Amid All Our Sorrows.

Posted on Fri May 24th, 2019 @ 7:11pm by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant Chester O'Hamlin & Lieutenant Commander Shadi Zatra & Lieutenant Dinui Locke (loch)

1,670 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: S1:4: A Murder Of Crows
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD63 13.45PM

Remas had seen battles before. He had seen things that constituted wars. He had seen things that in his darkest nights awoke him, not with images and memories, but the phantom feeling of that particular moment.

The scene he was witness to in sickbay would be joining that night cabaret. The ships internal transporter network was working to remove the bodies, placing them into storage, but the butcher's bill had been high. Far too high. A single Reka at the height of its power had gone through the medical bay like a whirling dervish of destruction.

Well, not a single Reka. But a guided one. Tsabina..

Remas drew his eyes away from the emptying sickbay, and to the assembled command crew who had gathered here along with the Reka turncoat.

"We're hidden at the moment, but I'd not count on that lasting for much longer," Remas said. "Lieutenant Commander Zatra, did you proud Victor, took out a Reka carrier craft rather handily if I do say so myself."

The compliment made Shadi's neck bobble her head with pride. "Today I became the fuck fist of the Blood Goddess."

That....got a moments consideration from everyone. Except Bar'soon who just clapped avidly from the back of the room.

"We'll make you a tactical officer yet Shadi." Vic said with a chuckle, though it was short lived given what was around them.

Dinui was still cursing under her breath, it had been bad enough being tricked and 'caged' in the CMO's office. She was more bothered that Tsabina had been at the core of the betrayal, ensuing chaos, and death that roiled through Sickbay. Dinui took a few calming breaths as she eyed the supposedly tame Reka as it stood near the Captain, her silver and emerald eyes bright with anger and tears.

"Clamhan(buzzard, kite), why do ye stand wi' us?" her voice was pitched low, trembed with her anger and hurt, at the loss of lives and betrayal in Sickbay.

The Reka Dinui was speaking too was flanked by a pair of Victor's trigger pullers, and it looked down at her with its four eyes.

"This was not the work of my Den. This is the madness and blood sport of the Bone Shard Crowns, the ones who calm this star as their fiefdom on behalf of the Myriad. I am a fledge of the Seven Dancing Shadows, a smaller den. A hidden Den. We do not seek compliance with the Myriad," it said, borrowing a handful of voices to make itself heard. "I was just in the right place, at the right time. When your ship came alongside the planetary shard the Bone Shard's were mining, they were quick to move with what they had ready. Had your ship in its current state been set upon by a fully raiding flock, you would not have survived with so light a casualty list."

"I wouldn't call 20 dead light," Remas said in a hollow voice.

"I would," The Reka said simply. "For a Reka, death is a certainty. Death with purpose, now that is rare."

Peeph nodded. His antennae leaned forward towards the Reka and said in his soft voice, "This is true. I come from a race of warriors. Death with a true purpose, more than a scrap of land, is something rare. However, I fail to see the purpose in this. But, Captain, I do believe that we should talk privately about our nurse."

Jolani looked at Peeph, eyes blazing and yet questioning. "The fact that she injected me with a sedative and was crazy? That's a private discussion?"

"That flirty nurse with the forehead stamp did all this?" Shadi scoffed. "I don't know about that."

"No...she did much more than this. We are a flock, we group together, and always a leader appears. The stronger the mind, the shrewder cunning. This can change on circumstance, and by design. Sometimes it can be forced. This...huum, I have no stolen words to use for her. She is a Song Stealer, a rare and vicious kin among the Reka. They have been our greatest leaders, united many hundreds of Den's to their banner with a single thought. They were also the means by which our kind was enslaved to the Myriad," The Reka said. "The minds of the Bone Shard Crowns will be bent to her will soon. And they will act at her direction."

Shadi snorted incredulously. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." Turning to Remas, she boasted, "Captain, by your leave, I will track her down and bring her to justice myself. This is a matter of blood now."

"Request denied," Remas said with a heavy sigh. "I can't see a cast here that sees us gain more than we'd lose. We're badly damaged, more so than when we arrived. I think as a reasonable cause of action we need to ponder just running for Carpathia."

"What?!" Shadi blurted, then asked almost petulantly, "But what about the blood vendetta?!"

"We'll get our chance Shadi I promise you that." Vic responded looking on into the chaos that was Sickbay. "Oh, we'll get our chance."

"If anyone has a better idea, I think we can break from here and get our departments up to speed. Ari, I know engineering is a mess of wires and metal fires, but if we can eek out a high warp sprint we can make Carpathia in 48 hours. That's all we need. Victor, make an inventory of our weapons and make them as ready as they can be. With only one functional bow cannon our big punch is a little left-leaning," he turned to the others, "Dinui I'll need keen eyes on the sensors. The moment we break cover we'll be in a race. I'll need to know where and what our threats are coming from. And Chet, I need my best pilot back at the helm. I know sickbay is in a world of hurt, but I require her presence post haste."

At first Shadi felt left out that she wasn't given an assignment. But then she remembered, despite recent events, she still had an egg to watch. It wouldn't do for the egg to spoil. Mazarian would never forgive her!

Peeph put a hand on Shadi, "These battles rarely are ended in one surprise attack. There will be something else. Be vigilant."

Jolani, for her part began to doubt this crew. She had thought that getting away from home would get her away from Fell and the memories there. She had worked her way towards duty taking precedence over all else, giving her some meaning again in life. Now, both had been taken away from her in this one incident with the Reka. She wondered what she might have left, if anything.

"Don't you worry," Shadi said to Peeph, her egg and the complicated relationship with Mazarian it represented both on her mind. "I'll think of something."

Uncertain about the ominous statement of not worrying, Peeph kept his thoughts to himself for the moment. Time with the Captain, likely was needed.

"That's good to hear," Remas said with a heavy weariness to his voice. "And what say you, my valiant crew?"

Jolani asked despondently, "What exactly do you want us to say? That we should watch our backs for the next traitor on this ship? That eventually someone is going to kill us all out here?"

"How about you say nothing and do your job?" Arivek asked. Without another word, he turned and walked away from the group, taking the Reka staff with him.

"We can't suspect everyone of being a traitor," put in Chet irritably. "That's no way to live. We'll start seeing ghosts at every turn. At the same time, we've got to know what to look for. There's got to be a happy medium."

Peeph's antennae drooped. He knew that there were valid feelings on all sides. At least Chet had a sensible statement. Arivek was not helping. His aggressive tone was only going to further divide the crew. "I think we definitely should have a meeting about this, Captain. The crew is under a great deal of stress and until we work it out, this could get worse and you may be sitting on a powder keg."

Dinui looked after Arivek's retreating figure with the Reka staff, "Iffen ye find how tha' works share the details please?" she then turned her attention to the Captain and the rest, "Ah'm here fo' the ship and crew, folks wi' do as they feel righ' meself this be my home, so ye want me on scanners tha' wha' Ah'm doin'. 'til Ah can help defuse those staffs." she paused and eyed Shadi a moment, "Ye'r egg was in Sickbay be it alright?"

"My egg is in my quarters," Shadi corrected. "Once the doctor gave it her blessing, I replicated an incubator and locked it away sssafe and sound."

"I'll add it to the list of things," Remas said. "But first off we make an escape. Doc, get Jolani shipshape enough to man the conn. I want a hand on the controls that use to throwing the weight around of a starship. Tra'vs a fine ship, but my hand is fairer on a small craft than her ladyship here."

"The Bone Shard Crowns will not make it easy for you to escape their clutches. They know where you are hiding," the Reka said, cocking its head to one side. "But they do not know where you are going."

"Then we have an advantage of sorts," Remas said. "Er....you'll pardon me for this, but I'd prefer folks were able to call you by your name rather than as 'our traitorous Reka'."

"Why not? It's accurate. But...huum. If you require it, given my nature as Second Of Assasins and Liars, you might call me...Weather," the Reka said after some thought.

"Oft changing?" Remas enquired.

"Oft dangerous," the Reka replied in a double of the captains Rish voice.

 

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