Kingsley and a Few Good Men

Posted on Saturday, 1 May 2021 - 8:33pm by Commander Soral & Captain Barret Stillwater & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley & Staff Sergeant Adrian Merrick

Mission: Operation: Peace or P'Jem
Location: Andorian Battleship
Timeline: 2394

ON:

"Get them back, Lieutenant..."

The Captain's orders had followed Lieutenant Kingsley all the way from the Bridge, through stairwells and corridors until she eventually reached the transporter room. Outside, the battle for P'Jem continued and it was clear from the near constant bombardment which rocked the ship that the Andorian's were taking full advantage of their superior firepower.

As promised, already waiting, was her escort.

During her admittedly short career, the science officer had never even served on the same ship as marines never mind be paired up with them. Now she was face to face with a trio who would - hopefully - ensure the successful rescue of their missing people. And she was incredibly grateful if more than just every so slightly intimidated as brief introductions were made.

The Staff Sergeant Merrick had sent three of his best men. First Lieutenant 'Tank' Kent; their gunner, Sawyer and one of the best knife fighter Merrick had ever met. They called him Trick. He was definitely not the treat.

"I have so many questions," Kingsley confessed in a whisper as the group took up position on the transporter pad, dwarfed by Tank's frame as she nodded to the transporter tech. He could probably break her in two without breaking a sweat. Yep, definitely good to have them on her side.

"Energise."


Andorian Battleship

The minute they were on the other ship Tank insisted that Lieutenant Kingsley stay behind them, but move when they did. “Just stay about two steps behind me... and keep up.”

They split, Tank and Kingsley on one side; Trick and Sawyer on the other. Silently, the marines moved in well practiced unison, hugging the walls until they could find a doorway to duck into and figure out where they were going.

Crouched down, Lieutenant Kingsley checked her tricorder readings to get their bearings. The sensor readings she had obtained from the ship had allowed them to beam onto the correct deck, pinpointing the exact location of their people, however, was another matter. Fortunately, their arrival did not seem to have triggered any alarms, either due to damage the ship had sustained or the device Sawyer had been tinkering with right up until the transport had spirited them away from the Standing Bear.

"Can I get one of those?" she asked the marine, as she held her tricroder up to show Sawyer. Their position was shown, but even her own tricorder seemed to think they were four Andorians.

“Your crew will still show up as what they are... just not us.” Sawyer had tawny colored hair and green eyes. He tapped the little device that was now fastened to the front of his flack vest. “Covers our life signals... but only in an area. Don’t get too far away.” He grinned.

“Be Tank’s shadow, gotcha,” Alex smiled back.

"Alright, I have them, but they aren't together," she told the group quietly. "Like at all. Because that would be too easy, obviously. One Vulcan life sign is on the far side of this deck, in what would be the right position for the brig on this ship. The only Human life sign is just a few meters away from there, but heading towards us. Slowly, but moving. The other Vulcan life sign is coming from further in on the deck, with multiple Andorian life signs in close proximity.”

“I'm sending you the exact positions to your own devices now." She knew odds were slim Soral would be the one sitting nicely in the Brig. Yet, she also knew she could not let her instinct to reach him, to save him, make her decisions for her. She had to trust her three companions to lead and guide.

Tank nodded. “I see them. Is your crewman out roaming the hall?” he asked. He held up his tricorder for Alex to see. “I don’t see anyone around that person...”

“That’s gonna be Mac,” Alex sighed with the faintest hint of apology and exasperation. “He’s the only non-Vulcan on the away team. He’s also a tactical officer and an idiot who is probably thinking he can take the entire ship on by himself.”

The marines were not new to combat or situations like this. They had been on plenty of ships doing what they were doing just now. They moved off as a group. Not just walking the down the hall, they kept low and took two doorways at a time. Trick was point man. He would move first, with a very larger phaser rifle, and Sawyer right behind him. The minute Sawyer was in the next doorway, Tank would move up the hallway with Alex.

As they passed through the junction the sound of approaching footsteps alerted them to company. And they were moving quickly, coming from the right.

“Not good,” Alex whispered, looking around her for options. One thing was for sure, they needed time and the Andorian’s finding them before they had found the away team would complicate everything.

Tank made a lot of hand gestures and the other marines tucked back on other side of the juncture and Tank on the other, looking at Alex across the hallway the other way. Trick was barely looking around the corner to watch for the incoming Andorians. Tank gestured for Alex to join him across the hall quickly, but they were too close and Trick hissed and Tank gestured for Alex to stay where she was and be quiet.

She was the only one still on the other side of the junction and while she hated the idea, she retreated further away from the three marines. Nestled in a corner, hidden from sight behind a series of conduits, Alex held her breath as two Andorian guards went running past. Passing within inches of where she was hiding, they quickly disappearing from sight. As the sound of footsteps retreated, she released a deep breath as she cautiously emerged. Moving back towards the junction she peered around the corner. All clear.

Her attention turned to the marines who had ended up on the other side of the junction and she smiled, relieved to see they had managed to avoid detection. How exactly Tank had made himself small and invisible she had no idea. Then again, he was a marine.

“At least they were going the other way...” Tank said softly with a grin.

Without a word she hurried over to rejoin Tank. "That was close."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than an alarm began to blare. "Sorry," she murmured, realising she had jinxed it. Flipping open her tricorder she frowned. "I think they know Mac is out of the Brig. We have to help him, I don't think the Andorian's are likely to be using a stun setting..."

“Then we go to the person out... Mac? They’re in the most danger...” Tank asked.

“He’s coming this way anyway,” Trick added. “We can meet him and deal with his friends.” Meaning the Andorians trailing behind Mac on the tricorder.

Tank nodded. “Then we can fight our way to the next one. I’m concerned about what’s in this room the Vulcan is in...” He pointed to Soral’s location and the Andorians around him.

“You and me both,” Alex admitted quietly.


Four minutes later

Maximus Mackenzie cursed. He knew it wouldn't be long until they found that he'd slipped out of his cell. "God Damn it!" he muttered. The falls of foot steps behind him didn't bother him much. There were three. One was ahead of the others. There was one option. Stand and fight. He stopped fists clenched.

The Andorian rounded the corner. Mac smiled as he saw only a blade in the Andorian's hand. He dove for the twitchy Andorian. A fist to the mouth, gut and a twist of the hand had the knife clattering to the ground. Mac scrambled for the blade as did the Andorian who was quicker then he looked. Sadly, it was the Andorian who reached the blade first. He grabbed it pushing it into Mac's side.

Mac hissed in pain. He managed to throw the Andorian just as the other two rounded the corner. A quick flip and he pulled the blade out of himself wincing. He stood up and his eyes widened as he saw what was behind the Andorian's he said nothing but watched. Marines?

Tank’s bulk rose behind one of the Andorian guards and, with both hands, he grabbed the Andorian by the neck and his face and broke his neck. The only sound was the crack. He let him go, to one side. “I hope this is one of your crew mates...” he said.

For a moment no one moved. It was always s the way of war and the three marines knew it well. The Andorians that were left stared at Tank. They both pulled weapons, training them on Tank’s bulk. Tank grinned as Trick and Sawyer stepped out from behind him and gunned them down with phaser rifles. The phasers still made noise even though it was soft it would probably bring more Andorians. Just in case they pulled the bodies out of the hallway and piled them in a doorway.

Once it was safe, Kingsley rushed towards Mac, concerned for her friend as she checked him over. "Are you alright? Are you insane?! You could have gotten yourself killed!" Her chiding lost some of it's impact by her obvious relief as she flashed Tank a grateful smile.

Mac gave a nod. He held his side. "Fine... had to get to Soral. Mind sifter again."

Again. Alex tensed before forcing herself to be calm. Stay focused. Letter her worries and - more precisely - her temper, would do nothing to help anyone right now. "You're injured," she said, noticing his wound.

“We can’t stay here...” Tank reminded them. “Can you walk?” he asked Mac.

Mac gave a nod. He still held his side. "I'm used to the jab and run. I got jabbed now let's run."

"In that case, shall we go get the rest of the away team?" Alex said brightly.

“When we take the next room, we can patch you up a bit...” Tank said to Mac. “We’re going to take the hallway beyond the door and hold it so you two can get your crew mate there.” He raised on finger in the air and spun it and the three of them took the hall.

There had been Andorians heading for Mac, three of them. They met the group in the hallway at a junction. The Andorians had expected Mac caught by several of their own, but because Sawyer’s device masked life signs in the tricorders, they were completely caught by surprise. They were dispatched before they could call for help or draw their weapons. Their marines’ phaser rifles made soft “Puft” instead of their normal blast. Still seemed to work the same. Sawyer quickly checked each body for tricorders and comms.

On approach to the Interrogation Suite, they had heard the agonised scream long before they set eyes upon the doorway up ahead. Non descript, like so much of the ship's interior, it could have been something as mundane as a storage facility for all anyone would know if they were just passing by. Except the room beyond it was far from ordinary or so innocent.

It was devoted to one thing and was a rare find on board an Andorian vessel. And unheard of prior to their sudden sedition from the Federation.

With the aide of tricorders, they could map out the surrounding areas, but beyond that, Lieutenant Kingsley left the mission in the capable hands of Tank and his men. And, if their readings were correct, the room had direct access to the holding cells. It didn't do much good to be dragging your prisoners around out in the open.

Admittedly the scream and then sudden silence from their destination almost had her break cover and just charge in. She wasn't sure who was holding who back, but between herself and Mac it was fairly even.

"Tank," Alex whispered. "Needless to say, my husband is in there. I don't care what needs to be done, but we need to get him out of there."

Tank was winced with the screams. “We’re gonna do that. Right now.” They were not far from the room that the screams came from. They could see, on the tricorder, that there were three Andorians in the room and two others outside. “We have to move fast from this point. The last point should be out of the brig. The minute we’ve got everyone and we’re out of that brig we have to be beam us away. Got me? The Andorians, in the room, are going to have time to call for help.” He looked at Alex and Mac.

Mac gave a nod. "Understood." He was glad to defer to the marines in this case.

"Be fast, gotcha," Alex nodded.

Tank, Sawyer and Trick bum rushed the two guards in the hallway. Trick’s target was just a little faster and dodged his shot, to pull his own phaser and return fire. Trick took the shot, but it was absorbed by his vest. He didn’t miss the second shot and dropped the Andorian.

The door to the room was shut tight.

Mac sighed when the fighting had stopped. "Let's get in that room. If you guys can make a ruckus and go after the Andorians, Alex and I will head for the XO."

Tank nodded and looked at Sawyer. Sawyer had already pulled a device from his pack and was fitting over the panel for the door. “Can you get it open?” Tank asked.

Sawyer laughed softly. “Of course, L.T. Ever not known me to be able to open a door?” He held up a remote and tapped it. The panel fizzled and electrical current arched over its surface. “Unlocked... we’ll have to pry it. That’s your job, L.T.”

It was Tank turn to chuckle. He put his hands on either side of the crease where the door was closed and pushed. The door only protested a little as the large marine pushed it open to reveal the room beyond. Trick kneeled right at Tank’s elbow and stuck his phaser rifle into the room and with a fast “puft, puft, puft” and the Andorians were dispatched.

“All yours...” Tank said to Alex and Mac. “We’ll hold the door... Let me know if you need help.”

“I will,” she promised as she slipped into the room.

“If you want...” Trick said to Mac. “I can wrap your wound.”

Mac gave a nod. "Much appreciated. "Alex, can you figure out how to shut the machine down. Once Trick wraps my wound, we'll get Soral."

“On it,” Kingsley promised as she hurried towards a computer terminal, shoving the Andorian slumped over the control onto a heap on the floor. Trying not to focus on rushing to her husband’s side her eyes swept over the controls before she tentatively began to work the controls, eventually finding the right combination to power down the device

Trick pulled a kit from his pack and opened it. “Take your shirt off quick...” As he waited for Mac to comply, he prepped gauze and long strips to hold the gauze in place. “Sorry... it’s old school, but it will slow the bleeding. I’ve only got a dermal regenerator. This is gonna needs cleaning and stitching... no time for that here.” He pressed the pad of gauze against Mac’s wound and wrapped the strips around him. “This is gonna hurt...” he warned before he pull the strips tight.

Mac snorted at the 'take your shirt off quick' but he complied. He winced as the wound was dressed.

“All done...” Trick said, quickly packing his kit up again and joining the other marines.

"Thanks!" Mac hurried to the chair. Soral was dead to the wind, completely out. He sighed. "Come on buddy," he said, removing the restraints.

“Soral, can you hear us?” Alex asked as she helped release the restraints, shooting a worried look at Mac. “We can’t stay here... we need to move him.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Tank? We need some muscles. Commander Soral is unconscious.”

Tank laughed softly. “Yes, Ma’am.” Tank steps towards the table and lifted the Vulcan and put him over his shoulder. “Let’s keep moving. One more in the brig right?”


The Brig

T’Lanna was lying down on the hard excuse for a bed. Without her senses, she was feeling well and truly isolated. She wished she could turn off her inhibitor again, but not at the risk of it being noticed. She wasn’t willing to be the cause of Soral’s death. She had to wonder if the Andorians planned to put her and Mac in the sifter too, to try and gain information on the ship.

Her mind was holding onto thoughts of getting home to Jayce and Raith. They needed her and she needed them, now more than ever! A few tears ran down her cheeks before she wiped them away. She couldn’t allow the Andorians to see any signs of weakness. For now, she had to have faith that they’d be rescued.

The rescue party, with Mac and unconscious Soral, moved swiftly towards the holding cells. Utilising the corridor connecting the two rooms, allowing them to avoid the main corridors and any guards.

“T’Lanna is still in a cell... The last one on the right,” Kingsley confirmed as she studied her tricorder. “I’m reading three Andorians. One nearer her cell and the other two just a meter from the doorway up ahead.”

Given what she had seen, three guards would be nothing to the marines. The marines could probably take them out with their eyes closed. She looked towards Tank. “How will we do this?”

Tank looked at Alex and nodded. “Well... since your crewmate is behind a force field we can do a lot of things. Smoke bomb would bring them into the hall so we can pick them off. Or we can rush the room like we did the other.”

"Except now you have an unconscious Vulcan to slow you down," Alex pointed out with a slightly teasing smile. The fact her husband hadn't stirred yet troubled her. A lot. But what could they do, away from a sickbay and their medical staff? "Whatever you think is best, Tank. If I get to punch an Andorian, I'm also totally okay with that."

Mac burst in looking at Alex. "Ma'am, if I may. There may be an easier way."

"Not if you call me ma'am again there isn't," she quipped, "but if you have another idea, now is the time."

"Well, you are my boss, but I can live with “Sir” if you prefer. Anyway, Andorians have protocol. When they discover Soral missing from the room and all those friends of theirs we left scattered they will sound the alarm. The guards will rush the terminal and we can get them all at once. Plus, the ship will remodulate shields and there will be a ten second gap we can all beam out without problem. We just have to do with the moment the power drops. Ten seconds is all we have."

"You guys are the ones with the tactical knowledge and experience. Tank, what do you think?" Alex asked. "I don't want to leave T'Lanna in there a moment more than needed."

“When is this window for the beam out?” Tank asked. “But we have to decide and do it now. There’s only three of them, but their friends are coming... we don’t want to sit and get caught in a fire fight. We wanna get in and get out of here.”

"The window starts when the sirens start."

Sawyer made a little noise. He had been keeping watch while they talked. “Friends are starting to show up. Got two more.”

Tank nodded and got in his pack, pulled out a phaser and handed it to Mac. “I think we should go in there hot and just get your crew mate and get out. Make sure you set to kill, please.” He grinned. “Most brigs have extra shielding that won’t allow transporting... I’m not going to look up their schematic and just assume it is... we can hit the hallway and shoot whatever comes the hallway until the window for beam out. We good?”

"We're good," Alex said quickly, eager to get off the ship before the rescuers needed rescued themselves. "Sawyer, I need your toy. Fair to say you are a better shot than me. I can take down the forcefield around T'Lanna's cell while you keep us in one piece."

Sawyer chuckled. “You got it, L.T.,” he said to Kingsley and tossed her the device from his pack. “It’s easy... stick it to the console and tap the red button on this...” he added before he tossed her the remote.

Mac gave a nod. "Let's go."

Trick led the charge down the hallway towards the Andorians in front of the brig. It want not as pretty or as fast as their other attacks. The Andorians in front of the brig were a little more ready and already had weapons in hand. Tank and Sawyer jumped into the fray, grappling with their opponents. Trick took a knee in the hallway and quickly leveled his rifle at the Andorians, one by one, until Tank and Sawyer had no one left to fight.

T’Lanna could hear a commotion going on not far from her cell, getting up from where she was sitting she walked to the cell door to see if she could see what was going on. Maybe Mac and Soral had managed to escape, perhaps there was hope after all.

Tank and Sawyer checked the brig area and then let Alex deal with the forcefield while they joined Trick in the hallway. “Go go! We got incoming!” The marines held the hallway, as the Andorian crew tried to stop them. Once the firefight started, it didn’t let up.

The moment it was safe, Alex made quick work of shorting out the forcefield keeping Vali contained. She was grateful to see that her friend appeared relatively unharmed, all things considered. "Sorry to cut your vacation short, but it's time to go," she said as she took T'Lanna's arm and pulled her closer to the marines.

T’Lanna was never more pleased to see those from the Standing Bear. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

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