Aboard the station [Pirate Attack]

[empirical_data]

Data was busy at work in engineering, waiting for Varsh to join him. Tiberius he knew had already left with the Doctor, which left him alone with the Doctor's doppelgänger to initiate repairs on Lore

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[ladysallymcgee]

Sally, saw the lights dim, then saw the computer terminal go dark, then herd the scrape of the doors, and the feet.

She frowned and began disturbing her staff and customers. Interrupting their pleasure to get them up, and armed with whatever they had. Knives, rolling pins, skillets, large pepper grinders, squirt bottles of the alcohol used for massages...

Until the computer came back on, or she heard a friendly voice, those doors were not getting opened.

[beta_five]

The first thing that occurred was a considerable amount of fighting outside of Lady Sally's door. Scratching, thumping, scraping. All kinds of noise as whatever was on the other side was attempting to grapple it's way through.

Then there was a thud, some high pitched chittering, a couple of more thunks, and silence. Well, silence save for the rest of the ship.

"Is everyone all right in there?!" A voice, deep and earnest, called from the other side of the door. Mr. Seven had to be careful. These pirates were making their way to the quarters section, and if he was unlucky they would make it to the Beta Five.

[ladysallymcgee]

"We are well, sir, thank you." Sally appeared in the somewhat mangled doorway holding a rolling pin, and a still steaming, but empty tea kettle.

"Do you know where we can get some real weapons," They were improvising well, but the screaming noise one of them made when he was doused with boiling water, until they clubbed him into unconsciousness had been highly unpleasant. "And what we are to do with these?" she prodded one of the inert bodies with her toe.

[beta_five]

"No, unfortunately. My people don't use weapons. It makes it inconvenient sometimes..." He looked behind him, ducking more into the doorway when he noticed a few streaks of light not too far away in the darkness, not wanting to invite more of the thieves inside.

"We leave them for now, I assume. Can you take care of her?" He held out a black cat, which had spent most of this trip clinging to his shoulders. "If I can make it to security I can get us something."

[ladysallymcgee]

"Oh, isnt she beautiful?" Lady Sally reached out for the cat. Fortunately she didn't seem to be one of those that get gooshy around animals.

"I have some kippers you might like." She said to the animal.

[beta_five]

"Her name is Isis," he said quickly. Not a correction, but just as information before he took off toward security.

At first Isis gave an approving squeak. But almost as soon as her master had left, she started growling at something unseen. Ears flattening back against her head and the displeased noise vibrating deep in her chest.

[ladysallymcgee]

"I know." Sally said to the cat, not out of any real knowledge of what she was growling at, but general agreement with the mood.

"Let's get those bodies out of the way--put them in the bondage room, and get the doors braced shut again. There are probably more of them around." She called to her staff, and willing customers.

She took Isis into the kitchen and opened a can of smoked herring for her.

"I know there are passageways in between some of the walls. I better listen so we don't get flanked without warning."

She took a glass, and held it to the wall as an improvised stethoscope.

[beta_five]

The brief moment that the door to the bondage room was open, she wanted to run in and bat at something strappy and leathery. Instead, she settled her butt on the counter and decided to nibble at her fish. Mr. Seven was alright for the moment. That she knew.

She purred as she primly scooped a piece of fish out with her paw, feeding her face and watching as Miss Sally was listening at the wall. To whatever was on the other side.

Her tail flicked and after another bite trod away to sniff along the floor, toward a ventilation duct. If she wasn't mistaken, she heard something scratchy and peculiar.

[ladysallymcgee]

As Sally made a circuit of the walls, listening, she noticed the cat's behavior, in an absent way. It took her a moment to realize what the cat was nosing at. Then she came toward her, knelt down and listened to the duct.

[beta_five]

Isis stared at the grate, some scuttling heard from within it. Scuttling which should have inspired alarm, though the kitty wasn't fazed. She fluffed up, all hatred and black fuzz, oh such an intimidating sight of kitty. Ready to take on whatever was crawling through that duct toward the opening.

[ladysallymcgee]

Sally considered pouring boiling water down the duct, but what if it were that alarming looking fellow that popped up from the floor or out from the walls, or even down from the ceiling sometimes? Or that nice young lady from security? She couldn't chance it, but took up her position near the duct with her largest skillet (the 'chicken fryer' --27 pounds of cast iron) ready to smash anything bug-like that appeared.

[beta_five]

The moment the grate popped off, it wasn't a human head that erupted. No. It was a bug head, covered in multi-faceted eyes.

So Isis did what came naturally. Every one of those facets ended up scratched from a frantically flailing cat, before she scrambled back behind Lady Sally to give her a clear swing with that formidable looking cookware.

[ladysallymcgee]

Sally was live and let live when she encountered a bug in nature, but she really hated them in her kitchen. And down the cookware came. Sally was not too proud to put her hips and back into it using her body weight as well as the momentum of the pans swing to give that larcenous creature a very bad day.

And it's body would plug the hole nicely for a time.

[beta_five]

Isis hopped up onto the counter and stared down into the vent. And snorted. As if to say, that's right! at the fallen bug. Her tail swished spitefully.

She mewled at Miss Sally, very pointedly asking her if she was alright. And telling her that she would feel much better if she picked her up and petted her. It was very soothing when one was stressed.

[ladysallymcgee]

Sally rubbed her hands together, they smarted a little. She put the pan down on the counter and picked up the cat.

"You are a very smart kitty, Isis, though I wonder why he didn't name you Bast? But perhaps you just like 'Isis' better,hmmm?" Stroking a cat was good when one was stressed, Sally's voice became more soothing, and her rubbing more relaxed as she continued,

"And there would always be the temptation for someone not looking where they were going to add an extra syllable to that other name if they tripped over you." She put Isis on her shoulder and picked up the pan again.

"Let's go see how the others are doing, and check more vents."

For some reason I didn't get the notification again.

[beta_five]

She browled a response, wrapping her tail around Miss Sally's neck and purring. Then she made another noise. That worried sort of noise that cats make when they're locked in a kennel and aren't sure what's going to happen to them, all the while staring off toward the wall. Toward the direction of security, where Mr. Seven had gone.

She settled quickly, but whatever it was had badly distressed her at that moment. Many more of these things and the form of a typical cat wouldn't do.