Rescue, Part 2

Posted on Wed 16th Nov, 2022 @ 6:51pm by Renato Solis
Edited on on Fri 18th Nov, 2022 @ 7:55am

1,252 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Perspective
Location: Kwhopa
Timeline: MD 6, 0945

Previously ...

=^=(USS Galaxy) All combatants within vicinity of Kwhopa, Cease conflicts and prepare for martial control to be handled by USS Galaxy. Any hostile actions against a member of Starfleet or anyone in their charge will be be answered most assuredly. We will do all in our power to save your world, but we must first save you.

-Now-

Tigris was a dream, and handled in the water well. Of six hundred souls living here, barely half remained. Almost a hundred of that number were packed onto the Alpha Flyer, whose three small decks were filled with people, scared and miserable in the dank stale air. After getting beamed out of darkness into peril, into the confines of a small shuttle being rudely shoved aside to make room for more, then beamed back to a safer place in the drowning bunker again was making problems for the people getting rescued. Tigris was using its transporter too much, as became evident on or near its hundredth activation. Safeties prevent the beam from actualizing but the circuits fried.

=/\=Reynolds to Pasteur, I’ve lost transporters, I’m still loaded with eighty souls, and heading your way. I’ve got the rest in the Arboretum, should be the last to flood, maybe a day tops. Can you send anyone?

=/\=Pasteur is sending a specialized unit to assist in getting you top side. Stand by.

Aldous almost replied back with a curt, ‘There is no time…” but then he actually saw the “specialized unit” coming their way. The lights and profile showed the vessel off, with another Alpha Flyer they could evacuate everyone, it would be crammed, but it would work.

There was more than a ship, sensors simply registered a lifesign with minimal apparatus. The other vessel, “USS Ringo Starr” was accompanied by… Cephlapods?! And something else lurked behind the small vessel approaching, other forms of different shapes. He looked out the viewport to try and see anything in the murky black. Only the slight illumination from the Bunkers lights and the Alpha flyers' own navigation beacons allowed vision of any kind.

Without an alarm, a sudden approach overtook the shuttle, fast and strong. The Alpha Flyer rocked under the weight of the sudden onslaught.

A tentacle with suckers grasped Tigris, and Aldous screamed despite his rational mind explaining a local sea creature must have been attracted to them. He fired thrusters to try and shake the thing off, but it had taken an interest in them and was shaking the vessel in an apparent attempt to get inside. Terrified, Aldous joined the others in the ship in screaming.

A screeching came through the hull, and Aldous didn't even recognize from the din of people all around him that he was hearing the Universal translator in his ear canal as well. The inhabitants screamed in terror, and his gut instinct was to shoot. He armed phasers, even though underwater they lost their punch significantly. It was still likely enough to kill, so he dialed it to a quarter of the strength. Seeing the port emitter was partially uncovered, he fired at the barest edge of exposed flesh, just trying to hurt the thing a little so it let them go.

It was then that the UT began to get very loud. Conveying emotional states was often done with volume and other tricks the UT had at its disposal. Reynolds had been filtering all of it out, but the undeniable screech in response to the firing of the phaser translated into a real command in his ear.

=^=HAVE YOU LOST YOUR EVER-LOVIN' MIND, SIR! FIRING AT ME? I AM ENSIGN AMATOSKA OF K:LOO; ASSERION OF CLOISTERS FOUR AND SEVEN, AS WELL AS THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS. DO NOT SHOOT ME, I AM STARFLEET!

Aldous pulled his hand away from the firing stud, taking a second to reassess his world. The tentacles were at the Transporter controls accessible from the outside. He then realized this was a Starfleet officer performing repairs on his ship. He felt mollified and immediately mortified, tapping his badge to speak to the besuckered savior.

=/\= Lieutenant Aldous Reynolds, Amatoska. Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't realize - it's been quite an experience here --”

Aldous was again cut off by his own shrieking terror as a Golden eye half his size filled the viewport, =^=YOU DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS TALKING TO YOU AND FIXING YOUR SHIP WHEN YOU SHOT AT ME?=^=

Aldous routed comms to the flyer speakers and reduced the volume, "I apologize, I reacted without thinking. I’ve been injured and there are others on board in worse shape."

=^=No apologies between brothers! I wear the colors you would call yellow, sir, and graduated from… well an Academy if not the Academy. I have nearly finished repairs, and expanded your oxygen capacity as well. I will take gratitude in the form of applause.=^=

Nobody thought he was serious, but the eye in their viewport focused on Aldous tightly,

=^=Are we not grateful, Lieutenant Aldous?=^=

A light clapping was heard from the gallery viewers and they began beaming off the ship again.

The voice over comms announced, =/\= Kree-O and Ii-a have taken up forward and sweep positions. Ringo and Mcartney loading passengers now, relaying to Pasteur.

Adlous looked, another Alpha flyer arrived, and everyone was being transported away. Accompanying it was a gentle looking small whale, with some sort of technological devices attached to its flippers.

Aldous chuckled in relief, =^=We are beyond grateful. What was your name, again, to be sure we tell others how grateful we are for your help, sir?=^=

=^=Amatoska, as I said before of K:loo. Your brash admiration has charmed me. Follow the Delphine guides, you can attune to their echolocation pulses for navigation. I will make repairs to the Material Vault.=^=

Reynolds quickly answered, "It’s a Borastosilicate in liquid Gaspene suspension, and it will destroy your suit, Amatoska. How are you getting close?"

Transporters came back online and power was restored fully. Fresh air rushed over the packed evacuees.

=^=Your concern is touching, I am made of stern stuff, and there are many lives riding on this. We can still save these waters, but the vault must be maintained! =^=

=^=Prepare to hold vault for 30 seconds on my mark,=^= Amatoska said, calmly. "3-2-1-Mark!=^=

=^= I shall…. =^=

In a life-threatening situation, 30 seconds can make all the difference, as it did in this case.

=^=RELEASE! =^=

Amatoska released Tigris, and Aldous got to work transporting the remaining survivors on board. Still at redline, the ship was holding intact. Amatoska had already disappeared into the murky black.

=^= Pasteur to Amatoska, transporters are losing locks, interference is getting hard to compensate for, can you move out of those caves?

Amatoska checked his instruments. =^=We don't have much choice. We'll pull forward as far as we can, and act as a conduit for the transporters until the last minute. Pray for us, brothers!=^=

From the depths below a murky booming sound was translated, =^=PRAYING! =^=

Aldous added, "Tigris reporting to Ringo Starr and Paul Mccartney, we can't stay here anyway, let’s follow the Delphine then."

=/\= Kree-o here, Gaspene is dissolving and leaving the silicates behind, we are not able to… We can smell it in the water, the hulls of the ship will begin to crystallize if we remain here.

=^=ALL AWAY NOW! =^= ordered Amatoska, hoping they weren't leaving behind too many. But wasn't even one, too many?


TBC in Part 3

 

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