LtCol Wes Greaves - Relief

[Jacob Rittenhouse]

LtCol Wes Greaves - Relief

 

((Sickbay - Deck 05 – USS Octavia E. Butler))

It was clear that something serious was going on aboard. Someone had called intruder on the bridge before Zet advertisements took control of  the comm system. The Skipper had called to him personally but was cut off in her request. A group of poisoned mercenaries were aboard, and one of them was holding a knife the Doctor Nis’s throat, demanding they rest of them build something.

 

The only thing Wes was sure of, was that the Zet were involved and the biobed under construction was for them. It was something that Wes would never allow. Even at the cost of a ship mate.

 

That was a promise he relayed to the mercenary hostage taker before starting to count down.

 

Greaves: Seven…. Six…. Five…

 

He paused to glance at Sam. 

 

Greaves: Sam, when I get to zero, shoot that man in the face.

 

Jania closed her eyes as if that would shield her from the violence coming. 

 

Woolheater: Copy.

 

The merc twitched, saw the sight dead-center on his head, and froze. Sweat ran down his temple, the blade trembling. Before the Colonel reached zero, the knife clattered to the deck.

 

Mercenary: Stop!

 

Woolheater: Target stands down, sir.

 

The big man released Jainia and Nurse Zeka rushed to her side, guiding the woman safely out of reach of either of the three remaining mercenaries.

 

As soon as the doctor was a safe distance, Wes had his sidearm drawn, adding to the number of phasers now trained on the poisoned men.

 

Greaves:  Sit down on that bed right there.

 

The Marine motioned with the barrel of his sidearm to the bed the merc had initially been laying on.

Zeka: Are you okay? 

 

To his left Wes could hear the nurse start checking on Jainia but the sound of doors opening made Wes flinch in response. He turned in a snap, weapon trained at the doorway, only to immediately lower it again.

 

Four new Marines, the relief for the fireteam already here, had finally arrived, bringing the count up to eight, plus Sam and Wes.

 

Greaves:  Damn good to see you Sergeant. Status?

 

Torvik: Eagle Team on deck, sir. Corridor secured.

 

Wes nodded. With one mercenary on death’s door in kidney failure and hooked up to dialysis, and two mercenaries starting to feel the major effects of the poison, he considered the room secure. With a practiced movement he holstered the pistol and motioned toward the mercenaries.

 

Greaves: Those three, secure them to their biobeds. We can restrain the one on dialysis with a restraining field. The other two, bind their hands.

 

Nis: Go easy on them, though. They are sick … 

 

Torvik: Aye, sir.

 

Wes watched the Marines work. It took little time at all, and the mercenaries didn’t resist this time. When the trio was fully restrained and all back on individual biobeds with a Marine guard each, Wes finally addressed them again.

 

Greaves: It should be clear by now that whatever your half-baked plan was in coming here, it has failed.

 

Nis: That said, we’d like to hear the rest of the steps for the biobed. 

 

Wes glanced over to examine Jania’s face. The doctor seemed to be handling the near death experience in stride, though who knew how it’d go once the adrenaline crash came later.

 

Mercenary 2: I don’t know…

 

Woolheater: Response?

 

Mercenary 3:  Response

 

And there was the confirmation. The Zet were behind this whole thing.

 

Nis: If the Zet is dying, it’s our obligation to help him, enemy or no. 

 

Greaves: This Zet that needs this medical treatment.  Who is it?

 

Mercenary 2: Some guy named Dius or something. We’ve never worked with him before. He sure does haaaaate you all though.

 

Wes immediately frowned. Hard. He wasn’t sure what name he was expecting. Anroc maybe? Though Anroc hadn’t been seen in years, and Wes figured he was dead anyhow. Toal’Dius though… Their interactions were much more recent. Koreli IV.

 

Woolheater: Response?

 

Greaves: And what, he’s just gonna sneak aboard and into Sickbay?

 

Mercenary 2: Look, I don’t know. He poisoned us and held the antidote over our head until we could get him aboard this ship and build this medical bed thing. He wasn’t exactly specific on the details!

 

Woolheater/Nis: Responses

 

Mercenary 3: Response

 

Before Wes could ask another question, the doors to sickbay hissed apart again and the sound of Marines shifting rapidly was noticeable. When Wes turned however, it appeared to be another false-alarm.

 

There in the doorway stood Katsim Peri pushing a hover cart designed for moving cargo pallets. The sight of Peri immediately calmed Wes down. While it hadn’t been at the forefront of his mind, he always tended to worry after the woman when things aboard ship started going sideways. Seeing her safe was a relief.

 

Lying unconscious on the cart was another surprise, and likely the reason the Marine sentries had reacted with an initial shock. Another Dosi mercenary, this one finely adorned and tattooed, lay there. Wes put two and two together. This must have been the mercenary captain that had been with the skipper in the cargo bay.

 

Katsim: Response

 

Woolheater/Nis: Responses

 

The Marine watched the group move to help the Dosi man.

 

Greaves: Peri, the skipper must have been with you. We got a partial call from her. Any idea what’s going on?

 

Katsim: Response

 

Woolheater/Nis: Response

 

 

 

TAGS/TBC

 

 

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Lieutenant Colonel Wes Greaves
Marine Detachment Commander
USS Octavia E. Butler NCC-82850
E239702WG0
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