Closing Doors (Part IV of IV)

Posted on Sat Nov 9, 2019 @ 10:32pm by Captain Maritza Soran & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant JG Erich Hartmann & Lieutenant JG Scaliontis Lovok & Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Civilian Jason Haines & Lieutenant Kivan Ta'Gas

1,140 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Risa, but not as we know it/ Portal Caves
Timeline: MD11 2145

Previously, in Closing Doors

Fighting to concentrate and to keep his fingers working properly, Jason set the frequency to match the energy readings he was getting right now from the other side, and then set the tricorder to transmit.

As he didn't trust his hands to hold onto the tricorder steadily, he handed it to Alanna. If there were any corrections needed to be made, she could make them.

There was little Caleb could do but trust his team to get the job done, so he stood by silently willing it to work.

And now the conclusion…

The Portal Caves

It wasn't just the obelisks glowing now. The veins all through the cave itself were coming alive with violet light, and a piercing whine was seemingly seeping out the walls.

"I don't like the look of that forcefield," Calaban muttered. “The power it’s soaking up is way more than it should be.”

Maritza had picked up a second tricorder. "If it fails, it fails. There's still enough time to evacuate before the particle build up becomes instantly fatal."

The Risian gave the commander a sideways look, but turned back to his tricorder.

"Wait!” Soran said suddenly. "I'm getting a signal. And it’s definitely one of ours." She showed the signal to Hartmann and Lovok. The signal was a steady tone, clearly coming from a Federation frequency.

“I concur, Skipper,” Hartmann said, slightly wondering if the verbal breach of decorum would be noted upon now or later.

"I agree," Scaliontis said, though he eyed Hartmann for an extra second before turning to Soran. "I suggest you order them through before we reach critical."

Inside the hemisphere created by the force field, a crack of fine white light appeared, growing with the ever increasing density of subatomic particles. Maritza frowned. There had never been a physical sign of the portals before. It cracked open another inch, and what was beyond could be clearly seen, a wide clearing in the jungle.

It cracked again, jagging open a foot wide, but what was beyond was lost as the light from the pylons became blinding. "Away team!" Martiza shouted over the shaking and groaning in the cave. "If you're there, you better come now. I'm not sure how long this will hold!"

Without hesitation, Jason put his hand on Alanna's waist and guided her to the portal, and after she stepped through, he followed. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight until he knew they were safe and the portal closed.

They walked through the brilliant light. When their vision cleared, they were back in the portal room. Alanna hugged Jason with her good arm and cried. Now that they were back, reaction was setting in.

Jason let out a hiss, as she hugged him. He was feeling all the pain now. A marine came up to them and escorted them out of the way. Given how things were shaking, he got them out of the area completely.

With the portal now open, Annora motioned for her team to follow Jason and Alanna through.
"Go ahead, Commander, I'll be right behind you."

“No, Lieutenant. We’re goin’ together. No one’s gettin’ left behind. Ah’ll carry ya’cross the threshold if Ah have ta.” Grabbing Annora’s hand, he dragged her through the portal with him.

The away team squeezed through the portal and out into bright light so harsh they had to shield their eyes, a high pitched wine drilling into their heads, and a hum that ran across their skin like fingernails on a blackboard, and found themselves sealed inside a domed force field.

The sentinel began shout now, screaming its warnings in its deep voice over and over. "Cease! Danger! Run!"

"Get the forcefield down!" Maritza yelled over the noise and the whine. "And everyone out! Move! Move!"

The force field blinked out of existence, and the first of the security officers making up the away team leapt for the door, and as they did, the first pylon shattered. The cave was suddenly showered in sharp obsidian fragments slashing exposed skin. The second was so fractured and cracked it was going to do the same at any moment.

Alanna couldn't run anymore, but she hobbled as quickly as she could, still holding on to Jason's hand.

With Alanna's help and the Marine that had helped them originally, Jason limped to the closest exit. He made Alanna go first.

Caleb saw there wasn’t time. Making sure everyone had made it through, he released Annora’s hand. She, at least, wasn’t injured, and could take care of herself. He darted for Alanna and swept her up over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. “Go! Go!” he yelled at his team, racing for an exit.

Scaliontis watched as the shield dropped and the alien portal pylon explode. Thankfully, the Chief Engineer, Chief Operations Officer, and ensign were behind the transmitter. Though the device took the brunt of the explosion, several shards did scrape by Scaliontis, cutting his uniform on the sleeves. Some did cut skin.

When the Commander ordered everyone out, Scaliontis rushed at Erich, Bel-Asher, and Kivan, and began pushing them towards the closest exit. "Go!" he echoed, as several others were yelling the same, as everyone scrambled for the exits.

She barely had time to catch her breath from the jump through the portal when the statue started yelling a warning. Why they chose to collapse the cavern was anyone's guess. The reasons would be for engineers and scientists. At present, Annora's concern was getting to safety. Ensuring her security team was on their way out, she followed close behind.

Maritza realised she was the last one left, but even as she was sprinting for the exit, the world went white, and the pylon exploded.

She came flying through the cave transition portal into the cavern entrance, landing in a skid on the stone floor, a handful of marble chips flashing past as she came. She accepted the hand of a marine to get up. Dusting her hands down, she tallied the casualties from the lightly scratched to the seriously harmed. She'd destroyed a portal, and the Romulan core was buried. This had not gone well.

But the time for recrimination could wait. Maritza looked around at her people. "Let's go home."

OFF

Commander Maritza Soran
Commanding Officer
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant JG Jason Haines
Chief Intelligence Officer
Deep Space Five

Gunnery Sergeant Terry Henderson
Combat Medic
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant JG Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant JG Scaliontis Lovok
Chief Engineer
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant Annora Tessaro
Chief Security Officer
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant (jg) Erich Hartmann
Chief Operations Officer
Deep Space Five

Commander Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer
Deep Space Five

 

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