Enter the Authority (Part 2)

Posted on Tue May 4th, 2021 @ 3:42pm by Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Grace Vetur & Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova & Lieutenant Amanda Rose & Lieutenant Commander Yivliph Ra-Gruvloveii

1,733 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Lonesome Road

[PREVIOUSLY]

Amanda was torn. "I don't think that you should go alone. That would not necessarily be safe. I'd also like to wait for the others. Perhaps you should wait for them too, Grace? I don't think the delay would be harmful."

"We've got fifteen minutes before we rendezvous. We can go back to the shuttle, and then I'll go check out building 62. I don't think it's dangerous, and it will answer a number of questions." Besides, Grace didn't want to carry her purchases with her when she applied for whatever she needed to apply for.

[CONTINUED]


"Going alone, though, is against standard procedure," Amanda protested. The counselor had been on enough way missions, even leading a few. While standing on procedure was sometimes best, going into a complete unknown seemed unwise. Amanda wondered at that. Grace seemed so wise most of the time. What was she thinking? Or was she just a risk taker?

"I don't think there will be any trouble, but if there is, you'd know where I went," Grace said. "But I won't order you to stay behind."

Amanda shuffled her feet uncomfortably. She knew the rest of the away team was waiting for her. She sent the signal. She could not let them down. "Let's see what happens when we get back to the shuttle, OK?"

"Okay," the first officer replied.

They got back to the shuttle before the other team. Grace stowed her purchases in a compartment and sent a message to the Ontario.

“XO if you have any news to tell me then I’d say do it now.” Elijah responded. “We’ve dedicated a heavily armed team beaming over to the Station.”

"The merchants are afraid of them. The only information I get is I need to talk to the people in building 62. I'd like to find out what's going on, and that's why I want to go to this place and ask questions." A heavily armored presence concerned her. Why would they need a military force for commerce? "I'll report as soon as I have more."

"Armed team?" Amanda asked aloud on the communicator. "We're not trying to start a fight, are we?" she asked aghast. "What happened to snooping, Captain?" She immediately put a hand over her mouth, disbelieving that she had spoken so boldly to her new Captain.

"No, we're not starting a fight," Grace assured her. "It's a fear of some of the merchants."

She again turned to the comm with the Captain. "The other team hasn't returned yet. We'll leave a message for them and head to building 62. I'll let you know what we find out."

"Understood. Ive moved the Ontario in amongst the traffic, that'll buy us some time if they start conducting inspections or communications." Elijah replied.

"Good idea. I'll let you know what I find. Vetur out."

Tags

[Away Team 1]

As she and Yiv neared the Docks, a squad of heavily armed humanoids rounded the corner.

Anahera put her hand over Yiv and pulled him into the darken doorway of an unused store.

Almost chocking in shock, Yiv felt his hear pounding in his chest, and the blood rush through his body. Taken by surprise he could only lean against the wall of the alley, and glance in Anahera's direction.

Once the guards had passed by, the Security Chief, took her hand from Yiv's mouth and whispered for him to stay put.

The CO of the troops sent a guard to guard to Docks, while the rest spread out into the station proper.

Deciding this was a good time to gain some intell, Anahera approached the guard. "Good afternoon." She said.

"Halt, please produce your papers, this station is currently under lockdown." He replied.

Anahera made an act of looking for her papers. "Just a minute , I had them when I was on my ship." She signed. "Oh, dear I must have left them there." She smiled "I just pop aboard and fetch them." She said moving forward a little.

The guard raised his weapon and said. "Halt, I can't let you do that."

Anahera sighed. "Then we appear to be at an impasse, I take it you have to arrest me now?" She asked.

The guard nodded and as he lowered his weapon to retrieve his restraints, Anahera pushed his gun aside and hit him in the nerve cluster situated where the neck meets the shoulder. He went rigid and then slumped.

Anahera lowered him silently to the deck and used his own restraints on him. She then began to search him.

Sidling out of the alleyway, Yiv approached Anahera careful not to startle her. From what little he knew of the Security Chief, she was probably already aware of his advance. 'Find anything?' he asked as he squatted next to her.

"An ID and a communications device, now we can keep track of their movements." Anahera replied. "Help me drag him into that abandoned building, we don't want him found too soon."

'Take his legs then, I'll take his arms,' Yiv glanced about nervously for more guards, 'Let's be quick about it, Ma'am, don't want more them coming across us.'

Anahera did as Yiv suggested and together they carried the guard into the abandoned building. As they were about to lay him on the deck, his comm. sounded.

'Uh,'Yiv hesitated and looked at Anahera, then back at the chirping comm, before hurriedly activating it. 'Uh, yeah?' He asked in a gruff voice, attempting to hide his own panicky tones.

"Report!" Ordered the voice on the comm.

He stared dumbstruck for a moment, before carrying on in his gruff voice, 'Uh, Docks Section clear?' Yiv carried on with more conviction, 'Yes, sector clear. No sign of undesirables.'

"Good." Came the reply. "Stay observant, we have reason to believe they are heading your way." Chief Liquidator, out."

"Great job, that's bought us a little more time." Anahera said. "Let's get back to the shuttle."

'Gladly!' he exclaimed in reply, straightening from his crouched position next to the unconscious body. 'The faster we get out of here Commander the better, to be honest.' He peeked around the corner. 'Looks clear to me.'

"Okay, go, I'll cover your six." Anahera said drawing her disruptor.

Nodding, Yiv brought his type I phaser to bear as he peeked around the corner again. Looking back at the Security Chief he gave her a thumbs up and ducked around the corner. He made a beeline for the shuttle, trying to look at unobtrusive as possible, surreptitiously glancing about him while trying to maintain the fiction of looking only at the floor in front of him.

It worked, he got to the shuttle seemingly unnoticed by any security forces or their informants.

When they the shuttle, Anahera took the lead and punched the door code, opening the door. She then holstered her gun before slipping into the pilot seat.

Several minutes later, Amanda and Grace arrived at the shuttle. Once Grace boarded, she pulled off the blonde wig and shook out her hair. "I think it's time we head back to the Ontario."

Following her in to the shuttle and taking his own station, the Efrosian nodded. 'I couldn't agree more, Commander - let's get off this hunk of junk.' His experiences here had hardly been pleasurable, and Yiv would be glad to leave.

"The sooner, the better," Amanda replied, more than relieved that they made it back to the shuttle. She collapsed into a seat, exhausted. She turned to Yiv and gave the Efrosian a weak smile.

Anahera remained quiet as she preped the shuttle for take off.

Grace heartily agreed with Yiv. She waited to be sure the others were settled in before taking her seat with a sigh. "Do your best to avoid any more Halcion Trade Authority representatives, please."

When Grace said that, Amanda burst out laughing. "You're saying that?" She melted into her seat after belting herself in. She smiled more brightly at Yiv and said, "Don't tell me that you had issues, too."

"Yeah, and I picked up some souvenirs." Anahera said as she lifted the shuttle off the deck. "But, they can wait." She added as a siren wailed and the bay doors began to close. "Hold on tight." She ordered as she she increased the small craft's speed and the opening in the doors decreased.

"Yiv take tactical, just in case we need phasers." The Security Chief called out as she piloted the craft towards freedom.

Yiv winked at Amanda as he got up from his seat and took the Tactical console, 'nothing we couldn't handle Amanda.' Concentrating on the console in front of him, he activated the weapons system. 'We're good to go,' he told Anahera.

Amanda became very quiet when Yiv winked at her. Amanda's face started to pinken. Feeling, suddenly hot, she turned towards the shuttle windows and held her breath.

As freedom was in sight, the shuttle was rocked by a tractor beam.

"Yiv, make a hole inn the doors big enough for the shuttle to pass through. I'll deal with the tractor beam." Anahera ordered.

"Too bad we can't deflect that beam," Grace said. Things kept getting worse.''

"How would they even know that we're here, Grace?" Amanda asked. "They did not get our bio signatures, did they? They couldn't have. We made it here in disguises and everything!"

>>tag Grace, Anahera, Yiv Let's go home. :)

As Yiv worked on cutting the hole, Anahera sent a power spike back through the tractor beam, overloading the Station's projector and freeing the shuttle.

Manipulating the shuttle's weapons, Yiv sliced a ragged hole in the hull of the station, 'we're good to go!' he cried as the shuttle weaponry disintegrated the debris in their path.

Once they were free, Ana activated the comms, so they could make contact the Ontario.

Grace opened a comm channel. "Vetur to Ontario."

"Ontario here," Peri replied from the ship.

"We had a little...Imperial trouble. We're coming in."

"Sir," Peri said to the Captain. "The away team is on their way back, but they ran into a little trouble."

"Understood." He signalled as the Ontario powered up and began to make a hasty retreat.

Grace was not looking forward to reporting to the Captain.

____
OFF

Lieutenant Commander Grace Vetur
Executive Officer
USS Ontario

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