Captain Addison MacKenzie - Holed Up

[Addison MacKenzie]

(( Outside Transporter Room 1 – Deck 4, USS Artemis-A ))

There were only a few drones in the transporter room who stood between the quartet of officers and a small cache of weapons that would allow them to continue to wage war for the control of the ship. They’d come up with a plan to distract the drones well enough to give them an advantage, by transferring the power flow of the EPS conduits to short-circuit the consoles in the transporter room. Now, they just needed to execute and hope it goes off without incident.

MacKenzie: As soon as you initiate the sequence, that should shunt power directly to the main console. (beat) …but we’ll likely blow out the relays in the entire transporter room as a result.

Silveira: I wasn’t thinking of us using it anyway.

Jovenan: Once the exploding begins, all drones from this sector of the deck will likely swarm here. I don’t know how fast they are, but I’d say we have two minutes or less to be out or be ready for them.

Hopper: We’ll just have to play that by ear.

MacKenzie: When we get inside, there’s a small weapons locker located in an alcove behind the far wall. Remember, these are still our people – heavy stun only.

She took the opportunity to check the settings on her own phaser. Vitor nodded, taking a step back closer to the door.

Silveira: That’s my setting Captain. Just get that console out the second before we go in. Commander Hopper, since there’s only two I will take left and break forward. If I don’t stop them both, I am relying on your hand to hand skills.

Hopper: ::A quick uneasy nod::  Yeah, great.

MacKenzie: Vitor, call it. Robin, on his mark.

She watched them both from behind as Vitor moved into position, facing the door. Her eyes narrowed with focus as he started to count.

Silveira: Ready. One… Two… Mark.

A violent blast could be heard from the transporter room as the console and a number of EPS relays burst just before the door opened. Vitor and Robin stormed the room, with Addison and Jovenan close behind. To their right was one of the assimilated crew members, the other farther away, but both appeared surprised by the explosion and assault.

Silveira: COMMANDER CONTACT RIGHT.

Hopper: ::Startled::  Ah!

In a Blur, Robin pushed back off the console, launching herself at the assimilated Coverian drone’s center mass, throwing them both backward onto the steps of the transporter pad. Despite an audible crunch, the drone seemed undeterred.

Coverian Drone: You will be eliminated.

The purple-hued woman grabbed at Robin’s throat. Thinking quickly, the scientist tucked her left leg up pressing the metallic prosthetic knee into the crewman’s sternum. It wasn’t enough to free herself, but she could at least breathe again.

 

Hopper: ::Ragged breath::  Nuh-uh!

 

Addison tried to move herself into a position to shoot the drone.

MacKenzie: I don’t have a clear shot!

 

Behind them, she heard Jovenan offer a concerning report.

Jovenan: Drones are approaching!

Vitor managed to drop one of the drones and Robin seemed preoccupied, though out of danger, with the other. He gestured for MacKenzie and Jovenan to move inside.

Silveira: Captain. Lieutenant, get the weapons, I have them covered.

They moved in while Robin managed to wiggle free, though she stumbled forward while trying to lose her balance. The drone appeared fixated with Robin’s destruction and persisted.

Hopper: Any time!

The pair’s entrance into the room seemed to distract the drone’s attention from Robin, though it now appeared fixated on Addison. No doubt she was viewed as a priority target, if the Collective’s goal was the assimilation of Starfleet and the eradication of anyone unassimilated.

Robin dove for the Coverian’s legs, wrapping her arms around them dropping the drone with a thud.

Addison and Jovenan made their way to the rear of the room, located the weapons locker, and started removing sidearms.

Jovenan: Should we help?

MacKenzie: A prudent course of action, Lieutenant.

Vitor moved closer to them, and Addison wondered why it was that he might continue to let Robin struggle with the drone. As if he could read her thoughts:

Silveira: Commander Hopper got this. I trust her.

Jovenan, in an act of bravery, rushed past the pair wrestling on the floor of the transporter room and back to the door, kneeling in a protective posture so that most of her body was still in the room. Her attention returned to Robin, continuing to struggle with the drone.

MacKenzie: Would you like a weapon, Commander?

Hopper: I wouldn’t…  ::Grunt::  Say no…  ::Groan::  To a phaser!!!

 

The sound of clicking boots could be heard growing louder from the corridor. They were out of time.

 

Jovenan: I-incoming!

The drone, once a human redshirt, fired first. Jovenan flinched involuntary as the phaser pistol shot hit the wall closeby, then returned fire several times until an audible thud could be heard, likely the sound of a body falling to the deck. More phaser fire ensued, and Addison gripped her phaser and moved down to reinforce Jovenan’s position. She lie on the floor behind Jovenan, peeking out the door to cover the opposite end of the corridor. Back in the room, the sounds of struggle continued.

Hopper: I’m fine. Go help!

Silveira: Response

Coverian Drone: ::Weakly::  Resistance is futile…

Hopper: ::Exasperated::  Yeah, yeah…

Jovenan: O-one down! Are you alright?

MacKenzie: No worse for wear.

Silveira: Response

Behind them, Robin managed to finally incapacitate the drone and the assault from the corridor subsided. Those guarding the door continued exchanging weapons fire.

Jovenan: If one of us takes cover in the turbolift doorway, they can secure this part of the corridor while the others get in.

Addison nodded.

MacKenzie: Vitor?

 

Silveira: Response

Behind them, Robin called out.

 

Hopper: Look out!

 

Silveira/Jovenan: Response

 

Hopper fired, striking the crewman in the back, and she collapsed in a heap on the deck. Robin checked the officer-drone’s vital signs before joining them at the door.

 

Hopper: So – what’s the plan? Did I hear “turbolift”? Then what?

 

MacKenzie: We have to try to secure the ship.

 

Silveira/Jovenan: Response

 

Addison discharged her weapon again, dropping a drone at the other end of the corridor. A moment later, another appeared to take its place.

 

Savel: =/\= Savel to any officer, requesting immediate assistance at the Intel Suite. Multiple casualties and hostiles present. =/\=

 

Well, that gave them a third option then.

 

Hopper: So, Elysium, Sickbay, or Intel…?  ::Pausing to fire again::  Unless we can find a way to bring us all together?

 

MacKenzie: Safety in numbers – we can’t afford to lose any unassimilated crewmembers. Let’s see if we can go reinforce their positions.

 

Silveira/Jovenan/Hopper: Response

 

Addison nodded.

 

MacKenzie: Vitor, we’ll cover you while you make it to the turbolift. Then, you cover each of us. Ready?

 

Silveira/Jovenan/Hopper: Response

 

They started laying down fire from their positions, and Vitor bolted for the turbolift at the end of the corridor.

 

Silveira: Response

 

One by one, the officers continued to leave their positions from the relative safety of the transporter room under the mindful coverage of Vitor’s weapons fire until finally all four of them joined him in the turbolift.

 

(OOC: I’m going to leave this here and pick up the scene in the turbolift with some narrative to begin hour 2 of this phase!) 

 

Tag, and TBC!

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Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A

Captains Council Member at Large

V239601AM0