Close Encounters (Part Two)

Posted on 24 Jan 2014 @ 8:30am by Ensign K'os Beaumont & Senior Chief Petty Officer Keval zh'Erinov

2,334 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Emaracdero | Holodeck
Timeline: MD 17 1930

[LAST TIME]

He had just breathed out a sigh of relief, when suddenly he caught a glimpse of the side of the mountain suddenly appearing. He set the craft into a steep bank, but it was not quite enough. He missed crashing straight on into the side of the cliff, but he heard and felt the sound of metal tearing on rock and the shuttlecraft came to a sudden violent stop.

[THE CONTINUATION]


A tear up above him opened up and the small ship was suddenly filled with frigid atmosphere.

The safety protocols kept them both in their seat, but the impact shocked him. It actually hurt a bit as the shuttle hit and he was left looking around the damage with his eyebrows raised. It was starting to become clear that he misunderstood what a holonovel was entirely.

His experience with holodecks until now were always restricted to just simulating different environments that were pleasing or recreational not designed to simulate stress. His eyes widened as he looked up through the tear in the hull and saw the swirling snow. It was starting to spill around the cabin, stinging his cheeks slightly. He looked at Keval for a moment suddenly looking embarrassed that he was immersing himself in the game like the Andorian was. A mature person didn't ooh and ahh over something as simple as a holonovel. The young man's cheeks flushed red as his embarrassment became anger. Building stronger. Anger at himself for--

Like a switch, his face became slightly passive. Employing the Vulcan Wh'ltri technique to disconnect the emotions from the structure of his brain involved in rational thought and decision making. It was a technique taught to all Vulcan children. K'os didn't always use it, but he was too overstimulated to continue the game otherwise. He realized the effect could be jarring for anyone that didn't know him, but he'd long given up making excuses to people. He just did what he had to do. His eyebrows lowered, and his breathing slowed. His cheeks returned to it's normal colour and any sign of anger was gone. Though with it, so too was his usual jovial smile. Just a calm, passive expression. "We need to move."

Keval was a student of human nature and couldn't help but notice the sudden shift in his new companion's countenance. "K'os I'm going to go get some coats and emergency gear out of the storage locker But I need to know if you're okay to continue. You look kind of funny. If you're just acting, I'm cool with that. Ifi it is something more I 'd like to know.

"I'm okay to continue." His voice was even and calm. "I misunderstood what a holonovel was. I've never played one, and I should have asked you to clarify." He gave him a smile to reassure him he was ok, but it lacked the usual warmth. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable but I assure you I'm having fun." He cocked his head slightly, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows in that how-does-that-sound kind of way.

"You didn't make me feel uncomfortable, I was just you know concerned. And you don't have to talk about it at all if you don't want to. Anyway, you check out the weapons locker underneath the rear seat I'll get the other stuff we need."

He stood then and moved to the rear of the shuttle. The weather concerned him a little he'd made changes to accommodate pinkskins, but he knew it was still going to be bad. "Oh and get some extra thermal blankets. We may need them."

By we he meant K'os. He knew that Vulcans might be tough as a warp coil, but this was an Andorian's element. He grabbed a couple of empty backpacks and began filling with emergency supplies.

K'os reached under his seat and grabbed the weapons locker. After retrieving it's contents he handed Keval a phaser and a spare power cell. He then quickly spun and kicked the broken console in front of him cracking it further. He then lifted the front casing and pulled out several components and some wires that the engineering specialist thought would be useful later and wrapped them up before putting them in his pack. When he was ready he retrieved a cold weather coat from Keval.

"Nice thinking," Keval commented, when he watched the Vulcan put the components into a backpack He had to almost shout to be heard above the howling wind and they were still inside the relative shelter of the damaged shuttle craft.

As he took the phaser and spare energy pack he continued, "I am assuming that our 'friends' that shot us down won't be far behind. We need to find a cave to protect us from this weather and any sensors they might have."

"Then we should disable the auto crash beacon. They'll search for that first won't they?" He knelt down next to the pilots seat, and rolled himself on to his back to awkwardly shimmy his lean body under the pilot's console. After a moment he wiggled back out with a grin. "There. Now how do we get out?"

Keval looked back at him with a frown. 'I'm afraid we will have to go through the hole up there. The door is jammed and I doubt the two of us together could open it. Its a good thing we're both in good shape. You want to go first, or should I?"

K'os, under the influence of rational and emotionally detached thoughts now. Decisively he marched over to the tear and squatted, interlocking his fingers. After helping Keval up, he turned and offered his arm. When he was helped out, he took a moment to survey their surroundings. It was hard to make anything out in the wash of snow. A faint out line of rock could be seen a few hundred meters from the crash. The wind was too loud, so he squeezed Keval's arm then pointed to the mountain feature.

Keval gave a brief nod. If he had been raised on his home planet, his eyesight would have no doubt been sharper than K'os's, or he would have been more adept at picking things out. As it was they were both on par with each other.

They had to bend almost double keeping low to the ground to make any headway at all against the fierce wind. It took them a good, bone chilling, energy draining, forty minutes to travel the 200 meters, another twenty before they found what they were looking for. A cave.

With phaser in one hand Keval stepped inside. It was very dark inside, but the sound of the wind was just an echo of what it had been and there was at least a twenty degree change in the temperature.

"You're not shivering." He observed with a little bit of admiration in his voice. Even with the flannel jacket and the parka he was wearing he was still shaking as he stamped his feet to warm up. He looked around the cave. It seemed larger further in, but his night vision wasn't very good.

"Andorians are notoriously warmer blooded. Once we get to the desert you'll have a bit of an advantage. For now, I don't want you to get sick. Let's see if we can get a fire started.

If that doesn't work, you can always sleep against me. Two are better than one and in all seriousness, I will be good and keep my hands to myself?"

Sleep against him? He wondered how long a holonovel typically lasted. Maybe it was just part of the story, he thought. In either case he stayed relatively in character. He thought he heard the sounds of a craft fly close by, but with the wind, he couldn't be sure. He looked at Keval and nodded, "Alright." He assumed if the objectives of the game were to survive the elements, he was going to need a fire soon. "Have you played this game before?" He asked, breaking character absentmindedly.

"Only once, the guy I played with wasn't quite as resourceful as you so we didn't get far. We can pause or fast forward , Especially now when nothing much is supposed to happen. If you want we can just skip till the next morning. Up to you."

That just made him more determined to survive the challenges. Clearly this first objective was to survive the cave. The game must be programmed to move on when the objective was complete. He wanted Keval to have a good time so he put a hand on the Andorian's shoulder.

"Well--" A sound outside made him look towards the entrance again. "Did you hear something?" K'os tentatively moved towards the entrance to listen better. He turned and looked at Keval with a questioning look?

Keval walked towards him then stood stock still. The only thing moving was his goon antenna," Yeah I think so. Let''s see if we can set some kind of trap, in case its our unwelcome guests.

Thinking quickly, he remembered Keval's trade. He sank to one knee and opened his pack. He handed over the components he'd salvaged. "Can you use these? I can build a fire, we'll loose this objective if I don't get warm soon." He looked to the entrance. "Then again, if they find us we'll loose. I'm a horrible fighter."

Despite his having resolved to keep this experience strictly a game between two potential friends, There were other thoughts in the back of his mind. Thoughts he pushed away because he didn't want the Vulcan to pick up on them.

"Yes,"he said, just managing to stay in character, I can use those, but first let's get that fire going. Set it in the back of the cave,or see if there is an alcove or send cave. I'm going to go out and pile snow around the entrance.make it more difficult for them to find us.

He pulled out a dangerous looking knife with a 12" serrated blade. "If there's a fight, then let me handle it."

K'os didn't need to argue with that. If pressed, he had the training from boot camp and his Vulcan hybrid strength but he was no match for a anyone trained in close quarters combat.

There was enough kindling for him to get something started, but they were going to need more wood if it was to keep them warm. further back in the cave, K'os would notice a couple of dead branches. They would have been ideal if he could find a way to cut them into smaller pieces.

Keval was enjoying himself in the snow and ice. It had been a long time since he'd experienced such an environment. It did not take him long to block the entrance to the cave, but as he stepped back inside he sneezed suddenly.

Using his phaser, K'os cut manageable pieces out of the sticks he found at the back of the cave. He had a small fire going by the time Keval returned. He furrowed his brow at the sneeze. "Are you unwell?"

The Andorian cocked his head slightly."Not as far as I know, but its kind o weird. Never really get sick. Maybe the system is throwing us a curve ball. Some kind of obstacle. Maybe its something else. At any rate I doubt its serious and I'm not going to let it stay in the way of our having fun and getting to the next goal."

"I've got the fire started," he pointed behind him with his thumb, " and you've got the cave entrance covered. What are we missing?" He wondered as he looked around, as if expecting to be moved to the next stage. Something told him there was still more to come.

"Maybe we are missing something, Why don't we look around the cave more and see what we can find. Maybe that will take us t..." they both heard a rumbling like the sound of a shuttlecraft or runabout landing very close,

"Quick," Keval said suddenly, "Take off your clothes." He began to do the same.

His eyebrows nearly raised off his forehead. He wasn't keen on taking off the only jacket keeping him warm. Assuming it was a joke that went over his head he stood waiting for more instructions. That rumbling did certainly sound close.


"I'm totally serious K'Os. I don't want to have sex with you," Keval said not quite truthfully, "As good looking as you might be. That ship should not be that close Before the scene takes place, we were supposed to have been approached at a bar. There was dancing and lot of jostling, Someone could have planted a but, a listening device, on one of us. We need to check out the clothes to make sure there's nothing that shouldn't be there.

No get your stuff and come over by the console you brought I'll use it to help check stuff out. promise I won' t look at anything I'm not supposed to."

He slowly brought his hand up and unzipped his jacket a little. Looking from the cave entrance to Keval. "Are you saying it isn't part of the game?"

"What I am saying is we should be at the next level and the ship shouldn't be here yet," Keval said slipping out of character, "I did program some random elements though, so I am sure that's why this is happening. So this is part of the game, just not one I planned" He slipped his shirt off and tossed it back towards the consoled, his aim was off the mark a bit. Then he started pulling his pants off. The flickering flame cast shadows through the cave but Keval's body was silhouetted in the orange and purple light.

[TO BE CONCLUDED]

Chief Petty Officer Keval Grayon
Operations
USS Galileo
&

PO3 K'os Beaumont
Matter/Energy Systems Specialist
USS Galileo

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