Tiberius IV: The Secret in the Sand, part 1

Posted on Fri Mar 26th, 2010 @ 9:56am by Commodore Samantha York & Colonel Damon Raine & Lieutenant Kaj Mikkola & Lieutenant Commander Karma Sinclair & Lieutenant Commander Leanne Bowen

1,009 words; about a 5 minute read

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

ON

Sam saw the firefly leaning drunkenly against a rock. A large hole in its side was allowing sand to seep in. She unclipped the rope and used the rocks to get to the ship and to the two survivors, Trent close behind.

Kaj had barely gotten his head out of the blasted-out window when he heard the thump of feet hitting the cockpit of the sinking firefly. Craning his neck he caught sight of Sam finding her balance on the wreck and a marine in hot pursuit.
His first instinct would have normally been to shout some sort of glib statement, but the blinding pain in his shoulder and the fast-approaching sand put that idea rather quickly.
"Over here skipper! I've got Christian, he's out and I've barely got him with one good shoulder!

Sam signaled to Trent and the two hurried over to the opening. "Lift him up as far as you can and we'll pull him out."

"Right Skipper, not gonna be far though with only one arm!"

Sam grabbed Christian with both hands and pulled. She gasped and let go as a shaft of pain went through her chest. She'd forgotten about her ribs. She took a deep breath and grabbed one arm, being careful of her ribs, while Trent grabbed the other. Between the three of them they got Christian out. Trent hauled him to the rocks while Sam used her good arm to help Kaj climb out.

It was an easier time for Kaj since he was actually conscious and could use his legs in lieu of one of his shoulders being injured. Still it wasn't much easier than getting Christian out due to the extra gear that Kaj was carrying, but the situation proved to be a great motivator for expediency to say the least.

When he was finally out and was the stabbing pain in his shoulder had subsided enough he looked at Sam, then the cliff face, then back to Sam again, a look of disbelief plastered on his face.
"Uh, skipper, we appreciate the rescue but how in the blue hell are we going to get Chris up that rock wall? If I had a day I could make it up but even with all two and a half of us it'll be damn near impossible to get him back up to the pod."

Sam chuckled. "We aren't. Help will be blasting through any time now, so we need to get against the cliff so we don't get in the way."

They found a place that was protected from flying debris and set Christian farther back, followed by Kaj. Sam handed out hearing protectors. "Get them in. I don't want any of you going deaf." She settled herself carefully against the rock and looked out onto the sand. She wondered what was out there. What was in the sand that made it so soft and impenetrable by scans. Before she headed back to the pod, she needed to get a sample to test...

As she thought, something caught her eye. Something that moved. Something large and serpentine. She blinked and looked again. It looked like a giant snake. But that was impossible. The planet was mostly desert. There was almost no vegetation. Almost no water. How could it live out here? Something that large had to eat a great deal. She looked again, but the creature was gone -- if it was even there to begin with.

====

Kara ducked behind a wall and waited. 30 seconds. 20. 10. The explosion sent debris flying

The dust inside the cave was thick from the explosion; however, it was quickly being replaced with the red sand from the storm raging outside. It didn't take long for the rock walls to be carpeted in red.

Starfleet and Marines alike were quick to cover their faces from inhaling the fine substance.

====

Kaj had barely gotten the protectors seated properly when the blast went off. Though they were in what amounted to a protected position he still was showered with debris and something stung the back of his neck.
His head had been craned because like Sam he thought he had seen something in the sand. Unlike Sam however he had a mild concussion and was aware of that fact, so he dismissed it as such.

Trent felt rather than heard or saw the explosion, the concussion made more than a soft thump on the ground. He was quick to poke his head up from the shelter and look at what effect was made to the cave wall. He was disappointed to find that the swirling dust had already obstructed the view of the hole. He could make out a soft outline whenever the storm would subside a bit, but nothing more than a quick glimpse. He had to trust that the Marines cleared a large enough section for the injured to make it through.

Trent turned his attention back to the Starfleet officers with him. With a shake of his head he walked over to Sam. "Commander." He knelt beside her. "How bad is it?" He indicated with his hand to the ribs she was favouring.

Sam looked at Trent and sighed. "I think they're just bruised. We need to get the pilots in to see the doctor." She hoped her ribs were only bruised, but even if they weren't, her injury was not as bad as those of the other two.

It took her three tries to get up, but she finally managed. Before she headed for the hole, she took a bag out of her pack and filled it with sand. She'd examine it more closely when they got back to the pod.

(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

 

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