[Columbia] Into Darkness

Posted on Tue Dec 4th, 2012 @ 2:31pm by Miral Annhwi & Colonel Wilhelm Baron von Hackleberg
Edited on on Tue Dec 4th, 2012 @ 4:50pm

825 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: The Enemy Within: Typhon is Missing!
Location: Tiberius IV

ON

Ronnie and Maria used their tricorders to scan the perimeter of the cavern. It was larger than either of them expected. It took them nearly 20 minutes to walk the perimeter. The cavern was mostly empty. On one end was a tunnel leading under the sand. Because of the nature of the sand, the tricorders couldn't penetrate farther than a meter in. But what little they scanned appeared to be man made. What bothered them more was that in the center of the cavern was a large pile of crates. Each crate contained a hundred spider-like creatures. The ones filled with Borg nanites.

"This is bad," Maria whispered to Ronnie.

"We need to destroy them," Ronnie whispered back, although she wasn't sure why Maria was whispering. It wasn't as if the spider creatures could understand them. At least, she hoped they couldn't.

"What have you got Ensign?" Cam asked, limping up behind them

"Boxes of those spider creatures," Maria replied. "Like the one that bit Lieutenant T'Lada and are filled with Borg nanites. Each box has 100 of them. We killed dozens of them back at the base camp."

"There has to be some place nearby where they're being created," Ronnie added. And if so, there had to be something -- or someone -- creating them.

"That doesn't sound good, any sign that they're active?" Cam asked, looking the boxes over

"Hard to tell. I don't want to open one of the crates to find out," Maria quipped. "Personally, I'd like to burn the lot and be done with them."

"Keep an eye on them for now. I'd rather not go blowing things up right now" Cam said, looking back at the boxes

"Okay, but we can't leave them here," Maria said. "And I'm not about to bring them with us."

"We need to find out where they came from," Ronnie said, nodding towards the tunnel leading under the sand. "I think we should check it out."

Kara walked up to the others. "Not without proper backup."

"Personally the Borg are nothing to be curious about, it's best to just burn them." Amarylis chimed in.

"I don't think we'll be getting any backup Sargeant, we'll have to make do with who and what we've got" Cam said, looking over at the cavern, "ok, set a few charges on these things. We'll blow them than move on. Is there any other injuries than mine?"

"Good here." Wilhelm chimed in.

"Nope, you're the only one who was smart enough to fall into the cavern," Kara teased Cam.

"Set the charges, but I want to see what's ahead before blowing them. We may have to come back here in a hurry," Ronnie cautioned.

Miral slipped silently into the cave and up to the others. "Lieutenant Abbott has returned to the Calypso with the prisoners. Your Captain wishes us to find the Borg compound nearby and destroy it."

"I bet it's over there," Maria said, indicating the tunnel. "Now we really need to go investigate."

Ronnie had to admit she was glad to have the order to go investigate. Even though she had no interest in encountering the Borg. She wanted to find out how they created the creatures and she wanted to find out what else the Borg were up to. Call it scientific curiosity. At least Damion wasn't there to tell her it was too dangerous.

Cam sighed, "Alright, let's get to it. Everyone make sure your weapons are locked and loaded, I don't intend to leave anyone behind this time"

"Ready," Kara said after checking her TR119. Silently she agreed with Cam. Marines left no one behind.

The tunnel went about twenty meters and split into two tunnels, one going further under the sand, one going around to the right. "I'll take a group to the left," Ronnie said. "I think we'll find the complex there." It made sense. The complex couldn't be scanned under the sand and would be a perfect hiding place. Although the sand was also making breathing difficult.

Cam nodded, "Alright, I'll take a group to the left and look it over, there may be more than one complex so just to be sure"

Ronnie nodded. "Maria, Ambassador Annhwi, come with me. And four Marines. That should be enough to get us in and out safely."

Miral nodded. She was curious to see what was behind the Borg attacks.

Kara glanced at Ronnie, then at Cam. "I'll come with you," she said to Cam. She looked at her men and gave them a hand signal to line up behind Cam and Wilhelm. "Let's do this!"

OFF

Colonel Wilhelm Baron von Hackleberg
Marine CO
Starbase Typhon

Master Sergeant Cameron Bourne
Delta Platoon Leader
USS Calypso

Staff Sergeant Kara Melo
Alpha Platoon Leader
USS Calypso

Sergeant Amarylis Beckinsale
Marine
USS Calypso

Lieutenant JG Ronnie Lancaster
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Calypso

Ensign Maria Delgado
Science Officer
USS Calypso

Miral Tal'Aura Annhwi
Romulan Ambassador
Starbase Typhon

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