From:		Xavyre
Date:		22 June 1996 22:59
To:		U.S.S. Lafayette
Subject:		Straylar's Stampede

<Straylar at beam down point>

The Lafayette's transporters send Straylar's atoms smashing into the surface of Slater's Planet.  It's unique ability to reassemble matter from it's base components works at light speed to re-establish his pattern stored within it's memory banks.  Moments later Lieutenant Straylar is standing within a crowd of local inhabitants that seemed to have gathered in order to watch and follow the previously arrived away team.  The shock of seeing another being appear within their midst spooks several of them enough to start running off.  This in turn starts many of the other running and within seconds the crowd of shape changers is stampeding towards the Beata and Khan.  

Straylar in the midst of the spooked inhabitants turns around to see several larger locals heading his way.  Afraid of his imminent demise Straylar begrudgingly draws his phaser towards the charging beasts.  As he takes aim, Straylar notices out of the corner of his eye a large equine like (horse) Slider leaping into the middle of the stampede from the sidelines.  Straylar at once receives a mental ambush of thoughts that he surmises is originating from the equine.  One message is all that the mental barrage contains and it is "GET ON!"  It only takes Straylar a fraction of a second to understand the cryptic words, and as the large equine rushes past him he grabs onto one of two manes and pulls himself up onto it's back.  

Straylar manages a "Thanks." 

And the Slider replies by insulting Straylar. "You alien fools can't you manage to arrive in a less populated area?  Don't you know that most of these citizens are very easily frightened right now.  It's been all that I could do just to keep them straight these last few days."  

The lieutenant just barely able to stay on top manages a short apology in his mind towards the equine.  

"Yeah whatever." the Slider shoots back.

"Well we have to stop this stampede before it kills my fellow crewmembers or your any of people."

The Stampede, gathering more steam, is now only a little ways away from grinding half of the away team into a fine red pulp.

"Okay then got any ideas?" The Alien thinks to Straylar.

"I have an idea.  Get us in between the stampede and my people."  Straylar thinks back to the equine as he opens the control panel of his phaser and ejects three of the four energy cells within it and then sets it to detonate at it's lowest setting.

"It's your funeral."

With little effort the eight foot tall equine leaps out of the stampeded and in front of it a few meters ahead.

Straylar now clear of the stampede makes one final adjustment to the phaser then throws the phaser into the middle of the crowd.  As soon as it hits the ground it detonates creating a very light cascading concussive effect that buffets the center of the stampede enough to make them veer off in separate directions away from Beata and Khan.

The large equine bellows out a command to all within his thought range. "Alright citizens this is the Sladerian Contibulary.  Please calm down and return to your homes.  You are not in danger.  I repeat you are not in danger!"

With the loud booming thoughts of the equine constable the crowd splinters off and dies down.

After seeing to it that no other stampedes are going to start the large alien approaches Straylar who managed to get blown off of his ride when the phaser went off, and landed face first into a large mud puddle.

"I ought to stamp you into the ground after pulling that hair brained maneuver."  The Alien says as Straylar stands up to meet him.

Straylar shrugs at the equine's remarks.

"Any ways I am Jartel. The local security around here." 

"Glad to meet you I'm Lieutenant Straylar, head of security for the Lafayette."

On that note Lieutenant Commander Beata head over towards Straylar with Khan following closely behind him.

Straylar turns to greet Beata and Khan.  "Lieutenant Straylar reporting for crowd control, commander."