Something To Go On

Posted on Mon Aug 5th, 2024 @ 11:08pm by Captain Tristan Faust & Ensign Peter Novak & Ensign Tobias "Toby" Dienstag & Lieutenant Commander Darrod Hanous & Lieutenant Commander Marc Kitchner M.D. & Lieutenant Azrel Vox & Lieutenant Shinobu Miyake

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Mission 5: The Price of Paradise
Location: Transporter Room 1; Relay Station H-57
Timeline: M5 MD09 (2268.08.1) 1130-1200

The landing party materialized aboard the cramped relay station. The antiquated satellite acted as a communications hub for the surrounding area. Going online in the 2240's and upgraded periodically, it was considered a low priority instillation and was entirely unmanned.

"Cosy..." Toby commented, looking around at the small command and maintenance area. The Midway had remotely powered on the life support systems although most of its other systems were damaged.

"Cosy? My father's shed back home is bigger than this and despite the junk he insists on putting into it, its definitely more cosy than this." Aze commented. She looked around the area trying to locate the central communications console. On finding it, in a very bad state, she headed over to it and began studying its dilapidated state.

"Christ, we've probably got tricorders that are more frequently maintained than this dump..." Shinobu could be heard lamenting.

Darrod looked at Shinobu, and snorted as he pulled up the tricorder from his hip. "Equipment maintenance is something I take seriously. So you're absolutely right they're more frequently maintained - the longest maintenance cycle on the ship is weekly. Now, everyone, stay close, phasers up. If these bastards think they're going to take us, they're sorely mistaken." He started scanning, glad that the station was normally unmanned. "Vox, we'll get the comms online, don't touch the panel until I give a go-ahead. Dienstag, life sign scan, give us a range on the bastards. Miyake, Novak, defensive positions, secure those doors. Phasers at the ready, heavy stun."

He looked directly at Shinobu, his voice having taken on the Command timbre that they taught after you failed the Kobayashi Maru a few times. "I mean that - heavy stun. Make it hurt, but we can't question a corpse, or bring it to a court of law."

Shinobu gave Darrod the stink-eye- perhaps not all that surprising, given her biases- but nonetheless shook her head and obliged as she set her Phaser to heavy stun- taking great pains to ensure that the meter was in full view so that Darrod understood the settings were what he had ordered them to be.

It was obvious that as much as he wanted to tell her to shoot to kill, Dar realized that it was all the more important to hold up Starfleet's ideals in a situation where he could cut loose. The first duty of any Starfleet officer was to the truth - and in this case, the truth they needed was from an interrogation.

Toby opened his tricorder and looked around, "No life signs," he responded, "Could certainly be traps although nothing with active power emissions." The relay was clearly designed to be unmanned and there weren't many places to hide.

Dar walked over to the comms console, and before Aze could touch the panel, Dar raised a hand. He carefully knelt, and pulled a tool off his belt. After a moment, he had a component in hand - it looked innocuous, like a simple patch that a passing engineer would make to a station in great need of repairs. He muttered under his breath. "They never change." He looked up at her. "That component would have pumped station power back into the panel, electrocuting you. Old trick, but effective. You should be clear now. Get a channel open to the Midway, Lieutenant."

"Thank you" Aze replied, clearly relieved she didn't get fried. Stepping behind the console she set up the system and opened a channel. =^= Station H-57 to Midway. =^=

"Reading you lieutenant. All quiet up here, what's your status?" The Caption said over the comm.

"Delay in getting coms back up. Boobytrapped. Darod is conducting further checks. Will add more when we have it."

"Confirmed, stay alert, Midway out," Tristan responded.

Darod approached the two security officers and spoke softly. "Lieutenant - they're Camboro. I recognize the handiwork on the comms panel. We need one of the slaver bastards alive."

"If you ask me, that's one too many..." Shinobu grumbled.

Toby ventured to one the starboard side of the relay corridor. The maintenance hatch was open and some exposed wiring was sticking out from it. He reached for his tricorder, a perplexed look stretching across his youthful face. He heard a noise from above and looked up, his eyes widening. "Commander!" He bellowed as the Orion dropped from the air vent in the ceiling.

Hearing Toby's cry for help, Shinobu raced into the corridor, her phaser raised and pointed directly at the Orion as he picked himself up off of the floor.

"ON THE GROUND, NOW!" she barked.

"Not if you want this boy to live," the pirate responded as he held a nasty diamond shaped dagger to Toby's throat. Toby just stood there stunned, his brown eyes as wide as his face.

'Uf usyug' Aze uttered under her breath in Trill as she saw the trouble unfold in the corridor just in view from the coms station . The rough translation was 'ah shit'.

Following his training and their standard protocol, Peter slowly moved to the right while the Orion was distracted by Lt. Miyake. Further, further until he was outside the alien's peripheral vision before lunging at the pirate. A struggle quickly ensued.

Shinobu quickly moved in to assist.

"Drop the weapon!" she shouted, managing to get a hold on the Orion's wrist.

Aze stood motionless. She dare not move in case the slightest action on her part exacerbated things.

"Toby, are you alright?" Peter asked, trying to get his bearings. He looked over.

Toby's eyes were wide in horror, his face was ghostly pale as he looked down at the dagger sticking out of the left breast of his teal sciences uniform, "I don't think so," he said, his mouth hanging open.

Darrod rushed in, staying low and taking aim just as he saw Toby being attacked by the Pirate. He glared at the man and pulled out his phaser - set to kill, rather than the heavy stun he'd ordered. He ran over and looked at the wound and glared at the slaver bastard who'd stabbed him. He spoke in Orion, his tone one of evil and hate - the polar opposite to the man that any of the Starfleet crew knew him to be. They'd seen him frustrated before, but never personally enraged. "I will make you suffer if this man dies. What poison did you use, and where is the antidote, you bastard!?"

He glanced over to Aze, keeping one eye on the Pirate - along with his phaser. "Lieutenant, we have the bastard. Get me an emergency transport for the Ensign - immediately!"

He turned back to Toby and spoke, quietly. "Ensign, I know that what I'm about to ask you to do is almost impossible. Try to fight the panic. Breathe as calmly as possible. Keep your blood pressure as close to normal as possible. You are going to make it, I promise, but until we can get you to the ship, you need to just stand here and wait. Lieutenant Miyake and I have this bastard. You will make it."

He turned back fully to the Orion, not aiming at the man's head, but rather at his knee, setting the phaser to cutting mode. It was a typical Pirate tactic; cripple the opponent, slow them down and take them out of the fight. If they let him live after that, Darrod's threat would very certainly come true and the pirate would certainly suffer. But for the first time, they'd all see the rage as Darrod came face to face with a waking nightmare.

The Orion attempted to stand up, but Shinobu was quick to put him in a headlock and pull him back down.

"Uh-uh!" she grunted as the Orion struggled to free himself. "You stab a Starfleet officer, you've got some questions to answer to!"

Peter stood up, his blonde hair was a mess in his face. He slicked his hair back with his hands before pulling his phaser from his thigh and pointing it at the Orion. With his other hand he opened his communicator, "Landing party to Midway," he said.

"Midway here," came the voice of Captain Faust.

"Request emergency beam out for the team plus one prisoner. We will need a medical team in the transporter room," Peter explained.

After a brief pause came the acknowledgement, "Understood Mr. Novak, does Lt. Vox ave everything we need from the relay station?" The Captain asked.

Peter handed the communicator over to Aze.

"Vox here sir, as far as I know we everything we need. " Aze replied.

"Stand by for beam out," Captain Faust said from the bridge.

The transporter beam enveloped the landing party. Sending Toby, Darrod and Aze to transporter room 1 where a medical team was waiting while Shinobu, Peter and the Orion prisoner materialized in transporter room 2, greeted by a heavily armed security team. The Relay Station powered down upon their exit, becoming the first breadcrumb on the trail to find the Polaris and its desperately needed cargo of Xenoderm.

 

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