1stLt Samuel Woolheater - A Little Too Clean
Radamio
1stLt Samuel Woolheater - A Little Too Clean
(( Cargo Entry Charlie - Garasi District, Argratha Capital City, Argrathi V))
It had been decided then. The bulky hauler would be the vehicle they would use to transport them to the desert site. Chief Engineer Lahl seemed confident that the vehicle would serve this purpose. And, having retrieved the navigation logs, they knew how to get to the site. While they continued to make final preparations, Sam went and secured some basic provisions. Water, a first-aid kit and some pre-packaged Argrathi food that Sam hoped wasn’t Argrathi edible Styrofoam. With a couple packs and enough for everyone for the journey, he returned.
Ke: My subordinates can handle this ::pointing at the scanners:: I’d prefer to stay with you.
Lahl: What do you say Commander T’Korva?
T’Korva: Then let us depart, but not before I say this once again ::an excited tone in her voice — it’s a good day to die!
Sam nodded and boarded the vehicle and said,
Woolheater: It’s just a Sunday drive out to a transport site out in the desert.
Sam winked and then chose his seat in the back behind the driver’s side of the cabin.
Lahl: Understood. Let’s get rolling.
Commander T’Korva wanted to get moving, so did they all. With twilight upon them, at least the ride would be cooler and the cover of darkness might give them aid. Two Argrathi Security guards handed them additional weapons. The equivalent of phaser rifles. Not as nice or as powerful as a Federation phaser rifle. But, better than nothing. Sam took the offered small arms and he gave it a quick once-over. Controls were simple enough. It would do.
Ke: Will you be ok out there Commander?
Sam grinned, looked up and smirked,
Woolheater: Everybody likes a road trip. ::beat:: Let’s just hope this one ends better than most.
T’Korva: Well put, Lieutenant ::beat:: Onward! ::pointing ahead with her free hand as her other hand stabilized her on the side of the vehicle.
The vehicle shuddered as its mechanisms came to life. Sam especially enjoyed the loud backfires and sparks that came from the exhaust pipe. It was fascinating to be on a wheeled vehicle again. A cloud of smoke and fumes belched from the vehicle, perhaps the mixture was a bit…rich. In record time, Lahl had it figured out and they smoothly drove away.
(( Beyond the Gates, Approx. 30 kilometers beyond the Garasi District, Argratha Capital City, Argrathi V))
Seeing the way Commander T’Korva enjoyed the ride on the outside of the vehicle, reminded Sam of the many rides he had with the family pooch. Nose out the window, sniffer going at maximum resolution. A big smile and happy as a clam. Or, in this case, happy as a Klingon.
While Lahl and Ke discussed the finer points of the remodulated scanners, Sam had finished reviewing the navigation logs.
Woolheater: Commander T’Korva? We’re getting close.
T’Korva: Good, let’s slow down and find a place to approach on foot. ::beat:: I am sorry engineer Ke, there is a hike ahead of us.
Ke: No problem here Commander. ::jumping down from the cab.
Lahl: Response?
T’Korva: Perfect ::to Woolheater:: Do you want to take point?
The hauler was stopped, shutdown and parked. There were no tire tracks here, they had left the mapped “road” to the site. It was quiet, cooler and a perfectly clear night. The stars, while unfamiliar in the patterns, shone high above them. And Sam wondered which one of those many tiny points of moving lights was the Sower.
Woolheater: Aye sir.
Sam wished for better gear, they had their tricorders, standard issue type II sidearm hand phasers and four Argrathi phaser rifles.
T’Korva: I will take up the rear. Lahl, Ke, monitor for life signs and any technology that might surprise us. ::beat:: From here on out, hand signals only. Whisper only if absolutely necessary. We do not know what we are walking into.
Ke seemed, to Sam, to be the least comfortable with her rifle. The last thing they needed right now was someone unfamiliar with a weapon and Sam offered to carry it for her.
Woolheater: Ke’Partha, ma’am. You’ll be more valuable on the scanners than behind that rifle. ::beat:: I’ll carry it. Stay behind Lieutenant Lahl.
Ke/Lahl: Response?
Ke: ::making a sealing motion with her hands and lips::
Two moons hung over the desert. One bright and sharp, the other a dim companion trailing behind, casting long, uneven shadows across the sand.
Woolheater activated his tricorder, setting it to continue scanning and relaying data to the Sower even while closed. The team moved off the hauler and into the open desert, boots crunching softly over packed sand and scattered stone. Ahead, the terrain rose in a gentle slope toward the plateau, the night air cool and still against their skin. No wind. No sound. Just the quiet stretch of ground between them and the site. Woolheater kept them moving at a steady pace, eyes forward, scanning the rise and the approaches as they advanced.
Ke/Lahl/T’Korva: Response?
There were three large antenna like masts here. And, in the center was a low structure, it looked like an entrance to something that was below ground. Silently, they crouched and Sam compared tricorder readings with Lieutenant Lahl.
Woolheater: (softly) Something’s not right. ::beat:: These power signatures are enough to drive industrial cargo transporters… but I don’t see any pads.
There were no vehicles. No haulers, no signs of activity. Just the quiet night and a stillness in the air. There was the faint sound of a transporter beam. It sounded oddly hollow.
Ke/Lahl/T’Korva: Response?
Woolheater: Energy patterns could be faked. Staged you know? Just set up an emitter. If this is buried, we’ll only confirm it by getting closer. It’s possible that they buried their operation inside the ground to avoid satellite imagery.
Ke/Lahl/T’Korva: Response?
Folding the tricorder closed, but still transmitting to the Sower, the team started on the journey across the flat, open top of the plateau and toward the faint, hollow echo of a transporter cycling somewhere ahead.
Tags!
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1stLt Samuel Woolheater, SFMC
Sniper / Infantry Officer
2nd Platoon, Precision Fires & Recon
USS Octavia E. Butler (NCC-82850)
O240111SW4