#37 First Priority Pt.1

Posted on Sat Mar 4th, 2023 @ 4:26pm by Major Jackson "JJ" Barnes {Meji} & Lieutenant JG Ainkara "Kara" {Meji}

Mission: Vanished
Location: starbase
Timeline: current

ON:

Barnes and Ainkara had gone back down to the secondary machinery spaces. As they went Jack decided that if Ainkara had already spoken to them, and gained a rapport with them, then walking around with rifle at the ready could very well be perceived as a threat. So, he attached his rifle to the front of his web gear, letting it dangle on his chest, with his left hand on the grip. He did unhook his pistol to be drawn easily even though with the rifle attached as it was he could still bring it up quick as could be for defense and attack. Arriving in a shadowed area surrounded by massive machinery, the lights plenty but soft, Ainkara stopped.

"This is where I met them, previously." Ainkara said, then spoke aloud to the space they were in. "Jensen, this is Chief Barnes, a Starfleet Marine. He has accompanied me for protection against the bug people, not for you." There was silence.

As they stood there, Jack's thumb hidden behind the grip of his weapon, Barnes made sure to switch the weapon to the stun setting. If these kids came out in a blaze of glory then he would leave them all drooling on the floor.

Ahead of them, moving cautiously, a figure was silhouetted against the backdrop of lighting, and they could tell the person was armed with a rifle held at the ready. If their eyes were correct it was a male figure and humanoid.

"Jensen?" Asked Ainkara. Reaching out with the Force she could tell it was him. But, he seemed agitated, more on edge.

Jensen Larson came into the circle of light they were in. "I told you!" He said with anger in his voice. "The moment we spoke to you we had those bugs running around in here looking for us. After you left, Ainkara. Four of them showed up, two of them grabbing a couple of us at once and vanishing in some kind of dust plume." He was on edge, and even Barnes could tell that without the use of any strange abilities. "I told you this would happen!" He was gripping his rifle with vehemence, his fingers repeatedly re-gripping where they were, a sure sign he was ready to kill anything that came after the rest of them.

Barnes removed his hands from his own weapons, holding them up in front of him to show he was not being aggressive in any way, or misleading. "Hey, brother, I get it. People on your watch got taken. But, we aren't responsible, you have my word on that. I don't know what the situation is but pointing weapons at us, the ones here to figure this out, won't help you. Won't help anyone who has been taken. All I ask is that, until you settle down and relax, you point that rifle at the floor. Please. Can we do that, Mister Larson?"

Ainkara stood quietly, waiting to see what would transpire. She found it most surprising that Barnes, a hardened soldier, was able to speak so softly, so matter-of-fact and logically, to ease the young man's anxiety and anger.

Jensen's face showed he was wrestling with his own emotions and also with what Jack had said. The rifle barrel would drop an inch, then come back up, several times as he was working it all through his mind. Then, as the two Amandora crew members stood there before him, Jensen Larson's eyes began to tear up and they rolled freely down his face. "I..." he stuttered. "I...I told them I would help them...keep them safe..." He took in several breathes and let them out forcefully, trying his hardest to maintain control of himself, but with each passing moment was losing that battle.

While watching the young man Barnes kept his hands visible as he reached to his chest and unhooked his own rifle, grabbing it around the stock in a way that he would not easily be able to switch to using it, it pointing at the floor, as he then handed it over to Ainkara. She took the rifle and held it in a non-useable way, still barrel down as Jack took a step forward, hands still up. "Come on, Jensen. Let's settle down and work this out, brother. I know you don't want to hurt us, you're just scared. I get it, I do. I get scared too, man. Nothing to be ashamed of when you're scared for those you are meant to protect."

Jensen once more fidgeted with the weapon, slight drops in pointing at only Barnes now since he had taken a pace toward him. But, as Jack kept talking with that easy tone and admitting that he too got scared at times, Jensen Larson released his pointed hold on the rifle and held it in his right hand as he dropped it to his side pointing at the floor. He began to walk into Barnes and, as he did so, the rifle clattered to the deck and he simply wrapped his arms around Jack's body and began to give heaving sobs while burying his face into the Marine's chest.

Ainkara watched as Barnes, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around the boy and held him tightly.

As Jensen had come into his arms and hugged him, Jack returned the gesture. The young man was now sobbing so hard he was barely able to stand, with Barnes aiding in keeping him on his feet by hugging him like a loving family member. He gave some strokes to the back of Jensen's head, shushing him in a caring way. "You're alright now, brother. We got you. Get it out, Little man."

After a couple of minutes of just sobbing and being held, no one speaking any further, Jensen finally lifted his face and stood back, swiping his face and nose with his hands. "Sorry," he said.

"Nothing to be sorry for, Mister Larson," said Barnes.

"I meant for that," said Jensen, motioning at the front of Jack's web gear.

Barnes looked down his front and saw the moisture from both tears and a bit of snot. Not much but it was there, and the product of a most reasonable action. Barnes gave a crooked grin while looking at the boy. "If that's all the bad shit I get on me today, it's a win. And, you got to purge all that toxic garbage in your soul." Once they had returned to a more normal stance, Jack had to ask. "Where are the others?"

Jensen thumbed back over his shoulder. "That way, hidden, Sir."

Jack decided to make the boy feel useful, to aid in rescuing those he obviously cared about. "Alright, you're now a Marine under my command. Pick up that rifle and get ready to move. We need to get all of you out of here. We have medical waiting upstairs."

"Yes, Sir." Larson took up his rifle and slung it over his shoulder, but in a way that he could easily raise it for combat.

Barnes noted the young man's way of handling not only himself, but his weapons. "Here," Jack said, taking out his plastic canteen and handing it over. "Hydrate and then we'll get moving." As the boy took the bottle and drank down half its contents, Jack went on. "By the way you carry yourself and your gear I'd say you've had some actual training."

Jensen gave a few nods as he closed the water bottle, swiping away the excess on his mouth with the back of his sleeve as he swallowed down a mouthful. "My dad. He's a tactical officer, Sir. Out here on a starbase he wanted me to learn how to defend myself and others, so he put me through some basics. Most importantly, how to take care of my weapons and how to handle them."

Ainkara let the men talk as she went passed them, walking further into the area Jensen had come from. After a few path side-steps she found a filtration vent that caused a dead end. Using the Force and reaching out she could sense those left were behind the solid duranium wall. Grabbing the handles on the vent cover she moved it aside and looked within. It was dark within, but there was illumination from not only her side, but at the other end, which was roughly twenty meters away. The air current was steady but slight, and it was a bit colder than the rest of the facility around her.

Barnes and Jensen caught up with her and Jensen got her to step aside. He then squatted just outside of the vent, knocking on the side of it in a particular cadence, to which someone else responded at the other end, even though they could not see anyone. "I told them to remain out of sight and tap the outside of the vent, to prevent being seen in case it wasn't me."

"A logical precaution," stated Ainkara. "You could be compromised or under duress and it gives them time to prepare."

Jack gave the young man a friendly clap on the shoulder backed by a smile. "I couldn't have done better, myself. After you, King Jensen." He gave the lad a wink and smile.

Jensen giggled. The young man barely had to bend to walk through the vent, whereas both Barnes and Ainkara had to bend quite a bit, and squat-walk somewhat. "It's me, guys," announced Jensen as he got to the other end. stepping out and into a lit up room that was a dead space between compartments, but large and somewhat chilly. As the two adults came out after him several of the kids stood and held their rifles at the ready, but pointing at the floor.

"It's okay," Jensen assured them. "They're here to help. Put the weapons down." The reassurance had been pleasant, but when he told them to drop the weapons it was easily recognized as an order or a directive. The others did as he said, placing their weapons on the deck without question. Except for Jensen the rest of the lot seemed to be no older than 10 or 11 years of age.

Looking around this inner sanctum, both Ainkara and Barnes were impressed. The children had stacked resources according to what they were, in a very orderly fashion. Aside from that each area of supplies had a piece of paper and a number on them, a seeming countdown of how many of each item there was left in each section. They could only see six other children besides Jensen and Ainkara did not see any of those she had met with him during their first encounter.

"How many went missing this last time," asked Ainkara.

"When we first met, they took all of them," stated Jensen. "They went out to do a patrol, which we do every day. None of them came back so I told the others to sit tight and I went out, and that's when I spotted the bugs taking the others. I hit one with my rifle, clipped it, but it ran off into the shadows. The others vanished in that dust thing they do."

"Great Caesar's ghost," hissed Barnes, tapping his badge. "Barnes to Sanderson." No response. "Admiral Sanderson, respond." Nothing. "Is this place shielded?"

"Yes," said Jensen. "It's why we chose to hide here."

Ainkara noticed that it was still a bit chilly in here, and the children all wore jackets and warmer clothing. "Does the cold help?"

"It does," answered Jensen. "None of the bugs seemed interested in cold spaces so we used that to our advantage."

Looking to Barnes, Ainkara offered an idea. "We move, now. Right now. If there is a wounded one aboard it stands to reason that, as a hive, they will come looking for their own. Let us get these young people to safety."

"Agreed," said Barnes, looking to Jensen. "I'll take lead, you follow with Ainkara and watch our six." He looked both of them in the eyes. "If anything steps out to threaten them you put it down, without hesitation. You got me?" They both nodded as they agreed to follow his orders. With this now being a possible combat situation he was in charge, rank be damned.

After everyone got together, with weapons in hand and set for stun, the troupe left the ventilation dead space and made their way towards the entrance that Ainkara and Barnes had used to come back down. As they went, Barnes at point, he began to hear a strange chittering noise. Reaching a certain point, with the entryway dead ahead and in sight, Jack heard the noise again from their right side, but that section was draped in darkness and shadow. He spoke in a low tone, not a whisper, since exhaling in whispers made more noise with the expulsion of breath to do so. "Go, get them outta here. I gotta check that out."

"In the dark, by yourself," asked Ainkara.

"Yes, Cadet," he answered, a bit cynical. "Kinda in my job description. If that critter is alive down here then it stands to reason it may try to muck with life support or some other system. As a threat it needs to be neutralized. Hence," he tapped his SFMC patch. "I get the duty. Go, now. That's an order, Cadet."

Ainkara gave a slow nod. "I will obey, but know that I will file a complaint for such an action."

"Fine, get me back to Private, I don't care. Right now, move!"

With a final nod, and with Jensen arguing he should help, Ainkara got the kids moving to the lift foyer.

After seeing the kids enter a lift together, with Ainkara, Barnes opened a belt pouch and pulled out a small case. Opening it he pulled forth his earbud headset devices and placed them in his ears, tapping them to active once placed and he had closed the case and returned it to his pouch. They would enhance his own hearing, while at the same time provide him with a comm unit he did not have to manipulate except with a light touch. Also, there would now be an audio account recording of his every move, for after-action reports and for the ship's logs. Another pouch was opened and her brought forth a pair of shades/goggles that folded in half. Opening them from being folded in half, then their arms, he placed them on his head and made sure they were secure, the arms adhering to his head behind his ears. With a tap to the outside upper corner of either side of the lenses, left or right, would let him toggle through various forms of vision. Night vision, infrared, and so on. Placing them for night vision and activating the visual recorder to go along with the audio he was set for, Jack was set to move.

"Alright," Jack said, talking to himself, and not caring it was being recorded. Matter of fact, he had totally pushed it out of his mind because his focus was his mission, not how he acted while completing it. "This is probably the dumbest thing you've ever done marine but, it needs to get done." After a few more seconds of readying his being for the exertion to come, SWO(CWO) Barnes began to move into the darkness and shadows.

TBC...

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