Once More Unto The Breach - For Science : Part 3
Posted on Thu Jan 6th, 2022 @ 7:10pm by Commodore Keiben Haistro & Commander Lillian Carter & Lieutenant Commander Melanie D’BrooNi- Haistro & Lieutenant Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida & Lieutenant JG Sher'ra Verona & Lieutenant JG Alena Alessa & Commander Peter Horn & Lieutenant Commander Junjie Han & Senior Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Stoun
3,599 words; about a 18 minute read
Mission:
Episode 4 - The Fires Of Hades
Location: Ops
Timeline: Mission Day 16 @ 1500 Hours
ON
Brilliant white light had pierced the soft green, showering all in ops in its blinding magnificence at the same time that screeching metal and a deck that had been shaking so violently to cause people to lose their step suddenly gave way to silence. The Captain was back on his feet but his eyes were cast upward towards the oval windows. Something looks different... Very different.
Without warning the lights darkened, the massive floor-to-ceiling strip lights started to pulse red and a klaxon started to sound.
"Tell me that I'm not seeing a gas giant?" the Captain called, already feeling the gravitational effects from the violet planetoid that could be seen from the windows.
"Chief, activate reaction control thrusters... Junjie redirect as much power as you can, even life support if you have to, we need as much power to the thrusters as we can find. Tam, how long have we got?"
"Aye! Though I don't know if it is going to take the sheer of the gravimetric forces on the hull, you may lose a docking pylon or two." The engineer accessed the power controls for the station and overrode the safeties.
Tam was stunned for a moment looking out the viewport at the swirling gasses which the station was hurtling towards. They seemed to be caught near the outer ring of this gas giant and were being pulled even closer towards it! Tam looked down towards the reading at her console, "At the rate of speed we're going if we do not stop our current movement we've got maybe 10 minutes or even 15 before going into the first layer. If we do not stop, we could survive possibly the first layer but the next layer we wouldn't as I picked up indications of debris in the next one." Tam stated. Her voice was strange and weirdly calm, in its answer. Not knowing if her remark was heard.
Even the seasoned officer that he was struggled to keep his tone calm and level. By the looks of their position, they would have no time to fill the escape pods and runabouts... Nearly three thousand people would be meeting their makers soon.
Junjie picked himself up off the floor and felt pain from where his head had bounced off the floor and noticed a small trickle of blood from his head. He gritted his teeth and climbed back into his seat. " Captain your eyes do not deceive, We're at the edge of the gas giant gravitational effect and we're being pulled in!! " As a heavy note of concern was detected in his voice.
Lillian picked herself up off the floor and looked at her panel. “Captain! According to sensors, the Briar patch is gone! Our coordinates still read as the same, we’re in the same part of space, the exact same locations as we were but the stars are now in the wrong places.”
Hiro stepped out from the lift that had just arrived at Ops. He'd been tossed around like a rag doll during the ride which had caused him several bruised ribs and cuts in his face. He had not heard what Lillian said. So he asked the next logical question. "Are we being attacked!? It must be the Romulans."
Alena felt shaken to her core. So much for a steady start to her post! But she had been aware that things like this could happen at any time. And it had. She looked around, trying to read the others' faces. While she couldn't tell exactly what they felt and thought, their stances looked grim to her.
Tam was just there, woodenly looking at the readings, not even having looked towards Junjie. She was more concentrated at the whirls of the gasses that were getting closer.
"There is something ..." Mel said having been wrenched into a corner herself, "Awfully familiar about this. Stay there Lieutenant," she informed Hiro. "I'll check you out." She pulled herself up and tried to ignore the swirling colors outside as she made her way to the replicator. The first thing she had done was check in with Stoun that this could produce a half-decent medkit. The chief had not disappointed her in his programming as it whirled into life.
Making her way to Hiro she started scanning him and then smiled, "Nothing too deep. Although you have broken one rib. I'll get to work knitting that back again. Try not to move too much. And you ...." She didn't even look round but addressed Junje get some pressure to that cut and get over here next."
"Thanks, but I'll live." Hiro genuinely appreciated the help, but he felt his injuries were of secondary importance right now. "Right now the station is more important. What the hell happened anyway? Do we know more yet?"
"Structural integrity fields are in place, few hull breaches." Jon paused for a moment thinking about how to get more power. "How many runabouts do we have on board, if we send teams to tie them into the power grid and fire up their cores we may be able to squeeze a bit more power into the system, may fry the grid but it would give us a bit more breathing room. Power is all maxed, and people very shortly are going to need to hold their breath."
"Captain if we fry out the power grid it may cause more problems than it solves. Perhaps if we got all the runabouts working together and use tractor beams and then increase slowly to maximum impulse along with any docked ships it could really help us and not fry out the power grid and have that many fewer repairs that would need to be done."
Junjie franticly worked the controls to follow the Captain's order to the letter. He redirected every ounce of energy into the thrusters. "Computer open channel to all sections of the station. Attention all personnel! Brace yourself or drop to the floor. This is going to be a bumpy ride in Five, Four, Three, Two, and One!"
The thrusters sudden activation brought the station to a screaming halt that bounced anything not tacked down out of place. The sounds of tortured metal slowly subsided and the Station began moving slowly away from the gravitational effects. "We're in one piece for now, but we're not out of the woods yet!!! Orders Captain?"
"Mel you'll be needed in the Infirmary... Call up if you need any additional medical support. Chief get repair teams dispatched post-haste. Alena could you get to the Promenade and coordinate with the officers there to help the injured. Junjie we need to know where we are... or when! Lilly, muster the Cerberus, get out there and figure out the lay of the land... See if you can't find a Federation Communication Relay and link us in. Hiro... I'm sorry but we may need Copernicus ready to fly... How close is she to being repaired?"
The orders tumbled over one another as the Captain's mind worked at warp speed.
Lillian stood. “Aye Sir.” She was about to head over to the turbolift when something caught her eye. It was the chronometer on her console. She had to do a double-take. ‘That can’t be right she thought to herself. She checked the sensor readout out the residual chronon radiation confirmed it. “Captain! According to these readings we haven’t moved through space but through time….. we’re over six hundred thousand years in the past!”
"What?" was all the Betazoid Captain could say as he started to move towards Lillian. Just another mystery to add to the expanding pile of mysteries. "Carry out your orders Commander... Report everything and everything!"
"Yes Captain," the Trill said gathering her kit. "Lieutenant I expect you to come to see me later or I will hunt you down in this station. Don't think I'm kidding. You too Lieutenant," she shot at both Yoshida and Junjie as she made her exit.
Alena watched as the people around her were on full speed in an attempt to do damage control. She hadn't forgotten the request she had received. "I'll go now", she said, pulling herself together. Now was not a time to hesitate. She left the room and hurried to the Promenade. With a bit of luck, there were enough people there to coordinate with.
Junjie input the information that was requested of him and had the answer the Captain wanted, or so he hoped. " Sir, we are exactly the same spot as before this incident started. The as for when taking account for stellar drift and other variables we are some two thousand years in the past. Give or take a year or two. I recommend getting sensors fine-tuned, as we may have some very surprised locals discovering a new space station in the neighborhood. I'll get the science team on it right away Sir."
"Sir? The Copernicus?" Hiro said surprised. "She's barely space-worthy. She'll do Warp 1 but will almost certainly lose parts while doing that. I cannot guarantee the safety of the crew flying the ship."
Tam seemed to wake up and looked around, she then walked over to Junjie, "You need to get that taken care of from what Doctor D'Brooni had said. Just don't take too long in doing so."
Junjie winced as his head hurt him a bit. "I'll have it taken care of soon Commander." He answered crisply. He then lowered his voice to where she could only hear him. "Do I have to? Can't you just kiss it better? You're much nicer than anyone in sickbay." He chuckled and then winced again from the pain when he laughed. He stood up. "With your permission, I'll go to Sickbay now so I can return to my duties soon."
Keiben overheard the exchange between his first officer and Science Officer. He appreciated the situation and their affection for one another but now was not the time.
Discreetly he moved to them.
"Not the right time or place... Commander, I need you on point. Junjie, head to the infirmary and get that seen too!"
Tam shot a glance at Keiben as if to apologize for what happened, "My apologies Captain. Then she looked at Junjie.
"Lieutenant you do need to head for the infirmary to get checked out. Later on, we'll take care of the other." also had a slightly concerned expression in her eyes looking at Keiben and then Junjie. Junjie normally didn't do that.
Promenade
Peter had herded his family into one of the shops, feeling they'd be safer there, than out in the open. And there, they had stayed until the shaking had stopped. Until he looked up, he hadn't even thought about others that might or might not have followed them. He had heard Hiro tell his partner to go home, and likely that was one of the safer places to be. "Are you alright?" he asked Harley, before looking around. "Is everyone alright?
Harley looked at Peter from the floor where they were on, the sudden initializing of the thrusters of the station knocked her for a loop. However, when it looked like the station wasn't moving, Harley was on her feet in an instant. "There may be wounded that will need to be tended to." she gasped out.
"I can help there Harley," Charlie said dumping Keiben's boxers.
Harley nodded, "Thank you, Charlie it looks like we're going to need all hands on deck. Harley looked towards Peter and their two boys. "It looks like you will be needed as well. All three of you." giving a firm nod to her family. "Let's get going." rising to her feet. She looked to see if there was a medical kit in the shop they had been huddling inside, retrieved that, and then said, "Let's do this."
Walking quickly across the Promenade, Sher'ra was making her way around the ring heading for Jaas'rah's stall to check upon him. This was the first time she was on a station that had been in this level of danger and she was not quite sure what she was supposed to do. Arriving at her lover's stall, she looked around for him "Jaas'rah? are you ok?"
"A bit shook but she's in worse condition!" the emerald-hued man was kneeling over a girl, no more than seventeen. Her stomach punctured during the event, a shard of the hand railing protruding while Jaas'rah had started to put pressure on her wound with his bare hands. "We need medical!"
Quickly moving to a medical kit on a nearby wall, Sher'ra grabbed it and hurried back to Jass'rah's booth, "I'm not much of a doctor, but I have some basic training" she said as she took out the tricorder from the kit and scanning the girl, "Hello there little one, can you tell me your name?" she asked the girl.
The sounding of warning all across the station and the shuddering of it as well knocked Vincent out of his panic. He heard shouts, some screams they were not from him, as the station came to a sudden halt. This had rolled him towards somewhere, and he looked to where Iy'dan would be. Hoping that his husband was nearby. Vincent also felt something squishy where he had rolled, and he sat up to look at where he ended up. It was in someone's lemon meringue pie. He gave deep sigh for a moment, at least it wasn't his whole body this time.
Discarding that thought, Vincent checked on I'ydan, "Are you okay?" giving him a quick once over. "If you are okay we definitely have emergencies to deal with."
"I'll coordinate here if you can head to the infirmary to lend a hand?" Iy'dan started to pick himself up from the floor, dusting off his uniform.
Vincent nodded, "Good deal." he pulled Iy'dan close for a quick kiss. "For luck," he said, and letting his husband go, he headed towards the infirmary.
Brodie continued his patrol after he had finished a meal of three kabob skewers from one of the vendor's stalls where he had purchased them and was suddenly knocked to the floor as the station made a shrieking sound and a sudden lurch as people and items tumbled everywhere. He tapped his com badge. "Any security near the Promenade please respond, we have injured and need assistance with search and rescue. Brodie out."
"I'm on the route," came the voice of Bobby Matthews.
Brodie went over to help a young Bajoran girl remove a crate that had fallen on a man. There was a gash on his head. Brodie applied gauze to the wound and taped it in place until proper medical treatment could be given. The girl asked. "Is daddy going to be alright?" He looked into those pleading eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. "Your father's going to be fine, I'll stay with him until the doctors show up. Where is your mother? Can you go and get her? And what's your name." He asked with a comforting smile. The girl answered. "My name is Lina and mommy is with the prophets". The answer hit him like a sledgehammer. "I'll stay with you and we'll get your father some help." He looked around and called out loudly. "Medic!!!"
Harley came up to where Brodie was at, "I'm here let me help out." she stated.
Brodie moved over to make some room for Harley. " I've noted no bleeding or external wounds, it appears that a crate struck the subject in the head and knocked him unconscious. If I were to guess I'd say a concussion maybe? And I didn't feel anything that felt like a broken bone, but I didn't want to move him too much in case there was something I couldn't detect." As he reported his findings to Harley. He turned to Lina. "This nice lady here is going to help your father, ok? " He put his arm around Lina's shoulder to comfort the girl. " Lina how old are you and what's your father's name? "My father is Rin Mathis and he runs the tailor shop here behind us and I am nine years old." She responded.
Harley assessed the damage, "He is going to be okay, I don't see any internal damage."
Harley looked at Brodie, "Keep up the good work." she helped to ease up the man to a standing position. Then she looked around, "Brodie, could you get him to the infirmary, and let Mel know I'll be there soon. Boys I need you to go grab medical kits that you can find in the shops. Rin, I need you to go with your father to the infirmary, and Brodie can you get them to the infirmary." she then looked at Charlie, "Do you know if the replicator can put together a med kit?"
Brodie nodded at Harley in acknowledgment. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll get these two to the infirmary for treatment and bring back some medkits if you'd like me to, How many do you think you'll need?" He waited until he had got a response and helped Mathis to his feet with his arm around his waist to help support him." Alright, Mister Rin, We'll take this slow and easy and get you to the sickbay where they can help you. And Lina could you take your father's hand and come with us, please? " The trio moved slowly out of the promenade and disappeared from sight to the depths of the station.
Harley calling out orders. "Connor take that medkit to those people over there." indicating another group that seemed to need some help.
Having arrived at the Promenade, Alena looked around. She needed to find people. Officers to be precise. She looked through the windows of the shops. "Commander Horn! Are you alright?", she asked, relieved to see her superior. Hopefully, he had an idea of how to deal with the mess they were in and knew what needed to be done.
Peter couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as his wife started to issue orders and even pressed their boys into helping out. Somehow, he knew Connor would appreciate being useful. He turned his head as he heard his name being called. "I am unharmed," he answered the diplomatic officer, "and you? Are you unharmed?"
"I'm fine, albeit a little bit shook", Alena told Commander Horn. "I was asked to find the officers here and help with the injured. Tell me where I can be of use and I'll get to work right away".
Brodie managed to get Mathis and Lina to the Infirmary and made sure they were being treated before he left. He briefly talked to a nurse and was able to get four small medkits to bring back with him to the Promenade. Each kit could treat about 15-20 people, It wasn't much but it was far better than nothing. Upon his return to the Promenade, he looked around for Harley, knowing she could make better use of the Med Kits.
Once he spotted her he made a beeline towards her. "Ma'am, do you think you could use these? " He asked Harley.
"We can use these." she looked about and saw Charlie. "Charlie, I need you to organize triage details and we need to get these more of the more severely injured to medical."
Brodie looked to Harley. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do Ma'am? I know basic first aid that they taught us in the academy, I know it's not much", he offered. "Or I could go back to the Infirmary and get a couple of antigrav stretchers to transport the wounded more quickly."
“That’s a good idea, we can start transporting the people to medical on them,” Charlie smiled at him.
"I agree that is a great idea." Harley responded also smiling.
Junjie walked into the infirmary with an icepack applied to his forehead and blood dried on the side of his face. He looked around and watched all the hustle and bustle going on around him. He leaned against an empty Biobed and waved to try to get someone's attention. "Excuse me, Someone, please...."
“In here Lieutenant,” Mel said. “Let’s get you sorted. How are you feeling now?”
Junjie Came over to where Melanie was and sat down. "I'm feeling minorly dizzy, and I got the bleeding to stop using a cold compress. During that jolt the station took, I fell out of my chair and bounced my head off the deck. I can tell you that is something I do not want to repeat." He said with a weak smile.
Somewhere
Kaylee looked at Liam, "We're needed" was her brief statement, giving her husband a nod.
Amalia tapped her comm badge, calling the operations, "Chief, Captain, we're taking an assessment of damages, it's looking pretty rotten. Also shutting down some of the nonessential power links especially since some are sparking. We do have a work crew going through to help out."
Liam nodded at Kaylee. "We will have to christen things another time. Let's go see where we can help."
Kaylee nodded to her husband and they arrived.
Bobby arrived having collared another security ensign. "Let's start clearing some of the debris. Hopefully none of that .... oh no that's half of Niska's place .... yes let's hope it didn't collapse on anyone."
Shailyn arrived to check on the status of things and her eyes widened. "Oh this doesn't look good." she remarked to Bobby, "I'm here to help along with others as well."
END
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