Crete: Some Time In Seclusion (//Corsairs by invite or request only)

[Doc Holliday]

Ambassador's.Ark rested on a landing pad on Crete with only some Corsair ground people near to secure the area. A small shuttle was loaded not far from the Ark, loaded with food, cloths, medicine, equipment and Eris knows what else Doc could fill it with for an extended stay on Crete. Also in it was a small wheeled ground vehicle. The loading dock ramp was starting to close as Doc stood talking to his yacht's commander and a good friend, Commander Nicole Schmidt.

She was worried about her friend. He had been down of late and alone. She had a fear that she may never see him again but still, she knew her duty and respected his decision. Although on duty, she wore a red, body tight dress and a light, black shirt over it. Doc was trying to screen her from the pearing guards nearby to no avail. He managed a light smile.

"Nicole, you're a sweetheart but really, these guys are undressing you with their eyes," he joked.
She leaned forward to him and whispered, "Let them. May they enjoy what they find."
Doc managed a laugh before she continued, "Listen, I'm worried about you. We all are. You're not yourself. I know stepping down in TAZ has to hurt and Midori?"
She paused as his head sunk a bit, "........I know how much you must miss her and the kids." Doc only nodded his head.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, "Doc, I won't be far. Call me if you need anything....." She gave him a light shake, "....anything."
With that, she kissed him on the cheek and made her way to a smaller entry door. Doc watched the shapely woman walk away and board the ship but not before she smiled and waved. Then, the Ark engaged it's thrusters and left Crete.

There he was all alone on a hot world. But, it was what he wanted. Time to himself and seclusion. His only hope is that Jaden might join him but he would worry about that later. Doc entered his shuttle, punched in some co-ordinates that had been given to him by a contact and headed......somewhere.

He had only heard of the mountains that his old friend Miguel Sephardi had told him off, a place where he himself would go to reflect, to think and to get some perspective. Doc head north, hoping to find something a bit more comfortable. Eventually, he would find some mountain ranges and a valley, a valley that had trees and a small water source. There were no habitants that he could see but the site was perfect. Taking a lower altitude, he made a closer investigation.
It was a small cabin, nestled in a wooded area, a rare find on Crete. He landed nearby. Grabbing his rifle to supplement his pistols, he approached the cabin. It was perfect and it looked as if it hadn't been used in a great while. Doc brought his supplies in and set up a small fusion generator outside. It reminded him much of his retreat on Erie.

He also set up some sensors at a 100 meter range to alert him of anyone or anything coming. His portable com unit was set up and he boiled some water. A rare cup of tea would be his company as he sat outside in a chair to watch the sunset. For a moment, he felt at peace. Securing his shuttle and then the house, he slept peacefully that first night.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

He laid still in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his new dwelling. He knew he had slept longer than usual but he felt refreshed. Sitting up, he went into his food supplies and set up a percolator for some fresh coffee. Sliding into a pair of slippers, he went out the front door as he fastened his gun belt about his waist, a side arm on either side of him. He then stretched and took in a deep breath of morning air.

It was a bit warm but not unpleasant. Seeing the remains of a fire pit in front of the cabin, he smirked. "Time to make breakfast the old fashioned way," he stated.
Unlocking his shuttle, he went into the refrigeration unit to get some fresh eggs and a side of bacon. He returned to the cabin to mix the eggs in a cast iron pan and put the whole thing on the campfire now burning in the fire pit. He watched over it on a tree stump next to the fire as he nursed a cup of coffee fresh from the pot.

He looked around....all around....admiring the site he picked to work. For all of the doom he heard of Crete, he found a place that it hadn't found. A slight breeze filled the air and a fish jumped in the nearby pond. He turned his eggs and bacon and sipped his coffee and stood again to stretch. Finally, breakfast was cooked and he made quick work of it if out of habit for no other reason.

After a quick clean up, Doc began to set up for his reason of being on Crete. Despite the pleasure he found, he had business and disappointing the Elders wasn't one of those things. He set up a portable weather station to measure winds, temperature and barometer. He would later that day set up another further away at a remote location with a transmitter to make comparison. The would be linked through both the shuttle and a portable com.
While geology wasn't a strength of his, he took samples of surrounding items. Soil, water, vegetation and even one from a dead animal. He hoped that it would shed some light on the environment of Crete.

He may have found himself alone for the time being but he made good use of his time.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

His second night on Crete and while a productive day, another day of peace and quiet. Always a rifle next to him and his pistols at his sides, he felt secure. His small campfire burned with a side of some unknown wild animal that he had shot earlier in the day, he analyzed the day's information on his com. One day of weather readings meant little but mineral, soil and plant samples spoke volumes. He managed to access information on the history of Crete's weather. It was dry overall but where he was set up was ideal for farming. On the flip side, with fertile areas most likely uncommon on Crete, maybe they were left undisturbed for good reason.

As night set in, he sat in a chair by his fire, enjoying his meal with a glass of Gallic Wine. The light of the fire cast an orange glow about him and it's crackling carried on conversation. Doc looked into it, "Tell me about this place. It is your secrets I seek. How many have been here before me? Who?"
Doc then chuckled at himself and took another sip of whine.

He had to wonder though how his children were. He hadn't seen them in weeks since Midori left. He also wondered how Jaden was. She took a little time to get some affairs in order in hopes that she could join him. He then looked skyward with a light smile.
"Mal, old friend, you once said to keep things in perspective. Have I lost that perspective?" He paused a moment, "I hope you aren't upset for my turning over TAZ. I did my best but I find my real calling in expanding my knowledge."

Doc would sit by his fire until the flames died down and it began to smolder. Standing up, he retired to his cabin. Checking his messages and finding none, he went to lay down, his pistols beneath his blankets. He looked skyward, "I'll get the information I need soon enough."
With that, he fell asleep.

---

[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

It has been a week since Doc landed on Crete and he used each day wisely. Finding isolation, he was able to set up a network of small weather outposts in varying locations of the planet. His shuttle took him to the harshest deserts, the highest peaks and the deepest valleys. With a secure frequency, only he could read it.

His food stores were supplemented by some wild game that he was able to hunt so if he wanted it, an extended stay was possible. He had only one major area of concern and that was communications out of Gamma. His private comm channel was too weak to be read and to route it through either his shuttle or tapped into another repeater would make it detectable but not necessarily readable due to encryption. Still, the pros outweighed the cons and pushed on.

He was however surprised that he was largely ignored and he made a reference to it in his journal as he sat next to his fire.

A week here on Crete and not a soul to be found. I figured that the Council would at least be curious. Maybe my good reputation gives them nothing to be concerned about....and it's just as well I guess. Still, I find the Corsairs to be as curious as they are deadly.

He paused a moment in thought. His old flock was in mind. How were they doing without him. He imagined they were fine under John Rackham. His kids came to mind as well but he knew they were in good care and then there was Jaden. He hadn't seen here in days. He could only smile at the thought of her.

"It is time," he thought aloud to himself, "time to make an inquiry." He pieced together some thoughts for his inquiry to Deep Space Engineering about terraforming.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

After his morning coffee, he got a clear enough signal on his private com to send a message for information. It wasn't able to be intercepted or decrypted and he needed to keep it short to make sure it wouldn't be pinpointed....not that it would matter.

Greetings,

I am Dr. John Holliday. While my work is mostly in the field of medicine, I have decided to take some time in trying to help everyone in a different way by making people less dependent on others. I won't try getting into the detailed explanation of this.

I cannot tell you where I am nor can I use an open channel. Rest assured, no one has the frequency but me. My question to you is this, can a hot planet be terraformed and if so, how?
I've seen your work being done on Planet Harris in Tau 31 and on California Minor but wondered if it can be done on a desert type planet or at least some of it.

As I said, I'm doing this as a promise to a friend and in hopes of making Sirius overall a more peaceful place. Do let me know. I will respond in kind when you do.

He then went about his work for the day, hoping for a response.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

Doc decided to take a break from working as he was on foot and walking much. Besides, it was mid day and he needed a lunch. Making a sandwich and pouring a mug of tomato soup, he sat down to check his messages. He paused and sat up a bit as he saw the message from Planetform.

A Pleasant thing to hear from you, ol' chap.

Yes I've heard of you and your work, Mister Holliday. You're quite famous as a matter of fact. Someone of your credit rating stature contacting Planetform has our attention!

We here at Planetform remain Sirius' Premier planetary ecosystem and terraform specialists, working hard to make the galaxy a more peaceful and habitable place. The Projects at Harris and California minor are admittedly completely cocked up showcases of our collective ingenuity, hard work, integrity, and desire for a better tomorrow.

It is indeed entirely possible to terraform and maintain an arid or high temperature biosphere, and well within our technological capabilities to do so. While it is true most of the planets we deal with are of a low temperature, our proprietary Twelve-Step process can control the temperature and adjust the water level of almost any planet, given enough time and effort of course.

The exact specifics depend on the given type of planet, and a wide range of factors considering the planet's size, gravity, atmosphere, geography, and that of the surrounding space. Our professional astrogation and research personnel have years of pending environmental damage suits firsthand experience and know-how. They can easily study and determine the best way to terraform your planet to give you the world of your dreams!

Exact details will be kept confidential, so feel free to contact our department by the way of which you are most familiar with.

I look forward to hearing from your brokers you soon!

-Sir Archibald Chamberlain, MBE.
-CEO
-Planetform Incorporated.

He half-finished his sandwich and had but a sip of his soup by the time he finished reading.
"Great!" he said in frustration as he put down his lunch on a small field table, "Bretonia. It would figure!"
He then jumped to his feet and began a slow walk, talking out loud to himself like an actor on a stage.
"Just great!" he said as he threw his hands out, "How do I convince a Bretonian company to help someone who is there long standing enemy?" he asked aloud, again throwing his arms out.
"I can see it now," he stated as held his right hand open in front of him, "I see you have chosen sides and decided to aid our enemies," he said looking upward with a sneering look. He then put his hands together behind his back as he made a slight turn to his right and shook his head, "If I had a credit every time I heard that." He went silent a moment as he paced, his hands still behind his back, deep in thought.

He went back to his com and began to re-read the message, again tending to his half-eaten lunch,
I look forward to hearing from your brokers you soon! came to his forefront. No doubt it was all about money and probably funding their ongoing war efforts. Doc wanted to help but even he didn't have that kind of funding nor was he sure that the Corsair Empire would be appreciative.

As he thought on it, he shut down his com. As he took a sip of his soup, that little voice in his head went off, "Why, John, are you trying to help everyone again, especially those who have in the past attacked your own people?"
Annoyed by his conscience, he just yelled out loud, "Oh shut up!"

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

Dusk again had fallen after another day of work and experiment. It was also another day of nothing. Only one communication from Planetform, no word from Jaden and nothing from anyone amongst the Corsairs. He was beginning to question his entire being there. His supplies were plentiful, better than he thought they would last and so it was turning into a game of patience, a game of how long he was willing to put aside the life he knew for this.

Earlier that day, he had planted a small garden. It would take several days before anything, if anything, would come of it but it was an experiment to see if anything would grow on Crete. But he also felt it was time that he would send word to the Elders to see if they at all cared. I mean, if they didn't care of what he was trying to do then why should he care to stay?

He sent a communication over a low band channel, a channel that he was able to locate for Crete;

Hola, Esteemed Elder Council,

Some time ago, I sent word that I intended to visit your home world, to find the place in the mountains of Crete that I heard about from the late Elder Miquel Sephardi where he would come to reflect, to put things in perspective. While I don't know if I've found that spot, the last week I have been here taking readings and information to study terraforming. As I understand it, it is possible but my knowledge of it is quite limited.

Also while here, I have planted a small garden, an experiment in seeing what will grow here. I do believe that certain things will grow here. I would invite any member of the Council to visit and to chat. I think you will find that getting away from the rigors of daily life will be a relief.

I do hope that you get this message in it's entirety as I have but a low band frequency from which to send it. My co-ordinates are included and if it matters, I'm here alone.

With respect,
Dr. John Henry Holliday

After a drink, he activated his perimeter alarm, secured his pistols with him in his bunk and turned in for another Cretian night.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[Doc Holliday]

Three weeks had passed since Doc landed on Crete. He learned much about the planet he had made a temporary residence on for the past many days, the many samples and readings from all over being stored in a database.
The small garden he had planted shortly after his arrival had begun to grow with the help of some flora-grow that he had brought with him. Sadly, his supplies had dwindled down and he found his stay coming to an end.

Only one communication had come from Planetform but what was worse, no one from the Corsair Empire seemed to care enough to contact him. It was this that began to fill Doc with doubts as to what he was doing. No Corsairs and no Jaden. He was beginning to think that he cared too much for people who didn't and that he had lost everything for little more than a few nights passion.

He also thought of the flock that he had left behind, his brothers and sisters of the Temporary Autonomous Zoners. They had heard nothing from him and he had little doubt that they were in worry. Figuring the Empire probably didn't care for his efforts, he began loading up his shuttle for a morning pick-up, having sent a message to [TAZ]Ambassador's.Ark to arrive in the morning.

As he had each nights since his arrival, he sat by a campfire, his rifle at his side, sipping on a beverage of choice, enjoying the last of his rations. It was now that he began to understand how Senor Miguel Sephardi spoke well of the mountains of Crete so long ago. Before retiring for the evening, he ensured his security network was activated.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises