Judgement – Flashback Part 1
by Lieutenant Jana Kasikova & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
Jana had gotten up early, before the sun had come up over the horizon. She sat outside her airy tent sipping her tea and watched the sunrise. She had a feeling that today was going to to be glorious day. Perhaps Jana would uncover a new artifact. Damon had been gone six months and she had come on this dig to get away from the memories. This was a good place for her, a good place to work and heal.
Finishing the last bit of tea she gathered her tools and headed back towards the Temple of Isosis. It had been built into a cave wall like on Earth, the City of Petra. Both places had similiarities and she wondered if it was possible that there was a common thread that tied them together.
-----
A kilometer away, Luesha Darque was preparing her own expedition into the ancient funery complex. The official dig entrance was out of sight, over a ridge, but she had found another way in. As a result, she was way ahead of the team that Kasiova was part of. Today she was about to break through to the Ossory, where she just knew the best finds were to be made.
She opened her mind for a moment, but all her telepathy could hear were the truly alien minds of animals and insects. Even her own support was far enough away to avoid detection. Time to start.
Her entrance was not one she would have chosen willingly. The Iosians honoured dead would be defleshed before the purified bones were put to final rest, and the detritus from that process was simply disposed off, as something without value. Just flushed down a drain, and it was that drain she was going through.
It had taken some hunting through the sweaty jungle to to find it, but she had, in the end. The first crawl had been long, hacking through overgrowth that had a thousand years of bloodmeal enriched soil to grow in, but the result was she was light years ahead of the official archeologists in exploring the site. She was in further than they had got, and had already plundered the best pieces. There was only the last, most glorious finds of all to claim.
----
Jana was crawling through a tunnel to get to the larger Temple audience chamber. The hallway leading to the audience chamber had collapsed and she had spent the last two weeks carefully digging as to not create another cave in. She was already knee high in dust and dirt but this was how she liked it. Digs were supposed to be messy and dirty. If living on ships and space stations taught her anything it was that they were too sterile.
She found herself at a fork, she could turn left, right or go straight down the middle. Wanting to see where the one to the left led her she followed her instincts. Since a young age she had discovered that she had a way of 'feeling' her way through a dig site and because of that she had found many priceless and rare artifacts.
Her cousin, 20 years her senior, Mihael, would hide little treasures throughout her family's estate and would give her clues as to where the items were hidden. It was him that had taught her how to follow her instincts. She held him close to her heart always, thinking of him more as a brother than a cousin.
Jana nearly ran into the stone wall as her mind wandered through decent but happy memories. She mentally reprimanded herself for letting her mind wander and not pay attention to where she was going. Jana pulled out her tricorder to determine the thickness of the wall and to make sure that it was stable enough for her to break through.
Crawling backwards she took out her specialised phaser and began slowly breaking through the wall, carefu not to disbturb any potential artifact on the other side.
---------
Luesha arrived in the Temple Audience chamber, already plundered of its best artefacts. She looked around, checking again that she hadn't missed something of value, and then moved towards the stairs leading down to the main crypt.
It was then she heard the unmistakable sound of a cutting phaser coming from the east wall. Damn they got here fast the Betazoid thought, and reached out with her telepathy. The wall between them made it hard to tell, but she could detect the shape of a single sentient mind. Perhaps all was not lost. If she was lucky, she could do something about it.
Taking out a couple of shaped charges she had prepare for just an eventuality, she put them at strategic points around the temple, designed to put a wall of rock between the Ossory and her escape tunnel, and the incoming archaeologist. She was only just in time. As she armed the last one, Jana's cutting gear found a sheering point in the rock. A hole big enough to climb through appeared with rumble, and Jana climbed through.
Jana looked up as she came through the hole and saw a woman standing there. "I...Luesha...I thought you were working on another site in the area. How come you are here? I didn't see you on the roster..." Jana knew something was off. She got feelings like that often. Damon's voice was in her head telling her to run but she pushed it aside. "Luesha?"
The Betazoid looked from Jana to the entrance to the charnel drain. "Hello Jana. How long has it been since Oxford? Still seeing that irritating brat from Keble College?"
"You know perfectly well that Damon died six months, you were at the funeral!" Jana exclaimed. How could Luesha throw that back in her face? "What are you doing here?" She asked again, not completely distracted by Luesha's comment.
Luesha took a couple of nonchalant steps towards the safe zone, "Oh yes, I remember now. He was such a non-entity I forgot."
Jana matched her steps that mirrored Luesha's steps putting her further in the danger zone. "What are you doing here? You are scheduled to be on the furthest most of the dig site."
"Oh, you know how it is," Luesha gave a breezy wave. "you wake up one morning and think, I'd do anything for a raktajino, and I thought you might have one. I got a bit lost looking for your camp." Three more steps took her to where she wanted to be.
"Why were you looking for me now Luesha? What is this about? You simply can't waltz onto someone dig site. Archaeology Etiquette 101."
"And I wouldn't, if I was an Archaeologist." Luesha's fingers closed around the detonator in her pocket. "But I've changed careers. I'm in Antiquarian Reclamation now. Its all the best bits of archeology with none of the digging through layers of mud with a toothbrush. Much more exciting."
"You are nothing more than a thief now Luesha and that shames me to say it, no longer a friend or colleague."
"oh, get off your high horse, Jana. The Iosians are long dead. We're both grave robbers. I've just stopped pretending that stealing at snails pace and bragging about my theiving in an academic journal makes me any better than the common tomb raider." She flipped the catch on the detonator, "And as for no longer being your colleague or friend. boo hoo. I'll get over it."
"I am no thief! I preserve the artifacts and put them in museums where they can be shared by all. You simply sell them to the highest bidder!"
"Whatever lets you sleep at night." Luesha's thumb found the button. "One chance, Jana, for old times sake. Walk away. Go make mudpies somewhere else."
Jana knew something was going on, her inner radar was screaming at her to get out of the temple but her feet refused to move. She would not give Luesha that satisfaction of taking away her hard work.
Luesha heard the suspicious thoughts running through Jana's head. Ah well. She tried, but omelettes, eggs, and all that. "When you see Damon," she smirked, "Tell him I've had better."
And with that last swipe at Jana's grief, she pressed the button, and the cave fell in.
TBC...
OFF
A JP Between
Lt. Jana Kasikova
CSO ~ DS5
&
Luesha Darque
Tomb Raider
(NPC by Notty)
by Lieutenant Jana Kasikova & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
| Title | Flashback Part 1 | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Jana Kasikova & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin | |
| Posted | Mon Oct 18, 2010 @ 8:09pm | |
| Location | Isosis V | |
| Timeline | 6 years ago |
Jana had gotten up early, before the sun had come up over the horizon. She sat outside her airy tent sipping her tea and watched the sunrise. She had a feeling that today was going to to be glorious day. Perhaps Jana would uncover a new artifact. Damon had been gone six months and she had come on this dig to get away from the memories. This was a good place for her, a good place to work and heal.
Finishing the last bit of tea she gathered her tools and headed back towards the Temple of Isosis. It had been built into a cave wall like on Earth, the City of Petra. Both places had similiarities and she wondered if it was possible that there was a common thread that tied them together.
-----
A kilometer away, Luesha Darque was preparing her own expedition into the ancient funery complex. The official dig entrance was out of sight, over a ridge, but she had found another way in. As a result, she was way ahead of the team that Kasiova was part of. Today she was about to break through to the Ossory, where she just knew the best finds were to be made.
She opened her mind for a moment, but all her telepathy could hear were the truly alien minds of animals and insects. Even her own support was far enough away to avoid detection. Time to start.
Her entrance was not one she would have chosen willingly. The Iosians honoured dead would be defleshed before the purified bones were put to final rest, and the detritus from that process was simply disposed off, as something without value. Just flushed down a drain, and it was that drain she was going through.
It had taken some hunting through the sweaty jungle to to find it, but she had, in the end. The first crawl had been long, hacking through overgrowth that had a thousand years of bloodmeal enriched soil to grow in, but the result was she was light years ahead of the official archeologists in exploring the site. She was in further than they had got, and had already plundered the best pieces. There was only the last, most glorious finds of all to claim.
----
Jana was crawling through a tunnel to get to the larger Temple audience chamber. The hallway leading to the audience chamber had collapsed and she had spent the last two weeks carefully digging as to not create another cave in. She was already knee high in dust and dirt but this was how she liked it. Digs were supposed to be messy and dirty. If living on ships and space stations taught her anything it was that they were too sterile.
She found herself at a fork, she could turn left, right or go straight down the middle. Wanting to see where the one to the left led her she followed her instincts. Since a young age she had discovered that she had a way of 'feeling' her way through a dig site and because of that she had found many priceless and rare artifacts.
Her cousin, 20 years her senior, Mihael, would hide little treasures throughout her family's estate and would give her clues as to where the items were hidden. It was him that had taught her how to follow her instincts. She held him close to her heart always, thinking of him more as a brother than a cousin.
Jana nearly ran into the stone wall as her mind wandered through decent but happy memories. She mentally reprimanded herself for letting her mind wander and not pay attention to where she was going. Jana pulled out her tricorder to determine the thickness of the wall and to make sure that it was stable enough for her to break through.
Crawling backwards she took out her specialised phaser and began slowly breaking through the wall, carefu not to disbturb any potential artifact on the other side.
---------
Luesha arrived in the Temple Audience chamber, already plundered of its best artefacts. She looked around, checking again that she hadn't missed something of value, and then moved towards the stairs leading down to the main crypt.
It was then she heard the unmistakable sound of a cutting phaser coming from the east wall. Damn they got here fast the Betazoid thought, and reached out with her telepathy. The wall between them made it hard to tell, but she could detect the shape of a single sentient mind. Perhaps all was not lost. If she was lucky, she could do something about it.
Taking out a couple of shaped charges she had prepare for just an eventuality, she put them at strategic points around the temple, designed to put a wall of rock between the Ossory and her escape tunnel, and the incoming archaeologist. She was only just in time. As she armed the last one, Jana's cutting gear found a sheering point in the rock. A hole big enough to climb through appeared with rumble, and Jana climbed through.
Jana looked up as she came through the hole and saw a woman standing there. "I...Luesha...I thought you were working on another site in the area. How come you are here? I didn't see you on the roster..." Jana knew something was off. She got feelings like that often. Damon's voice was in her head telling her to run but she pushed it aside. "Luesha?"
The Betazoid looked from Jana to the entrance to the charnel drain. "Hello Jana. How long has it been since Oxford? Still seeing that irritating brat from Keble College?"
"You know perfectly well that Damon died six months, you were at the funeral!" Jana exclaimed. How could Luesha throw that back in her face? "What are you doing here?" She asked again, not completely distracted by Luesha's comment.
Luesha took a couple of nonchalant steps towards the safe zone, "Oh yes, I remember now. He was such a non-entity I forgot."
Jana matched her steps that mirrored Luesha's steps putting her further in the danger zone. "What are you doing here? You are scheduled to be on the furthest most of the dig site."
"Oh, you know how it is," Luesha gave a breezy wave. "you wake up one morning and think, I'd do anything for a raktajino, and I thought you might have one. I got a bit lost looking for your camp." Three more steps took her to where she wanted to be.
"Why were you looking for me now Luesha? What is this about? You simply can't waltz onto someone dig site. Archaeology Etiquette 101."
"And I wouldn't, if I was an Archaeologist." Luesha's fingers closed around the detonator in her pocket. "But I've changed careers. I'm in Antiquarian Reclamation now. Its all the best bits of archeology with none of the digging through layers of mud with a toothbrush. Much more exciting."
"You are nothing more than a thief now Luesha and that shames me to say it, no longer a friend or colleague."
"oh, get off your high horse, Jana. The Iosians are long dead. We're both grave robbers. I've just stopped pretending that stealing at snails pace and bragging about my theiving in an academic journal makes me any better than the common tomb raider." She flipped the catch on the detonator, "And as for no longer being your colleague or friend. boo hoo. I'll get over it."
"I am no thief! I preserve the artifacts and put them in museums where they can be shared by all. You simply sell them to the highest bidder!"
"Whatever lets you sleep at night." Luesha's thumb found the button. "One chance, Jana, for old times sake. Walk away. Go make mudpies somewhere else."
Jana knew something was going on, her inner radar was screaming at her to get out of the temple but her feet refused to move. She would not give Luesha that satisfaction of taking away her hard work.
Luesha heard the suspicious thoughts running through Jana's head. Ah well. She tried, but omelettes, eggs, and all that. "When you see Damon," she smirked, "Tell him I've had better."
And with that last swipe at Jana's grief, she pressed the button, and the cave fell in.
TBC...
OFF
A JP Between
Lt. Jana Kasikova
CSO ~ DS5
&
Luesha Darque
Tomb Raider
(NPC by Notty)