sixthiterationlogs | "i'm beginning to think negatively, jean-luc" ( CLOSED )

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"i'm beginning to think negatively, jean-luc" ( CLOSED )

WHO: Beverly Crusher
WHERE: Off to the northwest and homeward bound
WHEN: May 10th
OPEN TO: Jean-Luc Picard
WARNINGS: tbd

In hindsight, Beverly will say she should have expected something like this to happen.

Next to holodeck malfunctions, transporter malfunctions are one of the top problems on Starfleet ships. One would think they would have come up with a way to make them foolproof, but not yet. So, all told, Beverly has been whisked away suddenly more times than she might care to count. She really should have expected to one day turn around in the hospital only to find herself stepping out into a section of ground that is very definitely not part of the village. Either village.

In fact, she can't even really see much of the villages. Assuming what's on the other side of the trees and whatever else is in fact one or the other.

Folding her arms over her chest, she glares at the horizon, thinking this will be a long trip back. "What I wouldn't do for a tricorder here," she huffs, as though she hasn't had that thought almost every day for the last year.

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As it turns out, Beverly isn't the only one to have been suddenly whisked away from what they'd been doing. And for all that the feeling isn't entirely unfamiliar, he can't really say that he'd expected to be subject to even something remotely like a transporter malfunction out here. Mostly because he's not entirely certain the Observers have that sort of technology, yes, but the fact still remains that it's a bit of a surprise.

And something of an annoyance besides, given that he has no more idea of where they happen to be that Beverly herself does.

"I know the feeling. And it would make things a good deal easier."

Even if it was simply figuring out things like what to expect from the local terrain. Or just how far from the settlement they happen to be, just at the moment.

As unhappy as she is about having been beamed out somewhere else without notice, Beverly offers a small smile of relief as she hears Jean-Luc's voice. At least she isn't alone and she's been brought here with someone she gets along very well with. They've been trapped alone on a planet together before and managed to get out all right. This should be more of the same.

"It would tell us the right direction to go, for one thing," she huffs before adding on with the teasing note of someone tugging on an old inside joke, "though at least this planet has something we can eat."

Better than Kesprytt, that's for sure.

"I should assume so," he agrees with a nod. "Otherwise I can't imagine why they'd have chosen this planet in the first place. I'll admit that the fact that they've been so free about giving us seeds from home might suggest that this environment isn't one that would cater to humanity over much, but it could be just as easily be an attempt to offer some sort of familiarity."

Which doesn't change the fact that they don't have any idea of which of the local plants might be edible, much less any real indication of which way to head to make it back to the village.

"Although... it's possible there's something like a map on these devices?"

He shakes his wrist at that, by way of explanation. It might not tell them where they are, precisely, but it might be possible to guess based on the local terrain.

Beverly's expression turns doubtful at the thought that their devices might have a map on them. They don't seem to be quite advanced enough for that, unfortunately. Having a digital map at their fingertips would be too easy and for the Starfleet officers it would be a stepping stone towards either making or finding something more advanced.

"Well, at least they aren't keeping us from eating anything," she agrees. "Whatever the case, we have something to survive on and the planet itself is at least tolerable."

She doesn't add on for now, though they're both likely thinking it. There's no telling how long they'll have an environment that will be good enough to survive in.

"Watch out for any of the wildlife you see, though," she warns. "The frogs Mark and I ran into on our lichen expedition paralyzed me for a few minutes. I wouldn't want to see what else can happen this far away from the village."

It would, unfortunately. But it's certainly a nice thought, anyway, if only in that they'd have some idea of which direction they might need to go to get back to the village. But they've dealt with worse; surely they can manage this, for all that it's likely to be highly irritating.

(Later, perhaps, they can look into the idea of starting to create some sort of map. Right now, however, there are more immediately pressing concerns.)

"There is that," he agrees with a nod. It's perhaps a small mercy, but it is something all the same. And as long as they don't happen to get too lost it shouldn't take too long to figure out how to get back to the village. It might require finding a suitable vantage point from which to look for familiar terrain, yes. But that's not any considerable trouble, and as long as they do their best to steer clear of anything obviously harmful they should manage well enough.

"I'll keep an eye out. Ah, and there's a species of bird whose call appears to have an effect on the emotions of the listener. I can point them out, if I see them."

Of course, by then it might already be too late, but at least it's a lesser sort of inconvenience than being paralyzed, even temporarily.

"Wonderful," she sighs tiredly. "This place just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

This isn't the first time they've had to worry about surviving on an alien planet and it's a good thing Starfleet has always been insistent on making sure its officers know how to survive just about anywhere and even without their usual Starfleet-issue equipment. Otherwise they might be having more than a few problems right now.

"At least we can figure out the cardinal directions through the sun." It isn't cloudy or raining, so at least they have that marker. That's something. "Almost makes you want to climb a tree to see if you can spot anything further."

"Unfortunately, yes. Some amount of unusual flora and fauna is almost to be expected given this clearly isn't any world that we're familiar with? But even so, there seems to be a rather excessive amount of things that can detrimentally effect someone."

It's perhaps not quite as harmful as it could be, perhaps. But only in the fact that no one has so far died, or been transformed into something else, and given the wide variety of other way there are for people to become ill or injured even on a world that doesn't boast the species this one does, that's not saying a whole lot. Especially when they're having to find out what everything does pretty much by trial and error.

"If we can find one that looks like it would be relatively easy to climb, that wouldn't be a bad idea, actually."

"You might be better at the climbing part than I am," she says dubiously, stepping up to the closest tree and resting a hand on its trunk. "This one doesn't look too bad. Too bad we don't have a coin to flip to see who gets to try first."

So far they haven't run across anything deadly, but they would be right fools not to think that was possible out here. The various illnesses and the cold and the lightning she had apparently just barely missed a year ago are all bad enough. Given that this entire planet or simulation is new means that the rules have changed and the danger level may well have also.

She sighs and reaches up to one of the branches, testing how much weight it might be able to bear. "I'll give it a try, if you can give me a boost up."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the Observers care much for the idea of money."

Which certainly makes the idea of barter a good deal easier in the long run, yes. But even he has to that even in a money-less society there are still a few uses for coins. One of which Beverly has just touched on. Not that there's anything he can do about the fact, mind, and he simply nods at Beverly's comment, bending to give her a boost up as he does so.

"If you can't get high enough to see anything, we can see if I have any better luck."

He's not holding out much hope that he will, mind. But he's willing to give it a try all the same, if it should be necessary.

To Beverly's credit, she manages to get up onto the branch with Jean-Luc's healp. Unfortunately, she doesn't manage to get much higher up before her fear of heights becomes almost paralyzing. She'd managed heights before; during the mission on Celtris III and again on Kesprytt, she had managed to climb up and down a few cliff faces and sheer rock walls. Those were more because she had no other choice than any kind of bravery related to facing her fears. Now....

"Okay, I tried," she concedes after a minute or so of holding onto the trunk of the tree, standing on a branch a little ways up. Taking a deep breath and urging her anxiety and heart to calm down so her hands might stop shaking, she slowly lowers herself so she's sitting on the branch. A minute later, she lowers herself again down to the one above Jean-Luc. "Your turn."

There is a distinct lack of necessity here, it's true. Not that he's unwilling to at least give her the space to try all the same if she should want to, but he doesn't blame her in the least for not being able to manage either. Instead he simply nods at her comment, before offering her a hand down, if she should care for one.

Either way, once she's gotten her feet on solid ground again, he hoists himself up into the tree without further ado.

"I shouldn't be too long."

And unless she has anything else she wants to say, he'll set out on his way up the tree.

Beverly is much happier on solid ground, that much is for sure. She keeps an eye on Jean-Luc as he makes his way up the tree, ready to help if he should need it. His skill and confidence in climbing should be a lot higher than hers and she doubts he will need her. But just in case, she's ready.

Once he's further up the tree and she doesn't have a very good line of sight up to him, she calls up, "Any luck up there? How high are you?"

For all that he certainly doesn't expect to need her help, there's always the possibility of a branch breaking underfoot, to say nothing of any other sort of injury that can come from climbing a tree like this. Not that he hasn't had his share of practice, but even that isn't any guarantee that accidents won't still happen.

"I can't see the village from here. I'm going to try going around the other side. It's possible it's in the other direction."

And if that doesn't work, he'll try getting a little higher in the tree and see if that helps.

The whole thing makes her nervous. She can stand on the ground and watch easier than she can actually climb and she knows Jean-Luc is good at climbing and cautious besides. All the same, neither of them knows what might be lurking around at any moment, either on the ground or in the trees. And if they don't find their way back to either village, they could be stuck out here. Neither of them wants that.

"All right. I'll keep an eye out for trouble down here."

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"i'm beginning to think negatively, jean-luc" ( CLOSED )

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