One of us

Posted on Fri Nov 11th, 2022 @ 10:42am by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Crewman Adelaide Kirkby

Mission: Season 6 : Episode 1: Circinus
Location: DECK TWENTY-FIVE
Timeline: MD03 - 0240
1803 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON: “One of us” – concurrent with events from “Catastrophe” & “Foundered”]


USS ELYSIUM – DECK 25 – CIVILLIAN LIVING QUARTERS

Crewman Apprentice Adelaide Kirkby was trying to make sense of where she landed. How is it that the quarters she lived in now seemed all topsy-turvey? She drifted in and out of consciousness. A little voice inside her begged her to stay awake and not fall asleep. But she was so tired! She tried to move; it was too much work.

When she awoke again, she smelled fire. How long had she been out? She heard, as if in a dream someone calling for her. She heard them again and she tried to wake up. She rolled over on her side, “…here…” she said almost in a whisper. “…here!...” she called again. She heard the voices, they were calling her but they were drifting away. She imagined them on a still pond. Two marines. She knew them. They were kind of cute and she wouldn’t mind dating Cooper – he was gorgeous!

“…HERE!...” she called louder. “I’m HERE!...here….here!” she then let out a wail. A kind of shriek. In her mind’s eye she saw the small boat on the still waters of the pond. It was going away and into the mist. Cooper was on that boat. So was Jeremy. She helped Jeremy get his medical benefits sorted. “HERE!!” she yelled, “HERE HERE HERE!!!” and she pushed an overturned nightstand over.

She looked back on the pond. The water was so still and the pond so deep. There was fog over the surface of the water. Adelaide lost sight of the boat. And of Cooper and Jeremy.

“…come back!...” she said weakly.


DECK THIRTY-TWO – EARLIER

There were four marines unaccounted for. Every compartment on deck thirty-two was searched but they could not be located. Sam was working on the deck and not in the office. The MARDET office was a wreck. Desks and shattered, broken glass everywhere. The marines had gathered many civilians from any place they found them. Samuel turned to another Lieutenant and said, “LT? We need to keep these people busy. The ones who can work and want to help. I don’t want them to sit here stewing on what they can’t do. Let’s give them something to do. To take their mind off the problem as best we can until we get a better handle on things. We’re going to need an inventory of what we have here and what we can use. Bust open every pack and get it inventoried. If the ship is as bad as we think? We’re going to be here, maybe on our own, for a few days. Maybe a week. Let’s get a count of everything we have. Let the people help.”

“Yes captain. Sir? The computer is down. The PaDD’s won’t work. What do we use?”

Sam thought a moment and went back in the office. He rummaged through an upside-down desk and emerged with a dozen pads of paper and pens. “Paper and pen. It worked for Shakespeare; we should be able to manage an inventory ay?” He handed the supplies to the second lieutenant who set about on the task at hand.

Many people did help. They wanted to be busy and to do something. Sam looked around and asked for “Crewman Kirkby? Has anyone seen Adele?” No one had. Sam walked around to see for himself. Along the way talking to people and trying to calm them down. Many persons needed medical attention. “I’ll find a medic. Hold tight. We’re doing the best we can” he said.

Sam spoke with one of the Sergeants and the sergeant said, “I know of two that would be good. I can spare them, you bet cap.” He whistled, “Buenavista! Sawyer! If you, please?”

The two men, Cooper Buenavista and Jeremy Sawyer, both came and stood at attention. “At ease, marines. I have a special job for you.” The Sergeant laid out the plan as Samuel listened on and gave some advice. “Crewman Apprentice Adelaide Kirkby, she lives on deck twenty-five -stardrive section. We want you two to go and make sure she is alright. If she’s fine, then let her stay where she is as long as she’s safe and sound. Bring this med kit. Deck twenty-five is seven decks above us. Follow the yellow rope up until you get to junction “N” for “November”. Then you go left, and down the corridor to the turboshaft and up to deck twenty-five. Any questions?”

“Sir! No sir!” they replied.

Sam nodded, “I would go myself. But I need to stay here and take charge. Be quick about it OK? Don’t get sidetracked. Adele is one of us. You understand? She’s a fleet member of the crew but she’s one of us. And we don’t leave anyone behind. Go get her. Bring her back. Dismissed.”


===

They climbed and walked gingerly over fallen plasma conduit. Up turboshafts that had been burned out. They passed the dead bodies of people. They passed by a gaping hole in the hull on deck twenty-nine. The marines wore combat gear and helmets to protect their heads. Jeremy carried the medkit with him. As they quickly moved through the ship. It shuddered, shivered and it seemed like it was out of control. The slipstream tunnel effect was disconcerting to say the least. They kept their chatter low and only called out if they thought they heard something. They pressed on through the Elysium. They encountered few others. Opening closed bulkheads was a laborious task. And some of them would not open at all. Those were the ones that had no atmosphere behind them. And so some back tracking had to be done.

Corporal Cooper Buenavista was born on Earth and lived in El Salvador. He was a Starfleet marine since he was a kid…that would be just four years ago. He was twenty-two years old. He had a thick Spanish accent even through the UT. But he was also a lot of fun at a party. His companion on this mission was Lance Corporal Jeremy Sawyer, twenty-three years old and planned to be a marine until they kicked him out. From sunny Florida, Daytona Beach, he was a sun kissed southerner who liked race cars and ice-cold beer. Both knew Adele and Cooper suspected that Adele might have a crush on him. Because he was keen on her. They climbed out of the turboshaft and onto deck twenty-five. Both marines were in combat armor. Their helmet lights illuminating the gloomy darkness.


DECK TWENTY-FIVE – STARDRIVE HULL

“ADELE!” Cooper called.

“Crewman KIRKBY!?” Sawyer called.

They had been searching for ten minutes and were about to give up. “I thought I heard something. Down this way? Come on.” Cooper motioned.

The corridor was strewn with debris. The walls had buckled. There was a raging fire in someone’s quarters and no fire suppression system to put it out. They called for any survivors. The lights were out. Only the pulsating glow of the red alert annunciators. On every screen was the red alert message that they had seen before.

“ADELE!!!” Cooper called.

===

Adelaide could see the boat on the pond coming back. And she knew that Cooper could see her. She liked his smile. Jeremy was in the boat too. He was using an oar and pushing the boat along in the shallow water. They were coming!

===

“…HERE!!...” she called. She woke up. She realized that she had been dreaming and she realized she was in trouble. “HELP ME! ANYONE!” She was so scared. She struggled to get out from under the bed. She pulled and pulled and then was able to free herself. She called as loud as she could. “SOMEBODY! HELP ME! PLEASE!”

Cooper heard her. So did Jeremy. “This way!”

They came rushing in. “Adele! We’re here. We’re getting you out. Hold on!”

A plasma conduit had ruptured and while it wasn’t going to explode or ignite – best not to sick around and be exposed to it or breathe it in. Adelaide was pinned underneath the bed. The mattress was protecting her from being crushed. But debris and half a compartment had fallen on her. Cooper and Jeremy lifted and pulled the debris off her. She was free! Her leg though was cut. Jeremy used the medkit to stem the bleeding and make her safe to travel. She would have to be carried some of the way.

They helped her to her feet. “Can you walk? We need to leave here. Everybody that can is going to deck thirty-two.”

She looked at them both, grateful and thankful and she asked them, “How did you know I was up here?”

“We didn’t, we know that you are supposed to be here, and the captain asked us to come and get you. Make sure that you are alright. But you’re not OK. So, we’re here to get you back.”

She was almost in tears, “You…came to get me?”

Cooper smiled and held her hands “Is that so surprising?”

Jeremy said, “You’re one of us now, Adele. Captain said so. Medics are back in Marine Country. We need you and we missed you.”

Cooper picked her up to carry her. He said, “You’re one of us. And we don’t leave our people behind.”

Jeremy closed the med kit, he grabbed a duffle bag that had her clothes in it since she was dressed for bed and then he rapped Cooper on his body armor, “Let’s go!”

Adele put her arms around Cooper to hang on as he hurriedly walked back to the turboshaft. As Cooper carried her, she held on, her face getting a good view of the damage that the quantum filament had done. And all she could think about as tears of gratitude and joy streamed down her face, was this thought. ~They came for me. They came looking for me!~ She said in between her tears, “Thank you! Thank you!” She closed her eyes and held on tight. As the Elysium burned, smoldered, twisted and collapsed around them.

===
It wasn’t long before they were back. The situation was just as dire, if not maybe worse. But she wasn’t alone. Her wounds were treated, triaged really. Just enough to hold her from bleeding. She got dressed and like so many others, wondered what had happened.

And what would happen next.


[OFF:]

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