The Cavalry Arrives Late

Posted on Sun Nov 20th, 2011 @ 2:04pm by Lieutenant Norval Tigan & Commander Oralia Zeferino & Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali

Mission: In Our Time of Need

The Level 2 Security Station on Deck 15 had been quiet, despite the heightened level of alert with the Speaker still present on the station. Kh'ali had been found, and that was a weight off everyone's shoulders, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Eric Edwards' shoulders included. The young Security officer found himself quite happy with the current arrangement, which in retrospect was probably where things went wrong. You never get too comfortable in Security work... it just invites more bad things.

The entire station had reverberated with the blast, sending him spilling out of his chair. To add insult to injury, as he scrambled to find his feet, the artificial gravity had given out for a few seconds, enough to leave him weightless and floating just behind his console... and then smack his head into it on the way back down.

"Ugh, they need to find a way to make that come on more slowly," he complained, rubbing what was sure to be a sizable bump tomorrow on his forehead. Shaking off the pain, he looked down at the LCARS.

"Explosion of unknown origin, Hangar 51," he read aloud. That was well away from here, which meant he wouldn't be a first responder, but explosions meant casualties. Checking for the phaser at his side, EE dashed from the security station, headed one deck up to the Henry Gray Medical Station. He had a feeling things there were about to get busy.

And he had been right. Injuries were pouring in, mostly minor given the distance from the blast itself, but a few looked bad. A Warrant Officer in gold had come through with a nasty head laceration. Edwards was helping him to the biobed when his communicator sounded, and he fully expected to her Commander Zeferino barking orders on the other end. But the voice belonged to someone else, someone who made Eric frown, just slightly for a moment. This was no time to talk about their relationship.

"Edwards, get your..." Norval Tigan paused for just a moment, "self... to the Speaker's quarters. Oz is in trouble, probably Commander Kh'ali and the Speaker too. I'm giving you my access level."

The Lieutenant stopped in his tracks. Relationship? Obviously not. He hadn't even been allowed near the Speaker's quarters... but Norv was one of the few people on the station who could get in there, and if the Commander was dealing with something up there, it was something big.

"Acknowledged!" he replied, helping Warrant Officer Thornton down rather abruptly before heading back to the lift at a sprint.

*Lower Deck and Turbolift*

"Gilroy!" Commander Zeferino's voice came over his commbadge and he quickly acknowledged her. "Get me a uniform and meet me...." Her voice cut out suddenly, her comm suddenly interrupted by a higher access call.

When Oz came back on Gilroy's badge, he was already waiting for a uniform to be replicated. "Change in plans, meet me at the Speaker's quarters, on the double! Send Chase and Darwin to Hangar 51."

"They're already there, Oz," Gilroy answered her, "They're working with Medical to organize triage and recovery."

"Great, gotta go," Oz sounded breathless as she closed their commlink.

"Wha...?" Gilroy was nearly jumping up and down, waiting for the replicator to do its thing. Soon as the items were ready, he snatched them up and ran for the nearest turbolift, which conveniently stopped and opened as he ran towards it (thanks to the Crewman First Class who'd heard Gilroy running down the hallway, shouting, "Get a turbolift! Now!" and pressed the call button). He slid to a halt inside the turbolift, nearly barreling into Lieutenant (JG) Eric Edwards in the process.

"Eric," Gilroy nodded then ordered the turbolift to the Speaker's deck, with no stops. "Wherever you were going, you're now going to the Speaker's quarters with me, Lieutenant." As they both looked at the doors, an ages-old habit humans never seemed to give up, Gilroy suddenly frowned, his brow furrowing, and asked, "Where were you headed? Hangar 51?"

Having nearly been bowled over by his Klingon superior, Eric hadn't commented on his new orders. After all, there was no reason to protest when he was already headed right where Gilroy wanted him.

"Ah, no sir. Actually... the Speaker's quarters," he said, a wry smile on his lips. "Didn't think to order no stops, which I guess worked out. Norval said he thinks the Commander is in trouble, but he didn't go into detail..." The wry smile had evaporated, worry tugging at his features as he turned to the half-Klingon. "What do you suppose is happening?"

"Knowing Oz?" Gilroy shook his head, "Anything could be happening. Maybe she thinks the Speaker is in danger. Maybe she thinks he's ordered this explosion." He doubted that one, but... who knew.... The turbolift was taking too long. "Maybe she has knowledge of another explosion coming...?" That one concerned him and when the lift finally stopped and the doors parted, he took off running.

Eric was right on his heels, phaser already in his hand. He expected that Lieutenant Gilroy would have been here before, at least during the preparatory phases of the Speaker's visit, so he was content to follow, but even Gilroy had to pause in front of the Speaker's unguarded door. He had already started to call for a security override when Eric reached past him to hit the release.

Responding to the transponder in his communicator and the clearance Norv had given him, the doors parted and the pair rushed in, Eric nearly tripping over a Divitian corpse.

Gilroy's brow rose, not because of the body, but because of Eric's access. He'd have to have a word with Eric after this.

"That's not..." Eric didn't even really want to say it out loud, knowing what it would mean if the Speaker was dead, "is it?" he asked, before his eyes landed on Kh'ali and someone perhaps more obviously the Speaker himself on the couch. He started to move carefully towards them, phaser still at the ready until an expanding aura like static electricity washed over the room, drawing his attention to one of the most gruesome things he had ever seen.

"Ugh," Gilroy grimaced at the backside, foot, ankle and the back of someone's head protruding from a wall. Gathering his wits, he shouted, "Commander Zeferino! Where are you?"

Faintly, Oz's voice came from the other room. "Here. Could I have a hand, please?"

"Commander Kh'ali? You and the Speaker okay? Was there only one assailant?" Gilroy asked as he motioned for Eric to check the other room. He stayed alert, phaser out, ready in case there was another attacker.

"Yes, the same one who took me." Kh'ali looked up from her place by the sofa. "We are. I healed a large cut on his forehead but I'd like Medical to check him over anyway."

Gilroy nodded, holstering his phaser, and said, "We'll have him and Oz transported to a medical bay."

In the other room, Oz was sitting on the Speaker's bed, one wrist swelling and turning purple, a large goose egg doing the same on her left cheek and eye. With her right eye, she stared at Thumb's remains in the wall. "That is not a good way to die," she remarked as Edwards came in.

Eric had been only too glad to get away from the grisly scene in the living area, but found it much worse in the bedroom. He nearly retched, but forced himself to focus on the Commander. It wouldn't do to look soft in front of the boss.

"Not at all," Eric agreed. He holstered his phaser and took a knee in front of Oz, tapping his badge in the process. There was little sense in asking her if she was okay. "Medical team to the Speaker's quarters," he said, looking over the wounds on her face and not really knowing if Kh'ali had already requested their presence. "We'll get you some help, Commander. But hey, at least you gave him hell." He managed to eke out a reassuring grin.

She actually smiled. "I know. C'mon," she stood, a touch unsteady, and accepted Eric's help as they moved back to the living area, where medics were just arriving.

________________________________
Lt. (JG) Eric Edwards
Security Officer (as written by Andrew)

Lt. Commander Kh'ali
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Lt. Commander Oralia Zeferino
Chief Security Officer

Lt. Gilroy
Security Officer