A Green Thumb Needed (Part I)

Posted on Mon Nov 21, 2022 @ 11:44pm by Gunnery Sergeant Terry Henderson & Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca

1,353 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Pangae

[ON]

Terry was worried. Supplies were low, some people were still nursing injuries, and the environment made it easy to get more injuries or infections. Plus, food and vitamins were needed. He had one idea and there was one person to ask, the Chief of Science.

It took Terry a little bit to find her, but the tall, broad Marine, who dwarfed Alanna by a foot, approached and asked, "Lieutenant, may I have a few moments of your time?"

Although Alyssa preferred to stay away from people because Jason thought it was too dangerous, she needed to see how the Marines were doing and if they had any updates on the portal complex.

It was an unusual request as the Marines tended to ignore her. She turned and smiled. "Of course. What can I do for you, Gunny?"

"I'm the Chief Medic for the Marine Unit here", Terry said. "Although I've patched most people up, I still have some that are getting infections and have wounds that aren't healing up. The medkits are just about out of supplies that we need to save for the worst cases. I was thinking perhaps maybe some of the local plants might be able to help. That said, I don't know anything about the planet and what's growing down here. I was wondering if your team has been able to catalog anything like that?"

"Yes. We have a botanist with us. She's been searching for plants that can be used for food and medicine. She's started growing some as well." Alanna paused to wonder where Bri was at that moment. "I can get her back here in half an hour, or I can take you to her. I think she's in the woods north west of here."

"Probably better, given the situation, that you take me to her ma'am", Terry replied. "Going in pairs with the Cardassians about is a safer approach."

"Here I'm just Alanna," she corrected. "I...need to keep a low profile." She nodded in the direction of her shuttle. "I have a ship over here. I'll take you back to Bag End and introduce you to Bri."

"Very well Lieu... Uhm Alanna", Terry said. "Sorry, habit. Lead the way."

"It's okay. As long as we're around Marines, it doesn't matter." She led the way out of the area to where her shuttle was cloaked. "I have to keep it hidden so the Cardassians don't pick up on it. At least it's small enough to generally go unnoticed."

She unlocked the hatch and indicated for him to take a seat while she prepped the shuttle for launch.

"Uh, not to try and be telling you what to do and all", Terry said. "But if you have a cloaked vessel, maybe you could get away and talk to command or something."

She glanced at him and wondered what news had filtered to the Marines. "The Cardassians claim control of the station, but there are far too many who are covertly causing trouble for them to keep it for long. They have Commander Ryan, who surrendered to allow Starfleet personnel to get away. So, even if I could get to the station, I'm not sure I'd be able to do any good there."

She'd seen Terry a time or two, but didn't know him well enough to know what she should and shouldn't tell him. "There are several groups here on Pangaea--besides the Marines--who are doing what they can to sabotage the Cardassians and keep them from gaining control of the portal complex." A major part of that was keeping Soran alive. "That's one of the reasons the Cardassians want the planet. So, anything we can do to stop them is important. A group of us are hiding anyone with knowledge about the planet and the portals. That, and sabotaging their efforts, is our primary focus here." She kept the shuttle just above the tree line and slowly headed away from the Marine compound. When she was sure she was clear, she increased speed and headed in a roundabout way back to Bag End.

She came in from the far side and landed in a clearing not far from where Brianthe was working to bring back an ancient garden. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Bri." She secured the shuttle and led Terry out the hatch and into the woods.

Terry followed and said, "Well, if you have a shuttle with a cloaking, wouldn't you want to take those people who know all the stuff about the portal and get as far away from here as possible?"


Brianthe felt Alanna approach with a man she didn't recognize by his surface thoughts--what little there were, anyway. She dusted off her skirt, picked up a trowel, and went to see who he was.

Terry smiled at the pretty woman before him. He nodded to her and then said, "Ma'am. Gunnery Sargent Terry Henderson."

He didn't want to assume this officer was casual about being called by her name.

Brianthe smiled warmly at the medic. "You're one of the Marines, aren't you? I'm Brianthe Oaxaca." She glanced at Alanna, then back to Terry. "Is there something specific you need? We don't generally get people coming into the woods out here."

"Yes, ma'am", Terry said. "I am indeed with the Marines. As to what is needed, medical supplies are running low and I was wondering if there were any plants down here that were medicinal in nature so we could save on supplies."

Bri was aware of all the plants she was growing and their uses, but she wasn't sure if any of them would suit the medic's needs. "Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

"Well, I'm primarily looking for things that can help ward off minor infections and deal with light burns, scratches, bug-bites", Terry replied. "That's what most of the team needs now and we want to save the good stuff for the few more seriously wounded."

"We have aloe, lemon grass, willow, peppermint, and a variety of other plants," Bri said, turning to walk deeper into the woods. "I'll show you." They also had some of the white trees, but she wasn't ready to let him see those. Not yet, anyway.

"Well, aloe will definitely help out", Terry said with a smile. "I've never heard of using those others. I guess it was good to come to the experts."

"Aloe is good for burns, frostbite, and some skin conditions. Lemon grass helps ward off some insects. Peppermint is good for headaches and upset stomachs. Willow bark can be distilled to create a pain reliever, but you have to blend it with something else because the pure bark can do damage as well," Bri said. "I can give you a couple of each plant to take with you. Willow...takes time to grow, but I can give you a sapling." She paused. "Oh, and I have rosemary. It's good for seasoning and is an anti-inflammatory."

Terry smiled and with an approving nod said, "Thank you. Why don't we start with the basic stuff right now. I am hoping that we aren't roughing it long enough to have to tend to a tree. I'm still interested in learning more about how to do the distilling though."

"Boiling works for some. I can give you some information on a PADD," Brianthe said. "For now, I can show you what we have and give you some plants you can use to start your own herb garden." She continued to go back through the trees to where she had her herbs planted.

Alanna decided she would take this opportunity to go back and check on messages. She still couldn't reach Jason telepathically and that worried her.

"Thank you, Alanna", Terry said, noting she was leaving. "I owe you one."

"No. We're all in this together. Helping each other is the only way we'll survive."

(To be continued...)

[OFF]

Lieutenant Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer and Rabble Rouser
Deep Space 5

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist
Deep Space 5

Gunnery Sergeant Terry Henderson
Combat Medic
1st Marine Expeditionary Unit, 9th Marine Division
Deep Space 5

 

RSS Feed