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"First Encounter"
[Previous post: "Thank You" by Tiffany]
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Setting: USS LANCELOT, Corridor
Stardate: 63072.1530

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Ensign Lopez was weaker than she at first seemed to be so Drell had been forced to carry her most of the way through the Jefferies Tubes. Once back into the main corridor Hex’s ears twitched every so often, the sound of footsteps seemed to be getting closer, but she couldn’t be sure. Aki noticed the Kzinti’s puzzled expression quickly.

“Hex? What’s wrong?” she inquired, looking around as they made their way into the corridor through the tube.
 
“Don’t you hear that? The banging is gone, but there are footsteps now…” The Sec/Tac officer stated, looking more than a little uneasy.

The group stopped momentarily to listen. Sure enough, they heard them too. The entire group tensed as they followed the Captain down the corridor away from the sound of footsteps. Hex moved to the front with the CO to make sure her weapon would be of use during any fight should they run into trouble.
 
“Captain, do you know what we’re up against here?” Hex whispered to Erik as they moved cautiously down the winding corridors.
 
“No Ensign, and I don’t want to find out.” The Captain stated bluntly. Hex flinched from the words, having hoped to receive a better answer.
 
The fur ball was just wondering what else could go wrong as they rounded the corner. Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded through Hex’s arms, sending her weapon flying. The Captain was already alert with his phaser at the ready.
 
The Kzinti had been hit by the arm of a giant metal warrior…thing. They were unlike anything she had seen. Heavily armored and armed with weapons of their own. The first was large and flanked by two others, equally large. Drell and the others barely had any time to react when the first shoots went off in their direction.
 
Drell went behind a chuck of debris, still holding the weak and now quivering aCMO, Aki was beside him, breathing hard, but unharmed. The Captain was out of Hex’s sight, but she knew he was getting ready to counter attack. The Kzinti dove for her own phaser just in time to avoid a phaser blast that was aimed at her head.

“FIRE!” the Captain commanded, taking one creature by surprise with 2 shots to the middle, it faltered, but countered the attack, just barely missing the CO as he ducked behind another piece of rubble. “Drell, get the Doctor out of here! Now!”.
 
Drell was up before the command and running for a safe place with Aki right behind him. He ducked and weaved through the blasts, but one caught his arm and he fell. Hex had retrieved her weapon and was firing, but she realized the danger and tossed her weapon to Aki. The Ensign immediately started shooting at the creatures as she helped Drell move to get away.

Ensign Mitshiba held the phaser with ease, aiming at the last metallic giant that entered the room. The Terran let loose six blasts that impacted the enemy at different points of his upper torso and head. An electric charge shot through his body before he was rendered nonoperational.
 
Hex thought quickly, the Captain was pinned down by the fire of one and the others were escaping, but they wouldn’t last if that one continued to fire, not with Drell and Adriana weakened. They needed a diversion, preferably a good one at that.

Not bothering to think before acting, Hex combined her martial arts with gymnastics with ease and cart-wheeled over to the creature firing on Aki and the others. Pivoting on her hand, she smashed her foot against its supposed head. Pain shot through The Kzinti's entire leg, but the Ensign continued her attack, spinning off from the kick to slam the thing in the chest at full force.
 
The diversion worked, although she was in intense pain, Hex now had the creature's full attention. The relentless attacker shot blasts at her, which she dodged with her skill in speed and agility. Drell was hidden and Ensign Mitshiba was firing shots at the Captain’s metal beast.
 
Erik came out and fired two shots at the creatures legs, making them buckle slightly from the pressure, this giving Aki enough of a distraction to finish it off with two more shots at the torso and jaw.  The blasts hit like miniature fright trains, sending the metal monstrosity toppling from the force of them, now only one was left. Hex was up and close to the last one when Aki ran in to help.

"Don't do it! Help the others, I'm fine." Hex called, stepping out of the way of yet another blast from her enemy.

The momentary distraction was enough to give the monster a heads up on the Ensign. Using its advantage, the beast smacked its armored forearm across Hex's chest, sending her flying in the other direction. She hit the wall, hard, and crumpled onto the floor as the pain forced her into a blurry unconsciousness.

Aki wanted to run and check the Kzinti, but her focus was pulled back to the massive robot as it turned to face the more agile opponents. The Captain fired two shots in its direction while he moved closer to the other two Ensigns. The attacker deflected one, but the other met it's mark with a deadly accuracy in the supposed stomach.

Aki then fired multiple attacks to the robots back side as it turned to face the Captain. Its entire frame shuddered before it collapsed on the ground with its fallen comrades.

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Ashley Shane (crazyoneofthenight@hotmail.com)
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Sec/Tac Officer
USS LANCELOT