Grumbling Amidst the Greenery

Posted on Sat Oct 26th, 2024 @ 2:12pm by Crewman Thyra Kevensdotter & Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Emily Mox & Ensign Jillian Mox & Petty Officer 3rd Class Keith Potter
Edited on on Wed Oct 30th, 2024 @ 6:02pm

4,154 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Interlude 1 Gamma Quadrant
Location: DS18, Agricultural Lab 3, Deck 79

[ON]

Jillian glanced down at Emily and made sure the eight year old was still where she was supposed to be. She couldn't help but be continually surprised at how much Emily was changing. The two of them stood in the middle of a mostly abandoned corridor in the very upper levels of DS18. There were a few portholes that showed the expanse of space outside, littered with some of the asteroids the Coalition and placed there. But still no wormhole. Jillian pushed the thought away.

"How much longer, Mom?" Emily asked.

"Not long, honey. Potter and that new crewman, Thyra, should be here shortly."

Emily made a face. "Why Potter? You should have asked for Kipp! He's fun. Or Gia! She's the best!"

Jillian smiled. She'd never forget what Gia did to keep Emily alive and was happy that the two of them remained close friends. "I can't just kidnap the Captain's Yeoman. Kipp is busier than the Captain. And Gia is helping get that cadet friend situated."

Emily sulked. "I'll get her situated."

Jillian ignored the comment.

As Thyra arrived in the observation lounge with Potter the transporter petty officer, she was irritated. As the recently appointed assistant melee weapons master, she had been working on designs for hand weapons when she had been interrupted by another escort mission. She knew that as a junior crewmember, she would draw the least desirable duties but it was disheartening how each assignment was less prestigious than the last. As she observed the Medical Ensign and the child, Thyra felt that she would be assigned to guard the maternity ward by the end of the week.

Jillian smiled warmly as she greeted the newcomers, “Petty Officer Potter. And Crewman Kevensdotter isn’t it?”

Thyra was surprised that the Ensign had remembered her name. They had only the briefest of encounters when she had reported aboard the Firebird, a short medical examination and verification of records. It had all been part of a whirlwind day of in-processing that had left the young security crewman without a firm memory of the Ensign’s name. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied to the greeting, “but I am afraid I have quite forgotten your name.”

Jillian’s smile did not fade. “I am not surprised,” she continued, “Being assigned to a new ship can be overwhelming even to older hands. I am Jillian Mox.”

Thyra resisted the urge to tug on a braid as was the Odinskus tradition. Instead, she held out a hand in the Federation manner of greeting, with the hand extended flat and perpendicular to the ground. Jillian reached out to clasp the proffered hand and Thyra matched the strength of the nurse’s grip. She gave three, slightly exaggerated pumps up and down with the Ensign’s hand in her own and said, “Be healthy and happy, Ensign Mox.”

“Thank you, Thyra,” Jillian answered withdrawing her hand from the clasp, “This is my daughter, Emily.”

The child’s eyes narrowed as she examined the security crewman. Thyra could see the wheels turning in that head and determined the girl was likely to be trouble. Or rather the type to innocently get into trouble. Inwardly, she sighed resignedly. An insignificant duty assignment with the challenge of an unpredictable object.

Emily looked the new lady over with a keen eye. "You look like a fighter," Emily said. "And you have pretty hair. Have you ever killed anyone?" Emily's face was surprisingly serious for a child. She waited for the Petty Officer's reply, wondering if Gia would like her.

Thyra cocked an eyebrow at the inquisitive child. Her straightforward, no-nonsense approach reminded her of her half-brother when they were the same age.

Potter ignored the ongoing conversation and stepped up to Ensign Mox. Potter had known Jillian for a long time, even before when she'd just been a civilian nurse.

"Sir, can I ask why I am here? I don't think there are any transporters on this deck. Or at least none I could find when I did the survey for Lieutenant Woodhouse," Potter said, sounding slightly whiny.

"I needed an operations officer to help check the power relays and the data access ports that should be inside this botanical garden so I asked for you."

Potter was shocked. "You asked for me?"

Jillian nodded. "I know you can take Emily's abuse." Potter nodded and both of them watched the interaction between Thyra and Emily.

"I thank you for the compliment, little one," Thyra replied. Her security uniform and pair of hand axes secured on her belt at the small of her back were a dead give away but a girl always liked to be called a fighter, "and I have killed many, although mostly in simulation. A shieldmai...a security guard often must to protect her charge."

The girl crossed her arms and stuck her lip out in a pout, "Mom never lets me play with weapons." This did not surprise Thyra. Odinskus children her age were already practicing with non-lethal versions of adult weapons but Federation parents had a more pacific attitude that violence was a last resort.

Thyra nodded sagely. "She is wise, then, because one does not 'play' with weapons. You might accidentally stab a friend or cut off your own toes. Then who could you run to?" She gave a half smile at the Odinskus joke that her mother had used on her in similar circumstances.

Emily frowned. "Why would I run to anyone? I'd just bandage my own toes or take care of my friend. I once helped Gia when she almost died after this guy cut her eye out and threw us in prison."

Thyra rolled her eyes. Another wunderkind. Barely half the size of an adult and already had a know-it-all attitude. Just like her half-brother. Well, experience was the best teacher.

Jillian decided that line of conversation was headed in a direction she didn't want to explore. "Alright everyone, now that we are all here, we can get started. The Captain is concerned that with the influx of additional people, the food replicators might be overstressed. He also thinks getting more real food back into our systems will be a morale boost. This hydroponics bay was just coming online when the alien Coalition attacked. I'm hoping that you two can help me set things right or at least make an assessment. Potter, I need you to do a thorough analysis of the power systems and see if anything is off. Thyra, I wonder if you have any experience with gardening or plants or anything?" Jillian asked.

Thyra frowned. So the Ensign wanted scientific expertise, not a security detail. "I have little practical experience," she admitted with a little embarrassment, "I took botany as part of basic science training but did very poorly."

"Oh," Jillian replied while losing her smile, "I thought that the Odenskuss...Odinskoose...your people were primary farmers."

Thyra shrugged. The Odinskusinerdreimalentferntwurdier was a less technologically advanced society that relied on what the Federation sociologists call "traditional" methods of food production but her own upbringing had followed a different path. "My mother is a shieldmaiden and my father serves in Star Fleet," she said matter-of-factly, "I didn't spend much time in the fields. And you can use the shorter version Odinskus when referring to my people." Most people had trouble pronouncing the culture's formal name and the Odinskus shorted the name themselves to expedite conversations.

"Hmmm," Jillian thought, "I was going to ask you to assist in repairing the automated preservation systems but I suppose that Potter can assist with that."

"You suppose?" Potter interjected a little wounded.

It wasn't ideal. Jillian knew of Potter's aversion to hard work but at least he had the aptitude for the task. "Perhaps you can assist Emily with weeding the plant beds and removing the dead vegetation from the hydroponics?"

Thyra sighed resignedly to herself. Demoted to menial labor. Her day was just getting better and better. To Jillian, her expression masked her true thoughts as she responded, "Certainly, Ensign."

Then to Emily she said, "Come along, little one. You can show me the vicious weeds that we must do battle with."

Emily liked the sound of that so she followed the crewman in through the door that Potter had just managed to restore power. She and Thyra were the first inside the dome area. She could see some medium-sized trees and undergrowth that was wildly overgrown, making it hard to move around,

"At least it doesn't smell so bad," Emily said. I think I see a building over there!" She yelled and began running in that direction.

Thyra rolled her eyes in resigned exasperation. This little one was definitely trouble, she thought. Still, she followed behind the young girl at a gentle jog, arriving at the building after Emily had entered.

The building was a large agricultural storage facility, similar in function to the the barns of her native planet, Pyxis Alpha V. There were rows of mechanical equipment for plowing, planting, and harvests as well as hand tools for small-scale applications. There was a large, cleared area in the center of the structure which would allow for the easy maneuvering of equipment. Curiously, the barn also contained environmental suits, survival packs, and shock batons.

Thyra looked at the out of place equipment with some confusion. Why would these items be stored in agricultural area rather than in an armory? What could botanists do with such equipment on a farm? After a couple of moments of contemplation, she shook her head and dismissed her concerns. Commanders and their staffs often had strange reasons for the decisions that they made.

She selected a pair of shovels, hoes, and weeders from the hand tools situated on the wall of the barn and loaded them into a wheelbarrow. To Emily, she handed four empty buckets. Pushing the wheelbarrow, both girls exited the barn.

"Why don't we use the automated equipment?" Emily asked, "It would be a lot faster."

Because your mother wants me to keep you busy and out of the way, Thyra thought. Out loud, she said, "Are you certified to operate any of that equipment? I thought not. Besides, Petty Officer Potter hasn't restored them to full operation yet."

"Oh," Emily replied, pursing her lips into a pout.

[Two hours later]

Thyra was getting sore in areas that she had previously not experienced. She remembered her father's advice to employ training techniques that emphasized the whole body and his love of parkour. She was determined to re-examine her workout routine with this in mind.

Emily turned out to be a better worker than Thyra had expected, once she had gotten over her disappointment. Thyra had turned the work into a game of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-faster and ensured that the girl was always just a little ahead of her. Thus they had made impressive progress in clearing the field around the barn.

The work wasn't as boring as it might have been as Emily kept up and steady stream of questions and conversation. Thyra found herself liking the little girl and shared with her things about her own life and childhood that no one else had ever bothered to ask about.

"It is time," Thyra said nodding towards the buckets that they were filling with weeds. "You should hurry or I will pass you up!" Emily grabbed both buckets and moved quickly to the barn. One of the simpler devices in the barn had been a hand-operated shredder that fed into the composter. After showing her how to operate it, Emily delighted in the task and was eager for the opportunity to use the machine again.

[Agricultural Lab 3 Power Array]

Potter was slowly diagnosing the power relays and data ports. Life support functions were unaffected, but the power transmission systems for the automated farm equipment were almost entirely fused. It was a simple enough task to replace the component and resequence the isolinear chips but it was something that he could slow roll over the next couple of shifts to prevent Chief Stephens from finding something more challenging for him to do.

There was one component that was foreign to his eye. Connected to the main power input was a strange device whose function he could not discern. It appeared to be intact and was connected to what appeared to be shield emitters, which made little sense for an agricultural lab. There had been no reported animal life or anything in the lab or biodome that looked like a containment unit. It didn't make sense for this thing to be here.

With greater curiosity than sense, Potter interrupted the power flow to the strange device.

[Biodome Barn]

Emily screamed as she was suddenly falling.

Thyra heard the little girl's scream and was immediately on her feet, running to the barn and drawing her hand phaser. Upon entering the barn, she couldn't have failed to see the glowing ring on the floor in the center of the barn. In the center of the ring was a mass of dark green foliage poorly illuminated.

Thyra scanned the vegetation but could not see Emily's blue dress. She was able to estimate that she was about three meters above the foliage.

Without another thought, Thyra jumped down into the glowing ring.

[Agricultural Lab 3 Power Array]

Nothing happened.

Potter didn't know what to expect, but something should have happened. Warning alarms, power fluctuations, displays and controls popping up, dinosaurs rampaging through the space station. Something.

Instead, he had gotten nothing.

Then he noticed a small power conduit leading from the strange device to a computer output relay. A fuse along the conduit had popped. Potter tried to push it back into position, but it refused to engage. Must be fried, Potter thought. He would replace it as well.

His investigation complete, he restored power to the strange device.

[Beneath the Biodome Barn]

Thyra landed and tucked into a roll as her father had taught her. Once her momentum died down, she stood and made a closed inspection of the overgrowth. She quickly found Emily behind where Thyra had landed.

The girl was limp and bleeding from the head. A quick inspection revealed that there wasn't a concussion, and Thyra was rewarded with a soft moan from the small girl. So much for bandaging your own toes, Thyra thought.

The glowing ring above her head disappears, and the two girls are consumed by the gloom. As her eyes adjusted to the reduced light, Thyra could see that they were in a small clearing surrounded by tropical jungle. They were not, as Thyra had hoped, one deck below the biodome. This was something else entirely.

Thyra moved her hand to her comm badge and tapped it. The device chirped the chime for unable to connect.

Thyra tried again and received the same alert.

Wonderful time for Federation tech to fail, she thought peevishly.

[Agricultural Lab 3 Control Center]

"Emily Mox is no longer on the station," Jillian's comm badge announced.

Potter had not restored power to the monitors and Jillian urgently activated her comm badge, "Mom to Emily"

There was no response.

She tried again and there was still nothing.

"Mox to Kevensdottor," she called out frantically.

Again, nothing. She felt that panic was about to engulf her.

With as much calm as she could muster, Jillian contacted the ship, "Firebird, this is Mox. Emily and Kevensdottor have disappeared. I need a security team to Agricultural Lab 3, stat!"

[Lost Beyond the Portal]

"My head hurts," Emily complained as Thyra padded her temple with a piece of cloth torn from the security tunic.

"That is what happens when you fall on it from a great height," Thyra admonished the girl.

"Where are we?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," Thyra admitted, "I had hoped that we were still on the station but now I am not so sure."

"We should explore," Emily suggested, getting to her feet.

"No we shouldn't," Thyra replied, "When the ship is looking for us, staying where we first landed is the most likely place for them to start."

"I won't go far," Emily said, "Where is your sense of adventure?"

"Firmly in control," Thyra countered, "Where it should be."

"Boring," Emily complained with a pout. She stood silently for all of three seconds before continuing, "What if I just go to the treeline?"

"No."

"Ahh...pleeeassseee? I won't go in and you'll see me the entire time," Emily coaxed.

"That is what he said," Thyra grumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Thyra replied quickly.

"So can I go explore?" Emily wheedled.

Sensing that the child would continue to nag her about exploring until the crack of doom, Thyra gave in. "Only to the treeline and you never break line of sight with me."

"Yippy!" Emily shouted as she moved purposefully through the waist-high underbrush.

Thyra was thankful that at least the child would not pester her with questions that she couldn't answer. It had been diverting when they were weeding in the biodome. Now it was distracting her from considering their situation.

She doubted that they were still on the station. All evidence suggested that they were on a planet, the tall imposing trees, the unfamiliar plants that made up the undergrowth, the stars in the sky above the clearing. She tossed a rock high into the air. It continued well beyond the three meters that she had jumped so she was inclined to discount the idea that they had stumbled into a holodeck or other mechanical simulation.

The out of place equipment in the barn came to mind. The environmental suits and the survival gear. It suggested that there was some danger to them from the atmosphere although it seemed like a class-M environment and she didn't sense any detrimental effects. If not the atmosphere, then something in the area itself. Deadly flora or fauna?

It was a while later when Thyra heard Emily call her name. "I found a cute, giant caterpillar!"

Thyra drew her phaser and started in Emily's direction. "You should move away," she commanded.

"Its not going to hurt me," Emily objected.

"You don't know that," Thyra said with concern. The bug was large, the size of a small canine with centipede-like legs, pronounced mandibles, and covered in fur. Even in the dim light from the quarter moon, she could tell that the creature's fur had a reddish hue that would stick out amongst the plants and trees. It suggested a warning to predators that the creature was poisonous. It was regarding Emily with almost sentient curiosity.

"Hi, little guy," Emily cooed as she stretched out a hand to the creature.

"Emily," Thyra said in some alarm, "don't do that!"

Before the girl could reply, the creature reared up to strike. Thyra instantly pulled the trigger on her phaser and her shoot sliced the creature in two.

Emily gave a scream. The suddenness of Thyra's shot had surprised her. "What did you do that for?" she asked incredulously.

"It was attacking you," Thyra replied matter-of-factly, "I protected you."

"You didn't know it was going to hurt me," Emily accused.

There was a rustling in the undergrowth within the trees. Thyra got a sense of foreboding and said, "No, but perhaps these will."

Thyra grabbed Emily by the collar and pulled her quickly towards the center of the clearing. She shot wildly into the tree line, hoping to dissuade any pursuit but was disappointed in that hope.

The undergrowth rippled starting at the edge of the clearing and moving inexorably towards the two girls. Occasionally, a furry head would protrude from the greenery and Thyra would shoot the assailant. Her attacks slowed their advance but they continued forward.

Thyra continued her suppressive fire, killing several of the bugs, until they were almost upon them. She dropped the phaser and grabbed her hand axes from her belt and began swinging at her attackers, being careful to keep Emily behind her.

The whirlwind of axe blows killed most of the bugs that came within reach but a lucky few were able to bite at Thyra. At least once, she felt the mandibles pierce her skin. Emily too had been bitten before Thyra was able to cleave the bug in half.

Thyra was starting to get woozy and felt a heaviness growing in her arms. Her aim was getting poor and she felt that she was going to be overwhelmed by the creatures when a bright light appeared from above and illuminated the clearing. The creatures recoiled from the sudden brightness giving Thyra a momentary advantage.

Phaser fire from above stemmed the flow of enemy reinforcements as Thyra cleared the few remaining bugs within reach of her axes. A shout from above caused her to look up.

The growing ring had appeared again above her head and a Federation security team was providing suppressive fire as they lowered a cable to the two girls. Thyra stowed her axes in her belt and picked Emily up from the ground. "Hold on tight, lettle vone," she slurred.

Emily's grip was not as tight as she would have liked and Thyra could only spare one hand to hold onto the cable. Had she been able to use both hands, she would have climbed her way up the cable. But her own grip was becoming slack.

Fortunately, the security team retracted the cable, pulling Thyra and Emily up and out of the alien landscape. Once they were clear of the ring, Thyra heard a security guard announce, "Potter, reactivate the device."

Almost immediately, the growing ring disappeared and Thyra released her weakening grip and fell heavily to the ground with Emily still in her arm.

Jillian was instantly upon them. "Emily, can you hear me?" she shouted.

"Zeda... Sedative," Thyra announced before the darkness claimed her.

[Firebird Sickbay]

Thyra awoke in the dim light of the ship's sickbay. She felt very relaxed and was tempted to turn over and go back to sleep. Then she remembered the desperate battle against the furry caterpillars with the giant mandibles and she quickly sat up.

Jillian was sitting at a desk near the bed that Thyra was lying on. She smiled and said, "Welcome back Crewman."

"Your little one," Thyra asked with concern, " Is she alright?"

"Emily is resting peacefully in my quarters," Jillian told her, "She didn't have as much of the Evudulog's venom in her and woke several hours ago."

"Evudulog's?"

"We discovered that is the name of the creatures that attacked you after Potter restored power to the Agricultural Lab's computers," Jillian explained.

"What happened?" Thyra asked, "I heard Emily scream when she fell after that ring appeared but I don't know where it came from."

"That...was...Potter," Jillian said disapprovingly, "He found a component whose function he couldn't explain, so he turned it off to see what would happen."

Thyra laid back and closed her eyes, "That man is a fool."

Jillian laughed, "You won't get any argument out of me. And I am still not done with him for what he almost did to my daughter." Her expression turned serious. "I want to thank you for saving Emily."

Thyra opened her eyes. "It was my duty, Ensign."

"You are so young but your expertise and sense are far beyond your years," Jillian said, "I doubt any other new recruit would have so readily jumped into save Emily. If you had delayed, she might have..." Jillian's voice faltered.

Thyra was embarrassed and quickly interjected, "Odinkus children are trained from an early age and I learned many things from my shieldmaiden mother. Later my father and step-mother taught me other things, like the importance of protecting one's crew."

"Nevertheless, you have my undying gratitude," Jillian continued, "How do you feel?"

"Groggy and sleepy," Thyra admitted, "I will get some coffee and return to my duties."

"That's a negative, crewman," Jillian adopted a more formal nurse's tone, "You are responding well to the anti-venom but you still need some time to rest. You are off-duty and on bed rest for the next twenty-four hours."

"There is no need," Thyra objected as she sat up and jumped out of the bed, "I will continue my design work on the melee weapons for..." She was stuck by a sudden wave of vertigo and almost fell to the deck had not Jillian grabbed her.

"Perhaps you are correct," Thyra amended her position, "I will be happy to rest in my quarters."

Jillian signaled for an orderly to assist her. "I knew that you were smart enough to accept good advice when you hear it," Jillian needled the security crewman, "Let's get you to your quarters."

[OFF]

Ensign Jillian Mox (NPC by Llwyedd)
Nurse
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Crewman Thyra Kevensdotter
Security Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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