Editing Epic of the Hugo & the Templar (section)

==Part 4==

Stardate 2388.11.01

(Planet Reay - Cavern - ACEO Lt (jg) Eva Kollantai and TAC/ASC Ens (sg) Henri Li - 17.11)

Phaser blasts came in overhead.

“We’re pinned, Captain.  Request emergency beam out.” shouted Henri over his commbadge.

'=^=Unable to comply, away team.  The area is too hot.=^='

“Acknowledged.” said Henri as he looked at the rest of the away team.
“Lieutenant, I need you to take the others around. I can hold them off here and buy you some time.”

Eva looked at Ensign Li and then at the pack of approaching assailants.
"Negative Ensign," she stated emphatically.

"They will need your tactical expertise -- " she spoke that last word in all seriousness, sometime in the past she had seriously creamed him in a tactical scenario competition for the final exam of junior level tactical class she, as an engineer had taken in her senior year.

Eva continued "- expertise upon exiting. This, I can handle.  Take the team and regroup over at the coordinates and beam out.  That is your first priority, understood?"

~What?!?  Tactical Expertise?!?~ thought Henri.  ~She blew me away in that scenario at the academy.~

He ducked down as phaser fire came closer. He tried to think of some reason he could stay in her place, but he was outmaneuvered again.  She was still the superior officer.

Finally, precious seconds having passed by, he said, “Understood.”

Crouched down he approached the rest of the away team and explained the plan.  Once they understood, he led them down the cavern system to find the exit they had detected earlier.  It just wasn’t going to be easy, as they began the descent down the cliff face.

Meanwhile, Eva stayed.  She listened as the footsteps of her team made their way further from her.  Her job was to keep the others from advancing.  She blocked and dodged phaser fire.  The next shot came eerily close that she could feel the heat radiating from the rock beside her.

"No you don't..." she said through clenched fists.  This wasn't going to be the end, she was certain.

As if acting by instinct, Eva spied a structural instability in the rock and realised that a phaser blast from the angle where she was presently crouched would cause the archway to give way and that would buy her some more time -- at least.

She took aim carefully -- still dodging the phaser fire from approaching opponents -- and fired.

The whole tunnel system shook, and there was the sound of rock shattering as a portion of the archway collapsed. The area was filled with dust.  Eva began coughing uncontrollably.

Henri felt the rock beneath him shudder. He looked up to see dust fly out of the top where they had just come from.

~No!!!~ he thought, as he scrambled back up.

“Keep going,” he shouted, as he passed other members of the away team.

What greeted his eyes was the sight of crumbled rock where the lieutenant had once stood.

~No!!!~ he thought, in horror.

“Lieutenant, Lieutenant!” he shouted.

Eva could hear her rank being called.

"Keep going!" She hollered back amidst coughs.

"No! I will not leave you behind.  Can you see any light?" he asked, as he examined the rock wall before him.

"Ensign, that's an order.  The others will need your reinforcement more than I. I am in no immediate danger, but we don't know what waits for the others."  Eva spoke more and more clearly.  The coughing was beginning to subside.

Henri looked at the wall and then back in the direction of the cliff.

“Sorry sir, my light’s gone and I can’t see the cliff from here.  Maybe if I can help dig you out, we can manage a way out together.” Henri suggested.

"I'm only agreeing based on the fact that you have no other means for escape in this particular moment and time, but be warned Ensign, should I find your light in working order -- then the conversation we will be having will take on an entirely different form. Understood?"  Eva retorted back, feeling almost as if she had been coerced into accepting his help.

“Of course, Lieutenant, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” replied Henri in all seriousness, as he smashed his light.

The light was now very dim and the cliff was pitch black.  Henri studied the wall trying to figure out a good point to try to start taking the wall apart with his phaser.

~Ahh..~ he thought, as he thought he'd figured out the spot.

"Stand back, Lieutenant.  I'm going to try to get you out." warned Henri.

With the direction of her fellow officer, Eva moved her way towards the back of the cavern.  "Alright, but be care--"  It was too late.

Henri focused his eyes as best he could and fired.  The red beam shot out toward the ceiling, but missed its mark.  More rocks came tumbling down blocking out all the light.

Henri coughed as dust blew up around him, when a large rock struck his leg.

~Aaahhh~ he screamed inwardly, as he fell.  ~Well, this isn't good.~

Henri dragged his body up to examine the wound as best he could.  It hurt when he tried to stand and ended up leaning against the wall of rocks that he had just helped make stronger.

"Lieutenant, are you alright?" asked Henri, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.

Eva could see the dust settling around her, she coughed.  At that moment, she realised that perhaps the rocks had fallen outside as well.  "Yes... I am..."  She said, mentally taking inventory.  "Status report," she said succinctly as if she were asking for the results of a level one diagnostic.

“Lieutenant, I just can’t see well enough to strike any point to open a way out for you without killing you.  Any suggestions?” he asked.

They discussed several options, but in the end there was nothing either of them could do except wait in the darkness and talk.

Time seemed to stop as they talked about all kinds of things.  They weren’t exactly the best of friends before, but they were crewmates. But now he was concerned that she would run out of air in there.  He wracked his brain for some idea, but kept coming up empty.  All the while she remained calm throughout.

"Have you ever been to Risa?" asked Henri.

"No," answered Eva.

"I hear it's beautiful," said Henri, hoping this would cheer her up.

"That's what they say." replied Eva.

"I heard there is a waterfall that is simply breathtaking.  You have to hike ..." said Henri, becoming lost in the description of this galactic wonder.

Suddenly Eva began to hear a noise on the entrance side of her little enclosure.

~They’re finally coming through~ she thought with steely resolve, as she gripped her phaser preparing for the worst.

“Lieutenant, what’s that noise?” asked Henri, sounding startled

“I don’t know, Ensign.  I know your light is out, but I think you are going to want to start crawling out very carefully.  I think we’re going to have company in a minute.” Eva advised.

She braced herself for anything, phaser pointed in the direction of the noise.  Suddenly light flooded into her dark enclosure temporarily blinding her. She raised her phaser in defense, when she heard a voice.

“Easy there, Lieutenant.” said Captain Doenitz.  “Everything’s going to be alright.”

Eva breathed a sigh of relief.  “It’s the Captain, Ensign.  It’s the Captain!”

Henri released the breath he had been holding in.

~Thank God.~ he thought.  ~Thank God for the Captain.~

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(Posted by Kat and Kaweo)