The Rescue

Posted on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 @ 5:21pm by Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Lieutenant Commander Deanna Celes & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Aiko Kato & Ensign Zack Ravencroft & Lieutenant Seth Travis & Petty Officer 1st Class Amethyst Reece

Mission: The Orion Syndicate
Location: Syndicate Stronghold

As Jon and the others were being berated, mocked, and tortured in some cases, the recue team was quickly and quietly making their way inside the Syndicate stronghold and moving to rescue them. They had already made it inside and were coming up to a docking area.

Celes got Ayana's attention. "Large area coming up, appears to be a docking area. I detect multiple vessels in place and 8 lifeforms. Multiple paths beyond it that going into other compartments. I am reading the beacon in one of those adjacent compartments."

Ayana nodded. "Alright, Seth, you and the doctor cover the rear. The rest of us will move forward and neutralize any threats. Celes is detecting the beacon in an adjacent room. We'll sweep that area next."

Seth nodded at Ayana's instructions. "Certainly Ayana." He replied before glancing over at Sam. "Come along Doctor, let us go and make sure no one sneaks up on us."

Aiko stepped up phaser in one hand and her tricorder in the next as she started her sweep forward as stealthily as she could. Judging by how quiet and calm the environment was, it would appear that the Orion were yet to detect the second away team...well that, or they were setting up some kind of elaborate trap.

It was hard to say Aiko surmised. All the more reason she and the team had to be very diligent in their check. She took a moment to pause to take in this moment and this time. She felt some fear but she was also confident in her abilities and that of the away team around her, particularly with Ayana present.

She was in the middle of wondering how good of a security officer she could be with some refresher training when she felt a streak of green disruptor fire shoot about a foot away from her head. She dropped low to the ground, maneuvering to trace the source of the fire and spotted at least two hostiles emerging from an open crevice from within the cavern.

"Enemy contact, three o'clock!" she yelled as she dove for cover behind one of the shuttles parked in the docking platform.

Ayana fired and dropped the lead Orion as she moved towards a stack of crates, another security officer at her side. As the others similarly fired and took cover, the Syndicate members did the same and a firefight was being had in the docking bay.

Sam dropped into a crouch and raised her weapons, taking what shots she could at those holding their friends captive.

In the adjacent room where the majority of the away team was being held as they had just been processed, the Syndicate members stood with a worried look on their faces. "Is that disruptor fire?" asked a filthy looking human.

L'Rissa leaned over to Ravencroft, "I believe the cavalry has arrived."

Zack grinned. "Yes and I have a score to settle as well." he felt really bad about what Amethyst had been put through because of him. But he hoped it was the lesser of two evils, considering these people were eyeing her like she was a piece of prime meat.

Amethyst was sat on the floor with her head in her hands, thanks to the shock collar she had one hell of a headache and no way to treat it.

In the council chamber, the Syndicate leaders that had been ridiculing Jon for the better part of the last hour were all now silent as fear seemed to be gripping them as the sound of battle seemed to be getting closer to them.

Jon heard the sound of federation phasers. He looked at his 'hosts,' "Sounds like the cavalry is here."

Akula looked at his comrades and then looked at Jon, "How did they know where you were? How did they breach our defenses?"

"Never underestimate Starfleet or its ingenuity," Jon said cryptically.

Celes fired her phaser, dispatching one of the hostiles. The firefight was like something out of a holoprogram. It was reminding her a bit of a program set on old Earth called the Battle at the O.K. Corral. She had played the program once with Shran. He seemed to enjoy such programs to keep him tactically sharp. She continued firing and then ducking down and checking her tricorder. She was positive the beacon signal was coming from the room immediately north of their position. She was reading 14 bio signs, and as one was Caitian she assumed that was where the away team was.

Seth meanwhile was watching the rear with Samantha. So far it was quiet but he was sure it would soon change as the sound of phaser fire reached his ears.

Another barrage erupted a short distance away, pinning Sam and Seth down and attempting to draw them away from the team by firing on their flank. Sam shifted her way to the side, pushed by the brutal weapons fire. There was a large bulkhead nearby, if she and Seth could get the better cover they may be able to return fire. The fact it was probably a trap was a direct threat but one she couldn't find a way around at the moment.

Seth looked to see where the fire pinning him and Samantha down was coming from and then he saw it, a small ledge that afforded the shooter(s) an excellent firing position. "Doctor, there, that ledge is where the firing is coming from. The ledge is supported by metal legs, if we can weaken the legs the ledge will collapse."

They fired on the ledge and the legs be beneath, exploding their attackers and picking them off one by one

Ayana pushed forward and took the fight to the remaining Syndicate fighters in the area. The fighting was fast and intense, but after another minute, it was done. Celes directed her with hand signals as to what to expect in the varying adjacent areas, three doors that each held surprises. Ayana sent a pair of security to the eastern door, directed Aiko, Seth, and Samantha to the western door, and the rest with her for the northern door where the largest group of lifeforms was indicated on the tricorder. It was time to push and rescue everyone.

Aiko felt the wave of adrenaline temporarily abate after the brief but intense skirmish with Syndicate combatants. Although she had been caught off guard at its start, she had made sure to give more than she got, taking out two combatants with her phaser. The satisfaction she got from both was as satisfying as it was concerning. She worried that perhaps she was taking this mission a little too personally, which could put her at risk...or worse, her teammates.

Nodding to Ayana at the instructions she had been given, she took the lead, tricorder and phaser in hand as she headed for the western door.

She was a bit unsure how Celes was getting anything with her tricorder. Aiko's tricorder was barely spitting out any useful readings due to the interference from the strong concentration of cormaline deposits in the composition of the mountain. Not for the first time, she found herself marveling at yet another example of how seasoned and technically proficient the Operations Officer was...not just her, Ayana as well. It was like there was nothing either of them could not do, and more so when they were together.

Aiko absently wondered if given time, she too could ever get to that level of professional maturity and proficiency. Realizing she was getting lost in her own head again, Aiko glanced back at Samantha and Seth and smiled reassuringly at the pair. She was uncertain how used they were to this much combat and she decided to try to lighten the mood.

"Any guesses behind door number one?" she said sarcastically, although also partly rhetorically.

Sam moved and flattened herself outside the door, motioning for Aiko and Seth to follow her lead. She motioned a countdown with her fingers before opening the door and entering weapon first.

As the door opened Akula pushed Jon hard against a wall and made a mad dash towards a small podium that held a bust on it. He clicked something and a hidden door opened in the wall behind it and he went in and looked back at Jon, "This isn't over StarFleet." He disappeared, leaving Jon and his two Syndicate higher ups at the mercy of whoever was coming into the room.

Aiko entered the room close behind Sam, and saw the fleeting shadow of one Orion male disappearing behind an opening in the wall that she judged to be an escape door. She noted that besides Commander Grayson who was thankfully very much alive, there were a pair of other Syndicate members who seemed equally shocked as they were scared.

"Don't move," Aiko ordered sharply, aiming her phaser towards them even as she side walked to the open door. She was quick to see that it led into a twisting corridor that seemed to go deeper into the cavern. There was no sign of the Orion male she had seen go in there earlier. His head start likely meant he was deeper into the cavern.

She took another sweeping look at the room and satisfied that they were not at any immediate risk, she let her guard down temporarily. "Area secure Commander," she said to Sam as she pulled out her tricorder to scan.

Much as she would have guessed, her tricorder reading was not giving her much details beyond what was immediately around her because of the interference from the cormaline composition of the mountain around them. She could not tell where the Orion male had gone to or where the escape corridor led, but she was reasonably satisfied that they were not at any immediate danger of the Orion using the tunnel to pour in reinforcement.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as the found only two enemies within the room with Jon. With a phaser on them they seemed content to be still for now, leaving Sam to move over to where Jon was.

"Commander, are you ok?" She asked, pocketing her phaser and pulling out her medical tricorder.

Jon cocked his head at her. "Commander? Really Sam? In answer to your question, I am fine. What about the others? Are they okay?"

" I don't know yet - the other half of the away team are working on freeing them" Sam ran another scan and was assured Jon was well enough to be extracted.

Aiko moved to the two Syndicate members noting their attire and mannerisms and quickly judged them to be of some high status within the criminal organization though she had no way of knowing just how high up.

"You my unlucky friends" she said sarcastically with immense satisfaction dripping out of every word, "are under arrest and will be remanded to the custody of Starfleet pending formal charges. And don't even dare asking me for what because we all know there's plenty just in this room alone that will stick your collective asses in Federation prison for a few years."

She quickly proceeded with placing restraints on the wrists of their new prisoners and tagged them for transport.

"Prisoners secure Commanders," she stated, updating both Commander Howard and Grayson. She was relieved to see the XO on his feet again although judging from the multiple bruises on his face, his brief moment in captivity had not been a pleasant one.

"Good work, let's see if we can catch up with the rest of the team" Sam replied, nodding towards the those in the room.

Ayana opened the door and fired at a large Orion she saw standing over someone. Her firing created a commotion, as well as dropping the Orion to the left of the woman he had been looming over. She pressed in, Celes on her hip, and they began firing at anyone not in a StarFleet uniform, downing three more before any of them had a chance to fire back.

Amethyst could only hope the control for her shock collar wasn't where it could be used again, she didn't know if she could stand another round of the pain the collar gave off. She could only feel sorry for the slaves who endure it day in, and day out.

As the rescue team dispatched the Syndicate members in an efficient manner, Celes made her way over to the captured away team members and began freeing them of their bonds. She had just freed L'Rissa when the Caitian leaped over her and landed firmly on the Syndicate member that had been torturing Amethyst and Ravencroft, an audible crunch heard as she landed on him and like a feral cat growled ready to inflict further harm. Celes turned around to see the man let go of the device in his hand, as well as take his hand away from what obviously a concealed weapon. Celes walked over and disarmed the man and then picked up the device. He looked at Amethyst and then back at the Syndicate member with a foul gaze about her, "Slave collar? The things I might do to one such as you."

Zack had been relatively calm during the chaos, he knew he would get his chance. Now that he was free and the man who had done the bad things to them was pinned he took the time to help Amethyst up before walking up to the man. "Well well well, look what I see here. The self-proclaimed better of myself and my friends here. How the tables have turned." He smiled a wicked smile at the Caitian that was pinning him down. "Not only are you being dominated by someone smaller than you, but a woman at that." Calmly Zack popped his fingers as if he was getting ready to do some dirty work. "I think one of those collars would look fabulous on you since you are so fond of them." He turned to the others in the room. "What do you think?"

Amethyst moved to stand alongside Zack, “You can gladly remove this damn thing and see how he likes wearing it!”

Celes looked at Amethyst and Ravencroft and then down at the pinned Syndicate member and L'Rissa. "Tempting as that sounds, I think taking him back to be interrogated would be better. I will take that collar off though."

Ayana looked around the room and saw that everything was clear. She gave a soft chuckle seeing L'Rissa atop the one Syndicate member looking like a big cat ready to maul. "L'Rissa, I believe you can get off him now."

L'Rissa didn't move, only growling.

Ayana understood. She aimed her phaser and fired, hitting the Syndicate member. "Ok, now you can get off him."

Celes moved to Amethyst and removed the collar. "I think we will bring this back with us. The captain may want to have a bit of evidence of what was happening down here."

Amethyst rubbed her neck, glad to be free of the collar. “Thank you, I’m glad to get that... thing off me!”

"Happy to remove it. These are vile things. Remind me of something the Romulans use for interrogations, and the Klingons use them as marital aides." She gave a small smile as she hoped the levity would help lighten the mood.

Amethyst gave a smile. “As long as I’m not betrothed to a Klingon now.” She offered Zack a smile as well.

"Time to go. Let's round up these prisoners. I'm sure Dr. Howard will want to give a once over of everyone in sickbay for injuries and whatnot" said Ayana.

"I suggest we transport from here rather than make our way out. A few of these folks were injured enough that I think medically they shouldn't move much" replied Celes.

"Would you agree with that assessment Amethyst?" asked Ayana.

Amethyst nodded. "I totally agree" she smiled.

Ayana hit her comm badge =^=Ayana to Washington. We have rescued Cmdr Grayson and the rest of his away team, as well as captured several Syndicate members. We have injured. Request immediate transport to sickbay. =^=

=^=Confirmed. The captain sends his regards. Transport will ensue momentarily.=^= came the reply.

=^=You'll need to bring the ship down into the atmosphere to transport past the cormaline interference. Reinforce the signal and tie in the secondary systems and transport four at a time to avoid problems =^= said Celes as she tried to fix what she knew would be a problem.