Captain Pike covered his head with his arm, shut his eyes and braced for the impact that felt all too close. The building started to shake around him as the bombardment continued, the sound of gunfire and calls for help echoed in the distance. It was like a battlefield, but he was not at war. None of them was at war.
When the shaking stopped he stood tall and glanced around at the other faces who had also taken shelter, Rhys, Burnham, Nhan and several other Discovery security personnel he hadn't known long enough to name. He was just glad that the only problems he could see were that they were covered in dust, other than that injuries seemed to be thankfully non-existent. Small blessings.
Pike was about to suggest they move from cover when Nhan suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down, seeing an incoming bombardment that he had missed.
Chris gritted his teeth and braced his head as concrete and rubble fell around him. As he crouched there on an alien world, with the world raining down on him, he couldn't help but think back to how they'd got to this miserable situation.
As with most situations that turned ugly, the initial mission and contact had been rather straightforward and completely uneventful. During a lull in any red signals, Command had diverted the Discovery to conduct a trade mission. Their main task was to find dilithium crystals, it turned out they were near to a planet which had just recently discovered a source.
Pike quickly formed a few away teams, mostly to handle the heavy lifting of the material as well as testing the grade, and also to negotiate a long-lasting deal with the people and the federation.
With the deal complete, and both parties happy, Pike led his group back towards the shuttles, crystal in tow. They'd barely gotten clear of the government walls when the first bombardment rained down. Their escorts were shot down first and then the world exploded behind them, blocking off a safe retreat to the building and effectively starting their mad dash for safety.
Chris didn't know who was attacking the city, why they were targeting them as well as the government officials or frankly, anything that was going on. The government officials they'd met with certainly hadn't mentioned any conflicts.
The only signs they'd seen of sides were the soldiers in the street, some bore the symbol that had been plastered all over the capital whilst others were different colours, indicating at least two different factions. The truth was they just didn't know anything about the political climate of Medina III, it had been expertly hidden from them.
As if they weren't already completely in the dark, none of them could hail Discovery on their communicators. Burnham concluded pretty quickly that something was blocking the signals up into orbit, something powerful. They were on their own, running blindly through the unfamiliar ground and literally avoiding bombs. Whatever this was, the attack was clearly well planned and the attackers had a very little disregard for civilian casualties, considering their continual aerial attacks over the populated areas.
The bombardment over their area stopped as suddenly as it had started. Chris gingerly lifted his head and wiped the loose concrete off, flashing a thankful smile Nhan's way. Before rushing out of the cover he looked to the security team who were just scanning the horizon.
"We good to move?" The quicker they got back to the shuttles the better, they could take off and get some distance from this madness and probably be able to contact Discovery using the signal boosters on board.
The security team scanned the surroundings for a few more seconds before giving a curt nod, faces grim but determined. The group set off again, remaining silent. Pike couldn't fault any of their professionalism, but even he couldn't deny that there was fear in the air. He was starting to think that fear was creeping its way into his mind too.
The Discovery teams picked their way through the maze of streets, ducking the bombardments and patrols that scoured the city. Now and again they would come across a firefight, both sides of whatever this was fighting viciously without any regard to the people caught in the middle. Pike and the others tried to help as many innocents under shelter as they could, but with no medical supplies on them, the only thing they could do was get to the shuttles and call for aid.
Burnham eventually managed to guide the teams through the under-siege city and they reached their shuttles, the only problem being; they weren't the only ones there.
Pike crouched down next to Nhan, his eyes taking in the armed men who were trying to use some kind of cutting tool on the shuttle doors. He counted 5 and so far they hadn't realised they were being watched.
The Starfleet officers took one look at the armed intruders and all readied their phasers, they'd been on the back foot this whole time but now they had the upper hand and there was no way in hell they were getting to let these guys get their hands on Discovery's tech.
Pike deferred control of the situation to Nhan with a simple head nod, she and the security team were the experts here. Whilst his marksmanship scores were decent, he thankfully didn't have to practise in the real world all too often.
Nhan made a couple of hand signals to the crouched officers and after a short countdown, everyone followed her lead. The ensuing fire-fight was very one-sided. Within seconds the gunmen were either stunned on the floor or fleeing behind cover. Just when the Discovery team were about to start pushing forward, a beam of light covered the intruders and they all disappeared into thin air.
Chris cautiously exited from cover, walking towards the shuttles and the spot where only moments before there had been armed men firing at them. He kept his phaser gripped tightly and pointed towards the ground, his eyes peeled for any signs of movement but none came.
"Were they here for us?"
Chris wasn't sure who voiced the query but he had to admit the same nasty thought had crossed his mind, the first ambush had been worryingly precise and then they find gunmen at their shuttles? It wasn't lost on any of them that in a coup or rebellion, political prisoners were high profile targets. Federation hostages were even more desirable.
They had to stay out these people's hands, otherwise not only would this world be in danger, but Discovery could get drawn in as well. That couldn't be allowed to happen, Discovery couldn't be allowed to become a pawn in these people's war. That much power in the wrong hands… It could destroy this world.
Nhan was on the same page as he was, she shut down the comments before people's focus began to slip. "Why they were here is irrelevant. Secure the area."
Nhan's team fell into step and began to set up a perimeter whilst the rest of the crew came to a stop in the middle of the aftermath, all wearing identical perplexed expressions.
Chris noticed Burnham on her tricorder, forward-thinking as usual. "Some kind of transport beam?" He queried.
Michael's eyes snapped up to his, she barely managed to hide how on edge she was, or more accurately her body was making her. "The energy signature does point to that, the only thing I can determine for sure is that it is short range."
Chris nodded and glanced around the space again nervously, coming to a decision. "Well, let's not stick around to find out if the link is two-way."
There was a murmur of the agreement before everyone jumped to action. Shuttle doors were opened, equipment pulled out and communication attempts started. Chris allowed a small smile to tug at his lips as he watched the well-oiled machine whir around him, Discovery really were a tight-knit group. They worked just as closely as the Enterprise crew did, which was unusual for a Starfleet crew that hadn't undergone a deep space long-term mission. Discovery had the mirror universe and Lorca as their 5-year mission. Sadly, the trauma had a way of unifying people.
With the shuttles under control, Chris strode over to Nhan who still looked incredibly tense, her eyes scanning the horizon whilst her team held sentry positions covering all approaches.
Nhan noticed his approach and nodded his way in greeting. "Captain."
"Commander," Pike replied, his eyes returning to the smoking city. In the distance they both saw a ship flying across the sky, being chased by another two. They didn't see the entire battle but they didn't have to, the sounds of explosions and plumes of fire and smoke indicated just how that scuffle had ended.
How had it all come to this? Could they even escape by shuttle if it was their last option? There were clearly enemy vessels controlling the airspace. It was his job to understand all the risks here, and his security officer had the expertise and knowledge he did not.
"How safe are we?"
Nhan blew out a breath, her shoulders deflating slightly. Not a good sign, still Pike waited for her assessment. "That's impossible to determine Captain, we don't have enough information."
He understood where she was coming from, but if things started to go even more pear-shaped then he was going to have to start making some difficult decisions. "Your best guess?"
Nhan had worked with him long enough to know what he was really asking, and just how important her next answer was. She glanced back over her shoulder to the teams who were frantically trying to get a communication relay setup, one powerful enough to punch through the interference and signal to jam. Chris joined her, his stomach dropping when he noticed the stressed-out faces and the tell-tale frustrating signs of failure.
"If we can't get through to Discovery…" Her disheartened tone said it all, she looked to him directly. "…you know how dangerous coups can be, how much collateral damage they can cause. This could last for days, and by then…"
Chris swallowed heavily, Nhan was referring to the aftermaths they had seen on Enterprise's 5-year missions, none of which had had happy endings. When Nhan trailed off he finished her thought process. "There could be nothing left."
The various teams pulled together, staying behind cover, on alert and eyes darting to the sounds of a war starting around them. Pike had called a stop to their efforts when the explosions got within half a city block since then the lights across the city had failed, more shuttles were being shot out of the sky and fire and smoke drowned out the city skyline.
Despite having the best minds available to him, Chris had nothing to show for it. The crew hadn't managed to get any communications outside of the city limits much less to Discovery, they couldn't safely transport anything with the jamming in place and to make matters worse; the majority of the shuttle's systems were fried.
The only thing they had been able to do was offer explanations as to why things were broken, and that if just one of these impediments were gone they could work around it, but with the way things were... Captain Pike was more than aware that no matter how much he would like them to, his engineers could not perform miracles.
The sabotaged shuttles were most likely damaged by some kind of localised EMP field which was probably deployed by their friends from earlier.
Besides, even if they could get them in the air he doubted they would want to risk flying. They had all witnessed a shield of some kind being erected around the city, enclosing it with a slight hum. The first clue as to what it was, was when they witnessed a ship crash straight into it, from the inside. It was enclosed in flames, destroyed completely.
So no shuttle, no transporters and no help from Discovery - they were trapped here.
Without taking out the jammers, or shield generators there was little else they could do with the shuttles and this position was too dangerous to stay at. It was already known by both sides and frankly, they didn't know who the enemy was anymore. They doubted anyone out in the open wouldn't be shot down, friendly or not.
Pike knew what had to be done. If they had any chance of survival they had to split up. Stay mobile, try and sabotage the things that were holding them back: the signal jammers, the shield generators and the troops on the streets.
Chris fingered the device in his pocket, Stamets had given it to him long ago as a sort of joke. Apparently, his record for getting lost out in the field had been passed over from Enterprise, Chris had been mad at Number One at first but now, now his penchant for trouble might just save lives. The tiny device was supposed to be a super communicator, one which could only send one message and just 30 seconds worth but apparently it would get through anything. Now it was time to put it to the test.
After a quick debrief of their options, Pike split the officers into groups with their own individual objectives. First off, the shield generators.
"Think you can handle it with three bodies Nhan?" Ideally, each team would have a whole trained security team each but this was all they had.
If Nhan was concerned by her small group she didn't show it, in fact, a predatory smile appeared reminding Pike of Una. "They won't know what hit them, Sir."
Chris grinned despite the situation, he had to admire the morale given the givens. He turned to Burnham next, the most senior officer planet-side Besides him. "Burnham, we need those signal jammers down. Choose who you need, split into two teams to maximise your chances, Jones and Mitchell will escort each team."
The strike teams had at least 1 member of Nhan's original security team, it wasn't nearly enough in such a dangerous atmosphere but it was better than zero.
Michael didn't hesitate, she picked the best suited from the group and split them all up within seconds, leaving Chris to address what remained of the expedition. Him, Rhys, a medic, and three ensigns.
It was time they try and help those suffering around them. They all had at least basic first aid training, and Chris couldn't just stand by and listen to a city die.
"Grab as many medical supplies as you can. It's about time we put our first aid training to the test."
A murmur of approval met his suggestion, especially from the medic who took charge of taking a stock take for what supplies they had before splitting them up.
Before the groups dispersed Pike had to deliver his final orders, and what he was going to try and tell Discovery.
"I'm sure I don't need to remind you all to be careful out there, I don't want to hear about any reckless heroics." Chris stared at Michael pointedly who bristled and glanced away. "Stay out of sight, avoid confrontation at all costs and if you find yourself outgunned do not try and fight your way out." This time his warning was directed at Nhan, who simply smirked back at him. Why did he feel like these orders were going to be ignored by each and every one of them?
He sighed tiredly, pinched the bridge of his nose and gestured to the shuttle area. "If we don't hear from each other or re-establish contact with Discovery in 8 hours, then head back to this location."
He didn't know if a rendezvous was such a good idea, or if this area would still exist in 8 hours but he had to try and set something of a plan. Who knew how long they would be out of communications with each other? They could handle short-range bursts at the moment, but that wasn't nearly long enough for where they were splitting off to.
Pike took the emergency communications device out of his pocket. "I'm going to attempt to contact Discovery, Commander Stamets informed me that I would only get 30 seconds."
Chris took a breath and dropped his eyes before continuing, struggling with the next words but knowing they were necessary, despite what they would probably do to morale. It was the truth, and it wasn't pretty.
"I will be passing on emergency orders: Do not approach the city, do not respond to any hails without a Federation code attached... and to enact regulation 270."
A muted silence followed his announcement but they all took the information on board, knowing that it was necessary. Not everyone present knew the full extent of the regulation, but Pike could tell those who did just by the shock on their faces, Burnham for one.
She quickly righted her expression, accepted what it meant, and led her team out of the clearing before anyone started having doubts. Nhan followed shortly afterwards, leaving Chris and the 5 remaining crew.
They were waiting on his orders, for once in his career Chris felt the words stick in the back of his throat. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to reassure them when he knew deep down they probably couldn't make much of a difference here.
He swallowed heavily and glanced at the tired faces staring back at him, although the longer he looked the more he revised that statement, weary maybe, but determined. Seeing that inner strength forced him to speak, and when he did he didn't fluff it up.
"Pair up, stick together out there." They were barely treading water here but they all knew that and they still stood here, waiting for orders and striving to do anything they could to help.
This was what it meant to be Starfleet, to be a part of something bigger than themselves, to strive for something better, to fight for a brighter future. Chris felt humbled to see that, it wasn't often he saw such resilience up close and personal, it wasn't often he was reminded of why they did what they did by his colleagues but the lesson was always a welcome one.
Pike nodded awkwardly, aware of all the eyes on him. The group thankfully peeled off without saying a word, they started to pair off and grab their allotted medical supplies from the piles.
Rhys was next to Pike, he picked up two backpacks and indicated to Stamet's invention in Pike's hand. "I'll get our supplies and wait by the shuttle until you're done, Sir."
Chris nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Rhys."
He took a deep breath, walked out of earshot of the crew and prayed to anyone he had believed in that Stamets was as much of a genius as he claimed.
The emergency device died as soon as he finished speaking, he had no idea if anything got through. There was nothing he could do about it now anyway.
Chris dropped the dead device on the ground and shot it with his phaser, as much as the act would pain Stamets, they had to start thinking about protecting Federation technology. What would happen if any of their prototypes got into the wrong hands?
Pike kicked the remnants of the smoking device under some nearby rubble and headed over to Rhys who was waiting patiently with two packs, the other pairs had already set off.
"Ready to go, Sir?"
Pike was hit by the sheer calmness emanating off of his bridge officer; he was keeping a level head and remaining nothing but professional even under the stress of the situation. The crew of Discovery never ceased to impress him.
Pike nodded and took the offered backpack, stepping in line to walk alongside Rhys. The pair headed off into the burning city, knowing what they were doing was nothing more than plugging one tiny hole in the dam. If they saved one life though or helped someone suffering then this was worth it. That fact alone was the only thing that kept Chris moving onwards, onwards and back into hell.
Meanwhile on board the Discovery, Bryce picked up a transmission. Despite the poor connection, he recognised the voice immediately, and after Saru's indication, he played it for the whole bridge to hear.
"Captain Pike to Discovery... I'm declaring an emergency situ... the city is under siege... cannot escape... Do not approach... Do not respond to... a Federation code attached... regulation 270."
The message ended with an abrupt high pitched squeal, one which Bryce had to cut off for the sake of everyone's hearing. After the termination the bridge was quieter than the grave, no one had spoken and everyone's expressions were identically grim.
Eventually, Saru processed the dramatic turn of events and took charge. "Lieutenant Bryce, Can we hail any of the away team?"
Bryce snapped into action, his fingers flew over his console as he tried to make a connection with anybody. After half a minute he turned back to Saru, a despairing expression in place. "Sorry Sir, no response on any channel. It's like the whole area has been cut off."
Saru pursued his lips, rapidly thinking through what little options he had, unwilling to comprehend just how momentous that communication had been. "Keep trying Lieutenant, widen your field and leave no stone unturned. We need more information."
He looked to the others on the bridge. "Maintain orbit and continue to scan the planet, inform engineering we need all available power redirected to scanners."
Everyone replied with a curt yes sir, already busy and putting all their energy into finding their people. With everyone on task, Saru gave one final order. "Lieutenant Bryce, send Captain Pike's message to Starfleet Command."
Bryce was in the middle of communication madness, nevertheless, he still managed a nod before jumping back into the channels.
Saru was watching the flurry of activity, so he didn't notice Tilly close in on the Captain's chair until she was almost upon him. He scanned her expression and immediately noticed she was far more anxious than usual.
Tilly's lip quivered and she gripped her data-pad against her chest tightly. Her worry for her friends and colleagues down on the planet drowned out anything else. "Commander, what is regulation 270?"
Even though Tilly wouldn't have come across such a regulation, he only had due to his command career, she clearly knew it wasn't anything good.
Saru felt a little lost for words, seeing Tilly looking for consolation wasn't easy especially as he couldn't give her any. It didn't escape his notice that the whole bridge crew were discretely listening in intently.
He had always aspired to be an honest and open commander; now was the first real test of that.
Saru took a deep breath. "Regulation 270 is enacted when the Commanding Officer and away team are in imminent danger with little hope of change. The commanding officer believes that the most probable outcome is death or capture."
A deadly silence fell across the bridge, Tilly lost all colour and her stance turned rigid whilst her eyes strayed to Michael's station. Saru recognised the very human signs, she was closing herself off emotionally.
"If they become hostages, no demands can be met. The Federation must not be allowed to become compromised. The ship cannot become a part of the conflict, under no circumstances can a starship fall to enemy hands as part of a ransom or order given under duress."
Owo and Detmer share a distressed glance and flicked their eyes over to where Rhys usually stood.
"Any orders sent from the Commanding officer and away team must be accompanied, unprompted, by the non-duress passcode, to be legitimate."
Saru managed the spiel in a steady voice, reeling off the regulation as though he was removed from the situation, simply a spectator. However, the final part of the regulation made him pause and had him remember just whose chair he was sitting in; it had never felt more wrong to him than this moment. This was not how he wanted this to happen.
"And finally, command is immediately transferred to the highest-ranking officer aboard the ship."
The death of Captain Pike was not how he wanted to become the Captain of the Discovery.