Sending in the Backups

Posted on Tue Apr 23rd, 2024 @ 4:05pm by Commodore Jacob Kane & Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Lieutenant Alexis Ryan & Lieutenant JG Astrja Kyan & Senior Chief Petty Officer Mason Malone

Mission: The Trojan Horse
Location: USS Athena - Shuttle Bay
Timeline: Following "Fallen Eagle"
961 words - 1.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Kane strode into the shuttle bay having already helped himself to a phaser rifle and a bandolier of photon grenades. He looked every bit the heroic figure, but he felt about as far from one as possible; the situation on the surface was dire, there were people missing or dead, and they still had the hostages to consider.

"Listen up!" he barked, having grabbed whoever was available on short notice. "The marine incursion has gone south; we're not sure what hit them, but we're looking at a virtual total-loss of our main strike team while making their entry to the back end of the mining facility." He paused, but only for a beat. "Right now, we're not sure if Ta'ang has been alerted to our presence or not, so time is of the essence." He looked at the hastily-assembled away team.

"Lieutenant Zade. I assume you're familiar with the marine team's alternate insertion options? We're going to need to use one of them," he declared, looking at his Chief of Security.

The news of losing contact with the marines sat heavily with Zade. How could a rescue mission go so horribly wrong? "Yes, sir." The urgency of the summons this morning suggested that something was wrong, so she had grabbed a PaDD to download the plans she and Burke had discussed, just in case. "I'm reviewing the alternative plans."

"Lieutenants Ryan and Kyan: there's a good chance I'm going to need a creative way of getting our team in there without ringing any doorbells," he added. It made sense to bring them along; Kyan's file said she had some close combat expertise as well as her technical ability. And Ryan, as a former marine herself, was a logical choice to bring along.

Since being roused from sleep to the tune of an emergency report, Alex had embraced the chaos of limited preparation time with all the gratitude of someone desperate to remain numb. The stark contrast in her choice of reaction over the years was not always indicative of healthy mechanisms but whatever the personal cost to herself, she at least didn't present as another dynamic requiring specific management anymore. The prospect of personal loss sat tucked behind a façade of pristine composure and the only hint that she cared anything at all for the fate of those whose job they were about to take over rested in the curt nod she afforded her Commanding Officer whilst failing to make eye contact. Like the rest of them, she was dressed for combat, having shed the relative comfort of her blue uniform for gear that arguably suited her better.

Astrja had a pair of goggles pushed up on her forehead, her satchel of tools hanging off one shoulder, and a neoplastic tube almost as long as she was tall slung across her back. She was syncing a datapad and a tactical tricorder as she listened in.

"Malone. You're one of the only other people we have on board with some combat experience. We'll need that. Your primary objective once we make our entry will be securing the hostages. Understood?"

Halting the process of checking his armour and weapons, Mason straightened. "Yes sir," he answered smartly but without pause. He shouldered the rifle and pushed a backup phaser into its holster. Finally, he checked his trusted marine issue knife, securing it in its sheath at his side. "Secure the hostage, understood."

"What do we know about the opposition? And about what the marines ran into?" asked Astrja.

"So far, just what's in the marines' preparation files. Whatever they encountered, it was entrenched and certainly capable of wiping out one of Starfleet's most elite combat teams..." Kane let that sink in for a moment. "However, they're unlikely to be expecting a second attempt this soon after the first. Commander Zora will be putting together a medical evacuation team to pull them out; whatever information her team gains from their drop will undoubtedly inform ours."

Astrja nodded and slipped the datapad into her satchel. She was not ready for this but could anyone be?

Whilst the others fussed over their preparations, Ryan hadn't moved. To the observant, this seemed contrary to her normal operational preference and yet the sense of still calmness was pervasive enough to almost count as oppressive. The Lieutenant certainly looked ready, and that might have been a justifiable excuse had she not already proven to be the type to hyper-analyse contingencies for no other reason than to give herself something to do.

Finally, her gaze shifted to focus on Kane.

"We'd have had movement now if they were involved." Out loud, it conveyed as a little odd that she didn't elaborate, and yet the woman's stoicism didn't seem to leave much room for deeming it necessary to. "A secondary threat is more likely."

"That's my hope too." Kane nodded. It was strange, he noted for a fraction of a moment. The way she looked at him stoically, there was something familiar there...perhaps from a dream. He put that thought aside to focus on the brief. "I'm not sure how many of you have dealt with Orion pirates before, but they're brutal and ruthless. Expect ferocity, and expect them to be looking to deliver grievous injury rather than quick kills." Despite the somewhat graphic explanation, he knew that the people with him needed to be prepared for what they were about to drop into. "Any last questions before we do this?"

All sorts of nonsense questions ran through Astrja's mind but she did not vocalize any of them, she knew it was just nerves at the upcoming mission.

Mason shook his head. "No questions sir."

"Then let's go," Kane nodded. "Those people down there are waiting for us."