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Post by stormy and rescuer on Jul 14, 2017 2:29:10 GMT
 The CaptainBrandy Blackwood Stern -- Cool-headed -- Fierce Half English, half German Slightly below average height, but appears bigger because of her personality. Broad shoulders, long golden blonde hair, green eyes. Hand-to-hand expert, black belt in more than one martial art Speaks English, German, and a little French  The First OfficerCharlie DeLaine Friendly -- Observant -- Reasonable French-Canadian Very tall, built, short sandy blonde hair, blue eyes. Sharp-shooter, but prefers to keep away from combat Speaks French, is working on his English. |
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Post by trevrizent on Jul 14, 2017 17:53:01 GMT
 THE CAPTAIN Altair Asim cold personality - loyal - level Arabic Tall, about six foot three with short black hair in a military fade high cut. he has heterochroma; right eye brown, left eye bright blue. He has light skin. A scar runs from his right shoulder across his body to the left outer side of his lower thigh. Black belt in isshin-ryu, muy thai, pikat silat, and krav maga. Also rather handy with various blasters. Speaks English, Farsi, German, and Japanese  CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER Genesis Altagracia warm and friendly - very enthusiastic about planetary science Dominican Average, about five foot nine inches. Long brown hair that is wavy. Dark brown eyes. She wears little tro no makeup. She has tan skin. Handy with multiple blasters. Also likes her grenades. Speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Knows a little French. |
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Post by stormy and rescuer on Jul 14, 2017 22:19:39 GMT
"Captain on the Bridge."
The doors whooshed shut behind her as she joined the bridge crew. Charlie rose from the Captain's chair and went back to his station to analyse readings while she sat down.
"Current heading, Mister Peters," Brandy said, getting right to business.
"Delta Vega is 900 000 miles away, Captain," Peters replied.
"Good, continue at present course and speed," Brandy replied, turning to her First Officer. "What are the readings, Mister DeLaine?"
"Class M planet, Captain," Charlie replied, looking into his monitor and pressing a few buttons. "Tricorder readings suggest animal life forms similar to those on Earth, tropical flora, as well as humanoid life forms. Data records explain that there are tribes similar to Earth Mayans, as well as other cultures from early centuries."
"Thank you, DeLaine," Brandy added. This was going to be fun. "Lieutenant Anderson, ship-wide communications please."
"Ship wide communications established."
"Intrepid, this is your Captain speaking. We are about to obtain orbit around a class M planet. A landing party comprising of myself, my first officer, and our guest Science Officer Altagracia will be beaming down for investigation. Artifacts may be beamed up if we find anything of importance. Blackwood out."
Brandy leaned back in her chair and sent a message to the Science department, requesting Altergracia to the transporter room.
"Tu es pret?" (ready?) she smiled at Charlie.
"Bien sur," he replied calmly. "On vas etra... preparer?" (of course, will we be... prepared?)
"Pour du trouble? Certainement," (for trouble? certainly) Brandy laughed at Charlie and the look of slight trepidation that came over his face as they descended to the transported room. Charlie did not enjoy trouble.
Charlie wondered about his captain sometimes. She liked her adventures, and usually dragged him along to enjoy them as well.
He sighed and strapped his communicator and phaser to his belt, slinging the tricorder over his broad shoulders. He'd left his home in Canada for this... but it was worth it. Brandy was good company. She always teased that he'd look better in security red, but he fancied his science blue instead.
Starting to feel nervous, Charlie forgot what he was about to ask his captain. The words just... left him, as they always did when he wasn't completely happy with the situation. At least he had his calm, fore-thinking captain with him. She could get them out of just about anything, and he could snap into focus if he had to. It was his redeeming feature, the only reason he'd managed to upgrade to the rank of a commanding officer.
That and Brandy's persuasive actions she had employed with star fleet to get him here.
The big man sighed and stepped onto the platform, readying himself while the captain awaited their third member.
She had just finished the tests on the sedimentary levels of a piece of rock from their previous stop on Icarus Prime when the message arrived.
"Oh are we there already? Time flies when you're having fun I guess." She quickly wrapped up her project and put the rock back in its protective specimen container. She turned to the Lab Specialist that had been working so quietly. "Don't let the Chief Science Officer have all the fun. Tell em I'm not done checking for DNA traces just yet. I'll do that when I return." With that she ventured out of the room and took the first elevator to the transporter room.
She managed to arrive not a moment after the Captain and First Mate did. She hopped onto the platform and stood still and straight. Her brown hair slipped from her shoulders to hang freely against her back. She only put it up when she had to get down and dirty with her work. Most new not to mess with her when she got in that mode.
She beamed a smile and the other two. Going down to new planets was always the most exciting art. That and finding all the new things to study. What possibly awaited them down there? It could even be dangerous! The thrill of it was energizing.
Brandy offered Altergracia an a knowledge mentioned of her arrival.
"Energize," she said and before long the transporter room was gone and the tropical jungle replaced it.
Charlie pulled out his tricorder and started doing an analysis.
"We're going to head west," Brandy explained, looking around. She gave the signal and started toward the forest. "There is an artifact of interest deep in the mountain's forests."
Charlie trailed along behind, keeping up easily with his long legs. He had fallen silent in the presence of the newcomer, but it could just be his intent focus on the tricorder and the fascinating flora.
"Look out for snakes," Brandy warned. "Readings indicated large poisonous snakes populating the forest. They could even squeeze you, DeLaine."
It took the big man a moment to realise what his captain had said. He swallowed and went a shade paler, but continued his readings, Nutting a few things under his breath in French.
Charlie sometimes wondered why Brandy brought him along to these things. He wasn't as brave as she was. He was better suited to tracking readings on the bridge, or doing research in sick Bay or the Chem lab. Brandy was always making sure he was safe, and although he could take care of himself, he wasn't adept at combat like his captain.
Aim? Sure. Charlie could do some impressive things with a phaser when push came to shove.
"Captain, I have got readings of five males heading right for us, directly ahead, closing at twenty miles per hour. Readings show they are armed." Charlie glanced up
"Avert. We're here for the artifact, no violence, and we are to avoid contact with the natives if at all possible," Brandy ordered. "Let's get moving. But quietly. DeLaine? Watch your step."
Charlie nodded. He knew his footing wasn't the best when he was nervous. He set his mind on being quiet, carefully placing each foot and manoevering his broad frame.
Genesis whipped out her tricorder, eager to pick up scans. She was not stupid though. The mission statement had mentioned natives and projected species. Still, she couldn't help ogling the red petals of a fat, flowering plant, and the delighted gasp when a six winged insect creature left the petal and zipped off through the air. “I want a cross section of this plant,” she murmured aloud. She turned back to the other two, wondering if they felt the same way.
The Captain’s warning changed the mood. She dropped the tricorder, letting it dangle from her neck by the shoulder strap, as she grabbed her phaser and followed them into the brush. Natives already? Had they seen them teleport?
When the natives came into view, they were very similar to humans with no distinguishable features that differed. They had ruddy skin and dark hair. They wore plain fur tunics of what looked like animal hide. The man at the front of the party had a blue handprint on the center of his tunic. As no one else bore the mark, she assumed he was of a leadership position.
Keeping her voice low to not draw attention, she whispered to the first mate; “it would be a good idea to follow them. See if we can't gather information on the place.”
"Go ahead, we want to expand Starfleet's data of this planet," Brandy affirmed Altergracia's passing thought. She too drew her phaser, encouraging Charlie to do the same with his, set to stun of course.
The native came into view, clearly clearly with a goal in mind. They looked like hunters to Brandy, but she was no expert.
"What are your thoughts, party?" She whispered, gathering visual data in her head from their hiding spot.
Charlie followed along, treading lightly for a man his size. He examined the natives as well, scratching his head.
"Peut-être.... ils cherchent du... nourriture." (Maybe ... they're looking for.... food). Charlie suggested, then realised he'd spoke in French he blushed a little. "Hunters?" He offered.
Brandy smiled. Her first officer always amused her even if she was used to his behaviour. "Maybe. Thoughts?" She asked Altergracia while Charlie pondered their science officer's suggestion.
"Agreed, suivantes-- follow, let's follow them." He nodded.
"We're here for the artifact," Brandy reminded them. "But if you can give me a convincing argument I'd be willing to consider it. Starfleet does want us to gather as much data as we can... anyone want to split up?"
Charlie was not keep on splitting up, but he refrained from childishly shaking his head with wide eyes as he might have had the chief science officer not been present. He would of course do as his Captain commanded.
"Or we can can both one at a time," Brandy offered a suggestion for favourable to Charlie's ears. "Which first?"
"We may not encounter another group," Charlie offered. "Perhaps now is the only time."
Genesis weighed in on their conversation with her ears only, her eyes more occupied with the hunters as she let her tricorder record the findings. The hunters were definitely on the trail of something. She wondered what it was they were seeing. Occasionally, one would point at the ground and say something to the others. They were too distant to hear them, but she could tell that they had a language by the way their lips moved that they were articulating words. The leader with the handprint made some chopping gestures and gesticulated at the treetops. Genesis frowned, trying to gather the correlations. Something leaving trackable signs on the ground but then something to do with treetops, perhaps what they were tracking was tall and big, or maybe he was explaining a hunting technique. She wished she could go up and ask. But that would be foolish and stupid. They wanted to avoid contact after all.
Glancing back at the two of them, she listened to the Captain and First Mate's exchange. "I agree with Charlie," she said at the end of it. "This may be our only shot. Especially with hunters. They can travel in groups for days at a time. Who knows how close or far we are from their civilization." This was an opportunity for anthropological study. They were uninterrupted and in their natural habitat. What better way to learn than witness their hunting patterns? "I also think we should follow them first," she continued. "This could be our only chance. The artifact isn't mobile at least."
As for the plant life around, she could worry about that at any other time. They weren't going anywhere either.
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Post by stormy and rescuer on Jul 14, 2017 22:19:53 GMT
They were right, she knew. It would be wise to cautiously follow these natives while they had the chance. They could learn so much. Starfleet records had almost nothing on these people. Whatever this little party could collect would be valuable.
"Then let's follow them," Brandy agreed. "I want whatever information you can collect."
"Fait attention," Charlie warning, placing a hard on his captain's shoulder. She turned to look at him. He pointed to the ground a couple of paces ahead of her. There, was a well-concealed trap. Charlie's abilities of observation would always amaze her.
"Thanks," she patted Charlie's wrist and moved around the curls of rope, being careful to keep an eye out for more.
This could prove more difficult that he had anticipated. Then again, it always was with Brandy. She enjoyed a fist-fight. Of course his captain was not reckless, but she was all too eager for his liking to join in a fight, and usually end it. It usually meant that he was going to be involved too.
Je suis fermier, pas guerrier, ni explorateur (I'm a farmer not a warrior, nor an explorer) he thought following. Well, he was also a chemist, but a farmer by blood. He was his mother's child, and she was a farmer. His father... his father was a warrior, just like his four older brothers. But he preferred to associate with his mother's blood line instead of his father's. Brandy knew that. And that was why she brought him with her, to help keep her from jumping into every fight she came across.
They made a good team, he had to admit, and had ever since they had met at the academy.
He took what plant samples he could and continued on after the natives.
They were clearly very intelligent, if they could build complex traps like that. For animals? For now, that was the logical assumption.
The natives were moving down the mountainside, clearly looking for something. Charlie wondered what.
"We should be careful," he said, accent thick. "They might be looking for food, and if they realise we're here they might come after us."
"Agreed," replied Brandy, looking pleased. She liked a little danger. "Finding anything interesting?"
"Only that they are intelligent creatures. They appear to have... bladed weapons. I cannot tell from this distance if they are made from clean metal or rock, nor how crude they are. They are sharp, I can guarantee you that." Charlie reported. "They look dangerous and skilled. But I am no expert." He turned to their companion. "Officer?" he inquired.
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Post by trevrizent on Jul 15, 2017 2:49:30 GMT
Genesis bit her lip in thought as she peered at the natives. At least they had not been spotted yet, otherwise who knew how those hunters would react. A million thoughts raced through her mind. She could not tell much just from where she was. She would have to get closer if she was going to get beyond speculation. What were their hunting techniques? Who knew if they were cannibals or not. Or if they had any technology. They were certainly able to make clothes, weapons, traps. Maybe there was more to it. "We'll need to get closer to them," she said, looking around the area. She spotted an outcropping of rocks. "If we climb to the top of those, we can probably get a clear view of their movements. It will tell us more of what we need to know." She looked to the Captain for confirmation. It was up to her after all to determine whether they would move ahead or not.
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Post by stormy and rescuer on Jul 15, 2017 3:27:13 GMT
Lillian listened to their companion's suggestion and agreed with a nod. "Let's go," she ordered and led the way. Her small agile body easily scaled the incline. Instantly upon arriving at the top she lay down on the rocks and surveyed the small party of hunters make their way past. Charlie easily followed behind her, his tall, strong body practically hopping up.
Charlie opened his mouth to make a comment, but he was cut off by the arrival of another creature.
It leapt from the thick tree foliage from above, aiming for the hunters. The leader shouted and he and everyone else turned toward the creature, attacking it midday with their knives.
The beast landed and missed the hunters, turning sharply and swinging a paw at the nearest one. The beast looked a bit like a tiger, but sported two sets of horns and fur that gleamed red. Its white stripes were jagged and lined with black, and when it turned to fend off the hunter that stabbed its shoulder, Lillian caught sight of its extra pair of eyes. The irises were practically white.
It looked like a tiger from Hell.
The beast had already killed one hunter. It spun and threw another with its curved set of horns, growling and lunging for the kill while the remaining warriors gathered themselves.
Charlie watched the battle from their hiding spot, tearing his eyes away when the beast started to tear into the hunters. He knew blood was being shed. He knew Lillian could see his face draining of blood.
Lillian tapped his shoulder. "Charlie, it's over." she said softly. Charlie looked up at her face, but kept his eyes away from the battle. "They killed it. They're starting to drag it for food, presumably. Should we continue to follow them?"
She asked this to their companion. And while she did Charlie turned to sit and clasp the bridge of his nose while he swallowed down nausea.
"Let's go," Lillian offered her friend and first officer the chance to get away from the smell of blood. "I think we need to go somewhere else, regardless of whether we continue to follow them or not, wouldn't you agree Altagracia? Alright, DeLaine?"
"I'm alright," Charlie nodded.
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Post by trevrizent on Jul 17, 2017 2:51:17 GMT
Genesis watched the scuffle, locked in place with fascination and morbid intrigue. She managed to tear her eyes away to glance down at the tricorder, making sure it was capturing every gruesome moment in riveting detail, to be pored over later when she began converting raw imagery to charts and graphs and biology and physiology. She let equations run through her head to keep her level minded. It wouldn't do to freak out in this situation.
She noticed Charlie struggling and her face creased in apology. She felt sorry for him. He didn't seem to like the sight one bit, not that he was looking. But the sound of bone crunching and gurgled screaming was loud enough.
It died down. The Captain made her suggestion. "I'd love to know more about the creature. But we should follow the natives. They will head back to their group after this if we're lucky. Then we can see their civilization advancement."
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Post by stormy and rescuer on Jul 17, 2017 4:12:02 GMT
Lillian nodded in agreement and glanced to Charlie. He did not look entirely pleased by the idea. None-the-less he joined in and took up the rear, following the women down the rocks and discretely after the natives.
Lillian took the lead, allowing her companions to take the readings while she focused on the natives and making sure they didn't walk into any danger. She kept them a good distance back, hand on her phaser, ready in case danger threatened her crew. A hand on her shoulder made her pause.
It was Charlie. He glanced at her hip, then back at her eyes, shaking his head. The Prime Directive, she could practically read from his eyes. She nodded and removed her hand, but still kept moving forward.
Charlie followed with trepidation. He didn't really want to do this, but it was for science.
So he busied himself gathering information about the surrounding plants, ignoring the smell of blood as best he could. It was churning his stomach, so he grabbed some grass and chewed on it as they walked. It made him feel a little better.
The small group miraculously avoided trouble for a short distance. Charlie couldn't be happier.
But of course trouble came their way with a captain like Lillian. A creature aimed directly at her, leaping from the tree and reaching for her head with eerie hand-like extremities. It looked a bit like a monkey, again an escapee from hell, but a monkey none-the-less. It had odd additions of spikes and horns too, and it swiped for Lillian and Genesis.
Charlie, with incredible speed, especially for a man of his size, lunged for the women, shoving them both roughly aside and punching the monkey by instinct. He shook out his hand and grabbed it by the horns, pinning it to the ground with massive hands. It struggled and fought him, scratching the big man's wrists and forearms with its hands and feet. Charlie slammed its head against the ground hard enough to daze it.
By then Lillian had recovered and stunned it with her phaser.
Charlie straightened and backed up, letting his Captain observe the creature. He brushed himself down and noticed his bleeding arms. He drained entirely of colour, fixated on the crimson fluid and metallic smell, its warmth. It wasn't particularly serious, but even very small blood flow could make Charlie feel queasy.
Lillian steadied him with a hand on each shoulder, pressing his back against a tree to ground him. Her voice cut through the haze.
"Charlie. Regarde-moi. Tu es d'accord. Tu as sauver deux vies. Respirer." (Look at me. You're alright. You saved two lives. Breathe.) Then to Genesis. "Mind if we pause? You can go on if you like and keep communicating, but Charlie needs a minute." He's a big pussy and can't stand blood, like a little girl, he could practically hear it, even though he knew Lillian didn't think that. He knew people who did though. He wondered if Genesis would be more like them. She didn't seem the sort, but people could be surprising. So Charlie refrained from judgement for now. He hardly had the brain power anyway. All his power was focusing on keep his stomach on its best behaviour.
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Post by trevrizent on Jul 21, 2017 3:53:58 GMT
The sight of blood made her eyes widen in worry. "Of course, let's stop, here," she dug in her backpack for a while before retrieving a medkit. She pulled out the MedLazor. "Let me fix your arms quick. Who knows what kinds of diseases that monkey might be carrying, and the last thing we need is these wounds getting infected either." She took Charlie's arm in her hand and passed the MedLazor over it. "You'll feel some tingling sensations, but try to hold your arm still." The MedLazor first scanned the wound, then began sterilizing it, using super concentrated heat on the nano scale. It would target the foreign bodies exclusively and leave the correct ones. Then the MedLazor began to seal the wound with a special clot accelerator. The whole experience left prickly tingles as it worked, but that was nothing compared to the miracle work of the technology itself.
"There, now you'll be good as new," Genesis said, working on the other arm. "Then just get the blood cleaned off with water or something and you'd never know you were in a fight. Though really, thanks for getting us out of the way." She shuddered to think what being ambushed by that freak thing would have led to.
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Post by stormy and rescuer on Jul 21, 2017 4:15:03 GMT
Lillian stepped back and allowed the girl the tend her first officer. He looked so pale and she felt bad for the poor man who was clearly trying not to look at his blood and look tough at the same time. Lillian took his hands when he was healed and looked him in the eyes.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Yes," he replied, regaining some colour now that the blood was mostly gone. Lillian pulled out her water and wiped his arms clean of all blood.
"Let's go," Lillian offered, "Come on Charlie. Try not to fight any more killer demon monkeys, okay?"
Charlie was shaking a little as Genesis healed him. He hadn't had much experience with this since he kept out of danger, mostly. His injuries stung as she fixed them. He winced and tried not to.
Charlie looked like a mob boss. He looked like he could brush off being impaled. But he wasn't nearly that strong in that way.
Charlie looked up at Genesis and smiled sheepishly and gratefully at her, muttering a thank you in quiet French.
He rubbed his arms to rid the tingling and aching, following Lillian as they continued on after the natives. He wasn't keen on getting torn into again.
He was shaking a little still. Charlie kept his wits about him I'm case they were attacked again. But nothing happened luckily. The natives were seen entering a hidden rocky opening. Lillian paused the group.
"Shall we go in?" She asked.
Charlie wanted to shake his head. But he swallowed and allowed the women to make the decision. It would be wise to continue research but he would rather stay in the open...
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Post by trevrizent on Jul 31, 2017 16:55:46 GMT
Genesis gave Charlie a soft smile in return, figuring pretty quick he wasn't used to this kind of thing. Still, he had shown a lot of bravery standing up to that creature the way he did. Once the wound was sterilized and closed, she wrapped a small bandage around it. Wordlessly, they continued after the trail of the natives.
The natives disappeared into what looked like an entrance to a cave. Genesis pondered the thoughts of going in. On the one hand, it was clear that it must lead to their home. But to just go in with no way of knowing what to expect on the inside was far too risky. "I say we mark this location on the map. Maybe try later. We don't know what we're going to be faced with once we're inside." The last thing she wanted was to intrude on their home. They would be met with hostility. "Perhaps we can try to find a different group of natives."
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Post by stormy and rescuer on Aug 1, 2017 1:42:48 GMT
"That might be for the better," Lillian replied with a nod, glancing up at her first officer. He visibly exhaled with relief. She gave his shoulder a solid pat. "Come on DeLaine, let's go find something a little more interesting, hmm? I'll find you another monkey to punch."
She turned and hopped past him, smirking a little, imagining what his face looked like about now. He was her best friend, but an easy target. "We're going to resume looking for the artefact," she added, picking up the direction they'd been going and taking the lead. She could just hear Charlie sigh again behind her as he held his tricorder ready. "We'll have more opportunity to research the inhabitants of the island once we get what we came for. Everybody be ready; who knows what other things we'll run into."
And this time she wasn't teasing. This planet could throw all kinds of strange monsters at them. There was silence from the big man walking behind her.
Charlie indeed drained pale as Lillian toyed with him. He didn't like the thought of having to fight something else... no thank you. The big blonde French-man had no desire to get slashed up again, even if their technology was good enough to mostly heal the wound in a few seconds. He rubbed his arms. That had not been pleasant. No more blood for one day, no thank you.
But at least the captain and chief science officer were alright. And that was worth more to him than a few cuts.
At they continued, he kept his senses on full alert, scanning with the tricorder, following the two women in the direction of the artefact.
Up the incline they climbed, trees slowly thinning, until a cave entrance came into sight, slightly covered by underbrush. Great. More caves. Charlie swallowed.
At least his captain had a skill that would come in handy: she could move very well in the dark. Charlie placed his hand on her shoulder and swallowed.
Then they entered the darkness. Lillian led the way as the tunnel sloped up, and then there was light, and they entered a cave, beams of sun piercing through openings in the high rocky ceiling, vines and tree roots growing through those holes. There were carvings of various animals from the island inside, forming a spiral of open mouths all the way to the top.
At the top, was a carving of the tiger that had attacked the villagers, a rocky slate with strange inscriptions just visible from the ground sitting in its open jaws.
One would have to climb up from open mouth to open mouth to get to it, between all those stone teeth... Charlie followed with his eyes what was basically a giant creepy stair case wrapping around the wall of the cave.
"Who wants to do a little rock climbing?" Charlie asked, swallowing. Damn, it was a long way to fall...
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