Priorities

Posted on Fri Dec 11th, 2015 @ 12:22am by Commander Bertrand Cuprum & Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Cor Cordale & Captain Brenda Sinclair & Lieutenant Ishan Satele & Lieutenant JG Elliot Keller & Johnathen Wade

Mission: If I told you...
Location: Station Hangar Bay

The team was quickly established.

On the main doors, and some distance down the first corridor in each direction, were Marines. These were assisted on the doors by SF Security teams. In the small Shuttle Command deck were one Engineer and a security guard. There wasn't room for anyone else. On the deck a small communicator uplink was being set up by the Flux and his team to boost the communications through he Runabouts to the Victory and each team that was sent out.

The Runabout had unloaded a Command base module and inside Honey was trying to get the sensors to read more then 50m in any direction with any sort of accuracy. Kilbane was trying to arrange a secure feed to the computer but, even with Smith's help this was proving difficult.

A small command team had been gathered, and Smith spoke about what they would be facing.

"It seems there has been no signs of forced entry, which means we are unlikely to be dealing with alien hostiles, sorry Ensign Keller.This is actually more of a concern, because we also haven't been challenged with any internal security forces. We must assume something has happened to the crew. Hopefully, they are not beyond the help of Lt Hood."

"Your Captain has ordered us to make operations a priority. I also know that a number of you have strong feelings that we need to find and help any surviving crew. However, the mission's FIRST priority is, and always will be, the research into R47W. For some reason a station wide security lock down of files has been performed, meaning we cannot access this information remotely and need to go there in person to recover the data."

"My personal opinion is we should focus on the research laboratory first and then tend to the other matters, rather than split our forces. However, this is not my mission and, if the Lt Commander here opts to send multiple teams, that is her prerogative."

Michelle pondered. "Deal with the lab first." she said. "We may all be needed as one unit in case there's a surprise waiting when we get to that laboratory. Once we've established we're all clear... Then we can go our separate ways and remain in contact."

The team assembled quickly. Two marines with Sinclair who swept forward of the group. Smith and his two Intelligence personnel (Kilbane and Karadis) came next guiding the group on the path they should take to the laboratories. Michelle, Honey and Keller were in a tight group with Sela watching over them. Cor and Hood hung at the back with one other security officer in support.

Bertrand remained at the base camp to keep it secure and relay any data to the Victory.

"Satele, keep an open channel between the away team, us and the Victory.

"Understood" Satele responded, opening a secure channel between the three points

"Can you hear us Captain?"

=^= "Copy that Away Team, we can hear you just about," =^=

"What about you, away team?"

"So far so good." Michelle said... "We're in position."

"Keep talking to us. We are blind here." Bertrand switched off the comms and looked back at Wade. "Hey barkeep. Make yourself useful? Find out how to get that replicator to make good coffee."

Jack shook his head. "Don't ask for the impossible, there is replicator coffee and there is good coffee, never both."

The away team moved down the Port side corridor. Almost immediately they began to find signs of conflict. Mostly small arms fire; type I and II phaser pistols. The occasional makeshift barricade where a table or cupboard had been dragged into the corridor.

"Looks like it might have been a fight after all," one of the Marines observed.

Keller noticed the signs of Weapons Fire. "That is only Starfleet Weaponry, no Breen marks." He said clutching his Phaser ever so tightly.

The team kept moving until they reached an access ladder. The first marine stood at the top with weapon ready while the second slid down and quickly drew his own.

He suddenly dropped into a crouch, yelling, "Contact! I have one officer down at 80 meters, possibly injured."

Kevin and Karadis moved up to be at the top of the line next to the ladder.

Looking at Smith Kevin said "You're to valuable an asset to go down first Sir, let me and Karadis go down with the Marine here, see what we find then we'll signal you if it's clear."

Smith glanced at the man, his face a picture of anxiety. There was something that Smith knew but wasn't telling. "Intelligence isn't a front line role, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Sir, I know we're no longer in Security, however, we're trained as such, but now we also have the addition of the Intel training given to us to help as well" Kevin replied.

Smith glanced back at Michelle, "It's still your team; your call."

"I promise we'll take every precaution Commander" he replied.

"At least let the Marines take point," Smith allowed. Aware of the orders he had given his own people in the cargo bay.

"Agreed. Marines can take point. I know you don't need to warning, gentlemen but... Be careful. Something's not right here." she said, looking around at her surroundings, phaser out. What the hell could have caused something like this?

Nodding, Kevin sent the second Marine down the ladder then followed himself and Karadis brought up the rear. At the bottom of the ladder, the four of them all crouched down and listened hard for any noise, no matter how faint. Karadis head turned and she stared!

Kevin looked at her and silently signaled the "What?" question to her.

Karadis signaled back that she heard a faint scrapping noise beyond where the body lay some eighty metres ahead. Kevin turned to the two Marines and signaled for then to fan out down each side of the corridor but to move slowly and be careful.

The Marines signaled back that they understood, and moved off, Karadis and Kevin tucking in behind. It took them a few minutes to reach the body, but the closer they got, the more pronounced the scrapping sound was. Once at the body, Kevin quickly checked the neck for a pulse. Karadis looked at him for verification of life, but Kevin shook his head, there was nothing. He gently felt around the body for any wires or hidden devices, he was taking no chances. Fortunately the body was clear, so he lifted it by the shoulder and looked underneath at the face. It was a woman, age roughly around her thirties, but there was something quite unusual about her appearance. There were white lines, almost like veins, all over her face, and the front of her hair was pure white as well. He looked at Karadis, no understanding on his face, and Karadis just shook her shoulder.

Again silently, he signaled Karadis to go back to the ladder and get Smith down there immediately. She moved off and when she got to the bottom of the ladder she looked up, saw Smith looking down and beckoned him to come down.

The away team dropped quickly to the level bellow. The two marines had remained forward with the body. Kardis was just about to report when there was a scream.

It happened so quickly that it was difficult to be certain what had occurred, but when they looked back to the Marines the dead woman was upright and clawing at one Marines face. The other fired two short stun bolts into the woman's back, but it didn't stop her.

Michelle targeted her weapon at this... thing. And fired. It also seemed to have no effect. "I suppose someone doesn't have a vase they can just knock this thing out with?" she asked sarcastically. "Keep trying to stun it!"

Kevin turned at the sound of the scream, and saw that the woman who'd been lying on the ground was now frantically clawing at the face of one of the Marines. Neither stun shots from the other Marine, nor from Commander Bartlett had any effect. Instinct had him run at the woman, then drop and 'slide tackle' the unknown woman, taking her feet out from under her.

Before she was hitting the ground, Kevin was back on his feet again, and turning to get her attention. His hope in doing what he was doing was that he'd get the attention of this....whatever it was and allow someone to help the Marine who'd been attacked. It worked, the woman now turned her attention on him as a new target to attack.

"If anyone has any bright idea's on how to stop this thing, now would be a good time to use them!" he shouted as he watched the woman slowly come towards him.

The woman's eyes flashed between the Marine and Kevin, the two closest targets.

There wasn't really all too much room to maneuver, let alone for a Thux to get a look at what exactly was causing all the commotion and all the need for shooting. Though, when he did, he thanked his lucky stars that his vid collection included as much as it did.

"Limb removal or sensory depri--... fuck it, take out the limbs, or take off the head! Full power, you can't stun it!" came the voice of reason from the back.

"No," Smith yelled suddenly.

At the same moment another voice further down the corridor yelled, "Don't touch her! Stand away!"

A single figure with a Phaser rifle and Starfleet teal was standing at the end of the corridor weapon raised. He fired a single pulse, a death shot from the sound and the woman went down. She lay on the ground dead and twitching.

"This way, now," The man in blue called. "Hurry, before she gets up again.

Kevin didn't need a second invite. He jogged over to the injured Marine, and taking their weight in a 'fireman's lift', he started down the corridor to where the retreating Teal uniformed Starfleet officer was heading. As he passed Karadis he said "I certainly hope this guy's on the level!"

Cordale was in the back bringing up the rear, making sure that no one got left behind. He gave the twitching woman a glance as he passed by, just to make sure that she didn't get the sudden idea to lunge at him. He kept his prosthetic limb facing her, though. It had a little more durability than his right arm.