Potential Rescue party

Posted on Sat Jun 1st, 2024 @ 10:02am by Warrant Officer Iryna Voznyuk & Ensign Mercy Mourne

Mission: Contagion
Location: Locker Room
Timeline: Day 367
2071 words - 4.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Iryna hated to use the transporters but needs must they needed a large party and they need to get a party over there very quickly to get the crew and the shuttlepod back out. The woman had quickly made sure that everyone had a weapon and armour, but it had been left to them to sort it all out and make sure it was correct. “Everyone ready if we have to go?” She questioned quickly knowing that a lot of them round be nervous with going into a gestational t'Sayxrosia but they had to get their crew back and keep the Luminari safe. They were in the former MACO locker room as the transporter was needed to bring the other ships captain over but it did not help the nerves of anyone being sat down.

Mercy took a slow, steadying breath. She strapped the phaser pistol to her side, and then occupied her hands by fiddling with the settings on her portable scanner to hide her nerves. "She made sure she was ready to immediately start taking readings once they had been transporting over. Once set up she looked at Iryna and gave her a brief nod. "Ready sir." She gripped the scanner a little tighter to prevent her hands shaking. 'Do it for the data, and to get everyone home safe.' The thought helped keep her heart rate in check.

Iryan nodded at the group as she glanced down at her chrono meter. They had made good time in getting ready but it left them with 30 minutes to spare before she gave the order to go across. "Good, we have 30 minutes. Let's hope we do not have to go across." She murmured inpatient to know either way. It was always the worst part of it all.

Mercy fiddled with her scanner a moment more before looking at Iryna. "Uhm... I don't mean to be a mother hen Officer Voznyuk, but how is your shoulder?" She remembered her security certification, and the woman had not been in fighting shape then. "I hear shoulder injuries can be notoriously slow to heal." Mercy then cleared her throat and dropped her gaze back to the scanner.

“Had better shoulder days but I won’t stop me from getting our colleagues back if I need to.” Iryna said looking down at the woman where she was sat on the bench. She was not used to concern so it took a couple of moments for her to see it and acknowledge it by sitting down on the bench next to her. “I’ll be fine to lead Ensign.”

Mercy looked the woman beside her with wide eyes when she sat down. "Oh no! I know you can lead. I think you can lead better than most of us with two hands tied behind your back. I was just... well I'm worried you'll aggravate your injury is all. But you know your body better than anyone else right?" She then ducked her head, hiding behind her hair again.

Iryna smiled a little at the concern. The brunette was amazed that a Starfleet officer was showing any concern for her after the way relationships had gone between the two services on other ships but she guessed it was going to happen eventually with how isolated they were with only 70 of them onboard. “Thank you for showing concern but I am okay and nothing will stop me getting the others back. Cusack once said I would still find a way to slap him with both arms out of action so nice to know that it is universal that people think that.”

Mercy felt a surprised laugh bubble up out of her. "You do give 'I could slap you with a look energy' sometimes." She shook her head and then tucked her hair behind her ear as she gives the woman a shy smile. "And there's no need to thank me, we should all look out for each other right? Speaking of which, if there's any heavy lifting to do, how about you let us take care of it. That way you can stay sharp and save your arm?"

“What happens when you are a woman in a man’s world. You have to be better, be stronger and be smarter.” She whispered softly. It was very different for the Earth Starfleet women they had female Captains and Officers in many places the MACOs had very few women in high ranking positions. “You are very kind.” Iryna was not sure how to react to the kindness.

Mercy nodded in understanding and gave a small sympathetic hum. “Not so much kindness as useful learned behaviour. Like survival of the fittest, but I see it as survival of the strongest social group. It’s almost an imperative. We won’t get far out here if we don’t look out for each other. Besides… it’s the least I could do when you were so kind the other day.”

Iryna raised an eyebrow. “I was not kind. I was tough because I know you can do it.” Iryna said simply as she glanced up at Benjamin who offered a small smile in response as the group was talking in and off about about things as they waited. “We have to be strong but we are stronger together.”

“You were tough.” Mercy chuckled. “You were kind too. You didn’t mock me, or berate me.” She shrugged, Iryna might not see why that was important, but Mercy had experienced both those things in similar settings before so Iryna’s calm and steady approach, stern as it was, was none the less appreciated. The science tech then rubs the back of her neck as she glances around the room, suddenly awkwardly aware of the others.

“If anyone mocks or berates you ever for not being tough or strong you let me know and I will show them what it actually means.” Iryna was not going to let people bully others. She was not at all about that type of behaviour when people needed patience just like a plant to grow strong. “No one should be like that in that type of situation.”

Mercy beamed as she looked down at her scanner and nodded, she had suspected for a while Iryna had a soft spot under the formidable training and presence, it was nice to see it. "Will do Iryna, although I don't think anyone on board would dare, still nice to know you've got my back." She fiddled for a little longer. "You think they'll make it back from the plant okay?"

The MACO let the usage of her first name fall by the wayside as it was nice to hear someone else use it. She sometimes forgot how it sounded if she was truthful to herself. "They better do. They have 20 minutes." Iryna commented looking at her chronometer for the hundredth time in as many seconds.

Mercy hummed and then let out a big sigh. "The waiting is sometimes the most painful bit." She set the scanner down on the bench and then leaned her head back against the wall behind her.

"The Vohra Captain described those about the space flora as tributes. My brain keeps circling back to that. I can't help but wonder who would offer up so many souls. This t'Sayxrosia must be revered, hold some serious significance to some culture. Or if it is not reverence driving such an offering, then it must be a deep fear." Mercy shook her head like she was trying to shake the thoughts out.

"I have so many questions. If the t'Sayxrosia is aware, how far does that awareness extend? How is it able to so convincingly disguise itself? What happens when it's gestation is complete?" She then glanced at the others in the room and flushed. "S-sorry, got carried away again."

Iryna listened to the questions back and forth for a moment as she tried to consider it all herself. It was hard to say but the likelihood was nothing was in charge of the space flora, it just had not overly been noticed until it was too late. “It’ll be like an animal or like those insect-eating plants on earth. Vin.. vi… Venus fly trap.” Iryna struggled with the standard word for a moment before getting there in her frustration. “No one offered up but they did stumble into the base most likely because they had no other option.” Iryna could not say for sure but it all felt like an accident.

Mercy hummed in response. “Yes Venus Flytraps, or Pitch Plants. They are another type that lure flies with nectar, the flies fall in and then can’t get out… but everyone’s going to be fine. I’m sure. I hope it is an accident, we are lucky the Vohra ship came along, but still…”. Mercy shrugged. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little suspicious of every stranger here. But I think it’s just the stress and being lost out here. There’s no advantage the Vohra would have from warning us, but I still find myself second guessing everything.” She gave Iryna an impressed look. “You always seem so calm though. What’s the secret? Is it the ability to beat anyone up with your hands tied behind your back? Or is there more to your ability to keep a level head?”

Iryna looked at the woman and raised an eyebrow as she thought about it all and why she was composed. "Training? Ability to beat people with hands tied behind my back? Knowing I have people around me who will have my back. You pick but it is also something to everyone having different roles in a universe. I could not do your job." She said turning it back on Mercy.

Mercy waved away Iryna's comment slightly. "My job is not so hard, I am sure you could manage it fine, whether you would want to is quite another matter. I don't think everyone finds streams of scientific data and paperwork as interesting as I do. Half the battle is just maintaining concentration so you don't miss anything. Well that and being a bit of a detective when something strange happens." She frowned slightly, and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's... can't help feeling like we missed something on this one. What if someone get's hurt because we didn't run the right scans, or missed the one anomaly which could have kept people safe?" She seemed to go inward for a minute and then blinked, glanced around the room and offered those present a weak smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to... I'm sure we'll figure it out. Once everyone is back on board we can go through the scanning data again and look at the protocols, maybe there's something I can learn so I do better next time."

"I do not have the focus to work with data and paperwork at all. I hate desk work." The MACO admitted. "I think you ran all the scans that you could. Lieutenant Darru is over there and it was not noticed by the people inside of the thing. So this is not all on you." She said pointedly to stop the spiral of self hate from her and from the other people around them.

Mercy frowned, she did not seem entirely convinced but in the end she just offered Iryna another smile and waved the words away with a flop of her hand. “Right, you’re right. And when the others get back we can start going over scanning protocols to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If we fail to learn from it and it happens again then it really would be our fault.”

She flicks her PADD back on, checking the time. “Any news yet? We’ve got another 10 minutes right?”

Iryna was just about to open her mouth to speak up and say they had heard nothing when she heard a call come over communications. “Stand down, Stand down, Stand down. Stand down boarding party.” O’Connery stated and Iryna let out a long deep breath.

Mercy let out a long, slightly shaky breath of relief. "Well that's great. Looks like we won't have to find out if you can do an away mission with only one good arm." She gives Iryna a small wry look. "Permission to return to the bridge sir?"