Chapter IIb: On Your Own

Alex blinks, wide-eyed in apparent confusion as she holds up her hands in surrender. "Wait! This one," she says, indicating Zephyr with a nod of her head, "asked for me to come speak with the one in this cell. He had the rifle, like you do, so I came willingly, only hoping to serve. It seemed like he was... one of you."

Her voice becomes more strained, betraying an edge of panic approaching. "Please don't shoot! Please! I serve willingly!"

Zephyr freezes. He stands there with a dumbfounded look on his face and does not act for a moment.

Then suddenly he says, "That's right! I am one of you. Get in the cell meatbag!" and waves his rifle at Alex and Lorq as if motioning them in. He gives them a sly wink with a momentary half-grin.

I will follow the lead. I put my hands up and go along.

Ignore the roll. I posted the same time as the previous post so I changed my actions

Rolling

Alex keeps her hands up. "Please, don't make me go back into the cell? I can help. Waiting is driving me crazy. I don't want to keep sitting around like a roast chicken. I can take care of what's in front of me, while the rest of you take care of the long-range planning," she says, her tone pleading and tired. Her posture slumps a bit, defeated, as she looks from guard to Zephyr and back again.

Zephyr looks at the pirate, then at Alex, and then down at his phaser. He seems to hesitate for a moment, and then turns a dial on the rifle, and fires from the hip at the pirate who just spoke!

He then turns to the other pirate and makes his own series of clicking noises.

Out of the side of his mouth to Alex and Lorq he says, "I've been studying their language. I'm not sure if I got it right but I tried to tell him to surrender."Edit: added rolls

I am ready with a tranquilizer shot if needed, but with rifles going I am not much help. If the other alien surrenders I will drug him and store him with the others.

Prepared for just such an eventuality, Alex is ready, and leaps for the fleeing pirate as soon as he moves.She wraps her arms around the pirate's waist, and her forward momentum carries them both to the floor, where she promptly sits on him. "They always run. Why do they always run?" she muses.

She blows her hair out of her face and looks back at Zephyr. "Nice shot. Might want to swap him for the ensign in the cell."

Let's put these folks to sleep.

Lorq approaches the stunned and also the held alien and gives them a shot of sedative.

Good work folks, we may just pull this off.

"Bene!" Zephyr sounds genuinely surprised. A sigh escapes from his lips, "I suppose you're right. Ensign Meyers, join us out here."

Once the others are clear of the cell, Zephyr places the stunned pirate in the cell on the bed gently. "Let's put them both in here, I don't think it can do any harm to have both in one room."

"Ensign Meyers, do you have any idea where we can find Lieutenant Felt or M1-K3?"

"Thank you, doctor."

Alex climbs back to her feet and lets the other two transport the sedated pirates. She straightens her uniform with a half-hearted 'hmph', brushing away a wrinkle that apparently only she can see.

She watches Zephyr with an odd look, head tilted slightly as she considers the science officer. "You're surprisingly forgiving," she says. "I'm sorely tempted to go in there and punch them both until they're black and blue. Or whatever color they'd end up turning at this point."