The Rescue
Posted on Thu Jan 2nd, 2025 @ 9:43pm by Lieutenant JG Osil Haistro & Commander Lillian Carter & Lieutenant Commander Liam Reynolds & Lieutenant Rohan Read & Drew The Lurker Haistro & Glinn Slorir Varin
Edited on on Thu Jan 2nd, 2025 @ 9:46pm
1,614 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission: Episode 8: Palingenesis
ON
As they beamed in Liam now being in the same physical space as his twin could sense him more and more.
"This way," he indicated. He could sense others too. "There's aliens in the next corridor." Not one to normally use weapons, nothing was preventing him from getting his brother back, he unholstered his phaser and looked to Osil as the official security officer to lead.
“Osil tightened his grip on his own rifle. He did prefer rifles over hand phasers, preferring their accuracy and fire power. "I sense them too." The Betazoid security officer looked around the gathered team. "Fire first, as questions later," he suggested. "Anything unconscious can't fire first but if we get knocked down first, it's all in vain. So...see movement, shoot first. Keep an open comm, communicate position so you don't get downed by friendly fire."
Liam nodded and shared a look with Amia not sure when the last time she had had to use a phaser. He took point with Lieutenant Haistro. "If theres any time we might be able to work out why the Romulans are working with the S'oNa." It was obviously a secondary goal. The intel would be useful but then Jon might have more of an outlook on that.
"Assuming we have time," Osil remarked, "our priority is Captain Reynolds. Taking a prisoner for information is secondary."
The first Cardassian had no clue anyone had managed to beam into the vessel. They left him unceremoniously on the floor. There was a console, "Whose good at Cardassian?" Liam quipped looking at the alien markers. "Perhaps we can get a floor plan?"
Osil shook his head, he was anything but a linguist. "Didn't we bring our station's Cardassian liaison?" He asked quietly, "maybe we should've drafted that nurse that visited the station a while ago."
Liam stepped aside and looked at Glin Varin. They had brought the Cardassian liaison. A lot of folks didn’t trust him. Liam supposed now he had a moment to prove them wrong on that score.
Glin Slorir Varin stepped forward, looking around the group of personnel that had accompanied them on this mission. Initially, the Cardassian Guard officer had been contented to remain on the starship and not travel along for this leg of the mission. At the last moment, however, he was convinced to tag along and chose to do so. Reaching the workstation, the Cardassian official started working on the panel.
"Interesting," he said as he typed on the 'bear claw' styled interface. "It's not recognizing my authorization codes. With my role in the Cardassian Guard I have clearance just below your equivalent of a flag officer. Odd."
Osil smiled suggestively as he leaned in. "Surely, you can hack into it?" He whispered, " we won't tell anyone...."
"If I wanted to deploy the Counter Insurgency Program I would be certain to try," the Cardassian Commander answered as he typed on the interface. Sighing, the alien tried navigating the submenus to try to trick the system.
Liam gave him a look. What exactly had this man done in the Romulan Empire?
Whatever he did do set off an alarm though. "Plan b?" Liam looked at Osil. As far as he knew that was just shoot your way and keep going.
Not even reading his thoughts, Osil shrugged. "Plan B generally just means shoot our way out. Preferably without leaving any casual but that can't always be avoided." He kept his eyes on the Cardassian, just in case.
Varin typed on the brown and green interface panel, quickly navigating through the various submenus trying to overwhelm the system. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be potentially showing a Federation official how to confuse the interface, but he also knew that the Central Command had directed him to 'improve their relationship.' If he tried one last thing it may allow in override. Entering the sequence, he turned, "Plan B may not be necessary, at least informationally."
Liam nodded and lent down to look at the screen. He had found a floor plan. He reached out with his senses, his twin was close. "Hes there. What are those rooms?" he asked the Cardassian. There were two larger rooms they needed to navigate to get to the corridor he knew Jon was being kept captive.
"Rooms we obviously need to cross," Osil deadpanned, grinning excitedly, "we should press on."
The Cardassian's heart sank, "Main barracks."
Liam resisted the urge to say "Lock and load."
He followed the full Betazoid. He'd never been in a Cardassian Barracks but he had survived a trip on a collector one time. That had been pretty hairy.
Slorir looked at the Starfleet personnel, glad that they were at least taking their safety to heart during this assignment. The Main Barracks was the location of the bunks for enlisted Cardassian personnel.
Read had been quiet during the exchange but he'd been keeping tabs on the area to make sure no one would sneak up on them. His phaser rifle was raised to his shoulder and was ready to lead the team towards the main Barracks.
"Well then," Osil said as he readied his rifle and preceded the rest, "let's do this. Mr Slorir if you'd be so kind and stay close and warn us of any traps so we can get all across safely? Also don't want to see you shot by your own people... imagine the paperwork involved in that .."
"I'll lead, Slorir behind to direct and warn if he needs to. Haistro, take the rear and watch our six. Everyone else, in the middle. Any questions?" Read explained glancing at the away team.
Liam made sure to stand in front of Amia. He didn't want her hurt or a target if they could help things. "Do we aim to stun or to injure sir?"
Just then, Lillian's voice came over the coms. "Cerberus to away team. Report your situation."
"I recommend stun," Osil commented dryly as he took up the rear, "heavy stun though ...kill only if left no choice, we don't want to get a reputation, do we?"
"Theirs won't be," the Cardassian Liaison interjected, "try not to get shot."
"Heavy stun." Rohan agreed. "Agreed no killing unless absolutely necessary.'
Varin nodded and commented, "Mine's always on Heavy Stun." He manipulated a dial on his Cardassian Phase-Disruptor pistol, ensuring he was ready for the fight that would surely come. Going through the Main Barracks was tantamount to suicide. "Anyone going to let the ship know what we're doing though?"
"I can sense 4 in the next room," Liam said. "And the Captain ordered the rescue mission. The ship knows. Two towards this end. I can sense them," he said, "The others further in. If we go in one high, one low in pairs each side we might be able to stun the first two straight off and try get the others in a cross fire once we have eyes on them," he suggested. He wasn't trained in security by any degree but he had been on a fair few missions with the marine Jack Patton. And seen his team play that move.
"Agreed." Read said. "Well need everyone on the ball and watching their designated area."
"Good thing we got a couple of telepaths then," Osil quipped. "Being tall, I'll take high," he added more seriously so it was clear this wasn't just game and exercise to him. "If you'd please count down commander....on three..."
Varin readied his own weapon, somewhat surprised he was being so supportive.
Liam stepped towards the Cardassian. "I'll go low," he told him. "And once we have my brother safe I owe everyone a drink. Or ten."
"Let's go," the Cardassian practically hissed to the others.
Read nodded before he began to lead the team forward. Checking all potential angles of attack as he moved.
They had very little time before the occupants of the room realized people had entered not enlisted on their ship. Liam managed to stun a couple of people but not as many as the security chief and the others.
When it was clear they had managed to get everyone, Liam walked over and almost gawped at one of the unconscious bodies. "Son'a," he said. He knew Jon's last ship had had tussles with them. Even almost blowing up Starbase 308, his brother and his crew thwarting that. "Why are they working with Cardassians? Hopefully Jon will know more. He's close, through there. Theres one left with him. A female. Not Cardassian," he said extending his senses out. He had not met a Son'a face to face but assumed the one in there with his twin was that race.
"Interesting," the Cardassian Liaison Officer answered as he saw the Son'a. "The Cardassian Union is at war with the Son'a because of their continued allegiance to the Dominion after the war. I'm surprised to see one of them here," Varin added as he looked back to the others, his hair slightly disheveled from the combat.
"I don't think this is your regular run of the mill So'Na. Jons ship had numerous interactions with a break off group who started calling themselves the "Ce'tea", Liam told him. Clearly they are working together for some reason. How are we playing this?" he asked looking at the door. One of the last obstacles between him and his twin.
"Wide beam heavy stun," Osil suggested, "just stun everyone in that room and we'll retrieve your brother and we high tail out of here "
"I suggest if we can retrieving the stunned Cetea. I suspect starfleet intelligence will want to speak to her," Liam suggested. "Okay on three?"
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