From: V. Rahul Chandra (vrccan_at_gmail.com)
Date: Mon Jun 18 2007 - 05:16:46 PDT
======= "More Uh-Oh" Con't from Alix's "Echoes" ======= Location: USS PATRIOT Stardate: 2422 [2.7] 0618.0754 Scene: Cargo Bay 1 The essentialists continued to preach and the crowd continued to listen. The four security officers along with the one marine (Samuels) stationed there watched the whole spectacle unwind in front of them with unease masked by neutral expressions. They all knew of the frenzy that essentialists had the ability to start up in crowds and none of them wanted to see that happen here. Nevertheless, they have been given orders to do nothing for the moment and like the good Starfleet personnel they were, they had been following those orders to the letter. "My friends!" the lead essentialist cried, his hands still up in the air. They had been like that for well over ten minutes and Samuels privately wondered to himself whether or not the man's arms were getting tired. "My friends," he repeated. "The Federation has grown weak in the recent decades. Smugly superior in our confidence after winning the Dominion War, we have let ourselves become complacent and weak. Worlds like RISA flourish while our defences around the Federation get weaker by the day. We have forgotten the great tradition of the founders of the Federation and accidents like this one are our punishment for that lack of memory." "This is nonsense!" someone from the crowd cried. The essentialist leader lowered his arms and looked down at the man who was slowly making his way to the front of the crowd. Samuels was so intent on what was happening that he practically jumped with surprise when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Easy there Samuels," Daniel said, coming up beside him. Looking over his shoulder, Samuels noticed the rest of the command team under Clarkson (including the Chief of Security) discussing matters with the four security officers that had been here with him the whole time. "I just got word from Mav that we need to check in with the forces on the surface, so I'll need to make this brief." Back up on the makeshift podium, the essentialist leader was calmly staring down his heckler. "Why do you say this is nonsense my friend?" "Are you saying that the Federation is too weak to defend its own people?" the man in the crowd practically spat. "I say you have no idea of the power of our benevolent society. The forces of Starfleet dedicate their lives to defending our borders and by claiming that we lack the strength to defend ourselves you do nothing but belittle the sacrifices of thousands of their officers and crew every year." The essentialist leader sniffed in distaste. "Starfleet has shown time and again their stupidity when it comes to defending the Federation," he said. "How many died during the Dominion War? How many have died during the countless battles we have had since? How many died at CORIANNA III? Do you know? I do, a trillion people from all of the different powers of the galaxy died during that confrontation. Do not lecture me on your thousands old man, I know what I am talking about." "This is starting to get out of hand," Daniel muttered to himself. The essentialist leader waited for an answer and when the old man just sighed and shook his head, he looked on the crowd with an expression of triumph. "You see? Nobody can deny the truth of the weakness of the Federation. I tell you now, the only way that we can make a statement is to make our voices heard loud and clear." "And just how do you propose we do that?" the old man asked, sceptical. "We take over this ship," the essentialist leader replied bluntly, fully aware that there were ten Starfleet personnel hovering at the back of the cargo bay. "This is the flagship of the first fleet; taking over it will send a message to Starfleet that they need to start taking the threats against them more seriously." "And that's our cue to break this up," Daniel said to himself, before turning around to the rest of the assembled Starfleet personnel. "Keep your hands on your weapons, but do not draw them unless the situation gets dangerous." Turning back around, he walked up through the crowd at the head of the pack of ten until he came to the place where the essentialist leader was standing with his two colleagues. "What do you want, Starfleet?!" The leader spat. "You're under arrest sir," Daniel answered. "Inciting a riot during an emergency crisis situation is tantamount to disturbing the peace and potentially a whole lot more." "You have no charges against me!" "I just gave them to you," Daniel replied bluntly. "Now follow me please." Just as he turned around the essentialist leader lunged at him, pulling a dagger from the folds of his robe. Before anyone could react, the man had buried that dagger in Daniel's back and when the Marine XO fell over, the leader fell on top of him. The security forces had drawn their weapons by then and three of them shot the essentialist leader, knocking him off Daniel and stunning him unconscious in the process. By this time all hell had broke loose amongst the crowd and many of them fled out the door and down the corridor. Swearing to himself, Soldat ordered three men to stay behind and take care of the essentialists while getting the other four security staff present to follow him out the door in an attempt to curtail some of the panicked refugees. Samuels, for his own part, gingerly leaned down next to Daniel, who hadn't moved since the fight had started. The dagger that protruded from his back in ugly fashion was sticking out from just below his neck and the fact that he hadn't moved was beginning to unnerve Samuels greatly. He leaned by him, one of the security members coming over after the essentialists had been dealt with. Samuels swore silently, before looking up at the security officer. "He hasn't moved and he's not breathing," he said, tapping his comm. Badge. "Samuels to transporter room. Medical emergency; two to beam directly to sickbay." ======== NRPG: Nope, Daniel is not dead.but he's probably going to have a long recovery ahead of him. Now that most of the senior staff is on the planet, naturally something happens on the ship in orbit ;) oh well, when it rains it pours I guess! ======== Rahul Chandra <vrccan_at_gmail.com> Major Daniel Clarkson, MD MXO USS PATRIOT From HyperNews_at_youth.net
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