“It’s slow, and Sokassia hasn’t been very encouraging, but we’re managing to get systems online piece by piece.”

Captain Harris replied over the channel = ^=That’s good to hear.  We’re able to use our sensors a little bit better each time - feels like he’s opening up the curtain=^=

Okada felt a snappy reply die in her throat as she found better words, “We’re working on getting a better idea of how long this will take.  We’ll report in another hour.”  The channel closed, and the chief engineer sighed deeply, “I’m starting to suspect we will be here awhile.  Whatever’s still here needs securing, and the only way to confirm that is to get all the systems back up again.”

Kondo worked on his PADD as he communicated with various security teams working in the underground facility.  He glanced up with a weary smile, “Job security, Chief…job security.  I’d rather be working on this than wandering around trying to understand whatever they released.  This I can put my hands on and shoot.  Out there - I have no idea what I’m dealing with.”

The commander chuckled, “You’d rather be able to punch and shoot it than scan and pray?”  He gave her a thumbs-up sign, and they shared a laugh.  The moment was broken by blasts of some kind farther down the causeway.  Kondo’s badge sprang to life.

=^=We’re under fire!  Heavy weapons fire in area BD2!  Requesting assistance!=^=  Kondo took off without a word as Chief Katsumi snagged her equipment and followed him apace.  Her engineering teams were spread out, but she knew one of them was near the area they’d shouted out in the report.  The sounds of weapons discharge increased as they drew closer to the area.  

Kondo slid to the side of one of his officers, “Report.”

The man dodged a phaser shot, “I think we found the mirror universe people.  They’ve managed to secure the armory for their weapons and are pushing back against our line.”  He nodded at the PADD on the ground, which De La Fontaine picked up as he continued, “We’ve got them contained in their primary location - but if they managed to overrun us, they’d be loose on this station, and we haven’t even figured out what else they can get their hands on.”  He checked the corner and let off several blasts from his phaser rifle, “We need more support.”

Kondo tapped his commbadge and stepped away for a moment.  Katsumi stepped up and used her phaser to help provide cover as the firepower increased.  A moment later, he was back.  “They’re on their way.”  

The officer gave him a look, “How many, sir?”

Kondo smiled quietly, “All of them.”

“How did they nearly escape?”  Katsumi sat at a table they had set up in one of the many foyer areas spread across the underground base as Commander T'saath asked the question as she was reading the preliminary report.  Three security officers had been injured in the attack, but they’d managed to push the combatants back into the dead end of the area they had originally been placed.

Okada looked up from her PADD that she was working on managing the engineering department swarming over the intermittent station.  “Whatever the attackers did originally to disable the security devices on the surface, it had a cascading effect throughout the Island.  Containment, stasis, and security failed in certain areas.  The mirror universe crew had been placed in stasis.  Wonder all you want about the Vulcansah, but at least they weren’t killers.”

T’saath glanced up, “They share that quality with us.  It is, however, their adherence to this cultural item that has placed us in this unique circumstance.”  She tapped her PADD, “Your engineers are to be commended, Commander.  They’ve managed to find a way to interface with most of The Island's systems in order to get full blueprints of the base.”

The chief engineer let silence hold for a moment before she asked, “Do you believe him when he says the Vulcansah is superior to all beings…including yourself?”

A frown from the XO as she caught the eye of the chief, “You are suggesting that somehow Sokassia’s hubris and exaggerated sense of importance has blinded him to reality?”

Okada wasn’t sure what to say.  There were moments when Vulcan’s perception was spot on.  This was one of those times.  “I think he got high on his own supply, Commander.”  A curious look required her to explain further, “We studied plenty of things in my engineering classes…one thing they focused on was becoming a silo - isolating yourself against outside ideas, outside solutions and trying to go at it on your own.  Any engineer worth their salt…I mean - if they know what they’re doing…would know never to think you know everything.  Engineers, specifically, are collaborative creatures.  We work together to diagnose a problem.  We work together to fix our ship.”  She gestured to the station around them, “The Vulcansah probably were the best at what they did back when this was built, and they did what they did here.”

T’saath picked up her thinking, “You are suggesting that time has passed…and that any value they assign to their superior talents and abilities is grossly misstated.”

The chief engineer replied, “I wouldn’t go so far as ‘grossly’, commander.  I’m sure the longer we work on this we’ll figure out when this place was left to its own devices.  Given how Sokassia’s avatar aged once he found out the correct year…I suspect we’re looking at hundreds of years at a minimum.”

The XO shook her head, “Given my knowledge of Vulcan history and the computer’s extensive database, I would approximate a longer time, Commander Katsumi.  Whatever happened to the Vulcansah people is not recorded or taught in current Vulcan history.”  She glanced at the map, “The more we explore, the more we will find.  Given the history of both Vulcan and Human archeological discoveries…what we may find may not all be positive.”

=^=Chief Fowler to Commander T’saath.=^=  She tapped her badge and acknowledged the hail.  =^=We’ve worked our way through most of the lower levels.  The status and security systems are intact and powered.  I do need your assistance with some…ship identification, commander.=^=

T’saath glanced at Katsumi, who shrugged.  “Understood.  I will be there directly.”  She quickly departed, and the chief engineer was left to wonder what else was inside the station.