Flight of the Saviours
Posted on Fri Jul 25th, 2025 @ 12:48pm by Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant JG Micheal Stevens & Lieutenant JG Thalek zh’Vareth & Ensign Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia'anKahr & Commander Jennifer Baldric & Lieutenant Commander Rynn Upland & Lieutenant Sarah Wilson
2,807 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Masimal
Location: Over Masimal
Timeline: Current
Jenna stood at the edge of the bay, a force field the only thing separating her from the sky outside the Sunfire. They were above the clouds but below the horizon line, splitting like a line in the sky. Above, the cold, peaceful, vastness of space. Below, gray cumulonimbus clouds billowed with occasional streaks of purple and white lightning. The storms had picked up their roll across the depth of the field.
Nodding her head, she turned and tapped her badge, "Ramthorne to all teams, Mount up, it's time to move out. Flight Captain's relay, let's move." She closed the channel and called over to Bonnie, "It's time to go!"
Bonnie caught the sound, nodded despite the twist in her gut, then replied to those around her, "Alright, people, the green light is go! Let's move, move, move!" She clapped her hands and began climbing into the tower, where she would monitor the flight paths and antidote distribution as it progressed. This would be all for naught if it didn't go to plan. "Bridge, you may fire the probes when ready."
At the order, Baldric returned to her shuttle, her team scattered amongst the other shuttles and pods, the Sunfire was scrambling to utilize to achieve the almost impossible.
Bridge
On the bridge, the Captain's expression changed to one of determination. Within the next hour, they would save this population from extinction, a mighty spatial fist playing in the fabric of other cultures. There would no doubt be questions asked at a higher level, but she was determined that this pathogen had been introduced into the planet's atmosphere to eliminate the people, leaving the vast mineral deposits open for exploitation.
With the majority of the bridge crew busy with last-minute preparation, the Captain moved to the rear of the bridge and fired the probes herself. "Probes away," she advised as dozens of tiny objects streamed towards the brewing storm clouds.
Savar kept the Sunfire in the upper atmosphere of the planet and awaited any further orders from Rhenora about positioning of the Sunfire as for now they were just maintaining their position.
Control Tower
Inside the control tower, Bonnie had arranged her consoles in an organized manner, giving priority to the different flight teams designating them Alpha, Beta, Delta, Echo and Gamma. Each group consisted of approximately 10 ships each, arranged in a V formation. The Captain's flew the lead ship, followed by the shuttles and then the support craft. From here she would monitor the dispersal grid and the flight groups' progress. She had help monitoring the storm and a direct relay to the bridge.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, we are go for launch. Alpha team, you're up first. Good luck and remember to stay just above the storms, but not so far the gas crystalizes. I've got eyes on you, and as soon as you dump your first load, make sure to swing back around for a refill." Her voice chipper, optimistic, she was confident in this plan.
Shuttle
Michael sat in the shuttle as it descended towards the planet. he started to wonder what they were going to find here, but he had made it clear to the commander that she was his number one priority and did not care if she outranked him, but getting her back to the ship alive meant stepping on her toes.
"Thanks Bonnie. Alpha Team, heading out." Jenna lifted her runabout off the flight deck and watch as nine other ships did the same. Synchrony, like clockwork, They moved out of the shuttlebay one after another, after another. Once well beyond the Sunfire they regrouped and moved towards the contact point.
Control Tower
"Beta team move into position." Bonnie directed.
Baldric and her team changed trajectory and headed slightly west of Alpha's location as per the grid, taking a few moments to achieve formation before signalling they were ready. "Control, storm intensity is picking up rapidly,we're hitting some pretty rough turbulence" Jennifer announced, fighting with the controls as the shuttle bounced around with the up draughts and microbursts. Whoever said this wasn't going to be easy wasn't kiding. "Hold on" she called to Michael in the co-pilots position.
Probe and Photon Torpedo control and monitor station
Once all the probes had been changed over to be delivery packages Kitiuas had moved to the control room for the probes. The stations here were tertiary systems for monitoring the probes or launching the photon torpedoes. She quickly began setting the system to track the dispersal and data from the probes as they released their payloads. The results looked promising. The antidote was quickly being dispersed into the jet stream and gradually spreading.
Ronson hovered nearby without being intrusive. "The Captain wants an update as to if the jet streams are still dispersing where we need them to." He offered gently, not wanting to interrupt Kit's thinking but also wanting to get the answers for the Captain.
Kitiuas pheromones were wafting freely now, filling the room with the pleasant scent of cinnamon, roses, and vanilla with the occasional lilac. She bit her lower lip to stop a snarky comment to Ronson, she knew that everyone was exhausted and anxious about helping with the cure.
Gisjacheh, couldn't this j'hordak to the captain understand that the probe instrumentation swap out greatly reduced her ability to interpret how well the antidote was spreading. she thought.
Kit took a deep breath. Ronson was not a j'hordak but a very valuable crewmember who put his life and skills on the line regularly for the ship. Sighing Kit went to the ships sensors to confirm what the data was showing.
"Well as of now, the data is showing the dispersal rate from the probes as being within the margin of error for dispersal. The spread from the shuttles, runabouts, and worker bees are slightly below the margin of error. The storm's are changing their pattern and increasing. Pilots need to increase a wider load out spray to confiscate for the dispersal. One caveat by increasing load spray out it will reduce flight control." replied Kitiuas said in response to Ronson. She trusted he would relay the information and went back to fine tuning the sensor data. What Gisjacheh idiot had been playing with her sensors during her absence.
"Thank you Kit" Ronson smiled warmly and left for the bridge again to pass on the information whilst also relayingbit to Bonnie who was managing the flight plans for the airborne teams. "Hey Bon, Kit mentioned the storms are intensifying and we need to adjust the dispersal. It may also affect flight control" he relayed over the comm. Back on the bridge he updated the Captain and switched the main viewer to the sensor data Kit was using, overlaid with the flight paths of the shuttles.
Sickbay
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Thalek zh’Vareth, the young Andorian medical officer, stood hunched over the readout panel of the biobed containing Dr. Wilson, his antennae angled forward in concentration. The rhythmic beeping of vital monitors blended with the soft hum of atmospheric processors created a white-noise that, in any other situation, would generally be comforting constant. Thalek’s gloved fingers moved quickly across the control interface, pulling up cellular scans, neurotransmitter levels, and toxicology panels. His face remained impassive, but the slight narrowing of his green eyes and the subtle tension in his jaw betrayed the weight of concern pressing on him.
He adjusted a hypospray with practiced ease, carefully calibrating it with a cocktail of antipyretics and neural stabilizers. "You're not going to crash on my shift," he muttered under his breath, a rare leak of emotion in an otherwise rigid composure.
"zh’Vareth to Doctor Tarsis," he said, tapping his combadge as he straightened up. "Your assistance is needed in Sickbay. It's Doctor Wilson..."
Med Bay
Meanwhile, back in the medical lab, Tarsis released the quarantine field keeping Aurora and Dean captive. "You are both free to go. I'm sorry I need to tend to Dr Wilson, sickbay report her condition is worsening" he hurried off with an apologetic smile.
Shuttles
Back on the shuttles Baldric fought with the controls, struggling to keep the shuttle on course and with the correct amount of payload being deployed. They bounced around with the storms violent air currents, the ferocious winds threatening to toss them out of the sky. "Come on, just a little longer" she murmured as she watched the guages inside the cockpit flicker.
In the distance, the Sunfire hovered like a mother ship over the flock of shuttles, pods and probes. Following the specific course Bonnie had laid out for them, dispersing the antidote at the locations she had specified. It was a glorious puzzle with all pieces in motion, constant movement with determination and purpose.
"Baldric to Sunfire, we have severe turbulence, controls are sketchy" the voice of the ship's mission advisor and former CO announced, the stress evident in her voice.
A moment later the shuttle was thrown violently sideways as a microburst clipped their port engine. Baldric's head bounced off the console and for a moment, she was dazed as the shuttle span out of control.
Jenna had already finished her first run and was making her and her teams' run back to the Sunfire when she heard Baldric's voice over the comm. Upon looking out the viewer she spotted Baldric's shuttle violently jerk to the side and dip down into the storm's upper layers, a prime spot to be hit by electrical discharge.
She cued her mic, "Alpha team proceed to Mother as planned, I'm going to support Beta lead." She did not wait for acknowledgement, instead entering the controls and readjusting her angle, then punching the thrusters into full as her runabout turned and dived down at a steep angle.
"Commander Baldric I am moving to your location, are you able to recover or do you need a emergency transport?" There was a full breathe and no response so she called again. "Beta Captain, please respond."
The words were a blur to Baldric, who struggled to comprehend what was happening after hitting her head. Where was Stevens? She looked around for him.
"Jenna?" She slurred, somehow managing to get the words out.
She heard the response, faintly, like a distant background noise. Jenna quickly turned off excess systems and rerouted power into the engines which suddenly launched the craft forward faster. "Hold on Jen, I'm coming."
Probe and Photon Torpedo control and monitor station
Kit bit her lower lip, she began running some mathematical formulas. What she was about to propose was dangerous but the numbers ran correctly. Drop one massive ordnance air bomb one klick ahead of the storm and it would enervate the storm and allow for better dispersal of the antidote. The issue being that it was extremely dangerous, after all she was suggesting the detonation of 46 gigajoules of pure energy. She sighed and hit her commbadge, this decision was the captains decision to make, her duty was to provide the data to the situation.
=^=Ensign Kitiuas to Captain Rhenora, I am passing up some data for you to consider. Given the nature of what the data is about and my professional opinion. I believe this is a viable solution to the issue at hand, however, it can only be made by the senior commander.=^=
Kit then sent the data. She had to be formal in this matter considering the nature of her suggestion, the use of such a high explosive device was a diplomatic issue as well as a command decision. When reviewed and went to tribunal, it could become a nightmare; hence why she had run the numbers five times and had each recorded for prosperity.
Back on the bridge Rhenora took her eyes off the viewscreen and the myriad of shuttles as Kit sent the data through. "Thanks Kit, give me a minute to review" she replied before activating rhe small monitor on the armrest of the command chair. A few moments later she ascertained that Kit basically wanted to detonate a antidote bomb in front of the most severe storm. The only vessel with the capability to do such at short notice was the Sunfire. It was certainly possible, but it wasn't without risk.
"I take it you're sure about these numbers?" She activated the comm channel to Kit directly.
Kit replied back, =^=Ran them five times and recorded each run of the numbers. It is correct to within .97% for each run. It is a suggestion and a very viable one.=^=
Savar spoke up from the helm station. "Based on those figures it seems to be a logical course of action though it is not without a certain degree of risk to the ship."
"What do you need us to do Kit?" Kaylen asked as the Sunfire maintained her position near the storm.
Kit replied, "Permission to carry out the plan. I can have the technicians prepare the bomb, ten minutes and we should be good for launch."
"Permission granted, use whatever resources and crew you need to make sure it works' Captain Kaylen replied with determination.
Sickbay
Dr Tarsis strode into Sickbay, fatigue evident on his face but overwritten almost completely by concern.
"Damnit, I thought she was stable" he muttered as he looked at at the Andorian. "You must be the new doctor, Michael Tarsis" he wiped the muck off his hands and offered a quick handshake.
Accepting the proffered hand, the younger man responded with a twitch of his antennae, "Thalek, sir."
Thalek stepped aside as Doctor Tarsis approached the biobed, watching closely as the older physician scanned the latest vitals and reviewed his notes. He kept his hands behind his back, antennae angled slightly forward in a gesture of professional attentiveness.
"I used a combination of augmented and Betazoid white blood cells to fight the initial pathogen. It looked like it was working..." Tarsis's voice trailed off.
Aurora had followed on behind Tarsis, she wasn't leaving now if anything happened to Sarah she was going to be right there at her side. “I’m going to be right here” she moved around to the opposite side of Sarah, taking hold of Sarah’s hand. “She was there for me, now I’m here for her.”
Thalek kept his voice calm, clinical. “It may be responding to immunological pressure—changing its expression markers based on the host’s defenses. I’ve seen similar behavior in hybrid viral constructs, though only in simulation.”
“I’ve preloaded a secondary hypo,” he said quietly, holding it out for Tarsis. “Dosage calibrated to her baseline readings. But I...I don't know how effective it will be. The simulations were borderline to say the least.”
"Borderline? That's better than the hour I had to synthesize this from go to whoa" Tarsis quipped. She looked at the new doctor cautiously. "You sure about this?" He asked, concern coloring his voice.
Thalek hesitated for the briefest moment, antennae angling slightly back—a flicker of doubt, carefully contained. He didn’t know it would work. But hesitation wouldn’t help the patient.
“I’m not certain,” he admitted, his tone steady. “But based on the cellular response curve and her last immuno-panel, it’s has a chance to slow the progression. Even a temporary delay could buy us time to refine the treatment.”
He held the hypo out a little further, meeting Tarsis’s gaze without flinching. There was no arrogance in his posture—only quiet conviction, grounded in observation and calculation. “I’ll take responsibility for the outcome.”
“No! I will” Aurora gazed at both of them. “I’m the ranking Officer here, I order you to do whatever you have to do to save Sarah.”
Tarsis nodded, not willing to let his Boss die on his watch. The situation was delicate, the pathogen determined not to leave her body. Would like last ditch effort work? "Alright, let's do it, you administer and I'll monitor and support. Aurora, is her mind still alive in there?' He turned to the kind counsellor.
Aurora focused on Sarah giving Tarsis a nod. “She’s still there, weak but fighting. I could hold onto her telepathically but I daren’t risk it while she’s so weak, plus it would risk my life as well. You have enough to worry about without further problems, just give her the dose, we’ll have to hope it works.”
"As long as she's still in there that's good enough for me." Tarsis responded with a positive nod. He had feared that her brain may have been irreparably damaged by the pathogen invading her body. "Go ahead Doctor" he looked at the new CMO.
TBC
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