Lieutenant JG Ollie Bergmen - Has anyone ordered a couple of Starfleet officers on ice?
CPT Arianus
(( Campsite – Inside the Cliffs – Callis I ))
Single Gideon's eye met seven others. Two souls met in that gaze. The silent clash of wills lasted a single heartbeat. Confidence squared off against doubt, while calmness battled anxiety. Those monstrous eyes dared him to try, but the fear deep within him screamed to run.
And Ollie Bergman lost that battle before it even truly began.
He let the tarpaulin slip from his fingers and began to back away slowly as a low growl came from behind the tarp.
Bergmen: We need to step back. And big fire…. (beat) And let it be.
After taking a few tentative steps back, Ollie tossed aside his caution and gestured to the doctor to pick up the speed as he raced back to the campsite. Lieutenant K'Wara must have spotted their approach, since they were already rousing the commander.
K’Wara: Commander, you better out here. There’s trouble.
They both lined up behind the lieutenant and waited for the commander, trying to cope with the adrenaline levels that were coursing through their tired bodies.
Jovenan: Coming.
Bergman took a slow breath, blinking to rid himself of the image of those terrifying eyes. They frightened him more than the sharp fangs that accompanied them. The fangs were merely a weapon, a straightforward danger, an advantage the monster had over him. This posed a simple problem with a simple solution. While the monster was given fangs and claws, he was given intelligence to come with weapons to counter the natural advantages of predators.
And he already possessed a hatchet.
But the malevolent intelligence lurking behind those eyes was unlike anything one would expect from a mere predator. Those eyes were not just watching; they were dissecting his very essence as recognized him as an equal. Already strategizing, weighing possibilities, and formulating plans to outmaneuver him and the others.
And more, those eyes did not fear.
Bancroft: ::quietly to Bergmen:: Just making sure... you saw what I saw, right?
Bergmen: ::whispers to Bancroft:: If you're referring to that zîha who filled half the tunnel, chomping on a bone the size of my hand as if it were a mere cracker… No, I didn't take any notice, really.
The flap on the Commander's tent swung open with a distinct rustle, allowing a sliver of light to spill into the gloom within. A head emerged cautiously, revealing a face etched with striking annoyance. The Commander furrowed her brow deeply, narrowing her piercing eyes as they adjusted to the brightness outside, focusing on the trio outside.
To Ollie's surprise, she didn't chop them into crumbs right away, even though he would have preferred if she had. At least then that creature outside could chew him up better.
K’Wara: Status?
Bancroft: ::terse:: Large predator, just outside the tunnel to the left of the waterfall. It was feeding when I saw it – still is, as far as I can tell.
Bergmen: ::swallows before speaking:: I could look it in the eye directly, and I even didn’t try - and most of it was body and muscle. (beat) And it glanced at me as if I was more of a snack than a danger.
The report seemed to bring immense satisfaction to the commander to such an extent that Ollie’s wish to become little more than a finely sliced appetizer might actually come true.
Jovenan: ::hissing through her teeth:: And you only woke me up now?
Jovenan's attention was, unfortunately, or fortunately, diverted from the trio of subordinates by a sound that certainly did not match their hopes of the monster feeding and leaving. Ollie could hear it too—the sound of the creature lurking just beyond the barrier. Its claw glided steadily along the taut tarpaulin, moving slowly and deliberately. It was as if the monster were methodically testing the material's strength. Each deliberate stroke was a careful examination, a chilling assessment of the fragile shield that separated it from them.
The fabric held for now, but only just.
K’Wara: That sounds like a bit more than a passing curiosity. We don’t have a ::glances to the hatchet with a frown:: productive way of fighting it back, so we need a deterrent of some kind, or a way to get away from it. And fast.
Bancroft: ::measured:: Fighting it’s off the table. Running blind isn’t much better. ::beat:: So we make it reconsider coming in.
Bergmen shook his head at Bancroft.
Bergmen: If you happen to have a concealed functional phaser or welder, now is the time. Our guest is unlikely to find the Chicken Masala from our rations repellent…
But there was no time for arguments.
Jovenan: The people here survived long enough to carve all that to the walls. There must be something in here that kept the beasts away.
Bancroft: From what I saw, if it truly wanted to be in here, it would be already. It seems like it’s… evaluating. ::rubbing hands over his face:: Weighing its options. A predator doesn't do that unless there’s something in here that gives it pause.
Those words made Ollie pause and reflect, as there was something about them. Perhaps it was merely toying with them; maybe they were nothing more than fleeting distractions for the evening, and the monster had no real interest in them. Or maybe Roy was right... And there was something in these caves that caused it to linger instead of rushing in.
Bergmen: It might suffer from photophobia, or have sensitive hearing. Or ultrasonic vocalization locator, who knows. Any of those can sound of the waterfall with the wind disturb.
K’Wara: Response
The Commander had her own idea.
Jovenan: The tarpaulin's fireproof, right?
Bancroft: I– yes, ma’am, but–
Bergmen: ::doubts in face as he whispers:: Technically more like one twenty resistant…
K’Wara: Response
Whatever thoughts were running through Commander Jovenan's mind, she decided to act on them. By the time Ollie understood her intentions, she was already gripping the burning, smoldering moss with makeshift grips, moving toward the tarpaulin. Bergmen felt a bit foolish about his earlier remark regarding the tarpaulin’s fire resistance. The flames from the moss were merely warm, not the kind of heat that the tarpaulin was designed to withstand directly for 120 minutes. Against flames from the moss, the tarpaulin was definitely resistant…
And then it happened. The flame touched the tarpaulin. The growl reverberated through the cavern like the rumblings of a distant storm as the tarp tore. The tarp seemed to part effortlessly, torn – not in a frenzy, but with an eerie precision – revealing a fleeting glimpse of a pale, hooked claw that flexed menacingly before receding, as if satisfied with the test of its presence.
Jovenan: Not working. Not working!
2:0 for the monster. People were food. The fire was obviously less than a heater.
What then could be the point they so desperately needed to lower the score?
The Doctor clearly had an idea.
Bancroft: ::shouting:: Away from the tunnel! Toward the water!
The doctor's voice was muffled by the waterfall's roar, yet even without hearing every word, it was clear what the doctor was thinking. Ollie quickly nodded to Roy and, heel by heel, took off his shoes.
K’Wara/Jovenan: Response
The idea of taking off his shoes immediately might have seemed like a good idea at the time because he wouldn't have to delay taking them off by the water, but as soon as Bergmen started running, he began to regret the decision. The fact that the stones were sharp was bearable. The slippery stones were worse.
Bancroft: ::gasping:: Not… fire! Not… people! Maybe… water!
It could have been a flawless dive into the pool, but instead, it turned into a clumsy pirouette reminiscent of a young giraffe trying to stand on its feet for the first time, which ended with JG flopping around and far from the doctor into the pool and splashing onto its surface with all the grace of a stone. A moment later, Ollie's head popped up through the foam from which he had vanished.
Bergmen: ::chattering teeth:: Cold! Too cold! Freezing!
His expression was telling - the water temperature was far from ideal for wearing just underwear.
K’Wara/Jovenan: Response
Bergmen was treading water, taking in the others as they joined him in the water. Roy was halfway in when he turned to the tunnel. Ollie didn't see what the doctor saw, and he even couldn't nor want. All it took was a glance at the doctor's face for him to understand.
Bancroft: ::teeth chattering:: K-keep your breathing s-steady. Don’t… hyperventilate.
The operations officer couldn't say a word, chattering teeth, he only nodded.
K’Wara/Jovenan: Response
A dark shadow crept across the ceiling of the cave from the direction where the tunnel was.
So that's how it was. The monster finally made its decision, and the tarp gave up.
Ollie swam away from the shimmering edge of the pool towards the cascade of the waterfall, but its roar was hardly enough to drown out what he saw. Lizard-ish monster slowly walked into the heart of their camp, and young JG could have sworn he saw it gently nuzzle against the flaming moss, as if it were embracing the flames rather than fearing them, before it lifted its head and took a loud breath, drawing air into its nostrils.
After a few long moments of deep breathing, inhaling and exhaling, the creature tilted its head back and glanced at the pool, at them.
At them directly.
Bergmen: ::teeth chattering:: Com..ander?
K’Wara/Jovenan/Bancroft: Response
If Bergmen hadn't witnessed it himself, he wouldn't have believed it was real. The monstrous lizard stepped to the edge of the pool and tentatively dipped one of its front claws in, only to quickly pull the toes back. In fact, it leaped back two steps from the water's edge… and then squirted a short stream of fluid from its nostrils into the water, just to turn back toward the camp, scuttling back to the fireplace where it began stomping fire with its previously soaked clawed toes.
It was literally the shortest story about life decisions.
Bergmen: ::teeth chattering:: Looks… looks like it… it not… like… a cold, hm?
K’Wara/Jovenan/Bancroft: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Ollie Bergmen
Operations Officer
U.S.S. Artemis-A
A240009JC1