Once Upon The Stars (Updated 08-22-04)

[Atrocities]

After being told my story sucked a while back, I kinda lost interest in it. Oh well, I will wrap it up as quickly as I can. Hopefully those who have enjoyed it will continue to do so. Those who don't like it, well then, don't read it.

[dogscoff]

Woohoo! OutS is back! And we're back in the cavern! More woohoo!

[Atrocities]

Part XXX

By Gods Good Graces

Segment B

As Major Jellico Mantel gently set his Prowler, Guardian One, down on the landing pad at Andover Base he could not help but repress the urge to hit something. His Co-Pilot, Captain Chad Jeffery’s, looked defeated as he sat there looking out the window at nothing in particular.
“Come on Chad, let’s get unloaded and head for the Officers club.” Said Jellico as he unfastened his harness and climbed out away from his pilot’s seat. Chad looked over at him and from the look on his face Jellico knew what it was he was thinking. He put his hand on Chad’s shoulder to comfort him.
“He was a good man, even if he wanted to kill you.” He said warmly.
“Its not that Jel, it’s the fact that we left him and other behind.”
“It’s a bad call, but we have to follow order.”
“Some orders should not be followed.”
Feeling a bit angry over the affair of having to leave one of his best friends behind and not being able to live with it himself he snapped out at Chad.
“You don’t think I wanted to stay and dig him out?” Snapped Jellico harshly
Chad looked away and lowered his head. Realizing what he had done, Jellico squeezed his friend’s shoulder firmly and said gently, “Come on, we have a job to do.”

Captain Richard Hess was not a man to keen on lying around, especially s when a good friend of his was in the very real danger of being killed. Despite his injuries, sustained when a Prowler had exploded on the landing field at the discovery site, he walked out of the base hospital toward the Officers Club. He wanted answered, and by God he was going to get some, or heads were going to roll.

The explosion came as a muffled sound as several tons of compressed Ice and snow were blown apart and out away from the entrance to the cavern that held General Tom Christopher and his party. The cavern filled with an arid odor of spent explosive that smelled too much like rotten eggs and sulfur for Toms tastes.
After the debris cleared Orata entered the whole the bLast had created and placed the second charge. The second bLast did the trick; soon after it was set off Tom could smell fresh air entering the cavern. Not long afterward they were all on the surface of the Ice probing the area for any signs of life. All of the buildings were still there, but no sign of life. Nina Smith and Harris made there way as well as they could toward the Mess/Medical tent to treat Harris’s broken leg. Tom keeping his pistol even with the Orata’s midsection made there way to the Command tent. Tom was not surprised to find it completely empty of any equipment. It was standing order to remove all communication and tactical equipment when an area was being evacuated.
Tom and Orata moved back outside and toward the Mess/Medical tent, when out of nowhere a blue light struck Tom in the right backside just below the rib cage. Tom crumpled to the ground without making a sound. Trax who was walking in front of Tom moved so quickly to grab the pistol out of Toms hand that even if Tom had been conscious, he would not have had time to react. Trax knew instantly what had dropped Tom and he knelt down beside him and checked for a pulse. He had one, but it was weakening. Trax looked up as Tanix approached, half walking, half hobbling through the snow.
“You were given an order to wait at the evacuation site.” Commented Trax with some anger in his voice.
“A good thing I did not follow that order.” Replied Tanix sourly.
“Yes indeed it was.” Observed Trax as he stood and casually walked over to Tanix. Without warning he pistol-whipped him knocking him to the ground.
“Next time you fail to follow my orders I will kill you.” He said coldly. With that he fired Toms Pistol into the snow next to Tanix’s head then dropped it. He helped Tanix to his feet and then both of them took off toward their evacuation site without looking back.

Nina and Harris heard the shot and ran out of the Medical tent to see what had happened. Harris, ever the soldier, checked the area as they exited out into the snow. Nina saw Tom lying in the snow first, but Harris’s cautioned her that it might be a trap as they slowly made there way toward him.

Tom’s wound was bad, but not immediately life threatening. Harris could not carry any weight on his leg and was having a tremendously difficult time hopping around in the snow. She was able to give him a mild painkiller and set his leg in a brace, but that was all she could do.
“There they are!” Said Harris as he brought his rifle up and started to take aim.”
Nina stood and put her hand on the forward part of Harris’s rifle and gently applied press to lower it as she spoke softly to him. “Let them go. We need to get the General inside so I can work on him.”
Harris looked at her and could see in her eyes that she knew what she was doing.
“If they wanted to kill him, they could have, but they didn’t.” Nina said as Harris’s rifle lowered slowly.

Since Harris could not help her, Nina had to use one of the tables from the mess tent and drag him across the snow inch by inch. It took here over thirty minutes to traverse the distance, but she did it. She was exhausted but still worked on stopping the bleeding from Tom’s wound. After another twenty minutes or so Tom regained consciousness. He was in serious pain but refused any pain medication.


“Where is Orata?” Asked Tom through clenched teeth as he looked around the tent slowly? He could not see much as he was laying on the floor on his belly no less.
“He’s gone.” Replied Harris.
“We have got to get away from here if we are going to survive.” Tom said as he tried to do get up.
“General, there are no land vehicles, no communication equipment, and both you and I are wounded.” Harris said bluntly as Nina and he bent down to try and help Tom up, “We are going nowhere.” Harris finished with a grunt as Tom finally stood and nearly fell over. Nina braced him as well as she could.
“What happened out there?” She asked in an effort to change the subject.
“I don’t know.” Replied Tom as Nina helped him to lay face down on the medical table. “We were walking along and the next thing I knew I was in here.”
“You were shot with an energy weapon of some kind.” Commented Nina as she sprayed liquid bandage on Tom’s wound.
“An energy weapon?” Commented Tom in a puzzled voice. “Those are only in the experimental stage of development! They don’t exist yet.”
“Well this one was real enough, an inch higher and you would not be here.” Replied Nina in a serious ton of voice as she continued to work.


Richard entered the Officers Club and immediately made way for the two men he openly recognized sitting at a table near a large Muriel of some old battle scene. The two men were not talking, and had barely touched their drinks when Richard hobbled up.
“Gentlemen,” he said politely as he pulled up a chair.
“Captain Hess,” Replied Jellico sincerely. “Glad to see you up and about. Care for a dink?” Jellico raised his hand and started to flag the waitress when Richard spoke.
“Major I need your help.”

[ March 01, 2004, 01:00: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[dogscoff]

After being told my story sucked a while back

Who said that? Was that here or on the Speculative forum?

There's bound to be some people somewhere who don't like your story Atrocities, just because everyone's tastes are different. However, you know that plenty of ppl DO like it, and most importantly, YOU like it. F**k the rest of 'em and keep writing. You're good at it.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by dogscoff:

quote:

---

After being told my story sucked a while back

Who said that? Was that here or on the Speculative forum?

---

It was probably some Trek-head canon idle worshipper. Like D say's ignore 'em Atrocities. Write what you want. And don't listen to the critics.

[Atrocities]

Thanks guys. I does kinda bother me, but what the hell, lifes to short to let people like that bum me out. Any ways, I thought I had better move the story along as it has been a while since the Last segments were posted.

[The FryeR K]

At Last its back...
I've missed it...
Need MORE.

Its going very well.
Keep up the good work.

[Ruatha]

And here I had been mourning.
I really started to think they had died in the cavern and the story was over... Glad I was wrong!!!

[Atrocities]

If I can keep interested in the story there is a lot more to tell.

Eventually when I get really board I am going to go thru the entire story again and rewrite it.

[dogscoff]

Eventually when I get really board I am going to go thru the entire story again and rewrite it.

I keep getting the urge to do this with O&C, but I'm disciplining myself to finish it first.