USS PATRIOT: ESPERION: Cave Systems (“Rendezvous”)

From: V. Rahul Chandra (vrccan_at_gmail.com)
Date: Fri Jan 26 2007 - 23:20:31 PST


 

 

==========

“Rendezvous”

Con’t from Naomi’s “Exposition”

==========

Location: ESPERION

Stardate: 2422 [2.7] 0127.0203

Scene: Cave Systems

 

In accordance with the tricorder readings, the trio had started making their
way down the leftmost corridor.  Daniel led the way, with Palthainon in the
middle and Mel bringing up the rear as well as directing the group based on
the readings his tricorder came up with.  The cave tunnel was such that it
narrowed to a small size very quickly, forcing the three of them to walk
single file.  At some points, Daniel had to bow his head slightly to avoid
colliding with low hanging stalactites.

 

“We’re about as close as we’re going to get here sir,” Mel called from the
back, and Daniel put a stop to their journeying.  Daniel and Mel approached
the cave wall, both of them training their lights in complimentary passes up
and down the face, searching for any kind of structural weakness.

 

“Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way,” Daniel commented,
once they’d discovered that the wall was pretty much smooth.  “Do a
structural integrity analysis of this wall and the connecting areas.”

 

“Yes sir,” Mel said, tapping a few buttons on his tricorder as he got to
work.  They hadn’t traveled too far from the antechamber yet, and Daniel had
a simple plan for what he wanted to do, provided Mel’s results were
satisfactory.

 

“If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Mel said.  “The wall
should be able to withstand a small, concentrated blast to vapourize a small
portion of it.  The smaller the better, as a blast too large could result in
the destabilization of this area of the cave system.”

 

“Great,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes and leaning his phaser rifle against
the cave wall.  “You two might want to wait back at the antechamber,” he
said, unholstering his phaser.

 

“I think that’s a good idea,” Mel said, ushering the priest back the way
they’d come.

 

Daniel set the phaser to a lower setting with a wider beam that he hoped
would be able to carve a small door in the cave wall in just one or two
sweeps.

 

He realized, somewhere in the back of his mind, that what he was about to do
was extremely reckless.

 

“If Catherine ever finds out about this, she’s so going to kill me,” Daniel
muttered to himself, directing his eyes to the ceiling.  “Assuming that
doesn’t fall on me first.”

 

He took aim, muttering a small prayer before depressing the button.  The
beam cut a small line that was level with his shoulders, before he slowly
trained it downwards to the ground, before a reverse sweep removed the rest
of area he’d been aiming at.

 

He stopped firing, holstered his phaser and cringed, half expecting to be
buried in mud and rock.  Five seconds ticked by…then ten.  Finally, after a
full minute had gone without incident, the marine let out his breath, not
realizing up until then that he’d been holding it.

 

“I think it’s okay,” he called back down the corridor, before leaning down
and making his way through the door.  He grabbed his rifle en route and
trained the flashlight attached to it around the room, almost immediately
spotting the two unconscious forms.  Swearing under his breath, he knelt
down, feeling first Cindy’s and then Kyle’s neck for pulses.

 

“They’re both still alive,” he said, hearing Mel and Palthainon arrive
behind him.  “But they need help…fast.”

 

 

 
==========
V. Rahul Chandra <vrccan_at_gmail.com>
 
Playing...
 
Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Gorman, MD
Chief Medical Officer/2nd Officer
GATEWAY STATION, GS-2
 
&
 
Captain Daniel Clarkson, MD
Executive Officer - Marine Contingent
USS PATRIOT, NCC 5781-A
 
&
 
Lieutenant Sevlock
Junior ACT Instructor
Starfleet Academy, EARTH
 

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