CHAPTER SEVEN - Transporters and Tries 
U.S.S. ENTERPRISE : VULCAN SPACE

Cassidy started to move towards her station once more, her brain attempting to come up with an idea of what they needed to do next. She knew her focus needed to be on the evacuation of Vulcan below them, if what was happening to the Starships was any indicator, Cassidy knew that the planet would not be coming out of this attack unscathed. Therefore, it would be imperative to make a start on the evacuation as soon as possible. She was aware that due to having sent out a distress signal that there was a chance an evacuation had already started just to be safe. But there were thousands of people who lived on Vulcan, and therefore if nothing else was done to assist in the evacuation, it was going to be catastrophic. Her fingers dashed across the monitor before her, she was aware that communication had been cut somehow by the Romulan ship, however the more Cassidy attempted it was clear that most of their other technology had also been stopped. Even if she was strong enough to activate a Stargate from so far away, something Cassidy did not think she was, this would be completely blocked by whatever was happening to the Enterprise. Therefore, as soon as she possibly could Cassidy needed to get onto Vulcan. 

"Captain, we're being hailed." Uhura announced and Cassidy turned her attention from her monitor to the main screen where whomever was calling would be displayed. 

"Hello." The voice of a man came out as he appeared on the screen. Cassidy had never met a Romulan before but she could clearly tell the man on the screen was the captain of the Romulan ship, if you could call it just a ship, before them.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike. To whom am I speaking?" Captain Pike introduced himself but Cassidy noticed the man on the screen did not seem overly interested in the captain, rather his attention was on the first officer. 

"Hi Christopher, I am Nero." The Romulan now identified as Nero introduced himself. 

"You've declared war against the Federation. Withdraw, I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan Leadership at a neutral location." Pike offered, though his offer was more of a command, but it was clear the man on the screen was not going to agree to these terms, not due to the way he was clearly enjoying the death and destruction caused by his actions. Cassidy did not need to tap into his emotions to know that. 

"I do not speak for the Empire. We stand apart as does your Vulcan crew member, isn't that right, Spock?" Nero turned his attention to the first officer and Cassidy wondered if the two knew one another, but the way she looked at the Vulcan it was clear he did not know Nero, even if Nero claimed to know him. 

"I do not believe that you and I are acquainted." 

"No, we're not. Not yet. Spock, there's something I would like you to see. Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle, come aboard the Narada for negotiations. That is all." Nero stated his demands before disconnecting the communication line between the two ships. A silence developed over the crew within the bridge as they all came to terms with the demands of the opposing Captain. It was clear there was little else they could do. But there was a possibility to at least do something about whatever it was that the Romulans were doing to Vulcan which was also impacting the teams ability to communicate with other ships and use their transporter equipment. 

"He'll kill you, you know that." Jim protested upon watching as Captain Pike stood from the Captains chair.

"Your survival is unlikely." Spock agreed and Cassidy paused as she came to realise the two were finally agreeing on something, something she was not sure she liked to see. 

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy. Going over to that ship is a mistake." Jim continued to argue against the notion but it was clear that the Captain had made his mind up, if he lost his life but his crew were able to rescue as many of the Vulcan population possible and destroy the Romulan ship then he was prepared to go through with it.

"I, too, agree. You should re-think your strategy." Whilst Spock and Jim continued to argue with the Captain Cassidy returned her attention partially to her station as she took in the strange structure of which had been deployed by the Narada. They would be able to destroy it with proton chargers if properly disengaged this would then not only return the communication pathway and allow for teleportation, but this could mean that she could open the Stargate and aid in the evacuation proceedings.

"I understand that, I need officers who have been trained in hand-to-hand combat." Captain Pike announced to the bridge and Cassidy watched as the man looked over to her for a moment. In theory Cassidy would be the ideal person to bring along with the intent to destroy the deployed system. But she would be needed for the evacuation process and that was more important. 

"I have training Sir." Sulu the navigator offered and he was accepted with a nod from the Captain.

"Come with me Kirk, you too. You're not supposed to be here anyway. Chekov you have the comm." Captain Pike commanded before the group went to leave the bridge. Cassidy was quick to follow them aware that her input would be required. 

"Captain four chargers should be enough." Cassidy announced as the group made it into the shuttle port. She checked the chargers of which had been brought by Engineer Olson, the man she knew was not coming back from this mission. Adrenaline junkie red shirt, he was going to do something stupid. Hopefully it was after they had disabled the strange drill like piece of equipment. 

"Thank you McKay. As soon as transportation is back online, please beam to Vulcan to help with the evacuation." Cassidy nodded in agreement with the plan from the current Captain. 

"Of course Sir, I'll head back to the bridge to help track the team." She excused herself, prepared to head back. But she stopped finding herself compelled to look over Jim Kirk once more, something telling her that even though she was very confident the man was going to be okay that she needed to confirm his appearance. Just in case. She quickly shook herself out of it, her right hand coming to brush over her left wrist. No way this man was her Jamie, and if she had met her Leonard there was a chance that Jamie was out there, she didn't want to risk anything not now.

The walk back to the bridge was not overly long, it was a few corridors and the lift of which would bring the crew member up to the top viewing platform. Cassidy found her mind racing during her walk, probabilities flying through at a rapid pace as she attempted to find different solutions to each presenting issue. The biggest issue being the Narada, she could not understand just how it was so advanced. It hurt her pride a little to consider that it was even more advanced than any starship she had designed or attempted to start the build of. It almost felt futuristic like the technology it contained had yet to be fully developed, or at least in this timeline. 

Her communicator beeped which was enough to stop her mid step, Cassidy looked at the screen, noting that it was not any of the senior officers like she had perhaps expected. Neither was it anyone from the bridge of which she supposed might be waiting for her to come back. 'L.McCoy' flashed upon her screen and Cassidy paused from answering it to wonder just why he was calling. The last she had seen him had been on the bridge and she had assumed he had finally returned to the medbay upon noting he would be no help to contain Jim Kirk now it was not a requirement.

"Cassie?" Leonard's voice came through the communicator the second she accepted the call, he sounded stressed and there was a hinting of an emotion he was clearly trying to hide.

"Yes?" She questioned back, her mind trying to work out what was wrong, but being unable to pinpoint it. 

"Doctor Puri was on deck six." Leonard attempted to explain and Cassidy was happy she had stopped to take the call, considering those words were enough to tell her what had happened. 

"Deck six..." She paused once more "Oh dear."

"I'm not ready to be CMO." Leonard lamented and there was the emotion she could not initially pick up, Leonard was scared. She wanted to head to him to provide comfort and reassurance, but she knew she had a job she had to do, a planet to evacuate. 

"Leonard, you don't feel prepared right now, but I promise you were assigned Second Medical Officer for a reason. You have some of the highest scores in the academy, your colleagues and mentors all have amazing things to say. You are ready for this, I don't think you'll ever feel truly ready." Cassidy tried to provide comfort but she wasn't sure it was going through, it was hard when you were on the phone and not face to face with someone to tell. 

"You looked me up." Leonard stated the fear which was once audible seeming to have disappeared and was replaced with a smug sounding voice. 

"I'm an Instructor Len, I was helping assign starships to cadets prior to all of this." Cassidy tried to explain herself, but she might have done a little digging the night they first interacted properly. 

"Yeah sure darling. I completely believe you." The sarcasm was thick as it came through the communicator and Cassidy finally felt like she could move again. Therefore she clicked the button to the elevator of which would bring her up to the bridge. 

"As soon as I have a moment I will come and check on you. I know you can do this Leonard." Cassidy ended their call with her words as the elevator took her up to the bridge. 

"Olsen is gone sir." Were the words of which greeted her upon stepping onto the bridge. Cassidy rolled her eyes, she should have given those charges to Kirk, Olsen's demise was unfortunate but not unexpected. Rather Cassidy turned her attention to the monitor of which tracked the other two parachuting members of the crew. Holding her breath until she saw that they had both successfully landed and remained steady on the drill. 

10 or so minutes would pass until there was another update. It was difficult to tell what was going on upon the drill, but Cassidy found herself wanting to hold her breath as she stood there watching. Unable to return to her station, just hoping her crew mates were safe. And that they would be able to get them back, actually she knew that she would be able to get them back as soon as the transportation facilities were back online. 

"The jamming signal is gone. Transport abilities are reestablished." Uhura announced and Cassidy sighed, she would need to be quick to act upon the next steps. 

"Transport control is reengaged sir." Cassidy confirmed.

"Chekov, run gravitational sensor, and I want to know what they are doing on the planet. McKay, get ready down in the transport room. I need your help with the evacuation." Spock commanded and Cassidy wasn't sure if she was liking him as Captain, it was still early days but he gave her the feeling that being a first officer was more appropriate than a Captain. 

"Yes sir." She agreed but didn't like the way it sounded. 

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 "Kirk to Enterprise! We're falling without a chute, beam us up!" The panicked voice of Kirk greeted Cassidy as she entered the transport room. 

"I'm trying. I can't lock on your signal, you're moving too fast." The chief officer of transport responded and Cassidy rolled her eyes at the woman. Supposedly the most advanced member of the transport team and the most experienced and couldn't lock on a fast moving target.

"It's McKay, I'll do it." Cassidy nudged the woman out of the way.  Her hands quickly making their way across the monitor, her brain focused on the task not allowing the usual chance for her to play with the circuitry. Otherwise, if it had she might just have been able to make the process much easier upon herself. But she had two crew members to save. 

"Beam us out McKay."

"Shut your pipe hole Kirk and I'll get it done." Cassidy snapped back aware that he was under distress during this moment but also being aware that there was little control to her own emotions. Her brain which remained working at two hundred miles an hour was already thinking of the time wasted doing these calculations that meant the number of surviving Vulcan's was decreasing.

"Now, now, now." Kirk's voice continued to bounce across the comm, but Cassidy attempted to ignore it "Do it now! Now, now, now!"

"You can be really pushy Kirk." Cassidy responded as she finally got a lock on the second figure, at the rate they were moving and how close the two crew members were to one another she was unsure whom it was, but it did not matter in the moment. 

"I've got you both. Hold tight." She announced as a brief paused started. The bright blue hue of the transportation technology working soon overtook the transporter room. As the two missing crew members slammed into the single transporter pad they had been haled to. Cassidy allowed the pair to talk between themselves upon a successful landing. She was more than aware she would not be thanked for her actions in the part. Rather she needed to prepare herself to beam herself down to the surface to help with the evacuation. 

"Clear the pad. I'm beaming to the surface." Spock announced upon his arrival to the transporter room. 

"Make that us. Hurry along cadets." Cassidy joined the temporary captain upon the transporter pad taking her own spot. 

"The surface of what? What, are you going down there? Are you both nuts? Spock you can't do that! McKay what are you thinking?" Kirk protested but Cassidy only turned to her temporary captain and good friend. The pair nodded at one another aware of what the plan was. 

"Energise." Spock announced and the transportation device soon took the two senior officers from the bridge of the Enterprise and down onto the surface of Vulcan. 

Upon successfully arriving, Cassidy looked at the space around them. For a second it seemed peaceful as she realised that had they not known otherwise the planet did not look minutes away from inconceivable doom. But she had to focus on the task ahead. The pair had arrived just outside Katic Ark, where the Vulcan high council would be residing and just near the main centre of the planet. Cassidy's eyes flicked around rapidly as she tried to search out the circular device she desperately needed. 

"How long ago did the evacuation order go out?" She turned to her friend 

"10 minutes."

"10 minutes, thats only enough for what a few hundred people to evacuate at most. That's not enough." Cassidy shook her head "I'll meet you back here asap, we have minutes at most."

"And if you don't make it back here?"

"You go back without me. Assume I've made it back to HQ through the gate." Cassidy shrugged but she knew deep down if she didn't make it back when they agreed, she was not going back anywhere. It would appear Spock knew this, but chose not to comment on it. The pair spoke no further words to one another and split to their own tasks.

The Stargate, as beautiful as it initially seemed. Was clearly never used prior to her arrival. Cassidy was quick to run to the summoning pad before the gate, noting that a rather large crowd had gathered she assumed in hopes to be able to use the gate to escape. And she supposed she would need to ensure this could happen for them. Therefore, Cassidy placed her hands upon the pad. This Stargate was not as old as most of the other ones she had encountered before. Nor was it as new as the ones she had been involved in creating, such as the Stargate at Starfleet HQ. It was awkwardly somewhere in the middle it was a few thousand years old but other than that, it was confusing. Perhaps not created by the ancients of which she was from the time of but perhaps some of their descendants. She just hoped that this would work well. The gate was slow to warm up, and Cassidy knew this was not a good sign, and therefore she felt as though she had to put in as much might as possible. Her hands gripped the pad as tight as she could as she tried harder and harder to increase the rate of which the destination co-ordinates locked into place. 

The destination gate she had built had a 7 coded entrance and the second it hit the sixth lock in, Cassidy found herself getting a little bit giddy. The adrenaline was coursing through her body as she watched that final code lock in and took a step back. The brilliant blue aquatic portal jumped into place as the coordinates locked. She knew their location would be correct considering she had been the one to create the portal on the other side, and input the code. She also knew that there was little time to test the coded entrance. And therefore they had to move now. 

"Quick, this should take you to Starfleet HQ. Inform them that McKay sent you." Cassidy directed and took a moment to watch as the first few individuals took through the gate. The crowd was much larger as she was leaving than it was when she first arrived. But she had no time to focus on this and had to head back towards the Katic Ark. Her eyes remained fixed on the gate for as long as they possible could, her body having to fight the urge to take her through the gate. 

Arriving outside of the Katic Ark, Cassidy noticed that Spock had yet to return, or she hoped that he had yet to return. And that she hadn't been too late and therefore, left upon the planet. She stood for a moment, feeling the adrenaline which coursed through her veins, she managed to convince herself not to turn around and head back to the shining blue portal. Soon enough she could hear footsteps approaching as Spock returned a small number of elder Vulcan's alongside him. Her eyes widened at the small number of elders of which stood alongside her temporary captain. Not the number she had expected but her eyes zeroed in on one at the back, this older Vulcan was clearly injured and looked minutes from being able to stand. Therefore she moved quickly to his side to support him.

"McKay?" Spock confirmed her presence. 

"Ready sir, let's get back." She confirmed her brace on the older man tightening and she was able to feel that familiar pull of the transporter beam taking over her body. She could barely recognise the scene ongoing before her, but she could hear the shouts, the protests and she knew something had gone wrong. The moment of which she could famliarise herself within the transporter room she knew what had occurred. The woman of which stood closely to Spock, the woman who looked eerily like the man, his mother, had been lost just before they could all be transported to safety.