Collateral Damage - A Sudden Detour Part V

Posted on Wed 12th Aug, 2020 @ 11:21am by Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena & Lieutenant Elliot Jericho
Edited on on Tue 15th Sep, 2020 @ 11:50pm

1,085 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Uncharted Planet in the Thetacron Sector
Timeline: MD: 15, 2100 hours

Old:

She found signs that some creature used to live here, but they were old, as was the debris around the entrance. Farther in she found more rocks, but nothing of any real interest--although in a pinch they could use some of the larger rocks to shield them from intruders should anyone come looking. It was the back she found of most interest. There were three smaller openings that she marked for later exploration and might be just what they needed. But before she went into any of them, she continued around until they were back where they started.


New:

"At least the main area where we are seems to be uninhabited. Shall we try one of the smaller tunnels to try?" Elliot loved to explore and find new interesting things. Right now he didn't want to be too close to the entrance in case someone came by looking for them with scanners.

"Yes." She marked the tunnel on the left by scratching an arrow in the dirt and went in. It went a short ways, turned left again, and seemed to end. Kiara went closer to look and found that there was a narrow opening around a rock outcropping. Squeezing past it she found that it opened into a smaller chamber. It, to, appeared to be uninhabited. In the distance, they could hear the sound of water dripping. She raised an eyebrow. "Let's see if it's any good."

In the back was another passage that went twenty feet and ended in a small pool of water. It was not drinkable. "If we could get a water purification system installed, we could at least drink it."

"I might be able to make something from conduits and filters from the runabout, but I don't think we should risk going back to the crash site today." Elliot thought it would be better to continue exploring the cave system and stay hidden from anyone scanning for them.

"Okay, but I don't want to put it off too long or we may not have a shuttle to return to," the ambassador said. She made sure there was nowhere else to go, then headed back to the main cavern to take the next passage. This one went twenty feet and ended at a pile of rocks.

"One more to check," she said.

Elliot didn't want to disagree with her but had to make his opinion known. It wasn't safe to go back to the shuttle today if the attackers sent down a search party to find them and if they began shooting at the shuttle from orbit they would be killed too. "We should wait to go back to the shuttle until tomorrow. It's not safe to go back there today."

She turned to him. "I did not say go back immediately. I said okay to your statement, as in yes, I agree. I followed it up by adding I did not think we should wait too long because the longer we wait, the greater the chance that there won't be a shuttle to go back to. That is not the same thing as wanting to go now." She thought she'd been clear, but apparently she was not. "I apologize for my ambiguity."

Elliot nodded and smiled warmly letter her know that he was also sorry for any misunderstanding, "Commander, as I said before, you are in charge and I will follow your orders. I'm just voicing my concerns to you and offering you options, but your orders are what I will follow." Elliot gestured for her to lead the way, "Please ma'am, continue."

"Suggestions are always welcome. This is not going to be pleasant for either of us. You have a wife who will be frantic, and I have a treaty that could lead to civil war if someone doesn't show up. All I hope is that the station got word and will send a rescue party to find us and another diplomat to negotiate the treaty."

They checked the final tunnel. It meandered for a ways, turning around rock outcroppings, then dwindled to nothing. "Well, that doesn't leave us many options," she said as they headed back to the main cavern.

When they were back with the supplies, she asked, "Should we set up camp, or go outside and look at what's near the cave? I don't want to go more than a few feet from the mountain, but we can wait until tomorrow, if you think it would be safer."

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty beat up and could use some rest. After we wake up we can explore some and see if we can't find something better." Elliot paused for a moment and glanced back at Kiara in the dim light, "What do you think?"

"You're probably right." She sighed. "I tend to over-think things at times, and to want to get everything done right away. It can wait for morning." She pulled out some rations and handed one to Elliott. "Food would also be a good idea."

Elliot smiled as he took the ration bar, "Thank you, I am starving." Elliot sat down on the floor and leaned back against his pack as he unwrapped the bar and took a bite, "Not exactly packed with flavor, but it will keep us alive." He began to think out loud, "I should be able to pull the replicator from the ship and use a small energy cell for a while to keep it running then I should be able to come up with a solar cell."

"Good. That will make staying here a little more bearable." She sat on a box on the air cart. "Any idea who would want to attack us?"

"Not a clue, I figured that it might be pirates since they are so active in this sector. That's one of the reasons that I want to stay away from the shuttle today. Just in case they decide to go there, which I hope they don't." Elliot explained. "But your guess is as good as mine," Elliot added.

"A valid concern," she said. "I will agree to staying away today, but tomorrow, we will need to get more supplies. I fear this is going to be a long wait."

"That too is a valid concern, maybe we can sneak back to the shuttle early in the morning before it gets light." Elliot finished his standard rations and closed his eyes.

"Good idea." Kiara made herself comfortable and turned out the light.

 

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