The Azure Horizons

Posted on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 @ 7:29pm by Captain Samuel Woolheater

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: SECTOR 100 - DEEP SPACE - COUNTER-PIRACY OPERATIONS
Timeline: Nine Months Ago
4292 words - 8.6 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

=== USS HALE – NCC 1153 – BRIDGE – COUNTER-PIRACY TASK FORCE PATROL ===

The Steamrunner-class USS HALE, her red bussard collectors and blue nacelles were brilliant against the purple-hue of the Aafen stellar nursery. It had been a quiet morning. The ship and crew were on counter-piracy patroland there had been little activity for the past three days. Some science experiments were being performed, the usual cataloguing of stars and star clusters was happening a very routine kind of a day.

The communications panel lit up and the officer listened to the COMM chatter, “Captain? I have an urgent distress call from the merchant vessel Azure Horizons. They say they are under attack and are being boarded by Masonite pirates.”

Captain Hammond said, “Let’s hear it? Tactical, get a fix?” The tactical officer nods. The distress call was now audible.

...bearing 034 by 101 by 030. We have been trailed by Masonites for the past two days. We are under attack and being boarded. We need help. This is the Azure Horizons we require immediate help. Can anyone hear me?”

The captain looked at the tactical station, “.25 parsecs away from our current position, at warp five...we can be there in under an hour.”

“Any info on the Azure Horizons?” Hammond asked.

The tactical officer responded, “Yes captain. Fleet registry database shows the Azure Horizons registered to the Finstook Mining Guild. It’s a regency-class hauler. One-million metric tons of raw ore that gets processed in transit.

The captain nodded, “Helm, set a course to intercept. Best possible speed.” Turning in his chair to the communications officer, “Open a channel.” When the channel opened, displayed on the main view screen was a damaged bridge and a few fires burning with lots of smoke. The image was static filled but there was clearly a frightened captain calling for help.

“Azure Horizons this is the USS Hale. What is your status?”

=A= Thank god, I am Captain Mohann. We are in serious trouble. We have no weapons. Can you help us? We’re being boarded right now. =A=

“This is Captain Hammond of the Federation starship Hale; we have your position, we’re on our way, how many pirates are there?”

The captain, a Kohberrian by the looks of him, said, =A= I don’t know, ten maybe fifteen. They boarded from seemingly every deck. They’re just outside the bridge. I have sealed the doors, but they are cutting through the bulkhead. You must hurry! =A=

Captain Hammond looked to the navigator and said, “Increase speed to warp nine!” The signal from the merchant ship suddenly cut out. “Signal jammed at the source captain.”

Hammond asked, “Long range sensors? Any other ships closer that can give aid?” The tactical station shook his head. Hammond’s jaw clenched and then he said, “Red alert, I want a strike team of marines to secure that ship. Get them prepped in thirty-minutes!” The Hale formed a warp bubble and leaped away at high warp.



AZURE HORIZONS – BRIDGE

The body of the first mate fell to the ground. A gaping phaser hole in his chest. There were now five dead crew members on the floor of the bridge. The captain, a Kohberrian freighter captain cried out in pain as he was made to watch the execution of his crew. The Masonite pirate that sat in the captain’s chair and mocked him now called for another crew member to be retrieved from the engine room. “I will execute every one of your crew until you trell me the unlock codes to the dilithium ore vaults.”

The captain knew that if he gave the Masonite the codes; he was dead. It was better to try and wait it out until the Federation starship was here. But he was running out of crew, running out of time and options. The Masonite pirate exhaled and then mercilessly beat the Khoberrian with the butt end of his phaser rifle. He was ruthless and cold. The Kohberrian captain was bleeding and was on his knees. The pirate yelled, “Bring me another!”


AZURE HORIZONS – ENGINEERING

The rest of the crew, the remaining alive ones, numbered seven. They were being guarded by two Masonites. Their tall frames were wire thin and their skin a very pale almost bluish white. Their six eyes in the bulbous heads were just...nasty. And they loved to blow things up. They were galactic raiders and leeches of the most scurrilous kind. One came through the door and spoke in that ugly tongue of theirs. They picked up one of the engineers and pulled her by the hair to her feet. Then they pushed her down and kicked her until she was on her feet again. The one who came to get her put handcuffs on her and then wrapped those bony fingers around the back of her neck and marched her out the door and into the corridor. He pushed her at the same time as the rounded the doorframe.

Then his head exploded all over the starboard engine panel in the corridor. The woman screamed. The Masonites body still stood there a moment. As if it was waiting for further commands from the head that was splooched all over the panel. The two Masonites inside the engine room turned to see what was the matter and all they saw was the standing body of their headless comrade standing over the screaming, fallen crewman. And they assumed that he had simply pushed her down.

From the shadows, the front end of Woolheater’s TR-116 emerged and then his helmeted upper body in an EVA suit. He put his finger to his “lips” to signify “quiet”. The crew member in the corridor and one of the crew held hostage in the engine room saw the marine sniper. The doors closed to Engineering and finally, the headless body of the Masonite slumped to one side and then quivering to the floor.

As soon as the Hale had dropped out of warp and entered into transporter range, the marine strike team had been beamed to the hull of the merchant ship. From there, the tactical plans to the Regency-class vessel had been displayed and they knew exactly where the hostages were being held.

The marines quietly picked up the shocked crew member and took her to safety in another compartment where she was beamed away. There were eight marines here in two fire teams. 2nd Lieutenant Samuel Woolheater lead team one and Reyes lead team two. Sam took point. Masonites had the annoying habit of not showing up on a standard life form sensor sweep. But, they knew another way to get them to show up.


USS HALE – BRIDGE

“On screen,” said Captain Hammond. The image of the Azure Horizon appeared. But the Masonite pirate ship was gone. “Hail them” Hammond ordered. After a moment, “They’re not responding captain. “Then let them listen. Broad spectrum and pump it up!”

The COMMs officer broadcast the captain’s voice on all frequencies and with an intense power. The speakers on the merchant ship would resonate whether or not they wanted them too.

=A= This is the Federation starship USS Hale. I am Captain Robert Hammond. You have illegally boarded a free system mining ship in open space. You are ordered to surrender at once. =A=

There was only silence. As Hammond was about to speak again, a cloaked Masonite pirate ship by dropping their cloak and then firing a salvo of phaser fire. “Shields up! Evasive maneuvers. Back us off! Draw away and return fire. If we can keep them from reinforcing their hand, then we’ll beat them” Hammond ordered.

The Masonite ship could rapidly cloak and decloak. Which made the fight with the Hale an interesting one.


AZURE HORIZONS – ENGINEERING

Sam crawled along the conduit between the second deck on Engineering and the catway above the engine manifolds. He undid the access panel and quietly dropped onto the catwalk and then laid on his stomach to get into position. Sam took aim and then made the call...”GO!”

The door to Engineering opened and four marines poured through the door in a black EVA river. As the Masonite guards turned in horror, one developed two holes in his upper chest and dropped. The other opened fire and then grabbed a crew member as a shield. There was nowhere to go and Sam knew how this would end. The Masonite was moving towards the main power coupling. Sam lined up his shot and took it.

A hole was punched right through the back of the Masonite’s head. It did splooge all over the place like the first headshot. Sam had adjusted the power on the TR-116. The pirate fell to her knees and then onto the deck plating.

Then her head split open and splooged all over the deck. People screamed but they were alive to scream. Reyes looked up at Woolheater and gave him a thumb’s up. Sam returned it and got up and jumped down to the deck. The hostages, now somewhat safer, if not traumatized by the whole ordeal, were moved into the Engineer’s Office and out of the way. Reyes said, “Next stop is the bridge. And you know that they know we’re here now. The Hale is dealing with the pirate ship. So, she can’t beam away the survivors. I’m leaving two of my fire team here, makes our combined fire teams just six. We use the central processing conduit. That runs the length of ship’s beam. Sam? You good to go with your fire team the long way?” Sam nodded through the EVA helmet, “Good to go.” Reyes nodded, “Good. Let’s move!”


USS HALE – BRIDGE

A panel exploded behind captain Hammond, “Damage report!”

“Shields at 50% and falling. Damage to decks four and five. Repair teams responding. They’re targeting our weak shield overlap.” Hammond nodded, “Keep our ass out of their gunsights. Rebalance the shields on a rotating frequency. At least that will remodulate the shield harmonics so it will be a more tempting target!”

The tactical station said, “Captain? It takes an enormous amount of energy to keep cloaking and decloaking. I have noticed that their phasers are reducing in strength by two-percent every time we engage! Their total firepower is now 22% less than when we were first fired upon!”

Hammond nodded, “Keep them engaged. This ship can take a beating. C’mon you bastards! Full spread, let’s give them hell!”

The Hale open fire with phaser and photon torpedos, shooting somewhat in the dark, but also managing to lay two hits with the torpedos.


AZURE HORIZON – DECK FOUR – AFT GANGWAY

The four marines moved quickly and quietly through the dark passageways. Thanks to the EVA suits, the darkness didn’t impede their progress too much. Sam was on point, and we crouched down with his rifle in front of him in the ready position. Then, he stopped. With his hand, he made two fingers and wagged them to the right. They concealed themselves in the passageway as best as they could. Sam took aim.

The two Masonite pirates rounded the corner and we met with a volley of phaser fire. They got off a few good shots and the two pirates fell. It was like that for ten more minutes as they made their way to the bridge.

“One, Two. Three...!!!” The explosive way the door opened with the fire team blew the mechanisim was a surprise. More distraction than they had planned for. But even that was not enough. It was a firefight every step of the way. Brutal, their EVA suits taking a few hits and two marines having to fall back. Sam, reaching the waypoint then turn left and got in line with the first pirate.

The firefight died down. It was three pirates against just the lone marine. Sam was out of sight and hopefully the pirates were too dumb to have counted how many marines stormed the bridge. The Kohberrian captain was on his knees with a phaser rifle pointed at his head.

“All of this? And you lose. We will wear down your ship and then we will kill you all slowly. Your ship will make a fine addition to our collection. Drop your weapon” the pirate Captain said. The marine said, “I don’t take orders from you!” The pirate captain smiled and said, “You will. Now, drop the weapon or I’ll blow his brains all over the deck. Drop it now!”

The marine said, “Drop it now?” Sam’s voice on the helmet comm said, “MMMhmmm”. The pirate captain said, “Right now.” And the marine started to bend down to drop the weapon in her hands. The pirate captain was so surprised when as the marine bent down, his phaser rifle’s battery pack suddenly exploded after Sam shot it. And at that moment, Reyes and her lone other Marine shot and ended the remaining two pirates. Only the Masonite pirate captain was left standing there with a burned hand. And Reyes decked him with the butt end of her rifle knocking him out.


USS HALE – BRIDGE

The pirate ship was now firing less and less, and their shots were doing less damage than ever before. Now, that the sensors on the Hale had collected enough data, they could now predeict how fast and where the cloaked Masonite pirate ship was. Taking a calculated risk, they fired another full spread. This time, every shot hit the mark. The phaser lit up the cloak and the photon torpedos finished the shield grid off. The pirate ship now lay adrift with no engines and no power.

Captain Hammond said, “Well done crew. Contact the strike team. Let’s bring our people home.”


::: A FEW MINUTES LATER :::

USS HALE – TRANSPORTER ROOM ONE

Four marines and the rest of the hostage crew beamed aboard. Next was the captain of the Azure Horizon who was in severe shock after being beaten and seeing his crew being executed. Reyes was helping prop him up but medics came quickly and helped the captain dowen from the transporter pad.

“Welcome aboard captain. Sir? Can you tell me your name? Are you hurt?” a medic asked. As she called in on her COMM to the medical bay what her eyes were telling her. “Captain? Can you tell me your name?” The man was in shock and all he could do was open his mouth, but no sounds came out. “It’s OK sir. Come with us. We’re taking you to medical. The rest of your crew is there, and they are safe.” She called sickbay, =A= Medical, prep a biobed. I see multiple impact injuries. Many of the crew are in shock. Lacerations and stress, physical and mental abuse....=A= ”

After the hostages and the captain had been removed, Woolheater and the other four marines and the Masonite pirate captain beamed aboard. Starfleet security was here waiting for him and they at once handcuffed and shackled him with leg restraints. Woolheater stayed with the captured pirate as did one other marine.

When the captured Masonite was brought to the brig, they sat him down removed the shackles, but he remained handcuffed. The Chief of Security then said, “...when this ship docks at Starbase 101, you will be remanded to the United Federation of Planets department of justice. You’re going to have to answer for your crimes today.”

The Masonite scoffed and spat at the Chief of Security. Then the Masonite looked right at Woolheater and asked, “Did you shoot my crew?”

Sam didn’t even flinch and said with a firm ‘fuck you’ face, “Captain Mohann is free; the hostages are free, all your crew are dead. It’s over.”

“You killed my crew?” the Masonite pirate asked. The Chief of Security answered him, “No, you did. You killed your crew. When you boarded that ship and killed the first crew. You did that.”

Sam and the other marines turned and remanded him to Starfleet security. The Chief of Security then read him his rights, “You have been suspected of piracy operations. I’m now going to read you your rights. Following the United Federation of Planets Security Council Resolutions, and in cooperation with UCM of interstellar maritime states, Starfleet Combined Task Force 151’s mission is to deter, disrupt and suppress piracy and armed robbery in space and to engage with regional and other partners to strengthen relevant capabilities in order to protect interstellar maritime commerce and secure freedom of stellar navigation. You have the right to remain silent and make no statement at all. Any statement you do make can be used against you in judicial proceedings...”


USS HALE – SICKBAY – AT THE SAME TIME

Captain Mohann was in severe shock and withdrawl and he hobbled into sickbay with assistance. He was covered in blood. Some of it his and some of it from his dead crew mates. As soon as he was escorted in, he saw the rest of his crew and broke down in tears. The medics helped him, and security kept the rest of the gawkers out of sickbay. The medical forcefileds went up and so did the privacy screen. The medic was a doctor named Jennifer, “Captain Mohann, please come in and have a seat.”

Mohann sat down and was trembling. He was dazed and in severe shock, “Captain? My name is Doctor Jennifer Crawford, and I am a specialist in trauma. Can you please tell me what’s going on?” Mohann looked back at her with a vacant stare. She was aided by a nurse, and they helped Mohann out of his blood-stained uniform. “Captain Mohann? Can you talk sir?”

The Kohberrian captain stuttered and choked up and then managed to say, “I’m OK.” The doctor and the nurse worked quickly to help the patient and she tried to comfort him, “You’re, OK? You don’t look OK. Can you tell me what’s going on sir? Do you hurt anywhere?” She said as they got the top of his uniform off and could examine him with a medical tricorder as well as conduct a physical examination. She asked him, “Are you in any pain right now Captain?” He looked back at her confused and she repeated herself, “Are you in any pain right now?”

Mohann shook his head ‘yes’ but could not speak as tears streamed from his eyes. “OK, where does it hurt? On your right side?” He nodded ‘yes’ and the medical tricorder revealed bruised and cracked ribs as well as a huge bruise on that side where he had been burned. He was in such distress that she had to calm him down. “Captain Mohann? Look at me? Listen to my voice? I need you to calm down sir, OK? I need you to take some deep breaths for me, OK? That’s good. That’s very, very good. Deep breaths. You’re doing good Captain.” She picked up a neural recorder which is used to track the neural activity in the brain. This is to diagnose if there is any concussion or nerural damage, look for implants or other head trauma that might not be visible or show up on the medical imager. Doctor Crawford explained everything as she went, “Captain? I’m going to attach this to your head, OK? You know what this is? It’s a neural recorder. I want to make sure your brain is doing OK. May I put this on you sir?”

He took shallow, halting, harrowing breaths but he nodded shakily that it was OK to do so. Crawfird attached the monitor and activated it. Data started to flow to the sensors and his medical reading were being recorded.

“Captain? Can you tell me what happened to your head here? Captain? Tell me what happened to your head.” He mumbled something incoherent, and it kept coming out all jumbled and dostorted. He was speaking, but nothing was making sense. With immense empathy, she put her hand on him and said, “It’s OK. Take your time.” She said to the nurse, “There is a three centimeter laceration on the left eyeridge. And on the crown of his eye ridge.

“He...hit...me! Again and...again...in my head. With a gun. He...sh..sh..sh...shot them. In front of me...and...”. He was hyperventilating now and clearly reliving the past few hours. “It’s OK. It’s OK. Captain? Look at me. I want you to take another deep breath OK?” He opened his eyes now, full of tears and fear. But also trust. She made a connection and she smiled back at him. “That’s better. There you are. They didn’t beat you Captain. No they didn’t sir. You are a survivor. And you’re going to keep going on. And we’ll help. OK? Deep breath. You’re doing fine.”

She went back to the exam and read off the tricorder to the nurse as she also did the physical exam, “There is another five centimeter gash here on the temple. Dermal regenerator in just a minute.” She looked at him again and asked, “Did all this blood come from these wounds on your head?”

He didn’t hear her and she had to repeat herself. Even if he had actually heard her, he was traumatized so badly that he wasn’t processing. She kindly, gently asked him again with a calm and reassuring voice, “Did all this blood come from your wound on your eye and the side of your head?” He looked down at his bare chest, it was bloody and ragged. Probably the first time he saw what was done to him. His hands and arms were covered with bloody spatter. From the crew that the Masonites had killed in front of him.

“Not.... no...this isn’t mine! This isn’t all my blood!” He cried, “It’s not all my blood! My crew!” Mohann said. He was in shock at what he saw. Doctor Crawford nodded her head, “OK. We will get you cleaned up.” She came alongside and said, “Let’s lay down for a bit? Lay back on the biobed and let’s get a good scan of you.” Mohann said with a childlike trust, “...ok...ok...yeah.”

The doctor and the nurse both had to help him lie back he was in so much pain. This was not unusual either. Counter-piracy duty was hard on the ships and the crews that safeguarded the navigation routes in space. It was hardest on the victims. It was hard to see and witness the cruelty of the pirates, the outlaws and the crime syndicates. And the only force that stood in their way was Starfleet.

She laid him down on the biobed and the machine started to get a complete diagnostic reading. He was in tears and her heart went out to him. The loss of five members of his crew and the torture that he endured was nothing short of horrific. He reached for her hand; the first kindness of contact he had in two days. She held his hand as he cried, “Captain you’re safe now, OK?” He squeezed her hand, “Thank You!” he said with more earnest fervor than she had seen in a long time. “You’re welcome, Captain.”

“Thank you!” he said again. “You’re welcome. You're safe now Captain. So is your crew. Everyone is safe now.” He kissed her gloved hand, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome” she said and simply held his hand in comfort. “My family? Does my family know I’m, OK? My crew’s families?” he asked her.

“You will get to call them just as soon as we take care of you. They know that you are safe. They know that you are safe.” She squeezed his hand and tenderly wiped the tears away with a clean bit of cotton gauze. “My crew!”

“They are right outside. They can see you just as soon as we take care of you. Captain, I need you to breathe....that’s it. You are safe. Everything is going to be OK.” With great relief, heaving sighs and tears, he let all that pain and anguish out. And she stood by him until he was ready to take the next step towards healing. And it was like that for almost all of the hostages.


::: A FEW HOURS LATER:::

The Hale had affected repairs and was able to tractor beam the Azure Horizons back to Starbase 101. The pirate ship was gleaned and picked clean of any intel and then scuttled. Sam Woolheater was cleaning his rifle as the details of the report were shared with the marines. And they would keep coming back out here and keep doing the mission. That line between the pirates and the rest of us? That line was Starfleet. And this is what they do. They don’t do it for the thanks, or for recognition, or for awards. This is who they are.



[OFF:]


1st Lieutenant Samuel Woolheater
“Saepius Exertus, Semper Fidelis, Frater Infinitas”
Division VI, MARDET 62nd Company "Spartans", 1st Platoon CO
=/\= USS ELYSIUM - NCC-89000 =/\=