The Explorers (part 2)
Posted on Fri Oct 11th, 2013 @ 4:01am by Commodore Samantha York & Staff Sergeant Thomas Bosley & Lieutenant JG Anastasia Morrow & Captain Cameron Bourne & Warrant Officer Sterling Kamala IV & Gaia
Edited on on Fri Oct 11th, 2013 @ 4:24am
955 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: Tabula Rasa
[CONTINUED]
[OLD]
Sterling observed the others wondering why Anastasia was addressing a flower as thought it were a sentient being. He was far more concerned about her mental state than why she was dressed differently.
[NEW]
"You can join us," Sam said, looking the woman over again. "Or you and your plant can go to the compound and get something to eat." She pointed back the way they'd come. "Ther's a path of sorts you can follow. It will take you right to the compound. Gaia has food and will be happy to feed you."
Cameron turned to Sam, "I'm not sure that allowing this person to find our camp would be a good idea. She'd dressed differently and she doesn't have a wristband like the rest of us do. How do we know we can trust her?"
"A lightly armed, petite woman, and her plant is a threat to you?" Anastasia asked, her head tilting to the right. "Listen, if you're really that uncomfortable, I'll stay with you, so you can keep an eye on me."
She put her hand on her hip. "Though if you happen to have something to snack on, that'd be greatly appreciated."
"You may be small" Cameron said, turning back to face her, "But spies come in all shapes and sizes. The fact that we've found you out here rather than where we all were just feels off to me"
Sterling had to agree with Cameron that spies came in all shapes and sizes. So did lunatics.
"We can't treat everyone we meet as if they're a spy or a looney," Sam said. "And even if she is, how better to keep an eye on her than to have her with us?"
She turned to Anastasia. "We have raw corn and bread. We'll share some with you. If we stop by a stream, you can water your plant."
Kara had remained silent, observing the situation. "I'll keep an eye on her," she said. "So the rest of you can focus on gathering information."
Chumani returned quietly and handed a very small hand woven bowl with what appeared to be berries of sorts in it to Anastasia and a leather type pouch that had a spout in it, the liquid inside sloshed around quietly. She then smiled and turned and started on her walk once more as quiet as ever.
"Domo aragato." Anastasia said, with a short bow.
Sterling continued to bring up the rear ready to fire his bow if they fell under attack or he spotted a game animal.
Sam continued through the woods, following a faint path. Eventually, she could see a hill through the trees. "Maybe we can see something from the top of that hill?"
Cameron nodded, looking up at the hill, "The high ground is always a good place to start"
Anastasia nodded. She pondered the group that she was traveling with, briefly. Some of them almost seemed familiar. She would grasp a thread of a memory, and it would fail. "Yes. Maybe we can figure out where something more palatable than rodent is living." She said, wincing at the memory of catching, and eating a rodent.
They hiked for another two hours before they reached the crest of the hill. Sam had a flash of memory: white-capped mountains overlooking a hidden valley full of stone buildings. Then it was gone. She looked around, following the horizon with her eyes and looking for anything that could give them a clue as to where they were. But there was nothing. To the West the hills grew into mountains, but there was no telling what may be hidden by them.
She saw the compound, tiny and decrepit to the southeast. "Do any of you notice anything?" she asked the group.
Looking around the area, Cameron wasn't sure what to make of it. Open plains on one side and forest on the other, there was no visible civilization other than the buildings they'd woken up in
Tom Bosley was examining the compound and beyond. "You know, I think there's a large body of water beyond the compound. Might be a village or something there, too."
Sam turned from examining the mountains and looked for the water. "I think you're right. We'll have to check it out later. Right now, I don't want to go in all directions at once. One at a time is easier to deal with."
"I don't think we can tell enough about the village from here." spoke up Sterling, "I suggest we go down there and check things out. We can then decide what we want to do from there. Is that okay?"
Chumani stopped and waited. She followed and took direction seldom did she make decisions about anything. How she knew this she did not know but she waited quietly, watched those around her and the things around her. She thought that they were being followed but she was not sure if it was a curious animal or another person.
Sam looked at the position of the sun. They still had a few hours of daylight left. She personally wanted to head to the mountains, but that could wait for another day. "Okay. I think we can get there, check it out and get back to the compound around dark." If they arrived back too much past dark Damon would be ready to chew nails.
She turned back the way they'd come. "Le's see what we can find. Maybe there will be some fish?"
TAG
OFF
Warrant Officer Sterling Kamala IV
Security Investigations
Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer
2nd Lieutenant Cameron Bourne
Marine CO
Lieutenant JG Anastasia Morrow
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Staff Sergeant Kara Melo
Alpha Platoon Leader
Chumani
Crew member
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