Snagging a Shuttle

Posted on Fri Jul 8th, 2022 @ 10:43am by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova & Lieutenant Zero & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Stone & Chief Petty Officer Celeste Summerby
Edited on on Sat Jul 9th, 2022 @ 12:19am

2,423 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: The Bandits of Black Rain
Location: Federation Shuttlecrafts

Lieutenant Bálor, Lieutenant Zero, and Lieutenant JG Stone were all adrift in their damaged shuttlecraft, hoping that someone was able to detect their distress beacon. Engines were shot, and Percy knew that he was probably going to face the wrath of a feisty Haruna when they returned...if they returned. All he could really think about was how he'd rather be dealing with Haruna than waiting in a very vulnerable shuttle for that Klingon attack cruiser to find them and finish them off.

Sensors were practically blind except when something was in extremely close proximity. Lieutenant Zero had been left on the decking, incapacitated, but was beginning to stir. "Hey, don't move, Lieutenant. You look hurt pretty bad," Percy said to Zero, leaving his seat and crouching down beside the man.

Zero lay still, but his internal Borg nanite were working overtime.

Percy knew he had hit his head pretty hard. Concussion he thought to himself as he felt like he was going to vomit at any moment, but nothing came up and his vision felt blurred at times. "Siren, you alright up there?" he asked, calling out to the woman who despite engines being shot, was still seated at the helm.

Siren snorted. “Just dandy, I just thought I’d make some tea.”She quipped, then gently thumped the console with her fist, turning serious. “I’m trying to see what I can get working.”

The sensors picked up something, and it had to be very close, almost intimately so. Percy spring to his feet and rushed towards the console to see if he could get a glimpse on the screen of what it was. "I'm not sure what it is," he said. "But they haven't fired on us...yet" he stated.

“That, is a shuttle.” Siren’s pilot eyes identified, even tiny as it was. “But other than getting out and waving, I’m not sure how we get their attention.”

=Other Shuttle=

Anahera sat in the pilot seat of the Brampton, while Summerby manned the sensors.

"I'm picking up what must be the Carta Marina." Summerby reported.

"What's her condition, Lieutenant?" Anahera asked as she avoid another energy nexus.

"Bad, engines are off line, they're adrift, but life support is still functioning. "I'm going to boost comms, to see if I can contact them."

"Good news, send off a hail, I see if I can give you extra power." Anahera said.

"Shuttle Brampton to Carta Marina, come in Carta Marina."

Siren thought the comm panel was trying to pick up something, but when she went to activate it the thing sparked. “Oww!” She complained. It had hurt, but it was more an exclamation of surprise, then of actual injury. She scrunched up her nose, trying to think of a way to get a signal out. “S O S “ She said out loud, hoping Percy would pick up on what she was thinking and have an idea.

"I'm pretty sure they know we need help," Percy replied. "Disabled shuttle adrift...kind of paints the picture." Though he did want to follow her lead.

They were able to receive communications but their comms system had taken a beating. Transmitting beyond the emergency automated distress beacon was about all they could do. "We still have enough power..." Percy said. "S O S it is," he added as he tapped away at the console.

In doing so in a particular pattern, he turned the shuttle power on and decreased it, then increased it. He repeated the pattern as best he could to mimic the old maritime code for 'save our ship' and he was hoping whoever was in the other shuttle could understand it

"I'm not receiving any reply." Summerby reported. "But, their power seems to be fluctuating."

Anahera rose from her chair. "Let me see." She said.

Watching the pattern for a few minutes, before returning to a her seat. "That's Morse code, S.O.S. their comms must be out. I'm going to move in a little closer, so we can give them a reply."

The shuttle craft moved closer, Anahera and Summberby could now see the craft better.

"Prepare the Transporter, I'll send them a message." Anahera said.

Using power fluctuations she sent. "SBFT." (Stand By For Transport).

"Did you catch that, Siren?" Percy asked as he returned to check on Zero.

"Well it's either a very rude curse, or Stand By for Transport." She managed to get it out right before the familiar beam engulfed them.

"Engaging tractor beam." Anahera said.

A stream of green energy grabbed Carta Marina and heald her steady.

"Lieutenant activate the transporter when you have a lock." Anahera ordered.

"Aye, ma'am." Summerby said moving over to the transporter controls.

Soon, the trio rematerialized aboard the shuttlecraft Brampton, Percy crouched beside Zero and Siren not too far from them. Lieutenant Bálor looked to to see the two women from security.

"Commander Chernova," Percy said addressing the woman. "Lieutenant Zero's hurt. We were attacked - ambushed to be precise precise. His Borg parts seem to have taken the most damage" explained Percy.

Percy looked over his shoulder and inched out of the way "As you can see we weren't the only ones on the shuttle," he was quick to say. "Three bodies, Starfleet. We recovered them from a debris field. One is a Captain."

Siren had stepped out of the way, so that Zero could be seen to. She went to the lifeless bodies, and closed the eyes of one of them. There was a PADD clasped in his hand, held tight by rigor mortis. Siren removed it as gently as she could. "Hopefully there will be something on this." She commented.

"Whatever happened to them," Percy began "It happened fast. They are just in uniform as if they were sucked right into the vacuum of space. If the Klingon attack cruiser chasing us and trying to turn us into space ash, I'd say they were responsible."

Summerby stepped forward and said a silent prayer over the dead before returning to her seat.

"Well that creates more questions than it answers." Anahera said. "Siren, pilot us home, I'll check on Zero."

Siren nodded and headed to the pilot's seat. She was actually quite ready for a nice easy flight back to the Ontario.

Anahera wasn't a medic by any stretch of the imagination, but since his implants appeared to be the problem, perhaps she could use her engineering expertise to help him.

Discovering that the problem was due to a damaged power cell that was leaking energy. Anahera took a precision tool kit from a pouch on her belt. Using a screw driver she scraped the outer covering and the insulating foam from the tips of her cybernetic right hand, she then used the other tools to bypass the safety measures and severed the hands communication with her brain. Using her left hand she placed her right hand over Zero's chest, let go of her hand, and then used the tools to activate an electrical charge into Zero's body.

Zero's eyes shot opened, but there was something different about them. The dim blue light that was often visible was not there. Almost immediately he reached his other hand to Anahera and, with little effort at all, pinned her down. He stared at her with an emotionless look. With his free hand he clenched a fist and held it towards her as the Borg tubules ejected from his knuckles. In an eerie and cold tone he said "Resistance is Futile. You will become one with the Borg." As he brought his fist down to Anahera's neck.

Anahera tried to fight the former Borg. A situation made all the more difficult, as she only had the use of her left hand. She struggled hard, fighting for her life, and then she felt something pierce her neck.

The Borg tubules punctured her neck as Zero stared coldly down at her. For a brief moment it felt that Anahera would become injected with Borg Nanites and begin the process of being assimilate, but nothing happened. Zero was briefly frozen in place before the blue lights in his eyes came on. He looked around, for a moment, before looking down to Anahera. "Commander Chernova?" He then saw the tubules in her neck and quickly pulled them out. He didn't know what happened from time of the attack till now for the two of them to be in that position, but he knew one thing, he was not in control. He would never assimilate anyone. Not the individual he had become. A feeling of fear, then embarrassment, came across his face as he stood up and looked around. "I... I do not.." He hesitated to speak, unsure of his words, before looking over to Percy. "Lieutenant Balor. A explanation is required of the events that transpired from when I was taken offline till now... please."

Anahera lay on the deck of the shuttle breathing heavily and her with her heart beating fast. As she regained her senses, she said. "Yes, Lieutenant Balor tell Zero all about it. I'm going to take a nap." She said and closed her eyes.

Percy had watched the struggle, startled that it had even occurred to begin with. He had immediately grabbed a medical kit and was going to slam Zero over the head with it, but the struggle subsided before he could do so, and Zero, the Zero he knew had returned to them.

"Zero," the Chief Science Officer called to him. "Is she going to be alright?! You didn't assimilate her did you?" Percy was unsure how far an out of control Zero could take matters.

"No... there will be no assimilation." Zero replied, his voice showed signs that he was still dealing with the ordeal. "My individual consciousness activated in time to disengage the Borg Nanites."

It was clear Zero was needed answers. "We were attacked by a Klingon attack cruiser. In our attempt to flee from it, a power surge at your console traveled through your body and I imagine your circuitry" he explained. "We made it as far back as we could and sent a distress signal. The Ontario sent this shuttle to retrieve us."

Zero nodded slightly, afraid to make eye contact with anyone. "A surge strong enough would be capable of overloading my Borg implants. My nanites would also have been affected, triggering them to self repair first, which is why they may not have begun repair the internal damages as quickly as they normally would." He seemed to pauses, stuck in mid thought, processing what he could with the information he was given and what he was able to peace together. "Lieutenant... how long..." He paused again, finding it difficult to ask the question, but he struggled through it even though the answer might not be something he wanted to know. "How long was I in that Borg state of mind? Did I attempt to assimilate anyone else or to communicate with a Borg Cube?"

"Communicate with a Borg Cube?" Percy was alarmed by that prospect. "I sure the hell hope not, Zero. That is the last thing we need right now" Percy stated as he inched closer, cautiously towards Zero.

"You were only struggling with Anahera for a minute or so," Percy added. "Clearly not long enough to assimilate her. Is that enough time to phone home to the Borg?" or what's left of them he thought.

Zero looked around, struggling to make eye contact with Percy, as he spoke. "The primary goal of the Borg that has been disconnected from the Collective is to make contact with the nearest Borg Vessel and reinsert themselves. A Borg sub-directorate is filled with Borg commands that instill the function of the Collective of the one. Cause panic and disorder to form until connection with the Borg Collective has been reestablished." He looked down to Anahera before focusing over to the Ops console. "Your assumption is accurate, Lieutenant. If the goal was to assimilate the Commander, and that goal was not brought to completion because of my individual consciousness, then there would have been no time for my to use the console to attempt to communicate with another Borg vessel. We are fortunate that, when I was liberated, the scientists were made aware of my Subspace Transmitter implant. Had I still had one a ops console would not be required."

"No offense intended, Zero, but you did lose control briefly and I don't know the full extent of your damage right now, whether at any moment you could flip back through a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," Percy said as he motioned for Siren.

Percy looked somewhat apologetic. "You understand if I have Summerby have a phaser ready just in case ya try to get a wee bit poky with me?"

Celeste Summerby tapped the phaser on her hip to signify her understanding.

"If it would give you more comfort." Zero replied. "However, now that my individual consciousness is in control the safeguards have been re-established and One of Ten will not make another appearance." He seemed to pause, briefly looking up at Percy, before adding. "Lieutenant... you must remember to note this incident in your log so a proper punishment can be made. A senior officer was assault and that charge must not go unpunished."

"You were not in control of your actions at the time," Percy replied. "I will note it and I'll let Captain Michaels or Lieutenant Commander Vetur deal with that, but Starfleet knew the risks of granting you a commission, but yes, I do feel safer with the lieutenant being armed just in case this go to shite in the bucket."

Turning, the Chief Science Officer called out "Siren, "I'd like to be back to the Ontario before mum's resting beside mantle her mum six feet under, ya hear me? Move it along now."

Siren just gave Percy a half confused glare. She didn't get his reference, and just what the hell did he think she had been doing if not flying? "If the shuttle doesn't decide to spontaneously combust." She half quipped.

OFF

Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova
Chief Security Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant Zero
Chief Operations Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant Percival Bálor, Ph.D
Chief Science Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant JG Elizabeth 'Siren' Stone
Chief Flight Control
USS Ontario

 

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