The drawback to being a senior officer, Rick Eisler mused, was being forced to attend so many meetings.
As walking wounded, he and Commander T'Pol were the only members of the senior staff seated around the situation monitor. Master Chief Petty Officer Mackenzie stood quietly by the wall display, his face closed up and his stance rigid; Rick had already heard the rumors of a romance between the COB and Lieutenant Li and, from the way the Master Chief stood in the wake of her death, it appeared that the rumors were true. Lieutenant Commander Drahn lingered quietly near the exit, alternately exchanging unprofessional looks or smiles with Lieutenant Devereaux and shooting equally improper frowns at the Vulcan commander. The Andorian's position placed him at the maximum distance away from the XO, but Eisler wasn't particularly surprised; according to the reports he'd read before arriving, Captain Tucker had been forced to create the DCO position for Lieutenant Li so Drahn could remain in Engineering and, thus, away from Commander T'Pol. Old hates died hard, it appeared. Standing on the opposite side of the monitor from Devereaux, Lieutenant Hsiao kept his attention mostly on the master systems display but, in between poorly concealed yawns, gave the communications officer subtle glances that were not intended to be noticed.
Rick noticed.
He found himself struggling to contain his disapproval of the antics between the three. In the past, he'd served in units almost completely comprised of men; the few women with whom he had served had known the unspoken rules about not getting involved with members of their teams, and it bothered him to see how lax Starfleet appeared to be in that regard. Even the captain and First Officer weren't immune; he tried to hide the frown that the idea of fraternizing with a junior officer caused him. Eleven days aboard Endeavour and he already missed being a MACO.
He did his best not to look at Commander T'Pol as they waited. The screams of the rapist in sickbay had awakened him and he'd seen the naked fear in her face as she clutched the captain's hand. Rumor had it that this particular Vulcan – Tolaris, he was called - had assaulted her some years earlier, and Rick found himself regretting that he hadn't had the opportunity to cut on the bastard a little longer. Whatever it was that Ambassador Soval did, however, it was brutal and painful and, as the ambassador had stepped back from the privacy curtain, Eisler had found himself momentarily intimidated by the grim expression on the Vulcan's face. Every one of the Roughnecks present had given the ambassador a wide berth afterwards, and more than a few studied him with new eyes.
A tactical 2D map of the Vigrid system was displayed on the wall monitor and Eisler tried to focus his attention on it, hoping to distract himself from the dull ache that was spreading through his chest and face. The painkiller that the doctor had given him was already beginning to wear off, and he wasn't looking forward to visiting the Denobulan again; Phlox had barely wanted to give him the dosage necessary in the first place and, given how quickly the first was wearing off, Rick doubted he would be more forthcoming the next time. It wasn't his fault that he had such a high tolerance for pain medication; Rick's system had gradually built up a resistance over the years, and each subsequent injury had required stronger dosages.
His onetime addiction to painkillers didn't help much either.
Tucker exited his ready room and joined them at the situation table, his face grim, and Eisler knew he had bad news. The captain had been in communications with Starfleet Command for the last twenty minutes.
"Farragut, Republic, and Soyuz have been dispatched to aid us," he said in opening, taking his place at the head of the table beside T'Pol. Hsiao frowned at that information and glanced back at the table display. "Unfortunately," Tucker continued, nodding to the NAV who had clearly recognized something unspoken, "all three are capable of only warp three so it'll take 'em at least two days to get here." He gave a brief look to T'Pol. "We've got five hours until seven birds of prey are in-system so we need to be prepared."
"What about the Vulcan ship?" Drahn asked, crossing his arms as his antennae wiggled.
"The Ti'Mir has broken mooring," Commander T'Pol replied smoothly, "and is transiting out of the system now." The Andorian frowned at her, his expression dark, and Rick knew what he was thinking, probably because he shared that very thought: cowards. Captain Tucker must have interpreted the expression.
"I asked Ambassador Soval to get the commodore clear of the combat zone," the captain pointed out grimly, and mentally Eisler kicked himself. Of course Tucker would do that; they couldn't run the risk of having Archer captured by Romulans. "Commander Eisler," Tucker said, "what's the status of that gunboat?"
"Fully functional, sir," Rick replied. He passed a PADD to Tucker, wincing slightly at the twinge of pain that shot through his chest. "Ensign Hayes has it secured and I've instructed him to coordinate with Lieutenant Hsiao regarding its capabilities." A flicker of something flashed through the captain's eyes and he shot the First Officer a hooded look. T'Pol said nothing as she inclined an eyebrow.
"Dan, who do we have that can fly it?" Tucker asked, and Hsiao hesitated.
"Well, I can, sir." The NAV officer recognized the impossibility of that and considered for a moment before glancing at Eisler. "Ensign Hayes is the only other person I'd recommend, Captain." Rick felt surprise at that. "He's got a better grasp of flight mechanics than any of the other pilots we have aboard."
"And he reads Orion," T'Pol stated. That caused a minor stir of surprise. Devereux and Hsiao exchanged surprised looks and Drahn frowned - though at what exactly, Rick didn't know.
"Eisler?" Captain Tucker asked and Rick quickly gathered his thoughts.
"It's doable, sir." He paused for a moment before pressing on. "It'll leave the Roughnecks without an OIC." The captain smiled slightly at that.
"Put Gray or Luckabaugh in command." His smile turned into a smirk as he shot a brief glance at the COB. "Besides, as the Master Chief keeps tellin' me, they don't need an officer-in-charge anyway." Both lieutenants chuckled at that and even Drahn smiled, but Mackenzie barely reacted. "Damage control?" Tucker asked as he shifted his attention to the chief engineer.
"It's ... coming, sir," Drahn winced at how bleak his prognosis sounded. "The bombers really did a letter on the station."
"A number," Lieutenant Devereux corrected softly. "Did a number."
"I have damage control teams working on bringing lift control back online," Drahn elaborated after giving the COM officer a sheepish grin. "They should be repaired within the hour." His grin faded quickly into a frown and Rick found himself amazed at just how expressive the Andorian could be. "The defense grid is ... shot," he said, giving another glance to Devereux who nodded. "It needs to be replaced, not repaired."
"Sensors?" Tucker asked, visibly amused despite their situation.
"Also shot." Drahn offered the captain a PADD as he continued. "Atmo-processors are partially repaired but I've diverted the teams to lift control." Tucker nodded his approval and the engineer continued. "To be honest, sir, this station is a ... lost cause." Once more, he glanced to Devereux for confirmation that his usage of human slang was accurate.
"Agreed," the captain stated. He frowned. "Orders from Starfleet are simple: we're to hold the line until the Boomers get clear." No one spoke; no one needed to. "And then we retreat."
"What about the station?" Eisler asked, hiding the latest wince with ease. "If this a retreat, we can't let the Romulans take it." He paused before pushing on. "We should rig the station to blow, sir," Rick suggested. The captain almost smiled as he glanced briefly at Commander T'Pol.
"What is it with tactical officers and blowin' stuff up?" he asked her, amusement tingeing his voice. Before Rick could defend himself, Tucker continued, this time directing his words to the Andorian engineer. "What d'ya think?" Drahn didn't hesitate.
"It's ... doable, sir," the Andorian said in clear imitation of Eisler's earlier comment. "I'd need two hours, maybe three, and a zero-gee qualified explosives expert."
"Commander Eisler fits that profile," T'Pol announced and Rick nodded in agreement, suppressing his momentary discomfort. He really hated zero-gee ops.
"All right then," Tucker declared. "Make it happen. Marie, I need you to continue coordinatin' our efforts with the station." Devereux nodded and the captain shifted his attention to T'Pol. "I want you to make scannin' the nebula a priority," he instructed and she raised an eyebrow in response. "If there's a tactical advantage, we need to know." Without a word, she nodded. "Any questions?" he asked, his eyes studying his senior staff.
"Sir?" Hsiao asked tentatively and the captain gave him a nod. "Where's Lieutenant Li?"
In the sudden silence, one could hear a pin drop. To his credit, Hsiao seemed to realize the answer nearly at once as Mackenzie visibly jolted and Devereux closed her eyes to stem tears. The captain's expression was a odd mixture of anger and sadness as he responded to the NAV's question.
"I'm sorry, Dan," Tucker said, "I forgot you just came on duty." He frowned as he continued. "Nearly two hours ago, Lieutenant Li was killed in action on Vigrid Station." Hsiao appeared momentarily shocked as the captain finished his explanation. "She saved the lives of Commodore Archer and Ambassador Soval, but… she died in the process."
"Senior Chief Petty Officer Karanja was also killed," Mackenzie interjected, his tone flat and emotionless. "We've also lost Petty Officers Creed and Vera in Roughneck operations."
"Make no mistake," Captain Tucker said softly, his voice demanding their attention, "there will be more casualties. Our jobs as officers-" He gave the COB a sidelong glance, automatically including the senior enlisted man, "-and noncomms is to keep our people focused on the mission no matter what." Devereux was losing her fight against tears and Hsaio looked shellshocked; Rick nearly frowned as he realized just how young both of them actually were. "We were lucky at Pacifica," the captain continued, "but we can't trust luck forever." He paused, giving them all appraising looks. "I'm relyin' on each of you to do your job in the most professional way you can."
The situation room was silent as the members of the senior staff absorbed Tucker's words in their own way. Eisler studied each of them carefully, noting how the two lieutenants straightened slightly, and how Drahn smiled as if he'd heard similiar comments before. Mackenzie remained a silent statue, his face betraying little more than T'Pol's. After a moment, Tucker spoke again.
"You've got your assignments," he said, "so let's get to work."