Finding the Rebels: A Needle in a Haystack (part 1)
Posted on Fri Feb 20th, 2015 @ 1:05pm by Ensign Maria Delgado & Staff Sergeant Thomas Bosley & Lieutenant Arnon Barak MD, PsyD & Lieutenant Verdeath Newmark & Lieutenant Illise Hale & Private 1st Class Trent Kushner
977 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: Deadly Diplomacy
ON
The away team beamed down into a deserted field a kilometer from the location of the attack. It seemed quiet, almost too quiet. Even the birds were muted.
Maria pulled out her tricorder and scanned the immediate area. "No signs of humanoids," she said. "There is a building over that way," she indicated with a movement of her hand. "The other way is forest and nothing out of the ordinary there. Fortunately."
The quiet made Illise a little uneasy, it was unnatural. Her scans also confirmed that they were alone. Apart from some small burrowing animals there wasn't anything moving. Since their adversaries had already used cloaking devices in their attack on the Calypso, she began scanning for subspace disruptions or other signatures similar to those she had seen on the fighters. "No cloaks detected sir," she reported, "However, the residual energy from the weapons-fire might be masking any signatures from my tricorder."
Arnon thought about the hunting knife on his belt. He really didn't know what possessed him to bring it. He didn't see himself actually hurting or killing anyone with it. Earlier in his career, when he was a private medical contractor with Starfleet serving in a hospital unit attached to the marines, some of the marines showed him how to fight with a knife and it had caught on. The worst he could see himself doing with it now was cutting away clothing on an injured member of the Away Team or using it to treat a snake bite, and he hoped those things wouldn't happen.
Sensing Illise's unease, Arnon decided some humor at his own expense was called for.
"So what now?" he asked, quietly. "You he-men go and duke it out with the badasses while I stay here and entertain the ladies?"
Arnon looked at the expressions on everyone's faces.
"No?," he said in mock disappointment. "Ah well, I guess it's time once again for fisticuffs. And here I bruise so easily."
"I think the first order of business would be to get out of the open and not loiter around making us stand out." Newmark said as he started towards the tree line. "I want to check the parameter while you check the structure."
Newmark had learned a long time ago that it is not in the open that the attack often comes but the shadows and places you think are 'too far' to be of concern. did not like his past; sought to avoid it when he could. He wanted to put some of his former training to work, he knew where to set up an observation position, thus he also knew where to find one.
He moved among the tree line once he vanished from view, his tactical training taking over.
Maria followed suit, not eager to be a target if she could help it.
Bosley went ahead to scout the perimeter and make sure there was no one around. "Kushner, go ahead and see what you can find."
"Done." Came the Marine's clipped reply. He made sure his comm link was open before he jogged to the edge of the perimeter and disappeared into the dense brush.
Illise grinned at Arnon's joke and fell in with the group as they headed for cover. Scans still showed no threats, but she kept her eyes and ears open just in case. The blades on her back suddenly didn't feel so out of place in the quiet forest. She only wished she could carry one instead of a tricorder, but stealth was key.
Suddenly her tricorder beeped and she stopped in her tracks. "Sir stop!" Illise ran up to Newmark and scanned the area in front of him. "Land mines." She looked at her tricorder again. "They start about 30 meters in from the tree line."
"In my medical opinion," Arnon whispered in mock seriousness. "We're all extremely allergic to the effects of stepping on those. I vigorously recommend against it."
"What is of such importance that they need to plant mines?" Maria replied from not far away. She pulled out her own tricorder and began to scan for mines.
"I'm not sure," said Arnon. "But perhaps we should get past them before someone comes around to water them."
"I sure hope no one waters them," Maria quipped. "I'd hate to find baby mines all over the place."
Arnon chuckled.
"Fantastic," he said. "Between you and Miss Hale, I have two people who appreciate my humor."
"Just as long as you don't end up disarming anyone with your wit."
Bosley wished they'd stop the chatter and get down to business. He didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.
He carefully scanned for mines as he made his way to the building that housed the phaser canon that shot at the Calypso.
Newmark did not like the way this is panning out, the mines were a problem but they would not be the only trap, there had to be some simple sensory field or maybe even simple old school trip wires rigged to additional charges?
"Watch for more than just Mines, laser detection and cables are often an economical method to rig a deterrent along the path." Newmark noted.
"Can I just fly there and not touch the ground at all?" Maria asked.
Bosley knew how to avoid mines -- and trip wires. While the others talked, he sneaked up to the building and did a quick reconnoiter.
He returned several minutes later to find the others still checking for mines and trip wires.
"The building in question has three guards on the roof. Twelve windows are shuttered. Three doors have heavy locks," he reported.
(To be continued...)
Ensign Maria Delgado
Science Officer
Ensign Illise Hale
Science Officer
Lieutenant Arnon Barac
Chief Counselor
Lieutenant JG Verdeath Newmark
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Staff Sergeant Thomas Bosley
Charlie Platoon Leader
PFC Trent Kushner
Marine
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