Star Trek: Season 7 - Masquerade

[institches]

Mackie jogged a little to keep up with Sevryll. The Ter'ossick child moved quickly, as did her Vulcan pursuer. From a distance she could smell the Hoska fruit, its sour-sweet scent not dissimilar from the yellowfruit that grew in the mating preserves on her home planet. But unlike the yellowfruit, with its complex nuances from tree to tree and bite to bite, the Hoska sounded one note. One strong, rich note. This was unknown to Mackie in the natural world. Could this be evidence of cloning? It was certainly worth investigating.

But how to obtain samples? She had none of the metalized ceramic currency that the crowd was exchanging for the rapidly diminishing supply of spiny scarlet fruit. She looked down at her costume: nothing of obvious worth to trade.

So she did what she did well: she sped up, ostensibly chasing her commander. She allowed the long split tunic to spread out and catch on the vendor's wagon. This, in turn, caught her. She let her weight to carry her forward and she sprawled into the dirt, dragging the short Ter'ossick merchant down with her. Hoska fruit rained around them. Two relatively unharmed pieces rolled close and she quickly tucked them into a pocket before turning to the bemused man.

"Oh, thank you, sir," She blew out a minor version of the seduction scent used earlier. "You saved me from a terrible fall." He stood with a scowl, his face darkening under the deep blue.

The vendor was just beginning to wind up for a good scolding when he caught a whiff of her pheremone mix. "Miss," he toyed with the fertility symbol he wore. "You knocked over my fruitstand. I think a little apology is in order. We can't let this spilled fruit all go to waste..." He picked up two of the fruits and held them suggestively.

Mackie smiled and swallowed, thinking hard. She had just come up with a strategy to unman the obviously worked-up merchant, when Ka'rath appeared beside her. "What business do you have with my servant?" he demanded, his eyebrows lowered, making an already imposing appearance absolutely frightening.

Back to business, the merchant shook the dirty Hoska fruit at Mackie. "She upset my cart! I have a business to maintain," he whined.

Ka'rath placed his hands on his hips, his elbows pushing out the dark green cape and making him appear even larger."Then keep it out of the way of travellers." From out of nowhere, Ka'rath held a coin under the man's nose. "For your troubles..."

The man snatched the coin and jammed it into a pouch at his waist. He turned away and began to redisplay his wares, grumbling, "But she wore no mark..." The crowd closed in around him again, willing to bargain for the fallen fruit as Mackie and Ka'rath hurried to find their comrades.

[Jen]

After being diverted by a merchant peddling fertility fruit, Sevryll lost sight of the juvenile within the diverse pallet of painted people. Pausing briefly to scan the crowd, the Vulcan stood amongst them, like an obstinate boulder in a raging river as they streamed against her. Some grumbled angrily while others made lewd observations as they brushed roughly past. Preoccupied by her mission, she ignored them all.

Just when Sevryll thought they had lost their guide in the sea of celebratory people, she glimpsed the girl standing on a crate of animals, waving fiercely at her team.  The cerulean child waited for them to draw near, before bounding from her perch and dashing away once again.

Though Sevryll enjoyed a challenge, this particular game was highly illogical and becoming old very quickly.  She was about to leave the child to her game, when the girl emerged from the densely packed crowd before them. Sevryll hastened her steps as the teasing tot wove her way through the sea of boots and bare feet. "This way!" encouraged the girl. 

A moment later, the team found themselves at the foot of a craggy flight of outdoor stairs; they scaled them quickly. The chase abruptly ended as Sevryll topped the steps.  Clinging tightly to the leg of a man, who towered ominously over her jade pursuer, the girl proclaimed proudly, "Here he is! Now where's my candy?"

[Jen]

A joint post by Jen and Startrekfanaitc5

"Ninety-eight...ninety-nine.... plffttt."  The winded Trill fell back to the mat.

"Come on doctor, one more." Nic said was a large smile.

Ryla smirked at the Lieutenant.

"Don't wimp out on me now," he said.

"OH, alright. No need to get pushy."

She managed one more sit-up as he held her feet.

Still sitting, she thanked him and leaned back to brace herself on the palms of her hands. Tilting her head to one side the bright-eyed Trill asked, "So, do you work out every morning at this time?" Took moved to sit cross-legged on the mat beside her.

"Yep," he replied as he tossed her a towel.

"Great. Can you hold my feet and call me a wimp tomorrow?"

"Sure, if you'll do the same for me," he laughed.

"Done," said Ryla holding out a hand. The two shook then Nic stood and helped the much shorter officer to her feet.

"Well, time to get ready for my shift. I'm going to drop in on our captain. I know he's avoiding me, but I promised to keep an eye on him and that's exactly what I intend to do."

"Good Luck..." Took laughed as Ryla exited the gym.





She smoothed her uniform and took a breath. It wasn't like her to come to the bridge without an invitation, but it was her duty to care for the crew and the Captain of the Arabella was not exempt. The door opened on the bridge, but Ryla hesitated to leave the turbolift. A few bridge officers turned their eyes in her direction and after a moment, the captain did the same. "I assume you're here to wave that device over me again?" he smiled. "As I've said before doctor, I'm fine."

Ryla shook her head slowly at his stubbornness, and he shook his at her persistence. "Yes. I'm sorry Captain. I just want to ensure that you are free of any residual effects. We're not entirely certain that Ter'Oss caused the episode, which necessitated your return to the ship."

She waited for an invitation to step out of the lift. He read her thoughts and waved her onto the bridge. "You're always welcome on my bridge Doctor Drett," he said.

"I promise I'll make this quick, sir," Ryla produce the tricorder and scanned her patient, who kept his seat. The gentle whirring of her tricorder merged readily with the melodious ambiance of the Arabella's bridge. Her ears found their harmony enchanting and an inherent smile pressed dimples into her cheeks in response to their song. As she absorbed the tone of her surroundings, the doctor examined the readouts on her scanner with interest. The determined captain's bio-signs told her he was perfectly healthy.

Ryla's eyes wandered from the tricorder to the chair that he sat in. The large padded armrests seemed offer their 'guest of honor', a welcoming embrace. The chair's gunmetal-gray, ribbed, leather lining, appeared particularly supple and beckoned her to touch its soft surface.  She had heard the command chair was the most comfortable perch on the Arabella, or any other ship for that matter, and she wondered if the rumor was true.

When the whirring ceased, Nathan looked up from his PADD and caught Ryla studying his chair. "Well, am I going to live, doctor?" he inquired playfully.

"You're fine," she said as she crossed her arms.

"I've been trying to tell you that," he replied. Nathan heard her thoughts and smiled, "have a seat, doctor." He rose and gestured to the chair.

The Trill's doe colored eyes beamed at the offer, "am I that legible?" She asked.

Nathan nodded, "you wear your thoughts on your sleeve. Please, have a seat...but don't get too comfortable."

The Trill's fingers graced the arm of the chair as if testing the temperature of a bath, before she slowly lowered herself into it. The cushioning gave slightly under her lightweight as the diminutive woman met the yielding surface.

Just as she started to relax, it struck her that she was sitting in the seat that housed the brain of the Arabella's central nervous system. The doctor thought of the job that came with the chair and decided its splendid comfort was an insignificant compensation for the awesome responsibilities, which rested squarely on the Captain's shoulders. Ryla rose from the chair, "Thank you, sir. It truly is the best seat in the house, but it comes with a lot of baggage. I don't envy you." She took a few steps towards the lift, "you will let me know if you have anymore headaches, won't you?"

Quinn smiled and gave her a quick nod, "Of course, doctor. Thank you for making a house call." Her smile broadened as she entered the turbolift and turned to face the door, "anytime, sir."

[X]

Joint post by Jen, Just X, Bryancd, and Hawkeyemeds

Nareen jumped as a stocky Ter'Ossick male brought the large, wedge-shaped butcher knife down on the neck of a squawking feathered creature. A heart beat later, and its green and blue crested head tumbled into the thick, red, mud that formed at the base of the butcher block. She blinked in horror as the bird's beak opened and closed reflexively— as if struggling to warn the ensign to 'run'. The oblivious butcher continued dressing the animal brusquely, by plucking its pretty plumage. Feathers stuck to his hairy, callused fingers and floated in the air about him as he worked perfunctorily.

"This way," said Lieutenant Commander James as he gently took her by the arm and lead her away from the gruesome sight. To say that she was suffering from 'culture shock' would have been an understatement, for this was Nareen's first visit to any alien worlds other than Earth. Within the Federation, the use of replicators had long ago eliminated the need to slay animals, and though the young Lorillian was aware of such practices, it was quite another story to witness it with one's own eyes. At his words, the young science officer regained her wits and continued to scan the crowd for anything of interest to their investigation.

Against his better judgement, commander James found himself wandering the market of the stone and wood alien city without even a third of his team around. They had been held up in their descent from the mountain and they needed to cover more ground. Splitting the team into three smaller teams was the only option to speed their covering of the ground.

He and Tev-Awash comprised one of the groups. Peterson, Margon, and Witko comprised the second team, leaving D'Callan and Dunn as the final group. He and Tev-Awash were designated the science team and part of their mission was to investigate possible sources of technology or advanced scientific information.

Margon was placed in charge the medical team. Their responsibility was simple. Investigate anyone that might be a non-native in disguise due to discrepancies in their biology or their behavior.

D'Callan's team had the dubious honor of searching the entire city for any sort of physical signs that the missing scientists were in the city. Given the large gathering of people for the festivals, they would need to move quickly in their search.

D'Callan and Dunn picked their way through a small cluster of rocks, suddenly out of the repetitive scenes stood the city. Sounds could be heard coming from the milling people. Dunn walked forward and obserevd the area's they were ordered to search.

"It looks busy Sir"

D'Callan walked behind Dunn to take a look, he took a deep breath.

"Hmmm, i feel Ensign we may have a long day and night ahead of us. I suggest we have a quick bite to eat, we may not know when the next time we get the chance."

D'Callan turned and sat down down behind the roks and searched in his pack for food sachets leaving Dunn to keep watch.

[Meds]

Joint Post by HawkeyeMeds, Jen and BryanCD

Ensign Dunn stood several yards away, watching a small child play with colorful toy rings near a cliff edge. Behind him, Lieutenant D'Callan emptied the food sachets and studied the packets with dubious eyes.
Dunn smiled to his Chief who was inspecting the rations with a disgusted look.

"Is that edible?" asked the young ensign sarcastically.

Joseph sniffed the bowl, "it will have to do till we find something better."

Ensign Dunn watched with concern as the child lost one of her loops
over the rock face. Kneeling he called out,

"Hello, what have you got
there?" 

As she looked toward him, his eye registered movement in the
trees ahead of them and stood up to have a better look. The child who
had been his focus, blurred as his eyes shifted to the seething beast
that charged out of the underbrush. Hot breath steamed out of its
nostrils and blood oozed from a wound on its back. Dunn stole a quick
glance back to the frozen child as the animal's hooves began to scrape
the dusty ground. It bowed its three razor sharp tusks to the ground
and glared at them over a wet snout, which dripped long strings of
tawny mucus. The young man slowly began to move towards the child, who
stood between he and the fuming creature.

The beast sounded a roar that erupted in the valley around them. Clods
of dirt were flung into the air as its hooves vengefully charged the
defenseless child. Instinctively, Ensign Dunn did the same.

The famished Chief of Security jumped up with a start when he heard
the roar, and turned his eyes just in time to see Dunn heading towards
the child. Lieutenant D'Callan then leveled his gaze upon the
rampaging beast. It was going to be close.

Dunn's strong hands managed to grab the child and he tossed her to
safety, before landing with a thud upon the hard, red clay. He rolled
onto his side and lifted his head in time to see the beast tearing
towards him. The angry hooves were unavoidable. Closing his eyes, the
ensign waited for the inevitable pain that the three ton monster would
visit upon him.

[institches]

Something about the smell of the magician reminded Mackie of an incident in her past. Her mind danced between that and the Hoska fruit "straight from the Kerritop mountains." While the rest of the team were involved in discussion, Mackie could hardly keep her attention on her surroundings.

During her first semester at Starfleet Academy, she had attended various biology classes, but one of her favorites was with an intriguing scientist, Dr. Era-Khellen. Mackie had never met a Denobulan before and she was fascinated with the facial ridges cresting her cheekbones, which exaggerated her every expression.She had taught an intensive workshop on cloning, which featured her work with flora from seven different worlds.

The Denobulan woman had insisted that her technique was so simple, she could teach it to anyone. "Cloning is nothing new. It occurs in nature. I call to mind the Terran shrimp, the Bolian tribow yeast, the list is endless. And then there is the simple cutting method that has been used since time immemorial." There was a murmur from the assembled students and she smiled, a wider smile than was usual among the assembled species.  "What, you didn't realize your ancestors had access to cloning technology? They did.

"Now my technique is little more than refinement and acceleration of that very same process." Dr Era-Khellen looked around the room at the otherworldly variety of plants and spotted a Terran ballerina rose. "Ah, the Gaura lindheimeri." Using simple tools and a bio-computer, Dr. Khellen took a sample and rapidly replicated the cutting."You see, I'm asking the rose to create it's own clone, rather than doing the work myself." She set the medium green stem in a vial of growth accellerant and they watched as it sprouted narrow elliptical leaves and root tendrils, budding a purple-pink flower, which opened into four narrow pink petals surrounding delicate white pestels. She took it out and matched it to a flower on the parent plant. Mackie drank in the intense scent of the rapidly maturing plant.

"A perfect clone." It wilted in her hand. There was silence from the assembled students and she laughed. "Well, almost perfect." The students let out a collected breath and laughed a bright citrus fragrance. "As I've just demonstrated, growth accellerant technology still has a ways to go. In the field, I use a much slower and much more stable medium. This level of maturity," she brandished the drooping rose, "would be acheived in less than a month, and it would be normal.

"You can see how this would assist famine-threatened populations and terra-forming projects. Let's discuss applica--"

Mackie had interrupted at this point, carefully moving her mouth along with the translator. "Why not just use bio-mimetic gel? Then you'd get a mature plant right away."

"You mean besides the restrictions on its use within the Federation? That's hard to say and certainly worth some thought." Dr Khellen raised golden  triangular eyebrows and nodded to herself. Mackie had picked up a sweet creamy smell of speculation. "Perhaps the research could be approved..." She made a note on the PADD on the worktable and resumed the discussion. "Now. About applications of cloning technology..."

[Meds]

Joint Post by JEN, BRYANCD, AND HAWKEYEMEDS

Lieutenant D'Callan pumped his arms furiously as his legs carried him at a dead run toward Ensign Dunn. He flicked his gaze from the young security officer, to the rampaging beast and back to Christopher Dunn, who was propped up on one arm, facing down the monster. The fiend bellowed once more as it closed in on its victim. It took all he had, but Joseph willed his feet to move faster and managed to shoulder barge Dunn out of the way just in time. A tusk narrowly missed Christopher's right shoulder, but the remaining two dug deep into D'Callan's abdomen.

The animal continued to power ahead with the Chief of Security impaled on his tusks. Screaming with pain Joseph smashed his fists down on the beast's head. Red dust blanketed them as D'Callan continued to beat wild-eyed animal. All he managed to do was slow the best to a trot. It turned its head, and Joseph,  back toward Dunn and the helpless child.

Though his mind was muzzy, Lieutenant D'Callan understood what the animal was thinking; it wouldn't stop until they were all dead. Despite the damage it caused to himself, Joseph stretched towards the animal's back, plunging the dagger-like tusks deeper into his core. Grasping the neck of the beast with one hand, he stabbed his free fist repetitively into the wound on the animal's back.

"Not today you beauty!" Shouted D'Callan. The animal began weave about as it ran. Pain clouded its vision as it staggered towards the lurking precipice. Racing to aid his superior, Dunn dived towards the edge just as the animal toppled over the cliff and plummeted to the valley below, with the skewered Lieutenant struggling against him.

Ensign Dunn scrambled to his feet, as the crying child came to his side. "NO!" he cried as the little girl in his arms wailed louder still. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he crawled forward and looked over the edge.

[Geekyfanboy]

Quinn strolled down the corridors on his way to Engineering. It's been unusually quiet aboard the ship. The away teams had been down on the planet for 26 hours and the Arabella was in high orbit. There wasn't much going on so Nathan left Lieutenant Zremm in command of the bridge and was on his way to surprise Nic with a lunch invitation.

Nathan entered Engineering and immediately spotted Nic over by the warp core. As he approached several crewmen stood at attention. Quinn smiled and nodded at his passed. Nic looked up and a broad smile came across his face.  Looking around he saw several crewmen glance at each other. Took's smile disappeared instantly, "Captain, I wasn't expecting you... everything is running smoothly here.. sir." Nic said this very quickly. Quinn smiled, "I'm sure everything is under control. I was actually going to see if you felt like grabbing some lunch."  Took's smile returned, "Of course Captain." Quinn raised an eyebrow.

[wraith1701]

As the bridge shook around him, Lt. Otak gripped the tactical console as though it were a lifeline.  The deck rocked violently beneath him, and he flexed his knees in an effort to ride out the undulations and retain his footing. 

To his left, the main science console exploded in a shower of sparks and plasma, throwing a young ensign mercilessly to the floor.  As the blaring of the red-alert klaxon echoed through the smoky bridge, Otak risked a glance back at the prone ensign.  The entire left side of the young man was a mass of smoldering, charred skin, and the ensign's uniform tunic had partially melted, fusing with the man's ruined flesh.  The smell of burnt meat and scorched plastic dominated the air.

Fighting back his gag reflex, Otak redirected his attention to the main viewscreen.  In the middle of the screen, a green speck stood out from the background of black space and white stars.  The speck rapidly grew as it drew nearer, finally resolving into the twin-hulled form of a Romulan Warbird.    The titanic craft's weapons array seemed to wink as another barrage of phased energy shot towards the bridge, smashing into the shields with an eye-searing explosion of light.  The deck rocked again, and this time, Otak was thrown off of his feet.

"Lt. Otak, RETURN FIRE!" yelled the captain, barely audible over the screeching of the alert klaxon and the roaring of the fire that now engulfed the science station.  Otak scrambled back to his feet, leaping to the tactical console to carry out his orders. 

His heart froze as he studied the readout- 

Weapons off-line.  Shield strength at 3%.

Otak hung his head in resignation.  Where did I screw up?, he thought to himself.  Because of my negligence, we're all doomed.

Another  explosion shook the bridge, and the lights flickered.  Directly above  Otak, the domed ceiling creaked as a series of cracks raced across it.  As the Lt. looked on, the ceiling fractured, then exploded out into the dark vacuum of space.  As the air around him whistled out into the void, Otak drew in one last, desperate breath, and gave a final, desperate shout--

"Computer; End Program!"

Instantly, the carnage around him was replaced by the familiar black-and-yellow grid of the holodeck.  The trembling, sweating Lt. took a slow, shuddering breath as he struggled to compose himself.

Four times I've tried this scenario, and each time, I've failed.  I'm not ready for bridge duty yet, he thought bitterly.

He stepped out into the brightly lit corridor, tugging down on his uniform tunic as the door closed behind him. 

Lt. Commander K'Tan seems to think that I have it in me to beat this, Otak thought.  A look of grim determination settled on the Lieutenant's face. 

I can't let him down, he thought to himself.  I'll try again tomorrow.

[Jen]

Joint Post by Jen, Wraith 1701, Institches, BryanCD and Just X

Mackie focused on the magician. What was the connection here? Then suddenly it came to her: It was the Hoska fruit vendor, or rather the vendor's wagon. The magician carried the same jarring sickly-sweet nectar smell, perhaps on his voluminous robes. She moved closer to help filter out the away team's natural and assumed fragrances. No, not his clothing, and not his natural smell, either. Something he had next to his skin: it mingled with the not unpleasant Ter'ossick male musk.

Commander Sevryll bowed slightly to the towering man standing before her, "Sir, my master has come a great distance to see you."

The conjurer smirked as he placed a hand on his daughter's head and stroked her silky blue strands. "Yes� as have many." His eyes flashed with arrogance then turned to leave.

Sevryll swept her gaze towards K'arath and without uttering a word, spoke volumes to the Chief Engineer.  He knew it was now time to put his choice of surgical alteration to the test. The Klingon nodded in understanding, cleared his throat and shook a pouch of coins for the conjurer's benefit. The magician stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the Chief Engineer. Seeing that he had the man's attention the Klingon improvised, "I am in need of your services and I am willing to triple the wages that your master currently pays you."  He was now fully engaged with K'arath. Clearly his services were for sale and the Klingon knew that greed could be a powerful motivator.


Although she had chosen to disguise herself as one of the noble caste, Aria had begun to regret that decision. Like many children, she once desired to play the role of a princess, but the reality was stifling. She simply observed the exchange and the negotiations with the wizard.  When they forced her mother from their world, she had become fascinated by the rich past of her mother's people and the legacy of the V'tosh ka'tur and of the Vulcans before the awakening. She craved more out of her existence and these missions were something that fulfilled that need.

The man glanced from one group member to another then scanned the immediate area in a nervous manner and gestured for K'ararth to follow. The magician led the group over a wooden catwalk and into a room at the far end. As the oval door closed behind the last of their group, he turned to address K'ararth. "My employer is mistrustful of his servants. Your loose words could mean my death�he would kill me if he knew I was speaking to you now." He eyed the coin purse K'ararth held in his hand with anticipation, "what service do you require?"

"I am a man of great power and influence in my land," K'arath explained. "My enemies are as vast as my wealth and I require the services of someone with your particular...skills." Clearly the magician was interested in the job, but K'ararth needed to see the extent of the man's powers to better determine if he truly was being supported by any Starfleet technology or was simply a consummate showman. "I will require a demonstration of your power before I name my price."

Sevryll found it odd that a man employed to protect his master from assassins would be fearful of him. The Vulcan remained silent, simply observing his manner as K'ararth wove an impressive tale about his need for protection. The commander rolled her gaze to Spring and Aria to gage their reaction to his delivery.  It was her husband's job to lie, and he had crafted quite a few for her. But Sevryll was not the best judge when it came to the quality of the performance, for she had bought all of David's.

Mackie glanced back and met Sevryll's eyes. She raised pale blue eyebrows to indicate her interest before continuing her mission to sniff out the truth.

As K'arath concluded his spiel, the magician simply stared at the group in silence.  Overcome by a need to seize control of the situation, K'Tan stepped forward.  "You need not fear a reprisal from your master," he said.  "If you agree to work for my lord, we will take you with us.  Your master will have no hope of finding you then."

As he took in the group gathered before him, the magician's demeanor seemed to gradually change.  "Take me with you, eh?" he asked.  "Excuse me, but which province are you from, exactly?"

"The southern continent," K'Tan quickly replied.  "Our ship delivered us here a few days ago."

The magician glanced at the pendant hanging from K'Tan's neck, and as his eyes drifted back up to meet K'Tan's, an enigmatic smile formed on his face.  "It is said that the southern seas are extremely dangerous this time of the year; the currents are nearly impossible to navigate. Your ship must be one of the stars of your fleet to have made the crossing safely."

Detecting what seemed to be an unusual stress on two of the words in the magician's last sentence, K'Tan quirked an eyebrow in an almost Vulcan manner.

"You could say that," he replied.

[Jen]

Joint Post by Jen and Just X

Aria bit her lip as she heard confirmation of the man's knowledge. She was furious that they had tainted such an interesting culture. One of the most sacred rules of the Federation was not only being violated, it was being flaunted. She moved closer to the magician and focused her ire upon him. "Are you going to make a scene now? I would love to show you my magic, but it's nowhere as grand as our magician here."

She gave a quick glance at K'Tan. "His is an old magic that involves calling down from the sky to smite sinners that continue to willfully spite the laws of heaven and break the covenant they were entrusted with."

Unable to completely quell the feeling of unease, Commander Sevryll shifted her weight and crossed her arms. "If you mean that that the sailing ship that carried us here was swift and sturdy, then yes, it our ship is an excellent sea faring vessel."

The wizard swept an appraising eye from Sevryll to Aria and K'ararth, "Why do you allow your servants to speak to me. And the female, though she is a Blate, she should not address me directly. Either you truly are foreigners, or your command over others is more limited than you let on." He waved a hand in dismissal as K'ararth began to intercede. "I care not. As long as the currency you disburse is legitimate. I will demonstrate my skills only after you allow me to examine the coins, to verify they are not counterfeit."

[wraith1701]

Face heating, K'Tan scowled at the magician's insulting, dismissive tone. His first impulse was to shake hands with the man's neck.   Glancing at his comrades, he followed their cue and held his tongue.

The magician's mention of "Star" and "Fleet" could have been nothing more than a coincidence, or it could have been a subtle hint to let the team know that he suspected their true identity.  As demonstrated by Commander Sevryll, the best course of action in either case would be to stay in character, and wait for the Ter'ossik to slip-up.  If he truly was one of the missing scientists, it would only be a matter of time.

The man held out a hand towards K'arath.  "The coins, please?"

[X]

Aeric James and the ensign moved unmolested though the city as they followed his senses. He had randomly detected a technological signal since their arrival, but it had become more constant when arrived in the city.

Their path had taken them towards the entry of the stone carved necropolis that held the dead in their final rest. Their interaction with the locals had revealed that there was a recent addition to the tombs. It contained the body of what they called the Ter'Draq, beings that would be the Earth equivalent of Faeries and changelings. The discovery of the crimson blooded male was all the proof that the blue blooded Ter'Ossic needed to confirm their myth.

"We need to see that body." Aeric whispered and made sure the ensign was aware of the heavy guard presence. "It seems they don't want the body disturbed until those from other settlements have a chance to confirm their story."

[Meds]

Dunn fell to his knee's. The body of Lt Joseph D'Callan lay motionless on top of the silent beast. The child released her arms from Dunns neck and looked at him, her tears had stopped, she put her hands on Dunns face and turned his head towards her.

"Sorry"

Dunn's eyes registered the young girls words.

"Go to your parents young one. Go home"

The child waited for a bit and then backed off, and ran into the woods from where the beast had come from. Dunn returned his eyes to the bodies below. He took his pendant from around his neck and tapped the edge.

"Dunn to Commander James. We've had a serious incident here. I need the runabout straight away. Repeat hurry i need transport back to the Arabella"

He was surprised how calm he sounded, but inside his stomach churned and his emotions were shot. Waiting for a reply he fell back onto his side,his eyes locked on D'Callans body.

[Meds]

A young soldier walked towards the entrance to the cave, he shone his light into the blackness. waving the torch about he glimpsed what looked like a boot. Holding his phaser up he edged forward. On the floor lay several bodies, their faces contorted with horror. The officer went to tap his communicator when he was suddenly smacked to the ground. The old man stood looking at the fallen officer, bending down he began to remove the clothing.