ISSCV - Mesosphere of New Bajor

Tony walked up to the cockpit so he could see what was going on and saw the SA-43X outside the starboard side of the ISSCV! They must be escorting us down to the surface! the 1st Lieutenant thought to himself. While 1Lt. Parra was standing at the rear of the cockpit, he heard a response come over the Com System from the pilot of the Hammerhead.

MCpt Vansen: Roger that, Captain Lopez! I think everyone is waiting to hear from somebody down on the surface. We'll be monitoring your progress from our escort positions. Vansen out.

The Deputy Detachment Commander returned to his seat and informed the others in the seating area what was going on and they all seemed to be pleased for the escort and the air support while they were going to be down there. They've have battled against Xenomorphs before, but that was always on a Holodeck, this was going to be their first real life encounter with them so Tony was a little nervous. The 1st Lieutenant was sure he was not alone in this feeling either, as Tony looked into the faces of the Marines seated around him.
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1st Lieutenant Anthony Parra
Deputy Detachment Commander, USS Infiniti

USS INFINITI - Bridge - Deck 1

As William maintained the Ops Station at the rear of the Bridge, he heard a faint transmission from the planet's surface! It must be a response to the broadcast that was sent down from the orbiting vessels above New Rakantha! LtCmdr Trylon opened the channel so everyone on the Bridge could hear what was being sent up from the doomed planet.

Lt. Commander Trylon: Commodore, we've got an incoming transmission from New Bajor! I'm putting it on speakers right now, Sir!

Unknown Survivor: Hello?! My name is Jerdan! Orte Jerdan! There's not many of us left, we're waiting at the mouth of the caverns to avoid the bad weather! As soon as we see the Marines, we'll come out of here! Are they already on their way?

The Chief Operations Officer looked towards Como Carpathia for his reply to the person calling from the surface. William could see by the looks on the faces of all the officers on the Bridge there was a great deal of relief in their eyes as contact was finally made with the survivors of the Xenomorph infestation of the planet. Como Carpathia just needed to let Orte Jerdan know the Marines were on their way down and would be seeing them soon.
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Lt. Commander William T. Trylon, III
Chief Operations Officer, USS Infiniti

The Commodore was thrilled when he heard the message from the planet's surface, E.J. immediately got up from his chair and ran over to the Ops Station so he could respond to Orte Jerdan personally. Como Carpathia almost wanted to hug LtCmdr Trylon over the good news that the theory of there being survivors turned out to be true!

Como Carpathia: Mr. Orte! This is Commodore E.J. Carpathia about the Starship Infiniti! Our Marines are on their way down right now! They'll be there very soon! Do you know if anyone has the manifest from the Spaceport down there?! We really need that to make sure none of those creatures left on a vessel, that way they don't spread to other worlds or installations!

E.J. waited for a reply and got one rather quickly from the the surface!

Orte Jerdan: YES! I have a PADD with the manifest of the ships that left the Spaceport with me right now! I'll turn it over to the Marines as soon as they arrive! Thank you so much for coming! This has been a living nightmare for all of us down here!

The Commodore was pleased that a manifest was found and told LtCmdr Trylon to open a channel to the ISSCV so he could inform MCpt Lopez of the status of the survivors.

Como Carpathia: William, open a channel to the I-Double-S-C-V! Captain Lopez, Commodore Carpathia here! We've received a communication from the surface! They're waiting inside the mouth of the caves to avoid standing in the rain. Seek out Orte Jerdan, he has in his possession a PADD with the manifest from the Spaceport! Once you have it, transmit the contents to Whitestar! They'll need it once they've got the evacuees aboard! What is your ETA to the cave site?!

The CO waited on a response from MCpt Lopez before going any further. E.J. was very excited that Infiniti was first to receive a message from the people of New Rakantha. By the sound Jerdan's voice, he sounded like a person in their teens. This was a little alarming that there wasn't an adult to send the message to Infiniti. Como Carpathia wondered if it was the children of the city that were sent into the catacombs while the adults stayed and tried to fight the Xenomorphs on the surface. All of these questions would be answered when young Mr. Orte was transported to Infiniti after being scanned for an embryo by the Marines.
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Commodore E.J. Carpathia
Commanding Officer, USS Infiniti
Division 1 Commander, Gamma Fleet

ISSCV - Stratosphere of New Bajor

As the ISSCV entered the stratosphere of New Bajor, above the capital city, the air started to get really choppy due to the rough weather ahead. As Chris wondered if they should all strap into their seats on the wild ride down to the surface, the Marine Captain heard the message from Como Carpathia through the Companel in the cockpit. MCpt Lopez smiled amongst the turbulence they were experiencing that there was word from the planet's surface. Chris replied to Infiniti so they knew the Commodore's message was heard clear as a bell.

MCpt Lopez: Message acknowledged, Commodore! We'll be landing at the designated zone, east of the cave entrance in about 17 minutes! We'll be sure to look for Orte Jerdan and get the PADD from him so we can transmit the data to Whitestar. The weather is pretty bad and causing a lot of turbulence, as a safety measure I'm going to have everyone strap into their seats in case we lose the inertial dampening system in the storm.

Chris looked towards Sgt Ferro and informed her to activate the Seat-Belt Indicator sign in the personnel area of the ISSCV.

MCpt Lopez: Sergeant, put on the Seat-Belt sign so we don't have anyone flying about the cabin back there should we lose the inertial dampening system. Keep the channel open to Infiniti should anything happen, we can let them know immediately!

The Marine Detachment Commander hit the button on the side of his chair in the cockpit and activated the automated retraining system for his seat which secured the Marine Captain to the chair. Chris looked over and saw Sgt Ferro and PFC Spunkmeyer do the same so they were strapped in as well. Everyone up in the cockpit was secured, now it was up to those in the personnel area to do the same. With the rough weather they were headed for, they were certainly going to need it.
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Marine Captain Christopher D. Lopez
Marine Detachment Commander, USS Infiniti

USS INFINITI - Bridge - Deck 1

E.J. was happy to hear back from MCpt Lopez regarding the amount of time it would take for the ISSCV to reach the landing zone so they could begin the extraction process of the evacuees. The Commodore wanted to spread the joy down to Mr. Orte so he informed LtCmdr Trylon to open the channel to the young Bajoran lad down on the planet's surface.

Como Carpathia: William, put Mr. Orte back on. Jerdan! The Marines are seventeen minutes out, you should be seeing them east of the cave entrance in the clearing! That's their landing zone where they'll be setting up the extraction location! So be ready when they arrive! Do you know how many survivors are with you?! We have five Starships here in orbit ready to fill the decks to capacity to get everyone off New Bajor!

Orte Jerdan: We'll be ready, Commodore! There's about a thousand of us down here left, mostly children! The adults went to fight the monsters, but we haven't seen them in days! We fear the worst has happened to them. All of us here are terrified and really want to leave! Thank you so much for coming to help us! We'll be waiting just inside the cave for your Marines, Sir!

The CO's heart was broken by hearing the terror and fear in the lad's voice, knowing their parents and older siblings would've been killed by those horrible Xenomorphs must be absolutely horrifying to the children down there. The adults must've had the kids hide in the catacombs while they went off to battle the Aliens to protect their young and unfortunately, nobody from Starfleet found out in time to come to their rescue. This was going to be considered a truly horrible event for the Bajoran people. The Starships were going to become a haven for a large amount of orphans, which in itself was a hard concept to deal with.
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Commodore E.J. Carpathia
Commanding Officer, USS Infiniti
Division 1 Commander, Gamma Fleet

ISSCV - Stratosphere of New Bajor

The Master Sergeant saw the seat-belt indicator light up at the top of the cabin and immediately deployed the restraining system on his chair and instructed the rest of the Squad to do the same as the ISSCV was rapidly approaching the rough weather below. Even 1Lt. Parra secured himself in his seat in the event they lost inertial dampening systems on the way down to the surface. As for the Marines, they were trying to look out the windows to see the SA-43X Hammerheads flying in formation around them.

MSgt Arbor: Don’t you see the sign up there!? Stop acting like a bunch of kids and take your damn seats! Get yourselves strapped in before you get thrown about the cabin in the storm we’re heading into the middle of! Move it, move it!

The Marines scrambled back to their chairs and strapped themselves into their seats using the automated restraining system so they would be safe. Cody could see that Dr. Sarrlak, Ens Diesso and their Medic, Cwmn Flores were already secured in their seats, which was no surprise since they knew the injuries that could be sustained from being hurled about in turbulence like this. MSgt Arbor hoped for the best, yet prepared for the worst as they passed through the stratosphere and into the troposphere, where the core of the disturbing weather was.

MSgt Arbor: Everybody hold onto your butts! We’re in for a really rough ride from here on out!

The Detachment Sergeant pressed his skull into the headrest to prevent him from injuring his neck from being tossed about. It was standard training for turbulence of this kind so that one didn’t suffer from sustaining a neck injury. As they entered the troposphere it got extremely choppy and there were flashes of lightning that lit up the sky! This was going to make the extraction even more dangerous for everyone. It was a good thing they had the standard compliment of Transporter Enhancers with them to help compensate for the electrical storm making the transportation process more difficult on the Transporter Operators aboard the Starships in orbit above New Rakantha.
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Master Sergeant Cody Arbor
Marine Detachment Sergeant, USS Infiniti

ISSCV - Troposphere of New Bajor

The Doctor was secure in his seat as the turbulence grew even worse now that they were in the troposphere of New Bajor and it felt like the ISSCV was going to shake itself apart. The flashes outside the windows from the lightning were quite bright and there was a sudden jolt to the port side and the cabin lights flickered. It was apparent the ship had been hit by lightning and the inertial dampening system had ceased functioning. Dr. Sarrlak was grateful that MCpt Lopez had the forethought to turn on the seat-belt indicators or that last jolt would've sent Marines flying from their chairs. It was evident that Ens Diesso was becoming upset by the sudden movements of the ISSCV as they moved through the storm, so the Vulcan physician thought it would be logical to give the young man some comforting words.

Cmdr Sarrlak: Do not worry, Ensign. We well soon be at our destination and all of this will be over with for you. I will have you beamed up with the last of the evacuees so you do not have to experience the turbulent weather on the way back to Infiniti. Does that sound acceptable to you, James?

The Chief Medical Officer looked over at his Assistant Medical Officer for any sign of a response to the thought of not having to ride the ISSCV back up to the Intrepid Class Starship they referred to as their home in space. The Doctor's Medic, Cwmn Nancy Flores, looked frightened of the turbulence more than anyone else aboard the ship, so Dr. Sarrlak informed her she would be transporting up with Ens Diesso as well. This brought a smile to Nancy's face as the cabin jolted from side to side as they traveled closer to the surface of the planet. The Doctor was certain they would make it to their landing site with no further mishaps, provided the pilots made sure lightning didn't strike the ISSCV again.
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Commander Sarrlak
Chief Medical Officer, USS Infiniti

USS Infiniti - Bridge - Deck 1

As William monitored the descent of the ISSCV, he saw that it had been struck by lightning, disabling the inertial dampening system! LtCmdr Trylon was about to tell the Commodore about it, when an incoming hail came through and went straight to the Main Viewscreen. The face of Capt Daqtorgh appeared and when the Captain began speaking, everyone on the Bridge had their attention focused on the Klingon officer.

Capt Daqtorgh: Greetings, Commodore. I called to let you know the Hammerheads have the I-Double-S-C-V surrounded to prevent it from lightning strikes. We have come up with an idea to disperse the lightning on the ascent back to Infiniti. Mr. Skonch has the schematics for a lightning deterrent array which would disperse the lighting from the cargo vehicle. My Chief Engineer, Mr. Cypher, can assemble this array and we can beam it to their location for installation on the Marine's vessel. If your interested, I'll get Engineering right on it.

The Chief Operations Officer now looked toward Como Carpathia and listened for his response. William knew the idea Capt Daqtorgh had over there aboard Whitestar was a good one, as it would be very dangerous to fly through a storm of this magnitude without a dampening system in place. The Marines and passengers could suffer from severe injuries if the ISSCV was jolted by either turbulence or another lightning strike.
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Lt. Commander William T. Trylon, III
Chief Operations Officer, USS Infiniti

As the Commodore was pacing the Bridge, he saw the sudden appearance of Capt Daqtorgh on the Main Viewscreen! The idea appeared to be sound, so it had E.J.'s full support and he let the Captain know. Speaking up to make sure the Commodore was heard, E.J. responded to Daqtorgh.

Como Carpathia: That is a very sound idea, Captain! You have my full support, make it so! We've been contacted by people on the surface and they seem to be mostly children, about a thousand of them! The one who contacted us says he's got a manifest from the Spaceport on a PADD so as soon as Captain Lopez gets it in his possession, they will transmit the data to Whitestar.

The CO returned to his chair and used the Center Console to check on the ISSCV and could see that it sustained damage from a lightning strike that disabled their inertial dampening system. This had to be why Capt Daqtorgh came up with a way to have the Marines return safely to Infiniti. The Klingon Captain was certainly an honorable man, there was no doubt in E.J.'s mind about that.
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Commodore E.J. Carpathia
Commanding Officer, USS Infiniti
Division 1 Commander, Gamma Fleet

ISSCV - Troposphere of New Bajor

While piloting in the choppy weather, Sgt Ferro flew the ISSCV as best she could now that the inertial dampening system was disabled. Out the canopy windows Colette could see the Hammerheads flying in a formation around the ship in a circular fashion to help deter another lightning strike, which the Sergeant was extremely grateful for. As Sgt Ferro continued piloting through the storm, an incoming message came in for MCpt Lopez from LtCol Carrera aboard Whitestar.

Sgt Ferro: There's a message for you from Colonel Carrera aboard Whitestar, Captain!

Chris looked at the Com Screen and saw the message from LtCol Carrera regarding a lightning deterrent system to install upon the ISSCV once they got down on the planet's surface. MCpt Lopez acknowledged the message so the Lieutenant Colonel would know his message was received. Chris thought it would've been easier on them to send some Engineers down to install it once they setup the encampment for checking the survivors for embryos and beaming up the refugees. If the Xenomorphs start to swarm the area, they may not have time to install the lightning deterrent device on the ISSCV.

Trying to be polite as possible, MCpt Lopez sent a message back to LtCol Carrera asking for possible assistance in the installation process since the Squad could be very busy saving the lives of the colonists that are still alive and getting them transported to the ships in orbit. If Whitestar couldn't send any, then Chris would ask Como Carpathia if they could send some Engineers down. The Marine Captain knew that CPO Florenté would jump at the chance to assist in a situation like this.
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Marine Captain Christopher D. Lopez
Marine Detachment Commander, USS Infiniti