S4: E13 - Justice Be Done

[Derek Rodwell]

[Engineering]

Derek was grinning from ear to ear. He was super excited to know that the transporter enhancer idea had worked. He sent out a silent thanks to Odo. Now it was up to Sickbay to disarm the bombs. During all the hoopla, he had seen a new Ensign come in and attempt to report to Lieutenant Tharn but the young man was quickly dismissed. Derek tried to recall his name. Fitz? Fritz? He made a mental note to find out and track him down. He wanted to assure him that things weren't always like that. Tharn had just been crazy busy in trying to assist in getting their crew mates back safely.

[Vasilisa Belmont]

[U.S.S. Tigris, Command Compartment]

"Of course it will work, Lieutenant," Rhymus said as he finished sending his message. "Starfleet is nothing if not sharp-witted and perceptive. Even if they can not initially understand us, the patterns will be clear. They will find a way to understand."

Rhymus wasn't sure he believed what he was saying. But part of his duties meant keeping the peace. And panicking was the last thing they needed right now.

"Lieutenant Belmont, it might be worthwhile to take a tricorder to these implants we have. Perhaps we can remove them with the tools we have available here, and if not, we can provide more information for your medical staff aboard Challenger. That Johnson character might say they are biodegradable. But I will be long cold in the ground before I trust a blackguard such as him. I would rather it removed quickly."

[USS Tigris, Command Compartment]

Lisa looked over at Rhymus as he picked up on her pessimism and promptly responded by nipping it in the bud. She didn't know where her usual "glass half full" attitude had gone, but in the face of confidence she strove to improve.

"You're absolutely right, Rhymus. Someone will know..." She herself was somewhat of a history buff, but not the kind that aided in their situation. Stumped again, the doctor waited as the Morse code messages transpired and until Rhymus spoke up again and there was finally a way for her to prove herself useful. She nodded eagerly and reached for her belt, but remembered that she had no equipment with her. Duh, she was a prisoner. The uncomfortable presence near her ear was a sharp reminder of this. Her face fell.

"Well, if we get back quickly enough it'll be up to someone else to do that part. I've trained them well, now we just have to pray they can find a solution fast enough."

Rhymus nodded to himself, giving Lieutenant Belmont a lopsided smile before turning from the chair to the replicators. Such a nonessential system wouldn't have been tampered with by the Romulans, and fortunately for the shuttle crew, Pattern Enhancers were a standard piece of equipment an away team might need.

Over the next few minutes, Rhymus began replicating the necessary components for the pattern enhancers, then locking them together and placing them in an open space amidships.

"Lieutenants!" He called out as he placed the last Pattern Enhancer and activated it. "Are we ready to leave this shuttle?"

Luckily for them, progress continued as her colleagues communicated with Challenger and Lisa held her breath in anticipation. This was going to be an intense few minutes, and the concept of having to leave the situation in the hands of others was not sitting well with her. All she could think was, Please let me save them," as she stole glances at the three officers next to her. Really, she should have been praying for herself. Her mind refused to go there. When they had at last reached the point of escape, Lisa couldn't get herself to utter the words, so she closed her eyes and gave a single nod as the transporter beams enveloped her.

As soon as Ian read out the 'Tally ho' response, he began issuing orders.

"Transporter rooms one through four. I want each of you ta lock onto a single target, initiate beam out. Each of you, hold them in transit for as long as you can before beamin' them ta sickbay."

"T'Kel, fire the EMP pulse!"

"Chloe initiate tractor!

"Shazham, drop us out of warp!"

The pattern enhancers worked perfectly and the four aboard the Tigris began to dematerialize. As soon as they were safely captured by the annular confinement beams, the EMP pulse slammed into the runabout and instantly, every major, and minor, system on the Tigris began to spark and go silent. The tractor beam snared the disabled ship and the two vessels dropped to sublight speed.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

The maximum time a pattern could be held safely in a transporter pattern buffer varied wildly based on the model of transporter, computer capacity, and skill of the operator. On the Challenger, this worked out to between 21 and 29 seconds from the four transporter rooms. Thus, within an eight second window, the four captives materialized on different biobeds. In order, Litt, Cleroux, Jyur, and Belmont appeared, fully conscious and fully aware of the implant in their heads each saying the same thing.

"Escape attempt, termination sequence initiated. Ten, nine, eight...."

[USS Tigris -> USS Challenger - Sickbay]

Jettis could almost feel himself dematerializing, after Rhymus gave the A-Okay to beam them out. Though there was no way for him to be aware of it, they were held in a stasis like state as the Bridge executed the next phase of their plan. And at last, Jettis, as well as the other three materializing arrived in sickbay. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, as for a brief moment, everything seemed fine. No voices in his head, no threat of death, no high treason to the Starfleet government.

And then it began.

Those tiny words that crushed his entire world. Before he even let it get to the timer, he blurted out to the nearest medical staff. "The countdown - the bomb, it.." he trailed off, not properly forming a sentence. Hopefully at least one person was smart enough to decode his meaning, as he raised his hand to touch behind his ear.

Was this it? Jettis had kind of expected to be killed on the job, that was typical for a starfleet officer. Living to retire peacefully at an old age was something only an elite few received. But like this? He choked back tears as his mind strayed to Theresa, and how she wasn't here. Not that he would want her to be - she should never have to see that. But the fact he might never see her again felt like a knife to the stomach. All the times he'd promised to protect her, he forgot to protect himself as well.

He watched as nurses and doctors in the medbay whizzed around, trying to disarm the implant. Everything seemed slower than normal, like time was warped. Taking a deep breath, he shot up a quick prayer and goodbye, as things turned back to normal and the medical officers enacted whatever plan they had in store.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

They made it, and the whirlwind force of urgency took over. Lisa had no idea what instructions her crewmates were giving, but anything would likely be helpful. She didn't even know who was with her, her eyes registering only shadows as her focus was on the blaring voice of impending doom in her head. Blinking, she pressed a hand to her ear and shouted out, "I need a tricorder on these implants stat, they need to be removed safely and quickly." Then she sat stock still as the numbers plummeted, waiting for the results but knowing she was powerless to do anything with them. As the next second passed, her ears not even registering the sounds of success or failure in the cases of the men around her, she looked at the face nearest to her and whispered, "Do whatever it takes to save them." 

[Lagar]

[Sickbay "" Primary Care Unit "" USS Challenger]
Lenny sat down and tried to stay still as the doctor began the checkup. He heard the doctor say something but it took a few seconds for him to realize that he was being asked a question.
"Uh... Yeah Doc. I haven't slept more than a few hours since I left the academy. I guess I haven't had much of an opportunity to and I figured..."
Lenny's voice trailed off. He just noticed that the medical staff in the room seemed to be edgy, as if waiting for something. He noticed, in a room nearby, that a gathering of people seemed to be listening to who Lenny assumed to be the senior officer in the room. He couldn't make out the words, but he could see that whatever was said moved the medical team. Some of them even looked like they were crying. Lenny didn't know what was going on, but he immediately perked up. Something wasn't normal. He began to rise from the bed on which he was sitting when he heard someone yelling. He turned and saw four new people in the sick bay.

NPC Petty Officer 3 T'varn
[Sickbay "" Primary Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

T'varn was moving the Ensign throught he hallway just outside the Intensive Care Unit as the four rescuers were beamed in, their particles assembling on four biobeds as the physicians began their work. "Ensign?" The Vulcan said to him, and she was about to repeat herself when she saw the four return. Her narrow shoulders seemed to relax only slightly at the sight of them, as she knew that their danger wasn't quite yet passed. She fell silent, watching along with Ensign Fritz as the work began. There were plenty of hands, and tentacles, in the Intensive Care Unit, and T'varn wasn't needed, but like Lenny, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the life-saving work.

[USS Tigris -> USS Challenger - Sickbay]

Jettis could almost feel himself dematerializing, after Rhymus gave the A-Okay to beam them out. Though there was no way for him to be aware of it, they were held in a stasis like state as the Bridge executed the next phase of their plan. And at last, Jettis, as well as the other three materializing arrived in sickbay. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, as for a brief moment, everything seemed fine. No voices in his head, no threat of death, no high treason to the Starfleet government.

And then it began.

Those tiny words that crushed his entire world. Before he even let it get to the timer, he blurted out to the nearest medical staff. "The countdown - the bomb, it.." he trailed off, not properly forming a sentence. Hopefully at least one person was smart enough to decode his meaning, as he raised his hand to touch behind his ear.

Was this it? Jettis had kind of expected to be killed on the job, that was typical for a starfleet officer. Living to retire peacefully at an old age was something only an elite few received. But like this? He choked back tears as his mind strayed to Theresa, and how she wasn't here. Not that he would want her to be - she should never have to see that. But the fact he might never see her again felt like a knife to the stomach. All the times he'd promised to protect her, he forgot to protect himself as well.

He watched as nurses and doctors in the medbay whizzed around, trying to disarm the implant. Everything seemed slower than normal, like time was warped. Taking a deep breath, he shot up a quick prayer and goodbye, as things turned back to normal and the medical officers enacted whatever plan they had in store.

NPC Ensign Nathaniel Rashar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Ensign Rashar's bed was suddenly occupied by the materializing Lieutenant Jyur, a tall man who Rashar knew through reputation, and the occasional brief chats in hallways. It hadn't been long ago that Jyur had been wounded in an attack by a wild crowd of Orion civilians; despite their attempts to help the locals recover from an accident, rocks and fists had battered the Starfleet away team in a harrowing, high-stress event. It had been Lieutenant Jyur's swift thinking, and a deafening blast from a phaser, that had allowed for a life-saving escape. The treatments in the aftermath had been nothing compared to what surely would have been far more serious injuries, even deaths...

The Betazoid heard Jyur's halting statement, a countdown, a bomb"¦ Rashar's eyes were on the scanners attached to the biobed, but the readings were not immediately clear. There were signs of an invasive technology, but some other sort of substance at the site was making it difficult for the scanners to get a clear picture. Rashar, well-trained, called out what he saw to his colleagues.

"Seeing something, tucked against the mastoid process." he said, fingers gently reaching for the spot on Jettis' neck. "Feeling a lump, embedded under the outer dermal layers, might have to dig through ligament!"

[USS Tigris, Command Compartment]

Lisa looked over at Rhymus as he picked up on her pessimism and promptly responded by nipping it in the bud. She didn't know where her usual "glass half full" attitude had gone, but in the face of confidence she strove to improve.

"You're absolutely right, Rhymus. Someone will know..." She herself was somewhat of a history buff, but not the kind that aided in their situation. Stumped again, the doctor waited as the Morse code messages transpired and until Rhymus spoke up again and there was finally a way for her to prove herself useful. She nodded eagerly and reached for her belt, but remembered that she had no equipment with her. Duh, she was a prisoner. The uncomfortable presence near her ear was a sharp reminder of this. Her face fell.

"Well, if we get back quickly enough it'll be up to someone else to do that part. I've trained them well, now we just have to pray they can find a solution fast enough."

Luckily for them, progress continued as her colleagues communicated with Challenger and Lisa held her breath in anticipation. This was going to be an intense few minutes, and the concept of having to leave the situation in the hands of others was not sitting well with her. All she could think was, Please let me save them," as she stole glances at the three officers next to her. Really, she should have been praying for herself. Her mind refused to go there. When they had at last reached the point of escape, Lisa couldn't get herself to utter the words, so she closed her eyes and gave a single nod as the transporter beams enveloped her.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

They made it, and the whirlwind force of urgency took over. Lisa had no idea what instructions her crewmates were giving, but anything would likely be helpful. She didn't even know who was with her, her eyes registering only shadows as her focus was on the blaring voice of impending doom in her head. Blinking, she pressed a hand to her ear and shouted out, "I need a tricorder on these implants stat, they need to be removed safely and quickly." Then she sat stock still as the numbers plummeted, waiting for the results but knowing she was powerless to do anything with them. As the next second passed, her ears not even registering the sounds of success or failure in the cases of the men around her, she looked at the face nearest to her and whispered, "Do whatever it takes to save them."

NPC Lieutenant Jessica Fellows
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

As Rashar gave his first callouts, Lieutenant Fellows felt a surge of excitement as it was her own dear Lisa who appeared on her biobed. She listened carefully as Lieutenant Belmont gestured to her ear, identifying the invasive thing as an implant. As Lisa looked for the face nearest to her, she would see it was Jessica's, expression thrilled, but with a hint of grim determination.

"Heard you Rashar! Everyone, careful with your anesthesia injections." she called out to her team. "Inject a good distance from the site of the foreign object. It'll mean more pain, but"¦" She stopped there, pain was a tertiary concern now. "Moving you, Lisa!" she announced with urgency, and with a grunt, she turned Lisa over onto her side so that the lump was facing up and visible. "Turn your patients, focus the EMP devices, inject, open, and report what you see. If scanners aren't giving us much, we'll have to go naked-eye! Get a scalpel ready in your hand as soon as you can, we'll have seconds to excise!"

Not far from Lisa, Lieutenant Chloe Davies moved Richard Litt in the same manner, and a button-press on her biobed saw the localized pulse radiating into the flight officer's body, hopefully preventing the device from doing whatever wicked work it was meant to do. Ensign Rashar copied the motions, and not far from them...

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Chief Rhymus would find himself beamed onto a biobed. Above him, or more accurately, around was the looming form of a great, viridian thing standing at least six feet in height. A bristled, ovoid head, segmented in hexagonal shapes, two golden eyes on red eyestalks"¦ A mass of tentacles... no, tendrils? Lighter colored than the rest of it. Draped across what must be its torso was a Starfleet uniform, custom-made, the pips indicating the rank of Lieutenant junior grade at its neck. A computerized voice issued forth from a device attached to the creature's chest, the voice calm and even amidst the call-outs and commands from Lieutenant Fellows.

"Chief." the thing said, in apparent greeting. "I am going to move you now." With no further warning, the plant-like being's serpentine tendrils snaked under and around Chief Rhymus, their twinned ends seeking angles around his chest and hips to rotate him in place. It was an easy motion, as though it was practiced in shifting humanoid bodies in the ways it desired. "We'll have this thing out of you shortly, we just need to get a look at it first. Prepare for pain." The EMP fired up, as it did on the other biobeds, and a needle slid into the flesh of Rhymus' neck, then another at the same time, the multi-tentacled doctor managing both of his local anesthetic injections at once.

Following the injections was a cold pain, dulled by the anesthetic but still present. Chief Rhymus, as the others, would feel their layers of skin being opened; the doctors had to see what was buried beneath, as whatever material was there was confounding the few seconds the scanners had been operating"¦ What was under there?

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Tigris, Command Compartment]

Lisa looked over at Rhymus as he picked up on her pessimism and promptly responded by nipping it in the bud. She didn't know where her usual "glass half full" attitude had gone, but in the face of confidence she strove to improve.

"You're absolutely right, Rhymus. Someone will know..." She herself was somewhat of a history buff, but not the kind that aided in their situation. Stumped again, the doctor waited as the Morse code messages transpired and until Rhymus spoke up again and there was finally a way for her to prove herself useful. She nodded eagerly and reached for her belt, but remembered that she had no equipment with her. Duh, she was a prisoner. The uncomfortable presence near her ear was a sharp reminder of this. Her face fell.

"Well, if we get back quickly enough it'll be up to someone else to do that part. I've trained them well, now we just have to pray they can find a solution fast enough."

Luckily for them, progress continued as her colleagues communicated with Challenger and Lisa held her breath in anticipation. This was going to be an intense few minutes, and the concept of having to leave the situation in the hands of others was not sitting well with her. All she could think was, Please let me save them," as she stole glances at the three officers next to her. Really, she should have been praying for herself. Her mind refused to go there. When they had at last reached the point of escape, Lisa couldn't get herself to utter the words, so she closed her eyes and gave a single nod as the transporter beams enveloped her.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

They made it, and the whirlwind force of urgency took over. Lisa had no idea what instructions her crewmates were giving, but anything would likely be helpful. She didn't even know who was with her, her eyes registering only shadows as her focus was on the blaring voice of impending doom in her head. Blinking, she pressed a hand to her ear and shouted out, "I need a tricorder on these implants stat, they need to be removed safely and quickly." Then she sat stock still as the numbers plummeted, waiting for the results but knowing she was powerless to do anything with them. As the next second passed, her ears not even registering the sounds of success or failure in the cases of the men around her, she looked at the face nearest to her and whispered, "Do whatever it takes to save them."

NPC Petty Officer 3 T'varn
[Sickbay "" Primary Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

T'varn was moving the Ensign throught he hallway just outside the Intensive Care Unit as the four rescuers were beamed in, their particles assembling on four biobeds as the physicians began their work. "Ensign?" The Vulcan said to him, and she was about to repeat herself when she saw the four return. Her narrow shoulders seemed to relax only slightly at the sight of them, as she knew that their danger wasn't quite yet passed. She fell silent, watching along with Ensign Fritz as the work began. There were plenty of hands, and tentacles, in the Intensive Care Unit, and T'varn wasn't needed, but like Lenny, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the life-saving work.

NPC Ensign Nathaniel Rashar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Ensign Rashar's bed was suddenly occupied by the materializing Lieutenant Jyur, a tall man who Rashar knew through reputation, and the occasional brief chats in hallways. It hadn't been long ago that Jyur had been wounded in an attack by a wild crowd of Orion civilians; despite their attempts to help the locals recover from an accident, rocks and fists had battered the Starfleet away team in a harrowing, high-stress event. It had been Lieutenant Jyur's swift thinking, and a deafening blast from a phaser, that had allowed for a life-saving escape. The treatments in the aftermath had been nothing compared to what surely would have been far more serious injuries, even deaths...

The Betazoid heard Jyur's halting statement, a countdown, a bomb"¦ Rashar's eyes were on the scanners attached to the biobed, but the readings were not immediately clear. There were signs of an invasive technology, but some other sort of substance at the site was making it difficult for the scanners to get a clear picture. Rashar, well-trained, called out what he saw to his colleagues.

"Seeing something, tucked against the mastoid process." he said, fingers gently reaching for the spot on Jettis' neck. "Feeling a lump, embedded under the outer dermal layers, might have to dig through ligament!"

NPC Lieutenant Jessica Fellows
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

As Rashar gave his first callouts, Lieutenant Fellows felt a surge of excitement as it was her own dear Lisa who appeared on her biobed. She listened carefully as Lieutenant Belmont gestured to her ear, identifying the invasive thing as an implant. As Lisa looked for the face nearest to her, she would see it was Jessica's, expression thrilled, but with a hint of grim determination.

"Heard you Rashar! Everyone, careful with your anesthesia injections." she called out to her team. "Inject a good distance from the site of the foreign object. It'll mean more pain, but"¦" She stopped there, pain was a tertiary concern now. "Moving you, Lisa!" she announced with urgency, and with a grunt, she turned Lisa over onto her side so that the lump was facing up and visible. "Turn your patients, focus the EMP devices, inject, open, and report what you see. If scanners aren't giving us much, we'll have to go naked-eye! Get a scalpel ready in your hand as soon as you can, we'll have seconds to excise!"

Not far from Lisa, Lieutenant Chloe Davies moved Richard Litt in the same manner, and a button-press on her biobed saw the localized pulse radiating into the flight officer's body, hopefully preventing the device from doing whatever wicked work it was meant to do. Ensign Rashar copied the motions, and not far from them...

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Chief Rhymus would find himself beamed onto a biobed. Above him, or more accurately, around was the looming form of a great, viridian thing standing at least six feet in height. A bristled, ovoid head, segmented in hexagonal shapes, two golden eyes on red eyestalks"¦ A mass of tentacles... no, tendrils? Lighter colored than the rest of it. Draped across what must be its torso was a Starfleet uniform, custom-made, the pips indicating the rank of Lieutenant junior grade at its neck. A computerized voice issued forth from a device attached to the creature's chest, the voice calm and even amidst the call-outs and commands from Lieutenant Fellows.

"Chief." the thing said, in apparent greeting. "I am going to move you now." With no further warning, the plant-like being's serpentine tendrils snaked under and around Chief Rhymus, their twinned ends seeking angles around his chest and hips to rotate him in place. It was an easy motion, as though it was practiced in shifting humanoid bodies in the ways it desired. "We'll have this thing out of you shortly, we just need to get a look at it first. Prepare for pain." The EMP fired up, as it did on the other biobeds, and a needle slid into the flesh of Rhymus' neck, then another at the same time, the multi-tentacled doctor managing both of his local anesthetic injections at once.

Following the injections was a cold pain, dulled by the anesthetic but still present. Chief Rhymus, as the others, would feel their layers of skin being opened; the doctors had to see what was buried beneath, as whatever material was there was confounding the few seconds the scanners had been operating"¦ What was under there?

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

When the four captives arrived in sickbay, the medical staff was ready with Lieutenant Fellows, Lieutenant JG Davies, Ensign Rashar, and Lieutenant JG Lagar each waiting by a biobed to treat their patient. Having been warned in advance that an EMP pulse would be necessary to 'end the threat' each  biobed had been modified to implement a localized electromagnetic pulse. However, expecting a device, there were precious moments were lost before Doctor Belmont called out about implants.

Almost as one, the four doctors activated the biobed's scanning feature and immediately detected the implants in their skulls. Once aware of what they were dealing with and where it was, the doctors activated the EMP function simultaneously which resulted in Jettis, Rhymus, Lisa, and Ricky each hearing the terrifyingly relentless countdown stop with three seconds left. Within thirty seconds, there was no trace of the device left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As the Tigris was being towed toward the Challenger's shuttlebay, Lieutenant Morgan who was operating the tractor, noticed an anomalous energy reading. Given the powerful EMP burst directed at the runabout should have disabled all its system, there shouldn't have been any residual power. However, not only was there a power signature, it was increasing in strength. In an instant, Morgan realized what was going on and without waiting for orders, she reversed the tractor field to a repulsor field and began pushing the Tigris away and called out.

"Captain, warp core breach in progress on the runabout!"

Ian's head snapped up at the report and said.

"Shields up!"

T'Kel, as efficient as ever, got the shields up with time to spare as the Tigris disappeared in an actinic flash of light.

Ian looked out at the scattered debris of the runabout with a grim expression.

"The message in Morse said that Starbase 84 was in danger. I guess, with their delivery system disabled, it must have triggered a subroutine to destroy the evidence. Clever buggers."

Ian's expression was one of frustration, but given he now had his entire crew aboard, less the one being held on the starbase, he was satisfied to a degree with the outcome of these completely unexpected chain of events.

"Mister Shazham, your course is for Starbase 84, warp eight. We have unfinished business that I would like ta have resolved as quickly as possible and at that speed, we should be there in less than an hour."

As he headed for the turbolift, he added.

"Mister T'Kel, you have the bridge, I'm goin' ta sickbay."

[Jettis Jyur]

[USS Challenger - Medbay]

As the four ex-captives appeared, medbay showed their intense preparedness. Things happened in a worldwind, as one of the medical officer looked over Jettis, and almost immediately the team was ready to do a fast-paced operation. The manual injection of anesthesia was painful, but not nearly as painful as if the device had been allowed to continue. It seemed like mere seconds, before Jettis was ridden of his implant, leaving only a small incision site behind as evidence. Almost crumpling with relief, he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.

At least, until he daughter sprung to mind, and he sat up almost immediately. Turning to whomever was working on him - Rashar, if he wasn't mistaken, he grabbed his arm. "Have you heard anything about my daughter?" he paused, realizing that was a dumb question. There was no good reason for a medical officer to have heard about her - he'd taken care to drop her off at daycare before he left. A place she seemed to frequent far too often. So instead, he rephrased his question, eyes softening from the previously intense glare. "If you could contact the daycare and have her sent here, please." His voice lost the near-angry edge it had, and was left with only a defeated plea for sympathy. He doubted children were allowed in this part of medbay unless injured, but perhaps he would make an exception. Or, even better, Jettis could get up and walk out of here on his own.

Laying back down, Jettis took a few more deep breaths, recentering his mind for whatever lay ahead.

[Ian Galloway]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Ian arrived in sickbay to find the four rescued crew still in recovery from their ordeal. He did make it a point to speak with them though, if only to ensure they really were safe. After speaking with Jettis, Ricky, Rhymus, and Lisa individually, he stopped at the door to the ICU and added.

"It is bloody good ta have you back and my complements to the medical staff for bein' ready ta handle what has ta be a very unique situation. Well, I'm off for the bridge, I wanted ta see all of you myself while we're en route ta Starbase 84 and your interrupted shore leave."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian returned to the bridge, but waved T'Kel back into the command chair as he headed for his ready room.

"I'll be in my writin' my initial report on the kidnappin'. Let me know when we're five minutes from Starbase 84."

"Aye Sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[USS Challenger - Docking at Starbase 84]

Ian was back on the bridge as promised for their arrival. He'd sent a flurry of reports to Admiral Fleming of the events that had transpired since their original arrival.

Once the docking clamps were in place and the ship powered down, Ian made an announcement that the ship was on shore leave again, with minimal staffing as per the requirements of the department heads.

With the ship taken care of again, Ian exited the ship and made his way back to the courtroom of the starbase. On the way, he sent a request to Captains Teken and Kirok to meet him in the courtroom to reconvene the trial. As he entered, he took his seat and sighed.

"Now ta get this bloody over with."

[Lagar]

[USS Challenger - Medbay]

As the four ex-captives appeared, medbay showed their intense preparedness. Things happened in a worldwind, as one of the medical officer looked over Jettis, and almost immediately the team was ready to do a fast-paced operation. The manual injection of anesthesia was painful, but not nearly as painful as if the device had been allowed to continue. It seemed like mere seconds, before Jettis was ridden of his implant, leaving only a small incision site behind as evidence. Almost crumpling with relief, he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.

At least, until he daughter sprung to mind, and he sat up almost immediately. Turning to whomever was working on him - Rashar, if he wasn't mistaken, he grabbed his arm. "Have you heard anything about my daughter?" he paused, realizing that was a dumb question. There was no good reason for a medical officer to have heard about her - he'd taken care to drop her off at daycare before he left. A place she seemed to frequent far too often. So instead, he rephrased his question, eyes softening from the previously intense glare. "If you could contact the daycare and have her sent here, please." His voice lost the near-angry edge it had, and was left with only a defeated plea for sympathy. He doubted children were allowed in this part of medbay unless injured, but perhaps he would make an exception. Or, even better, Jettis could get up and walk out of here on his own.

Laying back down, Jettis took a few more deep breaths, recentering his mind for whatever lay ahead.

NPC Ensign Nathaniel Rashar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

The Ensign was shocked by the sudden grab, and the intense emotions that followed it. The El-Aurian's mind was no simple thing to be near to, for a telepath; the Betazoid had to control his own reaction carefully. "Sir? I..." he listened as Jettis rephrased his question. "Of course, I can look into that for you. I should be free to do that now." He withdrew briefly, moving to make the calls on behalf of his patient.

[Tekin Nevir]

[Judges Chamber - Starbase 84]

Kirok nodded.  "A very apt insight.  I believe that you have become wiser with age" the half Vulcan said by way of compliment.

"I can wait until Mr. Galloway and the crew returns.  Until then, would you like to join me for dinner.  It has been some time since we have talked and now seems to be a good time to catch up as the saying goes" the Captain added.

[Judges Chamber - Starbase 84]

"Some might disagree.  But I give a nugget of wisdom every so often." he said, nodding at the suggestion for dinner.

"That would be... good.  We'll eat and visit until Ian returns." he said, leading the way out.

Some time later..

Word had reached the two Captains almost before Ian could... almost.  With the solemn duty waiting for them, Nevir sighed.  "One more witness.  One more chance... let's get it done." he said, turning to head back to the courtroom.

"Tekin to Ian.. welcome back.  We are on our way to the courtroom now.  I hope Mr. Clearoux is available... he is the last chance for Mr. Silverback."

[Silverback]

[Judges Chamber - Starbase 84]

"Some might disagree.  But I give a nugget of wisdom every so often." he said, nodding at the suggestion for dinner.

"That would be... good.  We'll eat and visit until Ian returns." he said, leading the way out.

Some time later..

Word had reached the two Captains almost before Ian could... almost.  With the solemn duty waiting for them, Nevir sighed.  "One more witness.  One more chance... let's get it done." he said, turning to head back to the courtroom.

"Tekin to Ian.. welcome back.  We are on our way to the courtroom now.  I hope Mr. Clearoux is available... he is the last chance for Mr. Silverback."

Starbase 84 - Courtroom

Silver was lead back into the court room and was quite pleased they returned albeit a short respite as the court continued on as planned, he was allowed to sit at his previous position and awaited his counsel.

[Kirok]

Starbase 84 - Courtroom

Silver was lead back into the court room and was quite pleased they returned albeit a short respite as the court continued on as planned, he was allowed to sit at his previous position and awaited his counsel.

[Starbase 84 - Courtroom]

Kirok waited until he and the other Captain's were seated.  Then he rang the ancient chimes of Washin.  He looked down at Silverback.

The half Vulcan's face gave no hints or tells as to what had transpired behind closed doors.  He took a breath.  Exhaled.

Then said "we are now back on the record.  I am lead to believe that Rhymus Cleroux has returned to deliver his testimony.  Bailiff please call Mr. Cleroux" the half Vulcan said.

[Lagar]

[Starbase 84 - Courtroom]

Kirok waited until he and the other Captain's were seated.  Then he rang the ancient chimes of Washin.  He looked down at Silverback.

The half Vulcan's face gave no hints or tells as to what had transpired behind closed doors.  He took a breath.  Exhaled.

Then said "we are now back on the record.  I am lead to believe that Rhymus Cleroux has returned to deliver his testimony.  Bailiff please call Mr. Cleroux" the half Vulcan said.

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Starbase 84 - Courtroom]

Lieutenant Lagar, still acting as Ensign Silverback's only chosen legal defense, entered the room silently. The phylosian took up its own position near the defendant, giving the Mugato a nod of greeting. Lagar knew that Chief Rhymus was soon to enter, having recently been treated after the kidnapping ordeal. The doctor expected the testimony to be further damning of Ensign Silverback's choices during the Schewebach Incident. He believed he would have one last chance to speak to these three Captains, sitting as judges, in a final closing statement. He'd need to craft his statement based on what the Chief had to say, and what the Captains were willing to hear.

[Lenny Fritz]

NPC Petty Officer 3 T'varn
[Sickbay "" Primary Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

T'varn was moving the Ensign throught he hallway just outside the Intensive Care Unit as the four rescuers were beamed in, their particles assembling on four biobeds as the physicians began their work. "Ensign?" The Vulcan said to him, and she was about to repeat herself when she saw the four return. Her narrow shoulders seemed to relax only slightly at the sight of them, as she knew that their danger wasn't quite yet passed. She fell silent, watching along with Ensign Fritz as the work began. There were plenty of hands, and tentacles, in the Intensive Care Unit, and T'varn wasn't needed, but like Lenny, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the life-saving work.

NPC Ensign Nathaniel Rashar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Ensign Rashar's bed was suddenly occupied by the materializing Lieutenant Jyur, a tall man who Rashar knew through reputation, and the occasional brief chats in hallways. It hadn't been long ago that Jyur had been wounded in an attack by a wild crowd of Orion civilians; despite their attempts to help the locals recover from an accident, rocks and fists had battered the Starfleet away team in a harrowing, high-stress event. It had been Lieutenant Jyur's swift thinking, and a deafening blast from a phaser, that had allowed for a life-saving escape. The treatments in the aftermath had been nothing compared to what surely would have been far more serious injuries, even deaths...

The Betazoid heard Jyur's halting statement, a countdown, a bomb"¦ Rashar's eyes were on the scanners attached to the biobed, but the readings were not immediately clear. There were signs of an invasive technology, but some other sort of substance at the site was making it difficult for the scanners to get a clear picture. Rashar, well-trained, called out what he saw to his colleagues.

"Seeing something, tucked against the mastoid process." he said, fingers gently reaching for the spot on Jettis' neck. "Feeling a lump, embedded under the outer dermal layers, might have to dig through ligament!"

NPC Lieutenant Jessica Fellows
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

As Rashar gave his first callouts, Lieutenant Fellows felt a surge of excitement as it was her own dear Lisa who appeared on her biobed. She listened carefully as Lieutenant Belmont gestured to her ear, identifying the invasive thing as an implant. As Lisa looked for the face nearest to her, she would see it was Jessica's, expression thrilled, but with a hint of grim determination.

"Heard you Rashar! Everyone, careful with your anesthesia injections." she called out to her team. "Inject a good distance from the site of the foreign object. It'll mean more pain, but"¦" She stopped there, pain was a tertiary concern now. "Moving you, Lisa!" she announced with urgency, and with a grunt, she turned Lisa over onto her side so that the lump was facing up and visible. "Turn your patients, focus the EMP devices, inject, open, and report what you see. If scanners aren't giving us much, we'll have to go naked-eye! Get a scalpel ready in your hand as soon as you can, we'll have seconds to excise!"

Not far from Lisa, Lieutenant Chloe Davies moved Richard Litt in the same manner, and a button-press on her biobed saw the localized pulse radiating into the flight officer's body, hopefully preventing the device from doing whatever wicked work it was meant to do. Ensign Rashar copied the motions, and not far from them...

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Chief Rhymus would find himself beamed onto a biobed. Above him, or more accurately, around was the looming form of a great, viridian thing standing at least six feet in height. A bristled, ovoid head, segmented in hexagonal shapes, two golden eyes on red eyestalks"¦ A mass of tentacles... no, tendrils? Lighter colored than the rest of it. Draped across what must be its torso was a Starfleet uniform, custom-made, the pips indicating the rank of Lieutenant junior grade at its neck. A computerized voice issued forth from a device attached to the creature's chest, the voice calm and even amidst the call-outs and commands from Lieutenant Fellows.

"Chief." the thing said, in apparent greeting. "I am going to move you now." With no further warning, the plant-like being's serpentine tendrils snaked under and around Chief Rhymus, their twinned ends seeking angles around his chest and hips to rotate him in place. It was an easy motion, as though it was practiced in shifting humanoid bodies in the ways it desired. "We'll have this thing out of you shortly, we just need to get a look at it first. Prepare for pain." The EMP fired up, as it did on the other biobeds, and a needle slid into the flesh of Rhymus' neck, then another at the same time, the multi-tentacled doctor managing both of his local anesthetic injections at once.

Following the injections was a cold pain, dulled by the anesthetic but still present. Chief Rhymus, as the others, would feel their layers of skin being opened; the doctors had to see what was buried beneath, as whatever material was there was confounding the few seconds the scanners had been operating"¦ What was under there?

When the four captives arrived in sickbay, the medical staff was ready with Lieutenant Fellows, Lieutenant JG Davies, Ensign Rashar, and Lieutenant JG Lagar each waiting by a biobed to treat their patient. Having been warned in advance that an EMP pulse would be necessary to 'end the threat' each  biobed had been modified to implement a localized electromagnetic pulse. However, expecting a device, there were precious moments were lost before Doctor Belmont called out about implants.

Almost as one, the four doctors activated the biobed's scanning feature and immediately detected the implants in their skulls. Once aware of what they were dealing with and where it was, the doctors activated the EMP function simultaneously which resulted in Jettis, Rhymus, Lisa, and Ricky each hearing the terrifyingly relentless countdown stop with three seconds left. Within thirty seconds, there was no trace of the device left.

[Sickbay "" USS Challenger]
Lenny stood in awe watching as the Challenger's medical staff operated on these four new arrivals. The docs worked with a precision and a speed that seemed to blow the young ensign right off of his feet. He stood gazing for what seemed like an eternity but was in reality only a very short amount of time as the docs did what they do best. When it was all over Lenny could sense the tension in the room evaporated. He didn't know exactly what had happened and he didn't know why any of it had happened, but he sensed he should be glad that nothing terrible happened to the Challenger or any of its crew. Whatever had transpired, Lenny could see that his physical was not the most pressing matter, to say the least, and he figured he should leave and continue his evaluation at a more convenient time for the docs. Shortly after the docs had finished their procedure and began to celebrate, Lenny turned and addressed the doctor near him who had begun his physical:
"Hey Doc, now that things are kind of calming down I think I'll head to get some sleep and we can continue this at a time when things aren't so busy. You go look after them doc, make sure they are alright."
Lenny then nodded a farewell and walked out the door and to the turbolift. He took it to his quarters and got some much-needed sleep.

[Rhymus Cleroux]

Lieutenant jg Lagar
[Sickbay "" Intensive Care Unit "" USS Challenger]

Chief Rhymus would find himself beamed onto a biobed. Above him, or more accurately, around was the looming form of a great, viridian thing standing at least six feet in height. A bristled, ovoid head, segmented in hexagonal shapes, two golden eyes on red eyestalks"¦ A mass of tentacles... no, tendrils? Lighter colored than the rest of it. Draped across what must be its torso was a Starfleet uniform, custom-made, the pips indicating the rank of Lieutenant junior grade at its neck. A computerized voice issued forth from a device attached to the creature's chest, the voice calm and even amidst the call-outs and commands from Lieutenant Fellows.

"Chief." the thing said, in apparent greeting. "I am going to move you now." With no further warning, the plant-like being's serpentine tendrils snaked under and around Chief Rhymus, their twinned ends seeking angles around his chest and hips to rotate him in place. It was an easy motion, as though it was practiced in shifting humanoid bodies in the ways it desired. "We'll have this thing out of you shortly, we just need to get a look at it first. Prepare for pain." The EMP fired up, as it did on the other biobeds, and a needle slid into the flesh of Rhymus' neck, then another at the same time, the multi-tentacled doctor managing both of his local anesthetic injections at once.

[U.S.S. Challenger, Deck 07, Sickbay]

If there was anything Rhymus hated right at this particular moment, it was something happening to him that was decidedly outside of his control. Despite knowing better, he squirmed against the Starfleet Officer's tentacled grip, slapping away the appendages when they finally released him.

"œI can move under my own power, thank you!" He said as the man-sized shrubbery went about their work, sliding needles into his flesh and the morphia spreading throughout his system.

Following the injections was a cold pain, dulled by the anesthetic but still present. Chief Rhymus, as the others, would feel their layers of skin being opened; the doctors had to see what was buried beneath, as whatever material was there was confounding the few seconds the scanners had been operating"¦ What was under there?

Rhymus lapsed into a grimaced silence as the alien plant worked. The pain was manageable, Rhymus had been shot, stabbed, blown up, and brutalized in a variety of fashions. But the nature of the work disturbed him. Like a lab rat being cut into while still being alive. Not to mention it seemed to go on and on. These had to be the longest ten seconds of Rhymus's life.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

When the four captives arrived in sickbay, the medical staff was ready with Lieutenant Fellows, Lieutenant JG Davies, Ensign Rashar, and Lieutenant JG Lagar each waiting by a biobed to treat their patient. Having been warned in advance that an EMP pulse would be necessary to 'end the threat' each  biobed had been modified to implement a localized electromagnetic pulse. However, expecting a device, there were precious moments were lost before Doctor Belmont called out about implants.

Almost as one, the four doctors activated the biobed's scanning feature and immediately detected the implants in their skulls. Once aware of what they were dealing with and where it was, the doctors activated the EMP function simultaneously which resulted in Jettis, Rhymus, Lisa, and Ricky each hearing the terrifyingly relentless countdown stop with three seconds left. Within thirty seconds, there was no trace of the device left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then, like the sun breaking through a storm cloud, it was over. No more countdown, no more incessant pain. Nothing but blessed silence. Not even a scar, as Rhymus felt behind his ear. Such were the miracles of modern medicine.

Rhymus sat up on the bed, looking over his medical practitioner for the first time. They were, to be blunt, a horrific amalgamation of beast, octopus, plant, and snail. The look of them sent a shiver down the back of his neck. But he did his best not to show it outwardly, such unprofessionalism was beneath him.

"œWell, is that all?" He said after a moment. "œNo more threat of blowing my head off?"

How fortunate.

Some Time Later...

[Starbase 84 - Courtroom]

Kirok waited until he and the other Captain's were seated.  Then he rang the ancient chimes of Washin.  He looked down at Silverback.

The half Vulcan's face gave no hints or tells as to what had transpired behind closed doors.  He took a breath.  Exhaled.

Then said "we are now back on the record.  I am lead to believe that Rhymus Cleroux has returned to deliver his testimony.  Bailiff please call Mr. Cleroux" the half Vulcan said.

[Starbase 84, Courtroom]

After some time, the Bailiff brought Rhymus Cleroux to the courtroom. He idly scratched behind his ear, where an implant had been removed only hours before, and was lead through the pews of onlookers to the witness stand, where he gave his oath, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him, before sitting down.

"Chief Petty Officer Rhymus Cleroux, Security/Tactical Department, U.S.S. Challenger. Reporting as requested." He stated for the record.

[Don Damien Addams]

[Starbase 84. the court room]

Shazham had even returned to the court session himself. He was just simply taking notes and he was silent as well. He had liked the sound of the bell that Captain Vulcan rang. He recalled how some Betazoids liked the chime on each bite for appreciation. It was a high profile formal meal. It would be a handful when you do a huge gathering. Not true. That was when everyone was taking bites all together so all four corners of the room chimes would be heard.

There was Lagar in his formal dress presenting Silverback's behalf. They now have the Chief of Security to speak what he observes. This could help Silverback or it would not.

He leaned back holding the datapad as he started to take any notes he needed.

[Ian Galloway]

[Starbase 84, Courtroom]

After some time, the Bailiff brought Rhymus Cleroux to the courtroom. He idly scratched behind his ear, where an implant had been removed only hours before, and was lead through the pews of onlookers to the witness stand, where he gave his oath, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him, before sitting down.

"Chief Petty Officer Rhymus Cleroux, Security/Tactical Department, U.S.S. Challenger. Reporting as requested." He stated for the record.

[Courtroom - Starbase 84]

As Chief Cleroux reported, Ian noted that Lieutenant T'Kel was present as an observer and more disconcerting, Admiral Fleming was also in the gallery watching the proceedings. Once Kirok had rung the bell, Lieutenant Commander Th'avythrath stood and began to speak.

"Chief Cleroux, although your after action report has already been entered into the record. Could you please, in your own words, state the events that occurred on Stardate 76450.3 aboard the Federation Registered Freighter SS Heidi Schwebach."