Mission Briefing at Shan-Zhess Keep
Pukey dropped his head, and mumbled "Sorry, sir," at Therav's reprimand.
Noelle looked up, a little confused, as if she'd missed a meeting.
The children were talking amongst themselves. "He should whup that pinkskin," one of them said.
Thimon said, "He's too much of a fade to whup that pinkskin!"
"Fade?" Noelle asked Diziara.
"Now is not the time for that discussion, let's just leave it at very bad insult," Diziara explained, looking at the children, ready to move
forward if things progressed beyond words.
Shlev's antennae went up, and he pushed himself to the fore of the group. "I can throw him into a snow bank, of course my thavan could take him!"
Therav moved closer to Pukey, and said, in a low voice, "You do not need to do this, Mr. Quinn."
"Of course I do. You're going to stand there and let these little kids humiliate you?"
Therav nodded. "And you as well."
After a moment, Therav added, in a low voice, "This will be off the record."
Pukey nodded.
Therav took off his gray sweater, leaving him in a white tank. With nobody actually witnessing the agreement between the two, both he and Pukey strode to the center of the arena, and squared off.
Diziara, watching the two men enter the middle of the arena, she was left speechless and unsure who to cheer for, so she just watched dumbly.
Noelle crossed her arms, and grinned, clearly amused at the display of testosterone poisoning.
Tall and long-limbed, Quinn had a greater reach. The short, compactly built Andorian had a lower center of gravity.
Steel issued from a hitherto unseen scabbard, and now Therav crept in a low stance, holding a knife.
Quinn attempted to get close several times, and tried a number of moves that the Academy graduates present would've recognized as being from Greco-Roman wrestling and security commando training. Quinn's arm swung out, and Therav's antennae flattened back against his scalp as he ducked. Therav moved quickly and efficiently. With a brush of his foot into the back of the larger human's knee, the human lost his footing.
Not a moment later, Quinn was panting and on the ground with Therav's boot on his throat, and the knife at his chin.
"You make the same mistake every time, Quinn," Therav said, a slight edge in his voice but otherwise speaking in a civil and matter-of-fact way. "You telegraph all your moves. You are a slow learner. If you fail to ground me next time, I'll put a notation in your record, and you'll retire as a lieutenant. Do. you. understand. me.?"
Quinn laughed good-naturedly. Therav's boot did not budge.
"Yes... SIR!"
Therav sheathed the knife and offered a hand up.
Quinn took Therav's hand, but almost as soon as he was on his feet, he slipped backward on a patch of ice and landed on his butt.
The children erupted into peals of laughter.
Therav stood over Pukey with his arms folded, his antennae shaking a little in amusement.
He turned his back on Pukey, and started to walk away.
"Uh-oh," Noelle commented to Diz.
Right on schedule, Quinn's hand shot out and he caught Therav around the ankle, and yanked hard. Within a moment the large, lumbering human was on top of Therav, securing him in a competent wrestling hold from which the smaller Andorian had no escape.
The peanut gallery was speechless.
"I believe, sir," Quinn said... "You told me to never turn my back on a grounded living enemy."
Therav coughed. He couldn't speak in the hold Quinn had him in.
Quinn released him enough to speak, but not enough to move.
"In the future you'll take this to mean you are to do as I say, not as I do," Therav managed hoarsely. "Now in the name of Uzaveh, let me the hell up!"
Quinn released Therav, and offered him the hand up.
"Figures he'd let that pinkskin beat him," Thimon said.
"They were just practicing. It wasn't a real fight," Shlev said.
"You're a fade just like your thavan if you think so," Thimon retorted.
This time, it was Noelle, who had snapped around with her hands on her hips, who silenced both of the children with a look very like a reproachful schoolteacher.
Therav and Pukey brushed themselves off.
Therav turned away slightly, making the effort to hide his own amusement, but the effort was fruitless, and he laughed just a little.
He regained his composure, and looking embarassed, added, loud enough for all assembled to hear, "Briefing in twenty minutes for all officers. Shrine room. Bring all PADDs."
~
The group assembled in the shrine room, which had been outfitted with a requisitioned table and folding chairs. Noelle, Spiegel, Therav and Thil performed the sweeps of the area to check for bugs and cameras. Four clansmen in Imperial Guard uniform joined the group, and two stood by each of the two entrances.
The room was cast in spooky torchlight, and the Away Team was surrounded by demonic faces carved right into the stone, which were additionally lit by small flickering candles at their bases. One statue was covered in dried blue material.
Diziara may have been surprised that Blue was here at the briefing.
"Intelligence indicates that the True Heirs of Andor have regrouped within the old Aenar city," Therav said. "This is located in the Northern Waste, beneath the ice. The trip will be broken into three parts, with camp of six hours being made following each of the first two parts. We will be travelling above ground for the second leg of the trip, and a new storm system is moving in, in fourty-eight hours. We will be travelling by zabathu for the first half of the journey, to save time. Thinshal, Thil and I will demonstrate the safe handling of the zabathu following this briefing. We will leave at 16:00 Starfleet Universal Time, so that the first leg of the trip and camp will be complete before first light of the next day."
He spread a large folding map on the table, outlining the tunnel system, where they would set up camp, where the mountain shelters were located, and where they would seek shelter in event of being caught in a storm.
"Once we have reached the halfway point, Thinshal will lead the zabathu back to the Keep, and we will continue the journey by foot. Tallana and I will be reprising our identities from the Zzyzx mission, as Phelana and Shrav. She, Thil and I will be leading you into the THA compound... as our prisoners, where you will stage a sabotage of the compound's main power grid, shutting down the dampening field. We will be monitoring Dr. tr'Avrak's movements via the transponder which was placed on him at Zzyzx. Once the dampening field is removed, our Starfleet Intelligence contact will be removing Dr. tr'Avrak and ourselves to a safe location. Now, Sessenthil, it is your turn."
Thil nodded. "The Guard is planning a major operation. Once we are inside, they plan to storm the compound and take control. Once that happens, you must keep yourselves and Dr. tr'Avrak safe long enough to get him above ground."
A moment of silence.
Therav looked at each assembled face. "I will expect each of you to act as an autonomous unit, but fully guard the life and safety of the person to your front and back when single-file, right and left when side-by-side. Do you have any questions?"
Noelle looked up, a little confused, as if she'd missed a meeting.
The children were talking amongst themselves. "He should whup that pinkskin," one of them said.
Thimon said, "He's too much of a fade to whup that pinkskin!"
"Fade?" Noelle asked Diziara.
"Now is not the time for that discussion, let's just leave it at very bad insult," Diziara explained, looking at the children, ready to move
forward if things progressed beyond words.
Shlev's antennae went up, and he pushed himself to the fore of the group. "I can throw him into a snow bank, of course my thavan could take him!"
Therav moved closer to Pukey, and said, in a low voice, "You do not need to do this, Mr. Quinn."
"Of course I do. You're going to stand there and let these little kids humiliate you?"
Therav nodded. "And you as well."
After a moment, Therav added, in a low voice, "This will be off the record."
Pukey nodded.
Therav took off his gray sweater, leaving him in a white tank. With nobody actually witnessing the agreement between the two, both he and Pukey strode to the center of the arena, and squared off.
Diziara, watching the two men enter the middle of the arena, she was left speechless and unsure who to cheer for, so she just watched dumbly.
Noelle crossed her arms, and grinned, clearly amused at the display of testosterone poisoning.
Tall and long-limbed, Quinn had a greater reach. The short, compactly built Andorian had a lower center of gravity.
Steel issued from a hitherto unseen scabbard, and now Therav crept in a low stance, holding a knife.
Quinn attempted to get close several times, and tried a number of moves that the Academy graduates present would've recognized as being from Greco-Roman wrestling and security commando training. Quinn's arm swung out, and Therav's antennae flattened back against his scalp as he ducked. Therav moved quickly and efficiently. With a brush of his foot into the back of the larger human's knee, the human lost his footing.
Not a moment later, Quinn was panting and on the ground with Therav's boot on his throat, and the knife at his chin.
"You make the same mistake every time, Quinn," Therav said, a slight edge in his voice but otherwise speaking in a civil and matter-of-fact way. "You telegraph all your moves. You are a slow learner. If you fail to ground me next time, I'll put a notation in your record, and you'll retire as a lieutenant. Do. you. understand. me.?"
Quinn laughed good-naturedly. Therav's boot did not budge.
"Yes... SIR!"
Therav sheathed the knife and offered a hand up.
Quinn took Therav's hand, but almost as soon as he was on his feet, he slipped backward on a patch of ice and landed on his butt.
The children erupted into peals of laughter.
Therav stood over Pukey with his arms folded, his antennae shaking a little in amusement.
He turned his back on Pukey, and started to walk away.
"Uh-oh," Noelle commented to Diz.
Right on schedule, Quinn's hand shot out and he caught Therav around the ankle, and yanked hard. Within a moment the large, lumbering human was on top of Therav, securing him in a competent wrestling hold from which the smaller Andorian had no escape.
The peanut gallery was speechless.
"I believe, sir," Quinn said... "You told me to never turn my back on a grounded living enemy."
Therav coughed. He couldn't speak in the hold Quinn had him in.
Quinn released him enough to speak, but not enough to move.
"In the future you'll take this to mean you are to do as I say, not as I do," Therav managed hoarsely. "Now in the name of Uzaveh, let me the hell up!"
Quinn released Therav, and offered him the hand up.
"Figures he'd let that pinkskin beat him," Thimon said.
"They were just practicing. It wasn't a real fight," Shlev said.
"You're a fade just like your thavan if you think so," Thimon retorted.
This time, it was Noelle, who had snapped around with her hands on her hips, who silenced both of the children with a look very like a reproachful schoolteacher.
Therav and Pukey brushed themselves off.
Therav turned away slightly, making the effort to hide his own amusement, but the effort was fruitless, and he laughed just a little.
He regained his composure, and looking embarassed, added, loud enough for all assembled to hear, "Briefing in twenty minutes for all officers. Shrine room. Bring all PADDs."
~
The group assembled in the shrine room, which had been outfitted with a requisitioned table and folding chairs. Noelle, Spiegel, Therav and Thil performed the sweeps of the area to check for bugs and cameras. Four clansmen in Imperial Guard uniform joined the group, and two stood by each of the two entrances.
The room was cast in spooky torchlight, and the Away Team was surrounded by demonic faces carved right into the stone, which were additionally lit by small flickering candles at their bases. One statue was covered in dried blue material.
Diziara may have been surprised that Blue was here at the briefing.
"Intelligence indicates that the True Heirs of Andor have regrouped within the old Aenar city," Therav said. "This is located in the Northern Waste, beneath the ice. The trip will be broken into three parts, with camp of six hours being made following each of the first two parts. We will be travelling above ground for the second leg of the trip, and a new storm system is moving in, in fourty-eight hours. We will be travelling by zabathu for the first half of the journey, to save time. Thinshal, Thil and I will demonstrate the safe handling of the zabathu following this briefing. We will leave at 16:00 Starfleet Universal Time, so that the first leg of the trip and camp will be complete before first light of the next day."
He spread a large folding map on the table, outlining the tunnel system, where they would set up camp, where the mountain shelters were located, and where they would seek shelter in event of being caught in a storm.
"Once we have reached the halfway point, Thinshal will lead the zabathu back to the Keep, and we will continue the journey by foot. Tallana and I will be reprising our identities from the Zzyzx mission, as Phelana and Shrav. She, Thil and I will be leading you into the THA compound... as our prisoners, where you will stage a sabotage of the compound's main power grid, shutting down the dampening field. We will be monitoring Dr. tr'Avrak's movements via the transponder which was placed on him at Zzyzx. Once the dampening field is removed, our Starfleet Intelligence contact will be removing Dr. tr'Avrak and ourselves to a safe location. Now, Sessenthil, it is your turn."
Thil nodded. "The Guard is planning a major operation. Once we are inside, they plan to storm the compound and take control. Once that happens, you must keep yourselves and Dr. tr'Avrak safe long enough to get him above ground."
A moment of silence.
Therav looked at each assembled face. "I will expect each of you to act as an autonomous unit, but fully guard the life and safety of the person to your front and back when single-file, right and left when side-by-side. Do you have any questions?"