Good Findings

"Damn thing." Second Lieutenant Jack Truman smacked the side of a computer console with his hand. "Work damn it !" Jack had been agitated after the death of his good friend Robbie Gleason a few days prior. Now, he was trying to set up a communications system so, with any luck, the stranded group might be able to get a message through to any friendly ships that were nearby. He then tapped his combadge. "Erindor, move the dish to two hours, twenty-three minutes twenty-one seconds, right ascension, twenty seven degrees ten minutes four seconds declination."

[Alright, I'm on it.] Second Lieutenant Erindor J'Lan sat in shallow cave high on a nearby cliff, close to the new camp of the group. Hitting a few keys, the small communications dish changed it's direction. "Getting anything ?"

[Not yet.] Truman replied. He increased transmission amplitude and sent the message. "I'd be impressed if anyone heard us at all."

[Gotta keep trying.]

"Yeah yeah." Jack sent out the message again. It was very simple, giving off his service number and the co-ordinates of where the camp was. He also gave warning that there might be Barien ships and troops in the area. To make the message even more complicated, he sent it in alphanumeric encryption that only Marines used. There was little to no chance that if Beard happened to hear the transmission, he would be able to distinguish it from that of a standard Klingon encryption code. "Well, that message is sent. When are you coming back in ?"

[Major Phanan has me up here for another hour, then I'm bringing it back in. Too bad though, it is a pretty nice view from up here.]

"Copy that, Truman out." He said, walking over to his "bunk" and propped up his pillow made up of a roll of a few shirts and socks inside a small satchel. The group had moved into a set of tunnels and caves that were built into the side of a ridge. The stolen Barien transport that Sergeant Sharpe had acquired was parked in the biggest cave in the side of the ridge. The Marines determined that this would be an ideal hiding place to use because of the high deposits of iron ferrite which would hide any trace of mechanical equipment inside the cave. A few of the engineering personnel that the Marines had liberated were able to create a few simple holographic projectors that covered up the large opening to their "shuttlebay" with an image of an empty cave with a few rock formations. Jon was busy working with a few of the engineers from the liberated Starfleet personnel, trying to make heads and tails of the exact capabilities of their new found "toy".

"How many people can we fit in there ?" Jon looked over to Richard Sharpe.

"Not enough, if you're referring to putting everyone in there." Sharpe replied. "You'd be shy by about fifteen people."

Jon nodded in return.

"Sirs' !" Private Jorgenson yelled to the two Marines from inside the Barien transport. "I'm getting something on long range sensors." Phanan and Sharpe looked at each other, and then ran into the shuttle to see the findings.

"What have you got Private ?" Sharpe asked.

"Well, I've been trying to make heads and tails of this writing for the past few minutes, but I'd guess..."

"... You'd guess nothing/." Private Ryanna replied. The female Private from Captain Goerl's Nuan forces stood up from her position under the panel attempting to fix it. "Sergeant, Major." She addressed the two. "I'm the Nuan translator from Captain Goerl's platoon. The panel indicates a mass of ships in sector Zulu 030. The Barien library has identified them as some Barien and surprisingly some Nuan."

"Why is that so surprising ?" Sharpe asked.

"Well, most of our fleet has been reduced to only a few warships and fighter craft. Funny thing is, is that the shuttle is also detecting two other groups of ships that it cannot identify."

"Jorgenson, can you load Starfleet transponder codes into the shuttle ?" Phanan glanced between the Private and the display screen.

"Probably..." Jorgenson replied. He then looked over to Private Ryanna. She rolled her eyes and hit in a few commands on the control panel. Within moments, the Barien writing translated into Federation standard (English). "Thank you." Jorgenson smiled. "Putting in codes now... Hot Damn !"

"Private ?" Sharpe asked, with one of those looks on his face.

"Sorry sir." Jorgenson replied sheepishly. "I mean, superb. It appears that the bulk of the ships out there are Starfleet. I'm reading a few Akiras, Defiants, a Galaxy and other attack craft. I'm also detecting some unknown vessels."

"Well, hopefully that's our ride out of here," Phanan commented. "Sharpe, have everyone pack up their things and grab some weapons. It could be one rough time getting out of here."

Sharpe nodded. With that, everyone went to work.