SD 241303.XX || "Pickup" || Part I || JL || XO, MCO, CSci

Posted on Sun Mar 10th, 2013 @ 6:59am by Captain Robert Lansine & 2nd Lieutenant Jasmine Garza & Lieutenant JG Saia Roswell

2,123 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Romulan Ale.. I mean Aide
Location: Colony - Surface

The sun had set and the faint glimmer of the large yellow dwarf sun had fallen below the far horizon of rugged mountains and rock formations. Well outside the colony and away from any possible Romulan confrontations, Rob and the the small marine detachment had begun their search for the astray science officer.

"Any sign of her?" Rob called to Ellis from behind a large boulder, scanning for possible energy signals nearby.

"Sarah and Brad head east for about 1.5 klicks and than started heading south towards the colony beware of patrols." Ellis said knowing that the fire team could handle whatever patrols the Romulans had but they were still out numbered even if they did have the whole company down here.

Ellis than went back to his map looking over things. "Commander where was this science officer the last time she checked in?"

"It's been hours," Rob replied, still focused on his small tricorder's screen. Saia hadn't reported in since Rob had been 'abducted' by Aerv and his men. Her disappearance had gone rather undetected in the midst of so many unforeseen variables. Romulan treachery, civil war, and now this? Their mission had gone from aid to intergalactic debacle very quickly.

A light chirp from Lansine's comm badge indicated news from the orbiting Vindicator, "Commander, the Romulan officer is beaming to your location now."

"Acknowledged," Rob replied, not as soon as the distinct green distortion wave of a Romulan transporter beam shimmered into view in front of them. The buffering period quickly finished and produced a smaller Romulan woman. Young by Romulan standards, Sub-Commander Sindari Xerth had recently celebrated her 50th birthday. Yet, despite her young age and relative short time in the Romulan Navy the woman had already managed to crawl through the Empire's devious rank ladder, dispatching even the most cunning of her elders for the coveted position of number two aboard a Warbird, Sindari was certainly a talented officer. Her mission, however, did not seem to call on her impressive skill set. Nothing more than a glorified supervision, she would make sure the Federation personnel would find their missing crewman.

And nothing else.

"Commander, I am Sub-Commander Sindari t'Xerth of the Warbird D'Nal. I asume my Commander has informed you of my presence and pretense on this short endeavor?" Her words were short and dry. Nothing about her tone or body language indicated someone wanting to assist.

"Yes, yes she did," Rob replied, flipping his tricorder shut and placing it back into his hip holster. "My men are already looking to the west-," he wasn't able to finish before she interrupted him.

"Our scans indicate a weak power signal that matches the signature of the colony's power generation systems," she again was blunt. "Systems our science officers assure me are still functional despite your best efforts." She of course was referring to their destruction of the Thaleron generators that had powered the colonies dispersal field that had kept the Captain and others stranded on the surface a short while ago.

Not wanting to start a seemingly pointless debate with the woman, Rob nodded and motioned for the Marines to follow the Romulan commander. "After you I suppose."

Ellis didn't like this one bit, "sir........" He than stopped knowing that his complaint would do no good. Ellis and three others Marines followed giving time for Ellis to send a morse code to Sarah, Keep with your orders.

The Romulan woman needed no further prompting and was off behind ahead of the group before Lansine could call to her again. She wasn't interested in conversation, such was clear. But there was something else about her demeanor, something more than arrogance or annoyance, that perplexed Rob.

The group continued onward, a few meters behind the trailblazing Romulan for the better part of 30 minutes until she found it necessary to address them again. "The power readings are coming from inside this collapsed cave," she pointed to the mouth of what looked once to be a fairly large opening into the rockface. The ground around the cave entrance was disturbed, and the nearby creek suggested it'd be a logical place for Saia or other science crew to investigate the problems with the water supply.

The guard was pacing again as Saia was curled against the wall of the cave. They were still where the cave entrance had caved in. He seemed confidant that his people would come get them soon enough. He had so much confidence had rebound her hands. They were both covered in dirt made mud by sweat caused by effort to remove the rocks at the entrance.

The guard had begun chuckling as he knelt before Saia, "Does your Kevin take advantage of this brokenness you are so easily?" Saia shook her head. The Romulan guard took great pleasure in seeing her finally in pain at his questions. "Has he had you at all?" When she was reluctant to reply, he took her arm, twisting, causing her to cry out before shaking her head and he cackled, "The fool!"

Rob, now shoulder to shoulder with the Romulan Commander was about to suggest a course of action when the pointy-eared officer contacted her ship. Her words were quick and nearly silent; Rob may have known a few Cardassian words, but Romulan was completely foreign to him. As such, nothing the other Commander had uttered made any sense to the Vindicator XO.

"What,-" Rob began, only to be interrupted by his alien counterpart.

"Quiet." She hushed him as she pulled out some sort of scanning device.

A few moments of silence filled with strange looks shared between the Starfleet crew passed as Sindari listened intently to their surroundings. Romulan hearing was after all more sensitive than a human's.

Those ears had to do something.

"I believe I've found your crewman, Commander," Sindari returned the small device to her pouch and look to Rob. "There are audible anomalies coming inside that collapsed opening. They are consistent with what we are looking for." Her answer gave him and the Marines everything, but nothing. The Romulan had made sure to sort every bit of context or explanation out of her report.

"You're weapons should be able to clear the debris," she said flatly, retreating back into the screen of yet another scanning device Rob had never seen before.

Brow furrowed and still very confused with the alien Commander's assessment of the situation, Lansine turned to Ellis and pointed to the rocky debris obstructing the cave entrance. "Make a hole, Captain."

"Aye aye." He said with a smile, "Commanders get behind something. And you two." He said pointing at the other two Marines, "you make the hole and than myself and Corporal th'Reni well make the move." Ellis said but than held his hand up quickly, "commander can you pick up how many are down there?" He asked the Romulan.

Sindari ignored Ellis' question and continued to gaze into her small device's screen. She had no time for Federation-types, let alone their miscreant Marine officers.

"Commander, my men won't do anything until I give the order and I won't be giving that order until you answer me." Ellis said not caring about her rank or the fact that she did potentially help them find their missing crew.

Sindari broke her unwavering gaze for a slight moment and glanced at the human male, shaking her head slightly, she was obviously annoyed. "Commander Lansine, if your colleagues insist on addressing me they will do so through you." He looked back at Ellis, eyes twinging with annoyance.

Still wishing to avoid more unnecessary conflict, Rob looked back at Ellis and shook his head slightly. "Just do it," he looked back at the Romulan and once he was convinced she wasn't looking he added, "before she freaks out."

Ellis just shook his head looking at the Romulan having a bad feeling about this women.

"Do you wish him to like you begged me? Perhaps he should know ab..." the guard paused and looked toward the collapsed cave opening.

Saia watched him curiously, "What?"

He kicked her hip, "Shhh!" causing her to whimper. He stepped far away from the area, not bothering to take Saia with him.

She tried to follow him, which he didn't stop, nor did he assist her.

The loose rock around the cave entrance was no match for the intense particle weapon barrage as the Marines' weapons made short work of the debris. With the rock removed and a sizable opening created light once again flooded into the small opening chamber. No longer hampered by the sediment's pesky tendency to hinder invasive scans the Stafleet crew's scanning equipment finally caught up to their Romulan tag-a-long's. The scanner's insistent beeping and high-pitched ring indicated there was something inside.

Something important.

"Ellis, secure the cave enterance," the words had barely left his lips when the the Romulan woman took charge and stepped through the new opening. "Hey, wait-," Rob called futilely after her. He looked back to Ellis, this time more pressingly, "Follow her. Don't let her out of your sight."

Once the cave was open Ellis and th'Reni rushed the cave but the Romulan was fast. Once they entered they had to take a second and flip their lights on so they can get there bearings. "Sir........there!" th'Reni shouted.

The other Marines were outside protecting the commander the last thing they needed was the ships XO to get killed on what was a simple SAR (search and rescue).

Sindari took note of Lansine's call after her, as well as the Federation Marine's desperate attempt to follow her into the cave. They had after all no idea what to expect in the dark and damp new interior. She, however, most certainly did. There scans had done much more than identify the power generators used by the former traitorous regime, they had too found the Starfleet woman and her Commonwealth captor. Their deception had been necessary.

Their mission must be absolute. No survivors.

Her short jaunt into the cave had not lasted longer than a minute when she found the weak human woman a droll on the ground, her Romulan captor standing over her. He looked nervous, surely understanding what fate awaited him. There was no need for pleasantries. Both Romulan's knew what was going to happen.

Saia looked over and swallowed feeling things were about to get much worse.

Sindari needed no words, only the firm press of her disruptor's trigger. The bright green light from the small pistol's muzzle illuminated the darkened room before striking the treasonous captor Romulan square in the chest. He was dead. Her work finished.

Before she could look over and notice that her captor was nervous as well, she saw the shot, causing her to scream and try to move away from the Romulan woman

"On the ground!" Ellis shouted when he saw what that Romulan bitch did killed the man that held the women scientist hostage. But he also knew full well that she wouldn't go down quietly that's why he had th'Reni a few meters behind him and when the Romulan turned and aimed her rifle at Ellis th'Reni striked with his K-bar into her side.

Saia didn't have much time to react, but the flash of the colors of Starfleet gave her some relief..

"Clear!" Ellis called rushing over to their fallen crewmen, "you okay?"

Saia blinked and looked at him a moment before numbly nodding. Remembering protocol, she added, "Fine, sir." She tried to stand, but it was a little clumsy with her arms still bound behind her. However, she wasn't quite concerned with that. She was disoriented. The way out was there. Her captor was dead. She was rescued. What was she doing? She looked toward the mechanism she had been investigating, "I didn't find anything more conclusive." She spoke matter of factly as if nothing had happened.

Rob had purposefully let Ellis and his small team enter into the cave before him. The bravado of Marines, especially those on the Vindicator, was not to be trifled with. Not by Romulans and especially not by Starfleet Commanders. The flurry of greens and blues followed by a flash of bright light in the cavern in front of him certainly indicated conflict, but Lansine's fears were quickly calmed by Ellis' reassuring call. It took a few moments for Lansine to catch up to the Marine's position, and when he did much had already happened.

"Report," Rob said sternly, looking Ellis squarely in the eye before sneaking a peak of one dead Romulan on the ground and the other, their wonderful tour guide, humped over a rock withering in pain.

=/\= End Part I =/\=

 

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