Raiders of Vorta Vor I

 Episode Name:  Raiders of Vorta Vor I

   Written By:  Eidolon

         Cast:  Eidolon, Kisa, Prochazka, Rixx and Strell.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Eidolon

     Aired On:  Sun Sep 19 01:16:50 2004

     Stardate:  54398

Time: Sat Sep 18 17:59:17 2004

Stardate: 54397.3

The harsh suns of the 40 Eridani system beat down on the ruins of the city of Khir'Ahl. The heat waves shimmer across the ancient streets, long bereft of any citizens who call this place a home.

A group of intrepid adventurers, drawn here by the lure of ancient, priceless treasures, stand before the temple of the Vhorani, breathing in the sere air of a city lost for millenia...

Strell folds his hands behind his back as he considers the temple, brow upswept. "Fascinating. This program was obviously not created by Vulcans."

Rixx shifts her weight from one foot to the other and then looks over towards Strell curiously. The Bolian looks somewhat out of place in such a dry environment. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Prochazka looks around carefully, studying the temple as well, before he looks over at Strell, "How so?" he asks, as he moves one hand to push the hat on his head back a bit.

"No Vulcan would condone the looting of priceless artifacts from preserved archaeological sites," Strell replies. So much for that suspension of belief thing.

Rixx chuckles at that and shakes her head. "Not even the illusion of such for a few hours of entertainment?"

Prochazka sighs a little, as he listens to the Vulcan's words. "Imagination," he mutters, before he shakes his head a bit, "Think of it as some sort of scientific expedition, then? They tend to be a bit out of the ordinary, once in a while."

Strell opens his mouth to respond to Rixx, then realizes where he is. After a moment of silence, he allows a soft, "Perhaps. Shall we continue?"

Kisa peeps her head on through the archway while smoothing fingers cautiously over her skin cooling suit. The heat has already started to curl the ends of her snowy hair, appearing as a dead on target in this hot sultry landscape - blue and white, easy to spot. She smiles lightly to the group, waving briefly.

Rixx looks to Kisa curiously and offers a smile. "Hello there." She looks around a bit and then asks, "This is the full group, yes?"

Kisa sweeps on a pair of ultra-violet bands to cover her eyes, stolen from a hidden pocket beneath that light fur 'shawl' of hers. "Evening. This is where everyone's gathering for a treasure hunt I hear?"

Prochazka nods, as he hears Strell's words, smiling a little, before he looks over at Kisa, "Hello, hello," he offers, before he nods a bit, "I think it looks like the full group, yes. Shall we go on?"

"I believe so." Strell offers to Prochazka, nodding. "It will undoubtedly be cooler in the interior of the temple."

Rixx nods and grins, "I'm Mira, by the way." She says in lieu of a more formal introduction.

<PROVE> Kisa has the merit of Sexy at 2.

<PROVE> Kisa has the flaw of Impulsive at -1.

"Kisa, Kisa Dra," greets Kisa with a sunny smile upon her blue features. And off she trops up the pathway, towards the formidable gateway. "Beautiful architecture. Wonder how old this temple is and who was worshipped." She passes on through without a worry in the world.

Prochazka smiles, "That sounds good," he replies, to Strell's words, and begins moving through the doors as well.

Strell follows in silence, hands still folded behind his back.

Rixx smiles and dips her head to Strell as well. "Quite right." She shifts her water canteen on its strap and starts walking.

A great hall greets the eye as the team moves through the gates and into the temple proper. The facade has largely crumbled over the years, but the former opulence of this place cannot be denied. Accents of gold contrast against the red rock from the Plains of Gol, and the benches have been painstakingly carved from rocks of marble.

The focal point of the whole area is a pair of giant statues -- a Vulcan male and female, each clasping a lirpa in a defensive stance as they stand before a barred doorway at the rear of the hall. Immediately before the doorway is a large altar of white marble... although the green stain which is now part of the rock appears to be caused by blood of the same color. Vulcans sacrificing Vulcans, perhaps?

The temperature drops a good 20 degrees from exterior to interior as well. Apparently Strell was right on the money.

Kisa's head is in a constant state of movement, drawn from setion to section before settling upon the focal point. Graceful glides place her in front of the statues and her right hand raises to touch the cool marble. Immediately, her antennae droop in gratitude; heat is a torture to a cold-natured Andorian. "Magnificent," she whispers, voice echoing in being carried through the great hall. "Pre-Surak?"

Rixx seems a bit more comfortable in teh shade herself. She looks around and whistles. "Would you look at this." Her eyes widen a bit as she spots the alter. She heads in that direction, nostrils flaring slightly. "My..."

Strell eyes the top of the altar in disdain for a moment after he reaches it. "Several thousand years," he replies after a moment. "Judging by the physical evidence in the chamber itself."

. o O Strell thinks "Ritualistic sacrifice? Undoubtedly a Terran programmed this."

Prochazka looks around carefully, looking a bit like a kid in a candy store. "Incredible," he says, moving over to one of the walls, for the moment, studying a few things. "I wish I could have seen it at the height of its glory." He then follows the others over to the altar.

Kisa's eyes lower to the marble altar and there's a drawn out pause. Who knows what lurks within that tiny mind of hers, what visions gleam in her eyes, but she's reserved about revealing it. Instead, she sweeps her fingers off the statues and walks up to the blood directly. "Same history," she whispers, then whips around to look at the next door.

<CONTEST> Kisa contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Strell falls silent once more, considering the statues.

Prochazka keeps on watching various things, before he reaches the altar, stopping and watching it, thoughtfully.

. o O Kisa thinks "The linens...ushaani..T'Pral did say Vulcans had a very violent history."

<CONTEST> Strell contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Prochazka contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Rixx contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!

Kisa stares in a peculiar expression when studying the doors. Bars block the path yet, she looks around the surface area. Snowy brows knitted together, the Andorian walks back to the altar and its nearby statues.

Kisa whispers to herself, "Wonder if it requires weight or something or.."

Rixx tips her head and looks over towards Kisa and wanders after the Andorian, curious.

Prochazka turns to look at the doors, sighing a little, as he watches the thing, walking closer as well, before he shakes his head a bit. "How can we get these opened?" he asks, quietly.

<PROVE> Strell has the merit of Curious at 1.

<CONTEST> Strell (claiming advantage) contests his Search skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

Rixx steps over towards Prochazka and hrms. "Well, maybe if we look around for anything that... stnads out?"

Strell turns his attention to the door as Prochazka mentions it. "There must be a mechanism or a lever," he replies. "Logically, it would be concealed near the doorway itself, although I do not see any obvious devices."

Kisa climbs up onto the altar, sitting upon a corner. "Perhaps the door does not open until a proper sacrifice is given? This is a temple of worship. To get beyond the great hall wouldn't you have to be a believer?"

<CONTEST> Rixx (claiming advantage) contests her Search skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

"Or maybe you would have to be a priest?" Prochazka replies to Kisa, before he looks around again, looking around the door area, and the statues, thoughtfully.

Strell lifts a brow, turning to Kisa. "And who do you suggest we sacrifice? The holodeck's safety protocols do not allow the murder of sentients within its confines," he responds blandly, although he knows exactly who she is referring to.

Rixx looks between Strell and Kisa, "Now, now, I don't think she was saying we are supposed to kill anyone."

Kisa casts a sincere expression towards Strell. "You do know what I'm leading to, Strell. Two statues stand guard in defensive positions over an altar that has stains of Vulcan blood. Droplets might be a trigger to the entryway. It could possibly be true if you think along the minds of those who lived here." She hops off the altar and starts to knock at various sections, antennae lean towards the object in listening.

Prochazka hmms, a bit thoughtfully, before he makes his way over to one of the statues, studying it *very* carefully. The conversation of sacrifice, he stays out of, for the moment.

Strell turns on a heel and walks toward the door. "Undoubtedly, it will not open unless it is activated by the proper sequence," he offers, reaching out to touch the bars.

As the Vulcan steps onto the treshhold, a loud voice booms out, "Dom - ki'sarlah!" Moments pass, and as the door slides open, it reveals a very long, very dark set of very steep stairs. A blast of sub-zero air comes from the tunnel for a long moment, and then everything is eerily silent once more.

Kisa smirks at the altar. "Nothing inside. Solid marble." She turns a soft smile to Rixx, then looks over at the door. "What type of sequence are you suggesting, Str--" The blast whips at her face and the Andorian gloriously bathes in its coldness. "Guess you figured that out and thankfully without--well." She quiets and walks further into the tunnel.

. o O Kisa thinks "Without sacrifice because..I'd rather cheat and order up holographic blood than.."

Strell lifts a brow as the door slides open. "I am unaware of why the door opened."

Turning as he hears the voice, Prochazka grins, "Seems you stumbled over the riddle's solution, my friend," he offers, before he moves over to the door, peering inside, "Shall we head in there?"

Rixx's communicator chirps, and she's called away to a medical emergency which causes her to rush out in silence.

Kisa walks without flashlight, using her antennae to guide her way -- old hunting trick. "Perhaps it required the body of a Vulcan near it, scanned for..hmm..interesting pathway." In stepping in closer, she murmurs, "Wonder what makes the temperatures this way."

Strell sniffs, pulling out a palm light and shining it into the tunnel. "It is uncommonly cold for Vulcan," he notes before he nods to Prochazka and steps inside the darkness of the tunnel.

Prochazka gets out a flashlight as well, grimacing for a few moments at the temperature. "Honestly, I prefer it to that heat outside," he offers, before he follows after the others into the tunnel. "Interesting place."

"Honestly, this is divine." It would take an Andorian to say that. "If anyone gets cold, I can offer my bit of fur."

The tunnel continues downward for what seems like an eternity, going at least twenty stories beneath the temple overhead. The entire way, it's nothing but smooth walls and stairs until it opens into a massive underground atrium, the bottom of which is a lake of ice. A wooden catwalk spreads across the ice flow, rickety and missing pieces.

Strell shines the light around as he emerges into the cave, lifting a brow. "Fascinating."

"I guess this is where the cold is coming from," Prochazka offers as he sees the cave and the ice. "Interesting place, this."

A skittering sound sounds in the darkness, followed by a fall of pebbles.

"To skate across the ice or to take the catwalk?" Kisa murmurs while suspiciously eying the lake. "Wonder though..how could ice exists if the majority of Vulcan is..hot?" She peers outward with antennae perk in hearing sounds.

"It is possible that we are far enough below ground not to be affected by ambient surface temperatures," Strell replies as he continues to inspect the area. "Before the time of the beginning, this would have been a great resource to protect."

"Well, seeing as we didn't bring any skates, I think we'd have to risk the catwalk?" Prochazka suggests, before he looks up, as he hears the skittering and the fall of the pebbles. Directing his light to try seeing what made the sound.

The beam of light reveals the last of the rolling pebbles, but not what made the sound.

Kisa replies to Prochazka, "Andorians hardly require skates to walk across ice. Second nature and all." Puzzled by the pebbles rolling, she tiptoes forwards while antennae strain to listen, its sensitive organs reaching out to feel brushes of air.

Strell puts an experimental foot on the catwalk, which groans under the strain, but holds. "I do not believe that this structure is safe," he finally offers.

Prochazka shrugs, "Well, the rest of us aren't Vulcan," he replies, a bit thoughtfully, looking up again. "I wish I had them here, though. Skating's always nice."

Kisa cautiously moves a hand to her back in reaching for her strapped chaka, the Andorian three-pointed dagger, that's slightly hidden beneath her fur 'shawl'. "Something..I hear something," she whispers over to the males. "Ideas?"

A pair of skittering sounds, now. A growl on the air. Echoes of movement sound through the cavern.

In the distance, a scream of pain, and then silence.

"A swift retreat may be in order," Strell offers calmly.

"Do you have any idea of what's making the sound?" Prochazka asks the Vulcan, before he keeps on looking into the darkness, directing the light from his flashlight at it.

"No, but it sounds like it oculd eat us," advises Kisa who scants a look towards the ice. "This is a holoprogram right? If that's the case," she places a foot on the lake, "I..I could try to divert them while you two run across."

A flash of movement plays in the beam of the light for a moment. Whatever it is, it's large, and it's fast moving, vanishing into a crevice in the rocks.

Strell lifts a brow. "I do not know," he replies before he adds, "It is safer to travel in a group."

Kisa watches the movement make its retreat. "Keep that light shining. It appears to keep them off." Eyes glance over to Strell and Prochazka. "Feel like crossing now?"

Prochazka moves the light to follow after where the thing out there moved. "I think travelling in group sounds like a good idea, and crossing now just as good one." He keeps the light where the thing disappeared.

An inhuman snarl comes out of the crevice, answered by three in the far distance.

Strell inclines his head. "You may proceed me. I will bring up the rear."

Kisa takes the lead. "If any of you slip, latch onto me. Ice isn't too slippery for me." She smiles gently though keeps a lookout for any unsuspecting predators.

Prochazka nods, as he follows in the middle, keeping his light going backwards at where the thing was, moving a bit slowly. "Ice is okay, but I would still prefer skates," he mutters.

<CONTEST> Strell contests his Fitness (Strength) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!

Strell reaches over to the catwalk, tearing a section of the railing free to use as a club... just in case. "I am ready," he offers.

Prochazka follows on the way over the ice, glancing back at where they left. "Quite an interesting place," he mutters.

There is more snarling in the distance. Something black, fast, and large leaps from the crevice that the light has been shining on, once again moving too fast to be identified.

Prochazka blinks, as he sees that, moving the light quickly to shine it straight at the creature. "What is that thing?" he asks, quickly.

Walking backward, Strell keeps his makeshift club in hand as he watches the path of retreat. "Indeed. I must admit curiousity as to whether this place actually exists." He pauses. "Again, I am unsure. I cannot make a formal identification of something that moves so quickly."

"Then make an informal identification?" Jiri asks, as he continues walking backwards. "Just so we might have an idea about what we're encountering here."

As they move, an island of rock resolves itself from the gloom. A large statue, once again of a Vulcan male armed with a lirpa, stands a silent watch over what appears, for lack of a better term, to be a small bunker.

The shadow creature once again leaps across the beam of the light, having followed them out onto the ice.

Strell lifts a brow. "It does resemble an apocryphal creature known as a Verenuul. It was believed that the Vhorani utilized them to ferry the katras of the damned to the underworld. However, both Vhorani and Verenuul are mythical."

"Mythical or not," murmurs Kisa who steadily makes her way across, "these don't sound mythical." Her head whips about, antennae jerking towards the origination of certain noises. By now, she's placed her chaka well within hand.

"Maybe this entire cave is mythical too, then?" Prochazka asks, a bit thoughtfully, before he glances around, and notices the bunker-like structure. "Maybe we should get over there?" he suggests.

"It would appear to be a position of strength," Strell replies, taking a moment to glance over his shoulder. "Undoubtedly preferable to where we find ourselves located at present."

Kisa agrees with a slight nod of her head and quickly approaches this bunker in silence.

Prochazka nods, "I guess that's what it's here for?" He hurries over to the bunker as well, studying it for a few moments.

The bunker is a flat, non-descript building. A single door, open at the moment, appears to be the only way in or out.

Strell pauses, still watching backward. "Perhaps."

Kisa watches forward, but antennae listen to what's behind. "Most stories have their guardians. Perhaps that is one?"

Prochazka stops by the door, momentarily. "Shall we go inside, then?" he asks, still glancing out there, for now.

<CONTEST> Strell contests his Coordination (Reaction) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!

Strell is suddenly knocked flat by -something- that snarls quite loudly. "Retreat is advised," he calls, still stoic as always as he crawls backward.

Kisa slips past Prochazka though encourages him with a light tap to rush on forward. Near Strell, she stands watch, looking to the ice and for these -somethings-. "Seems to have leapt away."

Prochazka remains where he is, and keeps on moving his beam of light out into the darkness, looking like he's ready to run at any moment. "Where is it..." he mutters.

A group of roars sounds about 300 meters out... slowly moving closer.

Strell pushes to his feet. "Through the door," he calls, leading the charge into a place of safety.

Kisa covers everyone's rears while skittering backwards into the bunker...almost away. She doesn't appear too ready to face what may come, but tries to grit down and be a little courageous.

. o O Kisa thinks "It's only a holographic image, Kisa."

Prochazka hurries into the bunker, keeping silent, for the moment. "Do you think it'll be able to come through?" he asks.

Strell slams the door closed. "I do not know," he replies softly.

As the door slams shut, bars slide into place over it. The floor rumbles threateningly, and then drops.

As the team falls into the gaping hole, a loud voice cackles in a tone filled with nothing but pure malicious intent, and then speaks -- a low, vile set of sounds.

"WHO DARE DISTURBS VORTA VOR?"

And then the darkness is complete.


TO BE CONTINUED...