Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi & Van)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Vandren on 16-12-2005, 20:15:40</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>16-12-2005, 20:15:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lost, Ben stumbled around in the trees.&nbsp; Just a few yards ahead, he'd spotted the ruins of one of the colonists' cities.&nbsp; Probably bombed from orbit.&nbsp; Navy always did that before the dropships put his kind on the ground.&nbsp; He stretched a little, pulling the bandage that crossed his abdomen, under his BPC cuirass.&nbsp; He'd lost his helmet when he too the wound.&nbsp; Not a big one, but big enough.&nbsp; Might've laid a Normal out for weeks, but Orions were engineered to handle worse.&nbsp; Hadn't helped most of his unit, though.<br><br>He'd only managed to count three bodies as he crawled away.&nbsp; Meant either some were wandering too or had been vaporized.&nbsp; Or captured.&nbsp; Ben gripped his sidearm, his only surviving weapon, a bit tighter at that thought.&nbsp; They'd all heard aboutthe atrocities that the colonists inflicted on prisoners.&nbsp; It was one reason the war had started, tortured government officials, ambassadors, and other civilians.&nbsp; Of course the stories were true, they wouldn't be on the news otherwise.<br><br>If he could get into the ruins, there might be some food and water.&nbsp; If he was really lucky, some medicines and maybe, if the gods were kind, a cache of weapons.&nbsp; Even a civilian hunting laser would be great right now.&nbsp; Those thoughts in mind, Ben started stumbling toward the ruins, exhaustion fighting with willpower for control of the young merc, called in to support more mainline soldiers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>20-12-2005, 17:31:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea Brison had been on duty when the bombing of the city first started.<br>She and her unit were out on routine patrol around the city, they had been in a light hearted mood, two more days and they could have a weeks leave, the first they'd had since the declaration of war.<br><br>Although she was a Captain, Andy had always been fairly lenient when it came to rank, she found that the troops worked far better for and with her when she treated them as equal.<br>She lead by listening to suggestions and changing plans, far better for all than if she attempted to force them to do her bidding without question. Her unit knew that ultimately it was her decision and there was never argument about it, because in the end no matter what happened, she would take the blame for them when things went wrong and stand by them no matter what.<br><br>So, a she remembered that day in the years to come, on the day her unit ceased to exist, she at least had the memory of smiles on their faces before they were gone.<br><br>She sat propped up against the rubble in a ruined building on the outskirts of the city, head back against the cold wall, rifle resting across her knee, she closed her eyes if not to sleep, at least to rest some of the tiredness out of them, only for it all to come ambling back into her head again.<br><br>Brice and Johnson has been ribbing her all day and had continued as they stepped out of their barracks and onto the street, they were playing their usual game of "push the captain", trying to see how far they could go before she stomped on them....hard... <br>There latest was to try and convince her that she should spend the week in the local hotel with them and were bragging to her of their prowess and longevity in the sack. She had retorted with things she had "heard" from the other women soldiers about them, pushing back as hard as they pushed her, much to the amusement of the rest...<br>Brice was just about to take that step too far and as he stepped forward to put his arm around her and ask for a kiss "Awwwww....come on Captain....just a little peck for now, we can neck later"<br><br>After that?.............nothing....she remembered opening her mouth to give him his marching orders......then nothing......<br>She had come too about an hour later, Brice's mangled body half on top of her, he had shielded her from most of the blast and miraculously apart from a gash across her face and some heavy bruising she had come out of it unharmed.<br>The bodies of her men that she found were almost unrecognisable, she collected their chips and dog tags and headed off. <br>The city had been decimated, it was a ghost town, those that were not dead had either left or were sitting like dolls not knowing what to do. <br>She'd stayed and helped as best she could, then had packed what she could salvage into a rucksack and began heading out of the city to return to her HQ some 40 miles away.<br><br>She opened her eyes and pulled her helmet off, rubbing her head, scratching her scalp through her short hair, then replaced it, closing her eyes again.&nbsp; <br>Last here on the outskirts of town, then off into the country side, hopefully managing to skirt round the enemy troops that were in the vicinity.<br>&nbsp;<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>20-12-2005, 20:38:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Oblivious to his surroundings now, hunger gnawing away at his insides, Ben just clutched his sidearm and ran for the ruins.&nbsp; He didn't even try to go from cover to cover like he'd been taught nearly a decade ago in Basic.&nbsp; Back when he'd been part of a regular military unit.&nbsp; Those sorts of tactics, his mind said, were for units.&nbsp; And he didn't have a unit anymore.&nbsp; A small consciously critical part of his brain made sure he checked the indicator on the side of his pistol.&nbsp; Less than a quarter full . . . twenty shots, maybe twenty-three.&nbsp; He'd have to keep it on semi-auto.&nbsp; Full bursts would clean out the 4mm rounds in a second or two.&nbsp; He didn't have any spare clips, so that was it.<br><br>Even his knife had broken a day ago.&nbsp; When he'd tried to lever up part of a wrecked vehicle to see if there was any food.&nbsp; The knife broke, the dessicated hulk was empty.&nbsp; Already picked over by scavengers.<br><br>All the while, he stumbled along, the city such as it was growing in his sight.&nbsp; There'd best be something he could use there.&nbsp; Otherwise, he'd really be in trouble.&nbsp; The colonists still held the territory, last he'd heard, before the explosion went off.&nbsp; If he got caught . . . something . . . he couldn't remember what, just yet, but it'd come to him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>21-12-2005, 03:31:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She had dosed for a while, ever wary of any sound she heard, hardly stirring at some she recognised.<br>The rats had moved in all too quickly, they were gonna get fat on the pickings in this place, so were the crows and rooks. A dog barked in the distance, quite a way off, sound travelled far now that the city was earily silent.<br>Andy opened her eyes and yawned taking a sip of water then using a little on her face.<br>She reaced into her rucksack and found a ration pack, snapped the heat pad and clutched the foil bag to her, using it's warmth on the outside, as it heated the food on the inside.<br>By the time she'd eaten this it would be dusk and she'd head out, travel through the night, rest during the day.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>21-12-2005, 06:37:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Amazingly, Ben reached the ruins without incident.&nbsp; He didn't pause to consider that fortunate circumstance, though.&nbsp; It wasn't exactly foremost in his thoughts.&nbsp; He stumbled through the city looking for some place that would jog a memory.&nbsp; Some place that looked like it might have food.&nbsp; Rubble rattled around as he moved, letting any listeners know where he was.&nbsp; He didn't really care anymore . . . or didn't notice.&nbsp; Whichever it was didn't really matter.<br><br>After a time of wandering aimlessly, his nose caught the scent of something cooking.&nbsp; Ben's hindbrain realized this meant someone was around.&nbsp; Why else would there be a cooking food smell?&nbsp; Could be a sign of the onset of insanity.&nbsp; A hallucination.&nbsp; But, if he was hallucinating, why would it smell like MREs?&nbsp; If he was hallucinating, the smell would be a steak and potatoes, wouldn't it?&nbsp; Something better than MREs at the very least.<br><br>He started toward the smell, headless of the noise he was undoubtedly making.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>21-12-2005, 07:21:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andy had just opened the pack when she heard a noise. <br><em>That wasn't a rat..at least not a four legged one.</em><br><br>She placed the food down carefully and picked up her rifle, moving silently to a hole in the wall nearest the direction she'd heard the noise. Crawling over the rubble she looked through the site locking onto him as he came into view.<br><em>There you are you bastard. What the hell are you doing here on your own eh?</em><br><br>She watched him stagger towards her, recognised what he was an Orion Merc., one of the best, but on the wrong side. She lined up her site aiming to get him fair and square between the eyes.<br><em>Bye Bye .....nice not knowing you.....</em><br><br>Just about to pull the trigger she hessitated swallowing hard. The bastard had the same build and colouring as Brice, she got a flash in her mind of her struggling to get out from under his corpse and shook her head to clear it.<br><em>But it's not fucking Brice Andy! </em> 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>21-12-2005, 18:15:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(Oops, "Orion" is his 'race' rather than company)<br><br>Unaware of how close he was coming to expiration, Ben struggled on through the rubble.&nbsp; As he closed on the source of the smell, he slowed down.&nbsp; Honed instincts belatedly kicked in.&nbsp; The mercenary ducked behind cover . . . more of a lurch, actually.&nbsp; From her position, Andy could see him make some attempt at sneaking from one point of cover to another.&nbsp; He appeared to be much more cautious, however.<br><br>Appearances could be deceiving.&nbsp; At that point, Ben was letting hindbrain activity take over.&nbsp; The primitive that remembered hiding in trees and darting out to scavenge what the hunters left behind was taking control.&nbsp; Despite the genemods, it was still possible for the Orion-series to retrogress to these base instincts.&nbsp; In fact, the instincts had been genetically enhanced precisely for this purpose.&nbsp; They were a military model, meant for survival.&nbsp; Too bad the rest of his unit hadn't had those advantages.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>22-12-2005, 09:40:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC.Yes I had realised that, but didn't make it very clear did I...sorry)<br><br>She followed his movements keeping him in sight, anticipating where he would come out when he disapeared behind cover.<br>She saw that he was injured and even though his Orion race were built for combat, that he was in a bad way.<br>However, he may have some useful information that she could use and she was sure that HQ would enjoy having a captive to question.<br>She held herself ready, if he was going to come reasonably quietly, she'd hold him. If not she'd just shoot him and be on her way.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>23-12-2005, 05:46:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben moved along, still unaware of his company.&nbsp; He kept tracking the food smell and moving awkwardly from cover to cover.&nbsp; Eventually, after what felt like hours (and was probably minutes), the lone merc came within sight of the food pack.&nbsp; The conscious part of his mind registered the fact that someone had to have been close a short time ago.&nbsp; The rest just saw food.&nbsp; He rushed forward, heedless of any possible trap.&nbsp; Somehow, his sidearm returned to its thigh holster, or must have, because he reached for the cooking rations with both hands.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>24-12-2005, 06:55:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hold it there soldier"<br>She stepped out of the corner so he could see her, the rifle trained on him, her face set grim, making it clear that if he moved she would shoot.<br><em>"Poor bastard must be starving for him to take that trap so easy."</em><br><br>She threw two cable ties to him, already looped and linked together.<br>"Round your wrists, then pull them tight, do that can you and eat."<br><br>Holding her finger lightly on the trigger, the lazor sight trained on his forehead she stood waiting his decision, eat, or die. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>29-12-2005, 05:43:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC: My apologies for not putting up a notice of my absence.&nbsp; Had to go out of town for the holiday.&nbsp; I meant to get on Xmas night, but was far too tired (and driving lots the next day).&nbsp; But, I'm back and getting caught up.)<br><br>Ben stopped at the voice.&nbsp; It held the ring of authority.&nbsp; Both training and genetics reacted and he stopped.&nbsp; Normally, he'd process the voice and determine whether it was his CO or someone else.&nbsp; But, in this state . . . all bets were off.&nbsp; Silently, he caught the ties and nodded, "Yessir!"<br><br>On the battlefield, it wasn't his place to question orders.&nbsp; His officers did that.&nbsp; Or so he assumed.&nbsp; There were certain flaws in the Orion-series genetic code.&nbsp; Which was one reason most national militaries had moved on to the Tau-series.&nbsp; Such was life.&nbsp; Ben finished with the ties awkwardly before sitting on the ground near the fire.&nbsp; He hadn't been told to, but figured it looked less threatening.&nbsp; His sergeant had always said to practice looking non-threatening around civilians.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>29-12-2005, 09:16:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea watched, good so far, poor sod must be in a bit of a state, even with his genetics she had expected a bit more of a show than that.<br><br>She stepped forward further and reaching down pulled the zip ties a little tighter then nodded to him.<br>"Go ahead, eat."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>29-12-2005, 22:00:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Instinct kicked in when Ben finally saw the uniform up close.&nbsp; As Andrea leaned in to tighten the ties, he jerked both hands up, fingers entwined in a simple rabbit punch.&nbsp; He rolled back at nearly the same moment, just giving his hands enough time to connect.&nbsp; The genetic upgrade meant to roll over backwards and come to his feet.<br><br>Instead, he hit the ground on an injured shoulder, rolled a fair bit off center, and struck his head on a piece of rubble.&nbsp; With a low groan, Ben rolled onto his back and tried to catch his breath.&nbsp; It wouldn't take long for the enemy to recover, even if he'd connected hard enough.&nbsp; Not much time to move.&nbsp; He wriggled his hands a bit, trying to loose them from the ties, but even that seemed to expend too much effort after three days without food.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>30-12-2005, 21:41:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Too complacent, so damned stupid, the guy had behaved perfectly up until then and she had been acught unprepeared.<br>His punch caught her on the chin and fortunatley she'd had the cumption to role with it, so although it hurt like hell, it wasn't mind numbingly painful.<br>Staggering backwards she had just managed to stop herself form falling and after a few faultering steps she'd got her balance and control over her rifle.<br>She aimed.<br><em>"Well you can fuckin' die you bastard"&nbsp; </em><br>But instead she shot the pile of rubble next to his head, send shards of hot bricks spattering aginst his face.<br><br>"Second warning soldier, there won't be a third, now eat."<br><br>She pushed the food at him with her foot.<br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>30-12-2005, 22:40:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben groaned a little and rolled onto his back.&nbsp; While he felt the bits of rock and brick hit, and could probably tell exactly where each major piece had struck him, it just added a drop in the bucket to the pain of hunger and his other wound.&nbsp; Which was healing nicely, despite lack of good medical attention.&nbsp; Another advantage of genemods.<br><br>He rolled a little to his side as the food came.&nbsp; Ben began to eat slowly, a little at a time.&nbsp; WHile he'd love to wolf it all down, his bound hands were awkward to say the least.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>30-12-2005, 22:47:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Him being occupied with food gave her a chance to look him over. Andrea shook her head slightly, if he was a normal human, he would have been dead by the look of those wounds.<br>She kicked a flask of water over to him as well.<br>"When did you last eat soldier? and what is your name?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>31-12-2005, 02:05:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben gratefully accepted the water.&nbsp; He took three or four swallows before he could get his tongue to work.&nbsp; "Lanyer, Ben . . . A-52759-C . . . sergeant . . ." he got out, around a little bit of food.&nbsp; Name, id number, rank.&nbsp; Everything he was allowed, by his unit's directive, to reveal to any enemy who'd captured him.&nbsp; Normally, he thought, that info would be relayed back to his commanders so they'd know what POWs existed.&nbsp; Here, he doubted that'd happen.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>31-12-2005, 16:01:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Very well Sergeant Lanyer, as we're doing the name rank and number thing I will assume that you haven't eaten for a while."<br>She leaned sideways putting her hand into the top of her pack and pulled out two energy bars, throwing one towards him.<br>"Better eat that as well, by the looks of you and those wounds you will need it."<br>Tearing the wrapper of the other with her teeth she takes a large bite, chewing long on it, packed full of&nbsp; energy, vitamins and minerals, everything a soldier needed, apart from taste and eatability.<br>Swallowing hard she managed to force it down.<br>"Pass the water.....and do it very carefully Sergeant, after the last little episode I'm not in the best of moods."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>31-12-2005, 23:12:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He simply grunted acknowledgement and let the bar hit the ground.&nbsp; After a few seconds, Ben picked it up, stripped it, and bit off a chunk.&nbsp; It would probably help.&nbsp; His metabolism always went haywire after an injury.&nbsp; Something about using up bodily resources faster than an unmodified Human.&nbsp; After two bites, he capped the water and shoved it hard across the ground.&nbsp; It ought to make it at least most of the way, he decided.&nbsp; Given friction.<br><br>"What city is this?" he asked quietly, then.&nbsp; Might help him get his bearings should he find a chance to escape.&nbsp; Afterall, she'd have to sleep sometime.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>31-12-2005, 23:27:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"What city <em>WAS</em> this do you mean? Before it was raised to the ground by your lot? Before almost all it's inhabitants were wiped out in a few moment?............."<br>She paused for a moment, trying not to allow her emotions to get carried away with her, not adding "Before I had to scrape the remains of one of my men off me?". Andrea paused for a moment regaining her composure the sure steadiness that had made her a Captain.<br><br>"You do not need to know that information Sergeant Lanyer and I am Captain Brison, from now on you will address me as such."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-01-2006, 21:14:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head listlessly.&nbsp; "Not us . . . we don't do orbital stuff," he said quietly, "Only ship ops we do're boarding . . . not much of that, even."<br><br>His officers didn't exactly care for orbital nukes and the like.&nbsp; Not that such weapons were necessary from orbit either.&nbsp; A sufficiently large rock accelerated enough could cause an identical effect, much cheaper too.&nbsp; One of his corporals had seen that a few months back on another world.&nbsp; But, that was just that.&nbsp; Another world.&nbsp; And contract.<br><br>So, she was a captain.&nbsp; Good to know.&nbsp; And he had a name, for all the good that did.&nbsp; Obviously not a whole lot.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-01-2006, 21:41:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Mercenary I take it? It's all the same, you work for them, you take the blame along with them."<br>She kicked his foot to get his attention.<br>"And I didn't hear a Ma'am in that reply either Sergeant."<br><br>Andrea sat on a pile of rubble facing him, her rifle still charged, she glanced at her watch and then at the sky.<br>"We move out in two hours, I suggest you get some rest. Those wounds.....are you self healing or do you need them attended to?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>02-01-2006, 22:12:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded to the first question.&nbsp; Mercenary for a few years now.&nbsp; Ever since his series had become obsolete.&nbsp; Or so the military brass called it.&nbsp; He ignored the kick, for now.&nbsp; Barely felt it through his boot anyway.&nbsp; The call to title was similarly ignored.&nbsp; She was a foreign officer, not one of his.&nbsp; Not even allied to his.&nbsp; Forget it.<br><br>"They'll be fine . . ." he said, about his wounds.&nbsp; Ben gave no other indication of how long full recovery would take.&nbsp; Most were fairly minor, just plentiful.&nbsp; Aside from the one that had slowed him down.&nbsp; &nbsp;Never mind that information about his genemods were now public knowledge, ever since they'd beomce obsolete.&nbsp; Two hours was a long time . . . after a fashion.&nbsp; A lot could happen in that time.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>02-01-2006, 22:37:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea noticed his lack of respect, no more than she would do if she were in the same situation.<br>She pulled the water back towards he with her foot.<br>"So, still no respect Sergeant? Then you will recieve no food or water until I am addressed in the correct manner."<br>She had been tampted to hit him hard with her rifle butt, thats what she would have expected from those bastards, but he resmembled Brice to much, the memory of his death too raw for her to do it.<br>She cursed herself for being soft, vowing that if he did make one wrong move, his looks wouldn't spare him again....
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>03-01-2006, 01:07:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No less than expected," Ben replied quietly, rolling over a little.&nbsp; Partially the move was to try to get a bit more comfortable.&nbsp; Partly it was intended to rest a little.&nbsp; He'd recover fairly quickly.&nbsp; The food helped.&nbsp; Enhanced metabolism or not, eating always helped.&nbsp; With any luck, he could play along for a day or so and get a chance to escape.&nbsp; Assuming there weren't any bases in the area.&nbsp; Ben tried to wrack his brain for that information, but drew a blank.&nbsp; He hadn't had a good chance to see the maps of know rebel bases.&nbsp; Which, of course, wouldn't include any that command didn't know about anyway.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 00:13:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea's eye were drooping.<br>Before this one had come along, she had banked on having a couple of hours sleep before setting off and now she could really do with it.<br>She looked at him, there was no way she could expect anything but an attack if she even dropped her guard for a second she reached for her sack an pulled off one of the spare straps, made sure her rifle was charged a ready and stepped towards him.<br><br>"Right Sergeant, we're gonna have a little nap, so I'll make sure you're 'comfortable' first. Move...."<br>She pointed to a supporting post, once burried in a wall between rooms, now standing bare. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 05:02:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rolled away, Ben hadn't seen her approach.&nbsp; He heard her, though.&nbsp; He rolled over when Andrea was a step or two away.&nbsp; At the command, he shrugged to himself.&nbsp; Now came the expected, well, whatever it was these rebels were doing to their prisoners.&nbsp; He rose awkwardly due to his bound wrists and wound.&nbsp; Shuffling, he headed toward the beam.<br><br>For the moment, he decided to play things her way.&nbsp; Until he found out where he was and got an opening.&nbsp; "Sure that's necessary," Ben said quietly, unable to stop himself, "You with the only weapons . . . and me wounded?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 05:20:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Of course not Sergeant, I'm only doing it to be mailicous."<br>The sarcasm almost oozed out of her words.<br>"Don't take me for a fool, I'm not."<br><br>She watched him struggle up and over to where she'd indicated, judging how much of this was show and how much true injury, at least trying, without seeing it, or knowing how long he had been wounded she would not know how long it would take to regenerate, a hell of a lot faster than herself, was the only thing she knew for sure. <br><br>"Sit down leaning on the post and don't even think of doing anything, may I remind you that I have given you your first and last chance." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 06:22:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He ignored the response.&nbsp; The words themselves didn't matter.&nbsp; Neither did the tone.&nbsp; He'd been through basic anti-torture training while he'd been government property.&nbsp; Silently, Ben sat where indicated.&nbsp; He leaned back and half-closed his eyes, pretending tiredness.&nbsp; It wasn't too difficult given the last couple days.&nbsp; An hour or two rest would help, at least give him a chance to better assess his situation and injuries.&nbsp; And possibly to spot where she'd slipped his sidearm.<br><br>"Not much of a conversationalist?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 06:33:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I don't 'chat' to those who I have nothing to say to."<br>Getting friendly with this man would accomplish nothing, she was already being too lenient on him because of the Brice Factor and she didn't need a sob story to add to it. She'd get him to HQ, have a days rest and then get off to a new command, he would just be another prisoner to be delivered.<br><br>She gave the post a quick scan and found a suitable nail.&nbsp; <br><br>"Arms up, put them where it'll be comfortable for your wound, wouldn't want it to pull open would we? "
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 06:40:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Giving up on distraction, Ben did as instructed.&nbsp; Better that than ending up injured worse than he already was.&nbsp; He raised his arms and let her do whatever she had in mind.&nbsp; For now.<br><br>The wound twinged a bit as it pulled, but he was adapted to ignore pain below a certain level.&nbsp; It was one reason his series only got basic anti-torture training.&nbsp; They didn't need the pain resistance training.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-01-2006, 06:50:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She looped the strap through the wire ties, then dropping her rifle onto the strap, so it hung in easy reach at her side, she wound the strap quickly around the post, crisscrossing the two ends until there was a short amount left.<br>Clipping the two ends together she looped it securely onto the nail, satisfied that he wouldn't be going anywhere.<br>She dissarmed her weapon as she stepped away from him, without a word.<br>Pulling a microblanket out of her pack, wrapping herself in it, not for the warmth, more for the feeling of comfort and security, making herself as comfortable as possible on the ground.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-01-2006, 05:17:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				This was one of the few times Ben cursed the fact that his series didn't include claws.&nbsp; He'd known a Tiger-parahuman . . . but such musing was pointless now.&nbsp; He shifted around a little, trying to get as comfortable as possible.&nbsp; Which wasn't much, given his position.&nbsp; He was a military person born and bred, though.&nbsp; As such, he instinctively knew what many learned . . . how to nap in any position.&nbsp; Afterall, the adage that war was over ninety percent waiting and less than ten percent action was pretty close to the truth, in his experience.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>06-01-2006, 19:24:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea woke just as the sun was setting, she didn't want to, but it was time to move, staying here wouldn't accomplish anything. <br>She rolled&nbsp; up her blanket and broke camp, carefully hiding the fact that she had been there. Not that it really matter, but because it was habit and she needed habit at the moment, it was what kept her sane and focussed. Going through the motions of checking her equipment, licking down her helmet's night vision visor and setting her rifle's power, she prepared to move out, pulling her pack onto her tired shoulders.<br><br>She waliked over to her prisoner, pulling the strap loose and setting his hands free, tucking the strap into her pocket.<br>"C'mon Sergeant, time to move."<br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>07-01-2006, 01:15:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He'd never really slept, just rested, watched the setting sun and thought.&nbsp; Now that he had that direction in mind, Ben could get an idea of his position.&nbsp; He'd need a bit longer to figure out how far north-south, though.&nbsp; Quietly, he watched Andrea's preparations to leave.&nbsp; Thorough.&nbsp; That was both good and bad.&nbsp; She was professional, so the chances of mistreatment dropped.&nbsp; But, she'd also be harder to escape from.<br><br>Once his hands were loosed from the beam and she started off, Ben followed quietly behind.&nbsp; He wondered briefly about just tucking the lead into her pocket.&nbsp; It seemed like a slip of judgement.&nbsp; Something he could exploit.&nbsp; Or, maybe she'd purposely "slipped" so he'd try something.&nbsp; Then she'd have a good excuse to simply shoot him and not have to lug a prisoner around anymore.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>07-01-2006, 01:33:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She stopped as they got to the edge of known safe territory, the area safely marked in her head.<br>Enemy forces had been through here and they were known to lay plasma mines and other nasty little traps.<br><br>Andrea stopped a took a swift drink from her flask, she almost offered him some, then remembered his refusal to acknowledge her rank, so stowed it away.<br>She called him up to her.<br>"Your turn to take point Sergeant and my rifle will be trained in you at all times, so no silliness OK?"<br>Pointing out the route close to the tree line that she wished him to take she ordered him forward.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>08-01-2006, 20:53:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben stepped forward, partially lost in his thoughts.&nbsp; As long as she was a decent distance ahead, he needn't worry about traps.&nbsp; When she stopped, he came back to the present.&nbsp; He watched her stance, posture, and other indicators.&nbsp; When she ordered him ahead, that clinched it.&nbsp; They'd left the area she knew to be safe.&nbsp; No other real reason to send him up front and move along the treeline.&nbsp; Though too close and they'd be open to ambushes . . .<br><br>Assuming any of his people were out there.<br><br>He nodded and quietly said, "Whatever you say."<br><br>Heading out, Ben made for the treeline as steadily and stealthily as he could, given his bindings.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>13-01-2006, 06:01:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea flipped on her thermal imaging viewer on her visor, this coupled with the night vision left little unnoticed, though it took some getting used to, once your eyes and brain adjusted to seeing two different images at once, it became second nature.<br>She kept herself alert, scanning in front and to the sides of the prisoner, occasionally checking behind them, but they were lucky for the moment. <br>So far, no enemy sightings and no traps and it continued like this until dawn when she called him to a halt and stepped up to him.<br><br>"We've made good time, we'll rest up for the day and start out again at dusk, have something to eat and sleep."<br>She paused for a moment.<br>"Well I will anyway, as you don't seem very hungry at the moment." <br><br>She directed him into the trees, heading for a more heavily wooded area for them to set up camp.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>13-01-2006, 20:24:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben moved along ahead, moving as close to the treeline as he dared.&nbsp; While his own natural night vision was pretty good, he couldn't see far beneath the branches.&nbsp; But, he hoped someone would be in them, faint as the hope likely was.&nbsp; He continued ahead, feeling his wounds working their way closer and closer to full recovery.&nbsp; By dawn, most of the minor injuries were little more than angry welts.&nbsp; The biggest one was managable, or would be by midday.<br><br>He nodded at the instructions to stop for food and rest.&nbsp; The former would be nice, but the latter was the most essential.&nbsp; HIs body could use up some of its own resources in dealing with his injuries for a while.&nbsp; Another day or two at most.&nbsp; He'd be skinny and probably a bit weak, but whole.<br><br>"Sure thing . . . reservations for eight and pick up your dry cleaning," Ben asked, unsure why.&nbsp; Probalby something from one of his former army buddies, back when he'd bene in the service and they still had some "normals" around as officers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>13-01-2006, 21:37:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea snorted, almost a laugh, at his remark, she almost answered him as she would have one of her men, biting off the comment, keeping conversation to a minimum while they were unsure of their ground. <br>She allowed him to lead them into the woodlands as she constantly scanned the area for any signs of movement. When they had gone deep enough in and there was no sign at all of any life, even animal, she relaxed a little. <br>She found a sheltered area, that she could easily set up a bivvy shelter, an old method shunnned by many now, but always handy when short on time and packing space.<br><br>"We'll camp there for the day"&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>14-01-2006, 23:13:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alert as well, Ben's hops fell as he realized he was on his own.&nbsp; Any chance of escape was entirely in his own hands.&nbsp; He nodded when Andrea chose their camp site.&nbsp; It was decent, he agreed.&nbsp; Not ideal for two, and only one of them armed, but the best available given the circumstances and terrain.&nbsp; With his hands bound, he wouldn't be much good at setting up any kind of camp, so Ben found a convenient tree and leaned against it, watching and waiting to see what his captor would do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>14-01-2006, 23:45:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea dropped her back pack and pulled out her water, taking a long drink, then tightened the lid and clipped it back onto her belt.<br>She pulled the strap out of her thigh pocket and threw it over a thick branch.<br>"Time for a little stretching excercise Sergeant, over here and hands up."&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>16-01-2006, 21:32:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well, he wouldn't have to work at the site.&nbsp; That was a mixed blessing.<br><br>Ben complied, for now.&nbsp; Since he wouldn't be put to work, he could rest up again, conserve his strength. Meant more energy for later.&nbsp; He stood silently, this time, waiting for the ritual, such as it was.&nbsp; Somehow the sergeant thought they'd be going through this every night.&nbsp; At least until she decided to put him to work. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>16-01-2006, 21:46:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She whipped the belt through his make shift cuffs and then tightened it so he was stood on tip toe.<br>"Just hang around for a while and I'll have camp set up before you have chance to get cramp."<br>Laying her weapon down, she pulled the tarp out of her pack and a long rope. Then, taking a ready meal out snapped the chemical heater pad, placed it on a rock and began to work, rigging the makeshift shelter. It was obvious she'd done this often and had already known where it would be placed, because her meal was only ready two or three minutes before she herself had finished.<br><br>Andrea pulled her spoon out of her pocket and began to eat as she cleared the sleeping area of stones and thorny twigs mainly with her feet. Having finished both tasks, she moved back towrads him, loosening the belt again to let him back down.<br><br>"Hungry Sergeant? There's food there, you only have to ask me in the correct manner, might even give you a drink to go with it."<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>19-01-2006, 05:00:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Up on his toes, Ben had to keep himself precariously balanced.&nbsp; He admired his captor's semi-sudden shift, in a way.&nbsp; As if she was learning.&nbsp; Probably hadn't taken many prisoners before.&nbsp; Given the lethality of most modern weaponry . . . neither side really took many prisoners, he decided.&nbsp; He knew his side didn't, there usually wasn't enough left after an attack to call the remains prisoners.<br><br>Once he was back on his feet, he glanced around a little and mentally nodded his satisfaction.&nbsp; At the question, Ben looked a little surprised for a few heartbeats before covering it up.&nbsp; She was actually offering food?&nbsp; One of the colonial insurgents?&nbsp; He shrugged, "Not particularly, though I wouldn't say no to an offer either."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>19-01-2006, 05:20:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well, you know what to do, speak to me in the correct manner and address me by my correct title and it's yours."<br>She pulled out a chocolate bar, smiling at the age old comfort food.<br>Try as they might, the militery had never managed to get it off the rations list, almost managed once, but after a near mutiny withing the ranks, it had stayed.<br><br>Andrea pulled open the wrapper, snapped off a piece and popped it into her mouth.<br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>19-01-2006, 14:21:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, easy enough.&nbsp; "You really want me to use your corect title?&nbsp; I'm not sure you really want that," he said, confidently enough.&nbsp; Insurgent wasn't exactly a well-liked title, afterall.&nbsp; That's officially what she was in his book, and on the records of his officers.&nbsp; Not literally, of course, but due to the side she'd picked.&nbsp; He watched Andrea eat the chocolate for a few seconds before closing his eyes and beginning a silent little homemade quasi-meditative mantra.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>19-01-2006, 15:02:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She looked at him, taking another large chunk of chocolate.<br>Not acknowledging what he had said.<br>Waiting a few moments after he closed his eyes she dug him hard in the ribs.<br>"Wakey wakey lover boy, wouldn't want you to get too comfortable would we."<br><br>Andrea pointed to the ferns and bracken just outside of the camping area.<br>"You can gather some of those for a bed, I so hate laying on hard stony ground, so uncomfortable against my delicate skin." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>21-01-2006, 19:27:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben 'awoke' slowly, choosing to take his time.&nbsp; He too ignored what she'd said at first.&nbsp; But the sergeant moved to follow instructions.&nbsp; So far, she'd been pretty decent, he admitted.&nbsp; Nothing like the stories they'd been hearing about what happened to prisoners captured by the insurgents.&nbsp; Ben bent and gathered up a random collection of ferns and boughs.&nbsp; He brought them back and dropped the pile unceremoniously on the ground.<br><br>This, the merc decided, wasone reason the insurgents would ultimately fail.&nbsp; They were 'soft' as his old drill sergeant would say, in an uneditted form.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>21-01-2006, 19:37:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh come on....at least make an effort! Where's your professional pride man!"<br>She pushed the furns around with her feet.<br>"Just cut the crap and get it done."<br><br>Andrea nodded towards the woodlands again.<br>"Go on Soldier......hop to it"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>24-01-2006, 19:18:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben left the pile where it was.&nbsp; He shrugged and made no effort to clean it up.&nbsp; If she wanted to, that was her call, but it didn't really matter on his end.&nbsp; However, the soldier did move off into the trees to gather up more ferns and brush.&nbsp; He brought back a slightly largely armful and dropped that collection on top of the previous one.&nbsp; With a glance, Ben silently asked if she wanted more.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>28-01-2006, 18:42:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea shrugs back at him.<br>"Well if you don't want to keep yourself off the ground thats up to you."<br>She reaches into her back pack and pulls out a length of rope, wrapping it around the tree under the bivy, calls him over and looping it through the cuffs, giving him enough leeway, for him to lay down&nbsp; reasonably comfortable, she secures it.<br><br>She relaxes a little then and puts her weapon down, pulling out two micro blankets, wrapping one around his shoulders.<br>"Wouldn't want such a cheerful chappy like you getting a chill would we?"<br><br>Kicking the ferns into a rough bed, she wraps the other around her, puts her rifle to hand and settles herself down for a much needed sleep, not even caring what he's going to do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>29-01-2006, 18:30:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben remained still while Andrea reattached him to the tree.&nbsp; He wasn't going to try to escape just yet.&nbsp; Maybe later, once she was asleep.&nbsp; For the moment, he was a little too surprised that she'd given him enough slack to lay down.&nbsp; That certainly wasn't what he expected from a colonist.&nbsp; The blanket was even more surprising.<br><br>For a time, he sat thinking things over.&nbsp; Perhaps this was a sort of good cop form of interrogation.&nbsp; Maybe.&nbsp; Not that he knew anythign worthwhile.&nbsp; Or that he was worth very much.&nbsp; Given his rank and unit, he barely knew anything beyond his old unit's objective.&nbsp; After a minut,e he murmured a brief, "Thanks."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>29-01-2006, 19:12:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As the early morning dragged on, the sky didn't clear or get any lighter, it was dull, a thick blanket of grey cloud blocking out any warmth from the sun.<br>The wind picked up, blowing it's winter bitterness from the far north, chilling and biting.<br><br>Andrea shifted in her sleep, waking herself, feeling the cold biting into her back and feet, she pulled herself up under the blanket wanting to huddle herself back into her exhausted sleep and had almost managed when the hail stones began battering the rough shelter she had made, huge lumps of ice hurling itself onto the ground and bouncing, up only to hit it again.<br>The wind changed it's direction and began blowing them into her make shift tent, the odd one stinging her face as they hit.<br>A perfect time for the weather to break, once this set in, it would make life so much harder.&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>30-01-2006, 21:17:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite his engineering, Ben began to shiver a bit in the wind.&nbsp; While he was designed to cover most minor extremes of temperature and climate, his creators sort of assumed he'd have modern equipment available, at least most of the time.&nbsp; He sat stoically, though.<br><br>Every so often a shiver ran itself up and down his back or along a limb.&nbsp; This wasn't how he'd wanted to spend a day, any day.&nbsp; Too bad most of his equipment was lost with his unit.&nbsp; There were still a few small things in his pockets, but nothing useful for cold.&nbsp; Or even as a weapon.&nbsp; His best bet, he knew from training, was to keep small and stay awake.&nbsp; As the day pressed on, though, the latter became harder and harder to do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>30-01-2006, 21:31:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She could stand it no longer, the cold had bitten into her so hard that she had begun to loose the feeling in her hands, despite them being tuck up under her.<br>She opened her eyes, the snow has replaced the hail and as the wind whipped it, it became almost a blizzard. <br>Struggling to stand up Andrea wrapped her arms around her pulling the blankettight around her as she jumped up and down, trying to warm her body and get the blood moving.<br><br>Snow getting thicker and wind stronger, even though it wasn't even midday it was almost impossible to see the tree about fifteen foot away, rubbing her hands together, she dropped half of the shelters roof, and using thick sticks as pegs, fastened it down to shelter them from the worste of the weather.<br>Once she had moved even her few pieces of equipment in to remaining space, there wasn't much room, but a hell of a lot wamer that wind kept at bay, well at least from one side.<br><br>Still ignoring her prisoner, she pulled out a heat pack and snapped the chemical heater, a bit of warm food would certainly help, so would the warmth from it while it heated.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>31-01-2006, 22:07:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As the storm picked up, Ben huddled in a tight ball.&nbsp; Or as tight of one as the cord attached to him and the tree would allow.&nbsp; He tried to move himself a little into the lee of the tree.&nbsp; There wasn't much there, but it kept the wind off at least part of his back.&nbsp; Still, despite the blanket, he wasn't dressed for this kind of weather anymore.&nbsp; The shivering became worse as the day went on and snow piled up.<br><br>Through half-slitted eyes, Ben looked around and decided that the piling snow would make a mixed blessing.&nbsp; Itwas cold, but if it built up enough, he could burrow to get out of the wind.&nbsp; Assuming he managed to keep alert, conscious, and warm long enough.<br><br>(That 15' to the tree . . . is that to his tree?)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>31-01-2006, 22:28:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She hugged the food pack to her chest, sighing at the warmth it emitted as it warmed up the food.<br>A twinge of guilt crept over her as she turned to see her captive shivering next to the tree, now one of the most exposed areas.<br><br>Still holding the food, she pulled out her knife and cut the rope around the tree, yes a waste, but her fingers were too cold to undo knots.<br>She leant over and cut the wire tie cuffs freeing his arms, then putting her knife away, she put her hand under his arm pit and pulled him to get him moving and standing up.<br>A risk, she knew, but she would rather he escape&nbsp; than freeze to death on her, or even worse become crippled with frostbite.<br>She shook and tugged at him again.<br><br>"Come on soldier, up and at 'em, get yourself moving before you end up an ice cube."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-02-2006, 05:18:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It took a little while for Ben to register the touch.&nbsp; When he did, a few more seconds passed before he realized that Andrea was freeing him, sort of.&nbsp; Somewhat responsive, he tried his best to rise, though the shivering spasms that passe dthrough him made this a bit difficult.&nbsp; Still, he managed to help her get him into the temporary shelter.&nbsp; There, he sat beneath the blanket hugging himself with his teeth chattering faintly.&nbsp; Unless it was an act, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.<br><br>Inside, Ben tried to focus on the small heat pack and Andrea.&nbsp; Between the two of them, he felt he could probably stay awake.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-02-2006, 05:32:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea rolled her eyes as she saw him sit down, she pushed him hard on his thigh with her foot.<br>"Get up man, move around or do you just want to sit and freeze to death."<br><br>She pulled open her top pocket and pulled out her auto scanner, clicking the thermal monitoring buttom, she watched as the digital numbers fell, then settled.<br><em>"Good grief!"</em><br><br>She turned back to her prisoner, she kicked him as hard as she could on his thigh again.<br>"Get up and move you fuckin' idiot! It's soddin' minus two and it's only midday"<br><br>DStuffing the food pack into her pocket, she pulled his arm again.<br>"Oh for fucks sake you stupid bastard of a genetic retard, get up!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>02-02-2006, 14:18:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The kick shifted Ben a bit and he shook his head, clearing it a bit.&nbsp; "Why," he asked, half rising, "I'm going to a detention center, probably to be executed anyway, right?"<br><br>Given her prior responses, he doubted this, but it was the story that he'd been told so far.&nbsp; He was mostly on his feet by then, though, so continued until he was standing up fully.&nbsp; Due to the lean-to's size, he had to bend over, but adjusted without too much trouble.&nbsp; His balance was the biggest problem, as it always was in that position, though made worse with the cold and a certain numbness.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>02-02-2006, 14:52:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She threw her blanket at him and taking the food out of her pocket she handed him it and her spoon.<br>She pointed to behind the dropped bivvy.<br>"Out there, at least it sheltered a bit, straighten up, get moving and eat the damned food"<br>She bent over her pack and grabbed another meal, almost snapping the heating chrystals before she had it out.<br>"And if you're goinna do a runner, at least have the courtesy to leave me one of my blankets."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-02-2006, 06:13:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben stood still, bent half over as he was.&nbsp; He took the food and spoon, but wasnt quite sure what she wanted him to do, beyond eating that was.&nbsp; It sounded like she wanted him back outside the shelter, though she'd just brought him in.&nbsp; That couldn't be it, it made no sense.&nbsp; Or did it?&nbsp; Maybe to a colonist's logic.&nbsp; Or maybe his brain was fuddled with the cold.<br><br>Eating, though, that he understood.&nbsp; Without conscious thought, Ben had already started spooning food into his mouth.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-02-2006, 06:27:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea watched him and sighed.<br>"Come on you can move while you eat."<br>She pushed him in the small of the back.<br>"For hell's sake man! You need to get your circulation going"<br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-02-2006, 20:59:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ah.&nbsp; That made more sense, Ben thought.&nbsp; He started spooning up the food hesitantly, as if expecting it to be drugged or something.&nbsp; As he ate, the sergeant shuffled around the small enclosure, hunched over and trying to keep the wind off.&nbsp; Ben considered the food and his situation before deciding that it didn't really matter if the food was drugged or not.&nbsp; He was free to move for the time being, but had nowhere to go, given the weather.&nbsp; Already, with the windbreak and relative warmth, he was recovering nicely, but decided to act the part rather than give away a potential tool.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>06-02-2006, 05:21:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea hugged her food bag close to her as she waited for the food to heat, she'd given her blanket to her prisoner and she was getting bloody cold.<br>It was too restrictive for her to move where she was, so, keeping to what shelter there was she stepped out and behind as she ran up and down and jumped getting her muscles untensed and her circulation moving. <br>Her feet and hands burned with the cold as her circulation came back, she whinced with the pain.<br><em>"Well at least if I can still feel the pain then I haven't lost any extremities yet"</em><br><br>Warmed a little, she returned to the shelter, seeing how he was doing. He was eating hungrily, the man hadn't eaten for days, well only that one meal she had given him. Reaching into her sack, she pulled out another meal and snapped the heating disc, now was not the time to worry if they didn't have enough food in a weeks time, they needed it now. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>07-02-2006, 21:15:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				By the time Andrea returned, Ben had finished eating.&nbsp; Since there was nothing else to do with it, he'd tossed the container just outside the makeshift lean-to.&nbsp; Wouldn't want trash littering up a sleeping area.&nbsp; Especially since he had no clue how long they'd stay here.&nbsp; He'd only been on the planet a few months, hadn't experienced a winter before.&nbsp; The storm might last a few more minutes or a few more days for all he knew.<br><br>Which was also why Andrea found him sitting in one corner with his arms wrapped 'round his knees.&nbsp; Ben wasn't about to try to escape in this weather, with his lack of equipment.&nbsp; If he wasn't lost in minutes, he'd be frozen thanks to exposure.&nbsp; Either way, the escape attempt would be more or less useless.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>08-02-2006, 02:00:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"For hell's sake man"<br>She passed him another bag of food.<br>"Here eat this and get your circulation moving, your genetics won't bloody well save your toes and fingers from freezing off!"<br>Andrea ripped her's open and as he had he spoon, she began to pour the food into her mouth straight from the container.<br>She chewed and swallowed a hot mouthful.<br>"You're not bloody well sitting down until the temperature rises a bit or you'll freeze to death. SO GET UP, EAT YOUR FOOD AND GET MOVING!" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>08-02-2006, 17:26:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite the food, Ben remained on the ground.&nbsp; He ate again, huddled into the nearly fetal position.&nbsp; Movement, he knew, was good to generate heat, but in this wind it also exposed a lot of surface area to the biting wind.&nbsp; Making himself small, on the other hand, conserved heat.&nbsp; So, when Andrea yelled for him to get up and move, Ben shook his head.&nbsp; At the moment, he wanted to conserve heat.&nbsp; Walking around, he felt, would be a futile effort in which he'd loose as much or more than he generated.&nbsp; Not that he was going to tell her that.&nbsp; She'd probalby try to pull the superior officer thing again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>08-02-2006, 17:45:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh bloody well die then, but you're not gonna make me die as well soldier."<br>Andrea leant over and with some effort pulled her blanket off him and wrapped it around her freezing body.<br>"Your body may say curl into a little ball, but I'm doing what mine says and thats don't let your feet freeze, it stops you walking."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>11-02-2006, 16:10:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head, he smiled faintly and shrugged.&nbsp; "Damned if you do, damned if you don't.&nbsp; Wind chill'll suck heat from the body fast, if you give it enough surface area," he explained, using the terms his old survival instructor had, "Small surface area, less body heat lost."<br><br>Within his boots he was already flexing his toes and moving his feet as much as the confined space would allow.&nbsp; Circulation was a good thing, but he was doing it mostly to keep his feet from falling asleep, not necessarily for heat.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>11-02-2006, 16:27:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andria shrugged, she checked the temperature inside the shelter then outside.<br>"It's as cold in htere as it almost is out here, if you want to get frost bite, then carry on, I'm not resting until it's at least a coupel of degrees warmer."<br>She looked up at the sky, the clouds had stopped racing as fast as they had been and snow clouds were building in a grey sheet.<br>"It's gonna be a hell of a lot warmer once this wind drops and the snow falls."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>12-02-2006, 21:23:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged.&nbsp; He decided to remain within the crude shelter.&nbsp; At least it acted as a wind break.&nbsp; That alone brought the temperature up a bit.&nbsp; Too bad there wasn't a farm or something nearby.&nbsp; They could scavenge some hay for the floor.&nbsp; Maybe.&nbsp; These colonial worlds still had farms like that, right?&nbsp; Maybe not.<br><br>He was so wrapped up in thinking of ways to keep warm that he didn't notice that Andrea slipped and wasn't speaking as if he was a prisoner anymore.&nbsp; He even missed noticing that he wasn't thinking of her as a captor.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>13-02-2006, 05:29:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Over the next few hours, Andrea kept herself walking and talking, not about anything in particular, just inane chit chat.<br>Occasionaly she dipped into her pack and handed him something else to eat, he even got one of her prized possessions, a chocolate bar.<br>Checking the temperature, at one point it sank as far down a -5, she was relieved that the wind was beginning to drop and the heavy clouds had begun to drop their load down onto them, the temperature.<br>When the temperature had rissen to above -1, she allowed herself to begin to relax and banking the still dry bracken and ferns up against the tree near him&nbsp; she sat down, hunched rubbing her aching thighs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>16-02-2006, 22:03:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben did his part to keep up the innate chatter.&nbsp; Mostly, he responded in monosyllables, revealing a little about himself, but nothing significant.&nbsp; As with her.&nbsp; He ate, when given the chance, and started to feel his wound closing itself up.&nbsp; In another day or so, depending on activity and food, he decided he'd be back to normal.&nbsp; Then, if the wind and snow died down, he could seriously consider escape attempts.&nbsp; As Andrea began building a sort of windbreak, Ben looked a little confused, having assumed she wanted them on the floor of the lean-to as insulators.&nbsp; Maybe not.&nbsp; It was her call to make, afterall.&nbsp; For now, she was calling the shots.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>17-02-2006, 04:26:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As though she had just read her mind Andrea commented about the bracken and ferns she'd piled up around the open side of their shelter.<br>"They're gonna be a hell of a lot more use keeping that bloody cold out, than scattered on the floor, I can't see either of us stretching out and relaxing in this weather."<br>She shuddered as a streak of cold crawled it's way up her spine, almost making her teeth chatter.<br>"What's it like on your side? If we need to we could use the pack to plug up any big gaps." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>19-02-2006, 19:32:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Not so windy as out there," Ben replied, nodding at the explanation of moving the boughs.&nbsp; It made a certain kind of sense.&nbsp; He shivered a little as the wind changed direction slightly.&nbsp; About the same time she shuddered.&nbsp; Hopefully the wind would shift back, if not, they'd need more cover.&nbsp; Somehow Ben guessed he'd be the one to be sent after it, under her watchful eye.&nbsp; Actually . . . he paused in his musing, "You wouldn't have some IR goggles or binoculars, would you?&nbsp; Or an IR scope?"<br><br>Might be helpful to see if anyone or anything, predator or otherwise, was nearby.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>19-02-2006, 19:45:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She shook her head.<br>"Only got it on the visor of my helm, lost most of the equipment during the bombing. Ended up with what I had on me and a few scrounged bits, your lot did a pretty good job, almost 87 percent of the cities population dead."<br>Pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders trying to tell herself that it wasn't cold, so that her shivering wouldn't take hold of her completely, even so, her neck muscles were so tense they were almost cramping up on her. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>22-02-2006, 05:30:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Huh . . . probably need some more cover before long.&nbsp; Any good at packing snow?" Ben just asked out of curiousity.&nbsp; He understood the theory of making snow walls, but he'd never done it in practice.&nbsp; But, she was a native, so . . . probably asking too much of whatever deities were out there.&nbsp; So, he'd probably have to go out to forage a bit.&nbsp; At least he could try to stay out of the wind, if possible.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>22-02-2006, 07:20:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea laughed.<br>"After living in this climate all my life? Of course I can, wrong type of snow though, it's too dry, would just crumble like dust."<br>Shivers were beginning to over take her now, travelling through her body more frequently as she got colder and more tired. She looked at him, although he didn't seem to be feeling the cold as much, his face was pail and there was a blue tinge to his lips. There really was only one solution to their problem at the moment and that was to share body heat.<br>She shook her head and gave him a small smile.<br>"Sorry Soldier, but if we're gonna get through this, there's only one way, it's cuddle time."<br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>27-02-2006, 03:17:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged at the laugh.&nbsp; It was a thought.&nbsp; And he'd been born in a lab, raised on a military base . . . he wasn't sure where.&nbsp; Supposedly it was classified, so he wasn't allowed to know.&nbsp; Rather than head out of the lean-to, he moved a bit further in.&nbsp; With the wind mostly blocked, he didn't feel quite as cold, despite the temperature.<br><br>Still, he was a bit startled when Andrea spoke next.&nbsp; "What?&nbsp; Sorry, what was that?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>27-02-2006, 05:24:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea shrugged.<br>"I said , the only way to get through this until that damned wind stops blowing a blizzard and we can at least light a fire, is to share body heat."<br>Shivering she lifted up her blanket.<br>"So come on, time to cuddle up." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>02-03-2006, 23:44:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben considered the reasoning for a bit, then nodded.&nbsp; It made sense.&nbsp; He just hadn't expected anyone out here to suggest it, especially given their . . . that's when it hit that he hadn't thought of Andrea as the enemy in a while.<br><br>"Alright," was all he said, trying not to betray his thoughts at the moment.&nbsp; Maybe the snow would die down after she fell asleep.&nbsp; Then he might be able to get away.&nbsp; He slippe dunder the blanket next to her before draping his own overtop.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>03-03-2006, 06:54:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea shuffled herself as close to him as she could.<br>At the moment she didn't give a damn who or what he was, as long as it meant that she would survive.<br>She turned towards him, wrapped her legs around his and&nbsp; got as much of her body against his as she could, then pulling the blankets over thier heads and tucking it around them, she caccooned them against the cold.<br>"Well at least thats better....might be enough top stop us freezing to death at least."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-03-2006, 05:11:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A little uncomfortable, Ben shifted to get at a better angle.&nbsp; While Andrea entwined their legs, he turned and slid an arm around her waist.&nbsp; Normally, the genemod probalby wouldn't've done that, but she was the one who'd suggested this, so he was a bit bolder than he might otherwise be with a strange woman.&nbsp; Within a few seconds he felt marginally warmer.&nbsp; Could be psychological, he thought for a moment, not that it mattered.<br><br>"It is a bit warmer . . . back up a bit, get more cover from the back wall," he suggested.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-03-2006, 10:24:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She did as he suggested, a slight shiver running through her, but feeling far warmer than she had, even the human contact after so long made her feel far better. <br>Andrea's mind wandered back to her lost unit, her mood darkening, but instead of pulling away from him, she snuggled closer, still finding comfort in the contact with living breathing flesh as they shared their warmth. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>06-03-2006, 01:53:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben's thoughts were no less pragmatic, in some ways.&nbsp; This was the first time he hadn't been running in days.&nbsp; It was the first chance he'd gotten to actually think about what had happened to leave him on his own.&nbsp; His unit, the ambush, the explosion.&nbsp; Most of his wounds were in good shape now, the physical ones at least.&nbsp; The others hadn't manifested yet.&nbsp; His batch had been designed to be psychologically tough, but there were limits to what gene modification could do.&nbsp; Still, he leaned into Andrea and she moved closer to him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>06-03-2006, 07:33:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As the days wore on, the wind dropped to a bluster, swirling the powdery snow in and around them, adding and extra layer of insulation, warming them to a more comfortable temperature.<br><br>Andrea eventually managed to stop shivering and managed to relax her tense, twitching, cramping muscles. Warmed and comforted by the body beside her, not caring who or what he was, she finally allowed herself to drift into a light sleep, mumbling orders to unseen soldiers in her half awake dreams.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>07-03-2006, 05:55:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite all his plans to the contrary, Ben felt himself drifting off as well.&nbsp; Whether it was the cold finally numbing his brain or the warm body beside him, he wasn't sure.&nbsp; Nor did he bother to try finding out.&nbsp; Sleep was creeping over him, despite his best attempts to resist.&nbsp; A night's march plus the morning's hunt to create shelter had taken more out of him than he'd thought.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>07-03-2006, 06:19:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She had no idea how long they had slept, but with the wieght that pressed down on her, it had been a while or the snow had come down pretty fast.<br>Andrea attempted to move, but she was held fast, unable to get leaverage.<br><br>She nudged him awake.<br>"Time to move before we get crushed by the weight soldier....."<br>Grunting at the strain she attempted to move again.<br>"If we don't clear this lot, warm as it may be, we'll get ........squashed......"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>09-03-2006, 05:07:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben woke with a start.&nbsp; He tried to roll to his feet, but got caught up in Andrea and their blankets.&nbsp; Then the snow and tarp.&nbsp; The storm must've been a nasty one to have that much accumulation on the lean-to.&nbsp; He nodded to Andrea, though, even as the thoughts were running through his head.&nbsp; He shoved with her, trying to time his pushes to help her's rather than alternating.<br><br>"Nasty . . . storm . . .," he panted, "They always . . . like that . . . around here?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>09-03-2006, 05:19:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Not at this."<br>Andrea grunted at the strain as she wedged her self against the tree and pushed with her feet.<br>"Time of.......soddin'......year"<br><br>The only reason that she could think of for this was the constant bombardment of the planet had caused a sudden climate swing.<br>Extending her legs and locking her knees, she felt some movement, the snow moving and giving just enough to show a chink of light just to the side of her.<br>She spoke through gritted teeth her legs quivering with the strain.<br><br>"Quick, under my legs and get out......come on move it before my legs give way!" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>10-03-2006, 23:35:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He wiggled out, as quickly as he could.&nbsp; Surprisingly, there was no hesitation and he had no thought of leaving her behind.&nbsp; Easy as the latter would be to do.&nbsp; With her buried under the snow, he'd just ahve to wait a day or so, then burrow to retrieve her gear.&nbsp; But the thought never came.<br><br>Once Ben barely managed to squeeze throught he opening, he turned and stood.&nbsp; With his feet spread and set, he lifted up what he could find of the tarp.&nbsp; "Come on out, quick . . ."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>11-03-2006, 00:47:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She didn't hessitate either, the moment she felt him take the weight from her legs she twisted around, grabbed the back pack and her it and herself out.<br>She stood up panting at the exhurtion and found herself knee deep in loose dry snow, brushing herself down she then looked past him.<br>"WOAH......"<br>The whole of the forest was a sheet of white, she estimated that the thinest of layers must be 18inches with huge drifts about 10 to 12 feet high. They themselves had been buried under at least three feet, perhaps deeper in some places and all around her looked terrifyingly beautiful.<br>"Looks like we're gonna have to dig in, there's no way we are going any where in this."<br>Andrea looked up at the sky, a thick grey blanket threatening to shake it's icy dust down on them once again, the only redeaming factor that it was a lot warmer than it had been.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>12-03-2006, 19:17:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded both in understanding and agreement.&nbsp; That had been close.&nbsp; If his training, such as it was, had been correct, they'd have to be sure that the snow they dug into was firmly packed.&nbsp; Otherwise, the whole thing could still come down on them.<br><br>"You're the native . . . where do we burrow?"&nbsp; For the moment, he was totally dependant on her judgement and experience.&nbsp; As the snow continued to come down, Ben reflected briefly that a week ago he'd never have guessed he'd be stranded on a snowbound enemy planet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>13-03-2006, 05:30:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea looked around.....Huffing her breath out into the cold air.<br>"Well we certainly can't stay here."<br>She looked up at the tree they were under, on earth it would have been recognised as a horse chestnut, it's broad leaves, not used to snow, were holding the weight and the branches wouldn't be able to bare the extra load for long.<br>"We need to find a good strong fur, they're used to holding snow and shrug it off easier, it'll give us extra shelter and something to burn hot, That'll help shore up any walls we build."<br><br>Shaking her head at the ludicrousy of the situation, she began to salvage what she could from the thick blanket of snow.<br>"I reckon we're gonna have to trek about a mile further in to find somewhere safer, this part is mainly deciduous if my memory is correct."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>13-03-2006, 06:07:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Given that he knew nothing about the lay of this patch of land, Ben nodded and followed directions.&nbsp; He started rooting around in the snow too.<br><br>"Any idea if there are any farms, or other shelters around this area?&nbsp; Something that might still be intact and abandoned," he asked, pretty sure that anything like that would already be occupied.&nbsp; Which wouldn't help his situation.&nbsp; However, it might not be, given that the area'd been pretty heavily bombed lately.&nbsp; Not to mention the random missile strikes.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>13-03-2006, 06:20:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea stopped, folding her arm, her head cocked to one side she started at nothing, running through the map of the area in her head.<br>She picked up her pack and after throwing him a food pack and snapping hers into action she&nbsp; pulled the most recent intelligence report she had out of her bag.<br>"The only thing that hasn't been flattened out here, apart from the woodland and how the hell this has survived I'll never know, is a farm complex about three days walk in thses conditions."<br>She looked up at the sky again shaking her head still not believing that it had snowed like this at this time of the year.<br>"This is the most up to date info I have and it's almost three weeks old."<br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>13-03-2006, 19:55:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head.&nbsp; "Too far in this weather.&nbsp; Guess there's not choice but digging in, for now," he said, "Maybe if this stuff lets up . . ."<br><br>He took an armful of salvaged stuff and looked around for some place to deposit it.&nbsp; There wasn't anywhere dry, so for the time being, the genemod held everything he'd found in his arms.&nbsp; Since he had no idea of where to go, Ben watched Andrea, waiting for some sign or order.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>13-03-2006, 22:01:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Back pack finally found, Andrea takes the kit off him and stows it.<br>They pull out the bivvy and salvage what ropes they can, making it into a rough kit back, she shares the weight out between them.<br>"It's gonna be hard enough going without one of us having to take the whole load."<br><br>Looking up at the snow laiden sky, she shakes her head.<br>"Looks like we're gonna have to make a move, it's not gonna let up and at least the wind's eased, so it should be easier going."<br>Hessitating for a moment as she picks up the rifle she turns and passes it to him.<br>"I'll lead, if you happen to see anything that's remotely eddible, shoot the bloody thing, I'm shure you're a better shot than I am with your mods and I'm likely to be flushing them out."<br><br>She didn't really hold out much hope of coming across anything, but, better not to miss the chance, hell only knew how long they were going to be stuck.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>14-03-2006, 22:23:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His arms freed, Ben tried to dig out a bit more snow to see if there was anything they'd forgotten that was still salvagable.&nbsp; He gave up after a few seconds.&nbsp; Anymore digging looked hopeless, and Andrea was giving him a share of the saved gear.<br><br>The merc accepted his load and the logic.&nbsp; "Sure . . ." Ben started to agree then stopped as she handed him the rifle.&nbsp; <em>That</em> was unexpected.&nbsp; <br><br>"Of course . . . my vision was marginally enhanced, not that it does much good in this weather," he replied a bit morosely.&nbsp; But, he shut up then and waited for Andrea to take point.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>14-03-2006, 22:46:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ah..yes.....white out."<br><br>She dug into a side pocket and pulled out a pair of UV goggles, slightly darkened with a smoked lense, handing them to him.<br>"They're a little scratched, but I've always had them around, sort of a good luck charm, the visor on my helmet will stop the glare for me."<br>She looked at him for a moment, then stuck her hand in again and pulled out a beret, which had obviously seen better days.<br>"Yeah OK I'm sentimental, it's the first one I ever got and I've hung onto it, it'll keep some of the cold off at least." <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 00:50:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded and accepted the goggles.&nbsp; "I'm more worried about visibility due to snow than glare . . . nictating membranes and genetic polarization," he replied, "But these'll help with the driving snow, I'm sure."<br><br>Without a second thought, he set teh butt of the rifle on the ground and settled the goggles over his eyes.&nbsp; Then accepted the beret.&nbsp; "Been a long time since I've worn one of these.&nbsp; A long time."&nbsp; Well, only a few years, but it was long enough.&nbsp; Before he'd been declared obsolete, declassified, and turned out to make his own wayon the mercenary market.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 01:21:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea pulled her helmet on as he sorted the beret and goggles, chuckling after he's put them on, shaking her head.<br>"I looked far prettier in them I can assure you......well not exactly assure, but hope so...."<br>Still grinning she turned and lead the way out into the snow, it was going to be heavy going, but instead of heading in one specific direction, she chose to travel with, for the most time, their backs to the snow, diverting slightly to make their way into deaper woodlands and more suitable shelter.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 02:23:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben smiled back ,faintly, still unsure of where things stood.&nbsp; But, he picked the rifle back up and held it at the ready, in a good traveling position.&nbsp; Since he was supposed to shoot game, if they found any, he wanted it close to hand.&nbsp; Plus, he was still technically in enemy territory.&nbsp; The merc followed along quietly, staying two or three paces behind Andrea, for safety's sake.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 02:33:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She struggled on through the heavy snow, deaper in some places, they made slow progress, sometimes wading through at waist hight and Andrea had to stop regularly to catch her breath and get her barings, but continued to work their way into the thicker part of the woodlands.<br><br>As she had suspected, there was little sign of life anywhere at all, but as they hit a short patch of well sheltered ground, the snow less deep, she quickened her pace and saw something darting away from them, out of the corner of her eye.<br>"To your left soldier!" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 05:06:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He continued along in her path, the going slightly easier thanks to her breaking the snow ahead.&nbsp; Still, it took almost as much effort.&nbsp; Especially since he was trying to keep his eyes peeled.&nbsp; Ben breathed a sigh of relief when they hit the comparatively less covered ground.<br><br>Before the sentence was fully out of her mouth, Ben had the rifle shouldered and was drawing a bead on the critter.&nbsp; It looked small, but with a precision laser . . . and he didn't have to lead the target . . . there, he gently squeezed the trigger.&nbsp; The beam of light lanced out toward the poor woodland critter.&nbsp; An instant later, Ben detected the scent of singed fur on the air.<br><br>"You wanna collect, or should I?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 12:42:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea laughed.<br>"You hunted it, you can retrieve it, whatever it is, at least it's something extra....I'll find us a spot to rest and sort something out for us to eat."<br><br>She began ploughig forward again finding a place with a little shelter, where the bows of the trees weren't hanging too low and heavy with snow. Then pulling off her pack, did a mental inventry of what they had left to eat, hopefullt the shelter they found would also be somewhere where bigger game had also managed to congregate. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 18:37:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded and trudged off through the snow.&nbsp; "Would've thought someone would do some work for dinner too," he said, with the hint of a smile.<br><br>Even so, he caught up with the carcass.&nbsp; It didn't look like much.&nbsp; Some mammal he didn't recognize.&nbsp; About the size of a Terran rabbit, though.&nbsp; Since he had no knife, Ben grabbed it by the hind legs and carried it slowly back to Andrea.&nbsp; He dropped it in the snow nearby.&nbsp; "Sorry, no knife to skin it with.&nbsp; Lost mine a few days ago."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>15-03-2006, 19:16:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She looked up, handing him a heat pack meal.<br>"Just as well, it's easier to carry that way."<br>She picked the carcass up and slitting the tendons on it's hind legs, looped it through a strap on her bag, fastening it on.<br>"Not a big ground hopper, but they're tasty at least, was thinking, hopefully if we are heading for shelter perhaps the bigger game has had the same idea."<br>Andrea looked down at her meal.<br>"Could just do with a nice chunk of wild pig this very moment.....but....this'll have to do." <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>16-03-2006, 04:43:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded.&nbsp; He recalled from his survival courses that the meat'd go gamy if it wasn't dressed, but better gamy than non-existant.&nbsp; "Better'n digging up bugs and roots," he replied, agreeing with her assessment, "Never had pig."<br><br>Mostly he' dlived on military rations and the company equivalent.&nbsp; Dehydrated, freeze dried, same thing.&nbsp; Add boiling water and stir.&nbsp; Ready to eat in two minutes tops.&nbsp; Of ocurse, the stroganoff tasted like the spaghetti . . . he accepted the heat pack and got it working.&nbsp; Soon, another bland, semi-tasteless meal.&nbsp; One of the signs he was back in the field.&nbsp; Felt like he'd been told the non-genemods' homes were.&nbsp; Or so he supposed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>16-03-2006, 14:03:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Anrea turned, mouthful of food halfway to her lips.<br>"What never? Of any type?.......Hell what do they feed you lot on then?"<br><br>The steaming spoonful continued it's way past her lips.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>16-03-2006, 14:23:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Nope, never," Ben replied, "Mostly we got military rations."&nbsp; Or whatever the cooks came up with.&nbsp; Which wasn't much.&nbsp; He started eating quietly then.&nbsp; It wasn't the most tasty stuff, but it was reasonably good, he decided.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>16-03-2006, 14:30:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She raised her eyebrow, chewing and swallowing.<br>"Hell....that's rough, there's nothing better than real food, one of the greatest things in life.....one one thing better in my mind and if the two are combined....."<br>Andrea chuckled quietly to herself, the memory of a certain weekend leave popping back into her head, yes...only one thing better.....<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>16-03-2006, 21:06:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shook his head, "Never known anything else . . . except for the slop the mess cooks dish up.&nbsp; Rather have rations than that stuff."&nbsp; At least he knew what the rations were supposed to be.&nbsp; With some of that mess hall crap, it was impossible to know.&nbsp; And at least the rations were fully cooked.<br><br>For the rest, Ben didn't comment.&nbsp; He'd been on leave and was taken around to bars and brothels a few times.&nbsp; Fun times, but as far as he knew that was the only way to get alcohol or women.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>17-03-2006, 00:33:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She shrugged, scooping the last mouthful in and swallowing.<br>"Well, lets hope we can change that, if we can get to it under the snow, there's wild garlic and mushrooms and edible roots in these woodlands find where they are and we could live like royalty out here."<br>Andrea turned to him, grinning.<br>"You don't have enhanced sense of smell do you? We could use you as a sniffer dog to find them."<br>She gave him a friendly nudge to show him that her words were a joke, even if that enhancement would be handy under the circumstances.. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>17-03-2006, 04:23:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head, "Sorry, vision, a little enhanced, hearing a bit too.&nbsp; That's about it.&nbsp; Enhanced smell on a battlefield . . ."<br><br>He shuddered a bit at the thought.&nbsp; They smelled back enough as it was.&nbsp; Between cordite, soot, charred . . . no, stop it.&nbsp; Enhancing that sense was pointless, except possibly for scouts and spec ops types, he supposed.&nbsp; Out front, on their own, away from the front line fields, behind enemy lines, such as they were, yep, heightened smell might be useful.&nbsp; Tracking, as Andrea'd said, that too.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>17-03-2006, 04:37:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea almost shuddered at the same moment he did, having much the same thoughts.<br>"Oh hell yeah......even the enhanced smell of the guy next to you, when the whole unit hasn't had a chance to wash for three weeks, would be bad enough."<br>Her nose curled just at the thought.<br>"Let alone the unburried corpses and whiff of burned hair and skin."<br>Looking down at her empty food package she shook her head.<br>"Perfect after dinner conversation isn't it?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>18-03-2006, 05:42:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head, "Which is why I wasn't gonna bring it up."<br><br>He still finished off his food.&nbsp; Nothing ever really turned his stomach.&nbsp; He wasn't sure if it was tailored genes, training, or natural genes.&nbsp; It'd probalby help if he compared himself to others of his geneset.&nbsp; Of course, quite a few were from the same batch, so presummably were also identical, or close enough.&nbsp; He shook his head again and shrugged, "Should we be moving again?&nbsp; Or find somewhere to hole up before dark?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>18-03-2006, 13:13:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea stood, stretching a crick out of her back, whincing at the stiffness in her thighs.<br>"If the snow was still as deep as it had been, I would have said enough and tried to make camp here, but it's more compact and not a deap as before. So I reckon if we have another bash at it, say for an hour or so?"<br><br>She looked around at the trees they were aproaching.<br>"I reckon we are about to hit the jackpot, notice how the tree types are slowly changing?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>19-03-2006, 06:12:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He hadn't noticed, but took her word for it.&nbsp; This was her turf, afterall.&nbsp; "Sure, I'm up for another hour.&nbsp; We should probably look for shelter along the way, though.&nbsp; That sun went down pretty fast last night," Ben replie,d hoping she might take his advice.<br><br>As the outsider, though, he didn't expect anything.&nbsp; He had to remind himself again that she knew the territory and the lay of the land, he didn't.&nbsp; At least he didn't know anything recent.&nbsp; Pre-war, he knew a fair bit, but mostly about strategic sites that had been bombed, assaulted, or otherwise destroyed already.&nbsp; The initial targets of the first wave of attack.&nbsp; He'd heard rumor that over 90% of the desired first targets had been successfully hit.&nbsp; Sadly, it was just that, rumor
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>20-03-2006, 01:06:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea looked up at the sky and then at her watch, looking into the forest beyond.<br>"OK, if we haven't started to come across decent sized fir in half an hour, we stop at the best place for the night. Agreed?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>20-03-2006, 22:07:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded, "Agreed."<br><br>Privately, he decided to keep an eye out for possible sites along the way.&nbsp; Every mile or so.&nbsp; Just in case.&nbsp; With the weather the way it was . . . they ought to be able t cover a mile reasonably quickly.&nbsp; Which reminded him, "Have you got a compass or GPS or something?&nbsp; In case we get a white out."<br><br>One of the first things they'd done on dropping out of FTL was to knock out the local satellites.&nbsp; He doubted any native GPS would work now.&nbsp; But, he also knew how to field strip and change the devices so they'd work off the mercenary ships in orbit.&nbsp; Which, admittedly, might alert his people to his location, not that they'd be likely to come after one troop.&nbsp; Especially since he might be a colonist who accidentally stumbled on the codes.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>21-03-2006, 08:19:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Laughing Andrea shrugged.<br>"Sat Nav went out at first hit, haven't had it for months now, but I navigate the old fashioned way."<br>She lifted her wrist to show her watch, an unusually old fashioned time piece, with hands and not digits.<br>"Was taught by Grandad, he bought me this as well, cost him an arm and a leg, only specialists make them now."<br>Pointing out a small ridged nob on the edge she added proudly.<br>"It really winds up as well, needs no more power than a coiled spring, like gold dust it is."<br>Snapping out of her musings, she looked up at the sky.<br>"Better get a move on, the snows gonna come down again I reckon"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>22-03-2006, 04:32:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head and shrugged.&nbsp; He didn't see how that helped, but apparently she did.&nbsp; Which was probably the important part, since she was taking point.&nbsp; "Figured as much.&nbsp; Still, would've been nice if we get a white-out."<br><br>He shifted his makeshift pack a little, took up the rifle, and trudged along behind her.&nbsp; Every so often, Ben found his mind drifting.&nbsp; And when it did so, it inevitably came back to curling up in the lean-to.&nbsp; When it wasn't heading toward the view he could barely make out ahead, that was.&nbsp; Despite the fatigues and other gear . . .
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>22-03-2006, 04:48:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was almost at the half hour stop point, when Andrea slowed down and adjusted her visor.<br>She waited for Ben to catch up, then pointed out an outline some way off to their left.<br>"That looks like some sort of cabin of some kind, it's a building at least. Can't see any smoke, so if there's anyone there they haven't got a fire."<br>Adjusting the magnification again, she peered through her visor, trying to get a better look.<br>"What do you think?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>22-03-2006, 22:16:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He came up on her left, the rifle ready, in case.&nbsp; For a few minutes, Ben squinted, trying to shield his eyes from the snow.&nbsp; "Looks like a building, kinda small, but hard to tell in the snow," he agreed.<br><br>Could be partially buried too.&nbsp; He glanced around.&nbsp; Didn't seem to be anyone around.&nbsp; Maybe it was abandoned.&nbsp; Or someone hadn't stocked up on firewood.&nbsp; The place could be filled with troops, for all he knew.&nbsp; Finally, Ben decided, "Why don't you check it out, and I'll cover you, in case there're any problems?"<br><br>No, that wouldn't be happening.&nbsp; She'd probably think he'd run off.&nbsp; Not shoot her in the back, he'd had plenty of opportunities for that already.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>22-03-2006, 22:33:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She turned to him and lifted her visor, a chuckle on her lips.<br>"The chances are soldier, that I would be walking straight into your lot if I did. There wasn't, before I left and deffinately isn't now, any reason for native troups to be out here."<br>She pulled her visor down and stared at the hut like structure again, biting her lip.<br>"This is how we play it. If we get there and there's someone in there.......Your people and I'm your prisoner, mine and we are as we were OK?" <br>She thumped him on the shoulder in a friendly way.<br>"Better alive and a prisoner than frozen to death out here..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>23-03-2006, 06:10:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It wasn't his ideal plan, but she was right.&nbsp; Anyone inhabiting a place out here could belong to either side.&nbsp; Or no side.&nbsp; They could stumble acorss a civilian who'd decided to take out both sides, if possible.&nbsp; Great.<br><br>"Sure, that makes sense.&nbsp; You wanna keep point?&nbsp; The rifle'll be difficult to explain either way," Ben noted.&nbsp; This was going to be a tricky one.&nbsp; And he wasn't cut out for that sort of op.&nbsp; It hadn't been covered in training or genetics.&nbsp; He'd be making a lot up as he went.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>23-03-2006, 08:53:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Lets just stick to the basics OK? You go left, me right. We'll hedge round to the back, check for signs of life, see if we can see any footprints, or signs that there has been any one about. Then we can take a look see before we head to the front and announce ourselves and decide who's gonna play 'master'...."<br>Already working out her route and suitable viewpoints, it didn't even occur to Andrea that he would say no and not follow her orders, their relationship had somehow changed and instead of thinking him her prisoner, he was one of her men, to work with and not against.<br>"You hang onto the rifle, I'll use my hand gun, keep in site and be careful, see you round the back."<br><br>Crouching low, she headed off, skirting the open area near to the hut. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>23-03-2006, 19:58:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Seeing as there was no way he was going to win an argument, Ben nodded.&nbsp; "Alright, we'll do it your way," he gave in.&nbsp; Better that than standing around in the cold and failing light.&nbsp; Moving at least kept him warm.&nbsp; He took a more comfortable grip on the rifle and moved along at a slow trot, or the best he could do, given the snow accumulation.<br><br>He stayed low and moved as quickly and silently as the snow would allow.&nbsp; 'Course, this wasn't as fast as he'd like.&nbsp; Worse than dense woods, Ben decided, halfway to the cabin.&nbsp; Though it was a bit quieter, without the foliage slapping against everything.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>24-03-2006, 18:55:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She arrived at the back of the hut just after him, slithering down low on her stomach, out of breath with her struggle through the snow.<br>"There's not a sign of life at all, round that side, no footprints, no light, no latrine.......but it looks as though that side has the thickest snow fall and theres a pile of untouched fire wood ."<br>She paused to take another breath, shivering slightly, wishing she had suitable clothing for this sort of weather.<br>"Any signs your side?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>24-03-2006, 22:17:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben drew up close to Andrea and listened intently over the wind.&nbsp; His figners were beginning to freeze around the rifle.&nbsp; But, he shook his head.&nbsp; "No light, a few mostly filled in tracks, but I think they were animals."<br><br>He hadn't bothered with crawling, rahter he'd just moved around hunched low to the snow.&nbsp; It was hell on his back, but warmer than sliding through the snow.&nbsp; And drier.&nbsp; Getting soaked . . . well, he'd rather risk being shot at and rely on his ability to sense probable danger.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>24-03-2006, 22:40:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well........There's a fireplace or wood burner of some sort in there, but no smoke. "<br>She pointed up to the roof, showing him the lifeless chimney.<br>"It would be quite dark in there by now and there's no sign of light and we haven't seen any signs of movement in or out of the place."<br>Andrea stood up, shaking the snow off herself.<br>"I reckon there's no-one in there and I reckon it's about time there was and it's worth the risk just to be out of this weather for a time."<br>She grinned at ben.<br>"Cosy cabin for two sir?"<br>Not waiting for an answer, she takes a crouching run towards the hut, heading for a window so she can have a look inside.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>25-03-2006, 02:06:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"In that case . . . let's take it."<br><br>Ben followed her toward the window, though he angled out a bit to head for the door.&nbsp; At this point, caution was fading.&nbsp; There didn't seem to be anyone home, and he was pretty certain that would be the case.&nbsp; Enhanced senses, those that had been heightened, weren't going nuts.&nbsp; It was probably safe.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>25-03-2006, 02:28:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her back to the wall of the hut, she edged to the window and took a quick look in, then dodged back. <br>Even from that quick glance her practice eye told her that the possibility of anyone being in there was very low, it looked as though it had been deserted for some time.<br>Andrea jerked her head at him, signalling for him to enter, ready to cover him through the window if he needed it.<br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>25-03-2006, 06:29:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben waited, beginning to shiver again, while Andrea satisfied her curiousity and checked the place out.&nbsp; When she nodded, he practically broke the door down in his haste to get inside.&nbsp; The only sign that he was paying attention to his surroundings was that he automatically, without thinking, entered with the rifle up, using the sights to scan the room.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>25-03-2006, 06:50:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea stood in the doorway, a grin on her face.<br>It had been apparent as soon as he burst through the door, that the small hut was empty.<br>"It's OK, we can do something with the door as long as the hinges are still attatched."<br><br>She bit back her laughter, he had been a little heavy handed, but probably not very much more than she would have, given the fact that it was getting bloody cold out here.<br>She pulled her pack off and dumped it inside the door.<br>"I'm gonna grab some of the dryer wood, from the stack at the side, you wanna see if that stove's usable?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>25-03-2006, 18:53:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Right, looks clear.&nbsp; So far," Ben replied, "Only one room, I think.&nbsp; Unless there's somewhere to hide beneath."&nbsp; A root cellar, possibly.&nbsp; Probably not in this day and age, though.&nbsp; He scanned the room quickly, determining that it was probably a hunting cabin.&nbsp; Small, short trip, brief use purposes.&nbsp; But warm.<br><br>The merc nodded and knelt by the stove, the rifle against the wall next to him.&nbsp; Not much to the primitive device really.&nbsp; Cast iron, no holes, there didn't appear to be a flue system, he could feel&nbsp; abit of a draft from the chimney.&nbsp; "Looks good here."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>25-03-2006, 19:49:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				By the time he had investigated the stove she had returned with the dryest of the wood, dropping it down onto the floor by him.<br>She stood looking around, the place was clean, not anything suitable for kindling, sighing she turned around and headed towards the door. <br>"Saw a dead tree on the way around here, I'll go and get some twigs and stuff for kindling."<br>Shuddering at having to go back out into the cold, she opened the door again and stepped outside.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>26-03-2006, 01:14:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After Andrea left, Ben looked around, seeing if there was anything that might light better than damp tinder.&nbsp; For a few moments, he toyed with using the rifle to start the wood they had.&nbsp; Unfortunately, he couldn't be sure that wouldn't damage the stove.&nbsp; Nor could he find any sign of a variable setting on the rifle.&nbsp; So that option was apparently no longer one.<br><br>Givne little else to do, he silently inventoried their remaining supplies.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>26-03-2006, 02:09:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"We should have enough, if we're careful and we get some game."<br>Andrea saw what he was doing as she walked in, she carried an arm full of twigs she'd snapped off the staning branched of the tree, a lot dryer than those already on the ground.<br>"If you look in the right hand side pocket, there's some doccuments, we can use them to help start the fire."<br>Dropping that down by the stove too, she almost mimicked Ben's movements around the hut, checking things out, looking to see what she could find.&nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>26-03-2006, 21:08:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Does the rifle have any variation to its settings?&nbsp; Or do you have matches or a lighter," he asked.&nbsp; Otherwise, they'd have to get things lit the hard way.&nbsp; Easier if she had some string, but still not exactly his ideal situation of method.<br><br>Ben dug the documents out of the pocket.&nbsp; He was tempted to glance over them, but refrained.&nbsp; It hardly mattered now.&nbsp; And she wouldn't send him out to burn anything important.&nbsp; Even so, his eyes tracked her movement around the room.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 04:37:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea gave a short snort.<br>"No the rifles were made and issued in a hurry when the first attack came, we weren't given warning and had no time for niceties."<br>She pulled out her hand gun, twisting it in her hand so she could pass it to him butt first.<br>"Use this, it does."<br>Still standing next to him she sighed.<br>"They didn't leave much here, few cooking utensils, couple of pans, coffee pot, no coffee. So we have what we have, lets hope this weather breaks eh?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 04:57:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded, typical colony workmanship.&nbsp; They start a revolt before they're ready.&nbsp; He accepted the pistol silently, though.&nbsp; This wasn't a time to say what he thought.&nbsp; Instead, he concentrated on building a small lean-to in the stove.&nbsp; Tinder first, a fairly thick piece of wood as a base, a 'wall' of kindling.<br><br>"I 'spose so.&nbsp; I didn't find anything in my quick search, doesn't look like it was meant for permanent use," he said, leaning back and aiming the sidearm, "My guess is a small scale hunting lodge or something like that."<br><br>He squeezed the trigger gently, letting the recoilless beam of light touch the documents.&nbsp; First try, and the tinder lit, along with some of the kindling.&nbsp; Ben handed the weapon back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 05:35:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She nods her aproval as the fire catches first time.<br>"Good one....At least we'll have some heat and be able to dry our clothes."<br>Accepting the handgun back, she slips the safety back on and pushes it back into her holster.<br>Grinning, flashing him a girlish prim and propper flutter of her eye lashes and sweet smile, she added.<br>"Hell, I might even have a wash!"&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 14:47:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Is there a tub?" Ben smiled in response, playing along, "If so, you'll have a fight on your hands."&nbsp; He wasn't entirely serious, especially since he hadn't seen a tub.&nbsp; But he knew when to relax a bit.&nbsp; It'd been along week overall.&nbsp; For the moment, he was happy to be in out of the cold.&nbsp; In fact . . . <br><br>With barely a pause, Ben stripped off the outerwear she'd loaned him.&nbsp; A moment later, his shirt followed, to be hung next to the stove.&nbsp; A few scars were revealed among the genetically designed smooth muscles and faintly tanned complexion.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 15:12:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh yeah...there's a tub and a Jacuzzi out the back.....Or I could use this filled with warm water?"<br>She held up a large metal bowl, chuckling, her chuckle turning to laughter as he began to strip off.<br><br>"Hell, I wish I was geneticly modified!"<br>She sat down next to him near to the stove, pushing him along with her shoulder, to get nearer to the heat.<br>"I think this place will need to to warm up just a little bit more before I start baring my chest."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 17:10:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben chuckled, "Only thing that'd be good for's faces, hands, or a sponge bath."<br><br>He'd had one of those once.&nbsp; A long time ago, comparatively.&nbsp; Relaxing, though he'd remained tense throughout the entire thing.&nbsp; However, he shrugged at the comment about chest baring.<br><br>"It's not too bad out of the wind.&nbsp; And better to have a warm, dry shirt, nd be chilly for a short while," he said, "than to have a cold wet shirt and catch something."&nbsp; Even so, Ben too moved closer to the fire.&nbsp; He looked around for a blanket or something from the hut's owner, Andrea's having gotten soaked during the day.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 17:37:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Better a top and tale and a change of underwear and socks, than nothing at all."<br>She ran her hand through her short hair.<br>"At least I don't have to worry about tangles"<br><br>She shivered as he spoke about being chilly.<br>"If you don't mind, I'll just sit here and steam quietly, until it's warmer......"<br>Looking round she frowned, as if she'd read his mind.<br>"Better get those blankets out and aired off or it won't be worth either of us getting warm will it? I reckon we could rig up some sort of clothes line."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 20:13:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At the mention of a clothesline, Ben looked around.&nbsp; "Still have the line from the lean-to?&nbsp; &nbsp;I think there're a few protrusions I can reach to tie it on," he said, looking up at the walls.&nbsp; He spotted a potential 'hook' a few feet from the ceiling.<br><br>"Divide the room or try to rig up a pole to keep eevrything closer to the stove?" he asked, wondering if she'd rather have some privacy in the admittedly small cabin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>27-03-2006, 20:42:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea grins a wicked grin.<br>"Yeah we could have a privacy screen, to spare your blushes soldier, but I get the stove on my side, keep all the heat in...."<br>She sighed hugging herself an extatic look on her face.<br>"Hmmmmmmmmm........ooooooooo...yes.......promise you won't keep me awake with your chattering teeth?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 04:23:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head, the hint of a smile reaching his lips.&nbsp; "I'll just string it halfway, on the far side of the stove.&nbsp; There any poles or other things we can rig up something with?"<br><br>He looked around for anything that could work as a support.&nbsp; Unfortunately, since he was untangling cord, he was a bit tied up, figuratively speaking.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 06:00:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I don't think that will be needed"<br>Andrea shook her head, an amused smile on her face.<br>"I guess you haven't dealt with many female officers in your time? Soldier, I've shared quarters with my men, showered with them, eaten with them, got drunk with them. I've seen it all, there's no such thing as privacy in a war."<br>Her amusment turned to saddness as she remembered the good times she'd had with her unit, she had lost one or two and they had been replaced, but there was still a huge hole deap inside her from the loss of the whole lot of them all in one fell swoop. Shaking her head she brought herself back to the conversation.<br>"The best thing we can do with anything that could be used as a curtain is to wrap ourselves up in it and keep warm."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 14:56:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben looked a bit bewildered.&nbsp; "Uh . . . weren't you the one who wanted a clothesline to dry everything out?" he asked, with just a hint of sarcasm.&nbsp; As he spke, he tied the end of the line to an outcrop in the wall.<br><br>"If you still want that, and clothes'll dry faster that way, I either need to connect the other end to the far wall or to a pole or something," the sergeant continued.&nbsp; It seemed officers were the same everywhere, impractical.&nbsp; He'd never quite understood that.&nbsp; They asked for one thing, then when the NCOs jumped to do it, changed their minds.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 15:08:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She laughed.<br>"Yes I want the clothes line, I was talking about you setting up a privacy screen."<br>She chuckled, continueing in a joking, mocking way, putting on the deep voice that all colonel's seemed to develope...<br>"Damned ranks.....they don't have two brain cells between 'em, never listen to what yer sayin' and then blame the officers."<br><br>Wiping a tear from her eyes she stood up looking around the rood and walls of the small hut.<br>"Ah...there....there's a gap big enough inder that support."<br>She pointed it out, then pulled out a small torch to light the area for him.<br>"Tie it there and it'll keep it from trailing too near the stove and we can sit in front of it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 18:10:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shook his head, but looked at the spot she mentioned.&nbsp; "Yeh, that'll do, think I can reach it from here, the ceiling's not too high," Ben guessed, stretching a little to send the line through the gap.&nbsp; He tied it off a bit lower, tighteningthe knot to get it fully around the support beam.<br><br>Smiling a little, he asked, "Anything else, officer?"<br><br>Without waiting for an answer, he began draping his outer clothes, blanket, and shirt over the line.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 18:23:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She snorted.<br>"Yeah you can drop that one for a start, while we're stuck here, lets just drop the millitery crap shall we?"<br>She held her hand out to him.<br>"Hello.......Ben, isn't it? I'm Andrea, most friends call me Andy."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 21:22:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged and took her hand.&nbsp; And here she was initially insisting on a rank.&nbsp; Ah well, women, he decided.&nbsp; Maybe he finally knew what the other guys in his unit had been talking about all those years.<br><br>"Yep, Ben . . . not short for anything," he said, trying out both Andrea and Andy in his head.&nbsp; His grip was about as firm as one would expect from a person literally born to be a soldier.&nbsp; He waited for her signal to release, depending on what she had in mind . . . some he'd shook hands with tried to make it into a strength/dominance thing, afterall.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>28-03-2006, 21:40:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She gave his hand a quick friendly squeeze, then let go.<br>"Well then I guess it's my treat for supper, we have a choice of rations or rations. The ground hopper is frozen solid, so it's hung up outside and I really can't be bothered trying to skin and gut it tonight."<br>She walked towards her back pack, pulling out a random selection of meals.<br>"Choice or pot luck?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>29-03-2006, 01:32:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben couldn't resist, "I'll take rations, then."&nbsp; He wasn't sure why, but the line usually evoked laughter in the barracks and in the field.&nbsp; Much to his consternation.&nbsp; He'd never used the line before, and was curious.<br><br>After the options were laid out, he shrugged, "It'll all taste the same anyway.&nbsp; Random's good."<br><br>While Andrea dug around, he tried to find a good place to sit.&nbsp; Something other than the floor.&nbsp; ventually, Ben decided to perch himself on the edge of the bed.&nbsp; Better there than nowhere.&nbsp; And he'd had enough of sitting on cold hard ground lately.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>29-03-2006, 01:41:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She laughed.<br>"Good choice, rations it is."<br>Andrea looked round to see where he was then threw a pack to him.<br>"Didn't even look to see what it was either."<br>She placed hers on the floor, after breaking the seal on the heat pad and placed it on the floor. Pulling out her change of clothes and draping them on the line.<br>"They should be aired by the time we've eaten and I'll change." <br>Scooping up her pack she walks over and joined him, reading the pack.<br>"Beef stew, waht you got then?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>29-03-2006, 14:42:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben caught the package and cracked it open.&nbsp; He held the pad to warm up his hands, before setting it on the floor.&nbsp; "No clue . . . stroganoff, I think," he murmured.<br><br>If he'd had spare clothes, he'd string 'em too.&nbsp; Sadly, those had all been lost during the ambush.&nbsp; Along with practically everything else he'd owned.&nbsp; There were still a few odds and ends in his pocket, but nothing really useful.&nbsp; Most of the stuff had broken, been lost, or otherwise discarded.<br><br>He tossed the wrapper for the packet into the stove, letting it shrivel up in the flames.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>29-03-2006, 23:39:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ah well, it's nutricious and full of goodness, or so they tell us....."<br>Andrea, taking another mouthful, shrugs.<br>"Just wish they would add some flavour and texture to it as well."<br>She watches him for a moment, chewing whatever bit of the so called beef stew that is in her mouth.<br>Answering him, as though she'd read his mind.<br>"Got a couple of vests that you can use, probably a biy of a tight fit, but they're clean and it's an extra layer for warmth, if you want them that is......Oh and socks.....brought plenty of socks, I'll get them out and air them as soon as I've finished this...gourmet meal...." <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>30-03-2006, 04:58:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"So they say," he agreed, with a low chuckle.&nbsp; Acutally, he'd been raised on this stuff.&nbsp; It wasn't as bad as the 'normals' made it out to be.&nbsp; Of course, the only different stuff he'd known was mess hall cooking.&nbsp; He practically swallowed the food without chewing.&nbsp; Didn't bother to try tasting anything either.<br><br>Ben nodded, "My clothes'll be fine, once they dry out.&nbsp; But, thanks for the socks."<br><br>Military issue, probaly, so one size fits none.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>30-03-2006, 05:11:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Saw animal tracks when we were skirting round here, if the weather isn't to bad tomorrow, we could go and see what we could find, you might get to sample real food after all." <br><br>She stands and stretches, whincing at the little aches and pains in her body and the dull ache in her calf muscles from forcing herself through the snow.<br>"Hell, now that I'm thawing out, I'm damned well aching everywhere!"<br>Andrea steps over to her backpack and pulls out a handful of socks, all the same, as he'd reckoned on.<br>Standing she reaches up and flicks them over the line, then runs her hands down the blankets.<br>"At least this place is warming up nicely......"&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>30-03-2006, 18:45:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded, "Take shifts on hunting?"<br><br>That wa one of them could keep an eye on the cabin and keep the fire going.&nbsp; He thought it was the best idea.&nbsp; As she winced, though, Ben grew a little concerned.&nbsp; She wasn't genetically enhanced, afterall.&nbsp; His muscles recovered quickly, as they were designed to.&nbsp; But, he nodded about the warming up.&nbsp; While she flicked socks over the line, he debated whether to strip off his fatigue pants to join them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>30-03-2006, 20:56:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You done much hunting then?"<br>She worked her away along the line of clothes, judging what was dry.<br>"Oh sod this, I'm having a wash and changing into clean kit."<br>Grabbing the metal bowl, she went to the door, opened it and scooped up some fresh snow, quickly closing it, took keep out the cold, shivering as she turned.<br>"Hell, you don't realise how warm it is in here until you open that door!"<br>The bowl hissed and spat as she placed it directly on the top of the stove, it wouldn't take long to melt and warm. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>30-03-2006, 22:13:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head, "Not since survival training.&nbsp; But, I didn't think it was all that different from night ops and sniping."<br><br>Both were basically stalking a target and getting a clear, good shot.&nbsp; Ideally dropping the prey with a single shot.&nbsp; He curled up a little as Andrea opened the door.&nbsp; A shiver ran through his naked torso.&nbsp; Beyond that, Ben did his best not to show any discomfort.&nbsp; He came over to see how the water was going, to keep an eye on it while Andrea did whatever she wanted or needed to do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>31-03-2006, 15:20:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Not caring whether he was watching or not, Andrea retrieved a much valued bar of soap and a small towel, from her bag and started to strip, dumping her dirty clothes over the far end of the line. <br>It was obvious, from how she felt no embarrassment, that it had been true what she had said, she'd spent enough time around and with men, to worry about privacy.<br>"How's that water coming on then? I don't need it hot, just warm will do."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>31-03-2006, 20:19:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben couldn't help but look as she stripped.&nbsp; Shortly, he followed suit, still staying near the water and checking on it.&nbsp; By the time she was ready, all of hsi remaining clothes were piled near the sole bed.&nbsp; Ben looked over at the water, "Steaming, almost ready, I think.&nbsp; Maybe another minute or two."<br><br>He removed his hand from the steam and stood, unself-consciously waiting for the water to finish.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>31-03-2006, 21:03:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As she turned she saw him standing there naked, she blinked, taken aback for a second, they hadn't spoiled the human form by enhnacing it's genetics, even with the deformities of the scars of battle that crisscrossed Ben's body, he was still one hell of a good looking man.<br>She blinked again, continueing as though nothing was unusual, well, it wasn't really, she'd seen naked men before and good looking ones at that.<br>"You washing then?"<br>Pulling a couple of socks off the line, she threw one to him.<br>"Here, use this as a wash mit, it's perfect."<br>Even the motion of throwing the sock was caused a draft, enough to bring goose bumps to her skin and a shiver down her back as she pulled the sock over her hand like a mitten.<br>"Hell, if that water doesn't hurry I'll have to put my clothes back on reguardless, how the hell you just stand there like it's the middle of summer, is beyond me, they put anti freeze in you instead of blood?"<br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>31-03-2006, 23:32:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, more or less oblivious to the effect his nakedness might have on her, "Sure, may as well, since the water's hot."<br><br>He lifted the pan off the stove and set it between them.&nbsp; The genemod caught the sock and nodded.&nbsp; Had to make do in the field.&nbsp; "We're made to withstand some temperature variance, greater than normals," Ben explained, letting his eyes briefly roam over Andrea's body, "And we're trained not to show discomfort, if at all possible."<br><br>Really, he was getting cold, though standing next to the stove helped.&nbsp; So did seeing her standing there in the buff.&nbsp; In fact, given that he wasn't shrinking, but rather growing a little, Andrea'd probably guess that he liked what he saw of her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 00:05:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea was too engrossed in using her precious soap to bother about any parts of male anatomy.<br>"Well there's a difference in showing discomfort to actually feeling it, and the sooner I top and tail and get fresh clothes on the better."<br>A quick splash of warm water on her face dealt with that and she was soon soaping up her mit, passing the soap on to him, as she attacked her chest, whincing a little as she washed over her tender nipples, the cold did nothing to help them.... <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 01:32:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded, he understood that.&nbsp; Though watching her bathe . . . now that was interesting.&nbsp; And his reaction . . . not what he wanted, at the moment.&nbsp; Quickly, he took the soap from her hand when offered.&nbsp; A moment late,r Ben was scrubbing himself down with the warm water.&nbsp; He grabbed a second soak to dry the instant he rinsed a spot.&nbsp; The shorter the time there was cold water on his skin the better.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 02:33:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was as thought they were having a competition to see who got cleaned up first, Andrea having started first, was just in the lead, but by the time she'd passed him the towel so that he could give himself another rub down, her teeth were starting to chatter.<br>Hastily pulling her clothes on, she stood as near to the stove as she could, holding her hands out to the warmth, but despite the chill she was trying to drive away, she still had a contented grin on her face.<br>"Hell that feels good, a sauna couldn't have been better!"<br>She chuckled.<br>"Well it could have, but you know what I mean?" <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 02:37:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben was a bit slower, but he was also closer to the stove.&nbsp; He took a bit of time in the end, tend found something to get dressed in.&nbsp; At least a pair of pants and an undershirt.&nbsp; With those and the fire, he was in good shape.<br><br>"Probably would've been better," the sergeant said, a little smile cracking.&nbsp; He knelt in front of the stove and poked at it with a length of iron.&nbsp; "Do you see a bellows around?&nbsp; That's help get this really going.&nbsp; There's enough wood inside for a bigger fire, all night too."<br><br>With a good hand bellows, he could probably get the stove glowing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 02:48:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She rubbed the top of her head, scratching her scalp through her short hair, noticing that it had grown a little.<br>"Sorry, didn't see any when I looked around and if you didn't spot them either, I reckon we can assume there are none?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 06:49:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Probably not.&nbsp; Too bad," Ben looked a bit disappointed, "Actually . . . maybe we can make one.&nbsp; Is there any tubing lying around of in your kit?&nbsp; Just about a foot or so of metal and the same of plastic'll do it."<br><br>They'd made these once in his basic survival course.&nbsp; Small, lightweight, easy to carry and construct.&nbsp; Perfect for getting a fire going really well.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 13:37:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea grinned.<br>"Y'know, when I packed my essentials, the first thing I packed was a couple of pieces of pipe."<br>She picked up her back pack and passed it to him laughing.<br>"No sorry, I don't, have a look in the bottom section and the left hand side pocket and see if there is anything there you can use, thats where I've got the 'useless but might come in handy stuff' I'll have a look around and see if I can find anything."<br>Wandering off she begins looking around in and around the hut. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 15:24:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The merc shrugged, and smiled, "I didn't think so, but it was worth a shot."<br><br>Ben looked around the immediate area to see what he might salvage.&nbsp; There had to be something useful in this place, somewhere.&nbsp; Given that there wasn't much space to wander in, he kept an eye on Andrea too.&nbsp; Unfortuantely, his initial look didn't turn up anything in this case.<br><br>"Nothing over here.&nbsp; You?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 15:30:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Nope, not a thing."<br>Andrea turned and sat on the end of the bed.<br>"Best thing to do I reckon is put some of the wood as near as possible to the stove to dry out a bit more and pull the bed nearer as well." <br>She lay across measuring the bed's width.<br>"It's gonna be a bit of a squash, but at least it'll keep us off the floor and out of drafts and we still only have the two blankets."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 16:30:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded.&nbsp; "Probably right.&nbsp; You wanna move it now and let it warm up a bit, or wait 'til later?"<br><br>He accepted the fact that they'd likely share and that it'd be a bit cramped.&nbsp; From the momnet that he noticed there was only one bed, Ben had assumed that would be the case.&nbsp; A bit like the barracks, though he'd never shared a bed there.&nbsp; Even so, his unit had set up temporary camps in similar shelter on different worlds.&nbsp; Commandeering a cabin or shack, doubling or tripling up in beds for the officers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 16:35:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She stood and stretched hearing her back click as she did, her thigh and calf muscles still complaining at the work they'd done through the snow.<br>"Think, as it's almost dark, we'd better get it moved now, there's no artificial light in here and I for one could do with a good sleep."<br>Moving to one end of the bed, she stood waiting for him to take the other.<br>"Hopefully I'll sleep better than I did last night, scrunching up in a ball trying not to freeze doesn't make for a relaxing night." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 20:13:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben moved to the other end.&nbsp; That had been along the lines of his thinking.&nbsp; He took hold of the frame, such as it was, and lifted without much apparent effort.&nbsp; His series wasn't the brawniest, but they'd been enhanced in musculature to carry more gear.<br><br>"Better that than in a wet, soaking, foxhole being shelled by enemy artillery," he opined.&nbsp; Did that once on Kestra VI, during an official military operation.&nbsp; And they hadn't been fighting rebels then, but an organized 'real' army.&nbsp; Still, that had its benefits.&nbsp; At least there'd been a clear front line.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 20:57:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Too damned true"<br>Andrea dropped her end into place, with a huff, the bed was solid and heavy, but not too heavy. Though it certainly made her thighs and calf muscles complain.<br>"Had my share of that too soldier, nothing worse for moral."<br>She sat on the bed, lifting her feet up to the stove, she hadn't put her boots back on and she smiled with pleasure as her socks soaked up the heat.<br>"We off worlders are exactly pampered y'know?&nbsp; Our so called Homeworld has drained us of our resources and kept us in short supply for soddin' decades and yes......before the war, I did my service in the Empire army."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>01-04-2006, 22:40:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben set his end down quietly and came to sit on the edge of the bed.&nbsp; He listened silent, not totally sold on the whole revolt thing, but this wasn't hetime to antagonize her.&nbsp; So, he smiled and nodded throughout the one sided discussion.&nbsp; When she was done, Ben smiled, "Not to change the subject, but who gets the outside?"<br><br>The side away from the fire, he meant.&nbsp; Colder over there, but the one closest to the fire'd have to get up several times to stoke it during the night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>02-04-2006, 00:32:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good point"<br>Andrea nodded, yes there were plus and minus points for both.<br>"Fairest way is to draw lots."<br>Scooping up a scrap of paper, she tore it in half,&nbsp; pulled a pencil out of the side pocket of her bag and placed a cross on one before folding them as near as the same as she could get it.<br>"Cross gets the fireside and we swap tomorrow OK?"<br>She stood up and grabbed a sock off the line, stuffing the paper into it, holding it out for Ben to take one, grinning as she did so.<br>"Awfully adaptable socks are, aren't they?"&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>02-04-2006, 06:06:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Drawing lots . . . his luck had never been good.&nbsp; Of course, he didn't know which side he preferred anyway, so no big loss there.<br><br>"Sure, sounds good," Ben said, reaching into the sock.&nbsp; There were only the two pieces, so rummaging around wouldn't do any good.&nbsp; He just grabbed the first one he felt and pulled it out.&nbsp; He held the piece of paper closed.&nbsp; "Draw your's, and we'll open at the same time, more suspense, right?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>02-04-2006, 14:14:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She laughed, a silly grin on her face as she pulled the paper out, flicking the sock back on the line.<br>Her laugh turned into one of merriment, the thought having struck her that she was sat here, snowed into a tiny hut, in the middle of summer, drawing lots with her prisoner, to see who go the warm side of the bed.<br>Andrea held out her piece of paper, still laughing.<br>"After three?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>02-04-2006, 16:28:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He looked a bit confused bythe laugh, but shrugged it off.&nbsp; Normals were strange sometimes.&nbsp; That's just the way things were, one of the laws of nature.&nbsp; Ben nodded, though, "On three.&nbsp; You count off . . ."<br><br>The genemod waited, not really sure which he'd prefer, so he had no expectations for the outcome.&nbsp; Or rahter no hopes one way or the other.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>02-04-2006, 17:19:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Still laughing she counted, a ludicrous situation to be in, spurred on further by his straight face.<br>Andrea counted and on three she pulled open her paper.<br>"Ah well, I get the cold back tonight..."<br>She shrugged and crumpling the paper, threw it over her shoulder.<br>"Of course that means I get the odd piece of chocolate."<br><br>Still chuckling she reached into her bag again, the precious bars of chocolate, only three left, but what the hell....<br>Sitting back down she began opening it, tutting as she did so.<br>"Why in hell's name they made them with five pieces in I don't know." <br>Even though she did say she would have the 'extra' piece, Andrea still broke it in half and passed him his even share.<br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>02-04-2006, 21:54:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben opened his hand to find the cross.&nbsp; "And I get to stoke the fire tonight and stay awake," he said with a smile.<br><br>The thought breifly crossed his mind that there could be ways to keep both their backs warm during the night.&nbsp; Of course, those could also make it difficult to keep wood on the fire.&nbsp; He chuckled at the chocolate comment.&nbsp; But Ben accepted his piece graciously enough.&nbsp; He broke off the half piece and handed it back.&nbsp; "Consolation prize, it's your's.&nbsp; Besides, you're the one providingthe chocloate."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>03-04-2006, 05:23:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea shook her head, refusing to take the chocolate back.<br>"No, a share is a share, everything equal in my unit"<br>She blinked at what she had just said, there she went again, treating him like one of her men and not a prisoner, she chose not to mention it, just let it pass, he probably hadn't noticed any way.<br>"Can't guarantee I won't take all the blankets when I'm asleep though."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>03-04-2006, 05:34:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben insisted, "You've already shared quite a bit, more than I'd've expected."<br><br>He set the half-piee on the matress between them, closer to her.&nbsp; When he wanted to be, the genemod could be quite stubbon.&nbsp; A design flaw in his geneset, actually.&nbsp; One that they hadn't been able to get rid of.<br><br>"No problem, I'll just take 'em back," he quiped back wit ha grin, apparently missnig her earlier reference and pause.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>03-04-2006, 05:46:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea shrugged.<br>"Well I'm not gonna argue about a bit of chocolate, if you insist I'll accept it in the manner in shich it was given."<br>Picking it up she popped it into her mouth, then grinned at his reply to the blanket situation.<br>"Oh, so there is a sense of humour in there somewhere?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>03-04-2006, 20:15:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC: My apologies for delays, today's been busy so far.)<br><br>"Maybe," Ben replied, "Though humor's not in the normal parameters of our geneset."&nbsp; His lips threatened to split into another grin.&nbsp; The sergeant managed to hold back all but a slight quiver though.&nbsp; He was pretty familiar with jokes and humor.&nbsp; Usually, he wasn't particularly good at delivery.&nbsp; Something his creators and surrogate 'parents' hadn't fostered much, given his destined role in life.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>03-04-2006, 20:29:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea creased her nose.<br>"I always though it a shame that you genmods never had the full set as it were. I suppose something had to give, but to knock off humour and just being able to be 'silly' now and then?"<br>She shook her head.<br>"It's sad, even being able to laugh about one of your unit coming a cropper and injuring himself in a rediculous way, relieves the shock and stress of it all.&nbsp; But I guess you get what you ask for and if they wanted people who thought for themselves and acted for a reason other than what they were 'made' for, then you wouldn't be around."<br><br>Realising that what she had said, could be quite hurtful, she put her hand on his arm and squeezed it lightly.<br>"Sorry, that didn't sound very nice, infact it sounded down right offencive, it wasn't a criticism of you, or those like you, but of those who made you the way you are."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>03-04-2006, 23:41:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once again, Ben thought, his attempts at jokes failed.&nbsp; His face went a little long, not because of her statement, but because of her lack of amused reaction.&nbsp; But, he accepted the touch and smiled a little, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.<br><br>"Don't sweat it, I've been disillusioned for a long time," he replied, covering her hand and squeezing it, "For a few years at least, no, longer than that.&nbsp; Since probably my first month in the field, when I realized that someday I'd be obsolete."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 00:02:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"See?"<br>Andrea almost shouted in exasperation.<br>"Thats what I mean! How dare they mess around with you, make you what you are then just throw you aside like some old shoe...not even a worn out one at that...just one they've got tired of!"<br>She almost snarled out a sigh.<br>"And even though they have dumped you and seen you as unfit, all you do is sell yourselves back to them at a cheaper rate for cannon fodder, when you should all be turning round and fighting them for daring to mess with you in the first place!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 04:02:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged.&nbsp; Genetic hardwiring was a hard thing to work against.&nbsp; But, he didn't expect a normal to understand that.&nbsp; So, he picked up on a different partof her complaint.&nbsp; "It's hardly a cheaper rate . . .," Ben added quickly in his head, "Actually, it costs about 40% more per trooper to hire on most good merc companies.&nbsp; But, it saves costs in citizen lives.&nbsp; The political benefits, I'm told, outweigh the financial losses."<br><br>Besdes which, nearly all models, at least in the last few decades, so he was told, were hardwired to loyalty toward the government.&nbsp; Even if they were eventually turned away.&nbsp; The other genemods he'd met could bitch and yell about the gov, but when the chips came down, they'd back the government against anyone else.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 04:25:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She shook her head.<br>"I don't mean in money and you have just said it yourself, it's cheaper in political terms and I know why you go back, I have had to learn a lot about who and what we are fighting."<br>Angela sighed.<br>"But there's not point in argueing the toss with you, because it's in bred into you and you wouldn't be able to change it any more than I could change my eyes to purple......" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 06:02:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, "It's hardly like mercs are cannon fodder either . . . most of us are ex-spec ops.&nbsp; At least most of my company were, or are.&nbsp; Nearly all were trained by the government before retiring, or being retired.&nbsp; Some took rank demotions, with pay raises."<br><br>He dropped the 'argument', though.&nbsp; Instead, the sergeant leaned back on the bed and clasped his hands behind his head. After the long day, he was happy to relax for a bit.&nbsp; And, really, the chatter with Andrea wasn't that different from the chatter in the barracks or elsewhere in the field.&nbsp; He'd had, and heard of, similar discussions with every normal he'd shared a foxhole or bunk with.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 12:54:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She lay back with him, talking to him gently.<br>"Ben, mate, if you weren't cannon fodder, how come your lot were dropped in first, when our armies were fresh and fully equipped, how come we picked your units off as easily as ducks on a shoot, how come you were dropped into the open where known armies were sitting waiting for you?"<br>Sighing she shook her head.<br>"Where are the rest of your unit Ben? My guess is they are dead, otherwise you wouldn't have wandered into the city in such a state without equipment and half starved. Cannon fodder and you don't have to pay dead men do you?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 14:35:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shook his head, "The cheaper mercs went in first, we were a little later.&nbsp; But, the spec ops types always go in first.&nbsp; The cannon fodder's part of the mainline troops.&nbsp; The job of any elite unit if to get into the enemy's territory first, scope out key targets and remove them.&nbsp; For instance, planetary defenses."<br><br>Ben looked around briefly, then explained further.&nbsp; "Most of the northern hemisphere defenses were knocked out pretty quickly, yes?&nbsp; Within a few days.&nbsp; Some were taken down by loyalists, but who do you think funded and trained those loyalists?&nbsp; The rest were knocked out by outfits like mine."<br><br>However, he did concede, "My unit's gone, sure.&nbsp; That's what anyone in this business agrees to.&nbsp; When there's a war, people die.&nbsp; You just have to hope that your training and teammates help you pull through.&nbsp; Sometimes it doesn't work out that way.&nbsp; Sometimes it does.&nbsp; Like anything in life, it's a gamble."&nbsp; Ben nodded to himself.&nbsp; Yes, that sounded good.&nbsp; Well, his birth hadn't beena gamble, but nearly everything else was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>04-04-2006, 14:52:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea sighed and shook her head.<br>"May be a gamble to some, but for the likes of me? I had no choice. I was a good citisen, I did my service in the Imperial Army, fighting for the Empire, doing as I was asked, believing in it as well.<br>Then I come home, ready to get on with the rest of my life."<br>She snorted in disgust.<br>"Some chance, while myself and most of my generation were away fighting for the Empire, they were here bleeding us dry. Taking everything from us that they could, causing food shortages, raising taxes, taking our youngsters away, so we said enough."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 01:37:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben remained silent.&nbsp; He simply listened now, letting Andrea say her piece.&nbsp; Honestly, the politics and reasons weren't all that important.&nbsp; He'd been created, genetically modified, to fight.&nbsp; It was quite literally his life.&nbsp; Unlike normals, he knew what his purpose was.&nbsp; He knew why he'd been put in the galaxy.&nbsp; He and those like him rarely, or so Ben thought, wasted time trying to 'find' themselves.&nbsp; Or to answer that 'why are we here' question which seemed to plague normals.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 01:43:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She sighed, placing her hands over the flat of her stomach, as she turned her head to look at him.<br>"You're not in the least bit interested in why are you? Just fight and kill, no matter whether the side you're on is right or wrong?" <br>Andrea shook her head a look of part exasperation, part pity on her face.<br>"It's really sad that is all you see your life as, just one big fight for whoever pays the most." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 04:02:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, "It's what I was born to do.&nbsp; My purpose in life.&nbsp; Why I'm here."&nbsp; He fell silent for a moment, resting, before continuig the thread.<br><br>"Why is it that most normals spend their whole lives searching to answer the 'why am I here' question," he asked, "but can't accept the fact that those of us born in labs already know the answer?"&nbsp; It was something that had bothered him for a while, still did, in fact.&nbsp; None of his normal officers had been able to answer that one.&nbsp; He had no real hope that she would.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 04:25:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Thats a rather simplistic way of looking at it."<br>Andrea huffed, where could she start with that one?<br><br>"Most of us ask "Why are we hear?" and reply to ourselves, "Because we are", then set our own goals and head for them. <br>It's only the most religious or phylosophical of us who dwell on the matter, mostly people just want to be and enjoy being, it's as simple, or as complicated as that really." <br><br>Rolling over onto her stomach, she rested on her elbows and stared at him for a moment.<br>"Haven't you ever just thought that there must be something better to existance than blasting the hell out of someone and wading knee deep in blood and gore all the time?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 05:02:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, he was a fairly simplistic guy.&nbsp; The thought made a small smile touch his lips.&nbsp; But, he listened and the smile grew.<br><br>"You've just answered your own question . . . if a normal can simply answer 'because I am,' then why can't I answer the way I do?" he'd been quite amused by some of his unitmates, the more liberal ones.&nbsp; Always claiming ''it's a free world, everyone can do what they want,' then bitching about people who didn't think the same way they did, or do things the same way.&nbsp; It wasn't all of them, but enough to let even Ben see the hypocracy, more so in politicians.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 05:09:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She simply shrugged and raised her hands off her stomach admitting defeat.<br>"True, but there aren't many 'norms' as you call us, who just live to kill. Yeah I am killing now, but I don't see myself as doing it for the rest of my life, it's a decision I have made, which hopefully, will allow me to do the things that I want to do ultimately."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 05:35:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"And continuing this trade after being discharged is a decision I made," Ben returned.&nbsp; While he didn't expect Andrea to fully understand his position, he hoped that she might realize that he was different.&nbsp; And that what was good for normals wasn't necessarily good for genemods.&nbsp; Not that he expected to get even that far.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 05:40:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"What would you have done if you hadn't then?"<br>Andrea rested her chin on the heal of her hand, she wasn't mocking him, or trying to prove a point, she was interested.<br>"What did any of you do instead of go back to fighting?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 06:31:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, "Some go into private security, police forces, bodyguarding.&nbsp; A couple of my batch ended up in a circus, last I heard.&nbsp; Trapeze artists or something like that.&nbsp; Boring life, too sedentary for my tastes."<br><br>They weren't all mindless automatons, though he'd gotten that vibe before.&nbsp; Couldn't be further from the truth.&nbsp; Afterall, who'd want to trust a million credit piece of military hardware capable of wiping out an entire city to the hands of a half dozen, or one, mindless biomachine?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 06:48:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Typical ex forces types of jobs then, it's not just the genmods that do that, it's us norms as well."<br>She laughed.<br>"Though I wouldn't quite term being trapeze artists in a circus as a sedentary life style."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 19:33:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shrugged, "Maybe.&nbsp; Personally, I'd call the jobs sedentray.&nbsp; Their circuses never leave the gravity well.&nbsp; Since they were discharged, they've never seen another planet."<br><br>That, he thought, was one reason he'd picked up on this job.&nbsp; The other alternative was hiring on with a merchant ship or a smuggler.&nbsp; And his hardwiring wouldn't latch onto the latter.&nbsp; So his options were pretty limited.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 20:19:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Fair enough."<br>This was obviously not going to go anywhere, idle chit chat wasn't going to happen, she could hardly ask about his family, or what he was going to do when he got out, because he had none and he wasn't likely to get out, unless it was in a body bag, most likely he would spend the rest of his life fighting.<br>Andrea stratched her arms over her head, arching her back trying to get the tension and kinks out that the last week or so had firmly placed there, sighing with pleasure as she felt a knot almost ping out of her muscle.<br>"Well, I think I'm gonna hit the sack, may as well be up at dawn to use what light we've got." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 22:41:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben nodded to himself.&nbsp; "Dawn.&nbsp; Sure thing."<br><br>He felt Andrea stretch beside him, heard the bed creak as she settled down.&nbsp; The geneod rolled onto his side, to face the stove.&nbsp; He stretched out an arm carefully.&nbsp; Yes, he could just reach the stove door without getting up.&nbsp; The pile of wood was a bit harder, but just doable.&nbsp; Now, maybe he could do it without shifting or creaking the matress too much.&nbsp; If he was going to be caring for the fire, he didn't want to wake Andrea during the night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>05-04-2006, 23:11:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It took her a little while to get herself settled and sleep didn't so much come from being comfortable, but more or less drop dead exhausted.<br>Trying to give each of them a little privacy in such a small space was hard, but she started with a small gap between them, soon to be breeched as she relaxed and slept. Snuggling closer to him and his warmth as the night drew on, the small hours of the morning found her spooning him, her arm wrapped tightly around his waist. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>06-04-2006, 04:56:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Throughout the night, Ben woke up every two hours, regular as clockwork.&nbsp; He'd feed two or three logs into the stove, then go back to sleep.&nbsp; Once Andrea pressed up against him, the genemod tried to keep his movements small and did his best not to disturb her.&nbsp; Partially, he knew she needed the sleep.&nbsp; Partially, he really started to enjoy the feeling of her pressed tight against him, her arm around him.&nbsp; There was something comforting about that nearness.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>07-04-2006, 11:32:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea stirred but didn't wake each time he moved, she'd mumble something to him, that he couldn't make out, or sigh comfortably.<br>Now and then she would tense and call out a sharp order, obviously dreaming, then it would be gone and she'd relax, snuggling closer to him, as though her were a security blanket.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>07-04-2006, 22:07:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben slept fitfully, despite his apparent lack of concern with waking every couple hours.&nbsp; Andrea's stirring and mumbles became soothing, something he expected.&nbsp; So they were ignroed by his subconscious and actually lulled him to sleep.&nbsp; However, the calls and snuggling, wer eunusual for him.&nbsp; Those kept him partially awake.&nbsp; Even so, after a time, he rested his hand on her arm, clasping her forearm arou dhis chest lightly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>07-04-2006, 22:33:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the early hours, just before dawn, she partially woke, her back chilled from the draft of the ill fitting door. With a shiver and a mumbled complaint about the bloody cold, she turned, pushing her aching back against his for warmth as she pulled the covers around her shoulders.<br>She grumbled out a command, telling Stones, or Steins, some name like that, to close the damned door or she'd put him on report, then with a shiver crawling down her back she managed to drop back to sleep. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>07-04-2006, 23:52:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Still facing the stove, Ben felt a shiver run up his spine as Andrea pressed her cold back against him.&nbsp; He remained in a semi-dream state for most of the rest of the early morning.&nbsp; His mind raced, in that state, comfortable and unwilling to get up.&nbsp; Afterall, he was warm and had a, he had to admit, rather attractive - if cold - woman with him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>08-04-2006, 00:03:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Absolute exhaustion had obvioussly taken it's toll on her, because it was long after dawn that she began to slowly wake.<br>In her half sleep, half dream state, she was dreaming or, perhaps remembering, the log cabin, that she and her boyfriend of the time, used to go to. It was probably the cramped sleeping arrangements and the smell of the burning wood smoke in the air that triggered the memory, but she stirred with a small smile on her face. <br>Feeling the warmth of a body at her back she turned over and snuggled in, looping her arm under his, running her hand down his chest and onto his stomach, wiggling her body as close to his as she could, moaning quietly.<br>"Morning honey.........."<br>Her hand began to wander further afield.<br>"Hmmmmmmm.....you feel soooooooo good......." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>08-04-2006, 05:32:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The sergeant was more than a little surprised at first, but figured Andrea was just getting more comfortable in her sleep.&nbsp; He smiled and let her arm come across his body.&nbsp; He'd been thinking, half-dreaming, about their situation.&nbsp; Not a particularly enviable one.&nbsp; His unit was still a bit of a memory.&nbsp; He recalled the attack, the ambush.&nbsp; But, he couldn't remember seeing any of his squadmates in their last moments.<br><br>Then her hand started roaming.&nbsp; That was Ben's first sign of something not quite normal.&nbsp; He woke, keeping his eyes closed, as he'd been taught.&nbsp; He lowered his own hand to cover her's, stopping it at his waist.&nbsp; Slowly, carefully, the genemod twined his fingers into her's, he thought that might be intimate enough to not wake her, but firm enouh to keep her hand from going too far.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>11-04-2006, 14:13:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea woke with a jolt, as all soldiers seem to do, sleep to awake and nothing in between.<br>She immediately attempted to move, startled by the fact that his fingers were holding hers and that she seemed to have been pulled over next to him.<br><br>"What the hell?"<br>Pulling her hand away from his she sat up quickly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>18-04-2006, 00:48:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben woke a moment later.&nbsp; He felt her hand jerked away, but held still, feigning sleep.&nbsp; One of the things he'd been taught early on, to fool intruders.&nbsp; The genemod waited, assessing the situation before he'd let her know he was awake.&nbsp; If it seemed safe, great.&nbsp; If not, he'd have to burn that bridge when he got to it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>18-04-2006, 14:03:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrea sat looking at him, still asleep or was he.....He was a trained soldier, the first thing he would do when there was a sudden movement beside him, would be to wake.<br><br>"OK Soldier, pretence over, I know you're awake, because I can see you breathing, which menas you're not dead and that is the only reason you wouldn't be moving now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>18-04-2006, 14:56:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben rolled over, still feigning near wakefulness. "Hmm?" he asked, wordlessly.&nbsp; For the moment, he decided to pretend he didn't know what was going on.&nbsp; Afterall, he could have reacted in a dream, as she'd done.&nbsp; The genemod still wondered whether she'd be upset or what her reaction would be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>18-04-2006, 15:09:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh come off it......you are a born soldier, don't pull the 'OH I'm sleepy' bit on me...."<br><br>Andrea shook her head at his poor try at pretence.<br>"Just sit up and tell me why I woke up with your hand wrapped around mine."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>18-04-2006, 22:48:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben shook his head, "Who says I'm not . . . what with having to get up and stoke the fire and you stealing the covers."&nbsp; But, his lips were turned up in a smile.&nbsp; Obviously joking.&nbsp; Sitting, the sergeant shrugged, "Why don't you tell me?&nbsp; Unless you think I yanked you over and wrapped you around me during the night."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>19-04-2006, 00:01:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She shook her head half smiling at his remarks.<br>"Yes, it must have been terrible for you next to that lovely warmth and I suppose I just turned to you in the middle of the night and molested you body?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>19-04-2006, 20:55:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Could be.&nbsp; I wouldn't know, I was asleep most of the night," he shot back, "When I wasn't tossing wood on the fire."&nbsp; Speaking of which, the pile looked a bit low now.&nbsp; Ben rose out of the narrow bed and stretched. "Which reminds me, better see if the owner left any split wood outside.&nbsp; Or even unsplit wood."<br><br>If there wasn't any, they'd have to spend some time hunting up fuel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elvi</strong> on <strong>23-04-2006, 07:28:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Around the side on the left"<br>Andrea called to him as he stepped out of the door, the cold draft making her shudder.<br>"It's driest underneath"<br><br>She sighed as he left, there was something going on between them here and she couldn't work out whether it was just commeradery, or something else..... but whatever it was, they seemed to have gone past the captor and captive stage to somewhere else.<br><br>Standing up, she poked the stove and threw in what was left of the wood, then for the want of anything better to do, snuggled back up under the covers and watched the flames lick away as it consumed it's new victim.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Lost and Found (SciFi - Elvi &amp; Van)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Vandren</strong> on <strong>27-04-2006, 19:51:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ben came back a few miuntes later with an overbalanced armful of wood.&nbsp; He ungracefully dropped the pile just inside the door, as he kicked the door closed.&nbsp; "Sorry . . . this is just about everything left out there that was split," he informed Andrea, "One of us'll have to see if we can find an ax or a splitter or something and work on that today."<br><br>In the meantime, he started leaning the wood up against the stove to dry out.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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