Its good to be the Lost

Posted on Thu Apr 7th, 2011 @ 2:07am by Major Leroy Mangalia & Lieutenant JG Erin Tal

1,757 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Forests of Mythraeli
Location: Planetside
Timeline: Current

ON:

Leo was tired, the cliff face having a steeper grade than he expected as they climbed. That was over, but now there was the part of the plan that had them find the river. On the other side of where they had found the waterfall, a thick forest stood. Leo couldn't even hear the rushing water. Looking behind him, he half smiled at Erin. "We'll find the water, once we do that we'll get home."

Erin nodded, slinging her pack back over her shoulders. ''It should be close, the ground is more fertile here. Richer.'' She knelt, scooping up a handful of the soil and letting it run through her fingers.
''That should be easy enough, but does your COMMbadge work? People on the Caly might think something's happened.'' She shrugged and continued.
''No mission ever goes off without a hitch, huh?''

Leo shrugged and looked around. Listening closely, he heard nothing. "I don't exactly have my badge yet Lieutenant, it's still with my duty shirt." Smiling behind him, Leo began walking forward again, trying to remember what way the river was. It didn't seem that important to him, nor did getting in contact with his ship. He didn't even remember where he was stationed. "But that doesn't matter. Someone will find us, maybe sometime in the next five minutes, maybe sometime next month. What does it matter?"

''Well if we're here for a month I dibs the last of the rations.'' Erin said with a laugh.
''I'd be in my element, but I'd say humans dont last very well in the wilderness.'' She teased, looking around and listening for the river.
A few moments later she came across a tiny tributary no wider than her footprints, bubbling away from the river.
''Follow this.'' She pointed and followed it along, kicking stones and shrubs out of their way untill they arrived at the river, flowing along at a torrential speed.

Leo looked at Erin, then the water and sat down. "Time to rest," he said with a dreamy smile on his face. All thought of duty was gone, he wanted to relax. "I don't see why we should worry about any of it, just relax and drink in the beauty around."

Erin flopped down on her bag, taking out a vial of water and gulping some down before offering him the rest. ''Gods be good, you're enjoying this.'' She remarked with a grin. ''When's the last time you had a proper holdiay, Leo?''

"Whats a holiday?" he asked closing his eyes. "I don't take time off, it usually ends up getting someone in trouble." Leaning against thr tree, he didn't notice the offered water, but wouldn't have taken it even if he had. "On a ship, a Marine can never let his guard down. There are too many unknowns. I should have taken a desk job."

Erin shrugged, downed some more water and shoved it back into her bag.
''Wow. I dont want to get all Fruedean on you, but thats on the road to a mental breakdown. No wonder you look like a child at christmas right now.''
It was a phrase she picked up in old literature, and liked it.
''On the ship, there's sensors and sheilds to prevent danger. Letting your gaurd down is probably essential to your health.''

"Shields and sensors can be turned around," Leo said as he smiled more. "You can get around anything that anyone has built. I could break into the Calypso, even Typhon if I really wanted to. Marines are alwasy on call to defend the ship and it's crew at any moment, times like this are the only times we can relax."

''Well then, make the most of it.'' Erin secretly wondered if Vulcans or Marines were the hardest beings to physcoanalyse before standing and stretching.
''I'm going to scout the area.'' She padded away into the brush before returning a few minutes later, caked up to her shins in mud and briar scratches.
''Nothing, apart from some rodents. Its really is the ideal holiday spot.'' She sat down, rolling up her trousers and sticking her legs in the river to wash them.
She lay back and looked at the canopy of leaves above them, murmuring in the breeze.
''Its so peaceful- I feel like if I sleep I'll wake up and a hundred years will have passed, like that Earth story, Rip Van Winkle.'' She laughed softly. ''Boy, I know how that feels.''

Leo opened his eyes and looked over at the woman. "I doubt that it's even possible to do that without cryo gear, or something of the like." Looking back up he smiled. "And no need for the rations either." Standing quickly he looked at the tree that he had been leaning on. "We've found food."

Erin knelt by the tree, turning over bits of the fallen fruit that were hidden amoung the grass.
The remains had small teeth-marks all over it, and looked heavily chewed in some cases.
''Well the local wildlife seems to like it.'' She stood and leapt at the nearest branch, pulling her way up the tree so she could reach the fruit at the top.
''I'll forage, you find us some shelter for tonight.''

Leo stood and stretched, looking around. There was little in the way of fallen branches, but by the look and feel of the ground, it rained often. "I have a tent back with our gear, but looking around here theres nothing to build a shelter." Looking up at Erin, he looked confused. "Almost like branches don't fall from the trees."

Half-way up the tree, Erin stopped and looked at him. ''Preposterous. Thats a natural cycle of nature.'' She argued, but looking around from her vantage point, she started to think that maybe the man had a point.
''How is that possible... unless they're eaten or decay rapidly?'' She asked in confusion, resuming her climb and shaking down some fruit.

''We had better head to the tent before nightfall then.''

He looked around again and sighed. There were leaves, but that was it. No sticks, nothing of the sort. "Yea, we'll build camp there, and try to figure out how to get a hold of the Caly."

Erin cut down a handful of fruit before climbing halfway down and jumping to the ground.
She landed like a cat and stood, wincing slightly as she went over on her foot, but straightened up and started to pick up the fruit.
''Here.'' She tossed a few to Leo.
''No way we're going to be able to take theese across a torrential river. Best eat them here.''

Leroy took the fruit and bit into it, swallowing the bite before biting in again. "This is pretty good," he said around a full mouth. "This tastes almost like pomegrantes."

Erin took a bite of her own fruit and tried not to wince. It was good fruit, admittedly. Sweet and tasty. Leo was right, it did taste like Pomgranetes. But Erin hated fruit.
There was just something about it she disliked.
After a few bites she threw the rest into the shrubs for the animals to eat and stretched.
''You ready? I wanna make it back before nightfall because let me tell you, I'm terrible at setting up a tent.''

Leo took one last bite and tossed it into the woods. Grabbing his combat knife, he looked around and smiled. He began climbing a tree, and his left arm angled out, then swung in with a sharp motion with a sharp thwack. A length of vine fell to the ground, and left a large gouge in the side of the tree. Leo dropped to the ground and cut off the other end of the vine and starting looping it. "Here's how we're getting across safely."

Erin grinned. ''I appreciate the safety measures, but I'll be fine.''
Sure, it was a torrential river, but she spent most every second she had in the holodeck back on on the ship on her own wild planets, climbing and swimming to her hearts content.
She tested the bank with her bare feet before pulling her kit off and trying it securely around her waist so it wouldnt snag on anything or billow in the water and slow her down.

Then came the plunge. The water was freezing and took her breath away as it dragged her along in the current, tugging and pulling at her limbs.
She was a strong swimmer though, and gritting her teeth, she dove under the water, under the rocks at the bottom to pull herself along til she had breached the worst of the torrent.
From there, the paddle to the shore was almost menial. ''Your turn.'' She called breathlessly, pulling herself up on the bank and flopping on the grass, taking deep breaths before redressing and shaking the water out of her hair.

Leo had been watching and shook his head when she said it was his turn. It had taken longer than he had thought it would, but he was up for the challenge. His boots were already soaked through, so this last turn through the river shouldn't do any harm. Stretching lightly, he could see she was watching to see how he was going to do it, so he walked. Setting his booted feet down he strode into the river, the water staying at about shoulder height at its deepest. He knew he was going down stream, and could see Erin pass by, then some of the trees before he got out of the current and walked up the bank. He was a quarter mile down by the time he had gotten out of the water. He was also near the bivouac gear,

Walking with a smile on his face, he looked at Erin. "That works too," he said before turning and grabbing at his sheath to make sure the knife hadn't gone anywhere. Tossing down the gear he sighed and pressed a button. A two person tent popped out of almost nothing. "If you want, I can sleep out here."

Erin laughed, unzipping the tent and crawling inside.
''I appreciate the chivilry but get in the tent. You're not sleeping out in the cold.''
She chuckled, dragging her gear into the tent after her.
OFF:

First Lieutenant Leroy Mangalia
Marine XO
USS Calypso

Lieutenant Erin Tal
Cheif Councellor
USS Calypso

 

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