Trying to remain calm and take a few deep breaths, Alfie McCallister could see every other second his surroundings. The only light source that was working came from the flashing light belonging to the red alert klaxon. The intermittent crimson shades were not particularly helpful, however it was enough to see the faces of his brothers and friends.

“This is ridiculous.” complained his brother Henri.

“Can you think of another idea than Einstein?” Theodore mocked back.

“Well I’m not hearing anything from you Cochrane!” Henri countered with.

The banter between his brothers had become quite the norm between his brothers that Alfie had ended up ignoring them half the time. Looking around the room they were in (classroom twenty-one), Alfie attempted to find something he could use to either open the door or get a message out to someone on the outside. Using his hands, he pushed them against the wall trying to find a hatch or a manual override he could use.

“You found anything?” asked Alfie’s Bajoran friend, Faren-Cambil Leeyem. “I don’t think Professor S’Tefe is going to survive much longer!”

Looking over his shoulder, Alfie sighed at the scene behind him. Leeyem’s brother, Edon and several other students were trying to keep their teacher alive after he attempted to open the classroom doors and override the safety force field. The system backfired and sent the Vulcan academic across the room and knocked him unconscious. “I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’m sure I’ve heard my dad say there is always an emergency hatch with an emergency kit in it. Even if we can help the professor, I’m not sure what else we could do without getting past the door.”

“Someone has to come and rescue us.” Leeyem stated as he started to help his friend by feeling the wall.

Kneeling down, Alfie felt a small bump in the wall and his heart skipped a beat or two. Hoping it was what he thought it was, he pushed against it slightly and small hiss followed. As he predicted, a hidden compartment revealed itself. Inside an emergency light was on, a small computer console was active and a first aid kit was available. Pulling out the kit after shouting out he found something, Alfie straight away started to see what the small screen could tell him. It wasn’t much as his access to the computer was limited. He handed the kit over to Henri who took it over to Edon to see if there was something they could use to help their injured teacher. Meanwhile Leeyem remained by his side and Theodore joined him.

“Looks like a ship-wide power loss of some sort. I can’t tell for certain but it looks like the reason why the professor was thrown backwards was because emergency force fields are active in every part of this deck and the ones above and below us.” Alfie mentioned.

“Why would so many be active?” Leeyem asked, however the Bajoran teen had an indication of why anyway.

Checking the readings one more time, Alfie told them why. “There’s a massive hull breach and life support has failed. I don’t think we’re getting out of here without some help from the outside.”

“How do we call for help without a working comm station?” Theodore piped up with.

Tapping away at the screen, Alfie had already come up with a plan. “I once saw mum call up the intercom system on our replicator by loading the main computer directory…if I can…” He paused as he tried to remember every step his mother took. “There, I did it. I’ve got the comm back.”

“Who do we call?” Leeyem asked nervously.

Looking to his friend and then back to his brother, both of whom had no idea, Alfie took a bold decision. “Well seeing as the children of the three most senior members of the crew are stuck, I’m sure the bridge won’t mind us calling in to speak to one of our parents.” He pressed another button and opened the channel. “Classroom twenty-one to the bridge, please can someone respond.”

It took almost a second for someone to respond, but the wait almost felt like an eternity. A familiar voice belonging to his godfather followed. “Alfie is that you?” asked Senior Chief Petty Officer Court.

“It is Uncle Tobi, I’m so sorry to call the bridge but we really need your help!” Alfie said.

“No problem Alf, what’s happened? Are you all okay?” Court asked concerned.

“We’re stuck in our classroom and when Professor S’Tefe tried to override the emergency force fields he was injured. Can you send someone down here to help us and get the professor to sickbay?” Alfie questioned.

“Hold on Alfie, let me see what we can do for you. Standby.” Court replied back with. A few seconds later he came back. “Alfie, the transporters are finding it hard to beam you all out in one go. We are limited with power at the moment. We can beam one person out one at a time, we’re going to start off with beaming the professor out of there first. Have you got the emergency first aid kit out?”

“We have Uncle Tobi.”

“Good, have someone activate it and place the tricorder on him. We can then use it to distinguish him from you all.” Court told the teenager.

Alfie looked to his brother Henri to do it straight away as the other students stepped away from their unconscious teacher. In a few seconds, after the tricorder was placed on his chest, the Vulcan man was beamed away.

“Well done guys, the professor is safe in sickbay.” Court told them. “Now listen, I’ve just spoken with Commander Jen and we’re not certain we can beam you all out now. So this is what we’re going to do instead. Both of us are going to come down there and free you all. We can redirect the force fields and then get you off that deck to safety.” 

“How long will that take?” Alfie asked, sounding worried.

“Only a few minutes.” Court answered with. “Can you wait that long?” 

Looking around at everyone, they all looked scared and worried. Alfie spoke up for them. “We can Uncle Tobi, but don’t be too long.”

“We won’t, I want you to keep the channel open while we come to you.” Court said assuring his godson.

“Understood.” Alfie took in another breath as their waiting game started.

Main sickbay was crowded with so many people who were injured, so many were calling out in pain that it was becoming deafening for the Denobulan doctor. In her many years of service, Doctor Slyvexs had never considered that she would come to the train of thought that she was glad to have so many emergency medical holograms working around her. When they first introduced the system a couple of decades ago, like so many other medical professionals, she wasn’t too keen on them, but now they were making a difference as they dealt with the countless triages coming through.

Before her, lying on the surgical bed, was Captain McCallister. After being thrown from his chair on the bridge, the captain had passed out from concussion and was suffering from internal bleeding after one of his ribs had pierced his right lung. Working in unison with her staff, they acted quickly to save their commanding officer’s life. Helping her with the surgery was her deputy, Doctor Remi Forbes, a human man who had risen through the ranks dealing with frontier medicine on a number of Starfleet outposts and starbases. Odyssey had been his first ship posting since he graduated from the academy.

“BP is starting to fluctuate.” Forbes announced and then the captain’s body started to convulse. “His cardiovascular system is failing, I’m applying twenty milligrams of lectrazine. We’re going to lose him!”

Trying her best to keep her hand steady as Forbes injected the hypospray into the captain, Slyvexs was doing her best to repair the damage the captain had sustained to his ribs. The monitors around them started to give off warnings that the captain’s life signs were failing. “We’re losing him,” Slyvexs said as she completed her work and looked to her nurse, “Ten milligrammes cordrazine. We’ll use it in conjunction with the cortical stimulator.”

Like a flash, the Caitian nurse picked up the hypospray, passed it to her boss and applied the cortical stimulator on the captain. “Ready doctor.” She hissed.

“Stand back!” Slyvexs ordered and the moment Forbes and others stepped back, she shouted. “Now!”

The captain’s body flinched slightly. Forbes had a tricorder in his hand already. “I’m getting a thready pulse.” He announced.

“Quickly. Seventy five milligrammes inaprovaline. I’ll begin direct synaptic stimulation.” Slyvexs ordered as she got back to work on saving the captain’s life.

“Pulse is weakening. We’re losing him again.” Forbes stated.

Frustrated that they may lose the captain, Slyvexs was not going to give up. “Cortical stimulator.” She instructed. “Now!”

Again the captain’s body flinched and then went limp.

Forbes looked at his scanner and spoke, “No change!”

“Again!” The Denobulan shouted.

McCallister’s body moved from the outside pressure and then the monitors showed a steady pulse returning alongside with brain activity rising again.

“We’ve got him back.” Forbes said relieved.

“He’s not going anywhere right now.” Slyvexs ordered as she resumed working on bringing the captain back to life.

Running through the corridors with Tobias was not how Lieutenant Commander Jen had expected their mission to Haydorian to turn out. Making their way passed each force field, being careful to keep what limited oxygen levels they had remaining, the two Starfleet officers were approaching one junction when Tobias stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Jen asked.

Pulling his phaser out from his hip, Court didn’t have time to explain as he pushed Jen to the deck plating before both of them were hit by green bolts of disruptor fire. Rolling over the floor, with Lukiz in his arms still, Tobias pulled them both behind a nearby hatch. “Klingon life signs!” He said as he realised he was lying on top of his ex-boyfriend.

More disruptor fire came down the corridor, as the two men got themselves off from each other and into a defensive position. Phasers in their hands. Court, took his tricorder out and spoke up. “I’m picking up four life-signs, all of them Kligon and they’re wearing some sort of EVA suits.”

Looking in between the debris from a fallen bulkhead, the Trill operations officer could see the four warriors all firing towards them. Each of their shots missed the two Starfleet officers that were now pinned down. “How the hell did they get on the ship?” He whispered.

“They must have beamed over before their ship rammed us?” Court suggested. “Anyway, we can’t get any further while they’re there!”

Tapping his combadge, Jen called the bridge. “Jen to the bridge, intruder alert on deck seventeen.”

“Lukiz, did you say intruder alert?” Came the response from Cline Lenjir on the bridge.

“I did Cline, get me security officers down here right now as Tobias and I are pinned down by Klingons in EVA suits!” Lukiz ordered.

“They’re on their way!” 

Looking to Tobias, who was just as concerned, Lukiz just wondered how much more could the Odyssey take from today.