Prison Break

Posted on Jan 07, 2020 @ 2:49am by Lieutenant Jasmine Yu
Edited on on Jan 07, 2020 @ 2:51am

Mission: Last Days of Empire

“Prison Break”
(contd from ‘Between a Fleet and a Hard Place’)

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Location: Gran’kothar, ALCYONUS I
SD: [2.20] 0103.2300
Scene: Exercise Yard
TI: Before the PHOENIX departs


It was past noon, the searing heat of the sun making the already unbearable conditions worse. Jasmine sighed, taking in a deep breath and feeling her mouth dry – if only she had a jug of water right then that would make life easier. But life wasn’t easy, especially not in a Klingon prison. With the team separated, a break out was going to prove more challenging than she had expected. Not to mention, they could barely find or identify the SATET crewmembers until possibly now. Yu leaned against the hard black walls, her head cocked to the side – facing her was a tall, thin Vulcan male, whose attention seemed elsewhere.

Allison Samson had briefly spoken with him but could only get his name, So’Mior. While Yu wasn’t sure, So’Mior was part of the SATET, the likelihood of him being part of that crew was high – after all it was rare to find a Vulcan criminal, hanging around in these dangerous parts.

When he turned around, Jasmine sighed, deciding to make her move. “Hello.”

So’Mior raised an eyebrow – his expression unreadable. “May I help you?” At that moment, Samson arrived beside Yu and the Asian noted a look of recognition in his eyes when they fell on the doctor.

“I’m Jasmine,” she introduced, smiling and gave the CMO a quick glance. “And you’ve just met my friend, Allison earlier.”

“So’Mior.” He nodded. “May I ask why you both are here?”

Yu sighed. “Part of a criminal band and unfortunately got caught by a Starfleet vessel, which I believe is still orbiting above us.”

“There is a Starfleet vessel above?” The Vulcan arched a brow.

“Yes.” Allison nodded. “We only arrived here recently.”

“I see.” The Vulcan remained silent for a moment.

Jasmine inhaled in a deep breath and then exhaled. “When I was held in their cell, I heard some interesting rumours whispered by the security officers.”

“Rumours?” So’Mior raised an eyebrow, briefly turning his attention towards the desert beyond the forcefield.

“Yes.” The Asian nodded. “I heard that starship above is looking for one of their own ships – another Starfleet vessel that apparently went missing in these parts or was it stolen?”

“That is fascinating.” Now the Vulcan’s attention was being drawn elsewhere.

“I also heard a rumour from a fellow prisoner, who had overheard a conversation between two guards,” Yu said. “According to the prisoner, one of the guards mentioned of captured Starfleet officers as prisoners here. I wonder if those same officers came from that missing starship.” She let out a sigh, when the Vulcan’s attention was fixed entirely on the desert beyond the perimeter. What could be happening out in the desert that was so important to catch his attention? Neither she nor Allison could see the desert as a tall tower beside them blocked their view. Then he tilted his head slightly towards them, raising an eyebrow.

“Odd.” He said, bewildering the two women.

“Something wrong?” Jasmine inquired.

“Hmm…” He arched a brow, shifting closer to them and lowering his voice to a whisper. “There is someone out there, attempting to send a signal.”

“What do you mean?” Samson asked.

Jasmine’s eyes widened, realizing what the Vulcan meant. Major Thytos’ extraction team had already arrived and were close by. So it was likely Kass or one of her people who sent the signal in the hopes of reaching the away team. Then a flicker of doubt shone in her eyes. But how? The sun here was so bright and light reflected everywhere in the desert, making it hard to see. Then again, Vulcans had a second eyelid that helped filter out the light, enabling them to see things more clearly.

“It is a message,” he whispered, his eyes still fixed on the desert.

So Kass was sending a message and probably realized only So’Mior could view it because of Vulcan physiology. “What does it say?” She asked in a calm voice.

So’Mior arched a brow. “Find Jasmine and tell her we are waiting to extract the package.”

“Is it for us?” Allison asked, whispering in Yu’s ears. But she was also heard by So’Mior – Vulcan hearing was extremely sensitive.

“Seems it could be meant for you,” he said, addressing the raven haired woman. He then turned around, fully facing the duo. “You may not be who you claimed to be.”

Jasmine nodded to confirm. “Yes.” She began jogging. “Up for a jog,” she called out.

“I’ll come,” Allison said. “Maybe check to see if anyone else needs medical attention. The two women began jogging. So’Mior followed a moment later, maintaining a short distance behind them so as to not arouse suspicions.

“You’re correct, Mr. So’Mior,” Yu said, glancing around. “We’re not criminals. We’re here to find the imprisoned Starfleet officers and get them out of here.”

“I see.”
Jasmine furrowed her brow, unable to tell from his tone whether he believed her or not.

“You don’t happen to meet any Starfleet officers around?” Allison asked. They made a turn around a group of Orions, not speaking as they passed a guard.

“So that starship up there got our message?” So’Mior asked, once they were out of hearing distance.

Jasmine nodded. “Yes. Morse code.”

“There are others like me here,” he said.

“How many?” Yu questioned. But before he could reply, a loud siren rang through the area, followed by the guards shouting. Their time out in the yard was over and now had to head back to their cells. So in silence, Jasmine and Allison parted with So’Mior and followed the other prisoners inside.

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Location: Orion warship
Scene: Bridge
TI: Before the PHOENIX departs

“Sir, we just received word from our spy down at the prison complex,” a young Orion male reported from his console at the back of the room.

Liriss sat back in his golden throne-like chair, stroking his chin. “Is our plan a go?”

“Yes.” The Orion nodded. “The Klingon spy will execute the plan tonight at exactly 2000hrs and assures us that the prison’s entire security system will be shut down at the time. Thanks to our virus that with his assistance, has been placed into the system, the Klingon engineers will have a challenging time getting their system back up and running – likely even take the whole night.”

The large man’s lips curled into a devious smile, his beady eyes filled with an intense and longing hunger. “Perfect!” He slapped the chair handles with his right palm. “That traitor, Harrad-Tor will be dead by the end of the night.” When the spy – a Klingon engineer who was in charge of prison maintenance, reported the earlier assassination attempt against Harrad-Tor had failed in the mines, Liriss was livid. But now he had another chance and this time, he believed the Orion Starfleet officer wasn’t going to escape. “It will be next to impossible to escape from a mob.” He roared with laughter, echoing all over the room.

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Location: Gran’kothar, ALCYONUS I
Scene: Holding cell -> corridor
TI: After the Phoenix departs

Sirens blared into the room. Jasmine and Alison both shot up to a standing position. “What’s going on?” Allison asked, flickering her eyes towards the security chief.

“Not sure.” The Asian shrugged, wincing at the deafening sound of the sirens. Something wasn’t right and the sound of the sirens could mean there was a possible prison break or… She froze. The battle could have broken out in orbit between the Klingons and the Orions with the PHOENIX stuck in the middle – except she and the rest of the ground team were not aware their ship had departed, leaving them stranded for the present.

“Look!” Allison raised her right hand, pointing towards the door, which slid open. “What is happening here?” The two officers stood still for a moment, their attention fixed outside, watching other female prisoners rush out of their cells, shouting and running down the corridor.

“Come on! This is our chance to escape.” Jasmine waved forward and immediately both officers dashed out through the doorway, joining the flood of inmates in the corridor.

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Scene: Stairwell -> Corridor -> Dining Hall
TI: A few minutes later

Jasmine and Allison had been running down the stairs, not knowing how many levels they had crossed and continued following the crowd, which only grew bigger as time went on. Jasmine knew everyone was heading to the courtyard to escape into the desert and if her guess was right, the prison security system was down – after all how else would their cell doors open. That meant the forcefields around the perimeter would also be off-line, providing them the opportunity to escape and meet up with the extraction team. But first she and Jasmine needed to find the rest of the away team as well as So’Mior and the SATET crew before they could leave. With all the chaos happening, it should be hopefully easy for them to leave the planet.

A blonde human female came up the stairs towards them. “Joanna,” Yu called out as the three women moved to a corner to avoid being pushed down by the mob of prisoners, most of whom were Orion.

“Hey, can’t believe I’m so glad to see you guys,” Marsters said, smiling.

“How did you get out?” Yu inquired.

“Well,” Joanna said, leaning against the wall. “The warden decided to send me back to my cell and continue the interrogation tomorrow when the riot broke out in the cell block I was walking through.”

“Riot?” Allison’s eyes widened.

“Yeah.” Marsters nodded. “My escorts just left me there and then ran to break up a bunch of angry Orions.” She shrugged. “Guess I got a lucky break.”

“I think we all did,” the CMO added.

Jasmine nodded. “This could be our only opportunity to escape and…” She was interrupted when weapons’ firing was heard, followed by loud footsteps and some of the prisoners turning around. “Oh no, the guards are heading this way. We need to get out of here.”

Joanna pointed at an empty hallway. “Let’s head down here and find another stairwell.”

“Agreed.” Yu nodded. The three women made their way down the hallway just when a pair of Klingon guards arrived, shooting at the prisoners. Jasmine glanced behind her shoulder, sighing with relief as no Klingons followed them. Noticing large black doors, Yu gestured towards them. “Quick, in here.” The trio turned around, heading towards the doors, which parted to let them through.

“This is a dining hall,” Allison said.

“For the prison staff I presume,” Joanna added, the three women slowing down and paused to catch their breaths.

“We have to find Heck and Harrad-Tor,” Jasmine said, leaning against the back of a chair.

“No, I suggest we head to the perimeter,” Joanna countered. “Those two are likely to go there as well.”

“Well, we can’t forget the SATET crew,” Allison reminded. “We came here to rescue them in the first place.”

“It’s possible they may be heading to the perimeter as well,” Marsters said. “Why don’t we just go there and meet up with them?”

“Well…” Yu was interrupted upon the sound of doors parting and turned around, sighing with relief. She watched her fellow officers, Hector Solorzano and Harrad-Tor approach them from the opposite side of the room. The raven haired women spotted a second set of doors at the other side of the hall.

“Hey guys!” The assistant Ops officer waved at them, grinning, when he turned to Joanna. “Nice to see the warden has let you off.”

“A riot broke out,” Marsters informed.

“We know.” Harrad-Tor nodded. “The riot broke out in the cell block below us and is now spreading all over the prison camp.”

“Okay,” Jasmine spoke, a tone of urgency in her voice. “I’m not sure how long the security systems will be down but we have been given the perfect opportunity to make our getaway.”

“No disagreements from me.” Hector nodded.

“Me neither,” the Orion said before taking on a serious tone. “What about the SATET crew? Did we find them? I mean, we can’t leave them behind.”

“We won’t,” Jasmine said. “Earlier in the day, Allison and I made contact with one of them – a Vulcan who goes by the name, So’Mior.”

“Alright, let’s go find this So’Mior and his fellow crewmembers,” Heck said. “And hightail it out of here.” The doors behind them burst open. The group turned around, spotting a pair of Orion male prisoners entering the room, carrying daggers.


One of the Orions – a big mean brute- stepped forward, his eyes focused on Harrad-Tor, which puzzled the Asian woman, making her wonder if the Master-at-arms had made some enemies here. The brute spoke, his deep voice reverberating across the room. “We are only here for Harrad-Tor. The rest of you can leave unharmed.”

“What do you want with him?” Yu demanded.

The Orion narrowed his eyes, giving her a menacing look. “Leave or you will die too.”

“I don’t think so.” Jasmine gestured to the rest of the group to move behind the table.

The second Orion – another large man with a mean look – stepped forward, addressing the raven haired officer. “Look, we only want the traitor, Harrad-Tor. The rest of you can leave as long as you don’t interfere.”

Heck swore under his breath, glancing at the Orion officer. “Not again.”

“What do you mean?” Allison asked, turning to the dark haired man. “Has Harrad-Tor been attacked before?”

“Yeah.” Heck nodded, scratching his head, looking awkwardly at Harrad-Tor.

“Look,” the first Orion said, raising his dagger. “Liriss only wants Harrad-Tor, not any of you, so get out of the way.”

“Liriss? And what’s his connection to Harrad-Tor?” Joanna asked, sending the Master-at-arms a fixed stare.

“He’s not coming with you,” Jasmine declared, quickly calling out to Harrad-Tor and Heck. “The tables, at them, now!” At her command, the two men each grabbed a long table from both sides and tossed it in their attackers’ direction. “Let’s go!” Yu gestured towards the second doors, just when the table knocked the Orions back.

The four Starfleet officers and the civilian dashed out through the doors and into another hallway, where they needed to get past a bunch of prisoners, either attempting to flee or partake in the riots.

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Scene: Hallway-> Stairwell-> Hallway -> Storage room
TI: Ten minutes later

The members of the away team ran down the corridor as fast as their legs could carry – not bothering to stop even to rest. They entered the stairwell and began descending down the stairs. “Stop for a second,” Jasmine ordered, upon noticing a pair of Klingon guards lying on their backs, across the steps – dead judging from the disruptor burns on their chests. Spotting a rifle a few feet from the guard, Jasmine picked up the weapon and handed it to Harrad-Tor. She then found another rifle and a bat’leth, a little further away and grabbed both weapons. She gave the rifle to Heck, while taking the bat’leth for herself. She nodded at the group and they resumed moving.

“Heck, you said Harrad-Tor was attacked before?” Allison brought up.

“Is that true?” Jasmine asked, her voice etched with concern. “Where and when?”

“In the mines on our first day.” It was Solorzano who answered, much to the Orion’s chagrin. “A bunch of Orion prisoners ambushed us and one of them mentioned the name, Liriss.”

“Liriss?” Jasmine arched a brow as they were approaching another level and briefly glanced out through the window – it was night outside and that meant in a desert, it was going to be extremely cold. “Who is he?”

“A high ranking Syndicate crime lord,” Marsters answered. “Never met him personally but heard from acquaintances that he’s one dangerous, vain and vindictive man. I heard that anyone who betrays him don’t survive.”

“Harrad-Tor,” Jasmine began. “Why does this Liriss want to kill you?”

“Chief.” Harrad-Tor shrugged, wearing a calm expression, yet his eyes were filled with a apprehension. “I have never met this Liriss before. It is likely a case of mistaken identity.”

“Mistaken identity that happened twice, I don’t think so,” Joanna snorted, not buying his answer – in fact neither did Jasmine.

“Okay.” Jasmine nodded. “Let’s focus on finding the SATET officers and get out of here.”

Heck patted the large Orion’s shoulder. “Hey, look it’s okay if you had a shady past before joining Starfleet. I mean everyone deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf.”

Jasmine nodded, realizing she knew nothing of Harrad-Tor’s past, aside from the fact that he had escaped from The Triangle and entered Federation space as a refugee. So maybe he did it to escape from Liriss but didn’t want to reveal his past to them. Jasmine sighed, admitting she’d be fine with that except now it was placing the whole team in danger.

As they reached the end of this particular set of stairs, the doors parted, making them jump. A Vulcan man popped his head out, waving at them. “In here.”

Heck blinked. “Uhm…who are you?”

“That’s So’Mior,” Allison said as the group followed the Vulcan through another hallway, which was nearly quiet with some prisoners straggling past them and bodies were found lying around – both Klingons and Orions – mostly the latter.

“How did you know we were coming?” Jasmine asked.

“I didn’t.” The Vulcan shook his head. “We were attempting to look for you and only came upon your group by chance.”

“We?” Yu raised an eyebrow.

So’Mior stopped in front of a door. “It’s me,” the Vulcan announced through the panel at the side and then the doors slid open. “Come in.” He stepped inside and the others followed suit.

Jasmine’s eyes widened, spotting a Caitian and bunch of other prisoners, belonging to mostly races from the Federation and no Orions were found amongst the group.

The Caitian stepped forward, his eyes filled with sadness. “So’Mior, what happened to Crewman Nat?”

“He was accidently shot by one of the guards who was aiming for the rioters,” So’Mior replied with no hint of emotion in his voice.

The Caitian turned to Jasmine and her group. “I am Lieutenant Fal’Kir, the SATET’s head of stellar cartograph.”

“Lieutenant Jasmine Yu, chief of security of the USS PHOENIX,” Jasmine said and quickly introduced the rest of the team, starting with the CMO. “Ensign Allison Samson, chief medical officer.” She next pointed at Harrad-Tor, Heck and Marsters, making introductions in that order. “Ensign Harrad-Tor, Master-at-arms, Lieutenant Hector Solorzano, assistant chief operations officer and Joanna Marsters, a civilian advisor.”

“Pleased to meet you.” The Caitian nodded.

“So, Fal’Kir, is everyone from your ship here?” Yu asked.

Fal’Kir shook his head. “Not sure. As far as I know, I am the senior most officer from the SATET here in this prison.”

“Okay.” Jasmine sighed. “I’m not sure how long the security systems will be down but we need to move out now. There is an extraction team waiting for us out in the desert.”

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NRPG: It’s been a while since I last posted so I am feeling a bit rusty. Anyway, prison break is underway but it may not be that easy to escape especially in all this chaos.

~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Lieutenant Jasmine Yu
Chief of Security and Tactical
USS PHOENIX