52 Card Pick-up

Posted on Thu Jul 21st, 2022 @ 11:37pm by Captain Maia Sterling & Lieutenant Commander Robert Hendon & Lieutenant Marianna Grant & Lieutenant Kasey Tanger & Lieutenant Commander Havri Belbre

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: USS Leto

-ON-

Lieutenant Kasey Tanger, who would normally be involved in diplomatic dealings, was itching for more to do. He offered his services to the Captain and she assigned him to visit with the crew of the Rutledge. Basically to talk with them as sort of a means to calm them down and gather facts from them about what they experienced before they were all rescued and brought aboard the Leto.

Tanger arrived in the main hanger bay and made his way to a young lieutenant who was battered up. She had received treatment from the medical team and was sitting off to the side of the room with a blanket wrapped around her. Tanger sensed her shock and confusion, so he moved up to her.

"Hello, you are safe here," Tanger stated in a calm voice and he knelt down in front of her. "Can I get you anything?" He asked of her. But he could feel a strong fear of her and he was doing what he could to focus on her to be able to talk to her and get something from her about what happened. The fear in her mind would not let her speak and he was limited to what he could sense as he had an oath to not read her mind without permission.

As Tanger was speaking to this young female lieutenant, a man came up to him.

"My name is Gelt and we have a lot of injuries where is that doctor of yours? We were attacked by boarding parties led by the one-eyed Jack, No I'm not kidding. they were humanoid playing cards, like something out of Alice through the looking glass only this one-eyed jack had the face of a Ferengi. He acted the rogue though and wounded a lot of people here, he even got me."

Gelt lifted up his bloodied shirt and there was a slash across his midsection.

"They might have looked like playing cards but they sure were deadly..."

"Gelt the doctor will be here shortly, he is tending to all he can as quickly as he can." Tanger calmly replied. "A Ferengi who resembled the One-Eyed Jack from a deck of Terran playing cards is a good detail to know. However, you need to keep pressure on your wound. I know our doctor will be with you shortly." Tanger then stood by to keep Gelt calm and wait for the doctor.

Hendon looked up and saw Gelt's injury. He checked his patient was safe to be left. Getting up he walked over brandishing a medical tricorder.

“You know it is a marvel even in this day and age. How inventive some people can be. With their tools for killing. This slash is better than our scalpels…..Looks like these cards were dipped in an Anticoagulant. Nasty. Saying that I once had a Great Great aunt who died from a paper cut. But this was to her carotid archery. In those days any damage to that was usually fatal. This may take a little longer to fix.” Hendon said

As the doctor was treating Gelt, Tanger stepped over to another officer, who appeared to be a lieutenant commander who was missing a hand and holding a pressure covering to the wound with his other hand. Tanger had sensed a great need from this officer. "What can I do for you, while you wait for treatment?"

"I was attacked by the Ace of Clubs who had some Cardassian features to him. He came at me and I was certain I was imagining the whole thing until all of a sudden my left hand was missing. I reacted and shot my phaser at him and he fell to the ground and I ran for the next corridor and say the Six of Diamonds doing a similar action to Lieutenant Chavez only she did not survive." The Lieutenant Commander stated very firmly.

"I can let you know you are now safe here and our medical teams are coming but for now keep pressure on your wound and our doctor will get you as soon as he can," Tanger replied calmly.

The man was nursing his stump of an arm.

"My name is Jake, Lieutenant Commander Jake Peterson, I am the executive officer of the Rutledge. I am afraid that Captain Garrison is dead, killed by the one-eyed Jack. I know how crazy that sounds."

Robert rushed over brandishing his medical tricorder. Like a flailing tree branch in a high wind. The injuries were quite nasty. From deep slashes to severed limbs. Not all of the missing body parts had arrived with their owner. So once the blood was stemmed new ones would have to be stitched back on.

Tanger calmly made his way around to a few more of Rutledge's crew and the same sort of remarks came from them. Anamorphic Playing Cards were attacking the crew with scimitars and the leader was a Ferengi-like One-Eyed Jack. The cards mentioned seem to be all non-face cards. The Aces seemed to lead different units with the other numbered cards in each unit. There were no mentions of any other Jacks or any Kings or Queens or even the Jokers. Tanger was attempting to get all findings in a report to send to the captain as other medical personnel arrived to help Doctor Hendon with tending to the wounded.

“ Whatever was used to cut off this arm. Looks like it was dipped in some kind of Anticoagulant. If it’s not enough to make the patient bleed out, on losing a limb. They have to bleed out because their blood won’t clot!” He fumed.

"It was a cutlass that was used to sever limbs," Commander Peterson said.

“ Easy to dip in a coagulant. Effective so long as you don’t cut yourself with it.” Hendon moaned.

"Commander, thank you for your attention to the details. You have been through a lot." Tanger stated. "I will make sure I get to all the survivors we have here to get as many statements and details as I can. You will be alright now. Doctor Hendon will do all he can for you."

Tanger then moved around to other crew members from the Rutledge. He found some mentioned Cardassians who were dressed like the suit of Clubs. Others mentioned that the one-eyed Jack was a Ferengi, while others said that more Ferengi dressed like the suit of Spades were attacking their crewmates. Then he had a few others tell him that the Eight of Hearts looked Romulan in appearance while the Ten of Diamonds looked very Gorn-like. The data seemed to make the playing cards appear like species we all would normally have some qualms with but yet linked them to an old fictional world of the stories of Alice in Wonderland or Alice Through the Looking Glass. The absence of any Kings and Queens, Jokers, or other Jacks could be in compliance with the story. The queen of Hearts did use playing cards as her army, so maybe the Royal cards are running the show from elsewhere and have only sent the One-Eyed Jack to lead this raid. But what was the real purpose here? Did they want the ship? Why use cutlasses or scimitars coated in something to keep the victim bleeding out. While the use of ancient swords would fall in a suit with the era playing cards were from, this is quite perplexing.

Tanger then came upon a young girl in the group of survivors from the Rutledge. He found it odd as the Rutledge was not a family-based ship and for a young girl to be with her parents on the ship was very odd. She did not seem to be hurt at all. He then noticed how much she resembled Alice from the story. He did not approach her but he attempted to sense her emotions and she had none. Concerned about this out-of-place girl, he walked to a panel that was still in view of the child but far enough he could contact the captain without being heard directly.

Dr. Marianna Grant moved among her crew mates trying to help where she could a nasty gash from her ribs to the mid-outer thigh. She would limp and gimp along trying to check on wounds and comfort. Ignoring her own wounds. Stopping at a wounded Vulcan that blood seeped out from under the makeshift bandages, applying pressure. "Can I get some help over here?"

Robert was angry. It was not enough to attack his fellow Letoians with sharp weapons. But to dip them in an anticoagulant. So even a minor scratch could be fatal. Due to the wounded person's blood, not clotting. Was just not plain fair. Hearing Grants call for the assistance he hurried over.

“ I am here. They covered their weapons in a powerful anti-blood clotting agent. Hence all this.” He gestured at the Vulcan's wounds. Robert pressed a hypo against the injured person's arm. He glanced toward Grant.

“ That’s going to need dealing with as well.” He said pointing to her injuries.

"Is your med lab up and staffed, we need to take a sample of it and find out what it is, normal clotting meds are not able to keep up. But if we identify the main agent.." Dr. Grant stopped talking and sat still eyes closed, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. She could feel the blood running down her side and leg, she was only nicked by one of the weapons so the anti-clotting agent was minimal.

“They're working on it now. So far we can slow the blood loss. However, what we have so far seems to work for Vulcan blood. You're going to need a top-up with plasma.” Hendon said.

"Better get that treated," a little girl said.

=/\= Captain Sterling, I have found a young girl with the survivors. You will never believe me, but she looks like Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I can not sense any emotions from her and I am concerned she may be part of the raiding party from the Rutledge that slipped in with a group of their crew as we beamed them over. =/\=

=/\= Isolate her Mr. Tanger. Keep her away from the refugees =/\=

=/\= Understood, Captain, will get her on her own. Tanger, out. =/\=

Tanger then moved up to the young girl and asked her if she needed anything. She turned to face him and did not speak. She merely immediately looked to the floor as if she was too shy or something. Tanger then advised her that she may be more comfortable in another room as she was not injured.

"Do you have a name? What should we call you?" Tanger asked of this girl.

She did not reply. She was a blond girl in a blue dress with a white apron. She had some dirt marks on her leggings as if she was crawling in the dirt at one point. Tanger calming took her hand and explained to her that he could take her to a room where she did not have to see the others hurting or bleeding. She seemed willing to go with him.

"You will be better off in a room where you can have something to eat and lay down. That flight deck was no place for you." Tanger said to the girl. They walked down the corridor to a set of quarters that were not in use. Tanger entered the quarters and guided the girl to sit on the edge of the bunk. "You will be more comfortable here. I will go and get you something to help make you more comfortable. But feel free to lay down if you need to. The replicator can make you anything you would like to eat or drink. Tanger stated as he exited the quarters.

Once the door was closed. "Computer security lock on this entry. No one to exit these quarters, no entry other than myself or the command staff. No outside communications are permitted from these quarters. No Computer access inside these quarters unless it is authorized by the captain. Monitor the life sign inside the quarters at all times."

"Confirmed." The computer then replied.

=/\= Tanger to Captain. The girl is not speaking but she is in the guest quarters down the hall from the flight deck. I had the computer seal the room to only the command staff or myself. I have limited access to outside communications and the computer. She can only replicate food or drink. The computer is monitoring her. =/\=

=/\= Please have a guard posted outside of her quarters Mr. Tanger. Sterling out.=/\=

Tanger assigned the closest security officer to post guard and wait for further orders.

[OFF]


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A post by:

Captain Maia A Sterling
Commanding Officer
USS Leto NCC-80916

&

Lieutenant Kasey Tanger
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Leto, NCC-80916

&

Lieutenant Commander Dr. Robert Hendon
Chief Medical Officer
USS Leto, NCC-80916

&

Lieutenant Marianna Grant
Asst. Chief Medical Officer
USS Leto NCC-80916