Light danced through the broad dark leaves of the towering branches above her. The forests of Emiria II reminded her a bit of growing up on Alpha Eridani, though this place was far more lush than the port city she had been raised in.

Tipping her head upwards, the light flickered on her face as the breeze blew, washing them with warm wind.

“Beach time. Later. Spread the word,” a voice whispered in her ear.

Janna opened her eyes and turned to face her unexpected friend, fellow Cadet, Sam Pittman. “Who’s all going?”

“You, me, Goodwin, T’Nell. Hell, even Massey said she’d join in. Apparently they do these huge bonfire things and there is tons of food, music and drinks.”

“Sounds great!” Janna said.

“Alright folks, let’s gather,” A voice behind them said. Janna and Sam turned and moved over to join their XO, Commander Myles Krueger, and the rest of the away team for the briefing.

Beside the short XO was a tall female Rankarii, for whom Janna was starting to get better at judging age. The long-lived species aged slowly, but showed it differently than Humans did. This woman was at least middle aged, and in their three hundred or so year lifespan, it meant that she had seen a great deal so far in her life.

It was easy to know at a glance that the woman was someone of importance. Her demeanour had a distinct confidence of someone used to being listened to. More fascinating was the airy mass of white hair that could not be called curls. It was diaphanous and throughout were tiny little lights of different colours that glowed on and off at seemingly random intervals. The colours danced over her pale skin, enhanced by the streaks of ritual orange and red paint across her cheeks.

“Everyone, this is Ci’ni, Director of the Imkal Research Institute. She’ll be our liaison for the different teams working together this week. If there are any issues, bring them to her,” Kruger said, bowing to Ci’ni and ceding the lead to her.

Ci’ni bowed her head in return, a serene smile upon her delicate face. “Thank you, Commander. It is an honour to share knowledge with such courageous explorers such as yourselves. We invite you to ask questions without worry of offense, so long as the reciprocal is true. We are here to learn from each other, so let’s make the most of it. We have accomplished volunteers from different areas that will focus on key subjects.”

Krueger nodded. He then began to list out the teams. “And last but not least, Team 4 will be Biosciences led by Doctor Qloss and will have Commander Ng, Suto and Massey. And… Cadet Kingston, why don’t you join them?” Sam had been assigned to Team 2, which was focused on civil engineering and water systems.

Janna nodded and moved over to join their CSO, Lieutenant Commander Sharda Ng who had a Doctorate in Xenobiology. Their Rankarii guide, Doctor Qloss spoke up. “Welcome. I’ll be leading you into some fascinating habitats where we can observe some unusual symbiotic relationships. But I must warn you to stick to the main paths. Dwelling near caves and burrows is a lako vine that is strong enough to take down a person as food for an animal it has a symbiotic relationship with. Though very rare, there are incidents every year of people dying, so be cautious.”

Danae leaned in and whispered, “Hear that Cadet? No going off the beaten path.”

Janna gave Ensign Massey a smirk. “What makes you think I will?”

“You scientists are all alike. I know your type.” The security officer narrowed her eyes though all it did was make Janna laugh. Danae then winked and the two smirked at each other, trying their best not to draw unwanted attention their way.

Soon they were underway, moving off towards the depths of the Emirian jungle. The underbrush was thick with small trees and large shrubs and Janna had her tricorder out examining their surroundings. Their team would be examining the many symbiotic relationships in the forest and for a biologist like Janna it was a dream-come true. And this was just her cadet cruise!

They spent the next hour wandering along a wide path that cut along the top of an embankment. Every once in a while she would stop to scan a particular plant, insect or other small creature she came across, but Janna was always mindful to keep to the path.

Something interesting caught her eye again and Janna stopped to get a scan of a small rodent that had peeked its head out from under a large frilly purple and chartreuse leaf. The next thing she knew her weight had shifted and she was falling forward. The world turned over and over, her body bashing against roots and the plant covered ground until Janna finally came to a stop at the base of the embankment. She shifted in and out of consciousness, unable to get her bearings. All she knew was the pain all over her body.

There was a scream ninety seconds later. It was from her.

[To be continued…]

~(Cadet) Janna Kingston