One of Our Scientists is Missing (Part 8)

Posted on Fri Feb 26, 2021 @ 4:25am by Lieutenant JG Ace Cannon & Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca & Ensign Jessica Mayhew

1,130 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Up the Beanstalk
Timeline: MD -01 to MD 01

Location: Up the Beanstalk
Timeline: MD -01 to MD 01

[PREVIOUSLY]

Travis blinked as Alanna wandered out of the mist with some kind of alien creature. Well, that had been easier than he’d anticipated. “Are you okay, Lieutenant?” Travis asked, one hand slipping to his phaser, the other to the release of the tether at his waist in case he needed to move rapidly -- or tug Brianthe and Ace down and out of the way of any trouble. He eyed the stick figure warily.

[CONTINUED]

Alanna looked pale and strained. She looked at Brianthe. She couldn't hear her thoughts, either. "I call him Nudge," she said. "He and his...owner/companion, I'm not sure, have kept me fed."

She turned to Travis. "He's harmless. They both are."

The stick man appeared, holding the tool he used to pull down leaves. He looked at the others and whistled.

"They're friends," Alanna said. "They came to take me home." She looked at Brianthe. "Do you know how to get back from here?”

Brianthe shook her head. "We just got here."

"Me, either," Alanna said.

Travis eased his hand away from his phaser as Alanna reassured him. “Does your...friend know where the beanstalk went?” he asked.

Ace looked at Alanna, and while giving a head nod in Travis' direction, said, "Beware, Alanna, when we do get out of this, this stick in the mud is going to give you the lecture about not checking in and following protocols."

"I didn't plan on ending up here. I planned on going up to the clouds and returning. There seemed no reason to report a beanstalk until I could give more information. It wouldn't be the first time something suddenly appeared on Pangea. Besides, I had my combadge and my telepathy. If nothing else, I could have contacted Jason. Only...nothing works up here."

The stick man whistled and turned, heading away from the group.

"I'm not sure where he--it--is going, but we should follow," Alanna said. She headed after the stick figure, the stick creature falling in step.

Brianthe shrugged and followed Alanna.

Ace smiled mischievously at Brianthe before following. So, she can't sense me now? Let's test that. Mentally, he started sending pictures of himself and Bri doing the naked dance between the sheets.

The stick man went back to the white and gray trees and began pulling off leaves and berries.

"This is what we eat," Alanna told the others. "They're bland, but palatable. I've tried to ask about the beanstalk, but he doesn't understand." She began to pick leaves and put them in the container. "I've been thinking of how best to get down from here. From what I remember, the beanstalk was in the center of the cloud. So, if we can get close enough to the edge, we might find a way down. Or a hole. I'm not sure if my boots will work, so I didn't want to risk falling through a hole, but with that rope of yours, it might be worth a try."

The stick man was whistling again. Occasionally he'd look over at the others, then go back to pulling off leaves.

Brianthe began to help Alanna. "It's an interesting theory. You don't look so good. How are you feeling? Do your ears ring, too?"

Alanna nodded. "And I feel stretched. The silence is getting to me. I keep hearing things--or think I do. I'm also worried about what will happen when the cloud dissipates. Will we be stuck here?"

Bri stopped picking. "I hadn't considered that. Maybe we should try that theory of yours right away?"

"How long have I been missing?"

"No idea. We were supposed to meet yesterday."

"Two days, then. I've been sleeping a lot, off and on, but it doesn't feel like a whole day or night. Let's fill up his containers, help him get them back to his home, and find an edge somewhere."

Brianthe nodded. "Sounds good to me." She wasn't sure why they had to finish picking leaves, but she was willing to follow Alanna's suggestion. Besides, she was curious about the trees. From what she could tell, there were three different trees, all part of the same family. All were similar, but the leaves were slightly different hues, and the veins in the leaves were different colors. She slipped a couple of leaves and berries into her cross pack as she worked, careful not to let the stick thing--either stick thing--notice. As she worked, she found a couple of runners and carefully pulled one of each type and put them in her pack.

Alanna, next to her, noticed. "I have samples, too. I wonder if they'll grow on Pangaea?"

"Or in a lab," Bri added. "Time will tell."

Ace wondered at the two women. At one moment they were talking about being stuck, and the next growing more of these beanstalks to potentially lead to more of this. "I'm not certain any of that is a good idea, but talking about that now when your theory of the cloud dissipating and us with it is probably not the best idea. Do you have anti-grav boots, Alanna?"

"I do, but I'm not sure if the batteries are still working. It's hard to tell up here," Alanna replied. She wasn't even sure about the passage of time.

"We should add you to our little chain gang," he replied with a wry smile. "How do you feel about being tied up?" Realizing he was inappropriately now flirting with Jason's girlfriend, he hastily added, "I realize we're not Jason, but… Safety first, right?" He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Alanna couldn't help chuckling. No, he was no Jason. "Yes. Safety first."

She put her handful of leaves in the container and went over to the pair of stick beings. "Thank you." They still didn't understand her, but she wanted to say it. She rubbed Nudge along his head. "Take care of your friend, okay?"

Then she bowed to the stick man and pantomimed that she was going with the others. That he seemed to understand. He imitated her bow and turned to go back to his picking.

Nudge snuffled at her, then followed the stick man.

"I'm actually going to miss those two," she told Bri before walking over to Ace.

"Okay," she said to the Ops officer. "Since I left my ruby slippers back home, let's see if we can find our way back."

Ace shrugged. "Now let me tie you up, Alanna." Ace's eyes got large when he realized the innuendo he just inadvertently threw at Alanna.

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Assistant Chief Science Officer

Petty Officer Travis Nottingham
Security Officer

Lieutenant JG Ace Cannon
Assistant Chief Operations Officer

 

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