Wilderness Experience (Part 1)

Posted on 12/16/2020 @ 5:40pm by Captain Cian D'Anvers

Mission: S3E1: Time of Change
Location: Undisclosed Location on Earth
Timeline: Day 91 at 0600

Survival tests were murky things. You get dumped in some remote location with little more than a set of clothes, matches, a hatchet and, when you are very lucky, a hunting knife which may or may not have a compass in the handle. The rules are simple enough - survive until you're found. Cian awoke lying on his back in a place that wasn't familiar, a remote location, certainly, that reminded him of old-growth primordial forests, beautiful and untamed. As he raised up on one elbow, shaking off the fog clinging to his brain, he thought that while he was no kind of a scientist, the trees were those that grew in areas that saw significant snowfall. Certainly, the wind, chill and clawing at his too-thin clothes, reinforced that notion and he found himself shivering. His gaze traveled the surroundings and landed on his first officer who was also on the ground.

Jodon pulled up to his feet, placed his hand against his brow to shade his eyes and take a look around. He was fortunately not in this alone. He had Cian right there with him which automatically increased his chances of 'survival' in his book at least. The man was a few inches over six feet and weighed significantly more than Jodon did. Cian was built lean, well-muscled, and was practically statuesque. He was brawn and beauty swirled into one masterpiece; something to marvel at in comfort yet admire in unfavorable conditions such as this. If Cian were brawn and beauty, J.J. was certainly the brains.

"So, what was it they taught us in survival class at the academy? Coffee, shelter, food?" he teased the other man who had a bit of a steamy intimacy with the dark caffeinated beverage from Earth though other cultures even Klingons had their rough equivalent. "Where the hell did drop us, Cian, Maine?" inquired Jodon with a small chuckle. He was not from Earth and really did not have much of a guess at this point; however, Cian himself was Syndari and was born and raised on Syndar Prime.

"Coffee," Cian murmured and sound of it coming out of his mouth was somewhere between a moan and plea. He ran one hand through his hair as he looked over at J.J. (and it was alright to call him that because it didn't get more private than the middle of nowhere) and quirked one side of his mouth upward slightly. "Maybe more north than that even." He shifted to a sitting position, a graceful, fluid move born of a whole lot of time in martial arts workouts, and nodded toward the north. "Any chance we'd get lucky and find a cave among those rocks?" He grinned cheerfully. "Warm little cave with a fire burning out front to drive off the predators ... and if we're really lucky, something that's remotely edible."

"Vancouver? Oak Island?" Jodon began naming some places, but gave up after the first two. Wherever they were did not matter as much as finding a way to survive long enough to successfully pass the 'course' or 'test' whichever you wanted to consider it. They were being evaluated on this. "Did they happen to give us a phaser, tricorder, or medical kit, or are we completely left to our own mental and physical devices?" asked Jodon with a small smirk. "A quick look at the topography and feeling how cold it is currently..." he said looking up at the positioning of the sun. "We should be able to find a cave of some sort and we will need to do so. It is going to get cold at night, Sir. Cold enough that we don't want to risk exposure to it."

He noted the Sir but let it slip by; it wasn't something to be forced. Instead, he focused on the question and on what they'd need to do before sunset if they were going to survive the night. "Agreed on that score," he said as he rose to his feet. "All I have is a hatchet," he said as he bent down to pick it up off the ground. "Guess I should be lucky they gave us something, eh?" He turned his attention toward the uphill climb they faced and found himself grinning. Memories of his life on the homeworld after the last of the great ships departed came to mind. Scrounging was something he understood. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet as he looked at J.J. "Well, you ready to go look for shelter?"

"You lead the way," Jodon said with a smile. "I will use my wits and 'book smarts' to keep us from eating anything that will kill us, and I can definitely provide some entertainment should we get bored," added the man's First Officer. "I do, however, agree with you that a shelter right now should be a priority. We need to get out of the elements and limit our exposure, especially when the temperature drops tonight. I also would be concerned with any wildlife."

"How about we go together," Cian said. They started walking northward toward an area where the trees thinned somewhat and the ground veered sharply upward. He didn't expect to find anything palatial and in fact, didn't want anything too large. No, he was looking for something much smaller, a cave only big enough to fit the two of them with maybe a bit of room to spare. something that a well built fire and their own body heat could warm up somewhat. "It takes me back," Cian said as they climbed, "to my own world. You know, I slept in a cave for ... what? .... for more than a year."

"My symbiont was born in and lived in a pool of warm water that carries small electrical currents, just several dozen symbionts gliding around until they are joined to a host," Jodon said with a smile. "I know, completely different experience, but it was as close as I could relate," he explained. "Though before joining my family and I lived in a mountainous region of Trill. They are kind of outcasts within Trill society."

"Why's that," Cian asked as, having caught sight of what could be an opening in the rock, he veered left. The path grew steeper for a bit so that he hand to lean in, find handholds, but then leveled off again as they approached a cliff face.

"My parents do not believe in joining," replied Jodon. "Strongly opposed to it. So, you can imagine how it is going home every now and then now that I've been joined myself." He looked at Cian and smiled. "It's not commonplace anymore, but my folks are from very old ways and they have never broken away from those beliefs."

The notion of following old ways, of never veering from a long tradition, was something he understood having dealt with both sides of the issue. He had surprised himself but even mentioning his youth on Syndar and reminded himself that barriers existed for a reason. Still, J.J. seemed more interested in speaking of himself and that was as it should be. The past was the past. Let it remain there.

The search for an opening took some time; he was starting to think about creating a platform in a tree when he found what he was looking for. Small in size and defendable. Hatchet in hand, he ducked int the cave and checked for recent signs of habitation. It has been used but everything was dried out which meant they'd be safe enough.

"I think this will work," he said as he exited and stood. "We can clear out, build a fire ring in front. What do you think?"

J.J. examined the area and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this should do just fine. It will keep us out of the elements and if we can get a fire going, we will be warm and it will keep anything predatory away at least in theory" commented the Trill. "I can help you clear it out. Then, we can get to work on the fire. Do you have any experience making fire, Cian?"

"More than a little," Cian said as he got down on all fours and slid back into the cave. Barely four feet across and not quite long enough for him to stretch out, it would do nicely for one night. Working from back to front, he started by picking up the largest rocks and pushing them toward the opening. The larger ones could be used In setting up the fire ring. Be nice to cook something he thought but that brings with it a host of problems. Maybe fishing? Have to look for a water source anyway.

"Ideally a clean one, but regardless, I'll boil it for safety reasons," noted Jodon. "I don't want to bring you aboard our new ship with gut rot and parasites. The Chief Medical Officer would kill me," teased J.J. He looked around. "Fishing or hunting. Either way, we will need to make the equipment for it."

The pile of rocks at the opening was large enough now that he could feel the weight of them pressed against his thigh. "Hey, if you could start shifting these out of the opening," Cian said, "there's a few more that need to come out." After that, he'd use a branch to sweep the cave floor and remove anything else that would interfere. He remembered lessons he'd received as a boy, back when there wasn't much of anything to be had, and grinned. "Lieutenant, you ever fish with your hands? It's hard but ... fun too."

"Last time I checked I wasn't remotely bear like," Jodon replied as he proceeded to shift the items out of the opening as instructed. "Standing there and snagging a fish out of the water? That would be impressive. I take you have experience doing that."

"Often enough that I have confidence I can do it. How about this," Cian said. "I catch them, you clean and cook them." He rubbed the edge of his ear as he looked at J.J. from beneath half-closed eyelids. "Not something I've ever been good at, cooking."

"Not a problem," replied Jodon with a small smile. "Find me a sharp rock unless they've provided us with a knife. Either way, I can get them cleaned and fillet them for cooking" J.J. stated. "Kind of like biology class, cut things open and such" he explained. This time though it would be for food and survival, not scientific curiosity.

[Later}

Work was something that Cian understood, a lesson learned long ago on a planet that had never adopted the principles upon which the Federation was founded. He started by gathering firewood, the dry dead branches on the ground that would burn easily, and used the hatchet to break up the larger logs. It some time to do but it brought him back to a part of himself that he’d forgotten. He got into a rhythm and let go of the laundry list of concerns that were part of his life as a starship captain. Bit by bit, the wood supply near the entrance of the cave began to grow organized into neat piles, kindling, smaller twigs and branches, and then the larger logs that would see them through the night and maybe into the following morning.

Once he’d gathered enough, he set out a fire ring made of larger stones, some relatively flat so that they could be used for other purposes. Granted, he was no kind of a cook, but he understood the basics having done these sorts of tasks for others who were more gifted in that area. And somehow, it had all come flooding back, good and bad. He set up the fire, kindling and then layers of wood, starting with the smallest and thinnest and working up to a couple of large pieces on top, and sent a silent thank-you to whoever had provided them with a few matches along with the hatchet and hunting knife.

Once the fire was going, he headed off to the creek where he would do his best to catch dinner.

(To be Continued)

A Post by:

Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Sitting Bull

and

Lieutenant Jodon Joral
Executive Officer
USS Sitting Bull