First two chapters have been fully updated! I haven't changed too much, just several details and added a few scenes. I highly recommend rereading them as the old version conflicts with my future plot (especially in the area of character deaths).
Achilles453 I'm glad you liked the character profiles. The tattoo's a good idea, but I honestly believe that the Thing, which is smart enough to imitate an entire base and pit people against each other, would be smart enough to get a marker or something and recreate a tattoo. Also, I think that them not being able to know who's who immediately makes for a more suspenseful story.
Guest - Like I said above, the tattoo idea's very good, but I believe them not being able to know if the other's a Thing makes more suspense. As for jewelry, I like it, but given how the Thing retains the host's memories, it would know about it and try to locate said jewelry.
US Outpost 17, 'Fulcrum', March 7, 1987
Kallus walked into the kitchen, tired like he usually was in the morning, searching for some coffee. Zare was up and about, preparing breakfast for the remaining eight personnel on station. He looked up as Kallus entered, "Forgive me, Lieutenant, but you look like shit."
Kallus only chuckled as he sat down, "I feel like shit. Please tell me you've got some coffee ready."
Zare shook his head, "Nope. Coffee machine broke."
Kallus sank his head onto the table and slammed down his hand as he muttered, "You've got to be kidding me."
Zare laughed, "I am. Coffee's over there, help yourself."
Shaking his head, Kallus couldn't keep back the chuckle, "Damn you Leonis. What was it Commander Tano told you when you came here? Don't prank the commanding officers and don't mess with our morning coffee."
"Yeah, yeah I know. But where's the fun in that? Also for the record, I only prank you. I don't want to face Commander Tano when she's angry, again."
Kallus chuckled, remembering how scary Ahsoka could be when she was pranked. She hated to be pranked, something about an event in her past. Almost nobody knew what had happened in Ahsoka's past, only her closest friends and comrades. Kallus just happened to be one of those who had been told about the North Pole incident.
Kallus poured himself some coffee as Saw and Jyn walked in. Kallus nodded in recognition, "Morning Saw, Jyn. Want some coffee?"
Saw shook his head, "Thanks, Lieutenant, but I'm good." Zare was making the usual fare at the outpost: canned eggs, buiscuts, and pemmican. Gooti entered as Zare was placing the finished food on the table. A few minutes into eating, Kallus noticed the three empty spots, "I assume that Ms. Onyo's in the radio room, but where's Wren and Bridger?"
Jyn shrugged, "Last I saw, Sabine was headed out to the helicopter. Said she wanted to fix a mechanical issue or something. Ezra could have gone out to help her."
Gooti rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Or they might be out there for other reasons."
Jyn shrugged again, "It isn't impossible. You guys remember when Ahsoka walked in on them, right?"
Saw chuckled, "Ah, the wonders of young love. You know those two remind me of her parents when they were younger." He said as he pointed at Jyn. Jyn's mouth fell open, "Saw! Damnit, now I'll have to deal with that image in my head all day."
Saw shrugged, "What? It's true. Oh hey, that reminds me of another story about Galen and Lyra." Jyn groaned in aggravation as Kallus rose to the wall intercom, "Ketsu, we're eating breakfast right now. You want to come here or should one of us bring you something?"
Ketsu's voice responded, "I'd like it here, if you don't mind. Thanks for the offer. Same as usual?"
Kallus chuckled, "What else? I'll be there in five. Oh hey, also can you radio the helicopter? See if Wren and Bridger are there."
"Will do. Out."
-0-
Coated in engine grease, Sabine and Ezra had finished plugging the fuel leak in the helicopter and were enjoying a more intimate makeout session when the radio beeped.
"Damn it." She swore, pulling out of the kiss with Ezra to grab the transmitter, "Everytime we try to get some time alone, we get interrupted!" Ezra chuckled, "Well what did you expect in a small outpost with no privacy in the middle of the antarctic."
Sabine rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the shoulder, "Well, who was it that convinced me to come here?", but she still smiled nonetheless. She turned on the radio, "What is it Ketsu?"
"So you are in the helicopter after all. Where's Ezra? You two are missing breakfast."
Sabine looked at the instrument panel. They couldn't have spent that long in the Seahawk! She sighed as she saw the time. "Okay, thanks for the reminder. Ezra and I just finished repairing a fuel leak in the copter. We'll be there in a minute."
In the radio room, Ketsu smirked to herself, "Sure you were. How long were you two snogging?"
Sabine's eyes widened and she sputtered to respond, "What! No! We weren't, well..." she sighed and slammed her hand on the bulkhead, "maybe a little." Ketsu laughed and Sabine angrily shot back, "I swear you have a smutty mind, Ket."
"Maybe I do, Sabine. Just get back in here before I go announcing this to the others."
Ketsu smiled to herself as Sabine grumbled in exasperation before ending the connection. After a minute, she turned to the intercom and announced, "They're on their way. Apparently there was a fuel leak in the helicopter."
In the mess hall, Jyn rolled her eyes as Gooti laughed, "I wonder what fuel was leaking in that helicopter."
Sabine angrily answered from the doorway, "I don't know if you know what aviation fuel is but that was the only thing that was leaking!" She then stormed over to the sink to wash up. Sabine had engine grease smudged on her face and hands.
Ezra walked in behind her and noticed the amused faces of his coworkers. "What are you all looking at me for?"
An exasperated Sabine answered as she took her place at the table, "Our coworkers have smutty minds, that's what."
Kallus laughed as he left the mess hall for the radio room with Ketsu's breakfast. He walked in to see her scribbling down a message. "Something wrong?"
"Garbled message from McMurdo. Ezra was right, there's a blizzard moving in and we'll be out of touch for a while." Ketsu turned and graciously accepted the breakfast, "I can't say I'll be sad when we leave for home. Zare's a nice guy and a good cook, but a person can only last for so long on eggs and pemmican."
Kallus chuckled, "I know what you mean. Have you heard anything from Sumar's group?"
"Nope, but I'll let you know if I hear anything."
Kallus nodded, "Thanks."
Twenty minutes later, the ping pong championship between Saw and Ezra was interrupted by Ketsu calling over the intercom, "Lieutenant Kallus, report to the radio room. The Sumar expedition has made contact."
Kallus made his way into the radio room and Ketsu turned on the speaker, "Sumar, what do you have to report?"
Sumar's voice was hesitant and awestruck, "Lieutenant, I can't say this any other way, but we seem to have found an alien spacecraft."
Ketsu's eyes widened, "An alien spacecraft? Is that possible?"
Kallus calmly said, "I'll believe it." Ketsu looked at him incredulously and he shrugged, "What? If you were an naval aviator, you'd be more inclined to believe this. Ask Commander Tano about the North Pole Incident, she probably won't tell you, but that's the reason I'll believe Sumar's claim."
Sabine asked from the doorway, "What's the North Pole Incident?"
Kallus turned, "I wasn't there, but Commander Tano was and all I can say is she doesn't like to talk about it. What I can tell you is that it happened about twenty years ago and had something to do with an extraterrestrial."
Kallus turned back to the radio, "Sumar, are you sure?"
80 miles to the south, Sumar responded, "Yes, it's in a cravice on the side of a mountain. Our working theory is that it crashed here many years ago. Mart, Jai, and I will need some support to finish unearthing it."
Kallus nodded, "So you want me to come down with some help in the Seahawk?"
"Yes, if it isn't too much of a hassle."
Kallus thought it over, "Not at all. The weather is supposed to get worse in the next few days so we'll have to move soon. I'll take a few with me this afternoon. We'll be there by... oh about 1700. Give me the coordinates."
Sumar gave his agreement, "I'll be expecting you. Here are the coordinates."
A few minutes later, Kallus, Sabine, and Ketsu entered the rec room. Kallus moved to the head of the ping pong table and said, "Everyone listen up. Sumar's crew has reported in and they've found something in the ice. I plan to take the chopper down with a few of you. and support them. Sabine, is the chopper flightworthy?" She nodded, "Despite popular belief, there was a fuel leak this morning," she glared at the rest of the crew who were suppressing laughter, "but we managed to fix it."
Kallus nodded, "Ezra, can we take a flight in this weather? I want a forecast for the next few days, stat." Ezra nodded and ran over to the map room to make his forecast.
Kallus turned to the rest of the crew, "I want a few of you to stay here. Ketsu, you stay and monitor the radio for any more news from McMurdo." She nodded and returned to the radio room.
Kallus thought it over, "Zare and Gooti, you stay here as well." He turned to the only other on-station military person at the outpost, "Jyn, pack the thermite. I have a feeling we'll need it." Jyn nodded and turned to head for the weapons locker.
Kallus continued, "Bridger and Saw, you will accompany me, Jyn, and Sabine. Pack your gear. We leave at 1400 hours."
Hundreds of Thousands of Years Earlier
The crew of the spaceship lifted off from the jungle world. They were in high spirits. Very high spirits. And the cause was that creature in the hold. A truly interesting specimen, and it was the crowning achievement of this biological expedition. The aliens had one more stop on their journey: the third planet in a system of eight. The planet was promising, it had various climates and multiple species.
But of course, things fell apart. The creature in the back morphed, it morphed into a mass of tentacles and escaped the cage it was restrained in. The first of the crew fell to it and the Thing imitated them. In a desperate attempt to capture it, the crew of the spacecraft tried to lure it out. They tought they had killed it when the Thing revealed itself to be one of their own.
The alien pilot heard the cries, and quickly sealed the cockpit door. The Thing would not get through. There was a pounding on the cockpit door. The pilot turned to the camera: it was the commander of the ship. He refused to open the door even for the commander.
But the pilot soon stared in horror as the Thing entered through the vents in a mass of tentacles. They morphed into a blue creature with three red eyes. It sprouted several more tentacles and attacked. The pilot tried to throw it off balance, pitching the ship this way and that, and sent out a distress signal. The pilot felt a tentacle pierce his back as he flew the craft towards a snowy mountain. If he would die, the Thing would die too.
The pilot turned to smirk, but the Thing was gone. The pilot screamed in rage as the ship impacted with the granite.
March 9, 1987
Ketsu, Gooti, and Zare watched as the Seahawk touched back down at Outpost 17. Mart, Jai, and Sumar got out and the helicopter lifted back up. Ketsu walked up to Sumar, "Where're they going? Where's the rest of the crew?"
Sumar answered, "Back at the line camp. The snowcat was destroyed and Kallus believed making two trips was safer than one."
Zare chimed in, "Destroyed?!? What do you mean it got destroyed?"
Jai sighed, "We'll tell you when they get back."
They seemed content with this answer, and two hours later the chopper touched back down. Saw, Jyn, Ezra, Sabine, and Kallus came into the base dragging a large block of ice, covered by a tarp, behind them. They hoisted it onto a table in the ad building and Kallus called everyone together. Slowly, his eyes traced around the ring of people crammed into the ad building. The only sound was the slow, methodical dripping of the block bound in cords and tarpaulins.
Kallus broke the silence, his voice low, yet filled with authority, "Eleven, all here. The eight of us who went in support of the Sumar expedition know the story, but I guess I'd better clue you others in on what happened. There is a difference of opinion, and seeing how this'll affect all of us, it's only fair that we come to a group consensus.
"Almost 80 miles to the south of here, there is an ice-drowned ridge of mountains. Made of unshakeable granite, they halt the ice creeping up from the south. Sumar camped there, dug into the blue ice of the surface to escape the wind that howls down the mountains over the plateau towards the sea.
"It was frozen there for at least 100,000 years, maybe more. It came from space, driven by forces we have yet to comprehend, when something went wrong. Bridger believes that it tangled with Earth's magnetic field. Others believe there was some catastrophic accident. However it happened, the craft smashed into solid granite head-on.
"The Sumar expedition discovered it when their snowcat fell into a crevice. It was buried there in the ice, at least 280 feet long and 45 feet in diameter. It almost looked like a submarine without the conning tower and external control surfaces. The engines created a chamber upon crashing and there were snowdrifts, indicating a blizzard at the time of the crash. Not all aboard died, one got out and stumbled away from the crash. In the raging storm, it was lost and frozen in 10 paces. When we dug down to view the side of the craft, Bridger's ice-ax lodged itself in the creature's skull. When Saw and Jai came down, we cut the creature out in a block of ice." He gestured to the block on the table.
"We reached the side of the craft, and the skin of the ship was nothing we'd ever seen. The magnesium hull was black and smooth as obsidian, and it would not scratch on any of our tools. It even repelled acid from the snowcat battery.
"We found an access hatch on the side, it was partially open and jammed with ice. We cut around it, but were unable to open the door. We had dynamite and thermite charges. Dynamite might have broken important things, but thermite would loosen the ice. Jyn and I placed a twenty-five pound thermite charge, wired it, and retreated to the top of the ridge to the line camp. 250 yards from the zone, Jyn set it off." Kallus stepped back and Jyn came forward.
Jyn continued the narrative, "The thermite ignited the hull, which we believed to be some sort of magnesium. The glow of the bomb flared, then died, but it soon flared back up even more. We ran back to the helicopter. The entire icefield was illuminated by blinding light, with the silhouette of the spaceship a dark shadow pointing to the north. Briefly, we saw several more shadows that could have been other passengers, frozen in place, before the ice came crashing down.
"But the blaze still burned. We saw great, black hunched bulks glowing. We knew they were the engines. They glowed with a furious incandescence for a while before exploding. In mere moment, we saw secrets going in a blazing glory. Secrets that could have given man the stars. Great bolts of electric blue shot through the mushroom cloud that rose into the sky. The only reason we survived was because of the geography. The wind blew most of the superheated gasses away from us towards the ocean, or we would have had the skin cooked off our bones right then and there. Ezra's ice-ax got red hot and hissed on the ice. The snowcat, still on the edge of the crevice, was a molten, smoldering ruin. We were lucky that the helicopter was out of range. The ice poured down then, smashing into the ship and quelling the blaze. It squealed like dry ice, before all we heard was the wind blowing about us."
Kallus finished the narrative, "We were there for hours, groping around in the dark. Once our vision returned, we found out that the radio in the helicopter was useless. We were barely able to get the copter started. Once we did, we came here as soon as possible."
Kallus paused and gestured to the thing on the table, "I guess that is the story of that."
Next chapter: The debate between Ezra and Saw becomes rather heated.