Exploring the Burned-Out Village (part 2)

Posted on Tue Jan 31st, 2017 @ 2:54pm by 1st Lieutenant Kara Melo & Colonel Damon Raine & Lieutenant Arnon Barak MD, PsyD & Lieutenant Illise Hale & Lieutenant JG Victoria Drani M.D.

1,063 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Shadow Dance
Location: Jenefra
Timeline: Day 3, afternoon

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

Illise took a small sample tube from the kit at her hip and used a sterile swab to try to pick up some of the substance. It did not stick to the swab, rising softly when she touched it before quickly settling back on the corpse. She tried again, this time using the swab to push some of the powder into the mouth of the tube, then placed the swab inside and sealed it. She held it up to the light for a better look.

[NEW]

The substance was a pale color with a blue hint to it. It shifted in the container almost like a liquid, swirling when moved but immediately settling in the bottom once still. She placed the tube atop her tricorder and attempted one more scan. This time the substance registered.

Victoria watched Illise study the substance. The powder was indeed odd. She turned her attention back to the body. "Why is this Jenefarian the only one to have the powder on him?"

"That's a very good question." Illise responded, but more to herself than to Victoria. She stood up and back a bit fro the body and looked around at the scene. "The Qunari have been ceremoniously gathered together and burned, but he was left out in the heat...and there is no smell. Perhaps it has cultural significance?" Illise mused aloud. She looked back briefly at Victoria, then found her eyes drawn back to the shattered crystal near the pyre. There were pieces scattered all around. A few shards lay several feet away from the bodies, making it technically not part of the funeral rite. Perhaps a sample of that as well... she thought, and bent back down to place the powder sample in her kit and retrieve an empty container.

Kara found Damon. "Colonel, the immediate perimeter is clear. I sent a team to do a wider search. What are your orders?"

Damon nodded. "The scans from the Calypso shows that there should be another village a few kilometers from here. Have you team be ready for an advance recon once we are done here. For now, keep alert."

"Yes, sir," Kara said, saluting the Colonel before turning to check on what the other Marinds had discovered.

Drani decided to leave Illise to her work with the powder. It had been a slaughter at the camp. There had been no need for such senseless slaughter. Why go to such extreme acts to kill a less advanced culture? She noticed a Qunari body that hadn't been burned on the pyre. She looked at it curiously. 'Why weren't you placed on the pyre?' she thought as she knelt down next to the body faced down on the ground. She rolled the body over, almost instantly realizing her mistake at hearing a pressure wire release. The tension-released arrow penetrated deep into Drani's right lung. She grasped the arrow, gasping for breath. There was a burning sensation to her side, which she knew was likely poison. Each breath was harder and more painful than the one before as she fell onto her side.

"Victoria!" Arnon cried, all pretense of protocol ignored. He ran over to her and caught her as she fell. "NO! Don't pull it out! You'll tear your lung to shreds!"

Arnon reached out with his senses. Her right lung was punctured and...he grabbed the tricoder on his hip and flipped it open.

"The arrow has poison on it!" he said. "I need to get her to Sickbay!"

"It's...ok," she said softly, looking to Arnon. "It...doesn't hurt...much...any..." Blackness took over Drani's vision as her body went limp. Somewhere, though, she still felt the thoughts of the Away Team and Arnon...and something else.

Kara came running over to the two and quickly assessed the situation. "Melo to Calypso. Emergency transport of Lieutenants Barak and Drani to sickbay."

Illise was by their side in a few strides, setting down her science kit and pulling out her tridorder for a quick scan. She only had moments before transport began. "Hang on Victoria!" She told her as she disappeared.

Kara sighed as the two dematerialized. Then she again tapped her combadge. "Melo to Marines. The doctor found a body that was booby-trapped. Don't touch anything until you check it carefully first." She would need to do an other sweep of the area to see if there were any other booby traps left behind.

"Booby-trapped?" Peter asked. "Okay, we won't touch any bodies." He turned to the others with him and nodded. "You heard the Lieutenant, we need to keep an eye out."

Illise collected her kit and moved away from the site of the beam-out. Victoria had been standing behind her only moments before, why hadn't she just stayed with her? Illise rubbed the back of her neck in frustration and concern. There wasn't anything that she could do for her right now.

Illise carefully examined the booby-trapped body and the mechanism concealed beneath now that it was exposed. Traces of the poison remained on the corpses clothing, so she added it to her kit as well. Afterwards she quickly set about completing her scans and collecting the rest of her samples, eager to be done with this death-filled place.

Kara continued to look around the center of the village. She noticed a small crystal and picked it up. It was unusually smooth and clear, so she slipped it in her pocket.

When she had finished her exploration, she found Colonel Raine. "Nothing else to report. Should we move on to the next village?"

"We are about done here." Damon said after tapping his comm badge. "Have our Marines on high alert, where there is one trap there is bound to be others. Send a team for recon and have the others cover our group."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." She'd let team two finish a second recon of this village for traps. That would let her take Ensign Parhtz and team one to the second village to do the initial recon. She saluted the Colonel and went to do as he ordered.

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant JG Illise Hale
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Victoria Drani
Chief Medical Officer

2nd Lieutenant Kara Melo
Alpha Platoon Leader

Colonel Damon Raine
Acting Marine CO

Lieutenant Arnon Barak
Chief Counselor

Private Peter Parhtz
Marine

 

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