Engagement (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 14 May 2018 @ 12:06pm by Chief Petty Officer Crispin Snow & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Commander Luke Wyatt & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Alexion Wylde
Edited on on 21 Aug 2023 @ 2:23pm

2,532 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 16 - A Far Sun
Location: The Borderlands, USS Schofield
Timeline: MD 02, 0117 hours

[ON]

USS Schofield

A message came through to the Schofield. =^=Federation ship, this is the freighter Kindred Spirits. The Nauscicans have gone but we have wounded some severe. Need help with getting back up and running.=^=

As soon as the all clear came through Allyndra hit her comm badge =^=Lieutenant Rice, Ensign St. James. Petty Officer Snow please report to transporter room one.=^=

Allyndra then contacted the sickbay. =^=Sickbay prepare for incoming wounded.=^=

=^=Understood....=^= Alexion's voice was tight as he responded; because they didn't have enough wounded to deal with in the dollhouse of a ship as it was.


Freighter - Kindred Spirits

The transport was easy but as soon as she materialized on the freighter Allyndra coughed. The place was full of smoke and a few crewmen lay sprawled on the deck with burn marks.

A grizzled old man stood there with a phaser rifle ready but dropped it as soon as the landing party materialized.

"Captain Griffin," he said tersely. "Thanks for coming." He nodded toward the two bodies and said, "too late for these poor souls but got three more that are hurt bad."

Allyndra nodded, "Very good show me we can arrange transport. The rest of you let's see if we can get this girl going again. It would be best if we can get out of this area as soon as we can."

Downside with transporting over with superior officers --you became the token Security officer. Of course, Aria Rice was used to it. Had been used to it. She was now used to being in charge of boarding parties, but...hey, this was a new gig. And she had to appreciate it. She looked over at St. James beside her for a moment. Okay, two token Security officers. Two for the price of one. She would have giggled by the whole atmosphere here put a massive downer on stuff like that. Without hesitating, Aria walked over to the two bodies, kneeling by them for a moment. Someone had put blankets over them but she reached out to cover them properly, keeping herself a bit detached before standing, her phaser rifle a comfortable weight tugging at her. "Where do you want us, ma'am?" she asked Allyndra quietly.

"I want you to go through the ship making sure that we do not have any surprises." She turned back to the captain. "You said Maquis but these are Nausicaan pirates from the look. Thought the Maquis were all gone."

Captain Griffen scuffed the deck and said, "Figured not many would come to aid if I just said pirates except maybe more pirates. Figured get more of response if I used the name. Sorry, but then again you got here right."

Allyndra was not happy with the response but she nodded her head. "Show me the wounded." She moved to follow and soon enough got to two more crew and one pirate that had severe burn marks. She made a quick scan. The pirate was the least injured having taken hit to a leg and he cursed in his native tongue at everyone. The other two crewmembers were more serious with wounds to upper torso. =^=Allyndra to Schofield, two crew members to beam to sickbay please.=^=

It took a few moments, but the crewmembers were finally shimmered away. =^= Wylde to Allyndra, we have them, =^= Alexion's voice assured over the comm but was quickly cut off as he went to work.

"Snow, stay here with the Commander. We'll call you if we find something broken that needs...fixing," Aria said as she met Snow's eyes, giving a small nod. She then looked over at Abbey, meeting her eyes. "With me," she said and started walking, her phaser rifle ready but more importantly her tricorder out to scan for lifesigns. They'd sweep the freighter and make sure nothing was going to...well. Jump out and kill them like in those ancient horror stories. She glanced over at Abbey, with approval of her stance. This woman could fight, most likely a hell of a lot better than Aria.

Allyndra turned her attention back the captain. While the rest had said to stay she figured that bridge area would not have been taken or the captain would not be standing here. "Alright captain, let us see the bridge. Snow maybe you can ascertain the status of the freighter and engines from there?"

She followed the captain and went down to the bridge. "Show us engineering station," she commanded. She was giving orders to him and she would not broach any argument. He had pulled them away from an away team on planet on an unstable star using a ruse.

Griffen did not argue and simply pointed to a seat and station. "Right there," he said.

Snow moved to the ops station. "Inertial dampeners are still good. Deflector field is only at about fifty percent. Warp engines are offline, but don't appear to be damaged. Running structural integrity now."

Snow shifted over. "Impulse engines are online and operational. Routing power up to deflectors. Cargo bay doors are cracked, but Structural Integrity Field is holding. We might need to patch those if you want to get really creative, but we're sound for now."

Allyndra nodded they needed to get back to the planet and other than the captain most of the freighter crew had been killed or injured severely. "Alright, as soon as the rest have checked the ship out we need to get underway. Sorry, captain but we have to return, you do not have the crew to run the ship and I cannot spare anyone. You were attacked once so chances are good might get hit again. So you are coming with us temporarily."

Griffen looked at her and sputtered, "I, I got a schedule!"

"Your choice, you come with us or we leave you and your ship to the pirates." She would not take any more off this man. He had been stupid to try what he had.

=^=Allyndra to Schofield, ship is operational but has no crew left. I am recommending we take it back with us before the star goes. Some minor structural damage but otherwise it is operational.=^=

There was a moment of silence as Blake clearly considered the situation and their options...or lack there of. "Agreed," she finally replied over the comm link. "We can't wait any longer, we need to make contact with the Away Team."

On another deck, Aria frowned as she rounded a corner, rifle ready. She kept an eye towards the tricorder, the frown deepening at the interference. There shouldn't be any, but it was messing with her readings. She looked over at Abbey and met her eyes, holding them. "Stay alert.." she breathed, putting the tricorder away before indicating with two fingers that Abbey should take the left side of the door. Aria herself took the right. She got into position and pressed the panel to open the door..., which opened slowly.

I'm always alert Abbey thought as she flanked Aria to her left. The door opened slowly the room on the other side enveloped in blackness. A movement caught her eye and then just as quickly as she saw it, it was gone. "Starfleet Security, Show yourselves immediately or non-lethal force will be used" or lethal depends on how I feel today. Abbey had just finished her thought when four pirates charged them with an array of melee weapons growling like a pack of feral dogs. "Good choice," She said as she fired her phaser immediately incapacitating one of the pirates.

Aria moved forward, lifting her phaser and firing it, not even blinking when the pirate collapsed. She moved to the side, so she had a good, defensible position. Because that was half of it, don't let anyone sneak up behind you. Especially if they were armed and eager to, you know, hurt you!

The pirates were on top of the two security officers now. Deciding quickly and with a dark pleasure Abbey dropped her rifle and from behind her back withdrew her concealed Terran dagger. It was the only possession she brought besides her clothes from the Terran Empire and engaged the pirate in hand to hand. Abbey was much smaller than the pirate but she was much more graceful and vicious. She also had the added bonus of the drugs she had consumed prior to departing on the mission they had definitely kicked in now as she darted around the Pirate, his attempts of stabbing her with his own blade useless. She moved with speed and deadly precision slashing deep enough to cause pain and blood to drip but not a kill hit. She was enjoying taking her time as sweat dripped from her forehead and formed sweaty patched in her uniform the drugs urging her to do more.

Abbey glanced over to Aria who was dealing well herself, the glance, however, allowed the dwindling pirate to catch her rib cage with a deep slash. Blood mixed with sweat pooled on her torn tunic as she let out a scream. "Now you die" She muttered between gritting teeth as she sprang at the pirate her dagger flying through the air at a frightening high arc. She hit the Pirate mid-air as they tumbled to the floor her dagger penetrating deep into his chest. His scream of pain sent a rush of satisfaction spreading through her body. Her eyes becoming glassy and red as the drugs, adrenaline and pain overwhelmed her. the raw emotions guiding her hands like an invisible force as she ripped the Nausicaan's torso apart with her blade. Her heartbeat was all she could hear as it deafened her, the blade she had been holding no longer in her hand disappearing somewhere during the final struggle. She was now punching the pirate blood stained everything, her hands, arms, face, torso even her knees were covered as a result of the pool of blood now surrounding them like her own personal shield blocking the chaos of the outside world. A hand and a voice pulled her from her delirium and that was the first time she noticed she had been screaming, her throat stung and he muscles burnt with exhaustion.

"St. James!" Aria had been shouting her name for what felt like forever. In the end, she had reached for the woman's neck, the back of it, her hand closing firmly around it and pulling back to stop her. They were all clear and her eyes were wide as she moved to the fallen man, looking at the blood. She knelt and reached out, trying to find a pulse, a sign he was alive. No. Nothing. Dead. She looked at Abbey, swallowing, her eyes wide and dark, her hair tore free of the hair band and falling down her shoulders. Her hands were now bloodied and she tried to not think of the sticky feeling. She rose quickly to her feel, her head spinning, her breath tight in her chest. "We're Starfleet," she said, her voice firm but underneath it as a slight tremble. "And you should have stunned him, you should have disarmed him...you shouldn't have killed him, we're not killers!" her voice rose to a shout at the last. And the rage she had seen, the blood thirst...it had scared Aria Rice to her core. But even so she stood next to the woman, her chin raised, her body firm and waiting. "Step back from him. Now." The last was said quietly.

"Starfleet" She whispered under her breath realization flooding over her, had she really just killed him in cold blood. Was it really cold blood? He was, after all, trying to kill her. "I... I think I need help" She had pushed herself against one of the walls her head between her knees. She felt sick and her head was spinning, the metallic smell of blood flooded her senses and in one fluid motion she rolled onto all fours and threw up. "I didn't mean... I don't know what happened" She added unmoved from her position.

Aria looked at her, watching her closely before she reached to touch her back, rubbing for a moment and then pulled the other woman's hair back, securing it properly. She looked around at the mayhem. They were in no position for a medical beam out, not right now. Not when she had any idea what was happening outside. And there was no Security officers left, just her and Abbey. She had to make a call. And she did. "Pull yourself together. Deep breath," she ordered before she nodded. "That's it. We are going to do more sweeps. Finish this up. But you will let me lead. You will stay back, only use the phaser. Understood?" she reached out, to gently grip her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at her. "Understood, Abbey?" she used her first name rather than her rank. And in doing it, taking this decision, Aria Rice found her centre again. She would process this later. Right now, she had a job to do.

Abbey nodded she knew she was going to retreat back inside her mental walls when she returned to the ship but not until the innocent people on the freighter were dealt with. She also knew there would be questions, some she was afraid to answer. “Ok, you lead I’ll follow” she said finally.


0600

The decks of the freighter had been swept and now wounded were in the hands of the medical personnel back on the Schofield. Captain Griffen was still fuming silently but he knew to keep his mouth shut at this point.

=^=Schofield, this is Kindred Spirits, systems are green think we are ready to depart.=^= Allyndra called the Oberth class ship. She was not happy either as the freighter was going to be much slower than the Schofield. Almost another twenty-four hours before they got back to gather the away team and get more of the requested data.

"At last..." Blake murmured under her breath, moving quickly back to her chair to sit down, frowning as she settled back and gripped the arm rests. "Let's get back to our Away Team, Helm, warp 1.5...." she had to stop herself from sighing with frustration at the speed. "Engage."

[OFF]

--

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Acting XO and CMO
USS Schofield

PO3 John Hollenday
Engineering mate
USS Schofield
[PNPC Allyndra]

CPO Crispin Snow
Operations officer
USS Schofield
[PNPC Derani]

Crewman Draia Theroh
Engineer's Mate
USS Schofield
[PNPC ir-Llantrisant]

Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Operations
USS Schofield

Lieutenant JG Aria Rice
Security
USS Schofield
[PNPC Vansen]

Ensign Mimi
Operations officer
USS Schofield

Commander Scarlet Blake
Acting CO
USS Schofield

Doctor Alexion Wylde
Medical
USS Schofield
[PNPC Blake]

PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security
USS Schofield
[PNPC Blake]

Lt Cmdr Luke Wyatt
Chief of Security
USS Schofield

Ensign Abbey St James
Security Officer
USS Schofield

Ensign Tris Shizn
Helmsman
USS Schofield

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