To Touch The Edge

"I'm taking a landing party consisting of myself, an astrobiologist and a lieutenant into a shuttle craft. The representative of Tiron just sent us a distress call, saying some strange animals that can't be killed with weapons of force have inhabited their planet." He paused. "I know it seems sketchy, that's why I'm bringing a lieutenant who can use combat skills when necessary and I will have a laser with me just in case something goes wrong. I need you to take temporary command of the ship in my absence. I know you haven't commanded a starship before but I can't think of anyone better equipped to do it."

Lycen sighed, looking distant again. "Keep the ship within orbit of the planet and if anything goes wrong, I'll send for another shuttle craft. I'll trust you to send whoever you think would do best in whatever crisis the landing party and I are in. I know this is a lot of responsibility but I can't think of anyone better and I need to be with this landing party, it was me after all that Ke'el called for. This whole thing will be my responsibility anyway if anything goes wrong." He paused again, to let that soak in. "I'll check in every two hours with my communicator." He picked up a small microphone-like object from a desk and clipped it onto his jacket. "If I don't check in I only want you to wait two more hours. If I don't try to communicate in that time, assume the worst."

Lycen knew this was a lot of responsibility he was giving to his second officer but no one else equipped for the task was available. Anything that goes wrong was automatically his responsibly anyway. He hoped this wasn't a trap.

[Soooo Sorry for the delayed posting. I started my new job and things have been hectic. But I should be back to my usually posting! I also appologize for my short posts. Haven't been getting much sleep and alot of stress so a bit of a writers block.]


Raelynn let everything sink in. For a moment she almost panicked. She couldn't possible handle all of thi...Her thoughts trailed off as her fathers voice played over in the back of her mind. "You'll never be strong enough, good enough, or able to do anything worth doing!" Raelynn squared her shoulders and looked the captian in the eye.

"Yes sir, Understood." She said with a salute. "But please sir, be careful. This crew needs you." Raelynn needed him. As much as she hated admitting that she needed anything at all. She couldn't kid herself. Without the captian she would have probably ended up in the brig for being mentally unstable.

Lycen nodded. "I know but there isn't much other choice." Over the intercom, he called the crew members he wanted to take with him and provided communicators for each.

Lycen put his hand on Realynn's shoulder. Not captain to crewman but simply person to person. "Raelynn, you can do this, I can't name a single crewman more determined than you."

His face hardened again, back to being Captain. He took his landing party and went to prepare the shuttle craft.

Once prepared, they were on their way. Lycen calculated that it would take fifteen minutes to arrive. He would check in to the Bridge upon arrival.

(Sorry, double-posted by accident)