Eternity in an Hour

Posted on Mon Apr 17th, 2023 @ 3:59am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Legate Imik S'Niohun [Lia Taylor] & Lieutenant JG Nerinath zh'Rhilror [Lalor] & Lieutenant JG Jason Danvers [Taylor]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 2: Survival
Location: Shuttle caves
Timeline: MD03 0001
2969 words - 5.9 OF Standard Post Measure

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The wind changed at midnight, coming about from south west to north, and blew a gust directly into the mouth of the shuttle cave, adding extra chill to everything there again, and stirring the slightly stale air up from where it lurked along the floor, carrying a stench up and through the darkness and towards the soft lights that moved inside the cave.

The breeze slipped past Imik S'Niohun as the Ojnas woman had her hand on the canopy of her fighter. It dragged with it a bouquet of odours to assault her nose. An alcoholic fume, sweet and sugary. Under it was a sour note of something feint & ammonia like, squatting over something organic and warm and metallic. It was like a riot compared to the usual icy cold nothing of the planets air.

Imik looked out at the cold frozen planet, her mind wandered back to an earlier memory. Then her senses became alert, her mind warned her of danger. She slowly turned and used the Ojnas mind walk to find out why her senses were now on high alert, at first she found nothing then a shadow caught her attention. Returning to herself she moved to where she had seen the shadow, a crumpled heap now lay on the floor.

Imik approached the inert pile slowly, then she noticed blood. Drawing her weapon, she now continued forward slowly checking under each craft incase someone or something lurked there. Only as the Ojnas female finally arrived at the heap could she see it was a Humanoid, crouching down she slowly felt for a pulse of some kind. Nothing! Moving a little more forward, did she then see pink hair. "Ensign Derani, what has become of you?" She uttered to herself, then standing up she pressed her communicator. =/\="S'Niohun to Security, please report to the shuttle bay. And bring the CMO with you, we have a casualty."=/\= Did the message get through? Imik hoped so, because there was death now stalking the refuge of the Elysium.

From the opposite direction two officers came.

Neri was talking to Jason. "I tell you Jason, Eric is up to something and Miraj has been playing least in sight..." she broke off as she spotted Imik and ..."Miraj!"

"You may well be right Neri, Eric has always been a sneak and someon....." He broke off the rest as Neri shouted and ran towards Miraj. He punched his combadge "Danvers to Medical! Emergency in the shuttle cave. Have a crewman down! Stat!"

Neri raced to Imik's side.

"I found her lying here, from what I have seen she was attacked from the rear. But who attacked her I am unable to say, have you attempted to contact the CMO? I have tried but received no reply as yet." Imik glanced at the two Jg Lt's, "Can I ask why you both arrived here at this time? Where you perhaps looking for someone?"

Jason didn't hear Imik's question at first, he was looking at Miraj and how fragile and doll like she appeared even as Neri knelt beside her. Finally, through the fog he realized Imik had addressed them. "What? No, Neri and I were coming in for our duty shifts."

Imik now looked hard at Danvers, "Lieutenant, I was not accusing you of anything. Why would you think otherwise?" She moved a little closer to Neri to see if she to felt as Danvers did, but all she could pick up was concern for her friend. "I think we should seal off this area until ship Security has fully investigated what happened here, would you please assist me Lieutenant." The Ojnas now moved to start closing the area to further intrusion, she again glanced at Derani and shook her head with regret.

"We have been arguing with a lot in Flight" Neri rolled Miraj gently onto her back and checked her pulse. "No pulse. Okay, Someone better get the doc asap."

---

S'hib had been trudging throughout the camp looking for Miraj with her gift when the call came in, his puzzled face turning sour as he thought he heard the word casualty; surely not S'hib thought before picking up the pace and heading for the shuttle cave.

=/\="Sthilg... It's S'hib, I'll meet you there..."=/\= he snorted as concern grew in the back of his mind as he looked up at the mouth of the cave, it's looming black maw hanging over the camp like a whale feeding on krill.

another frigid minute passed as he climbed the makeshift ramps and steps, thankful for the guardrails as his hooves struggled to find purchase on the slick metal surfaces; never had he missed the warm sands of Sequella as much as until now.

"I'm here... what's going on?" S'hib called out as he climbed to the top, standing there for a moment to shake off the snow. "Did someone say something about a casualty?" He added, walking deeper into the cave.

Neri looked at Jason. "Rock Paper Scissors" She suggested hurriedly. She knew, they all knew, how S'hib felt about Miraj.

When nobody replied immediately he called out, feeling his heart beginning to race as the thoughts from earlier wormed their way to the front. "What's going on." He bellowed firmly, his deep voice riding the strong wind as it whipped up more snow into the cave.

Ice-caked hooves thumped along heavily as he approached everyone... everyone that was near the Queen Anne.

Red sands don't be Miraj, please don't be Miraj. His mind raced as his walk turned into a panicked sprint.

Hearing the hoofbeats growing closer Neri and Jason quickly did Rock Paper Scissors.

Neri did "Paper"

Jason did "Rock"

Neri sighed and stood up and turned to face the oncoming officer. She took a breath. And stepped into his path. "Commander S'hib." she said briskly. "Ensign Derani has been.... attacked." And the Andorian braced herself.

His eyes went wide. "Attacked?" he bellowed, his voice breaking slightly as Neri moved in front of him. "Where is she!"

and why was Neri getting in his way he thought. What was she trying to stop him from ... Oh no his heart sank as he saw her, saw the blood.

"Miraj!" He yelled, the small box in his grasp falling onto the floor as he pushed past Neri, pushed past everyone and collapsed to his knees beside her.

"Get the Doctor here, NOW!" He roared at everyone, pointing for them to do something, anything, as his eyes burned with a fire only pain could ignite. "No, no no..." He whimpered as looked over her broken body, hovering his hands over her, unsure where to apply pressure or to even apply it at all... dunes be damned, there was so much blood.

"Dunes help me..." He muttered as he leaned his head against her chest, his equine ear flicking and tilting towards her, listening, hoping... but he wasn't sure. All he could hear was his own heart thumping away.

He yelled out, a loud cry of frustration and anguish as he bent around and snatched up his tail, unravelling the myriad of knots and plaits before clutching one of the many tightly braided lengths around his fingers, yanking it free with a rip of skin and hair.

He had to stop the bleeding, he had to try.

his hands moved quickly, his body on autopilot as his mind zoned out, unable to process what was going on... by the time he'd blinked he was tying his length of mane around her thigh, pulling it tightly into a knot.

He hadn't even heard Sthilg calling his name or his scaled fingers on his shoulder, everything was a blur.

Sthilg had sighed when he'd heard the medical alert go off on his combadge and echoed through its makeshift halls. Just when he'd been about to get off to bed. Pulling himself up and grabbing his gear he stepped out. He could barely hear the message so he hurried, pulled on his coat and head out the door. It took him longer to reach the shuttle cave than he hoped, but when he saw the group gathered round a fallen body his feet found new strength as he hurried through the snow. " Sss'hib what happened?" he yelled over the snow as he dropped to the ground opened his medical bag and got to work.

"I... I don't know, she's not breathing..." S'hib muttered, sounding utterly defeated.

Neri was helping S'hib and Jason stem the bleeding with the doctor and medics arrived. She drew back and stood. Then she looked at Jason. "Eric" she stated. The ice in the Andorian's voice. "If he had anything to do with this, I will feed him to Andorian Ice Borers, Naked"

Jason got to his feet, his hands bloody as he, Neri and S'hib struggled to stop the blood loss. "If Eric or Anish had anything to do with this, I'll help you, Neri. I promise you that." His voice as cold as the ice that surrounded them.

S'hib watched in horror as Miraj lay there lifelessly, hyposprays and other equipment being pressed to her deathly pale skin as everything came back into focus.

He didn't want to be here anymore, he didn't want to see her like this or hear Sthilg say she was gone.

So he stood and stumbled past Neri and Jason, a tepid cry creeping out with every breath as his eyes streamed.

Then he felt something brush his hoof, the gift he dropped earlier... he'd almost forgotten it even existed at that very moment, but there it was.

He stared at it for a moment, watching the Dilithium blank slowly rolling before the chain that was attached stopped its momentum.

I still can't find a pulse!

His ears twitched back, he'd barely had time to process what was said let alone who had said it before crying out, his chest burned, like being shot... no, worse.

Imik now moved towards S'hib, "Commander! Face what is before you, look upon the crime which has been committed here! If you truly feel for this individual, then find the person or persons responsible!" She hoped by shocking S'hib, he would regain his composure. And then move forward and find the criminal who presented this sad picture before them.

Sthilg was working like a gorn processed as he did everything he could. Standard methods of drugs, cpr and shock pads weren't working here. Either it was the cold or... No, don't even think that he thought as he started rummaging in his medkit " Everyone I need all of you to do exactly asss i sssay. " He yelled loud enough to be heard. "Sssomone get back to medical and fill up something with warm water large enough for usss to put her in. The ressst of you bring me sssomething to keep the ssssnow of..." He said picking up a scapple from his medical kit and pulling off the wrapper. " I'm going to have to masssssage her heart manually to get it pumping again. "

"Doctor, within my fighter, is a survival tent. Would that do to keep the snow from covering the Ensign?" The Ojnas woman refused to believe another crew member had done this, Durani was an innocent, if she found the perpetrator before those tasked. She would make that person beg to die, by Mother Creation she swore it.

"Do it." The gorn yelled as he began to cut away her tattered uniform. " Sss'hib i'll need your help with thisss." He hissed at the Lieutenant Commander before standing up reaching over and slapping the Sequus across the face when he noticed the dazed look on his face. " Head out your asssss sssoilder i need you now or ssshe'sss going to die." He yelled with the fury of a KDF drill officer.

In a swift movement, the Ojnas had reached her fighter and found the tent. Returning to the CMO she began to rig the tent to shield both Durani and Sthilg, "Commander!! Help me if you please, your stature will be of use in securing this tent on top of the shuttles." Imik wanted to get S'hib moving, engaged with reality. But for some reason he seemed lost, was Durani that important to him??

S'hib blinked, confused at first as though he was unsure of his surroundings. "Right..." He nodded, continuing to blink reality back into focus before grasping at the tent, his shaking hands trying desperately to unfold it before casting one side of the vast sheet of material over the top of the Queen Anne.

Heavy insulated plastic slapped against her dark hull with a cold thud, unravelling to drape loosely over the cockpit.

"Imik... uh, hold on to this corner and throw the other one over the wing," He said as he ducked under the fabric and moved to help Sthilg "If the wind picks up you'll be the only thing keeping it put." S'hib added, turning back to look at Imik, a quick glance of acknowledgement before turning and moving under the Queen Anne

Neri set about helping Imik and S'hib without a another word. She looked at Jason as she did so. This was not good. If they lost Miraj...

Sthilg had returned to his grizzly task a torch held in his mouth for light. Slowly he made as neat an incision as he could feeling relief at the sight of steam arising from the wound. Her core hadn't lost it's heat. To get his hand into her heart he had to break another of her ribs, but with so mnay broken it wasn't going to make much difference. With a gentleness, none would think possible from his kind he wrapped his hand around her delicate heart and began rubbing slowly just as he'd had to do many times during his carrier. " I need one of the patchesss from my kit." he said as best he could doing his best to keep the torch steady. " The orange one there in a pack six around the size of cargo marker." He added

"I'll get them Doc." Jason said as he rummaged through the CMO's kit to find the patches he needed. After a frantic search he found the patches and handed one to the CMO, "Here you go Doc." Jason said as he looked down at Miraj, lying so deathly still.

Sthilg took the patch in his free hand and used his teeth to tear it open. Pressing the small patch on his finger he carefully slid it in and pressed it against her heart he was still massaging. Offering a prayer to the all-mother he pulled away as it activated. With a slight pause a bump from her heart filled his eyes as it started pumping on it's own.

Not waiting he got to work opening his bag as he began the long process of patching her up so she could be moved carefully using gell, foam and the regenerator to seal the open wounds. " Have sssomeone gone to get the ssstrecher?" he hissed through his torch held teeth.

Imik turned towards the exit, "I will go and inquire as to where the stretcher is Doctor." She now moved slowly as her psychic ability suddenly raised its self to high alert, danger had returned. She stopped and looked at all the faces, where was the threat coming from?

For a moment the sensation lingered. and then faded, withdrawing. It left behind an echo of concern, of being catalogued, evaluated, and then filed away for later. The touch was cold, but like a crust, covering over a boiling rage.

The criminal was here, and he was aware of Imik's ability to find him. Did that mean she was now in danger herself? Doubtful, as an Ojnas had psychic protection against such attacks. Imik would feel and sense the approach long before he arrived, but what if he could shield his thoughts? Again doubtful, she had not met any Humanoid which could fully hid such thoughts as these. Even Vulcans would let slip these thoughts, because such thoughts came from a troubled mind.

And then the sense was gone, closed up and hidden away.

Sthilg nodded as he carried on trying to get the mess of broken bones and flesh into a stable enough condition to move. Whoever had done this to his friend was going to pay.

With the heart beating, even artificially, blood was starting to flow, though it was thick and sluggish, a trickle from her nose and mouth and ears the most obvious.

Neri meanwhile was contacting the command team and letting them know what had happened.

"I promise you Doc, whatever happens..." S'hib muttered as he pulled the length of braids wrapped around her leg tighter. "I'll find who did this..."

There was a viciousness to his last words, a tone nobody had heard before aside from Commodore Lalor at the tortous hands of his Mirror counterpart.

Then his attention shifted, hearing the running of footsteps behind as the stretcher came into view. "I will find them..." He repeated, standing up and moving aside.

Sthilg smiled to himself as the team with the hover stretcher arrived. Picking up Miraj body he gently laid it down and immediately started connecting her to the stretcher's life support functions. Hopefully, it's attempts at resetting the brain would work. What he'd give to be back on the ships medbay with all of it's functions.

Imik had moved to the door of the bay, she wanted to check everyone in the shuttle bay. But it would appear the attacker had regained his composure and now could shield his thoughts, but this action proved he wouldn't be able to keep that anger at bay for very long.