Search and Rescue

Posted on 04 Jun 2024 @ 12:43am by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale
Edited on on 07 Jul 2024 @ 4:04am

769 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Shattered Unity
Location: Starbase Unity (Wreckage)
Timeline: June 19, 2390 || 0400 hours

Ensign Karn’s heart hammered a frantic tattoo against his ribs as the shuttle carried his team Starbase Unity, a vital Federation hub on a colossal asteroid, lay shrouded in debris on the main viewscreen. Reports were sketchy – an unknown attack, a distress beacon pulsating weakly. Now, Karn, a fresh-faced Ensign barely out of the Academy, was in charge of a twelve-person security team leading the search and rescue effort.

He scanned his team as they donned their tactical harnesses. Each belt held a miniature arsenal – a phaser set to stun, a medkit stocked with trauma bandages and hyposprays, a multi-tool that could breach most doors, and a bandolier of spare phaser cells. An oppressive silence hung in the air as they donned their breathing masks, the filtration systems humming to life.

The docking bay of Starbase Unity presented a scene of utter devastation. Twisted metal hung from scorched bulkheads, and debris littered the floor. Karn activated his tricorder, the green glow revealing dangerously high radiation levels in some areas. He divided his team – Lieutenant Ramirez, his stoic second-in-command, would take half to secure the docking bay while Karn, with the other six, ventured deeper into the station.

The airlock hissed open, revealing a dimly lit corridor choked with smoke. Shards of sparking equipment littered the floor, and the metallic tang of burnt wires hung heavy in the air. Karn’s tricorder crackled to life, pinpointing a faint bio-signature ahead. They moved with practiced caution, boots crunching on the debris.

“Crewman down, unconscious, but alive,” Sergeant Reyes, a seasoned veteran with a calm demeanor, reported after checking the figure with his medical tricorder.

As they secured the injured crewman, a series of muffled explosions echoed from further down the corridor. Ensign Sato, a recent graduate, her eyes wide with apprehension, pointed her phaser towards the sound.

“Hold!” Karn barked, his voice betraying his own unease. “Those could be survivors triggering equipment malfunctions.”

Carefully, they navigated the corridor, relying on Reyes’ tricorder to detect any further trapped personnel. They found a young engineering officer pinned by a fallen beam, his face pale with pain. Working with practiced efficiency, they used the rescue jacks integrated into their harnesses to stabilize the beam and carefully freed him.

The journey deeper into the station was punctuated by moments of nail-biting tension and frantic activity. They used their emergency door openers to pry open jammed bulkheads, the hiss of escaping atmosphere a constant reminder of the failing life support systems. In a hydroponics bay, they found two security officers huddled together, their oxygen tanks depleted. Karn’s team quickly replaced them and secured the frightened pair.

The comms crackled to life. Lieutenant Ramirez’s voice, laced with urgency, cut through the static. “We’ve got a compromised environmental section. One of my team is injured.”

Karn’s stomach lurched. A compromised environment could mean anything from a toxic gas leak to a failing force field. “Hold your position, Ramirez. We’re coming.”

As they reached the environmental control room, the acrid tang of burnt circuitry assaulted their senses. Through the smoke-filled doorway, they saw Ramirez and Corporal Torres, a formidable Klingon warrior, struggling to contain a ruptured plasma conduit. Superheated plasma, essentially contained lightning, could vaporize anything it touched.

Karn reacted instinctively. He fired a phaser blast, carefully aiming to overload a nearby control panel and cut power to the conduit. It sputtered and died, leaving behind an eerie silence. Torres, with her superior heat resistance, moved forward with a fire suppressant, quickly extinguishing the remaining sparks.

With the immediate danger neutralized, they tended to Ramirez’s injured arm – a superficial burn from a stray plasma spark. They then focused on securing the ruptured conduit, using their multi-tools to isolate the damage and prevent further breaches.

With all known survivors secured, they retraced their steps towards the docking bay. The air quality was deteriorating rapidly, the remaining life support struggling. As they reached the bay, the flickering overhead lights finally died, plunging them into complete darkness.

“Hold position!” Karn ordered, his voice echoing in the silence. “Use your tricorders as emergency beacons.”

The faint green lights from their tricorders painted an eerie scene on the scarred metal walls. With excruciating slowness, they stumbled towards the docking bay entrance, Karn leading the way, his senses on high alert.

Finally, the docking bay door loomed ahead, outlined by a faint light from outside. Relief washed over Karn as they stumbled into the waiting arms of Ramirez’s team. With a renewed sense of urgency, they secured the rescued personnel on the transport vessel, their mission complete.

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