Mission 94.0414- Tragic Mistakes

[Deleted]

Sighing gratefully as Doctor van Breughel turned to leave, but knowing full well he’d be back, Megan continued to keep things running smoothly. She would need rest eventually, but the current situation was in transition once more, which was not a good time for her to leave. It was true that a Marine would be able to mostly cover what she was doing, but the Commander had been personally monitoring the situation for over a day, not to mention the information she’d received from the officers watching for another day on top of that. The ability to see indications for the beginning of trouble was something that only came by observation experience.

“Hrisvalar to Garrett.”

“Garrett here,” Megan replied, sitting up a little straighter hoping to hear some good news about the Jefferson, but that hope was quickly cut short by the heavy and frustrated sounding sigh that came through the comm before Zhukarak spoke.

“Still no communication from the Jefferson; I’m not ruling out some sort of massive communications glitch, but I don’t like the feel of this. Their shields are up, so we’re getting nothing on sensors and although it looks like our messages are going through, no replies are coming back. What was your last communication?”

“Most of my communication was in the form of sending transport requests, which were then carried out as well as the constant transmission of sensor data. Other than that, I was also delivering a verbal report to the bridge every few hours after I reported to you, Sir,” Megan responding, feeling a shared worry for her ship along with its commanding officer. This was certainly not looking good for the Jefferson.

“Understood; I’ll keep you apprised of the situation, Commander. Continue to focus on surface operations and keep me informed of your progress; Hrisvalar out.”

As the channel closed, Megan glanced up at one of the senior Marines at the base as he entered. “Ma’am, our portion of the additional medical supplies just arrived at the designated transport coordinates outside of the scattering field. A group of officers are bringing it here now, including the specific equipment you requested.”

Smiling slightly at finally receiving a bit of good news, Commander Garrett nodded. “Thank you, Captain. Let me know when they’ve arrived.” Along with basic medical supplies and the provisions that each base was getting, Megan had also requested the shuttle’s replicator create an additional supply of Nathan’s medicine, as it wouldn’t do to have a chief medical officer who was sick. She’d also asked for a small supply of extended stimulants to keep her awake and alert longer. While she doubted Nathan would approve, it wasn’t like she was planning on using them indefinitely, and they weren’t dangerous for short-term use. Besides, the science officer had absolutely no intent to relinquish her post, or tell him about the hypos.

Almost as if on cue, her current “adversary” appeared in the doorway, looking far from pleased to see her still working. Refusing to acknowledge the scolding look she was receiving, Megan continued reviewing charts and waited for him to speak.

"Commander, the teams are organized and should return soon. I have assigned five marines to assist with the nursing and Doctor Yonara has conscripted several of able-bodied men and women to assist us. Doctor Maybre is still resting and with all due respect, Ma'am, so should you,” Nathan added disapprovingly.

“Thank you for your concern, Doctor, but I’m holding up just fine for now. I assure you that once the situation has reached some sort of stability and we know what’s going on aboard the Jefferson, I will give your request some consideration.”

"That isn't a request, Ma'am," the doctor replied, taking a step forward and quickly putting Megan’s defenses on high alert. She knew exactly what he was up to and had no intention of allowing him to do what he had planned. Unfortunately, her response time was slowed a little, ironically from lack of rest, and although she was able to knock the offending device out of his hand, it was not in time to prevent the delivery of the sedative that almost instantly darkened her vision and put an end to her shift of duty. The last thought that crossed her mind as she slipped into unconsciousness was that Nathan van Breughel would pay for this.

~

"You'll be woken in about an hour or two. You should know by now that I don't take no for an answer where medical matters are concerned. Sleep well, Commander, I promise you'll feel more refreshed when you wake again,” Nathan promised as he shifted the unconscious science officer back into her seat.

In the doorway, Major Robert Grant looked on with a mixture of shock, horror, and amusement on his face. While a part of him had seen this coming, another part couldn’t believe the doctor had the guts to risk his life like that. True, Garrett may have been unconscious and harmless now, but once she woke up, Robert, along with every other Jefferson officer on this planet, would be feeling very, very sorry for Doctor van Breughel, who would probably only be safe in another universe.

While this was Grant’s fist time working with the Chief Science Officer, he like many of the other Marines and security officers had heard plenty of rumors about her and the way she handled the Romulan prisoner last mission. While a great deal of the gossip consisted of rumors and exaggeration, there of course had to be some element of truth to them. After all, she did conduct the interrogation, and the Romulan did end up dead. Not to mention now that everyone had seen her in action so to speak, there was no doubting Commander Garrett was a force to be reckoned with as much more than just a science officer or a higher ranking superior.

The Marine had been watching her closely, marveling at the way she took complete control of the situation and commanded everyone in such a way that no one even thought twice about following her orders instantly. Now, Captain Grant had been presented with an opportunity. “Doctor, I’ll cover her post here and have her moved to rest over there. That way, when she comes to, she’ll care more about what’s going on than…well finding you. If you’d like, you can even bring me the hypospray when it’s time, and I’ll wake her up. That will be easier…and safer.”

[Deleted]

“Doctor, I’ll cover her post here and have her moved to rest over there. That way, when she comes to, she’ll care more about what’s going on than…well finding you. If you’d like, you can even bring me the hypospray when it’s time, and I’ll wake her up. That will be easier…and safer.”

Nathan turned, smiling slightly though his brow was creased in a worried frown. "Yes, cover her post and continue her work," he agreed, "but don't move her, she's fine where she is. In her unconscious state, we could hurt her if we did move her. No, leave her there."

Then, he shook his head, still smiling. "And have me branded a coward captain? No, it'd be best if I deal with it straight away, the less of a burden or danger it will be later. Better not give her time to actually work on her anger. Don't worry, I'll be fine, I've faced worse, trust me."

He turned his back on the marine to return to his duties. There was a pregnant woman lying in one of the corners and she'd been in labour for several hours now, without success. He signaled one of the drafted marines, signaling another to bring as clean a cloth as possible, along with water from the nearby stream. Then, he knelt beside the woman, speaking softly to who he assumed to be the father of the child. "You'll be all right," he promised, injecting her with a sedative that knocked her unconscious immediately. "I'm going to perform an emergency caesarian," he explained to the father, "it would probably be best if you didn't watch as it'll hurt her, even though she is sedated."

The father nodded but didn't move, staring transfixed at his stricken wife. He also nodded his consent for them to proceed. Nathan sighed, pulled on the pair of gloves someone held out to him, then set to work with the aid of the drafted marine. "Don't faint on me!" he warned, as he saw the young man turn pale at the sight of all the blood.

A few minutes later, he placed a squealing baby in the arms of the father, before turning his attention back to the woman. He stitched her up as neatly and as fast as he could, fully aware of the fact that he had no reserves in means of blood and plasma; he couldn't transfuse if he needed to. "Marine, make sure the child is cleaned and examined, I have to move on."

He tossed the bloodied gloves into a bin, but he couldn't help that his tunic was also further stained.

Two hours and several patients later, Nathan returned to where he had left Megan and injected the promised stimulant into her bloodstream. He stepped back a few paces, allowing her some breathing room and space to regain her bearings. He didn't realise he was holding his breath.

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Commander I don't want to go, I want to stay with you," Freddy asked as he tugged on Matt's uniform," Dad told me that if anything happened to him I would be safe with you or the captain."

"Freddy you are not in trouble and I'm glad to know that your father thinks me worthy to look after his son," Matt said touched by the trust the doctor has shown in him,"alright you can stay with us, but you have to understand that this is going to be very dangerous. If Major Johnson or I tell you to do something it is important that you do it. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Freddy answered unable to hide his excitment," I promise I'll do everything you say."

"I know you will," Matt said to the young boy before turning his attention to the work at hand. He could see that his plan was being put into action. Control of the ship would be limited at best and would also give them a fair chance to regain the ship.

"Commander this is the best we are going to do," J'Varr reported as he turned to face his superior," I wasn't able to disable weapons, deflector and enviornmental controls. Internal sensors will take a few hours to repair."

"Alright we got almost everything we needed to get," Matt said as he turned to face everyone left in engineering," we're going to split up into groups. Everyone will be assigned a specific task and once your done with it you stay where you are. Commander T'ress and Major Johnson will work on retaking the bridge. If you encounter the enemy do not hesitate to shoot because they won't."

(Tag All)

[Deleted]

ooc sorry for not posting, and congrats to Matt and Megan for there promotions and what not.

IC:

Cyle stood by as Matt took what little control there was of the situation and started issuing orders. Cyle was ready to move as soon as the word came, but after hearing he would need to watch for Freddy, he wasnt so sure that was a good idea. He knew no one would be able to get him to safety like he could, but he also knew it would be more dangerous for him and the others with him. He was about to speak up when the boy did it for him. "Commander I don't want to go, I want to stay with you," Freddy asked as he tugged on Matt's uniform," Dad told me that if anything happened to him I would be safe with you or the captain."

"Freddy you are not in trouble and I'm glad to know that your father thinks me worthy to look after his son," Matt said touched by the trust the doctor has shown in him,"alright you can stay with us, but you have to understand that this is going to be very dangerous. If Major Johnson or I tell you to do something it is important that you do it. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Freddy answered unable to hide his excitment," I promise I'll do everything you say."

"I know you will," Matt said to the young boy before turning his attention to the work at hand. He could see that his plan was being put into action. Control of the ship would be limited at best and would also give them a fair chance to regain the ship.

"Commander this is the best we are going to do," J'Varr reported as he turned to face his superior," I wasn't able to disable weapons, deflector and enviornmental controls. Internal sensors will take a few hours to repair."

"Alright we got almost everything we needed to get," Matt said as he turned to face everyone left in engineering," we're going to split up into groups. Everyone will be assigned a specific task and once your done with it you stay where you are. Commander T'ress and Major Johnson will work on retaking the bridge. If you encounter the enemy do not hesitate to shoot because they won't." Cyle looked over at the caitian he had served with before, although he still didnt really know him, either by name or by personallity he didnt any other option.

"we will need to move fast and remain unseen until we are ready. We still need to hit the armory, but i would only need a three man team. If you need to formulate a plan of sorts, i could be back in 20 minutes"

OOC sorry, writers block

[Deleted]

"Yes, cover her post and continue her work, but don't move her, she's fine where she is. In her unconscious state, we could hurt her if we did move her. No, leave her there,” Nathan replied, and although she would be somewhat in the way now, the Marine nodded. The only thing that could make this already tense situation was worse was if she somehow ended up hurt…Robert didn’t want to see what would happen then. Besides, doctor’s orders were meant to be followed, usually.

"And have me branded a coward, Captain? No, it'd be best if I deal with it straight away, the less of a burden or danger it will be later. Better not give her time to actually work on her anger. Don't worry, I'll be fine, I've faced worse, trust me,” the doctor added, smiling slightly before moving off to return to his own work.

Shaking his head, unsure whether Nathan was brave or crazy, Captain Grant carefully slid a chair up next to Megan’s and surveyed the screens trying to figure out what exactly was going on and what he was supposed to be doing about it. Although Megan was unconscious, the Marine still worked cautiously taking care not to risk waking her. Though right now, Robert was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

~

Pacing the bridge, Matelus was feeling edgy. Internal sensors had gone down far too quickly to lock onto Commander Reynolds and his group of ‘renegades,’ and all attempts to capture the group so far had failed. They were receiving regular hails from the Lion, the Fang, and the surface, but the Lieutenant simply ignored them. First he wanted to firmly secure the Jefferson before dealing with them. In spite of almost everyone being secured in quarters now, the Dorvan ‘commander’ still wouldn’t feel comfortable until everyone, especially the three remaining senior officers, were locked down. They had enough men to hold the ship, but not to hold and search the ship for a dozen or so Starfleet officers. If only they’d managed…

“Sir, the Lion is hailing again,” Crewman Horella reported cutting off the Lieutenant’s inner monologue. The incessant pestering of their target was annoying to say the least. The vessel that had decimated their homeworld mocked them enough just orbiting their planet, but to constantly contact them as well was beyond intolerable.

“Ignore them,” Matelus snapped for what felt like the hundredth time. “I’ve had just about enough of that troublesome vessel and its murderous crew just drifting peacefully above our homes. It’s about time they paid for their crimes.” The murmurs of agreement from his makeshift crew rose from the manned stations as the Lieutenant rose from his seat, glaring with disdain at the forms of the Lion and Fang orbiting his homeworld on the viewscreen. He’d been patient enough.

“Call off the search parties and place our men in their holding positions guarding the sensitive areas of the ship and patrolling, like we planned originally. We’ll deal with Commander Reynolds after we have avenged our fallen people,” the Dorvan leader ordered, hearing the murmurs of agreement grow louder. The Federation was about to pay for her sins, and Matelus was looking forward to it.

~

As she had been trained to do, as Megan regained consciousness she remained completely still with her eyes closed while mentally rehearsing the last thing she remembered and listening to her surroundings. Once she remember the doctor and the hypospray and heard only the gentle hum and occasional cheerful beeping of her equipment on the planet, her head snapped upright and her eyes flew open, settling almost instantly on the doctor, glaring at him. How dare he…how dare he sedate her, as if she didn’t know what was best for her…she had been needed at her post with the precarious situation. Wait...the situation...what was going on...

Giving him a final, hard glare, Megan spun sideways in her chair to face the monitor, her fingers flying over the panel to bring up the latest data and survey the current sensor readings. So far things didn’t look too bad, but there were signs of trouble in areas where there had been no preventative measures taken. It looked like they had simply been responding to problems as they arose. “Get back to your patients, Doctor; I’ll deal with you later,” Commander Garrett ordered, still calm but with a slight edge to her voice. She would definitely deal with him later.

~

“Alright, I want you to fire a single volley of torpedoes, aimed at these critical locations. We need the Fang out of the way first, as she’s the biggest threat to us. Then, open fire on the Lion and fire at will until it’s nothing but a pile of burning ruble and debris in space. Then, come about and engage the Fang until she’d either destroyed or driven out of our space, preferably the former. Then this ship and the planet will be ours and safe from further Federation aggression.”

Cheers and shouts of support went up around the bridge, before everyone turned their attention back to their stations. The revenge that had been at the forefront of their thoughts was finally coming to fruition. Feeling a surge of exhilaration, Matelus stepped up to the center of the bridge to face the viewscreen and watch. “Crewman Wital,” the Lieutenant began, addressing his tactical officer, “…fire.”

As soon as the order was given, the sound of torpedoes firing echoed across the bridge and they bridge orange globes appeared, heading for the unsuspecting Fang, whose shields were down, and striking each target with perfect precision. The ship tilted to one side as she was struck, explosions racking the ship as each projectile hit, sections of hull bursting into flame. “Direct hit; her warp drive and main power are offline!” Wital reported, as the bridge began to cheer once more.

A grim smile crossing his lips, Matelus’ eyes swept from the damaged Fang to his real prey, who was already being hit by phaser fire and torpedoes. They managed to raise their shields after the first few hits, having had slightly more warning than the Fang, but the ship was older, less advanced and less equipped to handle a fight. The Lion tried firing back, but it barely even shook the well-armed Jefferson. It was only a matter of time before they had their revenge…

[Deleted]

"Alright, I'm rerouting the transport here," Matt said as he quickly accessed transporter control. As soon as the transport had been completed the encryption codes locked him out.

"Commander T'Ress the Jefferson is no longer under our command," Matt said knowing that it was vitally important to quickly debrief his chief engineer," I need you to help me disable internal sensors."

“Murr,” he said as he stepped off the transporter pad, suddenly wrought with a nervous eye. “Disable the internal sensors? As much as I wish to question the order, I hardly see now as the time. If you think it is best sir, I will go ahead with it.”

He moved out of the area, situating himself to the nearest terminal, “Computer, murr, authorize the disabling of internal sensors based on the phrase words:

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. SECURITY-STANDARD-ENGINEERING.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN.
DISPLAY 'LCARS 38965.'.
STOP RUN.”

His words, of course, were those of the emergency protocol based on the COBOL language that he had previously mentioned. As he spoke these words, the computer had no choice but to relinquish control of the system to him, and thus disabled the sensors.

”Murr, I fear that I should not be able to regain control of systems if someone has gained that. However, it is that simple to disable them with that code, provisioning that they are spoken by either you, me, or the commanding officer.”

“Even if it was created for a different measure, I am glad that it has been formed. Now, tell me, how did anyone seize control of the vessel? If we could reach Engineering and take it physically, if it is captured, I am sure that we could have the power grid physically cut down.”

“I could always just sever the lines with my paws after all.”

||||

One of the saboteurs noticed how poorly everything had become in the attack. He stood up silently, without any further speech. While continuing to monitor his station he started to pick up the pieces of the collapsed console that was next to him. Removing a Type 1 phaser that had been in the storage cabinet along side him, he reduced the beam to its lowest setting. Carefully taking up one of the sheets, he allowed the beam to be run across the seam of the station and thus cause it to be welded back to its form.

The console was smashed, and he brushed some debris off the screen as he struggled to bring it back online. The problems of liquid crystal revitalization had even been a problem here, and a large cut-line ran straight through his LCARS display. Never the less, he was able to activate it.

[Deleted]

Planet
"Get back to your patients, Doctor; I’ll deal with you later."

Nathan fought the instinct to flinch at her deadly glare, but lost the fight and flinched anyway. "Yes ma'am," he answered, walking away backwards, not wanting to turn his back on her while he was within her reach. He caught the captain's pitiful stare but cast him a glare of his own, before turning round on his heels and walking away.

Soon enough, he was too busy caring for his patients to even care about the repercussions of his actions. He knew Megan would have something to say later, and he also realised it wouldn't be good and it might actually hurt him one way or another. Briefly, the image of the commander as he'd seen it just after his first heart-attack in the brig flashed through his mind, but he banished it just as quickly. Instead, he focused on the child that was just brought in, bleeding from what looked to be a severe headwound.

The child was about his son's age and he was made keenly aware of the fact that his son was left behind on Jefferson, and that he had no way to reassure the boy until connection was re-established with the ship. "Shhh," he soothed the girl, as he gently wiped her bloodied hair from her face, "you'll be all right. This may sting a little but I promise you'll be fine." He set to work cleaning the headwound as the girl whimpered and squirmed.

"How about you hold this for me?" he questioned, holding his tricorder out to the girl, "keep it aimed at yourself." Beside him, an adult kept close watch on his ministrations, ready to jump in if his ministrations were actually hurting the girl. With the child pre-occupied with the tricorder, Nathan could finish his examination and bandaging the injury. "There, now you're all beautiful with a new hat of your own," he explained cheerfully, hoping to coax a smile out of the child. With helping children, Nathan was in his element and most happy.

Jefferson, engineering
Freddy remained close to Matt, annoyingly close until T'ress approached. The boy had seen the huge cat before, remembering he'd come visit his dad at some point a while ago. But he'd never really seen him up close.

Leaving Matt's side, Freddy raced up to the cat, hugging him. "Oooh you're as soft as Tibbe and Sox!" he cried out in surprise.

"Frédéric van Breughel!" someone snapped behind him and Freddy released the big cat, breathing in sharply. He turned, seeing Cyle shoot him a glare that required no additional words.

Quickly, Freddy stepped back, snaring the cat's tail in his small hands, allowing him to continue with his work. "I'm sorry," he whispered, before retreating to one of the back consoles, climbing onto a seat. He leaned back, his small hand touching one of the controls without him realising it. When something started beeping irradically, he snatched his hand back in shock. "What'd I do?" he asked, frantic, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch anything...."

[Deleted]

"Frédéric van Breughel!" someone snapped behind him and Freddy released the big cat, breathing in sharply. He turned, seeing Cyle shoot him a glare that required no additional words.

M’Tress shook his head, exhaling as he continued to work at the console, “No, its quite alright, murr. The boy can stay there. I would find no ill in it…you know how I enjoy speaking anyways. And how I often simply run my mouth off.”

He leaned back, his small hand touching one of the controls without him realising it. When something started beeping erratically, he snatched his hand back in shock. "What'd I do?" he asked, frantic, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch anything...."

The feline snarled for a moment, shutting off the control. It was not a complicated problem that the little one had caused, though it certainly caught the cat off guard. Looking down to him, he shook his head, “I do not mind you here. I do not mind you touching me. But please, do not touch my console.”

He then smiled, “Murr, though it is forgiven of course. However, please do not touch things without permission. Otherwise you could cause serious damage to someone’s work, and put yourself in grave danger. When I was a kitten, murr….I messed with a chemist’s vials and burned the fur from my paws. It took weeks to regrow. I learned a valuable lesson, however.”

[Deleted]

Jefferson, engineering
Freddy backed off, jumping off his chair, when the large feline snarled at him, his eyes wide with fright. He was ready to bold and hide behind Reynold's broad frame when the cat addressed him and told him not to touch the console again. "Oh I won't," the boy promised, folding his hands behind his back to make a point, "I won't touch it again mister T'Ress, I promise!"

He nodded earnestly, then climbed onto the next vacant chair. "What're you doing now?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He leaned forward, though he made quite sure that he wasn't touching anything. "Can you see if my dad is all right? Please?"

The boy knew his father was fond of this tall cat, and not because he reminded him of their own pets. From this, Freddy also remembered that the cat liked his tail to be petted. Snatching at the tail, he petted it softly, looking up in surprise when he heard a soft purring sound coming from the chief engineer. "What's that?" he asked, "why're you doing that?"


Planet, hospital
"Clamp!" Nathan shouted across their make-shift medical bay, "I'm losing her, I need a clamp here, stat! And more gauges, she's bleeding heavily!" One of the marines came running, his gloved fingers closed tight around the required item. "Good, now hold this while I try to stop the bleeding. Matheson, have you got the babe? She'll want to see it when she wakes up."

Crewman recruit Matheson nodded uncertainly. "She's not breathing doc," he called out, "I've cleaned her up like you instructed, but she's not breathing."

"Suction the fluids out of her mouth," Nathan called over his shoulder, just as the artery he was trying to suture ruptured again. A splash of warm bright red blood squirted right into his face and he cursed under his breath. His assistant, Sergeant Donovan Jameson, did his best to staunch the bleeding, then finally gave a triumphant cry. "Thank you, well done," Nathan praised.

The pair never noticed the five cloaked figures approaching them, they were too busy saving the woman's life, while the young recruit finally managed to get the baby breathing. A thin wail filled the small room as the baby finally came to life. "YES!" Matheson cried, hugging the girl to him as he scurried out of the room to get it to her father, who was waiting just outside.

"You're coming with us doctor," one of the cloaked men suddenly spoke up.

"I'll be with you shortly," Nathan answered, not looking up as he and Jameson worked hard to finish their surgery.

"Now doctor," the invader demanded, his long slender fingers closing around the doctor's wrist. "Your assistance is required elsewhere."

"As I said, I will be with you shortly," Nathan repeated, trying to pry the fingers from his arm, "you are contaminating my room, please leave."

Sighing, the invader signaled two of his companions, while the other two made sure Jameson wouldn't do anything silly. They didn't hinder him in his work though. The two companions approached, one prying the tool from Nathan's fingers, handing it to Jameson, while the other restrained the doctor. "Your companions can finish up," he said icily, retrieving a syringe from his pocket, removing the safety cap from the needle.

Nathan inhaled sharply when he saw the needle; he hated needles and suddenly he experienced a flash of déja vu. He froze, his hand still poised over the woman's body, his expression one of horror. "There's no need to threaten me," he stated calmly, though he felt far from being calm. "I said I'd come, as soon as I'm done here." He struggled in the strong grip of the two, but he was no match for them though he managed to shake one of them off.

However, before he could turn his attention on the second, their leader jabbed the needle in his arm, just as the second slammed his fist down on his already injured right shoulder. He felt the clavicle break under the pressure as he went down to his knees. "Relax doctor," he said, actually sounding friendly. "You won't be harmed." He glared at his companion, while kneeling beside the doctor. "And I assure you that was not my intention, he'll be punished for that." He helped the now drugged doctor to his feet, wrapping a spare cloak around his shoulders.

A little later, Nathan felt his mind clear up and he gazed around, finding himself well away from the hospital building without any memory of getting there. "Where am I?" he asked as he sat up, wincing as his injured shoulder sent a stabbing pain spreading out into his arm. To his surprise though, the injury was tended to as much as was possible, though the rest of him hadn't been cleaned up. He was still as bloodied as before he was taken.

The leader helped him to his feet for a second time. "I'm Joshal," he introduced himself, "and I'm in need of a doctor, and since you're the only competent one I've spotted, you'll do." He guided his prisoner to an adjacent room, pointing down at a middle-aged man lying on a cot, squirming in agony. "He got shot earlier, but we can't determine how severe. He lost a lot of blood, and he's in pain. We aren't skilled enough to save him."

Shrugging himself free from his support, Nathan gingerly moved forward and knelt beside the injured man. Carefully, he started to remove the man's tunic and quietly probed his torso. The man screamed and Nathan was forcefully shoved aside. "If you want my help, then let me do my work," Nathan scowled.

"Save him and we'll return you, if he dies..." Joshal let the threat hang in the air, unfinished. "You can acquire anything you need, just let one of my men know. You aren't allowed to leave this room, understood?"

Nathan nodded in understanding, his heart and mind racing. He could feel his heart race in his chest, feeling the pulse quite clearly in his troat. "I should let you know I am ill," he said quietly, though he didn't look up, "I require medication for myself, it is in the coat you have confiscated from me."

"You'll get it once you've saved my father," Joshel answered dangerously. "Now get to it!"

"You don't seem to understand," Nathan answered stubbornly, "he'll get my help as I'm bound by the oath I took when becoming a doctor to help anyone in need. But I won't be of much good to you if I pass out. I suffer from a condition known as hay-fever." He gestured around with his healthy left hand. "This vegetation is so heavy pollinated that it will obstruct my breathing, and if I pass out I can't help anyone."

"Get to work," Joshel repeated, unrelenting while pointing at his unconscious father, "you'll get your medication later. When you've saved him."

Meanwhile, David Matheson returned to the make-shift OR, finding Donovan Jameson standing over the body of the woman they'd been trying to save. From where he was standing, she was breathing and no longer bleeding, but Jameson didn't look to well. "Don, where's the doc?" He walked up to the assistant surgeon, shaking his arm. "Don, you ok?"

"They took him," Donovan whispered, "they walked in here and just took him, there was nothing I could do. I saved her, but I couldn't save him...He put up a fight, tried to anyway but said he'd come before..."

Waving one of the locals over to calm Jameson down, Matheson ran down the corridor, to the Starfleet Control Room. "Commander Garrett!" he cried, "someone took our doc right out of the OR! Sergeant Jameson said he went with them, but he's in shock. He wouldn't go just like that would he, in the middle of surgery?"

[Deleted]

Megan was barely beginning to feel on top of the current situation when the comm sprang to life once more. “Hrisvalar to Garrett, the Jefferson has opened fire on the Fang and the Lion. The Fang is badly damaged, and the Lion is getting pounded. It looks like we’re going to have to abandon ship, but the Fang is in no condition to….with the Jefferson. It looks…we’re going…retreat and…backup. You’re…to manage…help arrives... Try and…defend the…stay alive… We’ll…”

As the distorted voice of the Captain faded in and out before being lost entirely to static, Megan could feel her breath catch in her throat as the severity of their new circumstances began to sink in fully. Hundreds of their officers were scattered across the surface of a planet with no support from space except a now hostile Sovereign class starship. They were alone with the small exception of a standard Federation shuttle craft, which was just as vulnerable as they all were. The only ray of hope was that with the fight still going on above them, there was a very small window of opportunity to attempt and protect themselves preemptively.

Glancing up once at the grim faces of the Marines around her, Megan’s fingers flew over the console to open a channel to all Federation officers on the surface. “Garrett to all personnel; the Jefferson has been commandeered by hostile forces and is engaged in combat with the Lion and the Fang. The Lion is about to be lost and the Fang in retreat. We need to execute Code Black tactical response. Turn off all commbadge locator beacons and activate a scattering field at all locations. Communicate only on the emergency channels I’m sending to all team leaders now, and execute all camouflage procedures. We’re now operating behind enemy lines without space support, and backup is a long way out, so act accordingly.”

Closing the channel, Commander Garrett glanced up again as the small group of Marine’s nearby sprang into action to activate the scattering field. Silently removing her commbadge, Megan followed her own orders and switched the beacon off and auto-selected the correct comm frequency she’d transmitted for team leaders. They were now operating entirely blind, but with exact coordinates and scattering field rotations communicated and the use of transport enhancers, they could still use the transporter…as long as the shuttle was still in one piece.

Speaking of which… “Garrett to Nelson; I need you to prepare to take off and assume low orbit around Dorvan as soon as possible. Take a backup pilot, crew, and two transport operators with you. Keep Dorvan between you and the Jefferson at all times to avoid being destroyed and feed all sensor data to the surface.”

“Acknowledged,” the Lieutenant replied, even as Megan had already moved on to her next task, carefully surveying the planet for a new site for the barracks. It was unfortunately at that moment when the sensor feed from the Lion gave out, causing a lump to rise in her throat at the knowledge that if the ship wasn’t already destroyed, it would be shortly. Shaking off the emotional response, Commander Garrett pulled up the last sensor readings received and selected a suitable location.

“Garrett to Commander Vorel; begin preparations to move the barracks. I have selected a new location next to the mountain range on the southern continent. Have a small team with the ionic generator ready to beam there first within two minutes to avoid detection of the new site,” Megan ordered, sending through the time-delayed transport request. This plan looked like it would actually work, but it was still an extremely dangerous situation, and the entire thing counted on those who commandeered the Jefferson not wanting to inflict any civilian casualties by firing at all initial away team locations. If they didn’t care, none of this would matter.

~

A cheer went up every time the Lion was struck, phaser fire or torpedo; it didn’t really matter. The Fang was mostly drifting, weapons and warp drive offline, and main power fluctuating, but their main target was being bombarded, slowly coming apart at the seams hit by hit. The ship that had wreaked such death and destruction was fading, random flashes and flickers of power coursing through her unstable systems, a sharp slant to the right in spatial positioning, and the visible glow of fires emanating from the jagged holes and slashes caused by the Jefferson’s weapons. To Matelus and the other Dorvans on the bridge, it was a beautiful sight.

“Their shields are down!” Horella reported, a dark sort of glee in his voice as the roar of approval once again erupted from the other stations, and the weapons went quiet, every eye on the barely functioning vessel hanging on the viewscreen. With an equally dark smirk on his face, Matelus rose from his chair and watched the ship drift helplessly before him for a moment before his grin widened.

“Wital…blow that ship out of the sky,” the Lieutenant ordered, more cheering followed by the snickers and whispered taunts drifting across the bridge, then an eager silence, and finally the envied crewmember’s reply to the cherished order.

“With pleasure,” the Dorvan at tactical answered, pushing the final order to fire and watching as the final torpedo streamed across the viewscreen like a shooting star before slamming mercilessly into the command center of the U.S.S. Lion. The strike sent a chain reaction of orange fire, and blue white sparks cascading through the vessel, before the ship imploded in a brilliant flash of obliteration.

A final, ear-shattering cheer went up on the bridge, as the shockwave washed over the Jefferson, rocking her hard to starboard before gently tilting level again. “That’ll teach you to mess with Dorvan!” Matelus shouted after picking himself up off the floor, which of course elicited another cheer from his band of dissenters.

“Matelus!” Horella cried, his eyes glued to sensors. “Before she was destroyed, some of the Lion’s crew beamed to the Fang, and now it’s pulling out of orbit, trying to make a run for it. I’d say about half of those murderer’s got away.”

The Dorvan Lieutenant hesitated then. While he did want the entire crew of the Lion to pay for what had happened, Matelus didn’t really want to leave the planet unattended. The Jefferson would be their flagship now, the protector of their home and their people. He didn’t want to go too far away. However, it was necessary for the sake of saving face and keeping up morale, to go after the Fang, even though the new Captain had no intention of following them for very long or far.

“Lay in a pursuit course,” Matelus ordered, smiling slightly at the new set of cheers this produced. “None of them deserves to get away with what they did!”

~

Things were quickly getting underway, scattering fields established, new comm channels selected, and the relocation of the barracks almost completed. Once the move was made, the Uritek was all set to ascend back into orbit. In spite of the risks and precarious nature of the new arrangements, Megan was starting to feel a bit more secure with her plan, until Crewman Matheson burst into the room. “Commander Garrett, someone took our doc right out of the OR! Sergeant Jameson said he went with them, but he's in shock. He wouldn't go just like that would he, in the middle of surgery?" the man asked, sounding slightly panicked.

“What?!’ Megan exploded, momentarily losing her usual calm demeanor. “How was that even possible? Where were the guards? Are we so poorly trained that a group of the rebels can waltz right into the center of our base and do whatever they want?!” David winced noticeably, as her eyes drilled into him. “What happened?”

“Uh…well, Ma’am, half of the guards were acting as medics and most of the rest were working on setting up the scattering field and making the changes you just requested...Ma’am…” Crewman Matheson replied carefully, shifting back slightly.

Her eyes narrowing dangerously, Megan took a single step forward. “Are you implying that my orders, the ones that are necessary to keep all of us alive, are responsible for Doctor van Breughel being kidnapped just now, Crewman?”

Swallowing hard and taking two steps backward, he replied, “No, no….no Ma’am of course not. I’m simply saying there was so much going on and…well we…” The man trailed off nervously, feeling as if his life was about to end…painfully.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Commander Garrett reigned in her anger, but kept a very hard glare fixed on David Matheson. “You and every officer down here should be able to focus on more than one thing at a time, and just because an order is given, it doesn’t mean current duties can be neglected to carry it out. Is that clear?” Even as she finished, Megan realized it wasn’t this particularly person’s fault. He was covered in blood, and looked as pale and tired as everyone else. Still, a point had to be made to someone, and he happened to be here…

“Yes, Ma’am, of course, Ma’am, you’re right,” Matheson replied, praying it was over.

“Dismissed,” Megan ordered, as the crewmember bolted almost before the word was completed. Glancing over towards Captain Grant, who had witnessed the whole thing, she fixed him with a glare and asked. “Did you manage to catch all of that, Captain?” He swallowed and nodded, so the Commander continued. “Then pass that along to the rest of your men and remind them that this is the main base of operations, and as such, it needs to be kept SECURE. Understood?”

Robert Grant nodded miserable, about to bolt for the door himself when Megan held up a hand. “I’m not through yet. Select a small, three-man team to go after the doctor. Have them merely try and trace their path rather than actually attempt a rescue just yet. Once a reasonable fix on his position has been made, have them report back to me for further instructions. Then we’ll talk about retrieval.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Captain Grant replied, moving to follow her orders as quickly as possible. Shaking her head, Megan sighed heavily before moving back towards her chair and slumping into it. Logically speaking, the science officer was well aware that the doctor was probably fine, as he was most likely taken to tend to the rebel wounded, and as such wouldn’t be much use to anyone dead or badly injured. Still…Commander Garrett couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit guilty. It may not have been her fault, not by a long shot, but the guilt was there nonetheless.

[Matthew Reynolds]

Matthew Reynolds watched in horror as the powerful soverign class ship that he called home unleash her powerful array of offensive weapons. Even before the first quantum torpedo found its target, Matt knew that the USS Lion would be destroyed. The destruction of the Lion only took a few minutes and Matt knew that now wasn't the time to mourn the loss of thier comrades.

"Major Johnson, Commander T'Ress I assume you understand what must be done?" Matt asked of his senior officers. The Jefferson had just destroyed another Starfleet ship and they could only assume that thier commanding officer was lost. As a Starfleet officer, it was duty to bring these criminals to justice, but Matt had already decided that he would make these men pay.

(Cyle, J'Varr)

"Commander the Jefferson is following pursuit of the Fang," an engineer reported.

"We need to stop the ship," Matt said knowing that some of the Lion's crew had survived the attack. These men wanted to exact revenge upon the crew that destroyed their colony.

"Computer do I still have command authority?" Matt asked.

"Affirmative."

"Computer eject the warp core authorization Reynolds Zodiac Seven," Matt ordered immediately which took everyone by surprise. The Jefferson jerked to a complete stop which caused quite a few people to fall to the floor.

"Alright that should keep them occupied for a while and allow the Fang to escape," Matt said as he helped one of the engineers to thier feet," they will be here shortly. Freddy stay close to one of us. Everyone you know your assignment!"

(Tag All)

[Deleted]

He nodded earnestly, then climbed onto the next vacant chair. "What're you doing now?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He leaned forward, though he made quite sure that he wasn't touching anything. "Can you see if my dad is all right? Please?"

“Do you mean, can I check on his condition? Murr, check on his condition remotely? I believe I should be able to do that to one degree or another. See, we can monitor each other’s life signs if you have the proper authorization. And that code I entered gives me some degree of authority.”

“Computer, tell me the condition of Doctor Nathan van Breughel.”

=^= Doctor van Breughel is not an active lifesign. =^=

“Purr…uhh…that means your father is in no immediate danger…right…that’s what it means.”

He of course knew that really meant the computer had no ability to tell, but he certainly was not going to allow the child to know that.

The boy knew his father was fond of this tall cat, and not because he reminded him of their own pets. From this, Freddy also remembered that the cat liked his tail to be petted. Snatching at the tail, he petted it softly, looking up in surprise when he heard a soft purring sound coming from the chief engineer. "What's that?" he asked, "why're you doing that?"

“Do you mean why am I purring?”

“That noise you make.”

“It’s called a purr. It means I am contented or interested in something.”

|||||

Considering the fact of the rough resistance for their rebel activity, it looked grim for these troops as well. However, revolutionary soldiers who had been able to reach the city fortified themselves the best they could. The paternal figure began to set up abandoned rooms in damaged buildings as machine gun posts and emplacements, while other rooms were secured to treat the wounded and dieing as they came. Actual machine guns, hand fashioned, like those found on Nimbus III. Long, obsolete slug throwers. With carts of extra, hand fashioned, explosive rounds, being moved around by hand it began to look much as the Battle of Berlin did.

This small band dug in, at the long outskirts of the city, to continue its defense to the bitter end. In a stirring speech to his troops, the father looked to his ‘family,’ speechless.
Snipers and explosives experts continued to utilize hit and run guerilla tactics long into the night while the automatic weapons still rested in capable hands. It was hoped that this desperate, last-ditch defense would hold out against the counter-revolution.

|||||

"Major Johnson, Commander T'Ress I assume you understand what must be done?" Matt asked of his senior officers. The Jefferson had just destroyed another Starfleet ship and they could only assume that thier commanding officer was lost. As a Starfleet officer, it was duty to bring these criminals to justice, but Matt had already decided that he would make these men pay.

T’Ress shook his head, “I protest sir, honorably. Vacate the ship. I will assume command, and issue the command to self-destruct. We have been compromised, and we cannot risk further destruction. Evacuate the vessel wholly, and I shall oversee this measure to make sure we will not cause any further harm. I will attempt to leave afterwards, however, should that not be an option, we far more need you alive then I. Sir, I know this must sound radical, but give it serious thought. It is a series condition.”

He spoke, for once, without purring.

[Matthew Reynolds]

“I protest sir, honorably. Vacate the ship. I will assume command, and issue the command to self-destruct. We have been compromised, and we cannot risk further destruction. Evacuate the vessel wholly, and I shall oversee this measure to make sure we will not cause any further harm. I will attempt to leave afterwards, however, should that not be an option, we far more need you alive then I. Sir, I know this must sound radical, but give it serious thought. It is a series condition.”

"I will destroy this ship only as a last resort," Matt said staring coldly at his chief engineer," for now the Fang is safe and they won't fire on the planet for fear of killing thier own."

The thought of destroying the Jefferson had never crossed the young commanders mind, but as he mulled over the idea he realized that he might have to give the order to destroy the ship. They were lucky that the traitors on the bridge had yet to come after them.

~I'm going to kill him~ Matt thought as he motioned for his team to follow him. They would implement the plan and hopefully retake the ship within minutes.

(All)

[Deleted]

Jefferson, main engineering

Freddy gazed up at the many adults around him, many of them wearing grim and anxious expressions. The angry feline beside him scared him without a doubt but the boy put on the bravest face he could muster.

Until Commander Reynolds suddenly ordered to eject the warpcore. Freddy turned and to his horror, the giant blue rod in the middle of engineering suddenly snapped loose, turned dark and started to sag. He felt a rush of air running through his hair, then was thrown right off his feet when the ship jerked to a full stop.

He fell down hard onto the deck, landing awkwardly on right arm. At first he didn't feel much as the smack had numbed his whole arm. "I'm fine," he assured the engineer that pulled him back to his feet, "really, I'm fine." He nodded at Reynolds, his face gone ashen with fear as he clung to the feline chief engineer. "Can I stay with you Mr T'Ress?" he begged, "please? I promise I'll be good."

He released the chief engineer's leg, wincing as feeling returned to his arm. "Oww," he whimpered, letting himself sag down to the deck, cradling his arm. His fingers felt odd and he couldn't move them, but he could see people were too busy to notice a nearly six-year old child. Therefor, he just whimpered quietly, until someone would notice.

Dorvan, unknown area

Nathan sat back, his tunic completely bloodied as well as his hands and face. He'd no gloves on him, and there was no towel to wipe his hands on, thus his own clothing had to do. He ran both hands through his hair, making a bloody mess of them as well, before he checked on his patient again.

Joshal's father had lost a lot of blood, but the bleeding had finally been staunched, the injury taken care of. "He'll recover," he reported flatly, using the one unstained patch of skin on his hand to wipe his tired eyes. He was gasping for breath, the air feeling heavy and humid.

Surprisingly, the man opened his eyes a scant few minutes later, fixing a steady glare on the Human doctor. "Starfleet,' he growled, gesturing weakly. Immediately, the doctor was seized on both sides.

"No!" Nathan cried out, yanking his arms free, screaming in agony as the ends of the broken clavicle grated against eachother. "I'm not Starfleet, I'm a civillian. And I'm a doctor. I just saved your life for God's sake. A little gratitude would be appreciated." His rant ended in gasps. Fortunately, someone pressed something against his throat and his breathing eased up a little. "Thank you." He turned back to his patient. "My name is Nathan," he introduced himself, realising that though he was in probably one of the worst situations of his life, he at least wanted his captors to know his name. "And though I am a civillian, I am the chief medical officer on the Jefferson. I came here to help, and had your son just exibited a little patience, I would've come anyway. Now, he may have condemned the patient I was working on to death. I have no way to know now."

The man raised himself up on his elbows, admiring the alien's courage in speaking against him. "Ta'kel," he replied, "and my son should've waited. However you're here now, and you're not going anywhere until I say so. There are more wounded, treat them. I'm sure Joshel told you that you'll be shot if you try to leave?"

Nathan nodded grimly. "Though I fail to see what good that'll do you, as if you kill me you won't have a doctor to see to your wounded."

"It'll make a point to any other doctor we acquire," Ta'kel replied, sagging back onto his bed.

Joshel walked in and hauled the Human to his feet. "You'll be given food and water and then you'll be taken to the others. Work well, and you'll get what you need for yourself."

Again, Nathan nodded; he had no choice but to sit out his captivity and help them until he would be rescued. As he walked off with Joshel, his thoughts trailed off to Jayden and he prayed the young marine would be all right. He owed Jayden his life, and much much more and he wouldn't just give up on him, even though right now there was nothing he could do.

Dorvan, medical facility, Starfleet base of operations
David Matheson approached the commander, followed on his heels by Donovan Jameson. "Ma'am, we'd like to join the search for the doctor," he requested carefully, "it was our fault he was taken. I'm an experienced tracker, I could be of use."

Jameson nodded. "I've no experience, but the fault was mine. I could've stopped them, but the woman's life was in the balance..."

[Deleted]

The ship on the viewscreen almost seemed to get larger, even though in actuality the image remained the same, but as the Jefferson continued gaining on the badly damaged vessel the knowledge of their growing closer changed the perception. Lounging rather comfortably in the center chair, Matelus tapped his fingers on the armrest, not out of nerves but in anticipation of acquiring their target. Soon, Dorvan would be free from the Federation, and their space void of their ships. “How long until we’re within weapon’s range?” he asked for the fourth time.

“One minute,” Wital reported, his fingers also eagerly tapping the frame of his console. Once the Fang was destroyed, all that would remain was removing the remaining Starfleet infestation from the planet. Then they would all be free. What they would do with the remaining personnel aboard the Jefferson and any survivors on the surface was unclear, but one thing was certain; they would not bother Dorvan again. “Thirty seconds,” the tactical officer updated still fidgeting.

A smile broke across the new commander’s face, as he rose from his chair, enjoying each passing moment as the update went to twenty, fifteen, ten, nine... A sudden jolt threw Matelus to the floor, as the deck beneath his feet shuddered and the power went dark for a brief moment before flickering back to life, the light dimmer than before. “What happened?” the Lieutenant sputtered as he managed to pull himself to his feet, ignoring the bruises across his ribcage from the impact.

Also struggling to his feet, Horella ignored his own injury, a trickle of blood running down the side of his face from a collision with the console. After checking the readings at his station, the crewmember reported, “They just ejected the warp core! Main power is down, but there appears to be no other damage done.”

Punching the back of the nearest chair, Matelus was furious. “Where’s the core? We’re going to need it to keep protecting our home from further invaders.”

“It’s several thousand kilometers away, undamaged. But to get it reinstalled will take half a day, at least, with no further interruptions, unrestricted access to main engineering….and more qualified engineers than we have,” Horella replied.

“We’ll deal with that later. Right now we just need to get it back! Set a course for the core and get us into position to tractor it back inside. We’ll deal with installing and powering up later,” Matelus ordered, cursing Commander Reynolds and his band of troublemakers. “Our main concern should be taking care of our remaining problem. Now that they’ve stopped us, they’ll likely come after the bridge, try to retake the ship,” the Dorvan mused, his eyes darkening. “They will find it difficult.”

Spinning around to face Wital, the Lieutenant’s grim smile returned. “Pull teams off the search. There’s no need to find them when they’ll be coming to us. Set a team of guards at each turbolift and a few key areas, get a full team of guards up here on the bridge, and mine the Jefferies tubes and corridors leading to the bridge. I want anyone attempting to take the bridge blown to bits before they get here...or at least have them be forced to witness some of their own people killed for trying.”

~

Aside from Doctor van Breughel’s unexpected and untimely kidnapping, her plan was actually coming together rather nicely. Although kept quite busy, so far the single transporter pad on the shuttle was keeping up with necessary requests for beam outs and the new barracks had been established and secured. Commbadges had been altered and scattering fields were in place. The shuttle had achieved a low orbit and reported that without specific coordinates and transport enhancers, sensors could not distinguish specific lifesigns as Dorvan civilian or Federation away team member or get clear sensor readings in and around the immediate vicinity of the away team locations. Also, the Fang left orbit with the Jefferson in pursuit, but a warp core ejection had stopped the Sovereign class vessel cold.

With the Jefferson busy, that bought them some extra time, but it was anyone’s guess how long they had. In the meantime, the shuttle was staying on the far side of the planet and continuing to feed sensor data to the command centers and to handle all transport requests based on level of need. The system was working well. Applying her previous knowledge of civilian and rebel positions as well as information on Starfleet personnel locations, Megan was still able to stay on top of predicting trouble and responding to current and future problems, but a small part of her mind was focused on Nathan. They had to get him back; that's all there was to it.

Even as she surveyed sensor readouts, two men, one she immediately recognized as Matheson, the one she’d yelled at earlier, entered the command center. "Ma'am, we'd like to join the search for the doctor. It was our fault he was taken. I'm an experienced tracker, I could be of use,” David offered very cautiously.

Before she could reply, the second added. "I've no experience, but the fault was mine. I could've stopped them, but the woman's life was in the balance..."

Commander Garrett could understand their positions, how they felt. She too felt guilty, though her guilt was more indirect, a result of having gotten upset with the doctor before he was kidnapped. Their guilt was deeper, directly resulting from their part in what happened. “I appreciate the offers, from both of you,” Megan replied, before addressing Matheson first. “Go join the team tracking where they took him, and report back to me once he’s found. We’ll have a more heavily manned and armed team actually retrieve him, but we need to find him before we can do that.”

Then, the second officer turned to Jameson. “I understand your desire to help him, but you are needed here with your medical experience. Nathan would have wanted you to save that woman’s life first, and he would want you to stay here with his patients. He’d want them in good hands.” Feeling a great deal of sympathy for the Marine, she added. “However, when it comes time to pick the assault team to go after Nathan, I will consider placing you on it. Until then, continue saving lives as he would want you to do.”

[Deleted]

"I will destroy this ship only as a last resort," Matt said staring coldly at his chief engineer," for now the Fang is safe and they won't fire on the planet for fear of killing thier own."

“Forgive me sir, murrr. I was only honestly trying to do what is best for the ship. I did not mean to actually sound as though I wished to loose her. Well, not so much what is best for our own ship as is best for the whole? Murr.”

He nodded at Reynolds, his face gone ashen with fear as he clung to the feline chief engineer. "Can I stay with you Mr T'Ress?" he begged, "please? I promise I'll be good."

“I actually believe it to be best, murr. Truly, considering the fact that you just seriously harmed yourself. If you would follow close to me, and not press any console keys, I am sure that you should be fine. And that I do – I trust you. Please, be careful though.”

He paused for a moment, thinking to himself, “No, you surely could not be fine.” He wrapped his arms around the child, hugging him before he released him. “I…I know your father is away. But I believe I should be able to help you as any other..I hope. Are you in pain?” He allowed himself to hug the child again, frowning deeply at the fact that others had allowed themselves to walk past the whimpering boy.

Reaching for his tricorder, he removed the probe and looked up, “Computer, link the Tricorder of J’Varr T’Ress with the medical computer.”

=^= Acknowledged =^=

Reaching for the tricorder’s probe, he started to access the medical records regarding the case in point. He allowed the probe to move across the child’s arm, recording the severing of any material within. He then again ran it over, now with a projected blue beam from the lens of the probe. J’Varr looked to him, trying to calm the boy down so that he would find no ill in this. He was slowly refusing the bone, though he certainly did not have a great medical knowledge, and therefore this was taking longer than it should have. Blood vessels were being rekindled, touching end to end once more to alleviate bruising.

[Matthew Reynolds]

Silently cursing himself for sending the entire medical staff to the surface, Matthew watched as the feline chief engineer calmed the young child. The first officer new that Matelus would send his men almost immediately which meant that they would need to leave quickly.

"Commander, we cannot stay here for long," Matt said as he approached the two," the injury is not life threatneing. We can tend to it once we take over the ship."

(J'Varr)

Allowing Major Johnson to take point, Matthew motioned for Freddy and Command T'Ress to follow. Matt hoped that the rebels would stay away from the jefferies tubes, but he knew they wouldn't stay that way for long. As Freddy crawled into the opening, Matt heard the doors to engineering open.

"Check upstairs! If you find anyone, shoot them!" the rebel leader ordered. Matt immedaitely began to panic. It would take them only a few moments to discover that they were still there. He was ready to stand his ground and fight, but he was not going to put Freddy's life in danger.

"Commander we have to hurry, we cannot let them find us," Matt whispered with urgency.

"Traitors, you will be brought to justice!" Lieutenant Jaro screamed from the catwalk above the warp core. The phaser fire caused the traitors to scramble for cover, but it also gave the group a chance to escape. Matthew wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that Lieutenant Jaro gave him a small smile.

"Kill him, kill him now!" the rebel yelled as they returned phaser fire which missed but caused an explosion as it destroyed the engineering console near him.

"You'll never have the Jefferson!" Jaro screamed to the rebels clearly in pain. Matt knew that he wouldn't be able to escape and there was nothing he could do to help him. Jaro was giving them the opportunity to escape; Matt wouldn't ignore that sacrifice.

~I'm sorry~ Matt mouthed as he closed the hatch to engineering and ordered his group to continue on there way. As they crawled out of engineering, Matt couldn't help but mourn the loss of Lieutenant Harold Jaro.

(Tag J'Varr, Freddy, Cyle)

[Deleted]

Freddy whimpered softly as the giant cat tended to his arm. After T'Ress was done, his arm was still very sore but it was no longer as painful. Rising to his feet, the boy remained very close to the chief engineer, quietly slipping his small hand into the feline's much bigger paw. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks, but he made no further sound and he made sure to keep out of the engineer's way when told to do so.

When it was time to move out, Freddy again stayed close to the big cat, but he was quite aware of Cyle Johnson, his father's other friend, on his other side. He wondered briefly what would've happened between him and his father, if he hadn't left the Jefferson. "Mr Johnson?" he asked softly, "why did you leave, before? Was it my dad?"

Dorvan, main camp
Donovan sighed with envy as he watched Matheson speed off to join the marine group that was to go look for the doctor. Of course, Commander Garrett had been right, Nathan would've wanted him to remain with the patients and work with the two local doctors. By now, the female one was awake again while the male, whose name he couldn't recall, had taken her place.

"With your permission, I'll return to the patients." He nodded to where he knew Nathan's primary patient was resting. "And I'll check on Corporal Mitchell as well." At her quiet nod, he walked away and knelt beside the injured marine. Carefully, he peeled the young man's uniform back, checking on the bandages Nathan had applied before his disappearance. Concern creased his brow as he checked on the deathly pale corporal. He knew Nathan had been pressing for his return to Jefferson, and Donovan supported that assessment.

Though medication was again delivered; medication that would sustain him for now, Jayden really needed to be returned to proper medical facilities. If this continued much longer, even Donovan was convinced the young man would die. What concerned him even more, was what it would do to the chief medical officer. Donovan wasn't blind, and he had observed the doctor's devoted care towards the marine. There was more going on than either man had let on.

In the mean time, Matheson had reported in to the squad, hoisted the kevlar protection plates onto his torso and checked his weapon."Ready," he reported, "and eager to find him. We can't afford to waste any time. He was injured in the initial explosions, and he's got his allergies and a heart condition. We need to be quick."

Dorvan, unknown area
Nathan was tired, but even though he was he worked as hard as before. He seemed to have made an impression on the rebels that had captured him, for they let him work on any patient that required his attention. They had noted his care, despite the fact that they were the enemy. Despite that, an armed guard stood right behind him at all times.

At one point, he had tried to make a run for it, but his lack of medication, not to mention a lack of knowledge of his surroundings had put a quick end to that. He'd been knocked down without effort, and dragged back to the camp where Joshal had used him as an outlet for his own anger.

Now nursing a black eye, a headache and an even sorer right shoulder, Nathan silently worked on his patients, no longer chatting to them in an attempt to calm them. He needed sleep, but he had no way to let Joshal know. Ta'kel approached, kneeling beside him. "That was a brave but stupid action," he said softly, "my son has quite a temper, you are fortunate he didn't kill you. I assure you, next time he will."

Ta'kel rose to his feet, pulling the Human up with him. "You need rest and I shall provide it. You will be bound by hands and feet so you won't escape, I think you'll understand this necessity which you've wrought upon yourself." He led the exhausted doctor to one of the cabins, carefully trying his wrists together, and then his ankles. "Sleep," he ordered, "you'll feel better when you wake up."

Nathan on his part didn't really care and he was already asleep before Ta'kel was done binding him. The clan chief gazed down upon the weary and wounded prisoner, shaking his head in disbelief. Joshal walked up beside him, checking his father's work. "He'll not go anywhere," he confirmed, "too bad he tried, I rather started to like him."

"You'll not touch him again," Ta'kel ordered his son, "he's the only means to our clan's survival in this war. He works hard and he does well. The children like him, trust his care. Did you see him interact with them? I'm sure he's got a family of his own, he'll not endanger the chance to return to them again. You beat the spirit out of him, don't make it worse for us."

Joshal had seen that much and had regretted his outburst almost immediately, though pride witheld him from an apology towards his prisoner. "You owe him a debt," he acknowledged, "I shan't forget that. We all owe him, and we repaid him with suffering. It won't happen again," he promised, releasing the bonds from the sleeping man. "Watch over him father, but don't let him try again. He'll be returned when we no longer need him."

[Deleted]

Cyle was crouched low as he slowly moved his body forward, trying to keep a constant speed so the others wouldn't be hard pressed to keep up with him. He had heard the confrontation in engineering and knew they had just lost a fine officer, but also knew he couldn't stop. Looking back he saw Reynolds enter the jefferies tube, he silently wondered if the commander considered the lost man a friend or not. "Mr Johnson?" Cyle turned his head in a startled response. he asked softly, "why did you leave, before? Was it my dad?" Cyle looked at the boy for a moment, wondering the best way to answer the question. "I don't think now is the time for questions, but i will say that your dad had nothing to do with me leaving." Hoping the little boys curiosity was fulfilled well enough for the time being, Cyle faced the front and kept moving.

Holding his hand up to stop the progression of the que of officers, Cyle looked out the grate on the floor of Deck 8, three decks up from main engineering, towards the secondary armory. He knew they still needed to head towards the bridge, but without weapons there was no chance they would retake it. "Reynolds, the caitian and I will stop here and gather weapons, keep moving towards the bridge and we'll meet you at deck 2."

<tag Matt, T'ress>

Cyle pushed the grate out of the way and crawled out, moving quickly to the wall that held the controls to the armory. He looked back to see the caitian placing the grate back over the hole. Turning his attention to the door controls, Cyle removed the cover and started stripping wires to aid in his attempt to force the door open. A resounding whoosh let him know he had done what was needed to open the door and gain free access to the armory. Moving inside he gathered what few weapons were not locked up, thinking to himself before moving on 'they're getting sloppy'. Shooting the access panel to a locker, Cyle opened it and grabbed a couple of rifles and 3 spare first aid kits. "they are not the most advanced form of medical attention, but they get the job done" he said aloud, more to himself than the caitian near him. Taking a quick look at what they had he nodded. "4 phasers and 3 rifles, with 3 first aid kits. Its not much but it'll have to do" Strapping a rifle behind his back, he grabbed a pair of phasers and placed them in his belt. Grabbing a web-belt from the open locker he put the first aid kits on it and placed it around his waist as well. Reaching for a second rifle he held it across his body at ready, and looked at the caitian who had grabbed the rest of the equipment.

<tag T'ress>

Cyle saw something out of the corner of his eye, and whirled around on it his rifle aimed towards the open locker. Moving around to see what had caught his attention, he growled in disbelief at the young boy Freddy. "What are you doing here? its not safe for you." Cyle placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him out into the open. "I wanted to help" the boy said slowly building up tears in his eyes. Freddy moved over to hug the caitians leg as Cyle rolled his eyes in both anger and annoyance. "Murr, it seems we don't have much of a choice in this matter" The caitian said to Cyle.

<tag Matt, Freddy, T'Ress>

"Lets move" Cyle said stepping out the door, only to flatten himself against the wall as phaser fire blew past him. Cyle returned fire with his rifle hitting one of the three officers in the chest. "Go!...now!" Cyle yelled, giving cover fire as the caitian sped across the hallway. Cyle fired again as he nodded to Freddy, who was crying from fright. "Go Freddy, move now" Cyle said stepping forward while firing his rifle. He grabbed Freddy's shoulder and moved the boy behind his legs. Cyle stopped part way and watched as Freddy continued on without him. Firing again Cyle dropped another officer, before hearing his name from his right side. He turned to see Freddy on the floor and rushed over to his side. Bending down to help him Cyle's attention was taken away from the fire fight. Kneeling down he grabbed Freddy and threw him off the ground into the waiting caitian's arms. A final phaser blast ripped into Cyle shoulder as he stood up. Angrily firing his rifle one final time, he leveled the final officer and grunted as he lowered the rifle. "We have to hurry now. they know where we are"

<tag T'ress, Freddy>

The rest of the trio's hurried trip to deck 2 went without incidence, except for Cyle's occasional stop to rest against a wall, and his refusal to use one of the first aid kits. Cyle, Freddy, and the caitian waited until Matt and the others called to them from the jefferies access. Moving over to stand near the access cover, Cyle grunted again as he lowered his rifle and both phasers to waiting hands. Grabbing the web-belt and he lowered it down as well. Looking at the wound on his shoulder he let out a painful sigh and motioned for Freddy to run over, where he could lower him down to Matt's open arms. "Look what we found.." he said with a small barely noticeable grin. Cyle dropped down into the jefferies tube and moved into the front once again. "just one more deck to go, and im sure they will we be waiting"

<tag Matt, Freddy, And T'ress>

OOC the reason i keep calling him caitian is cuase we havent really been introduced to each other. So i dont use his name.

[Deleted]

With the tracking team underway to locate Doctor van Breughel and the tactical situation running smoothly, Megan was thinking more and more about Nathan. A part of her was greatly tempted to join the retrieval team herself once it had been assembled, although she knew that wasn’t the best use of resources. In the first place, she was needed at her post, and secondly, although highly trained in many tactical scenarios, her highest qualifications lay in subterfuge, infiltration, and data retrieval, not assault missions. Still, the idea of leading the mission was extremely appealing, both for the additional gained experience and the alleviation of her guilt.

The team leader had already reported they were successfully tracking the path taken by the kidnappers and that Matheson had been an invaluable asset in doing so. This news was encouraging, and Megan was especially glad the crewman had been able to contribute. It was also good news that the Jefferson hadn’t reentered orbit just yet. The longer the now enemy vessel stayed away, the more time they had and the better the odds they would survive until reinforcements arrived. So all in all, it was good news Commander Garrett was receiving, though she knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Unfortunately, she was proven right far too soon.

“Grant to Garrett, we’ve located the doctor. He’s in some sort of large compound a few kilometers southwest of base. It appears to be the command center for the rebel forces in this area and is serving as a medical facility as well, much like our center. At the moment, he’s in a separate room with only a few other people,” the Captain reported, hesitating before adding, “Ma’am if we make a move now…”

“Negative, Captain,” Megan replied, cutting him off. “I realize this is a tempting opportunity, but it’s not worth the risk. Your team isn’t as well armed or prepared to rescue Doctor van Breughel, and we can’t risk being detected before we’re ready to make an attempt. Gather as much data as you can from a distance before reporting back,” Commander Garrett ordered, momentarily regretting her decision to send the tracking team alone and not being able to take advantage of this opportunity but knowing it had been the right decision to make in the long run.

A few minutes later, the comm lit up again. “Henderson to Garrett, we’re under heavy attack. Grant was hit, and Matheson is dead. We’re in retreat, but the rebels are in pursuit,” the panicked voice of the Second Lieutenant reported, his speech punctuated by the sound of explosions and weapons fire in the background.

Already pulling up scans of the region, Megan replied, “Keep moving, Lieutenant. I’m ordering reinforcements to your position now. They should be moving to cover you shortly.” The small group was fast approaching the Federation lines, but a large contingent of rebels was right behind them and gaining quickly. “Garrett to Major Trella, I’m sending you new orders. Bow the line and advance into position to protect an incoming team from pursuing hostiles. Once they’ve reached safety and the rebel attack has been repelled, retreat back to your previous positions.”

Not allowing herself to think about Grant or Matheson just yet, Megan watched the monitors, but with so much interference it was impossible to get more than a vague idea of what was going on, so all that Commander Garrett could do was wait.

“Trella to Garrett, we’ve got them and are currently engaging the hostiles pursuing them. They lost two men, and two more were wounded, but the remaining three should survive. We’re tending to them now and will escort them all back to base.”

Relaxing slightly, though still feeling a heavy weight, Megan asked, “What is the status of Captain Grant?” A muffled, background reply of, ‘Tell her I’ll be fine; I told you, I don’t need medical attention’ caused a slight smile to flicker across her face as she added, “Never mind, I just heard him. Good work, Major. Garrett out.”

The loss of Matheson and another team member, weighed heavily on her mind, but mourning was quickly replaced with determination. Beckoning a nearby security officer to join her, Megan began to train him to take over her post for awhile, her mind already racing with tactical scenarios and assault procedures. There was no doubt in her mind now; no matter how illogical a move it may be, Commander Garrett was going to be leading the assault team to rescue Doctor van Breughel.

~

“Sir, the explosives are now set. There is now no way to safely enter the bridge except through the turbolifts, which are guarded,” Horella reported smugly. “We are approaching the core and moving into position to tractor it safely back inside.”

“Excellent,” Matelus replied, settling comfortably back into the command chair feeling quite pleased with himself. “Any signs of our little band of renegades?”

“We received a report that while we were clearing Engineering in preparation for putting the core back in its place there was a confrontation with a Starfleet officer. He was neutralized, but it was just discovered he was covering for a small group that managed to escape and evade our detection. There’s no trace of them now.”

Sighing, halfway between frustrated and disinterested, the Lieutenant replied, “It’s only a matter of time before their location is discovered and we capture or eliminate them. Keep me updated the next place any confrontation takes place. That should hopefully give us an indication of which direction they’re heading, though I’m fairly certain they will make an attempt to take the bridge. It’s only a question of when.”

As the bridge prepared for core retrieval, Matelus was beginning to feel more and more comfortable in command and more confident of their eventual victory. Watching his crew work together and seeing the warp core smoothly guided back into its berth, the newly appointed Captain was beginning to feel very proud. As the ship trembled slightly with the core clicking into place, the Dorvan’s leaned back in his chair, very pleased with himself. Almost everything was going his way.

“Sir, a small group was just spotted on Deck 8, near the armory. Phaser fire was exchanged. Tawn and Quella were injured; Riyel is dead,” Wital reported grimly.

Although upset at losing a man, Matelus was feeling too secure to really care. “Treat Tawn and Quella and get them back on guard,” he ordered, pausing to smile a bit triumphantly. “Deck 8, three decks up from Engineering; they’re heading here, just as I predicted. Get two or three men stationed in the briefing room and ready room, armed. If they manage to make it past the charges, we’ll have another surprise waiting for them, an ambush.” Leaning sideways in his chair to place an elbow on the rest, the Lieutenant grinned smugly. “I have no intention of giving this ship back to them. It belongs to Dorvan and to me now."

[Deleted]

~from Matheson's perspective~

Marine recruit David Matheson scouted ahead of the party, keeping a low profile as he'd been taught to keep. He caused as minimal a rustle through the undergrowth as he could, silently quite proud of himself as he managed such a feat, being fully armed and heavy-booted. He was wearing his kevlar vest, though he didn't really put too much faith in that, as he had no clue what this particular enemy would be shooting with.

They had approached the enemy camp and fed back detailed information to Commander Garrett, indicating they had discovered the doctor, though they had no way to verify whether he was alive or dead, as he was lying down and unmoving. From their distance they could neither discern whether he was breathing or whether he was injured because all knew he'd been working non-stop without a chance to change into fresh clothing. All they saw was a multi-colour-blooded male figure lying still.

Signaling the team forward by the waving of his arm, the young marine carried on, pretty much slithering forward. He came to a sudden halt when they encountered a party of the enemy, heading straight their way. "Hold your fire," he whispered, accompanying his words with the appropriate military hand-signals.

One of the men however, who looked to be a reasonably seasoned scout, ignored the warning, jumped up to his feet and started firing at the approaching party. "Hold your fire!" Matheson bellowed, as authoritavely as he could, "I said hold your fire!" In his anger, he forgot the primary rule of scouting: stay in cover.

As a cross-fire was started, Matheson was forced to defend himself, while one of their party fed back their information to the camp. He felt something impact hard on the kevlar plates on his chest, shattering them, followed by a sharp pain just over his left breast. He gasped for breath even as he tumbled backwards. "I've been shot!" he cried, before expelling his very last breath. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

Just as quickly the firefight was over and the remainder of the team hurried back to main camp, leaving the bodies behind as they only held them up in their quick retreat to safety.

~nathan's perspective~

Nathan woke to the twin hiss of the two hyposprays, groaning as he tried to sit up once his mind cleared. To his surprise he found himself able to move freely, though he was firmly held down by a single hand. He struggled instinctively, not wanting to be held down or being restrained in any form. He coughed a few times, feeling his breathing ease while his racing pulse settled.

He suppressed another groan as he did sit up, his right arm completely numb from the shoulder down. Giving it a quick examination he saw the discolouration on his collarbone, on the edge of the bandage around his wounded shoulder. His ribcage felt as though on fire and his left eye was pretty much swollen shut. "How..." he started, before memory came flooding back.

Looking out the window he saw the sun was rising; it was just past dawn, meaning he had slept through the night somehow. A bowl was handed to him and he nearly vomited when he saw the contents. Not wanting to be rude, he merely fished the meat parts out, before almost greedily drinking down the soup he'd been given. He'd not eaten since his previous rest back at the camp and now he felt ravenous.

With a bemused smile on his face, Ta'kel observed his prisoner, though he did feel slightly offended when he removed precious meat from the broth. Noticing the scowl, Nathan offered a half shrug in apology. "I'm vegetarian," he explained slowly, "meat will make me very ill since I haven't eaten any since I was three years old. My stomach can't handle it, I'm sorry."

"We can't have you sick. How do you feel now?"

"Abused," Nathan replied honestly, "and deceived. I would've come if Joshal asked and after he allowed me to finish what I had been doing. And I would've brought more nurses too. As it is, I'm one man for hundreds of patients. And there's only so much I can do, even without a death-threat hanging over me."

This time Ta'kel shrugged. "Nothing I can do about that. If you're done, I think we should head back to your patients..." He hesitated briefly, looking at the bloodied man before him. "Do you have a family?" he finally asked, indulging in his curiosity, allowing himself to get closer to this strange tall man, wanting to learn more about him.

The Human doctor nodded, slowly rising to his feet. "I can't guarantee I'll last long," he added, "I don't feel so good." He looked at the hypospray in Ta'kel's hand and gestured for it. "I'd like to check how much is left." He considered the second question. "I have a son," he answered curtly, "he's nearly six years old. I'm a single parent, the mother never wanted to be involved." Leaving it at that, he held out his hand for the hyposprays.

Reluctantly, the alien rebel handed the devices over upon which Nathan - to his utmost horror - discovered that there was nothing left. "I can tell you now that if we don't get more of this, I won't make it through another day. I was saving up, using smaller dosages, but you've used it all." Angry, he tossed the devices onto the cot, only to sigh afterwards in misery. "I want to go back to my crewmates," he demanded.

"You can't," Ta'kel argued hotly, "you know what'll happen if you try to run again."

"I'm in no condition to run anywhere," Nathan snapped back, "your son saw to that!" Without another word, he walked away, back to his patients to which he tended again without any of the enthusiasm for his profession that he usually showed. Anyone seeing him now saw a broken, defeated and injured physician, who was in terrible need of a bath and clean clothing.

[Matthew Reynolds]

The loss of a crewmember was always hard on the crew and everyone reacted differently. Some took time to remember the good old days, talk to friends or counselors, some like Matt got angry. As first officer of the Jefferson he was responsible for the safety of everyone on board and he had failed. The ship was being controlled by Lieutenant Matelus and his band of Dorvan V rebels. He already knew that he wasn't going to be blamed for this disaster, but that did not help. Hundreds of his people were being shot at, torturted, and killed on the planet and there he was hiding inside a jefferies tube.

"Major take care of that injury," Matt said once he saw Cyle's shoulder injury. Other than him, Cyle was the only crewmember left onboard with any tactical experience."Now that we have been discovered, Matelus will surely be waiting for us."

(Cyle)

"Commander T"Ress, do you think you could create a few distractions for us?" Matt said turning to the Caitian," the bridge is going to be well defended. We need something to help us out."

(J'Varr)

Knowing that everyone was shaken up by the events that happened only a few hours ago, Matt was trying to stay composed. He knew that at times like this, it was up to the senior officers to take charge and get them out of trouble.

"Cyle, once you are ready we'll head to the bridge," Matt said before turning to Freddy," you won't be able to come with us. It will be to dangerous."

(Tag All)

[Deleted]

So "Commander, we cannot stay here for long," Matt said as he approached the two," the injury is not life threatening. We can tend to it once we take over the ship."

“He will be good enough to walk here as it is though. I believe I have healed him as well as I could, in the consideration of my capabilities, after all. Murrr.”

~I'm sorry~ Matt mouthed as he closed the hatch to engineering and ordered his group to continue on their way. As they crawled out of engineering, Matt couldn't help but mourn the loss of Lieutenant Harold Jaro.

J’Varr started to turn back for a moment, gulping. He bit his lower lip with a tear welling in his left eye as he started to walk alongside the other as they continued their escape, crawling clear of the engineering platform as best as he could.

“Everyone will be assigned a specific task and once your done with it you stay where you are. Commander T'ress and Major Johnson will work on retaking the bridge. If you encounter the enemy do not hesitate to shoot because they won't."

J’Varr touched to his sidearm, noting that it was the only weapon remaining on his personage. However, he thought to himself quite seriously about the proposition of reverting to his natural skills and fighting with little more than fangs and claws. It seemed, in some ways, a comforting thought to him.

"Reynolds, the caitian and I will stop here and gather weapons, keep moving towards the bridge and we'll meet you at deck 2."

T’Ress raised his eyebrow for a moment, shaking his head in the way that was customary, “Murr, I have a name, even if I am not a human.”

Reaching for a second rifle he held it across his body at ready, and looked at the caitian who had grabbed the rest of the equipment.

T’Ress purred carefully, removing the diminutive Type-1 Phaser from his side, “Make that one phaser more. I was carrying my sidearm throughout this, I genuinely hope that it will be of some service to us. You will not have to assign me a weapon; I can fight with this.”

"Murr, it seems we don't have much of a choice in this matter" The caitian said to Cyle. “You would not genuinely leave a child such as this behind…would you? That would hardly be Starfleet protocol, let alone common decency!”

Quick to his paws, the feline jumped about in time to avoid the returned fire in his directions. Attacking the wall with his foot paws in a manner that allowed for his body to leap like a predator itself, he bounced across the surface and returned fire with his small device, discharging it wildly as a very different side of his personality took over. He dropped his normal persona; soon letting animal instincts control his actions and bloodthirstiness rule his thoughts until the ordeal was over.

|||||

"Commander T"Ress, do you think you could create a few distractions for us?" Matt said turning to the Caitian," the bridge is going to be well defended. We need something to help us out."

“Murr, what sort of distractions do you mean exactly? Perhaps I do not understand..”

OOC: Alright Cyle nice touch. I though he’d be a little angry though Hehe

[Deleted]

Freddy clung to Reynolds in despair. "Don't leave me!" he cried out, releasing the acting captain just as quicky as though he was very hot to the touch. He pleaded with Johnson, who was tending to his injury and then with T'Ress, who spoke up in his favour. "I promise I'll be good and do everything you say."

There was just no way he was going to be left behind, alone in the mazes of the Jeffries tubes. However as the small party crawled on, finally dropping onto one of the decks to continue their way at a bit more faster pace, Freddy briefly got distracted and wandered off without the others noticing at first.

Freddy himself didn't notice the party not stopping for him but he just had to check out what he'd just seen. He thought he'd seen one of his pets round that particular corner and he chased after the phantom cat.

"Ow!" he cried out as he bodily ran into one of the starfleet dressed rebels. Seeing the familiar of a uniform, the boy saw no harm in it and stepped back to look up. "Oh hello," he said, clutching at his already injured arm, grimacing and biting back the tears. "Have you seen Commander Reynolds? I think I've lost them along the way. You haven't seen a black cat come by have you?"

The man in the starfleet uniform scowled down at him, grabbed him forcefully by the shoulder and herded him along, before bodily picking him up and slinging him across his shoulders so he could keep moving at a faster pace. "Hey!" the boy called out, "I'll tell my dad on you! Put me down!" With his healthy hand, he pounded on the man's back.

The man said nothing, carrying on at a full run, his phaser at the ready. "They can't be far!" he called back. Freddy couldn't tell whether he was talking to someone close-by or over the communicator he was wearing.

[Deleted]

Glancing around at her newly assembled, makeshift strike force, Megan found herself momentarily missing her black ops days. These were all good men, good officers, but their level of training wasn’t what she was used to working with under these circumstances. Having left her station with Ensign Mahoy and the mildly injured Captain Grant, the former operative had carefully instructed them on their mission objectives and procedures and outlined her carefully constructed plan for rescuing Doctor van Breughel. There were a few hours of dark left, and the Commander wanted to try to get back before the sun rose even though she knew they were cutting it too close. Still, leaving Nathan in enemy hands another whole day was out of the question, so the small team had set out following her route.

Unfortunately, there had been several unexpected circumstances encountered that held the small group up, and rather than risk being discovered and putting the mission and team in jeopardy, each was dealt with or circumnavigated before continuing. As such, but the time they had reached a small outcropping of rocks directly adjacent to the doctor’s location, the sun had been up for about an hour. Now on top of trying to get Nathan out, they were going to have to be very careful on the way back to avoid detection, but there was certainly no turning back now.

Once they had established cover in among the dark stones, Megan pulled out her tricorder to ascertain the doctor’s location. Unfortunately, he was no longer in a smaller, separate room, but was mingling amongst dozens of enemy targets, including a large number of wounded. This made things even more complicated, but rather than loose focus, Commander Garrett tried to determine a way to proceed. Waiting here was risky if they stayed too long, but acting too soon while the doctor was in a crowd would be disastrous. When choosing between risky or disastrous, it was a pretty clear decision, so the team stayed low and quiet and simply waited.

A full forty minutes and one dead rebel guard, who had gotten too close, later, and Megan saw their opportunity. Nathan and a single rebel moved from the main room into a smaller side room, for what reason wasn’t clear, but they needed to act fast. Luckily in observing the guard rotation in their vicinity, they knew they had a few minutes to move, so signaling the team to follow her, the Commander dropped down from the outcropping of rocks to the sand below and crept along the side of the building towards the correct window. They only had a few minutes or so to get inside, so a Marine second Lieutenant quickly boosted Megan up so she could see.

Neither Nathan nor the Dorvan was facing the window. The window was cracked and an entire pane was missing, so pulling her hand phaser and aiming, Megan managed to stun the rebel with a single shot. The doctor looked surprised, catching the man as he slumped over, while Megan quickly pushed the window open and smoothly pulled herself inside. “Doctor,” she whispered quietly, “we need to go, now. A team is waiting outside, but we don’t have very much time.”

~

Matelus paced the bridge, waiting either for a report to come in or for Reynolds to make his move. Simply standing around before something happened was terribly frustrating to say the least, but at the moment, it was the best they could do. What would be a long, painstaking process of reinstalling and initializing the warp core had begun, but it would take a long time to properly complete that task. After walking back and forth across the command center dozens of times, the Dorvan commander finally sat back down in his chair just as his commbadge chirped. “Briet to Matelus, we’ve captured a small boy on deck 2, who spoke of Reynolds.”

“Excellent,” the Lieutenant replied, leaping from his seat once more. “That must mean they’re close. Call the guards up from the lower decks and block every exit at Deck 3. Use any additional guards to reinforce our numbers up here,” he ordered.

“Aye, Sir. What do you want me to do with the child?” the crewman questioned.

Tilting his head slightly to one side, Matelus pondered his options for a moment, before replying, “Bring him to me. Perhaps having him with us will enhance our trap and further distract them during their effort to take the bridge.” Smiling to himself, the Dorvan closed the channel and mentally added, 'And after all, we’re not the monsters; they are. We’re not going to kill innocents just because they did.'

A few moments later, the turbolift doors opened and deposited a single Dorvan, struggling to contain a squirming human boy, who was putting up quite a fight, even if it was a hopeless one. Gratefully depositing the child on the deck in a heap, Briet glanced at Matelus. “Your orders?” he requested calmly, glaring with disdain as the young human righted himself into a sitting position and surveyed the bridge.

“Position yourself in the auxiliary turbolift as additional backup for the bridge,” Matelus ordered before turning to the frightened child. “Hello, my name is Matelus. I hope Briet didn’t hurt you. He’s not very good with children you see.” Frowning as he could see the boy clutching his shoulder, the Dorvan held out a hand to the young boy. “It looks like you are hurt. There’s a medkit in the command center. I’m not a doctor, but I’ll do the best I can to help. You can even sit in the Captain’s chair if you’d like,” the Lieutenant offered, smiling soothingly at the small human.