Chapter 7
Riker's awareness returned to him along with pain and the taste of blood in his mouth. He sat up in the red glow of the emergency lights and said: "Report! Worf, what the hell happened to us?" Data's voice answered, Lieutenant Worf is unconscious Commander but I am trying to ascertain our current status, standby please."
The sound of commands being input could be heard as well as the sound of some of those commands being rejected. Riker stood up slowly and started to check on other members of the bridge crew. Armis was already up and moving as he set Creak back on his legs who gave a tired-sounding beep that translated as: "I need a vacation."
Armis said: "Creak, please assist Mr. Data if you can." Armis walked over to Riker and said: "Are you all right Commander?" Riker was at Picard's side with an emergency med-kit open and the tricorder scanning him just as he woke up. Riker said: ""Don't move sir. One of your legs is broken as well as an arm and I'm reading internal injuries as well." Picard said in a pained voice: "You have . . . command . . . Will."
Riker said: "I'm a little bruised and bloody but the Captain can't be moved right now." Armis said: "I have some ability with healing in the Force, but I'm no doctor. I can ease pain and accelerate healing for small injuries. Let me help those I can." Riker said: "Alright Armis thank you." Riker called out: "Bridge to Dr. Crusher." No answer.
Data spoke: "Commander, I am attempting to bypass multiple systems that are off-line at this time. Inter-ship communications are non-functional. I am attempting to keep life support and inertial dampeners online at this time." As Riker prepared a hypospray for the Captain he said: "Damn. Captain, I'm going to give you something for the pain." The sound of a hypospray was heard as Troi came over and knelt on Picard's other side.
She had a bloody nose and seemed to favor her left ribs. Taking the medical tricorder from Riker, she said: "I'll keep watch over him while you focus on getting the ship's systems back online." Riker said: "Thanks Deanna. I've just given him something to take the edge off his pain." She nodded in understanding and started talking with Picard, more to keep him conscious than for company.
Armis had already helped to wake Worf up and was making his way over to the Navigator but saw it didn't matter. The Navigator's head was tilted at an unnatural angle, his eyes staring sightlessly ahead. Kneeling down long enough to close the man's eyes he said: "May the Force guide you into the light." Getting up, he walked over to Geordi's station where he was working one handed in conjunction with Data and Creak to restore the Enterprise's systems.
Seeing that his other arm was dislocated at the shoulder, Armis said: "Let me set your arm Mr. Laforge. I can sense your pain like a flare." Geordi said: "I don't have time to have it set. I've got to keep working so that we don't lose life support or artificial gravity." Armis layered the Force into his voice as he said: "You will let me set your arm." Geordi stopped what he was doing a moment and said: "I will let you set my arm."
Gently laying both hands on Geordi's shoulder, Armis focused the Force and could feel the muscles and tendons in Geordi's arm stretched almost to a breaking point, the pain impulses firing into his brain like firecrackers. With a sharp tug, the arm went back into its socket with a wet popping sound. Using the Force, Armis instantly soothed the tortured tissues of Geordi's arm and shoulder and healed them as best he could.
Armis said: "All done. You'll want to see Doctor Crusher for a final check-up but I think you'll be fine now." Geordi gently and slowly performed a range of motion exercise. He said: "Thanks Armis. The pain is almost gone now." With that, Geordi went back to work.
As Riker went over to Data's station, Armis walked down from Geordi's station to see how Troi and the Captain were. He knelt down next to Deanna and said softly: "The Captain is too injured for me to do anything with my limited healing ability but I can help you, if you'll allow it Counselor." She nodded once to indicate her response.
Armis gently placed his hand over Deanna's injured ribs and focused the Force. A moment later, he felt the Force set the ribs and compel them to knit together. Deanna started breathing much easier then as Armis placed his thumb and forefinger on either side of her nose. He said: "Your nose is broken but that won't be a problem." A moment later, her nose reset and stopped bleeding. She said: "Thank you Armis. Are you sure you can't do anything for Captain Picard?"
Armis focused the Force on Picard for a moment and then said: "Yes, I'm sure. He will need Sickbay for his injuries. The Force works in tandem with the body's own innate healing ability and accelerates it. In a few hours, you're going to be very hungry but right now, Picard's natural healing factor is overloaded. He'll live. Of that I can assure you, but he will be laid up for awhile." From there, Armis helped Worf separate the injured and dead and kept healing what he could.
While this was going on, Riker tore his gaze away and squashed the momentary pang of jealousy and said: "Can you tell what happened yet?" As Data's hands flew across the smooth control surface of the Tactical station trying combination after combination to bypass the damaged systems, he said: "Your command to raise the shields saved the ship sir."
"The first laser blast that Warlord Regis hit us with reduced the shields to 20 percent, the second shot would have holed the Enterprise, possibly destroying it but since we were already moving due to the kinetic energy of the first blast, the second shot was deflected enough to only overload the shield generators causing the shields to collapse as well as upsetting the attitude of the ship from level to 90° from center. Emergency thrusters fired within .5 seconds of impact and prevented the ship from tumbling, but the kinetic energy was enough to upset the ship. As soon as I have bypassed the damaged areas, I can have a more comprehensive damage report for you."
As Data finished speaking, main power came back online as well as the various control stations. Riker happily clapped Data on the shoulder and said: "Thank god for you Mr. Data, and triple redundant systems. As soon as you have the comprehensive list ready for me, let me know." Data said: "Yes sir."
Riker said: "Bridge to Doctor Crusher." Beverley's harried voice came back a second later. In the background could be heard children crying and an occasional cry of pain from an adult patient as well as the general noise of several voices all trying to do the same thing. She said: "I'm a little busy Commander. What's your status?" Riker looked around the fully lit bridge and said: "I need a medical team to the bridge right away, the Captain is seriously injured. He put me in command before the painkiller took effect, and I've got several minor injuries and two dead up here."
Beverley said: "I can't spare anyone right now. How badly is he injured?" Riker said: "He has a broken arm and leg plus internal injuries. I don't want to move him if I can help it but he will need more than our emergency med-kits can do." Armis stood up from where he was helping a crewman and said: "I can carry him but we need to splint his broken arm and leg." Riker looked over and said: "How? If you try any kind of carry, he could die." Armis said: "Trust me Commander. Riker said: "We'll get him to you then doctor, standby to receive him." Beverley said: "Acknowledged." and signed off.
Five minutes later, Captain Picard was splinted and immobilized. Riker turned to Armis and said: "It all on you now, Mr. Rau." Armis stood up, took a breath and focused the Force as he raised a hand over Picard. A moment later, Captain Picard floated up to about waist level as Troi got the turbolift door open.
With Deanna leading the way, Armis slowly walked behind the floating form of the Captain, and got into the turbolift. Deanna said: "Sickbay." The Computer spoke: "Unable to comply, system resources are needed elsewhere." Deanna said: "Computer, command override, medical emergency. Redirect resources to this turbolift, authorization Troi sigma pi." The computer said: "Acknowledged." The turbolift started down.
The turbolift doors opened at the deck the main Sickbay was on. As Troi led a floating Captain Picard trailed by Armis down the corridor, she saw the lines of injured and walking wounded on either side of the passage. Blue shirted members of the Medical and Life Sciences departments were out en masse, medical tricorders in hand or other convenient appendage, med-kits being carried by any available warm body making their way up and down the corridor, easing pain where they could and comforting those in need.
The whispered murmurs of people stopped as they saw Picard floating by. It was a testimony to the character of the crew and their loyalty to their Captain as both seriously and non-seriously injured got out of the way to let him through. The Sickbay doors opened to a scene of organized chaos.
Doctor Crusher said: "Over here please Mr. Rau." Heeding the instructions, Armis caused Picard's floating form to rise high enough to center on the diagnostic table and was gently lowered down. After setting the Captain on the table, Armis leaned against the wall a moment. A quiet groan escaped his lips. Deanna walked over to him and said: "Is everything all right?" Armis said: "I think I'll need two of Madame Guinan's pizzas to restore my energy when this is all done. It taxes my own resources when I actively use the Force for long periods of time. I'll be fine. Thanks for asking. For now, there are a lot of suffering people out in the corridor. Let's see what I can do to help."