Jayme left the Colonel's office and walked to her platoon's barracks, from her left a voice called out, "Officer on Deck."
"At Ease." She looked around and then said, "We have a mission. I want everyone geared up, assembled, and in the troop bay at 0600. Mission brief will be after we are on our way." The troops waited until their CO was out of earshot and the speculation and comments flew. Esteva and Commings rolled their eyes and headed for a card game.
Jayme left and on her way to the lift she encountered Lt. Vansen and Lt. Tigre. "I'm forming a rescue mission and have permission from Colonel Tarik to draft you guys. We will assemble at 0600 with full combat gear in the transport bay."
Tigre spoke up for both women, "Cool, count us in." After Jayme left Tigre turned to Vansen, and asked, "Shannon, has she ever lead a mission?" Shannon smiled, "Sure she has--you don't get to be a Lieutenant without experience. Right?"
The leggy blonde smiled back. "Right!"
Jayme entered Sickbay, found a science station and downloaded her tricorder. She grabbed a cup of coffee and started on the antidote. Dr. Cherrin sat in his office behind closed doors and watched his student work the problem of finding the antidote. He left his office when she'd found the antidote.
2200 hrs and Jayme couldn't sleep, so she inspected her armor, repacked her personal kit and her medical gear for the third time. Finally, she flopped down in one of the cushy chairs in her quarters and admitted to herself that this would be her first mission as team leader and the first under Colonel Tarik. She'd had six months of light infantry training and experience between rounds of advanced training and OCS. I'm not ready for this She took a deep breath and headed for the gym hoping to burn the fear and excess energy off.
Sixteen hours later aboard the transport....
Jayme, wearing full combat armor, made sure the blankets and miscellaneous medical supplies she'd ordered were available and waiting. On top of the small ship's console she placed the open box of antidote ampoules. The rest she kept on hold aboard the transport and the hospital ship, the USS Norman Bethune, that had accompanied the task force.
In the corridor, Lt. Vansen-2nd leader and weapons officer, and Lt. Tigre-pilot and weapons officer stood ready and brisling with weapons. Ten minutes later the thirty-five members of her platoon arrived followed by Colonel Tarik. Jayme pulled her team- (E4) Marki Rashan-corpsman, (E3) Kama Dayrne-corpsman, (E2) Moria Esteva-recon/LI, (E2) Roxanne Commings-communications /corpsmen. Next, she detailed two others to standby in sickbay and in the transporter room in case wounded were beamed up alone. She handed out the ampoules to each of her corpsmen. After a quick inspection of her whole platoon, to make sure they were in complete armor, had weapons and medic gear she turned and faced Colonel Tarik who inspected her and when finished he gave the mission brief. Afterwards, she saluted him and took her team of six ladies to the transporter pad and the surface.
Jayme's team arrived just inside the huge walled off city named Chyrse. According to Piccolo, the capital where they would find the matriarchal society, Queen Penthesileia, and Lt. Deveraux. They found themselves facing ten large capable looking women wearing leather and metal corsets, braces, and guards. Jayme waited and examined their weapons--phaser-style firearms and some wicked knives. It would hurt if we took a hit, she thought. Slowly Jayme met the gaze of the woman who planted herself directly in front of her. So she's smart enough to figure me for the head of the group. Jayme thought to herself. The visor on Jayme's helmet was already up, and the Amazon could see that Jayme too was female just in case she missed the tailoring of the armor. A smoky contralto voice said, "The City is closed to all foreigners."
Jayme smiled and said, "That's not what 'we' heard." She rested her hand on her hip closest to her phaser. We came to speak with your Queen. She has property that belongs to me and mine." Jayme watched as the other woman took in the six women with her. Then Jayme stepped in very close, purposefully invading the other woman's space, and said, "And, WE want him back!"
A frown crossed the Amazon's face. Then she replied, "Then you should be more careful with your property." Uncomfortable, she stepped back, then asked, "What do you offer in return for your property?"
Jayme moved her hand to her side arm. "That is between us and Queen Penthesileia."
Jayme watched the woman key her portable communications and walk out of her physical hearing range, but with the sensors in her helmet she heard the conversation easily. After a couple of minutes the guard returned. "We are to escort you to the Queen's Guard." Jayme nodded and fell into step behind the Amazon, with her team flanking her. And the guard's team flanking them.
It was early morning on the planet. The city was situated in a valley with large broad leaf shrubs, trees and probably the creepy-crawlies that go along with such places, and already the heat and humidity were climbing. They came to a huge building made of stone with huge columns. At the top of the stairs stood the aforementioned Queen's Guard armed with knives and energy weapons. Damn She thought to herself. Jayme looked over her shoulder to Shannon and saw her frown and knew it wasn't just she who had been hoping their technological superiority would get us through this mission. Jayme looked ahead and started climbing the two dozen steps up to the landing where they waited. They had lost their escort at the foot of the stairs.
"Surrender your weapons!" barked the guard with four sliver bracelets circling her mighty biceps.
"Sorry?" Jayme laughed as her hand rested on her phaser grip, then added, "You already have one of my men. You are not getting our weapons, too." She stepped up close intentionally violating the other woman's personal space. The woman met Jayme's eyes and then saw that the whole group had moved further onto the landing, pressing her own people back.
The Amazon took a small step into Jayme hoping the other woman would back away, but was disappointed when the other smaller woman in armor neither backed down nor stepped aside. "No one is admitted to speak to the 'Queen' armed!"
Jayme shrugged her shoulders; which wasn't easy with armor and a full combat kit on her back. "We are not going to stand here in this building heat arguing with you. We will see the 'Queen' as we are, or we will go through you to rescue my missing man. Without offering our services to Queen Penthesileia." Several members of the guard had weapons at the ready. The head Amazon frowned and met Jayme's eyes and said, "Then you will not see the Queen!"
Jayme pulled a flash-bang from the bag on her belt, and keyed in the timer function. "You have twenty seconds to reconsider--then this is going to take out this corner of the Pantheon!" Jayme tossed it into the group. Just before it was due to go off, Jayme shouldered the senior guard hard, pulled her weapon as she cleared the entrance and fired several quick shots into guards stationed inside the room. "Clear!" she shouted.
The rest of her team had weapons ready and were moving. Lt. Tigre, on her way through the door grabbed a guard--who was barely out of her teens. At the head of a series of stairs Lt. Alcon paused. Talia pushed the girl to Jayme, who snarled, "Where are you keeping male prisoners?" The girl remained silent. Talia still held her by the upper arm gave her a vicious shake and pressed her phaser to the girl's chest, and said, "Answer the question!"
"They are in the sub-level. Two levels down, then take the elevator. It's the only way into that section of the Pantheon." The young woman tried to pull out of Talia's grip but failed.
Esteva had her phaser out and was covering their rear. Jayme started down the stairs and on that landing she could hear yelling as she poked her head around the corner she saw the resistance as they opened fired. Jayme grabbed a grenade out of her bag and tossed it. She immediately moved firing as the smoke cleared. Another grenade rocked the building as Esteva cleared their back trail, everyone moved with a purpose down the next level of stairs. The girl in Talia's grip was coughing from the smoke, but was dragged along. At an intersection Jayme looked at the girl and she pointed to the left corridor. They moved quickly only encountering half a dozen more guards before finding the elevator. "Does the level below us have any windows?"
Talia was about to shake the girl again when she answered, "Yes, there are celestial type windows." The young woman was pale, sweating, and trying to lag behind.
More resistance was clearing the rubble of the last stairwell and would be arriving any second. Jayme ushered her team into the elevator. Vansen and Esteva entered shoulder to shoulder ready to lay down covering fire. Esteva pressed the down button and they slowly descended.
When the doors opened they opened into a dark, humid, foul smelling corridor. A shot was fired into the elevator before the doors were fully opened. Esteva was ready and took out both guards. Everyone moved and took positions as if they had pre-planned the mission.
Jayme, Marki, Roxanne, and Kama pulled their med gear out of their packs. Marki and Kama had busted open the five cells and called, "Lieutenant!"
Jayme left the girl and headed in their directions, "You found Lt. Deveraux?"
"Yes." Marki said as she knelt beside the naked man, she reported, "He's in shock, is hypothermic, and has some malnutrition. He also has defense injuries; day old burns and bruises."
Jayme looked into the cell next to his to see that man was in about the same shape. "Have you given them the antidote?"
"Yes, Ma'am." As she answered she could hear Esteva calling Jayme.
Jayme turned and saw that the other woman was having trouble keeping the elevator locked on their level. She saw the windows the young woman mentioned and while they were too high to climb out of and barred to boot, the opening could be blown larger easily. "Take out the elevator with a couple of grenades, Private!"
With the orders to take out the elevator the captured guard started struggling with Talia, who cuffed her up long side the other woman's head dropping her to the floor. Jayme with several long strides took a wrist while Lt. Tigre took the other and applied restraints. With the guard on her knees, Jayme knelt in her face and demanded, "Where are the other prisoners?"
"What other prisoners?" the girl sagged between Tigre and Alcon and spat blood onto the floor.
"The queen released one of our men, who returned home and told us that you had lots of male prisoners. I need to know where they are." Seeing that the girl was biting her lip Talia administered another vicious shake and ordered, "Now!" Jayme met Talia's eyes and turned to help treat and get the patients they had to safety. Lt. Tigre and Lt. Vansen could work on the girl.
Jayme moved into the 3rd open cell, scanned and administered the antidote to the older male who huddled in the corner. Jayme stepped out to check on Commings who was in the final cell and was working with Kama to save a young man. Four of the five cells had prisoners. Jayme heard the tricorder's alarm and the long flat buzz indicating cardiac failure. "Commings. You tried. We've got to get the rest of the wounded out of here. Now!" Kama pulled the younger corpsman out of the cell.
Kama, Marki and Roxanne each moved to rested one hand on each man's chest. As one they activated their communicators. "Six to beam directly to the Bethune." The tech didn't waste time answering, except for the shimmering of the beam, and they were gone.
Talia signaled to Jayme that she'd gotten the information from their prisoner. "According to her, the six hundred other male prisoners/DNA donors are being held in a special compound two klicks north of our position. They are heavily guarded. She also said that most have been 'domesticated.' Whatever in the hell that means? Lieutenant." Jayme nodded and adjusted her hypospray and medicated their prisoner with a long acting sleeper. With her medical tricorder she recorded the young woman's bio-signs and extracted blood and DNA samples.
Talia, Shannon, and Esteva where already grouped in the center of the room waiting for Jayme. As Jayme joined them she keyed her communicator and ordered, "Four to beam up." Nothing--not even static. Lt. Vansen tried hers and got the same thing. "No joy, Lieutenant!"
"Shit!" Jayme's mind started racing. "They've managed to block our communicators--probably locked onto the signal after we sent our wounded out."
Lt. Vansen looked around the small dirty area looking for an escape route. Esteva, with a sarcastic retort said, "Guess blowing the elevator wasn't such a great idea, Lieutenant." Esteva was smiling.
"Stow that shit." Lt. Alcon snapped as she whirled to face the private. "We have to get out of this building and possibly to the edge of the city--they don't have the power or the system to block our signal permanently." Once again, Jayme examined the windows. "Esteva--how big a hole can you make in this wall?" Esteva smiled, "What wall, Lieutenant?"
Jayme nodded, and ordered, "Blow it!"
Tigre placed her foot in Vansen's hands and was boosted high enough to see out the window. She reported, "Lots of heavy foliage, don't see any people hanging around. But then if it was me, you wouldn't see anyone either." She dropped down. "Esteva, the ground starts here."
Jayme grabbed her pack. Esteva called out, "Ready." Jayme pulled her phaser, sealed her faceplate, and joined Tigre and Vansen behind a cell wall. Esteva joined them as she pressed the detonator.
The dust hadn't even started clearing when the women vaulted out the hole, through the decorative foliage, and around the building. Esteva had point, both pilots were in the middle and Jayme was bringing up the rear as they worked their way North two klicks. They could see the walled-in buildings that were the prison for the males. From an elevated position they saw the wall was guarded. In the courtyard tending gardens only men could be seen. Vansen looked to Lt. Alcon and whispered, "Looks like the place."
Jayme nodded and continued to watch though her visor. She shrugged out of her pack and found a transponder. She handed it to Esteva and ordered, "I want you to get as close as you can and flip this over the wall and get back here." They watched as the private worked her way there and back.
There were many buildings between the walls of the prison and the walls of they city. Jayme sucked in a breath and tapped her communicator. Damn. Which meant that no reinforcements were able to beam in and they had to hike out in broad daylight to be beamed out. If they were to rescue those men the best bet would be a night op. Esteva had completed the planting of the transponder in case they were given the 'go' for another mission they could be beamed inside the prison walls. Jayme watched and was nudged by Lt. Vansen at new activity within the walls--they were mounting phaser cannons. "Let's head for the city exit," Jayme ordered, "Esteva you have the lead."
Carefully they moved from building-ground cover toward the city gate. The group pushed on avoiding everyone, and Jayme worried silently that their communicators wouldn't do them any good when they got there. They paused momentarily in the shadow of a large building and could see the guards at the base and along the top of the wall. They had a large open space to cross, in broad daylight, in order to leave the city. There too they were busy mounting portable phaser cannons. They heard the sound of energy weapons as chunks of concrete and dirt were blasted free and showered them with hot sharp chunks. The Pantheon Guards had caught up with them, and the way ahead was preparing to take them out with heavy weapons. While moving to better cover a third group of guards fired on them from an elevated position. Tigre and Vansen returned fire while Esteva moved them forward as they raced through the opening in the wall. Jayme kept firing at the group on their six. Without pausing Jayme touched her combadge and got the signal through, and yelled "Four for emergency beam out!" Just before the beam locked on she felt a hot searing pain in her right knee where one of the phaser shots struck a glancing blow. The joints in her armor were weaker then the armor of the rest of her gear. Her knee gave out on the transporter pad of the ship.
Showered and dressed in scrubs, her knee repaired but held stable in splint to prevent her from abusing it while ligaments rested, Jayme sat at a science station with her leg elevated and iced, and a cup of coffee at her elbow.
Two Marine Corpsmen, Marki Rashan and Kama Dayrne, sat on one of the empty bio-beds closest to the exit talking quietly and watching to make sure their Lieutenant wasn't going to leave sickbay or harass the Starfleet medical staff. The Starfleet Physician's Assistant and nurse were busy filing reports of insubordination and abuse by the Marine Lieutenant.
Jayme ignored them all and was busy studying the medical data on the young girl and in the back of her mind planning the night op to rescue the rest of the prisoners. All three Marines jumped to attention when Colonel Tarik entered to check on the wounded.
"At ease," Tarik said. "What's the prognosis here?"
"All of them should recover fairly quickly, but we've got a lot more down there," Jayme replied.
"We're going to take care of that straightaway. Brief me on the way over to the transport fleet," Tarik replied.
They left the hospital ship Norman Bethune and beamed aboard a Hawke armored transport. "Okay, Hawkes Three and Four secure the landing pads. Set up a road block on the access road from the city and stay on station at altitude 2000 meters. Hawke Two, follow my lead. Let's mount out!"
The transports left orbit, two heading west for the landing pads and two heading east for the city. "I've got four heavy phaser cannon in sight on the battlements, sir!" the flight officer reported to Tarik.
"Take them out!" Tarik ordered. "Fire for effect on the palace as well, and fire at will at any and all targets of opportunity."
The guards operating the phaser cannons barely had a chance to begin tracking their targets before the transports reduced them to atoms with their on-board armaments. Outside, an air-raid siren could be heard above the din and clamor of a city suddenly in panic.
Two Marines operating the door guns of the transport began to fire upon the city guard, which was beginning to rally to the attack. It had been years since anyone had dared attack the Royal City of Chryse, and the guards were quite unused to such a determined assault!
[Hawke Three to Hawke Leader, we have secured the landing field.]
"Excellent. Any casualties?" Tarik asked.
[None, sir, although we may need reinforcements to hold the area.]
"I don't think that will be a problem," Tarik replied. He'd already made arrangements for the irregulars of the La'Kon Legion to occupy the planet long enough to evacuate the refugees. The G'Kar physiology was substantially different from that of the Swarvans, and thus would not be as susceptible to their pheromone weapons.
In addition, Tarik noted some of the slaves within the walled compound were beginning to rise up. Several Klingons and Nausicaans had managed to overpower their guards and were leading a small rebellion. Have to interview them if possible, he thought.
The palace guards proved no challenge between the onslaught of the transports and the uprising. The palace itself had had minimal air defenses. "Activate the loudspeaker," Tarik ordered.
"Your mike is hot, sir."
Tarik spoke into his microphone. "Attention rulers of Swarva! This is Colonel Tarik, in command of the 28th Marine Expeditionary Force, United Federation of Planets. Your immediate and unconditional surrender is demanded. You will release all indentured servants currently in your custody and disarm your forces at once. You have one hour to comply or we will begin landing in force on your planet."
"Sir, incoming transmission from Queen Penthesileia," the flight officer said.
"Put it through."
The queen made several interesting proposals. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty; I'm not interested. Nor do I think that last one would be physically possible for most tetrapods. You now have 55 minutes. I really don't want to have force a landing here. Your people would not appreciate that, and thousands could die. Think on this."
"I'm picking up a tight-beam transmission to Mulluran space, sir."
"Trace that signal and take out the transmitter!" A phaser beam destroyed a small antenna at the corner of the palace. "Were we able to stop the signal?"
The flight officer shook his head. "We've got time, anyway. The nearest Mulluran elements are over two days away at Warp 6," Tarik replied as he sent a transmission back to SB901 outlining the situation. In two days, the Iwo Jima could be redeployed to Swarva, and another day after that would bring two Galaxy-class vessels.
Time passed. Still no response. "Fire at that tower right in the middle of the palace," Tarik ordered.
The transport's phasers lanced out at the tower, destroying it and sending debris showering on the courtyard below. "You have fifteen minutes before I do the same to the rest of this palace. Consider your position carefully, Your Majesty."
"Sensors are indicating small arms fire inside the palace, sir!"
"A coup. This could be good, or things could have just gotten worse. Let's see what happens."
The final fifteen minutes elapsed. "Your Majesty, this is Colonel Tarik. Your time has expired. Please respond to our surrender demands at once!"
Silence. Then--static. [Colonel, we accept your surrender!] a panicked female voice replied.
"To whom am I speaking?"
[I am Brigadier Hecate, most recently commander of the Queen's Pantheon Guard. Our sovereign has been most unstable lately and has led our world down a path of damnation. If you will land, we can discuss formal terms of surrender.]
"I think we can negotiate a reasonable treaty over this comm channel," Tarik said, not willing to get suckered into a trap.
[I implore you, Colonel, please land! We've deposed the Queen but our 'guests' understandably have a grudge to bear.]
Gee, can't imagine why. "Hawke Two, stay on station above the palace grounds. Brigadier, you and the next three officers in your chain of command will leave the palace. You may take personal sidearms only. Anyone who attempts to interfere with your exit will be fired upon. We will conclude our negotiations outside the palace gates."
A long pause. [Acknowledged.]
Only a few warning shots had to be fired while Hecate and her entourage made their way through the courtyard. The population of Sto-vo-Kor increased by two as some Klingons attempted to rush the four female officers.
Tarik drew a biowarfare mask from the transport's small armory. There was still a chance that the antidote Lt. Alcon had formulated wouldn't work on his system and he didn't want to take any chances. "Once I step off, stay on station at 50 meters. If anything happens, don't hesitate to open fire," Tarik ordered the flight officer.
Hecate was true to her word. She had taken it upon herself even before the attack to begin an overthrow of Queen Penthesileia, posting the more unpredictable prisoners to positions inside the palace to aid in the uprising. Tarik's arrival had hastened her plans.
"How did all of this start? Why?" Tarik asked.
"It was years ago, outside of the memory of anyone living today. There was a war, and our men were rendered capable of only fathering female children. Over time, the men died off, and left only us. Without enough people to maintain our society, we began to collapse. Soon, the older women began to die off as well. Queen Penthelesia's grandmother started the current regime. She solicited help from outsiders to find a way in which we could get new--breed stock I guess is the best way you could describe it."
"The pheromone generator."
"Yes, and the last of our functioning ships. We attacked passenger liners and merchant vessels--easy targets--and carefully disguised our society as pre-industrial to avoid the attention of the military powers in the area. I guess that didn't work so well."
"It was inevitable. With the expansion of the Son'a, the Federation, and the Mullurans, you were bound to run afoul of one of the three."
"The Son'a are unknown to us. Your Federation became known to us only recently. The one you call Deveraux was our first Federation prisoner. He was a most valuable specimen," Hecate replied. Tarik made a mental note not to tell Paul this, lest it go to his head. After this, I think his impulses might be a little more under control.
"The Mullurans were our downfall. Penthesileia was obsessed with them, and bound us by treaty to them. Unfortunately we have no subspace transmitter anymore, so I was unable to send the abort signal. A Mulluran task force will be here within two days to answer the former Queen's summons."
"What of the Queen? Is she dead, or imprisoned?" Tarik asked.
"The prisoners got to her before my guards could. What little they left behind was barely recognizable."
Tarik nodded slowly. "And the pheromone generator?"
"Destroyed with the tower. The ambient supply in the air will dissipate in approximately five days, faster if we have rain or high winds. Until then I suggest that your people wear filters similar to yours, or have an antidote available."
"I'll pass the order. In the meantime, let's conclude the surrender. Federation and allied forces will be here soon, so you need not fear the Mullurans. How many of the ships you've captured are functional? How many pilots do you have?"
"Nearly all are functional. As for pilots, most were either killed or domesticated."
"Domesticated?"
"Gelded, to reduce their aggressiveness. The Klingons in particular were most intractable."
Palace eunuchs, Tarik thought with disgust. No wonder those two Klingons were so eager to get killed. "I'll want your records. We will locate the surviving pilots. I was only able to arrange for one hospital ship, so the rest may have to fly themselves either to Federation territory or their homeworlds, at their discretion. If you've disposed of any cargo of theirs, you may be held liable for the insurance payments, but that's something that can be settled at a higher level and farther down the line."
Hecate reviewed the surrender agreement, then conferred with her officers. "Your terms are most generous, Colonel. We accept these terms wholeheartedly."
"Had I been negotiating with the Queen and not you, they would have been much more harsh. You spared your people a great deal of grief by opposing your leader."
"It was not a step I wanted to take," Hecate said sadly. "Penthesileia was my sister."