"Hellish Times"
(Previous post: Serena's "Tactical Approach")
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Setting: SURIAL III, Underground Compound
Stardate: 60325.1315
The door hissed opened and Captain Jonnathen Arlington was thrown in. His lifeless body hit the hard floor with a sickening thud as the Cardassian guard spat.
"Starfleet trash. Maybe next time you'll be more... willing to answer our questions."
Doctor Barbara Tanmsin approached her CO. With no medkit or tricorder, she couldn't tell how much damage they had inflicted on the captain. But she was an old school doctor. With the help of Commander Sarah Wellington, the MERCURYs first officer and Major Robert 'Gator' Simpson, the second XO rolled the captain on his back. She gently placed her hands in his chest.
"A few broken ribs... his liver is swollen... and he's bleeding internally. We *have* to get him some help."
"OK... why not just beam him to Sickbay Doc" Major Simpson grunted.
"Major" Commander Wellington said, "now is not the time for sarcasm."
"When is?!" the marine officer hissed, "these heartless bastards don't give a damn about us. I say we do something about it!"
"Something like what?!" Lieutenant Ariel Pennysworth, the MERCURYs operations officer groaned in her clipped English accent, "so they can drag another one of us out of here and get what they gave the captain? I bloody one choose not to."
"Damned Fleeters" Simpson hissed, "always bitchin' and moanin' about doing something and when the time comes, you tuck tail and run."
"Easy for you to say. You haven't been tortured by the sodden lot of 'em" she snapped.
"Enough!" Commander Wellington barked, "Major, we wait. We're stretched too thin to mount some sort of attack. And too wore out I might add."
"Give a man a reason to fight Commander and he'll move heaven and earth..."
"Like that Dawson bloke?" Pennysworth said rolling her eyes as Simpson glared at her.
"*If* it weren't for that Dawson bloke a lot more of us would be where he is. So I'd be a helluva lot more grateful if I were you Lieutenant! That's one of my men you're talking about."
"I said enough dammit!" Wellington snapped and ran her hands through her matted blonde hair, "look... there's no need to point fingers or blame anyone. Jordan's sacrifice was hellish enough but we have to lookat the here and now. Infighting between ourselves *isn't* going to solve our problem or get us the hell out of here."
"Neither is sitting on our rears" Simpson added.
Alarms alerted the crew of the MERCURY something was going on.
"Wonder what that could be?" Major Simpson asked as he looked around.
"Could be anything..." Wellington said as her mind drifted to her husband Sam and their fraternal twin boys David and Jordan. She sighed inwardly wondering if she'd ever see them again and to her sons' namesakes. Lieutenant David Dawson and his brother 1st Lieutenant Jordan Dawson.
**Oh Jor** Sarah thought, **that hot blooded Dawson temper of yours... you saved a lot of people that fateful day, but look at what it cost you... and your family** she thought to herself as the image of David flashed in her mind. The captain stirring brought her out of her daydreamy state.
"Captain... are you alright?" she asked.
"Hell no number one... I'm a beaten man. But thanks for asking" he said with a slight smile, "Cardie bastards... still want to know what we did with the syrillium."
"Is that what they want? Syrillium?! It blew up with the bloody ship!" Ariel hissed.
"Be that as it may Lieutenant... they think otherwise" Arlington said tryibng to sit up but Tanmsin wouldn't let him.
"Easy sir... you got 3 broken ribs and some internal bleeding. You should rest."
"Is that all?" the captain said as the alarm tolled on.
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Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 60325.1330
Captain Sabrina Rikar paced back and forth... forth and back. She exchanged glances with her officers and senior staff members.
"Captain... *please*!" David growled as Sabrina cut him a smirk.
"*Now* you see how I feel" she replied with a grin as David shook his head and she looked at Maya, "status."
"The virus is stil working its way through the defense field Captain." the CSciO replied, "status is at 93%."
The COs attention turned to the CSecO. "Any company out there?"
"With long range sensors down Captain, I can't tell. But what we do have I detect no hostiles in the present vacinity."
Sabrina looked at the viewscreen that showed SURIAL III below them. "What the hell is taking them so long?!"
"Keep in mind that their defence grid was immense Captain" David added, "it isn't as if they're gonna maneuver their way through it in 10 seconds..."
"Captain" Ensign Eva said, "got a coded message coming in. Its Commander Serenna."
"About damned time" Sabrina said, "put her on."
The screen shimmered into the image of the ANUBIS' first officer. =/\= Captain, we've successfully landed on the surface. =/\=
"What have you got?" the ANUBIS' CO asked.
=/\= Sand... and lots of it =/\=Serenna replied, =/\= we've released the recon probes and we're waiting their findings before I send Prav and his men into harm's way. =/\=
That's the one thing Sabrina didn't want to hear, "Have you been in contact with Commander Enaii?"
=/\= Negative. She suggested limited traffic bewteen the SPHINX and the VIPER before we launched. =/\=
Sabrina sighed. The only thing they could do now was wait for the probes to come back with something. "Keep me posted Commander. ANUBIS out."
Sabrina ran her hand through her red hair. One of the hardest tasks as a Starfleet officer, never minding she was now a commanding officer, was to play the waiting game.
"Captain" David said, "we need to address the other problem we have."
Sabrina looked at her CEO, "Yes... we do... suggestions."
"You have one" David replied, "we hide the ANUBIS in the magnetesphere. The shields can hold us there for at least 2 hours..."
"I took the liberty of looking at your analysis Lieutenant..." Annie said from Ops, "although it seems flawless, your window of time is diminished by 36 minutes. The shields can withstand the pressure of the magnetesphere for 1 hour 24 minutes."
"And then what?" Sabrina asked.
"Then we are forced to make another decision Captain" Elan said from navigations, "either we move the ANUBIS to another position leaving us exposed or remain where we are."
"And that might prove to be dangerous Captain due to the high radiation counts we could get across the ship..." Maya added as David cut her off.
"I can make this work Captain. We can use auxillary power, life support to give us more time."
"The question isn't time for us, but for the away team..." she paused, "how long will it take us to get into position?"
"We take the AAGs offline, bring the shields online, route power..." David said calculating the figures in head, "9 minutes."
Sabrina looked at Annie, who nodded agreeance.
"What about the defense grid?"
"My estimates shows that once they are all infected they'll be of no use or worries Captain." Maya added.
She nodded, "Coordinate your efforts with Elan David. Maya keep a close eye on the defense grid. We'll be extra close so I don't want to take any chances."
A round of 'aye sirs' went through the bridge as Sabrina took her seat. Guess this was a good of time as any to stay the waiting game.
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Julian Knight (d_dawson_1@yahoo.com)
as
Lieutenant David Dawson
Chief Engineer
USS ANUBIS NCC 18501
"A Starfleet officer... that's all I am and that's all I'll ever be." 2005 post #346
- Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko,
Commanding Officer of the Federation Spacestation Deep Space 9
