Ensign Ras El'Heem - It never goes according to plan

[Randal Shayne]

There's a lot of ways that an action-heavy scene can drown the reader in minutiae, and stifle their engagement, but Shawn paints a raw, rich and heroic picture that holds you for the duration. Awesome job from the Khitomer's resident Kressari! 
 

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((Cargo Bay A-24, Deck 8, Main Module, Deep Space 33))

 

Ras inhaled deeply as he gripped the two makeshift handles holding the Caitian in the canvas stretcher. He looked Jacin in the eyes and nodded as he squatted down and mentally readied himself for the trek they were about to make. Ras may be big, but the endurance and stamina required to lug a patient over long distances was not something he was sure he possessed. It was going to take a large amount of sheer willpower and as many breaks as he could squeeze out of the situation.

 

Hobart: Everybody ready?

 

Jacin / Matthews: Response

 

El’Heem: T'sh'nak'ri. God Willing.

 

It was as if they were in a vacuum. All the sounds of distant explosions and the rocking of the station were muffled. The only thing he could hear was his own breathing. Ras grunted and lifted in tandem with Lt. Jacin and they watched as Bobbart and Jonesy swept the hall outside the cargo bay. Commander Hobart followed behind and the silence continued. Everyone was deeply focused, and nothing was going to distract them from their goal. Both doctors began to move into place after the 3 had disappeared beyond the frame of the door, Matthews right behind them.

 

Hobart: ::whispered:: Three sections up, two sections inboard. And watch your corners.

 

Jacin / Matthews: Response

 

The hallway was littered with various debris and the lights flickered ominously. More often than not, they were bathed in darkness. Ras’s legs pumped and his breathing steadied and he found a rhythm in his march with the stretcher. They followed close behind their escort as the hallway curved to the right, no doubt mirroring the architecture of the outside wall of the station. Maybe the adrenaline dump he had received earlier was preventing another, but the calmness he felt was unfamiliar to him. It’s like his body knew he had a job to do, and anything less of accomplishing it was unacceptable. It didn’t even fight against him. His laser focus was uninterrupted by the sheer devastation they saw. What was once a bustling station of commerce and people milling about was now devoid of anything but the slow flashing red alert lights.

 

Determined to stay out of his own head, Ras watched the first officer like a hawk as they continued. Although they weren’t moving fast, it felt like an hour had passed since they exited Cargo Bay A24. In reality, by the time Bobbart stopped and gestured for the rest of them to do the same, only a few minutes had gone by.

 

Ras couldn’t see what lay around the curve, but Bobbart had clearly been alerted to something up ahead. He stilled his breathing and strained to listen for any clues. And then he heard it. Strange trilling and beeps of communication could be heard not too far ahead. The first officer turned to look back. Ras made eye contact and the finger to Hobart’s mouth indicated what he had predicted. There were Tholians ahead and they were still unaware of their presence. As that realization set in, he watched Bobbart disappear beyond the curve. They waited in silence. Listening to the terrifying noises that emanated from the same direction. Unsure how much time they had, Ras’s adjusted his grip on the stretcher. Wanting to resist the urge to set the woman down in case they needed to retreat hastily, he also knew he needed to conserve his energy. They gently lay the Caitian down and stood in a readied positions in case they needed to bolt.

 

Just as suddenly as she slunk off, Bobbart returned. A few meters back, Ras waited to hear what the situation ahead had in store for them.

 

Bobbart: Forty meters up, two Tholians. Armored.

 

Jones: Only two? You're sure?

 

Bobbart: ::shaking head:: T-intersection. Could be more, but that's all I saw.

 

Hobart: Grenades, then rush.

 

Jones: Don't see any other option, unless we turn back.

 

Jacin / Matthews: Response

 

Ras swallowed deeply as he heard what their escorts were discussing. He couldn’t make it all out, but he could make out enough.

 

Hobart: ::pointing to Jacin and El’Heem:: Stay with her, and stay hidden until it's clear. Matthews, leave the stretcher and whatever else you grabbed from the cargo bay. Weapons only.

 

The two would be alone. Unarmed. With an injured civilian. He trusted them to make it back, but he couldn’t hold down the fear that they would be completely defenseless if the worst occurred.

 

oO No, they’ll make it back. Oo

 

Jacin: Response

 

Ras placed his back against the wall and slid down next to the Caitian as he listened to the padding of their escort’s boots disappear. His chest throbbed where it had been burned earlier. Superficial sure but the pain grounded him in reality. His hand absentmindedly rubbed his raw skin. He looked at the Lt. who leaned on the wall facing the direction where the Tholians laid in wait.

 

The air hung thick with anticipation. Ras cradled his head as he tried to listen and piece together what was going on ahead. It was deadly silent for far too long.

 

oO I thought it was only 40 meters up. Oo

 

As he worried over the safety of the team, he heard a stirring beside him. He dropped his hands and looked over as the Caitian shifted on the ground.

 

oO Oh no, oh god no. Oo

 

She was waking up. Sometimes the pain was too much and could override the sedative momentarily. Ras pushed himself up into a squatting position, looming over the woman. Just as he saw her face scrunch in pain, he lunged to cover her mouth as he knew what was coming. It wasn’t quick enough. A high-pitched scream eked out for just a second before his hand reached her. It echoed and bounced through the halls around them. Ras looked up at Jacin who was staring right at him with an expression of dread. The sound of the Tholians patrolling ahead changed. He could tell they were now facing their direction. A shout from one of them signaled their approach. The damage had been done; the forward team’s element of surprise was compromised.

 

Bobbart: Throw it now!

 

Phaser fire erupted and lights flashed around the bend. Ras struggled to hold the Caitian down as they squirmed in pain. An explosion. Then more phaser fire.

 

El’Heem: :;Whispering urgently.:: Get another sedative!

 

Jacin: Response

 

He watched as the Lt. ran to the pile of supplies that were left behind by Ensign Matthews. He tried to focus on the sounds of the assault. The cry of Bobbart screaming in pain. Yelling in response from one of the others. Angry Tholian Gibberish. The tide of battle couldn’t be determined. Ras hoped against hope there was only a small detachment, and the 4 of them could handle themselves. Jacin returned to his side and frantically applied the hypo needle to the woman. He stared in her tear-kissed eyes as he watched her consciousness slip from her and return to a painless slumber. He slid his hand off her face slowly and breathed laboriously. He let his hands fall to his side as he crouched over her.

 

Then it went silent again. The phaser fire no longer illuminated up ahead. Ras raised his head looking into the darkness. The occasional red flash from the emergency lights barely illuminating everything in the area. The silence pushed Ras to the brink of panic. Then soft padding could be heard. It was a strange cadence though. Ras rose to his feet, ready for anything to come around that corner.

 

Jonesy: DOC! It’s her leg.

 

The marine came around the corner with Bobbart’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. She was limping and her leg was dripping blood. Bobbart groaned in pain with every step she took.

 

El’Heem: Give ‘er here.

 

Ras ran to them and took Bobbart from Jonesy. As he did, he looked over his shoulder back down the hallway. There was nobody else coming behind them. He braced her as she sat down next to the stretcher.

 

El’Heem: ::Panicked.:: Where’s Hobart and Matthews?

 

Jacin: Response

 

Bobbart: Th…they’re still down there.

 

El’Heem: Lieutenant. I gotta go see if they’re okay. Stay here, get a tourniquet on that leg.

 

With the marine in the hands of Lt. Jacin, Ras took off running into the darkness. His breathing was no longer steady. The only thing he could hear as he ran were his boots against the ground.

 

oO Where are you? Oo

 

Up ahead the hallway split into two ways, but it was hard to make out anything else. He slowed and approached the junction. The smell of charged plasma in the air. Ras stopped just short of being able to see down either direction.

 

El’Heem: Commander…? Matthews…?

 

Matthews / Hobart: Response

 

Tags/TBC

 

Ensign Ras El’Heem

Junior Medical Officer

USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)

K240106RE3

 

[Ras El Heem]

I just saw this. Thank you!