Posted by Ensign Saoir (Transporter/Security) in [DipInc] Regrouping in Engineering [Tag Ensign Saoir]

Posted by Lieutenant Todd Nyman (Chief Counselor) in [DipInc] Regrouping in Engineering [Tag Ensign Saoir]

Posted by Ensign Saoir (Transporter/Security) in [DipInc] Regrouping in Engineering [Tag Ensign Saoir]
Posted by… suppressed (54) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[Snip]

Saoir’s modifications to the commbadge were subtle yet significant. First and foremost, he improved its tracking capabilities, enhancing its range and accuracy to pinpoint the locations of their missing crew members with precision. Additionally, he incorporated encryption protocols to ensure secure communication channels, protecting their transmissions from interception by hostile forces. Furthermore, he implemented a distress signal feature, allowing them to send out an emergency beacon in case they encountered unforeseen dangers
With a final adjustment, Saoir activated the modified commbadge, watching as it displayed the signals of their missing teammates.
“It’s ready,” Saoir said, his voice firm as he met Nyman’s gaze once more. “Here goes…something…I hope.”

The device was initially able to detect that each of their own tracking devices were still functional. It also indicated three other unique signals aboard, presumably Lougthy, Micheal, Monroe.

Nyman’s eyes grew slightly bigger as the device appeared to be working. Partially excited and relieved that they might have a chance of finding the others. Partially nervous about what he had resolved to do next. He stood up, channeling what he could of Theo’s more authoritative personality,

“Excellent work. And now that we know where they are, I might have an idea on how we can get to them. But, I need your full cooperation. No matter what happens. Am I clear, Ensign?”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

{OOC: I’m still on LOA but I really want this thread to catch up with the other so I’m popping this in - Ava}

With a nod, Saoir responded, “Crystal clear, Lieutenant,” he nodded at Nyman with determination. “You have my word.”

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

Nyman flashed a smile at Saoir . We’ll see… he thought.

“I’m going to open the door, but I want you to stay back. I’ll handle this.”

He paced over to the door, key card ready. This had to be quick. Holding out the card, a deep breath in and…

The doors opened, field retracted. The slower of the two guards barely had enough time to react before a touch on the should sent him collapsing to the ground. The other had time to raise his weapon slightly and took a blind shot in Nyman’s general direction, barely missing his right leg. But there was just enough of an opening for the Lieutenant Nyman to sedate him as well.

While standing over the two collapsed guards, Nyman checked either side of the door into the hall. There appeared to be no one else. Good. He grabbed one guard under the shoulders and dragged them into the room.

“Bring the other one in here too, and close the door. Hurry before someone sees,” he instructed Saoir.

At this point, there was only one thing left to do. In traditional Vendorian fashion he made no fanfare about his transformation. A simple crossing of the arms, a slight yellow-tinted glow, and Todd emerged as his natural form. But rather than shifting directly to appear as one of the Romulan guards, something compelled him to pause and linger in this form for a moment.

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

Adrenaline ran through Saoir as Nyman swiftly incapacitated the guards. Lieutenant Nyman was full of surprises. His heart pounded in his chest, and he had to remind himself to breathe steadily as he followed Nyman’s instructions.
He hurried to the fallen guard and hoisted him up, easily despite the weight carrying him into the room. With a swift motion, he dropped him on the floor and closed the door behind them.
“Okay now..”, Saoir began, however as Nyman transformed into his Vendorian form, Saoir’s breath caught in his throat. Shock and disbelief flooded him, leaving him momentarily frozen in place. His mind was filled with questions and uncertainty, and his heart pounded with fear and confusion. His instincts urged him to retreat, to put distance between himself and this newfound revelation.
“Th..this is…a trap.” he said, “What have you done with Lieutenant Nyman, where is Commander Loughty? I will never cooperate.” He instinctively backed away, his back pressing against the cool metal of the wall.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

Todd was expecting some sort of reaction, and knew it was unlikely Saior would keep his word once seeing his true form. All of the Federation style talk about acceptance and non-judgment is quickly forgotten in the face of fear.

He pulled back to the other side of the room, and sat down. Physically making himself as small and non-threatening as possible.

“I see you are afraid. That is okay,” he said, with a voice similar to that of his human form,

“The deception was necessary, though I understand your apprehension. I took on a human form to avoid circumstances where the Leviathan or her crew would be put in more danger because of my presence. The only way I could think to prove it to you was the use of the trackers Commander Lougthy gave us. Mine is still intact inside my body. If that doesn’t prove it to you, then I accept that you are unconvinced.”

Todd paused. He hung his head down slightly. Not only did that plan fail, and he did put several others in danger, but it was very likely after all of this his service in Star Fleet was over.

“You don’t have to believe me, Ensign, but at least let me help you find the others.”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

Saoir blinked as much as a Kelpien could as his thoughts of confusion and fear lingered. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run, to flee from this alien presence masquerading as a trusted ally. But the voice was familiar and as Nyman spoke, Saoir’s fear subsided slightly, replaced by slight doubt. Could it be true? Could Nyman really be who he claimed to be? Saoir’s gaze went to the device in his hand, a glimmer of hope igniting within him. If Nyman was telling the truth, then the tracker would confirm it.

Slowly and cautiously, Saoir approached Nyman, his eyes locked on the alien’s form. With trembling hands, he activated his device, and the tracker beneath Nyman’s flesh responded. Saoir’s mouth fell open in disbelief; it appeared that Nyman had been telling the truth all along.
“All this time,” Saoir muttered, a mix of emotions swirling within him. He had mixed feelings about Nyman’s true form being hidden from him and possibly the rest of the crew, yet he also understood the reasoning behind it. As a Kelpien, Saoir knew firsthand how appearance could provoke fear and judgment from others.

“We need to move quickly to find the others,” Saoir said.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

“Very well,” Todd agreed, squinting his eyes in a way reminiscent of when he smiled in human form. He was relived by Saoir’s reasonableness and focus on their mission, rather than asking questions.

“I can take on the form of this one,” he continued, “Perhaps they have information we can use.”

He slipped out of his Star Fleer uniform safely stowed it somewhere out of sight. Afterwards, crossed his arms and transformed again. There was a slight delay, common when taking on a brand new form. Then emerged as an exact physical duplicate of the first guard. Even imitating the Romulan’s uniform, though it was only partially complete without all their equipment.

He paused, relaxing into the new form with a brief exhale. Nyman’s eyes flickered back and forth, as if literally ‘reading’ the guards memories from the last few days. Not only did he now know where the others were, but also what was happening aboard this ship that made it feel so unusual. Though he didn’t want to concern Saior further, so he stuck to the task at hand.

“I believe we will find our missing crew on the Engineering decks. But we’ll need the tracker still to know exactly where. I will stay disguised and ‘escort’ you there,” he explained while removing parts of the guard’s equipement he couldn’t imitate,

“If you are comfortable with that idea, of course.”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

Saoir nodded, his mind still reeling from the revelation of Nyman’s true identity. Despite the shock, he knew they needed to focus on finding their missing crewmates. Trusting Nyman no matter his current form was their best bet for navigating the Romulan ship undetected.

“Okay, that’s good, I hadn’t thought of the advantages your shapeshifting abilities could offer in our situation,” Saoir said, his voice becoming more steady as he realized what an asset Lieutenant Nyman’s species actually was. With Nyman disguised as a Romulan guard by his side, Saoir felt they had a favorable chance at finding the others.
“Lead the way,” Saoir said as he managed to offer a smile.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

Nyman responded with a quick nod in return, “I’m just doing what I can to help…” he commented under his breath.

He was sure to confiscate it disable anything the guards could use to escape. Then he opened the door, and lead Saoir out. Holding one of the guard’s disruptor rifles for show. As they walked through the corridors, Nyman thought more about what he was able to learn. It… complicated things.

Before he wasn’t thinking there would be any long term ramifications of revealing his secret to the Ensign. The Lieutenant had believed his position was comprised beyond salvaging. Now he was not so sure.

“You there,” a stern voice interrupted his thoughts,

“Where are you taking the Kelpian?”

The voice came from behind them, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. An officer circled around in front of the two, cutting them off. She might have been vaguely familiar, the sub-commander who had interrupted Commander Kerax in the hall earlier.

Lieutenant Nyman inhaled sharply, startled. But he managed to reply in a more steady voice, different from his own but befitting of a Romulan officer,

“Commander Kerax convinced him to assist us. She ordered me to take him to Engineering with the others.”

“Is that right?” she replied, looking the two over before her eyes rested on Saior.

“Yes, it is,” Saoir replied, his voice steady despite the uncertainty if he could pull off an effective lie.

“What made you change your mind so quickly, Ensign?”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

“You see, Commander Kerax told me if I were to assist with the ship’s repairs, he would ensure that no harm would come to my colleagues and I, and we would be returned safely to our shuttle and we could be on our way.” Saoir prayed his words sounded convincing enough. The pressure of maintaining their ruse weighed heavily on him, but he knew they had to keep their wits about them to succeed in their mission.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

Nyman gave a subtle nod of agreement. Also as a show of approval for Saoir’s quick thinking.

The officer paused, once again eyeing them with suspicion. Until interrupted by a slight buzzing noise coming from the data pad tucked underneath her arm. She sighed, pulling it out to read the alert. Then looked back up a Saoir,

“Yes, well, your colleagues have proven to be very good pro… help under my supervision. I expect you to do the same. I believe group Delta requested additional assistance.”

She switched attention to Nyman,

“Escort him there, be sure to not let him out of your sight until I arrive to oversee their progress.”

“Yes- yes of course, ma’am,” the Lieutenant replied. Giving a quick nod she hurried off, responding to what that alert was.

As they continued on they soon came to the lift. Nyman’s ‘borrowed” access key worked to call it.

“Group Delta is working on Deck Three near Main Engineering,” Nyman said, disguising his explanation with the tone of a demand,

“Do not attempt anything too risky, Ensign. We still have your colleagues after all.”

Once they stepped inside the lift, he let out a long, deep exhale.

“Nice work thinking on your feet, Saoir. I know it doesn’t come naturally to everyone.” Nyman commented quietly, his voice distinctly more familiar sounding. A small smile flashed across his face, but quickly faded.

As Saoir stepped into the lift alongside Nyman, relief washed over him. Their plan was working, at least for now. He nodded at Nyman’s praise, grateful for the acknowledgement of his quick thinking. “Thanks,” Saoir replied quietly, keeping his voice low.

“I know this all might be a lot to process right now.” he said, expression softening,

“I would like you to know that I understand. Most people, who are not us, don’t appreciate being deceived.”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|

“Yeah, it’s a lot,” Saoir admitted softly. “But now, seeing you here, you’re just like the Nyman I knew on the Leviathan. Different in form, yet the same at the core. I guess I’ve spent too much time among humans, forgetting that it’s what’s inside that truly counts. Inside, you’re still Lieutenant Todd Nyman, and that’s all that matters.”
He paused, offering a reassuring smile. “I know the deception wasn’t intentional. It was for your own safety, and ours too. We’re all just trying to do the best and what we must for Starfleet.”

“Not many understand so well,” Nyman replied.

He had been prepared for more of a confrontation. It was possible Saoir was hiding his more negative feelings, for the sake of the task at hand. But the Ensign’s words also seemed genuine. It was unexpected, yet welcome.

“Though maybe I also have been around humans too long.” he concluded.

The lift hummed softly as it descended to Deck Three. Saoir took several deep breaths as he tried to focus on the task at hand, pushing aside any doubts that threatened to overwhelm him.

Ensign Saoir
(Transporter/Security)

As the lift doors opened, they found that, compared to the rest of the ship, Deck 3 was both the busiest and in the worse shape. The corridors were relatively bustling, with groups of two or three passing through with relatively urgency. All carrying tools kits or replacement parts and data pads with constantly updating orders. It wasn’t thirty seconds before they were noticed.

An officer stepped back a little, obviously not expecting to see them. A younger looking officer, whose insignia indicated the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

He was noticeably fixated on Saoir for a moment, with a mixture of hesitation and curiosity. Looking around them however he was able to get a glimpse of Nyman standing behind. Upon seeing who appeared to be an ally, he relaxed slightly.

“Which work group?” he asked.

“Delta,” Nyman replied, once again shifting his voice to match the role.

The officer smiled a little, “Excellent, we could definitely use someone like him.” He gestured toward one direction down the corridor. “Please, this way.”

With that brief direction he darted off in that direction, expecting the two to follow. Once he was out of earshot, Nyman whispered, “Just keep an eye on that detector, alright?”

|Lt. Nyman,
Chief Counselor|