Ignis Fatuus
Posted on 30 Jul 2016 @ 6:11pm by Captain Harvey Geisler & Commander Terry Walsh & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Ensign Katniss Sutherland & Ensign Kelly Khan
2,820 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Risky Business
Location: Runabout/Chimera
Timeline: MD 6 || 1130 Hours
Cadet Kelly Khan powered up the USS Tigris and waited for clearance from the flight deck. Ensign Hollingsworth, Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Gutierrez and Warrant Officer 1st Sali Barns sat in the back of the runabout along with a few medics settling down in the available spaces as well. She knew the battle with the Cochrane was still taking place outside the ship and she also knew that the Black Knights were swarming it and were going to provide escort to the Chimera where she had been ordered to take control of the out of control ship and bring it back again.
Katniss's heart was pounding as she began to double and triple check the medical supplies, she really didn't know many of the people on the shuttle, but she didn't have time for introductions, she was focused on making sure she had everything she needed, just in case, after all she didn't want to be caught short, after all someone's life could be in her hands.
Along with Katniss, four enlisted personnel from Medical joined her, each brandishing gear of their own. It wasn't known what kind of situation they were going to be going into over on the Chimera, but they'd prepared for the worst.
Terry had ordered his wingman, Archer, to take command of Alpha Flight and provide a distraction for the Cochrane while he got as close to the shuttle bay entrance as he dared. He spun his Valkyrie around so he could keep an eye on the enemy ship and then tapped a button to activate the comm. "Actual, Alpha One. Standing by to escort the shuttle. Alpha Flight is providing a distraction and they'll cover our six as we head out. Bravo Flight is standing by between us and the Chimera for additional support."
Kelly launched the Tigris the moment she got clearance and gave a nod to the Valkyrie which she recognized from the holodeck scenario she had been in with Rocco. She was glad it was the bald, handsome Squadron Commander and immediately felt better. She put the Danube runabout on a parallel course with the fighter and headed towards the Chimera while scanning visually for anything nasty heading her way. "Tigris is away," she reported as she increased the speed of the runabout and headed into what could be a very bumpy ride of the Cochrane spotted her.
Terry entered escort formation with the runabout and notified Alpha Flight to cover their six. So far so good. But he was rather surprised to hear that Cadet Khan was piloting it. He grinned and nodded, thinking that this would give her a better boost than anything he could teach her in a Valkyrie.
In the distance, the Chimera continued to spin at half-impulse speeds. It appeared the ship was gaining momentum with every lateral rotation. Without someone at the helm to correct the Intrepid-class Starship, the dampeners would eventually fail, causing all occupants to be tossed around eternally like rag dolls.
"Will you look at that?" mumbled Hollingsworth, peering over the cadet's shoulders to see the moving hulk. "What exactly are we supposed to do over there anyway?"
"Board her and get control," Kelly said as she nudged the speed of the Tigris up to match the spin of the Chimera and began to make calculations on the spin and velocity of the out of control Intrepid class ship. "And if I'm off in my calculations," she mumbled under her breath. "It's going to swat us like a bug."
They had passed Bravo Flight's defensive line with no problems from the Cochrane. Bravo then entered formation and flanked the runabout. No one was going to get through to them. Terry would make sure of that. Once they got closer, Charlie Flight opened a space to allow the runabout to pass through.
Once she was even with the ship and began to match the exact speed and velocity, she realized that she couldn't dock with the ship because the shuttle bay was closed. She opened a channel to the ship and hoped the comm was open there. "Tigris to Chimera. Open your shuttle bay. We're outside and need in."
Joey stopped beating the helm like it was a drunk man who told her she was an angel fallen from heaven when she heard Khan's voice. "Salvation!" She jumped to her feet and ran for the Ops station after nudging its officer aside with her booted foot. Her shoulder was on fire, sending wave of pain throughout the rest of her body, but she still couldn't focus on that. There were more important things to worry about... like getting the shuttle bay open. Taking a deep breath, she moved her fingers over the console and managed to open the shuttle bay doors.
Kelly adjusted course again and took a deep breath. "Secure positions everyone!" she called out in a Command tone she had learned at the Academy Command School. "We're going in hot and manual!" She decelerated and veered off at an angle before bringing the runabout around and waited for the shuttle bay doors to come into view. She took another deep breath and accelerated, her eyes locked on the ever moving ship and her fingers dancing over the thrusters and tweaking the speed of the runabout.
Terry watched and was very impressed at how she handled the runabout. She was an excellent pilot and he could really see her getting what she wanted out of her Starfleet career. He briefly thought about their next Valkyrie training session and how he could step it up a notch. But that was going to come much later. Now he was tasked with making sure the runabout safely landed on the Chimera.
Katniss's stomach churned and she was nearly physically sick, she wasn't used to such maneuvers but the skill displayed by the pilot reassured her that they were in safe hands.
When her velocity and angle matched that of the Chimera and the shuttlebay doors, she thrust forward and hoped that the Tigris, her and the crew wouldn't end up as paste on the wall of the shuttlebay or side of the ship. The Danube class runabout darted forward and cleared the bay doors with feet to spare and Kelly rapidly decelerated and came to a hover in the bay. "Close bay doors, Chimera!" she called over the comm. "We're in!"
Once Khan called for the shuttle bay doors to close, Joey did the opposite of what she'd done just moments ago, successfully closing the doors behind the Danube class runabout. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she'd never have been fully prepared for the aftermath this mission would bring. All of this... it was nothing she thought would happen. "Good! Beating the helm doesn't seem to be working, so your help is requested!"
Kelly brought the Tigris down and put it on standby before she got up and headed for the hatch. "Barns, stay here and guard it. The rest of you, with me," she said as she exited and checked for the nearest LCARS for the location of the shuttlebay and how far she had to go. "Of course. We're on deck ten," she mumbled as she headed for the nearest turbolift indicated. "Everyone keep your eyes and ears open!"
The medics filed out behind Kelly, a couple of them still feeling a bit nauseous after the ordeal they just went through. It was easily one of the scariest things they'd had to go through, and hoped it'd never happen again. Though, they had to give the cadet credit. She had a spine of steel, and would definitely be doing some pretty awesome things in her future.
The Security personnel who hadn't stayed with the runabout dutifully followed the medics and the young cadet, wondering where she had came from and how long it would be before she was snatched up by a ship looking for a red hot pilot.
Katniss did as ordered, she closely followed Kelly and the security personnel had her back, they were following just behind her and the other medics. This was her first away mission, her heart was pounding and the adrenaline was pumping and she was slightly on edge, but it was also exciting. She was ready to act and help anyone who needed it.
"Where are we heading?" she whispered, after all she really hadn't had a briefing, all she knew was she was there to give medical assistance to anyone who needed it.
Meanwhile, on the bridge, Joey abandoned the Ops station. There was no reason for her to stand around and wait while there were other things she could be doing. She began to get a better look at the highly damaged forms of the crew around her. One by one, she moved over to each of them, turning their heads to the side to look at their collars for rank.
Kelly stepped out of the turbolift onto the bridge and blinked at the sight of all the bodies and what looked like Lieutenant Corwin breaking their necks. "Lieutenant?" she asked as the Security personnel filed out behind her with their phasers drawn.
Corwin looked up from the Marine she was standing over, then turned her attention to Kelly as she and the others made it onto the bridge. "Khan... do your thing and stop this ship before our situation goes from bad to worse."
"Yessir!" Kelly said before she ran to the helm and sat down. "Why does it look like someone was beating this?" she asked as she began to make adjustments with the RCS thrusters after taking the ship out of impulse. She manipulated the starboard thrusters until the ship slowed its spin and noted how sluggish it was reacting. "tugh Ha'DIbaH rol jegh jIHvaD, ror SoH!*"
"I don't know anything about flight control, Khan. I'm used to beating things to get what I want out of them when they don't want to cooperate," Corwin said, crouching down to disarm the Marine. Once that one was done, she looked to the other personnel. "Start disarming the rest of them. I don't expect any of them to wake up any time soon, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
The Security personnel obeyed Joey and began to disarm the bridge crew and place restraints on them. "How many people should we expect to take prisoner from here, Lieutenant?"
"If I had to estimate, I'd say about one-forty... give or take a few," Joey replied. She was still trying to make sense of what she'd discovered when she went to check the unconscious forms of those on the bridge.
Kelly finally got the ship under control and aimed at the Black Hawk again, feeling as if she had ran a marathon and then decided to climb a mountain. She looked back at the buxom Lieutenant and gave a smile. "Lieutenant Corwin, when anyone can boast at taking down an entire ship single-handedly, they can pretty much beat whatever they want. Just don't beat me too hard if you decide that I need a beating one day."
"I'll keep that in mind, Khan, but try not to give me reason to decide you need a beating," the taller woman said, hefting the Marine up with a groan of pain just before dumping him into the chair to the right of what should have been the Captain's. That's where she chose to settle down, tapping her fingers against her chin. She needed to get back to the Black Hawk, but that was going to have to wait.
Kelly turned to look at her. "Did you need to contact the ship to let them know?"
"Yes," Joey said. "Hail them."
"Aye, Lieutenant," Kelly said before she turned back and opened a channel. "Channel is open, Lieutenant."
"Corwin to Black Hawk," she said, favoring her left side a bit. She'd already injured herself, and pushing through it like she did likely made the damage worse. Joey had to admit, she found the center chair quite comfortable, but that would be a long time coming. If it was something she decided she wanted to do.
The viewscreen switched to the battle-scarred bridge of the Black Hawk. Fortunately, damage had been minor, but the bridge had lost an access port or two. In the center of the screen was Captain Harvey Geisler, standing in the midst of Yellow Alert lights. =/\= "This is the Black Hawk. Good to see you in one piece, Lieutenant." =/\=
"I'm glad to be in one piece, Captain," Joey stated, knowing the outcome could have been very different. Her shoulder sent waves of fiery pain down her arm and through her chest, but if that was the worst she'd suffered... that made her lucky. "I've gone over the bridge crew personally, and the highest ranking officer is a Marine Major."
"A Major?" Harvey asked. Captain Suresh should have been on the bridge. If she wasn't there, then he could only fear the worst. "Have Ensign Sutherland and the medical teams survey the crew. Check for injuries and fatalities, but don't wake anyone up. Bring the Senior Staff back to the Black Hawk for questioning and treatment. Let's get these ships into formation as well. I'll send Commander Bast to assume command."
"Acknowledged, Captain. We will be returning to the Black Hawk shortly," the Lieutenant said, just before the screen went black again. She looked toward Kelly. "Ensign Sutherland, you and the rest of the medics check the crew. Khan, you know what you need to do. I'm going to hunt down the Senior Staff and escort them back to the Black Hawk. Commander Bast will be taking over."
With that, she rose from the center chair and looked to the man slumped over in the one of her right. She had zero intentions of carrying him out, especially when her left arm was cradled against her chest as it was. With a mutter, she bent over to grab the Major by one of his booted feet and gave a tug until he was back on the floor. Yes, Lieutenant Corwin had every intention of pulling him along the floor as they went in search of other senior officers. "Gutierrez... you're with me." And with that, she was one her way to the turbolift with the second Security officer in tow.
Kelly sat the helm as the Lieutenant and Gutierrez made their way off the bridge as she worked the controls of the Chimera to get it in formation with the Black Hawk. She had only seen Lieutenant Bast a few times in passing and once when she had requisitioned the holo imagers and emitter, but those had been returned when he wasn't around. She nudged the Intrepid class ship forward a bit until it was side by side with the Black Hawk and set the speed. The computer would do the rest while she waited.
"Yes Sir" Katniss replied flicking open her tricorder, she looked about the bridge, it was darker than she imagined and bodies were strewn about. She knelt down to check the first person she came across, she moved the medical tricorder over him and pressed a couple of buttons on it. "Dead" she signed as she got to her feet and moved to the next person. She began to scan the male, he didn't look that much older than her "Hmm" she said pressing yet more buttons on her tricorder, before getting up and moving to the next. This time is was a female officer and again she knelt down to scan her.
Katniss again moved onto the next casualty and began her scans, the medical tricorder gave some different tones, broken ribs, internal bleeding but nothing too serious. After scanning all the incapacitated crew, she had settled on a diagnosis.
Katniss picked up a padd from her med kit and began to enter her findings 'I've completed preliminary scans of all the incapacitated bridge crew. Only one dead, the others are all suffering from some sort of acoustic trauma from something in the range of 130 decibels, at those levels it would only take a second to cause permanent damage to the hearing as well as extensive nerve damage. A few of them have minor injuries, broken arm, broken ribs, minor internal bleeding. They will all require treatment in sickbay, I'm not a doctor and I'm certainly not well enough equipped to begin any sort of treatment.'
*"Yield to me, you fat bearded bitch!"
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