Time's Up, Part III

Posted on Wed Mar 20th, 2024 @ 11:01am by Captain Freya Mannerheim & Subcommander Kaiae t'Lien & Centurion Nancy Gable & Major Ashley Rogers & Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Ashix Zirda

2,379 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Chapter VII: Into the Storm
Location: Ourainavassa
Timeline: 238704.31

=/\= Intruder alert, Medbay =/\=

Gable smirked. "And there's the alert. Do you want me to kill you quickly, or would you rather wait to see what T'Ango does when she sees her mate wounded?"

"And my people also heard that alert," Rogers growls. "We can stalemate here all day... while countless of your crew are getting wounded by mine while this med bay is about to be ground zero for a senseless battle. Why cause more suffering by risking the medical facilities they need? You can end this now, give me Mannerheim and we all walk away."

"Optimistic to think your crew aren't the ones going down out there," Nancy scoffed. "And Mannerheim isn't mine to give, even if I'd take that devil's bargain. You know where she is, you're just too much of a coward to face her head on."

Arnason contained a groan; not from pain - he'd had worse - but the back and forth with the two hissing at each other like alley cats. As much as he feared Nancy would make good her threats, this had to end before medbay became more of a battle ground. Letting himself stagger to a biobed, he grabbed the first instrument to hand, a hypo, and spun, flinging it at Rogers' face.

The hypo hit Rogers squarely on the nose, drawing more blood from her. She looked at the instrument as it clattered on the floor, before glaring at Arnason, "Did you just throw a hypospray at me?" She wiped the blood away from her face, "You may call me a coward, but I consider it caution. Your crew knows I'm here. They're gearing up to defend the bridge, the armory, engineering, everything on this ship that I could possibly turn to my advantage. But the med bay... They're not going to blow this place up. I'm safer here with you and your bat'leth than I would be rushing haphazardly to the bridge."

A contingent of Terran security officers then burst into the med bay but are stopped from opening fire indiscriminately by Rogers. "Your move, doctor."

---

"Intruder alert, Medbay"

Freya groaned as she heard the alarm. A brief barrage of fire from the bridge crew had momentarily cleared the way outside the bridge, but there was little telling how soon the next Terrans would arrive. She turned to Ashix. "Good thinking. Do it, flood the ship with radiation. Subcommander, you have the bridge. If I know Rogers, she'll be in medbay. So, that's where I'm going. I'm the reason she's here, after all."

Kaiae didn't bother arguing against the statement; she also didn't take the command chair itself; given that only an idiot would be sitting in this situation. The ragged remains of the doors were patched with the forcefield projected from the device she'd slapped there the moment the last of the Terrans on the bridge or in the corridor outside had gone down, but it was a poor substitute for both the doors and the stronger field the ship might have been able to project if there'd been less damage, and would probably fail by the third shot anyone could manage to put in it. Whatever of her own people had pursued and fought the boarders outside in the corridor before they'd breached the doors seemed to have fallen before or shortly thereafter, and she had no doubt that when or if the next set of Terrans managed to make their way there, they'd breach the seal and the bridge crew would have an active fight on their hands once more.

Meanwhile, Ashix Zirda was sitting at the Systems Control console working quickly to try to overcome the technological advantages of their enemies. She almost wished that she had not had most of the Borg implants removed from her body because, had she kept them, she would have been able to more easily interface with the computers. Instead, she was confined to the limits of her natural body. Sighing, she typed as quickly as she could to begin releasing the thoron radiation throughout the ship.

Mila looked at the internal sensor screen and yelled out in triumph. "Ashix, you're a genius! The radiation worked, and we now have full access to internal sensors again!" She frowned. "The Terrans all seem to be concentrated around Medbay at the moment, but there's something weird. We have three other intruders on board as well, heading in that same direction!"

The Sikaran looked at the display of her console, confirming the deployment but with concern. The thoron radiation was relatively harmless to those who encountered it, but the sensors would begin to exhibit errors relatively quickly afterward. She would work to keep the systems online as long as she could.

"I'll work to restore other systems in the mean time," the alien woman notified. "Anything in particular I should focus on?"

"Intruder control systems, if you can. Other than that, shields, weapons, and propulsion." Kaiae didn't take her eyes off the giant hole the currently joined the bridge with the corridor beyond it.

"I'll do my best," the Sikaran answered as she typed on her station. "I think this is the first time that I've missed my implants," she mumbled to herself, absently. What concerned her was that she truly meant what she said.

[TAG: Open]

---

"Intruder alert, Medbay"

"Apparently your double is a dishonorable kllhe," Hatham snarled, changing direction for medbay.

=/\= "I'm in engineering, can you get there? =/\= T'Ango sounded ready to tear through bulkheads if they couldn't.

"On it," Hatham replied, breaking into a run.

"I REALLY hate myself," Major Rogers mumbled as she ran after Hatham.

They arrived at the doors, and Hatham signaled Rogers, then rolled around the frame, powerful tiny disruptor aimed at the Terrans just inside. "I'd say it's more like your move, Terran."

Terran Rogers smirked as she saw her counterpart arrive, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Well I was surprised it's taken you this long to not do anything," the Major quipped back. She noticed the still unconscious form of Kaol on the ground, "He doesn't count."

Freya entered the medical bay, and simply shook her head. "Well, Captain Rogers, what a mess your first day as CO has turned into, eh?" She chuckled. "Attacking the medical bay, how utterly and despicably Terran of you."

Terran Rogers looked up at her former captain and said with disgust, "Flattery will get you no where... Captain."

Major Rogers just rolled her eyes and sighed, "This is more of a you problem, than an us problem... how about you just get out of our hair. Go back to your universe."

The Terran scoffs, "That's what I've been trying to do. But not without her," pointing to Mannerheim. "Now, Freya.... you heard your new crew. They want me gone. And I'm not leaving without you. We can do this easy or this precious new crew of yours will suffer."

Freya smirked and casually slipped off the leather jacket she was wearing, throwing it into a corner. "Wrong answer, Rogers." With a flourish, she drew her katana in her right hand, and her dagger with her left, holding it in a reverse grip. "We can do this the proper way and conduct ourselves like Terran officers. Or we can do it the messy way. Or you can just fuck off this ship. Those are your three options. Choose wisely."

Terran Rogers smirked. "Now I know you've gone soft," she said as she pointed her disruptor to Mannerheim. "The Terran way IS the messy way."

Major Rogers rolled her eyes at her other self before leaning over to Gable, "They're about to make a mess in the medbay...."

"She already did, so she better hope Arnason doesn't take damage. He's the only one who'd treat her," Nancy muttered darkly. If not for the Mexican stand-off with the Terran security, she'd use her disruptor to make that a moot point.

Freya shook her head and twirled her blades, assuming an attacking position. However, before she could say anything, one of the Terrans by the door collapsed, blood pouring from a hole in his neck, while the sounds of energy weapons came in from the hallway.

"You weren't going to start the party before I got here, were you, Captains?," a familiar-sounding voice declared, and a short, slim woman with short white hair and a leather eyepatch, dressed in an outfit resembling an old earth military officer entered the medbay. "Sorry I'm late." She flicked the clunky-looking gun she was holding, and a blade folded out, transforming it into a long, slightly unwieldy-looking, sword.

The Captain turned her head slightly, and smiled. "We didn't know you would be coming, Colonel. Welcome back."

Both Rogerses looked over at the newcomer, surprised but for different reasons, "You're back?" they both said in unison.

Captain Rogers glared at her counterpart before turning to Raven exasperated, "Is anyone else going to appear?"

Major Rogers shrugged and looked over at Gable, "Do you have popcorn?"

Gable rolled her eyes, but just as she was about quip about being all out, a new if familiar voice came from the supply room.

"I am," Terran Arnason said, stepping forward with disruptor leveled at his former CO's head. He'd always disliked her, but he was pragmatic; once he'd made it over with the boarding party, he'd slipped into medbay intending to wait until it was clear which side would win. If the Terrans, he'd planned to step out and secure medbay, then bide his time to deal with Rogers. If the others, then he'd planned to replace his counterpart. Sadly, the other Gunnar's wound had made that plan more problematic, and with Raven's arrival he'd calculated the odds were against a Terran win. However, there might a way to thread that needle, and remove Rogers. "Messy is the Terran way, and so is eliminating the sort of incompetent COs who lose a ship in an ill planned attack. Stand down, Captain. you are relieved of your post."

Captain Mannerheim chuckled, and pointed the tip of her katana directly at Captain Rogers; Raven, she noticed, was doing the same with her gunblade. Just as she was about to speak, a message came through the intercom.

"Perez to all stations, the last group of boarders has been neutralised. Now proceeding to medbay."

The Captain smirked. "Rogers, admit your defeat, and you have a slight chance to leave this room alive."

Captain Rogers looked around the room and knew she was outnumbered and outmatched. She looked at her Gunnar and smirked, "You're more Terran than rest of these fools...." The arrival of Raven was unforeseen, not that her situation was that much better before it happened either.

Major Rogers looked at her counterpart, "It's over." Granted, the woman in front of her is another version of her and she knew that it's not actually over. As long as she's alive, she won't let any of this go.

Captain Rogers sighed wistfully, "And what exactly would your evolved universe do with me if I admitted defeat?"

Having applied a wound seal to his side, Gunnar had kept out of the way. But after getting past the shock of his mirrorverse counterpart stepping out to end this, he'd watched the rest play out. Now he considered the question - he was no jurist, but having spent the last few years smuggling refugees, he learned a few things about the law in various quarters. In particular which laws applied in which regions. "We're not in Federation territory, nor in Romulan space. In fact, the area around this station is ...more or less a law unto itself." He glanced toward Mannerheim, then his Rogers. Given what he half expected their verdict might be, he almost hated stating the conclusion, but they would have realized it soon enough. "As far as the authorities here are concerned, justice is whatever the ship's command decides."

Raven smirked, her blade still pointed at Captain Rogers. "Well, I can't claim to have any authority on this vessel any more. Not since my departure." She shrugged. "Your thoughts, Captain Mannerheim?"

The Captain equally shrugged. "I would have to discuss the matter with the Subcommander, of course. Still, there are some options. Major Rogers, didn't you have some warrants outstanding in the Federation? How would you feel about putting them on your dear counterpart here?"

The Major smirked, "Would definitely make my life more easy... I think there are at least," pausing to count in her head, "three Nausicaans, a couple of Klingons, maybe a Ferengi or two that wouldn't mind seeing me.... out of the picture."

The Terran narrowed her eyes at her counterpart. She would not be taken alive by her or anyone else in this universe. Nor was she willing to die now at the hands of the traitor Mannerheim. But what she lacks now are options... there's no way she can shoot her way out of the medbay. She must bide her time for a better opportunity. "Very well..." the Terran started as she lowered her weapon. "I accept your terms," she glared at Raven. "Now would you mind dropping that sword from my neck?"

The mercenary smirked and activated her weapon's folding mechanism, before returning it to its pouch hanging from the back of her belt. "I don't know what you think you're planning, Rogers, but where this ship is headed, there won't be a way for you to get out."

Freya smiled. "I have to agree with the Colonel here. Major Rogers, please join me in escorting our guest to the brig. Once she is settled in her new accommodations, I believe there is a lot for the senior staff to discuss. Such as the return of the former commanding officer." She turned to Captain Rogers, her katana still ready to strike. "As for you, I've known you long enough to know that you think you have an escape plan. If you try anything funny, we'll have your head mounted above the viewscreen on the bridge in no time. If I was you, I'd consider my next move very carefully."

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