michaelwallace
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 7, 2007 0:04:22 GMT
Mike had quickly realised that the dark figure entering the cave was Andy and had apologised to his CO for pointing a phase pistol at his head. Mike was really embarrassed, he was still new to the ship and he was sure Andy would not be happy. They both joined Saryn by the fire that the doctor had constructed, Saryn was not looking good. The cold weather was taking its toll on the vulcan, he probably wasn’t used to the harsh environment on the planet.
Sitting down to make eye contact with Saryn, Andy and Mike joined him round the fire. Another mirandan had gone to the cave entrance to act as lookout. Saryn stared straight at Andy, "I will remain here, where I will be safe. You must go find Jack and bring him here. These people will not harm us, and I feel it is safe to say they will conceal us when it becomes necessary."
Mike shrugged his shoulders and was about to protest, but before he could get a word in Saryn was waving them both off… "Jack is ill, he will die if you will not bring him here into the warmth. We must also find dry clothing."
Andy gave the order to move out, using his hand to usher Mike to follow. Andy unholstered his phase pistol and Mike did the same. As they stepped out the cave the rain was continuing to pepper down against the ground. In the distance military vechiles were riding across the landscape to their position.
Andy turned to Mike, “Cover me, stay behind me and watch my back.” “Yes Sir, I hope they haven’t got Jack!”
(Tag Andy)
The two officers ran down the hillside from the cave, with Andy retracing his steps and trying to find the hiding place where he left Jack. Mike couldn’t help but feel the mission was a disaster!
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Andrew Kirk
Captain
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Have you seen my tools?
Registered: Sept 26, 2005 22:01:43 GMT
Posts: 474
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Post by Andrew Kirk on Jul 7, 2007 3:44:58 GMT
“Yes Sir, I hope they haven’t got Jack!” Wallace said.
You and me both, Kirk said under his breath. He knew the chances they would find Jack were probably slim to none; because just before he had entered the cave he turned around one last time and spotted a few soldiers looking around the area Jack was hiding. Nether-the-less they couldn’t just give up so soon.
Kirk walked as lightly as he could, making sure each step was on solid ground and not on a twig or any other fragile thing that might make a sound when he stepped onto it. Just up ahead Kirk heard voices and he crouched down. Mike rushed up next to him in a crouch and listened just as hard to see if they could possibly head Jack’s voice, but the only thing they heard was foreign to them, and it sounded as if it was moving away from them.
“Why don’t we try and use the PDA to try and find Commander Logan.” Mike suggested
Kirk’s eyes shot wide open, he had completely forgotten about the PDA he had. Pulling the PDA out of his pocket he scolded himself for not thinking about it first but it was still a good idea nonetheless. Kirk popped open the PDA and watched as its LED lights shone bright in his face. After a quick boot up he accessed the PDA’s tracking system and hoped that Jack’s was on and working.
“Rats.” Kirk whispered as neither Jack’s nor Saryn’s was on at the moment, “We need to get closer.”
Mike shook his head and began to crawl up the small hill toward the top leaving Kirk to follow shortly behind him. Kirk noted how much nicer is was now that the rain had let up some. The air still felt wet and cold but the rain wasn’t pouring as it had been.
As they crawled Mike stopped suddenly at the top. Kirk watched as Mike held his hand up for Kirk to stop moving, “What do you see?” Kirk asked in hushed tones.
<Tag Wallace>
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michaelwallace
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 7, 2007 15:06:48 GMT
“Why don’t we try and use the PDA to try and find Commander Logan.” Mike suggested “Rats.” Kirk whispered as neither Jack’s nor Saryn’s was on at the moment, “We need to get closer.”
Mike shook his head and began to crawl up the small hill toward the top leaving Kirk to follow shortly behind him. Kirk noted how much nicer is was now that the rain had let up some. The air still felt wet and cold but the rain wasn’t pouring as it had been.
As they crawled Mike stopped suddenly at the top. Kirk watched as Mike held his hand up for Kirk to stop moving, “What do you see?” Kirk asked in hushed tones.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike paused as he reached the top of the hill and peeked his head over the precipice. It was not what he had expected, the rain had subsided but it was still muddy and wet. Mike spotted several mirandan military officers, keeping his eyes on them he spoke to Andy.
“The area is crawling with mirandan military. I count 6 of them, and those are the ones I can see…”
Mike was interrupted by the noise of a craft flying over head with a search light, it almost resembled a helicopter found in the 20th and 21st century on earth. It was running a search pattern across the hillside to try and find them, they were now fugitives and the military was on to them!
“Sir, we need to find Jack and fast, can your pda locate Jack yet? We cannot stay here long they are looking for us and I fear we are going to get caught in a fire fight.”
Mike turned to Andy, he was staring at his pda and the grim look on his face gave Mike all he needed to know. Andy looked up at Mike, “We need to head over the hill, Mike we need to get closer…”
Mike shook his head, he had a real bad feeling about this as he pulled his phase pistol up. “Okay sir, allow me to go first the last thing that this mission needs is for you to be captured.”
Before Andy could protest Mike, had ran over the hill and was proceeding to run down the other side as stealthy as he could…
(Andy)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2007 21:24:49 GMT
Saryn wanted nothing more than rest and get warm again. He had heard Kirk and Wallace leave the safety of the cave, then returned his attention back to the fire before him. He sat huddled together, the blanket pulled tight around his cold frame. The fire was helping somewhat but he found that he couldn't concentrate. All he seemed to be able to think of was sleep.
Slowly, he closed his eyes, only to startle awake again at the slightest sound. Gazing up, he saw two Mirandans sit across him, their legs crossed, their eyes wide with curiosity. He tried to listen to their chattering, but found it too exhausting to try and understand them, without the aid of his PDA. "I do not understand you, please slow your speech," he urged them at last.
One of them sidled closer to him, reaching to adjust the blanket around the Vulcan's shoulders. Saryn batted his hands away, accidently touching him. The Mirandans chittered wildly, their eyes gleaming in the light the fire gave them. Saryn himself was unaware of his transgression, he had slumped into the sand from exhaustion.
A third Mirandan came running back into the cave; it was Wallace's friend who had managed to learn some Federation standard. "The military is coming!" he cried, grabbing Saryn by the shoulders, shaking him fiercely.
The Vulcan, however did not respond at first. However at the Mirandan's third attempt, he reacted. "Then we have to get out," he murmured, not noticing at first how quiet his new friends had gone. He started to struggle to his feet when a slight pressure against his back made him freeze his motion. A slight increase in pressure told him to continue to get up, which he did.
Then he turned around, giving no indication of recognition or submission to the military men. Instead, he remained motionless, awaiting their next move.
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Andrew Kirk
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Have you seen my tools?
Registered: Sept 26, 2005 22:01:43 GMT
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Post by Andrew Kirk on Jul 10, 2007 13:54:31 GMT
“Okay sir, allow me to go first the last thing that this mission needs is for you to be captured.”
Kirk wasn’t going to argue that point. It wasn’t that he felt he was valuable as the ships Captain but he personally just didn’t want to find himself in unfriendly hands.
Peering over the crest of the hill, Kirk watched as Wallace snuck around the wooded area before finally stopping behind a small trench dug into the ground. He watched as Wallace peered over the trench into what seemed like no mans land.
Kirk could see from his elevated position that there were Mirandian soldiers just a mere fifty yards in front of him. He hoped that Wallace wasn’t going to do anything foolish as most engineers, himself included, would do.
Thinking of Jack again, Kirk fired up the PDA and started scanning for another open signal but after a few moments he still could find nothing. Looking out again he saw that the hole in which Jack was hiding was now uncovered and troops were walking past it with out any real concern for it. This simple gesture made Kirk wonder about what happened to Jack.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2007 19:49:32 GMT
When the dark skinned Mirandans made no move toward him or his new friends, Saryn motioned for his friends to run and hide. By now he had noticed their cave was not a dead end, and he guessed it was but an entrance to a maze of caves, an underground network of tunnels.
The Vulcan stood face to face with a dark skinned Mirandan and he raised an eyebrow in question. What was expected of him now? He suddenly felt very much awake as adenalin started to rush through his veins. He was annoyed at his feelings of worry, for his friends and his crewmates, as well as his family back on Earth. This was the first time he allowed himself to think of them as he hadn't before when he was in trouble.
For in trouble he was, he knew that much. "What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice held low, just above a whisper.
The soldier raised his weapon, barking a few orders Saryn could not understand. He stood with his back to the fire, so the light cast a dark shadow over his face, caused by the hood he had put back up earlier. They could not see his face, could not discern the colour of his skin as such. He cringed, when suddenly the hood was yanked back, his hair tousled by the motion, exposing his pointed ears. Yet he made no further movement, not wanting to alarm the alert soldiers. "What do you want from me?" he repeated, speaking slowly. 'I am just passing through, seeking shelter from the storm. I am on an errand for my master."
Saryn hated lying, felt distinctly uncomfortable at doing so, but he wanted desperately for the dark skinned men to leave, preferably leaving him behind. He needed to contact his captain and report on what happened, and he couldn't do that while being held at gunpoint. And he couldn't fight them, he was too ill to do so and too weak from the dampness and the cold. His patience wearing rather thin, he still stood motionless, waiting for them to answer his question, waiting to see what they would do in response.
When nothing seemed to happen, Saryn decided it was time to act. With the mouth of the cave blocked, he bolted in the other direction, surprising the Mirandans with the speed with which he acted, driven by the adrenalin that rushed through his veins. The Vulcan knew this action would probably make him pay later, but he couldn't be concerned with 'later' just yet. It was the 'now' in which he lived and had to act. Just where had his new friends gone?
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michaelwallace
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 12, 2007 19:26:16 GMT
Mike sped down the hill and hid himself in a wooded trenched off area. He knew Andy would be watching his back from his elevated position above, again the noise of a bladed aircraft came from above and a searchlight was almost upon him. Mike peeked round from the bush above him, there were just too many military officers. For a moment he considered trying to knock out the mirandans one by one or make a run for it but it was just too much. He turned around and gazed up to Andy and shook his head, the look on Andy’s face confirmed what they both feared their search was futile. Mike made his way back up to Andy’s position.
“I’m sorry Sir, there are just too many military officers. I couldn’t find any sign of Jack did you have any lucky?” Mike asked turning to Andy
“Fraid not Mike, I can’t find anything on my PDA and the position where Jack was hiding is uncovered but I don’t know if the military got him or if he got his strength back.” Replied Andy slamming his PDA in the mud.
“Sir, we need to get back to the caves and regroup. Things are not going well, I hope that our pale skinned friends can help us.” Mike looked at Andy for his approval.
(Andy)
After the Captain weighed up the difficult decision he had to make. He did not like leaving Jack but he had no choice, they both hoped that he had escaped the military’s net as they made their way back to the cave. As they neared the cave Andy stopped Mike, he had spotted a military officer guarding the cave.
“Mike, there appears to be a guard outside. The military have found the cave.” Any had a grave look on his face as he relayed the unfavourable news.
“Sir, we have no choice. We cannot risk the capture of Saryn as well, we will have to engage them.” Mike replied to Andy as he unholstered his phase pistol, Mike could see that Andy was weighing up the choice in his head.
“Its your decision Sir, we do not know how many are inside but if we stun the guard we could have the element of surprise on our side.”
(Andy)
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Andrew Kirk
Captain
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Have you seen my tools?
Registered: Sept 26, 2005 22:01:43 GMT
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Post by Andrew Kirk on Jul 13, 2007 6:26:44 GMT
“Its your decision Sir, we do not know how many are inside but if we stun the guard we could have the element of surprise on our side.”
Kirk looked out and saw the same thing that Wallace did; standing in the entrance to the cave was a single guard. He had his weapon at the ready and looked as if he was going to possibly shoot whoever was on the business end of his weapon. Behind the soldier Kirk spotted a fire and hoped that Saryn wasn’t the unlucky soul that was waiting for fate to play out its hand.
“Go around to the right about thirty yards and make sure that soldiers is alone.” Kirk ordered.
“Yes sir.” Wallace replied and moved quickly to his right.
Kirk continued to watch the stand off in progress as Wallace moved into position. After what felt like a few minutes Kirk looked over and spotted Wallace as he held up his left hand with one finger sticking up indicating one solider.
Kirk then pulled out his phase pistol and using a small log as a tripod he steadied himself for a long shot. Looking over his right shoulder he saw that Wallace was doing the same and when he was ready he looked back at Kirk. They both knew this was going to be a one shot one kill situation and they needed to make sure they hit their target and not hit who ever it was that was behind the soldier.
Holding up his left hand Kirk help up the number three and counted down to zero. As if rehearsed they both fired at the same time hitting the soldier square in the back, dropping him. Kirk’s eyes shot wide with shock, he didn’t even think they had a chance from this distance but to his surprised they both hit their marks.
“Lets go.” Kirk said just loud enough for Wallace to hear.
They approached fast and Kirk took the left side of the cave entrance while Wallace took the right side. When they were both set up at the mouth of the cave Kirk nodded and Wallace turned into the cave, his weapon at the ready. After a second Kirk followed right behind him.
“Clear,” Wallace said, “It’s Saryn.”
Kirk suddenly had a sinking feeling about the ‘what if’s’ with those long shots back there, but just as soon as they came they passed, “Remind me to thank Major Rickman and his men for the training they gave us.” Kirk said to Wallace.
“Where is Commander Logan?” Saryn asked.
Both Kirk and Wallace looked at one another and then Kirk stepped forward to inform the doctor of the new situation, “He’s missing,” Kirk said, “When we arrived at the spot where I left Jack there were soldiers everywhere and his position had been uncovered…I think it’s a good bet to say he was found.”
“We have to find him.” Saryn said.
“I Know.” Kirk replied.
From behind Saryn they heard what sounded like running, both Kirk and Wallace dove for cover while Saryn stood still as if he knew who was coming. With in seconds the running stopped and the three officers were face to face with more pale skinned Mirandans. They motioned for them to come deeper inside the cave an before Kirk could protest Saryn was off and walking. Kirk quickly shot Wallace a look of confusion and to Kirk’s surprise he saw a similar look on Wallace’s face.
“You go, I’ll cover the rear.” Wallace said.
Getting to his feet Kirk walked at a quickened pace to catch up with Saryn and once they were clear Wallace jumped up and joined the other two officers.
“Friends of yours?” Kirk asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Of sorts.” Saryn replied in his normal cold Vulcan tone.
Not knowing what to say or make of the situation Kirk fell back behind Saryn and let him deal with his new found friends.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2007 21:30:12 GMT
"You have nothing to fear from them captain," Saryn tried to ensure his CO, "I am having a little trouble understanding them, that is their speech however we have been communicating rather well through what humans call hand and footwork." The corner of his mouth quirked up in a slight smile. "They warned me when the military came, though the warning came too late. I spent several minutes at gunpoint, but the military never made a move."
He paused and shivered at the memory. "At last, I fled into the tunnels after my friends here caused a distraction. There is quite a network here, where we would be safe. However, I believe we should move on as soon as possible. The dark skinned Mirandans are somehow superior to these people." The Vulcan beckoned his earlier friend forward. "Tis is Loken, and he appears to be this band's leader. Loken, this is Captain Andrew Kirk and behind him Lieutenant Michael Wallace."
"Saryn, you have all very odd names," Loken answered carefully, "you are not from around?"
Saryn shook his head, suddenly feeling somewhat lightheaded. "No, we are not from around, though at present I cannot explain where exactly we do come from. However we would like to learn more about your culture. Why are we, pale skinned Mirandans, hunted by the dark skinned ones?"
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kirk and Wallace come closer, and he remembered to keep an eye on the young chief engineer. Especially with his perculiar behaviour earlier aboard Challenger.
Loken shrugged. "Many years ago, we had a war," he started, "before then we co-existed peacefully. We have no original genetic ties, though we evolved equally on this planet. After the war, the people separated and the dark skins declared themselves superior, enslaving my people. To date, they are still enslaved, mainly because of our skin colour, which is so pale it reminds them of the diseased and the dead."
He reached towards the Vulcan, gesturing. "May I touch?" he asked, upon which Saryn nodded, casting his crewmates an apprehensive look. Loken gently twisted Saryn's head from side to side, examining him without any extra tools. "You look like us," he concluded, "but you are not like us." He gestured for Saryn to bare his teeth, upon which Saryn showed perfectly white teeth with two sharp fangs. Next, Loken moved to examine Wallace and Kirk. "You pass for my kind," he concluded, "even exibit the same behaviour. Therefor, even though I believe you are not, you must be of our kind. Innate behaviour cannot be copied."
He fixed his gaze on Wallace. "Especially that one fits in. Has he been behaving oddly?"
"We all have," Saryn admitted, "a lust for blood, mood swings. Where we come from they are unnatural, but it must be the local surroundings. It makes us feel ill at ease, and we are missing one of our group."
Loken nodded, then beckoned his group to follow. "We will leave you alone now for the night. We will return at first light, we will bring dry clothing and nourismment."
After Loken had left, Saryn turned to the two humans. "I suggest to do as he said," he spoke softly, "there is nowhere we can go safely, and if we try to find our way out, we shall get lost in these mazes."
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michaelwallace
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 14, 2007 13:08:03 GMT
(OOC: Sorry for the long post, a fair bit of back posting on my part... )“Go around to the right about thirty yards and make sure that soldiers is alone.” Kirk ordered.“Yes sir.” Mike replied and moved quickly to his right, he was crawling through the damp ground and bushes on the ground trying not to snap a branch or twig as he moved. Mike kept turning to make sure that the mirandan guard had not spotted him or been alerted to his presence. Once reaching his position, Mike held up his hand to Andy with 1 finger outstretched to confirm there was only 1 guard. Mike watched Andy pull out his phase pistol almost simultaneously to himself and then mounted it on a log to gain a steady and clear shot at the guard. Andy held up his hand with three fingers and counted down to zero, Mike pressed his finger onto the trigger simultaneous to Andy and amazing both their phaser blasts strick the guard as he slouched to the ground. “Lets go.” Andy instructedAs Mike and Andy charged towards the cave, Mike led the way and shouted “Clear”, “Its Saryn!” The relief on Andy’s face was like a weight lifted to both men. Mike motioned to hug Saryn, quickly remembering that vulcans did not enjoy physical contact he withdrew but smiled warmly at the Vulcan. He had not known Saryn for long but he had become rather fond of the Doctor. Andy explained the situation to Saryn and how Jack was missing, their was a noise from behind the away team. Mike and Andy both dove for cover as the paleskin miranadans returned, they pointed to further into the cave and Saryn followed obligingly. Andy shared a glance with Mike, Mike decided to hold the fort as Andy and Saryn followed the mirandans. “You go, I’ll cover the rear.” Mike called, as Saryn and Andy moved deeper within the cave, Mike concealed the body of the mirandan guard and then ran in the direction of Saryn, Andy and the mirandans. He caught up just in time before they reached a fork in the cave network, as Saryn was explaining the events preceding their reaquaintance. "At last, I fled into the tunnels after my friends here caused a distraction. There is quite a network here, where we would be safe. However, I believe we should move on as soon as possible. The dark skinned Mirandans are somehow superior to these people." The Vulcan beckoned his earlier friend forward. "Tis is Loken, and he appears to be this band's leader. Loken, this is Captain Andrew Kirk and behind him Lieutenant Michael Wallace."Mike smiled at Loken to reassure him of the groups friendly intentions, as the mirandan began to examine Saryn. Mike and Andy exchanged a worried glance as Lokin began concluding his findings from his examination. He then turned to Andy and Mike, "You pass for my kind," he concluded, "even exibit the same behaviour. Therefore, even though I believe you are not, you must be of our kind. Innate behaviour cannot be copied." stated Loken then fixing his stony gaze firmly on Mike. "Especially that one fits in. Has he been behaving oddly?" Loken directed his query towards Saryn and Mike was feeling particularly uncomfortable – being studied like a medical sample or an object. Mike was feeling like he did earlier he was beginning to have strange urges again, a lust for blood and an aversion towards the dim lighting in the tunnel. As Mike began to drift off into his mind, Saryn answered Loken’s question describing the tendancies they had all experienced aboard the Challenger. Loken turned to join his fellow mirandans: "We will leave you alone now for the night. We will return at first light, we will bring dry clothing and nourismment."Saryn nodded and replied, "I suggest to do as he said," he spoke softly, "there is nowhere we can go safely, and if we try to find our way out, we shall get lost in these mazes."Mike nodded, turning to his crewmates. “We should be safe here, I concealed the body of the mirandan guard so hopefully the military may not even come across the cave network. Have either of you been experiencing strange tendancies similar to those we felt on Challenger?” Mike paused and waited for a reaction… (Andy/Saryn)
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Andrew Kirk
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Have you seen my tools?
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Post by Andrew Kirk on Jul 14, 2007 17:19:16 GMT
“Have either of you been experiencing strange tendencies similar to those we felt on Challenger?”
The question struck Kirk as odd because he hadn’t thought much about the Challenger ever since they had crashed onto this planet. This thoughts and emotions had been on rapid fire so he really hadn’t had the chance to sit down and do a self-examination.
“I don’t believe so.” Kirk replied with an elongation of the last word as he began to really think about Wallace’s question.
It was then that he felt the weight of the world start to crush down on his shoulders. This had been the first time all night that the group had a chance to sit down and rest and it was this rest that brought back the death of young Ensign Jones and the disappearance of Jack. Those thoughts and those actions began to weight heavily on the rookie captain as he began to second-guess the decisions he had been making up to this point. Could I have done something different? Chosen a different landing zone? If I did maybe Ensign Jones would still be alive. Kirk thought as he sat in a trance staring at the fire.
“What am I supposed to tell Ensign Jones family?” Kirk asked to Wallace and Saryn. His tone told everything about Kirk’s mood, it was low and heavy. It wasn’t hard to extrapolate that his own moral was low from his comment.
<Tag ALL>
Kirk sat and listened to his crewmates answers to his question. With each persons answers he began to feel a fire brewing with him. It was the second wind that runners describe as the ‘runners high’. He felt as if he could walk for days, he became more mentally alert and ready to do the mission he had been tasked to do.
“What’s our mission.” Kirk said quietly.
Both Wallace and Saryn looked at Kirk with an odd look but it was Wallace who answered first, “To learn everything that we can about this race of people.”
“Exactly,” Kirk said getting up from the fire and walking off. He hadn’t walked more than a few paces when he stopped and turned around to face Wallace, “Show me where you hid the soldier’s body.”
<Tag Wallace>
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michaelwallace
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 14, 2007 21:19:32 GMT
“I don’t believe so.”
Those words of the Captain had dispelled Mike’s thought about feeling unusual tendencies again, Mike was feeling reassured. He was worried by his own feelings but with the reassurance of his crewmates he dispelled his lusts for blood and listened to Andy intently.
“What am I supposed to tell Ensign Jones family?” Asked Andy, with a concerned look on his face, it was clear to Mike that the realisation of what had actually happened was beginning to sink in with the Captain.
Mike cleared his throat and then began; “You tell them the truth, Sir. He died giving his life for his crewmates – without his piloting we wouldn’t have made it down to the surface in one piece. Jones was a skilled pilot and in the short time I knew him he was a friend, its like losing a family member. Just be honest and let them know the importance of Jones and the part he played aboard the Challenger.”
Mike turned to Andy, the Captain seemed to be regaining his edge and ability to command. As he rose up from the ground, Mike just waited for Andy to speak…
“What’s our mission?” Andy asked quietly
Mike looked at Saryn closely and then began to answer the question, he hesitated briefly before answering. “To learn everything that we can about this race of people.” Mike finally answered.
“Exactly,” Kirk said getting up from the fire and walking off. He hadn’t walked more than a few paces when he stopped and turned around to face Wallace, “Show me where you hid the soldier’s body.”
Mike looked puzzled and then faced Andy, “Sir..?, I hid the body inside the cave in a tunnel just off the entrance and then concealed it with some rocks. I concealed it in the tunnel, incase they had a tracking chip – hopefully the cave would interfere with any signal so the military wouldn’t find us. Why do you ask?”
Mike asked his Captain…
(Andy/Saryn)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2007 21:39:43 GMT
"I believe the captain may want me to dissect it," Saryn spoke up, after a long silence. He had settled himself on an entirely flat piece of stone that could easily pass for a bed, using his cape for pillow, draping the blanket Loken had given up around his body. "I will do so in the morning, if it is safe to do so. We know next to nothing about Mirandan physiology, as we have had no example to go from. We do not even know what colour they bleed."
This time, the Vulcan looked genuinely concerned. "I dearly hope, for your sake, that these people have iron based blood, meaning they would bleed red. However in my case..." He trailed off, wondering what would happen if he did get injured. So far, he had been lucky, but would his luck hold out? Past missions had proven that he was indeed rather accident prone, and also extremely prone to getting himself into trouble, wanted or unwanted.
"For now, however I do suggest we try and get some sleep. Today was an exhausting day and tomorrow we shall fare no better. Without the Mirandans, we will get lost here, our scanners cannot penetrate these dense rocks. Our PDA's will not work here either, so we are out of contact with Challenger."
He settled himself on his provisionary bed, curling up to retain what little body warmth he had. "Good night captain, lieutenant." The two humans could hear his breathing even out, though it sounded a little rasping and unusual, indicating the Vulcan had slipped off into sleep.
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michaelwallace
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 19, 2007 20:34:46 GMT
"I believe the captain may want me to dissect it," "I will do so in the morning, if it is safe to do so. We know next to nothing about Mirandan physiology, as we have had no example to go from. We do not even know what colour they bleed."
As Saryn spoke these words, he noticed their Captain not reject the idea. Mike was not comfortable of dissection – they were not frogs nor animals, they were people. An evil people by all accounts Mike convinced himself but do they deserve that? Mike quickly pulled himself out of his crisis of conscience, he would follow his orders as he always did.
Mike noticed both Andy and Saryn preparing spaces to bed down for the night and catch some sleep. Mike found a space but he decided to sleep away from his 2 crewmates and in a position concealed from the entrance of the cave. He decided if there was going to be trouble, he would be ready for it… as he moved about 20metres from Saryn and Andy he smiled.
“I mean no offence. I just felt it would be safer if one of us was prepared for the worse. If we have any unexpected guests they will not see me from this position immediately and I can take them by surprise.”
As Mike finished talking he began to think about what this mission had done to him, he was not a man who used forced but in this situation instincts had taken over. He was not a trained Maco officer or even a security officer he was an Engineer and what a fine mess for an Engineer to be in he bemoaned. Mike pulled his blanket over himself and used his rucksack as a pillow, it was not very comfortable but it meant his phase pistol was within immediate reach.
“Good night all, until morning.” Mike said before he shut his eyes and trailed off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4 hours later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike awoke with the sounds of a rock crashing down, he turned to Saryn and Andy they were both still asleep. If it was not one of them, it must have been someone else… Mike pulled himself up and picked up his pistol and approached Andy and Saryn shaking them both to wake them up. As they widened their eyes Mike whispered:
“I believe we have company.”
(Andy/Saryn)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2007 10:20:01 GMT
Saryn remained where he was as both Kirk and Wallace moved away. From the sound of the approaching footsteps he had already gathered it was only one person, and from the fall of the steps he also gathered it couldn't be a soldier.
A dark-skinned girl approached, looking apprehensive and scared. Saryn motioned for his human companions to stay out of sight, then waited for the girl to approach. Hopefully, she would assume he was still asleep and wouldn't find him either harmful or scary. He sensed her approach and he lay perfectly still with his eyes closed. He felt her touch him, quite carefully and only then did he open his eyes.
The girl stared down on him, wide eyed and Saryn noticed she had the palest blue eyes he'd ever seen. Slowly, he sat up and glanced up at the girl. "Are you lost?" he asked, using the few sparse Mirandan words he knew.
She shook her head in response, but said nothing and continued to stare at him in childish wonder. "What is your name?" Saryn continued, as he readjusted his cape around his shoulders. The cave had gone quite chilly now that night had set in and their fire had nearly gone out. He tapped his own chest. "Saryn," he said, then pointed at her.
"Numike," she replied, as she reached for him again. Saryn let her, wondering why a child would touch him when his touching one of the pale Mirandans had caused such a flurry of excitement. As her fingers brushed his skin, he gently probed her mind, then reached for her hand and flattened it against his face. He wondered if Mirandans had any sense of telepathy at all.
The girl's eyes widened in fear, but Saryn held her tight. Then he brushed his fingers past her cheek and frowned as his fingers came away with a dark smudge on them. He brushed her cheek again, a little firmer and he saw her skin lighten. "She is not our enemy," he announced to his collegues. "She has some sort of camouflage on her face.
"Numike," he said, turning to the child, "you must stay with us. Friends will come in the morning to help us. They will care for you. Come, I will keep you safe."
Still frightened, Numike nodded, but relief showed in her eyes. She watched as the pale skinned, pointy eared man lay back down and motioned for her to come lay beside him. "Go back to sleep captain, lieutenant," he called to the humans, "we have a long night ahead of us." He held the girl close to him, to give her a sense of security, then fell back asleep.
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michaelwallace
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Registered: Apr 19, 2024 18:24:01 GMT
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 20, 2007 13:56:43 GMT
Mike and Andy stood back at Saryn’s request as a dark skinned mirandan girl entered the cave. The girl approached Saryn slowly and they exchanged a few words back and forth, Mike was not quite sure of what was being said. The girl lay down beside Saryn and held him by the looks of it, Mike and Andy exchanged a puzzled glance – both thinking the same thing: what just happened! Suddenly Saryn called to them both: "Go back to sleep captain, lieutenant," Saryn called, "we have a long night ahead of us."Mike turned to Andy who nodded in agreement with the doctor and he returned to his sleeping position. Mike was having difficulty getting back to sleep, he just couldn’t. He had also been feeling uncharacteristically lethargic and getting increasingly paranoid. Mike got up from his ‘rock bed’ and went for a walk along the tunnel network, he was jostling with some inner demons. After walking for about 10minutes his animal instincts took over – the blood lust was back… Mike ran back to the cave like a man possessed and stood over his crewmates and the young mirandan. They had all become prey to him, for a moment he paused almost as though his humanity had taken over. Alas it had not and Mike blindsided Saryn as he slept, with demonic strength he leapt upon the vulcan and sunk his fangs into the vulcans neck. The blood flowed into Mike’s mouth as he bit harder, as Saryn awoke.(Saryn - Sorry )
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 19, 2024 18:24:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2007 14:53:28 GMT
Saryn started awake and shoved Numike aside in reflex as he felt the sharp pain at his throat. He was pinned between his blanket and the stone surface and was in no actual condition to fight his assaillant off. Had he been wrong then, in his conclusion that only the girl had approached?
His eyes snapped open as he struggled against whoever attacked him. However, the harder he struggled, the more determined his attacker seemed. Beside him, Numike screamed but sat frozen in fear. She was too young to try and help the man who had taken her into his protection and she saw the man was not having enough strength to fight him off himself.
Instead, Numike ran over to Kirk and shook him wildly. "Help me!" she screamed, yanking the blankets from the human's body.
Saryn fought as best as he could, trying to push his attacker away. In the semi-darkness, he suddenly recognized the clothing and froze for a moment, giving his attacker a new chance to latch on. He felt something sticky roll past his throat and arm and realised it must be blood.
Blackness danced at the edge of his vision. "Wallace!" he breathed, "stop. Please!" This time he managed to free one of his hands, but it wasn't enough to reach up and apply a nerve pinch. He was dimly aware of Numike screaming for help, as what little strength he had ebbed away while trying to fight the chief engineer off.
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michaelwallace
Guest
Registered: Apr 19, 2024 18:24:01 GMT
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 22, 2007 14:45:42 GMT
Mike had a ringing in his ears it was the mirandan girl she was screaming incessantly. Mike wasn’t sure what was happening but she was crying for help. As Mike found himself not in control of his own body, what was happening. He gazed down to see Saryn "Wallace!" he breathed, "stop. Please!", Mike realised he was biting the vulcan’s neck and had him pinned down. Something inside wouldn’t allow him to stop, what had Mike become, as he began to bite harder he felt a blunt object strike the back of his head.
Afterwards Mike blacked out completely… he could only see darkness.
Mike finally awoke to being shook by Andy. “Mike”, “Mike” he was yelling, “What the hell is wrong with you – you just attacked Saryn.”
Mike hesitated, what had happened. His memory of the event preceeding him awaking were hazy and Mike could only remember trying to get back to sleep.
“Sir, I don’t know what has happened. How is Saryn? I have no memory of what you are talking about…” Mike questioned nervously, he hoped he hadn’t harmed his fellow crewmember in anyway. Andy turned to Saryn, the vulcan was clutching his neck and the blood was evident but by the looks of things the doctor has used a makeshift bandage.
Mike moved towards Saryn and the mirandan girl, who ran away from him as he neared.
“Saryn I am sorry. I don’t know what has happened.” Mike said apologetically, what had come over him?
(Saryn)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2007 19:41:49 GMT
Saryn sat somewhat dazed, with Numike pressing a cloth against her friend's throat. The back and left arm of his tunic were slick with blood and sticking uncomfortably against his skin. He felt Numike reach for his hand and guide it up to hold the cloth in place himself.
She screeched in terror and scurried away as the chief engineer approached and apologized. Saryn cast him a wary and somewhat disappointed stare, then weakly waved him off. His blood was still showing on the young human's face and front of his tunic, which didn't make him feel any better. "You tried to kill me," he whispered, as he inched away from Wallace, "I begged you to stop, but you persisted. If the captain had not struck you with a rock, you may have succeeded."
He too wasn't thinking straight, too wrapped up in thinking as a Mirandan, with a controlled bloodlust of his own. Had he been strong enough, and not already ill due to the current weather conditions, the Vulcan might have subdued Wallace and fed on him in return. "You are not yourself," he finally whispered, "but please stay away from me for now. I cannot guarantee my responses towards you for now."
Light was falling into the cave from a small crack in the roof. "Daybreak," Saryn continued weakly, as Numike helped him lay back down. "Loken should return soon. Captain, please look after Numike until Loken arrives. I cannot protect her right now. When we have eaten, we shall go looking for Jack. Perhaps Loken has news..."
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michaelwallace
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Registered: Apr 19, 2024 18:24:01 GMT
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 22, 2007 20:10:17 GMT
As Mike approached Saryn and apologised, the mirandan girl – Numike (Mike heard Saryn call her) ran away and Saryn dismissed Mike with a disappointed look and waved him away…
"You tried to kill me," Saryn whispered slowly, Mike’s face dropped – he still couldn’t remember what he had done or what had happened. Saryn began to back away from Mike and the continued. "I begged you to stop, but you persisted. If the captain had not struck you with a rock, you may have succeeded."
Mike turned his back, there was nothing he could say or do to convince Saryn or pay the vulcan back for what he had done to him. Mike would have to re-earn the respect that they once shared, Mike noticed Andy who was deep in thought after all that he had witnessed. Just then Saryn whispered again: "You are not yourself," he finally whispered, "but please stay away from me for now. I cannot guarantee my responses towards you for now."
Mike turned back to face Saryn, “I just hope one day you can forgive me… and I am truly sorry!”
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"Daybreak," Saryn continued weakly, as Numike helped him lay back down. "Loken should return soon. Captain, please look after Numike until Loken arrives. I cannot protect her right now. When we have eaten, we shall go looking for Jack. Perhaps Loken has news..."
Mike turned to Andy, “Captain we should retrieve the mirandan soldier’s body for Saryn to examine. We should move soon, I suggest we both go given the circumstances. Saryn and Numike will be safe here.”
Andy nodded cautiously, it was clear that the Captain was still unsure of Mike’s mental state and his intentions. He looked at Mike intensely “Okay Mike, but you can go first. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you…”
“I understand” Mike replied under his breathe, what had he done?
As Andy and Mike left Saryn and the mirandan behind and Mike walked in front of Andy as he was still unsure of his behavoir.
“Sir, I really don’t understand what happened sir. I have no memory of it, something just took me over!” Mike tried to confide in his Captain.
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michaelwallace
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Registered: Apr 19, 2024 18:24:01 GMT
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 24, 2007 17:24:44 GMT
Mike and Andy had retraced their steps and had arrived back at the cave entrance. It was light outside and there was almost no sign of the military, Mike was not going to go outside and have a look though. Both men made their way to where the body had been concealed.
"We should have a look at these weapons and their power sources whilst Saryn conducts the autopsy..." Mike was calling it an autopsy as it sounded better than dissection, even though they already knew the cause of death.
Mike threw the weapons to Andy, "Here Sir, you have a look at these and I'll carry the body." As Mike threw the weapons, Andy caught them and then pulled out his PDA, he was going to have another attempt at finding Jack's PDA signal.
(Andy)
The mirandan was heavy and smelt bad, Mike was moving as fast as he could with the soldier on his shoulders weighing him down... but it was gonna take time. Andy had collected the weapons and had been looking at then as they walked but he had yet to press any buttons, understandably so, Mike smiled.
Arriving back at their base camp as Mike was calling it he placed the body down just outside the entrance so as not to alarm Numike. As Mike and Andy re-entered Numike backed away from Mike, Saryn stood his ground this time and had been cleaned up.
"We brought that item you were wanting to have a look at, its just in the adjacent tunnel back there." Mike pointed, trying not to alarm Numike anymore than she already clearly was...
(Saryn)
"Any luck, figuring out what these weapons are or their power source?" Mike turned to Andy
(Andy)
Andy looked down at the weapons before answering...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2007 19:48:22 GMT
Saryn wasn't too happy to see his crewmates (and friends?) go off on their own, without medical support, however he wasn't in any shape to go anywhere. Gently he patted Numike's hand, offering her a very small and uncertain smile. It felt odd to do so, odd and unusual and very unlike him. Truth to be told, it even felt uncomfortable, but he had to reassure the girl somehow.
As someone who was used to working with hearing impaired children, Saryn was able to read her bodylanguage, even without being able to understand most of what she babbled on about. They had developed a very basic means of communications by using simple hand signals to get a point across. Now, Numike gently placed both her hands on his chest, indicating she wanted him to lie back down.
Noises were heard in a nearby tunnel and Saryn identified one of the voices as Loken's. "Loken!" he called, as loudly as possible, which wasn't very loud. Numike took up his call and repeated it at a more audible volume.
Loken and his family hurried forward, dropping their loads of food and clothing. "Saryn!" Loken called in shock, as he approached the bloodied man, kneeling down beside him. He exchanged a rapid conversation with Numike, who brought him up to speed in their own language, describing everything in extreme detail.
The Mirandan adult leaned over his weakened friend, and frowned at seeing the green blood. "Green?" he murmured, while reaching for one of the bottles they had brought. Saryn hissed as Loken generously poured the fluid over the still bleeding bitemarks. "Desinfecting agent," he explained, "at least, that's one of it's uses. Why is your blood green?"
"Genetic defect," Saryn breathed, not liking the lie he had to produce. "How bad?"
"Very bad," Loken explained, speaking slowly so Saryn could hopefully understand his 'dialect'. "You lost a lot of blood, but you'll be all right." Together with one of the other adults, they undressed Saryn while another adult led Numike away so they could work in private. Loken gently washed his friend up, then dressed the wound and redressed him. "Now you'll certainly be all right. I need to see your friend when he returns. Have you had any odd cravings?"
Saryn nodded mutely as he allowed himself to be undressed, washed, and dressed again. They talked softly until Kirk and Wallace returned. "We brought that item you were wanting to have a look at, its just in the adjacent tunnel back there."
He looked up in horror and seemed as though he was about to get sick. "It will have to wait," he managed, "Loken and Numike will not let me up. You may need to bring the body here, so that Loken can assist me."
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Andrew Kirk
Captain
Captain
Have you seen my tools?
Registered: Sept 26, 2005 22:01:43 GMT
Posts: 474
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Post by Andrew Kirk on Jul 26, 2007 5:47:19 GMT
"Any luck, figuring out what these weapons are or their power source?" Mike asked to a distant Kirk.
Kirk had his full attention on the weapon in his hand. It looked somewhat like the old Earth weapons that fired cartridge ammunition but he couldn’t be sure unless he test fired it; that in it brought along more problems the group didn’t want or need.
“Sir?” Wallace asked.
This time Kirk acknowledged the young man and turned his hear slightly to face him, “I’m not sure yet.” Kirk said before turning his back to him again. Just as he turned his back he felt vulnerable, as if he was asking to be attacked by Wallace. He hoped that this would be more of a sign of trust instead of a show of weakness, and above all he hoped that Wallace’s cravings were only for Vulcans.
Squatting down Kirk began to go through the soldier’s pockets. Inside the two cargo pockets he found paper work, maps, and what appeared to be a GPS locater. It was times like these that Kirk wished he had made sure to stay with Jack. Jack’s quick wit about himself when it came to languages was more than an asset to the crew it was a necessity; this was certainly one of those times where he was needed most.
“Found something?” Wallace asked.
“Yeah,” Kirk said as he continued to go through the upper pockets. Just as he was about to continue his sentence Kirk spotted something else, it felt thick and it felt familiar, leather?
Pulling the object out of the soldier’s pocket Kirk found himself face to face with the soldiers wallet. This simple find stopped Kirk dead in his tracks and forced him to realize that it wasn’t just a soldier they had killed it was somebody’s father, son, brother, or husband.
“What’d you find?” Wallace asked, taking Kirk away from the realization he had found himself in.
“Papers, maps…and a wallet.” Kirk replied.
“A wallet?” Wallace replied in disbelief.
“Yup,” Kirk said before rising back to his feet, “A wallet.”
Without saying anymore, Kirk put the wallet into his pocket and presented Wallace with the papers, maps and the GPS device. Wallace gladly accepted these items and began to tinker with them as any engineer would.
Looking down at the body, Kirk said a quiet prayer, more for his own salvation than for the soldier’s soul. Just as he was about to turn and leave something caught Kirk’s eye. It shimmered in a streak of light, exposing its simple design and hidden location on the soldier.
Kirk kneeled down and picked up the small object and looked at it. It was a small gold key like object with strange writing on it. It was attached to a long chain that was worn around the neck of the soldier. Kirk speculated that it must have come off when Wallace had moved the body. He had no idea what it meant or what it could be used for so he put the object around his neck hoping that it might come in use later.
“You make any progress there?” Kirk asked Wallace about the stuff he had given him just moments ago.
<Tag Wallace>
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2007 8:31:47 GMT
"I've never seen a Mirandan bleed like this," the Mirandan attending to Jack's wounds," we need to get him some help with his wounds."
"Where are we going to find a surgeon in this weather?"
"I don't know, but we have to try to do something for him," the Mirandan replied.
"Water....please....water, I'm thirsty," Jack slowly said startling the group of men.
"My name is Janue, what is your name?" Janue asked as helped Jack drink a few sips of water.
"My name is not important, I'm on a long voyage and I need to be on my way," Jack said hoping that he could find his friends and Saryn who could attend to his wounds.
"I'm afraid not traveler, you will surely meet your ancestors if you travel in this storm," Janue said as he looked at Jack's wound. "Traveler, why do you bleed red?"
"Janue, silence yourself," a Mirandan said walking into Jack's view," as you can see he's not from these lands. I've heard of Mirandan's bleeding red, but they have been thought long dead. It does not matter, the Commandant has been notified and a dispatch has been sent with a doctor."
"I'm not a military man, please let me go," Jack pleaded trying to ignore the pain he felt. He knew that his bleeding would need to be stopped. It became a lot worse when the solider showed him his communicator. It wouldn't take long for them to discover that it was alien to this world.
"Where did you get this?" the solider asked. Jack tried to find an answer that acceptable, but was unable to find one due to his body giving way and falling into unconsciousness.
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michaelwallace
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Registered: Apr 19, 2024 18:24:01 GMT
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Post by michaelwallace on Jul 30, 2007 23:30:54 GMT
As they arrived back in the chamber with Saryn Andy passed Mike some papers, a curious looking map of the terrain and what he suspected was a GPS device. Mike noticed Loken and the other mirandans who were surrounding Saryn, he listened as Saryn struggled to get the words out:
. "It will have to wait," he managed, "Loken and Numike will not let me up. You may need to bring the body here, so that Loken can assist me." Mike just nodded, he could not believe what he had done to Saryn it was unforgivable and he felt like he couldn’t forgive himself. Refocussing his attentions on the maps, they were extremely detailed and gave the layout of the immediate area they were in from the military base to the nearby town.
Mike ran his finger across the maps, the detail was remarkable and would be a valuable tool for them if they were to hunt for Jack. The GPS device looked like it would show the location of mirandan military officers but Mike couldn’t be sure until he tested it outside the cave network due to the high dense rock interfering with it. Mike thought there may even be a way to reverse the GPS signal to send a message to Challenger but that was just his brain thinking overtime and he didn’t even know how it worked…
Mike opened the final paper, it looked like a military briefing document. It showed some details about the team’s arrival and the need to intercept our pod, Mike had determined this from the detailed diagrams of the pod and its trajectory. But there was something odd about this, although he couldn’t put his finger on it but he felt it had something to do with Loken and the paleskins. There was more to the Mirandan history than they first thought, well that was Mike’s hunch.
Suddenly Andy asked; “You make any progress there?”
Mike turned to Andy and hesitated before he spoke, “These maps have meticulous attention to detail, so I no the way to the nearby town and the military base and the positioning of all the roads and transport links. Also, I believe this device is a GPS transmitter and I think it may even be able to show us all the positons of the mirandan military. However, I won’t know for sure until we test it outside – the cave rock is causing too much interference, on the other hand it could notify the military of our prescence.”
Mike paused for breathe and moved closer to the Captain:
“There is a possibility we may be able to engineer this device to send a signal from the gps satellite above to Challenger, but I need to more about mirandan technology.” Mike noted Andy nod as he talked and awaited his reply.
(Andy)
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