The Retreat : Kill

"Lieutenant Shale !" Gordon yelled. "We are getting closer to the black hole. "

"What are you talking about ?" Shale said jumping from the command chair. He was almost a sleep but the hidden shriek of Gordon brought him back to the land of the waking.

"The gravitational pull of the black hole has us."

"Damn it ! Without the engines we are trapped."

"Lieutenant....." Ambassador Maul said from Tactical. She was manning the Tactical station while Dakul was in the holodeck. "We do have minimal thrusters."

"Yes but that will not be enough to counteract the black hole." Shale turned to Ensign Tucker at science. "Tucker what is the new estimated time to intercept ?"

"Sir time to intercept is one hour ten minutes." Tucker replied.

Shale tapped his combadge."Bridge to Captain Devore."

*I hope he gets this.*

Holodeck Two

The dark cavern was intermittently lit by the flickering lights of torches. The group had just split, hopefully to cover more ground and find the illusive Darwin, but something still wasn't right. This little boy seem to know too much about them and even as Ensign Morriden brought it to the crew attention, it was the much quickly dismissed. Now the group was divided, and as any strategian would deduce, a unit is more stronger together then divided. However, being divided has its advantage. They could cover more ground, but at what cost?

Morriden, Barker, S'qeurei, and Phanan moved silently through the tunnels. Each had their respective weapons drawn ready for whatever could happen in these illusive and deadly corridors. The torch lights still lined the tunnels flickering in an almost undetectable wind, just strong enough to flicker, but not enough to put out. The winds origin were a mystery to the adventurers.

"Commander...." Phanan whispered. "....we need to be extremely careful."

Barker just nodded as the group cautiously continued.

"Let's go !" Morriden said loudly starting to push his way forward, but just as he made his way passed Major Phanan, the Marine grabbed him and pushed him against the wall.

"Listen here you arrogant little punk." Phanan whispered sternly and harshly. "I don't care who you think you are, but there is a little bit of a chain of command here. You listen to what I say or Commander Barker says. Until then you will do what we say to the letter. Do you understand ?" Morriden said nothing. " Do you understand ?"

Morriden reached up and grabbed the Marine's hand and pried it loose. "Yes sir !" He said sarcastically. Phanan let him go.

"I don't care who you are or who you think you are, but you do anything to endanger us again and I will string you up and bust you myself. I don't know and I don't know how but somehow I feel that you are responsible for what has happened. When I find out that you are, I will have your but in the brig awaiting a court-marshal."

Defiantly, Morriden got into Phanan's face. "You don't have the power to put me in the brig only the Captain Devore has that authority."

".. and do you think that the captain will not hear what I have to say ?"

Morriden rocky face almost cracked. "You don't have anything on me so just take you thoughts and shove them.... Major !"

"Why you little......" Phanan began only stopped when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Jon... Listen." Barker interrupted. Everyone quieted down for a moment. "From down there, there is an echo."

The words of the exchange echoed into the darkness. The light cast by the torches went about another three feet but the darkness engulfed the diminished glow. Beyond the darkness the echoing words seem to go on forever.

"I am watching you, Ensign," Phanan said just before turning away heading into the darkness followed by Barker. Barker turned and looked at Morriden in disgust just before he turned and followed the Major.

The echoing darkness continued for another fifty feet, but the uneasy silence between Morriden and the rest of the group was unsettling. Nothing was said as the Morriden brought up the rear and Commander Barker and Major Phanan pushed aside spider webs and covered their head from falling rocks and dust.

"Hey look at this..." Barker said looking into the darkness.

From amidst the echoing, the tunnel opened into a humungous cavern. As they emerged from the tunnel, the group stood upon a shelf of some sort which measured about 15 feet from the sheer mammoth wall that rose far from the sight of the dimming light. From the bottom of the great chasm, a small sound of trickling water echoed upwards such a prayers to heaven. Barker bent over and picked up a rock the size of a soft ball and pitched it across. After a few moments just waiting for the sound of it hitting something, there was finally the illusive sound. The rock hit the far side and now the echoing sound of the fall as the hapless rock fell from grace to the great abyss.

"Judging that an average man can throw about 25-50 feet and gravity, I speculate that this great chasm is about 150 feet give or take about 25 feet," Barker said.

"Chu that is quite a guess," S'qeurei said peering over the edge.

"I know."

"Do we really need to get across this way ?" Morriden asked also looking over the side.

"Well we went straight and there wasn't really any where to turn one way or the other. I would imagine that we would have to so that we can get somewhere," Phanan said smartly.

Morriden glared at the Marine.

"Okay Major." Barker said sensing a fight can break out at any moment.

"I guess we are going to have to go back."

"I guess so." Phanan said disappointedly turning around and heading down the dark tunnels. The rest of the group followed.

It was a little later, and the separated group found one another. Devore and "his team" hadn't really moved too far. They were trying to find some sort of plan. "Well Major... anything ?" Devore asked as they came back .

"Sorry Captain."

Miko started jumping around. "I want my shuripen."

"Miko... shut up !" Devore yelled.

"I want my shuripen."

The crew began to surround Miko. It was getting weird.

"Miko.. shut up or I will not give you anything." Devore said sternly. Miko said nothing but folded his arms one over the other and frowned. "Now lets move on."