Venor stopped
hacking. "You two notice when the jungle got quiet?"
John and Katrina stopped to listen. "Great, just what we need," said
John while he and the rest drew their phasers.
"Ever get the feeling you were being watched?" whispered Katrina to her
two companions.
"Yeah," replied John. "But usually I ignore it and go back to jacking--"
A roar shattered the stillness. Loud and aggressive, a lord laying
claim to his rightful domain. The Aldosian Lion sprang from the brush
at Kat, a live torpedo with teeth. But Katrina was prepared and cooly
shot it with her phaser on full power, blasting the creature back into
the underbrush.
"Score another one for the fairer sex," smirked Kat as she replaced the
phaser on its holster. "Honestly you two, you have to react faster if
you're ever going to make it through a firefi--"
Another roar, as the same lion sprang again at Kat. This time she
didn't have her phaser ready as she watched wide-eyed at a maw full of
very sharp teeth bearing down on her. Just before impact, twin phaser
beams simultaneously hit the lion, striking it down permanently.
"Uh."
"You're welcome," replied John to his shocked friend.
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"You must
learn to prepare better for a mission," reproached Venor. "Or you would
have known that a single shot from a type 1 phaser has no chance of
disabling an Aldosian Lion."
"Err."
She was saved from any further embarrassment as the Holodeck program
ended an Lieutenant Tervanion entered the room. "Ok cadets, enough
simulation. It's time for the real test."
Some thirty cadets filled the briefing room of the Fearless as
Commander Zakarian once again went over the mission profile. The drone
of his scratchy voice meandered through Krystal's mind, enticing her to
close her eyes for just one moment, to rest her eyes for a wink or two.
"Embarrass me you will, if nap you do," whispered Gonar as he jabbed
Krys in the ribs from the next seat.
"So to summarize again," repeated Commander Zakarian, "each cadet will
be provided with a Type 1 phaser, tricorder, combadge and a day's worth
of emergency rations. You have five days to get from your dropoff point
to the Federation scientific outpost in the mountains. At any time, you
can call for an emergency beam-up, although that will mean you fail the
test."
From the back of the room, Katrina focused intently on Krystal up in
front. "Soon," she promised to herself. "Once down on Aldos, anything
can happen," she finished with a sinister chuckle.
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