S2 M10: The Hunt

[Kirok]

[HUNTER RUNABOUT]

After everyone was aboard, EQ pressed a button to close the ramp.  He then turned to Malik and offered a high five.  "We did it" he said.

Then he turned to check to see if anyone was injured.  "Is everyone ok?  Anyone injured" he asked?

[Ozu Saya]

[Shopping Center]

The jury rigged communication device gave a warbling chirp behind her and Saya whipped around, nearly falling backward out of the truck with the sudden movement, and called out, The jamming signal is down! The ship should be able to start beaming--

She, Kyo, and a few of the other crew members materialized on the pad in one of the Tempest's transporter rooms. Clear the pad, she yelled, kneeling to help Kyo slide off the platform. Someone help him to Sickbay, please, then report to your duty stations. I need to get to Engineering.

Kyo was helped to his feet by two crewmen, who supported him between them out into the corridor. As another group appeared on the transporter pad, Saya went to a storage locker and used her thumbprint to open it and grab a phaser and tricorder.

Computer, go to red alert. Security lockout, command officers only, Ozu Pi 394 Upsilon. Engage. Scan for Hunter lifesigns.

Saya began quick-walking toward Engineering, other engineers on her heels as the computer reported, Security lockout confirmed. There are no Hunter biosigns currently aboard.

[Klizh]

U.S.S. Tempest

In an emergency situation such as this, all the ship's transporters were utilized, and K'lizh found himself in the middle of the large transporter pad in one of the cargo bays. M'rill was transported aboard too--or rather, his body was, materializing vertically, only to fall with a sickening thud off the pad.

K'lizh and T'tell both cried out in horror, decending upon their fallen comrade. Several other crewmates surrounded them as K'lizh immediately ran for the emergency medical kit on the far wall and returned with the tricorder, muttering "No no no no no..." as the readings told him what his nose already had: M'rill was gone for good.

By the time the next batch of officers materialized in the cargo bay, they found K'lizh on the floor, holding the body against himself, wailing in grief. He was covered in hunter and Caitian blood, all over his hands, his uniform--even his mouth. T'tell was by his side, rocking in shocked silence.

[Jada]

[Shopping Centre]

Meanwhile, her mind lost to the present and civilised world, Jada continued her grisly work, beating out her fear and anger and frustration as she pounded the last spike into the Hunter's foot. 'See? Told you I'd get the job done.' She had him fully nailed to the door now, displaying him like one of his own hunting trophies. This was justice, after all. And it was merciful, because he wasn't even going to die, for days. 'Just try to stay comfortable, okay?' she told him, not inconsiderately. On his toes, he could just about support his own weight to avoid the pain, she knew, at least until it hurt too much and he'd have to hang on the spikes for a while. Torturing someone was hard work and, for someone who felt empathy, it was hard not to feel sympathy, even to build up a kind of kinship. They were all in this together. 'Now, don't worry, mate. You'll be surprised what you can live through.' she offered encouragingly as she started to do something known in Starfleet Intelligence reports on the Syndicate as the Orion belt buckle. 'You're doing great! Let me know when to slow down, okay?'

But then the world turned from red to blue, and she was taken away...

The derelict shopping centre was left empty and quiet, bar the sobs and screams of the maimed survivors of the fight and the victims of DIY chuulak, left lying or hanging around. As they waited for other Ochshea to come and see the results of their hunt, they would have plenty of time to think on what they'd done and how they would never hunt Starfleet again, and especially the green devil.

[Transporter Room 1, USS Tempest]

Suddenly Jada was wrenched from one world and into another, from the ruined city to the shining starship, from the horrid nightmare to the grim reality. In shock, she staggered back against the far wall of the transporter pad and stared and stared at her bloody hands. What had she done?

[USS Tempest]

Over the next few hours, the crew and civilians were beamed steadily back up to the ship and returned to their stations, while the stolen Hunter shuttle was flown into the hangar. It would be confiscated by Starfleet and scrutinised for clues to their new enemy.

However, there was no time to recover and deal with their shock and trauma, as they had to repair the ship and get away before any more Ochshea showed up to challenge them. Those who were wounded were taken to Sickbay, some for urgent treatment. Those who'd been killed were sent to the morgue.

Fortunately, with Ivrus's aid and orbital scans, they quickly identified the creche where the children (and Talie Tunnelmouse, oddly) had been taken to be raised for the hunt in future seasons. Ivrus also contacted his people and they beamed up as many Tosh as they could find. They would be resettled in the Alpa Quadrant, where they would never be hunted again.

[Inzjana]

HUNTER RUNABOUT

Inzjana was completely exhausted by the time she had safely flown the Hunter Runabout directly into the shuttle bay of the Tempest, where she finally shut down the engines and made it to the rear crew cabin. "We can disembark now," Inzjana said before collapsing to the floor unconscious, her body finally succumbing to her trauma.

USS TEMPEST SHUTTLE BAY TWO

Waking up on a biobed, Inzjana looked around groggily for an attendant and asked if everyone was safe. She hadn't known the crew for long, but no matter where she was, life in all its forms was precious.

Once cleared by the Chief Medical Officer, Inzjana made her way to her personal quarters where her beloved pet rabbit was waiting for her, for her nightly pats. Thankfully the Pet Crate she was in, gave the Japanese Harlequin everything the little rabbit would ever need. Food and water via a built in replicator and her own personal environmentally controlled space, kept clean by nanotechnology.

Inzjana washed her hands and had a much needed shower, before she got dressed in something more comfortable to give her rabbit, Kara, a cuddle whilst sipping a freshly replicated cup of Vulcan Spice Tea. Kara quietly chatted to Inzjana, like only rabbits can, as Inzjana picked up her smart-glass to write her report.

[Kirok]

[USS TEMPEST SHUTTLE BAY TWO]

"Home sweet home" EQ called out ounce there were inside shuttle bay two.  And the doors were closed.  And he exited the shuttle.

[Ozu Saya]

[Engineering ---> Sickbay ---> Kyo's quarters]

Saya worried about Kyo the entire time she was in Engineering, trying to salvage the shiny, newly refit ship, but something the Hunters had done had just broken it. They would be limping away, at best.

She set engineers to repairing what could be and jury-rigging the rest. Up to her elbows in isolinear chips as she tried to bypass fried junctions, Saya thought back over her reaction to Kyo's being in danger and getting shot.

She realized two things - One: she loved him. She'd been denying it and avoiding it since Judy had bluntly informed her of Kyo's feelings a couple of months ago. Two: her intermittent moodiness made complete and utter sense. Saya couldn't believe how stupid she'd been to overlook that aspect of her biology. She was going to have to have a conversation with Kyo, soon.

Now that they were out of immediate danger, Saya could feel her control on her emotions cracking further. On the planet, the moments of rage and fear had made sense in context, but she hadn't been able to recover once they'd returned to the ship.

After working a double shift, Saya had to take a break. She went to Sickbay to check on Kyo, only to be informed that he'd been sent back to his quarters to recuperate. Sickbay was chaotic, with the medical staff still identifying their lost crewmates and caring for the massive number of injuries incurred. Kyo's injuries had been healed to a point, then he was shunted to lower priority as more serious injuries came in. With a nod of thanks to the harried medic who had answered her questions, Saya left and headed to Kyo's quarters.
Saya paused outside his door, resting her hand against it for a moment as she felt Kyo moving slowly about his quarters. Over their months together, a rudimentary mental bond had developed. It was one-way and didn't allow Saya to sense his thoughts from a distance, but she could sense when he was near.

She tapped the door chime and entered at Kyo's call.

Saya had had every intention of speaking to Kyo and explaining things, but when the door opened and she saw him, Saya's final bit of control snapped and she threw herself into his arms. She trusted in Kyo's steadiness and steadfastness in his continued statements that he knew she was his one and only.

*****

At some point over the next few hours, Saya did finally explain things. Kyo just grinned like a fool, though he did voice his concern that Saya would feel as if she'd been forced to move forward before she was ready.

All she said was, Maybe I needed the push. Otherwise it might have taken me another year to work up the courage to tell you I love you.

[Klizh]

Bridge

Still in blood-stained clothes, K'lizh eventually gained enough composure to make his way to the Bridge. He had just been notified both Hawk and Wu had been injured planetside; K'lizh was in command. Bad luck. Very, very bad luck.

For the Ochoa.

Enough crew had beamed aboard that the bridge had a skeleton crew manning stations. K'lizh didn't even wait for the turbolift doors to finish opening before he leapt over to the tactical station. "Computer, scan the planet surface bellow for nearby power installations!"

Scanning... Fifteen installations of such parameters have been detected.

"Send their coordinates to the tactical station. Somebody get me power to phasers!"

"Sir?" asked a confused Andorian ensign with a cut across her face.

"You heard me!" K'lizh snarled, though he didn't wait for the ensign to respond, instead shoving them out of the Ops station and coaxing what power he could find into the weapons systems himself.

"Sir, I don't think this is prudent-"

K'lizh glanced up with sharp, dangerous eyes. "We did not escape with their permission, ensign. We cannot risk them bringing their weapons to bare against us again. Additionally, we cannot chance them bringing shields online that can prevent us beaming the rest of the crew out." He leapt over the Captain's chair as he spoke, all business as he assumed the tactical station, locked in the coordinates... and fired.

Beams of punishing energy lanced out from the ship, down onto four points across the planet's surface. And then another four points were targeted, and another, and finally another three. The computer registered the complete destruction of all power plants across the facing hemisphere of the planet, followed by rolling blackouts across all urban regions.

"But sir, what if they had hospitals on those power grids?" asked a human Lieutenant.

"If they were not fools, their hospitals should be equipped with emergency generators. Regardless, they committed an act of war against the Federation, murdered our crewmates, and threatened our children. They cannot be allowed to think they can continue doing this. If Starfleet Command decides to end my career over this, I'll hand over my pips satisfied that I did the right thing."

He pulled his hands free of the Tactical station--and realized he had embedded his claw marks into the faux-wood facade. He circled around to the Captain's chair and sat down in it with a menacing air. "Now, I want all torpedo bays loaded in case there are ships in orbit, and then I want someone to get the shuttlecraft's transporters' online to finish getting our people on board before we get the hell out of here."

"Yes, sir!"

K'lizh had once told Admiral Rellek, and repeated it to Captain Hawk, that he had no desire for promotion. He was happy where he stood, as head of a department. The offer of a promotion to Commander had once been offered to him, which he had turned down. He did not want to have to shoulder the burden of making the hard decisions, like the one he had just made. But here he was, and here he had done it.

May the Great Mother save his soul.