Zuni Rockets have Right of Way

Posted on Mon Mar 2nd, 2020 @ 2:14am by Admiral Jake Yamaguchi & Division Admiral Thomas Lasky & Commander Tienn Iteela & Commander John 'Nuke Em' Sheridan & Commander Telios Wintersnow & Commander Jiao Anderson-Smithson & Lieutenant Commander Kthaara 'Leadfoot' Taavoro & Lieutenant Garry Smithson & Lieutenant Commander Toshnarr & Lieutenant Isabella Rojas & Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Fleet Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Commodore Siaxx "Bluemoon" Dvald-Vaxx MD & Post Captain Tirion Fordring & Lieutenant Commander Kameron "Foehammer" Solusar-Yamaguchi & Lieutenant Colonel Pollux "Jetfire" Knoxx & Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan & Grand Admiral April Yamaguchi & Zuko Omakan & Chief Warrant Officer Ryi "Taffy" Amlari & Staff Warrant Officer Hana "8-Ball" Nakamura
Edited on on Mon Mar 2nd, 2020 @ 2:16am

Mission: Mission 39: By Fire be Purged
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 1200Hrs - August 1st, 2391

Cyrin was busy up in the hangar bay managing fighters when Teval walked in, saying," So how are you guys doing."

Cyrin nodded, "we're managing, When are you guys going to come back."

Teval sighed, then replied," Chances are, probably never. The military reorganization act will come within a few weeks, and I am leaning on staying with starfeet."

Cyrin looked up at Teval," Where will you go then."

Teval looked down at the hangar deck," Well, that depends, I can go XO on Dreamcrusher, since her current XO is moving out to a command soon, while Hakaya will likely transfer to an engineering post for a couple years, then get out when her obligation is up."

Anastasiya, whom was sitting nearby, got up and went and picked Teval up, hugging him. "Oh, I am going to miss you and your cuteness."

Teval struggled a little," Don't worry, I'm not leaving quite yet."

Anastasiya put him down, then rubbed him between the ears, saying," Well, if you do leave, be sure to drop by every now and then."

Teval nodded and Anastasiya left the room, heading down to the flight deck, while Teval sat at one of the consoles, saying, "Well, lets see if I remember how to do this."

Cyrin nodded, "Well, we have a flight ready to land, but Phoenix's fighter will land first, then the next patrol will go out, and then we will land the incoming one."

Teval nodded as Cyrin contacted Phoenix's fighter, directing them where to go. Teval watched the whole process, looking down at the deck as the fighter pulled in.

Rachael was busy piloting the bird she was driving. "Thank you control. War Ace Ninty two coming in." as she gently taxied her fighter to its landing spot.

"You've gotten really good at flying," Phoenix told to Rachael. "Powering down shields and weapons now, control."

As the weapon systems where powered down, without any warning, one of the Quantum missile's rocket motor ignited, and the missile left the pylon, screaming across the flight deck and striking the cockpit of one of the fighters readying for takeoff. The poor pilot inside didn't even have time to recognize the danger before being impaled by the errant missile.

"Fuck!" Phoenix immediately barked out, "Red Alert! All hazard teams to the pod. We have an unexploded warhead. Everyone else, get out of the pod!!"

Rachael didn't scream as her eyes opened wide. "Ohfuckohfuckohfuyckno!"

"We need an ordinance specialist to give me an ETA on detonation," Zara came very quickly on the comm.

The missile caused the inside of the fighter to burn furiously, while Anastasiya quickly rallied a fire fighting team.

Eight Ball, Typhoon, and Lynx were in their flight suits ready to go out on patrol. The three were headed to their birds when they saw the fire. "Get back!" Typhoon yelled as the trio tried to find cover.

Both Teval and Cyrin sprung to action, Cyrin used the tower's internal sensors to scan the fighter, while Teval prepared emergency forcefields. Cyrin announced over the Comm, "Warhead failed to arm, but we need to get that fire under control, the warp core has been damaged, and a core breach is imminent."

Rachael scrambled out of her fighter as she regarded the damaged fighter. "Who was flying that?" she inquired.

Phoenix followed Rachael and squinted at the tail numbers. "Marine Captain Jacob Durden... Quick-blast's ship," Phoenix spoke sadly, then motioned for the medics. "Power up your transporter. We need to evac this pod RFN."

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Zara bit her nails a few seconds before she made the hard call. "All hands, prepare for saucer separation in one minute. Mister Sheridan, hail Dreamcrusher and tell them we need them ready to saw off the pod once the saucer is clear."

Sheridan nodded. "I'm on it.!"

Zara pointed to Telios. "I don't like you, but I'm counting on you to see the civilians are all in the saucer before we separate."

Telios nodded. "Consider it done." she responded before she went to see it done. "Wintersnow to all transporter rooms... begin beaming all civilians and all none essential people out of the drive section, we have an emergency."

Cyrin's fur stood on end when he realized what was about to happen, "Teval, get that forcefield up quick." He then said in the intercom, "Everyone, away from the fighter, core breach in 10 seconds."

Teval quickly raised the forcefield, and set to max power, it surrounded the burning fighter. Anastasia shouted to the fire fighting team, "Pull back, PULL BACK!!!!...."

Rachael meanwhile was fleeing as fast as her legs would carry her as she moved towards the medical area.

Eight Ball and her squadron mates desperately looked for some cover. The nearest exit for the pilots was blocked by the fire. They looked around for a place to hide or another way out. "Behind wrecker!" Typhoon pointed out as the three ran for their lives.

The next seconds felt like an eternity when the fighter exploded in an intense fireball. The forcefield held for an instant, directing the explosion up and down, but in the final moments, the force field collapsed and shrapnel and hot plasma went flying everywhere. Anastasia's team was engulfed in an instant. Abbado grabbed both Zenka Kramp and Winter Skywere and brought them both to the deck, shielding them both from the blast. A large chunk of Debris flew towards the tower and embedded itself in the window, spider-webbing the transparisteel window's.

Suddenly Teval's AI screamed at him, "Put up your shields, NOW."

Teval didn't hesitate, using his energy manipulator abilities, through the personal shield generator he put on, he put up a forcefield, shielding both him and Cyrin from an EPS conduit Blast.

At the moment of the explosion, Phoenix was hit by the shock wave of the blast and was sent flying high and long, face-first into a stack of crates. Her stomach hurt and her left arm became engulfed in agonized pain. Broken, probably. But Phoenix fought through it semi-dazed as she looked for her wingmate.

"Firebird?!" Jill called out in panic though the smoke.

Rachael was lying on the deck, moaning softly as she moved slowly on her back. "Ohgodohgodohgod.." she whimpered.

"Oh fuck me and the goat herder..." Phoenix sighed and hit her combadge, then scrambled through smoke and flame to find Rachael. "We got a slow burn line headed for Tane's fighter."

Back on the bridge, Zara pointed back to Sheridan and Jake on her way to the turbolift. "You two, battle bridge with me. Jake, you're driving. Sheridan? You're tactical."

Jake Yamaguchi nodded as he followed Zara without question as Sheridan handed it over to Moni Nasao. "El Tee.. you're up." then he moved quickly after Zara.

"Captain Tane to the fleet... Roanoke has had a weapon malfunction in our pod. Explosions are intermittent and a tetryon reactor is in the path of a fire line. If your ship doesn't have heavy armor plating, stay back a hundred kilometers or more," Tane issued as she opened a channel from the battle bridge.

Meanwhile the Medical personel were getting ready as Tienn was manning the transporter station. "Uplink to Dreamcrusher is in progress... its ready. Transport station ready to go."

Zuko came on the bridge, hearing what was going on, he wasted no time, "Red Alert, General Quarters, all hands man your battlestations."

Zuko then looked at a Crewman, saying, "Go down to the brig, we will need the help of several of the people down there, namely, Tom Lasky and Kameron Yamaguchi."

The crewman nodded and ran down to the brig.

Back in the Roanoke hangar, both Teval and Cyrin got up. As they had both been knocked off their feet, but were largely unhurt. Cyrin rubbed his head, saying, "Nice trick Teval."

Teval looked over down at the hangar deck, seeing the spreading fire. He then looked at the smoking wreck that was the control tower consoles, he then hit his combadge announcing, "Guy's, the controls up here are smashed, we no longer have any control of the hangar deck systems. We need to evacuate now."

Phoenix coughed as she dragged Rachael to the medical station, then yelled through the high-pitched explosions, "I'll check the upper levels, Teval!"

Cyrin coughed from the fumes in the air. Looking down at the deck, he said, "Teval, we need to get these people out of here."

Teval shook his head, "No Cyrin, you get out of here, your not strong enough to carry anyone."

Cyrin looked at Teval in shock, and nearly at a scream, "No, I'm still standing, I can help."

Teval gave Cyrin a stern look, "I have energy shields, you don't, I have abilities that you don't have."

Cyrin balled his fists, then said, "No I'm-"

Teval didn't give him a chance to finish before landing a blow on the stomach, he then put Cyrin in a sleeper hold, knocking him unconscious. Teval then hefted the unconscious Cyrin over his shoulder, and using his powers to enhance his running speed, he got to the transporter padd in seconds, and beamed Cyrin over to the Dreamcrusher. He then looked at Fordring, Varkon and Toshnarr, whom just entered the deck, and said to them, "We collect as many as we can, get them to the Dreamcrusher."

Eight Ball opened her eyes to see Lynx with an fighter's medical kit giving medical aid to a ground tech. Still groggy, she looked around. They were surrounded by a wall of fire. Typhoon lay still on the deck. There was green blood stains out of her ears, mouth, nose, and eyes. Eight Ball let out a weak cry.

Lynx looked up at Eight Ball. "Are you alright?" Eight Ball slowly nodded yes. "Typhoon is dead. I stabilized this guy. He needs better care than what I can get out of this first aid kit." Lynx told her. A loud groan came from the other side of the fire. Eight Ball went to investigate.

There was another ground tech laying face down on the deck. Eight Ball jumped a low point in the fire wall. She picked him up and did a fireman's carry to the edge of the fire. With the added weight she could not jump the fire. She decided to rushed through the flames. Flames licked her legs as she passed. The extreme heat of the fire burned through her flight suit. She screamed in pain but brought the tech to Lynx.

"That was stupid." Lynx told Eight Ball. "You could have gotten killed." Eight Ball was too tired and in pain to reply. "I'll work on the new casualty." Lynx told her. "The fire has burned out in a few places." Lynx pointed down the hanger. "Try and get this one to safety." Eight Ball said nothing and put the wounded tech over her shoulder in another fireman's carry. She slowly moved down the burning hanger.

Toshnarr nodded as he went out into the wreckage of the hanger, searching for downed pilots and other personnel, Fordring nodded as he went over to the transporter. "Tienn assist me with this."

The small Bajoran woman came over as the two went to work on the cargo transporter.

Varkon immediately headed off in search if the injured and trapped.

Meanwhile several sections away as Walter Emick lead a damage control party. "Alright.. lets go save our brothers.." he lead his charges out of Engineering and down the hallway. Alas they wouldn't make it out of the section as a plasma conduit burst as the half dozen guys turned and fled. Emick reached the corner as he waited for his guys to pass him. "Go go go!" as he was caught by the fire as he slapped the hatch to seal the hallway shut, sealing him inside to die but he would die saving others and in the end, before he died. He was content in that knowledge.

In Dreamcrushers brig, the crewman arrived and releasing the forcefields, said, "Lt. Commander Lasky, Lt. Yamaguchi, Roanoke's hangar pod has caught fire and has people trapped there. We need your help."

The two men looked at each other. "What do you need from us and where can we help?" Lasky inquired.

The crewman said, "Well, we need you to help with evacuating Roanoke's hangar pod crew, and I have protective masks for both of you."

Both Kameron and Lasky both accepted a couple of masks each before going to work.

Teval, back in the hangar, looked over at the injured Abbado, carrying Zenka Kramp, both Whitetail and Winter were following. Teval said to them, "Achille, get out of here with Kramp, you're too badly injured, Whitetail, grab some pattern enhancers and coordinate with Dreamcrusher. I don't trust this transporter to last long."

He then tapped his combadge, "Teval to anyone in the hangar pod that is still standing, Drop what you are doing and get out of here. We have pattern enhancers near the aide station."

Whitetail looked over at Teval asking, "What are you going to do."

Teval's energy shields flared as they came to life, "I'm going to buy as much time as possible. I have the ability to manipulate energy, I'll slow down the spread as much as I can, get these people out of here."

Teval then slowly walked over to where the fires where spreading, using his powers, he brought dead forcefields to life, brought what remaining EPS coils where still working to contain the plasma as much as possible. Neither him or Kima noticed when he began to overexert his abilities, but all that mattered to him was buying as much time as possible.

Toshnarr came back as he delivered two pilots, both of them were alive. "Guys... talk to me?"

Tirion nodded. "I got it." he responded. "The system works now. Go ahead and load them up." as he looked at Tienn. "Stay here and operate this station.. we're counting on you."

"I won't let you down Master Chief." Tienn responded with a smile. "I'm locking onto various lifesigns scattered around the tower pad.... I have over two hundred guys... and I'm gonna send them over to the other ships." she them smacked her combadge. "Tienn to Operations... send people into the main hanger bay and start beaming people off of the tower pod... I need all the help I can get.."

Anderson's voice came back. "Copy, we're on it.!"

Meanwhile in engineering, Ra'Vak noticed, "What the hell, forcefields are coming back online, whats going on."

Alyssa then reported, "Ra'Vak, the EPs conduit ruptures are getting worse."

Ra'Vak sighed, then said, "Cut the EPS conduits going to the Pod, prepare to eject toe warp core."

He then tapped his combadge, saying, "Ra'Vak to Zara, The conduit explosions are getting worse, I may have to eject the core."

"Do it," Zara agreed. "But I need some one in the fleet to tractor the saucer RFN."

Meanwhile Lasky and Kameron were beamed onto the tower pad. "Alright.. where do you need us.?"

"Right out there sir,." Tienn said. "We need to evacuate people, the systems are down and the fire is out of control... no way to stop it.."

"Alright.." and with that Fives went into the fires of hell itself as Toshnarr came over, his skin was starting to blister with burns. "Stand clear Flight officer." as Toshnarr dropped off two more people.

Kameron looked at Tienn. "I think my issue with you can be forgotten. I'm sorry.."

Tienn nodded. "Its Okay Kam... I understand why..."

"Fair enough... excuse me... I gotta go help."

"Okay." Tienn responded as she beamed the downed pilots over to another ship.

Toshnarr was still searching for more people when the com system beeped. "Dvald to Toshnarr... I need you to find Phoenix and send her to another ship..."

"Consider it... done... Siaxx.." Toshnarr sounded like he was in pain. "I'm gonna go after her ... now." he almost whimpered as his burns got worse.

Meanwhile in the battle bridge. Admiral Yamaguchi nodded. "Helm ready sir." he commented. "Ready to roll... all sections clear.."

Sheridan added. "Ready to initiate auto-sep sequence on your word skipper."

"Do it." Zara opened the channel to Dreamcrusher. "As soon as the saucer is clear, start sawing off the pod, Captain."

By this point, most of Varkon's clothes had been burned completely off as he walked over to the collection point with four people draped over his shoulders. His rocklike skin however remained largely unharmed, as he dropped the people off in the pattern enhancers then left to go retrieve more. He looked at Teval as he passed by, Whom was holding back the force of the fires away from the casualty point and the volatile tetryon reactor through sheer force of willpower alone. Varkon quickly resumed his task.

Mirage, meanwhile, was also moving through sheer force of willpower alone. It was only through sheer adrenaline she was able to carry the unconscious form of Wicked witch over her shoulder while Dragging Sideswipe at the same time. She could barely feel her lungs anymore, or the shrapnel in her gut, but sheer determination carried her forward to the collection point. She just managed to make it to the pattern enhancers before collapsing, and Whitetail called Dreamcrusher to beam them out.

Froststorm was coming in off a routine patrol. From her fighter, she could see plumes of fire coming out of the fighter pod. "Oh no." she gasped. Casualties would be high. Ryi had to wonder how she was going to land her fighter.

"Longtooth to Froststorm." her wingman spoke up. "Were do we land Frosty?" he asked.

"I don't know." She replied, her voice somehow disembodied as she stared at the fire.

Leadfoot swore as he watched the fire progress, powerless to do anything. His own fighter was almost out of fuel when Dreamcrusher contacted him, "Roanoke fighters we have cleared enough hangar space for you guys to land."

Leadfoot nodded then relayed the message to all fighters still up, "Leadfoot to all Roanoke fighters, Dreamcrusher has cleared some space for us to land, we will be going there. Once we land, those of you that have even the most minimal medical training, we help with the wounded."

"Did you copy that?" Froststorm asked her wingman. he replied yes and the two headed towards the Dreamcrusher.

Phoenix had been caught in the deck two of the pod, helping people find the ladder through the thick smoke. Even carrying a few bodies down the ladder and climbing back up into the frying pan. That's what it felt like, as she fires from the main hangar super-heated the deck plating of the deck above.

The fumes were unavoidable, as Phoenix could not see shit with that foggy mask. Her suit also must of torn, for she began to sweat profusely in only a span of a few minutes. But worst of all, every time she coughed to clear her lungs, blood spattered out.

"Jetfire!" Phoenix ran to her squadron leader, who was out cold with an EPS conduit piece of shrapnel in his shoulder.

As she picked him up, her right bicep screamed. Her metal prosthetic had gotten so hot, it was burning her arm. And as she began to ascend the ladder her final time into the wildness of the main hangar, she prosthetic grip locked unto a rung.

She passed out moment later from the intense heat, dangling from the ladder.

Toshnarr found her moments later as he went around her carefully as he rescued Jetfire then he gently pried Phoenix loose from where she was hanging by her prosthetic which looked like it was reduced to a chunk of molten slag.

"Come Phoenix, your mate would be very angry with me if I left you to die." Toshnarr rasped softly as he hefted the two pilots almost like they were baggage.

Eight Ball somehow made it to an impromptu aid station. None of the medics noticed her. Without a word, she put the tech on the deck. As if in a trance she headed back to Lynx. A medic cried out to her "Where are you going?" as she went back in.

Teval finally collapsed to his knee's from exhaustion, his powers spent he could no longer hold back the fires that threatened to engulfed them. He just stared at the deck, motionless, as the fires closed in, when Varkon came in, saying, "Sorry little guy, your not dying today." Varkon then shouted to Fordring, "Hey Fordring, Heads up."

Fordring turned as he raised his arms. "Fire away!" he called back

Teval felt himself being lifted over Varkon's head, "Um Varkon, you arent seriously about to do, Thhhhaaaaattttttt." Teval found himself flying through the air as Varkon hurled him to Fordring, flailing his arms desperately as if trying to fly.

Fordring gently caught the small Kurokuri. "Come on little guy, you aren't gonna die today...." as he carried him over to the aid station.

Teval suddenly felt very small in Fordrings arms as he looked up at the big guy.

Through the fog of pain, Eight Ball found Lynx again. The tech was bandaged up and moaning. She was working on a pilot with a piece of metal stuck in his chest. The pilot was Hogshead.

Lynx looked up at Eight Ball. "Okay, take the tech back. I need to leave the metal in him." Lynx looked at Hogshead. "A surgeon needs to pull that out." Eight Ball just stood there silent for a moment. "Marine! Move this casualty out!" Lynx ordered Eight Ball. Silently, Eight Ball threw the tech over her shoulder and shambled back to the ersatz aid station.

Fordring turned to Tienn as he placed Teval on the padd alongside a dozen. "How ya doing Ensign?"

"I'm good Chief... keep em coming. I'm gonna be the last out."

"No heroics Ensign... I don't want to explain to Gyce why you died."

"I'll be fine Chief... keep em coming." and with that she beamed the dozen or so over to the Dreamcrusher as Lasky came through the door with another pilot in his arms, he gently set her down on the pad. "Sir... its time for you to go."

Lasky shook his head. "I'm fine."

"The shrapnel wounds tell em otherwise... time for you to go... sir." he said quietly. "Please sir.."

"Alright.," Lasky responded quietly. "Come back alive Chief."

Lynx was busy pulling Hogshead by his shoulders. She had treated him the best she could but they had to leave. As she struggled to drag him she could hear the hull creak. "No, not now." Lynx pleaded. Then, a part of the pod's hull ripped away. Wreckage and bodies went out into space along with Lynx and Hogshead.

Eight Ball made it back with her casualty. She placed him down next to some other wounded. She turned around and looked back into the fire. "Lynx?" She weakly asked and then attempted to walk back into the burning hanger.

Tienn sighed softly as she give Eight Ball a hypo full of a sedative. "Easy." as she caught the other woman, before placing her on the pad. "Time for you to leave us sweetie." before she beamed the dozen or so over to the saucer section. "If these men do not die well then..... it'll be a black matter for the king who lead them to it.." Tienn quoted Henry the Fifth as she did a quick scan. There were only a half dozen people left. "Guys... Lets go!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Varkon made a move heading down to the beam out point, however at that moment, Ra'Vak cut the last EPS conduit to the area and the structural integrity field in the pod lost power. Varkon didn't have any time to react as the floor promptly collapsed out from under him, pulling him out into space. Emergency forcefields only snapped in place after he had been pulled out, however, they were only operating on the remaining functional batteries in the pod.

Tienn knew her time was fast running out as Fordring gasped in horror. "No!!" he screamed loudly but he quickly realized that he could do nothing for Varkon as he fled the slaughterhouse that his hanger deck had become. "Tienn?"

Teval sat there on the cargo bay deck, his hands burned to the point of uselessness from overusing his powers. They had been beamed into one of the saucer section's cargo bay's that had been converted into a makeshift sickbay. Kroo, the medical officer from R&D, came over to attend to the new arrivals, along with several Nurses. When one of the medics came to check on him, he put his hand up saying, "No don't worry about it, my injuries are not life-threatening, deal with those whom need it first, I... Just need some rest."

The medic nodded after a quick scan, then went to go tend to other casualties, while Teval went over to a cot and just laid down while Kroo went first to attend to Eight Ball and the pilot she rescued.

Meanwhile Tienn looked at Kameron and those who remained. "Time to go guys.." she shrugged her shoulders "The pads still up... for how much longer.. who can say?"

"The system has been damaged.." Kameron sighed. "Lets draw staws?"

"No time... I'll stay and I'll operate the system... you guys go," Tienn responded before she drew a small holdout sidearm. "I'm sorry Kameron... Forgive my crimes.." and with that she stunned him on light stun, she caught him on the way down "Your wife needs you..." Tienn beamed the last remaining few guys left onto the other fleet ships and now it was just her alone. The small Bajoran woman smiled as she watched the forcefield fail and out the hatch and across the hanger she went, propelled by the force of the evacuating air, within moments she went sailing out of the pod and into deep space. Tienn exhaled to get as much air out of her lungs as possible as she took in the view all around her. "Wow..." she finished exhaling before she was beamed onto one of the other ships.

Zara watched with unease as the saucer began to gain distance before she punched the comm again. "Saw it off now, Zuko."

Zuko nodded to Isabella, "Fire."

All of Dreamcrusers portside phaser array's opened fire on the connecting strut holding the pod in place. It took less than 10 seconds for Dreamcrusher's phaser arrays to to cut the pod free. Dreamcrusher then hit the severed pod with a repulsor beam sending it flying. a mere 30 seconds later, the tetryon reactor in Zara's fighter exploded, which then detonated several more of the other fighters warp core's, obliterating the pod, and anything left inside.

"All ships in the fleet. Report your final list of Roanoke survivors and casualties within the hour, along with damage reports," Zara spoke almost stoically. She looked at Jake only once before she closed the channel and opened it again, "Crew of the Roanoke, do what you can with damage control. Once Engineering informs all fires are out, we will reconnect with the saucer. For now... know you all did a good job. We could of lost a lot more, if not for the talent of those lost and living."

Jake regarded Zara as he added his own piece. "This is the Admiral... my compliments everyone.. " he paused. "Zara... considering our location, I'm going to contact Starfleet to get some more help out here..."

"Sure," Zara agreed and walked over to the replicator. "I need water."

Jake sighed as he face-palmed. "I'll be back shortly." and with that he went into the ready room. "Yamaguchi to Sheridan. connect me to Starbase 12. I need to speak with the Admiral RFN."

"On it." came the response.

Jake looked into the face of his eldest sibling as she appeared on his screen. "Jake... whats wrong?"

"We've had a class One Alpha disaster." Jake went on to explain the situation to April, her face went from unease to disbelief to fear then to outright horror. "Jake...?"

"Yeah... we've lost our carrier... I know Torilla and the twins are fine.. same with Gabriel and Savannah... I don't know about Rachael or Elizabeth." he explained. "Can you send me some additional ships?"

"I can send the Song of the East, the Meridian, and the Shogun to you. Song of the East will be at your location in a couple of hours... knowing Captain T'Shaamet as we both do..." she paused. "The Shogun is eight hours out and the Meridian is eleven."

"Thank you April. I will inform you further about my daughters when I find out about them, okay?"

"Stay safe out there Jake.. I'll be waiting. Yamaguchi out." as April killed the transmission. Jake turned and went back onto the bridge. "April has sent us three ships... Song of the East, the Shogun and the Meridian," he explained. "Song of the East will get here quick but the other two are several hours out.."

"Thank you Jake," Zara spoke stoically as she watched the remnants of the pod finish burning in the space outside. "...I should probably head to sickbay once the ship is together again. Get a list of the souls lost."

Jake likewise watched the pod burn as the explosions finished consuming the metal as the entire superstructure began to fragment and disintegrate. "I can handle things here if you want."

"It's fine," Zara spoke after a long silence of trying to regather her thoughts. "I can handle things, Sir. I'll not rest until every living and dead soul is accounted for."

"I didn't expect you would..." Yamaguchi responded quietly. "Do you still need me here?" he inquired.

"You should be with your family," Zara suggested from an autopilot instinct. "They'll need you."

"They will.. but right now." Jake responded quietly. "I have two children in that mess.. I don't know how they fare.. but I can wait."