#8 Rescue efforts

Posted on Sun Oct 30th, 2022 @ 6:08am by Lieutenant JG Jamie T. Kirk/AKA: "Jim" & Lieutenant Thoros & Captain Alesha Rivers

Mission: BUGS OH NO!!
Location: various
Timeline: current

ON:

Kirk had made her way to shuttlebay 2 and Delta 5, the little ship she had been modifying while everyone else had been enjoying hedonism. Not that she didn't enjoy such things, but she had other things on her mind these days. Stepping aboard D5 after getting into her pilot's EV suit, helmet set to the side, "Jim" Kirk did her pre-flight while awaiting Doctor Bjorgo and Mister Thoros. Kirk had a full away belt around her waste, phaser set to heavy stun. Once the console was set she then leaned back and placed a headset mic on herself. "Kirk to Rivers. Awaiting the boys so just tuning in."

Alesha despite having her own Delta preferred her fighter, she'd finished the flight check on her fighter. Tapping he ear piece "Leave it to the boys to be late and they say girls are always late." Alesha climbed into her freighter and brought the systems on line and waited.

Bjorgo had changed into his combat fatigue pants, wearing the black, sleeveless undershirt without cover. Over that her wore an engineers vest with medical devices and supplies stuffed into the pockets. He boarded the Delta and took the tactical seat behind the pilot's seat. "Hello, Ensign. Or, should I call you 'sir' since you're in command of this ship?" When she looked back over her shoulder he gave her a cheesy grin and wink.

The grin was returned with a smirk of her own. "Just call me 'captain', Doctor. So, when the video logs get reviewed in years to come then they will know that someone did actually call me Captain Kirk." She gave a chuckle and shook her head as she looked back out the viewport.

Alesha couldn't help but giggle as she'd heard the comments. Tapping her ear piece. "Kirk are we good to launch and where do you need or want me at?" Closing the canopy on her fighter all that waited were orders to launch.

Thoros had arrived and gone to the aft section so Kirk closed up and began to lift off. "Just be a wide wing for me, Rivers. I'll get the lads to the airlock, offload, then detach. We can cover the freighter while Amandora becomes a blockade. That close it will be a snap to beam these guys back."

"So glad we're not expendable," Bjorgo teased. "Get us close enough and we can even beam over since sensor readings will be clearer." Kirk gave him a glance and he shrugged as he tapped keys. "Not my first rodeo when it comes to this whole space thing."

"Right," responded Kirk, her face giving a quizzical yet cynical expression to herself. "I'll launch and sweep to port, Rivers, then swing around and head for the freighter."

"I'm ready to launch when you are," Alesha said "Lead on."

Thoros huffed as they spoke. Humans did love to talk he had learned.

"When we arrive I will begin the search of the engine room."

"maj (good)," Kirk responded, having heard the Klingon speak from behind her. Out of nowhere something touched her left calf and Kirk glanced down, seeing Cosmo. She had totally forgotten that Green's little droid had been aboard and helping her run diagnostics. "Cosmo! I am glad to see you. Jump on sensors and find a safe spot for Thoros and Tore to beam into."

Cosmo acknowledged with beeps and whistles before rolling over to a console. He removed the base panel and his little gizmos popped out of their sockets as he interfaced directly with the computer and machinery. "Alright, Thoros, scans show an engineering machine shop with reinforced bulkheads. Cosmo will beam you two over and we will retain a bone lock on you. If you get in too much trouble we can beam you out immediately, as painful as it may be in an emergency."

While speaking and doing all that Kirk had swung her small ship around and was heading for the freighter. Off her starboard wing was Rivers in her fighter, and Kirk gave her a nod and wave to let her know she sees her. Focusing her eyes forward again Jamie Kirk waited to see if Thoros concurred with the current plan.

Thoros nodded and a thumbs up.

Alesha gave Kirk a thumbs up as she banked her fighter and rolled it to help cover the freighter, tapping her ear piece "You need me just hollar."

Kirk gave nods to herself as Rivers said that, her focus on the controls and readings before her. "Cosmo, we got a safe spot?" He answered in his way. "Life signs?" Cosmo answered her again, with a rather long spout of noises. That is when it suddenly dawned on Kirk that she understood everything he said, without aid. No time to wonder why, she thought. "Three confirmed humanoids, and two possible. Radiation mucking with readings. Got it." She looked back over her shoulder. "Sorry, gents, airlock it is."

Jim maneuvered Delta 5 and came in fast, braking at the last moment before beginning to line up the aft of her craft with the airlock. Activating her locking harness the nano-tech machinery folded out from around the aft hatch of the Delta, suctioning to the hull of the freighter and creating a pressurized airway. "Light's in the green, Doc. Now is the time. Get those people to this ship ASAP."

"I'm on it." Gathering what little extra gear he had Bjorgo stepped to the aft section and disappeared through the door.

Alesha kept a close eye on her sensors and the freighter as radiation was serious business "I have an extra seat if you need it. So far those ships are still far enough out we should be okay."

Thoros rushed off the craft and over to the freighter first. The EVA suit was at maximum exposure but Thoros rushed on and found a body.

Bjorgo came up beside the Klingon and immediately went to a knee. He scanned the body and dropped his chin. "Deceased." He stood up, his eyes becoming hardened. "Can you get to engineering and slow the radiation, if not stop it? I'll look in reinforced areas for further survivors."

***

Over on the Delta Kirk was running sensors over the freighter. "Nothing that can't be repaired given the time," she said as she spoke to herself. "But, the radiation needs to be contained."

The warbling droid language came from her left so Jim looked that way. "There's a way to contain it?" Cosmo explained himself. "Switch the Security forcefields to decon forcefields. Brilliant!" She stood up quickly and almost cracked her head on an overhead support. She hit her suit comm. "Thoros, Bjorgo, Cosmo says that we can reinitiate the Security forcefields to medical forcefields with minimal effort. This class of freighter is a Federation design, so manual safeties would be a thing."

Alesha had been monitoring "Kirk and Bjorgo if need be I can extend my shields to help cover exposed areas of the freighter. Just let me know how I can assist. According to my sensors those ships are still about two hours out."

Bjorgo spoke up as he moved through corridors to a source of bio-signature. One Andorian, two Human, trapped inside a medical decon chamber. Perfect cover but also a perfect dead end. "I wish we could, Rivers. Starship screens work differently so trying to turn them into medical decon fields is impossible." He found the Sickbay and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him as Sickbay looked to be perfectly fine. "Uhhh, guys...you're not gonna believe this."

"Believe what?" Asked Kirk.

"What did you find?" Alesha asked "I can beam over and help if you need me."

"These three hooked up a portable generator to keep the decon chamber running and free of radiation. They're lying/sitting on food ration packs." Bjorgo waved to the folks within the chamber and moved to a console. His suit was reading low ambient radiation in this protected lab, most of it coming from his own suit. As Tore tapped keys he glanced at the edge of the station, seeing what appeared to be oxidation of some kind. He reached out and touched the spot and sure enough dust particles of silvery sheen were on his gloves. He slapped his hand against the side of the console to knock the dust from his glove and continued on.

Kirk had been holding her breath over what Bjorgo had found until he said something. She exhaled in relief. "As soon as possible get them aboard with me or Dora, Doctor. Rivers, we have three incoming ships in a few hours, scout around and see if we small folks can hide behind something to be a pop-up surprise to aid Amandora." Cosmo warbled at her. "Right," Jim said to the droid. "Rivers, if this freighter isn't the first to be sacked out here, see if there is a hulk floating around. Cosmo's idea."

"I'm on it," Alesha responded as she fired the thrusters on her fighter and headed out. After about ten minutes of scanning Alesha spotted a large asteroid that had smashed into a dead freighter. After running several scans and doing fly overs and fly byes she had an idea. Banking her fighter Alesha returned to the freighter "I've found a good hiding spot, I suggest getting the injured back to the Dora. If that freighter is able to move there is a large asteroid about ten minutes from here that has smashed into a freighter. That freighter is dead and there is no one aboard. You can hide behind that asteroid and when ready we can surprise those approaching ships and I can call out my other five pilots. The injured will be a lot safer aboard the Amandora."

Kirk reached up and hit her comm on her suit. "Kirk to Amandora. We have three survivors, so far. Can you get a transporter lock and beam them to Dora's decon?"

TBC in JP 'On The Bridge'

END:

OFF: