Shifting Sands
Part 2
By Vincent Valentine
A/N: Thank you all for such positive support for my first venture in Fanfiction. I can guarantee that this chapter will be longer than the first one, and our enemies will be introduced. As always, please Read and Review, and thank you once again. Ja Ne!
Dust kicked up where Voyager began to touch down. The massive landing feet touched down on the grassy fields outside of Kalm, the emerald blades parting under the Federation ship. Soon, as the dust began to settle, the sparkling blue transporter sillouhettes appeared, signaling the crew's entrance to the New World.
The away team cautiously looked around, some raising tri-corders for scans of life, some cautiously raising hand phasers in case of any hostile actions towards them. Slowly, they moved about, spreading out slightly, looking over the unfamiliar terrain with raising doubts that this was not their home.
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto." Tom spoke dryly, looking to the scenery around them, closing up the tricorder and setting it to his side. He looked back to the others, trying to think of what to do next. "So what should we do? Sit here and wait for someone, or go off exploring with the chance we may run into some of the locals?" He questions to the group, Tuvok looking up from his own scans of any possible threats.
"I would not recommend such an action. We do not know how technologically advanced this culture is, and scans show they are in a late twentieth century setting. The Prime Directive forbids us in interfering." Tuvok states, sense and logic dripping from his response.
" It wouldn't hurt to look around, would it?" Harry asks, a little tinge of disappointment fill his question, himself wanting to look around anything that looked like Earth. " We are explorers, after all." He adds quickly after, trying to prove his case to all.
"I agree with Harry. We are explorers, and we are on a New World. And it will give us a chance to look around while the teams work on necessary repairs. But we will stick together, and make sure that our presence here doesn't interfere with the Prime Directive." Chakotay says, looking off into the horizon. "It looks like there's a populated city over there. We should head that way." He replies further, putting the phaser to the side of him, then starting off towards the city that seemed to have darkness all around it.
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Cloud and the others raced out of the city limits, only stopping to change in suitable attire if a fight did break out. He imagined none of them were comfortable wearing any of that, he knew he wasn't anyway. Adjusting the Ultima Weapon to fit on his back more easily while he ran, he could see the gates to the outside world, from the deep dankness of the slums. He stopped at the gate, looking to everyone.
"All right people, this is it. Make sure your weapons are set." Cloud says, in a slightly stern voice, telling them all of the seriousness of the situation. "Yuffie, start handing out the materia. I want to be prepared for anything we might encounter. You and Vincent take the flanks. Start blasting with magic and weapons, if it comes down to that." He says to the young ninja thief, the girl nodding in response. Cloud then looks to Red XIII and Cid. "I want you two to give them any support they need. I'll be taking the front." He says in a tone that meant no buts about the decision.
"Hey Cloud, what do you think that was out there?" Yuffie asks, slightly nervous, as she hands out various materias to everyone, not even bothering to look what she gave the rest of the party. It had been too short since the incident with Meteor and Sephiroth. She was still too young to die in her own eyes, and this was just an uneasy reminder of that to her.
"I don't know, Yuffie. But I know that we have to deal with whatever it was. I'm glad Tifa stayed back to handle panic control in Midgar." He says to her, the last part of the statement ending softer, worried about if Tifa would be alright when they would be gone. He then looks to them all, with a resolved determination. "It's time to go." He says, turning to slide the key card into the slum gate. The huge metal door slowly slid open, giving them access into the outside world again, and into a new unknown.
The members of AVALANCHE raced along the plains of Midgar, as fast as their feet could carry them. Vincent took up the lead with Cloud, running at a speed the others thought not possible from their most aloof member. The dark warrior made his way up a small cliff, looking out to the plains up ahead, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. He hastily went back to the others, immediately talking in a soft tone to them all.
"There's a giant ship up ahead, possibly about three quarters of a mile. From what I can tell, it's not meant for either the sea or just the air." He says softly, not wanting to alert anyone that might be over hearing, just wanting to keep it within the group.
"You mean that damn thing is a spaceship? I thought we were the only bastards that could go out into space." Cid asks wondering in a tone that showed no heed for the sensitive nature of the situation. Vincent only replied in a shrug, meaning that it was either possible or he didn't know.
"Calm yourself, Cid. I can sense others approaching." Red XIII says quietly, lightly sniffing the air. "I already have their scents." Red continues on, moving around slightly, trying to pick up what he can. "There are four of them. But only three of them are human. The other is from a species I know nothing of." He concludes, looking to Cloud.
"I don't like this at all. Something is going on here, and we need to find out what." Cloud says to them all, telling them of his decision already. "We're going to meet those four. But be on your guard. We have no idea what to expect." Cloud states, looking over the small hill, even now he could see the others coming from his developed SOLDIER senses. He started to get up, looking to the others and moving out towards them slowly. The others slowly followed behind him, Vincent covering himself in his cape. Inside, his hand reaching to his side, lightly resting on the Death Penalty.
"Well, so far, it's been all quiet on the western front." Tom says, the dullness of the situation setting in. The simple walking around, exploring was not his cup of tea, when compared to being able to pilot one of Starfleet's most advanced ships.
"That could change very quickly, Tom. Don't get lazy." Chakotay chides softly, still looking around the strange territory. His hand rested lightly on his phaser, his senses telling him of something approaching.
Tuvok stops his tracks, the others stopping as well, looking to him. "Someone is coming. We should make ourselves known." He says, looking off into the horizon. Soon, everyone else could see a small group of five coming towards their position.
Chakotay nodded in response then gripped his phaser once he saw the one in the front of the group wielding a large sword on his back. The others in the away team took this as a time for them to draw their weapons as well. "We come in peace. My name is Chakotay. We're from the starship Voyager." He called out to the group, now easily in eyesight to the rest of the team.
Cloud stopped, and the others did so as well, all taking defensive positions with their weapons once they saw the new people brandishing weapons of their own. "If you come in peace, lower your weapons. We don't mean to start a fight." Cloud calls back, the Ultima Weapon gripped tightly in his hands, meant to strike out, if they fired first.
Chakotay looked to the others in his team, and motioned for all of them to put their weapons away. The rest of the crew responded in kind, as Chakotay looked back to Cloud. "My name is Chakotay and we've done what you asked in good faith. Now lower your weapons as well." He responded to the other leader, Cloud motioning for the others to do so, as he sits back his massive sword in its sheath.
"Fine. I'm Cloud. Nice to meet you, and the other induction filler. Now, what are you doing here?" Cloud asks, trying to figure out why people of outer space would want to come to the planet. His memories of the only two species that he knew of that came from space was Jenova and the Cetra, and neither of them brought any pleasant images back to his mind.
"Our ship was damaged in a battle. We landed here to explore and make repairs. As soon as that's done, we'll be on our way." Tom replies to the other group, looking over each of them, his eyes bulging slightly at Red XIII. "It isn't going to bite us, will it?" He asks to Cloud, pointing a finger to the guardian of Cosmo Canyon.
"HE will not bite anyone without provocation. He isn't a wild beast." Cloud says with a slight tone of anger in his voice, having one of his friends being referred to in such a way. True, not many people knew of the remarkable creature, but it wouldn't hurt any of the newcomers to show some manners to other beings.
"I may be a little frisky at times, but I would hardly call myself wild." Red replies with a smirk to Cloud, the leader responding to him with one of his own. Red then looked back to the newcomers on the Planet. "I am Nanaki, but I am often referred to by my friends as Red XIII. I offer you my welcome." He says with a slight nod of his head.
Harry looks to Red, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "He talks! I mean, he really talks." Harry stated rather excitedly, looking to others in the away team. Cid smirked with a small laugh, lighting up a cigarette while he leant on the Venus Gospel.
"Don't get your drawers in a twist, kid. The cat talks too much sometimes." Cid stated in smirk, taking a long drag from the cigarette. After realizing the smoke into the air, he looks to Chakotay and the others. "The name's Cid. And I'm the best damn pilot and mechanic this side of the galaxy." He stated, the obvious pride in his voice. Tom looked to the aging pilot with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That may be in these backwoods of the universe, but for what it's worth, I'm the best pilot around. I'm Tom Paris." He says with a smirk, to Cid, the other pilot's eyes narrowing in disgust for the young hotshot.
"We can save the rest of the introductions for later. I suggest we move on to our ship and continue there, if that's alright for the rest of you." Chakotay suggests, looking to cloud and his team. Cloud looks to his others, and since no one spoke up in a negative response, he then looked back to Chakotay.
"Fine with us. Lead the way." Cloud says with a tone of slight confusion still, looking back to Chakotay, nodding slightly. Chakotay offers him a small smile, and then with a nod he lightly taps the communicator badge on his chest.
"Chakotay to Voyager. Nine to beam up." Chakotay says to the transporter office, still on board the ship. Cloud and the others looked slightly worried for a moment, as the world slowly dissolved into a world of brilliant sparkling blue light.
Somewhere deep in space, the Borg Queen looks on to the Planet's surface from a viewing screen.
"Janeway has decided to seek refuge on that planet. We will assimilate her and her crew, along with the rest of the world she is on. How unfortunate for those beings." She says, a light smile on her face, as she looks up to another viewing screen, the turning of gears and metal could be heard from her cybernetic implants in her body.
"Send cube 1734 to that planet. Assimilate all life forms." The Borg Queen demanded, as she saw the gargantuan cube race off through a Trans-warp conduit towards the Planet. She smiled lightly, wallowing in the fact she would soon have the humans that dared to defy her. Resistance is futile.
