Raven woke to the sound of the supply crate being pushed towards the elevator shaft. Raven waved for John and he came to help Raven stand up.
"Thanks John. I assume it's time to go?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, and im gonna miss the memories we've had on this ship. Remember that time Shatiil smacked that one visiting captain for hitting on her? The look on that guy's face was priceless."
"yeah, and remember when i asked Shatiil if she was interested in me at the nav console? I was a trainwreck." Raven said dreamily.
The two of them stood taking in the memories one last time, then discussed other things.
"How are we going to get Kay down? We can't just strap her in and set her loose." Raven said pointedly.
"What we have in mind is trying to tie 2 corners of a stretcher to the two elevator cables, and us all holding the other 2 lines attached to the other corners." John explained.
"Somebody would have to hold the stretcher up while we load Kay onto it." Raven pointed out.
"Oh, We got an extra Clone coming up here for that. And while we set thatup, you and I get to slide down there. I'll go first, help you get off."
Raven just grunted and walked over to the elevator doors. After about 10 minutes, The extra clone arrived, and John attached his Zipline.
Slowly and very carefully, John made his way down the elevator cables. After John detached his zipline, Raven attached hers, and slid down the cables.
As she slid down, she looked around at the ruins of her ship. Entire decks were collapsed, and flames raged from one of the sector armories.
When Raven Reached the ground, John helped to set her down gently without jarring her ankle.
"Oof, Thanks" Raven said in a strained voice.
"Don't thank me, because we still have to get Kay and Shatiil down here, out to the camp, and get them better medical treatment."
"Hey, there's a forest over there. You see that too right?" Raven asked.
"Huh, so there is. I didn't notice that before." John stated blandly.
As they waited for the stretcher, four clones arrived with two more stretchers. As they looked up, they saw the stretcher descending slowly towards the ground.
As soon as the stretcher cane near to the ground, Shatiil's face came into view. Two clones picked up one of the stretchers and gently transferred shatiil into it.
"John, mind if I see you later?" Raven asked.
"No, go ahead. I'll see you later Rave." John said.
They quickly walked towards the forest, which seemed to be about 2 kilometers away.Raven had to walk quickly to keep up with the clones and was sweating lightly when she arrived at camp. Raven stuck to Shatiil's side, and sat next to her in the medic's tent.
"Captain, so glad you could join me," The medic said, walking over. "Do you need anything treated?"
"I-" Raven started.
"Besides her. She's obvious." The medic said, looking at Shatiil. "I know you have broken ribs. How many?"
"Two broken ribs, sprained ankle, and a broken arm, obviously."
"Are you sure that's everything?" The medic pried.
"Oh, one more thing, her." Raven said, jabbing a thumb at the group carrying Kay inside.
"Dear lord! What happened, how is she still alive, how long has this thing been in her? how much has shemoved? Fine, i'll answer it myself. Squad, find my surgical aides."
"In the meantime, I'll give het painkillers and wake her up for you." The medic said lightly.
Raven sat by Shatiil's side, along with John, waiting for Shatiil to wake up while Kay was carried into the surgery tent.
"Hey... ra..." Shatiil's voice rasped. l
"Shhh, John, hand me the water please."
"There you go." John said politely.
"Here, drink some water. You've been out for around 3 days now. I was worried about you." Raven said in a gentle, loving voice.
"who... died?" Shatiil whispered.
"Well, ahh... Uhh..." Raven stumbled over her own words, unsure what to say.
"Gastille and Jewel." John interjected.
"Oh... Wh... Kay? She al... right?" Shatiil asked, after another sip of water.
"She's hurt, really badly. I don't want to describe it right now." Raven said grimly.
"I can though!" John called from behind Raven. "She got half a meter of rebar driven through her chest. She's still alive though, tough one she is." John explained.
"Raven... I ain't... no baby." Shatiil managed to get one last sentence off, before nodding off again.
Raven just ran a hand down her face, and went outside. Once outside, she headed for the command tent, where Ruiz would doubtless be.
"Ruiz? You here?" Raven called out as she walked in.
"Over here captain. What do you need?"
"I was wondering a few things. First off, any sign of a rescue? Second, do we have death reports yet? And lastly, is there any hostile wildlife around here?" Raven listed in a monotone.
"Yes, it comes day after tomorrow. Second question is a no, and the third is also a no. Will that be it?"
"Yes, thank you. I'll let you get back to... whatever you where doing." Raven said, leaving the tent.
Raven quickly walked towards the looming forest. She walked mindlessly under the canopy and paid no heed to her surroundings.
"Oh what the f-" Raven exclaimed as she tripped over a tree root. "Where... how the heck did i get here?"
Raven turned back the way she came from and looked for her trail. After a moment, she found it and started walking back towards camp.
When she got back, the night skies were turning a gorgeous shade of violet, pink, green, and purple. Raven got home, laid in her cot, and fell asleep.
When she woke up, John was laying in his cot, reading a book.
"So, where did you go last night Raven?" John asked in a mockinly deep voice.
"I honestly don't know," Raven chuckled. "I walked until i tripped on a tree root, turned around and came back."
John just laughed and started to explain things to Raven.
"First things first, today you're going on an expedition to another section of wreckage with a third of the camp. I'm going back to our section with another third, and the rest stay here." John listed.
"Wooooo, what fun we'll have today," Raven said, obviously sarcastic. "But on a more serious note, can you find... Gastille and Jewel for me? You know why."
"Yeah, just- hey, don't cry on me. Come on Raven, you're alright, you'll be fine, so stop crying so much, eh?" John said, trying to comfort Raven.
"It's not me... its everyone else im worried about." Raven choked out.
"Yeah, well hey, cheer up. Rescue's coming tomorrow, and nobody is going to die by tomorrow. So you ready to head out?"
Raven simply nodded her head, and walked out of the tent. She was greeted by a mass of clones rushing about, some building additional shelters and tents, some gearing up for a trek to the wreckage.
"Captain!" Ruiz called out as he ran up to Raven. "You're coming with me today, so follow me."
Raven followed Ruiz to one side of the camp. Ruiz wandered around organizing the clones that were leaving, while Raven walked over to the supply tables.
"Which site you going to? Close or far?" The clone at the table asked.
"Far." Raven said
"Alrighty, you'll need some rations, some medical supplies, a collapsible stretcher, and some water."
Raven nodded, and carefully arranged the supplies in her backpack.
"We're heading out in 7 minutes. Be ready. We line uo over that way, we'll be upfront so look for me." Ruiz said.
"Alright, see you there." Raven said, walking back to where John would doubtless be.
"Hey john," Raven said as she walked into the medical tent. "How you feeling?"
"I'm alright, getting a little nervous. How about you? Nerves of steel I'm guessing?"
"I feel nervous leaving Shatiil alone. I mean, I've been away before, but it was never when she was half-dead."
"We should get going, they'll be setting out soon. Making double checks of equipment, that stuff." John said wearily.
Racen just nodded, stood up, and walked back towards the staging area.
"Captain," Ruiz said, walking up to Raven. "You armed?"
"No, you said there was no dangerous wildlife here." Raven explained.
"You're right. It's not dangerous, but there are a few species of reptiles whose bites induce hallucinations. I'd advise shooting them."
"Soo... do you have an extra weapon anywhere?" Raven asked, very motivated to grab a blaster.
"Over there, and make sure you have all the supplies you can carry."
The group finished preparations and set out for the wreckage of the front of the ship. Smoke still billowed from parts of the wreckage, and the surrounding land was smoldering.