The smell of something burning caused Jade to stir. What happened? she thought to herself as she tried to remember where she was and what had happened. Her head ached and her left arm throbbed. She had never felt this much pain before and it was almost unbearable. She attempted to move her arm and realized she couldn’t. For the first time since regaining consciousness, she looked around her and took in the scene before her.

Her breath quickened and her pulse spiked. She instantly felt hot and knew her blood pressure had to be way too high and probably life threatening. She was buried. She tried not to think about it but it was an impossible task. She attempted to break free from the rubble on top of her and couldn’t wiggle a single inch. Where is everyone?….Oh, I’m going to die…I’m going to die… she thought to herself. She had now reached the point of almost hyperventilation. If she had been in her right mind, she would know to try and slow her breaths down to calm herself but that thought never occurred to her. All she kept thinking was that she was going to die and be stuck underneath this rubble forever. The thought horrified her and her panic only worsened.

She began thrashing around trying to wiggle out from underneath the rubble but it didn’t work. The only thing it did succeed in was causing her arm to throb and ache even more than it had before. Tears filled her eyes and she began screaming for help. “HELP ME….HELP ME SOMEONE…IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE? I NEED HELP!!!” she screamed as loud as she could manage and prayed that someone was close by and would be able to help her.

The corridor was a war zone. Smoke curled lazily through the flickering emergency lights, and alarms pulsed in uneven bursts, their shrill whine bouncing off scorched walls. Commander Nuni Irric moved quickly, sidestepping shattered conduits and broken glass, his boots thudding against the deck with steady urgency.

He passed one heap of debris without slowing—twisted duranium and blackened panels forming a jagged hill. The second he glanced at, eyes flicking over its edges for movement. Nothing. But the third stopped him short.

A collapsed bulkhead had crumpled inward, sealing the corridor. The rubble rose almost to the ceiling, a mountain of wreckage choked with wire and fragments of insulation. Irric placed a gloved hand on the surface, testing for give. It shifted beneath him as he climbed, bits of debris clattering down the sides.

Then he paused and instinctively tilted his ear towards the rubble, one foot hovered mid-step. Somewhere below the rubble, almost too soft to hear, there was something… a voice.

He waited.

The alarms screamed, shrill, mechanical, unfeeling. Irric drew a slow breath, steadying himself, and let his eyes fall to the rubble below.

Nothing.

He took another breath and shifted his weight to continue forward.

“…help me…”

It was barely audible—strained, broken, soaked in fear. Irric’s breath caught and he dropped to one knee.

“Hello?” His voice echoed, tight and low. “I’m here!”

He pulled the tricorder from his belt flipping it open instantly. The screen sprang to life and bathed his face in pale blue light. His fingers moved quickly, tapping through interference. The scanner chirped, once, then again.

A lifesign.

Jade could barely make it the voice she heard calling out. For a brief moment, she thought she recognized the voice but she didn’t dwell on it for too long. All she could think about was that she needed to get out from under the rubble as quickly as possible. She had no idea what kind of injury she was facing and how much the continuous pressure from the rubble was further harming her.

“I’m here…I am right here…” she called out as loud as she could muster. It was getting more and more difficult to breathe and she was afraid her words were coming out as slightly more than a whisper. She had to keep trying no matter what.

Jade continued to try and yell out as loud as she could while starting to try and free herself. She was aware that this could potentially have a disastrous outcome. She didn’t know what else to do to make her exact location seen so she kept at it. She still couldn’t move her left arm so she began moving what small debris she could with her right. It wasn’t much and she was aware of that fact. Still, it was something and that’s all she could do right now.

Irric tore into the wreckage, each movement fueled by urgency. He grabbed twisted beams and chunks of scorched plating, hurling them aside with raw, mechanical determination. His gloves snagged on jagged edges, and every pull sent a jolt through his shoulders. The rubble resisted—solid, stubborn, unmoved. Dust clung to his skin, mixing with sweat as the sting of smoke filled his throat.

It felt hopeless.

To his left, movement—two figures through the haze. Junior officers, uniforms streaked with soot.

“You two—here!” Irric’s voice cut through the alarms. He pointed at the debris without pausing. “There’s someone trapped under this. Get to the nearest engineering station and bring back pattern enhancers. Now—go!”

They hesitated just a second, then ran.

He dropped to one knee, pressing his hand flat to the debris, feeling the faint tremor of shifting metal. He leaned closer, his eyes narrowed.

“Hang on,” he said, raising his voice to cut through the layers of rubble. “We’re coming. Just hold tight. I’ve got you.”

Jade could hear the voice better now and the familiarity of it brought tears to her eyes. She knew this person and she had never been more relieved in her life. His voice was enough relief to settle her somewhat and she stopped stirring. She had known it was dangerous to try and free herself but she didn’t feel she had any other choice. Now, she trusted in the man digging to free her so she settled as much as she could.

It felt like it was taking forever. She was soaked with sweat and it was running down her forehead into her eyes. Jade giggled at the irritation she felt at being unable to wipe it all away from her eyes. Every time she reached for it with her right arm, her left arm hurt so bad that it took her breath away. She made the decision that it wasn’t worth further damaging her arm but it was annoying her. She honestly hoped that it would be the biggest of her worries but fear lingered in the back of her mind that it would just be the beginning.

Jade could hear the people actively working together to free her. They were definitely closer now and of course, she was fighting to stay awake. Sleepiness was overtaking her and she was fighting to keep her eyes open and stay alert. Just when she had resolved to just give in to sleep, light broke through the rubble above her and she finally saw the familiar face. She winced at the sudden rush of light and attempted to cover her eyes with her right hand.

“Commander Nuni?” she tried to say but her mouth was so dry that what she managed to get out was barely coherent. She realized she may not be able to say much so she offered a small smile just before she lost consciousness.

Irric’s eyes widened as he glanced at the tricorder, the lifesigns were dropping. His stomach twisted. He looked up, voice sharp and echoing through the corridor.

“Hurry with those enhancers!” he shouted into the smoke and chaos. “We’re losing her!”