The Last Outpost

Sonya let out a frustrated sigh and started pacing around the room, her hands shoved into her pockets while doing so. Silently cursing herself for even appearing on the ship, she glanced at the view screen each time she passed it, glaring at the ship it showed in perfect detail. "And none of you do anything about this. You sit here and you wait to see if he'll come back. Doesn't it bother you that you are taking this guy for granted each time he does something like this? I didn't see you lot fight him too hard when you found out he was going over there." Sonya snapped at them, her eyes narrowed on the one acting in Jim's place before stopping in front of the screen. "Not to mention the complete stranger that helped fix your ship went over there as well, I didn't hear one word from you saying that he shouldn't."

"That stranger is not my responsibility. Only Jim is. And the orders were to wait! If it were up to me, or any of this crew, Jim would not have left. But he would never had allowed anyone else to go. If his situation becomes more vital, we will without hesitation use the teleports to get him back on board." Taylors snapped, keeping his back to Sonya as he toyed with a few levers and controls. "And if he commands us to leave, we must or its this whole crew on the line." He added softly, glancing out of the corner of his dark eyes at Sonya, then at Owens. "Get the crew notified about the situation. They've declared war by their acts against the captain and the federation. Call up the Fleet and tell them as well. I need every missile positioned towards the ship and warp speed ready on my command." Taylors looked back at Sonya, "if they fire, we have to return fire under the captain's last orders. Whether or not they're still on that ship."

The Doctor glanced around the room, at the various controls at lined around the captain who obviously had fun messing with Jim, then, stepping forward, he opened his mouth to speak, "So you must be the captain then?" he asked rhetorically. With a grin, he paced back and forth as he spoke, "Considering from the amount of wrinkles on your face you must be in a lot of stress. So, if i may..i have a suggestion, save you the further stress and save me the trouble of having to do anything. So! You could just let Jim go, have him take my ship back to his, keep me here as prisoner, as payment for this act of kindness. What honor is there to a captain who does not take wisdom when it comes along and bestows itself to him. And...not to mention, i'm worth a bit more than him, check up in your oldest records for The Doctor then come back and tell me which of us will bring more honor and glory for your empire".

Jim grunted, shaking his head as he regained the tiny bit of consciousness that escaped him. "I get it, Doctor guy, you've got a big ego." He muttered, stumbling to get his footing as he found himself standing behind the captain. "But so do I. I also can't let a civilian go out on a limb like that. It'll make me look bad." He shrugged as the captain spun, preparing to punch Jim out. But before he could, Jim acted first, slamming his fist into the reptile's cheek. "Gotcha. Now, Eviscerator, I really hope you can hear me." Jim swerved around another flying fist, catching the Doctor's arm as he did. "Beam us out of here, Taylors!" He yelled, and quick enough, a bright, twinkling energy wrapped around himself and the Doctor until it blocked their vision. In a matter of seconds, the Cling-On ship was no longer the walls around them. To their sides were white walls, curved like half a circle. The Eviscerator. Jim sighed, breathing heavily as he released the Doctor. "Pick up his ship while you're at it," he mumbled through the intercom, then glanced at the Doctor, patting his shoulder. "Thanks, but never do that again."

The Doctor smiled and returned the friendly pat onto Jim's shoulder, "I learned from a great man that your crew and friends are your family and you'd do anything to protect them. So screw the regulations and restrictions, if you have the chance to save them then by god you do it" he said with his smile falling down into a smirk as he aided Jim in getting down the teleportation stations small step. "Knowing you, you don't need the med bay, so let's just get to the bridge. The Cling-ons won't like what we've done" The Doctor commented as he and Jim walked into the elevator together and The Doctor pressed the button to go to the bridge; his other hand holding Jim's arm over his shoulder to support his weight and ease the pain of walking and standing.

As soon as the gratifying beep of the elevator sounded, Jim sighed, pulling his arm back from the Doctor as he limped into the bridge. "Taylors, stop arguing with every women you find. Owens, scan the Cling-On's ship. I want to know how large their crew is and what we're expecting to be fired at with over there." Jim sat down in his chair, narrowing his eyes at the image of the ship opposite of them. Black as can be, and horribly dangerous. He watched intently as their ship's outer guns powered up. Jim pressed a finger to his intercom, his face emotionless as he spoke, "all crew members. This is Captain James McCoy. As you all know, we've found a Cling-On ship hovering in the high atmosphere of a level six planet. The distress signal had been accurate, yes, but we have reason to believe the intended target is us. Get to your stations and-" Jim was cut off by the rattling of the ship, a missile going directly into a medical facility. Jim didn't flinch, though he gritted his teeth tightly together in rage. "Keep those shields up, Taylors." Jim mumbled, curling his hands into fists. Raising an eyebrow, Taylors turned in his chair to face Jim. "Captain, their shields are still up." Jim chuckled without humor, shaking his head as he stood from his chair. "Remember the academy? That ridiculous test that was basically unbeatable? Don't fire. Keep the shields at maximum. They'll get tired. Go into warp in about three minutes." Jim said calmly, though the beeping filling any background noise was rattling him to the core.

Glancing around at the bridge, The Doctor spotted several control panels that were glowing red as they indicated the damaged areas of the ship. Instead of standing around and doing nothing, The Doctor spun on his heel and bolted back into the elevator, immediately pressing the button to go down three levels of the ship. Once the elevator opened it's doors, The Doctor bolted out, his attention immediately drawn to the flames that were scattering around some of the halls that remained from the blast. Turning into the door that was laced with flames, The Doctor was immediately met by the horrifying sight of seeing several men and women lying dead on the floor, their bodies burnt to the crisp, several dead and only a few still alive. Rushing to the side of one of the men that was badly hurt, The Doctor took off his trench coat and used it as a pillow, placing it under the mans head as he turned his attention to what remained of the medical items and kits that were scattered around the room. Taking one of the vile's on a nearby table, and snagging a kit that wasn't to badly damaged, The Doctor knelt back down to the injured man, "The Doctor is in".

Sonya raced after the Doctor, her eyes widening in a horrified fascination at the scene in front of her before kneeling down next to a young woman with burns all down the left side of her body. Reaching out gently, she brushed the skin on the right of her face, causing the woman's eyes to flutter open and stare up at her in pain. "Please." She gasped softly, reaching up to grasp Sonya's hand tightly with a surprising grip. "I'm trying, I'm not exactly a medical student..." Sonya replied gently, forcing forward a weak smile while she assessed the damage to her face and body quickly. "Doctor... I'm not sure... What can I do?" She called over to him, casting a look of pure confusion and panic before the woman's whimper caused her to look back down and smile again. "Shh, It's alright. I'm right here."

Three minutes moved by quite quickly. The opposing ship had ceased their fire, possibly in curiosity as to what the Eviscerator was doing. Sitting and stalling. Jim's hardened features darkened as he lowered his chin, staring at the stars beyond the Cling-Ons. "Punch it." He commanded after a moments hesitation. Pete Fisher, the pilot, nodded, shoving down on a green handle. The ship pulsed in a single pocket of time as it propelled itself forward and through a gap. Though tight, she made it through. Jim released a breath of air he didn't realize he was holding. Glancing back at the bridge's medical unit, he locked eyes with his personal medic and one of his closest friends. Lee Moriarty nodded in response, jumping from his chair to rush towards the exits, Jim right on his heels. By the time they reached the med bay, the Eviscerator was far from the Cling-Ons, hopefully giving them minutes to get themselves back together. "Taylors, seal in all oxygen in bank four. I need the sector cleared." Jim said into his intercom before bending down beside Sonya, glancing at the injured crew member. He looked at Sonya, shut his eyes and bowed his head, standing back up slowly. He turned on his heels, slapping Lee on the shoulder weakly. "Help those two out with whatever they need." He whispered, already starting the trek down the hall and to the cells.

Sonya looked up at the man, a pained smile on her face as she gestured to the woman on the ground in front of her. "Do you have anything that can help with the pain while I clean this? I don't think her body could take the shock of the sudden assault on her nerves when I start." Looking back at the woman, she leaned down and placed her ear near her chest, listening to her heartbeat. "It's strong, but I don't know for how long. Working fast is obvious at this point." Brushing her hand along the woman's face, a sudden heat spread from her fingers and seemed to seep into the woman's skin, giving it a lighter tone than before. Blinking slightly in surprise, Sonya pulled her hand away and examined it for a moment before reaching back down and gripping the crew member's hand tightly, offering her some strength and comfort while waiting for the man to pull out something for the pain.

Lee bent down, touching the woman's cheek lightly as his other hand worked through a few things in his belt kit. "She's in slight shock. Might not feel a thing." He muttered, bringing a shot to her neck. "This will balance her vitals. We can deal with the burns once she can walk." Lee moved the shot down to right above her shoulder blade and inserted it into her skin. He stood back up, glancing in the direction Jim ran off in, and who was reappearing around the bend of the wall breathlessly. "The cells were impacted by the missile. We have a prisoner running around." Jim said, nearly collapsing into the wall as he caught his breath, rubbing some dried blood off his chin as he did. "Lee, get back to the bridge." He whispered and Lee hesitantly nodded, his lips parted as if a comment was on the tip of his tongue, but refused to come out. Without saying a word, Lee left the sides of the broken crew member and Sonya, jogging through the halls back to the bridge.

Sonya looked up at Jim with a frown, curiosity showing clearly on her face. "The madman from the bottom of the ship? What could he do here?" She finally asked before returning her attention to the woman and making sure she had stabilized before moving to the next. The young man was in better condition that the woman with only a few light burns on his neck. ."He's clearly of his rocker I will admit. But he hardly seems sane enough to do anything harmful to the ship out crew. In fact, if anything, he'd head straight for the pods, like the one you used earlier today... " trailing off, she shot Jim a sharp look before jerking to her feet." In fact, I'll warrant that is exactly where he had gone once he noticed his freedom. That planet below isint safe with him around. "

Jim looked around, studying every crew member scattered around the floor. Sonya and the Doctor were here to help, and he knew Lee would eventually come back. He could never stay away from people needing help. Jim's mind told him to stay, he felt his feet moving below him. "I'll follow him to the planet. Everyone else stays on board. Orders will be given directly to Taylors. Don't be a jerk being the important one." He called over his shoulder to Sonya, attempting to run faster, though his limp wouldn't allow it. The Cling-Ons had beaten him pretty badly, but his own health was far from important. He stopped, turned and looked over the flames finally going out, to Sonya. "The shields will help prevent any damage from the other ship, but we can't risk attacks from the planet and that ship at once. I'll get him back from the planet as quick as I can." He said, putting the phrases into more of a promise to himself than anything. He spun back around, continuing the jog to the escape pods.

Sonya let out a low sigh and nodded slightly, even though Jim couldn't see her. "Be careful. You can't take another beating like that. Just, get him back to this ship and you in one piece." She added before returning to the task at hand, her hand brushing over the man's face gently as she tried to calm him down. His eyes popped open as she did, wide and full of fear before he spotted her above him. "Ah, you're awake. Can you sit up? A bit burnt, but I don't think it's anything serious." She said softly to him, gently urging him to move to a sitting position so she could take a look at his back. "How bad does it hurt?" Sonya asked him gently, eyeing several burnt places in the cloth before lifting it up to look at his skin.
The man winced slightly as she did then let out a low groan of pain. "Nothing too bad, mostly bruised up. How badly was the ship struck?" She bit down on her lip lightly, trying to decide what to tell him before letting his shirt fall back down. "It's bad. The med bay was hit the worst. You lot took the brunt of the hit..." Looking over at the Doctor beside her, Sonya spotted the med kit beside him and began searching through it until she came up with a tube of burn ointment and began applying it to the marks on the man's neck.

The door slid open, a gust of wind blowing into Jim's face as he stepped through. His intercom beeped, catching Jim's attention as he froze. "Captain? Don't tell me what you're thinking." It was Owens. Running a hand over his face, Jim groaned. "Yeah, yes. Macro got out. I'm going after him." Jim mumbled, staring at the pod waiting patiently near an exit of the ship. A hatch that was accessible to any member of the crew through voice analyzation. And one crew member was already lying dead near the panels. He could assume what had taken place, and it was fairly easy to. "Don't. That planet is not the Fleet's allies. They'll kill you and I'm quite sure you already know that." Jessie's voice had sunk, and Jim suspected Taylors had attempted to listen in. "I'll be quick. In and out, just like that. And if I die, it's for a damn good cause." Jim replied, moving towards the panels and slamming a button down with his thumb, "James T. McCoy of the USS Eviscerator." He said aloud, watching as a blinking red light turned green. "Fleet 7140, ranks: Captain. Delta issued 97402 dash 4739." He stepped away, nodding lightly as he turned towards the pod, then made a mad run towards it. Climbing in, the exit doors dragged themselves open and the pod went flying out.