Hunting - Finale

Posted on Tue Mar 7th, 2023 @ 8:20pm by Commander Dean House & Captain Rhenora Kaylen

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: Planet
Timeline: Current

"Captain to House and ShirtGonnadie"

Dean grunted a little bit, shaking his head. These things just kept coming. What the hell did they do, walk into a breeding nest? Tapping his bloodied comm badge, “Little busy at the moment!” Nora could hear the sounds of the Raptors, as well as his movements, also how worn out, even for him he was getting. “Red is dead, Patin and…” there was a pause as more sounds of obvious combat could be heard. The screeching and weapon blasts. Sometimes it was more grunts from a melee weapon. Here and there audible thuds. Either one of the Raptors dropping down or Dean getting knocked down or into a tree. “....Gerty should already be there or close…”

The Captain heard the background noise and knew that Dean was in trouble, the problem was she didn't know exactly where he was. Gerty and Patin were safe, and if Red was dead, that left Dean on his own. "Hang in there Dean, we're coming to help" she used her tricorders to triangulate his position and set off with the team of snipers at a quick run, hoping to get there in time to help.

Hoping to get there in time was going to be a bit of..well…time. Or was it? In the time that it took them to get his position and get there. It was to late. Dean had switched up tactics. That and the phaser rifle’s power cell had depleted. So had the two back ups. It was probably better that no one had seen what happened after that. Much more terrible than the previously mentioned incident. Way worse. There had been no more holding back in the least.

When the team finally got there, there was no movement at all. Not from Dean, not from the Raptors, from nothing. Just a pile of bodies, blood, dismembered body parts. At least those could be used for food.

Rhenora stopped as she surveyed the scene, someone in the team with her let loose a low whistle and swore in a dialect she wasn't privy to. There had to be movement, there was always survivors, always. She pulled her tricorders and switched it to the basic medical mode, pausing as one of the other team members scanned for further raptors. At his nod she advanced, every fibre of her being praying that what her eyes told her wasn't true.

There was blood and bits of carcass everywhere, and truth be told it would have been impressive for anyone to observe. That one person could inflict that much damage on large beasts was a credit to them and their training. Still, that was in the past and all that was left was a messy pile of bodies.

There did happen to be a bio-signal, leading toward the pile. Apparently somewhere under it. There had to be at least 20 of them. Well..some that could be distinguished as full bodies left. Mostly. It was faint, but there. As for what they’d been able to mark as the dinos weren’t around.

She stopped, scanned, moved a few meters to the left, scanned and tried to get a better fix on the signal.

Said signal was definitely coming from under the pile. Literally under. Given the size of these creatures, it was going to take some wiggling around. Moving them out of the way to potentially get to the life sign. It seemed to be human at least. If it was Dean, his vitals always shown lower than normal humans to start with. This was a little lower, however.

The string of Bajoran curses in both ancient and modern would have made a sailor blush and caused the rest of the small team to look at her in shock.

"He's under there, and there's only one way we can get him out," she pointed to the pile of carcasses. "Jones, stay on watch in case anything wants a free feed, the rest of you, roll up your sleeves." They followed her lead, casting aside their weapons, jackets and anything they held dear. It was going to be hot, disgusting work digging through the gore but they were not going to leave anyone behind, especially not alive.

Just about the time, which took at least half an hour or more. The team had gotten things off to see what it looked like to be a Dean. Or part of. Mostly it was hard to tell from the blood and the bodies. Was breath, that could be seen. Why would it always be that easy though.

It was subtle at first. Considering there was the storm that had passed by, didn’t mean that rumblings of it were verberating still from the distance. Fair enough. After a few minutes..that may not be the case.

Without words needed the team continued on their cause, first exposing an arm, then a head and a torso. The condition of all three would be assessed once they had freed him from the confines of the raptors. A quick scan showed no spinal damage and despite the most probable occupancy of broken bones, the need to free him overrode the need to keep any injuries stable. Within a few moments and a lot of pulling, Dean was extracted from the mess.

Dean actually did not look in good condition, again, the blood from him or the Raptors, couldn't be distinguished at the moment. He was conscious at least. At least no one got stabbed or hurt as he was extracted and plopped down out of the pile. Taking long shallow breaths but opening his eyes. Not really who he’d wanted to see, but Nora would work as well. Some of them knew who he’d rather have seen first. “Hi..Nora.”

That rubbing seemed to actually be getting closer instead of farther away, which could have just been another weather front approaching. There weren't any other sounds so far as one may expect as if it were one or more of the ‘bison’s’ that had been away from the herd and coming back.

"Hi yourself, look at the mess you made" The Captain quipped, reaching for her discarded jacket and using it to clean some of the gore off Dean's face. "Hold still, I need to get a decent scan so we can work out the best way to get you back to camp" she held a hand on his shoulder to prevent any attempts at moving. Returning her attention to the small screen of the tricorders she was oblivious to what was going on around them.

“Maybe…a little bit…” Sighs, Dean closed his eyes for a moment. “Everyone else, okay? You know that’s what matters. At least I don’t feel what you probably don’t want to know what has happened to me either.”

The tricorder scans were potentially just that, it was maybe a group of ‘bison’s’ that had gotten off the patch, because they ran in the panic rush. One mass. Definitely getting closer, however, and the stomp sounds increasing. It definitely was not an incoming new weather front.

"Ah Captain, I got a feeling something's hinky, I got a large group of something coming this way" the sniper announced, swinging his weapon around as though he wasn't sure which 'way' it actually was.

Jones was pretty good on that feeling. There was just slightly a little off, it wasn’t a large group, it was one creature. Big. What they would classified as a T-Rex, burst out through the trees from the clearing. Immediately turning down to grab Red Six in it’s maw. Twisting back and forth, splitting him in half and swallowing down the upper half. Roaring out afterwards.

"Time for plan B" Rhenora announced, grabbing Dean under the arms and dragging him away from the pile o goo. Hopefully the creature would settle for a free feed and leave the rest of them alone. Leaving Dean behind a large rock beneath the shelter of a tree, she grabbed her weapon and prepared to defend her team.

“I’m not that hurt..” Yeah he was. Looking up, over, “Great. That’s not going to work..”

Which it wasn’t, as powerful as even the sniper rifles were, it was just pissing the Rex off. A frenzied one is not something they wanted right now. However, it was way too late. At least there was cover for the moment, as well as, the Raptor bodies. That more than likely was why it showed up. It could smell all of the blood. Blood, fresh, meant food.

Except, again that fact that it was being shot, having it go fore where those were coming front instead of, it’s intended feast. Slapping Red Three into a tree, nearly through it with it’s tail.

Options were becoming extremely limited with her team being picked off one by one. It had avoided her to this point in time as she was slightly removed, guarding Dean. "Not that bad my ass" she grumbled as she tried to get a better hit on the T-Rex. So far they had just pissed it off, what would happen if it got really cranky? What would happen if they hid and waited for it to chow down on the raptors instead? An impossible choice, to fight, or to hide?

“It’s hide is much thicker. I have an idea though..” Hold up a finger, “And next you say, ‘Of course you do.’ Then I say yes, ‘Then you say is this going to be dangerous?’ and then I say you don’t want to know that answer.”

She took her eyes off the creature for a moment to look at Dean, who has pulled a weapon and looked completely calm as though this were another day on a routine away mission. "Spill"

“Well you just need to dig out my sword from the bodies first, since….umm..yeah. Or..no. Well..I can get it and you can run around playing bait. Either way, it’s going to find us eventually. Particularly if we move into the clearing. Into the brush is worse because sounds from just stepping and pushing branches out of the way.” Dean already grabbed something to throw to make the Rex from stop heading for Jones

"You want me to go bury myself back under that pile of goo to get your sword? Dude, you were squashed not 20 minutes ago!" There was a look of shock as she considered his words.

Dean reached and popped his clavicle back into place..which wasn’t really in place but it was well enough since it was a compound fracture. “Ow….and…yeah. I think at this point….” Taking a breath, “Rank doesn’t matter.” Pointing outward, “We want them food, or, get rid of the thing. I’ll live.” ‘Maybe..’

She winced as he popped his shoulder back in "So what are you planning on doing with your sword…if I can get it"

“Do you really want to know?” Dean shook his head, please don’t ask.

"I need to know, so we both don't end up dead" she challenged, nailing him with a are " that thing will eat us alive if we don't work together" as if on cue, the beast turned its attention back towards them.

Dean shook his head, and almost growled, “Just get the sword. Oh an gimmie that.” Well didn’t give her time to give him the phaser. Just taking it. Unfortunately he couldn’t readily be all jumping through the trees right now. Could, use the phaser as a flare and an explosive. Getting up and out from the rock to get it’s attention. Setting the phaser to overload. Not, to throw it at it, but throw it away from Rhenora. Diversion..even if it wouldn’t work that long.

Once again swearing fluently the Captain headed quickly back to the smelly pile of carcasses, wriggling into the small hole they had pulled Dean out of and fumbling around by feel for his weapon.

“Any time!” Making sure the snipers left alive were just taking cover at this point. If they hadn’t already. This was going to take one swift move and stupid as hell. If it didn’t backfire anyway.

"I may need to address the working conditions with the manager" the curt response was as she
dragged the sword, slightly bent as it was, out of the mess and back to Dean. Now without a weapon she tossed the blade to him and waited to be eaten.

This was going to hurt, a lot. Not just what Dean was about to do. The blade shouldn’t be bent, given the material, if it was, and he lived, he’d reforge it later. Shoving off, instead of jumping, just to slide skirt across to catch the sword. Intentionally letting the Rex grab him up.

Silence……….If one could see, Dean actually had pushed to keep the jaws from closing all of the way down. Slamming the sword up right through the nasal canal into it’s brain. A sudden groan and then tilt. The weight of the beast sending shockwaves as it landed on the ground, on it’s side. No movement, at all any more.

The impact knocks her off her feet, sending her backwards onto her ass and just out of reach of its body. She turns and looks desperately for Dean.

What was left of the team, and Jones, came out and looked around in awe. They heard the rumors, but that was just. What in the hell??? Jones snapped out of it first and started scanning. “There….Captain.” Pointing to the Rex’s mouth. “Five beats per minute….”

Winded but still mostly function Kaylen crawled the few meters over to the TRex, thankful it's muscles were completely flaccid in death. With a heave that was going to pull several muscles and leave her sore for days she pulled him free, using a bloodstained sleeve to wipe the slobber from his face. "You're right, you are mad, and I wasn't going to like it"

A small medkit appeared from one Jones and Rhenora blessed his cotton socks for thinking to carry one with them. A few hyposprays later and they could plan their next move.

Half an hour later a medical team and a stretcher arrived, tended to the walking wounded and loaded Dean to be carried back to camp.

--------------