S:5 E:15 - The Canopy Planet

[Jettis Jyur]

[ Old Angdarr Realms - Andgarr Prime ]

Jettis had passively overheard the conversation between the three Betazoids, but didn't make comment. Only a slightly amused smirk at the exchanges, but busying himself with his own work. As the only science officer on the team, he was juggling all of the scans and samples he collected. As much as he would've liked to keep all of them to examine closer after their exploration, he had to prioritize space, and information that would lead them toward anything odd.

At first nothing in particular showed. Getting a solid baseline for what was, and was not normal for the planet, Jettis was able to refine his scans for things that were abnormal. In time they had a solid trail, but night was approaching quickly. When their guide recommended they stop for the night, Jettis resumed his scanning, though he briefly stopped to aide in unpacking and setting up a small camp. Stopping to admire the brilliant show of bioluminescent butterflies, he thought of how excited Theresa would be to witness it. However that awe shifted to concern as their Commander began acting strangely, seeming to lose any inhibitions,.

It wasn't as severe as previous reports, but nevertheless it provided interesting information. First though, he would reach for his bag, to pluck a strip of cloth from a pocket. Tying it across his face as a makeshift mask, he furrowed his brow. It didn't seem to have hit him yet, but he wasn't entirely sure what reaction he was looking for so far. He did know that he didn't like being here, and it was making him antsy standing in the midst of a minefield.

Moving his tricorder, the dust emanating from the butterflies certainly were not typical for this area of the planet. Quickly he began to run simulations for if any compounds within the dust were proteases, or high levels of polyphenal oxidase. Turning to Anju, he allowed the scans to complete. "Anax Anju, are you aware if there are any plants in this area, or across the planet that use a significant amount of Proteases? It is a method that flora typically uses to break down nutrients and signal cells, but it's possible that it could be modified to be harmful to humanoids. The type of protease would also determine how it effects people, and who might be more or less effected."

It wasn't long before it seemed Neva was struck as well, even harder than Nira had been. He moved with Anju to help, but without a medical officer, there wasn't much he could do. Reaching out emotionally, he tried to help calm her, but the psychic overwhelm was too much. Turning toward Aarwendil, he moved back toward his bag. "If you aren't already feeling ill, I recommend using something to cover your face. It doesn't have to be perfect, but keep your hands away from your face, and don't breath too deeply." Moving back to his tricorder, he redoubled his efforts to discover exactly what was going on.

[Neva Cordon]

[ Old Angdarr Realms - Andgarr Prime ]

Jettis had passively overheard the conversation between the three Betazoids, but didn't make comment. Only a slightly amused smirk at the exchanges, but busying himself with his own work. As the only science officer on the team, he was juggling all of the scans and samples he collected. As much as he would've liked to keep all of them to examine closer after their exploration, he had to prioritize space, and information that would lead them toward anything odd.

At first nothing in particular showed. Getting a solid baseline for what was, and was not normal for the planet, Jettis was able to refine his scans for things that were abnormal. In time they had a solid trail, but night was approaching quickly. When their guide recommended they stop for the night, Jettis resumed his scanning, though he briefly stopped to aide in unpacking and setting up a small camp. Stopping to admire the brilliant show of bioluminescent butterflies, he thought of how excited Theresa would be to witness it. However that awe shifted to concern as their Commander began acting strangely, seeming to lose any inhibitions,.

It wasn't as severe as previous reports, but nevertheless it provided interesting information. First though, he would reach for his bag, to pluck a strip of cloth from a pocket. Tying it across his face as a makeshift mask, he furrowed his brow. It didn't seem to have hit him yet, but he wasn't entirely sure what reaction he was looking for so far. He did know that he didn't like being here, and it was making him antsy standing in the midst of a minefield.

Moving his tricorder, the dust emanating from the butterflies certainly were not typical for this area of the planet. Quickly he began to run simulations for if any compounds within the dust were proteases, or high levels of polyphenal oxidase. Turning to Anju, he allowed the scans to complete. "Anax Anju, are you aware if there are any plants in this area, or across the planet that use a significant amount of Proteases? It is a method that flora typically uses to break down nutrients and signal cells, but it's possible that it could be modified to be harmful to humanoids. The type of protease would also determine how it effects people, and who might be more or less effected."

It wasn't long before it seemed Neva was struck as well, even harder than Nira had been. He moved with Anju to help, but without a medical officer, there wasn't much he could do. Reaching out emotionally, he tried to help calm her, but the psychic overwhelm was too much. Turning toward Aarwendil, he moved back toward his bag. "If you aren't already feeling ill, I recommend using something to cover your face. It doesn't have to be perfect, but keep your hands away from your face, and don't breath too deeply." Moving back to his tricorder, he redoubled his efforts to discover exactly what was going on.

[Andgarr Prime-Old Andgarr-Federation Camp]

Neva slowly found consciousness from her dust induced shutdown, feeling someone shaking her back to the waking world. Tentatively, she rose to a sitting position. Her head pounded with the effort, but she made herself do it. She put her fingers to her temples and rubbed gently, trying to push the headache that now plagued her.

Looking around, she saw the Science Officer...Jettis?... and tried to wave to him. Seeing he was busy with Aarwendil and others, she looked around for other signs of life. Neva dimly remembered what happened and felt herself shiver from it. Rubbing her eyes, she let out a snort of air. She smoothed her hair and then worked her way up to stand. Stumbling a step or two, she threw her hands out to compensate.

Once stable, the young Engineer plodded over to the water. Sinking again to her knees, she pulled water to her face and wiped it. Shaking her hands, she stood and wiped her damp hands on her pants. She skimmed the area across the lake then turned and scoured the camp. She saw others doing what she had and nodded. She walked over to the nearest crewman and began helping them then others to move.

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira heard Aarwendil and Neva briefly chatting...or rather, "heard" them. She stepped over, cleared her throat, and whispered to them, "You should bear in mind we're among non-telepaths. Still, it doesn't to have something in case of getting lost..."

Checking over to see if all had their sigils on them, they proceeded on the trail. They took their time, of course. They collected local insects and evidences of wildlife, like shed fur, teeth or excrements, as they proceeded. Even twigs from the oln'garr trees were collected...at least, they looked like twigs in the sense that chips of oln'garr bark shed off at times, but these chippings were perfect to get a close look at oln'garr trees in a sense. The tricorders were able to determine the makeup of an insect and what particular animal it came from, although Anju was of great help in determining what animal the piece of fur or tooth or such came from.

Even Nira had something to do amidst the party. She had once stated in her Officer Exchange that she could potentially use her skills of noticing small details for tracking, and it was a good chance to do so. Not just on the lookout for observers, she kept lookout for foot- or pawprints or clawmarks, and Anju, being more familiar to the planet than Nira was, was able to determine the kind of animal she found.

"It's amazing how you could do that," Anju complimented. "We never would've noticed. We only have our own animal instincts to pick up hostile animals."

"So does that mean Andgarr are empaths?" asked Nira.

"Quasi-empaths. Plenty of animal still exists in us, we've grown beyond it. Physically, we've been slow to evolve, but not our minds."

Among the insects collected were yanmarr butterflies. They weren't hard to catch, but it was easy to determine that they weren't genetically modified like the ones plaguing the canopy. They had a natural green look, easily mistaken for floating moss, as opposed to the genetically modified ones, which had a psychedelic look about them, almost like the color of a 2200s Romulan ship.

Still, it often got dark and murky, but plenty of places let in sunlight, owing to good timing from passing a patch of canopy that let in sunlight. It was a virtual jungle they were at. Nira did notice how warm and muggy it often got.

"I'm curious, Anju," Nira asked their guide at one point, "would your planet seem to have a small surface level?"

"At some points, yes," said Anju. "But not completely. It's easy to assume that, just as how it's easy to look at our world from orbit and assume it's bigger than it looks thanks to the Great Canopy. On one of my visits to Earth, I've shared some tidbits about our trees. You should've seen the looks on their faces when I mentioned how an oln'garr tree could penetrate Earth's atmosphere."

"That was you?" asked Nira.

"Correct!" Anju chuckled.

The trail of the modified yanmarr was detectable enough from the sensors. Soon the party made camp for the night at a riverside with a good beachhead.

"Wow! Never mind an ocean!" said Nira. "It's big as it comes!"

"This is the Tangarr River," Anju said. "Headwaters at the Mon'Garr. The longest river ever. Longer than Earth's Amazon, its main body and tributaries spread over a full quarter of the planet. Eventually it widens to the Tangarr Sea."

Nira could see a clear view of the Mon'Garr range; they were getting closer.

"I think we'll camp here for the night," said Nira.

A few moments later, night fell, and Nira was surprised how fast it fell, even with the jungle setting. And then they were in for an amazing sight. As night fell, natural luminescence came to life. Wildlife seemed to blossom and spread, even more than in the daylight.

"It never gets old," Anju said with a smile. "When Nature comes alive."

"Glowworms? Fireflies?" said Nira in amazement.

"Among other fauna," said Anju. "Some predators are certainly obvious, but others can easily camouflage themselves."

Then Nira noticed one of the trees exhuming butterflies. She was amazed that even the yanmarr could glow in the dark...and then she realized how much the colors were interchanging.

"I think we found some suspect butterflies," Nira said.

"Careful," said Anju warningly. "We don't know how any of you can react once they let loose their scale dust..."

But Nira could feel it already, even if she couldn't see it, taken by the wings as they were.

"It smells...wonderful," said Nira sweetly. "Doesn't seem bad..."

Anju scoffed. Some diseases usually weren't.

The dust was virtually spreading everywhere in camp. The reactions were different; only Anju felt unaffected. He kept shaking dust off his fur, of course, and he paid rapt attention as to what symptoms Nira would exhibit...

...while Nira laid down on the sand of the beach. A fire had been going despite the glow-in-the-darkness, and she was enjoying it. In fact, everything was feeling great; the sand on her skin felt so good, she took off her red tank top, her dancer's attire displayed, and she waved on the sand with a soothed sigh.

"Everything...it feels so wonderful," Nira said ecstatically. And they were on a beach...Betazoids were born to water, and water always called. She stood up and headed for the shore. "Moonlight swim anybody?" And she dove into the shore. At which Anju sauntered over, now acting as a lifeguard. The Tangarr River could be dangerous at night, after all, if one went too far from shore. Besides, he was beginning to see something was wrong with Nira...he couldn't place it yet, but something wrong was emerging...a reaction of some kind to the insects was worming its way up.

[Andgarr Prime=>Forest Floor of the Great Canopy]

The Commander's caution noted, Neva followed and found herself engrossed in the wonder of being under such a huge Tree. She had to force herself at times to collect and catalogue all the flora and insectoid species she needed to. This was not like what she'd collected for Mother, for sure.

Neva did, however, use some of her non-telepathic senses as she did her job. Running fingers over mossy rocks, weighing a piece of bark in her palm for a long moment, inhaling the musky, jungle scent as she walked. She almost wished for those weird butterflies to come to see what happened, but the logical side of her brain reminded her of her duty.

[Andgarr Prime-Forest Floor-Camp]

Sitting down just inside the tent she'd put up as night came, she scanned the area, trying to commit it to memory in every detail. Neva knew an opportunity like this wouldn't come again, to be sure. She smiled when someone handed her some food and thanked them. It seemed to be some sort of stew or thick soup. Taking a whiff, she realized it was Potato Soup. Licking her lips, she dug in, taking drinks now and then from her canteen.

After Neva had washed and given her bowl back to the crewman in charge of such things, she sauntered leisurely back to her tent. She observed the bioluminescent creatures making their way around their world, stopping now and then to watch more intensely.

As she neared her tent, Nira's call for a swim rang out and she swiveled to look. Even as she gawked with amazement at her commanding officer's antics, she spied the altered butterflies bursting into a moving umbrella above the camp. She watched as various people suddenly rid themselves of clinging garments and joined in on the nighttime swim. Some dove into their tents to close themselves in, while others fell to the ground to do curious and even blush-inducing things.

As a multi-colored butterfly alighted on Neva's somehow reaching arm, Neva's head slowly tipped sideways in wonder. She moved in slow motion to touch it with her other hand, and it crawled onto her fingers. She let it dance over her fingers and hand, totally enamored with its movements. She lifted it to look closer at it, eyes almost crossing in the effort. Still, it stayed as if to allow itself to preen. A slow wow sighed from her lips as she pushed it higher and it finally sailed off, dust in its wake.

Neva cupped her hands, seemingly fascinated at the sight. The insect had left its sandy offering all over her hands and she pulled them to her face and strongly inhaled. She felt herself drop to her knees in the sand, hands still covering her face. She let them drop, rubbing her palms forward and back in an effort to wipe them off. The dust fluttered to the ground, Neva's gaze distant as she stared ahead.

Suddenly, she felt slammed against a wall of emotions and thoughts. Neva grabbed her head and fell sideways into the sand. Rolling onto her back, she squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. "No! No! I don't want to hear it!" she cried. The last sentence became a mantra that degraded to a whisper then went silent as she rolled back and forth. Tears streamed down her face as the young Betazoid curled into herself. She lay that way until exhausted sleep washed over her.

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"œSorry." Aarwendil whispered back to Nira, his cheeks being a bit red. He was so distracted talking with Neva that he forgot that they were surrounded by non-telepaths. It happened because the Ensign had spent so much time without using his telepathy that he ended up getting carried away by this opportunity of doing it.

After this small scolding, Aarwendil immediately stopped talking telepathically with Neva. He would follow the Commander and Anju in silence, listening to their conversation. The young Betazoid would occasionally look at the plants that surrounded them. Being so close, he was able to verify the enormity of the tree.

Then he saw the insects. They didn't seem dangerous, with the young Betazoid even thinking about how beautiful they looked. Their wings had so many colors and even the dust that they released was pretty. It even smelled good. Aarwendil wondered why people were thinking that they were dangerous.

The thought that people could be afraid of insects made the Ensign laugh. When he heard the Commander mention swimming, a large smile appeared on his lip. "œCount me in!" Aarwendil said, before rushing toward the water. He removed his shirt and left his backpack. He laughed like a child while doing so, completely oblivious that the insects' spores were affecting him.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - Beam down site ] (earlier)

[Crewman Zala | Armory | Deck 9 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Stationed within Andgarr Prime]

Her brown eyes returned to Lahr, and she silently wondered what had caused such a bad experience when it came to Security. Before she could deepen her thoughts on the subject, however, they were interrupted by Lahr asking for a weapon. She couldn't help but ultimately agree with his wisdom. Having another gun in what may be a dangerous situation could indeed help them win the upcoming battle.

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense. Uh... here..." She walked over towards the display on the wall, and took one of the Type-2 hand phasers, offering it to him, "I guess you do know how to use it, right?"

A twinge of fear permeated around her, as she worried about sounding rude to him. After all, he most likely did, right? Still, she wanted to make sure, in case she had to give a few pointers on the correct operation of the weapon.

Before she could do so, however, the pair was called over to the Transporter Room, and immediately, Zara legged it there. Taking her place in one of the pads, she proceeded to stand upright as she felt the pleasant hum and the strange, but fascinating sensation of beaming down to the planet...

Lahr nodded at Zara's question.  "Yeah, I have some experience with phasers."  The Andorian didn't advertise that he had abandoned the Security department for a 'safer' department.

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Arden Enclave | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

It was not too long until they were able to meet with the rest of the party, a good crew of Klingon officers, Officer Zala, with a rifle, and of course, Lahr. A smile came into his muzzle as he saw him actually come. Allowing Abas to talk to him first, he proceeded to do so second, "Glad you may accompany us, Chief Petty Officer ch'Verret. Our team certainly shalt be more versatile with your presence. I thought about requesting thy presence so that you may bring assistance, where we come upon a locked door or a panel we require access to."

Later when Lieutenant Mrekrerhas arrived, and the Caitian laid out what Lahr's role was intended to be, the blue-skinned engineer had to feign a smile, and remind himself that it didn't matter what task he had... if it helped to rescue the Commander.

[Andgarr Prime - cabin]

[LZ]

The whine of the transporter faded as quick as it had started, with the crew beaming in to... the perfect kill-box. Weapons fire erupted in the small space, beams of light and bolts of energy criss-crossing in the space as the smell of acrid burning began to quickly fill the air. Two security officers - thankfully none of the Challenger's crew - were cut down almost instantly from a sequence of disruptor blasts. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. Perhaps the officers could still be saved, though from how they had fallen, it seemed unlikely. Staying low, he reached out to one of the fallen officers and grabbed ahold of their collar, dragging the unfortunate soul into whatever semblance of cover he could find.

For all of the weapons fire around, he was remarkably calm. While the screams and commotion of combat filled the air, Abas kept his breathing level and almost zen-like. It was only moments later that Lahr pulled him down, only for a disruptor bolt to fly straight past where his head was a mere two seconds beforehand. "Thanks," he said, not turning away from his work, shaking his head before moving on to the next casualty. The first officer hit was already gone. There was nothing he could do for them. "Understood, Chief. Stay alive," he responded, before flinching as another blast hit very much too close to home.

As the Chief cleared a small alcove, enough for cover, Abas vaulted for the other fallen Andgarr, dragging them into cover before cracking open his tricorder and seeing if anything could be done. With the cover of the counter, which was enough to withstand the indirect fire coming its way for the moment, he continued his work, using his enhanced senses to try and paint a mental map of the area. The good news, however, was that he didn't have to stick his head out in order to see what was occurring. "Chief. Drop!" he said, as he sensed a weapon being turned toward their direction. Hopefully with his warning, the man could evade the incoming fire.

Abas busied himself with performing battlefield triage on anyone who he could see or reach - ducking out into the line of fire briefly if the need came to drag fallen or wounded to the shelter the Engineer had cleared. Hopefully the fight would be over soon - but until then, he had a duty to perform.

With his attention and antennae focused on a target to his left - one of the three remaining in their vicinity, Lahr had unintentionally left himself open to attack by another.  Hearing the urgency in Th'vyrrol's voice, Lahr dropped flat in response to the warning.  He then rolled up into a crouch once more, 'looking' about with both eyes and antennae for the opponent he'd missed noting earlier,  by then the skirmish was wrapping up.

[Hideout - Angdarr Prime]

The room was alive with light as phaser and disruptor bolts crisscrossed the confines of the hideout. One of the Klingons took a blast and crumpled with a fist sized hole in his chest. The paired Zakdorn, working with long practiced tactics as they attempted to flank Zhuk. Just as one of the goons got into firing position, Zara was able to cut the Zakdorn down before he could shoot. The death of his brother caused the second Zakdorn to burst from cover firing wildly in a blind rage. As he reached Zara and was ready to shoot, Zhuk got a clear line of sight and shot the brother.

The remaining human and two Nausicans realized they were out numbered and made an attempt to flee, but the Klingons made short work of them as they avenged their fallen comrade. The room fell silent and the rescuers finally had the chance to search the hideout.

Kyan was found stuffed in a sack, still fully bound and badly battered. When Abas got to him, he was alive, but unconscious from the beating he'd endured. However, they'd succeeded, they'd rescued the Onlie.

It was only afterwards, as the team searched the cabin for the Commander, that Lahr made himself scarce for a bit - claiming a need to use the loo -  in order to throw up.  His hands shook as he rinsed vomit out of his mouth with scoops of water from the tap. At least the shaking waited until after the fighting was done this time, and he hadn't frozen up like in the past; but he couldn't get the image of the two Andgarr security personnel dropping dead in front of him, out of his mind.

It repeated over and over like some bad temporal loop in his mind.  Each time, Lahr realizing the attack was coming but always being unable to do anything to prevent it.

By the time he had the shakes under control, the Commander was already found and being treated by Th'vyrrol.  While it was a relief to have found the Commander, Lahr just wanted to beam back to the ship and return to his obscure tertiary task of monitoring the EPS flow.

[Nira Said]

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"œSorry." Aarwendil whispered back to Nira, his cheeks being a bit red. He was so distracted talking with Neva that he forgot that they were surrounded by non-telepaths. It happened because the Ensign had spent so much time without using his telepathy that he ended up getting carried away by this opportunity of doing it.

After this small scolding, Aarwendil immediately stopped talking telepathically with Neva. He would follow the Commander and Anju in silence, listening to their conversation. The young Betazoid would occasionally look at the plants that surrounded them. Being so close, he was able to verify the enormity of the tree.

Then he saw the insects. They didn't seem dangerous, with the young Betazoid even thinking about how beautiful they looked. Their wings had so many colors and even the dust that they released was pretty. It even smelled good. Aarwendil wondered why people were thinking that they were dangerous.

The thought that people could be afraid of insects made the Ensign laugh. When he heard the Commander mention swimming, a large smile appeared on his lip. "œCount me in!" Aarwendil said, before rushing toward the water. He removed his shirt and left his backpack. He laughed like a child while doing so, completely oblivious that the insects' spores were affecting him.

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira laughed with him, giggling ecstatically. Oh, Aarwendil looked so gorgeous...They were swimming, and Nira was circling him like a shark...she wrapped around him and laid him a kiss, a kiss that seemed to last forever...

[Andgarr Prime=>Forest Floor of the Great Canopy]

The Commander's caution noted, Neva followed and found herself engrossed in the wonder of being under such a huge Tree. She had to force herself at times to collect and catalogue all the flora and insectoid species she needed to. This was not like what she'd collected for Mother, for sure.

Neva did, however, use some of her non-telepathic senses as she did her job. Running fingers over mossy rocks, weighing a piece of bark in her palm for a long moment, inhaling the musky, jungle scent as she walked. She almost wished for those weird butterflies to come to see what happened, but the logical side of her brain reminded her of her duty.

[Andgarr Prime-Forest Floor-Camp]

Sitting down just inside the tent she'd put up as night came, she scanned the area, trying to commit it to memory in every detail. Neva knew an opportunity like this wouldn't come again, to be sure. She smiled when someone handed her some food and thanked them. It seemed to be some sort of stew or thick soup. Taking a whiff, she realized it was Potato Soup. Licking her lips, she dug in, taking drinks now and then from her canteen.

After Neva had washed and given her bowl back to the crewman in charge of such things, she sauntered leisurely back to her tent. She observed the bioluminescent creatures making their way around their world, stopping now and then to watch more intensely.

As she neared her tent, Nira's call for a swim rang out and she swiveled to look. Even as she gawked with amazement at her commanding officer's antics, she spied the altered butterflies bursting into a moving umbrella above the camp. She watched as various people suddenly rid themselves of clinging garments and joined in on the nighttime swim. Some dove into their tents to close themselves in, while others fell to the ground to do curious and even blush-inducing things.

As a multi-colored butterfly alighted on Neva's somehow reaching arm, Neva's head slowly tipped sideways in wonder. She moved in slow motion to touch it with her other hand, and it crawled onto her fingers. She let it dance over her fingers and hand, totally enamored with its movements. She lifted it to look closer at it, eyes almost crossing in the effort. Still, it stayed as if to allow itself to preen. A slow wow sighed from her lips as she pushed it higher and it finally sailed off, dust in its wake.

Neva cupped her hands, seemingly fascinated at the sight. The insect had left its sandy offering all over her hands and she pulled them to her face and strongly inhaled. She felt herself drop to her knees in the sand, hands still covering her face. She let them drop, rubbing her palms forward and back in an effort to wipe them off. The dust fluttered to the ground, Neva's gaze distant as she stared ahead.

Suddenly, she felt slammed against a wall of emotions and thoughts. Neva grabbed her head and fell sideways into the sand. Rolling onto her back, she squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. "No! No! I don't want to hear it!" she cried. The last sentence became a mantra that degraded to a whisper then went silent as she rolled back and forth. Tears streamed down her face as the young Betazoid curled into herself. She lay that way until exhausted sleep washed over her.

She looked up with a snap and saw Neva screaming...ooh, but maybe she needed some fun, but on the other hand, she was focused already...

"Let's not let this bother our night, Imzadi," Nira purred, and went back to Aarwendil.

[ Old Angdarr Realms - Andgarr Prime ]

Jettis had passively overheard the conversation between the three Betazoids, but didn't make comment. Only a slightly amused smirk at the exchanges, but busying himself with his own work. As the only science officer on the team, he was juggling all of the scans and samples he collected. As much as he would've liked to keep all of them to examine closer after their exploration, he had to prioritize space, and information that would lead them toward anything odd.

At first nothing in particular showed. Getting a solid baseline for what was, and was not normal for the planet, Jettis was able to refine his scans for things that were abnormal. In time they had a solid trail, but night was approaching quickly. When their guide recommended they stop for the night, Jettis resumed his scanning, though he briefly stopped to aide in unpacking and setting up a small camp. Stopping to admire the brilliant show of bioluminescent butterflies, he thought of how excited Theresa would be to witness it. However that awe shifted to concern as their Commander began acting strangely, seeming to lose any inhibitions,.

It wasn't as severe as previous reports, but nevertheless it provided interesting information. First though, he would reach for his bag, to pluck a strip of cloth from a pocket. Tying it across his face as a makeshift mask, he furrowed his brow. It didn't seem to have hit him yet, but he wasn't entirely sure what reaction he was looking for so far. He did know that he didn't like being here, and it was making him antsy standing in the midst of a minefield.

Moving his tricorder, the dust emanating from the butterflies certainly were not typical for this area of the planet. Quickly he began to run simulations for if any compounds within the dust were proteases, or high levels of polyphenal oxidase. Turning to Anju, he allowed the scans to complete. "Anax Anju, are you aware if there are any plants in this area, or across the planet that use a significant amount of Proteases? It is a method that flora typically uses to break down nutrients and signal cells, but it's possible that it could be modified to be harmful to humanoids. The type of protease would also determine how it effects people, and who might be more or less effected."

It wasn't long before it seemed Neva was struck as well, even harder than Nira had been. He moved with Anju to help, but without a medical officer, there wasn't much he could do. Reaching out emotionally, he tried to help calm her, but the psychic overwhelm was too much. Turning toward Aarwendil, he moved back toward his bag. "If you aren't already feeling ill, I recommend using something to cover your face. It doesn't have to be perfect, but keep your hands away from your face, and don't breath too deeply." Moving back to his tricorder, he redoubled his efforts to discover exactly what was going on.

"Oh, leave him alone, Jettis," said Nira coyly. "Unless...well, we played husband and wife before, maybe you want to try for real, but I'm called for."

Meanwhile, Anju thought a bit as he watched Jettis make his examinations, and approached just as Doctor Fellows grabbed Jettis and brought him back over. He had noticed Fellows staring profoundly at the three Betazoids and covertly scanned them from a distance, looking suspicious.

"On the subject at hand," said Anju, "before we were interrupted...it's entirely possible. I'm no scientist, but I know a lot of our flora, especially flowers, contain such proteases. The wing dust from the Yanmarr are essential for spreading to help them, and they enhance the proteases. Unfortunately, with these, it's entirely possible that it's harmful."

"You couldn't be more damn closer to the truth if it crawled down your fur like a flea and bit you on the ear," Doctor Fellows snipped quietly, scratching her torso, clearly showing a rash.

"œWell, normally, Yanmarr are harmless," Anju said, remembering the scientist talk, "but as the experts indicate, butterfly wings are made out of chitin and have tiny little "˜scales' on them which easily come off. Normally, this would be a rare occurrence, as a person would have to deliberately catch and touch the wings of these creatures to be affected."

"Yeah, well," Doctor Fellows quipped, "It depends on the reactions. Either from breathing it in, as Ensign Cordon demonstrated, or getting absorbed on the skin. The very fine size of the scales causes them to enter the pores and crevices in our own outer dermal layers. They then break apart due to their fragility, and because the sweat and oils of our skin dissolves them down into even tinier pieces, hence how they absorb into skin. Organic compounds in the scales can cause different reactions than breathing it in, like with the other half..."

She nodded at the three Betazoids, the one clearly suffering mentally, the other initiating some kind of mating ritual that Anju found bizarre.

"They seem affected worse," Anju said. "And you said they reacted differently?"

"Unfortunately," Fellows said. "Ensign Cordon had lost emotional control after breathing in the chitin. She's come down with a variation of Zanthi Fever, one common symptom for loss of emotional control. In time, it'll be able to project emotions into others unless treated soon, but for now, it only amplifies her empathic feelings...it's roughly like being next to a loudspeaker as long as a runabout and it's on at full blast; they come in like a sonic supernova. Same with a whistle that can affect animals like dogs."

"I know how you feel," Anju said with a cringe; he once experienced the affects of what was called the dog whistle on his visit on Earth. He knew firsthand about the effects sound can have on animals. "And Said and the boy?"

"The chitin absorbed into their skin has seeped in to become a microbial virus. It's triggering a reaction that's accelerated their hormonal levels," Fellows continued uneasily. "Quadruple the times usual. They're Phasing."

"Phasing where?" asked Anju.

"No, it's what it's called among Betazoids," said Fellows. "The Phase. It's similar to menopause in humans, or Pon Farr in Vulcans. However, Betazoids normally experience this when they enter their midlife age, and it nullifies their telepathic abilities. This microbial virus has accelerated their hormonal levels so that they're experiencing Betazoid Phase early. It's going to make treatment tougher...even more so with them losing control like that," she added with disgust at their behavior.

Anju looked over at Jettis. So far, he hadn't displayed any symptoms. "Well, we know the symptoms now," he said. "Even you're affected, Doctor, we've seen similar rashes on humans affected. I don't know what affects there are when they breathe in the chitin, as opposed to having it get absorbed in the skin. Scientist as you are, Mister Jyur, what can you recommend?"

[Abas Th'vyrrol]

[Hideout]

As quickly as the battle had started, it was over. The criss-crossing of light ceased, as the Klingons did what they did best - battle to the death. The only thing scarier than a Klingon charging you down was not seeing the Klingon you knew was charging you down. Abas did what he could for the wounded, triaging and calling out for the wounded where he could. Before he even got to the missing officer, he had to stabilize and evacuate one of the injured security. He quickly called up the Challenger, his training kicking in with a basic 9-liner request to have the officer beamed directly to the trauma ward.

As the security officer was whisked away to higher care, notably away from a place where they could get shot more, he worked his way over to the little man. It wasn't lost on him that the engineering Chief had quickly made himself scarce, and the fact that the reason he gave was a lie was evident to Abas, but he kept his tongue. There was no shame in not enjoying combat. Battle and conflict were almost never unavoidable, and every loss of life, no matter the side, no matter how justified one group thought they were, was always regrettable.

There would be time to mourn the dead later. For now, there was still a job to be done.

He cracked open his tricorder and medical kit as he knelt down at Kyan, doing his best to perform a complete head-to-toe examination. He'd of course want to insist on the officer being taken to Sickbay and confined there for the time being, but for now, he could at least perform the initial intake. "Sir, how are you feeling?", he asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as he could.

Simultaneously, he opened his mind, trying to sense anything Kyan might be trying to hide, to truly see if he was okay, or if anything else might be going on. He'd do his best to serve, despite his limited understanding of onlie physiology. Who knows what he'd find?

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"œSir, How are you feeling?", he asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

Even with his eyes shut he could tell there was someone leaning over him. There was that subtle change in the light hitting his eyelids and the feeling of someone else being there. When Kyan opened his eye, there was an Andorian looming over him. No.. not an Andorian, the other ones"¦ but he couldn't come up with the name. At first he thought it might be another of Seles' goon squad, but then he noticed the blue topped uniform. Relief washed over him when he realized what it meant.

"œLike one of those paper donkeys that kids hit at a birthday party tae be getting the candy." He rasped, trying to sit up. His ribs insisted that it was a bad idea however, and he gave up on it. His thoughts then turned to his Orion captor. "œUgly green bitch!" he muttered darkly. Then, "œDid ye catch the Orion an her lot?"

He'd be only slightly disappointed if they'd killed her"¦ since it would mean he couldn't follow through on his promise to take her head off himself. But then maybe he'd still do it, and mail it to her family. And if they hadn't caught her"¦ all the better. While he imagined the scenario playing out where he caught up to Seles and kicked her off the moral coil, there was something else stirring in the back of his mind. It felt like there was something else he needed to do but he didn't know what it was. In any case, he decided it didn't matter. He couldn't do anything currently besides lay on the floor and get seen to by this.. Aenar! That was it.

He lifted his head again. "œDinnae be forgetting my shoes." He said. "œThey tookem off me. I dinnae wanna replicate new ones."

[Ian Galloway]

[Hideout]

As quickly as the battle had started, it was over. The criss-crossing of light ceased, as the Klingons did what they did best - battle to the death. The only thing scarier than a Klingon charging you down was not seeing the Klingon you knew was charging you down. Abas did what he could for the wounded, triaging and calling out for the wounded where he could. Before he even got to the missing officer, he had to stabilize and evacuate one of the injured security. He quickly called up the Challenger, his training kicking in with a basic 9-liner request to have the officer beamed directly to the trauma ward.

As the security officer was whisked away to higher care, notably away from a place where they could get shot more, he worked his way over to the little man. It wasn't lost on him that the engineering Chief had quickly made himself scarce, and the fact that the reason he gave was a lie was evident to Abas, but he kept his tongue. There was no shame in not enjoying combat. Battle and conflict were almost never unavoidable, and every loss of life, no matter the side, no matter how justified one group thought they were, was always regrettable.

There would be time to mourn the dead later. For now, there was still a job to be done.

He cracked open his tricorder and medical kit as he knelt down at Kyan, doing his best to perform a complete head-to-toe examination. He'd of course want to insist on the officer being taken to Sickbay and confined there for the time being, but for now, he could at least perform the initial intake. "Sir, how are you feeling?", he asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as he could.

Simultaneously, he opened his mind, trying to sense anything Kyan might be trying to hide, to truly see if he was okay, or if anything else might be going on. He'd do his best to serve, despite his limited understanding of onlie physiology. Who knows what he'd find?

Even with his eyes shut he could tell there was someone leaning over him. There was that subtle change in the light hitting his eyelids and the feeling of someone else being there. When Kyan opened his eye, there was an Andorian looming over him. No.. not an Andorian, the other ones"¦ but he couldn't come up with the name. At first he thought it might be another of Seles' goon squad, but then he noticed the blue topped uniform. Relief washed over him when he realized what it meant.

"œLike one of those paper donkeys that kids hit at a birthday party tae be getting the candy." He rasped, trying to sit up. His ribs insisted that it was a bad idea however, and he gave up on it. His thoughts then turned to his Orion captor. "œUgly green bitch!" he muttered darkly. Then, "œDid ye catch the Orion an her lot?"

He'd be only slightly disappointed if they'd killed her"¦ since it would mean he couldn't follow through on his promise to take her head off himself. But then maybe he'd still do it, and mail it to her family. And if they hadn't caught her"¦ all the better. While he imagined the scenario playing out where he caught up to Seles and kicked her off the moral coil, there was something else stirring in the back of his mind. It felt like there was something else he needed to do but he didn't know what it was. In any case, he decided it didn't matter. He couldn't do anything currently besides lay on the floor and get seen to by this.. Aenar! That was it.

He lifted his head again. "œDinnae be forgetting my shoes." He said. "œThey tookem off me. I dinnae wanna replicate new ones."

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Angdarr Prime Hideout]

Ian entered the transporter room and two security officers joined him on the platform, one of them handing him a phaser. He wasn't happy about needing 'minders', but given the first attack, it made sense. Once he had the phaser in place he said.

"Energize."

On arriving in the dingy hideout, he immediately smelled the blood of the kidnappers and found he'd showed up just in time to hear Kyan speak, which caused him to arch an eyebrow at the Onlie's question.

"Orions? There were two Nausicans, a pair of Zakdorn, a human, and an Angdarr native, there were no Orions Commander."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Arden Enclave]

Jess pulled out her tricorder and after scanning Nira, she could only sigh at the results. The news wasn't good and based on observed actions, things were likely to get far worse.

"Commander, I believe you are impaired. I would strongly suggest you return to the ship. If you don't go on your own accord, I will use my authority as Chief Medical Officer to send you back."

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira laughed with him, giggling ecstatically. Oh, Aarwendil looked so gorgeous...They were swimming, and Nira was circling him like a shark...she wrapped around him and laid him a kiss, a kiss that seemed to last forever...She looked up with a snap and saw Neva screaming...ooh, but maybe she needed some fun, but on the other hand, she was focused already...

"Let's not let this bother our night, Imzadi," Nira purred, and went back to Aarwendil."Oh, leave him alone, Jettis," said Nira coyly. "Unless...well, we played husband and wife before, maybe you want to try for real, but I'm called for."

Meanwhile, Anju thought a bit as he watched Jettis make his examinations, and approached just as Doctor Fellows grabbed Jettis and brought him back over. He had noticed Fellows staring profoundly at the three Betazoids and covertly scanned them from a distance, looking suspicious.

"On the subject at hand," said Anju, "before we were interrupted...it's entirely possible. I'm no scientist, but I know a lot of our flora, especially flowers, contain such proteases. The wing dust from the Yanmarr are essential for spreading to help them, and they enhance the proteases. Unfortunately, with these, it's entirely possible that it's harmful."

"You couldn't be more damn closer to the truth if it crawled down your fur like a flea and bit you on the ear," Doctor Fellows snipped quietly, scratching her torso, clearly showing a rash.

"œWell, normally, Yanmarr are harmless," Anju said, remembering the scientist talk, "but as the experts indicate, butterfly wings are made out of chitin and have tiny little "˜scales' on them which easily come off. Normally, this would be a rare occurrence, as a person would have to deliberately catch and touch the wings of these creatures to be affected."

"Yeah, well," Doctor Fellows quipped, "It depends on the reactions. Either from breathing it in, as Ensign Cordon demonstrated, or getting absorbed on the skin. The very fine size of the scales causes them to enter the pores and crevices in our own outer dermal layers. They then break apart due to their fragility, and because the sweat and oils of our skin dissolves them down into even tinier pieces, hence how they absorb into skin. Organic compounds in the scales can cause different reactions than breathing it in, like with the other half..."

She nodded at the three Betazoids, the one clearly suffering mentally, the other initiating some kind of mating ritual that Anju found bizarre.

"They seem affected worse," Anju said. "And you said they reacted differently?"

"Unfortunately," Fellows said. "Ensign Cordon had lost emotional control after breathing in the chitin. She's come down with a variation of Zanthi Fever, one common symptom for loss of emotional control. In time, it'll be able to project emotions into others unless treated soon, but for now, it only amplifies her empathic feelings...it's roughly like being next to a loudspeaker as long as a runabout and it's on at full blast; they come in like a sonic supernova. Same with a whistle that can affect animals like dogs."

"I know how you feel," Anju said with a cringe; he once experienced the affects of what was called the dog whistle on his visit on Earth. He knew firsthand about the effects sound can have on animals. "And Said and the boy?"

"The chitin absorbed into their skin has seeped in to become a microbial virus. It's triggering a reaction that's accelerated their hormonal levels," Fellows continued uneasily. "Quadruple the times usual. They're Phasing."

"Phasing where?" asked Anju.

"No, it's what it's called among Betazoids," said Fellows. "The Phase. It's similar to menopause in humans, or Pon Farr in Vulcans. However, Betazoids normally experience this when they enter their midlife age, and it nullifies their telepathic abilities. This microbial virus has accelerated their hormonal levels so that they're experiencing Betazoid Phase early. It's going to make treatment tougher...even more so with them losing control like that," she added with disgust at their behavior.

Anju looked over at Jettis. So far, he hadn't displayed any symptoms. "Well, we know the symptoms now," he said. "Even you're affected, Doctor, we've seen similar rashes on humans affected. I don't know what affects there are when they breathe in the chitin, as opposed to having it get absorbed in the skin. Scientist as you are, Mister Jyur, what can you recommend?"

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil was giggling while splashing the water. He felt so free in the water, it was as if he was back at home. He would dive, only to quickly come back to the surface. The feeling of being totally covered by water was so good that he would do it several other times. Each time that he did it, the young Betazoid would stay underwater as long as his need for air allowed.

The Ensign was so distracted playing with the water that he didn't notice Nira approaching him. Only when the Commander started to swim around him, Aarwendil finally saw her. When he saw her approaching him, the young Betazoid gave a cocky grin. He forgot everything else when she started the kiss, eagerly reciprocating it.

Meanwhile, a small part of him wanted to stop it and rush to help Neva when he heard her scream. However, the hormonal overload caused by the spores was too much for him to resist.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Andgarr Prime-Old Andgarr-Federation Camp]

Neva slowly found consciousness from her dust induced shutdown, feeling someone shaking her back to the waking world. Tentatively, she rose to a sitting position. Her head pounded with the effort, but she made herself do it. She put her fingers to her temples and rubbed gently, trying to push the headache that now plagued her.

Looking around, she saw the Science Officer...Jettis?... and tried to wave to him. Seeing he was busy with Aarwendil and others, she looked around for other signs of life. Neva dimly remembered what happened and felt herself shiver from it. Rubbing her eyes, she let out a snort of air. She smoothed her hair and then worked her way up to stand. Stumbling a step or two, she threw her hands out to compensate.

Once stable, the young Engineer plodded over to the water. Sinking again to her knees, she pulled water to her face and wiped it. Shaking her hands, she stood and wiped her damp hands on her pants. She skimmed the area across the lake then turned and scoured the camp. She saw others doing what she had and nodded. She walked over to the nearest crewman and began helping them then others to move.

"Oh, leave him alone, Jettis," said Nira coyly. "Unless...well, we played husband and wife before, maybe you want to try for real, but I'm called for."

Meanwhile, Anju thought a bit as he watched Jettis make his examinations, and approached just as Doctor Fellows grabbed Jettis and brought him back over. He had noticed Fellows staring profoundly at the three Betazoids and covertly scanned them from a distance, looking suspicious.

"On the subject at hand," said Anju, "before we were interrupted...it's entirely possible. I'm no scientist, but I know a lot of our flora, especially flowers, contain such proteases. The wing dust from the Yanmarr are essential for spreading to help them, and they enhance the proteases. Unfortunately, with these, it's entirely possible that it's harmful."

"You couldn't be more damn closer to the truth if it crawled down your fur like a flea and bit you on the ear," Doctor Fellows snipped quietly, scratching her torso, clearly showing a rash.

"œWell, normally, Yanmarr are harmless," Anju said, remembering the scientist talk, "but as the experts indicate, butterfly wings are made out of chitin and have tiny little "˜scales' on them which easily come off. Normally, this would be a rare occurrence, as a person would have to deliberately catch and touch the wings of these creatures to be affected."

"Yeah, well," Doctor Fellows quipped, "It depends on the reactions. Either from breathing it in, as Ensign Cordon demonstrated, or getting absorbed on the skin. The very fine size of the scales causes them to enter the pores and crevices in our own outer dermal layers. They then break apart due to their fragility, and because the sweat and oils of our skin dissolves them down into even tinier pieces, hence how they absorb into skin. Organic compounds in the scales can cause different reactions than breathing it in, like with the other half..."

She nodded at the three Betazoids, the one clearly suffering mentally, the other initiating some kind of mating ritual that Anju found bizarre.

"They seem affected worse," Anju said. "And you said they reacted differently?"

"Unfortunately," Fellows said. "Ensign Cordon had lost emotional control after breathing in the chitin. She's come down with a variation of Zanthi Fever, one common symptom for loss of emotional control. In time, it'll be able to project emotions into others unless treated soon, but for now, it only amplifies her empathic feelings...it's roughly like being next to a loudspeaker as long as a runabout and it's on at full blast; they come in like a sonic supernova. Same with a whistle that can affect animals like dogs."

"I know how you feel," Anju said with a cringe; he once experienced the affects of what was called the dog whistle on his visit on Earth. He knew firsthand about the effects sound can have on animals. "And Said and the boy?"

"The chitin absorbed into their skin has seeped in to become a microbial virus. It's triggering a reaction that's accelerated their hormonal levels," Fellows continued uneasily. "Quadruple the times usual. They're Phasing."

"Phasing where?" asked Anju.

"No, it's what it's called among Betazoids," said Fellows. "The Phase. It's similar to menopause in humans, or Pon Farr in Vulcans. However, Betazoids normally experience this when they enter their midlife age, and it nullifies their telepathic abilities. This microbial virus has accelerated their hormonal levels so that they're experiencing Betazoid Phase early. It's going to make treatment tougher...even more so with them losing control like that," she added with disgust at their behavior.

Anju looked over at Jettis. So far, he hadn't displayed any symptoms. "Well, we know the symptoms now," he said. "Even you're affected, Doctor, we've seen similar rashes on humans affected. I don't know what affects there are when they breathe in the chitin, as opposed to having it get absorbed in the skin. Scientist as you are, Mister Jyur, what can you recommend?"

[Arden Enclave]

Jess pulled out her tricorder and after scanning Nira, she could only sigh at the results. The news wasn't good and based on observed actions, things were likely to get far worse.

"Commander, I believe you are impaired. I would strongly suggest you return to the ship. If you don't go on your own accord, I will use my authority as Chief Medical Officer to send you back."

[ 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 Cordon]

[ 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."

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas and Crewman Zala| Hideout | Andgarr Prime | Andgarr System]

[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Hideout | Andgarr Prime]

The fight was short and altogether brief, but D'Lorra enjoyed every moment of it. The downside was that Petty Officer Koloz was downed by a weapon. He fought well...may he die in honor, D'Lorra prayed.

It was certainly a motley crew they had confronted. Some Nausicaans, Zakdorn, even some local Andgarr. Disgraceful.

And there was the boy they fought to reach. D'Lorra was relieved. She looked back up at Zhuk and smiled. She had enjoyed the battle, fighting alongside the Caitian, a worthy warrior. She even liked the way he talked; her own grandfather, Ju'Dop, he had an admiration for Earth artistry, and he had taken up a fondess for Shakespeare like warriors in the past like General Chang had done. Zhuk sounded like somebody from the pages of the words of Shakespeare come to life, and she felt inspired the more.

"Battle well fought," D'Lorra said with a grin. "And I admire your manner of speech, Zhuk. Besides, you have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon."

Meanwhile, hidden eyes watched as the team collected their prize. Things were going according to plan, but he was surprised by the particular method, and the particular choice. He briefly peeked out in the cavity of an oln'garr tree.

Ah, but the Syndicates here in Romulan space did answer to him. Seles had a lot to explain, and if she didn't inform he, Domitian, then Visa would. He slunk back into the shadows before anybody could see him...

The battle had been harsh. The crooks had shot down another Klingon, and Zhuk and Zala were close to sharing the same fate. Fortunately, Zhuk's small speech had managed to assist Zala in regaining some confidence in herself, and she had proven quite adept in defending their position, shooting down a Zakdorn attacker, while Zhuk assisted by firing at his enraged brother. Soon after, the raid was over, as the other thugs quickly lost cohesion, and were run down by the rest of the Klingon.

Adrenaline sharply coursed through both of their veins still as the dust settled, and looked for the missing Kyan. Zhuk was quite relieved to see him breathing after he was pulled out of the sack he had been stuffed in, leaving Abas to help patch him up, when he finished offering triage to the dying.

He was momentarily surprised by the approach of D'Lorra. While Zhuk did enjoy battle himself, he was still somewhat shocked by the losses they had incurred. He certainly did not have a belief that allowed such feelings to be better accepted by his heart. Still, he answered with a serious voice, "It was a grand battle the one fought within these premises, I agree. A shame we lost some lives of our own today, but I am sure they will not be forgotten. As for thee, D'Lorra, you have proven to be a valiant and valuable warrior," He made a pause, letting out a soft chuckle, as his tone lightened up "I must confess I have not yet been able to experience Shakespear on its original Klingon. But I should strive to in the future. I just have to better my Klingon. Though mayhaps I could use some instruction from a native speaker, such as yourself, hm?"

Once the exchange was over, he decided to inform Commander Catalan of their success, "Greetings, Commander Catalan. We have successfully managed to rescue Commander Mackenzie. Now he is being treated for his injuries."

Zara, on the other hand, had not taken it that well. Fearing being chastised for the fear she still showed, she took the chance of Zhuk becoming distracted by D'Lorra to hide away in a corner, hyperventilating once more as she saw the face of the Zakdorn about to strike Zhuk, defending him by shooting, over and over. Slowly, though, she calmed herself, remembering her training, and coming to terms with what she had done. Hidden away, she remained in her nook for a few minutes more, allowing herself to cry, before cleaning those drops away and rejoining the rest of the crew.

Even with his eyes shut he could tell there was someone leaning over him. There was that subtle change in the light hitting his eyelids and the feeling of someone else being there. When Kyan opened his eye, there was an Andorian looming over him. No.. not an Andorian, the other ones"¦ but he couldn't come up with the name. At first he thought it might be another of Seles' goon squad, but then he noticed the blue topped uniform. Relief washed over him when he realized what it meant.

"œLike one of those paper donkeys that kids hit at a birthday party tae be getting the candy." He rasped, trying to sit up. His ribs insisted that it was a bad idea however, and he gave up on it. His thoughts then turned to his Orion captor. "œUgly green bitch!" he muttered darkly. Then, "œDid ye catch the Orion an her lot?"

He'd be only slightly disappointed if they'd killed her"¦ since it would mean he couldn't follow through on his promise to take her head off himself. But then maybe he'd still do it, and mail it to her family. And if they hadn't caught her"¦ all the better. While he imagined the scenario playing out where he caught up to Seles and kicked her off the moral coil, there was something else stirring in the back of his mind. It felt like there was something else he needed to do but he didn't know what it was. In any case, he decided it didn't matter. He couldn't do anything currently besides lay on the floor and get seen to by this.. Aenar! That was it.

He lifted his head again. "œDinnae be forgetting my shoes." He said. "œThey tookem off me. I dinnae wanna replicate new ones."

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Angdarr Prime Hideout]

Ian entered the transporter room and two security officers joined him on the platform, one of them handing him a phaser. He wasn't happy about needing 'minders', but given the first attack, it made sense. Once he had the phaser in place he said.

"Energize."

On arriving in the dingy hideout, he immediately smelled the blood of the kidnappers and found he'd showed up just in time to hear Kyan speak, which caused him to arch an eyebrow at the Onlie's question.

"Orions? There were two Nausicans, a pair of Zakdorn, a human, and an Angdarr native, there were no Orions Commander."

Zhuk proceeded to meet up with the Captain as he beamed from the ship to their position, though soon his attention got caught by Kyan waking up. He shook his head at his description of how he felt, but soon enough, the levity he experienced from it changed as the words 'ugly green bitch' found his ears. Now, he froze for a moment, his heart accelerating as he was met with the revelation.

Orions. There were Orions here.

He panicked internally. He still could remember himself turning into a ball within the pen he was confined to whenever he saw those big, burly green brutes looming about. He could still feel those honeyed words laced with pheromones that made him obey the every whim of her master. He could remember the corrections. The instructions.

He did his best to hide it externally, however, remaining firm and standing tall. Yet, he wondered if he should proceed to inform the Captain about this. How he perhaps would not be the best to guide the mission any longer. Or at least, up until the Orions were visible. But he did not want to be seen as weak, or unreliable. Perhaps, he could ask Abas for some compound to be synthesized in order for him to be able to resist.

"We indeed did not gaze upon any Orions within. But I would very much doubt that Commander Mackenzie would be misremembering such a key detail. Perhaps, it would be appropriate to locate them."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - cabin]

Even with his eyes shut he could tell there was someone leaning over him. There was that subtle change in the light hitting his eyelids and the feeling of someone else being there. When Kyan opened his eye, there was an Andorian looming over him. No.. not an Andorian, the other ones"¦ but he couldn't come up with the name. At first he thought it might be another of Seles' goon squad, but then he noticed the blue topped uniform. Relief washed over him when he realized what it meant.

"œLike one of those paper donkeys that kids hit at a birthday party tae be getting the candy." He rasped, trying to sit up. His ribs insisted that it was a bad idea however, and he gave up on it. His thoughts then turned to his Orion captor. "œUgly green bitch!" he muttered darkly. Then, "œDid ye catch the Orion an her lot?"

He'd be only slightly disappointed if they'd killed her"¦ since it would mean he couldn't follow through on his promise to take her head off himself. But then maybe he'd still do it, and mail it to her family. And if they hadn't caught her"¦ all the better. While he imagined the scenario playing out where he caught up to Seles and kicked her off the moral coil, there was something else stirring in the back of his mind. It felt like there was something else he needed to do but he didn't know what it was. In any case, he decided it didn't matter. He couldn't do anything currently besides lay on the floor and get seen to by this.. Aenar! That was it.

He lifted his head again. "œDinnae be forgetting my shoes." He said. "œThey tookem off me. I dinnae wanna replicate new ones."

Lahr hung back while the Klingon exchange officer, D'Lorra, remarked about the glorious battle and the honorable death of her fellow exchange officer and the two Andgarr 'warriors'.  To Lahr, there had been nothing glorious about it.  While he was grateful to have the Commander back safely, the cost had been steep.  Three lives for one.  Maybe the Klingon's family - roozh why couldn't he even remember the exchange officer's name? - would be comforted that their son/brother/husband had died in battle but not everyone thought that way.

The fact that the Commander was worried about his shoes struck a wrong chord with Lahr and the Andorian's antennae drooped.   He could see the mentioned footwear tucked under a table, in corner of the room and had a sudden urge to toss them out the window down to the forest floor.   The only reason he didn't was because the Captain was there having beamed in moments before.  That - and because Lahr hoped that the 'kid's' twisted priorities were because he was only semi-conscious and not fully aware of the cost of his rescue.

With a soured expression, Lahr fetched the hated shoes and tucked them in his kit.  He'd drop them off in Sickbay later.

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Angdarr Prime Hideout]

Ian entered the transporter room and two security officers joined him on the platform, one of them handing him a phaser. He wasn't happy about needing 'minders', but given the first attack, it made sense. Once he had the phaser in place he said.

"Energize."

On arriving in the dingy hideout, he immediately smelled the blood of the kidnappers and found he'd showed up just in time to hear Kyan speak, which caused him to arch an eyebrow at the Onlie's question.

"Orions? There were two Nausicans, a pair of Zakdorn, a human, and an Angdarr native, there were no Orions Commander."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas and Crewman Zala| Hideout | Andgarr Prime | Andgarr System]

Zhuk proceeded to meet up with the Captain as he beamed from the ship to their position, though soon his attention got caught by Kyan waking up. He shook his head at his description of how he felt, but soon enough, the levity he experienced from it changed as the words 'ugly green bitch' found his ears. Now, he froze for a moment, his heart accelerating as he was met with the revelation.

Orions. There were Orions here.

He panicked internally. He still could remember himself turning into a ball within the pen he was confined to whenever he saw those big, burly green brutes looming about. He could still feel those honeyed words laced with pheromones that made him obey the every whim of her master. He could remember the corrections. The instructions.

He did his best to hide it externally, however, remaining firm and standing tall. Yet, he wondered if he should proceed to inform the Captain about this. How he perhaps would not be the best to guide the mission any longer. Or at least, up until the Orions were visible. But he did not want to be seen as weak, or unreliable. Perhaps, he could ask Abas for some compound to be synthesized in order for him to be able to resist.

"We indeed did not gaze upon any Orions within. But I would very much doubt that Commander Mackenzie would be misremembering such a key detail. Perhaps, it would be appropriate to locate them."

The talk among the officers seemed to focus on how the Commander claimed his captors were Orion.  Zhuk's suggestion to locate them, likely meant that his role as the team's engineer wasn't quite done down here.   Lahr sighed and in a moment when Th'vyrrol looked like he was near done with the Commander's treatment, Lahr sidled over and set the requested pair of shoes by the gear.  "The commander's shoes - make sure he gets them - they are worth a lot."

Lahr then exited the cabin and pulled out his tricorder to begin scanning for Orion bio-signatures in the immediate vicinity. 

[Nira Said]

[ 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."

[Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil was giggling while splashing the water. He felt so free in the water, it was as if he was back at home. He would dive, only to quickly come back to the surface. The feeling of being totally covered by water was so good that he would do it several other times. Each time that he did it, the young Betazoid would stay underwater as long as his need for air allowed.

The Ensign was so distracted playing with the water that he didn't notice Nira approaching him. Only when the Commander started to swim around him, Aarwendil finally saw her. When he saw her approaching him, the young Betazoid gave a cocky grin. He forgot everything else when she started the kiss, eagerly reciprocating it.

Meanwhile, a small part of him wanted to stop it and rush to help Neva when he heard her scream. However, the hormonal overload caused by the spores was too much for him to resist.

Jess pulled out her tricorder and after scanning Nira, she could only sigh at the results. The news wasn't good and based on observed actions, things were likely to get far worse.

"Commander, I believe you are impaired. I would strongly suggest you return to the ship. If you don't go on your own accord, I will use my authority as Chief Medical Officer to send you back."

[Commander Nira Said/Subanax Anju Jindak | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

"If they were loaded with every known virus, even we Andgarr would be affected," Anju pointed out. "It's still coincidental that it has worse affects on Vulcans, but perhaps it's exceptionally adverse on telepaths. It has to be a proteases issue..."

He nodded in agreement at Jettis' advice to keep the party contained. As Jettis went to young Neva, Anju approached Nira and Aarwendil, but Jess beat him first.

Nira looked up at Jess' words and giggled. Too giggly than usual. She disregarded the doctor's words and just clambered onto the young man's body like a sloth to a tree trunk.

"Impaired?" she giggled as she schmoozed. "Impaired...Allah almighty, I have never felt this so good!"

No she wasn't, Anju thought to himself. This was serious ecstasy, he could see the sweat, the gradual hyperventilating. It wasn't just the hormone levels.

"Jess, I have never felt more wonderful in my life!" Nira said, leaping off and then grasping Jess with manic ecstasy. "I could live here forever!"

And she just kept on giggling ecstatically, wrapping her arms around herself and twirled in a dance...

and at the height of it, and as Jess had opened her mouth, whether to state the contrary or to make good on her use of authority, she just stopped. Paused. She just stood there, a wide bubbly grin plastered on her face. Anju wondered at first if this was something new with the virus. But then he saw the hand from a shadowy figure behind her. With the night coming quickly, Nira was looking darkened, and so was Aarwendil. As such, the cloaked figure behind her was nearly invisible, but Anju had to focus to get a look at...whoever it was.

Nira felt a hand clasp on her shoulder, near her neck. For a nanosecond, in her hormonal ecstasy, she thought Aarwendil had placed a hand...and a nanosecond later, the black oblivion of unconsciousness took her.

Nira slid into unconsciousness into the shallow water...at least, it looked to Anju and Jess that she was sliding, if she was against something. She seemed, rather, to crumple, maybe like a dangling snake. Then Anju had greater focus on the cloaked figure...make that figures, plural. With the darkening forest, Anju didn't see them at first. If they had appeared when the sun was further in the sky, they would've been more noticeable.

In any case, Anju was apprehensive. He remembered that Captain Galloway and his greeting party had been ambushed after he met him and his brother. He was suspicious at the new arrivals.

"Don't make a move," Anju snarled, aiming a phaser. "You're not harming anybody else."

"Jolan Tru, Subanax Jindak, we mean you no harm," one of the cloak figures said with a placating gesture, not the one that gave Nira the nerve pinch.

Romulans. Anju knew the greeting. And they knew who he was.

"That remains to be seen," said Anju testily.

"I understand how you feel, Subanax," said another cloaked Romulan. "We heard about the Federation party, the boy kidnapped."

"You're not taking Nira there," snapped Anju.

"We're not kidnapping her, if that's what you mean."

"Not with what ails her, no," Jess retorted, tapping her comm badge. "Fellows to Challenger, medical beam-up now..."

"You won't get a signal, not here in the Old Realms," the first figure stated. "Too much ion interference. But we have the facilities for treatment. We've been observing these corrupted yanmarr for some time. Now you're getting the affects. And that rash is worse than it looks, Doctor."

Anju pursed his lips. They're certainly not giving any choice. And they're certainly claiming innocence, but he'll have to see. He looked to Jess and to Jettis nearby, to Neva with her hangover, and at young Aarwndil. And that rash on Jess...Great Canopy help her.

[Nira Said]

Even with his eyes shut he could tell there was someone leaning over him. There was that subtle change in the light hitting his eyelids and the feeling of someone else being there. When Kyan opened his eye, there was an Andorian looming over him. No.. not an Andorian, the other ones"¦ but he couldn't come up with the name. At first he thought it might be another of Seles' goon squad, but then he noticed the blue topped uniform. Relief washed over him when he realized what it meant.

"œLike one of those paper donkeys that kids hit at a birthday party tae be getting the candy." He rasped, trying to sit up. His ribs insisted that it was a bad idea however, and he gave up on it. His thoughts then turned to his Orion captor. "œUgly green bitch!" he muttered darkly. Then, "œDid ye catch the Orion an her lot?"

He'd be only slightly disappointed if they'd killed her"¦ since it would mean he couldn't follow through on his promise to take her head off himself. But then maybe he'd still do it, and mail it to her family. And if they hadn't caught her"¦ all the better. While he imagined the scenario playing out where he caught up to Seles and kicked her off the moral coil, there was something else stirring in the back of his mind. It felt like there was something else he needed to do but he didn't know what it was. In any case, he decided it didn't matter. He couldn't do anything currently besides lay on the floor and get seen to by this.. Aenar! That was it.

He lifted his head again. "œDinnae be forgetting my shoes." He said. "œThey tookem off me. I dinnae wanna replicate new ones."

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Angdarr Prime Hideout]

Ian entered the transporter room and two security officers joined him on the platform, one of them handing him a phaser. He wasn't happy about needing 'minders', but given the first attack, it made sense. Once he had the phaser in place he said.

"Energize."

On arriving in the dingy hideout, he immediately smelled the blood of the kidnappers and found he'd showed up just in time to hear Kyan speak, which caused him to arch an eyebrow at the Onlie's question.

"Orions? There were two Nausicans, a pair of Zakdorn, a human, and an Angdarr native, there were no Orions Commander."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas and Crewman Zala| Hideout | Andgarr Prime | Andgarr System]

The battle had been harsh. The crooks had shot down another Klingon, and Zhuk and Zala were close to sharing the same fate. Fortunately, Zhuk's small speech had managed to assist Zala in regaining some confidence in herself, and she had proven quite adept in defending their position, shooting down a Zakdorn attacker, while Zhuk assisted by firing at his enraged brother. Soon after, the raid was over, as the other thugs quickly lost cohesion, and were run down by the rest of the Klingon.

Adrenaline sharply coursed through both of their veins still as the dust settled, and looked for the missing Kyan. Zhuk was quite relieved to see him breathing after he was pulled out of the sack he had been stuffed in, leaving Abas to help patch him up, when he finished offering triage to the dying.

He was momentarily surprised by the approach of D'Lorra. While Zhuk did enjoy battle himself, he was still somewhat shocked by the losses they had incurred. He certainly did not have a belief that allowed such feelings to be better accepted by his heart. Still, he answered with a serious voice, "It was a grand battle the one fought within these premises, I agree. A shame we lost some lives of our own today, but I am sure they will not be forgotten. As for thee, D'Lorra, you have proven to be a valiant and valuable warrior," He made a pause, letting out a soft chuckle, as his tone lightened up "I must confess I have not yet been able to experience Shakespear on its original Klingon. But I should strive to in the future. I just have to better my Klingon. Though mayhaps I could use some instruction from a native speaker, such as yourself, hm?"

Once the exchange was over, he decided to inform Commander Catalan of their success, "Greetings, Commander Catalan. We have successfully managed to rescue Commander Mackenzie. Now he is being treated for his injuries."

Zara, on the other hand, had not taken it that well. Fearing being chastised for the fear she still showed, she took the chance of Zhuk becoming distracted by D'Lorra to hide away in a corner, hyperventilating once more as she saw the face of the Zakdorn about to strike Zhuk, defending him by shooting, over and over. Slowly, though, she calmed herself, remembering her training, and coming to terms with what she had done. Hidden away, she remained in her nook for a few minutes more, allowing herself to cry, before cleaning those drops away and rejoining the rest of the crew.

Zhuk proceeded to meet up with the Captain as he beamed from the ship to their position, though soon his attention got caught by Kyan waking up. He shook his head at his description of how he felt, but soon enough, the levity he experienced from it changed as the words 'ugly green bitch' found his ears. Now, he froze for a moment, his heart accelerating as he was met with the revelation.

Orions. There were Orions here.

He panicked internally. He still could remember himself turning into a ball within the pen he was confined to whenever he saw those big, burly green brutes looming about. He could still feel those honeyed words laced with pheromones that made him obey the every whim of her master. He could remember the corrections. The instructions.

He did his best to hide it externally, however, remaining firm and standing tall. Yet, he wondered if he should proceed to inform the Captain about this. How he perhaps would not be the best to guide the mission any longer. Or at least, up until the Orions were visible. But he did not want to be seen as weak, or unreliable. Perhaps, he could ask Abas for some compound to be synthesized in order for him to be able to resist.

"We indeed did not gaze upon any Orions within. But I would very much doubt that Commander Mackenzie would be misremembering such a key detail. Perhaps, it would be appropriate to locate them."

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - cabin]

Lahr hung back while the Klingon exchange officer, D'Lorra, remarked about the glorious battle and the honorable death of her fellow exchange officer and the two Andgarr 'warriors'.  To Lahr, there had been nothing glorious about it.  While he was grateful to have the Commander back safely, the cost had been steep.  Three lives for one.  Maybe the Klingon's family - roozh why couldn't he even remember the exchange officer's name? - would be comforted that their son/brother/husband had died in battle but not everyone thought that way.

The fact that the Commander was worried about his shoes struck a wrong chord with Lahr and the Andorian's antennae drooped.   He could see the mentioned footwear tucked under a table, in corner of the room and had a sudden urge to toss them out the window down to the forest floor.   The only reason he didn't was because the Captain was there having beamed in moments before.  That - and because Lahr hoped that the 'kid's' twisted priorities were because he was only semi-conscious and not fully aware of the cost of his rescue.

With a soured expression, Lahr fetched the hated shoes and tucked them in his kit.  He'd drop them off in Sickbay later.

The talk among the officers seemed to focus on how the Commander claimed his captors were Orion.  Zhuk's suggestion to locate them, likely meant that his role as the team's engineer wasn't quite done down here.   Lahr sighed and in a moment when Th'vyrrol looked like he was near done with the Commander's treatment, Lahr sidled over and set the requested pair of shoes by the gear.  "The commander's shoes - make sure he gets them - they are worth a lot."

Lahr then exited the cabin and pulled out his tricorder to begin scanning for Orion bio-signatures in the immediate vicinity.

[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Hideout | Andgarr Prime]

"Well, then we should get together to experience Shakespeare sometime," D'Lorra said gladly to Zhuk. "Once we get some time, we should experience one of his battles in some of his epics in the holodeck sometime."

She tried to remember. Richard III? Henry V? Phillipi? Burnam Wood? Which of these battles would be appropriate to experience on the holodeck, in Klingon versions? As Captain Galloway appeared and debriefed Kyan, she stared in surprise when Kyan said Orions.

"Orions?" D'Lorra snapped. His words gave her pause, rattling her into reality. She stared at the officers, lost in thought. She often had been inspired by Nira, especially on advice by her fellow warrior, Battlemaster Thiq, also inspired by Nira, inspired to think, to analyze. To assess a tactical situation, to think often before charging into bash and whack.

"I believe you, Commander," D'Lorra said assuringly. "There might be Orions around, maybe the group that held you were in league with them. Criminals hiding in their little holes, despicable."

[Praetor Domitian | Hidden Syndicate Base | Somewhere on the Forest Floor | Andgarr Prime]

"I trust you know what Seles is doing, Visa?" Domitian asked of Visa. "What she's aware of what she's doing?"

"I don't know why he singled out the boy in particular," Visa said with a shrug. "What is most puzzling to me why we have to wait."