Hostage Starbase

Posted on Tue Aug 17th, 2021 @ 12:12pm by Captain Emmalyn Marcus & Lieutenant T'Ponga Shemara & Lieutenant Sykon Son of Sran. Son of Kanok & Lieutenant Angelus De'luvia
Edited on on Tue Aug 17th, 2021 @ 5:29pm

Mission: Welcome Aboard
Location: Starbase 12
Timeline: Current

[ON]

[Transit Officer's Quarters]

Sykon had been at the Starbase for two days, enroute to join his next assignment, the USS Montana, as Chief of Security.

He was due to take a transport ship later that day, after breakfast he returned to his temporary quarters and began packing his bags when an announcement can over the intercom.

=^= Attention Starbase Twelve personnel! I have seized control of this station! All personnel are herby confined to quarters! Anyone leaving their quarters will be executed! =^=

Sykon at first thought it was some petty human attempt at humor, but when he tried the door to his cabin he found it locked. The security seal had ben engaged. It appeared what was happening was real, how had somebody been able to take control of an entire Starbase?

Having spent his career in Security he was aware of several ways to bypass a lockdown. After several minutes with a tricorder and a tool kit he managed to disengage the seal.

He retrieved his personal phaser from his bag and cautiously pushed the the door open manually. He checked up and down the corridor, there was no sight of anyone or indeed anything unusual.

He still had the thought that this was some kind of Human joke or even a security drill of some type. That said he was not going to remain locked in his cabin and decided to make his way to Operations.

He moved down the corridor, hesitated by a Turbo lift and decided not to use it, just in case this was a real incident.

Beyond the lift door was a jeffries tube access hatch. he opened it and entered the cramped space, pulling the hatch closed behind him. Checking the diagram on the bulkhead he found that the Operations level was four deck up. He began climbing the ladder.


[Operations Deck Lower level]

"So you're the defiant type are you? That's cool I'm gonna kill your captain. David said as he grabbed Marcus by the neck and put a rifle to her temple. "Always admired the old ways before your so called Federation took over." He boasted.

"It is not logical to kill the captain. However I must instead offer a alternative.

"Ah so you do know how to comprise. Well to bad because Marcus is all I want. David said as he looked at her. There was a kind of evil to his look yet Marcus was used to it. This wasn't her first rodeo nor would it be her last.

She met him at the academy. They were friends for all of five minutes before He betrayed Starfleet.

Suddenly the rifle was raised, Tallmage brought it to his shoulder, aimed quickly at the Captains head and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot was loud, a sharp cracking sound and echoed around the compartment, a thin wisp of smoke wafted from the barrel as he lowered it.

Marcus slumped to the floor, blood oozing from her right temple, pooling on the deck plating.

"Pathetic fool" Tallmage said as he kicked her body with the toe of his boot. He brought the rifle to his waist, keeping it aimed at the others.

"I've done what I came for, none of you need die" He said slowly. "Stay where you are and Ill take my leave, but move and you'll get the same as Marcus!" He began slowly backing towards a doorway.


[Jeffries Tube - Operations Deck Upper level]

Sykon had clambered his way up four decks when he came to a hatch way clearly marked OPERATIONS.

He unlatched it, as quietly as he could, still not convinced this was anything but some kind of drill, but being cautious none the less. With the latches undone he slowly cracked the hatch, he could hear voices, then there was a sharp CRACK!

Unsure of what that noise was, the closest sound he could think of was some sort of ancient percussion weapon but that could not be right...

He pushed the hatch open further, his nose picked up an acrid smell, was that cordite?

Somebody had just fired a projectile weapon?!

He swung the hatch open further, leaning through it. He was on an upper walkway, below in the Operations compartment he could see a lone Human male, with his back towards him, in civilian clothes, holding what looked like an antique rifle.

Slumped at his feet was a female Human, in a Starfleet uniform. Beyond them was a group of other Starfleet personnel, a Vulcan female; and two Human males.

Drawing his phaser, Sykon crawled out on to the walkway, moving to get a better view of what was going on, ready to intervene just once he knew exactly who the protagonists were..


[Operations Deck Lower level]

Tallmage backed out through a doorway. The door slid shut and a couple of seconds later the control panel sparked and flared, it had been sabotaged from the other side.

"I don't like this guy," Angelus shook his head. Moving over to check the doors and any hatches in their immediate location for now to see if they were secure and or locked or not. Giving a glance back with a nod. "We should be okay here for the moment without getting jumped."


[Jefferies Tube J9]

After over riding the lockouts and shimmying through several feet she silently popped the hatch. Looking to see people standing there and the slumped body of her friend and captain, she moved slowly and silently until she could sense Marcus was still alive. Problem was how to get to Marcus.

T'Ponga was here because she been sent and with good reason. However the question still remained how to get to her!

[Operations Deck Lower level]

Sykon had tried to follow the shooter with his phaser, but the man ducked out of a door way before he could get a shot off.

He found a ladder and climbed down to join the others on the lower level. "I'm Lieutenant Sykon, Security." He introduced himself

The Vulcan woman was knelt by the fallen Captain. "Is she dead?" Sykon asked.

"Move aside!" T'Ponga said grufly. Marcus was severely injured and she knew it. Marcus was still bleeding as she put a cloth bandage on her head. "I have to get her back to the ship now or she will die here," she said looking at Sykon and Angelus. "I need an emergency transport directly to sickbay now!", she barked.

Sykon waited for the woman to activate her Commbadge and request one, wondering why she had not done that instead of yelling at the others. It was unusual behavior for a fellow Vulcan to say the least.

=/\=Montana two to transport directly to sickbay. Medical emergency=/\= Just before the transporter took them, "Sorry I yelled Sykon," T' Ponga said as they disappeared.

Sykon nodded as the pair disappeared in the shimmer of the transport.

He turned to the Human Lieutenant. "I intend to pursue the man who shot your Captain and require your assistance."

"Well of course I'm coming." Giving a glance behind him a moment. Angelus gave a motion to go.

Sykon nodded, moving quickly towards the hatch the shooter has left through. He tried the door but it was jammed shut with a burnt out control panel.

He adjusted his phaser to a narrow beam and in a few moments had sliced a half-circle out of one half of the door. He kicked it and the piece dropped away, leaving a hole big enough to clamber through, being careful if the molten edge.

The pair disappeared through the hole.


[Montana Sickbay]

T'Ponga and the stricken Marcus reappeared in the Sickbay trauma suite.

As the transporter finished its cycle, "Doctor! The Captain's been shot!", T'Ponga said standing as she cradled Marcus carefully in her arms.

"Yeah I'll say. Luckily I know what shot her and it will be easy to be remove." the doctor said. "Good thing is that is that she had metal plates to deflect the bullet." She said looking at the X-ray. "you see T'ponga this here bullet hasn't been made in centuries it's from a .22 caliber rifle"


[Elsewhere on the Station]

Tallmage had done it he had killed his enemy.
Yet something was still missing for him. He wasn't satisified. As if he couldn't fill his desire. Suddenly he found himself with the same rifle only pointed to his head. "Screw it" he said as he pulled the trigger. Tallmage was now dead the Starbase was free.

Sykon and De'luvia were moving down a corridor when they heard another shot. It rumbled and echoed around them.

Moving forward they rounded a corner, they came upon the body slumped against the bulkhead.

Blood splattered the wall and pooled on the floor, it appeared the shooter had taken his own life. The antique rifle lay to one side.

Sykon retrieved it and checked the body for identification, there was none.

"Do you know who he was, or why he would kill your captain?" He asked.

"I really do not." Angelus moved over to look at the rifle Sykon picked up, "This however, I do know. It's something probably like that sound that echo'd before. I wonder why they're using ballistic weapons." Motioning to it, "Do you mind? I happen to dabble in those."

"I will retain possession for now" Sykon replied, keeping hold of the rifle. "This is evidence and may be a murder weapon, if the Captain does not survive"

"Let us return to Operations. We need to ascertain if he had any accomplices. I find it strange that a single individual was able to take over an entire starbase"

"It is a little bit suspect to me as well. I'm sure that will be the question going around." Angelus marked the spot of the body.

"I concur. No doubt command will undertake a full investigation" Sykon agreed

[Operations Deck Lower level]

Reentering Operations Sykon began examining the control panels, trying to find out how the assailant had taken control of the station.

It took a while but eventually there appeared to have been some kind of command lock-out code entered into the Station's main computer system.

It was an archaic code, at least fifteen years old and although the system had been upgraded several times, the older code was active in the memory bank.

It was serious security breach but somehow the shooter had been able to take over the computer and lock down the station, confining the crew to their quarters while he lured the Montana to the starbase.

Once he had control the shooter had left the computer unlocked, Sykon and De'luvia were able to cancel the lock-out, restore control and unlock all the personnel.

Within an hour the station was returned to its crew.