SIM:Lael Rosek - If the Sun Shouldn't Rise Tomorrow (Victory)

Previous sim "What A Kiss"	Ensign Lael Rosek Engineering Officer Starbase 118 USS Victory NCC 362447	Next sim "Switching Departments"
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((Unknown Ship, Temlai))

::Suddenly the lighting changed hue and an alarm began to blast. She cursed. Surely their captors had come to check on them and had noticed them missing. Her heart raced as she fought to keep a level head. Emotional reactions would only make their present situation worse.::

Tarna: We’d better take it up a notch.

::She picked up the pace, all the while occasionally glancing behind her to be sure Janel was able to keep up. She heard the doors swish open behind her and turned abruptly in time to see Janel collide with a Romulan who promptly knocked Janel to the ground. Her heart clenched at the loud thud. The Romulan then began slamming Janel's head against the ground to loose the knife and her stomach twisted at both the loud sound and the blood.::

::Lael rushed forward, moving toward the disruptor, but the Romulan swiped at her with the knife he'd managed to take from Janel, then lunging forward for the disruptor. Janel grabbed him and pulled him back down even as he struggled for the weapon himself. She moved for the weapon again, but the scuffle stopped her. Just as Janel grabbed the disruptor, he was forced to lean back to avoid the knife. She grimaced as it just missed his throat. Suddenly, the Romulan started laughing.::

Tarna: Shut up!

::Feeling helpless, she watched as Janel blocked one blow only to be hit by the second as the knife was plunged into his shoulder. She reacted on instinct as Janel fell to the deck, the disruptor sliding and coming to a stop at her feet. As though in slow motion, she saw the Romulan rush toward her. She reached for the weapon, getting a grip and her finger on the trigger just as the Romulan moved to strike. A brilliant green fire erupted from the energy weapon, striking the Romulan in the chest. He stilled, his eyes going wide in shock as his body crumpled to the ground. Her gaze locked with Janel's, the disruptor clattering to the ground.::

::She opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden tingling sensation in her side caught her attention. She looked down to find a knife embedded there, blood trickling out. Her hand shook as it slid along the hilt, trying to decide if she should remove it. Before she could act, her knees gave beneath her.::

Tarna: Don’t touch it.

::She struggled to calm her heart rate, knowing that it further complicated her situation. The sight of blood draining from Janel's nose and mouth was doing little to relax her. Despite the white-hot shots of pain rushing through her side, she found herself more concerned with his injuries than her own. The best she could do for their situation was stay awake and stay alert. With Janel so focused on her, he'd be at a disadvantage if anyone came upon them now.::

Tarna: Come in here. Let’s see if they have anything we can use on this.

:: He ripped strips off the bottom of his tunic and wrapped it around the portion of the blade that wasn’t embedded and got her to isolate the blade with her hands. ::

Tarna: Carefully does it.

::The movement jarred the knife despite Janel's makeshift bandage and it took all of her willpower and focus not to pass out. She trusted his judgment. He wouldn't have encouraged her to move if it was going to cause further damage.::

Tarna: How do you lock this?

::She leaned against the wall beside the door, struggling to focus on the symbols. The Romulan language had always been one of her weakest, despite similarities to Vulcan. It took her several unsuccessful combinations before she at last found the right one.::

::With the door locked, she allowed Janel to help her lay down.::

Tarna: Try to take slow deep breaths and lower your heart rate and be still. I’m doing to search this place for anything I can use.

::She did nothing more than nod, a sudden wave of dizziness enveloping her as she did so. Her hands shock as she wiped the back of one cold, clammy hand across her sweaty forehead.::

Tarna: We’re landing and there are a whole bunch of heavies out there. Not the friendliest looking welcoming committee…

::If she hadn't been so weak, she'd have glared at him. Here she was trying to calm herself down and he gives her news like that.::

::He returned to her and knelt by her side, putting his supplies down.::

Tarna: Well lets deal with one problem at a time. Brace yourself. I’m sorry to say that this will be uncomfortable.

::As Janel rolled her onto her side and straddled her, she swallowed a gasp of pain, doing her best to focus on anything but her injury and what she knew was going to be some serious pain. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, only succeeding in drawing more blood as the whimpers broke free without her permission. At last, she felt it slide free and practically gasped in relief.::

Tarna: ::Gulping hard:: I'm so sorry Lael. It’s out now. I’m going to get you patched up, just hold on a bit longer.

::She grunted in response. It hurt some as he struggled to stem the bleeding and fix her up, but not near as much as the removal of the knife. She'd even managed to lower her heart rate and decrease her breathing to acceptable ranges. The scrape against the deck caught Lael's attention and she opened her eyes in time to see him stagger off and sink to his knees as he emptied the contents of his stomach.::

::She stood slowly, moving toward him in stuttered steps with water and tissues in hand. Falling carefully to her knees behind him, she stifled a gasp of pain, focusing on his needs. She ran her fingers through his hair in an effort to soothe him, recalling how effective it had been when they'd been imprisoned in that cell.::

Rosek: ::whispers:: Shh. I'm right here.

::When at last he appeared done, she poured some water onto a handful of tissue with shaking hands and wrung it out, then using it to pat his forehead, face and neck in an effort to calm him. Looking at him in that moment, it occurred to her that they might actually die here and the tears broke free. She was scared beyond reason and for first time since their capture was beginning to think that even if the Captain had dispatched a rescue team, they might not arrive in time. She dove forward to capture his lips with hers, her movements softening as the taste of blood and bile reminded her of his injury. She wove her fingers into the hair at the base of his neck and leaned her forehead against his.::

Rosek: If something happens and we don't make it out of here--

Tarna: response

Rosek: ::shakes her head:: ::choked:: No. I have to say this. ::pause:: If something happens and we don't make it out of here, I need you to know that I don't regret running after you that day. ::smiles wanly:: You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and even if it was only for a few days, I was happy again. You reminded me why I joined Starfleet in the first place--to help others who couldn't help themselves. ::pauses:: Nearly getting discharged made me forget that. ::sighs:: I was so focused on myself that I wasn't doing my duty to those around me. It's some measure of comfort that if I die today, I die for what I believe in. ::swallows roughly and whispers:: And if I die today, you'll be the one I die for.

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Ensign Lael Rosek
Engineering Officer
USS Victory