Lieutenant Jack Kessler - Where the trail leads
Joel Cannistraro
[[OOC - Since both characters first name is Jack, I am using Kessler to differentiate between the two narratives.]]
((Rondon Falls, Lower Level, Endicronimas V))
Kessler bit his tongue. He did not know the bridge crew just yet and was not sure what was going on up there that would have lead the Ronin's on duty staff to put a scan for a potentially lost r stranded individual at the end of the line but he was going to investigate this to the fullest as soon as he returned to the ship.
Morrow: Did you bring any climbing gear, Jack?
Kessler: ::to Morrow:: I did. =/\= Ronin, this Lieutenant Jack Kessler, Chief of Security. I want all hour sensor logs and bridge alerts sent to my office for review on my return. Include all duty rosters as well. Kessler out.=/\=
Kessler did not wait for the bridge to respond before he tapped his combadge, disconnecting the conversation. oO There better be a pretty damn good explanation for this behavior. Oo
Morrow: Alright, Morrow out. :: turning to Kessler:: Looks like we either wait or just climb down there? Thoughts?
Kessler looked at Morrow and then at the cliff edge. If there was someone down there, they both could not go. Rescue on a climb like this needed someone at the bottom and someone at the top of the retrieval line.
Kessler: If someone is down there, we need a recovery person up here. I have extensive training in high mountain rescue. We'll need you to be the decent line and guide to anchor the down line. I can counterbalance from up here.
Morrow: Works for me, I'm not that highly rated. But I do climb whenever I get the chance, and I brought gear just in case. ::he smiled::I have a lot of practical and holodeck climbing experience.
Kessler nodded and took his gear pack off his back. Kneeling he opened it and pulled his harness out, along with the climbing rope he had brought. A black and red diamond patterned line wound in a neat quick release formation. Kessler also pulled a small Type-1 cricket phaser from his pack and handed it over to Morrow.
Kessler: If you need it to cut structure or if you need it to stun a wounded animal. I always carry one of those with me. Great fire starters too.
Kessler grinned at Morrow as he slid his harness on and readied himself. He looked around for the best possible anchor to tether his line to and then began sitting up his counterbalance pulley system.
Morrow: Alright, I’m ready when you are….I think..
Kessler: If you get down there and it is a person, follow emergency medical triage protocols first. We do not want to cause any further injuries.
Morrow: :: gives a thumbs-up:: You got it, Chief.
Kessler: Whenever you are ready. Nice and slow and keep coms open.
Kessler braced his line as Jack took up the slack on his end and leaned out over the edge. Lunch was going to be a little later than expected.
Morrow: ::looking down over his right shoulder:: Hey down there, can you hear me?
Kessler listened in through his combadge as Morrow stopped for a second and gave a listen, and nothing, and then continued down.
Kessler: Status?
Kessler continued to counterbalance the line watching for any signs of trouble. So far everything in the descent was going smoothly.
Morrow: I’m about fifteen meters out. From what I can see, it may be two entities; both, by the looks of it, they’re unconscious. Could you warn the Ronin? That we might need emergency medical transport, I’d like it on standby.
Kessler: Understood. ::looking to the descent line and then the sky:: =/\= Kessler to the Ronin. Standby for possible emergency extraction and medical treatment at my coordinates.=/\=
Ronin: =/\=Ronin to Lieutenant Kessler. Standing by. =/\=
Morrow: Alright, Jack, I’ve got two males down here, a Bolian and a Ferengi, and from the looks of them, they weren’t on a nature hike.
Kessler looked around his environment as he kept the counterbalance steady. If Morrow suspected they were not hikers then what were they doing out here? Kessler's mind shifted into Security mode and Tactical awareness in the blink of an eye. He began scanning every point of interest. Every possible outcropping, branch, boulder, every advantage point that might hide or conceal someone from view.
Morrow: I haven’t checked the Ferengi. But the Bolian male is hanging on by a thread; not only did he take something to the head, it looks like he took a disrupter blast straight to the chest. So I’d have to go out on a limb here, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Kessler paused, taking in the last part of Morrow's statement. oO Disruptor blast to the chest? Here on Endicronimas V? Oo
Kessler: Could this have been a dispute between these two or are we looking at a third party firing on them?
Kessler did not like voicing the question aloud, especially if there was an external potential threat that could still be in the area listening. A threat that could just as easily want to leave no witnesses and Kessler was not armed for a fire fight. His gear bag did not contain anything more of a weapon than his water bottle and a small folding knife. He mentally ran through his gear bag inventory and realized he had one item with him that could serve as a weapon if needed. A smile crossed his face as he looked around the trees, bushes and shrubs trying to locate any threat.
Morrow: response
Kessler: That's not the best of news. Are either of them trapped or can they be transported directly to the Ronin?
Morrow: response
Kessler paused as he heard what thought was movement to his rear left. His nerves normally never got the better of him but after this last mission he felt a little more on edge than normal. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw nothing. The line in his hands, feeding down through the descent harness, remained tight so he had little movement as he kept the line stable for Morrow.
Kessler: Jack, watch the vitals on the Bolian. I am clipping a line bag to the descent line and sending down several transport enhancer tags.
Kessler pulled the smaller gear pouch from his gear bag, opened it and visualized the four tags. He had learned aboard the Oumaumua never to leave home without at least four of these little things. For some reason, he always found a use for them. Stepping over to the edge, still maintaining a taut line, he leaned out and forward to draw the main line off the rock face. Clipping the pouch to the main line he dropped it and watched it zip down the line towards Morrow. Once the pouch was free of the rock face Kessler stepped back and allowed the main line to rest against the edge again.
Morrow: response
Kessler: =/\= Kessler to Ronin. Security alert, my location. We have two male humanoids injured from what appears to be disruptor fire. One Bolian, one Ferengi. Lieutenant Morrow is on a descent line over a cliff face now providing medical triage and tagging the two with transport enhancers. Prepare for emergency transport on his mark.=/\= ::taking a breath and looking around:: Jack, Ronin is standing by for your call.
Ronin: =/\= Standing by, do you need Security forces on the ground Lieutenant Kessler? =/\=
Kessler looked around again and still saw nothing that warranted an immediate Security response. If there was someone hiding nearby, watching the rescue attempt, a large presence of Security might scare them off and then Kessler and Morrow would lose any chance of finding out what happened here.
Kessler: =/\= Standby on Security reinforcements Ronin.=/\=
Morrow: response
TAGS/TBC