= USS Chimera - Cargo Bay 6 =
T'Vel was in the process of moving a mobile biobed against
the wall when the ship rocked heavily and the lights went
off. The bed - which utilised an antigrav emitter to hover
above the ground - slid slightly towards the left and the
Vulcan AMO heard a short yelp of pain as the bed bumped
against a nurse.
"Are you hurt, crewman?" T'Vel asked as she pressed the
stabiliser button on the bed which caused it to stay in
place.
"No ma'am, I'm fine, it's just a bruise," the young nurse
replied.
Satisfied that she did not dismember one of her staff, T'Vel
turned around and said loudly, "Attention, please. It
appears that we have a power malfunction and that emergency
power has been activated. Please remain calm. I will attempt
to find a solution to our problem and return shortly. Ensign
McKay, you are in charge. Please inform Sickbay of our
situation."
"Yes ma'am," he answered as the medical staff began to light
plasma lanterns, somewhat lifting the dark gloom in the
cargo bay.
A few minutes later, T'Vel found the corridors empty as she
shone the torchlight ahead of herself. Her left hand stayed
close to the phaser that was strapped to her belt, just in
case she met someone she didn't want to. As the corridor
ahead turned slightly, she saw a light ahead and came to an
intersection where the power was on. It was the section of
the deck where the emergency quarters were located and she
assumed that a coupling relaying power to the cargo bay must
have malfunctioned.
Stepping into the light, she raised her hand to tap her
commbadge and contact Engineering but stopped midway as her
sharp Vulcan auditory sense picked up a footstep down the
corridor to her right. Instinctively she moved to her left
and drew her phaser, not a moment too soon because a beam of
disruptor fire cut through the air where she had been
standing a mere second ago.
The former Marine field medic aimed her phaser and fired at
the masked black figures that appeared around the corner.
She ducked into a doorway and tapped her commbadge, "T'Vel
to Security. Intruder alert." She tapped at the controls on
the door to open it and ducked into the empty quarters.
As soon as she was inside, she sealed the doors with her
security code and quickly searched the room for a Jefferies
access hatch. Finding one beneath the built-in desk against
the wall, she pulled the chair that stood in front of it
forward and removed the hatch. Getting inside, she moved the
chair back into position before shutting the hatch.
= Elsewhere
As soon as she could, Rangi left the Task Force Sickbay,
placing Scott Fisher in charge in her absence. She headed
for the emergency quarters on Deck 20 where the emergency
quarters would now become the replacement for the unusable
cargo bay. It was far from ideal, Rangi told herself, for
the cargo bay was designed to act as a temporary sickbay and
though the emergency quarters held basic medical aids, they
were far from perfect. She wondered how much, if any,
equipment had been salvaged.
The sound of launching weapons could be heard almost
continuously as well as dull thuds that registered hits from
the opposition. Rangi tried to ignore it and also the
gnawing feeling that told her she should be caring for
Martin and not stumbling along a corridor filled with wisps
of smoke.
"Commander," a voice said behind Rangi.
Rangi came to an abrupt stop, shocked at hearing a voice for
the corridor was empty and she had seen noone since she
entered it. She looked back quickly only to see T'Vel
emerging somewhat ungracefully from a Jefferies tube.
"T'Vel! " she exclaimed in surprise.
"I did not mean to startle you," T'Vel said as she climbed
out of the hatch and replaced it. Getting up, she quickly
straightened herself. "I encountered a group of Romulan
soldiers not far from here. We must hurry."
"They've boarded? " Rangi asked already raising her hand to
the phaser strapped near her waist. She adjusted it,
altering the settings to 'kill'. There would be no stunning.
"I wasn't aware of that." she said as the ship lurched to
the right. She steadied herself against the wall.
"Neither was I," the AMO responded. "Until now. I have
informed Ensign McKay in Cargo Bay 6, but I do not believe
there is much they can do to defend themselves. It would not
be logical for us to attempt to return there."
Rangi looked past T'Vel, thinking that she would never
become accustomed to the calm way in which Vulcans stated
facts, however joyuous or ghastly they were.
It was true ofcourse. The Romulans would annihilate the
patients and medical staff alike. They would be taken
totally by surprise and have little time to respond. Quite
possibly they were already dead.
"How many are there?" she asked, remeeting T'vels steady
gaze.
"Thirty," T'Vel replied. "Perhaps the Romulans do not find
them."
Rangi shook her head against the thought. "ok...well....we
have to..act."
It was a pointless thing to say when she was at a loss as to
what to do for the best. They had no idea how many Romulans
were abaord nor yet where they were.
"Its pointless heading to the task force decks as they will
be under lockdown...and the Romulans will certainly be
heading for the bridge."
{Martin} her inner self cried and she looked at T'Vel.
Without warning the ship shook violently, throwing the two
women off their feet. They landed unceremoniously on the
floor as a ventilation tube exploded above them, spewing
toxic fumes meant for recycling into the corridor below. On
both ends of the corridor they were in, the nearest
bulkheads immediately started to close, effectively locking
them in.
Both scrambled to their feet, bruised but not hurt though it
took only moments before the fumes began to affect them.
"I there." Rangi choked, pointing to the small door that
T'Vel had emerged through a few minutes before. Her eyes
were beginning to sting and she cupped her hands over her
nose and mouth.
T'Vel quickly removed the hatch from the way she had
arrived, holding it aside for Rangi to enter. Getting
inside, she closed the hatch and looked at the commander in
the dim light. There were two ways to go... back the way she
had come from, and down. "I suggest we go down, Commander."
Rangi nodded, taking a gasp of fresher air.
= End Log =
Commander Rangi Summers
Medical Advisor
1st Taskforce, SSF
-
1st Lieutenant T'Vel
Assistant Medical Officer
USS Chimera NX 96899-B
