Posted by Ensign Saoir (Transporter/Security) in [DipInc] The Warbird Encounter [Tag Commander Loughty, Ensign Saoir]

Posted by Commander Oliver Loughty (Executive Officer) in [DipInc] The Warbird Encounter [Tag Commander Loughty, Ensign Saoir]

Posted by Lieutenant Todd Nyman (Chief Counselor) in [DipInc] The Warbird Encounter [Tag Commander Loughty, Ensign Saoir]
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[Snip]
As they flew further out, Nyman seemed fixated on the image of the Leviathan growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Suddenly aware of how small the ship was compared to everything else. It made him uneasy to think how this shuttle was even smaller. A small, confined space. With a small shiver, he tried to shake himself out of it, before attempting to get distracted by the word search again.

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

Oliver scrolled through the news articles, scanning the headlines for any updates of interest. As he skimmed through the various reports, one headline caught his eye: “OED V Colony Takes Steps Towards Peaceful Coexistence with the Vren.” Intrigued, he tapped on the article to read further.

The report detailed recent efforts by the OED V colony and the neighbouring Vren to resolve longstanding disputes and tensions. Through diplomatic negotiations and collaborative initiatives, both sides have made significant strides towards fostering understanding and cooperation. Measures such as joint resource management and cultural exchange programs were being implemented, signalling a positive shift towards peaceful coexistence.

Oliver felt a glimmer of hope as he read about these efforts, recognizing the importance of diplomacy and dialogue in resolving conflicts. He made a mental note to stay updated on the progress of these initiatives, hopeful that they would pave the way for a more harmonious relationship between the two neighbouring communities.

Commander Oliver Loughty
Executive Officer
USS Leviathan

After a few hours of warp fight, a small ping lit up the flight console. Nyman looked up at the sound, concerned.

“It’s an old warning buoey, sir,” Michaels explained,

“Old Neutral Zone border marker. Shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”

Lieutenant Nyman tried to get settled back into his puzzle, moving around in the seat in search of some comfort. Eventually, he just had to set it aside. Choosing instead to watch the forward displays while fidgeting with his fingers.

A few moments later, another ping. Then a proximity alert. And just as the Ensigns were figuring out what was going on, a Romulan warbird was decloaking off portside.

= Unidentified shuttlecraft, = they ordered, though the transmission was coming so rough and gravelly it was hard to make out,

= You are ordered to halt. Surrender your ship and prepare to be beamed aboard. =

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

Saoir’s heart was racing as the tension in the air thickened. The frills on the back of his neck began to stand, his instinct to sense danger. Romulans. The word alone sent a chill down his spine. He tried to maintain his composure, but his mind was racing with thoughts of what could go wrong. His hands clenched and unclenched in his lap, a nervous habit he couldn’t seem to shake.

Glancing around at the others, he noticed the expressions of concern and determination on their faces. The Ensigns were focused on their consoles, trying to assess the situation and come up with a plan. Commander Loughty seeemed calm and collected, a reassuring presence despite the looming threat.
As the Romulan warbird decloaked off portside, Saoir’s breath caught in his throat. The sight of the imposing vessel sent a shiver down his spine. He listened intently to the rough transmission, his mind racing as he tried to process the situation.
“Stay calm,” Saoir reminded himself, his voice steady in his mind. He knew they needed to tread carefully, but the fear gnawing at his insides threatened to overwhelm him.
With a deep breath, Saoir forced himself to focus. He had to trust in his expertise and that of his colleagues and follow their lead. As the Romulans continued to issue their orders, Saoir prepared himself for whatever might come next.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

Apologies for the confusion. Let’s adjust that:

Oliver stood now in the cramped confines of the shuttle’s cockpit, his hand resting on the console as he issued orders to the crew. “Raise shields, and send an encoded message to Starfleet on priority one channel,” he commanded, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. “Open a communication channel with the warbird.”

=^= Romulan warbird, this is Commander Loughty of the USS Leviathan,=^= he transmitted, his tone firm yet diplomatic. =^= Please state the nature of your demands.=^=

As the message was sent, Oliver glanced at the communications officer, awaiting confirmation of any response from Starfleet. “Any luck trying to raise Starfleet?” he inquired, his eyes flicking back to the viewscreen, ready for any sign of a reply from the Romulan vessel.

Commander Oliver Loughty
Executive Officer
USS Leviathan

Nyman noticed Saoir was making attempts to calm himself. And though his own panic was building, it would have been counter-productive to let the Ensign realize that.

“That’s good, breath, nice and slow,” he narrated for himself just as much the Ensign. He mustered a reassuring smile to cover over his own fear, “We’re going to be fine, okay? Commander Loughtly has the situation under control.”

“Something is causing interference with our communication frequencies,” Monroe reported, “It’s some kind of energy field, and it’s severely limiting our range. My guess is it’s effecting them too, it could be why we’re having trouble reading them clearly.”

= All vessels along this patrol route are to be subject to search = replied the warbird = Per orders from the Romulan Free State. You will surrender your vessel to be searched, your crew will be beamed aboard for further inspection. =

“They’re probably just sweeping the area for defectors, Commander.” Nyman called out, “I’ve… heard rumors that they’re doing that now.”

Of course, by ‘heard rumors’ he meant he had it on good authority that they were definitely doing that now. Nyman hoped that somehow sharing this information might calm the other’s nerves. But it did nothing to settle his own. It was possible, if slightly improbable, they were looking for Vendorain defectors as well other Romulans. The thought of being discovered terrified him. Even the thought of beaming aboard that ship terrified him. But most of all, the thought that Lieutenant Nyman would have to rely on the Commander to not turn him over, if it came to that point, terrified him.

The Romulans, too impatient to give them any more time to think it over, engaged their ship’s tractor beam and began to pull at the smaller vessel.

= Our Captain will be willing to discuss this further with you once you are beamed aboard, Commander =

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor
Also as: Warbird |

Oliver considered their position for a moment, so far the war bird had yet to show any force but he couldn’t understand why they would think a federation shuttle, a starfleet shuttle would be harbouring defectors. “Have they actives weapons?, Are we sure they’re who they’re saying they are?” He asked, indirectly ordering the officer to scan for weapons signatures and to identify the ship.

Commander Oliver Loughty
Executive Officer
USS Leviathan

“The ship appears to be of a newer Tal’Shiar design, sir. One they haven’t shared with us.”

The mention of the Tal’Shiar snapped up Nyman’s attention, who practically shot out of his seat to get a better view of the screen.

“They’ve got us in a tractor beam, sir. “ Monroe continued, “Other than that, there is no indication of hostility. In fact there weapons appear to be completely offline. “

Squinting at the image for a bit, “One, two, thr…” he muttered, before raising his just loud enough for Commander Loughly to hear, “It’s a Dev’ar class. A defense fighter… usually only planet-side or part of a squadron. They don’t get assigned patrol routes, not by themselves. Something’s off.”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

“Looks like we don’t really have a choice, prepare yourselves to beam over to the Romulan ship, continue to send out a silent distress call on priority one channel to Starfleet and set it to send automatically even after were off the ship. I recommend leaving your belongings here. Something is not right, and we should be prepared. I am going to get changed” he said as a matter of fact. The Romulans had a rather militaristic society and if any respect can be got it may make this a little easier.

Oliver returned moments later now in his command uniform, “I want you all to swallow these, there trackers, they’ll pass through you in a few days but in the short term it gives us options.” He handed them out and swallowed his without any further word. “Send a message to the Romulan vessel that we are ready to beam over, then lower shields. “

Commander Oliver Loughty
Executive Officer
USS Leviathan

Saoir took the tracker and swallowed it with ease.

Nyman took one of the objects from Oliver and did as he was told. Perhaps the Commander had the same idea he did: for him to run away and hide the situation out as soon as possible. It wasn’t likely though, and the Lieutenant knew that.

Sensing the shuttle had dropped its shields, the Romulan ship made good on its promise to beam them aboard. The crew materialized in what appeared to be the brig of the ship, though it was difficult to tell in the dim glow of the emergency lights. A containment field, despite its unsteady flickering, kept all five officers confined to the four square meter cell they now found themselves in.

Outside the cell, a pair of doors opened. A group of four Romulan soldiers marched in, all in heavy armor and with disruptor rifles in hand. Each swiftly took their positions, surrounding the cell entrance, and stood at attention. Following behind them were two other officers. One taller Romulan woman with intense blood-green eyes. Her posture and presence almost made the Commander rank insignia on her uniform redundant. The other was a male officer, by appearance a Lieutenant, who had a very typical appearance. Only really noticeable because they were carrying some sort of scanning device.

Nyman shrunk back, and began weaving his way slowly toward the edge of the group. He was visibly shaken by the whole situation. If it wouldn’t have drawn so much attention he would have changed forms right then, hiding as an inconspicuous part of the cell’s construction.

The Romulan Commander paced over to the cell entrance, looking each Star Fleet officer over. As she noted Commander Loughly’s uniform, specifically the pips on his collar, a sinister smirk crept it’s way across her face.

“You must be Commander Loughty, ‘of the USS Leviathan’ And you…”

She glanced to the side at Nyman, who in response, cautiously stepped forward. He straightened up and managed a more stoic expression. For the sake of the others, it was his responsibility to at least project confidence.

“Lieutenant, that makes you second in command?”

He managed to give an affirmative nod without breaking character.

Her attention shifted to the Ensigns. With a penetrating gaze she scanned them over. Lingering a few seconds longer on Ensign Saoir, the only one in the group she had to actively look up toward.

Finally, she focused once again on Loughtly. Glaring directly at him, she began her questions,

“Now, what is your business in this region? Where is your destination?”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

Oliver straightened his posture, a deliberate gesture aimed at projecting his own sense of command while also acknowledging the gravity of the situation. “Jolan Tru to you as well, Commander,” he greeted evenly, his tone measured yet respectful. “We were en route to the diplomatic summit on Algeron IV when we encountered your patrol. It appears we were unaware of this sector being under patrol, as it was not included in the previously agreed-upon Romulan or neutral zones.”

Pausing briefly, Oliver’s gaze shifted between the guards and the confines of the cell. “I must ask, is all of this truly necessary?” he inquired, his voice tinged with a hint of incredulity. “We have complied with your commands and present no threat. While we may not be allies, we are certainly not your enemies either. Surely there is room for diplomacy and understanding in this encounter.”

With a subtle yet firm tone, Oliver conveyed both his willingness to engage in a reasoned discourse and his underlying determination to seek a peaceful resolution to the situation at hand.

Commander Oliver Loughty
Executive Officer
USS Leviathan

Saoir stood beside his fellow officers, his heart pounding in his chest as he listened to Commander Loughty’s measured words. He couldn’t help but admire Loughty’s calm demeanor in the face of the Romulan Commander’s scrutiny.

As the Romulan Commander’s intense gaze lingered on Saoir, he squared his shoulders and met her gaze with as much resolve as he could muster. He knew that appearing weak or intimidated by the Romualans would only embolden them. He intentionally remained quiet for a few reasons, he didn’t want his voice to betray the show of bravery he was trying to portray, and thankfully the Romulan addressed the Commander and not him.

When Commander Loughty finished speaking, Saoir held his breath, waiting for the Romulan Commander’s response. The tension in the air was real, but as a security officer, although he probably couldn’t match their captors in hand-to-hand combat, he was ready to defend his fellow crew mates if given the command.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

“It is a necessary precaution, given our current mission.” she replied firmly, “Until we can confirm you are, in fact, who you say you are.”

She gave a nod to one of the officers, who promptly deactivated the field. There was a distinct rustle among the guards as the field came down.

“Lieutenant Sen’ton, if you would please…”

The male Romulan who accompanied her approached the group. He calmly stepped over the threshold to meet them in the cell. Looking between the officers with a far softer, yet still dignified expression.

Sen’ton then activated the device, a small hand-held scanner not much different from a tricorder in appearance.

“This will not injure you,” he explained, “However, you must remain still during the process.”

“You cooperation is vital to your release,” the Romulan Commander chimed in with another smile.

He began to move the probe of the device up and down and across each officers chest of each officer. He too paused for a bit in front of Ensign Saoir, giving a glance back to his Commander before proceeding.

Nyman had positioned himself last in the group. He stood straight, completely still. His eyes were almost glazed over as he retreated in himself. Repeating in his mind over and over all the readings that would be normal for humans, 65 BPM, blood pressure 90/60, 36.5 degrees Celsius, in a desperate attempt to manifest them. He had no idea about the technical limits of a Romulan medical scanner, just that it was hit or miss whether he was successful in fooling them.

(OOC: Planning on adding more during my lunch break)

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|