Crusade Ch9
In a grassy clearing not far from the settlement, Snyder stepped out of the shuttle just as the door opened wide enough for him to exit. He brandished a tricorder like a weapon, scanning all he could around him before signaling to Denning and Hartford that it was safe to disembark. Denning complied slowly, carrying a shoulder pack full of handy tools. After a few moments, Hartford jumped out with as much energy and vigor of a much younger person, holding two small cases of medical supplies in each hand.
"I thought we would NEVER get out of there," she said, the relief evident in her voice and rapidly improving posture. Snyder had taken what he thought was the smoothest entry vector to enter the atmosphere. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the rather large windstorm that suddenly blew in just before they hit the troposphere. It took every ounce of skill and courage they had to keep the shuttle upright and intact, as well as keeping the cargo from flying everywhere. Needless to say, they were all extremely grateful to be out of the vehicle and onto solid ground.
After doing a preliminary check of the shuttle to make sure they could still lift off when their mission was over, the officers took time to inspect their surroundings and to take in the natural beauty of the place. If the orbital vistas were breathtaking, the view from the ground was truly spectacular. Even in the direct sunlight they were in, the marvelous rings were still visible, adding their own strange glow to the daytime sun. The mountains in the distance were tall and snowcapped, much like the Himalayas on Earth, complete with a peak that towered above them all. A nearby forest showed signs of recent lumber harvesting, but was still full of life and seemed to glow a brilliant shade of green. The only sign of human habitation at all, it seemed, was a faint trail through the grassy clearing, which wasn't even paved, just a dirt trail carved by years of somebody constantly walking the same route back and forth between the forest and whatever point B was.
After a few moments, Snyder's tricorder began beeping in earnest. "I'm picking up a small band of people heading this way," he said, pointing the device in the general direction of the readings, "Perhaps we should say hello?"
"I don't see the harm," Denning agreed.
Caught up in stretching her legs, Hartford could only mumble an incoherent "Mmm Hmm."
The trio set out on the trail as soon as Hartford was done stretching.
**********
Munz was extremely joyful the moment that doctor Hartford had left the sickbay. From the moment they had set foot in the small medical facility, they had been at odds. For instance, Munz preferred a more formal categorizing and filing of medical documents and samples, while Hartford insisted on her own methods, which, in all honesty was a barely controlled chaos of files and other medical items. Munz was totally oblivious as to how ANYONE could find something in that kind of mess, but Hartford was adamant.
And now, with her gone, Munz proceeded to rearrange the sickbay according to her preferences.
Munz was arranging a stack of padds containing the latest physical profiles of the junior engineering staff when she heard the soft swishing sound of the doors opening. The Bolian turned around to see Lieutenant Solvek not in full uniform, but in just a simple meditation robe, a look of concern was showing through his normally stoic composure. She realized that it was well beyond normal duty hours for the day shift, and scolded herself for not getting at least a small meal from the mess hall.
"Forgive me, is Doctor Hartford in?" the Vulcan asked, searching the room with his eerily ice-blue eyes. Munz was sure that was not a common trait among Vulcans...it was just way too creepy. Even for Vulcans.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, the doctor's on assignment with the Captain at the moment. Is there anything I can do?" Munz put down the stack of padds she was holding to make her appearance seem more open and friendly.
Solvek regarded Munz for a few moments before walking toward her at a slow pace. He regarded her with his piercing glare as if determining if she was worthy of hearing what he was about to say. After a few moments, he slowly shook his head, "No, Doctor. I do not believe you can help me at this time. Thank you for your concern." With that, Solvek turned around and walked out of the sickbay.
And if Munz didn't know any better, she was sure there was a tone of desperation in the Vulcan's voice.
**********
Snyder and his team waded through the hip-high grass in the clearing, following the signatures of the people the tricorder had found, whom seemed only interested in running away. The Starfleet team was hard-pressed sometimes just to keep pace with the natives, who seemed to have been at a dead run toward some unknown location ever since they were detected. Snyder guessed that they had seen the shuttle land and were heading home to tell their relatives of the strange occurrence. It was Denning who suggested they were running back to get their weapons.
The last few minutes of the "chase" had been up a steep hill that seemed to have no end. And after running for nearly two kilometers, most of it uphill, the away team was getting a slight bit winded and a little agitated at the native's physical endurance.
Finally, Snyder's tricorder picked up another reading, which Snyder read aloud.
"According to this," he said between breaths, "the group has stopped running. They're just a few meters ahead."
"Can we take a break first?" Hartford asked. "I don't think they'll mind if we don't show up for a few minutes."
"We can't stop now." Snyder reprimanded, "We might have left a bad impression, landing basically right on top of them. I just want to apologize for any inconvenience we might have caused and see if we can get better transportation for our supplies."
"Why can't we take the shuttle?" Denning asked.
"If the reactions of this group are consistent with the whole population, how would they react to see a Starfleet shuttle landing in town square?"
"Panic, probably. Maybe riots." Hartford said darkly.
"Exactly. I just want to see if we can barter for at least a wagon and possibly a beast of burden to haul it. We've got plenty of things they might want."
After Denning and Hartford said the customary "Aye, sir," the trio walked up the rest of the hill toward the group of natives, although at a much slower pace.
**********
Solvek stood outside of the quarters of Ensign Norman. Ever since the young human had saved him from that odd episode on the holodeck, Solvek had felt a debt to him. It was not a standard Vulcan practice, but it was among humans, he had read. Solvek learned he "Owed Norman one" and was determined to rectify the situation now, as well as ask him a small favor of his own.
Solvek tapped the button to the side of the door, emitting the soft beep within Norman's quarters that announced a visitor. Getting no response, Solvek tapped the button again. It was nearly twenty seconds before Ensign Norman stood at his door, dressed in standard Starfleet sleepwear, and a general look of annoyance and fatigue evident on his eyes.
"It's 0200 hours," the young man complained, "Can it wait for tomorrow?"
"I am sorry, Ensign, it cannot." Solvek pushed himself closer to the door in case Norman decided to close it on him.
After emitting a long sigh, Norman stepped aside, "Come on in."
"Thank you, ensign." Solvek walked into Norman's quarters with measured grace and dignity, using all of his mental control to hid his reaction to the human's room: spotless. It was commonly known that young humans, especially males, lack tremendously in the cleanliness of their dwellings. It seemed Norman was the exception.
"You want some coffee?" the Ensign asked, groggily.
"No, thank you." Solvek responded, scanning the room and its sparse furnishings. Apparently, Ensign Norman either didn't value material possessions, an admirable trait, or he just did not own many items yet. Solvek assumed the latter.
When Norman had replicated a strong-smelling brew from Andoria, he took a long sip and sat down on the only chair in the room.
"Pop a squat anywhere."
"I'd prefer to stand, thank you."
"Fine." Norman took another sip, "Now what is so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow" Well, later today."
"Ensign Norman," Solvek said, turning to face the sitting human, "I cannot begin to show how much gratitude I have for your heroic acts a few days ago. If not for you, I might have very well become the first casualty of this mission."
"...Is that it?"
"No, Ensign. It is customary on Earth, as well as the Klingon homeworld, Romulus, Gaxanar four, and Andromeda seven to acknowledge a heroic act done by one individual to save another individual by giving the saver a token of gratitude. In essence, Ensign, I "Owe you one"."
"Well that's nice to know." Norman said, downing the last of the coffee. "Tell you what, the next time my life is in danger, we'll call it even when you come to my rescue. Ok?"
"That is acceptable."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"One thing more." Solvek squared his shoulders before continuing, "Ensign, I fear I am losing all control of my Vulcan disciplines."
Norman looked dumbfounded. He knew that emotional control was the paramount of Vulcan society, and to lose that control was one of the ultimate taboos. But the only recorded losses of control were those who were mentally ill or psychologically disturbed. Could Solvek be like that?
"Have you seen a doctor?" Norman added meekly.
"Only Doctor Hartford knows a small amount of mypredicament. Unfortunately, she is on the planet, and I saw no other logical person to tell."
"What about the other doctor? What's her name? Moons? Mounds?"
"Doctor Munz. And I determined that, while she is a competent medical officer, she is too inexperienced to handle my case."
"And so you came to me."
"Yes."
"Well, I'll consider this a good mark toward us forming a friendship, Solvek. And, while I'm not a doctor, I'll do my best to help you get better."
"Thank you, Ensign." With that, Solvek did a short bow, and left Norman's quarters without another word.
When he was sure Solvek would not return, Norman jumped back onto his bed and proceeded to be embraced by sleep's warm hands.
In a grassy clearing not far from the settlement, Snyder stepped out of the shuttle just as the door opened wide enough for him to exit. He brandished a tricorder like a weapon, scanning all he could around him before signaling to Denning and Hartford that it was safe to disembark. Denning complied slowly, carrying a shoulder pack full of handy tools. After a few moments, Hartford jumped out with as much energy and vigor of a much younger person, holding two small cases of medical supplies in each hand.
"I thought we would NEVER get out of there," she said, the relief evident in her voice and rapidly improving posture. Snyder had taken what he thought was the smoothest entry vector to enter the atmosphere. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the rather large windstorm that suddenly blew in just before they hit the troposphere. It took every ounce of skill and courage they had to keep the shuttle upright and intact, as well as keeping the cargo from flying everywhere. Needless to say, they were all extremely grateful to be out of the vehicle and onto solid ground.
After doing a preliminary check of the shuttle to make sure they could still lift off when their mission was over, the officers took time to inspect their surroundings and to take in the natural beauty of the place. If the orbital vistas were breathtaking, the view from the ground was truly spectacular. Even in the direct sunlight they were in, the marvelous rings were still visible, adding their own strange glow to the daytime sun. The mountains in the distance were tall and snowcapped, much like the Himalayas on Earth, complete with a peak that towered above them all. A nearby forest showed signs of recent lumber harvesting, but was still full of life and seemed to glow a brilliant shade of green. The only sign of human habitation at all, it seemed, was a faint trail through the grassy clearing, which wasn't even paved, just a dirt trail carved by years of somebody constantly walking the same route back and forth between the forest and whatever point B was.
After a few moments, Snyder's tricorder began beeping in earnest. "I'm picking up a small band of people heading this way," he said, pointing the device in the general direction of the readings, "Perhaps we should say hello?"
"I don't see the harm," Denning agreed.
Caught up in stretching her legs, Hartford could only mumble an incoherent "Mmm Hmm."
The trio set out on the trail as soon as Hartford was done stretching.
**********
Munz was extremely joyful the moment that doctor Hartford had left the sickbay. From the moment they had set foot in the small medical facility, they had been at odds. For instance, Munz preferred a more formal categorizing and filing of medical documents and samples, while Hartford insisted on her own methods, which, in all honesty was a barely controlled chaos of files and other medical items. Munz was totally oblivious as to how ANYONE could find something in that kind of mess, but Hartford was adamant.
And now, with her gone, Munz proceeded to rearrange the sickbay according to her preferences.
Munz was arranging a stack of padds containing the latest physical profiles of the junior engineering staff when she heard the soft swishing sound of the doors opening. The Bolian turned around to see Lieutenant Solvek not in full uniform, but in just a simple meditation robe, a look of concern was showing through his normally stoic composure. She realized that it was well beyond normal duty hours for the day shift, and scolded herself for not getting at least a small meal from the mess hall.
"Forgive me, is Doctor Hartford in?" the Vulcan asked, searching the room with his eerily ice-blue eyes. Munz was sure that was not a common trait among Vulcans...it was just way too creepy. Even for Vulcans.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, the doctor's on assignment with the Captain at the moment. Is there anything I can do?" Munz put down the stack of padds she was holding to make her appearance seem more open and friendly.
Solvek regarded Munz for a few moments before walking toward her at a slow pace. He regarded her with his piercing glare as if determining if she was worthy of hearing what he was about to say. After a few moments, he slowly shook his head, "No, Doctor. I do not believe you can help me at this time. Thank you for your concern." With that, Solvek turned around and walked out of the sickbay.
And if Munz didn't know any better, she was sure there was a tone of desperation in the Vulcan's voice.
**********
Snyder and his team waded through the hip-high grass in the clearing, following the signatures of the people the tricorder had found, whom seemed only interested in running away. The Starfleet team was hard-pressed sometimes just to keep pace with the natives, who seemed to have been at a dead run toward some unknown location ever since they were detected. Snyder guessed that they had seen the shuttle land and were heading home to tell their relatives of the strange occurrence. It was Denning who suggested they were running back to get their weapons.
The last few minutes of the "chase" had been up a steep hill that seemed to have no end. And after running for nearly two kilometers, most of it uphill, the away team was getting a slight bit winded and a little agitated at the native's physical endurance.
Finally, Snyder's tricorder picked up another reading, which Snyder read aloud.
"According to this," he said between breaths, "the group has stopped running. They're just a few meters ahead."
"Can we take a break first?" Hartford asked. "I don't think they'll mind if we don't show up for a few minutes."
"We can't stop now." Snyder reprimanded, "We might have left a bad impression, landing basically right on top of them. I just want to apologize for any inconvenience we might have caused and see if we can get better transportation for our supplies."
"Why can't we take the shuttle?" Denning asked.
"If the reactions of this group are consistent with the whole population, how would they react to see a Starfleet shuttle landing in town square?"
"Panic, probably. Maybe riots." Hartford said darkly.
"Exactly. I just want to see if we can barter for at least a wagon and possibly a beast of burden to haul it. We've got plenty of things they might want."
After Denning and Hartford said the customary "Aye, sir," the trio walked up the rest of the hill toward the group of natives, although at a much slower pace.
**********
Solvek stood outside of the quarters of Ensign Norman. Ever since the young human had saved him from that odd episode on the holodeck, Solvek had felt a debt to him. It was not a standard Vulcan practice, but it was among humans, he had read. Solvek learned he "Owed Norman one" and was determined to rectify the situation now, as well as ask him a small favor of his own.
Solvek tapped the button to the side of the door, emitting the soft beep within Norman's quarters that announced a visitor. Getting no response, Solvek tapped the button again. It was nearly twenty seconds before Ensign Norman stood at his door, dressed in standard Starfleet sleepwear, and a general look of annoyance and fatigue evident on his eyes.
"It's 0200 hours," the young man complained, "Can it wait for tomorrow?"
"I am sorry, Ensign, it cannot." Solvek pushed himself closer to the door in case Norman decided to close it on him.
After emitting a long sigh, Norman stepped aside, "Come on in."
"Thank you, ensign." Solvek walked into Norman's quarters with measured grace and dignity, using all of his mental control to hid his reaction to the human's room: spotless. It was commonly known that young humans, especially males, lack tremendously in the cleanliness of their dwellings. It seemed Norman was the exception.
"You want some coffee?" the Ensign asked, groggily.
"No, thank you." Solvek responded, scanning the room and its sparse furnishings. Apparently, Ensign Norman either didn't value material possessions, an admirable trait, or he just did not own many items yet. Solvek assumed the latter.
When Norman had replicated a strong-smelling brew from Andoria, he took a long sip and sat down on the only chair in the room.
"Pop a squat anywhere."
"I'd prefer to stand, thank you."
"Fine." Norman took another sip, "Now what is so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow" Well, later today."
"Ensign Norman," Solvek said, turning to face the sitting human, "I cannot begin to show how much gratitude I have for your heroic acts a few days ago. If not for you, I might have very well become the first casualty of this mission."
"...Is that it?"
"No, Ensign. It is customary on Earth, as well as the Klingon homeworld, Romulus, Gaxanar four, and Andromeda seven to acknowledge a heroic act done by one individual to save another individual by giving the saver a token of gratitude. In essence, Ensign, I "Owe you one"."
"Well that's nice to know." Norman said, downing the last of the coffee. "Tell you what, the next time my life is in danger, we'll call it even when you come to my rescue. Ok?"
"That is acceptable."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"One thing more." Solvek squared his shoulders before continuing, "Ensign, I fear I am losing all control of my Vulcan disciplines."
Norman looked dumbfounded. He knew that emotional control was the paramount of Vulcan society, and to lose that control was one of the ultimate taboos. But the only recorded losses of control were those who were mentally ill or psychologically disturbed. Could Solvek be like that?
"Have you seen a doctor?" Norman added meekly.
"Only Doctor Hartford knows a small amount of mypredicament. Unfortunately, she is on the planet, and I saw no other logical person to tell."
"What about the other doctor? What's her name? Moons? Mounds?"
"Doctor Munz. And I determined that, while she is a competent medical officer, she is too inexperienced to handle my case."
"And so you came to me."
"Yes."
"Well, I'll consider this a good mark toward us forming a friendship, Solvek. And, while I'm not a doctor, I'll do my best to help you get better."
"Thank you, Ensign." With that, Solvek did a short bow, and left Norman's quarters without another word.
When he was sure Solvek would not return, Norman jumped back onto his bed and proceeded to be embraced by sleep's warm hands.