[snip]

“Yes ma’am.” Kenzo said as he smacked the butt of his pistol against his leg so the click and short whine sounded, designating the weapon live. Kenzo began heading back the way they came, swapping his scanner for a flashlight as he walked. “Someone keep scanners live for hostiles.”

LtJg Kenzo Kurata, Chief Armory Officer

El followed and frowned, falling into step behind the Commander but not far enough back that she couldn’t hear. Kenzo was sounding sincere and eager but was it for show? She honestly didn’t understand. Yes that was ‘their’ job to mitigate threats. Thus far the only threats were rather large teeth and claws and even they were some distance away. Or at least they were. The MACO’s could ‘scan’ for hostiles. “What hostiles, Lieutenant?” she said, challenging in words but more inquisitive in tone. “Who have they attacked? How do we know they are hostile?” ‘Where are they?’ she thought to add, but merely thought that. Frankly she would rather be facing intelligent but considered ‘primitive’ beings than the sabre toothed beasts that inhabited these caves. To her if these natives to this world were carrying weapons it would be for hunting and defense against the cats whose caves they likely had to compete for. Natives few and far between hardly would be first and foremost an offensively warlike group. But even in competing for life there lay a balance in nature and that balance the less advance respected more than others. Nature required a balance and was often looked at with an almost sacred eye. She was taught that and believed it. Few creatures or beings attacked without assessing their opponent for none wished to become injured by the other, for with injury was the threat of weakness, infection and becoming the prey rather than the hunter.

For these beings should they not be seeing them as potential allies and friends, guides in this new world rather than automatically ‘hostiles’ to be subdued? El was certain that if asked they would deny it while at the same time still wishing for the challenge, the fight. That was not her general sense toward the soldiers as a whole, but her observation from the soldiers here, wanting to prove themselves and their reason to be here. Witnessing Sergeant Kristensen didn’t mollify her thinking at all but only reinforced it. Still, El held a sadness that Lt Kurata who shared Asian descent and who was not a MACO but the Armory chief, felt the same way it seemed as the others.

• El, Eng Ens

Kenzo sighed, speaking over his shoulder, but not turning his head off the direction they were traveling. “We don’t know. However, we do know they live here. We don’t. And we weren’t invited. I don’t know about you, but if someone randomly walked into my home, I’d want them out, personally.”

He wasn’t expecting resistance, but would rather be prepared for it than risk anyone dying or being injured because he wasn’t paying attention.

LtJg Kenzo Kurata, Chief Armory Officer

“I do have to agree with the Ensign here. We don’t know there intention, or how they would react to our presence here. While caution is prudent, I wouldn’t classify them as hostile.

“And do we know that they have been recently active here? It appears that they have mined here at some point in the past. I may not have a degree in anthropology, but I would not necessarily classify this location as their home.”

Heather looked down at her own scanner as they headed back towards the surface.

Cmdr Grace - XO/CSO

“They live here. It’s their planet. That makes us the trespassers, and we should proceed accordingly.” the MACO Sergeant said firmly.

MACO

Now back on the surface without problems, the group emerged from the entrance that was also home to the big cat packs in the area. Thankfully no such big cat packs were present nor had yet been recent. After a bit they returned to their landing spot base which was still safe and secure by two NEs, one being an armory NE and the other being and science NE.

”..Welcome back folks, anything interesting?” NE Cullings from the armory department asked.

GM CockRoach