IC-Ep 4-Isolation(Karin Bauer only)

[Mr. Handy]

"An hour is nothing to us, but it is a long time for those still on Pluto," said General Pryce. "As I said, by the time we get there, it will be too late. And what are we supposed to be able to do to save them that they cannot do to save themselves? We also do not really know exactly what is happening down there. Let us not give in to panic. We will need more information from Major Orlova to determine whether or not peace can still be salvaged. But if it cannot, we must survive to bring word back to Earth of what happened. If we return to Pluto and are killed, nobody on Earth will know what has become of us and they will not know of the threat posed by the Mi-Go. Captain, what got me promoted to General is the ability to make difficult decisions. I have to consider the larger picture here. There are the dozen or so lives on Pluto, yes, but those must be weighed against the billions of lives back on Earth. Would you put all of those lives at greater risk for the sake of the handful? You do not have to like my decision, but you do have to obey."

Karin looked through her medical kit and found some injectable sedatives.

OOC,[b]Karin[/b], if you wish to try to inject [b]Bruce[/b] without him noticing, you will first need to roll Conceal to take it out without him seeing. If you succeed, you may then make a Knife roll to inject him with it as a surprise attack.

[aine]

"Yes sir! If any escape I'd like us to board the Charon's Ferry so I can administer to any wounded if necessary. The Chief is not looking well, I think the he may be in shock at the news: both his team members and his alien friends fighting each other. I can give him something to help him relax and then I'll make us all some tea, or the Persephone equivalent; it may be our last chance for a bit." As she feels the Chief's eyes on her she bustles around in the confined space waiting for a chance to administer the injection.

Rolls,Conceal (15%) Knife (65%) [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3556252/]1d100=21, 1d100=63[/url]

[Mr. Handy]

"Of course, Captain," said General Pryce. "Once they are safely away, we can cut off our acceleration and allow them to catch up."

Lt. Colonel Bruce saw Karin taking out the syringe. "That will not be necessary," he said. When she lunged at him, he tried to twist aside, but he was just a hair too slow. The needle found a vein in his arm and Karin pressed the plunger home, pumping the sedative into his bloodstream. "What did you do to me?"

[aine]

Karin looks deep into Bruce's eyes, supporting him and ready to lower him into his chair when he loses consciousness. "Do not be afraid Chief." she says gently,"Rest now." Karin wishes she could reassure him more but is unwilling to alert the Mi-Gos as to what has happened to their drone. As she waits she wonders if this is all for nought and what is happening on the planet they have left behind.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, just relax," said General Pryce from the seat next to him. "Everything is under control."

"Yes, sir," said Bruce, settling into the seat. He let out an involuntary yawn, and before long his eyes closed and he was unconscious.

[aine]

Karin makes the Chief comfortable, checks his pulse and secures his flying harness. "Sir, any news from Pluto and Charon's Ferry? Did the visitors escape in time? I wish we could help, even air support, not that there is any air on Pluto..." Karin lapses into silence realising her worry is causing her to mumble. She looks to see how the General is faring, would there be any difference now the Chief was in a deep sleep? Would the Mi-Go be able to resume command of Bruce's body once he woke again? Feeling sick with angst she heads to the small galley. "I'll make that tea. Two sugars Sir?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, thank you," said General Pryce. "I do not know what has happened on Pluto, and I won't until Major Orlova finds out and lets us know. Pluto does actually have a very thin atmosphere, but it is not the sort we can breathe. The Mi-Go do not seem to have a problem with it, however." He concentrated on the controls and the scanners.

OOC,[b]Karin[/b], please roll Psychology.

[aine]

Karin is far too busy making tea to notice anything unusual. She comes back from the gallery with two cups of tea, passing one to the General. She checks the Chief and then sits down to watch the General at the flight desk and drinks her tea.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," said General Pryce, taking the cup of tea. He sipped at it as he watched the instruments and displays carefully.

Karin checked on Bruce, who was now sleeping soundly. The dose she had given him would last about an hour, but giving him additional doses would be risky, possibly even fatal.

[aine]

Karin is keen to see if there is any change to the General now that Bruce is asleep, "Sir, now that we are far enough from the planet's surface to be safe, could we stop accelerating and wait for the Charon's Ferry to catch up? If there are wounded then any delay may be fatal. I'd like to board as soon as possible."

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, there is no sign of pursuit," said General Pryce. "I suppose we can cut off the acceleration and drift at constant velocity to give them a chance to catch up to us. That will mean there will be no gravity, so strap yourself in and finish up your tea." He drank his own tea more quickly.

[aine]

Karin drinks up, waits for the General to finish and takes both cups back to the galley. She then checks Bruce and straps herself in, also making sure her med bag and fungicide are to hand but secure.

[Mr. Handy]

Once everyone was secured, General Pryce cut the throttle and acceleration ceased. Karin's stomach lurched, but as a seasoned spacer she was used to zero gravity. Persephone continued forward on its momentum alone, maintaining a constant velocity.

"Sir, most of the crew is aboard," Major Natalia Orlova reported to Persephone on the communicator. "A few of them are still out in the docking bay fighting the Mi-Go, and Sergeant Kohl is with the visitors inside the base somewhere. We have seven more Mi-Go enroute with an ETA of nine minutes, but we hope to be airborne by then."

"Thank you, Major," replied General Pryce. "Keep us informed."

[aine]

Karin listens to the report with partial relief, at least most of the crew are aboard and ready for take off but she is surprised the visitors are still on the base. Nine minutes is a small window and she waits nervously for the next report. She looks over to check the colour of Bruce and that he is still sleeping comfortably and then her mind goes back to her fellow crew members fighting for their lives on the planet far below.

[Mr. Handy]

Bruce was sleeping peacefully, and would continue to do so for most of an hour. Of course, there was no telling what he would do when he awakened.

[aine]

Karin sits, trying to relax. She doses for a short while but wakes abruptly from disturbing dreams of the Mi-Gos and the semi-humans in captivity on Pluto. She looks at her chrono and then over to Bruce. She's glad the Chief has had a chance to sleep and wonders if he will have recovered on waking. She's not sure how long she has been asleep, "Sir, has there been any news? I'm sorry, I fell asleep for a short while. I could a watch if you'd like."

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, but I'm fine," said the general. "You only nodded off for a moment. I haven't heard anything yet."

"Sir, this is Charon's Ferry," Natalia reported to General Pryce on the comm at that moment. "All but one of the Mi-Go in the base were destroyed, and the other one escaped. Lt. Barrett is dead, and the Mi-Go took his body. MacCrimmon is wounded. It looks like we'll be able to get everyone aboard before any additional Mi-Go arrive, with the possible exception of Sergeant Kohl. If he doesn't get here in time, we may have to take off without him. Fortunately, the visitors haven't left yet. If he has to, he can catch a ride with them."

"Understood, Major," replied General Pryce. "We've cut off our acceleration. After you take off, you can catch up with us and dock. Then Captain Bauer can see to anyone who is wounded."

[aine]

"Oh no, not Edward! He was only a scientist, not a soldier." Karin hangs her head in grief, "I hope we can get to MacCrimmon in time at least." But there is nothing she can do yet but wait. She wonders about the visitors and is rather envious of Heinrich getting a ride in their strange ship.

[Mr. Handy]

"General Pryce, this is Lt. Rose," said Colleen on the ship-to-ship communicator. "I'm on the bridge of Charon's Ferry now. We should be lifting off in about four minutes, and we will be able to bring Sergeant Kohl with us. We're just waiting for him to get back. The next group of Mi-Go is seven minutes away."

"Roger that, Lieutenant," replied the general.

[aine]

"Phew, it's going to be so close. Lets hope the Mi-Go can't attack an accelerating shuttle!" Karin starts chewing a nail, stops and grips her chair arms instead. "Sir, if they escape, how long before they catch up with us?"