Checking on the Captured

Posted on 27 Jun 2017 @ 1:44pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander Thiago Teixeira & Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Richard Metsker & Lieutenant Lucas Abrams M.D. & Petty Officer 1st Class Allen Miller
Edited on on 27 Jun 2017 @ 1:46pm

3,883 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: The Finnean Crisis
Location: Flight Deck
Timeline: MD 5 || 1300 hours

On his way to the Flight Deck, Thiago contacted Kij and informed her to meet him with a team at the Euphrates. He knew Moreau had assigned a detail as well. As he walked out into the expansive room and towards the Danube-class runabout. He keyed open the entry portal and entered the cockpit, taking a seat at the helm console. He began the preflight procedure while he waited.

Jayla grabbed a medkit and hesitated for a moment before calling two of the nurses and Abrams to join her. "Double check the kits," she added, opening her own and checking the contents quickly.

Luc checked his own medkit and found everything to be right where it should have been. "I'm good to go," he said.

"All right, let's go!" she ordered and led the group out of Sick Bay and all the way to the shuttle bay. "What's the situation?" she asked Teixeira once they'd arrived on the Euphrates.

He smiled at the sound of Jayla's voice. "The crews of the da Gama and the station are being held captive," he said turning in the pilot's seat to face her. "We're going to check them out, make sure they're in good shape."

His smile made her respond with one of her own, but she also rolled her eyes. "Always with the prisoners," she complained. "How many people are we talking?"

"Everyone from the da Gama and the station," he answered. "No solid numbers, but hundreds. At least."

"Maybe we should have brought the entire medical staff," Jayla muttered, brow wrinkling.

Rich made his way to the Flight Deck. He carried a Type-3E Phaser Rifle with his right hand and had his Phaser-IIf holstered at his side. After a few minutes walk and turbolift ride he arrived on the Flight Deck and looked around for a moment. He spotted the Euphrates and made his way to the Danube class Runabout.

As one of the attached Security officers, Allen had grabbed his belt that had become standard for him on away missions. Well, away missions where he could have it. Seeing as how he had to report to the Flight Deck on Deck Eleven, he stopped at the Main Armory on Deck Twelve to get his Type II hand phaser and stock his belt. The Petty Officer grabbed a couple extra Phaser Energy Cells and stowed them. Unsure of what could happen, Allen grabbed two anesthezine grenades and two stun grenades. It was supposed to be a rather peaceful operation, checking on the captured. And that's why he only grabbed the non-threatening grenades. Just in case though, he took some restraints, the optional gas mask, a tricorder, and the exographic targeting sensor he used on Deep Space Eleven.

After stocking up, he grabbed a turbolift down one Deck and made his way to the Euphrates. "Petty Officer First Class Miller reporting in, sirs," he said, walking up. "Ready to protect and secure."

Metsker gave a nod to the Petty Officer, "You look you're ready to go to war." Rich noted with a smirk.

Allen chuckled. "Have to be ready for anything, sir. Don't know much about the potential enemy or how they could react to us being there. I know we're just checking on our people...but I'm not taking any chances."

Rick smirked, "No, no chances...I'd like to come back alive from my first away mission aboard this ship."

Thiago, having left the cockpit, stuck his head out of the Euphrates' open hatch. "You two coming?"

"Right on, Commander. On my way." Allen got on and took a seat.

Dropping back into the pilot's seat, Teixeira touched a few controls to close the hatch. "Everyone take a seat," he suggested. Keying a channel to flight control, he requested clearance to depart.

"Euphrates, Control. You are cleared."

"Control, Euphrates. Understood."

Under his experienced hand, the runabout lifted off the deck and moved forward, through the open flight doors and into open space. He nudged the small ship into a gentle arc, aimed at the station. It was a short journey and as they approached, he opened a signal to the station. "This is the USS Euphrates requesting permission to dock."

For nearly a minute, there wasn't a reply, but the runabout was scanned heavily in the meantime by the station. "USS Euphrates," finally came the disembodied reply, "Proceed to Bay Three."

"Bay Three," Thiago confirmed. With the amount of time that it had taken for a reply to his hail, he was certain they had been subjected to at least some scans. He maneuvered the runabout to the designated landing bay and touched down. Cutting the engines, he started giving the crew orders. "Doctors, focus on triage first. If anyone is critical, we need to get them back to a sickbay."

"Will do, Commander," Abrams stated, mentally preparing himself for what he might see once they got to where the were going.

Jayla merely nodded. She didn't really need anyone to tell her that, but she also didn't mind it. After all, Teixeira was in charge; he was just trying to make sure things went smoothly.

"And you two," Teixeira continued, turning his chair around to look at Metsker and Miller, "stay close to them. Keep your eyes open. I don't think we'll be bothered too much, but I'm not taking chances."

"Yes sir." Rich said as he re-checked the Sarium Krellide power cells in his phaser rifle and sidearm. He activated both and made sure the safeties were set.

"You've got it, Sir," answered Miller. The PO1 checked his belt again and prepared to exit the craft.

"Let's go," he said, activating the hatch. Stepping out of the Euphrates, the Executive Officer surveyed his surroundings.

Two Selubassari greeted the arriving shuttle in the bay.Like most Selubassari security, their chests were protected by padded armor and their arms exposed. Their skin shone yellow, a sign that they were apprehensive to the new arrivals. Their heads were capped with an egg-like chamber, sitting above two eyes. There were no ears or mouth to speak of, and whatever words they spoke resonated from the chamber atop the skull. "Who is in charge?" demanded the senior of the two. While he was familiar with Starfleet ranks, and recognized that the human in red held the highest rank, that was all the Selubassari had, not even a name.

Lucas stepped out behind the XO and looked toward the Selubassari. He'd never seen anything quite like those who were there greeting them. Still, this was Teixeira's show, and that meant the large man keeping quiet until they got to where they were needed most.

Allen stepped out and up to the giant's left. This was definitely the strangest species he'd ever seen. And to be honest, kinda creepy looking. He never smiled or changed his countenance when he noticed their heads. But he kept waiting for some kind of fowl to crack the shell and pop out.

For her part, Jayla barely managed to keep from glaring at the Selubassari. To her mind, they had no right to hold anyone hostage. She could imagine no circumstance where it would be excusable for them to refuse to allow anyone to leave. If any of these people were seriously injured... well, she hadn't really decided how to finish that thought, but it was probably not pretty and involved the brig.

"That would be me," Thiago said, stepping forward towards the Selubassari. "Commander Teixeira," he said. Usually he would offer a hand in greeting, but that didn't seem to be a recognized custom among the Selubassari. He motioned towards the members of his team, starting with the medical officers. "My medical team: Doctors Kij and Abrams."

Jayla nodded once in greeting, manner obviously guarded. She didn't trust them- and likely wouldn't unless something drastic happened.

Luc quietly assessed their present situation as he offered a nod in greeting. The large man wasn't exactly intimidated by their present situation, but that still didn't mean he liked it. These individuals had prisoners, and it was up to him and Doctor Kij to assess their conditions. Would they be allowed to treat them? To move the seriously wounded? All that remained to be seen.

"And this," Teixeira continued, indicating the remaining crew, "is a security detail." Wanting to ensure that their hosts didn't think Starfleet viewed them as enemies, he quickly followed up with a factual explanation. "Starfleet policy requires a security team to be present when members of the crew are working away from the ship. I'm sure you understand the importance of following procedure."

"We understand procedure," replied the lead escort. "We will take you to your Starfleet crew, and you will have Selubassari guards at all time. You will have thirty minutes to make your examinations, and then you must leave. Other than medicine, you may not leave anything with the crew."

With that, the Selubassari turned and proceeded to the exit.

Allen shook his head after their escorts turned. He moved to the side to allow some of the others to follow and then took up a position the side.

"Thirty minutes?!?!" hissed Jayla, seething. "We'll barely get started and they know it! I think they're up to something." Was she being suspicious? Absolutely. Paranoid? Probably. But, suspicion and paranoia kept people alive, so she wasn't going to stop now.

"Thirty minutes is more than enough time to screen the crew," the guard bluntly stated. "You are carrying scanning equipment. Our calculations put this task completed in nine minutes, especially with the personnel you have."

"If we do a mass scan, sure," countered Jayla hotly. "But, a mass scan won't tell me which medicines I should administer or to whom. The only way I can be certain that everyone is in good health is to scan each one individually. I can't do that in thirty minutes."

"You are not here to administer assistance," droned the guard. "You are here to assess, nothing more."

Luc cleared his throat. This was going to get out of hand quickly if he didn't attempt to try to diffuse the situation somehow. Despite DS15 once being run by the Federation, it wasn't any longer, and that meant they had to play by the rules of others. Even if they didn't necessarily like it. "Forty-five minutes to check the injured with the aid of those who are capable," he began, knowing there would be a few of the captives that were able to assist, and truth be told, they'd be able to help more individuals that way. "We'll leave a variety of medications that can be used to treat a number of ailments, then we leave."

"Understood," Thiago said, stepping forward. The last thing he wanted was to end up with another casualty. Especially Jayla. "Assess, not treat," he reiterated, looking from the Selubassari to Kij.

Returning his gaze to the Selubassari, Teixeira continued. "Shall we proceed?"

The guard looked at the tall Lieutenant, then to the one who called himself Teixeira. "Thirty minutes," he echoed. "No more, no less. This way." The guards turned and began to walk away, leading the Away Team towards a turbolift.

Teixeira himself took the lead behind the Selubassari guard. He trusted his team to follow without complaint. As they walked, the Commander thought about how he would address the seemingly inevitable situation that would arise when Kij or Abrams found someone in need of medical intervention. He had no intention of letting someone die if they could be saved. But being able to do so without upsetting the already tenuous standoff would prove difficult.

If looks could kill, the Selubassari guards would have dropped dead on the spot from the hateful glare Jayla gave their backs. It had been a good thing Teixeira had stepped in or she probably would have gotten herself killed. She still didn't like it, but would follow orders- as long as they came from her own superiors.

The turbolift may have been crowded, but the ride was short. The team soon found themselves on the habitat levels of the station. "Most of the crew," said the lead guard, "are contained on this level and the next. Anyone designated as a senior officer is being held on the security levels."

Looking at his medical team, Teixeira sought their input. "How would you like to proceed? Keeping in mind our time limitation."

"Abrams suggested we get some of their medical personnel to assist," Jayla said, still seething. "I think that's a good starting point."

Luc said nothing, but mentally prepared himself for the best course of action regarding how to go about this. Even with help, time was going to be an issue. Still, he had a job to to, and the big man planned to do his best to get it done.

"Get to it," Teixeira replied. He also motioned for the security officers to follow the two physicians. Turning his attention to the Selubassari guards, he made a request. "Take me to the security level."

The guard nodded. "This way. Will you be escorted by one of your guards?"

"Do I need one?" Thiago asked. "Should I not trust you?"

The Selubassari did not answer, instead, they merely gestured to the Commander to head for the turbolift with two Selubassari guards.

Thiago started for the lift, as indicated by the Selubassari. He wanted to check on the senior officers. Maybe they could share some important information about the situation.

Metsker thought about the situation for a moment, "Petty Officer Miller, go with the Commander. Stay close to him and keep your eyes open."

"Aye, sir," said Miller.

Jayla thought about objecting to Teixeira leaving the group, but decided against it; probably the Selubassari would stun her or kill her or just make her leave. The latter option frightened her more than any of the former ones, oddly enough. After all, if they made her leave, it would be an extra strain on the remaining medical personnel and that could be bad for the crew who needed medical attention.

So, in the end, she simply turned to the first person in teal that she saw and began scanning her. "Medical or science?" she asked the girl.

"Chemist," the ensign simply answered. "This is my first assignment out of the academy, and we wound up prisoners in our own home. They didn't tell us this was possible at the Academy."

"There's a lot they don't tell you at the Academy," Jayla replied grimly. Like you may have to watch a friend die and be unable to do anything about it, she thought. Aloud, though, she simply said, "can you point out some of the medical crew for me? They're not letting us stay very long and in order to check everyone over, we thought we'd conscript a few of your own personnel to help."

"You're not here to rescue us?" the ensign replied, shocked. "Why did the Selubassari let you in here then?" The ensign's outburst was impossible to ignore, and the other fifty or so crewmembers in the room began to grumble. Many of them stood up and started to walk towards Doctor Kij and the Security team.

"We're working on it," Jayla assured everyone who had started paying attention. "They let us on the station to check that you're all healthy and that nobody's injured. I'm allowed to leave medicine for now and our captain will be negotiating for your release. With any luck we'll have you all free in no time."

"What's the point?" demanded a nearby lieutenant. "First they lock up our senior officers, then they remove all of the security officers from the station... What's to gain by keeping us here?"

Already agitated because she wasn't allowed proper time to examine everyone or treat anybody at all, Jayla let out an agitated sigh and rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to know?" she demanded irritably. "Do I look like a Selubassar?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding up one hand to stop any reply that might come. "I apologize," she said finally. "But, as you can see, I am just as upset as you are. We will free you all, that is an absolute. It may take time, but we will free you."

That did little to quell the uprising in the room. Shouting and unrest came from all corners as the Doctor's statements resonated with them, causing their frustrations that had built over the last few days only begin to build. This hadn't yet turned violent, but with the sound in the room, one could only wonder if it would.

Allen had followed everyone in and taken up a position among the team and patients that would afford him a good view of the room and the exits. In his mind, he started formulating plans of escape and adding variables such as panicking patients. But the Lieutenant's words got his attention. ...they remove all of the security officers from the station.... Uh oh, we're the only Starfleet Security on this station. He then took notice of the room. No gold shirts, period. Security, Ops, Engineering...all gone. But where? And why separate them from the Science and Medical personnel? Allen then remembered that he was supposed to be following the XO. He turned and walked out.

Lucas cleared his throat. This situation was going to get worse before it got better if this line of action continued. "Look... we can sympathize with your current situation, but an uprising is only going to make things worse for us all. Things are going to be okay," he said, turning toward the Selubassari standing guard. "I have a request, if I may?"

"What is it?" the Selubassari emotionlessly replied. "You have twenty seven minutes remaining."

"It's rather simple, actually," the big guy began, looking over those present before he turned back to the guard. "Release one of the captured to my people and keep me in their place." He had a feeling this wouldn't be agreed upon, but he hoped... really hoped... they would be agreeable.

"What purpose would that serve?" the rigid Selubassari asked with a scoff. "Your mission is to assess, not treat. If your Captain is successful, then you will be able to treat."

Lucas hoped their Captain would be successful. Without speaking another word, he moved on to begin assessing the captured. Time was something they didn't have a lot of, and neither doctor could afford to waste what was left of it talking.

Luckily, Dr. Abrams' offer seemed to quell the anger that had been rising in the crowd. With a reproachful glare, Jayla started doing general scans, finding most in excellent health and only a few in need of any medicines, which she would leave with any medical personnel before they left.

Lucas was pleased to see that his scans revealed almost everyone was healthy, though, there were a few that needed medical attention. Sadly, he wasn't permitted to treat any of them, though he briefly toyed with the idea of defying those orders. Nothing good would come of that, though, so he continued on with his scans as he made mental notes of those who would need to be treated first.

As the group moved from room to room, the clock wound down. With seconds to go, and several hundred people left to check on, the Selubassari guards prepared to gather everyone back together to escort the visiting Starfleet officers off the starbase. At that very moment, another Selubassari entered the room. He was dressed just like the rest of the guards on the level, but carried himself with authority. He pulled the lead guard aside and exchanged words in their native tongue.

After a minute of discussion, the lead guard approached the Trill who bore Lieutenant Commander pips. "Your Captain has been successful. The crew of the station and the starship are now returned to you. You may process them as you see fit."

His answer was a blink and a blank stare, followed by an expression that clearly said that should have been the plan from the start. "Good," Jayla replied. "We'll get right to it." Without another word, she crossed to where Abrams was working. "We're allowed to treat now," she told him. "And take your time. We can do whatever we need to."

"Then, by all means, let's get to treating those that need it," the large man said just before making his way over to one of the more injured people.

The Selubassari left the room, leaving the control of nearly a thousand personnel to the two medical professionals and the sole Starfleet security guard.

It was probably best that Jayla return to the few injured she found, so she went to the worst off- who wasn't really all that bad- and pulled out a dermal regenerator as well as a hypo spray. "Good news," she said, loading an antibiotic into the spray. "They're letting us treat you. Captain Geisler's efforts seem to be working. I'll have that wound patched up in no time."

From where he was standing with another of the crews wounded, Lucas paused to look at Jayla. They still had more to do than WS possible for two officers alone. "Now that the crew has been released, perhaps, it wouldn't be a bad idea to call for some backup. We could use more medical personnel to help, as well as some Security to keep us safe... just in case," he said before looking toward the only Security officer present. "No offense to you or your abilities, Lieutenant."

That thought had occurred to Jayla, too, but she'd been so concerned about fixing up those who were wounded, she hadn't stopped to implement the ideas. "That's a great idea," she said, studying the wound on the girl's leg as the dermal regenerator did its work. "How many security officers do you think we should have?" she asked Metsker.

Rich smirked. While he’d kept a sharp eye on the Selubassari guards while they had been present, the job for him had been rather dull...even if it was important. The fact that they had made no aggressive moves while a welcome blessing.

With the Selubassari guards gone and the wounded being treated in an orderly manner, another three member security team should be all that would be needed. “Send over whatever medical support you need and an additional three member security team should be fine. I don’t think the Selubassari will give us any problems.”

With a nod, Jayla tapped her combadge and contacted Black Hawk, requesting the appropriate teams. Once that was done, she glanced around at the crowd of people. "Let's not tell them they're free just yet, okay?" she said to the two men quietly. "I don't want a riot on our hands. Once we've figured out what to do with them, then we can tell them. Agreed?"

With the medical and security teams on their way, Jayla breathed a bit easier. Now she could treat patients in peace.

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