Trying to find Answers

Posted on Thu Jul 2nd, 2020 @ 7:10pm by Captain Aurther Winters

Mission: From the Sidelines
Location: Unknown Planet
Timeline: Current

OFF: Hey All! Welcome to the new crew members we have aboard, glad to have you around and if you have any questions or anything please feel free to reach out to me, I can help as best as I can.
Also sorry for being MIA for the last month, it has been some crazy times eh? Anyways... let's try to get things back on track and wrap up this mission so we can everyone onboard.

ON: (Unknown Planet)

Aurther's feet started to ache with every step he took. A few droplets of sweat ran down his forehead, as he wiped them away with his hand. Instinctively, his other hand met his face as his water bottle as he took a few good sips. From the sound of it, he estimated that there was probably only 1/4 left. He had been rationing it well, however that could not be said for the rest of the landing party. Captain Spice probably ran out of water almost half an hour ago, and the two camera crew just ran out minutes prior. It became at little more obvious that they had not gone through, or at least remembered their survival training from the academy. However, even that, nor the sand in his shoes, the heat, or the vast amount of nothingness that they were walking through bothered him the most. It was the sun. No matter where they were, it always seemed like it was overhead of them, but just enough to be in their eyes, and not being able to see clearly what was in front of them was the most frustrating thing.
Finally the team came to the top of a ridge, and a beautiful sight was ahead of them. It seemed like almost an Oasis, the fabled ones you would hear people claim to have seen before realizing that they were mirages. Winter's hand snapped his tricorder out and ran a quick scan. It was real, or at least as real to his eyes and the tricorder as real could be. The track for Lt. Collier had disappeared some time ago, however logic would again dictate, he had to have come this way.

"Come on, once we hit the vegetation we will take a break." Auther's voice cracked, his lips chapped.

"Thank heavens" Captain Spice cried out in relief. The man quickly picked up the pace as the 4 of them made their way into the forest like area. After another quick search, they found their way to a small stream. Aurther chugged the rest of his water before refilling it with the stream. He has to give it to the engineers back in San Francisco, being able to install nano filters so all water could become drinkable within seconds was something that saved as many lives as escape pods. It was only after a short rest in the shade, with nothing but silence before Spice spoke up.

"What are we doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Aurther glanced back, "We are trying to find Lt. Collier."

"I understand that, but, I just... I don't know. This isn't just the riveting recording I thought it was going to be. I mean the beginning yes, but now... it just like a screen saver of a desert."

"Life isn't always as exciting as you make it seem with cuts and editing."

"I was just hoping for more". Spice almost seemed like he resigned himself to either failure, or depression. Aurther sprang to his feet, a new burst of energy into him. He help the two camera crew up before getting to Spice and helping him off the ground.

"Who knows, maybe it will all be worth it for the end." Aurther motioned his head in a direction of what he saw was some disturbance in the brush. As the team made their way, they found bodies, of what looked to be indigenous primitive people. Most of them had freshly burned phaser marks on their chests, all of them dead. Spice noted that there was some blood that looked human trailed off in another direction. Clearing through a few more brushes lead them to a large structure.

"Hello there..." Winters said softly, checking out the large structure in front of them.

OFF

Commander Aurther Winters
First Officer
U.S.S. Chuck Norris