Roasting Marshmallows - Part 2

Posted on Thu Mar 31, 2016 @ 8:19pm by Valkris of the House of Inagh & Civilian 'Key Holder' Dorian Gabriel & Commander Amia Telamon M.D. & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant JG Zayna Malik & Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennett M.D. & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds & Qinee & Second Lieutenant Emily Ransom & Maekhav D'Aerrol & Civilian Melvyn Raddon & Civilian Hydel Turvan

2,589 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Pangaea/Northern continent
Timeline: MD13/1100/Planetside evening rolling in

ON:

Suddenly the thunder was back overhead, followed by a big gust. The wind was picking up. The fire all but survived before they could feel drops start falling from the sky. When a moment later the rain got faster, Liam looked unhappily at the fire he and Antos had cultivated as it disappeared completely. Then there was a big flash of lightening. It was in the distance, but too close for Liam's liking.

"Campfire stories will have to wait, time to pack up and move," Zayna said. The weather was closing in at an unnaturally rapid way.

Noelle took a calming breath and began to help pack things up. They were going to be in an enclosed space until the storm passed. It was just what they needed.

"Is there no way to contact the station?" D'Aerrol asked, looking up at the sky. If there was any way to make the transporters work then now was the time. My people would have figured out a way by now, he groused inwardly.

Liam smiled gently at the Romulan. "Nothing’s working. It’s like the planet has decided to punish us. Come now, Ambassador, it’s an adventure. Back to nature. Man versus the elements."

D'Aerrol tried to draw some cheer from Liam's enthusiasm, but the way things were developing was becoming worrisome.

"What do you think?" Liam indicated in the distance and addressed the two security officers. "Commander Aldrex said there was a cave network. At least we would be underground out of this." The wind was picking up and the rain now starting to completely pour. Everyone was getting very wet and battered around.

Eviess stood untouched by the rain that was soaking everyone else. "You're all getting very wet," she observed with a note of scorn. "Isn't that going to get a bit uncomfy?"

"I ain’t made of sugar so I don't melt in the rain. Anyhow, making for the caves is a good idea, but we should avoid open terrain. As for the caves, wildlife and air quality are the main concerns. Sadly we don't have good torch material. Still, taking along some long, strong sticks will be advisable," Zayna said, not mentioning how the cold send a shiver down her spine, because in the end her prosthetic was metal based and very good at transferring the cold.

Annora thought back to her SERE course. She remembered her instructor clear enough, and could still hear his German accent. "You won't remember all this now, but hopefully it will come back to you in a real life situation. First priority is shelter and warmth. Caves can work, but you have to keep a few things in mind..."

Abandoning her attempts at a lean to, she addressed the diplomatic officer. "As long as they aren't at the base of a tall cliff that may attract lightning, it's better than staying out in the rain. Just keep an eye out for signs of native life that may not be friendly. If we can find pitch or sap, they make good fuels for a torch."

Liam leaned in closer to try hearing the security officer properly above the noise of the weather. When she had finished he commented, "I haven't sensed any native life other than the Fae and the captain's daughter there, but I'm not sure." He had to plant one foot in front of the other firmly as another gust of wind picked up and battered them. "I'm not sure we really have much of a choice on the caves. This is getting worse."

And it was. The sandwich the Romulan had been trying to ingest suddenly flew past them and the rain was making it difficult to see in the distance as it continued to hammer down around them.

"Form two lines, stay in eye sight on each other, and don't stick anything into the sky. Anyone who can carry some wood with you, the caves only seemed to have light bushes around them." Zayna said it was time to get moving. "I will take the front seeing I am the only one with a working firearm here. I will check the cave or caves before we move in." She also had little problem seeing things, so she could forge a safe path and check the cave without a light or torch, which would be blown out in this weather anyhow.

Noelle looked back to make sure their guests were cooperating. Already irritable, the last thing they needed was for tensions to boil over in the middle of the storm.

The Tholians, however, stayed back, and were not moving along with the crowd. Typically xenophobic, they had been keeping their distance from the humanoids this whole time. They huddled together and consulted about how to best go their own way.

"We are missing some," Liam said suddenly, turning to Mortimer. Both men only just managed to dodge getting hit in the face by some flying wildlife. He caught a brief glimpse of Amia and Noelle ahead, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt for having asked both of them down here to help him out. "The Tholians. Where are they?"

Sir Mortimer's brow wrinkled, "I don't think they followed us," he said warily.

"Stay with them. I am going to go back," Liam shouted. Fighting his way back again, he all but crashed into the other security guard attempting to bring up the rear.

"Lieutenant, we are missing the Tholians,"

She glanced back towards the first impromptu camp site, but the rain made it difficult to see much.

"We're not missing them, sir; they made no real attempt to follow the rest of us to the caves. If they don't choose to follow us, I can't order them to comply. I may have majored in International Relations, but something tells me the Tholians won't listen to me."

Meanwhile, D'Aerrol was the first to reach the entrance to the caves. He sighed in relief to finally be in a dry place. Rubbing the water droplets away from his eyes, he squinted down the dark, wide passage that led to the vast underground. Upon further inspection it appeared to fork in multiple directions. D'Aerrol didn't care to proceed any further on his own. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone else was behind him.

"Well, we can't just leave them," Liam replied to Annora. "I'm going to try make them come with us."

Amia didn't want Liam to get separated from the main group. She felt they all needed his leadership much more than the Tholians needed anyone or anything else. She tried to get to him, pushed back by the wind and rain, but still attempting to get close enough to reason with him.

"Liam!" she called.

Liam didn't hear her. He felt the familiarity of one of his two best friends concerned for him. Turning round, he maneuvered round the security guard again. "Amia, stay with everyone, get inside please. I'm just getting the Tholian party. I'm right behind you," he said gently with a calm smile.

"Don't go, please?" she answered, an instinctive sense of something horrible creeping over her. She looked around at the cave mouths and seriously did not want to go inside. She could see it made sense, clearly, but she tried to grasp Liam's arm as he moved away. She was unsuccessful and instead she found herself taking hold of Noelle's. "I don't want to go in there," she admitted to the counsellor frankly.

Liam looked back over his shoulder to see Amia and Noelle holding onto each other. "I am right behind you, MeiMei." He used his pet name for her, yelling out into the wind trying to reassure her. Secure in his trust that Noelle, Mortimer, and the security guards would get her and themselves safe in those caves he pressed on until he was close enough to the Tholian ambassador.

"I know you don't," Noelle offered to the doctor gently, "but we need to take shelter. Stay right by me," Bennett offered. As concerned as she was for Liam and is much as she agreed with Amia, she knew it was not going to help their case to have an argument in the middle of what was supposed to be a diplomatic expedition. They were supposed to be the voices of reason, after all. "Single file everyone," Noelle called out. "Everyone stick together."

Amia had memories of a set of caves that she had been in not so long ago which were a maze of tunnels full of more enemies than they could deal with. It had been all she and the others could do to escape with their lives and this felt like another such bad situation. She shuddered and moved closer to Noelle, helping her with the "brave face" work and positive attitude.

"Ambassador Voskene, we need to all get to shelter. Will you please come with me this way?"

Voskene traded a look with his/her subordinate. Although their brains were very different Liam could still get enough of an empathic reading to know that they were afraid. Not of the cave, but of being in such close quarters with humanoids. "We will return to our shuttle." Their shuttle was a much farther distance away.

"Your shuttle disappeared along with ours, remember?" Liam said gently. "It’s not an option. The only option we have is this way. It's frightening, I know. I'm frightened. This planet is very strange and those two beings are like nothing I have ever experienced. And I know we are all very strange to you, but we mean no harm. All we want to do is get everyone out of the storm. Will you come with me please?"

Voskene paused momentarily, ready to offer a counter-argument as Tholians predictably often did. Voskene knew, however, that common sense leaned towards Liam's side. "For the sake of maintaining the mission schedule we will go with you." They began moving on their long, spidery legs.

Liam closed his eyes and sighed inwardly with relief that the aliens were now joining the group. He set off after them.

Qinee shivered and rubbed her arms as she moved along with the group to the caves. She hadn’t said much. She was cold. Tholian silk did little to keep one warm, much less dry.

Nazl trailed behind the ambassador, only slightly better off. His suit was a bit warmer, but no less waterproof. He had to content himself with amusing daydreams of Qinee getting a lethal lobe infection and watching her die a slow, painful death as he was elevated to her position, as he should have been when the last ambassador had died of cardiac failure…with a bit of help from Nazl.

Qinee moved over to Eviess. “Come, child, stay close. Stay warm and dry. I am afraid my dress is no longer so pretty,” she said with a wry laugh, shaking mud and gunk off the ruined silk.

"Keep moving, we are almost there," Zayna said, raising her voice over the storm, opting for a higher pitch to get over the rumble of the thunder and wind. The situation was not great, but once they would be in the caves they had shelter and time to think about solutions, of which there should be plenty. As she looked ahead she saw the caves where no more than three minutes away and she sped up just a bit, eager to get people and herself safe.

A young woman in front of Amia stumbled and fell, twisting her ankle badly. Clearly in pain, she laid on the ground but looked around herself for help. One or two of those nearest her passed by, blinded by the storm perhaps, or just too self-absorbed in their own duty? Amia didn't know why, but she was at once both horrified and also kicked into her own professional mode.

Bending to help the youngster, she realized the woman was probably little more than a teenager and clearly very new to this life. Amia rummaged in her med-kit for analgesic and an inflatable splint. Clicking into medic mode cleared her head of all other fears and confusion and from there she helped the youngster to her feet, put her shoulder underneath one of the patient's arms, and helped her hobble towards the caves, calling to anyone else within earshot who could make out what she was saying through the howling wind to come this way towards the shelter. An ensign nearby came over to help and took the patient's other arm, taking her weight off Amia and also off the wounded ankle, making the youngster grateful and transferring the care.

Amia looked around to see if there were other stragglers or injured. Seeing that Noelle was still nearby she rejoined her and the two of them continued on towards the caves, which were now getting very close. It looked as if there could be a lot of shelter there now that the scale of them was clearing on approach.

Zayna approached the first of the caves, scanning inside. It did not look deep and she saw nothing inside that could be of harm. "This cave is clear. I will go and check the other ones," she said before taking off at a jog. She wanted to take a look at the other caves swiftly. The second one was deeper than the first and so she stepped inside to explore it a bit, at the same a bolt of lightning struck nearby, obscuring the fact she was gone all of a sudden.

Qinee and Nazl scurried into the cave. Nazl gave a yelp of fear as the lightning cracked too close by. Qinee felt her heart jump at the lightning, a sudden sense of dislocation, almost akin to waking up on the other end of a transporter beam.

D'Aerrol had been sitting back against the granite wall when it happened. Upon seeing the Ferengi vanish he shot to his feet, thinking that it was weapons fire and they were under attack. He retrieved a small disruptor that he had been hiding in his boot. "Mister Reynolds!" he called over his shoulder, but Liam didn't answer. If the Fae were here then it was up to him to defend against them. Steeling his courage he walked a few steps down the dark tunnel and was taken himself.

Liam shuddered as he brought up the rear, catching up with Lieutenant Tessaro again. Both tried to fight the wind back to where they were heading and keep a safe distance from the heat emanating from the Tholians. Liam sighed with relief as he watched all the ambassadors, the captain’s daughter, Mortimer, Amia, and Noelle enter unscathed ahead of them into the darker area. However that joy was short-lived; as soon as they crossed the threshold into the tunnels there was a flash and suddenly they were elsewhere.

OFF:

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
Chief Diplomatic Officer
DS5

Lieutenant(jg) Noelle Bennett, M.D.
Chief Counselor
DS5

Qinee
Ferengi Ambassador
NPC Matthew

Nazl
Ferengi Attaché
NPC Matthew

Sir Mortimer Praxis GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon)
Senior Diplomatic Advisor
NPC by Louise

Ambassador Toq Qua'lon
NPC by Louise

Valkris of the House of Inagh
NPC by Louise

Eviess
NPC by Louise

Maekhav D'Aerrol
Romulan Ambassador
NPC Bert

Voskene
Tholian Ambassador
NPC Bert

Lieutenant(jg) Annora Tessaro
Assistant Chief Security Officer

Lieutenant Commander Amia Telamon
Chief Medical Officer
DS5

 

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