Ryan materialized with a soft hum of the transporter fading as he emerged onto the dark Cardassian station. He immediately crouched low, his breath steady but quick, eyes scanning the darkened hallway. Seeing he was alone he tapped the holo-display on his wrist and it flickered to life, casting a soft blue glow in the dry, oppressive air. The coordinates Anari had sent him were clear… Captain Day was being held in a chamber, just a few hundred meters away.

The oppressive temperature hit him immediately… uncomfortably hot, like the air of a desert planet trapped within the walls of the station. It was the kind of heat that sucked the moisture out of your skin, and the stale air carried the harsh, metallic tang of machinery. The walls hummed quietly, a low, constant vibration that seemed to seep through the floors and into his bones.

Ryan glanced around, adjusting to the dim lighting and the heavy atmosphere of the station. It was as if the very walls of the place were designed to suffocate any hope of escape, cold and functional.

His holo-display directed him to the right, down a narrow, dimly lit corridor. He moved quickly but carefully, carefully placing each step as quietly as possible. The hallway stretched on in front of him, the harsh yellow lighting casting long shadows across the walls. He passed a few unguarded rooms, likely storage or maintenance, but there was no sign of Cardassian personnel yet.

At the next intersection, Ryan paused, quickly moving back to a position behind a corner. His gaze flicked to the guard stationed near a security door… Day’s life signs were behind that door. He peaked back around the corner noting the distracted position the guard was in… facing a terminal, his back mostly turned. Ryan’s pulse quickened as his mind raced, calculating the best approach.

He ducked back behind the corner. The guard was alone, but a faint hum suggested an active security scan nearby. If he used his phaser to stun, the blast could set off an alarm, but if he used a low stun setting, the noise would be minimal. Still, he couldn’t be sure how sensitive the station’s scanners were.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he weighed his options. The low stun was quieter, and if he acted quickly, it could work. He tapped the power control on his phaser, adjusting the setting to the lowest stun level.

Ryan held his breath and aimed carefully at the back of the guard’s head, just below the neck. He released the shot. The guard flinched but stayed upright, stunned but not completely down. Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. It was close… but the guard wasn’t out yet.

With no time to spare, Ryan closed the distance, moving in fast but silent. He darted forward, grabbing the guard from behind and pulling him into a chokehold. The guard struggled weakly, but the stun setting had done its work. Within seconds, he went limp, slumping in Ryan’s arms. Unconscious but alive.

Ryan opened the door and saw there were no other guards in the small dark room. Only a chair, oppressively bright light overhead, and a bruised and bloodied, Captain Day slumped in her restraints. Ryan quickly dragged the limp guard’s body inside, closing the security door behind him. As Ryan approached her Day’s head snapped up, her gaze locking on him. Despite the pain, there was recognition in her eyes.

“Captain…” Ryan muttered softly, immediately moving to her side. His eyes scanned her injuries quickly. Her pulse was weak but steady, and her breathing was shallow and strained. He reached into his emergency pack, pulling out a small field trauma kit. He worked swiftly, applying pressure to the worst of her wounds before moving to free her hands from the durasteel bands securing her to the chair.

“Cadet…” Day’s voice was rough, barely above a whisper. “Took you long enough.”

Ryan didn’t respond, instead working to unlock the restraints. Once free he checked her again, making sure she was stable before he moved to lift her. She winced in pain as she tried to sit up straighter but managed a nod when she saw his concern. “I’ll be fine,” she said through gritted bloodied teeth, though the effort to hide her discomfort was clear. “What’s the status of the crew?

“Commander Mehta is working to get them out now, Vex is on the Vallejo, her and Anari are going to get us all onboard. We just need to get back to the beam in point.” Ryan said as he finished addressing the worst of her wounds.

Ryan gently supported her, lifting her to her feet. “We need to move. Can you walk? We need to get to the extraction point fast. It’s about 240 meters.”

Day’s gaze sharpened despite the pain. “I can walk. Just need you to help me.” She paused; her expression grim. “We’re going to make a detour first. Take me to Orin’s office.”

Ryan frowned. “We don’t have time for that. We need to get you out of here.”

Day’s eyes met his with the cold intensity he’d come to expect from her in the worst situations. “Orin’s database is in that office. I’ve been there before. It’s close. We need to make sure that Starfleet and Cardassia know exactly what she’s been up to… ensure she never revives the Obsidian Order.”

He’d been ordered to extract her, and that still had to be the priority.

“You’re in no condition to…” he started, but Day cut him off sharply.

“That’s an order Cadet. Now move.”

Ryan gritted his teeth but nodded. “Fine. But we move quickly.” He adjusted his grip on her, steadying her once more. They couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

He handed his phaser over to Day and knelt down to grab the heavier disruptor rifle off the guard… better if they were both armed.

Day shifted, leaning on him more heavily than before, but her resolve was unmistakable. Her face was pale, her injuries clearly taking their toll, but she kept her focus sharp. “We move now,” she rasped, her voice steady despite the pain.

Ryan nodded, taking the lead as they moved quickly through the corridors, his mind racing through every possible scenario. They reached the door to Orin’s office, and Day tapped the access panel. The door slid open, and they stepped inside. The room was dark, save for the soft glow of a terminal in the far corner.

Day’s hands were shaking slightly, but she moved with precision. She collapsed into the chair in front of the terminal, ignoring the pain that caused her to wince. “Give me your tricorder,” she ordered, her tone still commanding.

Ryan handed it over, the tricorder’s screen blinked to life as she tapped in a few commands, and the download began. Ryan stayed close, his eyes constantly scanning the room and the corridor outside the office.

The download progressed slowly, inching toward 20% when the silence shattered.

A series of explosions echoed throughout the station, the walls trembling violently as a shockwave rattled the floor beneath their feet. Ryan instinctively reached for Day, pulling her close to the ground. The terminal flickered, cutting out momentarily as sparks flew from the edges of the console.

Mehta had blown the charges.

“Dammit,” Ryan muttered, his heart pounding in his chest. “Time to go, we’re out of time.”

____________________________________

Aboard the Vallejo, Vex and Anari had been waiting for this moment. The instant the dampening field dropped, Anari’s hands flew over the transporter controls.

“Got them!” she exclaimed.

Mehta and Amir materialized onto the bridge in a shimmer of blue light. Mehta’s phaser was already drawn. Two Cardassian officers slumped to the deck they were each struck in the chest before they could react as Amir secured the helm.

“Report!” Mehta barked.

Vex’s voice crackled over the comm. “We’re beaming out the Cardassians now. We detected Captain Day’s signal in another area of the base, Cadet Ryan went in to get her.”

“Understood,” Mehta replied, concern evident in his voice, running to the engineering station and starting powering up the impulse engines.

All across the Vallejo, Cardassian engineers disappeared mid-stride. Confusion rippled through the remaining guards as the imprisoned Starfleet crew began materializing in their place.

____________________________________

Lieutenant Asha Kellan sat in the dim, sweltering cargo bay, the heat of the metal deck plating soaking into her body as she surveyed the grim scene around her. The Cardassian guards had long since stopped pretending to care about the prisoners, leaving them to fester in their wounds. Kellan’s focus was split between trying to keep Loran’s bleeding leg stable and keeping her eyes on her crewmates, trying to make sense of the chaos.

Loran was still unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady for the moment. The green blood pooling around his leg was a stark reminder of how close they’d come to losing him, and perhaps all of them. Dr. Pell had torn her uniform sleeve to staunch the flow of blood, but with no medical supplies and the guards’ refusal to offer any kind of aid, she was left hoping for a miracle. Nurse Torel was making rounds, treating injuries as she could, Asha couldn’t fathom how she and Dr. Pell were still standing.

Across the room, others were either bound, gagged, or slumped in the corners, too beaten to move. Kellan’s gaze landed on Jorath. His face was swollen and discolored; his eyes barely visible under the bruising. The younger guard had shown no mercy, repeatedly battering him with the butt of a disruptor rifle until the empath was nothing more than a crumpled mess of flesh and broken dignity. Kellan felt a surge of helpless fury, but there was little she could do.

The memory of Ensign Matthews’ last moments haunted her. Matthews had tried to check on Rax… had been trying to help, as she always did… but instead had taken a disruptor blast to her back. The shot had been swift, and fatal, and Matthews had collapsed instantly. Kellan’s gut twisted, but she refused to let her despair consume her. They were mostly still alive. For now.

She turned her head slightly, eyes scanning for any movement when the entire base suddenly rocked with an explosion. The entire structure groaned beneath her, and the air was filled with the deafening sound of cracking metal, followed by a cascade of sparks raining from overhead. The station shuddered under the force of the blast, and the lights flickered ominously. An alarm klaxon blared, reverberating in her joints.

The guards stationed near the far corner of the room were momentarily distracted, their attention snapping toward the explosion and the ensuing chaos. They muttered among themselves, too engrossed in their confusion to notice what was happening next.

The explosion had given them the opening they’d been waiting for.

Without a word, Kellan pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain in her body. Others did the same. Silently those crew members with the energy left to fight did, they swarmed the two guards, brutally beating them to the ground. Kicking… punching… they fought with everything they had… an explosion of long-suppressed defiance.

Suddenly the familiar hum of a transporter beam, barely audible amid the chaos and alarms was heard, as groups of the Vallejo crew disappeared…

____________________________________

All around the Vallejo crew members began appearing from the base, rushing to stations or helping the wounded get to sickbay.

Mehta settled into the captain’s chair as the situation stabilized. “Vex, status on Ryan and Day?”

The hesitation in her response was telling. “They haven’t checked in yet.”

Mehta’s grip on the armrest tightened. “We don’t leave without them.”

A soft beep sounded, Anari’s voice came through, clear and urgent. “Sir, the Sequoia is still out there. We can remotely pilot it.”

“What are you suggesting?” He replied.

“We can use its phasers to blast open the outer bay doors. The Vallejo’s weapons are down, but if we get those doors open, we can escape before reinforcements arrive.”

Mehta considered for only a moment before nodding. “Do it.”

Vex, still monitoring the transport signals, muttered under her breath, “You better hurry, Jeremy.”

____________________________________

Ryan quickly helped Day back onto her feet, the hum of the station’s alarms still echoing in his ears. The download was far from complete, but there was no time to wait any longer. They had to get out now, before the entire station was alerted to their presence.

“Let’s go,” Ryan muttered, his voice low, but sharp. He moved quickly, keeping one arm around Day’s waist to steady her as they navigated through the darkened corridors. The pain in her face was clear, but she kept moving, her determination still as sharp as ever.

They turned a corner, and Ryan felt the weight of time closing in on them. The hum of the station’s alarms grew louder as he pushed forward, but the sounds of boots marching down the hallway started to reach his ears.

“Keep moving,” he whispered, his eyes scanning ahead. They were getting close to the extraction point… just twenty more meters, but it seemed as though the walls themselves were closing in.

Suddenly, as they rounded another corner, Ryan froze. At the end of the hallway, stood a group of Cardassian guards. There were six of them, they must have detected Ryan’s beam in point and known he would have to return. Ryan’s heart raced, his mind spinning. He had to act quickly, and without alerting them to their presence.

“Shit,” Ryan muttered, ducking back behind the corner, pulling Day with him. He scanned their surroundings… there was no other route. No way out except forward.

“Looks like we’re not getting past them unnoticed,” Day said, her voice steady despite the strain in her features. “We fight through.”

Ryan met her gaze, his eyes narrowing. “You’re sure? You’re not exactly in fighting shape Captain.”

“I can still move,” Day replied, gritting her teeth. “And we don’t have a choice. We’ll make it.”

Ryan’s mind raced, considering their options. Day was right. Fighting was their only option. But there had to be a way to make it easier.

Then the idea hit him.

He grabbed the phaser from Day’s, quickly checking the settings. “Wait,” he said, “I can overload it. We can use it like a grenade.”

Day’s eyes sharpened. “Great thinking Cadet!”

“It’s our best shot.” Ryan set the phaser’s power output to maximum and started adjusting the internal settings, preparing it for a rapid buildup. He watched as the small indicator screen showed the power building up. Just as it approached critical he shouted, “Go!”

He reached his arm around the corner throwing the whining phaser at the guards, quickly recovering and taking aim with the disruptor rifle. Bolts of amber energy shooting from the barrel, dropping two guards just at the phaser reached maximum overload and exploded in a torrent of energy and shrapnel.

“Run!” Ryan yelled, grabbing Day’s arm and pulling her toward the now lifeless guards and closer to the extraction point. He could hear shouting in the corridors behind him… then boots clacking against the deck plates.

“Almost there…” Ryan murmured, exhausted and now carrying most of Day’s weight as the glow of the transporter beam engulfed them.