In the Aftermath

Posted on Mon Feb 17th, 2025 @ 9:31pm by Captain M'Raz & Lieutenant Commander Jason Reeves & Lieutenant Richard Pierce MD

1,293 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Resistance is Necessary
Location: Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Jane Addams
Timeline: MD001 - 1115

"Lieutenant Pierce to the Bridge, stat," the helm officer said. He winced at the spray of sparks off to the right and muttered, 'and while we're at it, "Damage Control to the Bridge." With that done, he kept the Jane Addams in position, out of range (he hoped) while the transporter teams worked as fast as they could to bring refugees on board.

Jason did a brief visual scan around the bridge accessing the injured. There were moans coming from bodies laid out on the bridge. And then there were others that were clearly among the dead. One of those among the dead was the Chief Operations Officer who laid on the floor next to his station. The only positive was that ship was not pursuing them at this moment. They were just about to find out how many additional people the Ambassador class could hold. "Helm keep an eye on that ship and maintain a distance. If they move adjust our distance accordingly." The Commander then sat the operations station and began monitoring the evacuation process.

Dr. Richard "Popeye" Pierce strode onto the bridge with his medkit in hand, his sharp eyes immediately taking in the scene. Smoke curled from damaged panels, and the acrid scent of burned circuitry and scorched fabric filled the air. His stomach clenched at the sight of the bodies—too many bodies—but there was no time for sentiment now.

"Alright, anyone who's still breathing, you're my priority," he said, moving swiftly to the nearest wounded officer. He dropped to his knees, tricorder already in hand as he scanned the man’s vitals. "Stay with me, kid. You’re not clocking out just yet."

He nodded to one of the nurses who had followed him up. "Tag the dead for transport to the morgue later. We need to focus on the living right now."

As he stabilized his first patient, he glanced up at Commander Jason. "What’s our situation? Are we expecting more incoming damage, or do I have time to get these folks patched up without dodging explosions?"

His tone was dry, but the question was serious. If they were still under immediate threat, he'd have to prioritize critical stabilization and evacuate the worst cases to sickbay immediately. If they had a moment, he could work to keep some of these officers at their stations—because from the look of things, they were going to need every able body they could get.

Raz, who had knelt down to push a bit of debris out of the way, rose to his feet and answered. "We're out of range for the moment," he answered. "We're bringing people on board so your next stop will be cargo bay 1 to treat injuries."

Dr. Pierce exhaled sharply, running a hand through his short, graying hair. "Alright, that gives me a minute to do some triage here before I head down." He locked eyes with Raz. "Make sure I have more hands waiting in Cargo Bay 1. This isn't gonna be a one-man show."

He turned back to his patients, sealing a wound on the ensign in front of him with a dermal regenerator before pressing a hypo to the kid’s neck. "That should keep you stable. Don't try to be a hero—stay put."

Then, to his nurse, he barked, "Tag the stable ones for transport to sickbay if needed. Anyone critical, we move ASAP."

His gaze flicked to Raz. "If anything changes, you’d better let me know before we’re dodging disruptors again. I’d rather not be performing surgery while eating a torpedo."

"Assume there will be danger, Doctor," Raz said, his deep voice dropping nearly to a growl. He returned his attention pointedly to the view screen where three badly damaged ships, set on auto destruct, launched themselves at the cube. "Tell the transporter rooms, they have five minutes. Take as many as they can; there will be other ships doing the same so it isn't all on us."

"Helm, lay in a course for Utopia Planitia," Raz continued, "but don't go until I tell you. We have to give the transporters as much time as we can. And steer clear of that cube. You know the drill."

"Aye, Sir," the helm officer responded. "Sneaky it is." This at least was something the bridge crew understood from their long stint on the border. There wasn't a helm officer on the ship who wasn't well versed in finding paths that kept them out of sensor range, out of physical sight.

"Captain, we have a few shuttles coming from the surface heading in our direction," Reeves reported. "Getting in a couple of requests saying they have injured onboard and need immediate medical attention."

Dr. Pierce barely looked up from his work, his hands steady as he sealed another wound. "Tell them to dock in Shuttle Bay 2. I'll send a team down to meet them."

He flicked his gaze to his nurse. "Get Chambers and Patel down there with a full trauma kit. Prioritize the worst cases and move stable ones to overflow in Cargo Bay 1."

Pierce turned back to Raz, his expression grim but determined. "If we’re playing hero today, we’d better be damn good at it. How long until we have to punch out of here?"

Raz's pale gray eyes flashed before reminding himself that terrans, those who called themselves humans, had this tendency toward dark humor. "Wait till the shuttles are on board and then set course for Utopia Planitia, best possible speed and ..."

"...keep it sneaky," Helm answered. "All over that, Captain."

[Short While Later]

"Shuttle bay reports shuttles are in," Helm reported. "One is badly damaged."

"Get engineering to evaluate it but before that, get security down to the shuttle bay. And helm, get us out of here."

"Aye, Sir," Helm responded. "Setting course for Utopia Planitia."

=Shuttle Bay 2=

The door to the shuttle opened as ten people quickly exited. A few were injured. but nothing critical. After them five Cadets exited with an unconscious Commander with severe burns on a stretcher. Kenneth was at the front as the moved towards the medical staff who was waiting for them.

Chambers and Patel, upon receiving Dr. Pierce’s orders, wasted no time. They arrived at Shuttle Bay 2 with a full trauma kit, their minds already working through potential triage strategies.

Chambers, a seasoned medic, took charge immediately. "Alright, let’s get the most critical cases sorted first," he said, motioning Patel to help with the unconscious commander. His burns were extensive, and Chambers grimaced at the sight. "Third-degree burns, possible internal trauma. We need to stabilize him before moving him anywhere." He adjusted his tricorder settings and scanned the patient. "BP's dropping. Patel, hit him with a stabilizer and start fluid replacement. We need to counteract the shock."

Patel, moving efficiently, prepped a hypospray and administered the stabilizer. "Got it. Vitals are holding, but he’s in bad shape. We should move him to sickbay now."

Chambers exchanged a glance with Patel. "Alright, let’s get the commander to sickbay. Patel, escort the walking wounded to Cargo Bay 1 for evaluation. I'll take him up personally."

Patel nodded and turned to the others. "Alright, if you're mobile, follow me. Let’s make this quick."

As Chambers prepped the unconscious officer for transport, he tapped his commbadge. "Chambers to Dr. Pierce. We've got a severe burn victim, unconscious but stable for now. I'm bringing him up to sickbay."

"Understood," came Pierce’s reply. "Start without me. I'll be there when I can."

Chambers signaled the transporter chief. "Lock onto my signal and transport directly to sickbay. Energize."

As the shimmer of the transporter engulfed them, Chambers knew the real work was just beginning.

 

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