[USS Vanguard] RPG: Marooned
- From: Kieran Darkwater <kierandarkwater@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ncv80221@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 06:53:23 +0000 (GMT)
On:
<snip>"Are you sure you have nothing better to do?"</snip>
"Yes, I'm sure I have nothing better to do." He answered, a little absently,
already working out a route around the better displays in his head. With a
moment's pause, he considered how that phrase might come across, and turned to
face her again, his head tilted a little to the side.
"That is... I'm not sure I really want to be left to wander the ship on my
own, right now. I'd...I'd appreciate the company."
Jazz grinned and walked along side him. As they entered the transporter room
she smiled happily at the chief. She looked at Kieran, "I believe you know
where we are going better than I."
?Chief, office 4121, Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Egypt.? He explained,
taking his place on the transporter, and awaiting the shimmer of energy.
When they materialised, the heat was immediate and palpable, drawing a sweat
instantly.
?Dorkwart?? A puzzled, female voice asked from behind them, and the pair turned
to stare down at a painfully thin looking woman hunched over a tray of small
pottery fragments.
?I wonder, Meghan, if you will ever tire of calling me that?? he asked, and
Jazz immediately recognised the similarity of their accents. A second glance
showed slighy facial similarities as well, and Kieran turned back, a little
belatedly.
?I?m sorry, Jazz, this is a friend of the family, Meghan, she?s an associate
professor of archaeology at the university here.?
?Egyptology!? she corrected, snappily, and Jazz saw the vague hints of a smile
as Kieran?s barb drew a response.
?Meghan, this is Jazz Falcon, the Vanguard?s exobiologist.? Kieran stepped out
of their way, to let them shake hands, and Jazz was surprised at the suddenly
hard glare she received.
?I was going to show Jazz around some of the sights, she?s never been.? He
explained, turning away from a holotable display of some pyramid-text carvings,
and Meghan?s stare dissolved into her previous absent disinterest. ?Is anything
closed at the moment??
The Great Pyramid, and it?s two flanking behemoth brethren, had been attracting
attention for centuries ? each of which had threatened to erode and erase a
little more of the irreplaceable history held within. It wasn?t until the
advent of the forcefield, however, that it had become truly safe to open up the
sites to general viewing, and since then it had become a rarity for any of the
displays or venues to be closed.
?No, everything?s open? if you hang on a moment, I?ll come with you.? To Jazz,
she suddenly seemed a little over-eager, but Kieran was lost for the moment in
examining the pottery she?d left behind.
?Fourth Dynasty?? he asked, absently, staring at the pieces.
?Dating suggests Fifteenth, would you believe?? Meghan replied, and passed Jazz
a parasol. ?At this time of day you?ll need it for the walk.?
"Thanks." Jazz muttered, peering of Kieran's shoulder at a rather uninteresting
pottery shard, until Meghan opened the door and let the full effect of the heat
in.
Outside, they walked along the carefully contoured path along the banks of the
Nile, towards the reconstructed Parade pathway that led from the Pyramid
Complex down to the riverside. Row upon row of miniature Sphinxes stared out
over their heads towards the river, watching over them as they walked, and
Kieran and Meghan alternated pointing out small details that Jazz might have
missed had she made the trip alone.
The pyramids themselves were everything Jazz had expected and more. Inside the
massive stoneworks was surprisingly cool - partly a result of the stone
construction, and partly the work of a series of atmospheric moderators placed
to maintain the conditions - and Meghan and Kieran continued their roles as
tour-guide, linking and revealing history and curiosities as they walked
through the various room and corridors.
Emerging from the third, and smallest, of the three pyramids, Kieran
immediately turned to head for the Sphinx Temple, but Jazz demurred.
"I'll need to head back to the ship," she explained, and Kieran nodded, but
Meghan spoke up first.
"I'll take you back to the office, if you like, and Dor.. Kieran can carry on
round the complex?" Kieran looked to Jazz, who nodded her acquiescence, and bid
them both a quick but polite farewell.
"Are..." Meghan began, hesitantly, as the two women turned back towards
Meghan's office. "Are you and Kieran.... close?"
"I've only just transferred," Jazz explained, "he just offered to show me
around. Said he didn't want to be on the ship on his own, right now. Why, do
you think he's interested?"
"You can never tell with Kieran." she managed a pale smile, and it was suddenly
obvious that whatever Kieran's level of interest might be in her, Meghan was
interested in him.
"Have you said anything?"
"I've tried hinting, I've tried saying it straight out... he seems to think
that it's just a joke on my part, so I've given up trying."
Stuck for anything further to say, Jazz was relieved to arrive at the office,
and passing the parasol back she quickly bid goodbye and beamed up to the ship,
minutes before the warning went out and the transporters were shut down.
Kieran frowned, inside the temple, as the message came through, intent on
following through the sphinx itself when he'd finished, but realising he'd
probably be needed back on board.
He arrived at Meghan's office to say goodbye to find her always changeable mood
firing dark glares at him.
"I need to get back to the Vanguard," he explained, briefly, "there's a problem
of some sort with the transporters. Do you have a transport station here?" She
nodded, silently, and led him down the hall to the single pod transporter, and
waited by the door as he set the controls.
"Too late..." he sighed, shaking his head, and Meghan looked up. "The ship's
been quarantined. I'll need to head for StarFleet HQ and see if I can get
quarters for the night."
"You..." Meghan's face flushed, but she plowed on. "You could stay at my place."
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today!
Download Messenger Now
*************************************************************
USS Vanguard: http://ncv80221.netfirms.com/default.htm
Vanguard Archives: //www.freelists.org/archives/ncv80221
Gamma Fleet: http://gammafleet.trekplayer.com/
FreeLists: //www.freelists.org
*************************************************************
Other related posts:
- » [USS Vanguard] RPG: Marooned
