Just Keep Climbing

Posted on Thu Feb 8th, 2024 @ 11:13am by Captain Velasaria Azumé

541 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Million Miles Away
Location: USS Amaterasu, Turbolift
Timeline: MD01, 1437hrs

The acrid smell of burning plastics and plasma stung her nose. Tears fell from Velasaria's eyes as she struggled to push herself up off the deck, her hand slipping as she fell back groaning as her forehead bounced off the carpeted floor of the turbo lift. "Wha..." She tried, coughing as she struggled to sit up, she'd been on the way to the bridge... The Captain called, some kind of abnormal magnetic reading that was disrupting their sensors. It had been intriguing, confounding and if they hadn't been hovering a few million kilometers from the Klingon Neutral Zone. She had to get up, get to the bridge.

On your feet Azumé... The Orion grumbled, one green hand planting itself on the deck she tried pushing up again. Feeling the same warm liquid in the carpet, more came back to her, she hadn't been alone in the turbolift. Looking up, Vel's eyes landed on the body of Lieutenant T'merek, the Vulcan Chief Navigator. While the man had sometimes been seen as aloof and uncaring of those around him, Vel instantly knew his silence and lack of help had nothing to do with Vulcan stoicism. "Fuck..." She checked his pulse, knowing the man was long past helping, the turbolift's status display had overloaded, shrapnel and burns covered his body. Laying a hand on her colleague's hand, she hoped that his hand was quick, and thanked him for his unintended sacrifice.

Even more reason to get moving!

His sacrifice wouldn't be in vain, Vel wasn't going to wallow and wait for assistance; She was a Starfleet Commander, the Chief Science Officer of the USS Amaterasu, and a Prime daughter of Orion! Finally picking herself up off the deck, wiping her bloodied hands on her uniform pants, she looked for a way out. The control interfaces were ashambles, displays completely shot... Communicator!

Velasaria snapped as she reached for the hidden compartment at the back of her belt, fishing the small device from its place and flipping it open. The characteristic series of chirps gave her no small amount of comfort as the clamshell device came to life.

"Bridge this is Azumé do you read?"

Silence

"Azumé to bridge come in... Anyone!"

Shit...

"Engineering..."

Static

Letting out a wail of frustration Vel nearly spiked the device, her almost savior straight into the deck. A ringing, shameful thought which sounded suspiciously like her mother was all that kept her from giving into the rising temper tantrum. Leaning against the bulkhead Vel closed her eyes. Calm, she needed to be calm, be rational, there was a way out of this... she would MAKE a way out of this!

Wiping her hand across her brow, Vel was thankful for the breeze. The turbolift was hot and her mini-freak out hadn't helped her keep cool. At least the smoke was clearing because of.. the breeze! Looking up Vel almost smiled. The turbolift escape hatch! It was slightly bent open, not fully, she'd have to work it a bit. But she had a way out of here, after that she just had to climb, climb until she reached the bridge.

"Alright... one right after the other. Just keep climbing."

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