Tiberius IV: Down and Out, part 3

Posted on Mon Mar 22nd, 2010 @ 5:48am by Commodore Samantha York & Commander John Sheridan & Colonel Damon Raine & Lieutenant Kaj Mikkola & Lieutenant Commander Karma Sinclair & Lieutenant Commander Leanne Bowen

820 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: What Lies Beneath?
Location: Tiberius IV
Timeline: current

ON

[OLD]

Damon was torn between being happy that she wasn't going into the cave and concerned because he wouldn't be going with her. He could climb well enough, but he also knew that he would only slow the team down if he went with them. After a moment of running the idea through his head he finally nodded. "Alright. I'm no fan of this idea, but people need your help. Options are limited here."

[NEW]

Far below things were getting even worse for Kaj. He had managed to haul himself and Christian into position with a lot of effort but managing to get through the broken pane with his one good shoulder holding onto Christian was proving to be a problem, which wasn't helped with the firefly seemingly sinking faster and faster. Once again he had to use his arm with a dislocated shoulder to hit his commbadge, but at this point he was either used to the pain or preoccupied with more pressing matters, like not letting Vital fall into the sucking sand below.
"Kaj to anybody, situation is deteriorating, if anybody is coming to the rescue now would be a bloody good moment!"

====

Lizzie was manning the comm. "Sam, message from the firefly. Situation is deteriorating. They need help ASAP."

Sam nodded. They had to move fast. She replicated rock-climbing gear, anti-grav packs and two long ropes. When she was done, she turned to the group. "Okay. Two people will go down the cliff, two will be on belay. Doctor Bowen, Lieutenant Sinclair, you go with Sergeants Melo and Riley. We move out in five minutes."

While Sam spoke, Lizzie replied to the firefly and told the pilot that help was on the way.

Sam then pulled Aaron, Kara and Damon aside. "The tricorders work for about 50 meters, on average. That will get you close to the crash site. See if there's an exit from the cave there. If not, take some explosives and make one, providing you can find a thin enough section of cave wall.

"Sounds good." Damon responded. "I'm going to stay here in the pod with some Marines in case something else goes wrong." He looked at Samantha "Just give us a call and we can help pull you up." He turned back to his Sergeants "If you need support I can send more into the tunnel. In the case the comm systems remain static we should all rendezvous back here in two hours."

Sam paused to look at Damon and nod while she and Trent strapped into their harnesses, clamped the ropes in place with carabineers and prepared for the climb. She had reservations about Trent. He had a habit of behaving irrationally, but that might be a good thing in this instance.

Right now, she didn't have the luxury of being picky. The lives of the two pilots might very well depend on how quickly they could get to them.

As they were about to leave, Sam hung back. She gave Damon an intent look. ~Be careful, love.~ She wanted to say more, but didn't dare, not sure how he'd respond. It was also not the time or place. Time was against them and she needed to get down to the sand as quickly as she could. Before he could respond, she turned and headed back outside.

Sam checked the ropes to be sure they were safely anchored, hooked a carabiner to her rope, wrapped the rope around her waist and jumped as far out from the face of the cliff as she could. That was the safest way to get over the edge without risking being slammed into the cliff or hopelessly tangled up and fall.

With the updraft, downdraft and crosscurrent meeting at the top of the cliff, she wasn't sure what to expect, but she wanted to have enough time to react to whatever happened.

The wind was stronger than Sam expected, even knowing what she was getting into. It caught her and twisted her around before slamming her hard against the rock face.

The cliff face was uneven and when she hit it, she felt her ribs crack. ~Now Damon won't let me rock climb, either~ she through with an ironic laugh. ~And he was worried about me going through the cave!~ If she were lucky, they'd just be bruised. She hung in her harness for several seconds while she caught her breath. Then she carefully untangled herself from the rope.

(To be continued...)

Commander Samantha York
Chief Science Officer
Acting CO
USS Orion

Marine Captain Damon Raine
Marine CO
USS Orion

Lieutenant JG Kaj Mikkola
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Orion

Lieutenant Karma Sinclair
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Orion

Lieutenant JG Leanne Bowen
Chief Medical Officer
USS Orion

Petty Officer 1st Class Christian Vital (NPC)
Shuttle/Runabout Pilot
USS Orion

Lieutenant JG Del'ore (NPC)
Wing Safety Officer
USS Orion

Ensign Elizabeth Jackson (NPC)
Botanist
USS Orion

 

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