SD 241401.XX JL | "Making Camp" Part III | Vindicator Crew

Posted on Tue Jan 28th, 2014 @ 10:39pm by Captain Landon Neyes & Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Lieutenant Commander Mathew Caldwell & Lieutenant Te'shara R'heil & Lieutenant JG Saia Roswell & Lieutenant JG Lynda Howard & 2nd Lieutenant Jasmine Garza
Edited on on Tue Jan 28th, 2014 @ 10:40pm

1,957 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: In the Dark
Location: Various Locations
Timeline: Just after Part II

=/\= Starfleet Camp, Notura =/\=

"Ready phasers!" Caldwell called out. He immediately drew his weapon and set it to the highest stun setting. "Sir we need to assume a tactical formulation. If we form a circle we'll have a full 360 range of fire."

Jasmine was the first out with her detachment. "No one fires until my mark!" She called out as she listened and watched closely.

Neyes turned around and gave the security officers and marines the berth they needed. The ping of charging phaser rifles sounded one after the other as marines and security officers took point at the edges of the camp, forming a semi-circle outwards. As they did so, the beacon lights from all the rifles lit up the forest's edge, which was now rustling and shaking. Not for a second did Neyes' eyes leave the edge of the treeline. He stared intently, hand ready to pull his daggers from their cross-hilt at the small of his back. If whatever was out there managed to get past the phaser volleys, he knew he'd need to be the one to put it down.

Saia had made it to the scanner, but it seemed as jumbled as the tricorders. The scanner was set up in the middle of the camp to assure an accurate radius of their setup, so she was surrounded by the Marines and security officers, so her fear wasn't overwhelming as of yet.

Landon turned to the other officers, "Quick, find something and make some torches. Animals are scared of fire, yeah? Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

Saia slapped the ensign lightly on the back and nodded to her scientists to do what the Captain said quickly as she moved to do so herself.

Just as the final marine fell into place, a devastating crash ripped through the camp. The crew's attention snapped to a point directly across from them at the forest, as several trees gave way to a grey hulking shape emerging from the woods. Their wooden frames collapsed under what appeared to be four massive horns, all curved in front of the creatures flat face. It stood on four limbs, ending in massive hooves. Landon imagined it was some kind of mix between what the humans would call an elephant, and a rhinosaurus.

As it lumbered out from the darkness, it opened it's mouth to bellow a deep, terrifying roar. Loud enough to shake some of the items on containers to the ground, and to force several crew to cover their ears in response. Landon stood behind his mobile force, both in wonder and apprehension. It was a magnificent animal, to be sure.

He would not allow it into his camp, however.

Seeing the beast she pointed her rifle into the tree line and flashed her high beam on her phaser light. Signifying that her recon snipers to open fire. "Open fire!" Jasmine called as her Marines quickly responded putting fire down range at the large beast. As it took fire from the recon snipers OSOGs from the rear.

A hail of blue energy lanced out from the phasers of the marines, the order to fire clearly more than enough to loose their ready trigger-fingers. The snow beneath the creature exploded as the storm of energy crashed down upon it.

"NO!" The Captain screamed aloud.

Landon's fierce blue eyes shot towards the Marine snipers and then snapped back to the creature.

Lifting his head to look towards the sound of the creature invading the camp, Almar found himself unable to react to its presence, his body temperature had dropped to the point of him being about as responsive as a rock.

Dauntless happened to look over to where the Cardassian commander was. "Shit...." She muttered as she rushed over pulling out a space blanket and wrapping it around him. Remembering something about Cardassians being cold blooded. "I need help!" Miko shouted, "we need to get this Cardassian somewhere warm or he's gonna get hypothermia."

Te'Shara ran over to help the cardassian with Dauntless, "whats wrong with the cardassian."she said with a soft purr,"she looked at the both of them, and tried to help them out.

Rochelle froze, torn between ripping the marine apart for making an order like the one that had just been issued -- the night lighting up with the fire fight that ensued -- or running to the Cardassian's side. She looked, wild eyed, at Landon before leaping up from her perch and dodging people to crouch beside Almar. "He's cold blooded." She answered the clueless security officer, tugging off her own coat to cover over the Cardassian's chest and shoulders. "Get him into the Liberty. We'll get him warm inside."

Landon was more concerned with the monster roaring outside their camp. He waved his arm angrily towards the runabouts. "Get him the hell out of here!"

Dauntless nodded, "get under his other arm and help me." Miko said looking at the security guard. "commander in my pack is a IV grab it and the portable heating unit. "We need to get him hooked up to a warmed IV it'll help raise his core temp."

For the moment there appeared to be a calm. Ivanova neither saw nor heard the commotion, she saw only snow fall and the serene face of the Cardassian so close to death. Funny how that worked, where death could claim such beauty in it's repose. She did, however, hook herself under his other arm, guiding his head to the cradle of her shoulder -- protecting his neck from whipping around as they moved him. "No time." She answered, as the sounds of panic and the sights of the animal attack began to come careening through her filter, plaguing her and spurring her petite frame into action as she lead them through the fray and towards the Liberty. They'd warm him there.

"Okay........commander I need you to set up that portable heating unit. I need to hook up to the IV so I can get warm fluid moving through his body." Miko said pulling the IV out and started hooking it up, "and you find some walks put them on the fire and than wrap in this. This'll also get warmth to his body."

Saia had frozen seeing the beast, but the firing snapped her out of it. She huddled near the scanner and saw people assist Almar. She cursed at herself for not thinking to recommend he be kept warm. She wasn't a doctor, but she knew biology.

The air vibrated with another cry out from the creature, long and terrifying, this time it's roar was twice as loud. Paired with a thunderous boom as it reared upward, then slammed its hooves down into the icey ground beneath them. Almost as if the planet beneath them was giving way, the quake threw several of the team to the ground.

As the Vindicator crew recovered from the quake, more thundering strikes shook the ground. Cries from the crew sounded out as they realized the massive animal was charging the camp... Four powerful legs bringing it into an all-out sprint towards them. Snow billowed into the air, being quickly deflected as the creature threw its four-tusked head back and forth. Neyes could only imagine what amount of destruction it would bring them if it managed to succeed.

The hilts of Neyes' daggers slid with an effortless guile into his hands, coming from their resting place on his back. They clicked with the sounds of metal against metal for a moment as the blades appeared seemingly from nowhere. The tritanium blades shimmered in the light of the campfire behind him, and their deftly crafted curvature seemed to slip in and out of reflections, flashing then vanishing into a shadow. Despite the frozen air, Neyes held them strong, though inside he was shaking from a combination of cold and rage. He should have ordered the Marines to cease fire before they had the chance to fire. Silently he cursed both himself and Lieutenant Garza.

One arm pulled back, he took a guage of the creature with only seconds before it overtook them. Landon's eyes grew cold for a moment as he focused, then swung his arm with frightening speed.

All anyone heard was a quick whistle of air. Then a loud crack as the blade of the dagger penetrated deep into the flesh of the creature's shoulder. Its hilt protruding from between two large muscles. After a shrill shreak in response, the huge animal staggered back a moment, its breathing heavy and obviously surprised. It huffed angrily then shook the dagger from it's shoulder, but had stopped charging to recover.

"Hit the ground around it! Explosive charges! Turn it back towards the forest!" Neyes ordered aloud. "Avoid killing it!"

Sighing Garza just nodded pulling out flashbangs, "flashbangs only!" She shouted knowing that the loud bang, bright flash and smoke should scare the shit out of the creature. All 28 Marines launched one flashbang each. "Cease fire!" Garza shouted seeing as they could only see an incredible bright flash, a sonic boom essentially and than just smoke.

Neyes shielded his eyes, as did the rest of the crew, as the marines each propelled one tiny canister towards the space between the camp and the animal. Only an incredibly shrill ringing filled the air, then the flash... Like the system's star itself decided to sit itself down, the white-hot flare of light devoured all sight for at least 40 yards. A hard, dark shadow appeared behind the creature as it cowered, utterly stunned in fear.

Nearly tripping over itself, completely blinded by the instant contrast in illumination, the immense creature cried out in terror and bolted as fast as it was able to carry itself toward the forest. It's pounding hooves echoes once again in the distance for a minute or so, before disappearing completely.

Saia trembled, but it hit her she was surprised at her calmness. The large beast didn't cause her much fear. Of course, she didn't want it dead, but was sure if needed, it would be taken down. She was of course pumped with adrenaline, ready to run if and when commanded to do so. She looked around and hoped it didn't come to running considering there were probably others around the area.

Still, Saia didn't feel frozen or panicked. Just alert and ready and of course ready to fight for her life if need be, but there was no powerlessness. There was no fear of worse than death. Even in this terrifying moment, she felt safer here than she had in awhile.

The Vindicator crew sat, stunned after the encounter. A few of the crewmen who'd come along to aid the effort stood paralyzed, their senses overwhelmed by the overload of light, sound, and terror.

Landon walked slowly back out into the dark, retreiving his dagger. A thin stream of blue blood glistened in it's blade. He wiped it with a towel from his bag... then his iron gaze found the Marine Lieutenant Garza. The icy chill in his frost-blue eyes was just as visible in the shadows as they would have been in plain daylight.

"Mr. Larel and Ms. Roswell, please see to tending to the crew's needs and repairing the camp. The Commander has the Chief taken care of, so focus your efforts on the camp. I want this place spotless for when the Noturans arrive tomorrow."

He didn't raise his voice, instead he let the tone in his voice direct the point.

"Get a perimeter up," He ordered to Garza, staring her in the eyes and tossing a fallen cargo container out of his way.

"... then you will report to me on the Horizon."

=/\= END LOG =/\=

VINDICATOR CREW

 

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