Training Day Two

Posted on Tue Mar 17th, 2020 @ 2:20am by Fleet Admiral Heather Duval & Lieutenant Commander Ouros Yamaguchi & 1st Lieutenant T'Kera "Demolitions" Duval & Company Sergeant Major Jeffery "The Mountain" Duval & Division General Donovan Garibaldi & Colonel Brianna Hobbs & Major Daisy Rohr-McKnight & Gunnery Sergeant Olga Vaal & Corporal Fender McCord & Lance Corporal Ta'zri Shalmar & Lance Corporal Archimedes Carlton & Private 1st Class Tamara Harrak & Private 1st Class Tlodabar Unx

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Camp Ostia/ Lo Zhou Depression
Timeline: 0900Hrs - June 5th, 2393

As Sergeant Major Duval entered the operations center. Several staff personnel were busy working on maps and going over charts. Colonel Hobbs and Major Rohr were also there going over things. Before Duval could get to his office General Garibaldi called to him.

"Sergeant Major," Garibaldi spoke up. "Can you spare me some time, ASAP?" the General inquired.

Duval heard someone address him, he raised an eyebrow as he realized that the General himself was asking for his time. "Sure General. Whats up?" he inquired as he moved over towards Garibaldi.

Garibaldi motioned Duval into his office. After he closed the door he turned to Duval. "Sergeant Major," Garibaldi said in a calm voice, "It seems we've lost a company of marines. Worse, your daughter T'Kera is assigned to the missing company."

Duval raised an eyebrow. "That explains all the fuss that's going on." he paused. "Do we know anything about the events leading up to their disappearance?" he paused a moment. "Would you like me to talk to my sister for you. Fleet Admiral Heather Duval, she's the new Starfleet commander for the fleet out here."

"Thank you but I need to make this search official. I need to have this done by the book until we know what happened. Speaking of which, B company of the 1/37th was running a simple readiness exercise. That's what they were doing yesterday early in the morning. This morning they still haven't returned." Garibaldi explained.

"Alright," Duval answered. "I appreciate you telling me quietly. What do you need me to do?" Duval inquired.

"Right now start thinking like a marine. Where would you go and why?" Garibaldi replied. "Right now, I need to call Admiral Duval. You can be in on the call if you want."

Duval nodded. "I'll need to look at the maps of the habitable worlds in this system but it depends on how much of an asshole I wish to be to these Marines," he explained. "Also, yes I want to be there when you talk to the Admiral."

Garibaldi nodded. He then hit the comm on his display. "Admiral Duval, this is General Garibaldi."

A female voice came back almost instantly. "Duval here, what may I do for you General?" came the response. Duval, despite his black mood, smiled.

"Hello Admiral," Garibaldi replied solemnly. "Well, there is no way to say this easily. We have lost an entire company of marines."

There was a pause for a moment as Duval sighed softly. Then the female voice came back. "Okay, fair enough, what do you require from me?" she the response. Jeff Duval raised an eyebrow as he had been expecting his sister to say something highly stupid, or worse, he had been expecting her to simply laugh aloud at the statement.

"I need your help to search for them. They were last seen yesterday morning during a readiness exercise. They boarded two Arrow class runabouts. That is the last we know about them." Garibaldi explained.

"Okay, I have over a dozen Starfleet ships in the system, dropping off equipment and personnel. I'll have the commanders of the Coral Sea, the Incheon, the Heart of the Tiger and the Dreamcrusher report to you within the hour." came the response. "I'll have a few of my science personnel assist in this effort as well, with the topography of all the habitable worlds and moons in the system."

Duval paused as he looked at the General. "General, the skipper of the Coral Sea, might be a concern."

"Well hello Jefferey." the voice added in a cheery tone. "Yes, telling your spouse that her daughter has gone missing, will not go well. I will leave 'that' little detail to you. I am sure you can placate her."

"Possible," Duval answered his sibling. "But not likely. You know how T'Nae is."

"Indeed I do. I am glad I am not the one who angered her. The Commander of this unit, however, will feel her wrath soon enough." The female voice answered. "Anyway, General. I have informed the skippers of the already mentioned ships that they are to report to you and will support you throughout this effort, they have also been told to extend to you whatever you need."

"Thank you, Admiral. Garibaldi out." He thanked her before cutting the link. He then turned to Duval. "Alright, let's prepare the briefing for the captains."

"Right. I also need to go and speak with the Commander of the Coral Sea about this issue quietly. She's my wife." Duval sighed. "T'Kera is her daughter and she should hear this from me. This will take a few minutes, then I can help with the meeting." Duval explained.

Garibaldi nodded, "Of course."

Duval nodded in response. "Thank you General." and with that, he turned and walked out, as if he were carrying a heavy burden, which of course, he was.

Meanwhile down in the Lo Zhou depression, the eighty-odd marines were struggling. Despite several searches, they found no water. All the energy cells in their weapons were out. Only the few that carried side arms or spare cells had a functioning weapon. After marching twenty-five kilometers, they spent the night huddled together as they didn't even have fuel for a fire. The next day things were just as bleak. Unx was sent up ahead along with P'kal and S'krch, two Vulcans. They had yet to return. The party had been moving slowly to conserve energy. The few Andorians were really beginning to suffer. It was then that Fender made his way back to the group.

"Fender, good to see you." Olga smiled. "Did you find Sternwald?"

"I caught up with the dick but then he beamed away." Fender informed Olga.

Ouros heard the voices as she caught up to Olga and Fender. "So he's got a private ship stashed somewhere for this." she paused. "Shit," she whispered softly as she didn't have the energy to lose her temper and she knew that nobody else did either. "Another hour or so and the sun will drop behind the mountains to the west," she added. "Have there been any signs of the lost patrol?" she was referring to Unx and the two Vulcans.

"No, they are still out there," Olga replied to her new leader.

Then, a shout came from little ways in the distance. "I found water!" came from a male's voice.

Private First Class Logan shouted at Tamara. "I see water!" He shouted at her before he turned to fill his canteen. As he bent over he screamed loudly and fell to the ground. As if out of nowhere a large, multi-legged, bug looking creature the size of a large cat appeared on Logan's back. It was bright red and it looked like it was feeding on Logan. Tamara unstrapped her powerless assault phaser pummeled the creature several times. She also screamed as two more creatures came from out of the blue and had attached themselves to her back. She fell to the ground with the two spider-like creatures now changing color to a deeper red.

Ouros noticed the commotion in the distance. "Our guys are in trouble," she yelled.

T'Kera suddenly stopped. "Hold" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "We are under attack!" she added.

Ouros raised her rifle and what she saw chilled her blood cold. "We got some kind of bug like lifeform, It's feeding on Logan and Tamara." she turned to Olga. "If we kill those things, we risk killing our guys and there will be more, a lot more." she paused. "Shit." as she sighted in on the bugs on Tamara and Logan. "Cover me as I do this," she commented quietly before she pulled the trigger once, one of the bugs suddenly found itself missing part of its anatomy before it dropped away. It was replaced by a new bug which Ouros disintegrated with one round.

The tall female turned her attention to Logan before she snipped the bug that was feeding on him. "Olga, we found water... but these bugs have it guarded," Ouros commented. "Oh shit.," she commented. "Guys, retreat... back the way we came." she paused. "I need two volunteers to help me rescue Tamara and Logan."

Bug and Ta'zri began to lay down fire as Fender, Singh, and Dillon moved up to retrieve the two wounded Marines. As they started to pull the casualties back more crystal bugs appeared from the rocks. They were near invisible except the had a slight glean in the sun. As the fire came down on the creatures they scuttled back into safety. The rescue party brought back Harrak and Logan.

"Medic!" Singh shouted out as N'Tambay moved to treat the wounded. As she tended to the wounded marines Singh turned to Olga. "There is no water up there."

"What do you mean? Then what did Logan find?" Olga was now visibly upset. Up to now, she had been stoic but this news was truly disheartening.

"There is some sort of clear resin up there. I think those creatures set up a trap." Singh conjectured.

Ouros gently placed her hand on Vaal's shoulder. "Hey, we know.," she said quietly to the older woman, in an effort to get her to calm down and not waste precious energy. "Whats in Logan's canteen?" she inquired. "He would have tried to fill it." as she regarded the two wounded Marines being tended to. "I want the science geeks to take a look at it after we are rescued. Don't pour it out."

"I haven't," Singh replied.

"Alright. I'll trade my water for your sludge." the two traded canteens before Ouros slipped the canteen with the sludge in it onto her belt.

"I can see the patrol. Once they get here we need to start moving out. We need to get away from those bugs." Olga stated.

The three marines sent ahead arrived back and linked up with the others. "See that small outcrop of rocks there?" Unx pointed on the horizon. "There is a cave there where we may fit about a dozen or so people."

"How far is it to the cave?" Olga asked.

"The cave is 3.75 kilometers away," P'kal replied.

"Then we need to move out," Olga told the group.

"Now? In the dark? We could get hurt." Singh replied.

Ouros knelt before one of the marines who had been downed. "Easy Logan. You thought you saved us," she said quietly as she gently placed a hand on his head. "Let me relieve you of the burden of your fears and anger," she added softly, as she gently mind-rubbed him of the fear, the anger, the terror of the attack. Ouros opened her eyes a moment later before she repeated the process with Tamera. "Let me help you," she said gently.

Ouros opened her eyes and stood up. "Thank you T'nambay," she said to the medic before she went over to Singh and Vaal. "We can't stay here, the temperature is dropping too quickly. We don't have a choice and we're almost out of water."Ouros sighed softly. "Vaal. Let's get the marines ready to move." she sighed. "We need to rig up a way to move Tamera and Logan without causing more issues. I'm open to ideas." the tall female sighed softly.

"Simple," Olga replied. "I need four people to volunteer their jackets. We will then button those up. We strip the assault phasers of there barrels. With a hand phaser, we weld three barrels end to end. We slide the welded barrels into the sleeves of the jackets, with the jackets together at their bottom ends. Four volunteers will carry the two stretchers."

T'Kera Duval nodded as she shed her jacket before she turned it over as Ouros slipped off her jacket as well, she was now wearing a tank top which left her shoulders and arms bare, the two women turned their jackets over to Vaal.

T'Kera gently began rubbing Ouros's shoulders as Ouros sighed softly. There was nothing romantic about this interaction, only pragmatism at play. "You shouldn't have done that El Tee," she commented. "I can handle the cold-" the half Vulcan female explained before Ouros interrupted her.

"Less well then I can," Ouros answered. "These guys have just been lied to and betrayed by their officer, the least I can do is help them survive," she said quietly to the other female while two other marines donated their jackets to the cause.

Ouros smiled softly. "We'll get through this guys," she said with a smile.

After a few moments, Olga and Singh were done creating the makeshift stretchers. "Alright. Unx, Milwitz, Rorakan, and Devlin get on the stretchers." The four marines went to work and the party of marines moved out silently in the dark.