Saving Sister

Posted on Tue Aug 16th, 2022 @ 12:48pm by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Ensign Mika Petrova
Edited on on Tue Oct 18th, 2022 @ 6:52am

Mission: S1 Episode 3: Phage
Location: Deck 5
Timeline: Mission Day 7 at 1530
1198 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Madeline moved with purpose through the deck. Simmons was at her side and behind her and the other teams had spread out to do their sweep and eliminate the Vidiians. Her rage was focused, harnessed as a tool rather than allowed to run rampant. Thoughts of the Lovarr and Andrei had been pushed away in the face of the more immediate threat. As she came around the corner, she saw one of the Vidiians clawing desperately at one of the crew quarters’ door and narrowed her eyes. She thought about having Simmons attempt to shoot it, but they were slightly pressed for time. She lifted her pistol and shot the stationary target herself. As she and Simmons walked past the door, she realized where she was and stopped. Mika. She tapped her commbadge.

“Cassiel to Cadet Petrova. Are you alright in there?”

Mika had been working in Sickbay during her typical shift when she realized there was something she needed to grab from a nearby Med Lab. When the Vidiian monsters beamed in, two of them blocked the way back to Sickbay and pursued her rapidly through the deck. With as much speed as she could muster, she made her way back to the safest place she could think to go instinctively without needing a turbolift. Her quarters. She got in before the one pursuing her could get a hold of her and he had been outside the door for an hour and a half desperately scraping to get in. She, for her part, had sat on her bed, her phaser pointed at the door, her brows knit in anxiety.

“This is Cadet Petrova. I’m in one piece.” She said, considering her physical state. Her voice sounded relieved. “I’m in my quarters. What the heck is going on? What are these things?”

"Couldn't really tell you. Some sort of undead Vidiian nonsense." Madeline said and gave a few rough kicks to the fallen corpse outside of Mika's door to move it away. "If you want to stay in there, then make sure you don't open the door for anyone unless it is one of your parents or security, alright?" She paused, "Or, I'll take you to sickbay to help out there."

Slowly, Mika stood. The immediate fear had subsided an hour ago, but the prospect of opening the door seemed wrong to her still.

“No, I want to come with you to Sickbay. I don’t want to be alone anymore.” She said, pressing the key and opening the door that stood her face to face with Maddie and her entourage.

Madeline looked to Mika as she opened the door and gave a nod to the young woman. "Still don't want to attend my funeral too early, I hope?" She questioned, her head tilting slightly.

“I still don’t, no. But you’re not resting as I ordered.” Mika said with an admittedly terrified smile. She looked at the security behind the Assistant Chief and frowned. “What is going on? Where did those things come from?”

Mika gave the impression of someone who had no idea what was going on. And why would she? All she had to go in were the few frantic orders from her father in shipwide to go with.

"Well... no, but I took my medicine like a good girl." Madeline managed to give her a smile and then began to move, motioning for Mika to follow her closely. "The Vidiians didn't take kindly to our rejection to their extortion attempt, so they beamed these things over in response." She didn't tell Mika that they had brutally tortured and murdered their emissary, she felt like it was probably implied. "Stay close to me."

Mika walked with her, her eyes on the corridor ahead of them and trusting the security behind them to focus on what was behind. She was tired after almost a full shift and then 90 minutes of intense watching on her bed, and what she really wanted was a nap. The fact she hadn’t seen one of those creatures since she’d entered her quarters really calmed her, though she knew they were there.

“Are there any of these on the other ships?” Mika asked, picturing her brother battling these things among hundred of Kazon.

Madeline realized in that moment that Mika didn’t know. Why would she have though? It wasn’t something that had been announced. She kept her face neutral as she walked forward toward sickbay. “I don’t know, Mika.” It wasn’t a lie, she didn’t know.

As they rounded the bend, Madeline suddenly stopped and put her hand out to make sure Mika stopped as well in case she was distracted. Just ahead one of the Vidiians was crouched over one of the crew, chewing away at their body without a care in the world. She could see the Terran’s hand twitch and immediately narrowed her eyes. Before she could do anything though, Simmons fired from behind her and completely missed.

“My disappointment in you is immeasurable right now.” Madeline said and stepped in front of Mika as the thing got up and immediately began charging toward them. Madeline fired and brought it down, the body skidding in front of them and ended up at Mika’s feet face up.

Mika fired her own blast instinctively, hitting the already dead Vidiian in the lower torso. She trembled slight, but not for long after she found the thing was dead. Eventually, she straighten out and relaxed herself, looking to Maddie.

“Seems like you’re here to save me every time a mindless brute comes to attack, huh?” She asked, a kind smile on her face.

"Well, probably not your first idea of a knight in shining armor, but I do what I can." Madeline smiled in return though it faded as they approached the crewman on the deck. He wasn't dead, but he was in rough shape. His middle was laid bare and his intestines were being held in by his hand. Madeline turned to Mika. "Do you think he can be saved?"

Mika knelt down next to the man, her compassionate eyes falling on his fearful knees before moving down to his bloody wound. It was terrible, but she had read about doctors saving people in worse situations. The problem was she was no surgeon.

“There’s no way to know until we get him in for surgery.” She said, and tapped her comm. “Sickbay this is Cadet Petrova. I need a surface to bed transport for Crewman Danvers.”

Within the next few seconds, then man on the ground dematrialized. Mika stood and sighed. She seemed saddened but not shaken.

“I should get in there.” She said with a sad smile. “Thanks for coming to the rescue again.”

"Just stay focused, Mika. You'll do fine. Tell them we are clearing the deck of the Vidiians and security personnel will remain." Madeline instructed the younger woman gently but firmly.

“I will.” Mika said with a final grin. “Bye.”

With that, they young woman turned and walked away, moving quickly to try and save her newest patient.

END