Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Tick Tick Boom….Marine Country…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present.

Posted by Lieutenant River Styxx (OIC Marine) in Tick Tick Boom….Marine Country…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present.

Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Tick Tick Boom….Marine Country…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present.
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
OOC: I am trying to have several threads happening at the same time. This thread is occurring at the same time the senior staff is trapped in the conference room. ~ Kate

IC:

Marine country as it was called by the Marine contingent on the Altantis was a veritable fortress. While security and Marines did not typically intermix in missions, the security and defensibility of the space led Kelly to make a rather unorthodox command decision. In the event of a hostile takeover, all the children of the ship were to be evacuated to Marine country as a last stand. She knew every one of the Marines would give their dying breath to protect them in the case of a catastrophic disaster.

The area was highly fortified and virtually impenetrable from the outside. If anyone was stupid or psychotic enough to attack the Marines in their own space, it would be a bloody and nearly impossible task. The entrance to Marine County was a semi-long corridor that would serve as a bottleneck with only one way in or out for the trespassers. This would effectively pin and surround anyone trying to take the space into a duck shoot against a thick bulkhead door and a wall of the most deadliest and highly trained officers of the Federation. If the wall of fire could somehow be held back, the bulkhead door the usurpers were pinned against could be opened and filled with rows upon rows of Marines now attacking from the rear. The corridor was the only way in and out save one making Marine Country was almost the safest spot on the Atlantis.

“Do not make me attack,” Jessa’s voice boomed out through the microphone of her armor as she suddenly realized the swirling lights engulfing them meant they were being sent to a new location. She looked around feeling a cold hollow knot forming in her stomach. They were not in the escape vessel that the XO and Aimee Rian had promised. They were in some room with no visible windows or readily apparent exits. Jessa stood frozen as her brain tried to rapidly process what was happening.

For a long slow second, everyone in Marine country stopped as they processed that four heavily armored individuals now stood in the middle of their space with two having weapons drawn and threatening to attack.

Jessa Novar

It didn’t take long for the marines to respond every marine present ,10 or so in the room, drew their side arms and pointed them at the intruders. All except for NC sergeant Varren who put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly, then he raised his weapon. River had given the order that all marines wear their side arms while they were in marine country. Just in case things went bad.

Jessa felt every muscle in her body tense up as she looked at the Marines in front of her. Her comment was an act of aggression but not to anyone but Da Mu. “We mean you no harm,” she said in a slow and calm tone.

NC Varren just scoffed “Right, the heavily armed and armoured group of people who just beamed in here. Don’t mean any harm. Is that what you said to our captain before you attacked her?” he asked coldly

“The incident with your Captain was an unfortunate accident. Reparations will be made by the Union. Now if you would lower your weapons we will leave this place and no one will be hurt,” Jessa said lowering her arms slightly so they were not directly pointed at the soldiers. She had the confidence of someone too naive about battles and too foolish to believe in defeat.

Verran scoffed “I see so you accidentally slammed her around the room, you accidentally caused untold physical and potential brain damage and you accidentally put her in sickbay?” he asked not believing it

“Well, when you put it that way of course it sounds bad.” The face plate prevented Verran from seeing the eye roll from Jessa in true pre-teen fashion when she heard something she did not like. Like with most of her encounters with the crew, Jessa seemed to slip from a laser-focused zealot wielding an air of arrogance and power to a pre-teen child that didn’t know her arse from her elbows as she talked to the officer. “You know maybe you should go see Rinker. He has a way of putting a positive spin on things.”

“Forgive me kid but if the union is like your friends then they most defiantly won’t give reparations. Or do any peaceful gesture at all” he added simply

The mention of Rinker’s name caused Rogan to cast wary glances at the other two. There was a reason mind seers had been outlawed and erased from existence in the Union. He had spent only a half an hour with the man and Rogan saw the danger in him. He had questioned the impact the man might have had on their impressionable Guardian but figured the harm could have been minimal. Now he was having second thoughts about that assumption.

“Unīharukō bhāṣā nabōlnē,” Da Mu snapped bringing his arms up as fists pointing them at the group of soldiers.

Rogan immediately brought up his arms into fists along with Zala Tsu as he turned his back to Jessa and Da Mu. “Triff. Pachāḍibāṭa ākramaṇa,” he called out and pulled Jessa’s arm until her back touched his. The words might be foreign but their meaning was clear. Rogan had just announced that they were surrounded.

“If we don’t use their language how are we going to negotiate with them,” Jessa snapped, the cold knot in her belly starting to spread. She had not been in a situation like this since Halston.

“Sorry kid I don’t think your friends wants to talk. Tell you what get away from them and then we can talk” Varren added simply but not unkindly

Da Mu spared a side glance at Jessa. “He does mean that. If you chose to leave our ranks and talk with them there will be consequences. So Guardian are you going to side with the lost or the bringers of light? You only get one choice.” The cortical scanner only the counter-insurgent team had access to showed Da Mu’s prefrontal cortex glowing like a Christmas tree. The man was telling the truth and showed he understood that the Marine talking to him was giving them a peaceful way out if he only accepted it.

His words did not need interpretation. He was giving Jessa the choice to be with them or against them and she understood that.

“I am the protectorate of the Federation. It and you are under my purview and my protection. Now put your weapons down,” Jessa tried to sound commanding and authoritative.

“The protection of a jackboot is no protection at all.” Was all Varren said he knew the kid was tying to help or at least she thought she was, but it was clear the rest in her company had no such thoughts in their minds.

“Stand down. Or you will not live to regret it” Varren said simply, there was no fear, no awe, and no anger in his voice. Just his commanding tone and the hint of a threat. As he spoke the low rumbling of armored boots could be heard and if the four individuals, turned around they would see the 10 fully armed and armored marines arrive as they did five kneeled and five stood, forming a firing line and raising their rifles at the group. You didn’t have to be a genius to realize that, none of the 20 marines weapons were set to stun.

NC Sargent Varren and the Marines

“Our lives are of no consequence. Our mission is the only thing that matters.” Da Mu spoke with the practiced arrogance of someone who was used to being in charge. The face plate of the armor hid any expression on Da Mu’s face, yet his tone was cold and deadly. “Take up the weapon of faith and fear not to use it. No struggle is worth taking unless you feel the pain of your sacrifice. Is anything earned without sacrifice really earned? Show those weak the cleansing power of sacrifice. Be the force that helps them see enlightenment.” Snapping his wrist to the right, Da Mu activated his weapons in the cuffs of his armor. The cuffs flared out along with small components that were lined with red glowing lights.

“we’ve already felt sacrifice thanks to you lot.” Varren said simply completely unphased and unimpressed by da mu and the rest of them “Your arrogance is not lost to us. God I can’t wait till my CO beats it out of you.” he added.

“Then I will kill you last so you can see the blood pour from her body and the light fade from her eyes.” Da Mu’s voice was cold and his tempo fluid. Nothing about the man’s words or actions indicated he felt any fear of the people surrounding them.

Varren laughed ” You really don’t know who my CO is do you?” He asked “She has made stuff form your darkest nightmares run in fear. She has killed demons from another world. I don’t think if you did meet her it would end the way you think it would.” he added. He knew the reason for and what happed on Acheron, but he knew they didn’t so Varren decided to play on it a little, if only to stall for more reinforcements “Tell me have you ever fought a devil?” he asked

“No, but we just survived four days of endless torture and torment by the men under her.” Rogan’s voice was clear and full of the authority Jessa lacked. “A few beatings and starvation for three days has made us motivated to seek other accommodations.”

Jessa’s head snapped around to Rogan looking at him and the rest of the Elders. The nanites in their bloodstream would have healed any bruises but this was the second time the Elders mentioned the crew of the Altantis was not so benevolent in their treatment of the Elders. This was exactly what Rogan had wanted to happen. Doubt and plausibility were at times stronger than the facts. It was time to use what little facts Jessa had against her. Rogan knew Jessa well enough to know the small wrinkle crease between her eyebrows as she pondered the information she was hearing.

“What do you mean they tortured you,” she asked and then pulled her hands up and pointed them again at Verran?

“Don’t listen to him kid. Star fleet officers are a lot of things but certainly not torturers.” he said, truth clearly in his voice “Ask your self. when you saw them out of their armour. Did they look beaten or malnourished or in a poor state of health?” He asked “I have horrible feeling you know what a torture victim looks like, do they look like that? If not then ask yourself, if he’s lying to me about that the what else is he lying to me about” he added

Jessa had no reason at all to take the word of this person over her own people. She also knew that due to the nature of their medical care, it was unlikely she would ever see the conventional forms of pain and suffering on an Elder that she would the general populace. Glancing at Rogan, Jessa felt her heart race and her stomach twist into knots. She had seen Unionists twist the truth most recently on Halston. That was the Unionist’s thought not the Elders that saved her life and raised her since as far back as she could remember.

“Well, when you pleaded for us to eat something palatable they stopped the food altogether. That woman that came to sick bay…I broke her leg as a way to stop her from killing Zala.” Now that he had laid the groundwork for the lie, Rogan directed all attention on Verran. “You are right. You are the devil. I am not. When presented with the chance to take a life, I did not. I used the least amount of force to stop the violence. It seems you only respond with threats and violence.”

Varren shook his head “You beamed into a secure area out of nowhere. where we are supposed to stand there and let you kill us. Because lets face it we both know you want to kill us. However I’m trying to prevent bloodshed or at least the bloodshed of child. I’ve seen what killing a kid does to someone and I don’t want to see it again.” he paused for moment to let his words sink in “It is you who only answer things with violence. I bet you broke that officers legs, purely for your own amusement because you are a sadist.”
“Yes, Pet why are we here,” Zala Tsu commented looking at Jessa and completely ignoring the contingent of Marines in the room.

Jessa avoided the question entirely. While Da Mu could not read minds, his divination of knowing the truth meant any falsehood she spoke would be revealed as if she stated it herself. “Then lower your weapons and let us leave. That is all we want. You are trying to stop us and we can not permit that.”

Zala Tsu could feel the turmoil and confusion rolling off Jessa. Rogan had succeeded in at least stabbing Jessa with a shiv of doubt. Giving him a slight nod, Zala sent out a wave of anxiety to the group. It would set Jessa on edge and make it harder for her to try to think rationally. Jessa was used to the calming sensation the group trained so this would only help to trigger her fight or flight response.

Hearing the click of Da Mu’s weapons activate, Rogan and Zala Tsu followed suit taking aim at the soldiers in front of them. As if they were able to secretly communicate the three Elders opened fire simultaneously.

Jessa Novar

“Defense,” Jessa screamed. She shot at the same time as her Elders only instead of shooting those just in front of her, Jessa aimed one hand in front of her and one hand pointing in the back of her. A flick of her wrist sent the marines at her back into the walls like they were rag dolls letting them stay out of Rogan’s and Zala Tsu’s first round.
Instead of yellow bolts of energy coming from her wrists, it was more of the oily substance she used to subdue the security officers in the brig.

Varren and the marines had been trained to notice even the slightest hint of weapons fire. This skill made it possible for the marines to dive out of the way of the shots.

The skill and training of the Marines in front of her meant the first round of shots missed all of their targets. The Marines facing Zala Tsu and Rogan avoided the hailstorm of a second round as the oily substance spread out into thing shimmering wall. The pale blue-tinged wall engulfed the alien quad in the blink of an eye forming a dome over them.

In return the group opened fire on the four people in their space. It was hard to say what the elder were thinking but being under the fire of twenty angry marines, with more on the way, was not a good place to be. The group would continue to open fire until all four people were either dead or had closed to go hand to hand. in that case the marines would unleash even more punishment, this time with knives, rifle buts, fits and anything else they could use.

NC Sargent Varren and marines

As the Marines reigned the fire of hell onto the domed shield protecting the quad the weapons they used seemed to be absorbed by the energy wall just like it did with the Mech’s encountered on the alien ship by the Marines that boarded it. There was no Mech’s yet and it seemed as if the group of Elders were completely protected.

Touching his neck, Da Mu dropped the helmet and spun around to face Jessa. “What the Triff are you doing? Fight or I will kill you myself,” he pushed Jessa hard enough to throw her back into the side of the corridor. The invisible domed bubble they were in moved with her so that she was still protected as the Marine’s weapons made the shield buzz as if it was a hornet’s nest.

“Hey,” Rogan stepped between Da Mu and Jessa as he snapped down his helmet. “Enough.” Turning to look at Jessa he struggled to maintain a calm tone. “Jessa, we need you. The Quad needs you. The Galactic Union is relying on you. You need to follow the plan. You were supposed to be taken and learn about them. Then we were going to escape with the prism and save trillions of lives. That was always the plan. Things happen in war. You will not be held responsible.” Inside Rogan seethed. There was no need to keep her save one. “You do have the Prism right.”

Jessa nodded and worked to keep her breathing steady. This was the first time she was in actual combat where the outcome was unknown. She had not expected the Marines or DaMu’s reaction. The forcefield seemed to be holding so far but the Marines were only using their side arms. Jessa had no idea how powerful or if they had other weapons or if their dome shield would hold up to anything else.

“Good so let’s get it and us out of there then.” Extending his hand, he pulled her back to a standing position, and off the wall she was semi-slumped against. Kissing the top of her helmet, he added, “I am never going to let anyone hurt you.”

“Uh guys,” Zala Tsu said looking at a readout she had brought up on her arm. The display showed the shield was still intact but the strength percentage was dropping at a steady rate. “You might want to put your helmets back on and get your weapons ready. Our Pet only bought us a minute or two to prepare.”

Jessa Novar.

Varren saw the shield taped his com badge =^= Garren, please tell me you have EMP grenades over there=^= he said keeping his calm in battle.

Garren was the marines in charge of the ten that had showed up in full armour he was currently firing his rifle at the shield =^= Would I ever let you down?=^= he asked

Varren smiled as he used a hand gesture to signal to his marines to fall back a little far enough away that the explosion from the grenades wouldn’t impact them to much =^= Garren full back slightly and then lob your EMP grenades=^= he ordered. Garren didn’t reply but varren knew he would do as he said, after all, if he didn’t the dinner they had planned would be very awkward. Once everything was in place and the marine had fallen back, Garren and his men through the continuous fire from both sides threw their grenades.

Either the shield would come down or the force would rattle those in it enough to disrupt whatever was creating it, and if they where really lucky maybe it would knock the group down as well.

Sargent Varren (Marine)

EMP’s were the gas attacks of the first world war. While they were devastating as a weapon, they also did not discriminate between friend and foe. As the EMP pulse exploded against the alien dome, it caused not only the shield to melt away but fired the delicate circuitry within Marine Country. The Marines weapons were not affected but the control systems of the Altantis were. The thick shielding around Marine Country did not let the effects spread past the hallowed walls the group was battling in. What it did do was end the counter-insurgent team’s ability to deaden the sensors and keep the battle quiet. The room erupts in the blaring of klaxons indicating unauthorized weapons fire occurring on the Atlantis.

“Take a breath,” Rogan ordered Jessa. They had drilled this before however, they had never worked as a single unit in a real combat situation. As the first bolt of energy struck the Elder’s armor, the suit reacted. The small medi-pouch in each arm of the suit sent the first of the three injections stored in it into the forearm of the Elders. The light green fluid worked as a stimulant, an anesthetic, a painkiller and gave the combatants a small dose of nanites.

It took seconds for the concoction to target and affect multiple neurotransmitter systems in the brain. Jessa, like the other Elders, froze for a second as the drugs took hold relying on the armor to protect them. The armor hid Jessa’s shocked expression and her shortness of breath as it stopped her body’s ability to uptake the organic chemicals of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin and blocked her NMDA receptors. The drug’s effects were fully implemented in less than three seconds letting the Elder’s brain disconnect, from pain sensation, but enhancing the emotional detachment and aggression centers of their brain.

The Marines would only see the aliens standing still as if not caring about what was happening. They would soon notice why they were standing so still.

Slamming the sides of their gauntlets together, the Elders drew their hands apart revealing a long energy rod now connecting them. With a snap of the wrist upward the energy rod went from limp like a piece of rope to a rigid staff. With more enemies in front of them than behind, Rogan and Zala Tsu took up positions next to Jessa and Da Mu. The quad began to spin the rod as if it were a baton allowing the shots to ricochet off either the beam or their armor as the group began to advance on the Marines.

The Elders

Varren and Garren saw the staff thing and for ament where impressed but then they saw the potential fatal flaw. It only protected the group front and back not at the side. In unison they both gestured to their marines to move around the group and as soon as they saw their sides to open fire.

As the Marines moved Varren was tapped on the shoulder by another marine. He looked at her and she smiled “You fried marine country but at least the rest of the ship should now know what’s going on” she said amusement in her voice

“That was part of the plan. Although I don’t think engineering will be happy” he said smiling slightly back, before the pair opened fire on the group again.

NC Sargent Varren and the marines

The drug combat drug coursing through her system was muddling her mind. Nothing made sense to her in this backwater, cesspool of a galaxy. While she was putting little stock into what the Marine commander had said it suddenly made her question everything about Rinker and Ian’s motives. Anger and resentment flooded her mind and body thinking about the last four days. The security chief had thrown her in the brig for demanding standard diplomatic conventions and for asking questions. Rinker and Ian had refused to let her see the Elders no matter how much she had pleaded. Was it to only fill her mind with poisonous traitorous thoughts and to create dissension? Had the Elders been languishing in their prison for days while the crew of the Altantis fogged her mind with smoke and mirrors?

The EMP used by the Marines had brought incredible damage to the fight frying the delicate electronics in Marine country. The thick armor and shielding worn by the Elders were minimally affected and only fried the energy dome Jessa had established. The dome and the armor had protected the comm badge she was given.

=/\=Do not lie to me. What did you stand to lose by not letting me see the Elders?=/\= Jessa’s question was not about the universe or political machinations. It was a question about personal motives. Pellan had taught Jessa that the key to knowing truths or lies at times was based on who had the most to lose. Traitors and enemies would say or do anything to meet their own needs. Only when one had nothing else to lose, did the truth surface.

“They are flanking us. Close ranks,” Da Mu spun so that their line was now a square. Only the fact that they could not maneuver kept the quad tight. The blades deflected eighty percent of the fire from the Marines’ weapons and the other twenty percent were deflected by the armor.

Rogan heard Jessa’s questions. Since it did not pertain to one of them it had to be for someone else. It was time for these enemy combatants to learn a lesson in humility. Jessa needed to be the one to give it to them and solidify her place back in the quad. “Jessa focus on the here and now. Honey, we can not do this without you. I will keep you safe and get you home but you need to open up a path for us to escape.” Rogan’s voice took on the soft quality of a parent or guardian. It contained all the elements a master manipulator would use to ensure someone complied with the request. Rogan kept his tone gentle and made sure his wording sounded like a request and not a demand, a way out instead of a way to attack. Placing his hand on her shoulder, Rogan changed positions so that she was not facing Varren but the ten Marines that were attacking them from behind in the corridor they were trapped in. “Kiddo we need you to clear a path to the door out of here okay?”

Looking at the controls on her suit, Jessa had seen them drop five percent. It was minimal given the amount of firepower hitting them but the thought of just standing here like a punching bag was not appealing. Slamming her fists together the energy rod disappeared allowing Jessa to use her hands. Reaching them out she slowly moved her hands to the left and right in a sweeping motion out from her chest.

The Marines slowly parted as if gliding across the floor. Jessa’s actions were not rough jarring as Rogan had to the woman bringing him food or Da Mu’s to the Captain. The action did clear the way for the Quad to start attacking the exterior door to Marine country. Once past this door, they would have unfettered access to the ship.

“Belkaden,” DaMu said in a low tone. With Jessa being so focused on her question, it was probable she would miss the comment but the rest of the quad would understand what to do and how they would seek their revenge.

“Excellent choice,” Zala Tsu almost purred remembering the campaign and outcome from twenty years ago. “Come Pet,” Zala Tsu said strolling toward the large door as if there was not a battle raging behind her. Rogan and DaMu would round up the men and women who dared fire upon them. She just needed to keep Jessa’s attention where it needed to be. Walking past the Marines pinned to the wall she imagined them not standing there but hanging from nooses. Their toes scrapping the metal floors enough to give them hope but not enough to allow them to breathe. Turning on her camera, she took images of all their faces. No one opposed the Galactic Union or an Elder. When they took control of the ship, Zala would find these men. She would line the corridors with these Marines’ bodies before turning on the speakers in every room so that the ship was filled with the dying gasps of those the crew thought could protect them.

Jessa Novar

Dealing with telekinetic power was almost impossible and the marines had no way of combating it. They tried to fight the influence on them but they couldn’t. However the experience had given them something, intel. The kid was their best weapon. if they could separate her from the others it would be far easier to deal with them.

Varren saw Zala taking pictures and he just smirked “Take your pictures love. A marine will be the last thing you and your friends see.” he said simply.

NC Sargent Varren

“Pet…open the door for me,” her voice was smooth and melodic as she gave Jessa an order.

Zala Tsu turned slowly to face Varren. Her movement was fluid and graceful as though the armor was a silk evening dress. Tapping her helmet, she lowered it so Varren could see her face. If one only saw Zala Tsu in a photograph, they would remark on her exceptional beauty. Her skin was perfect porcelain without a blemish or flaw. The raven hair framed her face accentuating her violet eyes. “And I will cherish that image for the rest of my days.” Her voice had a melodic quality that seemed almost hypnotizing. As the violence around her continued, the woman spoke as if in an intimate situation with Varren. Reaching up she ran a perfectly manicured fingernail down Varren’s chest as she raked her teeth over her lips. “But alas you are not my type so even if I were not the one about to sever your head from your body, it never would have worked out.” Her comments made it appear as if Zala Tsu was in some dissociative state where fantasy and reality collided.

The Elders

“Stop varping around. You can play with your toys later,” Rogan’s voice was more than irritated as he marched past Zala and Jessa to the door. The controls were foreign as was the language. It was a rarity for the Elders to be in the position. Their technology pretty much-eliminated communication breakdowns between societies. Once a civilization was indoctrinated, the Galactic Union also would scour the native language into non-existence if it was too complex or presented a threat. While most scholars initially claimed this was not possible, it was actually easily attainable by re-education. If one removed native speakers there was no one to teach the native language. The native speakers that were radicalized saw speaking anything but Union standard as blasphemy. Religion and draconian measures could wipe out fluency within ten years for all practical purposes. Yes, some would retain the natural tongue but with such small numbers to teach it, the natural language would fall into the mythos of history. While The Elders could later ponder why this Federation spoke an accented version of Union standard, the written form of language the Federation had adopted was completely foreign.

“Jessa,” Rogan reached around and dragged her to the panel. “Open this and get us to their light slide control room?” His patience was growing thin with the outcome of his rescue. If it hadn’t been vital to use Jessa to get to the crew, he would have stuffed her into the prison cell for the past four days.

Jessa felt her feet skid as Rogan grabbed her arm and dragged her next to him. The sound of metal screeching as her armor raked across the floor echoed in the small space. Looking at the number above the door, Jessa closed her eyes and began to count. The toddler program Ian had given her to learn about the ship was taught by a dancing pencil but that program also taught her to identify basic numbers and letters. F is for four, fly, and field trips, the pencil giggled in her memory showing shuttles with kids boarding them. “We should head to the hangar on level 4,” she suggested. The ship was enormous and while Jessa only had the working knowledge that a preschool would about what was on each level, she did know Rinker was on deck 11 and the transporters on deck 8. The symbol above the door was 08 so she could not let the Elders know the room they wanted was on this level.

“No get us to the light slide control room,” Rogan snapped starting to lose his patience with Jessa. “If we control that we control the high ground. Let’s see how they like being beamed off their ship without being able to stop it.” No one had to tell Jessa that the Elders would learn the controls by sacrificing the crew. A cold knot formed in her stomach as the thought that once she gave the Elders the Prism they could also beam off the ship without her.

“That is on level twenty-five. We are on level eight. Trans…portation by the light slide is heavily guarded. The hangar will provide us with less resistance. Her stutter in referring to the light slide by its technical name was intentional. If the Elders did not know the term, they would have more difficulty finding it without her.”

Jessa Novar