<< HUH ! Already part 4 and still not ending? ::grins:: thats called addicted, isnt it? >> ===== On the way to the torpedo storage room, research station ===== Minutes passed and the away team moved slowly but steadily towards their target location ... the torpedo storage room. Since the last of Shane's falls and the encounter with the three aliens entities they havent met any troubles and now were only two sections away from the storage room. The situation was becoming a bit more serious. In less than 5 minutes they will enter the storage room and there was a high probability that they will encounter several aliens. Shane dared not to guess how many ... or what kind of ... but he was sure that this encounter wont happen so peacefully like the first one. Shane was getting a bit sick with the aura this station was radiating. Even with a bunch of security guys (and marine bodyguards) around him, he was feeling watched since he stepped out the shuttle. An uncertain feeling of fear and horror filled the background of his mind and Shane strongly hoped that the away mission will be over as soon as possible. Pvt Huhu walked a half pace in front of the XO, constantly alert for any sign of the aliens, her rifle carried ready to fire. Now and then she glanced at Shane.{At least he seems to have recovered} she thought, feeling happier that he was at least remaining upright. Pvt. Pillow could hardly believe they'd made it this far without further incident; she only hoped that they could finish the mission as uneventful as the last few minutes had been. There was a signal for an all stop. She halted and took her position to provide adequate cover for the engineer and the doctor she was now guarding. She looked back to make sure Honey was still doing OK with the XO. She glanced at the young doctor and noticed her expression was a bit more serious. Van imagined they all were wearing more serious expressions now. Not that they weren't perfectly serious in doing their jobs before, but you could feel the tension now. It hung in the air and grated across your nerves like listening to someone scrape their fingernails across a chalkboard. Mai worked around the circumstances that had followed the previous event of almost getting icky little things all over your ass. She did as she was ordered and followed Pvt. Pillow on the way with the young engineer, Blackburn. As we came to a halt Mai was looking at all the gloomy faces, she could almost feel the awkwardness in the short breezes that seemed to go by. {Oh, God} MaiKai thought, {He does't look so good}. She turned and looked at Shane, oh the poor man. He looked so pale and sick like he saw the dead awaken or something. Mai looked at Pvt. Huhu who was Shane's bodyguard at the moment, she could tell she also had some concerns of the Xo and the next actions we all were about to take. Reaching the door to the torpedo storage room, everyone tried to be absolutely silent. Shane tried his best as well ... a 4th fall would be already a curse and with some luck from about he managed to stay upright on his legs. This time it wasn't him who was giving out orders ... but 2LT. Acheson who had as ODA Comm sure more experience with ground combat then Shane. In a real marine fashion he was giving out orders with hand signs only and was repositioning the officers in a covert attack pattern. Once completing the shuffling ... Acheson turned to him and slightltly nodded awaiting Shane's final approval to enter the room. Shane looked around and saw the expecting faces of marines and naval officers and thought that now was the best time to enter the room. Sinclair, Huhu, Pillow ... all on their places ready to go. MaiKai was left a bit behind ... as a doctor she wasn't supposed to enter the room among the first, {let's hope we won't need her cunning any soon} Shane thought. Unfortunately, the scanners were of little help there ... since they could not target the outphased aliens, so this move was a step of a blind man. Shane nodded towards Acheson and whispered: "Go" Honey was third in behind Acheson and Sinclair.{Oh geeeeez.....} she thought, seeing the group of aliens at the same moment that Acheson raised his hand to stop the team.Honey frowned at the clicking, chirping 'dolphin like' sounds the aliens were making. So intent were they on disassembling the topedo, none noticed the away team enter and draw back from the room. Honey glance sharply to her right where Shane stood, a calculating expression on his face. Shane doesn't needed to have much combat experience to evaluate the situation. {Three ... four ... no five!} aliens were gathered in the room, obviously very interested in a half disassembled torpedo. With everyone around being quiet the clicking - like language of the aliens was now clear hearable. What a pity they don't understand it and the their communication specialist Detta was not here with them ... Mai followed Pvt. Pillow and the rest of the group into the room and to await whatever came at them. Whether the aliens knew it or not they were almost there. Mai was a doctor, so she wasn't suppose to do that much unless needed help in combat or emergency of the injured. She sat back in filing in and awaited for orders or motions from other superior away team officers. Since Van no longer wore the little cloaking type device she was ordered to hang back and protect the doctor and give cover when neceesary. The young doctor and herself were the last in to the room and positioned closest to the door. Vanessa moved herself and the doctor back out of the door and knew the rest would regroup to set a plan in motion. Shane felt a surge of dizziness again ... for a second only ... luckily. He was not sure what it was and was not happy about it, but for the time being he dismissed the thought and concentrated again on the aliens. Now was the bingo question ... {how to make them move away without shooting them down?} Shane asked himself. They would need some kind of distraction ... something to lure the aliens away ... to allow Blackburn to disarm all the torpedoes. Some sort of a target ... {Something they can see and would chase for ...} he thought ... Mai looked at Shane for any answers. {Oh,goodie this is the part where we have to think with our combustioned heads on what to do now} Mai thought. She felt like she needed to do something to help out on this team besides just stand there for hurt or help for or from people. Mai got an Idea. She decided to do something a bit drastic. She noticed that there were two doors in the room, one leading in and one leading out. { This is my chance, if I have any courage nows the time} she gave herself some thoughts of wisdom and took off. She gave Shane a polite smile and mouthed the words ' I'm going in'. She then proceded to weave in and out of the grouped aliens until she got to the other doorway. It had already been open so she had confidence that her idea would work. She went a few hundred feet away from the door, not that far from it, and put it in a small corridor like area. She took out her phaser and put it on a very high setting beyond the normal standards and let ! it blink away. She then rushed back in the room, but then slowed down so she wouldn't run into any aliens. She stood awaitng for what to come next by the doorway to the side on the wall. As the young cadet doctor took off Van moved into action but stopped just outside the door the Mai had just entered. The aliens were in there and Van was without cover unlike the doctor. She only heasitated for a few seconds longer and then took a step into the room so that she could continue to protect the fledginling that had been put in her care. At first glance around the room Van didn't see the doctor and then a movement caught her eye and the doctor was on her way back to where Van was. Pvt. pillow secretly hoped the doc would make it back to her before the aliens became aware of her presence. Shane was taken by surprise as the young cadet took the initaitive and went into the alien infested room. For a second he was frozen in surprise and had no chance to stop Mai before she dissapeared into the room. {Shit} he thought a second too late. Mai decided the action, now was no time for long consideration ... they had to go in. Shane looked at Acheson and pointed to the door. Almost feeling his bodyguard lady Huhu next to him he stood up from his squat and waited for the others to get ready. As he saw Pvt. Pillow following MaiKai he rolled his eyes and thought: {Why does everyone think they can do what they want without orders!}. With everyone else ready, Acheson was about to give the hand signal to go when the ground was slighty shaken by something that recalled an explosion ... Honey felt the vibration and grabbed the XO's arm to steady him {Don't fall over!} she willed giving him a worried look. She followed his line of sight. Acheson stood on the point of signalling them to move and beyond him she could see the aliens motionless too,caught in surprise as the away team had been. Honey looked sharply back at the Shane as he moved forward."Commander!" she hissed the word "Here" and thrust her rifle into his hand. Not giving him time to respond, she moved forward herself, reaching for her phaser on her belt. As the doctor made it back to Van the floor shook knocking her to the floor. She tried to reposition herself back on to her feet but twisted her ankle as the doctor stumbled into her hitting her like a linebacker. {Damn!!!!!} Trying to keep the pressure off her already sore ankle Vanessa fell forward and hit her head. A small gash appeared at the temple of her forehead and blood began to ooze from the injury. Mai thought for a moment { Shit, why is it always me people have to trip over and get hurt! } . She pulled out her medKit and took out her bandages. She gently unrolled it and began to tighten it upon Pvt. Pillow's ankle. She helped Pvt. Pillow from where she was sitting and put her arm around Mai's shoulders. Mai then proceeded to stand there and wait for furhter instructions. Mai's couragious (and not consulted with the officer in charge) act was rewarded as the aliens turned their attention towards the direction the explosion came from. After three long seconds (seemed like ages for Shane) unisono in movement all five aliens started to move towards the explosion site. Shane took up his hand and signalised everyone to stop whatever they were doing. One ofter teh other ... all crew froze in their movements waiting for the XO ... Shane watched the aliens moving through the secind door and once they were outside teh room, he turned to his bodyguard and whispered: "Close the door and lock it". Turning into Pillow's direction to give her teh same orders for the other door he saw her on the floor obviously injured with Mai attending her so he only said quietly towards them: "Move away from teh door". Looking at Acheson he pointed towards the first door and said toward a group of marines: "Secure both doors" Only a seconds of waste before he said to Mike who was taking cover at a nearby wall: "Lieutenant, please hurry and take care of the torpedoes!" ===== End of part IV ===== Cdt. MaiKai Quiocho AMO USS Chimera & Pvt. Honey Huhu (NPC by Queen Rangi) Marine Escort & Pvt. Vanessa 'Soft' Pillow (NPC by Mrs. President Jass) Marine Escort & LtCmdr. Shane Guzman XO USS Chimera