Buried
Posted on Sat Oct 24th, 2026 @ 6:32pm by Lieutenant JG Sevryn ("Seven") Redstone M.D. & Lieutenant Bartholomew Hale & Lieutenant Daltom Vesper & Lieutenant Sylar & Senior Chief Petty Officer Kotyar Ral Avran & Lieutenant JG Jade Petracca
2,871 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
The Invisible Hand
Location: Various Locations | USS Thunderbird
Timeline: MD005 - 1000
Air rushing into her lungs, Oryx's eyes shot open to pure darkness. Coughing up a lungful of dust, the Selay felt something pressing down upon her. Adrenaline began to fill her body, her senses sharpened. She pushed upward. Whatever pinned her was long and wide, and the slight rattle above suggested a heap of debris rested upon it. Feeling her muscles burn from the fruitless attempt to free herself, she ceased for a moment and took a breath.
She'd been here before, many years ago, when the Anticans bombed her barracks.
She was rescued then. She would be rescued now.
Feeling around in the pocket of rubble, she found the deck plating beneath her. The carpet was dotted with shards of transparent aluminum and metal. A tepid, thick liquid spread across her fingers, then fabric and the cool skin of a hand. Finally, nearby, a small object. She grasped for it, her reptilian eyes allowing her to make out a tiny black panel.
A palm beacon!
The small space bloomed to life in a painful flash of light.
Oryx gasped.
Beside her was the bloodied form of Crewman Athyb, an Andorian security officer who'd grabbed her in an attempt to spirit her to safety. Cobalt blood dripped from her lips, antennae and the cuts across her delicate icy-blue features.
"Oh, my poor girl, I am sorry," Oryx whispered. She stretched toward the young woman to feel for a pulse, but her scaled hand couldn't reach her.
"Help!" The Ambassador cried. She paused for a moment, ashamed by the absurd indignity, but looked across at the helpless Andorian girl. "Help!"
The Counselor had been making his way through the debris. He had every reason to believe that this mission was going to end in some sort of disaster. Having seen a great deal of violence and death on his homeworld, seeing the carnage was not something that was new to him.
He spotted the downed Andorian and bent down to feel her pulse. It appeared that Athyb was dead. Regardless, his primary objective was the Ambassador. "I am Lieutenant Vesper. Ambassador, I am going to need you to come with me."
"I'd love to, Lieutenant." Oryx winced, feeling the mountain of material pressing upon her. "But... I can't... I can't feel much of anything."
"Is there anything that you can move at all? Can you describe the injuries you can see or feel?" Daltom considered his options. Were communications up? He tapped his commbadge to see if it registered at all.
"I... I can only just move my arm, I'm completely pinned. I managed to get Athyb's light but... but I can't reach far enough to feel for a pulse. She's bleeding from the face and she's not conscious." The Ambassador sighed, watching the young woman's blood trickle down her face. Then she saw the Andorian's lips part slightly to draw a shallow breath. Beneath the rubble, hope flashed across Oryx's scaled features. "Lieutenant, she's breathing. Quick, get assistance!"
The Counselor, having hit his commbadge stated, =^= Lieutenant Syler, emergency medical condition. Have the transporter room beam Ambassador Oryx and Crewman Athyb to sickbay immediately. =^=
|Sickbay
|Simultaneously
With Sickbay's beds already flooded with casualties, Jade shuddered at the thought of another case not just walking through her doors, but beaming onto a biobed. Orderlies, nurses and doctors were severely outmatched by the stream of casualties. Walking wounded were propped up in the corner. Crew from all divisions who weren't on damage control and had any medical training were pulled from other duties to handle the influx.
Having done her residency in emergency medicine, Seven had been working her way around the room. What looked like chaos to an untrained eye, was more ordered from a medical perspective. She'd been doing triage, shunting the worst cases toward the more experienced doctors and handling the small stuff herself as she could.
"This is Doctor Petracca here, Daltom. Sylar is at the crash site, but should be back shortly. We're pretty full here." She intercepted an officer who had a burned arm and ushered him toward Redstone, another new MD. "Seven, get him patched up, thanks."
"Sure," Seven said and then, turning toward the young man, added, "Have a seat over here. I've just got to finish with the petty officer's broken arm and I'll be right with you."
A moment later, a wall console erupted with a shower of sparks, peppering the floor with fragments of the display. A crewman seconded to Sickbay grabbed a fire extinguisher to combat the blaze.
"Got anything else for me, big guy?" Jade muttered to the lord above as she got back to the ship's counselor. "Daltom, sorry, what's happening?"
Daltom answered, deciding he would correct Jade on protocol after people were saved, =^= Lieutenant Petracca, I am with Ambassador Oryx and Crewman Athyb. Crewman Athyb appeared to be dead but the Ambassador says she may be alive. Ambassador Oryx cannot physically move or be moved. They need to be beamed immediately to sickbay for urgent treatment. Lives are stake. Do it, now! =^= The Counselor's voice was controlled but his tone made it clear that there was no room for argument and that the doctor had better comply.
"I'm standing by." Jade called to Daltom. She waved a dermal regenerator over a science officer's burned arm as she waited for Athyb and Oryx to appear. She tapped her combadge, "Sickbay to Transporter Room. I'm waiting for an urgent emergency transport on Deck 4, I need an update."
=^="They're in the queue,"=^= A man's voice replied over the com.
"The queue?" Jade barked at the transporter chief. "That's a dying crewmember and a Federation Ambassador! Do it now, that's an order."
There was a pause.
=^="Initiating transport,"=^= His resigned voice called.
"Thank you!" Jade called, her eyes flashing. She waited again. "Transporter room, where are they?"
=^= "Sickbay, whatever they're under is stopping me from getting through. I've directed a damage control team down there. I can beam them out once they're clear." =^=
"Keep a lock on them. Sickbay out." Jade let out a long sigh and tapped her combadge again. "Daltom, they can't get a transporter lock. They're sending a damage control team down to you."
|Deck 4, Corridor
|Subsequently
"Lieutenant?" Oryx struggled, calling out to Vesper. She'd felt her body tingle with an energised transporter beam. She'd even watched Athyb fade in a glowing shimmer and materialise immediately after. They were still pinned, still stuck under the rubble. The transport had failed. "What's... what's going on?"
Daltom quickly relayed the situation. "The Ambassador is pinned and the Crewman Oryx is in critical condition. According to the Ambassador, she is breathing but I did not sense a pulse. Perhaps my Andorian anatomy is a bit rusty. I can look into that after someone gets both of them to sickbay." There was no rush in his words but he was firm in his statements. "Someone must get them down there now. I can only lift one."
The Damage Control Officer, a dark-haired woman who looked slightly too slight for the job, moved up to Daltom with a team of 3 with her. "I'm Chief Seda," she introduced herself, matter-of-factly. There was a dark smudge on her face, which was unfortunately just soot and dirt from a previous assignment rather than war paint. "Status?"
Daltom repeated himself. "The Ambassador is pinned and the Crewman Oryx is in critical condition. According to the Ambassador, she is breathing but I did not sense a pulse. Perhaps my Andorian anatomy is a bit rusty. I can look into that after someone gets both of them to sickbay. There is no more time for talk. We need to act or Oryx will die."
Seda looked at her team before she nodded. "Okay, let's start getting these down. Nate, I want you to get the pressure bags out. Oph, start monitoring the vitals. I want this steady enough for us to get them transported to sickbay." She looked at Daltom before she gave a nod, a hint of a smile on her face, somewhere in the darkness of her eyes.
|Sickbay
|Subsequently
Oryx came to beneath the bright, flickering lights of sickbay. She could feel soft padding below her, and the scent of the room had changed. She had swapped the stench of scorched, heaped duranium for disinfectant tinged with smoke. She sensed warmth beside her. She looked across and found Vesper beside her. "Lieutenant...?"
Daltom answered simply, "I got you to sickbay with Crewman Athyb for treatment. You were both badly injured."
"Mmm." Oryx acknowledged with a strained nod. Her eyes searched for Athyb. The Selay saw her limp blue hand on a biobed, doctors rushing to her side. "You've done well, Lieutenant."
"I just did my duty," Daltom replied simply and genuinely. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Relieved," Oryx replied. She felt a pang of guilt when she thought of Athyb, who bore the brunt of the crushing force. Her thoughts turned to another matter that had occupied her thoughts. "Ambassador Tasat? His people? Are they safe?"
"I did not see Ambassador Tasat or any of his people," Daltom replied, slightly perturbed.
"Oh." Oryx felt her heart sink. "Please let me know if you hear anything."
"I will. I am concerned about this development," Daltom concluded.
"Lieutenant, I am fine." Her scaled lips curled into a forced smile, she reached out to touch his hand reassuringly. "These negotiations must continue. If you could investigate their wellbeing, I would be grateful."
"I understand the significance. I know that we will do everything that we can to safeguard the Ambassador."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Oryx replied with a reassured smile.
Completing another round of treatment and sending a crewman on their way, Jade rushed to the main biobed. Miraculously, it had been free for about 30 seconds before the Andorian was beamed onto it. Her face and torn uniform were covered in pools of cobalt blood and fragments of metal and soot. Jade looked to the Vulcan medico, "Doctor Redstone and I are free, Sylar. Would you like one of us to assist you with the crewman and the other to examine the Ambassador?"
The CMO had just returned to Sickbay, he and two other able-bodied crew members escorting seven walking wounded (although a very burly human engineering crewman was using the slender Vulcan doctor for support, Sylar almost eagerly handing the crewman over to one of the medical staff). Their journey had been delayed by the need to stop and collect the wounded as they made their way back. The Vulcan was truly filthy: a mix of dust, smoke soot, and (presumably) human blood. Sylar looked from his little procession of injured crewmen under his care, his attention shifting to the Selay Ambassador and the Andorian crewman. The extent of the blood loss to the crewman was apparent, though its significance could not be accurately determined by visual assessment alone. He looked from Doctor Petracca to Doctor Redstone.
"Doctor Redstone, assume responsibility for the ambassador and complete the assessment. I will join you when I have attended to this patient." He turned to Petracca. "Doctor Petracca, you will support me with this crewman. Given the apparent severity of the injuries and the potential consequences of delayed intervention it is logical to prioritise this patient." His tone remained level, but his next words were unequivocal. He lowered his voice so that only Petracca could hear him. "You have previously exhibited emotional instability during emergency triage and surgical procedures. Under the present circumstances, I require confirmation that you remain capable of performing your duties without impairment, both physically and emotionally.
He paused, allowing the question to stand.
"Can you confirm this? My assessment of your prowess and skill remains unchanged and I would value your assistance."
"Thank you, Sylar," Jade said with a nod. She was buoyed by her superior's faith, and by the realisation that she had performed competently since the crisis had begun. "I've spoken to Counselor Vesper. I'm ready."
Sylar nodded. "The Counselor has a perceptiveness which he partners with a directness. If he held any concerns then he would have addressed them with you." He turned to the patient, and noted with approval that the biobed had been set for an Andorian patient. It would do it automatically, but the pedant in Sylar believed in preparing one's equipment oneself wherever possible. "Multiple compression injuries, a punctured lung, and significant soft-tissue trauma. I am also detecting internal hemorrhaging, though its precise extent requires confirmation. Stabilise the patient with forty ccs of Inaprovaline, and initiate a level two scan to check for damage to the antennae and neural system." His expression remained impassive but his voice had an intensity. "Doctor Petracca, it is my assessment that we have a sixty eight percent chance of saving this crewman's life."
"Let's get to it. We've got a survivor, Doctor Sylar," Jade called, hurrying to the medical trolley and loading a vial into a hypospray. She moved back to Athyb, pressing the hypo against the Andorian's neck. "Forty ccs Inaprovaline. Initiating cranial scan." She placed the hypospray aside and moved to the head of the biobed. She positioned a transparent aluminium headband to Athyb's forehead and ordered a scan. A diagram of the Andorian's neural pathways appeared on the display. Two areas of the Andorian's brain were flashing yellow. She reported to Sylar, "Severe concussion, with evidence of cerebral contusions."
"Fascinating," Sylar said, almost in a whisper. "You can see, Doctor, the wavelength sensitive cones of the antennae and the cortex connection to the brain. The perception that this offers the brain is remarkable." He pointed to the brain. "It would have been more advantageous to the Crewman if her antennae had simply been removed. Look," he said with intensity. "Significant oedema. There is also evidence of secondary neural injury, most likely resulting from the initial impact and subsequent compression. We must stabilise increasing intracranial pressure. We will not initiate broad neural regeneration until that has been established. Stimulating regeneration in an already swollen brain would be an unnecessarily illogical approach.”
"Agreed," Jade replied, examining the display. "I suggest administering a neurovascular stabiliser to bring the swelling down. We can then monitor the intracranial pressure. Once it decreases, we can begin the regeneration of the damaged brain tissue."
Sylar looked surprised, and swiftly regained his composure. "Doctor Petracca," he walked away from the cluster of officers around prone Athyb. "I assess that you are more than capable of treating this patient without my supervision. Proceed with the neurovascular stabiliser. I am going to check on Doctor Redstone and Ambassador Oryx."
"Of course, Doctor," Jade replied. She loaded another hypo, smiling over her shoulder at the CMO before returning to her patient.
With Doctor Redstone examining her, Oryx grimaced through the ministrations. While sensation had returned to her body after being compressed by a deluge of debris, numbness was replaced by stabbing pain in her leg. She noticed the Vulcan Doctor approach and tried her best to relax as the examination continued.
"Scans are complete," Redstone said as her gaze found Sylar's own. "Crush injury to the right femur and femoral head. Blood flow has been restored; negative for Crush Syndome."
Sylar inclined his head as he reviewed the diagnostic results. “Restoration of perfusion is encouraging," he said this to Redstone, "as is the absence of crush syndrome, although damage to the femoral head may have implications beyond those typically observed in more Terran-like humanoid patients. The Selay anatomy is,” he raised an eyebrow, "unique. An efficient attendance, Doctor Redstone," Sylar said to his younger colleague.
"Ambassador," Sylar said, addressing Oryx, "Doctor Redstone's scans indicate that you sustained a crush injury to your right femur and the adjoining hip joint." He paused, letting Oryx take this in. "Doctor Redstone has restored blood flow to the affected area, and there is currently no evidence of crush syndrome, a potentially serious complication that can occur when damaged tissue releases substances into the bloodstream. For Selay patients, this is a significant risk. You are fortunate," he said with a hint of levity.
"Quite so." Oryx gave the Vulcan doctor a nod. "I am more concerned about Crewman Athyb, Doctor. How is she?"
"She is stabilising," Sylar said, bluntly, "we are continuing to assess her condition, particularly the secondary impact of trauma upon her brain and neural function. We will keep you updated on her condition," Sylar said in as close to a reassuring tone as a Vulcan could manage, "but it is my current assessment that she will be saved, and in time make a satisfactory recovery."
"Good... good," the Selay replied with a tired nod. The Ambassador's expression grew resolute as she looked between the two doctors. "I must to return to our negotiations as soon as possible. Proceed with your treatments."
Sylar nodded to Redstone, inclined his head in a respectful half bow to the Ambassador, and returned to his other patients.
Lieutenant Sylar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Thunderbird
Lieutenant Daltom Vesper
Counselor
USS Thunderbird
Lieutenant JG Jade Petracca
Medical Officer
USS Thunderbird
(written by Lt. Bartholomew Hale)
Lieutenant JG Sevryn ("Seven") Redstone
Medical Officer
USS Thunderbird
Ambassador Oryx
Federation Ambassador
(Written by Lt. Bartholomew Hale)
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