Moving On

Posted on Fri Jul 1st, 2016 @ 7:28pm by Colonel S'er'in'e & Captain Liarra Von
Edited on on Fri Jul 1st, 2016 @ 7:28pm

Mission: The Art of Survival
Location: Unknown M Class Planet

Von wasn't sure how long she had been sitting in the cave. She had enough to worry about just trying to stay warm and dealing with the pain in her leg. But the solitude was unsettling. She was lost in the middle of nowhere with a broken leg and hiding in a cave, wondering if her shipmate was going to return. She tried to keep her mind off of it, but she couldn't get over the dread that maybe this was where her story was going to end, alone in a cave on an uninhabited planet.

Eventually she heard the relieving sound of S'er'in'e's claws tapping on the stone. She tried to sit up straighter, phaser in hand just in case it wasn't him. She sighed a quick sigh of relief when she saw that it was him that had rounded the corner. "Colonel," she replied softly, answering his greeting. "Did you find anything?"

"I did." Having placed the makeshift bag next to her. "I have found some more articles of your clothing, a book, and other items." He paused briefly as he sat, in a way a feline would. "Unfortunatly we are not alone, while I searched the crash site I observed another shuttle craft land on the opposite side of the ridge to ours. Three occupants exited, A Klingon, a Nausican and a Human. Though unfortunate it did reveal that sensors and hand held scanners are disrupted by something in these mountains. I was a few hundred meters from them, they should have detected me, yet failed to do so. This may work to our advantage." Peering to the entrance and then back. "I suggest we use the cover of night to move to a different position to put distance between us."

S'er'in'e knew this was a short term fix, sooner or later they would be found or he would have to deal with them. His only chance was to catch one alone and unsuspecting, he couldn't risk a fight, even a short one with his injuries. "You should wear my uniform, big as it may be on you it should offer warmth and protection from the elements while I carry you." The movements would keep him warm.

The new developments were concerning, but it did confirm her suspicions. Someone wanted one of them dead. She wasn't vain enough to presume that it was her that they wanted. S'er'in'e could very well have had his own demons. The recent fight that he had with an old rival from Cait came to mind. In any case, it was irrelevant who they wanted. They would both be killed if caught.

"I have the thermal jacket," Von replied, pulling back the uniform she was using as a blanket to reveal the reflective material. "But it's probably not going to be much use if we're trying to be stealthy. The darker colors of your uniform would be better, and I might be able to get them on over top of it. It's going to be awfully dark out there, but I have a feeling that's going to be a bigger problem for me than it will be for you. How soon do we need to leave?" She was more than a little curious to see what all he had recovered from the ship, but the need for survival outweighed her curiosity.

"Shortly, I suggest you make any alterations you wish to now, check what I found and then we will leave, we should put more distance between us as possible." While she did that he returned to the entrance to see if he could spot anything. "I should point out.." He spoke when he returned. "It may be necessary for me to kill them should they get too close." It was only a matter of time before that came about and a phaser would also give his position away. "Again, what I am may serve better than a phaser and give them cause for caution if they think dangerous predators roam this area."

Von nodded. "Fair enough. But just the same, I think I'd feel better keeping the phaser on me. If we do get in a fight with whoever is looking for us, I'd to be able to shoot back." She turned to the makeshift parcel, careful to untie it in such a way that it can be easily tied back. It wasn't much, but she was appreciative of the items he recovered. At least the book would give her something to occupy her while she was stuck hiding in caves. She prepped S'er'in'e's uniform and slipped it over her own clothes. The pants proved to be a little difficult with her injured leg and splint, but she managed. Eventually she was ready to move, or at least as ready as she was going to be. "I'm afraid you'll still have to do most of the heavy lifting. I think I could walk supported, but I'll slow us down. We can head out whenever you're ready, Colonel."

"Ser'in'e." He replied. "Considering the situation, you may call me S'er'in'e if you wish. I need not be held to the same with you Captain." He was trying to ease the situation between them, her injury, the stress of being hunted, the threat that loomed over them he thought perhaps a more social setting would provide them with some small measure of calm.

"Alright then, S'er'in'e," she replied, somewhat reluctantly. Von was on first name basis with some of her officers when off duty, but she hadn't had the time or the opportunity to really get to know S'er'in'e. But given the circumstances, maybe it would be a good time to start. "If we're not going to stick to rank, then you can call me Liarra."

One last look through the vines after he lowered himself and he saw nothing, his eyes had adjusted to the poor light levels. He looked back at Von and though about her visibility even if she wore his uniform it still left one part of her body. He poured a little water onto the dirt floor beside her. "It may not be attractive but you should wipe that on your face to mask any light reflection, you may also want to rub some through your hair to remove the clean shine it has." For him it was not so much an issue, he was what he was but for her it would stand out more should light reflect off a small round object in the distance.

While she wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea, it made perfect tactical sense, even to the point that Von was disappointed that she hadn't thought of it first. She mixed the mud with her hands and rubbed it over her face and through her hair. Her face might not have been completely covered, but there was enough applied randomly to disrupt the pattern if she was seen. She wiped what was left off her hands to ensure that she could still keep a strong grip on the phaser if needed.

With a delicate touch S'er'in'e picked Liarra up once he'd placed the bundle in her lap to carry. There was no doubt such a move was uncomfortable and painful to some degree but the urgency of the situation necessitated action. Now that he knew where the enemy were he took a steady but mindful pace directly away from them. It was cold he could tell by the chill his nose held and the wave of cold air into the lungs as he took each breath. He was glad she put his uniform on as it was no doubt cold for her.

S'er'in'e walked for some time with Liarra in his arms, he made sure to keep the mountain point over his left shoulder as a terrain marker to ensure he kept a steady direction. A few times S'er'in'e placed Liarra on the floor to scout an area hoping to find another cave, he found two but one was recently occupied going by the scent of it. The second cave was small, just enough for him to fit in but it provided shelter from the elements and cover from those chasing them. He placed Liarra at the entrance and then began to claw up the ground, brush against nearby trees to leave his scent upon them, he didn't like doing this but he couldn't take the chance something else might roam this area that was higher up the chain than he.

"This should suffice till morning." S'er'in'e spoke as he neared her again. Lifting her again he carried her into the cave. There were no vines to cover the entrance but a rocky outcropping obscured it from easy view, still, it was open though. He came to lay next to Liarra positioning himself between her and the entrance. "Should you be cold, lay against me for warmth. With your injury you need to keep warm or be sapped of it by the wound even if you are clothed."

All of the movement through the night had been taking its toll, but Liarra knew that she'd be able to manage, at least for a little while longer. There was still no telling how long they might be stuck here, or if they would even be found. After S'er'in'e had set her down for the last time that evening, she tried to stretch her legs. Unsurprisingly, her right leg was still full of pain. She grimace and relaxed, making a mental note not to try that again. It wasn't the first time she had broken a bone, but it was certainly the longest that she had gone without medical treatment.

For now, Von laid against the wall of the cave, sitting upright. She was tired, but not quite ready to fall asleep. In the darkness she could just barely make out the large silhouette of her travelling companion. "I'll keep that in mind. But I'm alright for now," Von replied, crossing her arms and fighting off a slight chill. "Just don't be alarmed if you wake up and find me cuddling against you."

"I understand." S'er'in'e's attention was at the entrance, they would be safe for the time being but a confrontation was only a matter or time. It would still be another day and hours before they were scheduled to arrive at Cestus III. Nobody knew they were missing yet and time was not a luxury they had. Sooner or later he would have to deal with those that hunted them.