From: Bethany \ (mouse3of3_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Sep 08 2007 - 10:49:56 PDT
"What Now?"
Cont. from "86"
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Location: Restin III
Stardate: 2.70908.1305
Scene: Clearing
Tam had found a flat rock to sit on while they waited for Maverick to catch up to them, and looked around at the crew that was sitting, standing, and leaning in various positions around her. Darum looked fidgety, LaGrande bored (she was tinkering with her tricorder), and Sterling-Jade- Catherine, she had to remember, the lieutenant was fairly casual- concerned. Yet again, Tam wondered why she had been sent along. To gauge any aliens' reactions, perhaps? But they weren't even planning on encountering anyway, which shot that theory. She shifted her pack, trying to relieve the ache in her shoulders, and wished that T'ial was along to keep her company. **I have to send her a message and see how she's doing.** And tell her about LaGrande's comment regarding her tail or lack thereof...
Her ruminations were interrupted by Catherine breaking the silence. "He's too late. Something must have happened."
LaGrande spoke up. "Well, what should we do? Go after him? See if he fell into another sinkhole?"
Tam winced at the look that Catherine gave LaGrande, despite the normal tone of her voice when she spoke again. "It's entirely possible, but there are others. Mr. Darum, how hostile are the aliens on this planet?"
He considered the question. "We were never entirely sure. We never observed massive movements of people, so I doubt there are huge armies, but they're primitive enough that they could just have relatively small movements of people. We were never sure how territorial they were."
"So he could have run into these aliens?" Catherine sounded... hard. Tam suddenly understood why a large portion of her records had a high classification. "They could have thought that he was another alien group."
"Exactly." Darum nodded, satisfied with himself. Then his face fell as he comprehended what she was getting at. "Oh."
"Are we going to try tracking him to see where he went?" Tam asked, knowing that it was the next obvious question.
"Ginny, try contacting him on his tricorder first. Darum, you start telling us now what you know about these aliens. Everything that could help."
Darum sighed. "They're very primitive. Tribal living, very basic tools and civilization. That's why that signature is of such concern. We can't let them get technology that would break the Prime Directive. A lot of groups living at that level would be very territorial and suspicious of those that they don't know."
LaGrande came over to Catherine. Though she spoke quietly, it wasn't low enough that Tam couldn't catch it. "I can't raise him, at all. Not on his commbadge, and not through his tricorder. And it's not like he can't answer or won't, but it reads like they're been destroyed."
"So we have to find him. Notify the PATRIOT and we'll start in the direction that he went. We'll have to watch out, though, so we don't fall into the same trap that he presumably did. Move out!"
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NRPG: Just giving the mission a poke. So will they get caught? Will they find Mav? How's Daniel's team doing? Huh, huh, huh?
Sorry, had to. Tag!
Bethany B.
Tam Niala
Counselor
USS PATRIOT
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