Look for me in the Dark

Posted on Wed Mar 20th, 2024 @ 3:19pm by Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis & Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Commander Cynfor Rees & Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed & Lieutenant Jackson Smith & Crewman Thyra Kevensdotter
Edited on on Sun May 19th, 2024 @ 8:33pm

1,916 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Long Hard Road Ahead
Location: DS 18 Control Center
Timeline: 23 August, 2396- 2100 Hours

[ON]

The male security officer who was positioned directly underneath one of the creatures went down with a scream of agony as claws ripped along his shoulders and belly while sharp teeth dug into his scalp. Before the officer could react, the weight brought him down and the claws slashed through his throat with amazing speed, messily severing the carotid artery. Blood sprayed out of the open wound, spattering on a nearby workstation and the metal floor.

Rhiana saw the commotion out of the corner of her eye. Dropping the tricorder and drawing her handheld phaser out of its holster was one movement. She was firing before she had a proper aim, so the first beam missed its target. The second one hit the creature's back. The phaser was only set to 'heavy stun' to make prisoners and she hoped it was enough to subdue the creature.

The trigger for Jackson's reaction was either the noise or a peripheral glimpse of motion, alerting him to the imminent threat. Swiftly, he positioned himself by Leed's side. He reached Leed just as the creature descended from above. In a protective reflex, he pushed Leed aside with unexpected strength and dodged to the side. However, he wasn't fast enough to completely avoid injury; the creature's sharp claws managed to gash his shoulder. The rush of adrenaline suppressed any immediate pain. Upon landing, the creature swiftly attacked Jackson, who deftly sidestepped and seized its arm, ensuring the dangerous talons were kept at bay. With a forceful kick, he made the creature stagger back. Jackson then drew his phaser and fired a lethal shot directly at the creature's face, effectively neutralizing the threat.

Rolling to his knees, Jörgen saw several large forms that certainly hadn't been there before. His shot across the Control Center barely touched one of them but it drew back from rushing Rees with its companion. His preference not to kill was just that. He had no plan to die. Keeping an eye overhead, Jörgen stayed a bit off Jackson's shoulder--out of the lieutenant's way but in the fight with him.

Cyn had been lost in concentration as the commotion began. He wanted to get command access and had begun to instruct the computer exactly who was in charge of the station. However, all of that was interrupted when they were attacked. He drew his phaser and swiveled his head to get a look around the room. In that instant, Rees saw that everyone was in control for the moment. It was when his head went back to facing forward that it hit him. The large being barreled into him and Cyn was not able to get a shot off. When he landed he was happy that he kept his hand on the phaser. As the creature thrust a claw at him. Rees managed to sever the claw with the phaser. The energy beam scarred the other creature and they leaped back and Rees managed to get to his feet and get cover from behind one of the consoles.

The sudden crash to his left drew Jackson's immediate attention. Cyn appeared to be in distress, prompting Jackson to signal Leed to position himself on the left flank. Meanwhile, Jackson swiftly maneuvered to the right. He hastily aimed and fired a shot at the creature, though it missed, it undeniably grabbed its attention. Rolling forward, Jackson regained his footing, anticipating the creature's impending attack. Glancing towards Leed, he hoped Leed would seize the opportunity as the creature advanced menacingly toward Jackson.

The surviving security guard had been just out of reach of the first attack and remained uninjured while her partner was lying in a gory mess on the ground with an increasingly large pool of blood spreading around him. She jumped behind a nearby console to get a better angle and, after a quick survey of the situation, fired at the creature that Rees had already scarred. It let out an ear-piercing shriek as the phaser beam burned into its back. Three interminable seconds later, it crumbled to the ground, seemingly dead.

The stench of burnt flesh quickly began to mingle with the iron smell of blood, especially in the absence of properly functioning ventilation.

Rhiana continued to fire at the first creature. The stun shots had no visible effect. Maybe they slowed the creature down somewhat, but not enough to make a real difference. The alien turned its full attention to Rhiana and, arching its back, flexed its strong arms and legs and jumped at her from the torn remains of the security guard. The Romulan stared at the bloody, outstretched claws and the two open mouths full of sharp, pointy, bloody teeth. Standing her ground, she gripped the phaser with both hands while increasing the stun setting. She fired another shot an instant before the creature was upon her, hitting it in its face. It shrieked briefly when the beam hit it, but the sound was cut short as the vaporising effect spread through its body. A few seconds later, it was gone and Rhiana let out the breath she had been holding.

Security Officer Thyra Kevensdotter, calmly recentered her phaser on the remaining alien threatening the group and took her shot. The attacker was partially covered by the station's console but she'd scored high marks on the firing range. The beam struck the alien in what might have been the creature's spine and the thing went down in a massive heap. It appeared to still be alive so she strode towards it, scanning the area above them for other possible threats.

"Sirs, I believe the room is now secure," Thyra said.

"Excellent! Thank you! I believe if everyone can take up guarding posts around Ops I can get control of the station." Cyn said as he returned to the console he had worked on previously. Every time he put his command codes in it seemed that the computer would not recognize them. He dropped to his knees and opened the access panel. Within minutes he saw the issue, someone had scrambled the command access protocol. Rees let out a loud sigh. "Right, so it seems that the command protocols in the computer have been scrambled. It is going to take me a few minutes to get this worked out." Rees set to his work as he began to move the ODN chips around.

Thyra checked on the downed enemies, making sure there would be no surprises. She then took up an overwatch position, scanning the entire area in a regulated pattern

Jörgen edged to a bank of monitors beneath a spot where structural beams should arc over the room. Where it would be harder to anything to drop on him unexpectedly. Activating a console, he found the interface to be blocky and redacted, as though the software was incomplete or damaged.

"Computer, access command logs authorization Vedek-Kai-2-7-9-3-1." He nodded when the screen changed to half-legible blocks of text with times, dates, and names. He might be an official Bajoran diplomat no longer but on Bajor, those ties could run deeper than mere assignment. "We have logs, personnel routes, and at least some communication access. Time to find where the survivors are."

After ensuring the area was secure, Jackson shifted his gaze upwards to the origin of the creatures. A brief inspection reassured him there were no immediate threats above, yet an unusual shadow caught his attention, stirring a sense of unease. Pausing, he announced, "Hold on, everyone." He climbed onto a console and leaped, grabbing an overhead beam. Navigating towards the suspicious area, his intuition proved correct—a bomb was fastened to the beam. Fortuitously, it was a simple device, and with a swift motion of his knife, Jackson neutralized the threat. "Commander, we've discovered explosives here. We need to conduct a sensor sweep of the ceiling for any additional devices."

Cynfor climbed out from under the console. He believed that he had restored the command protocols. Although he is going to have to check his work. The new information from Jackson distracted him albeit briefly. "Lieutenant Smith take care of the sweep and get rid of them. I am going to get command control of the station. Once I have that established. I will remain here and keep the station running. Commander Leed and Kevensdotter could head to the Diplomatic Section and see what can be found there."

As soon as Cynfor finished speaking he reinitialized the computer console. "Computer request command access Lieutenant Commander Cynfor Rees authorization Rees-Delta-9-9-0-7-6-4-2." There was what seemed like a long pause and then the computer responded. "Command access granted." Rees' delft fingers moved quickly to secure the station and its systems.

Thyra did not like this one bit. The space was too confined and more attackers could come in from any direction. Add in the number of friendly personnel in the area, there was too much chance of collateral damage from an errant phaser shot. She holstered the phaser and grabbed the two ornate hand-axes tethered to her lower back. They had been a gift from her father on her twelfth birthday and had never done her wrong.

Jackson nodded as the commander issued his orders. Gripping a rafter with one hand, he extracted a scanner with the other and began to search for unusual readings. It didn't take long before he detected three additional devices. Skillfully navigating the damaged ceiling beams, Jackson located and neutralized the devices with precision. Having accomplished his task, he descended to the ground. "No more explosives looming over us," he declared. Glancing to his left, he noticed the security officer brandishing some impressively crafted hand-axes, perfectly suited for the close-quarters combat demanded by the room. With a subtle nod of appreciation, Jackson commented, "Nice axes."

Thyra smiled coyly at the officer clad in Intel grey. Flirting between Odinkus boys and girls during battle was very common but she hadn't experienced it during security training. Maybe it was the Federation way as well. "Thank you," she replied with an enticing shake of her braided hair, "You are well equipped yourself."

For a fleeting moment, Jackson pondered whether Thyra had taken note of the knives hidden on his person, or was it just a flirtatious comment. His lips curled into a sly, half-smile, the temptation to engage in banter nearly overtaking him. Yet, with Rhiana's imposing presence nearby—a superior with little patience for such distractions—he wisely chose to let the moment pass with his smile as his only retort. Suppressing a light chuckle, he turned his attention to Rhiana. "Everything appears to be in order here," he remarked, the professional tone reclaiming its place. "We should consider turning our focus to uncovering what lies in the more concealed sectors of this base."

[OFF]

Lieutenant Commander Cynfor Rees
Executive Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis
Second Officer / Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Jackson Smith
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Crewman Thyra Kevensdotter
Security Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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