<USS Avalon> "Federation vs. Coalition" Pt. 2

?Federation vs. Coalition? ? Part Two
by Commander Javan Sierra
& Lieutenant Caine Reilly McKinsley



Adrenaline was pumping through Caine's veins as she tried to retreat up the Jefferies tubes without falling or getting shot. It was insane to her, the whole situation, but she tried not to dwell on it. Instead she moved faster, hoping not to slip and fall back onto Javan; that would kill them for sure.

He hooked one arm through the rungs and put up one leg above the other, turning and aiming down the tube. He fired a couple shots and heard the sizzling sound of flesh being burned off the bones. The entire squad had retreated into the junction room and he followed and sealed the door. It wouldn't help them for long, the computer sequences for the door panels were already being rerouted, but he sure as hell was going to be ready. "Keep going! Through the holodeck, there's a Jefferie's tube access hatch that takes you into the Aero Shuttle bay."

Caine looked down at him and they made eye contact for a short while before he squinted and pushed her up a bit before sitting on the bottom rung with his phaser poised and aimed at the Jefferies Tube access hatch. It hissed open and a spoonhead peered through - and promptly demolecularized as an orange blast emanated from Javan's rifle. He lashed out and kicked a human in the face, a female, and then Javan closed the hatch again and scampered up the ladder. "Down the corridor, seventh door on your left - keep your eyes open!"

She went running, full speed, down the corridor and almost missed the door. Doing a quick U-turn she hit the access button and ran into the room, keeping the door open for Javan. She half hung her body out, holding her phaser in her hands as back up while Javan ran towards the door. "Come on Javan!" she yelled.

Javan watched the other members file in after her, but Javan took his time providing cover fire. He threw himself into the holodeck after her and watched her seal the doors. "We need a program where we can hide and provide enough cover so we can get to the access point. I'm thinking a story about the lost city of El Dorado. Jungles and spires and jewels and diamonds. Computer, activate program El Dorado Four." The familiar holo-matrix disintegrated into nothingness and was replaced with the luscious green forest and sandstone fortifications. "Move people, it's in the main temple in the very back - if I remember correctly."

The El Dorado program was a great idea, Caine just wished they were in camouflage so that they could hide easier in all the vegetation. Waiting a second, as other people went in front of her, Caine wondered for a moment if their enemy would know everything and know enough to see through the program. Shaking her head of her thoughts, she moved quietly with the rest of the members to the back and the temple that was hopefully awaiting them.

"Computer, scramble holodeck controls and disengage the safety protocols. Authorization Sierra 37 Alpha Echo." They meandered through the jungle and came up to a pyramid-like structure. He pushed Caine up first, and when she entered the building Javan stared up with Sykora and Clydeno with him. The leaves rustled and Javan turned in time to see a flying orange projectile heading his way. "Down!"

It was too late.

Clydeno took a round in the chest, staggered backwards into the wall and then fell forward. He hit the edge and began to cascade over. He hit the steps and rolled head over heels down the concrete steps. The sickening crunch of his bones snapping made Javan cringe. The final blow to his head, which obviously snapped his neck if he hadn't died from the phaser shot, came when he slammed head first into the sandy gravel.

Sykora made a motion towards the ledge, but Javan couldn?t have it, "No! Get in there ensign, that's an order!" Javan shoved him into the dark and damp recesses of the ziggurat. They slide down the muck-covered walkway and proceeded into the bowels of the temple. "All the way through! Caine, lead the way!"

Making sure that they were behind her, Caine ran through passage after passage, trying to find a safe place to go and not sure where it was she was going really. She had heard Clydeno's body fall and it made her feel sick, so did all the death that she knew was happening on the ship. There was an aching, sharp pain in her side, but Caine ignored it as she continued to run full speed, away from their attackers.

Javan caught up with Sykora who seemed to be a drunken state of complete confusion. Without much hesitation Javan pushed her into the opening as golden and jewels of all colors opened up before them. Javan had to cover his eyes from the shock to his retinas, but after they adjusted to the light change they pressed on. The group was down to himself, Caine, Sykora, and three other officers whom he hadn't much familiarity with. "Caine, pop the hatch. You lead. Down the corridor and take a sharp left. Follow it to the end. It'll open up right onto the deck. Set up a covering post there until the rest of us meet up with you."

Not trusting her voice at that moment, Caine simply nodded her understanding. Moving forward, she popped the hatch and headed out. Part of her wanted to just curl up in that temple she left behind her and cry while the other half just wanted to keep running. Running down the corridor, she stopped right before her sharp left and peeked around the corner just to make she it was empty. Turning she began to move as fast as she could to the end. Stopping at the perfect point, she quickly established a new covering post and waited for the rest of the team to come following behind her. She only hoped that they would get to her before the enemy got to them.

"You," he pointed to a nameless ensign, "go down that corridor. It'll open into an armory. Grab some more phaser compression rifle power packs and grab some plasma explosives. You two go down and aid Lieutenant McKinsley." Within mere moments the unnamed soldier returned with the rations Javan had asked for and Javan set to work. The wires crossed here, the circuits manipulated the flow of power there, and in the end was a nice proximity bomb. "Join the others, ensign. I'll be along in a minute."

The ensign put a hand on Javan's shoulder, "Sir?"

"This is going to be a hell of an explosive. Move." Javan set the bomb and the two crawled to safety and Javan sealed the hatch. After not even a minute of sealing the hatch the deck rumbled and a loud smashing sound came from the opposite side of the hatch. "Told you." Smiling, which he thought he'd never have a chance to do again, he moved down the corridor to join the rest of the team.

Caine and the two ensigns that Javan had sent to her, heard the sound of the bomb exploding. Without thinking, Caine moved to go back, and in her mind, save the few crewmembers there.

"No Ma'am!" one of the ensigns said, literally holding her back. "Their fine, come one, lets just stay on our guards here and wait and if they don?t come in a five minutes, we'll retreat farther."

What the ensign said made sense. Nodding, Caine moved back to her position and tried to catch her breath, she press her hand against her side, hoping to stop the pain. Her side felt warm and sticky, pulling her hand away, she saw blood. One of the soldiers must have hit her when she was running. Caine wished to take a moment to bandage her side but she didn't have the time, there didn't see to be any time or too much time at the moment, everything was messed up and she was hurting like hell. Removing her hand from her side, she wiped the blood on her pants and gripped her phaser, pointing at the end of the corridor and praying that Javan and the others would be turning it at any moment.

Javan rounded the corner with that trademark smiled plastered on his face. "They won't be bothering us any more. Man your stations on the Aero Shuttle and prepare to leave the Avalon."

Caine sighed in relief to see that Javan and the few others with him were relatively safe. Turning, she followed the others in the group to the shuttle, moving a bit slower then before but still moving quickly.

"Sir, I was on the bridge when we were first attacked. They were cloaked."

Javan nodded, knowing this.

"Are you sure that we can do any damage given that they've nearly crippled the Avalon?"

"Better than fighting a futile fight on board the Avalon."

No, Javan thought, this fight wasn't futile. This fight had meaning. This fight had an enemy with no morals or ethics when it came to prisoners. They were, in fact, no longer fighting the United Coalition Starship Tempest. They weren't fighting Cardassians or Romulans. Hell, they weren't even fighting humans. They were fighting their worst enemy.

Time.

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