10

USS Enterprise

Ten heavily armed MACOs arrived at the docking hatch just as the aliens blasted their way through the inner steel door. Five of the MACOs took up positions on both sides of the corridor about six meters from the hatch. Two of them lay prone on the floor, their weapons trained on the door. Two more assumed kneeling positions behind the ship's stanchions. Private Romero stood to the side, ready to through a concussion grenade once the signal was given. The rest of the team was a few meters behind the initial group. They held positions in the corridor to the right of the docking hatch. The team practiced this drill hundreds of times since coming aboard Enterprise.

Once the aliens came through the door, the first team would open fire. The route away from the door created a T-intersection. If the aliens managed to overpower the first team then that team could fall back and take up a defensive position in the corridor to the left. Meanwhile, the remaining MACOs would hold their position to the right. The aliens would have no choice but to move forward into the middle of the intersection. There, they would be caught in a cross fire between two groups of very determined MACOs. If by chance the alien force bypassed both teams, the entire section would be immediately sealed off. That was the plan anyway.

Lieutenant McKenzie had been part of first team assigned to Enterprise. Upon his death, Major Hayes had recommended to Lieutenant Reed that she be placed in command of the ship's MACOs. She was a young Corporal at the time and was very unsure of herself. When Major Hayes died, she like the rest of the team was heartbroken. It was an incredible blow to the unit's moral. Major Hayes was a strong leader and well respected. Every team member would proudly follow him into whatever situation he asked. Corporal McKenzie knew that she could never replace him. She still could not fathom why he selected her to take over the team. All she could do was to remember what he taught her and then find her own way as leader of the unit. It hadn't been easy. She was well aware that some of the members did not share Major Hayes' confidence in her abilities. The same could be said for several crew members as well, particularly Captain Archer. Although he never said it, Corporal McKenzie knew that he had concerns with her as leader. A surprising ally in her struggle to gain acceptance was Lieutenant Reed. He was the one that told her that Major Hayes had been killed and that she had been placed in command of the team. Early on, he checked on her and offered his assistance. At first, she resented this. It was no secret that Lieutenant Reed never really liked having the MACOs aboard. His fights with Major Hayes were legendary. She thought that this sudden show of concern for her and the team was Lieutenant Reed's way of taking control. However, as time pasted she realized that this was not the case. Though she never came to know his real motives, she did eventually come to view him as a trusted mentor, one that she desperately needed during those first few months. Since then though, she had grown into an extremely capable leader in her own right and was later promoted to the rank of Sergeant. After a year of proving her capabilities on countless missions, Captain Archer himself presented her with a field commission to the rank of Second Lieutenant. In attendance at the ceremony were crew members and her entire MACO team. Standing in the front row was Lieutenant Reed. It was one of her proudest days.

Positioned in the middle of the ship's corridor, her weapon ready for whatever alien happened to step through that docking hatch, her mind uncontrollably flashed back to early days under Major Hayes' command. She inhaled a quick gasp of breath as a slight pain hit her chest. She thought of him often.

What would he do in this situation? She asked herself.

At moments like these, anxiously waiting, her mind uncontrollably slipped back to memories of her superior. Wish us luck, Sir.

She came to accept these thoughts as part of her ritual prior to combat. They focused her and give her a sense of calm during a chaotic situation.

Just at that moment the heavy steel door in front of them, exploded and fell with a defining thud onto the ship's deck platting. Smoke engulfed the corridor. The force of the intense blast caused the first team of MACOs to instinctively bury their heads and cover their eyes. Hot metal shards rained down on them. The second team tried to back further behind the stanchions and brace themselves against the ship's inner bulkhead. The metal beams provide little cover for the team. Lieutenant McKenzie noted this as something she needed to fix when they were done. She would request that proper protective barriers be installed so that her team could defend itself.

Within a split second her mind was back on the task at hand. As, the smoke dissipated Lieutenant McKenzie shifted her position and was able to peer around the stanchion in order to better access the status of the forward team as well as determine the enemy situation. She was able to quickly take accountability of everyone, they all seemed a little rattled but ready. As she looked towards the door she saw the outlines of at least three humanoid forms advancing upon the team's position. She knew that the team would not open fire until she gave word. She hesitated, wanting to allow the aliens to move further into the corridor. This would lessen risk of them taking cover in the hatchway or retreating back to their ship. It also gave her the opportunity to determine the number of enemy aliens coming aboard.

The MACOs waited in position silently. The sound of the explosion and residual after effects had quieted. The corridor was now silent except for the sounds of the advancing aliens. MACO teams were trained to operate silently at all times. This allowed each member to use all of his or her senses to assess a situation. They communicated through the use of hand and arm signals when needed. This was normally a form of redundancy or to adjust actions when the situation changed. Each member knew instinctively what the other members of the team were doing. They worked and lived together for many years and in doing so, they were closer to each other than they were to their own families.

Lieutenant McKenzie glanced over to Private Romero. His arm was raised over his head, ready to toss the concussion grenade. His eyes were fixed on her. She raised her arm in his direction, her hand clenched tight into a fist. She was telling him to wait. He acknowledged with a slight nod but did not look away from her.

She waited for what seemed an eternity but was actually less than a few seconds. The three forms continued to advance but then suddenly stopped. She saw their eyes widen and in that instant, she extended her fingers. This gave Private Romero the signal he had been waiting for. The grenade sailed over the MACO's heads as well as the aliens. Both MACO teams took cover as the grenade landed at the doorway. The aliens watched it fly over their heads and fall to the floor. The first alien turned around to face the MACOs but they had disappeared. Confusion crossed his face first followed by a look of recognition. The alien opened his mouth as if he was about to yell something. Just then, another defining sound and shock wave reverberated through the corridor. The three aliens flew forward and landed within a few meters of the first team.

Lieutenant McKenzie peered out to see the group of aliens lying unconscious on the floor. Looking at the hatchway, she waited again. Patience, she told herself.

She had no idea how many aliens were still be in the docked vessel. Moving her team forward into a confined enemy ship was not a good tactic. She waited. Suddenly a large phase pulse ripped down the center of the corridor. She gave the order for the forward team to return fire. Each member began to fire and would then move slightly as to prevent the enemy from locking onto their positions. The team was firing blind; they couldn't see were the phase pulse was coming from. Then another and a third pulse joined the fight. The corridor was too small to allow for the team to maneuver and take up secured positions. Seeing that her team was vulnerable, Lieutenant McKenzie ordered them back and to take up secondary positions in the corridor across from her. The second team opened suppressive fire so that the first team could move.

McKenzie opened her communicator and yelled into it, "First team is falling back, three aliens down, no factor! At least three more still inside the docking port and advancing on our position!"

"Roger, standing by to secure that section! Do you need additional support?" Lieutenant Reed replied.

"Not at this time," McKenzie replied. Hearing Reed's voice calmed her nerves a bit.

On the bridge Malcolm stared at his com panel, his head down.

"Mr. Reed?" Captain Archer asked as he looked over at his security officer.

Malcolm didn't rely. He hadn't heard the Captain.

"Malcolm!" Archer shouted as he took a step forward towards the security consol. Everyone in the room looked over at the two men.

Caught by surprise, Malcolm sat straight in his chair, "Sorry Sir, yes…the first MACO team is moving back towards its secondary position. They are attempting to block the alien force. If the teams are overpowered, Julie… I mean Lieutenant McKenzie will give the request and I will seal off the section." Malcolm dropped his gaze; his face slightly flushed with embarrassment.

Archer couldn't help but be a little surprised by Malcolm's use of Lieutenant McKenzie's first name. It was very out of character for him. Lieutenant Reed was usually the poster boy for professionalism and decorum. Now, he seemed flustered and somewhat distracted. Archer gave a slight smile that only Malcolm could see.

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that," Archer said leaning into the consol so that others couldn't overhear. The rest of the bridge officers turned their attention back to their assigned tasks just as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Back in the corridor, the second team provided covering fire as Lieutenant McKenzie moved forward. She took up position behind her first team and motioned for them to move back. She and second team covered their withdrawal. Once the first team was in place, Lieutenant McKenzie backed out of the corridor firing as she went. Before the first team could assist in coving her movement, a phase pulse from an alien weapon shot through her right upper thigh. Her leg buckled almost immediately, sending her down hard onto the floor. Her mind did not register the blast or that she had been shot. As she fell her thoughts raced, I'm falling, keep your weapon up, keep firing, get up, I tripped, get up!

Lieutenant McKenzie lay on her back, her weapon still in her hands. She looked up and saw a dazzlingly array of green and orange phase blasts. They narrowly missed hitting her. She was trapped on the floor. She couldn't get back on her feet for fear of being hit by crossfire. The only way to get clear was to crawl back to her team. She rolled over onto her side, searing pain instantly shot to her brain. She clenched every muscle in her body and let out a soft wince then bit her lower lip. Only then did she realize that she had been hit. She took her weapon in one hand and flung it above her head. The momentum rolled her body over to her stomach and with her left leg she pushed her herself forward sliding along the deck plating. Instinctively she brought her right leg up to her side in order to push further along the flooring. Nothing happened, her body didn't move. Confused she looked down and saw that her leg was not bent to her side as she thought it to be. Instead, her leg remained straight and was now covered in blood. She pulled at it but it wouldn't move. Looking towards her team she saw that she had only a couple meters at most to crawl but it she wasn't sure how she would manage. She threw her weapon onto her back and slung its strap over her head. In one motion she bent her left leg up to her side and grabbed at the flooring above her head with both hands. Pulling herself forward caused her to wince in pain. She pushed aside the pain and repeated the movement. It was excruciating. Exhausted, she put her head down and tried to catch her breath. Suddenly, the corridor was very quiet. She looked up at her team, they were still firing. Their faces were skewed. She extended her right arm, willing herself to move forward. She felt a numbing feeling move up her spine. She put her head back down as darkness enveloped her peripheral vision. She turned her head to the side knowing that she was about to lose consciousness. Staring back at her was one of the aliens that were incapacitated by the concussion grenade. Their eyes locked on each other. Neither took recognition of the other. It was as if they both knew that the other was helpless to be of much threat. She looked over at the other two aliens. They weren't moving. They aren't the same species, she closed her eyes.

Private Romero kneeling behind a stanchion and was closest to his team leader, who now lay unconscious less than a meter from him. He looked up at the MACO across the corridor and nodded. The MACO began to fire in rapid succession. In one quick movement, Romero leaned forward, grabbed McKenzie's arm and swung her body behind him towards the rest of the team. Another team member bent down and pulled McKenzie's body towards the right corridor. The rest of the team withdrew back to their positions to the right and left of the docking corridor. They moved McKenzie to the rear of the team. Someone quickly applied a tourniquet to her leg. The rest of the team took cover and waited with weapons ready.

An alien suddenly appeared in the in the middle of the T-intersection. His weapon was drawn but he did not fire. He turned his head to the right then to the left. The alien looked directly at the two teams of MACOs with almost a confused or shocked look on his face. Nine armed MACOs were now on either side of him. He quickly realized that he was outnumbered and that this ship was not as vulnerable as they first thought. In a split second he turned quickly and retreated back to the hatchway. The MACOs systematically paired off from either side of the corridor and followed. Private Romero noticed that the three fallen aliens were now gone. As the team approached the outer docking hatch, they heard it seal with a loud thud. The alien ship immediately disengaged its locking clamps and began its escape.

"Sir, all the aliens have retreated back to their ship and seem to have departed," Romero reported into the communicator that he took from Lieutenant McKenzie.

"Understood, area is secure," replied Malcolm. He couldn't help but notice that Julie did not report the status of the mission but Private Romero had instead. With the next transmission it all became very clear.