Io venni in loco d'ogne luce muto,
che mugghia come fa mar per tempesta,
se da contrari venti è combattuto.
che mugghia come fa mar per tempesta,
se da contrari venti è combattuto.
I came into a place void of all light,
which bellows like the sea in tempest,
when it is combated by warring winds.
which bellows like the sea in tempest,
when it is combated by warring winds.
(Dante Alighieri - The Inferno)
[Ch'Dabhae]
Aehlen glanced at the commander, frowned, and then stopped in his tracks. The children were chuckling and mocking him as they ran. Kneeling down he pressed his fingers against the earth and parted the short thin grasses that covered the field. His fingers immediate latched onto a hard round object and he lifted it from its niche in the soil. Looking at the children he appeared to haphazardly throw the object.
It soared through the air, the children stopped to gaze at it until they realized the target and then scattered. One unlucky child however was too slow and the rock popped him in the back of the skull sending him tumbling into the ground. "I need samples" he said to Dylan simply dismissing the fact he just pegged a child in the skull with a rock.
It soared through the air, the children stopped to gaze at it until they realized the target and then scattered. One unlucky child however was too slow and the rock popped him in the back of the skull sending him tumbling into the ground. "I need samples" he said to Dylan simply dismissing the fact he just pegged a child in the skull with a rock.
Dylan's jaw dropped. "What the hell doc!?!" He said as he jumped between the doctor and the child on the ground. At the same time his own com badge chirped. He tapped it but nothing came but static. "That is the ship or the Lt. Doc. We need to go! now. No more beaning kids in the head!" He said pulling the rifle off his shoulder. "Now come quiet, or I drag your ass back after I stun you! now its your choice doc."
Sakarra watched the elder Romulan stride away, his arms full of medical supplies, and returned her focus to the comm system. Scrolling across the screen were fragments of a message, but what immediately caught her attention were two distinctive words.
Under attack.
It certainly explained the comms being down. And why she felt as if a Le-Matya was stalking them. Exhaling sharply, she searched the message for anything useful, but besides the information "warbirds" there was nothing, No orders, no more specifics.
"Ensign, kindly bring the engines to full power and charge shields and weapons. I will return momentarily."
First, the people in the village had to be warned so they might evacuate or take defensive precautions, whatever good that may do. And then she would personally carry the surgeon back to the shuttle if she had to.
"Indeed, what the hell." Aehlen's eyes narrowed at the human "leave me to do my business commander. I do not question you in matter of tactical prowess." He walked over to the child, bent over, and started to scan the boy with his medical tricorder "he has a simple bruise he will survive. Now I must take a sample of his blood."
Marcus blinked at just having been brushed off by the psychotic doctor. "Look doc, do what you need to do and do it quick. Cuz every bit of my experience is telling me that we don't want to find out why the coms are out. He scooped up the child. and started back to the shuttle. He tapped his com badge. He tried a short range test. "Marcus to Dicari, can you hear me? what's up with the coms?"
Seventy-four point six seconds and an aborted argument with the village leader later, the young Vulcan made her way back to the Fortis whose engines were already aglow. Just a few dozen meters away, she saw Commander Marcus with an unconscious child in his arms and the doctor trailing behind. About time.
Stepping onto the ramp, she waved for the men to increase their speed and then looked towards Cyrin. The sensors were not quite running at peak efficiency but they did show something rather… odd.
"Hm."
A rustling sound behind her briefly gave Sakarra pause, but she dismissed it when Cyrin's face contorted into a frown. Apparently, a probe or weapon had been launched into the atmosphere only 80 000 kilometers from their position. Orbital bombardment? For what purpose?
Through the window, Sakarra could already see some of the villagers leave their homes laden with pots and pans while others seemed inclined to make a stand with hopelessly outdated weaponry.
For just a brief moment, the young Vulcans hands tightened behind her back. They would never fit onto the shuttle, not all of them. And even if they did, she might take them from a potentially safe hiding place into the middle of a combat zone.
That didn't mean she had to like leaving them.
"Hm."
A rustling sound behind her briefly gave Sakarra pause, but she dismissed it when Cyrin's face contorted into a frown. Apparently, a probe or weapon had been launched into the atmosphere only 80 000 kilometers from their position. Orbital bombardment? For what purpose?
Through the window, Sakarra could already see some of the villagers leave their homes laden with pots and pans while others seemed inclined to make a stand with hopelessly outdated weaponry.
For just a brief moment, the young Vulcans hands tightened behind her back. They would never fit onto the shuttle, not all of them. And even if they did, she might take them from a potentially safe hiding place into the middle of a combat zone.
That didn't mean she had to like leaving them.
Before Sakarra could wonder why she should care so much what happened to people who clearly had objected to their arrival, the Security Chief and the doctor came up the ramp.
"Gentlemen, please secure yourselves into your seats. It would appear that Charon has encountered Rihannsu vessels which are unkindly disposed to our presence."
With this, she slid into the pilot seat and closed the rear hatch, pointedly ignoring the fact that Commander Marcus had brought an unplanned passenger. After all, they could hardly leave the child in his current condition.
"Gentlemen, please secure yourselves into your seats. It would appear that Charon has encountered Rihannsu vessels which are unkindly disposed to our presence."
With this, she slid into the pilot seat and closed the rear hatch, pointedly ignoring the fact that Commander Marcus had brought an unplanned passenger. After all, they could hardly leave the child in his current condition.
Dylan clung to the child and glared at the doctor. He was ill inclined to let the doctor near the child after the stunt he pulled. "Any word from Charon in all this?" he asked.
Cyrin turned around and about gave the Commander a death stare, "If communications was operations then yes…but seeing as it is not, and I can't for the life of me figure out why right now. The answer is no!" He was furiously trying to determine if the thing in the sky could be causing problems. Without the resources he wouldn't know. "Running pre-flight diagnostics as we speak Lieutenant." He was also trying to record any readings that the sensor was giving him so he could return to the Charon and figure out what they were, and what it would do. A few moments later the diagnostics were complete, "Diagnostics complete, closing hatches on your mark." Cyrin nodded towards the Vulcan.
"Very well Ensign, secure for departure."
Even before the shuttle was completely sealed, they were leaving the ground and Sakarra gave the sensor readouts a long look, her eyes as hard as black diamonds. No contact with Charon, nor the other away team. Whoever was jamming all their communications still had to be in orbit, and close. Too close.
Even before the shuttle was completely sealed, they were leaving the ground and Sakarra gave the sensor readouts a long look, her eyes as hard as black diamonds. No contact with Charon, nor the other away team. Whoever was jamming all their communications still had to be in orbit, and close. Too close.
And just as she banked to port, trying to get a fix on the other away team's last known position, her console blinked excitedly and a shrill sound announced that someone had obviously achieved a weapon's lock on them. Just marvelous.
Impulse engines roaring, the Fortis struggled to gain altitude while swerving wildly in order to avoid whoever might want to take a potshot at them.
Impulse engines roaring, the Fortis struggled to gain altitude while swerving wildly in order to avoid whoever might want to take a potshot at them.
"Still attempting to re-establish communications with the Charon, so far no luck." Cyrin commented to Sakarra. His fingers danced across the console inputting as many different algorithms as he could think. A few minutes later, "Still no luck lieutenant. I think luck is no longer an option, seeing as I am getting some really peculiar sensor readings on-" he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Sakarra swerved wildly, he was starting to become motion sick. He managed to readjust himself and enabled the dampeners, "as I was saying, the sensor readings on that thing…it is a bio-weapon." He tried one more time to contact the Charon, "As for the Charon, they are for want of a better term, nowhere to be found."
The young Vulcan simply nodded, although Cyrin's words certainly served to fuel a sudden, silent rage building deep under carefully checked layers of control. "The other away team?" she asked with dangerous calm, pushing the howling engines even further to gain altitude.
Right now, they needed to know what was going on, but having warbirds in orbit who not only jammed sensors and comm systems but seemed inclined to reduce them into their compound atoms, made this a rather difficult undertaking.
Right now, they needed to know what was going on, but having warbirds in orbit who not only jammed sensors and comm systems but seemed inclined to reduce them into their compound atoms, made this a rather difficult undertaking.
[To be continued...]
Commander Dylan Marcus
Chief Security Officer
&
Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
&
Ensign Cyrin Dicari
Chief Operations Officer
&
Arrain Aehlen tr'Kethry
Surgeon
Chief Security Officer
&
Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
&
Ensign Cyrin Dicari
Chief Operations Officer
&
Arrain Aehlen tr'Kethry
Surgeon
USS Charon
