When it rains...

Posted on Tue Nov 2nd, 2021 @ 11:42pm by Lieutenant JG Ryan Kade III

Mission: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
Location: Unknown
Timeline: MD1 - Shortly after promotion ceremony.
745 words - 1.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Cascading torrents moved across the surface, spreading outward in the direction of the wind. The constant rain made it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead. Dark and damp, the remnants of a stone-laden courtyard could only be seen in detail briefly during the occasional flash of a lightning strike.

The water was up to the shins of her knee-high boots. Carefully, Kandiss pulled herself forward into each step, resisting the slight current that pulled at her heels and threatened to trip her. She was halfway there, almost to the large stone awning at the front of the courtyard.

“This had better be worth it,” She uttered from her cold, dripping lips, knowing full well the loud weather was drowning anything she said out completely. She could hear a voice coming through the comm unit in her vest pocket, but it was hard to hear. It had that annoying sound she’d come to expect, however, and she knew it had to be him.

As she climbed the steps, her boots finally escaped the flood, the tension in her legs subsiding as the muscles relaxed. Her steps were quicker and lighter, thank the stars. Her jubilation quickly ended, though, as the voice came out of her comm, again, squeaky as ever.

“Kandiss? Are you dead yet? You have to tell me if you’re dead. That’s the ru-”

“Lucas. I’m not dead.”

“... so I don’t get your stuff?”

“Only if you leave me here to die.”

His silence made it seem as if he was considering it. Kandiss rolled her eyes, combing the fingers of her right hand through her dark, soaked hair to keep it out of her face. “If you even think about it, I’ll kill you.”

There was a mushy sound as he replied, clearly eating something that garbled his voice, “Aye wud nehvr!”

“Don’t get crumbs on the console, that’s a rental.”

“Yeah, yeah,” The sound of wiping could be heard through the static induced by the weather. “Anyway!” He moved on, cheerfully, smiling from ear to ear, no doubt, “I’m getting some decent scans of the layout, but the further down you go, the less I can help you.”

“Interference?”

“Not so much natural interference as the storm, but yeah, there’s definitely something in that structure that doesn’t play nice with scans,” He tapped the controls as he talked, doing his best to weave through the constantly shifting ion soup, “and it only gets worse the further down you go, so… be careful.”

“Yeah,” Kandiss took those words in particular to heart. As much as the two of them pretended to be jovial, they knew the dangers, and she, in particular, had to traverse them alone. Her hands moved around her torso, checking her equipment and clothes for anything missing or damaged. Her brown leather vest had some wear and tear, but it was sturdy and trustworthy, much like the one who’d given it to her. She thought for a fleeting moment of her brother, the worried look he always had when she would tell him of her dangerous plans and escapades. She was wearing it, now, too, a grim expression briefly crossing her features as she checked her utility belt, then her boots.

I’ll bring you back something spectacular, She silently promised her distant brother and herself.

…

The doors to his quarters opened as he approached and closed after he stepped inside. Ryan knelt down, removing his boots and pulling the shining kit from its’ faithful spot, cleaning them as he always did. He brought himself back up, reaching next for his collar. There was no longer one pip… but two. The obsidian color of the second pip felt deep as he stared into it, a new level of responsibility. He would prove himself, of course, but it was still a big deal. It took a few moments to shine the pips and his combadge before they were placed on the stand beside the door.

With the ritual over with, Ryan made his way towards the computer, checking his messages. She hadn’t responded in a long time. Kandiss, don’t get into too much trouble, alright? He thought, hoping his words would somehow penetrate the hull and carry through the void of space to her. I can only keep mom and pop sheltered from your schemes for so long…