S3 - M3: State of Emergency

[Kirok]

[Engineering - 13 days ago:  Zex]

It was one of those nights.  Zex tried to sleep, but something was ticking the back of her mind.  The part that something was off.  There was a possible danger.  But she simply could not put her finger on it.

She had long ago learned to investigate those strange feelings.  So she got out of bed, dressed, and went exploring.  Soon enough she was in Engineering.

Something caused her to panic.  She only had a moment, but she was able to send a message over the lattis to Eydis and to anyone else who might hear her.  "DANGER" she called out before her world went dark.

[Briefing room - Present day]

Kirok stood at the head of the table.  His uniform pressed with perfect creases and lines.  His shoes polished to the point of being shiny.

He had to look perfect in this moment.  He had to project confidence.  Not for himself, but for the others.
But things were far from OK.  Their future uncertain.  Their state chaotic.

And that was why he and Kyle were here.  To bring order to choas.  To save the Katra.

So, he pulled down on the shirt of his uniform.  Flattening out an already flattened shirt. A habit he had picked up over the years.

Then he addressed the group.  "Thank you all for coming.  For those of you who are here for the first time thanks to the Tempest, welcome.  For those of you who returned by shuttles from DS9, welcome back.

I am Kirok" he said and then bowed to the group.  Then he turned to his XO "With me is Kyle Briggs.  And we are currently under a state of emergency.

Thirteen days ago, there was an explosion on the station.  At this moment in time we do not know if it was intentional or accidental.  There were deaths, but luckily most of the crew and civilians were able to escape in pods and ships.  Some but not all have returned.  Our first task is to get Katra operational again.

The part of the station that took the brunt of the destruction fell to the planet below.  They have casualties and destruction there and they need our help.  Kyle I would like you to lead the team to the planet.  Wounded can be transported up to sickbay.

That means that Sickbay will be very busy.  None only with the remaining wounded, but with the newly arrived.   Dr. Xiiv, I will leave that to you.  But I would suggest that Eydis join you, if only to give support to Zex has yet to wake from a coma."

[Gideon Drake]

[Ensign Gideon Drake | Sweet Tooth Cafe | Promenade | Deck Fourteen | Katra Station]

Gideon sighed as he dug into his Choco Loaded. He had just returned from helping to get civilians out. Frankly, he felt he should count himself lucky to have a Choco Loaded, with Katra being the way it is. He felt he was overall lucky he'll have a respite to last as long as it is before he had to go back out again.

Bloody interesting start of a new post, he thought as he ate. You barely arrive and suddenly things go bonkers.

He had looked forward to serving on Katra for a while. Being a pilot on a station meant that there was bound to be plenty of flight assignments, from transport to scientific expeditions, this being the Gamma Quadrant. It was also a good place to work in when retiring from Starfleet service, because stations, Katra included, had plenty of goods delivered.

Then came that explosion, and suddenly there was a rush to get civilians out. Gideon had been working 'round the clock with the rest of his colleagues in the Flight Control department to transport civilians and crew out. That was certainly interesting.

Normally, when he was having a respite...no, when he was off-duty or lunch breaks, he would've been more interested in visiting the Blue Belles. Not just because of the birds, but also because the whole place looked like it was made of ice. But all the same, he never got the chance to experience the Promenade, not when his first few days have made up of transporting evacuees. Plus, he didn't want to be distracted, which was why he was at the Sweet Tooth.

True, he would've sought out other establishments that would've been, preferably, close to the turbolifts in case he needed to get going as fast as possible. For this respite, however, he felt in the mood for some sweets before he needed to get going again. He kept looking at the direction of the turbolift, as if he was expecting new orders. Which he was.

[Hrafn Falleg]

[Approach to Katra Station - 3 days prior - Shuttlecraft - Munnin-Ra]

Hrafn was looking forward to being home and seeing the kids again ever since that little ping from Lamar about a week ago.  It had been a shock to find out the littlest had the same ability as his siblings and now she couldn't wait to hug them all.

Looking out of the porthole she looked towards where Katra should be and turned to the pilot, who looked puzzled.

"Who should be answering in the OCC on Flight Control or incoming traffic?" he asked knowing from the conversations they'd had that she was 'native' to Katra.

"Hmmm Commander t'Lhoell or tr'Lhoell... they're married, Romulan naming conventions for all the female of the two is actually Ba'ku, or someone in Ops like Ensign Oloze or... well could be anyone but I'm surprised they haven't clocked you yet, I wonder why they aren't responding. Would you mind me..."

"Course not Ma'am go ahead they may respond to a familiar voice."

Katra Station this is Lt. Falleg-Tekin, CSO aboard Shuttlecraft Munnin-Ra, please respond.

She too only got static.

"I'm high enough ranking on this station and close enough to Captain Solluk and Commanders t'Lhoell and tr'Lhoell to make an executive decision here, something tells me that something's off.  Shields up, go to red alert but put into Saucer 3, it's normally quieter and we can get in.  Everyone..." she turned to the other occupants of the shuttlecraft.

"...I'm not sure what's gone down here, Ops Centre isn't responding so I've made the Executive decision that we're going into Saucer 3, those who can arm themselves do so and prepare to meet opposition."

[Engineering - 13 days ago:  Zex]

It was one of those nights.  Zex tried to sleep, but something was ticking the back of her mind.  The part that something was off.  There was a possible danger.  But she simply could not put her finger on it.

She had long ago learned to investigate those strange feelings.  So she got out of bed, dressed, and went exploring.  Soon enough she was in Engineering.

Something caused her to panic.  She only had a moment, but she was able to send a message over the lattis to Eydis and to anyone else who might hear her.  "DANGER" she called out before her world went dark.

[Briefing room - Present day]

Kirok stood at the head of the table.  His uniform pressed with perfect creases and lines.  His shoes polished to the point of being shiny.

He had to look perfect in this moment.  He had to project confidence.  Not for himself, but for the others.
But things were far from OK.  Their future uncertain.  Their state chaotic.

And that was why he and Kyle were here.  To bring order to choas.  To save the Katra.

So, he pulled down on the shirt of his uniform.  Flattening out an already flattened shirt. A habit he had picked up over the years.

Then he addressed the group.  "Thank you all for coming.  For those of you who are here for the first time thanks to the Tempest, welcome.  For those of you who returned by shuttles from DS9, welcome back.

I am Kirok" he said and then bowed to the group.  Then he turned to his XO "With me is Kyle Briggs.  And we are currently under a state of emergency.

Thirteen days ago, there was an explosion on the station.  At this moment in time we do not know if it was intentional or accidental.  There were deaths, but luckily most of the crew and civilians were able to escape in pods and ships.  Some but not all have returned.  Our first task is to get Katra operational again.

The part of the station that took the brunt of the destruction fell to the planet below.  They have casualties and destruction there and they need our help.  Kyle I would like you to lead the team to the planet.  Wounded can be transported up to sickbay.

That means that Sickbay will be very busy.  None only with the remaining wounded, but with the newly arrived.   Dr. Xiiv, I will leave that to you.  But I would suggest that Eydis join you, if only to give support to Zex has yet to wake from a coma."

[Briefing Room - Present Day - Katra Station]

Hrafn had recovered from the shock of not finding Crista, the children, James or Ujosso on the station, she had yet to talk to Sirol to find out where they were as since she got back it had been a whirlwind of activity trying to get things to rights in the Science Department and helping out wherever she could.

"Kirok, Kyle, pleasure to be working with you again. but please could someone tell us if there has been any update on the rescue operation for the civilians.  I don't meant to sound like a hysterical mother here, but 3 of my 4 children, my nanny and her fiance and the headmistress of the base school, Mrs Ujosso Cunzicht are amongst those unaccounted for. "

The CSO paused and continued.  "You won't realise unless news filtered through that I already lost my eldest son once from this station, so I'm understandably concerned.  That said, be it Science orientated or anything I can help with that is within my capabilities, I'm sure Kyle remembers I'm useless with anything mechanical!, point me at it and let's get our home fixed.  Oh and gentlemen... since I consider Katra home and have done since she was first made operational... Welcome, we're glad to have you here.  But what the hell happened to Rayek, Tess, the others?!  I assume they're in the pods?  If any of them were close to my quarters when what went down happened, they'll have seen that my family were safe."

[Amarande Xiiv]

[Briefing room - Present day]

Kirok stood at the head of the table.  His uniform pressed with perfect creases and lines.  His shoes polished to the point of being shiny.

He had to look perfect in this moment.  He had to project confidence.  Not for himself, but for the others.
But things were far from OK.  Their future uncertain.  Their state chaotic.

And that was why he and Kyle were here.  To bring order to choas.  To save the Katra.

So, he pulled down on the shirt of his uniform.  Flattening out an already flattened shirt. A habit he had picked up over the years.

Then he addressed the group.  "Thank you all for coming.  For those of you who are here for the first time thanks to the Tempest, welcome.  For those of you who returned by shuttles from DS9, welcome back.

I am Kirok" he said and then bowed to the group.  Then he turned to his XO "With me is Kyle Briggs.  And we are currently under a state of emergency.

Thirteen days ago, there was an explosion on the station.  At this moment in time we do not know if it was intentional or accidental.  There were deaths, but luckily most of the crew and civilians were able to escape in pods and ships.  Some but not all have returned.  Our first task is to get Katra operational again.

The part of the station that took the brunt of the destruction fell to the planet below.  They have casualties and destruction there and they need our help.  Kyle I would like you to lead the team to the planet.  Wounded can be transported up to sickbay.

That means that Sickbay will be very busy.  None only with the remaining wounded, but with the newly arrived.   Dr. Xiiv, I will leave that to you.  But I would suggest that Eydis join you, if only to give support to Zex has yet to wake from a coma."

[Briefing Room | Katra Station]

"Sir," Xiiv said with a nod, her voice crisp as she thought over the information they had available. "Eydis is, as always, welcome. I'll begin triage as soon as I am set up and able. Any hands are welcome ones at this point."

Katra was a resilient station, she and her people. They'd get through this tragedy, mourn the lost, and do what they did best -- survive and then thrive. At least she was able to make her way back to the station from DS9, some hadn't even that option. Some had been lost to the black or worse because there was always worse. But she, too, had her own questions about who remained and who was gone. They'd eventually have casualty lists, taking stock of the living, dead, and missing but that would have to wait until the chaos of triage was eased a little. 

[Hrafn Falleg]

[Briefing Room | Katra Station]

"Sir," Xiiv said with a nod, her voice crisp as she thought over the information they had available. "Eydis is, as always, welcome. I'll begin triage as soon as I am set up and able. Any hands are welcome ones at this point."

Katra was a resilient station, she and her people. They'd get through this tragedy, mourn the lost, and do what they did best -- survive and then thrive. At least she was able to make her way back to the station from DS9, some hadn't even that option. Some had been lost to the black or worse because there was always worse. But she, too, had her own questions about who remained and who was gone. They'd eventually have casualty lists, taking stock of the living, dead, and missing but that would have to wait until the chaos of triage was eased a little.

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"I'm no medic, Doctor Xiiv, but I've learnt a fair bit over the years and with 4 kids and a husband I've managed to keep alive..." Hrafn injected a little bit of humour to help diffuse the tense atmosphere she was sensing from the situation and try to keep herself from just breaking down and crying.  She'd been weeping for the kids and those she considered family for the past few days wondering where they were.

She'd not had a minute spare to 'mind ping' them so she wasn't sure wasn't sure of their 'status'.

"...that said... my hands are for use wherever anyone can best use me."

[Meanwhile... somewhere out there on the  USS Tigris NCC-72854 (Yellowstone Class Runabout attached to Katra normally)]
[As NPCs Crista LePrant (Hrafn's Nanny), James (Crista's fiance), Anth McCutcheon (Daystrom Scientist), Ujosso Cunzicht (Station Headmistress, Hrafn's best friend on the station) and the Falleg-Tekin kids - Tidu, Nerys and Lamar]

"Do you think Mammy will get back to Katra now that we know she's alive?" Tidu asked.

"Oh she's sure to eventually, or try to send a message via passing trade ships if she's delayed in some way because of the Healy being repaired." James put in.

"But she won't know what's happened to us!" Nerys said a little worried.

"Your Mammy is a sensible woman and she knows that the station has escape pods, shuttlecraft etc., she won't worry until she has to..." Ujosso began.

"They'll know the escape pods and auxiliary craft have gone, so they might be able to track them, as soon as they have some communication even if they don't have resources at Katra to come out and rescue us, they can have people come in from DS9 or wherever! We have communication, just I think Katra's shot so nothing can get through, once they're up and running that end the automatic distress signals will start pinging back to them and they'll be able to locate us.  We can't go back yet, we don't know if it's safe, and it's only fair that we keep a look out for the escape pods." Anth said with a smile.

"Aaaand you have your little failsafe, to let her know you're alive, even if you don't know where each other is, and that's got to be some comfort!" Crista put in.

"I'M HUNGRY!" a small voice complained from between Crista and James.  It caused all the inhabitants of the pod to giggle and start looking around for some rations.

They were fine, alive, knowing that Hrafn was alive. They were together and somehow, at some point, they would be reunited with the other parts of their family.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Briefing Room >

The slender scientist quietly sat next to Hrafn, her hands huddled together between her knees and her eyes attentive following the conversation around her.
It had been thirteen days, eight hours and roughly twenty three minutes since the fateful; mysterious explosion that had brought so much suffering upon Katra's inhabitants.
She had been heading towards the docking saucer, planning to hand in an observatory request, but mostly trying to calm herself down that night when the incident had happened.

The last six weeks, twenty one days and eighteen hours - ever since she had merged and been detached from the Trialus anomaly - had proven to be nothing but traumatic for the scientist.
What had been a gift to most: A moment of universal harmony, had proved to become a curse for the Romulan.
For a brink moment, she had been one with the universe around her; had experienced love, hate, family, loss, gain and company of everyone, and - most importantly - experienced worlds and knowledge to last countless lifetimes"¦.
It had been the pinnacle of what every curious, scientific mind could have ever hoped to achieve, and for a short moment, Sirol had been"¦ Fulfilled"¦
Only to be metaphorically ripped away; back into her old, cold, shallow and lonely life, with the acquired wisdom, memories and lifes slowly sliding into oblivion, as with every memory that could not immediately be refreshed"¦
For days and weeks she had tried to write and draw down as much as possible to help her remember, yet by the end, it had been a battle against time.
A battle Sirol had lost"¦

When the explosion came, she had just been standing there, a tiny fracture in her mind telling her that everything was alright, and that the best parts of her had stayed within the Trialus anomaly months ago"¦
Sirol had simply lacked the - to most species innate - instinct for self preservation.
It had not been a conscious decision to leave.
It had simply been a lack of motivation to stay"¦
Time had seemed to slow down as Sirol had been staring into the flames and fractures and saw their strange symmetric beauty"¦
Only ever when she felt two hands tightly grabbing her shoulders and pulling her through the hangar bay, she had begun to realise that she had been lying on the ground among the flames; that she had been unable to feel her body for an indefinite amount of time"¦

Someone had stopped by to save her, yet before she had been able to react, she had passed out, only to later find herself aboard a ship; her wounds being tended to as well as the situation and equipment had allowed in this constellation of events and personnel.

Now all Sirol could do was try to make herself useful"¦
Despite most of her acute injuries being treated a few more grave damages would take their time to heal"¦ With her fractured spine and tibias requiring some extra attendance - even though it was nothing out of the ordinary...
Yet the inconvenience was real: For the next few weeks being, Sirol would be bound to a standard issue exoskeletal support frame, helping her to walk and move while taking reducing pressure onto her healing spine"¦
Quietly sitting in the chair next to Hrafn, Sirol listened to her explanation, yet remained silent herself. For now.

Upon hearing that her friend had lost her oldest son, Sirol could feel her chest clenching.
She could feel the other one's pain all too well, although now was not the right moment to show.
Instead she calmly nodded towards her inquiry as to where the Main Staff was.
Sirol had been worried as well"¦
What would Katra be without her Captain Solluk?

With that, she leaned back again, then let her eyes wander through the room.
Kirok - of whom she was not yet sure what particular position he would occupy - seemed to be genuinely willing to solve the situation as fast and efficient as possible, and so seemed Kyle Briggs and Doctor Xiiv, although it was hard to properly pinpoint what sort of officers either of them was yet, without any more communication for Sirol to properly assess the strangers.

[Kirok]

[Briefing Room - Present Day - Katra Station]

Kirok focused his attention of Hfafn.  He listened.  She was of course and understandable concerned for her children and her co-workers.

"Greeting, Ms. Falleg.  Thank you for the warm welcome.  The search for your children and co-workers will, of course, continue.  Having you on the control center with me will allow you to multi-task on not only trying to find out the cause of the incident, but also help to track down the unaccounted for pods.  Keeping Mr. Ferris with us will guarantee that we have a pilot on hand to take you to them once your children are located.   As for Solluk and the other missing officers, I have no other information at this time.  But like your children, we will do everything we can to find them" he said honestly.

He then turned to the new doctor.  "Thank you for that" he said.   "This is an all hands situation and we appreciated the ambassador's help" he said and offed a nod to Eydis.

[NPC EQ Kimball]

EQ had been sitting in the back row.  He stood and offed a nod to Kyle.  "I'm happy to join the planet side mission" he offered.

[Gideon Drake]

It had been thirteen days, eight hours and roughly twenty three minutes since the fateful; mysterious explosion that had brought so much suffering upon Katra's inhabitants.
She had been heading towards the docking saucer, planning to hand in an observatory request, but mostly trying to calm herself down that night when the incident had happened.

The last six weeks, twenty one days and eighteen hours - ever since she had merged and been detached from the Trialus anomaly - had proven to be nothing but traumatic for the scientist.
What had been a gift to most: A moment of universal harmony, had proved to become a curse for the Romulan.
For a brink moment, she had been one with the universe around her; had experienced love, hate, family, loss, gain and company of everyone, and - most importantly - experienced worlds and knowledge to last countless lifetimes"¦.
It had been the pinnacle of what every curious, scientific mind could have ever hoped to achieve, and for a short moment, Sirol had been"¦ Fulfilled"¦
Only to be metaphorically ripped away; back into her old, cold, shallow and lonely life, with the acquired wisdom, memories and lifes slowly sliding into oblivion, as with every memory that could not immediately be refreshed"¦
For days and weeks she had tried to write and draw down as much as possible to help her remember, yet by the end, it had been a battle against time.
A battle Sirol had lost"¦

When the explosion came, she had just been standing there, a tiny fracture in her mind telling her that everything was alright, and that the best parts of her had stayed within the Trialus anomaly months ago"¦
Sirol had simply lacked the - to most species innate - instinct for self preservation.
It had not been a conscious decision to leave.
It had simply been a lack of motivation to stay"¦
Time had seemed to slow down as Sirol had been staring into the flames and fractures and saw their strange symmetric beauty"¦
Only ever when she felt two hands tightly grabbing her shoulders and pulling her through the hangar bay, she had begun to realise that she had been lying on the ground among the flames; that she had been unable to feel her body for an indefinite amount of time"¦

Someone had stopped by to save her, yet before she had been able to react, she had passed out, only to later find herself aboard a ship; her wounds being tended to as well as the situation and equipment had allowed in this constellation of events and personnel.

Now all Sirol could do was try to make herself useful"¦
Despite most of her acute injuries being treated a few more grave damages would take their time to heal"¦ With her fractured spine and tibias requiring some extra attendance - even though it was nothing out of the ordinary...
Yet the inconvenience was real: For the next few weeks being, Sirol would be bound to a standard issue exoskeletal support frame, helping her to walk and move while taking reducing pressure onto her healing spine"¦

[Ensign Gideon Drake | Sweet Tooth Cafe | Promenade | Deck Fourteen | Katra Station]

As Gideon ate, expecting a new flight assignment at a moment's notice, he thought back to the girl he saved when the explosion happened. He always was the chivalrous type, it came with coming from generations, coming from a family old enough to have its own medieval coat of arms, even if it had a duck in it.

He never forgot it; crikey, he may not even forget that as long as he lived, and it had to happen in his first few days of his first post. The only reason he wasn't mentally scarred for life was that he was a lot tougher than he looked, it goes from having Celt blood. His ears rang for hours after that, though.

He was fortunate to have been on the far side of the hangar when it happened. Crikey, he was lucky to have even made it out with shrapnel grazing the side of his forehead. He had, however, seen the woman who wasn't so fortunate. Gideon rushed over, determined to do something. He grabbed her shoulders and dragged her to the nearest craft, transporting her to a safe docking module and getting her to the infirmary as fast as he could.

As he drew close to get her out, he could see the ears, and at first thought she was Vulcan. Then he saw the forehead. Romulan. Well, it didn't matter, this was Katra Station, after all, and he had nothing against Romulans, poor homeless buggers for the most part.

He could definitely see he looked like he was covered in Christmas colours; red on his head from his ginger hair and the blood from where he got grazed, and the green blood from the woman he saved mostly on his hands. Certainly the first time he had seen so much blood, but injuries were to be expected, it came with the job.

He wondered what Lieutenant Ferris had for him. He was expecting to helm a transport to carry refugees or perhaps he would be of use with trying to help at Meridian below, the nearby planet and where also a part of Katra was flung like a comet. He was almost done anyway and he wondered if he may have to wait at Ferris' office for his next assignment; the Promenade was looking dismal at the moment, anyway.

[Amarande Xiiv]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"I'm no medic, Doctor Xiiv, but I've learnt a fair bit over the years and with 4 kids and a husband I've managed to keep alive..." Hrafn injected a little bit of humour to help diffuse the tense atmosphere she was sensing from the situation and try to keep herself from just breaking down and crying.  She'd been weeping for the kids and those she considered family for the past few days wondering where they were.

She'd not had a minute spare to 'mind ping' them so she wasn't sure wasn't sure of their 'status'.

"...that said... my hands are for use wherever anyone can best use me."

"Consider your hands needed," Xiiv said with a slight nod. "They'll be well used and it will serve to keep you busy until your talents are needed elsewhere. I'm sure things will go just fine once we get out there and start some well-needed triage and clean up. There won't be a member of us that won't have something to do, that's for sure."

[Don Damien Addams]

[Katra station - unknown deck] (Katra piece on planet)

The soft sticky tongue licked the cheek of the human who was raised by Klingons. The eyes cringed as the heating pain ripped through his chest as he came around. It had been hours (days) since the chaotic explosion had hit Katra.

Meow!

Kal saw he was impaled with a steel rod which was in his chest. Lucky him it had not killed him. He saw he was not going to be moving cause the rod was through the ceiling, through him and into the floor. He felt that his blue pace maker was dim. That was not good. Something kept him alive.

Meow?

Little black kitten his ear. Bright green eyes was lit by the dim light in the tunnel...

The kitten he seemed to save from the steel rod which impaled him. He gave his life to a kitten.

Meow.

"Hey...shh. We. are . safe," he tried to assure the kitten.

He had remembered he was here coming out and in his coma? or injury? He could not move his right arm which was wedge under his body. He screamed as he moved it out under neath him.

Meow.

"Go get help," he told the cat.

Meow. It stared at him like not knowing what to do.

Why it has to be a kitten?

The kitten had decided to walk on his face and its tail was waving in his eyes. "Oh. Stop. It."

[Kyle Briggs]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

Kyle had recently finished up one hell of a mission aboard the Challenger and had been unaware that it would be his last. He had received new orders that had sent him to Starbase Katra as the XO to Captain Kirok. They had worked together before in the past and Kyle looked forward to seeing him again. He had taken a hot shot shuttle to the base and had almost no time to read up on the personnel but he had heard about an explosion. He arrived and got settled in just the day before and now here they were getting ready to figure out what the hell had happened.

"The part of the station that took the brunt of the destruction fell to the planet below.  They have casualties and destruction there and they need our help.  Kyle I would like you to lead the team to the planet.  Wounded can be transported up to sickbay.

That means that Sickbay will be very busy.  None only with the remaining wounded, but with the newly arrived.   Dr. Xiiv, I will leave that to you.  But I would suggest that Eydis join you, if only to give support to Zex has yet to wake from a coma."

"Aye, Sir." Kyle replied as he began tapping on his PADD. It was a quick and simple response but time was of the essence. He called up the stations roster. It included all the missing personnel as well so his detail was going to be hit and miss. He noticed the name of his old friend Rayek under security and wished the man was there to assist. He shot off a quick order to the security department for the small detail he required before entering the conversations with the Captain, the doctor and Hrafn, whom he hadn't noticed had appeared.

"Hrafn. It's great to see you again. When this is over, we'll have to catch up." he said before continuing. "Sir. I understand we may be short but I think we need to take a few medical personnel down with us. We may be able to handle some injuries on site."

[NPC EQ Kimball]

EQ had been sitting in the back row.  He stood and offed a nod to Kyle.  "I'm happy to join the planet side mission" he offered.

"Sounds good. I'll take all the help I can get down there." Kyle replied. He wasn't sure exactly who the man was or what department he was even in but it was more hands and they could certainly use them.

[Kirok]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

Kirok nodded in response to Kyle request.  Under normal circumstances they would have excess personal to send.  But at the moment they were very short staffed.

And the uncomfortable truth was that the half-Vulcan expected the away team to find more dead than wounded.  But he was reluctant to saying so in the group setting.  And it was possible that he was wrong.

"Of course, take anyone that we can spare.  I can even let you take Dillon if you like.  The leader is waiting for you on the surface.  He has a daughter that has yet to be located" Kirok added with the implication that that matter would need to take some priority after they arrived on the planet.

[Eydis]

Eydis would appear without hir suit a bluish tinge to hir crystalline body and a reddish glow. It was normal bluish glow but had become red perhaps due to Zex being injured. But thanks to the warning zex had given the tholians were prepared. The director and hir delegation had been rushed aboard the ship. As the chaos unfolded Eydis had made sure to cool down and make a livable the hatchway embarkation room on the Etain. Helping as many as could be fit into the small room.

Then using the distress message over the lattice shi went for hir friend zex, shi picked up the unconscious deltan. Cradling hir friend and then heading to get hir to safety. That had been thirteen days ago and the director had been fetched by a cruiser along with hir personal. The assembly did not wish to keep the director tsyen exposed.

So all that was left was the Etain and hit crew. A lone tholian frigate and a widow escort fighter and pair of xindi insectiod assault shuttles

Eydis would watch the meeting and nod to Kirok, but it was clear the tholian captain was occupied with thoughts of hir friends both zex and missing kal. It did not sit well with the tholian that kal may of met such a inglorious end and not in a pitched heroic battle.

Yes I will stay with friend zex. If you wish I will deploy the Etain to aid in the search along with my shuttles and ground forces to aid in location of any survivors. Hir clicking squealing chirping noise frayed a bit and the translator lagged a little

[Amarande Xiiv]

Eydis would appear without hir suit a bluish tinge to hir crystalline body and a reddish glow. It was normal bluish glow but had become red perhaps due to Zex being injured. But thanks to the warning zex had given the tholians were prepared. The director and hir delegation had been rushed aboard the ship. As the chaos unfolded Eydis had made sure to cool down and make a livable the hatchway embarkation room on the Etain. Helping as many as could be fit into the small room.

Then using the distress message over the lattice shi went for hir friend zex, shi picked up the unconscious deltan. Cradling hir friend and then heading to get hir to safety. That had been thirteen days ago and the director had been fetched by a cruiser along with hir personal. The assembly did not wish to keep the director tsyen exposed.

So all that was left was the Etain and hit crew. A lone tholian frigate and a widow escort fighter and pair of xindi insectiod assault shuttles

Eydis would watch the meeting and nod to Kirok, but it was clear the tholian captain was occupied with thoughts of hir friends both zex and missing kal. It did not sit well with the tholian that kal may of met such a inglorious end and not in a pitched heroic battle.

Yes I will stay with friend zex. If you wish I will deploy the Etain to aid in the search along with my shuttles and ground forces to aid in location of any survivors. Hir clicking squealing chirping noise frayed a bit and the translator lagged a little

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

Xiiv nodded to the Tholian, her hazel eyes serious and her lips white as she mentally prepared for the search and rescue that would follow the meeting, her hands clasped. The Tholian delegation's ships and extra hands would be invaluable if they were to save the remaining lives left in the long limbo between the explosion and their efforts now. While she verbalized nothing, her thoughts were with the missing and those who had died in the initial explosion. The best they could do now was salvage and hope for survivors.

Her job was twice as difficult with the delay. Thirteen awful days of silence after one moment of blinding, horrifying destruction. It had been her duty to reboard Katra, so when that call had gone out, she had wasted no time getting what little she had together to join the effort. She watched both Briggs and Kirok with quiet contemplation, knowing they would do the best they could with the situation. It was what Starfleet did best in times of crisis, pull together as one. While the events were fuzzy, at best, they'd come through it united.

After a pause, she spoke quietly.

"The faster we can get to the wounded, both on the planet and in the station, the more lives will be saved. I feel it's imperative that we get started as soon as possible. Sirs? Permission to begin search and rescue on Katra? Eydis, my thanks to you and yours for the added support. I know every pair of hands will help save a life," Xiiv said crisply, her eyes on Kirok for the go-ahead.

[Hrafn Falleg]

< Katra Station / Briefing Room >

The slender scientist quietly sat next to Hrafn, her hands huddled together between her knees and her eyes attentive following the conversation around her.
It had been thirteen days, eight hours and roughly twenty three minutes since the fateful; mysterious explosion that had brought so much suffering upon Katra's inhabitants.
She had been heading towards the docking saucer, planning to hand in an observatory request, but mostly trying to calm herself down that night when the incident had happened.

The last six weeks, twenty one days and eighteen hours - ever since she had merged and been detached from the Trialus anomaly - had proven to be nothing but traumatic for the scientist.
What had been a gift to most: A moment of universal harmony, had proved to become a curse for the Romulan.
For a brink moment, she had been one with the universe around her; had experienced love, hate, family, loss, gain and company of everyone, and - most importantly - experienced worlds and knowledge to last countless lifetimes"¦.
It had been the pinnacle of what every curious, scientific mind could have ever hoped to achieve, and for a short moment, Sirol had been"¦ Fulfilled"¦
Only to be metaphorically ripped away; back into her old, cold, shallow and lonely life, with the acquired wisdom, memories and lifes slowly sliding into oblivion, as with every memory that could not immediately be refreshed"¦
For days and weeks she had tried to write and draw down as much as possible to help her remember, yet by the end, it had been a battle against time.
A battle Sirol had lost"¦

When the explosion came, she had just been standing there, a tiny fracture in her mind telling her that everything was alright, and that the best parts of her had stayed within the Trialus anomaly months ago"¦
Sirol had simply lacked the - to most species innate - instinct for self preservation.
It had not been a conscious decision to leave.
It had simply been a lack of motivation to stay"¦
Time had seemed to slow down as Sirol had been staring into the flames and fractures and saw their strange symmetric beauty"¦
Only ever when she felt two hands tightly grabbing her shoulders and pulling her through the hangar bay, she had begun to realise that she had been lying on the ground among the flames; that she had been unable to feel her body for an indefinite amount of time"¦

Someone had stopped by to save her, yet before she had been able to react, she had passed out, only to later find herself aboard a ship; her wounds being tended to as well as the situation and equipment had allowed in this constellation of events and personnel.

Now all Sirol could do was try to make herself useful"¦
Despite most of her acute injuries being treated a few more grave damages would take their time to heal"¦ With her fractured spine and tibias requiring some extra attendance - even though it was nothing out of the ordinary...
Yet the inconvenience was real: For the next few weeks being, Sirol would be bound to a standard issue exoskeletal support frame, helping her to walk and move while taking reducing pressure onto her healing spine"¦
Quietly sitting in the chair next to Hrafn, Sirol listened to her explanation, yet remained silent herself. For now.

Upon hearing that her friend had lost her oldest son, Sirol could feel her chest clenching.
She could feel the other one's pain all too well, although now was not the right moment to show.
Instead she calmly nodded towards her inquiry as to where the Main Staff was.
Sirol had been worried as well"¦
What would Katra be without her Captain Solluk?

With that, she leaned back again, then let her eyes wander through the room.
Kirok - of whom she was not yet sure what particular position he would occupy - seemed to be genuinely willing to solve the situation as fast and efficient as possible, and so seemed Kyle Briggs and Doctor Xiiv, although it was hard to properly pinpoint what sort of officers either of them was yet, without any more communication for Sirol to properly assess the strangers.

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

Hrafn didn't need to be an empath to realise that the young Romulan beside her was not feeling her best self, and likely worried about the children too.

"Sirol dear, please don't blame yourself about the children if you are.  They have Crista, James and Ujosso I'm sure.  And I feel they are alive, where I'm not sure, but alive.  I'm sure before you know it Lamar will be glomping your legs and demanding hugs from his Nantie Sirol again!"

[Briefing Room - Present Day - Katra Station]

Kirok focused his attention of Hfafn.  He listened.  She was of course and understandable concerned for her children and her co-workers.

"Greeting, Ms. Falleg.  Thank you for the warm welcome.  The search for your children and co-workers will, of course, continue.  Having you on the control center with me will allow you to multi-task on not only trying to find out the cause of the incident, but also help to track down the unaccounted for pods.  Keeping Mr. Ferris with us will guarantee that we have a pilot on hand to take you to them once your children are located.   As for Solluk and the other missing officers, I have no other information at this time.  But like your children, we will do everything we can to find them" he said honestly.

He then turned to the new doctor.  "Thank you for that" he said.   "This is an all hands situation and we appreciated the ambassador's help" he said and offed a nod to Eydis.

[NPC EQ Kimball]

EQ had been sitting in the back row.  He stood and offed a nod to Kyle.  "I'm happy to join the planet side mission" he offered.

"Wherever I'm best suited, Captain, and I appreciate your words.  EQ... I didn't see you at the back there, welcome back!  I'm sure the children will be thrilled to see you too, they have missed their Uncle EQ and mention you still!"

"Consider your hands needed," Xiiv said with a slight nod. "They'll be well used and it will serve to keep you busy until your talents are needed elsewhere. I'm sure things will go just fine once we get out there and start some well-needed triage and clean up. There won't be a member of us that won't have something to do, that's for sure."

"I appear to have been commandeered by the boss, Doc... but I'm happy to second Ensign Sirol to you and I know she will apply herself as diligently as if I were there myself.  Sirol, trust me the second I get word about the children, I'll let you know too.  I know you're worrying as much as I."

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

Kyle had recently finished up one hell of a mission aboard the Challenger and had been unaware that it would be his last. He had received new orders that had sent him to Starbase Katra as the XO to Captain Kirok. They had worked together before in the past and Kyle looked forward to seeing him again. He had taken a hot shot shuttle to the base and had almost no time to read up on the personnel but he had heard about an explosion. He arrived and got settled in just the day before and now here they were getting ready to figure out what the hell had happened.

"Aye, Sir." Kyle replied as he began tapping on his PADD. It was a quick and simple response but time was of the essence. He called up the stations roster. It included all the missing personnel as well so his detail was going to be hit and miss. He noticed the name of his old friend Rayek under security and wished the man was there to assist. He shot off a quick order to the security department for the small detail he required before entering the conversations with the Captain, the doctor and Hrafn, whom he hadn't noticed had appeared.

"Hrafn. It's great to see you again. When this is over, we'll have to catch up." he said before continuing. "Sir. I understand we may be short but I think we need to take a few medical personnel down with us. We may be able to handle some injuries on site."

"Sounds good. I'll take all the help I can get down there." Kyle replied. He wasn't sure exactly who the man was or what department he was even in but it was more hands and they could certainly use them.

"Definitely, Kyle... when we're all back together, big family meal... obviously you're included in the 'family', as is each and every person in this room!"

She looked around.

"I have been Second Officer here in the past, I stepped down when Tidu was temporarily missing presumed dead as 'something' had to give.  However, I know the station like the back of my hand so if anyone needs anything... I'll do my best to help.  That said, I would advise getting the full crew component up, so we can check it off against who we have, who is missing, and any casualties and fatalities so we know who we're still looking for.  And then, see if Engineering can fix external communications and I'll see if I can find any warp trails or literally anything to locate the rest of our Katra dwellers.  That will be a side issue that once we have systems working we can get the rest going.  I'm ready to get going as much as I can."