Damn Dirty Apes

Posted on Thu Aug 17th, 2023 @ 10:52pm by Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Commander Jonathan Grayson

Mission: Damn Dirty Apes
Location: Planet

Ayana kept firing as she waited for Jon's decision. More of the apes had arrived, mostly gorillas. They were grossly outnumbered, and options at this point were few.

Jon wasn't ready to surrender, at least not yet. The idea stuck in his craw. "Ayana, not ready to surrender... not yet. There's a chance the Washington will regain contact with the probe and us. So, we're going to run. Set your last grenade and throw it. Save your phaser and rifle. Hopefully another grenade in the apes lap will cause them to pause and give us decent head start."

Ayana nodded and grabbed the second grenade. She set the fuse and tossed it in the direction of a large group of gorillas. The grenade exploded, taking out 4 of the apes, and creating a large crater on the hillside, sending rocky debris flying.

Jon nodded in grim satisfaction at the results. "That's our cue Ayana, let's get out of here." As the pair scrambled down the side of the hill, heading for the trees and the shelter they afforded.

Ayana was just ahead of Jon as they made their way down the hill. The part of the hill they were traversing was far more forgiving that the rocky side they had come up, still having sporadic protruding rocks, but also covered in lush green grass. Ayana was scanning the terrain as they continued down and had a thought. "Commander, perhaps we take advantage of the terrain. Deanna had suggested using the lake as a defensive position for us, and we are as close to it as we are the trees" she said as she continued her rapid descent.

Jon was following behind Ayana as well as checking that they weren't being pursued. It seemed the Apes were proceeding with more caution which gave Ayana and Jon a bigger lead. "Good point Ayana, we'll head to the lake. I know apes don't like water... as far as crossing it. We'll use the tree line as much as we can. To give us some cover. Let's go."

Ayana was the first to reach the level ground and quickly made her way towards the lake, using the sporadic trees in the field as defensive pillars to make it more difficult for the pursuers to catch them with stray shots. As she approached the lake, she glanced back, seeing Jon only a few steps behind her, and the ape pursuers now on horseback and coming on quickly.

Jon was right behind Ayana; he turned and saw the apes coming for them on horseback. He turned as he ran and fired a couple of quick shots, not at the ape's but at the horse's feet causing them to rear and throw their riders as he and Ayana made it to the lake, "Go Ayana!" He shouted as they waded into the water.

Ayana waded in hip deep before she began swimming out towards the center of the lake. She stopped and looked back to find Jon, and then looked to see where the pursuers were. The apes were riding up to the edge of the shoreline, fear apparent. They unslung their rifles and began firing at Ayana and Jon, the bullets striking the water.

Jon had joined Ayana in the center of the lake, he glanced back at the apes, their fear of the water was evident. "Let's get to the other side and out of range of their rifles. Then we can see if we can get in contact with the Washington and get transported out of here."

A few of the apes began to ride around the lake while the others continued to fire at them. Ayana had reached a point where she could stand again. As she attempted to quickly wade through the water to the shore, a bullet struck her in the back of the left shoulder. She cried out in pain as she reached for the wound.

"Ayana!" Jon screamed as he reached her side and helped her to stand. A quick glance at the wound showed it had pierced Ayana's left shoulder and while undoubtedly painful didn't appear too serious. He wrapped an arm around her, picked up the phaser rifle and got them far into the trees where he set Ayana down against a tree stump and fired a few shots to keep the apes at bay.

Jon then tore off part of his tunic to bandage Ayana's shoulder. "Good news Ayana, bullet went through your shoulder, and you get a Purple heart." He joked weakly. He handed her his phaser.
Take this, easier for you to aim." He looked between the trees and could see more apes arriving on the shore. "Can you move Ayana?"

Ayana scoffed. "Just watch me. I'm not one to go down without a fight commander." She began firing the phaser at the apes riding along the shore, the blasts startling the horses and tossing the apes from the saddle and dragging them. "I think that rock grouping near the tree line is a good place to make a stand if you are so inclined."

Jon smiled, "That a girl Ayana." He glanced at the rock grouping. "I am so inclined Ayana. Let's do this. "As he extended a hand to help her up and using the trees as a protective cover, the pair made it to the rocks which provided excellent cover. He tapped his combadge. "Grayson to Washington. Ayana and I could use a transport."

No reply came. Ayana began firing at the apes which were inviting targets on horseback. They had very little room to maneuver, caught between the thick tree line and the shoreline, giving them a narrow strip of ground to cross in that direction. The only other option was to traverse the lake in the other direction, something they appeared unwilling to do at this point. Between Ayana and Jon, they seemed to be gaining the upper hand, despite being grossly outnumbered.

"Damn." Jon muttered, "Looks like we're on our own for the foreseeable future Ayana." He looked around. "As good a defensive position as this is, we can't stay here Ayana. Those apes will finally figure out to cross in the other direction and we'll be caught between two lines of fire. Of course, the apes could always surrender to us." He joked.

Ayana cracked a smile and took a look around. "The forest looks like our only option for survival. I don't think they could follow us on horseback. Might make things a bit more even."

"We'll stay here until dark and then slip away, if they want us, they will have to work for it." Jon remarked then looked at Ayana, "Bet when you got up, you never thought your day would go like this."

"Actually, this is a vacation in my eyes, except for the apes" she said in jest. "Of course, we will have to hold these apes off for a few hours if we are waiting until dark. We might get lucky, and they might transport us out before them."

Jon chuckled in response. "Well, now that you mention it, without the apes this wouldn't be a bad place for R&R. If we could leave now, I'm all for it Ayana but the apes would see us, and you need to rest that shoulder."

"They are going to give chase either way. If we are going to play war games, I'd just as soon get on with it" Ayana said bluntly, a smile on her face.

"I do like the way you think Ayana." Jon replied. "Alright, rest for another hour and then we'll give these apes a chase they will never forget. I just wish we knew the terrain better but oh well."

Ayana fired her phaser and hit another ape. They had thinned out the horde, but they were only stunning them, so they'd be up and about shortly. "We could always use the trees as a starting place, and double back to the hilltop. It was the highest point in the area, and we could get a quick visual survey of the area that way. The other option is to stun these remaining apes and then steal a couple horses. That is if you are capable of riding a horse commander."

Jon didn't rush an answer as he thought on the options he and Ayana had. Finally, he spoke, "We'll double back. The high ground may also help us contact the ship and get beamed out of here." He smiled as he said the next. "Stunning and stealing the horses remains on the table, for I'll have you know I am an excellent rider."

"Let's get those horses then commander" Ayana said with a grin. She rose and began firing like a demon, and after what seemed like only a few seconds she looked back to Jon, "We have our choice of steeds."