Eyewitness Accounts... Part 1

Posted on Mon Apr 11th, 2011 @ 2:33pm by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & Chief Petty Officer Ascott Merriweather

Mission: Renegades
Location: Various
Timeline: Following 'Something worth exploring...'

=Transporter Room One, USS Arizona=

As word came down from Lieutenant Roberts that the ship was near a life pod and it had been tagged for transport, Chief Petty Officer Ascott Merriweather began the process of beaming the survivors aboard. It was a meticulous process in the first place getting each and every person inside the pods out, but the pressure of doing it just after a battle that may not be over was enough to make even the seasoned Transporter Chief nervous. The first group of survivors were fairly coherent and not overly agitated given the circumstances. They simply looked a little dazed and rather confused, nothing that no one couldn't handle with a few kind words of reassurance. Group two was more of the same, a little more frightened then the last group but in no way uncooperative once the situation was explained to them what was going on.

It wasn't until the third group materialized on the transporter pad that hell started to break loose. The female of the group started screaming hysterically as she realized she wasn't in her life pod anymore. She didn't take a second to see where she was, she just screamed her fool head off with her eyes clamped shut and her hands over her ears.

Ensign Shenk immediately moved into action as the woman went into hysterics; stepping around her, he wrapped his muscular arms around her. "Shhhh....calm down. You're safe and onboard the U.S.S. Arizona. You're safe." Separating her from the others, he gently but firmly pulled her off to the side, repeatedly reassuring her with calm words. His grip stayed firm but non-threatening. "Open your eyes...you're not on the MT Hawl anymore...you're safe."

CPO Merriweather didn't let the scene deter him from his duties, though as more and more people began to come aboard, the hysterical woman began to affect their moods as well. At the half way point of their rescue operation, the room was fairly tightly packed and it was starting to become an issue.

"Ensign, could you kindly find somewhere else to keep these people? I can't have everyone and their brother piled in my transporter room getting in the way if there's a casualty that comes aboard," the Transporter Chief requested impatiently. They had been blessed so far not to have had anyone with any dire medical concerns as of yet.

After calming the woman down as much as possible, he rounded up the others and led them to the nearest available room. "My name is Ensign Marcus Shenk and this is the U.S.S. Arizona. We're going to have a few questions for you, but you're in good hands. No one is going to harm you." Getting them into a room, he closed it off with his meager Security clearance and went to the replicator. Getting cups of a bracing stimulant - possibly coffee - he instructed the people to sit down and asked who the person in charge was and what had happened.

One of the civilians, contrary to the mood of the rest of the people who had been brought aboard, looked angry. The more the Ensign milled around spreading his words of 'comfort' to the gathered crew of the cargo vessel that he'd called home, the less patient the man became until finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, what are you people doing about this? Passing around drinks and coddling us isn't getting us results!" the man bellowed as he rose from the seated position.

"Sir, please calm down. We are currently investigating the attacks here in the Gavarian Corridor. The Arizona is the only ship in the area and we've just came from another incident. Is there anything at all that you can tell me?" Marc asked, understanding how the man felt about the destruction of the MT Hawl. After seeing the wreckage of it, he could easily imagine what it was like to be in that situation and the helplessness that the man had to be feeling.

"I was in my quarters..." the bluster in the man died down a little when he heard that someone else had been attacked as well. Someone else in the room stood at hearing the inquiry.

"I was manning one of the consoles in the engine room when they attacked... but I didn't get a chance to tap into the sensor network before the ship started ripping apart... if that helps..." the man standing in the corner explained.

One of the women in the room piped up, "I caught a few glimpses of the sensor reports before we abandoned ship." The rest of the people that had been rescued so far remained silent.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss, sir. Everything helps, and the more we know, the sooner we'll be able to put a stop to these attacks." Marc said with genuine empathy before turning his attention to the woman. "Did you see any indicator of who was attacking you or any energy readings?" He probed gently, not wanting to stir up anyone's emotions more than they already were.

"Is this really the place for this?" the man asked bluntly, "I don't know if anyone wants to relive this right now..."

The Ensign turned to the man once more. "With all due respect, sir, I apologize. However, the sooner we know about what happened, the sooner we will be able to put a stop to these attacks and ensure that no other vessels are put in the same distress as you and your crew. Is there anyone here who needs any medical attention, something to eat, or anything else that we may be able to provide for you?" Compassion filled his voice as he asked the last part, looking appropriately chagrined at not asking the question sooner. He made a mental note to be more understanding of the man and to keep an eye on him at the same time.

The man pulled the Ensign to the side, "I mean I don't think some of these people can handle us putting it out right here. Is there someone we can talk to somewhere else? I know some people are hanging by a thread already... like Ms. Denton... you know, the girl that beamed in screaming bloody murder."

Marc acknowledged the man as he surveyed the rest of the survivors to see who was in the worst shape and who seemed to be holding up. He reached up and tapped his commbadge. "Ensign Shenk to Major DeVries and Lieutenant Goodman. I'm with the survivors in Room 17 by Transporter Room One and request some assistance, please." He added no security code as there was no emergency before taking his finger from his commbadge. Turning back to the others, he went and began to make his rounds among the people, checking to see if anyone had any special needs or if there was anything that he could do to help them. Stopping by Ms. Denton, he knelt down in front of her and took her hands, looking into her eyes. "You're safe, Ms. Denton. Is there anything I can do for you?"