Under a Rock: Ace Landing
Posted on 21 Jun 2021 @ 11:59pm by Commander Calliope Zahn & Captain Lachlan Callum & Commander Faye Magnolia & Commander Bruce Kensforth & Commander Anson Corduke MD
Mission:
M2 - Sanctuary
Location: USS Theseus
Timeline: MD06 0410 following Under a Rock: Wackamole
2224 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure
Calliope was the first out of the cloud of smoke as it dissipated from the Arrow Runabout’s open loading door. She was doubling over coughing and teetering as Bruce saw her out safely to the Theseus' medical crew waiting below. She heard the shouting and gear of the fire crews on deck as they addressed the Seventeen’s fuming nacelle.
“It’s fused,” she tried to explain between coughs, as if she could help with the crew’s task, but she found her voice raspy and lost in the chaos of the moment. Someone caught her by the arm and she leaned into the assistance gratefully. “The port side plasma fire,” she tried to explain, “Tell them it’s in the forward filtration chamber.”
The fire control systems on any Starfleet vessel would typically have put out any kind of fire aboard, but that assumed that the fire started on board. In this case, they’d brought the fire. They’d managed bring up comms at least enough to send for help and the Theseus had been the first to answer the call. She’d pulled the Seventeen into her docking bay when they’d been unable to transport the two of them because of the nature of the plasma fire. For whatever reason, it had messed with the signal.
Theseus’ engineering teams were scrambling to put the fire out using manual devices, while the ships fire controls systems attempted to compensate. It looked like something out of the 20th Century history books, Bruce thought. The Naval fire crews trying desperately to put out the aircraft fire on the deck of the carrier before it brought the whole thing down.
“Well, I guess it’s not really scratching the paint, if there’s no paint left,” Bruce smirked over at Calliope.
“We’re going to catch hell over it.” She smirked right back. It was infectious.
In the grand scheme, Bruce had certainly walked away from worse but generally he was the only one in the ship. He’d never really had to fuss with trying to get someone else out, especially in a slightly compromised state. Even though they’d both gotten out, it’d been tight.
As the fire was being put out, more and more engineering staff were converging on the deck along with a quartet of men and women in blue led by an older man with silver hair who made a beeline for them, rightly presuming that they had been the passengers of this particularly ill fated voyage.
“Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance,” Doctor Anson Corduke smirked as he walked over to them with his medical team in tow. “Are you hurt? Burns? How much of the plasma fumes did you inhale?” he asked rapidly, waving for his nearest helper to start scanning with their tricorder.
With the onslaught of questions, Calliope realized she really hadn’t self assessed. She looked down at her smudged self, and aside from the sleeve she’d used to wipe her face clean, she also instantly recognized her blood on her shirt. It wasn’t the red stuff most humans bled, and it wasn’t the stark green blood she might have had as a full Orion either. It had a kind of dulled green to it that made it seem more like old grass stains than blood. When she rubbed the stains with her hand, she left a fresh swipe across it; she examined her palm, where there was a clean cut across. “I’m… not sure how that happened,” she said honestly. “Um, maybe a few minutes worth of fumes? I didn’t check readings.” Calliope looked at Bruce. “Are you okay?”
Bruce dabbed at his nosebleed with a handkerchief, “Plasma fumes, nothing dramatic.”
The Nurse scanning Kensforth with his medical tricorder nodded, offering the device to Doctor Corduke, who took a look and gave a similar nod of approval. “Nothing a mild analgesic won’t fix.”
“Our comms were—” Calliope paused to cough and involuntarily heave for a second, before trying once more, “We have to put a report through to—” She paused again for another round, “Oh for heavens’ sake—” All of the muscles in her chest and gut were just exhausted from hacking and gagging and wheezing. Beyond irritated, she looked at Bruce out of the corner of her eye as she tried to catch a break from the gagging, using her momentary eyeline to try to prompt him to follow through and get a report in to command about the distant object and the nest they’d stirred up. Their attackers were likely warped away, but evidence had a way of growing colder the longer it was left sitting around.
“We found the remains of whoever’s responsible for the attack on Obsidian. Most likely,” Bruce replied, “We need to have a word with Captain Callum.”
“Well, today’s your lucky day…” Doctor Corduke replied, looking back at the shuttle that had just finished being put out. “In more ways than one,” he added, now pointing to the door he’d come through moments ago. A blonde-haired woman in a red uniform was walking smartly towards them.
Calliope took her head kerchief off to wipe her mouth again and tried to pull herself up respectably as the last of the set of coughing and retching came under control again.
“Anyone want to explain why there’s a fiery wreck in my shuttlebay?” the blonde-haired woman drawled brightly.
“Distant object 0994,” Calliope stated, then held back something like a burp. “We were attacked by unmarked fighters while investigating an anomalous reading.”
Bruce stepped up and offered his hand to the woman, “Bruce Kensforth. First Officer of the Ardeshir. This is Commander Zahn,” he greeted her quickly, gesturing to Calli.
“Faye Magnolia, First Officer of the Theseus. Welcome aboard,” she greeted them in reply though she looked expectantly to Bruce to continue.
“We were doing a pretty routine investigation of object 0994. Commander Zahn had some information she was following up on in relation to the attack on Obsidian. At close inspection we saw concealed communications equipment and hangar bays cut into the rock,” he explained, “Made to look like remnants of the Star Empire, or even older, but very much alive,” he continued. “We managed to evade them and make the warp jump, but took a fair bit of damage along the way.”
“And they’re still out there? These… marauders of sorts?” Commander Magnolia asked. “How many are we thinking here? You’re sure it isn’t refugee’s hiding in plain sight?”
Bruce shook his head, “It wouldn’t make sense for refugee’s to fire on us, even if we found their hidey hole. They know the Federation has laws we’d have to abide by. These were something else entirely. Most likely related to who attacked Obsidian, but we’re not going to know until we can do a more thorough scan.”
“You think they’re still there? How many? Fighters only? Larger vessels?” Magnolia pressed eagerly.
“Fighters were all I saw, probably close to eight left in action of those that were pursuing us.”
“That’s the long and short of it.” Calliope confirmed, thankful that Bruce took point to explain as she was feeling greener than green, still. “Can get confirmation from the sensor logs we have.” Calliope hooked a thumb back at the Seventeen
“Chief Haufi,” Magnolia snapped loudly, turning the attention of a tall, bald Samoan man in operations yellow. “We need the sensor logs off this shuttle, and we need it now. Send them to the bridge,” she ordered.
“On it,” the man nodded.
Commander Magnolia turned back to the pair of them and then pointed resolutely towards the door she’d come through, “You two. Bridge. Skip’s going to want to hear this and get a move on. Let’s go.”
Calliope watched as Corduke was skimming through her lengthy recent medical file to try to figure out what he could offer that wasn’t likely to have interactions with everything else she’d been on. She groaned with dark bemusement at the affair, particularly as she’d lost track of her cane. “Bossy, isn’t she?”
“Not going to lie, Maggie, this one shouldn’t be anywhere at the moment,” Doctor Corduke interrupted, pointing to Calliope and then wagging his tricorder, “I’ve got half a mind to drop her in Sick Bay and keep her until Obsidian’s Doc comes and takes responsibility,” he added, glancing at Calliope.
Commander Magnolia turned rapidly on Doctor Corduke, “We’ve talked about this, Anson,” she said icily, using his rarely used first name. “It’s Magnolia.”
Duke just blinked innocently and cocked his head towards Zahn, “Sick Bay with this one.”
“Do what you have to do, Commander, but they both go to the Captain,” Magnolia snapped back and without another word, turned and walked on pausing only a half breath to make sure Kensforth was in tow.
Duke looked between Magnolia’s retreating back and Commander Zahn and gave half a shrug, “What do I know, I’m just the Doctor,” he said, waving her to follow and doing the same. “Quite the manifesto you’ve got here,” he said, tapping the tricorder, “Wonder you’re upright…”
Calliope hid a stumble as he was looking down at the readings. She felt like the wobbly duck at the end of the parade as she fell further and further behind, downshifting from speedwalking to strolling in favor of balance. “I knew it!” she was mumbling to herself as she trembled with the effect of coming down from the adrenaline rush, her mind working on loose ends yet. A fresh set of hiccups began; she was too tired to fight them and continued between the waves. “He wouldn’t send a scout team, but I knew it. Who the hell was in the tower?” And then more in Corduke’s direction she asked, “I should have never been cleared, right? I mean obviously.”
“Cleared for what? A walk in the holodeck? Sure. A gravity shifting, adrenaline filled, death defying flight through… whatever the hell you went through… and then crash landing in the shuttlebay? No. No, you should have never been cleared for that,” Doctor Corduke his head in disbelief.
“I was just looking for a communication array. I wasn’t asking for the rollercoaster ride.” Calliope had one hand on the wall as they continued.
Duke dropped his tricorder clumsily and accidentally kicked it ahead, banging against the back of Magnolia’s foot. “Oh, shoot, my mistake,” he waved his hands dismissively. “Old hands,” he added as he walked forward. The group ahead of them had stopped to see what the commotion was and he took his time collecting his device. “Carry on, carry on,” he waved playfully, smiling back at Calliope. It might not have been a twenty minute breather, but he could see she needed at least a small moment of reprieve. “Straight to a chair on the bridge,” he muttered, “No arguments.”
“Thanks.” Calliope appreciated Corduke’s covering for her. She had to spend the remainder of the walk focusing on being upright and refraining from the urge to cough again. She was embarrassed the entire time of the intermittent hiccups.
Thankfully the walk to the lift wasn’t very long. The turbolift ride wasn’t long either, but it gave Duke the opportunity to make a decision on what kind of medication to give the young Commander so she at least didn’t tumble over at random. Once he got her on the bridge and in a chair, he’d make that happen. For now, it was about keeping her upright.
Across the lift, Bruce was watching Calliope carefully, worriedly. It definitely made Bruce more acutely aware of the fact that not everyone was used to near death experiences like what they'd gone through, and certainly not used to being so indifferent about it. It might not have shown in the way he’d flown, but actually hated having to make the call that ended someone else’s. He might not have shown it, but it was weighing on his mind like a nine-hundred pound Gorilla.
“Captain,” Commander Magnolia declared as soon as they exited the turbolift, “Sir. Commander Kensforth and Commander Zahn,” she declared as she approached the chair almost purposely leaving ten feet between them. “Said they were attacked by an asteroid nearby,” she explained nervously. “Something with long-term facilities built in. Ship ran like the wind, but took enough hits to nearly cripple her. I recommend we go to Yellow Alert and head straight at the disturbance. See if we can catch this now, before they can get too far away.
“Object 0994,” Bruce chimed in, “Captain,” he added, “Commander Kensforth,” he smiled.
“Lachlan Callum. Welcome aboard,” the Captain replied gruffly, the only polite way he could manage. His attention turned forward again, “Brightwood, set a course of this object,” he ordered, looking now to Magnolia and then briefly to the newcomers. “Mr. Luca?”
“Aye, skip?” a short-bespectacled man in security yellow looked back from the tactical station.
“Yellow Alert.”