Mehta edged forward first, his back against the cold duranium plating of the corridor wall. His grip closed tightly around his phaser rifle. Across from him, Amir was hunched low, his own weapon ready.

The base was still… abnormally still. As they worked their way down through the corridors and access shafts towards their goal, only once did they hear Cardassian voices.

Mehta had learned long ago that silence was not a companion. He had battled for decades on fields where quiet spelled ruin. His chest rose and fell with slow, measured breaths as he peered down the darkening passageway, waiting for something to move, the first glimmer of a trap.

“Too quiet,” Amir breathed.

Mehta didn’t respond immediately. He checked the schematics of the station on his wrist-mounted holo-display, superimposing their path with the internal security grid. Five guards in the corridor to the left. Two more patrolling the stairwell. One officer in the control station ahead.

“They’ve concentrated troops around engineering and the control decks,” Mehta whispered. “Security is light here, but we can’t take any chances.”

They moved forward, shadows in the dark, poorly lit corridor. They were aiming for the power core… eliminate the power and the dampening field comes down. They moved forward with practiced silence, alert for the sounds of company.

The security checkpoint was only a short distance ahead. One Cardassian guard, seated at his console, watching the internal security monitors of the station. One alarm, one tap on the console, and the entire plan would fail.

Mehta tapped Amir’s shoulder, then held up two fingers: silent take-down.

Amir nodded. He moved like fluid darkness, coming around behind the Cardassian and slipping an arm across his throat before he could even make a noise. The struggle was over in seconds, a desperate clawing at Amir’s forearm before the guard’s body went limp.

“Still got it,” Amir grunted, letting the unconscious Cardassian slide quietly to the floor.

Mehta wasted no time. He slid into the control station, fingers flying over the console. The security feed froze, looping footage from ten minutes prior.

“We have a three-minute window,” Mehta breathed. “Move.”

The next hatch led into the auxiliary power core, the dim chamber pulsing with residual energy. A tangled web of conduits fed into the dampening field generator, a bright amber glow radiating from its power relay.

Mehta brought his rifle down and smiled at Amir. “Let’s kill the lights.”

Amir moved swiftly, planting disruptor charges along the main relay. Mehta covered him, sweeping his rifle across the chamber. He could feel it now… the weight of the moment. Every second they had gone undetected had brought them closer to success, but the slightest miscalculation could still send it spiraling into disaster. If they were discovered it was a death sentence for the entire crew.

“We’re set,” Amir whispered. “Ready to blow on your mark.”

Mehta exhaled, steadying himself. “Let’s get back up to the extraction point. Once Vex says we are good to go, we light it up and run like hell.” It had to be perfect.

______________________________________

Aboard the Vallejo, Anari wiped another streak of dark sludge from her forehead, adjusting the sensor readout. The ship’s internal systems were responding well, the final patches to impulse control appeared complete, and warp core readings were starting to stabilize.

“Transporter Room One is green across the board,” she reported. “We’ll be able to beam the trash out and our people aboard the moment the dampening field goes down.”

Vex stood beside her, arms folded, watching the Cardassians through a ventilation slit in the maintenance tunnel. “They’re working fast. They want the Vallejo spaceworthy as soon as possible, but they’re not touching weapons or life support.”

Anari frowned. “Meaning they don’t care if she’s combat-ready, or able to support a crew.”

“Exactly,” Vex muttered.

Anari went back to her console. As she started to execute another scan of the base to try and monitor Commander Mehta’s progress something flickered at the edge of the sensor array… a biological signature, faint and intermittent.

She frowned, increasing the resolution. The computer beeped the signature again.

“That’s strange,” she muttered.

Vex glanced over. “What?”

“I’m picking up a Bajoran biosignature,” Anari said. “Female. Weak, likely injured. Estimated age…” She adjusted the scan, filtering out interference. “Thirty to forty years old.”

Vex’s expression darkened. “Not in the holding cells?”

“No. Completely separate from the others, up in the upper administration section.” Anari confirmed. “Whoever this is, they’re alone.”

Vex keyed up the crew manifest, filtering for Bajoran females. Only one name remained.

“It’s Captain Day,” she said grimly.

Anari looked up. “You’re sure?”

“She’s the only one it can be.” Vex clenched her jaw.

A beep broke the silence… an incoming hail.

“Sequoia,” Anari said.

Vex activated the control. “Go ahead, Sequoia.”

Ryan’s voice came over the channel, tight with urgency. “Lieutenant, how are we looking? The Commander and Amir should have reached the power core by now.”

Vex looked over at Anari’s console, checking the latest scan results. “Looks like they’re almost back to the beam-in point,” she said. “Waiting for our signal.”

Ryan exhaled, relieved. “So, we’re almost there.”

Anari hesitated. “Not exactly.”

A pause. “What does that mean?”

Vex’s fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the console before she spoke. “We found Captain Day.”

The silence that followed was thick and charged. “Where?”

Anari’s voice was measured. “Upper administration section. Separated from the rest of the crew. Bajoran biosignature, female, weak vitals. She’s the only one it could be.”

Vex exhaled slowly. “Even when the dampening field drops, we can’t just beam her out. The section she’s in is covered by a separate transport inhibitor—it’s independent of the main dampening field that’s affecting the rest of the base.”

Ryan’s response came instantly. “Then let me go.”

Vex’s brow furrowed. “Cadet, this is not your call.”

“She’s alone, Vex,” Ryan pressed, his voice gaining an edge. “She’s probably been tortured for hours, maybe days. You and Anari can’t move from your position, and Mehta and Amir are in a comms blackout. I’m the only one who can do this. Let me get her out of there.”

Vex’s expression darkened. “You don’t even know what you’re walking into.”

“I don’t have to,” Ryan shot back. “I just have to get her to a clear zone where you can get a lock. I can move faster than a team, and I won’t risk blowing Mehta and Amir’s cover.”

Vex stared at the console, jaw clenched. He was right. Every second they waited, Day’s condition deteriorated. Once the dampening field was down, they had to get out of there fast, there would be no time to mount a rescue. There was no time to debate or send a larger force. If Ryan failed, they’d lose both of them… but if they did nothing, they’d lose her anyway.

She let out a slow breath. “Fine.”

Ryan sat up straighter, surprised she agreed so quickly.

“But listen to me, Cadet,” she continued, her tone leaving no room for argument. “You do exactly what I say. No heroics. No improvisation. You get in, you get her out. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ryan said immediately.

Vex turned to Anari. “Find him the closest possible beam-in spot.” Turning her attention back to the small comm unit in her hand, “Replicate a signal booster, It will help us lock back onto you sooner once you have the Captain.”

Ryan was already moving before she finished speaking. He grabbed a Type 1 hand phaser from the shuttle’s weapons locker, slipping it into his belt. It wasn’t as powerful as a rifle, but it was compact, easy to conceal, and… most importantly… silent when set to stun.

Next, he slung an emergency pack over his shoulder, quickly checking its contents. A medkit, rations, a micro-torch, a small knife, and a portable holo-interface. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. He had no illusions about what he was walking into… if things went wrong, no one was coming to save him.

He discarded the blade, attached the holo-interface to his left arm, and rushed over to the small replicator set into the shuttle’s port side wall. He tapped in a few commands… The replicator hummed, materializing the signal booster in front of him. Ryan grabbed it and clipped it onto his belt.

“Computer, replicate an FS fighting knife… ring grip pattern, baakonite construction, 29 cm in length with an 18 cm blade.”

He ran his fingers over the blackened hilt, testing the weight before tucking it into his boot. It was designed for one thing… quick, efficient takedowns. Starfleet training encouraged ranged combat, but Ryan had always preferred the control of a blade. He’d trained with them for years, but now, for the first time, he wasn’t practicing.

Anari worked quickly at her console, her eyes narrowing as she mapped out possible beam-in points. A moment later, she let out a breath. “Okay, listen up. The best I can do is a maintenance alcove about two hundred and thirty meters from her location. It’s a blind spot in the station’s security grid, so you shouldn’t be detected right away.”

Ryan nodded, “How do I get to her?”

Anari pulled up a schematic of the upper administration section. “Alright, once you materialize, you’ll be in a narrow maintenance corridor. From there, you’ll need to move fast. Follow the corridor until you hit a stairwell that leads to the upper floors. The administration offices are on level three. Be aware… there are Cardassian patrols in the area, I’m seeing at least 5 life signs in that area.”

Ryan checked the settings on his holo-display, ensuring Anari’s route came through. “And once I get her?”

Anari’s voice was calm but direct. “Get her back to the maintenance alcove. We’ll lock onto you as soon as you’re there.”

Vex spoke up again, her tone grave. “If you’re detected, they’ll tighten security even more. We don’t have much time, Cadet. Be smart. And stay alive or Renn will kill me.”

Ryan gripped the signal booster and phaser tightly. His pulse raced, and he suddenly became very aware of the massive lump in his throat as adrenaline started to build, but his mind was clear. He nodded, determined. “Understood.”

Without another word, he turned and rushed small shuttle transporter, his body tense with anticipation. He tapped in Anari’s coordinates and executed transport. The low hum of the transporter echoed in the room as the energy field enveloped him. The world around him warped, and in a shimmer of blue light, he was gone.