To the Mountains and Beyond (part 1)
Posted on Wed Dec 11th, 2013 @ 3:00pm by Commodore Samantha York & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Jackson & Senior Chief Petty Officer Helga (Hel) Lowe & Lieutenant JG Anastasia Morrow & Captain Cameron Bourne & Warrant Officer Sterling Kamala IV & Gaia
952 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: Tabula Rasa
ON
Samantha had the crude map she'd made the other day and used it to lead the way towards the foothills. There was a pass that looked promising. If nothing else, it would make a good place to set up a temporary camp.
She made sure there was enough of a trail for the others to follow, organized the refugees into new groups, and headed for the hills.
Anastasia was absolutely quiet. She said nothing. Her face, impassive. She felt terrible. Chumani had been kind to her. And then Chumani died, in HER care. She couldn't even come up with sarcastic comments for Sam.
For several hours they walked, some were silent, brooding over the attack on the compound, some were talking in hushed whispers. Sam listened, carefully monitoring the mood of the group. As the designated leader, she felt responsible for their physical safety and their mental wellbeing.
She felt Anastasia's melancholy and shared it. Sam, too, felt at fault for Chumani's death. It was her choice to try what she thought was the antidote. And it seemed to be working, until Chumani took a sudden turn and died. She didn't think it wasn't the poison; the red bloodline that signaled the poison seemed to be fading.
She made her way to Anastasia's side. "You did the best you could. We both did."
Anastasia glowered at Sam, but said nothing.
Chenoa started to walk by and then paused "I wanted to thank you both for trying to save my sister. She always tended to leap before she looked." The woman bowed at each of them she looked almost identical to Chumani, all except she had a scar down her left cheek.
Sam bowed back. "I wish we could have done more."
The woman nodded, she was as quiet as mouse. Chenoa spied some berries and moved off to gather them in a basket. She was fast as she stripped the plants of their fleshy fruit. She walked along the bushes and kept up with the crowd so she would not be left behind.
The woods opened onto a wide space of grass leading up to the foothills. A stream meandered nearby. There was a faint but discernible path that led to a narrow canyon.
Sam stopped and turned to those following behind. "We'll set camp here. There's water and plenty of space for now. I'll take a small group and check out the canyon."
Gaia prepared to cook.
Cam quickly walked up to Sam, "I'd like to come with you to check out that canyon" he said, sounding more confident in himself, "I feel like this is what I usually do, long treks, scouting out paths ahead, that sort of thing"
She turned and smiled at Cam. "Excellent. I could definitely use your help."
Sterling who had been approaching Sam stopped short while the other man spoke to her. He was close enough to overhear the conversation. Once Cam was finished he ontinued walking till he was next to her and said, "I was going to volunteer for the same thing, however perhaps I will just stay here instead and play bodyguard to everyone."
Sam nodded. "Okay. That will be good, just in case any of them followed us, or if there are any dangers ahead of us."
Chenoa brought her berries to Gaia and then walked over to Sam. "I have some skills of stealth, would you like my assistance or would you prefer I stay and assist the cook?"
"Wherever you prefer," Sam said. "I have no idea what we'll encounter."
"And me?" Anastasia asked. "I'm hardly certain where I belong, at the moment."
"I'd like you with me. You've proven yourself to be competent with plants. And I have a feeling you could be handy in other ways," Sam said. "I have no idea what we'll find up here, but there's a possibility we'll run into another old compound."
A few more people joined the group, including Kara who kept to the back. When Sam was sure everyone was there who wanted to come, she headed up the canyon.
All she could do was keep a careful map on the piece of hide she had with her as they made their way up the canyon. She sent Cam up ahead to scout the way and kept Sterling and Chenoa to either side to keep a lookout for any bandits.
Chenoa said nothing she simply waited for direction.
Sam stopped at the mouth of the canyon and carefully examined the entrance. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she had a feeling she'd recognize it when she saw it. Or so she hoped. She felt that she'd done this before at some point, but try as she might, she couldn't remember.
"Cam, go on ahead. Take point. Sterling and Chenoa, go to either side. I'd like you to keep in visual contact of each other. Let me know if you find any signs of humanity."
"Be careful, Cam," Kara said quietly. When he was gone, she turned to Sam. "I'll take up the rear, just in case anyone follows us."
Sam nodded. "Okay. Keep in visual contact with the main group and yell if there's any trouble."
Kara nodded and dropped to the back.
Sam gave them a thirty minute head start. OR what she approximated as thirty minutes. Then she nodded to the others in her group. "Okay. Let's see what's up ahead."
(To be continued...)
Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer
Lieutenant JG Anastasia Morrow
Chief Security Officer
Chenoa
Crew member
Gaia
Lounge Manager/Owner, Bazinga's
Warrant Officer Sterling Kamala IV
Security Investigations
1st Lieutenant Cameron Bourne
Marine CO
Staff Sergeant Kara Melo
Alpha Platoon Leader
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