Survival of the Fittest Part.. something

Posted on Thu Jan 28th, 2021 @ 9:07pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Chief Petty Officer Ronson Mitchell & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Dean House & Lieutenant Aurora Vali

Mission: The Jungle
Location: Jungle

Crewman Ronson Mitchell was nearly beside himself as Savar effectively knocked the Captain out, allowing the team to treat her injury without further pain. He knew it was the merciful and right thing to do but it tore him up inside all the same.

Savar gently lowered the Captain down to the cave floor, allowing Aurora better access to her wound. "You may proceed when you are ready Aurora. The Captain will not feel any pain."

Aurora nodded and got to work, she needed to clean the wound first to make sure there was no dirt or grime from the forest. It took a few careful moments to irrigate it with what spare water they had. That done she got to work on disinfecting and cauterising it. The smell of burnt flesh wasn’t nice but it had to be done. Once done she bandaged the leg and left Rhenora to rest.

Some time later the Captain stirred. It was a strange experience, she didn't remember falling asleep but she felt as though she had been asleep for a while. She went to move but a sharp pain in her leg reminded her of the recent events. They were still in the jungle, she'd been stabbed, and Savar had knocked her out with a neck pinch.

"Thank you..." She whispered through dry lips, unwilling to attempt moving any further.

Savar nodded, "You are welcome Captain, no sudden moments please, your wound has been cauterized and it appears that there is no sign of any further bleeding but lay still awhile longer to be sure."

She nodded at his words and relaxed back against the soft sand floor, utterly thankful she had a good team around her. "How long was I out for? What's our situation Commander?" She asked her XO. It was dark outside and a fire flickered nearby. Lt House and Ronson were keeping guard.

"You have been asleep for four hours, 23 minutes Captain. Our situation is basically unchanged, we have food from the packets that were contained in the box, flints to make a fire. Lt. House has his bow and arrow, while Mr. Mitchell, you and I have our blade weapons. Also in the box were tablets that look like purifying tablets for water."

" Four hours? Felt like four minutes" Rhenora retorted, propping herself up onto her elbows before slowly rising into a sitting position. She looked around at Ronson and Lt House, they seemed perfectly content sitting just outside the cave, eyes searching for any movement in the darkness. She turned her attention back to Savar "I'd love some water" She admitted, not knowing if they had used any of the tablets yet.

Savar nodded, "You are in luck Captain, I forgot to mention that also included in the box was a small flask. One we have filled with water as well as placed tablets in. It is drinkable." He added as he handed her the flask. "Please just sip, until you eat as well." As he handed her a packet of food.

She accepted the water, taking small sips until she became accustomed to the slightly bitter taste. She took a few bites of the food and tried to get passed the horrible texture of the hard biscuits. " What else did you find in the box?" She asked.

"A thermal blanket as well as a basic medkit. Unfortunately the contents were not sufficient to treat your wound Captain." Savar answered and continued, "The box also contained a hand torch."

" It was that bad?" She asked, looking down at the freshly bandaged leg. She was thankful that it was bound and she couldn't see the gory details. She took some more sips of water and swallowed with a bite of the rations.

"Unfortunately it was. However Aurora did an admirable job of closing the wound, treating it with a small tube of disinfectant and bandaging it. You will be able to walk on it without fear of the wound reopening in another hour or so." Savar informed her.

Rhenora turned to the counsellor "Thank you Aurora, for everything that you've done, and to all of you" There was deep emotion in her words, a feeling of vulnerability she wasn't used to feeling or expressing in front of her crew.

"Captain, it is nothing that you would not do for each of us." Savar pointed out. "We are like the Musketeers of Earth, all for one, one for all."

" I know - but I still appreciate it. You've used all the medical supplies on me, there's none for anyone else should we need them" Rhenora explained, scooting backwards and resting her back against the wall of the cave. The movement caused her pain and she winced but said nothing.

"Materials well used Captain." Savar answered his friend. "I should also add that Mr. Mitchell is particularly relieved that your condition has improved."

" Poor Ronson, how's he doing? It's a far cry from organising my schedule and making coffee" She admitted, resting her back against the wall. She handed the foil packet with food back to Savar for safe keeping. "Have you eaten?"

Savar ignored her question about his eating instead he spoke of Ronson. "He is better now that you are better. He was quite upset that we had to cauterize your wound even though he knew it was for the best."

Rhenora wrinkled her nose, feeling for the young man. The smell of your Captain's burning flesh would have been hard for anyone to deal with - unconscious or not. She swore she could still smell the lingering stench of burnt flesh.

" And Lt House? He is guarding?" She asked, looking around for the new officer.

"Lt. House is indeed guarding the entrance of the cave with Mr. Mitchell, so far all has been quiet. With no sign of hunters."

The Captain breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing just a little bit. The team was together for the moment and that was her main priority. "We need to stay together, I feel it's so important. Our strength is in our numbers and I diversity, and thank you for holding the fort"

"You are correct on both counts Captain. They will prove to be our strength and our advantage in winning this game and defeating our adversaries." Savar observed.

" We will win, failure is not an option. I wont let my crew die because of some game" Rhenora spat the last few works out, as though the mere thought of such a thing disgusted her - which it actually did. " I just wish I knew how the rest of the crew were doing"

"WE will win Captain." Savar replied stressing the word we. I am sure the rest of the crew is coping the best the can given the circumstances they find themselves in."

" I know, I just feel for them" She admitted, looking towards Lt House who had just re-entered the cave.

"Status Lieutenant?"

"Oh, you're awake. That's good to know. Its the same as it has been, I'm not sure what they are up to unless they don't hunt at night. Which is the better time to do it," Dean nodded.

Aurora sat and took a moment to rest, right now she was wishing they were back aboard ship. “I can act as a walking tricorder or less” she looked at Rhenora and Savar. “I can sense anyone that’s coming and my hearing is almost as acute as Savar’s so you have two of us who will hear anything, or anyone, coming.”

"I'm grateful for that, and for everything you have done for me" Rhenora said sincerely, referring to the unpleasant task that would have been cleaning and dressing her wound. She felt bad that her friend had to do it in the first place

“It’s the least I can do Captain” Aurora smiled. “If it wasn’t for Ronson and Savar helping me to warm up I’d be needing medical care too so I’m more than grateful they were there. So what’s our plan from here?”

"Spend the dark hours here, rest as much as we can then make another push towards the Holy Idol tomorrow. I have no idea what the countdown means other than its counting down. Without a reference I can't determine how many days or hours we have left" Rhenora explained, shifting so she was a little more comfortable.

Aurora nodded. “In that case maybe we could pick some nearby vegetation? There’s some big plants out there that would make comfortable bedding on this sandy floor. I saw some on the way in, you don’t need that bandage getting full of grit and dirt.”

"I can cut some more off my shirt and wrap it again, keep the grit out of it" The Captain suggested, before realising that Ronson had her scimitar. "But some more leaves would be a good idea, if nothing else it'll keep the cold from seeping into my old bones" she laughed a little at her own lame joke, anything to distract from the constant ache in her leg.

Aurora nodded and looked to Savar. “I can show you where I saw the best leaves it’s not far.” She added a smile grateful they were back together again.

"Please lead the way Aurora." Savar replied. To Rhenora, he said. "We should not be long Captain, do try and rest. When we return we can discuss our next moves."

Aurora nodded and headed to the cave entrance. “I think we need to be as quiet as possible, we don’t know what predators lurk on this world after dark. Luckily the plants are just down there” She pointed to a large plant with large flat leaves that lay below the level of the cave.

Once again Rhenora was alone, unable to do anything other than think about this situation. The odds were being stacked against them about winning the game. It had been done before, but those who had won now made it their business to see no-one else did. Their lives depended on it. The Liberty crew would have to outwit and outsmart another Starfleet crew in the game of survival. She wondered how Remal was doing, it felt like days since she had seen him. A tear threatened to fall.

Nearby the animals that lived in the cave started to get hungry.