LtCmdr Sky Blake, "The ranger."

[Deliera Jay]

((Macropus clearing))

Ekal: How long you heading out for?

Blake: Until I find more of our people.

::She snapped a power pack into the Aquila non-lethal stun pistol in her hands, before sliding it into the holster on her hip. They'd been here two weeks and they hadn't located the rest of their people, and though they were settling in well, that they still hadn't located their command pair was starting to weigh on Sky just a little.

::Sky Blake was the second officer of the Veritas. In Rahman and Delano's absence, she was in command.

::Though she was in her element, and was doing a solid job of handling their situation, she wasn't ready to be *in command* just yet.::

Ekal: You're going by yourself?

Blake: Of those gathered here, I'm the only one medically suited to long treks in this climate. It's not my first time scouting uncharted land - it won't be my last. Besides, this is my job. It's nice to go back to this after a solid year out in space.

Ekal: You prefer the ground.

::Blake paused from packing a backpack, emerald eyes glancing at him in contemplative thought. That was less of a question on his part, more of a statement of something he already knew. But she kept quiet, going back to putting carry supplies into the pack.::

Blake: I trained to be an officer on the Veritas, not at Starfleet Academy. All of that was on the job training that I learned from observation or studying after a shift, getting about five hours sleep a night. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every moment of that. But when I was offered a position with the Starfleet Rangers, they trained me up like they did others from unique circumstances. I learned skills with them that I wouldn't have as an officer on the Veritas. I used to think the serving on the Veritas meant that we the crew were looking at the 'small picture', but in reality, the scope of various things the Veritas has to accomplish means that the crew as a whole can't do that. But a single ranger sent out to a small settlement? Brings a whole new meaning to 'small picture'.

Ekal: A positive one, I hope.

Blake: Of course. The Rangers are the epitome of everything that's good about Starfleet - the best officers that Starfleet have to offer, no exceptions, no attitudes, just . . . good people. We're explorers, we chart land the old fashioned way, we speak to the locals on a personal level - we *serve the people*, because we're *required* to visit these smaller places that have only one or two settlements on a small planet. Like this one. That's why I was insistent on naming our camp straight away. It's good for morale, and it's good for map making.

Ekal: Makes sense.

::She stepped away from the table, picking up her tricorder and flipping it open, checking the time.::

Blake: I know you didn't expect to be stuck here for long-

Ekal: We have different definitions of the word "stuck" . . .

Blake: Regardless, ::she sucked in a breath:: I'm glad you've been trying to help out.

::Jhalib shrugged, crossing his arms. He didn't look as disheveled as he had on the Veritas, no doubt the warmer climate helping his condition a bit more. And with the absence of harmful radiation and ongoing technology - or hell, maybe just being able to soak in some sun - he finally had a good colour tinge his cheeks, his eyes a little brighter.::

::But there was a limit on exactly how much a man from the 25th century could assist with or accomplish when deserted on a planet with little in the way of technological resources. He refused to be a drain on their supplies, but at the same time, there just wasn't anything to put him up to - not in his condition. Their medical officers were not keen on him doing more than just wandering around the camp aimlessly.

::But Blake didn't like the idea of him dwelling on this situation anymore than he had to, either. Their mental health were just as important as their physical, and for now, everyone *seemed* to be doing okay. But she was by no means an expert on that.::

Ekal: I'm happy to help.

::She nodded, glad to hear that he was willing to try, and those at the camp were willing to receive that, too. It was a combined effort, whatever complications people had about trusting him dissipating fairly quickly when they all realized he was stuck in the same boat that they were. His time travel device, the CRI brace, wasn't capable of transporting him out of here when he hadn't completed the coordinates for a correct time jump, and Ekal wasn't willing to risk ending up floating in space. The CRI was only capable of transporting through time - it's user remained in it's one spot in space.

::Rumour went around the camp that he could no longer transport to the future for some 'unforeseen complication', but she'd been too afraid to ask.::

::She started zipping up her pack.::

Blake: Commander Kelrod and Commander Core are the most senior officers here, they'll be in charge until I return. Hopefully, I'll be back with good news.

Ekal: In that case, my well wishes to you.

Blake: Thank you. ::Slinging the pack onto her back.:: I'm scouting the nearest water sources. Tristam got a ping from a communicator on a beach not far from here.

Ekal: When you say 'not far', what does that mean?

Blake: That it's at least a full day away at a walking pace.

Ekal: So expect you back in two days time?

Blake: Here's hoping.

Tbc . . .

LtCmdr Sky Blake

Chief of Security

USS Veritas

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