Rescuing the Bajorans (Command Center)

Posted on Thu Aug 15th, 2024 @ 5:08pm by Lieutenant Sarah Graesyn & Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Daegan Baas & Lieutenant Stormy Knight & Lieutenant Ayren Kelan & Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox & Lieutenant JG Shizuru Chikura & Ensign Iren Th'ashianet

2,418 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: The Quasinon Gambit
Location: Cardassian Mining Outpost, Quasinon III
Timeline: MD003 - 1300

Knox took a deep breath and exhaled like a bull with a bit of a huffing. "Yeah, that may or may not be from me, Lieutenant," Harrison Knox commented to what Stormy Knight had observed using her heightened senses.

"With all due respect, sir, you're angry, but you're not what I'm picking up." Stormy listened again. "I think it's the Bajorans. Could they be the ones who set the booby-traps?"

"I agree with Lieutenant Knight,' Ayren confirmed. "I have been feeling a mix of emotions for a while, but couldn't pinpoint it, until just now. Anger and frustration, some fear as well. And it is not from this group," she added.

The Bajorans thought Knox. "Bajorans have faced Cardassians occupation for decades. They know their technology. It's possible, Lieutenant. Very possible that the Bajorans set booby-traps though to what avail? Cardassians don't often leave things behind. They are more plausible to be responsible for at least some of these traps, but you raise a valid point."

Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox placed his hand on the deceased console. "Do we have anything we could use to compensate for the parts needed, give this console a spark of life even if it's brief?" he asked looking for possibilities.

Deagan shook his head. "Not all sir. We could probably replicate the parts needed but we can't replicate Cardassian control rods or the programming encoded to them."

"We're clearly not opening that hatch" quipped the First Officer. "Alternate route?" He looked around and opened the 'floor' to what his away team had to offer.

"We can always go through the wall," Stormy said, only half joking.

Scanning the area Deagan was able to put together a rough map of the immediate area, and pick up what could be other boobytraps. "Actually...that might not be a bad idea." Moving to the XO Daegan showed him the readings. We can use this route behind us through what appear to be quarters and the we can use the 'T' corridor to access the rest of the facility."

Ayren walked towards them. "Whatever I felt before, is still there, stronger, but it could because we are closer. I am sure Stormy can confirm," she said looking in her direction. "Just a question, is there any chance that they are aware we, or rather someone is coming? If the scanners hadn't picked up the booby traps, maybe they can't pick whatever warning system they have..".

Stormy nodded. "That's a good point. I can't pick up more than anger. I'm not even sure who it's directed at. However, it's reasonable to assume they were expecting the Cardassians. Would they know we'd be contacted to come get them?"

Knox unmistakably out of natural instinct shrugged his shoulders. "Captain was always better at chess than me. Cardassians are confident people from what I know of them, overly confident at times. They set this place to go boom or whatever and likely had no plans on returning. The Bajorans coming were a thorn in their side and a wrinkle in their plans."

Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox took a deep breath and released a stressed and exhausted exhale. "I don't think the Bajorans would expect the Cardassians to send Starfleet after them, but Cardassians are masterful manipulators."

"True. But the traps were either set by the Cardassians or the Bajorans. If there's no way off the planet, why would the Cardassians plant the booby-traps? And if it's the Bajorans, who were they trying to keep out--or in?"

"That is the question..." Ayren said. before she could continue, she was distracted.

Daegan was slightly behind the team while he prepared the take whichever course of action was decided on and took the time to mock Ayren a bit. He mimicked her twisting motion with his hands with a bit of a smirk.

Ayren rolled her eyes at him, letting him know that she saw that. She suppressed a smile as she gathered her initial train of thought, answering the XO. "I hope to have a greater sense of their mood, once we are closer. The only reason I think they may know someone is coming, is the anger I sense. Unless they always feel this angry... but I think we should be prepared to how they will react to us..." she said. "Lieutenant Daegan, I am sure you are experienced with all these twists and turns missions like this can bring.." she said with mock grin.

"Very true. But you don't have to live multiple lives to know that." Anding with a smirk, "Ya just never know what kinda curves life will send your way."

The First Officer looked at Daegan. "Go through the wall..." Knox gave an affirmative nod. "Lieutenant, make it so."

"Roger that."

Looking to the ensign from Engineering, Knox gestured for her to assist Daegan. "Ensign, work with the lieutenant. Your expertise is structural engineering as I recall."

Ensign Tha’Shienet looked up to the XO and nodded, perhaps a little over-eagerly as he answered. “Yes, sir, it is.” He then looked to Daegan and then to the indicated wall. “Lieutenant, do we want to use charges or our phasers?”

"Be careful with the charges. They might set off one of the booby traps, depending on what type they are," Stormy cautioned. She wasn't a structural engineer, but she did know physics.

"Daegan agreed completely. "Phasers it is." Nodding to Simmons they pair shouldered their weapons. Glancing to to Stormy. "Let us know when we are through to the next room."

"Will do." Stormy checked the thickness of the wall with her tricorder and prepared to watch them work. Although it would be just as likely she'd be watching for things they shouldn't cut through.

Simmons and Daegan fired their weapons and began cutting a path from one chamber to the other.

Iren joined the effort to cut through the wall, motioning with his free hand toward spots that would make it easier and faster as he ‘watched’ the phasers work, his antennae twitched with the subtle changes in the energy “Be sure not to overheat your phasers, if the three of us cycle between ourselves we’ll get through in good shape”

Stormy continued to watch, paying attention not only to how deep they were cutting, but any potential reactions if there was another booby trap nearby. "So far, so good." She didn't have to tell them when they were through.

The center was a collection of pods, individual units, brought together by a network of short tunnels. Two doors led out of the command center. The one, not booby-trapped, led to the Cardassian pod, where they slept, ate, and spent their off-time hoping to get transferred off Quasinon III as quickly as possible. The other door, where the away team had gathered, led to a narrow tunnel and on the other end, the ore processing and maintenance facilities. Cutting through the wall, to circumvent the trap allowed the frigid chill of outside into the pod. Through the hole, they could now see, ten feet away, the wall of the next pod.

Lieutenant Commander Knox felt the chill. "A bit drafty here," he said with a small playful smile tugging there at the corner of his mouth. "Doubt the Cardassians will mind much if we carve a few holes in this place" he added.

Daegan smirked, "Well it's too late to ask now..."

Iren snorted with a suppressed laugh and nodded. “Maybe they will thank us for cooling things down.”

"I'll expect a thank you when we get these Bajorans off their property" said Knox though the words he spoke countered his personal feelings. He would have liked to have left the Bajorans to do whatever they wanted. They more than deserved to.

Knox looked at his away team. "Speaking of which... let's go find these Bajorans. I don't want to drag this out longer than we need to be here."

Stormy nodded and waited for security to lead the way. She wished they could just remove the explosive devices and leave the planet to the Bajorans, but there wasn't time for that. Once again, she wondered what the Cardassians were hiding.

Daegan and Simmons were the first through the hole they had made. After sweeping the area He called back letting them all know the room was clear. Daegan had gone to the left and Simmons to the right.

As the others cam into the area the security chief closed and holstered his tricorder as he approached the XO. "Sir, the next room behind me seems to be a storeroom, and I didn't..." Before he could finish Simmons came rushing up. "Sir!...", looking to his Lieutenant, "...sorry sir. I found the hanger. No IEDs detected."

"Does the hangar have any ships in it?" Shizuru asked curiously.

That was a good question because if there were, why hadn't the Bajorans used them? She also wondered if there was any data left on the command consoles to be of use. But the commander was right. Their priority was getting the Bajorans off the planet.

“Commander; before we left Lieutenant Graesyn handed me this PaDD…” he pulled a sleek, somewhat streamlined PaDD from the kit that hung from his shoulder and offered it to the XO. “…she said that it should help us gain limited access to the Cardassian systems without being noticed; perhaps get us through some untrapped doors or to be able to pull some files if we wish?”

"Whatever tools we have at our disposal" replied The First Officer. Knox wanted to find the Bajorans and deal with the situation. Navigating through corridors and rooms, some that were rigged with traps was not his ideal away mission. "We aren't getting anything done until we find the Bajorans. So, if we can circumvent things, make our own paths that's what we will do."

Simmons waited and when the XO was done answered his original question. "Sir, I didn't detect any surprises between us and the hanger but it's shielded so we won't be able to get in until we can find a way to deactivate it. There is also another passageway, longer than any we've seen so far. We haven't pick up any life signs yet so that corridor might lead us to the Bajorans."

"Thank you," remarked The First Officer. Knox welcomed continued imput from the others. A long corridor sounded risky. At least in his past experience.

Daegan nodded approvingly at his teams assessment. "Sir, perhaps we should see what's behind us, cutting around any surprises as needed, and see what we have to work with. We could split the away team. Some to check things out around here, while the rest continue on?"

Tyler had been silent for the bulk of this mission thus far. In truth he had been taking it all in, examining his surroundings and looking for anything he thought may have been out of the ordinary. However, now was his time to shine at leas that was the way he saw it. "Sirs, if you can find me one of the shield emitters I am confident I can get it deactivated. Cardassian shielding systems are not too different from what we use. It would be a matter of minutes."

"Is it internal or external shielding?" Shizuru asked. "The hangar must have doors to launch craft... And we have a shuttle that has phasers..." she paused for a moment. "You see where I'm going with this?"

"We'll need to be cautious," Stormy added. "If they--and we can assume it's the Bajorans--booby trapped the entrance, they probably did the same to the shuttle bay as well."

"I would agree with the Lieutenant the doors are most likely trapped. Besides even if they aren't and the shield is on the inside if we blow the doors open our own weapons fire would be launched back at us by the shield. I think if you take me to the emitters I can get them shut down and we can get in." Tyler replied as his mind already worked the problem.

Stormy nodded in agreement with Tyler.

That was a lot of imput with information presented quickly. Harrison took a moment to process everything. Risks and rewards, theoretical. "We're not splitting up," he prefaced dismissing that first and foremost. "There's too much risk if we split up. We are not on home turf. There's already been rooms and entrances rigged to harm us."

Knox shook his head. "No. The safest option is staying together. I understand that there's a long corridor. I'm cautious about that. Entering it from one end could easily be a trap. I like circumventing the conventional entrances and exits. We go through, we go under. If we stick to routes that couldn't accurately be prepared for, we potentially decrease the chances of encountering traps."

They'd been working against the clock. Dar knew, having been a guest here the longest, what the most likely scenario would be and the ship, well, that was their best chance. So, they took it. Arbo, who had always been good with traps, had rigged the place against anyone trying to get in their way, and Chem had been able to get the force field set up. That was enough protection, barely, to give them time. And so, they worked long hours but that was something they knew. Fighting for Bajor. Being a prisoner. Life was all about work under impossible conditions. They all understood that. They'd been fighting together practically from the start.

Stupid to keep a team together, make them prisoners and force them to mine the ore on this rock, and not something Dar would have done. But the arrogance of the Cardassians, in thinking that they wouldn't fight back, couldn't, had given him a tactical advantage and he used it. Arbo slipped into the pilot's seat and started the engines while Chem switched the force field to its secondary position. Three sides shielded but the big bay doors that led to freedom were now exposed. He hit the switch to open them and climbed in while Dar counted from inside the hatch.

Everyone on board. He closed her up and called out to the cockpit. In Bajoran. They never spoke anything else, no matter how often the Cardassians beat them. Time to go. Time to get back into the fight.

The ship took off, navigating through the ion storm and heading for open space.

 

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