Rescue Part 2

Posted on Mon Sep 14, 2015 @ 11:23am by Lieutenant Kyle "Loki" Carter & Captain Maritza Soran

1,258 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Fallout
Location: The Planet
Timeline: Immediately Following Part 1

[ON]

==== The Planet ====

Another arachnid vanished as every molecule in its body was incinerated. Crackers quickly drew a bead on another and fired again. They were coming out of the jungle in numbers. They had figured out their prey's defenses and were willing to take the losses to get to him. In the darkness it looked to Crackers like every part of the jungle was moving on long, spindly legs.

He muttered a curse and reached into the cockpit for Shoni's phaser. It was still in her holster, she never did get a handle on it. "Get me outta here," she said weakly, trying to lift her head.

She meant that she wanted to stand up and fight but Crackers took it as her desire to get off this planet as much as he did. "Hang in there, girl. Cavalry's on the way." He set the phasers to the widest-angle beam and fired in multiple directions with each hand. He shouted and screamed and slaughtered them. Yet they still came.

Shoni was sleepy despite the sounds of war all around her. She knew Crackers was in trouble but she was tired and just wanted to go home. Her head leaned to the side until the helmet touched the canpoy rail. Then she went limp.


====USS Ararat ====

The light escort was in low orbit, stroking its sensors array across the southern continent, when there was a hit on something more interesting than tries and non-sentient life forms. Duranium, the preferred material for Federation hull building was scattered across a two kilometer stretch. The densest concentration was pinpointed at some twenty five degrees south of the planets equator. Soran sat up straighter in the chair. "Life signs?"

"Commander...There's an entire eco-system down there." The Bolian answered. "Trying to narrow it down to humanoids but there's some interference in the sensors. We'll need to get closer to get a better reading."

Kyle's fingers flew across the console and the Ararat went into a steep decline. Kyle figured Maritza would give the order but he didn't wait. He just hoped she didn't throw a fit over it and would yell at him later, they didn't have the time for it now.


==== The Planet ====

The two phaser beams shrieked one after the other. Crackers wasn't even taking aim at this point. There were so many that every shot was guaranteed to hit something. When he was able he took a few shots at the trees to set fire to them. He needed whatever help he could get and a roaring forest fire, ill-advised under any other circumstances, sounded like an ally right about now. The beams sliced through the tall trees, dropping them like torches on the invading creatures.

There was another sound. Crackers looked up and scanned the sky in desperation. He knew that sound. It was the roar of impulse engines, and they were getting closer. He tapped his communicator. "This is Prowler One-One-Five, do you read?!"


==== USS Ararat ====

The Bolian Ops Officer spoke up. "Commander I think I'm getting a gargled transmission from the surface." He looked to Commander Soran briefly before returning his attention to hsi console. "I'm trying to clear it up now."

Soran had instictively gripped the arms of the captains chair as Kyle had put the Ararat into descent, and it took a moment for her to be confident the intertial dampners had compnesated for the increased gravity, to let go. Then got up from the chair and moved to his console, looking at it over his shoulder. She knew with a glance that there was no way that it was going to clear up. And if they couldn't clean a transmission signal, they wwouldn't even get close to a transporter lock. They would have to land and send out a party. And regulation being what they were, the captain or the XO would go. Not both.

She ground her teeth. She wans't showing it, but she knew that he was probably better equipped to lead that party. SO much for teaching him the humility and ability to let go he needed to learn to really shine. Carter would have to go off to be a Big Damn Hero. She sighed, louder than she meant. "Mr Carter. Once we touchdown, you will take a landing party and go find Graham and Shoni. I'll co-ordinate sensor reports from the valkyries from here."

"Aye Commander." Kyle wasn't worried about any glory or attention. All he was worried about was the life of his flight crew. Getting them back safely was the only task on his mind. Kyle tapped his console opening a comm to his Valkyrie teams. "All fighters form up on the Ararat. You'll be receiving new coordinates from us shortly." He spoke over his shoulder to the Bolian Ops officer. "Try to narrow the search are as best you can and send it to my console."


==== The Planet ====

Crackers was still firing both phasers, grunting and yelling as he fought. The fire he had started was growing and he could feel the heat. The ash filled his nostrils and throat. His eyes burned. In the sky above a swirl of thick, gray clouds formed, accompanied by a near constant barrage of lightning. The whole planet seemed angry at him. He coughed.

He could feel himself losing the fight. Exhaustion was creeping up on him. Meanwhile the arachnids continued to advance. Through the flames he could see them clearly illuminated.

Then, for a split second they vanished and came back again. As if the universe were a subspace channel that had been switched to a different frequency and back. Crackers didn't instantly perceive it. Maybe it was a trick of the hellish light show surrounding him. Then another lightning bolt arced across the sky and it happened again. This time it was strong enough to put out some of the flames. The air was suddenly saturated with an oppressive, suffocating charge. To Crackers it felt like thousands of needles exploding outward from his body. He screamed and fell to his knees, dropping his weapons.

The arachnids also felt it. They halted their advance en masse. Some of them went limp and died where they were. Others flopped onto their backs in agony, their spindly legs thrashing in the air. And still others scurried about in circles and other strange patterns trying to escape it.

Crackers wanted to escape it too. He writhed and screamed for what seemed like days. Through tear-streaked eyes he saw the night turn into day, then back to night, then day again. Over and over. Like a strobe. He was also vaguely aware of people surrounding him. A multitude. He couldn't see them but was nonetheless aware of their presence. None were experiencing what he was. They were completely unaware of him or the arachnids as they went about their day.

It was then that Crackers realized something despite his agonizing haze. These people weren't on the same planet as him. They were someplace else, and he was as an unseen ghost among them.

Then it was over, as abruptly as it had started. The clouds dissipated. The lightning ceased. Crackers was back on the ground next to the wrecked fighter where he had started, assuming he had really left in the first place. He wheezed and gasped trying to catch his breath. "Help me," he rasped.

[TBC...]

Lt.(JG) Mitchell Graham
Tactical Systems Operator
(NPC Bert)

Lt Commander Maritza Soran
Chief strategic operations officer
DS5

Lieutenant Kyle "Loki" Carter
CAG
DS5

 

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