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

(snip)

Setting his pad of paper down, he grabbed the drone’s controls and pulled it off the course he had set watching the lake. Controlling it manually, he brought it to the far side of the river, looking for more of the bear like animals. “If it’s predatory it will more than likely also be solitary. If it’s an herbivore it’s more likely there’s a herd.”

But then he brought the drone back. “Even if they are predatory if there are juveniles around…wouldn’t that be something if that one, that size, was a baby?” She knew the initial reports didn’t suggest anything bigger than on Earth, but that didn’t mean they had seen everything. Otherwise why would they be here? She knew that the animals wouldn’t be just like on Earth, but could something that looked like an Earth bear actually be a herd animal? Then again bears were omnivores, eating mostly berries and nuts, and some fish. Only if desperate did they go for more. Rand watched the animal, curious, but didn’t know what to ask, and since Alden wasn’t talking she figured he didn’t want to.

The questions caused Roman to smile a little. “That I would love to see.” He said. He watched the screen receiver for the drone as he flew it towards the bearlike animal.

It looked up as the drone flew by. It was hard to tell exactly how far away it was from the creature from where they sat. She was sure the drone could tell them. The animal was shaking it’s head and ducking it, almost like it was using its horns. “I wonder how clearly it sees? I mean the drone isn’t that far away, and it probably makes a noise it has never heard before.” Then it let out a noise, well more of a squeak really. But it was loud and carried. The noise was kind of cute for such a big animal. It seemed to hop on both front feet as the drone flew away across the river.

As he worked, he considered what he could say. He couldn’t leave things how they were, but he didn’t want to risk making it worse. She obviously thought he should’ve told her. In hindsight, he agreed. Maybe he should start there. His distraction caused him to nearly crash the drone into a tree. He steered it aside at the last moment.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Was it the wind, or was he distracted? Had she upset him that much? Rand felt horrible. She was going to have to make a decision. She was caught, and that was not a position she ever thought to be in. In the end the problem was, she shouldn’t be here. Everything was fine on the ship because she answered to Rogers, not to Roman. Here she answered to him. In the end she was worried about him. She would be no matter what, but now that she…they were together she second guessed herself.

He set the drone to an automatic path, scanning the area around the river and the animal for other animals. An automatic path would keep it from crashing.

She sighed heavily, “I…” then she sighed again. That single word didn’t sound mad or frustrated, just confused. She stared at the PaDD and the last sample case, but didn’t do anything with it.

Yeoman Rand

Roman couldn’t think of anything better to say. He worried it would make it worse. “I…” he started, but he stopped as he heard her starting to say something. Then she trailed off and sighed. At least she did not sound angry. When she didn’t say anything else, he continued with his thought. “I should’ve told you. I was… I was scared. But it was wrong to hide it.”

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand’s hands were behind her back, someone else might think she was simply easing her back from the rock wall behind her, but she was simply really anxious. It had been a long time since she’d felt that anxious because of Roman. She felt that way plenty when he was around, but not because of him. Her shoulders dropped. She wasn’t argumentative or angry, just quiet. “You don’t have to tell me anything.” She stared at the bear-like creature for a moment, her hands suddenly appearing clasped in her lap before looking at him. “I know you are. I would have tried to help. I....I’m worried,” she couldn’t bring herself to call him Cmdr but she wasn’t sure she should be calling him Roman either. Thought right now she felt like this wasn’t an ‘on duty’ kind of thing. “I’m not really worried it’s been bothering you this long. It’s a chronic problem. I am worried that it’s hurting you so much, that you completely ignored it and put yourself and everyone else at risk. That’s not like you.” She wasn’t sure he would want her to, but she reached over and took his hand again anyway. “If we can get the swelling down, you won’t miss out and the rest of the time here.” The big problem was Franks would report this, and they BOTH would have to go to sickbay. But that was an issue for later…maybe. Maybe they should talk about it now?

While they talked they missed what the drone picked up from the other side of the river.

Yeoman Rand