The Hunt Pt...something

Posted on Fri Feb 17th, 2023 @ 3:43am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Dean House & Patin

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: Awa from camp

Gerty squeaked as the herd split and turned, heading straight for her. Red had deserted and she had no idea where he was, leaving her alone with two weapons and a lot of incoming hooves. She looked around, spying a tree that she could climb up and decided that beating a hasty retreat was her best alternative. Slinging both weapons onto her back she bolted and took off up the tree, waiting to see if Patin was still alive.

The dust of the stampede made it hard to see anything, only the firm feel of the tree beneath her hands and feet giving her any sense of assurance that she may survive the next few minutes. She was willing to die for her crew, but she hadn't expected it to be like this.

Dean wasn’t where he was supposed to be, not any more at least. Then again the herd was on track, which was obvious. After noticing that something was wrong, he’d moved up into the trees. Leaving Patin to still try to lead the herd or at the moment because of what else was wrong. The split, something that was no reason for them to have done unless there was an immediate danger. Evidently, there was, however, which was why he was up as high as he was now. So he could try to figure out which or what it was.

Her choice would normally be plain and simple. She would normally continue on and finish the job, trusting those with her to simply survive. However, this was not normal and her short time with these Starfleeters had taught her that they were not built the same. They had not been hardened by war or even by the environment that is the ground.

With a roll of her eyes she dug her heels in and pressed hard behind the beasties ear causing it to turn sharply. As it turned she gave it a jab to the hind quarter to speed it up and then let out a loud yell, "whooooo!" The scream was not loud enough to be heard over the herd, but just may get her noticed. Now it was a matter of catching up and steering the beasties before they trampled Red, Gerty or Dean boy.

Gerty was safely up a tree, one that was shaking and shuddering almost as much as she was but the elevation above the hoof level was enough to keep her mostly out of harm's way. She saw red high up on the ridgeline, sulking but looking on with interest as their rough plan almost went to pot. Gerty slung her arm around the tree and took aim with her rifle, sending a shot into the ground before the wildest of the stampeding bison, causing it to change direction and head back towards the camp. Hopefully the rest would follow.

Given that Dean was already up in a tree, he wasn’t worried out about getting trampled. That was the least of the worries for now. He was still trying to see what caused the startle to begin with. Also make out where the rest of the group were. Please don’t be a pack of predators.

Too bad it was. Damn raptors. Dean could see at least three of them, that meant there were at least three others. They were in a triad position. One behind, one on each side. The best pick off first was going to be Red unfortunately. Given Gerty got up higher, Dean was, and Patin was on top of the lead Bison antiquus. That meant the three probably were what were stirring up the rest of the herd.

The only way he would tell Gerty to stay where she was, was the communicator. Same with telling Patin what he was seeing and also theorizing. As well as this stupid thing. “Red’s about to get killed. Keep going. I’m going down.”

Gerty could do little as the herd thundered past her, she kept firing at random intervals to redirect the mob but seemed to have little effect. Patin however it seemed was having a hoot of a time, yeehaw’s and crackers to boot as she went. She worried about Red, the man was impulsive and in a bad mood 99% of the time with a chip the size of a small planet on his shoulder. Why even join Starfleet if you’re gonna complain the whole time?

She hoped Dean would be ok - the man was insane when it came to fighting, she’d seen the recordings when the Sunfire had been boarded in the past. Hopefully they would all see tomorrow, she wasn’t overly confident about it though.

Control at this point was an illusion. In an attempt to assess the situation, Patin was acting on instinct alone, steering the herd the best that she could in the opposite direction of the camp but mere yards from where Red and Gerty had been. Meanwhile she had spotted phaser fire in the trees and suspected Dean had his hands full with the issues which had caused half the herd to vamoos in the first place.

She was doing all that she could to keep her shit together and soldier on in the hopes that she could at least set out to fulfill the mission she was tasked to do. They were to bring back food. Food they could have probably lived without considering the rations and the supplies, but that was Nozzies call and who was Patin to question the call of the Captain?

Then, the herd split ahead of her, just enough for her to spot a red uniform out of the corner of her eye. She heard Dean say keep going in her ear, but she could help with a slight steer to the right she directed her bull almost right at Red. Her plan, get to Red and lift him up before the raptors made minced meat out of him. The hoofs of the herd thundered on, turning to follow the lead bull, and Patin who was enjoying the ride.

Gerty screamed as the herd headed towards Red, the man was a fool every day of the week and it appeared he was not taking today off that. She saw Patin steer the bull towards the red sliver in the distance and prayed to all things that listen to scared little girls hiding up trees that they would all come out of this alive. She held her fire for the moment, not wanting to make things worse. After Patin got Red she would try to steer the herd back together and back towards the camp.

Counting down the pace, watching the distance grow short, Patin grabbed a handful of fur and leaned to her right, her legs gripping as tight as she could. She would have one shot. As her and the lead bull drew close, she spotted Red, brave but dumb, staring back with a knife in his hand. He had little clue what that knife could do to ruin this one shot of saving him. And if he intended to stab the bull, he was gonna end up dead.

She slipped a 'cracker' out of her bag and tucked it into her pocket then tapped her badge, "Red, if you have any sense whatsoever you'll drop that knife and grab my arm, like now!" She yelled, now less than 10 yards away.

TBC