Taking point to lead the team down the access tube, Trommler carefully pushed the horizontal hatch with both hands and instantly pulled his rifle out so as to aim it down the ladder that led down to sickbay. There was nothing there for him to fire at, but he heard the familiar voices of Doctor Wishmore and Yeoman Knight mumbling something between them. Looking at everyone behind him, Trommler indicated for them to hold while he headed down to scout the area out. 

The moment his feet touched the ladder, he had a clear view of sickbay. Even in its powered down state, there was enough light to determine who was there. First off he saw an Orion, who appeared to be asleep and tied down to one of the bio beds. The MACO’s stomach then sank as he saw one site he had never seen before. Sitting slightly up on the main surgical bed was his husband. Appearing almost dead, the broken body of Oliver Campbell remained almost as still as the Orion guard that had been taken out by the good doctor and his husband’s admin assistant. 

Jumping down, he indicated for the others to follow him and he called over to Wishmore and Knight the moment he saw the sickbay doors were closed and barricaded with various pieces of furniture in front of it. “Jacob, Romeo, what the hell happened?” He asked looking over to where his husband was lying down. 

Knight, who had been sitting on the other side of the room with a phase rifle in his hand, looked up to the MACO and got off from the floor. “Sir, the captain was badly injured by the Orions.”

Relieved to see a few more friendly faces, Jacob ceased working for a moment to address Fynn’s obvious concerns, “He’s going to need some proper treatment once this is all over, ” The doctor spoke with a confidence that the situation’s outcome would be a positive one for the Endeavour crew, “But he’s okay.”

Trommler walked up to his husband, who was barely conscious, and called for him. “Ollie, can you hear me? I’m here, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Nodding slightly, Campbell took several deep breaths. Above him the monitors indicated how weak his lifesigns were. It was obvious that Wishmore had patched up the captain and was now giving him some time to rest. Campbell’s jumpsuit had been pulled down to his hip, while his black undershirt was on the floor in a crumpled mess. His torn bright blue vest was covered in spots of his own blood caused by the various cuts and bruises he had endured by the Orions. Wishmore had placed a few bandages and dressings in certain areas to help with the healing process. “I’m all the better for seeing you Fynn.” Campbell eventually croaked out. Slowly he turned his head to see the rest of those that had been with Trommler. “Are you all okay?”

Xiang nodded, “Trommler here was able to sneak us into the vents.” Xiang replied looking at her Captain, then looking at the Orion. “Is he dead? If not he’s not going to wake up anytime soon right?” She asked as the last thing she wanted was their plan to go south before it even began.

Levy had seen a lot during her time in MACO missions, but nothing prepares you for the scene of the ship captain. She smiled as assuredly as she could “We are ok thanks to Fynn being clever and sneaking us through the ship’s ventilation as Xiang stated.” She paused “What happened?”

“He’s most certainly alive,” Wishmore replied to Xiang, glancing toward their heavily drugged guest, “Although unfortunately I don’t think he’s going to be of much use to us any time soon.”

Knight quickly spoke up, “The doctor put him to the land of nod while we fixed the captain up. Did you encounter any other crew?”

Shaking his head, Trommler answered with an affirmative “no”.  The MACO deputy looked back at his injured husband, “You look like crap, you know!”

Campbell chuckled at the comment. “Thanks, I love you too.” He pushed himself up, “Please tell me we might be in a position to retake back the ship. I’m assuming that’s why you are all here?” He croaked.

Xiang nodded, “Yes Captain, our plan is that from here I will attempt to close all the vents to the cargo bay where the crew is being held.” She began to explain, “we will push sleeping gas through our ventilation system and hopefully knock our guests out. Then while myself, Lieutenant Crawford, and Lieutenant Levy head to engineering to fake a warp core breach the rest will go free the crew from the cargo bay.” Xiang finished explaining their plan, she was hopeful she could pull it off though she still had her reservations she was an engineer she wouldn’t let her ship down.

Levy nodded at the summary “I will make sure the team is secure and safe as we try to pull this off. I do believe we can do it! We have to show the Orions who is boss!” She stated in pure determination.

Wincing still in pain, Campbell nodded as he listened to the plan. “You’ll need my access codes to do all of that.” Looking over at the doctor, Campbell croaked up. “Jacob, can you give me anything else for the pain?”

“Of course,” Wishmore responded to his Captain before swiftly retrieving the required drugs, “This will make you feel a little bit like you’re floating at first but the discomfort will stop for a while too,”

Looking between the doctor and his husband, Trommler couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew what his husband was considering. “Oliver, you are in no condition to help with this plan. If anything, we need to find somewhere to secure you away from the Orions to avoid them trying to extract your command codes.”

“Nonsense Fynn, I appreciate your concern but I won’t let my ship or crew suffer. If we can’t get rid of the Orions then I need to initiate the ship’s auto-destruct sequence.” Campbell said with determination as he pushed himself up further.

Placing both hands on his shoulders, Trommler looked at his husband. “You may outrank us all in this room, but you don’t get to pull that crap with your husband. Remember that vow we made, in sickness and in health? I’m not letting you leave Jacob’s care.”

“And what about ’till death do us part?” Campbell argued back with, still sounding weak. “Fynn, we haven’t got time to sit here and have a domestic in front of the crew.”

Looking at everyone else both of them smirked at the situation. Grumbling under his breath as he helped his husband up, Trommler was not happy. “Then I’m not leaving your side.”

“Likewise.” Knight offered. “I go wherever the captain goes.”

“There’ll be no death today,” Wishmore spoke with confidence, “At least not from our end.”

“Thank you gentlemen.” He looked over to his new chief engineer. “Commander, can you tell us how you plan to get the gases released into the vents without access to environmental controls on the bridge?”

Looking at him, “right here in sickbay I can access environmental controls from here and anywhere from this ship. I might not have made a first good impression on you when I arrived sir, but I am damn good at my job sir.” Xiang replied looking at him, “I can get them from that console right there. It will take me a few minutes to get to the ventilation system in the Cargo bay but once that is done I can access the rest in less than a minute, they won’t know what hit them.” She replied looking at them with assurance.

Hoping he was placing his faith in the right place, Campbell just nodded for her to get on with the job.

She nodded to the Captain and looked at Khadijah as if she knew what she was going to say they both walked over to their perspective consoles and began to work, the challenging part was getting the vents closed in the Cargo bay.

Suddenly, one of the vents in the Sickbay ceiling burst down followed in quick order by one Major Saorise Hess-Caidin, who hit the ground at an odd angle with the sickening crack of broken bones. She fell prone almost like a rag doll, and a after a second she began to right herself, grabbing on to a nearby table to steady herself. The Major winced and seethed audibly as she moved, pulling herself up with a small stumble from a leg injury. Her head and uniform were covered in blood…a bit of her own, but most of it visibly Orion.

“…I thought…we were going to wait…” She spoke out between laboured breaths, “…for my signal.”

The Major took a few steps forward, limping from her injuries, before stopping and swaying a bit from side to side. “…going to need…a pick-me-up…and a cleanser…” She managed to breath out. “…I’m coming down, hard.”

…at which point, she fell down forward, crashing onto the deck right in front the Captain.

“Give me a hand,” Wishmore spoke to anyone with a sigh as he moved to get the new arrival onto a bed of her own, his mind briefly beginning to wonder what kind of supplies he was going to be left with by the time their ordeal was over with as he set about attempting to get the Major back on her feet.

Knight assisted Wishmore with the major, while Campbell looked on. Gesturing towards his husband to help him over to Meihui, Trommler slowly and carefully supported his husband over to where the engineer was. Holding his bare chest, Trommler eased his husband into the seat beside the engineer. Seeing that her simulated ship wide biohazard was ready to make the computer think there was a microbiotic contamination on all decks, all she needed was Campbell’s command codes. Tapping them in and giving his voice authorisation, Campbell released the computer lockout and Meihui hit the button to start spreading the knock out gas to all decks except for the areas their crew were in.

The battle to retake Endeavour had started.