Shield Takedown Team

Posted on Fri Oct 6th, 2023 @ 12:27am by Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Lieutenant JG Ghemora

Mission: Repairs and Retribution
Location: Kunar Mining Camp
Timeline: Current

…By the time Bonnie caught up with the Intel Chief, the Cardassian was dragging the lone, unconscious guard back toward the checkpoint with her arms under the soldier's and a hypo clutched in her hand. Dumping the tranquilized soldier into the guard shack and closing the door behind her, Ghemora appraised the engineer a moment before stating, "I'm going for their comms and shields, Lieutenant," before turning to motion toward the array in the distance.

"Once disabled, Sunfire will be able to beam us all out once our people are located and secured. If you're going with me, activate your halo and follow my lead…or give me some space to clear the path," she said as her reptilian-like gaze turned back toward the intended direction of travel. With nothing more needed said, Ghemora pressed on towards the surface structure in the distance with her eyes up as she scanned for any further interrupters.

Realizing she hadn't activated the HALO device, Bonnie reached up and pressed the activator, receiving a bit of static discharge in the process. Pulling her fingers back and wincing, she could see the holo of a Cardassian figure appear slightly in front of her face and all around her. What she couldn't see was that it was a male Cardassian. "I've read about this tech. Still experimental right?" She asked even though she knew Ghemora probably wasn't paying attention to her.

She did as she was strongly suggested and kept low and out of the way. Something she was used to. Favorite childhood hiding place, under the table, hidden from the world around. She scanned ahead, "A left, then straight 2 clicks, then a right should dump us out near the communications center." She said knowing Ghemora probably already knew the way. Intel people had all the cool tech. As Ghemora moved, Bonnie followed close behind, her small feminine physique easily hidden in the dark, though the male Cardassian holo bust was a bit odd.

"Somewhat," Ghemora answered before glancing back and giving Bonnie a curious look before turning her gaze back forward with a slight shake of her head. Knowing it was more important to press on instead of concern herself with it now, the Intel Chief muttered, "...Should've done a proper tutorial before we deployed," to herself. It left her wondering how many others would press the wrong button and end up not getting the most natural version of the holo-projection.

While moving swiftly, once they were within the compound, the Cardassian stopped concerning herself as much with keeping low. Thanks to their appearance and the uniforms, their appearance should go overlooked given the chaos currently taking place. Continuing to listen on her earpiece, Ghemora followed Bonnie's directions but whispered back, "Maccet has retreated to a shuttle. We should be clear to the communications center, but watch for stragglers." Continuing on, it wouldn't take the pair long to reach their intended destination if the situation continued as it sounded to be.

It was good news indeed. Placing herself in harm's way was not the choice she would normally make. "I'm certain you can handle any stragglers, right?" She was still slightly crouching moments after realizing Ghemora was no longer doing so, as a precaution. Since the Cardassians were still fighting one another she didn't want to be on the wrong end of a disruptor blast.

"Yes," Ghemora answered, swinging the rifle she was carrying around her body to ready it at her front, "Just don't try to look too suspicious or out of place. We're supposed to be here, remember? It's why everyone got the masking halos."

"We're almost there, another 50 yards or so, but we will have to cross an open area. I see, four, no five life signs in that area." Bonnie relayed. She was nervous and her voice showed it. She couldn't wait until they were inside the power center with the doors closed and imagined it to be a better place. The lights turned on again and stayed on a minute longer this time. "They must be trying to restore the power."

"We should hurry, then," she answered as she came up to the edge of the clearing to peer around the corner of a small rocky outcropping. Pulling out her own tricorder for a moment, Ghemora scanned to pick up the same grouping of life signs before tucking it away to peek out and get a bearing on where they were all located. The group seemed to be four of the revolting guards standing around a loyalist that they were taking enjoyment out of kicking while he was down.

Letting out a hummed huff of displeasure at the sight as she pondered, the Cardassian pulled a small stun grenade from one of her pockets, causing it to flare up with blue light as she activated it. Testing the weight in her hand, she leaned out just far enough to toss it, causing it to thump into a roll that stopped less than a meter from the group of guards. Pulling back behind the outcropping, she pressed her back to the stone and locked eyes with Bonnie as she waited.

The murmur of confused mutterings could be heard before the familiar sound of the electronic grenade going off ceased the mutterings with a group of simultaneous thumps. Eyes still on Bonnie, Ghemora frowned at her and said, "You should've pressed the other button; the one I showed you all." Rolling her eyes as she turned to peek back out and take an accounting of her work, the Cardassian whispered, "Let's go," as she pushed out and started to almost run across the clearing.

The four guards had all fallen under the effects of the unusual-looking stun grenade. Their unconscious bodies had collapsed to the ground, with one landing on top of the loyalist they had beaten to a blood pulp.

Weaving over the sweep up the casing of the stun grenade so as not to leave any evidence, Ghemora pushed on to the other end of the open area, but stopped once back in the shadows to wave Bonnie on to follow and ask once she'd arrived, "It's this right, right?" pointing down a path that looked like it should lead to the small comms tower just peeking over the terrain in the near distance.

"Yes, that's the correct right," Bonnie said as she walked up behind Ghemora, carefully stepping over and around the stunned Cardassians. She stopped and reached up to the halo, "Sorry, I was distracted and you went kind of fast. There's another button?" She asked even as her hand found it and activated it. The halo switched holograms to now show a blue Bolian. "This better?"

Making the turn, Ghemora stopped at Bonnie's word, taking cover but glancing back just in time to see her switch her appearance. A shocked, "How?!" escaped her before she shook away the surprise and reached toward the woman's head to hit the correct button on the halo.

After a glimmer, the holo-projected disguise had been set properly to one of Bonnie's natural features if she had been born a Cardassian. "Better," Ghemora stated then turned back forward towards their intended destination.

"Thanks," Bonnie said, unaware that she had done anything wrong. She then refocused, "Just ahead. There's one guard and maybe a technician inside. Should be easy, yes? Yes." She commented in answer to her own question. So far she thought they were getting along pretty well though the Cardassian woman was difficult to read.

While she had always found it difficult to meet new people, she recalled warming up to Dean almost right away. And Remal, he was there from the start to offer her kind words of encouragement. Ghemora was different and Bonnie felt the need to give an internal acknowledgement of that fact. For this mission, they were coworkers and nothing more and that would have to be enough.

TBC