Exit Strategy

Posted on Mon Dec 5th, 2016 @ 5:51pm by Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Bertrand Cuprum & Commander Cor Cordale & Lieutenant Ishan Satele & Lieutenant Sara'draphia T'eseri

Mission: Smoke and Mirrors
Location: Central Square
Timeline: Nightfall

As night fell the lights came on and the houses powered up their devices. The Andrasite crystals were pushed for more energy and produced more of the strange by-product gases. Because people were becoming disoriented they would cluster to the light and gather in groups which only enhanced the effect.

Previously they had only shadows and their own imagining to be afraid of but now there were these new comers; these off-worlders who were threatening their way of life.

Groups began to mingle menacingly and talk and soon they did more than talk. Words were hurled, then rocks. Weapons were grabbed. individuals or small groups soon had to call for emergency extraction or face roving mobs. The demand was becoming more than the ship was able to handle, so an order was given to regroup in the main square.

Bertrand was leading the Team of Marines and Security officers. The Marines had wanted to erect some barricades and set up fire points but Bertrand had resisted.

"This is not our planet, sergeant, and we are not making a beachhead. We are holding position till the rest arrive. We are just waiting on the Teams from Mine 13, the archives and the last of the medical personnel."

The Marine sergeant eyed the knotts of angry people hanging just outside the perimeter of the Starfleet arc of fire. They were angry, but they were civilians and not about to rush an armed group of trained soldiers... at least not yet.

"When this damn breaks I don't think we can hold off a whole town."

"What?" Bertrand asked. His head was killing him and he was trying to concentrate.

"Incoming friendlies!" came a call.

Elijah arrived with Kilbane in tow, the two of them had successfully hidden long enough from the mob so the extraction could be possible. "Number One, your timing is impeccable." The Captain said as he approached the Marines and Bertrand.

Bert just nodded, his eyes were watering and his vision was just begining to swim.

"We found the information we needed in the Records Office, but I'll brief you on that when we leave this planet." He patted Bert on the shoulder and proceeded to the Defenses and picked up a rifle and tossed it to Kilbane. "Lieutenant would you kindly take up a defensive position?"

Kevin caught the phaser rifle and in one smooth movement set it to stun and leveled it. He moved off to a point where he could pretty much see most of the area that the Victory crew were assembling in.

Hobbling along beside Felix, Sara was struggling to stay upright, even with Felix's help. Her little display back at the medical camp had taken more out of her than she'd thought it would and now she was paying the price. Spotting the Barricades up ahead, Sara did her best to put in one last effort, "come on.....almost......there" she said, her breathing laboured

To give himself a bit of a better lookout vantage point, Kevin stepped up onto a small wall and had a good look around. He was about to step down again when he saw what he thought were the azure colours that the medical team wore. A few seconds passed and sure enough, they cam more into view. Quickly jumping down from the wall, he sprinted towards where the medical team were coming in from as some of the angry mob looked like they'd also noticed the medical team and were turning in their direction.

Reaching the perimeter, Kevin shouted out "Stay right where you are, if one of you so much as twitches a muscle or makes any sudden movement towards that team coming in, I'll drop you where you stand, and believe me, I'll have no qualms doing it!"

One of the mob turned to Kevin and began to move towards him saying "You have no right to tell us what we can and cannot do, this is out town..."

Kevin brought the phaser rifle up under the chin of the man and stretched his neck back so that he couldn't move any further "Yes, and those are our people, so if you wish to avoid a fight, one in which you'll undoubtedly lose BIG time, believe me, you'll let them through safely without so much as laying one finger on them....am I clear?"

The man tried to move, so Kevin pushed the phaser rifle point into his neck even harder and then moved his own head in closer to the mans "Let me tell you something compadre....I've had a really bad day, and I'm not in the mood to take no for an answer. I just need one 'tiny' excuse in order to fire this phaser rifle into your skull. You won't feel a thing because you'll be dead before you realise I've fired, but, then I'll start taking it out on your friends here. You see, I have NO scruples as to who I shoot, how many I shoot, or if it'll just stop with me shooting those that currently stand in your little mob. I'll most likely take it into my head to then go and find some others to shoot and I won't stop till my power packs dead.....and I've left a trail of death and destruction behind me, have you got it!!!!!"

The man gulped several times and nodded his head a little, it was all the movement he could really make what with the phaser rifle jammed into his neck.

"Let them through!" the man called out to the others of the mob around him.

"Very good" Kevin said "a very wise decision on your part" he finished as he watched to see if Sara and her team could come safely through the mob and into the safe area the Victory crew had created.

Happy that her staff made it to safety, Sara slowly brought up the rear quickly finding a small piece of floor as soon as she was behind the barricade.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause in the mob, Cordale and the science team came into view. None of the team seemed injured, but they certainly didn't waste any time on this opportunity to pass through the blockade into the rendevous point. "Cordale reporting for duty." the Thux said as they passed the final protester. The group got a lot of harsh looks as they passed through, but none of them seemed keen on throwing the first stone after Kevin's demonstration.

"We're all accounted for." Cordale reported in. "No serious injuries or casualties." as the Thux ushered the science team in further from the mob. He lingered behind in case anyone got any ideas, he'd be the one to bear the results.

"Well that's good to hear, my medical staff is accounted for but most of them are out of commission" Sara said

That was when things went sour. Word had spread of the Federation threatening to kill civilians. The crowd was paranoid and hyped and now law enforcement were turning up with guns of their own. On the far side from Where Cordale had arrived a rock was thrown. It narrowly missed an Ensign who was also on edge and parranoid and he fired into the crowd.

"Hold fire, Damnit!" Bertrand hollered, barely able to see through the fugue of pain. But it was too late.

The Andrasi were now firing on the Federation, as well as throwing rocks and other projectiles. A flaming cocktail burst against the wall where Kevin was standing.

"Bertrand to Victory. Emergency Extraction!"

In cases where emergency rescue and extraction is achievable by Transporters, the USS Victory's 6 Personnel Transporters may transport 6 people each every 90 seconds. There was an blue glow as 36 of the Non security team vanished, leaving Security and the Marines to hold fro the few remaining. Bertrand was doubled over unable to think, leaving Kevin as the ranking Security officer. In the distance they could hear the weapons battery powering up. The Victory was sitting duck with shields down for transport.

Shards of glass showered Kevin as the flaming cocktail burst on the wall, then the heat and the flame from the burning liquid hit. It seared his skin and the pain was intense. He gritted his teeth against the pain, but there was no way he could stop himself from giving out a scream of pain. He frantically patted down the flames that had taken up on his uniform, fortunately for him most of the burning liquid had not come directly towards him but splattered around him.

Karadis saw what had happened and ran across to him, helping Kevin put out the small flames "How bad is it?" she asked.

"It stings like buggery, but it's bearable!!" Kevin replied through his still gritted teeth.

He looked around to see who was still with them and saw that the XO was doubled over and in more serious trouble than he. Shoving Karadis in Bertrands direction Kevin said "Take two Security people and get him back behind us. If he protests, tell him to stop being a baby and let those of us who can still function do our jobs!"

"Aye Sir!" Karadis replied and at once set off in Bertrands direction.

It was at that moment Kevin heard the weapons battery beginning it's power up to fire. He saw that it was pointing skywards, and the only logical answer was it was going to be aiming at the Victory. Grabbing up the phaser rifle he'd dropped when the flaming cocktail had burst against the wall beside him, he set off towards the battery. His body felt like it was on fire because of the the burns, but he ignored it as best he could and kept on going. He got to the Security team and hunkered down amognst them.

"The Captains beamed out and the XO's down, so it looks like I'm the last of the Security Officers here" he began "we need to make sure we secure this area for the beam out, so here's what we're going to do. You four will form a skirmish line with me and we're going to make sure that battery doesn't fire. the rest of you are going to get the XO and whoever's left and form a square around them."

He saw the astonished looks on the security and marine faces.

"Think about it. If you form a square, those in the centre are protected and you're able to defend yourselves from any attack from any direction."

The security and marines all nodded in agreement, and Kevin said "Good! It was good enough for the Duke of Wellington in the Nineteenth century, so it's good enough for us today."

Kevin and the four security team set out their skirmish line and watched as Karadis and her team took the XO back inside the square that had been formed. Turning to the security team he was was commanding he said "Ok, we move forward as one, our objective is to reach and put out of commission the battery over there" he pointed "Anyone get's in our way, stun them, that's an order."

They moved off, and almost immediately the angry mob started hurling abuse as well as stones at them. One of the team get hit on the shoulder and squealed in pain. Kevin moved to make sure they were ok, but was waved back by the guard "I'm ok Sir, just keep going."

Kevin nodded and the line began to creep forward again. Step by step they made their way towards the battery, which had now begun to make and differently pitched tone as their build up to firing continued. Two of the guards closest to the battery were suddenly rushed by the mob, and Kevin watched in horror as they were engulfed by the crowd. He had no choice but to fire into them, stunning three. He watched as they dropped, and the others in the mob backed off.

Running quickly to the two guards, he saw one was badly beaten about the face and the other was almost unconscious. He helped one up, and between them, they picked the third one up.

"Get him back to the square, now!" Kevin said. The guard nodded and the two of them limped off. Kevin turned and made his way back to the last remaining two guards with him. "Right, we've got to give the transporters a little more time to get back for us, so we're going to have to rush the battery. We can't afford to let it fire, so no matter what happens, one of us has to blow their power converter."

The two guards nodded their understanding, and also knew that there was a distinct possibility that they may not make it out alive. Kevin turned and faced the battery. The angry mob had moved back a fair bit now, none of them wanting to be stunned.

"Ok, on three" Kevin said "One, two, three!!!"

The three of them sprinted as fast as they could towards the battery, and as they got closer, phaser fire flew out to greet them. They fired back as they ran, but their accuracy wasn't great. With twenty yards to go, Kevin thought they'd made it when one of his team took a shot to his abdomen and stumbled, then fell.

"Keep going!!" Kevin yelled to the other guard, and as he did so he took a blast to his shoulder which sent him spinning. As he crashed to the ground, the pain he felt was worse than when he'd been hit by the burning liquid before and he screeched "Yeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

The last guard faltered as he saw Kevin fall, and he began to make his way over to him. Kevin waved him away "Get to that bloody battery converter now!!!!"

The guard nodded his head and crouched down to avoid further phaser bursts. He made his way forward, and as he paused between two rocks, he realised he had a clear shot. Adjusting the power on his own phaser, he took careful aim and fired.....the battery converter blew up, and the power up sound stopped immediately.

Kevin knew that now was the best chance they had to get those who were left out and onto the transporters, so hi hit his COMM badge and said "Kilbane to Victory, battery knocked out, beam us out of here...."

The blue glow of the Transporter whirred into action as it beamed up Kilbane and the Ground Team. It was meant to be a mission of peace and diplomacy but instead ended in one of conflict.

The Captain made sure his Crew were accounted for and then pressed his Commbadge. "All Away Team members rest up and get some food, Senior Officers there will be a briefing at 08:00 hours."