Team 2 - On the Hunt

Posted on Sun Jan 13th, 2019 @ 1:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Shaille Levine & 1st Lieutenant Patrick O'Shea & Petty Officer 2nd Class Shirley O'Neil

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/5
Location: Deck 6

Having tested her own weapons and made sure the others were prepped and ready, Shaille was about to head out for deck two when her commbadge chirped.

"Ensign Fallon to Lieutenant Levine, I'm pretty sure the aliens are on deck six, or at least one of them is. I have reason to believe that there has been a civillian casualty in the aft section, quarters number 6-5849a."

Tapping her commbadge to reply, Shaille raised an eyebrow slightly. The last thing she wanted was to be on a wild goose chase because of a hysterical junior officer, even if she did sound surprisingly calm. "Are you sure Ensign?"

Siobahn drew in a sharp breath before replying. "‭If it's about 6 feet tall, brown and kinda ugly, I'm sure. I saw it myself. I can't confirm the death, I wasn't getting close enough to find out. It was maybe only 5 minutes or so ago."

"Alright, we'll go check it out." Shaille replied, closing the link. Taking a moment to firstly notify engineering that there had been a likely confirmed sighting of the Shalti on deck 6 in case that helped them to make what ever modifications were necessary to the internal sensors, and then notifying team one that she was taking her team to deck 6 instead, Shaille motioned for the team to start moving.

Shirley weaved around the two senior officers and jogged half a step to ahead of them, "Pardon me, sirs, but given that I'm the little fish in the pond right now? I do believe it's my job to take the lead, because I just happen to be the most expendable of the lot of us." She grinned slightly, "Hey, they may be like stormtroopers right? Can't hit anything?"

"None of us are expendable," Shaille corrected calmly, casting a withering glance at one of the junior security officers who's muffled laughter was heard over her words. "Though if someone were to be, it'd be giggles over there. Do you have something you want to share with the class Mr Austin? No? Then do the rest of us a favour and shut up before I have Ms O'Neil here shoot you."

Austin scowled in the general direction of his department head before falling back a few steps, slinging his phase rifle over his shoulder and muttering something to Cassius. It was only when Cassius hissed at him to shut up that he fell quiet.

Patrick did not like the smell of this whole idea. It reminded him too much of a mission he was on and it ended up badly. Knowing by the tone of Lt. Levine's it was best to stay quiet for now, but only for now.

**********

Stepping out of the turbolift onto deck 6, Shaille stopped. "Cassius, Austin, O'Shea, you take the quarters on the left side of the corridor, O'Neil and I will take the right. If anything seems out of the ordinary, shout. Got it?"

Looking at both women and then back to his trio, he didn't understand why he got the guys but....not staying quiet now, "Sure understood, but know this Lieutenant, a Marine I am and I will do my job...both of you women holler good and loud should it get sticky. No one is going to end up dying on my watch. With all due respect sir, we all are a team here".

“Don’t worry, sir, we’ll come running to your shrieks.” Shirley said jovially, ignoring the intent of his words, insulting though they felt to her, then her own voice became more bitter and Cassius shuddered briefly, “We have no intention on dying, sir, we’re professionals just like you and I have plans for dinner I need to finish getting ready for.”

"Good Ms O'Neil. I don't need a dressing down from Maj. Hailey about this. Let's do this", he said, motioning to Cassuis and Austin to move their asses out. He knew that at the moment he would not be popular but it was what it was.

They had barely reached the first set of doors when the lights flickered before going out, the darkness only broken by the strobe of the yellow lights from the yellow alert. "Be quiet," Shaille ordered suddenly, unslinging her phase rifle and powering it on, holding it up to her shoulder. "There's something ahead, something moving."

There was a sound of something scuffing against the carpet on the deck up around the corner. Stepping up to take point, Shaille moved forward slowly, sticking close to the bulkhead. As she approached the corner, she motioned for Shirley to take the closest wall while she moved across the corridor before ducking across the exposed opening and crouching down on the other side, her gaze moving to the giant insect in the middle of the corridor.

To say that it was ugly would likely be the understatement of the millennium. Probably nearing 6 foot tall and a dark muted brown color, it lumbered clumsily in the corridor, almost looking like something on what ever it had that acted as feet was getting caught in the pile on the carpet.

Watching it for a few moments, Shaille cast a discerning gaze over the separate body parts of the insectoid, trying to determine the best body part to shoot for. "What do you think?" she hissed across the hall to Shirley. "Shoot for the head?"

Patrick took his two charges and began to check the rooms as Lt. Levine ordered. Leading, he made like the wall, inching along it, staying low and listening for any type of sound, there was none. Moving further, he heard a sound making him suddenly stopped mid stride. His two charges plowed into him like a freight train, "Jeez you two watch my lead or your gonna run me over, for Pete's sake!", he said.

Glancing back, Shaille's expression darkened. "Shut the hell up before you get us killed!" she hissed. "One more sound and I swear to God I will shoot you myself!"

The corridor was suddenly filled with a clicking sound and the Shalti seemed to stand taller before moments later a second Shalti appeared further down the corridor, the sound of the clicking doubling.

"Arm weapons, fire on my command," Shaille ordered quietly, holding her phase rifle up in front of her as she shifted her stance. "Ready?"

Shirley nodded silently in response. Even Patrick, Austin and Cassius fell silent, weapons drawn and armed.

Before they could fire, the all too familiar sound of the transporter beam overwhelmed the sounds of the Shalti, and then there was silence. Where previously the Shalti had stood, now there was nothing more than an empty corridor.

"What the actual hell?" Shaille said, clearly confused as she looked across at Shirley who could manage little more than a shrug. "Looks like someone found a way to locate them," she said.

Shaille's commbadge chirped, the noise sounding alarmingly loud in the silence as Felicie's voice came over the commlink. "Engineering to Security. You're welcome."

=/\=

Lieutenant Shaille Levine
Chief Security Officer
USS Wellington

Petty Officer 2nd Class Shirley O'Neil
Security Officer
USS Wellington

1st Lieutenant Patrick O'Shea
Marine XO
USS Wellington