Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Miriam Cross (Doctor) in Main Sim - Underground Cave System - Landing Party

Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Main Sim - Underground Cave System - Landing Party

[snip]

Also at this time from one of the largest tunnels south (actually north), of their position opposite that which they came in from, a quite towering snake like creature silently slithered from the 8ft round tunnel, how it moved so silently or quietly was anyone’s guess! However, it quickly took note of the team and paused a quarter way out of the tunnel to peer at the seeming invaders to its ‘nest’. The raven black scaled snake creature, hissed with an echoing loud quality that surely didnt sound ‘happy’ or ‘pleased’. As if to answer this the creatures pair of 1ft round eyes glowed a deep red and suddenly shot out what seemed some kind of lancing energy beam! One of which struck NE Tu’young who had but a second to scream in pain before being vaporized!

“Mother Serpent at nine o’clock!” Glen announced, if anyone hadn’t heard and seen it yet.

Jasper was going over his readings and was about to speak as he heard the dying yell of the officer. Jasper dove for cover hitting the area near him so hard he almost lost his breath. Hoping he did not hurt himself in the process as he barely got out the words. Please stop we don’t mean you any harm to you or your offspring. As Jasper thought in hopes that his message was understood by the snake creature verbally or mentally with images of peace. He knew he was not a Vulcan but never hurt to try he thought.

Interestingly there was a slight pause where the Serpent mother looked with deadly red laser ready eyes at Jasper perhaps there was something there to his random theory of ‘happy thoughts’. But the pause was fleeting and the lancing pair of red laser eye beams from the Mother scored just shy of where he stood, maybe it was a warning? Or maybe it had just misjudged its aim? Either way taking better cover probably would be wise.

Meanwhile the closest egg clutch near Tia happened to finish it seems its hatching process. Six of the large eggs came apart, with the tiny bug Guardians swarming away into darker shadows as their work was seemingly completed. As the faint light of energy hue faded the six eggs showed 4-5 inch long deep black colored Serpent like snake babies. No sooner had the last of the shells been shaken from their little bodies when collectively as if by one mind they slithered with quite frankly rapid movement and wrapped themselves up along the left pants of her leg! The whole distance of 10 inches was covered by them in less then 3 seconds with the chaos of battle going on around her, showing that even freshly newborn they had very fast reflexes and agility of movement. Thankfully they didnt seem to be harming Tia just clinging onto her leg, but one noticable effect of this was another pause in the much larger and now even angrier looking serpent mother, which after its pause seemed to for now at least ignore Tia. Perhaps it didnt want to hurt its young?

Tia managed to gasp without screaming, fearing to draw the momma’s ire. She merely watched as they wrapped and covered her left leg from just above the knee, to her ankle. “Ok… well, that’s ‘one’ way to find out about the ‘mommy bond’ thing.” She murmured to herself and smiled as the others watched in horror.

“It wants to protect its young,” said Glen. “It might stop attacking us, if we show we are no longer a threat to them?” Which was easier said than done, since they were standing in the middle of a field of eggs, with no place to run except back up the cliff.

Cross did not know whether to laugh or faint at the sight of the baby snakes wrapped around Tia’s legs. “Lt I did warn you about the ducklings!”

Meanwhile too NE All’ins one of the other security NE’s dove for cover as a lance of red laser beam eye shots came his way, the clipping of the energy though caught his left foot searing off his black boots but thankfully nothing else. Crying out in pain and under the cover and over hang of rock for now at least he was out of the line of fire, “..Argh damnit one of you doctor’s able to get to me?!” he cried out asking for help to tend his injury.

‘’Ssh..ssh stop shouting lets all be quite ‘’Cross suggested as she made her way to the injured man ,herself moving pretty much like a slithering snake in the hope of not being the second one to be vaporized.Taking a look at his injured foot the female doctor rolled her eyes ‘’Why all the screaming its not as if your leg has been sliced of your body’‘ she mumbled while taking the medical kit off her back and started rummaging through it.

The Serpent Mother had now landed across the cavern out in mostly the open on the ‘floor’ (actually the ceiling like the rest of them) only partly here and there hid by nearby hanging rocks or the like.

“While she is partly hidden, we have a chance to get away! We might not get a chance like this again,” said Glen.

Cross gave a quick glance over the rocks that was shielding her and the man from view’‘Oh dear that’s one hell of a big serpent’‘ she stated ‘’Say its your boots I should medicate here’‘ her tone dead neutral as usual.

Jasper tried again to convey his wishes to the mother snake as he attempted to get better coverage. We are not here to hurt your young. He stated again.

Ensign Jasper Ericson Jo Engineer

“Our best way to demonstrate that we mean it no harm would be to get away from it’s eggs and young,” said Glen. “Can we please try not to stand on anymore of them too?”

“Mthunzi!” said Glen, “Now is the point where you tell us how to combat disintegration rays shot out from the head of a giant mythical serpent… And if that isn’t on the syllabus at Starfleet Academy, well then it damn well should be!”

Cross was nowhere near the eggs, that much sense she had ‘’That’s a good idea Captain but how will Tia get those baby snakes off her foot? And mummy might think the cavern as a nursery,our best bet is if one of the ships transport us as far away from here sooner rather then later’’ she replied while glaring at the suppose injured man ‘’And you do stop whining like a baby lest that monster gets curious and come over to take a peek!’’ this time her voice was hardly audible.

William for some reason hadn’t thought of ducking or running out of the way, he was much too interested in the reactions of the children snakes. Although the laser had startled him “Turning into a cat to fight Apep seemed to work for Ra” He called out still staring at the children. He looked at the beast from behind whatever cover he’d found with great interest.

They didn’t have much to work with but Glen used what they had. “Cross, attend to Tia and remove those babies, then get the injured out of the way around the corner of this rock! I have an idea! William, you thought turning out the lights wouldn’t help but I’m going to try something anyway. Everyone, turn off your torches and headlamps, then get ready to run, on my mark! Jasper, give me your safety helmet!”

‘’Aye Captain’’ Cross replied going over to Tia ‘’Now do stay still Lt cause something tells me the Captain wants me vaporized for touching the baby snakes’’ she uttered in dismay, as her head was practically inside the medical kit ‘’I knew I had some....Lord of the heavens let it be here’’ the doctor practically cried .

What ever she must have been looking for Cross must have found since this time she was thanking her Gods,opening up the wrapper Cross crushed the vanilla wafers and threw it on the ground hopping against hope that the small snakes would make a go for it.She looked up at the Chief of Engineer and communicated with a glance no words were needed in the situation they had found themselves in once off run like mad.

Not everyone had opted to take a helmet, but Glen had, and so had Jasper. Glen waited for all the lights to go out, and for Cross to finish with Tia and the injured.

One at a time, Glen switched on the headlights on the two helmets, and then he threw them over the head of the giant snake and behind it. He hoped that the combination of the bright lights, the movement and the noise as they hit the stone floor, would distract it in the opposite direction and away from them. If it worked, he would call out the signal for them to run away.

Glen, CO

The doctor turned back to obey the Captain’s second order and caught the ‘Non injured’ man by his tunic.’‘On the word ‘Go’ from the captain we’ll run like mad understood?’’ she asked the poor guy with only one boot.
The last thing Cross did was try the transmitter again.

Cross Dr.

The Doc had set a sweet treat not to far from Tia’s feet and the young engineer, careful to keep her left leg straight, shifted to her right and did a half lunge to see if placing them closer to the morsels would work. But curiosity was one of Tia’s strong suits in the engineering field. Her desire to know how things worked, and how to fix them, was one of the reasons she had been in the top half of her Academy class. Unfortunately, that curiosity wasn’t limited to mechanical things. As she waited to see if the little slithery babies would come off her leg, she reached out a tentative hand and lightly stroked the back of one of the middle creatures wrapped on her appendage. She was curious if it was as slimy as it looked, or dry like Terran scaled creatures. A soft soothing sound fell from her lips as she reached to gently caress one of the babies that had adopted her. “Shhhhhh…. that’s a good slither… you are pretty, aren’t you?

Tia
CE (Field Promo)