Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in Main Sim At the Imperial Palace
(SNIP)

Vanessa felt her breathing increase along with her heart rate. She would never take a spot of someone in the space behind her however that did not mean she was liking the idea of sitting and waiting to die. As the room exploded in chaos around her and Calvin, a large statue fell in front of them. Pieces of marble shattered like a dinner plate scattering around the floor. A few inches closer and the weight would have crushed them. Instead it gave them much needed cover. Dropping down she pressed her back to the statue and let her weapon drop to her lap. There were too many aggressors to shoot and far too many people that needed her help. It was the first time she had been in an actual fire fight. The sounds of it dulled her mind until it was only a white noise.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Calvin took up position behind the fallen statue next to Vanessa and began to try and take out as many aggressors as he could.

Marius CO

The screams and crashes about the room turned into a white noise. Vanessa disassociated for a long moment staring at the closed doors that held salvation for those behind it. Now she understood why Dean was so furious with her showing up at the reception. His aggressive actions, pulling her out of the room and back into the kitchen caught the attention of some. She had thought Zachary Dean was just suffering a PTSD moment when he droned on about it not being safe for her on the surface. His vague references to something shady just below the surface of the Beltran home world was not a metaphor. It was a real threat she had scoffed at and now regretted. It was hubris on her part to think that just because she treated Zach as a patient once, he would always be a patient. His last command was to stay by Calvin’s side. Long ago she looked out for Dean and now he was looking out for Vanessa.

Gorn reminded Calvin of the ‘aliens’ in the movie “Aliens,” but they were faster and smaller. However their greatest advantage was the terror they created because of their viciousness their unusual appearance and speed. That fear made them seem even more dangerous… belief became reality and the Gorn just became a demon of death.

Spinning around, Vanessa began to pick off as many enemies as she could It was nearly impossible to know if she was hitting anything or missing it completely. The speed at which the Volian’s and Gorn moved was incredible. “Sir, they are everywhere,” Vanessa called out to her Captain. Being in the midst of her first armed conflict was jarring. All her platitudes in therapy felt like a weight around her neck.

“I don’t know what to do,” she replied still trying to shoot. Her comment was not about the immediate action of shooting a target. It was more philosophical. Asking Calvin for help was pointless. He would probably mumble something about the corp and never giving up or tell her they were going to die and go down fighting. The problem was Vanessa was not a Marine. She had never wanted to be a Marine. She had never actually killed anything. Her hands began to shake as she fired making her shots miss more than hit a target. She shot out several more shots before the weapon stopped working. If it had been a Federation phaser, there may have been shots before it had to be recharged. This Beltran weapon seemed far inferior.

“Pick a lane, shoot and pick another lane,” there was little else they could do.

Vanessa nodded and listened to Calvin’s instructions. This was a far cry from all the training she received at the academy. Her instructors had set up training scenarios just like this filled with smoke, chaos, and screaming however there was never a chance of death. This missing element was always relayed to them as it would never matter if they remembered their training. Vanessa now realized how empty this comment was. They were not counting on the cadet’s training to kick in but the will to live. Taking a deep breath, she stopped her frenzied shooting and picked a lane as Calvin stated. This calmed her far more than she expected. It gave her something to focus on and something that showed achievement. Peppering off several rounds, Vanessa activated the weapon but suddenly no more red bolts zipped from the weapon in her hand. Shaking it did not magically re-energize the weapon but it was her natural instinct instead of submitting to the reality of the moment.

“Calvin I am out. I’m out,” Vanessa yelled feeling panic creep into her voice.

Vanessa Slade CNS

“Maintain your bearing Lieutenant.” Discipline hopefully would counter fear and the first step of that was for everyone to remember their duty. “You were trained for this.” Calvin slid down beside her behind the fallen statue. Things did not look good. They would be overrun in minutes, and they were almost out of fire power. “There is no outs,” he said calmly. There were only a few times in his career where he really counted his odds about not coming out. This was one of them. Oddly enough, Calvin was very calm.

He had picked a solid defensive position, but that meant that there were no fall back points. “Try to keep your brain working, that will maximize your options when the time comes.” He didn’t think there were any options. When the time comes meant, die well. He fully intended to take a Gorn or two with him and leave a couple with permanant scars ‘remember me.’

“There is little value in fighting hand to hand against the Gorn, find a weapon… pick one up from the dead if you must and keep on firing. There are no other options.”

Marius CO

Tossing the weapon aside, Vanessa spied a rifle lying a few feet from her position. Sitting here without a weapon did not help the situation. Taking several deep breaths, Vanessa filled her lungs with oxygen much like a diver did before a descent. It gave her a momentary burst of energy even it the effects were imaginary. Diving our from their protected position, her fingers clasped around the butt of the weapon which resembled a rifle. Feeling it in her hands, she began to crawl back to her original position next to Calvin.

Vanessa Slade CNS

She was almost back to her spot when she felt something wrap around her ankle. Her face went ashen and her mouth opened in a stifled scream. Instinctively she reached out for Calvin’s hand as if he could pull her back into the safety of their hidden location. Screaming out his name, Vanessa held her hand out for rescue.

GM Kate

Out of the corner of his eye, Calvin saw what was happening to his officer. Her face and strangled scream told him everything his mind was processing. The darkened room and chaos hid what exactly had a hold of her. It was a losing battle but his Marine training prevented him from solely focusing on his own survival. Diving forward he reached for Vanessa’s hand. His fingers entwined in hers and he locked eyes imparting a steady gaze.

Shifting his weight, he braced his legs on the fallen art pillar and began to pull her towards him.

Marius CO

Vanessa felt his hand grip her wrist. It felt like an iron shackle on her skin. For a second she felt safe and secure as her own fingers latched around his wrist. They were an unstoppable team and this was just the physical manifestations she carried around in her imagination. “Don’t let go,” she yelled out feeling the pull on her lower body.

Staring at the expression on Calvin’s face, Vanessa felt a knot growing in her stomach. His face was etched with pure determination and focus. His stoney visage was tinted around the eyes with a flickering of panic. His weapon was no longer in his hand peppering out bolts defending their small alamo in a sea of attackers. In this small moment Vanessa had crystal clarity. This man might have been her future. He might have been the one she wanted to throw all in on however that also came with the clarity of reality. If their positions were reversed, Calvin would not be begging her to save him. Her fingers slowly lifted off his wrist creating a more streamlined effect with her hand.

Vanessa Slade CNS