WHO said this was going to be easy!?

Posted on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 @ 3:18am by Lieutenant JG Jenna Jade & Lieutenant Commander Alexander Espersen & Ensign Raven Windancer

Mission: Pirates! (Or Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Yum)
Location: Deep Space 4
Timeline: During Earlier Cargo Run

Ensign Windancer thought she was going to scream! "This has GOT to be the LAIMEST assignment EVER!" she thought, wishing she could slam her head into something as she, Jenna, one of the Engineers aboard Chimera, and even Lieutenant F'Arra were off loading what looked and felt like one hundred TONS of POOL SUPPLIES for a spoiled rich so and so that couldn't be happy with Holodeck decorations at Deep Space 4. Lieutenant Commander Espersen was speaking with the Station's Head Of Security. Just then, a VERY angry Risian stomped into the cargo bay.

"Alright you bay dogs! WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG!?" he pointed his question and finger at the three of them helping the normal cargo bay workers. Raven gave him a look, then looked at her crewmates.

"Um...is that weirdo/mannerless lumox talking to us?" she asked, then completely ignored the jerk as she handed another box to a regular bay worker. A shadow loomed to her right, and next thing Raven knew, she was across the room with a spinning head and a bloody mouth.

"Ah do think he is." Jenna said softly as Raven took the punch like a pro, knocked down, but she kept her hands in view as soon as she'd put down what was in her hands. She held them out as non-threatening as possible as she looked over her shoulder hoping that the Commander would step in as soon as possible, "Suh, Ah must apologize for anythin' you think we've done wrong, but we're not quite used to doin' this sorta thing." She gave a smile, using all of her Southern charm that she could, "But Ah do assure you that we are doin' the best we can at the moment."

Alexander was supervising the unloading, examining a PADD shown to him by an Ops NCO when he heard the commotion. He handed the PADD to the NCO and walked into view of the Risian. It helped that Alexander was taller than the brute, and much larger.

But he raised his hands and spoke softly and he walked closer and closer to the Risian. "At ease, friend. Our people are doing their best. We'll be out of your hair, and out of your docking port, soon. Sooner if we work without interruption." He put his hand on the Risian's shoulder. "So let us work, alright?"

The Risian punched Commander Espersen hard in the stomach! "Get your filthy hands off of me you...UMPH!!!" the Risian was suddenly on the floor with Raven pining his arms to his sides. "NO ONE touches my family! Do you understand me? NO ONE!" while Raven's voice was not loud, the whole bay could hear and feel the fury and venom in her voice. Several onlookers shivered as if the bay had suddenly lost atmospheric pressure. Raven could just barely see the Risian through the red haze in her eyes. His face had gone pale with only a little red trickle on the side of his head where he must have hit it on the way down and random drops on his face from her bloody mouth.

"Oh Christ, Raven!" Jenna grabbed the other Ensign by the arm and tried to haul her back by main force, barely budging her, "You gotta calm down, hun, we're not exactly Starfleet right now, we're a freighter crew that's just tryin' to transfer cargo!" She hissed into the other one's ear.

Raven blinked, shaking her head as the red haze faded and Jenna's words hit her like a bucket of cold water in the face. Raven glanced at Jenna's hands around her arm, then down at the now unconscious Risian. "What? Jenna? What hap...oh no. Did...did I do that? Oh man. Uuuum, L...lieutenant F'Arra? Can you..." Raven dropped like a ton of bricks.

The punch had knocked Alexander back but hadn’t done much harm. He had caught himself on the edge of a container and regained his balance in time to see Raven go on the offensive.

“It’s fine,” he said. “Jenna, let’s keep moving crates. F’Arra, take a look at Miss Windancer, then the Risian. Maybe we’ll be done faster if he stays unconscious.” He hoped there were audio and video recorders in the cargo bay. Evidence of him being that flippant would help their covers.

"Yes, suh, Ah'll get right on that group of boxes over there." Jenna gave a worried look at the young woman that was barely older than she herself was, "Ah sure hope that she's gonna be all right?"