Intelligence officer's log 01

Posted on Sunday March 12th, 2017 @ 3:28pm by Lieutenant JG Azrathiel Voidstar

Mission: Episode Twenty: Rocks through crosshairs
Location: USS Cychreides
Timeline: 94772.87

We were summoned for briefing in regards of our next assignment on Rh'ti station.

It seemed like there was going to be an important Science Conference held on planet Rh'ti and many important figureheads and people of interest would be attending that said conference, an opportunity for us to embed ourselves into the crowds and gather more knowledge about the Cartel activities,connections and possible affiliations, knowledge what we really need.

This was supposed to be a very light and prudent intel op so we were equipped lightly to minimize the risks. Soon, we boarded our shuttle and while waiting for finalization of certain ''late minute'' upgrades, I briefed Chief Petty Officer Kara and Torv, our late arrival from Engineering.
After the small brief and upgrades installed, we took off and began our journey towards the planet. Our path ran through an asteroid field as we entered to the region and began our approach. I had bad feeling about the asteroid field, my senses were nervous and I felt threatened, Chief Petty Officer Torv shared my views while others seemed to be not bothered.

However, little did we know what would happen next.

In an instant our shuttle was rocked around and bounced around, we were thrown around inside by these motions. We were bombed by asteroids, rocks and weapons fire, we were being intercepted!
With very little capabilities to fight back, we tried to maneuver ourselves out from this predicament but to no avail as they kept bombing and firing us, causing wide spreading system damage and fire, quickly crippling our shuttle and we were spinning out of control and fast, plummeting down towards a large asteroid. We had just enough time to pull on our EV suits and brace for impact till we crashed... by that moment I lost conciousness.

I woke up when Chief Petty Officer Torv was fixing and repairing my dented and cracking visor. I suffered only suit damage, other wise I was fine but others... didn't were so lucky.

Petty Officer Lai and Lieutenant JG Visone were out of commission and lied unconsious in the wreckage along with one MACO down as well.
My focus soon shifted to a raging firefight outside of the wreckage, Chief Petty Officers kara and Torv were tending to the wounded and pulling them to shuttle's wreckage for cover. Chief Petty Officer Talan Sohl, MACO team A leader was holding the advancing cartel forces at way along with seriously wounded Lieutenant Commander Dovok who was laying on the ground but still fighting. I joined the defense and thanked Torv for fixing my suit, he returned to tending the wounded as I arrived to the defensive line.

It was grim, we we're cut off and they kept on coming, our position was terrible and we were exposed, only cover was minor rocks and wreckage. Chief Petty Officer Kara was tasked to recon and infiltrate the cartel lines and to find one of their shuttles and sabotage it's computer system. She was successful and returned to us shortly.

However, another series of weapons fire began to land on the Cartel lines from our right flank, some one else was also here and taking the fight to the Cartel. We quickly found out it was a friendly with a grudge against the Cartel and arrived just in time for helping us. The cartel forces retreated and the friendly who assisted us approached us and we got acquainted after some necessary security proceedings, he was a local, Talai.
He was investigating into Rh'ti Government corruption along with his squad but they were all wiped out except for him.

We used this situation for retreating for more tactically viable location, a large hill that was quite close to us. It was a fine, suitable location to defend plus high ground and difficult terrain. Lieutenant Commander was laying on the ground, leaning against some rocks as he asked me to stay as others went and gathered our wounded and supplies and headed for the hill. I stayed with him.

We talked briefly, Lieutenant Commander was suffering from very bad internal bleeding and his other arm was broken. He told me if he was to loose consciousness I was to be in command and insisted on leaving himself and Lieutenant JG Visone behind since it would slow rest of the team down. I protested at such idea, I do not leave any one behind. Even if it would be a situation where needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I took my phaser pistol and gave it to Dovok and told him simply to cover me. I picked him up onto my arms and began to carry him while climbing up the hill with him firing at the returning Cartel forces. It was a difficult climb but we made it onto the hill with others.
I laid him down near a crystal formation, where he could lean against them with added protection. We set up our defenses and perimeter and responded to incoming fire as we were in middle of coming up a plan when Lieutenant Commander fell limp and lost consciousness.
On that moment, I had the command.

I ordered MACO's to defend the hill at any cost, not one boot will touch our hill.

I asked from Chief Petty Officer Kara, would she be able to remotely restore the shuttle but take it over and bring it here. A means of escape. We were being pushed and placed into a very bad spot, time was running out and we needed to get out of there and fast.
We held the fort together with aid of Talai as Kara hacked and took control of the sabotaged shuttle and flew it to us, but to our discovery, the shuttle self exploded in mid flight, raining debris all over all of our positions. We shielded and ducked down, Talai jumped onto Lieutenant Commander Dovok, shielding him but he took a hit onto his side with falling metal shards. I didn't have much time to duck for cover, my shoulder was hit by debri and my legs injured with wounds from the falling metal shards and pieces. I was able to quickly patch the wounds and damages on my suit but my right shoulder was damaged. Others were a lot more luckier and better off than me and Dovok.
We now needed a new plan.

We learned that Talai had a shuttle landed nearby, that was our plan and goal now.
I ordered Kara to sneak in and grab the shuttle, re-wire it to be emit extremely low emission signature to mask its presence, while myself and Talai would go out, establish a new fallback zone where we could pull our wounded and then make a hasty exit from the asteroid. It went well, Kara was able to get to the shuttle and power it up, me and Talai found a very good spot to pull back but the Cartel began to push very aggressively. We had to go back onto the hill as they were also pushing onto our location.

We made a quick dash for the hill and made it but the situation was bad, the plan was out of the window with that Cartel attack so I simply ordered Kara to bring the shuttle to the hill. She flew low and well, arriving quickly to the battle. It was now or never moment.
I pulled Lieutenant JG Visone onto my injured shoulder and Lieutenant Dovok onto another and carried them to the shuttle as our MACO's valiantly defended our location and held the enemy forces at bay. The MACO's carried in their injured soldier and also Petty Officer Lai. Talai jumped on board, he and I fired from the hatch at the incoming Cartel forces that were now climbing onto our position, Chief Petty Officer Talan was last to enter the shuttle so we closed the hatch and took off.

It wasn't over however, Chief Petty Officer Kara collapsed under high adrenaline, nervous breakdown and heart attack. We moved the injured to back of the shuttle, MACO's were treating them as Talai and I flew the shuttle but to my... unpleasant discovery, his shuttle had barely anything at all, no weapons, no science capabilities, no nothing.

Luckily we at least had Warp Drive and communications. But because of the shuttle's configuration, it was barely able to be detected by the enemy so we were able to slip away through the asteroid field and once cleared, I sent an emergency distress call to USS Cychreides who responded after some interference was cleared.
Cychreides warped in and picked us on board. I spent that evening in the med bay, watching and looking over all the wounded before finishing the treatment of my own wounds.

It was going to be a while till our wounded would recover, but we made it out, we are allive.
I had a small talk with Talai, he expressed his interest in joining Starfleet, I told him that that question is not mine to answer, I forwarded him to Captain Dima along with a security escort as I asked him to be accommodated on the ship. The man was our saviour.

However, with this incident, I now have questions... some one knew that we were coming and leaked the information. They are aware of our intentions and know when and where we are and they have clear intentions on killing us.
Just as I expected and warned us, I am afraid the tendrils of corruption might be already among us.

- End of log