Two Hours and Counting Down

Posted on Sat Dec 12th, 2015 @ 4:54am by Admiral Ricky Wegener & Lieutenant Hope Beckman & Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Commander Nicolao

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Deck 6 - Wegener’s Office

Nico had docked the Blackbird and barely waited till it stopped moving. He’d paged the transporter chief on duty and ordered that he be transported directly to C&C, then sent a request to meet with the CO and XO. Moments later, he materialized and stood, taking a few beats to get his bearings. It had been a mad race home to 900. He hadn’t slept and had barely left the pilot’s seat. Time was of the essence, as the old saying went and never had that been more true. He ignored the startled looks he got, knowing he looked like hell, and trotted off to Admiral Wegener’s office.

“May I help you?” Hope asked, a bit more stringent about giving anyone access to Rick’s office.

“Lt. Commander Nicolao,” he answered. “Emergency. I sent a priority communication to the Admiral and Captain Hawke on my way back here concerning the away team.” He was talking too fast and he knew it but this was not the time to worry about being leisurely in communicating.

Hope was having none of it, not being privy to the communique. “One moment, please,” she said as she quickly typed a message to Rick letting him know who was there, why and what they wanted.

Within moments he was standing at the doors, opening them. “Commander, inside,” he said. “Hope, seriously? He sent a priority communication.”

“Did you think, maybe, that your doorman should have been notified of that as well…sir?”

He sighed heavily and closed the doors. Turning to Nico he said, “Sit, Commander. Li should be here soon.”

“Thank you sir.” Nico dropped heavily into a chair before the desk. “You’ll forgive me if I’m a little scattered? I haven’t slept since we landed there ..umm….a few days ago. It’s been a while since I had to deal with sleep deprivation in the field.”

Out in the foyer, Li strode in. Hope immediately opened the doors. “At least I know you’re allowed in.” She dismissed the confused look that Li gave her and secured the doors behind her, going back to her work.

Rick turned from the replicator, where he had ordered a Rakatjino for Nico, and shoved the large mug in his face. “Don’t even know if you like the stuff, but this will stiffen you up a bit. Down the hatch,” he said. He gestured Li to the other open chair by Nico and rounded the desk to sit in his own. “Okay, Nico, what’s the emergency? And where are the rest of your team?”

“You drink, I can cover the basics,” Li answered. “I know what sort of day you’ve had so I’ll give you what he sent to us. In short, the cube was there, inactive according to sensors, just emerging as the ice melted back. Oz and Bryce went to check it over, while Nico, Dae, and Major Smith chased down a life form with Borg readings. To cut to the chase, They got called back to the cube. Apparently Oz, Bryce and Iggy had already been taken. They got Dae and Patrick, and Dae ordered whoever was still free to get the hell out and bring reinforcements.” She looked to Nico. “I miss anything?”

Nico shook his head. “A few details that aren’t important right now. I wanted to stay and see what I could do but it was Dae’s order. Besides, one man against several drones, even if they are new, is suicidal.”

Rick leaned back in the chair, both hands running through his hair in frustration and surprise at the news. “Who’s working on this, Li?” he asked. “I assume you’re already working on something?”

She nodded. “His report came in just as the group from Bajor was docking.” She looked over to Nico. “Long story. Anyway, I want to send Sakkath to lead this one. He was my first thought, as much as I hate the idea of sending him to face this. Jackson is insisting he go as well, and since Oz is one of those affected, I think he should. Sakkath can get a team together and be out of here in two hours.”

“Have him check with General Thompson if he needs more manpower. We have a shit-ton of marines sitting around chomping at the bit to do something,” Rick added. “Obviously it’s not a search and destroy mission, concerning our own, but we have them. May as well utilize them.”

Li nodded. “I agree.” She turned now to Nico. “How many?”

He set the mug aside and gathered his scattered thoughts together. “That’s just it. When we landed, there was nothing showing in the cube. The one we were after was some distance away. So either whatever was in there was deactivated and came back to life after they went in, or it had some way to mask its presence. I have to say, I really don’t want to think that the second is a possibility.”

“Just in case, advise Sakkath to respond en masse. I want a large contingent sent out to deal with this. We’re not going to take any chances, especially if they’re somehow masking their presence,” Rick decided. “If that’s the case, I can’t send another small team in to be assimilated.”

“I did drop some quarantine beacons in orbit as I left, so I”m hoping no one else gets the urge to drop in for a visit,” Nico informed them.

“Good. I’ll send the last of these orders on to Sakkath.” She turned now to Nico. “You are planning to go back.” It wasn’t a question, and Nico nodded.

“Yes. I’m not going to be the one who takes off, then just kicks back at home to wait for their return. I can sleep on the way after I fill them all in on what happened and give them the lay of the land.”

“I may have been a bit premature with that drink, then, if you’re planning on a nap.” Rick shrugged it off. “I know that neither of you want to hear this, and I don’t even really want to say it, but…” he paused, trepidation building, “...barring any ability to capture our personnel for rehabilitation, they are to be treated as enemy combatants. I will not risk more personnel being captured. If we are unable to contain them, they must be terminated.”

He felt a cold chill run through his body as he said it. It wasn’t the first time he’d given that order, and wouldn’t be the last--to have to kill one or some of your own. He was very close to his people, even that crazy spider, and a strong sense of worry filled his mind. So many “what if” scenarios.

He looked to Nico and spoke softly. “Please try to capture them.”

“We won’t fail, I promise you that,” Nico answered. “We’ll get them home.” He understood all too well, however, what Rick meant. He’d had to give that order a few times himself and it never got easier. “I should go. I want to see Dru before I take off again and there’s not much time. I’ll report in to Commander Sakkath. Sirs.” He stood and made his way out.

Li looked back to Rick and now, she was the one who felt the need to comfort the other. “They will get it done.”

All of the jocularity, charisma and fun of the day for Rick had been sucked out of the room in an instant. It was situations just like this that had made him the man he is today, one who jokes around with his friends and crew, gets to know everyone’s names, their families and likes to be a bit of a prankster. He really did see each of his personnel as his children as it was his responsibility to take care of each and every one of them. He wanted them to succeed, to grow and learn and enjoy their time in Starfleet. He wanted to see each of them either move on to something else that they loved doing, with their time in Starfleet having helped them reach that goal, or retire from having done something they loved.

He didn’t want to see them assimilated, or being put down by their co-workers.

With a brief nod and a half smile to Li, he stood. “If you’ll be monitoring the situation, I’ll be in my quarters.” He was quiet and solemn now, the gravity of the situation weighing on him. He could deal with so many things, and had, but the involvement of the Borg with his own staff concerned him greatly. “Let me know if you need a break from it and I’ll come up.”

Li nodded. “I’m sending my own husband to face down Borg drones, along with valued crew. You better believe I will be monitoring this situation.” She paused to smile up at Rick. “Now I know how he feels every time I had to run off to jump into the fires of danger. It sucks.” She stood and reached out, taking hold of his hand for a moment. “Go home. You’ve had a hell of a day already. I’ll be fine.”

Squeezing her hand, he then patted her shoulder. “As will Sakkath. And all of our crew, hopefully.”

“They will. I’m going to go do a run through Piper. Julisa and Darwin should be out soon, but I want to see how things are going with Six. Things were a little tense up there earlier I heard.”

He nodded and continued to the large doors separating him from the rest of the station as Li followed him out.

“Hope,” he said.

Still in her sassy mood from their conversation earlier, she turned quickly on him and began to poke at him again, but stopped short, seeing his face. “Yes?”

“I may have to cancel dinner tonight. Something’s come up, so I’m headed to my quarters. You can take the rest of the day off.”

Hope looked to Li then back to Rick. “No.”

“What?”

“You’re not cancelling. I’m coming over and I’ll treat you and El to my famous Sloppy Joe a la Beckman. You’ll love it and we can play charades or hide and seek, or whatever the hell we have to do to help you get your mind off of this thing that has come up.” She stood, turned off her desk monitor, and grabbed her sweater. “I’ll go home and get started.”

He smiled. “Brat.”

“Yup.”

Once she was gone, he turned to Li. “I am so glad she is back. I may have actually killed Lt. Young when he was subbing for her. Whoo!”

“Keep that in mind if we get a report that Commander Rousseau has committed murder. Lt. Young is down there now.” Li finally smiled. “Go, enjoy your charades. I’ll be here after I visit Piper.”

“I am not playing charades,” he said as the two parted ways in the corridor.

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Lt. Commander Nicolao
Lt. Hope Beckman
Admiral Rick Wegener
Captain Li Hawke