chief will let me,  of course."

[[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Romulan Wreck - Ancient Battlehawk | Angdarr Prime | Angdarr System]]

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Romulan Wreck - Ancient Battlehawk | Angdarr Prime | Angdarr System]

Zhuk nodded at the Commander's instruction _{(even if he still was somewhat hurt as she had asked for a couple of his osol twists. They were the treat Taja had given him and only meant for him, and one for Taja, not for anyone else. He reminded himself that sharing was important in Starfleet.)}, and prepared to fire all the Battlehawk still had as soon as it was in range.

As his ear shifted in position to hear Neva's request, he was more than surprised to have her want to remain on the vessel. At first, he thought it was a foolish decision. Ultimately, though, he weighed the reasoning behind Cordon's actions and decided that as the sole Engineer, she was wise to argue for her stay. Nonetheless, he was certain that if not for the most precise of calculations, they would see their end at the abomination's gullet. He just hoped that the Ensign knew that.

He was glad that Nira agreed to let her stay soon after, though, as the Battlehawk's systems began to overload. Neva would be able to fix them, he was sure. For a moment, he debated whether to give one of the other members of the team who were about to be teleported his Datapad. He did not want his writings for a special someone to be lost. But he took too long deciding, and soon, they were safe back on the Challenger. Or so he hoped.

"To the rifles, brothers! Smash the dragons! Smash 'em! Smash 'em all!", was the quote that reached Zhuk's mind as he stared down at the monstrous machine. It came from a now ancient movie, Battleship Potemkin. It had been a wonder he had been lucky enough to see it back on Earth, but he was glad he had. It fitted right in at this moment.

"Yes ma'am!"

Came the voice of Zhuk as he proceeded to fire all the payload that the ancient Romulan Battlehawk could muster, as well as firing the disruptor array directly at the maw of the Doomsday Machine. Though one of the torpedoes went wide, hitting the rim of the vessel's 'mouth', the other four launched landed directly within. The disruptor ray also fired three times into its interior before completely powering down, much to Zhuk's chagrin.

He held his breath, as he desperately tried to get another salvo of torpedoes to fly. Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar made peace with himself and with his life as he got ready for the worst to happen...

[Neva Cordon| Blackhawk| Andgarr Prime]

Neva put herself to the task, setting the core's final adjustments to blow inside the great maw.

Once done, she stood and walked to Nira's side. A wavering smile was her only answer of readiness to leave.

[Neva Cordon| USS Challenger|Bridge]

Neva sprinted behind the Commander, skidding to a stop at the Turbolift and bounding in. She bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet from the adrenaline, bounding out once more when free of confinement.

Neva took her place at the Engineering station, smiling when she finally paid attention to her surroundings. The Captain's song filled her ears even as that smile slid away to watch with horror that her hard work was not fruitful. Her dark eyes filled with tears then, but she had no time to let them fall.

Hands made fingers tap keys before registering their movements. As she made ready to do her duty, she froze at the call of new players to this morbid game of chess. Her heart filled with hope as she swiveled in her seat to see who had come.

[your]

[Commander Nira Said | Battlehawk Wreck | En Route to the Doomsday Weapon | Andgarr System]

"Much appreciated, Neva," said Nira. "Prepare a detonation sequence with a countdown timer, but wait to set the timer. Arrange a remote detonation as a second setting as well, just in case."

"Aye, Sir." Neva made the adjustments and settings, humming the Captain's song as she worked.

Sighing with disappointment at one fact, she said, "I wish we could do more...no spare deuterium to spare from Challenger, Andgarr or anywhere else? It's a pity. We'll have to make do. Set course for the weapon, at our best possible speed."
Unfortunately, it too much too long for Nira's liking. All they could do was set course and wait. Nira had hoped, had hoped, that more could be added in with extra punch to take out the machine, but none other help was forthcoming.

So much time passed. Rest and sleep and eat from the Protein Resequencer, and Nira found preserved oosol sweets very excellent; sealed in so long, they tasted surprisingly good.

And the time came for the fight. Nira could only hope they were not too late. At Captain Galloway's call, she replied, "Acknowledged, Captain. I'll send the call for transport when we're ready."

She then turned to the away team and said, "Okay, we're primed and ready. Zhuk, you and I are to remain here while the rest of the team returns to Challenger. I'll ensure the course to ram the ship down the machine's throat continues. Zhuk, given what you know already about the Battlehawk's weapon systems, you'll be manning the weapon controls. Don't hit anywhere on the ship's outer hull, do your best unload the arsenal into the maw. Meantime, the countdown has to be primed. At current velocity," she asked to whoever was at the helm, "how long until the ship reaches the weapon's maw?"

Neva's jaw clenched a moment, her face turning resolute. As much as safety aboard Challenger appealed to her sense of self-preservation,  the young Engineer couldn't bring herself to turn into that skid.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Commander Said, I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience obey your order to leave. I volunteer to stay with you and Lt. Mrekrerhas until your beam out to make sure no issues arise beforehand." She gave a slight smirk. "Besides, any Engineer worth their salt would want to make sure their jerry-rigs hold."

[SIX HOURS LATER...]

[Commander Nira Said | Battlehawk Wreck | Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

Nira saw the figures emerge and was surprised to see what the group consisted of. Of course, there were a pair of Orions, but they certainly looked more humble than the scumbags they met earlier outside the Cutty Sark. Additionally were two humans, two Andgarri, a Tellarite and a Klingon, who was the spokesman. Nira was certainly relieved that she was negotiating with a Klingon; she had been expecting a Nausicaan from the gravelly voice. And she knew Klingons.

When the Klingon spokesman, Korrin Fenn, mentioned the family the group had, Nira nodded in understanding. "Of course. They can all come, Mister Fenn. I can give you my word, good, honorable warrior."

She then proceeded to call Challenger.  "Said to Challenger, there's another group of people living here in the Battlehawk. I need a priority transport. Thirty-one people to beam up, regardless of your current evacuation priority. Distinguish our comm badges and beam all other parties aboard."

The group was beamed up, and Nira could definitely see Korrin Fenn's smile in gratitude as he beamed aboard, despite the transporter flickering. Footsteps drew Nira's attention as the scavengers left and she saw Lieutenant sh'Vhaorhath arrive with some science officers and inquired where they were needed, despite the expression that clearly gave the obvious question.

"You got free rein on the ship system, Lieutenant," said Nira. "We need to get the power operable. The priority is the warp core and propulsion."

They then set about getting to work. Nira could see Savar wasn't among them, but on the other hand, he was definitely needed more up at the Challenger. Now that things were proceeding, she decided to report in.

SIX HOURS LATER...

The six hours was a definite blur. The away team helped as much as they could. Nira check on progress when she could, helped whenever she could. She was amazed what everybody accomplished in getting the old husk operable, even at seventy-eight percent power, especially when there was only one engineer available: Neva.

Thus far, the only challenge, aside from getting the power running, was regarding getting the ship out of the tree. Nira had to call in the Mjolnir with its phasers to carve into the tree to free the ship. Nira had to admit, she was momentarily worried that cutting too deep into the tree would cause a felling of the tree, and being so close to the roots, any direction would make its landing interesting. Fortunately, the ship wasn't absorbed too far.

Once flight capabilities were operable, the Battlehawk was able to break free. In any case, Nira was informed that the ship won't fly very well with only one nacelle, and going to warp wouldn't be doable, or if it was possible to operate the warp systems, it would be inadvisable to do so in its condition.

"That's totally fine," said Nira. "There's only one destination for this ship, and it's to ram her right down the coming weapon's throat," she finished in grim satisfaction.

The ship virtually lurched its way past the Great Canopy. It creaked a lot worse inside, like a galleon that had termites chewing in its hull. Propulsion, of course, was operable, power was chiefly channeled to the warp core.

"Looks like the sacrifice is ready to move to the alter," she said. "Well done, everybody."

With the original six away team left alone to operate the ship, Nira began pondering. The core may or may not be powerful enough to take down the machine, even at its power capabilities. She had just been wondering about requesting a deuterium tank or two to amplify the blast when a report came that the outermost planet of the Andgarr System was breaking up. Nira looked over the shoulder and could see...

Her first thought was instantly, Holy crap, it's early! But then, she remembered it was traveling at sublight speeds. It was still twenty-two hours away, but it was still clear that they were out of time.

Nira then turned on the comm badge.  "Said to Challenger, our ship is flight capable. Engine systems are powered, although if need be, we can add some extra punch to the payload. We probably may need to get some detonators ready, but we're flight capable."

[Neva Cordon->Battlehawk Wreck-Andgarr Prime]

Neva worked as hard and as silently as she could. She was absolutely convinced Commander Said would put a formal reprimand in on her "outburst" once this mission was done. It had been ingrained in her from birth that an officer does NOT lip off like she had. The old adage "put up or shut up" in her dad's voice rang in her head.

Once the power was restored, Neva took the Engineering station on the bridge. A wave of pure terror crashed over her at the site of the Planet Ester. She had to close her eyes a few moments and take several deep breaths to keep her innards from "blessing" the deck.

Turning back to her station, Neva checked the power readings and made adjustments to make the final Big Bang as powerful as she could. She had channeled her inner Captain Scott to jerry-rig things as need arose, and prayed to The Gods it would be enough.

Pivoting in her chair to address the Commander, Neva spoke as calmly as she could muster with her stomach churning again. "Commander, I've got the power amped to give as much of a punch as this ship's capable of. I set the Core to blow on Con's discretion."

[is]

[Commander Nira Said | Battlehawk Wreck | Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

So they were scavengers after all, thought Nira to herself. But this time, at least it looked to Nira that, unlike the last group of scavengers they met, there's a chance for negotiation.

"All the same, we're intending to save Andgarr," called Nira. "We intend to stop the monster before it gets to Andgarr. That's why we need the ship. If you still wish to leave Andgarr, we'd be willing to give you accommodation on our ship."

[Battlehawk Wreck, Andgarr Prime]

Neva knew in her head that they were dealing with wrecks, but seeing the actual remains of their former crew was another thing. She gulped down a lump of bile threatening to rise and took her attention back to the problem at hand.

Neva nodded at Commander Said's order and started opening her kit when the ship rocked from a familiar hit. She groaned a little as she braced herself and pulled out her phaser instead. When the new group of scavengers tried to lay claim, she shook her head in disgust. 'What in all Creation is this?' she wondered. 'Do we need to take a number on these things?'

Neva had finally hit breaking point. This was ludicrous and heading for dangerous. 'Here's hoping i don't get court marshalled or put in the brig!' Sighing loudly, she shook her head and prayed for calm even as she growled at the assembled. "Begging the Commander's and our esteemed friends' pardon, but we can stand here and squabble over who's ship this is all day. Unfortunately, we do not have the benefit of time." Her gaze leveled angrily on the new scavengers. "So if it's all the same to you, I'd like to get this ship up and running before that overgrown cigar up there" She pointed up with one finger. "makes us and this planet lunch! As my father would say: 'quit yer bitching and act like the adult you are.' So if one of you knows anything about Engineering or any other useful skill, get over to a station or something and DO IT!" With that, she shoved her phaser back onto her belt, turned away and went back to work.

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

Nira was impressed by Zhuk's prowress, but it did get him shot up a little. She got two or three of the scumbags and got a graze on the shoulder, but she felt the heat of the disruptor; a few more inches down and the beam would've sliced her arm off at the joint.

Aboard, she nodded at Taja's treating Zhuk and, as the shuttle took off, was surprised at Neva's calculating a return course to Challenger.

"Belay that, Ensign," she said. "We still have work to do. However, I downright hesitate to set down on the planet again, what with these scavengers and salvagers. Maintain an airborne position, Mister Espada. Put us among the trees, we'll look suspicious if we just hang around up here. Cheizex, Zalos, man the sensors, scan for any readings of Romulan warp cores, based on what the databanks can tell of Romulan singularity drives...generally how Romulans power their warp cores," she added. "One of them has to be intact and easy to be powered up."

She then opened a channel to Challenger. "Cutty Sark to Challenger. This is Commander Said. We made it to the planet, but we ran afoul of a bunch of criminal salvagers. We're maintaining airborne vectors and we'll scan for Romulan warp cores. I may need to call in for an additional security detail with a second team of engineers once we find it, just in case we do run into more scavengers once we find the core."

[Neva Cordon| Shuttle Cutty Sark | Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

Neva nodded and replied, "Aye, Sir." Once more, her fingers danced over the controls as Espalda maneuvered accordingly.

Neva found herself holding her breath as she listened for the others to report. Letting it out, she made adjustments to the shields in case the scavengers had ideas. In doing so, she made sure the sensors weren't affected.

[Shuttle Cutty SarkRomulan Landing Pad/ Warbird Necropolis/ Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil watched speechless while Taja tried to flirt with the Orion. The Betazoid couldn't deny that she was attractive and that the Risians had a natural relaxing effect around them, but unless she had strong pheromones and empathic powers, he doubted that her plan to calm him down would work. Due to that, it was with little surprise that he saw the Scavengers already planning to take them as slaves.

Well, at least planning to leave the females as slaves. Aarwendil was pretty sure that the males would end up dead.

Luckily, Commander Said took a more practical idea and ordered a retreat, while firing at them. Aarwendil helped, using his phasers to target a Nausicaan's leg. He saw Nekab rushing with the group, using the cover to enter the shuttle. The Ensign immediately did the same.

[Andgarr Prime->Ship Graveyard->Cutty Sark]

Neva shot an Orion in the chest before backing quickly into the shuttle's confines. Dashing to the copilot seat, her fingers played the controls in time with Espada's. As they took off, Neva fought the urge to make parting potshots at the Orions. Instead, Neva gave an approximation annoyed growl.

Once in space, Neva hazarded a look behind her. Granted, she didn't know the Caitian well, but seeing him lying on the floor of the shuttle was unnerving.

Turning back around to continue the ride to the Challenger, Neva mumbled. "Just wanna save people from a premature ending & all they wanna do is be greedy!"

Coughing low to cover her grumbling, she called to Commander Said. "On final approach to [/i]Challenger, [/i] Sir. Should I-Whoa! Romulan Warbird in close proximity to Challenger! Orders?" Color drained from her face as she spoke. 'Oh shhhhhh....'

[Cutty Sark->Andgarr Prime]

Neva was behind and to the right of Commander Said, just outside of the shuttle when the Orions accosted them. She had her phaser rifle pointed dead on the lead Orion, no emotion on her face. Inside however, she quaked. She wanted to catch the emotions of them, but her fluttering fear prevented it. Instead, she held her ground and sights on those before her.

When the young medic slid into the conversation, a slight smirk hit Neva.  The charm that poured out seemed as obvious as a wind among the towering trees to her. Nevertheless, Neva's stance didn't waver. Until the Commander said differently, Mercy would only be given when Mercy was shown.

[Would]

[USS-Challenger/ Deck Seven-Sickbay]

Nekab waited patiently while the Risian confirmed his situation in the fleet. Once she finished, he immediately moved to work with the tricorder. "œNo harm done. It's logical that you would want to certify that whoever is working at your medical facility has the approval of your commanders."

Taja's question made the Ensign look away from her, his face completely red. The events of that day were still fresh in his mind and remembering about it made him feel so ashamed. "œWe went to investigate some insects called yanmarr on the surface of Andgarr because they were releasing toxins that affected Vulcans and Romulans. In the end, they also affected Betazoids and our hormones went crazy."

"œYou are completely fine now." Nekab said, after finishing his analysis. The Ensign was relieved that the young Romulan had  stopped the conversation before it entered into the details of how he ended up kissing Commander Said in the middle of a river. "œYour hormonal levels are normal and you'll not have any emotional outburst because of them."

"œThank you for the help." Aarwendil said to the Romulan, who simply nodded. It was at this moment that they received the message of Commander Said. They were back on Andgarr and the Betazoid was going to be part of the team that would go to the surface. He swallowed dry, but was prepared to help. There were people to be saved.

[Shuttlebay/Cutty Sark]

After gathering everything that he would need, the Betazoid entered the Cutty Sark. Nekab had remained behind to help Dr. Grippen pick the material the medical team would need, before going to the shuttle. Having studied the yanmarr and its effects, the young Romulan knew what could be useful to treat the effects of the insect's spores.

A smile appeared on the Ensign lips when he saw that Neva was there. "œHey! How are you doing? Did you recover?" he didn't seen her since they left Andgarr.

Neva smiled brightly when she heard Aarwendil. Turning to face him after hitting a couple controls, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. I got back to shift just today." With a sigh, she looked at him more directly and then went on telepathically.
'I think I could use some help shutting out others. Its been hard to pick up again...' The fleeting image of maniacally angry eyes and pain shoot past before Neva shut it down. 'Would you help?'

Neva looked away, some redness coloring her cheeks. With a cough, she spoke once more. "You should probably get strapped in, Aarwendil. Once the Commander gets in, we're off."

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira had given up trying to sleep at around 0500, there was just too much bothering her on her mind. As such, she was on the bridge before the regular shift, before Captain Galloway, and had taken enough coffee to ensure she was awake. She jumped when the new science officer jumped in and excitedly gave an idea.

"Well, it could be tricky to beam inside, much less trick it to feel full," said Nira. "We'll shelve that idea as a potential backup plan, Mister Avant...inshallah," she added in Arabic.

Soon, they had arrived back at Andgarr and Anax Glarathna Jindak was back on, with Anju, his brother, at his side.
Anju raised an eyebrow in a gesture not lost especially to Nira. The fact that they called the place the Warbird Necropolis was an indication that it was not hidden, not a secret, and Anju put in some reverence in the name. Of course, he did mention Glarantha, the Anax, was always somewhat secular.

Once disconnected, Nira nodded at the instruction to assemble a team.

"Aye, sir," she said. "Lieutenant Espada, you're with me. Arrange for the Shuttlebay to prepare the Cutty Sark and to temporarily remove the Hunley from it." Then she tapped her comm badge.  "Said to Mrekrerhas. Zhuk, we're at Andgarr, we're heading down to the junkyard. Equip yourself, bring two phaser rifles and six hand phasers, just in case, and meet us at Shuttle Cutty Sark."

She then called up the following:  "Said to Ensigns Zalos, Cordon and Cheizex, assemble your kits and equipment and meet at Shuttle Cutty Sark, we're heading down to Andgarr." Then, remembering the Yanmarr, just in case, she called Sickbay, hence why she picked the Cutty Sark...  "Said to Sickbay. Doctor Grippen, assemble a kit and meet at Shuttle Cutty Sark at the Shuttlebay. Bring the new Romulan volunteer, Nekab."

She looked at Captain Galloway and explained, "There's a reason I want a shuttle, it's going to take too long to go it on foot; if it's called the Warbird Necropolis, it's still going to be a huge area to cover. On a shuttle, it'll be faster. I would've chosen the Mjolnir, but that would be overkill. Plus I feel the need to bring medical officers just in case of the Yanmarr. Espada."

She gestured at the helmsman to follow, and they were off.

[USS-Challenger->Main Engineering]

Neva was getting a debrief from Gamma shift when she got the summons. Giving a grin, she picked up the kit by her feet and waved an apologetic goodbye to the crewman. Looking at the Chief at the Conference table, the Tellarite just waved a hand down hard in reply. Neva scooted out.

[Shuttlebay-> Cutty Sark]

Neva ran preflight checks with Lt. Espada once she'd gotten strapped into the co-pilot's chair. She had her Kit on the floor beside her, the strap over her knee and tucked a little under her thigh.
She still felt embarrassed at how she'd acted when hit by the butterflies. It couldn't be helped though. She definitely thought she might talk with Aarwendil and Commander Said about handling some of the "traffic" she'd never quite been able to "turn down"." Maybe they knew something...
As the others came aboard, Neva nodded to each with a smile in acknowledgement.

Character(s) affected:Neva Cordon
Assigned ship(s): USS Challenger
Period of time absent:Unknown.
Date of last period of activity:Week of Halloween 2023
Date returning: Unknown

Any relevant comments:Results of Personal Issues will dictate return to duty. Please message on here or Discord.

[THE NEXT DAY...]

[Subanax Anju Jindak | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"Technically, Doctor, it's their facilities, not ours," said Anju, gesturing at the newcomers. "But we'd best hurry on."

THE NEXT DAY...

[Commander Nira Said | Medical Facility | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

At first, it was oblivion. And then, suddenly, Nira was awake. Her eyes were wide, instantaneously opening. Like she woke from a nightmare. She had even gasped. She momentarily wondered what she had dreamed...then she felt the nozzle. She looked for the source just as it went away and saw Jess pulling away a hypospray.

"Jess...what happened...?" Nira tried to rise, but a headache hit like she was wearing a turban made of titanium.

"Take it easy, Commander," Jess said soothingly. " And in case you were wondering...it was butterflies."

Nira blinked. And she remembered. Flocks of yanmarr. Then memories fuzzier and fuzzier, but she seemed to remember...

"Was I behaving like some harem..."

"Worse. You were enduring The Phase."

Nira blinked. "What? But I thought that never happened until middle age."

And then Jess explained that the butterflies' chitin somehow caused her hormones to accelerate. Same with Aarwendil. Neva, however, breathed it in, and it caused a different reaction.

"Holy Allah, what was with those butterflies?"

"Why, by the Elements, something out of the natural order."

Nira blinked. It certainly didn't sound like Anju. She slowly raised her head and looked around. It was a hospital of sorts, except set up in, apparently, some kind of jungle temple, it gave Nira memories of Carraya IV, her first mission on the Discovery. The only things that didn't seem to belong were the biobeds, most of them empty, but a handful occupied by Romulans, definitely Romulans. And then she noticed Aarwendil and Neva, just barely being roused. And then she saw the source of the voice.

Amidst some medical computers and equipment, with Jettis and Anju aside and at work, a Romulan woman was looking at her.

"Who are you?" asked Nira.

"I am T'Baran," the Romulan doctor introduced herself. "I'm in charge of the medical facilities here. You've had a strong reaction to the corrupted yanmarr. You and your telepathic fellows."

Nira looked at Aarwendil and Neva as Jess checked them over. Then something occurred to her: That Vulcans were strongly affected the most...she looked particularly at the sick Romulans nearby.

"Ah, yes, Romulans were afflicted...but it hits Vulcans worst, although it can't be coincidence that it hits telepaths particularly hard...and isn't it usually something in Vulcan blood, copper, I think, that causes...?"

"Rest your thoughts a moment," T'Baran said assuring. "Breathe a little and clear your mind, let the vaccine work and help you."

Nira furrowed her brow in befuddlement. Why was this Romulan talking like a Vulcan? She stared long enough for Anju to say, "Do it, Nira. You can trust them."

Now this was certainly of interest. And an indication of sorts that this was a friendly Romulan if Anju trusted her enough to reassure others. Remembering the Vulcan meditiations she took part in with Savar, she cleared her head and breathed. In a few moments, the headache subsided and she sat up like she had a good night's sleep.

"Better?" asked Jess.

"Very," Nira said. "What was in that vaccine?"

"A counteragent to protect against the chitin as it absorbs in the bloodstream," Jess said. "You can thank Jettis, though, he helped with that as you three slept."

"We've studied these corrupted yanmarr since they first manifested, thus longer than the rest of the planet," T'Baran explained. "At least with the simple ones, the Andgarr were able to make quick work, but this was a much more serious matter; it's the first time of reactions from Betazoids. As such, our files were able to help Mister Jyur here to formulate a vaccine."

"My thanks to the both of you, then," said Nira. She had just whipped off the blanket she was wearing and then suddenly wrapped it back on. She was still in her dancer attire used for swimwear and underwear. How embarrassing.

"Uh...I think we left our clothes back at our campsite," said Nira.

"We've got a selection of clothes in the back," T'Baran said, gesturing to a doorway. "Choose at your leisure. Same to you, young man," she added to Aarwendil. "Though with facilities for males to your right of the doorway, females to the left."

Wrapping herself completely with her blanket, coming across like a simplified ghost, Nira made her way to the wardrobe. She went through the selections, but she was surprised by what she found. They were all of Romulan make, of course, indicative of gridlike patterns, but the outfit design, the style...it was Vulcan. Nira would know Vulcan style, she had seen plenty in Savar's wardrobe.

She found a piece of attire that got her attention. A kind of variation of salan-sai, what the Vulcans called "cloak of breezes," designed particularly for hot weather, even if there primary ones for ceremonial purposes. Nira had one that Savar made her; he can often be a tailor when he wanted to, although he specialized in Vulcan attire, he was no professional tailor like Elim Garak. This one, however, it had the usual Romulans patterns that made it look like disco scaled robes...disco without the flash, and Nira knew about disco from Lahr.

Her dancer attire fit well with it, but she certainly needed a skirt or whatnot, but fortunately, the saran-sai provided. She had even found some jewelry for which she was able to work it out, simple in design and material, nothing too ornate. Wearing a necklace collar and a pendant-like vik'talu, she hooked the saran-sai on the vik'talu so that it draped in front, then draped the rest around her waist. Added a finishing touch of a sash and a shawl-like patam-puna-ti, normally a shawl to close the hair, but Nira kept it wrapped like a scarf for the time being.

She knew her hips would be exposed, but at least her legs no longer were. And they still displayed her tattoos, the ones that covered the brand carved in Cardassian language. Nira can never help herself in showing her tattoos when wearing casual as of late; maybe to remind her of that impactful mission...

Emerging, Nira said to her fellows with a shrug, "Well, as our favorite Chief Petty Officer would indicate, 'she would look like a disco ball.'"

Noticing T'Baran's raised eyebrow, Nira turned toward her. "But it does leave a need of explanation. Romulans? With Vulcan style attire?"

"You'll see when you get a look around," T'Baran said. "I just heal people. You can direct your questions to our leaders in due course. For now, I need to check you all over, see if you will be well enough to move outside."

Nira stood to wait, looking around again with pondering. An inkling was forming, but she'll need to see when she moves about.

"We're still on Andgarr, aren't we?" asked Nira to Anju.

"Very much so," Anju replied. "As the good doctor indicated, you'll see."

[Medical Facility | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Neva felt consciousness return, but dared not open her eyes. Snippets of conversations washed over her ears, meanings and contexts jumbled. Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she felt fear coil in her stomach.

"Open your eyes, Ensign Cordon," came a soft, unfamiliar voice. "We're here to help you."

Neva let her eyes open slowly, the world coming into focus.  Seeing a Romulan, Neva tried to move away quickly. She succeeded in falling off the table face down. Pain erupted, followed by a strange wetness kissing her lips, then she felt hands pulling her away from the floor. Her eyes were wild, a scream becoming a gurgling mumble as she tried to free herself.

"Neva, relax! It's ok!" Jess called out, as her face came into focus. "You were affected by the butterflies. The Romulans are helping to heal you!"

Neva stopped struggling, her eyebrows crunching down. "Buh...buh-fwuh..?"  she tried to ask. She tried to reach up to her nose, but felt hands holding her arms. She looked at Jess imploringly. The pressure got lighter, and another hand pressed a cloth to her nose. Neva scraped her lips with her teeth, tasting the metallic lighter than water fluid that was her blood. She slumped in defeat against the biobed, but her mind reached out.

'Nira? Aarwendil? Can you help me? What's happening? Where are we?'

[ Andgarr Prime - Old Angdarr Realms, Makeshift Camp ]

Jettis' brows furrowed at the Commander's suggestive words and actions. Something about the dust was affecting them all very differently, and unfortunately Jettis had no clues so far as to why. Before he could properly respond, Doctor Fellows was on top of it, dragging him away and running through a few key pieces of information they possessed. Zanthi fever and phasing - two very different illnesses both being triggered by a simple natural process of butterflies shedding their scales. He sighed.

"I believe the only responsible course of action currently is to treat the symptoms as they appear, until we have a better idea of the cause. Either these butterflies are loaded with every virus known to man and is effectively a biological weapon, or it contains proteases or some other compound that is negating the body's ability to fight off illnesses. It is easy to carry such diseases on your skin or clothes without it ever having an effect, due to the ship's air purification system and a good immune system."

He glanced out at Aarwendil and Nira still schmoozing, as well as Neva taking a short break to recover. "I would do a quick cbc as well to ensure their bodies are fighting against the illnesses, otherwise it will run rampant and progress quickly."

He glanced around quickly at the others at the camp, all seeming equally as effected. With only a few seeming to be of sane mind, he turned towards Anju. "I will keep testing the yanmarr to try to reverse-engineer an antidote, but for now we need to make sure nobody runs off into the woods. If you could try to round everyone up and at least keep them in the vincinity. I'm going to check on Ensign Cordon and see if we can set up something to help with the spread of the dust."

Taking his leave, he intercepted the betazoid as she spoke to the crewman. He was careful to make his emotional and psychic presence as small as possible, pulling back so that she wasn't overwhelmed. "Cordon, how are you holding up?" He queried once he'd gotten her attention enough to not startle her at his sudden appearance.

Neva turned and gave the doctor a shaky smile, ebony eyes still a little watery. "Have a headache actually, Sir," she admitted. "I swear it's like I've got a hangover." She gave an apologetic grin. "My dad gave me the real stuff once, much to Mother's dismay."

Character(s) affected: Neva Cordon
Assigned ship(s): USS-Challenger
Period of time absent: 3 days
Date of last period of activity: October 22th 2023
Date returning: October 27th 2023

Any relevant comments: Will check in and post as possible. May be short. Let Captain Galloway & Commander Said know in DM on Discord