Post #213: The Rescue

Posted on Thu Feb 20th, 2025 @ 1:46am by Major Charlotte Thrace & Ensign Hannah Thrace & Sergeant Major Okan & Lieutenant Commander Michael McMahon & Lieutenant JG Yujas Ritt & Ensign Derek Harker & Ensign Erin Couldis & Captain Joel Haines & Lieutenant Thomas Ryan MD

6,443 words; about a 32 minute read

Mission: Secrets
Location: various
Timeline: current

On:

Charlotte had chosen El-Adrel as the jump point because it was sufficiently outside of Federation space so as to not attract attention from any Federation ship or installation. Standing centrally on the bridge of the Angel Charlotte, who was already geared up for the rescue mission, was taking a few deep breaths. "Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel" she muttered under her breath, it was in the moment interesting to remember that El-Adrel, their launch point for this mission, was best known as the place where the Federation and the Tamarians established communication with each other. "All right Hannah let's do this thing. Black Alert."

"Initiating Spore Drive." Hannah said, down in the engine bay the spores would be being loaded, Codi would be putting her hands on the pad and elsewhere the rescue team would be running to the shuttlebay and boarding one of the Kaplan F17's. It was only the viewscreen that gave any hint that they'd moved one minute the planet was there and the next all that they could see was the nebulous cloud.

"Hannah tell me we're in the nebula." Charlotte said

"We're in the nebula." Hannah said "Right where we're supposed to be."

"Ship's yours." Charlotte said tossing her sister the family heirloom "Don't be late."

"We'll be there." Hannah said

Charlotte ran down to the shuttle bay and boarded the Kaplan F17, this type of craft always amused her because it looked to some extent like a box on skis or ice skates. Finding the rest of the team already there she closed the boarding ramp "Mr Andrews take us out." she said "Let's go get our man back."

Erin had entered the Kaplan after a few hours alone in her quarters. She had spent time meditating and practicing techniques that had been handed down to her from her mother, and other Betazoids. She knew that there was nothing that would prepare her for actually finding the Admiral, she would rely on her strength and abilities, but every little bit helped. She nodded at those assembled, and took her seat.

Yujas kept a watch over his station as the ship moved through space. There wasn’t much to be done until they found the Admiral and he was ready to do so.

Joel walked onto the Kaplan and took a seat. This was game time and everything had to move like clockwork for them to succeed. He looked around and there was mixed emotions among them. He could understand, the stakes were high on this one.

Mike McMahon stepped onto the Kaplan, and gave a quick glance around, acknowledging Erin, Yujas, and Joel with a curt nod before moving to check his gear.

Doctor Thomas Ryan arrived on the Kaplan with his usual calm demeanor, though there was a quiet intensity in his eyes. He had spent years studying the Synthulans, and if Admiral Bradley was in their hands, his expertise could prove invaluable.

He took a moment to assess the crew present, offering a brief nod to McMahon.

Glancing at Erin, he added, "If we do find the Admiral, I may need your help. I doubt the Synthulans would leave him in a good state, physically or mentally."

Then, to the room at large, he said, "Let’s be clear—if the Admiral has been exposed to their technology, we’ll have to be extremely careful. Extraction is one thing. Understanding what’s been done to him… that’s another."

His words weren’t meant to be grim, just practical. He wasn’t here to fight—he was here to make sure they brought Chris Bradley back in one piece.

Charlotte nodded as the small Kaplan departed from the Angel and headed for the nebula boundary "If we do this right it's a simple smash and grab without them knowing what hit them until it's too late." she said "Erin you're the key to this whole thing once we get in there your ability to sense emotional presence will help us massively, don't open your mind too much I don't want to risk you being overcome by it. Once we hit the nebula boundary we'll go into low power mode and drift in our inertia to maximise our chances of avoiding detection. Mr Harker charge the EMP, Commander McMahon monitor the distance as soon as the facility is within range we detonate the EMP and short their systems out."

"Of course I'll help in any way I can," Erin said to Doctor Ryan. "And I'll do my best, Lieutenant. Without knowing what I'll be exposed to I can't say for certain, but as long as you're there to get me out of there I'll find the Admiral, I assure you."

"Ok." Charlotte said "No mercy to be shown and no quarter given, do not hesitate, weapons on rotating frequencies."

Joel’s eyes met Charlotte’s in silent acknowledgement. She knew he would follow her orders. There was a loyalty between them like none other. It was game time and Joel was ready.

Derek Harker nodded sharply at Charlotte’s orders, his hands already moving over his controls as he primed the EMP charge. His training had drilled efficiency into him, and even in a high-stakes mission like this, he kept his breathing steady and his focus razor-sharp.

"EMP charging," he confirmed, eyes flicking between his readouts and the nebula beyond. "We'll be ready to fire on your mark."

Mike McMahon stood near the tactical display, arms crossed as he listened to Charlotte lay out the plan. His expression was unreadable, but those who knew him well could tell his mind was already running through every possible contingency. He didn’t like relying on an EMP—it was effective, sure, but it also meant they were on the clock the moment it went off. If the Synthulans had backups or redundancies they weren’t aware of, things could turn ugly fast.

"Monitoring distance," he acknowledged, fingers moving across his console with practiced ease. The readings flickered as the Kaplan drifted under low power, the nebula’s interference making sensor accuracy a nightmare. "We’re getting some distortion, but I’ll compensate."

He glanced over at Erin, catching the determination in her eyes. He wasn’t a telepath, but he understood pressure, and she had the weight of this entire mission on her shoulders.

Then his gaze flicked to Charlotte. "No mercy, no quarter," he repeated. "Let’s just make sure we hit them fast enough that it doesn’t come to that."

Erin steadied herself, aware of everyone's concern for her. She would not fold, she would find the Admiral. They were counting on her and she wouldn't let them down.

Dr. Thomas Ryan remained seated, his fingers idly tapping against his armrest as he listened to the exchange between Charlotte and the others. His sharp eyes flicked toward Erin when she reassured him of her abilities. He appreciated her confidence, but he knew all too well that the unknown had a way of unraveling even the best-laid plans.

"Just stay sharp," he said to Erin, his voice measured. "The Synthulans don't just rely on brute force. If they’ve been experimenting on Admiral Bradley, they might have defenses we haven't even considered yet. If something feels wrong, don't push it—pull back and tell me."

His gaze moved to Charlotte. "And if we do manage to extract him, I need time to assess his condition before we assume he's safe. Their technology isn’t just physical—it’s invasive. There’s a reason Starfleet still doesn’t fully understand what they’re capable of."

Ryan leaned back slightly, exhaling as he prepared himself for what was ahead. He wasn’t a soldier, but in this moment, he was just as crucial as any fighter on this team. If they got Bradley out, it would be his job to make sure they hadn’t just brought something far worse back with them.

"I'll be able to sense if they're affecting him telepathically," Erin assured the Doctor. "Once I have located him and figured out what condition his mind is in, it should be pretty straightforward in getting him out. I know there will most likely be things we don't expect, but I'll handle my end."

Charlotte's attention was taken by the view out of the front window as the Kaplan got out into clear space and they got their first look at the Synthulan facility. She knew they'd probably get in there, the potential issues didn't start until they did. "Come on, come on." Charlotte said as they drifted forwards "Bio dampeners on." she ordered pressing the armband device that she and the others wore. "Commander McMahon the minute we get to transporter range call it."

Mike’s eyes remained locked on the tactical readout, his expression still unreadable as the Kaplan crept toward its target. The moment of truth was fast approaching, and he knew better than to trust the silence that surrounded them.

At Charlotte’s command, he activated his bio-dampener with a tap on his armband, feeling the faint hum as it engaged. His gaze flicked toward the facility ahead, the structure dark and foreboding even against the nebula’s shifting glow.

"Understood," he said simply, his voice steady. His fingers hovered over his console, making minor adjustments to compensate for the nebula’s interference.

A few tense seconds passed. Then his display flickered—an indicator shifting green.

"We’re in range," Mike reported, his tone sharp and precise.

This was it, this was the Rubicon, the moment the next order was given they were committed. "Mr Harker." Charlotte said "Detonate the EMP."

Derek’s eyes narrowed as he locked onto the final readouts. The EMP charge was primed and ready. The tension on the bridge was palpable, but Derek’s training kept his hands steady. He had been through countless simulations, but this—this was the real deal. The moment where lives hung in the balance.

"EMP detonation in three... two... one," he announced, pressing the button with precise determination. The charge was released, the blinding flash of the pulse engulfing the space ahead, cutting off the facility's systems like a knife through butter.

His fingers flew over the console, monitoring the feedback from the EMP. His gaze flicked toward the rest of the crew, knowing that their next steps would determine everything.

"EMP deployed," Derek confirmed, watching as the systems read green across his board.

"Everyone to transporters." Charlotte said as she pressed a few buttons on the console nearest her. "

Mike logged out of his station and headed to the transporters.
Derek followed suit.

Joel headed on his way to the transporter, right behind McMahon.

Erin took a deep breath, and headed for the transporter as well, knowing that in a few short minutes they'd all be counting on her.

Charlotte waited until everyone had headed for the transporter before inputting the final sequence into the console she'd been working at, the lights pulsed red and the countdown came up "Auto destruct in five minutes." the computer said as she ran down the stairs to the transporter.

"Okan?" Charlotte said

"Transporter ready on a fifteen second delay." Okan said

"Let's go." Charlotte said getting up onto the pad followed quickly by Okan who'd already hit the button. The transporter kicked in and beamed the rescue team aboard, there really was no going back now.

Joel looked around for any sign of immediate danger and seeing none, waited for the commander to hand out orders. He had his weapon in his hand not wanting to waste time should the need arise.”

Derek materialized with the rest of the team, his rifle already at the ready, sweeping the immediate area as his training demanded. His pulse was steady, his breathing controlled—this was the moment they had all been preparing for.

"Clear," he muttered, shifting slightly to cover the team's flank. His eyes flicked toward Charlotte, awaiting the next move.

His grip tightened on his weapon. This was it. No turning back.

Mike moved swiftly, falling into formation with the others as they secured the landing zone. His eyes scanned the corridor ahead, reading every shadow, every possible threat. The EMP had done its job, but he knew better than to trust silence—it was often the precursor to chaos.

"Stay tight," he murmured, his voice low but firm. "We move fast, we move clean. If anything still has power, assume it's a threat."

His gaze flicked toward Erin. She was the key to this mission, and he needed her in one piece. "Erin, let us know the second you feel something off. No heroics." His tone was softer but still carried the weight of authority.

Then, back to Charlotte. "Lead the way. Let's get the Admiral and get the hell out before this place wakes up."

"Okan take point, Joel watch the tail." Charlotte said checking her wrist scanner "One human bio-sign that way." she patted Okan's shoulder "Let's move, Erin if you get any read on Bradley's mind I need to hear it."

“On it.” Joel replied and got into position, there was no one getting by him. He watched as they started to move towards their objective.

Derek gave a sharp nod to no one in particular, his focus unwavering. He kept his rifle trained forward, covering their advance as they began their infiltration. Every step felt weighted with the enormity of their task, but he pushed aside the pressure, channeling it into precision.

Derek fell in line, every muscle coiled and ready. Whatever was waiting for them, he would make sure they got the Admiral back—no matter what.

Mike's eyes flicked to Charlotte, waiting for the next call. They had made it inside, but that was only step one. Now came the real test—finding Admiral Bradley and getting out before the Synthulans could recover.

Progress was understandably a fusion of cautiousness and appropriate pacing. Having Okan at the tip of the spear was enough to ensure that no unnecessary risks were going to be taken. As they continued Charlotte took a half step to the side and slowed her pace so she could seamlessly drop back to the tail and keep step with Joel, something was starting to bug her "We've been here a hot minute." she said once she was next to Joel and they were both keeping an eye on the tail "And we haven't seen a single Synthulan... a facility this large should need a substantial crew, even with the EMP we should be having to account for Synthulans. So where the heck are they?" It wasn't that Charlotte was displeased at making progress without being shot at but this almost seemed a little too easy and that usually meant one thing - something was up.

Erin stopped suddenly, her eyes closed and her face blank.

"Wait," she whispered. A few seconds passed before she spoke again. "I can sense the Admiral, he is in severe pain but conscious. I'm not sensing any of the Synthulans, but my guess is they're masking themselves somehow." She frowned, worried. "Something feels off, like a force pushing against my mind. Can anyone else feel that?" When they shook their heads, she nodded. "It's telepathic, then. Whatever it is feels like a battering ram."

"Hold and post up." Charlotte said, bringing the team to a stop for a moment, she was starting to feel more and more like the fly in a spiders web but Erin had been her ace in the hole for a reason and this was it, moving over to Erin she tapped her on the shoulder "Erin... can you talk to him? Can you talk to the Admiral?" she asked.

"I think- I might be able to. There is so much interference. Let me try," Erin said. She closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, and then went still. Several long seconds went by before she spoke again. "I have him. What would you like me to say?"

"Start with the hopeful stuff, tell him we're here and we're coming to get him." Charlotte said "And then see if he can tell you how many in the room with him, any traps or surprises and so forth."

Tom spoke up. "Remember he may not believe it's you right away. The Synthulans mess with people's minds. He may have been tourtured with images and what he thought was us. You'll have to get him to believe it's you."

“Mention something they wouldn’t know.” Joel spoke up. “You know like Jordan is crying because Admiral Olvera won’t make him his cookies. It is something they would not know.” Erin cracked a smile at the Marine's words, but did not open her eyes.

"That seemed to do it," she said after a moment. "He said that there are three in the room with him that he can see, but his view is restricted." She grimaced, the force was getting stronger. "They do not seem to be aware of us, but he can't tell us if there are any traps or dangers ahead of us. He has been in that room pretty much since he arrived."

Joel turned to Thrace. “We need to go in as planned. I will cover your six, no one will get past me.” It wasn’t just Haines talking he meant it. If they somehow picked up on their plan, Joel would do whatever necessary to keep them safe and make the mission a success.

It was telling that not even a comment about Jordan broke Charlotte's focus though she did grin for a moment, she'd make a note of Jordan's fondness for cookies. Turning her gaze down towards their destination she made the calculations in her head forming the assault plan. There were other details she'd like to get turning back to Erin she was about to ask a question when her attention caught something on the Counsellor's forehead, it looked like the sort of thing that her snipers used to guide their aim, putting her hand on Erin's forehead didn't obscure the light, which meant it was a reflection off the wall. "Okan get a phase frame on that door now." she ordered raising her weapon and pointing it in the direction they'd come making sure she was body blocking Erin, sure enough there was an ominously looming red dot "Mr Ryan is that what I think it is?"

Tom looked from the dot on Charlotte around the room. He moved over just to look at it. "Well I'll be damned. Yes Lt, it's exactly what you think it is. So much for surprise, if they are even able to see it this moment. But that also means we don't have a lot of time if that is active now."

"Mr Harker and Yujas watch the corridor, anything hostile comes this way you shoot first and ask questions later." Charlotte said "Okan is that frame ready?"

"Ready." Okan said

"Ok." Charlotte said looking at Mike, Erin and Andrews "See that large rectangular frame on the door? Well as me, Joel and Okan make entry through it you're going to fire through it, no shots under six feet though." she went and stood next to where Okan and Joel were waiting "Okan activate the frame."

The phase frame, was perhaps a name that some would misunderstand assuming it was explosive to some extent but it wasn't it was a device that took the section of wall, door or whatever was contained within it out of phase meaning that it could be passed through much like a ghost through a wall. Once Okan nodded to Charlotte the trio charged through, this wasn't going to be any shooting assault, this was close quarters, this was what they trained for and three in the room that they knew of made this a fair fight and if there were any more well they'd soon find out that you didn't mess with Charlotte or her marines.

Derek gave a curt nod, his rifle still raised. The Synthulans were unpredictable, and he wasn’t about to let his guard down. His eyes darted between doorways and possible ambush points. His job was to ensure they got in, got the Admiral, and got out without losing anyone.

Mike nodded, gripping his phaser rifle tightly as he took position. "Got it," he muttered, his eyes locked on the phase frame. As soon as the marines breached, he brought his rifle up, sighting down the frame. His finger hovered near the trigger, ready to drop anything that tried to flank them.

"Stay sharp," he said to Erin and Andrews, his voice low but firm. "No shots under six feet—watch your angles. We’re covering their backs."

His breath was steady as he tracked movement inside, waiting for any threats beyond the trio’s immediate fight. If anyone tried to reinforce from deeper in the structure, they'd have to go through him first.

As the firefight broke out inside the room, Dr. Thomas Ryan stayed just outside the engagement zone, monitoring his tricorder for any unexpected life signs or anomalies. He wasn’t a combatant, but his expertise in intelligence and analysis made him a critical asset in situations like this.

With the phase frame still active, he quickly scanned the immediate surroundings, ensuring no hidden enemies were waiting to ambush them. His brow furrowed as he checked the readings—so far, everything matched their intel, but he didn’t trust that to last.

Charlotte was first through the frame as soon as she was on the other side, she moved on one Synthulan, one of her blades out and went to work, a split second later Okan was ramming right into a second. "Got mine." Charlotte said as she wrestled with the Synthulan.

"Got mine." Okan said

"Joel?" Charlotte asked.

Joel followed suit and took out the third Synthulan, a smile of satisfaction on his face. “That makes three down.” It wasn’t normal for any of them to react this way but these l were extreme times.

Charlotte looked around as she pulled her now bloodied crystal blade from the Synthulans back, just the three "Everyone else in here now!" she said "Okan take post at the door."

Erin had been focused on communicating with the Admiral telepathically, and fighting off whatever was bombarding her senses. She was glad that the others were able to fight the Synthulans, because the idea of being able to handle them with everything else going on in her mind... it was impossible. She grunted quietly with the strain.

"We have to move faster," she panted, "I do not know what they are doing, but I think they have something set up as a defense against telepaths. I do not think I am going to be able to hold out much longer." Her eyes were squeezed shut, anguish written all over her features.

“If you grab Bradley.” Joel suggested to The marine commander. “I’ll grab the counselor.” Erin looked ready to collapse he didn’t think she would be able to move quick enough or to be able to focus much longer.

Charlotte's eyes darted from Joel to Erin and then over to where Okan was standing watch, the Jem'Hadar marine shook his head in answer to the silent question that Charlotte's eyes were asking - no there wasn't any sign of anyone coming yet. However Charlotte was willing to be that it wouldn't be too long now, EMP's had a certain effective time and once the effects wore off then the affected systems would gradually come back online and the problem with fighting a hive mind such as the Borg or the Synthulans was that it had to be assumed that once the link was restored it would be noticed that three of the number weren't online. The unknown variable in this whole plan had always been the amount of time it would take the Synthulans to recover from the EMP and judging from Erin's current state that was running out on them fast.

"Doctor Ryan get the Admiral out of that cell." Charlotte said "Erin either break that connection or Joel's going to knock you out and carry you."

Tom Ryan’s sharp mind kicked into gear immediately as Charlotte’s words hit him. He nodded quickly, his gaze scanning the room for any potential dangers or complications, then swiftly moved toward the cell holding Admiral Bradley. His expertise in Synthulans, combined with his medical background, gave him the edge in assessing the situation.

As he approached the cell, he noticed the faint hum of a hidden mechanism, a typical Synthulan trap. His fingers flew over the console, eyes narrowing as he identified the intricate circuitry. It wasn’t just a standard lock, but a sophisticated booby trap—designed to kill anyone attempting to unlock the cell without disabling it first.

“I’ve got this,” Tom muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He worked quickly, pulling out a small tool from his kit to bypass the security measures. His hands moved with practiced ease, but there was an urgency to his actions. If he didn’t disable this in time, the Admiral wouldn’t make it out alive.

As the final connection was severed, Tom’s fingers paused, his brow furrowing. The trap had been deactivated, but something was off. He could feel the faint pulse of another program embedded within the system—a hidden alarm. It would trigger once the cell was opened.

“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. “There’s an alarm. It’ll go off as soon as we open this door. We’ll have maybe seconds before the Synthulans respond.”

He cursed quietly, realizing the danger they were in. With the EMP’s effects fading, the Synthulans would be back online soon, and any sign of them missing from their hive mind would raise immediate alarm.

“Charlotte,” Tom called, urgency in his voice. “I need someone to help me keep this from triggering. We can’t afford to make any noise. If we get the Admiral out now, we risk alerting the Synthulans before we can move him to safety.”

His medical training and experience with the Synthulans told him that timing was everything. If they didn’t act fast, the mission would be compromised.

"Okan go the doctor." Charlotte said "I'll take watch." she moved over to where Okan had been standing and took over sentry duty. "Come on... come on." she muttered

"What can I do doctor?" Okan asked as he walked up to Doctor Ryan.

It wasn't like flipping a switch, but several seconds later Erin's eyelids fluttered, her breathing returning to normal as the connection severed. She got to her feet, shakily at first, but grew stronger. She glanced around, trying to figure out where she would be useful.

Tom Ryan glanced at Okan, his expression focused and determined. "I need you to keep your movements steady and your voice down. The slightest sound could set off the alarm," he said, his voice low but commanding. "If you see anything unusual, don’t move or react. Just let me know."

He motioned toward the panel in front of him. "I’m going to need you to hold the wires here while I carefully reroute the signal," Tom instructed, his hands already working at the panel again. "This is delicate work, and I can’t afford any interruptions."

Tom’s fingers danced over the controls, his concentration narrowing on the task. He could feel the pressure building, knowing that every moment they wasted could mean their lives. The last thing they needed was to alert the Synthulans before they were out of this mess.

His mind raced, analyzing the best way to move forward. "Stay calm, Okan," Tom muttered, more to himself than his assistant. "If this goes wrong, we’ll need to move fast. But we don’t have a lot of time left."

With one final tweak of the control panel, Tom disabled the alarm circuit. "Got it," he said under his breath, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

"Alright, Okan, the cell’s open. I’ll get the Admiral out. You keep a lookout and make sure we’re not walking into a trap."

Tom moved swiftly but cautiously as he opened the door. The Admiral fell out right into Tom's arms.
“Damn it,” Tom muttered, feeling a surge of frustration and worry. “How the hell did you manage to get yourself into this, Chris?” He shifted his weight, keeping the Admiral as stable as possible in his arms, but his mind was racing. The Synthulans had clearly done more than just imprison him—they’d beaten him badly, too.

Tom’s gaze darted up toward Charlotte, who was still keeping a lookout. His voice, tight with urgency, echoed in the silence. "Charlotte," he called, his eyes hard. "It’s time to go now."

"And not a moment too soon." Charlotte muttered "Ok let's move. Okan you're last out and rip the frame when you're through" she slipped through the frame and back into the corridor they'd come through, this was when the plan really went into the unknown, they'd figured that the EMP would give them the window to get in but with signs that things were on the way back online it was reasonable to expect some level of security measures in a cell that would likely cause them issues if they stayed there so moving away was their best move, at least just getting into the corridor would do. She got three steps down the corridor when it happened lights and sirens were going off, if that wasn't an indication they were almost out of time she didn't know what was.

Erin felt something and paused.

"I can feel them searching for us," she called out in a whisper. "They're searching for our minds. I can try and mask us for a short time, but I am not strong enough to hide us for long. We have to move."

Charlotte gritted her teeth, the way this was going it wouldn't be too long before the Synthulans realised that three of their own weren't in the hive and then the game was up. "Joel you're carrying the counselor." she said as she started down the corridor, they needed distance for the moment.

Joel smiled at the look on Erin’s face and gave her no choice. He scooped her up in his arms.
“We need to move quickly.” He said clearly. “There’s no time for hero’s.” If Erin wasn't concentrating so hard she would have rolled her eyes, but instead focused on the mental block.

"Don't spread so far apart," she cautioned. "It's easier if you're grouped closer together."

Joel was close behind Charlotte as they headed quickly on their way. For some, carrying another person was work but he was a well trained marine. He was conditioned for this and was glad Erin hadn’t given him any trouble. She was right in her thinking, they needed to stay close to one another.

"If this place is waking up then it won't be that long until we start seeing them." Charlotte said quietly "Last thing we need is getting trapped in a corridor."

“We keep moving forward.” Joel suggested. “No looking back, just moving quickly and quietly. We can make it.”

As the away team moved forward like a well oiled Machine, Erin continued to rebuff the telepathic probe that was searching for them, but she could feel her defenses wearing.

"How much further," she asked?

Tom carried Chris in a fireman's carry and walked between the people who had phasers and rifles. "I'm hoping it's not that much further. Because if you look at the wall, that red light - is now blinking fast. And I could have sworn I heard something from behind us."

"They don't know where we are, exactly," Erin muttered confidently. "If they're behind us, they must have guessed our trajectory. I'm still managing to keep them out of our heads."

"It's not like it would be that hard to guess." Charlotte said as they rounded a corner "Just got to work it logically from the cell and have people split off at the junctions until someone spots us." she waited until everyone had passed before taking the rear guard position which meant Okan once again had point. As they continued the alarms continued to sound and sure enough Charlotte could hear the sound of footsteps coming after them.

"They're trying to herd us." Okan said as he took another turn to avoid being cut off

"We're running out of time." Charlotte said as they continued to evade, the last thing she wanted was to have to make a stand that would be a fight they wouldn't win and this would all have been for nothing.

Then it happened just as the Synthulans continued to close in, herding them towards what Charlotte presumed was the metaphorical corner, a sound that was different to the alarms could be heard, it was so different and so sudden that the Synthulan pursuit actually seemed to halt.

"Isn't that..." Okan said

"Amazing Grace..." Charlotte said "I swear if she's stood on the bridge playing her violin right now..." then the facility shook with a few impacts, the Angel had come roaring out of the nebula right on time with phasers and torpedoes blazing away and then before the Synthulans had a chance the transporters kicked in.

Once materialised back aboard the Angel there was no celebration because they knew they weren't out of the woods yet. "Doctor Ryan get the Admiral to sickbay, everyone else to stations this isn't over yet." Charlotte ordered.

Erin slowly got down out of Joel's arms, and made her way to the communications station. She took a seat, and tapped a few buttons to get into the system. She surreptitiously wiped her nose with the back of her hand, focusing her attention at the task at hand.

"I'm all set," she said.

Joel went to tactical. He would help where ever he was needed. They might not be out of the woods but they would win the war.

Mike stepped off the transporter pad, his pulse still racing from the mission. He shot a glance at Joel and Erin before turning his attention to Charlotte.

He moved toward an auxiliary console, pulling up status reports. His hands flew over the controls, checking power levels, shields, and weapons. They weren’t safe yet, but he’d be damned if they came this far just to lose now.

Dr. Thomas Ryan barely spared a glance at the others as he steadied the weight of the Admiral and moved toward the exit. He had no interest in their tactical maneuvers—his priority was the man bleeding out in his arms.

He tapped his commbadge. "Ryan to Dale. I’m on my way with Admiral Bradley. Have the surgical team standing by."

His voice was calm, clinical, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his concern. The Admiral had been through hell—they all had—but the war wasn’t going to wait for anyone to catch their breath.

Ryan pushed forward, jaw clenched, his focus solely on keeping one of Starfleet’s best minds from becoming just another casualty.

Derek stood near the transporter pad, his muscles still tense from the mission. He watched as Dr. Ryan hauled Admiral Bradley toward the exit.

Turning back to the task at hand, he moved to a security station and pulled up internal scans. "I’ll monitor for intrusions," he said to no one in particular. They’d escaped, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Not yet.

Joel was ready at tactical. He didn’t want them to get caught with their pants down and he was ready to fire their weapons if necessary. As he stood there he wondered who Thomas Ryan was anyway. Your average fleet officer was not trained to carry someone as far as he did. In fact, it was mostly marines and security that were trained for that. It was the first medical doctor he had ever heard of who had done it.

Charlotte took the centre chair from Hannah, noticing that her sisters blue crystalline violin was on the first officers chair. Looking at the viewscreen she could see a number of Synthulan vessels coming at them. "Evasive pattern epsilon." she said "emergency power to shields and black alert let's get out of here."

"Spinning up spore drive." Hannah said from her station "Ready."

"Jump." Charlotte said

The viewscreen went from displaying an incoming Synthulan fleet to showing a fairly bright light to one side and a lot of metal in front of them, there was the slightest of vibration underfoot. "Right where we wanted to be." Hannah said "Right inside that Dyson sphere." it was a calculated return point, they'd known that they weren't at good odds in a fight if the Synthulans chased them so they were hoping that if that happened that the immense pressure inside the sphere caused by the collapsing star would be enough to cut any pursuit short.

"Full impulse straight ahead." Charlotte said "Joel use the phasers lets get the door open."

“On it, boss.” Joel said with a grin. She had said he needed to stop being so formal, he felt much better as he fired the phasers. One thing Joel was very good at was using weaponry. He smiled widely as they had a clear path to head out of here.

Charlotte didn't let out a breath until the Angel cleared the threshold and was outside the sphere "Engage cloaking device, full impulse on heading thirty five degrees to starboard for twelve hours and then we jump to the rendezvous point. Let's go home." she said, it was only now that she allowed herself the smile it was a job very well done. Now she just had to hope that there was someone to meet.

***************

Dr Thomas Ryan, MD
Intelligence/Medical
Starbase Obsidian

Lt Cmdr Mike McMahon
Chief Operations Officer
Starbase Obsidian

Ensign Derek Harker
Security Officer
Starbase Obsidian

First Lieutenant Charlotte Thrace
Marine CO
Starbase Obsidian

Second Lieutenant Joel Haines
Marine Xo
Starbase Obsidian

Ensign Hannah Thrace
Alien Archaeologist & Anthropologist/Intelligence Officer
Starbase Obsidian

Sgt Major Okan
First Sgt
Starbase Obsidian

Ensign Erin Couldis
Assistant Chief Counselor
Starbase Obsidian

Ensign Yujas Ritt
Security Officer
Starbase Obsidian

 

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