The Battle of Starbase 234 - Part 12 - Just Buy Them Time

Posted on Fri Feb 6th, 2026 @ 11:08pm by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Commander Thomas Johnson & Lieutenant Commander Devon Hunt & Lieutenant Teneca Quinn & Lieutenant Ralen Trellis & Lieutenant JG Dana Monroe

1,762 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Return
Location: Starbase 234
Timeline: February 27, 2397

The promenade of Starbase 234 was usually as hive of activity, where goods, commerce and trade occured. However today it was where several hundreds of scared civilians and crew had gathered to shelter and await rescue or attempt escape. Starfleet Security officers guarded the entrances, and several of them were already engaged in firefights against Heralds attempting to break through.

The Heralds had only one goal. Annihilation and extermination.

There was no structure, no one in command. No one was leading. Hundreds of people were trying to make it towards the airlocks, funneled towards the few escape craft and escape pods.

As the away team entered, more and more people joined the exodus. Sad weary, women, their children stumbling along the deck in tears. Men, bitter and angry. People cried and screamed, their calls for help echoing in the air. And here and there were wounded Starfleet Officers, as helpless as the rest.

Never before in the history of Starfleet, had a mass of people moved and suffered together in this way. This was no disciplined march, it was a stempede. Without order and without a goal. Several thousand people, unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the route of civilization. Of the massacre of The Federation.

As Thomas watched the Promenade, watching the helpless, the innocent. His eyes welled up with tears.

Reaching in his bag, he took out four devices and placed them in a roughly 16 X16 square. "Captain, I have set up some transporter enhancers, be ready to lock on, tell al ships that are in the area to do the same."

Without hesitation, he turned to others in his group. Passing several more enhancers to Trellis. "Go down to that level and set up another. "Alright people We have set up enhancers to assist with the transport of large scale beam outs. We are going to try and get as much as we can beamed out onto the ships outside. Children, Women, injured first, those who can fight, find a weapon. Starfleet or civilian, we need your help.

"Understood, Sir." Teneca said and set to work.

Dana had spent a lot of years learning emotions again, and seeing the horrors going on now touched her heart like nothing had before. “We’ll get them out Commander.” She nodded to Thomas and set about helping.

"Understood, Commander," Counselor Trellis called back, already placing the first enhancer. He worked quickly, positioning the devices in the proper configuration while the chaos swirled around him. A child stumbled near him, crying for her mother. He caught her by the shoulder, pointed her toward the nearest security officer helping organize the evacuation.

"Stay with them - you'll be beamed up soon," he told her, then returned to his work.

Breaking through the chaos on the promenade, each of their comm badges chirped. "Aisaka to Away Team. We're still here." Taiga's voice came through clearly and confidently. "We're buying you as much time as we can. Don't waste a single second. Those people need you..." she paused for a second. "So save them!"

"In the process of doing so Captain." Thomas called out as he heard a rustle father down the promenade. A door that they had sealed off, has clearly being banged on. Someone wanted in, and it didn't sound friendly. "Might I suggest you hurry up with your transports."

"Enhancers in position on the lower level!" Ralen reported, activating the final device. The hum of the transport grid came online, expanding their beam-out capacity.

Then he heard it--Heavy impacts against sealed doors further down the promenade. Methodical. Insistent.

Counselor Trellis pulled his Herald staff from his shoulder, moving to position himself between the civilians and that sealed door. Around him, other security officers and armed personnel were doing the same - forming a defensive line.

Just buy them time. That's all we need to do. Time. The Counselor said to himself as he steadied his weapon and exhaled deeply.

Teneca herded the last of the civilians and wounded into the grid created by the Enhancers. Then activated the system. When they were gone, she contacted Thomas. "Commander, Quinn here, all survivors evaced, time to go."

"Commander Johnson to who ever hears this... we are ready when you are."

"Commander, this is the Graf Zepplin We're under heavy fire, and we can't beam you aboard all at once. We're going to have to do a few people at a time." The voice of Loid Forgers voice replied. "You need to hang on a little longer..."

"Don't know if we can, but no choice I guess. We will refine the enhancers so it will help with enabling you to get more in each transport." Thomas replied as he looked to the others. Hearing metal crash. "They just broke into the area, if you don't start now. There won't be anyone left for you to beam."

Commander Devon Hunt had been in a firefight, along with four enlisted security personnel by his side. As the head of security, he done his best to lead his people in the fighting against the invading Heralds. But after awhile the lines they held getting civilians to transports and escape had broken in many places. Fighting through the cooridors, leading a group that consisted of his wife, two children and several other civilians. Many within the group, were suffering with injuries. This included his own wife Anya.

Spotting the away team at the hancers, he led the group through the crowd as the other security staff laid down suppression fire towards that Heralds that been in pursuit of them. "Lt. Commander Devon Hunt, Chief Security Officer." His uniform and he suffered from several bruises. At some point, the Commander had found himself, fighting hand to hand with the invaders.

Noticing the new arrivals, and the injured running up to them, "Glad you can join us Commander. We were just about to leave." Thomas replied as he shot some more. The mere amount of heralds that were coming meant no shot missed. "Get to the enhancers, we are beaming out." Turning his focus to the ship now. "Graf Zepplin, this is Johnson again. Get us the hell out of here. Thats an order."

The Graf Zepplin cpuld be seen out of the large windows of the Promenade. It was takimg heavy fire, purple Herald weapons striking its shields. The ship of course was returning fire with its own phasers. Clearly either the ship wasn't responding, or it couldn't respond.

However it suddenly grew quiet. The Heralds around them 'poofed' away, disapperaing in whisps of black smoke. Now they were gone, leaving nothing but confusion.

Devon had been on the verge of telling his people to fall back to the hancers when suddenly the fighting came to a halt. Several people who had been fighting for their lives found themselves suddenly confused. Turning his attention to Commander Johnson, the Chief Security Officer had an obvious look of concern. "They had us on the run. Why the sudden fallback?" Te confused look turned into one of fear. "Unless they plan on just destroying the Starbase all together."

"I don't know but ill take it. It will give us the time to get out of here. Consider yourself transferred to the USS Tokyo, at least for the time being Commander." JOhnson replied. "Johnson to zepplin. Tokyo or the Ark Royal... we are ready. Before they change their minds please."

Raising an eyebrow, Hunt was surprised by the unofficial transfer. Turning to his family, he noticed that his injured wife was beginning to lose consciousness. "Honey, don't go to sleep. Wake up!!!"

Suddenly the blackness of space outside turned purple as thousands of gateways began to open. The gateways occupied every visible section of the once star dotted backdrop surrounding the station.

After a few moments, the Tokyo swooped by the large windows of the Promenade, flanked by the Ark Royal, Graf Zepplin and Broadsword.

Immediately people around the away team began to be pulled away in beams of blue and white light. Snatched right off their feet by the four starships, a desperate attempt to rescue as many people as possible while they still had the chance.

The whole away team were suddenly engulfed in a haze of blue and white light, as the Tokyo's transporters whisked them all away. They emerged a few seconds later in one of the transporter rooms. It was damaged and beat up. Conduits were hanging from the ceiling, wall panels lay on the floor where they had fallen.

The transporter operator looked more than fatigued, he looked exhausted. Medical officers were leading people out into the corridor. Some of them were sitting against the walls and in the corridor, medics attenting to their wounds. The sound of grief and the smell of blood assaulted their senses.

Finding themselves on the Tokyo, Devon quickly realized that only a small portion of those trying to get off the station were here. At this time, he couldn't worry about those poor souls since his wife was now unconscious due to her own injuries. "We need to get to sickbay."

As they materisalised on the vessel, Teneca frowned at the lack of those saved. A Herald's staff in her hand, she went in search of a workshop.

She was going to take her mind of the dead, by making sure she understood the weapon's technology and by doing so hoped to find a way to protect her fellow beings against it effects.

Dana had cursed more than a little loudly as she materialised, so many people had been left behind, she found it difficult to express herself in any other way. It may have been years since her liberation from the borg collective but she still hadn’t managed to fully master her emotions, especially in situations such as this. She had never had to leave anyone behind before, and it hurt.

The ship shook slightly, but not from weapons fire. This was much different, the feeling of the ships engines as the Tokyo jumped to warp speed. They were safe now, at least, for now. But the cost was far too great...

Posting by:

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Commander Thomas Johnson
Executive Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Devon Hunt
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Starbase 234 & Transferred now to USS Tokyo.

Lieutenant Teneca Quinn
Chief Science Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Ralen Trellis
Counselor
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant JG Dana Monroe
Operations Officer
USS Tokyo

RSS Feed