Command Post, Do You Copy?

Snowed In

"Command Post 1 this is Peri do you copy?"

The line was silent, nothing but static filled the quiet room. Peri, an era 1 peridot shivered in the corner of the abandoned building. The worn building had been her only reprieve from the howling wind and drifting snow which ravaged the barren landscape of an old quartz facet. Still, the building wasn't well suited for inhabitants. The large glass windows that lined three of the four walls didn't keep much heat in. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and muttered under her breath. Her communication device, a radio of sorts, didn't seem to work the further away she got from the main command post. She let her pale yellow hair fall in her face with a deep sigh.

Clicking the button again she spoke over the crackling electric sound. "Command Post 1, this is Peri. Do you copy?" There was nothing but more static. She groaned and rested her head against the wall. How long had she been stuck here? It had been several hours since she'd gotten caught up there. The heavier the snow fell the less likely it seemed that she'd be able to make it home on her own. Her attire was a standard uniform for peridots and boots she'd fashioned to look much like the era 2 peridots. She'd taken her cloak with her when she left for work that morning, which now came in handy for staving off much of the bitter chill. She pulled the pale green fabric over her shoulders a bit more and snuggled as far into the corner as she could. She tuned the radio to a different frequency. "Command Post 4 this is Peridot EGS7, Facet 9, Cut HS10. I'm requesting assistance, over."

The line was silent for several moments before a voice replied, "This is Command Post 4. What is your request?"

Peri nearly jumped. It had been hours since she'd gotten a response from anyone. "I'm stranded at an outpost. The snow's getting worse out there and I need to get out of here. However, I am unable to make it out on my own."

There was nothing but static for a few moments. Finally the voice replied, "Which outpost?"

Peri looked around. There wasn't much left in the building, a few desks, office supplies, a few cabinets which barely clung to the walls but that was about it. "I don't have an outpost number." She hadn't been given one, she was simply told to go out to the old quartz facet and retrieve some paperwork. Sure it had been her fault for not knowing the outpost number, but she'd had a lot on her mind and fretting about a number was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

"What facet are you in?" The voice asked.

"I'm out in the dilapidated quartz facet close to the southern spires." That made the most sense seeing as it was one of the furthest outposts from the Capital City. This quartz facet had once given way to some of the greatest quartz soldiers. It was known for its naturally occurring quartz vein which produced some of the finest warriors on Homeworld.

There was more static followed by, "Which facet is that exactly?"

Peri disgustedly sighed as she looked around for any identifying marks. Dragging herself up off the floor she rummaged around one of the only stacks of discarded papers that hadn't been torn or burned. Sure enough among the paper she found a paper identifying the outpost. The paper described the building to be that of the 15th Quartz Facet. Turning back to the radio Peri replied, "Quartz Facet 15, call sign Delta Echo Foxtrot."

"Oh!" A voice shrilly came back over the speaker nearly causing Peri to drop the radio, "Why didn't you say so? I'll be back." Peri gave the radio a strange look before sighing. Minutes passed at an agonizingly slow pace. "According to the service records we won't be able to send anyone out to retrieve you."

"Won't be able to?" Peri frantically questioned. She started pacing to keep warm. She also kept a wary eye on the blowing snow outside.

"Are you cutting out? I said we won't be able to send anyone out to retrieve you." The voice on the radio informed her again.

Peri debated about throwing the device at the wall but decided against that. What good would it really do? Finally she let out a long drawn out sigh. "Can I speak to someone with more authority?"

"It's not going to help your cause." The gem informed her.

Peri clutched the radio tightly. "I don't care if it's helping me or not. I want to speak to someone higher up."

"I'll transfer you," was the snarky response from the gem on the other line. Peri patiently waited for several minutes. She wasn't going anywhere, at least, not by herself she wasn't. Finally she wound up back in the corner curled up trying to stay warm.