Turbolift Tussle

Posted on Fri Feb 21st, 2025 @ 5:44am by Ensign Eekit Drol & Lieutenant Axod Qo & Kaldri

Mission: Mean Green Queen
Location: Deck Five, Turbolift
Timeline: Mission Day 25 at 1445

[Turbolift]
[Deck 5]
[1445]

“Seriously,” Drol was saying as she and the Kazon stepped into the turbolift, “that twisting elbow to the ribs is a helluva move.” The Cardassian was holding a hand to her side, a grimace of rueful pain on her features. She was pretty sure Kaldri hadn't actually broken anything-- she could still breathe relatively easily-- but it sure felt like she'd been close. “Lemme guess,” she added dryly, “You came up with it on your own.” Though they'd been sparring off and on for a couple weeks now-- ever since a chance meetup in the gym-- Drol was coming to seriously respect how much space Kaldri had had to carve for herself. Kaldri made no compromises in this sphere, making space for her own existence in a bloodyminded, hardscrabble way the Cardassian could both appreciate and sympathize with. It wasn't so different from her own upbringing, if a touch more savage.

“Indeed,” Kaldri replied, using a tunic sleeve — rather than the towel draped over her shoulder — to wipe her brow. Combat habits died hard, it seemed. “Your attempt to evade was two moments too late. However, your timing is improving, Drol,” the Kazon noted with pride. “Your breath, though? Not as much,” she sneered, obviously — for Kaldri — a joke. Their weeks together had birthed a keen kinship that allowed such ribbing to filter back and forth.

In the manner of all beings in a turbolift, both women had turned to face the lift's doors as they began to slide shut, and thus were in the perfect position to see the pale hand slide between them, making the doors hiss open again.

Axod's mouth pulled into a smile as he entered the lift. "Room for one more?" He asked with a sly wink to neither occupant in particular. "You two look like you've had a good workout. What program did you use?" The Doosodarian was always on the lookout for a new fitness program, something to challenge him.

“Program?” Kaldri lifted her nose at the newcomer, looking as if something terrible-smelling had manifested inside the turbo lift. “There was no program. No simulation,” she sharply sighed, “making us complacent with its lack of real world unpredictability. No,” the haughty Kazon shook her head, “we did not let a computer make us rubes. Instead,” she flashed an overly toothy grin, “we sharpened each other like two klon-theks,” she patted the gilded dagger belted to her hip, “locked together in combat. Strength and battle madness in equal parts,” she said, almost reverently. Kaldri’s chin then lowered as she gazed back down at Axod. “You may join us,” came her almost regretful concession.

Drol struggled to keep her expression neutral as Kaldri waxed poetic about the art of combat training, and she only partially succeeded by turning her face up to stare at the join of ceiling and wall. Wary of Kaldri's spiky personality, she didn't even shoot Axod a sympathetic glance; it wasn't the Counselor's fault he was a civilized man. Instead, as the door closed behind Axod, she merely said, "Deck four," her voice burbling with amusement.

"Ooh... I...uhhh." The Doosodarian stammered, not having expected the offer to join. "I wouldn't want to intrude." He knew that he likely wouldn't stand a chance against a Cardassian or a Kazon. Both races noted for their aggression and stamina in combat. Doosodarians were, instead, noted for their artistic pursuits.

The lift began its smooth ascent and Drol clenched her teeth on her giggles. She leaned a little closer to the counselor and murmured, "I think she meant in the lift. Take it from me," she affected an exaggerated wince, "you don't want to get in the ring with her." Flashing Axod a grin, the Cardassian straightened, and then stumbled into the lift's bulkhead as the lift stuttered unexpectedly to a halt. The lighting flickered, then dimmed, flickered again, and went out.

After a brief pause , dim emergency lighting flicked on.

The infuriatingly calm tones of a recorded alert sounded over the comm. Error encountered. Help is on the way. Please remain calm. Help is on the way.

"Sure, that really makes me want to remain calm," Drol muttered. "This had better not still be from that update..." Although most of the kinks from the LCARS update had indeed been worked out, the few glitches Drol herself had encountered during the update were enough to make her suspicious.

"This is why stairs will always be superior to a mechanical lift," Kaldri hissed under her breath. She'd braced herself as the lift shuddered to a halt, expecting the stoppage to be followed by the sensation of falling. However, the turbolift car seemed to be held securely in place...at least for the time being. "What is happening?" the Kazon asked, eyeing the control panel of the elevator with derision. "Does your precious computer have any insight beyond remaining calm? Useless advice," she agreed with a nod to Drol. As for Axod, the woman gathered her face and -- sensing he was the least capable of the trio for whatever reason -- asked, "Are you capable of climbing the super structure of this vessel? I've no intent to stay locked in this cramped car," Kaldri asserted, eyeing the hatch built into the ceiling.

A laugh escaped Axod's lips without his say so. The look on Kaldri's face told him she wasn't joking. "I umm...are you serious?" He asked incredulously. "A team is no doubt on the way to assist us. If you'd simply remain calm." He regretted the last statement as soon as he'd said it.

"Drol to engineer--" the Cardassian had been initiating comms with the exact help Axod thought might be on the way, but trailed off as the counselor spoke. She stared at him incredulously, wondering if, having heard Kaldri's boasting of her martial prowess, the man had really just told her to remain calm. Judging by the expression on his face, he not only had done such a thing, but was seriously regretting it now. Ever practical, Drol took a step back, taking herself out of the striking line between the Kazon and the Doosidorian.

Clearing her throat, Drol tried again, tapping her commbadge. "Drol to engineering," she said keeping her voice low and her eye on Kaldri-- as one might while caged with a dangerous animal-- while she received the positive chirp of an established connection. "Engineering," the voice on the other end said, "Uh... stand by." The connection dropped and Drol's browridge arched with one part surprise, one part annoyance.

"'Simply remain calm?'" Kaldri repeated, having waited for Engineering to put them on standby before replying to Axod. The Kazon squared her shoulders as if preparing for a fight, even going so far as to crack her neck with a twist that would loosen her form, before she stepped up to the Counselor, her proximity all-encompassing. The scent of sweat and something earthy — musky, almost primal — clung to her skin, evidence of the brutal workout she’d just finished. Her black, clumpy hair was still somewhat slicked back from exertion, exposing the sharp angles of her face, and her dark, intense eyes locked onto Axod’s with a cold-fire intensity.

There was no mistaking the anger simmering beneath her gaze, chaos that threatened to erupt at any moment, but somehow Kaldri kept it under control. Her nostrils flared slightly, though, as she looked down at the Counselor, her taller frame commanding the space with an air of barely contained aggression, her presence a mixture of raw power and dominance. "I assure you," came the Kazon's dark promise, "you will know when I have abandoned calm. Thankfully for you, that time has not yet come. So I repeat," Kaldri drew closer still, "can. you. climb? Because if your engineers are putting us on standby," she looked back to Drol, "then something greater than an elevator failure must be in play."

For some reason Axod decided to double down, despite himself. "With all due respect, this is a Starfleet ship. We have policies and procedures in place for just about any situation. Our procedures for a turbolift failure are to remain calm, and await the arrival of an engineering team to repair the issue. Not to climb around in the lift tubes. " He took a breath. "Which would not only be again established procedures, but would also be reckless and open us up to unknown dangers otherwise." The Doosodarian man stood his ground, staying tall and not shrinking away. Part of him hoped that the Kazon woman would admire that he didn't back down, the other part hoped that Engineering would be back on with Drol quickly and get the issue fixed.

Before the Kazon could enact any violence against Axod, a trio of soft, but unmistakable thumps vibrated the overhead of the lift car. Thump. Thumpthump. Drol jerked her gaze up, and had just started to ask the obvious, "Wh--" when a fourth thump sounded, making her shoulders hunch. Very slowly, as though reluctant to take her eyes off the overhead, she locked gazes first with Axod, and then Kaldri while listening so hard her ears popped. At least, she thought it was a pop. Hopefully it wasn't another thump . Without looking away from the other two, she tapped her commbadge again. "Drol to Engineering," she said, her voice harsh, "That had better have been you on top of our turbolift."

"What?" was the tinny reply from her commbadge, the voice oddly distorted. "Look, you're going to have to standby. We've got a situation. We'll be with you as soon as possible." Her commbadge chirped once more and the connection went dead.

"A situation?" she demanded, her voice low enough to reach only her fellow lift-goers as she glanced up at the turbolift's overhead again. "What kind of situation is worse than being trapped in a turbolift?" Raising her voice, she added, "Hello? F'rar, is that you?"

The thumping had -- thankfully for Axod -- stolen Kaldri's attention away from the brewing confrontation. She met Drol's look with one of her own before her sharp gaze followed the tilting of her chin to stare up at the ceiling hatch. While the security officer conversed with Engineering, the warrior-guest cocked an ear, attempting to filter out the comm-versation and focus only on the thumps above -- thumps and something else she could not quite identify. Was it...gurgling? As help was again delayed and deferred, though, a sneer crossed the Kazon's countenance as she looked back to the Counselor and the Cardassian. "Help from your...friends," the word was almost a hiss, "will not arrive in time. There is something atop this lift. And if I am not mistaken," she drew the gilded dagger sheathed on her waist, "it very much wants inside." Kaldri looked up again, drawing herself into a crouch that would facilitate an upward lunge-slice when needed. "Are either of you armed?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes locked on the ceiling above.

Eyes wide, Ax shook his head. He had been en route to a late lunch, and that typically wasn't something he felt the need to arm himself for unless it happened to be Taco Tuesday. Then all bets were off. He kept his eyes fixed on the Kazon's blade. "Why the hell is she allowed to carry that openly on the ship?" He looked incredulously at Drol, hoping the Cardassian may have an answer to his question. He pressed himself subtly against the wall of the lift, unsure how the next moments might unfold.

"Look, you cheerful little halfbreed," Drol muttered, not-quite-quietly-enough, "This isn't funny." Raising her voice, she added, "Paisley? Or whoever? You might want to identify yourself before Kaldri sees how thin the alloy is in the overhead." The only answer was more shuffling and yes, definitely gurgling, from above. Whoever was up there was moving around the entire circumference of the lift car, as though unsure where the access hatch was. And they were apparently carrying a liquid. Axod's incredulous demand drew Drol's glance for just a moment, and then she returned her gaze to the overhead. "It's a cultural thing," she answered, "Captain said." Frowning, she tapped her commbadge again. "Drol to engineering. Come in engineering." This time, instead of some kind of harried response, she received the dull dual tone of a failed connection. Her frown melted into perplexity at this and she tried again. "Drol to engineering," and got the same non-response. "Well that's not worrying at all..." she muttered, sidestepping clear of Kaldri's knife and eyeing the overhead.

The noises from above had begun to concentrate around the access hatch, but whomever was up there still hadn't answered any of the shouts from within the lift. Something was happening to the access hatch, but whatever it was was not actually opening the hatch.

"Do you need help?" Drol called again. The shuffling, gurgling noises stopped for a moment, like someone was listening, and then the concentration of noise around the hatch returned.

Kaldri, meanwhile, had only grown more quiet and taught, focusing her readiness. Axod's response underscored for her how complacent this crew was about the dangers of this area of space. Why wouldn't people walk around armed and ready? What if the ship was boarded by First Maje Subrek and his men? They would be caught woefully unaware. But that was a discussion for another time. For now, the Kazon looked again up at the source of the sounds. "Nothing up there needs help. Clearly, it is trying to get in with us. And I do not like the sound of it at all," she sneered. "You," she looked to Axod, "try to get that door open. Are we between decks? Or hopefully level enough to crawl through at least a partial opening?" To Drol, she said, "Whatever that is up there, it will soon be in here. Thoughts?" she wondered, trying to engage the Cardassian's strategy brain.

“Right,” Drol said, visibly shaking herself, “Right. That's not F'rar when she hasn't had lunch yet. That's... we don't know what that is. Right.” Despite her words, her expression, difficult to read though it was, seemed to indicate a distinct lack of useful thoughts sliding through her cortex, and her gaze kept straying to the disturbing noises by the access hatch even as Axod started his directed task.

Axod moved towards the door of the lift, but did not set to work immediately. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He crouched down and opened up a panel that housed the emergency door controls. Unlocking an oversized handle, he gave it a few forceful pumps before turning it to the left and locking it in place again. there was a soft hiss as the door's lock released and the two heavy slabs of metal parted from each other but only about three inches. "Fantastic." Ax mumbled, repeating the process again.

The noise of the door hissing slightly open, but no further, finally managed to draw Drol's attention away from the hatch. Her browridges drew together in a frown as she saw they were just above a deck; most of the doorway was smooth lift shaft, with a little slice of the next deck down just visible at their feet. Still frowning, she finally answered Kaldri's prompt. “No,” she said, a little hesitantly, and then more forcefully as she glanced back up at the hatch, “No, if whatever it is up there could be inside, it would be inside. That hatch is designed to be easy to open for maintenance and rescue in the case of... well, trapped inhabitants.” She gestured at their very predicament. “Which means whatever is out there can't open the hatch,” she concluded, leaving off the 'yet,' that nevertheless seemed to float heavily in the air.

“Which means,” she continued as her eyes snapped from the hatch to the door Axod was very, very slowly opening, “We really don't want to do that!” Her voice rose as she came to her conclusion, until by the end it was a shout accompanied by a flurry of movement as she lunged forward and hooked Axod by his collar, heaving backward. It was hard to see in the resultant tangle of limbs, but something definitely seemed to be moving just outside the lift doors, a sort of oozing movement at the edge of their field of view, barely captured by the lift's lights.

The movement became more concrete as a small globule squished out of the tiny airgap between lift and tube and plopped to rest just to one side of Axod's foot with an unpleasant *smack*. As if that was not enough, with a gurgle, it immediately began moving, elongating itself in order to reach for the Doosodarian's ankle.

A shriek escaped the redheaded man's mouth as he scurried backwards away from the blob. Axod narrowly avoided...whatever this was, yanking his foot from the things reach. "What the hell is this thing?" The Counsellor clawed at the wall in an attempt to pull himself off the ground and out of the way of the blob.

"How should I know?" Drol demanded as she disentangled herself from the Doosodarian and eyed the blob, "do I look like some kind of biologist? Gooologist? Whateverist?"

How was Kaldri to know that whatever was on top of the lift could ooze down the side and come through the cracked doors? The Kazon had keened back as the goo-thing blobbed through the opening, lowering herself even further into an attack crouch by instinct -- minimizing the exposed surfaces of her body from attack and gathering strength to lunge with her blade. But then her brain caught up and she realized a knife probably wouldn't be very effective at fighting whatever this thing was. Given its liquid-like makeup, her klon'thek dagger would just slice through the goo, probably dealing little -- if any -- damage to the thing.

Even without an effective weapon, however, Kaldri wasted no time in inserting herself between the acid-green blob of whatever and the Counselor. "Stay behind me," she ordered Axod, then expanding her body as large and wide as she could make it. Then came a loud, guttural growl as the Kazon took an advancing step. The hope was that, assuming the thing was alive given its reach for the Doosodarian, enlarging her profile and roaring would intimidate it into withdrawing back through the crack from which it'd come. A brief look at Drol communicated much: Got any ideas here? the gaze seemed to say.

When the blob did not immediately make contact with Axod and was instead faced with a very large, intentionally intimidating Kazon, it did indeed pause mid-stretch. Then, as though it were made of elastic, it sproinged back into a more compact blobby shape with an unpleasant squelch. It paused for a long moment, then edged one way-- only to be blocked by Kaldri-- and then the other-- to be blocked again. It returned to center, undulating gently.

Drol, who had watched this display, her dark eyes flicking back and forth between Kaldri and the blob, only seemed able to make a move when the Kazon caught her eye, wordlessly asking the question that was on all of their minds. Visibly collecting herself, the Cardassian squared her shoulders and muttered a low, "Right. Well, if that thing's there, then..." Her gaze flicked immediately to the access hatch. Edging sideways, she reached around Kaldri toward the lift's control panel. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I'd rather take my chances in the tube than the lift. I didn't want to pop it if someone was up there, but now..." Drol's stretched fingers finally reached the panel, activating the emergency release on the escape hatch at the top of the tube.

With a hiss of releasing seals, the hatch lifted, opening a crack to show as slice of the low emergency lighting of the lift tube. In concert with the opening, another squelch sounded at the partially open lift doors, and a second blob plopped into place.

Something that sounded harsh and Cardassian-- probably a curse-- escaped Drol's lips at the sight and she nudged Axod toward the escape hatch. "You first, Counselor."

"Me?!" Ax asked incredulously. He bit his lip nervously as he eyed the blobs and then decided that out was better than in. He reached his arms up and braced the sides of the hatch, hoisting himself up. He climbed on to the top of the lift compartment. "Who's next?" He asked, reaching down to help up either of his companions.

"Another?!" Kaldri hissed with disdain, her eyes piercing the second blob. Her stratagem for holding the first blob at bay seemed to be working but with a second now in the tube, there was much less room to keep that up. Even so, she round-stepped around the tube, attempting to target both blobs with her intimidation stance. "Go," the Kazon darkly offered to Drol as she did so. It was not an order, but an invitation -- in her way, at least -- to make an escape that would also allow the Cardassian to protect Axod above if needed.

With someone else, Drol might have argued, but Kaldri's fierce expression brooked no argument while at the same time, understanding of what sending Drol up first really meant glinted in her dark eyes. Wasting no time, the Cardassian followed Axod up out of the hatch. “She's coming,” she assured him, “C'mon, let's get climbing.” She nodded to the maintenance ladder, and then turned her attention back to the lift, calling, “Clear, Kaldri!” What she didn't notice in the dimness was the glint of emergency lighting on slick, gooey skin as a by-now-familiar shape oozed down the maintenance ladder.

Axod nodded to the Cardassian. He let his hands find the maintenance ladder. He held the rung firmly in his hands before he started to cautiously ascend the ladder. The metal was cold to touch. He looked back to see if his companions were following behind.

Within the lift, the second blob seemed to have emboldened its fellow, for they now squinched forward together. Although they remained wary enough of Kaldri not to rush her, they were no longer backed into the turbolift's partially opened doorway, but oozing toward the Kazon's feet, keeping their globular shapes pressed low to the floor as though quite aware of the danger of her knife.

Kaldri was no fool, even if the creatures themselves might be unsure: these things were clearly made of ooze and the Kazon doubted very much that her dagger would at all be effective in this situation. Two hands for climbing, however, would certainly be useful and so said knife was swiftly sheathed. The warrior wasted no time, gathering strength in a quick crouch before launching herself upward, arms threading the open hatch to catch on either side of the lip. She pulled herself up by sheer arm strength -- thankful she was not as rotund and heavy as certain others she'd seen amongst the crew -- and quickly withdrew her legs from the opening, unsure if she was imagining the feeling of a psuedopod trying to adhere to one of her boots.

Two seconds later, the hatch was closed and the Kazon was climbing after the others. They'd gotten a head start but Kaldri was a fast climber and quickly closed the distance. "Are we able to open doors onto another deck?" She wasn't sure of Drol's plan but hoped the Cardassian had one, at least. After all, she knew the ship and its protocols much better than Kaldri herself did.

While the Kazon climbed, so too did the Doosodarian and the Cardassian, if more slowly. At least, they proceeded well enough until finally Axod's hand came down on something that was not the cold metal of the ladder, but rather an odd luke-warm goo that gave beneath his touch, and then reformed itself around his hand and wrist like a gooey glove.

“What's the hold-up, counselor?” Drol asked, as she came up against the sight of Axod's shoes on the next rung up. It wasn't long before Kaldri was close enough to ask her question. “In theory,” Drol answered with as much confidence as she could muster, “But I will admit this is the first time I've been climbing around in a lift tube in real life. You got the door controls?” she called up to Axod, extending her arms and leaning out from the ladder in an attempt to see around his body to whatever it was he was doing with his hands.

Axod let out a blood curdling scream as he began to writhe and swing about. He was clearly distressed by what was happening and really didn't know how best to react.

The scream doubled down Kaldri's protective instinct over Axod -- even though the man had just insulted her mere moments before -- but being lower on the ladder than Drol, she could not get to the Counselor without trying to clamber over the Cardassian. Instead, she prepared herself for the possibility of the man slipping from the ladder and falling given his wild swings above. Bracing herself on the ladder with her feet and her non-dominant hand, she held out her right in in preparation of trying to catch Axod should he fall past her. There was little else she could do from her vantage point, trusting in Drol to better act given her closer proximity and ability to more clearly see what was happening with the Counselor.

It was just as well Kaldri was prepared to catch a body, for Axod's ear-piercing scream nearly made Drol lose her own grip. Scrambling, she just managed to keep her grip, but had to fling out a foot to do so, nearly catching Kaldri in the temple. “What?” Drol demanded, and immediately began to edge to the side of the ladder. “Counselor, what is it?” Her voice sounded high to her own ears, responding to the Doosodarian's panic. Gritting her teeth as she tried to fight down her own anxiety, Drol braced one booted foot against the smooth wall of the lift tube and used its leverage to allow her to climb the edge of the ladder until she came even with where Axod was flailing, she used her free hand to catch his forearm in an iron grip, stilling his frenzied movement long enough to focus her eyes on the blob that had attached itself to his hand and wrist.

Once Axod's hand had stilled, the blob, which had been holding on for dear life like a gooey, warm mitten, began to relax, elongating its body and reaching it toward the nearby Cardassian.

Drol recoiled, slamming her back against the lift tube's wall. A string of Cardassian curses morphed slowly back into Federation Standard, “--the fuck is that? Hold still, counselor, or this thing is going to be the least of your problems when you're splattered against the top of the lift car. Kaldri, you still got that knife?”

Hearing the Cardassian's words brought Ax's mind back to the moment at hand. "What the hell are you going to do with a knife?" He asked, tightening his grip on the rung. Sweat dripped down his face as he became aware of a slight tingling where the blob made contact with him. "Ummm.. I don't want to alarm anyone, but this thing is making my skin prickly.

Kaldri had instinctively ducked as the Cardassian's foot came her way then, as Drol moved further up the ladder, followed in her wake. From her new vantage point, she could see exactly what was happening with Axod and hissed. "More of these...things," she spit, the skeet sailing away from her body and down the shaft. To Drol's question, though, the Kazon nodded in the affirmative. "I do but what will a knife do against that?!" The thing was, after all, made of goop -- goop sliced with a knife would just be more goop, wouldn't it? But perhaps the security officer knew something she didn't. "Here, Drol!" Kaldri called up, unsheathing her klon'thek and passing it upward, pommel and grip at the ready for grabbing.

"I'm alarmed, counselor. That sounds alarming," Drol replied through gritted teeth as Kaldri edged closer. "Fewer questions and more ideas," she snapped as both questioned her course of action. "Unless either of you have a better idea about what to do with the... thing that is making his hand tingle, I'm going to try for cutting it off. Don't worry counselor," she shot him a grin that seemed to hold too many teeth flashing in the dim light of the lift tube, "I have excellent fine motor control." Grunting, she bent down to retrieve Kaldri's knife, gripping it firmly and hefting it to test its weight and balance. It looked plain enough on the outside, but it was clear from the comfortable way it settled into her palm that it was finely wrought indeed.

Without further hesitation, Drol reached out and took a fast, striking slice at the elongated bit of goo that was reaching toward her. With a strange, tearing squelchy noise, the tip of the blob separated from the rest and dropped toward Kaldri's upturned face. Drol did not notice this however, as the rest of the blob immediately retreated from her, oozing up Axod's arm toward his shoulder.

A flash of something, a familiar face, caught Axod's attention, his focus shifting from Drol's handywork. His lips parted to speak and nothing came out for a beat. Finally, he muttered. "Lerja?" He used the Doosodarian word for 'Father' for naturally. He looked around, trying to find where the apparition had gone. He looked confused at being unable to find the sight again.

“Health,” Drol said automatically, as though the man had sneezed.

When Drol mentioned "cutting it off," the Kazon's first thought was that the Cardassian meant to sever the Counselor's glob-laden hand. But as the woman grabbed the knife she offered and sliced at the blob itself, Kaldri understood what Drol actually intended. Unfortunately, she did not believe the liquid-like creature? entity? thing? could be cut, and thus was unprepared for the glob that became separated from the main mass and fell down the tube. It landed on her right cheek and, almost immediately, began to tingle across her skin.

Kaldri reached up with a tunic sleeve to wipe the offending green ooze away. The glob mostly came off on the fabric of her shirt but a wet smear remained behind, glistening on her cheek. As the Kazon peered up at Drol and Axod, completely at a loss for what she could do at the bottom of their climbing train, a slight floaty feeling began to creep into her mind. It was pleasant at first -- a bit like the substance her mother's clan used to divine the future (or so they told themselves, anyway) -- but as the seconds ticked by, the Kazon's grip on the ladder began to falter as the sensation heightened and spread to her gut.

"Something is...happening," Kaldri called up, worry edging into her tone. Her grasp of the ladder felt tenuous as she noticed that her hands were beginning to sweat. "Some of that thing fell onto my face," she reported, trying to shake away the clouds gathering in her eyes. Willing her grip on the ladder to tighten once more, Kaldri sneered, "It is making me feel...disoriented," she analyzed the feeling, strangely pensive in the face of her normal instincts to fight or flee unwelcome sensations. "What is happening up there with him? Your posterior is blocking my vision, klon'thera."

The Kazon word for "sister" -- similar in construction to word klon'thek, which named the dagger Drol held in her hand -- carried up the tube, clearly meant for the Cardassian. But Kaldri barely knew Drol and while they were friendly combatants and acquaintances, their early-formation friendship was nothing close to the Kazon concept of sisterhood.

Another harsh curse escaped Drol as the remains of the gooey blob on Axod's arm oozed up the side of his face, over the top of his head, and mounted the ladder above his head with surprising alacrity. Almost immediately, it disappeared into the poor lighting of the lift tube. “Well, shit,” she elaborated in Standard as she recognized the difficulty in keeping track of the little bastard when they couldn't see it.

Kaldri's voice distracted her from Axod's dreamy look, and she glanced down to find the fierce Kazon looking... contemplative? Alarm bells immediately blared in the Cardassians' mind and her eyes tracked from the smear of goo across Kaldri's high cheekbone to the shaky movement of the remaining globule that was inching its way up her sleeve to come to rest, vibrating slightly, on her shoulder, just out of her peripheral vision, like some kind of gooey familiar. When the glob made no further movement, Drol made the decision to leave well enough alone-- they had to get out of this lift tube if they had any chance of figuring out just what the heck was happening to them. While she didn't feel any ill effects, she wondered if it was only a matter of time before she joined the other two and started speaking in her native tongue while acting strangely.

Wedged between the ladder and the smooth tube wall, she inched her way up past Axod until she could get a foot on a rung, and brace her hip against the ladderway. This meant shoving her backside into Axod's face, but Drol saw no alternative, as she needed both hands to operate the emergency escape controls.

“Jeez.” Axod mumbled, trying to turn his face away. He had to admit his anxiety outweighed the discomfort in this situation. He just wanted to be out of the lift shaft, no matter how that came to be.

After a few false starts-- it had been a while since escape training-- she managed to open the hatch and normal, bright light from the corridor without spilled into the lift tube. Drol hauled herself out and then reached back for Axod, holding out her hand. Over Axod's shoulder, something glistened on the ladder rung above him and Drol snatched at the Doosodarian's wrist as she said, “Faster is better than slower, counselor,” her voice vibrating with urgency.

Axod’s face showed a mix of confusion and surprise. As he began to realize what had just happened, he nodded to Drol. Reaching out for the Cardassian’s hand and hoisted himself up into the lighted hallway. He did a quick check of himself making sure he had all of his regular appendages, and also that he didn’t have any unwanted hangers on.

Kaldri, however, did not seem to notice the gooey passenger on her shoulder. She'd clambered up the ladder after the Counselor and Drol, shuffling from the ladder to the deck proper once there was space to do so. "Good to have a deck beneath our feet again," the Kazon half-hissed, half-sighed, as she looked at the duo she'd been trapped in the tube with only moments before. "What were those...things?" Kaldri asked, apparently completely ignorant to the fact that one of said things was, in fact, riding her shoulder like an Earthen parrot -- not that she knew what was parrot was, either. The goo thing nestled itself against the curve of skin conjoining her ridged neck to the cliff of her shoulder, bared as it was by her workout attire. But even touching her skin now as it was, the Kazon seemed not to notice.

Once she'd assured herself that the counselor had the correct number of appendages (four) and the correct number of globule passengers (zero), Drol used her grip on his hand to pull him away from the escape hatch, interposing herself between him and any followers. She still gripped the knife, held back against her forearm as though she were about to engage in an alleyway knifefight, her gaze fixed down near the deck.

Kaldri, on the other hand, was another matter. While the Kazon had the correct number of appendages, she had the incorrect number of globule passengers, and Drol's quick intake of breath hissed through her teeth. She took a half-step forward and then thought better of it-- even unarmed, she was fairly certain Kaldri could eat her for breakfast. She tried using her words instead, holding out her free hand palm down in a placating gesture. “Kaldri,” she said, hoping her voice sounded calmer than she felt, “Don't make any sudden movements. If you hold still, I think I can get it off.” Drol's dark gaze flicked between the blob of goo-- which seemed to have made itself quite comfortable against the curve of the Kazon's neck-- and Kaldri's face, hoping to catch a change of expression that would telegraph Kaldri's movements, should she choose to do something unexpected.

Meanwhile, movement near the deck signaled a second blob oozing out of the lift shaft and into the bright light of the corridor.

“Do we call Security to seal off this section?” Axod asked, taking a step back from the open turboshaft. He was exhausted and wanted to get away from this unknown organism, feeling he’d had more than his fair share.

"Get what off?" the Kazon asked in return, face covered in a dubious look. "You mean this?" she gestured to the thing in the crook of her neck, now apparently aware of it. Kaldri reached up to gently stroke the blob-thing, smirking at the Cardassian across from her. "Really, Nishka," she affectionately -- but incorrectly -- named Drol, "you worry far too much about nothing. It is only a hesh'flek," she said, a dreamier float than before now tinging her tone. Whatever a hesh'flek was -- the universal translator had, apparently, no analogue -- it must be something non-concerning and possibly cute, for the Kazon's regard for the blob resembled something like adoration. "Would you like to pet it? It is quite docile," Kaldri promised.

For Axod, the Kazon shrugged with apathy. "I'm sure whatever you are worried about will be fine. You Draysh," Kaldri used the term she'd once heard the viridian-skinned mop head use, "get worked up over the smallest things. Perhaps if you had to deal with real threats..." she cooly said under her breath, still stroking the blob, "you would have a better sense of actual danger when you see it." Gone, apparently, was the keenly-concerned Kaldri: in her place was this dreamy, glassy-eyed version who did not seem lock-in-step with their current reality.

A current reality that seemed most unreal indeed. Quite apart from the dreamy-faced Kazon, another of the weird blobs was globbing its way across the corridor toward the first set of feet it could find.

“I'm supposed to be security,” Drol muttered in a despairing tone. Still, she knew when she was out of her depth, and now was that moment. “Capital idea,” she said to Axod, though she remained staring with deepening horror at the Kazon and added, “And maybe medical would be a good idea too.”

Licking her lips, she edged just a little closer to the dreamy-voiced woman. “And a very nice... hesh'flek it is too,” she agreed, stumbling over the unfamiliar term. Although she instinctively recoiled at the idea of petting it, an idea had begun to take shape in her mind and gathering her courage she rearranged her features into some semblance of enthusiasm as she reached toward the blob, “Oh, may I pet it?”

Eyes flicking swiftly between Kaldri's face and the blob on her shoulder, Drol edged close enough that when she extended, she would indeed be able to pet it. At the last moment however, she made a scooping motion, trying to both separate the globule from the Kazon and touch it as little as possible. Although she did manage to slide her hand under the weird texture of its form, it squished against the proprietary stroking of Kaldri's hand and like any semi-liquid under pressure, splurted out from between their two hands, flying across the corridor.

Watching the scene unfold before him, Axod was prepared for Drol's throw. He jumped to the side to avoid direct impact and landed face down on the deckplates. He smiled to himself at his quick dodge. His smile quickly faded as the image of the of the first blob started towards him. He quickly pushed himself up, keeping his face safe from the jelly thing.

The blob hit the bulkhead and slid down, but when it hit the floor, it used the momentum to continue to roll. It made its blobby rolly way toward the globule currently menacing Axod's retreating face.

Drol, meanwhile, was muttering darkly as she shook out her hand which was tingling fiercely now. Using her good hand, she slapped her commbadge. “Drol to Security. We have unknown lifeforms--?” she paused, momentarily unsure that was the correct terminology. Abruptly, she decided it didn't matter and continued, “outside turbolift uh--” she turned and glanced at the access hatch behind her. “Nine-bravo. We need immediate transport from uh... deck... three?” She glanced around, sounding even less sure about this than she had about the categorization of the weird blob things, as though the anonymous corridor might help her decide exactly what deck they were on.

Instead of yielding a handy 'you are here' sign, the gently curving corridor showed only Kaldri, looking glassy-eyed at the Cardassian with something akin to, perhaps, love or affection? Drol started with surprise, then blinked fiercely at the Kazon, as though trying to clear her vision. “Yadik?” she asked, slipping back into Cardassian with an ease that should have disturbed her, but instead felt comforting. “What are you doing here? I didn't do-- I mean, I'm doing well here. I haven't brought shame...” she trailed off, throat suddenly gone dry and a surprisingly heartbreaking expression of vulnerability settling on her ridged features as she finished in a small voice, “have I?”

With the blob having "popped" between their two hands before spurting away, Kaldri's right hand was just as goopy as Drol's. And as the Kazon and the Cardassian became more and more exposed to the slimy substance, so too it seemed did their mental faculties begin to drain away. Eyes became unfocused and a dreamy look further loosened and refashioned Kaldri's face. "No, no --" the warrior almost cooed, stepping forward to place her gooey hand on the side of Drol's ridged and rather exposed neck, further smearing the substance, "Nishka, you've done nothing wrong. No shame has been brought. I--" She would have said more but for the sudden sound coming from Drol's chest.

Drol's commbadge chirped and a crisp voice sounded tinninly through it. “Security to Drol. That is a negative, ensign. Transporter access denied.We uh--we've kind of got a situation. But what do you mean by lifeforms? Report!”

Drol however, in extreme contrast to her normal confidence, was too busy shrinking from Kaldri to answer.

"Nishka," Kaldri's severe face softened even further, "sister." Apparently, the universal translator had finally uncovered the meaning of the Kazon word she'd previously used. "I am so glad you are here. I tried to see you before--" Kaldri gulped, "before I left to kill First Maje Dethek." At the name, her face momentarily hardened again and she spit on the floor. "But Lethil wouldn't let me see you. Said my vengeance was my own and to leave you be." Her goopey hand now rose to cup Drol's cheek, depositing another smear of slime there. "But we are here now. Together," she smiled like something out of a cranial-ridged nightmare. "Dethek is long dead, sister. He cannot hurt us anymore and thol'pek is avenged," her voice found its steel.

Axod, still evading the blob, tapped his combadge. "Security, they are gelatinous goo." He backed himself against the bulkhead, "If transport isn't available can we get some nice strong containment fields?" The Doosodarian half chuckled to himself as he made the request.

Drol flinched away from Kaldri's touch, as though the Kazon woman had slapped her. “Together,” she echoed, sounding more and more lost as the strange conversation continued. Visibly gathering herself to not simply fold into a pile of shame in the corner, Drol swallowed. “Yes, together,” she said, her voice very slowly gaining confidence as her expression hardened and she continued, “But... why, yadik?” Then, with a growing sense of self-righteousness, the Cardassian's spine straightened. “Why are you here? I don't need you!” she spat, “Maybe I never needed you.”

On the floor, the rolling blob rolled headlong into its fellow and in an almost mesmerizing gooening, they became one larger blob. This gooey being then continued toward Axod, whose combadge was making noise again.

“Gelatinous goo?” security asked the Doosodarian through the comm, “Who is this?” Then, apparently hearing Axod's chuckle, “Is this some kind of joke?”

"This is Lieutenant Axod Qo, " The redhead's eyes were fixed on the blob. "and this is most definitely not a joke. Alerting Sickbay might also be prudent" The counselor shot a momentary look to his Cardassian shipmate, but returned to the goo immediately as it grew closer.

Kaldri, meanwhile, had taken several steps backwards from Drol. "I came to tell you that another First Maje is dead," the Kazon held up a staying hand to ward off anymore moisture expelled her way. "I did it, sister. For you. For me. For thol'pek," her tone softened, the word -- whatever its untranslatable meaning -- clearly holding great affection if not outright love. "Dethek will never hurt anyone again. And his death, like those of all the other First Majes I've attended to," she sneered before it was her turn to spit as well, "will serve as a warning to any who would threaten us in the future." The glaze over her eyes seemed to have thickened as she continued conflating the past with the present.

"Counselor Qo?" There was a pause, perhaps while the speaker consulted with their fellows. An almost subliminal hum heralded the arrival of a pair of containment fields at each end of the curving hallway, cutting off the section where the three and their gooey guests were from the rest of the ship. It was a fairly imprecise method of containment, but before anyone could object, Axod's combadge was active again. "Counselor Qo, remain calm, and remain where you are. We have dispatched a team to you. Is Ensign Drol injured?"

Ensign Drol herself did not answer, being too busy conversing at cross-purposes with Kaldri. "For me?" she asked, sounding, if anything, more angry. "It was never about me! It was always about you and how what we did helped you. It was never about me," she repeated, turning from Kaldri with the glassy sheen of tears in her dark eyes, a callous shrug of her shoulder negating the clear tenderness Kaldri was displaying.

Meanwhile Axod ,backing himself further to the wall, responded to the inquiry. "I don't believe so, but I'd send a medic too, just in case." He looked around to see if there was anything he could use to stave off the goo if it came to it. No such tools were in the general area.

“Understood,” the voice on the other end of the comm said, “Just hang tight, counselor. They'll be there soon.” The comm went dead but another humm presaged a second set of containment fields, these surrounding each of the humanoids. Some clever soul in security realized that while they couldn't get an exact location on the invading goo, they did know exactly where the crewmembers were, and a crewmember in a containment field was almost as good as an invading blob in a containment field.

In truth, the fields did not appear a moment too soon. The eager blobs bumped into the one around Axod and then rolled backward in a circle, as though stunned. They also neatly separated the two women whose conversation had gotten more heated than was probably comfortable when one considered the combatants were a Kazon and a Cardassian.

Fortunately, now that security was properly alerted, they did indeed respond as quickly as promised; the three weren't trapped in their fields for long before a pair of security officers arrived with phasers, a portable containment field generator, and a medic in tow. Working quickly, they contained the blobs and were able to drop the larger containment fields in the corridor.

It was far less simple to separate Kaldri and Drol and while the security team initially attempted to speak to the Cardassian, they quickly gave up as she began addressing them by strange names and what sounded like epitaths. They turned instead to the Doosodarian for explanation.

“Well, counselor, this is a helluva mess... you'd better start from the beginning.”

A post by:

Lieutenant Axod Qo
Ship's Counselor

Kaldri (NPCed by Brad)
Kazon Guest

Ensign Eekit Drol
Security Officer