Lt Redrol Rogers moved Ipya to the sick bay as fast as he could. Her pulse was extremely faint by this point and he was determined that he would not lose her. His head nurse worked beside him and had rolled the tray carrying all the tools he might require between them. Lt Redrol ran his tricorder over her body and waited to see the results.

“Oxygen. Her oxygen is extremely low and we need to get her hooked up now.” Lt Redrol ordered the nurse. She instantly ran into the adjacent storage closet and grabbed everything she would need. She swiftly hooked Ipya up and looked to her Chief Medical Officer.

Lt Redrol watched the screen and willed the numbers to rise faster than they were. Of course, that would not be possible but he wished it anyway. He started to nervously drum his fingers against the edge of her medical bed. It took only a matter of minutes but it felt like hours to Lt Redrol. Ipya’s oxygen level finally got to where it should be and she started to stir awake.

“Captain, she’s coming awake!” Lt Redrol frantically called out to Captain Harper. Captain Harper had been waiting in a chair nearby and jumped up from her chair to swiftly head to Ipya’s bedside.

Ipya slowly opened her eyes. She blinked at least a dozen times and her eyes darted from left to right to look all around the room. She looked at everyone hovering near her and her eyes got wide. She started inhaling deeper breaths and her heart rate increased dramatically.

“Easy..Easy now. We are not going to hurt you,” Lt Redrol spoke tenderly to her.

Captain Harper took a step back away from her in order to try and give her some room and help ease her nerves. “Ipya, my name is Harper and I am the Captain of the USS Sausalito. We were looking for you. I promise no harm will come to you and you are safe with us.” Harper spoke as calmly and confidently as she could muster. After she finished talking, she waited for Ipya. She would not rush her in any way.

For several long minutes, Ipya looked at those around her. Her facial features visibly calmed and her breathing returned to normal. She tried to speak and only managed to cough a few times as a result.

“Careful. Take your time.” Lt Redrol said gingerly.

“Captain, you are needed on the bridge.” Ensign Hazel came over the ships communication system.

“On my way,” Harper stated and then turned towards Ipya. She looked her directly in the eye and then bent down towards her and took her by the hand. “I must go see what is happening. I promise I will not be away for long and I will return as soon as I can. Our medical staff her will take good care of you.” Harper then let go of Ipya’s hand and headed for the bridge.

“Captain, we have received word from Commander Piya. He’s onscreen now.” Ensign Hazel reported to Harper as soon as she stepped foot on the bridge.

“Very well,” Harper stated and then faced the view screen. This must mean they have restored power to the ship. Finally, some explanations, she thought to herself. “Commander, I assume you bring good news?” Harper inquired to the face of Commander Piya she saw onscreen.

“Aye, Captain. We have managed to restore power to the ship. Before you worry, LtCo Sili has already round up all of the unconscious crew members and locked them into the brig for the time being. She is still moving and deal with the deceased,” Commander Piya reported.

“Great work, Commander. What can you tell me about what you found?” Harper asked.

“We were able to determine that the ship was indeed sabotaged. It was quite intricate work and must have been performed by someone with intricate computer knowledge. The culprit hijacked the main computer system within the ship itself and turned off all power and life support systems. If we had arrived just a few minutes later, we likely would have found only dead corpses.” Commander Piya stated rather grimly.

“I understand. Great work to all you. Continue working where you are while we send a message to Starfleet requesting instructions on how to proceed. Captain, out.” Harper stated then motioned for Ensign Hazel to cut the feed. “Ensign, please prepare a message to Starfleet detailing everything that has occurred and we have discovered so far. Please inquire of how to proceed and express that it is of the highest priority.”

“Yes, Captain. Right away,” Ensign Hazel responded and then began preparing the message immediately.

“I am going back to check on Ipya. Please let me know if I am needed. Thank you.” Harper stated and then made her back to sick bay.

When Harper returned to sick bay, Ipya looked significantly improved. Harper was extremely relieved and glad to see that Ipya was in good spirits. She was chatting with Lt Redrol and was smiling.

“Ah, Captain you have returned. I’m glad to report that the patient has made a full recovery,” Lt Redrol spoke while laughing at his own joke.

“Captain, it is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming to find me!” Ipya spoke so softly that Harper could hardly hear it.

“Of course. No need to thank me or the crew. We have been searching for you for a few days now. Your friend at the colony outpost requested our assistance,” Harper lowered her voice as to not make Ipya anxious. “I don’t mean to pressure you or ask too much of you too soon, but can you tell me what happened?”

As soon as Harper spoke the words, Ipya smiled so big that Harper was sure it had to have hurt her face. That was definitely a look of pride.

“I destroyed them,” Ipya stated matter of factly. “They underestimated me. They just appeared in my home during inventory and captured me. I  was placed in the brig of the ship and just waited. I was friendly towards one of the guards and he was actually kind in return. I almost feel guilty but I convinced him that it wouldn’t hurt anything for me to take a walk around the ship and stretch my legs. With an escort of course,” she added.

Harper listened intently. She thought she had an idea where this was going but she would dare interrupt Ipya now.

“The guard walked with me and I waited until we got near the main engineering room. I am definitely no engineer but I know the basics. I took him by surprise and knocked him out with his own gun. I broke into a computer panel right inside the engineering room. For some reason, there was only one person in the room and he was walking the platform area above me and never even knew I was there. I hacked into the ships main system and took everything down. I was convinced I was going to die. I didn’t want to give up but if I was going to die, then I was going to take them with me. I waited in the engineering room as the power went out and life support began failing. The ship was in a panic. I knew I had to act fast. I made my way toward the bridge and no one even looked at me twice. I guess they were so worried about getting the systems back up that I was able to slip by,” Ipya continued her story.

Harper was growing more and more impressed with Ipya with ever word she spoke. Perhaps Ipya could be convinced to attend the Starfleet Academy. Starfleet could definitely use someone like her.

“Once I reached the bridge, the Captain of the ship spotted me and made  a straight line for me. I took off running and tackled them into their ready room. I punched the panel next to me and locked the Captain in. If I was going to survive, I had to try and commandeer the ship. I’ve never flown a ship before, but I couldn’t have been too hard, right? Yeah, wrong. I didn’t know what to do and by the time I started to figure things out, I passed out. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in your sick bay,” Ipya provided.

“Wow, you are very brave, Ipya. Not every one would have the courage to do what you did. Did you happen to hear anything that would let us know why they wanted you?” Harper inquired.

“I only heard a little but I was able to hear that they were planning to take me to some black market nearby. I didn’t quite catch it’s name but all they talked about was my borg implants in my left eye. I’m not positive but I think they were going to harvest the implants from me in order to sell them. That is why I knew I had to do something. I was dead either way.” Ipya spoke with a grave intensity.

“Agreed. You did the right thing, Ipya. Thank you and I would love to speak with you more. I am going to let you rest and I am going to receive instructions from Starfleet. I will return,” Harper stated.

“Thank you, Captain. I thought I was dead for sure. I can never express my gratitude for you and your crew showing up when you did,” Ipya spoke with tears forming in her eyes.

Harper only nodded and then turned to leave the room. She did not need to receive any form of thanks but she understood.

“Ensign, any word from Starfleet?” Harper asked as she walked on to the bridge.

“Aye, Captain. They have sent word that another ship in the sector is better equipped to handle the transfer of these prisoner and they are headed this way now to cease control of the unknown vessel,” Ensign Hazel reported.

“Very well, thank you.” Harper relayed the story that Ipya had told to her in sick bay. “Ensign, please send a report to Starfleet and let them know that we are taking Ipya home. Make sure they are aware of the suspected black market in the area and the planned harvesting of the borg implants.”

“Yes, Captain.” Ensign Hazel responded.

Harper breathed a long sigh of release. She wasn’t sure whether it was luck or what some called divine intervention but things had worked out remarkably well for her and the crew. She had no clue what the mission had just uncovered but she would leave that investigation to the experts. The crew had performed admirably and she could not be prouder.

“Helmsman, set a course for Thalos. We need to get Ipya home. If Starfleet wishes to speak with her, they can do so from there.” Harper ordered.

“Yes, Captain. Course laid in for Thalos.” Ensign Hveir replied.

“Let’s get her home, Engage!” Harper stated as she took her seat in the Captain’s chair. What would the next mission bring? She didn’t know but she had more confidence now than ever before. She knew her crew was capable of anything if asked.