Lieutenant JG Lystra - Blinded By the Light
Rameses
((A Geyser Valley, Northern Hemisphere, Peekaboo))
She moved the sling of her rifle forward so she could grip the handle and held it in front of her. And a quick check confirmed she still had it on the lowest stun setting.
Yirah: Leran is right, we’re here to collect as much data as possible.
She watched Leran move around the creature with a knot forming in her gut. These suits weren’t exactly the stealthiest and only a fool assumed that fauna were harmless when you had phasers. She’d read countless security reports, especially back from Kirk’s era of people who misjudged the dangers of things.
Perax: We discovered it. What do you think we should name it?
Maramox: Clearly, peraoxstra.
She had her mouth halfway open to answer Leran’s question when Maramox beat her to it and she blanched.
Lystra: What? No, that’s a terrible nickname. I mean, I see what you did there but that’s clearly a Relkcoon! Relkie for short. ::she grinned::
As if to prove her point Relkie looked up in their direction and just looked so cute. Surely Jalana wouldn’t object to them bringing them on board. For, science of course.
Maramox: Try to be extra quiet. They don’t seem to have eyes. They’re likely using hearing rather than sight.
Lystra: Makes sense considering how dark this place is. That fur on its body seems to be bristling a little. Do you think it can also sense vibrations in the air?
Yirah: Through its fur you mean? Maybe.
Perax: Still it’s odd. I wouldn’t think that the planet is so dark that creatures have no eyes.
Yirah: It's possible that life on this planet just never evolved to have eyes.
She nodded in agreement. Above them the clouds brightened from a barrage of heat lightning giving them a momentary illumination of the creature beyond the lights of their suits.
Maramox: ::pleasantly:: Carbon-based!
Perax: That makes it more normal than the last life form we found.
Lystra: Shhhh! Try not to spook it.
Something caught the creature’s attention and it bolted in the direction of Lystra and Yirah. Because of course it was.
Maramox: Watch out!
Reflexively she bolted from the rock to grab Indrid and try to shove him out of the creature’s way.
Lystra: Sir, get back!
She raised the CQC rifle in front of her as Relkie barreled towards them and she fired a shot at the creature. It was a direct hit but Relkie kept running towards her. Clearly the lowest setting wasn’t effective. For a brief moment as well it looked like the creature glowed.
Lystra: Damn, increasing to the highest stun setting.
She made a quick adjustment to the power setting of the phaser as the animal bored down on them. She fired two shots rapidly, that struck it enough to make it turn its head at the last moment. Instead of being impaled on those sharp antlers she instead just had the weight of the large creature as it barreled into her. Both of them hit the ground and skidded a bit backwards. Lystra grunted as she laid on her back with Relkie on top of her.
Yirah: Lystra! Are you okay?
Maramox: Response
Perax: ::he spoke in a chagrined voice:: Sorry, I forgot my phaser.
Lystra: When we get back to the ship. We’re reviewing security protocols. ::she grunted:: Anyone wanna help get Relkie off of me, please? They’re really heavy.
Yirah: You didn't answer my question Lystra. Are you okay?
Maramox: response
When she was eventually extricated from beneath the stunned animal she dusted herself off and took a moment to check her suit. She tapped at the diagnostics on the arm computer and was relieved to see that there wasn’t any more than superficial damage.
Lystra: I’m alright. A little bruised. The suit took the brunt, I’m just glad I didn’t get impaled. That would have been bad. ::she crouched down and studied them for a moment:: They look almost metallic.
Perax: Maybe it has a high iron diet? ::he shrugged his shoulders::
While Indrid scanned the creature she dusted her suit off and checked to make sure her gear was still functional.
Yirah: A lot of iron sulfide and ::he tilted his head in confusion:: small amounts of chondrules.
Maramox: response
She looked between them. Brow raised.
Lystra: So, it’s got an excessive amount of iron and some Chrondite in its antlers? You know, when I shot it the first time I could swear its body glowed. You don’t think these animals absorb energy through their antlers?
As she asked it she looked up at the angry sky, then stepped away from Relkie.
Yirah: I saw it too. ::he paused, thinking:: As for the iron, I know that there is a type of snail from Earth that uses iron sulfide in its shell to help protect it around hydrothermal vents.
Maramox: Response
Perax: You think it used its antlers like a lightning rod. For what purpose? Defense? metabolism?
Lystra: Hmm. Good point, but I didn’t shoot it in the antlers. The Chrondite would explain why it was resistant to the lower settings, if it’s got some of that in its body. And bioluminescence makes sense in this place. Some creatures use that as a deterrent to other animals and predators, right?
The idea that these creatures evolved so their antlers acted in essence as a lightning rod was fascinating. She imagined Tann will be chomping at the bit to study these Relkcoons in better detail.
Yirah: Bioluminescence can be used in hunting, mating, as deterrent to others...
He trailed off, feeling like there was more, but he couldn't think of any others it was used for at the moment.
Maramox: Response
Perax: I just thought animals used bioluminescence to look pretty, but then I’m an engineer not a biologist.
Lystra: I only know slightly more about that because it’s in our planetary security protocols, as a potential warning sign to look out for while planetside with hostile creatures. I learned it when we had that aquatic wedding since bioluminescence is very prevalent in aquatic lifeforms.
Maramox: Response
Perax: Should we leave it here or take it with us?
She shot a curious brow at that question and glanced at the creature that had bowled her over a moment ago.
Yirah: How’d we even get it down to the shuttle.
Lystra: Not easily, it’d take at least two or three of us just to carry the thing.
Maramox: Response
Perax: Spots! I don’t know. Maybe it likes trail mix.
She chuckled at the outburst from Leran and imagined it would probably be against some regulations somewhere to introduce alien food to the lifeforms here.
Maramox: Response
Perax: We could try to hold it in stasis in a transporter buffer, and rematerialise it inside the shielded runabout. That would take care of weight, hopefully it would dematerialise properly.
Yirah: Wouldn’t transporting it carry the same risks as us transporting?
Lystra: Yes. Absolutely. Given these creatures have Chrondite in their biology I don’t know if we want to risk trying to transport them anywhere.
Maramox: Response
Yirah: I’m just not sure that we need two peraoxstra-relkcoons.
Lystra: I don’t think we even need one. We have no idea how it would react in captivity and it would be unethical to just keep shooting it to stun it.
Maramox/Perax: Response
Yirah: While we would be able to study it better in the labs. I don’t think that we should be taking it out of its environment at the moment. Not until we know that transporting it would be safe.
Lystra: I agree with Indrid. But, we should at least make use of the opportunity. Couldn’t we take a blood, and samples from it since it’s unconscious? Fur, tissue, and antler scrapings? We can bring those back for study and not risk further upsetting the creature by having it captive.
Maramox/Perax: Response
Yirah: And lets not forget why we decided to head up here originally, We still need to get the signal enhancer working to communicate with the Conny.
Lystra: Agreed. If we can make contact we should definitely get some advice from some experts. Lieutenant Ilix from Intel has a background in exozoology. I see him around Sarek all the time. If we do study these creatures he’d likely be the one to get the proper procedures on how to do so safely.
Maramox/Perax/Yirah: Response
Now that she had had a moment to stretch and was satisfied that the Relkoon didn’t do any harm to her or her gear she looked towards the area they’d settled on to place the signal enhancer.
Lystra: Based on our earlier survey we’ve got about another two hundred meters to ascend. From what I can tell it should be an easier walk now that we’re up here on the ridgeline.
Maramox/Perax/Yirah: Response
She waited a meter or two from the others and shined the lights from her suit and the phaser rifle she carried in the direction they’d be heading. It did seem to be an easier grade to traverse. Her tricorder chirped briefly and after a quick look she noted more lifesigns nearby.
Lystra: Ready when you all are. Looks like there’s more Relkcoons on the other side of the ridgeline from us. We’ll be moving away from them so hopefully we won’t have to worry about getting charged at again.
She let out a startled scream, mostly one of annoyance, as a lightning bolt slammed into the ground nearby close enough for the bright flash to momentarily blind her. It was the concussive crack that followed it almost immediately that damn near knocked her on her ass.
Maramox/Perax/Yirah: Response
Lystra: I’m alright. I swear this place doesn’t want us here. ::she grumbled:: Give me a moment, my vision is still adjusting. oO Stupid nasty planet. Oo
It took almost a full minute for the white spots to mostly fade from her vision and she was able to see where she was going.
Maramox/Perax/Yirah: Response
She took her time in leading the group along the ridgeline towards where they’d elected to set up the enhancer. To their left she could see the runabout down in the geyser valley, little more than a large shadow like a slumbering beast with all of its systems powered down.
Lystra: Will this spot work?
Maramox/Perax/Yirah: Response
[tbc/tags]
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Lieutenant JG Lystra
Tactical/Security Officer
USS Constitution-B NCC-9012-B
Writer ID: A239410TR0