Season 1, Mission 05: Awakening

[ThomasRiker]

Fortunately for him, Cortez was securely seated in his command chair when the blast went off. However, the blinding light from the explosion was bright enough to be painful, even with the viewscreen's filtering protocols taken into account. Taking a second or two to reflect on what had just happened, Cortez finally jumped to his feet.

"What the hell just happened?"  he shouted, to no-one in particular

"Sensors indicate a rapid overload in there primary and secondary power conduits, consistent with a self destruct sequence. I am running a sweep now for lifesigns, but I wouldn't hold my breath. He announced.

[cortez]

"Sensors indicate a rapid overload in there primary and secondary power conduits, consistent with a self destruct sequence. I am running a sweep now for lifesigns, but I wouldn't hold my breath. He announced.

Cortez headed towards the Tactical console at a speedy pace. He knew what he had to ask next, but delayed the words escaping his mouth for fear that answer was something he was unprepared to hear.

"The transport?"  he asked, somberely, "Did it complete in time?"

[Lance Krol]

Cortez headed towards the Tactical console at a speedy pace. He knew what he had to ask next, but delayed the words escaping his mouth for fear that answer was something he was unprepared to hear.

"The transport?"  he asked, somberely, "Did it complete in time?"

Lance stepped up beside him. "Yes, sir. It completed five minutes ago, and anyone or anything we got in the beam will be in the cargo bay. I took the liberty of locking the doors and leaving a recorded message explaining why, just in case."

[cortez]

Lance stepped up beside him. "Yes, sir. It completed five minutes ago, and anyone or anything we got in the beam will be in the transporter room. I took the liberty of locking the doors and leaving a recorded message explaining why, just in case."

Cortez shot a glance to his right, towards Krol at the engineering console situated at the rear of the bridge. Though he dreaded the words escaping his mouth, he was relieved when he got the answer he was hoping for.

It had only taken him a few minutes to reach the cargo bay and upon entering was greeted by the unfamiliar sight of a standard Federation cryo unit, big enough to house someone of humanoid stature. Cautiously, Cortez studied it, wondering just what he might be confronted with should he open the unit up. After a few more seconds of contemplation, he went for it, carefully inputting commands into the integrated LCARS panel situated on the upper side of the duranol casing. A moment later, the lock broke free to reveal what he had spent the past few months hunting...Commander Clarke.

But he was different.

"What the hell?"  Cortez muttered under his breath.

Connected to the Commander's body were several wires, tubes and medical-looking diagnostic devices.

"What have they done to you?"  he whispered, not expecting a response from his unconscious superior.

Turning to Masters, who had accompanied him with Cadenza and Krol, Cortez immediately ordered a medical team down to the cargo bay. "He needs medical attention immediately"

---

"Acting Captain's log, supplemental. With most of the ship's systems either offline or severely damaged, we're limping our way back to the nearest starbase. Doctor Rimire has assured me Commander Clarke will make a full recovery. Though it's true we paid a price for his rescue, I'm just glad we've finally got him back."