Tanks as Snowplows - Part Two

Posted on Thu Mar 5th, 2020 @ 1:56am by Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Saki Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 54: Where Snow Meets Sky
Location: Redfish Township - Niven
Timeline: 1030Hrs, Local Time - December 21st, 2391

Hakaya felt the tank come to a stop, interrupting her brief nap. Looking up at Kelisya. "Are we at our destination."

Kelisya nodded while Okarvo set the parking brake, "Yep, we are here."

Okaro stretched, anxious to get out of the driver's seat, "Yeah that was a longer drive than I expected. I expected 15 minutes, not an hour and a half."

Kelisya shrugged, "It couldn't be helped, the bridge was out and the snow thicker than we expected."

Hakaya gave Zara a suspicious look, "Try not to do anything crazy, I know you are up to something."

"Oh I would never do that," Zara smiled innocently. "I just wanna help out as best I can."

Hakaya gave Zara a look," That innocent smile is not fooling me, I can smell that you are up to something."

Saki sighed softly. "You guys worry too much.." she commented.

"We'll be fine, I promise." Zara continued to smile to Hakaya.

Saki shifted her attention to regard Zara while shifted her position ever so slightly. "Okay... "

"Let's help carry stuff, Saki." Zara suggested with a wink.

Hakaya looked at the two of them, shook her head while Kelisya commented to Hakaya, "Alright, we are going to go get this plowing done, call us on the radio when you are ready for pick up."

Hakaya nodded then followed the other three engineers into the power station while Okarvo and Kelisya got back into their vehicle and began their task of plowing the streets.

"Follow them..." Zara whispered into Saki's ear. "Not too close though."

Saki nodded her head slowly as she followed the tank, it was slowly outrunning her so she was easily able to keep up with the tank.

After 5 minutes of plowing snow, Kelisya, whom was sitting with her upper body sticking out of the gunners hatch heard both Zara and Saki following the tank. "Hey Okarvo, stop the tank."

Okarvo hit the brakes while Kelisya spun around and looked at Saki and Zara. "Is there a reason you two are following us."

Saki responded first. "We're actually heading this way... we were not actually following you.." she sighed. "are you guys actually being paranoid...?" she inquired.

Kelisya then pointed out, we have gone up and down the same street twise and turned down another, I rather doubt you are somehow magically happening to be going in the same direction."

"I wanted to gauge the three-point turn ratio, actually." Zara put her hands in her pockets as she spoke softly. "That, and to see if the treads were good."

Kelisya shook her head then said to Okarvo. Alright lets continue, but now we drive at at least 20 km/h, that way if they want to follow us, they have to run."

Okarvo nodded and continued driving.

"Smart...." Zara smiled as she pulled out her tricorder to look as a topographical map. "Map lesson time, Saki."

Saki regarded Zara. "How so.?" she responded. "Why not borrow another tank... there are others around right..?"

Zara smiled, "No. But they'll be back. They need to pick up their boss and report in."

After about 30 minutes of plowing, Okarvo was really started to get cold again as the tanks heater stopped working, "Gah, why did we have to pick the tank with the broken heater."

Kelisya felt bad for her driver so she commented, "Alright, park near that coffee shop, we will warm our paws in there."

Meanwhile nearby. Saki spotted the tank as she gently poked her head around the corner, she in truth didn't mind the cold as she was wearing a heavy jacket. "Bingo.."

Okarvo parked the vehicle and turned it off, then got out and hurried into the shop, while Kelisya, whom was less affected by the cold, followed.

The shop owner, a Bajoran male, saw the two small Akurians enter his shop, and commented, "Cold?"

Okarvo nodded, but didn't say anything, while Kelisya replied," Yeah he is a little cold, so we're just here to warm our paws that's all."

The owner looked at the two Furry being's noting that neither of them wore any clothing at all, prompting him to comment," Yeah, that's why most people I know wear clothes when its cold, and decently heavy clothes at that." He then noticed the Kelisya didn't even seem slightly bothered by the cold at all. "Though I guess for you your fur does a pretty good job huh."

Kelisya shrugged. "Eh, this cold is nothing for me."

The owner shrugged. "Well, anyway, is there anything I can get you two."

Okarvo looked at the menu, saying. "Got anything warm to drink."

The shopkeeper nodded, "Sure." he then explained to Okarvo the varieties of warm drinks he had.

Meanwhile outside Saki Yamaguchi smiled. "Zara...?" she inquired.

"In we go," the Trill winked to Saki and casually walked to the tank so as not to draw attention.

Saki smiled as she climbed up the tank and dropped into the crew cabin. "Ahhh yes.!"

"I drive, you gun." Zara whispered to the kid as she climbed into the cabin as well. "We're gonna clean the bridge, I think."

Saki nodded. "Kay." as she tapped the display before her, the gun controls activated except one marking in red said that she had no ordinance. "Targeting the ..... large building."

"Don't fire unless you have a targeting solution," Zara winked to the kid.

Okarvo and Kelisya walked out of the coffee shop, and just stood there staring at the spot where their tank was supposed to be. Then Kelisya got Hakaya on the comms, "Um, Hakaya, our tank is missing."

Hakaya sighed and growled, knowing exactly what happened to the tank, and she stormed out of the power station.

"I have a solution." Saki responded before she pulled the trigger.

Zara jokingly said, "Fire when ready." The Trill began to drive the tank toward the bridge.

Saki watched in silence as she pictured the building she had targeted turning itself into a pile of rubble in her minds eye.

"You strapped in?" Zara asked the kid as she slowly began to plow the snow.

Meanwhile Kelisya and Okarvo walked out of the coffee shop and found themselves staring at the empty parking space where their tank used to be. Kelisya then sighed and got Hakaya on the comms," Um Hakaya, our tank is gone."

Hakaya gave off a very irritated growl, knowing exactly what happened," alright I'm on it, I know what happened." She then stormed out of the power station and started looking for the missing tank.

"What's our next target?" Zara asked Saki while she neared the bridge.

Saki checked. "Across the bridge is city hall..." she responded.

"Steady as she goes," Zara smiled as she cranked the speed a tad more and began to move across the bridge.

Saki went to say something when suddenly she heard a loud groaning sound before the world went away for a moment in a bright flash.

Things came back as Saki groaned. "Oh... what the hell..?" she asked weakly.

"Easy..." Zara spoke semi-groggily as she worked hard to get Saki out of the harness, then she popped open the top hatch and carried the child up and out. "Anything broken?"

"Not as such.." Saki responded evenly. "You can set me down now hero." the small child clearly didn't like being carried.

"I'm sorry..." Zara spoke, guilt all over her face. "I did not see the braces underside. Had I..."

"I guess we're really in trouble now.." Saki sighed as she stepped across the tank's hull but she slipped, with a single scream which was cut off when her skull connected with the tank's hull. Saki tumbled and rolled into the river and was gone before anyone could do anything about it, her body washed away by the raging river.

Hakaya heard the scream as she approached the wrecked bridge. She could also hear uncollapsed sections of the bridge still cracking, the whole thing was ready to come down, right on top of Zara's head. Just as the next section of bridge started to keel over ready to fall on Zara and the tank, Hakaya quickly tapped her combadge, saying," Hakaya to roanoke, emergency beam out, beam Zara and Saki Yamaguchi out now."

Zara got beamed away, but the transporter chef reported, "I can't get a lock on Saki Yamaguchi, she isn't in the tank."

Hakaya figured Saki must have fallen into the river, so without further hesitation she ran to the edge and dove in herself. Not 20 seconds later a second section of bridge collapsed, crushing the tank. It took Hakaya nearly a minute of struggling to catch on to Saki, and once she did, she knew she had only one way out, using her energy manipulator abilities to self teleport. Unfortunately, she had never attempted to teleport herself in such a stressful situation, let alone trying to teleport anyone else. However she focused as hard as she could, and in a flash, she managed to teleport herself and Saki to shore.

With a lot of difficulty Hakaya requested an emergency beamout, and the transporter chief obliged, beaming the both of them to sickbay, where the medics where already checking Zara.

Galiaan Fordring did not need to be briefed as she gently received the wounded child who was already cold to the touch from the shivering feliniod being before her.

Fordring gently tapped her combadge. "Fording to Yamaguchi. Rachael you are needed in Roanoke's sickbay... Your daughter has been hurt."

Elsewhere on the planet surface. Rachael simply blinked her large dark eyes once before she turned to the Chief Petty Officer she had been asissting. "Chief. I hate to go but.."

"Go Rachael. Your child needs you more then we do."

"Thanks." and with that Rachael called for a beam up to the USS Roanoke. Minutes later she was in sickbay as she spotted Saki lying on a bed with her eyes closed. "What happened?"

"We're still gathering the particulars of the case.." Fordring explained to the woman who was half her size. "From what we can tell she was in an Akurian tank being driven by Commodore Zara Tane. "

"So... the good Commodore drove a tank off a bridge... Bad Zara." Rachael responded. "How is she?"

"Lucky... She's very lucky to be alive.. thanks to Hakaya over there."
she indicated the feline being who was being tended to by two medics.

"I misjudged the support braces," Zara spoke more to herself, shock deeply in her tone and expression. "I told her to wear the helmet.... Why'd she have to run ahead of me? ...It's all my fault... my fault..."

Teval walked into sickbay and first approached his sibling, whom was dripping wet and had a towel around her. she was still shivering from the cold water. "So what happened here."

Hakaya glanced at Zara before responding to her brother," Zara though it was a good idea to go joyriding in an Akurian tank, and she drove onto a pedestrian bridge, which predictably collapsed. Saki slipped and fell into the river, and I had to jump in and rescue her."

Teval nodded, and decided now was not the time to lecture Zara, instead walking over to Rachael and Saki. "So how is Saki."

Rachael didn't answer as she herself didn't know. Ensign Kadian Paris who was tending to Saki, regarded Teval. "Helen, take over for me please?" she said to a nearby nurse "Lets go over there guys." as she led Rachael and Teval away from Saki. "Well the bad news is.. she's in a coma as she took a very serious blow to the head. Also she has a rather serious case of hypothermia in addition to over a dozen other flesh wounds, cuts and scrapes, that sort of thing.."

Rachael listened in silence. "The good news?"

"Saki is in no danger of dying at present.." Paris explained. "Also she is expected to make a full and complete recovery, however she won't have memories of the events that put her in here.."

Teval nodded, "Well, that's something at least."

Rachael turned back to regard her daughter as it hit her that Saki could have died this day. She exhaled softly and then inhaled. "Excuse me." she said softly before she went over to Zara Tane. "You... are dangerous. Keep away from daughter.. or else.."

Zara, in her own form of pain and guilt, did not look at Rachael. She just stood up and walked out of the room. Autopilot taking her to who knows where.