[P-Past] Lt. Alora DeVeau - "There And Back Again." (No Tags)

[Amanda Nordstrom]

((Somewhere lost in time))


::Her hand remained outstretched despite the fact her surroundings had
suddenly become filled with verdant hues. The high pitched twitter of
some sort of fowl coupled with a hum of an unseen insect rang through
her ears as Alora twirled about. Arching walls and gleaming machines had
made way for a sunlit glade surrounded by towering trees which seemed to
lean inward, as if curious about the sudden arrival of a strange and
unusual creature.::


DeVeau: Oh. Another one. Lovely.


::Fortunately, her first venture through time had been an experience
shared with someone she knew and trusted. That made her second time
through a bit less frightening, though the more pleasant surroundings
also helped.

Over the ground, tiny flowers bloomed in a thick saffron blanket which
emerged from the shadows thrown by the surrounding forest. Carefully,
she crouched upon the ground and gently fingered the minute petals.
Smooth and silky, she plucked a couple and placed them into a specimen
pouch before she rose and tried to gather her bearings. ::


DeVeau: All right, now what?


::While she and Aron had been trapped for half a Terran day, little time
had passed among her colleagues. Would she find a similar situation once
she returned? ::


DeVeau: I guess there’s nothing to do but wait.


::While there was no one to truly talk to, Alora felt better speaking
aloud, even if she was the only one who would hear. Since she would have
to wait a while before she could return to her own time, perhaps she
could at least do some exploring and maybe learn more about that
strange, out of time planet. Had she gone forward or back in time? Most
likely, she had returned to the past considering that she had been in an
enormous building when she’d been whisked away. Of course, that didn’t
necessarily mean she was in the past. What if it had been demolished?
What if the fractures could take you to different places as well as
different times? Well, there was only one possible way to find out -
explore.::


::Although the glade was glorious, Alora passed into the shelter of the
surrounding forest. Trees stretched languidly toward the sky, their
thick canopy allowing just enough light for under brush to grow, though
not overpower. Tiny fragments of sunbeams dappled the ground and the
soft grass hushed Alora’s gentle footfalls. Here and there, a twig would
snap or a bush would rustle from whatever wildlife was hiding away, wary
of the odd biped that trekked through their terrain.


While unfamiliar, the scenery was pleasant enough. The day was neither
too cold, nor too warm and a gentle breeze teased the branches and urged
the leaves in their rustling gossip. The whispered chatter was
interrupted by resonant crack then followed by a squeal. Initially,
Alora’s response was to halt, but another cry tugged at her and she
immediately sprang into a run. The sounds continued, dictating her path
until she came to a rather substantial tree with branches that swept low
to the ground. Clinging to one of those branches was a Peppalexian,
though of a more diminutive size in comparison to those she had met
before. The lowest branches had offered a tantalizing array of steps
that, with a bit of stretching, would allow one to navigate up the
trunk. Alora could only surmise the child had been far too tempted to
resist, but unfortunately, the branch he, or she, had been on gave way
before he (or she) had a chance to fully climb on to the next. The child
dangled and writhed, whistling and clicking in fear. Alora trotted up to
the tree, but the young Peppalexian was a good ten feet above her.
Although she could climb the tree herself, doing so might actually cause
more branches to break, not to mention she had no idea how she’d reach
considering the branch closest had already given way. There was only one
thing to do.::


DeVeau: Let go, I’ll catch you!


::Whether or not the child understood her, Alora wasn’t sure. If
anything, her sudden vocalisation and presence startled the hapless
youngster into letting go whether or not that was the desired outcome.
Down the juvenile tumbled, right into Alora’s out stretched hands.
Unfortunately, the Peppalexian, however much smaller than his (or her)
brethren, was still substantial enough that Alora felt something snap
even as the two suddenly became acquainted with the ground. Alora’s
chest ached and when she attempted to breathe, the air sliced through
her rather than allowed her to truly breathe. Immediately, the child
rolled off and then darted back, eyes wide, lavender-hued flaps flaring
and fluttering. Alora didn’t attempt to follow as she found the task to
breathe through the knife that seemed intent to slice her into pieces
far more worrisome at the present moment. After a moment, she managed to
figure out how to breathe again, though each and every inhalation and
exhalation was chaperoned by that obstinate blade.::


::Although the child had backed away out of reach, he (or she) paused
when she (lavender...had to be a she, right? Maybe?) realised the
strange creature was not attempting to pursue her. That hesitation
allowed Alora a moment to study her through each pain-laced breath. The
child was smaller than she had expected, though what age was impossible
for her to ascertain. Peppalexians developed different. That one seemed
about the size of a six year old Terran, but she had no idea the alien’s
actual age. If nothing else, she weighed more than a Terran child her
size would have. Either that, or gravity just really liked her.::


DeVeau: Hi.


::That single, wispy syllable was enough to cause the child to jerk back
another few inches, but again, there was not attempt at a chase. When
they’d lain and sat there for a few more moments, simply staring at each
other, boldness seemed to creep into the child and she inched forward
then stopped. Again, she crept closer, just a little, then paused. A
series of such movements followed and, when it was evident that Alora
wasn’t up to going anywhere or even moving at the moment, the child grew
even more daring and finally closed the distance between them.::


DeVeau: Hi.


::Even that was difficult to speak. Unlike before, the child didn’t try
to retreat. Curiosity had overcome fear and she examined Alora, then
extended a single, slender finger to carefully poke her arm.::

DeVeau: I’m not ticklish.


::Not in the traditional sense. Any attempt at humour was lost, for
either the child didn’t understand her because of a problem with the
translator, or she just didn’t get it. When her own words were then
answered by a set from the child, Alora realised that the translator
wasn’t working.::


DeVeau: Sorry. Don’t understand.


::Another flurry of sounds escaped from the smaller body and the
Peppalexian leaned over and tilted her head so that she and the human
were now face to face in the same direction. Despite her pain, Alora
smiled. The next set of noises seemed punctuated and Alora could only
take it as question. What question? She didn’t know, but it seemed to
make sense to answer it, even if she didn’t know what it was.::


DeVeau: I’m Alora.


::There was a pause and a shorter burst of syllables. Somehow, it seemed
an attempt to repeat what was being said. :::


DeVeau: Alora. A...lo...ruh.


Child: Al-or-uh…


::That evoked a smile. Unfortunately, or, perhaps, fortunately, the next
thing Alora knew, she was confronted by the cool steel of a wall and a
familiar hum of machinery. With a careful motion, she twisted her head
to glance around. Yes. Yes she was. She was back on the Garuda. How she
had gotten there, she didn’t know, but now she could have something very
important dealt with.::


DeVeau: Ow.


*********************


Lt. Alora DeVeau

Chief of Science

USS Garuda