Alien Encounters

Posted on Fri Nov 27th, 2015 @ 7:36am by Captain Charybdis MacGregor & Captain Patrick O'Connor
Edited on on Tue Dec 29th, 2015 @ 9:33am

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Taking Chances
Location: Zaryx 4 agricultural colony
Timeline: 2265
Tags: Zaryx

Hiking across the farmlands had been an enjoyable exercise for the science officer... she walked briskly around the Bonne Chance and jogged the treadmills on occasion, but shipboard life did not really lend itself to rapid locomotion. However, this was free farmland, and she could jog if she so chose. She wasn't exactly wearing the correct structural undergarments for that particular activity, so instead she just kept it to a very brisk double-time, enjoying the fresh air as the pale blue sun made its way across the deep blue sky.

There were rocky outcroppings overlooking the rice paddies, and she felt confident those would give her a good vantage point to scan the area and continue building her burgeoning hypothesis. She estimated that she had at least three hours before sunset, so she would have more than enough time to perform her general scans as well as close inspection scans and still get back to the colony before dark with time to spare.

A faint smile played at her lips as she brushed an errant lock of hair from her face, her other hand resting on the tricorder at her hip as she took her nature stroll. She wondered how the others were faring as she hiked up the slow incline of the rock face.


Patrick had made his initial survey of the colony and had determined that overall it was in fine shape. Nothing out of the ordinary happening that he could tell outside of farming issues, which he thought might be weather-related more than anything else at this point. As it seemed the most pressing matter, and because he actually wanted to have the opportunity to speak with Charybdis alone, he decided to make his way out to where she might be. He started out to the orange groves where she had gone when they had dispersed, only to be told by a wily old man that she had left and headed over to the rice paddies. The area was more secluded from the rest of the colony from what he could see as he made his way toward it, and he spotted Charybdis as he came over the hill.

The sight of the woman in motion in the narrow halls of the starship had been one thing to try get used to... seeing her here, moving unfettered in a free and open area, was quite something else. There was something distinctly pneumatic about her locomotion which, while not necessarily unique, was most certainly pleasing to the eye. He chuckled to himself and increased his pace to catch up with her.

As he neared her, he caught the scent of her perfume in the air, mixing with the orange blossoms and the hint of lilacs that he spotted growing down near the edge of the rice paddies. The scent was intoxicating to him as usual, but he was managing to keep his cool. The talk with Doctor McKenzie had really allowed him to look at things from a fresh perspective, and he approached her to find out not only her progress, but perhaps have some playful banter and maybe consider asking her out on a date if the opportunity presented itself. He needed to be professional first and foremost though, and as he neared, he reminded himself of that and steeled his resolve.

Slowing as she approached the edge of the outcropping which overlooked the scenic vista of the farmlands below and the foothills beyond, Charybdis unslung her tricorder... Cassandra? Perhaps. She turned on her standardized readings that she had set for the parameters of this mission and began scanning the area, noting that she had a life sign closing in on her position. Given the size she assumed that it must be one of the colonists, and glancing back she could see that a gold-shirted Starfleet officer was closing in on her position, a well-maintained brush of bright red hair crowning the masculine form.

She sighed. It looked like she would be having a conversation with the Captain today after all... and she couldn't just stare at her tricorder when it was the two of them alone on a scenic overview, on a lush alien planet.

Patrick closed in on her and saw that she was making some scans of the area, or at least that was what he assumed. "Keeping busy I see." he said in an even, friendly tone. He closed in until they were separated by only a few feet.

She glanced up and smiled despite herself. "Yes, Captain... I believe that I may be making some forward progress in my investigation of the agricultural issues that the colonists are experiencing. However, it will require more data until I can accurately form a hypothesis, thus leading to a recommendation for a solution."

Internally she had remarkably conflicted feelings... on the one hand, she was very proud of herself for not managing to blurt sexual innuendos like a common gutter tramp at the Captain's simple statement. On the other hand, her response had been textbook Vulcan scientist, and she hated sounding like that when it was not a specific choice on her part. And it had not- she didn't want him to think that she was... and she promptly got lost in an internal jumble of just what she wanted him to think that she meant.

He nodded. "Glad to hear you're making progress. I noticed that some sort of fungus seems to be running rampant around the orange orchard, but doesn't appear to be anywhere else. I'm certain you noticed this as well?" He was trying to keep things professional as planned, and was thus far succeeding. So far, so good.

"Oh yes, sir, I did," she said with a nod. "It is rather unusual for a myconoid, but I believe it may hold a piece to a larger puzzle. I am endeavoring to gather more data to formulate a good solid theory as we speak. I won't let you down, sir."

Internally she kicked herself. Now she sounded like an eager young ensign on her first assignment with her commander. Why could she not just think straight and be herself and be professional all at the same time? What in Hades was wrong with her?

"A larger puzzle?" he asked inquisitively. He wondered what she could mean by that. It intrigued him, more so than he thought it should.

"Well, yessir. I cannot be completely positive as yet, but I believe that there is a considerable underground network of growths, of which the myconids on the surface are simply an indicator, not the actual root cause. It is possible that there may be some conflict with the crops the colonists have planted and the indigenous plantlife... well, fungal life, to be specific. As I said, I haven't worked it all out yet sir, but I am still gathering data." She shut the tricorder top slowly and looked him fully in the eye... the first time she had actually made full eye contact since he had approached, he realized.

He smiled at her, seemingly always in a good mood when he looked into her violet eyes. "Well, it would seem that you have things handled here. Does this fungus seem to be encroaching on the rice as well, or is it safe?"

"Actually, yessir... it does seem to be causing some difficulty in the rice paddies as well," she said, clasping her hands behind her back and smiling coyly at him. "I will have to make a closer inspection to gather more data, but I will work it out, Captain."

He nodded nervously. He was out of professional banter, and was wondering if now would be the right time to shift into more personal talk. He was usually quite smooth when it came to speaking to the ladies, but with her, it was like pulling teeth for him to even sputter out a few words. "So, enjoying the scenery? If it isn't too forward, the sun seems make your eyes sparkle like amethyst." There it was, an overture.

The young woman's face lit up immediately and she smiled, a broad and genuine smile. "No... no, it isn't too forward. Part of the reason I hiked up here was for the view... I joined Starfleet so that I could see faraway places and distant vistas instead of that dreary dustbowl of a planet. I love the colors and the vegetation and the different skies..." She realized that she was rambling a bit and gestured to one of the outcropping ledges. "Would you like to sit, Captain? Maybe... talk?"

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and try as she might her internal logic wasn't making much headway against her feelings. Her logical Vulcan teachers would have been so proud, she thought with a sigh. But then, they had been doomed to fail from the start.

Despite her rambling, the fact she offered to sit and talk is what stuck with him. He saw it as a chance to get to know one another; the first step in any relationship. "Absolutely... after you," he said in a gentle tone, extending his arm in a chivalrous manner to allow the lady to proceed him. His heart too was pounding, though he was masking it with some great degree of difficulty. He hadn't quite lost control, and he was hoping to keep things that way if he could.

Dropping into a crouch, she tossed her legs out in front of her deftly while balanced on one hand, then smoothly dropped to a seated position, crossing her legs at the ankles. She looked out over the beautiful alien vista and smiled, giving him time to settle and get comfortable while she enjoyed the breeze.

"So... here we are..." she said casually.

He sat down next to her, coming down rather gracefully as he stretched out his legs and leaned back on his hands as he looked out at the vista. "Yes. Here we are. Good company, beautiful view..."

"Mmmm hmm." She rocked her legs back and forth, her hands in her lap, fiddling with her tricorder strap, twirling it around her index finger.

The notion of leaning over and kissing her crossed his mind, but he pushed back as being inappropriate. He needed to take things slowly if he truly wanted this to be more than a simple attempt at a fling. "So, first time to a world outside the core of the Federation?"

At that, she broke down and laughed, and the tension dissipated... at least for her. "I'm very sorry sir, but was that the Starfleet equivalent of 'Do you come here often'?" She turned to look at him, a playful grin on her face that somehow looked far more at home there than any expression he'd seen out of her recently.

He blushed just a bit, momentarily speechless as he was caught off guard. "No, not at all. Was a genuine question, though to be honest, you seem to have jumped ahead of me a bit in my mindset." His voice had a trace of nervousness, and a slight tremble rolled down his spine.

"It isn't my first time, no sir. The Antares was primarily just a glorified freighter, so we spent most of our time making colony supply runs, and I was often called upon to solve little problems on the surface for the colonies by the commander. So I've seen plenty of the outer worlds sir... I still appreciate them all, though. I like seeing new places, new things, new horizons..." She had a wistful look in her eye as she spoke, and then she refocused on him. "How about you?"

"I have been in StarFleet for nearly two decades. Seen many a world, many a beautiful sunrise or sunset, azure skies overlooking misty mountains and lush fertile hills. I have seen fields of flowers that went on for as far as I could see, looking like a sea of crimson and gold. I have seen the most breathless shades of violets and greens, but to be quite honest, they all pale in comparison when I look at you." he looked at her, staring deeply into her eyes, as if he was searching for the answer to a question he had not yet asked. He heard a voice in the back of his mind screaming at him to kiss her, with which he was in rather a sharp debate at the moment.

As if she could sense his internal imperative, she gently reached out a hand to his chest. "Captain... before we go any further... I wish to understand your intentions. I am intimately aware of the effect that I have on some men, and that my presence can be somewhat frustrating for them." He blushed a bit at that, but she pressed on.

"And I am also aware that in many cases, there is nothing past the initial attraction. A man's desire to possess that which he sees and desires is part of being a male in many cultures, yours among them; that passes once it has been conquered, and he moves on. Is that an accurate depiction of this situation? I am trying to be straightforward and honest about this, because I do not know you... but I sense... well..." She left it at that and looked up at him from beneath her brows expectantly, eye large and open, seeking his own.

Questions like this usually didn't come along until a courtship had begun and progressed quite a bit, in Patrick's experience. The emotional Vulcan girls, it seemed, were even more blunt than the logical ones. It should have flustered him, but for some reason, he was calm, as if she had done exactly what he had wanted or expected.

"You ask if I love you? Well, what can I say? I know that I do, but I am certain that will have to be proven. I am not asking for all of you, not yet at least. I will be happy to take it as slow as you like. I don't want to possess you like a trophy. I want you to want me, to need me, the way I want and need you. As a Vulcan, I know you don't experience emotions the same way I do as a human, but I know you do experience them. I'd like for us to try, and see what comes of it all." He was calm and even in his tone, and very sincere.

It was a mistake to laugh and she knew it, but she couldn't help herself. "I didn't ask you if you loved me...! Honestly ,I thought you just... well, starship captains and all... you know. I didn't realize..." she stopped there and moved her hand down to gently take his hand in her own, interlacing her fingers between his. "Charybdis Rule Number One- never assume that you know how I experience anything, and in return I won't presume to know what you feel either." At least, not from this point on, she chided herself internally.

"Really? A list of rules, so soon? Aren't you the demanding one," he said with a wry grin. "Are there a great number of these Charybdis Rules, I wonder?"

"Yes there are. But I promise to make them all reasonable... and negotiable..." she said breathily as she moved in close to him, her violet eyes on his as she closed them slowly, her full lips parting.

He leaned forward and kissed her softly at first, then deeply, and with considerable passion which she returned quite enthusiastically. The kiss seemed to last just that perfect amount of time for a first kiss. And as he leaned back just a bit, still looking deeply in her eyes as he waited for her to open them again he spoke softly, "Sounds fair to me."

She smiled at him, an honest and happy smile, not her usual sly grin or sarcastic smile, but one of genuine happiness. Suddenly and without warning she rolled atop him to straddle him, then leaned in close over his face, her dark brown hair framing her as she pressed her considerable attributes against his chest, gently pinning him as her lips hovered close to his. "You realize I will kill you if you break my heart... sir." she said teasingly with her lopsided grin and eyebrow raised, a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

He returned the grin with one of his own and then laid back in complete mock surrender, "Ah, but what a way to go, I think." He reached up and caressed her cheek, and she turned into it, eyes closing and a half-smile playing at her lips. Just as he was leaning in to kiss her once more, his communicator began beeping insistently. Just my luck, he thought.

They exchanged brief glances, and grudgingly she rolled off of him with a sigh. "Duty calls, O Captain, My Captain," she said with a grimace, noting with no small degree of pride the effect that she'd had on his physiology as he wrestled his communicator out.

"More's the pity," he replied. He opened his communicator, not even bothering to get up. "This is O'Connor, go ahead."

"Sir, we are detecting some sort of large biosignature moving your way from the northeast." said Ak'ahar.

Charybdis' first thought was that if the Bridge knew that there was a biosign headed their way, they also saw just who was up on this ridge and their relative proximity, which meant that the proverbial cat was already out of the bag. "Well, that didn't take long," she muttered as she snapped open her tricorder and began scanning the area for lifesigns and readings. She cursed her lousy internal chronometer for the thousandth time... she should have realized that the Bonne Chance was passing overhead but she was caught up in the moment.

"Confirmed Captain... large biosign, roughly 324 kilos, moving this way up the ridge... we're cut off, sir." Mentally she kicked herself again... she had led him up here and been enjoying the solitude, never considering that they were in a tactically unsound position on a potentially dangerous alien world. Matthews always said my loins would be the death of me, she recalled. She inspected the rocky face below and assessed it for a potential escape route... it was not ideal, but it was feasible if necessary.

"XO, get a transporter lock on us and beam us up on my order, if, and only if I decide it necessary. I want to see what we are dealing with." Patrick pulled his phaser out and took up a tactical position in front of Charybdis, as if shielding her from any possible harm that might befall them.

"Seventy meters and closing slowly sir... conceivably a feline of some sort... lowered profile, slow but steady locomotion... correction, likely insectoid. No heat signature, no heartbeat nor notable respiration." She unholstered her phaser and stepped to the left. "Confront or evade, Captain?"

"Take up a position 20 meters up, just behind those rocks there. You can cover me should I need to retreat." he said confidently.

"Aye sir," she said, eyes flickering from the tricorder display to the local environment as she moved quickly into position. She continued scanning, propping the tricorder on the rocky cover before her as she hand signaled five zero and pointed ahead.

He took aim and readied to fire. As the creature came over the point, he saw that the science officer's analysis had been correct; it was in fact insectoid. It resembled a giant centipede, at least 22 meters long, a crimson color with orange mottled stripes running down the carapace and hundreds of relatively small legs beneath the carapace moving it along smoothly as a serpent. It seemed to be moving in a pattern that would put them both in its path.

Knowing that he had to divert it if possible, he took aim and fired just in front of it, startling it and making the front mass of it, perhaps ten meter's worth rear straight up the way a bear might, the many small articulated legs waving in the air. It let loose a bloodcurdling roar from between the rather dangerous-looking and large mandibles mounted on its head as its round, green baleful multi-faceted eyes all seemed to glare down at Patrick.

Charybdis ran the calculations in her head... relative body mass, unsophisticated neurology, a simple brain... stun setting would only serve to irritate this creature if even that, and O'Conner's warning shot only seemed to have caused it to feel threatened. She looked back at him and their eyes locked, as she deliberately made a show of turning up her phaser. She returned her gaze to the creature only to realize that it was once again in motion... and headed straight for the Captain.

Patrick fired again near the feet of the creature, hoping it might scare off. The creature took a step or two back, seemingly making Patrick's mindset valid. It had closed too much ground, so Charybdis fell back a bit and fired near it, following the Captain's lead to attempt to herd the creature elsewhere... which seemed to be working. The Captain's instinct had been dead on, and after a few more shots at the ground near its feet the giant insect seemed quite happy to undulate off in a different direction rather than face continued phaser fire.

They watched as the creature made its way down the slope, crossing the rice paddies and leaving a minor path of destruction as it did, like watching a bull charge through a cornfield. The creature submerged beneath the water at the far end of the rice paddies, where the water line seemed to go from shallow to deep. Apparently, this life form had little fear of any aquatic life in the area. Turning back he looked at Charybdis, "I do believe we should return to the colony and check in with everyone else and see if this is a first sighting of such a creature."

"Yes Captain, I believe that you are correct. But first..." She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a chance to grasp her before she slid her body weight to the side, expertly balancing it on one foot in a classic 'dip' maneuver. She looked up at him and smiled playfully, sharply inclined eyebrows wiggling up and down suggestively. "Hero's reward?"

He took the cue and leaned in to kiss her, allowing his emotions to flow naturally, assuming that her Vulcan telepathic abilities would sense the emotions and how powerful they were. As he pulled her back upright and released the kiss, he looked at her wantonly, "You, my dear, will be the death of me one day, but I am so looking forward to the journey til then."

With that lopsided grin he was already coming to know so well, she disentangled herself from him and began to languorously sashay away back down the rise. "It is certainly possibly, Human. I'll try to make the ride in the handbasket worth your while..."

"By the way, you do realize that the only way that Commander Ak'Ahar could have known that creature was closing on us is if they were overhead scanning at the moment... which means that the entire bridge crew is likely very well aware of our relative proximity at that moment," she said over her shoulder. "And you still haven't told them to stand down from transporter lock, so they are still watching...?"

"I wonder who won the betting pool...?" he replied bemusedly as he flipped open his communicator.

 

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