SubAccount: Jael Sherem

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

Erei'riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
NPC Arrain (Centurion) Danjar-Torra Addams
NPC Erein (Ante-centurion) Saqa7 Mountain Khan
[Klingon freighter vaQ - corridor to the Bridge] (earlier)

Despite Jael's volunteered assistance, Rayek was conscious enough to deny her request and had her take point.  Other than himself she had the only other disruptor - the only weapon capable of dealing with the creatures roaming the ship.   There were others less vital that could assist his walking - Saqa7, Dr. Broadshire or Sorik even.

"I've got him." Saqa7 assured the Cardassian.

Torra took the opportunity on the way to the Bridge to comment quietly on Jael's idea.  "I think the combat medic idea sounds reasonable.  As you know most security have the basic First Aid training but to have someone licenced to administer medications and use some of the more specialized tools would be so helpful in situations exactly like this.  I think when we are back on Discovery you should bring it up to the Captain."

[Klingon freighter vaQ - Bridge]

"I am a Subcommander, not a Commander." Rayek corrected the pilot's use of Federation rank when addressing him, "I would advise you learn the Romulan ranking system quickly.  If you make that mistake in front of the Commander, you may find yourself in the brig."

Rayek then acknowledged when the pilot confirmed that the station appeared in good working order.  "Excellent. Now all we needed is power and the impulse engines in working order."

Torra reported that the Ops console was questionable.  "There's a cracked screen.  I don't know if the touch controls will work properly.  Once we have power, I'll know for certain"

Saqa7 was dismayed to find there was no dedicated 'Science' console but she'd moved to a vacant console and checked it over.   "This one also is cracked - center screen. Do you think they have spare screens or the ability to replicate them." She asked.

Rayek was doubtful.  "At the moment, the only console we absolutely need is the helm as long as that is working we can leave the repair of the rest - this isn't our ship and it's possible its crew will never need it again."  Harsh words to say but all too true.

Erei'riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
NPC Arrain (Centurion) Danjar-Torra Addams
NPC Erein (Ante-centurion) Saqa7 Mountain Khan
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Bridge]

The layout of the Klingon freighter's bridge - in that it matched the layout of any Imperial fleet vessel - spoke volumes.  The ship could be conscripted to join the Imperial fleet and serve the Klingon Empire at any time - all that would be needed was the addition of updated disruptors on the ship.

Seated in the Command chair, with his injured hand laid out on the armrest for ease of access for the doctor, Rayek held the portable light in his other, aimed to give Dr. Broadshire light by which to work by.

"What's taking so long with that power? he grumbled under his breath.  If they were without for too much longer, the cold of space would seep into the ship and they might be forced to call for a beam out back to the Valdore without fully accomplishing their mission - that notion didn't appeal to Rayek.

As the doctor finished with his hand, Rayek tested the strength of suture by forming his hand into a fist and then splaying it.  It hurt - even with the analgesic - but the sutures held.  Rayek nodded in approval.

He'd have another scar, and another lesson learned. Another story to tell Tess and Fvienn when he recorded his journal later.

"Thank you, Doctor.  Were you able to save either of the... Klingon-creatures?" he asked.

Rayek had a recollection of Dem working to save the one Klingon-Targ on the floor before the    other attacked.  But what happened afterwards was a jumble because of his getting stunned by Torra's phaser shot.  Had they left the Klingon-creatures unsecured?

It was Torra who answered.  "The one that the doctor was working on didn't make it... but the one which attacked was still alive.  Stunned and bound when we left."

Rayek looked over the bridge once more, considering.  "Now that we have secured the Bridge... and are only waiting on getting the engines running again.  I think it would be good to collect information about these creatures.  Dr. Broadshire, I'd like for you to autopsy the dead one.  Jael and Torra will go with - to keep you safe."

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem |  Bridge | Klingon Freighter]

Jael nodded, enthusiastic that somebody supported her idea. She appreciated Torra's words, that she liked the idea; Jael definitely had a mind to bring it up to Captain Tekin when she saw him next.

She could understand Rayek shaking her off, and nodded in appreciation at Saqa taking over for her. Throughout, as she stood guard, she listened all while she kept a lookout. She turned when she saw the order from Rayek to accompany Doctor Broadshire, along with Torra. She was greatly more assured Torra would be with her; she wasn't just a good consoling friend (she can see why Nira spoke highly of her, why she and Nira were practically sisters) - the horns could be quite intimidating.

"Aye, subcommander," Jael replied.

[[Klingon freighter vaQ - Bridge]]

NPC's Lieutenant Danjar-Torra Addams and Lieutenant JG Saqa7 Mountain-Khan

Torra could hear the stammer in Jael's voice and was surprised by it.  "I'm right here" Torra spoke softly, her voice barely audible in the darkness - both to keep the conversation private and to avoid drawing other creatures towards them.  "We need to keep calm.  As two of the more senior ranked, we are who the others will look to in these challenging moments." The Grazerite reminded the Cardassian.

The Ops officer felt at her belt for her tricorder before calling out to Saqa7.  "I have my tricorder.  One moment."

A moment later and the hallway was dimly lit by Torra's use of the tricorder's flashlight feature.  She shone the light around and was dismayed by the lack of response from the others.

Torra looked hopefully towards Rayek to respond to Commander.... or rather 'Subcommander' Briggs.  But the Romulan appeared to still be affected by the grazed shot from her phaser.

Torra answered the call on her on comm.  "Addams to Briggs. Subcommander tr'Lhoell is .. stunned.  We were engaging against one of the Klingon-creatures and he took a hit of friendly fire.   We will be continuing on towards the Bridge momentarily.  Any chance we will have power back by the time we get there?"

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Bridge]

It took the Bridge Team two minutes before they were able to set off again with Rayek still a little groggy and feeling a slight numbness in the arm that had been grazed.  Saqa7 explained that the analgesic used to dull the pain of his hand was a contraindication for using a stronger  stimulant to negate the stunning effect he was affected by.  As such he had to be helped to walk.

He'd initially tried without assistance and nearly ended up on his face after two steps.

With his handicap slowing the team down, it took another five minutes for Jael and Torra to lead the way to the Bridge.  Rayek grimaced at the realization that they had arrived AFTER the deadline.  If not for the Engineering Team's success in shutting down the warp engines, the ship and all aboard would be dead - blown up by a cloaked mine.

As Rayek looked over the darkened Bridge, assessing the scene by the light of a borrowed Klingon spotlight, obtained along t he route to the Bridge. Though his impatience urged for him to call down to the engine room demanding an update as to when they might have power, he recognized his interruption would only delay things more, instead he merely contacted Subcommander Briggs to report the Bridge Teams arrival.

"tr'Lhoell to Briggs.  We've arrived at the Bridge.  It looks like there are a few consoles that have been damaged by the creatures.  But fortunately, he helm doesn't appear to be one of them."

They would know for certain once the Bridge had power, if helm was working.

"Erei-erein Graham. Check what you can of your station to be sure its in good order.  I want no delays once we have power."

With that he sat down in the Klingon Command chair and took another look around.  "Erein Addams, Mountain-Khan.  Check your stations as well."

"Erein Sherem. You are on watch at the door."  They'd had to force the door open - possibly damaging it's mechanism - to gain entrance, it was unlikely they would be able to get it shut again... which could be problematic if another of those creatures showed up.  The team had been fortunate enough to have avoided further encounters on the way to the Bridge.

Looking towards the doctor, Rayek finally gave in to the reality of the situation.  He needed use of his hand if he was to remain in his position.  "Now that we have arrived, you may continue treating my wound."  Rayek stated.  The Romulan had refused treatment earlier beyond what was necessary to stay alive, claiming that it would delay them too long to receive full treatment first.  Now that they had arrived and there was nothing he could do until they had power, he might as well let the doctor do what he could to save the mobility of his hand.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Mess Hall >- Bridge | Klingon Freighter]

Jael saw the light and was reassured, even more so at the sight of the liquid her hand was on. It looked more like blood...well...if it did turn her into a monster...well, she was letting a paranoid phobia get the better of her as she wiped the liquid on her uniform.

"Of course," she replied to Torra. "I'm sorry, I stepped in this liquid, reminded me of a story that scared me as a girl...ah, but it's a story to relate another time...now that we have light..."

She looked up at the human that joined them and said, "Subcommander tr'Lhoell is going to need some attention, we're going to need an analgesic for the time being until he can get full medical treatment. Wish there was equipment...combat medic, that's what I could easily be...oh well..."

Soon, they got to the bridge, albeit at a slower pace. Jael helped Rayek to walk the rest of the way, she volunteered to do it. Once at the door, it had to be forced open and was still open as Rayek gave orders. Jael nodded vigorously at his order to keep an eye on the door; a lookout gave her enough rapt attention so she could see anybody...or anything...coming.

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

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]

Rayek, struggling to remain conscious, was surprised to have his view of the charging creature blocked by the Cardassian security officer as she took aim and fired on the blended Klingon creature.   Her first shot, aimed for its arm, kept the creature from taking a second swing at the dodging doctor as the energy beam from the disruptor - designed at high settings to rip molecules apart - at its lower settings caused extensive physical damage to the limb rendering it useless.  The arm dropped to the creature's side, limp and nonreactive yet with nerve endings flaring.

The Klingon howled its agony, taking another two steps forward before Jael was able to fire a second shot.  This time aimed at its leg.  The result was just as effective.  Unable to receive impulses to move the affected limb, the creature's ability to maintain its balance on the leg was impacted, and it came crashing down to the floor.  The pain it experienced was overwhelming and with one last phaser shot from Torra the beast slipped into unconsciousness at Jael's feet.

"Finally!" Torra voiced her feelings.  "I thought it was never going drop."  She moved to the creature cautiously to check to be sure it was truly down. Which it was.

[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]

Forewarned only by the momentary flicker of lights, Torra and the others were unprepared for the ship's sudden drop out of warp and plunge into darkness.

Torra, who had moved forward and was in the midst of securing the unconscious Klingon creature she and Jael had taken down, was thrown forward, tripping over the prone body of the creature. She would have landed on her face hard had her large horns not struck the decking first with loud clang.  Yet even with that, Torra still found her nose unpleasantly dipped in a foul smelling liquid she could only assume was the creature's blood.   In disgust, she scrambled to her hands and knees to quickly rub her face against her uniform sleeve.  Unfortunately, the Romulan fabric had very little absorbancy and smeared the substance rather than clearing it away.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Mess Hall | Klingon Freighter]

"And they say on Earth that the fall is hard the bigger the opponent is," said Jael as the monster was downed. She then took a look at Rayek to see if he was okay. She wished momentarily she had a medical tricorder handy...combat medic, perhaps, did she regard herself? She'd have to figure that one out later, and where it was more ideal, a security officer with medical specialty, intended to both fight and defend while tending to the wounded...?

"Holy Prophets, what a stench," she muttered, her nose wrinkling.

Suddenly, the ship lurched and she stumbled, landing on her butt on something wet. The palm of her hand even felt something wet as she tried to stop a complete fall. In that instant, she felt a chill inside her: the memory of the story of the failed experiment that prompted the abandonment of Empok Nor.

If there was anything that frightened her more than having to meet one of her father's enemies, it was what transpired in that story, how psychotropic drugs designed for any kind of contact, from consumption to touch, enhanced the Cardassian natural xenophobia, which unfortunately resulted in some poor soldiers behaving too dangerously prompting the station to be abandoned. One of the soldiers who took part in the evacuation of Empok Nor was a member of her mother's crew, one of her security officers, which meant he was among a crew who defected upon Gul Dukat's takeover of Cardassia. When they were first staying in a place on Earth, while the crew was waiting to be debriefed by Starfleet officers, he told her that story in the form of a ghost story. It scared the crap out of Jael. Literally; she spent her first night on Earth visiting the bathroom, it was certainly a story that disturbed her bowels enough to contract a kind of Cardassian diarrhea.

As such, Jael developed a fear of coming in contact with any kind of unknown liquid, because she was afraid that if she touched it, let alone consumed it, she could become some kind of monster.

As long as she knew what it was and what it consisted of, she felt comfortable. Which was why she had studied drugs in science classes, with the occasional chemistry class as an elective, at the Academy. Thus far, that particular phobia had manifested itself only once, and that, too, was at the Academy: A student had brought some kind of unknown liquid that was smoking that he had mixed together and dared anybody to drink it. It wasn't something that Jael recognized and she looked at it with increasing trepidation. When it was passed to her, she practically ran from the class screaming. Later, she found out that it was just a mixture of synthoholic drinks, with food coloring added into it. She was particularly furious at that student and spent the rest of the semester attending the class virtually to stay away from him.

Now, sitting in this foul-smelling liquid, and her hand feeling it, she was rooted to the spot with horror, and the absolute darkness certainly added to her terror. She remembered that Torra was among the group with Rayek and so she called out...

"T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-Torra?" she said in a terrified squeak, stammering in horror, her voice very close to being lost.

I'm interested, could make things interesting for Jael.

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

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]

While Jael aimed with her disruptor at what she hoped were non-lethal targets - hands, legs,  Rayek was fending off the 2-meter-tall creature with only a knife, distracting the thing from attacking Torra, who had landed several phaser blasts with only minimal affect.   That Erein Sherem ignored his direct order and seemed intent on using the disruptor instead, had Rayek wanting to facepalm.  There went his distraction plan out the window.  He'd hoped two opponents could harry the creature enough that it would be more on the defensive and unable to attack freely... but with only one opponent the creature with its long limbs had the advantage.

The creature lashed out again with its clawed hands and a spray of green blood flecked the corridor wall afterwards.  The clatter of Rayek's knife hitting the wall echoed down the hall as did his cussing as he backed away holding his now dripping hand to his chest in an attempt to stop the bleed.   The creature moved forward to close the gap between.  "Fvadt! Fire, dammit!" he called out to Jael and Torra.

At the order, Torra fired again, even though the Subcommander was partially blocking her aim.  She struck the creature square in the chest with her phaser beam, and it staggered once more, slowing its step forward, but did not bring it down like she'd hoped it would.

Unfortunately, the edge of the beam also grazed Rayek's arm as Torra shot past him.  His whole arm went numb and he lost his hold of his injured hand and his vision began to darken.  Though he tried to continue to back away his feet were unmoving and Rayek stumbled against the corridor wall.

Saqa7, at hearing Rayek's cuss and rather urgent sounding order, turned to take in the scene.    Her eyes widened in alarm at seeing the Romulan's emerald blood dripping on the floor in an almost steady stream from one clenched hand at his chest, while the other hung limply from phaser numbed arm.  "Rayek!" she called out in concern and started towards him.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Mess Hall | Klingon Freighter]

Jael blinked in surprise. The disruptor certainly had a lot more potency than expected in a phaser. She knew enough basic principles in phasers, but she was still relatively new.

Seeing the charging and that Torra grazed Rayek's arm, Jael jumped before the subcommander and fired again and again, aiming at the arms and legs. Damn thing looked so dangerous, she didn't care if she had to sever limbs, she had to ensure the damn thing stopped moving.

[Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell]

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]

Rayek had honestly expected more of the Exchange team to have brought phasers with them, but it seemed only Torra had come with non-lethal weaponry; and unfortunately, a single shot wasn't enough to bring down the hybridized creature.

Despite his words of urgency, at hearing the distinctly Klingon insult, Rayek waved off Jael with her Romulan issued disruptor.   He pulled his knife and motioned for the Cardassian to do likewise. "We'll keep it distracted while Addams takes it down.  Torra, I hope your aim is as good as it was when you were with ch'Verret's security team on Challenger."

NPC Lieutenant (Arrain) Danjar-Torra Addams
Even as Rayek was questioning Torra's aim, the Grazerite Ops officer fired off a second shot hitting the creature slightly off center - along its shoulder.   The Klingon-beast staggered then roared as it moved in to melee range of the Bridge team's front line - Jael and Rayek.   Without taking her eyes off her target, Torra answered apologetically to the Subcommander who stepped in with his knife to distract the creature from its charge towards her. "Sorry, sir.  I don't practice half as often as I used to.  I'll try my best not to hit either you or Jael."

She bit at her bottom lip in concerned concentration and readied to fire again once she had a clear shot.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Mess Hall | Klingon Freighter]

Jael took aim with Rayek. She was still shaking all the same, from fright. She took care to aim at anything unvital, just enough to bring something down; she knew full well she was handling a disruptor and that disruptors had no stun setting.

She aimed at shoulders, hands, legs; she wasn't going to aim anywhere at the chest unless it was proving very dangerous.

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

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Klingon freighter vaQ - Corridor to the Bridge]

Rayek moved through the corridor alongside Jael.  The slow throb of the crimson Klingon lighting in its emergency mode reminded Rayek of a slow, dying heartbeat.  The cramped hallway stank of strong body odor, targ manure, and more freshly of blood, urine and burnt hair.  Fear was in the air, and it was easy to see why.

What light was present revealed viscera spewed onto walls here and there, as though a running battle occurred in the hallway.  Even a cursory glance at the deck plating revealed scattered fingers and bits of skin and fur flung here or there in what must have been an awful fight between beast and man.

From further within the ship there were heard the sounds of metal striking metal, of bulkhead door pneumatics repeatedly trying and failing to seal and, not far ahead, the gibbering grunts of a what Rayek assessed to be the unmistakable sounds of a humanoid in pain.  During his classified time within the Tal'Shiar, Rayek had heard such tortured sounds often.

"Dem, stand ready to offer aid." he called to the Medical officer.

Even as he spoke the pained grunt stopped abruptly.   Rayek tensed.  Then ahead in the corridor, a great and terrible thing lumbered around the corner, it's lethally clawed feet somehow near silent as it moved along the deck plating.  At the top of its two-meter height was a wide head, both Klingon and some kind of reptilian monstrosity fused into a scaled face, split horizontally by a blade-filled mouth.  Someone had tried to defend themselves against the creature and seemingly lost their weapon - and maybe their life - judging by the limb that dangled ensnared in from the chain attached to the handle of the weapon.

Its wide and angled nostrils flared as it took in the scent of the Bridge team.  Thin eyes glowed green in the dim lighting, and dark Klingon hair hung shaggily between plates of some kind of natural scale-like armor.  The thing's mismatched arms, one a foot longer than the other, were each still long enough to drag on the deck plating.   All across its body, patches of Klingon skin interrupted the harder, black scales in random places, and it carried many fresh wounds from claws and what looked like disruptor blasts that leaked a thick black bile.
There was little symmetry to the thing, it was a patchwork of walking alligator and Klingon slapped together into an awful amalgamation.  It halted at the end of the hallway, neither approaching nor retreating as it sized up the group.

In one of its two hands it carried the recently decapitated head of a man. A male Klingon - at least in part.  Rayek was surprised to see brutal tusks jutting out of its dead mouth, far longer than even the most snaggled of Klingon teeth; and more surprisingly, there were spines which erupted from its forehead and the back of its skull.

"These are no regular Klingons." Rayek pointed out the obvious as he pulled his disruptor and held it ready to fire should the creature charge them.   "Someone with a tricorder... scan it.  What is that thing?" but even as he asked he had a suspicion that these were the Klingon freighter crew.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Mess Hall | Klingon Freighter]

Being along side the Commander, Jael had an up close and personal view of the deformed Klingon.

"Holy Prophets," she hissed in worry. Whoever did this...if this was some result of one of her father's scientists...well, no Cardassian would be this evil unless he had truly lost his mind. She remembered the experiment on Empok Nor that went horribly wrong, leading to its abandonment, something her mother still liked to tell as a ghost story. Unfortunately, this was worse. A lot worse.

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

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

But it was then that the Cardassian in their midst spoke up, declaring her family lineage for all to hear.  Rayek only just managed to keep the grimace from showing on his features as she rambled on and on about her father and how he might be the one leading Cardassian pirates from the enclave.  The woman's words had drawn the attention of the Romulan officer manning the transporter and man's sour expression was all too telling.  Rayek had no doubt that by the end of shift today the entire crew would know who her father was if he didn't do anything to.  It was like she had just painted a target on her back.

"Thank you, Erein Sherem for your thoughts on the matter.  However, given the classified nature of your familial ties, that information should have been provided to me privately. Not for all present to overhear."  It might be fine on a Federation ship but the Free State military still had a ways to go to stem the backstabbing among the crew.

Rayek turned towards the transporter operator. "If this information goes beyond this room, I'll be certain your next roster assignment has you scrubbing the waste disposal units.  Understood?"

The officer's look didn't become any less sour but the Romulan did acknowledge Rayek's threat.  "Ssuaj-ha!"

Rayek gave the assembled crew one last look over, quirking an eyebrow at Gohun's peculiar choice of weapon.  Having read up on all the exchange personnel, Rayek was aware that Gohun was an recent transfer from Sec/Tac to Engineering... so didn't point out to the man the bulkiness of the rifle.   In all likelihood, the engineer wouldn't be needing his engineering skills so having an 'extra' trained in security was fine by him.

"Alright.  Security personnel will go over first.  Secure the room and then call when the mess hall is clear for the second transport."

Helga said nothing, merely gave Lek a toothy grin and moved with the others to take a spot on the pad, waiting to be beamed over.

Torra gnawed on her bottom lip a moment before she took a step towards the Subcommander to make a request.    "Sir, as you know I have Sec/Tac training.  May I be permitted to beam over with the Security personnel to aid in securing the room?  I am armed with a phaser... ".  Which in her opinion was so much better than a disruptor, in that it was non-lethal.

Rayek quickly considered the idea and nodded.  "Permitted." he answered then glanced to Gohun figuring the former sec/tac member might also be chafing at the bit.  "You as well."

Once the team was assembled on the transporter pad Rayek gave the nod to the Romulan officer.  "Moraere!"

[Transporter Room - RFS Valdore]

Lek observed the others of the away team arriving with little interest, besides wondering if he should arm himself, but it seemed too late for that. When Sherem revealed who her family was and that her father could be behind the recent uptick in piracy, he was... intrigued. A Cardasian in Starfleet was still rare, not that Ferengi were exactly plentiful, but as with any Cardasian, they had secrets within secrets worth noting.

The fact that Rayek had to speak to keeping Sherem's secrets quiet really made the fact they were aboard a Romulan ship stand out. It was difficult to know which species, Romulans or Cardasians were more secretive and exploitative. He was really going to watch what he said while aboard the Valdore.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Transporter Room | Deck Thirteen | RFS Valdore]

Jael could see the cringes and grimaced herself; inwardly, she shouldn't have done that. That information was definitely classified. Not to mention she was among Romulans, not in a Starfleet ship. Still...

"My apologies for saying too much," said Jael, "it's just...well, I feel that it may be ideal to warn about my father, just in case of his involvement."

A Romulan officer listening in shrugged compassionately. "I don't blame you, ante-centurion," he said. "I worked with him when the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order planned the destruction of the Founders...before the Order's destruction. We were just station operatives, and Gul Sherem is one nasty man, and that's putting it lightly."

[Transporter Room - Deck 13 - Valdore]

To say that she was confused was an understatement. After months of first being sent on conferences as chief medic of the Challenger, then being called home to Earth for a family emergency...why upon her return was she being sent to a Romulan ship? It was only on the way to said ship that she looked into the transfer documents and discovered that the Discovery was undergoing repairs and this was an exchange opportunity on a Romulan vessel. Lisa suddenly had a flashback to the last time she had the pleasure of attending a "cultural exchange," and let out an audible groan. The person accompanying her gave her an odd look, but she only gave him an awkward closed-mouth grin in return. After traveling for a time through Romulan space, they were here. The medical officer checked in to her quarters, but struggled to do anything but fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next day, she had a small breakfast and read a note from her father. The contents of it were disheartening, and she spent a long while wondering why she had made the decision to return to duty at all. These thoughts were disturbed by the comm from Rayek.

"No rest for the weary" ran through her head as she stumbled out into the corridor and attempted to acquire a phaser.

[Later...]

It took her longer than she would have liked to get where she needed to go, dodging Romulan personnel shouting the foreign "Arrain!" title at her as she went. By the time she swooshed through the door to the transporter room, Rayek was already mostly through his briefing. Thankful that for one she was relatively short and for another she was mostly in the company of Starfleet friends, she kept to the back of the group.

"We're beaming from a Romulan ship to a Klingon freighter, surely nothing will go wrong," she thought, just as she heard a voice she was frankly astounded to hear. The "Erei'Riov" threw her off when Rayek said it, but there was no missing the tone and timbre of Kyle's voice as he answered the XO. Lisa craned her neck, but it was no use. There were simply too many tall security officers in her way. She'd just have to ambush him when the opportunity showed itself. Preferably after any immediate danger was out of the way and he wasn't on high alert. Kyle wasn't exactly trigger happy, but Lisa was especially good at catching him off-guard. She'd rather not make a trip to sickbay on her first day back on the job.

Instead, she looked around and made an effort to familiarize herself with the people assigned to her party...

Jael double taked and realized she recognized somebody from the Challenger, however brief their time together may have been.

"Oh," she said. "Good to see you, Doctor Belmont," she said, before being ordered to assemble.

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.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Mess Hall | Klingon Freighter]

In no time at all, the team beamed into the mess hall. The nostalgia of being back on a Klingon vessel was interrupted by the howls and the growls, making Jael jump.

"Holy Prophets," she whispered. "What were they hauling, a whole pack of targs?"

She moved to Commander Briggs' side and said, "I got your back." Of course, she looked at the contigent, especially her fellow department officers, Dranik and Tragnar. Even if she was strictly a Tactical Officer, but all Tactical Officers were as much Security as they specialized in weapons.

She was most curious about Dranik. She had looked at the Hirogen homeworld, and she had to admit, it was impressive knowing somebody who came from the direct opposite of the galaxy from Cardassia Prime; it felt like putting together into a room somebody from Greenwich with somebody who lived on a Pacific island right on the International Date Line.

Still, she kept alert and focused, especially once the teams changed over and she was with Commander th'Lhoell, and she had his back, next. This was definitely a more interesting line of work than her time in a blue uniform.

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

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

Rayek looked towards the junior Lieutenant and nodded.  "Yes, it's possible that the pirates could be from any number of various species that are taking advantage of the slow rebuild of the Romulan government and military.  We are close to two borders here.  The former Romulan Empire allowed an enclave of Cardassians to take hold in the midst of Romulan territory in exchange for an exclave of Romulan colonies in Cardassian controlled space.  It was supposed to promote a stronger alliance between our two governments."  Rayek personally thought it was too much like the ancient practice of hostage holding used by Romulan clans.  Powerful families would be forced by the Emperor of the time to exchange their eldest daughters as children to an enemy clan as hostage to be raised by them to ensure peace.   Sometimes it worked, other times the child was the first casualty of a war between clans.

Continuing on with his answer Rayek, head-nodded towards a direction. "and that way, along the former Neutral Zone, Starbase 23 is but 5 light years away.  Understaffed - they have little control over their region of space and can do nothing to stop pirates crossing over into Romulan Free State territory."

He looked over those assembled to see if there were any other questions.

[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Transporter Room]

"There is an old expression on Earth: 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.'  The Cardassians made a perfect target for our 'alliance'.  The Klingons are too brash and have nothing of real value and the Federation... the Federation would have too many rules and stipulations.  Plus they have pesky intelligence groups that have a habit of interference.  No, the Cardassians were the perfect target.  And of course, as long as they were invited guests, they were under our protection.  In case things didn't go according to plan."  the former Captain stated, having just shown up at the door.  While he was not in a Federation uniform, he still held his Captain pips on his collar, and instead had a more Romulan-inspired uniform to coincide with his peculiar position in both the Federation and the Romulan government.

"At least, that was the initial plan of the Star Empire.  Inviting a potential threat to shack up in your own territory, where you had free reign to observe, learn, and at the very worse, a hand to negotiate.  Even the Obsidian Order didn't take notice at first.. but they were already weakened." he added, giving a small smile.

"Erei'Riov th'Lhoell, I missed you on the Bridge, so I came to see off the infiltration team.  Everything appears to be in order?"

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Transporter Room | Deck Thirteen | RFS Valdore]

Jael perked up. The Cardassian enclave near Alpha Onias? How could she have not seen that? She especially jumped, taken by surprise by Captain Tekin. How did she not realize he was aboard?

"If there are pirates using that enclave as a means to protect themselves," she said, "and those pirates are Cardassians...well, it's possible some of them could answer to my father. Maybe even my father is operating in that enclave himself..."

She looked around and proceeded to explain: "I'm not sure if anybody knows, but my father is Gul Nehor Sherem, one of Gul Dukat's strongest supporters, former Obsidian Order agent and head of its replacement, the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau, when Dukat took over Cardassia and had the Union join the Dominion. Since the end of the Dominion War, however, he's been on the run. He's got a variety of secret bases utilizing Dominion technology, and to ensure he keeps mobile, he has a Nor class station rigged with Borg technology, particularly a transwarp drive. Nowadays, he's been coordinating with pirates, particularly with pro-Dominion aims who are also on the run with him. He's been extremely elusive...

"The fact that Cardassian pirates could be involved," she further explained, "it makes me suspect he could be involved somehow. Starfleet Intelligence had me assigned an infiltration mission to gather intel about them...and that was how I found out about his involvement in piracy. I also met your former Chief of Security when I was on that mission, she was on an exchange program herself with Klingons at the time.

"Then again, if it's an enclave to promote goodwill between Romulans and Cardassians, my father may not be there at all," she said with a shrug. "But with pirates who are former intelligence operatives, you never know. Of course, it won't surprise me if he's using that enclave to hide himself, or maybe assert control; after all, fear of a threat, particularly if it's masked and hidden, is a popular way of asserting control in a tyrannical way. In a way, my father had a good teacher in Dukat."

She looked around and added apologetically, "Sorry for the story, I felt it best to explain; the possibility of Cardassian pirates, it's made me suspect my father could be involved...but then, he couldn't be; again, you never know with former intelligence operatives, they could catch you with your pants down, as they say on Earth, if they could."

[[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Bridge]]

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

The security officer's notion on how to track the Bird-of-Prey, was not a new idea but it was known to be effective.  Or at least it would be if the ship had cloaked.  But all that wasn't presently needed.   For now, the ships sensors even without the scan for tachyons were able to pick up the Romulan ship fleeing at warp towards what looked like the next star system.  However, unless pursued, the effectiveness of the sensors for tracking - would be diminished and take longer to receive the signal back - especially after switching from short-range to long-range sensors.

The Valdore 'jumped' briefly forward as the previous cruising speed of warp 8 was exponentially increased up to warp 9 and then moments later to warp 9.3.  The starfield streaked by as the ships ETA decreased exponentially as well.  Arriving at its destination, the Valdore paced the still cruising Klingon freighter.  There were no hails from the Klingon ship; no altering of its speed or path towards the Unroth system.

Rayek recognized this lack of communication a sizable problem, since the Unroth colony's defense system involved a cloaked minefield.  The Valdore would need to escort the vaQ through the minefield or the Klingon ship if it continued on its path would suffer the consequences.

Opening a comm line from his chair, Rayek announced those selected to be on the boarding team.  "Subcommander tr'Lhoell to all exchange personnel - pass off your duties and meet on Deck 13, Transporter room, for boarding action. Repeat ALL exchange personnel to Transporter room - Deck 13."

No doubt those orders would be considered a bit odd to many - sending Engineering, Ops and Flight personnel on a boarding action - but the Riov had made himself explicitly clear.   He closed the comm and them contacted the Armory.

"Prepare four disruptors - one each for myself and each of the security personnel on the boarding team.  The others can be assigned painsticks or if they arrived on the Valdore with phasers - issue them those. tr'Lhoell out."

His orders were not typical for a Romulan boarding action, however these personnel had likely never used a disruptor before.  The weapons were unforgiving.  Rayek would not be responsible for a Starfleet personnel being trigger happy with their weapons, forgetting in the moment of adrenalin that there was no stun setting on a disruptor.

Rayek rose from his chair, but was halted by the Riov who looked at him sourly.  "You are going as well?"  For a moment, Rayek thought the man might order him back to his seat but in the end, he was waved off dismissively, but not before he was questioned on his decision.  "Are you going to hand-hold them the entire time, Subcommander?"

Rayek tried not to rise to the taunt.  "No, sir - just until I have assessed their capabilities." he said in justification.  "And I'm leading the mission because your orders were to 'send all the Feds'." There was a pause before Rayek completed his retort.  "In case you have forgotten, sir,  I'm only here on loan."  Then with a forced respectful bow towards the ship's commander, Rayek left the bridge.

Torra, at the Communications console, had called immediately for a replacement officer for her station and waited for them to arrive.  Given the small size of the Romulan bridge, it was impossible to not have heard the conversation between the Commander and Subcommander.  The Grazerite, having worked with tr'Lhoell back when he was Chief Petty officer on the Challenger, appreciated the Romulan's efforts to look after her and the other Starfleet personnel.

Her replacement soon arrived and Torra made her way along the corridor towards the Transporter Room.

Previously assigned to stand watch outside the Valdore's computer core, Helga passed off her duties to the uhlan replacing her and headed up to Deck 13.  There was a bit of anticipation in her step.  She didn't know what sort of mission they were being assigned to but with all exchange personnel being called to the transporter room, that meant she'd get to see Lek.  He hadn't been happy at all about being assigned to this exchange program.   Helga had gone out of her way to ensure she was assigned to the same program.

Saqa7's transfer to the Discovery had come only after the ship had been assigned to their mission to the Shaddai.   She was enroute there when news of the ship's bombing was reported out.  Saqa7 had expected reassignment while the ship was at drydock, but had been surprised to learn she'd been offered space in the Romulan officer exchange program.  She almost turned it down recalling her time on the USS Bradbury and its mission in Romulan space - but she recognized that doing so would be a bit of a black mark on her record.

So here she was.   The one bright spot on the whole thing was that there were people she did know from Katra here.  Subcommander tr'Lhoell for one, and to a lesser extent Lieutenant junior grade Sherem.   Both had been in the Science department on Katra  - though Jael's time had there had been very short - transferring to Discovery not long after.   Saqa7 hoped to kindle a friendship with the Cardassian woman.   But first Saqa7 needed to gather gear for an away mission.  She signed out a Romulan version of a tricorder and then hurried to meet up with Rayek and the others at the Transporter room.

The female Romulan had led Kyle to the Security office as he had ordered and as soon as he entered, the ship wide page from Rayek echoed through the corridors.

"Hi there fellas." he said to the two officers that were present and manning the stations. "I came for an inspection but I guess that will have to wait. Where's the Armory?" he inquired. He was given the directions and turned and walked out. No way he was going on a boarding party without his weapon.

He approached the Armory and before he could say a word, the Armory officer handed him a satchel.

"Erei'Riov tr'Lhoell ordered these. I suppose you can deliver them Human."

Kyle noticed the disdain in the man's voice and made a mental no0te to confront him when he returned. He took the satchel without a word and left. He found a lift and headed for the Transporter Room

[Transporter Room]

He entered the Transporter Room and noticed that he was the first to arrive. He sat the satchel down and waited.

[Engineering --> Transporter Room - RFS Valdore]

Lek was still working through the vast differences between Romulan and Federation technology when the call came for the exchange officers to report to the transporter Room. He stood there open mouthed before his jaw locked down and he stormed out of Engineering muttering curses in every language he knew. He arrived, still muttering. Not in the mood to be sociable, he nodded to Kyle and simply said.

"Commander."

Gohun was summoned to the transporter room. He had no idea what he was going to so but it was better than getting the cold shoulder from everyone he was working with. Gohun also felt like he was being shadowed the entire time. In truth he was probably just paranoid. On the way to the transporter room Gohun grabbed a disrupter and an engineering kit because he was an engineer now. With that he walked into the transporter room ready.

RFS Valdore
Dranik
Mess Hall

Dranik looked down at the soup in front of him and sighed heavily. Romulan cuisine wasn't exactly the best of the different foods he had tried since arriving in the alpha quadrant. Starfleet replicators did a relatively good job with different types of food but he just couldn't find much that he liked on the Valdore.

He pulled out a small holographic photo he had taken of himself, Ciavil and the kids before he had shipped out. The two of them had decided that one of them had to stay full-time with the kids and Ciavil had family on Bolarus IX who were eager to meet the two new additions to the family even if they didn't like Dranik much and so Ciavil and the children had gone to Bolarus IX to stay with Ciavil's family. Dranik missed his wife and children quite a bit and that was adding a certain amount of stress to his life.

He looked down at his bowl of soup once again and briefly considered grabbing a ration pack when all at once a klaxion began sounding through the Valdore. Dranik immediately rose to his feet and began heading to his assigned duty station which was the armory.

[Engineering --> Transporter Room - RFS Valdore]

Lek was still working through the vast differences between Romulan and Federation technology when the call came for the exchange officers to report to the transporter Room. He stood there open mouthed before his jaw locked down and he stormed out of Engineering muttering curses in every language he knew. He arrived, still muttering. Not in the mood to be sociable, he nodded to Kyle and simply said.

"Commander."

[Medical Bay - Transporter Room | Riov Siedhri]
Romulan tricorders are weird. After being shouted at for operating a Starfleet tricorder, he had to switch to these (in his opinion) more clunky version of the tricorder. The moment he found the scan button, some sort of alert sounded. "œMaybe it was for our plasma conduit patient" Dem chuckled under his breath.
The moment Dem found the right end to point at the patient, he was summoned to the transporter room. Be briskly took out is medkit, a portable one that can attach to his belt (Technically not Starfleet issue because he made it himself), explained his situation with the current commander and exited through the door.
Dem arrived at the transporter room, after asking virtually every officer for directions. He we immediately met with a disgruntled and flat toned officer asked:
"œDid you bring a phaser?" It was like her voice box was squashed by a bulkhead.
"œYes, I did" He chirpily replied, humored by the situation.
She bluntly handed him a phaser. The senior staff already gathered gave a look like; why would a doctor use a phaser? Dem muttered under his breath just loud enough to be in earshot, "œJust for defense." tapping it on his outstretched palm. But then it struck him. He was a senior officer too on this mission. Miraculously all executives have been re-assigned or on leave. This is one way to fast track to the top. Dem stepped into the group of his "œpeers".

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

Rayek at stopped at his quarters to briefly update his encrypted recording to his wife - a last message should things go wrong; he then headed to transporter room.

Gohun was informed at the Armory that Subcommander Briggs had been given the weapons ordered by Subcommander tr'Lhoell.  Gohun would have to pick up his weapons  - a phaser and knife -  from the Subcommander.

Rayek arrived to find most of the exchange officers already present in the transporter room.  Notably absent however was one individual Rayek wasn't certain had been included in the Riov's order , or his own.  Technicially, Captain Tekin wasn't part of the officer exchange program - even though the Free State honored the Bajoran Starfleet Captain with the rank of Riov in recognition of all his aid over the past few years. Tekin was the exchange program's Observer, which meant that while Rayek had authority over the exchange program officers, he did not have authority over 'Commander' Tekin.  This could be why the Riov wasn't present - choosing to observe from the Valdore.

After a nearly a year of serving on a Romulan vessel it was a welcome change to see so many varied species assembled - Bajoran, Betazoid, El-Aurian, Ferengi, Grazerite, Hirogen, Human, Klingon.   It reminded him of his time on Katra and his family he'd left behind.  Soon his debt to the Free State would be repaid and he'd be free to return to home.

Rayek cleared his throat loudly to gain the attention of those assembled.  He nodded a greeting to the group as a whole though his eyes picked out those that he was closest to - like Saqa7 and Lek - dear friends whom he had not been in contact with in over a year.

"I am Subcommander Rayek tr'Lhoell, the Officer Exchange Program's Commanding Officer.  If you have any questions regarding your role aboard the RFS Valdore, it is I who you will look to for answers, " he announced before moving on straight into the mission they faced.

"The Valdore has arrived outside the Unroth system where we were to meet up with a Klingon freighter to escort them through Unroth Prime's - defense perimeter of cloaked mines.   The freighter is not answering hails and we suspect it has already been boarded by pirates.   The ship is still traveling at warp towards Unroth Prime.   Without coordinated escort through the defense perimeter when it reaches it in..." Rayek glanced to the transporter rooms console for the time.  "Twenty-seven minutes, the civilian freighter will be destroyed.  Commander Siedhri has ordered a boarding action onto the Klingon ship to secure it - and he's called on the exchange program to accomplish that task.    This is an opportunity to show the crew of the Valdore your value." Rayek had never been all that great at the inspirational speeches, but he did his best to give some purpose to their being called for this.

Rayek then turned to address his former Commander from his time on Challenger.  "Erei'Riov Briggs, we will beam over in two teams into the ship's mess hall - the largest free space and area least likely to be under guard by any previous boarders .  From there,  I will lead one team - consisting of Arrain Addams, Erein Sherem,  Erein Mountain-Khan, and Erei'erein Graham - to the Bridge.  As a failsafe to our efforts on the bridge, you will take the others to the ship's engine room and be prepared to take the engines offline manually.  We will keep in comm contact until the completion of our objective.  Please hand out disruptors to those in Security only."

Rayek looked over the other assembled officers. "The rest of you will have to settle for knives or any of the phasers that were signed into the Armory when you came aboard.  Are there any questions on what we need to do?"

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Bridge >- Transporter Room | Deck Thirteen | RFS Valdore]

Jael could see the trail, even when the ship wasn't cloaked. It looked like it was heading for a different system. But there was no time to track it, even with the course it took, not when Subcommander tr'Lhoell ordered the exchange crew to the transporter room.

Jael wasn't surprised at how the bridge on this Romulan ship was positioned; every Starfleet ship had their bridges positioned on the topmost deck. Plenty of Cardassian ships, including her mother's old ship, used something like that. But on lots of ships outside the Federation, the bridge wasn't at the top deck. It would prove confusing to many, but anybody who served long enough on such a ship would get used to it.

Naturally, Jael had to muster willpower to not swoon in front of Commander Briggs; she can't help but feel an instant crush on him. She made a note to herself to get to know him sometime...

She was certainly interested to know to be in a team led by the Subcommander, including Mister Graham - another cute kid, but Briggs was cuter (Prophets, she was sure torn between them). She looked around at the crew...Prophets, what a bunch. Each one of them coming from different planets of origin, with a sparse few from different quadrants of origin, like Dranik coming all the way from the Delta Quadrant.

She accepted a disruptor from Dranik, but tapped her boot to make sure her knife was sheathed inside. She had been practicing with that knife in Security spars since her departmental transfer, all the more especially needed to defend herself. She had to admit, she must've felt like Nira Said with having a knife for melee combat...only Said had two knives, both of them a lot bigger than Jael's own.

At tr'Lhoell's question, Jael asked, "Can we expect potential non-Klingon intruders?" It was a question that made sense, given the Klingon ship happened to have no communications after the antique Bird of Prey left.

[RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Bridge]

Erei'Riov (Subcommander) Rayek tr'Lhoell
RFS Valdore - Deck Thirteen - Bridge

Nira's thoughts about the antique ship being from a rival faction, mirrored Rayek's own after her announcement.  He turned to face the tactical officer.  Rayek had read up on each one of the exchange personnel so knew this one had only just switched departments to Tactical.  It explained why she'd been at the station both last night and now again this morning.

"Erein Sherem, see if you can determine its old registry.  It might help us determine which scrapyard it was abandoned at, and depending on its location... who likely is using it."

Rayek then glanced to the ship's commander Riov Siedhri, expectantly.  The Riov nodded.  "Let's not waste time, Subcommander."

"Ssuaj-ha!" Rayek acknowledged the order and then called on Flight."Erei'erein Graham, increase cruising speed to warp 9."

Yet even as he called out his order, the Bird of Prey which had been pacing the Klingon ship, must have picked up the much larger Valdore on their long-range sensors, for the Bird of Prey veered off abruptly and then jumped to warp.

Rayek grimaced.  More and more the other Romulan vessel was seeming like a raiding ship.  Their priority however was the Klingon ship.  "Maintain course to the vaQ." he instructed Petty Officer Graham.

"Erein Sherem, find a means to track that vessel...  Arrain Addams. Contact the Klingon ship..   and put the Valdore on battle readiness alert."  That alert status was comparable to Starfleet's Yellow Alert.

The Grazerite looked towards him with a soft expression and nodded. "Yes sir."   Moments, later the Romulan klaxon sounded, alerting the crew to get to their alert stations.  She tried to raise the Klingon ship on comms, but there was no response to her hails.

"The vaQ is not responding to hails, sir."

Rayek's forehead V grew more pronounce as his brow furrowed in frowning thought. "Flight, increase speed to 9.3 then once in transporter range match pace with that of the vaQ."

Rayek turned to confer with the ship's Riov.  "I suspect the ship has already been breached and boarded sir."

The Commander nodded gravely in agreement.  "Ready a boarding team then." There was a pause before the Romulan officer waved Rayek nearer and spoke quietly to him.

Rayek's posture stiffened in reaction.  He was silent a moment before nodding and acknowledging his orders. "Ssuaj-ha."

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck Thirteen | RFS Valdore]

Jael nodded and quickly scanned the ship. She managed to complete it just as the Bird of Prey ran for it. She managed to get the registry; reading it was another matter altogether, she couldn't understand Romulan at all.

Commander tr'Lhoell's order to track the vessel made Jael have to set aside the registry; she'll ask one of the other Romulans on the ship to translate it later.

Shouldn't be too hard to track it, she thought. Old ship like that, leaking tachyon particles...the older the ship, the more pronounced the tachyons are bound to be. And with that, she took in the course the ship took and scanned for tachyon particles, just in case they would cloak.

Indeed. And my thanks as well.

[Ante-Centurion Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck Thirteen | RFS Valdore]

Jael was glad for the change in departments and how long it took for her to train up. What surprised her was being assigned to Tactical instead of Security. Jael realized how much of a blessing it was, because there were more openings for Tactical officers than Security. Case in point, with the amount of damaged sustained to Discovery, it made sense to be assigned a different ship. She was just as surprised to find what kind of ship it was.

"Nobody told me this was going to be an officer exchange program," Jael said in surprise. The closest she came was an infiltration mission when she met Nira Said in an officer exchange program, but that was with Klingons, and exchange programs were common with Klingon officers...but instead, it's a ship from the Romulan Free State.

Truth be told, Jael had taken plenty of Security electives to familiarize herself with defending herself, but she knew nothing about Tactical functions. Fortunately, she was bright and quick, so she was able to learn fast on a crash course. She remembered at the Academy when she selected classes that instructors were disappointed to find using the skills she inherited from her father would be wasted in science classes. She wished she had listened.

She wished she had Gid with her, mostly as comfort, but Gid was back with the Discovery, helping with repairs. So she had to learn weapon and other Tactical systems on a Romulan ship.

Jael had to admit, she was taken aback by the Romulan commander...who had a Starfleet commission long enough to hold a command position. I swear, if Elim Garak was ten years younger, he would've applied for the Academy when he was exiled, but noooo...

In spite of that, Jael had to admit she looked good in red.

Recalling that Commander MacKenzie had gone missing, Jael had to admit she technically won't miss him. Having to work with a childlike (literally) First Officer was unnerving to Jael. She still wished Kyle Briggs would've been XO instead; at least Jael can stand to look at Briggs better...whether or not her heart would flutter slightly in a swoon...just her luck to have a crush on a superior officer.

So engrossed was she in getting to know Romulan tactical systems that she had no time to see her quarters, let alone whom she was sharing with. By the time they were en route, Jael was proving that she knew the systems excellently. She was no Nira Said, but Jael was observant, quick-witted...the only differences between the two, Jael felt, was skin tone and brain capabilities.

She couldn't resist jumping; she never had a sensor go off before, but she was new all the same. She set to work at the sensors and discovered a Bird of Prey - the old Romulan kind - approaching.

"Subcommander," Jael called. "Long range sensors have detected a Bird of Prey. The Romulan kind. And an antique, specifically; it's one of the older models."

She worked on identifying them while she couldn't believe what was coming. An antique...she wondered who was coming to call. Probably somebody who got a hold of a ship from the Romulan mothball fleet, most likely from one of the other factions; the Free State surely wouldn't have these museum artifacts going around.

[Nurse Practitioner Jael Sherem | Triage Medical | Deck Thirteen | Gamma Hull | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

Jael awoke in Sickbay, Gid hovering over her in worry. She blinked in surprise. Not again... that was her first thought. Then she realized this technically wasn't Sickbay, just an auxiliary facility. Well. Something must've happened to the ship for her to be there; otherwise, somebody could've put her there out of spite.

"Okay, how did I get put in here this time?" she asked.

"I found you near the port," Gid said. "Do you remember...?"

"Yeah...I remember looking around when somebody rushed at me and slugged me with some big freaking club," Jael said, recalling...Prophets, her head hurt just from remembering...then she remembered that wound she suffered when she was forced into a chain gang...

She felt her forehead...it hurt the worst where her fingers touched that spot.

"Don't tell me...it reopened, didn't it?" Jael asked Gid.

Nodding solemnly, Gid said, "Whoever did this hit it very hard enough..."

"Well, he was big," Jael said, recalling. "I'd guess Nausicaan, from the hair and the green skin, that's how I could tell, I couldn't see his face. Otherwise, I would've mistaken him for a Klingon. Probably some kind of goon...Prophets, what a blue-shirt I am," she hissed in disappointment.

"Yeah, for somebody trying to help in the field of medical and science, you never do have much good luck, do you?" asked Gid with sympathy.

"Well, enough is enough," snapped Jael, the pain notwithstanding. "Remember all those Security and Tactical electives I took, mostly to learn how to defend myself?"

"Why...?"

"I know I wanted to make use of my natural talents for the scientific field," explained Jael, "but given how much people didn't like Cardassians, I knew I had to learn to defend myself, hence those classes. People often said I'd be very useful in Security/Tactical, but I had sworn only to use Sec/Tac training to defend myself.

"Well, no more," she said with indignation. "The moment I get discharged, I'm changing to Security and training myself up. It's time I was of more better use, I swear. I'm proving useless as a blue shirt."

"And if that doesn't satisfy you?" asked Gid, considering how often Jael changed from Science to Counseling to Medical.

"Well, if that doesn't work and I prove useless, I'm not going to go to change to another department," snarled Jael. "I will then resign my commission and get the HELL back to Cardassia."

I'll definitely be, for sure. Expect Jael to change departments in an effort to be of more use.