Two Birds, One Stone

Posted on Thu Jul 10th, 2025 @ 11:14pm by Lieutenant Commander Amaya Capac & Lieutenant Cyrus Jericho

1,241 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 8 - A Blast from the Past
Location: Shuttle Crash/Hidden Facility

ON:

Cyrus led Amaya to a particular spot, overlooking the shuttle crash sight. He held the phaser in his hand as he looked down to survey the area to see if he could spot anyone close by. Just because he didn't see them, doesn't mean they weren't close by. Cyrus had to time this perfectly. The problem with his plan was the terrain. He and his brother had run through the place where they were being chased for most of their lives. They knew it like the back of their hand. Unfortunately, this place was all woods and no city. He was going to have to rely on instinct more than memory.

He looked back over to Amaya and asked. "Before I do this... is there anything you need or want from the shuttle that we haven't grabbed? We won't get another chance after this."

"No. I checked it pretty thoroughly and brought anything we might need to the shelter as I wasn't sure if we'd have a chance to get back there."

He smiled back at her and nodded. At least he didn't have to worry about grabbing things at the last minute or forgetting it all together. All he had to do was focus on his goal which wasn't going to be easy. With one last smirk on his face, he whispered back. "As soon as I am done... we have to move. No questions. It's going to draw a lot of attention and, while we hope it’s going to be of our own people, we can't be sure of that." He looked around the room and pointed away from the crash site to a specific tree. "You see that tree? That one... the one that looks like its bending to the left a little? Meet me there."

Maya nodded. "Okay. Just...be careful." The spot he indicated was far enough away to be safe, but close enough to watch the explosion over the trees. Mostly. When she got to the tree, she decided to climb it to get a better view and be out of sight of any Romulans that came to investigate--and to wait for Cyrus. Then she double-checked her position and held on to a branch to ensure she wouldn't fall when the shock wave hit.

Cyrus walked away from their last position and went somewhere a bit closer to where he could see the shuttle. He crouched down in the brush and observed the patrols walked around before taking a deep breath. ’This is stupid, Cy. Very stupid. Last time you did this you were smaller and on your home turf. Now, you’re older and clearly not wiser, on a planet full of large birds. Not to mention these Romulan guys look like they are pretty good shots. Why are you doing this?’ He said softly to himself as he repositioned again. He moved to a different spot, keeping his eyes focused on the Romulan patrol and the position of the shuttle. ’Who are you kidding?> he continued softly ’You’re doing this for a girl. One you happen to care about very much. When we get home, if we get home, we need to discuss your need to risk your life for very beautiful woman. Plus, this whole talking to yourself is… starting to be a concern.’

With one more reposition, he watched for and opening and took in one last deep breath. ’Okay, if you survive this, we are giving up chicken for a week and seeing a therapist. Mainly, for the talking to yourself, because you know who does that? Weirdos and people who think they are protagonists.’ As he saw his opening, he added. ’Let’s try not to die, because that would be very inconvenient.’

Cyrus finally took off running, shooting the phasers he was carrying in each hand, off towards the Romulan officers he could see. The shots were wild and not aiming for anything in particular, just to catch them off guard as he made his way to the downed shuttle. He could hear the patrols shouting in what he could only assume was their native language as he continued to fire as he ran through the wooded area. Trying very hard to not run into anything or get shot by the incoming weapons fire.

When he got into the shuttle, he went to work as best he could, tapping into the controls while stopping every few seconds to fire out the door to ward off the Romulans from getting too close. The shuttle itself couldn’t take off or send a message out, but there was enough power to overload the systems and cause an explosion. With any luck, the America would see it somehow and know where to star their search, which would help them get out of here faster. This could always backfire as they were on an alien planet where they were told not to land on, so this could also draw the attention of the Avian people who were clearly not happy and already hard to reason with.

After a few more shots out the shuttle, along with some last minute tapping on the console, he finally heard the shuttle begin to prime. It was heard for an overload and he didn’t have much time left to setup the second phase of his plan. This would require some precise timing and really good luck. He was relying mostly on his reflexes and intuition to guide him at his point and there was no exact scale when it came to success as far as his luck was concerned. With the unusual terrain and the occasional odd thought, which seem to draw his focus away which was starting to happen more and more, it seemed like luck would be his only saving grace. The systems around him before to fail, while consoles would spark, which was a clear indicator it was now or never. Cyrus took one last breath before prompting the phaser up and heading to the front of the shuttle.

The phaser fire from within the shuttle began to pick up, pulling the Romulan officers away and keeping them at bay, as more systems in the shuttle began to overload. Alarms started to sound which only drew more attention until finally it happened. The shuttle exploded, sending debris and heat into the air, pushing those close enough to it back a few feet. The explosion was clearly a danger and strong enough to knock the officers on their back while injuring others. Among the chaos of the shuttle exploding and the Romulans dealing with the aftermath, this was one thing unaccounted for. Cyrus was nowhere to be seen.

From her position in the tree, Maya saw the blast seconds before the shock wave hit. It gave her time to hold on. And time to worry about Cyrus. Time seemed to slow as she focused on every noise, but then, she sensed him coming. Even better, he was alone.

She waited until he was close and carefully climbed out of the tree. Then she hugged him. "That was spectacular. There's no way the America can miss it."

Then they carefully made their way back to the shelter to wait for rescue.

OFF

Lieutenant Cyrus Jericho
Chief Security Officer
USS America

Lieutenant Commander Amaya Capac
Executive Officer
USS America

 

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