"The Devil in the Dark'' Line-by-Line

[Leandar]

Hello, welcome!

We recently finished our "What You Leave Behind" Line-by-Line in the DS9 forum!

After each completed thread, we're randomly picking someone who participated to choose the next episode we do. The lucky winner this time around was mach7!! And mach7 has chosen ''The Devil in the Dark'' as our next Line-by-Line challenge!

For any unfamiliar with our "game," you are asked to post only a single line (defined as one character speaking without interruption by another character) per message. You can post as often as you like, but someone else must post a line in between your posts.

Our "rule" is that if the episode has a "To Be Continued..." on the end, it is done in a single thread, but if it's just an arc of related episodes, each episode is a separate thread.

As before, at the conclusion of this thread, LeadHead, or CoveTom, or myself, or perhaps even BlueStuff, will run the randomizer to determine who will pick the next episode and get it going.

Remember, you're on the set, and Shatner is looking ahead at the Horta!

''Pain! Pain!"

"Get that man an aspirin!"

 

[Leandar]

(Mine tunnel - a nervous man has his weapon drawn when he hears something nearby)


Sam: Who's there?

 

[mach7]

Vanderberg: It's your relief Sam.
(Vanderberg and group of miners walks up to Sam)
All Quiet?

 

[HarryM]

SAM: Didn't see a thing, Chief.

 

[mach7]

Schmitter: Nobody ever does. Whatever the thing is, it's already killed fifty people. I never realised before how dark it is down here.

 

[Leandar]

Vanderberg: Stay on your toes, Schmitter. Keep your phaser in your hand at all times.

 

[Zameaze]

Schmitter: What good will that do? You saw what happened to Ed Appel when he shot at it. How about those other people before the monster got them?

 

[Enterprise1981]

VANDERBERG: I'm sorry, Schmitter. I know how you feel, but we've got to have guards.

 

[mach7]

Schmitter:

Ok Chief, I'll do what I can.

 

[HarryM]

VANDERBERG: Keep alert. If you hear anything or see anything, call in. Somebody can arrive in three minutes.

 

[Vanyel]

(What the hell why put any work into this at all)
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
SCHMITTER: A lot can happen in three minutes. Chief, is it true the Enterprise is on its way?
[/FONT]

 

[HarryM]

Vanderberg: It's coming.

 

[Vanyel]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
SCHMITTER: You think it could get here in the next four hours?
[/FONT]

 

[HarryM]

VANDERBERG: You'll be all right.

(The group leaves and Schmitter walks nervously around. There's a noise, he turns, screams, then is enveloped by something. The others hear and turn back)

VANDERBERG: Come on!

(they run back but it's too late)

VANDERBERG: Schmitter... Like the rest of 'em. Burned to a crisp...

 

[mach7]

Captains log stardate 3196.1 a distress call from the pergium production station on Janus 6 has brought the Enterprise to that long established colony. Mr Spock, Dr Macoy and I have beamed down to meet with chief engineer Vandenberg, administrative head of Janus 6.
Interior Vandenbergs office

All right lets assume there is a monster, what has it done? When did it start?

 

[Vanyel]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
VANDERBERG: About three months ago, we opened up a new level. Sensors gave us an unusually rich pergium reading. Not only pergium, whatever you want. Uranium, sirium, platinum. The whole planet's like that. It's a treasure house.
[/FONT]

 

[mach7]

Kirk: yes we are aware of that. If mining conditions weren't so difficult, Janus 6 could supply the mineral needs of a thousand planets, but what happened?

 

[Enterprise1981]

Van der Berg: First, the automatic machinery, piece by piece, started to almost disintegrate. Metal began dissolving away. There was no reason for it, and our chemists were unable to analyze the corrosive agent.

 

[mach7]

SPOCK: I'm sure there is an answer. It simply has not yet been discovered.

 

[HarryM]

VANDERBERG: Yes, it has. I don't know what this butchering monster is, but I know what it's doing. Our maintenance engineers sent down to the drifts to repair the corroded machinery. We found them. Seared to a crisp.