The Explosion
Posted on Fri May 3rd, 2024 @ 2:28pm by Lieutenant Callan Armidale & Ensign Aaron Soong & Petty Officer 3rd Class Brix Saad & Commander Lorut Vila & Lieutenant Commander Frasier Greene & Lieutenant Scott Jones & Xavier X-1 & Lieutenant Commander Ukram Gocx & Lieutenant Rowena "Rena" Campbell
4,782 words; about a 24 minute read
Mission:
Home Sweet Home
Location: Kaitos: A’ransari
Timeline: MD9: 1730 hours
Vila was wide awake-this was normally her duty time, and she didn't see much point in changing her schedule if shore leave was only going to be a week. She was sitting cross-legged on the chair of the hotel room, though, paging through a PADD, desperate for something to pique her interest.
A distant sound rang out-it sounded like an explosion but she was too far away to tell for sure. She didn't pay it too much mind, as she assumed it was part of the celebrations of death for the recently-deceased Elder.
A little bit later, the familiar sound of her combadge sounded. ’What the hell?!’
Admiral Albion had overridden her communications lockout. “Commander Lorut, priority one NOW!”
Vila sighed. Of course that idiotic Caitian would find some way to harass her on her break!! Quickly, she dashed across the room. "Admiral! How lovely to hear from you, especially on shore leave. What can I do for you?" she said, in a sweet tone of voice. "Why aren't you contacting Captain Culver?" She asked, playing dumb about the man's whereabouts.
“Because he has taken the Intrepid to Krios, Commander Lorut, or did you forget that I was literally backed into a lose-lose situation there?
Regardless, you’ve got to have heard the explosion from your position…where else could you possibly be?” The Caitian grumbled, gnashing his sizable teeth.
Vila's brown eyes danced with mirth. "My CMO's room," she said, but shook her head. "I should've made him leave the yacht," she said, "And I did, yes. What about it? I figured it was part of the party for the newest State Elder or whatever they call it," she said.
“It has nothing to do with the funerary traditions of the El-Aurian. Some kind of explosion, so you and your CMO can get your asses up and find out what it’s about. The El-Aurians don’t need terrorism and explosions when they’re already in mourning their Head of Planetary Government. It’s an order and I do mean on the double!”
Vila shook her head. "Calm down, cat man, I was kidding about the CMO. I'll get there ASAP," she said, turning off her Comms. After a moment, she opened a new channel and issued one of her own. =/\=All Intrepid personnel, report to the following location in twenty minutes. OR ELSE. =/\= Quickly, she sent the co-ordinates to her location and then she stepped into her uniform, and secured a phaser to her waist just in case, and made her way downstairs.
Callan stepped out of his quarters and nearly ran into and ran over Aaron Soong and Brix Saad. “What goin’ on, mates?” Callan asked, his Oz accent a little strong this morning.
“No idea,” Brix answered. “But I’d guess it has something to do with the noise that just rocked our rooms and rattled our windows.”
“Likely an explosion. If nearby, it would have to have been on a small scale. Perhaps an angry response to the identification of one of the Elders as Eldest El-Aurian?” Aaron surmised with the data available.
Looking up, two moons appeared normal. “We can’t tell if there was lunar damage from this perspective and the other side of Kaitos is untamed by weather control. We would need shuttles or fighters in the air for that,” he concluded as the trio stepped through the transporter arc, their destination encoded in their combadges.
Xaver had been in bed asleep, perhaps not sleeping, but in maintenance mode when the explosion occurred. He sat up, looking around him, then stepped outside do determine what was going on.
After a rather social leave so far Doctor Greene had been enjoying the quite sanctum of the assigned hotel room to unwind and had been creating a person log when he heard the distant rumble shortly followed by the Commander's call to arms. Fearing the rumble had been an explosion Frasier quickly changed into his uniform and snapped up the merger medical supplies he'd bought before dashing outside in the night air.
Rena had been asleep, deep in a dream. She muttered to herself about the goddamned Fleet interrupting at the worst times, but slipped into a uniform and put her black hair back quickly into a messy bun. She made her way to the Commander's location, too. Her arms were sore from that damned baseball game, even though she had to admit it was fun and it had been a nice change to see Vila interacting with the others in a fun way.
Vila was pleased to see the remaining "team" assembled. "The explosion wasn't for a party or celebration. HQ thinks there's fuckery afoot. Let's beam over in groups of four.
“Gocx, stay behind here to run interference. We'll call you if we need you. See if you can get the Captain on relay, tell him what's going on, and see if they want to send a shuttle out with one more person," she said.
"Doc, why don't you head over with Soong, Xavier, and Yeoman Saad?" She looked at the four. "Don't move from the landing location until we're all there unless it's an immediate situation," she said. "Use comms channel three."
"Right," Greene nodded at the clear instructions and made the adjustment to his com badge.
“Acknowledged,” Aaron responded. He looked at the other three it made sense, the Doctor to tend wounds, the android and him to move heavy equipment or collapsed material and Brix to interface with whomever local government had working on whatever this problem might be.
The four headed back into the arch that Aaron, Brix and Xavier had just emerged from. This time, it deposited them into a hellscape of the Capitol city. Above them, the sky was clear of its largest building, the largest suspended building in the city, its hotel.
“Holy shit!” Aaron said as his artificial intelligence and android skills and strengths set in. He’d been activated. He was not as human as any of the others anymore.
Brix looked around appalled. “The Council Building,” she paused and pointed. “Is under there!” she pointed off in the distance, a place they could not reach with transporters due to the atmospheric interference now.
Aaron shared a wordless look with Xavier and leapt ten meters up and over the fallen rubble. They had to find out if any of the government had survived the…fall of the building didn’t sit right, but they had no more knowledge right now except that it had. The only good thing, if there was such a thing, was that the sky high rectangle was only the sides of the shape, there was no interior.
The sight scene around them was hard to comprehend. The air was filled with panic - a medley of sirens moved in from every direction while the wails of bystanders and victims grew lounder in desperation - a heavy scent of smoke dulled Frasier's senses as he tried to pick away through the carnage his way lit by the flicker of distant flames.
Brix could hear the sounds of the disaster around her. The El-Aurian people who could walk or run were doing just that. Running past her and so she needed a better place for them to run somewhere. She remembered the park and the baseball game. “Everyone, she yelled as loud as she could. “Start gathering in the park in the west, we can manage getting everyone’s names and getting you all some care!”
To her surprise, people started running west, to where she was pointing. More people were following as she continued shouting the instructions to gather in the parks to the west.
Scott beamed in, still scratching the sleep from his eye. It had taken him a little longer to get there as he was still up on the station. He looked at the crew's faces around him and realised what was happening, "Where do you need me?" he asked out to Vila.
"Lieutenant!" she said. "I'll need you to do your best at Engineering. Do we have access to anything with a tractor beam?" She asked. "We'll beam over in a moment with Callan and Roaa," she said. "I sent the Doc already, with the Android and Brix, plus Xavier," she said. "Counselors, you'll head over with me. Commander Gocx and the FNN...woman are interfacing with the Captain," she explained. "Are you ready?" She asked the remaining crew.
"Five to beam over." In a flash, the five Intrepid crew disappeared, and landed in front of the now-flattened Capitol building.
"What the hell?" She said, aloud. "Ok. Break up into teams of two to three. Survivors first. Get them out. Docs, set up a triage station. Lieutenant Campbell, I need you to be ON."
Rena sighed, but nodded. She'd figured. She was already picking up some life signs. "Yes, ma'am," she said.
"I can get shuttles and fighters launched from the orbital station," Scott began, his brow furrowed, "I can act as ground control and coordinate efforts."
Callan came walking out of the rubble, a woman’s arm around his neck and shoulder as she limped along. Cal saw Scott and nodded, he didn’t know if Scott could even identify him with all the dust that covered him as well.
Cal dropped the woman off at the nearby triage tent and placed a green marker on her. Not critical. It meant she had no mortal injuries and was just among the hundreds running in fear from the event.
He remembered seeing the Aborigines in full paint when he was a child and their family traveled deep into the Outback. They had covered their faces in lines of thick, white makeup. Some were entirely white and had even covered their hair.
The people escaping past him reminded him of that ceremony. Except that the Aborigines’ dance ritual was joyous, so much that it transformed little Callan’s fear of the men into fun and play and dance while the didgeridoo was played.
These people rushed past in terror. “Head for the parks,” he barked, his voice harsh from the dust and debris. “Head for the parks!” he shouted a little louder this time.
Some people stopped and understood him. They stayed and began directing the streams of people running away from this place to the parks. When about a dozen people were stood, directing the runners - with more people stopping to join them - only then did Cal rip off the arm fabric and cover his nose and mouth before rushing back into the disaster.
The annunciator had been chiming, getting louder and louder until it was almost unbearable. “Captain, your mother has been holding for you, sir. Your brother, Bran, is also calling. And I’ve got dozens more coming from Kaitos.
Max had been asleep, having easily reverted back to shipboard time fairly easily. Still, it was early morning and a call from his mother was unusual.
He moved to the end of the bed as he pulled on a lightweight, black robe. “Open the channel with my mother, I’ll take it here.”
Max sat at the foot of the bed, feeling it empty was wrong, someone else should have been there. Then, like wisps of a spider’s web it was caught and then gone. “Where the hells is that starship of yours now!” she asked accusingly.
“In orbit of Krios. There’s been an emergency that drew us here. It doesn’t matter. What’s happened?” He asked, the panic in her voice, he had never heard her sound this way. In fact, in the thirty one years since he had joined Starfleet, she had never initiated the call. It was always on him. Punishment for joining Starfleet. His penance.
“A’ransari has been attacked. It’s all over the new!”
“Hold on, Mom…” Max replied numbed by the thought. Were his crew safe? Were they even alive?
Against his better angels, Max turned on the FNN news feed to see the endless damage. Wreckage of some kind had fallen on A’ransari. That Lower Decker he had kept away from the ship was reporting accident or terrorism was unknown. The Pearl, the oldest, largest, and most luxurious suspended hotel had lost anti-grav. Even the delaying techniques meant to drift the hotel away from the city had failed. It was the worst moment in his life.
And yet, a glimmer of hope as the face of Lorut Vila, that fucking thorn in his side Bajoran Executive Officer was there on her screen, then Scott Jones, Frasier Greene, Gocx.
“And I am there,” he screamed at the screen just before throwing the first, heaviest thing he could throw at it.
Max moved to his desk and threw open channels, a half dozen of them at one time. He talked fast and loud and with command. He was unwavering in excuses or politics. He was about to be all over Kaitos. As the humans said, “like flies on shit”.
When he was done, he dressed and marched his ass to the bridge. “Albion can kiss the fattest part of my ass,” he said to no one. Fortunately, no one had the nerve to say a damned thing to him at the moment.
Unknown to them, the USS Brisbane, the USS Adelaide, the Port MacQuarie, and the USS Sydney dropped out of slipstream drive less than ten minutes later. Four of the newest Florey class hospital ships.
The USS Seoul came in three minutes later. An older Excelsior class that had been found as an excellent testbed for the QSL drives. Her Captain would coordinate all non-medical emergencies. Her captain, Madison King, should have been an admiral by now if she wasn’t so damned attached to the chair. She was also the best and only diplomat Max would ever trust anyone with this much delicacy.
The lumbering Scott class USS LaForge, designed partly by her son, and named for his two greatest heroes, barged her way into the pack. She was the miracle worker, Starfleet’s Corps of Engineers ran her like clockwork. Captain Bonafacci was there to do the heavy lifting.
“Commander Lorut, this is Captain King of the USS Seoul, we’re beaming the medical crews from four ships now to assist with patients. They’ll be coming from all four points of the compass, Commander.
“And there is additional equipment being brought in from the SCE starship LaForge. They’ll assist with the heavy lifting, so direct them to your air traffic handler. They’re already neutralizing the ionization. More doctors are on standby to transport closer and closer to the epicenter as they clear the air.
“Your Captain was very clear that on this day when you need him the most, we are here, at his order and begging no excuses from this Task Force.”
Vila's comms clicked. =/\=Thank you, Captain. =/\= She made a face. She had it under control. Still, the facilities would be useful, and she didn't know what the political climate between Bajor and these people was like-they would be less inclined to help if they mistrusted her. The full force of Starfleet would be harder to deny.
=/\= My CMO is Doctor Fraiser Greene. He will likely be beaming aboard shortly with his assistant, Doctor Ukram, House of Gocx," she said =/\= She paused a beat. =/\= We could use a few extra security people if you could spare one, and maybe an Engineer. My specialty was science. =/\=
She clicked off. She sighed deeply. "Greene!" She shouted. "There's four other ships in airspace, ready to lend a hand. How's the setup with a triage station?
"We're pretty much ready to receive casualties - though I'd welcome the help from those other ships and in extracting the seriously wounded." Greene called back scanning the area directly around for walking wounded.
=/\= As soon as they land, I'll send them over =/\=
“Jones, call up to Gocx and tell him to get his Klingon ass over here. Campbell can handle the staff stuff. Let's start getting this debris moved. You two," she said, indicating Aaron and Xavier, "Start patrolling for survivors." She moved forward and started to collect things.
“Acknowledged,” came the terse response from Scott. He was busy already clearing the skies above.
Xavier nodded and separated from Aaron. He knew that each of them could handle whatever came up without the assistance of the other and they could cover more ground individually than together.
"Xavier, if and when you find anyone still living, open Comms channel two. It'll broadcast to everyone," she said. "Thank you. Go on now," she said.
"Yes ma'am," Xavier said as turned and walked away.
Aaron was already gone at Lorut’s mention of getting back to the site of destruction. This time he headed straight to the Council building, Capitol of Kaitos. With his new abilities unlocked, he could make out only one life sign and it was in a precarious position.
One wrong move could kill the woman.
Vila began to shift pieces of fallen metal and debris to search for survivors. She pulled a tricorder from her pocket, and scanned the area. =/\=No life signs under the rubble near our landing spot. Reports, please. =/\=
She moved on, several feet to the next area.
=/\=Campbell, how's it going, contacting Culver?=/\=
=/\=He should be with you shortly; they're in the weeds, too.=/\=
=/\= Thanks.=/\=
“Culver here,” came Max’s voice over the static of the nebula and ionized airfield. “What’s going on down there? What happened?” Max asked, hoping this was a terrible accident. The thought of terrorism on his homeworld was too much to stomach when it seemed the same was happening on Krios.
Vila heard Max's voice. =/\= Someone blew up the Capitol building, =/\= she paused a beat. =/\= Thank you for sending out reinforcements. We're patrolling and rescuing. Mostly it's a recovery mission as far as I can tell. Bodies. Luckily, it's Beta shift, so there's not as many, but...=/\= She stopped. Max would understand, she knew, the gravity of what she was saying.
“Lay heavy on the resources I’ve sent, they’re all good ships with good people,” Max relayed. “Keep Captain King hopping and in command of her own damn ship and not the mission. You have the larger command right now while Kaitos is lacking a Council, by order of The Treaty of Kaitos.” Max informed her, though he knew she wouldn’t like it. Neither would Captain Madison King.
Vila let out a sigh. =/\=Don't worry, I had it out with Albion, I am in a mood now. =/\= When Vila was in a mood, she wasn't to be trifled with. =/\=Is Kaitos under the UFOP? I don't have any standing here!=/\=
“No, Kaitos is not in the UFOP, but it is a Protectorate. In the absence of a ruling government, Starfleet may take temporary control until the government is reestablished, which also means you’re de facto leader there until one of the Council of Elders is found alive and able to make decisions.
She shook her head. =/\=I'll ask...someone, not me, to do the diplomatic stuff. Maybe one of the Docs. =/\= She clicked off then. Fuck.
Max shook his head. He was tired, but he wasn’t going to bed until he had a clean sit rep from Vila. He set back in the command chair and looked up to see some Yeoman there.
“I know you prefer black coffee, but I replicated a raktajino. The midnight oil’s already been burned, Captain, so you’ll need the caffeine. At least I thought so.”
Max smiled. “Thank you, Yeoman. That’s very thoughtful of you. You’re also not on this shift.”
“I’m the only Yeoman on the ship sir,” she responded, pushing a lock of blond hair back behind her ear. “If you’re here, sir, I’m here,” she replied both smoothly and simply.
Max nodded wordlessly.
Back at the site, Vila began to inspect each teams' work. "Greene, what's your status?" She called out. "Jones, need updates! Callan?? Report in, people." She tapped her Comms badge again.
=/\= Greene here, =/\= the Doctor's voice sounded. =/\= We've begun to received wounded and are being assisted from the supporting vessels. The more severe cases will be transported aboard the Adelaide and Sydney. Unfortunately we've needed to create a makeshift morgue too, the situation is very fluid. I'll keep you updated. =/\=
=/\= Campbell, please report down here. We could use your special skill set. =/\=
A bit later, Rena appeared, somber faced. She sighed deeply, but headed for the Commander. She knew why she'd been called out here-her temporal abilities would help. Already, her head was full of screams-some of pain, some of the anguish of the people of the city, and some of the people passing onto the next plain.
=/\=I'll start coordinating with the others.=/\= She headed off in search of the medical people. It was as good a starting off point as any. She passed Gocx, who was hauling a body out of a rubble pile-dead. Damn.
Vila clicked off, and then opened a general channel to the four ships in the area. =/\= This is Commander Lorut Vila, Executive Officer of the Intrepid. I need a security team, and possibly a science officer, and somewhere for the bodies to go. Thank you again for your assistance. =/\= She tried to be as polite as she could be, while still commanding a presence and remaining calm. Not much flapped the Bajoran.
“Acknowledged, Commander Lorut,” came the response from Captain King. We’ve gotten three more triage sites set up and twelve doctors and even more nurses working that sites. I’m told a fourth will be operational in minutes.
“I’m sending my personal security team to your position for assignments. Let me know if you need more security than that. The Seoul is ready to begin the grim task of receiving bodies, we have two cargo bays now set to deep freeze and, using the Kaitosian databases and DNA, we’re ready to begin the identification process,” Madison could hear her own voice choke up at this duty, but hers was the only ship not medically or engineering-wise active.
Recovering her wits about her, Madison added. “I’ll have Captain Omeda’s science and engineering teams sent to your site as well. They’ll be coming from the USS LaForge.”
A new voice interrupted the conversation. It was Captain Omeda. “You’re welcome to a team from each department, Commander Lorut. We have also deionized surrounding surface area for twenty five miles. Are you ready for us to move this ‘hotel’ from the site?”
Vila's head spun. She pulled herself together quickly, though. =/\=Captain King, nice to meet you. A personal cadre isn't necessary, but appreciated. Thank you. Captain Omeda? Yes. My CMO is already bagging and tagging. =/\= She sighed. =/\=Sending coordinates now.=/\=
A flash of light, and several other Fleet officers appeared. "I am Commander Lorut Vila. Please feel free to start wherever you think you are needed. She tapped her Comms badge. =/\=Fraiser, do you need more hands?=/\=
=/\= I wouldn't look a gifted horse in the mouth=/\= the Doctor responded. =/\= Yes, Commander they'd be much applicated. =/\=
Vila clicked off. "You heard the man," she said. "Thanks for coming down. We've got a few people still alive, a couple of my crew are telepathic-most are dead. We need stretchers and supplies." She would let the other CMOs coordinate when they met with Greene.
Aaron hit the combadge he had fortunately thought to put on before heading out the door. “No!” he coughed out in the dense smoke and ash. “I’ve got a living Elder trapped here in the center of this mess. I’ll need a few minutes to extract her, Commander.
“There may be others who can’t or don’t register on our tricorders as still alive, but I can see her breathing. Almost so slowly that she’s in a suspended animation. Xavier X-1 and I can identify these El-Aurians, but we need to get this Elder out first, she may be the only living government official.”
=/\=Alright, thank you, Ensign. I'll head over.=/\= She turned to the security people. "We have a live one," she said.
Cutting through the chatter now was a new voice, or voices, “Did you.”
“Just say.”
“El-Aurians?” Co-Captains 0010 and 1010 finished the inquiry together.
“We thought.”
“They were.”
“A scattered race,” the Binar pair finished each others sentences in tandem.
The unusual pair had joined Starfleet shortly after the Enterprise-D had saved their world by reloading their damaged computer mainframe. Aside from finding it difficult to separate from each other for testing purposes, the pair soared academically and through the ranks.
Vila simply nodded. "I did. Can you see if Lieutenant Campbell needs assistance?" She pointed out the Counselor, who looked distressed.
“We were planning on sending logistical.”
“And counseling specialists.”
“After the hotel had been cleared.”
“But the need is great. We are.”
“Of course.”
“Here to serve,” they completed together as a ground troops of Marines and counselors landed on the planet, looking like a Frankenstein’s monster of weirdly assembled greens and blues.
A colonel caught Vila’s eye and simply nodded before their heavy carriers started to roll out and into the smoke. While the counselors looked to the only woman in blue who seemed to beckon them silently.
Vila nodded back as she tried to help Aaron to get to bodies. "Ok, you two, get what you need. At this point, it's mostly a recovery mission," she said. "Soong, what do you see?" She called out. "I am doing what I can to move debris," she said. She was strong, but she was just one person.
Brix moved to where she could hear Aaron shuffling deep inside the debris. Moving along its length, she found a small hole that she made bigger by pushing some heavy stones and phasering a few others. Being green came in handy, at times the reputation was earned. “Aaron?” Brix called out.
From a few meters away, she could hear his voice call back. “Brix?!”
Moving down the opening, Brix came to a stop. There was a wall of stone between them. There was a small hole that she could reach through carefully, but anything more and the ruins shifted. “There’s an opening back my way, but we can’t move this wall.”
Aaron paced back and forth, running calculations in which anyone but Brix walked away alive. There was no super strength, hearing or eyesight that could get them all to escape without bringing tons of debris down upon them.
Probably 0.05 seconds had elapsed since he had begun his simulations when it dawned on him. “Give me your combadge. Then get out.”
Brix slapped her forehead before handing her badge through the small hole.
Aaron tapped his badge and asked, “Does anyone read me?”
“We’ve got you, two life signs, one weak. Ready to beam to the MacQuarie’s sickbay.
A voice, unfamiliar, came down the line. =/\=Ensign F'rar here. I am the Transporter Tech on duty tonight. =/\= She paused. =/\= I'll do my best to beam you two out. Static came down the line as the young Transporter tech locked in on Aaron's location. =/\=Ready? Three, two, one....=/\=
Aaron felt the tingle along his spine, the feeling of paralysis as the transporter locked him in and then he and the Elder disappeared in a flash of light and sparkles.
Brix waited until they were gone before running out of the small enclosure. She took a few minutes to breathe and when she looked up, she was amazed to see a single building still standing.
Not even a pane of glass shattered despite the destruction littered around it. Jaw open, with her eyes squinting from the last of the day’s sun, Brix used the only human curse word that was called for in this situation.
“What the fuck?!” Brix stood staring up in amazement at the glittering building. Her mind could not wrap itself around the enigma, except that in the sunset, sunlight reflecting from every window, it was beautiful.
And only then, for one of the fewest times in her life, did she cry.
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