Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side-sim: The Study of Kelmao

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side-sim: The Study of Kelmao

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side-sim: The Study of Kelmao
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Rand watched Roman, Harvey and Morgan slip into their tents. Valos was going around collecting plant samples, and Franks was collecting plant and everything else samples. Rand didn’t talk much unless she needed clarification for a label. When she was done helping Franks, she went to help Valos. Franks slipped off back to where the camp heater was and started it. The breeze was picking up and the air was chilled coming off the river and lake. Rand wasn’t sure why but she was very grateful that Franks hadn’t totally left her alone with Valos. Valos wasn’t inappropriate but he was passive aggressive, and she wasn’t sure why. When she joined him to lend a hand he simply muttered, “about time.”

Rand just quietly went about helping to label and organize the samples back into the case. When he was done collected he set the last of his samples in front of her, “Finish and store those.” and walked away. She hoped he’d have a better attitude after he’d slept some. Luckily the questions she had about his samples were covered by his tricorder readings and the commentary it picked up while he worked. The finished sample cases were secured and stacked inside what was best described as a storage tent. Too small for a person, but protected the cases. Rand spent another hour or so transferring data from everyone’s tricorders to data disks, and then labelling and storing the data disks. She finally realized that she’d been sitting out there too long, and alone, when she opened her eyes and realized she’d fallen asleep staring at the tricorder. She was chilled. The wind seemed to be picking up more, or it could just be the temperature dropped. The difference in the day cycle was a bit disorienting. She knew she’d been working for awhile, but the sun hadn’t moved but maybe an hour. She made sure the data had transferred and then quietly returned the tricorders. Then she carefully slipped into the tent. If Roman was asleep she didn’t want to wake him.

Yeoman Rand

Roman was asleep when she entered the tent. His empty thermos sat off to the side, and he lay on his back in his sleeping bag, as spread out as the bag would allow him to be. He was using his overnight bag as a pillow. He moved slightly when she came in, but when he could sleep he was actually a fairly heavy sleeper and he showed no sign of waking up. He’d been asleep forty five minutes or so. Not long enough to fall into a deep sleep yet. The tent was neat inside, leaving a little extra space to move around. A nightstand clock showing the time aboard the sentinel was there, too. Roman’s sleeping bag was pushed to the right of the tent to leave space for Rand.

Rand couldn’t help but smile at the clock on the nightstand as she pulled her own out. She set the alarm - just a few hours. The planet had longer days, but that also meant longer nights. So far they had seen no animals, but that could mean several things, one of those being those around here were nocturnal. Human evolution did not make them fit for nocturnal living. Not without a lot of technology. And to really get a feel of the planet, didn’t they need both diurnal and nocturnal samples and data? Rand shook her head, giving up trying to anticipate what the team needed, she was tired and would probably guess wrong.

She quietly organized her pack, put the empty thermos by the door and removed her boots. At one point a few things in her pack clanked together and she glanced at Roman, afraid the noise might have woken him up, but he was well and truly asleep. She set her bag neatly to the side of the tent flap and then crawled inside the sleeping bag.

Occasionally, a strong gust of wind rustled the outside of the tents. But for the time being the weather seemed to be staying as it was. The tents did not block out much light, but they were water and windproof… so long as the wind wasn’t strong enough to blow them over. It would take powerful sustained winds to do that.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

The tents were more than secure. She and Harvey had double checked, but when the wind whipped around she did stick her head back out the flap to make sure there was nothing light or loose enough to be picked up by the wind. Satisfied everything was secure she secured the tent flap and moved over to her sleeping bag. It was probably stress and the illusion from the occasional wind that made her feel cold, but she was happy to curl up in the warmth of the sleeping bag. Rolling to her side she pillowed her head on her folded arm and closed her eyes, and was out in no time.

---

Harvey and Morgan were up before everyone else on the team. The wind had seemed to die down at some point, and Harvey was taking advantage to send drones up to take atmospheric, air, moisture, composition, etc samples. Morgan was helping as best she could but she wasn’t Rand. They ventured about five feet into the woods, staying together and just getting a feel for the area around them, but always within sight of the camp. About the time that Valos and Franks were up the wind had really started, much more forcefully than it had before. Harvey, with a lot of skill and patience, managed to land a drone on a tree top and the readings she was getting back didn’t look safe. She called Franks over to her and showed him. He shook his head, “Valos, Morgan, Take the empty sample containers and any equipment too heavy to carry in a hurry and move about five feet into the tree line. Cover it in one of the weather tarps and secure it to a tree. Harvey, get your packs and gear secured.” He took out his own tricorder and turned slowly in place, about 800 meters (1/2 mile) northeast, following the river upstream there was a cave system. It should give them cover from the storm.

“Commander! Alden!” Franks called over the wind outside their tent flap. Rand’s eyes snapped open, but she wasn’t totally alone. At some point they had managed to end up next to each other in the middle of the tent. Oh no.... A quick glance told her the tent flap was still closed as Franks called again. Softly, no need for Franks to hear her. “Roman…wake up.” and she nudged him a little harder than she probably needed to.

Yeoman Rand

Franks’ voice caused Roman to stir slightly but he did not wake. When Rand nudged him however, he shot up. “What? What’s wrong?” He asked tiredly with a quick look around the tent. He was way further over than where he knew he’d put his sleeping bag. In fact, he was just about in the middle of the tent, right next to Rand. He looked at her for a moment before he crawled out of his sleeping bag, hearing Franks call a third time. It sounded like he was right outside the tent now.

Rand smiled up at him as she extricated herself from the sleeping bag. She had slept in her uniform. There was no way she was going to change with someone else in the tent…she’d over thought the whole thing and just went in to sleep. The urgency in Frank’s voice stopped her from considering a fresh uniform as she pulled on her boots.

Roman had slept in his uniform. He’d rather change, but Franks sounded urgent so he decided against it. Instead he unzipped the flap and exited the tent. Immediately he could assume what the problem was. The wind pushed against him in powerful gusts, blowing leaves and branches across the area. He could see they had already begun securing the equipment. Turning to Harvey, and raising his voice to make it over the wind, he said, “How much worse is it going to get?”

The force of the wind crashed inside the tent as Roman opened the flap. Rand had lived through enough storm seasons in Scotland to know they couldn’t stay here. She grabbed both clocks and tossed them in their respective bags. Roman, like her, was neat and organized so it was quick to pack both bags. Then she rolled both sleeping bags and attached them to their packs and set them outside the flap. A quick look told her Harvey was doing the same. Rand spun and dropped the support poles of the tent and yelled for Harvey to come help. They took those poles and crossed them over the flattened tens and secured them in the stake loops. It would, hopefully, stop the tents from being ripped away in the storm. They did the same for the girls tent and then entering Valos and Franks’ tent, they made quick work of packing their things and dismantling their tent.

The question was rewarded with heavy raindrops beginning to fall. The wind picked up. The trees around them began to creak from the force of the wind. Roman changed his question. “Where can we take cover?”

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Franks nodded to the northeast, “800 meters that way, caves.” He had to tell over the wind. In the forest, Morgan showed Vallos how to refold the weather tarp to keep the water from dripping in, and then they were back.

“Then let’s go.” Roman was also shouting to be heard over the wind. The wind had quickly picked up considerably, and the creaking of the trees had intensified, turning into cracking. A branch flew past them as they packed.

Harvey and Rand made quick work of dividing the rations equally among the six packs. “Can anyone grab the stove?” Harvey asked checking the reasons again, “The temperature is really going to drop!” Valos was a big guy and fit, “I’ll take it.” Franks grabbed the chemical analysis kit and a small sample case, incase they ran out of rations.

Shouldering packs and settling them securely the group headed towards the trees. There was some confusion though and finally Rand pipped up, “I’ll go first. I’m fastest and I run cross country. If there is a problem in the trail I’ll notice first and can find a way around.” She knew Roman wouldn’t like it, but it was the best option. Morgan could take up the rear incase anyone got hurt, with Valos in the middle to set the pace. Rand was the best choice to scout ahead.

Yeoman Rand

Roman had been about to say forget the stove, but Valos offered to carry it so he let it be. They needed to get moving, before the wind got any stronger. Or it got any rainier. By then, the large drops were falling fast, a downpour that was quickly leaving everything soaked. It was wet and cold and the last thing he needed was someone to get clubbed with a branch or something. Then Rand spoke up and Roman immediately shook his head. “No, no. No way. That sounds like a good way to fall into one of the hazards you’re talking about. We go together.” It also broke his rule, that everyone travel with at least one partner.

Morgan shook her head. “Ensign Farquharson is right. It’s best if she scout ahead. I’ll stay back and protect us from the rear. It’s the best way to go.” Roman was ready to argue but Franks spoke up as well, “It’s the most strategic way, commander.” Roman didn’t seem happy about it but he nodded. “Alright. But stay close enough we can see you.”

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

She knew he wasn’t happy, and once he said no she’d dropped it, but they had to get moving. The storm was going to get worse and the forest was unknown terrain. But then they convinced him, and with a nod she took off. She wasn’t going to wait to see if he changed his mind. He was going to worry no matter what. Once under the cover of the trees things settled. The forest was so dense that the canopy layer blocked a good portion of the rain, for now. She started at a reasonable jog, just to warm up a bit.
The very last thing that they needed to happen was someone get a muscle cramp and get hurt. It was quicker moving, and out of a lot of years of experience, Rand was able to spot the easiest way through the underbrush. But after a couple minutes she pulled ahead, but was careful to stay within sight. Roman would know she could move much faster than the pace she was setting. They’d covered about half the distance when she paused and pointed off to their right and she disappeared from view as she turned only to reappear and head left. After another minute she returned, jogging toward the group.

“There’s a downed tree ahead. It’s large, to get over it we’ll actually have to climb. To the right the underbrush gets worse and it’s mostly thorns. The bush is mostly black and the thorns are red tipped. The left is clear but we’ll have to go down hill and then climb back up once we get past the tree.” Rand didn’t even look like she was breathing hard.

Yeoman Rand

The rest of the party kept up with her, except when she ran ahead to look at something. Roman still didn’t like this plan but at the time, all that was important was to keep moving. There were five officers here to keep safe and the storm made that rather difficult. Rand disappeared for a moment, And Roman tensed slightly, unable to control his worry for her. But she was back within view quickly. About half the distance was behind them, and he hoped the second half went as easily.

“I wouldn’t take chances with the thorns. We’ve no time to see whether they’re poisonous or what the poison would do.” Valos, the team’s botanist, said, “and climbing a tree lugging the stove would be a challenge.” Roman considered the options briefly. “Uphill will be easier than trying to climb over the downed trees. Let’s go left.” The pace seemed easy for Morgan, she remained just slightly behind the rest of the crew. Harvey on the other hand, already looked like she was out of breath, but she was trying to keep up. The guys had no trouble keeping up with Rand’s pace, either, though Roman knew she could go faster. She was making sure everyone could keep up.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

“It’s going to get slick going that way. It’s not overly steep, but move too fast and you’ll slip on the leaves. They’re starting to get wet and the water is going down hill like we are. It’s not flooded yet. We’ll have to slow our pace.” Seeing Harvey out of breath, Rand pointed the way ahead and then stepped back to her. “Hands on the back of your waist and arch your back and breath as deep as you can.” While she did so, Rand grabbed a bottle of water and had her take a few small sips before slipping it back in her pack. “It’s hard with the rain, but try to keep your head up, don’t duck it. Keeps your air way open.” She waited to make sure Harvey was able to pick up her pace again and then Rand was moving back to the front and ahead of the group. The way down wasn’t too bad. Back home she would have used the branches of the down tree to steady herself. She had a feeling though that Roman and Valos would yell at her if she told everyone to start grabbing strange plants with their bare hands.

As Rand returned to the front of the group, Harvey muttered a breathy “Thanks.” Roman nodded to what Rand was saying. The ground by then was soaked, soggy and muddy. Water rolled down the hill in some places. The wind, now sustained high winds strong enough to down large trees, showed no signs of subsiding. It was almost like a hurricane, except they weren’t near the coast. Roman could see someone slipping and breaking an ankle, or whacking their head. All the exertion made his leg hurt more, and by then it was making it harder to keep moving and hide. But he was something more than stubborn and he kept moving at the same pace, keeping his form even.

The way up was harder, the rain made the leaves and underbrush slick and their feet slipped before gripping the ground with each step. Rand paused to look back, Harvey looked okay and Valos was struggling a bit, compensating for the weight of the stove, but he appeared to be okay. When Roman caught up with her she pointed, “Up there, the break in the trees. It might be easier going without all the under brush. I’m going to check, to see if we can go that way or stay in the trees. Then I’ll be back.” She wanted to squeeze his hand, tell him it was okay, she knew he was worried, but all she could do was give him a reassuring smile, and then she was jogging steadily up the incline and moving left again toward the break in the trees.

She was gone....gone....

“Be careful,” Roman said. He was worried, and he didn’t want her to go, but there wasn’t anything else he could say. All he could see was her back as she sped away into the rain, until she was out of sight, then she was gone. He kept the group moving at the same pace, wanting to make steady progress towards the caves. The storm showed no sign of abating. Heavy clouds had filled the sky, a dark blueish grey blotting out the sun, making it look much darker than it should have been at the time. It looked almost like night. Some fog began to set in, threatening to deepen and limit how far they could see. He clicked on his flashlight.

---

Rand made it through the break in the trees and the rain was steady and the wind was coming down off the mountain and into the break. Since it was a bank of the river she wanted to make sure it wasn’t too muddy. She could run in it, but she was concerned, for Harvey and Valos with the extra weight, about slipping in the mud. She jogged several yards ahead, The ground looked and felt solid under her feet, and she could see the caves from there, even through the rain. She turned around to head back and froze. The ground around her wasn’t stable…there were the beginning of a sink hole around her and she had no concrete idea of where she’d stepped to get back to the tree line. Roman was going to have a fit. She grabbed the communicator at her belt and tried to call the rest of the party but the storm seemed to be interfering, or maybe she was just scared and fumbled the controls. “Commander!” She wasn’t sure he’d hear through the storm and so she watched where they should come out.

Yeoman Rand

It had been longer than Roman liked since he’d seen Rand. Only a few minutes had passed but irrationally, he began to fear the worst. Images of her being carried away by some animal, hit by a falling tree, tumbling down a sudden cliff, or slipping in the mud and breaking her ankle again. His communicator was silent, not picking up her attempt at a message.

Her shout was carried away by the storm, barely audible over the howling wind and pounding rain. Roman heard something, a little ways ahead. He couldn’t tell what she said, but the fact that she was yelling at all made his fears increase tenfold. He couldn’t just leave the other officers behind. Velos could go no faster carrying the stove, and Harvey still looked like she was barely able to keep pace. Fighting the weather would only make it harder. “I hear Rand over there! Let’s head that way!” He shouted over the storm, turning to go the same direction Rand had. The team followed him, and within a few more minutes they could see her again.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand was kneeling roughly 15-20 feet from the edge of the forest, facing towards them. Physically she was fine, for the moment. She was trying to get a closer look at the ground through the rain and building fog. Seeing the team appear from the trees she stood, cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted, “NO!” Hearing the firm denial mad everyone curious and step forward again. Valos set the stove down and Harvey leaned against a tree breathing slowly, but Morgan put a restraining hand on each of them as she made her way forward to get a better look. She couldn’t see what was wrong but the yeoman didn’t strike her as the hysterical type. She took another step trying to see what was wrong. Rand shouted again, “STOP!”

Taking another breathe, “SINK HOLE!” Franks’ head snapped up and he dug his tricorder out of his pack, and his face turned pale, “Oh God…” He turned to Alden, “It’s new land growth. It was probably part of the river bed but as it pulls sediment down from the mountain and the river cuts deeper the water recessed. Without the rain it would have been stable enough, but this storm and is pounding it, making everything soft. There’s no undergrowth or trees rooted in place to stabilize the ground.”

Rand shouted again, “CAVES!” and she pointed behind her. Franks nodded to her and held up a thumbs up, so she would know he heard her. “Another hundred feet. If we stay in the tree line we should be fine. The ground is stable.”. Then the got hit by a sleeping bag. Morgan snatched it up and moved it. She spoke over her shoulder, “She’s trying to lighten her weight.” The sample case made it and a good thing for padding, everything inside was safe. Her pack…feel short. Morgan couldn’t quite reach it, but Harvey passed her a long stick that had crashed out of the trees and she was able to hook it and pull it towards her. Harvey grabbed it all and pulled it into the trees. By now Rand was soaked all the way through, but she began to move, testing the ground slowly with each step. She had to find a way out of the invisible maze.

Morgan, taking the stick began to feel along the ground. “We have to get her.”

Yeoman Rand

Roman spent another quick moment weighing options. He couldn’t leave an officer behind to fend for herself, especially not Rand. But he also couldn’t potentially endanger four officers for one. “Morgan, find a way around the sinkhole. Then lead the others to the caves. Do not wait. The storm is growing too strong. I will stay and help Rand across, and rejoin you when we’re both safe.”

He stood where he had stopped when she shouted the first time, looking on. There didn’t seem to be any way to tell which parts would support weight and which would give way under her. Any of the others were heavier than Rand, far too heavy to risk trying to help her. He grabbed a large stick of his own and probed the ground, looking for the edge. He needed a way to communicate more easily with her, at this distance he wasn’t sure she’d hear over the storm. He held up his communicator, asking if she still had hers.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO