Give him back! (Part V of V)
Posted on Sun Apr 26, 2020 @ 3:25am by Captain Maritza Soran & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant Si'Lar Trellis
2,764 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Et In Arcadia Ego
Location: Various around DS5
Timeline: Back post : Doors of Perception, MD 17
Previously on
Having followed the last team into the cargo bay, Ensign Akioka answered the question. "Ma'am, we're with station security. We have a few questions about the cargo and your recent trip to the John Bull"
Sheila saw the numerous weapons aimed on her and recognized that she did not stand a chance of out shooting them. "This is a private Federation vessel. You have no right to just march on here like you own the place!" She said defiantly. "Besides, our cargo manifest is confidential. I want to speak directly with your supervisor!" She replied.
And now the continuation
John Bull
________________________________________
Lieutenant Trellis was in the kneeling position as he and his team beamed over onto the civilian vessel. Moments after the the dematerialization sensation wore off he slowly stood, his weapon withdrawn and saw that his team was not with him. Before he could fully turn around he heard a blood-curdling scream.
"AGGGH!" Screamed the Bolian Crewman. He strained as he tried to move his neck but was unable to move beyond 45 degrees due to the condition of his body.
Lieutenant Trelis winced in obvious pain as he took in the sight before him. The Crewman's body had dematerialized inside of the bulkhead just several feet away from where Lt. Trellis had appeared.
"What the hell?" He said aloud as he looked at where the two had arrived. He immediately realized that he was not on the Bridge of the vessel. Evidently, the John Bull had activated a transporter signal scrambler. The scrambler had dispursed Trellis' team elsewhere on the ship while pinning the Crewman into the bulkhead beside him.
"Pl-ple---help-hel....me..." The Crewmen pleaded as he began to spasm violently in place. The struggle did not last long before he finally collapsed while still standing. The blood from where his body had fused with the bulkhead dripped along side the panel and begna to pool on the deck by Lt. Trellis' feet.
=/= Lt. Trellis to Chief Nvultar, our transport signal got scrambled all over the ship, where the hell did you end up? =\=
Lt. Trellis' comm unit responded with loud feedback causing him to wince slightly.
=/= "Damnit! They've got some kind of automated security drone system! It opened fire on us as soon as we beamed in!" =\= Chief Nvultar shouted back over the whine of phaser fire.
=/= "It took out 4 of the SRU team members before we even realized where we were or what was hap aggh---" =\= The Chief's comm unit was interrupted by the sound of a phaser burst directly into his chest.
The mission was turning into the living nightmare that he knew it would. His team was being cut down around him and they still had not seized control of the vessel.
=/= Lt. Trellis to the remaining SRU Team, push forward towards the Bridge of the ship. It looks like we were still able to beam onto the same deck as the Bridge. Whomever gets there first is under orders to seize control by any means necessary! =\= The Trill Security Officer said as he grabbed his gear and made his way through the darkened corridor towards the nearest access hatch.
DS5 OPS
Maritza listened to the calls across the comms, tight lipped and silently furious. "Scramble the air group. I want those ships back here. Suspicion of kidnapping and murder." The Archangel was going to pay for the lives of her team.
DS5 DECK 16, LIFEPODS
Jhene Waugh looked on her chronometer and saw that 16 minutes had passed by. If the plan was working correctly, then the Fleeters had probably boarded the three vessels and begun seizing everything they could get their hands on searching for the Trill Commander's Yeoman. The ensuing case was certain to have drawn the attention of both station Security as well as the Command staff as well.
=/="Waugh to Lu'Xin, the boy is inside the lifepod on deck 16. Everything is set." =\= Waugh said as she and two others entered the turbolift, leaving the area, but not before setting off an alarm that would notify Engineering and Security of a malfunction within a lifepod. Eventually, someone would come down to investigate and would it certainly lead to them discovering the drugged, but still alive, Commander's Yeoman clinging to life.
=/= "Ha. . .ha! Great job, and all it cost was one Petty Officer and one of Old Man Raddon's shipments being seized." =\= Tai Lu’Xin responded.
From his office he was able to keep tabs on the chaos that had erupted onboard the three civilian vessels. From comms that he was able to pick up on, over a dozen individuals had lost their lives in the fighting that had broken out on the vessels. Deaths that would undoubtedly be blamed on Starfleet's extra-judicial invasion of the three vessels in search of the Yeoman whom they had been led to believe was onboard one of the three vessels. Instead all they had found were pissed off Humans and one questionable Lissepian shipment onboard the Viridian Dream.
Now came the waiting part.
(Deck 16)
"I bet you 25 credits this is a false alarm."
Crewmen Agnew and Lambe were dispatched to what registered as a malfunction in one of the escape pods. Lambe looked to her partner as he mentioned the wager.
"Twenty five credits? Deal."
As the two engineers approached the offending life pod, there were no immediate signs of damage.
Agnew pulled out his tricorder as Lambe moved to open the pod.
"I'm registering a faint life sign, although there shouldn't be anyone inside."
After Lambe entered the last digit of the code, the door to the life pod swung open. Inside lay a bruised and battered Claude on the floor. Medical and security teams were quickly dispatched to the area. When the Yeoman's identity was confirmed, that information was passed onto Security Control.
(OPS)
Petty Officer Kelly relayed the message as it came across the console.
"Commander, Yeoman Claude was found in a life pod on Deck 16. He's alive but unconscious."
Maritza went still with shock for a fraction of a second. He was on the station, just a few decks below her? "Get him to sickbay now." She realized then that if he'd been held on the station, then the people holding him were on the station and they may still change their minds and decide to kill him before he can say anything. "Security, send a protection detail, and get Lieutenant Kato to secure the pod for evidence."
It also chilled her that someone had callously set up others to distract them, and had got several of her crew murdered. Someone had planned this to create maximum chaos and yet more murder. When she found who was responsible, she was going to make sure they never hurt anyone again.
She touched her combadge again. "OPS to security teams. Claude has been found. Secure the John Bull and the Viridian Dream and their crews. This has all gone far too in favor of the kidnappers for me to let them go without interviewing them. "Air group, make sure the Archangel does not leave our space. Co-ordinate with Lieutenant Tessaro to disable the ship."
The tactical screen showed a number of points as the fighters, backed up by the Ararat swarmed the Archangel. Maritza could only watch now as her officer brought things to a close
________________________________________
John Bull - Bridge
________________________________________
Captain Hiromi looked towards her the main turbolift leading to the bridge. She knew that her vessel's internal counter-measures would not keep the Security Officers away from the bridge for long. In fact, by now their mounting casualties and certainly angered them to the point of being even more determined to take control of the ship. She knew that time was no longer on her side.
"Computer, how much longer until the data-node is erased?" She asked, 93% of the relevant information has been cleared and scrubbed from central depository," The detached voice responded. "Systems resources have been diverted to deal with hostile intruders." It added.
Captain Hiromi sat down in her seat and waited. She reached within the side compartment of her chair and withdrew her disruptor. She looked at her weapon for several minutes, carefully examining it with fond memories of the times it had saved her and her crew. Now she looked at it one final time as she prepared for Starfleet's foot soldiers to come crashing through the door. She holstered the weapon one final time.
"Ms. Juarez, send the final transmission to the designated coordinates. Mr. Glaccon," the Captain said as the operations officer carried out her orders, "deactivate all environmental functions for the bridge and activate the final protocol," she said gravely as he returned to her chair.
Just as Captain Tetsuro and his crew onboard the USS Sviriki refused to surrender to the Starfleet Sheep, she too knew what needed to be done. Captain Hiromi knew it would take roughly forty-eight seconds for the gas to enter the bridge and to fill the lungs of the crew members. Undoubtedly, the invaders would attempt to force their way onto the bridge to stop them. However, it would take at least seventy-three seconds for them to blast through the sealed door. More than enough time for life to slip away from her and her ever-loyal crew members on the bridge.
"Datanode deletion protocol completed." Came the disembodied voice of the computer. Several moments later, Captain Hiromi looked and saw the doors to her bridge attempted to be forced open, not doubt by bloodied and enraged Security Officers whom had just witnessed their comrades dying painful and violent deaths.
Was it worth it? she thought as she could begin the slight tendrils of the gas beginning to take hold.
It had to be. . . was the last thought to go through her mind as she drifted off into unconsciousness.
It took a considerable amount, but the doors were forced open with a displacement tool. Three Security personnel were able to enlarge the gap wide enough to fit through and plant their feet on the deck of Captain Hiromi's bridge.
"Captain Hiromi, you are under arr----" Lt. Trellis began to say, but he was interrupted by the site of the slumped and mostly lifeless bodies of the civilian crew members.
Lt. Trellis paused for several moments as his hand hovered over his comm unit. =/= "Lt. Trellis to OPS, the John Bull has been. . .secured. . ." He said mournfully.
"Whats going on over there?" Soran asked sharply, perturbed at his tone of voice.
=/= "Ma'am, Captain Hiromi and her bridge crew are dead." Lt. Trellis said as he walked around and checked the monitors. "It seems as if she had the computer purge a significant amount of data right before we were able to capture the Bridge." He reported. He looked at the still wet blood that covered a portion of his uniform tunic. "We've taken some casualties over here as well, request medical beam out for at two (2) crewmen that might make it if they can get to sickbay in time. I'll need a recovery team for about. . ." He stopped as he looked over at Crewmen Getties as he gave a simple gesture. "Ma'am, I'll need a recovery team for about five (5) that were killed in action" He said mournfully.
He looked at the computer terminal again. He was no Engineer, so he knew he couldn't decipher what was scrolling across the screen. But he did recognize at least a few words as corresponding with Dominionese.
In ops, Maritza ground her teeth. Another suicide squad? who were these fanatics. However she had learnt from the Svikiri. "Well don't just stand there. Get them to sickbay and get them resuscitated! They aren't escaping justice this time." Modern medicine normally had an eighteen minute window before brain damage from death was irreversible. They weren't getting away, whatever they thought they'd done.
=/= "Will do, Lt. Trellis out" He said as he signaled for the remainder of his team to gather around him. "Prepare to depart, I'm sure Operations and Engineering will come take over now that the scene is secure. As far as the Bridge crew, we're going to beam them to sick bay and see if they can't be revived per the Commander's orders." He dispatched. There were no further questions so he allowed them to return to ensuring the vessel was properly secured as he contacted medical.
=/= "Lt. Trellis to Ops, prepare emergency medical beam out for three civilians on my location. Notify Sick Bay that they have incoming arrivals who need to be
Maritza turned back to the duty strat ops officer. "Where are we with the Archangel?"
Archangel
The team heading to Main Engineering doubled back to break the logjam on deck 16. Flanking the defenders from behind, they managed to gain the upper hand. After treating the wounded security guards, and restraining the crew members, they moved forward as one team. Reaching the main cargo bay, they spread out to search for the missing Yeoman. There was plenty of interesting cargo but no sign of any people, alive or dead.
=/\= Lecesse to Mattu. No sign of the Yeoman. We're heading to engineering. =/\=
The Trill wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not about the other team not finding the main objective.
=/\= Roger that. Keep me informed. =/\=
They encountered surprisingly little resistance on their way to engineering. Finally reaching their destination, they paused to formulate a plan. "We can't afford to get caught in another drawn out firefight like before. How many grenades do we have?"
Each team member checked their load-out. With only the SRU members having been issued grenades, and having used a few on Deck 16, there was only three stun grenades left.
"Considering what happened last time we encountered resistance. Here's the plan."
As the ranking SRU member, Lecesse was placed in charge of the group. "Tennant, Whittaker, and Sinclair, as soon as we open the door toss the grenades in. Tennant and Whittaker toss your to the left and right sides respectfully. Sinclair, toss it straight down the middle. As soon as the grenades go off, we rush in subduing anyone still standing."
---
As the team swept through engineering, they found only six personnel in the whole room. The others apparently having been sent to stop the initial boarding action.
"Patel, Butala, see what you can do to gain computer control. If nothing else, shut down the engines."
Archangel Bridge
All doors leading to the bridge were closed and sealed, forcing the Starfleet team to cut their way in. As soon as they had an opening, the team was met with phaser fire from inside. With greater numbers, the Starfleet team was able to whittle down the defenders. When they finally entered the bridge, they heard the telltale whine of Klingon disruptors. Those hit by phaser fire were slumped on the floor. Many others, including the Captain, were dead at their station, having committed suicide with their sidearms. Two young crewman huddled near the view screen, hands in the air.
With a relief, Mattu tapped his commbage.
=/\= Petty Officer Mattu to Station Ops. We have the Archangel. Engines are shut down and most the bridge crew are dead. =/\=
DS5 - OPS
Maritza's stomach twisted. Who were these suicidal maniacs? "Same orders Mr Mattu. Get everyone to sickbay for resuscitation. Save as many as we can. Ms Tessaro, Its imperative that we have the prisoners under guard, multiple guard, at all time. There are too many questions here. I don't want anyone getting away of suffering mysterious accidents."
She leant over an ops panel for a moment. Claude was back and alive. but it was now clear she was dealing with people who were fanatically committed to their cause. And also not too bright. If those ships had heaved too and let them board, her people would have searched, moved on, and no one would have been killed. What did they hope to achieve? And was it really worth the deaths that had happened, or those that could remain? It was clear that whoever they were they were dangerous.
"OPS to security teams. Bring those ships into dock, and begin processing. I'll be in Sickbay." Maritza headed towards the turbolifts. She needed to check on Claude, and then she wanted to talk to some of those fanatics.
[OFF]
Commander Maritza Soran
CO
DS5
Lt Annora Tessaro
Chief Security Officer
DS5
Lieutenant Silar Trellis
Undercover Operations Co-ordinator
DS5
Antagonists NPCs by Dorian Gabriel
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