Lt JG Imril - End Of The Trail
Chris Taylor
((Fohledi Nature Reserve, Rylor ))
Imril: Option one, I break my promise and perform a little surgery. And you two get to be my nurses, and help wipe off aaaaallll of this leaked oil up as best we can, to prevent an overheat when the engine gets up to speed… Option two, we just call this bike in as totalled and Ollie can ride with me? Please say Option Two.
Bergmen: Depends. One sounds like quite a long and laborious operation requiring the entire surgical team… while another…
Roy’s gaze shifted briefly to the bike, then back to Imril, then to Ollie – conducting a quick, silent comparison between patient and machine.
Bancroft: In my professional opinion… she’s dead, Im’.
Ollie laughed.
Bergmen: Yeah, given our situation, we should also consider our security as well, agree. So, option two it’ll be.
Roy inclined his head once, as if a particularly reasonable diagnosis had just been confirmed.
Bancroft: Concur.
Imril: ::False contrition:: I humbly yield to the majority.
Roy and Imril stepped back as Ollie retrieved the beacon. A call to the rental agency later, the beacon was he placed and transmitting.
Imril took that time to scan for one of the nearby and less-upended trail beacons. They used its identity codes to identify the Park Maintenance communication channel, and send a notice about the landslide.
Afterwards, there was nothing left to do but put helmets back on and see where the trail -- what remained of it -- led.
Bergmen: Ready when you are.
Roy swung back onto his bike, settling into position and kicked it into gear with considerable ease. Then twisted the throttle, rumbling up towards an overlook higher up the mountainside.
Bancroft: =/\= Looks like a nice spot a few hundred meters up to watch the sunset. Y’all game? =/\=
Imril: Sounds good to me.
Imril collected what remained of the stash of emergency supplies under the seat of Ollie’s bike -- just in case -- and secured them within their own vehicle. Then swapped their leg up and over the seat. They felt the bump of Ollie settling down into the space behind them, followed by the warmth of his arms closing in around their waist. Then throttled up and followed Roy towards vistas unseen.
Bergmen(?): Response?
(( Some time later ))
Three figures looked down an expanse of land in silence. The final rays of Rylor’s sunlight painted lines of gold across the purpled landscape.
For Imril, it was a far brighter reflection of the views they’d had of the jungle valleys of Callis. A sort of reward for making it away from that world. And an invitation to leave behind the pains and horrors and struggles of that place. Which they took, letting it all go with a deep exhalation cast into the cooling air of Rylor.
More than that, the view was a silent promise -- from the galaxy to them -- of more vistas to be seen in the future. More alien land to tread, and discoveries to be made.
Bergmen(?): Response?
TAG/End Scene for Imril
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Lieutenant Imril
Engineering Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240110I12