Commander Ava Munro - A Force of Nature
Ava Munro Luxa Lorana
((The Edge of the Gorge - Callis I))
After the crash, and their subsequent escape from the pod before it's eventual fall into the deep gorge. Her attention went to the crew that had managed to escape with her.
Silveira. Imril. Jaran.
A good mix of skills and talents. The pragmatist inside of her was pleased with this. The softer side, the well of deep emotions that stirred in her heart was heavy for the rest of the crew. The Artemis team that was on the Karnack, and the Starfleet Engineers that were helping to transfer her. Had they managed to escape?
Statistically she knew that there would be casualties … and the selfish part of her only hoped it wasn't some of the crew she had gotten to know. Jovenan. K'Wara. The Captain. Bancroft. Their smiling faces carouseled in her mind. Then she felt guilt … didn't she care for them all? As the XO it was her duty to ensure they ALL got home safe. There was no room for preferences and she built a stone wall inside of herself and placed these feelings inside of it. There would be time later to mourn if that was required.
Now, she had to survive.
They were on a ridge of some kind, that consisted of those unusual yellow ‘rock’ formations and the dark rooted trees. In her mind they had simply become The Darkroot Trees. Each of them had thick, solid trunks, some of them as wide as a small shuttle. They knew how strong they could be, at least enough to hold the weight of an escape pod for a short while.
Some of the smaller Darkroot trees higher up this ridge had been broken by the pod's descent. That part of the hill side had been smeared in the ominous looking goo. Some kind of sap from the trees no doubt.
As the doctor checked over Imril, Ava carefully went to the edge of the gorge. She looked downwards, balancing on the edge carefully. Thankfully, she had never harboured a fear of heights. A childhood spent exploring the Nauran mountain peaks close to the Founders Bay with her parents had cured her of that.
She could see the bottom, barely. The pod was completely destroyed and smoke was rising from it. Any thin chance of them getting down there to retrieve the remaining packs was gone.
At the other side of the gorge was a thick woodland. Not just Darkroot but an assortment of vegetation. Which could mean food and water.
Munro: We have two choices :: points :: Over there which would make it easier to shelter in the trees, we can hopefully find a section of the gorge that narrows.
Ava was confident that it appeared to narrow out at either end, probably several kilometres either direction. If they got really lucky they could jump over. She noticed both Silveira and Imril’s uncertainty and she understood it. Which was why she offered an alternative.
Munro: :: then points up the hill/valley :: Or we go upwards. We don't know what is up there and I'd like to lower our altitude. I'm not sure about Bactricans or Bajorans but Humans need thicker air. There's no way of knowing how much daylight we have left.
Silveira: Then that narrows it down to the closest distance we can walk.
Imril: Higher elevation would also give us a better chance at spotting whatever comes out of that forest at night. We should keep an eye out for anything we can use to set up a perimeter around our camp.
She had considered wildlife, and those unusual life signs. Yet they were as uncertain of wildlife higher up and they would be weaker, at risk of altitude sickness and easier prey. Not a prospect she relished the thought of.
Jaran: I'm more likely to be able to find some medicinal plants in the valley. More biodiversity at lower elevations. At the very least, I could probably find an analgesic and a clotting agent until I can take a closer look at you all.
Ava nodded. That made sense to her.
Munro: Before we make a decision let's sort out the supplies we managed to get.
Was she stalling for time? As she made her way to the haphazard heap - which was a generous description - that had been hastily thrown from the pod her heart sank. She had hoped that more would have been spared the drop into the gorge.
2 in total and then she added the two she managed to keep hold of, then Imril added some of their own to the pile. It wasn't great, given that much of the equipment was useless to them. Still, there may be some items that could prove useful.
Silveira: Well, it could have been worse.
Ava appreciated Silveira’s optimistic outlook. She smiled and patted him on the back in a friendly gesture to show how much she did.
Imril: :shaking their head:: Never say that. That’s when it gets worse.
As the doctor went straight for the medical kit and slung it over their shoulder. That was a positive. They had some form of medication if anyone was injured. She had no idea how long they would be stranded here. Starfleet would come searching eventually; a day or two, maybe a week at most when the Karnack failed to arrive at the fleetyard in the Borderlands.
They could survive a week or two. They had too. The immediate priority was establishing a safe base. The operations officer within her knew that a good location, and a somewhat habitable shelter would increase their chances of survival by at least 40%.
Munro: I assume the phasers are dead just like the other tech?
Vitor tried a phaser out but gave that up quickly and returned it to the pile.
Silveira: It is. ::he shrugged:: Looks like this place won’t be easy on us. ::He took a few steps and started sorting out a few of the branches on the ground.:: We will have to improvise.
Munro: Spears? :: approves :: I like it. If we have to hunt we can make some traps. But first I'd like to find a location to set up as a base of operations.
Her word choice deliberate. It was a reminder to them that they may be stranded in the wilds, but they were still Starfleet Officers and they were trained to handle this situation.
Imril: After we find shelter, I can strip some of these down for useful parts. The focusing crystals in the phasers can help us make fire, like a magnifying glass. Depending on how bright the sun or suns get. We can set the casings up around our camp as perimeter alarms. Strip tree bark to make twine for tripwires.
Ava was promoted to look up at the purple hue of the sky. Not for the first time and certainly not for the last she cursed the fact that they had little information on this planet. She had no idea if the sun's rays could penetrate the atmosphere. Do the wildlife on this planet need the sun to survive?
Silveira: It's a start
As Ava scanned the sky for answers that were not forthcoming she noticed the rolling deep purple clouds. It roiled across the horizon like a blight, flashes of red erupted within… a storm was coming.
Jaran: And don't think you're all getting away without your friendly local doctor taking a look at you. Yes, even you, Commander Munro. I insist.
Munro: I promise, Doctor, when we find a location to set up, I'm all yours :: points :: Let's get going. That storm is coming in fast.
Imril carved a Starfleet delta into the base of one of the trees. A sign that we were here in case any of the others come across this area. They will know there are survivors.
Ava quickly grabbed a pack that had some basic supplies: two blankets, a NaviPass the compass spun wildly for now but she took it anyway along with some rations and other tools that might be useful for creating a shelter.
She was disappointed that there were no shelters recovered and damned herself for not thinking more clearly when she was choosing the packs.
When she noticed the Doctor break a branch and then touch the tip of it with their tongue. She held her breath.
Munro: Careful doctor… how do you feel?
Silveira: Response
They were all distracted when Imril spoke up from several yards away.
Imril: Anyway to tell if this goop is hazardous to us? ::pointing to the yellow stones:: Or those rocks?
Jira sniffed at a patch of the sticky goop on their uniform.
Jaran: Without a tricorder, it's hard to say if the, for lack of a better word, sap is hazardous. Maybe don't eat it until we know more? Just an idea.
Munro: I second that. At one point we might have to get more adventurous and a little daring. For now we have some rations to sustain us for at least two days. Water may be more of a concern. I've got two flasks.
Silveira: Response
The others gathered up the remaining gear.
Imril: Ready to move out, Commander.
Munro: Let's go. We're going to try and go down or across. I don't want to risk altitude sickness. If we go higher we could lose consciousness or become too weak to fight off prey.
She pulled her own pack tightly around her and began to trace a westerly path, away from the approaching storm, along the gorge. Ensuring they walked a safe distance away from the edge.
Silveira: Response
Ava kept up a good pace, she could feel the shift in the atmosphere. The air had become more charged. Everything seemed to be holding itself in anticipation. Of what? She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.
After a short while they took a short break. The Doctor collected a sample of the sap, Ava surveyed the approaching cloud that was coming in fast. She felt the wind against her cheeks.
Jaran: Anyone want a close look at this stuff, off your clothes?
Imril/Silveira: Response
Ava hasn't intentionally ignored the doctor; her mind was up ahead. She had noticed the gorge narrow as they made their way along. They also seemed to be on a slow descent, which had helped her own breathing and pace. It wasn't narrow enough.
Then there were more problems.
A light cracking and rustling sound from behind them caused them to whip around. Something had moved in the Darkroot trees.
Jaran: ::loud whisper:: I'm ::hesitating nervously:: not sure if anyone heard that, but something just moved in there. I'm just gonna ::starts backing away:: move back to you all.
Ava moved instinctively towards Jaran’s position. They were too valuable to get injured. Not only for their medical experience she had seen their curiosity with the plants around them and hoped that it was more than a passing curiousity. Her own mother was a botanist and Ava wasn't too shabby with planets but by no means could she identify edible or healing plants on alien world. She could help with propagation and agriculture. That was it.
oO I should have listened to Mum more Oo
It was a quiet thought. The kind that comes through the echoes of time. A reluctant child's folly. It spoke of stubborn tantrums, door slams and old misinterpretations allowed to fester. If only she'd have listened.
There was another rustling sound in the shadows. Jaran moved faster to rejoin the group. Ava couldn't see what it was, it seemed to be sticking to the safety of the trees. Which was a good sign. It was cautious, perhaps frightened.
She hoped it didn't mean it had a level of intelligence that meant it was stalking them… those thoughts were not helpful at all as her heart began to pick up a beat.
Munro: Silveira, keep the doctor safe. Let's start to slowly back off.
Ava picked up the largest boulder she was able to hold as they backed away.
Imril/Silveira: Response
This wasn't her first encounter with wild creatures. Naura was filled with them, to varying degrees of danger. But she knew them. She knew that a Gorgaska would run if you screamed at it. A Delik looked fierce but was truly harmless and only interested in a snack. A Lionspear you had to be calm and quiet, and make yourself large.
She hoped that this creature would let them go without forcing her to choose an option.
Jaran: You know, I'm terrified right now. But I'll admit to being very curious about what kind of fauna this place has spawned.
Munro: :: quiet and keeping her calm :: Me too, Jira. Me too.
As she continued to back off. She heard a low growl and a snarl coming from a tree. Then it emerged.
A small furred creature about the size of a domestic Earth canine, but that's where the similarities ended. It was lithe and muscular, it's head was elongated and flat with what she could only describe as a spike for a mouth. It's forelegs seemed to be larger with more mass than the rest of it, probably for climbing. It's mouth was covered in the dark gooey sap.
Munro: Hold steady.
It cautiously sniffed at the area that Jaran had broken off the branch and a long snake like tongue began to sample the sap. It turned and snarled at them to back off.
Imril/Silveira/Jaran: Response
Munro: :: calm :: Let's be good neighbours. Nice and calmly we'll back off. No sudden movements, Spiky here just wants to sample the local delicacies.
And that's when the thunder sounded from above. A single boom. The creature squealed and rushed back into the trees.
Imril/Silveira/Jaran: Response
Ava looked above and the clouds were on them, the wind picked up immediately and she dropped the boulder to steady herself. The clouds began to fall into the gorge, flashes of red light erupted from it hitting the yellow ‘rocks’ all around them. One flash close to them cracked the rock in two.
Munro: Keep away from the yellow rocks!
The whole area began to mist up with thick purple clouds and a forceful swirling wind that knocked her off balance. She stumbled towards the others.
Munro: Keep close! Head for the trees!
If it was good enough for Spiky, she figured the creature would know better than them. She grabbed hold of Imril, more for support as they braced against the wind. Each step felt like a push against an immovable wall.
Imril/Silveira/Jaran: Response
Tags/TBC
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240004LL2