Crash-site Evacuation
Posted on Mon Mar 20th, 2017 @ 7:15pm by Lieutenant JG Zoe Ellija & Commander Isabella dei`Silvisi & Lieutenant JG Fe'cia Niatra & Ensign Matt Connor & Lieutenant Élan Val & Lieutenant Isha t'Veralan & Ensign Sarleya D'Nal'khiy
Edited on on Mon Mar 20th, 2017 @ 7:15pm
1,584 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission: The Kingdom of Shadows
Isabella groaned as she opened her eyes and felt a sharp pain shoot through her body. Remaining still for a moment, she carefully tested her extremities before taking her hands and feeling for any injuries. Finding none, she sat up and instantly wished that she hadn’t. In addition to the sharp pain that brought a gasp from her, she saw the condition of the Nighthawk’s interior and knew that the situation was dire indeed. The forward view ports were smashed, and the sand from the planet’s surface was freely blowing in and covering everything. Crawling to her feet, Isabella noticed Crewman Ellija first. Moving over to the helmsman, Isabella checked the young woman’s vitals and breathed a sigh of relief when the crewman stirred a little. Glancing around the forward cabin, Isabella checked on the others who had made it to the front before the crash. Satisfied that they were all alive and coming to, she started looking around for the runabout’s emergency kit locker.
Élan gasped as she awoke to the feeling of both sharp pain and a high level of stress emitting from Val. The symbiont was far from calm, and was started to move inside Élan’s abdomen, which in turn was making Élan feel as if she were going to throw up. Releasing the crash harness that was holding her down, Élan gently rubbed the symbiont through her skin, trying to calm Val down so she could concentrate on the emergency matters at hand. Eventually, Val stopped moving, but Élan could still feel the symbiont’s anxiety.
Isha shook her head and hissed at the pain that shot through her head as she did do. No doubt she had a minor concussion, but at least she was alive. In true Romulan fashion, she preferred that over the alternative for at least a living Romulan had endless possibilities. Death was so final. Sliding out of her seat, Isha stumbled and slid on a patch of sand, catching herself just in time. “Commander, it would be wise if we exited the runabout immediately,” she said.
“Not yet,” Isabella said as she found the emergency kit locker and pulled the panel open. “We need to make sure everyone gets out,” she added as she pulled two flashlights out and handed one to Isha. “You check the back cabin; I’ll get everyone here out.”
Sarleya heard the executive officer all but give the order to get out of the runabout and needed no coaching to carry out that order. Releasing her crash harness, the Orion science officer started moving and hissed as pain suddenly shot through her leg. Glancing down, she felt her eyes widen as she took note of the long gash along her leg. Unzipping her jacket, Sarleya tore a strip off of her undershirt and tied it around the wound as best she could before she started making her way out of the crashed runabout.
Matt shook his head and looked up to see the entire back section of the runabout gone. The sandy desert surface of the planet was already invading, prompting him to get moving right away. Escaping from the crash harness, he started gathering his gear, stopping to check on the others as he came to them.
Fe’cia growled softly as she opened her eyes and felt a sharp pain. Looking down, she hissed as she saw a piece of metal shrapnel sticking out of her side. Knowing better than to pull it out, the Caitian tried not to panic as she started looking around for someone, anyone, who might be able to help her.
Matt came to Lieutenant Niatra first and he froze when he saw a piece of metal sticking out of her side. Setting a hand on her should in order to try to calm the science officer, he released her crash harness and helped her down.
Isha stumbled down the short corridor connecting the front and back cabins while trying to hold her breath. Thick black smoke curled along the ceiling in places, which indicated a fire, while the sound of air whistling through the runabout indicated that the hull had been breached. Stepping into the aft cabin, the Romulan instantly noticed Connor and Niatra, and her eyes quickly took note of Niatra’s condition. Looking around for the security non-commissioned officer, she paused for a brief moment when she saw what was left of Petty Officer Graves. He had been impaled and sliced in half by a collapsing bulkhead not far from where she guessed Niatra had been judging by the blood that soaked the crash seat. Kneeling down, Isha felt slightly out of place.
“We need to move her outside, but carefully,” Isha said.
Matt nodded and instantly grabbed Niatra around her torso, taking care not to irritate her wound further. With the Romulan science officer’s help, he managed to pick her up and carefully carry her through the hole in the side of the runabout.
Isabella had helped Élan Val stumble out of the runabout and get to a safe distance before returning to do the same with Crewman Ellija. The problem with the crewman being unconscious was that Isabella couldn’t tell if the young woman had a concussion or not, which meant she had to be careful not to shake her much. Getting Ellija out of her seat, Isabella silently swore at her small frame and short height as she grabbed the crewman’s arms and started dragging her out of the runabout. Dragging the helmsman over to where Élan still sat, Isabella hurried back to the runabout to grab supplies, hoping the Lieutenant Veralan was having better luck than she was.
Isha helped Ensign Connor get Lieutenant Niatra out of the runabout before she turned and stumbled back into the crashed ship. Knowing that time was against her, she started a quick but careful search for supplies. Finding Connor’s weapons and ammo, along with a medical kit and emergency field kit, she dragged them to the open hole in the side of the Nighthawk and started throwing them out as far as she could before returning and looking for more. It was difficult to search in the dark, and the thick smoke was filling the inside of the runabout at an alarming rate. Isha made two more trips with what she could find before she decided that it would be a bad idea to continue searching the craft. With a final parting look at Petty Officer Graves, Isha exited the Nighthawk and made her way to where the others had gathered.
Isabella crawled back into the forward cabin of the Nighthawk and raided the weapons locker of the four hand phasers and spare power cells there before turning her attention to the survival kits. Grabbing a duffle that had been stored in the locker, Isabella grabbed everything she could before the sound of something burning caught her attention. Realizing what it was, Isabella muttered and swore under her breath as she grabbed the duffel and dragged it out of the runabout and towards the other away team members as quickly as she could.
“We need to move,” Isabella panted as she arrived at the group. “Now!” The others sprang into action, grabbing gear and comrades and dragging them towards a rocky outcropping that would offer some protection. They had barely arrived when the Nighthawk exploded in a fireball that shook the ground and threw fire and debris high into the air. Falling to the ground, Isabella rolled over onto her back and watched from a safe distance as the runabout finished exploding and set into burning.
The explosion was enough to jerk Zoe awake and she sat up in time to see the fireball rise. “What the hell happened?” she asked.
“You landed poorly, Crewman, that’s what happened,” Matt said, his voice sounding a little like a growl as he spoke.
“Well, I did the best I could with no power to the majority of the systems and half the controls offline. If you think you can do better, then next time be my guest to take the helm and I’ll be the hired muscle who does nothing,” Zoe snapped.
“You watch yourself, Crewman. I out rank you by far and I’m not afraid to request a review of your conduct when we get back to the ship,” Matt said.
“Request away, pretty boy,” Zoe said as she stood and winced in pain. Turning towards the first officer, she shook her head. “Ma’am, what do we do now?”
“First, we need to move to a safe location so we can treat our injuries and get a full inventory what everything we recovered,” Isabella said as she looked around. “We may not be the only ones on this planet, and if there are natives around they may not be friendly.” Spotting a rocky ridge that wasn’t too far, she pointed it out. “We’ll head over there and see if there’s a safe location first. Connor, you carry Niatra. Val, you and Ellija will help me carry the gear. Veralan, take the rifle and provide cover until we get there. Let’s move people.”
The team quickly sorted out the supplies as best they could and divided the packed among them before setting off towards the ridgeline, taking care to make every precaution they could think of as they moved out.
To be continued...
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