Stardate: 61104:0155
Title: An Escape
Author: Ensign Yonatan Levi, Flight Operations officer
Time: During "Intruder Alert"
Scene: Main Shuttle Bay


The lower hangar deck of the shuttle bay, where maintenance was conducted was busy like a beehive. Loud noises of machinery cutting through two of the type IX shuttles filled the compartment with uneasy sounds. The deck hands were right there, busy with replacing one of the shuttle's warp nacelles when Chief Ro'sat barged in and started screaming, as usual.

"Junior! Get your men out of there and start working on the other shuttle over there! No! No! No Helix, leave that alone. Do the wiring later! No, it doesn't go there, it goes here! No, I don't want to replug the phaser array. I just want you to install the new fuelling pump! Is it that too hard to do?"

It was amazing how much noise a group of ten people made. Yoni stepped onto the deck accompanied by his quartermaster, Petty officer Nightwalker. The two started to go in circles in the service bay, ignoring the loud noise around them. Nightwalker was holding the new inventory list. The quartermaster and Ops officer went through it with a sigh of dissatisfaction. They didn't get all they asked for, including new type of sensor arrays and communication transmitters for the shuttle, with the normal excuse given. Meaning 'Out of stock'. It was supposed to arrive in the next shipment, which was, how surprising, in three months. A large crashing sound drew their attention when one of the mechanics disassembled the warp nacelles from one of the shuttles and it fell on the ground since there was nothing to support it.

"I told you to use the high lift when you're taking it off, didn't I?" barked Ro'sat.

Indeed, Yoni felt like home. The red alert klaxon caught them all by surprise. While they were confused for why and how they were called to action stations, a message came through the ship-wide grid, warning about intruder alert. Yoni looked around him. One of the shuttles was half disassembled, while the other was missing only a few parts. He didn't loose his mind over that. The shuttle was supposed to be ready for lunch in case of a red alert.

"Chief, get the other shuttle up to the flight deck, make sure it's ready and fuelled," Yoni screamed.

"Yes sir!" snapped Ro'sat.

Barking again, "Junior get your detail up there with number 3 and make it ready over there. Use the extend fuelling line to refuel the shuttle on the landing floor!"

"Aye-aye chief," the young technician replied signalling the two other deck hands to come quickly with him, bringing the missing parts with them on the hover-sled. Meanwhile Ro'sat was leaning against the main console of the bay, and quickly shuttle number 3 started to make her way up to the flight deck above the heavy service elevator, accompanied by a loud sound and its own red klaxon. Yoni then tapped on his comm-badge.

"Levi to Flight Control."

A voice came through his badge one that was belonged to McNelly, his air boss, who was conducting drill at these moments to his men in the flight control room.

[Go ahead.]

The sound of his voice made Yoni comfortable, reducing the unease he had just felt. It was the first time they have sounded the red alert, and never before he managed to have a decent practice with the whole department. It was the first time they had all participated in this drill they were trained for each one separately, but never as a whole buddy. Knowing his NCO's were there, the ones who have done many times during war and they were there to back him up, made him feel a little more comfortable. No matter what was the reason for sounding the alert during space docking, they will help through his very first time. Make ready to scramble.

"Last Dance, is first, then number 3 and number 5," Yoni ordered.

[Aye mate. No problem!]

The young ensign then glanced toward the young quartermaster that was still beside him, "Nightwalker, take another detail, rush to the Aeroshuttle bay, make sure the 'Last Dance' is indeed ready for launch!"

"Sure thing boss," Nightwalker said shortly and nodded toward Ro'sat. The chief who heard Yoni and that was surprised he having the young quartermaster do something that was not part of his usual job, nodded back and turned to Aeroshuttle detail.

"Helix, go with the Petty officer, do whatever he tells you."

"Aye Chief," the party responded, leaving the service bay lead by Nightwalker.

"Chief, number 5..." Yoni said.

"Right on it!" said Ro'sat and signalled the last detail in the bay to follow him upstairs, to make ready on shuttle number 5. Shuttle number 1, which was still lying on the hanger deck, would not be participating in the action today.

Then his little friend inside his head came to life again, *They are coming this way.*

*Who is? What's going on* He cooperated with the little voice and returned a thought.

*Get the men out of there...*

*What...*

A blasting sound filled the compartment, and it seemed that it came from directly above them, from the launching floor. Before he could understand anything else, phaser firing replaced the ring in his ears. Even through the heavy ceiling Yoni could hear Ro'sat and his men screaming.

The poor bastards were unarmed! Maybe they were taking cover maybe they were trying to return a fight... that Yoni didn't know. So he did the only thing he could think of that moment. He jumped quickly toward the weapons locker, grabbed a hand phaser and rushed upstairs. He hoped he wasn't too late. When he got there he discovered a horrifying sight. Half a dozen men were laid on the floor or against the bulkhead in an unnatural positions, the smell of burnt flesh and of firing gases filled the air and hit marks decorated the rest of the bay. The number 3 shuttle was rising from the floor and starting to accelerate toward the launching doors which were of course sealed. Fractions of thought came to Yoni at that moment, trying to decide if to go and check on his men or trying to stop that shuttle.

*Your ship is very angry... she won't let them out* shouted his friend in his head.

He would really need to see this new counsellor pretty soon if he and this voice in his mind want to live in peace together. Yoni raised his hand to fire his phaser, but then the pilot in the shuttle was quicker then him and fired the shuttle's phasers toward the launching door. It exploded with large noise from the hit and the blast threw Yoni backwards, sending him directly toward the bulkhead. He landed on his back and lost consciousness for a second or two. Quickly, the shuttle made its way out. Yoni raised his hand quickly and fired a shot. But it was too late the shuttle disappeared in the darkness of space. While Yoni and a few other men started to get up on their feet, attending to their friends to check on their condition, Commander Winters stormed through the doors with a security detail.

"Where are they?" she asked, "Did they take the device?"


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Ensign Yonatan Levi
Flight Ops Officer
USS Relentless
NCC 11966
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