Episode 73. Full Steam Ahead
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Thursday, August 8, 2024 - 02:15
- Location
-
- Earth
- Russia
- Moscow
- Subterranean Network
- Catherine II Station
- Timeline
- Schak'Irra Timeline
- Previously
-
After landing on Red Square in Moscow, Agnes's team entered the gigantic underground network beneath the Kremlin, discovered a mass grave, and survived a devastating Tholian attack. Delta and Foxtrot Units were annihilated, Alpha Unit had to retreat through a vertical shaft, then infiltrated the command room where Tarsi cracked the systems: the archives confirm the involvement of high-ranking Russian officials in the July 15 nuclear attack and reveal the existence of aliens captured in 1954. Out of options, Agnes sealed a precarious alliance with Prigozhin, who offered to escort the team to Putingrad via the underground rail network. In one final and incomprehensible heroic act, Prigozhin sacrificed himself to block the Tholians, clearing the way for the convoy.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes V. Rodriguez | NATO / Special Fleet | Captain | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Tarsi | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Commander | Andorian | Prime Timeline |
| Robert Gomard | NATO / Army | Colonel | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Eros Vitos | NATO / Special Fleet | Ensign | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Lebeau | NATO / Army | Corporal | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Earth Orbit |
| Captain | Agnes V. Rodriguez |
| First Officer | Angie Chen |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Tactical | Eric Corda Charlene Savea |
| Science | Manu |
| Advanced Weapons | Eros Vitos |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers | Tarsi (Confidential) Robert Gomard and his squad |
| Ground Teams |
Alpha Unit: Robert Gomard, Agnes V. Rodriguez, Eros Vitos, Tarsi, Lebeau, Charlie Unit: 9 soldiers |
TL;DR
The old locomotive finally roars to life: Tarsi and Eros manage, laboriously, to bring the boiler up while Gomard and Lebeau organize the defense from the T-34. The convoy lurches forward, slowly pulling away from Catherine II underground station, while the stubborn Tholians begin digging through the platform access again. To cover the escape, Gomard triggers the charges planted in the command center, and Lebeau lines up an artillery shot that hammers the pursuit. The train pulls away, shaken but alive, everyone packed into the hot, Spartan belly of the T-34.
Story
A few minutes after the vault collapsed on the mercenaries and the Tholians, calm slowly returns.
The dust cloud gradually dissipates.
While Colonel Gomard and Corporal Lebeau regain their senses, Ensign Vitos and Tarsi keep working relentlessly on the locomotive.
They are trying to speed up the boiler heating as much as possible.
I join them to see how far they have gotten.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
So... where are we?
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
We've got pressure, Captain!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Uh... no, not anymore.
The Tholians are no longer a threat, for now.
But don't drag your feet!
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
I meant boiler pressure... not psychological pressure, Captain.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Ah. Right.
How soon can we hope to leave this place?
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
In a few minutes.
All that's left is to release the brake.
Tarsi, pull that lever.
Cmdr. Tarsi
That, I know how to do.
I'm on it!
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Careful, take cover!
I'm opening the regulator.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Try not to blow everything up anyway.
Look how much it's smoking...
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Nothing to worry about, Captain.
It's only steam.
A high-pitched hiss fills the station as plumes of white steam escape from the valves in a scalding cloud.
The metal vibrates, the locomotive's frame trembles, and a piercing shriek suddenly echoes beneath the vault as the wheels begin spinning in place, tearing showers of sparks from the damp rails.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Ow!
That screeching is deafening!
Eros, the wheels are slipping!
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Pull the cord hanging next to you.
Cmdr. Tarsi
This one?!
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
No!
That's the whistle.
The other cord... to pour sand onto the rails and improve traction.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Ah!
There... done!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Will there be enough coal to get to Putingrad?
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Coal, yes.
It's the water we may run short of, Captain.
We'll have to stop several times to refill the tank.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Water?!
Where are we supposed to find any?
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
The Russians must have planned resupply points along the line.
We'll have to locate them and stop regularly.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
You mean other stations along the line?
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Among other things.
In an underground network, there aren't fifty possible places for that kind of installation.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Tarsi, what does the tricorder say?
Cmdr. Tarsi
Agnes... the tricorder isn't a long-range scanner.
I can't guess where the water points are.
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
No need for the tricorder.
Look at the map hanging beside the boiler.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Hmm...
Several areas are circled with marker.
They look like stations.
Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar... and finally Putingrad.
I hope these stops are deserted.
We could run into Russian regiments... or Tholians.
Cmdr. Tarsi
To fool the Russians, we could disguise ourselves as them.
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Ha ha ha...
True, you would blend right in as a little Russian soldier, with your blue skin and antennae.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Good idea, Tarsi.
During the trip, we'll search the cars for uniforms.
Eros, keep starting this pressure cooker.
We don't have time to waste.
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Yes, Captain.
Resuming procedure!
Eros manipulates the old locomotive's levers and controls with disconcerting ease.
The wheels screech, turn slowly... then the convoy finally begins to move.
Suddenly, Colonel Gomard's voice rings out from the last railcar, where the T-34 sits.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Heeey, Agnes!
Get your ass over here!
The Tholians are coming back!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
What?!
I can't hear anything!
The locomotive's racket drowns out his voice, but his frantic gestures speak for him.
I leave the cab and run toward the back of the train.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Ah! There you are.
Look...
The Tholians are clearing the rubble at the platform entrance.
They'll soon have enough space to squeeze through.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Shit...
They really are indestructible.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Lebeau, prepare a shell in the T-34.
As soon as we've put a few hundred meters between them and us, give them one right in the face.
Cpl. Lebeau (Army)
With pleasure, Colonel!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Don't forget to trigger the charges you placed in the command center!
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Right.
Lebeau, hand me the remote!
The convoy gathers speed, quickly pulling away from the platforms of Catherine II Station.
Gomard presses the detonator.
A dull rumble echoes in the distance.
The tunnel shakes violently, rocked by the explosions.
A few seconds later, Lebeau drives the final nail into the Tholians' coffin by firing the shell toward the station.
To absorb the blasts, we have all taken shelter inside the T-34.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Damn...
It's cramped and uncomfortable in here.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
It's simply Russian, Agnes.
Ha ha ha!