Escape From Hell

Posted on Sun Jul 23rd, 2017 @ 7:44am 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 & Bioraptors
Edited on on Sun Jul 23rd, 2017 @ 7:47am

1,766 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Kingdom of Shadows

- Previously, on the USS Endeavour -

“Alright, we’re not staying here. Ensign Connor, you’re our only security officer, so anything that’s not friendly looking, I want you to shoot first unless it tries to speak and communicate with us,” Isabella ordered. “Everyone else, grab what you can because we’re not staying to see what comes next.”

“Question, how will I know it’s trying to communicate? For all we know, those things were trying to say ‘hi’,” Matt asked.

“Officer’s prerogative,” Isabella managed to say and she grunted and picked up as much as she figured she could safely carry. “Phasers to maximum settings. Let’s move!”


- Continuation -


Isabella felt as if her heart would race out of her chest and her lungs were on fire. She and the rest of the away team had been running for their lives following their encounter with the hostile native creatures of the planet they had found themselves on. Instead of scanning for a place to run to, they team had simply picked a direction and started running. Isabella had lost track of direction, distance, and even time. She had literally reached the end of her endurance and finally fell to her knees, gasping for breath as the rest of the away team reached the area and fell to their knees or simply fell to the ground, similarity exhausted.


Zoe stumbled the last few steps and finally fell down and rolled along the ground until she stopped. Laying on the ground with her pack still attached and struggling to breathe, she wondered just how much longer the team could manage to continue on the way they had. The creatures were clearly able to track the team, but Zoe had to wonder if there might be more. They had managed to kill one of the creatures, but the helmsman had to wonder if that had been pure luck or not. "Ma'am, we really need to find a place to rest that's safe," Zoe finally managed to say, pausing between words.


"I know," Isabella said as she finally managed to take a deep breath and start steadying her breathing. Standing up, she adjusted her pack and looked around. They had managed to run out across a wide open area, and now that she had the chance to look around, she blinked as she noticed something gleaming in the distance. "We might be in luck," she said, pointing.


Élan had fallen to her hands and knees, not being able to pull up a memory from either herself or Val when either of them had been in such a dangerous situation. Finally able to breathe somewhat normally, she finally sat up and, heading the first officer, she looked up and in the direction the commander was pointing. There was something there, but what it was still too far away. "Do we want to chance it, that is the question," Élan said.


"I say we try it, Commander, if only because we can't continue on like this for much longer," Isha put in. The slim Romulan science officer seemed to be able to handle the strain of the extended running slightly better than the others, which is why she had been helping Lieutenant Niatra, but it was starting to take its toll on her.


Fe'cia panted as she struggled along. She was grateful for the Romulan officer who had been able to support her. She was still weak from the sugury, but she was slowly regaining her strength. Unfortunately, the heat was taking its toll.


"Commander, we're getting tired and I'm running out of ammo," Matt said as he checked the power settings on his phaser rifle and spare clips. The charge on his rifle was running out, and there were only two fully charged clips left.


"Commander, from my own observation, we can't keep on much longer, so I feel that we should at least head in that direction," Sarleya offered.


"Alright, we'll head in that direction," Isabella said as she stood and readjusted her pack once more. "We'll start slow, but we'll have to pick up the pace, otherwise we run the risk of those creatures catching up to us before we get there."


-

The two creatures that remained of the pack had learned. One of their number was dead, and that was something that hadn't happened in a long time. In all of the long memory of the Nests, no creature not of their kind had ever killed one from the Nests. Now, one of their number was dead, and they were not happy. The link from their nest-mates echoed their concern and anger, and now their entire Nest was stirring while the two scouts tracked the group of strange creatures. They had fallen back, more so they wouldn't risk getting killed until the rest of the Nest arrived.

-

The object that Isabella had seen turned out to be one of the last things Isabella had expected to find: An old Class 5 Starfleet shuttlecraft. Not bothering to question why such a craft was located on the planet, Isabella dropped her pack as she ran up to the boarding hatch controls and groaned as she realized that she had no idea what to do next. "Does anyone know how to do anything with a hundred year old shuttle?" she called out to the others.


"It's a Type 5, so it should be similar to the Type 6 shuttles," Zoe offered as she arrived, panting. "I might be able to get it working if the internal systems are still intact and the power plant wasn't left on idle."


"Check it," Isabella said. As the others arrived, she had them start throwing their gear into the shuttle-craft. In case Crewman Ellija was able to get the craft working, she didn't want to waste any time in getting off of the planet of death that they had found themselves on.


Matt had to catch his breath and not just for all of the running madly for his life. He had to wonder why there was a Starfleet shuttle that had to be nearly fifty years old here. Seeing the helm rating trying to get it powered up, he shook his head before turning about and raising his phaser rifle. There was no doubt that those alien things would attack again soon, and he wanted to be ready.


"Well, my furry friend, this is where I'm going to set you down before I end up dropping you," Isha said as she gently eased the Caitian science officer down inside the shuttle. Her sides and arms were hurting from carrying the wounded and shedding Caitian, and she hoped that the shuttle, when powered up, had a working air conditioner.


"Thank you, Ma'am," Fe'cia managed to say as she crawled into the shuttle and out of the sunlight. She almost felt like curling up and going to sleep, but for the fear of attack and the pain.


"I think we're in luck, someone left the solar recharge panels online," Zoe said as she from under the pilot's console and into the pilot seat. Running through the start up sequence, she felt her eyes widen as the controls starting flickering to life. "We've got power!"


"Can we at least get into the air?" Isabella asked, ducking her head into the shuttle.


"We can get full impulse power and life support. Maybe even communications with a little more work," Zoe replied. "Give me two minutes and we'll be able to get the hell out of here."


"Get to it, then!" Isabella exclaimed, more than ready to put this planet behind her. Climbing into the shuttle, she ducked her head outside. "Everyone inside, right now! Mister Connor, I want you at the hatch watching out for more of those things. Everyone else, grab your gear and get on board."


Élan didn't need to be told a second time, instead the Trill grabbed her packs and moved as quickly as she could to get inside the shuttle. Dropping her packs near the back of the shuttle, she fell into a spare seat and sighed with relief.


Isha followed her department head's lead and tossed her gear and someone else’s, she guessed it was either the first officers or the helmsman's, and found a seat.


Zoe managed to shave a few minutes off of the startup sequence and hissed in victory as the shuttle whined to life. A few alarm lights lit up, but once she checked them she ignored them. They didn't need weapons or primary shields, the deflectors and engines worked as did life support. Bringing the engines to full power, she grinned. "Everyone inside, now. We're getting off this fucking rock!"


"About damned time," Matt growled as he ducked inside and slammed the hatch controls. The hatch sealed shut and he dropped to the deck.


"Crewman, please get us off of this planet and back into space," Isabella all but begged as she fell into the co-pilot's seat.


"Aye, aye, Ma'am," Zoe said with a grin as the shuttle lifted from its resting place for an unknown number of years. It was difficult to steady, but she managed to get the shuttle into the air and drifting upwards at a slow, steady incline. It took nearly twenty minutes before the shuttle broke from the atmosphere, mostly because she wanted to not stress the old craft any more than she needed to. Once the bright glow of the planet of shadows and death had started to recede behind them did she breathe normally. "So, back on our course, Commander?"


"No," Isabella replied. "Check the star charts loaded into the computer and see if we can find something we can set a course by."


Zoe brought up the navigational charts and frowned at the dates. "The last update was in 2358, but it looks pretty solid. I can get us to one of the Neutral Zone defense outposts. Oh! There's a science station Delta 5 as well."


"Set course for the nearest outpost on the chart. Most of those stations are still operational, and if nothing else, we should be able to find a patrol ship as well," Isabella ordered.


Zoe nodded and after studying the charts for several moments, she aligned the shuttle with the coordinates of the nearest Federation station that were stored in the computer and engaged the impulse engines. After engaging the autopilot, she opened the access panel to the communications systems and started working on getting the comms back online as their shuttle slowly crawled away from the planet of death.

 

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