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Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #25
[Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith" | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @BipSpoon
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Logan enjoyed the small talk. It was a nice distraction from the shitty situation they were in. He hated it, but he had to admit that the bastard's tactics were pretty brilliant. With the stroboscope he had made them practically blind and overloaded the sensors. Navigation had become impossible for a less experienced pilot. Logan was sure that if he had not been at CONN, the fight would have been decided much earlier and unfortunately not to the advantage of the hunted.
He saw Cameron connecting the battery to the buoy. He saw her nimble fingers cobbling the wires and cables together while he summarized the position data of her crash in a message as compact as possible. Logan read the data further and realized that the bandit's crash site was not far away. Even if he did not want to, he added this information as well. After all, the guy over there could still be alive and then he would need help, just like Cameron and him.
The young woman managed to connect her tricorder to the temporary radio transmitter. She explained that it should serve as a computer, or rather a microphone. Logan could not help but admire her for her inventiveness. "Well done."
But then she explained that the transmission would actually use up most of the battery charge. But spending an hour and a half knowing that the chances of being found had improved was much better than slowly suffocating for over twelve hours, hoping that someone would find them.
"Better than nothing."
Logan took a deep breath, coughed briefly, and took the tricorder in his other hand. He established a wireless connection between the two devices in his hands. Because their mission was secret, he had to encode their call for help. Otherwise the Klingons would certainly not react and disappear quickly. He pondered for a few seconds. Then he began to speak in an accented Klingon. He did not want to add an automatic translation to the computer.
<This is nightshade. We have been caught in a storm and are off course. The storm has abated, but we need urgent pickup.>
Logan repeated the message as many times as possible, always adding their coordinates. He tried until the battery went up in flames. There was a short crackle followed by a hot flash. A small fire had to be extinguished quickly, then they were back in complete darkness. Only broken by the lights of the tricorders and a faint glow that penetrated through the windshield into the shuttle.
"Let's hope they understood the message."
Logan reached for an emergency light and turned it on. The soft glow bathed the interior in a half-bright orange red. He looked at the clock.
"So, an hour and a half to go." Logan knew that they should actually move as little as possible and stay calm so that they could save as much air as possible. He had been in life-threatening situations many times before, but rarely did any of them look like this one. Some did not expect them back until the next day, others might not care that they would not show up. And in the middle of all this, there was not much hope for rescue at the moment. So, Logan decided for himself to make his maybe last hour as he wanted it to be. He offered Cameron his hand with an inviting smile.
"May I ask you to dance?"

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #26
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of the Epsilon Minos System] Attn: @Nero
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Cameron gave a quick shrug at the compliment. “Well it’s going to sound like garbled shit but, it’s better than nothing. They should be able to make it out, and they should be able to pinpoint us.” She gave a telltale nod one more time. As she passed off the Tricorder she checked a few of the remaining connections to the battery, and from the battery to the life support systems as well. “Better than sitting here for twelve hours while our death looms ever closer as we grasp at straws.” She realized how she sounded and looked at him apologetically. “Sorry.”

She ground her teeth and formed a fist with one hand. Really, what she was doing was steadying a nervous, shaking hand. She watched him encode the transmission and closed her eyes for a split second as he began to speak, almost as if the device in his hand was going to explode. She looked back over her shoulder to check the battery, and she saw the cell reading on it plummet as it began to transmit. Her heart sank as reality set in. Ninety minutes. If the Klingons chose to not aid them, she had ninety minutes of breathable air left, and then that was that. Lights out. Game over. She rolled her neck and took a long, deep breath. Her chest rose once, and then slowly fell. When the battery began to smoke, and finally torched itself, she fired the extinguisher at it. Then they were swallowed by darkness. Even if it was brief, Cam shut her eyes. She gave off a sharp intake of breath, and her hand reached out instinctively for her companion. For the first time, she truly felt fear.

“Hope so.” She offered in a quiet voice to her pilot. She tried to sound cheerful but with the battery now gone, things seemed much more real. The orange light lit up her face and she turned her eyes at once up to his face. The fear began to melt. For a moment, she brought her knees up to her chest, and hugged them, starting to make herself comfortable where she sat. If she was going to die there, she was going to die sitting how she wanted to sit, damn if she looked a bit strange.

With Logan’s offer though. Her head tilted back, and leaned to one side and she just...blinked for a second. “A-a dance?” She smiled, showing some white teeth. “Why not.” If she was going to die, might as well die having a little fun. She took his hand and pulled herself up, drawing herself in close to him. “We don’t have any music though.” She gave a grimace, but she rallied. She placed one hand on his shoulder and kept the other hand gripped tight in his. The rest of her body was remarkably close to his and she kept her eye locked with his face. “Fair warning, I’m not nearly drunk enough for this.” She laughed, something that was akin to almost a giggle. It was amused though, and she was clearly enjoying herself even though they’d hardly begun. She waited to keep step with whatever dance he had in store for her, keeping herself drawn close to him, her voice quiet in the low glow of the derelict shuttle.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #27
[Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith" | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @BipSpoon
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Logan smiled softly as she told him that she was not nearly drunk enough for something like that. He helped her to her feet and pulled her towards him. Her hand rested on his shoulder and from the movement, the pilot reached for the Yeoman's Padd. It was quiet in the wreckage. Except for their movements and her slight giggle, there was no sound. Then the pilot found the music database on the device of his companion. He looked over her shoulder as he took the first, gentle steps and they began to slowly spin around a little. Finally, he found a suitable piece in the list and turned it on. He joked, "Don't worry, Cameron. I didn't drink enough for that either."
Logan was not a dance professional, but for most occasions his skills were sufficient. He mastered some ballroom dances and a few more exotic variations of various planets he visited with his family when he was younger. His eyes found Cameron's again and he consciously perceived their color for the first time. They matched her hair well and if her head weren’t soaked with blood, they would certainly frame her pretty face beautifully and accentuate her eyes. He could not help but smile. "You are beautiful," he whispered into her ear and finally put his hand on her back. In the background the music swelled up and Logan led his partner to the beat. He enjoyed her closeness and the warmth that her body radiated.
Logan did not know what to feel. His thoughts were resting. In a moment he thought about suffocating in agony and what he would leave behind. Over the years he had made many friends and fought some battles. He had won some of them, but others had been pretty bad for him. Logan thought of his comrades, those he had left behind when he had defected to the Theurgy and those who were now on board this ship and counting on him. Logan thought of his parents on Earth and what they would think of him now and he thought of his numerous cronies from the time when he was a smuggler.
But the next moment he only thought about the girl in his arms and how deeply he could lose himself in her eyes. He thought of her sweet giggling and her certain appearance as she improvised the necessary repairs. He admired her inventiveness, like connecting the tachyon flash or the tricorder to the battery. He... thought he was falling in love with her and decided to put all his eggs in one basket when he bent down to kiss her.
Whether she would answer him or not, Logan had at least tried. He would either spend his last moments with someone he liked or even loved, or, if she actually rejected him, his shame would last only a few moments. In the face of certain death, it was a win-win situation for the fighter pilot.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #28
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @Nero
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The fact that Logan had been able to recover her PADD somewhere in the wreckage was a small miracle in itself. She let out a laugh and smiled at him, “Thought that would have been toast for sure.” She looked around once to see if her bag was somewhere, but it was buried under the debris of a destroyed console. It would take some digging to get at it. When he turned it on she gave a soft nod, “Good choice.” She held onto him, and let him lead the steps. “You know, when I was packing, I thought about bringing a drink too, but thought better of it.” Boy, did she regret that now.

Cam’s steps were nervous at first, but it was clear that Logan actually had a bit of practice, so she placed some trust in his steps, and followed suit. She locked eyes with him for a moment, but only for a moment, before they broke away. She leaned her head against him for a split second and took a deep breath, then chose to again look back up at him. If she was going to die, she wanted to do it looking into the heart of another person. She flushed at the compliment. The proximity of his voice to her ear made her skin erupt with goosebumps down her arm and her head sipped to one side, her back straightening along its arch under his touch. “Logan…” She warned him, though it was hardly a harsh warning.

She felt the music become nothing more than an echo. This very likely could become her cold, dark, airless tomb. Someone would find her at some point. Maybe Theurgy, hours later, but hours too late. Maybe the Klingons, just in time. Maybe it would be Starfleet in a year, thinking they’d found the bodies of two traitors. Maybe they’d be found in centuries, like some fascinating archaeological discovery. No matter who it was, she knew that just then, she’d accepted that likely she was dead. It was up to her how she was going to die. On her feet, enjoying her last moments. Or on the ground, cowering.  She had nobody at home. She only had Theurgy.

When Logan leaned down, she broke away at first and looked at him, but after a moment, she leaned back into him. She pressed her lips against his, stopping the movement of her feet. She didn’t reject the pilot's advance at all. Quite the contrary she reciprocated it. Cam was a remarkably physical woman. She thrived on touch and contact at the best of times, to the point it often got in the way of things. Just then, it felt like a rush of relief that someone had finally put a hand on her, skin to skin. She reached around his head, running fingers through his hair, only part of her hand brushing up the metal side of his head. It didn’t bother her one bit. The other hand pressed up against his chest. Only once did she come up for air. She stepped forward, as if moving to press him against one of the shuttles bulkheads.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #29
[Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith" | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @BipSpoon
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Apparently, Cameron had similar thoughts in her mind as he did, for she was involved in his advances. At first, she was coy for a moment. Logan thought he had already messed everything up. She avoided him, only to surprise him. She pressed her lips to his and suddenly time seemed to stand still. He felt her soft lips, tasted her, felt her fingers glide through his hair, gently stroking them across the metal plate in his skull. He felt her heat, her desire. Logan was completely blown away.
He grabbed her hip. He felt her figure close to his body. Her curves pressed against his chest. He liked the way she pulled the rudder and between the many kisses, he showed a demanding smile. His eyes sought eye contact with the twenty-centimeter smaller woman. She pushed him in front of her and pressed him against the bulkhead. The pilot groaned painfully for a moment as the air was squeezed out of his damaged chest. But he did not interrupt her playing. On the contrary, his hands were now also searching for touch and found Cameron's taut body. He grabbed her, pressed her tighter, pushed one of his legs between hers and forced her to change positions. Now it was she who was pressed against the bulkhead.
Logan let go of her for a moment and took a few steps back. Full of desire he looked at the probably last woman in his life. Then he took off his top and carelessly threw it on the floor. Sweat shone on his hairy chest and seeped into the bandage. His breath went faster. He was clearly aroused, but he wanted to appreciate the moment as long as possible, to enjoy the sight before he approached her again and helped her get rid of her uniform.
First the top. Logan put his hands under the fabric of the uniform and slid his hands over the ensign's skin. He kissed her constantly while his hands slowly but surely lifted the shirt further and further. At some point the fabric fell to the ground and he was presented with a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life. Logan could not imagine a better ending.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #30
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @Nero
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Cam stood, pressed against the bulkhead of the shuttle. She was apprehensive at first, of course. Though it didn’t last for long. After what seemed like only a breath, she was lost in the moment. While her fingers ran through his hair, her thumb ran against the metal plate embedded in his skull. She wasn't sure what he could feel of it, but the coolness of the plate against the warmth of her flesh felt...strangely nice. Cam wasn’t the sort to idly stand by. She gave his lip a bite and laughed, face pressed against his, as she pressed herself up against him, while she still had him against the bulkhead.

She broke away for a moment at the groan he let out, “Sorry.” She offered, with a wry smirk, and she looked him over for a moment. How long had it been? How long did they have? She really wasn’t certain and that made her even more nervous. To hell with it. When he spun her around against the bulkhead, she didn’t fight him. One hand moved out and away from his head and down the front of his neck, then down his chest until she reached the point of the abdominal binder that she’d manufactured out of the tent. She didn’t push beyond that but instead let a finger run along the border of it to trail its way around his torso, until she’d wrapped her arm around him in a sense, using  only the tip of a finger against his flesh. The tease was short lived though, as he’d stepped away.

When he moved back upon her, she helped remove the uniform top, undoing the zipper as he made to strip it away from her. It left her in little more than her uniform trousers and the duty-bra. It was certainly not the most flattering undergarment in the galaxy. It was supposed to be functional, not attractive. Still though, Cam stood there, eyes afire, cheeks flushed, staring at Logan. She stood for a moment before she reached down to her waist and unbuttoned the trousers and slid out of them, leaving herself in nothing but the Starfleet-issued underwear and bra. She walked back over towards Logan, barefeet gently padding through the shuttle, careful not to step on anything sharp, and she reached for his hand first with one hand. She gave it a squeeze. The gesture wasn’t one meant to be sexual in any way. It was one of mutual comfort beyond just the pleasurable physical comfort they were offering one another. She was scared to die, and she wanted a hand to hold, if only for a moment. The other hand reached for his face and her head went towards his, to again press her lips to his, this time though, she tried to drag him to the ground. Once she'd reached for hsi hand each mvoe was done with purpose but was shockingly, remarkably gentle.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #31
[Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith" | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @BipSpoon
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Logan did not resist. He returned her gesture and took her hand. His fingers crossed with hers. He felt safe and hoped that she too felt comfortable in his arms. With death before his eyes, he was glad that someone was there to give him comfort, someone to be close to, and it was important to him that this did not remain one-sided. Logan tried to make Cameron comfortable.
When she gently forced him to lie down, he let it happen. He enjoyed her closeness. Just when they were falling over each other with pure, wild passion, they now cared tenderly for each other. He wrapped his arms around her almost naked body and gave her his warmth. Her lips touched again and with each further contact, Logan felt a slight tingling sensation. He was about to fall in love.

The pilot found himself lying on the ground. The individual parts of the two Starfleet uniforms were a soft cushion for the otherwise hard ground. Logan stroked a strand from the ensign's face behind her ear. His fingertip traced the contour of the auricle. He touched it very gently, soaking up the sight before he started the next kiss. His free hand opened her brassiere and freed her from the piece of cloth. To fit in with her dress code, he wanted to get rid of his trousers. He left it up to Cameron whether she wanted to help him or not. For Logan, however, it was clear that he wanted to show her his entire self in all its glory. He trusted her and wanted to take the next step in her very short relationship. The togetherness gave him stability. It distracted him from an inescapable truth. He hoped that it would never happen. Logan looked into Cameron's eyes and wondered if she felt the same.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #32
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @Nero
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Cameron felt as safe as one could when they were slowly running out of oxygen. What she was doing was something solely out of seeking the comfort of another. She lay there, with him. She moved with a certain intimate passion and pressed warm lips against his, giving his lower lip a gentle bite.

She allowed him to free her of the bra and she let out a sharp breath as he traced her ear. She sat up, using one hand to press herself up. She wasn’t as ‘in shape’ as some of her colleagues as to just shoot straight up with the sheer force of her abs. When he started to get rid of his pants, she helped, pulling them away one the zipper and button had been dealt with. The way that she looked at him however, was very different than the way that she was being looked at. It was not strictly a look of love, or falling in love. It was a look of lust. She’d sought physical comfort in Logan. She put a hand on his cheek and gave him a warm smile, trying to comfort him in her own way, and she leaned back into him, trying to keep up the façade for him for as long as she could.

The shuttle was hot, and the visible skin that showed had a thin layer of sweat on it. She gave him a gentle push and started to crawl over him if he allowed it. “You know the Klingons could show up any minute, right?” She whispered to him as she pressed her lips to the space right below his lowest rib, on the right side, looking up at him. “That would be incredibly embarrassing.” She smirked and moved up his chest, to the third intercostal space, and pressed her lips there, looking back up to him before she smiled and again, saw his face. She stared for a moment before her smile faltered and she moved back off of him. She stopped what she was doing and moved slightly back from him. “We-I, shouldn’t be doing this. I can see the way that you’re looking at me.” She curled up into a sort of fetal position, naked and hugged her knees as she looked at him, looking guilty.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #33
[Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith" | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @BipSpoon
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"For the Klingons? Maybe. For me? Certainly not," Logan joked with a gentle smile, knowing that he would surely be embarrassed after all. He pulled off the last bit of his pants and enjoyed the sight Cameron offered him as she crawled over him. She kissed her way up to him. With every touch a wave of ecstasy shot through his body. In turn, he caressed her shoulders and back. His fingers slowly and tenderly traced the contours of her spine, which was slightly visible through her skin on her back. He was fascinated by how soft her skin felt. Velvety and tender. It was a strong contrast to his.
He liked to look at her face, see the longing grin. Like a predator ready to snatch its prey. But suddenly her expression changed to a kind of sadness. No, it was rather guilt or remorse. She let go of him and huddled together. Her guilty eyes looked at him. Logan no longer understood the world. One moment they were passionately loving each other and from one moment to the next everything seemed to be history. He straightened up. He sat opposite her just as naked as she was.
"You don't need to worry, Cameron," he began the conversation after a few seconds of silence. "After all, I started the whole thing here."
Logan pointed to himself to substantiate his point. "If anyone had to apologize, it would be me."
He reached for the blanket from the survival kit and put it around Cameron's shoulders. "If you're afraid that I might fall in love with you and you want to spare me the pain, rest assured. I fall in love with every woman I sleep with."
At the same time as he was saying that he realized how stupid his statement was about to sound. "Sorry, that sounded wrong."
Logan did not want her to feel guilty about him just because she did not feel the same way. He was aware that he was developing feelings for her and he knew about this character trait on his part.
"I should have warned you before, right? I fall in love very quickly. This is my kryptonite."
He grabbed their clothes and handed her hers. Slowly, he put his clothes back on and finally sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around Cameron. Even though the situation was a little uncomfortable for him. He did not want her to feel bad about him. He wanted to give her comfort and not wait alone for death to approach inevitably.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #34
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Mions VI ] Attn: @Nero
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Cam looked surprisingly guilty. Not for long though. She knew that she couldn’t feel guilty for choosing to not hurt someone else. “You don’t need to apologize.” She took the blanket and pulled it tight over herself, covering up to the best of her ability. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable blanket. It was after all, a survival blanket. It was designed for warmth and nothing else. The fabric was coarse and harsh against her bare skin.

“That’s quite an Achilles heel.” She gave him an awkward smirk before she again, pulled the blanket tighter, as if it were some spartan shield and she were holding her ground with it. “Yea maybe some warning. I uhm-” She shook her head, “Look, you’re sweet. You’re good looking. I don’t know you though. Outside of the couple hours we’ve been here.” She tried to be as kind as she could. She was actually, a little upset though. “Wine and dine me before declaring your love.” She took her clothes from him, and though he’d seen it all at that point she felt strangely exposed to him.

She pulled her clothes on as quickly yas she could and tried to fix up her disheveled hair as she checked the rooms O2 saturation. “25 minutes.” She offered before she just shook her head and sat down. “Great.” She heart had gone out of her voice. There was no joy in it. Facing death down, right in the face, was entirely different to what she’d dealt with before. Being in battle was one thing. Understanding she was about to suffocate and freeze to death was entirely different. “I think I get why the Klingons talk so much about dying in glorious battle now. This fucking sucks.” As he wrapped his arm around her though, she didn’t pull away, instead she leaned her head against his shoulder and wiped the wetness from her eyes.

However, she shot up after a moment, because as if on queue, the entire cabin was lit up from a light from outside. There was a roar from an engine overhead and the headlight from a ship ignited the inside of their cockpit. “Oh-oh shit!”  She shouted with absolute joy. She shot to her feet and ran to the front of the cockpit trying to make herself visible. “It’s them!” She shouted over her shoulder. “It’s them!” She again repeated.

Re: Day 20 [0900 Hours] Covert Shuttle Ops

Reply #35
[Lt. JG Logan Hale, callsign "Wraith" | Shuttle Type-9 | A Moon of Epsilon Minos VI] Attn: @BipSpoon
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"I can offer you the emergency rations over there, Cameron," he joked in response to her explanation. Logan then made it clear, however, that he understood her. He could see her point, understand her request. Logan blamed his behavior on impending death. It tempted him to act rashly and foolishly. He was sure of that now. Somehow, though, he was glad Cameron backed off. He was extremely embarrassed to overwhelm her with his feelings, so he tried to use humor to cover the situation.
Logan held Cameron in his arms, who dried her tears on his shoulder. "There's something to dying for a cause or for someone you like. Something honorable. But to suffocate..." Logan swallowed hard once before continuing. "That's a whole other thing, and I actually thought I wouldn't have to go through it again."
Logan remembered the Dominion War and how he managed to take out the Jem'Hadar ship. He had been able to save himself in time then by leaving the Peregrine fighter. From then on, he could only wait and watch the battle. He was drifting in space without any control and nothing but his EV-Suit protecting him from certain death. His time was running out. His air was running out with each passing minute. Only at the last moment could he be saved. Still, it had taken some time for him to recover from near death by asphyxiation. At that time, he had earned his reputation name. From that point on, people called him Wraith. He had appeared on the sensors like a ghost, shocking the crew. And now he sat here, imagining he could hear the clock ticking as it mercilessly counted down his death, waiting for his breath to run out a second time. But this time, he was not alone. As much as he wished she did not have to share his fate, he was glad not to be alone. It was a gut-wrenching dichotomy that the pilot was in danger of falling into. His concern for Cameron, or his selfishness. He was not sure which would prevail in the end.
Slowly, his eyes fell closed as Cameron suddenly jumped up, rejoicing like a little child that rescue was finally arriving. She made her way to the front window and tried to peek through. The cabin seemed brightly lit and a gentle vibration shook the shuttle. Logan, meanwhile, was having trouble breathing. The broken ribs and lack of oxygen were no help, but even the pilot somehow made it to the front of the shuttle. He lay down on his back and looked through the small gap to the sky. His eyes saw nothing but blackness.
"Cameron...there...is..." Every breath was labored. Suddenly, he was seized by a familiar tingling sensation. The world around him disappeared in a soft white light and was shortly replaced by another, more familiar Starfleet one. He looked around the newly arrived Type-11-Shuttle who seemed to have picked them up. Someone was trying to put a breathing mask on him. He resisted. His first concern was the safety of his former passenger.
"Hey, LT, how are you?"
"Cameron..."
"Ensign Henshaw is right here in the front, see? She's already being taken care of."
"What... with... the Kling.... Klingons."
"I don't know what you're talking about, LT. But there are no Klingons to be seen for miles around. Fortunately, we happened to intercept your radio transmission. Boy, were we surprised to find a Federation shuttle here. Take it easy, LT. Here, I'll give you a sedative. We'll take you back to the Theurgy. You'll be properly cared for there."
"The tractor beam has locked on and released the shuttle, Commander. We're ready for takeoff."
"All right, Jones. Well then, let’s go! Back to the mother."

-- Fin --

 
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