Posted by Lieutenant Jarred Alindor (Chief Engineer) in Vespa V - A Need to get Away

Posted by Ensign Kalani Kāne (Scientist) in Vespa V - A Need to get Away

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“Of course who doesn’t,” she said cockily hugging him tighter. Looking up Kalani smiled. “I mean I am…the…bomb…Jarred,” she said slowly looking past him suddenly at the wall of the tent, “you did tell the shuttle pilot we didn’t need a pick up for two more days right?” Kalani had no idea what was going on but felt her heart rate increase. The light from the fire outside the tent clearly showed at least one large figure moving around them. The following thumps and crashes indicated things in the camp were being turned over and that there were more than one of mysterious figures. Strange laughing grunts began to echo in the night.

“What is that…” he said looking out as he heard the sound. It wasn’t from anything he could identify. He looked over at Lani and felt a desire to shield her begin to sink in, he didn’t know if they were at risk but he knew he couldn’t let anything hurt her.

“Jarred,” she repeated his name with a hint of nervous fear or maybe anger laced it. The planet was listed as uninhabited. The only people on the surface was supposed to be her and Jarred. “What the hell is going,” she started to say as she sat up but instantly was silenced as the fabric smothered them as the tent collapsed. Kalani rarely panicked but right now her fight or flight sense kicked into gear. Not caring that he was under her, Kalani began to claw at the material trying to find a way out. This caused the material to begin to wad up around them like a vice.

“Jarred. Jarred I can’t get out,” she said struggling as hard as she could not carrying who might hear her but only wanting to be free from the nylon fabric engulfing her.

Ensign Kalani Kane science

“Stop love… stop.” he said softly as he got her to calm her down, he wasn’t sure what the nose was either but this was starting to feel like a Chinese finger trap. “We can get out if you just…” he said pausing as he put his arm over her, letting him find the best way to let her out without the fabric squeezing.

Alindor, CE

“Me,” she sqwaked with pure indignation. “Effa you…hey watch your hands,” Kalani said still struggling as she felt Jarred’s arm encircle her waist. “You are just…making this…more…don’t move. I have an idea,” she grunted throwing herself to the side. The end result was not as she planned. The tightening fabric, due to her struggling, caused her to pull Jarred over on top of her when she flung her body to the right. It did not allow her to move side by side to his body.

“Great. Great,” she huffed looking up at Jarred finding his nose almost touching hers. “You know you are making his exponentially more difficult don’t you?” Kalani tone indicated she was not finding this funny.

Ensign Kalani Kane science

Jarred couldn’t help but smirk while on top, looking down at her, pressed hard he smirked. “Isn’t this how we started the night?” he said.

“Didn’t you promise me the night would get better,” she said dryly. Looking at Jarred, however, Kalani could not help but start to laugh. The romantic cuddling they were in moments ago had resulted in a straight jacket sleeping bag situation. If he wasn’t there Kalani might be in the throes of a panic attack but just being with him seemed to calm her. Yes, at first she might have been annoyed with the turn of events yet somehow she was finding the humor in the situation at this point. “But just as you promised my first time was memorable,” Kalani continued. “I mean who could beat a secluded rainfall. Jarred Nikkolos Alindor that’s who,” she said in an upbeat tone. While he did not get them into this mess of being tied up in a sleeping bag, Jarred did create a memory Kalani would never forget or wish to change.

“You, my sexy handyman, have now single-handedly set the bar so high I am not sure anyone can reach this standard of romantic evenings even with a ladder. You might be stuck with me forever now. Hope you were serious about loving me.” Kalani threw it out as a joke only a small part of it was her way of confessing how much she was falling in love with him.

Not wanting to be too sappy she changed the topic quickly. “I am however a bit perplexed at how you are going to get us out of this.” Kalani turned her head to the side taking in the situation and what tools were available to them. “I have tried everything but I think we are stuck. I could try to wiggle out from under you, if I was so inclined, and we could roll towards the backpacks. Maybe find some scissors or a knife to cut us out,” she suggested turning her head back to look up at him.

He leaned in giving her a kiss before moving back to find the zipper that was up the side. “Why didn’t you try this first?” he said, he was tightly pressed but could still slide the zipper down, giving a little wiggle room as he did.

Getting free he looked down at her, still on top as the covers loosened. “I mean really, sleeping bag + zipper… no brainier. You already showed you can use one zipper tonight, was it so good you forgot how to use it after?”

Alindor, CE

Kalani opened her mouth to reply but was silenced with a soft swoosh as one side of the tent’s supporting structure gave way. Soft fabric floated down over them encasing the couple once again but not so that they couldn’t get out. “You were saying o’master of the tent builders,” she began to laugh uncontrollably. It was only the sound of a soft growling hoot that stopped the further bantering. The growl was clearly from an animal yet in no way sounded threatening. It was more as if the animal was uttering an ‘oh shoot’ comment. The growl was followed by a clash of things getting knocked over once again which had caused the sleeping bag tussle in the first place.

Wiggling hard to get out from under Jarred, Kalani’s curiosity overtook her. In three seconds flat she had rolled out from under him, turned around and was heading towards the collapsed entrance of the tent. “Stay here until I check it out,” she informed Jarred.

“Hello,” she called out hoping her tone sounded friendly. She had no idea if the animals or beings outside her tent spoke an actual verbal language but it wasn’t the first time she had spoken to something in the field that didn’t necessarily have the communication skills to reply back.

Ensign Kalani Kane science