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 “Pierless”

by Lord Thanatos

 

06/05/12 10/05/12

 

 

 

 

Scenes:

 

1. Day 1 - Bloody flames

2.  Fat kimosabe

3. Day 2 - Lone rangers

4. A fistful of hollers

5. Cue tumbleweed

6. Day 4 - Things don’t go swimmingly

7. Chef on the loose

8. His and hers

9. Day 5 - Poor lonesome astrometrics officer

10. Day 6 - Hope evaporates

11. Return of the fat kimosabe

12. Day 7 - Point of return

13. Dehydrated comic, absurd or incongruous quality causing amusement

14. Time flies, ego fries

15. Day 8 - There and back again

16. Day 14 - At the bottom made of rock

17. Day 15 - Quack quack…

18. Day 16 - Crispy happy people

19. Day 17 - A rather quick version of the exodus comes to an end

20. Day 21 - Last, but not least smelly

21. Day 22 - Droolfest

22. Day 23 - Green leafs

23. Day 24 - Stupid & annoying

24. Day 25 - Over the hills and fire away

 

 

 

 

 

SCENE 1: Day 1 - Bloody flames

 

Doctor Shelley and a team of 3 colleagues are treating Margon, whom is very seriously hurt. The unconscious Klingon’s whole body seems nearly entirely covered in blood. Cuts, bruises and severe burns cover the rest. As the medical team is franticly working on saving the life of the engineer, a stretcher carrying Elpek is being brought into the field hospital… Another team of medics immediately attend their tripodal, orange friend, as his condition is little better than Margon’s.

 

The camera view now slowly moves up from the bloody hecticness and shows us the burning wreckage of the shuttle the injured Klingon and Edosian crashed in in the distance. A large team of a few dozen engineers and security personnel are trying to douse flames which are consuming the burning wreck by using anything they can find to scoop up and throw sand at the old thing.

 

 

SCENE 2: Fat kimosabe

 

The captain is using Serrag’s telescope to check out the status of the ships in orbit, the Greate Pier and the Inj Behemoth.

 

LT: “Well, there we go…”

 

After another few seconds of staring at the screen, Serrag himself walks up to the captain. The Vulcan’s face is covered with soot, as is his uniform.

 

Serrag: “Sir…”

 

Without looking up from the screen, the captain replies without much emotion in his voice.

 

LT: “Yes, Serrag?”

 

Serrag: “I’m afraid the shuttle is a total loss, sir.”

 

The captain looks to the side, but doesn’t quite look at the Vulcan.

 

LT: “Yes, I was afraid of that…”

 

Serrag: “The fire is under control now. It won’t be long before it’s out completely.”

 

LT: “Take a look at this, Serrag.”

 

The captain moves aside a little to give the chief engineer some room. The Vulcan approaches and gazes at the screen on the telescope. He sees the Greate Pier slowly being tractored into the Behemoth.

 

Serrag: “The ship…”

 

LT: “Apparently they’re going to cannibalize it elsewhere… I had hoped they would leave the Greate Pier behind after they got what they wanted…”

 

Serrag: “What about the warp core? I don’t see it…”

 

LT: “That was tractored in 10 minutes ago…”

 

Serrag: “I see…”

 

Crewman Maresca, the communications officer, approaches the duo.

 

Maresca: “Captain?”

 

LT: “Crewman. What can I do for you?”

 

Maresca: “Sir, the people are wondering… What’s our situation?”

 

Serrag: “Maybe this is not such a good time to bother the captain, crewman.”

 

LT: “No, no, it’s fine, lieutenant commander. I only wish I had something positive to relay.”

 

Maresca: “We’re all aware things aren’t as they’re supposed to be, sir. But we’d like to know a bit more about our status and perhaps your plans, if any.”

 

Serrag: “Well, she is the communications officer…”

 

LT: “True. Well, the only news I have is that Margon and Elpek are very seriously injured and we fear for their lives, the shuttle is a total loss and the Greate Pier and its warp core have just been tractored into the Behemoth. No good news.”

 

Genuine concern is heard in Maresca’s voice.

 

Maresca: “What about… what about the animals aboard the ship? They’re left to their own devices with no one to care for them…”

 

LT: “That is indeed another major concern, crewman. As much as it pains me, there’s nothing we can do about that right now.”

 

Maresca: “I doubt the Inj will come and feed them in sickbay…”

 

Serrag: “They might, if the consider them food…”

 

LT: “Thank you, Serrag. Don’t relay that part to the crew, please, Maresca.”

 

Maresca: “I won’t…”

 

LT: “Perhaps I do have some better news about animals… The horses have both been beamed down with us.”

 

Maresca: “And what about the animal we call Suder?”

 

LT: “I contemplated beaming him to sickbay with the pets, but he’d probably eat them. So, unfortunately, he’s down here with us.”

 

Serrag: “He is under round-the-clock guard; no need to worry. Our main concerns at the moment are probably with the condition of Margon and Elpek, and next to that finding water to sustain all of us.”

 

LT: “Exactly. And that’s where the horses come in.”

 

Maresca: “The horses?”

 

LT: “They are going to be used to scout for water, food, shelter, anything useful…”

 

Serrag: “The tricorders are not picking up anything useful beyond 11 kilometers on this planet and there is no source of water within that range.”

 

Maresca: “I don’t know much about horses, but I do know they need loads of water, especially in this heat and if they’re running!”

 

Serrag: “Correct. It’s perhaps a risk we are taking for the horses, but they might be the heroes if they find a source of water and save us all…”

 

LT: “Fact remains, we cannot sit here and do nothing while our water supplies dwindle. Using the horses to find water is the best bet.”

 

Serrag: “And if that mission fails, we can all join the Klingons in consuming the horses after all.”

 

LT: “Don’t relay that either.”

 

Maresca: “Right. One more question then…”

 

LT: “Of course…”

 

Maresca: “Can’t you contact the Inj and request a trade?”

 

LT: “What sort of trade?”

 

Maresca: “Suder for the pets.”

 

Both the Vulcan and the captain smile.

 

LT: “I assure you, even if we have to build a catapult to get back into space, I’ll get my ship back!”

 

Maresca nods with a little smile and then walks off to tell the masses the news.

 

Serrag: “Who will be selected as the equestrians whom are going to scout for water?”

 

LT: “I don’t know. Which 2 have the most experience?”

 

Serrag: “I’m not aware of all the hobbies of all the crew, however, Crewman Cole and Doctor Halstead both have the necessary experience with horses.”

 

Moments later, they find themselves in the field hospital. Doctor Shelley is apparently able to spare a few seconds for the captain.

 

Shelley: “Cole and Halstead? Impossible. I cannot spare any medical personnel for the time being. I have 3 critical patients which need round-the-clock attention and monitoring.”

 

K’Ehlen: “I’ll go.”

 

LT: “With all due respect, ensign, you’re a bit too heavy…”

 

K’Ehlen: “These horses can take it; they’re big and sturdy. And I can be very quick; I rode similar beasts on Maranga IV…”

 

LT: “Yes, but conditions are tough… These horses cannot sprint all day, if at all…”

 

Serrag: “It requires tact, not 1 of the key features of the average Klingon.”

 

K’Ehlen: “Tact? I’m a tactical officer, dammit!”

 

LT: “And that’s why you’re needed here…”

 

K’Ehlen: “To help gain the upper hand in a battle against ferocious fly attacks?”

 

Serrag: “There are no flies here…”

 

K’Ehlen: “Must be your odor which is keeping them away…”

 

Serrag smells his arm pit and mutters some words, but deliberately loud enough for the Klingon female to hear.

 

Serrag: “Ah, I thought I smelled something musky all day…”

 

LT: “K’Ehlen, Serrag... Enough.”

 

Serrag: “Sorry, sir. But if Cole and Halstead are unavailable and K’Ehlen is too fat, who will ride?”

 

 

SCENE 3: Day 2 - Lone rangers

 

Pattison and Amini are getting ready to mount the horses. Aleste and Flora are packed with insane amounts of water for their journey.

 

Amini: “Poor horses… All that weight.”

 

Pattison: “12 days worth of water for you and the horse; it’s a bit much, but they’ll manage.”

 

Amini: “Yes, 12 days worth, but the captain said we need to be back here in 10 days tops…”

 

Pattison: “I’m sure we’ll have found something before then.”

 

Amini: “I never knew you had experience riding horses…”

 

Pattison: “I used to ride horses back in Canada . Much more enjoyable than beaming all over the place, hahaha…”

 

Amini: “Definitely…”

 

Pattison: “What about you? You own a horse back on Earth?”

 

Amini:”No, actually I don’t… But my friends’ parents own a horse farm in Michigan , so I sort of grew up with them… Those horses weren’t anything like these though…”

 

Using a large boulder next to the horse, she climbs on the horse.

 

Pattison: “The ones I rode were quite different as well… These bulky horses aren’t race horses, but we stand a better chance scouting with them than without.”

 

Pattison is also done preparing and walks the horse towards the boulder as Amini gives her the room she needs.

 

Amini: “Well, I hope to see you back here soon… Good luck!”

 

Pattison: “You too! Be careful!”

 

 

SCENE 4: A fistful of hollers

 

Serrag and LT are walking towards the field hospital again. With nothing to do, they sit down on a low ridge only meters away.

 

LT: “I’m not one to despair, Serrag, but I think our hope lies with those 2 ladies we just sent away…”

 

Serrag: “It may well be, sir.”

 

LT: “Did you remember to give them phasers?”

 

Serrag: “Yes, I instructed Reinard to give them their weapons.”

 

LT: “Good, good…”

 

Serrag’s phaser and tricorder are lying on the ridge between the Vulcan and the human. He picks them up.

 

Serrag: “We’ve got all these weapons and all these tricorders, but nothing to shoot and nothing to scan…”

 

LT: “The nothing to shoot part may be a good thing…”

 

Just a few meters away, Doctor Shelley notices Margon waking up. She rushes over to the Klingon to make sure he doesn’t run off at the first possible chance. The Klingon hardly moves, as he is clearly in pain. Through his tiny eye slits he sees the doctor…

 

Margon: “Doctor…”

 

Shelley: “Try not to move, Margon.”

 

Margon: “It’s not just a few broken ribs this time, is it?”

 

Shelley: “I’m afraid not.”

 

LT and Serrag walk up to the injured officer.

 

Margon: “Captain… Lieutenant commander…”

 

LT: “Hello, Margon. How are you feeling?”

 

Margon: “Aside from my injuries I’m fine.”

 

Shelley: “I’m glad you have a better sense of humor than last time you were under my care.”

 

Margon: “What’s my status, doctor?”

 

Shelley: “Oh, where to begin?… You had massive internal bleeding, your right arm was nearly severed, again countless broken ribs, a severe concussion, 3rd degree burns on 67% of your body, various infections, a long gash in your left leg, massive blood loss, internal…”

 

Margon interrupts, his voice clearly indicates he’s indeed not well yet…

 

Margon: “Doctor! I asked for my status, not a list of things that were wrong with me…”

 

Shelley: “Well, some things are still wrong with you… We haven’t been able to get all the infections under control just yet for one, and we’re still working on repairing internal damage. After many hours of trying to fix you up, your chances looked a lot better and we decided to let you rest a bit before continuing.“

 

Margon looks to his left and sees Elpek lying there as well.

 

Margon: “What about the guy who crashed the shuttle?”

 

Shelley: “Try not to move, lieutenant. Elpek is also still in critical condition…”

 

Elpek opens his eyes and turns his head to his right. With a slightly raised voice, he speaks.

 

Elpek: “I asked you if we could land!”

 

Margon yells back.

 

Margon: “We landed, didn’t we?!”

 

Elpek: “Yes, we did. No thanks to you… If you were at the controls, we wouldn’t have reached the atmosphere!”

 

Shelley: “Gentlemen! It was only yesterday you ploughed your shuttle into the rocky soil! The both of you are still in danger of losing your lives! Please, calm down and go to sleep…”

 

The both of them turn their heads back and sport a disgruntled look.

 

LT: “Any news on your 3rd patient?”

 

Shelley: “Amato is doing as well as can be expected, which is not brilliant. He’s also still walking a fine line. I could’ve helped him much better if we were in sickbay, but here we have limited medical equipment. The longer he goes without the proper treatment, the harder it is to repair the damage.”

 

LT: “You’ve got your hands full, it seems…”

 

Shelley: “We will easily be able to give each of them the best possible care under the circumstances…”

 

The doc looks at Margon and Elpek…

 

Shelley: “…as long as those 2 aren’t going to be an extra handful.”

 

 

SCENE 5: Day 3 - Cue tumbleweed

 

Amini is riding her horse Flora in a casual tempo. Around them nothing much can be seen. The surrounding landscape is fairly flat and featureless. Exceptions to this are noted in the log she records on her PADD.

 

Amini: “Astrometrics officer’s log, stardate 63915.61. We’ve been on the way now for 1 day. All I’ve seen is the occasional rock or 2, inedible vegetation, sand and more sand. The only good thing is the sand isn’t too loose to ride, it’s fairly compact and hard…”

 

She breathes a deep sigh.

 

Amini: “I’d love to perk up this log a bit with something interesting, but I really haven’t seen anything worth mentioning. I’ve moved beyond the range of the tricorders in the camp, so it’s uncharted terrain from here. Let’s hope it brings something more interest, edible or drinkable very soon.”

 

She pushes a button on the PADD and puts it away while the horse carries her further still into the unknown.

 

 

SCENE 6: Day 4 - Things don’t go swimmingly

 

Pattison is also progressing in a casual tempo. It’s also time for her to record a log.

 

Pattison: “Helm officer’s log, stardate 63918.29. This is a welcome change to flying a big ship around; I’ve missed riding horseback. I just wish this wasn’t forced on me and my shipmates…”

 

Pattison also has a reason to sigh… After a few seconds, the attention is back on the horse, but not for long.

 

Pattison: “I must visit the cargo bay more often when… if we get the ship back… Who knows it may already be completely disassembled by those rotten aliens… Anyway, about our mission… We’re supposed to be looking for water as our main objective. But we also have to look out for sources of food, shelter and anything else that might aid us in our survival or our escape from this planet. Sadly, there’s still nothing to report. I’ve got thousands of kilometers of horseback riding to my name, but I’ve never been on such a boring ride…”

 

She looks ahead and sees something that sparks her interest.

 

Pattison: “Wait a second… I see something… End log.”

 

Nerissa gets off her high horse and walks up to an edge.

 

Pattison: “A dry river bed…”

 

She looks in both directions of the river bed. The slope, leading to what once was the bottom, is steep. The bottom itself lies on average 3 meters below where the ladies are.

 

Pattison: “There must have been an awful lot of water coming through here… Not a drop now though…”

 

Nerissa returns to the horse and talks to her…

 

Pattison: “Come, let’s follow this old river… Maybe we’ll find a lake or something else…”

 

The helmless officer leads the horse to the right, what used to be upstream. After some 50 meters the horse, walking to the left of Pattison, puts her left rear hoof too close to the edge of the river bed… The horse’s hind leg slips over the edge of the slope and the big beast falls. Nerissa tries to pull the horse back to the top as she is falling, without success of course; the animal is way too heavy. Reluctant to let go, Pattison is dragged along with Aleste into the river bed. The slope consists of loose rubble and there’s no way to grab on to something. In a big cloud of yellow and brown dust the 2 ladies land on the bottom in a split second. All of the cargo on Aleste’s back is spread out all over the surrounding rubble. As soon as the horse is on the ground, she immediately springs up again, whinnies loudly and tries to run off. Not 2 meters on, she falls to the ground again with a thud.

 

Pattison: “Aleste?!”

 

She crawls up herself and runs over as quickly as she can to the horse.

 

Pattison: “Are you hurt?”

 

Nerissa checks out the horse. She doesn’t need a medical tricorder to spot the problem… It looks like one of her lower hind legs is broken.

 

Pattison: “Oh, shit, no! You poor horse…”

 

She comforts the horse, but there’s not much she can do.

 

Pattison: “I’m sorry, but I don’t have an osteogenic stimulator… You’ll have to stay down for a bit…”

 

Pattison tries to find a bag she brought along. When she finds it, Nerissa opens it and gets a med kit out of it. She starts wrapping the lower leg in many layers.

 

Pattison: “That’s about all I can do for now… We’ll have to wait for help to arrive… If they arrive.”

 

 

SCENE 7: Chef on the loose

 

Captain LT is checking up on the prisoner, Morand Suder. He can be seen sitting in front on a high, rocky ridge with 2 guards sitting on the ground some 5 meters away, playing a game of cards using a boulder as a table. Both their phasers are within reach, should Suder try to make a run for it.

 

LT: “Gentlemen.”

 

The guards want to jump to their feet.

 

Philips: “Sir.”

 

LT: “No, no, remain seated, gentlemen… Don’t get up. I just wanted to know how things are in this makeshift prison. How the hell did you get a deck of cards down here? Never mind… Status?”

 

Philips: “All is quiet, captain. He seems to behave himself, for now.”

 

LT: “Good, good…”

 

Suder: “Of course I’m behaving, captain… I could attempt to escape, but where else am I going to go? This planet is a prison as good as any.”

 

The captain walks towards Suder, but stays 2 meters away from him.

 

LT: “It is, actually…”

 

Suder: “That brings me to the question which has been burning in my mind for a while now…”

 

LT: “Which is?”

 

Suder: “Or rather, a request.”

 

Suder stretches out his legs, crosses them and his arms as well and puts a fake smile on.

 

Suder: “How about letting me go?”

 

The captain snickers shortly...

 

LT: “With nearly 500 men and women on this planet you can kill? I think not… Request denied and officially dubbed entertaining.”

 

With a smile still on both faces, the killer continues.

 

Suder: “Come on, cap. I can scout for food or water…”

 

LT: “We already have scouts on horseback, Suder…”

 

Suder: “That may be, but regard this as a potential double solution… If I don’t come back, I’ll die out there. No more Suder and less demand for food and water. However, if I do come back with food or water, we all benefit. Sounds like you can’t go wrong…”

 

From a few meters behind the captain, a voice is heard.

 

Philips: “The only food you’d bring back is sautéed colleague…”

 

All 4 men laugh…

 

LT: “I’d have to agree with Mark; you’d still pose a threat to my crew…”

 

Suder now tries to look disappointed by looking at the sandy floor… After a second or 2 he continues on a philosophical note.

 

Suder: “You know… It’s unfair, really…”

 

LT: “What is?”

 

Suder: “Me being a prisoner for killing someone, while you have killed 6 men back on Kelrah-Eyn.”

 

LT: “They left me no choice… They were stealing and raping kidnappers…”

 

Suder: “Isn’t every life worth the same? Rebel or no? And what about all of the Inj you killed? Are their lives not worth the same as yours or mine? You killed over 22,000 people, captain… Yet here I am under armed guard for killing 1 person. One!”

 

LT: “You know? You’re right… I should send you to scout for food and water…”

 

Suder: “I knew you’d agree… You’re an intelligent man.”

 

LT: “As soon as we find transport, I’ll drop you on the other side of the planet…”

 

Still with the same smile on his face, the captain walks away. He addresses the guards before he disappears from sight.

 

LT: “Keep your eyes open, gentlemen.”

 

Philips: “Yes, sir.”

 

 

SCENE 8: His and hers

 

Crewman Maresca approaches Commander Eisinga and Lieutenant Commander Serrag, whom are sitting in the shade of a rocky ridge. They’re working on something on a PADD.

 

Eisinga: “Crewman, what can I do for you?”

 

Maresca: “I just came to ask if water rations can be upped a little… The people are complaining about head aches and moral is dropping noticeably.”

 

Eisinga: “Thank you for relaying that to me, crewman, but there isn’t anything I can do. Until the scouts return we should conserve energy and keep water consumption to a minimum. Extra water will only be issued on doctor’s orders. But also tell them not to bother the doc with just a dry throat; the medical personnel have their hands full already…”

 

Serrag: “We all miss the ship and her comforts, crewman… One seems to take them from granted so easily.”

 

Eisinga: “Her comforts’? Interesting…”

 

Serrag: “Sir?”

 

Eisinga: “Well… When it comes to the ship, we usually use the possessive pronoun ‘her’. But the ship is named after a male…”

 

Serrag: “Interesting indeed…”

 

A few seconds of silence pass of staring at the sand…

 

Eisinga: “I think we have too much time on our hands to think about trivial stuff like this…”

 

The commander realizes the moral-decreasing words he just uttered.

 

Eisinga: “Ehm, don’t relay that last bit to the crew, ok?”

 

Maresca: “Of course, sir…”

 

She walks off…

 

Eisinga: “I can understand the drop in moral… I’m bored to tears myself, you know?”

 

Serrag: “Are you trying to kill us? Tears are a waste of water…”

 

 

SCENE 9: Day 5 - Poor lonesome astrometrics officer

 

Still pushing on, Amini is getting tired. But she isn’t the only one.

 

Amini: “Astrometrics officer’s log, stardate 63921.55. After 3 days of travel, Flora seems to be very tired. We’ve stopped a few hours ago and got some rest in the shade of a giant boulder, but it hasn’t helped much. The poor horse is thirsty too, but I can’t give her too much water. We need to save enough to make the return journey. Rations will allow us to scout for 2 more days or so before we’re forced to turn around and head back to the camp.”

 

The ladies ride off into the sunset. Very epic.

 

 

SCENE 10: Day 6 - Hope evaporates

 

Pattison: “Helm officer’s log, stardate 63924.1. We’ve been here for nearly 2 days…”

 

Yep, Nerissa and Aleste are still on the bottom of the dried up river.

 

Pattison: “The good news is we’re consuming water at a slower rate. I’ve built a little wall of water canisters, which gives me and Aleste’s head protection from the sun. Luckily, the steep banks of the river provide us with shade during half the day anyway. When the sun does find us, I cover Aleste’s body with the white blanket to reflect as much of the sun’s influence as I can. At night, I steal the blanket for myself… So far for the good news. The bad news… Well, let’s not go into that too much. Aleste’s leg is still broken, as is my spirit… Also, I’ve been scouting around in the area on foot, but of course, no water to be found anywhere. We have enough water to last us another 8 or 9 days… Whether this falls into the good or bad news category depends on whether or not a successful rescue mission will be mounted…”

 

 

SCENE 11: Return of the fat kimosabe

 

Eisinga: “I still can’t believe you sent India on a scouting mission… And Pattison…”

 

LT: “I didn’t send them, they volunteered. They both have experience riding horses.”

 

Eisinga: “So do I!”

 

LT: “You call being thrown off of your horse on your first and only horseback ride ‘experience’? Besides, you’re too heavy... You must weigh nearly twice as much as those ladies put together…”

 

Eisinga: “Look who’s talking… You could substitute 1 of those horses.”

 

LT: “Well, you’re an ass…”

 

Eisinga: “Just don’t make me buck.”

 

 

SCENE 12: Day 7 - Point of return

 

Amini’s hunt for food, water and shelter seems to be fruitless. It appears she’ll stay hungry, thirsty and exposed to the elements. And things are about to go from bad to worse. The horse stops in her tracks and wobbles on her feet.

 

Amini: “What’s wrong, Flora?”

 

She quickly jumps from the back of the horse…

 

Amini: “You must be exhausted…”

 

Confirmed by the fact the horse now drops to her knees and lies down on her side, legs stretched out…

 

Amini: “No, no, no… Don’t lie down! Look! Over there… There’s plenty of shadow next to that high ridge…”

 

She tries pulling the reins and vocally spurring the horse on. Nothing seems to help…

 

Amini: “Come on, you big oaf! There’s nice ‘n cool shade over there… You can rest when we get there…”

 

Those words don’t help either. She now uses her fingers and pinches the horse’s nostrils closed enough so that the air intake is blocked. The Flora jumps to her feet and she shakes her head around. Amini doesn’t wait half a second and pull the reins towards the rocks. Flora follows without complaint. Once they reach the shade, Amini let’s go of the reins and let’s Flora do whatever she wants. Her choice is clear; Flora gently lies down on her side again and pants like an oversized dog.

 

Amini: “You’re right, Flora… We both need a rest… I’ll record a log first and then I’ll join you for a breather…”

 

She takes her PADD and pushes a few buttons. She starts her log with a deep sigh.

 

Amini: “Astrometrics officer’s log, stardate 63927.03. The horse is exhausted, and frankly, so am I… There is just about enough water left for the return journey, which I can no longer postpone. I’ve already pushed on half a day longer than I intended. We can rest a bit for now, but not too long… We need to get back to camp soon, or we’ll run out of water before we get there. I sincerely hope Pattison and Aleste had more luck in finding water than we did…”

 

She carelessly throws the PADD on the loose sand near the towering rocks they use for shelter from the sun’s rays. Amini closes her eyes.

 

 

SCENE 13: Dehydrated comic, absurd or incongruous quality causing amusement

 

Back in the camp…

 

LT: “How many days of rations do we have left, Serrag?”

 

Serrag: “We have about 9 or 10 days worth of water if we ration it well.”

 

The cap sighs…

 

LT: “I hate just sitting here and waiting.”

 

Serrag: “In 6 more days I’ll join you in your frustration. Perhaps even despair.”

 

LT: “Your sense of humor is starting to suffer from heat exhaustion, Serrag.”

 

Serrag: “That’s ok; I’ve always been partial to dry humor, sir.”

 

 

SCENE 14: Time flies, ego fries

 

Elpek walks up to Margon’s ‘bed’, a patch of loose sand on the ground with a rolled up uniform as a pillow. The Klingon notices something and opens his eyes as far as he can, which is not that far.

 

Elpek: “Good morning, Margon… Or actually, good evening…”

 

Margon: “Hm? Evening? Did I sleep that long?”

 

Elpek: “I came to see how you were doing…”

 

Margon nods his head in the direction of Elpek’s field hospital bed.

 

Margon: “You came from all the way over there?”

 

Shelley: “Not really, he came from, well… wherever he sleeps at night since he was released from our care.”

 

Margon sits up in a flash and yells.

 

Margon: “Released?!”

 

Elpek: “Correct. I was released 4 days ago…”

 

Margon: “What!? 4 days ago?! Impossible!”

 

Shelley: “You’ve been asleep for 5 days, Margon…”

 

Margon is clearly upset and confused. Yet he remains quiet for a bit. In a lowered voice he continues his disbelief.

 

Margon: “How can a fragile Edosian with inferior physiology heal quicker than a Klingon?”

 

Elpek: “The doctors took good care of me. And besides, you were pretty banged up.”

 

Margon: “How come I haven’t been released?”

 

Elpek: “They don’t allow sleeping patients to leave the field hospital.”

 

Margon: “Shut up, Elpek!”

 

Shelley: “Because you’re still recovering and need to take it slow just a bit longer.”

 

Margon: “Nonsense!”

 

The furious Klingon prepares to get up…

 

Elpek: “Being released doesn’t make a difference, we’re under orders to take it slow anyway, to conserve energy and limit water consumption.”

 

Margon gets to his feet and tries to walk off…

 

Shelley: “I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”

 

After a few paces, Margon starts limping… A few paces on he drops to the ground… Shelley reluctantly spring into action. Elpek walks past the crippled Klingon just before the doc arrives.

 

Elpek: “I’ll come and see you tomorrow. If you’re awake that is…”

 

Shelley: “Klingons will never learn…”

 

The Klingon grunts. Cole has been observing the entertaining event from a short distance away.

 

Shelley: “Cole! Quickly! Margon needs help!”

 

Cole plays along.

 

Cole: “What’s the matter, doctor?”

 

Shelley: “He needs something for a bruised ego and an infected pride.”

 

The docs both laugh.

 

Margon: “As soon as I’m fully healed I hope never to enter any medical facility again…”

 

 

SCENE 15: Day 8 - There and back again

 

When Amini wakes up she looks around a bit before she realizes where she is… She checks up on the horse.

 

Amini: “Hi, Flora, you’re awake too I see?”

 

She pats the horse on the neck. Pattison grabs her PADD and checks the time…

 

Amini: “My goodness, we must’ve been out for 10 maybe 11 hours… We slept right through the night!”

 

India throws the PADD aside again and grabs a water canister…

 

Amini: “How about we have ourselves a good drink, Flora? That’ll complete our rest and recovery… We’ve got a long few days ahead of us getting back to the camp.”

 

She removes the top of 1 of the canisters and puts it next to the horse. Flora immediately gets back on her legs and starts drinking like there’s no tomorrow… Amini also drinks from her own canister, using a cup to scoop the water up…

 

Amini: “Not too much now, Flora… We need to make it back to camp with the remaining supply.”

 

After her drink, Amini stands up, pats the horse again and takes a little walk to stretch her legs a bit… After a few meters she stops to listen. She hears a constant noise in the distance… India walks to the left of the rocky wall they’ve been sleeping under. There’s a tiny pass between the rocks and she walks into it… After some 15 meters she exits on the other side of the rocks. She can’t believe her eyes… Amini quickly runs back through the pass with a smile on her face…

 

Amini: “Flora!”

 

The horse is startled by the sudden appearance and yell of the officer. Amini grabs her tricorder, takes the reins of the animal and tries to lead her to the pass… The horse, however, is more interested in drinking water.

 

Amini: “Come on! Forget the water!”

 

She puts aside the canister and now successfully leads the horse into the pass… When the exit, it becomes clear what is so important… A clear river is flowing before their very eyes… And on both sides of the river, lush green plants and trees can be seen. Amini ties the rein of the horse around a big rock and runs up to the water’s edge. Between the pass and the water’s edge there’s loose sand, like on a nice beach. The tricorder is used to check the liquid which is flowing by.

 

Amini: “This water river is more pure than any river on Earth, hahaha…”

 

She throws away her tricorder, runs back to Flora, unties her and leads her to the water. Flora isn’t as impressed as Amini is and casually starts drinking from the river. Amini steps into the shallow river, which is maybe just over 1 meter deep at the deepest point, and washes her face. The river flows fairly slowly, so no chance of being swept away.

 

After a while, Flora has had enough water and walks away from the river by herself. Her destination is near the entrance of the pass and under some trees which cast a shadow on the ground. The horse looks around to see if there’s anything to eat. Amini notices Flora’s absence and looks for her tricorder. When she finds it, she walks over to the horse.

 

Amini: “Nice place you’ve got here…”

 

India flips open her tricorder and starts scanning the vegetation.

 

Amini: “Well, nothing here is poisonous, but neither is it nutritious… But, go ahead; you can eat anything you can reach here…”

 

Flora was already munching some leafs before Amini gave her ok, but that’s beside the point.

 

Amini: “I’ll stick to my rations for now…”

 

Amini sits down on a nice spot at the rocky surface overlooking the river, which is some 25 meters in front of her. She leans back and relaxes… Flora, just 3 meters away, lies down on her knees, without dropping on her side this time, and continues nibbling the leafs on the plants next to her.

 

Amini: “I know we need to get back to the camp, Flora, but I think it’s best if we stay here for another night… We need to regain some more strength. We’ll be able to travel faster than if we’d leave right now… We’ll make an early start tomorrow morning.”

 

Day 13. Amini makes another log while on the back of Flora.

 

Amini: “Astrometrics officer’s log, stardate 63942.34. I’m about to enter the camp again. We have 2 full canisters of water to spare and plenty of food rations. Flora is doing really well. The return journey didn’t take as long as we expected, so we’re nicely on time…”

 

LT: “You’re late, ensign.”

 

The captain isn’t really angry…

 

LT: “I told you to be back in 10 days, it’s now the morning of the 11th day…”

 

Amini: “Glad to be back, sir.”

 

LT helps her off her horse and now puts a well-meant smile on his face.

 

LT: “Welcome back, India. Are you 2 ok?”

 

Amini: “Yes, we’re fine, captain. We could use some shade and a bit of rest though…”

 

LT: “That’ll be arranged shortly, of course.”

 

Amini: “Where’s Nerissa?”

 

LT: “She hasn’t returned yet… But tell me, did you find anything?”

 

Amini dismounts the horse and stretches a bit.

 

Amini: “Boy, have I arranged a paradise for you!”

 

LT: “Are you suffering from heatstroke or are you serious?”

 

She indifferently waves her hand roughly in the direction she came from.

 

Amini: “About 110 kilometers thataway there’s a river, trees and vegetation…”

 

LT: “Great!”

 

Amini: “The water is safe to drink, but the vegetation provides little or no nutrition for humans or horses…”

 

LT: “Well, the water will do just fine for now… And we’ll have to leave right away, before our current water supply runs out.”

 

Amini: “What about Nerissa?”

 

LT: “We’ll send out a search party and we’ll leave a few security officers here in case she gets back. But good work, Amini! Very well done… You saved about 500 lives…”

 

A smile on both faces.

 

Amini: “Thank you, sir.”

 

The smiles disappear again…

 

Amini: “I just hope Pattison and Aleste are alright…”

 

 

SCENE 16: Day 14 - At the bottom made of rock

 

At the other river, the dry one, Pattison is recording yet another log… Tedious work sometimes, being an officer.

 

Pattison: “Helm officer’s log, stardate 63945.29… Officially, it’s now Sunday and that about describes this day… We’ve been here now for 10 days. The horse has been limping around for a few days… There’s no stopping a big Clydesdale if it wants to get up, even if she has a broken leg. She probably as frustrated as I am just sitting still, though she’s probably making the injury to her leg worse. It’s impossible for her to undertake the journey back to camp and I refuse to leave her behind. And besides, it’s too late now anyway; we only have water for 1 more day… After that, we’ll die of thirst in a few short days I imagine… I’ve steered the Greate Pier over many, many trillions of kilometers and now the camp, which is just 35 kilometers away, is too far to travel in my lifetime if I don’t get my hands on more water. Never thought I’d be recording such poetic and dramatic nonsense… Anyway, the emergency beacon on my tricorder has been running now for a few days, but so far I’ve seen no faces peek over the rocky edge above us. It seems we’ve hit rock bottom…”

 

 

SCENE 17: Day 15 - Quack quack…

 

Somewhere in the desert…

 

Marks: “Sir, the tracks start to get kind of hard to follow…”

 

Reinard: “Hmm, that’s bad news… It may become impossible to follow these tracks if the soil keeps getting harder.”

 

Serrag: “True, but since we left camp yesterday, the tracks have gone perfectly straight ahead.”

 

Reinard: “Perhaps we can find her if we keep going straight, but I’d rather pick up an emergency beacon or even the basic signal from her tricorder.”

 

Marks: “I’d rather pick up anything rather than your smell, lieutenant commander…”

 

Reinard: “Putting his own life on the line, Serrag was putting out the fire in the shuttle in order to save our shipmates, ensign… I’d appreciate it if you could keep your attempts at humor in check concerning this…”

 

Serrag: “I’d appreciate a bath, galcor soap and a rubber ducky.”

 

 

SCENE 18: Day 16 - Crispy happy people

 

Yet another log, as if we haven’t had enough…

 

Pattison: “Helm officer’s log, stardate 63950.63, I think… All the water is gone. Aleste just drank the last of it. The horse has stopped limping around since this morning… She hasn’t had nearly enough water these past few days. Anyway, this may be my last entry; I don’t think we’ll see another morning. My headache is killing me.”

 

Serrag: “What poetic yet dramatic nonsense…”

 

Serrag and the 2 security officers are looking down at the 2 ladies in the giant ditch.

 

Pattison: “Serrag!”

 

The team of 3 slide down the slope as quickly as they can.

 

Marks: “Have a drink of water, ensign… It’s on me.”

 

Nerissa gluttonously drinks the water Marks gives to her.

 

Pattison: “Thank you...”

 

She sighs deeply before addressing the Vulcan whom is checking on the horse.

 

Pattison: “Can you fix her leg?”

 

Serrag: “I think I can, ensign. I have an osteogenic stimulator with me.”

 

He starts treating the leg with the device after giving the animal a hypo against the pain.

 

Reinard: “Will she be able to walk soon? We shouldn’t waste more time here than necessary.”

 

Serrag: “She will be on her feet in 15 minutes.”

 

Marks: “We picked up your emergency beacon; good thing you were still clear minded enough to set that up.”

 

Pattison: “Did Amini and Flora return safely?”

 

Marks: “Yes, they did. And they bore good news… They found a river too, yet a little wetter than this one.”

 

Pattison: “Really?! That is great! Wait… What is that smell? It smells like… singed hair or something…”

 

Marks: “Oh that… That would be Lieutenant Commander Serrag…”

 

Serrag: “People, I can take a sand bath if you like…”

 

 

SCENE 19: Day 17 - A rather quick version of the exodus comes to an end

 

The long stretched caravan of former Greate Pier crew approaches the rocky wall where Amini and Flora spent the night 4 days ago.

 

Amini: “Over there, commander…”

 

Amini points at the empty water canisters she left behind.

 

Eisinga: “Great! But it doesn’t look very green to me. Or wet for that matter…”

 

Amini: “No, silly! We need to get through the pass first to the other side of the mountain thingy…”

 

Eisinga: “You call that a mountain?”

 

Amini: “Well, a tiny one perhaps…”

 

Eisinga: “A mini mountain…”

 

Amini: “Yes, Amini Mountain…”

 

They both laugh loudly. Eisinga then teases her a little…

 

Eisinga: “So, a luscious, green paradise, accessible only though a narrow pass… Just like in the movies… Right!”

 

Amini: “Yes, you’ll see… To the left here…”

 

They walk into the pass and soon exit on the other side. Eisinga never doubted the word of Amini, but his eyes suddenly become quite big when he lays eyes upon the flowing water, surrounded by the aforementioned luscious, green paradise.

 

Eisinga: “Amazing… Truly amazing… And this water is safe to drink right away you say?”

 

Amini: “It is, go ahead!”

 

The both of them head to the shore and use their hands to drink the fresh water. A short while later, even before all 500 crew entered paradise, the captain and Doctor Shelley find themselves overlooking their new home from Amini Mountain . The pass on their left, the river on their right and most of the crew in-between, though some have plunged into the river for a much needed bath. A lot of happy sounding talk and cheering makes it sound like a real party down there.

 

Shelley: “Well, spirits are up…”

 

LT: “No kidding… They’re louder than hell…”

 

Shelley: “We now have a fresh water supply, these woods must have some sort of food for us and will provide building materials for houses…”

 

LT: “Houses? I don’t intend to stay here that long.”

 

Shelley: “But if we don’t get off this planet, we’ll need some form of permanent housing… I mean, the shuttle is a total loss…”

 

LT: “We’re not at that stage just yet… Plans for permanent housing will have to wait; it’s last on my list right after putting a pencil up my left nostril. For now we have more shelter underneath these trees than we had since we got here.”

 

Shelley: “We were able to sleep outside so far, but what if the weather turns on us?”

 

LT sighs.

 

LT: “I guess we’ll need some form of temporary shelters, but nothing too fancy… I’ll talk to Serrag about it once he arrives; I bet he’ll have some ideas. In the meantime I’ll send out scouts to look for food… Our food rations will last for a few days still, but I’m sure these woods have something we can munch down on…”

 

 

SCENE 20: Day 21 - Last, but not least smelly

 

Nerissa Pattison finally arrives at the correct river. She exits the narrow pass through Amini Mountain and beholds the river in the company of Reinard, Serrag, Marks and the security men from the old camp.

 

LT: “Welcome, Pattison! Good to see you made it here!”

 

Pattison: “Thank you, captain… It was a close one though…”

 

Serrag doesn’t stop and marches right past the captain.

 

LT: “Serrag, I’d like your report on the search operation… Where are you going?”

 

Serrag: “I’m going to take a lengthy bath. I will see you in the morning.”

 

The captain is dumbfounded…

 

LT: “What’s up with him?”

 

Reinard: “He’s smelly…”

 

Marks now looks at Reinard with an annoyed look…

 

LT: “Well, I suggest you follow suit and enjoy the river, horse included… Again, I’m glad to see you’re alright, Nerissa… We’ll need you back at the helm of the ship once we get it back.”

 

Pattison: “I don’t know if that’ll happen, but for now I’m happy to see a river with some wetness to it…”

 

 

SCENE 21: Day 22 - Droolfest

 

Eisinga is at the river, dangling his feet in it… Next to him is Ensign Stuckman. His feet are crossed and firmly on dry land.

 

Stuckman: “First we needed water, we sent out scouts and we found it… Now we need food, we sent out scouts, but haven’t found anything while it should be more simple than finding water…”

 

Eisinga: “Though it worries me too, patience is required… The water is more important… We’d’ve all died within days if Amini hadn’t found this place. Worrying too much will cost energy, making the necessity for food more emergent.”

 

It’s quiet for a little while… Both the men stare at the moving water... Stuckman puts his hand in the water and lets it flow through his fingers… The silent spell continues a bit longer… Then, finally, someone breaks the silence with a timid voice…

 

Stuckman: “I like water…”

 

Without looking up, the commander replies in pretty much the same tone of voice…

 

Eisinga: “Yeah…”

 

3 seconds later…

 

Eisinga: “Me too…”

 

More silence and staring…

 

 

SCENE 22: Day 23 - Green leafs

 

Shelley approaches the captain, whom is resting from a hard day’s doing not so much…

 

Shelley: “Captain? Are you awake?”

 

LT: “Oh, doctor, please, sit down…”

 

Eve sits down and brings her report…

 

Shelley: “To make a long story short, the analysis is pretty much the same as Amini’s initial report. The trees and plants have no fruits or berries, the leafs aren’t poisonous but not very nutritious either…”

 

LT: “How ‘not very nutritious’?”

 

Shelley: “Of the most nutritious leaf out there, you’d need to eat around 20 of them to get an average meal out of it.”

 

LT: “Just 20?”

 

Shelley looks around and spots what she’s looking for… She tears a leaf from a nearby plant and shows it to the captain.

 

Shelley: “20 of these.”

 

The leaf is of course 60 centimeters long and about 20 centimeters wide… The captain sees the problem…

 

LT: “I see…”

 

He carefully takes a bite… LT then looks at the doctor with a rather disgusted look in his eyes… He turns his head and spits it out.

 

LT: “Ehm, I think I spotted another problem, doctor…”

 

He throws aside the leaf.

 

LT: “First thing tomorrow morning, I will join 1 of your teams in the search…”

 

 

SCENE 23: Day 24 - Stupid & annoying

 

K’Ehlen is walking through the woods… After a short while, she all of a sudden stops, closes her eyes and appears to be concentrating on her hearing as if she heard something… Some seconds later, she hears the sound again. She immediately opens her eyes and looks at where she thinks the sound came from. She rapidly runs towards the suspected source of the noises and softly talks to herself…

 

K’Ehlen: “Where are you?”

 

Shelley: “K’Ehlen? Where are you?”

 

The Klingon female, ignoring the doctor, looks around again, apparently unable to pinpoint the sound. The doctor quickly finds her.

 

Shelley: “Ah, there you are… It’s time to head back to camp, K’Ehlen. The other team must already be waiting at the rendezvous point by now.”

 

K’Ehlen: “I’m telling you, I’m hearing noises…”

 

Shelley: “I’m sure you do, but first of all it’s probably the wind, and secondly… we’re late. Let’s go…”

 

The Klingon sighs and reluctantly gives up. The ladies, accompanied by 2 other officers, head towards the mentioned rendezvous point. And as predicted, the other team, consisting of 2 more random officers, the captain and the first officer is already there.

 

Eisinga: “Finally… We almost thought you weren’t going to show up.”

 

LT: “Yeah, we’re hungry… What did you bring us?”

 

Shelley: “Sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but we have nothing to show for…”

 

Eisinga: “Neither do we, actually… Leafs it is then…”

 

LT: “I bet those things cost most energy to digest than we get out of them.”

 

Then all of a sudden a sound is heard. It resembles some sort of bird song, but not very elaborate; just a series of high-pitched, scratchy squeaks.

 

LT: “Quiet!”

 

Everyone shuts up. After a second or 2, the sounds are heard again.

 

K’Ehlen: “I told you I heard something!”

 

LT: “It seems to be getting closer…”

 

The teams move to the side of the small clearing. Just a few seconds later an animal comes running towards them at considerable speed. When it gets closer, they can see what it looks like… It’s not unlike Earth’s cassowary; it’s a large, flightless, birdlike animal. The colors are rather boring, shades of grey and brown. K’Ehlen doesn’t hesitate when the beast is about to rush past them; she jumps the animal, despite its great speed, and captures it. The rest of the crew rushes in to assist and/or check out the catch. The animal at first resists aggressively by kicking its powerful hind legs. After a short while, the only thing it does is squeak. A lot.

 

K’Ehlen: “BIjatlh 'e' yImev, joknor!”

 

[K’Ehlen: “Shut up, stupid, annoying beast!”]

 

The crew now has to speak loudly to be able to make themselves heard over the 75 centimeter tall bird.

 

LT: “Go easy on it, K’Ehlen…”

 

K’Ehlen: “You try and hold this thing! Doctor! Is it edible?”

 

Eve flips open her medical tricorder and makes a quick scan.

 

Shelley: “Actually, yes. It’s much, much more nutritious for us than any plant we’ve found so far.”

 

LT: “That’s good to know, but for now: let it go.”

 

K’Ehlen: “What?! You cannot be serious…”

 

LT: “I am… Let it go. Stand back everyone.”

 

They all stand back.

 

LT: “Go ahead…”

 

K’Ehlen reluctantly let’s go of the beast, which runs off at top speed, but in silence.

 

K’Ehlen: “Why?”

 

LT: “Because 1 bird won’t feed 500 people; we have our rations to depend on for now and I will not needlessly kill animals…”

 

This pleases the first officer.

 

Eisinga: “Good!”

 

K’Ehlen refrains for commenting on this subject any further and simply shakes her head and walks a few paces away from the scouting teams. The rest stays behind and discusses the new discovery some more…

 

LT: “If nothing here is edible, what do those animals eat themselves?”

 

Shelley: “I’m not sure… To answer that question, I’d have to examine the animal’s stomach contents…”

 

LT: “Hmmm…”

 

Eisinga: “Well, it’s a little late for that…”

 

LT: “Oh well, nothing we can do about that right now… We should be heading back to camp; it’ll get dark within the hour.”

 

A short while later, they arrive at the outskirts of the new camp. Ensign Stuckman is heading straight for them. Before they actually reach each other, Stuckman yells from a distance.

 

Stuckman: “Captain! Captain! I’ve got something to show you!”

 

When Stuckman and the scouts get closer to each other, it’s clear what he’s talking about… Eric is holding a dead bird by the neck and shows it to the captain.

 

Stuckman: “It came running through the camp; I managed to shoot it…”

 

Eric lowers the bird, as it’s quite heavy…

 

LT: “Hmmm, it must be the very same animal we set free a while ago…”

 

Stuckman: “’Set free’? But it’s edible… I scanned it…”

 

K’Ehlen: “Exactly!”

 

LT: “Yes, it’s edible alright, but like I told K’Ehlen, it’s not going to feed all of us. I will not kill animals unless I am really forced to. Who knows, they might be a rare species…”

 

Another squeak is heard and Stuckman takes a bewildered look at the dead bird. But it’s not the animal in his hand which is making the sound, as it is indeed quite dead. Seconds later, another bird runs by at a medium speed. Then, just 2.5 seconds after that, while the crew are all staring at the bird that just ran by, a horde of at least 2 dozen birds run by, startling everyone, as they were all silent.

 

K’Ehlen: “Rare indeed…”

 

Shelley scans the dead animal.

 

Stuckman: “What are you looking for, doctor?”

 

Shelley: “Last time I scanned this animal, I didn’t check the stomach’s contents. It may reveal what this animal’s diet is; it might be nourishing for us too… And actually, it is. Captain, this bird has been eating the roots of a plant which we’ve encountered just about everywhere… It’s quite nutritious.”

 

LT: “How come we haven’t found this out before, if we already know this plant can be found all around?”

 

Shelley: “I think we failed to scan roots… We were looking for the obvious things; fruits, vegetables, berries, leafs…”

 

LT: “Then we’re stupid.”

 

Serrag approaches the group.

 

Serrag: “Sir, about the 26 birds than stampeded the camp…”

 

LT: “Wait, 26? How on this planet’s name did you count them so fast?”

 

Serrag: “I counted the number of legs and divided them by 2… It’s quite basic math, you know?”

 

LT: “I know. And we really need to find a name for these birds as we keep calling them ‘these birds’… What was it you called them back there, ensign? Jokker… Jonkor… Something…”

 

K’Ehlen: “Joknor!”

 

LT: “Yeah, that. I’m familiar with plenty of Klingon words, but I don’t know that one… What does it mean?”

 

K’Ehlen: “It means something like ‘stupid, annoying beast’. It’s used for disobedient pets.”

 

LT: “Well, I like the sound of it anyway... Sorry to interrupt, Serrag… What did you want to say?”

 

Serrag: “Anyway, these ‘joknors’ do not appear to be very abundant… I scanned the area, but there are no other birds in the vicinity and the fact we did not encounter any droppings indicates they might not be native to this specific area.”

 

LT: “Thanks, that gives us hope…”

 

Stuckman: “Captain?”

 

Eric holds up the bird again and points at it with his other hand whilst showing an expecting look on his face.

 

LT: “Go ahead, Eric. But be sure to share it…”

 

With a smile, Stuckman walks off after nodding in affirmation to the captain.

 

Eisinga: “Sir, I…”

 

The captain already knows his first officer is going to protest, so he cuts him off after just 2 words…

 

LT: “We can’t let a dead joknor go to waste, Eldert, can we?”

 

Eisinga’s look reveals he knows the correct answer, but doesn’t like it.

 

 

SCENE 24: Day 25 - Over the hills and fire away

 

A team consisting of LT, Eisinga, Shelley and a few redshirts are out in the woods again.

 

Shelley: “We’ve been at it for hours; I’m not sure we’ll find any more joknors… Serrag was quite clear on it. There aren’t any beyond the 27 we encountered yesterday…”

 

Eisinga: “They might be migratory birds of some sort…”

 

LT: “Not unlikely, as they only seem to feed on those roots… Once all the roots in an area have all been eaten, they might move on to better pastures…”

 

Shelley: “Well, that doesn’t cheer me up… Time for a break, guys. I’m thirsty and I’m tired.”

 

LT: “Yes, I think we can all use a little break.”

 

An old tree trunk on the slope of a hill provides seating for all in the team.

 

Eisinga: “I don’t want to sound too depressing, but we really need to find some serious food, captain…”

 

Shelley: “We’ve got the roots…”

 

Eve drinks some water, like most of the others.

 

LT: “That’s not enough to feed everyone… We’d deplete that natural resource within walking distance in weeks.”

 

Shelley: “The last of the rations are probably digesting in the crew’s stomachs right now… The roots may be the only thing we can eat…”

 

Eisinga: “Moral will drop again the minute bellies start roaring…”

 

LT: “Yesterday there was even a row about Stuckman’s joknor… It seems everyone wanted a piece…”

 

Eisinga: “Not me… Anyway, the last thing we need is a civil war…”

 

The captain stands up and looks around a bit.

 

LT: “How about we climb up this hill? From up there we can take a look around to see if there are any interesting areas we can take a look next, because there’s nothing here to put our teeth in but ourselves.”

 

Shelley: “Right now?!”

 

LT: “If the view is nice, we can rest up there as well…”

 

The team climbs up the hill… A few minutes later, they arrive at the top… When they peer over the crest of the hill, they see a lot more crests. Crests on the heads of thousands of joknors in the valley below. Try to imagine the noise… The team looks down on the countless, oblivious birdies… The food issue seems solved. Instant smiles on every one of their faces, including Eisinga’s. His smile, however, fades as soon as the captain speaks…

 

LT: “Let’s eat!”

 

Eldert sighs deeply…

 

 

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