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fardell249. Rescue
Alpha and the Synth were in Transporter Room 1, along with a replicated coracle, which the Synth would use to board the distressed ship. “Ready for transport?” Alpha asked.
“Yes,” the Synth answered. “I have run through all your scenarios.”
“Very good,” Alpha said as she moved behind the console.
“Energize.”
The Synth materialisd, in the coracle a short distance from the ship. Alpha continued to watch his progress via the probe.
Nina entered the library on her third day of work. Immediately she was called into the head Librarian's office. She could see the expression on her new boss' face. “Is something wrong?”
“Aialah Alera-Kalrea hasn't come in today.”
That was something Nina hadn't expected. “She didn't.”
“I know something of what occurred yesterday,” the Head Librarian divulged. “Including about the book that shouldn't have been loaned.” She shook her head.
“What I suspect is personal, but I have reason to believe she could be in danger.”
“I knew about her and the Mayor's son. So I suspected that something like this could happen,” the Head Librarian got up from behind the desk and paced. “But Aialah is missing and I should have looked out for her more.” She gestured to the pile of paperwork at one end of the desk and sighed.
Nina could see that the Head Librarian took duty of care seriously. It was just as well she had read up on the way this particular society worked. “So, you have informed the Police and the Guild then? Why are you telling me this?”
“The Guild, yes,” the Head Librarian answered. “The Police, not yet. The latter may be more influenced by the Mayor than I like.”
'Of course. It will the Guild leading this investigation,' Nina thought. She just wanted a quiet few days! “So...”
“Given that Aialah confided in you, a little, the Guild wants you to help with the investigation.”
Nina nodded.
The Emergency Away Mission Synthetic analysed the refusal that the crew member had given him. “Why?”
“You have your answer. The Captain won't see you, and we can repair the ship ourselves!”
“I still can repair your ship.”
The crewmember then brandished a sword. “Get off this ship!”
Alpha saw saw the Synth retreat. She supposed she could beam him into the hold, but that was still rather risky from a Prime Directive standpoint. 'There's probably not much choice if the ship is to be saved,' she thought. She wished she had tried to run simulations of external repairs to the hull. She shook her head. There was no way the Synth could have done that.
“Emergency Away Mission Synthetic to Baffin.”
“Alpha here.”
“I was unable to gain entry to the hold.”
“Could you try again?” she asked. A look at the sensor data told her there were crew in the hold. She wasn't sure they would leave it.
“There's a high probability of failure, but I'll try.”
“Is that strange man asking to help repair the ship again?” the Captain asked.
“He is. I should note that the cracks in the hull are getting bigger. We won't be able to save the cargo.”
“Forget the cargo, can all of us escape?”
“Yes, barely. The jollyboats are ready to go.”
“Good. Now, tell that man to go.”
The Synth saw the Mate approaching. “His answer?”
“Clear off. We have the repairs well in hand.”
“I can repair your ship.”
“No!” the mate said, brandishing a sword again.
“Withdraw,” Alpha said.
Nina had worked for a few hours before she was called into the Head Librarian's office again. The local Guild Representative was there. “So, Nina Lumber?”
“That's me.”
“So, Aialah Alera-Kalrea confided in you about why she thought she would get into trouble?”
“Yes.”
The interview went on for a while, during which Nina filled in the Representative on what had happened two days earlier.
“Thanks for the help,” the Representative said.
“I would like her to be found too.”
“Stay at the library after work and I'll fill you in on what has been figured out so far.”
“Sure.”
During her lunch break, Nina went back to the TARDIS. She wondering if she would be able to find Aialah using the Scanner. 'OK, TARDIS, scan the data downloaded so far. Search for Aialah Alera-Kalrea.”
The TARDIS beeped. A picture of Aialah came up. The word Missing was prominent in the poster. 'That didn't help.' But she had barely begun. “Right, the last time she was seen in surveilance footage.”
There was another beep and a video of Aialah and the Mayor's son appeared. The time stamp indicated it was taken the previous night. It was at the city's main train station and they were waiting at the platform.
“Were there trains scheduled last night?”
A list of services to that station came up on the screen. None of them matched the timestamp, which was firmly an hour after the last one. Something had happened to her after that? Locating the Mayor's son would be the next step.
“Search for Karlan Lanronal.”
Mayor Lanronal honors son for services rendered.
'Nepotism!' she thought. The timestamp for the newspaper article was earlier that morning. 'The possibility that she has been spirited away somewhere is high.' She turned her attention back to the surveilance footage. She could see Aialah was distressed. She noted the time stamp. “Jump forwards at one minute intervals. Pause when Aialah disappears.”
Only five minutes later, Aialah was no longer there. But the video also showed a rail motor diappearing into the distance. She was certainly on that. “Bring up the rail network in the city.”
The scanner screen filled up with the diagram of the railway network. There were many abandoned stations and sidings listed. 'A needle in a haystack,' she thought. But there was another way. While the TARDIS was 'tied up', there was another time travel option. The Emergency Subset. Sure, it was meant for emergencies, but it could be used in this instance for a short range hop. She rushed out of the Console Room.
The Emergency Subset room just looked like a barebones Console Room, with cupboards filled with emergency supplies. As she entered, the scanner activated, showing the surveilance footage from that station. The coordinates were set. She breathed deeply as she approached the console. 'Ready!' she thought, as she set the Emergency Subset into motion.
As soon as the Emergency Subset had materialisd, Nina bounded outside. She saw the rail motor clear the platform. 'There has to be a way to track it.' She could either run after it or return to the TARDIS. “What should I do?”
After a moment, she made her decision. She rushed back to the Emergency Subset, and initiated the Return Protocol.
After returning to the TARDIS, Nina noted that only a few minutes had passed. She then went back to the Library.
The afternoon passed slowly, with Nina helping various patrons find books, or online resources. The thought of remaining in the library indefinitely, rather than returning to the Baffin crossed her mind, but she knew she had to return. 'I can always return after they return home,' she thought.
Aolare Palet-Ienae, the Librarian Guild Representative for Naneare - Rladibud, saw Nina Lumber enter the meeting room a few minutes early.
“So, any more news?” Nina asked.
Aolare hesitated. “It is serious. It seems Aialah was kidnapped,” she explained.
“I see,” Nina said.
“I know this is a shock.”
“I want to help.”
“I know you do.”
“So, any evidence?” Nina asked.
“There's plenty of evidence,” Aolare said. “It is circumstatial.”
“Oh!”
“But you're still going to present it to the City Court.”
“Yes.”
“Right,” Nina said with disappointment. It seemed she would need to find Aialah herself.
That evening when she re-entered the TARDIS, Nina called up the diagram of the city's rail network again. That rail motor had to end up somewhere. She also called up the surveilance footage of the rail motor again. 'Locate the rail motor,' she directed.
An icon appeared, indicating that the rail motor had been last spotted at one of the abandoned stations an hour after Aialah's disappearance at the main railway station. She brought up the relevant footage. It showed the rail motor arriving, and Aialah being rough handled off it by several men, including the Mayor's son! She was getting somewhere. 'First, the Guild needs to know. Then I'll try to rescue Aialah from those men!' Nina thought as she saw the rail motor leave again. Probably was stored in a thought abandoned rail shed somewhere, she supposed.
“OK, TARDIS, let the Librarian Guild know. Give them this footage as an anonymous tip.”
The TARDIS 'dinged', the the footage had been sent to the Guild.
“Lead the coordinates into the Emergency Subset,” Nina cried out as she left the Auxillary Console Room. She stopped by a wardrobe and threw on a concealing outfit.
Again, the Emergency Subset left the TARDIS.
The Emergency Subset materialised off to the side of the abandoned station, the sound of that materialisation drowned out by the sound of the poorly maintained rail motor departing. As Nina moved towards Aialah and her kidnappers she could hear the former struggling.
“You won't get away with this!” Aialah cried out.
“Stop!” Nina cried out as she approached, throwing her voice lower so Aialah wouldn't recognise it.
“Get that person!” the Mayor's son called out to his men.
The gang pulled out firearms and started shooting. Nina ducked behind a pillar just in time. Her hearts beat faster as she heard the bullets ricochet off it. 'I didn't think they would be armed!' she thought. She looked back towards the Emergency Subset. She would make it. 'But do I have the phaser?' she wondered. She checked her pockets, but it was obvious the phaser was back in the TARDIS. But she did have a spare tricorder. 'I'll retrieve it later,' she decided. She started it scanning and threw it aside as a distraction.
She ran back to the Emergency Subset as the goons shot at the tricorder.
She returned to the TARDIS and ran back to the Zero Room to try to calm down.
Having spent the night in the Zero Room, Nina returned to the auxillary Console Room in the morning to find that the leaked footage had caused a media frenzy. Most of the outlets were calling for the Mayor to resign. But the Guild hadn't yet found Aialah. 'I'll have breakfast and go to the Library.'
Aolare was approaching Nina's motor home when Nina emerged. “Good. I need to talk to you. That leak may have done more harm than good.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Guild needs to find Aialah before the Police do.”
“Right...” Nina considered.
“Let's go. I've set up an operations center in the Library.”
Nina entered the room in which Aolare was coordinating the search for Aialah. “The team are approaching the abandoned station now, Ma'am,” one of the other librarians said.
“Good,” Aolare said.
Nina breathed deeply.
It was a long day. Hardly any progress was made, except that evidence from the station indicated that Aialah had been taken elsewhere. “Maybe we should try calling in the Mayor's son,” Nina groused as she left the Library.
“No, he'll just stonewall us,” Aolare objected. “We're tracking down the others that were with him.”
“Probably.”
Entering the TARDIS, Nina saw that the download of the network was complete. “I know where Aialah was two nights ago. I can use the TARDIS to rescue her.” But there was a lot of risk in that. She called up the abandoned station.
She grabbed the phaser and then set it to stun and put it on wide beam. She set the TARDIS in motion...
Alpha and the Synth were in Transporter Room 1, along with a replicated coracle, which the Synth would use to board the distressed ship. “Ready for transport?” Alpha asked.
“Yes,” the Synth answered. “I have run through all your scenarios.”
“Very good,” Alpha said as she moved behind the console.
“Energize.”
The Synth materialisd, in the coracle a short distance from the ship. Alpha continued to watch his progress via the probe.
Nina entered the library on her third day of work. Immediately she was called into the head Librarian's office. She could see the expression on her new boss' face. “Is something wrong?”
“Aialah Alera-Kalrea hasn't come in today.”
That was something Nina hadn't expected. “She didn't.”
“I know something of what occurred yesterday,” the Head Librarian divulged. “Including about the book that shouldn't have been loaned.” She shook her head.
“What I suspect is personal, but I have reason to believe she could be in danger.”
“I knew about her and the Mayor's son. So I suspected that something like this could happen,” the Head Librarian got up from behind the desk and paced. “But Aialah is missing and I should have looked out for her more.” She gestured to the pile of paperwork at one end of the desk and sighed.
Nina could see that the Head Librarian took duty of care seriously. It was just as well she had read up on the way this particular society worked. “So, you have informed the Police and the Guild then? Why are you telling me this?”
“The Guild, yes,” the Head Librarian answered. “The Police, not yet. The latter may be more influenced by the Mayor than I like.”
'Of course. It will the Guild leading this investigation,' Nina thought. She just wanted a quiet few days! “So...”
“Given that Aialah confided in you, a little, the Guild wants you to help with the investigation.”
Nina nodded.
The Emergency Away Mission Synthetic analysed the refusal that the crew member had given him. “Why?”
“You have your answer. The Captain won't see you, and we can repair the ship ourselves!”
“I still can repair your ship.”
The crewmember then brandished a sword. “Get off this ship!”
Alpha saw saw the Synth retreat. She supposed she could beam him into the hold, but that was still rather risky from a Prime Directive standpoint. 'There's probably not much choice if the ship is to be saved,' she thought. She wished she had tried to run simulations of external repairs to the hull. She shook her head. There was no way the Synth could have done that.
“Emergency Away Mission Synthetic to Baffin.”
“Alpha here.”
“I was unable to gain entry to the hold.”
“Could you try again?” she asked. A look at the sensor data told her there were crew in the hold. She wasn't sure they would leave it.
“There's a high probability of failure, but I'll try.”
“Is that strange man asking to help repair the ship again?” the Captain asked.
“He is. I should note that the cracks in the hull are getting bigger. We won't be able to save the cargo.”
“Forget the cargo, can all of us escape?”
“Yes, barely. The jollyboats are ready to go.”
“Good. Now, tell that man to go.”
The Synth saw the Mate approaching. “His answer?”
“Clear off. We have the repairs well in hand.”
“I can repair your ship.”
“No!” the mate said, brandishing a sword again.
“Withdraw,” Alpha said.
Nina had worked for a few hours before she was called into the Head Librarian's office again. The local Guild Representative was there. “So, Nina Lumber?”
“That's me.”
“So, Aialah Alera-Kalrea confided in you about why she thought she would get into trouble?”
“Yes.”
The interview went on for a while, during which Nina filled in the Representative on what had happened two days earlier.
“Thanks for the help,” the Representative said.
“I would like her to be found too.”
“Stay at the library after work and I'll fill you in on what has been figured out so far.”
“Sure.”
During her lunch break, Nina went back to the TARDIS. She wondering if she would be able to find Aialah using the Scanner. 'OK, TARDIS, scan the data downloaded so far. Search for Aialah Alera-Kalrea.”
The TARDIS beeped. A picture of Aialah came up. The word Missing was prominent in the poster. 'That didn't help.' But she had barely begun. “Right, the last time she was seen in surveilance footage.”
There was another beep and a video of Aialah and the Mayor's son appeared. The time stamp indicated it was taken the previous night. It was at the city's main train station and they were waiting at the platform.
“Were there trains scheduled last night?”
A list of services to that station came up on the screen. None of them matched the timestamp, which was firmly an hour after the last one. Something had happened to her after that? Locating the Mayor's son would be the next step.
“Search for Karlan Lanronal.”
Mayor Lanronal honors son for services rendered.
'Nepotism!' she thought. The timestamp for the newspaper article was earlier that morning. 'The possibility that she has been spirited away somewhere is high.' She turned her attention back to the surveilance footage. She could see Aialah was distressed. She noted the time stamp. “Jump forwards at one minute intervals. Pause when Aialah disappears.”
Only five minutes later, Aialah was no longer there. But the video also showed a rail motor diappearing into the distance. She was certainly on that. “Bring up the rail network in the city.”
The scanner screen filled up with the diagram of the railway network. There were many abandoned stations and sidings listed. 'A needle in a haystack,' she thought. But there was another way. While the TARDIS was 'tied up', there was another time travel option. The Emergency Subset. Sure, it was meant for emergencies, but it could be used in this instance for a short range hop. She rushed out of the Console Room.
The Emergency Subset room just looked like a barebones Console Room, with cupboards filled with emergency supplies. As she entered, the scanner activated, showing the surveilance footage from that station. The coordinates were set. She breathed deeply as she approached the console. 'Ready!' she thought, as she set the Emergency Subset into motion.
As soon as the Emergency Subset had materialisd, Nina bounded outside. She saw the rail motor clear the platform. 'There has to be a way to track it.' She could either run after it or return to the TARDIS. “What should I do?”
After a moment, she made her decision. She rushed back to the Emergency Subset, and initiated the Return Protocol.
After returning to the TARDIS, Nina noted that only a few minutes had passed. She then went back to the Library.
The afternoon passed slowly, with Nina helping various patrons find books, or online resources. The thought of remaining in the library indefinitely, rather than returning to the Baffin crossed her mind, but she knew she had to return. 'I can always return after they return home,' she thought.
Aolare Palet-Ienae, the Librarian Guild Representative for Naneare - Rladibud, saw Nina Lumber enter the meeting room a few minutes early.
“So, any more news?” Nina asked.
Aolare hesitated. “It is serious. It seems Aialah was kidnapped,” she explained.
“I see,” Nina said.
“I know this is a shock.”
“I want to help.”
“I know you do.”
“So, any evidence?” Nina asked.
“There's plenty of evidence,” Aolare said. “It is circumstatial.”
“Oh!”
“But you're still going to present it to the City Court.”
“Yes.”
“Right,” Nina said with disappointment. It seemed she would need to find Aialah herself.
That evening when she re-entered the TARDIS, Nina called up the diagram of the city's rail network again. That rail motor had to end up somewhere. She also called up the surveilance footage of the rail motor again. 'Locate the rail motor,' she directed.
An icon appeared, indicating that the rail motor had been last spotted at one of the abandoned stations an hour after Aialah's disappearance at the main railway station. She brought up the relevant footage. It showed the rail motor arriving, and Aialah being rough handled off it by several men, including the Mayor's son! She was getting somewhere. 'First, the Guild needs to know. Then I'll try to rescue Aialah from those men!' Nina thought as she saw the rail motor leave again. Probably was stored in a thought abandoned rail shed somewhere, she supposed.
“OK, TARDIS, let the Librarian Guild know. Give them this footage as an anonymous tip.”
The TARDIS 'dinged', the the footage had been sent to the Guild.
“Lead the coordinates into the Emergency Subset,” Nina cried out as she left the Auxillary Console Room. She stopped by a wardrobe and threw on a concealing outfit.
Again, the Emergency Subset left the TARDIS.
The Emergency Subset materialised off to the side of the abandoned station, the sound of that materialisation drowned out by the sound of the poorly maintained rail motor departing. As Nina moved towards Aialah and her kidnappers she could hear the former struggling.
“You won't get away with this!” Aialah cried out.
“Stop!” Nina cried out as she approached, throwing her voice lower so Aialah wouldn't recognise it.
“Get that person!” the Mayor's son called out to his men.
The gang pulled out firearms and started shooting. Nina ducked behind a pillar just in time. Her hearts beat faster as she heard the bullets ricochet off it. 'I didn't think they would be armed!' she thought. She looked back towards the Emergency Subset. She would make it. 'But do I have the phaser?' she wondered. She checked her pockets, but it was obvious the phaser was back in the TARDIS. But she did have a spare tricorder. 'I'll retrieve it later,' she decided. She started it scanning and threw it aside as a distraction.
She ran back to the Emergency Subset as the goons shot at the tricorder.
She returned to the TARDIS and ran back to the Zero Room to try to calm down.
Having spent the night in the Zero Room, Nina returned to the auxillary Console Room in the morning to find that the leaked footage had caused a media frenzy. Most of the outlets were calling for the Mayor to resign. But the Guild hadn't yet found Aialah. 'I'll have breakfast and go to the Library.'
Aolare was approaching Nina's motor home when Nina emerged. “Good. I need to talk to you. That leak may have done more harm than good.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Guild needs to find Aialah before the Police do.”
“Right...” Nina considered.
“Let's go. I've set up an operations center in the Library.”
Nina entered the room in which Aolare was coordinating the search for Aialah. “The team are approaching the abandoned station now, Ma'am,” one of the other librarians said.
“Good,” Aolare said.
Nina breathed deeply.
It was a long day. Hardly any progress was made, except that evidence from the station indicated that Aialah had been taken elsewhere. “Maybe we should try calling in the Mayor's son,” Nina groused as she left the Library.
“No, he'll just stonewall us,” Aolare objected. “We're tracking down the others that were with him.”
“Probably.”
Entering the TARDIS, Nina saw that the download of the network was complete. “I know where Aialah was two nights ago. I can use the TARDIS to rescue her.” But there was a lot of risk in that. She called up the abandoned station.
She grabbed the phaser and then set it to stun and put it on wide beam. She set the TARDIS in motion...
