Shopping Trip

Posted on Sun Mar 16th, 2025 @ 4:17pm by Lieutenant Commander Jason Reeves & Lieutenant Meerah Praavor & Lieutenant Elias McEntyre & Lieutenant Micheal Taggart & Lieutenant H'iri & Sakura Meng
Edited on on Thu May 1st, 2025 @ 9:43pm

1,876 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Resistance is Necessary
Location: Utopia Planitia
Timeline: MD002 - 0600

Lt. Commander Reeves walked through the doors of the shuttle bay with a PADD in one and a phaser on the hip. The Jane Addams had arrived at Utopia Planitia and the away team was just about to make their way over to pick up a number of different items for the journey. Along with this trip, he was pick up his daughters and ex-wife who was currently waiting at the shipyard. Sakura had spent quite a bit of time there over the years and should be helpful pointing them in the right direction. Stepping on the shuttle, he found Lieutenant Taggart who was told to report there after their briefing. "How's everything looking Lieutenant?"

Looking back from the helm controls, Micheal replied. "All systems show green, Sir. We are ready to leave as soon as the away team arrives." He picked up a PADD, and handed it over. "I made a list of things we could salvage from the Ajax. For one, her entire torpedo casing magazine is still full. She has a full load of two hundred photon torpedoes. Plus, there are several other possible cashes of supplies and weapons we could take. She also still had all of her dilithium crystals."

Accepting the PADD, the Commander began skimming through it. "The Borg took out the space frames, while firing on the ships docked out here. Most if not all have been destroyed. But we'll do a pass by and see the condition of the Ajax. If anything, survived, I'll contact the Captain about sending a team that way about. Good thinking with this list."

H'iri strode into the shuttlebay with confidence. Logistics/Organization was her specialty. So, doing something like this where she could maximize her returns was how she made the fleet run. "I am here, Commander. Ready when you are."

Elias enters the shuttlebay, a crate being pulled behind him as he approached the group.

"Commander. I have weapons and armor for the away team." He motions towards the crate, the hover dolly setting down on the deck before he unlatches the lid and opens the crate.

"Type 3 phaser rifles and M2324 Personal protection armor."

"I am not certain that the rifles will be helpful," H'iri responded skeptically. "I was down on Earth during the attack. Phasers seemed to have no effect on the Borg after the first shot or two."

"Then shoot as many as you as fast you can," Jason instructed. Moving over to the crate, he put on the armor and grabbed a phaser rifle.

The Caitian was not about to contradict her commanding officer. She suspected bravado over knowledge and that could be a problematic combination. Right now, however, there were no Borg, so there were no decisions to be made except their priorities on gaining supplies.

Meerah looked into the crate with a small amount of disdain.

No, that wasn't right, she told herself. Disgust? Maybe... that was getting closer, though.

Contempt? Scorn? Derision? She drummed her fingers on the edge of the crate, searching for just the right word to capture that subtle mix of superiority and revulsion twisting in her gut.

Condescension. That was it. She looked into the crate with a small amount of condescension.

She'd always believed that if violence was necessary, diplomacy had failed. The open crate of weapons and armor was a stark reminder of failure.

However, she reminded herself, you watched both diplomacy and violence fail on Earth.

"What do we do now?" Meerah mumbled under her breath.

"Control what we can and become creative afterwards," H'iri answered simply.

Elias was already kitted out. His armor had been custom fitted for someone of his stature and size. His rifle on a sling across his chest, glasses on his head. Old Style Oakleys from the look of them. Still, the Caitian was ready for duty, even if he felt...troubled on the inside.

The shuttle exited the bay as it made its way to Utopia Planitia. Arriving at the shuttlebay at the shipyard, the doors opened as the away team stepped out. Being the first to exit, Jason Reeves found himself face to with Sakura Meng and their two daughters. The Commander dropped down to his knees as he found himself being rushed by his children. "It's going to be alright girls. Going to get you and your mother on the shuttle and back to the ship."

Sakura stepped forward and handed a PADD to Jason who was now back on his feet. This was followed up by handing PADDs. "I also have the location of everything you all probably looking for to help this process move smoothly. Think you all would be interested in what I just handed you."

Reeves looking down at the PADD as he went through it. "A runabout. Heard these things are still on the assembly line."

"We actually have one damn near completed," she informed the group. "Could still use some work, but nothing that your engineers shouldn't be able to put together. Once these Borg finished, they'll like finish job the here."

Elias steps out of the shuttle. Phaser rifle slung to his chest and plate as he looked about the bay.

H'iri peeked out of the shuttle shortly thereafter. She had her PADD in hand and had already mentally calculated the optimal ways to get the things they desired. "Do we all know our priorities?" she asked to everyone.

"Girls you get on the shuttle with Lieutenant Taggart," Jason instructed. "Kiiz and Praavor you two work together get what you need. McEntyre, H'iri and Sakura with me. What we need is in the same general direction. Our last stop if time permits is to grab a runabout."

I'm not a girl? H'iri asked herself. Well, I suppose being thought of as more useful is better, but still.... "Yes, sir," H'iri obediently replied. "Ready to move on your orders."

Hearing the Commander's instructions, Meerah nodded and turned to her partner for this Away Team, Lieutenant Kiiz.

"So, what are we looking for, Lieutenant?" Meerah asked. She had never done any Engineering work before. However, Maguss and Hirza had dealt with equipment during their time. She reasoned this might give her some small advantage in spotting what the pair of Trill officers were looking for.

The Trill thought for a moment. His thoughts went through the list of what he needed. What didn't they need. Who knows how long it will be without a resupply. "What don't we need? Any isolinear chips, plasma conduits, ODN conduits, EPS Conduits, to name a few things that we would need." Vereyn said checking the list on his PADD. "I will send you all the full list to keep your eyes open for. Anything large, just tag for later transport."

The team divided up as they gathered the items on the list. Good news is that the place hadn't been cleaned out yet. Though there were other ships making their way to this location, it looks as if the Jane Addams was the first in line. Loading up the carts they start putting the medical equipment that the doctor had requested in things in position to transport. "So McEntyre you really think these bunker weapons will be helpful?"

"Old MACO Plasma Rifles, some MACO SOCOM specials, plasti-ceramic armors....My answer is possibly." McEntyre responded to the inquiry. "Anything would be useful against an enemy we barely know anything about. Apart from the fact that they can convert our own into monsterous cyberzombies and ravage a world in a day, anything is possible."

"I know a little from my experience on Earth. I do not think that anything old is going to last long. I watched them deflect and absorb phasers like they were nothing more than an inconvenience," H'iri told everyone.

"Anything regarding hand-to-hand combat from these cyberzombies?" the Commander inquired.

"From what I saw, they easily overwhelmed people," H'iri answered simply. "Most the time, though, I was running for my life."

"If hand to hand becomes something of a new reality, I think there are some combat knifes and swords I can pull from the Replicator." Elias elaborated further.

Reeves sighed as he didn't like the response. These Borg seemed unstoppable from their ship to the ground forces. Throughout this encounter, there hadn't been a bit of good news in anyone successfully fighting them off. "Alright, let's keep gathering."

Looking over at her ex-husband, Sakura recognized the worried look on his face. "Try not too look so defeated."

"It's not the look of defeat," he countered. "This is the look of trying to formulate a solution to a big problem."

She quickly put her hands in the air. "I'm just saying, no need to stress about it at this moment."

"Commander Reeves? We'll need to head to Deck 20 to hit the main armory stations. We should also see if we can pull a supply manifest off the mainframe." Elias came up to Reeves.

"Go ahead and take a look up there and we'll join you in a bit," Reeves instructed.

When the two young girls came aboard the shuttle, Micheal greeted them with a gentle smile. He could feel their fear, and he spoke to them in a calm manner, to help assuage at least some of that fear. As he spoke, he got them settled in a seat, wrapping emergency blankets around them both, as well as giving them both some ration bars and water. As he was to stay with the shuttle, he would protect them with his life, if need be.

The girls simply smiled at Micheal as they accepted the bars and water. If there was anything they learned from their parents were to respect the adults, especially in Starfleet. They had brought on the things their mother had transported up from the surface.

"Follow me," Sakura instructed the team. A few minutes later they found themselves in a bay. "Here is the first runabout off the assembly line."

"Can she fly?" the Commander questioned.

"Oh, she can fly alright," she answered. "Cruising speed warp two, max speed warp five. Weapons are offline, but there four phaser emitters and a torpedo launcher. Capable of carrying a compliment of forty personnel if necessary. Deflectors shields are offline as well, but nothing the engineers on the Jane Addams can't handle."

Jason nodded in approval. "Let's load as many torpedoes as possible onboard, then we can fly this thing back to the ship. Believe this will bring a little joy to the Captain's day."

"Don't act as if this just didn't brighten your day as well."

"My day will be brighter once we get all this stuff back safely on the Jane Addams," the Commander replied. Stepping onto the runabout they began making preparations to launch. He had to admit this runabout was definitely had a lot room.

=================
Lt. Commander Jason Reeves
Executive Officer
USS Jane Addams

Lieutenant Vereyn Kiiz
Chief Engineer Officer
USS Jane Addams

Lieutenant Elias McEntyre
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Jane Addams

Lieutenant H'iri
Chief Operations Officer
USS Jane Addams

Lieutenant Micheal Taggart
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Jane Addams

Lieutenant Meerah Praavor
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Jane Addams

Sakura Meng
Computer Systems Specialist
Utopia Planitia

 

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